MUSCLE “HIRAGANA MUSCLE 7 ~IT’S STILL SUMMER ON THE KOSHU KAIDO~”, 07/09/2022 Tokyo Korakuen Hall 544 Fans
1. UP & DOWN CLIMAX FIGHT ~ SWOUD Special Rules: Totaro Omoiki, Takaku Karahiko, Knee Cross Kinya, Baseball Bat Swing, Marume Komimatsu, Hisamitsu Chikuhisa, Sasadango, Yukidango, Yasudango & Surprise-san defeated Herman Miller Mao, Kazusada Kokuyo, AK Racing Yoshimura, Eames Watase, Human Chair Imanari, Itoki Oyoshi, One-Eyed Iron Naya, Daigouin Inada, Dee Jay & South River when Chikuhisa pinned Mao with the Amonken (37:31).
The final chapter of Hiragana Muscle began with a PowerPoint presentation from Super Sasadango Machine. He explained to the audience that his task for today is to figure out how to make the last episode an all round success. Ticket sales and merchandise are important but the biggest factor was how much they audience could get excited. Cheers and shouting were not permitted for the show due to restrictions but laughter and gasps of shock were allowed. So Sasadango got the crowd to give a standing ovation to kick off the show. There was also a montage video that ended with a tribute to Tsurutimo Dragon, aka the late Goro Tsurumi.
Amon Tsurumi is leaving DDT at the end of the year so he was the hero of today’s story. He was seen in the ring training with Konosuke Takeshita & Yuki Ueno when Yuki Rock interrupted them. Tsurumi revealed he wants to end his career as an idol wrestler and asked Takeshita to reform The Finisher Boys for a limited time so he can perform with them. Takeshita & Ueno agreed. Meanwhile up in the balcony, the former members of The Steel Chair Boys watched on. Since Shota is now in America he was replaced with Tetsu Unada and Yukio Naya in the group. Inada in particular set his sights on Tsurumi and declared war!
There was an introduction of all the characters followed by the title reveal for this episode, “UP & DOWN”. In the ring Takeshita talked to the others about his time training in Venice Beach when DJ Nira & Minamikawa confronted him. They came to warn that Naya High School, an elite group of badasses are trying to disrupt the balance of power and need to be stopped. Tsurumi asked if he can help but Nira turned him down. However The Finisher Boys saw the need to bolster their forces and decided to form the Finish Federation with their allies. Meanwhile the Naya High School were doing harsh knee training using chairs. Inada & Naya agreed to launch a conflict on all groups standing in their way!
Suddenly, Kazusada Higuchi collapsed holding his knee in pain. He was meant to be the gang leader but now he can’t go through with it. Luckily for them, MAO stepped into the spotlight introducing himself as Naya High School’s newest transfer student. He is a bad guy who loves fighting and offered to take Higuchi’s spot. A video then played of Tsurumi visiting the SWAN DIVE bar for a drink and also to look for info. Inada & Naya arrived shortly afterward looking for Sasadango. They want him to create a weapon to defeat the Finish Federation but he refused. MIC the bartender tried to intervene but got his arm broken by Inada & Naya instead. Tsurumi couldn’t do anything but stay hidden in the corner and watch innocent people get hurt.
Tsurumi had to move on with his investigation and found the information he wanted. He learned that Naya is the leader of the Naya Zaibatsu criminal organization and Naya High School is just a cover up. His goal is to redevelop the city into his own sumo arena and turn all martial arts into gambling events. Tsurumi vowed to protect the city from them and will not run away. However most members of The Finisher Boys wanted nothing to do with the war and walked out on Tsurumi, Takeshita & Ueno. They would have to take on this fight on their own. Tsurumi then went through a training montage that included video clips of Hisaya Imabayashi fighting Pheromones.
While all of this was going on, Sasadango met with his family for their monthly meeting. They looked over all of the movements going on and had to decide which side to take. There is Naya High School declaring war on everyone, the remains of the Finish Federation getting ready to defend themselves and a third party called NUDE BOYS on the fringes that could get involved too. Haruo Murata then got a phone call over at the commentary table. The caller asked if he thinks a fight was about to begin? Murata answered he’s been sitting at his table for 1 hour 40 minutes. The atmosphere feels like a fight is going to break out but none has happened yet. MIC then appeared with his broken arm and rang the ring bell. Murata excitedly said “The fight is about to begin!” The Sasadango Family called a cab and had 10 minutes to decide which side they will fight for.
Next we saw Tsurumi, Takeshita & Ueno outnumbered in the ring against eight members of Naya High School. The numbers game was difficult to fight against but a misfire from Yumehito Imanari led to him hitting Inada by mistake and the comeback was on. Tsurumi even did a big dive, jumping off the ring apron into everyone on the floor. Higuchi then grabbed him and threatened to finish him off when the Sasadango Family arrived in time for the rescue. The Finish Federation also returned to their aid. Tsurumi struck Higuchi with the Amonken Backfist but his pin was suddenly broken up by the NUDE BOYS! There was fighting and musical numbers happening everywhere. There was even Tetsuya Endo’s mandatory run in. Higuchi ordered MAO to attack Tsurumi with a chair when everything suddenly slowed down and “Etupirka” began playing. MAO slowly blocked the Amonken with his chair but Tsurumi fought through the pain and slowly threw another Amonken, nailing his target for the three count.
Tsurumi declared victory but Keigo Nakamura & Toi Kojima along with a badly beaten Yuki Ishida told him there was still fighting on the streets. Higuchi also said the war wasn’t over yet and he was ready go go another round. The fighting will continue. Tsurumi looked to the audience and apologised for being unable to save the city from the chaos happening around him. That was the end of this story.
In his closing speech Tsurumi said he thought he had a second chance at youth with the original MUSCLE but thanks to Hiragana Muscle he got a third chance. He learned that as long as you are alive you are young. Muscle Sakai said he’s been doing these shows since 2004 and today was the first time he was able to keep an event to under two hours. They have three more performances this week and told the others to keep up with making them fun and exciting. MAO complained the chair is too heavy to do slow motion spots with but promised to give it his all.
DDT “DRAMATIC EXPLOSION 2022”, 04/09/2022 Aichi Nagoya Congress Center Event Hall 529 Fans – No Vacancy
1. Yusuke Okada defeated Takeshi Masada with the Fisherman Suplex (7:58).
2. Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno defeated Antonio Honda & Kazuki Hirata when Iino pinned Hirata with the Bubba Bomb (13:37).
3. Akito & Shinya Ishida defeated MAO & Yuki Ishida when Akito submitted Ishida with the Figure 4 Leg Lock (12:40).
4. Yuji Hino, Yuki Ueno & Makoto Oishi defeated Tetsuya Endo, Jun Akiyama & Yuya Koroku when Oishi submitted Koroku with the Fujiyama Knee Lock (12:00).
5. KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles: Daisuke Sasaki, MJ Paul & KANON (c) defeated Yukio Sakaguchi, Saki Akai & Hideki Okatani when KANON pinned Okatani with the Sleepy Hollow (14:06). *V2 for DAMNATION T.A.
6. Scramble Bunkhouse Current Blast 6-Man Tag Death Match: Atsushi Onita, Shinya Aoki & Yukio Naya defeated Konosuke Takeshita, Shunma Katsumata & Toi Kojima when Naya pinned Kojima after a Mine Board Explosion (8:30).
7. Special Single Match: Chris Brookes defeated Asuka with the Praying Mantis Bomb (12:06).
8. KO-D Tag Team Titles: Kazusada Higuchi & Naomi Yoshimura (c) defeated HARASHIMA & Toru Owashi when Yoshimura pinned Owashi with a Lariat (19:25). *V1 for Harimao.
A serious Toru Owashi is dangerous indeed. He & HARASHIMA brought a difficult challenge for Harimao to fight through with the KO-D Tag Team Titles on the line. Owashi was a powerful force from the get go, throwing Kazusada Higuchi off the top rope through a table at ringside. Naomi Yoshimura also felt his wrath by taking the WAR Special and also the Choke Slam along with HARASHIMA’s signature offence. Higuchi found his way back into the match to cancel out HARASHIMA, leaving the other two to settle their differences. A clash of Lariats took place and ended with Yoshimura scoring the finishing blow. Owashi described the result as a difference in power, or more how to use it. He will now look for a new goal but wants everyone to remember as long as he and HARASHIMA are around in DDT, the place will never change.
Harimao are now moving on to a new team of challengers who made themselves known after the main event. Daisuke Sasaki & KANON entered the ring and called Harimao poor looking champions. They demanded the next title shot and will get it on 12th October. Shinya Aoki then walked into the ring, teasing to cash in his Right To Challenge NFT only to leave instead. Backstage Yoshimura said he was able to surpass DISASTER BOX today, beating two men he looks up to like they’re his parents. The match was a “dramatic dream” for him and he is really happy Hariamo was able to win.
It’s an emotional time for Asuka because yesterday was her friend the late Hana Kimura’s birthday. It made her more determined to win her match against Chris Brookes who she considers a great opponent. However Brookes countered her Shiranui into the Tombstone before pinning her with the Praying Mantis Bomb. He handed Asuka an icepack after the match and asked for a handshake. She refused and threw the icepack back at him. Brookes mentioned in a backstage interview that he saw comments on social media calling for Asuka to enter the D-Ou Grand Prix this year. He agrees and wants Hisaya Imabayashi to give her a spot in the tournament.
Everyone had a blast in the Explosion Death Match. Several in fact. Konosuke Takeshita led The 37KAMIINA against Atsushi Onita’s team with four weapons all rigged to explode when you pressed a button placed on the top turnbuckle. Onita went into the match with a right knee injury so his team was already at a disadvantage. Aoki used an exploding Barb Wire Bat to break up Takeshita’s Figure 4 Leg Lock on Onita. Shunma Katsumata hit Onita with his own exploding bat covered in toy blocks. Onita blinded Toi Kojima by spitting red mist into his face but Katsumata avenged his friend by spitting blue mist at Onita. Yukio Naya fired an exploding bazooka, taking out Onita, Katsumata and even himself because the blast was that dangerous. Naya was able to get the win though by throwing Kojima off the top rope onto an exploding mine board in the middle of the ring, pinning him once the smoke had cleared. Onita gave his approval to the quality of explosions today. Naya felt he stood out more than Onita in the match. Kojima asked Onita if they could have another exploding death match against each other. He was praised for showing courage.
DAMNATION T.A ended up getting a total victory over Eruption to successfully defend the KO-D 6-Man Tag Titles. Hideki Okatani was fired up to fight especially when he was in the ring with KANON. He also took the bullet for Saki Akai when Sasaki placed a chair around her neck and tried to hit her with another one. Okatani jumped in and took the blow allowing Yukio Sakaguchi to fight off him and MJ Paul. Hideki had KANON pinned with the Double Arm Suplex but Sasaki pulled the referee out of the ring mid-count. It gave KANON enough time to recover and pin Okatani with the Sleepy Hollow.
After the match Makoto Oishi entered the ring and confronted the champions. He said DAMNATION T.A’s next challengers are Ω! Sasaki asked if he meant Kenny Omega? Yuji Hino then came out and complained about being left out of DAMNATION’s revival so he went to reform Ω with Oishi! Sasaki then asked if Kenny Omega was their other partner? Hino said it’s Shiori Asahi. Ω will face DAMNATION T.A for the 6-Man Tag Titles in their home turf of Chiba on 8th October.
Shinya Ishida enjoyed his time in DDT today and said he wants to wrestle here more. He would like to have another match with MAO for example, this time a singles bout against him. Akito endorses the idea and wants to see his friend in DDT on a regular basis.
The summer is over and I thought this article would be winding down and become easier to write about for a few months. After all, Konosuke Takeshita is back in Japan for a while so his AEW journey is on a little break. Instead Shota decides to go live in America and get bookings for some of the most obscure indie companies I have ever heard of. I mean some are so out of the way if you bring them up to the people who run IWTV their response would probably be “Who?” But once September and October are done and dusted Takeshita will be heading back to the US with bigger goals in mind. I think it’s too early right now to talk about whether or not he’s going to be one foot out the door with DDT for good. It’s definitely something I’ll have to write about some day, just not today.
So this series might look a little different in the coming months. Joey Janela is carrying the DDT Extreme Title around the world and has a number of defences already lined up. I’ll be keeping track of them here for as long as it goes on. The same will go for the Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title if that ever leaves Japan again. So yeah if you’re expecting next month’s post to be about more of Takeshita’s adventures, you’re probably going to get a face full of Shota and Janela instead. However I have a expectation you’ll still see Yuka Sakazaki, Maki Itoh and Miyu Yamashita popping up in AEW every now and then to go along with their North American indie bookings. Did you see that Sakazaki is going to be in the AEW video game? Take that FTR!
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Videos
AEW “RAMPAGE”, 05/08/2022 Van Andel Arena, Grand Rapids, Michigan, USA
1. Konosuke Takeshita Vs Ryan Nemeth
Video starts at 58:37 for the match WIDE BAY PRO “RAMPAGE”, 06/08/2022 Maryborough State High School, Sussex Street, Maryborough, Australia
AEW “BATTLE OF THE BELTS III”, 06/08/2022 Van Andel Arena, Grand Rapids, Michigan, USA
1. ROH World Title: Claudio Castagnoli (c) Vs Konosuke Takeshita
MAW “SUMMER HEAT”, 07/08/2022 Fat Pants Brewing Company, Eden Prairie, Minnesota, USA
1. Konosuke Takeshita Vs JDX
Video starts at 43:23 for the match JCW “AFTER HOURS 2”, 13/08/2022 The Showboat, Atlantic City, New Jersey, USA
1. Maki Itoh Vs Billie Starkz
Video starts at 15:08 for the match AEW “DARK ELEVATION”, 15/08/2022 Target Cente, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
1. Konosuke Takeshita Vs Cezar Bononi
Video starts at 36:45 for the match AEW “DARK ELEVATION”, 22/08/2022 Charleston Coliseum, Charleston, West Virginia, USA
1. Hikaru Shida & Skye Blue Vs Emi Sakura & Maki Itoh
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Results
AEW “BATTLE OF THE BELTS III”, 05/08/2022 (Aired 06/08/2022) Van Andel Arena, Grand Rapids, Michigan, USA
1. ROH World Title: Claudio Castagnoli (c) defeated Konosuke Takeshita with the Ricola Bomb (19:59). *V1 for Claudio Castagnoli.
Takeshita is now 0 for 2 in World Championship matches during his excursion. He couldn’t win the PWG World Title in July and last month couldn’t beat Claudio Castagnoli for the ROH World Title. It’s another tale of so close but so far for him. He’s putting up the great performances but just not getting those wins when it matters.
AEW “RAMPAGE”, 05/08/2022 Van Andel Arena, Grand Rapids, Michigan, USA
1. Konosuke Takeshita defeated Ryan Nemeth with the Zahi (1:41).
One good thing to happen on the taping was Takeshita’s first win on national TV. Funny thing is this was taped after the ROH Title match but aired on TV the day before. Takeshita wanted to get that one big win on TV before he went back to Japan. Ryan Nemeth isn’t that big win to be honest but hey, it’s a start.
WIDE BAY PRO “RAMPAGE”, 06/08/2022 Maryborough State High School, Sussex Street, Maryborough, Australia
1. Interstate Title: Mitch Ryder (c) (w/ Todd Eastman) defeated Shota Suzuki with the Rope Assisted Piledriver (?:??). *V? for Mitch Ryder.
You’ll notice that Shota will be using the name Shota Suzuki in some places. It’s to avoid people confusing him with Shota Umino. I can tell you myself whenever I tweet about Shota’s excursion I get a few responses from people thinking I’m talking about the Shota from New Japan. Anyway he had the pleasure of being Wide Bay Pro’s first international guest wrestler on their shows. He was hoping to win the Interstate Title from Mitch Ryder and use the belt as his ticket to wrestle in Australia more. Unfortunately Ryder’s manager Todd Eastman got involved and his distraction led to Shota losing to a see-saw Piledriver over the middle rope.
DPW “BELIEVE THE HYPE”, 06/08/2022 Gov. James E. Holshouser Building, Raleigh, North Carolina, USA
1. Emi Sakura defeated Mizuki with the Queen’s Gambit (11:02).
2. Konosuke Takeshita defeated Andrew Everett with the Lil Sebastian’s Curse (18:41).
Mixed results on the Deadlock Pro show. The main event had Takeshita beat Andrew Everett in an absolute scorcher of a match. Mizuki’s first match in America ended in a loss to Emi Sakura. The teacher versus student dynamic was on full display. Sakura even got one more dirty reminder after the match by offering a handshake just to attack Mizuki even more. However the fans responded greatly to Mizuki and were happy to hear her shout “I will be back!”
MAW “SUMMER HEAT”, 07/08/2022 Fat Pants Brewing Company, Eden Prairie, Minnesota, USA
1. Konosuke Takeshita defeated JDX with the Lil Sebastian’s Curse (17:38).
I heard about this match happening from a few Discords but couldn’t find info on it until after it took place. Midwest All-Star Wrestling is a regular promotion for JDX (Justin D. Xavier, the D stands for Disgusting). He thought Takeshita was going to look past him because his focus was on the ROH Title match. Instead Takeshita put him through a hard fought match and had his hand raised in the end.
1. Konosuke Takeshita defeated Cezar Bononi with the Zahi (2:37).
With this win over Cezar Bononi, Takeshita has one more opponent he needs to beat for a clean sweep over The Wingmen. Where you at, Peter Avalon?
PROGRESS “CHAPTER 137: DEADLY VIPER TOUR – COPPERHEAD”, 13/08/2022 O2 Academy, Sheffield, England
1. Konosuke Takeshita defeated Leon Slater with the Zahi (12:17).
Over to England now where Takeshita made his PROGRESS debut. His 17 year old opponent Leon Slater was a replacement for an injured Robbie X. Slater put up a heck of a fight but his big mistake was to try and set up a One Man Spanish Fly off the top rope. Takeshita instead used the stalled time to knock Slater off the turnbuckle with a Lariat and then pin him with the Zahi.
JCW “AFTER HOURS 2”, 13/08/2022 The Showboat, Atlantic City, New Jersey, USA
1. Billie Starkz defeated Maki Itoh with the Assault Driver (11:13).
Those cheeky gits at GCW advertised Maki Itoh for both nights of their Homecoming weekend but her match on the first night was with JCW instead. I think she did fan meet and greets during the GCW show so they can probably get away with avoiding accusations of false advertising. Anyway her match against Billie Starkz happened very late at night. She had a busy schedule for the following day.
PROGRESS “CHAPTER 138: DEADLY VIPER TOUR – COTTONMOUTH”, 14/08/2022 Boiler Shop, Newcastle, England
1. Konosuke Takeshita defeated Dean Allmark with the Lil Sebastian’s Curse (10:05).
Takeshita’s second day in PROGRESS gave him a far more experienced opponent to deal with in the form of Dean Allmark. He had some tricks up his sleeve like a Headstand Backslide Pin but Takeshita rolled out of it to hit the Zahi for a nearfall. He then hit the Lil Sebastian’s Curse to win. I need to find out if he minds everybody still wanting to call that move the Cinnabomb.
GCW “HOMECOMING PART 2”, 14/08/2022 The Showboat, Atlantic City, New Jersey, USA
1. Maki Itoh defeated Dark Sheik with the Flying DDT (10:54).
If there is one thing you need to know about this match it’s this. They did the Top Rope DDT spot from the Dean Malenko Vs Scotty 2 Hotty match that happened at Backlash 2000. It is also where Itoh started using the I.D.S as her new finisher. That wasn’t the end of Itoh’s night. She appeared during the main event segment where Matt Cardona and Chelsea Green renewed their wedding vows. Itoh sang “L.O.V.E.” by Frank Sinatra for the happy couple before Nick Gage came out and crashed the ceremony with a pizza cutter.
AEW “DARK ELEVATION”, 17/08/2022 (Aired 22/08/2022) Charleston Coliseum, Charleston, West Virginia, USA
1. Emi Sakura & Maki Itoh defeated Hikaru Shida & Skye Blue when Sakura pinned Blue with the Queen’s Gambit (7:15).
Itoh’s latest stay in America ended with another visit to AEW. She teamed with Emi Sakura to beat Hikaru Shida & Skye Blue. Itoh claims Emi Sakura is the newest member of the Itoh Respect Army but Sakura denies this. At least her singing impressed Matt Menard on commentary.
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Upcoming Appearances
EVE “THURSDAY NIGHT RIOT”, 01/09/2022 229 The Venue, London, England
1. Rayne Leverkusen & Harley Hudson Vs Rhia O’Reilly & Nightshade
2. International Princess Title: Alex Windsor (c) Vs Hikari Noa
Later tonight Hikari Noa will challenge Alex Windsor for the International Princess Title in EVE. Noa arrived in London safe and sound during the week and EVE’s Twitter account shows her enjoying the vibrant sights of Camden. This may be TJPW’s only chance to bring the IP Title back home any time soon though. Windsor tweeted her frustrations over how difficult it’s been to get even an appointment with the Japanese embassy so she can travel back to Japan.
The tag match I included here has implications to pay attention to. The winners will get to wrestle for TJPW in Japan sometime in the future. Nightshade has been in TJPW back in 2019. In EVE she sides with Rhia O’Reilly as part of The Uprising stable. O’Reilly is also an accomplished wrestler across the British women’s scene. Their opponents Rayne Leverkusen & Harley Hudson I don’t know much about. Hudson’s biggest profile appearances seem to be with ICW in Scotland and TNT Extreme in Liverpool. Leverkusen I can’t find much info about other than a few recent EVE matches and Youtube videos of other matches across assorted indies.
MPW “ENDANGERED”, 02/09/2022 Nordhoff PL, Chatsworth, California, USA
1. Triple Threat Match: Darwin Finch Vs J2 Vs Shota
Shota’s new American life begins with Millenium Pro Wrestling in California. The promotion has been in existence since 2001. If Shota can beat Darwin Finch and J2 in a Triple Threat match then he will qualifiy for a Scramble match on 9th September that MPW is putting together to celebrate their anniversary.
PWF “ENDANGERED”, 03/09/2022 Houston Premier Arena, Houston, Texas, USA
1. JJ Blake Vs Shota Suzuki
The next day Shota travels over to Texas for Premier Wrestling Federation. His opponent here JJ Blake recently accomplished the Triple Crown feat in New Texas Pro Wrestling. That has Shota excited to know he is getting a strong opponent for sure.
GCW “THE ART OF WAR”, 03/09/2022 Grand Sports Arena, Hoffman Estates, Illinois, USA
1. DDT Extreme Title & 6 Pack Of PBR – 2 Ring Ladder Scramble Match: Joey Janela (c) Vs Mike Bailey Vs Tony Deppen Vs Cole Radrick Vs Drago Kid Vs Gringo Loco Vs Dante Leon Vs Shane Mercer
Yeah this is nuts. Janela’s first Extreme Title defence in America will be in one of GCW’s craziest match stipulations. GCW loves Scramble matches. They are also doing their own Wargames match this weekend so will have two rings set up beside each other. Add in ladders along with a Pabst Blue Ribbon sponsorship and you got yourselves a 2 Ring Ladder Scramble Match! That’s not all, Janela is putting himself up against an entire deck full of wild cards. Mike Bailey needs no introduction, Tony Deppen can be unpredictable at times, Cole Radrick is becoming more of a deathmatch wrestler as the months go by, Drago Kid blew everyone’s minds in his previous GCW appearances, Gringo Loco has built up the reputation of being one of the best bases currently on the indies, Dante Leon is the kind of guy who benefits from that and Shane Mercer is an absolute powerhouse who leaves destruction in his wake.
JCW “UNCENSORED”, 10/09/2022 Boonton Elks Lodge, Boonton, New Jersey, USA
1. DDT Extreme Title – Bodyslam Challenge: Joey Janela (c) Vs Beastman
If Janela can somehow crawl out of the chaos mentioned above, he will put the title on the line next against Beastman on a JCW show. The stipulation here is a lot more basic. First wrestler to Body Slam their opponent wins. Beastman has the size advantage in this one.
ROW “TEXAS GOLD RUSH”, 10/09/2022 Booker T World Gym Arena, Texas City, Texas, USA
1. Shota Vs Ayden Cristiano
Shota’s heading back over to Reality Of Wrestling. This time around his opponent is “The Madman From Madrid” Ayden Cristiano.
NEW “YEAR ONE ANNIVERSARY”, 16/09/2022 Commodore Ballroom, Vancouver, Canada
1. Maki Itoh Vs Gisele Shaw
Canada prepare yourselves for Maki Itoh. She will wrestle for the first time on Canadian soil for Nation Extreme Wrestling. Her opponent is Gisele Shaw who is coming in as a replacement for Chelsea Green due to scheduling conflicts with the latter. Shaw wrestle twice for TJPW in 2019 including the match to crown the first ever IP Champion. This will be her first in-ring meeting with Itoh.
PRESTIGE “PERSEVERANCE”, 17/09/2022 The Glass House, Pomona, USA
1. Maki Itoh Vs Sandra Moone
2. Trish Adora Vs Miyu Yamashita
I said it last month that Miyu Yamashita against somebody like Trish Adora would be an attention grabber. There you go.
MISSION PRO “Welcome To The Jungle”, 17/09/2022 Salvation Army Mission Corps, San Antonio, Texas, USA
1. Shota Vs JP Harlow
Mission Pro is Thunder Rosa’s promotion, right? Shota’s just ticking off all of the Texas companies from the get go. If he wasn’t going to bump into JP Harlow at ROW it was only a matter of time he would find him here I guess.
FRONTLINE PRO “A NIGHT FOR TYLER V”, 24/09/2022 Bakerville Bar And Grill, Marshfield, Wisconsin, USA
1. Shota Vs Ragnar The Ruthless
One week later Shota heads to Wisconsin for Frontline Pro. For fuck sake lads I have to trawl through Facebook to find out what this is and where Ragnar The Ruthless comes from.
PROGRESS “CHAPTER 142: DEADLY VIPER TOUR – CALIFORNIA MOUNTAIN SNAKE”, 25/09/2022 O2 Academy, Birmingham, England
1. Chris Brookes & Masahiro Takanashi Vs X
2. Shigehiro Irie Vs X
Shigehiro Irie will be at Progress the same weekend CDK are there.
PROGRESS “RETURN OF THE FLY”, 27/09/2022 The Dome, Tufnell Park, London, England
1. Shigehiro Irie Vs X
2. Chris Brookes & Masahiro Takanashi Vs X
Let’s include Irie here too.
MDRN NMD “I SPELL F-L-Y”, 29/09/2022 The Bread Shed, Grosvenor St. , Manchester, England
1. Chris Brookes & Masahiro Takanashi Vs LK Mezinger & Splits McPins
2. Shigehiro Irie Vs Dan Moloney
Before the entire UK scene fell apart there was a little series of shows called Tuesday Night Graps put together by a group of wrestlers including Chris Brookes. After the pandemic the shows came back under a new group called Modern Nomad Pro Wrestling and this time there’s no need to run shows every Tuesday. Is Masahiro Takanashi into bowling because CDK takes on Bowl-A-Rama in tag team action. Irie gets to take on Dan Moloney in a superfight.
WXW “INNER CIRCLE”, 30/09/2022 wXw Wrestling Academy, Gelsenkirchen, Germany
1. Masha Slamovich Vs Fuminori Abe
The day before the World Tag Team Festival tournament begins, wXw will be holding a smaller scale show inside their wrestling school. They are always a good appetizer to start their big international weekends with some unique matches put together. Like this one here, Fuminori Abe being thrown into the ring against Masha Slamovich!
WXW “WORLD TAG TEAM FESTIVAL 2022”, 01/10/2022 – 03/10/2022 Turbinenhalle, Oberhausen, Germany
1. World Tag Team Festival 2022: Fuminori Abe & Shigehiro Irie Vs X
2. World Tag Team Festival 2022: Chris Brookes & Masahiro Takanashi Vs X
We just have to wait and see how both CDK and Abe & Irie will do in the tournament.
EVE “WRESTLE QUEENDOM V”, 13/11/2022 229 The Venue, London, England
1. Hyper Misao Vs X
Yeah so this was announced back in July and I completely forgot about it until now. Whoops. Hyper Misao’s going to England!
PW REVOLUTION/WEST COAST PRO “KING OF INDIES 2022”, 19/11/2022 United Irish Cultural Center, San Francisco, California, USA
1. King Of Indies 2022: Konosuke Takeshita Vs X
There is a tournament in the American independents that holds almost a mythical reputation even if it does not attract the attention of wrestling fans the same way Battle Of Los Angeles, Tournament Of Death or King Of Trios all used to. The King Of Indies tournament originated in the early 2000s with All Pro Wrestling as the hosts. The 2001 edition is well known as being an inspiration towards the creation of Ring Of Honor. The tournament was revived in 2018 with Pro Wrestling Revolution taking the reigns and this year Takeshita gets to add his name to the tournament’s history book. He won’t be the only Japanese participant because Naomichi Marufuji from NOAH will be there along with SB Kento and La Estrella from DRAGONGATE.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW CITY CIRCUIT ~NAGOYA PERFORMANCE~”, 04/09/2022 Aichi Nagoya Congress Center Event Hall
1. 3 Way Match: Yuki Aino Vs Nao Kakuta Vs Haruna Neko
2. Hikari Noa Vs Moka Miyamoto
3. Maki Itoh Vs Arisu Endo
4. Shoko Nakajima & Hyper Misao Vs Miyu Yamashita & Raku
5. Yuka Sakazaki, Mizuki & Pom Harajuku Vs Rika Tatsumi, Miu Watanabe & Suzume
6. Princess Tag Team Titles: Saki Akai & Yuki Arai (c) Vs Yuki Kamifuku & Mahiro Kiryu
We’ll find out if Hikari Noa returns to Japan with the International Princess Title.
Several members of SKE48 will be in attendance for the show. Some of them will perform a mini-concert with Yuki Arai and others will be doing match commentary.
DDT “DRAMATIC EXPLOSION 2022”, 04/09/2022 Aichi Nagoya Congress Center Event Hall
1. Yusuke Okada Vs Takeshi Masada
2. Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno Vs Antonio Honda & Kazuki Hirata
3. Akito & Shinya Ishida Vs MAO & Yuki Ishida
4. Tetsuya Endo, Jun Akiyama & Yuya Koroku Vs Yuji Hino, Yuki Ueno & Makoto Oishi
5. Special Single Match: Chris Brookes Vs Asuka
6. KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles: Daisuke Sasaki, MJ Paul & KANON (c) Vs Yukio Sakaguchi, Saki Akai & Hideki Okatani
7. KO-D Tag Team Titles: Kazusada Higuchi & Naomi Yoshimura (c) Vs HARASHIMA & Toru Owashi
8. Scramble Bunkhouse Current Blast 6-Man Tag Death Match: Atsushi Onita, Shinya Aoki & Yukio Naya Vs Konosuke Takeshita, Shunma Katsumata & Toi Kojima
The Explosion Death Match will be held under Scramble Bunkhouse rules. That is when the two teams start the match at opposite ends of the venue and all charge into each other when the bell rings. Four weapons will be rigged with explosives: a barbed wire bat, a block toy bat, a board covered in mines and for the first time ever a Current Blast Bazooka! The last one is Yukio Naya’s idea because his grandfather Taiho got his name from a cannon. He promises it will smash The 37KAMIINA to smithereens! Shunma Katsumata is aiming to take both the Right To Challenge NFT from Shinya Aoki and the “Evil Ways” jacket from Atsushi Onita.
BASARA “BASARA 199 ~GLITTER~”, 06/09/2022 Shin-Kiba 1st RING
1. SAGAT VS Lil’ Kraken
2. Jacket 4 Way Match: Ryota Nakatsu Vs Fuminori Abe Vs Gouma Vs Daichi Kazato
3. Takumi Tsukamoto, Yasu Urano & Minoru Fujita Vs FUMA, KUBITO & Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi
4. IRON FIST Tag Titles: Tsutomu Oosugi & Banana Senga (c) Vs Takato Nakano & Masato Kamino
5. Union MAX Title: Isami Kodaka (c) Vs Daiki Shimomura
This is Minoru Fujita’s first match in BASARA since April.
“YUME PRO WRESTLING -DREAM ON THE RING-”, 14/10/2022 Shinjuku FACE
1. Exhibition Match: Wakana Uehara, Himari Manaka & Risako Vs X, X & X
Four over four months there have been four women training with Tokyo Joshi Pro to become pro wrestlers as part of a reality show. The show is called Yume Pro Wrestling -dream on the ring- and episodes have been uploaded weekly to TJPW’s Youtube channel. One of the four competitors will win the chance to have their debut pro wrestling bout with TJPW. Three of them are still part of the project and are making their final preparations which involves a one off show taking place in Shinjuku FACE. There will be an exhibition match on the show involving Wakana Uehara, Himari Manaka and Risako. It is their final exam before the winner of the show is determined. The regular TJPW roster will fill up the rest of the card.
DDT “NEVER MIND 2022”, 29/12/2022 Tokyo Dome City Hall
1. KO-D Openweight Title: Kazusada Higuchi (c) Vs X
Konosuke Takeshita will be on the last DDT show of the year, whether or not he beats Kazusada Higuchi for the KO-D Openweight Title next month.
DDT “NON-ALCOHOLIC BEER GARDEN PRO WRESTLING”, 26/08/2022 Tokyo Ueno Park Amphitheater 427 Fans – No Vacancy
0. Dark Match: MJ Paul & KANON defeated Hideki Okatani & Takeshi Masada when KANON pinned Masada with the Sleepy Hollow (7:49).
1. Bring Your Own Weapons Falls Count Anywhere 8-Man Tag Match: Yuji Hino, Yukio Naya, Yuki Ishida & Ilusion defeated Sanshiro Takagi, Toru Owashi, Kazuki Hirata & Soma Takao when Naya pinned Hirata with the Choke Slam into the pool (8:12).
2. Crocodile Panda Drunk 3 Way Match: Masahiro Takanashi defeated HARASHIMA and Yukio Sakaguchi when Takanashi completed the Crocodile Panda game (R6 1:00).
3. Special Single Match: Daisuke Sasaki defeated El Unicorn with the Foot Crossface Lock (12:23).
4. The Scariest In History! Shin Numabukuro Ghost Story 3 Way Tag Death Match: Akito & Makoto Oishi Vs Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno Vs Antonio Honda & Saki Akai ended in a No Contest (13:00). (Ghost Story Artist: Hisaya Imabayashi)
5. BURNING Vs The 37KAMIINA!: MAO, Shunma Katsumata & Toi Kojima defeated Jun Akiyama, Yusuke Okada & Yuya Koroku when Katsumata pinned Koroku after the Oretachi no MADMAX (9:20).
6. Beer Garden Specialty Customer Lottery 6-Man Tag Match: Konosuke Takeshita, Naomi Yoshimura & Tetsuya Endo defeated Kazusada Higuchi, Yuki Ueno & Chris Brookes when Takeshita pinned Brookes with the Jumping Knee (18:20).
The fan lottery pitted determined the teams in the main event. Kazusada Higuchi found himself facing off against Konosuke Takeshita again but also his Harimao tag partner Naomi Yoshimura and Tetsuya Endo, the man he just defended the KO-D Openweight Title against. That’s not to say he was teaming with slouches though. Yuki Ueno & Chris Brookes carried their fair share of the match. Takeshita called the match fresh and fun because the other wrestlers have all evolved while he was in America. He can feel DDT’s momentum coming back and he will give it a boost with his KO-D Title match against Higuchi.
Daisuke Sasaki achieved a complete victory over El Unicorn, targeting his leg and removing his mask. His dirty tactics caught the attention of Ilusion who unexpectedly came to Unicorn’s aid and returned the mask to his rival. Unicorn got his second wind but Sasaki blocked a Moonsault with his knees and got the submission win with an Elevated Crossface Lock. Sasaki added insult to injury after the match by faking a handshake so he could low blow and unmask Unicorn one more time. Ilusion, HARASHIMA and Masahiro Takanashi then all ran in and chased him off. Both Unicorn and Sasaki will agree that this is not the end of their feud!
The Drunk 3 Way match was the only time anyone in the venue got to drink alcohol during the show. HARASHIMA, Takanashi and Yukio Sakaguchi all took shots in between rounds. They also played with a crocodile toy where you have to push in the toy’s teeth without it biting your finger. Whenever they got bit they would have a part of their face painted until they looked like a panda.
Demonio Uno appeared in the middle of the opening match and attacked some of the wrestlers.
DDT “NON-ALCOHOLIC BEER GARDEN PRO WRESTLING”, 26/08/2022 Tokyo Ueno Park Amphitheater
0. Dark Match: MJ Paul & KANON Vs Hideki Okatani & Takeshi Masada
1. Bring Your Own Weapons Falls Count Anywhere 8-Man Tag Match: Sanshiro Takagi, Toru Owashi, Kazuki Hirata & Soma Takao Vs Yuji Hino, Yukio Naya, Yuki Ishida & Ilusion
2. Drunk 3 Way Match: Masahiro Takanashi Vs HARASHIMA Vs Yukio Sakaguchi
3. Special Single Match: Daisuke Sasaki Vs El Unicorn
4. The Scariest In History! Shin Numabukuro Ghost Story 3 Way Tag Death Match: Akito & Makoto Oishi Vs Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno Vs Antonio Honda & Saki Akai (Ghost Story Artist: Hisaya Imabayashi)
5. BURNING Vs The 37KAMIINA!: Jun Akiyama, Yusuke Okada & Yuya Koroku Vs MAO, Shunma Katsumata & Toi Kojima
6. Beer Garden Specialty Customer Lottery 6-Man Tag Match: Kazusada Higuchi, Tetsuya Endo, Konosuke Takeshita, Naomi Yoshimura, Yuki Ueno, Chris Brookes
The opening time for the venue was pushed forward by 30 minutes so DDT is changing the match order around a little bit. The original opening match is now a dark match. The show will begin properly at the regular time as advertised.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW PERFECTION”, 27/08/2022 Tokyo Ryogoku KFC Hall
1. 3 Way Match: Mizuki Vs Hyper Misao Vs Yuki Aino
2. Maki Itoh & Moka Miyamoto Vs Yuki Kamifuku & Mahiro Kiryu
3. Rika Tatsumi & Haruna Neko Vs Hikari Noa & Nao Kakuta
4. Yuka Sakazaki Vs Raku
5. Miyu Yamashita Vs Pom Harajuku
6. Shoko Nakajima & Miu Watanabe Vs Suzume & Arisu Endo
Kaya Toribami’s absence from Tokyo Joshi Pro shows due to a scheduling conflict will continue until after the 4th September show in Nagoya.
GANBARE☆PRO “TOKOROZAWA PARK TOWN SHOPPING STREET 2022”, 27/08/2022 Saitama Tokorozawa Park Town Shopping Street Special
1. GanJo Special 6-Woman Tag Match In Park Town Shopping District: Yuna Manase, Kakeru Sekiguchi & Yoshiko Hasegawa Vs Cherry, Moeka Haruhi & HARUKAZE
2. Eternal Rebellious Period And Late Rebellious Period vs Ishii’s Allied Tag Team: Yumehito Imanari & Tyson Maeguchi Vs Gota Ihashi & Kouki Iwasaki
3. ROMANCE DAWN Vs Super Beast Of The World & Hentai Of Toyama: Shota & Soma Takao Vs Aja Kong & Shinichiro Tominaga
4. Fresh Ariyama Presents Special 6-Man Tag Match: Ken Ohka, Shuichiro Katsumura & Keisuke Ishii Vs Tatsuhito Takaiwa, Mizuki Watase & SAGAT
YuuRI suffered a left hand injury at the last Ganbare☆Pro show. She hasn’t recovered from it yet so will miss this show. Cherry takes her spot.
GANBARE☆PRO “PUNCH DRUNK LOVE 2022”, 03/09/2022 Tokyo Narimasu Act Hall
1. GanPro Vs MAKAI: Keisuke Ishii Vs Yuki Kanzaki
2. GanJo Special Tag Match: Yuna Manase & YuuRI Vs Moeka Haruhi & Yoshiko Hasegawa
3. GanPro Special 6-Man Tag Match: Ken Ohka, Shuichiro Katsumura & Kouki Iwasaki Vs Soma Takao, Shinichiro Tominaga & Jun Masaoka
4. Hardcore Mixed Tag Match: Shigehiro Irie & Akane Fujita Vs Mizuki Watase & HARUKAZE
5. Spirit Of Ganbare World Openweight Title: Yumehito Imanari (c) Vs Hartley Jackson
Harcore Mixed Tag Matches are back in Ganpro. Mizuki Watase & HARUKAZE are still developing their manzai inspired tag team. They decided to name their team Full Nelson Buster. Will either of them use the move against Shigehiro Irie or Akane Fujita?
Yuki Kanzaki was originally an indie wrestler who turned into an All Japan trainee around 2017. However his official debut never took place due to hematoma and he left the company. After a year of recovery he became a stage actor and performed for MAKAI, eventually becoming affiliated with the project. He returned to pro wrestling in November of last year and spends time juggling between both roles.
DDT “JAPAN BAKERY MARKETING PRESENTS KONOSUKE TAKESHITA 10TH ANNIVERSARY ~NISHINARI BAY BLUES~”, 10/09/2022 Osaka Nishinari Kumin Center
1. MJ Paul & KANON Vs Hideki Okatani & Takeshi Masada
2. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title – Staggered Entre Battle Royal: Toru Owashi (c) Vs Yuki “Sexy” Iino Vs Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno Vs Yumehito “Fantastic” Imanari Vs Yusuke Okada Vs Yuya Koroku Vs Akito Vs Makoto Oishi Vs Soma Takao Vs Kazuki Hirata Vs Saki Akai Vs Yuki Ishida Vs Ilusion Vs El Unicorn
3. Yasu Urano, Antonio Honda & Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi Vs Masahiro Takanashi, Super Sasadango Machine & X
4. The 37KAMIINA Vs Brahmin Brothers: MAO, Shunma Katsumata & Toi Kojima Vs Brahman Shu, Brahman Kei & Brahman Sanshiro
5. Tokyo Joshi Pro 3 Way Tag Offer Match: Shoko Nakajima & Hyper Misao Vs Yuka Sakazaki & Mizuki Vs Miu Watanabe & Arisu Endo
6. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Kazusada Higuchi, Naomi Yoshimura & Yukio Naya Vs Tetsuya Endo, Jun Akiyama & Yuji Hino
7. Nobuyuki Onizawa’s Ochakan Radio Presents Special Tag Match: Minoru Suzuki & Yukio Sakaguchi Vs HARASHIMA & Shinya Aoki
8. Japan Bakery Marketing Co., Ltd. Presents Special Single Match: Konosuke Takeshita Vs Daisuke Sasaki
9. Special Tag Match ~ Sakuya Konohana Tag Vs CCK!: Konosuke Takeshita & Yuki Ueno Vs Chris Brookes & Kid Lykos
It’s a special show for Konosuke Takeshita so not only is he getting two matches, he wants to do them back to back!
DDT “WHO’S GONNA TOP? 2022 TOUR IS ASAKUSA”, 13/09/2022 Tokyo Asakusa Hanayashi Theater
0. Dark Match ~ Nariagari Offer Match: Tawaramachi Kid Jr. & Super Nikuyaki Machine Vs Sumo Ninja Kyu & Tadaki Toronomi
1. 3 Way Tag Match: Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno Vs Sanshiro Takagi & Akito Vs Yukio Sakaguchi & Kazuki Hirata
2. Asakusa Specialty Special Tag Match: MAO & Shunma Katsumata Vs Makoto Oishi & Yoshihiko
3. Tetsuya Endo, Jun Akiyama & Yusuke Okada Vs HARASHIMA, Toru Owashi & Yukio Naya
4. Harimao Vs The 37KAMIINA!: Kazusada Higuchi, Naomi Yoshimura & Yuki Ishida Vs Konosuke Takeshita, Yuki Ueno & Toi Kojima
Harimao has suddenly gone from tag team to a unit. Yuki Ishida asked to join them after yesterday’s show and he was accepted by both Kazusada Higuchi & Naomi Yoshimura. The three have teamed together before in 6-Man Tag Matches but now they’re going to do so as a united force.
DDT “STERNNESS 30TH ANNIVERSARY ~JUN AKIYAMA 30TH ANNIVERSARY~”, 18/09/2022 Tokyo Korakuen Hall
1. Yusuke Okada Vs Yuya Koroku
2. Naomi Yoshimura Vs Takeshi Masada
3. Jun Akiyama Debut 30th Anniversary Match – Special 6-Man Tag Match: Jun Akiyama, Tetsuya Endo & Yoshinobu Kanemaru Vs Yuji Nagata, Konosuke Takeshita & Shunma Katsumata
30 years ago Jun Akiyama made his debut match against Kenta Kobashi in the semi-main event of an All Japan show in Korakuen Hall. That he is giving Takeshi Masada the same opportunity shows how much he has high hopes for the rookie.
Akiyama also thinks the opening match is important because it gets the audience excited for the rest of the show. That is why he is sticking Yusuke Okada in that spot with Yuya Koroku.
Cara Noir being on this show makes me wonder who Akiyama would book him against?
DDT “DRAMATIC DREAMS! VOL. 9 ~NO CLOUDS OVER THE MOON~”, 10/10/2022 Osaka Higashinari Ward Community Center
1. Special 6-Man Tag Match ~Smile Squash Vs DAMNATION T.A~: HARASHIMA, Yasu Urano & Akito Vs Minoru Fujita, MJ Paul & KANON
2. Special Tag Match Sterness Siege ~Men Of Ice Vs Men Of Melting Ice~: Jun Akiyama & Antonio Honda Vs Kuishinbo Kamen & Kikutaro
3. Special Single Match ~Road Of Former Champions~: Tetsuya Endo Vs Masahiro Takanashi
The former KO-D Openweight Champion and former DDT Universal Champion collide on Yukinori Matsui’s annual Osaka show. Matsui is also sticking Akiyama in with the jokers and bringing back Smile Squash for one night only.
Shuji Ishikawa and Harutoki will both be on the show. Harutoki is from Dotonbori Pro.
DDT “GET ALIVE 2022”, 12/10/2022 Tokyo Korakuen Hall
1. Yuki Ishida 1st Anniversary Match: Yuki Ishida Vs X
2. Makoto Oishi 20th Anniversary Match: Makoto Oishi Vs X
Ishida will be celebrating the one year anniversary of his debut match on the same show as Makoto Oishi celebrating his 20th anniversary in wrestling. Oishi has made requests for his match and is looking forward to announcing it next week. Ishida is confused why his one year anniversary is being treated as just as much a big deal but he hopes people come to see it.
DDT “DDT FREE -AUGUST-”, 24/08/2022 Shinjuku FACE 250 Fans – Super No Vacancy Full House
1. MAO, Shunma Katsumata & Kazuki Hirata defeated Yuki “Sexy” Iino, Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno & Koju “Shining Ball” Takeda when Katsumata pinned Dieno with a School Boy (10:28).
2. Daisuke Sasaki & KANON (w/ MJ Paul & Minoru Fujita) defeated Yukio Sakaguchi & Hideki Okatani by Disqualification when Okatani attacked the Referee (10:53).
3. Tetsuya Endo defeated Takeshi Masada with the Combine (8:05).
4. Yuji Hino, Yukio Naya & Chris Brookes defeated Jun Akiyama, Yusuke Okada & Yuya Koroku when Brookes pinned Koroku with the Praying Mantis Bomb (14:08).
5. Shinjuku Specialty Special Tag Match: Yuki Ueno & Asuka defeated Joey Janela & Akito when Ueno pinned Akito with the WR (14:32).
6. HARASHIMA & Toru Owashi defeated Naomi Yoshimura & Makoto Oishi when Owashi pinned Oishi with the Power Bomb (6:44).
7. Special Tag Match: Kazusada Higuchi & Yuki Ishida defeated Konosuke Takeshita & Toi Kojima when Ishida pinned Kojima with the Flame Palm (16:11).
Today was Yuki Ishida’s day to step up. The lightweight sumo has shared ring time with both members of Harimao over the last few weeks. He continued it today by teaming with Kazusada Higuchi in the main event. While Higuchi had his hands full with Konosuke Takeshita, Ishida held his own against Toi Kojima and pinned him after a big Palm Strike to earn his first ever win! Ishida said today he took a big step and he’ll become stronger from here. He then asked Higuchi & Naomi Yoshimura if he can join Harimao! The two of them agreed and welcomed him into their team. Higuchi said he is burning up after today’s news and he will continue working towards his KO-D Openweight Title defence against Takeshita next month. Takeshita backstage gave praise to Kojima and told him he watched all of The 37KAMIINA’s matches while he was in America. He wants to help Kojima grow as much as possible while he is here so Kojima will love pro wrestling even more.
Yoshimura’s teasing of Toru Owashi may come back to haunt him. Today’s preview match for the KO-D Tag Team Titles bout saw Owashi & HARASHIMA overwhelm both Yoshimura & Makoto Oishi. Owashi in particular destroyed Oishi with a big Choke Slam followed by the Power Bomb. His warning to Yoshimura is clear. The real Toru Owashi is here and he is taking this title match on 4th September seriously.
It looks like Joey Janela has found a second home in Japan with DDT. He’s winning over the likes of Asuka, Yuki Ueno and Akito with his antics and was given a chance after their tag match to say goodbye before he heads back to America. He mentioned wanting to defend the DDT Extreme Title in America, England and Mexico before he comes back to DDT in November. Earlier this week he said he wants to enter the D-Ou Grand Prix and in a post-match interview also brought up wanting to do an Explosion Death Match. Ueno might be feeling a little jealous because he talked about not wanting Janela with the Extreme Title to outshine his own DDT Universal Title reign. He is also feeling inspired by teaming with Asuka.
Today is Chris Brookes’ birthday! Yukio Naya sang him a birthday song after their match. Brookes said he’s been in Japan for three years now but never felt lonely because DDT is his family.
Takeshi Masada faced Tetsuya Endo for the first time but may have overshot his expectations. He took part in the show opening introductions and said he had a great opportunity to pin Endo for the three count today. Endo took that personally. After winning the match, he spent his backstage interview saying he is a former KO-D Champion who just main event Ota Ward Gymnasium. He said “It’s not like I’m Kazuki Hirata, there is no way I’m going to lose.” Masada later apologised for having a big mouth but promised to do his best so he will someday surpass both HARASHIMA and Endo.
The Eruption Vs DAMNATION T.A tag match went out of control when Daisuke Sasaki brought in a chair to cheat. He attacked not only Yukio Sakaguchi with it but Saki Akai too! Hideki Okatani lost his temper on both Sasaki and KANON. He kept on fighting until the referee tried to hold him back. Okatani then attacked the ref causing Eruption to get disqualified. Sasaki mocked him backstage by saying wrestling has rules and you should never raise your hand at the ref! Okatani said he can’t wait until the KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles match on 4th September because he is going to knock somebody out! Sakaguchi warned DAMNATION T.A that it is bad enough when he loses his temper. Now they made Okatani & Akai mad too!
Shunma Katsumata is looking forward to the Current Blast 6-Man Tag Match in Nagoya on 4th September. Two of his opponents in that match are Atsushi Onita and Shinya Aoki. Katsumata told the fans he will beat Aoki to take his Right To Challenge NFT and also take Onita’s leather jacket. But as he was saying this, Yuki Iino attacked him from behind and left him laying. Iino with the rest of Pheromones started shouting “Chunma, anytime, anywhere!” while MAO checked on his friend.
1. Yuki “Sexy” Iino, Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno & Koju “Shining Ball” Takeda Vs MAO, Shunma Katsumata & Kazuki Hirata
2. Jun Akiyama, Yusuke Okada & Yuya Koroku Vs Yuji Hino, Yukio Naya & Chris Brookes
3. Daisuke Sasaki & KANON (w/ MJ Paul) Vs Yukio Sakaguchi & Hideki Okatani
4. Naomi Yoshimura & Makoto Oishi Vs HARASHIMA & Toru Owashi
5. Tetsuya Endo Vs Takeshi Masada
6. Shinjuku Specialty Special Tag Match: Yuki Ueno & Asuka Vs Joey Janela & Akito
7. Special Tag Match: Kazusada Higuchi & Yuki Ishida Vs Konosuke Takeshita & Toi Kojima
DDT are not wasting any time kicking off their programs for the next Korakuen Hall show. Kazusada Higuchi and Konosuke Takeshita are squaring off, bringing Yuki Ishida and Toi Kojima along with them. The DDT Universal Champion and DDT Extreme Champion are in the same match when Yuki Ueno teams with Asuka while Joey Janela has to get along with the Akito, the man he beat to win the Extreme Title in the first place. Tetsuya Endo is back to square one but gets his first match with the rookie Takeshi Masada. All that plus preview matches for the upcoming KO-D Tag Team Titles and KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles bouts.
GANBARE☆PRO “TOKOROZAWA PARK TOWN SHOPPING STREET 2022”, 27/08/2022 Saitama Tokorozawa Park Town Shopping Street Special
1. GanJo Special 6-Woman Tag Match In Park Town Shopping District: Yuna Manase, Kakeru Sekiguchi & Yoshiko Hasegawa Vs Moeka Haruhi, HARUKAZE & YuuRI
2. Eternal Rebellious Period And Late Rebellious Period vs Ishii’s Allied Tag Team: Yumehito Imanari & Tyson Maeguchi Vs Gota Ihashi & Kouki Iwasaki
3. ROMANCE DAWN Vs Super Beast Of The World & Hentai Of Toyama: Shota & Soma Takao Vs Aja Kong & Shinichiro Tominaga
4. Fresh Ariyama Presents Special 6-Man Tag Match: Ken Ohka, Shuichiro Katsumura & Keisuke Ishii Vs Tatsuhito Takaiwa, Mizuki Watase & SAGAT
This is one heck of a farewell match for Shota. One last sail for ROMANCE DAWN before he heads off to America and they’re facing Aja Kong! Add Shinichiro Tominaga to the mix and it is a tricky match for Shota & Soma Takao to figure out.
This is an outdoor show so bad weather on the day could cause it to get cancelled.
MUSCLE “HIRAGANA MUSCLE 7 ~IT’S STILL SUMMER ON THE KOSHU KAIDO~”, 07/09/2022 Tokyo Korakuen Hall
It was announced today that the DDT General Manager Hisaya Imabayashi will be leaving his job at CyberFight at the end of the year due to family reasons. His parents live in Fukuoka and he is spending more to take care of them. The amount of time needed to travel from Tokyo to Fukuoka on a regular basis makes it difficult to continue his full time responsibilities with CyberFight. However he will continue to appear in DDT from time to time and has not made a decision yet on whether or not to keep his GM role.
In response to this news Muscle Sakai decided that next month’s series of Hiragana Muscle performances will be the last for the brand. The Muscle name may come back in the future (they still have a date for 2030 on the schedule) in a new form. It is all up to Sakai and whatever new ideas he can come up with.
DDT “JAPAN BAKERY MARKETING PRESENTS KONOSUKE TAKESHITA 10TH ANNIVERSARY ~NISHINARI BAY BLUES~”, 10/09/2022 Osaka Nishinari Kumin Center
1. MJ Paul & KANON Vs Hideki Okatani & Takeshi Masada
2. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title – Staggered Entre Battle Royal: Toru Owashi (c) Vs Yuki “Sexy” Iino Vs Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno Vs Yumehito “Fantastic” Imanari Vs Yusuke Okada Vs Yuya Koroku Vs Akito Vs Makoto Oishi Vs Soma Takao Vs Kazuki Hirata Vs Saki Akai Vs Yuki Ishida Vs Ilusion Vs El Unicorn
3. Yasu Urano, Antonio Honda & Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi Vs Masahiro Takanashi, Super Sasadango Machine & X
4. The 37KAMIINA Vs Brahmin Brothers: MAO, Shunma Katsumata & Toi Kojima Vs Brahman Shu, Brahman Kei & Brahman Sanshiro
5. Tokyo Joshi Pro 3 Way Tag Offer Match: Shoko Nakajima & Hyper Misao Vs Yuka Sakazaki & Mizuki Vs Miu Watanabe & Arisu Endo
6. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Kazusada Higuchi, Naomi Yoshimura & Yukio Naya Vs Tetsuya Endo, Jun Akiyama & Yuji Hino
7. Special Tag Match ~ Sakuya Konohana Tag Vs CCK!: Konosuke Takeshita & Yuki Ueno Vs Chris Brookes & Kid Lykos
8. Nobuyuki Onizawa’s Ochakan Radio Presents Special Tag Match: Minoru Suzuki & Yukio Sakaguchi Vs HARASHIMA & Shinya Aoki
9. Japan Bakery Marketing Co., Ltd. Presents Special Single Match: Konosuke Takeshita Vs Daisuke Sasaki
The semi-main event has more intrigue added to it now that Shinya Aoki possesses the Right To Challenge Anytime, Anywhere NFT. He was able to set up an account and DDT successfully transferred the NFT over to it. However he now has to defend it in every match he is a part of until he cashes in the title shot. Minoru Suzuki or Yukio Sakaguchi could suddenly find themselves with the perfect shortcut towards becoming champion if they directly beat Aoki.
Kid Lykos is the newest guest coming over to DDT! The British wrestler is best known for being Chris Brookes’ partner in crime when they teamed together across the world as CCK. The team went away when Lykos retired due to injuries and Brookes moved to Japan to work for DDT. But Lykos came back and the time is now to revive the Calamari Catch Kings and bring back some sick f’n tag moves! He will be in DDT for the 10th and 13th September shows.
DDT “WHO’S GONNA TOP? 2022 TOUR IS ASAKUSA”, 13/09/2022 Tokyo Asakusa Hanayashi Theater
0. Dark Match ~ Nariagari Offer Match: Tawaramachi Kid Jr. & Super Nikuyaki Machine Vs Sumo Ninja Kyu & Tadaki Toronomi
1. Asakusa Specialty Special Tag Match: MAO & Shunma Katsumata Vs Makoto Oishi & Yoshihiko
Makoto Oishi is bringing in Yoshihiko to take on ShunMao!
Nariagari is a amateur indie wrestling group that was created by Danshoku Dieno back in 2019. He wanted to find regular people who had suffered broken dreams at least once in their lives (but no more than five) and train them to wrestle. It is a project separate from DDT which is why there has barely been any crossover between the two entities.
Comedian Koriki Choshu will be at the show. The gimmick is he impersonates Riki Choshu. I don’t even want to know how long ago it was when I first saw that “Night Of Fire” music video he did.
DDT “WHO’S GONNA TOP? 2022”, 25/09/2022 Tokyo Korakuen Hall
1. DDT Universal Title: Yuki Ueno (c) Vs Cara Noir
2. KO-D Openweight Title: Kazusada Higuchi (c) Vs Konosuke Takeshita
Higuchi walked out of Ota Ward Gymnasium still the KO-D Openweight Champion but he already set his sights on his next opponent. He feels the need to beat Takeshita because Takeshita was the symbol of DDT’s strength before he began his overseas excursion. Higuchi cannot tell if he has become a true champion after beating Endo, but he definitely feels like he is currently the champion of DDT.
Yuki Ueno declared his goal as Universal Champion is to defend the title in the countries of challengers he has beaten. For example he would like to do a title defence in Thailand because Masahiro Takanashi often associates himself with that country. Another example is Ueno going to the UK after he beats Cara Noir. The British wrestler will be competing in Japan for the first time this month. He will get a match in DDT on 18th September as well as the title shot against Ueno on the 25th.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “WRESTLE PRINCESS III”, 09/10/2022 Tokyo Dome City Hall
1. Princess Of Princess Title: Shoko Nakajima (c) Vs Yuka Sakazaki
Max The Impaler is coming back to Japan for this show! They left a big impression on Tokyo Joshi Pro earlier this month so there is already anticipation for their return.
DDT “NEVER MIND 2022”, 29/12/2022 Tokyo Dome City Hall
DDT ends the year of their 25th Anniversary with a first time show in Tokyo Dome City Hall. They appointed LiLiCo to be the special ambassador for the event and she proposed DDT will give full ticket refunds to anyone who finds the show boring. She is also trying to convince DDT to let her take part in an Anal Explosion ceremony.
DDT “WRESTLE PETER PAN 2022”, 20/08/2022 Tokyo Ota Ward Gymnasium 1,250 Fans – No Vacancy
1. Yusuke Okada, Yuya Koroku & Ilusion defeated Toi Kojima, Yuki Ishida & Takeshi Masada when Koroku submitted Ishida with a Modified Strangle Hold (9:11).
2. 3 Way 6-Man Tag Match: Yuki “Sexy” Iino, Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno & Koju “Shining Ball” Takeda (w/ Yumehito “Fantastic” Imanari) defeated Yuji Hino, Yukio Naya & Super Sasadango Machine and Toru Owashi, Kazuki Hirata & Antonio Honda by TKO after Pheromones knocked out Hirata with the Sexy Bay Bridge (12:18).
3. Special 6-Man Tag Match: HARASHIMA, Yukio Sakaguchi & Hideki Okatani defeated Naomi Yoshimura, Kota Umeda & Keisuke Okuda when HARASHIMA pinned Yoshimura with the Somato (12:44).
4. Shinichiro Kawamatsu Debut Match ~ Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly Member Vs Bunkyo Ward Assembly Member: Osamu Nishimura, Makoto Oishi & Akito defeated Shinichiro Kawamatsu, Sanshiro Takagi & Soma Takao when Nishimura submitted Kawamatsu with a Figure 4 Leg Lock (14:47).
5. Special Mixed Tag Match: Jun Akiyama & Saki Akai defeated Chris Brookes & Asuka when Akai submitted Asuka with an Arm Triangle Choke (15:21).
6. DDT Extreme Title – Special Hardcore Match: Joey Janela (c) defeated Shunma Katsumata with the Death Valley Driver from the Ladder through the Table and Barbed Wire Board (18:56). *V1 for Joey Janela.
7. DDT Universal Title: Yuki Ueno defeated Masahiro Takanashi (c) with the WR (14:26). *Masahiro Takanashi fails in V2. Yuki Ueno becomes the 8th DDT Universal Champion!
8. DDT 25th Anniversary Special 6-Man Tag Match: Konosuke Takeshita, MAO & Yasu Urano defeated Dick Togo, Daisuke Sasaki & KANON (w/ MJ Paul & Minoru Fujita) when Takeshita pinned KANON with the Jumping Knee (20:41).
9. KO-D Openweight Title: Kazusada Higuchi (c) defeated Tetsuya Endo with the Brain Claw Slam (25:24). *V1 for Kazusada Higuchi.
The DDT flag is firmly in Kazusada Higuchi’s grasp after today and there can be no denying he is deserving to hold the KO-D Openweight Title. His first defence was against the previous champion Tetsuya Endo, who vacated the belt after suffering a concussion earlier in the summer. Endo threw everything he had to try and win the belt back. Higuchi held firm and delivered his own big bombs like a Brain Claw Slam throwing Endo from the top turnbuckle onto the ring apron. Later Endo looked to be on the verge of getting knocked out only for Higuchi to demand he show his determination and get back up. Endo was able to answer the ten count but was smashed with more Lariats and collisions until he was pinned with another Brain Claw Slam.
Kenta Kobashi presented the KO-D Title to Higuchi and congratulated him after the match. He also shook hands with Endo only for Endo to collapse in front of him. While Endo was helped out of the ring, Higuchi called out to him and said after so much has happened, they both stood together in the ring. Higuchi won today but he looks forward to facing Endo again. Backstage Endo admits he was completely defeated and has now been surpassed. Higuchi is the true 79th KO-D Champion.
Higuchi was then approached by Hisaya Imabayashi. The GM told him the next KO-D Title defence is scheduled for 25th September and then asked if he would like to nominate a challenger. Higuchi did not hesitate and chose Konosuke Takeshita! He would later explain he cannot become the symbol of DDT’s strength if he cannot beat him. Takeshita walked down to the ring and simply said “Let’s fight, Higuchi” before leaving. Backstage Takeshita noted he has never fought Higuchi in a KO-D Title match. He would like to win the title again before continuing his American excursion. He sees it as bringing the KO-D Title home to him rather than taking it over to the USA. Higuchi closed out the show thanking the fans for coming out and creating a good turnout. A lot is still going wrong in the world but everyone in DDT is fighting no matter the difficulties so their fans will have the courage to stand up and push forward.
Takeshita’s return to the title picture was set up in the main event when he got the winning fall. The odds were against him and his team because DAMNATION T.A worked well teaming with Dick Togo. He and Daisuke Sasaki even moved in stereo when they both performed Crossfaces at the same time and then Pedigrees at the same time. MJ Paul and Minoru Fujita also got involved so the numbers game was in DAMNATION’s favour. Takeshita did his best to fight back by blocking Togo’s chair shot only to get hit with another chair from Sasaki. However, the difference in levels between Takeshita and KANON was soon on show when the K-Spike was blocked and KANON was smashed with an Elbow Strike. Takeshita found the opening to hit the Jumping Knee and that was all he needed to get the three count.
After the match Takeshita said he’s only been gone for four months but it’s been the hardest working four months of his entire career. DDT is his home and his goal is to become the best wrestler in the world as a DDT wrestler! He credited his partners for their work today. MAO with his high flying and Yasu Urano with his Socrates-like attitude (Urano found it funny that was all Takeshita could come up with to describe him). Sasaki admits Takeshita has gotten a little stronger by wrestling in America but cannot tell if he’s changed as a person. He also warned today is not the only time you will see DAMNATION T.A and House Of Torture working together! Whenever Sasaki and Togo team up, bad things will happen. However Togo wasn’t as dark with his thoughts and said he’ll come back to DDT at 60 years old wrestling in red tights just like Giant Baba.
Masahiro Takanashi’s hopes of taking the DDT Universal Title around the world to defend against younger generations of wrestlers has been cut short. Yuki Ueno already had youth and physical ability on his side going into the match. All he had to do was figure out Takanashi’s gameplan, which he did. He found ways to block the Takatonic but only when the champion did the move. Takanashi was able to trick Daisuke Kiso into performing it on Ueno for a nearfall. Ueno himself had trouble setting up the WR but finally hit his finisher after a well placed Dropkick to win the title.
He told Takanashi that from the bottom of his heart he considers him to be a deep part of DDT’s history. With those pleasantries out of the way, Ueno then met with Imabayashi to learn about his first title defence. Ueno will put the Universal Title on the line against Cara Noir on 25th September! Noir is an English wrestler and former ballet dancer, known for his literally dramatic ring entrances and match performances. He will be coming to DDT on 18th September before getting his title shot on the 25th. Once this match happens then maybe the title can start to be defended overseas again like it was originally meant to be.
“The Bad Boy” defeats “The Happy Boy” to keep his DDT Extreme Title! A nutty Hardcore match between Joey Janela and Shunma Katsumata delivered some crazy scenes around Ota Ward Gymnasium. Janela rode on a the Dramatic Dream bicycle around ringside and got hit with a toy block covered baseball bat. Katsumata did a balcony dive through a table away from ringside. Janela jumped off a ladder barefoot and missed a Double Stomp, landing feet first onto thumbtacks and toy blocks. The big finish saw Janela give Katsumata the Death Valley Driver from the ladder through a table with a barbed wire board placed on top of it. Janela will now go back to America with the Extreme Title but he promises he will be back. He wants to become part of the DDT family and even enter the D-Oh Grand Prix. Then once he’s finished with that, he wants to go in search for a certain “Mr. Liar”, Atsushi Onita!
The Mixed Tag Match was a new experience for Jun Akiyama. He claims he didn’t feel uncomfortable wrestling with and against the women although Asuka was determined to leave her mark by fighting him. However the match came down to Asuka against Saki Akai and a Moonsault counter completely changed the result from out of nowhere. Asuka did the move and Akai caught her with an Arm Triangle Choke, keeping Asuka trapped until she gave up. It is the first time Asuka directly lost a match to Akai. Asuka slapped Akiyama across the face after the match. Akai was thankful to team with him though and wants to learn more from him. Chris Brookes said he is not angry over the result but the next time he is in the ring with Asuka will be when they face each other in a singles match on 4th September. He is already thinking of ways to win against her. Asuka warned him she has closets full of ideas about what she wants to do against him.
The politician Shinichiro Kawamatsu made his official pro wrestling debut in his full daytime suit. Well that’s not entirely true. He removed his tie before the match began. He also received a bouquet from Eriko Imai, a member of the House of Councilors. He was able to stand toe to toe against Makoto Oishi & Akito thanks to some help from Sanshiro Takagi and Soma Takao. But the real meat of the match came from Kawamatsu’s interactions with Osamu Nishimura. The ring legend held him in a Full Nelson so Akito could grab a leg and do a Dragon Screw. From there Nishimura applied the Spinning Toe Hold before turning it into a Figure 4 Leg Lock to make his fellow politician submit. After the match Nishimura told Kawamatsu he is free to ask him about pro wrestling whenever he wants, but he will not join his political party! Kawamatsu thanked him for the match and told the fans he would like to stay active in pro wrestling. Takagi later suggested they do another match with Kawamatsu and Nishimura involved but this time hold it in Bukyo Ward. In other words, he means Korakuen Hall!
Naomi Yoshimura’s big DNA reunion was spoiled thanks to HARASHIMA pinning him with the Somato. For HARASHIMA & Yukio Sakaguchi, the result shows that their generation is still good. HARASHIMA was also so happy to be wrestling in front of cheering fans again. Hideki Okatani was also pleased to wrestle against the likes of Kota Umeda & Keisuke Okuda, thinking they can bring out the best in him. Today was Okuda’s first match in DDT in around 4 years and it’s been so long since he fought an opponent who wanted to kill him. Sakaguchi is that opponent. They did a fist bump after the match rather than a handshake because they don’t want to get too buddy buddy with each other. It would only ruin the dynamic they have together. Okuda would be happy to do another match like that again if DDT wants to invite him back. Umeda said the competitive spirit he felt in that match is hard to find nowadays both in DDT and elsewhere.
Is there any united force out there that can defeat Pheromones? A team of heavyweights like Yuji Hino, Yukio Naya & Super Sasadango Machine cannot. There’s no relying on The DDT Variety Team to put a stop to them either. They’ve become unstoppable with the addition of Koju Takeda along with the return of Yumehito Imanari in their corner. That only makes them even more outlandish with their antics. Danshoku Dieno has no problem telling fans that they can blame Pheromones for everything wrong that happened today. Antonio Honda and his Gongitsune was powerless while Toru Owashi was thrown into the Triple Hell Gate. Kazuki Hirata became everyone’s last hope with the power of dance but even that wasn’t enough. Pheromones won the 3 Way Match by total destruction. Dieno then gave a victory speech telling everyone that Pheromones will rewrite DDT and turn it into a world of stupidity!
The opening match featured a mix of wrestlers from BURNING as well as the new generation of DDT. Yuya Koroku felt motivated by the atmosphere created by the crowd and it spurned him on to win the match for his team. Ilusion felt the same. Tomorrow will be the one year anniversary of his debut so he wants to spend the next year wrestling more and getting stronger. Yusuke Okada thought the match was really good and did its job to get the fans excited for the rest of the show. Yuki Ishida was upset to take the fall and blames it on being a bit lax with is preparation. Toi Kojima is feeling the pressure to stand out more now that there are even more young and new wrestlers entering the company. This was Takeshi Masada’s second match and he admitted he still doesn’t know right from left while the action is going on. He thinks his lack of ability is why he was on the losing team today. He promised to train harder so his recent debut won’t be taken lightly by everyone.
LiLiCo promised everyone a big announcement for her appearance on the show. The news is DDT will be going to Tokyo Dome City Hall on 29th December for their last big event of 2022. LiLiCo will serve as the event’s special ambassador and she suggested DDT hand out full price refunds to any ticket buyer who does not enjoy the show. She also offered to take part in the Anal Explosion ceremony! Imabayashi refuses to grant her that request because it’s meant to be a punishment you do not volunteer for and he’s worried over what would happen if a woman takes part. However LiLiCo is determined to go through with it and discussions between the two parties will continue.
The D-Ou Grand Prix 2022 will be held throughout November with the final taking place on 4th December. 12 wrestlers all under the age of 40 will enter the tournament in a two block round robin format. Takagi explained that there are more wrestlers under that age competing in DDT nowadays but not been many in their 20s have competed in the D-Ou GP. Kenta Kobashi will continue his role as the chairman of the tournament committee which was established last year.
DDT “WRESTLE PETER PAN 2022”, 20/08/2022 Tokyo Ota Ward Gymnasium
1. Yusuke Okada, Yuya Koroku & Ilusion Vs Toi Kojima, Yuki Ishida & Takeshi Masada
2. 3 Way 6-Man Tag Match: Yuki “Sexy” Iino, Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno & Koju “Shining Ball” Takeda (w/ Yumehito “Fantastic” Imanari) Vs Yuji Hino, Yukio Naya & Super Sasadango Machine Vs Toru Owashi, Kazuki Hirata & Antonio Honda
3. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Naomi Yoshimura, Kota Umeda & Keisuke Okuda Vs HARASHIMA, Yukio Sakaguchi & Hideki Okatani
4. Shinichiro Kawamatsu Debut Match ~ Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly Member Vs Bunkyo Ward Assembly Member: Shinichiro Kawamatsu, Sanshiro Takagi & Soma Takao Vs Osamu Nishimura, Makoto Oishi & Akito
5. Special Mixed Tag Match: Jun Akiyama & Saki Akai Vs Chris Brookes & Asuka
6. DDT Extreme Title – Special Hardcore Match: Joey Janela (c) Vs Shunma Katsumata
7. DDT Universal Title: Masahiro Takanashi (c) Vs Yuki Ueno
8. DDT 25th Anniversary Special 6-Man Tag Match: Dick Togo, Daisuke Sasaki & KANON (w/ MJ Paul) Vs Konosuke Takeshita, MAO & Yasu Urano
9. KO-D Openweight Title: Kazusada Higuchi (c) Vs Tetsuya Endo
It’s back to Ota Ward Gymnasium for this year’s edition of “WRESTLE PETER PAN”. For what is usually one of DDT’s biggest shows of the year, things don’t feel as such this time around. For DDT it’s still a big event but against the rest of the wrestling scene, I’m not feeling it as much this year. Choosing Ota Ward is a downgrade from a usual venue choice like Sumo Hall and DDT themselves have made reference to ticket sales not being that great. The company challenged its roster to sell more tickets with better quality lunches as their rewards. The last update they gave on that was they reached the “Nori Bento” level which refers to between 775 and 1,000 tickets sold. DDT wants their attendance numbers to return to what they were before the pandemic happened. That is going to stay a tough challenge for them until Japan moves past their covid restrictions. Even then it’s hard to say if DDT can grow back their audience. You can’t entirely blame the pandemic for shrinking wrestling’s popularity in Japan when a company like Stardom is growing like crazy over there under the same environment.
This show can end up becoming a turnaround in fortunes though. Through unexpected circumstances a new wind is blowing through the company as DDT’s current two top wrestlers battle over who should be carrying the flag. The man the company was built around for the last few years has all of a sudden gained a brand new global fanbase and maybe a chunk of them will follow him back to see what DDT is like. One of the most infamous wrestlers on the American indie scene has come over wanting to carve his name into the history books. A first time mixed tag match will offer something never seen before. Actual politicians will fight each other. And if that’s not enough, LiLiCo will be there with an important news update she wants to tell everyone.
1. Yusuke Okada, Yuya Koroku & Ilusion Vs Toi Kojima, Yuki Ishida & Takeshi Masada
Some of the youngest wrestlers in DDT gather together for the opening match. And also Yusuke Okada who is only 29 years old even though some days he looks about 42. He’s the veteran base of the match while Yuya Koroku and Toi Kojima get to bring their classmate rivalry onto a big stage. Their clashes in all of the BURNING Vs The 37KAMIINA matches over the last year are fun to watch. Yuki Ishida is showing improvement with his performances and developing more fire power to make up for his lack of size. Ilusion has been used sparingly over the summer because the DDTeeeen!! project hasn’t been publicly active. The few opportunities he’s been getting are at least moving him away from his rival El Unicorn so he gets to show they are not attached by the hip. But the spotlight right now is shining brightly on Takeshi Masada. He just had his debut match after only three months of training and dazzled everyone with his performance. If he keeps in good health over the next few years (always remember that rookies break easily) DDT could have a new supernova on their hands.
2. 3 Way 6-Man Tag Match: Yuki “Sexy” Iino, Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno & Koju “Shining Ball” Takeda (w/ Yumehito “Fantastic” Imanari) Vs Yuji Hino, Yukio Naya & Super Sasadango Machine Vs Toru Owashi, Kazuki Hirata & Antonio Honda
Is 2022 the year of Pheromones? The DDT shows that allow cheering usually has that unit getting the most reactions. Maybe it’s because they still use the canned cheering for their ring announcements or maybe it’s because chanting “Sexy!” out loud while sticking out your pinky fingers is a lot of fun. One thing for sure is Pheromones has become more stronger with the latest and perhaps final addition to the unit. A perverted looking masked man began following the group around and was eventually revealed to be Koju Takeda. He appeared in DDT before and is a former KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Champion but now has a bigger presence in the company under the name Koju “Shining Ball” Takeda. He’s never been shy about showing off his physique so he is a perfect fit for Pheromones, perhaps filling in the gaps that Yuki Iino and Danshoku Dieno could not fill. Was that meant to be written as a double entendre? You tell me.
The other two teams in this match can’t help but look plain in comparison. Yuji Hino & Yukio Naya have spent over a year bonding as a tag team and working together under the ONLY WE banner. It’s given Naya the ability to finally start climbing up the ladder and reach even a little bit of the potential that others see in him. Super Sasadango Machine is an odd third man to be on that team but this is an odd match to begin with. The other trio is made up of wrestlers sometimes nicknamed The DDT Variety Team. Whenever you get Toru Owashi, Kazuki Hirata & Antonio Honda all in the same ring you are guaranteed to get some nonsense coming from them.
3. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Naomi Yoshimura, Kota Umeda & Keisuke Okuda Vs HARASHIMA, Yukio Sakaguchi & Hideki Okatani
We are getting treated to a DNA reunion on the show. The developmental brand for DDT became redundant in 2018 but many wrestlers who came from it have become regular parts of several wrestling rosters. Naomi Yoshimura was a key part of DNA’s second half of its existence and he wanted to team with two men who were a constant presence around him during his time there. His rival Kota Umeda and his ally Keisuke Okuda. Umeda is a part time wrestler with some re-appearances in DDT every now and then. But Okuda’s name being brought up is intriguing. He was once under contract to DDT for two years then left the company for DRAGONGATE. Then recently there seems to be an apparent split between the two and suddenly Okuda is back in DDT by Yoshimura’s request. Maybe it’s just a one time reunion for old time’s sake.
Whether it is or it isn’t, Okuda has another reason to come back. He’s looking for a fight with Yukio Sakaguchi, thinking he is a scared old man. In response to this, Sakaguchi’s Eruption buddy Hideki Okatani is stepping in also wanting to join in the scrap the second it kicks off. Their team needs a calming presence so maybe HARASHIMA can keep things under control with his many years of wisdom under his belt. But he and Yoshimura are on course for a KO-D Tag Team Titles match in the future and they have a lot of recent history together. If the wrong guy gets provoked here then all hell could break loose.
4. Shinichiro Kawamatsu Debut Match ~ Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly Member Vs Bunkyo Ward Assembly Member: Shinichiro Kawamatsu, Sanshiro Takagi & Soma Takao Vs Osamu Nishimura, Makoto Oishi & Akito
I don’t have a clue about Japanese politics other than Sanshiro Takagi tried it once and it left him traumatized. It seems that the wrestling bug has bitten Shinichiro Kawamatsu from the Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly after the publicity stunt where he won and defended the Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title. To show his gratitude to DDT and their fans, he decided to try and have a go as a pro wrestler for real. Finding time to train in between his political duties, Kawamatsu is having his official debut match against another politician. One who knows the wrestling ring very well.
Osamu Nishimura has been wrestling for over 31 years but his main priority nowadays is his council work in his hometown of Bunkyo Ward. There is a friendly link between the two in the lead up to the match because Kawamatsu is a longtime fan of Nishimura. Kawamatsu is even focusing his wrestling training on matwork specifically because he wants to fight against Nishimura’s Muga style of pro wrestling. The soft political atmosphere of the match is inspiring Soma Takao because it is taking place in his hometown of Ota Ward. It may end up spurring him on into campaigning for a seat on the Ota Ward Council in the future. Makoto Oishi & Akito will be there to provide more challenges for Kawamatsu. They should be eager to impress Nishimura in the process too.
5. Special Mixed Tag Match: Jun Akiyama & Saki Akai Vs Chris Brookes & Asuka
Jun Akiyama’s time as a coach in DDT has been invaluable to those who are learning from him. It’s worked out so well that Saki Akai asked him to team with her on this show so she can become a stronger wrestler. Akiyama accepted her request as long as she knew he will treat her no differently to any other wrestler in DDT. When it was decided they were going to get a Mixed Tag Match, Chris Brookes & Asuka was chosen to be their opponents. It will be the first time Akiyama takes part in a Mixed Tag Match. Asuka teased him at a press conference saying she has a good reputation as an opponent for first timers and she’ll be one woman he will never forget!
The whole match has Asuka feeling pretty confident. She has never lost to Akai before and is certain it won’t happen anytime soon. Still, she is encouraging her opponents to work hard together so she will get a good challenge out of them. Akai gave Asuka’s comments a lot of thought. She thinks all wrestlers walk their own paths. Akai’s path may be slower than Asuka’s or maybe it is just a detour. She isn’t going to stay feeling sorry for herself when she has a chance to learn from Akiyama. Brookes is excited about the match because it is a fresh experience for everyone involved. He has previously fought against Asuka in tag matches but they can start something brand new when they team together. Brookes even thinks a new history will begin if Asuka gets the pinfall on Akiyama!
6. DDT Extreme Title – Special Hardcore Match: Joey Janela (c) Vs Shunma Katsumata
It’s “The Bad Boy” against “The Happy Boy”! Joey Janela’s tour of DDT has been two years in the making after his constant viral wrestling matches caught Takagi’s attention. Little appetizers were put together in the meantime with Yoshihiko and the Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title being sent over to America for Janela to interact with. When the time came for Janela to finally visit Japan, he wasted no time in making an impact by winning the DDT Extreme Title in the infamous IPPON Lighttube Death Match. A Hardcore Match against Shunma Katsumata was already scheduled before his title win so it is now even more important with the championship stakes being added. Katsumata has developed his own hardcore style in DDT but how different is it to anything that Janela has experienced before? The American has experienced death matches in many forms from violent to wacky. Janela’s goal is to become the greatest foreign wrestler ever in DDT. That’s a tall task given those who previously called the company their Japanese home promotion. But hey, if Janela didn’t have the guts to aim high he wouldn’t have achieved so much in his crazy career. I mean he has a match against Ernest “The Cat” Miller coming up in GCW soon. What if that ends up becoming a DDT Extreme Title match?
7. DDT Universal Title: Masahiro Takanashi (c) Vs Yuki Ueno
The DDT Universal Title is on the line in a battle between old and new generations of DDT. When Masahiro Takanashi won the title he wanted to do two things. Travel the world with the championship because that is the original point of the title and defend it against all of the younger wrestlers who have stepped up over the last two years while he was out injured. He’s barely gotten started and already he has a high wall in the form of Yuki Ueno standing in his way. The former Universal Champion wants the belt back so he can make DDT more exciting in his own way. The build up consisted of Ueno standing tall in the warmup matches and Takanashi being in physical positions where he has no choice but to look up at his challenger. Even though Takanashi is the champion, he is coming into the match looking like the underdog. But that’s always been the story with him. He wouldn’t be Masahiro Takanashi if he didn’t have to climb up from the bottom each and every time.
8. DDT 25th Anniversary Special 6-Man Tag Match: Dick Togo, Daisuke Sasaki & KANON (w/ MJ Paul) Vs Konosuke Takeshita, MAO & Yasu Urano
Did you ever hear the saying it takes an artist ten years to become an overnight success? It kind of feels like that here. This summer the entire wrestling world fell in love with Konosuke Takeshita. In return he fell in love with America and also Cinnabon. Mostly Cinnabon. Almost entirely Cinnabon. He won’t stop eating their food. Anyway, his excursion to America for both AEW and the independent scene led to rave reviews across the board and even sparked a lot of gossip about his future. Should AEW try to sign him full time and throw him further into their murderer’s row of main eventers? Will a reinvigorated WWE poach him in their search for a new Japanese superstar to add to their roster? How never ending can the line of indie wrestlers wanting to challenge him become? All of a sudden DDT better be careful not to lose the supernova they’ve spent the last decade building their company around because he is very quickly becoming an attraction overseas. He’s back in Japan for two months before continuing his excursion so DDT are putting together some attraction matches for him while he is home.
The attraction here is the return of Dick Togo to DDT. The man has done it all in wrestling from all angles, from being revered for his skills to being despised for his role in with House Of Torture over in New Japan. It looks like Togo is coming to DDT under his normal guise but he always liked to cheat anyway. Plus he is siding with DAMNATION T.A and expecting clean play to come out of them is foolish. Togo is one of the few people who can get Daisuke Sasaki somewhat motivated to improve himself. The timing is right for that to happen here because Sasaki is going to be Takeshita’s opponent for his 10th Anniversary match next month. That’s not all. MJ Paul will be at ringside as the wild card and there is also KANON who has been really promising so far since his entry into DDT. Takeshita has MAO & Yasu Urano to make up a talented trio but can they mesh together as well as DAMNATION T.A can? If they don’t then Takeshita will wish he was back in the states tucking into another Center Of The Roll.
9. KO-D Openweight Title: Kazusada Higuchi (c) Vs Tetsuya Endo
One slap earlier this year created a butterfly effect resulting in a new turbulent wind blowing across DDT. The main event of this year’s “WRESTLE PETER PAN” was probably always supposed to be Kazusada Higuchi Vs Tetsuya Endo but the roles they are in and how we got there is very different. In March Endo walked out of Sumo Hall as the new KO-D Openweight Champion and the man to carry DDT forward. That only lasted until June thanks to the slap heard around the world. A DDT Vs NOAH inter-promotional match at “CYBERFIGHT FESTIVAL 2022” prematurely ended when Katsuhiko Nakajima knocked out Endo with a slap across the face after an awkward exchange where neither looked to be on the same page with the other. The aftermath was disastrous for DDT. Intentional or not, their champion was easily defeated on the big stage for the entire world to see. Even worse, Endo was now out of action with a concussion and a decision was made for him to vacate his championship while he recovered. DDT needed a new flag bearer and quickly went to work setting that person up.
DDT was at least able to get the timing right with their backup plan. The King Of DDT tournament was next on the schedule after “CYBERFIGHT FESTIVAL 2022” and the vacant KO-D Title was now up for grabs. Higuchi literally waved the DDT flag in Saitama Super Arena and made it clear he was the best choice to lead the promotion in Endo’s absence. He spent his 8 year career struggling to win the KO-D Title and finally achieved his goal by winning the tournament. His victory was a crowning moment both literally and symbolically because he was given the flag once more to represent his emergence as DDT’s strongest wrestler. That was when the new wind started blowing. Higuchi left his unit Eruption to form Harimao with Yoshimura. He also called out his first challenger… Tetsuya Endo!
Endo recovered from his concussion and wanted his return to the ring to be a fresh restart. He accepted the knockout he suffered counts as a loss no matter how you look at it. It wasn’t his intention to immediately return to challenging for the KO-D Title but once Higuchi called him out, he couldn’t resist. Also Endo feels the need to repay his fans for their continued support by becoming the champion again. He answered by throwing out his own title challenge to Higuchi just because it is tradition for the contender to approach the champion instead of vice versa. He went to get advice from Kenta Kobashi like he always does before his important matches. Kobashi’s advice to him was he needs to be angry more and should use the injury as fuel for that. That may be for another story to be told on another day though. This weekend Endo’s focus needs to be on Higuchi and just Higuchi. He has a winning singles record against him but only just. In their previous six singles matches together Endo has three wins, Higuchi has two and there was a Double KO between them. Whoever wins this 7th battle will carry the DDT flag from here on out!
Posted by JamieOD 
Dramatic DDT 