DDT “WHAT ARE YOU DOING 2024 TOUR IN ASAKUSA”, 11/06/2024 Tokyo Asakusa Hanayashi Theater
0. Dark Match ~ Nariagari Sponsored Match: Sanshiro Takagi, Tawaramachi Kid Jr. & Super Nikuyaki Machine Vs Ariji Akinori, Shosaku Inoue & awesome Tezuka
1. Special Single Match: KANON Vs Makoto Oishi
2. Daisuke Sasaki & MJ Paul Vs HARASHIMA & Keigo Nakamura
3. Asakusa Special 6-Man Tag Match: Jun Akiyama, Danshoku Dieno & Yoshihiko Vs Akito, Kazuki Hirata & Antonio Honda
4. MAO & To-y Vs Chris Brookes & Ilusion
5. Yuki Ueno & Shunma Katsumata Vs Yukio Naya & Kazuma Sumi
6. Kazusada Higuchi 10th Anniversary Match ~ Harimao Vs BURNING!: Kazusada Higuchi, Ryota Nakatsu & Yuki Ishida Vs Tetsuya Endo, Yuki Iino & Yuya Koroku
Tomorrow DDT celebrates the 10th anniversary of Kazusada Higuchi’s debut match, even though his wrestling debut happened in November 2014 not June.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW CITY CIRCUIT ’24”, 15/06/2024 Kobe Art Center
1. Yuna Manase Vs Nao Kakuta
2. Wakana Uehara Vs Chika Nanase
3. Yuki Kamifuku & Toga Vs LA Taylor & Kira Summer
4. Shino Suzuku & Uta Takami Vs Runa Okubo & Haru Kazashiro
5. Miyu Yamashita & Maki Itoh Vs Pom Harajuku & Mahiro Kiryu
6. Suzume, Arisu Endo & HIMAWARI Vs Rika Tatsumi, Raku & Moka Miyamoto
7. Miu Watanabe, Shoko Nakajima & Kaya Toribami Vs Mizuki, Yuki Aino & Vert Vixen
Miyu Yamashita is now back in Japan after finishing up the last of her current American dates over the weekend. Her first match back in Tokyo Joshi Pro is reviving 121000000 with Maki Itoh.
Match #4 is important because it is taking place on the same day as Runa Okubo’s 16th birthday! Her team with Haru Kazashiro is currently being called HaruRuna while Shino Suzuku & Uta Takami have been shortened down to ShinoUta.
Both Vert Vixen and LA Taylor have come out of Korakuen Hall without any championships. They can at least try to get some commiseration wins here for their troubles.
BASARA “BASARA 251 ~UTAGE~”, 21/06/2024 Shin-Kiba 1st RING
1. Isami Kodaka Vs Yasu Urano
2. FUMA, KUBITO & Daichi Kazato vs SAGAT, Gouma Ryu & Antonio Honda
3. Ryuichi Sekine & Minoru Fujita Vs Takumi Tsukamoto & Judomaster
4. Takato Nakano & Masato Kamino Vs Lil’ Kraken & Leo Isaka
5. Iron Fist Tag Team Titles: Ryota Nakatsu & Kazusada Higuchi (c) Vs Fuminori Abe & Takuya Nomura
The tag division in BASARA takes centre stage for the next “~UTAGE~” show. Minoru Fujita and Takumi Tsukamoto also have a prelim tag match for their upcoming Union MAX Title bout.
DDT “MACHIDA KANSAI PRO WRESTLING FESTIVAL 2024”, 22/06/2024 Tokyo Special Glass Garden Ring At Nozuta Castle In The Sky (Machida GION Stadium)
1. Yasu Urano & Masahiro Takanashi Vs Yuni & Ilusion
2. Antonio Honda Vs Gota Ihashi
3. Shinya Aoki & Super Sasadango Machine Vs Akito & Soma Takao
DDT are holding a few wrestling matches outside Machida GION Stadium during an FC Machida Zelvia home football game.
DDT “WHAT ARE YOU DOING 2024 TOUR IN OSAKA”, 22/06/2024 Osaka City Minato Civic Center
1. Osaka Specialty Special Single Match: HARASHIMA Vs Tsutenkakka
2. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Yuki Ueno, MAO & Shunma Katsumata Vs Kazusada Higuchi, Yukio Naya & Yuki Ishida
3. Sanshiro Takagi Indefinite Rest Road ~ Special Tag Match: Sanshiro Takagi & CIMA Vs Danshoku Dieno & Kazuki Hirata
As part of Sanshiro Takagi’s final matches, he convinced CIMA to be in the same ring as Danshoku Dieno & Kazuki Hirata again.
A return to Osaka means Tsutenkakka gets to be on DDT shows again. He gets a big match against HARASHIMA to see what he is made of. I mean other than steel because he is already a tower in the body of a pro wrestler.
DDT “WHAT ARE YOU DOING 2024 TOUR IN HAMAMATSU”, 23/06/2024 Shizuoka Act City Hamamatsu
1. The 37KAMIINA Vs SCHADENFREUDE International!: Yuki Ueno & MAO Vs Chris Brookes & Takeshi Masada
2. Special Single Match: Tetsuya Endo Vs KANON
3. Sanshiro Takagi Indefinite Rest Road ~ Special 6-Man Tag Match: Sanshiro Takagi, Jun Akiyama & Yoshitatsu vs Yuki Iino, Yukio Naya & Yuya Koroku
The next day Takagi teams up with Jun Akiyama & Yoshitatsu for a 6-Man Tag Match.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “SUMMER SUN PRINCESS ’24”, 20/07/2024 Tokyo Korakuen Hall
1. Special Single Match: Aja Kong Vs Shoko Nakajima
2. Princess Of Princess Title: Miu Watanabe (c) Vs Rika Tatsumi
TJPW’s big match for the summer is Daydream tearing each other apart for the Princess Of Princess Title! A match like this was always on the horizon and Rika Tatsumi thinks the time is now for it to happen. She wants to be the Princess Champion again even if it means having to take the belt from Miu Watanabe. That scenario happened before last year with the International Princess Title. Watanabe does not want history to repeat itself.
There’s been a couple of times already this year when Shoko Nakajima has been in the ring with Aja Kong. Now they get to fight each other one on one! It is a match both are looking forward too. Nakajima wants to have a wrestling career as long and illustrious as Kong’s, maybe even turn into the modern day equivalent of her. Kong meanwhile is isolating herself in the mountains in order to train for this match. That is how much she sees Nakajima as a threat to her.
DDT “WRESTLE PETER PAN 2024”, 21/07/2024 Tokyo Ryogoku Kokugikan
1. Special Single Match: KONOSUKE TAKESHITA Vs Masato Tanaka
2. Dramatic Dream Match: El Desperado Vs Chris Brookes
3. KO-D Tag Team Titles: Tetsuya Endo & Yuki Iino (c) Vs Go Shiozaki & Atsushi Kotoge
4. KO-D Openweight Title: Yuki Ueno (c) Vs MAO
Earlier today Chris Brookes was one of several DDT wrestlers who were part of El Desperado’s invitational show (I’ll write a post about the show this evening). Brookes got on the microphone after his match to talk to Desperado who was at the commentary booth. He said they’ve known each other for years now but have never been in a match together. So he challenged him to a match at DDT’s Sumo Hall show next month!
DDT “WHAT ARE YOU DOING 2024 TOUR IN MATSUYAMA”, 09/06/2024 Ehime Matsuyama City General Community Center Special Exhibition Hall 230 Fans
1. Special Single Match: Yukio Naya defeated Matsuyama Warrior with a Crab Hold (6:58).
2. Daisuke Sasaki & KANON defeated Yuya Koroku & Ilusion when KANON pinned Ilusion with the Sleepy Hollow (9:21).
3. Matsuyama Specialty Special Single Match: Danshoku Dieno defeated Bonjin Pulp with the Danshoku Driver onto the Tissue (9:56).
4. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title: Sanshiro Takagi (w/ Cutie Elly The Ehime), Akito & Tsuruhimeka defeated Shunma Katsumata, Makoto Oishi & Kazuki Hirata (c) when Tsuruhimeka pinned Hirata with a Northern Lights Suplex (9:54). *Tsuruhimeka becomes the 1,637th champion.
– Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title: Kazuki Hirata defeated Tsuruhimeka (c) with the Miracle One Shot Cradle (1:58 pm). *Kazuki Hirata becomes the 1,638th champion.
– Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title: Cutie Elly The Ehime defeated Kazuki Hirata (c) with the Stunner (1:59 pm). *Cutie Elly The Ehime becomes the 1,639th champion.
5. Special Tag Match: HARASHIMA & Takeshi Masada defeated Jun Akiyama & Santaro Ishizuchi when HARASHIMA pinned Ishizuchi with the Somato (9:59).
6. Special Tag Match: Tetsuya Endo & Imabari Taoru Mascaras defeated Chris Brookes & Kazuma Sumi when Mascaras pinned Sumi with the Baritonic (12:47).
7. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Yuki Ueno, MAO & To-y defeated Yuki Iino, Kazusada Higuchi & Keigo Nakamura when MAO pinned Nakamura with the Cannonball 450 (17:27).
– Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title: Chris Brookes defeated Cutie Elly The Ehime (c) with a School Boy (3:17 pm). *Chris Brookes becomes the 1,640th champion.
Even though two of its members will be main eventing Sumo Hall against each other soon, The 37KAMIINA are still tight as a unit and sticking together. That is unless the temptation of championships gets too much for one of them. After The 37KAMIINA won today’s final match, MAO took the microphone. He was in the middle of talking about the next time DDT comes to Matsuyama when he paused to look at the KO-D Openweight Title that Yuki Ueno was carrying. He caught himself and said it would be great if one of them will be the champion when DDT returns here.
Yesterday’s flurry of Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title changes continued today. Kazuki Hirata outmatched a few wrestlers attacking him backstage during the entrances for his tag match. But it was all for nothing when Tsuruhimeka from Ehime Pro pinned him clean with the Northern Lights Suplex to win the title. Hirata tricked her with a handshake so he could pin her with the Miracle One Shot Cradle and win back the title. But then the Ehime Pro valet Cutie Elly The Ehime gave Hirata the Stunner and pinned him to become the new champion!
If that wasn’t enough, at the end of the show Chris Brookes approached Cutie Elly at ringside and started flirting with her. He brought her into the ring where he offered her a bouquet of flowers but it was all so he could roll her up in a School Boy and win the Iron Man Title! Then a child started chasing Brookes around ringside and almost pinned him with Sanshiro Takagi’s help. Brookes kicked out though and escaped with the belt.
DDT “WHAT ARE YOU DOING 2024 TOUR IN KYOTO”, 08/06/2024 Kyoto KBS Hall 236 Fans
1. Special Single Match: Yukio Naya defeated Hirakata Nii-san with the Back Drop (6:32).
2. Daisuke Sasaki & KANON defeated Toru Owashi & Ilusion when Sasaki pinned Ilusion with a Sideways School Boy (8:12).
3. Special Single Match: Chris Brookes defeated Kazuki Hirata with a Lariat (0:10).
3a. Rematch – 1 Count Fall Rules: Kazuki Hirata defeated Chris Brookes with a School Boy (7:41).
4. MAO defeated Yuya Koroku with the Iai Kick (10:35).
5. STI Co., Ltd. Presents Special 6-Man Tag Match: Sanshiro Takagi, Akito & Shinichiro Kawamatsu defeated HARASHIMA, Kazusada Higuchi & Kazuma Sumi when Kawamatsu pinned Sumi with the Axe Bomber (10:06).
6. Tetsuya Endo & Yuki Iino defeated Takeshi Masada & Keigo Nakamura when Iino pinned Nakamura with the Spear (12:00).
7. STI Co., Ltd. Presents Special 6-Man Tag Match ~ The 37KAMIINA Vs D.O.A! Reiwa Version Of The Onin War: Yuki Ueno, Shunma Katsumata & To-y (2) defeated Jun Akiyama, Danshoku Dieno & Makoto Oishi (0).
7a. Yuki Ueno pinned Makoto Oishi after the My MADMAX (9:04).
-. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title: Jun Akiyama defeated To-y (c) with a School Boy (7:06 pm) *Jun Akiyama becomes the 1,633rd champion.
-. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title: Danshoku Dieno defeated Jun Akiyama (c) with a School Boy (7:07 pm). *Danshoku Dieno becomes the 1,644th champion.
7b. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title: To-y pinned Danshoku Dieno (c) with an Inverted Hurricanrana (11:07). *To-y becomes the 1,635th champion.
It was a very busy day full of Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title changes that happened even before the show began. On the travel over to the venue Ilusion pinned Pokotan to win the title and then while the ring was being set up inside the room To-y won the belt from Ilusion. Then in the middle of the main event the Iron Man Title changed hands more times alongside the actual match results. The match was made into a Best 2 Out Of 3 Falls bout and when Yuki Ueno was pinning Makoto Oishi to win the first fall, Jun Akiyama pinned To-y at the same time to become the new champion. Danshoku Dieno then decided to roll up his partner Akiyama to take the belt only to get pinned by To-y’s Inverted Hurricanrana, sending the belt back to To-y. He couldn’t even find the time to celebrate because other wrestlers including his teammates in The 37KAMIINA all tried to beat him up for the belt.
Shinichiro Kawamatsu used an Axe Bomber to win his tag match. He revealed to everyone afterward that he travelled to America last month where he met Hulk Hogan in person. During the meeting Hogan taught him the Axe Bomber and passed the move down to him! Kawamatsu even sent DDTa video of the meeting as proof that he is telling the truth. The video is real, although Hogan thinks Kawamatsu is fighting for “Shin Nippon Pro Wrestling“.
At the start of the show it was announced that Sanshiro Takagi & CIMA Vs Danshoku Dieno & Kazuki Hirata will take place on the 22nd June show in Osaka.
GLEAT/DDT “GLEAT VER. & – GLEAT X DDT PRO WRESTLING”, 06/06/2024 Tokyo Korakuen Hall 725 Fans
1. 3 Way Tag Match: Shunma Katsumata, Takanori Ito & Issei Onitsuka defeated Densha MICHIo, Jitensha KEIgo & Yu Iizuka and Danshoku Dieno, Makoto Oishi & Jun Tonsho when Katsumata pinned Oishi with the Totonou Splash (7:32).
2. Minoru Tanaka defeated Kazuki Hirata with the B”D”F (8:44).
3. CIMA & HARASHIMA defeated Soma Watanabe & Soma Takao when HARASHIMA pinned Takao with the Somato (7:15).
4. Tetsuya Endo defeated Tetsuya Izuchi with the Tetsuya In The Sky (9:34).
5. SBK & TAKUMA defeated To-y & Kazuma Sumi when TAKUMA pinned Sumi with the 630° (11:32).
6. Yuki Ueno, El Lindaman & MAO defeated Sanshiro Takagi, Kaz Hayashi & Akito when MAO pinned Akito with the Iai Kick (11:39).
7. Elimination Tag Match: Daisuke Sasaki, Kaito Ishida, KANON, Hartley Jackson & Kotaro Suzuki defeated T-Hawk, Chris Brookes, Takehiro Yamamura, Seiki Yoshioka & Takeshi Masada (22:43).
7a. Kotaro Suzuki eliminated Takehiro Yamamura with the Blue Destiny (8:18).
7b. Daisuke Sasaki eliminated Seiki Yoshioka by Ring Out (9:20).
7c. T-Hawk eliminated Kotaro Suzuki with a Low Blow (10:06).
7d. Hartley Jackson accidentally eliminated KANON by Ring Out (13:33).
7e. Chris Brookes eliminated Hartley Jackson by Ring Out (13:58).
7f. Daisuke Sasaki eliminated Chris Brookes with El Es Culero (14:50).
7g. Daisuke Sasaki eliminated T-Hawk with the Crossover Face Lock (18:36).
7h. Takeshi Masada eliminated Daisuke Sasaki by Ring Out (21:07).
7i. Kaito Ishida eliminated Takeshi Masada with the Half Tiger Suplex (22:43).
8. Kazusada Higuchi, Yuki Iino & Yukio Naya defeated Hayato Tamura, Ryuichi Kawakami & KAZMA SAKAMOTO when Iino pinned Tamura with the Spear (20:46).
The latest GLEAT show at Korakuen Hall was a joint show with DDT, mashing the two rosters together for a bunch of inter-promotional matches. In the main event it was DDT’s heavyweight team that defeated BULK Orchestra. Even more newsworthy is Yuki Iino pinned Hayato Tamura with the Spear, scoring the win over the G-REX Champion! Iino rubbed it in his opponents’ faces after the match, saying GLEAT is weak and comparing them to the brass band club in elementary school. When Tamura went to respond, Iino tackled him with another Spear and then posed with the G-REX Title. After the DDT team left the ring Tamura promised he will get revenge. He also encouraged GLEAT fans to support DDT and DDT fans to support GLEAT. Backstage Yukio Naya talked about the times he wrestled with KAZMA SAKAMOTO in Real Japan and then challenged him to a singles match. Ryuichi Kawakami lost his temper at his partners for making GLEAT look weak.
A 10-Man Elimination Tag match mixed the two rosters together. One side was an alliance between SCHADENFREUDE International and #STRONGHEARTS that took on the name SCHADENHEARTS. The other side paired together DAMNATION T.A with Black Generation International. BGI’s Kaito Ishida ended up being the last man standing.
El Lindaman didn’t hear the news about Sanshiro Takagi’s recent demotion. He declared he was going to take over the President role from Takagi while attacking him. When Takagi fought back he sadly explained to Lindaman he is the Vice President now. Takagi also crashed the Dramatic Dream bike into Yuki Ueno. Lindaman then brought out a bouquet as a gift for Takagi but tried to hit him with it. The match came down to MAO beating Akito with the Iai Kick. Afterwards he called out Kaz Hayashi and said he is his hero who has been a big influence. Hayashi is retiring soon but MAO wants to defend the DDT Universal Title against him before he retires. Or to be more exact, MAO wants to defend the title against Shiryu, Hayashi’s masked gimmick from Michinoku Pro! Hayashi said he can tell MAO has been influenced by him and he promised he will tell Shiryu to accept the challenge. The title match will go ahead in DDT on 16th June.
GLEAT did get a straight tag team win against DDT when SBK & TAKUMA defeated To-y & Kazuma Sumi. The DDT side did well enough. To-y hit the Kojima Wonderland while Sumi did a Lionsault. But SBK & TAKUMA isolated Sumi with tag moves and TAKUMA finished him off with the 630°. SBK joked that Sumi seems to already know them from somewhere else but he doesn’t remember. Sumi took the blame for losing and couldn’t shake the feeling there was something else other than GLEAT and DDT that connected him and his opponents today…
Several of the matches on the show seemed to be booked because the wrestlers involved had similar names. For example Tetsuya Endo from DDT fought Tetsuya Izuchi from GLEAT. Endo got the win out of nowhere by giving Izuchi the Tetsuya In The Sky. He thought they would get along afterwards because of their names but Izuchi bit Endo’s hand after the match.
There were times before when CIMA & HARASHIMA were in the same match but today was the first time they teamed up together. CIMA also got to meet up with Soma Takao again but this time Takao was teaming with Soma Watanabe. That made it HARACIMA Vs Soma-Soma! Backstage after the match Watanabe told Takao that when he was in high school he sent a resume to DDT hoping to wrestle for them but never received an answer. His Dramatic Dream to be in DDT finally came true today.
Kazuki Hirata tried to get Minoru Tanaka to wear the Hirata GO! glasses and dance with him. Tanaka kept on refusing until finally the temptation was too much to ignore. The extra power of the dance led to Tanaka pinning Hirata with the B”D”F. He ended up enjoying it so much he told Hirata they should go clubbing together!
The opening match was already changed when MICHIKO opted out so her otaku alter ego Densha MICHIo could take her place. Keigo Nakamura decided to do something similar by showing as Jitensha KEIgo. That left Yu Iizuka as the odd man out on the team because he wanted to wrestle seriously. Jun Tonsho got dragged into doing the Hell Gate with Danshoku Dieno but that left Makoto Oishi along to fight off everyone else. Shunma Katsumata, Takanori Ito & Issei Onitsuka took advantage of that to win the 3 Way Trios Match.
DDT “DRAMATIC DREAM TAKASHIMAYA VOL. 2”, 01/06/2024 Tokyo Shinjuku Takashimaya 1st Floor JR Exit Special Venue ??? Fans – Unannounced
1. Shinjuku Takashimaya Half Day Promotional Ambassador Contest Staggered Entry Battle Royal: Pokotan defeated Rika Tatsumi by Ring Out (13:19). Order Of Elimination: Kazuma Sumi, Keigo Nakamura, Yuni, Sanshiro Takagi, Makoto Oishi, Kazuki Hirata and Rika Tatsumi.
2. Chris Brookes, Yukio Naya & Takeshi Masada defeated HARASHIMA, Kazuasada Higuchi & Soma Takao when Brookes pinned Takao with the Praying Mantis Bomb (13:05).
3. Yuki Ueno, MAO & To-y defeated Tetsuya Endo, Yuki Iino & Yuya Koroku when Ueno pinned Koroku with the WR (20:45).
Today was the second time DDT got to run a show at the Shinjuku Takashimaya department store in Tokyo. MAO is sure DDT will do another show next year and the years after that for decades to come. The store’s manager would also like to continue these shows and turn the event into an annual tradition.
The mystery “dragon” entering the Battle Royal was Rika Tatsumi! She gave everyone Dragon Screws and then choked Sanshiro Takagi. She lost the match to Pokotan but got revenge afterwards by crushing its head with a Double Stomp. When Pokotan recovered it accepted the reward of being an ambassador for the store for the rest of the day. Pokotan immediately went over to the Louis Vuitton section looking to set up an official collaboration with the brand.
Saki Akai held an interview segment with Kazuki Hirata and Rika Tatsumi during the show. Akai joked that now she has retired from pro wrestling she has to look for other things to do for fun now instead of kicking people.
BASARA “BASARA 249 ~UTAGE~”, 28/05/2024 Shin-Kiba 1st RING
1. Ryuichi Sekine, Fuminori Abe & Gaia Hox Vs FUMA, KUBITO & Yasu Urano
2. SAGAT Vs Gouma Ryu
3. Isami Kodaka, Takato Nakano & Masato Kamino Vs Lil’ Kraken, Tsutomu Oosugi & Banana Senga
4. Iron Fist Tag Team Titles: Ryota Nakatsu & Kazusada Higuchi (c) Vs Takumi Tsukamoto & Judomaster
5. Union MAX Title: Minoru Fujita (c) Vs Daichi Kazato
Tomorrow is the big day for Daichi Kazato. Is it his destiny to win the Union MAX Title from Minoru Fujita?
DDT “WHAT ARE YOU DOING 2024 TOUR IN SHINJUKU”, 05/06/2024 Shinjuku FACE
1. Kazusada Higuchi & Yuya Koroku Vs Yukio Naya & Keigo Nakamura
2. Tetsuya Endo & Yuki Iino Vs Jun Akiyama & Tomomitsu Matsunaga
3. Special Tag Match: MAO & Shunma Katsumata Vs Danshoku Dieno & Kazuki Hirata
4. Daisuke Kiso Referee 14th Anniversary Match ~ Special Tag Match: Keisuke Ishii & Shigehiro Irie Vs To-y & Yuni
5. CDK 5th Anniversary Match ~ Special Tag Match: Chris Brookes & Masahiro Takanashi Vs Makoto Oishi & Shiori Asahi
6. KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles: Daisuke Sasaki, KANON & MJ Paul (c) Vs HARASHIMA, Akito & Yasu Urano
7. KO-D Openweight Title: Yuki Ueno (c) Vs Sanshiro Takagi
There is currently a dispute going on over who is going to be the referee for the KO-D Openweight Title match. Hisaya Imabayashi is leaning towards having Yukinori Matsui as the official, which is normally the case. However Sanshiro Takagi thinks Matsui is too strict and wants somebody who will give him more leeway to do what he wants. He agrees the match will still be held under normal rules though. Yuki Ueno is willing as the champion to fight Takagi under his conditions. However he would prefer the match to have a strict referee so he wants Matsui to be the first choice.
DDT “WHAT ARE YOU DOING 2024 TOUR IN KYOTO”, 08/06/2024 Kyoto KBS Hall
1. Daisuke Sasaki & KANON Vs Toru Owashi & Ilusion
2. Tetsuya Endo & Yuki Iino Vs Takeshi Masada & Keigo Nakamura
3. MAO Vs Yuya Koroku
4. Sanshiro Takagi, Akito & Shinichiro Kawamatsu Vs HARASHIMA, Kazusada Higuchi & Kazuma Sumi
5. Special Single Match: Chris Brookes Vs Kazuki Hirata
6. The 37KAMIINA Vs D.O.A!: Yuki Ueno, Shunma Katsumata & To-y Vs Jun Akiyama, Danshoku Dieno & Makoto Oishi
If losing in the King Of DDT semi-final wasn’t enough to annoy Chris Brookes, he now has to relive last year’s D-Oh Grand Prix when he was the only wrestler in his block to lose against Kazuki Hirata. There is probably no better time for Hirata to go for the upset win in a non-tournament rematch.
Keep an eye out for Yuya Koroku from this point onwards. He was the one to pin Poison Sawada JULIE over the weekend after being outnumbered for the finishing stretch of the match. I’m not saying he’s going to beat MAO next but we might be getting the start of something with him.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW PRISM ’24”, 09/06/2024 Tokyo Korakuen Hall
1. Suzume & Arisu Endo Vs Runa Okubo & Haru Kazashiro
2. Chika Nanase Vs Uta Takami
3. Nao Kakuta & SAKI Vs Raku & Pom Harajuku
4. Aja Kong, Yuki Kamifuku & Kira Summer Vs Maki Itoh, Mahiro Kiryu & Kaya Toribami
5. Special Single Match: Hikaru Shida Vs Moka Miyamoto
6. Shoko Nakajima, Mizuki, Rika Tatsumi & Yuki Aino Vs Wakana Uehara, HIMAWARI, Toga & Shino Suzuki
7. International Princess Title: Yuki Arai (c) Vs LA Taylor
8. Princess Of Princess Title: Miu Watanabe (c) Vs Vert Vixen
The full card was revealed yesterday and here it is. Aja Kong returns to team with Yuki Kamifuku again and this time Kira Summer gets to join in. RakuPom have been chosen to be the final opponents for Nao Kakuta & SAKI’s tag team. Either Chika Nanase or Uta Takami will earn their first singles win at the other person’s expense. The rest of the card is the usual veteran versus new generation type of matches.
DDT “WHAT ARE YOU DOING 2024 TOUR IN MATSUYAMA”, 09/06/2024 Ehime Matsuyama City General Community Center Special Exhibition Hall
1. Daisuke Sasaki & KANON Vs Yuya Koroku & Ilusion
2. Shunma Katsumata, Makoto Oishi & Kazuki Hirata Vs Sanshiro Takagi (w/ Cutie Elly The Ehime), Akito & Tsuruhimeka
3. Special Tag Match: Jun Akiyama & Santaro Ishizuchi Vs HARASHIMA & Takeshi Masada
4. Matsuyama Specialty Special Single Match: Danshoku Dieno Vs Bonjin Pulp
5. Special Tag Match: Tetsuya Endo & Imabari Taoru Mascaras Vs Chris Brookes & Kazuma Sumi
6. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Yuki Ueno, MAO & To-y Vs Yuki Iino, Kazusada Higuchi & Keigo Nakamura
Another person from Ehime Pro will be on the show but is not going to wrestled. Cutie Elly The Ehime will be in Sanshiro Takagi’s corner as his manager for Match #2 instead. She did the same at last year’s show in Matsuyama City.
DDT “DRAMATIC DREAM BATTLE”, 16/06/2024 TOKYO FM Hall
1. DDT Universal Title: MAO (c) Vs X
The Sumo Hall main event and KO-D Title shot is on the horizon but first MAO wants to defend his DDT Universal Title. His schedule prevents him from travelling overseas for the time being so he wants to defend the title against a wide range of wrestlers in Japan. He has begun searching for his first challenger and will choose one for a title match taking place at TOKYO FM Hall in a few weeks time.
Fuminori Abe will be on the show. That could be related to the title match or it might not.
DDT “WRESTLE PETER PAN 2024”, 21/07/2024 Tokyo Ryogoku Kokugikan
1. Special Single Match: KONOSUKE TAKESHITA Vs Masato Tanaka
2. KO-D Openweight Title: Yuki Ueno (c) Vs MAO
MAO is now guaranteed to be part of the Sumo Hall main event. It will be either Yuki Ueno or Sanshiro Takagi who will be against him as the defending KO-D Champion. Takagi said he would defend the belt against MAO in a Weapon Rumble if he is the champ.
Next time Konosuke Takeshita is in DDT he will face Masato Tanaka in a rematch from March 2020. Tanaka successfully defended the KO-D Title against Takeshita back then in what was the last KO-D Title match held in front of an audience before the global pandemic shut everything down. Did anyone notice that this year’s Fire Festival tournament is the first one without Tanaka taking part in it? I know ZERO1 is a zombie promotion now but how can you have a Fire Festival without Tanaka in it?
Minoru Suzuki and El Desperado will be on the show.
DDT “KING OF DDT ~20TH ANNIVERSARY~ FINAL!!”, 26/05/2024 Tokyo Korakuen Hall 1,005 Fans – No Vacancy
0. Dark Match: Yuni & Keigo Nakamura defeated Ilusion & Kazuma Sumi when Nakamura pinned Sumi with the Diving Headbutt (8:51).
1. KANON & MJ Paul defeated HARASHIMA & Akito when KANON pinned Akito with the Ground Cobra Twist (7:59).
2. King Of DDT 20th Anniversary – Semi Final: MAO defeated Kazusada Higuchi with the Iai Kick (11:43).
3. King Of DDT 20th Anniversary – Semi Final – No DQ Match: Daisuke Sasaki defeated Chris Brookes with the El Es Culero (13:48).
4. 3 Way Tag Match: Danshoku Dieno & Makoto Oishi defeated Toru Owashi & Kazuki Hirata and Yukio Naya & Takeshi Masada when Oishi pinned Hirata with a Rock Bottom (0:05).
4a. Rematch: Yukio Naya & Takeshi Masada defeated Danshoku Dieno & Makoto Oishi and Toru Owashi & Kazuki Hirata when Naya pinned Hirata and Oishi with the Double Choke Slam (6:42).
5. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Shuji Ishikawa, Masahiro Takanashi & Yuya Koroku defeated Poison Sawada JULIE, Tetsumamushi Endo & Yuki “Anaconda” Iino when Koroku pinned JULIE with a Moonsault Press (9:01).
6. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Yuki Ueno, Shunma Katsumata & To-y defeated Sanshiro Takagi, Jun Akiyama & Tomomitsu Matsunaga when Ueno pinned Matsunaga with the WR (11:45).
7. King Of DDT 20th Anniversary – Final: MAO defeated Daisuke Sasaki with the 450 Cannonball (23:45).
On the 20th Anniversary a new King Of DDT has been crowned and it is MAO! He reached all the way to the final where Daisuke Sasaki was there standing in his way. MAO wanted to win quickly and busted out the Hollywood Star Press for a nearfall. Sasaki then started targeting MAO’s knees before taking him outside to do a Super Diving Elbow Drop while MAO was sitting in the front row. MAO fought back by biting his way out of the Crossface Lock, turning Sasaki over with the Michinoku Driver I and then applying the Just Face Lock. Sasaki took a big risk to get back into the fight by giving MAO a Superplex out of the ring onto members of The 37KAMIINA and DAMNATION T.A below. He then tried using flash pins including the Hurricanrana but MAO wore him down with Palm Strikes, the Iai Kick and the Cannonball 450 to win.
With this victory MAO thinks he now has a spot in the main event of “WRESTLE PETER PAN 2024” on 21st July. He called Yuki Ueno into the ring to tell him it could be those two fighting for the KO-D Openweight Title at Sumo Hall. However Ueno told everyone that he has to beat Sanshiro Takagi first on 5th June. Takagi entered the ring to congratulate MAO and tell him that he too is fighting to achieve his dream of being in a KO-D Title match at Sumo Hall. The closest he’s been to that position was the King Of DDT 2009 final but he lost to Kota Ibushi. MAO reminded Takagi he still had the Weapon Rumble match against The Great Sasuke that year and that match captured MAO’s heart. So much so that if Takagi becomes his opponent at Sumo Hall then they should have a Weapon Rumble match! But if he faces Ueno the match will just be held under normal rules. Ueno was relieved to hear that. The three of them all agreed by sharing a toast together in the ring.
Sasaki went through a war with Chris Brookes in the semi-finals. The two agreed to have a No DQ Match over expectations that both could cheat against each other. Instead it became a full blown hardcore match with tables, plastic boxes, chairs, a ladder, a stapler and even a fork board laid against the corner with “Fuck You Sasaki” painted on it. Brookes also had backup in the form of Mecha Mummy but Sasaki used a taser to make it short circuit and play no further part in the match. Sasaki was thrown from the ladder through a table and Brookes followed up by hitting a Diving Double Knee Drop onto the remains. Sasaki kicked out and then countered the Praying Mantis Bomb into El Es Culero cradle to steal the win from out of nowhere. A bloody Brookes threw everything he could get his hands on around the ring out of anger after the match.
The other semi-final had MAO beating a previous King Of DDT winner Kazusada Higuchi. He had to use Middle Kicks and Palm Strikes to try and match Higuchi’s Chops and Headbutt. The Doctor Bomb Higuchi used was kicked out of but so was the Green Tea Plunge that MAO pulled out. The match came down to duel between the two. Higuchi charged in looking to do the Buchikamashi but MAO blocked it with a Thrust Kick, stunned Higuchi with a Palm Strike, cut off a Lariat with a Hurricane Kick and finally put his opponent down with the Iai Kick. Higuchi had no problem admitting backstage that MAO is a really, really strong wrestler.
Ueno and Takagi used their 6-Man Tag as a preview for what to expect in the KO-D Title bout by brawling with each other in the crowd with the Dramatic Dream bike involved before taking the fight up to the balcony. They had more to offer back in the ring with Ueno doing a Dropkick and Takagi firing back with the Stunner. Tomomitsu Matsunaga used the opening to hit Ueno with the Tommy Bomber for a nearfall. Ueno recovered and Dropkicked Matsunaga in the face before pinning him with the WR. After the match Takagi said he does not care if Ueno is ready or not for the title match. Takagi is now free from responsibility and will be at his most immature on 5th June! Meanwhile To-y told Shunma Katsumata they will be enemies on 21st June because he wants to win the DDT Extreme Title from him in the 5 Way Sauna match. In fact, To-y accused Katsumata of not helping him during today’s match so they may already be enemies!
Plans for Match #4 changed when before the match Poison Sawada JULIE looking for his teammates to brainwash them with his Snake Magic. While this was going on, Tetsuya Endo & Yuki Iino asked Yuya Koroku in a nearby locker room to go find them something to drink. Koroku found some cans labelled “Modification Drink” in the room where JULIE was just in and gave them to his BURNING partners. What happened when they drank it scared Koroku out of the room while a returning JULIE was pleased with the results. It all became clear what happened when JULIE entered the ring with Endo & Iino both brainwashed into becoming Tetsumamushi Endo & Yuki “Anaconda” Iino! Koroku now had to team with JULIE’s original partners Shuji Ishikawa & Masahiro Takanashi in order to win the antidotes that would turn Endo & Iino back to normal. It was a tough challenge but a well timed dodge from Kuroku caused Iino to Spear Endo by accident. Koroku then gave JULIE a Back Drop and pinned him with the Moonsault Press. He then quickly fed his friends the cans of antidote to free them from JULIE’s snake magic. Whenever JULIE returns to DDT he promises to get revenge on Koroku for stopping him from turning BURNING into his new Snake Magic army.
The 3 Way Tag Match ended too quickly thanks to Makoto Oishi immediately pinning Kazuki Hirata with a Rock Bottom before one of the other teams even made it to the ring. It required a restart and the same result almost happened. Yukio Naya made it in time to break it up so the match could continue. A noticable trend then happened where Takeshi Masada became left out of all of the multi-man spots. Somehow Yukinori Matsui took his place! When Masada became upset over it, Hisaya Imabayashi paused the match and ordered everyone to let Masada be more involved because he is already a lonely college student. Most of them although Danshoku Dieno wasn’t really interested. Naya instructed Masada to climb the top turnbuckle and wait for the opportunity to do a big move while Naya took care of Dieno and Toru Owashi. Oishi and Hirata tried to give Naya the Double Miracle Ecstasy but it was countered into a Double Choke Slam. Naya decided to pin the both of them while Masada was still waiting on the top turnbuckle. The match ended with them as the winners but a sad and lonely Masada took his time to leave the ring.
DAMNATION T.A halted some of Smile Squash’s momentum in the opening match. HARASHIMA & Akito were doing well against KANON & MJ Paul until KANON caught Akito in the Cobra Twist. He then grounded the move and rolled Akito over to pin his shoulders to the mat for a 3 count. KANON bragged about beating Akito with a roll up style move, something that Akito is meant to be a master of. Fans like it when teams from the past reunite but he hates it and for that reason hates Smile Squash too. HARASHIMA & Yasu Urano weren’t angry over the result. They assured Akito that they now all learned KANON is capable of winning that way and they will have to be careful of it in the KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles match.
In the dark match Yuni hit Ilusion & Kazuma Sumi with a top rope Moonsault out of the ring. He then gave Sumi a Spinning DDT in the ring and Keigo Nakamura followed up with the John Woo Dropkick for a nearfall. Nakamura didn’t waste anytime and landed the Diving Headbutt to get the win.
A new singles match was announced for “WRESTLE PETER PAN 2024”. Konosuke Takeshita will face Masato Tanaka in a rematch from March 2020!
There was an announcement during the show that DDT and GCW will be co-promoting a show together in Korakuen Hall on 12th August as part of GCW’s next tour of Japan. The show is called “NEVER ENDING NOISY SUMMER” and Effy sent in a video message to promote it. GCW talent currently announced for the show include Joey Janela, Effy, Allie Katch, Masha Slamovich, Mance Warner, Jordan Oliver, Dark Sheik, Alex Zayne and Rina Yamashita.
Before any of the matches began there was a special presentation held by Saki Akai. One of her first projects with DDT since retiring from pro wrestling last year was to set up a crowdfunding campaign to buy new training equipment for the company. The campaign succeeded and today Akai donated the new equipment to Takagi and DDT.
DDT will be launching a new photobook with Leslie Kee on 21st July. They previously worked together for a photobook called “Super DDT” back in 2013.
DDT “DRAMATIC DREAMS! VOL. 11 ~ YUKINORI MATSUI REFEREE 30TH ANNIVERSARY BOX OFFICE ~ MAKING THE SQUARE WORLD INTERESTING”, 19/05/2024 Osaka City Sumiyoshi Civic Center 968 Fans – Super No Vacancy Full House
0. Dark Match – Future Is Here!: Kazuma Sumi defeated Yuni and Ilusion when Sumi pinned Yuni with the School Boy (7:10).
1. THE Non-Stop Action Battle! ~Three High Speed Crows Vs Naniwa Pro Wrestling Three Musketeers~: Yuto Kikuchi, Harutoki & Kohei Kinoshita defeated Naruki Doi, Shunma Katsumata & Keigo Nakamura when Kikuchi pinned Nakamura with the Diving Foot Stomp (01:15).
2. An Absolutely Outrageous Tag Match Between The Four Heavenly Kings Of The Variety Team: Danshoku Dieno & Super Sasadango Machine defeated Kazuki Hirata & Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi when Dieno pinned Hirata with the Gaydo Clutch (0:09).
2a. Rematch: Danshoku Dieno & Super Sasadango Machine defeated Kazuki Hirata & Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi when Dieno pinned Hiroshi with an Inside Cradle (0:07).
2b. Rematch: Danshoku Dieno & Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi defeated Super Sasadango Machine & Kazuki Hirata when Dieno pinned Sasadango with a School Boy (0:07).
2c. 1 Vs 3 Handicap Match: Danshoku Dieno defeated Super Sasadango Machine, Kazuki Hirata & Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi when Dieno pinned Sasadango with a School Boy (0:21).
2d. 4 Way Match: Danshoku Dieno Vs Super Sasadango Machine Vs Kazuki Hirata Vs Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi ended in a Draw when all four wrestlers pinned each other simultaneously (2:33).
3. ACF & Koyo Daiichi Consultants Co., Ltd. Presents Mixed Martial Arts Battle: Bushimasa Vs Thanomsak Toba ended in a Draw (R2 1:00).
4. Staggered Entry Tag Battle Royal “Surprise! Tag Rumble”: Yuko Miyamoto & Isami Kodaka defeated Soma Takao & Shota when Kodaka pinned Shota with a Vertical Drop Brainbuster (15:00). Order Of Elimination: Masahiro Takanashi & Makoto Oishi, Toru Owashi & Black Menso-re, KANON & MJ Paul, Tomomitsu Matsunaga & Gota Ihashi, Yuki Iino & Yuki Ishida, Yoshihiko & Pokotan, Keisuke Ishii & Akito and Soma Takao & Shota.
5. Tsuji Dental Clinic & Yasuda Dental Clinic Presents Special 6-Man Tag Match – “20 Years Ago THE OSAKA”: Magnitude Kishiwada, HUB & Kengo Takai defeated Tsubasa, Billy Ken Kid & Shoichi Uchida when Kishiwada pinned Uchida with the Last Ride (5:19).
6. Seisho Kogyo Co., Ltd. Presents Battle Between Generations! Legends Vs Next Generation Special 6-Man Tag Match: Jun Akiyama, Jinsei Shinzaki & Sanshiro Takagi defeated Takeshi Masada, To-y & Yuya Koroku when Shinzaki pinned Koroku with the Nenbutsu Power Bomb (10:42).
7. Special 6-Man Tag Match ~Everyone Is Superhuman!~: HARASHIMA, Yuji Hino & Chris Brookes defeated Shuji Ishikawa, Shigehiro Irie & Yukio Naya when HARASHIMA pinned Irie with the Swan Dive Somato (11:55).
8. PANTASIA Presents Special Tag Match Wrestling Masters Vs Let’s Go 40’s ~With The Bolivian Wind~: Dick Togo & Daisuke Sasaki defeated Yasu Urano & Antonio Honda when Togo pinned Honda with the Diving Senton (17:19).
9. Triple Main Event Kagoshima no Dancho Presents Special Single Match Kuishinbo Kamen & Kikutaro & Yukinori Matsui, Everyone’s 30th Anniversary, Add Them To Get 90th Anniversary(!) Commemorative Match ~Laughing Fukuraimon~: Kuishinbo Kamen defeated Kikutaro with the Kansai Airport Tornado (16:38).
10. Triple Main Event – From All Over The World, Arriving In Osaka. Special Singles Match ~THE ALPHA Vs King Of Pro Wrestling~: KONOSUKE TAKESHITA defeated Minoru Suzuki with an Elbow Butt (23:41).
11. Triple Main Event Ondo Metal Co., Ltd. Presents Special Tag Match ~DDT PRIDE~: Yuki Ueno & Kazusada Higuchi defeated MAO & Tetsuya Endo when Ueno pinned Endo with the WR (25:37).
The worlds of DDT and the Osaka wrestling scene gathered together for Yukinori Matsui’s annual show and this year was a special one. The referee was celebrating 30 years in the business and put together a marathon show for the occasion, although he cared more about making sure everyone watching the show had fun. He admitted he was tired by the end of it and in hindsight probably should not have officiated the last four matches back to back. He was pleased with the quality of the matches that happened. He probably won’t be doing another anniversary show for another 5 or 10 years but you can bet Matsui will continue booking his annual Osaka show no matter what day it falls on every year.
Everyone in the main event congratulated Matsui and all expressed their gratitude to him backstage after the show. Yuki Ueno said Matsui has supported pro wrestling for 30 years and it is thanks to him that he was able to grow stronger as a champion today. He thinks it is important that Matsui holds these shows to make matches he wants to show to everyone. Tetsuya Endo feels honored that Matsui picked him to be in the main event. He noticed everyone in the match are all currently champions and have a high standing in DDT. He admits this year has been a struggle but it will be worth it if it will lead to better results in the future. That will be Endo’s way of repaying Matsui for everything he’s done for him. MAO said the history of companies that Matsui worked for is where all of his favorite wrestlers came from. He hopes Matsui will take care of himself for years to come because MAO intends to wrestle for another 50 years and he likes using Matsui as a weapon. Kazusada Higuchi told Matsui to do his best so Higuchi can continue doing his best too.
The match between Konosuke Takeshita and Minoru Suzuki had a little bit of extra gas added to it thanks to developments happening elsewhere this past week. Takeshita will be facing Jon Moxley in AEW soon in a non-title match and if Takeshita wins he will be getting an IWGP World Heavyweight Title shot. Suzuki was aware of that news. The day before this show happened he declared he will beat Takeshita and work his way towards destroying Moxley to take the championship for himself. Suzuki was a tough challenge but Takeshita was able to wear him down to the point of collapse. Suzuki withstood all of the Elbow Strikes and Jumping Knees until one final Elbow Butt put him down for the pinfall. By beating “The King Of Pro Wrestling” today, Takeshita can now boast he is the stronger of the two. A defeated Suzuki admitted he is now just an old man from the Showa era and has nothing else to say about the result.
Matsui isn’t the only person celebrating 30 years in the business this year. Kikutaro and Kuishinbo Kamen have been a vital part of Matsui’s career for a long, long time. The three of them have known each other since they were all wrestling trainees in Yokohama. Matsui ended up getting injured and switched to being a referee. Kikutaro paid tribute to him after the match by impersonating Atsushi Onita. Kamen was rewarded with a championship belt from the match sponsor for being the winner.
There was an unexpected guest accompanying Dick Togo’s team in Match #8. It was Diego! He even helped out by interfering in the match a little bit. Daisuke Sasaki enjoyed teaming with his mentor today but thinks Matsui should make them opponents next time. There are still many moves and other tricks that Sasaki wants to steal from Togo before he can ultimately surpass him. Yasu Urano & Antonio Honda both think seven years is too long a wait for them to wrestle Togo again. They would like to do it every six months. Honda also described Togo as the father of pro wrestling and Matsui is the mother. He himself is not sure if he is being serious or just joking.
Kyohei Wada was the referee for Match #7. To-y made demands at Sanshiro Takagi to raise his salary. Takagi told him he has to ask President Okamoto for that from now on. After the match Matsui presented Wada with a bouquet of flowers to celebrate Wada’s 50 years in the wrestling business. Wada said he wants to continue for another 20 years so Takagi encouraged him to reach his 70th anniversary.
Match #2 had to be restarted over and over because Danshoku Dieno, Super Sasadango Machine, Kazuki Hirata and Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi were all beating each other within seconds. Eventually they all collapsed onto each other in a pile and Matsui counted the pinfall for all of them, resulting in a draw. Although in the ring it was announced that they were all winners.
Keiko Takaeshita, the mother of Konosuke, was welcomed into the ring to greet everyone at the start of the show. She Clotheslined Matsui and finished the show’s opening call.
DDT “EARLY SUMMER BEER GARDEN PRO WRESTLING – DAY 1”, 16/05/2024 Tokyo Ueno Park Outdoor Stage 298 Fans
1. 3 Way Match: Keigo Nakamura defeated Soma Takao and Ilusion when Nakamura pinned Ilusion with a Modified Crucifix Pin (7:49).
2. Sanshiro Takagi & Jun Akiyama defeated Yukio Naya & Kazuma Sumi when Takagi pinned Sumi with the Sit Down Himawari Bomb (7:42).
3. Early Summer Beer Garden Specialty NG Behaviour Penalty Match: Shunma Katsumata, Toru Owashi & Makoto Oishi defeated Tetsuya Endo, Yuki Iino & Yuya Koroku when Iino was Disqualified for doing 3 NG acts (9:12).
4. Early Summer Beer Garden Specialty Doki Doki! Special Rules Match – 1 Count Fall Rules: Chris Brookes & Masahiro Takanashi defeated Danshoku Dieno & Kazuki Hirata when Takanashi pinned Hirata with a Cradle (0:39).
4a. Rematch – Falls Count Anywhere 1,000 Count Death Match: Chris Brookes & Masahiro Takanashi defeated Danshoku Dieno & Kazuki Hirata when Brookes pinned Hirata (66:03).
5. Smile Squash Vs DAMNATION T.A!: HARASHIMA, Yasu Urano & Akito defeated Daisuke Sasaki, KANON & MJ Paul when Akito pinned KANON with a Stepover Toe Hold (12:52).
6. Yuki Ishida Return Match ~ The 37KAMIINA Vs Harimao!: Yuki Ueno, MAO & To-y defeated Kazusada Higuchi, Ryota Nakatsu & Yuki Ishida when To-y pinned Ishida with the Kojima Impact (21:00).
Today was the return of Yuki Ishida to the ring after having a lower back injury that took him out for half a year. His team lost and he took the fall in the main event but that did not spoil the big news he announced after the show. Starting on 20th May he will be working for a sumo entertainment company called SUMO Agency and he’ll be relocating to Osaka to be part of a sumo show targeted towards foreign tourists. This new job means he will only be able to wrestle for DDT once or twice a month. He wanted to return to his roots in order to shine brighter and bring whatever momentum he makes back to DDT.
The Smile Squash revival is going to stick around a little while longer. After the trio defeated DAMNATION T.A in a non-title match Akito realized that Smile Squash never held the KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles together. He made the challenge for a title shot, HARASHIMA agreed because he never held that championship before and Yasu Urano is joining along so he can get more DDT bookings. During the match itself Smile Squash almost gained a new member. They encouraged KANON to join them because he has a nice smile. He jumped sides until Daisuke Sasaki & MJ Paul force fed him beer to turn him back to his, er, normal self.
There was a secret special rule applied to Match #4. It took everyone under a minute to discover the rule was 1 Count Pinfalls when Masahiro Takanashi pinned Kazuki Hirata and immediately won the match. Hirata demanded a rematch and this time the winning team would be whichever one scores a combined total of 1,000 counts from pinfalls, countouts and DQ counts! CDK agreed and restarted the match. The total count went up to 34 when both teams fought too far away from the venue to follow so the show continued without them. They reappeared after the main event where the count was somewhere in the late 900s. The main eventers were still in the ring so Danshoku Dieno decided to give Ishida a Lip Lock just because. Ishida remained involved and hit Hirata with the Flame Palm. CDK then piled on top of them to score the 1,000th pin count and win the match.
Match #3 also had a rule built around secret. The referees determined that every wrestler would have one move or action be deemed NG or No Good for the match. If a wrestler performed a No Good action they would be sent off to the penalty area up in the balcony. They would only be allowed back in the match if one of their partners also did a No Good move and had to replace them in the penalty area. But if someone did a No Good move three times their team would be disqualified. The wrestlers were not told what the banned moves were so it was up to them to figure it out as the match went on. Yuki Iino was immediately sent off for shouting “BURNING!”. Shunma Katsumata was sent off for doing the NeppoWER pose. Toru Owashi was sent off for doing a Horizontal Chop. Makoto Oishi was sent off for clapping. Tetsuya Endo was sent off for doing a Swan Dive move. Yuya Koroku was sent off for doing a Brainbuster. In the end Iino was disqualified for saying “BURNING!” three times. He ended up getting confused which caused him to say “BURNING!” and “NeppoWER!” over and over.
Both Sanshiro Takagi and Akito didn’t let their CyberFight demotions ruin their wrestling performances. They both won their matches today. Takagi told the fans he will continue to be in charge of DDT and Tokyo Joshi Pro from his new Vice President position. Really the only problem he has to deal with is his Big President merch is now inaccurate and he will need to make a replacement shirt.
Takagi was also challenged to a singles match by Super Sasadango Machine. He was surprised to hear the earlier news about Takagi and felt there is limited time for them to have one more match together before Takagi takes a break from being a wrestler. Takagi’s schedule was full until Sasadango came up with an idea. Their match will be on a one-match show at Shinjuku FACE on 26th June! Fifty unique types of ticket deals for the show will be made available with more to be added if there is demand.
Posted by JamieOD 
Dramatic DDT 