DDT “D-OH GRAND PRIX 2023 IN KORAKUEN HALL” Results

December 24, 2023

DDT “D-OH GRAND PRIX 2023 IN KORAKUEN HALL”, 24/12/2023
Tokyo Korakuen Hall
761 Fans – No Vacancy

-. D-Oh Grand Prix 2023 – B Block: Rei Saito (8) defeated Chris Brookes (2) by Forfeit.
1. KANON & MJ Paul defeated Yukio Sakaguchi & Rukiya when KANON submitted Rukiya with the Torture Cobra Twist (4:57).
2. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title – Battle Royal ~ Toru Owashi Return Match: Toru Owashi defeated The Great Koji (c), Sanshiro Takagi, Kazuki Hirata, Akito, Kazuma Sumi and Poison Sawada JULIE (10:21).
2a. Sanshiro Takagi eliminated Akito by Over The Top Rope (8:25).
2b. Sanshiro Takagi eliminated Kazuma Sumi by Over The Top Rope (8:25).
2c. Sanshiro Takagi eliminated Kazuki Hirata by Over The Top Rope (8:25).
2d. Poison Sawada JULIE eliminated Sanshiro Takagi by Over The Top Rope (8:25).
2e. Poison Sawada JULIE eliminated The Great Koji (c) with the Cattle Mutilation (10:08).
*Poison Sawada JULIE becomes the 1,597th champion.
2f. Toru Owashi defeated Poison Sawada JULIE (c) with a School Boy (10:21).
*Toru Owashi becomes the 1,598th champion.
3. Special Single Match: Rei Saito defeated Hideki Okatani with the Drill-A-Hole Piledriver (4:43).
4. KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles: Jun Akiyama, Danshoku Dieno & Makoto Oishi (c) defeated Masahiro Takanashi, Antonio Honda & Takeshi Masada when Oishi pinned Honda with a Rotating Cradle (10:41).
*V1 for D.O.A.
5. D-Oh Grand Prix 2023 – B Block: Yukio Naya (8) defeated MAO (6) with The World’s Best Back Drop (10:58).
6. D-Oh Grand Prix 2023 – A Block: HARASHIMA (4) defeated Daisuke Sasaki (5) with the Somato (6:37).
7. D-Oh Grand Prix 2023 – A Block: Yuki Iino (4) defeated Yuki Ueno (5) with the Spear (8:14).
8. D-Oh Grand Prix 2023 – A Block: Tetsuya Endo (6) defeated Kazusada Higuchi (6) with the Burning Star Press (20:37).
– Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title: Christmas Tree defeated Toru Owashi (c) with a Body Press (1:39 pm).
*Christmas Tree becomes the 1,599th champion.

A Block

1. Tetsuya Endo (6)
-. Kazusada Higuchi (6)
3. Yuki Ueno (5)
-. Daisuke Sasaki (5)
5. Yuki Iino (4)
-. HARASHIMA (4)

B Block

1. Yukio Naya (8)
-. Rei Saito (8)
3. MAO (6)
4. KANON (4)
5. Kazuki Hirata (2)
-. Chris Brookes (2)

Back from the brink, Tetsuya Endo has won the A Block but only just! The last day of group matches in the D-Ou Grand Prix took place at Korakuen Hall on Christmas Eve. Every remaining A Block match had somebody fighting to finish in first so they will qualify for the grand final. The other potential challengers all fell at the final hurdle leaving it all on the line in the main event between Endo and Kazusada Higuchi. Throughout the tournament Endo has been using the Rolling Chop taught to him by Kenta Kobashi. The move here was not enough to put down Higuchi so Endo came up with an even more dangerous idea from Kobashi’s moveset. He wanted to do the Torture Rack Bomb but Higuchi grabbed him with the Brain Claw. Endo resisted and turned the Torture Rack into a Sitout Burning Hammer! He was then able to do the Spinning Torture Rack Bomb but Higuchi kicked out. Endo then hit the Burning Star Press and this time Higuchi was done for, ending the A Block with Endo heading to the final!

The other two frontrunners in the A Block both collapsed, leading to Endo to overtake them. Yuki Ueno was knocked for a loop thanks to Yuki Iino’s Spear. The first one was blocked with a Dropkick but when Ueno went for the WR, Iino countered it with a short-range Spear and pinned last year’s D-Oh winner in an upset! Iino calls the result a very precious victory and he will use this momentum to keep evolving into the next year. Ueno said whether he won or lost in this tournament, he is still the KO-D Openweight Champion coming out of it. He thinks it is still up to him to carry DDT over his back.

Daisuke Sasaki saw his chances of reaching the final blow up in flames thanks to HARASHIMA. Even with MJ Paul at ringside helping him behind the ref’s back, Sasaki fell to the Somato in short order. HARASHIMA credits his battleplan for the win because you have to be careful fighting against Sasaki. He isn’t pleased with only getting 4 points in the tournament but it will spur him on to train harder for next year. Sasaki meanwhile was so upset over his failure to win the Grand Prix that he decided to retire! Then he got cold feet and convinced a nearby reporter to grant permission for him to delay the retirement for one year.

Meeting Endo in the final is Yukio Naya in the B Block. There was only one match left in that group and Naya needed to win or else Rei Saito would go to the final instead. MAO was out of the running due to circumstances out of his control but he still fought like he had a chance to qualify. But despite using the match to get his frustrations out, MAO was hit with Knee Strike after Knee Strike, including one with his kneepad pulled down. It was all over for MAO when he was given The World’s Best Back Drop. He wasn’t happy about the result and complained about Naya not showing enough spirit when he fight. It has MAO wondering if Naya really wants to win this?

So the D-Oh final comes down to Endo against Naya. The two had a standoff in the ring after Endo’s match. Naya called Endo as amazing wrestler and Naya has to surpass amazing wrestlers to make up for last year’s defeat in the final. He wants to be the best not just in DDT but also all of Japanese pro wrestling so he cannot afford to lose now. Endo said Naya is bigger than him but not as strong. On 3rd January keep your eyes on Endo because he promises to crush Naya!

D.O.A might be getting a little ahead of themselves by accepting more title challengers than they need to but right now they look like they can handle the pressure. Their first KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles defence was a successful one against Schadenfreude International. The match saw Jun Akiyama using his own Gongitsune to combat Antonio Honda’s version. Things were looking bad when Masahiro Takanashi & Takeshi Masada blocked Danshoku Dieno’s Wasabi Lip Lock. But Makoto Oishi maneuvered Honda to run face first into Dieno’s backside and Oishi then rolled him up for the victory. Even though the champions won, Dieno was in agony because he still had the wasabi stuck in his mouth. Their next defence will be against Bodyguard’s Osaka team on 6th January. That match also has the D.O.A name on the line!

Rei Saito went into today’s show with a forfeit win over Chris Brookes. So with no tournament match Saito instead fought Hideki Okatani in a singles match between an AJPW World Tag Team Champion and an All Asia Tag Team Champion. Okatani had some chances to win but Saito was too big to let the Quetzalcoatl be used against him. Saito used his strength to turn things around and beat Okatani with the Drill-A-Hole Piledriver. Saito is still booked for 3rd January and so is his brother Jun Saito. Since the D-Oh final is no longer on the cards for Rei, The Saito Brothers are instead challenging DDT to give them a tag team to fight. Meanwhile Okatani promised to get revenge on Rei no matter if it is in DDT, All Japan or anywhere else!

The return of Toru Owashi from injury has him back in his natural role. He is and always will be the straight man in a comedy Battle Royal. The Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title was on the line as The Great Koji emerged from Parts Unknown against a field of challengers including a mystery opponent. That mystery wrestler turned out to be the championship’s creator Poison Sawada JULIE! He used his Snake Magic on Sanshiro Takagi forcing him to eliminate Akito, Kazuma Sumi and Kazuki Hirata one by one until JULIE eliminated Takagi by himself. Great Koji armed himself with a sickle and resisted JULIE’s magic at first but the spell eventually overpowered him. JULIE then applied his version of the Cattle Mutilation, forcing Koji to give up. JULIE was not the Iron Man champion but Owashi quickly pinned him with a School Boy to win the belt and the match.

Afterwards Takagi attacked JULIE and they fought their way to the back. Owashi stayed in the ring so he could thank the fans for their support during his recovery. Backstage he also made a decision to disband DISASTER BOX! Over the last five months Owashi has seen Hirata grow up and learn to take care of himself. The reason why DISASTER BOX stuck around for so long was so Owashi & HARASHIMA could look after Hirata but now that is no longer needed. Hirata is now walking down a new path, Owashi feels lucky he still has time to be a pro wrestler and HARASHIMA is fighting to remain the ace of DDT so the time is right for DISASTER BOX to end. The unit may come back in the future because it has been revived before. Also the three of them can still team together in some form whenever DDT tells them to so Hirata thinks not much is going to change from this decision.

Both KANON & MJ Paul were interested in fighting Yukio Sakaguchi because he is one half of the All Asia Tag Champions. So KANON felt a bit let down when he had to beat up Rukiya instead. At least DAMNATION T.A are having a year end drinking party at Sasaki’s house to make up for that disappointment.

At the very end of the show everyone came down to the ring dressed in Santa Claus outfits to celebrate Christmas with the fans. Hirata talked about how great DDT is and how he cannot wait for 2024. He then suddenly attacked Owashi with a Christmas Tree and everybody piled on top of them to try and win the Iron Man Title! Yukinori Matsui counted the pin and then seperated the pile of bodies to figure out who won. Everyone was pulled away until the only thing left directly lying on Owashi was the tree. Which means the Christmas Tree is the new Iron Man Champion! Takagi ordered everybody not to attack the tree because it is fitting for it to become a champion on Christmas Eve. Ueno closed out the show telling fans DDT in 2024 will make dreams come true for everyone!

The team challenging for the KO-D 10-Man Tag Team Titles on 5th January have chosen the replacement for Chris Brookes. Taking his place for the title match is Takayuki Ueki. That means the team is not fighting as Schadenfreude International but instead representing Baka Gaijin + Friends!

DDT will be holding two outdoor Beer Garden shows in Tokyo Ueno Park on 21st and 26th March.

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DDT “D-OH GRAND PRIX 2023 IN KUMAMOTO” Results

December 17, 2023

DDT “D-OH GRAND PRIX 2023 IN KUMAMOTO”, 17/12/2023
Kumamoto Sakurajuji Hall Yatsushiro Multipurpose Hall
282 Fans – Super No Vacancy

1. Yukio Sakaguchi & Hideki Okatani defeated Soma Takao & Kazuma Sumi when Okatani submitted Sumi with a Dragon Sleeper (10:43).
2. Chris Brookes, Akito & Takeshi Masada defeated Danshoku Dieno, Makoto Oishi & Kazuki Hirata when Masada pinned Oishi with the Triangle Kick (10:47).
3. Tetsuya Endo, Jun Akiyama & Yusuke Okada defeated HARASHIMA, Yukio Naya & Rukiya when Endo pinned Rukiya with the Swivel Torture Rack Bomb (14:19).
4. D-Oh Grand Prix 2023 – A Block: Daisuke Sasaki (5) defeated Yuki Iino (2) with a Modified Crucific Pin (11:53).
5. D-Oh Grand Prix 2023 – B Block: MAO (6) defeated KANON (4) with the Just Face Lock (13:17).
6. The 37KAMIINA Vs Harimao!: Kazusada Higuchi & Yuki Ishida defeated Yuki Ueno & Toy Kojima when Higuchi pinned Kojima with the Brain Claw Slam (22:08).

A Block

1. Kazusada Higuchi (6)
2. Yuki Ueno (5)
-. Daisuke Sasaki (5)
4. Tetsuya Endo (4)
5. Yuki Iino (2)
-. HARASHIMA (2)

B Block

1. Yukio Naya (6)
-. MAO (6)
-. Rei Saito (6)
4. KANON (4)
5. Kazuki Hirata (2)
-. Chris Brookes (2)

Only two D-Oh Grand Prix matches today but they both help set the table for the final group matches taking place on Christmas Eve. MAO now finds himself at the top of the B Block but space is tight up there. He beat KANON and used TAKA Michinoku’s Just Face Lock submission for the win to rub it in. The result is payback for KANON beating him with the Cobra Twist during last year’s Grand Prix. With that debt repaid, MAO now thinks KANON is somebody who might be standing on the same level as him in the near future. KANON has now completed all of his group matches and he’s upset because all he got out of it is a pair of Hirata GO! glasses.

The only A Block match had Daisuke Sasaki playing mind games with Yuki Iino. Sasaki claimed Iino still has a trace of “Sexy” inside him and he was going to bring it out of him! Sasaki did poses to remind Iino of Pheromones and make him lose his temper. While this sent Iino on a rampage chasing after Sasaki, it also led to him making mistakes. The big one was Iino missing a Spear and hitting the exposed corner post after Sasaki had removed the turnbuckle pad. The damage did not immediately cost Iino the match but it didn’t take Sasaki long to pin him with a Crucifix afterwards. Sasaki then added insult to injury by saying Iino was never sexy at all! While Iino no longer has a chance to reach the final, he still promises fans will see him show everything with full power at DDT’s last Korakuen Hall show of the year.

The show today did not have a big focus on the D-Oh because it was also Yuki Ishida’s triumphant return to his hometown Yatsushiro, Kumamoto. The 37KAMIINA wanted to spoil Harimao’s party, particularly when Ishida responded to Toy Kojima’s “NeppoWER” pose with an enthusiastic “Dosukoi” shout. It was Kazusada Higuchi who scored the win by pinning Kojima but Ishida did his part by keeping Yuki Ueno away from the finish. After the match Ishida told the fans he’s really happy to see so many people from Yatsushiro come to watch DDT wrestling. It’s always been his goal to perform here for DDT and next time he wants DDT to book him in a title match here!

Today was Jun Akiyama’s last time teaming with other wrestler in BURNING before he leaves the unit at the end of the year. Tetsuya Endo said the unit will now consist of just himself, Yusuke Okada and the currently injured Yuya Koroku. He thanked Akiyama for everything he taught them over the last two years. Endo also thinks the best way to repay Akiyama is for BURNING to grow bigger without him, even if that means they go and win the KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles from Akiyama’s other team D.O.A! Akiyama joked that when he quits BURNING he will go back to being a normal old man. He also pointed out BURNING has to wait for Koroku to come back before they can get in line for a title shot. That is unless they find a new member of course. However it happens, D.O.A have to go through their current schedule of title defences in order to make a title match against BURNING happen in the future.

Growing with confidence thanks to some recent success, Takeshi Masada claims he is no longer scared of Danshoku Dieno and and his backside. Makoto Oishi threatened to feed Dieno wasabi paste but Hisaya Imabayashi stopped him, just like he did yesterday. Instead Imabayashi invited Yuki Ishida’s father into the ring to hand them a piece of Karashi Renkon, which is a local dish in Kumamoto. During the match Oishi stuck the food in Dieno’s backside and tried forcing Masada to eat it. Masada instead turned it around and shoved it into Oishi’s mouth. Masada then pinned him with the Triangle Kick. He thought about thanking Ishida’s father for helping him win but decided it was because of the Karashi Renkon instead. Schadenfreude International then vowed o win the KO-D 6-Man Tag Titles from D.O.A on Christmas Eve.

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DDT “D-OH GRAND PRIX 2023 IN FUKUOKA” Results

December 16, 2023

DDT “D-OH GRAND PRIX 2023 IN FUKUOKA”, 16/12/2023
Fukuoka Nishitetsu Hall
355 Fans – No Vacancy

0. Dark Match – Kyushu Sangyo University Pro Wrestling Research Department Offer Match: Ionazun Shirai & Tiger Nishiya Mask defeated Great Tamu & Occult Daimao when Nishiya pinned Daimao with the Mad Splash (12:33).
1. Yukio Sakaguchi & Soma Takao defeated Yukio Naya & Yusuke Okada when Takao pinned Okada with an Inside Cradle (7:58).
2. Special 6-Man Tag Match: MAO, Toy Kojima & Van Vert Jack defeated Azul Dragon, Akito & Kazuma Sumi when Kojima pinned Sumi with the Kojima In Wonderland ~KOJIMA Wonderland~ (9:33).
3. D-Oh Grand Prix 2023 – B Block: Kazuki Hirata (2) defeated Chris Brookes (2) with the Miracle One Shot Cradle (9:46).
4. D-Oh Grand Prix 2023 – B Block: Rei Saito (6) defeated KANON (4) with the Body Splash (11:43).
5. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Jun Akiyama, Danshoku Dieno & Makoto Oishi defeated Hideki Okatani, Yuki Ishida & Takeshi Masada when Oishi pinned Ishida with the Jikiden Tornado Clutch (10:22).
6. D-Oh Grand Prix 2023 – A Block: Kazusada Higuchi (6) defeated Yuki Iino (3) with the Brain Claw Press (12:03).
7. D-Oh Grand Prix 2023 – A Block: Yuki Ueno (5) defeated HARASHIMA (2) with the WR (14:21).
8. D-Oh Grand Prix 2023 – A Block: Daisuke Sasaki (3) defeated Tetsuya Endo (4) with the Foot Trapped Crossface Lock (22:53).

A Block

1. Kazusada Higuchi (6)
2. Yuki Ueno (5)
3. Tetsuya Endo (4)
4. Daisuke Sasaki (3)
5. Yuki Iino (2)
-. HARASHIMA (2)

B Block

1. Yukio Naya (6)
-. Rei Saito (6)
3. MAO (4)
-. KANON (4)
5. Kazuki Hirata (2)
-. Chris Brookes (2)

This weekend starts the deep end of the D-Oh Grand Prix with plenty of must win situations for the wrestlers involved. Daisuke Sasaki got his first victory in this year’s tournament by beating Tetsuya Endo in a rematch from “ULTIMATE PARTY 2023”. Sasaki targeted Endo’s left knee early but switched to spiking his neck onto the canvas with the Implant as well as a Tombstone Destroyer. The left knee then came back into play when Sasaki trapped the limb while applying the Crossface Lock to make Endo submit. Sasaki said what happened in the past between him and Endo as well as what will happen in the future does not matter. He just wants to soak in today’s victory.

Yuki Ueno remains in the race for first place and eliminated HARASHIMA from contention to get there. HARASHIMA hit the Somato but Ueno pulled out one of his own to give his opponent a taste of his own medicine. A big Dropkick to the face followed by the WR ended the match with Ueno’s arm raised. He said being raised by DISASTER BOX is what helped him become a champion and he is now good enough to win against his former senpai.

The two big boys of the A Block clashed. Yuki Iino hit hard but Kazusada Higuchi fought back even harder. He also showed some agility by doing the splits in order to dodge Iino’s Low Altitude Spear. Higuchi hit some moves of his own but it was still all even between the two. Iino applied a Bearhug but it was countered with the Brain Claw. Higuchi kept hold of Iino’s head and slammed him to the canvas, pressing him down for the pinfall. Higuchi said Iino has always been a monster in the ring but he has blossomed during the Grand Prix. Higuchi now wants to rest so he can be ready for a vital match against Endo. Iino however might have his recent past come back to haunt him. His next opponent Sasaki claims Iino is hiding something “Sexy” and it will be exposed to everyone when they fight!

KANON’s results are playing a vital role in how the B Block is turning out. His win against Yukio Naya most of the field still in the running. Now his loss against Rei Saito today could be the turning point in improving Saito’s chances of reaching the final. Saito believes the size difference was why he won today. KANON could not break him down like he did to Naya one week ago.

There is now no chance for Chris Brookes to reach the final. Also he might end up having the worst win-loss record in the Grand Prix by the end of it. But worst of all he has the misfortune of being the only person in the tournament to lose to Kazuki Hirata! That’s right, Hirata won his last block match to avoid finishing with zero points! He came up with a plan to disguise himself as a cameraman at ringside so he could roll up Brookes immediately. Brookes kicked out though and instantly turned the tables against him. Hirata perservered though and pulled off the upset thanks to the Miracle One Shot Cradle! He thanked his fans for their support and called this a win they all achieved together. Despite only winning once he is still proud of his performance because it took 13 years of his life to get here and he gave it his all.

The bottle of wasabi Makoto Oishi carries around with him was confiscated by Hisaya Imabayashi before D.O.A’s match began and replaced with a pack of spicy cod roe. Danshoku Dieno didn’t think it was a good substitute but Oishi still force fed him it to power up the Lip Lock. The move worked on Yuki Ishida, leaving him vulnerable to be pinned with the Jikiden Tornado Clutch.

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Can KANON Steal The Block? GanPro Ready For The New Year, 5th Annual Shoko Vs Misao Match

December 14, 2023

TOKYO JOSHI PRO/PRESTIGE “COMBAT PRINCESS USA”, 14/12/2023
The Vermont Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA

1. Rika Tatsumi & Amira Vs Max The Impaler & Pom Harajuku
2. Moka Miyamoto Vs Trish Adora
3. Mizuki Vs Sandra Moone
4. Shoko Nakajima Vs Taya Valkyrie
5. Miu Watanabe Vs Hyan
6. Princess Tag Team Titles: Hikari Noa & Nao Kakuta (c) Vs Janai Kai & Shazza McKenzie
7. Special Tag Match: Miyu Yamashita & Maki Itoh Vs Masha Slamovich & Killer Kelly

There were a few speed bumps along the way but tonight is the night Tokyo Joshi Pro is back in America thanks to Prestige!

GANBARE☆JOSHI “GANJO BINARY LAND ’23”, 15/12/2023
Tokyo Narimasu Act Hall

1. GanJo Vs Evo Joshi: Riara Vs ZONES
2. GanJo Vs Evo Joshi: YuuRI Vs Chi Chi
3. Ram Kaichow & Alex Lee Vs Sumire Natsu & Marika Kobashi
4. Tae Honma & Yoshiko Hasegawa Vs Yuu & Banny Oikawa

Yoshiko Hasegawa gets to main event the final Ganbare☆Joshi show of 2023.

DDT “D-OH GRAND PRIX 2023 IN FUKUOKA”, 16/12/2023
Fukuoka Nishitetsu Hall

0. Dark Match – Kyushu Sangyo University Pro Wrestling Research Department Offer Match: Ionazun Shirai & Tiger Nishiya Mask Vs Great Tamu & Occult Daimao
1. Special 6-Man Tag Match: MAO, Toy Kojima & Van Vert Jack Vs Azul Dragon, Akito & Kazuma Sumi
2. Yukio Sakaguchi & Soma Takao Vs Yukio Naya & Yusuke Okada
3. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Jun Akiyama, Danshoku Dieno & Makoto Oishi Vs Hideki Okatani, Yuki Ishida & Takeshi Masada
4. D-Oh Grand Prix 2023 – A Block: Yuki Ueno (2) Vs HARASHIMA (2)
5. D-Oh Grand Prix 2023 – A Block: Tetsuya Endo (4) Vs Daisuke Sasaki (1)
6. D-Oh Grand Prix 2023 – A Block: Kazusada Higuchi (4) Vs Yuki Iino (3)
7. D-Oh Grand Prix 2023 – B Block: Chris Brookes (2) Vs Kazuki Hirata (0)
8. D-Oh Grand Prix 2023 – B Block: KANON (4) Vs Rei Saito (4)

It’s still a close race in the A Block but if KANON pulls off a second upset in a row he will suddenly find himself on top of the B Block! Rei Saito needs to win this or he will not be able to qualify for the final.

Kazuki Hirata’s last block match is against Chris Brookes. Lost this and Hirata ends the tournament with the wooden spoon award. A win though will save him some face, even if it’s just by a little bit.

BASARA “BASARA 238 ~UTAGE~”, 19/12/2023
Shin-Kiba 1st RING

1. Takumi Tsukamoto & SAGAT Vs Yasu Urano & Masahiro Takanashi
2. 3 Way Match: Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi Vs Gouma Ryu Vs A.YAZAWA
3. Ryota Nakatsu & Kazusada Higuchi Vs Takato Nakano & Masato Kamino
4. FUMA, KUBITO & Daichi Kazato Vs Lil’ Kraken, Tsutomu Oosugi & Banana Senga
5. Isami Kodaka & Minoru Fujita Vs Shuichiro Katsumura & Munetatsu Nakamura

This is the last BASARA show of the year. The main event sees Sento Minzoku’s top two facing the visitors from Ganbare☆Pro. Just over a week later Isami Kodaka and Shuichiro Katsumura will fight at the main event of GanPro’s end of year Korakuen Hall show.

DDT “D-OH GRAND PRIX 2023 IN KORAKUEN HALL”, 24/12/2023
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

1. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title – Battle Royal ~ Toru Owashi Return Match: The Great Koji (c) Vs Toru Owashi Vs Sanshiro Takagi Vs Kazuki Hirata Vs Akito Vs Yusuke Okada Vs Yuki Ishida Va Kazuma Sumi Vs Rukiya Vs Open Recruitment X
2. Yukio Sakaguchi & Hideki Okatani Vs KANON & MJ Paul
3. KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles: Jun Akiyama, Danshoku Dieno & Makoto Oishi (c) Vs Masahiro Takanashi, Antonio Honda & Takeshi Masada
4. D-Oh Grand Prix 2023 – A Block: Yuki Ueno Vs Yuki Iino
5. D-Oh Grand Prix 2023 – A Block: Tetsuya Endo Vs Kazusada Higuchi
6. D-Oh Grand Prix 2023 – A Block: Daisuke Sasaki Vs HARASHIMA
7. D-Oh Grand Prix 2023 – B Block: Chris Brookes Vs Rei Saito
8. D-Oh Grand Prix 2023 – B Block: MAO Vs Yukio Naya

Toru Owashi admits he is more worried about the mental stress of being in the Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title Battle Royal for his return match rather than the physical stress. He knows his best skill is managing traffic during chaotic matches but the appearance of this new guy called The Great Koji has him a little concerned the pressure will be too much to handle. Owashi thinks he can beat Koji to win the Iron Man Title but to be honest, he doesn’t really want it.

GANBARE☆PRO “BAD COMMUNICATION 2023”, 27/12/2023
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

1. Yuko Miyamoto Vs Munetatsu Nakamura
2. Sumire Natsu, YuuRI & Riara Vs HARUKAZE, Makoto & Banny Oikawa
3. Special Single Match: Yoshiko Hasegawa Vs Arisu Endo
4. Special Single Match: Ken Ohka Vs Kuma Arashi
5. GanPro Vs GLEAT All Out Battle ~ GanPro’s Famous Elimination 10-Man Tag Match: Yumehito Imanari, Takuya Wada, Mizuki Watase, Shinichiro Tominaga & Tyson Maeguchi Vs Kaz Hayashi, Minoru Tanaka, Takanori Ito, Check Shimatani & Jun Tonsho
6. KO-D Tag Team Titles: Shota & Soma Takao (c) Vs Keisuke Ishii & Shigehiro Irie
7. Spirit Of Ganbare World Openweight Title: Isami Kodaka (c) Vs Shuichiro Katsumura

During the week Ken Ohka & Keisuke Ishii travelled to the All Japan dojo in Yokohama so they could train for a few hours with Shuji Ishikawa. The three of them have ties going back to Union Pro. Ishii invaded the promotion and kicked Ohka out of Union by winning a Loser Leaves Town match. Ohka went on to form GanPro and started a war with Union and Ishikawa. A lot of time has passed since then and Ohka is proud to see how far all three of them have advanced since then. The training session included Ishikawa coming up with ideas to improve Ohka’s finisher the Fire Spear. The move has been countered a lot by Ohka’s current enemy Kuma Arashi in their recent matches. Ishikawa and Ishii instructed Ohka new ways to use the Spear so there will be less opportunities for it to be countered. By the end of the session Ohka can now hit the Spear with more accuracy, less momentum and also from a shorter range.

DDT “D-OH GRAND PRIX 2023 THE FINAL”, 03/01/2024
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

1. New Year’s GiFt Special Single Match: Kuroshio TOKYO Japan Vs Danshoku Dieno
2. Special Tag Match ~ Shunma Katsumata Return Match: Yukio Sakaguchi & Hideki Okatani Vs Shunma Katsumata & Toy Kojima
3. D-Oh Grand Prix 2023 – Final: Winner Of A Block Vs Winner Of B Block

Shunma Katsumata revealed the reason why he wanted Eruption to be his opponents for his return match. 2024 is going to be Katsumata’s 10th year in wrestling and Yukio Sakaguchi was one of his opponents in his debut match. So Katsumata wants to kick off his tenth year by fighting his very first pro opponent again. He is impressed by how well Hideki Okatani performed in the Real World Tag League. And finally Katsumata appreciates all the hard work Toy Kojima did to protect The 37KAMIINA while he was recovering at home. Katsumata also has his eyes on winning back the DDT Extreme Title and KO-D Tag Team Titles in 2024.

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TOKYO JOSHI PRO ’24”, 04/01/2024
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

1. Aja Kong Vs Wakana Uehara
2. Shoko Nakajima Vs Hyper Misao
3. Rina Yamashita Vs Maki Itoh
4. International Princess Title: Max The Impaler (c) Vs Yuki Arai
5. Princess Of Princess Title: Miyu Yamashita (c) Vs Masha Slamovich

The Ittenyon tradition continues with the fifth annual Shoko Nakajima Vs Hyper Misao singles match! Nothing extra has been announced yet but there is always a wacky stipulation attached to these matches. The first two matches also had the winner change the loser’s name for a month but they stopped doing that for the third and fourth matches in order to keep the harmony within Kyoraku Kyomei for the upcoming Max Heart Tournament. Giving one of them an identity crisis right before the big tag team tournament is not a good idea.

Ryo Mizunami will be on the show.

GANBARE☆PRO “2024 GANBARE☆THE FIGHT BEGINS”, 04/01/2024
Tokyo Itabashi Green Hall

1. YuuRI & Riara Vs Yoshiko Hasegawa & Kaho Matsushita
2. Hartley Jackson & HARUKAZE Vs Shigehiro Irie & Banny Oikawa
3. New Year Special 3 Way Match: Munetatsu Nakamura Vs Yuni Vs Ilusion
4. GanPro New Year Special Tag Match: Keisuke Ishii & Yumehito Imanari Vs Shuichiro Katsumura & Soma Takao
5. GanPro New Year Special Tag Match: Ken Ohka & Mizuki Watase Vs Shota & Shinichiro Tominaga

The first GanPro show of 2024 features a new generation 3 Way Match reuniting several members of DDTeeeen!! It’s time for Munetatsu Nakamura, Yuni and Ilusion to all show each other how much they have learned since they were last in the ring with each other.

Also on the show is the return of Lethal Weapon! The duo of Hartley Jackson & HARUKAZE have arguably been the top mixed tag team in GanPro. That makes them the perfect opponents for Banny Oikawa who is continuing down her path of intergender tag wrestling. She teams with Shigehiro Irie.

Kaho Matsushita is from Ice Ribbon. That company just announced a restructure with new investments attached to them so it might be an interesting story to see what they can do in 2024.

GANBARE☆PRO “GANPRO 2024 ROSIER”, 06/01/2024
Osaka 176BOX

1. Legendary Hostess Vs The Toughest Girl In Osaka: Riara Vs Momoka Hanazono
2. Banny Oikawa & YuuRI Vs HARUKAZE & Yoshiko Hasegawa
3. Yumehito Imanari & Tyson Maeguchi Vs Soma Takao & Mizuki Watase
4. Keisuke Ishii & Shota Vs Ilusion & Munetatsu Nakamura
5. GanPro New Year Special 6-Man Tag Match: HARASHIMA, Ken Ohka & Shinichiro Tominaga Vs Shuichiro Katsumura, Takuya Wada & Tsuyoshi Okada

HARASHIMA joins in with GanPro’s new year celebrations.

Warning, everybody involved in Match #3 all like to drink a lot of alcohol.

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DDT “D-OH GRAND PRIX 2023 IN OSAKA” Results

December 9, 2023

DDT “D-OH GRAND PRIX 2023 IN OSAKA”, 09/12/2023
Osaka Azalea Taisho Hall
245 Fans – No Vacancy

1. Danshoku Dieno & Makoto Oishi defeated Akito & Kazuma Sumi when Oishi pinned Sumi with the Death Penalty (9:35).
2. Daisuke Sasaki & MJ Paul defeated Yuki Iino & Tsutenkakka by Disqualification when Iino attacked the referee (9:38).
3. Chris Brookes, Antonio Honda & Takeshi Masada defeated MAO, Toy Kojima & Ilusion when Masada pinned Ilusion with the Masada Power KOBU Mukimuki (13:00).
4. D-Oh Grand Prix 2023 – B Block: Rei Saito (4) defeated Kazuki Hirata (0) with the Diving Body Press (12:49).
5. D-Oh Grand Prix 2023 – B Block: KANON (4) defeated Yukio Naya (6) by Referee Stoppage with the Modified Cobra Twist (13:47).
6. All Asia Tag Team Titles: Yukio Sakaguchi & Hideki Okatani (c) defeated Jun Akiyama & Yusuke Okada when Okatani pinned Okada with the Quetzalcoatl (16:57).
*V1 for Eruption.
7. D-Oh Grand Prix 2023 – A Block: Kazusada Higuchi (4) defeated HARASHIMA (2) with the Brain Claw Slam (13:14).
8. D-Oh Grand Prix 2023 – A Block: Tetsuya Endo (4) defeated Yuki Ueno (3) with the Forest Bridge (21:18).

A Block

1. Tetsuya Endo (4)
-. Kazusada Higuchi (4)
3. Yuki Ueno (3)
4. Yuki Iino (2)
-. HARASHIMA (2)
6. Daisuke Sasaki (1)

B Block

1. Yukio Naya (6)
2. Rei Saito (4)
-. MAO (4)
-. KANON (4)
5. Chris Brookes (2)
6. Kazuki Hirata (0)

The KO-D Openweight Champion has hit a rocky patch in his D-Oh Grand Prix block. Yuki Ueno’s next match after his time limit draw did not go the way he wanted it to. Tetsuya Endo beat him after a back and forth battle, catching Ueno with a roll up. There was an exchange of signature moves from the two and when Ueno got the upper hand and ran the ropes, Endo caught him in a Headlock Takeover and hooked the leg to pin him for the victory. Endo is keeping the move in his arsenal, naming it the Forest Bridge. He said there is not much time left in 2023 but when he comes back to Osaka in January he will do so as the D-Oh winner! Ueno knows a title match against Endo might be on the cards in the future because of this result. But if Endo does challenge him in the future, he’s never going to give the KO-D Title over to him.

Joining Endo in first place is Kazusada Higuchi after the big man defeated HARASHIMA. He caught the Somato and turned it into a Power Bomb. However HARASHIMA was able to hit the move after another try to cause a double down situation. Higuchi got the advantage from that point and pinned HARASHIMA with the Brain Claw Slam. Higuchi said he can’t take a second to relax in his matches but he still persevered. HARASHIMA praised Higuchi for always being a great opponent to fight.

B Block is still alive with a big upset. KANON not only beat Yukio Naya but sapped the life out of him to win by TKO! The way KANON fought was enough to take Naya down to an even level where they were both close to getting counted out via Double Knockout. But at the 8 count they got back up and kept fighting. When KANON got to put Naya in the Cobra Twist he squeezed as hard as he could. Naya ended up losing conciousness and the match had to be stopped. Backstage Naya admitted he underestimated KANON but there is now a debt between them that will be repayed some day. This result might end up blowing B Block wide open right when it looked like Naya had it all locked up.

Well, the only one who doesn’t have a chance in B Block now is Kazuki Hirata. He continues to be at zero points with another loss. Today’s result was already over before the match even begun because Rei Saito carried a beaten up Hirata down to the ring during the entrances. When asked what happened, Saito said Hirata attacked him backstage so he just returned the favour. Hirata was checked on and he was still breathing so the match went ahead. Saito thought he would get an easy win but Hirata refused to lose. He then distracted Saito by giving him fried rice to eat and then tried attacking him from behind. That only made Saito mad because he hates it when people get in the way of his meal. He got the last laugh by putting on the Hirata GO! glasses and then crushing Hirata with the Diving Body Press, all while music was playing. He wonders if what happened was really pro wrestling but a win is a win.

The big match outside of the Grand Prix bouts was Eruption against BURNING with the All Asia Tag Team Titles at stake. What was planned to be Yusuke Okada teaming with Yuya Koroku was changed to a team with Jun Akiyama instead due to Koroku being injured. Eruption had just come back from wrestling in All Japan for a month as part of the Real World Tag League. A big development in that tournament for Hideki Okatani in particular was him adopting Saki Akai’s finisher the Quetzalcoatl as his own match winning move. He used it here to pin Okada and defend the titles.

After the match Toy Kojima entered the ring. He congratulated Eruption for winning and then announced today is his 24th birthday! To celebrate it he challenged Eruption to a title match and his tag partner is going to be Atsushi Onita! His challenge was turned down by Yukio Sakaguchi who said while Kojima has spent the last three weeks in the sauna, Eruption were busy fighting heavyweight tag teams in AJPW. Kojima wouldn’t give up and figured he just needed to promise something passionate for Eruption to convince them. Okatani was interested and told Kojima to come up with whatever match he wants because Eruption will beat them no matter what. Kojima decided the match can also be a Current Blast Death Match! The idea has been sent to the PWF committee and DDT will have to hear back from them for the date and location of the match if it gets approved.

Rukiya was absent from the show over being in poor health so he was replaced with Tsutenkakka as Yuki Iino’s tag partner. During the match itself Daisuke Sasaki attacked Iino with a chair. He then grabbed Iino’s tights and tried to pull them down! Iino lost his temper and attacked Sasaki. When the referee stepped in to stop him, Iino then attacked the ref causing himself to get disqualified.

Before the opening match took place Kazuma Sumi told Akito he is scared of the Wasabi Lip Lock that Danshoku Dieno now uses. Akito explained that Dieno hates the move too but promised to stop Makoto Oishi from feeding Dieno with the wasabi. The plan did not work and the Lip Lock happened when Oishi squeezed the wasabi into Dieno’s mouth. He then gave Dieno a Stunner that bounced him lips first into Sumi. After that Oishi used the Death Penalty Inverted DDT on Sumi for the win.

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TJPW Title Defences In North America, Something By DISASTER BOX, An Unpaid Debt Between MAO & Keith

December 8, 2023

DDT “D-OH GRAND PRIX 2023 IN OSAKA”, 09/12/2023
Osaka Azalea Taisho Hall

1. Daisuke Sasaki & MJ Paul Vs Yuki Iino & Rukiya
2. Danshoku Dieno & Makoto Oishi Vs Akito & Kazuma Sumi
3. Chris Brookes, Antonio Honda & Takeshi Masada Vs MAO, Toy Kojima & Ilusion
4. D-Oh Grand Prix 2023 – B Block: Kazuki Hirata (0) Vs Rei Saito (2)
5. D-Oh Grand Prix 2023 – B Block: Yukio Naya (6) Vs KANON (2)
6. All Asia Tag Team Titles: Yukio Sakaguchi & Hideki Okatani (c) Vs Jun Akiyama & Yusuke Okada
7. D-Oh Grand Prix 2023 – A Block: Kazusada Higuchi (2) Vs HARASHIMA (2)
8. D-Oh Grand Prix 2023 – A Block: Yuki Ueno (3) Vs Tetsuya Endo (2)

The D-Oh Grand Prix continues tomorrow. A Block still has everyone in the race so it’s only fair to have Yuki Ueno Vs Tetsuya Endo and Kazusada Higuchi Vs HARASHIMA be the top two matches of the show. But over in B Block Yukio Naya is one more step towards cleaning up the entire group if he beats KANON. The Kazuki Hirata Vs Rei Saito match is pretty much just for pride at this point. Not that Hirata has that much pride to begin with but you know what I mean.

Eruption are also back from the Real World Tag League looking to shake off their middle of the table finish. They might have a long line of challengers forming up in front of them so they need to retain the All Asia Tag Team Titles against BURNING if they have any intention of dealing with that.

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TOKYO JOSHI PRO ’24”, 04/01/2024
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

1. Aja Kong Vs Wakana Uehara
2. Rina Yamashita Vs Maki Itoh
3. International Princess Title: Max The Impaler (c) Vs Yuki Arai
4. Princess Of Princess Title: Miyu Yamashita (c) Vs Masha Slamovich

Last night in the space of about half an hour there were two Tokyo Joshi Pro title matches taking place in North America. Over in Quebec, Canada Max The Impaler had a surprise International Princess Title defence at the Mystery Wrestling show put together by Evil Uno. Max defeated Jody Threat in the semi-main event. Word of the match reached back to TJPW and they officially recognize it as Max’s third successful title defence. That now means if Max beats Yuki Arai on 4th January they will tie the current record for most IP Title defences in a single reign at four wins.

Then as soon as that match had finished Miyu Yamashita was entering the ring in New York, USA to defend the Princess Of Princess Title against Delmi Exo at an MLW show. She won that match to earn her second defence in this latest title run. Maki Itoh was also on the show but she lost to Janai Kai in a match for the MLW World Featherweight Title. I’ll write more about the matches on the next DDT Around The World article at the start of next month.

DDT “SWEET DREAMS! 2024 TOUR IN SHINJUKU”, 05/01/2024
Shinjuku FACE

1. Something by HARASHIMA, Toru Owashi, Kazuki Hirata, etc.: X Vs X
2. KO-D 10-Man Tag Team Titles: Yuki Ueno, MAO, Shunma Katsumata, Toy Kojima & Yoshihiko (c) Vs Chris Brookes, Masahiro Takanashi, Antonio Honda, Takeshi Masada & Mecha Mummy

The three main members of DISASTER BOX are all putting their heads together to book something for DDT’s first visit to Shinjuku FACE in 2024. Whatever it is the three of them will be involved along with others.

GANBARE☆PRO “GANPRO 2024 ROSIER”, 06/01/2024
Osaka 176BOX

1. Legendary Hostess Vs The Toughest Girl In Osaka: Riara Vs Momoka Hanazono

When Ganbare☆Pro heads to Osaka in the new year Riara takes on Momoka Hanazono. This joshi wrestler’s nickname may not match with all of the flowers and bubbles she surrounds herself with but it is still accurate. Hanazono has a background in rugby before becoming a pro wrestler.

HARASHIMA, Soma Takao, Ilusion, Tyson Maeguchi and Banny Oikawa will all be on the show.

DDT “NEW YEAR FAN APPRECIATION DAY!”, 20/01/2024
Tokyo Shinagawa Prince Hotel Club eX

1. Special 6-Man Tag Match: MAO, Shunma Katsumata & Toi Kojima Vs Bryan Keith, Soma Takao & Shota

Three days of DDT appearances await for Bryan Keith in the new year. He makes his Japanese wrestling debut here by teaming with ROMANCE DAWN against The 37KAMIINA. Keith was an opponent for Shota during Shota’s US excursion last year.

DDT “SWEET DREAMS! 2024 TOUR IN SHINAGAWA”, 21/01/2024
Tokyo Shinagawa Prince Hotel Club eX

1. DDT Universal Title: MAO (c) Vs Bryan Keith

The next day Keith gets the match MAO has been demanding. The DDT Universal Title is on the line for this rematch from West Coast Pro during the summer. Keith won the first battle and MAO wants revenge! What happens to a bounty hunter when it’s time for them to repay a debt?

DDT “SWEET DREAMS! 2024”, 28/01/2024
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

1. Special Single Match: KONOSUKE TAKESHITA Vs Naruki Doi

Keith’s third and last appearance on this tour will be at Korakuen Hall near the end of the month.

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DDT “D-OH GRAND PRIX 2023 IN SHINJUKU DAY 1” Results

December 2, 2023

DDT “D-OH GRAND PRIX 2023 IN SHINJUKU DAY 1”, 02/12/2023
Shinjuku FACE
334 Fans – No Vacancy

1. Special 8-Man Tag Match: Jun Akiyama, Yuki Iino, Yusuke Okada & Rukiya defeated Yuki Ueno, Toy Kojima, Takeshi Masada & Kazuma Sumi when Okada pinned Sumi with the Sudden Death (9:57).
2. D-Oh Grand Prix 2023 – B Block: Chris Brookes (2) defeated KANON (2) with the Praying Mantis Bomb (9:27).
3. D-Oh Grand Prix 2023 – B Block: MAO (2) defeated Kazuki Hirata (0) with the Hurricane Kick (10:06).
4. KO-D Tag Team Titles: Soma Takao & Shota (c) defeated Toru Sugiura & Akito when Shota pinned Akito with the Gannosuke Clutch (10:46).
*V2 for ROMANCE DAWN.
5. D-Oh Grand Prix 2023 – A Block: Kazusada Higuchi (2) defeated Daisuke Sasaki (0) with the Brain Claw (13:55).
6. D-Oh Grand Prix 2023 – B Block: Yukio Naya (4) defeated Rei Saito (2) with The World’s Best Back Drop (15:10).
7. D-Oh Grand Prix 2023 – A Block: HARASHIMA (2) defeated Tetsuya Endo (0) with the Tsurube Otoshi (17:13).

A Block

1. Yuki Ueno (2)
-. Yuki Iino (2)
-. HARASHIMA (2)
-. Kazusada Higuchi (2)
5. Tetsuya Endo (0)
-. Daisuke Sasaki (0)

B Block

1. Yukio Naya (4)
2. Rei Saito (2)
-. MAO (2)
-. Chris Brookes (2)
-. KANON (2)
6. Kazuki Hirata (0)

HARASHIMA is making sure his run in this year’s D-Oh Grand Prix is going to be better than the last time he was in the tournament. He didn’t win a single match in the 2021 (Part 2) edition of the Grand Prix. By beating Tetsuya Endo today he is already guaranteed to finish better off this year. It wasn’t as easy as it sounds though. HARASHIMA had to pull out the rare Tsurube Otoshi head drop finish to pin Endo for the three count when the Somato couldn’t get the job done. It was only Endo’s first match in the block but the pressure is getting to him. With Jun Akiyama leaving BURNING soon and Yuya Koroku recently getting injured, it’s more important now than ever for Endo to do his best and get results.

Is that it? Did Yukio Naya win his feud against The Saito Brothers already? The interactions between the two sides built up to Naya taking on Rei Saito in the tournament and Naya beat him clean. He also kicked out of the Drill-A-Hole Piledriver while Saito couldn’t survive taking The World’s Best Back Drop. But according to Naya the fighting isn’t done yet. He wants more matches against the Saitos and knows there are other wrestlers from All Japan who won’t stay silent as the growing rivalry between DDT and AJPW continues. While Naya waits for their response he is going to focus on winning the Grand Prix. Saito accepted defeat and told Naya to come over to All Japan next year where there are plenty of other monsters looking to fight him.

Kazusada Higuchi bounced back from losing his first match by beating Daisuke Sasaki with the overpowered Brain Claw. Sasaki tried to wear down Higuchi’s limbs while taking short cuts outside the ring in the hopes that Higuchi would get weaker and weaker. When that didn’t work MJ Paul distracted the referee so Sasaki could Low Blow Higuchi. He then used La Mistica to set up the Crossover Face Lock but Higuchi broke out of it by grabbing Sasaki’s head with the Brain Claw. Higuchi then gave Sasaki a Headbutt before reapplying the Brain Claw to make him give up. Higuchi has no tournament match tomorrow. Instead he will be at BASARA defending the IRON FIST Tag Team Titles with Ryota Nakatsu. Sasaki pointed out that wrestlers who often lose their first match in a tournament go on to reach the finals and win so he is not worried over today’s result.

An early exchange between MAO and Kazuki Hirata ended with Yukinori Matsui taking strikes from both of them, rendering him unconscious. They kept fighting while music played over the speakers. They spent the match trying to hit each other with a killing blow and MAO seemed to have found when he used the Hurricane Kick. Hirata tried to endure the blow but collapsed to the mat, leaving him to get pinned. MAO came up with a theory that if Shunma Katsumata never had to vacate the DDT Extreme Title then Hirata would never have become champion and get chosen to enter the Grand Prix. That means this match was fate all along. However MAO does not know where fate will bring him next in this tournament. He knows he is facing Chris Brookes tomorrow and sent out an advance warning he wants to beat him by countout just like last year!

Brookes is in a comfortable place to think about that stuff tomorrow because he beat KANON on this show. KANON tried ambushing him from the start but Brookes came out of that exchange the better man by giving KANON a ring apron assisted Twisting Neckbreaker onto the floor. It was a reminder that when it comes to fighting dirty, Brookes has more up his sleeve than KANON does. He sees potential from KANON though and wants him to get in touch if he ever gets bored of being with DAMNATION T.A.

Akito’s hopes of becoming champions with a dear friend and creating a strong bond with them were dashed by ROMANCE DAWN. Akito has grown jealous of Shota & Soma Takao’s friendship leading them to new heights while he is left behind so he brought along Toru Sugiura to fight them for the KO-D Tag Team Titles. Things were looking good for the challengers until Shota used the Gannosuke Clutch on Akito for the flash pinfall. Akito blamed Sugiura for the loss however and left the ring without shaking his hand. They did make up backstage though. Takao was relieved the lighttubes Sugiura brought to the ring with him were never used. Shota told the fans he wants to defend the KO-D Tag Titles against another team from their generation and it will be in Korakuen Hall at the end of the year. He is talking about ROMANCE DAWN’s upcoming match against Keisuke Ishii & Shigehiro Irie at Ganbare☆Pro on 27th December.

Akiyama said he and Yusuke Okada need to improve as a team even more because Eruption have been busy working hard in the Real World Tag League. Okada describes his relationship with Akiyama as an inseparable bond even though they have done nothing as a tag team. He wants them to win the All Asia Tag Team Titles as equals instead of teacher and student.

There was a notable guest in the audience for today’s show. Politician Ayaka Shiomura recently got a lot of attention when she used pro wrestling as a negative comparison to spreading false rumours to make news stories sound more entertaining. She took back the comments and apologized but still received criticism from Bushiroad through New Japan and Stardom. Jun Akiyama however had a friendlier (and more politically savvy) solution and invited Shiomura to this show so she could see for herself what pro wrestling is like live. She accepted and tweeted positive comments about her experience at the show. She also apologised to him in person for her comments.

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DDT “D-OH GRAND PRIX 2023 OPENING ROUND” Results

November 26, 2023

DDT “D-OH GRAND PRIX 2023 OPENING ROUND”, 26/11/2023
Tokyo Korakuen Hall
678 Fans

0. Dark Match: Yuni & Yuya Koroku defeated Kazuma Sumi & Rukiya when Koroku submitted Rukiya with the Modified Triangle Lancer (8:40).
1. Tetsuya Endo, Jun Akiyama & Yusuke Okada defeated Daisuke Sasaki, Demus & MJ Paul when Endo pinned Demus with the Burning Star Press (10:47).
2. Masahiro Takanashi, Antonio Honda & Takeshi Masada defeated Danshoku Dieno, Makoto Oishi & Toy Kojima when Masada pinned Oishi with the Masada Power KOBU Mukimuki (8:46).
3. D-Oh Grand Prix 2023 – B Block: Rei Saito (2) defeated MAO (0) with the Drill-A-Hole Piledriver (10:22).
4. D-Oh Grand Prix 2023 – B Block: KANON (2) defeated Kazuki Hirata (0) with the Crucifixion Cobra Twist (8:27).
5. D-Oh Grand Prix 2023 – A Block: Yuki Iino (2) defeated HARASHIMA (0) with the Low Altitude Spear (5:31).
6. D-Oh Grand Prix 2023 – B Block: Yukio Naya (2) defeated Chris Brookes (0) with the World’s Best Back Drop (16:10).
7. D-Oh Grand Prix 2023 – A Block: Yuki Ueno (2) defeated Kazusada Higuchi (0) with the WR (17:46).

A Block

1. Yuki Ueno (2)
-. Yuki Iino (2)
3. Tetsuya Endo (0)
-. Daisuke Sasaki (0)
-. Kazusada Higuchi (0)
-. HARASHIMA (0)

B Block

1. Yukio Naya (2)
-. KANON (2)
-. Rei Saito (2)
4. Chris Brookes (0)
-. Kazuki Hirata (0)
-. MAO (0)

The campaign to become the first consecutive winner of the D-Oh Grand Prix has gone off to a good start for Yuki Ueno. Day one of the tournament ended with Ueno beating Kazusada Higuchi, avenging his King Of DDT semi-final loss to him from earlier this year. The difference this time was Ueno flipping out of the Brain Claw Slam that beat him last time. Higuchi reacted by running the ropes but Ueno flipped over him again, putting himself in position to hit the WR and win the match. Ueno knows the tournament is just beginning and his intention to fight Konosuke Takeshita again is waiting for him beyond that. Higuchi described Ueno as becoming more tenacious than the last time they fought each other.

Last year’s runner up Yukio Naya dealt an early big blow to Chris Brookes, making the previous top champion of DDT lose his first block match. Naya used his own knees to block a Diving Double Knee Drop and then hit several Knee Strikes to Brookes, some with the kneepad pulled down. Brookes wasn’t able to stop the World’s Best Back Drop after taking all of those blows. Now Naya’s confidence in winning the Grand Prix is really high. Meanwhile Brookes can’t figure out why he’s been on the losing side so much lately.

There’s no twist with Yuki Iino’s return match after having all Pheromones influence removed from him. He says we are now going to see the real Iino and he is proving it by beating HARASHIMA in his first block match. He used his old Spear finisher to cut off the Somato and then hit a Low Altitude Spear for the three count. HARASHIMA said Iino showed so much more power than he had from his pre-Pheromones days and that caught him off guard.

So how does Kazuki Hirata fare in a tournament setting? Early signs say not so good. He decided to go full power from the start by immediately putting on the Hirata GO! glasses and attacking KANON. His attacks did nothing and KANON pulled the glasses off. Hirata got the glasses back and crawled beneath the ring to put them back on but KANON chased after him, took the glasses again and stomped on it back in the ring. Hirata made a comeback and with some triumphant music backing him revealed he had a spare in his trunks! Unfortunately for him, KANON also had his own pair hidden this entire time and wore them while making Hirata tap to the Crucifixion Cobra Twist in tune to the music. KANON had fun in the match. He got to dance and also shatter Hirata’s heart the same way he shattered the glasses. Hirata asked for the fans to support him because if they lower their guard then he’ll be crushed by his opponents even more.

Rei Saito’s cries of bringing doom to the D-Oh GP began by beating MAO in the first tournament match of the day. The difference in size and power between the two meant MAO had to hit quick and fast to make up for Saito’s heavy hitting offence. MAO couldn’t catch up and he was put away with a Headbutt followed by the Drill-A-Hole Piledriver. Saito now can’t wait for his next match because it is against Naya. The two of them have been picking fights with each other for a while leading into this. MAO said the only people he is focusing on from this point is Hirata and Brookes.

In non-tournament action SCHADENFREUDE International got their first win as a group since its formation. Two members of D.O.A were put with Toy Kojima in a match where no tags were needed to switch partners. Makoto Oishi filled up Danshoku Dieno’s mouth with wasabi again but Dieno’s Lip Lock was given to him by mistake. Takeshi Masada then pinned Oishi with his finisher. After the match Masada said SCHADENFREUDE should get a KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles shot for beating two thirds of D.O.A. Oishi accepted the challenge and said the match will happen at Korakuen Hall on 24th December. This is happening before D.O.A’s scheduled title defence against Bodyguard’s team on 6th January. Later backstage Jun Akiyama scolded Oishi for accepting the challenge without anyone else’s input. Dieno then cried because nobody in D.O.A is getting along. Oishi assured both of them everything is ok and revealed he will have a match with Bodyguard at some point over the new year.

 

The only two D-Oh wrestlers who didn’t have a tournament match today were Tetsuya Endo and Daisuke Sasaki in the A Block. They instead faced each other in a BURNING Vs DAMNATION T.A 6-Man Tag bout. Endo unveiled the Rolling Chop that Kenta Kobashi had apparently taught him during the week and made Sasaki the first victim of it. Demus stepped in and proved to be a tricky opponent for Endo. But Endo avoided La Valagueza, dropped Demus with the Torture Rack Bomb and pinned him with the Burning Star Press. Endo said he practiced using the Rolling Chop a lot until he was satisfied with it. After today’s successful use of it he intends to use it more from now on. Sasaki said the Endo today was a different person than the Endo he fought in Sumo Hall a few weeks ago.

The opening match had no connection to the Grand Prix. Instead it was Yuni & Yuya Koroku teaming up to beat Kazuma Sumi & Rukiya. Yuni wiped out Sumi with a Quebrada so Koroku could put Rukiya in the Triangle Lancer for the win.

During the end of show victory speech, Ueno told the fans there was important news but it isn’t about him. It is from Shunma Katsumuata who announced his comeback match will be at Korakuen on 3rd January! Katsumata has been out of action with an ankle injury since May.

Also announcing his return today was Toru Owashi. He hasn’t wrestled since June because of a cervical spine injury. His comeback match will take place on 24th December, the same day as his birthday! He has been storing up his strength during recovery and will explode with all of that energy in his return match.

In the middle of Owashi’s announcement, The Great Koji made an unexpected appearance attacking Hisaya Imabayashi and spitting Mist in his face. Kojika then approached Kenta Kobashi at the commentary table and threatened to do the same to him. However Kobashi was unphased by Koji and started removing his headset. Koji backed off and ran away screeching.

Next April DDT will return to America as part of The Collective series of shows being held during Wrestlemania week. “DDT GOES PHILADELPHIA!” will take place in Penns Landing Caterers Auditorium in Pennsylvania on 4th April, 2024.

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D-Oh Grand Prix 2023 Begins Tomorrow

November 25, 2023

DDT “D-OH GRAND PRIX 2023 OPENING ROUND”, 26/11/2023
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

0. Dark Match: Yuni & Yuya Koroku Vs Kazuma Sumi & Rukiya
1. Tetsuya Endo, Jun Akiyama & Yusuke Okada Vs Daisuke Sasaki, Demus & MJ Paul
2. Danshoku Dieno, Makoto Oishi & Toy Kojima Vs Masahiro Takanashi, Antonio Honda & Takeshi Masada
3. D-Oh Grand Prix 2023 – B Block: MAO Vs Rei Saito
4. D-Oh Grand Prix 2023 – B Block: KANON Vs Kazuki Hirata
5. D-Oh Grand Prix 2023 – A Block: HARASHIMA Vs Yuki Iino
6. D-Oh Grand Prix 2023 – B Block: Chris Brookes Vs Yukio Naya
7. D-Oh Grand Prix 2023 – A Block: Yuki Ueno Vs Kazusada Higuchi

Tomorrow is the beginning of D-Oh Grand Prix 2023 and some of the wrestlers gave more comments about their plans going into the tournament. Yuki Ueno is aiming to become the first person to win the D-Oh two years in a row. Daisuke Sasaki claims he has given up drinking to prepare for the tournament and feels like a brand new person in good condition. However Ueno then gave him a can of his favorite beer as a birthday present and Sasaki drank it. Ueno then revealed it was a trick to prove Sasaki hasn’t changed at all. Yukio Naya wants to bring in as many fans as he can to see him win the GP. He also thinks if he beats Rei Saito it will attract the attention of more wrestlers from other companies towards DDT. Saito wants to show off his abilities by himself so people won’t just think he’s just a tag team wrestler. He has no intention of representing All Japan, he is here on his own terms to become the DOOM King! Tetsuya Endo said if he can’t win the tournament then it will make him question his position as the leader of BURNING. He may end up thinking he does not belong in DDT at all.

Kazusada Higuchi is keeping his focus tight and show the power of Harimao. Last year’s rule of cutting off wrestlers over the age of 40 meant HARASHIMA could not compete. He wants to win so he can prove it is wrong to divide the roster by age when it comes to determining who is the strongest. He also wants to win for his newborn son. Yuki Iino is going to show off a new side of himself. He is taking his tournament run one match at a time. Chris Brookes wants to win the GP to cap off what’s been a great year for him. MAO is only thinking about getting in everybody’s way. Everything else going on is none of his concern. He also said it doesn’t make sense that Iino turned back into a normal wrestler so easily. KANON brought up winning a few tag team titles since last year’s tournament but admittedly hasn’t done anything as a singles in that time. He wants to eliminate the other contenders one by one. Last but not least, Kazuki Hirata promises to disrupt the tournament atmosphere with his dancing. He isn’t thinking about who else is in his group because it will only make him cry with fear.

The D-Oh GP sees the return of Kenta Kobashi as the tournament chairman for the third year in a row. He had to take a meeting with Endo in order for Endo to tell him about Jun Akiyama’s intention to leave BURNING at the end of the year. Endo admitted to him that BURNING has not been able to get the results they wanted in the two years since Kobashi gave them permission to use the unit name. Kobashi understands the situation and said Akiyama’s absence means Endo will have to take on more responsibility. That is not a bad thing though and Kobashi told Endo he looks forward to seeing him take on the challenge. He also encouraged Endo to win the D-Oh GP. Endo promised he will in order to help rebuild BURNING from scratch.

Kobashi gave other comments about the tournament field. In A Block he predicts Ueno will be the winner based on his growth over the last year. When they stood beside each other at the press conference Kobashi thought that Ueno looked like a champion. He also criticized Endo for not showing more anger in his matches. He needs to learn more ways to show his anger. Kobashi also revealed he recently taught Endo how to use the Rolling Chop but does not know if Endo had enough time to practice it. Higuchi was brought up as someone who struggles to win important matches. He needs to focus on winning. HARASHIMA is a possible winner as long as his isn’t having problems with his physical strength due to his age. Kobashi was disappointed with Iino back in May when Iino’s big title match main event was filled with Pheromones nonsense. He hopes Iino will live up to expectations this time and be the dark horse in his block.

Over in B Block Kobashi said he watched Brookes’ matches as champion and saw how much confidence he has. He thinks it is tremendous whenever a wrestler has the confidence of a champion. MAO is unpredictable. He should have a hard time against heavyweights but Kobashi is aware he recently beat Matt Cardona to win the DDT Universal Title. Kobashi is surprised by how much Naya improved his stamina since last year’s GP. He is also impressed by Saito’s improvements as a tag wrestler. He can grow even more if it turns out he is more suited to singles wrestling. KANON is the one wrestler out of all others that Kobashi is most interested in seeing but it’s not because he’s a potential winner. He wants to see KANON focus on what he does inside the ring no matter if it’s as a heel or face. He should give it his all, one match at a time. Finally, he admits Hirata does what he does because he has a strong sense of who he is.

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DDT “DRAMATIC DREAM TOUR 2023 IN MIYAGI” Results

November 23, 2023

DDT “DRAMATIC DREAM TOUR 2023 IN MIYAGI”, 23/11/2023
Miyagi Yume Messe West Building Hall
226 Fans

1. KANON defeated Kazuma Sumi with the Sleepy Hollow (6:00).
2. Daisuke Sasaki & Demus defeated Yuni & Yuya Koroku when Demus pinned Yuni with La Valagueza (8:25).
3. Miyagi Specialty Special 6-Man Tag Match: HARASHIMA, Danshoku Dieno & Makoto Oishi defeated Kazuki Hirata & Aizawa No.1 & Ilusion when HARASHIMA pinned Ilusion with the Somato (11:43).
4. Jun Akiyama & Yusuke Okada defeated Kazusada Higuchi & Rukiya when Okada pinned Rukiya with the Sudden Death (10:37).
5. Special Single Match: Tetsuya Endo defeated MJ Paul with the Burning Star Press (13:31).
6. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Yuki Ueno, MAO & Toy Kojima defeated Chris Brookes, Akito & Yukio Naya when MAO pinned Akito with the Cannonball 450 (25:42).

A DDT show happening in Miyagi always means something to MAO because it is his home region. Today’s event especially so because it was the first time DDT was able to visit Miyagi Yume Messe since 2019. After winning in the main event MAO said he wants next year’s Miyagi show to be held in his hometown of Osaki City. He has a good feeling it will happen next year and he even has a particular date in mind. He won’t say what it is though until he makes sure it will happen. Yuki Ueno was appreciative that the active members of The 37KAMIINA were able to team together because it reminds him how important his friends are.

Tetsuya Endo bounced back from his “ULTIMATE PARTY 2023” defeat to Daisuke Sasaki by beating MJ Paul in a match filled with DAMNATION T.A interference. Endo fought off distractions from Sasaki and KANON and matched up against Paul’s power to win with the Torture Rack Bomb and Burning Star Press. He thanked the fans for their support and said he loves Sendai just as much as MAO does even if he only sold two chekis at the merch stand before his match.

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