DDT “MISSION IN BATTLE ~SHINSHUN KENRAN~” Results

January 25, 2026

DDT “MISSION IN BATTLE ~SHINSHUN KENRAN~”, 25/01/2026
Tokyo Korakuen Hall
??? Fans – Unannounced

1. Special Single Match: Shinya Aoki Vs Junta Miyawaki ended in a Time Limit Draw (15:00).
2. Ryuma Tsukamoto, Daichi Sato, Yuki Ishida, Ilusion & Kazuma Sumi defeated Takeshi Masada, Yuya Koroku, Yuni, Rukiya & Hinata Kasai when Sato pinned Masada with the PL (6:10).
3. Naomi Yoshimura & Kumadori defeated Hideki Okatani & MJ Paul when Yoshimura pinned Paul with the Harai-goshi (7:59).
4. Special 6-Man Tag Match ~ Yoshihiko Return Match: Minoru Suzuki, Danshoku Dieno & Yoshihiko defeated Super Sasadango Machine, Kazuki Hirata & Antonio Honda when Dieno pinned Hirata with the Gaydo Clutch (0:06).
4a. Rematch: Minoru Suzuki, Danshoku Dieno & Yoshihiko defeated Super Sasadango Machine, Kazuki Hirata & Antonio Honda when Suzuki submitted Sasadango with an Arm Lock (0:05).
4b. Rematch: Minoru Suzuki, Danshoku Dieno & Yoshihiko defeated Super Sasadango Machine, Kazuki Hirata & Antonio Honda when Yoshihiko pinned Hirata with the Reincarnation (5:23).
5. Special Tag Match: KONOSUKE TAKESHITA & Jun Akiyama defeated HARASHIMA & To-y when Takeshita pinned To-y with the Wagamama (12:40).
6. KO-D Tag Team Titles: MAO & KANON (c) (w/ KIMIHIRO) defeated Yuki Iino & Yukio Naya when KANON pinned Iino with the GURU-GURU Driver (15:35).
*V3 for STRANGE LOVE CONNECTION.
7. KO-D Openweight Title & DDT Universal Title – Irregular 3 Way Match: Yuki Ueno (c/c) Vs Daisuke Sasaki Vs Chris Brookes
7a. DDT Universal Title: Daisuke Sasaki defeated Yuki Ueno (c) and Chris Brookes when Sasaki submitted Brookes with the Crossface Lock (16:14).
*Yuki Ueno fails in V2. Daisuke Sasaki becomes the 20th DDT Universal Champion!
7b. KO-D Openweight Title: Yuki Ueno (c) defeated Daisuke Sasaki and Chris Brookes when Ueno pinned Sasaki with the WR (10:05).
*V5 for Yuki Ueno.

Double the danger, double the fun. Yuki Ueno had two potential challengers gunning him down for his championships so he decided to put the DDT Universal Title and the KO-D Openweight Title on the line one at a time in an unusual main event. It was a 3 Way Match consisting of two falls. The first had Ueno defending the Universal Title. Daisuke Sasaki wanted to form an alliance with Chris Brookes but it was short lived. Ueno was still at a disadvantage because his injured left leg was targeted by both challengers. Sasaki also had DAMNATION T.A in his corner and despite the other’s attempts to wipe them all out, they became a key factor for how the first fall ended. Sasaki got Brookes trapped in the Crossface Lock and DAMNATION T.A all grabbed onto Ueno to stop him from breaking the hold. Brookes had no choice but to tap out and Sasaki became the new Universal Champion!

Sasaki wasted no time when the second fall began and the KO-D Title became up for grabs. He immediately Speared Ueno through the ropes to the floor then returned to the ring to put Brookes back into the Crossface Lock. Brookes was able to escape and wound up double teaming Ueno with Sasaki by giving the KO-D Champ the Doomsday Device/Double Impact. Ueno got Brookes into the Blackout Sleeper but Ilusion distracted the ref so Sasaki could break the hold with a chair. Ueno got his own back when he turned Sasaki’s standing Crossface attempt on Brookes into the WR that flipped over both men. Ueno’s leg injury almost cost him the KO-D Title because he slipped while climbing the top turnbuckle. Brookes tried to pin Sasaki but both then got squashed by a Frog Splash from Ueno. Brookes was thrown out of the ring and Ueno had no one to stop him from pinning Sasaki with the WR to win the fall and remain KO-D Champion.

Ueno placed the Universal Title in front of Sasaki after the match and admitted he was disappointed overall because he lost one of his championships. He is now even more determined to keep defending the KO-D Title to make up for it. His next defence will be at DDT’s 29th Anniversary show on 22nd March. KIMIHIRO walked out to interrupt Ueno but it was just so he could introduce the man who wants to take DDT’s top spot, KANON! After he entered the ring, KANON explained he’s been with DDT for four years now and every day his love for the company grows. He understands Ueno is feeling a little heartbroken at the moment but he wants to be his next challenger. Ueno accepted the challenge because KANON still sees him as the pinnacle of DDT. However Ueno still remembers everything KANON did to him when he was a member of DAMNATION T.A so he expects KANON to bring everything he’s learned over the last four years into the match. They shook hands until KANON suddenly Clotheslined Ueno! His final message today is he is just that little bit stronger than Ueno. Backstage KANON explained to reporters that the first opponent to beat him after he joined DDT was Ueno so this challenge is going to be his revenge for what happened four years ago!

The show turned out to be a significant one for Strange Love Connection as a whole. They were able to defend the KO-D Tag Team Titles against The Apex and then absorbed the team into their group! Yuki Iino’s recent obsession over MAO couldn’t give him the extra edge in the end. He was able to Spear MAO after seeing Yukio Naya take the Michinoku Driver II but KANON knocked him down with a Lariat and then pinned him with the GURU-GURU Driver. KIMIHIRO and Yuzuki Hoshimoto were both there to congratulate the champs for a job well done after the match.

After the match, KANON told everyone that both teams have been acting like idiots for the last month in order to try and out-do each other. What he learned from this is that idiots are strong people and for that The Apex have earned his respect. Iino called that the ultimate compliment and even though he lost the match, he has now grown to love MAO & KANON! He then asked Naya if they could join SLC? MAO instantly agreed and started to wonder if Iino & Naya should now be called The Apex from STRANGE LOVE CONNECTION (just like THE RAMPAGE from EXILE TRIBE)? Even if they just remain as The Apex, SLC has now upgraded into becoming a unit and they now all want it to become the strongest not only in DDT but the entire pro wrestling world! That’s not all, MAO revealed backstage that he was already planning on introducing a new SLC member next month. He didn’t expect to add two new members today but now SLC is going to become a 5-Man unit! The fifth man will be revealed on 22nd February.

Plans had to change when Kaisei Takechi got a case of pink eye and was unable to wrestle on this show. His role in the big tag match now had to be filled by To-y. He took on the challenge with gusto, bringing the fight to both Konosuke Takeshita & Jun Akiyama while having HARASHIMA help out as his tag partner. Takeshita & Akiyama didn’t shy away from giving him a bashing but that led to To-y finding his inner fire and fighting back, scoring a nearfall on Takeshita with the Kojima Impact. Takeshita put a stop to that with the Last Ride counter of the Kojima In Wonderland followed by a Double Knee Strike with Akiyama. To-y kicked out of that along with the big Elbow Strike afterwards so Takeshita had to hit him with the Wagamama to put To-y away. Later To-y said he wants to keep on fighting even if he may never get another chance to face Takeshita again. But if it does happen he knows he can beat him! Takeshita told him that meeting Akiyama played a role in his current success and he wouldn’t be where he is today without him. So he understands how important it was for To-y to fight him today. He believes To-y will one day inherit his strength just like how he inherited Akiyama’s.

I regret to inform everyone that the “Suzuki Incident” of 2021 was repeated today. While Minoru Suzuki was making his entrance for his match, Danshoku Dieno and Kazuki Hirata jumped the gun and began to wrestle. Dieno then immediately pinned Hirata with the Gaydo Clutch to end the match before Suzuki could even make it to the ring apron. Hisaya Imabayashi was understandably mad because the fans couldn’t sing along to “Kaze Ni Nare”. Suzuki was also annoyed because his entrance was going to take up 80% of the match anyway. The match restarted so Suzuki could do his entrance but this time Super Sasadango Machine tried to jump him. Suzuki immediately pulled him into an Arm Lock to make Sasadango tap out. Now Imabayashi was upset the match ended before Yoshihiko could make it to the ring. He even dared to get into an argument with Suzuki over it without backing down! Another restart took place so Yoshihiko could make an entrance and it even stopped Suzuki from immediately beating Antonio Honda. The match then continued with Dieno and Honda’s usual comedy until Yoshihiko pinned Hirata with the Reincarnation. Suzuki then dragged Yoshihiko along the floor as he left ringside. He remembers beating this thing half to death in Las Vegas almost a year ago. Dieno explained that Suzuki and Yoshihiko are linked together because they understand each other so well. Suzuki doesn’t believe him.

Meanwhile Imabayashi wanted Hirata to stay behind in the ring because he had an announcement to make. Hirata is going to have a singles match with Takeshita on 22nd March! Hirata was not happy with the announcement but talked himself into taking the match. If Takeshita the worldwide star wants to wrestle him then Hirata from Adachi Ward will be ready! He is sure Takeshita will beat him many times over but he promises he will make it hard for Takeshita to do so.

Although Kumadori has settled his feud with Ilusion, he is back in DDT to wrestle DAMNATION T.A some more. Ilusion was still there to give Hideki Okatani & MJ Paul a helping hand. Okatani also attacked Naomi Yoshimura with his bamboo stick until Kumadori came to save the day. With the coast clear, Yoshimura recovered to throw Paul over with the Harai-goshi to put the cheaters back in their place.

To-y being bumped up to the Special Tag Match meant the 10-Man tag was slightly changed. Ryoma Tsukamoto took his place to keep it within the D GENERATIONS scope. The match also featured Irish referee Niall Fox as the official for the match. What’s he doing over there? Anyway the match had NωA Jr. members Kazuma Sumi and Yuni face off against each other, Yuki Ishida pushing others around with his sumo moves, Rukiya trying to give Ilusion the Protobomb, Ilusion attacking Hinata Kasai with a chair and Yuya Koroku then knocking out Ilusion with an Elbow Strike. The match came down to Takeshi Masada and Daichi Sato where Sato caught Masada with the Fire Thunder and then pin him out of nowhere with a Penalty Kick. Backstage Tsukamoto predicted Sato will go on to win the D GENERATIONS CUP completely undefeated.

Not only did Junta Miyawaki got to wrestle his idol Shinya Aoki but he went the distance against him too. They fought to a 15 minute draw in the opening match that was built around joint locks and pinning attempts. After a few close calls, Miyawaki hit a dive out of the ring and got to counter a Sleeper Hold into a Modified Sunshine Driver. Aoki turned the pinfall over though to continue the back and forth action until he was put in a Crab Hold and had to fight to reach the ropes. The two then fought over the Aoki Clutch for the final moments of the match before the bell rang. Miyawaki said he was able to absorb a lot from Aoki today and he still looks up to him despite slapping away Aoki’s handshake in frustration after the match. Aoki praised him for having incredible spirit and determination. He wonders why wrestlers as good as they are were put in the opener? They need to aim higher because he thinks they’re not the kind of wrestlers to be curtain jerking.


What’s Going On Everywhere Else?

January 14, 2026

One good thing about Maki Itoh joining Stardom is I no longer have to write about GCW so much at the start of every month.

BASARA “BASARA 297 ~UTAGE~”, 16/01/2026
Shin-Kiba 1st RING

1. Takeru Inoue Vs Ryuma Sekimo
2. Daichi Kazato Vs Ayumu Honda
3. Ryota Nakatsu & Takato Nakano Vs Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi & Tsutomu Oosugi
4. FUMA & Masato Kamino Vs Shuji Ishikawa & Yasu Urano
5. Takumi Tsukamoto, Daiki Shimomura & Banana Senga Vs SAGAT, Lil’ Kraken & Minoru Fujita

The first BASARA show of the year has a few preview matches for their upcoming title bouts. Also Ryuma Sekimo from Big Japan will be taking part in the opener against BASARA’s rookie Takeru Inoue.

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “THE 6TH “FUTARI WA PRINCESS” MAX HEART TOURNAMENT”, 17/01/2026
Yokohama Radiant Hall

1. Miu Watanabe, Rika Tatsumi & Sara Phoenix Vs Yuki Kamifuku, Wakana Uehara & Toga
2. Yuki Aino, Haru Kazashiro & Mahiro Kiryu Vs Suzume, Arisu Endo & Shion Kanzaki
3. “Futari wa Princess” Max Heart Tournament – Round 1D: HIMAWARI & Shino Suzuki Vs Yuki Arai & Mifu Ashida
4. “Futari wa Princess” Max Heart Tournament – Round 1C: Raku & Ren Konatsu Vs Max The Impaler & Pom Harajuku
5. “Futari wa Princess” Max Heart Tournament – Round 1B: Kira Summer & Chika Nanase Vs Mizuki & Uta Takami
6. “Futari wa Princess” Max Heart Tournament – Round 1A: Shoko Nakajima & Hyper Misao Vs Miyu Yamashita & Kaya Toribami

The Max Heart Tournament kicks off later this week. Also during this period, Sara Phoenix from Chile will be touring with Tokyo Joshi Pro up until the end of February.

BASARA “BASARA 298 ~10TH ANNIVERSARY SHOW~”, 31/01/2026
Shinjuku FACE

1. Daichi Kazato Vs X
2. GRACE PROJECT Offer Match: Tomoya Hirata, Captain Grace & Violento Jack Vs Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi, Tsutomu Oosugi & Banana Senga
3. Ryuichi Sekine, Takato Nakano & Masato Kamino Vs Ryota Nakatsu, Naomi Yoshimura & Yuki Ishida
4. Isami Kodaka & Takeru Inoue Vs Minoru Fujita & Yasu Urano
5. Iron Fist Tag Team Titles: Takumi Tsukamoto & Daiki Shimomura (c) Vs SAGAT & Lil’ Kraken
6. Union MAX Title: Shuji Ishikawa (c) Vs FUMA

The Union MAX Title is throwing itself back to its origins now that Shuji Ishikawa is the new champion. His first challenger is FUMA who has held the title both in Union Pro and in BASARA. Ishikawa joked they should bring back an old Union gimmick and have this be a 1,000 Roses Death Match for old time’s sake. He’s taking things a bit more seriously after FUMA said he hunts down boars that are heavier than Ishikawa.

When it comes to dominant factions in BASARA, the Super Family has not been one of them. But they’ve become tenacious enough to earn SAGAT & Lil’ Kraken a shot at the Iron Fist Tag Team Titles. The new champs Takumi Tsukamoto & Daiki Shimomura don’t want to lose the belts to anybody and they especially don’t want to lose to the Super Family!

As he promised a while back, Isami Kodaka returns from his absence in time for BASARA’s anniversary.

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “THE 6TH “FUTARI WA PRINCESS” MAX HEART TOURNAMENT”, 14/02/2026
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

1. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title: Mahiro Kiryu (c) Vs Aja Kong
2. International Princess Title: MIRAI (c) Vs Toga
3. “Futari wa Princess” Max Heart Tournament – Final: X & X Vs X & X

The prodigal daughter of TJPW MIRAI has come back to win the International Princess Title that was beyond her grasp in the past. Now she’s looking to the future where she sees an opponent with a similar smash heavy style as hers waiting to challenge her. Toga wants to show everyone she can get the job done without needing help from Yuna Manase or anyone else so she was the first one to ask MIRAI for a title shot.

The Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title just can’t get away from Mahiro Kiryu. Every time she loses the belt, fate makes sure she finds a way to win it back. She now has a pinfall over Aja Kong because of this but that means Kong now wants to fight Kiryu one on one! She knows she can easily take the belt from her whenever she wants but she has enough pride to do it in the ring with a proper wrestling match. The bout will still go ahead if Kiryu loses the title to someone else beforehand.

The two title matches booked for this show are why Toga and Kiryu are not competing in this year’s Max Heart Tournament.

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “GRAND PRINCESS ’26”, 29/03/2026
Tokyo Ryogoku Kokugikan

1. Special Tag Match: Yuka Sakazaki & KONOSUKE TAKESHITA Vs X & X
2. Princess Of Princess Title: Miu Watanabe (c) Vs Yuki Arai

Second time’s the charm for Yuki Arai. She avenged her squash to Miyu Yamashita in the recent 6-Woman Elimination match and will now get to face Miu Watanabe for the Princess Of Princess Title. She couldn’t win the belt at Ota Ward Gymnasium last year but can she do it in Sumo Hall this year?

There are so many ways the Special Tag Match can go. It will be Konosuke Takeshita’s first time wrestling in TJPW (he was meant to be part of their US debut in 2020 but that show was cancelled due to covid) and he will be teaming up with his wife Yuka Sakazaki to make it a bigger deal. Their opponents have not been announced yet. The recent news of Shingo Takagi & Natsupoi led to some jokes about them being the other team in a battle of the happy couples. I think enough time has passed that the issue Sakazaki had with Natsupoi leaving TJPW years ago is now water under the bridge. The opponents are likely another mixed pair tag team though, one that doesn’t have to be romantically attached to each other.

The current list of guests who will wrestle on the show are Sareee, Lei Ying Lee, Aja Kong, Andreza Giant Panda and Minimo-chan with Mari Yaguchi accompanying it. Also Max The Impaler will be at the show.


Catching Up On DDT

January 14, 2026

I’m mostly back on track with everything. A show report here and there still needs to be written about. The big lesson I’ve learned from my Japan trip is not to go on holiday if I come back needing to catch up on fifteen different shows.

DDT “DRAMATIC DREAM TAMAGAWA IN BOAT RACE TAMAGAWA”, 15/01/2026
Tokyo BOAT RACE Tamagawa

1. Sanshiro Takagi & Junta Miyawaki Vs Tomomitsu Matsunaga & Hinata Kasai
2. Chris Brookes, HARASHIMA & Kazuki Hirata Vs Danshoku Dieno, Akito & Pokotan
3. Tokyo Joshi Pro Wrestling Offer Match: Aja Kong & Yuki Kamifuku Vs Shoko Nakajima & Chika Nanase
4. MAO, KANON (w/ KIMIHIRO) & Kazuma Sumi Vs Naomi Yoshimura, Takeshi Masada & Yuki Ishida
5. Jun Akiyama, To-y & Yuya Koroku Vs Yuki Iino, Yukio Naya & Rukiya

Pro wrestling is really getting into boat racing lately, huh? DDT (with a little bit of Tokyo Joshi Pro) is the latest promotion to spend a day at a lake holding wrestling matches and throwing in some other activities to keep the crowd occupied in between the races.

DDT “SATURDAY CHINATOWN”, 17/01/2026
Yokohama Radiant Hall

1. Danshoku Dieno, Antonio Honda & Akito Vs Kazuki Hirata, Takeshi Masada & Rukiya
2. D GENERATIONS CUP 2026 – A Block: Daichi Sato (2) Vs Ilusion (0)
3. D GENERATIONS CUP 2026 – A Block: To-y (2) Vs Yuki Ishida (2)
4. Special 8-Man Tag Match: Sanshiro Takagi, Jun Akiyama, Shinya Aoki & Tomomitsu Matsunaga Vs Naomi Yoshimura, Ryoma Tsukamoto, Kazuma Sumi & Hinata Kasai
5. Special 6-Man Tag Match: MAO, KANON (w/ KIMIHIRO) & Junta Miyawaki Vs Yuki Iino, Yukio Naya & Yuya Koroku
6. DAMNATION T.A Vs FANTÔMES DRAMATIC!: Daisuke Sasaki & Hideki Okatani Vs Chris Brookes & HARASHIMA

Some of the upcoming DDT shows have to change their lineups a little bit because Yuki Ueno has a calf injury and cannot wrestle. He is still appearing at the events but isn’t allowed to do much physically. He should be good to go for Korakuen Hall at the end of the month but DDT aren’t going to take any chances on him right now.

DDT “MISSION IN BATTLE ~SHINSHUN KENRAN~”, 25/01/2026
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

1. Hideki Okatani & MJ Paul Vs Naomi Yoshimura & Kumadori
2. D GENERATIONS CUP 2006 Special 10-Man Tag Match: To-y, Daichi Sato, Yuki Ishida, Ilusion & Kazuma Sumi Vs Takeshi Masada, Yuya Koroku, Yuni, Rukiya & Hinata Kasai
3. Special 6-Man Tag Match ~ Yoshihiko Return Match: Minoru Suzuki, Danshoku Dieno & Yoshihiko Vs Super Sasadango Machine, Kazuki Hirata & Antonio Honda
4. Special Single Match: Shinya Aoki Vs Junta Miyawaki
5. Special Tag Match: KONOSUKE TAKESHITA & Jun Akiyama Vs HARASHIMA & Kaisei Takechi
6. KO-D Tag Team Titles: MAO & KANON (c) (w/ KIMIHIRO) Vs Yuki Iino & Yukio Naya
7. KO-D Openweight Title & DDT Universal Title – Irregular 3 Way Match: Yuki Ueno (c/c) Vs Daisuke Sasaki Vs Chris Brookes

Big plans are in store for Kaisei Takechi’s next couple of matches in DDT. First up he and HARASHIMA will be teaming up to face the mighty team of Konosuke Takeshita & Jun Akiyama! This is the strongest pair of wrestlers DDT could find for Takechi and he appreciates being given such a tough challenge.

The newcomer Junta Miyawaki is quickly getting the kind of matches he’s been looking for in DDT. Someone he always wanted to wrestle is Shinya Aoki after being a fan of his since his middle school days. He has studied many of Aoki’s fighting techniques and just making the challenge has impressed Aoki with his ambition.

After a four month absence to deal with injuries, Yoshihiko returns to the ring hopefully feeling refreshed and having a new lease on life. Good thing it will be teaming with Minoru Suzuki and not against him.

DDT “HYBRID PERFORMER 2026 ~KAISEI TAKECHI 2ND ANNIVERSARY~”, 22/02/2026
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

1. D GENERATIONS CUP 2026 – Final: Winner Of Block A Vs Winner Of Block B
2. Kaisei Takechi 2nd Anniversary Match: Yuki Ueno Vs Kaisei Takechi

Takechi’s other big match coming up will celebrate the 2nd Anniversary of his debut. He wants to wrestle Yuki Ueno and gets that wish in February.


Takeshita, Brookes And Takechi All Lose At Wrestle Kingdom 20

January 4, 2026

NJPW “SANSEI R&D PRESENTS WRESTLE KINGDOM 20 IN TOKYO DOME – HIROSHI TANAHASHI RETIREMENT”, 01/04/2026
Tokyo Dome
46,913 Fans – Super No Vacancy Full House

0. NJPW World TV Title: El Phantasmo (c) defeated Chris Brookes with the Super Thunder Kiss ’86 (11:48).
*V6 for El Phantasmo.
1. NEVER Openweight 6-Man Tag Team Titles – Tornado Rambo: Zack Sabre Jr., Ryohei Oiwa & Hartley Jackson defeated Hirooki Goto, YOSHI-HASHI & Oleg Boltin when Sabre pinned Boltin with the European Clutch (20:43).
Order Of Elimination: Yuto-Ice/OSKAR/Clark Conners, Tiger Mask/Togi Makabe/Ryusuke Taguchi, Tomohiro Ishii/Taichi/Satoshi Kojima and Shota Umino/Yuya Uemura/Kaisei Takechi, Toru Yano/YOH/Master Wato (c), Ren Narita/SANADA/Yoshinobu Kanemaru, Hirooki Goto/YOSHI-HASHI/Oleg Boltin.
*Toru Yano, YOH & Master Wato fail in V4. TMDK become the 32nd NEVER Openweight 6-Man Tag Team Champions!
6. IWGP World Heavyweight Title & IWGP Global Heavyweight Title: Yota Tsuji (c/g) defeated KONOSUKE TAKESHITA (c/w) with a Crab Hold (29:20).
*V2 for Yota Tsuji. KONOSUKE TAKESHITA fails in V2. Yota Tsuji becomes the 15th IWGP World Heavyweight Champion!

It was all set up for DDT to hijack one of the biggest wrestling events to happen in years but in the end it was all dashed away. Oh well at least New Japan made all of the right moves to help take care of their own problems. On the day that Hiroshi Tanahashi ended his legendary wrestling career, Konosuke Takeshita was there in the semi-final of the Tokyo Dome taking part in a double championship match against Yota Tsuji. Takeshita was putting the IWGP World Heavyweight Title on the line while Tsuji was defending the IWGP Global Heavyweight Title. Instead of wearing the “blessed” kneepad from yesterday’s DDT show, Takeshita had a different costume on that included a red bandana wrapped around his arm. It was later confirmed to belong to Shinsuke Nakamura who couldn’t be there on the night. The grand battle came down to Takeshita and Tsuji charging into each other, Wagamama versus Gene Blaster. The Gene Blast won out but rather than go for the pin, Tsuji instead put Takeshita in the Crab Hold to make him tap out! Takeshita admitted defeat afterwards but knows he can get stronger and climb higher. According to him, this is just the beginning.

Kaisei Takechi’s appearance in the Tornado Rambo match turned out to be rather pointless. He got to make a big entrance along with the rest of THE RAMPAGE with a live performance of the song “BREAK IT DOWN”. However the rules of the match resulted in his team’s elimination happening in a rather uneventful manner. Yuya Uemura and Taichi eliminated each other double Battle Royal style, meaning both of their teams were taken out of the match too. It wasn’t really a good showcase for Takechi, Uemura or Shota Umino in anyway outside of THE RAMPAGE entrance. Takechi wants to team up with the others again because he regrets how little they did in the match. Then maybe after that he could fight against them too.

The pre-show match allowed Chris Brookes to bring some SCHADENFREUDE International energy into the Tokyo Dome. With the likes of Antonio Honda, Baliyan Akki, Munetatsu Nakamura and Bunbun on his side, Brookes got to pull out the rubber band spot that stretched all the way up the Tokyo Dome entrance ramp. El Phantasmo had too much fight in him though and he kicked out of the Praying Mantis Bomb. Brookes kicked out of the CRIII but ELP quickly hit him with the Super Thunder Kiss ’86 to successfully defend the NJPW World TV Title. Backstage ELP talked about how a decade ago Brookes was one of the few wrestlers to give him a hand while he was touring the UK and that always meant a lot to him. He also talked about how the health scare Brookes had last year is what led to him finding out about his own cancer diagnosis months later. For that he will be forever greatful to Brookes. He also predicts 2026 is going to be a crazy year for pro wrestling in Japan and today they got to give everyone a taste of what it could be like.


DDT “NEW YEAR☆DRAMATIC PARADE 2026 ~THE ANSWER WILL BE REVEALED ONE YEAR LATER~” Results

January 3, 2026

DDT “NEW YEAR☆DRAMATIC PARADE 2026 ~THE ANSWER WILL BE REVEALED ONE YEAR LATER~”, 03/01/2026
Tokyo Korakuen Hall
??? Fans – Unannounced

1. Junta Miyawaki defeated Rukiya with the Sunshine Driver (4:27).
2. Daisuke Sasaki, Hideki Okatani, MJ Paul, Demus & Ilusion defeated Tomomitsu Matsunaga, Yuya Koroku, Daichi Sato, Yuni & Hinata Kasai when Ilusion pinned Sato with a Cradle (9:29).
3. Special Single Match: Shinya Aoki defeated Sanshiro Takagi with a Backslide Pin (6:39).
4. Jun Akiyama, Yuki Iino & Yukio Naya defeated Kazusada Higuchi, Naomi Yoshimura & Yuki Ishida when Naya pinned Ishida with The World’s Best Back Drop (9:46).
5. Chris Brookes, Antonio Honda & Takeshi Masada defeated HARASHIMA, Toru Owashi & Kazuki Hirata when Brookes pinned Hirata after the Thrust Kick/Praying Mantis Bomb combo (13:25).
6. KONOSUKE TAKESHITA & Akito defeated Danshoku Dieno & Super Sasadango Machine when TAKESHITA pinned Sasadango with a Body Press (0:56).
6a. Rematch – 1 Vs 3 Handicap Match: KONOSUKE TAKESHITA defeated Danshoku Dieno, Super Sasadango Machine & Akito when TAKESHITA pinned Dieno with the Raging Fire (9:59).
7. KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles: Yuki Ueno, To-y & Kaisei Takechi (c) defeated MAO, KANON (w/ KIMIHIRO) & Kazuma Sumi when To-y pinned Sumi with the Kojima Impact (23:57).
*V2 for Yuki Ueno, To-y & Kaisei Takechi.

The first DDT show of 2026 kicked off with a mostly mystery show with only the main event announced in advance. Kaisei Takechi had his latest pro wrestling match teaming with The 37KAMIINA to defend the KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles against Strange Love Connection & Kazuma Sumi. Takechi hit some big moves like Choke Slamming Sumi onto the ring apron and hitting KANON with the Swan Dive Forearm. MAO kept his team in the running and left it up to Sumi to finish the job. But Sumi missed a Reverse 450 aimed for To-y, allowing To-y to give him the Kojima Wonderland followed by the Kojima Impact to win the match and protect the titles.

After the match Hisaya Imabayashi announced Takechi will next wrestle in DDT on 25th January where he will team with HARASHIMA to take on Jun Akiyama & Konosuke Takeshita! Akiyama told Takechi the match will be like a fight between a father and his son. He will go all out so Takechi better bring it too! Takeshita congratulated Takechi on winning the Tokyo Sports Newcomer Award and he believes whatever fears Takechi still has about being a wrestler he will eventually overcome. HARASHIMA warned Takechi they will be fighting the strongest opponents possible in this match but it will be fine because they will do their best. Takechi is happy to hear what everyone is telling him and will aim to win despite still being a rookie. He then asked Yuki Ueno if they could have a singles match together this year, possibly at his 2nd Anniversary show on 22nd February? Ueno wants this match to happen too so he accepted the challenge. It will be Takechi’s first ever singles match when it happens.

One day before he goes into the Tokyo Dome to defend the IWGP World Heavyweight Title, Takeshita got to wrestle in DDT again and was put in a tag match with Akito, Danshoku Dieno and Super Sasadango Machine. Akito told Takeshita that his Wagamama knee strike will be the key to victory tomorrow so he should remove his right knee pad and let everyone bless it. Takeshita reluctantly did so and the match began. While the kneepad was passed around the audience, the match only lasted a minute when Sasadango missed a corner charge, knocked himself out and was easily pinned by Takeshita. Imabayashi complained about the abruptness of the match while Dieno & Sasadango explained the two of them together cannot beat Takeshita. They and Akito all agreed to team up for a 3 Vs 1 Handicap Rematch because the three of them combined is comparable to having one Yota Tsuji. The three used the numbers game to wear down Takeshita until Shunma Katsumata handed the now blessed kneepad back to Takeshita. With the kneepad now back on, Takeshita tore through the other team but instead of using the Wagamama to win, he pinned Dieno with the Raging Fire after giving him the Lip Lock. He told Akito after the match he will save the Wagamama for tomorrow’s big title match. No matter where he goes, he will always show everyone his dramatic dreams.

The time had come for Takeshi Masada to leave SCHADENFREUDE International. His final match as a member of the unit had him team with Chris Brookes & Antonio Honda while Bunbun watched on. They did their usual tricks on HARASHIMA, Toru Owashi & Kazuki Hirata which ultimately brought them the victory. Masada told the others after the match he is sad to leave but this is the path he chose. They are still family but the next time they’ll be in the ring together it will be as opponents and rivals. Brookes then revealed some surprising news. He said SCHADENFREUDE International was originally created to give Masada a platform to grow as a wrestler and without him the unit no longer has a purpose. So as of today SCHADENFREUDE International is disbanding! He got in contact with Masahiro Takanashi before today to get his blessing and Takanashi agreed to it. Honda said there is no point looking in the past. In 2026 they will all work hard towards a brighter tomorrow. After one last group pose, Bunbun whispered something to Brookes & Honda. They handed him over to Masada so he isn’t going to be entirely alone on his new journey.

One of the surprise matches put together on the undercard was Akiyama teaming up with The Apex to fight Harimao. Akiyama got his chest lit up with Chops which was Kazusada Higuchi’s way of wishing him a happy new year. Naomi Yoshimura also joined in with him clashing against The Apex. Yuki Ishida ended up taking more than he could chew despite scoring a nearfall with the Dosukoi Splash. Yukio Naya stopped his momentum with a Big Boot and Yuki Iino followed up with The Apex Elbow. Ishida tried making a comeback on Naya but he was put away with The World’s Best Back Drop.

Another unexpected match pitted Shinya Aoki against Sanshiro Takagi in a one on one bout. What was even more expected was just how straightforward of a match it turned out to be. No nonsense from Takagi or an unusual switch of wrestling style from Aoki. It was just the two doing their best to outmaneuver each other for the winning pinfall. Aoki came out on top by countering the Stunner into a Backslide Pin to get the three count.

DAMNATION T.A ended last year by winning the KO-D 10-Man Tag Team Titles and the belts now all belong to Ilusion. He’s doing everything he can to carry all of the belts to the ring while the rest of the group keep doing what they’re doing against a team of mostly D GENERATIONS wrestlers (plus Tomomitsu Matsunaga). Demus & MJ Paul worked over Hinata Kasai until Yuya Koroku tagged in to fight back against Hideki Okatani & Ilusion. Yuni wiped out Daisuke Sasaki and others with a Moonsault out of the ring. But things went wrong for the younger team and Ilusion ended up rolling up Daichi Sato to win the match for DAMNATION T.A.

At the start of the show there was the announcement of a new wrestler deciding to regularly participate in DDT for this year. It is NOAH’s “Sunshine Hero” Junta Miyawaki! He said he wanted to bring his sunshine wrestling style to a variety of other wrestlers from his generation which brought him here to DDT. For his first match he took on Rukiya in the opening bout. Rukiya didn’t want to give him a warm welcome but Miyawaki overcame his attacks to beat him with the Sunshine Driver. There isn’t an exact amount of time for how long he will be in DDT for this year but he said he will leave his mark here. Akito explained it is a similar kind of deal between DDT and NOAH that Tetsuya Endo is doing between both companies. Although he also made clear this is not a direct trade of Miyawaki for Endo or vice versa.

Chaos broke out at the end of the show when El Phantasmo all of a sudden showed up to interrupt a speech Brookes was giving to the fans. ELP had warned at a New Japan fan event the day before that he could show up here to confront Brookes over their upcoming NJPW World TV Title match in the Tokyo Dome. A brawl broke out between the two around the front row before making its way into the ring. ELP wiped out everyone at ringside with a dive before getting on the microphone to declare himself the No. 1 Baka Gaijin. He then sent another message loud and clear by grabbing Bunbun and giving him the CRII! Brookes however got his own back by chasing ELP out of the ring, making the champion leave his title belt behind. Brookes posed with the belt and told fans to look forward to their match tomorrow.

During the show opening announcements, everyone sang a birthday song for Antonio Honda and Hinata Kasai. Both of their birthdays are on 2nd January.


DDT Around The World – Takeshita’s C2 Adventure

January 1, 2026

The final month of the year now includes a new tradition from AEW. It’s the Continental Classic tournament! Their take on the round robin format that Japan’s wrestling scene has down to a science still has a lot of bugs in it. Mainly there’s none of the pageantry you’d expect from collecting together a dozen great wrestlers for a month long tournament and the lack of matches scheduled in advance takes the fun out of predicting how the booking is going to go. That latter part does mean AEW can keep fans on their toes and throw a few curveballs with doing the more anticipated matches at unexpected times. The shorter, more packed schedule this year helped things out more because these tournaments work when you don’t have to wait many days for the next show to advance further through the group stage.

The hope was for Konosuke Takeshita to take part in the C2 this year after not being selected for the inaugural event. With a G1 Climax victory from earlier this year under his belt it would have been insane to leave him out again. Thankfully he made it into the field and was put into a group with no other members of The Don Callis Family involved. There were still plenty of familiar opponents for him to fight with and as the IWGP World Heavyweight Champion, losing to anyone right before he goes to defend the belt in the Tokyo Dome would take another hit to how he’s currently being perceived. Well, at least he made it through the block undefeated…

Blue League

1. Konosuke Takeshita (13)
2. Jon Moxley (9)
3. Claudio Castagnoli (7)
4. Orange Cassidy (6)
-. Mascara Dorada (6)
6. Roderick Strong (3)


AEW “COLLISION – THANKSGIVING”, 26/11/2025 (Aired 27/11/2025)
The Pinnacle, Nashville, Tennessee, USA

1. Continental Classic – Blue League: Konosuke Takeshita (3) defeated Roderick Strong (0) with the Raging Fire (13:15).

Takeshita got off to a good start… or did he…? Uh… yes, it turns out he did even though a fake spoiler rattled up a lot of fans in the day between when the match was taped and when it aired on TV. Neither Takeshita nor Roderick Strong were concerned if they broke each other in half. Outside the ring Takeshita gave Strong the Blue Thunder Bomb on top of a guardrail while back in the ring Strong dropped Takeshita from the top rope over the turnbuckles Backbreaker style. With so many bombs being thrown, Strong broke down first and he was finished off with the Powerdrive Knee followed by the Raging Fire. After the match Strong is feeling like he is in a slump because he is entering the tournament as a replacement for Kyle O’Reilly. This result is a wake up call for him to compete in the rest of the C2 for himself instead of anyone else.

AEW “COLLISION”, 06/12/2025
Greater Columbus Convention Center, Columbus, Ohio, USA

1. Continental Classic – Blue League: Konosuke Takeshita (6) defeated Jon Moxley (3) with the Raging Fire (17:29).

Takeshita has fought Jon Moxley in AEW singles matches three previous times and lost all of them. For his fourth attempt he finally got the better of him for the first time. An apparent leg injury hampered Moxley during the match but he kept on fighting, drilling Takeshita onto the ring apron with the Curb Stomp. He also countered the Blue Thunder Bomb with a Headlock Takeover, transitioning it into an Ankle Lock. That harmed Takeshita’s leg to even the playing field but he dropped a big Blue Thunder Bomb onto the remains of the commentary table (that had flimsily fallen apart when Takeshita grabbed the AEW Continental Title that was placed there). Moxley recovered to hit the Paradigm Shift but Takeshita saved himself with a rope break to stop the pin. Moxely hit him more with some strikes until his own knee gave way, allowing Takeshita to strike with the Powerdrive Knee for a nearfall. Takeshita pulled down his kneepad to hit a raw Powerdrive Knee and was able to pull off the Raging Fire to finally get his first win over Moxley.


AEW “COLLISION – WINTER IS COMING”, 13/12/2025
Utilita Arena Cardiff, Cardiff, Wales, UK

1. Continental Classic – Blue League: Konosuke Takeshita (7) Vs Claudio Castagnoli (7) ended in a Time Limit Draw (20:00).

There should be a bit of magic in the air whenever you have a world champion from one company take on a world champion from another. Just last month Claudio Castagnoli went to Mexico and won the CMLL World Heavyweight Title, a championship that’s in an odd position because people who don’t follow lucha libre think it’s a much bigger prize than it actually is. Still, Castagnoli is making sure the belt is nothing to sneeze at while he is holding it and he became the first bump in the road to slow down Takeshita. The two ended up fighting all the way to the time limit, making it the first match in this year’s C2 to end in a draw. The two kept on fighting anyway! Backstage Takeshita said he didn’t care about proving which world champion was better, he instead wanted to show Castagnoli just who is The Alpha! Castagnoli said the last time he wrestled Takeshita was three years ago. He is confident he won’t have to wait that long to fight him again.

AEW “DYNAMITE – HOLIDAY BASH”, 17/12/2025
Co-op Live, Manchester, England, UK

1. $1,000,000 (£750,000) Winner Takes All Trios Match: Kenny Omega, Nick Jackson & Matt Jackson defeated Kazuchika Okada, Konosuke Takeshita & Hechicero when Omega pinned Hechicero with the Indy Taker One-Winged Angel (22:31)

A side story popped up in the middle of the tournament focusing on The Don Callis Family at large. They had to go fight Kenny Omega & The Young Bucks who had all gotten over their problems with each other and revived The Elite. Loads of money was put on the line in a trios match between the two sides but that kind of motivation wasn’t enough to keep Takeshita and Kazuchika Okada on the same page. An opening for Takeshita to go in for the Powerdrive Knee was interrupted by Okada stepping in wanting to do the Rainmaker instead. Hechicero could only watch on in despair as his partners argued with each other. The Elite took advantage to clear house and triple team Hechicero into oblivion. Okada & Takeshita attacked The Elite afterwards and hit their finishers on The Young Bucks. However they still couldn’t help but get into a shoving contest with each other after that.


AEW “DYNAMITE ON 34TH STREET”, 20/12/2025 (Aired 24/12/2025)
Hammerstein Ballroom, New York City, New York, USA

1. Continental Classic – Blue League: Konosuke Takeshita (10) defeated Orange Cassidy (6) with the Raging Fire (15:26).

The final matches in the Blue League happened in a rush over the Christmas period but Takeshita had nothing to worry about. His win over Orange Cassidy booked his ticket to the semi final round, even with a mini-scare where Cassidy countered the Raging Fire into a Small Package. However it turned out Takeshita was still in control and he powered out of the nearfall to lift his opponent right into the Raging Fire for the win.


AEW “CHRISTMAS COLLISION”, 21/12/2025 (Aired 25/12/2025)
Hammerstein Ballroom, New York City, New York, USA

1. Continental Classic – Blue League: Konosuke Takeshita (13) defeated Mascara Dorada (6) with the Raging Fire (11:40).

At this point a win for Takeshita was just to cement his position on top of the Blue League while also killing off any chances Mascara Dorada had left of qualifying for the semi-final. Just like with Cassidy, Takeshita’s power had to fight off the speed and agility of his opponent, although Dorada took things to another level with his acrobatics off of the ropes. It looked like Dorada’s closest moment to victory was countering the Last Ride into a Canadian Destroyer but Takeshita popped back up and knocked him away with a Lariat instead. Another big Lariat came when both were standing on the top rope together. From there Takeshita just needed to do the Powerdrive Knee and then the Raging Fire to finish on top of his group.


AEW “WORLDS END”, 27/12/2025
NOW Arena, Hoffman Estates, Illinois, USA

1. Continental Classic – Semi Final: Kazuchika Okada defeated Konosuke Takeshita with a Screwdriver Attack (17:17).

Fate played its hand when the two league standings resulted in Takeshita and Okada meeting each other in the semi final. After so much wait for the match to happen, a screwdriver took it in another direction. Late in the match Okada reached into one of the turnbuckle sleeves and pulled a screwdriver out of it. Then a missed Rainmaker spot knocked the referee out of position so he couldn’t see anything. Okada then struck Takeshita over the head with the screwdriver and got away with it scot free. Don Callis on commentary claimed not to have seen anything and he walked off with the winner.

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Videos


AEW “COLLISION – THANKSGIVING”, 26/11/2025 (Aired 27/11/2025)
The Pinnacle, Nashville, Tennessee, USA

1. Continental Classic – Blue League: Konosuke Takeshita (0) Vs Roderick Strong (0)


AEW “COLLISION”, 06/12/2025
Greater Columbus Convention Center, Columbus, Ohio, USA

1. Continental Classic – Blue League: Jon Moxley (3) Vs Konosuke Takeshita (3)


AEW “COLLISION – WINTER IS COMING”, 13/12/2025
Utilita Arena Cardiff, Cardiff, Wales, UK

1. Continental Classic – Blue League: Konosuke Takeshita (6) Vs Claudio Castagnoli (6)


AEW “DYNAMITE – HOLIDAY BASH”, 17/12/2025
Co-op Live, Manchester, England, UK

1. $1,000,000 (£750,000) Winner Takes All Trios Match: Kenny Omega, Nick Jackson & Matt Jackson Vs Kazuchika Okada, Konosuke Takeshita & Hechicero


AEW “DYNAMITE ON 34TH STREET”, 24/12/2025
Hammerstein Ballroom, New York City, New York, USA

1. Continental Classic – Blue League: Orange Cassidy (6) Vs Konosuke Takeshita (7)


AEW “CHRISTMAS COLLISION”, 25/12/2025
Hammerstein Ballroom, New York City, New York, USA

1. Continental Classic – Blue League: Konosuke Takeshita (10) Vs Mascara Dorada (6)


AEW “WORLDS END”, 27/12/2025
NOW Arena, Hoffman Estates, Illinois, USA

1. Continental Classic – Semi Final: Konosuke Takeshita Vs Kazuchika Okada


Video – Home Center Street Wrestling From 2016

December 12, 2025


DDT “HOME CENTER STREET WRESTLING SERIES OPENER”, 09/09/2016
Saitama Sekichu Kumagai Kojima Shop
520 Fans – Super No Vacancy

1. Falls Count Anywhere 4 Way Tag Match: Konosuke Takeshita & Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi Vs Keisuke Ishii & MAO Vs HARASHIMA & Yasu Urano Vs Sanshiro Takagi & Kazuki Hirata


Yuni Returns, A Preview For 3rd January, KO-D 10-Man Tag Team Titles Dusted Off

December 12, 2025

DDT “SENDAI NEW LEGEND 2025 ~SERI HOYA HYOTAN-AGE~”, 14/12/2025
Miyagi Yume Messe Miyagi

1. Ilusion Vs Hinata Kasai
2. 3 Way Match: To-y Vs Danshoku Dieno Vs Kazuki Hirata
3. Daisuke Sasaki, Hideki Okatani & Demus Vs Kazusada Higuchi, Chris Brookes & Daichi Sato
4. Yuki Iino & Yukio Naya Vs Jun Akiyama & Yuya Koroku
5. Special Tag Match: Yuki Ueno & Akito Vs Takeshi Masada & Yuki Ishida
6. Special Tag Match: MAO & KANON (w/ KIMIHIRO) Vs HARASHIMA & Kazuma Sumi

That was a nice week long break from DDT shows to recharge a few batteries. They’re back on Sunday to kick off the remaining shows for the year. Strange Love Connection get the main event spot here because they are in Miyagi which is MAO’s neck of the woods.

DDT “RING FINALE 2025 ~EVERYONE IS THE STAR OF THE CURTAIN CALL~”, 21/12/2025
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

0. Dark Match: Soma Takao, Yuni & Kazuma Sumi Vs Tomomitsu Matsunaga, Daichi Sato & Rukiya
1. Daisuke Sasaki, Hideki Okatani, Demus & Ilusion Vs Toru Owashi, Danshoku Dieno, Super Sasadango Machine & Kazuki Hirata
2. 3 Way 6-Man Tag Match: Shinya Aoki, Yuki Iino & Yukio Naya Vs Kazusada Higuchi, Naomi Yoshimura & Yuki Ishida Vs Chris Brookes, Antonio Honda & Hinata Kasai
3. Special Tag Match: Minoru Suzuki & Akito Vs Jun Akiyama & Yuya Koroku
4. Special Tag Match: Yuji Nagata & Sanshiro Takagi Vs HARASHIMA & Kaisei Takechi
5. DDT Extreme Title: To-y (c) Vs Yasu Urano
6. KO-D Tag Team Titles: MAO & KANON (c) (w/ KIMIHIRO) Vs Jun Masaoka & Gaia Hox
7. KO-D Openweight Title – AXSEED Presents: Yuki Ueno (c) Vs Takeshi Masada

The KO-D Openweight Title match is being sponsored by an electrical company named AXSEED. The company already utilizes Super Sasadango Machine as a spokesman for one of their security products so maybe this was set up back when he had a chance to become the champion. Maybe it can make sense for Takeshi Masada too.

After a four month hiatus to focus on his education, Yuni returns to DDT on 21st December. He passed his college entry exams and has been accepted into Sophia University in Tokyo. For Yuni’s return he has been added to the dark match just to help him get his feet wet again.

DDT “HOLY FIGHT NIGHT 2025”, 24/12/2025
Shinjuku FACE

1. Daichi Sato & Yuni Vs Rukiya & Hinata Kasai
2. Daisuke Sasaki, Hideki Okatani, MJ Paul & Demus Vs Yuki Iino, Yukio Naya, Super Sasadango Machine & Soma Takao
3. Sanshiro Takagi, Jun Akiyama & HARASHIMA Vs Danshoku Dieno, Kazuki Hirata & Akito
4. SCHADENFREUDE International Vs Harimao!: Chris Brookes & Takeshi Masada Vs Kazusada Higuchi & Yuki Ishida
5. Special Single Match: KANON (w/ KIMIHIRO) Vs Yuya Koroku
6. Special Single Match: Ilusion Vs Kumadori
7. Special Tag Match: Yuki Ueno & To-y Vs MAO & Kazuma Sumi

Once DDT’s last Korakuen Hall show of the year is finished, the focus for Yuki Ueno & To-y will be on the 3rd January where they will defend the KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles with Kaisei Takechi. Ueno & To-y have a preview tag match against two of their challengers MAO & Kazuma Sumi to warm them all up for the new year. KANON’s preparations are being done with a singles match against Yuya Koroku.

DDT “WHAT’S WRONG WITH ENDING THE YEAR IN NAGOYA! A SPECTACULAR END TO 2025”, 27/12/2025
Aichi Nagoya Imaike Gas Hall

1. Yuki Iino Vs Hinata Kasai
2. Danshoku Dieno & Yuni Vs Kazuki Hirata & Soma Takao
3. Jun Akiyama, HARASHIMA & Akito Vs Yukio Naya, Yuya Koroku & Daichi Sato
4. Harimao Vs DAMNATION T.A!: Kazusada Higuchi, Naomi Yoshimura & Yuki Ishida Vs Hideki Okatani, MJ Paul & Ilusion
5. STRANGE LOVE CONNECTION Vs DAMNATION T.A!: MAO & KANON (w/ KIMIHIRO) Vs Daisuke Sasaki & Demus
6. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Yuki Ueno, To-y & Kazuma Sumi Vs Chris Brookes, Antonio Honda & Takeshi Masada

Sumi will actually be teaming with Ueno & To-y a week before the KO-D 6-Man Tag Titles match.

DDT “YEAR END☆DRAMATIC PARADE 2025”, 28/12/2025
Aichi Nagoya Imaike Gas Hall

1. Yuni Vs Hinata Kasai
2. Yuki Iino & Yukio Naya Vs Kazuki Hirata & Akito
3. Jun Akiyama, Kazusada Higuchi & Naomi Yoshimura Vs Chris Brookes, Antonio Honda & Daisuke Sasaki
4. Special Single Match: HARASHIMA Vs Soma Takao
5. Special Tag Match: Yuki Ueno & Danshoku Dieno Vs MAO & KANON (w/ KIMIHIRO)
6. KO-D 10-Man Tag Team Titles: To-y, Yuya Koroku, Daichi Sato, Yuki Ishida & Kazuma Sumi (c) Vs Daisuke Sasaki, Hideki Okatani, MJ Paul, Demus & Ilusion

Bloody hell DDT found the KO-D 10-Man Tag Team Titles! They haven’t been defended in almost a year but four of the five current champions are still available. Keigo Nakamura is still on an overseas excursion so in following the rules of the championship, Daichi Sato will be subbing in for him so the titles can be defended again. All of DAMNATION T.A in its current form will be together to challenge the champions.

DDT “NEW YEAR☆DRAMATIC PARADE 2026 ~THE ANSWER WILL BE REVEALED ONE YEAR LATER~”, 03/01/2026
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

1. KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles: Yuki Ueno, To-y & Kaisei Takechi (c) Vs MAO, KANON (w/ KIMIHIRO) & Kazuma Sumi

The rest of the card will be kept a mystery until the day of the show. Konosuke Takeshita will be a part of it, one day before his big appearance in the Tokyo Dome for “WRESTLE KINGDOM”.


Video – Jericho Vs Takeshita From “ULTIMATE PARTY 2023”

December 5, 2025


DDT “ULTIMATE PARTY 2023”, 12/11/2023
Tokyo Ryogoku Kokugikan
4,785 Fans – No Vacancy

11. Double Main Event I: Chris Jericho Vs KONOSUKE TAKESHITA


DDT Around The World – November 2025

December 1, 2025

Normally I put together a hastily written intro for these articles but this month I’m starting with some housekeeping. You may notice that not everything that happened in November related to this series has been included in this post. That is because I will be writing up a separate post about Konosuke Takeshita’s matches in this year’s Continental Classic tournament over in AEW. I really enjoy writing about a DDT wrestler’s journey through a round robin tournament and felt it will be better to chart Takeshita’s C2 run that way instead of mixing it in with everyone else. So at some point at the end of the year you can expect to read about “Konosuke Takeshita’s C2 Adventure”!

Next it’s back to the regular programming. Maki Itoh went to wrestle in America again, Tokyo Joshi Pro made more moves with the Southeast Asian scene, Miyu Yamashita trekked off to Europe and Yuka Sakazaki popped up in Ring Of Honor. With all of that now out of the way it will be a much more quiet end to 2025 than I expected with not much on the horizon for now. There may come a time when I get to pause this series if there are no other bookings to follow outside of Takeshita with AEW, Itoh with GCW and the annual WrestleMania Week of shows. I’ll see if that bridge is worth crossing if I ever get to it.

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Videos

Konosuke Takeshita In AEW Playlist


AEW “SATURDAY TAILGATE BRAWL – FULL GEAR”, 22/11/2025
Prudential Center, Newark, New Jersey, USA

1. CMLL World Trios Titles: Mistico, Mascara Dorada & Neon (c) Vs Kazuchika Okada, Konosuke Takeshita & Hechicero


Match #2 starts at 12:18. Match #4 starts at 41:58. Match #5 starts at 58:52.
SETUP/IWA THAILAND “A NEW DAWN”, 14/11/2025
TOKYO SQUARE In Itabashi
270 Fans

2. SETUP All Asia Women’s Title – 3 Way Bangkok Death Match: Matcha (c) Vs Ram Kaichow Vs Pom Harajuku
4. IWA Japan SETUP World Tag Team Titles – 3 Way Match: Andruew Tang & Jake De Leon (c) Vs Miyu Yamashita & Kaya Toribami Vs Kappa Kozo & Kappa Jr.
5. Double Main Event I – Ace Vs Ace: Shivam Vs HARASHIMA


HOG “SUPERCLASH”, 15/11/2025
Suffolk Credit Union Arena, Brentwood, New York, USA

1. Shayna Baszler Vs Maki Itoh

Video starts at 1:48:12.
JCW “HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS”, 23/11/2025
The Mecca, Ridgefield Park, New Jersey, USA

1. Beastman Body Slam Challenge: Beastman Vs Juni Underwood, Jeffrey John, Emil Jay, Ryan O’Neill, Jimmy Lloyd, Gabby Forza & Maki Itoh

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Results


GCW “YOU WOULDN’T UNDERSTAND”, 07/11/2025
The Webster, Hartford, Connecticut, USA

1. Maki Itoh defeated Kerry Morton with a School Boy (10:11).

The start of Itoh’s GCW tour could have ended very badly for her if it wasn’t for some help from an unlikely ally. Kerry Morton controlled most of the match and acted obnoxious to Itoh throughout it. He even took Itoh’s pizza cutter and threatened to use it against her when Kerry’s father Ricky Morton approached the ring telling him to stop. Kerry pushed his dad away from the ring apron but Ricky pushed him back, right into a School Boy from Itoh that got her the three count.


GCW “MASSACRE IN MAINE”, 08/11/2025
Yarmouth Amvets, Yarmouth, Maine USA

1. KJ Orso defeated Maki Itoh with the Step Up Double Stomp (9:46).

Itoh showed her perseverance in a match with KJ Orso that she almost could have won. Orso resorted to cheap tricks like using the rope to leverage his pin but he was caught by the ref. Itoh took her shot and tried to put Orso in the Itoh Special but he got out of it by raking Itoh’s eyes and then followed it up by hitting the Step Up Double Stomp for the win. Orso wanted to hurt Itoh even worse with a chair attack after the match but Joey Janela came to the rescue and chased Orso off.


GCW “GREEN MOUNTAINS AND ME”, 09/11/2025
Barre Elks Lodge, Barre, Vermont, USA

1. Maki Itoh defeated Selena Hekate with the Itoh Deluxe (6:03).

This GCW show was being held in Vermont where the local promotion Green Mountain Wrestling got involved with the card. Selena Hekate was Itoh’s opponent, wanting to represent the territory against The Cutest In The World. She ended up getting a Headbutt and DDT for her troubles before Itoh tapped her out with the Itoh Deluxe.


SETUP/IWA THAILAND “A NEW DAWN”, 14/11/2025
TOKYO SQUARE In Itabashi
270 Fans

2. SETUP All Asia Women’s Title – 3 Way Bangkok Death Match: Matcha (c) defeated Ram Kaichow and Pom Harajuku when Matcha pinned Harajuku with the Saito Suplex (9:52).
*V3 for Matcha.
4. IWA Japan SETUP World Tag Team Titles – 3 Way Match: Miyu Yamashita & Kaya Toribami defeated Andruew Tang & Jake De Leon (c) and Kappa Kozo & Kappa Jr. when Toribami pinned Kozo with the Sento Choryu (9:23).
*RGT fails in V1. Miyu Yamashita & Kaya Toribami become the 15th IWA Japan SETUP World Tag Team Champions!
5. Double Main Event I – Ace Vs Ace: HARASHIMA defeated Shivam with the Somato (12:17).

A report of the show can be found here.


DDT/TOKYO JOSHI PRO “GOOD LIFE PRESENTS LOVE & PEACE”, 15/11/2025
JioSpace, Petaling Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia
??? Fans – Unannounced

1. MYPW Sponsored Match: Fienic Rose & ‘Love Warrior’ Syawal defeated Wonder Boy & Miles Karu when Rose pinned Boy with the Atomic Love Bomb (11:35).
2. Shino Suzuki & Uta Takami defeated Marika Kobashi & Kira Summer when Suzuki pinned Summer with a Belly-To-Belly Suplex (9:45).
3. Sanshiro Takagi, Shinichiro Kawamatsu & Emman Azman defeated Chris Brookes, Shota & Jack Alexander when Kawamatsu pinned Shota with the Axe Bomber (15:19).
4. Miu Watanabe, Yuki Arai & Raku defeated Yuki Kamifuku, Mifu Ashida & Poppy Shay when Watanabe pinned Ashida with the Tear Drop (11:37).

A report of the show can be found here.


HOG “SUPERCLASH”, 15/11/2025
Suffolk Credit Union Arena, Brentwood, New York, USA

1. Shayna Baszler defeated Maki Itoh by Referee Stoppage with the Kirifuda Clutch (11:17).

She got choked out but at least Itoh didn’t get her face wrecked by Shayna Baszler. She didn’t take Itoh seriously at first until Itoh got a few slaps to the face on target. Baszler hit her back but dropped her guard for the crocodile tears routine. Once she got back in control, Baszler wrenched Itoh’s arm over and over but then she made the mistake of throwing Itoh head first into the turnbuckle. That fired Itoh up for a comeback, leading to a scramble on the mat as Itoh got Baszler in a Rear Naked Choke instead of the other way around. A falling Head Kick from Baszler backfired as Itoh stumbled into the ropes and from the rebound hit a Kokeshi Headbutt for a nearfall. Itoh then scored big with a Tornado DDT and the Stunner but still couldn’t put Baszler away. Instead grabbed Itoh into a Rear Naked Choke and turned it into the Kirifuda Clutch to squeeze the life out of her until the ref called for the match.


ROH “ROH ON HONORCLUB – BLACK FRIDAY”, 19/11/2025 (Aired 28/11/2025)
Agganis Arena, Boston, Massachusetts, USA

1. ROH Women’s Pure Title Tournament – Round 1: Yuka Sakazaki defeated Serena Deeb with the Magical Merry-Go-Round (10:31).

After all that wait, was it worth it in the end? Eh, maybe. The ROH Pure Wrestling ruleset is still something Sakazaki isn’t purposely taking into consideration for her tournament matches but if there was any opponent to make it a factor, it was Serena Deeb. Except she ended up getting foiled by the very rules she was supposed to excel in. Deeb was the one who used up all of her rope breaks in the match and then she made the big mistake of trying to push Sakazaki around with some disrespectful slaps to the head like she wasn’t worth her time. That made Sakazaki go into mini-terminator mode and hit her back with some big Elbow Strikes. Deeb almost turned things around by blocking the Magical Girl Splash but Sakazaki dropped her with the Magical Merry-Go-Round and got the three count. Deeb actually got her foot on the rope but since she ran out of rope breaks, it couldn’t stop her from getting pinned.


WXW “25TH ANNIVERSARY TOUR – DAY 1”, 21/11/2025
Markthalle, Hamburg, Germany

1. Dani Luna defeated Miyu Yamashita with the Luna Landing (16:51).

You don’t usually get to see Yamashita get involved with some deep crowd brawling past the first couple of rows but when an environment like wXw gives you a chance to shake things up, you should take it. Dani Luna got to hit her back just as hard though while the German fans filled the room with their football chants. She even had the Return Crash scouted, turning the move into a bouncing Blue Thunder Bomb off the ropes for a nearfall. Yamashita missed the Skull Kick but held onto Luna with a Sleeper Hold to wear her down. However despite getting a Buzzsaw Kick in, Yamashita was lifted back up onto her opponent’s shoulders and was given the Luna Landing (Fireman’s Sitout Bomb) to give Lina a very impressive victory.


WXW “25TH ANNIVERSARY TOUR – DAY 2”, 22/11/2025
Gruenspan, Hamburg, Germany

1. Ahura defeated Miyu Yamashita with the Salamandra (17:17).

Ahura took Yamashita lightly at first, placing her on the top turnbuckle and giving her some words. But Yamashita pushed him back, paint brushed his head and then kicked it to show she should be taken seriously. She continued to kick the hell out of him while Ahura tried to take breaks to stop himself from losing control of the match. Soon Ahura was bleeding from the mouth but he soon took advantage a gave Yamashita a big Power Bomb. She recovered and fought back to set up the Skull Kick but Ahura dodged it to roll out of the ring again. Ahura then dug his thumb into Yamashita’s eye from the ring apron but Yamashita made another comeback to give him the Attitude Adjustment from the second rope. She went for the Crash Rabbit Heat only for Ahura to catch her and Power Bomb her into the ropes so she would bounce right into a big Lariat. He was then able to win by using the Salamandra, which I can best describe as a Fireman’s Carry that twists into a Spinning Emerald Flowsion. Yamashita slapped away Ahura’s offer for a handshake after the match but it was only so she could offer him the handshake instead.


GCW “DREAM ON”, 22/11/2025
American Dream, East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA

1. Maki Itoh defeated Jeffrey John with the I.S.D (5:40).

Unfortunately Itoh’s last GCW match of the month had to be changed. Her original opponent Zayda Steel was unable to make the show so Itoh instead took on “The Babushka Baron” Jeffrey John. He’s called that because he wears a babushka during his matches you see. He gave Itoh a Death Valley Driver but she kicked out of it. He then tried to Superplex her off the top rope but Itoh Headbutted him back down and gave him the I.S.D off the turnbuckles to win the match.


AEW “SATURDAY TAILGATE BRAWL – FULL GEAR”, 22/11/2025
Prudential Center, Newark, New Jersey, USA

1. CMLL World Trios Titles: Mistico, Mascara Dorada & Neon (c) defeated Kazuchika Okada, Konosuke Takeshita & Hechicero when Mistico submitted Hechicero with La Mistica (13:44).
*V3 for El Sky Team.

Well this was a mess. Takeshita returned to AEW after finishing up his DDT dates and walked right into a championship match with other members of The Don Callis Family. They were challenging El Sky Team, the reigning CMLL World Trios Titles but were a man down when Kazuchika Okada didn’t show up due to alleged travel issues according to Don Callis. Things turned out better for the challengers when Hechicero attacked Mistico and seemed to have injured his shoulder before the match even began, sending one third of the champions out of the match to get medical attention. Then when Mascara Dorada & Neon were making a comeback, Okada finally arrived in the parking lot and walked out of his sportscar in full gear (…ohhhhh, I get it!) right down to ringside to enter the match. He kept unapologetically getting in Takeshita’s way and purposely gave him the Rainmaker while Mistico made a triumphant return to action. El Sky Team were now a united force while The Don Callis Family were all on opposite pages, allowing Mistico to win by making Hechicero tap out to La Mistica.


REVPRO “LIVE IN COVENTRY”, 23/11/2025
HMV Empire, Coventry, England

1. Kanji defeated Miyu Yamashita (?:??).

Yamashita’s next country to visit was a return to England where she made her Revolution Pro debut. It ended in defeat to Kanji, continuing her growing losing streak on this tour. It’s not a result to be ashamed of though, Kanji is one of the bright prospects in the current United Kingdom scene and RevPro seem to have a solid direction in mind for her heading into 2026.


JCW “HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS”, 23/11/2025
The Mecca, Ridgefield Park, New Jersey, USA

1. Beastman Body Slam Challenge: Maki Itoh defeated Beastman with the Body Slam.

Another of Itoh’s big matches planned for the month didn’t go ahead. Queen Aminata was out of action with an injury so Itoh decided to enter Beastman’s Body Slam Challenge instead. After a list of different wrestlers all tried and failed to Body Slam the giant opponent, Itoh looked like she was not going to fare any better. She tried doing a Diving Cross Body to weaken Beastman but was caught in midair and slammed onto the mat. Beastman then climbed the ropes attempting to jump onto Itoh when Thomas Shire ran into the ring to make the save. He knocked Beastman down with a Lariat, giving Itoh the opening to successfully Body Slam her opponent like she was Ahmed Johnson slamming Yokozuna in 1995. Her celebration was immediately cut short when Mad Dog Connelly ran into the ring and Clotheslined her, leading Connolly and Shire to start brawling as their match was next.


WPE/QPW “EPISODE 2”, 28/11/2025
Salle Albert Marquet, La Frette-sur-Seine, France

1. Miyu Yamashita defeated Lauriana (?:??).

From one princess to another. Yamashita’s visit to France had her go face to face with “Princess” Lauriana. I couldn’t find much information on how the match went other than Yamashita won.


SAJ “FINAL BOUT 4”, 29/11/2025
Magnete, Via Adriando, Milan, Italy

1. Miyu Yamashita defeated Luke Jacobs with the Skull Kick (?:??).
2. Maki Itoh defeated Flamingo with the Itoh Deluxe (?:??).

Did 121000000 become two ships passing by during one night in Milan? The SAJ Wrestling show had both Itoh and Yamashita on the card, making it the first show to have both of them on since Itoh left TJPW. If they had interactions it wasn’t in the ring because Itoh was busy beating up a wrestler named Flamingo.

Yamashita on the other hand had a big change in plans. Her original opponent JJ Gale was not on the show due to reasons I could not make out from the translation but she was given another British brute of a wrestler to take on instead, Luke Jacobs. She even got to beat him clean! It’s a bit of a funny result because she got to beat the previous PROGRESS World Champion one day before she actually made her PROGRESS debut.


PROGRESS “VENDETTA 3”, 30/11/2025
Electric Ballroom, Camden, London, England

1. Alexxis Falcon defeated Miyu Yamashita with the Off With Her Head (?:??).

Yamashita’s European vacation ended London for her debut in PROGRESS. Things were going mostly well for her against Alexxis Falcon until she took her opponent’s finisher, a Shellshock style Swinging DDT that was given to Yamashita while she was draped on the ropes. She kicked out of it the first time but Falcon was able to pull of the move again, this time getting the win with it.

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Upcoming Appearances


ROH “ROH ON HONORCLUB”, 03/12/2025
Fishers Event Center, Fishers, Indiana, USA

1. ROH Women’s Pure Title Tournament – Semi Final: Billie Starkz Vs Yuka Sakazaki

OK so we’re sprinting into the home stretch for this tournament. Sakazaki meets Billie Starkz in the ring once again with a spot in the grand final on the line. Should Sakazaki win she will be facing either Deonna Purrazzo or Queen Aminata a couple of days later at the ROH PPV. There the ROH Women’s Pure Champion will finally be crowned.


TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW LIVE IN BANGKOK”, 13/12/2025
The Circus Studio, G Village, Bangkok, Thailand

1. Yuki Kamifuku Vs Uta Takami
2. Suzume & Arisu Endo Vs Yuki Arai & Shino Suzuki
3. IWA Japan SETUP World Tag Team Titles: Miyu Yamashita & Kaya Toribami (c) Vs Raku & Pom Harajuku
4. MLW Women’s World Featherweight Title: Shoko Nakajima (c) Vs Alexis Lee
5. Princess Of Princess Title: Miu Watanabe (c) Vs Matcha

Wait, is this the last upcoming thing I have on the list outside of Takeshita’s C2 schedule? Oh my God I might get to take it easy next month! The girls in TJPW won’t be taking it easy though. Three title matches are on the cards for their Thailand debut along with a few other matches to look forward to.