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

March 18, 2022

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

2. Special Single Match: Saki Akai Vs Maya Yukihi

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Posted by JamieOD

Judgement 2022 Press Conference

March 10, 2022

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

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

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

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

 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Posted by JamieOD

BASARA Back To Full Strength, Dieno And Takanashi Cleared To Return, Ganpro Mixed Hardcore Match, Mega Max Bump

February 8, 2022

BASARA “BASARA 183 ~TAKAGARI 8~”, 11/02/2022
Takashimadaira Ward Community Center

1. Takumi Tsukamoto & Tsutomu Oosugi Vs Yusuke Kubo & Lil Kraken
2. 3 Way Match: Daiki Shimomura Vs Masato Kamino Vs Akiyori Takizawa
3. Isami Kodaka & Takato Nakano Vs Fuminori Abe & Banana Senga
4. Daichi Kazato Vs Minoru Fujita
5. Ryota Nakatsu & SAGAT Vs FUMA & Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi

It looks like the BASARA roster is back to full strength after their covid breakout last month. All of those who missed the last show are cleared to wrestle again and will be at this Friday’s show.

DDT “ULTIMATE TAG LEAGUE 2022 IN OSAKA!!”, 12/02/2022
Osaka Suminoe Maikon Hall

1. Yuya Koroku Vs Yuki Ishida
2. Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno & Yuki “Sexy” Iino Vs Antonio Honda & Kazuki Hirata
3. Tetsuya Endo, Jun Akiyama & Yusuke Okada Vs Toru Owashi, Kazusada Higuchi & Hideki Okatani
4. Daisuke Sasaki, Minoru Fujita & MJ Paul Vs Chris Brookes, Akito & Toui Kojima
5. Ultimate Tag League 2022 – B Block: HARASHIMA & Naomi Yoshimura (2) Vs Shunma Katsumata & MAO (2)
6. Ultimate Tag League 2022 – A Block – Maikon no Kohara Presents: Konosuke Takeshita & Yuki Ueno (2) Vs Yuji Hino & Yukio Naya (2)

There are clearances over in DDT too. Danshoku Dieno will be back in action on Saturday. He is allowed to re-enter the Ultimate Tag League, taking back his spot on the Pheromones team that Yumehito Imanari kept warm while he was out of action. But first he has a non-tournament match to get his wind back.

DDT “DDT FREE -FEBRUARY- ULTIMATE TAG LEAGUE 2022 IN SHINJUKU!!”, 14/02/2022
Shinjuku FACE

1. Special Tag Match: Saki Akai & Toui Kojima Vs Maya Yukihi & Yukio Naya
2. Ultimate Tag League 2022 – A Block: Konosuke Takeshita & Yuki Ueno Vs Kazusada Higuchi & Hideki Okatani
3. Ultimate Tag League 2022 – A Block: Tetsuya Endo & Jun Akiyama Vs Shuji Kondo & Kazuki Hirata
4. Ultimate Tag League 2022 – B Block: Chris Brookes & Masahiro Takanashi Vs Daisuke Sasaki & MJ Paul
5. DDT Extreme Title – Turkish Wrestling Rules: Shinya Aoki (c) Vs Yuki “Sexy” Iino

Masahiro Takanashi will also return to action two days later teaming up with Chris Brookes again. CDK had to forfeit their league match to Pheromones which is a minor setback after winning their opening bout. They are still in the running for first place in Block B but as things stand right now that forfeit might come back to haunt them.

BASARA “BASARA 184 ~GLITTER~”, 22/02/2022
Shin-Kiba 1st RING

1. Union MAX Title: Ryota Nakatsu (c) Vs Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi

The postponed Union MAX Title match between Ryota Nakatsu and Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi has been rescheduled to 22nd February.

GANBARE☆PRO “BAD COMMUNICATION 2022”, 27/02/2022
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

1. Katsumura-gun Vs Hitodenashi BLUES: Shuichiro Katsumura & Tsuyoshi Okada Vs Nobuhiro Shimatani & Tyson Maeguchi
2. BAD COMMUNICATION 2022 Special Bout: Ken Ohka, Keisuke Ishii & Shigehiro Irie Vs Shota, Soma Takao & Shinichiro Tominaga
3. Ganjo Special Tag Match: Yuna Manase & YuuRI Vs Moeka Haruhi & Maya Yukihi
4. Ganpro’s Famous Mixed Tag Match: Mizuki Watase & HARUKAZE Vs Shunma Katsumata & Akane Fujita
5. Unleash The Curse Of The Great Prophecy!: The Great Sasuke Vs Yumehito Imanari
6. Spirit Of Ganbare World Openweight Title: Tatsuhito Takaiwa (c) Vs Kouki Iwasaki

A dangerous request was put in HARUKAZE for Ganbare☆Pro’s return to Korakuen Hall. She demanded a Hardcore Match and threw the challenge out to both Shunma Katsumata and Akane Fujita! Those two already have tension between them over accusations of weapon plagiarism but they have to team together for this match. HARUKAZE found Mizuki Watase to be her partner and make the match an intergender tag.

There has been little follow up to the rumours of CyberFight wanting to sign Maya Yukihi to a contract. She has her story with Saki Akai in DDT going on until March so once that finishes up we may find out what she wants to do next. But before that, she will show up in Ganpro again for a tag match highlighting the Ganbare☆Joshi division.

Seeing Ken Ohka positioned this low on a major Ganpro card is weird. I welcome it because the rest of the group has stepped up over the last two years but it’s still weird.

DDT “MEGA MAX BUMP 2022 TOUR IN YOKOHAMA”, 01/05/2022
Yokohama Budokan

1. KO-D Openweight Title: Konosuke Takeshita (c) Vs X

The next KO-D Openweight Title defence will be held at DDT’s next big show after their 25th Anniversary celebration. Either Konosuke Takeshita or Tetsuya Endo will defend the title at the Yokohama Budokan against an opponent to be determined.

Also on the show will be the return of Hikaru Sato to DDT for the first time since 2019. Sato was a DDT mainstay from 2008 to 2014 and even held the KO-D Title one time. He makes some one-off appearances here and there but those times were for spin-off shows or special occasions.

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Video – Konosuke Takeshita Vs Tetsuya Endo For The KO-D Title From 2017

February 4, 2022

DDT “RYOGOKU PETER PAN 2017 ~PETER PAN EVEN IF YOU BECOME 20 YEARS OLD PETER PAN~”, 20/08/2017
Tokyo Ryogoku Kokugikan
5,900 Fans – Super No Vacancy

KO-D Openweight Title – Good Com Asset Presents: Konosuke Takeshita (c) Vs Tetsuya Endo

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Video – Tetsuya Endo Vs Konosuke Takeshita For The KO-D Title From 2019

January 24, 2022

DDT “WRESTLE PETER PAN 2019”, 15/07/2019
Tokyo Ota Ward Gymnasium
3,798 Fans – Super No Vacancy Full House

KO-D Openweight Title – BLACK OUT Presents: Tetsuya Endo (c) Vs Konosuke Takeshita

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Tomorrow Match Orders, Brookes Vs Yoshihiko, 25th Anniversary Main Event

January 3, 2022

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

1. Mahiro Kiryu & Moka Miyamoto Vs Suzume & Arisu Endo
2. Shoko Nakajima Vs Hyper Misao
3. Rika Tatsumi & Miu Watanabe Vs Yuki Kamifuku & Nao Kakuta
4. Nodoka-oneesan One Day Revival Special Match: Nodoka-oneesan, Yuki Aino & Haruna Neko Vs Marika Kobashi, Raku & Pom Harajuku
5. Yuka Sakazaki Vs Yuki Arai
6. International Princess Title: Hikari Noa (c) Vs Maki Itoh
7. Princess Of Princess Title: Miyu Yamashita (c) Vs Mizuki

This is the match order for tomorrow.

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 Single Match ~ Gake no Fuchi Rules: Miyako Matsumoto Vs Risa Sera
3. Special Tag Match: Sanshiro Takagi & SenoSister Mao Inoue Vs Mochi Miyagi & Akane Miura
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 match order here was switched around a little bit too.

DDT “DDT FREE -JANUARY-”, 07/01/2022
Shinjuku FACE

1. Special Single Match: Chris Brookes Vs Yoshihiko
2. Special Tag Match: Daisuke Sasaki & MJ Paul Vs Minoru Fujita & Soma Takao

All of a sudden Chris Brookes Vs Yoshihiko has become the hottest grudge in DDT. Earlier today Yoshihiko hit a balcony dive on Brookes and hasn’t stopped assaulting him since. It turns out any enemy of Pokotan is an enemy of Yoshihiko! Brookes wants to settle this quickly so they will face off this Friday.

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

1. KO-D Openweight Title: Konosuke Takeshita (c) Vs Tetsuya Endo

For the first time in three years Konosuke Takeshita Vs Tetsuya Endo for the KO-D Openweight Title will headline a DDT show! It’s the biggest match for DDT’s biggest show.

Andreza Giant Panda will be on the show.

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DDT “DDT 25TH ANNIVERSARY OPENING SPECIAL!” Results

January 3, 2022

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.

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DDT “NEVER MIND 2021 IN YOYOGI” Results

December 26, 2021

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Video – Daisuke Sasaki Vs Masahiro Takanashi For KO-D Openweight Title And 1,000,000 Yen

December 24, 2021

DDT “SOUKEN HOLDINGS PRESENTS DDT SPECIAL 2018”, 25/11/2018
Tokyo Korakuen Hall
1,312 Fans – Super No Vacancy
DDT Dramatic General Election Ranking In Parentheses

KO-D Openweight Title & 1,000,000 Yen Prize Money ~ DDT Special Four Great Singles Match: Daisuke Sasaki (#5) (c) Vs Masahiro Takanashi (#1)

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Merry Christmas You Filthy Animals!

December 23, 2021

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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