DDT “DDT YOKOHAMA UNLIMITED SPECIAL” Results

July 1, 2023

DDT “DDT YOKOHAMA UNLIMITED SPECIAL”, 01/07/2023
Yokohama Radiant Hall
219 Fans – Super No Vacancy

1. Daisuke Sasaki & MJ Paul defeated Yusuke Okada & Kazuma Sumi when Sasaki pinned Sumi with the Diving Elbow Drop (7:37).
2. Yuki “Sexy” Iino, Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno & Yumehito “Fantastic” Imanari defeated Akito, MAO & Antonio Honda when Iino pinned Akito after the Fight Ippatsu Spear (10:07).
3. Kazusada Higuchi & Yuki Ishida defeated Saki Akai & Yuya Koroku when Ishida pinned Akai with the Dosukoi Hold (9:36).
4. BURNING Vs DISASTER BOX!: Tetsuya Endo & Jun Akiyama defeated Toru Owashi & Kazuki Hirata when Akiyama pinned Hirata with the Jumping Knee Butt (0:06).
4a. Rematch: Tetsuya Endo & Jun Akiyama defeated Toru Owashi & Kazuki Hirata when Endo pinned Hirata with a Cradle (8:46).
5. Special Hardcore Tag Match: Yukio Sakaguchi & Hideki Okatani defeated Atsushi Onita & Toy Kojima when Sakaguchi pinned Kojima with the God’s Right Knee with the Chair (12:02).
6. Special Tag Match: Yuji Hino & Makoto Oishi defeated HARASHIMA & Soma Takao when Hino pinned Takao with the Fuckin’ BOMB (14:16).
7. International Special Tag Match: Nick Wayne & Takeshi Masada defeated Yuki Ueno & Yuni when Wayne pinned Yuni with the Wayne’s World (15:55).

Nick Wayne has touched down in DDT and was given the spotlight in the main event along with other young wrestlers in the company. The average age in today’s main event was 20 years old (Yuki Ueno is 27, Yuni is 15, Wayne is 17 and Takeshi Masada is 21). Wayne beat Yuni with his version of the Springboard Cutter called the Wayne’s World. He now hopes to do the same to Ueno in their singles match next week.

Chris Brookes approached the ring after Match #6 to have a stare down with Yuji Hino. Nothing physical took place because according to Hino a tall, handsome amateur like Brookes is not even worth throwing a Chop at. He previously called the tag match on 7th July Brookes’ retirement match but today he joked it is going to be more like Brookes’ professional debut. Hino’s behaviour has reached the point where Makoto Oishi can’t tell if he is praising Brookes or trying to humiliate him.

A Hardcore Tag Match pitting Eruption against Atsushi Onita & Toy Kojima brought a more firey side out of Yukio Sakaguchi & Hideki Okatani. Onita was thrown into a barbed wire board in the corner and Okatani attacked Kojima with chairs. Onita blinded fought back giving Sakaguchi the Poison Mist followed by a Piledriver through a table. Sakaguchi recovered and used a chair assisted God’s Right Knee to pin Kojima for the three count.

After the match Onita asked Sanshiro Takagi if Jun Akiyama will answer his challenge for an exploding death match at Ota Ward Gymnasium on 9th September. Takagi told him he never got a response from Akiyama. Sakaguchi then told Onita that the All Asia Tag Team Title belt once belonged to his father Seiji Sakaguchi. He can’t continue letting Onita carry it around. Onita agreed to give Sakaguchi a title shot as long as it is in an exploding death match! Takagi endorsed the idea and is now trying to get permission to do the title match in Osaka on 20th August.

Becoming a champion has not changed Kazuki Hirata one bit. He was immediately pinned by Akiyama in his tag match and also dropped the fall to Tetsuya Endo in an immediate rematch. Hirata is trying to convince himself he is in perfect condition because how else would you suffer a perfect defeat like that?

The Dosukoi Hold used by Yuki Ishida has claimed another Eruption victim. This time Saki Akai was pinned with the move. Ishida thinks the hold is now creating the Dosukoi Movement, granting Harimao enough momentum for their upcoming KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles defence against Eruption to make them unstoppable.

Akito placed a bounty on each member of Pheromones for today’s match. Beating Yuki Iino is worth 100,000 yen, beating Yumehito Imanari is worth 50,000 yen and beating Danshoku Dieno is worth 10,000 yen. The reward motiviated MAO at first but he was quickly driven to ignore fighting Dieno because he literally wasn’t worth it. Pheromones took advantage by trying to brainwash MAO to join their side but Akito snapped him out of it by shouting “Money!” at him over and over. His plan ended up failing anyway because Pheromones picked up the win over him.


DDT “WHAT ARE YOU DOING 2023” Results

June 25, 2023

DDT “WHAT ARE YOU DOING 2023”, 25/06/2023
Tokyo Korakuen Hall
755 Fans

0. Dark Match: Yuki “Sexy” Iino, Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno, Toru Owashi & Yuni Vs Akito, Soma Takao, Kazuma Sumi & Rukiya ended in a No Contest (5:44).
1. Special Single Match: Naruki Doi defeated Takeshi Masada with a Cradle (7:04).
2. Ryota Nakatsu, Yuki Ishida, Yusuke Okada & Yuya Koroku defeated Yukio Sakaguchi, Saki Akai, Hideki Okatani & Sanshiro Takagi when Ishida pinned Sakaguchi with the Dosukoi Hold (9:22).
3. Special Single Match: HARASHIMA defeated Minoru Fujita by Disqualification after Fujita attacked the Referee (7:31).
4. International Special Single Match: Tetsuya Endo defeated Nick Wayne with the Burning Star Press (13:44).
5. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Yuji Hino, Jun Akiyama & Makoto Oishi defeated Kazusada Higuchi, Masahiro Takanashi & Antonio Honda when Hino submitted Honda with the King Kong Sleeper (13:23).
6. KO-D Tag Team Titles: Daisuke Sasaki & MJ Paul defeated Yuki Ueno & Toy Kojima when Sasaki submitted Kojima with the Crossface Lock (15:29).
*DAMNATION T.A becomes the 77th KO-D Tag Team Champions!
7. DDT Extreme Title – 3 Way Dance: Kazuki Hirata defeated MAO and Yoshihiko (21:25).
7a. MAO and Kazuki Hirata eliminated Yoshihiko with a Double Reincarnation Cutback (17:36).
7b. Kazuki Hirata eliminated MAO with the Miracle One Shot Cradle (21:25).
*Kazuki Hirata becomes the 58th DDT Extreme Champion!

Believe it or not Kazuki Hirata is now a singles champion! For weeks leading up to the 3 Way Dance, everybody including Hirata himself expected him to be taken out of the picture very quickly so MAO and Yoshihiko would fight each other over the vacant DDT Extreme Title. Instead Hirata persisted against his two opponents. He and MAO used their combined power to roll over from Yoshihiko’s Reincarnation and together pin the doll to eliminate it from the match. MAO took control of the match but none of his big moves could work. Hirata ended up countering the Michinoku Driver II into the Miracle One Shot Cradle to pull off the shock of all shocks. He is now the new Extreme Champion!

Hirata now finds himself in a position he never thought about previously. As a champion he now gets to nominate his challengers. Hisaya Imabayashi asked him who he wants to face in his first defence on 30th July. Hirata said there is a lot of people he wants to fight and he gets to pick the rules that will make him beat them too. So his first opponent is his DISASTER BOX stablemate HARASHIMA! He admits he can never beat HARASHIMA in a regular head-to-head fight but he can come up with funny rules that will even the odds. HARASHIMA accepted the challenge because he is a mutltiple time Extreme Champion and has fought in many different kinds of matches over the years.

Poor Toy Kojima suffered so much abuse at the hands of DAMNATION T.A and unfortunately it was all for nothing. The vacant KO-D Tag Team Titles were on the line when Kojima & Yuki Ueno represented The 37KAMIINA against Daisuke Sasaki & MJ Paul. Ueno & Kojima used their new double team move the My MADMAX on Sasaki but Paul broke up the pin. Then when Kojima used the Kojima In Wonderland on Sasaki, the injured KANON ran down to the ring armed with a stungun! The referee Tomomitsu Matsunaga ran over to stop KANON from entering the ring and missed Sasaki giving two Low Blows to Kojima. Sasaki stayed on the offensive and made Kojima tap to the Crossface Lock to make DAMNATION T.A the new Tag Champions. Backstage Sasaki said Kojima must never forget this day because today is the day he experienced absolute despair and humiliation! Now that DAMNATION T.A is back to full force, they are going to make the second half of 2023 crazy for everybody. Sasaki also said if Ueno, Kojima or anybody else wants to do something about it they are always welcome to join DAMNATION T.A.

Jun Akiyama found a way to fit in with Ω by wearing their shirt along with a bandana and sunglasses. The fun and games for Yuji Hino sort of stopped when Antonio Honda tried standing up to him on behalf of his friend Chris Brookes. The match then moved on to Hino and Kazusada Higuchi squaring off again while Makoto Oishi dealt with Masahiro Takanashi. Honda tagged in ready for his moment when he tripped over the ropes and fell like he always does. But instead of telling a Gongitsune joke, Honda asked himself why does he always fall down? He figured out it’s to get back up! If his best friend Brookes goes back to England, he will get back up. If he gets injured, he will get back up. He will always get back up because he is chasing his dream! A fired up Honda then poked Hino in the eyes and knocked him down with the Bionic Elbow for a nearfall. Unfortunately Hino recovered and countered the Octopus Hold into the King Kong Sleeper to make Honda give up.

After the match Ω called for Brookes’ attention while Honda was being tended to outside the ring. Oishi lambasted him for taking it easy while Hino’s been working hard in the ring week after week. How can Brookes become the KO-D Openweight Champion when all of Hino’s hard work has made him reach his perfect condition? Hino calmed Oishi down and asked Brookes when he can start wrestling again? Brookes said 7th July. Hino said that is a long way off so he is going to make sure that date will become Brookes’ retirement match! Backstage Brookes admits he is feeling guilty over not being able to wrestle because of his injury. He promised to do his best when he returns as his way of showing thanks for everyone who fought for him while he’s been out of action.

Nick Wayne was thrown into the deep end for his Japanese DDT debut when he took on Tetsuya Endo. The young American went for impactful moves like the Poison Hurricanrana and Dragon Suplex. But Endo hit back with the Tetsuya In The Sky and also caught him in mid-air to set up the Swivel Torture Rack Bomb. Wayne kicked out of both moves but became a sitting duck for the Burning Star Press. Endo thinks Wayne will absorb the Japanese way of wrestling during his stay here and it will expand his range. It makes Endo look forward to having a rematch some day. One he thinks he will still win of course. Wayne told reporters he is very inspired by the wrestlers in DDT and being in the same environment makes him feel like he can give 100% every match.

The match between HARASHIMA and Minoru Fujita started off awkwardly when Fujita refused to shake his opponent’s hand and instead give him the HERO! pose. He then accepted HARASHIMA’s handshake but only so he could cheap shot him afterwards. Fujita continued fighting dirty by using the ropes for pin leverage and bringing a chair into the ring. He threw the chair at HARASHIMA right when he was setting up the Somato. Then he gave Yukinori Matsui a Low Blow to purposely get disqualified. Fujita also gave HARASHIMA a Low Blow before doing another HERO! pose and leaving.

In a KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles match preview, Harimao scored a big win over Eruption with an unlikely result. Yuki Ishida ended up pinning Yukio Sakaguchi! He used a move that looks similar to a backwards Gannosuke Clutch to get the three count. He told Ryota Nakatsu that he used “Dokusoi” spirit to beat Sakaguchi so the two of them agreed to call the move the Dosukoi Hold. The move is based on a sumo technique so you can bet Ishida wants to use it again at Sumo Hall. However Sakaguchi wants him to know today’s result isn’t the end of their story so he shouldn’t be getting carried away. Saki Akai was interested to fight Nakatsu for the first time today because they are both from Kyoto. Unfortunately for Sanshiro Takagi, his time in the ring today didn’t last long. According to a tweet he posted after the show he tore a muscle in his leg during the match.

Naruki Doi was the latest big name opponent for the super rookie Takeshi Masada to face one on one. Masada did quite well and looked to be on his way towards scoring a huge upset. But Doi countered the Samurai Driver ’01 into a Cradle to win instead.

Strange bedfellows were put together for the dark match because Toru Owashi & Yuni had to team with Pheromones. Usually the likes of them would be their opponents. We found out the reason why because Akito wanted to ruin Yuni’s reputation by getting pictures of him doing lewd stuff with Pheromones in the ring! Imabayashi told Akito off because creating a scandal like that would harm CyberFight too. Still when Yuki Iino & Danshoku Dieno stacked themselves in the corner with their backsides exposed, Akito tried to force Yuni head first into there. It didn’t matter to him if Kazuma Sumi & Rukiya had to suffer the same fate. Just when Akito looked like he was going to succeed, Imabayashi cancelled the match. Akito went out of control throwing more wrestlers into butts until Soma Takao stopped him. Akito then invited Takao to help him destroy Pheromones. Takao tried not to listen but was eventually convinced to join Akito’s side.

The injured Shunma Katsumata was at ringside for the final two matches. He had to vacate both the Extreme Title and KO-D Tag Title due to a foot injury. He told the fans it will be a while until he gets back to wrestling again but he is currently feeling fine with his recovery.

Also making an appearance today was Yukio Naya. He came here to announce his return match from injury will be “WRESTLE PETER PAN 2023” on 23rd July! He’s been recovering from a fractured right ankle since the end of March. His goal once he returns is to reach the top of DDT in the shortest amount of time possible.

Shota was at the show during the opening announcements. He was there to promote Ganbare☆Pro’s big event “WRESTLE SEKIGAHARA II” at Ota Ward Gymnasium on 9th July.

DDT will also be going to Ota Ward this Autumn. They announced “DDT BIG BANG 2023” will take place there on 9th September. Another announcement regarding the event will be revealed tomorrow.

DDT “WRESTLE PETER PAN 2023”, 23/07/2023
Tokyo Ryogoku Kokugikan

1. Takeshi Masada Vs Kazuma Sumi
2. Sanshiro Takagi, Shinichiro Kawamatsu & Yuni Vs Masahiro Takanashi, Toy Kojima & Rukiya
3. Yuki “Sexy” Iino, Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno & Yumehito “Fantastic” Imanari Vs Akito, Soma Takao & Yoshitomo Shimohigashi
4. 3 Way 6-Man Tag Match: Naruki Doi, Toru Owashi & Kazuki Hirata Vs Minoru Fujita, MJ Paul & KANON Vs Kotaro Suzuki, Yusuke Okada & Yuya Koroku
5. Special Tag Match: Chiitan☆ & Pokotan Vs Andreza Giant Panda & Super Sasadango Machine
6. Special Tag Match ~ Yukio Naya Return Match: HARASHIMA & Yukio Naya Vs Jun Akiyama & Shigehiro Irie
7. Special Single Match: TAKA Michinoku Vs MAO
8. Special Single Match: KONOSUKE TAKESHITA Vs Yuki Ueno
9. KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles: Kazusada Higuchi, Ryota Nakatsu & Yuki Ishida (c) Vs Yukio Sakaguchi, Saki Akai & Hideki Okatani
10. Mexico Kanko Presents Dramatic Dream Match: Daisuke Sasaki Vs El Desperado
11. DDT Universal Title: Tetsuya Endo (c) Vs Matt Cardona (w/ Steph De Lander)
12. KO-D Openweight Title: Yuji Hino (c) Vs Chris Brookes


Brookes And KANON Returning From Injury This July

June 21, 2023

DDT “DDT YOKOHAMA UNLIMITED SPECIAL”, 01/07/2023
Yokohama Radiant Hall

1. Yuki “Sexy” Iino, Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno & Yumehito “Fantastic” Imanari Vs Akito, MAO & Kazuma Sumi
2. Daisuke Sasaki & MJ Paul Vs Yusuke Okada & Rukiya
3. Kazusada Higuchi & Yuki Ishida Vs Saki Akai & Yuya Koroku
4. BURNING Vs DISASTER BOX!: Tetsuya Endo & Jun Akiyama Vs Toru Owashi & Kazuki Hirata
5. Special Tag Match: Yuji Hino & Makoto Oishi Vs HARASHIMA & Soma Takao
6. Special Hardcore Tag Match: Atsushi Onita & Toy Kojima Vs Yukio Sakaguchi & Hideki Okatani
7. International Special Tag Match: Yuki Ueno & Yuni Vs Nick Wayne & Takeshi Masada

A preview for the next KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles match is happening here when Saki Akai faces two members of the champions Harimao.

DDT “DRAMATIC DREAMS! VOL. 10 ~SPARE MYSELF AND SPARE MY NAME~”, 02/07/2023
Osaka Komikyo Higashinari Civic Center

1. Dosukoi Thank You Vs DDT’s Most Green Boy Combo: Yusuke Okada & Yuki Ishida Vs Kazuma Sumi & Rukiya
2. Pheromones Vs Former Smile Squash Vs Yoga Sumo ~Between Compliance And The Taste Of Pheromones~: Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno Vs Yasu Urano & Soma Takao Vs Toru Owashi & Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi
3. Diabolical DAMNATION T.A Vs Men With A Thousand Skills: Daisuke Sasaki & MJ Paul Vs Tsubasa & Makoto Oishi
4. “Did You Hear That? I Heard That Guy’s A Prick” Special Tag Match: Tetsuya Endo & Kuishinbo Kamen Vs Kikutaro & Antonio Honda
5. Special 6-Man Tag Match – Japan-US Young Wrestling Summit!: MAO, Toy Kojima & Yuni Vs Nick Wayne, Kohei Kinoshita & Yuya Koroku
6. Special Tag Match – One Hundred Tales Of Osaka ~Saki Akai, Her Biggest Crisis Before Retirement~: Yukio Sakaguchi & Saki Akai Vs Kazuki Hirata & No Name
7. Right Before Ryogoku! Road To KOKUGIKAN Special 6-Man Tag Match: Yuji Hino, Jun Akiyama & Hideki Okatani Vs HARASHIMA, Kazusada Higuchi & Akito
8. Magnitude Kishiwada 30th Anniversary Match ~You Guys Will Know When You See It~: Dick Togo, Magnitude Kishiwada & Black Buffalo Vs Sanshiro Takagi, Shigehiro Irie & Takeshi Masada
9. Special Single Match – WR ~Wrestling & Respect~: Yuki Ueno Vs HUB

This is the full card for Yukinori Matsui’s annual self-produced show.

DDT “DDT TANABATA SPECIAL 2023 IN SHINJUKU”, 07/07/2023
Shin-Kiba 1st RING

1. Kazusada Higuchi, Yuki Ishida & Rukiya Vs Yukio Sakaguchi, Saki Akai & Hideki Okatani
2. BURNING Vs DISASTER BOX!: Jun Akiyama & Yusuke Okada Vs HARASHIMA & Kazuki Hirata
3. International Special Single Match: Yuki Ueno Vs Nick Wayne
4. KANON Debut 4th Anniversary Match ~ Special Tag Match: TAKA Michinoku & KANON Vs Tetsuya Endo & Yuya Koroku
5. Road To PETER PAN 2023! Special Tag Match: Yuji Hino & Makoto Oishi Vs Chris Brookes & Masahiro Takanashi

Two important names are coming back from injuries on this show. Chris Brookes and KANON are both returning from dislocated shoulders. Brookes has some catching up to do. He is paying back every wrestler who fought on his behalf against Yuji Hino while he was recovering, starting with his CDK buddy Masahiro Takanashi.

KANON’s big return is for his 4th Anniversary match. His trainer TAKA Michinoku was previously announced and now we know they will be teaming up against Tetsuya Endo & Yuya Koroku.

DDT “ROAD TO PETER PAN 2023 IN AOMORI”, 15/07/2023
Aomori Hamanasu Hall

1. Daisuke Sasaki, MJ Paul & KANON Vs Yuki Ueno, Toy Kojima & Takeshi Masada
2. Falls Count Anywhere Special 6-Man Tag Match: Tetsuya Endo, Jun Akiyama & Yuya Koroku Vs Sanshiro Takagi, HARASHIMA & Kazuma Sumi
3. Special Tag Match: Yuji Hino & Makoto Oishi Vs Chris Brookes & Kazusada Higuchi

Kazusada Higuchi in particular was doing the heavy lifting against Ω while Brookes was gone. He deserves at least a beer or a lottery ticket as a thank you.

I think this is DDT’s first show in Hamanasu Hall since 2019. It’s been long enough that they are doing a Falls Count Anywhere match as their way to welcome themselves back into the building.

DDT “60TH BIRTHDAY & 20TH ANNIVERSARY ALL TOGETHER! ~ GORGEOUS NIGHT”, 16/07/2023
Fukushima Toyota Crown Arena Sub Arena

1. Saki Akai & Hideki Okatani Vs Kazuki Hirata & Kazuma Sumi
2. Special Tag Match: Yuji Hino & Makoto Oishi Vs Chris Brookes & Takeshi Masada
3. Fukushima Specialty Special 6-Man Tag Match: Gorgeous Matsuno, HARASHIMA & Yukio Sakaguchi Vs Sanshiro Takagi, Toru Owashi & Antonio Honda

The hometown hero Gorgeous Matsuno gets to team with HARASHIMA & Yukio Sakaguchi for his big show.

Last but not least, the final preview match between Hino and Brookes has Takeshi Masada backing up the Englishman like he always does. I can’t be counting out Makoto Oishi either. He’s stuck with Hino through thick and thin for all of this.


Hino’s Emotional Journey, Survival 3 Way, My MADMAX

June 15, 2023

DDT “WHAT ARE YOU DOING 2023 TOUR IN HAKODATE”, 16/06/2023
Hakodate City General Wholesale Center Distribution Hall

1. Daisuke Sasaki & MJ Paul Vs Toy Kojima & Rukiya
2. SILVER QUEEN Infomercial Match: Sanshiro Takagi & Kazuki Hirata Vs MAO & Yoshihiko
3. Hakodate Specialty Special Single Match: Yuki Ishida Vs Akinori Ariji
4. Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno Vs Akito & Kazuma Sumi
5. HARASHIMA & Hideki Okatani Vs Kazusada Higuchi & Yuya Koroku
6. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Yuji Hino, Makoto Oitshi & Yukio Sakaguchi Vs Tetsuya Endo, Jun Akiyama & Yusuke Okada

Lately Yuji Hino is going through a small emotional journey over the “WRESTLE PETER PAN 2023” main event. He started out being annoyed over Chris Brookes getting injured and now thanks to a heartfelt speech from Antonio Honda he feels sympathy for his next challenger. It’s probably a good thing he gets to deal with a different set of opponents tomorrow. Get his head back in check and focus on what’s in front of him.

BASARA “BASARA 222 ~OENSOGURA~”, 17/06/2023
Miyagi-no Cultural Center

1. Lil’ Kraken Vs Yasu Urano
2. FUMA & Daichi Kazato Vs Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi & SAGAT
3. Daiki Shimomura & Takato Nakano Vs Tsutomu Oosugi & Banana Senga
4. Isami Kodaka Vs MUSASHI
5. Chouten ~Itadaki~ 2023 – Round 2 B Block: Ryota Nakatsu Vs Minoru Fujita
6. Chouten ~Itadaki~ 2023 – Round 2 B Block: Takumi Tsukamoto Vs Fuminori Abe

Takumi Tsukamoto is getting a live performance for his entrance by a local saxophone player.

DDT “WHAT ARE YOU DOING 2023 TOUR IN SAPPORO DAY 1”, 17/06/2023
Sapporo ii-one Stadium

1. Hideki Okatani Vs Yuki Ishida
2. 2 Vs 3 Handicap Match: Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno Vs Yusuke Okada, Kazuma Sumi & Rukiya
3. Special Tag Match: Andreza Giant Panda & Saki Akai Vs Akito & Kazuki Hirata
4. Sapporo Specialty Special 8-Man Tag Match: Tetsuya Endo, Jun Akiyama, Yuya Koroku & Noriyuki Yoshida Vs Sanshiro Takagi, HARASHIMA, Tomoya & Makoto Oishi
5. DAMNATION T.A Vs The 37KAMIINA!: Daisuke Sasaki & MJ Paul Vs MAO & Toy Kojima
6. Special Tag Match: Yuji Hino & Yukio Sakaguchi Vs Kazusada Higuchi & Takeshi Masada

Brookes still has allies like Kazusada Higuchi & Takeshi Masada offering to fight Hino on his behalf while he recovers.

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW LIVE TOUR IN SPRING ’23”, 18/06/2023
Tokyo Ryogoku KFC Hall

1. Moka Miyamoto Vs Runa Okubo
2. Hikari Noa & Haru Kazashiro Vs Mahiro Kiryu & Shino Suzuki
3. Miu Watanabe Vs Toga
4. Yuki Kamifuku Vs Wakana Uehara
5. Hyper Misao & Yoshiko Hasegawa Vs Raku & Pom Harajuku
6. Shoko Nakajima & Arisu Endo Vs Nao Kakuta & Kaya Toribami
7. Rika Tatsumi & Suzume Vs Yuki Aino & HIMAWARI

Mizuki is not at the show because she will be in America for Deadlock Pro that day. Yuka Sakazaki will be with her at that show too. Their match over there has gone through a bunch of changes. It was supposed to be The Magical Sugar Rabbits Vs Miyu Yamashita & Hyan. First, Hyan had to pull out of the show because of a scheduling conflict so she is replaced with Vert Vixen. Then news of Sakazaki’s injury came out so Mizuki is now teaming with Emi Sakura. Those two teaming together again is newsworthy by itself.

This weekend’s show has a couple of firsts. It is the first main event match for HIMAWARI. It’s the first time Hyper Misao & Yoshiko Hasegawa are teaming together. It is also Runa Okubo’s first singles match of her career.

DDT “WHAT ARE YOU DOING 2023 TOUR IN SAPPORO DAY 2”, 18/06/2023
Sapporo ii-one Stadium

1. Daisuke Sasaki & MJ Paul Vs Hideki Okatani & Kazuma Sumi
2. Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno Vs Sanshiro Takagi & Yukio Sakaguchi
3. Kazuki Hirata & Saki Akai Vs Akito & Sanae Takebayashi
4. Special Single Match: Andreza Giant Panda Vs Pokotan
5. Sapporo Specialty Special Tag Match: Yuji Hino & Tomoya Vs Kazusada Higuchi & Yuki Ishida
6. Jun Akiyama & Noriyuki Yoshida Vs HARASHIMA & Takeshi Masada
7. BURNING Vs The 37KAMIINA!: Tetsuya Endo, Yusuke Okada & Yuya Koroku Vs Yuki Ueno, MAO & Toy Kojima

The cowards aren’t putting Andreza Giant Panda Vs Pokotan in the main event. Boo!

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW LIVE TOUR IN SPRING ’23”, 24/06/2023
Kobe Art Center

1. Kaya Toribami Vs Haru Kazashiro
2. Yuki Arai Vs HIMAWARI
3. Nao Kakuta Vs Toga
4. 3 Way Match: Yuki Kamifuku Vs Hikari Noa Vs Shino Suzuki
5. Shoko Nakajima & Hyper Misao Vs Raku & Pom Harajuku
6. Rika Tatsumi & Miu Watanabe Vs Yuki Aino & Mahiro Kiryu
7. Mizuki, Suzume & Arisu Endo Vs Miyu Yamashita, Maki Itoh & Moka Miyamoto

The American tours are ending for Yamashita and Maki Itoh. Both will be back in Japan for Tokyo Joshi Pro next weekend. Sakazaki will be home with them too. She is advertised for an autograph session at the show.

Both Wakana Uehara and Runa Okubo are missing the show due to scheduling conflicts.

DDT “WHAT ARE YOU DOING 2023”, 25/06/2023
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

0. Dark Match: Yuki “Sexy” Iino, Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno, Toru Owashi & Yuni Vs Akito, Soma Takao, Kazuma Sumi & Rukiya
1. Yukio Sakaguchi, Saki Akai, Hideki Okatani & Sanshiro Takagi Vs Ryota Nakatsu, Yuki Ishida, Yusuke Okada & Yuya Koroku
2. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Yuji Hino, Jun Akiyama & Makoto Oishi Vs Kazusada Higuchi, Masahiro Takanashi & Antonio Honda
3. Special Single Match: Naruki Doi Vs Takeshi Masada
4. Special Single Match: HARASHIMA Vs Minoru Fujita
5. International Special Single Match: Tetsuya Endo Vs Nick Wayne
6. KO-D Tag Team Titles: Daisuke Sasaki & MJ Paul Vs Yuki Ueno & Toy Kojima
7. DDT Extreme Title – Survival 3 Way Match: MAO Vs Kazuki Hirata Vs Yoshihiko

A third party wants to fight MAO and Kazuki Hirata over the vacant DDT Extreme Title! A few days ago Yoshihiko pinned both of them at the same time and believes it now qualifies to be part of the title match. A 3 Way Match was suggested and MAO liked the idea because he wants to fight Yoshihiko more often. They all agreed to make it under elimination rules because everybody expects Hirata will get immediately pinned. Since the match is headlining the show it would be a waste to set up a 3 Way only for it to end so quickly. All three wrestlers are happy with the decision. Yoshihiko gets to fight for a championship, MAO gets to fight Yoshihiko again and Hirata gets to be in the main event even if might only for a few seconds!

The 37KAMIINA are getting prepared for the vacant KO-D Tag Team Titles match. When Shunma Katsumata was having his surgery, he came up with a new tag team finishing move for Yuki Ueno & Toy Kojima to use. Every duo combination in The 37KAMIINA so far has their own version of the MADMAX finisher. This one is called the My MADMAX because Katsumata thought of it by himself. They all held a training session together along with Rukiya being used as the crash test dummy. After a few practice tries, the My MADMAX was discovered to be a Spike Air Raid Crash. They all believe the move is easier to use on Daisuke Sasaki. However if they can pull it off on MJ Paul then it will be even more damaging to an opponent his size.

Honda already said his piece defending Brookes against Hino. Now he has to step in the ring and meet Hino face to face with the help of Higuchi & Masahiro Takanashi. They need the help because Hino & Makoto Oishi have Jun Akiyama on their side!

The match order other than the main event and dark match has not been determined yet.

GANBARE☆PRO “GHOST HUNTERS 2023”, 30/06/2023
Tokyo Takashimadaira Kumin Center

1. HARUKAZE & YuuRI Vs Yoshiko Hasegawa & Kaho Matsushita
2. Riara Vs Haruka Umesaki
3. Special Just Before Ota Ward! Imanari-gun Vs Katsumura-gun All-Out Battle!!: X Vs X
4. Special Just Before Ota Ward! Imanari-gun Vs Katsumura-gun All-Out Battle!! Elimination 6-Man Tag Match: X, X & X Vs X, X & X
5. Special Tag Match: Ken Ohka & Kuma Arashi Vs Keisuke Ishii & Shota

Imanari-gun: Yumehito Imanari, Mizuki Watase, Soma Takao & Tyson Maeguchi

Katsumura-gun: Shuichiro Katsumura, Minoru Fujita, Yuki Kanzaki & Munetatsu Nakamura

The woman Sayaka Unagi is sending to assess Riara is Haruka Umesaki from Diana! Umesaki is the current W.W.W.D Champion in that promotion.

DDT “DDT YOKOHAMA UNLIMITED SPECIAL”, 01/07/2023
Yokohama Radiant Hall

1. Special Hardcore Tag Match: Atsushi Onita & Toy Kojima Vs Yukio Sakaguchi & Hideki Okatani
2. International Special Tag Match: Yuki Ueno & Yuni Vs Nick Wayne & Takeshi Masada

Katsumata came up with another idea to help Kojima grow. He’s making Kojima team with Atsushi Onita for a Hardcore Tag Match against Eruption! Katsumata would team with Kojima himself but while he is out injured, he thinks Onita is more than a suitable replacement to do something crazy.

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “SUMMER SUN PRINCESS ’23”, 08/07/2023
Tokyo Ota Ward Gymnasium

1. Juria Nagano Comeback Match: Juria Nagano Vs X
2. Nyla Rose Vs Miu Watanabe
3. Miyu Yamashita Vs Sawyer Wreck
4. Sakisama & Mei Saint-Michel Vs Yuki Arai & Wakana Uehara
5. International Princess Title: Rika Tatsumi (c) Vs Yuki Arai
6. Princess Of Princess Title: Mizuki (c) Vs Maki Itoh

Nyla Rose’s new opponent is Miu Watanabe!

DDT “OSAKA BAYS BLUES SPECIAL 2023”, 20/08/2023
Osaka Edion Arena #2

1. Current Blast Death Match: Atsushi Onita Vs X

After a few weeks of hype, DDT have announced the next former WWE wrestler to appear on their shows is… Yoshitatsu… Yay…

At least there’s an explosion death match on the show.


DDT “WHAT ARE YOU DOING 2023 TOUR IN KUMAMOTO” Results

May 28, 2023

DDT “WHAT ARE YOU DOING 2023 TOUR IN KUMAMOTO”, 28/05/2023
Kumamoto Castle Hall Civic Hall
283 Fans – Super No Vacancy

1. Yuya Koroku defeated Rukiya with the Chicken Wing Arm Lock (6:46).
2. 2 Vs 3 Handicap Match: Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno defeated HARASHIMA, Toru Owashi & Kazuki Hirata when Iino submitted Hirata after the Pheromone Airport (12:12).
3. Hardcore Match: Chris Brookes & Sanshiro Takagi defeated Hideki Okatani & Kazuma Sumi when Brookes submitted Sumi with the Ground Octopus Stretch (10:33).
4. BURNING Vs The 37KAMIINA!: Yuki Ueno & MAO defeated Tetsuya Endo & Yusuke Okada when Ueno pinned Okada with the BME (9:43).
5. Special Single Match: Jun Akiyama defeated Toy Kojima by Referee Stoppage with a Cross Armbreaker (10:23).
6. Kumamoto Specialty Special Tag Match: Kazusada Higuchi & Yuki Ishida defeated Kota Umeda & Takeshi Masada when Ishida pinned Masada with the Flame Palm (14:55).
7. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Yuji Hino, Makoto Oishi & Darkside HERO! defeated Daisuke Sasaki, MJ Paul & Shogun Okamoto when Hino pinned Paul with the Fuckin’ BOMB (18:37).

The mystery wrestler on the Ω team today was somebody who hasn’t been in DDT in some form since 2011 and even then his last true appearance happened before that. It was Darkside HERO! His sudden apperance turned the match against DAMNATION T.A into a mostly heel versus heel affair. It looked like DAMNATION T.A were on the way to winning as the dirtier team but Daisuke Sasaki missed a chairshot and accidentally hit Shogun Okamoto instead. Darkside HERO! took out Okamoto with the Somato and Yuji Hino sealed the deal by pinning MJ Paul with the Fuckin’ BOMB. Makoto Oishi told Darkside HERO! that if Ω are ever in trouble again they will call him for help. Darkside HERO! promised to rush over whenever that happens.

It’s only a few times a year when Kota Umeda wrestle in DDT so he wants to make them count. He was on the losing side when the other hometown wrestler Yuki Ishida pinned Takeshi Masada. Umeda is currently one-half of the Kyushu Pro Tag Team Champions and he feels he should not be losing this way. So if there is ever a chance, he wants Kazusada Higuchi & Ishida to challenge him for the belts. Higuchi thought of the same idea and thinks it might be an interesting direction to go.

Jun Akiyama taught Toy Kojima a painful lesson today but it is also meant to be a motivating one. He won their match by locking in a Cross Armbreaker and getting the referee to stop the bout to save Kojima from injury. According to Akiyama backstage, the message was to never give up on your feelings even when you fail. If Kojima wants to be in the match for the vacant KO-D Tag Team Titles then he should not forget how he feels today and fight with all his might. Yuki Ueno also gave encouraging comments about Kojima, saying it is his energy that will help them win the vacant titles.


DDT “WHAT ARE YOU DOING 2023 TOUR IN HIROSHIMA” Results

May 27, 2023

DDT “WHAT ARE YOU DOING 2023 TOUR IN HIROSHIMA”, 27/05/2023
Hiroshima JMS Aster Plaza
190 Fans – Super No Vacancy

1. Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno defeated Kazuma Sumi & Rukiya when Iino submitted Rukiya with the Cross Ass Sexy Lock Ass (7:38).
2. Kazusada Higuchi & Yuki Ishida defeated Sanshiro Takagi & Yusuke Okada when Higuchi pinned Okada with the Brain Claw Press (7:47).
3. No DQ Match: MAO defeated Hideki Okatani with the Cannonball 450 on the Chair (10:22).
4. Special Single Match: Kenshin Chikano defeated Kazuki Hirata with a Right Middle Kick (13:21).
5. Hiroshima Specialty Special 6-Man Tag Match ~ Lucha Libre Rules: Tetsuya Endo, Jun Akiyama & Yuya Koroku defeated HARASHIMA, Toru Owashi & Rey Paloma when Akiyama submitted Paloma with the Exploder Suplex (10:59).
6. The 37KAMIINA Vs DAMNATION T.A!: Daisuke Sasaki & MJ Paul defeated Yuki Ueno & Toy Kojima when Paul pinned Kojima with the Death Valley Bomb (9:01).
7. Special Tag Match: Chris Brookes & Takeshi Masada defeated Yuji Hino & Makoto Oishi when Brookes subitted Oishi with the Ground Octopus Stretch (15:15).

First blood goes to Chris Brookes but he told the fans afterwards today’s result does not mean much because he beat Makoto Oishi instead of Yuji Hino. Backstage Hino agreed, pointing out that even his kid can beat Oishi. Takeshi Masada is happy to team with Brookes and winning matches with them.

With ShunMao vacating the KO-D Tag Team Titles and stepping away from the division due to Shunma Katsumata’s injury, the team of Yuki Ueno & Toy Kojima have stepped forward on behalf of The 37KAMIINA and joined the race to crown new champions. They did not get off to a good start after they lost to DAMNATION T.A.

If you want to know how an Exploder Suplex counts as a submission move, Rey Paloma gave up out of fear when Jun Akiyama was about to use the move on him.

Kazuki Hirata and Kenshin Chikano have known each other for 16 years but today was their first singles match against each other. Hirata said the match took so much from him he might not be able to wrestle tomorrow.


Peter Pan Main Event, Shunma Injured, KO-D Tag And Extreme Titles Vacated

May 22, 2023

Not sure what this bit of news will end up being but DDT will have a “big announcement” revealed on their Youtube channel this Wednesday. What it is or if they are being honest by calling it big I do not know. The synopsis on the video’s page does not provide any clues as far as I can see. A previous kind of tease they did like this was the announcement of “CYBERFIGHT FESTIVAL 2022” last year so maybe this one could be related to “ULTIMATE PARTY 2023” in November?

BASARA “BASARA 219 ~KOO~”, 23/05/2023
Shin-Kiba 1st RING

1. Ryuichi Sekine, Minoru Fujita & Yasu Urano Vs FUMA, Takumi Tsukamoto & Ryota Nakatsu
2. 3 Way Match: Gouma Ryu Vs Tatsuhiko Yoshino Vs Takato Nakano
3. Chouten ~Itadaki~ 2023 – Round 1 A Block: SAGAT Vs Lil’ Kraken
4. Chouten ~Itadaki~ 2023 – Round 1 A Block: Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi Vs Leo Isaka
5. Chouten ~Itadaki~ 2023 – Round 1 A Block: Daiki Shimomura Vs Daichi Kazato
6. Chouten ~Itadaki~ 2023 – Round 1 A Block: Isami Kodaka Vs Shiori Asahi

The Chouten ~Itadaki~ 2023 begins tomorrow.

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW LIVE TOUR IN SPRING ’23”, 27/05/2023
Kanagawa Fujisawa City Shonandai Cultural Center

1. Hikari Noa Vs Haru Kazashiro
2. Yuki Aino & Pom Harajuku Vs Toga & Runa Okubo
3. Nao Kakuta & Asuka Vs Moka Miyamoto & Kaya Toribami
4. Mizuki & Raku Vs Hyper Misao & Shino Suzuki
5. Rika Tatsumi, Miu Watanabe & HIMAWARI Vs Suzume, Arisu Endo & Wakana Uehara
6. Shoko Nakajima & Yuki Kamifuku Vs Aja Kong & Mahiro Kiryu

Yuki Kamifuku’s good friend Asuka is calling by to celebrate Kamiyu’s big homecoming show.

The team of Mizuki & Raku is called Oyasumi Rabbit. The team of Hyper Misao & Shino Suzuki is called Green Team.

Runa Okubo returns to action after missing a few shows due to “academic reasons”. Was she flunking class or something?

DDT “WHAT ARE YOU DOING 2023 TOUR IN HIROSHIMA”, 27/05/2023
Hiroshima JMS Aster Plaza

1. Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno Vs Kazuma Sumi & Rukiya
2. MAO Vs Hideki Okatani
3. Kazusada Higuchi & Yuki Ishida Vs Sanshiro Takagi & Yusuke Okada
4. The 37KAMIINA Vs DAMNATION T.A!: Yuki Ueno & Toy Kojima Vs Daisuke Sasaki & MJ Paul
5. Special Single Match: Kenshin Chikano Vs Kazuki Hirata
6. Hiroshima Specialty Special 6-Man Tag Match: Tetsuya Endo, Jun Akiyama & Yuya Koroku Vs HARASHIMA, Toru Owashi & Rey Paloma
7. Special Tag Match: Yuji Hino & Makoto Oishi Vs Chris Brookes & Takeshi Masada

The road to “WRESTLE PETER PAN 2023” is filled with Yuji Hino and Chris Brookes fighting each other. That means the likes of Makoto Oishi and Takeshi Masada will be getting involved too.

The card had to be changed slightly because of KANON’s injury.

DDT “WHAT ARE YOU DOING 2023 TOUR IN KUMAMOTO”, 28/05/2023
Kumamoto Castle Hall Civic Hall

1. Yuya Koroku Vs Rukiya
2. 2 Vs 3 Handicap Match: Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno Vs HARASHIMA, Toru Owashi & Kazuki Hirata
3. Chris Brookes & Sanshiro Takagi Vs Hideki Okatani & Kazuma Sumi
4. BURNING Vs The 37KAMIINA!: Tetsuya Endo & Yusuke Okada Vs Yuki Ueno & MAO
5. Special Single Match: Jun Akiyama Vs Toy Kojima
6. Kumamoto Specialty Special Tag Match: Kazusada Higuchi & Yuki Ishida Vs Kota Umeda & Takeshi Masada
7. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Yuji Hino, Makoto Oishi & X Vs Daisuke Sasaki, MJ Paul & Shogun Okamoto

With KANON absent, DAMNATION T.A are bringing in Shogun Okamoto to take on the Ω team. Okamoto has fought Hino before in DDT as part of the ONLY WE shows whenever the PERON GRANDES heel unit decided to get involved. Ω still have their mystery partner as an ace up their sleeve.

DDT “DDT YOKOHAMA UNLIMITED VOL. 3”, 03/06/2023
Yokohama Radiant Hall

1. Special Tag Match ~ Gatoh Move Vs DDT’s Comical Strongest Tag: Masahiro Takanashi & Mei Suruga Vs Toru Owashi & Kazuki Hirata
2. Special Tag Match: Yuji Hino & Makoto Oishi Vs Chris Brookes & Kazusada Higuchi

The two King Of DDT finalists are teaming up! Kazusada Higuchi publicly congratulated Brookes at a press conference today and offered to help him in any form to prepare for Hino.

Some of the matches previously announced for this show had to be cancelled due to injuries changing DDT’s places. The new matches will be announced soon.

DDT “WHAT ARE YOU DOING 2023”, 25/06/2023
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

1. DDT Extreme Title: X Vs X
2. KO-D Tag Team Titles: X & X Vs X & X

The original plan was for ShunMao to defend the KO-D Tag Team Titles on this show. However Shunma Katsumata injured his foot during yesterday’s DDT Extreme Title defence and has since been diagnosed with a fractured talus bone. He is going to get surgery for it and agreed to vacate both the KO-D Tag Titles and the Extreme Title. New champions for both titles will be crowned on the Korakuen Hall show instead.

Nick Wayne will be on the show, kicking off his tour of Japan with DDT.

DDT “DDT YOKOHAMA UNLIMITED SPECIAL”, 01/07/2023
Yokohama Radiant Hall

1. International Special Tag Match: Yuki Ueno & Yuni Vs Nick Wayne & Takeshi Masada

Wayne’s “phantom match” teaming with Masada to take on Yuki Ueno & Yuni gets to happen after all. It’s still taking place in Yokohama too although it’s in a smaller venue this time.

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “SUMMER SUN PRINCESS ’23”, 08/07/2023
Tokyo Ota Ward Gymnasium

1. Miyu Yamashita Vs Sawyer Wreck
2. Princess Of Princess Title: Mizuki (c) Vs Maki Itoh

Miyu Yamashita’s first match back in Tokyo after three and a half months will be against the returning Sawyer Wreck. Yamashita has hit the Skull Kick on tall opponents before so she is confident she can hit Wreck with it too.

DDT “WRESTLE PETER PAN 2023”, 23/07/2023
Tokyo Ryogoku Kokugikan

1. Special Tag Match: Chiitan☆ & Pokotan Vs Andreza Giant Panda & Super Sasadango Machine
2. Dramatic Dream Match: Daisuke Sasaki Vs El Desperado
3. DDT Universal Title: Tetsuya Endo (c) Vs Matt Cardona (w/ Steph De Lander)
4. KO-D Openweight Title: Yuji Hino (c) Vs Chris Brookes

In today’s press conference Brookes said all four people he beat to win the King Of DDT (HARASHIMA, Sanshiro Takagi, Jun Akiyama and Kazusada Higuchi) all mean a lot to him and are also big parts of DDT’s history. The cheers of the fans also pushed him to victory which makes him feel even happier to be with DDT. The last time he wrestled in Sumo Hall was a year ago when he and Masahiro Takanashi won the KO-D Tag Titles. His parents were there to see him wrestle and he remembers telling them the next time he has a match there it will be in the main event with the KO-D Title on the line! He knows how strong Hino is but has become confident he can beat him.

Tetsuya Endo was not pleased to find out the big ex-WWE wrestler coming to challenge him is Matt Cardona. He heard Cardona is being paid 30 million yen for the booking and he thinks that kind of money is better off being spent on someone else. Like himself for example. Cardona is also bringing along Steph De Lander to be in his corner. She’s been described as his Sensational Sherri equivalent (since WWE took away his “Miss Elizabeth“, aka Chelsea Green) and will certainly add an extra threat towards Endo’s DDT Universal Title reign.

DDT is running a competition for fans to come up with a tag team name for Chiitan & Pokotan.


DDT “KING OF DDT 2023 FINAL!!” Results

May 21, 2023

DDT “KING OF DDT 2023 FINAL!!”, 21/05/2023
Tokyo Korakuen Hall
677 Fans

0. Dark Match: Yuki “Sexy” Iino, Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno & Yumehito “Fantastic” Imanari defeated Akito, Yusuke Okada & Rukiya by TKO when Iino used the Radio Taiso Exercise on Rukiya (6:01).
0. Dark Match: Yukio Sakaguchi, Saki Akai, Soma Takao, Yuni & Yuki Ishida defeated Toru Owashi, Makoto Oishi, Antonio Honda, Kazuki Hirata & Kazuma Sumi when Akai pinned Hirata with the Quetzalcoatl (7:39).
1. King Of DDT 2023 – Semi Final: Kazusada Higuchi defeated Yuki Ueno with the Brain Claw Slam (10:57).
2. King Of DDT 2023 – Semi Final: Chris Brookes defeated Jun Akiyama with the Praying Mantis Bomb (11:20).
3. BURNING Vs DAMNATION T.A!: Tetsuya Endo & Kotaro Suzuki defeated Daisuke Sasaki & MJ Paul when Endo pinned Paul with the Burning Star Press (11:02).
4. Special 8-Man Tag Match: Yuji Hino, Sanshiro Takagi, HARASHIMA & Naruki Doi defeated MAO, Toy Kojima, Yuya Koroku & Takeshi Masada when Hino submitted Koroku with the King Ghidorah Sleeper (10:32).
5. DDT Extreme Title – Piercing Death Match: Shunma Katsumata (c) defeated Hideki Okatani with an Inside Cradle (12:02).
*V1 for Shunma Katsumata.
6. King Of DDT 2023 – Final: Chris Brookes defeated Kazusada Higuchi with the Ground Octopus Stretch (24:28).

Four years ago an English wrestler from the independents named Chris Brookes came to DDT. He took to Japan’s wrestling scene like a duck to water, ticking off a hardcore puroresu bucket list of things to do that isn’t just wrestle in Korakuen Hall and getting a Ribera Steakhouse jacket. What was supposed to be a year long visit to Japan became a four year stay, partly due to the pandemic, but that only helped his career grow. He ingrained himself into Japan’s wrestling scene from as many corners as he could whether it was for DDT, Gatoh Move or somewhere else. Today that four year journey reached its highest point for now because Brookes is the winner of this year’s King Of DDT tournament!

Brookes earned his victory by beating last year’s winner Kazusada Higuchi in the final. Higuchi kicked out of the Praying Mantis Bomb and used the Brain Claw to set up an Exploder Suplex. That almost resulted in a double KO countout but both men got up at 9. Higuchi did the Doctor Bomb but Brookes kicked out at two. Higuchi provoked Brookes into Headbutting him several times and then fired back with one of his own. But when Higuchi charged in to do the Buchikamashi, Brookes jumped onto him and latched on the Octopus Stretch. The move took Higuchi off his feet and Brookes kept finding ways to twist him until Higuchi finally gave up.

Brookes shook hands with Higuchi after the match and was presented with the trophy. He then celebrated with his cornermen Masahiro Takanashi, Drew Parker and Antonio Honda. Brookes told the fans he was able to win because of their cheers. But his “Dramatic Dream” is not over yet because Brookes is now setting his sights on the KO-D Openweight Title! Backstage he told the reporters that it was not a hard decision to stay in Japan during the pandemic because his friends and family are with DDT and he will always be a part of the company. He beat HARASHIMA, Sanshiro Takagi, Jun Akiyama and Higuchi to win this tournament so he isn’t intimidated with fighting Yuji Hino for the KO-D Title. Higuchi praised Brookes for his persistence and tenacity. He credits that as the difference maker today.

The DDT Extreme Title was on the line in a Piercing Death Match. It was a No DQ match featuring nothing but sharp weapons for Shunma Katsumata and Hideki Okatani to stab each other with. Okatani purposely dyed his hair blonde for the match so he could cover it in Katsumata’s blood! An extra stipulation was added where piercing your opponent’s ear three times was a valid way to win the match. That wasn’t needed in the end although both men did get their ears stapled a lot. Okatani had his back rolled over a pile of thumbtacks while Katsumata was pushed through a barbed wire board. However Katsumata got away with the win thanks to an Inside Cradle.

Afterwards Katsumata said he always thought Okatani had what it takes to do hardcore and death match wrestling. He wants to do a rematch some day. Okatani agreed because he had fun doing his first death match. Katsumata then suggested when Atsushi Onita comes back to DDT on 1st July, they can get him involved too for a tag team match. However when Yukio Sakaguchi heard about the idea backstage he got angry over hearing Onita’s name.

Before Hino knew who his next challenger was going to be, he led his squad to victory in an 8-Man Tag Match. It was a rocky start with MAO’s team setting up a Kongo style train of Elbow Drops onto Takagi. Takeshi Masada attacked Takagi, complaining to his boss that he wants to travel to shows on the bullet train. Takagi ordered him while fighting back to take the bus instead because he’s too immature. Naruki Doi also got more annoyed at his younger opponents as the match progressed. Hino sorted that problem out, hitting both Yuya Koroku and Toy Kojima with his big Chops. Kojima withstood the Chops as best as he could until Hino held both him and Koroku in a Double Dragon Sleeper for the win. When Hino does the move to one person it’s called the King Kong Sleeper. But when he does it to two people at the same time it’s called the King Ghidorah Sleeper!

Tetsuya Endo faced his past in the BURNING Vs DAMNATION T.A tag match. Daisuke Sasaki attacked him before the bell and took a moment to look at the DDT Universal Title. Endo fought back and had help from Kotaro Suzuki against MJ Paul. Suzuki blocked Paul from doing the Reverse Splash and then he along with Endo gave Paul a Power Bomb/Neckbreaker combo. Later Sasaki missed a Diving Clothesline and accidentally hit Paul from behind. That gave Endo the opening to knock Sasaki outside, wipe him out with the Sasuke Special and then climb the turnbuckles to pin Paul with the Burning Star Press.

After the match Endo called for the big announcement over the ex-WWE wrestler coming to DDT soon to be revealed. He doesn’t care who it is but he heard that this person is being paid 30 million yen to come over! A video played revealing the wrestler is Matt Cardona! The man who now calls himself the “Indy God” is going to face Endo for the Universal Title at “WRESTLE PETER PAN 2023” and he is bringing former NXT wrestler Steph De Lander along with him. Endo was not impressed. He expected a big name but this exceeded his expectations in a bad way. He thinks no amount of money or Twitter followers directly relates to how strong a wrestler is. Endo swore he will defend the Universal Title, take Cardona’s Twitter followers and also take the 30 million yen! Endo also put out word he is waiting for KANON to come back from injury because he owes him a match. KANON was supposed to be part of today’s tag match but is out of action with a dislocated shoulder.

Brookes had to go through Akiyama in the King Of DDT semi-finals earlier in the show. Akiyama threw his Knee Strikes, Exploder Suplexes and even applied the Front Neck Lock to no success. Brookes recovered some ground by countering another Exploder into a Cradle for a nearfall. Akiyama went for the move again but Brookes cut him off with a Knee Strike of his own and used the Praying Mantis Bomb to get the win out of nowhere. Akiyama said afterwards he has to get back into the swing of things otherwise he will wind up like the NOAH Health Club. That is a nickname he gave to Jun Izumida, Masao Inoue and Kishin Kawabata back in 2004 for their lackadaisical efforts in training at the time.

Higuchi’s path to the final saw him go through Yuki Ueno in a rematch of their KO-D Title bout from last December. The two know each other well by this point and had counters for each other’s signature moves. Ueno just couldn’t go through with the WR and was stunned with a Headbutt. Higuchi ran him over with a Lariat and finished him off with the Brain Claw Slam. Ueno told the reporters that results like this should prove he is not good enough. But he beat Naruki Doi and Kotaro Suzuki to get to this point so giving up now would only be disrespectful to them. So Ueno will not stop fighting until he makes it to the top of DDT!

The final rounds of the tournament taking up so much of the main card resulted in a lot of the roster being relegated to the dark matches. A 10-Man Tag featured the usual mix. Kazuki Hirata was briefly abandoned by the rest of his side, leaving him alone in the ring with Sakaguchi. That led to a train attack on Hirata until he was able to tag in Toru Owashi. Then Yuni gave Makoto Oishi a top rope Frankensteiner and got a two count that was broken up by Kazuma Sumi. A circle of split leg submissions formed in the ring with Honda and Yuki Ishida both being left out so they joined together in the center of the circle for a Gongitsune spot. The spot went out of control with Honda striking everybody until he and Ishida started pinching each other’s nipples. Hirata broke it up with his dance but that got intercepted by an attack from Sakaguchi. Saki Akai then joined in wearing the Hirata GO! glasses and pinned Hirata with the Quetzalcoatl.

The pre-show began in the morning time so Pheromones had an idea in mind to wake everyone up. They started playing exercise music from a morning TV show midway through the match so they could do lewd looking exercises while fighting off the opposition. Akito & Yusuke Okada both had their attempts to stop the workout fail, leaving Rukiya to take the worst of it. The exercises Pheromones did to him rendered him unconscious so the match ended by TKO.

When the show had ended and Korakuen started clearing out, Daisuke Sasaki urgently called for the media to meet him in the waiting room backstage. There he told them he was waiting for El Desperado to show up because New Japan were running the next event in Korakuen later in the evening. He claimed he only wanted to meet with Desperado and take a picture together to promote their match at “WRESTLE PETER PAN 2023”. However the venue staff started to complain and told Sasaki to leave so they could clean the place up before New Japan arrived. Management then approached Sasaki telling him to leave and he tried to pay them 1,000 yen and then promised that Sanshiro Takagi will pay for an extension fee. He finally gave up and left when the staff started pushing him out of the room with their mops.

The Yuki Ueno & Yuni Vs Nick Wayne & Takeshi Masada that was meant to take place in Yokohama Budokan earlier this month is now happening at Yokohama Radiant Hall on 1st July. Yuni backstage said he is very excited and wil be waiting for Wayne right here in DDT.

Fighting Beer Garden 2023 will be held at Ueno Park on 16th and 29th August. For the first time in four years it will be a full fledged drinking show for the fans like it used to be.

Starting on 23rd May DDT will be doing a free ticket campaign for preschool, elementary school and junior high school students at all of their shows. The plan was originally going to be for just preschoolers but DDT decided to include other students due to Yuki Ueno’s recent appearances on the NHK show Tensai TV-kun.

ShunMao’s next KO-D Tag Team Titles defence was announced to take place at Korakuen on 25th June.


Interim IRON FIST Titles, Kamifuku Defends Home From Kong, X Is…Not Shiori Asahi?

May 11, 2023

DDT “DRAMATIC DREAM TAKASHIMAYA VOL. 1”, 13/05/2023
Tokyo Shinjuku Takashimaya 1st Floor JR Exit Special Venue

1. Sanshiro Takagi, Yuya Koroku & Kazuma Sumi Vs Kazusada Higuchi, Saki Akai & Yuki Ishida
2. Special Tag Match: Chiitan☆ & Akito Vs Pokotan Vs Kazuki Hirata
3. Tetsuya Endo, Chris Brookes & Takeshi Masada Vs MAO, Yuki Ueno & Toy Kojima

A press conference to promote the King Of DDT finals will take place during the event. All four semi-finalists will be in attendance.

BASARA “BASARA 218 ~TAKAGARI 17~”, 13/05/2023
Tokyo Takashimadaira Kumin Center

1. SAGAT & Lil’ Kraken Vs Yasu Urano & Fuminori Abe
2. Isami Kodaka, Takato Nakano & Kaz Hayashi Vs KUBITO, Daichi Kazato & Tsutomu Oosugi
3. FUMA Vs Ryota Nakatsu
4. Interim IRON FIST TAG Titles: Daiki Shimomura & Minoru Fujita Vs Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi & Antonio Honda
5. Union MAX Title: Banana Senga (c) Vs Takumi Tsukamoto

The IRON FIST TAG Titles are becoming an interim championship while Masato Kamino is out with a knee injury. Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi & Antonio Honda are still in the title match but now their opponents will be Daiki Shimomura & Minoru Fujita from Sento Minzoku. Whenever Kamino is able to come back, Aijin Tag will enter a unification match with the interim champions.

Kaz Hayashi from GLEAT enters BASARA for the first time.

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW LIVE TOUR IN SPRING ’23”, 27/05/2023
Kanagawa Fujisawa City Shonandai Cultural Center

1. Shoko Nakajima & Yuki Kamifuku Vs Aja Kong & Mahiro Kiryu

Kanagawa is home to Yuki Kamifuku so she is getting a big main event match for the show. She has to face Aja Kong in a tag match! If that turned out to be Mahiro Kiryu’s idea then she’ll really have to apologize for that. Shoko Nakajima once teamed with Kong but this time they are opponents.

DDT “WHAT ARE YOU DOING 2023 TOUR IN HIROSHIMA”, 27/05/2023
Hiroshima JMS Aster Plaza

1. MAO, Yuki Ueno & Toy Kojima Vs Daisuke Sasaki, MJ Paul & KANON
2. Special Single Match: Kenshin Chikano Vs Kazuki Hirata
3. Hiroshima Specialty Special 6-Man Tag Match: Tetsuya Endo, Jun Akiyama & Yuya Koroku Vs HARASHIMA, Toru Owashi & Rey Paloma

A little bit of Dove Pro is being added to the mix for DDT’s visit to Hiroshima. Rey Paloma and Kenshin Chikano are part of the show.

DDT “WHAT ARE YOU DOING 2023 TOUR IN KUMAMOTO”, 28/05/2023
Kumamoto Castle Hall Civic Hall

1. Special Single Match: Jun Akiyama Vs Toy Kojima
2. Kumamoto Specialty Special Tag Match: Kazusada Higuchi & Yuki Ishida Vs Kota Umeda & Takeshi Masada
3. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Yuji Hino, Makoto Oishi & X Vs Daisuke Sasaki, MJ Paul & KANON

A mystery wrestler is teaming with Yuji Hino & Makoto Oishi. Is somebody being added to Ω? Will X turn out to be Shiori Asahi?!?!

The rare annual Kota Umeda appearance is here. He gets to relive the DNA days by fighting Kazusada Higuchi again. Yuki Ishida and Takeshi Masada will need to watch out.


DDT “MEGA MAX BUMP 2023 IN YOKOHAMA” Results

May 3, 2023

DDT “MEGA MAX BUMP 2023 IN YOKOHAMA”, 03/05/2023
Yokohama Budokan
1,160 Fans

0. Dark Match – Pheromones Vs D GENERATIONS Army Best Of 3 Singles Matches: Yumehito “Fantastic” Imanari defeated Rukiya with the Tiger Driver (4:07).
0. Dark Match – Pheromones Vs D GENERATIONS Army Best Of 3 Singles Matches: Ilusion defeated Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno with a Japanese Leg Roll Clutch Hold (5:21).
0. Dark Match – Pheromones Vs D GENERATIONS Army Best Of 3 Singles Matches: Koju “Shining Ball” Takeda defeated Yuki Ishida with the Shining Katame (4:54).
1. Yuya Koroku & Munetatsu Nakamura defeated Toy Kojima & Kazuma Sumi when Koroku submitted Sumi with the Modified Triangle Lancer (8:36).
2. International Special Single Match: Saki Akai defeated Rayne Leverkusen with the Quetzalcoatl (5:51).
3. Daisuke Sasaki, Minoru Fujita & MJ Paul defeated Soma Takao, Yusuke Okada & Diego when Sasaki submitted Diego with the Crossface Lock (11:09).
4. Dance Vs Kickboxing Mixed Martial Arts Challenge: Hikaru Machida defeated Kazuki Hirata by TKO with a Right Straight (R1 0:07). (Round Girl: Sayuri Namba)
4a. Rematch: Kazuki Hirata defeated Hikaru Machida with the Miracle One Shot Cradle (R4 3:32). (Round Girl: Sayuri Namba)
5. Chiitan☆ Debut Match ~ Special 6-Man Tag Match: Chiitan☆, Toru Owashi & Akito defeated Chris Brookes, Masahito Takanashi & Antonio Honda when Chiitan☆ pinned Honda with the Shining Wizard (10:26).
6. Special Tag Match: Yuki Ueno & Yuni defeated Vent Vert Jack & Takeshi Masada when Ueno pinned Masada with the Rolling Guillotine Ace Crusher (12:03).
7. DDT Extreme Title – TLC (Toys, Ladders & Chairs) Match: Shunma Katsumata defeated Jun Akiyama (c) with a School Boy (17:03).
*Jun Akiyama fails in V5. Shunma Katsumata becomes the 57th DDT Extreme Champion!
8. Road To King Of DDT 2023 Special 8-Man Tag Match: Kazusada Higuchi, Yukio Sakaguchi, Naruki Doi & KANON defeated Sanshiro Takagi, HARASHIMA, Kotaro Suzuki & Hideki Okatani when Sakaguchi pinned Okatani with the God’s Right Knee (10:40).
9. DDT Universal Title: Tetsuya Endo (c) defeated MAO with the Tetsuya In The Sky (19:17).
*V1 for Tetsuya Endo.
10. KO-D Openweight Title: Yuji Hino (c) defeated Yuki “Super Sexy” Iino with the Fuckin’ BOMB (22:28).
*V2 for Yuji Hino.

All throughout the build up for the Yokohama Budokan Golden Week show, Yuki Iino had promised to seal away his “Sexy” persona in order to get a KO-D Openweight Title shot. It led to him evolving a “Strong” persona that pleased Yuji Hino and left the champion thinking they would deliver a strong style match for the ages. Oh boy was he wrong. A referee bump led to Pheromones interfering and Makoto Oishi jumping in to try and stop them. Hino wanted nothing to do with the nonsense and ran off backstage with everyone chasing after him. Danshoku Dieno took the microphone, said he held Iino back for too long and it was time to give fans a title match only DDT can deliver! Pheromones returned with Hino all gagged up and behind them was the first appearance of Yuki “Super Sexy” Iino! Pheromones did their spots but Oishi was there once again to get in their way and revive Yukinori Matsui. From there the match went back to normal. Iino hit his new Strong Splash finisher but only got a two count. Hino came back throwing Lariats to combat Iino’s Spear. The momentum flipped all the way to the champion and he got the three count with the Fuckin’ BOMB.

Hino was presented with the KO-D Title by Kenta Kobashi after the match (apparently Kobashi did not sound the least bit amused by the main event on commentary). Hino told Iino that he is a strong wrestler when they fight each other and he should be choosing his friends more carefully. Dieno defended Iino by telling Hino he dares to be “Sexy” and chose to be that way. When times are tough everyone should look to Pheromones for inspiration. Dieno also warned that the Pheromones way of life will lead him to meet Hino in the ring again some day. Hino gave Iino credit for showing off his real ability today and reminded fans that DDT is the place where amazing wrestlers gather together to have amazing matches.

The war of words between Tetsuya Endo and MAO has come to an end for now after Endo was put down his arch rival. For weeks the two have sent harsh words to each other over who suits the DDT Universal Title more. When it came down to the match itself both tried to outdo each other with big moves. Endo kicked out of the Avalanche Michinoku Driver II and the Cannonball 450 but when Endo hit the Tetsuya In The Sky it was all over. MAO was left beaten but he said afterwards the result did not change his mind. He still intends to win the Universal Title he just has to start from scratch all over again. As long as he behaves how he thinks the Universal Champion should behave then the belt will eventually gravitate towards him by itself. Meanwhile Endo said MAO was just all talk and no better than Daisuke Sasaki’s snot! If MAO wants to get revenge and beat him, he should go home and become his town’s toursim ambassador first!

With MAO now out of the way, Endo has a new mystery challenger on the horizon. As he walked up the ramp to leave ringside, a video played with the message “I have won many titles. Next target is DDT Universal Title. On July 23, Ryogoku. I will go to steal the belt.” The video also mentioned the message was sent from a former WWE wrestler and their identity will be revealed on 21st May. Who could it be? Well maybe it’s the guy who tweeted out a similar vague message a few hours later and then posted the video itself? Endo said a WWE wrestler is the best choice for his next defence. However Endo is about to take part in the King Of DDT tournament and the winner of that will most likely get a KO-D Title match at “WRESTLE PETER PAN 2023” on 23rd July. Endo wants to win the tournament and then win the KO-D Title while still holding the Universal Title. If he gets that opportunity then he won’t be able to do two title matches at the Sumo Hall show. It would just be too difficult for him!

A preview for the King Of DDT was on display in an 8-Man Tag Match. Given the amount of people in the match chomping at the bit to wrestle, the match went ahead with No Tag Rules. It led to some of the 1st Round pairings squaring up to each other. Sanshiro Takagi and Yukio Sakaguchi fought each other while Kotaro Suzuki and KANON went back and forth. Hideki Okatani tried cutting off his Eruption stablemate but was pinned with the God’s Right Knee for his troubles. Sakaguchi helped Okatani to the back after the match, showing there was no ill intention over the result. Everyone also gave out comments about King Of DDT. Takagi is now trying to figure out how to prepare for his 1st Round match in three days. Sakaguchi wants Takagi to put his phone away and be ready for him. Suzuki wants to win King Of DDT at all costs. Naruki Doi sees everyone as his enemy because he knows it only takes one loss to get eliminated from the bracket. HARASHIMA wanted his side to win as a team today but their teamwork wasn’t good enough. Kazusada Higuchi was reminded of how tough the competition is going to be so he will tighten his resolve for the early rounds. KANON promised to give Suzuki a nightmare he deserves. Okatani was excited by the match and wants to win no matter what it takes.

The TLC Match was all about Toys, Ladders and Chairs! The idea was put together by Shunma Katsumata to ensure Jun Akiyama would experience a true DDT Extreme Title defence. However the in the build up to the match the plan seemed to have backfired when Akiyama got the bright idea to get Toy Kojima involved because he counts as a “Toy”! The match went ahead with chaos being caused around the ring. Akiyama crashed into a castle of chairs but he also used Kojima as a weapon against Katsumata. One Exploder Suplex was not enough to get the win so Akiyama set up another. However Kojima suddenly showed he had enough of being treated like a toy and he hit Akiyama with a Leg Lariat. That caused Katsumata to roll up Akiyama from behind and get the pin to win the Extreme Title! After the match Kojima yelled at Akiyama, telling him to stop treating people like toys and how Katsumata has always treated him as a friend. His comments got Akiyama to go to management and demand a singles match with him somewhere down the line. Meanwhile Katsumata wants to take the Extreme Title and KO-D Tag Team Titles with MAO worldwide. He also wants to turn the belt strap back from white to purple but that might take some time.

DDT’s young portion of their roster was put on display for Match #6. Yuki Ueno teamed up with Yuni originally expecting to face some international competition. However visa issues prevented Nick Wayne from being able to travel to Japan so Takeshi Masada instead had to team with Vent Vert Jack from Yokohama’s MY WAY promotion. It was the first time Yuni and Jack were in the ring together since the end of the DDTeeeen!! project. Yuni pulled out a Firebird Splash on Masada to give Ueno a nearfall. Jack tried to keep breaking the pins but Ueno scored the win in the end by giving Masada the Rolling Guillotine Ace Crusher. Ueno said everyone in the match was amazing and makes him wonder how good he himself will be when Wayne does finally come to DDT? His upcoming singles match with HUB is giving him an explosion of motivation and he wants to also face Wayne in a singles match. Yuni also threw his name into the hat to have a match with Wayne. Jack said he would like to come back to DDT for more matches with Yuni and Ilusion. Masada said he was able to see the difference in his career to those of Yuni and Jack. He’s older than both of them but they have far more experience than he does. He sees he has to catch up to them first before he can catch up to Ueno.

The pro wrestling debut of Chiitan saw the mascot get outclassed by its opponents at first. But Toru Owashi & Akito were there to provide backup against CDK & Antonio Honda. Chiitan got into a punch exchange with Chris Brookes until Honda paused the match to give his latest Gongitsune joke. When the match resumed Brookes set Chiitan up for the Praying Mantis Bomb when music suddenly began to play. DDT’s own oversized mascot Pokotan ran down to the ring to the rescue! It instead got attacked and had its head stomped in by Brookes. But unknown to him, Chiitan had climbed the top rope and went on to hit a Diving Cross Body onto Brookes, Honda & Masahiro Takanashi. With the ring cleared, Chiitan then hit the Shining Wizard on Honda to win the match.

The two mascots gathered together afterwards and seemed to be on the same page. Until suddenly Chiitan attacked Pokotan with a baseball bat! The two got into a brawl that Akito tried to break up. Things briefly calmed down long enough for Akito to announce Chiitan and Pokotan will have a match against each other on 13th May but that just caused the mascots to get into another fight. Backstage Akito tried to explain what was going on to the reporters. Pokotan thinks he is DDT’s No. 1 mascot while Chiitan thinks it is Japan’s No. 1 mascot. The two are now determined to end each other!

The long awaited MMA fight between Dance and Kickboxing only lasted 7 seconds when Hikaru Machida immediately knocked out Kazuki Hirata. One person in particular took more offence to the result than anyone else in the building. The round girl Sayuri Namba was furious! She didn’t put all this effort into becoming a round girl again only to see she wasn’t needed. She even handmade her own costume for the match! She took her anger out on Hirata, Machida and the ref Matsui by slapping them all to the canvas. Everyone agreed to restart the match to further avoid her wrath. Namba became a lot more cheerful now she was able to do her job.

In the 3rd Round, Hirata feared he was about to get knocked out again so he got on the microphone and read a letter he wrote about wanting to put smiles on children’s faces. He thinks Machida’s own child would have the biggest smile if Hirata and Machida danced together. In the 4th Round Machida held back his Iai Punch and tearfully told Hirata he will always be a father before a fighter. The two danced to Hirata’s music but Hirata then cradled Machida for a nearfall. Machida hit the Iai Punch but that also got a two count. Hirata then locked in the Miracle One Shot Cradle from out of nowhere to take the win. Namba raised both of their hands and the three of them all danced to close out the match. Backstage Machida said this was the first time he ever lost a fight because his opponent exploited his love for his son. He also never danced in front of so many people before. His cornerman Thanomsak Toba told him that this is pro wrestling and everything is a learning experience. Namba said she would love to do more round girl work but only if the fighters are stronger so the audience can enjoy the fight more.

Diego’s first match with DDT in six years came about when Keigo Nakamura got injured. Diego was already in Japan and had attended a DDT show as Katsumata’s guest so when a spot on this show opened up it was only natural to bring him in. Unfortunately DAMNATION T.A spoiled his return and left him with a loss on his record. Daisuke Sasaki gave him a Low Blow, Minoru Fujita followed up with the Sayonara Tombstone and Sasaki landed a Diving Elbow. Diego kicked out of the pin but was put into the Crossface Lock for the submission ending. Soma Takao & Yusuke Okada still thanked Diego for joining their team on short notice. Sasaki complained about Diego coming back and demanded to fight him one on one in Diego’s home country of Chile. The flights are expensive though so he wants Diego to pay for it.

Rayne Leverkusen’s goal to “Make It Rayne” in Japan was taken down a notch after she lost to Saki Akai. She tried using a Rolling Elbow, German Suplex and Spinebuster to win. Akai fired back with a High Kick, the Rookie Award and then the Quetzalcoatl to get her hand raised in the end. For Akai she didn’t take it for granted that she got a singles match on one of DDT’s big shows of the year. She could tell that Rayne only has a year and a half of experience. She also doesn’t know anything about Iron Maiden so she was able to treat Leverkusen as an opponent and nothing else. Leverkusen said she respects Akai and she also won’t run away whenever her opponents brings up her family’s fame. She will continue to wrestle for her family and is proud to get a big singles match in Japan today. She wants to come back and if she is still a champion when she does, she thinks she will have to give Akai a title match.

The opening match ended with Yuya Koroku cutting off Kazuma Sumi’s Lionsault and then submitting him with the Triangle Lancer. However Koroku is not satisfied with that after failing to win the D GENERATIONS CUP and failing to qualify for King Of DDT. He wants to get even stronger so he can move out of the opening match spot as soon as possible. Munetatsu Nakamura from Ganbare☆Pro was happy to be on the winning team and hopes the next time he comes to DDT he will get to team with Keigo Nakamura as was originally planned. This was the fourth time Kojima & Sumi teamed up together. Kojima figures he has to protect Sumi even more after today’s loss. Sumi meanwhile is getting frustrated because he cannot figure out how to break out of Koroku’s Triangle Lancer.

Most of Pheromones were banished to the pre-show to take part in three dark matches. They pulled out a 2-1 score against a trio of rookies in singles matches. First, Yumehito Imanari beat Rukiya by using the Lariat and then the Tiger Driver. Then there was an upset when Ilusion defeated Danshoku Dieno! Ilusion got unmasked by Dieno during the match but the other rookies had the bright idea to place Dieno’s discarded tights over his head as a replacement. Ilusion then caught Dieno with a Japanese Leg Roll Clutch Hold to get the surprise three count and even the score. The third match was the decider with Yuki Ishida facing Koju Takeda. Ishida using an Emerald Flowsion for a nearfall and went for the Flame Palm. But Takeda countered it with his Shining Katame submission to make Pheromones win the series. Dieno used the result to declare today was going to be Pheromones Day!

A few guest names were announced for “WRESTLE PETER PAN 2023” on 23rd July. First, Andreza Giant Panda will be coming back to DDT. The other was a person that nobody would have predicted, a wrestler by the name of Yoshitomo Shimohigashi. He is considered the first graduate of the Ibushi Wrestling Institute, having debuted in wrestling back in 2018. He also has an athletic background in bowling. Given his connection to Kota Ibushi, Shimohigashi is nicknamed “Golden Stardust” and he now carries on Kota Ibushi’s lineage in pro wrestling. Akito explained he has a hand in the Institute as an advisor and that even though Shimohigashi is unknown to the vast majority of wrestling fans, he is well known within the wrestling industry. Shimohigashi told the fans he wants to make an explosion inside the very ring that Ibushi created.

DDT will go to Sumo Hall for a second time this year on 12th November for “ULTIMATE PARTY 2023”.