DDT “JUDGEMENT 2021 ~DDT 24TH ANNIVERSARY~”, 28/03/2021 Tokyo Korakuen Hall 669 Fans – Super No Vacancy Full House
1. Yusuke Okada & Yuki Iino defeated Chris Brookes & Toui Kojima when Okada submitted Kojima with a Crab Hold (10:51).
2. Soma Takao defeated Hideki Okatani with the Gin And Tonic (6:19).
3. Danshoku Dieno, Makoto Oishi & Saki Akai defeated Toru Owashi, Akito & Keigo Nakamura when Dieno pinned Nakamura with the Gaydo Clutch (9:16).
4. KO-D 8-Man Tag Team Titles: Sanshiro Takagi, Yukio Naya, Chikara & Nabe Yakan defeated Shinya Aoki, Super Sasadango Machine, Antonio Honda & Kazuki Hirata (c) when Naya pinned Sasadango with the Back Drop (9:48). *Shinya Aoki, Super Sasadango Machine, Antonio Honda & Kazuki Hirata fails in V1. Team Thoroughbred becomes the 4th KO-D 8-Man Tag Team Champions!
5. DDT 24th Anniversary Special Single Match: HARASHIMA defeated Yukio Sakaguchi with the Somao (6:03).
6. DAMNATION Vs The 37KAMIINA: Konosuke Takeshita, Yuki Ueno, Shunma Katsumata & MAO defeated Daisuke Sasaki, Tetsuya Endo, Yuji Hino & Mad Paulie when Takeshita pinned Paulie with the German Suplex (16:08).
7. KO-D Openweight Title: Jun Akiyama (c) defeated Kazusada Higuchi with a Running Knee Butt (21:10). *V1 for Jun Akiyama.
The title reign can now get going for Jun Akiyama. He’s been on the losing end of a few tag matches after becoming champion but when it’s time to defend the KO-D Openweight Title, Akiyama showed you can ultimately count on him. Kazusada Higuchi kept to wrestling barefoot and using his sumo skills. Akiyama learned not to target Higuchi’s hard head so he instead went after his arm, hitting it off of the ring post while they fought outside the ring. Higuchi was still able to apply the Brain Claw but Akiyama used Knee Strikes to avoid getting slammed from the move. The Knee Strikes weakened Higuchi enough for the Wrist Clutch Exploder Suplex to be used. Higuchi kicked out at two so Akiyama pulled down his kneepad and hit another Running Knee Butt, this time to the back of Higuchi’s head. That pretty much knocked Higuchi out and he was pinned for the three count.
The deal made in the build up to the match was if Higuchi lost, he would finally start listening to Coach Akiyama’s orders. Akiyama ordered him to wrap the KO-D Title around his waist. Higuchi agreed, simply answering with “Hai!” He left the ring with Eruption’s help afterwards. With him dealt with, Akiyama can now move on from all of his defeats from the D-Ou Grand Prix. He then wondered if Danshoku Dieno, the other DDT wrestler who has been critical of Akiyama’s new role, would come and face him.
Dieno did so and wouldn’t stop staring at Akiyama’s waist. Akiyama asked what was Dieno looking at, the belt or his body? Dieno said both. DDT has now been around for 24 years and Dieno has been with them for less than 20. He doesn’t know everything about DDT but he is attached to the KO-D Title. He named many of the wrestlers who are former KO-D Champions throughout the years: Poison Sawada JULIE, Sanshiro Takagi, Takashi Sasaki, MIKAMI, Kota Ibushi, Kenny Omega, Shigehiro Irie, Hikaru Sato, Masahiro Takanashi, Ken Ohka, HARASHIMA, Yukio Sakaguchi, KUDO, Konosuke Takeshita and Tetsuya Endo. They all fought for DDT and bring it to where it is today. Dieno has kept his feelings to himself for so long. Now is the time for him to let them out and take back the KO-D Title he loves so much! Hisaya Imabayashi accepted Dieno’s request and he will get a title shot on 11th April. Dieno was a little annoyed that the match isn’t booked for the next supercard but he gets it. DDT doesn’t expect him to win. He tapped the title belt around Akiyama’s waist and then tapped him in the crotch for good measure before leaving with his middle fingers sticking out. What’s more is now Makoto Oishi is in a conflicting position. Does he side with Akiyama or Dieno?
The supercard mentioned above is “WRESTLE PETER PAN 2021” which is confirmed to be taking place this summer. It will be held at Fujitsu Stadium Kawasaki on 21st August, marking the first time a “WRESTLE PETER PAN” show is taking place outdoors. And yes, this is the same location where FMW ran their famous anniversary shows during the nineties. Technically not the same venue because it’s been redeveloped a lot since then though.
The announcement got The 37KAMIINA excited and motivated enough to win their first match as a complete group. Takeshita dumped Mad Paulie with the Last Ride. Yuki Ueno & MAO then launched Shunma Katsumata into the air for him to land a Splash on Paulie for a two count. Paulie fought back until Takeshita put him away with the German Suplex.
HARASHIMA and Sakaguchi faced off in a preview of their KO-D Tag Team Titles match on 11th April. They went hard at each other with Middle Kicks and High Kicks. Sakaguchi hit the God’s Right Knee but HARASHIMA staggered him back with a Jumping High Kick. That gave him the space to hit the Somato and win. HARASHIMA said he was happy to have a singles match like this on DDT’s 24th anniversary. He considers Sakaguchi to be from the same generation as him so working together today gave him more encouragement. That thought stuck with him more than the tag title match preview.
Takagi lived up to his promise to make Team Thoroughbred the new KO-D 8-Man Tag Team Champions. The defending champions Shinya Aoki, Super Sasadango Machine, Antonio Honda & Kazuki Hirata all tried doing the Bionic Elbow at the same time but it failed. Team Thoroughbred then all tried doing Saber Chops to Sasadango and it succeeded, with Nabe Yakan doing a jumping version. Yukio Naya then pinned Sasadango with the Back Drop to win the titles. Chikara dedicated the win to his father Mitsuo Momota. He is currently hospitalized with an illness. Chikara knows his title win today will cheer up his father and be a driving force for his recovery. Backstage Takagi said Team Thoroughbred will ultimately have seven members and he hopes to create a 14-Man Tag Team Championship for them to win.
Oishi’s conflict over choosing between Akiyama and Dieno is because he wants to fight for what’s right to him. That means not doing any of Dieno’s usual strategies when they teamed up. Oishi kept taking their trios match seriously, calling on the ref to stop Dieno from grabbing crotches and preventing Toru Owashi from entering the ring because they were not using lucha tag rules. Dieno tried teaming with Saki Akai instead but it just wasn’t the same. Oishi finally gave in and Dieno went into the Hell Gate position. Oishi tried to throw his opponents into Dieno but he was easily overpowered and his face was pushed into Dieno’s backside. The lights flashed to show that Oishi was now in a zombie state! Akai got rid of Owashi & Akito while Dieno pinned Keigo Nakamura with the Gaydo Clutch. The lights flickered again and Oishi came back to his senses.
Soma Takao put Hideki Okatani through the ringer. He provoked him by showing off his KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Title belt. He threw him into the security barrier a lot and Body Slammed him onto the floor. Okatani didn’t get counted out and fought back, hitting the Northern Lights Suplex for a two count. Takao hit a counter Elbow Strike and won with the Gin And Tonic.
Now that he is full time with DDT, Yusuke Okada is quickly making new contacts. His first time team up with Yuki Iino went well. Iino eliminated Chris Brookes with a Spear. That gave Okada all the space he needed to submit Toui Kojima with a Crab Hold. Okada wants the DDT fans to keep their eyes on him.
A mysterious email was sent to the DDT office regarding the BOYZ show on 4th April. The email claims to be sent from Jun Masaoka and is demanding a tag match between him & Brookes against Tetsuya Endo & Takao at the BOYZ show. However the email address matches that used by DAMNATION whenever they send threatening messages to match makers. Okada asked if he could also be on the BOYZ show but Imabayashi told him he is already booked for YaroZ that same day.
The five teams entering Ultimate Tag League 2021 are Kazusada Higuchi & Yukio Sakaguchi (representing Eruption), Jun Akiyama & Makoto Oishi (representing Junretsu), Konosuke Takeshita & Shunma Katsumata (representing The 37KAMIINA), Chris Brookes & Antonio Honda (representing Europe) and Daisuke Sasaki & Yuji Hino (representing DAMNATION).
DDT “DAY DREAM BELIEVER 2021”, 14/03/2021 Tokyo Korakuen Hall 508 Fans – No Vacancy
0. Under Match: Hideki Okatani defeated Toui Kojima with the Northern Lights Suplex (4:19).
1. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title – Top Of The Super Book 2021: The Young Bucks Autobiography “Killing The Business”, Danshoku Dieno & Keigo Nakamura defeated Saki Akai Photo Book “Lip Hip Shake” (c), Saki Akai & Antonio Honda when Nakamura pinned “Lip Hip Shake” with the Exquisite (8:33). *Keigo Nakamura becomes the 1,500th champion.
-. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title: Saki Akai defeated Keigo Nakamura (c) with the Rookie Award (6:20 pm). *Saki Akai becomes the 1,501st champion.
2. 4 Way Tag Match: HARASHIMA & Toru Owashi defeated Daisuke Sasaki & Mad Paulie, Konosuke Takeshita & MAO and Yuki Iino & Yukio Naya when HARASHIMA pinned Iino with the Somato (8:44).
3. Junretsu Vs Eruption!: Jun Akiyama & Makoto Oishi Vs Kazusada Higuchi & Yukio Sakaguchi ended in a Double Countout (7:44).
4. DDT Extreme Title – Barbed Wire Casket Death Match: Chris Brookes defeated Shunma Katsumata (c) by Casket Burial (14:10). *Shunma Katsumata fails in V2. Chris Brookes becomes the 51st DDT Extreme Champion!
5. KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles: Tetsuya Endo, Soma Takao & Yuji Hino defeated Akito, Kazuki Hirata & Shota (c) when Takao pinned Shota with the Running Elbow Butt (13:07). *Young Communication Generation fails in V3. DAMNATION becomes the 43rd KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Champions!
6. DDT UNIVERSAL Title: Yuki Ueno (c) defeated Yusuke Okada with the WR (20:01). *V4 for Yuki Ueno.
The young champion Yuki Ueno took another step up the DDT ladder in what turned out to be a big day for his group. The show began with the DDT Sauna Club revealing it has been renamed to The 37KAMIINA (pronounced “Sauna Kamiina”) to establish itself as a proper stable. Then in the main event, Ueno put the DDT UNIVERSAL Title on the line against Yusuke Okada. He went big with a Flying Hurricanara out of the ring then later kicked out of Okada’s newly named Tricolor. A Dropkick turned the match to his favour and Ueno won with the WR for his fourth defence. Ueno told Okada it was fun to wrestle him and he wants them to have more main events together. He also said The 37KAMIINA will work hard towards being a forwards thinking group in 2021.
The rest of the championship matches on the cards all had title changes. DAMNATION took the KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles away from the Young Communication Generation. The defending champions tried using speed but hit a road bump when Yuji Hino got involved. Akito & Kazuki Hirata together couldn’t knock him off his feet and it was only with Shota’s help were they able to get him out of the ring. Tetsuya Endo had an exchange of submission counters with Akito until he wiped out everyone on the floor with the Sasuke Special. That left Shota alone with Soma Takao in the ring. They both ran the ropes and Takao got his strike in first with the Running Elbow Butt. That was enough to get him the three count and bring the belts back to DAMNATION! But they’re not too impressed with the title belts themselves. Backstage Daisuke Sasaki called them 100 yen belts. Endo suggested they leave them behind at the Suidobashi Station when they go home tonight. Takao is at least pleased he took the titles from those bottom feeders at Young Communication.
The Barbed Wire Casket Death Match was dangerous but Yukinori Matsui made sure it wasn’t too dangerous. He prohibited Chris Brookes from using a sickle he brought to the ring with him. All of the barbed wire boards, thumbtacks, ladders, construction signs, chairs and toy blocks were okay though. The casket used was covered in blocks and the barbed wire was found to be inside the casket when it was opened up. Shunma Katsumata also hid a few fire poppers in there to catch Brookes by surprise. Katsumata wasn’t the only person who appeared in Super Hardcore form. Konosuke Takeshita & MAO showed up dressed as druids with Joker facepaint to aid Katsumata with a Springboard Tornado DDT. Katsumata placed Brookes leaning over the casket and climbed the top rope. Brookes got out of the way and Katsumata’s Stuka Splash ended with him landing inside the casket. Brookes closed the lid on top and became the new DDT Extreme Champion! He hammered a few nails into the lid to close the casket shut for good measure. He is very much looking forward to defending the Extreme Title in stupid ways because that is the Dramatic Dream Team way!
The pressure is growing between Jun Akiyama and Kazusada Higuchi as we get closer to their KO-D Openweight Title match. Today Higuchi decided to wrestle barefoot and fought with Akiyama outside the ring. He was thrown head first into the ring post and no sold it. Akiyama did get him off his feet with an Exploder onto the floor. Yukio Sakaguchi intercepted Akiyama with an Apron PK but then Makoto Oishi took out Sakaguchi with a low Dropkick. All four men were unable to get back into the ring and the match ended in a Double Countout. Higuchi thinks now the situation is starting to get interesting. Akiyama is getting serious now, which is what Higuchi has been hoping for all along. He thinks they have to fight this way otherwise it wouldn’t be interesting.
Former stablemates Takeshita and Yuki Iino now have to be opponents for the 4 Way Tag. It’s a chance for new directions and Takeshita proved that by deciding to cooperate with Sasaki when it was offered to him! Iino went wild with Spears, using it to take out Toru Owashi, MAO and then a double one to Sasaki & Mad Paulie. Takeshita made Iino spear Yukio Naya by accident then dropped him with the Last Ride. However HARASHIMA then hit Takeshita with a High Kick and ran away with the win by pinning Iino with the Somato.
In a match that would be a main event in any library around the world, The Young Bucks autobiography “Killing The Business” got its chance to reclaim the Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title from Saki Akai’s photo book “Lip Hip Shake”. But first DDT had to get “Lip Hip Shake” away from Gota Ihashi’s possession. He refused to let it go backstage so Antonio Honda had to knock him out. The match began with the two books squaring off much like Go Shiozaki and Kazuyuki Fujita did. The match was interrupted when Ihashi ran out armed with a plastic spoon. He stabbed Danshoku Dieno with it, then stabbed “Killing The Business” to protect his photo book. Nothing will come between Ihashi and Akai’s photo book, not even the real Akai herself! He knocked her down and climbed the ropes for a Moonsault but Akai rolled out of the way and Ihashi went splat. Dieno gave Akai the Danshoku Driver but was then attack by the photo book! Dieno was almost pinned until Keigo Nakamura broke it up. He placed “Lip Hip Shake” on the canvas and did the Exquisite Springboard Moonsault onto it. Nobody was there to stop the pin and Nakamura became the new Iron Man Champion!
Nakamura wanted to celebrate winning his first ever championship but he got distracted by “Lip Hip Shake”. He gave it a read in the ring and suddenly found himself experiencing an embarrassing moment in public. Akai took advantage and hit the Rookie Award to pin Nakamura and become the new Iron Man Champion. She ran off with the belt, her photo book and Ihashi chasing after her. Backstage Honda said it felt like he was teaming with two Saki Akai’s out there. He also found out the price for other copies of the photo book have risen on Mercari ever since it showed up in DDT.
In the pre-show match, Hideki Okatani defeated Toui Kojima. The had a meeting of chops and elbow strikes that ended with Okatani using a Running Neckbreaker. He then got the win with the Northern Lights Suplex.
Sanshiro Takagi came out after the death match to reveal his team for the KO-D 8-Man Tag Team Titles match on 28th March. His first partner is Yukio Naya, who was busy cleaning up the ring when he found out. Takagi explained that the most important thing in pro wrestling is not physical or technical ability. The most important thing is bloodlines! So Takagi’s team is made up of wrestlers who come from successful families. Naya is one because of his yokozuna grandfather. The second partner is Chikara, the grandson of Rikidozan! Last but not least, filling out the team is comedian Nabe Yakan, whose father was also a successful comedian from the Showa era. Takagi promised to protect these noble bloodlines as they unite to win the 8-Man Tag Titles. Together this team is called Team Thoroughbred!
23 year old trainee Yuya Koroku was introduced to the audience at the start of the show. He will have his debut match on 11th April. He promised to spend the next month working hard preparing for his debut.
Ten years ago the Great East Japan Earthquake happened. When DDT ran their Korakuen Hall show that month, they decided not to record an intro video for the show to preserve energy. Instead the show intro took place live in the ring with all of the wrestlers entering and posing when their match was announced. For the 10th anniversary, DDT did the same thing for today’s show.
DDT “INTO THE FIGHT 2021”, 28/02/2021 Tokyo Korakuen Hall 584 Fans – No Vacancy
1. Yusuke Okada & Toui Kojima defeated Yuki Ueno & Keigo Nakamura when Okada pinned Ueno with the Tricolor (9:22).
2. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title – 6 Way Match: Saki Akai Photo Book “Lip Hip Shake” defeated The Young Bucks Autobiography “Killing The Business” (c), Kazuki Hirata, Danshoku Dieno, Antonio Honda and Saki Akai when “Lip Hip Shake” pinned “Killing The Business” (9:09). *Saki Akai Photo Book “Lip Hip Shake” becomes the 1,499th champion.
3. HARASHIMA, Toru Owashi & Yukio Naya defeated Daisuke Sasaki, Mad Paulie & Nobuhiro Shimatani when HARASHIMA pinned Shimatani with the Somato (9:27).
4. DAMNATION Vs ALL OUT!: Tetsuya Endo, Soma Takao & Yuji Hino defeated Konosuke Takeshita, Akito & Yuki Iino when Takao pinned Iino with the Official Endless Waltz (15:17).
5. Kazusada Higuchi, Yukio Sakaguchi & Chris Brookes defeated Jun Akiyama, Makoto Oishi & Hideki Okatani when Brookes pinned Okatani with the Praying Mantis Bomb (12:07).
6. DDT Extreme Title – Kids Room Death Match 37 (Sauna) Count Edition: Shunma Katsumata (c) (37) defeated MAO (36) (21:59). *V1 for Shunma Katsumata.
For the first time in his career, Shunma Katsumata beats MAO! The ring resembled a play room with toys displayed all over the canvas for the wrestlers to use. There were also tables and concrete blocks because that is what MAO played with when he was a kid. He had to convince Yukinori Matsui that they were safe enough to use in the match. The eventual goal was to pin your opponent for enough counts to reach a total of 37 seconds. MAO reached 36 which caused Katsumata to get desperate. He took out barbed wire and wrapped it around his body before doing a Diving Body Press. MAO moved out of the way but Katsumata caught him with one last pin to get his 37th and winning count.
Katsumata said his first DDT Extreme Title defence could only be done with MAO and he thanked him for it. Chris Brookes then entered the ring, praised Katsumata for the match and then challenged him for the title. He also wants the match to be straightforward and a clean fight. Hisaya Imabayashi granted his request and made the title match for 14th March. Katsumata got worried because he is supposed to be spending the entire month in Big Japan for the Ikki Tousen tournament. He shook hands with Brookes but Brookes suddenly kicked him low and said he was only joking about having a clean fight because he hates Katsumata! He went for the Praying Mantis Bomb but Katsumata blocked it and kicked Brookes out of the ring. He then asked to cancel the title match but it’s too late. Imabayashi booked it and he isn’t changing his mind.
The challenger for the KO-D Openweight Title looked ferocious out there today. Kazusada Higuchi aimed to get the Brain Claw on Jun Akiyama and once he got it, he wouldn’t let it go. Akiyama rolled out of the ring but Higuchi still had him in his grasp and tightened his grip further. Even after Brookes pinned Hideki Okatani to end the match, Higuchi still wouldn’t let go until Yukio Sakaguchi broke him off. As Higuchi was helped to the back, Higuchi told him to be prepared for 28th March! Backstage Akiyama can’t help but compliment his opponent for using such a simple maneuver so effectively especially at an age when Higuchi should be at his physical peak. He is also still angry over how often he has been losing ever since he became the KO-D Champion.
DAMNATION defeated ALL OUT in the 6-Man Tag where Yuki Iino still wanted to fight Yuji Hino and treated all of his opponents as if they were Hino. He went to do the Diving Hip Drop but Hino cut him off and gave Tetsuya Endo a chance to Power Bomb him from the corner. Instead Iino was too heavy and Endo collapsed underneath him, taking a de facto Hip Drop anyway. Konosuke Takeshita directed traffic by throwing Iino Spear first into Hino. Hino then went for the Spear on Soma Takao but he dodged it and pinned Iino with the Official Endless Waltz. Takao won but he is getting annoyed at Akito reminding him of the Young Communication shows they used to be a part of.
The notable news coming after the match happened when Akito called the rest of ALL OUT into the ring. He said when Iino returned from injury, he thought what was the future of ALL OUT going to be. Everybody in the group is moving in different directions because they now have bigger priorities so Akito thinks now is the time for ALL OUT to disband. Takeshita understands the reasoning and brought up the foreign members of the group that have come and gone over the unit’s four year existence (Diego, Space Monkey & Royce Chambers). Katsumata agrees that everyone has grown out of the unit. Iino is thankful that the unit was kept alive for him to come back. He’s disappointed that it has to end but he must focus on his goal to beat Yuji Hino. After a quick discussion with Imabayashi, it was agreed that ALL OUT will split up on 12th March.
The DAMNATION signboard Nobuhiro Shimatani carries around is now made of wood so he used it as an effective weapon to keep Toru Owashi & Yukio Naya at bay. However he bit off more than he could chew when he wanted to do the Somato on HARASHIMA. He was cut off with a short range Somato and HARASHIMA finished him off with a proper one. Daisuke Sasaki & Mad Paulie were so confused by Shimatani’s plan they didn’t even enter the ring to break the pin and allowed HARASHIMA to win the match.
Imabayashi safely brought The Young Bucks book “Killing The Business” out to the ring for it to defend the Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title in a 5 Way Match. The wrestlers all fought each other trying to pin the book. Danshoku Dieno cleared the ring and came up with an idea. He will instead form a team with the book because it has the potential to become a great DDT champion! Dieno attacked Antonio Honda and Saki Akai with the book and then set Kazuki Hirata for the Danshoku Driver onto the book. Akai flipped the book to stand vertically so Dieno hurt himself landing butt first onto it. Hirata fled backstage and found something in Gota Ihashi’s bag to counter the book. It was a copy of Akai’s first photo book “Lip Hip Shake”! Hirata attacked everyone with the book and showed it off to the audience while Akai tried to block it from view. The skirmish ended with all of the wrestlers incapacitated and Akai’s book falling on top of The Young Bucks book. Matsui figured it was a pin and counted to three, declaring “Lip Hip Shake” as the new champion!
Hirata cut a promo on the book after the match. He called it the new King Of DDT who must be defeated! Hirata gave the book the Egoist Driver but it kicked out at two. The book then hit Hirata in the head and knocked him out with a Hurricanrana. Ihashi ran down to the ring, grabbed the book and said “Saki-chan… let’s go home…”
Yusuke Okada had been looking for a name to give his Tornado DDT finisher. It is now called the Tricolor and he pinned Yuki Ueno with it! The Tricolor name comes from Okada’s favourite football club, the Yokohama F. Marinos. Okada said he’ll be here in the ring waiting for Ueno and the DDT UNIVERSAL Title on 14th March.
The DDT Assistant Producer Hisaya Imabayashi has been promoted back to the General Manager position. He was originally the GM from 2010 to 2017 under the name Amon Tsurumi until Dieno won a Producer role in DDT and fired him. He was able to keep some power in regards to match making by taking an Assistant Producer job.
Makoto Oishi and his wife Misaki Ohata are launching their own Youtube channel called “Mikomako Channel ~ Fighting Family”.
DDT “FRIENDSHIP, EFFORT, VICTORY IN NAGOYA 2021”, 23/02/2021 Nagoya Congress Center Event Hall 479 Fans
1. Hiroshi Yamato & Nobuhiro Shimatani defeated Keigo Nakamura & Toui Kojima when Yamato pinned Kojima with the Fisherman Suplex (5:14).
2. Chris Brookes & Maki Itoh defeated Antonio Honda & Saki Akai when Brookes submitted Honda with the Octopus Stretch (11:01).
3. DDT Megatonweight Single Match: Yuji Hino defeated Yuki Iino with the Fucking BOMB (8:50).
4. KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles: Akito, Kazuki Hirata & Shota (c) defeated Sanshiro Takagi, HARASHIMA & Danshoku Dieno when Akito submitted Dieno with the Anaconda Vice That Breaks The Rules (13:28). *V3 for Young Communication Generation.
5. Toru Owashi & Yukio Naya defeated Soma Takao & Mad Paulie when Naya pinned Paulie with the Back Drop (8:29).
6. DAMNATION Vs DDT Sauna Club!: Tetsuya Endo & Daisuke Sasaki defeated Yuki Ueno & Shunma Katsumata when Endo submitted Katsumata with the Modified Yurikamome (12:39).
7. Special 8-Man Tag Match: CIMA, T-Hawk, El Lindaman & Shigehiro Irie defeated Jun Akiyama, Makoto Oishi, Hideki Okatani & Yusuke Okada when T-Hawk pinned Okatani after the AKACHOCHIN (15:49).
8. KO-D Tag Team Titles: Kazusada Higuchi & Yukio Sakaguchi (c) defeated Konosuke Takeshita & MAO when Higuchi pinned Takeshita with the Brain Claw Slam (22:12). *V2 for Eruption.
The DDT Sauna Club’s momentum has been cooled down like a cold shower after today’s show. Eruption threw their best shot at Konosuke Takeshita & MAO after a frustrating trend of bad results against them and this time stood victorious. The KO-D Tag Team Champions almost blew it when Kazusada Higuchi accidentally hit Yukio Sakaguchi with a Lariat. But they recovered when Higuchi caught MAO from a Moonsault and threw him into the God’s Right Knee from Sakaguchi. Takeshita tried to fight off Higuchi until he too got hit with the God’s Right Knee. Higuchi then went for his big moves until he got the three count with the Brain Claw Slam.
Eruption celebrated their title defence and encouraged Higuchi for his KO-D Openweight Title shot next month. Sakaguchi then called out for their next challengers to appear. HARASHIMA entered the ring and told Eruption that he and Yuji Okabayashi were always meant to be next in line for a title shot. Are Eruption ready for Smile Pissari? Sakaguchi called it an interesting match and Higuchi said he will do it anytime. Hisaya Imabayashi assured both teams the match will happen but he needs to talk with Big Japan first to decide when Okabayashi can come back to DDT. After he left, Saki Akai made sure that her partners weren’t injured. She then said Eruption will do their best to main event the next time DDT holds a big event in Nagoya.
The return of #STRONGHEARTS to DDT saw them clash with Junretsu and CIMA couldn’t resist trolling Jun Akiyama and Yusuke Okada over their previous home promotion. A few days ago CIMA won the AJPW World Jr. Heavyweight Title and he flaunted it in front of Akiyama & Okada. In return Akiyama showed off the KO-D Title to CIMA. In the match itself, Shigehiro Irie stepped up to Akiyama while El Lindaman wiped out Okada & Makoto Oishi with a Topé Con Hilo. Hideki Okatani was left isolated and picked apart until T-Hawk pinned him. Akiyama showed respect to CIMA after the match by handing him his title and shaking his hand. CIMA then taunted Okada with the belt. In his backstage comment afterwards, Akiyama said he is well aware that he hasn’t won a match since becoming the KO-D Champion.
The Sauna Club’s other defeat on the show was against DAMNATION. When Daisuke Sasaki and Yuki Ueno faced off, Sasaki was able to avoid the WR. Tetsuya Endo eventually made Shunma Katsumata submit but he isn’t interested in chasing after the DDT Extreme Title. Instead he wants the KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles. Still, he thinks champions shouldn’t lose so it’s a bad look for Katsumata.
DAMNATION were trying to get all over their opponents in Match #5. Nobuhiro Shimatani kept getting involved by distracting Yukio Naya and aiding Mad Paulie. Then Soma Takao threw a chairshot but Naya ducked and Paulie got hit instead. Toru Owashi used his Lucha skill to throw Shimatani & Hiroshi Yamato out of the ring. When things went back to normal, Naya beat Paulie in the heavyweight battle and got the win for his team.
Young defeated old in the KO-D 6-Man Tag Titles match. The DDT Legend Army saw their chances go up in smoke when HARASHIMA went for the Somato but Akito pulled Danshoku Dieno in the way and made him take the Somato right in the butt. Kazuki Hirata got rid of HARASHIMA while Shota did a Frog Splash on Dieno and then did a dive into Sanshiro Takagi. Akito finished Dieno off by putting him in an Anaconda Vice with a Lip Lock also applied to get the submission win.
After the match, Akito said the Young Communication Generation may not be able to rewrite the history of DDT that their opponents today built but instead they made a new folder for them to create new memories and records in. DAMNATION entered the ring declaring themselves the next challengers. It will be Endo, Takao & Yuji Hino will get a title shot on 14th March.
Hino doesn’t have to worry about Yuki Iino for the time being. He beat him fair and square with the Fucking BOMB and as seen above has already moved on from this feud. Iino however swears that one day he will beat Hino and he will do it with the Spear!
Match #2 was briefly turned into a Handicap match when Antonio Honda’s fake knee injury was so convincing he had to be taken out of the ring on a stretcher. Akai had to fight the NEO Itoh Respect Army on her own but her scream for help was answered by Honda coming to the rescue. He then tripped and hurt his knee again. Maki Itoh created her own Gongitsune to flirt with Honda’s version of it until Akai broke them up. In the end Chris Brookes caught Honda in the Octopus Stretch, making him give up.
In the opener, Shimatani thought Toui Kojima’s name was Oshima. He and Yamato took out Keigo Nakamura with the Double Sliding X, leading to Yamato winning with his finisher.
DDT “THIS IS OUR 9TH NARIMASU PARTY! 2021”, 20/02/2021 Tokyo Narimasu Act Hall 124 Fans
1. Toru Owashi, Antonio Honda & Gota Ihashi defeated Chris Brookes, Yukio Naya & Toui Kojima when Honda pinned Kojima with the Diving Fist Drop (8:57).
2. Young Communication Generation Vs DDT Legend Army!: Sanshiro Takagi & Danshoku Dieno defeated Akito & Kazuki Hirata when Dieno pinned Akito after the Kiss His Ass (8:52).
3. Yusuke Okada defeated Keigo Nakamura with a Figure 4 Leg Lock (8:56).
4. DAMNATION Vs ALL OUT!: Yuki Iino & Shunma Katsumata defeated Yuji Hino & Mad Paulie by Countout (8:28).
5. DAMNATION Vs Junretsu!: Tetsuya Endo, Daisuke Sasaki & Soma Takao defeated Jun Akiyama, Makoto Oishi & Hideki Okatani when Takao pinned Okatani with the Diving Foot Stomp (14:24).
6. Road To NAGOYA! Special 6-Man Tag Match: Konosuke Takeshita, MAO & Yuki Ueno defeated HARASHIMA, Yukio Sakaguchi & Kazusada Higuchi when Takeshita pinned Sakaguchi with the German Suplex (17:33).
The main event was DDT Sauna Club’s warning to Eruption. The finish saw Konosuke Takeshita give Kazusada Higuchi a Last Ride Power Bomb then he would break out of Yukio Sakaguchi’s Sleeper Hold to pin him with the German Suplex. He told the both of them afterwards it’s been a long time since the Sauna Club got to show off their true colours. MAO chipped in that this match is the result of all his strength and he is only going to get stronger. The Sauna Club promise that every member will be holding a title belt in Nagoya next week.
Yuki Iino went on a warpath because he can’t keep his emotions in check around Yuji Hino. The two brawled around ringside leading to Iino hitting Spears on Hino and Mad Paulie. Iino then lost control and hit his own partner Shunma Katsumata with a Lariat before entering the ring in time to win by countout. Iino grabbed the microphone and shouted he will crush Hino in Nagoya! Backstage Iino explained that when he went into a rage, everyone looked like Hino to him and he just wanted to scream at a high place.
Everyone knows Yusuke Okada wants to face Yuki Ueno for the DDT UNIVERSAL Title so he didn’t want to waste any more time and threw out the challenge. Ueno politely said he’s been waiting for somebody to grab his attention. He’s happy to see Okada do that. Okada has a lot of respect for Ueno but he hates him for being better looking. Their title match will happen in Korakuen Hall on 14th March.
The generation feud between the DDT Legend Army and Young Communication Generation continues. Sanshiro Takagi directed traffic by lifting up Akito in the Spicolli Driver and holding him there for Danshoku Dieno to Lip Lock him. After the Driver, Dieno then put Akito in the Danshoku Killswitch position and waited for Takagi to give him a Stunner for extra damage. The prone Dieno pinned Akito and Takagi gave Shota a Stunner after the match.
The DDT Extreme Title Match between Katsumata and MAO on 28th February will be a Kids Room Death Match 37 (Sauna) Count Edition. Katsumata wants the ring to be like a kid’s playroom so anything that is not considered dangerous can be used as a weapon. The goal is to either win with a 3 count pin or have enough 1 and 2 count pins to reach 37 counts in total (3 = san, 7 = nana). Katsumata wants to move beyond MAO so he can reach the next step. MAO just wants to “Destroy Shunma Katsumata!”
Akito announced the main event for the 3rd March BOYZ show is a 5 Vs 5 Gauntlet Match between the New BOYZ Army and the Old BOYZ Army.
DDT “KAWASAKI STRONG 2021”, 14/02/2021 Culttz Kawasaki 900 Fans – Super No Vacancy Full House
1. Mizuki Watase & Hideki Okatani defeated Yusuke Okada & Toui Kojima when Watase submitted Kojima with a Crab Hold (8:30).
2. KO-D 8-Man Tag Team Titles: Shinya Aoki, Super Sasadango Machine, Antonio Honda & Kazuki Hirata defeated Sanshiro Takagi, Danshoku Dieno, Toru Owashi & Makoto Oishi when Hirata pinned Takagi with the Miracle One Shot Cradle (12:49). *Shinya Aoki, Super Sasadango Machine, Antonio Honda become the 3rd KO-D 8-Man Tag Team Champions!
3. Super Joshi War ~Blooming Flowers~: Saki Akai & Maya Yukihi defeated Saori Anou & Miyako Matsumoto when Akai pinned Matsumoto with the Rookie Award (10:52).
4. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Super Delfin, Chris Brookes & Maki Itoh defeated MAO, Keigo Nakamura & Mirai Maiumi when Itoh pinned Nakamura with the Kanikani Flying Big Head (16:07).
5. Special Tag Match: HARASHIMA & Yuji Okabayashi defeated Kazusada Higuchi & Yukio Naya when HARASHIMA pinned Naya with the Somato (13:34).
6. Yuki Iino Return Match ~ DAMNATION Vs ALL OUT!: Konosuke Takeshita, Akito, Shunma Katsumata & Yuki Iino defeated Daisuke Sasaki, Soma Takao, Mad Paulie & Yuji Hino when Iino pinned Paulie with the Spear (20:34).
7. DDT UNIVERSAL Title: Yuki Ueno (c) defeated Yukio Sakaguchi by TKO with a Rear Naked Choke Sleeper Hold (17:10). *V3 for Yuki Ueno.
8. KO-D Openweight Title – Yanekabe Presents: Jun Akiyama defeated Tetsuya Endo (c) with the Modifed Sternness Dust α (31:11). *Tetsuya Endo fails in V4. Jun Akiyama becomes the 76th KO-D Openweight Champion!
The first “Big Match” show for DDT in 2021 took place in Culttz Kawasaki where fans got to see Jun Akiyama climb back up to the summit and become the new KO-D Openweight Champion! With Kenta Kobashi watching from ringside, Akiyama defeated Tetsuya Endo to avenge the D-Ou Grand Prix loss to him back in November. Endo’s plan was to target Akiyama’s surgically repaired knee to immobilise him. Akiyama had to throw big moves like Piledrivers and different Suplexes to wear down the champion in return. Endo kept kicking out of Exploder Suplexes including one from the top rope. He went high risk with the Shooting Star Press but missed, giving Akiyama the opening to hit his Knee Strikes. Endo kicked out once more this time from the Wrist-Clutch Exploder. It took an open leg Sternness Dust α to finally put Endo down and out to cause the title change.
Kobashi presented Akiyama with the KO-D Title after the match. He wanted to wrap it around his waist but Akiyama refused him. Akiyama said Endo was the best and he was only able to beat him by a small margin today. He doesn’t know if he could do it again, so he is going to borrow this championship for a while. Endo shouted he will get it back and then left. Akiyama then said he cannot wear the title around his waist until he beats the other DDT wrestler he lost against in the Grand Prix. He wants his first defence to be against Kazusada Higuchi! Akiyama then referenced the WRESTLE UNIVERSE servers going down during the main event and joked about using Danshoku Dieno’s anal server to power it back up (that will be explained below).
In order to prepare for his DDT UNIVERSAL Title defence, Yuki Ueno went to train Jiu-Jitsu under Shinya Aoki so he could learn how to defend himself from Yukio Sakaguchi’s Sleeper Hold. The game plan he put together was to take out Sakaguchi’s left arm and strike first with counters. That was how he cut off the God’s Right Knee with a Dropkick. Sakaguchi wouldn’t die though even when Ueno gave him the WR. Sakaguchi instead tried to shake it off and go straight for the Sleeper Hold. But Ueno’s training paid off and he reversed the submission, choking out Sakaguchi until the match was stopped. Sakaguchi was woken up by medical staff and still had the power to hand the belt over to the champion. Ueno told him he doesn’t have any unpleasant feelings towards him. He was a little luckier today but little by little he is improving. Ueno then said in a few years time he wants to be as cool and scary as Sakaguchi is.
Yuki Iino made a triumphant return by leading ALL OUT to victory over DAMNATION. He immediately gave a Spear to Yuji Hino at the start of the match. ALL OUT all piled on top of Iino and Mad Paulie which was then broken up by a Diving Elbow from Daisuke Sasaki. A challenge of strength took place between Konosuke Takeshita and Hino when they both did Double German Suplexes to wrestlers on both teams. A ladder was bridged from the ring to the commentary table and Hino threw Shunma Katsumata onto it. Sasaki hit Iino with a chairshot behind the referee’s back but Iino shrugged it off and fought back. He got rid of Sasaki with a Lariat and then dropped Hino with a Back Flip. Paulie came in for a fight but missed the Reverse Splash. He kicked out of the Spear at one so Iino revved up for another Spear and that one got the three count. Iino and Hino had a staredown afterwards to hype up their singles match on 23rd February in Nagoya. Another story coming out of this match was Sasaki’s comments backstage. He said his goal for 2021 is to make Takeshita join DAMNATION! When ALL OUT heard that, Akito said he will make Soma Takao join the Young Communication Generation in return. Takeshita then joked that Mad Paulie will join the DDT Sauna Club.
If there is anything I will give Yukio Naya credit for, it is for getting into shape. He’s making good progress with losing weight in a bid to get into better in-ring condition. He still had a very difficult task today going with Higuchi up to fight against Smile Pissari. Naya came close to victory when he gave HARASHIMA a Back Drop. But it all fell apart when he charged right into a Somato. HARASHIMA got the space he wanted to recover and hit a second Somato for the win. HARASHIMA was happy to team with Yuji Okabayashi again and they may now have a claim to challenge for the KO-D Tag Team Titles.
The spirit of 90’s Michinoku Pro was felt throughout the Special 6-Man Tag Match. Super Delfin had a new era Delfin Gundan in the form of Chris Brookes & Maki Itoh going against the Tohoku trio of MAO, Keigo Nakamura & Mirai Maiumi. Itoh entered wearing a Gran Naniwa costume and mimicked the late wrestler’s moveset, doing Naniwa’s Crab Walk on the ropes spot to set up the Flying Big Head finish. Delfin said this match happened a day after an earthquake happened in the Tohoku region, almost a decade after the 2011 earthquake. He hopes it will be safe enough for them to do a rematch over there some day. Brookes said it was a dream come true to team with Delfin because he is a cornerstone of the innovative junior heavyweight style of the 90’s. Itoh said the rope walk is a lot more difficult than it looks.
It turns out Saori Anou was right to complain about having to team with Miyako Matsumoto. They had a few too many miscommunications that caused their tag team to fall apart. Anou got sick of getting knocked around by her own tag partner that she gave Matsumoto a Fisherman Buster and left her out to dry. Maya Yukihi hit Matsumoto with the Jumping Super Kick and Saki Akai finished her off with the Rookie Award. Akai, Yukihi and Anou then did a group pose together and left the ring when Matsumoto tried to join in.
New KO-D 8-Man Tag Team Champions have been crowned! Will we see a proper title reign for once? Hell if I know! But enough about that, it’s time to finally talk about Dieno’s anal server. Kazuki Hirata began dancing unconsciously before the match because he was suffering from withdrawal symptoms after spending some time away from the dance gimmick. When he got to do dance in the ring the enthusiasm was so high that it caused a power outage in the venue. Everyone agreed to use Dieno’s backside as a power supply but the cable was not long enough. The wrestlers agreed to form a human chain from Dieno’s butt to the power source. The plan worked but the power wasn’t enough to bring the electricity back to full surge. Shinya Aoki came up with the solution to do the Hell Gate on Dieno, giving the anal power source the energy Dieno needed to power up the building again. Hirata got to dance and pin Sanshiro Takagi to win the titles.
The new rivalry between Yusuke Okada and Mizuki Watase is heating up. The two got rough with each other during the opener. Watase even made it a point to make Toui Kojima submit to a Crab Hold in front of Okada while Okada was being held back by Hideki Okatani. Watase is looking forward to their singles match because he now has a burning heart that wasn’t there before.
DDT “DRAMATIC 2021 JANUARY SPECIAL”, 28/01/2021 Shinjuku FACE 162 Fans
1. Akito & Chris Brookes defeated Mizuki Watase & Toui Kojima when Brookes submitted Kojima with a Modified Armbar (7:49).
2. DDT Variety Team, Pentagram Ambition!: Kazuki Hirata defeated Danshoku Dieno, Saki Akai, Mad Paulie and Gorgeous Matsuno when Hirata pinned Dieno with the Gaydo Clutch (7:28).
3. HARASHIMA, Toru Owashi & Antonio Honda defeated Shunma Katsumata, MAO & Keigo Nakamura when Honda pinned Nakamura with the Diving Fist Drop (9:36).
4. DDT Megatonweight Single Match: Yuji Hino defeated Yukio Naya with the Fucking BOMB (7:49).
5. Tetsuya Endo, Daisuke Sasaki & Soma Takao defeated Makoto Oishi, Hideki Okatani & Yusuke Okada when Endo submitted Okatani with the Yurikamome (11:59).
6. Eruption Vs DDT Sauna Club!: Kazusada Higuchi & Yukio Sakaguchi defeated Konosuke Takeshita & Yuki Ueno by TKO when Sakaguchi used the Sleeper Hold on Ueno (15:59).
The main event was a preview of both the upcoming DDT UNIVERSAL Title and KO-D Tag Team Title matches scheduled for February’s two big shows. It was the tag champions who came out on top with Kazusada Higuchi using the Brain Claw to nullify Konosuke Takeshita while Yukio Sakaguchi went to town on Yuki Ueno. Sakaguchi hit the God’s Right Knee then repeatedly hit High Kicks with both of his legs. The match had to be stopped when Ueno was put into a Sleeper Hold and he lost consciousness. Eruption held up both the KO-D Tag Title and the UNIVERSAL Title belts to celebrate. Sakaguchi said they will defend the Tag Titles against Takeshita no matter what. He also warned Ueno that this is the fight he will be in at Culttz Kawasaki. After they left the ring, Ueno grabbed the microphone. He admittedly now regrets nominating Sakaguchi to be his challenger but he’ll still be holding the UNIVERSAL Title high above his head in Kawazaki. He and Takeshita are still alive!
Hideki Okatani came close to pinning Tetsuya Endo with a Backslide Pin but it was countered into the Yurikamome Hold to give DAMNATION the victory. Endo wouldn’t let go after the match, causing Yusuke Okada to stomp on him to break it. Daisuke Sasaki and Makoto Oishi then jumped into the fight but things quickly calmed down. Endo taunted Junretsu by telling them they have no chance beating DAMNATION without Jun Akiyama. He will assess how much of a threat Akiyama will be when his return match happens on 31st January.
Big boy Yuji Hino is being targeted by the other big boys in DDT and he just does not understand why. Yukio Naya once more tried to ambush Hino this time right before their match started. And once again the plan failed and Hino slapped him apart. Naya did put up a fight in the match itself but he fell to the Fucking BOMB and seems to no longer be a problem for Hino. Now he has a new problem to deal with. Yuki Iino climbed into the ring moments after the match ended and he hit Hino with the Spear. Akito & Shunma Katsumata got in and held an excited Iino back while Hino asked Mad Paulie and Yukinori Matsui why DDT’s younger wrestlers don’t like him? He doesn’t know what is going on but he will fight back. He also appreciates Paulie helping him in this situation.
It was announced at the start of the show that the Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title is returning to Japan. The current champion, a copy of The Young Bucks autobiography “Killing The Business” was being shipped over from America along with the title belt. Later on during the show, Kazuki Hirata was being chased around backstage by Danshoku Dieno over the result of their 5 Way Match. Hirata lost Dieno in a waiting room and noticed a mystery package on the table. He opened it to find the book and the Iron Man Title! Hirata called in Matsui to count him pinning the book but Dieno arrived in time to stop it and chase Hirata away. The book will now defend the Iron Man Title on the 28th February Korakuen Hall show.
Gorgeous Matsuno announced his 60th birthday commemorative show scheduled for 18th April will be rescheduled because the venue is being used as a vaccination centre during that period.
DDT “GO TO DDT! VOL. 1”, 09/01/2021 Tokyo Korakuen Hall 484 Fans
0. Under Match: Tomomitsu Matsunaga & Hideki Okatani defeated Keigo Nakamura & Toui Kojima when Okatani pinned Kojima with the Northern Lights Suplex (6:50).
1. Written By Hajime Takahashi & Masaki Inoue “Does Momotaro’s Kibidango Recognize As An Expense?” Infomercial Match: Akito, Kazuki Hirata, Antonio Honda & Super Sasadango Machine (3D Avatar) defeated Sanshiro Takagi, Danshoku Dieno, Toru Owashi & Saki Akai when Hirata pinned Takagi with a School Boy (?:??).
2. Mad Paulie & Yuji Hino defeated Chris Brookes & Shunma Katsumura when Hino pinned Katsumura with the Fucking BOMB (8:18).
3. Konosuke Takeshita & MAO defeated HARASHIMA & Yukio Naya when MAO pinned Naya with the Cannonball 450 (10:02).
4. DAMNATION Vs Junretsu!: Makoto Oishi, Mizuki Watase & Yusuke Okada defeated Tetsuya Endo, Daisuke Sasaki & Nobuhiro Shimatani when Oishi submitted Shimatani with the Fujiyama Knee Lock (12:14).
5. KO-D Tag Team Titles: Kazusada Higuchi & Yukio Sakaguchi (c) defeated CIMA & Soma Takao by TKO when Sakaguchi choked out Takao with the Sleeper Hold (16:26). *V1 for Eruption.
6. DDT UNIVERSAL Title: Yuki Ueno (c) defeated Shota with the WR (16:53). *V2 for Yuki Ueno.
DDT’s second visit to Korakuen Hall this year was headlined with a DDT UNIVERSAL Title defence. Yuki Ueno got a measure of revenge when he pinned Shota in a 6-Man Tag last week and firmly got the rest of it by beating him again today. Shota was over reliant on the Gannosuke Clutch and when that couldn’t get him a win he tried cheating instead. He used ropes for leverage on pins and gave Ueno a Low Blow when the referee was knocked away. But Shota went back to the Gannosuke Clutch which Ueno had figured out by then. Ueno avoided the move, stunned Shota with a Dropkick and pinned him with the WR for the successful title defence.
Ueno wanted to give Shota microphone time after the match but he declined and left the ring. Ueno joked that he would have to talk by himself for five minutes, then said he learned so much from Shota over the 5 years he’s known him. He was happy to face Shota in his first match of 2021 and he is both the most annoying and most entertaining opponent. Hisaya Imabayashi asked Ueno who he would like to defend the UNIVERSAL Title against next. Ueno said Yukio Sakaguchi! He learned a lot from Sakaguchi last year such as what it’s like to get choked out and why you always see worried faces above you when you regain consciousness. Sakaguchi accepted the match and asked to look at the title belt. When he held it he posed with it and told Ueno that is where the title should be. He handed it back to Ueno but warned nominating him was the biggest mistake he could make. Imabayashi decided the title match will happen at “KAWASAKI STRONG 2021” on 14th February.
In the backstage interviews, Sakaguchi said there are no grand slam champions in DDT since the creation of the UNIVERSAL Title. He is aiming to be the first new grand slam champion in DDT and to do that he has to go after both the UNIVERSAL Title and the DDT Extreme Title. When Ueno did his interview, Sakaguchi snuck up behind him and choked him out with the Sleeper Hold.
Sakaguchi still holds the KO-D Tag Team Titles with Kazusada Higuchi. The Eruption pair held on against a CimaSoma team with a lot of momentum behind them. CIMA & Soma Takao wore the same matching outfits from “ULTIMATE PARTY 2020” and had the same effort of teamwork from back then. There was also high risk like CIMA using the Meteora to break up Sakaguchi’s Sleeper Hold on Takao. However Sakaguchi clasped the Sleeper Hold back onto Takao and CIMA couldn’t rescue him again. Takao went motionless and the match was stopped, making Eruption the winners.
Shunma Katsumata, Konosuke Takeshita & MAO from the DDT Sauna Club approached Eruption after the match. Katsumata challenged them to put the KO-D Tag Titles on the line against all three of them. Sakaguchi called him stupid and Imabayashi told them it can’t happen that way. Takeshita & MAO tried to leave but Katsumata then said those two could face Eruption instead. Sakaguchi knocked out Katsumata with an Elbow Strike and accepted the challenge. Kazusada Higuchi & Sakaguchi Vs Takeshita & MAO for the titles will happen at the 23rd February Nagoya show and it will be the main event!
The #DAMNHEARTS group received major news when CimaSoma got back to the locker room. Daisuke Sasaki had apparently talked to #STRONGHEARTS before the match and agreed if CimaSoma didn’t win the tag titles then the business alliance will be dissolved. #DAMNHEARTS is splitting up! Takao said he heard nothing about this and CIMA doesn’t remember making this decision although he agreed it has been a while since DAMNATION and #STRONGHEARTS worked together. Sasaki promised both sides will do something together again when the pandemic is over.
With Jun Akiyama out of action for the rest of this month, the newcomer Yusuke Okada took his place and wasted no time in getting to wrestle Tetsuya Endo. There was still Junretsu representation in the match with Makoto Oishi & Mizuki Watase involved. Oishi overcame danger when he kicked out of a Standing Moonsault from Endo followed by a Standing Shooting Star Press from Nobuhiro Shimatani. Oishi pulled Shimatani to the mat and made him tap to the Fujiyama Knee Lock. Endo grabbed the microphone out of Oishi’s hands and said he is going to crush Akiyama on 14th February. As he was leaving, Oishi responded that he might crush Endo before Endo gets to face Akiyama! Backstage Sasaki revealed what he learned during his time off with injury. Pro wrestling is about love and romance, just like the movie Titanic. What’s missing in the ring right now is romance. He found it and will show it to everyone soon.
MAO dusted off the Cannonball 450 to win DDT Sauna Club’s tag match. First he got rid of HARASHIMA with a Plancha, then Takeshita took care of Yukio Naya with a Vertical Drop Brainbuster to set up the 450 finish.
Katsumata is an eager fellow but it got him into a lot of painful situations today. He tried jumping Yuji Hino & Mad Paulie at the start of their tag match but did so without Chris Brookes joining him. Brookes instead stayed in the corner and did “NeppoWER!!” chants with no other intention of fighting the heavyweight opponents. Hino caught Katsumata in mid-air and Brookes did a Missile Dropkick to them to get his partner a nearfall. There were blocks for both the ¡Hasta la vista! and Fucking BOMB but Hino ended up winning out in the end.
Heavy snow in Niigata prevented Super Sasadango Machine from travelling to Tokyo for today’s show. He was replaced by a “3D Avatar” of himself. In other words it was Keigo Nakamura in a Sasadango mask. Sasadango also provided a PowerPoint presentation on Zoom before the opening match explaining the importance of filing tax returns. His example was getting the wrestlers in his match to all wrestle in their own expensive clothing because they can treat it as tax deductible ring gear. This made a few people like Saki Akai uncomfortable because they did not want their personal belongings used in the match. She was proven right when Kazuki Hirata tried to steal her handbag and it got knocked out of the ring. Toru Owashi revealed he was wearing the O-40 Title underneath his hoodie. Danshoku Dieno pulled off Akito’s rare sneakers and shoved one of them into Akito’s mouth. He then threw them away causing Akito to chase after them. Sanshiro Takagi wore a watch that costs 1.1 million yen and used it to stop Antonio Honda’s Gongitsune joke. Hirata took the watch, grabbed a chair and tried to smash it. Takagi took the chair swung it at Hirata but missed and smashed the watch instead! He was in so much shock that Hirata easily pinned Takagi with a School Boy.
Nakamura was also in the pre-show match. He and Toi Kojima lost to Tomomitsu Matsunaga & Hideki Okatani. The match came down to Kojima and Okatani. A Running Neckbreaker was used to set up the Northern Lights Suplex for Okatani to win.
DDT “NEW YEAR’S DAY GIFT SPECIAL! ALL SEATS 3,000 YEN SPECIAL BOX OFFICE!! 2021”, 03/01/2021 Tokyo Korakuen Hall 713 Fans – Super No Vacancy Full House
1. Keigo Nakamura defeated Hideki Okatani with a Cradle (7:42).
2. Antonio Honda 43rd Birthday & 16th Anniversary Debut Match: Antonio Honda defeated Choun-Shiryu with the Diving Fist Drop (9:14).
3. Yukio Sakaguchi, Saki Akai & Gota Ihashi defeated Toru Owashi, Tomomitsu Matsunaga & Toui Kojima when Sakaguchi pinned Kojima with the PK (9:37).
4. Mad Paulie, Nobuhiro Shimatani & Hiroshi Yamato defeated Makoto Oishi, Mizuki Watase & Yukio Naya when Paulie pinned Watase with the Reverse Splash (12:19).
5. 1 Vs 3 Handicap Match: Shinya Aoki, Danshoku Dieno & Super Sasadango Machine defeated Sanshiro Takagi when Aoki pinned Takagi with a Jackknife Pin (10:00).
6. Konosuke Takeshita, Shunma Katsumata, MAO & Yuki Ueno defeated Akito, Kazuki Hirata, Shota & Keisuke Ishii when Ueno pinned Shota with the BME (14:34).
7. Tetsuya Endo, Soma Takao & Yuji Hino (w/ Daisuke Sasaki) defeated HARASHIMA, Kazusada Higuchi & Chris Brookes when Endo pinned Brookes with the Shooting Star Press (17:18).
The first DDT show of 2021 was almost entirely a surprise card. The audience only knew what the matches were once they were ready to begin. For the main event HARASHIMA, Kazusada Higuchi & Chris Brookes joined forces to fight DAMNATION. While all of DAMNATION were at ringside, Daisuke Sasaki got directly involved by grabbing Brookes by the leg. Yuji Hino brought it to both HARASHIMA & Higuchi. Soma Takao overheard Higuchi insult CIMA which spurred him on to fight through the Brain Claw. Tetsuya Endo got the win in the end by hitting Brookes with Tetsuya In The Sky, the Swivel Torture Rack Bomb and finally the Shooting Star Press. Endo looked over to Jun Akiyama at the commentary table while the pin was counted.
Shouting was heard over by the entrance after the match. It was Yuki Iino calling for Hino’s attention while the rest of ALL OUT tried to hold him back. Iino pushed his teammates back, entered the ring and demanded to face Hino in an arm wrestling contest on the canvas. Hino was confused but he accepted the challenge and won. Iino got mad over losing and had to be held back again while Konosuke Takeshita introduced him to Hino. He then explained that Iino’s return match from injury will be at “KAWASAKI STRONG 2021” on 14th February when ALL OUT takes on DAMNATION. He then suggested that Iino and Hino have a singles match at the next big event after that. Hisaya Imabayashi agreed to book Iino Vs Hino in Nagoya on 23rd February. ALL OUT dragged Iino away while Endo took the microphone and warned Akiyama that he is always ready. Endo closed out the show by saying this year he is aiming for more than just the Tokyo Sports MVP Award. He wants to make scandalous news stories with glamourous women in the tabloids too!
Another 8-Man Tag pitted the two new units that have unexpectedly taken over DDT in the last few months. All four members of the DDT Sauna Club came out first, followed by the Young Communication Generation. The latter team then surprised everyone by bringing out Keisuke Ishii! Akito warned him about the Sauna Club’s “Heat Wave WER!!” pose but he didn’t understand it. Kazuki Hirata did a Plancha to the outside while Ishii did his work. The Sauna Club isolated Shota and piled on the top rope moves to him. Shunma Katsumata, MAO & Yuki Ueno hit Diving Body Presses one after the other but Ueno’s pin was broken up. Shota caught Ueno in the Gannosuke Clutch but MAO was there to break that pin up. Ueno got to recover and beat Shota with the BME. Backstage Ishii said it was the first time in a long while he wrestled in DDT (not counting BOYZ) and he would like to appear more in 2021 to be with his friends in Young Communication again. Shota wants to make it a year where Ganbare☆Pro doesn’t lose to DDT. Meanwhile Katsumata wants to make 2021 the year of the Sauna Club!
One of the matches was supposed to be Sanshiro Takagi & Danshoku Dieno Vs Shinya Aoki & Super Sasadango Machine. But backstage before the match Dieno, Aoki & Sasadango were all complaining about Takagi’s tweets including one that where Takagi was showing off his calves. The three of them instead decided to gang up on Takagi in a Handicap Match and purposely target his calf. Aoki put him in a Jail Hold while Dieno & Sasadango brought out a bag containing some of Takagi’s personal belongings. Sasadango found Takagi’s wallet, pulled out 29,000 yen in cash and raffled it off to three fans in the audience. Dieno eventually thought things went overboard and he felt sorry for Takagi. It is thanks to Takagi that they get to wrestle this year so the best New Year’s gift is to give Takagi his first win of 2021. Sasadango agreed and with Dieno they both attacked Aoki. Dieno is still recovering from the fire extinguisher attack to his rear but Takagi forced to go into the Hell Gate position. That lost him Sasadango’s support and Takagi was thrown face first into the Hell Gate. Aoki kicked Takagi in the calf, Sasadango did the Vertical Drop Lehmann Shock and Aoki pinned him with a Jackknife. Backstage Sasadango offered to be on Aoki’s team at “KAWASAKI STRONG 2021” because they should be fighting for a better goal than satisfying Takagi’s desires. They like Takagi but will not be used by him anymore!
As Takagi was leaving the ring after his match, he was suddenly approached at ringside by Yusuke Okada! The former All Japan wrestler introduced himself to the audience and told them he wants to experience a new world of pro wrestling now that he became freelance. He asked Takagi if he could have a match in DDT. Takagi questioned his interest in DDT after seeing the match that just happened. He then passed the request over to Imabayashi, who wasn’t expecting that. Imabayashi told Okada he will book him on next week’s Korakuen Hall show on 9th January.
DAMNATION’s good run begun earlier in the show when Mad Paulie, Nobuhiro Shimatani & Hiroshi Yamato beat Makoto Oishi, Mizuki Watase & Yukio Naya. Paulie threw Yamato onto Watase with an X-Style Iconoclasm. Shimatani then hopped onto Paulie’s back and they jumped on top of Watase for a nearfall when Oishi & Naya broke it up. Paulie then hit Watase with a Lariat and won with the Reverse Splash.
Gota Ihashi didn’t get to wrestle in Korakuen Hall last year so he wanted to make up for lost time. This year he wants to join a unit and rampage all over DDT. There is only one unit he wants to join and that’s Eruption! He came out with his own custom entrance video wearing an Eruption coat made out of posters. He even drew his own version of the Eruption logo calling it Ihaption. Yukio Sakaguchi & Saki Akai were bemused over this but it kind of worked out in the end. Akai gave Toru Owashi a Brainbuster and Ihashi went toe to toe with Tomomitsu Matsunaga. Eruption(?) then focused their attacks on Toui Kojima. Ihashi almost lost the match when he missed the Moonsault. Akai kicked Ihashi out of frustration and Sakaguchi tagged himself in to finish Kojima off. Sakaguchi & Akai had enough of Ihashi and walked off on him backstage. However he believes he can continue teaming with Eruption and together they can all go after the KO-D 8-Man Tag Team Titles.
Antonio Honda’s big day was almost ruined when he tripped on the ropes and hurt his knee. Choun-Shiryu knew what was coming and attacked Honda before he could tell his latest Gongitsune joke. Honda lived up to the big occasion though and hit a Topé Suicida and the Tenzan Tombstone Driver on route to victory.
The first DDT match of 2021 was Keigo Nakamura’s first ever singles victory! He defeated his generation rival Hideki Okatani by cradling his way out of the Double Arm Suplex. Nakamura currently has a 1-3 record against Okatani so he wants to reverse the numbers this year.
Some more matches were booked for “KAWASAKI STRONG 2021”. Akai will be teaming with Maya Yukihi from Ice Ribbon to take on Saori Anou & Miyako Matsumoto. Yukihi said she discovered DDT more than 10 years ago so she is deeply moved to be wrestling a match for them. She thought she was going to fight against Akai but Imabayashi corrected her. Akai always wanted to team with her because she is beautiful and strong. She is also excited to face Anou again. When Imabayashi asked Akai & Yukihi about Matsumoto, they both declined to answer. They were asked again backstage and Yukihi finally had something to say. “In terms of strength, beauty and glamour, Miyako-san will never the best.”
The New Year’s Shuffle Tag Tournament winners Smile Pissari will team again at the Culttz Kawasaki show. HARASHIMA & Yuji Okabayashi will face a team yet to be determined.
Takagi will return to the battlefield for his next DDT Extreme Title defence. He takes on Nabe Yakan from Best Body Pro Wrestling on 10th January. The match was made when earlier in the day Yakan led a bunch of soldiers armed with air guns into the locker room to steal the Extreme Title belt.
Posted by JamieOD 
Dramatic DDT 