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~”, 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.
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…
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.
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)
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
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”.
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.
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).
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).
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.
DDT “BE AMBITIOUS ~AUTUMN BATTLE~”, 30/11/2025 Tokyo Korakuen Hall ??? Fans – Unannounced
0. Dark Match: Akito, Daichi Sato & Yuya Koroku defeated Soma Takao, Rukiya & Hinata Kasai when Sato pinned Kasai with a PK (10:19).
1. Danshoku Dieno Return Match: Kazusada Higuchi, Toru Owashi & Kazuki Hirata defeated Danshoku Dieno, Antonio Honda & Kazuma Sumi when Higuchi submitted Dieno with the Claw (0:06).
1a. Rematch: Kazusada Higuchi, Toru Owashi & Kazuki Hirata defeated Danshoku Dieno, Antonio Honda & Kazuma Sumi when Hirata pinned Honda with the Miracle One Shot Cradle (6:35).
2. Special 3 Way Tag Match: Jun Masaoka & Gaia Hox defeated Yuki Iino & Yukio Naya and Demus & Ilusion when Masaoka pinned Ilusion with the F-DRIVE II (5:54).
3. Special 8-Man Tag Match: Chris Brookes, Naomi Yoshimura, Takeshi Masada & Yuki Ishida defeated Jun Akiyama, HARASHIMA, MBM & Ultima Sombra when Masada pinned MBM with the Masada No Chikara KOBU Mukimuki (5:54).
4. DDT Extreme Title – Weapon Gamble Match: To-y (c) defeated Sanshiro Takagi with the Kojima In Wonderland ~Kojima Wonderland~ onto the Plastic Case (10:57). *V5 for To-y.
5. KO-D Tag Team Titles: MAO & KANON (c) (w/ KIMIHIRO) defeated Daisuke Sasaki & Hideki Okatani when KANON pinned Okatani with the Modified LONELY DEZIRES (14:12). *V1 for STRANGE LOVE CONNECTION.
6. Special Single Match: KONOSUKE TAKESHITA defeated Shinya Aoki with a Modified Jackknife Pin (10:07).
7. KO-D Openweight Title & DDT Universal Title: Yuki Ueno (c/c) defeated Super Sasadango Machine with a Dropkick (27:16). *V3 for the KO-D Openweight Title. V1 for the DDT Universal Title.
High hopes and grand ambitions for the future spurred on Super Sasadango Machine as he found himself fighting Yuki Ueno for DDT’s top two championships in Korakuen Hall today. He spent the time leading up to the match working out with a personal trainer, had revealed the Reverse Shrimp Hold as his deadly secret weapon he had kept hidden for around two decades and he was watched over by Konosuke Takeshita in his corner for the match. The big problem though was Ueno banned Sasadango from giving any PowerPoint Presentations until this match took place, sapping away Sasadango’s creativity. Or did it? As he held Ueno in the Reverse Shrimp Hold, fighting to stop the champion from reaching the ropes “Etupirka” began to play and a spiritual PowerPoint Presentation was broadcast directly into the minds of everyone watching the match! In it Sasadango revealed then if he wins the KO-D Openweight Title and DDT Universal Title today, he will nominate Ueno to be his first challenger and hold the rematch at the 3rd January Korakuen show next year. Then the next day Sasadango will invade the Tokyo Dome to take over New Japan’s big show! Unfortunately for Sasadango the bonus motivation didn’t work and Ueno made it to the ropes to break his secret hold. Ueno also kicked out of the Vertical Drop Lehman Shock even though Sasadango hit the move three times throughout the match. Sasadango’s last plan was to simply use a Dropkick on Ueno but the champion got back up and did several Dropkicks of his own. Sasadango kicked out of the BME and the two wrestlers began Dropkicking each other back and forth. They both kept kicking out of the pins until Sasadango got Dropkicked in the face one time too many and couldn’t kick out anymore.
After the match Ueno thanked Sasadango for doing his best and asked him if they really can make the dream of bringing DDT to the Tokyo Dome come true? Sasadango said it is not a dream at all and it is their responsibility to take all of the DDT fans to that destination. If everybody puts their minds to it, they can definitely make it to the Tokyo Dome and fill it up for an amazing view! Ueno admitted he will never become an icon like Hiroshi Tanahashi but that’s okay. Sasadango advised him to just be himself and then left. Later during his backstage comments, Sasadango talked about the opportunities that will open up when Tanahashi retires for other wrestlers to become the next icon for the entire industry, not just in New Japan. There are so many things that need to be done for DDT to get to the Tokyo Dome but Sasadango promised he will work hard to help make it happen, especially since we are not that far off from DDT celebrating its 30th Anniversary.
But that’s still way off in the future. Ueno is also thinking about what he’s going to do next. Hisaya Imabayashi told him his next singles title match will happen on the 21st December Korakuen show and Ueno was allowed to choose his opponent. Ueno decided he will defend the KO-D Title against one of the D GENERATIONS wrestlers and the challenger would be determined right away with a Rock Paper Scissors tournament! He explained it would be the fairest way to quickly determine the No. 1 Contender and it is also an idea that has been passed down through DDT since ancient times. In the end, Takeshi Masada beat Yuki Ishida in the final to earn the title shot. Ueno asked him what does he want to do if he becomes champion? Masada said he will prove that he is the future of DDT. Ueno told him he has plenty of time to do that so he should say something that will make Ueno want to beat him. Masada said he will make Ueno feel despair when he beats him on the 21st!
Fresh off of losing winning his first match in the Continental Classic at AEW last week, Takeshita made it all the way back to DDT for a special rematch against Shinya Aoki. He brought the IWGP World Heavyweight Title with him but the match was a non-title bout. Aoki brought the challenge, finding unique ways to use his moves on Takeshita. He avoided being pinned with the Blue Thunder Bomb by applying a Cross Armbreaker and also used the setup for the Aoki Clutch as a feint to roll Takeshita into the European Clutch instead. Takeshita got the better of him though by escaping his different cradle pins and using a Backslide to roll himself on top of Aoki and pin him with a bridging Jackknife. Takeshita said backstage that he cannot afford to lose anywhere right now because the Tokyo Dome is waiting for him. He isn’t just talking about 4th January because as long as he is with DDT, he wants to go to the Tokyo Dome with DDT! He also sees how much the D GENERATIONS have improved and thinks DDT is in good hands with them around. Aoki is coming off of a recent MMA defeat in ONE FC and said how strange it is that today he feels he is back where he belongs. To him, martial arts and MMA are all part of the same rules as pro wrestling and he has come to love modern pro wrestling.
A grudge match over the KO-D Tag Team Titles pushed Strange Love Connection to bring in an extra ringside second alongside KIMIHIRO to even up the numbers against DAMNATION T.A. During the entrance KIMIHIRO introduced everyone to the stage actress Yuzuki Hoshimoto who was armed with a whip and also an illuminated blade shaped bat. However she didn’t turn out to do much when DAMNATION T.A attacked the champions during their entrance. She whipped MJ Paul a bit but he just shoved her against the ring apron in response. Things went worse for SLC when MAO’s attempted stage dive missed the target and he landed on KANON instead. Daisuke Sasaki continued to attack them with chairs, even Body Slamming KIMIHIRO onto a pile of them. Paul & Demus added more damage with interference spots but MAO got his own back by wiping them out at ringside with a Quebrada. Sasaki held MAO in La Mistica Crossface Lock while Hideki Okatani went to finish the job but KANON made a comeback on the two of them. As much as Okatani tried to harm KANON’s hand, he couldn’t stop him from doing the LONELY DEZIRES, giving SLC a hard earned victory and KANON his revenge.
After the match KANON spoke about having confidence now and proving he is not unwanted because he has friends who support him. SLC beat DAMNATION T.A but they don’t want their title run to end here. They heard that earlier today F-SWAG were telling everyone they want a title shot. MAO thinks it’s great that teams from outside DDT now want to fight for the KO-D Tag Titles because he needs new opponents to help himself and KANON grow stronger together. Meanwhile DAMNATION T.A were coming up with excuses for losing. Sasaki blamed it on bad calls while Okatani had regrets over not using his bamboo stick because he thought he could win without it.
Gambling was the name of the game when it came to today’s DDT Extreme Title match. Well actually the name of the match was Weapon Gamble but you know what I mean. To-y and Sanshiro Takagi spent over a week gambling their money in the hopes of raising funds for weapons to use in this match. Neither of them won anything substantial so they were reduced to finding weapons they didn’t have to pay for. The extra catch was every time a new weapon was introduced, they would have to play a card game where the person who drew the higher number would be allowed use the weapon on his opponent. One instance of this backfiring was when Takagi brought in a group of unpaid amateur indie wrestlers. To-y won the card game so all of the wrestlers attacked Takagi instead. The next item was a briefcase that To-y won the right to use but Takagi grabbed it and ran off. When the indie wrestlers chased after him, Takagi pulled out a spray can from the briefcase and blinded everyone with it. The Dramatic Dream was next and Takagi got to crash it into everyone up in the aisleway. Another bicycle was brought out but this one belonged to To-y’s parents! He and Takagi then crashed their bikes into each other. Then came the most dangerous weapon of the match: A parent-teacher meeting with To-y’s mother Miwa Kojima! Takagi won the card game so he got to tell Miwa about To-y’s gambling problem, claiming To-y has taken it so far that he has stolen Takagi’s money to fund it! Miwa also revealed her credit card is constantly in debt because of her son so she asked Takagi to help her. Takagi smashed a plastic case over To-y’s head as punishment which shocked Miwa. She had a sudden change of heart and slapped Takagi across the face, stunning him long enough for To-y to give him the Kojima In Wonderland onto the plastic cases for the victory. Mother and son hugged each other afterwards but To-y admitted he cannot quit gambling. He promised to make enough money to pay it all back though and then make even more money so he can gamble even more without it going to waste. He admits when you hold the Extreme Title you lose track of what is right and what is wrong. However he will always be authentic.
The first DDT tour for the Belgian tag team Rivality came to an end today with them getting to team up with Jun Akiyama & HARASHIMA. The four of them all joined forces to face the temporary alliance of SCHADENFREUDE International and Harimao. Early on MBM & Ultima Sombra got to experience the SCHADENFREUDE Tower spot from both sides. Sombra was the one getting punished while MBM got to pose on top of him with everyone else. Sombra also took the full brunt of the rubber band spot from Chris Brookes. Akiyama fought Naomi Yoshimura for the more serious part of the match but the finish came down to Masada & Ishida hitting their finishers on both members of MBM at the same time, leading to Masada pinning MBM.
As mentioned earlier, F-SWAG has come to DDT and they are looking for gold. Jun Masaoka & Gaia Hox made the most of the chaos that went on to win the 3 Way Tag Match against The Apex and DAMNATION T.A. They formed an alliance with Demus & Ilusion at first but betrayed them as soon as the opportunity arose. Hox wiped out Yuki Iino & Yukio Naya with a dive then made it back into the ring to help Masaoka finish off Ilusion for the victory. After the match F-SWAG got on the microphone and said they wanted to face the winners of the KO-D Tag Titles match on 21st December because that is the only date they have open that month. DDT better watch out!
After a month long delay in recovery, Danshoku Dieno finally got to make his triumphant return to the ring. Too bad the match began while he was making his entrance through the audience and Antonio Honda submitted to Kazusada Higuchi’s Claw Hold six seconds in. Imabayashi got mad at Dieno’s moment being ruined and ordered a restart. The match went on without a hitch with all of the Lip Locks and partial nudity you’d want in a Dieno match. Toru Owashi didn’t get a Lip Lock though despite anticipating he would. Dieno had extra pent up energy built up from his time away and it was used to charge up the Hirata Go! glasses and also Gongitsune (as well as a portable battery belonging to a fan at ringside). Kazuki Hirata turned the charged up Gongitsune against Honda in order to pin him with the Miracle One Shot Cradle.
In the dark match Akito, Daichi Sato & Yuya Koroku all teamed up to defeat Soma Takao, Rukiya & Hinata Kasai. Takao & Rukiya tried to break down Sato with a Sandwich Elbow attack so Kasai could hit him with a Missile Dropkick. Sato got back at Kasai with a Fisherman Suplex and pinned him with a Penalty Kick.
Two big matches featuring Kaisei Takechi were announced for December and January to help him prepare for his “WRESTLE KINGDOM” appearance. On 21st December he will team with HARASHIMA to face Yuji Nagata & Sanshiro Takagi. Then on 3rd January Takechi will defend the KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles with The 37KAMIINA against SLC & Kazuma Sumi.
DDT “KUMAMOTO WARRIORS”, 09/11/2025 Kumamoto Castle Hall Civic Hall ??? Fans – Unannounced
1. Demus defeated Kazuma Sumi with La Valagueza (9:47).
2. Daisuke Sasaki, Hideki Okatani & Ilusion defeated Chris Brookes, Tomomitsu Matsunaga & Hinata Kasai when Okatani pinned Kasai with the Skewer-Style Claymore (12:53).
3. Takeshi Masada defeated MJ Paul with the Manburi (8:50).
4. Special 3 Way Match: Yuki Ueno defeated MAO (w/ KIMIHIRO) and Kazuki Hirata when Ueno pinned MAO after a Choke Slam By The Stand (14:23).
5. Special Single Match: Kazusada Higuchi defeated Yuya Koroku with a Single Leg Crab Hold (12:54).
6. Kumamoto Castle Sauna No Yu Presents Special 6-Man Tag Match: KONOSUKE TAKESHITA, Sanshiro Takagi & HARASHIMA defeated To-y, Daichi Sato & Yuki Ishida when TAKESHITA pinned Ishida with the Raging Fire (20:04).
A homecoming show was the big chance for Yuki Ishida to claim some glory he’s been missing out on so much lately but it just wasn’t to be. Konosuke Takeshita gave him quite a beating that was done just as much to send a message to To-y & Daichi Sato. The D GENERATIONS trio tried launching a comeback on Sanshiro Takagi & HARASHIMA but Takeshita put Ishida away at the end with the Raging Fire. Takeshita had some words to say after the match but first ordered To-y & Sato to cover Ishida’s ears so he couldn’t hear them. Takeshita explained that Ishida gets cocky whenever he receives praise then called him a talented wrestler who is working hard, which should mean a lot coming from the IWGP World Heavyweight Champion! He told the local fans that the more they support Ishida, the stronger he will become. When it was Ishida’s time to talk, he said he will keep working hard to become a wrestler like Takeshita. He also brought up a goal to wrestle in his hometown of Yatsuhiro once a year as well as Kumamoto City once a year. To-y didn’t show Takagi the same respect, he flipped him off with his middle finger instead.
Just like in Osaka last month, MAO and Kazuki Hirata wore special glasses in their match that allowed them to use Stand powers on each other. Yuki Ueno was the odd man out until he got his hands on a pair of glasses that turned him into a Stand user too. Ueno then used his new abilities to Choke Slam MAO and Hirata at the same time without actually touching them to win the 3 Way Match.
Takeshi Masada used what looks like the Busaiku Knee Kick to beat MJ Paul. His version of the move is now called Manburi.
Posted by JamieOD 
