HARASHIMA Cleared For Sunday, MIKAMI & Tomoya Get Tag Title Shot

September 27, 2013

DDT “WHO’S GONNA TOP? 2013 ~DDT48 GENERAL ELECTION LAST POLLING DAY~”, 29/09/2013
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

0. Dark Match: Guanchulo Vs Gorgeous Matsuno
1. Antonio Honda, Daisuke Sasaki & Yuji Hino Vs Danshoku Dino, Makoto Oishi & Super Sagadang Machine
2. Hikaru Sato & Akito Vs MIKAMI & Tanomusaku Toba
3. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title – Battle Royal: Akihiro (c) Vs KUDO Vs Masa Takanashi Vs DJ Nira Vs Tomomitsu Matsunaga Vs Michael Nakazawa Vs Hoshitango Vs Kazuki Hirata Vs Rion Mizuki Vs Cherry Vs Mio Shirai
4. Shigehiro Irie Vs Konosuke Takeshita
5. KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles: Sanshiro Takagi, Toru Owashi & Akebono Vs Kota Ibushi, Kenny Omega & Gota Ihashi
6. KO-D Tag Team Titles: Isami Kodaka & Yuko Miyamoto (c) Vs Keisuke Ishii & Soma Takao
7. KO-D Openweight Title: HARASHIMA (c) Vs Yasu Urano

HARASHIMA has been cleared for action and is able to defend the KO-D Openweight Title against Yasu Urano this Sunday. A knee injury threatened to make him miss the defence but after clearing some medical tests he is now good to go.

DDT “SAPPORO WRESTLING FESTA 2013”, 13/10/2013
Sapporo Teisen Hall

1. KO-D Tag Team Titles: Isami Kodaka & Yuko Miyamoto (c) Vs MIKAMI & Tomoya

Either Yankii Ni Cho Kenju or Team Dream Futures will come out of Korakuen Hall as the KO-D Tag Team Champions and they will have MIKAMI & local wrestler Tomoya chasing after the belts in Sapporo.


Catching Up For September

September 5, 2013

DDT “GO! GO! WEST TOUR IN TAKAMATSU 2013”, 07/09/2013
Takamatsu Symbol Tower Exhibition Centre

1. Yukio Sakaguchi Vs Tomomitsu Matsunaga
2. MIKAMI Vs Antonio Honda
3. Michael Nakazawa 3 Match Trial – Match 1: Michael Nakazawa Vs Sanshiro Takagi
4. Shigehiro Irie & Takao Soma Vs Hikaru Sato & Makoto Oishi
5. KUDO & Yasu Urano Vs Kenny Omega & Masa Takanashi
6. Shikoku Special 4 Way Match: HARASHIMA Vs Kota Ibushi Vs Danshoku Dino Vs Keisuke Ishii

Back after a trip to Seattle for PAX Prime. So let’s update the schedule for September.

DDT “GO! GO! WEST TOUR IN HAKATA 2013”, 08/09/2013
Hakata Sazanpia

1. Tomomitsu Matsunaga Vs Yuto Aijima
2. Masa Takanashi & Azul Dragon Vs Shigehiro Irie & Takao Soma
3. Special Zondag 3 Way Match: Kenny Omega Vs Keisuke Ishii Vs Batten Tamagawa
4. Michael Nakazawa 3 Match Trial – Match 2: Michael Nakazawa Vs Sanshiro Takagi
5. Kota Ibushi Vs Makoto Oishi
6. DDT Extreme Title: Danshoku Dino (c) Vs Antonio Honda
7. HARASHIMA, Yasu Urano & KUDO Vs MIKAMI, Hikaru Sato & Yukio Sakaguchi

Came so close to typing out “Special Zandig 3 Way Match“. Would have kept it that way too.

DDT “OSAKA 24 ZONE TOUR ~ TENNOJI DISTRICT”, 15/09/2013
Osaka Tennoji Ward Community Centre

1. Tennoji 3 Way Match: Toru Owashi Vs Antonio Honda Vs DJ Nira
2. Danshoku Dino, Makoto Oishi & Akito Vs MIKAMI, Masa Takanashi & Michael Nakazawa
3. Daisuke Sasaki Vs Yukio Sakaguchi
4. Road To KO-D OPENWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP: HARASHIMA & FUMA Vs Yasu Urano & KUDO
5. Osaka Severe Earthquake! Premium Tag Match: Kota Ibushi & Kenny Omega Vs Shigehiro Irie & Konosuke Takeshita

UraShimaKudo pairs off against each other to prepare for the upcoming KO-D Openweight Title match.

DDT “GO! GO! WEST TOUR IN FUKUYAMA 2013”, 16/09/2013
Fukuyama Big Rose

1. Yukio Sakaguchi & Makoto Oishi Vs Tomomitsu Matsunaga & Akito
2. Kota Ibushi & DJ Nira Vs Toru Owashi & Michael Nakazawa
3. Danshoku Dino Vs Betcha HOGO
4. 3 Way Match: Kenny Omega Vs Yasu Urano Vs Masa Takanashi
5. HANZO & MIKAMI Vs Antonio Honda & Daisuke Sasaki
6. HARASHIMA, KUDO & FUMA Vs Shigehiro Irie, Keisuke Ishii & Takao Soma

HANZO and Betcha HOGO both come from Wrestle Gate.

DDT “WHO’S GONNA TOP? 2013 ~DDT48 GENERAL ELECTION LAST POLLING DAY~”, 29/09/2013
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

0. Dark Match: Guanchulo Vs Gorgeous Matsuno
1. Antonio Honda, Daisuke Sasaki & Yuji Hino Vs Danshoku Dino, Makoto Oishi & Super Sagadang Machine
2. Hikaru Sato & Akito Vs MIKAMI & Tanomusaku Toba
3. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title – Battle Royal: Akihiro (c) Vs KUDO Vs Masa Takanashi Vs DJ Nira Vs Tomomitsu Matsunaga Vs Michael Nakazawa Vs Hoshitango Vs Kazuki Hirata Vs Rion Mizuki Vs Cherry Vs Mio Shirai
4. Shigehiro Irie & Konosuke Takeshita Vs X & X
5. KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles: Sanshiro Takagi, Toru Owashi & Akebono Vs Kota Ibushi, Kenny Omega & Gota Ihashi
6. KO-D Tag Team Titles: Isami Kodaka & Yuko Miyamoto (c) Vs Keisuke Ishii & Takao Soma
7. KO-D Openweight Title: HARASHIMA (c) Vs Yasu Urano

A lot of championship matches are booked for this show. HARASHIMA defends the KO-D Title against Yasu UranoIsami Kodaka & Yuko Miyamoto set their first defence of the KO-D Tag Team Titles against members of Drift. The Golden Rendezvous goes after the KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles they won then quickly lost earlier this year. And last but not least Yoshihiko’s sister Akihiro defends the Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title in a Battle Royal.


DDT “RYOGOKU PETER PAN 2013” Results

August 18, 2013

ddtsumohall

DDT “RYOGOKU PETER PAN 2013”, 18/08/2013
Tokyo Ryogoku Kokugikan
9,000 Fans – Super No Vacancy Full House

0. Dark Match: Akito & Guanchulo defeated FUMA & Daichi Kazato when Akito pinned Kazato with the Tornado Bomb (6:03).
0. Dark Match – KO-D 6-Man Tag Title Next Challenger Decision – Falls Count Anywhere: Sanshiro Takagi, Toru Owashi & Akebono defeated Antonio Honda, Hoshitango & Jun Kasai when Akebono pinned Honda with a Body Press (19:40).
1. Next KO-D Tag Team Title Challenger Finals: Keisuke Ishii & Takao Soma defeated KUDO & Yasu Urano, Daisuke Sasaki & Yuji Hino and Kenny Omega & Gota Ihashi when Soma pinned Ihashi with the Gin & Tonic (13:31).
2. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title – “Research Group” Presents Battle Royal: Akihiro defeated DJ Nira (c) with the Spiritual Coaster (14:29).
Other Competitors: Komyo (c), Yoshihiko, MIKAMI, Michael Nakazawa, Tomomitsu Matsunaga, Kazuki Hirata, Gorgeous Matsuno, Rion Mizuki, Yuto Aijima, Mitomi Masayuki, Shuji Ishikawa and Seiya Morohashi.
*Akihiro becomes the 974th champion.
3. Saki Akai Debut Match: Masa Takanashi, Cherry & Saki Akai defeated Hiroshi Fukuda, Yoshiko & Hikaru Shida when Takanashi pinned Fukuda with the Takatonic (11:53).
4. Special Single Match: Katsuhiko Nakajima defeated Konosuke Takeshita with the Vertical Drop Brainbuster (15:31).
5. KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles: Sanshiro Takagi, Toru Owashi & Akebono defeated Kensuke Sasaki, Danshoku Dino & Makoto Oishi (c) when Takagi pinned Oishi with the Sit Down Himawari Bomb (10:34).
*Danshoku Dino, Makoto Oishi & Kensuke Sasaki fail in V1. Sanshiro Takagi, Toru Owashi & Akebono become the 6th KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Champions!
6. KO-D Tag Team Titles: Yuko Miyamoto & Isami Kodaka defeated Hikaru Sato & Yukio Sakaguchi (c) when Kodaka pinned Sakaguchi with the Zan Isamu Leg (18:12).
*Hikaru Sato & Yukio Sakaguchi fail in V4. Yankii Ni Cho Kenji becomes the 48th KO-D Tag Team Champions!
7. Dramatic Dream Match: Kazuchika Okada defeated Kota Ibushi with the Rainmaker (19:50).
8. KO-D Openweight Title: HARASHIMA defeated Shigehiro Irie (c) with the Swan Dive Somato (23:30).
*Shigehiro Irie fails in V9. HARASHIMA becomes the 46th KO-D Openweight Champion!

ddt-harashima-irie

HARASHIMA is once again the man to beat in DDT. He defeated Shigehiro Irie in the main event of DDT’s biggest show of the year. He ended the most successful KO-D Openweight Title reign to date and in the process cements his own dominance of the belt by becoming a 5-time (x5) KO-D Champion.

ibushi-rainmaker

Kota Ibushi got his own Rainmaker entrance for his match against Kazuchika Okada. But instead of raining dollars, he got raining lottery tickets instead.

The Yankees are taking over the tag team division! Yuko Miyamoto and Isami Kodaka are now the KO-D Tag Team Champions. They immediately set a goal to defend the titles 100 times to prove how strong they are. Keisuke Ishii & Takao Soma earned the first title shot by winning the 4-Way Tag match earlier in the show.

danshoku-train

Yuzuki Aikawa made an appearance as a bouncy reporter for the KO-D 6-Man Tag Title match. Sanshiro Takagi, Toru Owashi and Akebono won the Falls Count Anywhere dark match against the Monster Army to get the title shot. Even with the disadvantage of already wrestling outside the arena earlier in the day, Takagi’s team were able to win the titles from Danshoku Dino, Makoto Oishi & Kensuke Sasaki. The dark match involved bicycles, Akebono trying to flush Jun Kasai down the toilet, brawling inside a locker room bath and a castle of chairs toppling down.

Konosuke Takeshita requested a rematch with Katsuhiko Nakajima after their bout.

Saki Akai admitted after her debut match that she did not realise how tiring pro wrestling is. However, she can see wrestling becoming a habit for her and she now wants to love it.

akahiro

DJ Nira got a measure of revenge on the painting that won the Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title from him. Nira got past Komyo’s bodyguards, knocked it over, climbed the top rope, opened up his umbrella and delivered a Diving Stomp onto the painting to win back the title. But his celebration was short lived when Akihiro appeared. Who is Akihiro you ask? She is Yoshihiko’s sister! The doll cleared through everyone that was left in the ring including Nira to win the Battle Royal and become Iron Man Champion.

DDT returns to Sumo Hall on 17th August 2014. They will also announce their business strategy for 2014 and 2015 at the 29/9 Korakuen Hall show.

Applications are currently being accepted for the 2013 DDT48 General Election and with 22nd August as the closing date for wrestlers to declare their candidacy.


DDT “RYOGOKU PETER PAN 2013” Preview

August 17, 2013

sumohall-doubleshot

DDT “RYOGOKU PETER PAN 2013”, 18/08/2013
Tokyo Ryogoku Kokugikan

0. Dark Match: Akito & Guanchulo Vs FUMA & Daichi Kazato
0. Dark Match – KO-D 6-Man Tag Title Next Challenger Decision – Falls Count Anywhere: Antonio Honda, Hoshitango & Jun Kasai Vs Sanshiro Takagi, Toru Owashi & Akebono
1. Next KO-D Tag Team Title Challenger Finals: KUDO & Yasu Urano Vs Daisuke Sasaki & Yuji Hino Vs Keisuke Ishii & Takao Soma Vs Kenny Omega & Gota Ihashi
2. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title – “Research Group” Presents Battle Royal: Komyo (c) Vs Yoshihiko Vs MIKAMI Vs Michael Nakazawa Vs Tomomitsu Matsunaga Vs Kazuki Hirata Vs Gorgeous Matsuno Vs DJ Nira Vs Rion Mizuki Vs Yuto Aijima Vs Mitomi Masayuki Vs Shuji Ishikawa Vs Seiya Morohashi
3. Saki Akai Debut Match: Masa Takanashi, Cherry & Saki Akai Vs Hiroshi Fukuda, Yoshiko & Hikaru Shida
4. Special Single Match: Katsuhiko Nakajima Vs Konosuke Takeshita
5. KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles: Kensuke Sasaki, Danshoku Dino & Makoto Oishi (c) Vs Winners Of Dark Match
6. KO-D Tag Team Titles: Hikaru Sato & Yukio Sakaguchi (c) Vs Yuko Miyamoto & Isami Kodaka
7. Dramatic Dream Match: Kota Ibushi Vs Kazuchika Okada
8. KO-D Openweight Title: Shigehiro Irie (c) Vs HARASHIMA

After having a go inside Budokan Hall last year for an event that luckily did not end with a satellite filled with dynamite falling from the sky and crashing into the building, DDT brings its annual Peter Pan supershow back to Sumo Hall. This time around Sanshiro Takagi’s crazy idea is to hold two shows inside Sumo Hall in the same weekend. While the first show focuses more on the entertainment side of DDT, this show right here is the culmination of everything DDT has done for the last 12 months. We have two generations of DDT aces fighting over the KO-D Championship, we have a dream match I never thought would happen between the Golden Star and the Rainmaker, we have the company’s most promising young wrestler going against one of modern wrestling’s best prodigies, we have a painting defending a championship against a bunch of people including a blow up doll and we have Akebono in a dark match. What more could you want from DDT?

0. Dark Match: Akito & Guanchulo Vs FUMA & Daichi Kazato

The afternoon begins with a dark match featuring the young lions of DDT and Union. Out of the four Akito has made the most progress this year regularly teaming with Masa Takanashi and Yukio Sakaguchi. The highlight of which was when he and Sakaguchi fought New Japan invaders Jushin Liger and Hiromu Takahashi back in February. Guanchulo arrived from Chile along with Aggressor for a learning excursion throughout the year. Aggressor returned home in June but Guanchulo extended his stay and is a last minute replacement for the injured Tetsuya Endo. FUMA was very active when he adopted his new name and tried to usurp KUDO’s spot in Ura-Shima-Kudo. Daichi Kazato is slowly but surely emerging from the dark match level in Union.

0. Dark Match – KO-D 6-Man Tag Title Next Challenger Decision – Falls Count Anywhere: Antonio Honda, Hoshitango & Jun Kasai Vs Sanshiro Takagi, Toru Owashi & Akebono

The traditional Falls Count Anywhere Tag Team dark match makes its return. Sure it wouldn’t be a Peter Pan show without it. This time around there is a prize at stake. The winners will move onto the main card where they will receive a KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Title shot. The Monster Army gain a violent ally in the form of Jun Kasai. Sanshiro Takagi and Toru Owashi fired back with a big pick, Ribera’s favourite son Akebono!

1. Next KO-D Tag Team Title Challenger Finals: KUDO & Yasu Urano Vs Daisuke Sasaki & Yuji Hino Vs Keisuke Ishii & Takao Soma Vs Kenny Omega & Gota Ihashi

A lot of guys I like are in this match. It’s a shame that many of them have been put here instead of somewhere more important on the card. Still, you can expect a fast paced sprint and maybe a great KO-D Tag Team Title match to look forward to in the future.

2. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title – “Research Group” Presents Battle Royal: Komyo (c) Vs Yoshihiko Vs MIKAMI Vs Michael Nakazawa Vs Tomomitsu Matsunaga Vs Kazuki Hirata Vs Gorgeous Matsuno Vs DJ Nira Vs Rion Mizuki Vs Yuto Aijima Vs Mitomi Masayuki Vs Shuji Ishikawa Vs Seiya Morohashi

The illustrious history of the Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title added another fascinating entry to its hall of champions back in June. Komyo  (Guangming is another translation but I don’t think it’s the ring one) is a portrait painted by Akihiro Miwa who among other things is an actor, an author, an artist and a drag queen. Komyo was presented to DJ Nira as a bonus prize when he won the Iron Man Title. However the painting was too large and heavy for Nira to carry. The painting fell on top of Nira and ended up pinning him to win the championship. Since then Komyo has been kept under wraps by the “Research Group” and this match will be the first appearance by the champion since it won the belt. Furthermore, the “Research Group” has hired Shuji Ishikawa and Seiya Morohashi to be Komyo’s bodyguards for the match against the usual mix of DDT’s finest and oddest. Contrary to rumours, the ghost of Andre The Giant will not be competing in the Battle Royal. However I cannot rule out the ghost of Naoshi Sano’s career showing up.

3. Saki Akai Debut Match: Masa Takanashi, Cherry & Saki Akai Vs Hiroshi Fukuda, Yoshiko & Hikaru Shida

With Yuzuki Aikawa’s days of bouncing around the ring now over, it’s now time for another model to become a pro wrestler. Enter Saki Akai, the daughter of actor and retired boxer Hidekazu Akai. Masa Takanashi and Cherry have been busy training her and will be teaming with her on the show. Their opponents Yoshiko and Hikaru Shida offered some advice to Akai at a recent press conference. Yoshiko warned that she could break Akai’s bones while Shida, who knows Akai from their time working together on the TV show Muscle Girl said that friendships do not matter inside the ring. Shida also thinks it sucks that she has to team with Hiroshi Fukuda.

4. Special Single Match: Katsuhiko Nakajima Vs Konosuke Takeshita

What a year it has been for Konosuke Takeshita. The 18 year old rookie debuted at Budokan Hall against the hero to Mexican orphans everywhere El Generico (and by that point he was already a former Iron Man Champion). Since then he has been a ball of energy with some impressive performances for a teenager in his first year of wrestling. He took some crazy bumps from the Golden Lovers in separate matches, stepped in the ring with Tatsumi Fujinami and was also pinned Poison Sawada JULIE in his retirement match. His most impressive achievement yet was defeating Masa Takanashi and Yasu Urano to reach the semi final of the King of DDT tournament. Oh, and he recently had an hour long Ironman dark match. Now exactly one year after his debut Takeshita is pitted against another wrestling prodigy, Katsuhiko Nakajima!

5. KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles: Kensuke Sasaki, Danshoku Dino & Makoto Oishi (c) Vs Winners Of Dark Match

The KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles were introduced in December and crowned its first champions a month later. In its brief history the title has had few successful defences. In fact, the Monster Army are the only champions to have made at least one successful defence. The current champions are of Kensuke Sasaki, Danshoku Dino and Makoto Oishi. As odd as it is for Sasaki to team with Dino and Oishi, it’s still not as weird as the time he thought he was American.

6. KO-D Tag Team Titles: Hikaru Sato & Yukio Sakaguchi (c) Vs Yuko Miyamoto & Isami Kodaka

My dark horse pick for match of the show. Hikaru Sato & Yukio Sakaguchi defend the KO-D Tag Team Titles against Yankii Ni Cho Kenju (or Yankee Two Kenju or Yankee Trillion Pistols, I couldn’t figure out the correct translation). Isami Kodaka stepped up his game this year, taking Shuji Ishikawa’s role as the ace of Union and battling with Kenny Omega over the DDT Extreme Title. He recently brought Yuko Miyamoto into DDT to form their successful Big Japan team and they quickly climbed the ranks to get this title shot. Meanwhile Sakaguchi began to make sense of DDT and even found himself defending the promotion from Jushin Liger at one point. He and fellow shoot fighter Hikaru Sato have held the titles since May and defended against a mixture of veterans and promising rookies.

7. Dramatic Dream Match: Kota Ibushi Vs Kazuchika Okada

The match everyone is looking forward to from the moment it was announced. Unless you have been living under a rock, you would know that Kota Ibushi recently moved up to heavyweight status and competed in the G1 Climax for New Japan. As part of the deal between New Japan and DDT, the IWGP Champion Kazuchika Okada (and hopefully Gedo too) comes over for a dream match against Ibushi. So we are getting the Golden Star against The Rainmaker and I for one am quite excited for it.

8. KO-D Openweight Title: Shigehiro Irie (c) Vs HARASHIMA

The actual main event has been overshadowed by Ibushi Vs Okada but it is a pretty important match for DDT. Shigehiro Irie won the KO-D Openweight Championship in March and since then has created the most dominant title reign in DDT history. This was helped by the creation of four Right To Challenge Anytime, Anywhere Contracts that allowed its holders to get a KO-D Title shot at whenever they wanted during DDT’s events. Makoto Oishi, Keisuke Ishii, Daisuke Sasaki and Big Japan’s Yuji Okabayashi all cashed in and left with nothing. Add to that some victories over Yukio Sakaguchi, Kota Ibushi, Hikaru Sato and Sanshiro Takagi and you have yourself a very impressive title reign. But there is someone Irie hasn’t faced yet and that man is one of DDT’s best. HARASHIMA is never far away from the No. 1 Contender position and he earned his main event spot by winning this year’s King of DDT tournament. Irie has never beaten HARASHIMA in a singles match. While he has come close with a time limit draw here and there, it’s been mostly HARASHIMA left standing on top. Will we get the same result or will Irie finally beat the one man he never could?


Progress, Harmony And Peter Pan, It’s DDT At Sumo Hall

July 21, 2013

DDT “PROGRESS AND HARMONY OF WRESTLING”, 17/08/2013
Tokyo Ryogoku Kokugikan

0. Dark Match – Tokyo Women’s Wrestling Offer Match: Miyu Yamashita, KANNA, Chikage Kiba and Shoko Nakajima
0. Dark Match: Gota Ihashi & Kazuki Hirata Vs Mitomi Masayuki & Tatsuhiko Yoshino
1. All Night Nippon GOLD Personality Battle Royal: Sanshiro Takagi Vs Nori da Funky Shibire-sasu Vs Hikaru Sato Vs Toru Owashi Vs Gorgeous Matsuno Vs DJ Nira Vs X
2. Wrestling Style Vs Van: Hiroshi Fukuda (DPG) Vs Pour Lui (BiS) (w/ Jun Kasai)
3. Ultra Seven x DDT Collaboration Match: Yoshihiro Takayama & MIKAMI Vs Michael Nakazawa & Tomomitsu Matsunaga
4. DRESSCAMP PRESENTS: Kenny Omega Vs Konosuke Takeshita
5. Idol Lumberjack 4 Way Match: Makoto Oishi (Sizukaze & Kizuna ~KIZUNA~) Vs Yuko Miyamoto (LinQ) Vs Isami Kodaka (Up Up Girls) Vs Sanshiro Takagi (Eri Nitta)
6. Monster Army Vs Sakaguchi Home: Antonio Honda, Daisuke Sasaki, Yuji Hino & Hoshitango (w/ Tetsu Watanabe) Vs Yukio Sakaguchi, Masa Takanashi, Akito & Tetsuya Endo (w/ Kenji Sakaguchi)
7. Special 6-Man Tag Team Match: Shigehiro Irie, Keisuke Ishii & Takao Soma Vs HARASHIMA, KUDO & Yasu Urano
8. The Main Event: Danshoku Dino Vs Kota Ibushi

Shigehiro Irie will enter Sumo Hall to a live performance of his theme song, “Tachimukau” by Kenji Ohtsuki.

Sanshiro Takagi has inserted himself into the Idol Lumberjack Match by convincing singer Eri Nitta to be in his corner. As mentioned before, the role of the idols is to attack anyone who leaves the ring during the match. However, if any of the wrestlers attack an idol they will be immediately disqualified.

Kenny Omega Vs Konosuke Takeshita will also feature Saki Akai and Ayumi Goto. A half Swedish half Japanese singer named LiLiCo will be the special ring announcer.

I don’t know if Match #2 is a wrestling match or a musical contest, since Pour Lui is a J-pop idol from the BiS group. Then again she has Jun Kasai in her corner so that evens things out.

DDT “RYOGOKU PETER PAN 2013”, 18/08/2013
Tokyo Ryogoku Kokugikan

0. Dark Match – KO-D 6-Man Tag Title Next Challenger Decision – Falls Count Anywhere: Antonio Honda, Hoshitango & Jun Kasai Vs Sanshiro Takagi, Toru Owashi & X
1. “Research Group” Presents – Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title – Battle Royal: Komyo (c) Vs Yoshihiko Vs X
2. Saki Akai Debut Match: Masa Takanashi, Cherry & Saki Akai Vs Hiroshi Fukuda, Yoshiko & Hikaru Shida
3. Special Single Match: Katsuhiko Nakajima Vs Konosuke Takeshita
4. KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles: Kensuke Sasaki, Danshoku Dino & Makoto Oishi (c) Vs Winners Of Dark Match
5. KO-D Tag Team Titles: Hikaru Sato & Yukio Sakaguchi (c) Vs Yuko Miyamoto & Isami Kodaka
6. Dramatic Dream Match: Kota Ibushi Vs Kazuchika Okada
7. KO-D Openweight Title: Shigehiro Irie (c) Vs HARASHIMA

Saki Akai is the daughter of actor and retired boxer Hidekazu Akai. There is a connection between her and Hikaru Shida from Ice Ribbon. They both had a supporting role in a TV show called Muscle Girl.

Voice actor Norio Wakamoto will provide vocieovers for the video segments aired throughout the show.


DDT “ROAD TO RYOGOKU 2 DAYS IN 2013” Results

July 21, 2013

DDT “ROAD TO RYOGOKU 2 DAYS IN 2013”, 21/07/2013
Tokyo Korakuen Hall
1,447 Fans – Super No Vacancy

1. Hikaru Sato & Yukio Sakaguchi defeated Tomomitsu Matsunaga & Gota Ihashi when Sakaguchi pinned Ihashi with a Gamengiri (6:46).
2. All Star Battle Royal: Daisuke Sasaki defeated Masa Takanashi, Michael Nakazawa, Akito, Gorgeous Matsuno, DJ Nira and Hiroshi Fukuda (8:18).
2a. Michael Nakazawa eliminated DJ Nira with the Ultimate Venom Arm (6:15).
2b. Daisuke Sasaki eliminated Hiroshi Fukuda by Ring Out (6:38).
2c. Gorgeous Matsuno eliminated Michael Nakazawa with (7:03).
2d. Daisuke Sasaki, Akito & Masa Takanashi eliminated Gorgeous Matsuno with a Cross Armbreaker (7:08).
2e. Akito eliminated Masa Takanashi with a Cradle (8:18).
2f. Daisuke Sasaki eliminated Akito with a Cradle (8:18).
3. 3 Way Tag Team Match: Keisuke Ishii & Takao Soma defeated KUDO & Yasu Urano and MIKAMI & MIKAMI? when Soma pinned MIKAMI? with the Sorarina (7:07).
4. Yuko Miyamoto, Isami Kodaka & FUMA defeated Jun Kasai, Toru Owashi & Kazuki Hirata when Miyamoto pinned Hirata with the Fire Thunder (9:10).
5. Top & Future Special Tag Team Match: HARASHIMA & Konosuke Takeshita defeated Kota Ibushi & Tetsuya Endo when HARASHIMA pinned Endo with the Somato (9:10).
6. KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles: Danshoku Dino, Makoto Oishi & Kensuke Sasaki defeated Antonio Honda, Hoshitango & Yuji Hino (c) when Oishi pinned Honda with the Jikiden Tornado Clutch (9:43).
*Monster Army fails in V1. Danshoku Dino, Makoto Oishi & Kensuke Sasaki become the 5th KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Champions!
7. KO-D Openweight Title: Shigehiro Irie (c) defeated Yuji Okabayashi with a Running Elbow Bat (18:32).
*V8 for Shigehiro Irie. Yuji Okabayashi cashes in his Right To Challenge Anytime, Anywhere Contract.

Shigehiro Irie has survived the Right To Challenge Anytime, Anywhere Contract gauntlet in one piece. Four contracts, four title defences and Irie defeated every challenger in his way. The toughest challenge was saved for last. Yuji Okabayashi from Big Japan had the strength and ability that outmatched the champion but Irie had the heart to give the challenger everything he’s got. With Okabayashi out of the way, Irie now has one more big challenge to look forward to, HARASHIMA at Sumo Hall.

Sanshiro Takagi pulled a muscle a day before the show and had to be replaced with Jun Kasai.

Danshoku Dino & Makoto Oishi were finally albe to defeat the Monster Army thanks to some help from Kensuke Sasaki. The new KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Champions will defend the titles on 18/8 but their challengers will be determined on the day of the show. The Monster Army wanted an automatic rematch but Tsurumi Amon put them in a dark match instead. Antonio Honda, Hoshitango and their new ally Jun Kasai will take on Sanshiro Takagi, Toru Owashi and a mystery partner in a Falls Count Anywhere match held outside of Sumo Hall.

Kota Ibushi & Tetsuya Endo did a stereo Shooting Star Press spot that was described as “beautiful” by Extreme Party.

Yankii Ni Cho Kenju will challenge Hikaru Sato & Yukio Sakaguchi for the KO-D Tag Team Titles at the 18/8 Sumo Hall show.

The Monster Army has gone too far with their crimes. This time they have stolen a bronze gown belonging to Seiji Sakaguchi, Yukio’s father! The Army also revealed Tetsu Watanabe is one of their top marshals. Yukio Sakaguchi challenged the Monster Army to an 8-Man Tag Team match for 17/8. Yukio will team with Masa Takanashi, Akito and Tetsuya Endo plus he will have his brother Kenji Sakaguchi in his corner.

Daisuke Sasaki stole DJ Nira’s stuff and wore them for the Battle Royal.

Kenny Omega Vs Konosuke Takeshita will happen at the 17/8 Sumo Hall show. The match is sponsored by a fashion brand called DRESSCAMP. Takeshita’s trend of big matches continue the next night when he will face Katsuhiko Nakajima.

The annual DDT48 General Election returns, beginning on 24th August with the polls closing on 30th September. Results will be announced on 2nd October.


DDT “KING OF DDT NAGOYA 2013” Results

July 6, 2013

DDT “KING OF DDT NAGOYA 2013”, 06/07/2013
Nagoya Telepia Hall
438 Fans – Super No Vacancy

1. Kengo Takai, Makoto Oishi & Akito defeated Keisuke Ishii, Takao Soma & Tetsuya Endo when Takai pinned Endo with the Dera HOF Buster (7:39).
2. NAKAZA-1 CLIMAX Opening Ceremony Battle Royal: Kota Ibushi defeated Danshoku Dino, KUDO, Masa Takanashi, FUMA and DJ Nira (6:42).
2a. NAKAZA-1 CLIMAX Final: Kota Ibushi defeated Michael Nakazawa with the Sit Down Last Ride (0:35).
3. King Of DDT Round 2 – Block A: Kenny Omega defeated Daisuke Sasaki with the Croyt’s Wrath (16:50).
4. King Of DDT Round 2 – Block B: Konosuke Takeshita defeated Yasu Urano with the Touchdown (9:52).
5. King Of DDT Round 2 – Block C: Yukio Sakaguchi defeated Antonio Honda with a Reverse Cross Armbreaker (11:08).
6. King Of DDT Round 2 – Block D: HARASHIMA defeated Hikaru Sato with the Swan Dive Somato (15:56).
7. KO-D Openweight Title: Shigehiro Irie (c) defeated Sanshiro Takagi with the Vertical Drop Back Flip (14:18).
*V7 for Shigehiro Irie.

The Shigehiro Irie title reign rolls on after an emotional challenge from his mentor Sanshiro Takagi. It’s daunting enough to take on your teacher, but for him to name a new finishing move after your favourite AV idol just to play mind games? That takes things to another level. But Irie was able for the task and defeated Takagi to score a seventh KO-D Title defence. Both men were in tears after the match and Irie thanked Takagi for helping him become stronger in his hometown.

Takagi suffered a whiplash from a Fire Thunder Driver just before the end of the match.

The King of DDT 2nd Round provided the other big stories today. Kenny Omega defeated Daisuke Sasaki in the first match. Omega praised Sasaki afterwards for his growth as a good wrestler. Yukio Sakaguchi countered Antonio Honda’s Anaconda Vice into a Reverse Cross Armbreaker to grab the submission victory. Sakaguchi called Honda a formidable opponent and he is now confident he can win the tournament in his first try. HARASHIMA went through another hard fought battle with Hikaru Sato and won with the Swan Dive Somato.

The big surprise of the tournament has been Konosuke Takeshita. The rookie who hasn’t even had a full year in DDT is now two matches away from a main event title match at Sumo Hall. Takeshita defeated Yasu Urano and left a message that his Touchdown finisher can defeat anyone. Urano said his loss was embarrassing and a mistake.

With the 2nd Round over, the Semi-Final draw took place. The results is HARASHIMA Vs Takeshita and Omega Vs Sakaguchi taking place in Osaka tomorrow along with the big final.

Michael Nakazawa set up the NAKAZA-1 CLIMAX for some of the King of DDT 1st Round losers to compete in. Kota Ibushi won the Battle Royal and the prize was an immediate match against Nakazawa. Ibushi easily beat him in under a minute.


Sumo Hall Update, It’s Madness

June 24, 2013

DDT “PROGRESS AND HARMONY OF WRESTLING”, 17/08/2013
Tokyo Ryogoku Kokugikan

1. Wrestling Style Vs Van: BiS Vs DPG
2. All Night Nippon GOLD Personality Battle Royal: Sanshiro Takagi Vs X
3. Idol Lumberjack 3 Way Match: Makoto Oishi (Sizukaze & Kizuna ~KIZUNA~) Vs Yuko Miyamoto (LinQ) Vs Winner of 6/7 Up Up Girls Match (Up Up Girls)
4. Danshoku Dino Vs Kota Ibushi

Danshoku Dino Vs Kota Ibushi is confirmed as the main event for Night 1. This event is more of a entertainment variety show rather than a typical pro wrestling show (which DDT doesn’t do that often at Sumo Hall anyway).

The Idol Lumberjack 3 Way Match is exactly what it sounds like. Each idol group will represent a wrestler and then surround the ring as the lumberjacks. They will be armed with weapons and are allowed to attack anyone who leaves the ring. Any wrestler who comes into physical contact with an idol will be immediately disqualified. Makoto Oishi and Yuko Miyamoto are two of the confirmed participants. The third will be decided in a match between Sanshiro Takagi and Isami Kodaka that takes place on 14th July. So far the idol groups involved are Sizukaze & Kizuna ~KIZUNA~ on Oishi’s side, LinQ on Miyamoto’s side and the Up Up Girls siding with the remaining wrestler.

The Battle Royal is sponsored by the All Night Nippon GOLD radio programme.

The opening contest involves two male music groups that Hiroshi Fukuda has some association with.

Mita Sayako from Samurai! TV and Ryota Yamasato from Nankai Candies are the two hosts for the show. Other artists and personalities scheduled to appear are Tetsu Watanabe (Antonio Honda’s father), Kenji Sakaguchi (Yukio Sakaguchi’s brother), Kenji Otsuki and Jun Retsu.

DDT “RYOGOKU PETER PAN 2013”, 18/08/2013
Tokyo Ryogoku Kokugikan

1. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title – “Research Group” Battle Royal: Komyo (c) Vs X
2. KO-D Openweight Title: Shigehiro Irie (c) Vs 2013 King Of DDT Winner

Komyo is a large framed autograph from artist Akihiro Miwa and it is currently the Iron Man Heavymetalweight Champion. Komyo is also currently in possession of a Research Institute Group and most likely won’t show up at another wrestling event before this show. So it’s probably safe to say the painting will stay as champion until the show takes place. Unless DJ Nira sneaks into the building with a hammer.

Last but not least, I assume many of you have seen the poster advertising the two shows? The nude photographs of the DDT roster were taken by professional photographer Leslie Kee and are part of a photobook DDT will release that weekend. Don’t worry, it won’t be exclusively nude photos.


King Of DDT, Road To Kanazawa, Irie Vs Takagi, Up Up Girls, Here Comes Yuji

June 24, 2013

DDT “KING OF DDT TOKYO 2013”, 28/06/2013
Shinjuku FACE

0. Dark Match – Dramatic Chance Scramble Battle Royal: Michael Nakazawa Vs Tomomitsu Matsunaga Vs Gota Ihashi Vs Tetsuya Endo Vs Daisuke Sasaki Vs Hoshitango Vs DJ Nira Vs Guanchuro
1. King Of DDT Round 1 – Block A: MIKAMI Vs Kenny Omega
2. King Of DDT Round 1 – Block A: Takao Soma Vs Winner of Dramatic Chance Scramble Battle Royal
3. King Of DDT Round 1 – Block B: Konosuke Takeshita Vs Masa Takanashi
4. King Of DDT Round 1 – Block B: Kota Ibushi Vs Yasu Urano
5. King Of DDT Round 1 – Block C: Antonio Honda Vs Makoto Oishi
6. King Of DDT Round 1 – Block C: Danshoku Dino Vs Yukio Sakaguchi
7. King Of DDT Round 1 – Block D: Hikaru Sato Vs Akito
8. King Of DDT Round 1 – Block D: HARASHIMA Vs KUDO
9. 3 Way Tag Team Match: Shigehiro Irie & Keisuke Ishii Vs Yuji Okabayashi & Ryuichi Kawakami Vs Sanshiro Takagi & Kazuki Hirata

The Dramatic Chance Scramble Battle Royal will determine who gets the final spot in the King Of DDT tournament. The winner will face Takao Soma in Round 1.

DDT “ROAD TO RYOGOKU IN KANAZAWA ~DRAMATIC DREAM TORIYASAI~”, 30/06/2013
Ishikawa Kanazawa

1. Antonio Honda & Daisuke Sasaki Vs Masa Takanashi & Akito
2. DJ Nira Vs Keisuke Ishii
3. Danshoku Dino & Makoto Oishi Vs MIKAMI & Michael Nakazawa
4. Yukio Sakaguchi Vs Kazuki Hirata
5. Kota Ibushi, Kenny Omega & Gota Ihashi Vs HARASHIMA, Yasu Urano & KUDO
6. Shigehiro Irie & Takao Soma Vs Sanshiro Takagi & Toru Owashi

Shigehiro Irie and Sanshiro Takagi collide in Tag Team action before their KO-D Openweight Title match.

DDT “KING OF DDT NAGOYA 2013”, 06/07/2013
Nagoya Telepia Hall

1. King Of DDT Round 2 – Block A:
2. King Of DDT Round 2 – Block B:
3. King Of DDT Round 2 – Block C:
4. King Of DDT Round 2 – Block D:
5. KO-D Openweight Title: Shigehiro Irie (c) Vs Sanshiro Takagi

Shigehiro Irie requested a KO-D Title defence against his mentor Sanshiro Takagi and for it to take place in Nagoya where he began his career. Takagi vacated his spot in the King Of DDT tournament to accept the match. Takagi trained Irie in a micro-indy promotion called Dera Nagoya Pro back in 2008.

DDT “ROAD TO RYOGOKU IN UTSUNOMIYA ~DRAMATIC DREAM TOCHIOTOME~”, 14/07/2013
Tochigi Prefectural Cultural Center – Sub Hall

1. Up Up Girls Right Push Scramble: Sanshiro Takagi Vs Isami Kodaka

The winner of this match will represent the Up Up Girls at the Idol Lumberjack 3 Way Match (which will be explained later) at the 17/8 Sumo Hall show.

DDT “ROAD TO RYOGOKU 2 DAYS IN 2013”, 21/07/2013
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

1. KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles: Antonio Honda, Hoshitango & Yuji Hino (c) Vs Danshoku Dino, Makoto Oishi & X
2. KO-D Openweight Title: Shigehiro Irie (c) Vs Yuji Okabayashi

If Irie is still the KO-D Champion and Yuji Okabayashi still has his Right To Challenge Anytime, Anywhere Contract, then the title match will be held here.

The X wrestler in the team challenging for the KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles is someone who hates Antonio Honda.


DDT “WHAT ARE YOU DOING 2013” Results

June 23, 2013

DDT “WHAT ARE YOU DOING 2013”, 23/06/2013
Tokyo Korakuen Hall
1,524 Fans – Super No Vacancy

0. Dark Match: Guanchulo & Aggressor defeated Hiroshi Fukuda & Tetsuya Endo when Aggressor pinned Fukuda with the F5 (5:40).
1. Danshoku Dino & Makoto Oishi defeated Sanshiro Takagi & Kazuki Hirata when Dino pinned Hirata with the Danshoku Driver (7:41).
2. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title – Battle Royal: DJ Nira defeated Yoshihiko (c), MIKAMI, Masa Takanashi, Michael Nakazawa, Gorgeous Matsuno, Tomomitsu Matsunaga, Takao Soma and Toru Owashi (10:00).
2a. Gorgeous Matsuno defeated Yoshihiko (c) by Pinfall (0:03).
*Gorgeous Matsuno becomes the 963rd champion.
2b. Masa Takanashi defeated Gorgeous Matsuno (c) after a missed Superstar Elbow (3:23).
*Masa Takanashi becomes the 964th champion.
2c. Tomomitsu Matsunaga defeated Masa Takanashi (c) with a Backslide Pin (3:32)
*Tomomitsu Matsunaga becomes the 965th champion.
2d. Takao Soma defeated Tomomitsu Matsunaga (c) with the Boma Ye (3:49).
*Takao Soma becomes the 966th champion.
2e. MIKAMI defeated Takao Soma (c) with a School Boy (4:23).
*MIKAMI becomes the 967th champion.
2f. Tomomitsu Matsunaga defeated MIKAMI (c) with a Lariat (4:34).
*Tomomitsu Matsunaga becomes the 968th champion.
2g. Michael Nakazawa defeated Tomomitsu Matsunaga (c) with a Spear (4:58).
*Michael Nakazawa becomes the 969th champion.
2h. Yoshihiko defeated Michael Nakazawa after the Rocket Punch from DJ Nira (7:28).
*Yoshihiko becomes the 970th champion.
2i. DJ Nira defeated Yoshihiko (c) by Pinfall (9:45).
*DJ Nira becomes the 971st champion.
Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title: Komyo defeated DJ Nira (c) by Pinfall (12:34 pm).
*Komyo becomes the 972nd champion.
3. HARASHIMA, KUDO & Yasu Urano defeated Yuko Miyamoto, Isami Kodaka & FUMA when KUDO pinned FUMA with the Diving Double Knee Drop (10:24).
4. KO-D Tag Team Titles: Hikaru Sato & Yukio Sakaguchi (c) defeated Akito & Konosuke Takeshita when Sato submitted Takeshita with a Boston Crab (15:20).
*V3 for Hikaru Sato & Yukio Sakaguchi.
5. KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles: Antonio Honda, Hoshitango & Yuji Hino defeated Kota Ibushi, Kenny Omega & Gota Ihashi (c) when Honda pinned Ihashi with the Diving Fist Drop (10:45).
*Golden Rendezvous fail in V1. Monster Army becomes the 4th KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Champions!
6. KO-D Openweight Title: Shigehiro Irie (c) defeated Keisuke Ishii with the Vertical Drop Back Flip (15:49).
*V5 for Shigehiro Irie. Keisuke Ishii cashes in his Right To Challenge Anytime, Anywhere Contract.
– KO-D Openweight Title: Shigehiro Irie (c) defeated Daisuke Sasaki with the Vertical Drop Back Flip (10:58).
*V6 for Shigehiro Irie. Daisuke Sasaki cashes in his Right To Challenge Anytime, Anywhere Contract.

Shigehiro Irie now has the record for the most KO-D Openweight Title defences in a single reign thanks to back to back defences in Korakuen Hall tonight. First off, Irie’s friend and Drift stablemate Keisuke Ishii cashed in his Right To Challenge Anytime, Anywhere Contract as scheduled. Takao Soma said in the pre-match video he was worried that his two friends knew each other so well something bad could happen because of it. He chose no side by standing in the neutral corner outside the ring for the entire match. Irie defeated Ishii but had little time to rest as Daisuke Sasaki (who according to himself was not scheduled to be on the show due to injury) suddenly appeared and cashed in his contract for an immediate title match. Irie showed he had the heart of a champion and was able to defeat Sasaki to keep the championship. Then Yuji Okabayashi arrived with his contract and told Irie to “polish the beautiful belt” because he will cash in his contract next month at the 21/7 Korakuen show. That’s if he does not lose the contract to somebody else before then of course.

That wasn’t the end of the KO-D Title planning. Irie requested a KO-D Title defence against his mentor Sanshiro Takagi and for it to be held in Nagoya. Irie noted that Takagi beat him in a singles match back in January and also beat him in a tag team match the last time they wrestled in Nagoya, the city where he began his wrestling career. Tsurumi Amon said it was impossible to book the match. Takagi wanted it and said he would forfeit his spot in the King Of DDT tournament to make the match happen. Amon backed down and booked the match for Nagoya Telepia Hall on 6th June. Once all of that stuff was over with, Keisuke Ishii reappeared to congratulate and shake hands with his friend Irie.

The Monster Army’s counter attack on the Golden Rendezvous was a success. They are once again the KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Champions! Danshoku Dino & Makoto Oishi threw out a challenge to the new champions and gave a hint that their third partner is somebody who hates Antonio Honda. The title match is booked for the 21/7 Korakuen show.

Yukio Sakaguchi’s younger brother Kenji Sakaguchi will compete at “PROGRESS AND HARMONY OF WRESTLING” the first of DDT’s two shows in Sumo Hall this year on 17/8. Kenji is a former soccer player turned actor. The main event for the show will be Kota Ibushi Vs Danshoku Dino.

The newest Iron Man Heavymetalweight Champion is a painting created by Akihiro Miwa. The Iron Man Battle Royal will be held again in Sumo Hall for the “RYOGOKU PETER PAN 2013” show on 18/8.

The King of DDT 1st Round draw was held in the ring after the show. The matches are Kenny Omega Vs MIKAMI, Takao Soma Vs X (Takagi’s vacant spot), Konosuke Takeshita Vs Masa Takanashi, Kota Ibushi Vs Yasu Urano, Antonio Honda Vs Makoto Oishi, Danshoku Dino Vs Yukio Sakaguchi, Hikaru Sato Vs Akito and HARASHIMA Vs KUDO.

Not sure if it was curiosity or an insult but Guanchuro asked Tetsuya Endo if he is a virgin during the dark match. The bout was Aggressor’s last match in Japan for the time being.