DDT “JUDGEMENT 2022 ~DDT 25TH ANNIVERSARY~”, 20/03/2022 Tokyo Ryogoku Kokugikan 2,516 Fans – No Vacancy
0. Dark Match: Yusuke Okada, Yuya Koroku & Ilusion defeated Tomomitsu Matsunaga, Toui Kojima, Yuki Ishida when Okada pinned Ishida with the Sudden Death (11:00).
0. Dark Match – Time Admission Tag Battle Royal: Yuji Hino & Yukio Naya defeated Yasu Urano & Shota when Naya pinned Shota with the Back Drop (14:28). Order Of Elimination: Tomohiko Hashimoto & Seiya Morohashi, Gorgeous Matsuno & Gota Ihashi, Andreza Giant Panda & Super Sasadango Machine, Minoru Fujita & MJ Paul, Shota & Yasu Urano.
1. KO-D 10-Man Tag Team Titles: Poison Sawada JULIE, Takashi Sasaki, GENTARO, MIKAMI & Thanomsak Toba (w/ Naomi Susan) defeated Toru Owashi, Antonio Honda, Kazuki Hirata & Yoshihiko (c) when MIKAMI pinned Honda with the School Boy (8:49). *The DDT Variety Team fails in V2. Poison Sawada JULIE, Takashi Sasaki, GENTARO, MIKAMI & Thanomsak Toba becomes the 7th KO-D 10-Man Tag Team Champions!
2. Special Single Match: Saki Akai defeated Maya Yukihi with the Quetzalcoatl (10:40).
3. DDT 25th Anniversary Special Single Match – No DQ “I’m Sorry” Match: Sanshiro Takagi defeated Michael Nakazawa when Takagi made Nakazawa say “I’m Sorry” (10:20).
4. Special Tag Match: Yuki Ueno & Shunma Katsumata defeated Isami Kodaka & Yukio Sakaguchi when Ueno pinned Sakaguchi with the WR (11:02).
5. LiLiCo Retirement Match: Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno, Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Yumehito “Fantastic” Imanari defeated LiLiCo, Ryohei Odai & Akito (w/ Junretsu) when Dieno submitted LiLiCo with a Cross Knee Lock (16:52).
6. Jun Akiyama 30th Anniversary Match: Jun Akiyama & Takao Omori defeated Kazusada Higuchi & Hideki Okatani when Akiyama pinned Okatani with the Wrist-Clutch Exploder Suplex (12:36).
7. DDT Universal Title – Hardcore 3 Way Match: MAO defeated Daisuke Sasaki (c) and Jun Kasai when MAO pinned Sasaki with the Super Michinoku Driver II (19:56). *Daisuke Sasaki fails in V5. MAO becomes the 6th DDT Universal Champion!
8. KO-D Tag Team Titles: Chris Brookes & Masahiro Takanashi defeated HARASHIMA & Naomi Yoshimura (c) when Brookes submitted Yoshimura with the House Piano Death (18:50). *DISASTER BOX fails in V1. CDK becomes the 73rd KO-D Tag Team Champions!
9. KO-D Openweight Title – Japan Bakery Marketing Presents: Tetsuya Endo defeated Konosuke Takeshita (c) with two Burning Star Presses (46:30). *Konosuke Takeshita fails in V2. Tetsuya Endo becomes the 78th KO-D Openweight Champion!
DDT celebrates its 25th Anniversary with a new KO-D Openweight Champion! It was the first singles match between Konosuke Takeshita and Tetsuya Endo in 2 years and 3 months with both going in at the peak of their abilities. It led to a juggernaut of a match lasting 46 minutes with every move in their arsenal being used. It took Endo using something new to bring the champion to the brink of defeat. As the match reached towards the 45 minute mark, Endo took inspiration from his BURNING teammate and used the Exploder Suplex three times for nearfalls. While that wasn’t enough to get the pin, there was no coming back for Takeshita after those moves. Endo dropped him with the Swivel Torture Rack Bomb and after another kickout he followed it up with two Burning Star Presses to finally get the career defining victory over his destined enemy.
Endo told Takeshita after the match that this was the first time he was happy to be seen side by side with him in the same company and generation. He still hates him but also thanks him for today. Takeshita refused to shake Endo’s hand but instead raised it into the air before leaving the ring. Kenta Kobashi entered the ring to present Endo with the KO-D Title and BURNING followed to celebrate with him. Endo thanked the audience for coming to see Tokyo Joshi Pro and DDT in Sumo Hall this weekend. Endo has finally defeated Takeshita for the KO-D Title but he believes there is still more to come for these companies. TJPW will be entering its 10th year in existence while DDT enters its 26th. The journey continues and Endo thinks he won’t be able to make them grow by himself. He will lead the way so everyone follow him and keep your eyes on DDT and Tetsuya Endo from now on!
Backstage Endo repeated what he said about the CyberFight promotions, including NOAH. None of them are done yet and whether they all reach 26, 50 or 100 years he will be there standing at the top. He debuted 10 years ago and he feels like everything he worked for was rewarded to him today. His first KO-D Title defence of this reign will be at Yokohama Budokan on 1st May. He thinks any challenger will be find as long as they are prepared to carry DDT on their back. Takeshita echoed some of Endo’s points, also believing they still have a long way to go beyond DDT’s 26th year. He cannot stop at where he is right now. Kobashi compared Takeshita to Jumbo Tsuruta from his physical ability to his stamina recovery. He also said Endo carries a wonderful BURNING soul and is looking forward to seeing what his future title defences will be like.
CDK always said the most dramatic and dreamy tag team in DDT should be the KO-D Tag Team Champions so I guess they proven right. Chris Brookes countered the Osaka Pride from Naomi Yoshimura and instead stretched his body in so many wrong directions with the House Piano Death. HARASHIMA fought to grab onto them and break the hold but Masahiro Takanashi kept him away long enough for Yoshimura to submit. Takanashi lost his voice so he let Brookes do the talking after the match.
However he was interrupted when Yuji Hino & Yukio Naya climbed onto the ring apron demanding a title shot. They agreed to do the match on 10th April at Korakuen Hall. Backstage DISASTER BOX admitted defeat and HARASHIMA told Yoshimura to rest up before they decide on what to do next. Naya said he is really happy because a year ago he wouldn’t have been able to challenge for the KO-D Tag Titles like this. Hino asked if Naya was weak back then because he only knows how big and strong he is now. Brookes in his interview suddenly took another direction when he called out El Desperado from New Japan! He brought up that Desperado wants CDK to go challenge him but CDK has more championships, so he should come over here and challenge them instead. Takanashi said Hino & Naya should fight for the Asia Dream Tag Team Titles instead of the KO-D Tag Titles because he wants to see a team as large as them inside Ichigaya Chocolate Square. He might get in trouble for suggesting that but as double champions they should have the responsibility and freedom to do what they want.
The feud between Daisuke Sasaki and Jun Kasai took up so much of their attention that MAO swooped in and won the DDT Universal Title! Blood was shed, boxes were smashed, tables were broken and chairs were destroyed as the three all fought each other in and out of the ring. Kasai kept complaining that DDT wasn’t violent enough for him which might have spurred the others to turn up the dial. MAO finally got what he wanted, the attention of his opponents, when he smashed a guitar over both of their head. He won the match by giving Sasaki the Michinoku Driver II from a ladder bridge through the table below.
MAO said it’s been a long month and a half but it was worth it to win the championship today. He wants to increase the presence of the Universal Title so he will only defend it against people with presence. For some reason Michael Nakazawa thought that meant him so he came out and challenged MAO. He said it is a championship made for the world so if he wins it, he can bring it to AEW and show it to even more people worldwide. MAO refused because Nakazawa lost earlier and he told him to leave. Nakazawa agreed he is weak but made the argument that beating a wrestler from AEW is a big deal no matter who they are. MAO saw his point and demanded they do the title match in AEW’s home turf… the Jacksonville Jaguars stadium! Hisaya Imabayashi told him that was impossible so he settled to have the match at Korakuen Hall on 27th March instead.
The show also celebrated Jun Akiyama’s 30th Anniversary in pro wrestling. He teamed up with an old partner of his, Takao Omori from All Japan to beat the Eruption duo of Kazusada Higuchi & Hideki Okatani. He was quickly provoked by Okatani and put the youngster in his place with a fight up the entrance ramp. Higuchi was a tougher wall to break down but Omori’s solution was to hit him with the Axe Bomber. Akiyama dusted off the Wrist-Clutch Exploder Suplex for the occasion, pinning Okatani with the deadly finisher. Akiyama said Omori has been wrestling for 30 years too so he was the first name he had in mind when the match was presented to him. As for the future, Akiyama will steadily continue on without any hesitation. He hadn’t thought about DDT being the company he celebrated his 30th Anniversary with. Not even he knows where he will be for the 40th and 50th.
DDT gave LiLiCo the platform to say goodbye to her pro wrestling career with a retirement ceremony unlike any other. First she had her retirement match teaming with her husband Ryohei Odai and the CyberFight VP Akito to take on Pheromones. The opponents were determined to humiliate LiLiCo on her big day. Yumehito Imanari threatened to record every moment of what they would do to her and then send the footage to the media. LiLiCo & Odai were successfully able to complete their special double team move the Princess SEXY Chest Kick ♡ on Yuki Iino. However Danshoku Dieno targeted LiLiCo’s injured knees, which proved to be her downfall. Dieno gave her the Danshoku Driver and made her tap out to a Cross Knee Lock.
After the match Dieno encouraged LiLiCo to get up by herself because a pro wrestler’s final duty is to stand up under their own power. However his show of respect was a farce and he attacked her again. Pheromones were about to set LiLiCo up for the ultimate humiliation on the entrance ramp when suddenly Andreza Giant Panda appeared and attacked all of Pheromones with Headbutts! The retirement ceremony went ahead and Odai brought out his pop band Junretsu to sing “Proposal” for her as a show of his love. When the ceremony reached its end, LiLiCo told the fans she is going back to being a normal girl. She then laid down her entrance gown in the middle of the ring and bowed to each side of the venue.
Yuki Ueno & Shunma Katsumata picked up a big win against the wild card pairing of Isami Kodaka & Yukio Sakaguchi. Kodaka thought his team had it in the bag after he gave Katsumata a Brainbuster onto the ring apron. However the God’s Right Knee from Sakaguchi was blocked with a Dropkick by Ueno. He got back to his feet only to get with with a Standing Shining Wizard. Ueno then finished him off with the WR. The 37KAMIINA said they had hot opponents today but they didn’t seem like they wanted to team together. Ueno was happy to beat Sakaguchi again and Katsumata feels the same beating Kodaka. The BASARA wrestler admitted he was too hostile with Sakaguchi but he does not hate him. They are more like rivals and Kodaka is thankful that Sakaguchi invited him to be part of DDT’s 25th Anniversary.
Nakazawa’s wild efforts to make Sanshiro Takagi apologize to him ended in failure. Their No DQ Match spilled over to a nearby restroom where Takagi gave Nakazawa a Piledriver into a toilet. Back in the ring Nakazawa almost made Takagi say “I’m Sorry” when he used the Ultimate Venom AEW Arm on him. But Takagi fought out of it and suddenly gathered the powers of DDT past. He hit Nakazawa with Kenny Omega’s Hadouken and followed it up with Kota Ibushi’s Kamigoye. He started breaking plastic boxes over Nakazawa’s head until Nakazawa pleaded him to stop. He was about to say “I’m Sorry” when Takagi shoved Nakazawa’s pants into his own mouth to keep him quiet. Takagi then lifted him up in the Himawari Bomb ready to put him through more boxes when Nakazawa finally shouted “I’m Sorry!” to end the match. Takagi Power Bombed him into the boxes anyway.
Takagi actually did apologize to Nakazawa after the match but it is too late. Nakazawa now hates him even more! However he likes DDT and remembers that DDT is his home so he has a special present for everyone today. A video message from Christopher Daniels played on the screen. Daniels congratulated DDT for its 25th Anniversary and announced a mutual agreement between DDT and AEW that will bring DDT wrestlers to America in the future! Daniels said he cannot wait to introduce DDT’s wrestlers to the American fans and hopes the company will do their best until that day comes. Nakazawa then explained to Takagi that he and Kenny Omega had negotiated this deal together. Takagi thanked him and promised the fans they will make pro wrestling even more exciting! Backstage Nakazawa added that the deal also includes bringing in wrestlers from Tokyo Joshi Pro.
The jealous grudge Saki Akai and Maya Yukihi held with each other was finally settled in the ring. Akai came out on top thanks to her finishing move, the Quetzalcoatl. Any hatred the two had was gone when the match was over and they both hugged each other. Akai told reporters that it was a match only she and Yukihi could do because they have different backgrounds but travelled in the same direction. Yukihi said she is grateful to DDT and joshi for the match today and she would like to team with Akai if she is interested.
A collective blast from the past have taken the KO-D 10-Man Tag Team Titles! The match brought together many of DDT’s wacky gimmicks from throughout its history. The appearance of Yoshihiko left Takashi Sasaki & GENTARO confused. They were even more confused when the doll outwrestled them. Antonio Honda tried to summon Gongitsune but Poison Sawada JULIE used his magic to make Honda strike Toru Owashi instead. Honda began to withstand the magic when suddenly Kazuki Hirata appeared completely taken over by the snake magic! He fought off Honda then danced with JULIE & Naomi Susan to the song “Hateless Bastard” by Kenji Sawada. Yoshihiko stopped the dancing and went wild on everyone while Owashi hung onto him for dear life. That left Honda along to get hit by every challenger ending with him getting rolled up by MIKAMI’s signature School Boy for the victory. Sasaki said he doesn’t want his team to be called “Legends” because that implies they are all over the hill. He also told DDT to work out how to get them all together again to schedule their title defences otherwise the belts will belong to them forever. JULIE is confident they can defend the belts 100 or 200 times. MIKAMI and Thanomsak Toba are hopeful this team will bring back something that’s been missing from DDT and that it will be interesting for old fans.
There was a last minute change to the Tag Team Rumble. Soma Takao had to pull out before the show for reasons that were not detailed to the public. Yasu Urano took his place to team with Shota. Hino & Naya eliminated them last to win the match, giving them the momentum to make their title challenge later in the show. The match also featured Andreza’s in-ring return to DDT with former opponent Super Sasadango Machine by his side, Tomohiko Hashimoto & Seiya Morohashi reuniting as a team, more trouble making from DAMNATION T.A with Minoru Fujita & MJ Paul entering together and the usual appearances from Gorgeous Matsuno & Gota Ihashi.
The other dark match had Yusuke Okada and Tomomitsu Matsunaga in the ring with DDT’s various rookies. Ilusion put up a good showing for the DDTeeeen!! brand. He carried the mask of his rival El Unicorn down to the ring because covid prevented Unicorn from being in the match. Toui Kojima tried to earn a first direct win over Yuya Koroku but couldn’t make it. It came down to Yuki Ishida firing his Sumo Slaps to Okada but he was taken out with a Diving Headbutt. Ishida kicked out of that but was done for when Okada gave him the Sudden Death. He praised Ilusion and encouraged him to continue doing his best. Ilusion said he had El Unicorn’s mask to let him know they were still able to fight together in Sumo Hall. He wants a singles match with him whenever he is fully recovered.
The main show began with the Anal Explosion ceremony, as is tradition for DDT when they are in a venue as prestigious as this one. Ryota Yamasato was reluctant to take part and called everyone in DDT crazy for thinking this is a normal thing to do. Hisaya Imabayashi calmed him down by getting Super Sasadango Machine to show him a PowerPoint presentation explaining why the ceremony is so important. According to Sasadango, the Anal Explosion was originally a symbol of the “Phoenix” and acts as a ritual for success and prosperity of the company. Yamasato complained until Hoshitango carried him over to the stage and pinned him down for Danshoku Dieno to set up the bomb. A countdown began and a small explosion went off without a hitch. Yamasato was then told a second explosion 25 times more powerful than the first will now happen to celebrate DDT’s 25 years. It went off, Yamasato called for the show to begin and then he went unconscious.
A new tournament called the King Of Street Wrestling will be shown on WRESTLE UNIVERSE this April. Eight fighters from around the world will compete including Sanshiro Takagi, Shunma Katsumata and Chris Brookes as the DDT representatives. Abdullah Kobayashi and Suzu Suzuki will also take part.
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.
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!
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TOKYO JOSHI 2022 WINTER ~YOKOHAMA PERFORMANCE~”, 05/02/2022 Yokohama Radiant Hall
1. Miyu Yamashita Vs Marika Kobashi
One more homecoming for Marika Kobashi before she graduates from Tokyo Joshi Pro in April. She gets the biggest challenge possible, a singles match against Miyu Yamashita!
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “POSITIVE CHAIN ’22”, 11/02/2022 Tokyo Korakuen Hall
1. Moka Miyamoto Vs Arisu Endo
2. Hyper Misao, Nao Kakuta & Mahiro Kiryu Vs Asuka, Haruna Neko & Kaya Toribami
3. Suzume Vs Yuki Arai
4. Sakisama & Mei Saint-Michel Vs Raku & Pom Harajuku
5. Miyu Yamashita, Hikari Noa & Marika Kobashi Vs Shoko Nakajima, Yuka Sakazaki & Mizuki
6. International Princess Title: Maki Itoh (c) Vs Yuki Kamifuku
7. 2nd “Futari wa Princess” Max Heart Tournament – Final: Rika Tatsumi & Miu Watanabe Vs Nodoka Tenma & Yuki Aino
The two strongest teams in TJPW right now seem to be Daydream and The Bakuretsu Sisters. They both reached the Max Heart Tournament final and the time is coming to see which side is better. There have been two previous matches between the teams and the Princess Tag Team Titles were on the line both times. Daydream won the first one and the Sisters won the second time. This will be the definitive rubber match given how Nodoka Tenma’s wrestling career is nearing its end. Yuki Aino thinks this match is their destiny. She still wants to wrestle with her sister which she thinks is one of the reasons why they were so successful in this tournament. However Miu Watanabe believes Daydream is now at their strongest. Rika Tatsumi is looking ahead to the winners most likely getting the next Princess Tag Titles shot against The Magical Sugar Rabbits.
When Yuki Kamifuku pinned Maki Itoh earlier in the tournament, Itoh kept her temper knowing that Kamifuku would become a potential challenger for the International Princess Title. Her instinct was proven correct and Kamifuku gets the title shot at Korakuen Hall. Itoh wants her current reign to surpass Kamifuku’s time with the belt so whatever feelings Kamifuku shows in the match, Itoh will give it back 100 times more. Kamifuku feels motivated after teaming with Asuka and thinks it will be a bad look for their friendship if she has nothing to show from working so hard. If she becomes champion again she wants to expand the Wrestle Universe audience across Asia, because America and Europe are already being catered to. Harsh words were also given when Kamifuku called herself the coolest in the world. Itoh said “Piss off you piece of shit” in response.
Two classmates born in 1998 will face off when Suzume takes on Yuki Arai in a first time singles match. Suzume has two years of extra experience in the ring but Arai is coming off of a super rookie year that’s been covered by the Japanese wrestling press across the board. While Suzume knows how popular Arai is, she remembers getting many votes herself to qualify for the IP Title No. 1 Contender Battle Royal last December (Suzume even beat Arai 210 votes to 199). Who gets attention doesn’t bother her, she just wants to win against Arai in a match between two TJPW wrestlers.
DDT “JUDGEMENT 2022 ~DDT 25TH ANNIVERSARY~”, 20/03/2022 Tokyo Ryogoku Kokugikan
1. LiLiCo Retirement Match: LiLiCo Vs X
2. 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)
3. DDT 25th Anniversary Special Single Match: Sanshiro Takagi Vs Michael Nakazawa
4. Special Single Match: Saki Akai Vs Maya Yukihi
5. KO-D Openweight Title: Konosuke Takeshita (c) Vs Tetsuya Endo
Wrestlers from DDT’s past will come to Sumo Hall to celebrate the company’s 25th Anniversary. The rumored AEW name turned out to be Michael Nakazawa and he blatantly tried to make people think it would be Kenny Omega to get more attention. His long rivalry with Sanshiro Takagi gets revived for the big occasion.
The DDT Legend Army consists of DDT’s big players from the 2000s era of the company. Poison Sawada JULIE and his paranormal powers made him a force to be reckoned with in his prime. Takashi Sasaki is still going today, flying the flag for FREEDOMS over the last 12 years. His Aka Rangers tag partner GENTARO was a DDT mainstay from 2001-2003. The Suicide Boyz of MIKAMI & Tanomusaku Toba were the focal point of DDT’s tag division throughout the decade both together and in separate teams. Tying up the challenging team is Naomi Susan at ringside. She played a major role for DDT behind the scenes as the liaison for foreign wrestlers and was also the manager for Union Pro Wrestling.
Celebrity and former multiple DDT title holder LiLiCo wants to wrestle one more match before she calls time on her pro wrestling career. 2018 was the last time she wrestled in DDT and it will really make it worth her while if they can find her some handsome opponents for her farewell.
DDT “SWEET DREAMS! 2022 ~ULTIMATE TAG LEAGUE 2022 OPENING ROUND~”, 30/01/2022 Tokyo Korakuen Hall 516 Fans – No Vacancy
0. Dark Match – 3 Vs 2 Handicap Match: Antonio Honda & Yusuke Okada defeated Toru Owashi, Tomomitsu Matsunaga & Yuki Ishida when Okada pinned Ishida with the Sudden Death (6:46).
1. Kazusada Higuchi, Yukio Sakaguchi, Saki Akai & Hideki Okatani defeated Akito, Soma Takao, Toui Kojima & Yuya Koroku when Okatani pinned Kojima with the Diving Knee Drop (10:32).
2. Ultimate Tag League 2022 – B Block: Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Yumehito “Fantastic” Imanari (2) defeated Shunma Katsumata & MAO (0) when Imanari pinned MAO with the Pheromone Clutch (9:35).
3. Ultimate Tag League 2022 – A Block: Konosuke Takeshita & Yuki Ueno (2) defeated Shuji Kondo & Kazuki Hirata (0) when Ueno pinned Hirata with the BME (14:10).
4. Ultimate Tag League 2022 – A Block: Tetsuya Endo & Jun Akiyama (2) defeated Yuji Hino & Yukio Naya (0) when Endo pinned Naya with the Shooting Star Press (14:40).
5. Ultimate Tag League 2022 – B Block: Chris Brookes & Masahiro Takanashi (2) defeated HARASHIMA & Naomi Yoshimura (0) when Takanashi pinned HARASHIMA with a Pedal-Style Uwabami (19:13).
6. DDT Universal Title: Daisuke Sasaki (c) defeated Minoru Fujita with La Mistica Crossface Lock (19:27). *V4 for Daisuke Sasaki.
The main event saw two rule-breakers try to be dirtier than the other in the ring. Daisuke Sasaki called upon MJ Paul to get in and help him but Fujita had backup from his friends from ChocoPro. Sasaki hit a Low Blow on Fujita and also a chairshot but Fujita got even with a supposedly inadvertent Low Blow to Sasaki as he fell to the canvas. Fujita did an Avalanche SAYONARA Tombstone but Sasaki kicked out at two. The champion then overcame Fujita’s Cradles and trapped him in La Mistica Crossface Lock for the submission win.
In a surprising moment after the match, Fujita went to shake Sasaki’s hand despite protests from the ChocoPro wrestlers. Fujita then offered to shake Baaliyan Akki’s hand but instead kicked him low and gave him an Implant DDT. Fujita told his friends their kindness will make them lose at the most crucial moments and they should wake up! If they don’t win then there is no justice. Fujita was about to leave when Sasaki called him over and asked him to join DAMNATION T.A. Fujita accepted and said he will give all of him to the unit. They then attacked the ChocoPro wrestlers and Sasaki told them to go back to Ichigaya. The show ended with Sasaki saying finally DAMNATION T.A is ready to bring destruction and chaos to DDT!
The bulk of the show was dedicated to the opening matches of the Ultimate Tag League 2022. The big match saw CDK scoring an upset win over DISASATER BOX, causing an immediate dent to the former KO-D Tag Team Champions plan to regain the belts. Some clever maneuvers from Chris Brookes & Masahiro Takanashi included putting the ref on top of HARASHIMA and flipping them over into an unintentional Takatonic. When that misfired, HARASHIMA used Naomi Yoshimura as a stepping stone to hit a Flying Double Knee to Takanashi. Brookes was wiped out with the Somato but Takanashi caught HARASHIMA in a roll up to snatch the win out of nowhere. Brookes called DISASTER BOX their strongest opponents in the group, everybody else is all B teams.
BURNING started their campaign with a good win against the heavyweight duo of Yuji Hino & Yukio Naya. Near the end Jun Akiyama threw his Exploder Suplexes but Hino fired his own back at him. Naya’s big move on Tetsuya Endo was an Avalanche Brainbuster but Akiyama caught him with a Running Knee to the face and then another Exploder. Endo dropped him with the Swivel Torture Rack Bomb and picked up the win with the Shooting Star Press. Akiyama thinks Naya is beginning to develop into a better wrestler but BURNING was not going to lose to anyone today. Hino encouraged Naya to explode even more at their next match.
It was a mixed start for the two teams representing The 37KAMIINA. The Osaka duo of Konosuke Takeshita & Yuki Ueno won their match against the odd couple of Shuji Kondo & Kazuki Hirata. There were times when Hirata was reminded not to start dancing because Kondo wants him to get serious. When they were put in Double Crab Holds, Kondo had to physically stop Hirata from tapping out by grabbing his arm before he could tap out. Kondo got his chance to square up against Takeshita but the match came down to Ueno and Hirata. Ueno blocked the Mad Splash and pinned Hirata with the Best Moonsault Ever. Takeshita admitted to being 1% afraid his team would lose the match. He is also interested in wrestling Kondo again. He thinks it would be fun if The 37KAMIINA goes over to the place where Kondo regularly wrestles and fight him there.
Things did not go as well for Shunma Katsumata & MAO when they took on Pheromones. They surprised their opponents with immediate Dropkicks and dives for an attempted quick win. But Yuki Iino & Yumehito Imanari got their chance to do Pheromone things. MAO got a face full of Iino’s backside while Imanari rolled up Katsumata in the Pheromone Clutch to steal the win. Imanari said that even when Danshoku Dieno isn’t here, they are still Pheromones! He didn’t think they could win but the inherited Dandy spirit of Dieno helped them push through with their goal to explore the true DDT essence of DDT.
Now Eruption is complete. A fresh start for Hideki Okatani means a fresh look too. Elsewhere in that generation, Yuya Koroku & Toui Kojima had a tense moment tagging each other in. Akito & Soma Takao tried working together to take out Kazusada Higuchi but Yukio Sakaguchi & Saki Akai were there to even the odds. Eruption all got together to pick apart the opposing team and Okatani used a Diving Knee Drop to pin Kojima. Afterwards backstage, Okatani said he will absolutely beat Akiyama when Eruption has their first Tag League match on 5th February.
Sanshiro Takagi was pulled from the show due to a fever. There was no replacement for him so the dark match was turned into a Handicap Match. The trio of Toru Owashi, Tomomitsu Matsunaga & Yuki Ishida were all unified by their sumo backgrounds. However Yusuke Okada avoided their Sumo Illusion triple team and Antonio Honda launched a Bionic Elbow counter attack. Okada ended up pinning Ishida with the Sudden Death.
A string of announcements were made for DDT’s 25th Anniversary show at Sumo Hall on 20th March. LiLiCo announced she be retiring from pro wrestling. She has knee problems that prevent her from wrestling but would like to have one more match. Hisaya Imabayashi decided she will get a retirement match at Sumo Hall. LiLiCo requested her match to be against men, handsome ones in particular.
Several wrestlers from DDT’s past are being gathered together by Poison Sawada JULIE to challenge for the KO-D 10-Man Tag Team Titles at Sumo Hall. JULIE will lead the DDT Legend Army consisting of himself, Takashi Sasaki, GENTARO, MIKAMI & Tanomusaku Toba with Naomi Susan also in their corner.
A wrestler from AEW was heavily teased to be announced for Sumo Hall so there was a lot of excitement when a video was sent to DDT. It turned out to be from Michael Nakazawa. He wants to challenge Sanshiro Takagi to a Special Singles Match to celebrate the 25th Anniversary.
Two more big arena shows were added to the 2022 schedule. “MEGA MAX BUMP 2022” will be held at the Yokohama Budokan on 1st May. “WRESTLE PETER PAN 2022” is happened at Ota Ward Gymnasium on 20th August.
DDT “DDT 25TH ANNIVERSARY OPENING SPECIAL! ALL SEATS 3000 YEN BOX OFFICE!!”, 03/01/2022 Tokyo Korakuen Hall 725 Fans – Super No Vacancy Full House
1. KO-D 10-Man Tag Team Titles: Toru Owashi, Antonio Honda, Kazuki Hirata & Yoshihiko (c) defeated Sanshiro Takagi, Akito, Soma Takao, Gota Ihashi & Yuki Ishida when Hirata submitted Ihashi with a Jumping Cross Armbreaker (10:23). *V1 for the The DDT Variety Team.
2. No Tag Rule: Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno, Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Yumehito “Fantastic” Imanari defeated Yuji Hino, Toui Kojima & Yuya Koroku when Dieno pinned Kojima after the Sexy Invader Danshoku Driver (11:33).
3. Special Mixed Tag Match: Masahiro Takanashi & Maya Yukihi defeated Shunma Katsumata & Saki Akai when Takanashi pinned Katsumata with an Oklahoma Roll (11:00).
4. Special Single Match: Chris Brookes defeated Pokotan by TKO with the Diving Foot Stomp (13:57).
5. Daisuke Sasaki & MJ Paul Vs Yukio Sakaguchi & Yuki Ueno ended in a Time Limit Draw (15:00).
6. Kazusada Higuchi defeated Hideki Okatani by TKO with the Torture Canadian Backbreaker (12:02).
7. Tetsuya Endo & Naomi Yoshimura defeated HARASHIMA & MAO when Endo pinned MAO with the Shooting Star Press (13:52).
8. DDT 25th Anniversary Opening Memorial Special Single Match: Konosuke Takeshita Vs Shinya Aoki ended in a Time Limit Draw (15:00).
8a. Overtime: Konosuke Takeshita defeated Shinya Aoki with a Kimura Lock (2:16).
It’s a new year and a very important one for DDT. They are spending 2022 celebrating their 25th anniversary beginning with today’s event in Korakuen Hall. Every match on the card was given a 15 minute time limit to cram in as many matches as they could. In the main event it was the KO-D Openweight Champion and the DDT Extreme Champion battling to a stalemate. Konosuke Takeshita went hold for hold against Shinya Aoki with the match being kept on the ground for most of the fifteen minutes. When the match ended Takeshita asked for a restart and five more minutes were added when Aoki agreed to it. That was when Aoki changed his game plan and attempted a Suicide Dive out of the ring! Takeshita caught him and dropped him onto the floor with a Brainbuster. Back in the ring Takeshita tried to apply the Plus Ultra but couldn’t go through with it. He switched over to a Kimura Lock and that made Aoki submit.
Aoki praised Takeshita for being really strong and Takeshita asked him for a rematch down the road. It is this kind of support that made 2021 Takeshita’s greatest year in his decade long career. The nostalgia DDT is celebrating this year made him think about his debut match at Budokan Hall for DDT’s 15th Anniversary and his championship main event at Saitama Super Arena for the 20th Anniversary. Right when he began saying he would take on any challenger for the 25th Anniversary show, Tetsuya Endo walked down to the ring. He wasted no time and said he is the only one who can face Takeshita in the main event of Sumo Hall. Takeshita simply stuck his hand out and accepted the challenge. It will be Takeshita Vs Endo for the KO-D Title on 20th March!
Some of the tag matches mixed together teams and units as part of the festive mood. HARASHIMA and Naomi Yoshimura were put on opposite sides with HARASHIMA teaming with MAO and Yoshimura teaming with Endo. The finish saw Endo catch MAO with the Tetsuya In The Sky for a nearfall so Endo finished him off with the Shooting Star Press. HARASHIMA thinks the match was a good way to judge how much stronger Yoshimura has gotten. Then a bombshell was dropped. Yoshimura made a request to vacate the KO-D Tag Team Titles! He wants his team with HARASHIMA to advance further and win the Ultimate Tag League 2022 without being champions. HARASHIMA liked the idea and suggested the Tag Titles can be the prize for the tournament winners. That way if DISASTER BOX wins the tournament they will get the belts back and prove they are the absolute best team in DDT! Their request was granted and the KO-D Tag Team Titles were later declared vacant.
Hideki Okatani went through his big test to join Eruption, taking on Kazusada Higuchi. What may have looked like a mismatch was instead a chance for Okatani to show everything he’s got, not just to Higuchi but to the rest of Eruption standing at ringside. Okatani wouldn’t give up even when Higuchi bent him backwards with the Torture Canadian Backbreaker. The bell rang but not because Okatani submitted. Instead Yukio Sakaguchi threw in his hoodie as a stand-in for a towel to forfeit the match on Okatani’s behalf. The three members of Eruption quickly agreed that Okatani had proven himself and he is now the newest member of the group! Sakaguchi said he thought Okatani was just all talk but today he showed guts, determination and the desire to keep climbing. Higuchi said he will be here for when Okatani wants to challenge him again. The rookie achieved his goal of joining Eruption but his story is only just beginning.
There was another time limit draw on today’s show when Sakaguchi teamed with Yuki Ueno to take on DAMNATION T.A. Sakaguchi saw to it to fight against MJ Paul while Ueno reignited his feud with Daisuke Sasaki from last year. Sasaki fought for the Crossface Lock and then the Crossover Facelock to Ueno when the bell rang for the draw. Both sides weren’t thrilled with the result but Sakaguchi did flash Ueno a cheeky NeppoWER!! pose before leaving the ring.
Down, Set, Fight! I think Chris Brookes hates mascots judging from how his day went today. He didn’t know what to make of Pokotan’s antics especially when the mascot kept getting its head stuck between the ropes. It threw Brookes for a loop even further when it began stealing New Japan finishing moves like the Rainmaker, Kamigoye and Sling Blade. When Brookes had finally gotten enough he gave Pokotan an Avalanche Double Arm Suplex, the Praying Mantis Bomb and then crushed its head with a Diving Double Stomp. That last move was so devastating Yukinori Matsui had to call off the match and get Pokotan medical help.
Brookes continued to attack the injured Pokotan after the match until the room went dark and “Darkside” began playing over the speakers. Brookes walked back to the entrance unaware of what was going on until he looked up at the balcony. Suddenly there was Yoshihiko and the doll hit a balcony dive onto Brookes! The two brawled around ringside and when they were pulled apart, Brookes demanded a singles match against Yoshihiko as soon as possible. Hisaya Imabayashi booked the match for 7th January. Yoshihiko later attacked Brookes again backstage during his post-match interview.
Maya Yukihi became a topic of interest a few days ago when Tokyo Sports reported on CyberFight’s determination to sign her to a deal. Today was her first match as a freelancer since leaving Ice Ribbon and she already has several dates with DDT lined up this month. Masahiro Takanashi pinned Shunma Katsumata to get the result but all of the attention was on Yukihi and Saki Akai when they were together. Yukihi reintroduced herself to the DDT fans and said it was an honour for her first freelance match to be here. She’s looking forward to being in the ring with Akai more often both as opponents and as tag team partners. Akai said she is looking forward to seeing what kind of stage awaits Yukihi after her welcoming visit to DDT today. Even though Akai was polite, Yukihi sensed maybe a little bit of jealousy coming from her now that an outsider has appeared to share the spotlight with her. Akai’s point of view is if Yukihi wants to change things for the better then she will support it. But if Yukihi is doing something wrong then Akai will step in and destroy her plans!
A new warning has come from Pheromones. There is an Uber Pheromone among us! Danshoku Dieno can sense it. It can’t be Yuji Hino because he doesn’t like wrestling against Pheromones and was scared off by their behavior in the ring. Hino hardly took any physical damage in the match but the psychological damage stopped him from helping Toui Kojima & Yuya Koroku have any chance to win the match. Not while Yuki Iino propped himself on the ropes calling Hino’s name with Yumehito Imanari filming the entire thing. Pheromones won the match while Hino fled ringside. Afterwards Dieno bragged about Pheromones winning the Best Unit category at the recent Japan Indie Grand Prix Awards. That means Pheromones have a sign of endorsement from Samurai TV! Dieno’s goal for 2022 is Pheromones appearing on Samurai TV and using their lewd material to get the channel kicked off the air!
The KO-D 10-Man Tag Team Titles are serious business so the challenging team all decided to wrestle in typical salaryman outfits. Kazuki Hirata however wanted to dance because it is the new year and a lot of people bought tickets to see the show. He attacked all of his opponents with the Tegatana Chop until Yuki Ishida blocked it. Hirata won out and started dancing until Sanshiro Takagi put him in an Armbar. Hirata wanted to quit but Toru Owashi wouldn’t let him. Yoshihiko was thrown in to deal with the likes of Akito and Soma Takao. The Gongitsune from Antonio Honda was foiled by Gota Ihashi and his big belly. Hirata then grabbed Ihashi’s arm and made him submit to a Cross Armbreaker. Owashi called the title defence a miracle because the champion team only has 2.5 people on it (Owashi: 1, Honda: 1, Yoshihiko: 0, Hirata: 0.5). Takao didn’t like teaming with the others and never wants to team with them again. However he perked up when Akito suggested he fight Yoshihiko in a first time ever singles match.
Miyako Matsumoto promoted tomorrow’s Gake no Fuchi Joshi show at the beginning of today’s announcements. El Unicorn and Ilusion also promoted the DDTeeeens!! show on the 5th. HARASHIMA opened the show by joking about his old age. He said he is 24 years old.
The entries for Ultimate Tag League 2022 were announced. The 10 teams entering are HARASHIMA & Naomi Yoshimura, Konosuke Takeshita & Yuki Ueno, Shunma Katsumata & MAO, Tetsuya Endo & Jun Akiyama, Chris Brookes & Masahiro Takanashi, Daisuke Sasaki & MJ Paul, Yuji Hino & Yukio Naya, Kazusada Higuchi & Hideki Okatani, Shuji Kondo & Kazuki Hirata and Danshoku Dieno & Yuki Iino. As mentioned above the winners will become the new KO-D Tag Team Champions.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “THE FINAL ROUND OF 2021 ~I HOPE THERE ARE LOTS OF HAPPY AND FUN THINGS TO DO NEXT YEAR~”, 27/12/2021 Tokyo Itabashi Green Hall
1. Maki Itoh Vs Arisu Endo
2. 3 Way Match: Hyper Misao Vs Nodoka Tenma Vs Mahiro Kiryu
3. Shoko Nakajima & Haruna Neko Vs Marika Kobashi & Suzume
4. Yuka Sakazaki, Mizuki & Hikari Noa Vs Yuki Aino, Raku & Pom Harajuku
5. Miyu Yamashita, Yuki Kamifuku & Nao Kakuta Vs Rika Tatsumi, Miu Watanabe & Moka Miyamoto
The show has already happened as I write this so I’ll be getting to the results ASAP. Just wanted to include the lineup as part of catching up for the sake of it.
DDT “DDT 25TH ANNIVERSARY OPENING SPECIAL! ALL SEATS 3000 YEN BOX OFFICE!!”, 03/01/2022 Tokyo Korakuen Hall
1. Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno, Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Yumehito “Fantastic” Imanari Vs Yuji Hino, Yukio Naya & Toui Kojima
2. Yusuke Okada Vs Yuya Koroku
3. Kazusada Higuchi Vs Hideki Okatani
4. Daisuke Sasaki & MJ Paul Vs Yukio Sakaguchi & Yuki Ueno
5. HARASHIMA & MAO Vs Tetsuya Endo & Naomi Yoshimura
6. KO-D 10-Man Tag Team Titles: Toru Owashi, Antonio Honda, Kazuki Hirata & Yoshihiko (c) Vs Sanshiro Takagi, Akito, Soma Takao, Gota Ihashi & Yuki Ishida
7. Special Mixed Tag Match: Shunma Katsumata & Saki Akai Vs Masahiro Takanashi & Maya Yukihi
8. Special Single Match: Chris Brookes Vs Pokotan
9. DDT 25th Anniversary Opening Memorial Special Single Match: Konosuke Takeshita Vs Shinya Aoki
Every match on this show will have a 15 minute time limit. Jun Akiyama will also be on commentary instead of wrestling.
One day after defeating Yuji Okabayashi on DDT’s final show of the year, Konosuke Takeshita is looking for new challenges in 2022. When Takeshita returned home after yesterday’s show, he already saw pictures on social media of Okabayashi already in the gym doing leg exercises. That inspired him to start training again too. Nobody came out after the match to challenge Takeshita for the KO-D Openweight Title which is why he is going out there to seek opponents. First up is Shinya Aoki for a special singles match celebrating DDT’s 25th Anniversary. It’s been two and a half years since their last singles match together and a lot has changed for both of them since then.
Newly freelanced Maya Yukihi will be appearing in DDT for several dates in January. She is also booked for the 7th January and 22nd January events.
Hideki Okatani has unexpectedly volunteered to join Eruption! He approached Kazusada Higuchi after yesterday’s show with the request. He wants to join because there are wrestlers from his class and below that are joining units while he had nothing after Junretsu disbanded. Both Yukio Sakaguchi & Saki Akai approve of the idea but Higuchi wants to find out if Okatani is ready to join them. They will have a singles match so Higuchi can judge him firsthand.
A decision was made by DDT to turn the KO-D 8-Man Tag Team Titles back into the KO-D 10-Man Tag Team Titles. DDT made the decision in reaction to the lifting of restrictions allowing bigger crowds to gather in one place. However the current champions are not allowed to add a 5th member and must defend the titles in a 4 Vs 5 Handicap Match. The DDT Variety Team are the current champions but have not yet been told about the change in rules. If there is any chance the champions have of retaining the belts it is because Sanshiro Takagi has for some reason put together a team of challengers that do not want to work with each other.
GAKE NO FUCHI JOSHI PRO “CLOCKWORK GAKE NO FUCHI 2022 ~GAKE NO FUCHI VS PROMINENCE~”, 04/01/2021 Shinjuku FACE
1. Hardcore Match: Chris Brookes Vs Suzu Suzuki
2. Special Tag Match: Sanshiro Takagi & SenoSister Mao Inoue Vs Mochi Miyagi & Akane Miura
3. Special Single Match ~ Gake no Fuchi Rules: Miyako Matsumoto Vs Risa Sera
4. Gake no Fuchi Vs Prominence Full Scale Battle! No DQ 8-Man Tag Match: Miyako Matsumoto, Sanshiro Takagi, Chris Brookes & (w/ Ippanjin Munenori Sawa) Vs Risa Sera, Mochi Miyagi, Akane Fujita & Suzu Suzuki (w/ Hiragi Kurumi)
The full Gake no Fuchi Joshi Vs Prominence card has been revealed. Old friends and allies are coming to Miyako Matsumoto’s aid against the brand new deathmatch group. SenoSister Mao Inoue is MAO pretending to be Mao from SenoSister. Matsumoto will be providing her unpredictable match rules against Risa Sera and when all is said and done there will be one last match pitting both sides at their fullest against each other.
DDT “SWEET DREAMS! 2022 TOUR IN OSAKA DAY 1”, 09/01/2022 Osaka 176BOX
1. Akito Vs Yuki Ishida
2. Daisuke Sasaki & MJ Paul Vs Yuji Hino & Yuya Koroku
3. 3 Way Tag Match: Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno & Yuki “Sexy” Iino Vs Toru Owashi & Kazuki Hirata Vs Antonio Honda & MAO
4. Yuki Ueno, Shunma Katsumata & Toui Kojima Vs Chris Brookes, Kazusada Higuchi & Hideki Okatani
5. Special 6-Man Tag Match: HARASHIMA, Naomi Yoshimura & Yukio Naya Vs Tetsuya Endo, Jun Akiyama & Bodyguard
6. Osaka Specialty Special Single Match: Konosuke Takeshita Vs Yusuke Okada
Two Osaka wrestlers have their first singles match against each other when Takeshita faces Yusuke Okada.
BURNING gets a little bit of assistance from Bodyguard.
DDT “SWEET DREAMS! 2022 TOUR IN OSAKA DAY 2”, 10/01/2022 Osaka 176BOX
1. Shunma Katsumata & Toui Kojima Vs Yusuke Okada & Yuya Koroku
2. Daisuke Sasaki & MJ Paul Vs Naomi Yoshimura & Yuki Ishida
3. HARASHIMA & Toru Owashi Vs Antonio Honda & Hideki Okatani
4. Tetsuya Endo & Jun Akiyama Vs Kazusada Higuchi & Yukio Naya
5. Special Tag Match: Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno & Yuki “Sexy” Iino Vs Bodyguard & Kazuki Hirata
6. Osaka Specialty Special 6-Man Tag Match: Konosuke Takeshita, Yuki Ueno & MAO Vs Yuji Hino, Chris Brookes & Akito
The next day Bodyguard gets to deal with Pheromones for the first time. Good luck with that, buddy!
DDT “SWEET DREAMS! 2022 ~ULTIMATE TAG LEAGUE 2022 OPENING ROUND~”, 30/01/2022 Tokyo Korakuen Hall
1. DDT Universal Title: Daisuke Sasaki (c) Vs Minoru Fujita
The original plan was for Daisuke Sasaki Vs Minoru Fujita to happen in October. Fujita fell ill with covid and spent weeks in the ICU in no condition to wrestle so Sasaki defended the DDT Universal Title against Isami Kodaka instead. After Sasaki beat Masahiro Takanashi yesterday he demanded that Fujita be his next challenger no matter what condition he is in. Fujita accepted, knowing that he is nowhere near his physical best but still confident he can beat Sasaki. Just like Takanashi, he is fighting for the pride of ChocoPro!
DDT “D-OU GRAND PRIX 2021 THE FINAL!!”, 27/12/2020 Tokyo Korakuen Hall
1. Toi Kojima Debut Match: Toi Kojima Vs Hideki Okatani
2. 3 Way Match: Toru Owashi Vs Antonio Honda Vs Nobuhiro Shimatani
3. Kazusada Higuchi, Yukio Sakaguchi & Saki Akai Vs Makoto Oishi, Mizuki Watase & Tomomitsu Matsunaga
4. Hold Your Stomach! Forget The Year Special Tag Match: Sanshiro Takagi & Danshoku Dieno Vs Nayashiro Nayagi & Super Sasadango Machine
5. Tetsuya Endo, Soma Takao & Mad Paulie Vs HARASHIMA, Chris Brookes & Shinya Aoki
6. KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles: Akito, Kazuki Hirata & Shota (c) Vs Shunma Katsumata, MAO & Yuki Ueno
7. D-Ou Grand Prix 2021 – Final: Konosuke Takeshita vs Jun Akiyama
This past weekend before the show in Kasukabe Fureai Cube, a training session was held by Jun Akiyama for the rookie Toi Kojima. Akiyama taught him basic techniques along with guidance and other demonstrations. Kojima is 177cm tall and weighs 80kg. He was born in Saitama on 8th December, 1999 and has a soccer background.
1. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Super Delfin, Chris Brookes & Maki Itoh Vs MAO, Keigo Nakamura & Mirai Maiumi
2. KO-D 8-Man Tag Team Titles: Sanshiro Takagi, X, X & X Vs Shinya Aoki, X, X & X
3. KO-D Openweight Title: Tetsuya Endo (c) Vs D-Ou Grand Prix 2021 Winner
The KO-D 10-Man Tag Team Titles have not been defended since November last year. Today the championship has been vacated because of inactivity and a temporary change is being made because of COVID-19. The championship will temporarily become the KO-D 8-Man Tag Team Titles and new champions will be crowned on 14th February. It is still part of the same title lineage as the 10-Man Tag Titles so the winners will be recognised as the 3rd champion team.
Sanshiro Takagi and Shinya Aoki will captain the two teams. Takagi says the 8-Man Tag matches will be fought with the same passion as the 10-Man Tag Matches. Aoki promised to get revenge on Takagi for humiliating him at “ULTIMATE PARTY 2020” last month.
GANBARE☆PRO “HONJITSU WA SEITEN NARI 2020”, 12/09/2020 Tokyo Itabashi Green Hall ??? Fans – Withheld
1. Fujita Wrestling School Lecturer Confrontation In Ganpro: Minoru Fujita defeated Shota with the Modified Samson Clutch (17:32).
2. Ishii And Katsumata Clash For The First Time In 1 Year And 5 Months! Avenge The Soccer Field At Itabashi!: Shunma Katsumata & Yuna Manase defeated Keisuke Ishii & HARUKAZE when Manase pinned HARUKAZE with the Suzuki Dynamic (11:50).
3. GWC 6-Man Tag Team Titles: Katsuzaki Shunosuke, Moehiko Harumisawa & Washi Sakurai defeated Ken Ohka, Yumehito Imanari & Miss Mongol (c) when Shunosuke pinned Imanari with the PK (17:05). *Ganpocha-gun fails in V2. THE HALFEE becomes the 23rd GWC 6-Man Tag Team Champions!
4. Ganpro Type Tag Match Style Single Match: Ikuto Hidaka (w/ Minoru Fujita) defeated Shota (w/ Hagane Shinno) with the Shawn Capture (12:02).
5. Independent World Jr. Heavyweight Title: Asuka (c) defeated Shinichiro Tominaga with the Moonsault Press (17:03). *V1 for Asuka.
Asuka gained new found respect for Shinichiro Tominaga after their match. She thought he was just a salaryman with low monthly wages who couldn’t do anything. But today Tominaga showed her the true strength of the salaryman! After they shook hands, Asuka told the fans that she is now a Triple Crown champion because she currently holds the Independent World Jr. Heavyweight Title, the WWWD World Title from Diana and she also found her KO-D 10-Man Tag Team Title belt at her home recently. She wants to win more championships so she is now targeting the GWC 6-Man Tag Team Titles! The new champions THE HALFEE came out and told Asuka she’ll need to find two partners to challenge them. Asuka said Hagane Shinno is on her team. That was news to him. She also picks Tominaga as her other partner and decided the title match will happen at Korakuen Hall on 6th October. Katsuzaki Shunosuke (Shuichiro Katsumura) admitted he wanted to be in a singles match at Korakuen but since the challenge is coming from a champion he will accept it.
Shinno was in the building because Shota wanted him in his corner for his match against Ikuto Hidaka. Hidaka had Minoru Fujita seconding him and the match allowed tags even though it was a singles match. Yasu Urano was also in Hidaka’s corner but he played no part in the match. To make things even more confusing, Hidaka and Fujita had trouble getting along so Hidaka had to wrestle the match 1 against 2 at points. He was still able to win and everyone got along in the end.
Hidaka was challenged by Ken Ohka to a match at Korakuen. He has a great admiration for Hidaka going back to watching his matches in Battlarts. Hidaka was flattered but not feeling the idea. When he had his first match in Ganbare☆Pro last month he told everyone his age is just a number and he pushed himself to be the best he could be. Meanwhile Ohka lost to Tominaga at the same show. Isn’t Ganpro supposed to be Ohka’s promotion? It doesn’t feel like it. The two argued until Fujita came out. He understands the feelings both wrestlers have which to him means it makes sense for them to fight. He made the decision that Ohka Vs Hidaka will happen at Korakuen.
THE HALFEE defeated Ganpocha-gun to become the new GWC 6-Man Tag Team Champions. When they celebrated, Shunosuke said there are four members of THE HALFEE and he pointed to Shunma Katsumata standing over in the lobby. Moehiko Harumisawa (Moeka Haruhi) said now they got the belts, the next stage is defending them at Korakuen Hall. Washi Sakurai thanked the fans for supporting him.
Yuna Manase is working hard to prepare for her match with Takumi Iroha. Being in the ring against Keisuke Ishii helped her. She claimed to have learned the Lariat from watching Ishii do Lariat Pro matches so she used the move on him. She wants to throw stronger Lariats that she can use against Iroha.
DDT “ULTIMATE PARTY 2019! DDT GROUP BIG GATHERING!”, 03/11/2019 Tokyo Ryogoku Kokugikan 5,869 Fans – Super No Vacancy Full House
0. Under Match: Tomomitsu Matsunaga, Mizuki Watase & Keigo Nakamura Vs Daichi Kazato, Masato Kamino & Shuhei Washida
0. Under Match – Tokyo Joshi Pro 8-Woman Tag Match: Hikari Noa, YUMI, Mahiro Kiryu & Suzume Vs Raku, Pom Harajuku, Haruna Neko & Mirai Maiumi
0. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title – Time Difference Battle Royal: Chair (c) Vs Shota Vs Toru Owashi Vs Kazuki Hirata Vs Gorgeous Matsuno Vs HARUKAZE Vs SAGAT Vs Yuki Kamifuku Vs Mina Shirakawa Vs Pokotan Vs Yoshihiko
1. 100 Plastic Cases Match: Sanshiro Takagi Vs Isami Kodaka
2. KO-D 10-Man Tag Team Titles: Danshoku Dieno, Asuka, Yuki Iino, Mizuki & Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi Vs Super Sasadango Machine, Yuna Manase, Jiro Kuroshio, Hiroshi Yamato & Makoto Oishi
3. Gauntlet Tag Match: Yukio Naya & Cody Hall Vs Yuki Ueno & Naomi Yoshimura Vs Yukio Sakaguchi & Ryota Nakatsu Vs Shuichiro Katsumura & Kouki Iwasaki Vs Maki Itoh & Chris Brookes Vs Nodoka Tenma & Yuki Aino
4. Independent World Jr. Heavyweight Title: Keisuke Ishii (c) Vs Fuminori Abe
5. UWA World 6-Man Tag Team Titles – 3 Way Match: Takumi Tsukamoto, Yasu Urano & Takato Nakano (c) Vs Tetsuya Endo, Mad Paulie & Nobuhiro Shimatani Vs Ken Ohka, Yumehito Imanari & Miss Mongol
6. Princess Tag Team Titles: Sakisama & Misao (c) Vs Rika Tatsumi & Miu Watanabe
7. KO-D Tag Team Titles – 4 Way Hardcore Match: Daisuke Sasaki & Soma Takao (c) Vs Akito & Shunma Katsumata Vs FUMA & Yusuke Kubo Vs Minoru Fujita & Daiki Shimomura
8. Union MAX Title: Ryuichi Sekine (c) Vs Masahiro Takanashi
9. Princess Of Princess Title: Shoko Nakajima (c) Vs Yuka Sakazaki
10. Souken Holdings Presents Dramatic Dream Match: Kenny Omega & Riho Vs Antonio Honda & Miyu Yamashita
11. BLACK OUT Presents KO-D Openweight Title & DDT Extreme Title: Konosuke Takeshita (K/c) Vs HARASHIMA (E/c)
DDT “ULTIMATE PARTY 2019! DDT GROUP BIG GATHERING!”, 03/11/2019 Tokyo Ryogoku Kokugikan 5,869 Fans – Super No Vacancy Full House
0. Under Match: Daichi Kazato, Masato Kamino & Shuhei Washida defeated Tomomitsu Matsunaga, Mizuki Watase & Keigo Nakamura when Kazato pinned Nakamura with the Explosive Axe Bomber (6:58).
0. Under Match – Tokyo Joshi Pro 8-Woman Tag Match: Hikari Noa, YUMI, Mahiro Kiryu & Suzume defeated Raku, Pom Harajuku, Haruna Neko & Mirai Maiumi when Noa pinned Harajuku with the Uranage (8:22).
-. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title: Chair defeated Shota (c) by Pinfall (2:30 pm). *Chair becomes the 1,433rd champion.
-. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title: Chair defeated Chair (c) by Pinfall (2:31 pm). *Chair becomes the 1,434th champion.
0. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title – Time Difference Battle Royal: Kazuki Hirata defeated Chair (c), Shota, Toru Owashi, Gorgeous Matsuno, HARUKAZE, SAGAT, Yuki Kamifuku, Mina Shirakawa, Pokotan and Yoshihiko (15:20).
0a. Shota, Kazuki Hirata and Yoshihiko eliminated Pokotan by Ring Out (3:57).
0b. Shota eliminated Yoshihiko by Ring Out (4:41).
0c. Yuki Kamifuku eliminated Chair (c) with the Gravure Pin (5:51). *Yuki Kamifuku becomes the 1,435th champion.
0d. SAGAT eliminated Yuki Kamifuku (c) with a School Boy (8:55). *SAGAT becomes the 1,436th champion.
0e. Gorgeous Matsuno eliminated SAGAT (c) by Pinfall (13:29). *Gorgeous Matsuno becomes the 1,437th champion.
0f. Toru Owashi eliminated Mina Shirakawa by Ring Out (13:56).
0g. Shota eliminated HARUKAZE by Ring Out (13:57).
0h. Gorgeous Matsuno (c) and Kazuki Hirata eliminated Toru Owashi and Shota by Simultaneous Ring Outs (14:21). *V1 for Gorgeous Matsuno.
0i. Kazuki Hirata eliminated Gorgeous Matsuno (c) by Pinfall (15:20). *Kazuki Hirata becomes the 1,438th champion.
1. 100 Plastic Cases Match: Isami Kodaka defeated Sanshiro Takagi with the Isamiashi Zan (5:49).
2. KO-D 10-Man Tag Team Titles: Danshoku Dieno, Asuka, Yuki Iino, Mizuki & Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi defeated Super Sasadango Machine, Yuna Manase, Jiro Kuroshio, Hiroshi Yamato & Makoto Oishi when Iino pinned Sasadango with the Spear (13:43). *Danshoku Dieno, Asuka, Yuki Iino, Mizuki & Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi become the 2nd KO-D 10-Man Tag Team Champions!
3. Gauntlet Tag Match: Yuki Ueno & Naomi Yoshimura defeated Yukio Naya & Cody Hall, Yuki Ueno & Naomi Yoshimura, Yukio Sakaguchi & Ryota Nakatsu, Shuichiro Katsumura & Kouki Iwasaki, Maki Itoh & Chris Brookes and Nodoka Tenma & Yuki Aino.
3a. Yukio Sakaguchi & Ryota Nakatsu defeated Shuichiro Katsumura & Kouki Iwasaki when Sakaguchi pinned Iwasaki with the God’s Right Knee (3:55).
3b. Nodoka Tenma & Yuki Aino defeated Yukio Sakaguchi & Ryota Nakatsu by Ring Out (1:52).
3c. Maki Itoh & Chris Brookes defeated Nodoka Tenma & Yuki Aino when Itoh pinned Aino with the Flying Big Head (2:56).
3d. Yuki Ueno & Naomi Yoshimura defeated Maki Itoh & Chris Brookes when Ueno pinned Itoh with a Crucific Pin (2:35).
3e. Yuki Ueno & Naomi Yoshimura defeated Yukio Naya & Cody Hall when Yoshimura pinned Naya with a Lariat (4:29).
4. Independent World Jr. Heavyweight Title: Keisuke Ishii (c) defeated Fuminori Abe with the Pink Kneel Kick (7:26). *V1 for Keisuke Ishii.
5. UWA World 6-Man Tag Team Titles – 3 Way Match: Takumi Tsukamoto, Yasu Urano & Takato Nakano (c) defeated Tetsuya Endo, Mad Paulie & Nobuhiro Shimatani and Ken Ohka, Yumehito Imanari & Miss Mongol when Tsukamoto pinned Shimatani with the Dragon Kicker (9:09). *V1 for Takumi Tsukamoto, Yasu Urano & Takato Nakano.
6. Princess Tag Team Titles: Rika Tatsumi & Miu Watanabe defeated Sakisama & Misao (c) when Tatsumi pinned Misao with the Missile Hips (13:46). *NEO Biishiki-gun fails in V4. Daydream becomes the 6th Princess Tag Team Champions!
7. KO-D Tag Team Titles – 4 Way Hardcore Match: Daisuke Sasaki & Soma Takao (c) defeated Akito & Shunma Katsumata, FUMA & Yusuke Kubo and Minoru Fujita & Daiki Shimomura when Sasaki submitted Shimomura with the Cross Facelock (13:24). *V8 for DAMNATION.
8. Union MAX Title: Masahiro Takanashi defeated Ryuichi Sekine (c) with the Takatonic (9:59). *Ryuichi Sekine fails in V3. Masahiro Takanashi becomes the 13th Union MAX Champion!
9. Princess Of Princess Title: Yuka Sakazaki defeated Shoko Nakajima (c) with the Magical Magical Girl Splash (14:12). *Shoko Nakajima fails in V4. Yuka Sakazaki becomes the 7th Princess Of Princess Champion!
10. Souken Holdings Presents Dramatic Dream Match: Kenny Omega & Riho defeated Antonio Honda & Miyu Yamashita when Omega pinned Honda with the One-Winged Angel (21:22).
11. BLACK OUT Presents – KO-D Openweight Title & DDT Extreme Title: HARASHIMA (E/c) defeated Konosuke Takeshita (K/c) with the Somato (25:38). *V1 for HARASHIMA. Konosuke Takeshita fails in V3. HARASHIMA becomes the 73rd KO-D Openweight Champion!
HARASHIMA fought past his limit to win the KO-D Openweight Title for the 10th time in his career! His win against Konosuke Takeshita today is also revenge for their Sumo Hall match back in March 2017, the last time HARASHIMA held the title. Takeshita focused on HARASHIMA’s weakened back like he did in the matches leading up to today. He used the Walls Of Takeshita and dared the DISASTER BOX wrestlers in HARASHIMA’s corner to throw in the towel. But HARASHIMA persisted and swung momentum to his favour in a big way with a Reverse Frankensteiner from the top turnbuckle. He struggled to capitalise but found an opening when he maneuvered himself out of the Cross Arm German Suplex and then pulled Takeshita into a Short Range Somato. HARASHIMA hit a full force Somato for the victory and the title change.
Wrestlers from HARASHIMA’s generation came out and congratulated him after the match. HARASHIMA thanked them all from Ken Ohka to KUDO to Isami Kodaka to Yasu Urano and also to everyone else who came to Sumo Hall today. Since this was an Ultimate Party, HARASHIMA wanted everyone in the DDT family to join him in the ring for a celebration including Kenny Omega and Riho. When Omega & Riho came out HARASHIMA then called for Takeshita and the rest of ALL OUT to come back. As Takeshita stood on the apron, HARASHIMA thanked him for not holding back. Today he won but next time he might not so they should wrestle against each other again some day. After a little bit of hesitation, Takeshita shook HARASHIMA’s hand and they embraced.
Takeshita left the ring with ALL OUT but the rest of the roster continued the party. HARASHIMA said he could see everyone’s smiles. The DDT groups will continue to work together to create more wonderful wrestling, this time in Saitama Super Arena next June! As the party went on, DJ Nira walked down the aisle and entered the ring. He shook HARASHIMA’s hand then tried to steal the DDT Extreme Title. He played dead when he failed and was carried out of the ring. That was the sign for the wrestlers to leave the ring one by one until only HARASHIMA and Omega were left. Omega shook HARASHIMA’s hand but he sure was staring at the KO-D Title a lot when the new champion wasn’t looking…
Omega returned to DDT so he could go back to his roots. He proved this by switching his AEW theme to the Dr. Wily remix he used during his DDT days. He also wore the AAA Mega Title belt around his waist during his entrance while Riho had her AEW Women’s Title. Their opponents were ready for a big match. Miyu Yamashita wore new wrestling gear and Antonio Honda even attempted a Suicide Dive. Unfortunately he tripped in the middle of the canvas and hurt himself. He told his story and asked for a “Too Sweet!” but it was a trap to unleash Gongitsune on Omega! Yamashita pushed Omega back with her kicks until Omega carried her to the top rope in a Fireman’s Carry position. Riho climbed on top of them and hit a Super Diving Double Stomp onto Honda. Riho later dived out of the ring onto Yamashita leaving Omega alone to finish off Honda. However Honda still had life left in him and he fought out of the One-Winged Angel. Honda’s comeback was cut short with a V-Trigger and Omega finally pinned him with the One-Winged Angel.
Omega spoke to the fans in Japanese after the match. He said the match took longer than he expected so he would keep this message short. Honda was as strong as ever and Omega found out that Yamashita is strong too. He doesn’t know what will happen between himself and DDT in the future but of course he would like to come back again. He was happy to see so many people choose to see this show today during a very busy week for pro wrestling in Japan. He said his goodbyes then quickly remembered to finish off his “Goodbye & Goodnight” catchphrase. A few comments from the post-match interview include Omega feeling nostalgic the moment he stepped into the ring. Enough so that he did the STOP! Enzuigiri during the match but he forgot to do a Hadouken. He feels embarrassed at falling for Honda’s Gongitsune trick. He was expecting the move but thought Honda was giving him the “Too Sweet!” because he used to be the leader of Bullet Club. Omega and Riho said Yamashita is unlike anyone else in the AEW women’s division. Riho admitted she doesn’t have the authority to get Yamashita in AEW but maybe if Yamashita challenges her to a title match, maybe something could happen. Part of the reason Omega wants to do more mixed tag matches is so he can find a rival for Riho.
Tokyo Joshi Pro had a newsworthy day across the show, the biggest of which is a Princess Of Princess Title change! Yuka Sakazaki kicked out of Shoko Nakajima’s Northern Lights Suplex then resisted a repeated attempt of the move. She was able to give Nakajima the Merry-Go-Round and won with the Magical Magical Girl Splash. Sakazaki was so overcome with emotions over the match that she couldn’t say much during the post-match interview. She just wanted to go home and eat hamburgers. Nakajima is sorry that she lost but still feels like she achieved her dream today. She hopes everyone will still support her when she goes on her tour of Mexico.
The big BASARA match also involved a major title change. Masahiro Takanashi won the Union MAX Title from Ryuichi Sekine! Takanashi targeted Sekine’s left arm from the start. It paid off because Sekine was never really able to apply the Let’s Combine. Takanashi was able to roll out of the submission set up and hit the Takatonic from out of nowhere to become the new champion. Isami Kodaka confronted Takanashi after the match but did not say a word to him. After a tense moment Kodaka left and helped Sekine to the back. Backstage Takanashi said he is ready to defend the belt against BASARA and singled out Kodaka as his preferred first challenger. He knows Kodaka will not refuse him.
The most chaotic match of the night was the KO-D Tag Team Titles 4 Way. Hardcore rules meant that there were plenty of weapons about and it did not take long for the ring to fill up. Shunma Katsumata came out dressed as the Joker. That was his first mistake. Soma Takao piled chairs on top of Akito then Double Stomped onto them. A large board with Lego blocks stuck to them was propped between chairs and steel cans. FUMA & Yusuke Kubo slammed Katsumata onto the board. Minoru Fujita helped position two different towers of ladders with tables bridged between them on opposite corners of the ring. Akito & Katsumata later moved them together to be one big tower. Katsumata wanted to dive off of it but Daisuke Sasaki knocked him off instead by throwing chairs at him. Fujita gave Akito the SAYONARA then instructed Daiki Shimomura to climb the tower. Takao blinded Fujita with red Poison Mist then tied his arms to the ring ropes. Sasaki joined Shimomura on the top of the tower and broke a guitar over his head. He gave Shimomura the Pedigree onto the tables then made him submit to the Cross Facelock at the top of the tower. With 8th defences in a row, DAMNATION now wants the KO-D Tag Titles to be considered the top championship in DDT. When they reach 10 defences, they will take the title “to the next stage.” What does that mean? We’ll find out if they can defend the belts two more times.
NEO Biishiki-gun had been unstoppable during their reign as Princess Tag Team Champions. That ended today thanks to Daydream! It was an uphill battle for the challengers. But that all changed when Miu Watanabe got rid of Sakisama with the Tear Drop. From there Rika Tatsumi was pitted with Misao. She countered the Vanitas with a Forward Dropkick then hit the Missile Hips for the three count. Backstage Sakisama was outraged and demanded Misao to tell her why they lost today. Misao stayed silent and took the abuse. Obviously the new champions are in a much better mood. Watanabe said she will cherish her new championship. Tatsumi cannot wait to wear her first title belt around her waist.
The action for the UWA World 6-Man Tag Team Titles match was frantic from the get go. Yumehito Imanari found himself getting separated and outnumbered. Tetsuya Endo used Mad Paulie as a launcher for some of his high flying attacks. Paulie also turned out to be a difficult wall for Urano and Miss Mongol to break but Ohka helped out with the Fire Spear. Nobuhiro Shimatani and Takato Nakano faced off. Shimatani got the advantage thanks to Endo. However DAMNATION’s chance at winning the titles went pair shaped when the champions got back into the match. Takumi Tsukamoto stunned Shimatani with the Thrust Kick and got the win for his team with the Dragon Kicker. Shimatani feels so crushed by the loss he told the others he may leave DAMNATION and go some place new.
Keisuke Ishii is filled with confidence going into the D-Ou Grand Prix. It took a Tiger Suplex into the turnbuckles, the Double Arm Clutch Driver and the Kneel Kick for Ishii to put Fuminori Abe away. His goal today was to both defend the Independent World Jr. Heavyweight Title and spread awareness of Ganbare☆Wrestling. He succeeded in both. Abe admits that maybe he wasn’t mentally prepared for today after going through a 60 minute Ironman Match with Naoshi Sano yesterday. However he also thinks the more you wrestle, the better your condition gets so they cancelled each other out. He is afraid today was the final chapter of him getting to wrestle against the Ganpro roster. He hopes it won’t be.
Nautilus came out on top in the Tag Gauntlet. It begun with a strike heavy battle between Yukio Sakaguchi & Ryota Nakatsu against Shuichiro Katsumura & Kouki Iwasaki. Sakaguchi pinned Iwasaki for the elimination. The Bakuretsu Sisters surprisingly eliminated Sakaguchi & Nakatsu by having Nakatsu bump Sakaguchi out of the ring. The NEO Itoh Respect Army came out with a questionable dance performance to “Setsunairo”. Chris Brookes and Nodoka Tenma faced off, showing everyone the massive height difference between them. Tenma then gave Brookes a Fall Away Slam. Brookes gave Yuki Aino the Praying Mantis Bomb and Maki Itoh pinned her with the Flying Big Head. Nautilus were out next and Naomi Yoshimura attempted to do the World’s Cutest Knuckle Punch to Itoh. Brookes gave Yuki Ueno a Cutter and Itoh hit a Falling Headbutt. But when Itoh went for a pin Ueno rolled her into a Crucifix Pin for the three count. Yukio Naya & Cody Hall were the final team to enter. Ueno & Yoshimura had the advantage of more tag team experience together and were able to beat them and win the Gauntlet. Both of them will now focus on the D-Ou Grand Prix.
In the dying moments of the KO-D 10-Man Tag Team Titles match Yuki Iino led Danshoku Dieno, Asuka, Mizuki & Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi into doing the Haka then sent them out to keep the opposing team away. He hit the Haka Elbow to Makoto Oishi and went for the pin but time froze just before the three count. “Etupirka” played and we got Oishi giving a monologue about him trying to pick a name for his unborn child. Time slowly passed as Oishi kicked out. Jiro Kuroshio, Yuna Manase, Hiroshi Yamato & Super Sasadango Machine slowly attacked Iino, ending with the Lehmann Shock. Sasadango went for the pin but time froze again. This time we got a monologue from Iino’s father! His father never wanted Iino to become a pro wrestler but he doesn’t him to be a loser even more. That was enough motivation for Iino to slowly kick out. The two teams collided and paved the way for Iino to Spear Sasadango so hard his mask came off. That was what it took for Iino’s team to win the 10-Man Tag Titles!
It took about 30 seconds for Sanshiro Takagi and Isami Kodaka to regret wrestling inside a ring filled with plastic cases. They began with standard opening match moves but even they were dangerous because of the cases breaking beneath them. Takagi hit the Sit Down Himawari Bomb onto some cases but Kodaka kicked out. Takagi missed a Diving Body Press and crashed onto more cases. Kodaka was able to beat him with the Isamiashi Zan from that point on. Kodaka celebrated by piling together more cases then he dove onto them from the top rope.
The Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title changed hands several times on the pre-show. Two chairs fell on top of Shota backstage. Yukinori Matsui found Shota unconscious and counted to three, declaring one of the chairs as the new champion. He then immediately noticed the other chair on top and counted the pin again, meaning another chair won the title. Then in the Battle Royal Yuki Kamifuku did a sexy pose on the chair during her entrance. Matsui counted it as a pin and gave the title to her. SAGAT won the belt with a Backslide Pin on Kamifuku. Gorgeous Matsuno sang while everyone did a train attack on SAGAT. Matsuno pinned him while singing with everyone piled on top to win the title. He continued singing as the field whittled down to just him and Kazuki Hirata. Matsuno pretty much no sold Hirata’s attacks but was pinned when he missed the Gorgeous Superstar Elbow. Hirata celebrated with the Iron Man Title until Michiaki Nakano from Souken Holdings tried to win the belt from him. Hirata left as champion while Nakano complained to Hisaya Imabayashi. If he really wants to win the Iron Man Title he should face Hirata at Korakuen Hall on 24th November!
Tokyo Joshi had an 8-Woman Tag take place in the pre-show. Hikari Noa took the win for her team by pinning Pom Harajuku with the Uranage.
The very first match of the day had the recently debuted Keigo Nakamura determined to be a big factor. Tomomitsu Matsunaga was a bit annoyed by his behavior and slapped him across the face for the tag. Despite the rookie’s enthusiasm, he was cut down by Daichi Kazato’s Explosive Axe Bomber.
The president Of CyberAgent, Susumu Fujita has been appointed the Executive Chairman of “WRESTLE PETER PAN 2020” in Saitama Super Arena. A street wrestling match inside (or around?) the venue is being planned. This was all announced during one of Sasadango’s PowerPoint presentations. Takagi also promoted his new book about pro wrestling company management.
Posted by JamieOD 
Dramatic DDT 