DDT “JUDGEMENT 2022 ~DDT 25TH ANNIVERSARY~” Results

March 20, 2022

DDT “JUDGEMENT 2022 ~DDT 25TH ANNIVERSARY~”, 20/03/2022
Tokyo Ryogoku Kokugikan
2,516 Fans – No Vacancy

0. Dark Match: Yusuke Okada, Yuya Koroku & Ilusion defeated Tomomitsu Matsunaga, Toui Kojima, Yuki Ishida when Okada pinned Ishida with the Sudden Death (11:00).
0. Dark Match – Time Admission Tag Battle Royal: Yuji Hino & Yukio Naya defeated Yasu Urano & Shota when Naya pinned Shota with the Back Drop (14:28).
Order Of Elimination: Tomohiko Hashimoto & Seiya Morohashi, Gorgeous Matsuno & Gota Ihashi, Andreza Giant Panda & Super Sasadango Machine, Minoru Fujita & MJ Paul, Shota & Yasu Urano.
1. KO-D 10-Man Tag Team Titles: Poison Sawada JULIE, Takashi Sasaki, GENTARO, MIKAMI & Thanomsak Toba (w/ Naomi Susan) defeated Toru Owashi, Antonio Honda, Kazuki Hirata & Yoshihiko (c) when MIKAMI pinned Honda with the School Boy (8:49).
*The DDT Variety Team fails in V2. Poison Sawada JULIE, Takashi Sasaki, GENTARO, MIKAMI & Thanomsak Toba becomes the 7th KO-D 10-Man Tag Team Champions!
2. Special Single Match: Saki Akai defeated Maya Yukihi with the Quetzalcoatl (10:40).
3. DDT 25th Anniversary Special Single Match – No DQ “I’m Sorry” Match: Sanshiro Takagi defeated Michael Nakazawa when Takagi made Nakazawa say “I’m Sorry” (10:20).
4. Special Tag Match: Yuki Ueno & Shunma Katsumata defeated Isami Kodaka & Yukio Sakaguchi when Ueno pinned Sakaguchi with the WR (11:02).
5. LiLiCo Retirement Match: Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno, Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Yumehito “Fantastic” Imanari defeated LiLiCo, Ryohei Odai & Akito (w/ Junretsu) when Dieno submitted LiLiCo with a Cross Knee Lock (16:52).
6. Jun Akiyama 30th Anniversary Match: Jun Akiyama & Takao Omori defeated Kazusada Higuchi & Hideki Okatani when Akiyama pinned Okatani with the Wrist-Clutch Exploder Suplex (12:36).
7. DDT Universal Title – Hardcore 3 Way Match: MAO defeated Daisuke Sasaki (c) and Jun Kasai when MAO pinned Sasaki with the Super Michinoku Driver II (19:56).
*Daisuke Sasaki fails in V5. MAO becomes the 6th DDT Universal Champion!
8. KO-D Tag Team Titles: Chris Brookes & Masahiro Takanashi defeated HARASHIMA & Naomi Yoshimura (c) when Brookes submitted Yoshimura with the House Piano Death (18:50).
*DISASTER BOX fails in V1. CDK becomes the 73rd KO-D Tag Team Champions!
9. KO-D Openweight Title – Japan Bakery Marketing Presents: Tetsuya Endo defeated Konosuke Takeshita (c) with two Burning Star Presses (46:30).
*Konosuke Takeshita fails in V2. Tetsuya Endo becomes the 78th KO-D Openweight Champion!

DDT celebrates its 25th Anniversary with a new KO-D Openweight Champion! It was the first singles match between Konosuke Takeshita and Tetsuya Endo in 2 years and 3 months with both going in at the peak of their abilities. It led to a juggernaut of a match lasting 46 minutes with every move in their arsenal being used. It took Endo using something new to bring the champion to the brink of defeat. As the match reached towards the 45 minute mark, Endo took inspiration from his BURNING teammate and used the Exploder Suplex three times for nearfalls. While that wasn’t enough to get the pin, there was no coming back for Takeshita after those moves. Endo dropped him with the Swivel Torture Rack Bomb and after another kickout he followed it up with two Burning Star Presses to finally get the career defining victory over his destined enemy.

Endo told Takeshita after the match that this was the first time he was happy to be seen side by side with him in the same company and generation. He still hates him but also thanks him for today. Takeshita refused to shake Endo’s hand but instead raised it into the air before leaving the ring. Kenta Kobashi entered the ring to present Endo with the KO-D Title and BURNING followed to celebrate with him. Endo thanked the audience for coming to see Tokyo Joshi Pro and DDT in Sumo Hall this weekend. Endo has finally defeated Takeshita for the KO-D Title but he believes there is still more to come for these companies. TJPW will be entering its 10th year in existence while DDT enters its 26th. The journey continues and Endo thinks he won’t be able to make them grow by himself. He will lead the way so everyone follow him and keep your eyes on DDT and Tetsuya Endo from now on!

Backstage Endo repeated what he said about the CyberFight promotions, including NOAH. None of them are done yet and whether they all reach 26, 50 or 100 years he will be there standing at the top. He debuted 10 years ago and he feels like everything he worked for was rewarded to him today. His first KO-D Title defence of this reign will be at Yokohama Budokan on 1st May. He thinks any challenger will be find as long as they are prepared to carry DDT on their back. Takeshita echoed some of Endo’s points, also believing they still have a long way to go beyond DDT’s 26th year. He cannot stop at where he is right now. Kobashi compared Takeshita to Jumbo Tsuruta from his physical ability to his stamina recovery. He also said Endo carries a wonderful BURNING soul and is looking forward to seeing what his future title defences will be like.

CDK always said the most dramatic and dreamy tag team in DDT should be the KO-D Tag Team Champions so I guess they proven right. Chris Brookes countered the Osaka Pride from Naomi Yoshimura and instead stretched his body in so many wrong directions with the House Piano Death. HARASHIMA fought to grab onto them and break the hold but Masahiro Takanashi kept him away long enough for Yoshimura to submit. Takanashi lost his voice so he let Brookes do the talking after the match.

However he was interrupted when Yuji Hino & Yukio Naya climbed onto the ring apron demanding a title shot. They agreed to do the match on 10th April at Korakuen Hall. Backstage DISASTER BOX admitted defeat and HARASHIMA told Yoshimura to rest up before they decide on what to do next. Naya said he is really happy because a year ago he wouldn’t have been able to challenge for the KO-D Tag Titles like this. Hino asked if Naya was weak back then because he only knows how big and strong he is now. Brookes in his interview suddenly took another direction when he called out El Desperado from New Japan! He brought up that Desperado wants CDK to go challenge him but CDK has more championships, so he should come over here and challenge them instead. Takanashi said Hino & Naya should fight for the Asia Dream Tag Team Titles instead of the KO-D Tag Titles because he wants to see a team as large as them inside Ichigaya Chocolate Square. He might get in trouble for suggesting that but as double champions they should have the responsibility and freedom to do what they want.

The feud between Daisuke Sasaki and Jun Kasai took up so much of their attention that MAO swooped in and won the DDT Universal Title! Blood was shed, boxes were smashed, tables were broken and chairs were destroyed as the three all fought each other in and out of the ring. Kasai kept complaining that DDT wasn’t violent enough for him which might have spurred the others to turn up the dial. MAO finally got what he wanted, the attention of his opponents, when he smashed a guitar over both of their head. He won the match by giving Sasaki the Michinoku Driver II from a ladder bridge through the table below.

MAO said it’s been a long month and a half but it was worth it to win the championship today. He wants to increase the presence of the Universal Title so he will only defend it against people with presence. For some reason Michael Nakazawa thought that meant him so he came out and challenged MAO. He said it is a championship made for the world so if he wins it, he can bring it to AEW and show it to even more people worldwide. MAO refused because Nakazawa lost earlier and he told him to leave. Nakazawa agreed he is weak but made the argument that beating a wrestler from AEW is a big deal no matter who they are. MAO saw his point and demanded they do the title match in AEW’s home turf… the Jacksonville Jaguars stadium! Hisaya Imabayashi told him that was impossible so he settled to have the match at Korakuen Hall on 27th March instead.

The show also celebrated Jun Akiyama’s 30th Anniversary in pro wrestling. He teamed up with an old partner of his, Takao Omori from All Japan to beat the Eruption duo of Kazusada Higuchi & Hideki Okatani. He was quickly provoked by Okatani and put the youngster in his place with a fight up the entrance ramp. Higuchi was a tougher wall to break down but Omori’s solution was to hit him with the Axe Bomber. Akiyama dusted off the Wrist-Clutch Exploder Suplex for the occasion, pinning Okatani with the deadly finisher. Akiyama said Omori has been wrestling for 30 years too so he was the first name he had in mind when the match was presented to him. As for the future, Akiyama will steadily continue on without any hesitation. He hadn’t thought about DDT being the company he celebrated his 30th Anniversary with. Not even he knows where he will be for the 40th and 50th.

DDT gave LiLiCo the platform to say goodbye to her pro wrestling career with a retirement ceremony unlike any other. First she had her retirement match teaming with her husband Ryohei Odai and the CyberFight VP Akito to take on Pheromones. The opponents were determined to humiliate LiLiCo on her big day. Yumehito Imanari threatened to record every moment of what they would do to her and then send the footage to the media. LiLiCo & Odai were successfully able to complete their special double team move the Princess SEXY Chest Kick ♡ on Yuki Iino. However Danshoku Dieno targeted LiLiCo’s injured knees, which proved to be her downfall. Dieno gave her the Danshoku Driver and made her tap out to a Cross Knee Lock.

After the match Dieno encouraged LiLiCo to get up by herself because a pro wrestler’s final duty is to stand up under their own power. However his show of respect was a farce and he attacked her again. Pheromones were about to set LiLiCo up for the ultimate humiliation on the entrance ramp when suddenly Andreza Giant Panda appeared and attacked all of Pheromones with Headbutts! The retirement ceremony went ahead and Odai brought out his pop band Junretsu to sing “Proposal” for her as a show of his love. When the ceremony reached its end, LiLiCo told the fans she is going back to being a normal girl. She then laid down her entrance gown in the middle of the ring and bowed to each side of the venue.

Yuki Ueno & Shunma Katsumata picked up a big win against the wild card pairing of Isami Kodaka & Yukio Sakaguchi. Kodaka thought his team had it in the bag after he gave Katsumata a Brainbuster onto the ring apron. However the God’s Right Knee from Sakaguchi was blocked with a Dropkick by Ueno. He got back to his feet only to get with with a Standing Shining Wizard. Ueno then finished him off with the WR. The 37KAMIINA said they had hot opponents today but they didn’t seem like they wanted to team together. Ueno was happy to beat Sakaguchi again and Katsumata feels the same beating Kodaka. The BASARA wrestler admitted he was too hostile with Sakaguchi but he does not hate him. They are more like rivals and Kodaka is thankful that Sakaguchi invited him to be part of DDT’s 25th Anniversary.

Nakazawa’s wild efforts to make Sanshiro Takagi apologize to him ended in failure. Their No DQ Match spilled over to a nearby restroom where Takagi gave Nakazawa a Piledriver into a toilet. Back in the ring Nakazawa almost made Takagi say “I’m Sorry” when he used the Ultimate Venom AEW Arm on him. But Takagi fought out of it and suddenly gathered the powers of DDT past. He hit Nakazawa with Kenny Omega’s Hadouken and followed it up with Kota Ibushi’s Kamigoye. He started breaking plastic boxes over Nakazawa’s head until Nakazawa pleaded him to stop. He was about to say “I’m Sorry” when Takagi shoved Nakazawa’s pants into his own mouth to keep him quiet. Takagi then lifted him up in the Himawari Bomb ready to put him through more boxes when Nakazawa finally shouted “I’m Sorry!” to end the match. Takagi Power Bombed him into the boxes anyway.

Takagi actually did apologize to Nakazawa after the match but it is too late. Nakazawa now hates him even more! However he likes DDT and remembers that DDT is his home so he has a special present for everyone today. A video message from Christopher Daniels played on the screen. Daniels congratulated DDT for its 25th Anniversary and announced a mutual agreement between DDT and AEW that will bring DDT wrestlers to America in the future! Daniels said he cannot wait to introduce DDT’s wrestlers to the American fans and hopes the company will do their best until that day comes. Nakazawa then explained to Takagi that he and Kenny Omega had negotiated this deal together. Takagi thanked him and promised the fans they will make pro wrestling even more exciting! Backstage Nakazawa added that the deal also includes bringing in wrestlers from Tokyo Joshi Pro.

The jealous grudge Saki Akai and Maya Yukihi held with each other was finally settled in the ring. Akai came out on top thanks to her finishing move, the Quetzalcoatl. Any hatred the two had was gone when the match was over and they both hugged each other. Akai told reporters that it was a match only she and Yukihi could do because they have different backgrounds but travelled in the same direction. Yukihi said she is grateful to DDT and joshi for the match today and she would like to team with Akai if she is interested.

A collective blast from the past have taken the KO-D 10-Man Tag Team Titles! The match brought together many of DDT’s wacky gimmicks from throughout its history. The appearance of Yoshihiko left Takashi Sasaki & GENTARO confused. They were even more confused when the doll outwrestled them. Antonio Honda tried to summon Gongitsune but Poison Sawada JULIE used his magic to make Honda strike Toru Owashi instead. Honda began to withstand the magic when suddenly Kazuki Hirata appeared completely taken over by the snake magic! He fought off Honda then danced with JULIE & Naomi Susan to the song “Hateless Bastard” by Kenji Sawada. Yoshihiko stopped the dancing and went wild on everyone while Owashi hung onto him for dear life. That left Honda along to get hit by every challenger ending with him getting rolled up by MIKAMI’s signature School Boy for the victory. Sasaki said he doesn’t want his team to be called “Legends” because that implies they are all over the hill. He also told DDT to work out how to get them all together again to schedule their title defences otherwise the belts will belong to them forever. JULIE is confident they can defend the belts 100 or 200 times. MIKAMI and Thanomsak Toba are hopeful this team will bring back something that’s been missing from DDT and that it will be interesting for old fans.

There was a last minute change to the Tag Team Rumble. Soma Takao had to pull out before the show for reasons that were not detailed to the public. Yasu Urano took his place to team with Shota. Hino & Naya eliminated them last to win the match, giving them the momentum to make their title challenge later in the show. The match also featured Andreza’s in-ring return to DDT with former opponent Super Sasadango Machine by his side, Tomohiko Hashimoto & Seiya Morohashi reuniting as a team, more trouble making from DAMNATION T.A with Minoru Fujita & MJ Paul entering together and the usual appearances from Gorgeous Matsuno & Gota Ihashi.

The other dark match had Yusuke Okada and Tomomitsu Matsunaga in the ring with DDT’s various rookies. Ilusion put up a good showing for the DDTeeeen!! brand. He carried the mask of his rival El Unicorn down to the ring because covid prevented Unicorn from being in the match. Toui Kojima tried to earn a first direct win over Yuya Koroku but couldn’t make it. It came down to Yuki Ishida firing his Sumo Slaps to Okada but he was taken out with a Diving Headbutt. Ishida kicked out of that but was done for when Okada gave him the Sudden Death. He praised Ilusion and encouraged him to continue doing his best. Ilusion said he had El Unicorn’s mask to let him know they were still able to fight together in Sumo Hall. He wants a singles match with him whenever he is fully recovered.

The main show began with the Anal Explosion ceremony, as is tradition for DDT when they are in a venue as prestigious as this one. Ryota Yamasato was reluctant to take part and called everyone in DDT crazy for thinking this is a normal thing to do. Hisaya Imabayashi calmed him down by getting Super Sasadango Machine to show him a PowerPoint presentation explaining why the ceremony is so important. According to Sasadango, the Anal Explosion was originally a symbol of the “Phoenix” and acts as a ritual for success and prosperity of the company. Yamasato complained until Hoshitango carried him over to the stage and pinned him down for Danshoku Dieno to set up the bomb. A countdown began and a small explosion went off without a hitch. Yamasato was then told a second explosion 25 times more powerful than the first will now happen to celebrate DDT’s 25 years. It went off, Yamasato called for the show to begin and then he went unconscious.

A new tournament called the King Of Street Wrestling will be shown on WRESTLE UNIVERSE this April. Eight fighters from around the world will compete including Sanshiro Takagi, Shunma Katsumata and Chris Brookes as the DDT representatives. Abdullah Kobayashi and Suzu Suzuki will also take part.


DDT “JUDGEMENT 2022 ~DDT 25TH ANNIVERSARY~” Preview

March 18, 2022

DDT “JUDGEMENT 2022 ~DDT 25TH ANNIVERSARY~”, 20/03/2022
Tokyo Ryogoku Kokugikan

0. Dark Match: Tomomitsu Matsunaga, Toui Kojima, Yuki Ishida Vs Yusuke Okada, Yuya Koroku & Ilusion
0. Dark Match – Time Admission Tag Battle Royal: Tomohiko Hashimoto & Seiya Morohashi Vs Soma Takao & Shota Vs Minoru Fujita & MJ Paul Vs Yuji Hino & Yukio Naya Vs Gorgeous Matsuno & Gota Ihashi Vs Andreza Giant Panda & Super Sasadango Machine
1. KO-D 10-Man Tag Team Titles: Toru Owashi, Antonio Honda, Kazuki Hirata & Yoshihiko (c) Vs Poison Sawada JULIE, Takashi Sasaki, GENTARO, MIKAMI & Thanomsak Toba (w/ Naomi Susan)
2. Special Single Match: Saki Akai Vs Maya Yukihi
3. DDT 25th Anniversary Special Single Match – No DQ “I’m Sorry” Match: Sanshiro Takagi Vs Michael Nakazawa
4. Special Tag Match: Isami Kodaka & Yukio Sakaguchi Vs Yuki Ueno & Shunma Katsumata
5. LiLiCo Retirement Match: LiLiCo, Ryohei Odai & Akito (w/ Junretsu) Vs Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno, Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Yumehito “Fantastic” Imanari
6. Jun Akiyama 30th Anniversary Match: Jun Akiyama & Takao Omori Vs Kazusada Higuchi & Hideki Okatani
7. DDT Universal Title – Hardcore 3 Way Match: Daisuke Sasaki (c) Vs Jun Kasai Vs MAO
8. KO-D Tag Team Titles: HARASHIMA & Naomi Yoshimura (c) Vs Chris Brookes & Masahiro Takanashi
9. KO-D Openweight Title – Japan Bakery Marketing Presents: Konosuke Takeshita (c) Vs Tetsuya Endo

Bloody hell this thing lasted 25 years. TWENTY FIVE YEARS! DDT is a company that was put together by a promoter named Shintaro Muto* along with three wrestlers who exited Pro Wrestling Crusaders with him in 1996. Those three wrestlers are known today by the names Sanshiro Takagi, MIKAMI and NOSAWA Rongai. Fast forward to 2022. DDT is now celebrating its silver anniversary and is a key part of the second most powerful wrestling conglomerate in Japan. Its very first show in March 1997, one that was held even before the name Dramatic Dream Team was decided on, was called “JUDGEMENT” because the audience was asked to vote on whether or not the actual launch in May should go ahead. 154 people voted for the launch to proceed and 24 people voted to cancel it. Thank God nobody listened to those 24 people.

There is plenty on show to celebrate the 25th Anniversary. Many figures from the company’s past are flocking into Sumo Hall to join with the present and perhaps future of DDT. Four championships are on the line, career milestones are being acknowledged, grudges will be settled, a retirement will take place and the headline match features the two wrestlers DDT spent the last decade building up to be their star players.

*It is very difficult to find information about Muto online. He was a part of PWC behind the scenes but other than that I don’t know what his background is. There’s an old blog post from 2007 where Takagi jokes about Muto always finding newly opened club venues for DDT to hold shows at. There’s also a picture Takagi tweeted of him from his wedding party in 2009 if you want to see what he actually looked like back then.

0. Dark Match: Tomomitsu Matsunaga, Toui Kojima, Yuki Ishida Vs Yusuke Okada, Yuya Koroku & Ilusion

This one had a last minute change of plans. El Unicorn was supposed to be in this match but tested positive for covid a few days before the show. Tomomitsu Matsunaga is taking his place. He in-ring time for much of the year was as a opening match substitute for anyone who is suddenly out of action. The other DDTeeeen!! wrestler Ilusion has wrestled twice so far this year as the heel representation of the brand. Yusuke Okada also had some covid setbacks that set him back but he has since found his place in the BURNING unit. Yuki Ishida has been a bright spark in the ring so far. He can turn into a little sumo firecracker if he keeps it up.

The fun part of this match is the growing feud between the rookies Toui Kojima and Yuya Koroku. These two have been at each other’s throats in a lot of The 37KAMIINA Vs BURNING matches and Koroku has gotten Kojima’s number every time. At first the losses got to Kojima and made him cry. But he swore the next time he cries it will be from tears of joy when he finally beats Koroku! Even if it happens on the first match of the pre-show, it will still mean the world to him if he pulls it off here.

0. Dark Match – Time Admission Tag Battle Royal: Tomohiko Hashimoto & Seiya Morohashi Vs Soma Takao & Shota Vs Minoru Fujita & MJ Paul Vs Yuji Hino & Yukio Naya Vs Gorgeous Matsuno & Gota Ihashi Vs Andreza Giant Panda & Super Sasadango Machine

Some DDT nostalgia fills up the Dark Match Tag Team Rumble. The Double Bridge team of Tomohiko Hashimoto & Seiya Morohashi returns for this match. Hashimoto was a regular part of DDT shows in the 2000s while Morohashi stuck around the DDT family up until 2016. Soma Takao & Shota have been bouncing around Ganbare☆Pro as ROMANCE DAWN and having fun doing so. Not so fun is the DAMNATION T.A pair of Minoru Fujita & MJ Paul. The big boys Yuji Hino & Yukio Naya are still together despite a lack of success as a team. Gorgeous Matsuno will be there to serenade the fans while Gota Ihashi will hopefully try a fat boy Moonsault. That leaves Super Sasadango Machine joining forces with an old opponent. It’s the return of Andreza Giant Panda! It is the first time Andreza has been in Sumo Hall since Muscle ran there in 2019. Sadly his master Samson Miyamoto passed away during September 2020 but Andreza continues to make sporadic appearances in wrestling shows around the country.

1. KO-D 10-Man Tag Team Titles: Toru Owashi, Antonio Honda, Kazuki Hirata & Yoshihiko (c) Vs Poison Sawada JULIE, Takashi Sasaki, GENTARO, MIKAMI & Thanomsak Toba (w/ Naomi Susan)

More nostalgia will be found in the opener. The rules for the KO-D 10-Man Tag Team Titles are a little muddled up at the moment. It was turned into the KO-D 8-Man Tag Team Titles during the pandemic to reduce spreading covid through the roster. However when it was changed back into a 10-Man Tag Championship, the DDT Variety Team were told to keep defending the belts as a team of four. So the current champions have to take part in 4 Vs 5 Handicap matches until they lose the titles. It’s a tough challenge but the foursome have lasted this long. Toru Owashi spent the year winning a small collection of obscure championships, Antonio Honda keeps finding ways to talk about Gongitsune, Kazuki Hirata is trying to find a new direction but always reverts back to his dancing and Yoshihiko is as dangerous as ever.

A cast of DDT Legends have come to challenge for the title. Poison Sawada JULIE leads the charge with his valet Naomi Susan ready to rattle along to his snake magic. Takashi Sasaki is nowadays known for running FREEDOMS but he was also the fourth wrestler in DDT when it launched. His Aka Rangers tag team partner GENTARO is along for the ride too. MIKAMI is also a DDT original from the very start. If his inspiration Jeff Hardy can still go strong then why can’t he? Plus if MIKAMI is here then you need to get Thanomsak Toba to complete The Suicide Boyz. On behalf of the 2000s message board era of puroresu fans, I apologise for spelling his name Tanomusaku Toba for all these years. It took this long for me to get the Thanomsak Sithbaobay influence.

2. Special Single Match: Saki Akai Vs Maya Yukihi

If you like the free agency/transfer window period in sports then joshi wrestling for the last five months was a blast to follow. Women jumping ship to other promotions, contracts going haywire and promotions turning on their heads meant there was never a dull moment behind the scenes. One of the key figures during this time is Maya Yukihi. For seven years she called Ice Ribbon her home promotion until last December when she was among the wave of talent announcing their intentions to leave the company. Everyone else in the group went on to form Prominence but Yukihi decided to go freelance instead. It makes sense when you see that she already has established roles in OZ Academy along with the Rebel & Enemy faction on the indies. But once she turned freelance, the first place she went to was DDT. Then things got interesting. She hadn’t even worked her first date with DDT yet when Tokyo Sports reported that CyberFight really wanted Yukihi to sign a contract with them.

When Yukihi did have her first match in DDT, she stood across the ring from Saki Akai. Their interactions were respectful during the match and polite afterwards but Yukihi couldn’t help but think Akai was a little bit jealous now she was sharing her DDT spotlight with another woman. As the two continued wrestling each other Yukihi revealed that eight years ago she approached DDT wanting to become a pro wrestler but was turned down. Around that same time period she found out Akai debuted for DDT and essential ended up getting the career she wanted. The positive side to this story is Yukihi found another path to becoming a pro wrestler and it is one she is proud of. Now she wanted to prove that her style of joshi wrestling is better than Akai’s style! A women’s match with a story as powerful as this deserves to take place on an event as important as DDT’s 25th Anniversary so Takagi decided to put it right here in Sumo Hall!

Ever since the match was announced, the tag matches between Akai and Yukihi have become more heated as one would accuse the other of being jealous. Akai would blatantly pin Yukihi with her Rookie Award finisher to rub in the fact she won that category in the Tokyo Sports Awards. Yukihi got her own back by making Akai submit in a later match, figuring out that using her arsenal of moves that nobody from DDT have seen before will be the key to victory. Akai wants to prove that she made it to where she is today through hard work and that she is capable of carrying DDT on her back. But she also can’t help but dig deeper into the insults. She recently gave Yukihi a bouquet of yellow roses because yellow roses represent jealousy. Yukihi promised to give them back to Akai when she beats her!

3. DDT 25th Anniversary Special Single Match – No DQ “I’m Sorry” Match: Sanshiro Takagi Vs Michael Nakazawa

Apologizing to your boss for doing something wrong is a humbling experience that can bruise your ego. However when the tables are turned and your boss apologizes to you it can lift your spirits a lot. So I can kind of relate to what Michael Nakazawa is going through. His first couple of years in DDT were alright but the cracks in his working relationship with Sanshiro Takagi first began in 2008. Nakazawa’s contract with DDT wasn’t renewed despite his intentions to stay with the company. He fought and clawed his way back into DDT later that year but the same situation repeated a year later. Takagi just wanted to get rid of him but somehow Nakazawa would always find a way to get back in! So Takagi decided to do whatever he could think of to embarrass Nakazawa on shows event though he had support from wrestlers like Kota Ibushi and Kenny Omega. Poor Nakazawa had fireworks shot at him, was beaten around like a crash test dummy, got into mismatches against the likes of Minoru Suzuki and even took part in the first Anal Explosion opening ceremony when DDT held their Ryogoku debut. It’s now wonder he held a grudge with Takagi for all these years.

So when Nakazawa was picked up by AEW to work in America it looked like a massive reward for all the crap Nakazawa had to eat in DDT. Finally he was going to be a big star around the world. Unfortunately the matches he has on AEW Dark all reach a level low enough to make Excalibur and Taz consider retirement from broadcasting. However wrestling overseas always makes a wrestler improve no matter who they are and Nakazawa is ready to unload on his old boss. His finishing move the Ultimate Venom Arm has been upgraded to include the AEW initials in the name. Earlier this week he beat Takagi in an impromptu Falls Count Anywhere match held outside of a bookstore. The taste of victory was sweet but not enough. Nakazawa needs something more and that is for Takagi to apologize to him for everything he put him through in his life. Their match at Sumo Hall is No Holds Barred and can take place anywhere inside or out of the building. The only way to win is to make your opponent say “I’m Sorry!” on the microphone. What will it take for either of them to finally admit they were wrong?

4. Special Tag Match: Isami Kodaka & Yukio Sakaguchi Vs Yuki Ueno & Shunma Katsumata

A good mix of wrestlers here. Isami Kodaka was never really a proper member of the DDT roster. He came in through Union Pro and took the indies path that led him to forming BASARA. His absolute peak in DDT was around that time period when he also beat Yukio Sakaguchi to become the company’s top champion. That was seven years ago so there should be no problem with the two teaming together this weekend. But if there is some tension between the two then maybe a visit to the sauna will calm them down.

That’s where The 37KAMIINA come in. Shunma Katsumata’s love for the sauna is so strong he now runs a hut in Tateyama, Chiba called Sea Sauna Shack. In the ring he shows a more violent side that somehow matches his joyful behavior. Maybe it’s the Lego weapons that keeps him from never losing his temper. Yuki Ueno however is making big strides up the ladder, reaching the D-Ou Grand Prix final at the end of last year. It is only a matter of time before he reaches the top of the DDT mountain. Only problem is right now he is stuck in the shadow of his high school classmate. But we’ll eventually cross that bridge when we get to it. Not that it will be anytime soon.

5. LiLiCo Retirement Match: LiLiCo, Ryohei Odai & Akito (w/ Junretsu) Vs Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno, Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Yumehito “Fantastic” Imanari

DDT has held many matches involving celebrities before and LiLiCo is the one who stood out the most. The half Swedish, half Japanese TV personality wrestled several times for DDT between 2014 and 2017. During her time here she won the DDT Extreme Title, the Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title and the KO-D 10-Man Tag Titles. She hasn’t wrestled since then but a knee injury suffered two years ago made her want to have one more match so she could have a proper pro wrestling retirement. To make this match even more special, LiLiCo asked for many handsome men to be involved. DDT made it so by including Akito and also her husband Ryohei Odai to be on her team. Odai is an actor who has starred in Kamen Rider shows and was also a part of the pop band Junretsu (whose name inspired the identical sounding DDT unit). Despite that pedigree he does not have the physical tools needed to wrestle. Even running the ropes gives him a bad back ache. When asked for an opponent, LiLiCo suggested one of them be Danshoku Dieno because they had a risky rivalry together. She may end up regretting that because… *sighs* well let’s just get straight into it with Pheromones.

For the last year DDT has been surrounded by Pheromones. Dieno, Yuki Iino & Yumehito Imanari became obsessed over their lusty attitudes and succumbed to their lewd behaviour. Dieno became “Dandy”, Iino became “Sexy” and Imanari became “Fantastic”. They don’t care about winning or losing often. Instead they want to do what they want without any limitation or censorship. Unfortunately their actions often go beyond the line of good taste and decency so many of their matches end before the finish so DDT doesn’t get kicked off Samurai! TV or banned from Youtube. The GM Hisaya Imabayashi often tries to stop them just to end up getting “publicly executed” by Pheromones for getting in their way. You’d be surprised how many ways Dieno and his mates can come up with giving their opponents the Stinkface. Just when I think I’ve seen them all, poof, there’s a new angle one person’s face can be shoved into another person’s backside. It’s kind of impressive actually.

So that is what LiLiCo and her handsome men have to deal with. She’s up for the challenge and is threatening to cut off Dieno’s you know what if she has to. Akito has this match to worry about alongside his CyberFight VP duties. And Odai still needs to learn how he can fight in the ring when he gets blisters just from pointing at stuff. As retirement matches go it’s not quite on the level of Genichiro Tenryu but I think it can get close enough.

6. Jun Akiyama 30th Anniversary Match: Jun Akiyama & Takao Omori Vs Kazusada Higuchi & Hideki Okatani

There’s an alternate timeline where Jun Akiyama was able to travel in America in 2020 and coach at the WWE Performance Center. What a gift DDT would have missed out on if that went ahead as planned. Instead he was offered a guest coaching spot in, slowly made the transition over from All Japan to join the company full time and the rest is history. And that history is important because Akiyama is celebrating 30 years in pro wrestling this year. All Japan gave permission for Takao Omori to come on over and bring back the Burning Wild tag team for one night only. However their opponents are not in the mood to wish them well for their accomplishment.

Eruption added a new member this year and it is somebody Akiyama knows well. The young wrestler Hideki Okatani learned from him as part of the Junretsu stable but now he is on a new path to become the Red Fighting Spirit. Kazusada Higuchi tested the kid before accepting him into Eruption and now the unit has renewed energy flowing through it. The two of them would love nothing more than to beat Akiyama and surpass him. When Omori heard about the disrespect coming from his opponents he threatened to crush them in the ring! What was meant to be an honorable tag team match may turn into a war between generations!

7. DDT Universal Title – Hardcore 3 Way Match: Daisuke Sasaki (c) Vs Jun Kasai Vs MAO

There’s a bunch of stories going on in this match but you can ignore the MAO stuff. That’s what the other two are doing. MAO pinned Daisuke Sasaki during the Ultimate Tag League and demanded a shot at his DDT Universal Title. Sasaki refused and continued doing so when MAO kept demanding the match. Then Jun Kasai returned to DDT wanting Sasaki to do a rematch of their Hardcore war at Saitama Super Arena five years ago. Sasaki is the only wrestler in DDT that excites Kasai because he couldn’t beat him back then. Sasaki agreed to the rematch but still had MAO following him claiming to have the next title shot. The solution was to do a 3 Way Hardcore match. That way Sasaki gets to fight Kasai again and MAO will finally leave him alone. The latter hasn’t happened yet, MAO still follows him around trying to get his attention. Sasaki had to go deep into the Nerima mountains for special training to finally escape from him. Even then MAO eventually figured out there are no mountains in Nerima.

The situation going into this match is Sasaki and Kasai are only focused on each other. Kasai’s goal is to maim and embarrass Sasaki. Taking the Universal Title from him will naturally happen as part of the process. The champion wants to make Kasai vomit blood and cry in despair that he will never beat Sasaki. MAO would just like his opponents to notice him for once.

8. KO-D Tag Team Titles: HARASHIMA & Naomi Yoshimura (c) Vs Chris Brookes & Masahiro Takanashi

HARASHIMA & Naomi Yoshimura pulled off an unusual gambit for this year’s Ultimate Tag League. They were the reigning KO-D Tag Team Champions but decided to vacate the belts before the tournament so they would be rewarded to the League winners. Their logic was by entering the League without the championship, they were on an even playing field to everyone else. Therefore winning the tournament will be undeniable proof that DISASTER BOX is the strongest tag team in DDT. Their plan worked and their pay off was having the KO-D Tag Titles returned to them. Things may have turned out different though because the Tag League was pretty much cursed from the get go.

Learn this lesson. Never run a round robin tournament during a pandemic. The Tag League this year was riddled with forfeits because wrestlers kept catching covid or had to stay home because they were close contacts. CDK only wrestled two matches and won both of them but had to forfeit the rest of their matches because Chris Brookes & Masahiro Takanashi both had separate positive cases. They had no chance of reaching the finals despite winning matches when they were able to compete. Plus one of those wins was against DISASTER BOX!

The champions did not forget about that. Their only loss in the Tag League was against CDK in the group stage so minutes after the final was over and they received their prizes, the call out was made. DISASTER BOX wanted the rematch and would put the KO-D Tag Titles on the line! CDK accepted the challenge, believing the belts should belong to them anyway. They’ve been using every trick in their book to get the upper hand in recent matches and they also won the Asia Dream Tag Team Titles in ChocoPro. Meanwhile HARASHIMA has his trusty old Somato while Yoshimura now has a new F5 style finisher called the Osaka Dream. It is the strongest tag team in DDT taking on the most dramatic and dreamiest tag team!

9. KO-D Openweight Title – Japan Bakery Marketing Presents: Konosuke Takeshita (c) Vs Tetsuya Endo

The main event of the 25th Anniversary show cannot fit in all 25 years of DDT’s history into one match but it will complete the decade long story of Konosuke Takeshita and Tetsuya Endo. Last year was the most impressive yet from Takeshita. He overcame a bad period of results by going overseas to AEW and coming back as a complete pro wrestler who was finally comfortable in his own skin. He regained the KO-D Openweight Title and has swept through everyone who stood in his way. All that is left to challenge him is an opponent who probably knows him more than anyone else.

Endo needed to find a new direction and control his own fate after the original DAMNATION was forced to split up. He was happy being the right hand man back then but the time had come for him to have a new unit he could call his own. He had some wise men guiding him along the process. Kenta Kobashi had been supporting Endo and decided to pair him with Jun Akiyama to start off. Endo then decided to add in Yusuke Okada and Yuya Koroku to complete the group. All that was needed was a name. Endo took inspiration from his two mentors and revived the name BURNING with their permission. A name with that much history would motivate Endo to work his hardest to live up to it. Everything was set up and Endo now only needs one last piece to complete the puzzle. The KO-D Openweight Title. When Takeshita asked for a challenger to face him for DDT’s 25th Anniversary, Endo came out and said he was the only one who can face him at Sumo Hall.

It was said before that this is not a rivalry because rivals are meant to motivate each other to do their best. These two are enemies. The proof can be seen from the last four months of DDT shows where The 37KAMIINA Vs BURNING has dominated the main events and upper parts of the cards. Endo has upgraded the Shooting Star Press. First he changed the name to the Burning Star Press and now it is The Best Burning Star Press In The Universe. It is a move Endo was able to pin Takeshita with in response to Takeshita submitting him with the Plus Ultra a few days earlier. It has been a tight conflict and the only thing for certain is whoever wins will lead DDT into its 26th year and beyond!


BASARA “BASARA 185 ~GLITTER~” Results

March 15, 2022

BASARA “BASARA 185 ~GLITTER~”, 15/03/2022
Shin-Kiba 1st RING
??? Fans – Withheld

1. Isami Kodaka, Daiki Shimomura & Minoru Fujita defeated Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi, Yusuke Kubo & Daichi Kazato when Shimomura pinned Kazato with the Swanton Bomb (15:00).
2. 3 Way Match: SAGAT defeated Gouma and Lil Kraken when SAGAT pinned Gouma with the Goregrind (7:18).
3. Masahiro Takanashi & Chris Brookes defeated Takumi Tsukamoto & Yasu Urano when Brookes pinned Urano after the OATH At The Peach Garden (15:08).
4. Tsutomu Oosugi & Banana Senga defeated Takato Nakano & Masato Kamino when Oosugi pinned Nakano with a Cradle (9:40).
5. Union MAX Title: Ryota Nakatsu (c) defeated FUMA with a Back Roll Clutch (16:40).
*V4 for Ryota Nakatsu.

Ryota Nakatsu beats FUMA by the skin of his teeth to retain the Union MAX Title. Nakatsu thanked FUMA for the challenge and FUMA admitted the champion’s judo was stronger than his own kung fu. Daiki Shimomura walked out and reminded Nakatsu he beat him in the first round of last year’s Heaven Summit tournament. It was in a 2 Count match and even so, Tsukamoto claims he kicked out at 1.9. Shimomura said he can beat him with a three count so he challenged him to a title match next month.

Speed Of Sounds praised their opponents for becoming a stronger tag team, one that could beat them the next time they wrestle each other. Takato Nakano took their word and demanded a rematch with the IRON FIST Tag Titles on the line. If it is true that he and Masato Kamino have even a tiny percent chance of beating SOS then they want to take it. Tsutomu Oosugi tried to explain he only said that as a compliment but he & Banana Senga had to accept the challenge in the end. Nakano & Kamino want to win the belts and stand at the forefront of BASARA!

The OATH At The Peach Garden used by CDK is a Super Kick from Masahiro Takanashi into a Back Clutch Hold from Chris Brookes.


Abe Still In Quarantine, Aja Kong Showing Up At Grand Princess, Ohka And Akki Teaming Together

March 14, 2022

BASARA “BASARA 185 ~GLITTER~”, 15/03/2022
Shin-Kiba 1st RING

1. Isami Kodaka, Daiki Shimomura & Minoru Fujita Vs Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi, Yusuke Kubo & Daichi Kazato
2. 3 Way Match: SAGAT Vs Gouma Vs Lil Kraken
3. Takumi Tsukamoto & Yasu Urano Vs Masahiro Takanashi & Chris Brookes
4. Tsutomu Oosugi & Banana Senga Vs Takato Nakano & Masato Kamino
5. Union MAX Title: Ryota Nakatsu (c) Vs FUMA

Fuminori Abe is still under quarantine and is unable to be at tomorrow’s show. Chris Brookes will replace him. This will be Brookes’ debut in BASARA and he gets to team with Masahiro Takanashi as CDK.

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “GRAND PRINCESS ’22”, 19/03/2022
Tokyo Ryogoku Kokugikan

1. Juria Nagano Debut Match: Suzume & Arisu Endo Vs Moka Miyamoto & Juria Nagano
2. Tokyo Joshi Pro Wrestling Vs Ganbare☆Pro Wrestling: Nao Kakuta, Mahiro Kiryu, Haruna Neko & Kaya Toribami Vs Yuna Manase, Moeka Haruhi, HARUKAZE & YuuRI
3. Sanshiro Takagi Vs Hyper Misao
4. Yuki Kamifuku Vs Asuka
5. Nodoka Tenma Vs Yuki Aino
6. Sakisama, Mei Saint-Michel, Martha & Yukio Saint Laurent Vs Marika Kobashi, Raku, Pom Harajuku & Ram Kaichow
7. Special Single Match: Hikaru Shida Vs Hikari Noa
8. International Princess Title: Maki Itoh (c) Vs Yuki Arai
9. Princess Tag Team Titles: Yuka Sakazaki & Mizuki (c) Vs Rika Tatsumi & Miu Watanabe
10. Princess Of Princess Title: Miyu Yamashita (c) Vs Shoko Nakajima

Aja Kong will be a guest on commentary for some of the matches.

GANBARE☆PRO “FIFTH ELEMENT 2022”, 26/03/2022
Shin-Kiba 1st RING

1. Ganjo Special 6-Woman Tag Match: Yuna Manase, HARUKAZE & YuuRI Vs Moeka Haruhi, Maya Yukihi & Ann Cham
2. Special Tag Match: Shuichiro Katsumura & Yumehito Imanari Vs Shigehiro Irie & Nobuhiro Shimatani
3. Ganpro & ChocoPro Union Vs Power Of Tiger: Ken Ohka & Baliyan Akki Vs Kouki Iwasaki & Mizuki Watase
4. ROMANCE DAWN Vs Wrestle Drunkers: Shota & Soma Takao Vs Keisuke Ishii & Tyson Maeguchi
5. Spirit Of Ganbare World Openweight Title: Tatsuhito Takaiwa (c) Vs Shinichiro Tominaga

Ken Ohka failed to win the Super Asia Title from Baliyan Akki at ChocoPro during the weekend. However the two of them earned each other’s respect and agreed to team up for a match.


Judgement 2022 Press Conference

March 10, 2022

DDT “JUDGEMENT 2022 ~DDT 25TH ANNIVERSARY~”, 20/03/2022
Tokyo Ryogoku Kokugikan

0. Dark Match: Yusuke Okada, Yuya Koroku & Ilusion Vs Toui Kojima, Yuki Ishida & El Unicorn
0. Dark Match – Time Admission Tag Battle Royal: Tomohiko Hashimoto & Seiya Morohashi Vs Soma Takao & Shota Vs Minoru Fujita & MJ Paul Vs Yuji Hino & Yukio Naya Vs Gorgeous Matsuno & Gota Ihashi Vs Andreza Giant Panda & Super Sasadango Machine
1. KO-D 10-Man Tag Team Titles: Toru Owashi, Antonio Honda, Kazuki Hirata & Yoshihiko (c) Vs Poison Sawada JULIE, Takashi Sasaki, GENTARO, MIKAMI & Tanomusaku Toba (w/ Naomi Susan)
2. LiLiCo Retirement Match: LiLiCo, Ryohei Odai & Akito (w/ Junretsu) Vs Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno, Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Yumehito “Fantastic” Imanari
3. Special Tag Match: Isami Kodaka & Yukio Sakaguchi Vs Yuki Ueno & Shunma Katsumata
4. Special Single Match: Saki Akai Vs Maya Yukihi
5. Jun Akiyama 30th Anniversary Match: Jun Akiyama & Takao Omori Vs Kazusada Higuchi & Hideki Okatani
6. DDT 25th Anniversary Special Single Match: Sanshiro Takagi Vs Michael Nakazawa
7. KO-D Tag Team Titles: HARASHIMA & Naomi Yoshimura (c) Vs Chris Brookes & Masahiro Takanashi
8. DDT Universal Title – Hardcore 3 Way Match: Daisuke Sasaki (c) Vs Jun Kasai Vs MAO
9. KO-D Openweight Title – Japan Bakery Marketing Presents: Konosuke Takeshita (c) Vs Tetsuya Endo

Yesterday DDT held a press conference in Tokyo to promote several of the big matches taking place at the company’s 25th Anniversary show. Tetsuya Endo feels he has achieved so much in DDT from debuting during the promotion’s 15th year, winning the KO-D Openweight Title in America, winning the same championship without an audience and getting his leg broken by his boss three weeks before a big show in Ota Ward Gymnasium. The one thing he has not accomplished is winning the main event of a Sumo Hall show. On 20th March he will get the last piece of the puzzle and become the most complete version of Tetsuya Endo that nobody can take their eyes off of. Konosuke Takeshita doesn’t think he and Endo can show the full 25 year history of DDT in one match. But they can show everyone the path they both took DDT in the last ten years. He believes the match will have a perfect finish so there will be no excuses no matter who wins or loses. For Endo the perfect finish is pinning Takeshita with the Best Burning Star Press In The Universe. Kenta Kobashi will be in attendance to present the KO-D Title to the winner.

MAO showed up to the conference dressed head to toe in tinfoil hoping to get the attention of his opponents. He is fed up of Daisuke Sasaki only talking about Jun Kasai and Kasai ignoring him entirely. Today’s costume is MAO’s way of saying he will be an overwhelming presence at Sumo Hall when he wins the DDT Universal Title! Unfortunately both Sasaki and Kasai continued to ignore him, which made MAO think he made his presence too big. Kasai still feels embarrassed over losing to Sasaki at Saitama Super Arena five years ago. His goal to get revenge is not to win the title but to embarrass Sasaki. Winning the championship will naturally find its way to him in the process. Sasaki threatened to make Kasai vomit blood and leave him crying “I cannot beat Daisuke Sasaki!” to the world.

 

All of a sudden the KO-D Tag Team Title match has turned into one champion team defending against another champion team. CDK recently won the Asia Dream Tag Team Titles in ChocoPro so they are now even more determined to beat DISASTER BOX, even though just the KO-D Tag Titles are on the line. Masahiro Takanashi wants to hold the Asia Dream belts up to the same standard and doesn’t understand why Naomi Yoshimura is annoyed by the challenge. Yoshimura explained that he thinks the KO-D Tag Titles have not been treated as well as DDT’s other championships. He actually is happy to defend the titles against Takanashi & Chris Brookes because they are showing respect to the belts. HARASHIMA said he and Yoshimura have already proven they are the strongest tag team in DDT and they will prove it again.

Sanshiro Takagi set up a video call with Michael Nakazawa to talk about their match because he was told Nakazawa is still in America working for AEW. Takagi made the match because it will be sentimental for Nakazawa who will be wrestling in Japan for the first time in three years. However since it is DDT’s 25th Anniversary, Takagi said he will win the match in 25 seconds! Nakazawa on the video call said he still holds a grudge with Takagi and is looking forward to humiliating him. The two got into an arguement and Takagi said he will beat Nakazawa into a pulp. Nakazawa wondered if he would say that to his face. Suddenly, Nakazawa entered the room. He’s in Japan after all! Takagi challenged him to make their match Falls Count Anywhere and the two started brawling. Nakazawa ended up winning the fight using an upgraded version of his finisher, the Ultimate Venom AEW Arm. He told the knocked out Takagi “Goodbye and good night!” before leaving.

Not everyone is excited for Jun Akiyama’s 30th Anniversary in pro wrestling. Kazusada Higuchi & Hideki Okatani from Eruption do not care what the occasion is to have this match. Higuchi still has frustration about Akiyama despite Akiyama beating the respect into him one year ago. The only celebrating he will do involves using his head to bash Akiyama. Okatani says he is not the same person who was teaming with Akiyama in Junretsu. He wants to stand out and win. At first Takao Omori was honored to take part in the show and be part of this match. But the disrespect on show here is pissing him off and now he won’t hold back in crushing his opponents! Akiyama calmed things down and said he is grateful to All Japan for letting Omori team with him again.

More disrespect was shown when it was time for Saki Akai and Maya Yukihi to appear. Both of them are honored to have a match like this in Sumo Hall but it is still a match built around jealousy. Yukihi does have a direct win over Akai but she thinks she will have to do something new to win at Ryogoku, or at least use something DDT fans have not seen before. Akai said whenever she is feeling frustrated or uncomfortable she likes to look at beautiful things. So today she brought along a bouquet of yellow roses. She explained yellow roses are perfect for Yukihi because they represent her jealousy and then passed them over to her. Yukihi held back from attacking Akai with the roses. Instead she will keep them in perfect condition so she can give them back to Akai after she beats her!

Comedian Ryota Yamasato will be at the show with a very special task. He has to take part in the Anal Explosion opening ceremony to kick off the show. It is traditionally how DDT starts of their most important shows with a bang. Yamasato is not looking forward to it.

There will be a full preview of the show posted next week.


Videos – “ULTIMATE TAG LEAGUE 2022 THE FINAL!!”

March 9, 2022

DDT “ULTIMATE TAG LEAGUE 2022 THE FINAL!!”, 27/02/2022
Tokyo Korakuen Hall
573 Fans – No Vacancy

0. Dark Match: Yusuke Okada Vs Yuki Ishida

0. Dark Match: Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno Vs Hiroshi Yamato

1. Toru Owashi & Shuji Kondo Vs Soma Takao & Kazusada Higuchi

2. Ultimate Tag League 2022 – B Block: Chris Brookes & Masahiro Takanashi (2) Vs Shunma Katsumata & MAO (2)

3. Ultimate Tag League 2022 – B Block: HARASHIMA & Naomi Yoshimura (4) Vs Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Yumehito “Fantastic” Imanari (4)

5. Daisuke Sasaki, Minoru Fujita & MJ Paul Vs Yuji Hino, Akito & Yukio Naya

7. KO-D Tag Team Titles – Ultimate Tag League 2022 – Final: Konosuke Takeshita & Yuki Ueno Vs HARASHIMA & Naomi Yoshimura


TJPW Vs Ganjo, LiLiCo And Odai Train Hard, Amateur challenges Dragon

March 8, 2022

BASARA “BASARA 185 ~GLITTER~”, 15/03/2022
Shin-Kiba 1st RING

1. Isami Kodaka, Daiki Shimomura & Minoru Fujita Vs Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi, Yusuke Kubo & Daichi Kazato
2. 3 Way Match: SAGAT Vs Gouma Vs Lil Kraken
3. Takumi Tsukamoto & Yasu Urano Vs Fuminori Abe & Masahiro Takanashi
4. Tsutomu Oosugi & Banana Senga Vs Takato Nakano & Masato Kamino
5. Union MAX Title: Ryota Nakatsu (c) Vs FUMA

Shigehiro Irie was originally advertised to be on the show. However today he tested positive for covid and he cannot be cleared in time for next week. Masahiro Takanashi will take his place instead. Fuminori Abe is a close contact with Irie but tested negative. As long as he continues testing negative during his quarantine he will be on the show.

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “GRAND PRINCESS ’22”, 19/03/2022
Tokyo Ryogoku Kokugikan

1. Juria Nagano Debut Match: Suzume & Arisu Endo Vs Moka Miyamoto & Juria Nagano
2. Tokyo Joshi Pro Wrestling Vs Ganbare☆Pro Wrestling: Nao Kakuta, Mahiro Kiryu, Haruna Neko & Kaya Toribami Vs Yuna Manase, Moeka Haruhi, HARUKAZE & YuuRI
3. Sanshiro Takagi Vs Hyper Misao
4. Yuki Kamifuku Vs Asuka
5. Nodoka Tenma Vs Yuki Aino
6. Sakisama, Mei Saint-Michel, Martha & Yukio Saint Laurent Vs Marika Kobashi, Raku, Pom Harajuku & Ram Kaichow
7. Special Single Match: Hikaru Shida Vs Hikari Noa
8. International Princess Title: Maki Itoh (c) Vs Yuki Arai
9. Princess Tag Team Titles: Yuka Sakazaki & Mizuki (c) Vs Rika Tatsumi & Miu Watanabe
10. Princess Of Princess Title: Miyu Yamashita (c) Vs Shoko Nakajima

A press conference was held between the wrestlers participating in the inter-promotional match between Tokyo Joshi Pro and Ganbare☆Pro. Both Nao Kakuta and Yuna Manase want their teams to put on an exciting match fitting for Sumo Hall. It is the first time Kakuta really feels like she is part of TJPW and she wants to show Manase she is not the same person she was back in Actwres girl’Z. The other members of Team TJPW shared their thoughts. Mahiro Kiryu is keeping her eyes open at the rest of Team Ganpro because she doesn’t know much about them. She does like mahjong though so she wants to win with a high score. Haruna Neko wants to do everything she can as a cat and will scratch everyone. Kaya Toribami admits to being the least experienced girl on the team but reminds everyone that her mask is based on the most ferocious bird in the world, the cassowary. She will learn from her opponents to become strong and deserving of wearing the mask.

The members of Ganbare☆Joshi then spoke. YuuRI is glad to wrestle in Sumo Hall where she discovered pro wrestling in the first place. HARUKAZE described how Ganpro picked her up and gave her friends so the company is an important family to her. She wants to make the name of Ganpro known to everyone. Moeka Haruhi called Manase the Sun of Ganpro while she is the Rainbow. When Manase challenged TJPW in the first place, everyone in Ganjo decided to join her. Just don’t miss the rainbow while you’re busy looking at the sun. Manase wanted her team to show more energy so they started chanting “Ganjo!” over and over. Kakuta told them the blue flame is hotter than the red flame which is why Team TJPW are staying calm in response to them. Manase then gave a passionate rant about wanting their match to have so much heat behind it. The conference ended with a fist bump between the team captains.

Two special guest ring announcers will be at the show. The “Anime Idol Chick” Minami Momochi was Tokyo Joshi’s ring announcer for the first four years of the promotion. Kero Tanaka is the famous ring announcer from the 1980s and 1990s who has worked with TJPW before at some of their previous Ittenyon shows. They will each announce one or two matches on the day.

DDT “JUDGEMENT 2022 ~DDT 25TH ANNIVERSARY~”, 20/03/2022
Tokyo Ryogoku Kokugikan

0. Dark Match: Yusuke Okada, Yuya Koroku & Ilusion Vs Toui Kojima, Yuki Ishida & El Unicorn
0. Dark Match – Time Admission Tag Battle Royal: Tomohiko Hashimoto & Seiya Morohashi Vs Soma Takao & Shota Vs Minoru Fujita & MJ Paul Vs Yuji Hino & Yukio Naya Vs Gorgeous Matsuno & Gota Ihashi Vs Andreza Giant Panda & Super Sasadango Machine
1. KO-D 10-Man Tag Team Titles: Toru Owashi, Antonio Honda, Kazuki Hirata & Yoshihiko (c) Vs Poison Sawada JULIE, Takashi Sasaki, GENTARO, MIKAMI & Tanomusaku Toba (w/ Naomi Susan)
2. LiLiCo Retirement Match: LiLiCo, Ryohei Odai & Akito (w/ Junretsu) Vs Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno, Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Yumehito “Fantastic” Imanari
3. Special Tag Match: Isami Kodaka & Yukio Sakaguchi Vs Yuki Ueno & Shunma Katsumata
4. Special Single Match: Saki Akai Vs Maya Yukihi
5. Jun Akiyama 30th Anniversary Match: Jun Akiyama & Takao Omori Vs Kazusada Higuchi & Hideki Okatani
6. DDT 25th Anniversary Special Single Match: Sanshiro Takagi Vs Michael Nakazawa
7. KO-D Tag Team Titles: HARASHIMA & Naomi Yoshimura (c) Vs Chris Brookes & Masahiro Takanashi
8. DDT Universal Title – Hardcore 3 Way Match: Daisuke Sasaki (c) Vs Jun Kasai Vs MAO
9. KO-D Openweight Title – Japan Bakery Marketing Presents: Konosuke Takeshita (c) Vs Tetsuya Endo

Yesterday the celebrity couple of LiLiCo & Ryohei Odai were hard at work training with Akito for LiLiCo’s retirement match. Odai isn’t in shape and had trouble even stretching during the warmups. He then got back pain from running the ropes. Meanwhile LiLiCo had no trouble training for wrestling again and worked out how to move around the ring without putting stress on her injured knees. Akito then put together some double team moves with LiLiCo before setting up an extreme training exercise. He stripped down to his O-back and went into the Hell Gate position on the corner. He explained they need to get used to having their faces thrown into another person’s ass because that is what Pheromones like to do. Suddenly Pheromones themselves appeared and attacked Akito, stripping him naked! Odai couldn’t help because of his back pain and he collapsed with LiLiCo when they tried the double team attack they learned. Pheromones left after a confrontation with LiLiCo where they said they will see her at Sumo Hall. Akito told Odai to train his hips more while LiLiCo promised to win using the love between a husband and wife!

GANBARE☆PRO “FIFTH ELEMENT 2022”, 26/03/2022
Shin-Kiba 1st RING

1. Ganjo Special 6-Woman Tag Match: Yuna Manase, HARUKAZE & YuuRI Vs Moeka Haruhi, Maya Yukihi & Ann Cham
2. ROMANCE DAWN Vs Wrestle Drunkers: Shota & Soma Takao Vs Keisuke Ishii & Tyson Maeguchi
3. Spirit Of Ganbare World Openweight Title: Tatsuhito Takaiwa (c) Vs Shinichiro Tominaga

The so-called strongest amateur pro wrestler in Japan Shinichiro Tominaga is the one who is challenging Tatsuhito Takaiwa next. Takaiwa is trying to raise the Spirit Of Ganbare World Title‘s prestige up to the highest level in Japan and fighting somebody on the level on Tominaga will not help him. However he sees potential in the guy and if Tominaga can live up to that potential it may not be a waste of time after all.

The bond between Keisuke Ishii & Tyson Maeguchi has grown stronger after they fought each other. They want to continue wrestling together as tag partners and opponents so it looks like Wrestle Drunkers are here to stay!

Irie is booked for the show but it will depend on how quickly he recovers from covid. Nobuhiro Shimatani is also advertised to appear.


DDT Tries Out Survival Tag, Train Pro Wrestling Returns, Kobashi Dream Team With Kobayashi, Isami’s Jaw

March 4, 2022

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TOKYO JOSHI 2022 WINTER”, 05/03/2022
Tokyo Ryogoku KFC Hall

1. Nao Kakuta & Kaya Toribami Vs Mahiro Kiryu & Haruna Neko
2. 3 Way Match: Hyper Misao Vs Yuki Aino Vs Arisu Endo
3. Yuki Kamifuku & Hikari Noa Vs Raku & Pom Harajuku
4. Nodoka Tenma Vs Marika Kobashi
5. Miyu Yamashita, Yuka Sakazaki, Mizuki, Maki Itoh & Suzume Vs Shoko Nakajima, Rika Tatsumi, Miu Watanabe, Yuki Arai & Moka Miyamoto

Tomorrow is kind of the go home show for “GRAND PRINCESS ’22”. There is also a fan club show happening on Sunday but that is usually just fun and games rather than anything serious. Not like Shoko Nakajima is going to beat Miyu Yamashita into a bloody mess to get some last minute heat on that show or anything like that.

DDT “JUDGEMENT 2022 TOUR IN OSAKA”, 13/03/2022
Osaka Suminoe Maikon Hall

1. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Kazusada Higuchi, Yukio Sakaguchi & Kazuki Hirata Vs Yuji Hino, Bodyguard & Yukio Naya
2. Osaka Specialty Special Single Match: Naomi Yoshimura Vs Chris Brookes
3. Maikon no Kohara Presents Special Survival Tag Match: Konosuke Takeshita, Yuki Ueno, Shunma Katsumata & Toui Kojima Vs Tetsuya Endo, Jun Akiyama, Yusuke Okada & Yuya Koroku

Hey, hey, hey, the Survival Tag Match is supposed to be Ganbare☆Pro’s gimmick! It’s a rule that works so well now DDT are giving it a go for The 37KAMIINA Vs BURNING. The stipulation is both teams have four wrestlers and two are chosen to take part in a regular tag team match. When a wrestler is beaten, they are eliminated and get replaced with the next in line. When a team is reduced to one wrestler left they lose because they do not have enough members to do a tag match. So the first team to get three eliminations win. Over the top rope elimination rules are enforced too for this match.

One KO-D Tag Team Champion down, one to go. Chris Brookes has already beaten HARASHIMA so now he is taking on Naomi Yoshimura. You can bet Masahiro Takanashi will get involved again.

Kazuki Hirata returns from covid and has to make up for lost time preparing for his match against Jun Akiyama later this month. Throwing him in there against three heavyweights should move him along nicely. At least he has Eruption backing him up.

DDT “KOMINATO RAILWAY TRAIN PRO WRESTLING”, 02/04/2022
Kominato Railway Goi Station

Back in 2017 DDT held a pro wrestling match inside a moving train travelling from Nakanomachi to Ogawa. They are going to do it again this time partnering with Kominato Railway in Chiba. There will be three matches taking place on the day. One will be held inside a moving train leaving the Goi Station with 32 fans in attendance. The destination is Yoro Valley Station where a wrestling ring is set up for two more matches to begin there minutes after arrival.

Right now only Hiroshi Yamato is advertised to be involved with the DDT wrestlers to be announced. There is obviously fans hoping to see the train lover Raku be able to take part. However Tokyo Joshi Pro has a show going on in Ryogoku KFC Hall that same day at the same time so we have to wait and see where she can go.

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW INSPIRATION”, 10/04/2022
Shin-Kiba 1st RING

1. Miyu Yamashita Vs Kaya Toribami
2. Yuka Sakazaki Vs Moka Miyamoto
3. Rika Tatsumi Vs Suzume
4. Marika Kobashi & Abdullah Kobayashi Vs SAKI & Antonio Honda

It’s a dream come true for Marika Kobashi! No seriously, it is. Abdullah Kobayashi is her favourite wrestler and part inspiration for her own ring name (The “Ko” in Kobashi refers to Kobayashi). SAKI returns to TJPW for the occasion but I don’t know if she has the same level of admiration for Antonio Honda.

BASARA “BASARA 188 ~GLITTER~”, 12/04/2022
Shin-Kiba 1st RING

Isami Kodaka is getting surgery on his jaw soon and will be out of action during most of April, including the monthly Shin-Kiba 1st RING show. He fractured the left side of his jaw back in 2018 wrestling a cage match against Masashi Takeda. The surgery here is to remove the material that was used to aid with recovery, which I guess is stuff like a plate and screws. His first match back in BASARA after the surgery is scheduled to be on 28th April.


DDT “JUDGEMENT 2022 -LIMITED-” Results

March 2, 2022

DDT “JUDGEMENT 2022 -LIMITED-”, 02/03/2022
Shinjuku FACE
233 Fans – Super No Vacancy Full House

1. Saki Akai, Kazusada Higuchi & Yukio Sakaguchi defeated Maya Yukihi, Naomi Yoshimura & Yuya Koroku when Sakaguchi submitted Koroku with a Triangle Choke (9:58).
2. Akito & Yuki Ishida defeated Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno & Yuki “Sexy” Iino By Disqualification when Yumehito “Fantastic” Imanari interfered (9:27).
3. No DQ Match: Daisuke Sasaki & Minoru Fujita defeated MAO & Yukio Naya when Fujita pinned Naya with the Modified Samson Clutch (12:56).
4. Road To Judgement 2022! Special Single Match: Chris Brookes defeated HARASHIMA with the Praying Mantis Bomb (13:33).
5. Road To Judgement 2022! Captain’s Fall Elimination 6-Man Tag Match: Tetsuya Endo (C), Jun Akiyama & Yusuke Okada defeated Konosuke Takeshita (C), Yuki Ueno & Shunma Katsumata (33:14).
5a. Jun Akiyama eliminated Yuki Ueno with a Cradle (20:48).
5b. Yusuke Okada eliminated Shunma Katsumata with the Sudden Death (26:20).
5c. Konosuke Takeshita (C) eliminated Yusuke Okada with the Zahi (28:14).
5d. Tetsuya Endo (C) eliminated Konosuke Takeshita (C) with The Best Burning Star Press In The Universe (33:14).

Three days ago Konosuke Takeshita made Tetsuya Endo submit to the Plus Ultra. Today, Endo got some revenge by pinning Takeshita with the Burning Star Press. The action was part of BURNING beating The 37KAMIINA in a Captain’s Fall Tag Match. BURNING got a 3 on 1 advantage after eliminated Yuki Ueno & Shunma Katsumata. Takeshita got rid of Yusuke Okada but even he cannot beat the combined power of Endo & Jun Akiyama by himself. Endo said today’s win is not just revenge for what happened a few days ago. It is for every time Endo lost to Takeshita. He said today’s sight of him standing tall over a fallen Takeshita is what fans will see again at Sumo Hall.

Chris Brookes beating HARASHIMA is a big notch he can add to his belt even though the match was tarred with interference. Masahiro Takanashi picked his moments to get involved, forcing Naomi Yoshimura to come in and deal with him. Takanashi found one more chance to grab HARASHIMA’s leg before he attempted the Somato. That distraction was the deciding factor as Brookes then gave HARASHIMA the Praying Mantis Bomb for the victory. Brookes explained afterwards their plan today was not done out of hatred. It is because CDK wants the KO-D Tag Team Titles. Brookes & Takanashi believe they are the better tag team because they are together all the time outside the ring like brothers.

Some of the Hardcore wrestling that will be seen during the DDT Universal Title match was on display in the middle portion of the show. Daisuke Sasaki and MAO agreed to make today’s tag match No DQ which led to plenty of chairs and plastic boxes flying around. Yukio Naya took the brunt of everything because of this decision. MAO accidentally hit him with a chair, MJ Paul gave him a Lariat and Minoru Fujita kicked him below the belt. DAMNATION T.A then continued attacking MAO after the match, leaving him in a heap among the wreckage. Sasaki mocked MAO backstage for requesting the No DQ stipulation because Sasaki is No DQ for life! He now only cares about beating Jun Kasai for the first time in five years.

Akito attempted to fight fire with fire against Pheromones. He stripped down to his own O-back to fight on the same level of nudity as Yuki Iino. It didn’t work because Pheromones still went into overdrive on him and Yuki Ishida until they were disqualified. Hisaya Imabayashi ran in and gave Danshoku Dieno again but this time Yumehito Imanari attacked him. Pheromones then stripped Akito completely naked and gave him the Danshoku Driver! Dieno accuses DDT of having double standards. They blame Pheromones for going too far but then take advantage of their “exciting” content to get more views. Imanari said they will continue to wrestle the way they want for as long as they think it looks good for Youtube. As vice president, Akito admits what happened was a close call and he could consider legal action or a suspension. But he also thinks fighting naked in the ring in front of an audience is proof he can protect LiLiCo and Ryohei Odai at Sumo Hall.

Another fierce battle between Saki Akai and Maya Yukihi opened the show but neither were directly involved in the match result. Akai rubbed the win in her rival’s face because she was talking big at Korakuen Hall a few days ago but today she is quiet. She also likes the frustrated look on Yukihi’s face. They had a standoff that involved them grabbing each other by their heads. Backstage Yukihi called Akai a nasty woman and she wants their singles match to happen right now!


DDT “ULTIMATE TAG LEAGUE 2022 THE FINAL!!” Results

February 27, 2022

DDT “ULTIMATE TAG LEAGUE 2022 THE FINAL!!”, 27/02/2022
Tokyo Korakuen Hall
573 Fans – No Vacancy

-. Ultimate Tag League 2022 – A Block: Kazusada Higuchi & Hideki Okatani (2) Vs Shuji Kondo & Kazuki Hirata (0) is a Double Forfeit.
0. Dark Match: Yusuke Okada defeated Yuki Ishida with a Crab Hold (6:34).
0. Dark Match: Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno Vs Hiroshi Yamato ended in a No Contest (5:44).
1. Toru Owashi & Shuji Kondo defeated Soma Takao & Kazusada Higuchi when Kondo pinned Takao with the King Kong Lariat (9:16).
2. Ultimate Tag League 2022 – B Block: Chris Brookes & Masahiro Takanashi (4) defeated Shunma Katsumata & MAO (2) when Brookes pinned Katsumata with the Praying Mantis Bomb (7:03).
3. Ultimate Tag League 2022 – B Block: HARASHIMA & Naomi Yoshimura (6) defeated Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Yumehito “Fantastic” Imanari (4) when HARASHIMA pinned Iino with a Forward Rolling Cradle (12:30).
4. Ultimate Tag League 2022 – A Block: Konosuke Takeshita & Yuki Ueno (6) defeated Tetsuya Endo & Jun Akiyama (6) when Takeshita submitted Endo with the Plus Ultra (24:09).
5. Daisuke Sasaki, Minoru Fujita & MJ Paul defeated Yuji Hino, Akito & Yukio Naya when Sasaki submitted Akito with La Mistica Crossface Lock (13:23).
6. Special Tag Match: Sanshiro Takagi & Maya Yukihi defeated Yukio Sakaguchi & Saki Akai when Yukihi pinned Akai with the Snowton Bomb (12:23).
7. KO-D Tag Team Titles – Ultimate Tag League 2022 – Final: HARASHIMA & Naomi Yoshimura defeated Konosuke Takeshita & Yuki Ueno when Yoshimura pinned Ueno with the Modified Shonenba (20:14).
*DISASTER BOX becomes the 72nd KO-D Tag Team Champions!

A Block

1. Konosuke Takeshita & Yuki Ueno (6)
-. Tetsuya Endo & Jun Akiyama (6)
3. Yuji Hino & Yukio Naya (4)
4. Kazusada Higuchi & Hideki Okatani (2)
5. Shuji Kondo & Kazuki Hirata (0)

B Block

1. HARASHIMA & Naomi Yoshimura (6)
2. Daisuke Sasaki & MJ Paul (4)
-. Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Yumehito “Fantastic” Imanari (4)
-. Chris Brookes & Masahiro Takanashi (4)
5. Shunma Katsumata & MAO (2)

It was an unusual idea put forth by HARASHIMA & Naomi Yoshimura to vacate the KO-D Tag Team Titles before the Ultimate Tag League. But they made their point by entering the tournament as challengers on an even playing field with everyone else, then winning the entire thing to regain the belts! They topped their group and then faced The 37KAMIINA in the final. The match came down to former Nautilus teammates Naomi Yoshimura and Yuki Ueno fighting each other. They were evenly matched while HARASHIMA and Konosuke Takeshita did what they can to tip the balance in their team’s favour. In the end, Ueno’s Frankensteiner pin was destroyed by the Somato from HARASHIMA. Yoshimura hit a Power Bomb and a Lariat but Ueno still kicked out. He was finally put away with a Modified version of the Shonenba.

Yoshimura was satisfied with winning the tournament and regaining the tag titles like he had intended. However there was one team DISASTER BOX did not beat in the group stage. He called out CDK, who came to the ring carrying the Asia Dream Tag Team Titles they won in ChocoPro yesterday. HARASHIMA challenged them to a KO-D Tag Titles match at the 25th Anniversary show on 20th March! Masahiro Takanashi admitted DISASTER BOX are the best tag team in DDT but the tag titles should belong to the most dramatic and dreamy of tag teams, which is himself & Chris Brookes! Yoshimura closed out the show giving a shoutout to Kazuki Hirata. He and HARASHIMA had a pair of Hirata GO! glasses with them for both of their matches today.

Maya Yukihi got the better of Saki Akai in their latest preview match ahead of Sumo Hall. She teamed with Sanshiro Takagi, who himself is fired up for his matches at Ryogoku weekend, to beat Akai & Yukio Sakaguchi. Yukihi was also eager to fight Sakaguchi and that possibly kept her sharp enough to pin Akai directly with the Snowton Bomb. Yukihi told Akai afterwards she wants to drag out her emotional side to make their singles make even more fierce. Whether that happens or not, Yukihi is certain she will win. She also came up with a team name for her and Takagi. They can be called Fire Snow! Akai feels she let herself down because she wanted to prove to Takagi and Sakaguchi she can carry DDT on her own. She thinks this because she will be on her own against Yukihi at Sumo Hall and she wants to be the last one standing and smiling at the end.

Preparations are going well for DAMNATION T.A even if there is somebody trying to get their attention. Daisuke Sasaki, Minoru Fujita & MJ Paul were a well oiled, greasy team bending all the rules to beat Yuji Hino, Akito & Yukio Naya. After the match Sasaki attacked the referee while MAO appeared at the top of the entrance gate watching on. He tried to get Sasaki’s attention but Sasaki kicked the gate until MAO fell. He then walked off leaving MAO lying on the floor. Backstage, Sasaki asked who the current KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Champions are and got confused when he found out it is Pheromones. He wants to challenge them for the titles. He also said Fujita had been spying on Jun Kasai so Sasaki now knows everything about him. His plan to defend the DDT Universal Title in the Hardcore 3 Way Match is going along nicely.

The final block matches of the Ultimate Tag League made up the early portions of the show. Takeshita & Ueno reached the final be beating BURNING to top their group. It was a big preview of the upcoming Ryogoku main event between Takeshita Vs Tetsuya Endo. Takeshita took out Jun Akiyama with the very Jumping Knee Strike that was passed down to him. He also blocked the Burning Star Press before making Endo tap out to the Plus Ultra. Both teams ended with 6 points but this result meant The 37KAMIINA advanced thanks to the Direct Confrontation rule. Endo was angry at himself for giving up. However he and Akiyama both agree there is still one thing he can use to beat Takeshita. Whatever it is, Endo didn’t expand upon it any further. Instead he said he will beat Takeshita for the KO-D Openweight Title at Sumo Hall.

DISASTER BOX won their block but had to get an unwanted eye-full of Pheromones to do it. A No Contest would have created a 4 Way tie for first place so both teams wanted to win. Yes, even Pheromones. They complained Yuki Iino’s shoulder was up while HARASHIMA pinned him with a Victory Roll. Danshoku Dieno later accused DDT of bribing the ref so they would lose. Yumehito Imanari was more concerned about the size of Yoshimura’s thighs. He never seen anything like them and thinks they should be used in his movies!

There was only pride on the line for the ShunMao Vs CDK match. Both teams were already eliminated from contention. ShunMao’s teamwork blew up in their own faces when Shunma Katsumata accidentally hit the Sauna Trance Splash onto his own partner. With MAO taken out that way, CD hit a Super Kick/Praying Mantis Bomb combo to pin Katsumata. ShunMao still believe they did well in the tournament. They had to wrestle under normal rules and were still able to entertain the fans. Now they will wait for offers to wrestle anywhere, even somewhere abroad like America or Finland. Takanashi used one of the Asia Dream Tag Title belts to block a punch from MAO during the match. He later found out the punch broke one of the plates! He swore revenge on them as soon as he finds some tape to fix the belt.

Both Kazusada Higuchi and Shuji Kondo found themselves without their regular tag partners because of covid. Their Tag League match was declared void and neither team got points out of it. Instead, Higuchi teamed with Soma Takao to face Kondo & Toru Owashi. The Toryumon flavored team came out on top which makes Owashi think it was fate for Hirata to get sick and make himself team with Kondo. It may be the start of something new or it may not. The one thing Owashi is sure of is Kondo won the match for Hirata.

Dark match? More like After Dark match! Danshoku Dieno’s bout against Hiroshi Yamato aired live on DDT’s Youtube channel so Hisaya Imabayashi warned them not to go overboard. They did anyway by trying to strip off each other’s wrestling tights. Imabayashi called off the match and finally had enough. When Dieno tried to attack him he fought back and gave Dieno a Stunner! Imabayashi then kicked Yamato out of the ring and ordered the staff to disinfect everything before the main show could begin.

The other dark match was a much cleaner affair. Yusuke Okada submitted Yuki Ishida. The youngster hit his Sumo Slaps and kicked out of a Brainbuster but the Crab Hold defeated him in the end.

The complete card for “JUDGEMENT 2022 ~DDT 25TH ANNIVERSARY~” on 20th March was revealed at the end of the show. Isami Kodaka sent in a video promising to be there. He and Yukio Sakaguchi will face Yuki Ueno & Shunma Katsumata on the show. Kazusada Higuchi & Hideki Okatani are the team that will face Jun Akiyama & Takao Omori. There will also be a pre-show matches with the past, present and future of DDT invovled.

DDT “JUDGEMENT 2022 ~DDT 25TH ANNIVERSARY~”, 20/03/2022
Tokyo Ryogoku Kokugikan

0. Dark Match: Yusuke Okada, Yuya Koroku & Ilusion Vs Toui Kojima, Yuki Ishida & El Unicorn
0. Dark Match – Time Admission Tag Battle Royal: Tomohiko Hashimoto & Seiya Morohashi Vs Soma Takao & Shota Vs Minoru Fujita & MJ Paul Vs Yuji Hino & Yukio Naya Vs Gorgeous Matsuno & Gota Ihashi Vs Andreza Giant Panda & Super Sasadango Machine
1. KO-D 10-Man Tag Team Titles: Toru Owashi, Antonio Honda, Kazuki Hirata & Yoshihiko (c) Vs Poison Sawada JULIE, Takashi Sasaki, GENTARO, MIKAMI & Tanomusaku Toba (w/ Naomi Susan)
2. LiLiCo Retirement Match: LiLiCo, Ryohei Odai & Akito (w/ Junretsu) Vs Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno, Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Yumehito “Fantastic” Imanari
3. Special Tag Match: Isami Kodaka & Yukio Sakaguchi Vs Yuki Ueno & Shunma Katsumata
4. Special Single Match: Saki Akai Vs Maya Yukihi
5. Jun Akiyama 30th Anniversary Match: Jun Akiyama & Takao Omori Vs Kazusada Higuchi & Hideki Okatani
6. DDT 25th Anniversary Special Single Match: Sanshiro Takagi Vs Michael Nakazawa
7. KO-D Tag Team Titles: HARASHIMA & Naomi Yoshimura (c) Vs Chris Brookes & Masahiro Takanashi
8. DDT Universal Title – Hardcore 3 Way Match: Daisuke Sasaki (c) Vs Jun Kasai Vs MAO
9. KO-D Openweight Title – Japan Bakery Marketing Presents: Konosuke Takeshita (c) Vs Tetsuya Endo