DDT “DDT TV SHOW! #3”, 16/05/2020 DDT TV SHOW Studio 0 Fans
1. Kazusada Higuchi defeated Keigo Nakamura with a Canadian Backbreaker (3:09).
2. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title: Danshoku Dieno (c) Vs Antonio Honda ended in a No Contest (6:28).
3. HARASHIMA & Naomi Yoshimura defeated Soma Takao & Mad Paulie when Yoshimura pinned Paulie with the Drill-A-Hole Piledriver (8:32).
4. Hardcore Match: Yoshihiko defeated Shunma Katsumata with the Reincarnation (15:48).
5. Jun Akiyama & Keisuke Ishii defeated Mizuki Watase & Hideki Okatani when Akiyama submitted Okatani with a Crab Hold (10:39).
6. Saki Akai “Okibariyasu” 7 Match Series – 6th Match: Saki Akai defeated Saori Anou with the Quetzalcoatl (11:21).
7. DAMNATION Vs ALL OUT!: Daisuke Sasaki & Tetsuya Endo defeated Konosuke Takeshita & Akito when Endo pinned Akito with a Scorpion Lock Cutback (15:12). *Tetsuya Endo wins Akito’s Right To Challenge Anytime, Anywhere Gauntlet.
-. Emergency Match: Tetsuya Endo defeated Kazusada Higuchi with the Shooting Star Press (10:02). *Tetsuya Endo cashes in his Right To Challenge Anytime, Anywhere Gauntlet. Tetsuya Endo wins Kazusada Higuchi’s KO-D Challenger Sword.
Week #3 of DDT TV SHOW ended with Tetsuya Endo regaining the KO-D Challenger Sword! In the scheduled main event tag match Endo kept Akito in his sights from the beginning. His goal was to pin Akito and take away the Right To Challenge Gauntlet. Daisuke Sasaki and Konosuke Takeshita kept each other away from the ring so it came down to Akito putting Endo into a submission hold. His Scorpion Deathlock attempt was countered by Endo into a Small Package for the flash three count.
After the match Endo asked Hisaya Imabayashi if the rules for the Sword and Gauntlets had changed now that Saitama Super Arena is out of the picture. When it was confirmed that the rules are the same, Endo called for Kazusada Higuchi to come out because he was challenging him for the Sword right now! Higuchi appeared still in his ring gear but without his wrestling boots. Endo attacked him as he entered the ring and the match began as they brawled around ringside. Endo hit a stage dive before Higuchi got back to the ring. Higuchi tried to Choke Slam Endo onto the apron but Endo gave him a Brianbuster onto it instead. Whatever Higuchi tried, Endo had a counter for. The three move combo of Tetsuya In The Sky, the Swivel Torture Rack Bomb and the Shooting Star Press put Higuchi away.
Endo received the Challenger Sword and said he already knows when to use it for a KO-D Openweight Title shot. He wants to use it right now! Imabayashi told him he already wrestled twice today and Masato Tanaka isn’t here. A relieved Endo admitted he is happy not to wrestle a third time so he will go home and wait for another time. According to him, everyone in DDT hope to wrestle in front of a packed venue again. He may wait to cash in the Sword until then or maybe he won’t.
Saki Akai is now 3-3 in the Okibariyasu. She survived the multiple Suplex variations from Saori Anou to pin her with the always reliable Quetzalcoatl. Akai told Anou the style of pro wrestling she likes is happy, beautiful, cool and flowery. Just like Anou. She wants the two of them to push forward not just joshi wrestling but pro wrestling as a whole. Akai then asked Imabayashi about the seventh and final opponent. Imabayashi told her the final match would have been in Saitama Super Arena but obviously that plan is out the window. He asked her to wait a little longer while he finds a suitable opponent.
The guest coach Jun Akiyama took a few DDT wrestlers to school. He and Keisuke Ishii beat the team of Mizuki Watase & Hideki Okatani. Akiyama did things here and there to provoke his younger opponents into firing themselves up. He eventually made Okatani tap out to a Crab Hold. Watase Dropkicked Akiyama as he was leaving the ring. Akiyama grabbed him by his head and scolded him until Watase admitted he wanted a singles match against him. Akiyama walked off but accepted the challenge before he left.
Three of the four ALL OUT wrestlers have now lost to Yoshihiko since DDT TV SHOW began. Not even Shunma Katsumata in a Joker costume can stop it! More signs saying “ALL OUT All Dead” were found backstage before the Hardcore Match, driving Katsumata crazy. In the match, Katsumata started off hot. He shoved Yoshihiko into a trash can, hit it with a barbed wire baseball bat and mousetrapped Yoshihiko’s head with a chair several times. Yoshihiko took control by Back Dropping Katsumata onto a chair, giving him a Bulldog and a Piledriver onto a counter and Choke Slamming him onto a Ladder. A ref bump led to Takeshita coming out to interfere while the ring was filled with Lego. The ALL OUT double team failed and Yoshihiko took out Takeshita with a dive out of the ring. It then gave Katsumata a Canadian Destroyer for a nearfall before winning with the Reincarnation onto the Lego. Takeshita confronted Yoshihiko, challenging it to a match.
The only blight on DAMNATION’s record today was losing to DISASTER BOX in the early tag match. Looks like HARASHIMA & Naomi Yoshimura work better as a team than Soma Takao & Mad Paulie do.
The Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title match was presented like a TV comedy sketch with canned laughter. Danshoku Dieno and Antonio Honda kept getting accidentally hit in the groin until both of them could no longer continue. Daisuke Kiso said the punchline and the match ended in a No Contest.
Higuchi’s scheduled match for the episode was a simple win over Keigo Nakamura.
DDT “DDT TV SHOW! #2”, 09/05/2020 DDT TV SHOW Studio 0 Fans
1. Saki Akai & Mizuki Watase Vs Saori Anou & Yukio Naya
2. Akito Vs Yoshihiko
3. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title – 4 Way Match: Danshoku Dieno (c) Vs HARASHIMA Vs Soma Takao Vs Keigo Nakamura
4. Konosuke Takeshita Vs Gota Ihashi
5. Hardcore Match: Chris Brookes Vs Shunma Katsumata
6. KO-D Openweight Title: Masato Tanaka (c) Vs Yukio Sakaguchi
DDT “DDT TV SHOW! #3”, 16/05/2020 DDT TV SHOW Studio
1. DAMNATION Vs ALL OUT!: Daisuke Sasaki & Tetsuya Endo Vs Konosuke Takeshita & Akito
2. Hardcore Match: Yoshihiko Vs Shunma Katsumata
3. Jun Akiyama & Keisuke Ishii Vs Mizuki Watase & Hideki Okatani
4. Saki Akai “Okibariyasu” 7 Match Series – 6th Match: Saori Anou Vs Saki Akai
Saturday’s tag match built up a little bad blood between Saki Akai and Saori Anou. The winning result for Anou left her thinking she is too much of a challenge for Akai in a singles match. Akai’s current record in her series is 2-3.
Jun Akiyama is now working with DDT both as a coach and a wrestler. His first match on this run sees him teaming with Keisuke Ishii. The two were last in the ring together wrestling each other in Ganbare☆Wrestling a year and a half ago. Ishii also once won the All Asia Tag Team Titles from him. Mizuki Watase & rookie Hideki Okatani are the first ones who get to learn King’s Road style from him.
“ALL OUT, All Dead” continues with Shunma Katsumata as the next person looking to stop Yoshihiko from hunting the group down. He just lost a Hardcore Match on the last episode but is willing to go through another one just to get his hands on his nemesis. Yoshihiko might also make his presence known when Akito & Konosuke Takeshita have a tag match with their usual enemies in DAMNATION.
GAKE NO FUCHI JOSHI PRO “GAKEPPUCHI RAPUNZEL 2020~”, 20/05/2020 Saitama Wrestle Arena
Add this to the growing list of cancelled shows. Miyako Matsumoto thought of replacing the event with a no person, no audience, no wrestler show but sadly that also couldn’t come to pass. She extends her deepest sympathies to all the people around the world who have been infected with Coronavirus. She hopes the pandemic will end as soon as possible.
DDT “DDT TV SHOW! #2”, 09/05/2020 DDT TV SHOW Studio 0 Fans
1. Saori Anou & Yukio Naya defeated Saki Akai & Mizuki Watase when Anou pinned Akai with a German Suplex (9:24).
2. Akito defeated Yoshihiko by Pinfall (11:27). *Akito wins Yoshihiko’s Right To Challenge Anytime, Anywhere Gauntlet.
3. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title – 1 Person Time Difference Admission 4 Way Match: Danshoku Dieno (c) defeated HARASHIMA, Soma Takao and Keigo Nakamura when Dieno pinned Nakamura with the Danshoku Driver (6:03). *V? for Danshoku Dieno.
4. Konosuke Takeshita defeated Gota Ihashi with an Oklahoma Roll (11:13).
5. Hardcore Match: Chris Brookes defeated Shunma Katsumata with the Praying Mantis Bomb through a table (20:43).
6. KO-D Openweight Title: Masato Tanaka (c) defeated Yukio Sakaguchi by TKO (13:02). *V3 for Masato Tanaka.
A pinfall or a submission was not the way for Masato Tanaka to defeat Yukio Sakaguchi. Today he had to take the challenger beyond his breaking point. A Dragon Screw damaged Sakaguchi’s knee which begun Tanaka’s focused attacks to that target. The pain was bad enough to keep Sakaguchi grounded and any attempts to make a comeback were quickly cut down with a strike to the knee. Even acts of defence caused more damage like when Sakaguchi blocked the Super Fly with his knees. Sakaguchi fought through the pain to his the God’s Right Knee. He squeezed in the Cobra Clutch but Tanaka got the rope break and fired back with Elbow Strikes. The attacks ended with the Sliding D but Sakaguchi kicked out at one and suddenly caught Tanaka in a Sleeper Hold! He let go to do the God’s Right Knee but Tanaka blocked it with his elbow and hit the Roaring Elbow for a nearfall. Tanaka went on a relentless assault of Mounted Elbows before hitting another Sliding D. Sakaguchi once again kicked out at one! However the damage still proved to be too much and Yukinori Matsui called for a TKO when Sakaguchi collapsed from trying to stand back up.
After the match Kazusada Higuchi approached Tanaka with the KO-D Challenger Sword in his grasp. He raised the sword while Tanaka raised the KO-D Openweight Title next to it. Tanaka got on the microphone and said it’s unfortunate the Saitama Super Arena show isn’t going ahead this year. He does not know when it will take place but he will protect the KO-D Title until then.
Backstage after the show, Tetsuya Endo confronted Higuchi wanting the sword returned back to him. He can’t grab it off him right now because of social distancing but he warns he will definitely get it back eventually.
The hardcore grudge match between Chris Brookes and Shunma Katsumata saw the two try to kill each other multiple times. That is because it is more acceptable to do that in a wrestling match than it is to do on Twitter. There were kendo sticks, chairs, trash cans, tables, ladders, block toys, plastic cases and fighting on the Shinjuku FACE counters. Brookes kept hitting Katsumata over the head with chairs demanding him to give up but he refused. So Brookes had to give him the Praying Mantis Bomb through a table to beat him.
Brookes was attacked by Daisuke Sasaki with a chairs after the match. According to Sasaki he has changed his mind and he will defend the DDT UNIVERSAL Title after all. Suddenly MAO and Naomi Yoshimura rushed out and attacked Sasaki! Brookes recovered and gave Sasaki the Praying Mantis Bomb. There isn’t an alliance forming though. Both MAO and Yoshimura came out wanting to challenge for the title instead of Brookes. The three of them argued until Hisaya Imabayashi came out. Since the three of them want a title shot and Sasaki last week said he won’t defend the title without another Japanese wrestler involved, let’s do a 4 Way match for the belt! Brookes told Sasaki there is no guarantee he will beat him next week, but Sasaki will never come out of the match as champion!
DDT’s new guest coach Jun Akiyama came out to greet the viewers on DDT UNIVERSE. He said he would like to teach the DDT roster everything that Giant Baba handed down to him. According to Akiyama, Sanshiro Takagi put together a united group of hard working wrestlers. He is interested in fighting them so he will wrestle matches in DDT whenever his All Japan schedule allows it. Imabayashi then announced Akiyama will wrestle on next week’s episode of DDT TV SHOW! He will team with Keisuke Ishii to face Mizuki Watase & Hideki Okatani. In a backstage interview, Takagi and Akiyama explained that now is the time for the Japanese wrestling scene to protect itself while there are so few shows taking place. Akiyama is available to work with DDT because his planned visit to WWE as a guest trainer this month was postponed due to COVID-19. When asked about the possibility of doing a Street Wrestling match, Akiyama reminded the reporter that he is a former Iron Man Heavymetalweight Champion.
Yoshihiko’s quest to make “ALL OUT All Dead” increased with more attacks on the unit this week. Some of them were out of retaliation. Earlier in the show, Konosuke Takeshita had attacked Yoshihiko so the doll responded in kind during Takeshita’s match with Gota Ihashi. Takeshita had the match won when the lights went out. When the lights came back on, Yoshihiko was in the ring ready to attack!. It gave Takeshita a Piledriver then left him for Ihashi to finish the job. However Ihashi missed the Moonsault and Takeshita pinned him with an Oklahoma Roll, clutching victory from the jaws of defeat. Katsumata asked Yoshihiko why it holds a grudge with ALL OUT? He’ll find out when the two of them have a match next week!
Keigo Nakamura convinced Soma Takao and HARASHIMA backstage to make the Iron Man Title 4 Way match held under special rules. The idea was the match began with the three challengers wrestling each other. The champion Danshoku Dieno would enter the match after five minutes. However if a fall took place in the first five minutes, the title would change hands even though Dieno wouldn’t have entered the match yet. Dieno overheard this plan backstage and foiled Nakamura’s plan by hiding underneath the ring before the match began. When it was time to enter, Dieno caught his opponents with an ambush from behind and pinned Nakamura to defend the championship.
So what did Takeshita do to Yoshihiko earlier in the show to cause the bad blood between them to heat up even further? Takeshita violently attacked Yoshihiko during its match with Akito, that’s what. Takeshita pulled Yoshihiko out of the ring and swung him round in circles, hitting its head against the ring post over and over! Yoshihiko was thrown back into the ring for a weakened Akito to pin it. Akito now holds the black Right To Challenge Gauntlet. He wants to use it on the KO-D Challenger Sword but only if Endo gets it back. Otherwise he’d rather sell it than cash it in against Higuchi.
In a preview of their upcoming singles match, Saori Anou pinned Saki Akai in a tag bout. Watase was able to rescue Akai from being pinned a couple of times until Yukio Naya took him out with a Choke Slam. Anou wasn’t fully convinced that Akai is a challenge for her. She said “Blue Saori” will come out of the match looking better than “Red Saki”. Akai said the match will prove who is the stronger wrestler from Kansai between them.
MUSCLE “HIRAGANA MUSCLE 2”, 26/03/2020 Shin-Kiba 1st RING 216 Fans
1. Team L Vs Team S ~Yuki The Rock’s Systema Special Training~: Konosuke Takeshita, Kazusada Higuchi, Yukio Naya & Yuki The Rock defeated Shunma Katsumata, Yumehito Imanari, Shota & Choun-Shiryu when Rock pinned Shota with the Stone Cold Stunner (11:12).
2. Hell In A Blue Sheet 2 ~Who Is In The Blue Sheet Rumble?~: X defeated Yuki Ueno, Akito, Mizuki Watase and Kazuki Hirata (12:14).
2a. Yuki Ueno eliminated Akito after the Heat Wave from Shunma Katsumata (3:51).
2b. Yuki Ueno eliminated Mizuki Watase with a Cobra Twist (7:02).
2c. Yuki Ueno eliminated Kazuki Hirata after the Rocket Punch from X (9:22).
2d. X eliminated Yuki Ueno with the Takatonic (12:14)
3. No People, No Webcast, No Tweet Loser Leaves Shin-Kiba: Big Prince Naya defeated Dream Boy Imanari after the Swivel Torture Rack from Tetsuya Endo (12:30).
3a. Rematch: Dream Boy Imanari defeated Big Prince Naya with the Chubby Knee Kick (4:44).
The second Muscle show began with Mizuki Watase and Yuki Ueno welcoming the audience. Ueno wore a gas mask for protection but took it off so the fans could see his face.
The teams being divided by size from the first show continued here. Now the teams have their own shirts to wrestle in too. Yuki The Rock joined Team L because South River Minamikawa had other priorities elsewhere today. Yuki got the pin on Team S member Shota while everyone else told Yumehito Imanari not to go all out because it was just the opening match. During this Yuki revealed to Imanari that HUSTLE used scripts for their shows 15 years ago.
The Team M wrestlers had their own match to worry about. It’s the return of the Hell In A Blue Sheet match! The Team M members along with a mystery X wrestler fought underneath the blue sheet with the commentary being the only thing describing what was happening to the audience. Whoever X was, that person wound up as the winner, last pinning Ueno with the Takatonic.
A few weeks ago at a public talk event, Super Sasadango Machine described Muscle as the 2.5 Dimension of all pro wrestling a mixed martial arts. By being in between the 2nd and 3rd dimensions, unusual things can happen such as slow motion wrestling or Muscle Sakai going over Atsushi Onita. The idea of being in the 2.5 Dimension comes from the differences between manga/anime and reality. So the next step is to make Muscle into a multimedia juggernaut with manga and a musical anime show! That will then make Muscle a 2.9 Dimensional experience!
A sample demonstration took place in the ring. “Finish Ranpatsu ~ ShinKiba Use Your Illusion I” (the manga can be read here) is about Dreamboy Imanari and The Finisher Boys battling Big Prince Naya and The Steel Chair Boys in ways that involved choreographed dance routines. Naya purchased New Fang Pro Wrestling during the Coronavirus epidemic for tax evasion purposes and he intends to flip it for a profit once the virus disappears.
The thrilling conclusion to the story took place right here in Muscle in a No People, No Webcast, No Tweet Loser Leaves Shin-Kiba match! The two sides fought in ways that merged pro wrestling and anime together. Imanari got the upper hand on Naya until Tetsuya Endo decided he wanted to be in the show after all and attacked him! He gave Imanari the Swivel Torture Rack Bomb and left him to be pinned by Naya.
Imanari was told to leave because he lost the match but he refused. Br He talked about how much Sakai inspired him to become a creative pro wrestler. He convinced Naya to have a rematch. The bell rung and Imanari fought on while getting cheers from The Finisher Boys. Imanari got the win in the end, hitting the Chubby Knee Kick on Naya. Naya accepted his destiny and began to leave but Imanari stopped him. He said they could walk off together, shoulder to shoulder. When they left, The Finisher Boys settled their differences with The Folding Chair Boys. Maybe they could form their own promotion together. The End…? Well no because Sakai mentioned after the performance that he is already working on the sequel.
The show ended with the announcement of “MUSCLE 3” taking place on 9th July at Shin-Kiba 1st RING.
DDT “JUDGEMENT 2020 ~DDT 23RD ANNIVERSARY~”, 20/03/2020 Tokyo Korakuen Hall 916 Fans
0. Exhibition Match: Kazusada Higuchi defeated Jordan Heatley with the Canadian Backbreaker (3:50).
1. Hideki Okatani Debut Match: Naomi Yoshimura & Keigo Nakamura defeated Shunma Katsumata & Hideki Okatani when Yoshimura pinned Okatani with a Lariat (6:01).
-. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title: Masahiro Takanashi defeated Toru Owashi (c) with a School Boy (11:51 am). *Masahiro Takanashi becomes the 1,474th champion.
2. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title – Battle Royal: Kazuki Hirata defeated Masahiro Takanashi (c), Toru Owashi, Danshoku Dieno, Antonio Honda, Mizuki Watase, Yukio Naya and Hiroshi Yamato (7:42).
2a. Toru Owashi & Hiroshi Yamato eliminated Masahiro Takanashi (c) with a Double Lateral Cradle (2:06). *Toru Owashi & Hiroshi Yamato both become the 1,745th co-champions.
2b. Danshoku Dieno, Yukio Naya, Antonio Honda & Mizuki Watase eliminated Toru Owashi (1/2 c) & Hiroshi Yamato (1/2 c) with Simultaneous Pinfalls (2:40). *Danshoku Dieno, Yukio Naya, Antonio Honda & Mizuki Watase all become the 1,746th co-champions.
2c. Kazuki Hirata eliminated Mizuki Watase (1/4 c) with a School Boy (5:13). *Kazuki Hirata becomes 1/4 of the 1,476th champions.
2d. Kazuki Hirata (1/4 c) eliminated Yukio Naya (1/4 c) with a School Boy (5:54). *Kazuki Hirata becomes 2/4 of the 1,476th champions.
2e. Kazuki Hirata (2/4 c) eliminated Antonio Honda (1/4 c) by Pinfall (6:54). *Kazuki Hirata becomes 3/4 of the 1,476th champions.
2f. Kazuki Hirata (3/4 c) eliminated Danshoku Dieno (1/4 c) with the Miracle One Shot Cradle (7:42). *Kazuki Hirata becomes the unified 1,477th champion.
-. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title: Toru Owashi defeated Kazuki Hirata (c) with a School Boy (12:01 pm). *Toru Owashi becomes the 1,478th champion.
3. CIMA, Soma Takao, Mad Paulie & El Lindaman defeated Shinya Aoki, MAO, Mike Bailey & Makoto Oishi when Takao pinned Oishi with the Mad Splash (9:24).
4. HARASHIMA, Naomichi Marufuji & Yuki Ueno defeated Akito, Yuki Iino & Royce Chambers when HARASHIMA pinned Akito with the Somato (10:33).
5. Business Alliance Vs Eruption!: Kazusada Higuchi, Yukio Sakaguchi & Saki Akai defeated Tetsuya Endo, T-Hawk & Nobuhiro Shimatani when Sakaguchi pinned Shimatani with the God’s Right Knee (9:15).
5a. Emergency Decision: Tetsuya Endo defeated Royce Chambers with the Shooting Star Press (4:42). *Royce Chambers cashed in his Right To Challenge Anytime, Anywhere Gauntlet.
6. DDT UNIVERSAL Title: Daisuke Sasaki defeated Chris Brookes (c) with the Crossover Facelock (20:35). *Chris Brookes fails in V1. Daisuke Sasaki becomes the 2nd DDT UNIVERSAL Champion!
7. KO-D Openweight Title: Masato Tanaka (c) defeated Konosuke Takeshita with the Rolling Elbow (22:56). *V2 for Masato Tanaka.
Heck if I know if it was a good idea to do this but DDT’s monthly Korakuen Hall show went ahead today in front of an audience. The main event to celebrate DDT’s 23rd anniversary saw the face of the company attempt to regain the KO-D Openweight Title. The champion Masato Tanaka used chairs to great effect, using them to attack Konosuke Takeshita’s knees as well as hit a direct chairshot to the head. A Splash from the top rope through a table outside also caused great damage to Takeshita. However Takeshita used the chair against Tanaka by Corner To Corner Dropkicking it into his face. Takeshita hit an Avalanche Air Raid Crash but Tanaka kicked out of the pin. The Fable was countered into a Power Bomb. Tanaka kept using Elbow Strikes to cut off Takeshita’a offence. He would hit short range Sliding D’s but Takeshita would find a way to prevent Tanaka from hitting the move at full force. Takeshita threw his own Elbow Strikes but Tanaka stood tall at the end when he pulled off his elbow pad and struck Takeshita raw with an unprotected Rolling Elbow. There was no kicking out after that.
Tanaka said he was so happy to fight Takeshita today because of the struggle he gave him. When Takeshita left ringside, Yuki Iino approached the ring threatening to cash in his Right To Challenge Gauntlet. However it was only a threat and he left without doing anything. Tanaka had an opportunity to choose his next challenger again but he wasn’t sure who to pick. Suddenly, Yukio Sakaguchi sprung into the ring! He wants the next title shot in April. The match was accepted with Tanaka standing on the middle rope so he could look down on Sakaguchi. The final words went to Sakaguchi. In April will win the KO-D Title and Kazusada Higuchi will win the Saitama Super Arena Sword. That will mean when June comes around, the main event of Saitama Super Arena will be occupied entirely by Eruption! Sakaguchi then thanked the fans for coming out today. He works a regular job along with his pro wrestling career so he is grateful that the fans continue to support DDT. In return everybody in DDT is encouraged to do their best.
Easy come, easy go. The first DDT UNIVERSAL Champion loses the belt in his first defence. An out of ring brawl made up the early part of the match with Chris Brookes attempting to put Daisuke Sasaki through some chairs with the Praying Mantis Bomb. Instead Sasaki dropped both Brookes and himself into the row of chairs with a Russian Leg Sweep. Sasaki also hit a Diving Elbow Drop from the ring corner to a seated Brookes outside the ring. DAMNATION interfered once Brookes regained some ground. Sasaki intentionally used Brookes to take out Daisuke Kiso. Tetsuya Endo’s Overhead Kick hit Sasaki by mistake and Brookes hit the Praying Mantis Bomb. Kiso counted the pin until Mad Paulie pulled him out of the ring. Brookes wiped out DAMNATION with a dive then made Sasaki submit to the Octopus Hold but there was no referee to call the match. Nobuhiro Shimatani came in to attack Brookes with the DAMNATION signboard but Masahiro Takanashi came out to get rid of him. Kiso got back up to count some nearfalls like Sasaki’s Diving Elbow and Brookes’ Tombstone Piledriver. Brookes went for the Praying Mantis Bomb once more but Sasaki countered it into the Cross Facelock. He then switched it into the Crossover Facelock to make Brookes submit.
Sasaki’s first words as the new champion was “Old dog never die!” He said all beer from the UK is soft with no carbonation so he will not take on any challengers from Britain anymore. Antonio Honda entered the ring to challenge Sasaki but he tripped over the ropes. He got back up and said Sasaki has a filthy heart. Sasaki began to meditate to fix that problem but Honda told him to get back up. Honda challenged Sasaki to a title match but he was turned down.
As briefly mentioned earlier, Eruption has the main event of “WRESTLE PETER PAN 2020” in their sights. Sakaguchi is going straight after the KO-D Title while Higuchi is now targeting Endo for the SSA Sword. Higuchi threw Endo for a loop by using a Package Power Bomb but it was Sakaguchi who won the match by pinning Shimatani. T-Hawk was earlier taken out with a Higuchi Lariat so it was a rough match for the Business Alliance.
When the match ended, El Lindaman promoted the KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles match he, Endo & T-Hawk will be a part of in two days time. ALL OUT interrupted the Business Alliance because Royce Chambers had something to say. He will be going back to Australia tomorrow so he is using his Right To Challenge Gauntlet to win the SSA Sword right now! Chambers went for the kill by using his own high flying moves to counter Endo’s. They both used Canadian Destroyers on each other but Endo took it one step further by doing a Double Arm Canadian Destroyer. Chambers kicked out of the pin after that but was down and out when Endo hit the Shooting Star Press. Endo got on the mic and said as long as he is in the ring, nobody else will get the chance to be at the top! He told Chambers to study more Japanese if he ever comes back. He then joked about wrestling in saunas before warning ALL OUT that the Business Alliance will win the KO-D 6-Man Tag Titles! Whoever comes out as the KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Champions after 22nd March will defend the belts against DISASTER BOX on 4th April.
Naomichi Marufuji was back to team with DISASTER BOX and his partnership with HARASHIMA in particular had not lost a step. When Yuki Ueno dove out of the ring onto Iino & Chambers, it left HARASHIMA & Marufuji alone with Akito. Together they hit a Double Thrust Kick, Marufuji did the Shiranui and HARASHIMA won with the Somato.
After the match, HARASHIMA thanked Marufuji for reforming HarashiMarufuji after a long time apart. They brought up the idea of tagging together at “WRESTLE PETER PAN”. That caused CIMA & Soma Takao to come out. CIMA made fun of the HarashiMarufuji team name. It isn’t an easy name to say. CimaSoma is easy to say which means it is a better name. CIMA could have confronted Marufuji back on the 3rd January DDT show but he was occupied with Business Alliance stuff. In the end CimaSoma challenged HarashiMarufuji to a match at “WRESTLE PETER PAN”. Marufuji isn’t interested in fighting Takao but he can’t turn down the chance to wrestle CIMA for the first time since their Budokan tag match in NOAH way back in 2007!
A Mad Splash from CIMA followed by a Mad Splash from Takao gave the Business Alliance the victory in the 8-Man Tag Match. The bout was Shinya Aoki’s first 8-Man Tag Match and also the return of Mike Bailey to DDT. Aoki found out after the match that his next DDT Extreme Title defence is on 5th April. An opponent has not been decided yet but he would like to face Makoto Oishi in a matchup between Sambo and Judo. Meanwhile The Moonlight Express want to win the KO-D Tag Team Titles so they can claim the shiny new championship belts.
The Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title lineage was fractured into multiple co-champions during the Battle Royal. Before the match even begun, Takanashi pinned Toru Owashi during his entrance to win the belt. Everyone chased Takanashi into the ring so the Rumble style entries were thrown out and a regular Battle Royal began. Owashi & Hiroshi Yamato pinned Takanashi at the same time to they became co-champions. The two of them were then all pinned by Danshoku Dieno, Yukio Naya, Antonio Honda & Mizuki Watase at the same time creating 4 co-champions! Kazuki Hirata had to eliminated each of the 4 co-champions to unify the title back into one whole piece. All of that hard work was taken away when Owashi pinned Hirata after the match to become the champion again.
The debuting Hideki Okatani was pinned in his first match as expected. He was mostly on the defensive against Naomi Yoshimura and also Keigo Nakamura. He was able to do a Northern Lights Suplex after Shunma Katsumata softened Yoshimura up. But a Lariat put Okatani down for the three count. Just like Nakamura, Okatani’s goal is to beat a senior wrestler as soon as possible.
The trainee Jordan Heatley faced Higuchi in the pre-show exhibition match. Heatley tried to put on a Tazzmission but Higuchi instead submitted him with the Canadian Backbreaker. Heatley will make his official debut against Honda on 2nd April.
Yoshiaki Yatsu appeared to introduce the show and also promote his return match at “WRESTLE PETER PAN”.
The 5th opponent in Saki Akai’s “Okibariyasu” trial is Syuri. Akai knows Syuri is a powerful kicker so she is looking forward to comparing them with her own kicks. Their match is on 2nd April.
DDT is holding a Falls Count Anywhere Match inside the Saitama Anzukai Clinic to protect the elderly from the COVID-19. The match on 30th March will be Konosuke Takeshita, Shunma Katsumata & Gorgeous Matsuno Vs Shinya Aoki, Makoto Oishi & Gabai Ji-chan.
DDT “DDT LIVE! MAJI MANJI ROAD WRESTLING IN SAITAMA SUPER ARENA”, 11/03/2020 Saitama Super Arena 45,000 AbemaTV Views
1. Basement 1st Floor Parking Lot: Konosuke Takeshita, MAO & Yuki Iino defeated Danshoku Dieno, Super Sasadango Machine & Keigo Nakamura when Iino submitted Nakamura with an Argentine Backbreaker (6:15).
2. Basement 1st Floor Locker Room: Kazusada Higuchi, Yukio Sakaguchi & Saki Akai defeated Naomi Yoshimura, Makoto Oishi & Saori Anou when Higuchi submitted Oishi with the Modified Canadian Backbreaker (5:03).
3. 1st Floor Equipment Warehouse: Daisuke Sasaki, Tetsuya Endo & Soma Takao defeated Akito, Mizuki Watase & Royce Chambers when Sasaki pinned Watase after a Super Power Bomb onto a ladder (10:58).
4. Rooftop: Konosuke Takeshita, Akito & Royce Chambers defeated Super Sasadango Machine, Makoto Oishi, Pokotan, Tamarlin, Gota Ihashi, Yumehito Imanari, Shota, Ippanjin Munenori Sawa & many others when Takeshita submitted everyone with the Headscissors Chain Walls Of Takeshita (7:17).
5. 1st Floor Community Area – DDT Extreme Title – Blindfold Hidden Bra Death Match: Shinya Aoki defeated HARASHIMA (c) by Bra Removal (13:13). *HARASHIMA fails in V4. Shinya Aoki becomes the 48th DDT Extreme Champion!
6. Current Blast 8-Man Tag Death Match: Konosuke Takeshita, Shunma Katsumata, Yuki Iino & Yukio Naya defeated Atsushi Onita, Danshoku Dieno, Chris Brookes & MAO when Takeshita pinned Dieno after Dieno was accidentally hit by Onita with a Current Blast Baseball Bat (10:11).
DDT has come to Saitama Super Arena three months early for an empty arena show! The fate of the company was on the line after Danshoku Dieno set off a mutiny in the locker room against Sanshiro Takagi. A DDT Army was formed in retaliation but Takagi was disappointed to find out that only three other people joined his side. They were Konosuke Takeshita, MAO & Yuki Iino. They met up with Jungle Pocket comedian Shinji Saito inside the arena to start the event. Dieno was there with Super Sasadango Machine & Keigo Nakamura. He was also armed with a current blast baseball bat. It was time to start their battle!
The two sides had their match in the 1st Basement Floor. It quickly moved over to the parking lot. Dieno thrusted a traffic cone into MAO’s backside. MAO then did the same to Dieno. Nakamura gave Iino a Low Blow to avoid the Haka Elbow but Takeshita then used an Atomic Drop to crotch Nakamura on the cone. Everyone did Lip Locks and Iino made Nakamura give up to the Argentine Backbreaker.
Takagi demanded Dieno to give up after the DDT Army defeated his rebellion. Suddenly a white van appeared and ran over Takagi! MAO was the driver and revealed he was a member of the Dieno Army all along! Takagi was thrown into the van and it drove off. The van briefly stopped so Iino would run into it. Takeshita & Saito followed the direction of the van in the hopes of finding Takagi.
Takeshita arrived in a locker room where he found Naomi Yoshimura, Makoto Oishi & Saori Anou hanging around. They revealed they were on Dieno’s side. Eruption then entered the room and offered to help Takeshita, kicking off a 6-Man Tag. The Dieno Army tried to strangle the Eruption wrestlers with phone cords. Kazusada Higuchi lifted a massage table onto himself and used it as full body armour. Saki Akai threw Anou onto another massage table and started attacking her with massages. Yukio Sakaguchi ran across the tables to give Yoshimura a PK while Higuchi submitted Oishi with the Canadian Backbreaker. Eruption then stuffed Oishi into a trash can after he told them where to find Takagi.
Takeshita & Saito next went down the corridor. They did not find Takagi there. Instead DAMNATION were standing around drinking. Daisuke Sasaki told them they were hired by Dieno. Takeshita called over Akito, Mizuki Watase & Royce Chambers to battle DAMNATION straight away. Akito pulled off Tetsuya Endo’s tights and was chased out of the room by him. Endo caught Akito and put him in the Yurikamome Hold to get them back. Soma Takao dragged Watase into a woman’s restroom and dunked his head into a toilet with the Gin And Tonic. Chambers gave Endo a Canadian Destroyer on top of a stack of wooden pallets then Moonsaulted onto everybody below. Watase came out of the restroom with a toilet brush to attack DAMNATION with. Sasaki took it off him and shoved it into Watase’s mouth. The three DAMNATION wrestlers then Power Bombed Watase onto a nearby ladder for the three count. Takeshita asked DAMNATION how much Dieno was paying them. Sasaki said 6,500 yen each including transportation expenses. Takeshita convinced Saito to pay each of them 10,000 yen to find out where Takagi was taken too. DAMNATION pointed them up to the rooftop.
Takeshita, Akito & Chambers ran up the stairs and there on the rooftop was the Dieno Army with Takagi tied to a chair under hostage. Dieno told them they were trapped with his entire army which included Munenori Sawa, Pokotan and the Saitama Super Arena mascot Tamarlin.
The DDT Army held against the ambush. Akito kept everyone at bay with Dragon Screws while Chambers dove onto whoever was in his way. They linked all of the Dieno Army wrestlers together in a Headscissors Chain and Takeshita flipped them all over with the Walls Of Takeshita to make all of them submit.
Takeshita thought the coup was defeated until he found out Takagi was switched with Yoshihiko on the chair during the battle! Saito began to laugh and suddenly attacked Akito & Chambers. He was a Dieno Army spy all along and Takagi is going to be publicly executed by explosion! Takeshita rallied together Iino, Yukio Naya and Shunma Katsumata dressed in his hardcore Joker costume to go rescue Takagi.
But first there was the important matter of the DDT Extreme Title match to get through. Away from the chaos on the rooftop, HARASHIMA and Shinya Aoki were about to have their match in the Community Arena. They took off their shirts to reveal they were both wearing bras underneath. They then placed blindfolds over their eyes. That’s right, the belt was being defended in a Blindfold Hidden Bra Death Match! First wrestler to take off their opponent’s bra while blindfolded wins! With such a large empty room to fight in there was danger of the wrestlers getting lost. But the two wrestlers were able to stay close to each other. HARASHIMA tripped over a board when he went to do the Somato. Aoki’s attempt at a European Clutch was blocked but he was able to put the champion in a Manjigatame and strip off HARASHIMA’s bra to win. Aoki takes back the Extreme Title from HARASHIMA! He celebrated with both of the bras and guessed he will be back in Saitama Super Arena to defend the title in June.
Anyway back to the mutiny. The Dieno Army was about to execute Takagi down at the entrance when Takeshita and the DDT Army arrived to save him. Dieno told them he had one last trump card for them. “Wild Thing” played and out came Atsushi Onita with MAO & Chris Brookes! Dieno joined them for the main event 8-Man Tag. Onita spat red Mist into Naya’s face then gave Katsumata a Piledriver through a table. They recovered and held onto Onita so Takeshita could swing the Current Blast Baseball Bat at him, causing a big explosion. During the chaos, Takagi freed himself from the chair and grabbed the Blast Bat. He tried to hit MAO with it but MAO blocked the swing with a chair, causing the explosion to knock both of them away. Dieno gave Takeshita the Lip Lock then went to get the bat. Katsumata dove towards him but Dieno struck him with the explosive bat in mid-air. Dieno then climbed onto a podium and pulled the back of his tights down. He instructed his army to shove the enemies’ faces into his backside. Everyone resisted so Onita grabbed the Blast Bat. He swung it but Takeshita ducked and the bat struck Dieno’s ass, exploding it in a major way! Takeshita crawled on top of Dieno to pin him, ending the coup once and for all. Or is it?
After the match Saito suggested they do a Current Blast Death Match at the Tokyo headquarters for Yoshimoto Kogyo. Onita liked the idea but attacked Saito to make sure he won’t break his promise. When he left, Takeshita told Dieno the coup was over. But Dieno had a surprise. He isn’t the mastermind. The mastermind is standing over on top of the entrance. Over there was a masked person wearing Dieno’s entrance robe. The person took off the mask to reveal it was Akane Takiyama, one of the AbemaTV announcers who was reporting on the event the whole time! A new Saitama Super Arena legend begins!
DDT “DRAMATIC DO IT! 2020”, 16/02/2020 Kumamoto City Distribution Information Hall
1. Tomomitsu Matsunaga Vs Keigo Nakamura
2. Toru Owashi & Kazuki Hirata Vs Makoto Oishi & Yoshihiko
3. Soma Takao Vs Yuki Iino
4. HARASHIMA & Naomi Yoshimura Vs Akito & Mizuki Watase
5. DDT Megatonweight Single: Kazusada Higuchi Vs Yukio Naya
6. Burn, The Land Of Fire! Burn, DDT! Kumamoto Specialty Special 6-Man Tag Match ~ DDT Sauna Club Vs DAMNATION: Konosuke Takeshita, MAO & Yuki Ueno Vs Daisuke Sasaki, Tetsuya Endo & Mad Paulie
Going into this Sunday’s show Daisuke Sasaki has the Saitama Super Arena Sword, Shinya Aoki has the blue Right To Challenge Gauntlet, Danshoku Dieno has the yellow Gauntlet and Mad Paulie has the green Gauntlet. The black Gauntlet that belonged to Cody Hall seems to have been deactivated after his exit from DDT.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TOKYO JOSHI 2020 WINTER ~WONDERFUL HARMONY~”, 24/02/2020 Tokyo Seijo Hall
1. 3 Way Match: Yuna Manase Vs Nodoka Tenma Vs Haruna Neko
2. Hyper Misao Vs Natsumi Maki
3. Rika Tatsumi & Mahiro Kiryu Vs Maki Itoh & Raku
4. Mizuki Vs Shiori Aena Vs Yuki Kamifuku & Mina Shirakawa
5. Shoko Nakajima Vs Suzume
6. Miyu Yamashita Vs Pom Harajuku
7. Main Event Prospect 2020 Special Tag Match: Miu Watanabe & Mirai Maiumi Vs Hikari Noa & Yuki Aino
It’s time to get some fresh faces into the main event scene and push the newer generation up the card. Yuka Sakazaki won’t be at the show so it’s time for somebody new to step up.
DDT “DRAMATIC SHINYURESE 2020”, 28/02/2020 Kanagawa Shinyuri Twenty One Hall
1. Danshoku Dieno, Toru Owashi & Antonio Honda Vs Yuki Iino, Yukio Naya & Keigo Nakamura
2. Kazusada Higuchi, Yukio Sakaguchi & Saki Akai Vs Chris Brookes, Masahiro Takanashi & Mizuki Watase
3. HARASHIMA & Makoto Oishi Vs Daisuke Sasaki & Hiroshi Yamato
4. Shinyuri Specialty! Two Major Singles Match: MAO Vs Kazuki Hirata
5. 3 Way Tag Match: Yuki Ueno & Naomi Yoshimura Vs Konosuke Takeshita & Shunma Katsumata Vs Soma Takao & Mad Paulie
6. Shinyuri Specialty! Two Major Singles Match: Tetsuya Endo Vs Akito
Chris Brookes being back in DDT means CDK are reunited. Maybe Mizuki Watase can join him & Masahiro Takanashi so he will finally have something to do.
DDT “DDT DOES NOT KNOW GUNMA YET 2020”, 29/02/2020 Gunma Yamada Green Dome Maebashi Sub Event Area
1. Soma Takao Vs Keigo Nakamura
2. ALL OUT Vs Eruption!: Konosuke Takeshita, Akito & Shunma Katsumata Vs Kazusada Higuchi, Yukio Sakaguchi & Saki Akai
3. The First Leap Year Of Reiwa! Inevitable Laughter Once Every 4 Years Ultra Super Mechanko Special 4 Way Match: Danshoku Dieno Vs Antonio Honda Vs Kazuki Hirata Vs Kazusada Higuchi
4. Yuki Ueno, Naomi Yoshimura & Toru Owashi Vs MAO, Makoto Oishi & Yukio Naya
5. HARASHIMA, Chris Brookes & Mizuki Watase Vs Daisuke Sasaki, Tetsuya Endo & Mad Paulie
6. Akagi Mountain Is Also Tonight! Maebashi Specialty Special Single Match: Yutaka Yoshie Vs Yuki Iino
Lethal Leap Year!
DDT “DRAMATIC RED READY! 2020”, 01/03/2020 Osaka Hirano Community Hall
1. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title – Battle Royal: Toru Owashi (c) Vs MAO Vs Akito Vs Makoto Oishi Vs Antonio Honda Vs Mizuki Watase Vs Yukio Naya Vs Royce Chambers
2. Masahiro Takanashi Vs Keigo Nakamura
3. Chris Brookes Vs Maku Donaruto
4. Yuni Kid Wrestler Graduation Match: Yuni Vs Kazuki Hirata
5. HARASHIMA, Yuki Ueno & Naomi Yoshimura Vs Daisuke Sasaki, Mad Paulie & Hiroshi Yamato
6. CIMA & Soma Takao Vs Kazusada Higuchi & Yukio Sakaguchi
7. KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles: Konosuke Takeshita, Shunma Katsumata & Yuki Iino (c) Vs Tetsuya Endo, T-Hawk & El Lindaman
CIMA & “BIMA” are teaming together at last!
GANBARE☆WRESTLING “SILVER CHARIOTS 2020”, 08/03/2020 Kitazawa Town Hall
1. Can He Do It? Special Single Match: Ken Ohka Vs Keito Murota
2. Ganpro Battle Without Honour! Special Tag Match: Shota & Heijitsu Mask Vs Kuishinbo Kamen & Space Galaxy Warrior Andros
Keito Murota is from HEAT-UP. There was a Ganbare☆Wrestling invasion that happened in HEAT-UP last year so it’s time to return the favour.
Baliyan Akki will be on the show. His last appearance in Ganpro was in November 2017.
BOYZ “(BRAND NEW) BOYZ α -VALENTINE EDITION-”, 11/02/2020 Kitazawa Town Hall 250 Fans – Super No Vacancy
1. DAMNATION Vs BOYZ!: Soma Takao & Tetsuya Endo defeated Jun Masaoka & Kazuki Hirata when Endo pinned Hirata with the Swivel Torture Rack Bomb (8:58).
2. Keigo Nakamura BOYZ Assessment Match: Hiroshi Yamato defeated Keigo Nakamura with the Fisherman Suplex (6:51).
3. BOYZ-Like Exchange Match: Konosuke Takeshita & Masahiro Takanashi defeated Shuichiro Tominaga & Shota when Takanashi pinned Shota with the Uwabami (13:07).
4. Fairy BOYZ: Kazusada Higuchi & Naomi Yoshimura defeated Yasu Urano & Antonio Honda when Yoshimura pinned Honda with a Cradle (14:02).
5. BOYZ Ace Showdown: MAO defeated Yuki Ueno with the Michinoku Driver I (14:43).
6. HomoClo Revival: Danshoku Dieno, Makoto Oishi & Akito (w/ KUDO & Hiroshi Fukuda) defeated HARASHIMA, Keisuke Ishii & Mizuki Watase when Oishi pinned Watase with the Luminous Press (14:46).
Several members of Homoiro Clover Z came gathered together for a special reunion. There was Danshoku Dieno, Makoto Oishi, Akito, KUDO, Hiroshi Fukuda and even Yoshihiko playing the role of Kota Ibushi all turning up. With the power of pop music, HomoClo won the main event with everyone getting involved. Fukuda knocked away HARASHIMA, KUDO gave Mizuki Watase a Buzzsaw Kick and Yoshihiko hit Keisuke Ishii with the Kamigoye. Oishi then pinned Watase with the Luminous Press.
Their victory celebration was interrupted by a familiar song. “ωe are the HERO!!” played as MAO & Shunma Katsumata walked out representing NωA! They came out calling themselves the only real idol unit in the history of DDT. Oishi was conflicted. Here he is with HomoClo but he is a part of NωA too. The two units had a tug of war over Oishi until he came up with an idea. Homoiro Clover Z and NωA will fight over who gets Oishi on the 26th March BOYZ show.
Keigo Nakamura’s audition for BOYZ began with him singing “Young Man” for his entrance. Hiroshi Yamato then showed him how it was really done by singing “BURN” and wrestling in a fancy suit.
Problems began to surface between Soma Takao & Tetsuya Endo. Missed attacks and forced tags made it seem like they were going to break up. But they were able to solve their problem and reconcile.
MUSCLE “HIRAGANA MUSCLE 1”, 27/01/2020 Shin-Kiba 1st RING 361 Fans – Super No Vacancy
1. Team L Vs Team S ~ Hell In A Blue Sheet Death Match: Kazusada Higuchi & Yukio Naya defeated Yumehito Imanari & Shota when Higuchi pinned Shota with a Gedo Clutch (4:00)
2. Team M Vs Team M: Akito & Kazuki Hirata defeated Mizuki Watase & Yuki Ueno ended in a Time Limit Draw (4:30).
2a. Team M Vs Team M ~ Finish Designated Theme Match: Mizuki Watase & Yuki Ueno defeated Akito & Kazuki Hirata when Watase pinned Hirata with a Kido Clutch (4:00).
3. Team L Vs Team S ~ Mixed Tag Match Between Professionals And Amateurs: Konosuke Takeshita & South River Minamikawa defeated Shunma Katsumata & Masa Oyoshi when Minamikawa pinned Oyoshi after the Shooting Star Press from Tetsuya Endo (16:13).
4. Cygames Subsidiary Of Parent Company Presents Muscle 1 GP 2020: Mizuki Watase & Yuki Ueno defeated Konosuke Takeshita & South River Minamikawa by Audience Judgement.
It can be said that current day DDT lacks Muscle-like elements. With the rise of a new athletic generation of wrestlers led by Konosuke Takeshita bringing in new fans to DDT, some long time fans have to look somewhere else for the old surreal style and characters DDT was known for. Does a wrestling “genius” like Muscle Sakai still fit in with DDT nowadays? When he retired back in 2010, the final Muscle show was held. A promise was made back then to revive the brand in the year 2030 for the next generation to take over but with the previous generation of Muscle wrestlers now retired and unlikely to be around in 2030 to pass on their Muscle knowledge, it makes the task look impossible.
Which is why when Muscle came brought back for one night in Sumo Hall last year, Sakai felt the need to move the revival ten years forward. The next generation needs to learn the Muscle way now so it can thrive for years to come. Sakai had the means to hold today’s show in Korakuen Hall but instead he chose Shin-Kiba 1st RING. The original brand began in Kitazawa Town Hall and grew all the way up to Sumo Hall. Sakai wants to repeat that kind of achievement. A bunch of DDT wrestlers answered the call for auditions but one had to cancel before the show. They were all athletic, the complete opposite of a Muscle wrestler. That does not mean the wrestlers are incompatible with Muscle. Some wrestlers like Kazusada Higuchi also work on the YaroZ brand which is closer to Muscle’s entertainment style than DDT. Others like Takeshita were at a disadvantage because they are set in their athletic pro wrestling ways. Basically, Sakai wants the big strong wrestlers to do stupid things more often.
The wrestlers were split into three teams based on their heights. Everybody was measured in the ring and some like Yukio Naya had their real height exposed to be shorter than advertised. We got the largest in Team L, the mediums in Team M and the shortest in Team S.
The first match was Hell In A Blue Sheet! A large blue sheet covered over the ring while the wrestlers fought beneath it. Since the audience had no way of seeing what was going on, the commentary team were allowed to enter through the sheet and call play-by-play inside the ring. Higuchi won for Team L by pinning Shota with a Gedo Clutch. The commentary said there was a Low Blow involved so we have to take their word for it.
The second match featured all members of Team M tagging against each other. The match somehow ended in a time limit draw after four minutes much to the chagrin of the wrestlers involved. A rematch took place with a strict four minute time limit. Mizuki Watase pinned Kazuki Hirata right at the deadline. Hirata and Akito somehow drank poison during the match and collapsed afterwards.
The third match was a Mixed Tag Match. However there were no women booked for the show so the mixed teams featured one pro wrestler and a non-wrestler. Takeshita teamed with a comedian named South River Minamikawa while Shunma Katsumata sided with a “financial planner” called Masa Oyoshi. He looked a lot like Choun-Shiryu and had the same amount of martial arts experience too. Takeshita got tied up against the corner post and cried for help. Suddenly that one wrestler who cancelled earlier decided to come over after all. It was Tetsuya Endo! He did the Shooting Star Press onto Oyosho/Shiryu and Minamikawa got the pin.
The main event was the inaugural Muscle 1 Grand Prix 2020. It was a stand up comedy contest between two teams. Watase & Ueno performed under the stage name Protein Tiger. Takeshita & Minamikawa were called Dental & Systema. Watase’s performance was the deciding factor and his team won. Sakai was pleased with how the revival show turned out. The next generation of Muscle Warriors are on track to find their place in the sun where they will shine!
Posted by JamieOD 
