TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TOKYO JOSHI 2020 WINTER ~WONDERFUL HARMONY~”, 01/02/2020 Tokyo Itabashi Green Hall
1. Natsumi Maki Vs Pom Harajuku
2. Hikari Noa & Sena Shiori Vs Mahiro Kiryu & Haruna Neko
3. 3 Way Match: Rika Tatsumi Vs Yuki Kamifuku Vs Suzume
4. Maki Itoh Vs Raku
5. Goodbye Akemi: Shoko Nakajima Vs Akemi Daredasore
6. Miyu Yamashita & Yuna Manase Vs Miu Watanabe & Mirai Maiumi
7. Yuka Sakazaki, Mizuki & Mina Shirakawa Vs Lana Austin, Nodoka Tenma & Yuki Aino
This is the last Tokyo Joshi Pro show for the Akemi Daredasore name. The 30 day period for Hyper Misao to wrestle under that name ends a few days later. She should go back to normal on the show after this but who knows with her. Misao might end up finding another way to change her gimmick again. Shoko Nakajima helped bring Daredasore to life so it’s only fitting for her to say goodbye.
DDT “VALENTINE ITABASHI SERIES 2020”, 01/02/2020 Tokyo Itabashi Green Hall
1. Daisuke Sasaki & Tetsuya Endo Vs Tomomitsu Matsunaga & Keigo Nakamura
2. Konosuke Takeshita & Antonio Honda Vs Toru Owashi & Kazuki Hirata
3. Danshoku Dieno & Hiroshi Yamato Vs Cody Hall & Yukio Naya
4. Right To Challenge Anytime, Anywhere Match: Yuki Iino Vs Mizuki Watase
5. Right To Challenge Anytime, Anywhere 3 Way Match: Naomi Yoshimura Vs Kazusada Higuchi Vs Mad Paulie
6. Right To Challenge Anytime, Anywhere 4 Way Match: Yuki Ueno Vs Yukio Sakaguchi Vs Soma Takao Vs Akito
7. Beloved Hometown! Itabashi Specialty Special 3 Way Match: HARASHIMA & Masahiro Takanashi Vs Masato Tanaka & Tetsuhiro Kuroda Vs MAO & Makoto Oishi
There is currently one Right To Challenge Contract in play along with the sword that represents the Right To Challenge At Saitama Super Arena. Three more contracts will come into action when February begins.
Cody Hall’s return to DDT has him teaming up with Yukio Naya again. They last joined forces at the “ULTIMATE PARTY 2019!” Tag Gauntlet back in November.
DDT “IBARAKI DE IKAPPEYO KATSUPE 2020”, 02/02/2020 Ibaraki Kasumigaura Cultural Gymnasium
1. Danshoku Dieno & Antonio Honda Vs Toru Owashi & Kazuki Hirata
2. Yuki Ueno, Naomi Yoshimura & Tomomitsu Matsunaga Vs Daisuke Sasaki, Soma Takao & Hiroshi Yamato
3. Kazusada Higuchi, Yukio Sakaguchi & Saki Akai Vs MAO, Makoto Oishi Vs Keigo Nakamura
4. DDT Megatonweight Single Match: Cody Hall Vs Yuki Iino
5. ALL OUT Vs DAMNATION!: Konosuke Takeshita & Akito Vs Tetsuya Endo & Mad Paulie
6. Ibaraki Hero Hayato “Mach” Sakurai & Tanomusaku Toba Triumph! Kasumigaura Specialty 6-Man Tag Match: HARASHIMA, Hayato Sakurai & Tanomusaku Toba Vs Masahiro Takanashi, Mizuki Watase & Yukio Naya
The newly named Eruption have a chance to get their hands on the next challenger for the KO-D Openweight Title.
BOYZ “(BRAND NEW) BOYZ α -VALENTINE EDITION-”, 11/02/2020 Kitazawa Town Hall
1. Keigo Nakamura BOYZ Assessment Match: Hiroshi Yamato Vs Keigo Nakamura
2. BOYZ Ace Showdown: MAO Vs Yuki Ueno
3. Fairy BOYZ: Yasu Urano & Antonio Honda Vs Kazusada Higuchi & Naomi Yoshimura
4. DAMNATION Vs BOYZ!: Soma Takao & Tetsuya Endo Vs Jun Masaoka & Kazuki Hirata
5. BOYZ-Like Exchange Match: Konosuke Takeshita & Masahiro Takanashi Vs Shuichiro Tominaga & Shota
6. HomoClo Revival: Danshoku Dieno, Makoto Oishi & Akito (w/ KUDO & Hiroshi Fukuda) Vs HARASHIMA, Keisuke Ishii & Mizuki Watase
The Homoiro Clover Z reunion gets even bigger with former members KUDO & Hiroshi Fukuda (aka Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi) standing in the team’s corner for the main event.
Whatever contest Hiroshi Yamato and Kazuki Hirata were going to have has been cancelled. Instead Hirata will be teaming with Jun Masaoka to face the invading DAMNATION team of Soma Takao & Tetsuya Endo. Yamato now has a match with Keigo Nakamura to see whether or not Nakamura is worthy of becoming a BOY. Akito thinks he should belong to YaroZ.
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: Masato Tanaka (c) Vs MAO
The #STRONGHEARTS trio of CIMA, T-Hawk & El Lindaman will be on the show. The unit still has the business relationship with DAMNATION.
DDT “ISN’T IT DRAMATIC 2020”, 24/02/2020 Nagoya City East Sports Center
1. Saki Akai “Okibariyasu” 7 Match Series – 4th Match – Rocky Of Naniwa II Vs Human Torpedo II: Saki Akai Vs Miranda Gordy
The next challenge Saki Akai will face in the Okibariyasu series is Miranda Gordy, the daughter of Terry Gordy! Miranda began wrestling in the American indies last year and is touring Japan in February as part of Tokyo Championship Wrestling. She sent a video to the DDT office explaining that she and Akai share something in common. Akai’s dad was a great boxer and Gordy’s dad was a great wrestler. But Miranda thinks she is a better wrestler than Akai and will crush her in the ring to prove it. Akai understands it is important to be proud of her father’s blood but they will be fighting each other regardless of their second generation status. Akai has been nicknamed “The Rocky Of Naniwa II” because of her family connection but when she finishes the series, she wants to have earned a new nickname for herself.
DDT “ULTIMATE PARTY 2019! DDT GROUP BIG GATHERING!”, 03/11/2019 Tokyo Ryogoku Kokugikan 5,869 Fans – Super No Vacancy Full House
0. Under Match: Daichi Kazato, Masato Kamino & Shuhei Washida defeated Tomomitsu Matsunaga, Mizuki Watase & Keigo Nakamura when Kazato pinned Nakamura with the Explosive Axe Bomber (6:58).
0. Under Match – Tokyo Joshi Pro 8-Woman Tag Match: Hikari Noa, YUMI, Mahiro Kiryu & Suzume defeated Raku, Pom Harajuku, Haruna Neko & Mirai Maiumi when Noa pinned Harajuku with the Uranage (8:22).
-. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title: Chair defeated Shota (c) by Pinfall (2:30 pm). *Chair becomes the 1,433rd champion.
-. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title: Chair defeated Chair (c) by Pinfall (2:31 pm). *Chair becomes the 1,434th champion.
0. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title – Time Difference Battle Royal: Kazuki Hirata defeated Chair (c), Shota, Toru Owashi, Gorgeous Matsuno, HARUKAZE, SAGAT, Yuki Kamifuku, Mina Shirakawa, Pokotan and Yoshihiko (15:20).
0a. Shota, Kazuki Hirata and Yoshihiko eliminated Pokotan by Ring Out (3:57).
0b. Shota eliminated Yoshihiko by Ring Out (4:41).
0c. Yuki Kamifuku eliminated Chair (c) with the Gravure Pin (5:51). *Yuki Kamifuku becomes the 1,435th champion.
0d. SAGAT eliminated Yuki Kamifuku (c) with a School Boy (8:55). *SAGAT becomes the 1,436th champion.
0e. Gorgeous Matsuno eliminated SAGAT (c) by Pinfall (13:29). *Gorgeous Matsuno becomes the 1,437th champion.
0f. Toru Owashi eliminated Mina Shirakawa by Ring Out (13:56).
0g. Shota eliminated HARUKAZE by Ring Out (13:57).
0h. Gorgeous Matsuno (c) and Kazuki Hirata eliminated Toru Owashi and Shota by Simultaneous Ring Outs (14:21). *V1 for Gorgeous Matsuno.
0i. Kazuki Hirata eliminated Gorgeous Matsuno (c) by Pinfall (15:20). *Kazuki Hirata becomes the 1,438th champion.
1. 100 Plastic Cases Match: Isami Kodaka defeated Sanshiro Takagi with the Isamiashi Zan (5:49).
2. KO-D 10-Man Tag Team Titles: Danshoku Dieno, Asuka, Yuki Iino, Mizuki & Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi defeated Super Sasadango Machine, Yuna Manase, Jiro Kuroshio, Hiroshi Yamato & Makoto Oishi when Iino pinned Sasadango with the Spear (13:43). *Danshoku Dieno, Asuka, Yuki Iino, Mizuki & Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi become the 2nd KO-D 10-Man Tag Team Champions!
3. Gauntlet Tag Match: Yuki Ueno & Naomi Yoshimura defeated Yukio Naya & Cody Hall, Yuki Ueno & Naomi Yoshimura, Yukio Sakaguchi & Ryota Nakatsu, Shuichiro Katsumura & Kouki Iwasaki, Maki Itoh & Chris Brookes and Nodoka Tenma & Yuki Aino.
3a. Yukio Sakaguchi & Ryota Nakatsu defeated Shuichiro Katsumura & Kouki Iwasaki when Sakaguchi pinned Iwasaki with the God’s Right Knee (3:55).
3b. Nodoka Tenma & Yuki Aino defeated Yukio Sakaguchi & Ryota Nakatsu by Ring Out (1:52).
3c. Maki Itoh & Chris Brookes defeated Nodoka Tenma & Yuki Aino when Itoh pinned Aino with the Flying Big Head (2:56).
3d. Yuki Ueno & Naomi Yoshimura defeated Maki Itoh & Chris Brookes when Ueno pinned Itoh with a Crucific Pin (2:35).
3e. Yuki Ueno & Naomi Yoshimura defeated Yukio Naya & Cody Hall when Yoshimura pinned Naya with a Lariat (4:29).
4. Independent World Jr. Heavyweight Title: Keisuke Ishii (c) defeated Fuminori Abe with the Pink Kneel Kick (7:26). *V1 for Keisuke Ishii.
5. UWA World 6-Man Tag Team Titles – 3 Way Match: Takumi Tsukamoto, Yasu Urano & Takato Nakano (c) defeated Tetsuya Endo, Mad Paulie & Nobuhiro Shimatani and Ken Ohka, Yumehito Imanari & Miss Mongol when Tsukamoto pinned Shimatani with the Dragon Kicker (9:09). *V1 for Takumi Tsukamoto, Yasu Urano & Takato Nakano.
6. Princess Tag Team Titles: Rika Tatsumi & Miu Watanabe defeated Sakisama & Misao (c) when Tatsumi pinned Misao with the Missile Hips (13:46). *NEO Biishiki-gun fails in V4. Daydream becomes the 6th Princess Tag Team Champions!
7. KO-D Tag Team Titles – 4 Way Hardcore Match: Daisuke Sasaki & Soma Takao (c) defeated Akito & Shunma Katsumata, FUMA & Yusuke Kubo and Minoru Fujita & Daiki Shimomura when Sasaki submitted Shimomura with the Cross Facelock (13:24). *V8 for DAMNATION.
8. Union MAX Title: Masahiro Takanashi defeated Ryuichi Sekine (c) with the Takatonic (9:59). *Ryuichi Sekine fails in V3. Masahiro Takanashi becomes the 13th Union MAX Champion!
9. Princess Of Princess Title: Yuka Sakazaki defeated Shoko Nakajima (c) with the Magical Magical Girl Splash (14:12). *Shoko Nakajima fails in V4. Yuka Sakazaki becomes the 7th Princess Of Princess Champion!
10. Souken Holdings Presents Dramatic Dream Match: Kenny Omega & Riho defeated Antonio Honda & Miyu Yamashita when Omega pinned Honda with the One-Winged Angel (21:22).
11. BLACK OUT Presents – KO-D Openweight Title & DDT Extreme Title: HARASHIMA (E/c) defeated Konosuke Takeshita (K/c) with the Somato (25:38). *V1 for HARASHIMA. Konosuke Takeshita fails in V3. HARASHIMA becomes the 73rd KO-D Openweight Champion!
HARASHIMA fought past his limit to win the KO-D Openweight Title for the 10th time in his career! His win against Konosuke Takeshita today is also revenge for their Sumo Hall match back in March 2017, the last time HARASHIMA held the title. Takeshita focused on HARASHIMA’s weakened back like he did in the matches leading up to today. He used the Walls Of Takeshita and dared the DISASTER BOX wrestlers in HARASHIMA’s corner to throw in the towel. But HARASHIMA persisted and swung momentum to his favour in a big way with a Reverse Frankensteiner from the top turnbuckle. He struggled to capitalise but found an opening when he maneuvered himself out of the Cross Arm German Suplex and then pulled Takeshita into a Short Range Somato. HARASHIMA hit a full force Somato for the victory and the title change.
Wrestlers from HARASHIMA’s generation came out and congratulated him after the match. HARASHIMA thanked them all from Ken Ohka to KUDO to Isami Kodaka to Yasu Urano and also to everyone else who came to Sumo Hall today. Since this was an Ultimate Party, HARASHIMA wanted everyone in the DDT family to join him in the ring for a celebration including Kenny Omega and Riho. When Omega & Riho came out HARASHIMA then called for Takeshita and the rest of ALL OUT to come back. As Takeshita stood on the apron, HARASHIMA thanked him for not holding back. Today he won but next time he might not so they should wrestle against each other again some day. After a little bit of hesitation, Takeshita shook HARASHIMA’s hand and they embraced.
Takeshita left the ring with ALL OUT but the rest of the roster continued the party. HARASHIMA said he could see everyone’s smiles. The DDT groups will continue to work together to create more wonderful wrestling, this time in Saitama Super Arena next June! As the party went on, DJ Nira walked down the aisle and entered the ring. He shook HARASHIMA’s hand then tried to steal the DDT Extreme Title. He played dead when he failed and was carried out of the ring. That was the sign for the wrestlers to leave the ring one by one until only HARASHIMA and Omega were left. Omega shook HARASHIMA’s hand but he sure was staring at the KO-D Title a lot when the new champion wasn’t looking…
Omega returned to DDT so he could go back to his roots. He proved this by switching his AEW theme to the Dr. Wily remix he used during his DDT days. He also wore the AAA Mega Title belt around his waist during his entrance while Riho had her AEW Women’s Title. Their opponents were ready for a big match. Miyu Yamashita wore new wrestling gear and Antonio Honda even attempted a Suicide Dive. Unfortunately he tripped in the middle of the canvas and hurt himself. He told his story and asked for a “Too Sweet!” but it was a trap to unleash Gongitsune on Omega! Yamashita pushed Omega back with her kicks until Omega carried her to the top rope in a Fireman’s Carry position. Riho climbed on top of them and hit a Super Diving Double Stomp onto Honda. Riho later dived out of the ring onto Yamashita leaving Omega alone to finish off Honda. However Honda still had life left in him and he fought out of the One-Winged Angel. Honda’s comeback was cut short with a V-Trigger and Omega finally pinned him with the One-Winged Angel.
Omega spoke to the fans in Japanese after the match. He said the match took longer than he expected so he would keep this message short. Honda was as strong as ever and Omega found out that Yamashita is strong too. He doesn’t know what will happen between himself and DDT in the future but of course he would like to come back again. He was happy to see so many people choose to see this show today during a very busy week for pro wrestling in Japan. He said his goodbyes then quickly remembered to finish off his “Goodbye & Goodnight” catchphrase. A few comments from the post-match interview include Omega feeling nostalgic the moment he stepped into the ring. Enough so that he did the STOP! Enzuigiri during the match but he forgot to do a Hadouken. He feels embarrassed at falling for Honda’s Gongitsune trick. He was expecting the move but thought Honda was giving him the “Too Sweet!” because he used to be the leader of Bullet Club. Omega and Riho said Yamashita is unlike anyone else in the AEW women’s division. Riho admitted she doesn’t have the authority to get Yamashita in AEW but maybe if Yamashita challenges her to a title match, maybe something could happen. Part of the reason Omega wants to do more mixed tag matches is so he can find a rival for Riho.
Tokyo Joshi Pro had a newsworthy day across the show, the biggest of which is a Princess Of Princess Title change! Yuka Sakazaki kicked out of Shoko Nakajima’s Northern Lights Suplex then resisted a repeated attempt of the move. She was able to give Nakajima the Merry-Go-Round and won with the Magical Magical Girl Splash. Sakazaki was so overcome with emotions over the match that she couldn’t say much during the post-match interview. She just wanted to go home and eat hamburgers. Nakajima is sorry that she lost but still feels like she achieved her dream today. She hopes everyone will still support her when she goes on her tour of Mexico.
The big BASARA match also involved a major title change. Masahiro Takanashi won the Union MAX Title from Ryuichi Sekine! Takanashi targeted Sekine’s left arm from the start. It paid off because Sekine was never really able to apply the Let’s Combine. Takanashi was able to roll out of the submission set up and hit the Takatonic from out of nowhere to become the new champion. Isami Kodaka confronted Takanashi after the match but did not say a word to him. After a tense moment Kodaka left and helped Sekine to the back. Backstage Takanashi said he is ready to defend the belt against BASARA and singled out Kodaka as his preferred first challenger. He knows Kodaka will not refuse him.
The most chaotic match of the night was the KO-D Tag Team Titles 4 Way. Hardcore rules meant that there were plenty of weapons about and it did not take long for the ring to fill up. Shunma Katsumata came out dressed as the Joker. That was his first mistake. Soma Takao piled chairs on top of Akito then Double Stomped onto them. A large board with Lego blocks stuck to them was propped between chairs and steel cans. FUMA & Yusuke Kubo slammed Katsumata onto the board. Minoru Fujita helped position two different towers of ladders with tables bridged between them on opposite corners of the ring. Akito & Katsumata later moved them together to be one big tower. Katsumata wanted to dive off of it but Daisuke Sasaki knocked him off instead by throwing chairs at him. Fujita gave Akito the SAYONARA then instructed Daiki Shimomura to climb the tower. Takao blinded Fujita with red Poison Mist then tied his arms to the ring ropes. Sasaki joined Shimomura on the top of the tower and broke a guitar over his head. He gave Shimomura the Pedigree onto the tables then made him submit to the Cross Facelock at the top of the tower. With 8th defences in a row, DAMNATION now wants the KO-D Tag Titles to be considered the top championship in DDT. When they reach 10 defences, they will take the title “to the next stage.” What does that mean? We’ll find out if they can defend the belts two more times.
NEO Biishiki-gun had been unstoppable during their reign as Princess Tag Team Champions. That ended today thanks to Daydream! It was an uphill battle for the challengers. But that all changed when Miu Watanabe got rid of Sakisama with the Tear Drop. From there Rika Tatsumi was pitted with Misao. She countered the Vanitas with a Forward Dropkick then hit the Missile Hips for the three count. Backstage Sakisama was outraged and demanded Misao to tell her why they lost today. Misao stayed silent and took the abuse. Obviously the new champions are in a much better mood. Watanabe said she will cherish her new championship. Tatsumi cannot wait to wear her first title belt around her waist.
The action for the UWA World 6-Man Tag Team Titles match was frantic from the get go. Yumehito Imanari found himself getting separated and outnumbered. Tetsuya Endo used Mad Paulie as a launcher for some of his high flying attacks. Paulie also turned out to be a difficult wall for Urano and Miss Mongol to break but Ohka helped out with the Fire Spear. Nobuhiro Shimatani and Takato Nakano faced off. Shimatani got the advantage thanks to Endo. However DAMNATION’s chance at winning the titles went pair shaped when the champions got back into the match. Takumi Tsukamoto stunned Shimatani with the Thrust Kick and got the win for his team with the Dragon Kicker. Shimatani feels so crushed by the loss he told the others he may leave DAMNATION and go some place new.
Keisuke Ishii is filled with confidence going into the D-Ou Grand Prix. It took a Tiger Suplex into the turnbuckles, the Double Arm Clutch Driver and the Kneel Kick for Ishii to put Fuminori Abe away. His goal today was to both defend the Independent World Jr. Heavyweight Title and spread awareness of Ganbare☆Wrestling. He succeeded in both. Abe admits that maybe he wasn’t mentally prepared for today after going through a 60 minute Ironman Match with Naoshi Sano yesterday. However he also thinks the more you wrestle, the better your condition gets so they cancelled each other out. He is afraid today was the final chapter of him getting to wrestle against the Ganpro roster. He hopes it won’t be.
Nautilus came out on top in the Tag Gauntlet. It begun with a strike heavy battle between Yukio Sakaguchi & Ryota Nakatsu against Shuichiro Katsumura & Kouki Iwasaki. Sakaguchi pinned Iwasaki for the elimination. The Bakuretsu Sisters surprisingly eliminated Sakaguchi & Nakatsu by having Nakatsu bump Sakaguchi out of the ring. The NEO Itoh Respect Army came out with a questionable dance performance to “Setsunairo”. Chris Brookes and Nodoka Tenma faced off, showing everyone the massive height difference between them. Tenma then gave Brookes a Fall Away Slam. Brookes gave Yuki Aino the Praying Mantis Bomb and Maki Itoh pinned her with the Flying Big Head. Nautilus were out next and Naomi Yoshimura attempted to do the World’s Cutest Knuckle Punch to Itoh. Brookes gave Yuki Ueno a Cutter and Itoh hit a Falling Headbutt. But when Itoh went for a pin Ueno rolled her into a Crucifix Pin for the three count. Yukio Naya & Cody Hall were the final team to enter. Ueno & Yoshimura had the advantage of more tag team experience together and were able to beat them and win the Gauntlet. Both of them will now focus on the D-Ou Grand Prix.
In the dying moments of the KO-D 10-Man Tag Team Titles match Yuki Iino led Danshoku Dieno, Asuka, Mizuki & Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi into doing the Haka then sent them out to keep the opposing team away. He hit the Haka Elbow to Makoto Oishi and went for the pin but time froze just before the three count. “Etupirka” played and we got Oishi giving a monologue about him trying to pick a name for his unborn child. Time slowly passed as Oishi kicked out. Jiro Kuroshio, Yuna Manase, Hiroshi Yamato & Super Sasadango Machine slowly attacked Iino, ending with the Lehmann Shock. Sasadango went for the pin but time froze again. This time we got a monologue from Iino’s father! His father never wanted Iino to become a pro wrestler but he doesn’t him to be a loser even more. That was enough motivation for Iino to slowly kick out. The two teams collided and paved the way for Iino to Spear Sasadango so hard his mask came off. That was what it took for Iino’s team to win the 10-Man Tag Titles!
It took about 30 seconds for Sanshiro Takagi and Isami Kodaka to regret wrestling inside a ring filled with plastic cases. They began with standard opening match moves but even they were dangerous because of the cases breaking beneath them. Takagi hit the Sit Down Himawari Bomb onto some cases but Kodaka kicked out. Takagi missed a Diving Body Press and crashed onto more cases. Kodaka was able to beat him with the Isamiashi Zan from that point on. Kodaka celebrated by piling together more cases then he dove onto them from the top rope.
The Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title changed hands several times on the pre-show. Two chairs fell on top of Shota backstage. Yukinori Matsui found Shota unconscious and counted to three, declaring one of the chairs as the new champion. He then immediately noticed the other chair on top and counted the pin again, meaning another chair won the title. Then in the Battle Royal Yuki Kamifuku did a sexy pose on the chair during her entrance. Matsui counted it as a pin and gave the title to her. SAGAT won the belt with a Backslide Pin on Kamifuku. Gorgeous Matsuno sang while everyone did a train attack on SAGAT. Matsuno pinned him while singing with everyone piled on top to win the title. He continued singing as the field whittled down to just him and Kazuki Hirata. Matsuno pretty much no sold Hirata’s attacks but was pinned when he missed the Gorgeous Superstar Elbow. Hirata celebrated with the Iron Man Title until Michiaki Nakano from Souken Holdings tried to win the belt from him. Hirata left as champion while Nakano complained to Hisaya Imabayashi. If he really wants to win the Iron Man Title he should face Hirata at Korakuen Hall on 24th November!
Tokyo Joshi had an 8-Woman Tag take place in the pre-show. Hikari Noa took the win for her team by pinning Pom Harajuku with the Uranage.
The very first match of the day had the recently debuted Keigo Nakamura determined to be a big factor. Tomomitsu Matsunaga was a bit annoyed by his behavior and slapped him across the face for the tag. Despite the rookie’s enthusiasm, he was cut down by Daichi Kazato’s Explosive Axe Bomber.
The president Of CyberAgent, Susumu Fujita has been appointed the Executive Chairman of “WRESTLE PETER PAN 2020” in Saitama Super Arena. A street wrestling match inside (or around?) the venue is being planned. This was all announced during one of Sasadango’s PowerPoint presentations. Takagi also promoted his new book about pro wrestling company management.
DDT “MASAHIRO TAKANASHI BOX OFFICE ~FOLLOW ME, THE DREAM IS STILL AHEAD~”, 15/09/2019 Tokyo Ryogoku KFC Hall 430 Fans – Super No Vacancy Full House
0. Under Match: Tomomitsu Matsunaga, Mizuki Watase & Naomi Yoshimura defeated Akito, Shunma Katsumata & Nobuhiro Shimatani when Yoshimura pinned Shimatani with the Shonenba (8:59).
0. Masahiro Takanashi Vs Danshoku Dieno Proxy War – Glove Match: Pokotan (w/ Sayaka Obihiro) defeated Chupacabra (w/ Miyako Haru) with a Straight Right Punch (R1 1:15).
1. Ryogoku Gauntlet Tag Match: Hoshitango & Seiya Morohashi defeated Toru Owashi & Kazuki Hirata, Antonio Honda & Riho, Gaijin A & Gaijin A, Konosuke Takeshita & Gorgeous Matsuno, Emi Sakura & Cherry, Saki Akai & Mei Suruga, Gota Ihashi & Shota (w/ Chinsuke Nakamura) and Yasu Urano & Ken Ohka.
1a. Antonio Honda & Riho defeated Toru Owashi & Kazuki Hirata when Riho pinned Hirata with the Kurukuru Ribbon (1:47).
1b. Antonio Honda & Riho defeated Gaijin A & Gaijin A by Ring Out (5:46).
1c. Konosuke Takeshita & Gorgeous Matsuno defeated Antonio Honda & Riho when Takeshita submitted Honda with the Walls Of Takeshita (9:44).
1d. Emi Sakura & Cherry defeated Konosuke Takeshita & Gorgeous Matsuno when Sakura pinned Matsuno with a Cradle (3:14).
1e. Saki Akai & Mei Suruga defeated Emi Sakura & Cherry when Suruga pinned Sakura with the Shoulder Wheel Propeller Clutch (3:37).
1f. Saki Akai & Mei Suruga defeated Gota Ihashi & Shota (w/ Chinsuke Nakamura) when Akai pinned Ihashi with the Rookie Award (1:38).
1g. Yasu Urano & Ken Ohka defeated Saki Akai & Mei Suruga when Urano pinned Suruga with a Cradle (1:12).
1h. Hoshitango & Seiya Morohashi defeated Yasu Urano & Ken Ohka when Morohashi submitted Ohka with the Crippler Crossface (4:00).
2. Super Sasadango Machine defeated DJ Nira with the Vertical Drop Lehmann Shock (10:40).
3. Daisuke Sasaki, Soma Takao, Tetsuya Endo & Mad Paulie defeated Sanshiro Takagi, Takashi Sasaki, GENTARO & Tanomusaku Toba (w/ Poison Sawada JULIE) when Sasaki pinned Takagi with a School Boy (10:18).
4. Kagetora & Yukio Sakaguchi defeated HARASHIMA & Yuki Ueno when Kagetora pinned Ueno with the Gurumakakari (12:50).
5. Masahiro Takanashi defeated Danshoku Dieno with the Takatonic (17:45).
There were a lot of reunions and old faces appearing today to celebrate Masahiro Takanashi’s 16 years as a pro wrestler. In the main event Takanashi fought Danshoku Dieno with Muscle Sakai and Yusuke Inokuma in Dieno’s corner. Takanashi used some of Dieno’s own moves against him including a Lip Lock on the top turnbuckle. It was to set up an Avalanche Takatonic but Dieno countered it into an Avalanche Implant. But there was still life left in Takanashi. He avoided the Danshoku Driver and stunned Dieno with Thrust Kicks until he could win with the Takatonic.
After the match Takanashi was reunited with KUDO and Yukio Sakaguchi. KUDO said it felt good to be inside a wrestling ring again. It’s not a place to talk but a place to fight. He assured everyone that he will come back to wrestling in the near future. Takanashi said that today felt like everybody was coming home. Everyone here is different but they all protect DDT with their own way of fighting. He will continue to do the same because there must be a ring for everyone to come home to, no matter where they are. Last year Takanashi lost his 15th anniversary match in this venue. He walked out without saying a word. This year things went better for him and he wants to stand in front of the fans, thanking them for coming today to see him. Later backstage Takanashi announced that he is will not be entering the upcoming D-Ou Grand Prix tournament. He cited his poor performances in the previous two tournaments as his reason. DDT was going to offer him a spot again but Takanashi turned it down so he can go on a different path he wants to take.
HARASHIMA and Kagetora shook hands after their tag match.
DAMNATION thought they were going to have a 4 on 1 advantage against Sanshiro Takagi. However Takagi gathered together an all star team of DDT legends to even the odds. Takashi Sasaki, GENTARO & Tanomusaku Toba fought with Takagi while Poison Sawada JULIE watched from their corner. But in a twist JULIE betrayed Takagi by spraying Green Mist into his face while Takagi tried to give Daisuke Sasaki the Sit Down Himawari Bomb. Sasaki slipped out and pinned Takagi with a School Boy. JULIE told Takagi that they are enemies for life. Takashi Sasaki and Daisuke Sasaki teased a Sasaki Contra Sasaki Showdown. Daisuke Sasaki then told JULIE that if he ever comes back, he will quit DAMNATION so the two of them can run the Snake World together.
Before Match #2 began Takanashi reminded everyone that the Consumption Tax in Japan will increase to 10% this October. There are many things Takanashi wants to do before this change happens, like sending a message to two important people in his life in order to settle a lifelong rivalry between them. Hence the match between Super Sasadango Machine and DJ Nira. Sasadango came out as Muscle Sakai dressed in casual clothes. Sakai refused to wrestle Nira because he is retired. He got tricked into doing some moves and had his clothes removed to reveal his wrestling gear underneath. He still refused to wrestle. Hisaya Imabayashi got in the ring and put the Sasadango mask over Sakai’s head, granting him his approval to wrestle the match. Sasadango took control of the match and hit an F5. He then went for a Vertical Drop Brainbuster but the room went dark. A voiceover said that the Brainbuster went wrong and this was how Sasadango created his famous Vertical Drop Lehmann Shock finishing move! This entire match turned out to be Sasadango’s origin story called “Super Sasadango Machine Episode Zero”!
The Gauntlet Tag match was a visit through DDT’s past as well as Takanashi’s wrestling relationships outside the company. Antonio Honda & Riho first eliminated Toru Owashi & Kazuki Hirata when Riho blocked Hirata’s knockout chop and rolled him up. The next team was supposed to be Yusuke Inokuma & MAO but they were injured before the show and a expected to be out of action for the next 30 years. Replacing them was the menacing return of Gaijin A & Gaijin A! They attacked Honda, Riho and Yukinori Matsui with sellotape, even hanging Riho over the ring ropes with it! Honda fought back and used the tape to hang both of the Gaijin A’s before knocking them to the floor for the elimination. Riho recovered in time for Konosuke Takeshita & Gorgeous Matsuno’s entry into the match. The unexpectedly sharp teamwork between Takeshita & Matsuno led to Takeshita submitting Honda with the Walls Of Takeshita after Matsuno his the Gorgeous Star Elbow. When Emi Sakura & Cherry came out, Takeshita attempted the Gorgeous Star Elbow but got caught in the ropes. Sakura was easily able to pin Matsuno without anyone there to stop her. A collision between Sakura & Cherry allowed Mei Suruga to pin Sakura with the Shoulder Propeller Clutch. Next up were Gota Ihashi, Shota & Chinsuke Nakamura all dressed up like Shuten-dōji wrestlers. Ihashi was Yukio Sakaguchi, Shota was Masahiro Takanashi and Chinsuke was KUDO. Suruga stopped Chinsuke from doing the Diving Double Knee Drop while Saki Akai pinned Ihashi with the Rookie Award. The joshi team’s run came to an end when Yasu Urano & Ken Ohka eliminated them. Urano countered the Propeller Clutch into a Cradle for the pin. The last team to come out was Hoshitango & Seiya Morohashi. They won the match when Morohashi made Ohka give up to the Crippler Crossface. However Morohashi and Ohka continued to fight after the match prompting Hoshitango and Urano to break them up.
In the boxing match Miyako Haru whistled Chupacabra down to the ring. It knocked Pokotan’s head off with an uppercut, revealing a rubber Danshoku Dieno mask underneath. Pokoton then knocked out Chupacabra with a Straight Right. Afterwards Sayako Obihiro pulled the rubber mask off to reveal Pokotan was Daichi Kakimoto!
Tomomitsu Matsunaga decided to wrestle in a sumo mawashi.
DDT “SUMMER VACATION 2019”, 21/07/2019 Tokyo Korakuen Hall 1,192 Fans – Super No Vacancy
1. Kota Umeda Great Match: Kota Umeda, Shunma Katsumata, Mike Bailey & Nobuhiro Shimatani defeated Mizuki Watase, Yuki Ueno, Naomi Yoshimura & Daiki Shimomura when Umeda pinned Watase with the Umeda Driver (10:01).
2. Calbee & Frito Lay Collaboration Match ~Potato Snacks Agency War No. 1 Final Battle~: King Potato Chips, Masahiro Takanashi & Gota & Asuka Ihashi defeated Dragon Potato Mask, Akito, Kazuki Hirata & Saki Akai when Chips pinned Mask with La Magistral Cradle (7:00).
3. 3 Way Tag Match: Yukio Sakaguchi & Kazusada Higuchi defeated Tetsuya Endo & Mad Paulie and Makoto Oishi & Yukio Naya when Sakaguchi submitted Oishi with the Cobra Clutch (7:08).
4. No DQ Match: Jiro Kuroshio defeated MAO with a Chair Assisted Pin (12:18).
5. After Wrestle Peter Pan 2019 Special 6-Man Tag Match ~What Is Personal Information?~: Hideki Suzuki, Super Sasadango Machine & Ken Ohka (w/ Yumehito Imanari) defeated HARASHIMA, Sanshiro Takagi & Shinya Aoki when Ohka pinned Takagi with the Fire Spear (9:57).
6. KO-D Tag Team Titles: Daisuke Sasaki & Soma Takao (c) defeated Joey Ryan & Hiroshi Yamato when Sasaki submitted Yamato with the Crossover Face Lock (17:34). *V5 for DAMNATION.
7. KO-D Openweight Title: Konosuke Takeshita (c) defeated Chris Brookes with the Cross-Arm German Suplex (29:30). *V1 for Konosuke Takeshita.
The main event was a battle for the spirit of DDT. On the one side there was Konosuke Takeshita, the defending KO-D Openweight Champion and current generation ace of the company. Facing him was Chris Brookes, a British wrestler who in short time embraced the company and was given the same affection in return. Brookes implemented some out of the ring tactics to break down the champion. They fought up towards one of the Korakuen Hall entry ways and it ended with Brookes giving Takeshita a flying RKO onto a table below them. When they returned to the ring Takeshita missed a Big Boot and struck Yukinori Matsui by accident. Brookes used this as an opportunity to take out a ladder and crush Takeshita through some plastic cases with a Diving Senton. Another ref bumped saved Brookes because he tapped out to the Walls Of Takeshita but no one was there to end the match. When Takeshita revived Matsui, Brookes hit the Praying Mantis Bomb but a slow count from a struggling ref allowed Takeshita to kick out. Takeshita hit a Lariat and a German Suplex for a nearfall. He then hit the Fable but Brookes had enough energy left to give him the middle finger. Takeshita finished him off with the Cross-Arm German Suplex for a successful first defence.
Takeshita sent Brookes off and was told by Hisaya Imabayashi that his next title defence will be in Osaka on 1st September. Takeshita called out to the locker room asking if there was anyone who wanted to fight him. Takeshita said it would be “first come, first served” and Shinya Aoki came out! He wanted to accept a serious challenge. Takeshita told him they would have a match worthy of the KO-D Title’s history.
The dangerous combination of seaweed and lollipops were not enough for Joey Ryan & Hiroshi Yamato to win the KO-D Tag Team Titles. Ryan brought out a supersized plastic lolly with seaweed on it and shoved it into Soma Takao’s mouth to take him out. He and Yamato then gave Daisuke Sasaki a Spider German Superplex combo for a nearfall. When Ryan and Takao were wiped out after a Suicide Dive, Sasaki caught Yamato in the Crossover Facelock and got a quick tap out from it. Takao doesn’t want a rematch because he is currently haunted by the image of seaweed and he might not survive it.
A PowerPoint presentation titled “The Power Harassment Problem in Wrestling Groups And Purpose Of Today’s Six-Man Tag Match” explained the situation surrounding Sanshiro Takagi’s part of the show. Takagi was going to reveal Super Sasadango Machine’s phone number during their Weapon Rumble at “WRESTLE PETER PAN 2019” last week. However Yumehito Imanari decided to expose Takagi’s number instead because he felt Takagi’s plan was employee harassment. Sasadango explained that there are three ways to make an apology: retire, cancel your contract or wrestle a 6-Man Tag Match. Clearly everyone went with Option C. Imanari couldn’t wrestle because of a concussion so Ken Ohka took his place. As serious as the situation is, folks like Shinya Aoki and Hideki Suzuki couldn’t help but get silly. Aoki grappled with Sasadango’s belt and Suzuki broke up a pin by pulling down the back of Aoki’s tights. It seems like the only time Suzuki took the match seriously was when he fought HARASHIMA. Ohka got the pin on Takagi with the Fire Spear, sparing Sasadango & Imanari from further work harassment.
After the match Ohka told Takagi what happened in the past doesn’t matter because we’re all living in the now! Ohka is ambitious and also 42 years old which means he qualifies for a shot at the O-40 Title. Takagi accepted the challenge and said a match between himself and Ohka needs to be at a big show. Imabayashi decided to book the match for “OSAKA OCTOPUS 2019” on 1st September.
That Jiro Kuroshio fella looks like he doesn’t have a nasty bone in his body. But when he was put into a No DQ match with MAO he had to come up with some weapons. What did he make and bring to the match? A giant duck thing. MAO chased Kuroshio out of the ring, the two then climbed some pipes up to the balcony and then tried to throw each other out to the audience below! Kuroshio later lost the audience support when he made a kid cry and found out it was KUDO’s daughter. Back at ringside MAO dropped Kuroshio onto the apron with a Michinoku Driver. He then placed Kuroshio on a castle of chairs and hit a 450 Splash onto them. Kuroshio fought back in the ring by giving MAO the Hybrid Blaster onto the duck. He missed a Moonsault with a trash can which gave MAO an opening. But Kuroshio rolled him into a Cradle and used a chair to tangle up his legs for the three count.
After the match Kuroshio invited Akito into the ring and they talked about some things that happened between them in the past. Like the time Akito first met Kuroshio he was drunk and completely naked. It’s a long story, you should have been there. Then there was that other time when Akito got into a fight with NOSAWA Rongai. Anyway, Akito told Kuroshio they will have a match for the DDT Extreme Title at the 3rd August Beer Garden show. Akito promised the rules he will use is the one that Kuroshio likes the best.
Yukio Sakaguchi was targeted for having the Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title during the 3 Way Tag. Makoto Oishi in particular wanted the belt and convinced Tetsuya Endo to help him a little. Yukio Naya helped too which he was supposed to because he was his tag partner. Kazusada Higuchi kept Mad Paulie at bay and Sakaguchi was able to catch Oishi in the Cobra Clutch for the victory.
A sponsorship deal with Calbee & Frito Lay brought along the debuts of King Potato Chips and Dragon Potato Mask. Sadly Toru Owashi and Antonio Honda couldn’t be here to take part in the match. They ate snacks to power up themselves and their partners. Dragon Potato Mask told a story about “Dragon, The Little Fox” and summoned everyone to join together for a super attack. It misfired and hit Kazuki Hirata. King Potato Chip pinned Dragon with La Magistral Cradle to get the win. Hirata attacked Dragon out of frustration after the mask but King came to the rescue. He booted Hirata out of the ring then promoted the snacks with Dragon.
Kota Umeda took part in and won his final DDT match. His last time in the ring was spent with other wrestlers from DNA, the brand he helped start. He pinned Mizuki Watase with the Umeda Driver and then got everyone together for a group photo.
The show ended with Umeda being invited into the ring one last time. Takeshita told him he wanted to defend the KO-D Title against him one day. He knows this isn’t the end of Umeda’s wrestling career so he will look forward to the day they have their title match. Umeda thanked everyone for his five years in DDT. He asked for everyone to support him again if he ever does come back. Another group photo took place in the ring and everyone threw Umeda in the air to celebrate him.
“ULTIMATE PARTY 2019!” in Sumo Hall on 3rd November will feature a KO-D Openweight Title match, a Union MAX Title match, a Princess Of Princess Title match and a Independent World Jr. Heavyweight Title match. So each DDT brand has their main championships being defended on the show.
DDT will be having matches at the Animate Girls Festival in Ikebukuro on 9th and 10th November.
DDT “SHUTEN-DOJI 5TH ANNIVERSARY ~DRINKING TURNS YOUR LIFE AROUND~”, 17/04/2019 Shinjuku FACE 600 Fans – Super No Vacancy Full House
1. Hikaru Sato defeated Kota Umeda with a Captured Armbar (8:19).
2. Michael Nakazawa Vs DJ Nira ended in a No Contest (7:24).
3. The Final Battle Of The Last Order Of Peace! Group Drama Of Human Beings Born In Showa And Heisei! Which Is Tomorrow! ☆Saki Akai Styling Match☆: Rina Yamashita & Naomi Yoshimura defeated Saki Akai & Kazusada Higuchi when Yoshimura pinned Akai with a Cradle (9:55).
4. Ebisuko Tavern Presents Tag Gauntlet Match: Brahman Shu & Brahman Kei defeated Poison Sawada JULIE & Hoshihebi, Danshoku Dieno & Kappa Kozo (w/ Miyako Haru), Gorgeous Matsuno & Sanshiro Takagi, Emi Sakura & Riho, Toru Owashi & Kazuki Hirata, Yasu Urano & Antonio Honda and Ryuichi Sekine & SAKI (w/ Sayaka Obihiro).
4a. Poison Sawada JULIE & Hoshihebi defeated Toru Owashi & Kazuki Hirata when Hoshihebi pinned Hirata with the Midnight Buenos Aires (3:04).
4b. Yasu Urano & Antonio Honda defeated Poison Sawada JULIE & Hoshihebi when Honda pinned Hoshihebi with a School Boy (2:07).
4c. Ryuichi Sekine & SAKI (w/ Sayaka Obihiro) defeated Yasu Urano & Antonio Honda when Sekine submitted Honda with the Let’s Combine (3:36).
4d. Danshoku Dieno & Kappa Kozo (w/ Miyako Haru) defeated Ryuichi Sekine & SAKI (w/ Sayaka Obihiro) when Kozo pinned Sekine with the Kappamaki (2:59).
4e. Gorgeous Matsuno & Sanshiro Takagi defeated Danshoku Dieno & Kappa Kozo (w/ Miyako Haru) when Matsuno pinned Kozo with a Kappamaki Cutback (1:08).
4f. Brahman Shu & Brahman Kei defeated Gorgeous Matsuno & Sanshiro Takagi when Kei pinned Matsuno after the Five Body Dissatisfaction (1:17).
4g. Brahman Shu & Brahman Kei defeated Emi Sakura & Riho when Kei pinned Sakura with a Suitcase Strike (4:32).
5. KUDO & HARASHIMA defeated MIKAMI & Tanomusaku Toba when KUDO pinned Toba with the Diving Double Knee Drop (13:50).
6. Yukio Sakaguchi defeated Masahiro Takanashi with the God’s Right Knee (18:32).
For five years Shuten-dōji were a constant presence on DDT shows from opening matches at touring shows to midcard bouts in Korakuen Hall all the way up to the main event of Sumo Hall. But time has been called on the unit and the three members (plus their allies) are ready to go their separate ways. Their popularity made them win last year’s unit category in the Dramatic General Election so they were owed a show to produce by themselves. This was the perfect chance for Shuten-dōji to say goodbye and get their last calls in.
For the main event Yukio Sakaguchi and Masahiro Takanashi faced off in a singles match. Both had each other scouted late in the match with Takanashi kicking out Sakaguchi’s ankle to escape the Cobra Clutch. Sakaguchi also fought his way out of the Takatonic and caught his friend with a big kick when Takanashi went to roll him into a pin. The two pressed their foreheads together knowing the match was about to end. Sakaguchi then stepped back to the opposite corner and struck Takanashi with the God’s Right Knee for the win.
KUDO joined them in the ring after the match. He reminded everyone he will be taking a break from pro wrestling for a while but when he comes back he will have no choice but to do so with his best friends in front of the best fans. He doesn’t know when his return will happen but he wants everyone to wait for that day. Sakaguchi said he and his “brothers” have seen it all together. He admitted he was scared to do this match with Takanashi today but it ended up being fun.
For KUDO’s last match he got to team with HARASHIMA one more time against The Suicide Boyz of MIKAMI & Tanomusaku Toba. HARASHIMA marked the occasion by wearing a HERO! mask to the ring. KUDO got the victory when he hit Toba with a Buzzsaw Kick and pinned him with the Diving Double Knee Drop. The four posed for a photograph afterwards and KUDO left the ring to large cheers from the fans.
The Brahman Brothers were the winners of the tag gauntlet but they refused to accept the prize of a year’s worth of meals from Ebisuko Tavern. Instead Gorgeous Matsuno, who helped them beat Emi Sakura & Riho at the end of the gauntlet, accepted the prize on their behalf. He also said he will continue to team with them in the future and together they want to win a trios championship again!
Before the gauntlet began, Poison Sawada JULIE transformed several wrestlers backstage into his snake servants so they could do a group dance for his team’s entrance.
The Heisei and Showa generations of the fashion world went to war and in this atmosphere Saki Akai showed a violent side to her never seen before. Akai attacked Rina Yamashita with a bamboo sword then tried to smother Naomi Yoshimura by pressing a plastic bag into his mouth! Kazusada Higuchi was also vile because he grabbed Yamashita’s Pikachu rucksack and pulled its tail off! It was only because of a misfired attack by Higuchi that Yoshimura was able to cradle Akai into a pin to sneak away with a victory. The pin was fatal because Akai was left motionless afterwards. Higuchi was so upset that he sang a song called “The Road” while images representing the Showa era were displayed on the video screen. Miraculously, Akai regained consciousness and everyone joined in with the song. On a more serious note, Akai thanked Shuten-dōji in her backstage interview for becoming her older brothers in the wrestling world. They taught her how to enjoy wrestling inside the ring as well as how to celebrate with drinks afterwards.
There were two unannounced matches added to the show. One was the surprise appearance of Michael Nakazawa from AEW against DJ Nira in a match where anything goes. The stipulation turned out to be a poor idea because whenever it looked liked somebody would win MAO, Nobuhiro Shimatani and even Hisaya Imabayashi would enter the ring and break the pin so the match would continue. They enjoyed the match up between Nakazawa and Nira so much that they wanted them to fight forever! Even when Nakazawa or Nira wanted to give up the others prevented the referees from stopping the match. Mayhem broke out between the wrestlers, Imabayashi, Daisuke Kiso and Yukinori Matsui until all of them had fallen from each others attacks. With no end in sight and everybody out of action the room lights shut off so the show could finally move on.
The other surprise match was former Shuten-dōji member Kota Umeda taking on Hikaru Sato! The match had plenty of stiff kicks but Sato’s submission expertise was the difference maker.
The show began with Shuten-dōji coming out but they didn’t look like themselves. It was actually Chinsuke Nakamura dressed as KUDO, Gota Ihashi dressed as Sakaguchi (including body tattoos) and Shota dressed as Takanashi! The real Shuten-dōji interrupted the parody speech and chased off the imitators.
The closing moments of the show had all of the wrestlers gathering in the ring to share a toast for Shuten-dōji. They then left leaving just KUDO, Sakaguchi and Takanashi alone in the ring for one more toast by themselves. They then placed their cups down on the ring mat along with the bottle of sake and went their separate ways.
DDT “DATE CITY FIRST LANDING! DDT WRESTLING FUKUSHIMA ~ HEISEI LAST GORGEOUS NIGHT”, 31/03/2019 Fukushima Date City Yorohara Gymnasium 1,200 Fans – Super No Vacancy Full House
Gorgeous Brahman Vs Shuten-dōji! Fukushima Specialty Special 6-Man Tag Match: Gorgeous Matsuno, Brahman Shu & Brahman Kei Vs KUDO, Yukio Sakaguchi & Masahiro Takanashi
DDT “DATE CITY FIRST LANDING! DDT WRESTLING FUKUSHIMA ~ HEISEI LAST GORGEOUS NIGHT”, 31/03/2019 Fukushima Date City Yorohara Gymnasium 1,200 Fans – Super No Vacancy Full House
1. Daisuke Sasaki, Soma Takao, Tetsuya Endo & Nobuhiro Shimatani defeated MAO, Kazusada Higuchi, Yuki Ueno & Takato Nakano when Takao pinned Ueno with the Diving Foot Stomp (12:13).
2. 3 Way Match: Keisuke Okuda defeated Sanshiro Takagi and Kazuki Hirata when Okuda submitted Hirata with a Jumping Cross Armbreaker (6:31).
3. Konosuke Takeshita & Akito defeated HARASHIMA & Makoto Oishi when Takeshita pinned Oishi with a Lariat (8:02).
4. Rui Hiugaji & Kouki Iwasaki defeated Yasutaka Oosera & Koji Kawamura when Hiugaji pinned Kawamura with a Diving Elbow Drop (12:11).
5. DDT Megaton Class One Match: Mad Paulie defeated Naomi Yoshimura with the Reverse Splash (11:16).
6. Keisuke Ishii & Moeka Haruhi defeated Saki Akai & Antonio Honda when Ishii pinned Honda with a Frankensteiner (10:58).
7. Gorgeous Brahman Vs Shuten-dōji! Fukushima Specialty Special 6-Man Tag Match: KUDO, Yukio Sakaguchi & Masahiro Takanashi defeated Gorgeous Matsuno, Brahman Shu & Brahman Kei when KUDO pinned Matsuno with the Diving Double Knee Drop (12:07).
The hero of the show was Gorgeous Matsuno which makes his team with The Brahman Brothers in the main event a little weird despite all of them having teamed before. Matsuno received a special entrance with a big drum playing on the stage to give him fighting spirit. Then the Brahmans came out and threw water at everybody. But their antics ended up costing them the match when Matsuno was hit with a traffic sign that was meant for KUDO. Matsuno was then pinned with a Buzzsaw Kick followed by the Diving Double Knee Drop. The Brahmans attacked Matsuno after the match but as the hero, he fought them off with a 619. He then shared a toast with Shuten-dōji and sang a song with his wife to end the show.
Antonio Honda was uncomfortable having to wrestle Moeka Haruhi because according to him, he has never touched a woman before.
Keisuke Okuda joined in with Kazuki Hirata’s dance. But when they shook hands afterwards Okuda put Hirata in a Jumping Cross Armbreaker and tapped him out.
Some of the DDT roster couldn’t stick around for the last few matches because they had a plane to catch for tonight’s show in Hakata Star Lanes.
BASARA “BASARA 90 ~FEAST~”, 26/02/2019 Shin-Kiba 1st RING
1. Ryuichi Sekine Vs Masato Kamino
2. FUMA, SAGAT & Trans-Am ★ Ryuji Vs Takumi Tsukamoto, Takato Nakano & Yasu Urano
3. Turnabout Pro Wrestling Trial: Gouma Ryu Vs Banana Senga Vs Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi
4. Aiseki Tag Vs Stretchmen!: Fuminori Abe & Ikuto Hidaka Vs Best Stretchman V3 & Best Stretchman Amazon
5. Yusuke Kubo Vs Jun Masaoka
6. Sparky Vs Sento Minzoku!: Ryota Nakatsu, Naoki Tanizaki & Akiyori Takizara Vs Isami Kodaka, Minoru Fujita & Daiki Shimomura
This is the last BASARA show currently on schedule before their Korakuen Hall return on 21st March.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “SPRING TOUR ’19 ~ READY SET, GO!”, 02/03/2019 Osaka Okinawa Hall
1. Rika Tatsumi Vs Himawari Unagi
2. Maki Itoh & Raku Vs Marika Kobashi & Mina Shirakawa
3. Nodoka Tenma & Yuki Aino Vs Yuna Manase & Yuki Kamifuku
4. Shoko Nakajima, Haruna Neko & Mahiro Kiryu Vs Natsumi Maki, Pinano Pipipipi & Pom Harajuku
5. Mizuki Vs YUMI
6. Miyu Yamashita & Hikari Noa Vs Yuka Sakazaki & Miu Watanabe
No sign of Sakisama or the former Hyper Misao anywhere since Masao’s unexpected actions over the weekend. She has abandoned her entire persona to join Sakisama’s side and become stronger.
DDT “OSAKA 24 DISTRICT TOUR ~TAISHO WARD~”, 02/03/2019 Osaka Okinawa Hall
1. Bull James Vs Tomomitsu Matsunaga
2. Toru Owashi & Kazuki Hirata Vs Makoto Oishi & Yuni
3. Yukio Sakaguchi, Masahiro Takanashi & Kazusada Higuchi Vs Keisuke Okuda, Kota Umeda & Shunma Katsumata
4. Gongitsune Vs Yellow Devil In Tokushima!: Antonio Honda Vs Maku Donaruto
5. Soma Takao, Tetsuya Endo & Mad Paulie Vs MAO, Asuka & Mizuki Watase
6. Konosuke Takeshita, Akito & Yuki Iino Vs HARASHIMA, Yuki Ueno & Naomi Yoshimura
7. As Always I Like It! Osaka Specialty Special Single Match: Mike Bailey Vs Daisuke Sasaki
Former NXT wrestler Bull James will be touring with DDT throughout March. He’s been busy wrestling in the New York indy scene over the last few years.
DDT “THREE DREAMS 2019”, 03/03/2019 Hiroshima Aster Plaza Multipurpose Hall
1. Yukio Sakaguchi, Masahiro Takanashi & Rey Paloma Vs Asuka, Kenshin Chikano & Lowther
2. HARASHIMA & Takeshi Okada Vs Keisuke Okuda & Makoto Oishi
3. Raw Oysters, Grilled Oysters, Steamed Oysters 3 Way Match: Antonio Honda Vs Kazuki Hirata Vs Yoshihiko
4. Soma Takao Vs Akito
5. Hiroshima Specialty! Jingi Naki Special Tag Match: Konosuke Takeshita & Shunma Katsumata Vs Kazusada Higuchi & Bull James
The three Right To Challenge Gauntlets are now in effect. Tetsuya Endo, Makoto Oishi and Yuki Iino currently possess them.
DDT “INTO THE FIGHT 2019”, 21/03/2019 Tokyo Korakuen Hall
1. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Riki Choshu, Kazusada Higuchi & Yuki Yeno Vs KUDO, Yukio Sakaguchi & Gota Ihashi
2. KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles: Konosuke Takeshita, Akito & Yuki Iino (c) Vs Meiko Satomura, DASH Chisako & Chihiro Hashimoto
3. KO-D Tag Team Titles: Mike Bailey & MAO (c) Vs Daisuke Sasaki & Soma Takao
4. DDT Extreme Title – #ExtremeRuleThoughts: HARASHIMA (c) Vs Muscle Sakai
The DDT fans have been asked to tweet ideas for rules and match stipulations for the DDT Extreme Title bout between HARASHIMA and Muscle Sakai under the hashtag #エクストリームのルール考えました. HARASHIMA will pick his favourite idea on 11th March. Sakai apologises for the current state of the pro wrestling world because a man like him can qualify for a championship match without having any skills or previous achievements. But when he watched HARASHIMA wrestle Shinya Aoki in Sumo Hall he was inspired by what he saw and became determined to challenge the winner no matter what.
Daisuke Sasaki is falling down the well and falling hard since he lost the KO-D Openweight Title. He just lost a match clean to Makoto Oishi for cripes’ sake! He is now so down in the dumps that he believes his wrestling career is coming to an end and he will have no choice but to leave Japan in shame. But before he goes he wants to make some final happy memories to keep him company so he and Soma Takao are challenging The Moonlight Express for the KO-D Tag Team Titles.
The Sendai Girls are coming back for a shot at redemption and also the KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles. They failed to beat ALL OUT for the belts last July and the result has been festering inside Meiko Satomura all this time. She wants to take out her frustration on Konosuke Takeshita most of all. DASH Chisako is along for the ride again but this time the third member of the team is Chihiro Hashimoto! She too is holding a grudge with Takeshita because an enemy of Satomura is an enemy of hers too!
Speaking of redemption, finally Gota Ihashi will face Riki Choshu again inside the ring! For over a year Ihashi has worked tirelessly on his fitness and his pro wrestling to make up for an embarrassing performance he had while teaming with the legendary Choshu. All his hard work is leading up to this match.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “GIRLS SHINING, I WILL FLY TO HAKATA”, 31/03/2019 Hakata Star Lanes
1. TOKYO Princess Of Princess Title: Miyu Yamashita (c) Vs Yuka Sakazaki
Yuka Sakazaki has been chosen by Miyu Yamashita to be her next challenger for the TOKYO Princess Title. Yamashita’s goal is to get at least 10 title defences in her current reign. She is currently on 8. She also wants this match to happen before Sakazaki travels to America for her AEW debut.
Aja Kong, Mika Iwata and Rina Shingaki will all be on the show.
DDT “GOODBYE HAKATA STAR LANES”, 31/03/2019 Hakata Star Lanes
1. KO-D Openweight Title: Konosuke Takeshita (c) Vs Jiro Kuroshio
It’s about bloody time they’re doing this match! In January 2018, Jiro Kuroshio defeated Takeshita in a non-title match as part of the first D-Ou Grand Prix tournament. Normal wrestling etiquette suggests that a rematch with the KO-D Title on the line would come out of it. That never happened. Well a year has passed, Takeshita is the champion again and now the match is happening as part of Takeshita’s plan to defend the KO-D Title against a wider variety of wrestlers. But there is something that could happen to make the match even more interesting. Kuroshio is challenging T-Hawk for the WRESTLE-1 Title on 21st March. If Kuroshio wins and becomes champion then the match with Takeshita may become a double title match!
Isami Kodaka and Takumi Tsukamoto will be on the show so BASARA can be a part of DDT’s final event in Hakata Star Lanes.
DDT “DDT IS COMING TO AMERICA”, 04/04/2019 La Boom, Queens, New York
1. Miyu Yamashita Vs Maki Itoh
2. Danshoku Dieno & Antonio Honda Vs Joey Ryan & Royce Isaacs
3. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title – Battle Royal: Saki Akai (c) Vs Makoto Oishi Vs Kazuki Hirata Vs Yoshihiko Vs Kikutaro Vs Colt Cabana Vs X
4. Soma Takao & Tetsuya Endo Vs Yukio Sakaguchi & Masahiro Takanashi
5. 3 Way Tag Match: HARASHIMA & Kazusada Higuchi Vs Akito & Ethan Page Vs Shigehiro Irie & Jason Kincaid
6. Weapon Rumble In U.S.A.: MAO Vs Sanshiro Takagi
7. Daisuke Sasaki Vs Konosuke Takeshita
That’s an authentic looking DDT card for sure. The “JUDGEMENT 2019” main event rematch, the Weapon Rumble rematch, Tokyo Joshi Pro representation, a Rumble for the Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title and Danshoku Dieno crosses paths with Joey Ryan again. There’s even a RENEGADES reunion with Shigehiro Irie & Jason Kincaid. The North American talent announced so far have all been established in DDT too.
DDT “SHUTEN-DOJI 5TH ANNIVERSARY ~DRINKING TURNS YOUR LIFE AROUND~”, 17/04/2019 Shinjuku FACE
1. KUDO & HARASHIMA Vs MIKAMI & Tanomusaku Toba
2. Yukio Sakaguchi Vs Masahiro Takanashi
The Shuten-dōji unit will be taking a break from each other after this show. KUDO is taking an indefinite leave of absence from pro wrestling so he can recover from a list of different injuries he’s been living with. He has nerve paralysis in his left eye, a lumbar hernia and suffers from dizziness from time to time. His doctor told him the best treatment is to take rest. KUDO promises he will return to the ring eventually and even apologises if this only turns out to be a short break and he quickly returns.
With KUDO out of action, the rest of Shuten-dōji agreed to call it a day as a group. Yukio Sakaguchi and Masahiro Takanashi will be going their separate ways as wrestlers. They will face each other one on one to celebrate the end of Shuten-dōji for now. KUDO meanwhile will team with his old partner HARASHIMA to take on the reunited Suicide Boyz for this special occasion. This will be MIKAMI’s first match for DDT in over three and a half years.
DDT “DRAMATIC 2019 FEBRUARY SPECIAL”, 23/02/2019 Shinjuku FACE 351 Fans – No Vacancy
1. Jason Kincaid & Antonio Honda defeated Toru Owashi & Space Monkey when Kincid pinned Monkey with a Piledriver (9:14).
2. Yukio Sakaguchi & Masahiro Takanashi defeated Keisuke Okuda & Gota Ihashi when Sakaguchi pinned Ihashi with the God’s Right Knee (7:49).
3. Right To Challenge Anytime, Anywhere 4 Way Match: Makoto Oishi defeated Shunma Katsumata, Kazuki Hitata and Asuka when Oishi pinned Katsumata with a Modern Times (7:12). *Makoto Oishi wins the Blue Right To Challenge Anytime, Anywhere Gauntlet.
4. Right To Challenge Anytime, Anywhere Single Match: Yuki Iino defeated Kota Umeda with the Spear (10:58). *Yuki Iino wins the Yellow Right To Challenge Anytime, Anywhere Gauntlet.
5. Mike Bailey, MAO & Mizuki Watase defeated Daisuke Sasaki, Soma Takao & Mad Paulie when MAO pinned Sasaki with the Michinoku Driver I (16:47).
6. Konosuke Takeshita & Akito Vs Yuki Ueno & Naomi Yoshimura ended in a Time Limit Draw (30:00).
7. Right To Challenge Anytime, Anywhere 3 Way Match – Over The Top Rope Rules: Tetsuya Endo defeated HARASHIMA and Kazusada Higuchi (18:33).
7a. Tetsuya Endo eliminated HARASHIMA by Ring Out (13:08).
7b. Tetsuya Endo eliminated Kazusada Higuchi with the Shooting Star Press (18:33). *Tetsuya Endo wins the Red Right To Challenge Anytime, Anywhere Gauntlet.
The Right To Challenge Anytime, Anywhere Gauntlets were reintroduced today for their annual run. Three Gauntlets were on the line in three matches each with different stipulations. Tetsuya Endo won his in a 3 Way Battle Royal against HARASHIMA and Kazusada Higuchi. Endo eliminated both of them by himself. Yuki Iino won a Gauntlet by beating Kota Umeda in a regular match. Makoto Oishi won the third one by winning a 4 Way. This year the Gauntlets can only be cashed in for a KO-D Openweight Title shot on the spot. They also will not become active until tomorrow. Endo and Oishi weren’t aware of that and they both wanted to get their title match today. Hisaya Imabayashi had to tell them they couldn’t a bunch of times. The usual rule where if the Gauntlet holder is beaten in a match they must give the Gauntlet to the winner still stands. Oishi wanted to cash in today because he isn’t convinced he can beat Daisuke Sasaki tomorrow.
The new team of Yuki Ueno & Naomi Yoshimura have today showed they mean business. They weren’t able to beat Konosuke Takeshita & Akito but taking them to a 30 minute draw is no small task that’s for sure. Takeshita told Ueno & Yoshimura that some day maybe he will fight one of them in a Sumo Hall main event. Maybe Ueno and Yoshimura will be fighting each other in that main event instead. Whatever it is, Takeshita will look forward to it. Ueno said he isn’t feeling proud over the draw. Both he and Yoshimura became pro wrestlers so they could beat Takeshita. They will be a challenge for him from now on!
When they left, Takeshita was joined by the rest of ALL OUT in the ring. He said that what just happened will probably lead to them defending the KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles against Disaster Box. He was interrupted when the room lights switched off and a video played on the screen. It was Meiko Satomura! She hasn’t forgotten when Takeshita humiliated her when the Sendai Girls failed to win the KO-D 6-Man Titles from ALL OUT last year. She wants to challenge them again with DASH Chisako and one other person. The room lights switched back on and standing in the ring behind Takeshita was Chihiro Hashimoto! She grabbed Takeshita and gave him a German Suplex. She introduced herself to the audience then repeated Satomura’s challenge. She has never seen Satomura look so angry over something so Hashimoto will never forgive Takeshita for it! The Sendai Girls team will get their title shot at Korakuen Hall on 21st March. When she left the ring, Makoto Oishi walked down to cash in his Gauntlet only to be told he can’t do it until tomorrow. Yuki Iino then performed a Haka inside the ring as a warning to Hashimoto.
The descent of Daisuke Sasaki is getting noticeable. First he loses the KO-D Title then on the next show he gets pinned by MAO. Sasaki now fears that his career his approaching its end. But before it’s time to call it a day and flee the country he asked MAO for a favour. “Uncle Sasaki” asked MAO & Mike Bailey for a KO-D Tag Team Titles Match so he could have one last happy memory in Japan before he quits wrestling. Soma Takao will be Sasaki’s partner. The Moonlight Express accepted and the match will happen on 21/3.
Jason Kincaid finishes his latest tour with DDT with a win. Antonio Honda hopes Gon Gift can continue to team together if Kincaid ever returns. This tour was a chance for the team to develop together. Next time they can aim for higher targets like matching red and white gear, a tag team championship shot and forming a folk duo musical act together.
Before the show began, Shuten-dōji held a press conference to give a few announcements about their future. On the 17th April at the end of their self-produced show in Shinjuku FACE, Shuten-dōji will be coming to an end. KUDO is planning to take a break from pro wrestling in order to give his body much needed rest. This month will mark be KUDO’s twentieth year in combat sports, he begun with kickboxing before transitioning over to pro wrestling. He does not know how long he will stay out of action for. With KUDO taking a break, Yukio Sakaguchi & Masahiro Takanashi agreed that Shuten-dōji could only work with the three of them together so the unit will go away. at least for now. To mark their last show together, the 17/4 main event will feature Sakaguchi Vs Takanashi as the main event. KUDO will team with HARASHIMA to face The Suicide Boyz of MIKAMI & Tanomusaku Toba in a special throwback match for longtime DDT fans.
Nobuhiro Shimatani will return to action on 21st March.
DDT will be holding a Falls Count Anywhere match inside AbemaTV headquarters on 29th March.
DDT “JUDGEMENT 2019 ~DDT RAISING AN ARMY 22ND ANNIVERSARY~”, 17/02/2019 Tokyo Ryogoku Kokugikan
0. Pro Wrestling BASARA Offer Match: Ryuichi Sekine & Daiki Shimomura Vs Takato Nakano & Masato Kamino
0. Tokyo Joshi Pro Offer Match: Yuna Manase, Nodoka Tenma & Yuki Aino Vs Natsumi Maki, Hikari Noa & Miu Watanabe
1. Shunma Katsumata Return Match: Shunma Katsumata, Yuki Ueno & Space Monkey Vs Antonio Honda, Jason Kincaid & Naomi Yoshimura
2. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title – Time Difference Battle Royal: Asuka (c) Vs Super Sasadango Machine Vs Makoto Oishi Vs Keisuke Okuda Vs Saki Akai Vs Kazuki Hirata Vs Tomomitsu Matsunaga Vs Gorgeous Matsuno Vs Hoshitango Vs Gota Ihashi Vs Yuni Vs Yasu Urano Vs El Lindaman Vs Scorpio X2 Vs Yuka Sakazaki Vs Mina Shirakawa Vs Chinsuke Nakamura Vs Maku Donaruto
3. Taiho Koki’s Grandson Yukio Naya Ryogoku Kokugikan First Participation!: Go Shiozaki, Kazusada Higuchi & Yukio Naya Vs Daisuke Sekimoto, Toru Owashi & Yuki Iino
4. Special Single Match: Akito Vs T-Hawk
5. Danshoku Dieno Produce Yuru-chara “Pokotan” Debut Match: Danshoku Dieno, Pokotan & KUDO Vs Keisuke Ishii, Kota Umeda & Mizuki Watase
6. Special Hardcore 6-Person Tag Match: Sanshiro Takagi, Chigusa Nagayo & Ryuji Ito Vs Soma Takao, Mad Paulie & Takumi Iroha
7. KO-D Tag Team Titles – 3 Way Match: Mike Bailey & MAO (c) Vs Yukio Sakaguchi & Masahiro Takanashi Vs CIMA & Seiki Yoshioka
8. DDT Extreme Title – Souken Holdings Presents – Each Other’s Pride Rules: Shinya Aoki (c) Vs HARASHIMA
9. Dramatic Dream Match: Naomichi Marufuji Vs Tetsuya Endo
10. KO-D Openweight Title – RAGE Presents: Daisuke Sasaki (c) Vs Konosuke Takeshita
The first pre-show match will begin at around 12:10pm JST/3:10am GMT. The main show begins at 1:00pm JST/4:00am GMT. For America that means the show begins at 11:00pm EST/8:00pm PST on Saturday.
———————————————————————–
Hey there. Back again to see what DDT is up to at Sumo Hall this time? Cool. The time between Ryogoku visits has been short for this one. Usually DDT books the venue every six or seven months. “JUDGEMENT 2019” is taking place only four months after “RYOGOKU PETER PAN 2018” so it kind of feels like this weekend has snuck up on me. As I’ve written in a previous blog post I see this period of the entire wrestling scene as the final chapter of this current era. You can thank Kenny and his buddies for some of the reasons why. The landscape is changing, DDT is establishing new relationships around the world and there’s bound to be more surprising twists to come in the future.
But let’s not worry any further about that stuff. Ryogoku is set for a double header weekend from the DDT family. On Saturday the Muscle brand is back from the dead. What it has come back to do exactly I have no idea. Then on Sunday DDT is bringing together a packed card of matches that only they can provide.
0. Pro Wrestling BASARA Offer Match: Ryuichi Sekine & Daiki Shimomura Vs Takato Nakano & Masato Kamino
One of the big movements happening in BASARA lately is several wrestlers banding together to form the Sento Minzoku unit. Formed by Isami Kodaka and taking inspiration from Dragon Ball Z, each member has grown a monkey’s tail to represent their power. Ryuichi Sekine & Daiki Shimomura are the two guys from BASARA’s main roster to join Kodaka and Minoru Fujita in the group. Facing them are the two freshest faces on the BASARA roster Takato Nakano & Masato Kamino. Nakano has mostly been improving his skills while staying out of trouble. Kamino joined BASARA in December after DNA closed down. Injuries kept him out of action for almost the entirety of DNA’s run so his jump to BASARA so his career has more or less started all over again.
0. Tokyo Joshi Pro Offer Match: Yuna Manase, Nodoka Tenma & Yuki Aino Vs Natsumi Maki, Hikari Noa & Miu Watanabe
Some new girls from Tokyo Joshi Pro get to wrestle in Sumo Hall for the first time. Yuna Manase, Nodoka Tenma and Natsumi Maki have wrestled there before. Manase and Tenma were there for a Battle Royal during “RYOGOKU PETER PAN 2017”. Maki wrestled there for All Japan’s 45th Anniversary show only one week later. Yuki Aino, Hikari Noa and Miu Watanabe however are all wrestling their first Ryogoku match.
Manase has quietly been one of the more protected wrestlers in Tokyo Joshi, regularly winning her matches with the Neck Screw Hold. Nodoka Tenma is weeks away from challenging for the TOKYO Princess Title and has a recent pinfall win over the champion Miyu Yamashita. Aino is there supporting her sister as always. Over on the other side Noa and Watanabe have shown the most progression out of the Up Up Girls (Pro Wrestling) unit. Their recent name and costume changes have allowed them to express their personalities more. Watanabe has added a Laser Beam baseball swing into her chops while Noa has become more enthusiastic in the ring. She took the most out of the opportunity to train with Shinjiro Otani when the Up Up Girls visited the ZERO1 dojo in December. Noa also happens to be wrestling the day before her 21st birthday. Last but certainly not least there is Maki. Her arrival in Tokyo Joshi was surrounded in controversy thanks to a burned bridge with Yumiko Hotta and Actwres girl’Z. But once she started wrestling it became clear that she has moved on. Maki has yet to be pinned or submitted in Tokyo Joshi and she currently finds herself in a feud with Maki Ito over who is cuter. The match hasn’t happened yet but if Hotta is still pissed off with Maki she might spoil the result of that too.
1. Shunma Katsumata Return Match: Shunma Katsumata, Yuki Ueno & Space Monkey Vs Antonio Honda, Jason Kincaid & Naomi Yoshimura
A right orbital and cheek bone fracture has kept Shunma Katsumata out of action for almost three months. When he went under surgery in December his goal was to come back in February and here he is. While he was gone ALL OUT went out of this world to find a new member. They found one with Space Monkey who has been winning everyone in DDT over with his antics, bananas and all. Yuki Ueno has been stepping his game up as a member of DISASTER BOX. He’s also been scouting one of his opponents here in the hopes of forming a new tag team. Antonio Honda & Jason Kincaid are already teaming together as Gon Gift so that leaves Naomi Yoshimura. When he unexpectedly returned to DDT in December he was aiming straight for the top and gunning after the championship. In a scary moment right near the end of 2018, Yoshimura took a Pedigree wrong and was left needing medical attention inside the ring. He ended up getting a cervical sprain and made a full recovery, returning to the ring two months later. With his chance at the main event now far away from his reach he is beginning the climb all over again. Maybe Ueno’s idea for them to team up will get him back on track. Or how about Power Bombing him instead? Yoshimura usually likes to do that given their history together.
2. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title – Time Difference Battle Royal: Asuka (c) Vs Super Sasadango Machine Vs Makoto Oishi Vs Keisuke Okuda Vs Saki Akai Vs Kazuki Hirata Vs Tomomitsu Matsunaga Vs Gorgeous Matsuno Vs Hoshitango Vs Gota Ihashi Vs Yuni Vs Yasu Urano Vs El Lindaman Vs Scorpio X2 Vs Yuka Sakazaki Vs Mina Shirakawa Vs Chinsuke Nakamura Vs Maku Donaruto
DDT has spent the last few months searching for fresh blood and obscure talent from across Japan to diversify their roster. Heading the pack is Asuka. No not the one who hasn’t been booked on TV since the Royal Rumble despite being a champion and tapping out the current big star of the company. I mean the one that’s been blazing through the puroresu scene over the last twelve months as “Japan’s First Genderless Wrestler”. When Asuka left WAVE to go freelance, DDT jumped at the chance to bring her back and promote her as a next generation star. Since then Asuka has won the Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title and became so attached to it she now calls it her boyfriend. So far the relationship has worked out better than the last one she had in DDT, even though it’s made her a target for jealous eyes down in Roppongi.
(Sidenote: Most English speaking fans write down ASUKA in all caps to differentiate her from the other Asuka. Out of preference I only do this when the wrestler also spells their name in all caps. Asuka’s name in Japanese is written as 朱崇花 so that’s why I prefer writing it in the lower case).
There is a full field of different faces out to take the title from Asuka. Saki Akai has a new finishing move inspired from her current role in the Fate/Grand Order stage play. The move is called Quetzalcoatl and it is a Twisting Crucifix Bomb similar to Kaji Tomato’s Red Eye finisher. Keisuke Okuda has been settling into DDT by fighting at an outdoor sauna and hate-teaming with Makoto Oishi. Who knows what Super Sasadango Machine will be up to the day after his latest Muscle show takes place. OWE is represented by both El Lindaman and Scorpio X2. Tokyo Joshi are sending in Yuka Sakazaki and Mina Shirakawa. Sakazaki in particular will have a lot of eyes on her after it was announced she will be appearing at All Elite Wrestling soon. Chinsuke Nakamura will no doubt be all up to date on whatever his inspiration is currently doing. And then there’s the rest of the usual low card DDT roster. That’s it. Nobody else. I’m not missing anybody…
… Sigh… Okay there’s one more. You know who I’m talking about. Behold the Twitch chat come to life, the one creation that makes Arby “The Meathead” McDonald look pure and wholesome, he’s ruined seven Valentine’s Days but saved two, it’s Maku Donaruto! This walking cease and desist waiting to happen was found in UDON Pro Wrestling and made an impression on DDT management. However his lewd wrestling style and obscene personality is making DDT a little unsure how often they want to continue booking him after Sumo Hall. A lot? A little? A seven match series with Kazuki Hirata? Here’s his biggest chance to leave an impression on everyone.
3. Taiho Koki’s Grandson Yukio Naya Ryogoku Kokugikan First Participation!: Go Shiozaki, Kazusada Higuchi & Yukio Naya Vs Daisuke Sekimoto, Toru Owashi & Yuki Iino
Let’s move on to some history, some legacy that is attached to Sumo Hall. Yukio Naya is only around a year into his wrestling career. He is getting attention because his late grandfather was a legendary sumo wrestler named Taiho Koki. Naya’s grandfather was one of the youngest wrestlers to become a yokozuna and he also earned many accomplishments throughout his distinguished career. Naya has said he is proud to wrestle in the same building where his grandfather achieved much of his success. Teaming with him is DDT’s sumo turned pro Kazusada Higuchi as well as D-Ou Grand Prix finalist Go Shiozaki. Facing them are a trio of big beefy boys! Daisuke Sekimoto, Toru Owashi and Yuki Iino are the opposition in a match that I bet will have many, many chops. And probably a Haka dance from Iino too.
4. Special Single Match: Akito Vs T-Hawk
The #STRONGHEARTS love to cause some commotion wherever they go but what do they do when somebody successfully stands up to them? During their feud with ALL OUT, they were able to get pinfall wins over every member except one. The one guy they haven’t been able to beat is Akito. In order to right this wrong T-Hawk is set to face Akito one on one. As the current WRESTLE-1 Champion, T-Hawk feels on top of the world. It would be nice to see Akito pull him down. Akito is confident wrestling on his own and is convinced that T-Hawk hasn’t watched any of his singles matches. Akito has a reason of his own to win other than keeping #STRONGHEARTS at bay again. He is looking into the idea of wrestling in other companies on behalf of DDT. A win over the WRESTLE-1 Champion can open some doors for him.
5. Danshoku Dieno Produce Yuru-chara “Pokotan” Debut Match: Danshoku Dieno, Pokotan & KUDO Vs Keisuke Ishii, Kota Umeda & Mizuki Watase
You know what’s big these days? Mascots. Put somebody in a big wacky costume, make them do stupid shit, put it online and watch those social media numbers shoot up. Most likely inspired by the popularity of such characters like Chiitan, Nyango Star and you can also include Andreza Giant Panda in that list, Danshoku Dieno now wants a piece of the pie. So he has created his own mascot and went through several names before picking something suitable for everyone. Or at least I assume it’s suitable. It’s probably not but whatever. Anyway the mascot is called Pokotan and it looks like a seal. Dieno himself was planning to be under the costume during the build up to the show. Unfortunately the costume has not been finished as of a week ago. Dieno only has the head ready and he is very upset over it. Will Pokotan be complete in time for his grand reveal?
6. Special Hardcore 6-Person Tag Match: Sanshiro Takagi, Chigusa Nagayo & Ryuji Ito Vs Soma Takao, Mad Paulie & Takumi Iroha
Around 14 years ago Sanshiro Takagi, Chigusa Nagayo & Ryuji Ito teamed up for a 1,000m Barbed Wire And 100 Fluorescent Lighttube Death Match in Differ Ariake. They’re back together again to fight DAMNATION! Nagayo’s involvement in the show was already announced when the story of her saving a woman from an assault made the news in November so yay good publicity! What’s even more interesting is Nagayo’s protege Takumi Iroha is against her on the DAMNATION side. Since she is the Ikemen Joshi she might be there to take up the handsome looking role in the trio. Then again Mad Paulie is still on the team so that’s probably not the reason. Iroha is thrilled to face her mentor but is a little nervous that it’s in a Hardcore Match.
On a more serious note, Soma Takao is going into this match holding a grudge. For weeks leading into the show, Takagi has been poking Takao and questioning the current state of his career. Years ago Takao had the potential to become one of DDT’s best and yet he has never really attempted to take the torch. Maybe he’s gotten too comfortable being the mid-level guy in DAMNATION. Takagi wants to light a fire under Takao and see if he has any real ambition. Takao acts like he is angry at the world and everything around it. Now is his time to prove it.
7. KO-D Tag Team Titles – 3 Way Match: Mike Bailey & MAO (c) Vs Yukio Sakaguchi & Masahiro Takanashi Vs CIMA & Seiki Yoshioka
#STRONGHEARTS have a reason for sticking around in DDT despite losing their feud to ALL OUT. After they lost the KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles, CIMA and his crew admitted defeat and wanted to head home to the OWE headquarters in Shanghai. OWE told them not to come back until they get revenge on DDT. The best way to do that is to win one of the DDT championships again. This time CIMA is setting his sights on the KO-D Tag Team Titles and he is bringing along one of his newer partners Seiki Yoshioka to get them.
They aren’t the only ones who want the belts. Shuten-dōji challenged for the belts before #STRONGHEARTS did. The solution was to give both of them a shot in a 3 Way Match. Yukio Sakaguchi doesn’t care as long as he fights somebody strong (and El Lindaman provoking him with spitting and insults only resulted in Sakaguchi kicking him half to death). Masahiro Takanashi is interested though since he’s been able to cross paths with CIMA again. The two are linked through the Toryumon system but split off into two completely different paths. Takanashi wants to show CIMA that his unpolished way of wrestling is just as effective as CIMA’s state of the art abilities.
The scenario leaves the champions looking like a third wheel. But maybe that gives The Moonlight Express the advantage. MAO & Mike Bailey are currently ruling the tag team divisions in DDT and K-DOJO, holding both the KO-D Tag Titles and STRONGEST-K TAG Titles. MAO is as comfortable as ever in chaotic situations and Bailey always looks happy to go along for the ride, the crazier the better. MAO also feels the need to beat Shuten-dōji because they have beaten him so many times back when he was a part of NωA. He wants to move on from that part of his life but can’t if Shuten-dōji beats him again. The 3 Way stipulation being used is only one fall so a title change can happen without the Express being directly involved.
8. DDT Extreme Title – Souken Holdings Presents – Each Other’s Pride Rules: Shinya Aoki (c) Vs HARASHIMA
The rematch for the DDT Extreme Title sees HARASHIMA trying to win the belt back from Shinya Aoki. During his brief time in DDT, Aoki has defended the title in a Boxing Glove match and also got challenged into a fight at an outdoor sauna. This is what bad financial decisions can do to some people. But at least Aoki still has his pride. HARASHIMA has pride too so the two of them agreed to let their prides bring the best out of both of them. So that’s it. Nothing complicated, just a battle to see who is the best. Unless DDT decides to pipe in the Pride FC music during the match as a joke there isn’t much else that needs explaining. Well there is that one thing where HARASHIMA isn’t entirely sure what the exact ruleset for the match is. Aoki just keeps talking about pride and he hasn’t been the best at understanding the general pro wrestling rules. Is there even a three count?
9. Dramatic Dream Match: Naomichi Marufuji Vs Tetsuya Endo
Here we go! DDT usually has a dream match saved for Sumo Hall and they picked a good one this time round. Naomichi Marufuji returns to DDT and Tetsuya Endo is there waiting for him. You’d think Endo would see this as an opportunity to make a huge statement to the wrestling world but he’s a little distracted by his diet. No matter where he is or what he is doing Endo has been eating his handmade meals and drinking his protein shakes on a very strict timetable. This has interrupted several press conferences that were meant to promote this match. Marufuji doesn’t mind. There’s no bad blood between the two and Marufuji is looking forward to discovering Endo’s current potential. The match is also happening so soon after Marufuji’s return from injury so he gets to figure out what his own condition is like. We should get a nice, clean and competitive match out of this right. I mean it’s Marufuji in a DDT dream match. Nothing has ever gone wrong in a situation like that before. Right, Kenny?
10. KO-D Openweight Title – RAGE Presents: Daisuke Sasaki (c) Vs Konosuke Takeshita
After vanquishing Dieno at “RYOGOKU PETER PAN 2018” in October, Daisuke Sasaki is headlining Sumo Hall for the second time in a row. This time he is going in as the KO-D Openweight Champion rather than the challenger. That role goes to Konosuke Takeshita for winning the 2019 D-Ou Grand Prix. In the build up to the match something strange happened. Sasaki started acting friendly, wrestled clean and prohibited the other DAMNATION wrestlers from cheating. He even shook his opponent’s hand after matches. Takeshita wasn’t convinced by this new attitude at first but Sasaki behaved for long enough that Takeshita eventually bought into it. Of course it was at this point when Sasaki could not resist temptation any longer and went back to his usual dirty tactics.
Posted by JamieOD 
Dramatic DDT 