DDT “WRESTLE PETER PAN 2022” Preview

August 18, 2022


DDT “WRESTLE PETER PAN 2022”, 20/08/2022
Tokyo Ota Ward Gymnasium

1. Yusuke Okada, Yuya Koroku & Ilusion Vs Toi Kojima, Yuki Ishida & Takeshi Masada
2. 3 Way 6-Man Tag Match: Yuki “Sexy” Iino, Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno & Koju “Shining Ball” Takeda (w/ Yumehito “Fantastic” Imanari) Vs Yuji Hino, Yukio Naya & Super Sasadango Machine Vs Toru Owashi, Kazuki Hirata & Antonio Honda
3. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Naomi Yoshimura, Kota Umeda & Keisuke Okuda Vs HARASHIMA, Yukio Sakaguchi & Hideki Okatani
4. Shinichiro Kawamatsu Debut Match ~ Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly Member Vs Bunkyo Ward Assembly Member: Shinichiro Kawamatsu, Sanshiro Takagi & Soma Takao Vs Osamu Nishimura, Makoto Oishi & Akito
5. Special Mixed Tag Match: Jun Akiyama & Saki Akai Vs Chris Brookes & Asuka
6. DDT Extreme Title – Special Hardcore Match: Joey Janela (c) Vs Shunma Katsumata
7. DDT Universal Title: Masahiro Takanashi (c) Vs Yuki Ueno
8. DDT 25th Anniversary Special 6-Man Tag Match: Dick Togo, Daisuke Sasaki & KANON (w/ MJ Paul) Vs Konosuke Takeshita, MAO & Yasu Urano
9. KO-D Openweight Title: Kazusada Higuchi (c) Vs Tetsuya Endo

It’s back to Ota Ward Gymnasium for this year’s edition of “WRESTLE PETER PAN”. For what is usually one of DDT’s biggest shows of the year, things don’t feel as such this time around. For DDT it’s still a big event but against the rest of the wrestling scene, I’m not feeling it as much this year. Choosing Ota Ward is a downgrade from a usual venue choice like Sumo Hall and DDT themselves have made reference to ticket sales not being that great. The company challenged its roster to sell more tickets with better quality lunches as their rewards. The last update they gave on that was they reached the “Nori Bento” level which refers to between 775 and 1,000 tickets sold. DDT wants their attendance numbers to return to what they were before the pandemic happened. That is going to stay a tough challenge for them until Japan moves past their covid restrictions. Even then it’s hard to say if DDT can grow back their audience. You can’t entirely blame the pandemic for shrinking wrestling’s popularity in Japan when a company like Stardom is growing like crazy over there under the same environment.

This show can end up becoming a turnaround in fortunes though. Through unexpected circumstances a new wind is blowing through the company as DDT’s current two top wrestlers battle over who should be carrying the flag. The man the company was built around for the last few years has all of a sudden gained a brand new global fanbase and maybe a chunk of them will follow him back to see what DDT is like. One of the most infamous wrestlers on the American indie scene has come over wanting to carve his name into the history books. A first time mixed tag match will offer something never seen before. Actual politicians will fight each other. And if that’s not enough, LiLiCo will be there with an important news update she wants to tell everyone.


1. Yusuke Okada, Yuya Koroku & Ilusion Vs Toi Kojima, Yuki Ishida & Takeshi Masada

Some of the youngest wrestlers in DDT gather together for the opening match. And also Yusuke Okada who is only 29 years old even though some days he looks about 42. He’s the veteran base of the match while Yuya Koroku and Toi Kojima get to bring their classmate rivalry onto a big stage. Their clashes in all of the BURNING Vs The 37KAMIINA matches over the last year are fun to watch. Yuki Ishida is showing improvement with his performances and developing more fire power to make up for his lack of size. Ilusion has been used sparingly over the summer because the DDTeeeen!! project hasn’t been publicly active. The few opportunities he’s been getting are at least moving him away from his rival El Unicorn so he gets to show they are not attached by the hip. But the spotlight right now is shining brightly on Takeshi Masada. He just had his debut match after only three months of training and dazzled everyone with his performance. If he keeps in good health over the next few years (always remember that rookies break easily) DDT could have a new supernova on their hands.


2. 3 Way 6-Man Tag Match: Yuki “Sexy” Iino, Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno & Koju “Shining Ball” Takeda (w/ Yumehito “Fantastic” Imanari) Vs Yuji Hino, Yukio Naya & Super Sasadango Machine Vs Toru Owashi, Kazuki Hirata & Antonio Honda

Is 2022 the year of Pheromones? The DDT shows that allow cheering usually has that unit getting the most reactions. Maybe it’s because they still use the canned cheering for their ring announcements or maybe it’s because chanting “Sexy!” out loud while sticking out your pinky fingers is a lot of fun. One thing for sure is Pheromones has become more stronger with the latest and perhaps final addition to the unit. A perverted looking masked man began following the group around and was eventually revealed to be Koju Takeda. He appeared in DDT before and is a former KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Champion but now has a bigger presence in the company under the name Koju “Shining Ball” Takeda. He’s never been shy about showing off his physique so he is a perfect fit for Pheromones, perhaps filling in the gaps that Yuki Iino and Danshoku Dieno could not fill. Was that meant to be written as a double entendre? You tell me.

The other two teams in this match can’t help but look plain in comparison. Yuji Hino & Yukio Naya have spent over a year bonding as a tag team and working together under the ONLY WE banner. It’s given Naya the ability to finally start climbing up the ladder and reach even a little bit of the potential that others see in him. Super Sasadango Machine is an odd third man to be on that team but this is an odd match to begin with. The other trio is made up of wrestlers sometimes nicknamed The DDT Variety Team. Whenever you get Toru Owashi, Kazuki Hirata & Antonio Honda all in the same ring you are guaranteed to get some nonsense coming from them.


3. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Naomi Yoshimura, Kota Umeda & Keisuke Okuda Vs HARASHIMA, Yukio Sakaguchi & Hideki Okatani

We are getting treated to a DNA reunion on the show. The developmental brand for DDT became redundant in 2018 but many wrestlers who came from it have become regular parts of several wrestling rosters. Naomi Yoshimura was a key part of DNA’s second half of its existence and he wanted to team with two men who were a constant presence around him during his time there. His rival Kota Umeda and his ally Keisuke Okuda. Umeda is a part time wrestler with some re-appearances in DDT every now and then. But Okuda’s name being brought up is intriguing. He was once under contract to DDT for two years then left the company for DRAGONGATE. Then recently there seems to be an apparent split between the two and suddenly Okuda is back in DDT by Yoshimura’s request. Maybe it’s just a one time reunion for old time’s sake.

Whether it is or it isn’t, Okuda has another reason to come back. He’s looking for a fight with Yukio Sakaguchi, thinking he is a scared old man. In response to this, Sakaguchi’s Eruption buddy Hideki Okatani is stepping in also wanting to join in the scrap the second it kicks off. Their team needs a calming presence so maybe HARASHIMA can keep things under control with his many years of wisdom under his belt. But he and Yoshimura are on course for a KO-D Tag Team Titles match in the future and they have a lot of recent history together. If the wrong guy gets provoked here then all hell could break loose.


4. Shinichiro Kawamatsu Debut Match ~ Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly Member Vs Bunkyo Ward Assembly Member: Shinichiro Kawamatsu, Sanshiro Takagi & Soma Takao Vs Osamu Nishimura, Makoto Oishi & Akito

I don’t have a clue about Japanese politics other than Sanshiro Takagi tried it once and it left him traumatized. It seems that the wrestling bug has bitten Shinichiro Kawamatsu from the Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly after the publicity stunt where he won and defended the Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title. To show his gratitude to DDT and their fans, he decided to try and have a go as a pro wrestler for real. Finding time to train in between his political duties, Kawamatsu is having his official debut match against another politician. One who knows the wrestling ring very well.

Osamu Nishimura has been wrestling for over 31 years but his main priority nowadays is his council work in his hometown of Bunkyo Ward. There is a friendly link between the two in the lead up to the match because Kawamatsu is a longtime fan of Nishimura. Kawamatsu is even focusing his wrestling training on matwork specifically because he wants to fight against Nishimura’s Muga style of pro wrestling. The soft political atmosphere of the match is inspiring Soma Takao because it is taking place in his hometown of Ota Ward. It may end up spurring him on into campaigning for a seat on the Ota Ward Council in the future. Makoto Oishi & Akito will be there to provide more challenges for Kawamatsu. They should be eager to impress Nishimura in the process too.


5. Special Mixed Tag Match: Jun Akiyama & Saki Akai Vs Chris Brookes & Asuka

Jun Akiyama’s time as a coach in DDT has been invaluable to those who are learning from him. It’s worked out so well that Saki Akai asked him to team with her on this show so she can become a stronger wrestler. Akiyama accepted her request as long as she knew he will treat her no differently to any other wrestler in DDT. When it was decided they were going to get a Mixed Tag Match, Chris Brookes & Asuka was chosen to be their opponents. It will be the first time Akiyama takes part in a Mixed Tag Match. Asuka teased him at a press conference saying she has a good reputation as an opponent for first timers and she’ll be one woman he will never forget!

The whole match has Asuka feeling pretty confident. She has never lost to Akai before and is certain it won’t happen anytime soon. Still, she is encouraging her opponents to work hard together so she will get a good challenge out of them. Akai gave Asuka’s comments a lot of thought. She thinks all wrestlers walk their own paths. Akai’s path may be slower than Asuka’s or maybe it is just a detour. She isn’t going to stay feeling sorry for herself when she has a chance to learn from Akiyama. Brookes is excited about the match because it is a fresh experience for everyone involved. He has previously fought against Asuka in tag matches but they can start something brand new when they team together. Brookes even thinks a new history will begin if Asuka gets the pinfall on Akiyama!


6. DDT Extreme Title – Special Hardcore Match: Joey Janela (c) Vs Shunma Katsumata

It’s “The Bad Boy” against “The Happy Boy”! Joey Janela’s tour of DDT has been two years in the making after his constant viral wrestling matches caught Takagi’s attention. Little appetizers were put together in the meantime with Yoshihiko and the Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title being sent over to America for Janela to interact with. When the time came for Janela to finally visit Japan, he wasted no time in making an impact by winning the DDT Extreme Title in the infamous IPPON Lighttube Death Match. A Hardcore Match against Shunma Katsumata was already scheduled before his title win so it is now even more important with the championship stakes being added. Katsumata has developed his own hardcore style in DDT but how different is it to anything that Janela has experienced before? The American has experienced death matches in many forms from violent to wacky. Janela’s goal is to become the greatest foreign wrestler ever in DDT. That’s a tall task given those who previously called the company their Japanese home promotion. But hey, if Janela didn’t have the guts to aim high he wouldn’t have achieved so much in his crazy career. I mean he has a match against Ernest “The Cat” Miller coming up in GCW soon. What if that ends up becoming a DDT Extreme Title match?


7. DDT Universal Title: Masahiro Takanashi (c) Vs Yuki Ueno

The DDT Universal Title is on the line in a battle between old and new generations of DDT. When Masahiro Takanashi won the title he wanted to do two things. Travel the world with the championship because that is the original point of the title and defend it against all of the younger wrestlers who have stepped up over the last two years while he was out injured. He’s barely gotten started and already he has a high wall in the form of Yuki Ueno standing in his way. The former Universal Champion wants the belt back so he can make DDT more exciting in his own way. The build up consisted of Ueno standing tall in the warmup matches and Takanashi being in physical positions where he has no choice but to look up at his challenger. Even though Takanashi is the champion, he is coming into the match looking like the underdog. But that’s always been the story with him. He wouldn’t be Masahiro Takanashi if he didn’t have to climb up from the bottom each and every time.


8. DDT 25th Anniversary Special 6-Man Tag Match: Dick Togo, Daisuke Sasaki & KANON (w/ MJ Paul) Vs Konosuke Takeshita, MAO & Yasu Urano

Did you ever hear the saying it takes an artist ten years to become an overnight success? It kind of feels like that here. This summer the entire wrestling world fell in love with Konosuke Takeshita. In return he fell in love with America and also Cinnabon. Mostly Cinnabon. Almost entirely Cinnabon. He won’t stop eating their food. Anyway, his excursion to America for both AEW and the independent scene led to rave reviews across the board and even sparked a lot of gossip about his future. Should AEW try to sign him full time and throw him further into their murderer’s row of main eventers? Will a reinvigorated WWE poach him in their search for a new Japanese superstar to add to their roster? How never ending can the line of indie wrestlers wanting to challenge him become? All of a sudden DDT better be careful not to lose the supernova they’ve spent the last decade building their company around because he is very quickly becoming an attraction overseas. He’s back in Japan for two months before continuing his excursion so DDT are putting together some attraction matches for him while he is home.

The attraction here is the return of Dick Togo to DDT. The man has done it all in wrestling from all angles, from being revered for his skills to being despised for his role in with House Of Torture over in New Japan. It looks like Togo is coming to DDT under his normal guise but he always liked to cheat anyway. Plus he is siding with DAMNATION T.A and expecting clean play to come out of them is foolish. Togo is one of the few people who can get Daisuke Sasaki somewhat motivated to improve himself. The timing is right for that to happen here because Sasaki is going to be Takeshita’s opponent for his 10th Anniversary match next month. That’s not all. MJ Paul will be at ringside as the wild card and there is also KANON who has been really promising so far since his entry into DDT. Takeshita has MAO & Yasu Urano to make up a talented trio but can they mesh together as well as DAMNATION T.A can? If they don’t then Takeshita will wish he was back in the states tucking into another Center Of The Roll.


9. KO-D Openweight Title: Kazusada Higuchi (c) Vs Tetsuya Endo

One slap earlier this year created a butterfly effect resulting in a new turbulent wind blowing across DDT. The main event of this year’s “WRESTLE PETER PAN” was probably always supposed to be Kazusada Higuchi Vs Tetsuya Endo but the roles they are in and how we got there is very different. In March Endo walked out of Sumo Hall as the new KO-D Openweight Champion and the man to carry DDT forward. That only lasted until June thanks to the slap heard around the world. A DDT Vs NOAH inter-promotional match at “CYBERFIGHT FESTIVAL 2022” prematurely ended when Katsuhiko Nakajima knocked out Endo with a slap across the face after an awkward exchange where neither looked to be on the same page with the other. The aftermath was disastrous for DDT. Intentional or not, their champion was easily defeated on the big stage for the entire world to see. Even worse, Endo was now out of action with a concussion and a decision was made for him to vacate his championship while he recovered. DDT needed a new flag bearer and quickly went to work setting that person up.

DDT was at least able to get the timing right with their backup plan. The King Of DDT tournament was next on the schedule after “CYBERFIGHT FESTIVAL 2022” and the vacant KO-D Title was now up for grabs. Higuchi literally waved the DDT flag in Saitama Super Arena and made it clear he was the best choice to lead the promotion in Endo’s absence. He spent his 8 year career struggling to win the KO-D Title and finally achieved his goal by winning the tournament. His victory was a crowning moment both literally and symbolically because he was given the flag once more to represent his emergence as DDT’s strongest wrestler. That was when the new wind started blowing. Higuchi left his unit Eruption to form Harimao with Yoshimura. He also called out his first challenger… Tetsuya Endo!

Endo recovered from his concussion and wanted his return to the ring to be a fresh restart. He accepted the knockout he suffered counts as a loss no matter how you look at it. It wasn’t his intention to immediately return to challenging for the KO-D Title but once Higuchi called him out, he couldn’t resist. Also Endo feels the need to repay his fans for their continued support by becoming the champion again. He answered by throwing out his own title challenge to Higuchi just because it is tradition for the contender to approach the champion instead of vice versa. He went to get advice from Kenta Kobashi like he always does before his important matches. Kobashi’s advice to him was he needs to be angry more and should use the injury as fuel for that. That may be for another story to be told on another day though. This weekend Endo’s focus needs to be on Higuchi and just Higuchi. He has a winning singles record against him but only just. In their previous six singles matches together Endo has three wins, Higuchi has two and there was a Double KO between them. Whoever wins this 7th battle will carry the DDT flag from here on out!

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Posted by JamieOD

DDT “ROAD TO PETER PAN 2022 IN KORAKUEN ~LET’S SHOUT!~” Results

August 14, 2022

DDT “ROAD TO PETER PAN 2022 IN KORAKUEN ~LET’S SHOUT!~”, 14/08/2022
Tokyo Korakuen Hall
556 Fans

1. Yuki “Sexy” Iino, Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno & Koju “Shining Ball” Takeda defeated Sanshiro Takagi, Toru Owashi & Soma Takao when Takeda pinned Takagi with the Shining Driver (8:55).
2. Daisuke Sasaki, MJ Paul & KANON defeated Yukio Sakaguchi, MAO & Yuki Ishida when KANON pinned Ishida with the Sleepy Hollow (8:00).
3. Takeshi Masada Debut Match: HARASHIMA defeated Takeshi Masada with the Somato (10:28).
4. Right To Challenge Anytime, Anywhere Battle Royal: Shinya Aoki defeated Yuji Hino, Chris Brookes, Shunma Katsumata, Makoto Oishi, Kazuki Hirata, Yusuke Okada, Yukio Naya, Hideki Okatani and Yuya Koroku (16:15).
4a. Yukio Naya eliminated Yusuke Okada with the Back Drop (6:16).
4b. Yuji Hino eliminated Yuya Koroku with the Fuckin’ BOMB (7:35).
4c. Yuji Hino & Makoto Oishi eliminated Hideki Okatani by Ring Out (7:44).
4d. Yuji Hino & Yukio Naya eliminated Chris Brookes by Ring Out (12:05).
4e. Shunma Katsumata & Makoto Oishi eliminated Yuji Hino by Ring Out (12:32).
4f. Shinya Aoki eliminated Makoto Oishi with an Ankle Hold (13:26).
4g. Kazuki Hirata was eliminated by Disqualification when he grabbed the wrong envelope (13:40).
4h. Shinya Aoki & Shunma Katsumata eliminated Yukio Naya by Ring Out (14:57).
4i. Shinya Aoki grabbed the Right To Challenge Anytime, Anywhere envelope (16:15).
*Shinya Aoki wins the Right To Challenge Anytime, Anywhere NFT.
5. Special Single Match: Asuka defeated Saki Akai with the Shiranui (7:22).
6. Yuki Ueno & Toi Kojima defeated Masahiro Takanashi & Antonio Honda when Ueno pinned Honda with the BME (8:45).
7. DDT Extreme Title – Fluorescent Lighttube IPPON Death Match: Joey Janela defeated Akito (c) by IPPON when Akito stepped on the Lighttube (13:45).
*Akito fails in V1. Joey Janela becomes the 55th DDT Extreme Champion!
8. Road To WRESTLE PETER PAN 2022! Special Tag Match: Kazusada Higuchi & Naomi Yoshimura defeated Tetsuya Endo & Jun Akiyama when Yoshimura pinned Akiyama with the Harai Goshi (22:55).

Next week Kazusada Higuchi and Tetsuya Endo will headline Ota Ward Gymnasium for a big KO-D Openweight Title match. Today was their last preview match, a tag bout pitting Harimao against the two strongest members of BURNING. The two cancelled each other out so the match instead came down to Naomi Yoshimura standing up to Jun Akiyama. In a massive statement made to the vocal crowd, Yoshimura flipped Akiyama over with the Harai Goshi and pinned him for the three count! He declared afterward that Harimao is the strongest tag team in DDT, which suddenly caught the attention of an unexpected trio.

DISASTER BOX heard what Yoshimura said and entered the ring to give their opinion on it. Kazuki Hirata praised Yoshimura for getting stronger but reminded him it is because he grew up in their unit. He wants DISASTER BOX to get a shot at the KO-D Tag Team Titles with HARASHIMA & Toru Owashi as the challengers. Yoshimura joked that Owashi only has a decent match in him once every four years so his next one is due. Owashi snapped back by saying he is currently a double crown champion just like Higuchi! He’ll tear the KO-D Tag Titles from Harimao so he can add them to the Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title and the O-40 Title. Then he will become a triple crown champion! Yoshimura accepted the challenge then asked why Hirata came out with them when he’s not involved in the match? Everyone agreed to do the title match on 4th September in Nagoya.

Before the show ended, Higuchi was interrupted by Shinya Aoki. The new holder of the Right To Challenge Anytime, Anywhere title shot simply climbed into the ring, walked past Higuchi and climbed back out. Higuchi shrugged him off and said he is ready to fight Aoki whenever he wants. Endo then entered the ring for one last faceoff with Higuchi. He said no matter how strong Higuchi gets, Endo will still be standing in front of him on 20th August. He pointed out that nobody from DDT was included in TV Asahi’s recent Pro Wrestling General Election poll to determine the most popular wrestlers in Japan. Both Endo and Higuchi agreed it is up to them to spread DDT to the world at “WRESTLE PETER PAN 2022”!

The first appearance of Joey Janela in DDT turned out to be a smashing success for the American. He outsmarted Akito in the IPPON Lighttube Death Match to become the new DDT Extreme Champion! The goal of the match was to avoid breaking the lone lighttube involved in the match. That led to both Akito and Janela doing whatever they could to prevent themselves from landing on the lighttube or tricking each other into damaging it. The climactic rush of antics led to Janela sliding the lighttube across the ring while Akito charged towards him, causing Akito to step on it and break the glass everywhere. The former champion congratulated Janela and later said his sense for “Extreme” wrestling is outstanding. Janela described the finish to the media like it was something from the movie “Home Alone”.

Janela’s next scheduled match in DDT is against Shunma Katsumata on 20th August. While Janela was in the middle of a foul mouthed victory speech where he revealed his goal is to become the best foreign wrestler in DDT history, Katsumata came out to interrupt him. Neither person speaks the other’s language so a lot was lost in translation. Janela eventually figured out that Katsumata wants their match next week to have the Extreme Title on the line. Once Janela understood that Hisaya Imabayashi is the one in charge of making decisions, the challenge was accepted for 20th August. Katsumata then told “The Bad Boy” that he is “The Happy Boy”! That only confused Janela further.

Another preview match for “WRESTLE PETER PAN 2022” was built around Yuki Ueno’s challenge for the DDT Universal Title held by Masahiro Takanashi. With Toi Kojima on his team, Ueno got the better of Takanashi & Antonio Honda on this day. He countered the Takatonic with the Gin And Tonic and then pinned Honda with the BME. While a beaten Takanashi was being carried out of the arena by Chris Brookes, Ueno got on the microphone. He said Takanashi always climbs up from the bottom but he needs to understand that DDT is no longer at the bottom! Ueno promised the fans he will win the Universal Title from Takanashi and make DDT even more lively. Backstage Kojima described how different wrestling in front of a cheering crowd is like for him. He feels completely different than usual in a good way and hopes the fans will get to continue making noise soon.

The singles match between Saki Akai and Asuka was a big meeting for both of them before their Mixed Tag Match with Akiyama and Brookes next week. The Big Boots went flying from both. Akai went for the Quetzalcoatl but Asuka avoided it and went on to win after hitting the Shiranui to her opponent. She only previously used that move as part of a double team attack with MAO. The move works so well for her she decided to adopt the regular version of it as a new finisher. Afterwards Asuka bragged about never losing to Akai and predicts the result of the Mixed Tag Match will be the same. However she also encouraged Akai to do her best when teaming with Akiyama. Akai said if she felt discouraged after today’s results then the last nine years she spent wrestling would have be in vain. She will move forward and get ready to team with Akiyama.

The Right To Challenge Anytime, Anywhere gimmick was brought back after being absent for a while. This year’s match was a combination Battle Royal/Ladder match, which is the usual choice for this prize. However the twist this time involved three envelopes hanging above the ring. Only one of the envelopes was the real prize that needed to be grabbed to win the match. The other two were dummy prizes that disqualified whoever would grab them. Hirata found that out the hard way when he was the first to pick a wrong envelope. As other wrestlers got knocked out of the match through normal means, Aoki and Katsumata ended up as the final two. Aoki used the ladder to pin Katsumata down to the canvas so he could climb it and grab the real prize, winning the match. Katsumata didn’t believe it so he grabbed the last envelope, just to confirm it wasn’t the right one.

It was promoted before the show that the actual prize representing the Right To Challenge title shot this year is something that has never been used before in pro wrestling. Imabayashi handed Aoki an iPad with an image loaded up on the screen. He then explained that Aoki’s prize is the Right To Challenge Anytime, Anywhere NFT! DDT decided to create one in order to prevent the title shot from being forged or stolen. Aoki will have to create an account to claim the NFT but the rules for the title shot are the same as always. He has one year to claim his KO-D Title shot at any DDT show he wants. But if Aoki directly loses any wrestling match, the NFT and the title shot is given to whoever beats him. This continues until the title match is cashed in or the year long timeframe expires. Imabayashi asked Aoki if he has an idea of when to use his title shot. Aoki simply smiled and walked off.

The anticipated debut of Takeshi Masada lived up to expectations. With only three months of training, Masada is already receiving high praise for his performance against the backbone of DDT, HARASHIMA. A lot of his moveset in the match was kick heavy because of his Shorinji Kempo background but he also pulled out a Falcon Arrow, using one of HARASHIMA’s own moves against him. The rookie was grounded with a Crab Hold which gave him a chance to show determination by fighting for a rope break. He got back into the swing of things with a kicking exchange until HARASHIMA swept his legs from under him and smashed him with the Somato to win the match. HARASHIMA congratulated him for making his debut and said it was amazing to hear the crowd cheer for the newcomer. He also said the debut match is the weakest point of a pro wrestler’s life so Masada will only get stronger from here. Masada said the match was a great experience. He got to fight HARASHIMA so now his next goal is to pin him for the three count! He also explained his ring gear is inspired by “Saturday Night Fever” because he likes old things.

DAMNATION T.A used their match to rub it in Yukio Sakaguchi’s face that they hold the KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles. Sakaguchi made it literal when he pressed his face into the belt KANON held up to him to build up more tension between the two. Daisuke Sasaki got a cheap shot in by throwing a chair at Sakaguchi while he was leaning over the middle rope. MAO got one back by sucker punching MJ Paul on the ring apron. Yuki Ishida ended up getting worked on by DAMNATION T.A. He made a small comeback but fell to the numbers disadvantage and got pinned by KANON’s Sleepy Hollow. Sasaki said it is about time for KANON to give old man Sakaguchi some guidance and lead him into retirement.

The big reveal of the show was the identity of White Briefs Man. The masked man who’s been following Pheromones around showed up still wearing the costume and wrestled as such. Pheromones were without Yumehito Imanari today because he is still recovering from yesterday’s Ganbare☆Pro show. That meant nobody was there to throw opponents into Danshoku Dieno & Yuki Iino’s exposed backsides. That gave Owashi & Soma Takao the chance to clear the ring and leave White Briefs Man with Sanshiro Takagi. The mask was pulled off and the identity was revealed. It’s Koju Takeda from Triple Six! Takeda pinned Takagi with the Shining Driver and was welcomed into Pheromones as Koju “Shining Ball” Takeda! Dieno said the unit is now complete with this addition. Takagi couldn’t believe it. He remembers Takeda used to wrestle in DNA and is a former KO-D 6-Man Tag Champion. This means Pheromones is getting stronger and he does not know how to stop it!

The 30th Anniversary of Jun Akiyama’s debut match will be celebrated on 18th September. Akiyama will team with Endo & Yoshinobu Kanemaru to take on Yuji Nagata, Konosuke Takeshita & Katsumata. Akiyama said Nagata and Kanemaru are two people who were indespensible to him over the last 30 years. Endo and Takeshita are in the match because Akiyama has passed down his techniques to both of them. Finally Katsumata is involved because Akiyama predicts he will become like Kanemaru in the future.

Kenta Kobashi will be at “WRESTLE PETER PAN 2022” to be the special witness for the Higuchi Vs Endo main event.

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Posted by JamieOD

DDT “ROAD TO PETER PAN 2022 IN YOKOHAMA” Results

August 6, 2022

DDT “ROAD TO PETER PAN 2022 IN YOKOHAMA”, 06/08/2022
Yokohama Radiant Hall
149 Fans – No Vacancy

1. Yukio Naya defeated Toi Kojima with the Back Drop (7:54).
2. No Tag Rules: Yuki “Sexy” Iino, Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno & Yumehito “Fantastic” Imanari defeated Akito, Antonio Honda & Kazuki Hirata (w/ Sanshiro Takagi) when Imanari pinned Hirata with the Diamond Cutter (0:22).
2a. Rematch: Yuki “Sexy” Iino, Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno & Yumehito “Fantastic” Imanari defeated Akito, Antonio Honda & Kazuki Hirata (w/ Sanshiro Takagi) when Iino pinned Hirata with La Magistral Cradle (10:08).
3. Yukio Sakaguchi & MAO defeated Yusuke Okada & Yuya Koroku when Sakaguchi submitted Koroku with the Triangle Choke (7:59).
4. Minoru Fujita & KANON defeated Shunma Katsumata & El Unicorn when KANON submitted Unicorn with the Cobra Twist (12:31).
5. Special Single Match: Yuji Hino defeated Makoto Oishi with the Fuckin’ BOMB (10:23).
6. Masahiro Takanashi & Chris Brookes defeated Yuki Ueno & Soma Takao when Takanashi pinned Takao with the Everclear (13:42).
7. Kazusada Higuchi & Naomi Yoshimura defeated Hideki Okatani & Yuki Ishida by Knockout when Higuchi gave Ishida the Buchikamashi (19:21).

Positive covid tests during the week resulted in this show getting matches changed several times. Kazusada Higuchi was meant to have his first preview tag match with Tetsuya Endo today but Endo was absent due to covid. Instead Harimao were put against the young generation team of Hideki Okatani & Yuki Ishida. Despite putting up as strong a fight as they could, the youngsters were destroyed by Higuchi & Naomi Yoshimura by the end. Ishida couldn’t get up past the 10 count after he was hit with the Buchikamashi so Higuchi was awarded the match by knockout. Higuchi encouraged Ishida to keep going at this level because he will accept a challenge from him anytime. Meanwhile Yoshimura’s advice to Okatani is to stop thinking too much about what to do. He needs to keep it simple and put all of his feelings into his fights.

Yuki Ueno thanked Masahiro Takanashi for nominating him for the DDT Universal Title match on 20th August. It’s a match Ueno has wanted to do many times but something would always stop it from happening. He also wants to become Universal Champion so he can spread DDT across the world and make the company more exciting. Takanashi praised Ueno for his speech and told him only the top wrestlers in DDT can say things like he did. Since Takanashi was outside the ring at this point he saw how funny it is that the challenger is in the ring looking down at the champion in this situation. But that has always been Takanashi’s story and history in DDT. On 20th August he will put that history against Ueno with the Universal Title on the line.

The original plan was for Yuji Hino & Makoto Oishi to team up again but illnesses turned the match into a singles bout between them instead. Hino’s overwhelming power defeated Oishi’s quick thinking and the two stayed in good moods after the match. The two agreed to move their tag team reunion to next week’s show in Chiba. The Ω (Omega) revival will happen after all!

El Unicorn was unmasked by DAMNATION T.A for the second time. This time it was KANON who pulled off the hood right after he submitted him with the Cobra Twist. Hideki Okatani ran in and attacked KANON in response to this. The rest of Eruption entered the ring and challenged DAMNATION T.A for the KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles on 4th September. Even though Daisuke Sasaki & MJ Paul were not at the show, Minoru Fujita accepted the challenge on their behalf. KANON also nodded in agreement. Backstage Unicorn promised to beat all of DAMNATION T.A to a pulp until he is satisfied!

Match #2 was turned into a Lucha Rules match in tribute to Toru Owashi who was off the show sick with covid. Yumehito Imanari then immediately pinned Kazuki Hirata to win the match. A restart was agreed upon and this time Hirata’s team tried to work in Owashi’s moves. It was all going to plan until the White Briefs Man emerged and gave Hirata a Low Blow. Yuki Iino then added insult to injury by pinning him with La Magistral Cradle, a move Owashi usually wins with.

Sanshiro Takagi attacked the White Briefs Man after the match and unmasked him in the ring. His identity is Keigo Nakamura! Or is it? It turns out he was just a decoy because another White Briefs Man, the original one, ran into the ring and gave Takagi a Low Blow. Danshoku Dieno bragged that the masked man’s identity is still a mystery until 14th August. The only clue people learned today is it’s not Nakamura. Dieno also stirred the pot further by pointing out how suspicious it is that Owashi isn’t here today. Imanari said the people who can’t wait and want to find out now are all premature ejaculators. Takagi forgave Nakamura for his involvement in this stunt and they two of them will spend tomorrow finding out who White Briefs Man really is. Nakamura explained the last thing he remembers is crossing paths with Pheromones and his memory stops there until Takagi unmasked him. He also said he is still rehabilitating his injury so it will be a little while longer until he returns to wrestling. But when he does come back he will be in perfect condition as himself.

The show opening speech was done by HARASHIMA via phone call. He said he is already feeling fine after testing positive with covid.

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DDT “ROAD TO PETER PAN 2022 IN OSAKA” Results

July 30, 2022

DDT “ROAD TO PETER PAN 2022 IN OSAKA”, 30/07/2022
Osaka 176BOX
235 Fans – No Vacancy

1. Yukio Sakaguchi defeated Kazuki Hirata with the PK (7:12).
2. Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno Vs Toru Owashi & Soma Takao ended in a No Contest (14:50).
3. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Jun Akiyama, Yusuke Okada & Bodyguard defeated Yuji Hino, Yukio Naya & Yuki Ishida when Bodyguard pinned Ishida with the Rising Dragon (13:44).
4. Daisuke Sasaki & KANON defeated Akito & Antonio Honda when KANON submitted Honda with the Just Cobra Twist (9:43).
5. Osaka Specialty Special Tag Match: HARASHIMA & Gamma defeated Yuki Ueno & Makoto Oishi when HARASHIMA pinned Oishi with a Crucifix Pin (13:25).
6. Tetsuya Endo defeated Yuya Koroku with the Swivel Torture Rack Bomb (11:28).
7. Harimao Vs The 37KAMIINA!: Kazusada Higuchi & Naomi Yoshimura defeated MAO & Shunma Katsumata when Yoshimura pinned Katsumata with the Throwaway Power Bomb (20:39).

A truck tire was brought into the main event by ShunMao. They and Harimao were almost counted out over brawling around ringside but MAO was able to delay the ref’s count long enough to use Shunma Katsumata for some big tire related attacks until Harimao finally stopped them. After the match ShunMao said they would like to fight forever with Kazusada Higuchi & Naomi Yoshimura. For that reason they would like to be nominated as the next challengers for the KO-D Tag Team Titles.

Tetsuya Endo wants to go into his KO-D Openweight Title match at perfect condition. He is using his valuable ring time working on his different moves so he doesn’t have to rely on the Burning Star Press on Sasuke Special to win. He was impressed with his opponent and BURNING stablemate Yuya Koroku and thinks the current form of DDT is bright.

Gamma’s first match on a regular DDT show was put together because of Yukinori Matsui. The two of them go way back to the days of Michinoku Pro and Osaka Pro. Gamma is retiring from pro wrestling on 14th August but Matsui is unable to attend the event because he will be working on a DDT show that day. Even though Gamma has no connection to DDT, Matsui reached out to the company to book him once before his retirement. Gamma thanked him for that and said if it wasn’t for Matsui’s kindness he never would have returned to pro wrestling when Osaka Pro was launched. He has gone on to survive wrestling for around 25 years and will get to retire in good condition. HARASHIMA said it is said to see a wrestler from his generation retire but told Gamma to keep running as fast as he can to the end.

Getting to wrestle Gamma meant a lot to Yuki Ueno. He didn’t discover Osaka Pro until after he became a pro wrestler but doing so got Ueno to discover how cool, big and strong Gamma is. Today was Ueno’s first match since recovering from covid and he feels energized again from being in the ring with HARASHIMA, Makoto Oishi and Gamma. Oishi told Ueno he will challenge him for the DDT Universal Title when Ueno wins it back.

The masked man in briefs got involved in the Pheromones match by taking Kazuki Hirata hostage up in the venue’s balcony while the tag match happened below. Toru Owashi & Soma Takao didn’t care so continued fighting. So Yuki Iino tried to attack them with the masked man’s underwear. Hisaya Imabayashi wanted to put a stop to it and fought fire with fire by attacking Pheromones with his own underwear covering his hand. The end result was Imabayashi and all of the wrestlers fainting from having underwear shoved into their faces. Nobody was left conscious so Matsui called off the match. Danshoku Dieno later said this is the way DDT should because it is going the wrong direction under Imabayashi’s watch.

Konosuke Takeshita sent in a message promoting his 10th Anniversary show in Nishinari on 10th September by announcing a bunch of Osaka wrestlers booked for the show. He’ll be back in Japan for about two months before returning to his overseas excursion.

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DDT “SUMMER VACATION 2022” Results

July 24, 2022

DDT “SUMMER VACATION 2022”, 24/07/2022
Tokyo Korakuen Hall
624 Fans

1. Makoto Oishi Return Match: Akito & Yasu Urano defeated Makoto Oishi & Kazuki Hirata when Urano pinned Hirata with a Cradle (0:14).
1a. Rematch: Akito & Yasu Urano defeated Makoto Oishi & Kazuki Hirata when Akito submitted Hirata with an Ankle Hold (5:54).
2. 2 Vs 3 Handicap Match: Yuji Hino & Yukio Naya defeated Antonio Honda, Saki Akai & Ilusion when Naya submitted Honda with the Torture Cobra Twist (7:29).
3. Yuki “Sexy” Iino, Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno & Yumehito “Fantastic” Imanari defeated Sanshiro Takagi, Toru Owashi & Gota Ihashi when Iino submitted Ihashi with the Ketsugoye (9:46).
4. Shinya Aoki, Shunma Katsumata & El Unicorn defeated Daisuke Sasaki, MJ Paul & KANON by Disqualification when Sasaki unmasked El Unicorn (12:36).
5. Tetsuya Endo Return Match ~ Special 6-Man Tag Match: Tetsuya Endo, Jun Akiyama & Chris Brookes defeated HARASHIMA, Yukio Sakaguchi & Soma Takao when Endo pinned Takao with the Burning Star Press (16:24).
6. DDT Universal Title: Masahiro Takanashi (c) defeated Yusuke Okada with the Takatonic (10:55).
*V1 for Masahiro Takanashi.
7. KO-D Tag Team Titles: Kazusada Higuchi & Naomi Yoshimura defeated MAO & Asuka (c) when Higuchi pinned MAO with the Brain Claw Slam (20:07).
*VENIMAO fail in V1. Harimao become the 75th KO-D Tag Team Champions!

The new wind blowing through DDT now has a name. Kazusada Higuchi & Naomi Yoshimura started off the show announcing their tag team from this point forward will be called Harimao. In the main event they went on to beat MAO & Asuka to capture the KO-D Tag Team Titles! MAO wasn’t pleased to hear they came up with a name that sounds similar to his own, so he retroactively named his team with Asuka VENIMAO. The champions didn’t give up easily. They hit Higuchi with the Doomsday Shiranui only for Yoshimura to break the count. Harimao recovered to give Asuka an Assisted Razor’s Edge. Higuchi then grabbed MAO to do the Brain Claw Slam for the victory. The title change means Higuchi is now a double crown champion! He thanked MAO & Asuka after the match for taking Harimao’s challenge on short notice.

Higuchi then turned his attention to “WRESTLE PETER PAN 2022” on 20th August. He knows he is going to defend the KO-D Openweight Title on the show but does not have an opponent yet. He will change that now because he wants to nominate Tetsuya Endo as his challenger! Endo came out and said he is grateful to Higuchi for carrying DDT in his absence along with everyone else in the company. Today Endo got back on his feet with his return match and wants to repay everyone for their support by returning to the top and becoming KO-D Champion again. He turned down Higuchi’s nomination but only so he can be the one to throw out the challenge instead. It will be Higuchi Vs Endo for the KO-D Title at Ota Ward Gymnasium!

A leg injury may have cost Yusuke Okada his only chance to win the DDT Universal Title. He hurt his leg early in the match and Masahiro Takanashi decided to target it from that point on. Takanashi bending the rules by physcially getting the referee in the way stopped Okada from building up any momentum. He finally got back on track but Takanashi avoided the Sudden Death, stunned Okada with a Super Kick and pinned him with the Takatonic. The audience showed their appreciation to Okada after the match but it seems like Takanashi is done with him and moving on. He is taking Okada’s idea of nominating Yuki Ueno as the next challenger. Ueno was not at the show due to having covid but he when he recovers he will get the title shot at “WRESTLE PETER PAN 2022”. Takanashi thinks that out of all of the new generation wrestlers in DDT, Ueno may be the one and is a can’t miss opponent. If Takanashi can beat him then he will start to look outside of DDT for young wrestlers to defend the Universal Title against.

Endo’s return from his concussion was as part of a 6-Man Tag Match. He was supposed to be in full on BURNING trio with Jun Akiyama & Yuya Koroku but Koroku was a close contact suspect and pulled off the show. Chris Brookes replaced him and had no problems with being part of the team. Any worries about the state of Endo’s health went away after HARASHIMA slapped him across the head and Endo kept fighting. Soma Takao quickly congratulated Endo on his return while hitting his moves on him. Endo turned the tables by countering the Gin And Tonic with the Tetsuya In The Sky. A Torture Rack Bomb only got a 2 count so Endo went for the Burning Star Press to complete his comeback with a win. Endo said today was the happiest he felt since his debut match because when you get into the ring there is no guarantee you will get out of it in one piece. He will no longer apologise to the fans for what happened to him, instead he will tell them “thank you” for their support. Akiyama’s advice to him is he can turn what happened into an opportunity and then do his best with it. Even Endo’s opponents were positive over his return. Yukio Sakaguchi said there is no shame if Endo was fighting with himself over how far he fell because the only direction to go next is to climb up.

More covid problems affected the card. DAMNATION T.A was supposed to defend the KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles against The 37KAMIINA but that was cancelled because Ueno and Toi Kojima were both absent. Shunma Katsumata is still here but now his tag team partners are Shinya Aoki and El Unicorn. The latter in particular was unexpectedly targeted by Daisuke Sasaki while MJ Paul & KANON dealt with the the others. Sasaki’s attempts to get a fall on Unicorn kept getting cut off so he ended up losing his temper and unmasked Unicorn for the disqualification! Backstage Unicorn demanded a match with Sasaki. Meanwhile Sasaki made a similar challenge but wants to take it one step further. His idea is to face El Unicorn in a Mask Vs Hair match, Mascara Contra Cabellera!

Just when you think Pheromones are all out of surprises, they pull another one out of their hats. Sanshiro Takagi thought he had them on the ropes after his involvement in getting Yuki Iino to lose the DDT Extreme Title. Today his plan was to destroy them once and for all with help from Toru Owashi & Gota Ihashi. Instead a masked man in a shirt and underwear ran out during the match. He then took off his underwear, wore it over his hand and gave Ihashi the Ultimate Venom Arm. Iino took over by putting Ihashi in the Ketsugoye until Ihashi gave up. Danshoku Dieno told everyone that Pheromones now has a new member. He may remind everyone of Michael Nakazawa but according to Dieno it may not be him! The masked man’s identity will remain a mystery for now until 14th August when he will be revealed for all to see.

A scheduled 3 Way Tag Match turned into a 2 Vs 3 Handicap Match because of covid related absences. Yuji Hino & Yukio Naya were almost unmovable objects for Antonio Honda, Saki Akai & Ilusion to try and topple. Honda warned Ilusion not to get Chopped by Hino only to get Chopped himself. Akai tried to give Hino the Quetzalcoatl but he wouldn’t budge due to the massive size difference. Gongistune was the only move effective against the heavyweights but even that couldn’t stop Naya from submitting Honda for the win.

Endo was not the only wrestler returning from injury on this show. Makoto Oishi was out for a year with a hip injury and today was going to be the next chapter of his wrestling career. He was teaming with Kazuki Hirata and their opponents were meant to be Akito & Yuki Ishida. However Ishida was pulled off the show and replaced with Yasu Urano. Oishi made his big entrance with a brand new look but by the time he made it to the ring, Urano had already won the match by pinning Hirata with a Roll Up. Hisaya Imabayashi demanded an immediate rematch for Oishi’s sake. The same thing happened only this time Oishi broke the pin so the match could continue. It went on as normal until the ending when Oishi climbed the top rope wanting to do a cool move only to see Akito put Hirata in an Anklelock to win the match. Oishi stayed still on the top rope and had a microphone handed to him. He said he was able to come back thanks to everyone’s support. He wants to carry DDT on his shoulders and made it his goal to win a championship.

Right before the summer began, DDT introduced five new trainees under their development system. Imabayashi announced that one of them is about to make their pro debut! Takeshi Masada will take on HARASHIMA on 14th August in his first match after only three months of training. It will be the quickest pro wrestling debut in DDT history. Masada is 21 years old, from Osaka and has a background in basketball and Shorinji Kempo.

The Right To Challenge Anytime, Anywhere Battle Royal will be return on 14th August.

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“SUPER HARDCORE GIRLS BOX OFFICE ~ SUPER HARDCORE GIRLS VS PROMINENCE” Results

July 14, 2022

“SUPER HARDCORE GIRLS BOX OFFICE ~ SUPER HARDCORE GIRLS VS PROMINENCE”, 14/07/2022
Shin-Kiba 1st RING
147 Fans – Super No Vacancy

1. Super Hardcore Girls Vs Prominence ~ Falls Count Anywhere Match: SenoSister Mao Inoue defeated Mochi Natsumi with a Japanese Leg Roll Clutch (12:07).
2. DDT Offer? Match: Yuki Ueno & Konosuke Takeshita (Sakura Hirota) defeated Akito & Kazuki Hirata when Takeshita (Hirota) pinned Hirata with the German Suplex (14:06).
3. Special TLC Match: DASH Chisako Vs Hideki Okatani ended in a Time Limit Draw (15:00).
4. Super Hardcore Girls Vs Prominence ~ Bring In 1 Item Hardcore Match: Risa Sera & Akane Fujita defeated Elizabeth❤️Toy & Sylvania❤️Catherine when Sera pinned Toy with the Diving Double Knee Drop onto Chairs (17:18).
5. Super Hardcore Girls Vs Prominence ~ Special Hardcore Match: Suzu Suzuki defeated Carousel❤️Shun with the German Suplex (20:18).

The feud between Shunma Katsumata and Suzu Suzuki continues going in unusual directions. Suzuki wanted to get revenge on Katsumata for beating her in the King Of Street Wrestling tournament earlier this year. Katsumata however did not want to deal with her again so he brought his “relative” Carousel❤️Shun to take his place. As the story goes, Carousel❤️Shun is a joshi wrestler who travelled to America three years ago to form the Super Hardcore Girls promotion. The global pandemic kept her from returning to Japan until recently but she jumped at the opportunity to lead SHG against Prominence in a war between two deathmatch joshi groups! The two sides agreed to a crossover show where Suzuki could settle the score with the Katsumata family.

The main event involved tables being broken, jumping off ladders, a lot of toy blocks spread across the ring and plenty more. Shun and Suzuki both use a stapler on each other’s arms until Suzuki found something to pierce Shun’s ear with. Shun should have won the match when she had Suzuki pinned with the Totonoe Splash but other members of Prominence pulled the referee out of the ring to stop the count. That led to a big brawl between the SHG and Prominence wrestlers around ringside. Suzuki recovered and Power Bombed Shun from a ladder through a board with forks sticking out of it. That wasn’t enough and Suzuki then landed the German Suplex onto the toy blocks to get the win. After the match Suzuki demanded that Shun go and get Shunma Katsumata so the actual rematch can happen. Suzuki warned that Katsumata won’t get away with it if he does not show up again. Shun said she was thankful to bring SHG to Japan and will continue to chase after Prominence while leaving the rest to Katsumata.

Prominence can confidently declare victory over SHG with a 2-1 result from today’s show. The other win came from Risa Sera & Akane Fujita defeating the relatives of Toi Kojima & Takahiro Katori in a match where everyone was allowed to bring one weapon each. Elizabeth❤️Toy brought out an ear piercing device but Fujita took it off her and used it against her. Sylvania❤️Catherine brought out a stuff toy wrapped in barb wire but Toy got hit with it by accident. Sera then whacked Toy over the head with a bamboo stick, placed chairs on top of her and hit a Diving Double Knee Drop from the top rope for the finish. Unlike Suzuki, Sera enjoyed today’s show and said she would like to do fight against SHG again.

There was a different crossover match away from the feuding promotions. Hideki Okatani likes to dip his toe into Hardcore wrestling every now and then so he was put into a TLC Match against DASH Chisako from Sendai Girl’s! Okatani took some big bumps throughout the match including a Power Bomb over the top rope onto a bridging ladder outside the ring! Chisako made a big mistake though when she missed a Diving Double Stomp from the ladder onto some chairs. Okatani quickly turned the tables and hit a Diving Elbow onto chairs from the same ladder. The two kept on fighting until the very end when time ran out and the match was ruled a 15 minute draw.

There was a sudden change of plans in the match DDT put together. Yuki Ueno was meant to team with Sakura Hirota but when it was time for her entrance, Konosuke Takeshita’s music played instead and out came “Konosuke Takeshita”! Now “Takeshita” looked a little shorter than usual but once the shirt was off and the physique was on show, there was no doubt over who it was. There was one uncharacteristic moments when “Takeshita” struck Akito from behind with a kancho attack. Kazuki Hirata dodged the same move but was eventually caught in the German Suplex with “Takeshita” getting some assistance with the bridge from Ueno. Afterwards backstage “Takeshita” talked about getting a last minute flight from America to get here today after wrestling in AEW last night. Makes perfect sense.

SHG’s only win on the show came from SenoSister Mao Inoue beating Mochi Natsumi in a Falls Count Anywhere match. They fought outside to the parking lot then on the way back to the ring, Inoue’s costume was suddenly replaced with wrestling gear similar looking to what Natsumi was wearing. Inoue ended up pinning Natsumi with a Japanese Leg Roll Clutch on the entrance ramp.

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DDT “DDT FREE -LET’S SHOUT!-” Results

July 7, 2022

DDT “DDT FREE -LET’S SHOUT!-”, 07/07/2022
Shinjuku FACE
160 Fans – Super No Vacancy

1. KANON defeated Yuya Koroku with the Sleepy Hollow (6:55).
2. No Tag Rules: Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno defeated Akito & Kazuki Hirata by TKO after Iino did the Pheromones Judgement 2nd Season to Akito (10:07).
3. Masahiro Takanashi & Shunma Katsumata defeated Asuka & Yusuke Okada when Takanashi pinned Okada with the Uwabami (10:13).
4. HARASHIMA, Toru Owashi, Yukio Sakaguchi & Hideki Okatani defeated Jun Akiyama, Yuji Hino, Yukio Naya & Yuki Ishida when HARASHIMA pinned Ishida with the Somato (13:07).
5. DAMNATION T.A Vs The Iyasareru!: Chris Brookes & Antonio Honda defeated Daisuke Sasaki & MJ Paul when Brookes pinned Honda with the School Boy From Hell (11:03).
6. Special Single Match: MAO defeated Andrew “The Giant” Everett with the Avalanche Michinoku Driver II (16:21).
7. Special Tag Match: Kazusada Higuchi & Naomi Yoshimura defeated Yuki Ueno & Toi Kojima when Higuchi pinned Kojima with the Brain Claw Slam (19:43).

A fresh wave of energy is washing across DDT because today was the first time in so long when the audience could cheer and shout for their favorites. With that fresh wave came some decisions during the show that will shake up the company’s status quo. The biggest by fan was felt after the main event. Kazusada Higuchi & Naomi Yoshimura have formed a bond coming out of the King Of DDT final. They became interested in teaming up after fighting each other and everyone discovered they make a good duo when they beat Yuki Ueno & Toi Kojima. Afterwards they were approached by Yukio Sakaguchi and HARASHIMA in the ring. They both praised Higuchi & Yoshimura for their growth but together agree its time to move on. Sakaguchi said Higuchi should leave his nest in Eruption. HARASHIMA explained to Yoshimura he is reaching a higher level, so much so that they will have more fun being singles wrestlers instead of a tag team from now on. Taking those opinions into consideration, Higuchi made the request to leave Eruption. Yoshimura also asked permission to leave DISASTER BOX. Both HARASHIMA and Sakaguchi gave their blessings and said they will continue to be high walls for them to climb over in order to make a new landscape for DDT.

So now that Higuchi & Yoshimura are leaving their units to form their own tag team. Yoshimura wasted not time and called out MAO & Asuka. He challenged them for the KO-D Tag Team Titles. MAO accepted the challenge and it will take place on 24th July. Backstage Higuchi said he is indebted to all of the members of Eruption. If they are suggesting to him its time to leave the unit then he feels he has to because it is now or never to make that decision. Yoshimura was also told by the other members of DISASTER BOX he is ready to move on. He vowed to win the Tag Titles with Higuchi on their first shot. A new wind is blowing in DDT and they want to make it stronger! However MAO & Asuka are still on their journey as a tag team. MAO will not let this new duo end it prematurely. They will just be a passing station on the express train.

The match between MAO and Andrew Everett went out of control when the lights went out halfway through the match. When they came back on, Yoshihiko was in the ring giving Everett a Choke Slam! The doll was not just there to provoke “The Giant” because it also attacked MAO. The two opponents briefly formed an alliance against Yoshihiko, dealing massive damage with a Double Choke Slam and also the Meltzer Driver. When that threat was dealt with, the match continued and MAO won with the Avalanche Michinoku Driver II. Afterwards MAO admitted that Everett really is a giant. People won’t understand why until they face him in the ring. It was a match MAO would have wanted for a DDT Universal Title defence if he was still the champion so he is left feeling frustrated. He wants to continue wrestling and would be happy being the gatekeeper for foreign talent coming in from now on. He’ll even be the person picking them up at the airport if he has to. Everett praised MAO but said he is not done with Yoshihiko! He wants to come back to DDT and Choke Slam opponents night after night.

Antonio Honda was determined to prove he deserves his upcoming KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles shot. He ran into the chaos caused by DAMNATION T.A’s interference and lead KANON into accidentally strike MJ Paul with a chair. Honda then hit KANON with the chair and set Paul up to be pinned with a School Boy from Chris Brookes. Honda said it is his duty as a citizen of the world to follow the proper procedures and become a champion! Daisuke Sasaki complained that none of Honda’s jokes are funny and they won’t be funny at the title match in Nagoya on 16th July. Sasaki then said if Honda does make him laugh during the match he will admit he is funny after all and then quit pro wrestling.

When the 8-Man Tag Match was finished, Sakaguchi invited Saki Akai into the ring because she had something to say. Akai got Jun Akiyama’s attention and asked to team with him at “WRESTLE PETER PAN 2022” on 20th August! She wants to become stronger and thinks learning from Akiyama will help her do that. Akiyama agreed to her request because he is the coach for the entire DDT roster. He warned he is going to treat Akai no differently to how he treats male wrestlers and is fine if their opponents are two men for that reason. However he will accept facing a mixed tag team.

Masahiro Takanashi got his own back on Yusuke Okada by getting the flash pin on him in their tag match. He doesn’t take well to Okada thinking he is the only negative person in DDT. If there is anyone in this company who has a negative personality it is Takanashi! He made his intention clear to beat Okada in their Universal Title match on 24th July before Okada chased him out of the ring.

One of the acts that really egged on the fans to cheer and chant were Pheromones. They got the crowd to chant “Sexy” for Yuki Iino. He & Danshoku Dieno had the match all but won when they put Akito in the Pheromones Judgement. Kazuki Hirata was going to break the hold when Dieno gave him an ultimatum. Would he rather rescue Akito or dance to “Tokyo GO!”? Hirata chose to dance while Akito lost consciousness and lost the match. Sanshiro Takagi immediately ran into the ring to stop everyone with Stunners. Dieno told Takagi that the decision to make the DDT Extreme Title match on 16th July a 3 Vs 1 Handicap match cannot be changed into a different stipulation. Takagi agreed but said the match still needs a referee. He will be the referee and got Hisaya Imabayashi to approve of it! Akito was disappointed to hear that after he regained consciousness because he took it upon himself to fight Pheromones on his own for the Extreme Title. He no longer wants to be part of Takagi’s plot to destroy the unit.

At the beginning of the show Takagi publicly admitted that only 497 tickets for “WRESTLE PETER PAN 2022” at Ota Ward Gymnasium have been sold so far. He does not think this is good enough because he wants DDT’s attendance numbers to return to what they were before 2020. In order to motivate the roster into selling more tickets for Ota Ward, the quality of DDT’s company lunch boxes will be determined by how many tickets are sold for that show. Anything under 775 tickets get them only rice balls. 775 to 1,000 tickets gets a nori bento worth 600 yen. 1,000 to 1,300 gets a makunouchi bento worth 1,000 yen. Over 1,300 gets a sukiyaki bento worth 2,000 yen. Finally a complete sell out gets a yakiniku bento from a high class restaurant worth 4,000 yen. The top ticket seller will also get dessert as a bonus.

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DDT “KING OF DDT 2022 FINAL!!” Results

July 3, 2022

DDT “KING OF DDT 2022 FINAL!!”, 03/07/2022
Tokyo Korakuen Hall
703 Fans

0. Dark Match: Yukio Sakaguchi, Saki Akai & Hideki Okatani defeated Toru Owashi, Soma Takao & Toi Kojima when Okatani pinned Kojima with the Double Arm Suplex (7:55).
0. Dark Match: Daisuke Sasaki, MJ Paul & KANON defeated Yuji Hino, Yukio Naya & Yuki Ishida when KANON pinned Ishida with the Sleepy Hollow (6:51).
1. Yuki “Sexy” Iino, Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno & Yumehito “Fantastic” Imanari defeated Akito, Antonio Honda & Kazuki Hirata by TKO when Iino used the Pheromone Judgement on Akito (7:16).
2. King Of DDT 2022 – Semi Final: Naomi Yoshimura defeated Yuki Ueno with the Osaka Pride (10:46).
3. King Of DDT 2022 – Semi Final: Kazusada Higuchi defeated Jun Akiyama with the Brain Claw Slam (14:28).
4. Yusuke Okada & Yuya Koroku defeated Masahiro Takanashi & HARASHIMA when Okada pinned Takanashi with the Sudden Death (10:09).
5. Special Tag Match: Chris Brookes & Andrew “The Giant” Everett defeated MAO & Shunma Katsumata when Everett pinned Katsumata with the Choke Slam Spanish Fly (14:59).
6. KO-D Openweight Title – King Of DDT 2022 – Final: Kazusada Higuchi defeated Naomi Yoshimura with the Brain Claw Slam (18:55).
*Kazusada Higuchi becomes the 79th KO-D Openweight Champion!

There is a word that has been following around Kazusada Higuchi, particularly recently. “Kuronin” (苦労人). It’s a word that describes a person who works hard because they struggle so much in their life. For Higuchi that struggle was his failure to win the KO-D Openweight Title throughout his 8 year career. Five chances that spread across from his super rookie days in DNA up to his current standing in Eruption all ended in failure. Today he finally reached the top and claimed the belt by winning King Of DDT! The vacant KO-D Title was on the line in the final when Higuchi faced a red hot Naomi Yoshimura. The two heavyweights had an even battle of strength with Yoshimura using a Choke Slam to counter Higuchi’s Brain Claw. Lariats were thrown back and forth. Yoshimura’s key moves the Harai Goshi and Osaka Pride were both blocked so he reverted to his original finisher, the Throwaway Power Bomb. Higuchi grabbed him in the Brain Claw once more and this time hit the Brain Claw Slam, pinning him for the victory.

Higuchi is now the champion and he needed to have his belt. Suddenly, Jun Akiyama entered the ring and volunteered to wrap the title around Higuchi’s waist. It was over a year ago when Akiyama established his authority in DDT by ordering a rebellious Higuchi to wrap the belt around his waist after beating him in a title match. To see Akiyama now present the title to Higuchi shows how much respect has been earned. Sanshiro Takagi then brought out the DDT flag that Higuchi carried to the ring at “CYBERFIGHT FESTIVAL 2022”. He told Higuchi he is now entrusting the flag to him as a symbol of DDT’s strength for him to lead the company with. Higuchi thanked the other members of Eruption as well as Akiyama for their support. He went through a lot to reach this point and is now putting a lot of thought into who he wants his first challenger to be. He wants to defend the title against Tetsuya Endo! He will wait for him at Ota Ward Gymnasium on 20th August.

Endo himself confirmed his return to the ring by announcing 24th July as his comeback date. He apologised to the fans causing worry with his absence while he recovered from his concussion. He was also sorry for showing a side at Saitama Super Arena that no champion should ever show. He received permission from his doctor to resume his in-ring training again last week and no longer feels any discomfort from moving around. He and DDT agreed to set 24th July as the target for his return. He is half excited, half anxious over it but will push himself hard over the next 3 weeks to regain any trust he lost from the fans. In his backstage comments, Endo said he lost to Katsuhiko Nakajima because he could not withstand his slap even if it was an accidental knockout. Everything that happens in the ring is reality and Endo accepts that reality. He will move on with his wrestling life on 24th July.

DDT’s latest foreign attraction has arrived but has the company been sold a bill of goods? Andrew “The Giant” Everett built hype to his DDT debut by claiming to be 223cm tall while weighing 190.5kg. When he finally showed up, people became skeptical because he looked to be around 175cm tall. Not even Chris Brookes kneeling down next to him could make “The Giant” look any taller. Everett also struggled to give MAO a Choke Slam. However as the match started speeding up, Everett’s aerial skills begun to be highlighted. A Shooting Star Press to MAO out of the ring wowed everyone. He then placed Shunma Katsumata up on the top rope and delivered the Choke Slam Spanish Fly to get the win. MAO is now a believer. He thinks Everett will become a tourist attraction in Japan once he stabs a spike onto his head and turns him into a second Sky Tree. Backstage, Everett mocked ShunMao for being small opponents and said he wants to fight the biggest guy in DDT… Yoshihiko?!?

The tricky wrestling style of Masahiro Takanashi has its benefits but the weakness is what happens once his opponents finally catch up to him. That was what happened today. Some wacky redirections from Takanashi caused Yusuke Okada & Yuya Koroku to bundle up together so HARASHIMA could hit a Swan Dive Body Press to the both of them. However Okada got his breath back and avoided the Takatonic. Instead he got to do the Intercept DDT and Diving Headbutt on Takanashi. Some cradle attempts were used from Takanashi but it couldn’t stop Okada’s momentum. In the end Okada got Takanashi’s shoulders on the mat for three with the Sudden Death. After the match Okada challenged him for the DDT Universal Title. He had to miss “CYBERFIGHT FESTIVAL 2022” and King Of DDT. He also couldn’t do anything but watch the rest of BURNING to their thing during that period. It’s driving him crazy so he wants the title match. Takanashi accepted the challenge and the match will take place on 24th July. Takanashi also said he is the one about to travel the world so the Universal Title rightfully belongs to himself.

Higuchi and Yoshimura bought went through important opponents in their King Of DDT semi-final bouts. As mentioned already, Higuchi’s history with Akiyama is one with plenty of disrespect and trust issues. Even putting that aside you are always in a fight for your life against Akiyama. Higuchi was almost counted out when he was given an Exploder Suplex on the floor. He was also almost pinned with exposed Knee Strikes from Akiyama. Higuchi almost got his big win earlier in the match with an Avalanche Brain Claw Slam but he took too long to go for the pin. Akiyama also tried a rate top rope attack but his Flying Knee Strike was countered in mid-air with a Lariat. Higuchi got to apply the Brain Claw again and turned it into the Brain Claw Slam to advance to the final.

Yoshimura continues to be unbeaten against Yuki Ueno in singles matches but don’t let that fool you into thinking it was an easy match. Some well timed Dropkicks kept giving Ueno an advantage but he could just not get his big moves to count when it mattered. Yoshimura blocked the BME and avoided the WR. Ueno however couldn’t stop the Throwaway Power Bomb and was done for when he was given the Osaka Pride. Ueno is obviously disappointed he lost but the experience made him excited to spread the word of how fun and strong DDT is.

Akito’s desire to regain the DDT Extreme Title is taking him through Pheromones hell. Before their match today began, Danshoku Dieno warned that he was lifting a banned torture technique that was handed down from generation to generation since the Edo Period. This was Pheromones way of judging Akito for the Extreme Title shot on 16th July. The torture move was eventually shown to be Akito getting his head sandwiched between Yuki Iino’s backside and Dieno’s crotch. Any rescue attempt from Antonio Honda & Kazuki Hirata was cut off by Yumehito Imanari. Akito was stuck in the hold for such a long time that the match was eventually stopped for his safety and Pheromones were declared the winners. After the match Dieno said Akito was not going to fight Iino on his own for the Extreme Title. The match will be a 3 Vs 1 Handicap match where Akito has to fight all of Pheromones by himself! Dieno reminded everyone the rule of the Extreme Title is the champion gets to pick the stipulation so Akito has to accept it.

A new referee named Yusho Nakata (son of the late NOAH executive and ring announcer Ryu Nakata) debuted on this show by working the opener and the dark match. That meant the poor guy had to deal with DAMNATION T.A. He tried to show control by warning Daisuke Sasaki over illegal usage of the ropes. But when Yuji Hino & Yukio Naya looked to be on the road to victory Nakata was pulled down and held back by MJ Paul. That gave KANON the chance to regroup and give Yuki Ishida a Modified Brainbuster that is now called the Sleepy Hollow for the win.

The dark match saw the other three members of Eruption beat the trio of Toru Owashi, Soma Takao & Toi Kojima. There was an exchange between Saki Akai and Takao where Akai tried applying a Triangle Choke only to get slammed out of it. Kojima almost pinned Hideki Okatani with the Full Nelson Buster but Yukio Sakaguchi broke the count. Eruption took control with Sakaguchi & Akai giving Kojima a Sandwich PK. Kojima had enough strength to kick out of Okatani’s Northern Lights Suplex but the follow up Double Arm Suplex couldn’t be beaten.

Konosuke Takeshita is temporarily returning to Japan in August. He sent a video announcing he will be part of “WRESTLE PETER PAN 2022” on the 20th.

Also revealed for the show was news of Shinichiro Kawamatsu’s debut match. He will team with Sanshiro Takagi & Soma Takao in a 6-Man Tag Match. Their opponents are Makoto Oishi, Akito and another pro wrestling politician Osamu Nishimura! Takagi wants to answer the question of who will win a fight between Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly and the Bunkyo City Council! Kawamatsu thought he wouldn’t be bringing politics into the ring for his match but he looks forward for the chance to wrestle Councilor Nishimura.

At the beginning of the show several wrestlers promoted a bunch of upcoming events. Katsumata promoted the upcoming Super Hardcore Girls Vs Prominence event taking place on 14th July.

Akiyama will be holding his 30th Anniversary show on 18th September. Two special guests were announced for it today. They are Yuji Nagata and Yoshinobu Kanemaru from New Japan! Akiyama has a deep history with both wrestlers so it was important for them to be involved in the show.

Ken Ohka was at the show promoting Ganbare☆Pro’s biggest show in their history “WRESTLE SEKIGAHARA” at Ota Ward Gym on 10th July. He was joined by Yuki Aino & Raku who both promoted Tokyo Joshi Pro’s event in the same venue, “SUMMER SUN PRINCESS ’22” on the 9th.

Last but not least, Atsushi Onita returns to DDT on 4th September for a Current Blast Death Match in Nagoya.

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DDT “KING OF DDT 2022 2ND ROUND” Results

June 19, 2022

DDT “KING OF DDT 2022 2ND ROUND”, 19/06/2022
Tokyo Korakuen Hall
430 Fans

0. Dark Match: Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno & Yumehito “Fantastic” Imanari defeated Toru Owashi & Kazuki Hirata when Dieno pinned Hirata with a Cradle (7:27).
1. DAMNATION T.A Vs Eruption!: MJ Paul & KANON Vs Yukio Sakaguchi & Hideki Okatani ended in a Double Countout (11:01).
2. THE KICKBOXING MATCH 2022: Hikaru Machida & Gota Ihashi defeated Shinya Aoki & Toi Kojima when Ihashi pinned Kojima with the Moonsault Press (R3 1:42).
3. MAO, Shunma Katsumata, Yusuke Okada & Yuya Koroku defeated Yuji Hino, Yukio Naya, Chris Brookes & Yuki Ishida when Katsumata pinned Ishida after the Oretachi no MADMAX (13:33).
4. King Of DDT 2022 – Round 2: Kazusada Higuchi defeated Masahiro Takanashi with the Brain Claw Slam (4:41).
5. King Of DDT 2022 – Round 2: Jun Akiyama defeated Yuki “Sexy” Iino with the Sexy Paradise Lock (11:34).
6. King Of DDT 2022 – Round 2: Yuki Ueno defeated Daisuke Sasaki with the WR (12:49).
7. King Of DDT 2022 – Round 2: Naomi Yoshimura defeated HARASHIMA with the Osaka Pride (19:24).

The King Of DDT moved over to Korakuen Hall for the 2nd Round. The top four matches of the show were all Quarter Final bouts. Naomi Yoshimura grabbed everyone’s attention by defeating his current tag partner and “big brother” figure HARASHIMA in the main event. It was an impressive result because everything about the match looked like HARASHIMA was going to take it. He hit the Somato but Yoshimura was too close to the ropes so he could easily reach for the rope break despite taking the full blow. HARASHIMA went for the Swan Dive Somato to finish the job but Yoshimura sprang up to his feet and caught him in mid air with the Harai Goshi! He followed up with the Throwaway Power Bomb but HARASHIMA was still fighting. HARASHIMA went for one more Somato but Yoshimura caught him again and swung him into the Osaka Pride. That was the end of it and Yoshimura pinned him for the three count!

Yuki Ueno had his own difficult mountain to climb over. Daisuke Sasaki has been a big thorn in his side based on their previous matches together. Just like in “WRESTLE PETER PAN 2021” last August, Sasaki busted Ueno open and focused on making him bleed further. Ueno’s 1st Round opponent KANON also pulled the ref out of the ring when Ueno had Sasaki pinned with the Frog Splash. However he avoided La Mistica and kicked out of the flash Hurricanrana, holding onto Sasaki’s arm the whole time so he could suddenly pull him into the WR. It ended up being a big win for Ueno, one that puts his failure to beat Sasaki last year to rest.

The dreaded hose Yuki Iino used in the opening round made its return this time attached to a portable vacuum cleaner. He tried using it on Jun Akiyama but Makoto Oishi tried stopping him. Oishi got the hose shoved into his mouth while the other end was stuck up Iino’s backside for his troubles. Akiyama grabbed the vacuum afterwards, stuck it up to Iino’s lips and switched it on to suck the life out of his opponent. Iino somehow kicked out after taking a Knee Smash and the Exploder Suplex. Akiyama then thought outside the box and placed Iino in the Paradise Lock, giving one side of Korakuen a full display of Iino’s butt in all of its glory. Akiyama then shoved both ends of the hose into Iino’s mouth and butt until Iino gave up to the Paradise Lock.

There was even more trickery in the first Quarter Final match of the show. Kazusada Higuchi waited for his opponent Masahiro Takanashi only to see Baliyan Akki and Antonio Honda walk out both disguised as him. The real Takanashi entered the ring from the other side to ambush Higuchi. The plan didn’t offer Takanashi much because Higuchi soon picked him up into the Canadian Backbreaker. That was when Plan B happened and the bell suddenly rang. DJ Nira was at the timekeeper’s desk and rang the bell early to distract Higuchi. Takanashi tried to take advantage and set up the Takatonic. However Higuchi blocked the move, grabbed Takanashi and delivered the Brain Claw Slam for the win.

At the end of the show the four remaining wrestlers in King Of DDT took part in the lottery to pair up for the next round. Whoever chose the same colour balls will face each other in the semi final. The result is Ueno Vs Yoshimura and Higuchi and Akiyama. Yoshimura later said he would have preferred to face Ueno in the final so he cannot lose to him now. Ueno has never beaten Yoshimura one on one so this is the next step for him to become the strongest wrestler in DDT. Akiyama is happy to talk about anything other than the match he had today. He thinks Higuchi has never stopped thinking about him so it is time they settle their problems in the ring. Higuchi said he needs to beat Akiyama if he is to become the new KO-D Openweight Champion.

It was slightly unusual to see wrestlers from BURNING and The 37KAMIINA teaming together. Shunma Katsumata thought all four of them were on the same page so he rushed ahead to attack Yuji Hino. He was the only one though and he simply bounced off Hino’s big chest. Luckily for him MAO was there to help him fight off Yukio Naya. MAO also gave Yusuke Okada & Yuya Koroku and extra hand to Suplex Hino. Chris Brookes set the match up for Yuki Ishida to take control but the rookie was overwhelmed with NeppoWER!! MAO & Katsumata gave him with a version of the MADMAX to end the match.

The biggest combat sporting event to happen in Japan for years was taking place a few minutes away from Korakuen Hall while DDT was running this show. As the Tokyo Dome was hosting THE MATCH in front of over 56,000 people, DDT tried to capitalize on this with their own mega fighting bout called THE KICKBOXING MATCH to an audience of 430. The match itself was a tag team bout held under kickboxing rules. Shinya Aoki wished he was at the Tokyo Dome instead, until he got to see the round girl Sanae Takebayashi do her job. He changed his tone pretty quickly after that. Toi Kojima took the match more seriously and looked to be the better fighter against Gota Ihashi. Aoki met his match against Hikaru Machida and the two fought out of the ring over to the special ring announcer Miyata Mitsuru. Both of them decided to attack him instead before going back to the ring to continue the match. In the 3rd Round, Machida used the Irai Punch on Kojima to knock him out. But rather than end the match there, Machida got Ihashi to do a Moonsault and pick up the win that way. Afterwards it was announced that Ihashi’s prize for winning is qualification to fight at an upcoming KNOCK OUT event produced by Mitsuru. He was against the idea at first but was convinced into accepting the invitation. Unfortunately Ihashi later found out Mitsuru couldn’t find a suitable opponent matching his size so the plan may be scrapped for now.

The opening match between Eruption and DAMNATION T.A went out of control when the four wrestlers involved wouldn’t stop fighting each other. Yukio Sakaguchi and MJ Paul squared off with each other while Hideki Okatani and KANON provoked each other into a fight. All of them continued fighting outside the ring until they were counted out.

In the dark match Yumehito Imanari kept Toru Owashi off his game by purposefully filming him while they wrestled. Danshoku Dieno also put Kazuki Hirata into a disadvantage by taking the Hirata GO! glasses and stuffing them into his tights. That later backfired when Dieno put Hirata in position for the Danshoku Driver. When Hirata’s head was pulled into Dieno’s tights, his music began playing. Hirata then pulled his head out revealing he landed perfectly into the GO! Glasses and is now wearing them! However Imanari gave Hirata a DDT into Dieno’s backside and Dieno then sat on top of him for the pin.

Shinichiro Kawamatsu, the active member of the Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly who recently held the Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title appeared halfway through the show to give an important announcement. He is going to do make his official pro wrestling debut at “WRESTLE PETER PAN 2022” on 20th August! He wanted to show his gratitude to DDT for winning the Iron Man Title and Sanshiro Takagi made the suggestion for him to wrestle an actual match. Kawamatsu agreed to it, feeling regret for relying on his bodyguard and doing nothing but submit during his last appearance. He owes it to all pro wrestling fans to give it a proper shot and is finding time to train inbetween his political duties. He would like Hirata to be his opponent because he lost the Iron Man Title to him by submission. He thinks Hirata owes him a debt that should be repaid.

The international wrestler teased for “WRESTLE PETER PAN 2022” is Joey Janela! He will make his DDT debut one week earlier on 14th August but his first match announced is at the Ota Ward Gymnasium show. “The Bad Boy” will take on Shunma Katsumata in a Hardcore Match! Katsumata began calling himself “The Happy Boy” in response to this news.

The Beer Garden show is back for 2022 at a new venue. This year’s edition will be held outdoors at the Ueno Park Amphitheater. For the moment the show is being marketed as a “Non-Alcoholic” show but that may change if the pandemic laws change closer to the show.

The 37KAMIINA announced they will be guests on the TV chat show “The World Unknown To Matsuko” airing on 21st June.

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“CYBERFIGHT FESTIVAL 2022” Results

June 12, 2022

“CYBERFIGHT FESTIVAL 2022”, 12/06/2022
Saitama Super Arena
4,891 Fans

0. STARTING BATTLE KICKOFF ~ DDT Provided Tag Match: Muscle Sakai & Yukio Naya defeated Soma Takao & Kazuki Hirata when Naya pinned Hirata with the Back Drop (9:02).
0. STARTING BATTLE 2 ~ TJPW Provided 10-Woman Tag Match: Nao Kakuta, Mahiro Kiryu, Moka Miyamoto, Arisu Endo & Kaya Toribami defeated Hyper Misao, Yuki Aino, Pom Harajuku, Haruna Neko & YuuRI when Kiryu pinned Harajuku with the Spinebuster (9:10).
0. STARTING BATTLE 3 ~ DDT Vs Ganbare☆Pro Battle: Yukio Sakaguchi, Saki Akai & Hideki Okatani defeated Ken Ohka, Yuna Manase & Mizuki Watase by TKO when Sakaguchi used the Sleeper Hold on Watase (10:20).
1. NOAH Vs DDT Battle: Kinya Okada & Kai Fujimura defeated Toi Kojima & Yuya Koroku when Okada pinned Kojima with a Crab Hold (11:45).
2. TJPW Provided 6-Woman Tag Match: Miyu Yamashita, Maki Itoh & Juria Nagano defeated Hikari Noa, Suzume & Yuki Arai when Yamashita pinned Suzume with the Skull Kick (10:54).
3. DDT Provided 8-Man Tag Match: Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno, Yuki “Sexy” Iino, Yumehito “Fantastic” Imanari & Akito “Cochin” Nishigaki defeated Sanshiro Takagi, Kendo Kashin, Shinya Aoki & Yumiko Hotta when Nishigaki submitted Takagi with the Chicken Okotta Hold (13:21).
4. Princess Of Princess Title Next Challenger Decision 4 Way Match: Rika Tatsumi defeated Mizuki, Yuki Kamifuku and Miu Watanabe when Tatsumi pinned Watanabe with the Missile Hip (9:37).
5. NOAH Provided 10-Man Tag Match: Michael Elgin, El Hijo de Dr. Wagner Jr., Rene Dupree, Simon Gotch & Timothy Thatcher defeated Takashi Sugiura, Kazuyuki Fujita, Masa Kitamiya, Daiki Inaba & Shuhei Taniguchi when Elgin pinned Inaba with the Elgin Bomb (14:01).
6. DDT Provided 8-Man Tag Match: HARASHIMA, Naomi Yoshimura, Chris Brookes & Masahiro Takanashi defeated Yuki Ueno, Shunma Katsumata, MAO & Asuka when HARASHIMA pinned Katsumata with the Somato (14:29).
7. NOAH Provided 6-Man Tag Match: Rob Van Dam, Yoshinari Ogawa & HAYATA defeated Kaito Kiyomiya, Daisuke Harada & YO-HEY when Van Dam pinned Harada with the Five Star Frog Splash (12:03).
8. NOAH Vs DDT Battle: Katsuhiko Nakajima, Atsushi Kotoge & Yoshiki Inamura defeated Tetsuya Endo, Jun Akiyama & Kazusada Higuchi by TKO when Nakajima knocked out Endo (6:20).
9. NOAH Vs DDT Battle ~ Hardcore Match – No DQ Rules: Kenoh defeated Daisuke Sasaki with the P.F.S. from the Ladder (21:28).
10. Princess Of Princess Title: Shoko Nakajima (c) defeated Yuka Sakazaki with the Diving Senton (14:57).
*V3 for Shoko Nakajima.
11. GHC Heavyweight Title: Satoshi Kojima defeated Go Shiozaki (c) with the Lariat (21:11).
*Go Shiozaki fails in V1. Satoshi Kojima becomes the 39th GHC Heavyweight Champion!

The 2nd annual “CYBERFIGHT FESTIVAL” brought together all of the wrestling promotions owned by CyberAgent for a massive show inside Super Saitama Arena. There was plenty of news coming out of it and you can argue it was a better showing for NOAH and Tokyo Joshi Pro than it was for DDT, especially when it came to the inter-promotional matches.

Or maybe it’s New Japan that came out the winner because one of their guys now holds NOAH’s top championship! Satoshi Kojima defeated Go Shiozaki in the main event to win the GHC Heavyweight Title. He is now the fourth wrestler to achieve the biggest grand slam in Japanese pro wrestling. Only he, Kensuke Sasaki, Yoshihiro Takayama and Keiji Muto are the only wrestlers to win the GHC Title, the IWGP Heavyweight Title and the Triple Crown. Shiozaki threw everything at him including Lariats, the Go Flasher and even the Emerald Flowsion. Kojima survived all of it and put his power into three Lariats to dethrone the champion down in his first defence.

Kojima’s big celebration was cut short when Kenoh walked down to the ring. He told Kojima that NOAH is not the destination for New Japan wrestlers. He’s been of the opinion for the last few years because of Muto and Kazuyuki Fujita too. Kenoh promised to open up the future because right now NOAH and CyberFight has none! He challenged Kojima to a title match and Kojima accepted. He later said he doesn’t want anyone to think NOAH is at a low level because he is now their champion. He assures the fans that Shiozaki and the rest of the NOAH roster are not inferior to New Japan. The big title match will take place at Nippon Budokan on 16th July.

TJPW got their spotlight as the semi-main event match. Shoko Nakajima achieved her third straight Princess Of Princess Title defence by beating her long time friend and rival Yuka Sakazaki. Both were given major entrances fitting for the big occasion. Sakazaki got an army of dancing magical girls while Nakajima led a pack of dinosaurs down to the ring. Sakazaki almost won the match by hitting the Magical Merry-Go-Round but her odds vanished after Nakajima blocked the Magical Girl Niwatori Yaro with her knees. The champion then took over with a DDT and pinned Sakazaki with the Diving Senton. Nakajima is happy to see so many people watch her match against somebody as special to her as Sakazaki. Her opponent feels the same even though she lost.

The night had three DDT Vs NOAH matches and NOAH ended up with a clean sweep of victories. The big one was Kenoh defeating Daisuke Sasaki in a No DQ Match. It was a wild affair featuring interference from both DAMNATION T.A and Kongo, including Masakatsu Funaki cycling down the ramp and crashing into the wrong target. Even Yoshihiko showed up defending DDT’s honour only to get thrown out of the ring by Kenoh. Sasaki used a stun gun to prevent Kenoh from doing his Flame Kick. He then brought out a casket with thumbtacks sprinkled inside only to get slammed into it himself. Sasaki also missed a Diving Elbow Drop from the top of the ladder which cost him dearly. Kenoh had no such trouble and hit the P.F.S. Diving Stomp from the ladder to win. Afterwards backstage Kenoh explained his thoughts over DDT. He’s been calling DDT “School Wrestling” and wonders why they should feel ashamed of it? Why does DDT want to turn into a conservative mainstream wrestling company? They were built on being “Cultural Pro Wrestling” so they should have pride and confidence in being that. DDT was at its brightest when they understood it and that was how they could compete against New Japan, NOAH and All Japan. Kenoh thinks Sanshiro Takagi does not understand that and should be lucky to have a guy like Daisuke Sasaki who gets it. Sasaki blamed his loss on having to carry DDT on his back. If he fought selfishly for himself today’s result would have been very different. He says he will carry this shameful loss for the rest of his life, just like how Tetsuya Endo will carry his…

The second big DDT Vs NOAH match was the 6-Man Tag and it ended up becoming the most controversial story of the show. It was meant to be a big match with flashy entrances for everyone involved. Stories were built up pitting Kazusada Higuchi and Yoshiki Inamura against each other along with Jun Akiyama against Atsushi Kotoge. Then five minutes in we get to Tetsuya Endo against Katsuhiko Nakajima. There was an awkward looking moment when Nakajima held himself back against the ropes when Endo tried to drag him away from there. Endo threw a big kick to make him move then some Elbow Strikes. Nakajima responded with a big slap across the face, knocking Endo out and stopping the match! While Endo was getting medical assistance, Akiyama gave Nakajima a stern talking to with the other wrestlers looking on. Endo was still conscious but was helped carried to the back and diagnosed with a concussion. Akiyama criticised Nakajima in his post-match interview without naming him. He explained it doesn’t matter if you can take a strike to the temple if your opponent cannot. He was once told by Giant Baba that no matter what happens, in the end all wrestlers are friends in the same business. He doesn’t think that was the case here. He finished by saying let’s wrestle properly and do it right. I personally do not think it was Nakajima’s intention to knock out Endo but they were clearly not on the same page in the brief time they were in the ring together. I hope it was just a bad misread by Nakajima by trying to add tension to the match. Akiyama was the right person in the right place at the right time to prevent things from escalating further.

The big international guest for the show was Rob Van Dam. Today was his first time wrestling in Japan since 2014. He was on the winning team with Yoshinari Ogawa & HAYATA beating Kaito Kiyomiya, Daisuke Harada & YO-HEY in a 6-Man Tag Match. RVD even picked up the win by pinning Harada with the Five Star Frog Splash. Backstage RVD promised to come back next month. NOSAWA Rongai heard that and challenged him to a Hardcore Match with some of his friends at the Budokan show.

The main core of DDT’s tag team division provided an 8-Man Tag Match. DISASTER BOX & CDK joined forces to take on The 37KAMIINA plus Asuka. There was a massive pile on of Yuki Ueno on top of Asuka on top of Masahiro Takanashi on top of MAO on top of Naomi Yoshimura. The entire thing was then broken up by a Somato from HARASHIMA. MAO & Asuka took care of Chris Brookes with their Doomsday Shiranui double team. Shunma Katsumata tried to finish things off but HARASHIMA got him in the end with the Somato. Takanashi found it weird that wrestlers they feuded with not so long ago are here smiling with them today. Just goes to show when situations change so can certain alliances. The 37KAMIINA also agree they had a fun time and hoped the fans did too.

NOAH’s offer match was a 10-Man Tag Team bout pitting Japan against the world. The foreign team won when Michael Elgin pinned Daiki Inaba with the Elgin Bomb. Timothy Thatcher said if the match took place tomorrow the result may have been different. But today NOAH’s international team were blessed with good teamwork. Simon Gotch said NOAH has always had great foreign wrestlers and this team are part of the new history that will continue to bring in even more. Rene Dupree bragged about North America beating Japan today. The NOAH home team did not provide any post-match comments.

Shoko Nakajima’s next challenger for the Princess Title was determined in a 4 Way Match. Any idea of Daydream joining forces to wipe out the competition did not last long and the match quickly turned into every woman for herself. Miu Watanabe gave both Rika Tatsumi and Mizuki the Giant Swing together. Yuki Kamifuku later tried killing two birds with one stone by hitting the Famouser onto both Tatsumi & Mizuki at the same time. Watanabe jumped in and was ready to give Kamifuku the Tear Drop when Tatsumi broke it up with a Hip Attack. The match came down to the two Daydream wrestlers and Tatsumi came out on top with the Missile Hip to her partner. Tatsumi will now face Nakajima for the Princess Title at Ota Ward Gymnasium on 9th July. Kamifuku said she doesn’t need a championship for now. Instead she wants to fight the Cyber Japan Dancers who performed during intermission!

Pheromones are looking unstoppable once more thanks to their newest member Akito “Cochin” Nishigaki. He is all in on the gimmick, proving it is not an attempt to infiltrate the unit and destroy it from the inside. However their opponents had their own tricks to deal with, such as Kendo Kashin using a body double so he could attack from another angle. Yumiko Hotta got more than she bargained for and was sprayed with a fire extinguisher. Takagi gave Akito a Stunner but Akito stripped out of his costume to toughen up. He put Takagi in a Figure 4 Leg Lock and Yuki Iino sat on Takagi’s face for added damage, making him give up. Backstage Kashin asked for a rematch which Hotta & Shinya Aoki both agreed to. Takagi said maybe next year because his shoulder is bothering him. Kashin said it has to be this year. The four of them then crashed the Pheromones post-match interview to attack Yumehito Imanari and pull his pants down in front of the media.

Nivea sponsored the TJPW 6-Woman Tag Match and rewarded the winners with 10 years supply of their products. Hikari Noa, Suzume & Yuki Arai entered to the brand new TJPW theme song “Princess March” by Masayoshi Soken. Then Maki Itoh performed her theme song with 6 members of IQ Project before Miyu Yamashita & Juria Nagano made their entrance together. The experience of 121000000 was the deciding factor. Yamashita & Itoh took out Noa & Arai with a High Kick/Headbutt Sandwich. Yamashita then wiped out Suzume with the Skull Kick to get the three count. It is Nagano’s first win as a wrestler and Itoh joked about her getting rewarded with gifts from Nivea.

The opening match of the main show was the first DDT Vs NOAH bout of the event. It was between two teams of young wrestlers with Kinya Okada & Kai Fujimura from NOAH beating Toi Kojima & Yuya Koroku from DDT. Kojima & Koroku are both frustrated by the loss but still believe their form of training is not inferior to NOAH’s.

The STARTING BATTLE pre-show provided three dark matches involving DDT, TJPW and Ganbare☆Pro. The Ganpro team went to battle against Eruption but quickly got off on the wrong foot when Ken Ohka got rolled up in tape by his enemies once again. Yuna Manase tried to even the score by getting the better of Saki Akai with a Lariat. Mizuki Watase fought with Hideki Okatani but then turned his attention to Yukio Sakaguchi once Ohka got back into the action. Unfortunately for them, Eruption ended up with the numbers advantage and Sakaguchi choked out Watase with the Sleeper Hold to end the match. When Watase recovered he told Eruption he can continue fighting and began cutting his hair to prove it. Backstage Eruption said they will think about having more matches against Ganpro at Ganpro’s big show in Ota Ward on 10th July. Watase confronted them again and continued cutting off his hair to show how determined he is to fight them. Sakaguchi was convinced an agreed for Eruption to have another match against Ganpro at Ota Ward.

Mahiro Kiryu finally got her day in the sun by getting the win for her team in the TJPW 10-Woman Tag Match. It was an important match for some of the other women too. Kaya Toribami is celebrating finishing her first year as a pro wrestler. Raku was absent and missed by everyone, even by the opposing team. Her replacement YuuRI was disappointed to lose but would be happy to fight with the TJPW wrestlers again. Hyper Misao wanted to win before challenging for the Princess Tag Team Titles soon but still enjoyed her team today. She’d like the 5 of them to do something together again, like have a 5 Way Match! Pom Harajuku was just upset her summer is ending already because she took the fall.

DDT provided the very first match of the day inside the venue when Muscle Sakai & Yukio Naya took on Soma Takao & Kazuki Hirata. Sakai took Kenoh’s criticisms of DDT to heart and wanted to wrestle seriously. He declined a dance battle with Hirata until he was given the Hirata GO! glasses. Takao cut the dancing short so he could continue the match with Naya. Hirata almost pinned Naya with an Inside Cradle but Naya kicked out. He then delivered a Back Drop to Hirata and pinned him Yuji Hino style to get the win. Hirata said he didn’t expect Muscle Sakai of all people to come in wanting to do an exciting match.

Perhaps the biggest news of all to come out of the show was Keiji Muto’s announcement. He once called pro wrestling a marathon without a finishing line but the time has finally come for him to finish. He is going to retire next spring and is planning to wrestle only a few more matches before his career is over. His doctor told him the condition of his left hip is becoming bad and he may need to replace it with an artificial joint. Should he need a hip replacement he will no longer be able to wrestle even though he still wants to. Muto is still thinking of where and when his retirement will take place along with exactly how many more matches he will do before then. He also said The Great Muta may reappear once or twice more but when the Demon Gate to his world closes, it will this time close for good.

The entire event was not just about the pro wrestling show. There was a festival set up around the venue for fans to experience everything about the different CyberFight promotions. I could not find many details but apparently Gake no Fuchi Pro had a stall set up where Miyako Matsumoto held a meet and greet but it was taken over by Prominence.

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