DDT “JUDGEMENT 2022 ~DDT 25TH ANNIVERSARY~” Preview

March 18, 2022

DDT “JUDGEMENT 2022 ~DDT 25TH ANNIVERSARY~”, 20/03/2022
Tokyo Ryogoku Kokugikan

0. Dark Match: Tomomitsu Matsunaga, Toui Kojima, Yuki Ishida Vs Yusuke Okada, Yuya Koroku & Ilusion
0. Dark Match – Time Admission Tag Battle Royal: Tomohiko Hashimoto & Seiya Morohashi Vs Soma Takao & Shota Vs Minoru Fujita & MJ Paul Vs Yuji Hino & Yukio Naya Vs Gorgeous Matsuno & Gota Ihashi Vs Andreza Giant Panda & Super Sasadango Machine
1. KO-D 10-Man Tag Team Titles: Toru Owashi, Antonio Honda, Kazuki Hirata & Yoshihiko (c) Vs Poison Sawada JULIE, Takashi Sasaki, GENTARO, MIKAMI & Thanomsak Toba (w/ Naomi Susan)
2. Special Single Match: Saki Akai Vs Maya Yukihi
3. DDT 25th Anniversary Special Single Match – No DQ “I’m Sorry” Match: Sanshiro Takagi Vs Michael Nakazawa
4. Special Tag Match: Isami Kodaka & Yukio Sakaguchi Vs Yuki Ueno & Shunma Katsumata
5. LiLiCo Retirement Match: LiLiCo, Ryohei Odai & Akito (w/ Junretsu) Vs Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno, Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Yumehito “Fantastic” Imanari
6. Jun Akiyama 30th Anniversary Match: Jun Akiyama & Takao Omori Vs Kazusada Higuchi & Hideki Okatani
7. DDT Universal Title – Hardcore 3 Way Match: Daisuke Sasaki (c) Vs Jun Kasai Vs MAO
8. KO-D Tag Team Titles: HARASHIMA & Naomi Yoshimura (c) Vs Chris Brookes & Masahiro Takanashi
9. KO-D Openweight Title – Japan Bakery Marketing Presents: Konosuke Takeshita (c) Vs Tetsuya Endo

Bloody hell this thing lasted 25 years. TWENTY FIVE YEARS! DDT is a company that was put together by a promoter named Shintaro Muto* along with three wrestlers who exited Pro Wrestling Crusaders with him in 1996. Those three wrestlers are known today by the names Sanshiro Takagi, MIKAMI and NOSAWA Rongai. Fast forward to 2022. DDT is now celebrating its silver anniversary and is a key part of the second most powerful wrestling conglomerate in Japan. Its very first show in March 1997, one that was held even before the name Dramatic Dream Team was decided on, was called “JUDGEMENT” because the audience was asked to vote on whether or not the actual launch in May should go ahead. 154 people voted for the launch to proceed and 24 people voted to cancel it. Thank God nobody listened to those 24 people.

There is plenty on show to celebrate the 25th Anniversary. Many figures from the company’s past are flocking into Sumo Hall to join with the present and perhaps future of DDT. Four championships are on the line, career milestones are being acknowledged, grudges will be settled, a retirement will take place and the headline match features the two wrestlers DDT spent the last decade building up to be their star players.

*It is very difficult to find information about Muto online. He was a part of PWC behind the scenes but other than that I don’t know what his background is. There’s an old blog post from 2007 where Takagi jokes about Muto always finding newly opened club venues for DDT to hold shows at. There’s also a picture Takagi tweeted of him from his wedding party in 2009 if you want to see what he actually looked like back then.

0. Dark Match: Tomomitsu Matsunaga, Toui Kojima, Yuki Ishida Vs Yusuke Okada, Yuya Koroku & Ilusion

This one had a last minute change of plans. El Unicorn was supposed to be in this match but tested positive for covid a few days before the show. Tomomitsu Matsunaga is taking his place. He in-ring time for much of the year was as a opening match substitute for anyone who is suddenly out of action. The other DDTeeeen!! wrestler Ilusion has wrestled twice so far this year as the heel representation of the brand. Yusuke Okada also had some covid setbacks that set him back but he has since found his place in the BURNING unit. Yuki Ishida has been a bright spark in the ring so far. He can turn into a little sumo firecracker if he keeps it up.

The fun part of this match is the growing feud between the rookies Toui Kojima and Yuya Koroku. These two have been at each other’s throats in a lot of The 37KAMIINA Vs BURNING matches and Koroku has gotten Kojima’s number every time. At first the losses got to Kojima and made him cry. But he swore the next time he cries it will be from tears of joy when he finally beats Koroku! Even if it happens on the first match of the pre-show, it will still mean the world to him if he pulls it off here.

0. Dark Match – Time Admission Tag Battle Royal: Tomohiko Hashimoto & Seiya Morohashi Vs Soma Takao & Shota Vs Minoru Fujita & MJ Paul Vs Yuji Hino & Yukio Naya Vs Gorgeous Matsuno & Gota Ihashi Vs Andreza Giant Panda & Super Sasadango Machine

Some DDT nostalgia fills up the Dark Match Tag Team Rumble. The Double Bridge team of Tomohiko Hashimoto & Seiya Morohashi returns for this match. Hashimoto was a regular part of DDT shows in the 2000s while Morohashi stuck around the DDT family up until 2016. Soma Takao & Shota have been bouncing around Ganbare☆Pro as ROMANCE DAWN and having fun doing so. Not so fun is the DAMNATION T.A pair of Minoru Fujita & MJ Paul. The big boys Yuji Hino & Yukio Naya are still together despite a lack of success as a team. Gorgeous Matsuno will be there to serenade the fans while Gota Ihashi will hopefully try a fat boy Moonsault. That leaves Super Sasadango Machine joining forces with an old opponent. It’s the return of Andreza Giant Panda! It is the first time Andreza has been in Sumo Hall since Muscle ran there in 2019. Sadly his master Samson Miyamoto passed away during September 2020 but Andreza continues to make sporadic appearances in wrestling shows around the country.

1. KO-D 10-Man Tag Team Titles: Toru Owashi, Antonio Honda, Kazuki Hirata & Yoshihiko (c) Vs Poison Sawada JULIE, Takashi Sasaki, GENTARO, MIKAMI & Thanomsak Toba (w/ Naomi Susan)

More nostalgia will be found in the opener. The rules for the KO-D 10-Man Tag Team Titles are a little muddled up at the moment. It was turned into the KO-D 8-Man Tag Team Titles during the pandemic to reduce spreading covid through the roster. However when it was changed back into a 10-Man Tag Championship, the DDT Variety Team were told to keep defending the belts as a team of four. So the current champions have to take part in 4 Vs 5 Handicap matches until they lose the titles. It’s a tough challenge but the foursome have lasted this long. Toru Owashi spent the year winning a small collection of obscure championships, Antonio Honda keeps finding ways to talk about Gongitsune, Kazuki Hirata is trying to find a new direction but always reverts back to his dancing and Yoshihiko is as dangerous as ever.

A cast of DDT Legends have come to challenge for the title. Poison Sawada JULIE leads the charge with his valet Naomi Susan ready to rattle along to his snake magic. Takashi Sasaki is nowadays known for running FREEDOMS but he was also the fourth wrestler in DDT when it launched. His Aka Rangers tag team partner GENTARO is along for the ride too. MIKAMI is also a DDT original from the very start. If his inspiration Jeff Hardy can still go strong then why can’t he? Plus if MIKAMI is here then you need to get Thanomsak Toba to complete The Suicide Boyz. On behalf of the 2000s message board era of puroresu fans, I apologise for spelling his name Tanomusaku Toba for all these years. It took this long for me to get the Thanomsak Sithbaobay influence.

2. Special Single Match: Saki Akai Vs Maya Yukihi

If you like the free agency/transfer window period in sports then joshi wrestling for the last five months was a blast to follow. Women jumping ship to other promotions, contracts going haywire and promotions turning on their heads meant there was never a dull moment behind the scenes. One of the key figures during this time is Maya Yukihi. For seven years she called Ice Ribbon her home promotion until last December when she was among the wave of talent announcing their intentions to leave the company. Everyone else in the group went on to form Prominence but Yukihi decided to go freelance instead. It makes sense when you see that she already has established roles in OZ Academy along with the Rebel & Enemy faction on the indies. But once she turned freelance, the first place she went to was DDT. Then things got interesting. She hadn’t even worked her first date with DDT yet when Tokyo Sports reported that CyberFight really wanted Yukihi to sign a contract with them.

When Yukihi did have her first match in DDT, she stood across the ring from Saki Akai. Their interactions were respectful during the match and polite afterwards but Yukihi couldn’t help but think Akai was a little bit jealous now she was sharing her DDT spotlight with another woman. As the two continued wrestling each other Yukihi revealed that eight years ago she approached DDT wanting to become a pro wrestler but was turned down. Around that same time period she found out Akai debuted for DDT and essential ended up getting the career she wanted. The positive side to this story is Yukihi found another path to becoming a pro wrestler and it is one she is proud of. Now she wanted to prove that her style of joshi wrestling is better than Akai’s style! A women’s match with a story as powerful as this deserves to take place on an event as important as DDT’s 25th Anniversary so Takagi decided to put it right here in Sumo Hall!

Ever since the match was announced, the tag matches between Akai and Yukihi have become more heated as one would accuse the other of being jealous. Akai would blatantly pin Yukihi with her Rookie Award finisher to rub in the fact she won that category in the Tokyo Sports Awards. Yukihi got her own back by making Akai submit in a later match, figuring out that using her arsenal of moves that nobody from DDT have seen before will be the key to victory. Akai wants to prove that she made it to where she is today through hard work and that she is capable of carrying DDT on her back. But she also can’t help but dig deeper into the insults. She recently gave Yukihi a bouquet of yellow roses because yellow roses represent jealousy. Yukihi promised to give them back to Akai when she beats her!

3. DDT 25th Anniversary Special Single Match – No DQ “I’m Sorry” Match: Sanshiro Takagi Vs Michael Nakazawa

Apologizing to your boss for doing something wrong is a humbling experience that can bruise your ego. However when the tables are turned and your boss apologizes to you it can lift your spirits a lot. So I can kind of relate to what Michael Nakazawa is going through. His first couple of years in DDT were alright but the cracks in his working relationship with Sanshiro Takagi first began in 2008. Nakazawa’s contract with DDT wasn’t renewed despite his intentions to stay with the company. He fought and clawed his way back into DDT later that year but the same situation repeated a year later. Takagi just wanted to get rid of him but somehow Nakazawa would always find a way to get back in! So Takagi decided to do whatever he could think of to embarrass Nakazawa on shows event though he had support from wrestlers like Kota Ibushi and Kenny Omega. Poor Nakazawa had fireworks shot at him, was beaten around like a crash test dummy, got into mismatches against the likes of Minoru Suzuki and even took part in the first Anal Explosion opening ceremony when DDT held their Ryogoku debut. It’s now wonder he held a grudge with Takagi for all these years.

So when Nakazawa was picked up by AEW to work in America it looked like a massive reward for all the crap Nakazawa had to eat in DDT. Finally he was going to be a big star around the world. Unfortunately the matches he has on AEW Dark all reach a level low enough to make Excalibur and Taz consider retirement from broadcasting. However wrestling overseas always makes a wrestler improve no matter who they are and Nakazawa is ready to unload on his old boss. His finishing move the Ultimate Venom Arm has been upgraded to include the AEW initials in the name. Earlier this week he beat Takagi in an impromptu Falls Count Anywhere match held outside of a bookstore. The taste of victory was sweet but not enough. Nakazawa needs something more and that is for Takagi to apologize to him for everything he put him through in his life. Their match at Sumo Hall is No Holds Barred and can take place anywhere inside or out of the building. The only way to win is to make your opponent say “I’m Sorry!” on the microphone. What will it take for either of them to finally admit they were wrong?

4. Special Tag Match: Isami Kodaka & Yukio Sakaguchi Vs Yuki Ueno & Shunma Katsumata

A good mix of wrestlers here. Isami Kodaka was never really a proper member of the DDT roster. He came in through Union Pro and took the indies path that led him to forming BASARA. His absolute peak in DDT was around that time period when he also beat Yukio Sakaguchi to become the company’s top champion. That was seven years ago so there should be no problem with the two teaming together this weekend. But if there is some tension between the two then maybe a visit to the sauna will calm them down.

That’s where The 37KAMIINA come in. Shunma Katsumata’s love for the sauna is so strong he now runs a hut in Tateyama, Chiba called Sea Sauna Shack. In the ring he shows a more violent side that somehow matches his joyful behavior. Maybe it’s the Lego weapons that keeps him from never losing his temper. Yuki Ueno however is making big strides up the ladder, reaching the D-Ou Grand Prix final at the end of last year. It is only a matter of time before he reaches the top of the DDT mountain. Only problem is right now he is stuck in the shadow of his high school classmate. But we’ll eventually cross that bridge when we get to it. Not that it will be anytime soon.

5. LiLiCo Retirement Match: LiLiCo, Ryohei Odai & Akito (w/ Junretsu) Vs Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno, Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Yumehito “Fantastic” Imanari

DDT has held many matches involving celebrities before and LiLiCo is the one who stood out the most. The half Swedish, half Japanese TV personality wrestled several times for DDT between 2014 and 2017. During her time here she won the DDT Extreme Title, the Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title and the KO-D 10-Man Tag Titles. She hasn’t wrestled since then but a knee injury suffered two years ago made her want to have one more match so she could have a proper pro wrestling retirement. To make this match even more special, LiLiCo asked for many handsome men to be involved. DDT made it so by including Akito and also her husband Ryohei Odai to be on her team. Odai is an actor who has starred in Kamen Rider shows and was also a part of the pop band Junretsu (whose name inspired the identical sounding DDT unit). Despite that pedigree he does not have the physical tools needed to wrestle. Even running the ropes gives him a bad back ache. When asked for an opponent, LiLiCo suggested one of them be Danshoku Dieno because they had a risky rivalry together. She may end up regretting that because… *sighs* well let’s just get straight into it with Pheromones.

For the last year DDT has been surrounded by Pheromones. Dieno, Yuki Iino & Yumehito Imanari became obsessed over their lusty attitudes and succumbed to their lewd behaviour. Dieno became “Dandy”, Iino became “Sexy” and Imanari became “Fantastic”. They don’t care about winning or losing often. Instead they want to do what they want without any limitation or censorship. Unfortunately their actions often go beyond the line of good taste and decency so many of their matches end before the finish so DDT doesn’t get kicked off Samurai! TV or banned from Youtube. The GM Hisaya Imabayashi often tries to stop them just to end up getting “publicly executed” by Pheromones for getting in their way. You’d be surprised how many ways Dieno and his mates can come up with giving their opponents the Stinkface. Just when I think I’ve seen them all, poof, there’s a new angle one person’s face can be shoved into another person’s backside. It’s kind of impressive actually.

So that is what LiLiCo and her handsome men have to deal with. She’s up for the challenge and is threatening to cut off Dieno’s you know what if she has to. Akito has this match to worry about alongside his CyberFight VP duties. And Odai still needs to learn how he can fight in the ring when he gets blisters just from pointing at stuff. As retirement matches go it’s not quite on the level of Genichiro Tenryu but I think it can get close enough.

6. Jun Akiyama 30th Anniversary Match: Jun Akiyama & Takao Omori Vs Kazusada Higuchi & Hideki Okatani

There’s an alternate timeline where Jun Akiyama was able to travel in America in 2020 and coach at the WWE Performance Center. What a gift DDT would have missed out on if that went ahead as planned. Instead he was offered a guest coaching spot in, slowly made the transition over from All Japan to join the company full time and the rest is history. And that history is important because Akiyama is celebrating 30 years in pro wrestling this year. All Japan gave permission for Takao Omori to come on over and bring back the Burning Wild tag team for one night only. However their opponents are not in the mood to wish them well for their accomplishment.

Eruption added a new member this year and it is somebody Akiyama knows well. The young wrestler Hideki Okatani learned from him as part of the Junretsu stable but now he is on a new path to become the Red Fighting Spirit. Kazusada Higuchi tested the kid before accepting him into Eruption and now the unit has renewed energy flowing through it. The two of them would love nothing more than to beat Akiyama and surpass him. When Omori heard about the disrespect coming from his opponents he threatened to crush them in the ring! What was meant to be an honorable tag team match may turn into a war between generations!

7. DDT Universal Title – Hardcore 3 Way Match: Daisuke Sasaki (c) Vs Jun Kasai Vs MAO

There’s a bunch of stories going on in this match but you can ignore the MAO stuff. That’s what the other two are doing. MAO pinned Daisuke Sasaki during the Ultimate Tag League and demanded a shot at his DDT Universal Title. Sasaki refused and continued doing so when MAO kept demanding the match. Then Jun Kasai returned to DDT wanting Sasaki to do a rematch of their Hardcore war at Saitama Super Arena five years ago. Sasaki is the only wrestler in DDT that excites Kasai because he couldn’t beat him back then. Sasaki agreed to the rematch but still had MAO following him claiming to have the next title shot. The solution was to do a 3 Way Hardcore match. That way Sasaki gets to fight Kasai again and MAO will finally leave him alone. The latter hasn’t happened yet, MAO still follows him around trying to get his attention. Sasaki had to go deep into the Nerima mountains for special training to finally escape from him. Even then MAO eventually figured out there are no mountains in Nerima.

The situation going into this match is Sasaki and Kasai are only focused on each other. Kasai’s goal is to maim and embarrass Sasaki. Taking the Universal Title from him will naturally happen as part of the process. The champion wants to make Kasai vomit blood and cry in despair that he will never beat Sasaki. MAO would just like his opponents to notice him for once.

8. KO-D Tag Team Titles: HARASHIMA & Naomi Yoshimura (c) Vs Chris Brookes & Masahiro Takanashi

HARASHIMA & Naomi Yoshimura pulled off an unusual gambit for this year’s Ultimate Tag League. They were the reigning KO-D Tag Team Champions but decided to vacate the belts before the tournament so they would be rewarded to the League winners. Their logic was by entering the League without the championship, they were on an even playing field to everyone else. Therefore winning the tournament will be undeniable proof that DISASTER BOX is the strongest tag team in DDT. Their plan worked and their pay off was having the KO-D Tag Titles returned to them. Things may have turned out different though because the Tag League was pretty much cursed from the get go.

Learn this lesson. Never run a round robin tournament during a pandemic. The Tag League this year was riddled with forfeits because wrestlers kept catching covid or had to stay home because they were close contacts. CDK only wrestled two matches and won both of them but had to forfeit the rest of their matches because Chris Brookes & Masahiro Takanashi both had separate positive cases. They had no chance of reaching the finals despite winning matches when they were able to compete. Plus one of those wins was against DISASTER BOX!

The champions did not forget about that. Their only loss in the Tag League was against CDK in the group stage so minutes after the final was over and they received their prizes, the call out was made. DISASTER BOX wanted the rematch and would put the KO-D Tag Titles on the line! CDK accepted the challenge, believing the belts should belong to them anyway. They’ve been using every trick in their book to get the upper hand in recent matches and they also won the Asia Dream Tag Team Titles in ChocoPro. Meanwhile HARASHIMA has his trusty old Somato while Yoshimura now has a new F5 style finisher called the Osaka Dream. It is the strongest tag team in DDT taking on the most dramatic and dreamiest tag team!

9. KO-D Openweight Title – Japan Bakery Marketing Presents: Konosuke Takeshita (c) Vs Tetsuya Endo

The main event of the 25th Anniversary show cannot fit in all 25 years of DDT’s history into one match but it will complete the decade long story of Konosuke Takeshita and Tetsuya Endo. Last year was the most impressive yet from Takeshita. He overcame a bad period of results by going overseas to AEW and coming back as a complete pro wrestler who was finally comfortable in his own skin. He regained the KO-D Openweight Title and has swept through everyone who stood in his way. All that is left to challenge him is an opponent who probably knows him more than anyone else.

Endo needed to find a new direction and control his own fate after the original DAMNATION was forced to split up. He was happy being the right hand man back then but the time had come for him to have a new unit he could call his own. He had some wise men guiding him along the process. Kenta Kobashi had been supporting Endo and decided to pair him with Jun Akiyama to start off. Endo then decided to add in Yusuke Okada and Yuya Koroku to complete the group. All that was needed was a name. Endo took inspiration from his two mentors and revived the name BURNING with their permission. A name with that much history would motivate Endo to work his hardest to live up to it. Everything was set up and Endo now only needs one last piece to complete the puzzle. The KO-D Openweight Title. When Takeshita asked for a challenger to face him for DDT’s 25th Anniversary, Endo came out and said he was the only one who can face him at Sumo Hall.

It was said before that this is not a rivalry because rivals are meant to motivate each other to do their best. These two are enemies. The proof can be seen from the last four months of DDT shows where The 37KAMIINA Vs BURNING has dominated the main events and upper parts of the cards. Endo has upgraded the Shooting Star Press. First he changed the name to the Burning Star Press and now it is The Best Burning Star Press In The Universe. It is a move Endo was able to pin Takeshita with in response to Takeshita submitting him with the Plus Ultra a few days earlier. It has been a tight conflict and the only thing for certain is whoever wins will lead DDT into its 26th year and beyond!

Comments Off on DDT “JUDGEMENT 2022 ~DDT 25TH ANNIVERSARY~” Preview | Previews | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by JamieOD

Judgement 2022 Press Conference

March 10, 2022

DDT “JUDGEMENT 2022 ~DDT 25TH ANNIVERSARY~”, 20/03/2022
Tokyo Ryogoku Kokugikan

0. Dark Match: Yusuke Okada, Yuya Koroku & Ilusion Vs Toui Kojima, Yuki Ishida & El Unicorn
0. Dark Match – Time Admission Tag Battle Royal: Tomohiko Hashimoto & Seiya Morohashi Vs Soma Takao & Shota Vs Minoru Fujita & MJ Paul Vs Yuji Hino & Yukio Naya Vs Gorgeous Matsuno & Gota Ihashi Vs Andreza Giant Panda & Super Sasadango Machine
1. KO-D 10-Man Tag Team Titles: Toru Owashi, Antonio Honda, Kazuki Hirata & Yoshihiko (c) Vs Poison Sawada JULIE, Takashi Sasaki, GENTARO, MIKAMI & Tanomusaku Toba (w/ Naomi Susan)
2. LiLiCo Retirement Match: LiLiCo, Ryohei Odai & Akito (w/ Junretsu) Vs Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno, Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Yumehito “Fantastic” Imanari
3. Special Tag Match: Isami Kodaka & Yukio Sakaguchi Vs Yuki Ueno & Shunma Katsumata
4. Special Single Match: Saki Akai Vs Maya Yukihi
5. Jun Akiyama 30th Anniversary Match: Jun Akiyama & Takao Omori Vs Kazusada Higuchi & Hideki Okatani
6. DDT 25th Anniversary Special Single Match: Sanshiro Takagi Vs Michael Nakazawa
7. KO-D Tag Team Titles: HARASHIMA & Naomi Yoshimura (c) Vs Chris Brookes & Masahiro Takanashi
8. DDT Universal Title – Hardcore 3 Way Match: Daisuke Sasaki (c) Vs Jun Kasai Vs MAO
9. KO-D Openweight Title – Japan Bakery Marketing Presents: Konosuke Takeshita (c) Vs Tetsuya Endo

Yesterday DDT held a press conference in Tokyo to promote several of the big matches taking place at the company’s 25th Anniversary show. Tetsuya Endo feels he has achieved so much in DDT from debuting during the promotion’s 15th year, winning the KO-D Openweight Title in America, winning the same championship without an audience and getting his leg broken by his boss three weeks before a big show in Ota Ward Gymnasium. The one thing he has not accomplished is winning the main event of a Sumo Hall show. On 20th March he will get the last piece of the puzzle and become the most complete version of Tetsuya Endo that nobody can take their eyes off of. Konosuke Takeshita doesn’t think he and Endo can show the full 25 year history of DDT in one match. But they can show everyone the path they both took DDT in the last ten years. He believes the match will have a perfect finish so there will be no excuses no matter who wins or loses. For Endo the perfect finish is pinning Takeshita with the Best Burning Star Press In The Universe. Kenta Kobashi will be in attendance to present the KO-D Title to the winner.

MAO showed up to the conference dressed head to toe in tinfoil hoping to get the attention of his opponents. He is fed up of Daisuke Sasaki only talking about Jun Kasai and Kasai ignoring him entirely. Today’s costume is MAO’s way of saying he will be an overwhelming presence at Sumo Hall when he wins the DDT Universal Title! Unfortunately both Sasaki and Kasai continued to ignore him, which made MAO think he made his presence too big. Kasai still feels embarrassed over losing to Sasaki at Saitama Super Arena five years ago. His goal to get revenge is not to win the title but to embarrass Sasaki. Winning the championship will naturally find its way to him in the process. Sasaki threatened to make Kasai vomit blood and leave him crying “I cannot beat Daisuke Sasaki!” to the world.

 

All of a sudden the KO-D Tag Team Title match has turned into one champion team defending against another champion team. CDK recently won the Asia Dream Tag Team Titles in ChocoPro so they are now even more determined to beat DISASTER BOX, even though just the KO-D Tag Titles are on the line. Masahiro Takanashi wants to hold the Asia Dream belts up to the same standard and doesn’t understand why Naomi Yoshimura is annoyed by the challenge. Yoshimura explained that he thinks the KO-D Tag Titles have not been treated as well as DDT’s other championships. He actually is happy to defend the titles against Takanashi & Chris Brookes because they are showing respect to the belts. HARASHIMA said he and Yoshimura have already proven they are the strongest tag team in DDT and they will prove it again.

Sanshiro Takagi set up a video call with Michael Nakazawa to talk about their match because he was told Nakazawa is still in America working for AEW. Takagi made the match because it will be sentimental for Nakazawa who will be wrestling in Japan for the first time in three years. However since it is DDT’s 25th Anniversary, Takagi said he will win the match in 25 seconds! Nakazawa on the video call said he still holds a grudge with Takagi and is looking forward to humiliating him. The two got into an arguement and Takagi said he will beat Nakazawa into a pulp. Nakazawa wondered if he would say that to his face. Suddenly, Nakazawa entered the room. He’s in Japan after all! Takagi challenged him to make their match Falls Count Anywhere and the two started brawling. Nakazawa ended up winning the fight using an upgraded version of his finisher, the Ultimate Venom AEW Arm. He told the knocked out Takagi “Goodbye and good night!” before leaving.

Not everyone is excited for Jun Akiyama’s 30th Anniversary in pro wrestling. Kazusada Higuchi & Hideki Okatani from Eruption do not care what the occasion is to have this match. Higuchi still has frustration about Akiyama despite Akiyama beating the respect into him one year ago. The only celebrating he will do involves using his head to bash Akiyama. Okatani says he is not the same person who was teaming with Akiyama in Junretsu. He wants to stand out and win. At first Takao Omori was honored to take part in the show and be part of this match. But the disrespect on show here is pissing him off and now he won’t hold back in crushing his opponents! Akiyama calmed things down and said he is grateful to All Japan for letting Omori team with him again.

More disrespect was shown when it was time for Saki Akai and Maya Yukihi to appear. Both of them are honored to have a match like this in Sumo Hall but it is still a match built around jealousy. Yukihi does have a direct win over Akai but she thinks she will have to do something new to win at Ryogoku, or at least use something DDT fans have not seen before. Akai said whenever she is feeling frustrated or uncomfortable she likes to look at beautiful things. So today she brought along a bouquet of yellow roses. She explained yellow roses are perfect for Yukihi because they represent her jealousy and then passed them over to her. Yukihi held back from attacking Akai with the roses. Instead she will keep them in perfect condition so she can give them back to Akai after she beats her!

Comedian Ryota Yamasato will be at the show with a very special task. He has to take part in the Anal Explosion opening ceremony to kick off the show. It is traditionally how DDT starts of their most important shows with a bang. Yamasato is not looking forward to it.

There will be a full preview of the show posted next week.

Comments Off on Judgement 2022 Press Conference | News | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by JamieOD

DDT “NEVER MIND 2021 IN YOYOGI” Results

December 26, 2021

DDT “NEVER MIND 2021 IN YOYOGI”, 26/12/2021
Yoyogi National Stadium 2nd Gymnasium
1,134 Fans – No Vacancy

0. Dark Match: Toru Owashi & Yukio Naya defeated Antonio Honda & Hideki Okatani when Naya pinned Okatani with the Back Drop (6:17).
0. Dark Match – DDTeeeen!! Special Single Match: Vent Vert Jack defeated Ilusion with the Tlaloc (9:08).
0. Dark Match: Sanshiro Takagi defeated Maku Donaruto with the Kentucky Bomb (7:54).
1. Soma Takao & Shota defeated Akito & Yuki Ishida when Shota pinned Ishida with the Frog Splash (8:35).
2. KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles: Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno, Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Yumehito “Fantastic” Imanari (c) defeated Shinya Aoki, Yumiko Hotta & Super Sasadango Machine when Iino submitted Machine after the Ferrozzo (9:57).
*V2 for Pheromones.
3. Special Single Match: Shuji Kondo defeated Kazuki Hirata with the King Kong Lariat (9:40).
4. Special 6-Man Tag Match – Yukio Sakaguchi Return Match: Minoru Suzuki, Chris Brookes & Maki Itoh defeated Yukio Sakaguchi, Kazusada Higuchi & Saki Akai when Suzuki pinned Sakaguchi with the Gotch-Style Piledriver (20:38).
5. BURNING Vs The 37KAMIINA!: Tetsuya Endo, Jun Akiyama, Yusuke Okada & Yuya Koroku defeated Shunma Katsumata, Yuki Ueno, MAO & Toui Kojima when Endo pinned Kojima with the Shooting Star Press (16:30).
6. DDT Universal Title – BLACKOUT Presents: Daisuke Sasaki (c) defeated Masahiro Takanashi with the Crossface Lock (17:48).
*V3 for Daisuke Sasaki.
7. KO-D Tag Team Titles – WRESTLE UNIVERSE Presents: HARASHIMA & Naomi Yoshimura defeated Yuji Hino & Bodyguard when Yoshimura pinned Bodyguard with a Lariat (18:17).
*V1 for DISASTER BOX.
8. KO-D Openweight Title – Yanekabe Presents: Konosuke Takeshita (c) defeated Yuji Okabayashi with the Plus Ultra (37:17).
*V2 for Konosuke Takeshita.

The final DDT show of 2021 took place in Yoyogi National Stadium 2nd Gymnasium and was the first time DDT held a show in the venue. The main event was a rematch from the D-Ou Grand Prix with Konosuke Takeshita taking on Yuji Okabayashi. The D-Ou match went the distance and ended with a 30 minute draw but this time the KO-D Openweight Title was on the line, extending the time limit to 60 minutes. Kenta Kobashi watched on from the commentary booth as champion and challenger fought for almost 40 minutes this time. Okabayashi used the power of Pissari to resist the Plus Ultra submission hold. Trading German Suplexes led to a double down moment. Lariats and Jumping Knees couldn’t put Okabayashi away so Takeshita went for Plus Ultra again. Okabayashi used his strength to stand up for Takeshita held on and added a Manjigatame style hold to bring his opponent back down to the mat and make him submit.

Kobashi entered the ring to present the KO-D Title to Takeshita. The champion thanked Okabayashi for coming to DDT from Big Japan all by himself and giving the fans many great matches. Takeshita picked him to be his challenger and in return he got the most spirited opponent he had ever seen. He is now his rival and best opponent. They should have another match again and maybe this time Big Japan can host it. He said this was the year when he, The 37KAMIINA and DDT all improved together as a team. 2022 will be when DDT becomes bigger and stronger without forgetting what makes them DDT. Backstage Takeshita said his determination as champion was the deciding factor today. He thinks if the roles were reversed and he was the challenger he wouldn’t have won. Kobashi called this match more intense than the D-Ou draw. He also complimented the Jumping Knee that Takeshita now uses.

Determination to hold onto the championship is also what drove Naomi Yoshimura today. He & HARASHIMA struggled against Yuji Hino & Bodyguard leading up to the show so today they had to give it their all. Yoshimura took all the Lariats and High Kicks his opponents threw at him while HARASHIMA was there to break him out of trouble. A collapse in teamwork from Hino & Bodyguard gave the champions the opportunity to strike. HARASHIMA hit Hino with the Somato and Yoshimura knocked down Bodyguard with a Lariat. Bodyguard kicked out at two but another Lariat kept him down for good. DISASTER BOX scores their first KO-D Tag Team Titles defence. Bodyguard shook Yoshimura’s hand after the match and praised him for putting up a good fight. HARASHIMA also praised him for his hard work. Yoshimura said he was beaten up so badly today he doesn’t think he will ever get beaten up so badly like this ever again. He knows he is getting stronger but respects his opponents enough to know he has not surpassed them yet. Hino said Bodyguard’s wrestling career still has a long way to go even though he is 53. Hino himself said he will continue wrestling until he becomes 150 years old!

Everything was set up for today to be Masahiro Takanashi’s day. He had the backing of ChocoPro’s male wrestlers joining him for his entrance to take on the dastardly Daisuke Sasaki for the DDT Universal Title. He also got a video message of support from Emi Sakura over in America. The back up was there to even the playing field whenever MJ Paul interfered. Sasaki used a ref bump to hit a Low Blow and a chair attack to Takanashi. When Yukinori Matsui recovered, Sasaki used La Mistica to transition into the Crossface Lock but Takanashi reached a rope break. Sasaki then had to hit the Vietnam Driver II before applying an elevated Crossface Lock to finally win.

Sasaki told Takanashi to go back to Ichigaya because he has unfinished business with somebody else from ChocoPro. Minoru Fujita! He doesn’t care if Fujita has recovered from his illness or not, he wants him to be the next challenger. Fujita admitted his physical condition hasn’t been great since he got out of intensive care but he still looks in better health than Sasaki. Fujita went to the neighborhood of hell and came back stronger in spirit. He will take the title from him on 30th January. Backstage Sasaki called himself a genius because he figured out when you get pinned, you have 2.99 seconds of recovery before you kick out so he used that to his advantage. He also ignored complaints of interference because he only has Paul with him while Takanashi had six people in his corner. Fujita said he wishes Takanashi would have won today but it is now up to him to win the Universal Title for ChocoPro.

The 4th generation of BURNING has gone off to a great start with the entire unit beating the remaining members of The 37KAMIINA. Tetsuya Endo came out to new music produced by Osamu Suzuki and wearing new gear including an entrance robe that Jun Akiyama gave to him. Endo even scored the winning pin on Toui Kojima. However he isn’t content with that. The leader of The 37KAMIINA is Takeshita and that is Endo’s ultimate target. If he can’t beat him at the end then there is no point in this new version of BURNING even existing. But that’s in the future, today Endo sees the potential that he, Akiyama, Yusuke Okada & Yuya Koroku all have together. Akiyama encourages the unit to make a name for themselves not only in DDT but across the wrestling world! MAO was annoyed that Kojima lost but is trying to give him a chance. Yuki Ueno reminded him that The 37KAMIINA will fall apart if they lose their sauna spirit. Shunma Katsumata thanked the fans for supporting them this year.

The return of Yukio Sakaguchi from a herniated disc was added to Minoru Suzuki’s first match in DDT in five years as Eruption battled The Itoh Respect Army. Well, if you ask Suzuki he isn’t part of Maki Itoh’s group as shown when he refused to wear the merchandise Itoh gave him. There is no love lost between Sakaguchi and Suzuki. They kept each other in their sights for the whole match. Itoh kept wanting to do the Cutest Knuckle Punch In The World but Suzuki would pull her aside and keep the fight going. When Suzuki did the punches in the corner, Itoh said her catchphrase which made Suzuki stop and kick both her & Chris Brookes away. He did show support for Itoh later shouting encouragement when she was in the ring with Kazusada Higuchi. Brookes was taken out by Saki Akai and the Quetzalcoatl. The match came down to Sakaguchi and Suzuki again. Suzuki won the strike exchange, applied the Sleeper Hold and pinned Sakaguchi with the Gotch-Style Piledriver. He then gave the other members of Eruption a glare after the match.

Akai admitted to getting goosebumps when Sasaki made his entrance and for some reason it made her want to make Suzuki get even angrier so she could leave a mark on his fighter’s soul. Higuchi was disappointed to lose but also happy to see Sakaguchi come back to the ring. Sakaguchi said the match wasn’t about winning or losing. His three months off with the injury felt hellish to him because he didn’t know if he could return. That he was given a worthy opponent like Suzuki for his return match makes him think he’s not ready to die yet. Eruption aren’t going to forget the look Suzuki gave them after the match. To them it is now a three person race to see who will get Suzuki’s head! Meanwhile Itoh fired Suzuki from The Itoh Respect Army for refusing to wear the unit’s shirt even though she left her Piledriver jacket at home. They can still be friends though.

Shuji Kondo didn’t wait for his match against Kazuki Hirata to begin. He walked out in the middle of Hirata’s entrance while Hirata was going up and down the ramp on a hoverboard. A scared Hirata reversed back towards the ring for the match to start. Hirata tried to stop the match so he could read a letter to Kondo that conveys his feelings but Kondo ripped the letter apart. Toru Owashi came down with Yoshihiko to help Hirata get some offence in and he even countered the Spear into the Miracle One Shot Cradle for a nearfall. But once Kondo hit the King Kong Lariat it was all over. Kondo looked like he was going to praise Hirata after the match but he hit him with another Lariat instead. Kondo explained afterwards that he isn’t made about Hirata’s dancing or anything else he does, it’s just not the wrestling for him. Kondo understands that violence is more frowned upon nowadays but the kind he does is acceptable. He hopes this match will change Hirata but knows it won’t.

Love was in the air for the KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles match. Shinya Aoki has fallen in love with Yumiko Hotta and Super Sasadango Machine wanted to help get them together. Fighting Pheromones together was his bright idea. Hotta was confused by the behavior of the champions. Meanwhile Aoki was more concerned with giving her an expensive red belt he bought for her as a Christmas gift than he was with wrestling the match. Pheromones ended up winning by isolating Sasadango. Yuki Iino put him in a European Clutch and Danshoku Dieno sat on top of them, making Sasadango submit when his backside got cramped. Yumehito Imanari filmed the whole thing on his camera. On the bright side, Hotta accepted Aoki’s present and was happy to learn it could fit her. It’s not true love just yet but Hotta would like to form a tag team with Aoki to show her appreciation.

The opening match continues ROMANCE DAWN’s quick success as a tag team. Shota caught Akito with a surprise Topé while Soma Takao took down Yuki Ishida with a Jumping High Kick. Shota followed up with the Frog Splash for the three count. He said it felt huge to win a match in DDT because ROMANCE DAWN has mainly fought together in Ganbare☆Pro. Takao hopes that the wider audience that watched them today understands what ROMANCE DAWN is all about. 2022 will be a big voyage for the team. Akito admits to having some disdain towards this new team because he doesn’t have the kind of teamwork that they have. He thinks he should go look for an ally to work hard with them to form their own tag team. He praised Ishida but he is still just a rookie so the team won’t be with him.

As the pandemic continues spreading across the world, Sanshiro Takagi feels the need to boost the global fast food industry. That is why for his match against Maku Donaruto he was dressed up as Colonel Sanders! The match was fought under Hardcore rules and featured weapons such as plastic cases, barbed wire bats, ladders and chairs. Takagi used a Modified Stretch Bomb that today was called the Kentucky Bomb to win. Takagi thanked Donaruto afterwards and told him it was the end of his run in DDT. After five years in DDT it is time for Donaruto to move on to new pastures. Takagi explained that for DDT’s 25th Anniversary next year they need to make more contributions to society and they can’t do that with Donaruto hanging around. Takagi however would like to continue working with him at events independent from DDT.

The DDTeeeen!! match saw Vent Vert Jack live up to his promise to defeated Ilusion. The Tlaloc Diving Knee Stomp gave the MY WAY wrestler the victory. He thanked DDT for inviting him to wrestling on their big finale for the year and also looks forward to fighting Ilusion again on 5th January. Ilusion swears today’s loss is just a setback and not the end of his story. He sees his future going beyond Jack and he will become a teenage champion next year before he turns 20 years old.

The opening dark match had Antonio Honda get Hideki Okatani to join in with the Gongitsune attack. Yukio Naya hit Okatani back with Big Boots and Running Knee Strikes. He then pinned him with the Back Drop.

The first big talent announcement for “JUDGEMENT 2022 ~DDT 25TH ANNIVERSARY~” on 20th March was revealed. Andreza Giant Panda is back!

Comments Off on DDT “NEVER MIND 2021 IN YOYOGI” Results | Results | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by JamieOD

Merry Christmas You Filthy Animals!

December 23, 2021

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “SE-NO, MERRY CHRISTMAS! 2021”, 24/12/2021
Tokyo Itabashi Green Hall

1. Miu Watanabe Vs Haruna Neko
2. Rika Tatsumi Vs Mahiro Kiryu
3. Shoko Nakajima & Hyper Misao Vs Raku & Pom Harajuku
4. Hikari Noa & Moka Miyamoto Vs Maki Itoh & Yuki Kamifuku
5. Miyu Yamashita, Nodoka Tenma, Yuki Aino & Marika Kobashi Vs Yuka Sakazaki, Mizuki, Suzume & Arisu Endo

Two more Tokyo Joshi Pro shows left in 2021. The top three matches are Ittenyon previews with the title matches all getting mixed together. Also Kyoraku Kyomei are teaming up before their annual singles match against each other. Let’s bring out one of the most overused questions in wrestling from this year. Can they co-exist?!?

DDT “NEVER MIND 2021 IN YOYOGI”, 26/12/2021
Yoyogi National Stadium 2nd Gymnasium

0. Dark Match: Toru Owashi & Yukio Naya Vs Antonio Honda & Hideki Okatani
0. Dark Match – DDTeeeen!! Special Single Match: Ilusion Vs Vent Vert Jack
0. Dark Match: Sanshiro Takagi Vs Maku Donaruto
1. Soma Takao & Shota Vs Akito & Yuki Ishida
2. KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles: Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno, Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Yumehito “Fantastic” Imanari (c) Vs Shinya Aoki, Yumiko Hotta & Super Sasadango Machine
3. Special Single Match: Shuji Kondo Vs Kazuki Hirata
4. Special 6-Man Tag Match – Yukio Sakaguchi Return Match: Yukio Sakaguchi, Kazusada Higuchi & Saki Akai Vs Minoru Suzuki, Chris Brookes & Maki Itoh
5. BURNING Vs The 37KAMIINA!: Tetsuya Endo, Jun Akiyama, Yusuke Okada & Yuya Koroku Vs Shunma Katsumata, Yuki Ueno, MAO & Toui Kojima
6. DDT Universal Title – BLACKOUT Presents: Daisuke Sasaki (c) Vs Masahiro Takanashi
7. KO-D Tag Team Titles – WRESTLE UNIVERSE Presents: HARASHIMA & Naomi Yoshimura Vs Yuji Hino & Bodyguard
8. KO-D Openweight Title – Yanekabe Presents: Konosuke Takeshita (c) Vs Yuji Okabayashi

Not long to go now until Konosuke Takeshita and Yuji Okabayashi settle the score. The recent DDT Vs Big Japan trios match reminded Takeshita of the upcoming New Japan Vs NOAH show on 8th January. It makes him think it is time for DDT and Big Japan to show their will with their own competition. Okabayashi expects to have a long battle for the KO-D Openweight Title so he promises not to cut any corners. If Okabayashi becomes champion he is looking forward to defending the title against a lot of DDT wrestlers and beating them all down. Kenta Kobashi will be in attendance to observe and provide commentary for the main event.

Yuji Hino is already envisioning what he and Bodyguard will look like carrying the KO-D Tag Team Titles. That’s not to say he doesn’t think HARASHIMA & Naomi Yoshimura are bad champions, just that the belts will look better on him and his tag partner. HARASHIMA thinks he and Naomi Yoshimura are still the better team and it is up to them to prove it by defending the titles. Yoshimura hates to lose which means the last few weeks have been unpleasant for him. The one thing keeping him focused is the progress he made fighting against Hino. He is no longer afraid of him. When Hino heard that he responded that he’s been a little too gentle up until now and he will make Yoshimura regret those words.

The attacks Daisuke Sasaki and Masahiro Takanashi have been giving to each other have not slowed down. It’s continuing to happen inside and outside the ring. Sasaki even attacked Takanashi at a ChocoPro show earlier this month. Poor Baliyan Akki keeps getting caught in the crossfire too. Takanashi made Akki attend a contract signing in disguise to lure out Sasaki, expecting the DDT Universal Champion to launch an ambush. The plan worked and Takanashi attacked Sasaki with his own ambush. In the aftermath of that recent fight, Sasaki said he is going to take over Ichigaya Chocolate Square and force ChocoPro to pay him the rent from now on!

Recently Super Sasadango Machine asked for his match against Pheromones to be for the KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles but a decision was never made. Then earlier this week he accused the GM Hisaya Imabayashi of demanding 20-30 million yen to be paid into a slush fund in return for getting the title shot. Sasadango claims to have a 30 minute audio recording of the blackmail attempt and offered to destroy the evidence in return for the title shot. Imabayashi doesn’t think this is good behavior for a person who became the face of Nagoya wrestling but on the other hand he admires his spirit. Therefore the KO-D 6-Man Tag Titles will be on the line.

BASARA “NEW YEAR’S EVE SHOW”, 31/12/2021
Tokyo Oji BASEMENT MONSTAR

1. Lil Kraken Vs Yasu Urano
2. Tsutomu Oosugi, Banana Senga & Daiki Shimomura Vs FUMA, Yusuke Kubo & Fuminori Abe
3. Jacket Match: Ryota Nakatsu Vs Daichi Kazato
4. Isami Kodaka, Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi & Takato Nakano Vs Takumi Tsukamoto, SAGAT & Masato Kamino
5. Battle Royal: X Vs X

BASARA is holding their own New Year’s Eve show with the units all getting mixed up for different tag matches. Everyone on the show will also be in the main event Battle Royal.

“NEW YEAR’S WRESTLING 2021 ~TOSHIWASURE! SHUFFLE 6-MAN TAG TOURNAMENT”, 31/12/2021
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

1. Toshiwasure! Shuffle 6-Man Tag Tournament – Round 1A: Kazusada Higuchi, Ryuji Ito & Shiro Koshinaka Vs Chris Brookes, Takuya Nomura & X
2. Toshiwasure! Shuffle 6-Man Tag Tournament – Round 1B: Soma Takao, Yuya Aoki & Shuji Ishikawa Vs HARASHIMA, Daichi Hashimoto & Kengo Mashimo
3. Toshiwasure! Shuffle 6-Man Tag Tournament – Round 1C: Konosuke Takeshita, Yuji Okabayashi & Kuishinbo Kamen Vs Naomi Yoshimura, Kota Sekifuda & Brahman Kei (w/ Brahman Shu)
4. Toshiwasure! Shuffle 6-Man Tag Tournament – Round 1D: MAO, Yasufumi Nakanoue & Shigehiro Irie Vs Akito, Daisuke Sekimoto & Jun Kasai
5. MUSASHI, Daisuke Kanehira, Takafumi & Tatsuya Hanami Vs Takuho Kato, Kosuke Sato, Hideki Okatani & Yuki Ishida
6. Toshiwasure! Shuffle 6-Man Tag Tournament – Semi Final: Winners Of Match 1A Vs Winners Of Match 1B
7. Toshiwasure! Shuffle 6-Man Tag Tournament – Semi Final: Winners Of Match 1C Vs Winners Of Match 1D
8. 3 Way Tag Match: Abdullah Kobayashi & Kazuki Hirata Vs Jaki Numazawa & Antonio Honda Vs Danshoku Dieno & Kankuro Hoshino
9. Toshiwasure! Shuffle 6-Man Tag Tournament – Final: X, X & X Vs X, X & X

The 1st Round matches all have 10 minute time limits, the semi-finals have 15 minute limit and the final has no time limit. In the case of a draw the matches will go into overtime with 1 Count Pins applied.

The Samurai TV sponsored Japan Indie Awards 2021 will be held before the show starts.

Comments Off on Merry Christmas You Filthy Animals! | News | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by JamieOD

Tetsuya Endo’s New Unit Is BURNING!

December 7, 2021

Tetsuya Endo has officially formed his own unit! After weeks of planning and consideration, the project nicknamed Atsumare Entetsu no Mori has become a reality. Endo met with Kenta Kobashi again yesterday to put the final decisions together. Endo told Kobashi he wanted Yusuke Okada and Yuya Koroku to be part of the group but couldn’t find anyone to fill the chief advisor role like Kobashi recommended. Kobashi said the group on paper sounded weak so he invited somebody to meet with them. It was Jun Akiyama!

Kobashi said it would be interesting to see Endo & Akiyama team together because Endo needs an element that Akiyama provides to improve. They can still wrestle each other in singles matches, but Kobashi advised that they should be on the same side. Endo pointed out that he and Akiyama are complete opposites in wrestling style but he understands he can learn from him for that reason. Akiyama welcomes the idea of taking the advisor role and letting Endo be the unit leader. They can chase after many championships but Endo needs to be the one who says he will go after the KO-D Openweight Title. In this situation, Akiyama sees himself as the fierce dog who needs a master to rein him in otherwise he will bite everyone. Endo liked the idea and invited Akiyama to join him.

After the members were decided, all that was left was to name the new unit. Akiyama suggested The Beatles because Endo likes to collect beetles. Kobashi laughed and said that was no good. Endo then suggested calling themselves BURNING because he will be working with Akiyama. There was some resistance to the idea. Akiyama explained it has been used a few times which makes the name hard to establish. Also Kobashi’s association with the name is so strong that Endo will have to work really hard to cover for it. Endo claimed he is ready to do that and Kobashi gave him permission to use the name. Tetsuya Endo’s new unit is officially called BURNING!

This is the 4th Generation of BURNING. 1st Generation was in All Japan from 1998 to 2000. 2nd Generation was in NOAH throughout the 2000s. 3rd Generation was the 2012 exodus of talent from NOAH led by Akiyama jumping over to All Japan.

Comments Off on Tetsuya Endo’s New Unit Is BURNING! | News | Tagged: , , , , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by JamieOD

Pheromones Vs Kuronita Army Heats Up, Never Mind 2021 Title Matches, IP Title For Death Match Or For Fame?

December 6, 2021

DDT “YUTO AIJIMA RETIREMENT SHOW ~YUTO FINAL ROAD~”, 08/12/2021
Fukuoka Omuta City 2nd Civic Gymnasium

1. Daisuke Sasaki & MJ Paul Vs Akito & Yuya Koroku
2. 3 Way Tag Match: Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno & Yuki “Sexy” Iino Vs Toru Owashi & Kazuki Hirata Vs Saki Akai & Toui Kojima
3. Special Tag Match: Kazushi Miyamoto & Yuji Hino Vs Naomi Yoshimura & Hideki Okatani
4. Konosuke Takeshita, Yuki Ueno & MAO Vs Kazusada Higuchi, Chris Brookes & Yukio Naya
5. Yuto Aijima Retirement Match ~Yuto FINAL ROAD~: Yuto Aijima, Sanshiro Takagi, Mitsuya Nagai & Tetsuya Endo Vs Jun Akiyama, Akitoshi Saito, Muhammad Yone & HARASHIMA

Yusuke Okada injured his right ankle during this past weekend’s show. He will miss this Wednesday’s event. Akito replaces him in his tag match. Toui Kojima takes Akito’s place in the 3 Way Tag.

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TOKYO JOSHI 2021 AUTUMN ~KACHO GETSURO~”, 11/12/2021
Osaka Azalea Taisho Hall

1. 3 Way Match: Suzume Vs Marika Kobashi Vs Arisu Endo
2. Raku Vs Hyper Misao
3. Haruna Neko Vs Rika Tatsumi
4. Hikari Noa Vs Yuka Sakazaki
5. Miyu Yamashita Vs Moka Miyamoto
6. Mahiro Kiryu Vs Mizuki
7. Nao Kakuta Vs Yuki Aino
8. Pom Harajuku Vs Maki Itoh
9. Miu Watanabe Vs Yuki Kamifuku
10. Nodoka Tenma Vs Shoko Nakajima

All of these matches were randomly drawn. Every match on the show has a 7 minute time limit.

DDT “DRAMATIC EXPLOSION 2021”, 18/12/2021
Nagoya Congress Center Event Hall

1. Special Single Match – DDT Vs Dera Beppin Pro Wrestling: Saki Akai Vs Papillon Akemi
2. Hardcore Match: Shunma Katsumata Vs Hyper Misao
3. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Susumu Yokosuka, Toru Owashi & Kazuki Hirata Vs Chris Brookes, Antonio Honda & Akito
4. KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles – Current Blast Death Match: Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno, Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Yumehito “Fantastic” Imanari (c) Vs Atsushi Onita, Sanshiro Takagi & Kuro-chan

The bad blood between Pheromones and The Kuronita Army is getting hotter. Atsushi Onita thinks his team are a lock to win the KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles so he got himself, Sanshiro Takagi and Hisaya Imabayashi (unwillingly standing in for Kuro-chan) to pose with the belts at the press conference. Danshoku Dieno brought up concerns that Imabayashi will interrupt the match and cancel it like he always do. Pheromones attacked Imabayashi to send a warning to their challengers. Onita rescued him and sent Pheromones fleeing. Imabayashi promised to give The Kuronita Army a year end bonus as thanks if they win the titles from Pheromones.

DDT “NEVER MIND 2021 IN YOYOGI”, 26/12/2021
Yoyogi National Stadium 2nd Gymnasium

0. Dark Match – DDTeeeen!! Special Single Match: Ilusion Vs Vent Vert Jack
1. Special Single Match: Shuji Kondo Vs Kazuki Hirata
2. Yukio Sakaguchi Return Match: Yukio Sakaguchi Vs X
3. KO-D Tag Team Titles: HARASHIMA & Naomi Yoshimura Vs Yuji Hino & Bodyguard
4. DDT Universal Title: Daisuke Sasaki (c) Vs Masahiro Takanashi
5. KO-D Openweight Title: Konosuke Takeshita (c) Vs Yuji Okabayashi

The final big DDT show of 2021 has its title matches decided. Konosuke Takeshita and Yuji Okabayashi have their rematch, this time with the KO-D Openweight Title is on the line. Their D-Ou Grand Prix match ended in a 30 minute draw but the rematch will have a 60 minute limit. Kenta Kobashi was a fan of that match and hopes the rematch will be just as exciting. There also won’t be a lot of opportunities for Takeshita and Okabayashi to wrestle each other before the show because Okabayashi has his own schedule with Big Japan keeping him busy.

With his grudge against Soma Takao out of the way, Daisuke Sasaki faces an unlikely next challenger. Masahiro Takanashi gets a DDT Universal Title match on the recommendation of his friend Chris Brookes. Sasaki thought Takanashi had retired and went to work somewhere in Ichigaya. But he was convinced to put the title on the line against him.

The new powerhouse team of Yuji Hino & Bodyguard challenge DISASTER BOX for the KO-D Tag Team Titles. This is coming off of a poor tournament for both HARASHIMA & Naomi Yoshimura. HARASHIMA finished with zero wins while Yoshimura lost to both Hino & Bodyguard in their block. Even if having no momentum wasn’t a problem, the champions still have two big mountains to climb.

No injury is going to stop Yukio Sakaguchi for long.

Minoru Suzuki and Maku Donaruto will be on the show. Imagine if they get paired together.

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TOKYO JOSHI PRO ’22”, 04/01/2022
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

1. International Princess Title: Hikari Noa (c) Vs Maki Itoh
2. Princess Of Princess Title: Miyu Yamashita (c) Vs Mizuki

Two years ago Maki Itoh defended the International Princess Title against Hikari Noa on 4th January. Two years later the match will happen again but this time the roles are flipped. Noa is the champion looking to extend her record setting title reign and get one step closer towards defending it in a death match. Itoh however believes the belt belongs to her because of her international fame and it should not be turned into a death match championship.

GANBARE☆PRO “SHOTA PRESENTS INDIE WRESTLING SUMMIT 2022”, 08/01/2022
Kitazawa Town Hall

1. Independent Women’s Bout: Ayame Sasamura Vs YuuRI
2. ROMANCE DAWN Vs Aka Rangers!: Shota & Soma Takao Vs Takashi Sasaki & GENTARO
3. This Is Indie Wrestling Summit! Special 6-Man Tag Match: Takumi Tsukamoto, MAO & Baliyan Akki Vs TORU, Jun Tonsho & Tatsuya Hanami

A legendary independent team reunite to take on ROMANCE DAWN. It’s the return of Takashi Sasaki & GENTARO as the Aka Rangers!

GANBARE☆PRO “YUMEHITO IMANARI PRODUCE ~GANBARE PRIME 2021~”, 10/01/2022
Tokyo Itabashi Green Hall

1. Hardcore Mixed Tag 1 DAY Tournament – Round 1: X & X Vs X & X
2. Hardcore Mixed Tag 1 DAY Tournament – Round 1: X & X Vs X & X
3. Dreamer’s Bridge ~Ganbare☆Pro Wrestling Vs HOT JAPAN~: Keisuke Ishii, Shinichiro Tominaga & Kouki Iwasaki Vs Yuya Aoki, Andy Wu & Tsugutaka Sato
4. Hardcore Mixed Tag 1 DAY Tournament – Final: X & X Vs X & X

HOT JAPAN is a group of hot people gathered together by ZERO1.

Comments Off on Pheromones Vs Kuronita Army Heats Up, Never Mind 2021 Title Matches, IP Title For Death Match Or For Fame? | News | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by JamieOD

DDT “D-OU GRAND PRIX 2021 II THE FINAL” Results

December 5, 2021

DDT “D-OU GRAND PRIX 2021 II THE FINAL”, 05/12/2021
Tokyo Korakuen Hall
650 Fans – Super No Vacancy

0. Hideki Okatani & Yuya Koroku defeated Dark Match: Yukio Naya & Yuki Ishida when Okatani pinned Ishida with the Northern Lights Suplex (7:19).
0. Dark Match – Mizuki Watase Send-Off Match: Yusuke Okada defeated Mizuki Watase with the Sudden Death (8:36).
1. Akito, Saki Akai & Toui Kojima defeated Toru Owashi, Antonio Honda & Kazuki Hirata when Akito submitted Honda with the Figure 4 Leg Lock (7:00).
-. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title: Kazuki Hirata defeated Akito (c) with a Cradle (11:48 pm).
*Kazuki Hirata becomes the 1,524th champion.
-. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title: Toru Owashi defeated Kazuki Hirata (c) with a Crushed Body Slam (11:49).
*Toru Owashi becomes the 1,525th champion.
2. 3 Vs 1 Handicap Match: Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno, Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Yumehito “Fantastic” Imanari Vs Sanshiro Takagi ended in a No Contest (4:12).
3. Special Single Match: Masahiro Takanashi defeated Shunma Katsumata with the Hangover!! (7:24).
4. D-Ou Grand Prix 2021 II Special 10-Man Tag Match: Jun Akiyama, Tetsuya Endo, Naomi Yoshimura, Yuji Hino & Bodyguard defeated HARASHIMA, Kazusada Higuchi, Chris Brookes, MAO & Yuji Okabayashi when Endo pinned MAO with the Shooting Star Press (17:03).
5. DDT Universal Title: Daisuke Sasaki (c) defeated Soma Takao with the Foot Pole Crossface Lock (18:48).
*V2 for Daisuke Sasaki.
6. D-Ou Grand Prix 2021 II – Final: Konosuke Takeshita defeated Yuki Ueno with the Plus Ultra (27:10).

It’s a clean sweep of DDT tournaments for Konosuke Takeshita! In one year he has won King Of DDT, the first Ultimate Tag League and now he is a two time D-Ou Grand Prix champion! If that’s not enough to show his dominance this year, he went through the entire Grand Prix undefeated! His stablemate Yuki Ueno put up a big fight and took to the air while Takeshita focused on using power moves. Ueno soon matched that power and his big chance came when he hit the WR. But Takeshita got a rope break to save him from the three count. He then used a Modified Tiger Suplex to deal big damage and finally locked in the Plus Ultra. Ueno kept himself in the fight until Takeshita pulled him back onto the mat and made him submit.

Takeshita received the trophy from Kenta Kobashi. He then thanked Ueno for chasing him and catching up to his level. They’ve known each other in high school but today was really the beginning of their story. Takeshita knows they can take their matches even further so he will wait for Ueno to chase him again. Now that Takeshita won the Grand Prix, he gets to choose his next challenger for the KO-D Openweight Title. As he said this, Yuji Okabayashi walked out and gave his intent to fight him for the title. Takeshita accepted and threw the challenge to Okabayashi to have the title match at Yoyogi National Stadium on 26th December. They had their 30 minute draw in the tournament but this time since it is a title match they will get a 60 minute time limit.

The apparent longtime grudge between Daisuke Sasaki and Soma Takao came to light the last few weeks over an incident from a decade ago involving dog food. Their DDT Universal Title match had an extra stipulation where the loser would eat dog food. Sasaki attacked his opponent’s leg with a chair hoping to get him counted out. Takao got back to the ring but had to fight off Sasaki, MJ Paul and now leg damage. He was able to hit the Gin And Tonic but took too long to pin Sasaki. Things fell apart when an attempted Avalanche Pedigree ended with Sasaki getting his boot stuck on the top rope but he caught Takao in La Mistica and made him tap with an elevated Crossface Lock.

After the match Sasaki ordered Takao to eat dog food but when Takao went to do it, Sasaki stopped him. He then asked Takao to join DAMNATION T.A so they can be on the same side again. Takao threw the food away and left the ring with Shota by his side, turning down Sasaki’s sudden change of heart. Chris Brookes then entered the ring with Masahiro Takanashi and Baliyan Akki by his side. It looked like he was going to challenge for the Universal Title but instead Brookes wants Takanashi to fight Sasaki for the belt! A surprised Takanashi said if Brookes really wants him to go for the title then he will do it. Sasaki thought he retired and became a guard at some dirty hospital in Ichigaya. He told him he’s not qualified unless he eats the dog food. Takanashi proved him wrong by eating it! Sasaki didn’t expect him to do that so he agreed to the title match on 26th December. He also took the dog food back.

All of the other wrestlers in the D-Ou Grand Prix faced off in an A Block Vs B Block multi-man tag. Jun Akiyama and Kazusada Higuchi paired off against each other. Yuji Hino & Bodyguard in particular found out they make quite a team together. Their double team work on MAO was used to set Tetsuya Endo for the finish and Endo won with the Shooting Star Press. Afterwards Hino suggested to Bodyguard that they should team up more often. Bodyguard agreed and said they should go after a championship. That just so happened to get the attention of HARASHIMA & Naomi Yoshimura. They offered the new team a shot at the KO-D Tag Team Titles on 26th December. Everyone shook hands until Hino & Bodyguard attacked the champions with Lariats. Hino made fun of them for taking the challenge so easily while Bodyguard called them weak. Yoshimura lost to both of them during the tournament so this will be the perfect match to settle his “debt” with both of them. HARASHIMA said he doesn’t like the challengers’ dirty attitudes.

Takanashi had a singles win earlier before he got into the Universal Title challenge later in the show. He was weirded out by Shunma Katsumata’s sauna loving personality but slowly figured out how to beat him. Katsumata was on the offensive for most of the match but a well timed Hangover!! from Takanashi got him the win in the end.

Sanshiro Takagi had an uphill battle ahead of him. He fought against all three members of Pheromones by himself. He got some shots in early by smashing a plastic box over Danshoku Dieno’s head. Yuni Iino then slammed Takagi through a box and Pheromones attempted to strip off his tights. Hisaya Imabayashi stepped in calling for them to stop because it was a live broadcast. Dieno attacked him while Iino continued his offence on Takagi while Yumehito Imanari filmed the whole thing with his own camera.

The match got called off but Pheromones wouldn’t stop. Suddenly Atsushi Onita ran in and attacked Pheromones! They overwhelmed him but Kuro-chan then ran down with a barbed wire baseball bat. He hit both Dieno and Iino in their backsides with it. Kuro-chan called himself the leader of the team and he is going to win the KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles from Pheromones! Onita said he was the leader and Kuro-chan shrunk back to his usual scaredy cat self. Onita then called Pheromones perverts. Takagi admits Pheromones have the better team work but he, Onita & Kuro-chan have the experience in explosion matches to beat them in one on 18th December! Dieno on the other hand says the battle is already won and Pheromones will save DDT!

The spotlight was put on Toui Kojima in the opening match. Not for wrestling but for the dance! After Saki Akai hit her Flying Cross Body and Antonio Honda told his Gongitsune joke, it was time for Akito and Kazuki Hirata to fight over the Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title over Hirata’s entrance music. Instead Kojima cut them off and demanded to do a dance routine he has practiced since he was in elementary school. He danced while the match continued on without him until Akito submitted Honda with a Figure 4 Leg Lock.

While Akito was stuck in the move after winning, Hirata jumped on top of him and pinned him to win the Iron Man Title. Kojima tried to roll him up and others joined in the attack but Hirata fought them all off. Unfortunately Hirata tried to life Toru Owashi for a Body Slam and Owashi collapsed on top of him. The referee counted that as a pin and Owashi became the new champ.

The pre-show saw Mizuki Watase have his final match in DDT, losing to Yusuke Okada. Watase is now a full time member of Ganbare☆Pro and he had Ken Ohka in his corner. He didn’t need a microphone to give his message after the match. He yelled he is going to see a lot of the world and will grow up in Ganpro. He thanked everyone for his six years in DDT. Backstage Okada said Watase was one of his first opponents when he came to DDT and at the time he thought he was a cocky son of a bitch. Okada likes guys like Watase more than wrestlers who are quiet. He thinks they aren’t finished wrestling each other yet and they will continue to fight whether it’s in Ganpro or DDT.

Hideki Okatani & Yuya Koroku are getting more confident fighting bigger opponents. Koroku hit Yukio Naya with a Missile Dropkick and Okatani took him down with a Neckbreaker Drop. Yuki Ishida fought back with a Sitout Spinebuster to Okatani but in the end Okatani pinned him with the Northern Lights Suplex.

A big name was teased to appear in Yoyogi on 26th December and DDT announced him today. It’s Minoru Suzuki! He is making his return to DDT for the first time in five years.

Yukio Sakaguchi announced he will return to action on 26th December. He was out of action with a lumbar disc hernia. He put the roster on notice and wants this news to get the attention of all the DDT wrestlers.

The team challenge DDT put together to promote the Yoyogi show has come to an end. Team Shinjuku (Tetsuya Endo, Kazusada Higuchi, Yusuke Okada, Yukio Naya & Keigo Nakamura) were the winners and they received their prize during the opening announcements.

Comments Off on DDT “D-OU GRAND PRIX 2021 II THE FINAL” Results | Results, Tournaments | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by JamieOD

IP Title Battle Royal, Endo Gets Advice From Kobashi, Sparky Vs SOS, Big Name For Yoyogi?

December 1, 2021

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TOKYO JOSHI 2021 AUTUMN ~KACHO GETSURO~”, 04/12/2021
Shinjuku FACE

1. Yuki Aino & Pom Harajuku Vs Miu Watanabe & Haruna Neko
2. Hikari Noa & Raku Vs Yuki Kamifuku & Mahiro Kiryu
3. Yuka Sakazaki Vs Marika Kobashi
4. Miyu Yamashita & Moka Miyamoto Vs Mizuki & Arisu Endo
5. International Princess Title Next Challenger Decision Time Difference Battle Royal: Suzume Vs Yuki Arai Vs Hyper Misao Vs Nao Kakuta Vs Shoko Nakajima Vs Maki Itoh Vs Rika Tatsumi Vs Nodoka Tenma

The voters have spoken and the eight potential challengers for the International Princess Title have been chosen. The participants are Suzume (210 votes), Yuki Arai (199 votes), Hyper Misao (117 votes), Shoko Nakajima (105 votes), Nao Kakuta (105 votes), Maki Itoh (81 votes), Rika Tatsumi (77 votes) and Nodoka Tenma (65 votes).

Miyu Yamashita and Mizuki face off in a tag match exactly one month before the Ittenyon main event.

BASARA “BASARA 178 ~AOBA NO MORI~”, 05/12/2021
Chiba 2AW Square

1. Takumi Tsukamoto & Yasu Urano Vs Fuminori Abe & Lil Kraken
2. 3 Way Match: Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi Vs Daichi Kazato Vs SAGAT
3. Daiki Shimomura Vs Tsutomu Oosugi
4. Ryota Nakatsu, Takato Nakano & Masato Kamino Vs Banana Senga, FUMA & Yusuke Kubo
5. ~goodbye for now, my friend~: Isami Kodaka Vs Drew Parker

While his tag partner is chasing after extra gold, Tsutomu Oosugi isn’t done with Daiki Shimomura yet. Meanwhile SAGAT finds himself falling down the card after losing yesterday’s main event.

DDT “D-OU GRAND PRIX 2021 II THE FINAL”, 05/12/2021
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

0. Dark Match: Yukio Naya & Yuki Ishida Vs Hideki Okatani & Yuya Koroku
0. Dark Match – Mizuki Watase Send-Off Match: Yusuke Okada Vs Mizuki Watase
1. Toru Owashi, Antonio Honda & Kazuki Hirata Vs Akito, Saki Akai & Toui Kojima
2. Special Single Match: Masahiro Takanashi Vs Shunma Katsumata
3. 3 Vs 1 Handicap Match: Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno, Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Yumehito “Fantastic” Imanari Vs Sanshiro Takagi
4. D-Ou Grand Prix 2021 II Special 10-Man Tag Match: Jun Akiyama, Tetsuya Endo, Naomi Yoshimura, Yuji Hino & Bodyguard Vs HARASHIMA, Kazusada Higuchi, Chris Brookes, MAO & Yuji Okabayashi
5. DDT Universal Title: Daisuke Sasaki (c) Vs Soma Takao
6. D-Ou Grand Prix 2021 II – Final: Yuki Ueno Vs Konosuke Takeshita

Since Kenta Kobashi will be in attendance to see the D-Ou Grand Prix final, Tetsuya Endo decided to visit him at his gym during the week to get some feedback on his tournament performance. Endo also brought up his plans to create a new unit. He asked Kobashi for advice, citing Kobashi’s experience leading units such as GET and Burning. Kobashi said a unit needs a strategist so Endo’s position would improve if he finds a councilor. Endo immediately asked Kobashi if he could take that role in the unit. Kobashi declined because he is not interested in returning to the ring. He did however invite Endo back to his gym again after the Grand Prix so they could talk more about potential members for Endo’s new unit.

While I’ve been writing up this blog post, all of a sudden DDT sends out a tweet in English hyping up a big mystery name. “That BIG NAME that everyone’s talking about recently will be at DDT 12.26 NEVER MIND 2021 in YOYOGI! The name will be announced at DDT 12.5 Korakuen Hall! Stay tuned LIVE on WRESTLE UNIVERSE!” I’m out of the loop on this one.

DDT “NEVER MIND 2021 TOUR IN MAEBASHI”, 11/12/2021
Gunma YAMADA Green Dome Maebashi Sub-Event Area

1. Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno & Yuki “Sexy” Iino Vs Antonio Honda & Kazuki Hirata
2. Daisuke Sasaki & MJ Paul Vs MAO & Yuya Koroku
3. Jun Akiyama & Yusuke Okada Vs Shunma Katsumata & Hideki Okatani
4. DDT Megatonweight Single Match: Naomi Yoshimura Vs Yukio Naya
5. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Yoshiaki Yatsu, Tetsuya Endo & Akito Vs Toru Owashi, Kazusada Higuchi & Yuki Ishida
6. Maebashi Specialty Special 6-Man Tag Match: Konosuke Takeshita, Yuki Ueno & Toui Kojima Vs HARASHIMA, Yuji Hino & Chris Brookes

A heavyweight match gives Naomi Yoshimura a chance to get past his poor D-Ou performances. Yukio Naya is still trying to get his act together but picked up some recent wins here and there.

BASARA “BASARA 179 ~GLITTER~”, 14/12/2021
Shin-Kiba 1st RING

1. Union MAX Title: Ryota Nakatsu (c) Vs Banana Senga

Banana Senga scored a big win on the last show when he pinned Isami Kodaka in their tag match. He later stepped up to challenge Ryota Nakatsu next for the Union MAX Title. Around five years ago Nakatsu broke Senga’s jaw in a match and while he accepts the blame over the injury, he doesn’t think he is responsible now to pay for any compensation towards Senga. Instead he is willing to defend the MAX Title against him.

DDT “ROJO PRO WRESTLING IN FITNESS SHOP NAGOYA PARCO SAKAE”, 17/12/2021
Aichi Fitness Shop Nagoya Parco Sakae Store

1. Falls Count Anywhere Tag Match: Sanshiro Takagi & Hideki Okatani Vs Yuki Ueno & MAO

DDT is fitting in one last Rojo Pro Wrestling match before the holidays.

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “DASH! GLIDE! NAGOYA CASTLE!”, 18/12/2021
Nagoya Congress Center Event Hall

1. Special Single Match: Miyu Yamashita Vs Yuki Arai

Somebody close to Yuki Arai will be in attendance for her big match to do guest commentary. It is Shiori Aoki from SKE48. Arai & Aoki worked together as a TikTok duo called Oshiyuki.

DDT “NEVER MIND 2021 IN YOYOGI”, 26/12/2021
Yoyogi National Stadium 2nd Gymnasium

0. Dark Match – DDTeeeen!! Special Single Match: Ilusion Vs Vent Vert Jack
1. Special Single Match: Shuji Kondo Vs Kazuki Hirata
2. DDT Universal Title: Daisuke Sasaki (c) Vs X
3. KO-D Openweight Title: Konosuke Takeshita (c) Vs X

The “big name” is going to be the Egg isn’t it? The Egg shows up and wins the Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title because of that’s what should happen. Pay DDT the money to do this, Netflix!

BASARA “BASARA 180 ~WHITE WAGTAIL~”, 26/12/2021
Tokyo Itabashi Green Hall

1. IRON FIST Tag Titles: Tsutomu Oosugi & Banana Senga (c) Vs Ryota Nakatsu & SAGAT

Nakatsu accepting Senga’s challenge for the MAX Title on two weeks notice came as part of a deal. That match happens first then Sparky gets an IRON FIST Tag Titles shot against Speed Of Sounds two weeks after that.

Comments Off on IP Title Battle Royal, Endo Gets Advice From Kobashi, Sparky Vs SOS, Big Name For Yoyogi? | News | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by JamieOD

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

November 21, 2021

DDT “D-OU GRAND PRIX 2021 II IN KORAKUEN HALL”, 21/11/2021
Tokyo Korakuen Hall
566 Fans – No Vacancy

-. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title: Akito defeated Toru Owashi (c) with a School Boy (10:56 am).
*Akito becomes the 1,523rd champion.
0. Dark Match: Chris Brookes, Masahiro Takanashi, Antonio Honda, Akito & Yusuke Okada defeated Toru Owashi, Naomi Yoshimura, Kazuki Hirata, Saki Akai & Yuki Ishida when Brookes pinned Hirata with the Praying Mantis Bomb (6:29).
0. Dark Match Shunma Katsumata Produce – My First Hardcore Match: Shunma Katsumata & Toui Kojima defeated Hideki Okatani & Yuya Koroku when Katsumata pinned Koroku with the Totonoe Splash onto the Acupressure Foot Mat (10:16).
1. Daisuke Sasaki & MJ Paul defeated Soma Takao & Mizuki Watase when Sasaki submitted Watase with the Crossface Lock (10:16).
2. Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno, Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Yumehito “Fantastic” Imanari Vs Yuji Hino, MAO & Yukio Naya ended in a No Contest (8:14).
3. D-Ou Grand Prix 2021 II – A Block: Jun Akiyama (6) defeated Bodyguard (4) with the Wrist-Clutch Exploder Suplex (10:39).
4. D-Ou Grand Prix 2021 II – B Block: HARASHIMA (1) Vs Yuji Okabayashi (8) ended in a Time Limit Draw (30:00).
5. D-Ou Grand Prix 2021 II – B Block: Konosuke Takeshita (9) defeated Kazusada Higuchi (4) with the Surprise Rose (5:09).
6. D-Ou Grand Prix 2021 II – A Block: Yuki Ueno (6) defeated Tetsuya Endo (6) with the WR (21:21).

A Block

1. Yuki Ueno (6)
-. Tetsuya Endo (6)
-. Yuji Hino (6)
-. Jun Akiyama (6)
5. Bodyguard (4)
6. Naomi Yoshimura (2)

B Block

1. Konosuke Takeshita (9)
-. Yuji Okabayashi (8)
3. Kazusada Higuchi (4)
-. Chris Brookes (4)
-. MAO (4)
6. HARASHIMA (1)

The D-Ou Grand Prix final comes down to two classmates from the same stable. All week Tetsuya Endo talked lightly about Yuki Ueno, thinking a victory over him was certain. Instead Ueno had other plans and he blocked the Shooting Star Press with his knees. The Dropkick to the face hit its mark but Endo fired back with one of his own. Ueno also stood firm and hit another Dropkick before putting Endo in the WR for the big win. The A Block finished with four wrestlers all tied in first but the Head To Head results ultimately determined Ueno as the winner advancing to the final! He would agree that this is a great achievement that’s worth praise. Endo on the other hand now feels he has nowhere to go. He isn’t going back to DAMNATION T.A because he doesn’t want anything to do with the guy in charge of that ever again. In 2022 he will go on a journey to become a new Tetsuya Endo!

Over in the B Block there was no tiebreaker needed for first place. Konosuke Takeshita completes the group stage undefeated with a successful blitz on Kazusada Higuchi. The two wasted no time and went throwing big bombs at each other. Takeshita threw out the Zahi knee strike and brought back the Surprise Rose to win in quick fashion. That is a move Takeshita has purposely held back from using because it is dangerous for him to do. But Higuchi is an opponent he felt he needed to use it against. Higuchi called the match a disappointing result but one he will take as a lesson for the future.

So now finally Ueno gets to stand face to face against Takeshita again. He’s seen his friend wrestle ever since they were in high school and that lead to Ueno falling in love with DDT. Ueno has gotten strong over the last five years and he’ll do his best to beat Takeshita in the final on 5th December. Takeshita is happy that Ueno will be his opponent for a Korakuen Hall main event. He encourages Ueno to try and go beyond him because they will have a match that only they can put together.

For Yuji Okabayashi it was a case of so close yet so far. He also went through the entire tournament undefeated but two draws keep him away from reaching the final. The time limit stalemate here gives HARASHIMA a little bit of redemption. All throughout the grand prix he’s been telling people he is in great shape despite a horrible run of defeat after defeat. Being able to fight Okabayashi for 30 minutes without losing is proof he can still go and he is confident he can do better. He wants to keep looking forward, aiming higher and win again. Okabayashi feels HARASHIMA’s love for DDT. It is that persistence that prevented the Big Japan wrestler from getting his rematch with Takeshita. Speaking of that, Okabayashi is now rooting for Takeshita to win the final. If he loses, Okabayashi will come back to kill him!

Jun Akiyama did what he could do to catch up but his win over Bodyguard wasn’t enough to push him over the line. Akiyama blocked the Rising High Kick, hit the Kneelift and then another one with his exposed knee. That only got a one count. Akiyama then threw Bodyguard over with the Exploder but that got a two count. Akiyama had to hit more Running Knee Lifts and then use the Wrist-Clutch Exploder to finally put Bodyguard away. Bodyguard was impressed by Akiyama’s strength and thinks he is moving faster than he was back in All Japan. If DDT wants to invite him back, he will work harder, rebuild his body and compete again.

Oh no, what did Pheromones do this time? Danshoku Dieno & Yuki Iino used their skills to put Yuji Hino, MAO & Yukio Naya all in compromising positions. When Yumehito Imanari grabbed his camera and began to film them, Hisaya Imabayashi ordered the match to be called off. Imabayashi singled out Imanari to blame this time and called him the root of all evil. The GM knows just who to call to come over and destroy him. It’s Shinya Aoki!

A video played of Aoki nominating Imanari as the next DDT Extreme Title challenger and the stipulation is no seconds are allowed at ringside. The match will go ahead in Shinjuku FACE on 12th December. Imanari noticed that when Aoki says the word indie it sounds like he is saying indecent. The press may misreport that the match will be lewd because of that. So Imanari promised that even without his friends at ringside, the match is going to get lewd!

The grudge between Daisuke Sasaki and Soma Takao got even dirtier when they attacked each other after the opening match. With Mizuki Watase already beaten, MJ Paul grabbed onto Takao and held him down. Sasaki then brought out a bag of dog food and claimed he kept this for over ten years. “I’ll never forget the dog food you made me eat!” he shouted. Sasaki attempted to force feed Takao but he punched back and shoved the food into Sasaki’s mouth. Takao then declared he will win the DDT Universal Title from him on 5th December.

The rookies got to experience Hardcore wrestling for the first time thanks to Shunma Katsumata. He invited Toui Kojima, Hideki Okatani and Yuya Koroku to go wild with weapons such as block toys, barbed wire bats, clothing pins, chairs, ladders, pop crackers and more. Okatani tried to put Kojima through a table with the Double Arm Suplex but the table didn’t break. Okatani smashed him through the table the second time. Katsumata covered Koroku in an Acupressure Foot Mat and pinned him with the Totonoe Splash. The rookies all agreed the match was painful but fun.

After the contest was over, Katsumata apologised for making a mess during the dark match. Then suddenly Hyper Misao entered the ring carrying a sign and attacked him with it. She is angry with him for a bunch of reasons. First, The 37KAMIINA humiliated her at the Tokyo Dome during the Rojo Pro Wrestling match held there. And second, Misao is upset she wasn’t invited to be in the Hardcore Match today. She demanded a Hardcore Match against Katsumata and it will happen on 18th December in Nagoya. Katsumata questioned if it is heroic to attack someone from behind and if Misao really is a hero? Misao said this is the way of a hero and she will end his hardcore life!

The very first match of the day was eventful before it even begun. Akito pinned Toru Owashi during his in-ring introduction to win the Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title. Owashi, Kazuki Hirata and Antonio Honda then chased after Akito while the match went ahead. Yuki Ishida used his power to knock over opponents but Yusuke Okada soon stopped his momentum. Naomi Yoshimura threw everyone around. Saki Akai went wild against Chris Brookes & Masahiro Takanashi. The Iron Man chase returned to the ring and Honda revealed that today is Hirata’s birthday! He sang him a birthday song but Hirata cut him off with a Cradle for a nearfall. CDK grabbed Hirata and used a Super Kick/Praying Mantis Bomb combo to put him away.

The show began with the D-Ou Grand Prix chairman Kenta Kobashi greeting the audience and declaring the opening of the final day. Endo could be heard cheering his announcement from the locker room.

Since today is Hirata’s birthday and there were two special announcements for him. On 26th December in Yoyogi, Maku Donaruto will be on the show. Also on the show Hirata is getting a big singles match against Shuji Kondo! Hirata was surprised by the second announcement and promised to do his best. He doesn’t even know Kondo despite their Kobe connection. He also wants Kondo to go easy on him.

The second DDTeeeen!! show will be held at Itabashi Green Hall on 5th January. Ilusion and El Unicorn both promoted the event at the start of the show.

In 2022 DDT will be hosting a “0 Yen Free Show” once a month for the entire year. The first one will take place in Shinjuku FACE on 7th January.

Comments Off on DDT “D-OU GRAND PRIX 2021 II IN KORAKUEN HALL” Results | Results, Tournaments | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by JamieOD

DDT “D-OU GRAND PRIX 2021 II IN OTA-KU” Results

November 3, 2021

DDT “D-OU GRAND PRIX 2021 II IN OTA-KU”, 03/11/2021
Tokyo Ota Ward Gymnasium
775 Fans

0. Dark Match – Toui Kojima Return Match: Toui Kojima & Yuya Koroku defeated Hideki Okatani & Yuki Ishida when Kojima pinned Ishida with the Full Nelson Buster (7:32).
0. Dark Match: Soma Takao defeated Baliyan Akki with the Official Endless Waltz (5:58).
0. Dark Match – KO-D 8-Man Tag Team Titles: Toru Owashi, Antonio Honda, Kazuki Hirata & Yoshihiko defeated Yoshiaki Yatsu, Akito, Hiroshi Yamato & Keigo Nakamura (c) when Hirata pinned Nakamura after the Reincarnation ~Beyond Hirata And Yoshihiko~ (12:37).
*Team Olympian fails in V2. DDT Variety Team become the 6th KO-D 8-Man Tag Team Champions!
1. KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles Decision Match – No DQ Match: Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno, Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Yumehito “Fantastic” Imanari defeated Sanshiro Takagi, Shinya Aoki & Yusuke Okada when Iino pinned Okada with the Sexy Lariat (11:25).
*Pheromones becomes the 44th KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Champions!
2. Special Tag Match: Saki Akai & Masahiro Takanashi defeated Chihiro Hashimoto & Yukio Naya when Takanashi pinned Naya with a Crucifix Pin (10:09).
3. Daisuke Sasaki & MJ Paul Vs Bodyguard & Naomi Yoshimura ended in a No Contest when Soma Takao interfered (12:28).
4. Special Hardcore Tag Match: Chris Brookes & Drew Parker defeated Shunma Katsumata & MAO when Brookes pinned Katsumata with the Bubba Ray Dudley Power Bomb (13:00).
5. D-Ou Grand Prix 2021 II – B Block: Kazusada Higuchi (2) defeated HARASHIMA (0) with the Brain Claw Slam (16:24).
6. D-Ou Grand Prix 2021 II – A Block: Tetsuya Endo (2) defeated Yuji Hino (0) with a Cradle (16:34).
7. D-Ou Grand Prix 2021 II – A Block: Yuki Ueno (2) defeated Jun Akiyama (0) with the WR (9:42).
8. D-Ou Grand Prix 2021 II – B Block: Konosuke Takeshita (1) Vs Yuji Okabayashi (1) ended in a Time Limit Draw (30:00).

A Block

1. Yuki Ueno (2)
-. Tetsuya Endo (2)
3. Naomi Yoshimura (0)
-. Bodyguard (0)
-. Jun Akiyama (0)
-. Yuji Hino (0)

B Block

1. Kazusada Higuchi (2)
2. Konosuke Takeshita (1)
-. Yuji Okabayashi (1)
4. Chris Brookes (0)
-. MAO (0)
-. HARASHIMA (0)

The first four matches in the D-Ou Grand Prix 2021 II took place inside Ota Ward Gymnasium. In the main event Konosuke Takeshita was taken to the limit by Yuji Okabayashi until the time expired. The Plus Ultra and German Suplex couldn’t put Okabayashi. But on the other hand the Golem Splash and Argentine Backbreaker wasn’t enough to beat Takeshita either. Takeshita was fighting to apply the Plus Ultra once more when the bell rang and the match ended in a draw. Takeshita is pleased with the result because he wanted to test his current power. He concluded that he is in great shape and has become a stronger wrestler. It was a contest of strength and Takeshita believes he went all out in Ota Ward today. Now he wants a rematch with Okabayashi and he thinks winning the D-Ou GP will make that happen. It could also happen in a tiebreaker if there is a tie for 1st place in their block. Okabayashi is frustrated over what happened. He doesn’t lose power struggles inside the ring that often. He promises to win the rest of the tournament and crush Takeshita whenever they cross paths again.

Today went exactly how Yuki Ueno imagined it would go. He expected the Knee Strikes, the Front Neck Lock and the Exploder Suplexes. After a perfectly placed Dropkick to the face, Ueno used the WR to beat Jun Akiyama! Everything went right for Ueno which makes him thinks this edition of the D-Ou GP will be a very good tournament for him. Akiyama accepts the result and the situation. It didn’t matter how much of the match he controlled, he still lost in the end. It can’t be helped if he has a target on his back for the younger generation to aim for.

The question going into Tetsuya Endo Vs Yuji Hino was whether or not Endo could give his larger opponent the Torture Rack Bomb. It took some effort but he was finally able to deliver the move. However the move took something out of him too and a delayed pin allowed Hino to kick out at two. Endo had to change his plan and attempted the Canadian Destroyer. Hino blocked the move but Endo then suddenly Cradled him and held him down for dear life to get the three count. Now that DAMNATION is gone, Endo said today is the first step towards becoming the top wrestler in DDT again. He thinks DDT wouldn’t be fun if he wasn’t on top. His next opponent is Naomi Yoshimura. Endo revealed that the two knew each other before Yoshimura joined DDT. He used to tease Endo all the time for having skinny legs. Endo promises he will break Yoshimura’s legs for revenge! Hino is immediately moving on from this loss to focus on his next opponent, Jun Akiyama.

The rivalry between HARASHIMA and Kazusada Higuchi resurfaced once more. At first HARASHIMA targeted his Higuchi’s legs but the match turned into the two throwing bombs at each other. HARASHIMA went for the big finish by doing a Springboard but Higuchi caught him in the Brain Claw. That by itself couldn’t win the match so Higuchi turned it into a big Brain Claw Slam to earn the victory. For Higuchi the win is another step forward. It builds his confidence and makes him think he will win the D-Ou GP. HARASHIMA is sorry he lost but believes he is still in great shape for the rest of the tournament.

The Hardcore Tag Match was carnage for the plastic boxes getting destroyed all over the place. MAO gave a shoutout to Speedball Mike Bailey by doing the Ultima Weapon onto Chris Brookes. He then stapled a Wrestle Universe advert onto Drew Parker’s forehead. Brookes did the same to him. Shunma Katsumata then took it further by stapling an ad onto Parker’s tongue. Parker fought back with a dart but Katsumata shoved it back into his mouth and pierced it through Parker’s cheek! Katsumata & MAO then tried the NepoWER Shower but Brookes got out of the way, leaving them to crash into more boxes. Parker put MAO through a table with the Swanton Bomb and then hit the Spiral Tap on Katsumata. He and Brookes then finished Katsumata off with a Super Power Bomb onto more plastic boxes. Parker greeted the DDT fans afterwards and gave his support to Brookes for the D-Ou GP.

Match #3 fell apart after an accidental ref bump caused by Yoshimura. He & Bodyguard were able to Double Choke Slam MJ Paul. Then Daisuke Sasaki brought a chair into the ring and he lured Yoshimura into Clotheslining Bodyguard by accident. Soma Takao then ran in and attacked Sasaki while Yoshimura & Bodyguard started fighting each other. Yukinori Matsui regained consciousness and saw chaos in the ring so he called off the match. It just so happens that Yoshimura and Bodyguard are facing each other in the D-Ou GP this Saturday. That’s convenient. Takao still wants an explanation from Sasaki as to why he turned his back on him. Sasaki thinks Takao is now working for Ganbare☆Pro and wants security to do a better job keeping wrestlers from other places invading DDT.

Saki Akai & Masahiro Takanashi were joined by Yukio Sakaguchi for their match. There wasn’t the same level of harmony for Chihiro Hashimoto & Yukio Naya. The finish saw Hashimoto grabbing Takanashi to do the Albright German Suplex. Then due to a lot of scrambling in the ring, Hashimoto ended up giving the Albright to her tag partner instead. Takanashi then pinned Naya to steal the win. Despite the result, Hashimoto wants to come back and wrestle Akai again. Akai will be wrestling at Sendai Girls on 23rd November so they can sort something out there is Akai wants to.

You’ll need more than handcuffs to stop Pheromones from their antics. Sanshiro Takagi’s plans couldn’t prevent them from becoming the new KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Champions. Takagi brought out the Dramatic Dream bike to drill into his opponents. Danshoku Dieno took out Shinya Aoki with the Lip Lock. He then got into the Hell Gate position and Yumehito Imanari sprayed fire extinguisher through it into Yusuke Okada. Imanari then handcuffed Okada and left him vulnerable for Yuki Iino’s Sexy Lariat for the finish. Dieno told the “Pheromaniacs” that the unit now cannot be disbanded and they will continue to take everyone to their land of dreams!

The show began with Kenta Kobashi introducing the D-Ou GP entries and receiving the trophy from the previous winner Akiyama. He declared the D-Ou Grand Prix open and watched the matches from the broadcast table. He praised the four tournament matches today and thinks the rest of the tournament will be just as good.

There were three pre-show matches including a title bout. The KO-D 8-Man Tag Team Titles changed hands when Team Olympian lost to Toru Owashi and the so-called DDT Variety Team. Both teams agreed to No Tag Rules for the match to keep the action going. The big highlight was the first time meeting of Yoshiaki Yatsu and Yoshihiko that ended with Yatsu putting the doll in the Prison Lock until Antonio Honda broke it up. Yoshihiko then flew out of the ring after Hiroshi Yamato gave Kazuki Hirata a German Suplex. Akito & Keigo Nakamura focused on Hirata until Yoshihiko came back in for the rescue. Their teamwork together was the difference maker and Hirata pinned Nakamura after an assisted Reincarnation from Yoshihiko. Honda said there are a lot of units in DDT now but if they can get rid of those groups one by one then they can climb up the card all the way up to the main event! Backstage Yatsu was impressed by the depth of Yoshihiko’s abilities.

Takao had a friendlier time in the ring with Baliyan Akki than he did with DAMNATION T.A. Akki put up a good fight by hitting a No Touch Topé Suicida and the Namaste Press. But Takao caught him in the Official Endless Waltz to wear him out and get the three count.

Toui Kojima is back and the new generation of DDT is complete again. Even better for Kojima, he got his first win too. Yuya Koroku and Hideki Okatani kept each other busy so it came down to Kojima and the newest rookie Yuki Ishida. Kojima used a Full Nelson Buster to beat him. Now that his elbows are completely healed, Kojima is going back to his goal of joining The 37KAMIINA!

Comments Off on DDT “D-OU GRAND PRIX 2021 II IN OTA-KU” Results | Results, Tournaments | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by JamieOD

« Previous Entries
Next Entries »