King Of DDT 2026

April 6, 2026

This year’s King Of DDT tournament will have three previous winners taking part alongside four first timers. Every match in the tournament will have no time limit. The bracket ends at the semi finals were the four remaining wrestlers will be paired together via lottery.

HARASHIMA (17th Appearance, 2010 & 2013 Winner)
Danshoku Dieno (8th Appearance)
MAO (7th Appearance, 2024 Winner)
Chris Brookes (6th Appearance, 2023 Winner)
Yukio Naya (6th Appearance)
KANON (5th Appearance)
Takeshi Masada (4th Appearance)
Hideki Okatani (4th Appearance)
To-y (3rd Appearance)
Shinya Aoki (3rd Appearance)
Yuya Koroku (2nd Appearance)
Daichi Sato (2nd Appearance)
Kaisei Takechi (1st Appearance)
Junta Miyawaki (1st Appearance)
Kazuma Sumi (1st Appearance)
Minoru Suzuki (1st Appearance)

DDT “KING OF DDT 2026 1ST ROUND”, 04/05/2026
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

1. King Of DDT – Round 1A: Danshoku Dieno Vs Kaisei Takechi
2. King Of DDT – Round 1B: To-y Vs Takeshi Masada
3. King Of DDT – Round 1C: Minoru Suzuki Vs Yukio Naya
4. King Of DDT – Round 1D: Chris Brookes Vs Junta Miyawaki
5. King Of DDT – Round 1E: HARASHIMA Vs Daichi Sato
6. King Of DDT – Round 1F: Shinya Aoki Vs KANON
7. King Of DDT – Round 1G: Hideki Okatani Vs Yuya Koroku
8. King Of DDT – Round 1H: MAO Vs Kazuma Sumi

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DDT “KING OF DDT 2026 2ND ROUND”, 09/05/2026
Shinjuku FACE

1. King Of DDT – Round 2: Winner Of Match 1A Vs Winner Of Match 1B
2. King Of DDT – Round 2: Winner Of Match 1C Vs Winner Of Match 1D
3. King Of DDT – Round 2: Winner Of Match 1E Vs Winner Of Match 1F
4. King Of DDT – Round 2: Winner Of Match 1G Vs Winner Of Match 1H

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DDT “KING OF DDT 2026 FINAL!!”, 31/05/2026
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

1. King Of DDT – Semi Final: X Vs X
2. King Of DDT – Semi Final: X Vs X
3. King Of DDT – Final: X Vs X


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

April 5, 2026

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


DDT “JUDGEMENT 2026” Results

March 22, 2026

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


DDT “HYBRID PERFORMER 2026 ~KAISEI TAKECHI 2ND ANNIVERSARY~” Results

February 22, 2026

DDT “HYBRID PERFORMER 2026 ~KAISEI TAKECHI 2ND ANNIVERSARY~”, 22/02/2026
Tokyo Korakuen Hall
??? Fans – Unannounced

1. Jun Akiyama, Makoto Oishi & Yukio Naya defeated Sanshiro Takagi, Tomomitsu Matsunaga & Ryoma Tsukamoto when Naya pinned Matsunaga with The World’s Best Back Drop (9:11).
2. Chris Brookes, HARASHIMA, Antonio Honda & Hinata Kasai defeated To-y, Toru Owashi, Kazuki Hirata & Yuni when Honda pinned Hirata with the Diving Fist Drop (9:41).
3. Special Tag Match: Shinya Aoki & Junta Miyawaki defeated Yuya Koroku & Rukiya when Miyawaki pinned Rukiya with the Sunshine Clutch (10:32).
4. DAMNATION T.A Vs Harimao!: Naomi Yoshimura, Ryota Nakatsu & Yuki Ishida defeated Daisuke Sasaki, Hideki Okatani & Ilusion (w/ MJ Paul) when Yoshimura pinned Ilusion with the Harai-goshi (10:56).
5. Special 6-Man Tag Match: MAO, KANON & Viento Maligno (w/ KIMIHIRO) defeated Danshoku Dieno, Super Sasadango Machine & Akito when Maligno pinned Akito with the Driver Maligno (10:37).
6. D GENERATIONS CUP 2026 – Final: Kazuma Sumi defeated Takeshi Masada with the School Boy (17:08).
7. Kaisei Takechi 2nd Anniversary Match: Yuki Ueno defeated Kaisei Takechi with WR (20:50).

To celebrate the second anniversary of his pro wrestling debut, Kaisei Takechi asked DDT for a particular opponent he wanted to face one on one. Up until today Yuki Ueno has been supporting Takechi as a tag partner in the majority of the dozen matches he’s had so far. Now Takechi wanted Ueno to be his first singles opponent. The result of this is Ueno has become the first person to make Takechi look up at the lights, handing him his first pinfall defeat. Takechi brought the fight to Ueno from the start, delaying an early rope break and firing Elbow Strikes along with Dropkicks to Ueno. That made Ueno take him more seriously and bring the fight outside the ring. Ueno threw Takechi into a row of chairs but Takechi got his own back by doing a Diving Cross Body above one of the stairways in the seating section. Back in the ring Takechi got close to winning by using the Choke Slam and Swan Dive Forearm. He then went to use a Sleeper Hold but Ueno got out of it to use his own Dropkicks and Elbow Strikes. Takechi couldn’t withstand the punishment for long and he was pinned with the WR.

Ueno congratulated Takechi after the match and if there is anyone out there who thinks Takechi is only doing pro wrestling as a side gig, Ueno wants them to come tell him. He told Takechi he isn’t at the level to compete for the KO-D Openweight Title yet but the next time they have a singles match against each other, Ueno will put the championship on the line. Takechi thanked him for welcoming him into DDT and talked about experiencing more losses than wins since before he even entered the entertainment industry. That has helped make him strong for wrestling. He also said he regrets not entering the King Of DDT tournament last year or appear at “WRESTLE PETER PAN” because of his summer schedule back then. So this year he has opened up his schedule in order to enter the tournament as well as take part in DDT’s big summer show! He will show everyone how much he will evolve until the day comes when the KO-D Title is worn around his waist! Takechi still has may tours with THE RAMPAGE lined up for 2026 but he is hoping to find gap where he can be booked for some of DDT’s shows outside of Tokyo too.

Kazuma Sumi has now been crowned this year’s best wrestler out of D GENERATIONS by winning the D GENERATIONS CUP! The final of the annual tournament’s fourth edition had Sumi beat the first ever winner Takeshi Masada. He relied on big high flying moves such as the Lionsault and Reverse 450 while Masada kept to a more balanced moveset to keep things under his control. It almost worked out for the latter as he used a Dominator to counter a Frankensteiner, then used the Triangle Kick and the Manburi for a nearfall. But when he went to use his finisher, Sumi suddenly flipped out of it and rolled him over with the School Boy lightning fast for the victory!

When Sumi received his trophy he told Masada that the best classmates are those to eat together, practice together and share both the good times and bad together. While they have trained together and experienced hard times, they were never close like that. Masada was always ahead ever since Sumi debuted but it gave Sumi something to chase after and made him work hard enough to become strong. So in a way Masada really is the best classmate Sumi could ever have. Daisuke Sasaki entered the ring to congratulate Sumi and tell him they can have an exciting match on 22nd March when Sumi gets his DDT Universal Title shot as his reward for winning the DGC. Sumi went to shake his hand until Sasaki kicked him between the legs. Sasaki called him stupid and there is zero chance Sumi will win the title from him. When Sumi recovered he said he isn’t a kid anymore and he is incredibly confident he will beat Sasaki for the belt next month. Meanwhile Masada talked to Yuya Koroku backstage about forming a new unit centered around the D GENERATIONS. Koroku agreed to be a part of it and Masada will now go look for other potential members to join.

The newest member of Strange Love Connection has arrived! The masked man Viento Maligno is a newcomer to DDT although some people suspect he may be more familiar to them than they realize. Danshoku Dieno gave him the Danshoku Claw early in the match then paused to give a reaction that suggested he recognized who Maligno is just from feeling his crotch. He didn’t dwell on it for long because he wanted to impress the guest commentator Riki Matsui from BALLISTIK BOYZ and tried to do so by doing lewd things to KANON in the ring. Viento got the hot tag in and used a llave submission on Akito while MAO did a Moonsault onto everyone outside. Viento then got the win by pinning Akito with the Driver Maligno, a move that looks like a Leg Clutch Olympic Slam thrown into a Michinoku Driver.

Dieno got on the microphone after the match to complain because DDT bringing in new wrestlers is making his generation feel disposable. Super Sasadango Machine agreed and wanted to send a message to CyberAgent. Pro wrestlers like them are not supposed to be treated like trading cards or gacha games… but they should be! CyberAgent is responsible for making loads of different card and gacha games so why are the wrestlers belonging to them being left out of being turned into content (don’t listen to Yota Tsuji, he doesn’t know what he’s talking about)? In order to make a more convincing arguement to the corporation, Dieno & Sasadango challenged SLC for the KO-D Tag Team Titles. MAO sort of understands their intentions because they want to work hard together for DDT’s sake so he accepted the challenge for 11th March. KANON then reluctantly shook his opponents’ hands to confirm they have the title shot.

At first it looked like Harimao were going to be in trouble fighting DAMNATION T.A because the numbers game was against them. Sasaki and Hideki Okatani both attacked Yuki Ishida with weapons but Ryota Nakatsu was able to give them more of a fight. Sasaki also threw a chair at Naomi Yoshimura while MJ Paul interfered a couple of times. Ilusion missing the Swanton Bomb gave Yoshimura his second wind while Kazusada Higuchi at ringside finally stepped in to grab Sasaki and then Paul with the Claw Hold at ringside. With the coast clear, Yoshimura threw over Ilusion with the Harai-goshi to get the victory. Harimao were fired up over the win and all said they couldn’t sense any sumo spirit from DAMNATION T.A. Harimao said they will climb higher from here and Nakatsu told the others he can come back for another match in DDT on 2nd March.

So far during his stay Junta Miyawaki is making both friends and enemies in DDT. He looks up to Shinya Aoki and got to team with him today but one of the wrestlers facing him, Rukiya, is getting more frustrated with him every time they fight in the ring. It continued here when Miyawaki pinned him with the Sunshine Clutch, a new cradle pin he created inspired by the Aoki Clutch where it is set up Tiger Suplex style instead of with a Full Nelson. Rukiya didn’t like how smug Miyawaki looked after the match and tried to fight him again until Koroku and others at ringside held him back. Backstage Miyawaki said he can really tell that Aoki enjoys pro wrestling which makes him enjoy wrestling even more too. Aoki though kept asking him if he saw Keigo Nakamura anywhere because that is who he used to team with. Unfortunately, Miyawaki doesn’t know who Nakamura is.

Today was the first time all four members of FANTÔMES DRAMATIC got to team together for an 8-Man Tag match and it turned into a success. Hinata Kasai was called out by Toru Owashi to begin the match then after some lucha spots he wanted to tag in Yuni to let the young blood take the stage. Kazuki Hirata didn’t care and burst in wanting to do his dance instead. Chris Brookes & HARASHIMA took over to fight with Yuni & To-y while Hirata kept trying to get in the way. Antonio Honda did an Olympics joke for Gongitsune, Hirata tried to counter it with dance but fell to a 4-on-1 situation all in tune to “TOKYO GO!”. Honda ended up pinning him with the Diving Fist Drop to give FANTÔMES DRAMATIC the win.

Hirata was made to stay behind after the match because Hisaya Imabayashi wanted to talk to him. The GM had an announcement regarding Hirata’s big match against Konosuke Takeshita happening on 22nd March. For years now Hirata has been using “TOKYO GO!” as his entrance song, even recording his own cover to avoid getting DDT into any copyright trouble. Well now DDT has invited the creator of the song John Robinson to attend the show and perform “TOKYO GO!” live for Hirata’s match entrance! Hirata is thrilled with the news and cannot wait to do the original “Magnum” dance with the actual DJ singing for him.

It’s not that often Makoto Oishi appears in DDT nowadays but he was here today because he is Takechi main mentor who trained him from scratch. It meant he got to wrestle Ryoma Tsukamoto for the first time and experience his strength up close. When that got too overwhelming Oishi tagged in Yukio Naya to give Tsukamoto a more powerful challenge. Tomomitsu Matsunaga had some fun keeping Oishi away from his corner when the going got tough. Sanshiro Takagi was also fired up and attempted a Coast To Coast Dropkick… where he just landed on his feet and then gave Oishi a regular Dropkick in the corner. He also took an Exploder Suplex from Jun Akiyama only to get back up and hit back with a Stunner. Akiyama came back later to Headbutt Matsunaga while Matsunaga had Naya in a Sharpshooter. Naya then purposely Choke Slammed Oishi onto Matsunaga for a near fall. Matsunaga also kicked out of a Running Knee Strike from Naya but was put down for good with The World’s Best Back Drop. Backstage Oishi said once Kaisei Takechi surpasses his then he will become a real pro wrestler.

A new wrestler was announced during the show to have joined DDT as a full time member of the roster. Masami Inahata is a 20 year old wrestler from Toyonaka City, Osaka who was formerly known as Thunder Masami in JTO. He only has a year’s worth of experience under his belt but announced in January he had graduated from his home promotion. What funny timing that this is happening so soon after his older brother Katsumi Inahata (formerly Fire Katsumi) went through a similar path from JTO to NOAH recently. Masami Inahata told the audience he has come to DDT because the company has many wrestlers his age here. His first match in DDT will take place on 22nd March.

When NωA Jr. finished their musical performance at the start of the show, Shunma Katsumata talked about his planned comeback from injury happening on 22nd March. He has someone in mind he wants his first match back to be against. It’s MAO! They have a lot of history together so it will mean a lot to Katsumata for MAO to be his opponent. MAO acted like he was going to attack his friend but instead he shook his hand and welcomed him back. He also said one of the reasons he left The 37KAMIINA was so he could fight Katsumata but the ACL injury happened to Katsumata before that could happen. MAO told him never to skip a match like that again and he’ll see him on 22nd March.


DDT “KING OF DDT 2025 FINAL!!” Results

May 25, 2025

DDT “KING OF DDT 2025 FINAL!!”, 25/05/2025
Tokyo Korakuen Hall
??? Fans – Unannounced

1. SCHADENFREUDE International Vs DAMNATION T.A!: Chris Brookes, Antonio Honda & Takeshi Masada defeated Daisuke Sasaki, MJ Paul & Ilusion when Honda pinned Ilusion with the Japanese Leg Roll Clutch (9:59).
2. King Of DDT 2025 – Semi Final: Kazusada Higuchi defeated Yuki Ueno with the Claw Slam (12:10).
3. King Of DDT 2025 – Semi Final: KANON defeated Hideki Okatani with the LONELY DEZIRES (9:41).
4. 4 Way Tag Match: Akito & Yuya Koroku defeated HARASHIMA & Kazuki Hirata, Toru Owashi & Yuki Ishida and Yuni & Kazuma Sumi when Koroku submitted Akito with the Modified Triangle Lancer (9:47).
5. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Shinya Aoki, Shunma Katsumata & To-y defeated Jun Akiyama, Yukio Naya & Daichi Sato when Aoki pinned Sato with a Modified Crucific Pin (8:45).
6. DDT Universal Title: Minoru Suzuki (c) defeated Danshoku Dieno with the Gotch-Style Piledriver (12:50).
*V2 for Minoru Suzuki.
7. King Of DDT 2025 – Final: Kazusada Higuchi defeated KANON with the Claw Slam (19:09).

Any lingering doubt that Kazusada Higuchi had returned to action in perfect condition can now be laid to rest because he has won this year’s King Of DDT tournament! He came back to the ring with something to prove and meeting him in the final was KANON, who had his own eventful journey to get here. When KANON put Higuchi in the Cobra Twist 2.0, Higuchi grabbed him by the jaw and countered the hold into the Claw Slam. KANON used the Lariat many times to hit back against Higuchi’s Double Chops. But Higuchi hit him back with Headbutts, Lariats and the Doctor Bomb for a nearfall. Higuchi was then able to apply the Claw once more and used another Claw Slam to get the three count and be crowned King Of DDT for the second time in his career.

Higuchi was filled with joy when he received his trophy. He told the fans when he was away recovering from his neck injury he thought he wouldn’t be able to survive in the ring anymore. But he took things one step at a time and is happy to be standing here today talking to everyone as the tournament champion. He thanked the other members of Harimao at ringside for always standing by him and later spoke about how grateful he is towards each of his opponents in this year’s tournament. But there’s one more thing he wants. As King Of DDT he now qualifies for a shot for the KO-D Openweight Title! Meanwhile KANON said this month has been the most fulfilling period of his career since coming to DDT and he is really glad he joined the promotion. He wants to earn a KO-D Title shot by himself and said he will definitely get it at the next opportunity.

KANON had to overcome a grudge with Hideki Okatani to reach the final. Okatani was KANON’s replacement in DAMNATION T.A after KANON was kicked out of the unit. Okatani attacked KANON with the bamboo stick at the start and had Ilusion interfere for him but KANON built up a comeback that included him blocking those attacks. Okatani turned the tables again by doing a Sling Blade style Crucifix Pin and also the Skewer-Style Claymore for a nearfall. KANON got things back on track with a Brainbuster, followed up with a Lariats and then got the victory by pinning Okatani with the LONELY DEZIRES.

Higuchi had to survive against everything Yuki Ueno could throw at him in the other semi final. Ueno used everything in his arsenal including a Springboard Hurricanrana, the Blackout Sleeper, the Jul.2 and also the Dropkick aimed for Higuchi’s face. But Ueno didn’t expect Higuchi to grab him in the Claw Hold straight after kicking out of a pin. He also didn’t expect Higuchi to run through the WR and Shining Wizard with Lariat counters that knocked Ueno senseless. Ueno had enough awareness to block Higuchi from giving him the Claw Slam except Higuchi then grabbed him from the back of the head to squeeze the life out of him before finishing him off with the Claw Slam. Ueno backstage said he wanted to win but admits that is the Higuchi everyone loves to see. While Konosuke Takeshita and MAO are showing everyone how great they are in other promotions, Ueno thinks it is up to him to show the wrestling world that you can still find power and dreams in DDT too.

Maybe Strong Style isn’t the right fit for Danshoku Dieno after all. He tried living up to his promise to give Minoru Suzuki the most serious fight of his life for the DDT Universal Title and wore plain black trunks to prove it. But the gap between them was too large for him to overcome so he had to unlock his Danshoku style for his best chance at surviving. When Suzuki had him trapped in a Cobra Twist, Dieno used the Lip Lock to break out of it. Then Jun Akiyama showed up to hand Dieno back his regular costume so Dieno was fully himself again. A deep Lip Lock almost had Suzuki down for the count but he kicked out in time and stopped Dieno from hitting a Moonsault. But even he couldn’t fight off the gravity pulling power of the Danshoku Driver. When Dieno had the move all set up he chose to do it Gotch-Style but Suzuki struggled his way out of it and Headbutted Dieno to stop him from doing another Lip Lock. Suzuki then applied his Sleeper Hold to weaken Dieno enough for the Gotch-Style Piledriver, ending the match with Suzuki retaining the Universal Title.

After the match Suzuki said Dieno was messing around a little bit but he accepts Dieno’s Strong Style. He explained pro wrestling is not just about grabbing holds, stretching limbs and punching each other. Suzuki won today but he wanted Dieno to know one more thing. He would like to do a match with him again. Shinya Aoki then walked down to the ring as Dieno was making his exit. The two hugged and high fived each other as they crossed paths. Aoki then got into the ring and said he cannot let Suzuki look this strong forever. He wants to be his next challenger! Suzuki wants an opponent just like Aoki but isn’t sure if it will be treated like a joke. Hisaya Imabayashi understands Suzuki is suspicious after taking on such difficult challengers like Yoshihiko and Dieno so far in his reign but this is the real deal Shinya Aoki stepping up to him next! Suzuki accepted the challenge and the title match will take place on the 13th July Korakuen Hall show.

Maybe Aoki was in a relaxed mood today by teaming up with members of The 37KAMIINA? He joined forces with Shunma Katsumata & To-y to face the heavyweight trio of Akiyama, Yukio Naya & Daichi Sato. To-y took a beating outside the ring thanks to Akiyama and Naya Body Slamming him onto the floor. The heavyweights looked to have the match in control until Sato got in the ring with Aoki. The rookie was smothered Aoki’s skills on the mat and was easily pinned with a Modified Crucifix Hold that came from an Aoki Clutch attempt that didn’t go right.

A 4 Way Tag Match ended up sorting out who the next challengers for the KO-D Tag Team Titles are going to be. The match was a free for all with Yuni & Kazuma Sumi using their NωA Jr. music to power themselves up. It was interrupted by Toru Owashi & Yuki Ishida doing a Dosukoi pose to the beat of sumo drums. HARASHIMA & Kazuki Hirata danced while wearing the Hirata GO! glasses but that caused HARASHIMA to take Hirata style pratfalls. The only team that were fully on the same page was Akito & Yuya Koroku. Their teamwork outclassed everyone else’s and the finish was set up from Akito giving Sumi an Ankle Lock. While the hold was locked in, Koroku kicked Sumi’s arm and then applied the Triangle Lancer to the damaged limb to make Sumi give up.

Backstage Koroku asked Akito where are the KO-D Tag Titles currently? Akito answered they are being defended by Astronauts in other promotions. Koroku finds it weird that nobody in DDT has said anything about this and he wants to bring the belts back. Akito agreed and is happy to keep teaming with Koroku so they get the tag titles back to DDT. They want the message sent out to Astronauts. Akito & Koroku are coming after them!

The latest battle between SCHADENFREUDE International and DAMNATION T.A saw Bunbun getting thrown around like a toy. When Daisuke Sasaki cut off the rubber band spot he tied the band around Bunbun, spun him around in the air and threw him into the crowd. DAMNATION T.A then worked over Antonio Honda until Chris Brookes & Takeshi Masada made the comeback. Honda returned to attack his opponents with Gongitsune but he was soon flattened by a Double Body Press from MJ Paul & Ilusion. Honda dodged Ilusion’s Swanton Bomb though and rolled him up in the Japanese Leg Roll Clutch to escape with the victory.

A video played during the show announcing the return of “THE MONSTER” Haruto Sakuraba to DDT! The muscular stage actor had his debut wrestling match last October and is still a member of DAMNATION T.A. While he’s been away he heard about them recently kicking out a pathetic guy from the group. He isn’t impressed to hear what KANON has been up to since then, making stupid heart signs with his hands. Sakuraba is coming back to DDT on 13th July to crush KANON’s heart so hard that he’ll never be able to get back up again!


Chouten ~Itadaki~ And King Of DDT Finals Coming Up, Summer Injured, D GENERATIONS 3

May 22, 2025

BASARA “BASARA 279 ~UTAGE~”, 23/05/2025
Shin-Kiba 1st RING

1. Chouten ~Itadaki~ 2025 – A Block Final: Takumi Tsukamoto Vs Keisuke Ishii
2. Chouten ~Itadaki~ 2025 – B Block Final: Daiki Shimomura Vs Ryota Nakatsu
3. Isami Kodaka, TAMURA☆GENE☆ & Tomoki Hatano Vs Takato Nakano, Masato Kamino & Yasu Urano
4. Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi Vs Daichi Kazato
5. Ryuichi Sekine, FUMA & Ayumu Honda Vs SAGAT, Lil’ Kraken & Minoru Fujita
6. Chouten ~Itadaki~ 2025 – Final: X Vs X

A few of the annual summer tournaments are coming to an end this week. BASARA has the final rounds of the Chouten ~Itadaki~ taking place tomorrow. From where I’m standing it looks like Daiki Shimomura is on the path to redemption by winning the tournament a year after coming back from his suspension. However Keisuke Ishii can become the rare outsider to win the tournament and continue BASARA’s interactions with Ganbare☆Pro down the line. Ryota Nakatsu is the current Union MAX Champion whose goal is to win the tournament as champ so he can choose his next challenger. That leaves Takumi Tsukamoto hanging around as the only one in the semi final without much of a story going into tomorrow. I don’t get the feeling it’s his turn to get pushed soon either.

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW SPRING TOUR 2025 IN SHIZUOKA”, 24/05/2025
Shizuoka Shimizu Marine Building

1. Toga Vs Mifu Ashida
2. Rika Tatsumi Vs Pom Harajuku
3. 3 Way Match: Raku Vs Mahiro Kiryu Vs Ivy Steele
4. Yuki Arai & Moka Miyamoto Vs Yoshiko Hasegawa & Chika Nanase
5. Suzume & Arisu Endo Vs Maki Itoh & Uta Takami
6. Shoko Nakajima, Yuki Aino & Haruna Neko Vs Kaya Toribami, Wakana Uehara & HIMAWARI
7. Mizuki & Haru Kazashiro Vs Miu Watanabe & Shino Suzuki

Unfortunately Kira Summer has a leg injury and will be unable to wrestle Rika Tatsumi this Saturday. Tatsumi will now face Pom Harajuku instead. The tag match Harajuku was in will now be a 3 Way Match.

DDT “KING OF DDT 2025 FINAL!!”, 25/05/2025
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

1. SCHADENFREUDE International Vs DAMNATION T.A!: Chris Brookes, Antonio Honda & Takeshi Masada Vs Daisuke Sasaki, MJ Paul & Ilusion
2. King Of DDT 2025 – Semi Final: Kazusada Higuchi Vs Yuki Ueno
3. King Of DDT 2025 – Semi Final: KANON Vs Hideki Okatani
4. 4 Way Tag Match: HARASHIMA & Kazuki Hirata Vs Akito & Yuya Koroku Vs Toru Owashi & Yuki Ishida Vs Yuni & Kazuma Sumi
5. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Jun Akiyama, Yukio Naya & Daichi Sato Vs Shinya Aoki, Shunma Katsumata & To-y
6. DDT Universal Title: Minoru Suzuki (c) Vs Danshoku Dieno
7. King Of DDT 2025 – Final: X Vs X

The King Of DDT is also down to its final four. Kazusada Higuchi is as always only focused on the next step in front of him. Yuki Ueno continues his mission to be the person who carries DDT but he is also realizing he has to stand out more. KANON has a chance to get revenge on Hideki Okatani but Ueno is expecting Okatani to reach the final over him. In response to that KANON wants Higuchi to make the final instead of Ueno.

DDT “D GENERATIONS 3 ~ACCELERATING BATTLE, UNSTOPPABLE AMBITION~”, 12/06/2025
Tokyo Ueno Park Outdoor Stage

1. Yuni Vs Munetatsu Nakamura
2. Ryoma Tsukamoto Vs Yuki Ishida
3. Mikiya Sasaki Vs To-y
4. Special Single Match: Soma Takao Vs Daichi Sato
5. Special Single Match: Keisuke Ishii Vs Yuya Koroku
6. Special Tag Match: Shigehiro Irie & Shota Vs Takeshi Masada & Kazuma Sumi

Away from the tournaments we also have the full card for the next D GENERATIONS show. The young versus old concept is really highlighted by making To-y wrestle the Dory Funk Jr. tribute act Mikiya Sasaki.


DDT “EARLY SUMMER BEER GARDEN PRO WRESTLING 2025 – DAY 2” Results

May 21, 2025

DDT “EARLY SUMMER BEER GARDEN PRO WRESTLING 2025 – DAY 2”, 21/05/2025
Tokyo Ueno Park Outdoor Stage
??? Fans – Unannounced

1. Daisuke Sasaki & Ilusion defeated Kazuki Hirata & Antonio Honda when Ilusion pinned Hirata with a Rotating Cradle (7:41).
2. 3 Count Vs 1 Count! Count Handicap Match: Jun Akiyama defeated Kazuma Sumi with the Running Knee Butt (0:10).
2a. Rematch: Kazuma Sumi defeated Jun Akiyama with the School Boy (0:11).
2b. Rematch: Jun Akiyama defeated Kazuma Sumi with an Arm Lock (0:51).
3. No English Match: Yukio Naya, Daichi Sato & Yuki Ishida defeated HARASHIMA, Tomomitsu Matsunaga & Yuya Koroku by TKO when HARASHIMA said “Ring” (10:50).
4. Thank You Toru Owashi ~ Toru Owashi 20th Anniversary Of DDT Participation Series Vol. 2: Toru Owashi Vs Danshoku Dieno ended in a No Contest (6:20).
4a. Rematch: Toru Owashi & Hisaya Imabayashi defeated Danshoku Dieno & Yukinori Matsui when Imabayashi pinned Matsui with La Magistral Cradle (5:44).
5. Road To KING OF DDT 2025 FINAL!! Special 4 Way Match: Hideki Okatani defeated Kazusada Higuchi, Yuki Ueno and KANON when Okatani pinned KANON with a School Boy (10:47).
6. Takeshi Masada Produce Match – Hardcore Match: Shunma Katsumata & To-y defeated Chris Brookes & Takeshi Masada when Katsumata pinned Masada with the Sauna Trance Splash onto the pool through the Table with Bunbun (20:20).

The latest Beer Garden show gave Takashi Masada the book to do whatever he wanted in the main event. He decided to take part in his very first Hardcore Match teaming with Chris Brookes to fight Shunma Katsumata & To-y. The wrestlers fought each other with ladders, buckets, plastic boxes, chairs and even an ear piercer. Then The 37KAMIINA wrestlers placed a kiddie pool filled with water on top of a table and laid Masada onto it. Bunbun had accompanied the SCHADENFREUDE International team and was sent on a wild ride. Katsumata climbed a nearby ladder with Bunbun, gave the puppet a kiss and then together they jumped off and crushed Masada with the Sauna Trance Splash to get the win. Masada said he had discovered a new style of pro wrestling, one that is super fun but also super painful.

The King Of DDT semi finals were previewed with the four wrestlers involved all taking part in a 4 Way Match against each other. Earlier in the show they had a press conference talking about the final rounds and some of the words said got on people’s nerves. Yuki Ueno thinks he will meet Hideki Okatani in the final so in response to that KANON said he expects to fight Kazusada Higuchi in the final instead. It made the 4 Way Match a free for all because nobody trusted each other to make a brief alliance. That worked out to Okatani’s advantage because he had Ilusion nearby to throw a chair at KANON’s face from ringside. Okatani then rolled up KANON for the three count after that. KANON admitted he left his guard down today but promised that won’t happen at Korakuen Hall. Okatani only said they’ll have fun on the day.

Things between Toru Owashi and Danshoku Dieno got so ridiculous during their match that Hisaya Imabayashi called it off. Yukinori Matsui didn’t appreciate the GM making the call instead of himself so they started arguing with each other. It got so rough that it turned into a tag match between Owashi & Imabayashi against Dieno & Matsui! Daisuke Kiso stepped in to be the ref and he counted Imabayashi pinning Matsui with La Magistral Cradle. Owashi & Imabayashi almost kissed to celebrate but the GM realised what was happening at the last second and left Owashi hanging.

The No English match began with both teams having five points. Every time a wrestler said an English word their team was deducted a point. This went on until the losing team reached 0 points.


Last One Standing Gets Next Princess Title Shot, Crazy Tatsumi Faces The Brahmans

May 20, 2025

DDT “EARLY SUMMER BEER GARDEN PRO WRESTLING 2025 – DAY 2”, 21/05/2025
Tokyo Ueno Park Outdoor Stage

1. Daisuke Sasaki & Ilusion Vs Kazuki Hirata & Antonio Honda
2. 3 Count Vs 1 Count! Count Handicap Match: Jun Akiyama Vs Kazuma Sumi
3. No English Match: HARASHIMA, Tomomitsu Matsunaga & Yuya Koroku Vs Yukio Naya, Daichi Sato & Yuki Ishida
4. Thank You Toru Owashi ~ Toru Owashi 20th Anniversary Of DDT Participation Series Vol. 2: Toru Owashi Vs Danshoku Dieno
5. Road To KING OF DDT 2025 FINAL!! Special 4 Way Match: Kazusada Higuchi Vs Yuki Ueno Vs KANON Vs Hideki Okatani
6. Takeshi Masada Produce Match – Hardcore Match: Chris Brookes & Takeshi Masada Vs Shunma Katsumata & To-y

There will be a press conference for the King Of DDT final rounds taking place after Match #2. Kazusada Higuchi, Yuki Ueno, KANON and Hideki Okatani will all give their comments on the semi finals before they all face off in a 4 Way Match later in the show.

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW SPRING TOUR 2025 IN SHIZUOKA”, 24/05/2025
Shizuoka Shimizu Marine Building

1. Toga Vs Mifu Ashida
2. Rika Tatsumi Vs Kira Summer
3. Raku & Pom Harajuku Vs Mahiro Kiryu & Ivy Steele
4. Yuki Arai & Moka Miyamoto Vs Yoshiko Hasegawa & Chika Nanase
5. Suzume & Arisu Endo Vs Maki Itoh & Uta Takami
6. Shoko Nakajima, Yuki Aino & Haruna Neko Vs Kaya Toribami, Wakana Uehara & HIMAWARI
7. Mizuki & Haru Kazashiro Vs Miu Watanabe & Shino Suzuki

After Maki Itoh defeated Uta Takami last weekend they are now going to be a tag team this weekend. Daisy Monkey are a very tough challenge for them to take on straight away though.

There was a Universe Cast recorded by Kira Summer on Wrestle Universe earlier this year where she talked about how much she looks up to Rika Tatsumi. So getting a singles match with her is going to be a pretty big deal.

Yuki Kamifuku is not on the show because she will be wrestling in China that day.

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW SPRING TOUR 2025 IN NAGOYA”, 01/06/2025
Aichi Chunichi Hall

1. Last One Standing 8-Woman Tag Team Elimination Match: Miu Watanabe Vs Maki Itoh Vs Yuki Kamifuku Vs Yuki Aino Vs Yuki Arai Vs Pom Harajuku Vs Arisu Endo Vs Jada Stone

The next challenger for the Princess Of Princess Title will be determined sort of Torneo Cibernetico style! A Last One Standing 8-Woman Tag Match will start off as a 4 Vs 4 Elimination Tag bout. Wrestlers are knocked out of the match by pinfall, submission or being thrown over the top rope to the floor. If the winning team has more than one wrestler remaining then the match will continue as a singles, 3 Way or 4 Way elimination match with the partners now facing each other as opponents. As the match name says, last one standing becomes the winner and earns the right to face Mizuki for the Princess Title. The eight participants have been selected but the two teams have not been determined yet.

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW SPRING TOUR 2025 IN SHINAGAWA VOL. 2”, 07/06/2025
Tokyo Shinagawa Prince Hotel Club eX

1. MLW Women’s World Featherweight Title: Shoko Nakajima (c) Vs Kaya Toribami

One day after Kaya Toribami celebrates the 4th Anniversary of her debut match she challenges her close friend Shoko Nakajima for the MLW Women’s World Featherweight Title. Nakajima knows Toribami better than anyone else in Tokyo Joshi Pro because they’ve been friends since before Toribami became a wrestler. She’s happy a match like this is happening because it gives Toribami a chance to reach the potential Nakajima knows she has. With that being said, Nakajima is closely holding onto the MLW Women’s Title because it is currently her ticket to wrestle in America more often.

Jada Stone will be on the show.

M&A “SANSHIRO TAKAGI 30TH ANNIVERSARY PROJECT ~MATCHMAKE & AGENT~”, 25/06/2025
Shinjuku FACE

1. Special Tag Match: Rika Tatsumi & Antonio Honda Vs Brahman Shu & Brahman Kei
2. Special Single Match: Suwama Vs Muscle Sakai
3. Special Single Match: Yuji Nagata Vs Ken Ohka

A new match booked by Sanshiro Takagi for his next MatchMake & Agent show. Takagi is looking for the craziest wrestler to fight The Brahman Brothers and nobody in TJPW is crazier than Rika Tatsumi! Antonio Honda will be in the match too.


Back To Ueno Park, Takami’s Heart Vs Itoh’s Soul, A Memorial For Heisei’s Wrestling Mastermind

May 12, 2025

DDT “EARLY SUMMER BEER GARDEN PRO WRESTLING 2025 – DAY 1”, 13/05/2025
Tokyo Ueno Park Outdoor Stage

1. 3 Way Match – Submission Rules Only: Kazusada Higuchi Vs KANON Vs Yuya Koroku
2. Thank You Toru Owashi ~Toru Owashi 20th Anniversary Of DDT Participation Series Vol. 1~ Lucha Libre Rules: Daisuke Sasaki, Hideki Okatani & Ilusion Vs Toru Owashi, Soma Takao & Kazuma Sumi
3. Jun Akiyama & Antonio Honda Vs HARASHIMA & Kazuki Hirata
4. Danshoku Dieno Produce Match ~ Woof Woof Paradise Insurance Match: Akito Vs Yukio Naya
5. Danshoku Dieno Produce Match ~ Woof Woof Paradise: Danshoku Dieno (w/ Haku) Vs Shunma Katsumata (w/ Ponta & Komachi) Vs Yuki Kamifuku (w/ Zac) Vs Yoshiko Hasegawa (w/ Qoo)
6. Special Tag Match: Chris Brookes & Yuki Ueno Vs To-y & Takeshi Masada

There is now a two week break from the King Of DDT tournament until the final takes place near the end of the month. Instead DDT is heading back to Ueno Park for a series of early summer shows.

DDT “D GENERATIONS 2 ~THERE’S NO LIMIT TO GROWING PAINS~”, 14/05/2025
Tokyo Ueno Park Outdoor Stage

1. Special Single Match: Keisuke Ishii Vs Kazuma Sumi
2. Soma Takao Vs Takumi Saito
3. Yuni Vs Ali Najima
4. Hideki Okatani & Ilusion Vs Munetatsu Nakamura & Shota Kawakami
5. Special Single Match: Ryoma Tsukamoto Vs To-y
6. Special Tag Match: Shigehiro Irie & Shota Vs Takeshi Masada & Yuya Koroku

The match order for the second D GENERATIONS show has been decided.

BASARA “BASARA 278 ~KOO~”, 14/05/2025
Shin-Kiba 1st RING

1. Ryuichi Sekine, Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi, Ayumu Honda & Reiya Igarashi Vs Takato Nakano, Masato Kamino, Lil’ Kraken & Yasu Urano
2. SAGAT & Minoru Fujita (w/ Takeru Inoue) Vs Tsutomu Oosugi & Banana Senga (w/ Gouma Ryu)
3. Chouten ~Itadaki~ 2025 – Round 2 Block B: Daiki Shimomura Vs Tomoki Hatano
4. Chouten ~Itadaki~ 2025 – Round 2 Block A: Takumi Tsukamoto Vs Daichi Kazato
5. Chouten ~Itadaki~ 2025 – Round 2 Block B: Ryota Nakatsu Vs FUMA
6. Chouten ~Itadaki~ 2025 – Round 2 Block A: Isami Kodaka Vs Keisuke Ishii

More tournament action this week with BASARA holding the second round of its Chouten ~Itadaki~ tournament.

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW SPRING TOUR 2025 IN SHINAGAWA VOL. 1”, 17/05/2025
Tokyo Shinagawa Prince Hotel Club eX

1. 3 Way Match: Pom Harajuku Vs Mahiro Kiryu Vs Chika Nanase
2. Yuki Aino Vs Ivy Steele
3. Yuki Kamifuku & Raku Vs Rika Tatsumi & Haruna Neko
4. Mizuki, Wakana Uehara & Mifu Ashida Vs Miu Watanabe, Toga & Kira Summer
5. Shoko Nakajima & Kaya Toribami Vs Yuki Arai & Moka Miyamoto
6. Maki Itoh Vs Uta Takami
7. Suzume, Arisu Endo & Haru Kazashiro Vs Yoshiko Hasegawa, HIMAWARI & Shino Suzuki

The singles match between Maki Itoh and Uta Takami is going to mean a lot to Takami. She tweeted about the time she was a trainee and took an Elbow Strike from Itoh for the first time. She would never forget the pain. Then when Takami got to wrestle Itoh for the first time back in January she hit her with an Elbow Strike using all of her heart. However Itoh hit back with an Elbow Strike using all of her soul. They then had a singles match at the Garafes show in March where Takami felt like she couldn’t do anything against Itoh. It was the most depressed she ever felt so with this rematch coming up she is going to put all of her soul into it.

The two current holders of Asian championships are teaming up on this show. Yuki Kamifuku recently lost the VPW Women’s Title but still has the Queen Of Asia Title in her possession while Raku is currently the SETUP All Asia Women’s Champion.

Hyper Misao is still out of action with the right hand injury she suffered last week.

DDT “EARLY SUMMER BEER GARDEN PRO WRESTLING 2025 – DAY 2”, 21/05/2025
Tokyo Ueno Park Outdoor Stage

1. Daisuke Sasaki & Ilusion Vs Kazuki Hirata & Antonio Honda
2. No English Match: HARASHIMA, Akito & Yuya Koroku Vs Yukio Naya, Daichi Sato & Yuki Ishida
3. 3 Count Vs 1 Count! Count Handicap Match: Jun Akiyama Vs Kazuma Sumi
4. Thank You Toru Owashi ~ Toru Owashi 20th Anniversary Of DDT Participation Series Vol. 2: Toru Owashi Vs Danshoku Dieno
5. Takeshi Masada Produce Match – Hardcore Match: Chris Brookes & Takeshi Masada Vs Shunma Katsumata & To-y
6. Road To KING OF DDT 2025 FINAL!! Special 4 Way Match: Kazusada Higuchi Vs Yuki Ueno Vs KANON Vs Hideki Okatani

There will be a big preview of the semi finals taking place just a few days before. The final four will be pitted against each other in a 4 Way Match.

More Beer Garden inspired silliness is happening on the show. Kazuma Sumi only needs a 1 Count Pinfall to beat Jun Akiyama while Akiyama will follow the usual rules. There will also be a match where speaking in English for any reason is prohibited!

“HEISEI’S PRO WRESTLING MASTERMIND – KATSUJI NAGASHIMA’S FINAL MOVE! IKEBUKURO ROOFTOP WRESTLING”, 24/05/2025
Tokyo Yodobashi HD Ikebukuro Building Special Rooftop Venue

1. GLEAT Offer Match: Katsuhiko Nakajima & El Lindaman Vs Minoru Tanaka & Yumehito Imanari
2. DDT Offer Final nWJ Match: Ken Ohka, Yukio Nay & Soma Takao (w/ Sanshiro Takagi) Vs Tomomitsu Matsunaga, Yuya Koroku & Kazuma Sumi

A special memorial show for the late Katsuji Nagashima will be taking place later this month. DDT, New Japan, GLEAT and Ganbare☆Pro along with the Battle News website will hold the show at the rooftop of the Yodobashi HD Ikebukuro Building in Tokyo to pay tribute to the Heisei era’s pro wrestling mastermind who passed away back in February. Admission to the event is free although visitors are encouraged to leave a donation at the reception desk with all of the funds minus the minimum expenses being donated to his widow.

The DDT match of the show will be the final match for New World Japan, the nWo Japan parody that Sanshiro Takagi put together in 2012 that included Nagashima as the unit’s backer. The GLEAT match includes Katsuhiko Nakajima who had his debut match in Wrestle Japan, the company that Nagashima helped launch after he left NJPW. The other wrestlers in the match El Lindaman, Minoru Tanaka and Yumehito Imanari also had connections with Nagashima when he was alive.

Yuji Nagata will be at the event as one of the guests for a talk show segment being held in between the two matches. Also former AKB48 idol Chisato Nakata will be the special ring announcer for the event. She was a radio host with Nakajima for over two years on a show called Avalanche Brainbuster Radio.

DDT “KING OF DDT 2025 FINAL!!”, 25/05/2025
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

1. 4 Way Tag Match: HARASHIMA & Kazuki Hirata Vs Akito & Yuya Koroku Vs Toru Owashi & Yuki Ishida Vs Yuni & Kazuma Sumi
2. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Jun Akiyama, Yukio Naya & Daichi Sato Vs Shinya Aoki, Shunma Katsumata & To-y
3. SCHADENFREUDE International Vs DAMNATION T.A!: Chris Brookes, Antonio Honda & Takeshi Masada Vs Daisuke Sasaki, MJ Paul & Ilusion
4. DDT Universal Title: Minoru Suzuki (c) Vs Danshoku Dieno
5. King Of DDT 2025 – Semi Final: KANON Vs Hideki Okatani
6. King Of DDT 2025 – Semi Final: Kazusada Higuchi Vs Yuki Ueno
7. King Of DDT 2025 – Final: X Vs X

So how are the semi finals shaking out? Kazusada Higuchi and Yuki Ueno are both trying to climb back to the top of DDT. Higuchi’s run has been presenting him as being completely recovered from his injuries while Ueno has a specific vision of DDT in mind that he feels only he can lead. Meanwhile KANON has a grudge match with Hideki Okatani. It was Okatani who helped DAMNATION T.A kick KANON out of the unit as his replacement and the new mean streak has served him well ever since. KANON found a new path to change the error of his ways but a chance at revenge might briefly turn him back into a psychopath.

DDT “NAGOYA FIGHT FEVER 2025”, 01/06/2025
Aichi Chunichi Hall & Conference

1. Akito Vs Yuya Koroku
2. Thank You Toru Owashi ~ Toru Owashi 20th Anniversary Of DDT Participation Series Vol. 3: Toru Owashi Vs Danshoku Dieno Vs Antonio Honda Vs Kazuki Hirata
3. Special Tag Match: HARASHIMA & Yasu Urano Vs Naomi Yoshimura & Yuki Ishida
4. KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles: Daisuke Sasaki, Hideki Okatani & Ilusion (c) Vs Yuki Ueno, Shunma Katsumata & To-y

Nagoya sees Naomi Yoshimura & Yuki Ishida joining together as a tag team for the first time since Yoshimura’s return from injury. Their opponents are the Smile Squash tag team of HARASHIMA & Yasu Urano.


DDT “KING OF DDT 2025 2ND ROUND” Results

May 10, 2025

DDT “KING OF DDT 2025 2ND ROUND”, 10/05/2025
Shinjuku FACE
??? Fans – Unannounced

1. MJ Paul & Ilusion defeated Yuya Koroku & Kazuma Sumi when Paul pinned Sumi after a Combined Body Press (5:14).
2. Danshoku Dieno, Toru Owashi & Kazuki Hirata defeated Shunma Katsumata, Soma Takao & To-y by Referee Stoppage when Dieno used the Strong Arm Lock on Takao (11:04).
3. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Jun Akiyama, Shinya Aoki & Daichi Sato defeated Chris Brookes, Akito & Antonio Honda when Aoki pinned Honda with a Ground Cobra Twist Reversal (9:47).
4. King Of DDT 2025 – Round 2: Kazusada Higuchi defeated Takeshi Masada with a Short Range Lariat (8:12).
5. King Of DDT 2025 – Round 2: Hideki Okatani defeated HARASHIMA with the Vertical Drop Brainbuster (12:25).
6. King Of DDT 2025 – Round 2: KANON defeated Yukio Naya with the LONELY DEZIRES (12:41).
7. King Of DDT 2025 – Round 2: Yuki Ueno defeated Daisuke Sasaki with a Japanese Leg Roll Clutch (21:22).

The final rounds of this year’s King Of DDT are next on the horizon with only four wrestlers left in the running. Yuki Ueno is in the clear after advancing past one of his most troublesome opponents Daisuke Sasaki. It was a match where Sasaki fought pretty cleanly for the most part, possibly proving Ueno’s theory that he’s been having more fun with wrestling lately. There were some dirty tactics here and there but it wasn’t as overwhelming as you would expect from DAMNATION T.A. The match instead came down to a battle of technique with Ueno winning out in the end. He countered La Mistica Crossface Lock into a Japanese Leg Roll Clutch to get the pinfall victory. Ueno said if he can win two more matches to become the tournament champion then he will be one step closer to the future he wants. He also said if Sasaki is going to shave his own head for losing like he promised then he will let him but that doesn’t mean Sasaki can join The 37KAMIINA. However according to Sasaki, after the match Ueno whispered in his ear that he doesn’t need to cut his hair off because Ueno felt sorry for him. Sure he said that, Sasaki.

The “Yukio Naya Killer” continues his streak. KANON once again defeated Naya in a singles match, this time pinning him with his Modified Facebuster that is now called the LONELY DEZIRES. He resorted to using the move after hitting Naya with several Dropkicks that wouldn’t keep the big guy down. KANON bowed to Naya after the match but Naya couldn’t help but pound the mat in frustration. KANON said backstage that the result is a reminder that he can be part of DDT’s heavyweight division too.

If the course was set for HARASHIMA to pull off a heroic charge through the brackets, Hideki Okatani and DAMNATION T.A killed off any chance of that happening. Okatani attacked HARASHIMA before the bell and stomped him down in the corner so he wouldn’t make an instant comeback like in Round 1. MJ Paul and Ilusion also interfered, including a moment where the two of them landed a Combined Body Press onto HARASHIMA. Despite fighting them off and having some energy left for his opponent, HARASHIMA soon fell to Okatani’s cheating. When he went for the Somato, Okatani hit him with his bamboo stick. The pin only got a two count so Okatani then finished him off with the Vertical Drop Brainbuster.

The one in the tournament who looks most unstoppable at the moment is Kazusada Higuchi. He had a Chop Vs Kick battle with Takeshi Masada with both trying to withstand the punishment as much as they could. When they both reached the brink they charged in for one last blow. Masada got the first hit in with a Middle Kick but Higuchi was still standing and he hit back with a Short Range Lariat. Masada was knocked down from that and couldn’t kick out of the pin.

A lottery took place at the end of the show to pair off the semi finalists. When the balls were all chosen we all learned the matches on 25th May will be Ueno Vs Higuchi and KANON Vs Okatani. Backstage Ueno said everyone in DDT knows how amazing Higuchi is but DDT needs more than that to move forward so Ueno can’t just leave it to him. Higuchi said Ueno is filled with a lot of thoughts lately. He though will just focus on what’s in front of him next. KANON said he is ready to kill Okatani but then remembered he is filled with love now so he corrected himself to say he knock Okatani from Heaven down to Hell. Okatani said he will decided whether KANON can laugh or not. He will make sure KANON will never be able to laugh again!

After seeing the success Strange Love Connection is getting from having an MC as part of the act, SCHADENFREUDE International decided they should add something new to their group too. Antonio Honda brought out a puppet from Thailand named Bunbun. He got to take part in SCHADENFREUDE’s usual spots so it’s already as if he’s been part of the group the whole time.

Everyone in Danshoku Dieno’s match wanted to give him their support for the DDT Universal Title shot. But when Dieno tried to wrestle the match Strong Style Kazuki Hirata and Toru Owashi told him he can never beat Minoru Suzuki that way. So they all started encouraging him to be Danshoku again and even eagerly made themselves victims to Dieno’s Hell Gate, even the opponents Shunma Katsumata, Soma Takao & To-y. However things went in a bad directions when Takao ran face first into Dieno’s backside. Dieno all of a sudden felt a movement in his stomach and blew wind, knocking out Takao with the smell. Dieno didn’t want to win the match that way so he half heartedly applied the Strong Arm Lock and Yukinori Matsui agreed to call a TKO so the match could end in a slightly more respectable manner.

A contract signing was held during the show for the 25th May Universal Title match between Suzuki and Dieno. The challenger talked about spending the last month abandoning his Danshoku style to become someone who is prepared not just to fight Suzuki but beat him too. The Universal Title is the only DDT belt that Dieno has not won yet so it has sentimental value to him. It is also a chance for him to bring a championship back into DDT after an outsider took it away. He believes the Danshoku Dieno he is now is the version Suzuki wants to fight. He was then questioned by Suzuki who wanted to know why is it that Dieno does pro wrestling? He wanted Dieno to look him in the eyes when he asks if he can do this match? The two had a staredown and Dieno reminded Suzuki he once said it’s not about whether or not you can do it. You just do it. Suzuki believed him and simply told Dieno not to regret this decision.