Video – Takeshita Vs Ueno From Wrestle Peter Pan 2023

July 10, 2026


DDT “WRESTLE PETER PAN 2023”, 23/07/2023
Tokyo Ryogoku Kokugikan
3,465 Fans – No Vacancy

9. Special Single Match: KONOSUKE TAKESHITA Vs Yuki Ueno


Video – Takeshita Vs Endo For The KO-D Title From “JUDGEMENT 2022”

July 3, 2026


DDT “JUDGEMENT 2022 ~DDT 25TH ANNIVERSARY~”, 20/03/2022
Tokyo Ryogoku Kokugikan
2,516 Fans – No Vacancy

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


DDT Around The World – June 2026

July 1, 2026

We’re in the middle of the World Cup so I’m very distracted right now. Konosuke Takeshita got into a big AEW gang war, Jun Akiyama took a trip to Germany, Miyu Yamashita won another championship in EVE and Daisuke Sasaki had an unsanctioned Hardcore match over in Thailand. Now as we go deeper into the summer there is not a lot happening on the horizon. Next month’s article might turn out to be a quick one.

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Videos

Konosuke Takeshita In AEW Playlist


AEW “DYNAMITE”, 17/06/2026
Smart Financial Centre At Sugar Land, Sugar Land, Texas, USA

1. MJF, Kevin Knight, Jake Doyle, Kazuchika Okada, Kyle Fletcher & Andrade El Ídolo Vs Mark Briscoe, Orange Cassidy, Kyle O’Reilly, Roderick Strong, Darby Allin & Konosuke Takeshita


CMLL “FANTASTICA MANIA 2026”, 19/06/2026
Arena Mexico, Mexico City, Distrito Federal, Mexico

1. Konosuke Takeshita & Hechicero Vs Ultimo Guerrero & Gran Guerrero


AEW “DYNAMITE”, 24/06/2026
Rio Rancho Events Center, Rio Rancho, New Mexico, USA

1. AEW International Title: Konosuke Takeshita (c) Vs Ricochet


AEW/NJPW/CMLL/STARDOM “FORBIDDEN DOOR”, 28/06/2026
SAP Center At San Jose, San Jose, California, USA

1. Steel Cage Match: MJF, Kevin Knight, Jake Doyle, Kazuchika Okada, Kyle Fletcher & Andrade El Ídolo Vs Mark Briscoe, Orange Cassidy, Roderick Strong, Kyle O’Reilly, Darby Allin & Konosuke Takeshita

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Results


EVE “EVE 150: HISTORY MAKERS RULE BREAKERS!”, 05/06/2026
Big Penny Social, London, England

1. EVE International Title: Miyu Yamashita defeated Kris Statlander (c) with the Skull Kick (17:30).
*Kris Statlander fails in V4. Miyu Yamashita becomes the 12th EVE International Champion!

Yamashita is a champion in EVE again two and a half years after her dominating run as EVE Champion. Now she holds the EVE International Title with a hard fought victory over AEW’s own Kris Statlander. She kicked out of the 450 Splash and rolled through a Chaos Theory to hit Statlander from behind with the Crash Rabbit Heat. Statlander blocked the Skull Kick and did a Package Piledriver for a nearfall leading to a scramble to get the upper hand. Statlander spun around for a Rolling Elbow only to be met with the Skull Kick knocking her down so Yamashita could pin her to win the title.


WXW “DRIVE OF CHAMPIONS 2026”, 06/06/2026
Turbinenhalle 1, Oberhausen, Germany

1. Ahura & Jun Akiyama defeated 1 Called Manders & Thomas Shire when Akiyama pinned Shire with the Wrist-Clutch Exploder Suplex (23:03).

The German promotion wXw welcomed Jun Akiyama into their corner of the world to pair him up with one of their top wrestlers to take on a tag team of American cowboys. Ahura took a big beating from Cowboy Way for a lot of the match both inside and out of the ring. But once Akiyama was tagged in he became a house on fire and dished it out to 1 Called Manders as much as he could. Thomas Shire came to his partner’s aid to use the numbers game against Akiyama but Ahura tagged back in after gaining his second wind. Manders turned him inside out with a Lariat but Ahura kicked out much to his opponent’s dismay. Ahura then ducked Mander’s second Lariat, causing Shire to get clobbered by accident. Akiyama ran in to throw Manders away with the Exploder then tagged himself in to give Shire the Wrist-Clutch version of his finisher. He got the three count while Ahura did a spinning Springboard dive out of the ring onto Manders for the finish.


ROH/CMLL “GLOBAL WARS CINCINNATI”, 10/06/2026 (Aired 18/06/2026)
The Andrew J Brady Music Center, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA

1. AEW International Title: Konosuke Takeshita (c) defeated Lee Johnson with the Powerdrive Knee (9:30).
*V2 for Konosuke Takeshita.

Takeshita got to fit in a couple of title defences this month including an extra one for the AEW International Title. He put the belt on the line against Lee Johnson in ROH as part of their Global Wars weekend. Johnson put up a decent fight but there was no risk of Takeshita losing here. The Blue Thunder Bomb led to the Powerdrive Knee and that was it. Takeshita had a bigger challenge for this championship coming up later in the month.


AEW “DYNAMITE”, 17/06/2026
Smart Financial Centre At Sugar Land, Sugar Land, Texas, USA

1. MJF, Kevin Knight, Jake Doyle, Kazuchika Okada, Kyle Fletcher & Andrade El Ídolo defeated Mark Briscoe, Orange Cassidy, Kyle O’Reilly, Roderick Strong, Darby Allin & Konosuke Takeshita when MJF submitted Strong with the Salt Of The Earth (17:21).

The rest of the month had Takeshita getting dragged into a big gang war between The Conglomeration and The Don Callis Family with Mark Briscoe and MJF leading the packs against each other. Not much to talk about when it came to his role in the preview match. His team lost and he was part of the post-match beatdown as well.


CMLL “FANTASTICA MANIA 2026”, 19/06/2026
Arena Mexico, Mexico City, Distrito Federal, Mexico

1. Konosuke Takeshita & Hechicero defeated Ultimo Guerrero & Gran Guerrero when Takeshita pinned Ultimo with the Raging Fire (12:29).

Takeshita then travelled to Mexico to wrestle in CMLL again but he had to team up with Hechicero. The two aren’t meant to be seeing eye to eye because of Takeshita’s exit from the Callis Family but they tried to put aside their differences in order to beat Los Guerreros. The team started to fall apart near the end when Takeshita or Hechicero would duck attacks from Ultimo Guerrero & Gran Guerrero only for their partner to get hit with the move by accident. It reached the point where Takeshita got fed up and knocked Hechicero away so he could beat Ultimo Guerrero and take the win for himself. Hechicero then attacked Takeshita after the match.


AEW “DYNAMITE”, 24/06/2026
Rio Rancho Events Center, Rio Rancho, New Mexico, USA

1. AEW International Title: Konosuke Takeshita (c) defeated Ricochet with the Raging Fire (13:47).
*V3 for Konosuke Takeshita.

Takeshita had some time to clear his head and deal with other things before the big PPV match at the end of the month. He put up another AEW International Title defence this time taking on Ricochet in a clash between power and agility. A big spot that happened during the match was when Ricochet jumped off the ring apron Shooting Star Press style only for Takeshita to catch him and then do an Exploder Suplex onto the floor! Ricochet made a comeback in the ring and hit Takeshita with his own Powerdrive Knee, even pulling down his kneepad so he could hit the move raw. The Shooting Star Press couldn’t put Takeshita away so he pulled the referee into Takeshita’s way to cheap shot the champion with a headbutt. However Takeshita still kicked out of the Ricosault afterward and met an incoming Spear Gun with a Lariat that turned Ricochet inside out. He then defeated Ricochet by giving him the Powerdrive Knee followed by the Raging Fire.


SETUP “HELLRAISER”, 27/06/2026
The Circus Studio, G Village, Bangkok, Thailand

1. Hardcore Unsanctioned Anything Goes Match: Daisuke Sasaki defeated Jonathan Johnson with the Chair-Assisted Diving Elbow from the Ladder (?:??).

Chaos followed Daisuke Sasaki over to Thailand where he fought Jonathan Johnson in a Hardcore Match that was unsanctioned by SETUP. The two brawled all over the venue and that included going up to a balcony where Sasaki Super Kicked Johnson back down to the ground floor onto a group of people below! Chairs and a ladder were then brought into the ring. Johnson had a sudden burst of adrenaline and kept fighting despite being Suplexed by Sasaki from the top of the ladder. However Sasaki still got the upper hand and went right back up the top of the ladder with a chair in hand. From there he jumped right off to land a Super Diving Elbow with the chair onto Johnson. There was no way Johnson was kicking out of that and he didn’t.


AEW/NJPW/CMLL/STARDOM “FORBIDDEN DOOR”, 28/06/2026
SAP Center At San Jose, San Jose, California, USA

1. Steel Cage Match: Mark Briscoe, Orange Cassidy, Roderick Strong, Kyle O’Reilly, Darby Allin & Konosuke Takeshita defeated MJF, Kevin Knight, Jake Doyle, Kazuchika Okada, Kyle Fletcher & Andrade El Ídolo when Briscoe pinned Doyle with the Jay Driller (31:45).

A big circle shaped cage surrounded the ring for Takeshita’s last match of the month. He was now in a 12-Man Steel Cage war between Team Briscoe and Team MJF. With all of the violence and explosions going on around him, Takeshita lightened the situation a little bit when he reached into Orange Cassidy’s backpack and only pulled out his middle finger to flip off Kazuchika Okada. He later got some measure of revenge on Kyle Fletcher for last month’s turn by giving him the Blue Thunder Bomb from the ring apron through a table.

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Upcoming Appearances


ACW “HEART OF WAR”, 18/07/2026
Estonian Hall, North Adelaide, Australia

1. Kira Summer Vs X

This July Kira Summer will be travelling back to her home country of Australia and she is planning to wrestle a few matches there too. So far I’ve only been able to see one show she’s been advertised for and it is Adelaide Championship Wrestling in… er… Adelaide.

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Other Appearances


KITSUNE “STAY WITH ME!”, 26/07/2026
Xander Sports Complex, Carson, California, USA

Ok this might be an interesting turn of events to keep in the back of your mind. Apparently Sayuri Namba will be moving back to Japan soon and her final ring announcing gig in North America will be with Kitsune at the end of the month. Now I’m not expecting her to go back to her old ring announcer job with TJPW since Rise Shirai is still there doing fine work in that role. But maybe she might start popping up somewhere familiar every once in a while during the latter half of 2026.


DDT/NJPW “ONE-ON-ONE CONFRONTATION PART 2” Results

June 8, 2026

DDT/NJPW “ONE-ON-ONE CONFRONTATION PART 2 ~SASADANGO-GUN VS YANO-GUN 5-ON-5 ELIMINATION TAG BATTLE~”, 08/06/2025
Tokyo Korakuen Hall
??? Fans – Unannounced

0. Special Exhibition Match: Hinata Kasai Vs Tatsuya Matsumoto ended in a Time Limit Draw (3:00).
0a. Overtime: Tatsuya Matsumoto defeated Hinata Kasai with a Crab Hold (3:32).
1. Fluorescent Lighttube IPPON Hell: MAO & Akito defeated El Desperado & KUSHIDA by IPPON when Desperado broke the Lighttube (8:46).
2. Blindfold Butt-Finding Hell: YOH & Ryusuke Taguchi defeated MAO & Akito when MAO & Akito had their bare butts exposed (6:51).
3. Give UP A Hellish Situation Where Only Submission Is Possible: Kazuki Hirata & Antonio Honda Vs YOH & Ryusuke Taguchi ended in a Draw when they all submitted to Milano Collection A.T.’s Paradise Lock (11:08).
4. If Your Junior Laughs, You Lose! A Junior Role Model Death Match: Hirooki Goto defeated Super Sasadango Machine by Submission with the GTR (8:50).
5. Danshoku Dieno Vs Hirooki Goto ended in a No Contest (7:55).
6. Weapon Rumble Hell: Sanshiro Takagi Vs Toru Yano ended in a No Contest when the match gets cancelled (23:31).
7. Special Match: KONOSUKE TAKESHITA defeated Toru Yano & Super Sasadango Machine when TAKESHITA pinned Sasadango with the Raging Fire (2:01).
8. Special Match: KONOSUKE TAKESHITA, Toru Yano, Hirooki Goto, El Desperado, Ryusuke Taguchi, KUSHIDA, YOH, Masatora Yasuda, Tatsuya Matsumoto, Taisei Nakahara, Super Sasadango Machine, Danshoku Dieno, MAO, KANON, Kazuki Hirata, Akito, Antonio Honda & Hinata Kasai defeated Sanshiro Takagi when TAKESHITA pinned Takagi with a Stunner (1:38).

One year ago a rivalry between Super Sasadango Machine and Toru Yano brought DDT and New Japan together, mending a decade long broken relationship in the process. The event was such a success that both parties agreed to do it again, this time under more friendlier circumstances. With a hot summer of sport about to begin, an agreement was made by both sides to provide the best sportsmanship and keep things fair throughout the day. But as the show hit its stride, the trust between DDT and NJPW would be taken advantage of by some for the sake of getting the competitive advantage.

For an inter-promotional show such as this it was necessary that everything would be presented 50/50. It aired as a PPV on both NJPW World and Wrestle Universe with each streaming service providing their own full scale broadcast on separate screens side-by-side. That meant separate commentary teams with their own special guests, separate ring announcers, alternating referees, etc. Korakuen Hall even tried to split itself in half with the green DDT side having a security fence installed while the red NJPW side was barrier free. The NJPW World commentators were Yohei Onishi, Milano Collection A.T. and special guest Hiroshi Tanahashi. The Wrestle Universe commentators were Haruo Murata, Ken Suzuki.txt and special guest Yuki Ueno. Murata wants to be neutral because he works with both companies but his interactions with Daisuke Sasaki during the Best Of The Super Jr. meant he was DDT through and through no matter what he says.

A signing ceremony was planned to take place but first Yano had an announcement to make regarding his team. Tomoaki Honma was unable to appear at the show today because of illness so a substitute was called in at the last minute. His replacement is KUSHIDA! With that news out of the way, Sasadango and Yano signed the contract and started to hype up the fans to chant for their favorite side.

The chants turned into a cheering contest with Yano ordering Tatsuya Matsumoto to encourage even louder chants for New Japan. Hinata Kasai tried to do the same with the DDT fans, leading the two young wrestlers to get in each other’s way and then begin arguing. The arguing turned into a staredown and the staredown was going to turn into a fight!

All of a sudden a three minute long wrestling exhibition broke out between Matsumoto and Kasai. The two fought back and forth until the time expired but both kept trying to fight so they were allowed another five minutes to settle their differences. Kasai locked in an STF but Matsumoto broke free and got a nearfall with a Body Slam. As the match hit the 3 minute mark, Matsumoto put Kasai in a Crab Hold and got him to give up.

Everything was now calm again after that fired up display so it was time for the show to begin proper. DDT and New Japan would face each other in a gauntlet of singles matches with mystery lineups made out of five participants on each team. However a match could be turned into a tag team bout if both sides agree to the change beforehand. Sasadango and Yano together gave an oath promising to uphold good sportsmanship in every match… but it was all a trick! A video played on the two screens showing an unmasked Sasadango dressed up as the famous fortune teller Kazuko Hosoki. Here, “Kazuko Sasaki” informed Yano that DDT had just invited NJPW into taking part in a special tour… The DDT Hell Tour!

Sasadango admits he was foolish to think his team could beat New Japan in five regular pro wrestling matches so he hatched a plan. The DDT GM Hisaya Imabayashi then showed Yano the contract he signed included an extra sentence written in English that was not included in the Japanese print. “All match rules must be accepted as decided by DDT.” Yano was tricked into letting DDT decide the rules for every match tonight!

DDT used the surprise to their immediate advantage by making the first match an IPPON Lighttube Tag Death Match! In this match there is only one lighttube and the loser is the person whose body breaks it. DDT sent the master of the match Akito out there to team with MAO while NJPW were represented by KUSHIDA & El Desperado. The sudden rule change made things more dangerous for KUSHIDA because lately he likes to wrestle barefoot. Akito made fun of that by shoving a sock into KUSHIDA’s mouth near the end of the match. However as everyone fought over the lighttube or tried to avoid touching it, MAO and Desperado formed their own alliance because of their friendship and agreed to break the lighttube together. They both climbed up the same turnbuckle, counted down together and… only Desperado went ahead with the trust fall. He smashed landed on the lighttube while MAO remained on the turnbuckles to celebrate winning the match. Desperado was so furious over the betrayal he abducted Viento Maligno at ringside and threatened to harm him with the remains of the broken lighttube unless MAO apologizes.

Akito & MAO remained in the ring to take part in the second match. This one showed everybody how DDT’s plan could backfire on them in a spectacular manner. It was a Blindfold Butt-Finding Hell Match where every wrestler had to fight blindfolded in their underwear and the first one to have their backside exposed would lose. NJPW sent out the two wrestlers that were guaranteed to thrive under such a ruleset, YOH & Ryusuke Taguchi! Both men walked out wearing an extra pair of underwear over their heads along with slingkinis and stockings. Keep in mind this show is taking place exactly one day after YOH won BOSJ! The blindness led to Akito & MAO almost fighting each other until they recognized each other by their body shape. The two of them as well as YOH all ended up wandering outside the ring while back inside Taguchi was trying to do Hip Attacks into thin air. When everyone got back into the ring MAO slid up from underneath Taguchi only to bump into YOH and accidentally Lip Lock him. The four wrestlers then formed a chain by all reaching out to the person in front of them to grab their tights. The NJPW team won the duel and exposed the DDT wrestlers’ butts to win the match. According to MAO, the lesson he learned from this match is everybody from Miyagi is weird. YOH proved it later by telling reporters backstage that the experience he went through today feels so good.

Match #3 had DDT send out reinforcements in the form of Antonio Honda & Kazuki Hirata because the only way to win the match was to make your opponents give up. The DDT team jumped YOH & Taguchi but the NJPW duo would taunt them on the microphone whenever they were asked to give up. Honda told Hirata to put them in the Paradise Lock but Hirata confessed he does not know how to do the move. Honda went outside to bring Milano Collection A.T. into the ring so they could learn it from him. But Honda tripped over the ropes on the way back in. He had injured himself and decided it was time to give up but first he needed to tell his latest Gongitsune joke. It turned into an attack that led to everyone brawling. As the dust settled, only Milano was left standing. He noticed a pair of Hirata GO! glasses had fallen onto the canvas so he put them on and “Tokyo GO!” began to play. He tried to ignore it until he couldn’t help but dance to the music belonging to an old foe. As this was happening, Honda and Taguchi were doing Gongitsune attacks and they both wound up pinching Milano by the nipples. Milano’s response was to put the both of them in Paradise Locks and then continue dancing on top of them. Both Honda and Taguchi gave up at the same time, causing the match to end in a tie.

The series was reaching its halfway point so Sasadango decided now was a good time to do a PowerPoint Presentation… From Hell! He explained to the audience that the ideal way of doing inter-promotional matches is to help develop the next generation. His presentation was suddenly interrupted when his laptop decided to reset itself for updates. While the fans started chanting for the laptop to restart, Sasadango handed his microphone to Hiroshi Tanahashi and asked him to talk for a bit. Tanahashi spoke about the repaired relationship between New Japan and DDT, entirely crediting himself for making it happen. Sasadango then gave up on the laptop and tried to continue his presentation without PowerPoint. He and Yano then broke out into an argument until they noticed Rukiya and Tatsuya Matsumoto both laughing at them nearby. Sasadango and Yano agreed they need to set a good example to their juniors or they would lose their respect. So for the next match the wrestlers involved would lose if their junior laughs at them!

Sasadango would step into the ring to finally be part of the action but his opponent was Hirooki Goto! Rukiya and Matsumoto were made to sit down near the ring with instructions to fill their mouths with water. Every time one of them laughed and spat the water out, their respective wrestler would lose a point. The first to lose three points would lose the match. Both of them laughed at the same time when Goto accidentally unmasked Sasadango during a Headlock off of the ropes. Rukiya then laughed a second time when Sasadango took a Lariat, apologized to Goto and then retreated from the ring. When Sasadango returned, he all of a sudden looked like a completely different person with a ripped physique. Goto was able to unmask him, revealing it was KANON under the mask. That made Matsumoto laugh. The real Sasadango returned to launch a sneak attack on Goto but that failed. He then challenged Goto to a sumo match and encouraged the fans to chant “Edmond” at Goto (because he plays E. Honda in the upcoming Street Fighter movie). Sasadango tricked Goto into taking a Dropkick but Goto got back up and grabbed his opponent. Just when Goto was in position to do the GTR, Sasadango instantly gave up so he wouldn’t take the move. Rukiya laughed at this, taking away Sasadango’s last point. Goto gave him th GTR anyway and pinned him for the three count so he ended up having three different ways to claim victory for the match.

Sasadango was beaten but DDT was not. He still had one more card to play. For many weeks leading up to this show, Sasadango has been trying to recruit one wrestler more than any other but his advances were rejected every time. Well it turns out this person finally agreed to show up because Danshoku Dieno made a big entrance to have a match with Goto! It didn’t take long for the match to get out of hand because the referees Yumehito Imanari, Marty Asami and Daisuke Kiso were all knocked out with Lip Locks that were intended for Goto. Akito ran into the ring to help put Dieno into the Hell Gate position over the top turnbuckle. Chaos then broke out with many wrestlers from both teams all running down to the ring to fight each other and then get their heads shoved into Dieno’s backside. Everything was so out of control that the match had to be called off.

By this point the DDT had run out of all of their players while the NJPW team still had only Toru Yano remaining. Yano thought this meant the series was over and his team had won without him even having to do anything. However Sasadango had one more trick up his sleeve. As much as he works hard for DDT, he does not have a contract with them and in fact wrestles as a freelancer. He is not really a DDT wrestler so that means the result of his match against Goto does not count towards the contest! Yano was furious over the revelation and demanded whoever is in charge of DDT to come out and face him. Sanshiro Takagi did just that and introduced himself to Yano as the supreme commander of DDT. For one more twist of the knife, Takagi and Yano would now face off in a Weapon Rumble!

The rules are a new weapon would be brought down to the ring Royal Rumble style and each weapon was decided upon by either DDT or New Japan. Yano complained that his team didn’t prepare any weapons but Sasadango revealed that he surveyed YOH about it beforehand and was able to get the weapons he suggested. The weapons included a blonde wig, a fire extinguisher, a “Yano Set” of a chair and sake, Mecha Mummy armed with the Mecha Drill, Daisuke Sasaki drinking tequila and El Desperado drinking tequila. The big surprise of all came when Takagi brought out his greatest weapon, Konosuke Takeshita! He had travelled to Japan just to be at this show and he attacked Yano on Takagi’s behalf. But just as Takeshita was about to give Yano the Raging Fire, the countdown for Yano’s next weapon fell to zero and it was revealed to be… Konosuke Takeshita?!? He played along with the rules and switched to attacking Takagi until Takagi started protesting. He said Takeshita belongs to DDT while Yano argued he also belongs to New Japan. Sasadango then stepped into the ring with Tanahashi as everyone agreed this was an issue that needed to be sorted out immediately.

Sasadango pointed out to Takeshita that this is the drawback to having contracts with three different wrestling companies. Two of them are here today so he needed to make a choice between them. Takagi spoke about Takeshita contacting him at 15 years old asking to become a pro wrestler because he was so confident he could reach to the top. Takagi always believes Takeshita will come back to DDT even when he is winning championships in AEW and New Japan. Tanahashi reminded Takeshita of the singles match they had in Sumo Hall back in 2014. He could feel Takeshita’s potential all the way back then and he still has high expectations for him going forward.

Sasadango handed Takeshita a “Final Rose” for him to give to the person he wants to be with (exactly like what Yuma Anzai experienced in Japan’s version of The Bachelorette recently). Takeshita said when he watched NJPW as a kid it gave him dreams and DDT made those dreams come true. He belongs to both companies solely out of gratitude with a desire to repay their kindness. He told Tanahashi he will do his best to protect NJPW from now on. He also made a promise to Takagi he will work hard to help him bring DDT to the Tokyo Dome!

Takeshita was about to hand the Final Rose to both Tanahashi and Takagi when Yano angrily cut him off. Yano complained he cannot choose both and Sasadango agreed that nobody would be satisfied with this ending. Sasadango then said if DDT carelessly goes into the Tokyo Dome and fails miserably then DDT will be finished and everyone will be left out on the streets! All of a sudden Yano & Sasadango now wanted to fight Takeshita in a Handicap match. It didn’t take long for Takeshita to dispatch both of them before pinning Sasadango with the Raging Fire.

After the impromptu match, Takeshita felt it was time he explained himself. He couldn’t find the way to properly convey his feelings up to this point so he got Muscle Sakai to help him out by creating a PowerPoint Presentation for him. It is titled “Why I Belong To Three Pro Wrestling Organizations” He introduced himself as a 31 year old wrestler currently living in Orlando with two special skills: working out and pro wrestling. He won the KO-D Openweight Title in DDT at a young age and still holds the record for most title defences. In New Japan he won the G1 Climax and then held the IWGP World Heavyweight Title. Recently in AEW he defeated Kazuchika Okada (the crowd popped at the mention of this) to become the new AEW International Champion. He is confident he is one of the busiest wrestlers in the world.

He gets all sorts of requests from the companies he works for. NJPW wants him on more domestic tours, DDT wants him to bring them to the Tokyo Dome and AEW doesn’t want any other company taking him away from them. The reason he is signed to all three companies is a simple one. He wants to share his world of pro wrestling to more people. He felt left out when he was not a part of last year’s DDT Vs New Japan show and it is one of his biggest regrets because he belongs to both companies. An all star show like this is supposed to be the most entertaining showdown but there are many ways for people to entertain themselves these days. Takeshita has other hobbies to keep himself occupied but pro wrestling will always be the most interesting.

So Takeshita has come up with three ideas that will prove his point. The first idea is he wants to hold the world’s largest pro wrestling league consisting of 365 wrestlers all fighting each other in a gigantic year long round robin tournament! He watches so much wrestling in his off time that he is subscribed to all of the different streaming services. That means he’s been able to carefully select a list of 365 wrestlers from all over the world he wants to compete and has also created a tentative schedule of matches to be held across Japan so there will be tournament events every single day from the opening bouts on 1st January all the way to the final night on 31st December! He understands the schedule might be difficult to pull off which is why he thinks the league should only be held once every four years likes the Olympics.

 

Takeshita’s second idea is to revise pro wrestling’s rules so they are more in line to modern times. He recognizes that violence doesn’t solve anything and disputes can be resolved through discussion. A suggestion he has is to introduce AI judging and a scoring system based on technical points, artistic points, and compositional skills. His example of a scoring system that works is the annual M-1 Grand Prix comedy show that is always a huge hit at the end of the year. His third idea is to ultimately unify the world of pro wrestling. Today the polar opposites that are New Japan and DDT fought each other in exciting ways because of their completely different styles. If doing this with two companies is exciting then imagine adding countless more into the mix. In order to achieve that goal, Takeshita believes he must first become the world’s No. 1 pro wrestler! He asked for everyone’s support so they can all create the perfect world where pro wrestling is the best.

The presentation touched the hearts of everyone who listened… Well, almost everyone. Takagi was still in a fired up competitive mood and wasn’t going to stand there letting the action go to waste. He tried to rally the other wrestlers around him but everyone went over to the other side of the ring and all stared him down. It was time for the final match where Takagi had to fight everyone else all by himself! He got pummeled by everyone one after the other until Takeshita finished him off with a Stunner.

The show was now reaching its end and a few wrestlers wanted to give their final words. Sasadango asked all of the NJPW fans watching to continue supporting Takeshita. That request goes to the wrestlers in Hontai too. Yano announced that Takeshita was the winner of today’s series and Takagi told him to liven up the wrestling world even more. Tanahashi then led everyone to say the same catchphrase that was used to end last year’s show: “3, 2, 1, Love Muscle! Muscle!”

Wait, wait, wait, hang on. There’s one more thing. After everyone left the ring, Sasadango and Akito both suddenly remembered something and ran out of the room. They rushed through a hallway to find a closed out locker room featuring the final secret weapon that they completely forgot to use during the show. They opened up the door and there inside was the furious NOAH wrestler Kenoh! He demanded to know where Toru Yano was while Sasadango & Akito both desperately apologized to him. It turns out that even though DDT is the last place Kenoh ever wants to be, he has been trying to pick a fight with Yano for ages and agreed to be part of Sasadango’s plan if it meant he could finally get his hands on Yano. That didn’t happen so Kenoh stormed out of Korakuen Hall and went down to the NJPW store in near Suidobashi in search of Yano. The shop was closed and Yano was nowhere to be found so Kenoh decided to start a livestream on his YouTube channel and complain about the whole thing.


DDT Around The World – May 2026

June 1, 2026

It happened. It’s now done. AEW finally made it to Konosuke Takeshita’s match with Kazuchika Okada and got Takeshita out of The Don Callis Family. At last we can move on with our lives and wait to see if Takeshita’s babyface turn will turn out to be more than just a lateral move. His wife Yuka Sakazaki got some more screentime on ROH this month including a PPV main event. MAO & Yoshihiko brought Kazuma Sumi along on their latest adventure in France, giving Sumi some invaluable overseas experience away from DDT. Chris Brookes gave Munetatsu Nakamura a similar opportunity with a wild weekend over in Manila. Will the summer provide even more wrestling to follow around the globe or can we all take a break for the World Cup? Yeah, yeah, yeah, it’s being ruined by American corporate greed and so on but Blue Lock seems to be timing their latest story arc to climax by the time the final takes place so that gives me something to look forward to after Ireland failed to qualify. Also getting to watch South Korea Vs Czech Republic at 3am is the kind of football sicko behavior that’s been missing in my life for a while.

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Videos

Konosuke Takeshita In AEW Playlist


AEW “DYNAMITE”, 13/05/2026
Harrah’s Cherokee Center, Asheville, North Carolina, USA

1. AEW World Title: Darby Allin (c) Vs Konosuke Takeshita


ROH “SUPERCARD SHOWDOWN”, 14/05/2026
SoFi Center, Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, USA

1. Athena, Billie Starkz & Marina Shafir Vs Yuka Sakazaki, Maya World, Lacey Lane


AEW “DOUBLE OR NOTHING”, 24/05/2026
Louis Armstrong Stadium, New York City, New York, USA

1. AEW International Title: Kazuchika Okada (c) Vs Konosuke Takeshita


Kyle Fletcher BETRAYS Konosuke Takeshita! | AEW Double or Nothing 2026


AEW “COLLISION”, 30/05/2026
Propst Arena At Von Braun Center, Huntsville, Alabama, USA

1. AEW International Title: Konosuke Takeshita (c) Vs Daniel Garcia

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Results


ROH “SUPERCARD SHOWDOWN”, 09/05/2026 (Aired 14/05/2026)
SoFi Center, Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, USA

1. Athena, Billie Starkz & Marina Shafir defeated Yuka Sakazaki, Maya World, Lacey Lane when Athena pinned Lane after the Swanton Bomb from Starkz

So Ring Of Honor taped a few matches at the same indoor golf course AEW was at last month and they didn’t let Yuka Sakazaki loose around the place? That was a missed opportunity. Instead her warmup match for Survival Of The Fittest also involved some of the other participants Athena, Billie Starkz and Maya World. However a lot of Sakazaki’s time in this match was spent wrestling with Marina Shafir and also building up the hot tag to Lacey Lane. She also hit a big dive out of the ring onto Shafir and World but that left Lane fighting on her own. Starkz gave Lane the Swanton Bomb but not before Athena blind tagged herself in so she could get the pinfall and take the glory for herself.


AEW “DYNAMITE”, 13/05/2026
Harrah’s Cherokee Center, Asheville, North Carolina, USA

1. AEW World Title: Darby Allin (c) defeated Konosuke Takeshita with the Coffin Drop (15:29).
*V5 for Darby Allin.

Even though Takeshita’s match with Okada was already on the schedule, he was given a big detour a few weeks before the show by getting an AEW World Title shot. It was the latest defence in Darby Allin’s eventful title run where he crammed in many title defences into one month. Takeshita couldn’t get the job done fast enough so El Clon ran down to distract the ref while Don Callis handed Takeshita the Dynamite Diamond Ring to use as a weapon. Takeshita refused to use it and threw it away. Too bad moral victories don’t win you championships because Allin made his comeback after that which included a Coffin Drop to the outside and also the Scorpion Death Drop on top of the steel steps. He hit another Coffin Drop outside the ring but Takeshita wouldn’t be beaten that way. He tried to make a comeback of his own but Allin cut it off with the Scorpion Death Lock, keeping Takeshita down long enough to land one more Coffin Drop for the win.


ROH “SUPERCARD OF HONOR”, 15/05/2026
Wicomico Youth And Civic Center, Salisbury, Maryland, USA

1. ROH Women’s World Title – Survival Of The Fittest Match: Athena (c) defeated Maya World, Trish Adora, Zada Steel, Yuka Sakazaki and Billie Starkz (26:12).
1a. Athena eliminated Zayda Steel with a Rope-Assisted School Boy (5:01).
1b. Yuka Sakazaki eliminated Trish Adora with the Magical Merry-Go-Round (15:39).
1c. Billie Starkz eliminated Yuka Sakazaki with the Avalanche Star 10 (17:27).
1d. Maya World eliminated Billie Starkz with a Jackknife Pin (21:47).
1e. Athena eliminated Maya World with the O-Face from the Ladder (26:12).
*V36 for Athena.

This turned out to be a mess of a match. It turned into a Hardcore Match midway through because of the whole “No DQs In In X Way Match” booking cliche so Sakazaki got to do an American style plunder match for once. She also scored an elimination by pinning Trish Adora with the Magical Merry-Go-Round. Her time in the match came to an end a few minutes later when some high risk fighting ended with Sakazaki taking Starkz’s finisher from the top rope.


BAKA GAIJIN + FRIENDS “MNL”, 23/05/2026
Sari Sari Makati, Makati, Philippines
??? Fans

1. Zack Sabre Jr. & Chris Brookes defeated Hotdog De San Jose & Super P when Sabre submitted San Jose with a Manjigatame (?:??).
2. Main Ronn, Joya & Robienne Sane defeated Demonyitang Daniella Cavite, Crystal & Max Liwanag when Joya pinned Cavite with the Cutter (?:??).
3. Emman & “Mad Kat” Karina defeated Trainee Kenzo & Trainee Kiko when Emman pinned Kiko with the Styles Clash (?:??).
4. Jonathan Johnson defeated Munetatsu Nakamura with a Bridging Pin (?:??).
5. Jake De Leon & Shivam defeated Black Kat & Lifeguard Jack when De Leon pinned Black Kat with the Jumping Super Kick (?:??).

A report of the show can be found here.


GCW/BZW “NOW OR NEVER”, 23/05/2026
Espace Isabelle de Hainaut, Rue de Saint-Quentin, Bapaume, France

1. BZW Tag Team Titles – 3 Way Tag Match: MBM & Ultima Sombra defeated MAO & Yoshihiko (c) and Jimmy Lloyd & Jeffrey John when MBM pinned Yoshihiko with the Reincarnation Reversal (15:27).
*MAO & Yoshihiko fail in V8. Rivality become the 7th BZW Tag Team Champions!
2. DDT Universal Title – 3 Way Match: Kazuma Sumi (c) defeated Gringo Loco and Leedz Lewis when Sumi pinned Lewis with the Reverse 450 Splash (14:22).
*V2 for Kazuma Sumi.

Kazuma Sumi’s goal of defending the DDT Universal Title overseas finally came to pass this month. MAO got him booked for the BZW collab show with GCW in France. His match wasn’t an easy task at all because he had to fight the former Universal Champion Gringo Loco as well as French wrestler Leedz Lewis in a 3 Way bout where he could lose the title without being pinned. Sumi made the most of his moment and pinned Lewis with the Reverse 450 Splash to keep the belt and impress the fans in attendance. He said afterward that he now has a great sense of accomplishment because he can go do his style of wrestling anywhere in the world. He is eager to compete overseas again and spread his name around the planet.

The same success wasn’t there for MAO & Yoshihiko. Their year and a half long reign as BZW Tag Team Champions finally came to an end in a 3 Way Tag against a BZW team and a GCW team. Everybody brawled out of the venue and Yoshihiko did a dive off of a truck to put Jimmy Lloyd through a table. Rivality brought the belts back to their home promotion in the end when MBM found a counter to Yoshihiko’s finishing move, reversing the pin into one of his own for the three count. MAO feels happy that he got to wreak havoc in four different countries while holding the belts with Yoshihiko. His next goal in BZW is to win a singles championship so then some day DDT can hold a show in Europe!


DXCN “DAKILA II”, 24/05/2026
Brawl Pit Bulusan, Quezon City, Philippines

1. 4 Way Match: Robin Sane defeated Jonathan Johnson, Shaheen and Munetatsu Nakamura (?:??).
2. Dexcon World Title: Jake De Leon (c) defeated Chris Brookes (?:??).
*V5 for Jake De Leon.

Another packed weekend in the Philippines is in the books for Brookes. He wasn’t able to come back to Japan with another championship because Jake De Leon was able to defend his Dexcon World Title against him. Munetatsu Nakamura was also part of the Dexcon weekend, taking part in a high flying 4 Way Match where Robin Sane picked up the win over Shaheen.


AEW “DOUBLE OR NOTHING”, 24/05/2026
Louis Armstrong Stadium, New York City, New York, USA

1. AEW International Title: Konosuke Takeshita defeated Kazuchika Okada (c) with the Raging Fire (19:01).
*Kazuchika Okada fails in V10. Konosuke Takeshita becomes the 13th AEW International Champion!

Being at the show live I can tell you the building was very excited to see Okada Vs Takeshita happen with the match graphic on the pre-show getting one of the largest pops out of the lineup. The match was fantastic even with the Don Callis drama at ringside happening midway through. Callis tried to play neutral by telling Okada not to risk injuring Takeshita. While Okada reluctantly followed that instruction, Takeshita did not do the same when Callis gave him the same order. It still took a lot for Takeshita to finally beat Okada, countering the Rainmaker with his own Lariat and then hitting a big Elbow Strike when the Wagamama only got a one count. But when he finally used the Raging Fire there was no fight left in Okada to kick out and Takeshita became the new AEW International Champion! The sweet taste of victory was quickly spoiled when The Don Callis Family all looked to turn on Takeshita after the match. Kyle Fletcher made his big return from injury to hug Takeshita only to turn on him with a backstabbing attack, confirming that our guy is now kicked out of the Family.


AEW “COLLISION”, 30/05/2026
Propst Arena At Von Braun Center, Huntsville, Alabama, USA

1. AEW International Title: Konosuke Takeshita (c) defeated Daniel Garcia with the Raging Fire (14:27).
*V1 for Konosuke Takeshita.

Takeshita had to get over the heartbreak of ProtoShita being split up by having his first International Title defence against Daniel Garcia. A wrestler like Garcia has some tricks up his sleeve, like countering Takeshita’s top rope Clothesline into an Arm Drag to the canvas where he then applied the Sharpshooter. Takeshita blocked a rolling cradle that would have set up another submission hold, turning it over to a German Suplex. The big Elbow Strike after that set up the Raging Fire and Takeshita got his first defence in the bag, all while Jon Moxley was watching on from the commentary table. Members of The Don Callis Family ran into the ring to attack Takeshita after the match while outside the ring the Death Riders and Shane Taylor Promotions all suddenly appeared to brawl with each other. If that wasn’t chaotic enough, The Conglomeration entered the fight and cleared the room so it was only them and Takeshita left in the ring. So we end the month with Takeshita finding a new bunch of friends (or an old friend in Mike Bailey’s case).

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Upcoming Appearances


EVE “EVE 150: HISTORY MAKERS RULE BREAKERS!”, 05/06/2026
Big Penny Social, London, England

1. EVE International Title: Kris Statlander (c) Vs Miyu Yamashita

Right, let’s get things out of the way before the World Cup starts. Miyu Yamashita returns to EVE very soon hoping to win gold there again, this time fighting Kris Statlander from AEW for the EVE International Title. As much as I would love to see a result here that follows up from Yamashita’s match with Jamie Hayter last time around, I’m not sure if that’s something EVE is planning for.


WXW “DRIVE OF CHAMPIONS 2026”, 06/06/2026
Turbinenhalle 1, Oberhausen, Germany

1. Ahura & Jun Akiyama Vs 1 Called Manders & Thomas Shire

Germany welcomes Jun Akiyama for the weekend where he will meet Ahura to team up against Cowboy Way.


CMLL “FANTASTICA MANIA 2026”, 19/06/2026
Arena Mexico, Mexico City, Distrito Federal, Mexico

1. Konosuke Takeshita Vs X

It is CMLL’s turn to host “FANTASTICA MANIA” and Konosuke Takeshita will be there on behalf of New Japan.


SETUP “HELLRAISER”, 27/06/2026
The Circus Studio, G Village, Bangkok, Thailand

1. Hardcore Unsanctioned Anything Goes Match: Daisuke Sasaki Vs Jonathan Johnson

The travelling is not ending yet for Daisuke Sasaki. A few weeks after he is done with Best Of The Super Jr. he will be going over to Thailand for a SETUP show. Jonathan Johnson threw out a challenge recently to prove he is one of the best wrestlers in his corner of the world. Sasaki answered his challenge and wants it to be unsanctioned so anything goes!


DDT “DRAMATIC DREAMS! VOL. 13 ~MY SPIRIT GUARDS MY LORD IN THE EAST~” Results

May 17, 2026

DDT “DRAMATIC DREAMS! VOL. 13 ~MY SPIRIT GUARDS MY LORD IN THE EAST~”, 17/05/2026
Osaka City Sumiyoshi Community Center
??? Fans – Unannounced

0. Special Dark Match ~ Young Warrior Wrestling Summit: Takahiro Hirakimoto, Sora Fujikawa & Koki Fujimoto defeated Tetsuya Goto, Masaya Ishikawa & Hinata Kasai when Hirakimoto pinned Kasai with the Little Boy (9:04).
1. Kansai Vs DDT, A Battle For Freedom!: HUB, Tsubasa & Billy Ben Kid defeated Junta Miyawaki, Viento Maligno & Yuni when HUB pinned Yuni with the Arumaka Shuryo (7:16).
2. Black Eagle In Danger! Against The Four Heavenly Kings Of DDT Comedy, 1 Vs 4 Handicap Match: Yuto Kikuchi defeated Danshoku Dieno, Kazuki Hirata, Antonio Honda & Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi when Kikuchi pinned Hirata with a Big Boot (0:10).
2a. Rematch: Yuto Kikuchi defeated Danshoku Dieno, Kazuki Hirata, Antonio Honda & Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi when Kikuchi pinned Honda with the Black Eagle (8:33).
3. A 6-Man Tag Match That Tests How Far A Young Heel With 4 Years And 9 Months Of Experience Can Assert Himself When Surrounded By Seasoned Veterans: Magnitude Kishiwada, MJ Paul & Ilusion defeated CIMA, Akito & Yasu Urano when Ilusion pinned Urano with the Swanton Bomb (9:50).
4. ACF & Koyo Daiichi Consultants Presents Mixed Martial Arts Match – Irregular 2 Round System: Tyson Maeguchi defeated Bushimasa by Tyre Out (R2 0:57).
5. Special 6-Man Tag Match ~Crush The Super Heavyweights!~: Naomi Yoshimura, Yukio Naya & Hiroaki Taniguchi defeated Shigehiro Irie, Kazuaki Mihara & Daichi Sato when Yoshimura pinned Sato with the Harai-Goshi (9:52).
6. Special Tag Match ~ Laughter Brings Fortune: MAO & KANON (w/ KIMIHIRO) defeated Kuishinbo Kamen & Kikutaro when KANON submitted Kamen & Kikutaro with a Camel Clutch (13:20).
7. Special Tag Match ~ Encounter With A Wrestling Master: Dick Togo & Hideki Okatani defeated Shunma Katsumata & Kohei Kinoshita when Okatani pinned Katsumata with the Skewered Claymore (10:15).
8. Special 6-Man Tag Match ~STARTING NOW!~: Kazuma Sumi, Takeshi Masada & Yuya Koroku defeated To-y, Yuki Ishida & Rukiya when Masada pinned Rukiya with the Masada No Chikara KOBU Mukimuki (9:43).
9. Double Main Event I – Shosho Kogyo Presents Special Tag Match ~ Infinite Stimulation Anniversary: Zack Sabre Jr. & Chris Brookes defeated HARASHIMA & Shinya Aoki when Brookes pinned HARASHIMA with a Modified Samson Clutch (16:44).
10. Double Main Event II – Special Tag Match ~ A Ruthless Giant That Blocks The World Guide Us To Our Dreams Blooming Flower: KONOSUKE TAKESHITA & Yuki Ueno defeated Jun Akiyama & Shuji Ishikawa when Takeshita pinned Ishikawa with the Raging Fire (22:29).

For the second year in a row, Yukinori Matsui’s annual Osaka show was headlined by Konosuke Takeshita & Yuki Ueno teaming up together. This time around they took on a more honorable set of opponents, Jun Akiyama & Shuji Ishikawa. Although as soon as Takeshita and Ishikawa face off to start the match, Ishikawa quickly knocked down his opponent with a big Elbow Strike. He also gave Ueno a Giant Swing outside the ring throwing his into the front row of abandoned chairs. Akiyama also wrestled more aggressively but Takeshita launched a comeback that included giving Ishikawa a Superplex. He combined the Jumping Knee with Ueno’s Dropkick to knock over Ishikawa and then Ueno did a Moonsault onto Akiyama outside the ring. Ishikawa was able to kick out of the Wagamama but Takeshita lifted him up for the Raging Fire and dropped him back down to get the win. Both Takeshita & Ueno showed their gratitude to Matsui after the match.

The other big match for the show involved Zack Sabre Jr. & Chris Brookes teaming up again as SchadenTekkers (with matching purple gear between them) to take on HARASHIMA & Shinya Aoki. It would be the first time Sabre and Aoki got to wrestle each other. That confrontation was not enough to determine who was beter. Instead Brookes got the result by pinning HARASHIMA with a Samson Clutch. Aoki wished he could have gotten to fight Sabre for a little longer. Sabre suggested they have a singles match together the next time they meet. He also called Aoki one of the best submission wrestlers he has ever fought.

A ringside chairshot from Dick Togo stunned Shunma Katsumata and left him vulnerable to Hideki Okatani to finish him off.

KANON was made into the target of everyone’s comedy in Match #6. That meant he was the one tricked to hop in the air while nobody else joined him. MAO and KIMIHIRO then got into dueling Figure 4 Leg Locks with Kuishinbo Kamen & Kikutaro, leaving KANON out in the cold. When the four of them all got caught in the holds, KANON simply rolled them all over so he could put both Kamen & Kikutaro in a Camel Clutch. He got both of them to then give up. He doesn’t understand why he had to go through that in Osaka today but he admitted it was fun.

Kyoto indie wrestler Hiroaki Taniguchi came in as a substitute for the injured Masami Inahata in Match #5.

The mixed rules fight between Bushimasa and Tyson Maeguchi was a two round contest. The first round was MMA rules that lasted for three minutes. Then the second round was Tyre Boxing Rules where a tyre was placed in the middle of the ring and they had to fight while keeping one foot each inside the tyre hole. Maeguchi punched Bushimasa out of the tyre three times to earn a TKO style victory.

Ilusion had something of a trial by fire in his match. He often got himself isolated away from Magnitude Kishiwada & MJ Paul then had to find ways to get to safety. However he successfully Low Blowed both CIMA & Akito while Kishiwada took care of Yasu Urano. Ilusion then got the last laugh by getting the pin with the Swanton Bomb.

The 4 Vs 1 Handicap match had to be restarted because Hisaya Imabayashi wasn’t happy to see Yuto Kikuchi win it so easily. Kikuchi ended up giving him a Low Blow late in the rematch before winning again the second time.

It was a packed house for the show but that caused a little bit of a problem. While Sanshiro Takagi was giving the show opening speech, Keiko Takeshita (Konosuke’s mom) was seen walking around the venue looking for her seat. Takagi and Imabayashi invited her into the ring to say hello to the fans but she ended up attacking them with chops to the chest instead. Matsui tried to stop her because she was ruining the start of his show again just like last year. She gave him the Rainmaker and finished off the opening call by herself.


Video – DDT Episode Of “The Wrestlers”

May 8, 2026


The Silliest Wrestling In The World | The Wrestlers – Ep.6


Video – Takeshita/Ueno Vs Kiyomiya/Inamura From “CYBERFIGHT FESTIVAL 2021”

May 8, 2026


“CYBERFIGHT FESTIVAL 2021”, 06/06/2021
Saitama Super Arena
4,800 Fans – Super No Vacancy

9. DDT Vs NOAH Battle: Konosuke Takeshita & Yuki Ueno Vs Kaito Kiyomiya & Yoshiki Inamura


Updates From Across Golden Week 2026

May 7, 2026

NOAH “LINE YAHOO PRESENTS SPRING MAYHEM RYOGOKU 2026”, 02/05/2026
Tokyo Ryogoku Kokugikan
4,539 Fans

1. KENTA, Tetsuya Endo & HAYATA defeated Mohammed Yone, Kazuyuki Fujita & Daiki Odashima when KENTA pinned Odashima with the Go 2 Sleep (8:38).
3. 6-Man Tag 3 Way Match: Manabu Soya, Saxon Huxley & Yuki Iino defeated Kaito Kiyomiya, Harutoki & Alejandro and Masa Kitamiya, Takashi Sugiura & Tadasuke when Soya pinned Alejandro with the Passion IS (5:32).

The unit now known as Passion RATEL’S has hit a rough patch lately with some of their members being put on the shelf. They’ve been reduced to just two men but Manabu Soya claimed to have found a new member, someone who is just as filled with passion as he is. The new member is Yuki Iino and he now looks identical to Soya! How the hell did Iino find an even weirder group of people to wrestle with than the Strange Love Connection?

So far this year Tetsuya Endo has been working in NOAH as part of the White Raven Sqwad. The assumption was his excursion to the company from DDT was only for 2025 but he remained in NOAH without ever giving an update. Fans didn’t have to wait much longer because Endo teased an announcement he was going to give at the next day’s show.

NJPW “NUTS RV PRESENTS WRESTLING DONTAKU 2026”, 03/05/2026
Fukuoka International Center
2,477 Fans

5. KONOSUKE TAKESHITA & Shota Umino defeated Chase Owens & Yujiro Takahashi when Umino pinned Takahashi with the Second Chapter (11:43).

Over in New Japan the time has come for Konosuke Takeshita to start making new alliances. He recently fought Shota Umino to a draw over the NJPW World TV Title so there was some clear unfinished business for them to get to. They teamed up on night one of “WRESTLING DONTAKU 2026” and while they won the match, Takeshita rejected Umino’s handshake offer afterwards.

NOAH “AFTER MAYHEM 2026”, 03/05/2026
Shinjuku FACE
468 Fans – Super No Vacancy

5. Manabu Soya & Yuki Iino defeated Atsushi Kotoga & Hi69 when Soya pinned Hi69 with the Passion IS (3:56).
8. KENTA & Tetsuya Endo defeated Shane Haste & HAYATA when Endo pinned HAYATA with the Shooting Star Press (18:42).

Endo gave his announcement the next day. He is not leaving DDT to fully join NOAH but he is not about to go back to his home promotion anytime soon either. Endo wants to leave his mark in NOAH by winning as many of their championships and tournaments as he can so his name will be etched into the history of the GHC Championships. He will not return to DDT until he achieves the results that he wants!

NJPW “NUTS RV PRESENTS WRESTLING DONTAKU 2026”, 04/05/2026
Fukuoka International Center
3,603 Fans – No Vacancy

1. NJPW World TV Title: KONOSUKE TAKESHITA (c) defeated Chase Owens with the Raging Fire (11:32).
*V3 for KONOSUKE TAKESHITA.

Back in New Japan, Takeshita successfully defended the NJPW World TV Title against Chase Owens, surviving a C-Trigger that probably made someone’s life flash before their eyes and having Umino plus others come out to help him fight off the House Of Torture. A masked man attacked Takeshita after the match and revealed himself to be SANADA returning from injury. Takeshita is willing to defend the TV Title against him since he thinks SANADA must by dying to fight him. He then met with several wrestlers from the Hontai unit and asked if he could fight alongside them from now on. Umino said he does not intend to become friends with Takeshita because they are rivals but since Takeshita is choosing to be with New Japan, he is happy to welcome him into the unit.

NOAH “LEGACY RISE 2026”, 05/05/2026
Tokyo Korakuen Hall
1,302 Fans – Super No Vacancy

3. Manabu Soya, Yuki Iino, Daiki Odashima & Super Crazy defeated Kazuyuki Fujita, Mohammed Yone, Atsushi Kotoge & Hajime Ohara when Soya pinned Ohara with the Passion IS (8:32).
5. Shane Haste & Tetsuya Endo defeated KENTA & Katsumi Inahata when Haste pinned Inahata with a Lariat (10:51).

Soya & Iino are quickly proving how much “Passion~!” they have together as a team. They are also currently sharing only one brain cell between them. I can’t argue with the results so far.

MARVELOUS “10TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION”, 05/05/2026
Kanagawa Yokohama BUNTAI
3,492 Fans

3. Miyu Yamashita defeated Senka Akatsuki with the Skull Kick (10:14).

We end with a sight of something that is very rare. Miyu Yamashita wrestling in another joshi company! She will wrestle for women’s companies all across the world but when it comes to Japan, it’s Tokyo Joshi Pro or bust for her. However she had a noteworthy appearance in Marvelous for their big 10th Anniversary show, taking on the promotion’s next big hope Senka Akatsuki. To say she was impressed with her opponent was an understatement. She loved fighting Akatsuki! She’s somebody almost custom built in a lab to take Yamashita’s kicks and keep on fighting. The match ended up meaning so much that Yamashita instinctively shook Akatsuki with her left hand instead of her right. There are different meanings to that (longtime readers of this blog may remember Shigehiro Irie doing this because your left hand is closer to your heart) but Yamashita thinks it represents the start of a new rivalry.


King Of DDT Round 2, Kamifuku’s Long Awaited Title Shot, Sasadango Vs Yano Update

May 5, 2026

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

1. Yuya Koroku, Daichi Sato & Yuki Ishida Vs Kazuki Hirata, Akito & Antonio Honda
2. Daisuke Sasaki, MJ Paul & Ilusion V Kumadori, Masami Inahata & Hinata Kasai
3. 3 Way 6-Man Tag Match: Yuki Ueno, Shunma Katsumata & To-y Vs Kazuma Sumi, Junta Miyawaki & Rukiya Vs KANON, Yukio Naya & Viento Maligno
4. King Of DDT – Round 2: Danshoku Dieno Vs Takeshi Masada
5. King Of DDT – Round 2: Minoru Suzuki Vs Chris Brookes
6. King Of DDT – Round 2: HARASHIMA Vs Shinya Aoki
7. King Of DDT – Round 2: Hideki Okatani Vs MAO

One round down, the Quarter Finals are next. In just a few short days the King Of DDT will be reduced down to the final four.

Ilusion returns from injury and gets to rekindle his feud with Kumadori on the undercard.

DDT “DRAMATIC DREAMS! VOL. 13 ~MY SPIRIT GUARDS MY LORD IN THE EAST~”, 17/05/2026
Osaka City Sumiyoshi Community Center

0. Special Dark Match ~ Young Warrior Wrestling Summit: Takahiro Hirakimoto, Sora Fujikawa & Koki Fujimoto Vs Tetsuya Goto, Masaya Ishikawa & Hinata Kasai
1. Mixed Martial Arts Match – Irregular 2 Round System: Bushimasa Vs Tyson Maeguchi
2. Black Eagle In Danger! Against The Four Heavenly Kings Of DDT Comedy, 1 Vs 4 Handicap Match: Yuto Kikuchi Vs Danshoku Dieno, Kazuki Hirata, Antonio Honda & Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi
3. Kansai Vs DDT, A Battle For Freedom!: HUB, Tsubasa & Billy Ben Kid Vs Junta Miyawaki, Viento Maligno & Yuni
4. A 6-Man Tag Match That Tests How Far A Young Heel With 4 Years And 9 Months Of Experience Can Assert Himself When Surrounded By Seasoned Veterans: Magnitude Kishiwada, MJ Paul & Ilusion Vs CIMA, Akito & Yasu Urano
5. Special 6-Man Tag Match ~STARTING NOW!~: Kazuma Sumi, Takeshi Masada & Yuya Koroku Vs To-y, Yuki Ishida & Rukiya
6. Special 6-Man Tag Match ~Crush The Super Heavyweights!~: Naomi Yoshimura, Yukio Naya & Daichi Sato Vs Shigehiro Irie, Kazuaki Mihara & Masami Inahata
7. Special Tag Match ~ Laughter Brings Fortune: MAO & KANON (w/ KIMIHIRO) Vs Kuishinbo Kamen & Kikutaro
8. Special Tag Match ~ Encounter With A Wrestling Master: Dick Togo & Hideki Okatani Vs Shunma Katsumata & Kohei Kinoshita
9. Double Main Event I – Special Tag Match ~ Infinite Stimulation Anniversary: Zack Sabre Jr. & Chris Brookes Vs HARASHIMA & Shinya Aoki
10. Double Main Event II – Special Tag Match ~ A Ruthless Giant That Blocks The World Guide Us To Our Dreams Blooming Flower: KONOSUKE TAKESHITA & Yuki Ueno Vs Jun Akiyama & Shuji Ishikawa

Two more matches are added to Yukinori Matsui’s special show. They do normally tend to balloon out to this size.

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “STAND ALONE ’26”, 07/06/2026
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

1. Princess Tag Team Titles: Miu Watanabe & Rika Tatsumi (c) Vs Mizuki & Uta Takami
2. Princess Of Princess Title: Yuki Arai (c) Vs Yuki Kamifuku

It’s taken almost nine years for Yuki Kamifuku to challenge for the Princess Of Princess Title. It’s not because of a lack of merit or anything like that. She just doesn’t like taking part in important singles matches or cares that much about winning championships. But she’s not getting any younger and discovering her first signs of aging has kicked Kamifuku into finally fighting Yuki Arai for Tokyo Joshi Pro’s most important title. After all, winning wrestling championships is the greatest anti-aging technique you can find.

Daydream once again hold the Princess Tag Team Titles. Their first challengers are going to be the losing finalists from this year’s Max Heart Tournament. When Rika Tatsumi discovered that Mizuki found a new tag partner in Uta Takami, she wasn’t happy about it. She thinks beating them can bring that team to an end so she can keep Mizuki all to herself. Mizuki however wants to live in the present and continue her team with Takami. Maybe if they win the titles they can get an official tag team name. Miu Watanabe probably doesn’t have much of an opinion on the matter.

DDT/NJPW “ONE-ON-ONE CONFRONTATION PART 2 ~SASADANGO-GUN VS YANO-GUN 5-ON-5 ELIMINATION TAG BATTLE~”, 08/06/2025
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

1. Sasadango-gun Vs Yano-gun: X Vs X
2. Sasadango-gun Vs Yano-gun: X Vs X
3. Sasadango-gun Vs Yano-gun: X Vs X
4. Sasadango-gun Vs Yano-gun: X Vs X
5. Sasadango-gun Vs Yano-gun: X Vs X

Sasadango-gun: Super Sasadango Machine, MAO, Kazuki Hirata

Yano-gun: Toru Yano, El Desperado, Ryusuke Taguchi

Both Kazuki Hirata and Ryusuke Taguchi have been drafted into the DDT Vs New Japan battle. Super Sasadango Machine is trying to recruit Danshoku Dieno for the show but Dieno keeps turning him down in order to focus on his King Of DDT run.

Now here’s an interesting thought. Konosuke Takeshita over the weekend decided to join the Hontai unit in NJPW. Since Sasadango is under the assumption that Toru Yano is only going to pick wrestlers from Hontai, does that mean there’s a possibility of Takeshita joining Yano’s team?