DDT “CHANGE AGE 2026 ~TOBIKIRI ZENKAI POWER~” Results

April 5, 2026

DDT “CHANGE AGE 2026 ~TOBIKIRI ZENKAI POWER~”, 05/04/2026
Tokyo Korakuen Hall
??? Fans – Unannounced

0. Dark Match: Rukiya defeated Yuni with the Proto Bomb (6:12).
1. Takeshi Masada, Yuya Koroku & Daichi Sato defeated Kazuma Sumi, Masami Inahata & Hinata Kasai when Masada pinned Kasai with a PK (8:25).
2. Variety King Decision Match: Hisaya Imabayashi defeated Toru Owashi, Danshoku Dieno, Super Sasadango Machine, Kazuki Hirata, Antonio Honda and Akito when Imabayashi submitted Hirata with a Sleeper Hold (13:41).
3. DAMNATION T.A Vs STRANGE LOVE CONNECTION!: Yukio Naya & Viento Maligno defeated Hideki Okatani & Ilusion when Naya pinned Ilusion with The World’s Best Back Drop (8:27).
4. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Yuki Iino, Jun Akiyama & Junta Miyawaki defeated Yuki Ueno, Shinya Aoki & To-y when Iino pinned Ueno with the Spear (10:59).
5. Special Single Match: Kaisei Takechi defeated Makoto Oishi with the BREAK IT DOWN (9:46).
6. KO-D Tag Team Titles: Chris Brookes & HARASHIMA defeated MAO & KANON (c) (w/ KIMIHIRO) when HARASHIMA pinned KANON with the Swan Dive Somato (12:26).
*STRANGE LOVE CONNECTION fails in V5. FANTÔMES DRAMATIC become the 89th KO-D Tag Team Champions!
7. Special 6-Man Tag Match ~ Harimao Last Match: Naomi Yoshimura, Ryota Nakatsu & Yuki Ishida (w/ Kazusada Higuchi) defeated Shunma Katsumata, Kota Umeda & Kouki Iwasaki when Ishida pinned Katsumata with the Flame Palm (19:56).

If it was Kazusada Higuchi he would want to wrestle a little bit longer but today he had to retire from pro wrestling, ending his eleven year career over a neck injury. Having already wrestled his last match due to doctor’s orders, Higuchi had to serve as a second for Harimao in the main event 6-Man Tag Match. The sumo themed unit agreed to split up because of Higuchi’s retirement and today would be their last match together. Their opponents were three wrestlers who Higuchi grew up with in the DDT New Attitude developmental brand that existed from 2014 to 2018. It brought back some old rivalries likes the one between Ryota Nakatsu and Kota Umeda. Higuchi did take one more chance to get physical by throwing Chops at all of the wrestlers who were brought over to him at ringside. Yuki Ishida got rid of Kouki Iwasaki with the Leg Scoop Suplex while on the other side Shunma Katsumata wiped out Naomi Yoshimura with a Topé Con Hilo. The match came down to Ishida receiving one last fighting spirit from Higuchi to hit Katsumata with the Flame Palm for the three count.

Higuchi’s retirement ceremony took place after the match. He took commemorative photos with Harimao and then the DNA wrestlers. After that the next group of people to appear were Shuji Ishikawa, Yuji Hino and KUBITO who were tied to Higuchi as tag partners, rivals or training buddies at various times. Higuchi then received an anonymous letter from his alledged trainer. This mystery person is apparantely not in Japan at the moment but he wanted to tell Higuchi he is proud of him for becoming a top class wrestler and for leaving the ring with his body still intact. More wrestlers entered the ring to gift Higuchi with bouquets including Jun Akiyama, HARASHIMA, Danshoku Dino, Antonio Honda, Yuki Ueno, Tetsuya Endo and Konosuke Takeshita.

Finally Higuchi was reunited with the other Eruption members Yukio Sakaguchi & Saki Akai. Not only that but Hideki Okatani entered the ring holding the Eruption gown that Higuchi had gifted to him when Higuchi left the unit. Okatani returned it back to him. Sanshiro Takagi was the last person to give a bouquet and everyone got together for a big group photo. Higuchi got on the microphone and said today he has run out of his strength and he’s come to the conclusion that this is the best decision he could make. He can only express is gratitude and is grateful to everyone in DDT. He also used the Wrestle Universe broadcast to tell Yoshihiro Takayama and Masahiro Takanashi that everyone here is waiting for their return. While Higuchi will no longer live in the ring, he will continue to move forward step by step in the ring of life.

FANTÔMES DRAMATIC have gotten their hands on their first proper championship by winning the KO-D Tag Team Titles! Things went crazy from the get go when The Apex lifted up KIMIHIRO and threw him onto everybody grouped together outside the ring. Strange Love Connection found that their own teamwork was being evenly matched by Chris Brookes & HARASHIMA. The challengers separated KANON from MAO and focused all of their attacks on the former. KANON was able to kick out after taking a Piledriver followed by the Somato but HARASHIMA used the souped up Swan Dive version of his finisher to win the tag titles. Later backstage MAO said his goal with this title run was to help KANON loosen up and he thinks they accomplished that. They can rebound by going after any championship but for the moment he wants the both of them to aim for the Top 3 in this year’s King Of DDT tournament.

While Fandora were celebrating their title win, Ilusion got into the ring while wearing all of the KO-D 10-Man Tag Team Title belts over his body. He claimed to be the new leader of DAMNATION T.A and because he has more title belts than Fandora, he is using his position to challenge them for the KO-D Tag Titles. He then unveiled a banner of Daisuke Sasaki to reveal that Sasaki will be his partner for the match. HARASHIMA accepted the challenge for 1st May because so that can be Sasaki’s first match back in DDT after coming home from his North American excursion. Before that takes place, Brookes said Fandora will go win the KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles on 15th April.

It was a special match between teacher and student when Makoto Oishi found himself being challenged by Kaisei Takechi. It’s been lightly thrown around that Takechi would officially surpass Oishi as soon as he could beat him in the ring. But Takechi has yet to win a singles match so he couldn’t afford to take his mentor lightly. Oishi took his student to school with basic moves as well as a well times Dropkick to the knee as a counter for the Flying Forearm. Takechi took a page out of Higuchi’s book by using the Brain Claw to break his way out of Oishi’s Fujiyama Knee Lock. He then showed off his new Choke Slam/Rock Bottom finisher called the BREAK IT DOWN, pinning Oishi to get his first ever singles victory.

Takechi was then suddenly met by Danshoku Dieno after the match. Dieno was there to propose the two of them have a singles match some day. Takechi agreed, saying he has no reason to refuse a challenge. Hisaya Imabayashi then decided since the two of them are entering the King Of DDT tournament, this can be one of the 1st Round matches! Takechi and Dieno shook hands over the idea but Takechi then stopped Dieno from leaning in for a kiss. He made a promise to Dieno that he is going to exceed his expectations. Backstage Takechi was asked if his agency is worried about him wrestling Dieno. He said DDT has the rights to book that match but admits if the card has to change, it is because LDH did not want it to happen. Dino acknowledged that there is an unwritten no contact agreement in place with him and Takechi but Takechi is officially a DDT wrestler so it is inevitable that Danshoku Dieno would be unleashed on him eventually.

There was a little bit of confusion among Yuki Ueno’s team when Shinya Aoki decided to stop up him pinning Junta Miyawaki early in the 6-Man Tag Match. Ueno then had Jun Akiyama properly stopping him from pinning Yuki Iino by hitting him with the Knee Strike. To-y did a big dive onto everyone so Ueno could be left alone to fight Iino. But the WR was countered into a Short-Range Spear followed by a full fledged one to give Iino a big win over the KO-D Openweight Champion. Iino asked Ueno how it felt to lose for the fist time after so long because Iino will soon take the belt and prove he is the strongest in DDT! Ueno asked him if he has any dreams for the future but Iino answered he has no time to think about that. He is busy living every day to its fullest.

Okatani and Yukio Naya gave everyone a preview of their DDT Extreme Title match by brawling around ringside while Ilusion and Viento Maligno wrestled each other. Naya toughed it out by taking chair shots and being thrown into the front row. He then refused to budge when he put Ilusion in a Crab Hold and invited Okatani to try and physically break it up. MJ Paul interfered to finally make some progress but Maligno was able to get him out of the ring. Naya recovered and Choke Slammed Okatani to stop him from using the chair again. After that he pinned Ilusion with The World’s Best Back Drop.

A really important designation was on the line in Match #2. All of the DDT goofballs were gathered together to determine who is the king of DDT’s “Variety” wrestlers! However the show was already running on a tight schedule so Imabayashi wanted everyone to do their entrances all at once. Kazuki Hirata suggested they start wrestling before the entrances and then play everyone’s music as the match progresses. They all brawled down to the ring, taking Imabayashi down with them and continued fighting until Toru Owashi’s song played. He ran to the back to make his entrance and ring introduction. This would next happen to Super Sasadango Machine, then Akito, then Dieno, then Antonio Honda and finally Kazuki Hirata. Except the heavy usage of the music system blew out the venue’s amplifier during Hirata’s entrance. The wrestlers (including Saki Akai and Tetsu Inada) all formed a daisy chain connecting from Dieno over to the amplifier in order to charge it back up to full repair. Hirata got to do his entrance until Imabayashi suddenly put him in a Sleeper Hold and tapped him out! Imabayashi was declared the winner and he ordered everyone to get out so the show could continue.

As previously mentioned way up above, FANTÔMES DRAMATIC will soon be challenging for the KO-D 6-Man Tag Titles. Hinata Kasai will be on the challenger team and he got to fight the champions paleyouth in today’s opening bout. He had a tough go at fighting Takeshi Masada & Daichi Sato until Kazuma Sumi tagged in to even things out. Yuya Koroku found himself fighting Masami Inahata to a stalemate. paleyouth then gathered their wits about them to team up on Kasai, ultimately leading to Masada pinning Kasai with a Penalty Kick. He showed off one of the title belts to him after the match, causing Kasai to hit him with an Elbow Strike in response. Koroku then grabbed Kasai and threw him out of the ring.

After graduating from high school and becoming a college student, Yuni showed up wearing a new costume for his match against Rukiya. A big Moonsault from Yuni was blocked by Rukiya sticking his feet up. He got the win with the Proto Bomb but it took two of them to get the result after Yuni kicked out of it the first time.


Higuchi Retirement This Sunday, More MOP Tag Title Matches, ZSJ Returns To DDT

April 3, 2026

DDT “CHANGE AGE 2026 ~TOBIKIRI ZENKAI POWER~”, 05/04/2026
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

0. Dark Match: Yuni Vs Rukiya
1. Takeshi Masada, Yuya Koroku & Daichi Sato Vs Kazuma Sumi, Masami Inahata & Hinata Kasai
2. Variety King Decision Match: Toru Owashi Vs Danshoku Dieno Vs Super Sasadango Machine Vs Kazuki Hirata Vs Antonio Honda Vs Akito
3. DAMNATION T.A Vs STRANGE LOVE CONNECTION!: Hideki Okatani & Ilusion Vs Yukio Naya & Viento Maligno
4. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Yuki Ueno, Shinya Aoki & To-y Vs Yuki Iino, Jun Akiyama & Junta Miyawaki
5. Special Single Match: Kaisei Takechi Vs Makoto Oishi
6. KO-D Tag Team Titles: MAO & KANON (c) (w/ KIMIHIRO) Vs Chris Brookes & HARASHIMA
7. Special 6-Man Tag Match ~ Harimao Last Match: Naomi Yoshimura, Ryota Nakatsu & Yuki Ishida Vs Shunma Katsumata, Kota Umeda & Kouki Iwasaki

This Sunday DDT says farewell to Kazusada Higuchi as well as Harimao. DDT have confirmed that Saki Akai will be one of the guest commentators during the show. Does that mean Yukio Sakaguchi will show up too for one last Eruption reunion?

DDT “DDT X MOP WRESTLE TOUR 2026 IN MITSUI OUTLET PARK MARINE PIA KOBE”, 11/04/2026
Hyogo Mitsui Outlet Park Marine Pia Kobe

1. Takeshi Masada, Yuya Koroku & Daichi Sato Vs KAzuma Sumi, Kazuki Hirata & Yukio Naya
2. Jun Akiyama & Yuni Vs Chris Brookes & Hinata Kasai
3. HARASHIMA, Antonio Honda & Yuki Ishida Vs MAO, Junta Miyawaki & Tomomitsu Matsunaga
4. The 37KAMIINA Vs DAMNATION T.A!: Yuki Ueno, Shunma Katsumata & Yuki Ishida Vs Hideki Okatani, MJ Paul & Ilusion
5. MOP Tag Team Titles: KANON & Viento Maligno (c) (w/ KIMIHIRO) Vs Sanshiro Takagi & Masami Inahata

The next two shows of the “DDT X MOP WRESTLE TOUR” will continue having MOP Tag Team Title matches in the main event. First up KANON & Viento Maligno have their first defence lined up against Sanshiro Takagi & Masami Inahata.

DDT “DDT X MOP WRESTLE TOUR 2026 IN MITSUI OUTLET PARK HOKURIKU OYABE”, 12/04/2026
Toyama Mitsui Outlet Park Hokuriku Oyabe

1. Kazuma Sumi & Takeshi Masada Vs Kazuki Hirata & Yuki Ishida
2. Sanshiro Takagi & Masami Inahata Vs Tomomitsu Matsunaga & Hinata Kasai
3. FANTÔMES DRAMATIC Vs DAMNATION T.A!: Chris Brookes, HARASHIMA & Antonio Honda Vs Hideki Okatani, MJ Paul & Ilusion
4. Special 8-Man Tag Match: Yuki Ueno, Shunma Katsumata, To-y & Junta Miyawaki Vs MAO, Yukio Naya, Yuya Koroku & Daichi Sato
5. MOP Tag Team Titles: KANON & Viento Maligno (c) Vs Jun Akiyama & Yuni

Whichever team wins the title match in Kobe will go defend them against Jun Akiyama & Yuni in Oyabe the next day. The losers of the Kobe match will face Tomomitsu Matsunaga & Hinata Kasai instead.

DDT “SAPPORO GOLDEN BATTLE 2026”, 02/05/2026
Hokkaido Sapporo Sun Plaza

1. Sapporo Studio Five Presents Special 6-Man Tag Match: Yuki Ueno, Shunma Katsumata & To-y Vs Chris Brookes, HARASHIMA & Antonio Honda

DDT are bringing in Tomoya and Noriyuki Yoshida like they always do whenever they go to Hokkaido. Kumadori will be on the show too.

DDT “DRAMATIC DREAMS! VOL. 13 ~MY SPIRIT GUARDS MY LORD IN THE EAST~”, 17/05/2026
Osaka City Sumiyoshi Community Center

1. Special Tag Match ~ Laughter Brings Fortune: MAO & KANON (w/ KIMIHIRO) Vs Kuishinbo Kamen & Kikutaro
2. Special Tag Match ~ Infinite Stimulation Anniversary: Zack Sabre Jr. & Chris Brookes Vs HARASHIMA & Shinya Aoki

Yukinori Matsui is bringing the big guns out for this one. Zack Sabre Jr. is back in DDT to team up with Chris Brookes again. Together, SCAHDEN TEKKERS are going to face the team of HARASHIMA & Shinya Aoki, making this match a first time meeting between Sabre and Aoki in the ring.


Video – Higuchi Vs Akiyama For The KO-D Title From Wrestle Peter Pan 2025

April 3, 2026


DDT “WRESTLE PETER PAN 2025 – DAY 1”, 30/08/2025
Tokyo Higashin Arena Main Arena
??? Fans – Unannounced

10. KO-D Openweight Title: Kazusada Higuchi (c) Vs Jun Akiyama


BASARA “BASARA 303 ~UTAGE~” Results

March 27, 2026

BASARA “BASARA 303 ~UTAGE~”, 27/03/2026
Shin-Kiba 1st RING
??? Fans – Unannounced

1. Kaji Tomato defeated Takeru Inoue with the Speed (8:18).
2. Turnabout Pro Wrestling Trial: Ayato Yoshida defeated Gouma Ryu and Banana Senga when Yoshida submitted Ryu and Senga with a Double Half Crab Hold (8:04).
3. The Outsider & Sumo Master defeated Master T & Judomaster when The Outsider pinned Judomaster with the V Slider (9:17).
4. SAGAT, Lil’ Kraken & Minoru Fujita defeated Daichi Kazato, Tsutomu Oosugi & Shuji Ishikawa when SAGAT pinned Kazato with the Gore Grind (11:31).
5. Iron Fist Tag Team Titles: Takato Nakano & Masato Kamino defeated Takumi Tsukamoto & Daiki Shimomura (c) when Nakano pinned Shimomura with the Takagari (20:08).
*Takumi Tsukamoto & Daiki Shimomura fail in V3. Aijin Tag become the 16th Iron Fist Tag Team Champions!

Aijin Tag have now become the three time Iron Fist Tag Team Champions but they already have their first challengers approaching. When Takato Nakano & Masato Kamino were celebrating their victory, SAGAT & Lil’ Kraken entered the ring to challenge them for the belts. It is SAGAT’s idea because Kraken had to remind him they already got a title shot back in January. Nakano told them they have no principles but SAGAT’s argument that if they were to just wait for another title shot it wouldn’t come. Aijin Tag accepted his reasoning and will put the titles on the line in Osaka on 12th April. Backstage Nakano told Kamino their next goal should be to break the record for most title defences because the teams that are on top of that list are freelancers like Speed Of Sounds and Astronauts. Nakano thinks a BASARA affiliated team like Aijin Tag deserves to hold the record instead!

Something unprecidented happened in regards to Match #3. Both Ryota Nakatsu and FUMA suddenly suffered from love sickness and had to pull out of the show at the last minute. BASARA were able to find some mysterious newcomers to fill in for the missing wrestlers. Judomaster was now teaming with Master T instead of FUMA and Yuki Ishida now had The Outsider as his partner. Ishida was angry over this turn of events because today was meant to be Harimao’s last appearance in BASARA as a unit. The remaining members Kazusada Higuchi & Naomi Yoshimura came to the show to be in their corner. Ishida stormed out of the match and left The Outsider to fight by himself. But when things were going bad for The Outsider, he called for help from somebody named Sumo Master. And wouldn’t you know it, Sumo Master suddenly appeared and came to the rescue.

Ayato Yoshida was not a popular person in the court room today. Everyone was booing him and he didn’t put up much effort towards changing people’s minds. He was on trial for allegedly shouting verbal abuse towards Minoru Fujita. The defence provided by Gouma Ryu is that kind of behaviour is sometimes acceptable between pro wrestlers while they fight in the ring. However, Banana Senga had evidence that showed the nasty comments were made inside the locker room. Fujita was called up as a witness and he said Yoshida thinks of him like his junior which is why he treats him this way. Ryu gave up trying to defend Yoshida and teamed up with Senga to fight him. Yoshida easily beat the two of them and by winning the match he was acquitted of any wrong doing.


Ueno’s Out For A Week, Harimao’s Last Match, Fandora’s Hunt For Gold

March 26, 2026

DDT “DDT X MOP WRESTLE TOUR 2026 IN MITSUI OUTLET TAMA MINAMIOSAWA”, 28/03/2026
Tokyo Mitsui Outlet Park Tama Minamiosawa

1. MAO & Masami Inahata Vs Naomi Yoshimura & Yuki Ishida
2. Jun Akiyama & Yuya Koroku Vs Kazuki Hirata & Kazuma Sumi
3. Hideki Okatani, Ilusion & MJ Paul Vs Takeshi Masada, Daichi Sato & Hinata Kasai
4. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Chris Brookes, HARASHIMA & Antonio Honda Vs Shunma Katsumata, To-y & Yuni
5. MOP Tag Team Titles: KANON & Viento Maligno (w/ KIMIHIRO) Vs Junta Miyawaki & Rukiya

Some changes to Saturday’s card have been made because Yuki Ueno needs to go get laser surgery in his eye. His doctor found signs of a possible retinal tear in one of his eyes and its needs to be dealt with. He will only be out of action for a week but that means Ueno will miss the next DDT show.

DDT “NO SPOILERS EVENT VOL. 4 IN UENO”, 01/04/2026
Tokyo Ueno Park Outdoor Stage

1. Something With To-y & Kazuki Hirata: To-y Vs Kazuki Hirata
2. Playfulness Series Act 5: Danshoku Dieno Vs Hinata Kasai
3. DAMNATION T.A Vs Fake Daisuke Sasaki Army!: Hideki Okatani, MJ Paul & Ilusion Vs Nise Daisuke Sasaki A, Nise Daisuke Sasaki B & Deka Daisuke Sasaki
4. Special 3-Way Tag Match ~ Best Friends (Mav) Superior: MAO & KANON (w/ KIMIHIRO) Vs Yuki Ueno & Shunma Katsumata Vs Chris Brookes & HARASHIMA

There will be more matches happening on the show but they will not be revealed until they happen.

DDT “CHANGE AGE 2026 ~TOBIKIRI ZENKAI POWER~”, 05/04/2026
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

0. Dark Match: Yuni Vs Rukiya
1. Takeshi Masada, Yuya Koroku & Daichi Sato Vs Kazuma Sumi, Masami Inahata & Hinata Kasai
2. Variety King Decision Match: Toru Owashi Vs Danshoku Dieno Vs Super Sasadango Machine Vs Kazuki Hirata Vs Antonio Honda Vs Akito
3. DAMNATION T.A Vs STRANGE LOVE CONNECTION!: Hideki Okatani & Ilusion Vs Yukio Naya & Viento Maligno
4. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Yuki Ueno, Shinya Aoki & To-y Vs Yuki Iino, Jun Akiyama & Junta Miyawaki
5. Special Single Match: Kaisei Takechi Vs Makoto Oishi
6. KO-D Tag Team Titles: MAO & KANON (c) (w/ KIMIHIRO) Vs Chris Brookes & HARASHIMA
7. Special 6-Man Tag Match ~ Harimao Last Match: Naomi Yoshimura, Ryota Nakatsu & Yuki Ishida Vs Shunma Katsumata, Kota Umeda & Kouki Iwasaki

The first week of April will now have the retirement of Kazusada Higuchi taking place. Sadly he will not have one more match to mark the end of his career. Instead the other members of Harimao will team together one last time before the group disbands. Naomi Yoshimura, Ryota Nakatsu & Yuki Ishida will face three opponents from Higuchi’s past going all the way back to their DNA days. Shunma Katsumata recently returned to action and was an early rival of Higuchi. Both Kota Umeda & Kouki Iwasaki rarely show up in DDT these days but such an important occasion have brought the both of them back.

FANTÔMES DRAMATIC are on the hunt for some gold and could get plenty of it if things go their way soon. Chris Brookes & HARASHIMA have become the No. 1 Contenders for the KO-D Tag Team Titles. The timing could not be better because KANON is coming off of a failed KO-D Openweight Title challenge and may need to rely on MAO to do all the hard work if he hasn’t bounced back by then.

DDT “DREAM LIGHTS ~HOW DO YOU LIKE DDT WEDNESDAY~”, 15/04/2026
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

0. Dramatic Dark Match: Sanshiro Takagi Vs Ilusion
1. Special Single Match: YOH Vs Antonio Honda
2. KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles: Takeshi Masada, Yuya Koroku & Daichi Sato (c) Vs Chris Brookes, HARASHIMA & Hinata Kasai
3. DDT Extreme Title: Hideki Okatani (c) Vs Yukio Naya
4. KO-D Openweight Title: Yuki Ueno (c) Vs Yuki Iino

Ueno will definitely be ready to defend the KO-D Title against Yuki Iino no matter what. He was someone Iino learned a lot from when Iino trained to become a pro wrestler. Ueno was also a part of Iino’s debut match back in 2017.

Meanwhile Yukio Naya has gone and challenged Hideki Okatani for the DDT Extreme Title. His logic is “Extreme” means big so the title should belong to him.

Brookes & HARASHIMA could be double tag champs if Fandora wins the KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles from paleyouth. The wild card is Hinata Kasai. He hasn’t directly won a match yet but Antonio Honda thinks having Kasai on the challenger team will add some drama to the title match. The idea has painted a target on Kasai when Brookes threw Bunbun into the crowd after the challenge was made. Takeshi Masada blames Kasai for that and wants to get revenge!

DDT “MOTSUNABE BUSTER”, 18/04/2026
ACROS Fukuoka

1. DDT Universal Title: Kazuma Sumi (c) Vs Shunma Katsumata

The new DDT Universal Champion is looking to surpass a wrestler he looks up to. Kazuma Sumi nominated Katsumata to be his first challenger to repay him for his support over the years. However the repayment will be completed when Sumi beats Katsumata! Same goes the other way around. Katsumata will show his appreciation for Sumi by crushing him for the championship!

Kumadori will be on the show.

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

1. Dramatic Dream Match: Konosuke Takeshita Vs Kaisei Takechi

The next time DDT goes to Sumo Hall they will give everyone a Konosuke Takeshita versus Kaisei Takechi match! Hopefully neither of them will get a case of pink eye right before the match again.


Kazusada Higuchi Announces His Retirement

March 23, 2026

A press conference was held by DDT in Tokyo today to announce that Kazusada Higuchi will be retiring from pro wrestling on 5th April. Higuchi had been taking time off since from wrestling since the start of the year to deal with a neck injury. This comes after he previously had to take eight months off during 2024 into 2025 to recover from other injuries including a cervical hernia. This decision came about when at some point between December and January, Higuchi went through a health checkup that is regularly given out to everyone in the DDT roster. The doctor found Higuchi had subluxation of the first and second cervical vertebrae and told him that continuing to wrestle (or take part in any kind of contact sport) would be dangerous for his health. Higuchi and his doctor had discussions with DDT over him having any possibility of continuing his wrestling career but they reached the decision that it would be best for him to retire.

Unfortunately due to the current state of Higuchi’s neck, he has already wrestled his last match and his retirement at DDT’s Korakuen Hall show on 5th April will just be a ceremony without a final match preceding it. Higuchi said he is currently not feeling any symptoms over his condition but understands that his neck has reached it physical limit. He regrets not being able to wrestle again but is glad to have detected this problem early so he could exit the business on his own two feet. Although he will no longer live in the ring, he believes his life will continue for a long time.

The press conference also had comments from Sanshiro Takagi and Akito both speaking as representatives of CyberFight. Akito explained the above routine health checkups that the DDT roster goes through over the new year period. He also noted that the cervical condition Higuchi has usually gives the person symptoms of numbness or even paralysis in the limbs. Higuchi does not have those symptoms but the doctor determined that no amount of treatment would solve the problem. Surgery could be an option but it comes with the setback of restricting Higuchi’s neck movement and he wouldn’t be able to wrestle in that condition either.

Takagi told the story of the first time he was introduced to Higuchi by a friend, leading to the former sumo from Hokkaido to join DDT. He claims there were times when Higuchi’s powerful style helped DDT and he became a symbol of the company’s strength from 2022 onwards. He is surprised by the sudden news and thinks the best thing DDT can do is to give him the warmest send-off possible. By Higuchi’s request, his unit Harimao will have its final match on 5th April taking on a team of wrestlers who are also all close to him. It will be Naomi Yoshimura, Ryota Nakatsu & Yuki Ishida against Shunma Katsumata, Kota Umeda & Kouki Iwasaki. Once that match is finished, Harimao will disband. He has a message to tell the other members of the group but will say what he wants to say after the match.

———————————————————————–

This is bumming me out. It’s the news I was worried would eventually come to light when Higuchi took another injury break in January. Writing this blog for 16 years means I see a lot of wrestling careers of various sizes come and go. This is one of the most significant ones. A fascinating moment in wrestling happened in October 2014 when DDT introduced the DNA generation, a new class of seven (later eight) rookies about to turn pro at a time when many wrestling companies in Japan were struggling to find new blood. Higuchi very quickly stood out as top of the pack with his powerful stature coming from his sumo background and he was given the rookie superpush that spread into DDT itself. While he was a serious no nonsense wrestler at first, spots would come here and there that allowed Higuchi to show his silly side, allowing him to fit in more with DDT’s comedy while still being positioned as someone who is difficult for anyone to beat. An early highlight of his to seek out is the week long DNA Grand Prix tournament that was held in October 2016 where he went on an undefeated run all the was to the final in order to face Mike Bailey.

The presentation of Higuchi being so unique in DDT included something that I’ve seen follow his entire career among the foreign fanbase. I have long lost count of the amount of times I’ve heard people online say they wish Higuchi was with NOAH instead of DDT because he looked like a better fit there. It’s easy to see why on the surface. Hard strikes, mean looks and an iron head to go with it is catnip for those who like their wrestling to not pull back its punches. Yet I just could never imagine him shining brighter anywhere else than with DDT. The formation of Eruption with Yukio Sakaguchi & Saki Akai in 2020 was a major step forward for him. Then with DDT emerging from the pandemic the seeds were planted for his ascension to the top when he feuded with Jun Akiyama over the KO-D Openweight Title in an act of rebellion towards the legend joining the company. He lost that match but had the ultimate redemption in 2022 when he was the one chosen to rebuild DDT’s reputation over the Tetsuya Endo/Katsuhiko Nakajima incident.

The visual that should follow Higuchi’s career came when he won the 2022 King Of DDT tournament. By winning it he finally claimed the KO-D Title after eight years of trying. He had now become DDT’s literal symbol of strength, waving a giant flag of the company logo in victory and having Akiyama wrap the belt around his waist as a show of his respect. Higuchi would then spend the year being a central figure of DDT’s title scene as they tried to push a bigger focus towards heavyweights. Eruption would go away along with the careers of Sakaguchi & Akai. Higuchi would then move on to forming Harimao, building the unit more around sumo like themes. He got to hold the KO-D Title again last year but this time it was a short lived run. It’s hard to believe that only a few months later his career would end like this.

I can’t quite put my finger on why his runs on top went the ways they did. As much as Higuchi’s style appealed to the likes of us, it wasn’t really the same with DDT’s fans in Japan and business hardly picked up with him as champion. You can point to the social distancing rules at the time which resulted in low attendances for everybody but there’s just some factor missing that meant his title reign didn’t connect like I thought it would. I just look at the hot streak DDT is having with Korakuen now and wish Higuchi would have a role to play in it. Perhaps Takagi has a bigger point to make when he talks about how much Higuchi helped DDT. Maybe history will treat him as the person who patched up DDT at a time when the company needed it rather than the rising star who carried the company to greater heights.

There’s so much of Higuchi’s career I’m leaving out. He was a perfect opponent for HARASHIMA. Their matches together going back to the earliest years of Higuchi’s career were like they were made for each other. His singles matches with Konosuke Takeshita, Shuji Ishikawa and Yuji Hino are all barnburners. Those were the kind of matches that fueled the constant wishes he would move over to NOAH where he could get more attention. There are all the times he would be driven head first into the ring post just to no sell it (probably not a good idea in hindsight). When DDT had their “MAJI MANJI” weekly series, Higuchi insisted on putting somebody through a table on almost every episode he was in. When a Falls Count Anywhere match would happen outdoors, Higuchi would usually show up wearing just a mawashi. I’m pretty sure he sumo pushed a van away one time too. I’m going to miss seeing this guy wrestle.


DDT “JUDGEMENT 2026” Results

March 22, 2026

DDT “JUDGEMENT 2026 ~29TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION 5 HOUR SPECIAL~”, 22/03/2026
Tokyo Korakuen Hall
??? Fans – Unannounced

0. Dark Match: Yuni defeated Hinata Kasai with the Jorge Clutch (7:26).
0. Dark Match – Tokyo Joshi Pro Offer Match: HIMAWARI, Haru Kazashiro & Chika Nanase defeated Toga, Ren Konatsu & Shion Kanzaki when Kazashiro pinned Kanzaki with the Fisherman Suplex (9:53).
1. Jun Akiyama defeated Rukiya with the Exploder Suplex (6:20).
2. Special Tag Match: Yuki Iino & Yukio Naya defeated Evil Uno & Akito when Iino pinned Akito with the Spear (11:12).
3. 3 Way Tag Match: Viento Maligno & Kumadori defeated MJ Paul & Ilusion and Makoto Oishi & Masami Inahata when Maligno pinned Ilusion with the Driver Maligno (8:25).
4. Special Single Match ~ Shunma Katsumata Return Match: MAO defeated Shunma Katsumata with a Running Palm Strike (12:04).
5. KO-D Tag Team Titles Next Challengers Decision Match: Chris Brookes & HARASHIMA defeated Shinya Aoki & Junta Miyawaki when HARASHIMA pinned Miyawaki with the Somato (12:33).
6. DDT Extreme Title – No Hitting With The Bamboo Sword! If You Want To Use It Make Them Laugh! Staring Contest Punishment Bamboo Sword Deathmatch!!!!!: Hideki Okatani defeated To-y (c) with the Vertical Drop Brainbuster (12:20).
*To-y fails in V8. Hideki Okatani becomes the 64th DDT Extreme Champion!
7. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title – 1 Vs 6 Handicap Match: Sanshiro Takagi, Toru Owashi, Danshoku Dieno, Super Sasadango Machine, Antonio Honda, Hisaya Imabayashi & Glasses defeated Minoru Suzuki (c) when Glasses pinned Suzuki (11:51).
*Glasses becomes the 1,812nd champion.
8. KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles: Takeshi Masada, Yuya Koroku & Daichi Sato (c) defeated Naomi Yoshimura, Ryota Nakatsu & Yuki Ishida when Masada pinned Ishida with the Manburi (14:17)
*V1 for paleyouth.
9. Dramatic Dream Match: KONOSUKE TAKESHITA defeated Kazuki Hirata (w/ John Robinson) with a Big Boot (0:07).
9a. Rematch: KONOSUKE TAKESHITA defeated Kazuki Hirata (w/ John Robinson) with an Elbow Butt (0:10).
9b. World’s 20 Vs Adachi Ward’s 2! Let’s Have A Great Death Match!: KONOSUKE TAKESHITA defeated Kazuki Hirata (w/ John Robinson) with the Walls Of Takeshita (9:02).
10. DDT Universal Title: Kazuma Sumi defeated Daisuke Sasaki (c) with the School Boy (16:48).
*Daisuke Sasaki fails in V1. Kazuma Sumi becomes the 21st DDT Universal Champion!
11. KO-D Openweight Title: Yuki Ueno (c) defeated KANON with the WR (25:12).
*V6 for Yuki Ueno.
-. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title: Antonio Honda defeated Glasses (c) by Destruction (18:47).
*Antonio Honda becomes the 1,813rd champion.

The 29th Anniversary of DDT was also the first attempt by KANON to try and win the KO-D Openweight Title. For the weeks leading up to this match, KANON had been winning matches with the Lariat so Yuki Ueno tried to weaken it by hitting KANON’s hand off the corner post early on. KANON would still use the Lariat as an equalizer but then tried using his other moves to win. The Cobra Twist, Sleepy Hollow and LONELY DEZIRES wouldn’t work so he went back to the Lariat. However Ueno’s well time Dropkick to the face helped him to set up the Blackout Sleeper to squeeze the life out of KANON. While he was eventually able to get out of it, KANON was then given the WR to put him down and out.

Ueno told KANON after the match that he’s been thinking about him a lot. He thinks KANON is strong, handsome, kind and also weird. If he wants to make it to the top of DDT he cannot stay the way he is now. KANON needs to show more. Still, Ueno had fun and reminded KANON he’s been part of the DDT family even going back to when he was part of DAMNATION T.A. When he was done, Yuki Iino got into the ring feeling moved by Ueno’s speech. Iino asked for a title match because Ueno was his senior who taught him everything about pro wrestling back when Iino was a trainee. Ueno was also Iino’s first ever opponent. Ueno said he would accept the challenge on the condition that Iino would not immediately attack him after they shake hands. Iino agreed and they shook hands without incident. Ueno then told the fans he will carry the hopes of everybody as DDT moves into its 30th year.

After several failed attempts, Kazuma Sumi solved the puzzle and got to pin Daisuke Sasaki with the School Boy to win the DDT Universal Title! Sasaki targeted his leg from the get-go, including attacking the limb with a chair. A ref bump also led to the other members of DAMNATION T.A interfering on Sasaki’s behalf. Sumi fought against the odds but almost paid big by missing the Reverse 450 Splash. His luck then turned around when DAMNATION T.A interfered again only to backfire on Sasaki when Ilusion accidentally hit him with the chair. From there Sumi tried to pin Sasaki with the School Boy several times. Sasaki caught him in the Crossface Lock only for Sumi to counter it into another School Boy, this time pinning Sasaki down for the three count! Sasaki complained backstage that his “visa” for travelling the world was now taken from him and he’s trying to figure out does this mean he is being banished from the country? He only remembers being hit by a chair so that means Sumi cheated to win! Sasaki will accept his fate for now. He will go abroad, fall in love, get dumped and then come back home.

When Sumi celebrated with the title he said he is so glad he never gave up. He was able to keep going because of everyone’s support. He was then asked to nominated his first challenger for a title defence in Fukuoka on 18th April. Sumi chose Shunma Katsumata because he wants to repay him for all of his kindness ever since he debuted. However Sumi’s way of repaying Katsumata is to surpass him so he is not taking him lightly by putting this title match together. Katsumata agreed to the match and said he is going to treat Sumi as his equal. His way of repaying Sumi will be to crush him and win the Universal Title!

Kazuki Hirata was given the biggest entrance possible by having John Robinson sing him down to the ring with a live performance of “TOKYO GO!” Then after all of that hype, Konosuke Takeshita pinned Hirata in seconds after a Big Boot. A rematch immediately took place but Takeshita won again this time with an Elbow Butt that knocked Hirata out. Hirata begged for another rematch and Takeshita accepted. He even allowed Hirata to only need a 2 Count pin to beat him while Takeshita would need to pin Hirata for a 20 Count! The match began again with those conditions. This time Robinson got involved by stopping Takeshita from attacking Hirata with a chair. He also offered a pair of Hirata GO! glasses but Takeshita destroyed them. Robinson got on the mic to sing “TOKYO GO!” again in order to revive Hirata’s chances. This time Takeshita put on the glasses and started dancing only for Robinson to sneak in and Low Blow Takeshita! Hirata then got in the Miracle One Shot Cradle but Takeshita kicked out at one. Hirata’s comeback was cut off with the Wagamama knee strike but he somehow kicked out at 19! Another Miracle One Shot Cradle was done as a counter for the Raging Fire but Takeshita kicked out at one again. Possibly knowing how close of a call that was, Takeshita flipped Hirata over into the Walls Of Takeshita to win the match by submission instead of pinfall.

After the match Takeshita told Hirata his style of wrestling is one of a kind and it is time for him to become No. 1 in DDT again! He wants Hirata to show him the ultimate Dramatic Dream. Then they can have another rematch where this time Takeshita will need to pin Hirata for a 30 count! After they left the ring, DDT announced that Takeshita will return at “WRESTLE PETER PAN 2026” in Sumo Hall on 11th August for a single match against Kaisei Takechi!

paleyouth got their first KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles defence in the bag after beating Harimao today. The challengers were accompanied by Kazusada Higuchi but he stood by and did not get involved. Daichi Sato stood toe to toe with Naomi Yoshimura while Takeshi Masada & Yuya Koroku threw both Ryota Nakatsu & Yuki Ishida away with German Suplexes. The match came down to Masada dodging Ishida’s Flame Palm and then hitting him with two Manburi kicks for the victory.

The champions were then greeted by FANTÔMES DRAMATIC after the match. Chris Brookes, HARASHIMA & Antonio Honda were there to get the next title shot until Honda talked about how dramatic it would be for a team with Hinata Kasai in it to win the titles from paleyouth. Masada asked if Kasai had even won a match yet? Kasai said he hasn’t but that doesn’t mean he cannot get his first win against them! He thinks the best way to celebrate his first win would be to hold championships with the rest of Fandora. All of a sudden, Brookes grabbed Bunbun and threw him into the audience! He went to retrieve him afterwards only to throw him to another part of the room! Masada swore revenge by declaring he will take all of his anger out on Kasai!

As part of the plan to get the Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title from Minoru Suzuki, the opposing team in the Handicap Match took part in Gongitsune training before the match. Their logic is Suzuki’s biggest weakness is his eyeballs so it will be up to Honda to poke them. Hisaya Imabayashi bravely started the match with Suzuki but was left to fight by himself and was almost choked out with the Sleeper Hold. Sanshiro Takagi got into a Chop Battle with Suzuki while Danshoku Dieno stopped him with a Lip Lock. When Honda’s attempts at Gongitsune kept on failing, Suzuki got on the microphone to ask everyone how long is DDT going to keep doing this kind of pro wrestling? This is the kind of pro wrestling that makes New Japan wrestlers look down on them! He called Takagi the root of all evil but then admitted to having good memories with everyone in the ring with him. Honda finally poked him in the eye with Gongitsune during the speech but Suzuki didn’t react. He revealed he had trained his eyeballs in anticipation for this match! Honda charged up Gongitsune by using Dieno’s Hell Gate but Suzuki blocked it by stealing Imabayashi’s glasses and putting them on to act as a shield. Suzuki then fought off Toru Owashi & Super Sasadango Machine but was caught with the Stunner by Takagi. Suzuki resisted the impact at first but soon ran out of energy and collapsed to the match. Everyone piled on top of him to get the pinfall but Daisuke Kiso declared afterward that it was Imabayashi’s glasses that pinned Suzuki which means the Glasses are now the Iron Man Champion! Later at the end of the show Honda found the glasses over at the timekeeper’s table and destroyed them to be declared the new champion.

The rule for the DDT Extreme Title match was Yukinori Matsui had to wear a helmet with a button attached to it on his head. If To-y or Hideki Okatani pressed the button, they would then need to make Matsui laugh during a staring contest. Succeeding in that would allow them to use a bamboo sword as a legal weapon for one minute. To-y was eager to follow those rules while Okatani was not in the humour to mess around like that. When he kept ignoring the rule, Matsui told Okatani he wants him to make him laugh. Okatani finally obliged and made a funny face to make Matsui collapse in laughter. Okatani then whacked To-y over the head with the bamboo stick and pinned him with the Vertical Drop Brainbuster to become the new Extreme Champion.

After the match KIMIHIRO appeared at the entrance to make an introduction for Yukio Naya. When Naya got into the ring he told Okatani that “extreme” means big so he’s going to use his size to take the Extreme Title from him! Okatani called Naya arrogant but accepted his challenge for 15th April. According to him, just because Naya is big doesn’t mean he can beat Okatani to win the title. Meanwhile To-y accepted defeat and praised Okatani for being the star of the match even though he expected Okatani would remain as a supporting character.

Fandora have another championship match to look forward to soon. Brookes & HARASHIMA teamed up against Shinya Aoki & Junta Miyawaki to determine the No. 1 Contenders for the KO-D Tag Team Titles. Miyawaki almost had HARASHIMA beat with the Sunshine Clutch but Brookes broke up the pin. HARASHIMA fired himself back up to put Miyawaki on the defensive and used the Somato on Aoki to knock him off the ring apron. Meanwhile Brookes gave Miyawaki a Piledriver, rolling him into position for another Somato to give Fandora the win. Backstage HARASHIMA said they knew their opponents had moves that could beat them regardless of how much stamina they had so it was up to their own teamwork to get past any close calls and win.

It was 29th June, 2025 when Shunma Katsumata last wrestled a proper match. Now after spending the last nine months rehabilitating from a torn ACL he was back in action and wrestling his good friend MAO. They wasted no time in setting their pace and MAO even broke a few plastic boxes in the process. Katsumata went for the Totonou Splash but MAO blocked it with his knees. Katsumata tried to fire himself back up after taking the Michinoku Driver II but he was put away with a Running Palm Strike afterward. Katsumata spoke about how happy he is to be back in the ring after 265 days. As long as he gets to wrestle like this he will never complain. He might get injured again but he’ll recover and return again no matter how many times it happens! MAO said he hopes this is the last time Katsumata has a comeback match. He and Katsumata will also make sure they will never put themselves in a position where they have to forfeit a championship again.

The 3 Way Tag Match featured the DDT debut of Masami Inahata. He got to start off the match against Kumadori until Ilusion got involved trying to form alliances. When that didn’t work, MJ Paul went on the attack by targeting Makoto Oishi. Inahata got his moment by giving Paul a Brainbuster but Ilusion ruined it by giving Inahata a Low Blow afterward. In the end it was the teamwork of Viento Maligno & Kumadori that won out. Kumadori did a Fosbury Flop onto everyone outside the ring while Maligno pinned Ilusion with his finisher to win. Kumadori liked teaming with Maligno but wishes they could communicate better because Maligno doesn’t seem to understand Japanese. Oishi told Inahata that today is a new beginning for him and he will become even bigger in DDT.

Evil Uno was welcomed back into DDT for a tag match against The Apex. Uno teamed with Akito but the pair of them were overwhelmed by the power of Iino & Naya. One big Spear from Iino to Akito was all it took to end the match. Iino hasn’t been wrestling that much lately but he reminded everyone he is still training hard. Uno said he should be unhappy over the result but the last time he was in DDT he had to kiss Dieno’s butt so today was a much better experience for him.

Jun Akiyama stood before Rukiya as his big challenge in the opening contest. Rukiya tried to deal some damage outside the ring only for Akiyama to do that to him instead. Rukiya was able to rope break his way out of a Crab Hold and he also kicked out of the Exploder Suplex. Akiyama waited patiently to hit him with a Knee Strike before using another Exploder to beat him.

One of the dark matches was put together by Tokyo Joshi Pro to promote “GRAND PRINCESS ’26” taking place at Sumo Hall on 29th March. HIMAWARI, Haru Kazashiro & Chika Nanase went on to beat Toga, Ren Konatsu & Shion Kanzaki. Kazashiro scored the win for her team and got to advertise the show for her post match victory speech.

The other dark match was Yuni taking on Hinata Kasai. As already mentioned earlier, Kasai still has not won a match by himself yet. He tried to submit Yuni with the STF but Yuni got out of it and used the Jorge Clutch out of an Arm Drag to pin him.

The participants for King Of DDT 2026 were revealed during the show. The entries are HARASHIMA, Danshoku Dieno, MAO, Chris Brookes, Yukio Naya, KANON, Takeshi Masada, Hideki Okatani, To-y, Shinya Aoki, Yuya Koroku, Daichi Sato, Kaisei Takechi, Junta Miyawaki, Kazuma Sumi and Minoru Suzuki.


Video – DDT Vs Kongo From “CYBERFIGHT FESTIVAL 2021”

March 6, 2026


“CYBERFIGHT FESTIVAL 2021”, 06/06/2021
Saitama Super Arena
4,800 Fans – Super No Vacancy

8. DDT Vs Kongo Full Scale 12-Man Tag Team Match: Sanshiro Takagi, Akito, Kazusada Higuchi, Yukio Sakaguchi, Naomi Yoshimura & Yukio Naya Vs Kenoh, Katsuhiko Nakajima, Manabu Soya, Haoh, Nioh & Tadasuke


Video – CHOSHI ELECTRIC RAIL X DDT “TRAIN PRO WRESTLING”

February 20, 2026


CHOSHI ELECTRIC RAIL X DDT “TRAIN PRO WRESTLING”, 16/04/2017
Nakano Town Station
40 Fans – 100% Boarding Rate

1. Falls Count Anywhere Time Difference Battle Royal: Sanshiro Takagi Vs Rekka Vs HARASHIMA Vs Nobuhiro Shimatani Vs Yasu Urano Vs Keisuke Ishii Vs Mad Paulie Vs Danshoku Dieno Vs Royce Isaacs Vs Guanchulo Vs Makoto Oishi Vs Shunma Katsumata Vs MAO Vs Saki Akai Vs Lady Beard Vs Kazusada Higuchi


Video – Saki Akai’s Retirement Match

January 23, 2026


DDT “ULTIMATE PARTY 2023”, 12/11/2023
Tokyo Ryogoku Kokugikan
4,785 Fans – No Vacancy

8. Goodcom Presents Saki Akai Retirement Match ~Strong, Noble, Beautiful~: Saki Akai, Yukio Sakaguchi & Hideki Okatani Vs Naomichi Marufuji, Kazusada Higuchi & Miyu Yamashita