DDT “WRESTLE SHIOKONBU! 2020”, 12/01/2020 Osaka City Suminoe Maikon Hall 306 Fans – Super No Vacancy
1. Akito defeated Tomomitsu Matsunaga with a Back Roll Cutback (8:38).
2. Kazusada Higuchi & Yukio Sakaguchi defeated Yuki Iino & Yukio Naya when Higuchi pinned Naya with a Lariat (10:28).
3. Lucha Libre Rules: Mad Paulie & Hiroshi Yamato Vs Toru Owashi & Kazuki Hirata when Paulie pinned Hirata with the Reverse Splash (8:33).
4. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title – Saki Akai “Okibariyasu” 7 Match Series – 3rd Match: Rina Yamashita defeated Saki Akai (c) with the Splash Mountain (17:34). *Rina Yamashita becomes the 1,466th champion.
5. Daisuke Sasaki, Soma Takao & Tetsuya Endo defeated Chris Brookes, MAO & Antonio Honda when Takao pinned Honda with the Official Endless Waltz (13:19).
6. DDT Extreme Title – KOK (Kawaii Of Kawaii) Rules: HARASHIMA (c) defeated Pokotan (w/ Danshoku Dieno) with the Somato (7:33). *V3 for HARASHIMA.
7. Yuni Kid Wrestler Graduation Countdown! Osaka Specialty 6-Man Tag Match: Yuki Ueno, Naomi Yoshimura & Yuni defeated Konosuke Takeshita, Shunma Katsumata & Makoto Oishi when Ueno pinned Oishi with a Diving Body Press (25:19).
-. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title: Kazuki Hirata defeated Rina Yamashita (c) with the Tegatana (8:39 pm). *Kazuki Hirata becomes the 1,467th champion.
-. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title: Rina Yamashita defeated Kazuki Hirata (c) with a Canadian Backbreaker (8:40 pm). *Rina Yamashita becomes the 1,468th champion.
-. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title: Antonio Honda defeated Rina Yamashita (c) with a School Boy (8:41 pm). *Antonio Honda becomes the 1,469th champion.
-. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title: Yuni defeated Antonio Honda (c) with an Inverted Hurricanrana (8:42 pm). *Yuni becomes the 1,470th champion.
Yuni had an eventful day. Soon he will transition from a wrestling child into proper pro wrestling training. The first of his “graduation” matches took place today where he teamed with Nautilus in the main event. Together the trio were named the OSAKA Mirai Monsters. Yuni got stretched a bit by Konosuke Takeshita but the kid got his own back by Double Stomping on his fingers. Takeshita countered a Hurricanrana into the Walls Of Takeshita but Yuni was saved by Yuki Ueno. Yuni then hit Makoto Oishi with the Kamigoye before tagging out. Ueno & Naomi Yoshimura worked on Oishi while Yuni hit a Diving Foot Stomp on Shunma Katsumata. Ueno finished off Oishi with a Blizzard Suplex followed by a Diving Body Press. After the match Nautilus encouraged Yuni to get stronger and hinted that they know who Yuni’s mystery opponent is for one of his two matches tomorrow.
At the end of the show Yuni there was several Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title changes with Yuni ending up as the current champion.
The DDT Extreme Title match was held under KOK (Kawaii Of Kawaii) Rules. Pinfalls would only be counted if the wrestler did a cute pose during the pin. It was up to Yukinori Matsui to determine if the pose was cute or not. The task was easy for Pokotan. Anything the mascot did looked cute so Matsui counted every pin. HARASHIMA on the other hand couldn’t rely on just his handsome smile, he had to do bunny ears and smoochy faces along with it. Pokotan hit a No Rope Topé to the outside then got Danshoku Dieno to scribble marker on HARASHIMA’s face to get rid of his handsome looks. HARASHIMA hit a Shining Wizard, removing Pokotan’s head in the process. Dieno interfered again when HARASHIMA got pushed into Matsui. He attacked HARASHIMA with Pokotan’s head, did the Danshoku Driver and then Pokotan followed up with his own version of the Somato. Matsui got back up but didn’t count the pin because Pokotan’s robot face was exposed. That’s not cute! Pokotan got its head back on but that gave HARASHIMA time to recover and hit the proper Somato. Matsui wouldn’t count the pin because of the marker on HARASHIMA’s face. The solution was to put on Pokotan’s head. Matsui was happy to count from then on.
The first Iron Man Title switch of the day happened when Rina Yamashita beat Saki Akai. The two fought outside the ring and up to the entrance stage. Back in the ring Akai applied a Triangle Choke and still held on to it after Yamashita lifted her up into a Power Bomb. She went for the Quetzalcoatl but Yamashita countered it into a Back Flip. She then used a Lariat to set Akai up for the match ending Splash Mountain. Yamashita doesn’t know why Akai chose her to be in the Okibariyasu series but today she found out they are in sync together. Also she won her first title since becoming a freelancer. She wished Akai the best of luck for the rest of her series.
Mad Paulie got to wear the Hirata GO! glasses and dance after his match.
Tomomitsu Matsunaga’s plan to win today was to throw Akito into another room and lock him out. It didn’t work.
Surprise! Konosuke Takeshita is heading to England in two weeks time! He is going over to wrestle on the “SCHADENFREUDE & FRIENDS” shows taking place in Manchester on the 21st and 22nd January. The shows are already sold out and the cards are being kept a mystery until they happen. Takeshita will not be missing any DDT shows during this short trip.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TOKYO JOSHI 2020 WINTER ~WONDERFUL HARMONY~”, 12/01/2020 Tokyo Itabashi Green Hall
1. Akemi Daredasore Vs Haruna Neko
2. Yuki Kamifuku Vs Pom Harajuku
3. Hikari Noa Vs Sena Shiori
4. Natsumi Maki Vs Suzume
5. Shoko Nakajima & Mahiro Kiryu Vs Mizuki & Mina Shirakawa
6. Miyu Yamashita, Yuna Manase & Raku Vs Rika Tatsumi, Nodoka Tenma & Yuki Aino
Thunder Rosa is out with the flu so she has been taken off Sunday’s show. Mizuki takes her place in the semi-main tag. The 3 Way Match Mizuki was originally in is now just a singles bout between Akemi Daredasore and Haruna Neko.
DDT “WRESTLE SHIOKONBU! 2020”, 12/01/2020 Osaka City Suminoe Maikon Hall
1. Akito Vs Tomomitsu Matsunaga
2. Kazusada Higuchi & Yukio Sakaguchi Vs Yuki Iino & Yukio Naya
3. Mad Paulie & Hiroshi Yamato Vs Toru Owashi & Kazuki Hirata
4. Saki Akai “Okibariyasu” 7 Match Series – 3rd Match: Saki Akai Vs Rina Yamashita
5. Daisuke Sasaki, Soma Takao & Tetsuya Endo Vs Chris Brookes, MAO & Antonio Honda
6. DDT Extreme Title: HARASHIMA (c) Vs Pokotan (w/ Danshoku Dieno)
7. Yuni Kid Wrestler Graduation Countdown! Osaka Specialty 6-Man Tag Match: Konosuke Takeshita, Shunma Katsumata & Makoto Oishi Vs Yuki Ueno, Naomi Yoshimura & Yuni
The stipulation for the DDT Extreme Title match has not been revealed yet.
GANBARE☆WRESTLING “SARABA SEISHUN NO HIKARI 2019”, 12/01/2020 Tokyo Itabashi Green Hall
1. The Fifth Trial Singles Match Of Shuhei Washida: Yumehito Imanari Vs Shuhei Washida
2. Ken And Shin Collide At Itabashi! Hokuto Hyakuchiken Vs Nantogoku Sword!: Ken Ohka Vs Shin Suzuki
3. Someone Is Going To Miss You Special 3 Way Match: Choun-Shiryu Vs Moeka Haruhi Vs HARUKAZE
4. Ro & Ro Vs Hattoshite Good “β”: Shuichiro Katsumura & Shinichiro Tominaga Vs Shota & Buffalo
5. Independent World Jr. Heavyweight Title Next Challenger Battle Royal: Ken Ohka Vs Shuichiro Katsumura Vs Yumehito Imanari Vs Kouki Iwasaki Vs Shota Vs Shinichiro Tominaga Vs Shuhei Washida Vs Haruhi Moeka Vs HARUKAZE Vs Shin Suzuki
6. New Year Special Tag Match: Keisuke Ishii & Kouki Iwasaki Vs Kuma Arashi & Yusuke Kodama
The Ganbare☆Wrestling Vs Enfants Terribles tag match is now confirmed to be the main event.
DDT “WRESTLE TOROROKOBU! 2020”, 13/01/2020 Osaka City Suminoe Maikon Hall
1. Saki Akai Vs Makoto Oishi
2. Yuni Kids Wrestler Graduation Countdown! Special Tag Match In Osaka: Tetsuya Endo & Yuni Vs Toru Owashi & Yuki Ueno
3. Kazusada Higuchi & Yukio Sakaguchi Vs Chris Brookes & Mizuki Watase
4. Hiroshi Yamato Vs Akito
5. Takoyaki! Kushikatsu! Like A Bowl 3 Way Match: MAO Vs Soma Takao Vs Yukio Naya
6. Yuni Kids Wrestler Graduation Countdown! Osaka Specialty Special Exhibition Match: Yuni Vs X
7. KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles: Konosuke Takeshita, Shunma Katsumata & Yuki Iino (c) Vs Kuishinbo Kamen, Antonio Honda & Kazuki Hirata
8. DISASTER BOX Vs DAMNATION!: HARASHIMA & Naomi Yoshimura Vs Daisuke Sasaki & Mad Paulie
Yuni’s special exhibition match is happening later in the show after his tag match.
BASARA “BASARA 116 ~BANQUET~”, 14/01/2020 Shin-Kiba 1st RING
1. Tetsuo Usui Vs Masahiro Takanashi
2. Takato Nakano & Masato Kamino Vs Takumi Tsukamoto & Yasu Urano (Special Referee: Gouma Ryu)
3. Ryuichi Sekine & Gouma Ryu Vs Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi & Fuminori Abe
4. FUMA, Yusuke Kubo & Trans-Am ★ Ryuji Vs Banana Senga, Tsutomu Oosugi & Daichi Kazato
5. UWA World 6-Man Tag Team Titles: Ryota Nakatsu, Naoki Tanizaki & Akiyori Takizawa (c) Vs Isami Kodaka, Minoru Fujita & Daiki Shimomura
Now that BASARA has a brand new website operational (https://basarapw.com/) hopefully this means there will be show reports posted there along with the results. Come on lads, give me something to work with.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “IIKOTO CHALLENGE 10TH ANNIVERSARY”, 19/01/2020 Yokohama Nissan Stadium
1. Tokyo Joshi Pro Special Tag Match: Pom Harajuku & Mirai Maiumi Vs Mahiro Kiryu & Suzume
An outdoor mat wrestling match is taking place at an annual marathon set around the Nissan Stadium in Yokohama. The match will be held on a special stage set in the field.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TOKYO JOSHI 2020 WINTER ~WONDERFUL HARMONY~”, 25/01/2020 Osaka City Higashinari Ward Center
1. Osaka Sannin Matsuri – Round 1A: X, X & X Vs X, X & X
2. Osaka Sannin Matsuri – Round 1B: X, X & X Vs X, X & X
3. Osaka Sannin Matsuri – Semi Final: X, X & X Vs Winners Of Match 1A
4. Osaka Sannin Matsuri – Semi Final: X, X & X Vs Winners Of Match 1B
5. Osaka Sannin Matsuri – Final: X, X & X Vs X, X & X
A one night trios tournament will take place at Tokyo Joshi Pro’s first Osaka show in 2020. The winning team gets a 30,000 yen gift voucher for shops and restaurants near the venue. There is expected to be 2 or 3 non-tournament matches too.
GANBARE☆WRESTLING “ZENSHIN IMANARI”, 02/02/2020 Tokyo Oji BASEMENT MON☆STAR
1. Yumehito Imanari Vs X
There are now going to be four Ganpro related shows taking place in Oji BASEMENT MON☆STAR on 2nd February. Yumehito Imanari has decided to hold a self-produced show in the morning. He has little involved in some of the other events happening that day that he was looking for something to keep him occupied. The venue will be set up by then so why not? Who knows what the sleepy audience will get to see that morning?
GAKE NO FUCHI JOSHI PRO “GAKEPPUCHI SNOW WHITE 2020”, 12/03/2020 Saitama Wrestle Arena
1. Miyako Matsumoto Vs X
At the end of the previous Gake no Fuchi show, Miyako Matsumoto told everyone the next show would be back in Itabashi Green Hall. However there was a mistake with the venue booking and the hall is already reserved for something else. The next show will take place in the Saitama Wrestle Arena instead.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TOKYO JOSHI 2020 WINTER ~WONDERFUL HARMONY~”, 12/01/2020 Tokyo Itabashi Green Hall
1. 3 Way Match: Mizuki Vs Akemi Daredasore Vs Haruna Neko
2. Yuki Kamifuku Vs Pom Harajuku
3. Hikari Noa Vs Sena Shiori
4. Natsumi Maki Vs Suzume
5. Shoko Nakajima & Thunder Rosa Vs Mina Shirakawa & Mahiro Kiryu
6. Miyu Yamashita, Yuna Manase & Raku Vs Rika Tatsumi, Nodoka Tenma & Yuki Aino
Former opponents Shoko Nakajima and Thunder Rosa now get to team together.
DDT “WRESTLE TOROROKOBU! 2020”, 13/01/2020 Osaka City Suminoe Maikon Hall
0. Yuni Kids Wrestler Graduation Countdown! Osaka Specialty Special Exhibition Match: Yuni Vs X
1. Saki Akai Vs Makoto Oishi
2. Hiroshi Yamato Vs Akito
3. Kazusada Higuchi & Yukio Sakaguchi Vs Chris Brookes & Mizuki Watase
4. Takoyaki! Kushikatsu! Like A Bowl 3 Way Match: MAO Vs Soma Takao Vs Yukio Naya
5. Yuni Kids Wrestler Graduation Countdown! Special Tag Match In Osaka: Tetsuya Endo & Yuni Vs Toru Owashi & Yuki Ueno
6. KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles: Konosuke Takeshita, Shunma Katsumata & Yuki Iino (c) Vs Kuishinbo Kamen, Antonio Honda & Kazuki Hirata
7. DISASTER BOX Vs DAMNATION!: HARASHIMA & Naomi Yoshimura Vs Daisuke Sasaki & Mad Paulie
Yuni gets a bonus exhibition match against a mystery opponent.
DDT “NEW YEAR DRAMATIC ITABASHI SERIES 2020”, 18/01/2020 Tokyo Itabashi Green Hall
1. Toru Owashi & Kazuki Hirata Vs Hiroshi Yamato & Keigo Nakamura
2. 3 Way Match: Soma Takao Vs Antonio Honda Vs Yukio Naya
3. Kazusada Higuchi & Yukio Sakaguchi Vs Masahiro Takanashi & Mizuki Watase
4. Daisuke Sasaki & Mad Paulie Vs MAO & Shunma Katsumata
5. Again That Wonderful KO-D Openweight Non-Title Match! Itabashi Specialty Special Single Match: Tetsuya Endo Vs Makoto Oishi
6. DISASTER BOX Vs ALL OUT!: HARASHIMA, Yuki Ueno & Naomi Yoshimura Vs Konosuke Takeshita, Akito & Yuki Iino
This will be Masahiro Takanashi’s first appearance in DDT since becoming the new director for Gatoh Move. Takanashi is still under DDT contract but he has permission to make Gatoh Move events his priority if there is ever a clash of dates between the two companies.
DDT “DRAMATIC HAGOROMO LEGEND 2020”, 19/01/2020 Shizuoka Shimizu Marine Bill
1. Toru Owashi & Kazuki Hirata Vs Yuki Iino & Keigo Nakamura
2. Akito & Shunma Katsumata Vs Kazusada Higuchi & Yukio Sakaguchi
3. MAO Vs Mizuki Watase
4. Daisuke Sasaki, Soma Takao & Tetsuya Endo Vs Masahiro Takanashi, Antonio Honda & Yukio Naya
5. Yuki Ueno & Naomi Yoshimura Vs Mad Paulie & Hiroshi Yamato
6. The Man Of Shizuoka Shinya Aoki And The Triumphant Return Of Makoto Oishi! Shimizu Specialty Special Tag Match: HARASHIMA & Shinya Aoki Vs Konosuke Takeshita & Makoto Oishi
Who is the real hero of Shizuoka, Shinya Aoki or Makoto Oishi?
DDT “SWEET DREAMS! 2020”, 26/01/2020 Tokyo Korakuen Hall
1. Soma Takao, Mad Paulie & Nobuhiro Shimatani Vs Masahiro Takanashi, Mizuki Watase & Keigo Nakamura
2. Konosuke Takeshita, Akito & Shunma Katsumata Vs Kazusada Higuchi, Yukio Sakaguchi & Saki Akai
3. Gamo & L’Oréal Presents Hair Arrange Tag Match: Toru Owashi & Super Sasadango Machine Vs MAO & Hiroshi Yamato
4. Right To Challenge Anytime, Anywhere Time Difference Battle Royal: Daisuke Sasaki Vs Tetsuya Endo Vs Danshoku Dieno Vs Makoto Oishi Vs Yukio Naya Vs Antonio Honda Vs Shinya Aoki Vs Yasu Urano
5. Special Single Match To Have Naomichi Marufuji Remember Your Name: Naomichi Marufuji Vs Kazuki Hirata
6. KO-D Tag Team Titles: Yuki Ueno & Naomi Yoshimura (c) Vs Chihiro Hashimoto & Yuki Iino
7. KO-D Openweight Title: HARASHIMA (c) Vs Masato Tanaka
When Naomichi Marufuji joined DISASTER BOX last week, he was happy to meet the entire unit for the first time. The thing is according to Kazuki Hirata they have met before. They even spent a night drinking together. Marufuji doesn’t remember that. Even worse, he doesn’t remember Hirata’s name! So Toru Owashi has organised a match between the two. He knows Marufuji has wrestled the likes of Stalker Ichikawa so this match shouldn’t be an uncomfortable experience for him. It’s not about who wins or loses. It will be a chance for Hirata to leave an impression on Marufuji. Hirata has promised to do his best so Marufuji will never forget his name ever again!
An infomercial match for hair products has been added to the show. The wrestlers involved will all have their hair done up by a professional hairdresser. Owashi is upset over this because he’s had his hairstyle for nearly 20 years and doesn’t want to change it. Keigo Nakamura was brought out to show off his new hairstyle but Owashi figured out it was a wig and he pulled it off.
DDT “INTO THE FIGHT 2020”, 23/02/2020 Tokyo Korakuen Hall
1. DDT UNIVERSAL Title: Konosuke Takeshita Vs Chris Brookes
2. KO-D Openweight Title: HARASHIMA (c) Vs MAO
MAO will face the winner of HARASHIMA versus Masato Tanaka for the KO-D Openweight Title. His Pokotan stunt last week got one over on both wrestlers so MAO should be prepared to face either.
It’s been decided that Konosuke Takeshita and Chris Brookes will be the two wrestlers fighting to become the first ever DDT UNIVERSAL Champion. Takeshita wants to be the first champion so he can bring DDT abroad and show everyone overseas what an exciting hotspot the promotion is. He’s happy to face Brookes again because he thinks they are the most interesting opponents for each other. Brookes thinks he is the better choice to promote DDT abroad but admits that he brings out his best against Takeshita. He has not achieved any of the goals he has set for his tours so far. He didn’t beat Takeshita for the KO-D Title, he didn’t win the KO-D Tag Team Titles with Takanashi and he didn’t win the D-Ou Grand Prix. It’s very important for him to become the first UNIVERSAL Champion when he begins his year long stay in Japan. What both wrestlers agree on is the title provides a blank slate and they will set the standard for its matches. They can provide something that can attract worldwide attention while being different from the KO-D Title and the DDT Extreme Title.
DDT “NEW YEAR SPECIAL GIFT! ALL SEATS 2,000 YEN BOX OFFICE!! 2020”, 03/01/2020 Tokyo Korakuen Hall 1,750 Fans – Super No Vacancy Full House
-. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title: Kagami Mochi defeated Toru Owashi (c) by Pinfall (6:37 pm). *Kagami Mochi becomes the 1,458th champion.
1. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title – Time Difference Battle Royal: Saki Akai defeated Kagami Mochi (c), Toru Owashi, Kazuki Hirata, Yuki Iino, Antonio Honda, Gorgeous Matsuno, Mizuki Watase and Keigo Nakamura (11:06).
1a. Mizuki Watase eliminated Kagami Mochi (c) by Pinfall (2:41). *Mizuki Watase becomes the 1,459th champion.
1b. Kazuki Hirata eliminated Mizuki Watase (c) by Pinfall (4:22). *Kazuki Hirata becomes the 1,460th champion.
1c. Kazuki Hirata (c) eliminated Yuki Iino by Ring Out (4:57). *V1 for Kazuki Hirata.
1d. Kazuki Hirata (c) eliminated Gorgeous Matsuno by Ring Out (5:00). *V2 for Kazuki Hirata.
1e. Kazuki Hirata (c) eliminated Toru Owashi by Ring Out (10:25). *V3 for Kazuki Hirata.
1f. Kazuki Hirata (c) eliminated Antonio Honda by Ring Out (10:28). *V4 for Kazuki Hirata.
1g. Saki Akai eliminated Kazuki Hirata (c) with a School Boy (10:46). *Saki Akai becomes the 1,461st champion.
1h. Saki Akai (c) eliminated Keigo Nakamura with the Rookie Award (11:06). *V1 for Saki Akai.
2. Kazusada Higuchi & Yukio Sakaguchi defeated Mad Paulie & Hiroshi Yamato when Higuchi pinned Paulie with the Doctor Bomb (10:46).
3. No Passcode Scramble Bunkhouse Account Takeover 3 Way Death Match: Super Sadadango Machine defeated Sanshiro Takagi and Danshoku Dieno when Sasadango pinned Dieno with the Vertical Drop Lehmann Shock (7:41).
4. HARASHIMA & Shinya Aoki defeated Masahiro Takanashi & Makoto Oishi when HARASHIMA pinned Oishi with the Somato (8:06).
5. MAO Triumph Match: MAO defeated Shunma Katsumata with the Avalanche Michinoku Driver II (8:08).
6. New Year! Special Worldwide Match: Masato Tanaka defeated Chris Brookes with the Sliding D (9:38).
7. Tetsuya Endo & T-Hawk defeated Konosuke Takeshita & Akito when T-Hawk pinned Akito with the Night Ride (11:44).
8. KO-D Tag Team Titles: Yuki Ueno & Naomi Yoshimura defeated Daisuke Sasaki & Soma Takao (c) when Ueno pinned Sasaki with the BME (27:28). *DAMNATION fails in V10. Nautilus becomes the 67th KO-D Tag Team Champions!
The decade kicks off with new KO-D Tag Team Champions! For DAMNATION today ends their dominant title reign. Daisuke Sasaki’s dream of taking pro wrestling to outer space after achieving 10 title defences will not become a reality. For Naomi Yoshimura, his new year has been as far away from his calamitous injury twelve months ago as it could be. At first it looked to be over when Nautilus hit the Osaka Strad on Sasaki but Soma Takao broke the count. When Yoshimura got rid of him, Yuki Ueno hit the Best Moonsault Ever on Sasaki for the three count.
After the match Ueno told everyone that two young people from the Osaka countryside have become the Tag Champions! He thanked the fans for cheering them because it really helped them a lot. With DISASTER BOX becoming stronger today (more on that later), Nautilus looks forward to growing even bigger in DDT! Ueno & Yoshimura then asked the fans to cheer “Yes or Nautilus!” from now on.
So who was the mystery partner Tetsuya Endo chose for his match against ALL OUT? He came out alone carrying the DAMNATION signboard. Konosuke Takeshita poked fun at him, saying Endo couldn’t find a tag partner. But Endo assured him he found a great partner. It was T-Hawk! Takeshita had beaten T-Hawk at an OWE show in Korakuen Hall on 30th December so this was T-Hawk’s chance for revenge. The member of #STRONGHEARTS came out with El Lindaman by his side. He had to settle with pinning Akito with the Night Ride. After the match Lindaman got on the microphone. He said he and T-Hawk weren’t booked to wrestle today until Endo invited them to come over here. They found out DDT have a show in Itabashi Green Hall on 5th January. They want to have a match whether DDT wants them there or not! Endo said that DAMNATION and #STRONGHEARTS are now in a business relationship. Backstage Takeshita admitted he thought Endo was going to bring in Nobuhiro Shimatani to be his tag partner while Akito thought X was going to be Shiori Asahi.
Chris Brookes didn’t waste any time attacking Masato Tanaka before the bell. When Tanaka was introduced in the ring, Brookes blindsided him with a Swand Dive Dropkick. Brookes then hit a Topé Suicida while Tanaka tried to recover outside the ring. Back in the ring Brookes wore down Tanaka with the Octopus Hold. Tanaka took control with his Elbow Strikes, avoided the Praying Mantis Bomb and hit the Sliding D to win.
HARASHIMA approached Tanaka in the ring when his match was over. He told him he is looking forward to their match on 26th January. Tanaka promised he will train hard enough to win the KO-D Openweight Title from him. Then suddenly Pokotan came down to the ring. He was pointing at HARASHIMA but Tanaka noticed something. Instead of pointing at the DDT Extreme Title, Pokotan was instead pointing at the KO-D Title. Tanaka grabbed Pokotan and pulled its head off, revealing it to be MAO! He Dropkicked HARASHIMA and gave Tanaka a Frankensteiner. He then told HARASHIMA in English “I wanna challenge KO-D Openweight Championship. Just bring it!” He then ran off.
Speaking of MAO, his return match was a victory against Shunma Katsumata. He entered to a new entrance song and used what he learned from his excursion. Katsumata brought out his death match side by pouring out a box of Lego in the middle of the ring. That idea backfired when MAO slammed Katsumata onto the Lego with an Avalanche Michinoku Driver. After the match MAO apologised to the fans for Mike Bailey’s absence. Until his visa situation gets sorted, MAO will have to climb to the top of DDT on his own. Katsumata backstage said he will be getting an operation to remove metal plates from his cheekbone in February. He will be absent from DDT for a while after that but when he returns he will be DDT’s death match fighter!
The team of Makoto Oishi & Masahiro Takanashi pulled some foul play to weaken Shinya Aoki. But Aoki got into the swing of things after HARASHIMA helped him clear the ring. When HARASHIMA did a Swan Dive Body Press on Oishi, Aoki summoned up the courage to attempt the same move. Oishi still had some fight left in him when he dodged the Somato and went for the Jikiden Tornado Clutch. But HARASHIMA eventually did hit the Somato to give his team the win.
The rules for the Special 3 Way Match were revealed before the match began. It was Scramble Bunkhouse rules which meant the wrestlers had to stand at opposite ends of the room. Three phones were placed in the middle of the ring, each containing the Twitter accounts of the wrestlers, all logged in with no protection. When the match began whoever got to the phones would be able to tweet whatever he wanted on the other wrestlers’ accounts! The bell rang and everyone charged into the ring. While Danshoku Dieno and Sanshiro Takagi were grappling, Super Sasadango Machine grabbed Takagi’s phone and tweeted out a poll about a certain event happening at the Tokyo Dome this weekend. The tweet appeared on Takagi’s account and was shown on the arena screen, causing great harm to Takagi. Dieno took the phone and used Takagi’s account to promise a 100,000 yen new year giveaway to Takagi’s followers. Takagi got on Sasadango’s phone to complain about Kazuyoshi Sakai doing commentary for said event at the Tokyo Dome. He then used Dieno’s account to retweet Riki Choshu a lot. Dieno used Takagi’s account to invite girls looking for a sugar daddy to contact him. Takagi then used both Dieno and Sasadango’s account to threaten run-ins at the Tokyo Dome tomorrow (Bushiroad president Takaaki Kidani later responded that they will only get in if they have a ticket)! Sasadango used Takagi’s account to ask The Rock if he wants to wrestle at DDT’s Saitama Super Arena show this summer. Dieno ordered Sasadango to reveal personal information on Takagi’s account. Instead Sasadango posted a link to Dieno’s LINE account! Dieno was so distracted by this, Sasadango easily pinned him with the Lehmann Shock. Sasadango scorned Dieno for wanting to expose Takagi’s personal info. That kind of stuff crosses the line for a pro wrestler. They all agreed to do something as an apology. Dieno will leave his LINE account public for the month, Sasadango will send flowers to the Tokyo Dome tomorrow and Takagi will split 100,000 yen among 10 of the accounts that retweeted him. Now he just has to figure out how to choose them from the 5,000+ retweets.
The new team of Kazusada Higuchi & Yukio Sakaguchi showed that they are not ones to mess around. After beating Mad Paulie & Hiroshi Yamato, they said that there is another person in DDT who shares their ambition. It is Saki Akai! She said she had always been watching from backstage but now she wants to do something big. Doesn’t matter if it is against men or women. So starting on 26th January Higuchi, Sakaguchi & Akai will be forming a new team together! They ordered Hisaya Imabayashi to set up a match for them on that date. Imabayashi tried to tell her the matches were already booked but Sakaguchi intimidated him into taking Akai’s request. This new trio want to show everyone a new landscape and shake things up in DDT!
While Kazuki Hirata was making his entrance, an odd situation happened backstage. A Kagami Mochi dish somehow fell on top of Toru Owashi, pinning him to become the new Iron Man Heavymetalweight Champion. It was brought down to the ring by Yukinori Matsui and forced to enter the Battle Royal where Mizuki Watase eliminated it to win the title. Watase was incapacitated by Yuki Iino. But when Iino ran the ropes to do the Haka Elbow, Hirata pinned Watase to become the champion. Hirata went on to eliminate most of the field until it came down to him, Saki Akai and Keigo Nakamura. The rookie thought he could get a kiss from Akai but she shove Hirara into his lips instead. Akai pinned Hirata with the School Boy then pinned Nakamura with the Rookie Award to win the Battle Royal as the Iron Man Champ.
There were a couple of big announcements throughout the show. After intermission DISASTER BOX entered the ring. HARASHIMA was excited to show everyone the unit’s newest member. It’s Naomichi Marufuji!!! The NOAH wrestler was asked by HARASHIMA to join them for 2020. He didn’t know anything about DISASTER BOX before but a Google search got him up to speed. Marufuji’s first match as part of the group will be on 26th January.
Chris Brookes had a final message to give everyone at the end of the show. He said today was his last match in Korakuen Hall for this tour. He likes his time here in DDT and feels it has made him a better wrestler. So the next time he tours to Japan he will stay in the country for an entire year!
Last and certainly least, Kurochan will be at “WRESTLE PETER PAN 2020” on 7th June.
“NEW YEAR’S EVE WRESTLING 2019 ~TOSHIWASHURE! SHUFFLE TAG TOURNAMENT”, 31/12/2019 Tokyo Korakuen Hall 1,232 Fans – No Vacancy
1. Shuffle Tag Tournament – Round 1: Konosuke Takeshita & Hideyoshi Kamitani defeated Daichi Hashimoto & Akito when Kamitani pinned Akito with the Loyly Diving Elbow Drop (9:36).
2. Shuffle Tag Tournament – Round 1: Yasufumi Nakanoue & Yuki Iino defeated Yukio Sakaguchi & Kazuki Hashimoto when Nakanoue pinned Hashimoto with a Lariat (6:27).
3. Shuffle Tag Tournament – Round 1: HARASHIMA & Yuya Aoki defeated El Lindaman & Yukio Naya when Aoki pinned Lindaman with a Tiger Suplex (9:08).
4. Shuffle Tag Tournament – Round 1: Daisuke Sekimoto & Chris Brookes defeated Yuji Okabayashi & Antonio Honda when Brookes submitted Honda with the Octopus Stretch (8:48).
5. Shuffle Tag Tournament – Round 1: Ryuichi Kawakami & T-Hawk Vs Soma Takao & Kota Sekifuda ended in a Time Limit Draw (10:00).
5a. Overtime – 1 Count Fall Rules: Ryuichi Kawakami & T-Hawk defeated Soma Takao & Kota Sekifuda when T-Hawk pinned Sekifuda with the Cerberus (1:02).
6. Shuffle Tag Tournament – Round 1: Tetsuya Endo & Takuya Nomura defeated Brahman Kei & Naomi Yoshimura when Endo pinned Kei with the Puma Toke de Espaldas (7:07).
7. Shuffle Tag Tournament – Round 1: Yuko Miyamoto & Daisuke Sasaki defeated Yuki Ueno & Takuho Kato when Sasaki submitted Ueno with the Cross Facelock (7:07).
8. Shuffle Tag Tournament – Round 1 – Lighttube Death Match: Takumi Tsukamoto & Kankuro Hoshino defeated Toshiyuki Sakuda & Shunma Katsumata when Tsukamoto pinned Katsumata with the Suffocation Zudon (7:45).
9. Shuffle Tag Tournament – Round 2: Yasufumi Nakanoue & Yuki Iino defeated Konosuke Takeshita & Hideyoshi Kamitani when Iino pinned Kamitani with the Spear (8:31).
10. Shuffle Tag Tournament – Round 2: Daisuke Sekimoto & Chris Brookes defeated HARASHIMA & Yuya Aoki when Sekimoto pinned Aoki with a Lariat (9:03).
11. Shuffle Tag Tournament – Round 2: Tetsuya Endo & Takuya Nomura defeated Ryuichi Kawakami & T-Hawk when Nomura pinned Kawakami with a Cross Legged Cradle (7:44).
12. Shuffle Tag Tournament – Round 2: Yuko Miyamoto & Daisuke Sasaki defeated Takumi Tsukamoto & Kankuro Hoshino when Sasaki submitted Hoshino with the Cross Facelock (6:33).
13. Shuffle Tag Tournament – Semi Final: Tetsuya Endo & Takuya Nomura defeated Yasufumi Nakanoue & Yuki Iino when Endo pinned Iino with the Shooting Star Press (8:01).
14. Shuffle Tag Tournament – Semi Final: Daisuke Sekimoto & Chris Brookes defeated Yuko Miyamoto & Daisuke Sasaki when Sekimoto pinned Sasaki with the German Suplex (6:45).
15. New Year’s Eve! Defeat Hunger! Very Funny! Special 6-Man Tag Match: Abdullah Kobayashi, Danshoku Dieno & Super Sasadango Machine defeated Tatsuhiko Yoshino, Drew Parker & Mizuki Watase when Kobayashi pinned Watase with the Bakachinga Elbow Drop (8:50).
16. Shuffle Tag Tournament – Final: Tetsuya Endo & Takuya Nomura defeated Daisuke Sekimoto & Chris Brookes when Nomura pinned Sekimoto with the Dragon Suplex (17:19).
A flu pandemic didn’t stop Big Japan from joining up with DDT for the annual New Year’s Eve Wrestling party. In the runup to the show six wrestlers fell ill and had to pull out of the show. While it was a shame that they couldn’t be here it did open up slots for some different faces to take their place.
Round 1
The opening match turned out to be an unusual tribute to Shinjiro Otani. The pairing of Daichi Hashimoto & Akito named themselves Team Shinjiro Otani due to his influence over them. Their opponents Konosuke Takeshita & Hideyoshi Kamitani responded by paying tribute to Masato Tanaka. They both did Tanaka’s pose together while Hashimoto & Akito did Otani’s Fire Sword pose. The Otani team both did the Facewash spot and all looked to be over when Akito punt Takeshita in a Figure 4 Leglock. That was until Kamitani climbed the top rope and hit a Diving Elbow Drop on Akito to get the pin. The losers decided they could no longer call themselves Team Shinjiro Otani so they renamed themselves The Shinjiro Otani Victims Association. They hope Otani will be a member some day.
The next match was all about brute strength against kicking power. Yuki Iino was about to do the Haka Elbow on Yukio Sakaguchi when Kazuki Hashimoto kicked him away. The kickers gave Yasufumi Nakanoue a PK Sandwich but Iino hit both of them with a Double Spear afterwards. Nakanoue & Iino then used their combined strength to Choke Slam Hashimoto. A Lariat from Nakanoue ended the match.
At first it looked like El Lindaman & Yukio Naya were going to get along great. Then they figured out the harsh truth that they are not the same size. They tried doing double team moves together but the 40cm height difference between them made it difficult. Meanwhile HARASHIMA & Yuya Aoki had no such trouble working together. The Lindaman & Naya team fell apart when Naya accidentally hit Lindaman with a Diving Shoulder Block. Lindaman snapped and said some unpleasant things to his partner. An angry Naya Choke Slammed Lindaman and left him to get pinned by Aoki’s Tiger Suplex.
The next match had wrestlers wearing matching gear in their teams. Yuji Okabayashi came out dressed like Antonio Honda while Chris Brookes wore Daisuke Sekimoto’s entrance robe. Honda unleashed Gongitsune after a hot tag. He got Sekimoto in the eyes but Brookes then grabbed both Gon hands and made Honda pinch Okabayashi’s nipples. Brookes locked Honda in an Octopus Stretch for the win. Honda hopes everyone will at least remember Okabayashi’s strawberry costume.
The only match on the show to last the full time limit was Ryuichi Kawakami & T-Hawk Vs Soma Takao & Kota Sekifuda. A lot of the match featured a cuddly toy cobra that Takao brought down to the ring. Unfortunately the cobra ripped in half when Takao & Sekifuda used it to Clothesline on T-Hawk. The time ran out while Sekifuda and T-Hawk had a tug of war over the cobra. Overtime began and Soma swung the cobra at T-Hawk. He ducked and Sekifuda took the hit as the cobra’s remans exploded. T-Hawk gave Sekifuda the Nightride and then the Cerberus knee strike for the one count victory.
We got a rare sighting of a single Brahman Brother wrestling. Brahman Shu was out sing so Brahman Kei was by himself. Good thing Naomi Yoshimura got in the Brahman spirit of things and joined in with Shu’s antics. So did Tetsuya Endo & Takuya Nomura. They stole the buckets of water and threw them at their opponents. Shu placed a suitcase against Endo & Nomura for Yoshimura to throw a bowling ball at. Kei threw the briefcase but Endo ducked and Yoshimura got hit. Nomura blinded Kei with the black India Ink and Endo pinned him with the Puma Toke de Espaldas. Kei blamed the loss on the flu.
The team bonding continued with Daisuke Sasaki wearing similar yankee gear as Yuko Miyamoto. The team of Yuki Ueno & Takuho Kato gelled well together too. Kato held Ueno up on seated on his shoulders and threw him on top of Sasaki for a nearfall. Miyamoto hit Yeno with a Handspring Kneel Kick and then dropped him with the Fire Thunder. The match ended when Sasaki submitted Ueno with the Cross Facelock.
The 1st Round ended with a Lighttube Death Match. Shunma Katsumata has been wanting to do more violent matches so this was his chance. He brought along his own lighttube with Lego attached to it. Takumi Tsukamoto & Kankuro Hoshino gave Katsumata a death match baptism by smashing lighttubes over him. They had control early until Katsumata did some violent spots of his own with the help of Toshiyuki Sakuda. He broke a bundle of lighttubes taped together and revealed there were even more Lego blocks hidden inside it! He gave Hoshino the ¡Hasta la vista! onto the pile but Tsukamoto broke it up. Tsukamoto placed a plastic bag over Katsumata to suffocate him then hit the Zudon for the win. They shook hands after the match and Katsumata smashed the last remaining lighttube over his own head.
Round 2
Round 2 began with a bit of an upset. Nakanoue & Iino defeated Takeshita & Kamitani, ending Takeshita’s streak of reaching the final! The Double Choke Slam was the difference maker again, this time with Iino hitting the Spear on Kamitani to in the match.
As the tournament progressed, the team bonds were getting stronger. Aoki came out wearing matching HARASHIMA gear. Meanwhile Sekimoto joined Brookes in given Aoki a wet willy while he was in a Camel Clutch. HARASHIMA went for the Somato but Brookes dodged it and caught him in the Octopus Stretch. With HARASHIMA held in place, nobody could stop Sekimoto from pinning Aoki with a Lariat.
There was no nonsense in the Endo & Nomura versus Kawakami & T-Hawk match. Nomura was double teamed on while Endo was cut off from rescuing him. But Nomura escaped from the Nightraide and put Kawakami in a Cross Armbreaker. Kawakami tried to roll out but Nomura clasped his legs into a Cradle to pin him for the flash three count.
The last match in the 2n Round turned weird. Miyamoto came out dressed like Shinobu Kandori. Then Hoshino came out looking like Kenshiro from Fist Of The North Star. He used many of Kenshiro’s attacks but when he told Sasaki “You are already dead” Miyamoto hit him in the back with a chair. Sasaki then made Hoshino quickly tap to the Cross Facelock.
Semi Finals
The tournament was now down to four teams. Nakanoue & Iino threw Endo off the top rope then set Nomura up for the Haka Elbow. Iino went for the Spear but Nomura blocked it with a High Kick. Endo came in to hit a Handspring Overhead Kick before pinning Iino with the Shooting Star Press.
Miyamoto decided to return the favour to Sasaki by wearing a leather jacket and carrying around the DAMNATION signboard. Their run came to an end here when Brookes caught Sasaki by surprise with a Cutter and Sekimoto capitalised with the German Suplex.
Special 6-Man Tag Match
Before the final took place there was a non-tournament 6-Man Tag to get through. At this point in the show it was almost midnight. The countdown appeared on the screen while Danshoku Dieno was up to his usual behavior in the ring. As the final seconds counted down, the locker room emptied out and everybody celebrated the new year. When they left we discovered that the wrestlers in the match were all trampled during the celebration. They recovered and slowly wrestled the rest of the match while the song “SEVEN DAYS WAR” by TM Network played over the speakers.
Final
The first complete pro wrestling match of the new decade saw Endo & Nomura defeated Sekimoto & Brookes. Sekimoto tried to German Suplex Nomura but Endo cut him off with the Springboard Overhead Kick. Nomura then tried to German Suplex Sekimoto but Brookes cut him off with a Diving Foot Stomp. Endo had to wipe out Brookes with the Sasuke Special so Nomura could hit the Dragon Suplex on Sekimoto to win the tournment!
Best Bout
1. Daisuke Sekimoto Vs Michael Elgin (Big Japan, 24th August)
2. Konosuke Takeshita Vs HARASHIMA (DDT, 3rd November)
3. Isami Kodaka Vs Yuko Miyamoto (Big Japan, 4th November)
4. Daisuke Sekimoto & Walter Vs Yuji Okabayashi & Yuji Hino (Big Japan, 4th November)
5. Jun Kasai Vs Toru Sugiura (FREEDOMS, 1st October)
Best Unit
1. #STRONGHEARTS
2. Kobayashi-gun
3. DAMNATION
4. Yuji Okabayashi & Shigehiro Irie
5. Sento Minzoku
Best Box Office
Tied 1. DDT at Sumo Hall, 3rd November & Big Japan at Sumo Hall, 4th November
3. Muscle at Sumo Hall, 16th February
4. Shin Nemuro Pro Wrestling at Shin-Kiba 1st RING, 13th October
5. Michinoku Pro at Shinjuku FACE, 27th November
Best Newcomer
1. Keigo Nakamura
2. Toshiyuki Sakuda
3. Maku Donaruto
4. Chris Brookes
5. Asuka
DDT “D-OU GRAND PRIX 2020 THE FINAL!!”, 28/12/2019 Tokyo Korakuen Hall 2,019 Fans – Super No Vacancy
1. Chihiro Hashimoto & Yuki Iino defeated Keisuke Ishii & Keigo Nakamura when Hashimoto pinned Nakamura with the Albright (7:01).
2. “Novice Papa” 9-Man Trial Of Makoto Oishi – 1 Count Fall: Makoto Oishi finishes the series 4-5.
2a. Makoto Oishi defeated Danshoku Dieno with a Jackknife Pin (1:02).
2b. Hirosho Yamato defeated Makoto Oishi with the Sliding X (0:58).
2c. Makoto Oishi defeated Mizuki Watase with a Running Forearm (0:44).
2d. Mad Paulie defeated Makoto Oishi with a Flying Body Scissors Drop (1:03).
2e. Makoto Oishi defeated Antonio Honda with a Rolling Cradle (2:04).
2f. Masahiro Takanashi defeated Makoto Oishi with a Crucifix Pin (0:32).
2g. Kazuki Hirata defeated Makoto Oishi with the Extreme Tegatana (1:00).
2h. Toru Owashi defeated Makoto Oishi with a Hand Press Pin (0:30).
2i. Makoto Oishi defeated Yoshihiko with the Sweet Bomb (3:29).
3. Saki Akai “Okibariyasu” 7 Match Series – 2nd Match: Saki Akai defeated Sakura Hirota with the Rookie Award (7:58).
4. 3 Way Tag Match: Yuki Ueno & Naomi Yoshimura defeated Soma Takao & Nobuhiro Shimatani and Akito & Shunma Katsumata when Ueno pinned Shimatani after the Osaka Strad (7:50).
5. Toshiwasure! Special Single Match – Pro Wrestling x Oogiri Mix Rules: Shinya Aoki defeated Super Sasadango Machine with a Director Ishii joke (6:48).
6. Kazusada Higuchi Returns To War: Kazusada Higuchi & Yukio Sakaguchi defeated Bull James & Yukio Naya when Higuchi pinned Naya with the Doctor Bomb (7:36).
7. D-Ou Grand Prix 2020 Special 4 Way Match: Konosuke Takeshita defeated HARASHIMA, Daisuke Sasaki and Chris Brookes when Takeshita pinned Brookes with the German Suplex (11:53).
8. D-Ou Grand Prix 2020 – Final: Masato Tanaka defeated Tetsuya Endo with the Sliding D (23:57).
The tournament master Masato Tanaka becomes the first person to win the D-Ou Grand Prix while undefeated! He didn’t take Tetsuya Endo lightly in the final. He went for the Sliding D at the very first opportunity. Endo dodged it and in return tried to trap Tanaka in the Modified Yurikamome Hold. Tanaka put Endo through a table outside the ring with a Diving Body Press, which ended up leaving a big gash in Endo’s leg. To add insult to the injury, Tanaka then attacked Endo with pieces of the table and also the DAMNATION signboard. Endo’s comebacks would get cut off by Elbow Smashes until he countered the Tornado DDT into a Brainbuster. Tanaka cut him off again with a Vertical Drop Brainbuster. Endo countered the Diamond Dust into a German Suplex but Tanaka once more stopped his momentum with a Lariat. The match went even when Tanaka blocked the Shooting Star Press then Endo blocked the Superfly afterwards. When they got up Endo hit a Canadian Destroyer only for Tanaka to immediately fire back with a short range Sliding D. Endo finally got his momentum going with the Tetsuya In The Sky, the Swinging Torture Rack Bomb and the Shooting Star Press. Tanaka was able to kick out at two. Endo quickly applied the Yurikamome Hold but Tanaka cradled him for a nearfall. Endo changed it into the Crossface Lock but Tanaka got out of it by biting Endo’s hand. Tanaka stunned Endo with a Backfist then hit several Sliding D’s, finally keeping Endo down for the three count.
After the match Tanaka said fighting against Endo and DAMNATION was interesting. Tanaka has been wrestling for 26 years and is still in his prime. He has to show that in the ring when he faces off against younger wrestlers. Still, he thanked Endo for the match. HARASHIMA entered the ring during the trophy ceremony. He congratulated Tanaka for winning the Grand Prix then told him they will have a KO-D Openweight Title match on 26th January. He promised him a rematch after their 30 minute draw in the group stage so now they get to have one with higher stakes. Tanaka called HARASHIMA the No. 1 wrestler in DDT. Even though Tanaka won today’s main event, he gave the show closing speech to HARASHIMA.
When HARASHIMA finished his speech, Pokotan came out and confronted him to promote their DDT Extreme Title match on 12th January.
Some of the wrestlers who missed out on reaching the final were pitted together in a 4 Way Match. HARASHIMA wanted it to start off peacefully but it went mayhem when Konosuke Takeshita and Chris Brookes both attacked him. Daisuke Sasaki tried to sneak a pin on HARASHIMA afterwards but Takeshita and Brookes then attacked him. Brookes broke off his short alliance with Takeshita and the match was all against each other from that point on. Sasaki put Takeshita in La Mistica Cross Facelock, HARASHIMA broke it up with the Somato then Brookes caught HARASHIMA in mid-air with a Cutter. Takeshita gave HARASHIMA and Sasaki a German Suplex at the same time, emptying the ring down to just him and Brookes. Brookes put Takeshita in an Octopus Hold then tried to pin him with a European Clutch but Takeshita rolled him into the German Suplex to take the win. This result is considered as payback for Brookes beating Takeshita in the group stage.
A reinvigorated and fully recovered Kazusada Higuchi was victorious in his return match. He wasn’t lying when he said he lost wait during his time off, the audience was impressed by his improved physique. Both he and Yukio Sakaguchi came out to brand new theme songs. Sakaguchi struck Bull James with the God’s Right Knee, allowing Higuchi to pin Yukio Naya with the Doctor Bomb. Backstage Higuchi said he’s been watching DDT while he was recovering from his injury and it just wasn’t the same. Sakaguchi agreed. They want to make DDT fun and rampant so Higuchi and Sakaguchi are going to stir up DDT together!
Super Sasadango Machine wanted to make sure his win over Shinya Aoki last month wasn’t a fluke. To ensure the result would be undisputed their match today would consist of two stages. Stage 1 is the Pro Wrestling Stage, a regular pro wrestling match. When that is over they would then move on to the Oogiri Stage, a comedy quiz where judges Yuki Iino, Mizuki Watase and Yumehito Imanari choose who gave the best answer. The winner of the match is the first person to either win both stages back-to-back or win the Oogriri Stage 3 times. The match began and Aoki immediately made Sasadango submit to the Sleeper Hold. The Oogiri question asked for their dream match for a New Year’s Eve MMA show. Sasadango said Tatsuya Kawajiri Vs Erika Sawajiri in an MMA Vs MDMA fight (Sawajiri is an actress who was recently arrested over drug possession). Aoki chose Takeru Vs Tenshin Nasukawa. Sasadango won the judge’s vote. The match began again and Sasadango immediately gave up to a handshake. The Oogiri question asked to name the sequel for Aoki’s book “Strong Instinct”. Sasadango said “Grand Maison Instinct” while Aoki picked “Daddy”. Aoki got some laughs but Sasadango still won the judge’s decision. Aoki tapped out Sasadango once more with a Cross Armbreaker. The Oogiri question asked for a phrase that will be used as a warning in 2020. Sasadango’s arm was so damaged from the Cross Armbreaker that he couldn’t write a decent answer, so he went with “Safety First”. Aoki answered with “Director Ishii” referring to the disgraced K-1 director Kazuyoshi Ishii. Aoki unanimously won the judge’s decision and was declared the winner of the match.
The freelance Nobuhiro Shimatani was back in DDT to do what he does best. Run around with the DAMNATION signboard! What he isn’t good at is being used as a projectile. Soma Takao tried to Body Slam him onto their opponents in the 3 Way Match but they kept rolling out of the way. Shimatani did get a few whacks in on Akito & Shunma Katsumata with his signboard until he accidentally hit Takao with it. From there Yuki Ueno & Naomi Yoshimura double teamed on Shimatani and finished him off with the Osaka Strad. Nautilus are now ready to challenge for the KO-D Tag Team Titles on 3rd January. They are also taking over the Drop Kick Bar from Akito in the new year.
One of the goals for Saki Akai’s “Okibariyasu” series is to bring in joshi and let them experience what DDT is like. In the case of Sakura Hirota this turned out to be the most DDT match in a long time. First Hirota came out dressed as Akai and mimicking her entrance. Then we found out her children were at ringside where there was a special play area built for them to stay in. Also Antonio Honda was babysitting them. The situation was so distracting that Yukinori Matsui missed some pinfalls. Hirota used Kancho attacks to get the advantage until Honda called for an emergency because one of the kids soiled their diaper. Akai, Hirota and Matsui all agreed to speed up the match with cradles and quick pin counts. Hirota attempted to do the Quetzalcoatl but couldn’t apply it properly. The result was only her flipping onto her back empty handed. Akai gave Hirota a Kancho poke then pinned her with the Rookie Award. It was announced afterwards that Akai’s third opponent in her series will be against Rina Yamashita on 12th January.
Fatherhood is taking it’s toll on Makoto Oishi. So much so that he decided today’s One Count Gauntlet Match would be his last match. He informed all of his opponents backstage before their match and everyone agreed to give him their best. The results went back and forth. Oishi pinned Danshoku Dieno with a Cradled counter to the Danshoku Driver. Hiroshi Yamato pinned Oishi with the Sliding X. Oishi went 2-1 when he caught Mizuki Watase with a Running Forearm. Mad Paulie flattened Oishi with the Lou Thesz Press. Antonio Honda went for his old Gongitsune trick but Oishi saw it coming and cradled him to make it 3-2. Masahiro Takanashi countered the Jikiden Tornado Clutch into a Crucifix Pin to even the score. Kazuki Hirata turned the match into a dance until he overdone the Tegatana strikes to Oishi’s neck. When Toru Owashi entered the match Oishi was still knocked out from the attack. Owashi pleaded with him to get back up but Oishi wouldn’t move. Oishi placed his hand on Oishi’s chest and didn’t realise it counted as a pin. Oishi’s final opponent was Yoshihiko. Oishi fought with all he had left, using all his strength to get a rope break from a Scorpion Deathlock. Yoshihiko was thrown into the air for the Reincarnation but Oishi rolled it into a pin to end the match with a win. All the wrestlers begged with him to reconsider his decision. Oishi then revealed it was all a misunderstanding. Today was his final match… in 2019. He wanted everyone to do their best today because it was the final DDT show of 2019. He’s not retiring. Who said that? Oishi loves pro wrestling and he wants his newborn daughter to grow up and watch him wrestle.
Rivals turning into teammates seems to happen a lot in wrestling nowadays. It happened here with Yuki Iino and Chihiro Hashimoto joining forces to take on Keisuke Ishii & Keigo Nakamura. They weren’t 100% compatible but still came out on top. Iino hit Nakamura with the Haka Elbow and Hashimoto followed up with the Albright to win. When asked if they were interested in going after the KO-D Tag Titles, both liked the idea but think they can do it on their own.
A brand new championship called the DDT Universal Title will crown its first champion on 23rd February. The belt was created as part of DDT’s international plans for 2020. Both Takeshita and Brookes have expressed their interest in becoming the first champion. Takeshita believes being the first champion on any belt is a special thing and he also wants to spread DDT across the world. Brookes thinks him versus Takeshita is the match to make to determine the first champion. Also the Praying Mantis Bomb will always beat Takeshita and Brookes wants another singles match to prove it.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “THE FINAL BATTLE ~I HOPE THERE WILL BE LOTS OF FUN AND JOY NEXT YEAR~”, 27/12/2019 Tokyo Itabashi Green Hall
1. Yuki Kamifuku Vs Haruna Neko
2. Yuna Manase Vs Mirai Maiumi
3. Shoko Nakajima & Raku Vs Mizuki & Suzume
4. Sakisama’s France Return Commemorative Match: Sakisama Vs Pom Harajuku
5. Special 8-Woman Tag Match: Yuka Sakazaki, Rika Tatsumi, Miu Watanabe & Maki Itoh Vs Miyu Yamashita, Nodoka Tenma, Yuki Aino & Hikari Noa
Sakisama has one more match before she goes home to Paris. She probably doesn’t want it to be against Pom Harajuku.
Mina Shirakawa and Mahiro Kiryu are both absent from the show. Shirakawa has family circumstances and Kiryu has a minor injury.
BASARA “BASARA 115 ~ALL THINGS IN NATURE~”, 28/12/2019 Tokyo Korakuen Hall
1. Tetsuo Usui Debut Match: Ryota Nakatsu Vs Tetsuo Usui
2. Russia Will Not Appear In The Tokyo Olympics But Kamino Will Appear In Korakuen! Sento Minzoku Vs Kamino Brothers!: Minoru Fujita & Ryuichi Sekine Vs Daichi Kazato & Masato Kamino
3. GRAN MILLIMETERS ONE NIGHT STAND: Daiki Shimomura & Nobuhiro Shimatani Vs Banana Senga & Tsutomu Oosugi
4. Starring Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi ~Eat, Pray & Pour Water~: Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi & Osamu Nishimura Vs Brahman Shu & Brahman Kei
5. IRON FIST TAG Titles: FUMA & Yusuke Kubo (c) Vs Fuminori Abe & Takuya Nomura
6. UWA World 6-Man Tag Team Titles: Takumi Tsukamoto, Yasu Urano & Takato Nakano (c) Vs Ryota Nakatsu, Naoki Tanizaki & Akiyori Takizawa
7. Union MAX Title: Masahiro Takanashi (c) Vs Isami Kodaka
The BASARA roster spent their days before Christmas working security at the Nakayama Racecourse during the big Arima Kinen race. The job worked perfectly but none of the wrestlers won any of their bets.
DDT “D-OU GRAND PRIX 2020 THE FINAL!!”, 28/12/2019 Tokyo Korakuen Hall
1. Chihiro Hashimoto & Yuki Iino Vs Keisuke Ishii & Keigo Nakamura
2. “Novice Papa” 9-Man Trial Of Makoto Oishi: Makoto Oishi Vs Danshoku Dieno, Toru Owashi, Kazuki Hirata, Masahiro Takanashi, Antonio Honda, Hiroshi Yamato, Mizuki Watase, Mad Paulie & Yoshihiko
3. Saki Akai “Okibariyasu” 7 Match Series – 2nd Match: Sakura Hirota Vs Saki Akai
4. 3 Way Tag Match: Soma Takao & Nobuhiro Shimatani Vs Akito & Shunma Katsumata Vs Yuki Ueno & Naomi Yoshimura
5. Toshiwasure! Special Single Match: Shinya Aoki Vs Super Sasadango Machine
6. Kazusada Higuchi Returns To War: Kazusada Higuchi & Yukio Sakaguchi Vs Bull James & Yukio Naya
7. D-Ou Grand Prix 2020 Special 4 Way Match: HARASHIMA Vs Daisuke Sasaki Vs Konosuke Takeshita Vs Chris Brookes
8. D-Ou Grand Prix 2020 – Final: Tetsuya Endo Vs Masato Tanaka
Friday kicks off a very busy Korakuen Hall schedule for everyone. BASARA and DDT have their doubleheader, then there is the New Year’s Eve Show a few days later. DDT returns on the 3rd and Tokyo Joshi Pro wraps it up a day later. That’s not including all of the other wrestling companies of course.
DDT “NEW YEAR SPECIAL GIFT! ALL SEATS 2,000 YEN BOX OFFICE!! 2020”, 03/01/2020 Tokyo Korakuen Hall
1. Yukio Sakaguchi & Kazusada Higuchi Vs Mad Paulie & Hiroshi Yamato
2. HARASHIMA & Shinya Aoki Vs Masahiro Takanashi & Makoto Oishi
3. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title – Time Difference Battle Royal: Toru Owashi (c) Vs Kazuki Hirata Vs Yuki Iino Vs Antonio Honda Vs Saki Akai Vs Gorgeous Matsuno Vs Mizuki Watase Vs Yukio Naya Vs Keigi Nakamura
4. MAO Triumph Match: MAO Vs Shunma Katsumata
5. Tetsuya Endo & X Vs Konosuke Takeshita & Akito
6. New Year! Special Worldwide Match: Masato Tanaka Vs Chris Brookes
7. New Year! Special 3 Way Match: Sanshiro Takagi Vs Danshoku Dieno Vs Super Sasadango Machine
8. KO-D Tag Team Titles: Daisuke Sasaki & Soma Takao (c) Vs Yuki Ueno & Naomi Yoshimura
Daisuke Sasaki has revealed his big plan if DAMNATION makes it to 10 KO-D Tag Team Title defences in a row. In 2020 Sasaki wants to launch Space Pro Wrestling! That’s right, Sasaki wants to go to outer space and defend the belts against aliens! Soma Takao found out about the idea the same time as everyone else but he approves of it. Sasaki claims to have the mayor of Shiraishi City sponsoring the project.
Tetsuya Endo is bringing in a mystery partner to face Konosuke Takeshita & Akito. Whoever it will be is the choice of Endo and Endo alone.
DDT “NEW YEAR DRAMATIC ITABASHI SERIES 2020”, 05/01/2020 Tokyo Itabashi Green Hall
1. O-40 Title: Gorgeous Matsuno (c) Vs Danshoku Dieno
2. KO-D Tag Team Titles: Daisuke Sasaki & Soma Takao (c) Vs Keisuke Ishii & Kazuki Hirata
Unfortunately Mike Bailey’s visa documents needed to enter Japan were lost by the international courier service. That means Bailey is unable to visit Japan next month and cannot be on the DDT shows. Bailey and DDT are currently working together for him to obtain his visa so he can wrestle here again as soon as possible.
Bailey’s problem means he will be replaced in the title matches he was previously booked for. Keisuke Ishii & Kazuki Hirata stepped up to challenge for the KO-D Tag Titles. Ishii said he has had a good 2019 and wants to have an even better start for 2020 by winning a championship. He thinks he and Hirata can do it if Hirata puts fourth the same amount of effort as he did in last week’s Independent World Jr. Heavyweight Title match.
DDT “WRESTLE SHIOKONBU! 2020”, 12/01/2020 Osaka City Suminoe Maikon Hall
Bailey’s DDT Extreme Title shot now goes to Pokotan! Apparently nobody asked for the spot when it opened up so it was there for Pokotan to take it.
GANBARE☆WRESTLING “KATSUMURA-GUN VS SHOTA-GUN FULL FIGHT ONE MATCH PERFORMANCE ~BURNOUT! HOT BATTLE, FIERCE BATTLE, GREAT BATTLE!!~”, 02/02/2020 Tokyo Oji BASEMENT MON☆STAR
1. Shuichiro Katsumura, Takafumi Ito & Mitsuhisa Sunabe Vs Shota, Syuri & Mitomi Masayuki
The wrestlers chosen by Shuichiro Katsumura and Shota for their one match Ganbare☆Wrestling show have been revealed. Katsumura is bringing in his first Ganpro friend/rival Takafumi Ito and also Mitsuhisa Sunabe. Shota has Mitomi Masayuki and in a surprise, returning joshi and former UFC fighter Syuri.