DDT “NEXT STEP GAME 2025”, 05/02/2025 Shinjuku FACE ??? Fans – Unannounced
1. Special Tag Match: Takeshi Masada & Yuya Koroku defeated Ilusion & Yuni when Masada pinned Yuni with the Masada No Chikara KOBU Mukimuki (8:40).
2. Special Single Match: Danshoku Dieno defeated Soma Takao with the Gaydo Clutch (4:57).
3. Yukio Naya & Daichi Sato defeated Akito & Yuki Iino when Naya pinned Akito with The World’s Best Back Drop (11:36).
4. D GENERATIONS CUP 2025 – A Block: Keigo Nakamura (2) defeated Yuki Ishida (0) with the Modified Crucifix Pin (6:45).
5. D GENERATIONS CUP 2025 – B Block: To-y (4) defeated Kazuma Sumi (2) with the Kojima Impact (8:30).
6. KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles: Daisuke Sasaki, KANON & MJ Paul (c) Vs Jun Akiyama, HARASHIMA & Tomomitsu Matsunaga when KANON submitted Matsunaga with the Cobra Twist 2.0 (15:09). *V5 for DAMNATION T.A.
7. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Shinya Aoki, Yuki Ueno & MAO defeated Chris Brookes, Masahiro Takanashi & Antonio Honda when Ueno pinned Honda with the WR (18:04).
Yuki Ueno is getting what he wants but is he ready for it? After getting the winning pinfall in the main event, Ueno spoke highly of his opponents as well as his own partners. MAO told everyone the DDT Universal Title is his ex-girlfriend but seeing Yuki Ueno treat it so well makes him happy enough to cry. The good times ended all of a sudden when Minoru Suzuki made his way down to the ring! He got the message that Ueno wants to defend the Universal Title against him. Suzuki plays rough and likes to hurt people so is Ueno really up for it? He accepts the challenge for 20th March! Ueno then told Suzuki he thought he would be scared of him but it turns out he is wrong. His heart is beating fast not out of fear but from excitement! As Suzuki walked out of the room he grabbed a chair and thrusted it at Yukinori Matsui. Ueno joked that Matsui is a noble sacrifice to drag Suzuki back into DDT so he hopes the fans will look forward to the match.
DAMNATION T.A have now tied the record for the most KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Title defences in a single reign. With today’s victory they now have five successful defences, matching Team Drift’s title reign from 2015 and Eruption’s reign from 2023. It’s an achievement tained by how the team got here though. Their opponents came close to winning with HARASHIMA & Jun Akiyama both clearing the way for Tomomitsu Matsunaga to grab the glory. Had they won the titles they would have officially named their team Chuu Nen Tai (Middle-Aged Group). But Daisuke Sasaki though hit Matsunaga in the back with a chair while MJ Paul distracted the ref. KANON then picked up the pieces and won with the Cobra Twist 2.0. Sasaki told everyone that they couldn’t lose to an impromptu team and there is no other trio out there who can surpass DAMNATION T.A. They will defend the belts 10,000 more times right until somebody dies! Sasaki believes there will not be any more challengers anyway. KANON said they will hold onto the belts until fans get tired of them and no longer want to see the championship.
The D GENERATIONS CUP continued with two more matches today, one from each block. To-y looks well on the way to reach the final again when he beat Kazuma Sumi to move into first place in the B Block. He told Sumi after the match he had fun wrestling him and they can become best friends from now on. To-y is saving most of his excitement for after he wins the tournament because he badly wants to fight Chris Brookes for the KO-D Openweight Title. Sumi is still in the running but he needs to win his last group match to have a chance of reaching the final.
Keigo Nakamura had Shinya Aoki in his corner for his match against Yuki Ishida. He had to dodge the Flame Palm then trap Ishida in the Modified Crucifix Pin to win his first two points in the tournament. Later at the end of the show Ueno asked Aoki why does he have high expectations for Nakamura in the tournament? Aoki told him it’s because nobody else is expecting it and that’s irresponsible!
Normally Danshoku Dieno would gladly put a person like Soma Takao in the Lip Lock but not today! Before their match began Takao revealed the last time Dieno gave him the Lip Lock it cured him of his hangover. He spent last night drinking and is still feeling the effects of it so he wants nothing more now than for Dieno to give him the Lip Lock again! Dieno refused and resisted doing the move for the entire match. Takao then tried to do the Lip Lock himself but missed and caught Yukinori Matsui with it. Dieno was able to put Takao in the Gaydo Clutch with Matsui fast counted the three count to get some payback.
The rest of the D GENERATIONS CUP field took part in a non-tournament tag match. Ilusion had to team with Yuni even though he didn’t want to. He eventually went along with it when it was convenient for him, mainly when it meant double teaming on Takeshi Masada. He also tried to convince Yuni to use a chair but Yuni Super Kicked him instead. That may have cost him because he had to fight Masada & Yuya Koroku by himself from that point on. Masada was able to beat him but Ilusion got away scot free.
GANBARE☆JOSHI/KITSUNE “GANJO X KITSUNE”, 28/01/2025 Shin-Kiba 1st RING
1. YuuRI & Ayame Sasamura Vs Kohaku & Nanami
2. Tae Honma, AKARI & Yappy Vs Mochi Natsumi, Yuki Mashiro & Grizzly Fujitaki
3. Moeka Haruhi Vs Arisa Shinose
4. Mixed Tag Match: Yumehito Imanari & Chanyota Vs Keisuke Ishii & Echika Miyabi
5. Kitsune World Title: MICHIKO (c) Vs Yuna Manase
Tomorrow is Yuna Manase’s chance to win the Kitsune World Title back from MICHIKO.
DDT “NEXT STEP GAME 2025”, 05/02/2025 Shinjuku FACE
1. Akito & Yuki Iino Vs Yukio Naya & Daichi Sato
2. Special Single Match: Danshoku Dieno Vs Soma Takao
3. Special Tag Match: Takeshi Masada & Yuya Koroku Vs Ilusion & Yuni
4. D GENERATIONS CUP 2025 – B Block: To-y Vs Kazuma Sumi
5. D GENERATIONS CUP 2025 – A Block: Keigo Nakamura Vs Yuki Ishida
6. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Chris Brookes, Masahiro Takanashi & Antonio Honda Vs Shinya Aoki, Yuki Ueno & MAO
7. KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles: Daisuke Sasaki, KANON & MJ Paul (c) Vs Jun Akiyama, HARASHIMA & Tomomitsu Matsunaga
A non-title victory at yesterday’s show has resulted in Jun Akiyama, HARASHIMA & Tomomitsu Matsunaga becoming the No. 1 Contenders for the KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles. Matsunaga has promised to turn the world upside down by beating DAMNATION T.A again this time when the titles are on the line.
After fighting each other in the ring a few times already, Yukio Naya & Daichi Sato are now going to try out teaming together.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “THE 5TH “FUTARI WA PRINCESS” MAX HEART TOURNAMENT”, 08/02/2025 Tokyo Korakuen Hall
1. Yoshiko Hasegawa, Kaya Toribami & Chika Nanase Vs Shino Suzuki, Ivy Steele & Kira Summer
2. Yuki Kamifuku Vs Mifu Ashida
3. Raku & Ram Kaichow Vs Mahiro Kiryu & Haruna Neko
4. Arisu Endo Vs Wakana Uehara
5. Miu Watanabe Vs Uta Takami
6. Yuki Aino Vs Haru Kazashiro
7. Mizuki & HIMAWARI Vs Rika Tatsumi & Toga
8. International Princess Title: Suzume (c) Vs Jada Stone
9. “Futari wa Princess” Max Heart Tournament – Final: Max The Impaler & Pom Harajuku Vs Shoko Nakajima & Hyper Misao
The Max Heart Tournament is coming down to Pompaler versus Kyoraku Kyomei. Can Pom Harajuku’s recent run of success continue thanks to the sharp aim of Max The Impaler or will Max Heart glory finally find its way towards Shoko Nakajima & Hyper Misao.
We’re getting a preview of what Mizuki against Rika Tatsumi is going to be like.
It’s another lunch date for Raku & Ram Kaichow.
Miyu Yamashita, Maki Itoh and Moka Miyamoto will not be at the show because they will be wrestling over in Chile that weekend.
DDT “JUST BEFORE JUDGEMENT 2025! BIG SALES AND PRESS CONFERENCE FESTIVAL IN OTA WARD INDUSTRIAL PLAZA”, 16/03/2025 Ota Ward Industrial Plaza (PiO) 4th Floor Convention Hall
1. Falls Count Anywhere Tag Match: Yuki Ueno & HARASHIMA Vs Danshoku Dieno & Keigo Nakamura
A few days before DDT’s 28th Anniversary show there will be a public event featuring press conferences, contract signings, autograph sessions and also a Falls Count Anywhere match.
DDT “JUDGEMENT 2025 ~28TH ANNIVERSARY 5 HOUR SPECIAL~”, 20/03/2025 Tokyo Korakuen Hall
1. Kazusada Higuchi Return Match: Kazusada Higuchi Vs X
2. DDT Extreme Title: Danshoku Dieno (c) Vs Yuki Iino
3. DDT Universal Title: Yuki Ueno (c) Vs X
4. KO-D Openweight Title: Chris Brookes (c) Vs X
According to Chris Brookes there are around ten people he would like to defend the KO-D Openweight Title against and he needs time to whittle the list down to one challenger. He has until 23rd February to make his decision.
The new DDT Universal Champion already has his first challenger in mind but it might take a while for it to happen. Yuki Ueno fought Minoru Suzuki for the first time last year in a tag match and he wants nothing more than to face him one on one. The Universal Title is now his treasure so he is going to use it to get “Pirate King” Suzuki’s attention. However Suzuki has his own schedule to deal with so if he takes up the challenge it might not be able to happen at DDT’s 28th Anniversary show. So if Suzuki cannot make that date, Ueno will still have a title defence on the show.
I thought Yuni was the only opponent Danshoku Dieno was forbidden to fight but it turns out there is someone else. DDT avoided booking Dieno against Yuki Iino for so long because of their history together as part of Pheromones. However Akito felt now is the time to do the match and Iino himself also wants it to happen. Dieno isn’t pleased to have the match happen against his wishes but he will allow it to happen as long as Hisaya Imabayashi is forced to be part of the match somehow. We’ll have to wait and see what role the DDT GM will have to play.
Nine months after his last wrestling match, Kazusada Higuchi will return from his injuries ready to give it his all in the ring again.
DDT “NEW YEAR, NEW HERO. 2025 ~A NEW STORY BEGINS~”, 26/01/2025 Tokyo Korakuen Hall ??? Fans – Unannounced
1. Yuki Iino & Daichi Sato defeated Soma Takao & Yukio Naya when Iino pinned Takao with the Spear (9:30).
2. MAO & Toru Owashi defeated Masahiro Takanashi & Antonio Honda when MAO pinned Honda with a Japanese Leg Roll Clutch Hold (8:29).
3. Jun Akiyama, HARASHIMA & Tomomitsu Matsunaga defeated Daisuke Sasaki, KANON & MJ Paul when Matsunaga pinned KANON with a Sideways Cradle Hold (9:20).
4. DDT Extreme Title – Life’s Sparkle Rules: Danshoku Dieno (c) defeated Gorgeous Matsuno with an Inside Cradle (9:47). *V2 for Danshoku Dieno.
5. Road To D GENERATIONS CUP 2025! Special 8-Man Tag Match: To-y, Yuya Koroku, Yuni & Kazuma Sumi defeated Takeshi Masada, Keigo Nakamura, Ilusion & Yuki Ishida when Koroku submitted Nakamura with the Modified Triangle Lancer (12:53).
6. DDT Universal Title: Yuki Ueno defeated Gringo Loco (c) with the WR (15:40). *Gringo Loco fails in V3. Yuki Ueno becomes the 17th DDT Universal Champion!
7. KO-D Openweight Title: Chris Brookes (c) defeated Shuji Ishikawa with the Ground Octopus Stretch (22:21). *V2 for Chris Brookes.
The second KO-D Openweight Title defence is in the bag for Chris Brookes. He was given a big challenge in the form of Shuji Ishikawa so he took some big risks to try and beat him. He tried attacking him with a stapler but Ishikawa did the same to him. Brookes set up a table at ringside but Ishikawa put him through it with the Fire Thunder and then attacked him with the remains to make the champ bleed. Brookes was able to deal some damage with the Somato and Praying Mantis Bomb but Ishikawa kicked out of them. Ishikawa pulled out another Fire Thunder but Brookes kept on fighting, even kicking out after he was given the Kamigoye and the Splash Mountain. An opening was badly needed to reverse him fortunes and Brookes found one when he avoided the Giant Slam. He jumped onto Ishikawa and clamped him into the Octopus Stretch, pulling him down to the mat and tightening the hold until Ishikawa gave up.
Ishikawa declined to shake Brookes’s hand after the match and left the ring. Brookes was then met with Akito who was serving as the GM in place of Hisaya Imabayashi today. Akito told him the next KO-D Title match will be at DDT’s 28th Anniversary show in Korakuen Hall on 20th March. He asked if Brookes had an opponent in mind? Brookes said there are around 10 people he would like to defend the title against but right now he cannot think straight because of the match he just had. Akito told him he has until the 23rd February Korakuen show to nominate his challenger. Brookes then decided to sing some karaoke in place of Ishikawa, singing “Don’t Stop Me Now” by Queen. But when he reached the chorus, Ishikawa suddenly returned to the ring to join in! He then shook Brookes’s hand and left again. Backstage he promised the next time he fights Brookes he will be singing The Beatles for karaoke afterwards.
The DDT Universal Title has spent the last two months travelling around North America with Gringo Loco. Today was the first time he was wrestling in Japan since winning the championship at DDT’s Seattle weekend back in November. Yuki Ueno was his opponent of choice and the two provided a match filled with high flying and high impact moves. There were plenty of Frankensteiners, Destroyers and Spanish Flies to be seen. Loco hit the Base Bomb onto the ring apron and also gave Ueno an Avalanche Falcon Arrow. However Ueno hit back with the Dropkick to the Face, a Reverse Hurricanrana and then the WR to win the match and become the new champion! The two shook hands and Ueno told Loco he will see him next time in America.
Ueno called the Universal Title a divine belt that he won again for the first time in years. As much as he would like to spend a month going overseas to defend the belt in countries like America and Mexico, there is another idea he wants to do first. When he thinks about who he could defend the title against, one person immediately came to mind. There is a “Pirate King” he fought last year that he would like to fight again and he finally has the treasure needed to lure him back to DDT. He wants Minoru Suzuki! Akito heard his request and said he will pass it on to Suzuki. A decision over whether or not the title match can happen will depend on Suzuki’s schedule.
With the D GENERATIONS CUP about to start next month, all eight participants were eager to show what they are made of in an 8-Man Tag preview. Well, most of them were. Ilusion spent the last few days complaining about being sick and not wanting to wrestle today so he was nowhere to be seen at the start. His team had to wrestle 4-on-3 until Ilusion finally showed up to attack Takeshi Masada even though they were meant to be partners. They continued to get in each other’s way, allowing Kazuma Sumi & To-y to both get some moves in on them. Keigo Nakamura also got involved trying stop Ilusion from attacking the other team with a chair, distracting him long enough for Masada to Super Kick him. So Ilusion decided to get revenge by attacking Masada with the chair, leaving Nakamura & Yuki Ishida to spend the rest of the match fighting 2 against 4. Ishida in particular used his sumo power to fend off To-y, Yuni & Sumi. That left Nakamura and Yuya Koroku fighting each other by themselves. Koroku blocked Nakamura’s Crucifix Pin and turned it into the Modified Triangle Lancer to get the tap out win for his team.
According to Danshoku Dieno the most important thing in the world is the next second you live so his DDT Extreme Title match against Gorgeous Matsuno only needed a One Count Pinfall to win. The rule meant Matsuno needed to be at his absolute best while his back was against the wall. He constantly kicked out of Dieno’s moves before the pins could be counted but as the match went on, everybody noticed that Dieno was hesitant to use the Lip Lock on his 63 year old opponent. Matsuno saw his chance to win when Dieno missed a Moonsault. He gave Dieno his own Lip Lock, causing Dieno to wretch and collapse to the mat. Matsuno then hit the Gorgeous Superstar Elbow onto Dieno’s back. But when he rolled Dieno over, Dieno caught him with an Inside Cradle to get the one count pin and win.
Matsuno accepted defeat and shook Dieno’s hand before leaving the ring. Akito then told Dieno there is one person he would like Dieno to defend the Extreme Title defence on 20th March. It’s Yuki Iino! Akito explained it is the one match DDT has been avoiding. Their history together as Pheromones continues to cause a lot of trouble because videos of their matches recently demonetized DDT’s Youtube channel. However Akito would like Dieno and Iino to face each other before Pheromones completely disappears from everyone’s memories. Dieno argued against the decision because he wants to decide when he will fight Iino, not DDT. Iino told Dieno it was never the company’s decision to make him quit Pheromones, it was his own. He is also challenging Dieno for the Extreme Title out of his own free will, not because Akito asked him to do it. Akito ensured the two they can do whatever they want in the match as long as it results in the best Extreme Title bout ever. Dieno said he will do it but on one condition. Hisaya Imabayashi must be the referee! Akito agreed to his request and said he will take full responsibility for everything that will happen to Imabayashi.
The next challengers for the KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles made themselves known after they beat DAMNATION T.A in a non-title bout. Tomomitsu Matsunaga used KANON’s momentum against him and used an Arm-Trap Cradle to get the three count. Afterward he said he can sense the team of himself, Jun Akiyama & HARASHIMA are good enough to fight Daisuke Sasaki, KANON & MJ Paul again this time with the titles on the line. Akito agreed and booked a title match for 5th February at Shinjuku FACE. Matsunaga promised his team will turn the world upside down when they win the titles from DAMNATION T.A!
When Antonio Honda was winding up his Bionic Elbow in Match #2, MAO quickly removed his own wrestling gear to reveal he was wearing his Antonio Honda XL costume underneath. The two then did mirror spots to Toru Owashi and Masahiro Takanashi before fighting each other in a mirrored setting. MAO ended up becoming the better Honda by reversing the Japanese Leg Roll Clutch for the pinfall. They played Honda’s victory music after the match anyway.
The teenage heavyweight Daichi Sato wanted to fight Yukio Naya directly, leaving Yuki Iino to put away Soma Takao without much danger to worry about.
During the show Kazuasada Higuchi made an appearance to announce his return from injury. He had taken time off from wrestling last June to recover from several injuries including a cervical hernia. Higuchi told the fans he will return on 20th March because the ring means everything to him.
More details were announced for DDT’s collaboration with the anime “Brave Bang Bravern”. There will be merchandise of the characters Isami Ao & Lewis Smith dressed up as Yuki Ueno & MAO under the tag team name Brave Knights. Also on 23rd February DDT will host the pro wrestling debut of the Bravern, the anime’s star mecha! Bravern’s wrestling costume will be designed by the anime’s director Masami Obari.
DDT “NEVER MIND 2024”, 22/12/2024 Tokyo Korakuen Hall 966 Fans – No Vacancy
1. MJ Paul, Demus & Ilusion defeated Takeshi Masada, Yuni & Kazuma Sumi when Demus pinned Sumi with La Valagueza (8:39).
2. Danshoku Dieno & Kazuki Hirata defeated Toru Owashi & Antonio Honda when Dieno pinned Honda with the Danshoku Driver (9:25).
3. Jun Akiyama, Shinya Aoki & Keigo Nakamura defeated HARASHIMA, Yukio Naya & Yuki Ishida when Nakamura pinned Ishida with a Brazilian Kick (10:50).
4. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Tetsuya Endo, Yuya Koroku & Akito defeated MAO, To-y & Soma Takao by TKO when Koroku used the Chickenwing Arm Lock on To-y (13:47).
5. Special Single Match: Super Sasadango Machine defeated Yuki Ueno with an Inside Cradle (9:20).
6. Special Single Match: Tomohiro Ishii defeated Yuki Iino with the Vertical Drop Brainbuster (16:55).
7. Road To Ultimate Party 2024! Special Tag Match: Chris Brookes & Masahiro Takanashi defeated Daisuke Sasaki & KANON when Brookes pinned Sasaki with the Praying Mantis Bomb (16:38).
It’s one more week to go until “ULTIMATE PARTY 2024” but first there was a little matter of DDT running their last show at Korakuen Hall for 2024. Chris Brookes and Daisuke Sasaki got to clash one more time before their KO-D Openweight Title match. Here it was CDK against the top two of DAMNATION T.A. The match broke down with the rest of DAMNATION T.A interfering to attack Masahiro Takanashi. That led to SCHADENFREUDE International launching a counter attack that ended with the four of them all hitting Sasaki with a grouped up Super Kick. KANON brought in a chair but Brookes grabbed it off him, hit it over Sasaki’s head and pinned him with the Praying Mantis Bomb.
Brookes told everyone after the match that one year ago he was having surgery to remove a tumor but one year later he is here in the DDT ring as the KO-D Champion! He is confident he will defend the title at Sumo Hall. Sasaki thinks otherwise because today he absorbed all of Brookes’s moves. That means when “ULTIMATE PARTY 2024” comes around Sasaki will have Brookes all figured out. He suggests that Brookes start packing his bags because when Sumo Hall is over Sasaki will kick him back to the UK!
DDT was on in the afternoon today before New Japan took over Korakuen for the evening slot. That opened up an opportunity to have a few cross-promotional things happen like Yuki Iino fighting Tomohiro Ishii is a battle of the stocky heavyweights. There were Shoulder Blocks, Elbow Strikes, Chops, Lariats and Heabutts galore. Iino got to hit the Spear but Ishii kicked out at two. Ishii wore down Iino and finished him off with the Vertical Drop Brainbuster to win. Backstage Ishii said Iino is close to being ready and it’s a shame he isn’t there yet. Iino has power, stamina and drive but he still needs to fight and search for what he needs to get to that next level. He does not care if Iino wants to do that though. Ishii has already moved on so whatever Iino does in the future does not concern him.
There was a slight technological delay buy Super Sasadango Machine was able to display his latest PowerPoint presentation. It’s all about connecting the dots in order to beat Yuki Ueno. The greatest weapon in Ueno’s arsenal is his high flying moves so Sasadango secretly told everyone in Korakuen that he hid a spare King Of Sasadango title belt under the ring with three thumbtacks sticking out of it. During the match Sasadango swapped his belt with the thumbtack belt and lured Ueno into doing the Frog Splash. Ueno landed stomach first on the thumbtacks and was rolled over with a School Boy. Ueno kicked out though and gave Sasadango a Dropkick followed by a Body Slam onto the belt. But when he went for the pin, Sasadango suddenly caught him in an Inside Cradle and held him down long enough for Yukinori Matsui to eventually count to three! Sasadango then asked Ueno to nominate him as his first challenger if Ueno regains the KO-D Title next year.
Loss after loss has gotten to Yuya Koroku so he was determined not to get beaten by To-y again today. To-y was on fire though. He used the Kojima Impact on Akito and did the same to Koroku. But this time Tetsuya Endo was there to break the pin in time. Koroku then grabbed Kojima by the arm and refused to let go. He countered a Headlock into the Chickenwing Arm Lock and increased the struggle until To-y could no longer fight out of the move. To-y wouldn’t submit either so Matsui stopped the match for his safety and rewarded Koroku’s team with the win. Backstage Endo explained that the one thing Koroku has been missing until now was cruelty. Sometimes in wrestling you just have to be cruel to your opponent. Koroku agrees and said next time he will break To-y’s arm! However To-y thinks this result won’t happen again at Sumo Hall. He and MAO will win the vacant KO-D Tag Team Titles and they’ll have fun doing it.
Match #3 provided a good workout for some of the Sumo Hall undercard matches. Jun Akiyama and Yukio Naya started it off while Shinya Aoki and HARASHIMA got to wrestle each other again. Naya eventually got the upper hand by giving Akiyama the Choke Slam. However the match came down to Keigo Nakamura striking Yuki Ishida with High Kicks before knocking him down with the Brazilian Kick for the victory. Aoki told Nakamura they’re off to a good start as a team. Nakamura is confident they can beat Kenoh and the NOAH team at Sumo Hall. He will go there with his head held high. Akiyama told Naya that the practice matches are now over. It is now up to them to go at each other as strong as they can in Sumo Hall.
We all know what to expect by now when DDT books a tag match like Danshoku Dieno & Kazuki Hirata against Toru Owashi & Antonio Honda. Dieno went into the Hell Gate position, Honda used it to charge up Gongitsune and he ended up hitting Owashi with the move by accident. Dieno then charged up his own attack but hit Hirata with it by mistake. Honda then went for the Diving Fist Drop but Dieno blocked it with a Claw Attack and went on to pin Honda with the Danshoku Driver.
Dieno was not done yet however. He got on the microphone and wanted to talk about his Sumo Hall match with Great-O-Khan. So he invited O-Khan to the show to discuss the match stipulation in the ring! Khan entered the venue and sat with Dieno in the ring. They both agreed they want to have a match at Sumo Hall that can never be done there ever again. Something that DDT and New Japan would also not let them do either. O-Khan then brought out an unexpected guest, the voice actor Kentaro Kumagai. He also happens to be somebody that Dieno gave the Lip Lock to at a DDT show back in June. O-Khan gave him a United Empire shirt and ordered him to wear it out of loyalty. Another voice actor Tetsu Inada then entered the ring to side with Dieno and DDT. Dieno decided the match should have the DDT Extreme Title on the line but Hisaya Imabayashi refused to grant his request. It’s a miracle that Imabayashi convinced NJPW to let this match happen in the first place so upgrading it a title bout will be impossible. Dieno does not care and promised O-Khan the Extreme Title will be on the line even if DDT will not make it official. Kumagai then started complaining about the time Dieno gave him the Lip Lock. Inada argued back because the things Pheromones did to him were way worse. The two voice actors decided they will be at ringside for the match to support their wrestlers.
The rest of DAMNATION T.A put some of DDT’s younger wrestlers through the wringer in the opening match. MJ Paul & Demus worked together to give Kazuma Sumi a Double Argentine Facebuster. Ilusion landed the Swanton Bomb onto Yuni and then Demus used La Valagueza on Sumi to win the match. Ilusion made fun of NωA Jr. for trying to be fake idols while Demus promised to kill Sumi again at Sumo Hall. Both Yuni & Sumi want to get revenge on those two. Takeshi Masada asked the two of them to please win that match.
It was announced that Minoru Suzuki will be at DDT’s 28th Anniversary show at Korakuen Hall on 20th March.
DDT “MAO TRIUMPHANT RETURN! DRAMATIC DREAM TAISEIKAN ~THE VILLAGE IS WHERE THE SCHOOL IS~ 2024”, 17/11/2024 Miyagi Osaki City Matsuyama B&G Marine Center 523 Fans – Super No Vacancy
1. Makoto Oishi defeated Kazuma Sumi with the Fujiyama Knee Lock (4:20).
2. Danshoku Dieno & Kazuki Hirata defeated Toru Owashi & Antonio Honda when Hirata pinned Honda with the Miracle One Shot Cradle (9:06).
3. Special Tag Match: MJ Paul & Demus defeated Yukio Naya & Diego when Paul pinned Diego with the Death Valley Bomb (8:34).
4. Daisuke Sasaki, KANON & Ilusion defeated Takeshi Masada, Tomomitsu Matsunaga & Yuni when Sasaki submitted Matsunaga with the Crossface Lock (9:24).
5. Jun Akiyama & HARASHIMA defeated Keigo Nakamura & Yuki Ishida when HARASHIMA pinned Ishida with the Somato (10:22).
6. The 37KAMIINA Vs BURNING!: Tetsuya Endo & Yuya Koroku defeated Akito & To-y when Koroku submitted To-y with the Modified Triangle Lancer (11:45).
7. Special Tag Match: MAO & Yuki Ueno Vs Minoru Suzuki & Chris Brookes ended in a Time Limit Draw (30:00).
For MAO’s homecoming show he went to DDT management and requested a match against Minoru Suzuki. His reason was he wanted to show his hometown how much his style of pro wrestling has changed over the years. So DDT decided to put together MAO & Yuki Ueno against Suzuki & Chris Brookes. The match went ahead today and was made even more special when the mayor of Osaki City appointed MAO as a tourist ambassador for the area. MAO got to show his pro wrestling by attacking Suzuki with plastic boxes while Suzuki got into the swing of things by beating up Ueno and doing the tower pose spot with Brookes and Antonio Honda. The match lasted the full 30 minute time limit and in the final minute MAO escaped from the Gotch-Style Piledriver then hit Suzuki with the Iai Kick. The bell rang before MAO could pin him so the match ended in a draw. In a rare show of public respect, Suzuki hugged MAO after the match. He also called MAO & Ueno the best wrestlers in DDT and made it known he would like to wrestle them again. MAO said if today’s match took place in Tokyo he would have lost but because it was his hometown he had to do his absolute best. Nowadays MAO gets to wrestle around the world but he is glad he still has a home to come back to with friends he can trust. He also wants DDT to hold a show in Osaki City once every two years from now on.
Shunma Katsumata suffered a minor left knee injury during yesterday’s show and was pulled from today’s event. Akito took his place in Match #6 and Tomomitsu Matsunaga took Akito’s original spot in Match #4. Katsumata is expected to recover in time for next week’s KO-D Tag Team Titles match.
DDT “AKOS X DDT EKIMAE PRO WRESTLING”, 26/10/2024 Saitama AKOS Event Square
1. Danshoku Dieno, Kazuki Hirata & Shunma Katsumata Vs HARASHIMA, Yuki Ishida & Kazuma Sumi
2. Tetsuya Endo, Yuki Iino & Yuya Koroku Vs Jun Akiyama, Yukio Naya & Keigo Nakamura
3. The 37KAMIINA Vs SCHADENFREUDE International!: Yuki Ueno, MAO & To-y Vs Chris Brookes, Antonio Honda & Takeshi Masada
The weekend begins with a short and free DDT show over in a Saitama plaza.
DDT “FUKUSHIMA ADATARA ONSEN HOTEL PARADISE HILLS BOX OFFICE”, 27/10/2024 Fukushima Adatara Onsen Hotel Paradise Hills Sakura Campground Special Venue
1. Yukio Naya Vs Keigo Nakamura
2. MJ Paul Vs Yuki Ishida
3. Danshoku Dieno & Kazuki Hirata Vs To-y & Kazuma Sumi
4. Special Tag Match: Tetsuya Endo & Makoto Oishi Vs Chris Brookes & Takeshi Masada
5. Yuki Iino, Akito, Yuni & Yuya Koroku Vs Daisuke Sasaki, KANON, Demus & Ilusion
6. Sakura Campground Will Be Used In Its Entirety! Paradise-Style Falls Count Anywhere 6-Man Tag Match: Yuki Ueno, MAO & Shunma Katsumata Vs Jun Akiyama, HARASHIMA & Antonio Honda
This is going to be an outdoor show. If the weather in Paradise Hills is bad on Sunday then the ring will be moved to an area with shelter.
DDT “DDT PRO WRESTLING IN SHINGASHI”, 02/11/2024 Saitama Takashina Elementary School
1. Shunma Katsumata, To-y & Kazuma Sumi Vs Yukio Naya, Yuya Koroku & Yuki Ishida
2. Special Tag Match: Makoto Oishi & Yoshiko Hasegawa Vs Akito & Kaya Toribami
3. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Danshoku Dieno, HARASHIMA & Tetsuya Endo Vs Chris Brookes, Takeshi Masada & Keigo Nakamura
Next weekend DDT will be doing another outdoor free show in Saitama, this time at an elementary school. Yoshiko Hasegawa and Kaya Toribami are coming along for the ride too.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “MAHIRO KIRYU TRIUMPHANT RETURN ~TOKYO JOSHI SHINOYABO~”, 03/11/2024 Gunma G-Messe Main Hall C (Takasaki City)
1. 3 Way Match: Rika Tatsumi Vs Pom Harajuku Vs Arisu Endo
2. Suzume & Haruna Neko Vs Kaya Toribami & Toga
3. Maki Itoh & Kira Summer Vs Shoko Nakajima & HIMAWARI
4. Yoshiko Hasegawa Vs Uta Takami
5. Next Generation Tournament ’24 – Round 1D: Wakana Uehara Vs Chika Nanase
6. Miu Watanabe, Raku & Shino Suzuki Vs Mizuki, Yuki Aino & Haru Kazashiro
7. Miyu Yamashita & Moka Miyamoto Vs Yuki Kamifuku & Mahiro Kiryu
Gunma is Mahiro Kiryu’s territory so she gets the main event spot. She is also teaming with Yuki Kamifuku which means Toyo Mates are back together for the first time in a long while. The Karate Tag pair of Miyu Yamashita & Moka Miyamoto will be their opponents.
DDT/DEFY “DDT IN UTERO”, 09/11/2024 Washington Hall, Seattle, Washington, USA
1. Danshoku Dieno Vs Randy Myers
2. Gringo Loco Vs Yuni
3. Special Tag Match: Daisuke Sasaki & Artemis Spencer Vs Gurv Shira & Harv Shira
4. 3 Way Tag Match: Cody Chhun & Guillermo Rosas Vs Bryan Keith & Shota Vs Eddie Pearl & Ricky Gibson
5. DDT Universal Title – 3 Way Match: MAO (c) Vs Miyu Yamashita Vs X
6. Special Single Match: KONOSUKE TAKESHITA Vs Kohei Kinoshita
Seattle is where MAO will have his first defence of his latest DDT Universal Title reign. It’s going to be a 3 Way Match and Yamashita is one of the opponents, making it her first time she will be properly fighting for a DDT championship (other than the Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title). The other opponent is a mystery for now.
One of the other new matches on the show is on the DEFY end of things. Cody Chhun & Guillermo Rosas are known together as C4 and they are the current DEFY Tag Team Champions. One of the other regular teams is Eddie Pearl & Ricky Gibson, aka Midnight Heat. The third team have previously been opponents against each other. Bryan Keith was somebody that Shota faced during one of his American excursions two years ago.
Marina Shafir will be on the show. If Kazuki Hirata isn’t her opponent then what are we doing here (I’m predicting Yoshihiko is in the 3 Way Match)?
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “LOOKING AROUND THE WORLD, ISN’T JAPAN AMAZING AFTER ALL!?”, 10/11/2024 Tokyo Ryogoku KFC Hall
1. Rakuhan Vs Pom-chan Army: X Vs X
2. Rakuhan Vs Pom-chan Army: X Vs X
3. Rakuhan Vs Pom-chan Army: X Vs X
4. Rakuhan Vs Pom-chan Army: X Vs X
5. Rakuhan Vs Pom-chan Army: X & X Vs X & X
6. Rakuhan Vs Pom-chan Army: X & X Vs X & X
Around a dozen wrestlers from Tokyo Joshi Pro will be in Seattle for the DEFY weekend in November. Meanwhile everyone else left behind in Japan will be running a TJPW show built around a team challenge with a luxurious prize on the line. Raku and Pom Harajuku will each captain a team and will draft their members out of a pool of 16 wrestlers (14 from TJPW plus 2 guests). The teams will be drafted this Sunday before that day’s show begins.
DDT “GET ALIVE 2024 TOUR IN YOKOHAMA”, 16/11/2024 Yokohama Radiant Hall
1. Danshoku Dieno & Kazuki Hirata Vs Soma Takao & Kazuma Sumi
2. HARASHIMA, Toru Owashi & Keigo Nakamura Vs Akito, Yukio Naya & Diego
3. Special Tag Match: Shinya Aoki & Jun Akiyama Vs Yuki Ueno & To-y
Once “CHARISMANIA” is over and done with, Diego will be sticking around for another DDT show.
DDT “MAO TRIUMPHANT RETURN! DRAMATIC DREAM TAISEIKAN ~THE VILLAGE IS WHERE THE SCHOOL IS~ 2024”, 17/11/2024 Miyagi Osaki City Matsuyama B&G Marine Center
1. Makoto Oishi Vs Kazuma Sumi
2. Jun Akiyama & HARASHIMA Vs Keigo Nakamura & Yuki Ishida
3. Special Tag Match: MAO & Yuki Ueno Vs Minoru Suzuki & Chris Brookes
Imagine coming home to wrestle in front of your friends, family and adoring fans but Minoru Suzuki is also there and he wants to kill you. That will keep MAO on his toes.
BJW “KING OF DEATHMATCH WORLD GP TOURNAMENT”, 31/12/2024 Tokyo Korakuen Hall
The annual New Year’s Eve show that Big Japan, DDT and others have held together for almost two decades is not going ahead this year. Instead of doing a Shuffle Tag Tournament with DDT, Big Japan will instead hold their own one night international death match tournament. BJW’s president Eiji Tosaka wants to show the power of Japan’s death matches to the world especially since next year will be the company’s 30th Anniversary. He asked DDT for their blessing and they agreed to let him do this show at Korakuen Hall instead of the usual Shuffle Tag Tournament.
It’s a disappointing decision but also one I understand. DDT will be running Sumo Hall a few days before New Year’s Eve so that will be their priority for the end of 2024. Also the New Year’s Eve show itself has been dwindling in popularity and interest over the last few years, particularly coming out of the covid pandemic where the show can’t even be held close to midnight anymore. So while I will miss the Shuffle Tag Tournament, the truth is it’s time to try something different. Big Japan’s idea kind of reminds me of the annual “BLOOD X’MAS” shows that FREEDOMS and Jun Kasai both produce every Christmas. Can they reach the same heights though? If there are any DDT wrestlers entering the tournament (Shunma Katsumata would be the likely choice) I will post updates and the show results when they happen. If not then at least that’s less stuff for me to worry about on New Year’s Eve.
BAKA GAIJIN + FRIENDS “VOL. SIXTEEN: WHERE COLD WINDS BLOW”, 24/09/2024 Tokyo ARENA Shimokitazawa ??? Fans
1. Mr. Bueno & Chie Koishikawa Vs Masahiro Takanashi & MAO Takanashi
2. Mad Dr. Ueki & Shin Suzuki Vs Dr. Cube & Mecha Mummy
3. Munetatsu Nakamura Vs Mr. Malo
4. Antonio Honda Vs Minoru Suzuki
BAKA GAIJIN + FRIENDS “VOL. SIXTEEN: WHERE COLD WINDS BLOW”, 24/09/2024 Tokyo ARENA Shimokitazawa ??? Fans
1. Masahiro Takanashi & MAO Takanashi defeated Mr. Bueno & Chie Koishikawa when Takanashi & Takanashi both pinned Bueno with the Double Bacchus (?:??).
2. Dr. Cube & Mecha Mummy defeated Mad Dr. Ueki & Shin Suzuki when Mummy submitted Ueki with the Mecha Drill Grind (?:??).
3. Mr. Malo defeated Munetatsu Nakamura with the Killswitch (?:??).
4. Minoru Suzuki defeated Antonio Honda with the Gotch-Style Piledriver (?:??).
With no matches announced beforehand, nobody knew what to expect with this month’s visit to Baka Gaijin + Friends. The show looked like it was even going to finish early when Chris Brookes gathered everyone together after Match #3 to begin the closing speeches. Antonio Honda interrupted him complaining about not having a match on the show. Brookes admitted he forgot to book something for him. Honda demanded a match and came up with an idea. He has experience in fighting invisible men so his opponent will be Invisible Minoru Suzuki! Honda behaved like Suzuki was walking in front of him performing his entrance, unaware that the real Minoru Suzuki entered the room in his gear and stood behind him ready to wrestle! Honda turned around as the fans sang “Kaze Ni Nare” and collapsed in shock at the sight of Suzuki.
The match began and Honda tried to take control by Chopping Suzuki only to get Chopped in return. The trade-offs continued until Honda change things up by grabbing a flower and exchanging wrist locks with his opponent without dropping it. Suzuki then grabbed Honda in a Headlock and dragged him over to the window where he tried to throw him out of the building! Honda escaped and backed away from the window but Suzuki then attacked him with a coat hanger and then threw him into the front row of stools. Honda tried fighting back but was overwhelmed by Suzuki’s attacks. He got a lucky break by ducking a Clothesline causing Suzuki to slam his arm off the wooden pillar in the room. He summoned Gongitsune to start his comeback leading into the two of them winding up for a Bionic Elbow spot. Honda caught Suzuki in the Sleeper Hold and took him down to the ground. He climbed the bar counter and did the Diving Fist Drop but Suzuki got out of the way and hit the Gotch-Style Piledriver for the win. Honda wanted to keep fighting after the match but Suzuki slapped him to the ground. However Suzuki showed respect to Honda afterwards and allowed him to close out the show with a speech.
A new masked luchador has shown up in Baka Gaijin and he is described as somebody who is the opposite of Mr. Bueno. The wrestler known as Mr. Malo spent a lot of his match against Munetatsu Nakamura singling out women in the audience so he could gift them with a flower. One of those women was Sayaka from ChocoPro. But whenever the ref’s back was turned, Malo gave Nakamura a Low Blow. He also grabbed Sayaka and used her to distract the ref so he could smash a tequila bottle over Nakamura’s head before pinning him with the Killswitch. Mr. Bueno came out to check on Nakamura after the match.
Mad Dr. Ueki was feeling despondent today over what happened at “FUCKED UP FEST” last month. His prized robot Mecha Mummy was taken away by Dr. Cube and reprogrammed to do the evil kaiju’s bidding. Ueki called out Mummy to confront him and Mummy entered the room with Dr. Cube next to him! Cube bragged about what he did and ordered Mummy to destroy Ueki right away. Mummy attacked but Ueki was suddenly rescued by the ring announcer Shin Suzuki! He didn’t want to stand by and watch Ueki get ganged up on so he decided they should do a tag match instead. Ueki tried to reason with Mummy by reminding it of all the good times they had together but Mummy continued to attack him. Ueki pulled out his police gun and shot Mummy but the bullet ricocheted off its chest and hit Suzuki instead! Cube’s, well, cube protected his head like a helmet until Ueki pulled it off to reveal his horribly scarred face. But Mummy stopped Ueki by attacking him with the Mecha Drill, grinding it against Ueki’s face until he tapped out. Cube & Mummy continued to attack Ueki and then Cube promoted the Kaiju Big Battel show happening in Shin-Kiba 1st RING on 10th October. When they left Ueki was so upset that he decided to wipe out his memories of being a Mad Doctor and staggered out of the room.
The first match was a tag match between two teams of doubles. Mr. Bueno was joined by Chie Koishikawa who dressed and behaved just like he did. The other team had MAO not only teaming with Masahiro Takanashi but impersonating him too right down to the promo style. Bueno & Koishikawa were perhaps too identical. They both climbed the bar counter and then banged their heads off the ceiling by standing up too tall. MAO & Takanashi took advantage and both used Takanashi’s Bacchus cradle to pin Bueno for the three count.
Wrestling commentator Haruo Murata was in attendance for the show and decided to join in with Mr. HAKU’s play-by-play on stream during the middle of the main event.
The next Baka Gaijin + Friends show will be held on 29th October.
DDT “WRESTLE PETER PAN 2024”, 21/07/2024 Tokyo Ryogoku Kokugikan 4,131 Fans – Super No Vacancy
1. Keigo Nakamura, Yuki Ishida & Kazuma Sumi defeated Yuni, Yuya Koroku & Ilusion when Nakamura pinned Yuni with the Running Diving Headbutt (7:37).
2. 6-Man Tag Match Featuring People Connected To Sanshiro Takagi: Toru Owashi, Hisamaru Tajima & Shinichiro Kawamatsu defeated Makoto Oishi, Soma Takao & Ippanjin Munenori Sawa when Kawamatsu pinned Oishi with the Axe Bomber (6:28).
3. Special Single Match: Super Sasadango Machine defeated Kazuki Hirata with a School Boy (11:53).
4. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Jun Akiyama, Yukio Naya & Tomomitsu Matsunaga defeated Minoru Suzuki, Shuji Ishikawa & Hikaru Sato when Naya pinned Sato with the Wrist-Clutch Back Drop (12:18).
5. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title – Sanshiro Takagi Indefinite Rest Road FINAL ~ Weapon Rumble: Danshoku Dieno (c) defeated Sanshiro Takagi with the Gotch-Style Piledriver (20:54). *V? for Danshoku Dieno.
6. KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles – Survival 4 Way 6-Man Tag Match: Daisuke Sasaki, KANON & MJ Paul defeated HARASHIMA, Akito & Yasu Urano (c), Aja Kong, Shunma Katsumata & To-y and Masahiro Takanashi, Antonio Honda & Takeshi Masada (17:30).
6a. HARASHIMA, Akito & Yasu Urano (c) eliminated Aja Kong, Shunma Katsumata & To-y when Akito pinned Katsumata with a Step Over Toe Hold (8:40).
6b. Daisuke Sasaki, KANON & MJ Paul eliminated HARASHIMA, Akito & Yasu Urano (c) when KANON pinned Akito after the Freedom Call (15:28).
6c. Daisuke Sasaki, KANON & MJ Paul eliminated Masahiro Takanashi, Antonio Honda & Takeshi Masada when Paul Sasaki submitted Masada with La Mistica Crossface Lock (17:30). *Smile Squash fails in V1. DAMNATION T.A becomes the 56th KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Champions!
7. Special Single Match: KONOSUKE TAKESHITA defeated Masato Tanaka with an Elbow Butt (14:42).
8. KO-D Tag Team Titles: Tetsuya Endo & Yuki Iino (c) defeated Go Shiozaki & Atsushi Kotoge when Endo pinned Kotoge with the Burning Star Press (20:37). *V3 for BURNING.
9. Dramatic Dream Match – No DQ Match: El Desperado defeated Chris Brookes with the Pinche Loco on the Barbed Wire Board (22:12).
10. KO-D Openweight Title – Goodcom Assets Presents: Yuki Ueno (c) defeated MAO with the WR (29:44). *V6 for Yuki Ueno.
The story of MAO running away from The 37KAMIINA has come to an end. He wasn’t able to win the KO-D Openweight Title from Yuki Ueno after all but it still became a happy ending for everyone involved with the group. The two went all out against each other both inside and out of the ring. Over on the ramp Ueno gave MAO the Canadian Destroyer only for MAO to fire back with the same move. Ueno rolled off the ramp afterwards so MAO reached out and helped him back to the ring so the match wouldn’t end by countout. Ueno dodged the Phoenix Splash and used the Jul.2 for a nearfall. Then there was a trade off between Ueno’s Blackout Sleeper and MAO’s Just Face Lock. There was then a battle of Dropkicks with both wrestlers using the move on each other again and again. MAO used the Iai Kick but only got a two count. Instead Ueno got him in the WR to pin him and retain the championship.
After the match Ueno gave MAO a hug. He said that whenever he feels exhausted or loses his confidence, he will look at MAO to become an even better man. He is sure MAO feels the same way about him. Today he is glad he put his life on the line in Sumo Hall to fight MAO for DDT’s greatest championship. However MAO declined to shake Ueno’s hand and he left the ring. Ueno still praised him for being a free spirit and if he can beat somebody like him then he can beat anybody. Ueno then called Shinya Aoki to the ring and nominated him as his next challenger for the KO-D Title. Aoki said that ever since his fight against Kazushi Sakuraba in 2015, the next opponent and place he wanted to get the most is Yuki Ueno in DDT. Hisaya Imabayashi endorsed the challenge and announced the title match will take place on 25th August.
Ueno closed out the day by telling the fans he and DDT will continue to show everyone their dreams in the ring. Ueno left the ring and walked up the ramp where he was suddenly greeted by MAO again. MAO has decided he is no longer running away from home and has returned to The 37KAMIINA! Shunma Katsumata and To-y also appeared alongside them and the four went backstage together. In the hallway they found Konosuke Takeshita waiting for them. He simply gave them a thumbs up and walked away.
Yesterday at a public press conference Chris Brookes and El Desperado agreed that their match today should be held under No DQ Rules. The ring was already armed with a barbed wire board, a fork board and a bunch of plastic cases lying around waiting for the chaos to start. It began with Desperado bringing out two bouquets of flowers and handing one over to Brookes. They then both attacked each other with the bouquets. As the fighting got more intense Desperado busted open Brookes and in return Brookes took out a pair of scissors to cut up his opponent’s mask. Desperado then decided to pull it off and wrestle the rest of the match fully unmasked! A stapler gun was brought in and the two of them stapled each other back and forth all over their bodies. The envelope used for the “DESPE-INVITACIONAL” was also stapled onto them. SCHADENFREUDE International interfered in the match to gang up on Desperado but he fought them off by spraying them with a fire extinguisher. Brookes did the Praying Mantis Bomb but only got a two count while Desperado hit the Mad Splash on top of the barbed wire board for a nearfall. The end came when Desperado gave Brookes the Lip Lock and then dropped him on top of the barbed wire with the Pinche Loco. Brookes said he is frustrated over losing but also happy because he feels so alive after the match. Desperado said he got a great taste of DDT. He does not know if he will ever get another taste but he hopes to do it again some day. However not long after the show New Japan announced that Desperado is taking a leave of absence to recover from injuries. Desperado made it clear on social media that Brookes and the match they had are not at fault for it.
The last few months have seen Tetsuya Endo & Yuki Iino from BURNING feud with Go Shiozaki across DDT and NOAH. It was all building up to the KO-D Tag Team Titles defence here with Shiozaki teaming with Atsushi Kotoge. Since both Endo & Iino were focused on solely beating Shiozaki, Kotoge became frustrated at being ignored. It was on full show here because Kotoge busted himself open from Headbutting Endo too much! Shiozaki was taken out by Iino’s Lariat leaving Endo to fight Kotoge. Endo gave him a Headbutt of his own before doing the Swivel Torture Rack Bomb for a nearfall. He then finished him off with the Burning Star Press for the victory. Iino said he knew how good Shiozaki’s Chops are with those big arms of his but that doesn’t matter because BURNING won in the end. Endo said they won today because of the support from their fans. He is now considering how interesting it would be if BURNING and TEAM NOAH would team up in the future. Iino wants to fight more opponents from more companies to increase the value of the KO-D Tag Titles.
The busy summer Takeshita is taking part in has gone off to a hot start. Yesterday he beat Yota Tsuji in the opening day of the G1 Climax and today he defeated Masato Tanaka in a battle of the Elbow Smashes. It was a rematch of their KO-D Title bout from March 2020 and this time it was Takeshita who was left standing tall. After duelling Elbow Smashes, Takeshita’s ones were the more powerful. He ended up using the move to break down Tanaka and pin him for the three count. With this result Takeshita will now bring this power with him for the rest of the G1. He wants DDT fans to follow him in the tournament with pride and confidence. Tanaka admitted that Takeshita now has the best elbow strikes in the world but he will take that title back from him soon!
After Smile Squash went through all the effort of rescuing the KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles from DAMNATION T.A, they’ve only gone and lost the belts back to them! The belts were on the line in a Survival 4 Way Match with other teams of three looking to win the titles for themselves. The 37KAMIINA & Aja Kong beat up Yasu Urano but were the first eliminated thanks to Akito dodging their attacks and pinning To-y with a Stepover Toe Hold. The champions Smile Squash were then surprisingly next to go. HARASHIMA had MJ Paul pinned with the Somato when KANON pulled the referee out of the ring mid-count. Daisuke Sasaki then attacked everyone with a chair then used the Freedom Call with KANON to pin Akito. Antonio Honda had his working boots on today because he successfully performed a Suicide Dive onto everyone out of the ring. He & Masahiro Takanashi also aided Takeshi Masada until he had to go it alone against Sasaki. Paul gave Masada a German Suplex so Sasaki could pin him for a nearfall. Sasaki then used La Mistica Crossface Lock to make Masada give up.
While DAMNATION T.A were celebrating in the ring, Ryuichi “Fire” Kawakami appeared at ringside and climbed in to meet them. He had already caused trouble backstage earlier in the day by attacking Yukio Naya after his match. But Kawakami got into the ring to give Sasaki a hug because he is now joining forces with DAMNATION T.A! Kawakami is ready to bring “FIRE DAMNATION” to DDT and Naya is his first target. Sasaki thinks “FIRE DAMNATION” sounds a little lame but he’s happy to have Kawakami on his side.
After spending so many decades fighting for DDT inside and out of the ring, Sanshiro Takagi is finally ready to take an indefinite break so he can focus on his management duties within CyberFight while taking better care of his health. But first he had one more battle with Danshoku Dieno to get through. During the week he pinned Dieno to take the Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title away from him but Dieno won it not too long afterwards. Their match here was a Weapon Rumble. One by one weapons selected by the two wrestlers would be brought down to the ring. Takagi’s first weapon was product placement for Yanekabe Shokunin Goods. Dieno countered that with Yoshihiko along with Muscle Sakai as its handler. Takagi then brought out the Dramatic Dream bike. Dieno shocked Takagi by setting up a retirement ceremony for him. Saki Akai came down to the ring and presented him with gifts as well as a heartfelt speech. Takagi was so touched by the gesture he considered to go ahead with retirement but interrupted the ten bell salute so the match would continue. MIKAMI and Poison Sawada JULIE then ran down to be Takagi’s latest weapons. Dieno had allies of his own in the form of Tokyo Joshi Pro! The group of Miyu Yamashita, Maki Itoh, Mizuki and Yuki Kamifuku all attacked Takagi with some of their signature moves. But when TJPW GM Tetsuya Koda wanted to get his digs in, Hisaya Imabayashi got mad and attacked him! With them out of the way Takagi brought out his golden ace up his sleeve. He brought in a big star from AEW… Michael Nakazawa! He came out with his body painted completely gold. Who could Dieno have picked in response to this? It was the actual “Golden Star”, the return of Kota Ibushi to DDT! Ibushi gave Takagi the Kamigoye and Dieno waited for Takagi to get back up so he could finish him off with the Lip Lock and Gotch-Style Danshoku Driver.
After the match Dieno told Takagi that it does not matter if he takes a permanent break or is able to come back and wrestle again. DDT will be fine because Dieno will always be here. Takagi thanked Dieno because without him this dramatic situation would have never taken place today. He thought he would never meet Ibushi inside a DDT ring ever again! DDT went through some tough times after Ibushi left them in 2016 but Ibushi was able to rise higher and higher. Takagi believes if he can still get chances to be in the ring with Ibushi then he will never retire! His wish is to fight Ibushi in a singles match again. Ibushi has a request too. Can he come back to DDT some day? Takagi and Dieno both burst into tears and told him yes because he is family. Backstage Takagi told reporters he really wants Kenny Omega to get recover from his health problems too so he can call him again too.
As mentioned above, Naya’s day at Sumo Hall was ruined by a backstage attack by Kawakami after his match. Before that happened things were going great for Naya. He teamed with Jun Akiyama & Tomomitsu Matsunaga to beat the big name outsider trio of Minoru Suzuki, Shuji Ishikawa & Hikaru Sato. Naya also got the pinfall after he gave Sato the Wrist-Clutch Back Drop. The backstage attack happened during the post-match interview. Naya’s partners had already left the room and he was in the middle of talking about how it is up to him to carry DDT’s heavyweight division due to a number of injuries on the roster. That was when Kawakami burst out from behind the interview curtain and attacked Naya with a chair. He demanded to be booked for more DDT shows or else he will blow more people up!
With so much happening up and down the card, Kazuki Hirata and Super Sasadango Machine were determined to make their match stand out and become the most newsworthy. Sasadango used his PowerPoint presentation to tell everyone about how much social media coverage his recent tag match with Hirata, Takagi and Dieno got because so many shocking incidents took place during it. So he begged the audience to retweet everything that happened here and even made a competition where one lucky fan will win a sirloin steak, shrimp and red snow crab that he all bought with his own money! There were many “shocking incidents” that happened during the match. First there was a Thumb War that was won by Sasadango. Then there was a new finishing move that Hirata created called the Ryogoku Bomber except he couldn’t do it right because of a lack of practice. Sasadango also decided to give away Edameme he brought from Niigata because he wants everyone to know how delicious it is. After that, Hirata tried to turn heel and adopt Masahiro Chono’s theme song as his own. However he didn’t have the heart to attack Sasadango with a barbed wire bat along with some unknown masked lackeys so he went back to being a babyface. Sasadango then suggested they both turn heel together and form an nWo style faction. He pulled off his mask to reveal he had already shaved his head and painted on a beard plus forehead scars to look like Keiji Muto! He went to do the Shining Wizard but Hirata dodged it and pinned Sasadango with a School Boy. Backstage Hirata said he wants to continue doing things in pro wrestling that are unprecedented. Sasadango was angry over Hirata “betraying” him but admitted it felt so good to have a packed Sumo Hall chanting Muto’s name at him. He also credited Minoru Suzuki for giving him the haircut before the match.
During the same week where Hulk Hogan made a show of himself in America’s political landscape, his presence was also felt on a smaller scale in Japan thanks to Shinichiro Kawamatsu. The Japanese politician had the Axe Bomber passed down to him by Hogan earlier this year and today he used the move to win his match. Toru Owashi claimed this was the power of the impromptu tag team of himself, Kawamatsu and Hisamaru Tajima. It may not look like it but there is actually a deep bound between the three of them according to Owashi. He was Tajima’s opponent for Tajima’s debut match back in Toryumon. He has also spent a lot of his life living in Sumida Ward which is also the district Kawamatsu is elected in. The point of the match though is that they along with Makoto Oishi, Soma Takao & Munenori Sawa are all connected to Sanshiro Takagi.
The show kicked off with most of the D GENERATIONS class pitted against each other in a 6-Man Tag Match. It came down to Yuni almost beating Keigo Nakamura with a Moonsault. Nakamura recovered to hit Yuni with a German Suplex, John Woo Dropkick and then the Running Diving Headbutt to win the match for his team. Yuki Ishida & Kazuma Sumi both felt that they did their best to make the show start off on the right foot. Nakamura was also happy to win a match by himself in Sumo Hall for the first time. Yuya Koroku feels the need to start aiming higher since it is almost six months since he returned from injury. Ilusion thinks they should all be showing more energy because they are the future of DDT. Yuni said he wants to main event Sumo Hall one day so he will work hard to achieve that.
DDT returns to Sumo Hall on 28th December for “ULTIMATE PARTY 2024”. In previous years DDT’s last supershow on the calendar would take place in November. However the company wants to take a shot at holding a big arena show at the end of the year.
It was announced that Kaisei Takechi will be returning to DDT for his second pro wrestling match on 29th September. The star from THE RAMPAGE made his debut to much fanfare back in February. He sent a video message explaining his decision to compete in another match is because he believes he has the ability to do more in the ring the second time round. He would also like to continue participating more in wrestling after this match takes place.
DDT “TODEN PRO WRESTLING”, 29/06/2024 Tokyo Sakura Tram (Toden Arakawa Line) 16 Fans – Super No Vacancy Full House
-. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title: Towel defeated Unagi Sayaka (c) with a Sleeper Hold (10:19am). *Towel becomes the 1,656th champion.
-. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title: Sugichan defeated Towel (c) by Pinfall (10:27am). *Sugichan becomes the 1,657th champion.
-. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title: Towel defeated Sugichan (c) with the Sleeper Hold (10:28am). *Towel becomes the 1,658th champion.
-. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title: Funky Kato defeated Towel (c) by Pinfall (10:52am). *Funky Kato becomes the 1,659th champion.
1. Falls Count Anywhere Match: Minoru Suzuki defeated Sanshiro Takagi with the Gotch-Style Piledriver (55:07).
The never ending war between Sanshiro Takagi and Minoru Suzuki must have the most unique list of locations in pro wrestling. They have fought each other in Budokan Hall, the Tokyo Dome, the Shinkansen bullet train and now the humble Sakura Tram on the Toden Arakawa Line. The latest chapter of this rivalry was put together by DDT and the Tokyo Metropolitan Bureau of Transportation. It would be Takagi’s last chance at finally beating Suzuki before he takes an indefinite break as a pro wrestler on 21st July to focus on managing DDT behind the scenes.
The starting point was at Arakawa-shakomae Station. There both wrestlers made their entrance outdoors for the 16 passengers who won successfully got tickets to see the match. Then Shinichiro Kawamatsu showed up accompanied by the current Tokyo governor Yuriko Koike. This was especially newsworthy because the Tokyo gubernatorial election is taking place soon and Koike has mostly avoided making public appearances during her campaign, citing a busy schedule as her reason. This is the same election that has gone viral on social media for the high amount of the bizarre candidates involved, some being there to take advantage of equal media coverage to say and do whatever they want. I guess the best comparison I could make to another part of the world is imagine what would happen if the BBC had to give the Monster Raving Loony Party the same amount of coverage as they do for the major political parties in the UK. So this match ended up becoming part of someone’s political campaign, which I feel kind of iffy about.
The two politicians boarded the tram along with everyone else to witness the start of the match. It began slow with Takagi and Suzuki both taking a feeling out process. Takagi put Suzuki in a Headlock and encouraged Koike to throw a Chop at Suzuki’s chest. Then when Suzuki put Takagi in a Neck Lock, Takagi reached out to hold Koike’s hand which the referee decided counts as a rope break. Koike then Chopped both wrestlers before exiting the tram at Kodai Station.
Now that the governor was gone, Takagi and Suzuki agreed they could go do whatever they want. The fighting became more aggressive and they also interacted more with the passengers. When the tram arrived at Miyanomae Station everyone was in for a surprise. Sayaka Unagi stepped on board carrying all of her championships including the Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title!
Unagi took Takagi’s side and the two of them attacked Suzuki with a large rubber band. Suzuki continued to fight a 2-on-1 advantage until the tram arrived at Kumanomae Station. There he received reinforcements when Hikaru Sato stepped into the tram!
Soon Suzuki had the numbers advantage when Seigo Tachibana showed up at the Higashi-ogu-sanchome Station. But when he said he was here to mug people, Kawamatsu refused to stand by and do nothing. The politician joined Takagi’s side and now the match turned into a 3-on-3 fight on board! During the chaos Suzuki’s Towel won the Iron Man Title when Suzuki used it to choke Unagi into submission.
It became such a crazy situation that a policeman was waiting for them at Machiya-nichome Station. That policeman was Takayuki Ueki. However he lost his cool when someone pointed out he is a cop from Kanagawa which means he should have no power over here. Ueki threatened everyone on board with his pistol but suddenly cowered when Suzuki confronted him. Suzuki then grabbed the pistol and shot Ueki with it! With the situation now under control, Ueki’s body was dropped off at Arakawa-nanachome Station.
The next person to show up was a comedian named Sugichan. He performed a comedy skit and then pinned Suzuki’s towel to win the Iron Man Title! Suzuki didn’t find it funny so he choked Sugichan with the towel until he tapped out. Again the ref Daisuke Kiso decided that the towel was the new champion and not Suzuki.
The match suddenly got hijacked by MAO and Takeshi Masada at Minowabashi Station. The two young wrestlers complained that Takagi and Suzuki’s Toden Pro Wrestling was too lukewarm and declared themselves the new generation of Toden Pro Wrestling! They then started to fight each other as a demonstration until Takagi and Suzuki removed them from the tram so they could continue their own match.
At this point the tram had reached the end of the line so it began its return journey on the track. The next stop was Arakawa-itchumae Station where musician Funky Kato came on board singing the Pro Wrestling NOAH theme “VOYAGE” to advertise his new album. Suzuki forced him to also sing “Kaze Ni Nare”. Then a bunch of the wrestlers from earlier came back on board at Arakawa-nichome Station. They stayed around until the tram reached Higashi-ogu-sanchome Station. They all exited again leaving Takagi, Suzuki and Kato with the latest unexpected guest…
It was Meiko Satomura! She’s apparently still signed to WWE, you know. She approached Kato and challenged him to a battle. But it wasn’t a fight she was looking for. She wanted to prove she is a better singer than he is! She sang “Ii Hi Tabidachi” while the other wrestlers were putting each other in Sleeper Holds behind her. Satomura soon joined in. Kato then all of a sudden pinned Suzuki’s towel to win the Iron Man Title and escaped the tram at Miyanomae Station with the belt! Satomura left at the same spot.
When the tram returned to Kodai Station the station attendant stepped on board to inspect everyone’s tickets. Except it was really Jushin Liger in disguise! He got into an argument with Suzuki and hit him with the Shotei before going back to his cushy little post-retirement job.
With the journey nearing its end, Takagi declared it was now time to win by throwing a Lariat at the speed of 13.1km/h thanks to the tram’s momentum. Suzuki ducked the Lariat and grabbed Takagi in the Sleeper Hold instead. He then spun him around and dropped him on his head with the Gotch-Style Piledriver. Takagi was out after that and pinned for the three count.
After the match Takagi had a big announcement to make. He cannot beat Suzuki no matter how many times he tries so he is going to retire! He requested a 10 bell salute only to give Suzuki a Stunner in the middle of it. He was just lying to get the last laugh! Suzuki chased Takagi away from the tram, promising not to let Takagi escape until they reach the ends of Hell!
Posted by JamieOD 
Dramatic DDT 