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.
DDT “JUDGEMENT 2016 ~DDT 19th ANNIVERSARY~”, 21/03/2016 Tokyo Ryogoku Kokugikan 6,938 Fans – No Vacancy
Kota Ibushi Comeback & Ibushi Wrestling Institute 1st Leg – East & West Toward The Front Over The Entire Surface Falls Count Anywhere Weapon Treasure Hunt Match: Sanshiro Takagi & Jun Kasai Vs KENSO & Michael Nakazawa Vs Kota Ibushi & Gota Ihashi
DDT “ROJO PRO WRESTLING IN MIYAJI IRONWORKS”, 29/05/2013 Tokyo Miyaji Ironworks 146 Fans – Overcrowded
2 Vs 2 Vs 3 Handicap Falls Count Anywhere Match: Kazuyoshi Sakai, Danshoku Dieno & Makoto Oishi Vs Sanshiro Takagi & Kota Ibushi Vs Michael Nakazawa & Hiroshi Fukuda
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TOKYO JOSHI 2022 WINTER ~YOKOHAMA PERFORMANCE~”, 05/02/2022 Yokohama Radiant Hall
1. Miyu Yamashita Vs Marika Kobashi
One more homecoming for Marika Kobashi before she graduates from Tokyo Joshi Pro in April. She gets the biggest challenge possible, a singles match against Miyu Yamashita!
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “POSITIVE CHAIN ’22”, 11/02/2022 Tokyo Korakuen Hall
1. Moka Miyamoto Vs Arisu Endo
2. Hyper Misao, Nao Kakuta & Mahiro Kiryu Vs Asuka, Haruna Neko & Kaya Toribami
3. Suzume Vs Yuki Arai
4. Sakisama & Mei Saint-Michel Vs Raku & Pom Harajuku
5. Miyu Yamashita, Hikari Noa & Marika Kobashi Vs Shoko Nakajima, Yuka Sakazaki & Mizuki
6. International Princess Title: Maki Itoh (c) Vs Yuki Kamifuku
7. 2nd “Futari wa Princess” Max Heart Tournament – Final: Rika Tatsumi & Miu Watanabe Vs Nodoka Tenma & Yuki Aino
The two strongest teams in TJPW right now seem to be Daydream and The Bakuretsu Sisters. They both reached the Max Heart Tournament final and the time is coming to see which side is better. There have been two previous matches between the teams and the Princess Tag Team Titles were on the line both times. Daydream won the first one and the Sisters won the second time. This will be the definitive rubber match given how Nodoka Tenma’s wrestling career is nearing its end. Yuki Aino thinks this match is their destiny. She still wants to wrestle with her sister which she thinks is one of the reasons why they were so successful in this tournament. However Miu Watanabe believes Daydream is now at their strongest. Rika Tatsumi is looking ahead to the winners most likely getting the next Princess Tag Titles shot against The Magical Sugar Rabbits.
When Yuki Kamifuku pinned Maki Itoh earlier in the tournament, Itoh kept her temper knowing that Kamifuku would become a potential challenger for the International Princess Title. Her instinct was proven correct and Kamifuku gets the title shot at Korakuen Hall. Itoh wants her current reign to surpass Kamifuku’s time with the belt so whatever feelings Kamifuku shows in the match, Itoh will give it back 100 times more. Kamifuku feels motivated after teaming with Asuka and thinks it will be a bad look for their friendship if she has nothing to show from working so hard. If she becomes champion again she wants to expand the Wrestle Universe audience across Asia, because America and Europe are already being catered to. Harsh words were also given when Kamifuku called herself the coolest in the world. Itoh said “Piss off you piece of shit” in response.
Two classmates born in 1998 will face off when Suzume takes on Yuki Arai in a first time singles match. Suzume has two years of extra experience in the ring but Arai is coming off of a super rookie year that’s been covered by the Japanese wrestling press across the board. While Suzume knows how popular Arai is, she remembers getting many votes herself to qualify for the IP Title No. 1 Contender Battle Royal last December (Suzume even beat Arai 210 votes to 199). Who gets attention doesn’t bother her, she just wants to win against Arai in a match between two TJPW wrestlers.
DDT “JUDGEMENT 2022 ~DDT 25TH ANNIVERSARY~”, 20/03/2022 Tokyo Ryogoku Kokugikan
1. LiLiCo Retirement Match: LiLiCo Vs X
2. 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)
3. DDT 25th Anniversary Special Single Match: Sanshiro Takagi Vs Michael Nakazawa
4. Special Single Match: Saki Akai Vs Maya Yukihi
5. KO-D Openweight Title: Konosuke Takeshita (c) Vs Tetsuya Endo
Wrestlers from DDT’s past will come to Sumo Hall to celebrate the company’s 25th Anniversary. The rumored AEW name turned out to be Michael Nakazawa and he blatantly tried to make people think it would be Kenny Omega to get more attention. His long rivalry with Sanshiro Takagi gets revived for the big occasion.
The DDT Legend Army consists of DDT’s big players from the 2000s era of the company. Poison Sawada JULIE and his paranormal powers made him a force to be reckoned with in his prime. Takashi Sasaki is still going today, flying the flag for FREEDOMS over the last 12 years. His Aka Rangers tag partner GENTARO was a DDT mainstay from 2001-2003. The Suicide Boyz of MIKAMI & Tanomusaku Toba were the focal point of DDT’s tag division throughout the decade both together and in separate teams. Tying up the challenging team is Naomi Susan at ringside. She played a major role for DDT behind the scenes as the liaison for foreign wrestlers and was also the manager for Union Pro Wrestling.
Celebrity and former multiple DDT title holder LiLiCo wants to wrestle one more match before she calls time on her pro wrestling career. 2018 was the last time she wrestled in DDT and it will really make it worth her while if they can find her some handsome opponents for her farewell.
DDT “SWEET DREAMS! 2022 ~ULTIMATE TAG LEAGUE 2022 OPENING ROUND~”, 30/01/2022 Tokyo Korakuen Hall 516 Fans – No Vacancy
0. Dark Match – 3 Vs 2 Handicap Match: Antonio Honda & Yusuke Okada defeated Toru Owashi, Tomomitsu Matsunaga & Yuki Ishida when Okada pinned Ishida with the Sudden Death (6:46).
1. Kazusada Higuchi, Yukio Sakaguchi, Saki Akai & Hideki Okatani defeated Akito, Soma Takao, Toui Kojima & Yuya Koroku when Okatani pinned Kojima with the Diving Knee Drop (10:32).
2. Ultimate Tag League 2022 – B Block: Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Yumehito “Fantastic” Imanari (2) defeated Shunma Katsumata & MAO (0) when Imanari pinned MAO with the Pheromone Clutch (9:35).
3. Ultimate Tag League 2022 – A Block: Konosuke Takeshita & Yuki Ueno (2) defeated Shuji Kondo & Kazuki Hirata (0) when Ueno pinned Hirata with the BME (14:10).
4. Ultimate Tag League 2022 – A Block: Tetsuya Endo & Jun Akiyama (2) defeated Yuji Hino & Yukio Naya (0) when Endo pinned Naya with the Shooting Star Press (14:40).
5. Ultimate Tag League 2022 – B Block: Chris Brookes & Masahiro Takanashi (2) defeated HARASHIMA & Naomi Yoshimura (0) when Takanashi pinned HARASHIMA with a Pedal-Style Uwabami (19:13).
6. DDT Universal Title: Daisuke Sasaki (c) defeated Minoru Fujita with La Mistica Crossface Lock (19:27). *V4 for Daisuke Sasaki.
The main event saw two rule-breakers try to be dirtier than the other in the ring. Daisuke Sasaki called upon MJ Paul to get in and help him but Fujita had backup from his friends from ChocoPro. Sasaki hit a Low Blow on Fujita and also a chairshot but Fujita got even with a supposedly inadvertent Low Blow to Sasaki as he fell to the canvas. Fujita did an Avalanche SAYONARA Tombstone but Sasaki kicked out at two. The champion then overcame Fujita’s Cradles and trapped him in La Mistica Crossface Lock for the submission win.
In a surprising moment after the match, Fujita went to shake Sasaki’s hand despite protests from the ChocoPro wrestlers. Fujita then offered to shake Baaliyan Akki’s hand but instead kicked him low and gave him an Implant DDT. Fujita told his friends their kindness will make them lose at the most crucial moments and they should wake up! If they don’t win then there is no justice. Fujita was about to leave when Sasaki called him over and asked him to join DAMNATION T.A. Fujita accepted and said he will give all of him to the unit. They then attacked the ChocoPro wrestlers and Sasaki told them to go back to Ichigaya. The show ended with Sasaki saying finally DAMNATION T.A is ready to bring destruction and chaos to DDT!
The bulk of the show was dedicated to the opening matches of the Ultimate Tag League 2022. The big match saw CDK scoring an upset win over DISASATER BOX, causing an immediate dent to the former KO-D Tag Team Champions plan to regain the belts. Some clever maneuvers from Chris Brookes & Masahiro Takanashi included putting the ref on top of HARASHIMA and flipping them over into an unintentional Takatonic. When that misfired, HARASHIMA used Naomi Yoshimura as a stepping stone to hit a Flying Double Knee to Takanashi. Brookes was wiped out with the Somato but Takanashi caught HARASHIMA in a roll up to snatch the win out of nowhere. Brookes called DISASTER BOX their strongest opponents in the group, everybody else is all B teams.
BURNING started their campaign with a good win against the heavyweight duo of Yuji Hino & Yukio Naya. Near the end Jun Akiyama threw his Exploder Suplexes but Hino fired his own back at him. Naya’s big move on Tetsuya Endo was an Avalanche Brainbuster but Akiyama caught him with a Running Knee to the face and then another Exploder. Endo dropped him with the Swivel Torture Rack Bomb and picked up the win with the Shooting Star Press. Akiyama thinks Naya is beginning to develop into a better wrestler but BURNING was not going to lose to anyone today. Hino encouraged Naya to explode even more at their next match.
It was a mixed start for the two teams representing The 37KAMIINA. The Osaka duo of Konosuke Takeshita & Yuki Ueno won their match against the odd couple of Shuji Kondo & Kazuki Hirata. There were times when Hirata was reminded not to start dancing because Kondo wants him to get serious. When they were put in Double Crab Holds, Kondo had to physically stop Hirata from tapping out by grabbing his arm before he could tap out. Kondo got his chance to square up against Takeshita but the match came down to Ueno and Hirata. Ueno blocked the Mad Splash and pinned Hirata with the Best Moonsault Ever. Takeshita admitted to being 1% afraid his team would lose the match. He is also interested in wrestling Kondo again. He thinks it would be fun if The 37KAMIINA goes over to the place where Kondo regularly wrestles and fight him there.
Things did not go as well for Shunma Katsumata & MAO when they took on Pheromones. They surprised their opponents with immediate Dropkicks and dives for an attempted quick win. But Yuki Iino & Yumehito Imanari got their chance to do Pheromone things. MAO got a face full of Iino’s backside while Imanari rolled up Katsumata in the Pheromone Clutch to steal the win. Imanari said that even when Danshoku Dieno isn’t here, they are still Pheromones! He didn’t think they could win but the inherited Dandy spirit of Dieno helped them push through with their goal to explore the true DDT essence of DDT.
Now Eruption is complete. A fresh start for Hideki Okatani means a fresh look too. Elsewhere in that generation, Yuya Koroku & Toui Kojima had a tense moment tagging each other in. Akito & Soma Takao tried working together to take out Kazusada Higuchi but Yukio Sakaguchi & Saki Akai were there to even the odds. Eruption all got together to pick apart the opposing team and Okatani used a Diving Knee Drop to pin Kojima. Afterwards backstage, Okatani said he will absolutely beat Akiyama when Eruption has their first Tag League match on 5th February.
Sanshiro Takagi was pulled from the show due to a fever. There was no replacement for him so the dark match was turned into a Handicap Match. The trio of Toru Owashi, Tomomitsu Matsunaga & Yuki Ishida were all unified by their sumo backgrounds. However Yusuke Okada avoided their Sumo Illusion triple team and Antonio Honda launched a Bionic Elbow counter attack. Okada ended up pinning Ishida with the Sudden Death.
A string of announcements were made for DDT’s 25th Anniversary show at Sumo Hall on 20th March. LiLiCo announced she be retiring from pro wrestling. She has knee problems that prevent her from wrestling but would like to have one more match. Hisaya Imabayashi decided she will get a retirement match at Sumo Hall. LiLiCo requested her match to be against men, handsome ones in particular.
Several wrestlers from DDT’s past are being gathered together by Poison Sawada JULIE to challenge for the KO-D 10-Man Tag Team Titles at Sumo Hall. JULIE will lead the DDT Legend Army consisting of himself, Takashi Sasaki, GENTARO, MIKAMI & Tanomusaku Toba with Naomi Susan also in their corner.
A wrestler from AEW was heavily teased to be announced for Sumo Hall so there was a lot of excitement when a video was sent to DDT. It turned out to be from Michael Nakazawa. He wants to challenge Sanshiro Takagi to a Special Singles Match to celebrate the 25th Anniversary.
Two more big arena shows were added to the 2022 schedule. “MEGA MAX BUMP 2022” will be held at the Yokohama Budokan on 1st May. “WRESTLE PETER PAN 2022” is happened at Ota Ward Gymnasium on 20th August.
DDT “INTO THE FIGHT 2008”, 03/02/2008 Tokyo Korakuen Hall 1,194 Fans
Next KO-D Openweight Title Contender Royal Rumble: Michael Nakazawa Vs Sanshiro Takagi Vs Poison Sawada JULIE Vs Muscle Sakai Vs Tomomitsu Matsunaga Vs Yasu Urano Vs Masa Takanashi Vs GENTARO Vs Hoshitango Vs KUDO Vs Danshoku Dieno Vs Yoshiaki Yago