BAKA GAIJIN + FRIENDS “VOL. FOURTEEN: NONE OF THEM KNEW THEY WERE ROBOTS” Results

May 21, 2024

BAKA GAIJIN + FRIENDS “VOL. FOURTEEN: NONE OF THEM KNEW THEY WERE ROBOTS”, 21/05/2024
Tokyo ARENA Shimokitazawa
??? Fans

1. Special Single Match: The Invisible Man defeated Chris Brookes with a Frankensteiner (9:30).
2. Special Single Match: Masahiro Takanashi defeated Ram Kaichow with a Title Belt Attack (8:32).
3. Special Single Match: Mecha MAO (w/ Mad Dr. Ueki) Vs Takagi Sanshirobo (w/ Mad Dr. Hige) ended in a No Contest (11:52).
4. Special Single Match: Mr. Bueno defeated Antonio Honda with the Bueno Splash (15:58).

Slowly but surely Baka Gaijin + Friends have been growing a cast of characters you will rarely see anywhere else. The main event was the first appearance anywhere of a mariachi masked luchador named Mr. Bueno. His match against Antonio Honda had some serious background behind it. According to Mr. HAKU on commentary, Bueno’s parents were stung to death by bees so he has a hatred of hone. Honda really likes honey though which is where the conflict between them comes from. Bueno was able to hold back his anger and wrestle Honda like a gentleman. Both kept apologising to the fans they bumped into while fighting in the small venue. Bueno was able to beat Honda by climbing the bar counter and hitting the Bueno Splash. It took him two tries to do it because he hit his head off the ceiling the first time around.

The robots have taken over and more are coming! Two made scientists sent their greatest creations to battle when Mecha MAO fought Takagi Sanshirobo. It was an evenly fought match not just between the robots but between Mad Dr. Ueki and Mad Dr. Hige too. Things became even more dangerous when the match was interrupted by the emergence of a third robotic fighter known only as K-5000. Made out of liquid metal, K-5000 was resistant to all attacks that Mecha MAO and Sanshirobo could throw at it. Nothing could stop K-5000’s rampage so the other robots sacrificed themselves for one final chance at saving the world. Sanshirobo grabbed hold of K-5000 while MAO self destructed next to them. When the dust settled everyone was down and out… except for K-5000! The match was called off and there was no winner.

Masahiro Takanashi defeated Ram Kaichow in what was a pretty straightforward match until the finish. There was a lot of matwork until Kaichow gave Takanashi a Choke Slam. She then tried to give him the Rainmaker but Takanashi pulled the ref into her way to block it. He then grabbed one of the KO-D 10-Man Tag Team Title belts from Chris Brookes and hit Kaichow over the head with it. The ref recovered after all of this and counted the pin none the wiser. After the match CDK tried to attack Kaichow again but she fought them off by giving Brookes a Tilt-O-Whirl DDT and then giving Takanashi the Rainmaker.

Brookes caused some trouble elsewhere earlier in the show. He fought The Invisible Man in the opening bout, losing to his unseen opponent thanks to a flash Frankensteiner out of nowhere. After the match Brookes showed respect to The Invisible Man by asking him to join his team for a big multi-person match taking place in Gatoh Move on 30th May. The match is going to be Baka Gaijin + Friends against New Beijing Pro Wrestling. Suddenly Sayaka walked over to them and complained about being left off the Baka Gaijin team despite always working on the shows behind the scenes. Brookes saw her point and announced she has been added to the team instead of The Invisible Man!

The next show will take place on 2nd July. After that Baka Gaijin and MAO will be holding an event called “FUCKED UP FEST VOL. 1” on 24th August that will feature music as well as wrestling matches.


DDT “DRAMATIC DREAMS! VOL. 11 ~ YUKINORI MATSUI REFEREE 30TH ANNIVERSARY BOX OFFICE” Results

May 19, 2024

DDT “DRAMATIC DREAMS! VOL. 11 ~ YUKINORI MATSUI REFEREE 30TH ANNIVERSARY BOX OFFICE ~ MAKING THE SQUARE WORLD INTERESTING”, 19/05/2024
Osaka City Sumiyoshi Civic Center
968 Fans – Super No Vacancy Full House

0. Dark Match – Future Is Here!: Kazuma Sumi defeated Yuni and Ilusion when Sumi pinned Yuni with the School Boy (7:10).
1. THE Non-Stop Action Battle! ~Three High Speed Crows Vs Naniwa Pro Wrestling Three Musketeers~: Yuto Kikuchi, Harutoki & Kohei Kinoshita defeated Naruki Doi, Shunma Katsumata & Keigo Nakamura when Kikuchi pinned Nakamura with the Diving Foot Stomp (01:15).
2. An Absolutely Outrageous Tag Match Between The Four Heavenly Kings Of The Variety Team: Danshoku Dieno & Super Sasadango Machine defeated Kazuki Hirata & Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi when Dieno pinned Hirata with the Gaydo Clutch (0:09).
2a. Rematch: Danshoku Dieno & Super Sasadango Machine defeated Kazuki Hirata & Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi when Dieno pinned Hiroshi with an Inside Cradle (0:07).
2b. Rematch: Danshoku Dieno & Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi defeated Super Sasadango Machine & Kazuki Hirata when Dieno pinned Sasadango with a School Boy (0:07).
2c. 1 Vs 3 Handicap Match: Danshoku Dieno defeated Super Sasadango Machine, Kazuki Hirata & Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi when Dieno pinned Sasadango with a School Boy (0:21).
2d. 4 Way Match: Danshoku Dieno Vs Super Sasadango Machine Vs Kazuki Hirata Vs Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi ended in a Draw when all four wrestlers pinned each other simultaneously (2:33).
3. ACF & Koyo Daiichi Consultants Co., Ltd. Presents Mixed Martial Arts Battle: Bushimasa Vs Thanomsak Toba ended in a Draw (R2 1:00).
4. Staggered Entry Tag Battle Royal “Surprise! Tag Rumble”: Yuko Miyamoto & Isami Kodaka defeated Soma Takao & Shota when Kodaka pinned Shota with a Vertical Drop Brainbuster (15:00).
Order Of Elimination: Masahiro Takanashi & Makoto Oishi, Toru Owashi & Black Menso-re, KANON & MJ Paul, Tomomitsu Matsunaga & Gota Ihashi, Yuki Iino & Yuki Ishida, Yoshihiko & Pokotan, Keisuke Ishii & Akito and Soma Takao & Shota.
5. Tsuji Dental Clinic & Yasuda Dental Clinic Presents Special 6-Man Tag Match – “20 Years Ago THE OSAKA”: Magnitude Kishiwada, HUB & Kengo Takai defeated Tsubasa, Billy Ken Kid & Shoichi Uchida when Kishiwada pinned Uchida with the Last Ride (5:19).
6. Seisho Kogyo Co., Ltd. Presents Battle Between Generations! Legends Vs Next Generation Special 6-Man Tag Match: Jun Akiyama, Jinsei Shinzaki & Sanshiro Takagi defeated Takeshi Masada, To-y & Yuya Koroku when Shinzaki pinned Koroku with the Nenbutsu Power Bomb (10:42).
7. Special 6-Man Tag Match ~Everyone Is Superhuman!~: HARASHIMA, Yuji Hino & Chris Brookes defeated Shuji Ishikawa, Shigehiro Irie & Yukio Naya when HARASHIMA pinned Irie with the Swan Dive Somato (11:55).
8. PANTASIA Presents Special Tag Match Wrestling Masters Vs Let’s Go 40’s ~With The Bolivian Wind~: Dick Togo & Daisuke Sasaki defeated Yasu Urano & Antonio Honda when Togo pinned Honda with the Diving Senton (17:19).
9. Triple Main Event Kagoshima no Dancho Presents Special Single Match Kuishinbo Kamen & Kikutaro & Yukinori Matsui, Everyone’s 30th Anniversary, Add Them To Get 90th Anniversary(!) Commemorative Match ~Laughing Fukuraimon~: Kuishinbo Kamen defeated Kikutaro with the Kansai Airport Tornado (16:38).
10. Triple Main Event – From All Over The World, Arriving In Osaka. Special Singles Match ~THE ALPHA Vs King Of Pro Wrestling~: KONOSUKE TAKESHITA defeated Minoru Suzuki with an Elbow Butt (23:41).
11. Triple Main Event Ondo Metal Co., Ltd. Presents Special Tag Match ~DDT PRIDE~: Yuki Ueno & Kazusada Higuchi defeated MAO & Tetsuya Endo when Ueno pinned Endo with the WR (25:37).

The worlds of DDT and the Osaka wrestling scene gathered together for Yukinori Matsui’s annual show and this year was a special one. The referee was celebrating 30 years in the business and put together a marathon show for the occasion, although he cared more about making sure everyone watching the show had fun. He admitted he was tired by the end of it and in hindsight probably should not have officiated the last four matches back to back. He was pleased with the quality of the matches that happened. He probably won’t be doing another anniversary show for another 5 or 10 years but you can bet Matsui will continue booking his annual Osaka show no matter what day it falls on every year.

Everyone in the main event congratulated Matsui and all expressed their gratitude to him backstage after the show. Yuki Ueno said Matsui has supported pro wrestling for 30 years and it is thanks to him that he was able to grow stronger as a champion today. He thinks it is important that Matsui holds these shows to make matches he wants to show to everyone. Tetsuya Endo feels honored that Matsui picked him to be in the main event. He noticed everyone in the match are all currently champions and have a high standing in DDT. He admits this year has been a struggle but it will be worth it if it will lead to better results in the future. That will be Endo’s way of repaying Matsui for everything he’s done for him. MAO said the history of companies that Matsui worked for is where all of his favorite wrestlers came from. He hopes Matsui will take care of himself for years to come because MAO intends to wrestle for another 50 years and he likes using Matsui as a weapon. Kazusada Higuchi told Matsui to do his best so Higuchi can continue doing his best too.

The match between Konosuke Takeshita and Minoru Suzuki had a little bit of extra gas added to it thanks to developments happening elsewhere this past week. Takeshita will be facing Jon Moxley in AEW soon in a non-title match and if Takeshita wins he will be getting an IWGP World Heavyweight Title shot. Suzuki was aware of that news. The day before this show happened he declared he will beat Takeshita and work his way towards destroying Moxley to take the championship for himself. Suzuki was a tough challenge but Takeshita was able to wear him down to the point of collapse. Suzuki withstood all of the Elbow Strikes and Jumping Knees until one final Elbow Butt put him down for the pinfall. By beating “The King Of Pro Wrestling” today, Takeshita can now boast he is the stronger of the two. A defeated Suzuki admitted he is now just an old man from the Showa era and has nothing else to say about the result.

Matsui isn’t the only person celebrating 30 years in the business this year. Kikutaro and Kuishinbo Kamen have been a vital part of Matsui’s career for a long, long time. The three of them have known each other since they were all wrestling trainees in Yokohama. Matsui ended up getting injured and switched to being a referee. Kikutaro paid tribute to him after the match by impersonating Atsushi Onita. Kamen was rewarded with a championship belt from the match sponsor for being the winner.

There was an unexpected guest accompanying Dick Togo’s team in Match #8. It was Diego! He even helped out by interfering in the match a little bit. Daisuke Sasaki enjoyed teaming with his mentor today but thinks Matsui should make them opponents next time. There are still many moves and other tricks that Sasaki wants to steal from Togo before he can ultimately surpass him. Yasu Urano & Antonio Honda both think seven years is too long a wait for them to wrestle Togo again. They would like to do it every six months. Honda also described Togo as the father of pro wrestling and Matsui is the mother. He himself is not sure if he is being serious or just joking.

Kyohei Wada was the referee for Match #7. To-y made demands at Sanshiro Takagi to raise his salary. Takagi told him he has to ask President Okamoto for that from now on. After the match Matsui presented Wada with a bouquet of flowers to celebrate Wada’s 50 years in the wrestling business. Wada said he wants to continue for another 20 years so Takagi encouraged him to reach his 70th anniversary.

Match #2 had to be restarted over and over because Danshoku Dieno, Super Sasadango Machine, Kazuki Hirata and Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi were all beating each other within seconds. Eventually they all collapsed onto each other in a pile and Matsui counted the pinfall for all of them, resulting in a draw. Although in the ring it was announced that they were all winners.

Keiko Takaeshita, the mother of Konosuke, was welcomed into the ring to greet everyone at the start of the show. She Clotheslined Matsui and finished the show’s opening call.


DDT “EARLY SUMMER BEER GARDEN PRO WRESTLING – DAY 2” Results

May 17, 2024

DDT “EARLY SUMMER BEER GARDEN PRO WRESTLING – DAY 2”, 17/05/2024
Tokyo Ueno Park Outdoor Stage
346 Fans

1. HARASHIMA & Keigo Nakamura defeated Kazusada Higuchi & Yuki Ishida when Nakamura pinned Ishida with the Diving Headbutt (11:47).
2. Shinobazu Pond Elimination Match: Toru Owashi & Akito defeated MAO & To-y when Akito eliminated MAO & To-y by Ring Out (7:57).
3. Daisuke Sasaki, KANON & MJ Paul defeated Jun Akiyama, Yukio Naya & Makoto Oishi when Sasaki submitted Oishi with the Crossface Lock (8:42).
4. Chris Brookes defeated Yuya Koroku with a Heel Hook (12:00).
5. Special Tag Match: Tetsuya Endo & Yuki Iino defeated Yuki Ueno & Kazuki Hirata when Iino pinned Hirata with the Spear (12:37).
6. Danshoku Dieno Birthday Eve Commemorative Match ~ Danshoku Dieno Succession Match: Kazuma Sumi defeated Takeshi Masada after the Danshoku Driver from Danshoku Dieno (12:02). (Special Referee: Danshoku Dieno)
7. DDT Extreme Title – Leave History Behind!! 3 Round Pokkiri Strategy Match: Shunma Katsumata (c) (2) defeated Antonio Honda (1).
7a. 1 Count Fall Wasabi Cream Puff Death Match: Antonio Honda defeated Shunma Katsumata (5:17).
7b. Scramble Bunkhouse Bra Hunt Match: Shunma Katsumata defeated Antonio Honda when Katsumata put on the Bra (6:49).
7c. 2 Count Fall Only Match: Shunma Katsumata defeated Antonio Honda with a Backward Rolling Cradle (5:00).
*V3 for Shunma Katsumata.

The early summer edition of DDT’s beer garden shows ended with Yuki Ueno calling out Sanshiro Takagi and telling him he wants to defend the KO-D Openweight Title against him. Takagi wants the same and already had a contract for the match written up so it can take place as soon as possible. The title match will take place in Shinjuku FACE on 5th June. That is a few days after Takagi is no longer the president of CyberFight so he will be free to fight Ueno with less responsibilities to worry about. The two shared a toast to celebrate until Takagi gave Ueno the Stunner. Ueno said he is looking forward to the match because even though DDT is changing, he is still here.

Three falls consisting of random rules determined who was leaving today as the DDT Extreme Champion. The 1st fall was a Wasabi Cream Puff Death Match. When you pinned your opponent for a 1 Count, the opponent’s second at ringside would have to pick a cream puff and eat it. If the puff contained wasabi then the round would end. Antonio Honda ended up winning the fall when To-y ate the wasabi puff. The 2nd Fall was a Scramble Bunkhouse Bra Hunt Match. Honda and Shunma Katsumata had to race down to the ring and be the first one to put on a bra. Honda used Gongitsune to slow down Katsumata. He got his hands on a bra first but struggled for too long. Katsumata got his own bra and wore it before Honda could to even the score. The final deciding fall could only be won with a 2 Count Pinfall. Katsumata came out on top and used a Backwards Rolling Cradle to win the match and defend his championship.

Katsumata already knows where he will defend the title next. It will be at the Aqua Yukari sauna in Chiba on 21st June. He called out for anyone to challenge him on the date. He ended up getting three challengers. Yukio Naya, To-y and Illusion all entered the ring demanding to be in the match. Katsumata agreed to defend the title against all of them in a Falls Count Anywhere Survival 4 Way match at the sauna.

Since tomorrow is Danshoku Dieno’s birthday he felt it is time for him to find a successor. He officiated a match between Takeshi Masada and Kazuma Sumi with the intention to pass down his gimmick to the winner. He encouraged and then later forced the two participants to wrestle like he does. Neither Masada nor Sumi wanted to win and both tried to throw the match to each other. Eventually Sumi decided to go along with the idea when he gave Masada the Danshoku Driver for a nearfall. He then gave Masada the Lip Lock and left him for Dieno to do the real Danshoku Driver. Sumi pinned him afterward and Dieno counted the fall. The match was immediately followed by a press conference where Dieno announced Sumi will now be called Danshoku Dieno II! He changed into Dieno’s wrestling tights and ran around giving everyone Lip Locks to celebrate. However a couple of hours after the show DDT announced that Dieno II had changed his mind and will go back to being Kazuma Sumi.

The stage in Ueno Park’s theater features a small pool area in front of it. For Match #2 the wrestlers agreed to have a Pond Elimination match where the first team to get both of their opponents out of the pond at the same time would win. Toru Owashi got close to eliminating both MAO & To-y with a Double Headscissors Takeover. He was able to go through with it when Akito pushed all three of them out of the pool to win.

A press conference was held at the start of the show featuring the four semi-finalists of this year’s King Of DDT. MAO said he is two wins away from winning the tournament and therefore three wins away from becoming the KO-D Champion. He not only has momentum but also a mysterious power that will make him win the whole thing. Kazusada Higuchi simply reminded everyone he is taking things one match at a time and wants to focus on beating MAO. Chris Brookes said he can beat Daisuke Sasaki in a fair fight but Sasaki likes to cheat. Brookes knows how to cheat too so he requested their bout be turned into a No DQ Match. Sasaki agreed to it and called for Hisaya Imabayashi to make it happen.


3 Round Strategy, King Of DDT Final 4, GanPro At The Boat Race

May 13, 2024

DDT “EARLY SUMMER BEER GARDEN PRO WRESTLING – DAY 2”, 17/05/2024
Tokyo Ueno Park Outdoor Stage

1. Chris Brookes Vs Yuya Koroku
2. Kazusada Higuchi & Yuki Ishida Vs HARASHIMA & Keigo Nakamura
3. Daisuke Sasaki, KANON & MJ Paul Vs Jun Akiyama, Yukio Naya & Makoto Oishi
4. MAO & To-y Vs Toru Owashi & Akito
5. Danshoku Dieno Birthday Eve Commemorative Match ~ Special 3 Way Match: Takeshi Masada Vs Kazuma Sumi (Special Referee: Danshoku Dieno)
6. Special Tag Match: Tetsuya Endo & Yuki Iino Vs Yuki Ueno & Kazuki Hirata
7. DDT Extreme Title – Leave History Behind!! 3 Round Pokkiri Strategy Match: Shunma Katsumata (c) Vs Antonio Honda

The DDT Extreme Title will be defended in a Best 2-Out-Of-3 Rounds match. Each round will have different rules or stipulations based on the ideas of both Shunma Katsumata and Antonio Honda. What those rules are we will not know until the show takes place. Katsumata likes to gamble which is why he is letting Honda decide on some of the rules. Honda can come up with something that will put Katsumata at a disadvantage but the champion thinks that is one reason why wrestling is so exciting. It does not even have to be a big rule change. The way Honda describes it, a small item can fall into a river and flow all the way into the ocean.

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW LIVE TOUR 2024 SPRING”, 18/05/2024
Shin-Kiba 1st RING

1. Nao Kakuta Vs Runa Okubo
2. Shoko Nakajima & Haru Kazashiro Vs Mizuki & Pom Harajuku
3. Arisu Endo, Kaya Toribami & Chika Nanase Vs Raku, Shino Suzuki & Uta Takami
4. Suzume & Mahiro Kiryu Vs Moka Miyamoto & Kira Summer
5. Miu Watanabe, Rika Tatsumi & HIMAWARI Vs Maki Itoh, Yuki Aino & Toga
6. Queen Of Asia Title & VPW Women’s Title: Yuki Kamifuku (c/c) Vs Alexis Lee

Next month’s Korakuen Hall show has a Princess Of Princess Title match already booked but I’m struggling to see who could be next to challenge for either the Princess Tag Team Titles or the International Princess Title. Maybe we will find out one of them here.

DDT “KING OF DDT ~20TH ANNIVERSARY~ FINAL!!”, 26/05/2024
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

0. Dark Match: Yuni & Keigo Nakamura Vs Ilusion & Kazuma Sumi
1. 3 Way Tag Match: Toru Owashi & Kazuki Hirata Vs Danshoku Dieno & Makoto Oishi Vs Yukio Naya & Takeshi Masada
2. KANON & MJ Paul Vs HARASHIMA & Akito
3. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Tetsuya Endo, Yuki Iino & Yuya Koroku Vs Poison Sawada JULIE, Shuji Ishikawa & Masahiro Takanashi
4. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Yuki Ueno, Shunma Katsumata & To-y Vs Sanshiro Takagi, Jun Akiyama & Tomomitsu Matsunaga
5. King Of DDT 20th Anniversary – Semi Final: MAO Vs Kazusada Higuchi
6. King Of DDT 20th Anniversary – Semi Final: Chris Brookes Vs Daisuke Sasaki
7. King Of DDT 20th Anniversary – Final: X Vs X

We’re left with a pretty good final four in the King Of DDT this year. Either MAO, Kazusada Higuchi, Chris Brookes or Daisuke Sasaki is going to take the crown. While the winner will certainly get a KO-D Openweight Title shot down the line, it looks like Yuki Ueno wants to defend it against Sanshiro Takagi first. Those two being in the same match on the show suggests we’re about to get a payoff to that.

BASARA “BASARA 249 ~UTAGE~”, 28/05/2024
Shin-Kiba 1st RING

1. Iron Fist Tag Team Titles: Ryota Nakatsu & Kazusada Higuchi (c) Vs Takumi Tsukamoto & Judomaster
2. Union MAX Title: Minoru Fujita (c) Vs Daichi Kazato

A big match coming up for Daichi Kazato. He got over his setback from two weeks ago to become the No. 1 Contender for the Union MAX Title. He’s been all heart on the path to becoming champion which means Minoru Fujita knows it will take a lot to beat him. It is be a battle that will end in heartbreak for one of them.

GANBARE☆PRO “BOAT RACE G1 TODA PRIMROSE”, 01/06/2024
Saitama Boat Race Toda

1. Gabai Ji-chan & HARUKAZE Vs Yuna Manase & YuuRI
2. Choun-Shiryu & Shota Kawakami Vs Tsutomu Oosugi & Banana Senga
3. Ken Ohka & Rekka Vs Tatsuhito Takaiwa & Yumehito Imanari
4. Aja Kong, Shuichiro Katsumura & Mizuki Watase Vs Keisuke Ishii, Shinichiro Tominaga & Kouki Iwasaki

One of the first business plans Ganbare☆Pro put together when they went independent was to work with a boat racing event in Saitama. It is the same event DDT had done similar work with in the past. GanPro will be providing five matches on the day. The plan is to have one match take place in between every race starting from the fifth race onwards. Aja Kong is the big guest GanPro is bringing in for the event.


DDT “DRAMATIC DREAM TOUR 2024 IN MIYAGI” Results

May 12, 2024

DDT “DRAMATIC DREAM TOUR 2024 IN MIYAGI”, 12/05/2024
Miyagi Yume Messe West Building Hall
301 Fans – Super No Vacancy

1. Akito & Yuya Koroku defeated Makoto Oishi & Yukio Naya when Akito pinned Oishi with a Rotating Crucifix Pin (0:10).
1a. Rematch: Makoto Oishi & Yukio Naya defeated Akito & Yuya Koroku when Oishi pinned Koroku with the Blue Dahlia (7:29).
2. Chris Brookes, Takeshi Masada & Kazuma Sumi defeated Danshoku Dieno, Kazusada Higuchi & Kazuki Hirata when Masada pinned Hirata with a Lariat (0:12).
2a. Rematch: Danshoku Dieno, Kazusada Higuchi & Kazuki Hirata defeated Chris Brookes, Takeshi Masada & Kazuma Sumi when Higuchi submitted Sumi with the Brain Claw (9:37).
3. Special Single Match: Yoshitatsu defeated MJ Paul with the This Is My WWE (10:42).
4. Jun Akiyama & Tomomitsu Matsunaga defeated Yuki Ueno & To-y when Akiyama pinned To-y with the Exploder Suplex (12:35).
5. Special Tag Match: Tetsuya Endo & Yuki Iino defeated HARASHIMA & Keigo Nakamura Endo submitted Nakamura with the Modified Yurikamome (16:42).
6. The 37KAMIINA Vs DAMNATION T.A!: MAO & Shunma Katsumata defeated Daisuke Sasaki & KANON when MAO pinned KANON with the Iai Kick (24:13).

Now that we know who the final four are in the King Of DDT, today’s show gave them time to prepare for the semi-finals. MAO and Daisuke Sasaki were on opposite sides of the main event, giving people a preview of a possible final round match on 26th May. MAO won the tag match and told fans it is his wish for DDT to hold a show in his hometown of Osaki City, Miyagi later this year. Meanwhile Sasaki told everyone he is going to steal moves from his mentor Dick Togo on 19th May to get ready for the semi-final.

Another possible final matchup is Kazusada Higuchi against Chris Brookes. The two faced off in a 6-Man Tag on this show but didn’t spend much time together in the ring. Both said they are going to focus more on their semi-final matches first before worrying over who they could potentially fight in the final.


DDT “KING OF DDT ~20TH ANNIVERSARY~ 2ND ROUND” Results

May 11, 2024

DDT “KING OF DDT ~20TH ANNIVERSARY~ 2ND ROUND”, 11/05/2024
Yokohama Radiant Hall
270 Fans – Super No Vacancy

1. 3 Way Tag Match: Yuki Iino & Akito defeated KANON & MJ Paul and Kazuki Hirata & Soma Takao when Akito submitted Hirata with the Ankle Lock (9:31).
2. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Poison Sawada JULIE, JARASHIMA & Danshoku Dieno defeated Takeshi Masada, Yuya Koroku & Kazuma Sumi when JULIE submitted Sumi with the Cattle Mutilation (8:45).
3. Yuki Ueno & Shunma Katsumata defeated Yukio Naya & Keigo Nakamura when Katsumata pinned Nakamura with the Totonou Splash (12:23).
4. King Of DDT 20th Anniversary – Round 2: Chris Brookes defeated Tetsuya Endo by Referee Stoppage with a Heel Hook (14:58).
5. King Of DDT 20th Anniversary – Round 2: Daisuke Sasaki defeated Sanshiro Takagi with the Crossover Face Lock (7:18).
6. King Of DDT 20th Anniversary – Round 2: Kazusada Higuchi defeated Shuji Ishikawa with the Buchikamashi (16:16).
7. King Of DDT 20th Anniversary – Round 2: MAO defeated To-y with the Iai Kick (17:36).

Some of the stories built up for this year’s King Of DDT have come to an end in Round 2. To-y was able to make it past the opening round but fell to MAO after a spirited performance against him. He kicked out of the Michinoku Driver II and Senpukyaku. He also did his best to shrug off an Iai Kick but MAO finally kept him down with a second Iai Kick. To-y said he has watched many of MAO’s matches from ringside and when it comes to fighting him he found out MAO is actually ten times stronger. MAO described To-y as a weird guy. He will suddenly go mad then go dead then come back to life and go mad again. Maybe that is the Kojima Wonderland experience.

A battle of the heavyweights was promised when Shuji Ishikawa entered the tournament. Kazusada Higuchi and Yukio Naya both targeted him and had to fight each other for the opportunity to fight Ishikawa next. Higuchi won that match and made the most of his opportunity by beating Ishikawa in Round 2! The match had heavy blows from both guys and Higuchi even kicked out of the Fire Thunder at 1. Ishikawa followed up with the Kamigoye and Running Knee Lift but Higuchi kicked out of them as well. Higuchi then took over with a Throwaway German Suplex and ran over Ishikawa with the Buchikamashi for the victory. Ishikawa praised Higuchi for the win and said he had a great time in the tournament with the exception of losing this match. Higuchi thinks he has not surpassed Ishikawa just yet. The battle between them will continue to move back and forth.

Sanshiro Takagi made a mistake early in his match by accidentally hitting the referee with a Lariat. Daisuke Sasaki took Takagi out of the ring for a fight that involved both of them crashing the Dramatic Dream bike into each other or into MJ Paul. The referee took more bumps leading to more cheating by Sasaki including a Low Blow and a chairshot to the head. Takagi relied on using Stunners to fight back until Sasaki caught him in the Crossover Face Lock, forcing him to give up. Sasaki criticised Takagi for being so satisfied with beating Yuki Ueno in Round 1 that he had no motivation to win today. Backstage Takagi said he is disappointed with the result and is still aiming to get a KO-D Openweight Title shot before he takes his break from wrestling. Ueno told reporters he would like to defend the title against Takagi because he owes him for so much. Even though Takagi has not earned a shot, Ueno wants it to happen in order to express his feelings to Takagi in the ring before it is too late.

An injured heel has ended Tetsuya Endo’s chances of advancing further into the tournament. Even though he was cleared to wrestle today, the heel wasn’t in 100% condition and Chris Brookes knew to target it. Endo still tried some high risk moves but he missed the Burning Star Press. Brookes made him pay for it by hitting a Diving Double Stomp to the foot. He then applied a Heel Hook and the referee had to stop the match when it was clear Endo couldn’t escape it and was at risk of getting even more injured. Endo was angry with the finish because he never gave up. Brookes isn’t sure if he could have won if Endo was at 100%. The news of the injury was all over social media leading up to the show so even if Brookes wanted to ignore it for the sake of having a fair fight he couldn’t.

The show ended with a lottery between the remaining wrestlers to determine who faces who in the semi-finals. It will be MAO Vs Higuchi and Brookes Vs Sasaki on 26th May. Higuchi has lost count of how many times he reached the final four (this will be his 7th time) and knows this is where the biggest walls are blocking him. Brookes said both Higuchi and MAO are strong but Sasaki is not at all. However, Sasaki is sneaky and Brookes would have preferred not to worry about fighting somebody like that next.

Poison Sawada JULIE was up to his old tricks by transforming HARASHIMA into JARASHIMA for one night only!

A contract signing for the next DDT Extreme Title match took place during the show. Shunma Katsumata revealed he will defend the title in a 3 Round Pokkiri Strategy Match against Antonio Honda. It a Best 2 Out Of 3 Round match and each round will use different rules that will be announced before the match begins. Both Katsumata and Honda will come up with rules they want to use. The reason why Honda is also allowed to come up with rules too is because Katsumata likes to gamble and wants to be put in a position where the odds can be against him.


GLEAT X DDT Card Revealed

May 10, 2024

GLEAT/DDT “GLEAT VER. & – GLEAT X DDT PRO WRESTLING”, 06/06/2024
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

1. 3 Way Tag Match: Shunma Katsumata, Takanori Ito & Issei Onitsuka Vs MICHIKO, Keigo Nakamura & Yu Iizuka Vs Danshoku Dieno, Makoto Oishi & Jun Tonsho
2. Minoru Tanaka Vs Kazuki Hirata
3. CIMA & HARASHIMA Vs Soma Watanabe & Soma Takao
4. Tetsuya Izuchi Vs Tetsuya Endo
5. SBK & TAKUMA Vs To-y & Kazuma Sumi
6. Yuki Ueno, El Lindaman & MAO Vs Sanshiro Takagi, Kaz Hayashi & Akito
7. Elimination Tag Match: T-Hawk, Chris Brookes, Takehiro Yamamura, Seiki Yoshioka & Takeshi Masada Vs Daisuke Sasaki, Kaito Ishida, KANON, Hartley Jackson & Kotaro Suzuki
8. Hayato Tamura, Ryuichi Kawakami & KAZMA SAKAMOTO Vs Kazusada Higuchi, Yuki Iino & Yukio Naya

Wrestlers from GLEAT and DDT gathered together for a press conference in Yurakucho, Tokyo yesterday. The two promotions will be holding a show together at Korakuen Hall on 6th June (although by the looks of it everything so far suggests this is a GLEAT produced show with DDT mostly just providing talent). CIMA at the conference said he once told the president of GLEAT that he wants to do something interesting, fierce, stylish, fast and crazy in pro wrestling. He recently bumped into Sanshiro Takagi at a restaurant and the two got talking. CIMA wanted to work with DDT again because he felt like the story of #STRONGHEARTS in DDT ended at the halfway point and he would like to continue the story. He was also frustrated over GLEAT not getting to participate at “ALL TOGETHER” last week.

Takagi said DDT never had much contact with GLEAT in the past. DDT and #STRONGHEARTS worked hard together but their relationship faded away when #STRONGHEARTS joined with GLEAT. But he liked CIMA’s idea and wanted to work on something interesting with him. He believes something that DDT and GLEAT has in common is both companies have a young generation of wrestlers with a lot of momentum behind them. He hopes this show will bring something exciting out of that generation. Takagi also sees this as an opportunity to work with Kaz Hayashi one more time before Hayashi retires from wrestling later this year.

GLEAT’s current top unit BULK ORCHESTRA will face DDT’s three top heavyweight wrestlers in the main event. KAZMA SAKAMOTO remembers Yukio Naya as the pathetic little rookie from Real Japan but admits he ended up in a good place with DDT. He is more interested in fighting Kazusada Higuchi. Naya reminded SAKAMOTO he is not the same person as he was back then and he looks forward to repaying his debt to him. Both Higuchi and Ryuichi Kawakami are excited to be part of a super megaton match between teams exceeding over hundreds and hundreds of kilograms in combined weight. Hayato Tamura is the current G-REX Champion and is eager to fight all three of his opponents. Out of the three wrestlers on the DDT team, Yuki Iino has the biggest problem with the GLEAT side. They’re called BULK ORCHESTRA but they can’t sing and have arms as thin as recorders! His harsh words caused a fight to break out and end the press conference.

Some of the matches on the card will be GLEAT Vs DDT and some will mix the two promotions together. One of the matches taking the latter approach has El Lindaman teaming with Yuki Ueno & MAO to face the combined management trio of Takagi, Hayashi & Akito. Lindaman already teamed with Ueno once before at last year’s “ALL STAR JR FESTIVAL”. Ueno has also heard stories about GLEAT from Shinya Aoki in the past. MAO thinks he will fit in with GLEAT because it is a universal company and he is the DDT Universal Champion. Lindaman feels a little out of place because he is the only one on his team who is currently not a champion. So to make up for it he wants to take over the position of whichever wrestler from the other team he beats! Akito pointed out that even though this July Takagi will be taking a break from wrestling and Hayashi will be retiring, both of them are still finding success this late in the game. Hayashi said he’s been booked in a lot of nostalgic matches recently but this match is against first time opponents in Ueno & MAO. He wants to show them how he wants to see them fight and also have a match so exciting everyone will want to see it again.


DDT At “ALL TOGETHER” Results

May 6, 2024

UJPW “ALL TOGETHER”, 06/05/2024
Tokyo Nippon Budokan
4,583 Fans

1. EVIL, Ren Narita & Yujiro Takahashi defeated Hiroshi Tanahashi, Sanshiro Takagi & Naomichi Marufuji when EVIL pinned Tanahashi with the EVIL (8:50).
2. Kenoh defeated Kosei Fujita with the PFS (9:44).
3. Starlight Kid & Natsupoi defeated AZM & Miyu Amasaki when Ken pinned Amasaki with the Star Suplex (9:50).
4. Tomohiro Ishii & Daisuke Sekimoto defeated Jeff Cobb & Masa Kitamiya when Ishii pinned Cobb with the Vertical Drop Brainbuster (13:15).
5. El Desperado, HAYATA, Ninja Mack, MAO & Kota Minoura defeated Hiromu Takahashi, Dragon Bane, Alpha Wolf, Shunma Katsumata & YAMATO when Minoura pinned YAMATO after an accidental Hiromu-chan Bomber from Takahashi (13:21).
6. Taichi & KAI defeated Zack Sabre Jr. & Chris Brookes when Taichi pinned Brookes with the Taichi-Style Gedo Clutch (14:59).
7. Jake Lee, David Finlay & Gabe Kidd defeated Tetsuya Naito, Shingo Takagi & Yota Tsuji when Lee pinned Naito with the FBS (17:46).
8. Shota Umino, Kaito Kiyomiya & Yuki Ueno defeated Yuya Uemura, KONOSUKE TAKESHITA & Shun Skywalker when Kaito Kiyomiya pinned Uemura with the Modified Shining Wizard (23:18).

Let’s have a little look at what DDT got up to at the “ALL TOGETHER” show that took place earlier today. Yuki Ueno and Konosuke Takeshita were part of the main event on opposite teams. They had moments in the match to fight each other as well as everyone else. Ueno along with Shota Umino & Kaito Kiyomiya delivered a Triple Missile Dropkick to Yuya Uemura. Ueno then hit a Moonsault to Takeshita & Shun Skywalker outside the ring, leaving Kiyomiya to finish off Uemura with the Shining Wizard. Ueno and Takeshita left separate comments to reporters after the match. Ueno said every company involved in United Japan Pro Wrestling have joined forces to make pro wrestling more exciting because wrestling gives strength to everyone. He got to wrestle inside Budokan Hall today as a champion and he wants to continue making wrestling fun for everyone with DDT. Takeshita however had more demanding things to say about the main event. He wants his generation to create a new era and that will not happen when everyone behaves like friends. If everyone wants to be the best like he does then they should step up and do singles matches with himself and each other. If any of the other five in the main event have the courage to do that then they should step forward.

Zack Sabre Jr. and Chris Brookes got to team up together again. They are now getting SCHADEN TEKKERS across as their team name but they failed to wear matching gear. They enjoyed getting to wrestle against Taichi but maybe didn’t feel the same about KAI. That all came to a head when KAI brought a chair into the ring and Taichi stopped him from attacking Sabre and instead hit KAI with it. He went back to wrestling Brookes and pinned him with the Gedo Clutch. KAI attacked Taichi after the match but SCHADEN TEKKERS came to the rescue.

The Junior Heavyweight divisions of several promotions all banded together for a 10-Man Tag Match. MAO and Shunma Katsumata were there on behalf of DDT. Katsumata was a last minute replacement for Tetsuya Endo because Endo got hurt during yesterday’s DDT show and needed more time to recover. MAO started the match with Hiromu Takahashi and got help from El Desperado when YAMATO came to aid Takahashi. Ninja Mack kept wanting to do the Sasuke Special but kept getting cut off by Katsumata and the rest of his team. He got to hit his dive and so did Dragon Bane and Alpha Wolf. Takahashi’s teamwork with YAMATO self-destructed when he accidentally hit YAMATO with a Clothesline. Kota Minoura then Cradled YAMATO for the three count. MAO told Desperado after the match that Brookes should invite him to Baka Gaijin + Friends some day. MAO will even deliver the invitation to New Japan. Desperado told him he doesn’t think the idea will be possible. Katsumata blamed the loss on his team not having enough NeppoWER!!

The super team of super presidents failed to beat House Of Torture in the opening match of the show. Not even Sanshiro Takagi crashing the Dramatic Dream bike into everyone outside the ring was enough to win the battle. Dick Togo interfered in the match until Takagi gave him the Stunner and Naomichi Marufuji Thrust Kicked him. They even used the same moves to set EVIL up for Hiroshi Tanahashi’s Sling Blade. However the numbers game tipped in House Of Torture’s favour when more of their members showed up for interferene. Ren Narita, Yujiro Takahashi, SHO, Yoshinobu Kanemaru and Togo overwhelmed the presidents and EVIL beat Tanahashi to ruin everyone’s day. Backstage Takagi was confused to see Togo out there because he thought he retired years ago.


DDT “KING OF DDT ~20TH ANNIVERSARY~ 1ST ROUND” Results

May 5, 2024

DDT “KING OF DDT ~20TH ANNIVERSARY~ 1ST ROUND”, 05/05/2024
Tokyo Korakuen Hall
1,025 Fans – No Vacancy

0. Dark Match: Soma Takao, Keigo Nakamura & Yuya Koroku defeated Yuni, Ilusion & Kazuma Sumi when Nakamura pinned Sumi with the Diving Headbutt (9:25).
0. Dark Match: Jun Akiyama, Makoto Oishi & Tomomitsu Matsunaga defeated Shunma Katsumata, Akito & Kazuki Hirata when Oishi pinned Hirata with the Jikiden Tornado Clutch (0:09).
0a. Rematch: Jun Akiyama, Makoto Oishi & Tomomitsu Matsunaga defeated Shunma Katsumata, Akito & Kazuki Hirata when Oishi pinned Hirata with the Jikiden Tornado Clutch (4:43).
1. King Of DDT 20th Anniversary – Round 1: MAO defeated Poison Sawada JULIE with the Iai Kick (9:16).
2. King Of DDT 20th Anniversary – Round 1: To-y defeated KANON with a Frankensteiner (11:09).
3. King Of DDT 20th Anniversary – Round 1: Sanshiro Takagi defeated Yuki Ueno with the Stone Cold Stunner (11:09).
4. King Of DDT 20th Anniversary – Round 1: Daisuke Sasaki defeated Yuki Iino with the Standing Crossover Face Lock (11:15).
5. King Of DDT 20th Anniversary – Round 1: Kazusada Higuchi defeated Yukio Naya with the Buchikamashi (14:12).
6. King Of DDT 20th Anniversary – Round 1: Shuji Ishikawa defeated HARASHIMA with the Giant Slam (13:58).
7. King Of DDT 20th Anniversary – Round 1: Tetsuya Endo defeated Danshoku Dieno with the Burning Tanetsuke Press (18:26).
8. King Of DDT 20th Anniversary – Round 1: Chris Brookes defeated Takeshi Masada with the Praying Mantis Bomb (15:53).

2004 was the year when DDT held its first King Of DDT tournament. It was not held on an annual basis until 2009 but the history of the tournament is filled with winners who have gone on to accomplish many things in DDT and pro wrestling as a whole. This year is the 20th anniversary of the first King Of DDT and the 18th edition of the event. The main show began with all of the 16 participants lining up in the ring for the opening ceremony.

The main event was all about SCHADENFREUDE International as two of its members faced off in the last of the Round 1 matches. Brookes had a special guest with him because Zack Sabre Jr. was there to be in his corner. Takeshi Masada wanted to win badly and tried using the Takatonic and the KOBU Mukimuki. He even tried to withstand the pain from taking an Avalanche Tiger Suplex but at that point Brookes just had to keep up the attack until he won. Masada had one last chance left when he countered the Praying Mantis Bomb but Brookes countered the Mukimuki, hit two Somatos and pinned Masada with the Praying Mantis Bomb. After the match Brookes told Masada that any bad things he said about him at the press conference was lies and he really wanted him to do his best today. Backstage Brookes and Sabre talked up the tag match they are having at “ALL TOGETHER” tomorrow.

Meeting Brookes in the next round is Tetsuya Endo. He had to dig in deep to beat Danshoku Dieno because Dieno was ready to avoid the Burning Star Press at any opportunity. One of the counters Dieno pulled off was a top rope Frankensteiner! He also had Makoto Oishi interfering when the two of them gave Endo the 3D after the referee was knocked out with a Lip Lock. Dieno went into the Hell Gate position over the turnbuckles but it was Oishi who got a face full of the Gate. Endo then grabbed Dieno by the crotch and Headbutted his butt! When Endo climbed the top rope to finally hit the Burning Star Press, Dieno had one last idea to defend himself. He rolled over and stuck his butt into the air daring Endo to jump in. Endo did exactly what Dieno wanted except first he pulled off Dieno’s tights and then hit the Burning Star Press! He was able to turn Dieno over and pin him without exposing anything further to the crowd.

After the match El Desperado unexpectedly entered the ring while Oishi was getting Dieno’s trunks back on him. He has a lot to look forward to this summer but he isn’t here to talk about the Best Of The Super Juniors or his next DDT appearance at “WRESTLE PETER PAN 2024”. Instead he pulled out two invitations for the “DESPE-INVITACIONAL” event he is holding at Korakuen Hall on 10th June. The two invitations are for Dieno and a wrestler of his choice. If it was up entirely to Desperado he would have wanted his main event to be Pheromones Vs House Of Torture just so he could see Dieno chase EVIL around the ring. Dieno confirmed to him that Pheromones have disbanded and cannot be brought back. Desperado will give him the invitations anyway and trusts Dieno to find a suitable partner so they can do something similar to Pheromones at the show. Dieno asked if that means his partner does not have to be anybody from DDT? Desperado said yes, the choice is all up to Dieno and no one else.

One of the former King Of DDT winners Shuji Ishikawa returned with a bang by eliminating HARASHIMA in Round 1. HARASHIMA was able to kick out of the Splash Mountain, Running Knee Lift, Fire Thunder and also the Kamigoye. But he was a beaten man at that point and was finally put away with the Giant Slam. He will be facing Kazusada Higuchi in the next round and Higuchi met him in the ring after the match to give him a Headbutt! Backstage Ishikawa admitted he needs to improve his own conditioning. When he fights Higuchi he will either strike out or hit a home run. If the latter happens then nothing will stop Ishikawa from winning the tournament and then the KO-D Openweight Title!

Higuchi already got rid of one big boy to advance into Round 2. He beat Yukio Naya by wearing him down with the Brain Claw inbetween the moments of high impact moves between them. Naya finally went down to a series of Headbutts and struggled to get back to his feet to beat the 10 count. When he did stand back up, Higuchi was already in position to run him over with the Buchikamashi for the victory. As mentioned above, Higuchi is eager to face Ishikawa next.

Yuki Iino was almost unstoppable against Daisuke Sasaki but “Charisma” found a way to beat him eventually. Chair shots over the head and interference from MJ Paul didn’t work. Even trying to Spear Iino just had Sasaki bounce off of him. What did work was countering the Spear into a Pedigree in midair. It wasn’t enough to pin Iino but Sasaki was able to give him La Mistica Crossover Face Lock from there. Iino used his power to stand back up but Sasaki would not let go of the hold, keeping it on tight so Iino had no choice but to give up from the pain he was feeling in his shoulder. Sasaki bragged about showing off his power as the strongest wrestler in DDT.

There were a couple of upsets in Round 1. The biggest of perhaps the entire tournament is the KO-D Champion Yuki Ueno losing to Sanshiro Takagi! This year’s King Of DDT looks to be Takagi’s last stand before he takes a break from being a wrestler and he could not have sent out a louder message for everyone to hear. They fought in the crowd so Takagi could knock Ueno down the stairs. Ueno fought back with a Moonsault out of the ring and also a Frog Splash in the ring. But he missed the BME, landing on his feet right there for Takagi to give him the Stunner for the shock three count! Takagi later said if he wins the tournament then he will challenge Ueno for the KO-D Title. Ueno does not want to end this with a loss and thinks Takagi must come challenge him for the title eventually.

The other big upset in the opening round is To-y advancing past KANON. He kept on getting hit with K-Spikes but fought back using the Kojima Wonderland. KANON avoided the Kojima Impace but got caught with a Frankensteiner for the upset loss. He heard KANON’s comments about Hideki Okatani during the week and is sure Okatani was supporting him rather than KANON. All he needs is a 1% chance of winning to turn it into a 100% chance! Meanwhile KANON can’t believe he lost in the first round again. After three years of trying he has never gotten past Round 1 in the King Of DDT.

It was a battle of magic and danger when MAO took on the very first King Of DDT winner Poison Sawada JULIE. The dreaded Snake Magic is Sawada’s main weapon. Using it causes the victim to raise their rattling hand in the air to show that Sawada can then make them do whatever he wants. However it turns out MAO has been learning the same dark magic and used his own version to fight back. The spells ended up knocking out Yukinori Matsui after they were deflected into his direction. MAO then summoned invisible baseball bats rigged with explosives that had its own warning siren to go with it. He and Sawada both hit each other with the bats, causing an invisible explosion every time. Sawada then blinded MAO with Poison Mist but couldn’t get the three count with the Choke Slam or the Maoi Of Easter. MAO had to defend himself from the magic and did so by spitting his own Mist in Sawada’s face. Sawada was then powerless to block the Iai Kick, ending the match and eliminating him from the tournament.

The King Of DDT Round 2 matches on 11th May will be MAO Vs To-y, Sanshiro Takagi Vs Daisuke Sasaki, Kazusada Higuchi Vs Shuji Ishikawa and Tetsuya Endo Vs Chris Brookes.

One of the dark matches ended before Jun Akiyama could even enter the ring so they had to restart it on his orders. His team did their entrance again and the same thing almost happened a second time. However Akiyama was there to stop Oishi from quickly pinning Kazuki Hirata again so everyone could get a chance to wrestle. Later in the match everyone began to fight over the Hirata GO! Glasses. When Akiyama was the last man standing he decided to put them on. Right when he was about to dance Oishi pinned Hirata to cut the music and end the match.

The other dark match had Keigo Nakamura winning the bout for his team. Yuni & Ilusion both did dives onto Soma Takao & Yuya Koroku outside the ring. But Kazuma Sumi couldn’t follow up for his side and got pinned by Nakamura’s Diving Headbutt.

There were a few announcements for some of DDT’s upcoming shows. Minoru Suzuki will be at “WRESTLE PETER PAN 2024” on 21st July. There will be a Street Pro Wrestling match held inside a sauna on 21st June with Sayaka Unagi as one of the participants. Unagi will also be at the 20th July Beer Garden show.


King Of DDT 2024 Press Conference

May 3, 2024

DDT “KING OF DDT ~20TH ANNIVERSARY~ 1ST ROUND”, 05/05/2024
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

0. Dark Match: Yuni, Keigo Nakamura & Yuya Koroku Vs Ilusion, Kazuma Sumi & Rukiya
0. Dark Match: Shunma Katsumata, Akito & Kazuki Hirata Vs Jun Akiyama, Makoto Oishi & Tomomitsu Matsunaga
1. King Of DDT 20th Anniversary – Round 1A: MAO Vs Poison Sawada JULIE
2. King Of DDT 20th Anniversary – Round 1B: KANON Vs To-y
3. King Of DDT 20th Anniversary – Round 1C: Yuki Ueno Vs Sanshiro Takagi
4. King Of DDT 20th Anniversary – Round 1D: Yuki Iino Vs Daisuke Sasaki
5. King Of DDT 20th Anniversary – Round 1E: Kazusada Higuchi Vs Yukio Naya
6. King Of DDT 20th Anniversary – Round 1F: HARASHIMA Vs Shuji Ishikawa
7. King Of DDT 20th Anniversary – Round 1G: Tetsuya Endo Vs Danshoku Dieno
8. King Of DDT 20th Anniversary – Round 1H: Chris Brookes Vs Takeshi Masada

A press conference was held at yesterday’s DDT fanfest featuring 14 of the 16 entrants in this year’s King Of DDT tournament. Takeshi Masada could not be there due to university commitments but sent in a message. The message said Masada does not want to get knocked out in the first round like he did last year. He will be in the main event against his stablemate Chris Brookes. Masada has learned a lot from being in SCHADENFREUDE International and sees this match as a challenge to surpass his friend. Brookes is last year’s winner and he brought the trophy with him. He is motivated to win the tournament again and go all the way to winning back the KO-D Openweight Title. However he admits he felt a little aimless after he lost the KO-D Title last year. He’s still motivated but felt something was missing.

Elsewhere Tetsuya Endo’s match against Danshoku Dieno has more meaning to it than you would think. Endo’s recent luck in King Of DDT hasn’t been good but he feels he has gotten into shape after winning the New Year’s Eve trios tournament and raching the final of the D-Oh Grand Prix. However Dieno means so much to DDT that Endo admits he is not as good of a pro wrestler as Dieno is. He thinks Dieno does not realize that though and for that reason Endo is confident he will win. Dieno said he is only concentrating on this match and has done a lot of studying for it. His entire game plan is going to be based around Endo using the Burning Star Press. He knows how to avoid it and also how to counter it. The percentage of him succeeding is low but if Dieno can nail the timing of the Burning Star Press being used against him, he can find a way to exploit it and beat Endo.

It’s been a while since a HARASHIMA Vs Shuji Ishikawa match has happened. HARASHIMA is well aware of his big and strong Ishikawa is. He is also a believer that tomorrow is when a person will reach their peak so he will be stronger too. Both of them are evolving so he does not expect the match to be identical to their previous fights against each other. Ishikawa understands it takes a lot of training at his age to keep fit and HARASHIMA is older than he is. He had seen Yuki Ueno wrestle at Korkauen Hall last month and it made him realise all of DDT’s champions right now are young. He intends to last forever though. He also feels emotional about the tournament because he missed so many of them due to his affiliation with Union Pro at the time. When he finally got to have a proper go it was as an independant wrestler in 2016 and he won it that year. His hope is he will face Poison Sawada JULIE in the final.

An illness prevented Kazusada Higuchi from being at the event but he had a message written out for everyone. His thought process is the same, he will take it one match at a time. His 1st Round opponent is Yukio Naya so he will be focused the most on beating him. Naya is trying to repeat his success from the D-Oh Grand Prix so he can get another shot at the KO-D Title. He believes his momentum began when he beat Higuchi at the 2022 D-Oh GP. He wants to beat him again to take his place as the center of DDT’s heavyweight division.

There is a lot going on is Daisuke Sasaki’s mind. He knows if Yuki Iino hits him with the Spear in Round 1 it will be all over for him. However Sasaki realized some of the best wrestlers in the world right now like Jon Moxley, Cody Rhodes and Roman Reigns are all 38 years old. He is 38 years old so that means he is going to win! Iino has never beaten Sasaki in a singles match but is confident he can do it because of the Spear. He doesn’t know what direction it will come from but he will hit it. Also if age is a factor then Iino at 29 is the same as Shohei Ohtani and Yuzuru Hanyu. That means he is going to win, not Sasaki!

Sanshiro Takagi’s entry into the tournament has caught the attention of the wrestling press because of his age and also who he is facing in Round 1. The 54 year old is taking on the KO-D Champion Yuki Ueno! He told Ueno that when he was his age it was a year into DDT’s existence and he worked as hard as he could to keep the company from collapsing. He wants to fight Ueno like he is 28 again. In order to do that he is thinking about visiting beauty salons and saunas to build up his stamina for a possible 60 minute long match. He also wants to keep his promise to Konosuke Takeshita. The promise is Takagi wins the KO-D Title one more time, Takeshita wins a singles title in AEW and the two of them will have a champion versus champion match together. Takeshita recently showing intentions to challenge for the IWGP World Heavyweight Title has only made Takagi’s wish become stronger. Ueno’s entire reign as champion has been about him proving he is the ace of DDT. Fighting the company president continues that story and will provide a look into DDT’s future. He will be in the main event of next week’s “ALL TOGETHER” show and wants to convey the fun that DDT brings to wrestling at that event.

It is To-y’s dream to win the KO-D Title so he is all revved up to be in the King Of DDT. KANON was unusually serious when he talked about looking forward to the match. He offered a handshake but To-y didn’t trust him. That caused KANON to burst into tears and claim he was told by Hideki Okatani to win the tournament. He then flipped out and attacked To-y putting him in the Cobra Twist. To-y promised to get revenge afterward.

There is a lot of nostalgia surrounding this year’s tournament because it is the 20th anniversary of the first one. The very first winner Poison Sawada JULIE is not feeling that nostalgia. He knows just how clever and tricky MAO is to fight. He is going to be careful but is confident he will win because of his magic spells. MAO said this year’s tournament is the turning point of DDT and he is that turning point. He has a counter for Sawada’s spells and that is to point somewhere so Sawada loses attention and then punch him in the face. Sawada sees the funny side of MAO’s idea and suggested the entire match just be them casting spells at each other.