DDT “DRAMATIC 2021 JANUARY SPECIAL” Results

January 28, 2021

DDT “DRAMATIC 2021 JANUARY SPECIAL”, 28/01/2021
Shinjuku FACE
162 Fans

1. Akito & Chris Brookes defeated Mizuki Watase & Toui Kojima when Brookes submitted Kojima with a Modified Armbar (7:49).
2. DDT Variety Team, Pentagram Ambition!: Kazuki Hirata defeated Danshoku Dieno, Saki Akai, Mad Paulie and Gorgeous Matsuno when Hirata pinned Dieno with the Gaydo Clutch (7:28).
3. HARASHIMA, Toru Owashi & Antonio Honda defeated Shunma Katsumata, MAO & Keigo Nakamura when Honda pinned Nakamura with the Diving Fist Drop (9:36).
4. DDT Megatonweight Single Match: Yuji Hino defeated Yukio Naya with the Fucking BOMB (7:49).
5. Tetsuya Endo, Daisuke Sasaki & Soma Takao defeated Makoto Oishi, Hideki Okatani & Yusuke Okada when Endo submitted Okatani with the Yurikamome (11:59).
6. Eruption Vs DDT Sauna Club!: Kazusada Higuchi & Yukio Sakaguchi defeated Konosuke Takeshita & Yuki Ueno by TKO when Sakaguchi used the Sleeper Hold on Ueno (15:59).

The main event was a preview of both the upcoming DDT UNIVERSAL Title and KO-D Tag Team Title matches scheduled for February’s two big shows. It was the tag champions who came out on top with Kazusada Higuchi using the Brain Claw to nullify Konosuke Takeshita while Yukio Sakaguchi went to town on Yuki Ueno. Sakaguchi hit the God’s Right Knee then repeatedly hit High Kicks with both of his legs. The match had to be stopped when Ueno was put into a Sleeper Hold and he lost consciousness. Eruption held up both the KO-D Tag Title and the UNIVERSAL Title belts to celebrate. Sakaguchi said they will defend the Tag Titles against Takeshita no matter what. He also warned Ueno that this is the fight he will be in at Culttz Kawasaki. After they left the ring, Ueno grabbed the microphone. He admittedly now regrets nominating Sakaguchi to be his challenger but he’ll still be holding the UNIVERSAL Title high above his head in Kawazaki. He and Takeshita are still alive!

Hideki Okatani came close to pinning Tetsuya Endo with a Backslide Pin but it was countered into the Yurikamome Hold to give DAMNATION the victory. Endo wouldn’t let go after the match, causing Yusuke Okada to stomp on him to break it. Daisuke Sasaki and Makoto Oishi then jumped into the fight but things quickly calmed down. Endo taunted Junretsu by telling them they have no chance beating DAMNATION without Jun Akiyama. He will assess how much of a threat Akiyama will be when his return match happens on 31st January.

Big boy Yuji Hino is being targeted by the other big boys in DDT and he just does not understand why. Yukio Naya once more tried to ambush Hino this time right before their match started. And once again the plan failed and Hino slapped him apart. Naya did put up a fight in the match itself but he fell to the Fucking BOMB and seems to no longer be a problem for Hino. Now he has a new problem to deal with. Yuki Iino climbed into the ring moments after the match ended and he hit Hino with the Spear. Akito & Shunma Katsumata got in and held an excited Iino back while Hino asked Mad Paulie and Yukinori Matsui why DDT’s younger wrestlers don’t like him? He doesn’t know what is going on but he will fight back. He also appreciates Paulie helping him in this situation.

It was announced at the start of the show that the Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title is returning to Japan. The current champion, a copy of The Young Bucks autobiography “Killing The Business” was being shipped over from America along with the title belt. Later on during the show, Kazuki Hirata was being chased around backstage by Danshoku Dieno over the result of their 5 Way Match. Hirata lost Dieno in a waiting room and noticed a mystery package on the table. He opened it to find the book and the Iron Man Title! Hirata called in Matsui to count him pinning the book but Dieno arrived in time to stop it and chase Hirata away. The book will now defend the Iron Man Title on the 28th February Korakuen Hall show.

Gorgeous Matsuno announced his 60th birthday commemorative show scheduled for 18th April will be rescheduled because the venue is being used as a vaccination centre during that period.

Today is MAO’s 24th birthday!


Return To Twin Box, Brookes Produce Show 2, Amateur Vs Outsider

January 26, 2021

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW PPV SHOW 2 ~STARTING POINT~”, 30/01/2021
Twin Box AKIHABARA

1. The HERO Has Come To Protect The Peace Of Akihabara!: Shin Ultra Shoko & Hyper Misao Vs Sena Shiori & Arisu Endo
2. Yamato Nadeshiko Challenges The Charisma Of A New Era!: Maki Itoh Vs Moka Miyamoto
3. Majirabi Warning For Live Music Venues!: Yuka Sakazaki & Mizuki Vs Pom Harajuku & Mahiro Kiryu
4. Paripi Vs Gal Single Match: Yuki Kamifuku Vs Marika Kobashi
5. Bakuretsu Neko-chan Vs Up Up Girls (Pro Wrestling): Nodoka Tenma, Yuki Aino & Haruna Neko Vs Miu Watanabe, Hikari Noa & Raku
6. The Past, Present & Future Of Tokyo Joshi Pro Cross On The Mat!: Rika Tatsumi & Suzume Vs Miyu Yamashita & Mirai Maiumi

Miyu Yamashita visited Twin Box AKIHABARA during the week to rediscover her memories of the venue when Tokyo Joshi Pro held their first shows their eight years ago. Back then TJPW only consisted of three girls including Yamashita training to be pro wrestlers. This Saturday’s PPV will have 22 women involved. That is a roster over seven times bigger having a show in the same venue! Yamashita thinks it will be good for the rookies like Moka Miyamoto and Sena Shiori to experience mat wrestling. She hopes everyone will feel the history of TJPW in the building as the show goes on.

Yamashita admits she doesn’t remember much about the first show and her memories of those days might be mixed up with the shows that were held in Shibuya DESEO. She didn’t feel uncomfortable wrestling on a padded mat because her training was done on mats too. It only made her excited to wrestling inside a ring as soon as possible. She is more experienced now in fighting outside the ring so she is excited to see what she can do at the PPV this Saturday. The only worry she has is if Yuka Sakazaki does a high flying move from a strange place and accidentally breaks some equipment.

DDT “CHRIS BROOKES PRODUCE SHOW 2 – WRESTLE BUTOKAN★DREAM”, 07/02/2021
Saitama Wrestle Butokan

1. Chris Brookes & Miyu Yamashita Vs Yuki Ueno & Shunma Katsumata
2. Konosuke Takeshita Vs Baliyan Akki
3. ROBOT Vs HERO: Mecha Mummy Vs Hyper Misao

Last year Chris Brookes booked his own little DDT show for a worldwide audience. That went down a treat so he’s doing it again this year! Brookes and his opponent back then Yamashita are this time joining forces to fight Yuki Ueno & Shunma Katsumata from the DDT Sauna Club. A returning Baliyan Akki is coming over from Gatoh Move to challenge Konosuke Takeshita in a first time singles match. Then it’s the blockbuster battle of the summer. Hyper Misao takes on the greatest threat to peace and love yet. It’s the return of the Mecha Mummy! A special talk show with some of the participants will be held after the show so Mr. HAKU will have a busy day ahead of him.

GANBARE☆PRO “OVER THE TOP 2021”, 07/02/2021
Tokyo Itabashi Green Hall

1. GWC 6-Man Tag Team Titles: Katsuzaki Shunosuke, Moehiko Harumisawa & Shu Sakurai (c) Vs Keisuke Ishii, Kouki Iwasaki & HARUKAZE
2. Ganpro Vs Aka Rangers Full-Scale Battle: Ken Ohka & Shota Vs Takashi Sasaki & GENTARO
3. The Strongest Amateur Vs The Strongest Outside Enemy: Shinichiro Tominaga Vs Ikuto Hidaka

Is there anyone from Ganbare☆Pro who can beat Ikuto Hidaka? Maybe it will take a wrestler who isn’t signed to Ganpro to do that. Nobody is prouder of their student wrestling roots than Shinichiro Tominaga. Still, Hidaka is getting used to fighting the Ganpro spirit and senses it coming from his upcoming opponent.

The Aka Rangers of Takashi Sasaki & GENTARO were one of the early tag teams of note in DDT. When Ken Ohka was nothing more than a rookie, he got to second the team to ringside and always wanted to wrestle them. Sadly the opportunity never came. Almost 20 years later Ohka finally gets to achieve his dream and he is bringing in a white hot Shota along for the ride.

Ohka wanted to give a present to celebrate Keisuke Ishii’s birthday the day before the show as well as Kouki Iwasaki’s recent marriage. He offered them a GWC 6-Man Tag Team Titles match against THE HALFEE but they needed a third partner. HARUKAZE also has a birthday that week so she was chosen to complete the team.

BASARA “BASARA 150 ~KINKON ICHIBAN~”, 25/02/2021
Shinjuku FACE

1. Union MAX Title: Takumi Tsukamoto (c) Vs Yasu Urano

The double champion Takumi Tsukamoto is trying to rest whenever he can but the title defences are coming quick and fast. Just under a week after his next BJW Death Match Title defence, Tsukamoto will put the Union MAX Title on the line against an impatient Yasu Urano. The challenger has been acting greedy on the indies lately with demands for instant title matches as well as forcing wagers onto his opponents to make his matches more worthwhile. Tsukamoto accepted his challenge but wanted it for a big show like BASARA’s 150th chapter at Shinjuku FACE.


DDT “WRESTLING TONKOTSU 2021 ~MIZUTAKI~” Results

January 17, 2021

DDT “WRESTLING TONKOTSU 2021 ~MIZUTAKI~”, 17/01/2021
Fukuoka Nishitetsu Hall
159 Fans

1. Akito & Shunma Katsumata defeated Sanshiro Takagi & Keigo Nakamura when Akito submitted Nakamura with the Sasori-Gatame (9:52).
2. Kazusada Higuchi, Yukio Sakaguchi & Saki Akai defeated Chris Brookes, MAO & Yukio Naya when Higuchi pinned Naya with a Brain Claw Slam (8:23).
3. Yuji Hino defeated Hideki Okatani with a Diving Body Press (8:45).
4. HARASHIMA & Yuto Aijima defeated Toru Owashi & Kazuki Hirata when HARASHIMA pinned Hirata with the Somato (10:50).
5. Tetsuya Endo, Daisuke Sasaki & Soma Takao defeated Makoto Oishi, Mizuki Watase & Yusuke Okada when Endo pinned Watase with the Shooting Star Press (14:00).
6. Only Because It Is! Hakata Specialty Special Tag Match: Konosuke Takeshita & Yuki Ueno defeated Danshoku Dieno & Antonio Honda when Takeshita pinned Honda with the German Suplex (22:53).

The Gongitsune set up was well scouted by Yuki Ueno. When Antonio Honda stumbled and hurt his knee after a leapfrog, Ueno Dropkicked him in the knees and told everyone they really are sore from sleeping in the tour bus all night long. Danshoku Dieno kept his team in the match when he stopped the WR by grabbing Ueno’s crotch. Honda misdirected Konosuke Takeshita into hitting Ueno with a Lariat and Dieno then gave Ueno a long Lip Lock. He only broke it up to stop Takeshita’s Figure 4 Leg Lock on Honda. Honda hit the Diving Fist Drop but hurt his knee, delaying the pin and only getting him a two count. Honda successfully lured in his opponents with a retirement speech to ambush them with the Hell Gate charged Gongitsune. Ueno recovered to Dropkick Dieno out of the ring and then hit a Plancha on him. Takeshita traded knuckle punches with Honda that ended with a Super Kick and a Lariat double down. Takeshita recovered first and pinned Honda with the German Suplex.

After the match Takeshita told Ueno about the time Dieno gave him his first kiss when he was just a fan in the audience at a DDT show. A few years later, Ueno went to a DDT show and decided to become a wrestler when he saw Takeshita and Honda wrestle as Happy Motel. They are classmates from the same high school fighting against a team of former roommates. How does that make Ueno feel? He said it was rather creepy. Honda took back his retirement speech and said he will wrestle for another 50 years. Dieno said it’s been a long time since he was in a main event and he secretly wanted to change the atmosphere in DDT with Honda by winning. Instead they lost but he is still very proud to see fans come out to watch them today.

Again Tetsuya Endo is calling out Jun Akiyama and asking where he is. He doesn’t have time to waste fighting the rest of Junretsu while Akiyama is on vacation. Daisuke Sasaki corrected him and said he is recovering inside a hospital in Osaka. Endo wants a message send to Akiyama saying Endo will beat him on 14th February. Endo also thinks Yusuke Okada should stop fighting for Akiyama and start fighting for himself. He will still lose to Endo but Endo thinks they can have a slightly better match that way. The four of them all agreed they want to share pro wrestling with everyone.

Yuto Aijima did a lot to throw Kazuki Hirata off his game. He politely shook hands when Hirata expected aggression and he seemed to be weak against Toru Owashi only to regain his strength when Hirata tagged in. The big trick he had was using Keigo Nakamura and Tessho as his doppelgangers to guard him from Hirata’s Tegatana strikes. Even HARASHIMA was confused but he reckons he was only seeing things because the match left him tired.

Akito teased Sanshiro Takagi by using the Stunner on Nakamura before submitting him. When Akito applied the Sharpshooter he did Takagi’s “Fire” pose to wind him up even more.


Shota Puts Belt Or Hair On The Line, Is Maiumi More International? Full Cards For Kawasaki And Nagoya

January 12, 2021

GANBARE☆PRO “LAST ACTION HERO 2021”, 24/01/2021
Tokyo Itabashi Green Hall

1. Shu Sakurai Trial Tag Match: Keisuke Ishii & Shu Sakurai Vs Kouki Iwasaki & Daisuke Kanehira
2. Ganpro 6 Men & Women Winter Story: Moeka Haruhi, Yuna Manase & Shinichiro Tominaga Vs Asuka, HARUKAZE & Hagane Shinno
3. Special Tag Match ~Ganpro Alumni Association~: Ken Ohka & Yumehito Imanari Vs GENTARO & Chikara
4. Age Is Just A Number! 44 Year Old Vs 48 Year Old Full Scale Battle!: Shuichiro Katsumura Vs Ikuto Hidaka
5. Independent World Jr. Heavyweight Title: Shota (c) Vs Yasu Urano

When an impromptu title match between Shota and Yasu Urano ended in a short time limit draw, a rematch had to be scheduled. However, Shota still has an Independent World Jr. Heavyweight Title defence against Arata taking place in JUST TAP OUT on 15th January. If he loses the title there then his rematch with Urano will become just a normal singles match. Urano wants his match to have consequences and is trying to get Shota to put his hair on the line if he no longer has the championship.

Ikuto Hidaka continues to blaze through the Ganbare☆Pro roster. Shuichiro Katsumura is next to face him, both because he is defending Ganpro’s honour and he wants to face strong opponents.

DDT “DRAMATIC 2021 JANUARY SPECIAL”, 28/01/2021
Shinjuku FACE

1. Akito & Chris Brookes Vs Mizuki Watase & Toi Kojima
2. Tetsuya Endo, Daisuke Sasaki & Soma Takao Vs Makoto Oishi, Hideki Okatani & Yusuke Okada
3. DDT Variety Team, Pentagram Ambition!: Danshoku Dieno Vs Kazuki Hirata Vs Saki Akai Vs Mad Paulie Vs Gorgeous Matsuno
4. Eruption Vs DDT Sauna Club!: Kazusada Higuchi & Yukio Sakaguchi Vs Konosuke Takeshita & Yuki Ueno
5. HARASHIMA, Toru Owashi & Antonio Honda Vs Shunma Katsumata, MAO & Keigo Nakamura
6. DDT Megatonweight Single Match: Yuji Hino Vs Yukio Naya

Yusuke Okada’s match with Jun Akiyama is just a few days short of Akiyama’s return from injury so sadly it has been cancelled. Instead he gets to team with Junretsu to fight DAMNATION.

DDT “NEW YEAR DRAMATIC ITABA SERIES 2021”, 31/01/2021
Tokyo Itabashi Green Hall

1. 3 Way Match: Toru Owashi Vs Antonio Honda Vs Keigo Nakamura
2. Yuji Hino, Mad Paulie & Nobuhiro Shimatani Vs Chris Brookes, Yusuke Okada & Toi Kojima
3. Kazusada Higuchi & Yukio Naya Vs Yuki Ueno & Shunma Katsumata
4. Yukio Sakaguchi & Mizuki Watase Vs Konosuke Takeshita & MAO
5. Young Communication Generation Vs DDT Legend Army!: Akito & Kazuki Hirata Vs HARASHIMA & Danshoku Dieno
6. DAMNATION VS Junretsu!: Tetsuya Endo, Daisuke Sasaki & Soma Takao Vs Jun Akiyama, Makoto Oishi & Hideki Okatani

Akiyama’s return match is here. Tetsuya Endo is already getting impatient waiting for him to come back. Because of all the shows Akiyama will miss this month, this will be the only preview match he and Endo will have before “KAWASAKI STRONG 2021”.

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “POSITIVE CHAIN”, 11/02/2021
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

1. International Princess Title: Yuki Kamifuku (c) Vs Mirai Maiumi
2. Princess Of Princess Title: Rika Tatsumi (c) Vs Miu Watanabe

The International Princess Title is making the Tokyo Joshi Pro roster aspire to spread their name overseas. Mirai Maiumi is stepping up to challenge Yuki Kamifuku for the title. Kamifuku is acting a little patronizing towards her over it because what would a rural girl know about going international? Maiumi wants to prove her wrong.

DDT “KAWASAKI STRONG 2021”, 14/02/2021
Culttz Kawasaki

1. Mizuki Watase & Hideki Okatani Vs Yusuke Okada & Toi Kojima
2. Super Joshi War ~Blooming Flowers~: Saki Akai & Maya Yukihi Vs Saori Anou & Miyako Matsumoto
3. Yuki Iino Return Match ~ DAMNATION Vs ALL OUT!: Daisuke Sasaki, Soma Takao, Mad Paulie & Yuji Hino Vs Konosuke Takeshita, Akito, Shunma Katsumata & Yuki Iino
4. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Super Delfin, Chris Brookes & Maki Itoh Vs MAO, Keigo Nakamura & Mirai Maiumi
5. Special Tag Match: HARASHIMA & Yuji Okabayashi Vs Kazusada Higuchi & Yukio Naya
6. KO-D 8-Man Tag Team Titles: Sanshiro Takagi, Danshoku Dieno, Toru Owashi & Makoto Oishi Vs Shinya Aoki, Super Sasadango Machine, Antonio Honda & Kazuki Hirata
7. DDT UNIVERSAL Title: Yuki Ueno (c) Vs Yukio Sakaguchi
8. KO-D Openweight Title: Tetsuya Endo (c) Vs Jun Akiyama

Somebody tell Yuki Ueno not to poke the wolf. Yukio Sakaguchi made it clear he will choke out anyone who sides with Ueno up until the DDT UNIVERSAL Title match. So Ueno joking about Sakaguchi wanting to pose with the title belt whenever he wins is only going to make fighting him worse.

The full squads for the vacant KO-D 8-Man Tag Team Titles match have been decided. For once it looks like the whichever team wins can be relied on to appear on the same shows consistantly enough to defend the belts.

Smile Pissari will be fighting the heavyweight team of Kazusada Higuchi & Yukio Naya. Naya’s progress (or lack of it) in the ring has been the story of his DDT run so far. HARASHIMA believes he is getting better and looks forward to fighting Naya at his strongest. If that doesn’t work at least we get Yuji Okabayashi and Higuchi in the same match out of this.

DDT “FRIENDSHIP, EFFORT, VICTORY IN NAGOYA 2021”, 23/02/2021
Nagoya Congress Center Event Hall

1. Hiroshi Yamato & Nobuhiro Shimatani Vs Yusuke Okada & Keigo Nakamura
2. Toru Owashi & Yukio Naya Vs Soma Takao & Mad Paulie
3. Chris Brookes & Maki Itoh Vs Antonio Honda & Saki Akai
4. DAMNATION Vs DDT Sauna Club!: Tetsuya Endo & Daisuke Sasaki Vs Yuki Ueno & Shunma Katsumata
5. Junretsu Vs #STRONGHEARTS: Jun Akiyama, Makoto Oishi, Mizuki Watase & Hideki Okatani Vs CIMA, T-Hawk, El Lindaman & Shigehiro Irie
6. DDT Megatonweight Single Match: Yuji Hino Vs Yuki Iino
7. KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles: Akito, Kazuki Hirata & Shota (c) Vs Sanshiro Takagi, HARASHIMA & Danshoku Dieno
8. KO-D Tag Team Titles: Kazusada Higuchi & Yukio Sakaguchi (c) Vs Konosuke Takeshita & MAO

Some goofiness from Shunma Katsumata has led to the DDT Sauna Club getting the next crack at the KO-D Tag Team Titles. Katsumata wanted himself, Konosuke Takeshita & MAO to challenge the champions 3 on 2. That’s not allowed so he suggested only Takeshita & MAO get the title match instead. What a good friend. Too bad Sakaguchi knocked him out afterwards.

The #DAMNHEARTS business alliance between DAMNATION and #STRONGHEARTS is no more. CIMA and his associates are now no longer involved with DAMNATION’s activities. If they’re sticking around in DDT they will be going their own direction. Shigehiro Irie is coming back to DDT for a full scale 8-Man Tag against Junretsu.

Chris Brookes has had enough of Antonio Honda’s antics. So much so he is bringing Maki Itoh in to cause some trouble. Saki Akai has Honda’s back though.


DDT “GO TO DDT! VOL. 1” Results

January 9, 2021

DDT “GO TO DDT! VOL. 1”, 09/01/2021
Tokyo Korakuen Hall
484 Fans

0. Under Match: Tomomitsu Matsunaga & Hideki Okatani defeated Keigo Nakamura & Toui Kojima when Okatani pinned Kojima with the Northern Lights Suplex (6:50).
1. Written By Hajime Takahashi & Masaki Inoue “Does Momotaro’s Kibidango Recognize As An Expense?” Infomercial Match: Akito, Kazuki Hirata, Antonio Honda & Super Sasadango Machine (3D Avatar) defeated Sanshiro Takagi, Danshoku Dieno, Toru Owashi & Saki Akai when Hirata pinned Takagi with a School Boy (?:??).
2. Mad Paulie & Yuji Hino defeated Chris Brookes & Shunma Katsumura when Hino pinned Katsumura with the Fucking BOMB (8:18).
3. Konosuke Takeshita & MAO defeated HARASHIMA & Yukio Naya when MAO pinned Naya with the Cannonball 450 (10:02).
4. DAMNATION Vs Junretsu!: Makoto Oishi, Mizuki Watase & Yusuke Okada defeated Tetsuya Endo, Daisuke Sasaki & Nobuhiro Shimatani when Oishi submitted Shimatani with the Fujiyama Knee Lock (12:14).
5. KO-D Tag Team Titles: Kazusada Higuchi & Yukio Sakaguchi (c) defeated CIMA & Soma Takao by TKO when Sakaguchi choked out Takao with the Sleeper Hold (16:26).
*V1 for Eruption.
6. DDT UNIVERSAL Title: Yuki Ueno (c) defeated Shota with the WR (16:53).
*V2 for Yuki Ueno.

DDT’s second visit to Korakuen Hall this year was headlined with a DDT UNIVERSAL Title defence. Yuki Ueno got a measure of revenge when he pinned Shota in a 6-Man Tag last week and firmly got the rest of it by beating him again today. Shota was over reliant on the Gannosuke Clutch and when that couldn’t get him a win he tried cheating instead. He used ropes for leverage on pins and gave Ueno a Low Blow when the referee was knocked away. But Shota went back to the Gannosuke Clutch which Ueno had figured out by then. Ueno avoided the move, stunned Shota with a Dropkick and pinned him with the WR for the successful title defence.

Ueno wanted to give Shota microphone time after the match but he declined and left the ring. Ueno joked that he would have to talk by himself for five minutes, then said he learned so much from Shota over the 5 years he’s known him. He was happy to face Shota in his first match of 2021 and he is both the most annoying and most entertaining opponent. Hisaya Imabayashi asked Ueno who he would like to defend the UNIVERSAL Title against next. Ueno said Yukio Sakaguchi! He learned a lot from Sakaguchi last year such as what it’s like to get choked out and why you always see worried faces above you when you regain consciousness. Sakaguchi accepted the match and asked to look at the title belt. When he held it he posed with it and told Ueno that is where the title should be. He handed it back to Ueno but warned nominating him was the biggest mistake he could make. Imabayashi decided the title match will happen at “KAWASAKI STRONG 2021” on 14th February.

In the backstage interviews, Sakaguchi said there are no grand slam champions in DDT since the creation of the UNIVERSAL Title. He is aiming to be the first new grand slam champion in DDT and to do that he has to go after both the UNIVERSAL Title and the DDT Extreme Title. When Ueno did his interview, Sakaguchi snuck up behind him and choked him out with the Sleeper Hold.

Sakaguchi still holds the KO-D Tag Team Titles with Kazusada Higuchi. The Eruption pair held on against a CimaSoma team with a lot of momentum behind them. CIMA & Soma Takao wore the same matching outfits from “ULTIMATE PARTY 2020” and had the same effort of teamwork from back then. There was also high risk like CIMA using the Meteora to break up Sakaguchi’s Sleeper Hold on Takao. However Sakaguchi clasped the Sleeper Hold back onto Takao and CIMA couldn’t rescue him again. Takao went motionless and the match was stopped, making Eruption the winners.

Shunma Katsumata, Konosuke Takeshita & MAO from the DDT Sauna Club approached Eruption after the match. Katsumata challenged them to put the KO-D Tag Titles on the line against all three of them. Sakaguchi called him stupid and Imabayashi told them it can’t happen that way. Takeshita & MAO tried to leave but Katsumata then said those two could face Eruption instead. Sakaguchi knocked out Katsumata with an Elbow Strike and accepted the challenge. Kazusada Higuchi & Sakaguchi Vs Takeshita & MAO for the titles will happen at the 23rd February Nagoya show and it will be the main event!

The #DAMNHEARTS group received major news when CimaSoma got back to the locker room. Daisuke Sasaki had apparently talked to #STRONGHEARTS before the match and agreed if CimaSoma didn’t win the tag titles then the business alliance will be dissolved. #DAMNHEARTS is splitting up! Takao said he heard nothing about this and CIMA doesn’t remember making this decision although he agreed it has been a while since DAMNATION and #STRONGHEARTS worked together. Sasaki promised both sides will do something together again when the pandemic is over.

With Jun Akiyama out of action for the rest of this month, the newcomer Yusuke Okada took his place and wasted no time in getting to wrestle Tetsuya Endo. There was still Junretsu representation in the match with Makoto Oishi & Mizuki Watase involved. Oishi overcame danger when he kicked out of a Standing Moonsault from Endo followed by a Standing Shooting Star Press from Nobuhiro Shimatani. Oishi pulled Shimatani to the mat and made him tap to the Fujiyama Knee Lock. Endo grabbed the microphone out of Oishi’s hands and said he is going to crush Akiyama on 14th February. As he was leaving, Oishi responded that he might crush Endo before Endo gets to face Akiyama! Backstage Sasaki revealed what he learned during his time off with injury. Pro wrestling is about love and romance, just like the movie Titanic. What’s missing in the ring right now is romance. He found it and will show it to everyone soon.

MAO dusted off the Cannonball 450 to win DDT Sauna Club’s tag match. First he got rid of HARASHIMA with a Plancha, then Takeshita took care of Yukio Naya with a Vertical Drop Brainbuster to set up the 450 finish.

 

Katsumata is an eager fellow but it got him into a lot of painful situations today. He tried jumping Yuji Hino & Mad Paulie at the start of their tag match but did so without Chris Brookes joining him. Brookes instead stayed in the corner and did “NeppoWER!!” chants with no other intention of fighting the heavyweight opponents. Hino caught Katsumata in mid-air and Brookes did a Missile Dropkick to them to get his partner a nearfall. There were blocks for both the ¡Hasta la vista! and Fucking BOMB but Hino ended up winning out in the end.

 

Heavy snow in Niigata prevented Super Sasadango Machine from travelling to Tokyo for today’s show. He was replaced by a “3D Avatar” of himself. In other words it was Keigo Nakamura in a Sasadango mask. Sasadango also provided a PowerPoint presentation on Zoom before the opening match explaining the importance of filing tax returns. His example was getting the wrestlers in his match to all wrestle in their own expensive clothing because they can treat it as tax deductible ring gear. This made a few people like Saki Akai uncomfortable because they did not want their personal belongings used in the match. She was proven right when Kazuki Hirata tried to steal her handbag and it got knocked out of the ring. Toru Owashi revealed he was wearing the O-40 Title underneath his hoodie. Danshoku Dieno pulled off Akito’s rare sneakers and shoved one of them into Akito’s mouth. He then threw them away causing Akito to chase after them. Sanshiro Takagi wore a watch that costs 1.1 million yen and used it to stop Antonio Honda’s Gongitsune joke. Hirata took the watch, grabbed a chair and tried to smash it. Takagi took the chair swung it at Hirata but missed and smashed the watch instead! He was in so much shock that Hirata easily pinned Takagi with a School Boy.

Nakamura was also in the pre-show match. He and Toi Kojima lost to Tomomitsu Matsunaga & Hideki Okatani. The match came down to Kojima and Okatani. A Running Neckbreaker was used to set up the Northern Lights Suplex for Okatani to win.


DDT “NEW YEAR’S DAY GIFT SPECIAL! ALL SEATS 3,000 YEN SPECIAL BOX OFFICE!! 2021” Results

January 3, 2021

DDT “NEW YEAR’S DAY GIFT SPECIAL! ALL SEATS 3,000 YEN SPECIAL BOX OFFICE!! 2021”, 03/01/2021
Tokyo Korakuen Hall
713 Fans – Super No Vacancy Full House

1. Keigo Nakamura defeated Hideki Okatani with a Cradle (7:42).
2. Antonio Honda 43rd Birthday & 16th Anniversary Debut Match: Antonio Honda defeated Choun-Shiryu with the Diving Fist Drop (9:14).
3. Yukio Sakaguchi, Saki Akai & Gota Ihashi defeated Toru Owashi, Tomomitsu Matsunaga & Toui Kojima when Sakaguchi pinned Kojima with the PK (9:37).
4. Mad Paulie, Nobuhiro Shimatani & Hiroshi Yamato defeated Makoto Oishi, Mizuki Watase & Yukio Naya when Paulie pinned Watase with the Reverse Splash (12:19).
5. 1 Vs 3 Handicap Match: Shinya Aoki, Danshoku Dieno & Super Sasadango Machine defeated Sanshiro Takagi when Aoki pinned Takagi with a Jackknife Pin (10:00).
6. Konosuke Takeshita, Shunma Katsumata, MAO & Yuki Ueno defeated Akito, Kazuki Hirata, Shota & Keisuke Ishii when Ueno pinned Shota with the BME (14:34).
7. Tetsuya Endo, Soma Takao & Yuji Hino (w/ Daisuke Sasaki) defeated HARASHIMA, Kazusada Higuchi & Chris Brookes when Endo pinned Brookes with the Shooting Star Press (17:18).

The first DDT show of 2021 was almost entirely a surprise card. The audience only knew what the matches were once they were ready to begin. For the main event HARASHIMA, Kazusada Higuchi & Chris Brookes joined forces to fight DAMNATION. While all of DAMNATION were at ringside, Daisuke Sasaki got directly involved by grabbing Brookes by the leg. Yuji Hino brought it to both HARASHIMA & Higuchi. Soma Takao overheard Higuchi insult CIMA which spurred him on to fight through the Brain Claw. Tetsuya Endo got the win in the end by hitting Brookes with Tetsuya In The Sky, the Swivel Torture Rack Bomb and finally the Shooting Star Press. Endo looked over to Jun Akiyama at the commentary table while the pin was counted.

Shouting was heard over by the entrance after the match. It was Yuki Iino calling for Hino’s attention while the rest of ALL OUT tried to hold him back. Iino pushed his teammates back, entered the ring and demanded to face Hino in an arm wrestling contest on the canvas. Hino was confused but he accepted the challenge and won. Iino got mad over losing and had to be held back again while Konosuke Takeshita introduced him to Hino. He then explained that Iino’s return match from injury will be at “KAWASAKI STRONG 2021” on 14th February when ALL OUT takes on DAMNATION. He then suggested that Iino and Hino have a singles match at the next big event after that. Hisaya Imabayashi agreed to book Iino Vs Hino in Nagoya on 23rd February. ALL OUT dragged Iino away while Endo took the microphone and warned Akiyama that he is always ready. Endo closed out the show by saying this year he is aiming for more than just the Tokyo Sports MVP Award. He wants to make scandalous news stories with glamourous women in the tabloids too!

Another 8-Man Tag pitted the two new units that have unexpectedly taken over DDT in the last few months. All four members of the DDT Sauna Club came out first, followed by the Young Communication Generation. The latter team then surprised everyone by bringing out Keisuke Ishii! Akito warned him about the Sauna Club’s “Heat Wave WER!!” pose but he didn’t understand it. Kazuki Hirata did a Plancha to the outside while Ishii did his work. The Sauna Club isolated Shota and piled on the top rope moves to him. Shunma Katsumata, MAO & Yuki Ueno hit Diving Body Presses one after the other but Ueno’s pin was broken up. Shota caught Ueno in the Gannosuke Clutch but MAO was there to break that pin up. Ueno got to recover and beat Shota with the BME. Backstage Ishii said it was the first time in a long while he wrestled in DDT (not counting BOYZ) and he would like to appear more in 2021 to be with his friends in Young Communication again. Shota wants to make it a year where Ganbare☆Pro doesn’t lose to DDT. Meanwhile Katsumata wants to make 2021 the year of the Sauna Club!

One of the matches was supposed to be Sanshiro Takagi & Danshoku Dieno Vs Shinya Aoki & Super Sasadango Machine. But backstage before the match Dieno, Aoki & Sasadango were all complaining about Takagi’s tweets including one that where Takagi was showing off his calves. The three of them instead decided to gang up on Takagi in a Handicap Match and purposely target his calf. Aoki put him in a Jail Hold while Dieno & Sasadango brought out a bag containing some of Takagi’s personal belongings. Sasadango found Takagi’s wallet, pulled out 29,000 yen in cash and raffled it off to three fans in the audience. Dieno eventually thought things went overboard and he felt sorry for Takagi. It is thanks to Takagi that they get to wrestle this year so the best New Year’s gift is to give Takagi his first win of 2021. Sasadango agreed and with Dieno they both attacked Aoki. Dieno is still recovering from the fire extinguisher attack to his rear but Takagi forced to go into the Hell Gate position. That lost him Sasadango’s support and Takagi was thrown face first into the Hell Gate. Aoki kicked Takagi in the calf, Sasadango did the Vertical Drop Lehmann Shock and Aoki pinned him with a Jackknife. Backstage Sasadango offered to be on Aoki’s team at “KAWASAKI STRONG 2021” because they should be fighting for a better goal than satisfying Takagi’s desires. They like Takagi but will not be used by him anymore!

As Takagi was leaving the ring after his match, he was suddenly approached at ringside by Yusuke Okada! The former All Japan wrestler introduced himself to the audience and told them he wants to experience a new world of pro wrestling now that he became freelance. He asked Takagi if he could have a match in DDT. Takagi questioned his interest in DDT after seeing the match that just happened. He then passed the request over to Imabayashi, who wasn’t expecting that. Imabayashi told Okada he will book him on next week’s Korakuen Hall show on 9th January.

DAMNATION’s good run begun earlier in the show when Mad Paulie, Nobuhiro Shimatani & Hiroshi Yamato beat Makoto Oishi, Mizuki Watase & Yukio Naya. Paulie threw Yamato onto Watase with an X-Style Iconoclasm. Shimatani then hopped onto Paulie’s back and they jumped on top of Watase for a nearfall when Oishi & Naya broke it up. Paulie then hit Watase with a Lariat and won with the Reverse Splash.

Gota Ihashi didn’t get to wrestle in Korakuen Hall last year so he wanted to make up for lost time. This year he wants to join a unit and rampage all over DDT. There is only one unit he wants to join and that’s Eruption! He came out with his own custom entrance video wearing an Eruption coat made out of posters. He even drew his own version of the Eruption logo calling it Ihaption. Yukio Sakaguchi & Saki Akai were bemused over this but it kind of worked out in the end. Akai gave Toru Owashi a Brainbuster and Ihashi went toe to toe with Tomomitsu Matsunaga. Eruption(?) then focused their attacks on Toui Kojima. Ihashi almost lost the match when he missed the Moonsault. Akai kicked Ihashi out of frustration and Sakaguchi tagged himself in to finish Kojima off. Sakaguchi & Akai had enough of Ihashi and walked off on him backstage. However he believes he can continue teaming with Eruption and together they can all go after the KO-D 8-Man Tag Team Titles.

Antonio Honda’s big day was almost ruined when he tripped on the ropes and hurt his knee. Choun-Shiryu knew what was coming and attacked Honda before he could tell his latest Gongitsune joke. Honda lived up to the big occasion though and hit a Topé Suicida and the Tenzan Tombstone Driver on route to victory.

The first DDT match of 2021 was Keigo Nakamura’s first ever singles victory! He defeated his generation rival Hideki Okatani by cradling his way out of the Double Arm Suplex. Nakamura currently has a 1-3 record against Okatani so he wants to reverse the numbers this year.

Some more matches were booked for “KAWASAKI STRONG 2021”. Akai will be teaming with Maya Yukihi from Ice Ribbon to take on Saori Anou & Miyako Matsumoto. Yukihi said she discovered DDT more than 10 years ago so she is deeply moved to be wrestling a match for them. She thought she was going to fight against Akai but Imabayashi corrected her. Akai always wanted to team with her because she is beautiful and strong. She is also excited to face Anou again. When Imabayashi asked Akai & Yukihi about Matsumoto, they both declined to answer. They were asked again backstage and Yukihi finally had something to say. “In terms of strength, beauty and glamour, Miyako-san will never the best.”

The New Year’s Shuffle Tag Tournament winners Smile Pissari will team again at the Culttz Kawasaki show. HARASHIMA & Yuji Okabayashi will face a team yet to be determined.

Takagi will return to the battlefield for his next DDT Extreme Title defence. He takes on Nabe Yakan from Best Body Pro Wrestling on 10th January. The match was made when earlier in the day Yakan led a bunch of soldiers armed with air guns into the locker room to steal the Extreme Title belt.


“NEW YEAR’S EVE WRESTLING 2020 ~TOSHIWASHURE! SHUFFLE TAG TOURNAMENT” Results

December 31, 2020

“NEW YEAR’S EVE WRESTLING 2020 ~TOSHIWASHURE! SHUFFLE TAG TOURNAMENT”, 31/12/2020
Tokyo Korakuen Hall
520 Fans

1. Shuffle Tag Tournament – Round 1: Yuji Okabayashi & HARASHIMA defeated Yuya Aoki & Yukio Naya when Okabayashi submitted Naya with the Argentine Backbreaker (8:53).
2. Shuffle Tag Tournament – Round 1: Akira Hyodo & Makoto Oishi Vs Takuya Nomura & Konosuke Takeshita ended in a Time Limit Draw (10:00).
2a. Overtime – 1 Count Fall Rules: Takuya Nomura & Konosuke Takeshita defeated Akira Hyodo & Makoto Oishi when Nomura pinned Hyodo with a Rollover Inverted Cross Armbreaker (2:32).
3. Shuffle Tag Tournament – Round 1: Yasufumi Nakanoue & Yuki Ueno defeated Drew Parker & Danshoku Dieno when Ueno pinned Dieno with a School Boy (7:35).
4. Shuffle Tag Tournament – Round 1: Daisuke Sekimoto & Tetsuya Endo defeated Hideyoshi Kamitani & Chris Brookes when Sekimoto pinned Kamitani with the German Suplex (7:04).
5. Fluorescent Lighttube Death Match: Ryuji Ito defeated Shunma Katsumata with the Dragon Splash (11:01).
6. Shuffle Tag Tournament – Semi Final: Yuji Okabayashi & HARASHIMA Vs Takuya Nomura & Konosuke Takeshita ended in a Time Limit Draw (15:00).
6a. Overtime – 1 Count Fall Rules: Yuji Okabayashi & HARASHIMA defeated Takuya Nomura & Konosuke Takeshita when HARASHIMA pinned Takeshita with a Jackknife Pin (0:26).
7. Shuffle Tag Tournament – Semi Final: Yasufumi Nakanoue & Yuki Ueno defeated Daisuke Sekimoto & Tetsuya Endo when Nakanoue pinned Sekimoto with the Lariat (8:10).
8. New Year’s Wrestling 2020 Special 8-Man Tag Match: Yukio Sakaguchi, Kazuki Hashimoto, Daichi Hashimoto & Kazusada Higuchi defeated Takuho Kato, Yuki Ishikawa, Keigo Nakamura & Hideki Okatani when Hashimoto pinned Okatani with the Falcon Arrow (13:35).
9. Shuffle Tag Tournament – Final: Yuji Okabayashi & HARASHIMA defeated Yasufumi Nakanoue & Yuki Ueno when Okabayashi pinned Nakanoue with the Golem Splash (17:50).

The annual New Year’s Eve show was a much smaller affair in 2020. Safety precautions meant the show took place earlier in the day and would not roll over into the end of year countdown. The Shuffle Tag Tournament between DDT and Big Japan was also reduced to 8 teams instead of the usual 16.

Shuffle Tag Tournament – Round 1

Smile Pissari Vs HOT Real JAPAN

Two super heavyweights collided when Yuji Okabayashi and Yukio Naya stood face to face from each other. HARASHIMA kept Yuya Aoki away so Naya spent most of the match in the ring. He got some good shots in with Knee Strikes but Okabayashi cut him off with a Lariat and made him submit to the Argentine Backbreaker. Naya said he wants to fight Okabayashi again. Aoki was apologetic for not getting to help his tag partner more.

170cm Vs Nomutake

It only took until the second match for overtime sudden death rules to kick in. Konosuke Takeshita and Makoto Oishi were scrambling over each other in the dying seconds of the match. When time expired, One Count Fall rules came into play for the restart. Takuya Nomura put Akira Hyodo in a Cross Armbreaker and rolled him onto his shoulders to get the pin. At least Hyodo thought he and Oishi worked well as a team given their age difference.

Nakanoueno Vs Sodomy & Scars

Things got cheeky in Match #3. Danshoku Dieno accidentally put Drew Parker in the Lip Lock. Parker later accidentally pulled down Dieno’s tights to reveal he was wearing a diaper underneath because he still has not recovered from the CO2 attack to his rear end last week. Still he went into the Hell Gate position but Yuki Ueno Dropkicked him in the butt. Yasufumi Nakanoue rushed over to give Parker the Lip Lock while Ueno pinned Dieno with a School Boy. Dieno said afterward there are two kinds of butts in the world. Those that are for entertainment and those that are not.

Daisuke In The Sky Vs LINE Tomodachi

Round 1 ended with Daisuke Sekimoto & Tetsuya Endo defeating Hideyoshi Kamitani & Chris Brookes. It went back and forth until Endo gave Brookes the Tetsuya In The Sky and Sekimoto pinned Kamitani with the German Suplex. Brookes threatened to remove Kamitani from their LINE group backstage but Kamitani convinced him to give him one more chance.

Fluorescent Lighttube Death Match

The first of two non-tournament matches was the long awaited lighttube death match between Ryuji Ito and Shunma Katsumata. Lighttubes, thumbtacks, Lego, a barbed wire bat and even sauna stones were used as weapons. Ito came out on top in the end but he praised Katsumata for keeping up with death matches, especially this week’s schedule. He doesn’t likes saunas though because they are too hot. Katsumata tells him everyone says that at first but they always end up liking it.

Shuffle Tag Tournament – Semi Final

Smile Pissari Vs Nomutake

The semi finals began and one of them went into extra time. Okabayashi came out wearing a similar entrance robe as HARASHIMA. Nomura wanted to get into a kick battle with HARASHIMA so that is what he got. In the final minutes, Okabayashi and Takeshita both went down from a Lariat but only Okabayashi got to tag out. HARASHIMA went for the Somato and Takeshita avoided it before the bell rang for a time limit draw. At the restart, HARASHIMA kicked Takeshita’s injured arm, followed with a Thrust Kick to the face and pinned him for the one count with a Jackknife. Nomura would like to team with Takeshita again but he doesn’t know if his regular tag partner Fuminori Abe would approve of it. Takeshita then suggested he could fight against Nomura & Abe.

Nakanoueno Vs Daisuke In The Sky

The tag synergy continued with Sekimoto & Endo wearing each other’s entrance robes. After a Double Torture Rack spot, Endo encouraged Sekimoto to German Suplex him and Ueno together. Ueno slipped out and landed on his feet while Endo took the full brunt of the move. Ueno hit Sekimoto with a Frog Splash and Nakanoue won with a big Lariat. Sekimoto apologised to Endo over and over backstage. He admits his wife tells him he is too careless all the time. Endo promised to improve his fingertip strength so his clutch will get stronger.

New Year’s Wrestling 2020 Special 8-Man Tag Match

The young boys were fed to the grizzly old veterans but they didn’t go down without a fight. Yuki Ishikawa stepped in as a last minute replacement for Kosuke Sato because of injury. Takuho Kato set Keigo Nakamura up to do the Exquisite Moonsault on Kazuki Hashimoto. A nearfall then came when Hideki Okatani gave Kazuki the Northern Lights Suplex. Eruption cut them off and Daichi Hashimoto took over. He resisted Okatani’s chops and pinned him with the Falcon Arrow.

Shuffle Tag Tournament – Final

Smile Pissari Vs Nakanoueno

The final turned out to be a preview of Big Japan’s 2nd January main event with Okabayashi and Nakanoue squaring off. The match started off with them and ended with them. Ueno wiped out HARASHIMA with a Tornillo leading to the Big Japan pair to take it home. Nakanoue hit the Diving Elbow but HARASHIMA broke the pin and hit a Somato into the corner. Okabayashi got a nearfall with a Power Bomb. He then had to use the Golem Splash to get the three count and win the tournament with HARASHIMA! He thanked HARASHIMA for teaming with him and also for the entrance robe. HARASHIMA hopes to keep up with Okabayashi in 2021. Nakanoue & Ueno were happy with their performances considering they never teamed together before today. Maybe they have Osaka Power of love and friendship.

Japan Indie Grand Prix Awards 2020

MVP
1. Minoru Fujita
2. Tetsuya Endo
3. Toru Sugiura
4. Fuminori Abe
5. Daichi Hashimoto

Best Bout
1. Tetsuya Endo Vs Daisuke Sasaki (DDT, 3rd November)
2. Ryuji Ito Vs Minoru Fujita (Big Japan, 29th August)
3. Yuji Okabayashi Vs Daisuke Sekimoto (Big Japan, 23rd November)
4. Onryo Vs Yuko Miyamoto (666, 27th June)
5. Masashi Takeda Vs Daisuke Masaoka (FREEDOMS, 10th November)

Best Unit
1. Astronauts
2. Eruption
3. unchain
4. DAMNATION
5. Wataridori Rengo

Best Box Office
1. Big Japan at Yokohama Bunka Gymnasium, 29th August
2. Hiragana Muscle at Tokyo Korakuen Hall, 9th November
3. DDT at Tokyo Ota Ward Gymnasium, 3rd November
4. Big Japan at Yokohama Bunka Gymnasium, 30th August
5. Hiragan Muscle at Tokyo Shinagawa The Grand Hall, 21st September

Best Newcomer
1. Rina Yamashita
2. Shunma Katsumata
3. Jun Akiyama
4. Yuki Ishikawa
5. Hideki Okatani


Last News Dump For 2020

December 29, 2020

“NEW YEAR’S EVE WRESTLING 2019 ~TOSHIWASHURE! SHUFFLE TAG TOURNAMENT”, 31/12/2020
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

1. Shuffle Tag Tournament – Round 1A: Yuji Okabayashi & HARASHIMA Vs Yuya Aoki & Yukio Naya
2. Shuffle Tag Tournament – Round 1B: Akira Hyodo & Makoto Oishi Vs Takuya Nomura & Konosuke Takeshita
3. Shuffle Tag Tournament – Round 1C: Drew Parker & Danshoku Dieno Vs Yasufumi Nakanoue & Yuki Ueno
4. Shuffle Tag Tournament – Round 1D: Hideyoshi Kamitani & Chris Brookes Vs Daisuke Sekimoto & Tetsuya Endo
5. Fluorescent Lighttube Death Match: Ryuji Ito Vs Shunma Katsumata
6. Shuffle Tag Tournament – Semi Final: Winners Of Match 1A Vs Winners Of Match 1B
7. Shuffle Tag Tournament – Semi Final: Winners Of Match 1C Vs Winners Of Match 1D
8. New Year’s Wrestling 2020 Special 8-Man Tag Match: Yukio Sakaguchi, Kazuki Hashimoto, Daichi Hashimoto & Kazusada Higuchi Vs Takuho Kato, Kosuke Sato, Keigo Nakamura & Hideki Okatani
9. Shuffle Tag Tournament – Final: X & X Vs X & X

An earlier start time and smaller card means the show will not cross over into the early hours of 2021. They’re aiming to have the show last only two and a half hours this time around. The Japan Indies Awards 2020 presented by Samurai TV will be handed out in the pre-show.

DDT “NEW YEAR’S DAY GIFT SPECIAL! ALL SEATS 3,000 YEN SPECIAL BOX OFFICE!! 2021”, 03/01/2021
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

1. Antonio Honda 43rd Birthday & 16th Anniversary Debut Match: Antonio Honda Vs Choun-Shiryu

One day after his birthday and one day before the anniversary of his debut match. A perfectly balanced celebration for Antonio Honda. The rest of the card will be announced on the day of the show.

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TOKYO JOSHI PRO ’21”, 04/01/2021
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

1. Arisu Endo Debut Match: Suzume Vs Arisu Endo
2. Marika Kobashi & Moka Miyamoto Vs Pom Harajuku & Haruna Neko
3. Shoko Nakajima Vs Hyper Misao
4. Aja Kong, Mizuki & Raku Vs Miu Watanabe, Nao Kakuta & Mirai Maiumi
5. Sakisama & Mei Saint-Michel Vs Hikari Noa & Sena Shiori
6. Miyu Yamashita Vs Maki Itoh
7. Princess Tag Team Titles: Nodoka Tenma & Yuki Aino (c) Vs Yuki Kamifuku & Mahiro Kiryu
8. Princess Of Princess Title: Yuka Sakazaki (c) Vs Rika Tatsumi

Arisu Endo was born in Fukushima on 27th April, 1998. She is 150cm tall and her blood type is A. Endo is also a member of the idol group Cheer♡1 and looks up to former unit member Reika Saiki.

DDT “GO TO DDT! VOL. 1”, 09/01/2021
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

1. Keigo Nakamura Vs Toi Kojima
2. Chris Brookes & Shunma Katsumura Vs Mad Paulie & Yuji Hino
3. HARASHIMA & Yukio Naya Vs Konosuke Takeshita & MAO
4. Written By Hajime Takahashi & Masaki Inoue “Does Momotaro’s Kibidango Recognize As An Expense?” Infomercial Match: Akito, Kazuki Hirata, Super Sasadango Machine & Antonio Honda Vs Sanshiro Takagi, Danshoku Dieno, Toru Owashi & Saki Akai
5. DAMNATION Vs Junretsu!: Tetsuya Endo, Daisuke Sasaki & Nobuhiro Shimatani Vs Jun Akiyama, Makoto Oishi & Mizuki Watase
6. KO-D Tag Team Titles: Kazusada Higuchi & Yukio Sakaguchi (c) Vs CIMA & Soma Takao
7. DDT UNIVERSAL Title: Yuki Ueno (c) Vs Shota

Shota is having a late career resurgence, winning the KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles and Independent World Jr. Heavyweight Title in short succession. He believes that is why Yuki Ueno accepted his challenge for the DDT UNIVERSAL Title. Shota wants to become a leader of the independent scene in 2021 and travel around the world for wrestling. He thinks winning the UNIVERSAL Title will get him overseas bookings. Ueno didn’t want to end 2020 with him getting pinned by Shota so his new year resolution is to avenge that loss as soon as possible. He should respect Shota more and not look down on that result but as the UNIVERSAL Champion he has a standard to live up to. He must not let the title go to someone who can’t decide if he is indie or major.

Unless he shows up on 3rd January, this is Daisuke Sasaki’s return match from injury.

GANBARE☆PRO “CONAN THE GREAT 2021”, 10/01/2021
Tokyo Itabashi Green Hall

1. THE HALFEE Vs Pochajo Full Scale Competition: Moeka Haruhi & Shu Sakurai Vs Yumehito Imanari & Yuna Manase
2. Ganjo Special Single Match: HARUKAZE Vs Asuka
3. Ganpro Vs Chiba Full Scale Competition: Ken Ohka, Shuichiro Katsumura & Kouki Iwasaki Vs Yasu Urano, Shinichiro Tominaga & Yuma 24
4. A Special Single Match To Determine Whether “Age Is Just A Number”: Ikuto Hidaka Vs Keisuke Ishii
5. Independent World Jr. Heavyweight Title – Street Fight Style Special Hardcore Match: Shota (c) Vs Miss Mongol

The day after Shota main events Korakuen Hall for DDT, he gets to defend the World Jr. Indie Title in Ganbare☆Pro against an FMW original. Miss Mongol is annoyed that Ganpro hasn’t booked her in months so she got bold and challenged Shota to a title match. She also wants it to be a Street Fight because of the championship’s origins with FMW.

Ikuto Hidaka’s appearances in Ganpro this year was to show he still has a lot left in the tank despite his age. Keisuke Ishii wants to see it for himself after he beat Hidaka in a tag match a few days ago.

DDT “ISN’T IT DRAMATIC! 2021”, 11/01/2021
Nagoya City Biwajima Sports Center

1. Toru Owashi & Kazuki Hirata Vs Shunma Katsumata & Toi Kojima
2. Kazusada Higuchi & Yukio Sakaguchi Vs Yuki Ueno & Keigo Nakamura
3. Konosuke Takeshita & MAO Vs Chris Brookes & Antonio Honda
4. Young Communication Generation Vs DDT Legend Army!: Akito & Shota Vs Sanshiro Takagi & Danshoku Dieno
5. Nagoya Specialty! Doerya Tag Match: HARASHIMA & Yukio Naya Vs Mad Paulie & Yuji Hino
6. DAMNATION Vs Junretsu!: Tetsuya Endo, Daisuke Sasaki & Soma Takao Vs Jun Akiyama, Makoto Oishi & Mizuki Watase

The buildup to “KAWASAKI STRONG 2021” is filled with DAMNATION Vs Junretsu matches. We also see the temporary formation of the DDT Legend Army as they prepare for their KO-D 6-Man Tag Titles shot.

Yuji Hino is quickly making friends in DAMNATION, particularly with Mad Paulie.

DDT “REPRINT YOUNG COMMUNICATION SPECIAL ISSUE”, 16/01/2021
Tokyo Narimasu Act Hall

1. Gota Ihashi & Rion Mizuki Vs Michio Kageyama & Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi
2. Soma Takao & Shota Vs Tatsuhiko Yoshino & Daichi Kazato
3. Akito Vs Toru Sugiura
4. Main Event 6-Man Tag Match: Yukihiro Abe, Keisuke Ishii, Shigehiro Irie, Ryuichi Sekine, Kazuki Hirata, FUMA

The Young Communication gang is all back together. Akito and Toru Sugiura are both from the Aichi prefecture so they’re getting paired against each other.

GANBARE☆PRO “BATTLE RUNNER 2021”, 17/01/2021
Osaka Hirano Kumin Hall

1. Ganpro East-West Battle 2021!: Shinichiro Tominaga & Kouki Iwasaki Vs Tsuyoshi Okada & Kota Umeda
2. Woman In Osaka Castle ~Ganjo Special Tag Match~: HARUKAZE & Momoka Hanazono Vs SAKI & Haruka Aikawa
3. Battle Without Honor ~Father Of 2 Children At Home Vs Father Of 2 Children With Child Support~: Ken Ohka Vs Shoichi Uchida
4. Ganpro Osaka Winter Team! THE HALFEE Vs Pocchari Joshi East-West Allied Forces Full Scale Battle!: Katsuzaki Shunosuke, Moehiko Harumisawa & Shu Sakurai Vs Kuuga, Yumehito Imanari & Yuna Manase
5. Ganpro Sanada Maru! Team Drift Vs Team MAKAI Special Tag Match: Keisuke Ishii & Shigehiro Irie Vs Shota & Asuka

Shota and Asuka are still on good terms after Shota won the World Jr. Indie Title from her. At least they better be when Team Drift returns to Ganpro.

No comment on the title of Match #3.

DDT “WRESTLING TONKOTSU 2021 ~MOTSUNABE~”, 17/01/2021
Fukuoka Nishitetsu Hall

1. Akito & Makoto Oishi Vs Soma Takao & Azul Dragon
2. Tetsuya Endo, Daisuke Sasaki & Yuji Hino Vs Kazusada Higuchi, Yukio Sakaguchi & Yukio Naya
3. Hakata Specialty! Seimonbarai Special 6-Man Tag Match: HARASHIMA, Toru Owashi & Chris Brookes Vs Konosuke Takeshita, Shunma Katsumata & MAO

Haven’t seen Azul Dragon in a while. Wonder what he’s been up to. DDT is doing both an afternoon and evening show in Nishitetsu Hall.

DDT “WRESTLING TONKOTSU 2021 ~MIZUTAKI~”, 17/01/2021
Fukuoka Nishitetsu Hall

1. Kazusada Higuchi, Yukio Sakaguchi & Saki Akai Vs Toru Owashi, Kazuki Hirata & MAO
2. Yuji Hino Vs Hideki Okatani
3. DAMNATION Vs Junretsu!: Tetsuya Endo, Daisuke Sasaki & Soma Takao Vs Jun Akiyama, Makoto Oishi & Mizuki Watase
4. Only Because It Is! Hakata Specialty Special Tag Match: Konosuke Takeshita & Yuki Ueno Vs Danshoku Dieno & Antonio Honda

Yuto Aijima will be on the evening show.

BASARA “BASARA 146 ~5TH ANNIVERSARY~”, 20/01/2021
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

1. Dragon Contra Dragon: Gouma Ryu Vs Trans-Am ★ Ryuji
2. IRON FIST Tag Titles: Tsutomu Oosugi & Banana Senga (c) Vs Isami Kodaka & Daiki Shimomura
3. Union MAX Title: Takumi Tsukamoto (c) Vs FUMA

Isami Kodaka & Daiki Shimomura have won the IRON FIST TAG TOURNAMENT, granting them a shot at Speed Of Sounds.

The loser of the Gouma Ryu Vs Trans-Am ★ Ryuji match will no longer be allowed to use “Ryu” in their name.

DDT “DRAMATIC EVERYONE’S DREAM HAS COME TRUE! 2021”, 23/01/2021
Osaka City Minato Ward Citizens Center

1. Konosuke Takeshita & Shunma Katsumata Vs Chris Brookes & Danshoku Dieno
2. HARASHIMA, Kazusada Higuchi & Yukio Sakaguchi Vs Soma Takao, Mad Paulie & Yuji Hino
3. DAMNATION Vs Junretsu!: Tetsuya Endo & Daisuke Sasaki Vs Jun Akiyama & Makoto Oishi

I have to say, Hino taking on HARASHIMA and the Eruption lads has me excited.

DDT “DRAMATIC 2021 JANUARY SPECIAL”, 28/01/2021
Shinjuku FACE

1. HARASHIMA, Toru Owashi & Antonio Honda Vs Shunma Katsumata, MAO & Keigo Nakamura
2. DDT Megatonweight Single Match: Yuji Hino Vs Yukio Naya

However, Hino taking on Yukio Naya does not.

DDT “NEW YEAR DRAMATIC ITABA SERIES 2021”, 31/01/2021
Tokyo Itabashi Green Hall

1. Akito & Kazuki Hirata Vs HARASHIMA & Danshoku Dieno
2. DAMNATION VS Junretsu!: Tetsuya Endo & Nobuhiro Shimatani Vs Jun Akiyama & Hideki Okatani

This is DDT’s go home show for “KAWASAKI STRONG 2021”. The two matches announced so far preview the two title matches advertised for Culttz Kawasaki.

GAKE NO FUCHI JOSHI PRO “GAKEPPUCHI INFINITE TRAIN 2021”, 05/02/2021
Saitama Wrestle Arena

1. Gake no Fuchi Joshi Vs Pocchari Joshi Full-Scale Competition: Miyako Matsumoto & Chris Brookes Vs Yumehito Imanari & Yuna Manase

After taking half a year off, Gake no Fuchi Joshi will be back in action. Miyako Matsumoto is currently looking for joshi trainees of all shapes and sizes so they can help her make the world a little bit more interesting. In August Matsumoto & Chris Brookes lost to the Pocchari Joshi team of Yumehito Imanari & Yuna Manase at a Bakuha Koshien show. The rematch under Gake no Fuchi Joshi rules promises to be a lot more crazier.

DDT “KAWASAKI STRONG 2021”, 14/02/2021
Culttz Kawasaki

1. KO-D 8-Man Tag Team Titles: Sanshiro Takagi, X, X & X Vs Shinya Aoki, X, X & X
2. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Super Delfin, Chris Brookes & Maki Itoh Vs MAO, Keigo Nakamura & Mirai Maiumi
3. KO-D Openweight Title: Tetsuya Endo (c) Vs Jun Akiyama

The D-Ou Grand Prix is over for another year and the winner Jun Akiyama gets the KO-D Openweight Title shot against Tetsuya Endo in February. Akiyama put over Endo and the KO-D Title huge by including Endo with Tetsuya Naito and Go Shiozaki as the only three champions that matter to him. Endo did beat Akiyama in their D-Ou group match so Akiyama needs to fight his heart out if he wants to win. Endo watched the final between Akiyama and Konosuke Takeshita, leaving him with some strong opinions. He can tell the difference between the two wrestlers. According to Endo, Takeshita only thinks about himself while Akiyama is thinking about the entire wrestling industry. Endo likes the praise of his title reign he is getting from Akiyama and it makes him proud of increasing the KO-D Title’s value. So when Endo beats Akiyama again in Culttz Kawasaki, he will call the KO-D Title the number one championship in Japan and himself the number one wrestler in Japan!

DDT “FRIENDSHIP, EFFORT, VICTORY IN NAGOYA 2021”, 23/02/2021
Nagoya Congress Center Event Hall

1. KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles: Akito, Kazuki Hirata & Shota (c) Vs Sanshiro Takagi, HARASHIMA & Danshoku Dieno

The Young Communication Generation want to defend the 6-Man Tag Titles against the top wrestlers in DDT. To them that means the top names from the generation before them.

The #STRONGHEARTS contingent of CIMA, T-Hawk, El Lindaman & Shigehiro Irie will be on the show. Although I don’t know if Irie will be associated with the group when it comes to the match making.


DDT “D-OU GRAND PRIX 2021 THE FINAL!!” Results

December 27, 2020

DDT “D-OU GRAND PRIX 2021 THE FINAL!!”, 27/12/2020
Tokyo Korakuen Hall
??? Fans – Withheld

1. Toui Kojima Debut Match: Hideki Okatani defeated Toui Kojima with a Crab Hold (5:59).
2. 3 Way Match: Antonio Honda defeated Toru Owashi and Nobuhiro Shimatani when Honda pinned Shimatani with the Diving Fist Drop (8:15).
3. Hold Your Stomach! Forget The Year Special Tag Match: Sanshiro Takagi & Danshoku Dieno defeated Nayashiro Nayagi & Super Sasadango Machine when Takagi pinned Nayagi with the Stone Cold Stunner (7:40).
4. Kazusada Higuchi, Yukio Sakaguchi & Saki Akai defeated Makoto Oishi, Mizuki Watase & Tomomitsu Matsunaga when Higuchi submitted Watase with the Brain Claw (7:35).
5. Tetsuya Endo, Soma Takao, Mad Paulie & Yuji Hino (w/ Daisuke Sasaki) defeated HARASHIMA, Chris Brookes, Shinya Aoki & Keigo Nakamura when Hino pinned Nakamura with the Diving Body Press (12:56).
6. KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles: Akito, Kazuki Hirata & Shota (c) defeated Shunma Katsumata, MAO & Yuki Ueno when Shota pinned Ueno with the Gannosuke Clutch (12:53).
*V1 for Young Communicaton Generation.
7. D-Ou Grand Prix 2021 – Final: Jun Akiyama defeated Konosuke Takeshita by TKO with a Modified Armlock (23:29).

You can now add a former Champion Carnival winner to the short list of D-Ou Grand Prix champions. Jun Akiyama overcame an injured leg to defeat his foe Konosuke Takeshita in the final. The leg injury came when Takeshita caught a Stomp and gave Akiyama a Dragon Screw. From there Takeshita targeted the leg with attacks against the ring post as well as wrestling holds to that limb. What evened the score was Takeshita going into the match with an injured arm that Akiyama could focus on. German and Exploder Suplexes were exchanged and Akiyama Headbutted his way out of a Cross-Arm German Suplex. Seeing his chance, Akiyama applied a Chickenwing Armlock and rolled Takeshita into the centre of the ring. Takeshita struggled to move and soon became lifeless. That caused Yukinori Matsui to end the match and award Akiyama the tournament!

Akiyama received his trophy and praised the field of wrestlers who competed in the Grand Prix this year. He faced a lot of great DDT wrestlers. In fact he lost to two of them in the tournament. But he is the one standing on top in the end. There are only three singles champions in Japan he recognises today: Tetsuya Naito with the IWGP Heavyweight Title, Go Shiozaki with the GHC Heavyweight Title and Tetsuya Endo with the KO-D Openweight Title. (Akiyama later explained he only recognises those championships because Naito, Shiozaki and Endo all won Tokyo Sports Awards this year. All Japan was shut out of the awards so he unfortunately no longer sees the Triple Crown as a major championship. If AJPW can win over the community and the pro wrestling media in 2021, then he will change his tune.) Akiyama now gets to face Endo in a rematch on 14th February in Culttz Kawasaki, this time for the KO-D Title. Akiyama thanked Sanshiro Takagi for inviting him to coach in DDT back in May. He also thanked the wrestlers, staff and fans for accepting him. Lastly, he thanked the All Japan fans too.

From the get go, the DDT Sauna Club did their “Heat Wave WER!!” pose to the Young Communication Generation. In response, Kazuki Hirata & Shota did the post back to their opponents while Akito looked on embarrassed by the situation. Shunma Katsumata hit the Stuka Splash on Hirata. MAO & Yuki Ueno then both leapt across the ring with Frog Splashes on Shota & Hirata. Ueno tried to hit Shota with the WR but Shota maneuvered his way into the Gannosuke Clutch to steal the win. The two teams were satisfied with their match and Akito now understands the power of the sauna.

Shota then turned his attention to Ueno and challenged him for the DDT UNIVERSAL Title. Shota wants to become a leader of the independent scene in 2021 and he is already on his way with two championshps. That’s not enough, he wants a third title that can let him travel around the world. Ueno accepted and the match will happen on 9th January as the Korakuen Hall main event! Akito then asked if his team can next defend the KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles in his hometown of Nagoya when DDT goes there on 23rd February. He wants to defend the belts against DDT’s top wrestlers: Sanshiro Takagi, HARASHIMA & Danshoku Dieno! Young Communication want to beat the guys they looked up to when they were young. Then in 2021 they will all become main eventers of the indie world!

DAMNATION are looking unstoppable with the addition of Yuji Hino to their ranks. The heavyweight freelancer crushed Keigo Nakamura with a Diving Body Press to win the 8-Man Tag. He also overpowered HARASHIMA in a Chop Battle. Endo went through a few exchanges with Chris Brookes that ultimately ended with Endo hitting the Sasuke Special onto Brookes and a bunch of other wrestlers outside the ring. Shinya Aoki was the one who posed a big threat when he took down Soma Takao but DAMNATION all ganged up on him. Still, Aoki kicked out after taking a string of diving moves Endo and Takao did off of Mad Paulie’s back. After the match Daisuke Sasaki reintroduced Hino to the DDT fans. He said DAMNATION will mess up DDT’s ring in 2021! Hino told him he would like to go wild and have fun with his new friends. Backstage he also said he would like to win the KO-D Title because he thinks he held it before (he did). Endo doesn’t seem too enthused about that.

2020 ends on a strong note for Eruption. The finish to their match saw Yukio Sakaguchi & Saki Akai run opposite ways on the apron to do Penalty Kicks to Makoto Oishi & Tomomitsu Matsunaga. Akai then dove on top of them while Kazusada Higuchi applied a Lifted Brain Claw to Mizuki Watase for the victory.

Let’s be frank, Yukio Naya doesn’t know how to be Sanshiro Takagi. He needed Super Sasadango Machine to teach him when to do the “FIRE!” pose in time with the entrance music. The real Takagi demanded Danshoku Dieno to go into the Hell Gate position but he declined. Sasadango had to explain that Dieno’s backside was burned after he was sprayed with a CO2 fire extinguisher during this week’s Street Wrestling match. Takagi eventually made Dieno climb the turnbuckle and bend over, no matter how much it hurt him. Sasadango revealed he is now a shareholder of CyberAgent and attacked Takagi with his stock certificate to prove it. Sasadango’s mask slipped up when he took an Atomic Drop and he fell face first into Dieno’s backside. Takagi then stuck his fingers into Dieno’s butt, stuck them up to Naya’s nose and gave him the Stunner for the win.

The 3 Way Match briefly became two on one with Antonio Honda & Nobuhiro Shimatani joining forces to fight Toru Owashi. Gongitusune was turned into a heart shape that attracted Honda and Owashi to each other. Shimatani kept them apart but then found himself moving towards Yukinori Matsui for a possible tender embrace. Owashi & Honda both gave Shimatani a School Boy but no count happened because Matsui had his eye closed waiting to be kissed. Matsui was brought back down to Earth and Honda pinned Shimatani with the Diving Fist Drop.

The debuting Toui Kojima was put to the test against Hideki Okatani. Kojima used a Diving Body Attack from the middle rope and also a Running Double Chop. His big move of the match was a Full Nelson Buster for a 2 count. Okatani hit back with a Vertical Chop and the Northern Lights Suplex. Kojima kicked out but was put in a Crab Hold to make him submit. In his post-match interview Kojima said he wants to be a cool wrestler just by standing, like Randy Orton. He was also nervous about today’s debut. Last night he received a message of encouragement from Satoshi Kojima which only made him even more nervous. Satoshi supports him because he always likes seeing another Kojima in wrestling.

Honda’s 16th Anniversary match will be against Choun-Shiryu on 3rd January. The rest of the card for that Korakuen show will be kept secret until the show starts.


It’s Christmas 2000 A New Number One!

December 25, 2020

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “2020 FINAL ROUND ~I HOPE THERE ARE LOTS OF HAPPY AND FUN THINGS TO DO NEXT YEAR~”, 26/12/2020
Tokyo Itabashi Green Hall

The matches will be announced before the show. Pretty much the entire regular roster will be there.

GANBARE☆PRO “THE WORLD 2020”, 26/12/2020
Tokyo Itabashi Green Hall

1. Pinch Hitter Nakamura, A Fateful Mischief Reunites!: Shuichiro Katsumura & Keigo Nakamura Vs Kouki Iwasaki & Kota Umeda
2. Moeka Haruhi & HARUKAZE Vs Yuna Manase & Rina Amikura
3. Special Single Match ~Wrestle And Bromance~: Yumehito Imanari Vs Shinichiro Tominaga
4. A Special Tag Match To Verify Whether “Age Is Just A Number”: Ikuto Hidaka & Ken Ohka Vs Keisuke Ishii & Shigehiro Irie
5. Independent World Jr. Heavyweight Title: Asuka (c) Vs Shota

Shu Sakurai has been pulled off the show because he was recently in contact with a person who has since tested positive for the Coronavirus. Keigo Nakamura is being brought in to replace him.

Kouki Iwasaki announced today he has gotten engaged to the actress Shiori Kamisaki! They have been dating for a few years. Sanshiro Takagi pulled up a tweet from 2018 joking about their then private relationship.

Over in ZERO1 today, Yumehito Imanari claimed a big prize by winning the Furinkazan Tag Tournament with Shinjiro Otani. By winning the tournament the two of them are now the NWA Intercontinental Tag Team Champions!

DDT “D-OU GRAND PRIX 2021 THE FINAL!!”, 27/12/2020
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

1. Toi Kojima Debut Match: Toi Kojima Vs Hideki Okatani
2. 3 Way Match: Toru Owashi Vs Antonio Honda Vs Nobuhiro Shimatani
3. Hold Your Stomach! Forget The Year Special Tag Match: Sanshiro Takagi & Danshoku Dieno Vs Nayashiro Nayagi & Super Sasadango Machine
4. Kazusada Higuchi, Yukio Sakaguchi & Saki Akai Vs Makoto Oishi, Mizuki Watase & Tomomitsu Matsunaga
5. Tetsuya Endo, Soma Takao, Mad Paulie & Yuji Hino (w/ Daisuke Sasaki) Vs HARASHIMA, Chris Brookes, Shinya Aoki & Keigo Nakamura
6. KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles: Akito, Kazuki Hirata & Shota (c) Vs Shunma Katsumata, MAO & Yuki Ueno
7. D-Ou Grand Prix 2021 – Final: Konosuke Takeshita vs Jun Akiyama

Industry experts were asked to predict who will win the D-Ou Grand Prix final. Sanshiro Takagi picked Jun Akiyama, Danshoku Dieno chose Konosuke Takeshita, pro wrestling writer Kagehiro Osano predicts Akiyama and Tetsuya Endo couldn’t make a decision. Endo thinks fans will choose Takeshita, wrestlers will choose Akiyama and parents will choose Akari (Makoto Oishi’s one year old daughter).

DAMNATION has a new member. It’s Yuji Hino! He’s here to pick up the slack while Daisuke Sasaki is recovering from injury.

BASARA “BASARA 145 ~HATSUYUME~”, 01/01/2021
Tokyo Oji BASEMENT MON☆STAR

1. Daichi Kazato Vs SAGAT
2. Fuminori Abe Vs Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi
3. Ryota Nakatsu Vs Takato Nakano
4. Elimination 6-Man Tag Match: Isami Kodaka, Ryuichi Sekine & Daiki Shimomura Vs Tsutomu Oosugi, Banana Senga & Masato Kamino
5. Takumi Tsukamoto & Yasu Urano Vs FUMA & Yusuke Kubo

The new year kicks off with BASARA and their road to Korakuen Hall. The two championship matches set for 20th January are previewed in the last two matches of this show.

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TOKYO JOSHI PRO ’21”, 04/01/2021
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

1. Marika Kobashi & Moka Miyamoto Vs Pom Harajuku & Haruna Neko
2. Shoko Nakajima Vs Hyper Misao
3. Sakisama & Mei Saint-Michel Vs Hikari Noa & Sena Shiori
4. Aja Kong, Mizuki & Raku Vs Miu Watanabe, Nao Kakuta & Mirai Maiumi
5. Arisu Endo Debut Match: Suzume Vs Arisu Endo
6. Miyu Yamashita Vs Maki Itoh
7. Princess Tag Team Titles: Nodoka Tenma & Yuki Aino (c) Vs Yuki Kamifuku & Mahiro Kiryu
8. Princess Of Princess Title: Yuka Sakazaki (c) Vs Rika Tatsumi

Arisu Endo has been receiving training advice from former Tokyo Joshi Pro wrestler Reika Saiki. The two of them are closely linked through the Cheer♡1 idol unit. Endo is currently positioned in the same role and unit colour (yellow) that Saiki had back when she was part of the group. Saiki’s advice to Endo is to be energetic because that is how pro wrestlers become strong. She explained to her how to train muscles particularly in the legs and waist. When Endo asked about eating habits, Saiki encouraged her to take lots of protein. Endo came out of the training session wanting to be an energetic wrestler just like Saiki!