DDT “D-OU GRAND PRIX 2022 IN YOKOHAMA DAY 2”, 05/11/2022 Yokohama Radiant Hall 280 Fans – Super No Vacancy
1. Harimao Vs DAMNATION T.A!: Naomi Yoshimura & Yuki Ishida Vs Daisuke Sasaki & MJ Paul
2. Yukio Sakaguchi Produce Match ~ 2 Vs 3 Handicap Match: Pokotan & Gota Ihashi Vs Saki Akai, Hideki Okatani & Kazuki Hirata
3. D-Ou Grand Prix 2022 – B Block: Chris Brookes (0) Vs KANON (2)
4. D-Ou Grand Prix 2022 – A Block: Tetsuya Endo (3) Vs Joey Janela (2)
5. Jun Akiyama, HARASHIMA, Soma Takao & Yukio Naya Vs MAO, Shunma Katsumata, Toi Kojima & Takeshi Masada
6. D-Ou Grand Prix 2022 – A Block: Yuki Ueno (2) Vs RSP (4)
7. D-Ou Grand Prix 2022 – B Block: Kazusada Higuchi (2) Vs Yuji Hino (4)
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “THE 3RD “FUTARI WA PRINCESS” MAX HEART TOURNAMENT”, 19/01/2023 Shinjuku FACE
1. Hikari Noa Vs Wakana Uehara
2. Mizuki & Mahiro Kiryu Vs Nao Kakuta & HIMAWARI
3. Miyu Yamashita, Maki Itoh & Yuki Kamifuku Vs Yuki Aino, Raku & Pom Harajuku
4. “Futari wa Princess” Max Heart Tournament – Round 2D: Shoko Nakajima & Hyper Misao Vs Haruna Neko & Kaya Toribami
5. “Futari wa Princess” Max Heart Tournament – Round 2A: Moka Miyamoto & Juria Nagano Vs Suzume & Arisu Endo
6. “Futari wa Princess” Max Heart Tournament – Round 2C: Saki Akai & Yuki Arai Vs Rika Tatsumi & Miu Watanabe
The Max Heart Tournament continues tomorrow.
DDT “SWEET DREAMS! 2023”, 29/01/2023 Tokyo Korakuen Hall
0. Dark Match – Bonno Dai Shacho Presents No Fee Rumble: Sanshiro Takagi & Fuminori Abe Vs X & X
0. Dark Match – 4 Way Tag Match: Toru Owashi & Kazuki Hirata Vs MJ Paul & KANIN Vs Antonio Honda & Akito Vs Yuya Koroku & Yuki Ishida
1. D GENERATIONS CUP – B Block: Keigo Nakamura Vs Takeshi Masada
2. D GENERATIONS CUP – A Block: Hideki Okatani Vs Kazuma Sumi
3. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Shinya Aoki, Yuki Ueno & Toi Kojima Vs Thanomsak Toba, Yukio Sakaguchi & Hikaru Machida
4. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Naruki Doi, Jun Akiyama & Soma Takao Vs HARASHIMA, Chris Brookes & Yukio Naya
5. KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles: Tetsuya Endo, Kotaro Suzuki & Yusuke Okada (c) Vs Yuki “Sexy” Iino, Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno & Koju “Shining Ball” Takeda
6. KO-D Tag Team Titles: MAO & Shunma Katsumata (c) Vs Makoto Oishi & Shiori Asahi
7. KO-D Openweight Title: Kazusada Higuchi (c) Vs Yuji Hino
The No Fee Rumble is moved over to the pre-show. According to DDT at least 28 people have applied to be in the match so far. Not all of them will be selected to compete.
BASARA “BASARA 209 ~GLITTER~”, 31/01/2023 Shin-Kiba 1st RING
1. Ryota Nakatsu Vs Kazusada Higuchi
For the first time Kazusada Higuchi will wrestle in BASARA. He takes on an old DNA foe of his, Ryota Nakatsu. It will be their first match together since 2020 and their first singles match against each other since 2015.
DDT “INTO THE FIGHT 2023 IN OSAKA”, 05/02/2023 Osaka Azalea Taisho Hall
1. D GENERATIONS CUP – B Block: Toi Kojima Vs Yuki Ishida
2. D GENERATIONS CUP – A Block: Yuya Koroku Vs Kazuma Sumi
3. D GENERATIONS CUP – A Block: Hideki Okatani Vs Ilusion
4. Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno Vs Shunma Katsumata & Maku Donaruto
5. Tetsuya Endo, Jun Akiyama & Yusuke Okada Vs HARASHIMA, Yukio Sakaguchi & Kazuki Hirata
6. Special Tag Match: Yuki Ueno & MAO Vs Yukio Naya & Takeshi Masada
7. Special Tag Match: Kazusada Higuchi & Chris Brookes Vs Yuji Hino & Makoto Oishi
8. Osaka Specialty Special Tag Match: Naruki Doi & Toru Owashi Vs MJ Paul & KANON
Some build up for Naruki Doi against KANON for the DDT Universal Title. Doi is siding with his Toryumon connection Toru Owashi while MJ Paul is by KANON’s side. The match might get changed if Daisuke Sasaki ever shows up again.
Oh no Maku Donaruto is back! In a bid to fight fire with fire, Shunma Katsumata is bringing him to take on Pheromones.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “GRAND PRINCESS ’23”, 18/03/2023 Ariake Coliseum
1. Princess Of Princess Title: Yuka Sakazaki (c) Vs Mizuki
DDT “SWEET DREAMS! 2023 TOUR IN SENDAI”, 14/01/2023 Sendai City Miyagino Ward Bunka Center 198 Fans – No Vacancy
1. MJ Paul & KANON defeated Yusuke Okada & Keigo Nakamura when KANON pinned Nakamura with the Sleepy Hollow (9:25).
2. Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno defeated Kazuki Hirata & Kazuma Sumi when Iino pinned Sumi with the Sexy Roll 2023 (8:45).
3. Jun Akiyama & Toru Owashi defeated Yukio Naya & Takeshi Masada when Akiyama pinned Masada with the Exploder Suplex (11:19).
4. Special Single Match: Makoto Oishi defeated Shunma Katsumata by Countout (10:57).
5. Special Tag Match: Yuji Hino & Akito defeated Kazusada Higuchi & Yuki Ishida when Akito pinned Ishida with a Stepover Toe Hold (12:08).
6. Special Challenge Match: Tetsuya Endo defeated Yuya Koroku with the Burning Star Press (15:38).
7. Sendai Specialty Special 6-Man Tag Match: Yuki Ueno, MAO & Toi Kojima defeated HARASHIMA, Chris Brookes & Hideki Okatani when MAO pinned Okatani with the Cannonball 450 (17:48).
Maybe it’s because MAO’s head still feels a little shaken from taking the Cactus Flower yesterday but today he showed his appreciation for his teammates in The 37KAMIINA. After winning the main event, MAO told the fans he lives with the support of everyone around him. He said it is thanks to Shunma Katsumata that ShunMao are the KO-D Tag Team Champions. He also thinks it is now impossible to become a singles champion again so he lives for tag team wrestling.
BURNING members Tetsuya Endo and Yuya Koroku face each other in the semi-main event. Koroku thought he had gotten stronger from training with Endo for a year but Endo was still able to beat him. Koroku understands he is not at the same level yet and will continue to get stronger. Endo is now moving his thoughts over to the upcoming singles match against Yuki Iino on 21st January. Endo teased he has a secret plan for the match.
The chests of Kazusada Higuchi and Yuji Hino were still raw from all of their chops yesterday. They continued where they left off today. Not only are they still Chopping each other but they apply the Brain Claws to each other too. Backstage Hino said on 29th January he wants this to reach the level where they hit each other until their hearts rip open! Meanwhile Akito is just happy he won a match against someone other than Pheromones for the first time in half a year. He pinned Yuki Ishida with a Stepover Toe Hold.
The match between Shunma Katsumata and Makoto Oishi had a lot of sticky tape involved. The two fought outside over to the ring announcer’s table where the roll of tape was taken. Katsumata stuck tape over Oishi’s mouth and also wrapped Oishi’s ankles together. Oishi was able to pull the tape off and choke Katsumata with it. He later wrapped tape around Katsumata’s eyes while they were outside the ring. Katsumata stumbled around ringside blindly and got counted out.
Daisuke Sasaki was missing from the show after telling KANON yesterday he will disappear for a while. MJ Paul took his place in the opening match. Everyone in DAMNATION T.A is currently puzzled over Sasaki’s absence and are wondering where he went.
DDT “SWEET DREAMS! 2023 TOUR IN SHINJUKU ~FIRE!~”, 13/01/2023 Shinjuku FACE 241 Fans
1. Keigo Nakamura Comeback Match: Tetsuya Endo, Jun Akiyama & Yusuke Okada defeated HARASHIMA, Hideki Okatani & Keigo Nakamura when Endo submitted Nakamura with the Modified Yurikamome (10:57).
2. MJ Paul & KANON defeated Antonio Honda & Kazuma Sumi when KANON pinned Sumi with the Sleepy Hollow (5:22).
3. Shunma Katsumata Pheromones One Day Experience Match: Yuki “Sexy” Iino, Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno & Shunma “Chunma” Katsumata defeated Akito, Kazuki Hirata & Yuya Koroku when Katsumata pinned Hirata after the Assisted Bubba Bomb from Iino (7:58).
4. Special Single Match: Kotaro Suzuki defeated Soma Takao with the Endless Waltz (8:51).
5. Makoto Oishi & Shiori Asahi defeated MAO & Toi Kojima when Kojima pinned MAO with the Jikiden Tornado Clutch (8:48).
6. Special Tag Match: Sanshiro Takagi & Fuminori Abe defeated Chris Brookes & Takeshi Masada when Abe submitted Masada with the Manjigatame (9:31).
7. Special Tag Match: Yuji Hino & Yukio Naya defeated Kazusada Higuchi & Yuki Ishida when Hino submitted Ishida with the King Kong Sleeper (10:01).
8. DDT Universal Title – Survival 3 Way Match: Naruki Doi defeated Yuki Ueno (c) and Daisuke Sasaki (20:59).
8a. Yuki Ueno eliminated Daisuke Sasaki with a Sasaki Hurricanrana Return (17:49).
8b. Naruki Doi eliminated Yuki Ueno with the Muscular Bomb (20:59). *Yuki Ueno fails in V3. Naruki Doi becomes the 9th DDT Universal Champion!
A bomb of muscular proportions was dropped on DDT after Naruki Doi became the new DDT Universal Champion! The result of today’s main event completely changes the blueprint Yuki Ueno had planned for the rest of the Spring. He had a schedule that would take him all the way to America with the belt but that’s been ripped to shreds by Doi. Daisuke Sasaki was the first elimination in the Survival 3 Way Match. He gave Ueno the Hurricanrana but Ueno maneuvered himself into rolling over on top of Sasaki to pin him out of nowhere. Ueno then tried to land the WR on Doi but it was blocked and Doi instead pinned Ueno with the Muscular Bomb for the title change. In just three months Doi has already won two of DDT’s championships. He called Ueno a wrestler who symbolizes the present and future of DDT. Doi’s role is to interfere with it. Now he wants to be the one to defend the Universal Title in Hollywood this March! Hisaya Imabayashi is not so eager on the idea. He is hoping that Doi’s freelance status will allow him to bring the Universal Title to other promotions in Japan and raise the belt’s prestige. Doi accepted the proposal.
KANON then entered the ring and said he was waiting for Sasaki to win the title so he could challenge him for a shot. Doi ruined those plans too but KANON is demanding a title match anyway. Doi Vs KANON with the belt on the line will happen in Nagoya on 18th February. Backstage after the show Sasaki approached KANON and told him he will be disappearing for a while because today’s result has left him in despair. Sasaki also said he is leaving DAMNATION T.A to KANON while he is gone. KANON could not tell if this was just Sasaki’s usual behaviour whenever he loses. He is now determined to win the Universal Title from Doi so Sasaki can find his smile again. Meanwhile Ueno said he has no regrets over what led to this result happening. He had wanted to wrestle both Doi and Sasaki at the same time and got it. He does not know if Samuray Del Sol still wants to wrestle him when he appears in DDT this March because Ueno is no longer the Universal Champion. However Ueno is keeping his chin up and promises to carry DDT on his back in 2023.
Kazusada Higuchi and Yuji Hino left their marks on each other with another big Chop-off during their tag match. Yuki Ishida also showed some progress by pulling off some power moves on the much bigger Yukio Naya. Hino cut him down to size though and used a Hanging Dragon Sleeper called the King Kong Sleeper to win by submission. Hino was happy with how fun the match was and told Higuchi they have a lot more prelim matches with each other before the KO-D Openweight Title bout on 29th January.
The debut of Bonno Dai Shacho met some resistance but can be qualified as a success. Birthday boy Sanshiro Takagi had to deal with Takeshi Masada again but this time the rookie had Chris Brookes backing him up. Fuminori Abe was the difference maker and got Masada to submit to the Manjigatame. After the match Takagi told Abe it is up to them to change the wrestling world which is why they are throwing out a challenge to the entire Japanese wrestling scene! Bonno Dai Shacho will break down the barriers by hosting a No Fee Rumble match on 29th January. They want teams from the indies, local federations, amateur groups and even college clubs to come forward and face their challenge. It will cost participants nothing to enter but they also will not be paid anything if they lose. Anyone is welcome except for actual fighters because Abe fears those will be too strong. Further details on how to apply will be announced soon.
MAO learned first hand just how dangerous of a team Makoto Oishi & Shiori Asahi are. The two of them immediately gave MAO the Cactus Flower at the start of their match and Toi Kojima (in new gear) had to break the pinfall. Kojima came to MAO’s rescue again by stopping a second attempt of the Cactus Flower. MAO got a little bit of revenge by using the Miracle Ecstasy on Oishi for a nearfall. Oishi got the last laugh by catching MAO in the Jikiden Tornado Clutch for the win. Asahi asked MAO after the match if this brought back any memories for him? Backstage MAO said Oishi on his own is not difficult to deal with but Oishi & Asahi together is a much stronger enemy. The Asahi of today is also not the Asahi he remembers fighting years ago. MAO wants Shunma Katsumata to break Oishi’s nose tomorrow.
You can’t beat the original. Soma Takao had wanted to beat Kotaro Suzuki with the Endless Waltz but the opposite happened instead. Suzuki countered the move with his own, cradling Takao over and over until he got the three count. He had fun wrestling Takao despite the match being short and explained he gave permission let Takao use the move all those years ago (which is why it is called the Official Endless Waltz when Takao uses it). He’ll be glad to wrestle Takao again someday but not anytime soon. Suzuki will be busy showing Pheromones just how sexy he is! Takao finds himself in limbo with DDT at the moment but today he decided his next goal is to beat Suzuki and also team up with him.
Today was when Katsumata had to spend all of 24 hours experiencing life as a member of Pheromones. The unit nicknamed him “Chunma” like Yuki Iino always does and introduced him as Tokyo Sexy Land’s newest attraction. He spent the match acting like a dog and being treated as one. Following the rules, Katsumata was obedient the entire time and joined in on the usual Pheromones spots. He even scored the pin on Kazuki Hirata thanks to an assisted Bubba Bomb from Iino. After the match Danshoku Dieno told Katsumata he fits in pretty well so would he be interested in officially joining Pheromones? Suddenly Toi Kojima got into the ring and tried to convince Katsumata not to by doing the NeppoWER pose. When Katsumata started to snap out of his current state, Dieno ordered him to ignore Kojima and perform a ritual of licking Iino’s backside to be accepted into Pheromones. Katsumata instead Super Kicked both Iino and Dieno to show he returned back to normal. He also Super Kicked Akito because it was Akito’s fault he got into this mess in the first place. Katsumata said it wasn’t bad being a member of Pheromones for a day but he’s just not meant to be with them. They will go their seperate ways but maybe one day “Chunma” will mingle with them again. Dieno then reminded him that the stipulation is still active for the rest of the day so he has to be “Chunma” for the meet and greet after the show.
Maybe KANON has what it takes to be in control of DAMNATION T.A while Sasaki gone missing. MJ Paul likes teaming with him and the two of them beat Antonio Honda & Kazuma Sumi pretty handily.
Keigo Nakamura is back in the ring after being absent for a long time due to injury. The date of today’s match means a lot to him too because 13th January last year was when he had surgery for a torn ACL. He started off the match with Yusuke Okada but got to spend time in the ring with Tetsuya Endo and Jun Akiyama as well. Naturally he took the fall by submitting to Endo’s Yurikamome hold. Endo congratulated Keigo “Darkness” Nakamura on his return and joked about how the “Darkness” version of him sank into the Hokkaido sea. Akiyama encouraged him to get fired up for the D GENERATIONS CUP so he can reach the same level of his competition. Backstage HARASHIMA said he worked with Nakamura during the recovery phase to help him prepare for his return today. Hideki Okatani reminded Nakamura that while he is happy to see him come back, they are now going to be opposition in the D GENERATIONS CUP.
There were contract signings for two championships matches at the start of the show. The DDT Extreme Title match on 21st January needed a stipulation. The champion Akiyama suggested PWF Rules but Honda complained the result would be so obvious it will kill the entire wrestling business. He instead suggested a Monoboke Death Match. Every time Akiyama kicks out of a pin or escapes a submission hold he gets to tell a joke. If he can make Akiyama laugh three times then Honda wins the match! On the other side, Akiyama will have to pin or submit Honda three times to be declared the winner. Akiyama accepted the rule once he figured out he can just beat the hell out of Honda a bunch to win.
The KO-D Tag Team Titles match also had its contract signed by all participants. Asahi said this will be his third chance to win the belt. He does not often get that many opportunities to fight for another company’s championship. Oishi said a high percentage of ShunMao is made up of Oishi DNA. The belts they hold should belong to him. MAO said he knows a lot about Asahi from the times The Moonlight Express fought him as well as by watching his DVD collection of Men’s Club matches. Katsumata joked that ever since he was a trainee people have said he looks like Asahi so the title match will prove who the real Shiori Asahi is! He also wants to see the glitzy Oishi from his old days.
After the contract signing ended, Katsumata stuck around for one more announcement. “DRAMATIC DREAM ONITA” is going ahea in Tsurumi on 19th March! The show will have an explosion death match with both HARASHIMA and Kazuki Hirata confirmed to take part. Katsumata promised he is going to blow up Hirata. Pheromones then came out and captured Katsumata so he could be turned into “Chunma” for later in the show.
DDT “HATSUYUME 2023”, 03/01/2023 Tokyo Korakuen Hall 759 Fans – Super No Vacancy Full House
1. Makoto Oishi & Shiori Asahi defeated Hideki Okatani & Toi Kojima when Oishi pinned Kojima after the Cactus Flower (8:12).
2. Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno Vs Akito & Antonio Honda ended in a No Contest (7:13).
3. New Year Special 8-Man Tag Match: Toru Owashi, Kazuki Hirata, Yuji Hino & Yukio Naya defeated Shinshun Pokotan, Yukio Sakaguchi, Saki Akai & Kazuma Sumi when Hirata pinned Sumi with the Miracle One Shot Cradle (11:59).
4. Alice Tour Presents Special 10-Man Tag Match: Tetsuya Endo, Jun Akiyama, Kotaro Suzuki, Yusuke Okada & Yuya Koroku defeated Kazusada Higuchi, HARASHIMA, RSP, Soma Takao & Yuki Ishida when Endo pinned Ishida with the Burning Star Press (10:41).
5. Alice Tour Presents Special Tag Match: Yuki Ueno & Cara Noir defeated MJ Paul & KANON when Noir submitted Paul with the Blackout Sleeper (11:49).
6. Special Single Match: Konosuke Takeshita defeated Takeshi Masada with the Zahi (10:02).
7. DDT Universal Title Next Challenger Decision Battle: Naruki Doi Vs Daisuke Sasaki ended in a Time Limit Draw (30:00).
8. KO-D Tag Team Titles: MAO & Shunma Katsumata defeated Chris Brookes & Masahiro Takanashi when MAO pinned Takanashi after Oretachi no Mad Max (19:02). *ShunMao becomes the 76th KO-D Tag Team Champions!
2023 begins with the crowning of new KO-D Tag Team Champions! The belts were vacated by Harimao back in November when Naomi Yoshimura took time off to deal with a herniated disc. The top two teams chosen to fight over the vacant titles were ShunMao and CDK. The match also had relaxed rules for double pinfalls, which is something CDK is used to by wrestling in places like ChocoPro. But MAO & Shunma Katsumata got used to the idea and together delivered a Double Miracle Ecstacy for a nearfall. Chris Brookes & Masahiro Takanashi had their own tricks and double team moves up their sleeve too and almost won several times. Katsumata took out Brookes with a Topé and ShunMao focused on isolating Takanashi, putting him away with the Oretachi no Mad Max to become the new champs!
The two teams were on good terms after the match. MAO said after six years he & Katsumata are finally the KO-D Tag Champions together and there was no better way for them to start the new year that way! While ShunMao was celebrating with the rest of The 37KAMIINA, suddenly Makoto Oishi & Shiori Asahi entered the ring. They had a new year’s gift for the champions and it is a challenge from Ω. ShunMao agreed and the match will take place on 29th January. It is the same show where Yuji Hino will be fighting for the KO-D Openweight Title so the three of them are aiming to dye DDT’s top championships in Ω’s colours. Backstage Brookes said he is sad CDK lost but their goal as a team is to have fun with pro wrestling. Takanashi is disappointed they aren’t getting to wrestle Oishi & Asahi next.
Nothing could determine a winner between Naruki Doi and Daisuke Sasaki within 30 minutes. Not interference from DAMNATION T.A, not counter interference from Toru Owashi, not the Doi 555 & Bakatare Sliding Kick combo, not the Pedigree & La Mistica Crossface Lock combo, not even the Sasaki Hurricanrana or a School Boy with the cheeky MIKAMI shout out along with it. The match reached its time limit and as a result there is no No. 1 Contender to challenge for the DDT Universal Title on 13th January. Hisaya Imabayashi kept the two in the ring after the match and called the champion Yuki Ueno down to figure out what to do next. Imabayashi suggested doing a 3 Way Match. Ueno liked the idea because he wants to fight Doi and Sasaki but he wants to beat both of them too. So Ueno asked for it to be a Survival 3 Way Match. Doi agreed to it if the match has a 60 minute time limit because he thinks that is enough time for him to beat both Sasaki and Ueno. Sasaki isn’t sure if 60 minutes really is enough but he also accepted the stipulation. He’s certain he can beat Ueno in 3 seconds, it’s just trying to figure out how to beat Doi in 59 minutes and 57 seconds that’s going to be the difficult part.
It will be a few months before Konosuke Takeshita is back in DDT again. His last match here for a while was a win against Takeshi Masada today. Masada pulled out a lot of dazzling kicks at the behest of his opponent to give him his strongest attacks. That was until Takeshita fired back with an Elbow Strike. The Jumping Knee missed its target but Takeshita readjusted himself and caught Masada with a Lariat before pinning him with the Zahi.
After the match Takeshita announced he will return to DDT for “JUDGEMENT 2023” on 21st March where there is a special match he finally wants to do. He has never wrestled a singles match against Sanshiro Takagi! It’s been 15 years since Takeshita first contacted the DDT president about wanting to become a pro wrestler. He’s been able to become one of the best because of him. Takagi was happy to be chosen but unsure he is physically able to do a match at that level. But once Takeshita thought about finding someone better, Takagi lost his temper and gave him a Stunner. He accepts the match after all! He’s going to spend the next three months training until he his no longer Sanshiro Takagi the president but Sanshiro Takagi the pro wrestler!
Ueno had already dealt with DAMNATION T.A earlier in the show with some help from Cara Noir. Together the two were a well oiled team against MJ Paul & KANON. Double Dropkicks, double dives and it all ended with Noir trapping Paul in the Blackout Sleeper with Ueno cutting KANON off from breaking the hold. Noir showed interest in having another match with Ueno in the future but for now he was pleased with getting a prize from the match sponsor Alice Tour for their win today.
Alice Tour also sponsored the 10-Man Tag Match. All active members of BURNING were together in one match for the first time. Poor Yusuke Okada took the brunt of the opposing team’s offence. Soma Takao threw elbows at him, HARASHIMA stomped him in the corner (but not before wishing him a happy new year), RSP & Kazusada Higuchi both flattened him with power moves. Good thing Yuki Ishida messed up his part and ended up getting squashed by RSP’s Swanton Bomb when it was meant for Okada. Jun Akiyama took down RSP with a Lariat and then it was Ishida up taking a train attack from Kotaro Suzuki, Yuya Koroku and the rest of BURNING. Ishida was tough enough to kick out of the Torture Rack Bomb but Tetsuya Endo followed it up with the Burning Star Press to put him away.
Pokotan was in a party mood for the new year and showed up wearing a large Kagami Mochi rice cake on its head. It is said to be good luck if you ever see Pokotan in this state. The wrestlers started to believe it when Pokotan started handing out gift envelopes. It gave an envelope to Yuji Hino just so he would stop attacking it. That led to the other wrestlers all excitedly lining up to receive their own envelopes. Yukinori Matsui got one too. The excitement quickly turned sour once everybody opened their gift just to find a 100 yen coin inside. They all attacked Pokotan, ending with Yukio Naya literally kicking its head off to reveal it is Sanshiro Takagi in the mascot suit! He went on a rampage in the ring until Kazuki Hirata knocked him out. Hirata then put on his glasses and led a big group dance. Unfortunately for him Yukio Sakaguchi did not put on a pair and attacked him instead with Saki Akai joining in. Kazuma Sumi tried to finish Hirata off but the Miracle One Shot Cradle was used out of nowhere and Hirata got away with winning the match.
2023 is the year of the rabbit so Danshoku Dieno wrestled his match wearing rabbit ears. I wish that was the only thing to write about this match. Instead Pheromones had to go out and do their best to cause another incident. When Antonio Honda had Dieno stunned with his latest Gongitsune joke, Yuki Iino was wheeled down to ringside on a cart pushed by Yumehito Imanari and stripped of most of his clothes. The spot was repeated several times with Iino stripping off more and more of his clothing with every appearance. By the fourth time Iino was completely naked using only gift envelopes to hide his shame. That finally caused the match to be called off. Dieno told the fans if they are having a hard time in 2023 then they should look towards Pheromones! Akito will probably have to do just that whether he wants to or not.
Oishi & Asahi were all set up to make their challenge after they beat Hideki Okatani & Toi Kojima in the opening match. Okatani did well to stop the Cactus Flower from being used first time around, causing Kojima to get a nearfall on Oishi. But Asahi broke the pin and was able to do the Cactus Flower with Oishi the second time to get their hands raised.
A lot of announcements and surprises were revealed throughout the show. Samuray Del Sol was announced to appear at “JUDGEMENT 2023” but it turned out he was right there in Korakuen Hall! He came out and chanted “lucha” a lot. Backstage he said the one name that interests him most about DDT is Yuki Ueno so he would like to challenge him for the DDT Universal Title at that show.
Also coming to DDT soon are Kip Sabian & Penelope Ford from AEW. The couple will be in Nagoya on 18th February and Korakuen Hall on 26th February.
Takagi announced his mystery tag partner for his birthday match on 13th January will be Fuminori Abe! Takagi is ready to go over the top in 2023 and wanted his tag partner to be just as crazy. Abe is the disciple of Munenori Sawa who was part of a fond tag team with Takagi over a decade ago. It could be recreated here with Takagi & Abe joining forces. Their tag team name is Bonno Dai Shacho, a reference to Takagi & Sawa being Hentai Dai Shacho.
Two more DDT supercards are added to the schedule, taking place after “JUDGEMENT 2023” in March. “MEGA MAX BUMP 2023” in Yokohama Budokan is happening on 3rd May. “WRESTLE PETER PAN 2023” in Sumo Hall will be on 23rd July.
DDT “D-OU GRAND PRIX 2022 THE FINAL”, 04/12/2022 Tokyo Korakuen Hall 711 Fans – Super No Vacancy Full House
1. Soma Takao, Hideki Okatani & Hikaru Machida defeated Yuya Koroku, Yuki Ishida & Takeshi Masada when Takao pinned Ishida with the Gin And Tonic (8:36).
2. Soccer Match: Yuki “Sexy” Iino, Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno & Yumehito “Fantastic” Imanari (3) defeated Akito & Antonio Honda (2) by Penalty Shootout.
2a. Akito (1) pinned Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno (0) with a Gene LeBell Style Rolling Cradle (1st Half 0:18).
2b. Akito (2) pinned Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno (0) with a Free Kick (1st Half 1:21).
2c. Yuki “Sexy” Iino (1) pinned Akito (2) with the Ketsugoye (2nd Half 0:37).
2d. Yuki “Sexy” Iino (2) pinned Akito (2) with the Sexy Lariat (2nd Half 2:54). *Pheromotia advance to the Final 8.
3. BURNING Vs The 37KAMIINA!: Tetsuya Endo, Kotaro Suzuki & Yusuke Okada defeated MAO, Shunma Katsumata & Toi Kojima when Endo pinned Kojima with the Burning Star Press (12:09).
4. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Naruki Doi, Toru Owashi & Kazuki Hirata defeated HARASHIMA, Yukio Sakaguchi & Kazuma Sumi when Hirata pinned Sumi with the Miracle One Shot Cradle (10:25).
5. DDT Extreme Title – TLC Match: Jun Akiyama defeated Joey Janela (c) with the Wrist Clutch Exploder Suplex (11:32). *Joey Janela fails in V5. Jun Akiyama becomes the 56th DDT Extreme Champion!
6. Special 8-Man Tag Match: Kazusada Higuchi, Yuji Hino, Chris Brookes & RSP defeated Daisuke Sasaki, Minoru Fujita, MJ Paul & KANON when Higuchi pinned Paul with the Buchikamashi (10:50).
7. D-Ou Grand Prix 2022 – Final: Yuki Ueno defeated Yukio Naya with the BME (20:32).
The reigning DDT Universal Champion is now also the D-Ou Grand Prix winner for 2022! Before the tournament even began Yuki Ueno has been calling his shot to win the whole thing as part of his quest to be the leading figure in DDT. He achieved it here by beating Yukio Naya in the final. Naya came into the match as confident as he has ever been and looked to win with sheer power. He used an Avalanche Choke Slam as his big move to set up the Torture Cobra Twist. Ueno relied on his own speed and agility in response, nearly scoring a countout win after a Moonsault out of the ring. The BME was countered at first when Naya blocked it with his knees. Ueno tried to show fighting spirit against his opponent’s Lariats and Knee Strikes until he started to show signs of collapse. His second wind came when he countered a Choke Slam with a Triangle Choke. He used his new Rolling Guillotine Ace Crusher but was too beaten up to go for the pin. When both stood back up, Naya got the first blow and landed the Back Drop. However he too was slow to make the cover and Ueno kicked out. Naya rushed in for a final attack and he ran straight into a series of Dropkicks until he couldn’t get back up. Ueno got to hit the BME in the end and that was enough to win him the match.
Naya received applause from the crowd as he left ringside. Ueno stayed in the ring to receive his trophy from Kenta Kobashi. Ueno called Naya a big and amazing opponent that he was able to beat on his own. Ueno promises he will still work hard to become the best in DDT and get more people to watch DDT. He wants everybody to love DDT as much as he does. He has the DDT Universal Title, just won the D-Ou Grand Prix and now wants to win the KO-D Openweight Title! He’s sure Konosuke Takeshita is watching him from America and knows he wouldn’t be working so hard if it wasn’t for his friends. Backstage Naya showed frustration because he said he was going to carry DDT on his shoulders like a big shot only to lose in the final. He swore in 2023 he will go higher and become big enough to challenge for the KO-D Title. Kobashi praised Naya for not running out of stamina during such a long match and being able to respond to Ueno’s fast pace. Last year he was told by people in DDT that Ueno is a genius. Kobashi is beginning to understand the claim after watching him throughout the Grand Prix. He also thinks the future of DDT is blossoming because the final was between two wrestlers in their 20s.
A collection of heavyweights from the D-Ou group stages all joined forces to fight against DAMNATION T.A. The size differences took Minoru Fujita off guard. The opposition all ganged up on him and pulled off the Kai En Tai pyramid pose with Chris Brookes posing at the top. KANON tried slowing down Yuji Hino with the Cobra Twist. Daisuke Sasaki wanted to fight everyone off with a chair but was given a Double Choke Slam from RSP & Brookes. Hino then gathered most of DAMNATION T.A together outside the ring so RSP could do a Topé into them. MJ Paul showed some fight against Kazusada Higuchi but he too was decimated with the Buchikamashi sumo charge for the three count. After the match Higuchi said it does not matter if his next challenger is Ueno or Naya. He just wants to fight and defend the championship.
For the first time in his decorated career Jun Akiyama was taking part in a TLC Match. His opponent Joey Janela came up with the stipulation for the DDT Extreme Title match for his own benefit. Except that does not change the face he still had to fight Jun Akiyama! The challenger gradually found his footing in an arena filled with Tables, Ladders and Chairs all available to be used as weapons. He threw Janela out of the ring onto a castle of chairs. He also gave Janela the Exploder Suplex onto a ladder inside the ring. Janela showed his guts and went high risk. It paid off with a Diving Elbow from a ladder putting Akiyama through a table. He wanted to continue the attack but Akiyama gave him an Avalanche Exploder onto another table. Janela kicked out so Akiyama had to give him the Wrist-Clutch Exploder to finally put him away and win the Extreme Title!
After the match Janela finally showed Akiyama some respect by shaking his hand. Janela later said Akiyama earned his respect by stepping into his area of hardcore wrestling and winning. As Akiyama was leaving the ring, Super Sasadango Machine appeared and called for his attention. He told everyone that he has not wrestled much in 2022 and wanted to make a year end adjustment. He figured if he could challenge Akiyama for the Extreme Title at the end of the year it would make up for his inactivity. Akiyama thought about it and agreed. He then asked Sasadango how much he weighed. Sasadango answered he is 125kg. Akiyama told him to lose 20kg and then left the ring. Hisaya Imabayashi used his GM powers to make the match official for 29th December.
Naruki Doi’s request to face DDT’s best led him straight to HARASHIMA. Although first he had to go through Kazuma Sumi because the rookie wanted to start the match against him. Kazuki Hirata did not show as much bravery when he had to share the ring with Yukio Sakaguchi. Doi and HARASHIMA got to fight each other eventually but Hirata continued to look like the weak link. He took a Running Knee from Sakaguchi in the corner, a Springboard Splash from HARASHIMA and a Standing Moonsault from Sumi. However Hirata kicked out of the pin and suddenly caught Sumi in the Miracle One Shot Cradle to win the match for his team out of nowhere.
Hirata wanted to give a victory speech but he was interrupted by Tetsuya Endo’s theme music. Endo walked out with Kotaro Suzuki & Yusuke Okada by his side. Endo said he hadn’t forgotten about Doi mentioning his name in Kyoto as somebody he wants to fight. This is Endo accepting the challenge! He also wants it to be a KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles match. Hirata tried to speak but Doi cut him off. Doi thinks it is a chance of fate because not only does he want to fight Endo, he also never thought he would see Suzuki in a DDT ring again. Doi told them his next scheduled appearance for DDT is on 29th December. He asked Toru Owashi who was the authority around here and was confused when he was pointed over to Imabayashi. The GM confirmed the title match will happen on the 29th.
The BURNING trio had just wrestled in the match before, beating The 37KAMIINA. Suzuki squared off with Shunma Katsumata. The two of them had a singles match in DNA 5 years ago and Katsumata was eager to show hot much he has grown since then. Toi Kojima also wanted to test himself against the veteran. He ended up on the worst end of things by taking Suzuki’s Tombstone, then Okada’s Diving Headbutt and finally Endo’s Burning Star Press for the finish. Endo and Suzuki treated the match as their first introductions to each other. Suzuki also called DDT a new view for him to experience now that he is freelance. Katsumata wants another chance to fight Suzuki and show he can surpass him. MAO was in a bit of a bad mood after seeing the video of Akiyama interviewing Suzuki. In the video there are three times when Akiyama said DDT became a stronger place after he joined the company. That line has been bothering MAO ever since he heard it.
The success of Japan in the World Cup has Pheromones feeling football crazy. They all walked down to the ring wearing football kits and demanding their match be held under Soccer Rules. Every 1 Count pinfall counted as a goal. At first the plan backfired when Akito quickly pinned Dieno early in the 1st half. Dieno then caused a foul which allowed Akito to score a second goal from a free Dropkick. Antonio Honda was in the middle of telling his Gongitsune joke when Yukinori Matsui blew his whistle and ended the half. For the 2nd Half, Yumehito Imanari was brought in as a substitute for Dieno. Yuki Iino blocked Honda’s Bionic Elbow and used the Katsugoye to make the score 2-1. Imanari then pinned Akito to make it 2-2 but the pinfall was disallowed after a VAR review. Play restarted and Iino pinned Akito with the Sexy Lariat. Akito pleaded for another VAR review, claiming that Iino’s ball was showing outside of his skimpy costume. VAR showed that the ball was still in bounds within the line by the slightest of margins so the goal stood. The match went to an actual penalty shootout in the ring and Imanari scored the winning shot to send his team into the Quarter Finals! Final score: Pheromotia 3 – 2 Subjugation JAPAN.
The first match of the day featured the return of the kickboxer Hikaru Machida. He had some striking exchanges with Takeshi Masada when they were both in the ring. Yuya Koroku used a Waterwheel Drop on Soma Takao, setting up his team to launch a train attack against him. Yuki Ishida tried to take it all the way until Machida & Hideki Okatani cut him off. Ishida kicked out of Takao’s Running Elbow but was down and out when Takao did the Gin And Tonic.
Dieno announced some new matches for his book launch event at Korakuen Hall on 21st December. Doi and Katsumata face off in a first time singles match. Kazusada Higuchi, Thanomsak Toba & Yuki Ishida Vs Tesuya Endo, Jun Akiyama & DJ Nira will also happen on the show.
DDT “D-OU GRAND PRIX 2022 IN KORAKUEN HALL”, 18/11/2022 Tokyo Korakuen Hall 450 Fans
0. Dark Match: Yusuke Okada defeated Yuki Ishida with the Sudden Death (6:45).
0. Dark Match – 3 Vs 4 Handicap Match: Yuki “Sexy” Iino, Yumehito “Fantastic” Imanari & Koju “Shining Ball” Takeda defeated Akito, Masahiro Takanashi, Antonio Honda & Gorgeous Matsuno when Iino pinned Honda after the Sexy Lock Up (8:28).
1. Minoru Fujita, MJ Paul & KANON defeated Yukio Sakaguchi, Hideki Okatani & Yuya Koroku when KANON pinned Koroku with the Sleepy Hollow (5:57).
2. Special 8-Man Tag Match: HARASHIMA, Naruki Doi, Toru Owashi & Kazuki Hirata defeated MAO, Shunma Katsumata, Toi Kojima & Takeshi Masada when Doi pinned Kojima with the Bakatare Sliding Kick (11:38).
3. D-Ou Grand Prix 2022 – A Block: Joey Janela (4) Vs RSP (4) ended in a Double Countout (11:36).
4. D-Ou Grand Prix 2022 – A Block: Naomi Yoshimura (4) defeated Tetsuya Endo (5) with the Harai Goshi (7:05).
5. D-Ou Grand Prix 2022 – A Block: Yuki Ueno (6) defeated Daisuke Sasaki (5) with the Rolling Guillotine Ace Crusher (16:53).
6. D-Ou Grand Prix 2022 – B Block: Chris Brookes (4) defeated Yuji Hino (7) with a Modified Samson Clutch (12:10).
7. D-Ou Grand Prix 2022 – B Block: Yukio Naya (8) defeated Kazusada Higuchi (7) with the Back Drop (19:05).
The race to the final is complete and two men are left to fight over who will win the 2022 D-Ou Grand Prix. The Block was decided by what is possibly the biggest upset in the entire tournament this year when Yukio Naya defeated Kazusada Higuchi! The reigning KO-D Openweight Champion was one of two unbeaten wrestlers left in the group and when the path opened up for him to remain the only one at the finish, but Naya decided it would go differently. The Headbutt was the key move in a Higuchi match yet again. The twist however was the move came from Naya to get the advantage. Some Knee Lifts were used afterwards to soften up Higuchi for the Back Drop for the surprise result. Naya’s win means he vaults over the two top heavyweights to reach the final!
So how did it all go wrong for Yuji Hino, the other undefeated wrestler in B Block? Blame CDK for that. Chris Brookes relied on Masahiro Takanashi to help him get a win. The referee was taken out after being used as a shield then Takanashi gave Hino a Low Blow right when he was about to hit the Fuckin’ BOMB on Brookes. Makoto Oishi came to the rescue by grabbing the Asia Dream Tag Team Title belt off of Takanashi. However Brookes then pushed Oishi right into Hino, knocking the big guy loopy when he head first came into contact with the title belt. He was still able to kick out of the pin but was too dazed to kick out of a Samson Clutch afterwards. Brookes isn’t happy with this year being the fourth in a row he failed to win the final. If things don’t improve for him in the next 12 months he does not see a point in him being in the next D-Ou GP. Hino isn’t mad because he doesn’t feel like he lost. All he knows is his head and crotch both hurt so he just wants to go home and get into his bed.
The A Block was a much tighter race with five of the six contestants still in the running one way or another. When the dust settled it was Yuki Ueno who was left standing above everyone else in first place uncontested. He took a beating to get there because Daisuke Sasaki attacked him with plenty of chairs in their match. But Ueno had enough with that kind of stuff and stopped Sasaki with a Dropkick. He hit the BME but Sasaki only kicked out at one. He also blocked the Crossface Lock when Sasaki tried to convert it into the Crossover Facelock. However the BME only got a one count so Ueno had to pull out his new finisher, the Rolling Guillotine Ace Crusher to clear past Sasaki and book his place in the final. Sasaki is so upset over the loss he says 2022 has ended for himself and DAMNATION T.A as well as the first half of 2023. You’ll have to wait until the second half of 2023 to see them get their revenge!
Tetsuya Endo fell at the final hurdle thanks to Naomi Yoshimura. Endo was fighting for first place going into this show and would have made the final had he won, now that we know how Ueno Vs Sasaki went. Instead the Harai Goshi pinned Endo out of nowhere and dashed his chances of advancing. It’s been one of the few bright spots of Yoshimura’s tournament this year and he is currently not in the mood to talk about it. Meanwhile Endo is already thinking of any lessons he learned, figuring out that he has not grown since their last singles match while Yoshimura clearly has.
The two American wrestlers both left their mark in the A Block as wild cards disrupting everyone else’s chances. Both Joey Janela and RSP had slim chances of staying in the Grand Prix but they also had their sights set on each other during the entire tour due to their history together on the American indies. It led to a match where the two tried to destroy each other with the biggest moves they could think of. The biggest came when RSP gave Janela a Death Valley Bomb from the ring apron onto the floor outside. The move took out both men and the match ended in a Double Countout. Due to the new scoring rules implemented this year, a Double Counout means neither wrestlers received any points. Janela takes some enjoyment that the result stopped RSP from getting anywhere near the final. He also now wants to move on to his next target, Jun Akiyama! He thought he would get to fight Akiyama until he found out DDT added an age limit to this year’s D-Ou GP. If that’s not enough, while Janela is here in Japan Akiyama is in America wrestling Eddie Kingston in Janela’s previous workplace AEW! Janela wants Akiyama to come face him when he returns to Japan.
The D-Ou GP final is now set. The A Block winner Yuki Ueno faces the B Block winner Yukio Naya on 4th December. Ueno is in the final for the second year in a row and did not expect to be seeing Naya with him here. Naya’s a big guy but Ueno wants to live up to his promise to carry DDT on his own back. Naya said he is ready to do that too. He just beat Higuchi and now he has to beat Ueno. Should he do that then Naya will make it clear he wants to challenge Higuchi for the KO-D Title inside Tokyo Dome City Hall at the end of December!
Even without the tournament there is a lot of news coming out of this show. Naruki Doi made his next appearance for DDT, forming a team with DISASTER BOX that was nicknamed Disaster Muscle. Doi felt like he was being pranked with DISASTER BOX, The 37KAMIINA and even Takeshi Masada all getting him involved in wacky spots. Toru Owashi did his lucha while Kazuki Hirata tried to mimic MAO’s Koppojutsu but was easily brushed aside. He also tried to wear the Hirata GO! glasses but the music immediately caused Doi to kick him. Toi Kojima was the one to step up to Doi but was cut down with the Doi 555 and Bakatare Sliding Kick. After the match HARASHIMA welcomed Doi to DDT and congratulated him on winning the KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles, one of the few championships that HARASHIMA has never held. Doi asked the fans if they would like to see him face HARASHIMA some day? He then said he will be back in DDT on the 21st and 29th December. If anyone wants to fight Doi, Owashi & Hirata for the titles then Doi will accept any challengers… except for Shunma Katsumata.
KANON had a poor run in the tournament but that is all behind him now. He rejoined MJ Paul & Minoru Fujita to get a win against Eruption & Yuya Koroku. It was a close match with Yukio Sakaguchi & Hideki Okatani keeping DAMNATION T.A on their toes. Koroku then took the lead against KANON but a reversal of fortunes saw KANON pin him with the Sleepy Hollow.
There were also two matches on the pre-show. Danshoku Dieno was absent with a fever so it was up to the rest of Pheromones to keep it up with their obscene antics. This is bad news for Akito because their behaviour is getting so bad that Korakuen Hall management may consider stepping in and banning DDT from doing further shows in the building. Yuki Iino & Koju Takeda may have found a kindred spirit because Gorgeous Matsuno was more than ready to compare his fit body with theirs. Antonio Honda used Iino’s backside to charge up Gongitsune but some bad targeting led to both Akito & Takanashi getting knocked out. Yumehito Imanari saw the opening and got his partners to lock up with each other. Doing so had them essentially teabag all of their opponents over and over into submission. Akito was mad with the result because he bungled the numbers advantage and now DDT is at risk of being kicked out of Korakuen. Pheromones need to be subjugated so Akito will bring in the political tag team of Osamu Nishimura & Shinichiro Kawamatsu for the big 29th December show at Tokyo Dome City Hall!
The other dark match saw Yusuke Okada take all that Yuki Ishida could throw at him. Ishida fought out of a Crab Hold and kicked out of a long distance Diving Headbutt. It was a good effort but Okada beat him with the Sudden Death in the end.
Katsumata feels like there is not enough excitement going around so he came up with an idea to do an Explosion Death Match in the new year. So one will take place in Tsurumi on 7th January where Katsumata will aim to surpass Atsushi Onita and become the Reiwa era’s version of “Evil Ways”. He promised that show will not end until he blows up Onita!
An update was given in regards to LiLiCo’s request to take part in the Anal Explosion opening ceremony for the 29h December show in TDC Hall. Hisaya Imabayashi took part in a show with LiLiCo’s husband Ryohei Odai during the week so he recorded a video discussing the situation with him. Odai does not like the idea but is under the impression that all couples have a rule where they do not need to be concerned for what their partners do with their anuses. So he is ok with LiLiCo and DDT going ahead with the ceremony.
DDT has a Korakuen show on 21st December to celebrate the launch of Dieno’s new book about his views on pro wrestling. Dieno will have a match against Muscle Sakai on the show. There will also be a match between Yuki Iino and Yumehito Imanari just because Dieno wants to see it happen.
Matsuno gave everyone a news update about his planned kidney transplant operation for his partner Junko Tashiro. It was previously announced that the operation was delayed until next Spring because Tashiro is in stable health and has no need to get a transplant right away. The operation is now scheduled for April but may be delayed again if Tashiro remains in good health. It is inevitable that the transplant will need to happen some day and when it does, Matsuno made a vow to return to the ring after it is completed.
DDT “D-OU GRAND PRIX 2022 IN YOKOHAMA DAY 1”, 03/11/2022 Yokohama Radiant Hall 235 Fans
1. Jun Akiyama, Yusuke Okada & Yuya Koroku defeated Soma Takao, Toi Kojima & Takeshi Masada when Okada pinned Kojima with the Sudden Death (9:11).
2. HARASHIMA Produce Match ~ Blindfold Breastfold Tag Death Match: Antonio Honda & Shunma Katsumata defeated HARASHIMA & Kazuki Hirata when Katsumata stripped off HARASHIMA’s bra (10:40).
3. D-Ou Grand Prix 2022 – B Block: Yuji Hino (4) defeated KANON (0) with a Dragon Sleeper (8:16).
4. D-Ou Grand Prix 2022 – B Block: Yukio Naya (2) defeated MAO (2) with the Back Drop (11:49).
5. RSP, Chris Brookes & Masahiro Takanashi defeated Kazusada Higuchi, Naomi Yoshimura & Yuki Ishida when RSP pinned Ishida with the GTF (12:19).
6. D-Ou Grand Prix 2022 – A Block: Yuki Ueno (2) defeated Joey Janela (0) with the BME (10:01).
7. D-Ou Grand Prix 2022 – A Block: Tetsuya Endo (3) Vs Daisuke Sasaki (1) ended in a Time Limit Draw (30:00).
The big DAMNATION clash ended without a winner. Daisuke Sasaki worked on Tetsuya Endo’s injured ankle, weakening Endo’s aerial moves when he tried to use them later in the match. The match featured an unexpected surprise halfway through when Mad Paulie, not MJ Paul, came down to the ring while both wrestlers were down on their backs. A referee bump led to Paulie attacking Endo at first. But when Sasaki brought in a chair, Paulie stopped him from using it. Endo then gave Sasaki a Low Blow from behind. Paulie remained a neutral party from that point and the match continued. Endo gave Sasaki som Exploder Suplexes and the Swivel Torture Rack Bomb but Sasaki kept kicking out of the pins, even getting a 1 count. Endo’s ankle damage prevented him from hitting the Burning Star Press and Sasaki was able to get him into the Crossface Lock. Endo bit his hand to free himself and the two were left scrambling for the win until the time expired. After the match Endo said it’s been exactly two years since his Ota Ward Gymnasium match with Sasaki and “Charisma” is the same as he was back then. Sasaki didn’t have much to say other then ask Paulie how did he get back here from Planet Pauline? Endo said even though today ended in a draw, he is still going to win the D-Ou Grand Prix and collect all of DDT’s championships. He also wants any prize money he wins to be transferred to him as soon as possible. When he left the ring, Sasaki called BURNING a bunch of crap and Endo should be in DAMNATION T.A alongside him instead.
The DDT Universal Champion beats the DDT Extreme Champion! It was a match that left Yuki Ueno with a bloody nose from Joey Janela’s big attacks. Janela’s attempt to take things to the extreme included using an Avalanche Falcon Arrow along with trying to land moves onto the ring apron. Ueno fought back by dropping Janela onto the apron with a Facebuster. The Dropkick was the big difference maker as happens often with Ueno’s matches recently. That move left Janela in position to take the BME for Ueno to take the win. Ueno repeated his goal is to carry DDT on his back and winning the Grand Prix will help make that happen. He said Janela can pull out a lot of power at a moment’s notice and he couldn’t tell what he was thinking. Since Janela did not bring in any weapons, Ueno wonders if he was trying to prove he can win without going death match or hardcore? Janela is mad over losing his first match in DDT. He wants to go back to GCW with the D-Ou trophy as the “King Of Extreme” but now has to rethink his strategy.
Yukio Naya gets his first win of the tournament by beating MAO. The two fought out of the ring and spent a brief amount of time causing trouble in the lobby before coming back. MAO tried going for flash pins and almost won with a Hurricanrana. Naya stopped his momentum with a Knee Lift and got the win with a Back Drop. Naya is glad to win this match because MAO is an unpredictable opponent. His next opponent is Chris Brookes, a wrestler who specialises in Cradles and Roll Ups. Naya knows he needs to have a proper countermeasure ready to go against that. MAO figured that Naya studied him hard before today’s match and gives him credit for being so prepared. He got to see the Real Japan of Yukio Naya.
The B Block is currently led by Yuji Hino after today’s win over KANON. Although the two wrestlers come from different promotions, they are both connected by the having the same teacher TAKA Michinoku (Hino was K-DOJO and KANON was JTO). KANON got to lock in the Cobra Twist and apply it deep enough to take Hino down to the canvas. Hino couldn’t power out of the move so had to use the rope break to free himself. Hino then unexpectedly put KANON in a Dragon Sleeper and squeezed it tight enough to get his opponent to submit. Hino told his “brother-in-law” after the match that he can never beat him this way, but his Cobra Twist is still pretty good so they should have another match.
Blindfolds and bras were the name of the game for one of the non-tournament bouts. There was a match where everyone wore bras and were blindfolded. The goal was to win either by normal means or by stripping off their one of their opponents’ bras. There were a lot of missed attacks and accidental moves hitting the wrong people. Kazuki Hirata still somehow found a way to put on his Hirata GO! glasses and dance. HARASHIMA got his hands on Antonio Honda’s bra but was thrown down to the mat. Shunma Katsumata heard the slam and climbed the ropes. He went for the Totonou Splash but overshot HARASHIMA and missed. The two were able to detect each other and kept fighting until HARASHIMA’s bra was pulled off, giving Katsumata’s team the win.
DDT “D-OU GRAND PRIX 2022 OPENING ROUND”, 01/11/2022 Tokyo Korakuen Hall 411 Fans
0. Dark Match: Yuki “Sexy” Iino, Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno & Koju “Shining Ball” Takeda (w/ Yumehito “Fantastic” Imanari) Vs Toru Owashi, Makoto Oishi & Kazuki Hirata (w/ Akito) ended in a No Contest (7:49).
1. Yusuke Okada, Hideki Okatani & Yuki Ishida defeated Shunma Katsumata, Toi Kojima & Kazuma Sumi when Ishida pinned Sumi with a Spinebuster (9:03).
2. Joey Janela & Yukio Sakaguchi Vs Daisuke Sasaki & MJ Paul ended in a No Contest (7:39).
3. D-Ou Grand Prix 2022 – A Block: RSP (2) defeated Naomi Yoshimura (0) with the GTF (8:14).
4. D-Ou Grand Prix 2022 – B Block: MAO (2) defeated Chris Brookes (0) by Countout (11:53).
5. Jun Akiyama Produce Match: Jun Akiyama & HARASHIMA defeated Yuya Koroku & Takeshi Masada when Akiyama pinned Masada with the Exploder Suplex (11:38).
6. D-Ou Grand Prix 2022 – B Block: Yuji Hino (2) defeated Yukio Naya (0) with the World’s Best German Suplex (13:04).
7. D-Ou Grand Prix 2022 – B Block: Kazusada Higuchi (2) defeated KANON (0) with the Brain Claw Slam (18:33).
8. D-Ou Grand Prix 2022 – A Block: Tetsuya Endo (2) defeated Yuki Ueno (0) with the Burning Star Press (15:41).
A minor ankle injury did over the last week does not seem to be much of a bother for Tetsuya Endo. His start to the D-Ou Grand Prix could not have gone any better. A big win over Yuki Ueno in today’s main event sent the message loud and clear. Endo is determined to win the Grand Prix and after that every DDT singles championship will be in his sights, even the DDT Universal Title held by Ueno! Endo’s next match in his block is another difficult one. He and Daisuke Sasaki have so much history together. Endo is feeling pain in his left ankle and admits he is not at his best, but he will be fine whenever he gets into the ring.
Maybe it’s not a good idea to spend so much time taunting Kazusada Higuchi. Sure, KANON got away with it once or twice heading into today’s match but here is where it all came back to bite him. KANON did show a good fight by getting a nearfall with the Sleepy Hollow. He also grounded Higuchi into the Cobra Twist but getting grabbed with a Brain Claw turned things around. Higuchi smashed him with a few Lariats and pinned him with the Brain Claw Slam. After the match Higuchi brought up KANON’s claim that he would be laughing over his corpse today. That didn’t happen and even if KANON could beat him, he would never die. Instead Higuchi is aiming for the top by winning the DDT Grand Slam! He already won King Of DDT and holds the KO-D Openweight Title. Now he just needs to win the D-Ou Grand Prix.
Friends and tag team partners Yuji Hino and Yukio Naya had to face each other in their opening block match. Naya is putting a lot of effort into convincing everyone he has taken a step up and is ready to win the tournament. He came out to new music and new ring gear to cap off a new version of himself. Unfortunately for Naya, Hino is still one of the strongest wrestlers around. There was the surprise of Naya kicking out of the Fuckin’ BOMB but he was done for once Hino hit the World’s Best German Suplex. Hino was happy to see how much his friend has grown and admitted the German Suplex was a last minute move he needed to win. Naya is not letting the loss get to him because he knows he can still reach the final if he wins his remaining matches.
In non-tournament action, the veteran team of Jun Akiyama & HARASHIMA welcomed the challenge of Yuya Koroku & Takeshi Masada in a battle between the generations. The youngsters gave Akiyama a Double Brainbuster and Masada followed it up with a Triangle Kick for a nearfall. Akiyama cut him off with Running Knee Strikes then shrugged off Masada’s Elbow Strikes to hit some more Knee Strikes. The Exploder Suplex then put an end to the match. Akiyama praised Masada for showing guts and wonders if he will be in the D-Ou GP next year if he continues showing progress. Koroku however might be getting pushed around to easily if Akiyama is being honest.
Back to the Grand Prix where MAO attempted to avenge last year’s tournament loss to Chris Brookes. Last time MAO was counted out in embarrassing fashion and it has haunted him ever since. Both were fighting for the countout win, oddly enough. It led to them fighting up in the balcony before racing back to avoid the 20 count. MAO got ahead and leapt over the barrier, landing on one end of a wooden plank leaning over it. It caused a see-saw effect where the other end hit Brookes right between the legs! MAO made it back to the ring in time to win by countout. He said what we just saw is his ability to win by imperfect means. He only had to put in a 65% performance and he was able to win this way. MAO faces Naya next and he thinks he will have to go 100% just to match Naya’s improved performances.
The debuting RSP put a dampener on Naomi Yoshimura’s start to the tournament. Yoshimura is Kenta Kobashi’s pick to win the tournament but couldn’t find anything to put his American opponent away. Instead RSP got the win with his GTF finisher. RSP explained afterwards that even though Yoshimura’s attacks hurt, he is used to pain and could withstand all of it. Yoshimura is frustrated to lose yet can’t help but love fighting against big and powerful foreign wrestlers.
Some of the undercard matches went out of control a little bit. Joey Janela and Daisuke Sasaki are upcoming opponents so were put in a preview tag team match. Sasaki had good ol’ reliable MJ Paul with him while Janela found himself in an odd couple with Yukio Sakaguchi. Things went off the rails from the get go when Sasaki and Janela fought outside the ring. Chairs were brought into the brawl and Janela accidentally hit Sakaguchi with one. Sakaguchi stormed off in anger, leaving Janela by himself to fight off Sasaki & MJ Paul. Janela was able to give Sasaki a Low Blow and a chair shot before the match was called off by the referee. Janela said Sasaki crossed a line and swore revenge. He later asked interviewers why isn’t Jun Akiyama in the tournament? Janela has fought many old wrestlers from the ages of 50 to 75 so he wants to add Akiyama to the list!
A mixture of DDT talent among the different stables were put together for the opener. Yusuke Okada from BURING, Hideki Okatani from Eruption & Yuki Ishida from Harimao defeated Shunma Katsumata & Toi Kojima from The 37KAMIINA along with the unaffiliated rookie Kazuma Sumi. Ishida pulled out a Sitout Spinebuster on Sumi to get the win.
So much for the Pheromones Subjugation Squad. Akito’s first day in charge of keeping Danshoku Dieno and his buddies under control ended in complete failure. Or did it? Toru Owashi, Makoto Oishi & Kazuki Hirata were rendered powerless to stop them until Akito revealed he had a secret plan. It was Akito stripping himself down to his underwear for some reason. Hisaya Imabayashi called off the match and told Akito there was no point taking his clothes off because there was already too much stripping going on. However that meant Pheromones didn’t win the match so in Akito’s mind his plan kind of worked!
Kenta Kobashi led the D-Ou opening ceremony where all of the entrants were introduced to the fans. He said he was looking forward to seeing exciting fights that would be worthy of the tournament and asked the fans to show their passionate support for the wrestlers.
The day began with Sanshiro Takagi promising to announce an important piece of news about DDT. First, footage was shown of Yuki Iino spending his one day as CyberFight President as promised. After that, Takagi came out and announced DDT has begun a business partnership with Sun Music to open up more entertainment opportunities for their wrestlers. Takagi then introduced everyone to Hiroyuki Oka, the vice president of Sun Music. The goal is to give DDT wrestlers more exposure in the entertainment industry while also bringing in comedians, singers and other talent who are interested in pro wrestling. Oka got in the spirit of things by complimenting the wrestlers in the dark match for all having beautiful butts… It was a Pheromones match, what did you expect?
DDT “GOD BLESS DDT 2022”, 23/10/2022 Tokyo Korakuen Hall 701 Fans – Super No Vacancy Full House
0. Dark Match – Pheromones Vs Takagi-gun Complete Showdown FINAL ~ Dissolution Contra 1 Day President! 2 Vs 5 Handicap Match: Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno (w/ Yumehito “Fantastic” Imanari) defeated Sanshiro Takagi, Toru Owashi, Makoto Oishi, Antonio Honda & Akito when Dieno pinned Takagi after a Chairshot from Hisaya Imabayashi (7:39). *Yuki “Sexy” Iino gets to be CyberFight President for 1 day.
1. Kazuma Sumi Debut Match: Kazuki Hirata defeated Kazuma Sumi with a Crab Hold (8:48).
2. Daisuke Sasaki, Minoru Fujita, MJ Paul & KANON defeated Shunma Katsumata, Toi Kojima, Saki Akai & Hideki Okatani when KANON pinned Kojima with the Sleepy Hollow (12:08).
3. Special Tag Match: Soma Takao & Hikaru Machida defeated HARASHIMA & Takeshi Masada when Machida pinned Masada with the Iai Punch (10:56).
4. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Jun Akiyama, Yusuke Okada & Yuya Koroku defeated Osamu Nishimura, Shinichiro Kawamatsu & Yuki Ishida when Koroku submitted Ishida with the Triangle Lancer (10:39).
5. Road To D-Ou GP Special 6-Man Tag Match: Naomi Yoshimura, Yuji Hino & Chris Brookes defeated Tetsuya Endo, MAO & Yukio Naya when Brookes pinned Naya with a Roll Up (15:22).
6. DDT Universal Title: Yuki Ueno (c) defeated Koju “Shining Ball” Takeda with the WR (15:24). *V2 for Yuki Ueno.
7. KO-D Openweight Title: Kazusada Higuchi (c) defeated Yukio Sakaguchi with the Brain Claw Slam (16:12). *V4 for Kazusada Higuchi.
A fourth successful KO-D Openweight Title defence is in the books for Kazusada Higuchi and it was his most emotional one yet. Yukio Sakaguchi spent the build up to the match pulling the “big brother” card and reminding everyone that he is Higuchi’s senpai. It was all mind games to see if Higuchi has really moved on from Eruption or not. It added more danger to Sakaguchi’s kicks and choke holds. The attacks left Higuchi bleeding from the bridge of his nose. But Higuchi hit back with the Brain Claw Slam and several Horizontal Chops. Sakaguchi was spent by the end of it while Higuchi yelled at him to stand back up. Both of them knew the match was finished and a tearful Higuchi gave his “big brother” another Brain Claw Slam to get the win.
The aftermatch saw Sakaguchi praising Higuchi for being merciless and also as strong as ever. He told Naomi Yoshimura & Yuki Ishida that they are part of a good unit in Harimao and they should trust Higuchi as their leader. It also made Sakaguchi tell Saki Akai & Hideki Okatani that Eruption need to fire up even stronger from now on because they cannot lose. Higuchi thanked Sakaguchi & Akai for what they taught him in Eruption. He then gave Okatani a gift. It is Higuchi’s entrance gown he wore when he was part of Eruption. When they left, Higuchi said the D-Ou Grand Prix is a physically and mentally tough challenge but he is going to face it and break through. The next KO-D Title defence won’t be until 29th December.
Old allies from the DNA days turned into fresh rivals for the DDT Universal Title. The champion Yuki Ueno not only had to worry about fighting Koju Takeda but the rest of Pheromones too. However The 37KAMIINA were there to support Ueno and get Pheromones out of the way, although it took some dives from Takeda and Ueno to help clear out the interference. When it went back into a 1 on 1 match, Ueno pinned Takeda with the WR to defend the title. He told Takeda afterwards he is glad their match has gone from Kitasenju Theatre 1010 to Korakuen Hall. Ueno doesn’t want to face anyone from Pheromones again but he can’t help but feel jealous at them. Now he will move on to the D-Ou Grand Prix where he hopes to do one better than last year and win the tournament.
A lot of the D-Ou field used today’s matches to get ready and call their shots for the tournament next month. Chris Brookes declared after the trios match he was going to win the D-Ou GP. Yoshimura then cut off the music to say he would win it instead. Yuji Hino called the two of them idiots because he will win. Then Tetsuya Endo questioned all of their opinions and decided he was going to be the winner. MAO kept cutting in during this so everyone just heard the two of them talk over each other. Yukio Naya had enough and shoved them over to say he will win. They played his music to end the segment, which annoyed Brookes because Brookes beat Naya to win the match.
The wrestling politicians team came back. Osamu Nishimura & Shinichiro Kawamatsu teamed with Ishida to take on three members of BURNING. Kawamatsu was thrown right in there with Jun Akiyama which has to be both an exciting and terrifying experience for a long time wrestling fan. Maybe the same can be said for Yusuke Okada getting to fight Nishimura. But it was the two youngest wrestlers of the match who determined which side won. Yuya Koroku timed Ishida’s momentum well and drew him into a Triangle Lancer to get the submission victory. Okada criticized Kawamatsu’s performance in the post-match interview backstage. He said the politician should put more energy into his performance. Elsewhere Kawamatsu said he fell into the same trap as his last match. Whenever he gets into the ring, his mind goes blank and his body stiffens up. If he gets another chance to do a match he promises to devote himself into showing everyone a more solid performance.
A brand new challenge was presented to Takeshi Masada. How would he fare taking on a kickboxer like Hikaru Machida? The match also presented a big challenge for Machida because HARASHIMA was Masada’s tag partner. Masada held his own against both Machida & Soma Takao until Machida started getting the combos in. They took their toll on the rookie and he was done for once the Iai Punch found its target. HARASHIMA would like to team with Masada again but they need a better tag name. The suggestions they got were Pantaloon Tag and Harashimasada but HARASHIMA thinks both of them sound too dorky.
The two members of DAMNATION T.A entering the D-Ou GP are also looking in good shape going into it. Daisuke Sasaki & KANON were victorious along with Minoru Fujita & MJ Paul against a combined foursome of Eruption and The 37KAMIINA members. Sasaki and Shunma Katsumata had a close exchange but KANON got the win by pinning Toi Kojima. After the match Sasaki said he hates the D-Ou GP but will make sure he still wins it. He will see KANON in the final. KANON replied that the D-Ou GP will be covered in DAMNATION T.A’s colours. However things looked to get tense between the two so Fujita and Paul stepped in to keep things cool between everyone.
The debut of Kazuma Sumi gave Kazuki Hirata the opportunity to wrestle a mostly serious match without his wacky antics getting in the way. Sumi made it clear he is going to be a fast moving high flyer. Hirata stopped mid-match and asked Sumi what his goal is going to be. Sumi said he wants to win the match. Hirata asked for the answer to be bigger and louder. Sumi shouted he is going to be at the top of DDT! Hirata wanted an even bigger and louder answer. Sumi shouted he will become the KO-D Champion! Hirata shook his hand and then kicked him to continue the match. He got the rookie to submit to the Crab Hold, as is tradition in pro wrestling. Kojima said Sumi has a good mindset but there are a lot of young wrestlers now in DDT that Sumi has to compete with. Sumi said a week ago he fell into a slump and couldn’t sleep but his debut match was fun and he has Hirata to thank for that.
Perhaps the match with the greatest consequence today took place on the pre-show. The dark match featured Sanshiro Takagi leading a team of wrestlers against Pheromones in a 5 Vs 2 battle. It was kind of 5 Vs 3 because Yumehito Imanari was there at ringside to help his mates out. Still, Yuki Iino & Danshoku Dieno still had to fight Takagi, Toru Owashi, Makoto Oishi, Antonio Honda & Akito all at once. Takagi had Dieno beat with the Himawari Bomb and called Hisaya Imabayashi into the ring. He gave the DDT GM a chair and told him to finish Dieno off once and for all. Imabayashi hesitated until he finally swung the chair… at Takagi! Dieno jumped on top of Takagi to get the three count, meaning Yuki Iino now gets to be President of CyberFight for a day!
Imabayashi explained his actions after the match. He was not betraying Takagi to join Pheromones. Instead he was taking a stand towards Takagi for his abuse of power. A 5 Vs 2 Handicap match was unfair from the beginning. Takagi has too much on his plate as CyberFight president to keep worrying about Pheromones. DDT has a very important project coming up next year that Takagi needs to put his full attention on. Imabayashi won’t be able to feel at peace when he leaves DDT if Takagi doesn’t move on. Takagi understands and announced he his “graduating” from his feud with Pheromones. However he appointed Akito to take his place and keep the feud going. Akito complained that he always fights Pheromones anyway but he accepts the decision.
Midway through the show Saori Anou & Riko Kawahata were brought into the ring to be announced as the opponents for Reiwa AA Cannon on 29th December. Anou was carrying the ICEx∞ Title from Ice Ribbon with her. She said she will prove she is more attractive and strong than either Saki Akai or Yuki Arai. Kawahata said she lost to Akai the last time she was in DDT so she wants to mess up the faces of both Akai & Arai on 29th December. Later Akai said she had singles matches against Anou and Kawahata before. She wonders if anything has changed with Kawahata since their previous match. She also thinks it will be great experience for Arai to fight wrestlers from other promotions and see what they all have to offer.
The big project for next year seems to be DDT’s return to America! First, Takagi announced “DDT GOES HOLLYWOOD” will take place on 30th March, 2023 at the Ukrainian Cultural Center in Los Angeles! The show will be part of The Collective, a series of events spearheaded by GCW held during WrestleMania week. If that wasn’t enough, Joey Janela sent in a video announcing “GCW VS DDT” will take place in the same venue on 31st March! It will be the first time in 4 years DDT will be holding shows in America. Takagi said he’s been wanting to do it every year since the New York show in 2019 but the pandemic kept putting them back at square one. The Yen is weak against the Dollar right now so Takagi is aiming to make a lot of money while DDT is in the USA.
Soma Takao is now the store manager of the Dropkick Bar. So if you ever want to drink with Takao, he’ll be waiting for you at the Dropkick Bar!
Posted by JamieOD 
Dramatic DDT 