MUSCLE “HIRAGANA MUSCLE 3 II ~FINISH DAI RANPATSU~”, 09/11/2020 Tokyo Korakuen Hall ??? Fans – Withheld
1. DDT Vs Uki-Inter Full Scale Grappling War ~ 2.9 (Dimension) Int Rules: Itoki Oyoshi (Choun-Shiryu), Shota Okamura (Shota), Herman Miller Mao (MAO), Kazusada Kokuyo (Kazusada Higuchu) & Eames Watase (Mizuki Watase) defeated Marume Komimatsu (Kazuki Hirata), Takaku Karahiko (Yuki Ueno), Totaro Omoiki (Konosuke Takeshita), Knee Cross Kinya (Akito) & Baseball Bat Swing (Shunma Katsumata).
1a. Marume Komimatsu Vs Itoki Oyoshi ended in a Time Limit Draw (4:00).
1b. Takaku Karahiko defeated Shota Okamura with a Choke Sleeper (2:12).
1c. Herman Miller Mao defeated Takaku Karahiko with a Scissors Hold (0:44).
1d. Totaro Omoiki Vs Herman Miller Mao ended in a Time Limit Draw (3:00).
1e. Kazusada Kokuyo defeated Knee Cross Kinya with a Choke Sleeper (0:44).
1f. Kazusada Kokuyo defeated Baseball Bat Swing with a Straight Armbar (1:43).
2. Bonus Track: DJ Nira defeated Danshoku Dieno with Yamata no Orochi (12:26).
Remember that dress rehearsal from September? Well plans change. That entire show went so well that it cannot possibly be repeated with the same results. So Muscle Sakai had to come up with something else for today’s performance. The goal of Muscle is to merge together the worlds of reality, mange and pro wrestling. For example, manga panels of Sakai coming up with a new script was shown on the screen. Then The Finisher Boys appeared in the ring all representing different elements of Boys Love manga. Konosuke Takeshita represented hugging from behind, Yuki Ueno represented kissing, Akito represented choke play, Shunma Katsumata represented head petting and Kazuki Hirata represented the missionary position.
The line between reality and manga was blurred even further when The Steel Chair Boys (Kazusada Higuchi, Mizuki Watase, Choun-Shiryu, Shota & new member MAO) showed up for their own dance number. The only way to decide what is reality was for the two sides to use the Go To Reincarnation Campaign!
The Finisher Boys (minus Hirata) went to a DDT (Domestic Dotacan Team) tryout with Poison Hayashi, Jaya Tokubayashi (Hisaya Imabayashi), Super Systema Power (South River Minamikawa) and Camera☆Imanari (Yumehito Imanari) all observing their performances. After an exhibition match, the big president Shichihashiro Nayagi (Yukio Naya) walked in with Vice President Yuki (Yuki The Rock) by his side. Only two trainees would be hired but all four were so good that Nayagi decided to hire them all.
The next scene took place in a bar. We find out that Nobuhiko Sunada (Danshoku Dieno) and Kazuo Nirayamazaki (DJ Nira) were both fired in order to fit The Finisher Boys onto the DDT roster. They complained about the current style of DDT because they have wrestlers who use magic spells and computer programs in their matches. VP Yuki overheard them and agreed with the complaints. He also thinks DDT’s wrestling is strange. Why do the wrestlers bounce off the ropes? Why do they let opponents do moves on them? Why does a pinfall need to be a 3 count to win? He has an idea for a new promotion to beat DDT. It is called Uki Double F International! Or Uki-Inter for short. He already has sponsors, celebrity endorsements and wrestlers from DDT willing to jump ship. With Sunada and Nirayamazaki by his side they can rule pro wrestling! They get into a business alliance with The Folding Chair Boys who need the income because the Coronavirus was cutting into their finances.
Uki-Inter and The Folding Chair Boys launch their attack on DDT, crashing the main event of “NEVER MIND 2020”. The match becomes a 4 Vs 4 inter-promotional war. Uki-Inter gets the upper hand until Tetsuya Endo came down for his one contractual run in per Muscle show. He could have fought off the invaders by himself but he told The Finisher Boys it is their duty as DDT trainees to defend their seniors from the enemy. Endo left and both sides agreed to a way that would settle their confrontation.
The match will now be a 2.9 QUINTET survival contest! Both teams get five fighters and they will have 1 Vs 1 elimination grappling matches until one team is left standing. The matches took place in a ring with no ropes attached with Shinya Aoki on commentary. One by one the matches happened and in the end Uki-Inter won with two fighters left to spare.
The story was over and Muscle Sakai came out to give a closing speech. He explained that it’s been difficult for fans to express themselves at shows during the epidemic because they cannot cheer or boo for safety reasons. So he wanted to dedicate 10 minutes for the audience to tweet about the show and the wrestlers would vanity search them. Meanwhile Danshoku Dieno and DJ Nira would wrestle a match to pass the time. When the match ended and everyone finished retweeting the fans, Sakai announced that “HIRAGANA MUSCLE 4” will take place Spring 2021.
MUSCLE “HIRAGANA MUSCLE 3 ~FINISH RANPATSU~ OPEN TO THE PUBLIC”, 21/09/2020 Tokyo Shinagawa The Grand Hall ??? Fans – Withheld
1. Konosuke Takeshita & Yukio Naya defeated South River Minamikawa & Mizuki Watase when Takeshita submitted Minamikawa with the Walls Of Takeshita (13:13).
2. HARASHIMA defeated Kazuki Hirata with a Middle Kick (11:38).
The last time we were with Muscle it was established that the brand represents 2.5D Pro Wrestling, which is an area that exists in between multimedia and reality. With this knowledge Super Sasadango Machine came up with the idea of making a 2.9D pro wrestling musical in the hopes it will become a successful multimedia juggernaut. Today was the rehearsal for “Finish Ranpatsu”. The completed production is supposed to take place on 9th November. Yuki The Rock & South River Minamikawa introduced everyone to the show then Minamikawa found out he was going to wrestle.
Minamikawa teamed up with Mizuki Watase to take on Konosuke Takeshita & Yukio Naya. He tried to teach Watase the Systema breathing technique that blocks out pain. It seemed to work against strikes but Takeshita & Naya switched to submission holds and Systema became useless. Minamikawa had Takeshita on the ropes after hitting him with a Shining Wizard. He tried to do the Gotch-Style Piledriver but Takeshita tripped him down and applied the Walls Of Takeshita. Minamikawa gave up but claimed it was because he’s running late for something else, not because of the pain.
After that match, the wrestlers came out and practiced their performance routines. The plot is about The Finisher Boys (Konosuke Takeshita, Yuki Ueno, Akito, Shunma Katsumata & Kazuki Hirata) and The Steel Chair Boys (Kazusada Higuchi, Naomi Yoshimura, Mizuki Watase, Choun-Shiryu & Shota). Some of it was dance, some of it was acting and some of it was wrestling. But tragedy struck when Sasadango was attacked by The Folding Chair Boys and they left him for dead. The show went into intermission with Hirata promising to become the next Super Sasadango Machine in the real world.
After the break, Sasadango came out with a halo above his head. He was here to tell a story about his history with DDT. Kazuki Hirata played the part of Muscle Sakai, Watase was given the role of WATASHIMA and Naya showed up as Big Boss. According to Sasadango, he joined DDT’s video team to learn how to be a movie director. He doesn’t remember much about the roster back then other than the main event babyface WATASHIMA was a jerk.
In the ring was the moment when Sakai became a pro wrestler. Sakai was filming the others practicing when they told him to take a bump. He did one and everybody was impressed. Sakai and WATASHIMA then had a sparring session. Sakai was given a Low Blow but he recovered and pinned WATASHIMA with a School Boy. Thus began Sakai’s pro wrestling career.
Fast forward to several years later. Sakai is busy both wrestling and running projects behind the scenes. WATASHIMA came to visit and offered him to smoke something out of a bong to stay relaxed. A reluctant Sakai agreed but regretted the decision when WATASHIMA challenged him to another sparring session. Suddenly The Folding Chair Boys arrived for an elaborate dance number and then helped WATASHIMA injure Sakai’s knee with a domino chair spot. The injury took its toll over time and Sakai had to retire.
It is now five years later. Sakai was now running his family’s business and he hired all of the shitty wrestlers DDT fired, like DJ Nira. But still Sakai deep down wanted to wrestle again. Nira offered him something mysterious to heal his knee injury. It is bamboo leaves, the kind they use to wrap around sasadango treats. If Sakai wears wrestling gear made out of bamboo leaves then he will be able to wrestle again without feeling pain. The Finish Boys then appeared and gave Sakai the Super Sasadango Machine costume. They then encouraged him to confront WATASHIMA and win the championship from him!
The scene is now the KO-D Openweight Title match between WATASHIMA and Super Sasadango Machine. Their match also featured The Finish Boys and The Folding Chair Boys fighting each other in a battle invisible to everyone else around them. Things then took another turn when Tetsuya Endo showed up and hit the Shooting Star Press on WATASHIMA. The ex-DDT wrestlers got their revenge on Big Boss and Sasadango created the Vertical Drop Lehmann Shock to win the championship!
Suddenly the performance was interrupted by Yuki The Rock. He questioned if this play was based on a true story because Sasadango never won the KO-D Title in real life. Hirata had gone too deep into his role at this point and thought he really was Sasadango and he really did win the title. This problem needed to be solved so Yuki brought out HARASHIMA! He snapped Hirata back to his normal self and explained that he was always average. He never stood out as the best of anything. For a long time he was content with just being that but seeing the other wrestlers get invested into Muscle made him jealous. Also he struggled to handle the cancellation of his 10th Anniversary show due to the pandemic. He jumped at the opportunity to take the lead role of today’s show but got too attached to it. He is satisfied with his performance today and now has the courage to challenge HARASHIMA to a match right there, right now!
HARASHIMA happily accepted the challenge and they had a proper match. Hirata fought his best and had encouragement from the wrestlers around him. But HARASHIMA put him down with a Middle Kick to win.
Still, HARASHIMA was impressed by Hirata’s performance. All of the wrestlers were, even the bad guys. Hirata got to show his real emotions in the ring today and that is a better tale than any true story.
DDT “BEER GARDEN-LIKE PRO WRESTLING 2020 DAY 2”, 31/07/2020 Shinjuku FACE 175 Fans – Super No Vacancy
1. Soma Takao defeated Hideki Okatani with the Diving Foot Stomp (5:58).
2. Chris Brookes & Akito Vs Daisuke Sasaki & Mad Paulie ended in a No Contest when Paulie ran away (11:53).
3. Jun Akiyama & Mizuki Watase defeated Kazusada Higuchi & Tomomitsu Matsunaga when Akiyama pinned Matsunaga with the Exploder Suplex (10:39).
4. Danshoku Dieno Produce Match – Elimination Tornado Pantyhose Generation Fight!: Seigo Tachibana, Yuki Iino, Yukio Naya & Keigo Nakamura defeated Danshoku Dieno, Muscle Sakai, Makoto Oishi & Antonio Honda when Iino pinned Dieno with the Spear (11:38).
5. HARASHIMA Produce Loser Punishment 5 Way Match – Over The Top Rope Losing Rule: HARASHIMA, Toru Owashi, Yuki Ueno and Naomi Yoshimura defeated Kazuki Hirata (11:32).
5a. Yuki Ueno defeated HARASHIMA by Ring Out (7:06).
5b. Toru Owashi & Naomi Yoshimura defeated Kazuki Hirata hy Ring Out (9:15).
5c. HARASHIMA defeated Kazuki Hirata with a Crab Hold (11:32). *Kazuki Hirata is deported from Japan.
6. Tetsuya Endo Produce Hardcore Tag Match – DAMNATION Vs ALL OUT!: Konosuke Takeshita & Shunma Katsumata defeated Tetsuya Endo & Nobuhiro Shimatani when Katsumata pinned Shimatani with a Samson Clutch (19:00).
Day 2 of the Beer Garden-Like shows was a bit more comic book like in the main event. Tetsuya Endo put together a Hardcore Match expecting Shunma Katsumata would turn up in his Super Hardcore form. Endo’s counter to that was giving Nobuhiro Shimatani his own Super Hardcore look! Even Konosuke Takeshita was blown away by how big Shimatani had become. However Katsumata appeared in his regular gear and wrestled his normal style. Midway through the match Endo got on the microphone and dared Super Hardcore Katsumata to get involved. Katsumata finally agreed when the fans applauded the idea so he ran out of the arena. Takeshita was left alone to fight two against one until Super Hardcore Katsumata arrived. The wrestlers slammed each other onto chairs and through tables. Lego filled the ring too making the match even more dangerous. A blown Super Kick from Katsumata to Takeshita allowed Endo to hit both of them with the Overhead Kick. Shimatani gave Katsumata the Fisherman Suplex for a nearfall. Katsumata snuck in a Samson Clutch to squeeze in the win. Endo apologized to Shimatani after the match and praised his Super Hardcore form. If he keeps at it he will become the No. 1 Hardcore wrestler before Katsumura does!
DISASTER BOX pitted themselves against each other in a Punishment 5 Way Match. The rules were every winner leaves the match until one wrestler is left, then that loser would be punished. Over the top rope eliminations were included so Kazuki Hirata jumped over by himself thinking he would be done with the match. Self eliminations didn’t count so he had to get back in the ring. Tension built up and even the closest of friends wouldn’t trust each other. Yuki Ueno thought Naomi Yoshimura would backstab him so Nautilus began fighting each other. Hirata tried to help HARASHIMA throw other opponents out of the ring but that backfired and Ueno threw out HARASHIMA to safely leave the match. Hirata tried to lure Toru Owashi and Yoshimura over the top rope but they used the rope to slingshot Hirata to the floor. The referee decided both Owashi and Yoshimura eliminated him so they were both safe. That left HARASHIMA and Hirata as the final two. Hirata did his best but HARASHIMA came out with the win. Hirata’s punishment is he must be banished from Japan! DDT then announced that newcomer “brother” KAZUKI will take Hirata’s place on tomorrow’s show. Hirata complained but was carried out of the ring by a group of wrestlers with pantyhose over their heads.
All of those wrestlers were from the match before where they all had to wear pantyhose while they fought. There is a new generation of wrestlers trying this match for the first time so Makoto Oishi taught them how to wear it. Danshoku Dieno also explained to them that it is ridiculous but if you do something ridiculous with all of your might then you will get funny faces out of it. Muscle Sakai was added to the match because Super Sasadango Machine left his costume behind at the hotel he is staying at. Akito came out and refused to allow the pantyhose match to go ahead. That joke is for kids and is not needed for the new DDT where he is the Vice President. Yukinori Matsui wanted to watch the match and convinced Akito to let it go on because the pantyhose joke represents everything about DDT. Akito agreed but only if everyone wrestled the match seriously. Everyone couldn’t help but laugh at the unintentional funny faces beneath the pantyhose. Akito kept complaining but it kept happening so he pulled Daisuke Kiso out of the ring. Matsui ran in to replace him but did so wearing pantyhose over his head. Hisaya Imabayashi tried to block him but Matsui gave him an Atomic Drop and allowed the match to finish. Akito learned his lesson after seeing that Matsui still did his job seriously underneath the pantyhose. He apologized to the wrestlers and promised the pantyhose match will be brought back.
Jun Akiyama is getting to know more of the DDT roster. This time Kazusada Higuchi and Tomomitsu Matsunaga wanted to test their skills against him. Akiyama and Higuchi got into a Chop battle. Matsunaga put Akiyama in a Scorion Deathlock until Mizuki Watase broke it up. Akiyama slowed down Matsunaga’s momentum with Knee Strikes and finished him off with the Exploder. Watase noted that he is Higuchi’s opponent in the King Of DDT 1st Round.
Daisuke Sasaki hadn’t stopped drinking from the day before. He carried out a load of cans and wanted to drink while he wrestled. Akito told him to stop because he didn’t want to already have a scandal on his hands after becoming Vice President. Sasaki promised to drink responsibly with Chris Brookes. He also promised not to give Mad Paulie beer because he is only 4 years old. Think of the match as a Captain’s Drink Tag Match! Akito agreed but soon regretted it. Sasaki and Brookes got too drunk to wrestle properly. Brookes then forced Paulie to drink a beer. Paulie said it was tasty and continued to drink until Sasaki knocked the beer out of his hands. Paulie cried and attacked Sasaki, then attacked Akito & Brookes, then attacked Matsui causing the match to get thrown out. A drunk Paulie flattened Sasaki with a Body Attack and pinned his tag partner thinking the match was still going on.
Hideki Okatani eagerly attacked Soma Takao before the bell rang. He did a Running Neckbreaker and a Running Bulldog but his Northern Lights Suplex was blocked. From there, Takao took over until Okatani hit the Northern Lights for a nearfall. Takao struck him with the Running Elbow Butt and got the three count with the Diving Foot Stomp.
DDT “BEER GARDEN-LIKE PRO WRESTLING 2020 DAY 1”, 30/07/2020 Shinjuku FACE 192 Fans – Super No Vacancy
1. Chinko KISS Touch Rule: Daisuke Sasaki, Tetsuya Endo & Yuki Iino defeated Makoto Oishi, Mizuki Watase & Yukio Naya when Endo pinned Watase with the Puma Toke de Espaldas (10:54).
2. HARASHIMA & Chris Brookes defeated Soma Takao & Mad Paulie when Brookes pinned Paulie with a School Boy (10:59).
3. Super Sasadango Machine Produce Match – Hell In A Blue Sheet Timed Blast! Kaidan Shin Numabukuro Death Match: Muscle Sakai, Danshoku Dieno & Antonio Honda Vs Akito, Yumehito Imanari & Shota ended when Honda used the Golden Tailed Kitsune on Hisanoyuki Imabayashi (16:51).
4. Jun Akiyama & Hideki Okatani defeated Naomi Yoshimura & Keigo Nakamura when Okatani pinned Nakamura with the Double Arm Suplex (10:38).
5. Saki Akai Produce Match – NEO Biishiki-gun New Member Open Audition: Sakisama, Yukio Saint Laurent & Jiroko “Kawaii” Kuroshio defeated Kazuko Hirata, Margaret☆Owashi, Francoise☆Ihashi, Generic Martha & Kazuko Higuchi when Laurent submitted Hirata with the YSL (7:17).
6. Konosuke Takeshita Produce Match – DDT Sauna Club Vs DDT Legend Army!: Sanshiro Takagi, MIKAMI & Tanomusaku Toba defeated Konosuke Takeshita, Shunma Katsumata & Yuki Ueno when Toba pinned Ueno with the Backhand Blow (16:32).
DDT was met with a blast from the past at the end of Beer Garden-Like Day 1. Sanshiro Takagi reunited with former alumni MIKAMI & Tanomusaku Toba to defeat the DDT Sauna Club. Takagi called for the match to go Lucha style but his attempt at a Flying Cross Chop failed against Yuki Ueno. He was still eager to fight the younger wrestlers, particularly egging on Konosuke Takeshita to hit him harder. Meanwhile The Suicide Boyz turned back the clock and were too much for the Sauna Club to handle. MIKAMI hit his Swanton Bomb on Ueno then wiped out Takeshita & Shunma Katsumata with a Tornillo dive. Toba then took the stage and pinned Ueno with the Backhand Blow.
After the match MIKAMI said he doesn’t know how long it’s been since the DDT Legend Army fought together. Takagi muttered that he and Toba don’t even follow him on Twitter. MIKAMI was aware Ueno holds a title but he didn’t know which. When he was told it’s the KO-D Tag Team Titles. This led to The Suicide Boyz challenging Nautilus to a title match. They agreed to have the match on 15th August. When they left, the Sauna Club regrouped. Takeshita was disappointed to lose his own Produce Match. He underestimated Toba’s Punch, Takagi’s Stunner and MIKAMI’s School Boy. Not even MAO standing around at ringside with lignum vitae leaves helped them. He cheered up when he realised it is only the first day of these Beer Garden replacement shows. “The hotter the sauna, the better. The hotter the match, the better. 1, 2, Sauna!”
The NEO Biishiki-gun unit was looking for new members so Sakisama held an audition. How did she get from Paris to Tokyo under the current global situation? I dunno, the Channel Tunnel? Anyway, one by one the contestants were judged by Sakisama & Yukio Saint Laurent. First was Generic Martha. She kind of looked like Martha but she wasn’t Martha, so pass. Next was the duo of Margaret☆Owashi and Francoise☆Ihashi. They danced to “Lonely Magical Fish” by Wink. It only left Sakisama & Laurent confused. Pirako was next and she got a nod from Laurent. Last was Kazuko Higuchi who was very shy. Sakisama was left even more confused by the end. There were 50,000 applicants and these were the best five out of all of them? No matter, the 5 Way Match to decide who joins NEO Biishiki-gun would go ahead. That is until Pirako interrupted her. She was actually Kazuko Hirata in disguise! She is here to lead T2HiJoshi and destroy NEO Biishiki-gun! She had one more surprise too. “HELLO” started playing and out came Jiroko “Kawaii” Kuroshio! She took a long time doing her entrance but her beauty grabbed Sakisama’s attention. Would she like to join NEO Biishiki-gun? Sure! The match turned into a 3 Vs 5 Handicap and NEO Biishiki-gun were victorious in the end. Afterwards Kuroshio has a confession to make. She wasn’t here for the audition. She was here to find her separated sister, Kazuki Higuchi! The two hugged while Laurent snuck up behind Higuchi and knocked her out with a syringe.
Jun Akiyama got to tussle with Naomi Yoshimura in their tag match. He approves of how energetic Yoshimura is. Hideki Okatani got the pin on Keigo Nakamura but that didn’t stop Nakamura from getting face to face with Akiyama after the match. Backstage Nakamura said he is losing momentum because he is Okatani’s senior but is losing to him more and more.
The most dangerous match in pro wrestling was used in DDT for the first time. Hell In A Blue Sheet! It’s so dangerous that nobody can see what happens under that blue sheet. A rule was added where if the match lasted five minutes then the sheet would be lifted and storyteller Hisanoyuki Imabayashi would tell his annual ghost story. Akito was proudly introduced as a CyberFight Vice President. He exchanged business cards with Muscle Sakai during the match. Shota brought in a microphone to call what was happening under the sheet. Whatever happened under there brought all the wrestlers to tears. The match reached the time limit and Imabayashi began his story. He pointed at every wrestler one by one, making them faint out of fright. Antonio Honda stopped him to point out he was making the Gongitsune hand sign. He figured out it is the Golden Tailed Kitsune! Honda convinced the spirit to use him as his new host and he used his new power to defeat Imabayashi! And that was how Antonio Honda learned the Gongitsune.
DAMNATION keep getting new signboards and they keep getting broken over heads. Soma Takao aimed for Chris Brookes but he ducked and Mad Paulie got hit instead. Brookes rolled over Paulie while HARASHIMA threw Takao out.
The Chanko KISS match is where tags only count when one wrestler kisses his tag partner in the crotch. Yukio Naya did not want to do that with Yuki Iino so the 3 Way Tag was turned into a 6-Man Tag with them on opposite sides.
DDT “WRESTLE PETER PAN 2020 DAY 1”, 06/06/2020 DDT TV SHOW Studio
1. Soma Takao & Mad Paulie Vs Keigo Nakamura & Hideki Okatani
2. Keisuke Ishii & HARUKAZE Vs Hiroshi Yamato & Saori Anou
3. Yoshihiro Sakai Presidential CEO Inauguration Match In Niigata!: Super Sasadango Machine Vs Pokotan
4. Singles Match Between Wrestlers Who Want To Participate In DDT Regularly: Nobuhiro Shimatani Vs Seigo Tachibana
5. Jun Akiyama & Mizuki Watase Vs Akito & Yuki Iino
6. DDT UNIVERSAL Title – Hardcore 3 Way Match: Daisuke Sasaki (c) Vs Isami Kodaka Vs Shunma Katsumata
7. DDT Vs Kongoh All Out Battle!: Sanshiro Takagi, Kazusada Higuchi & Tomomitsu Matsunaga Vs Kenoh, Masa Kitamiya & Hao
8. TOKYO 2020 LAST MAN STANDING: Yoshihiko Vs Konosuke Takeshita
Yoshihiro Sakai, aka Muscle Sakai and nobody else, was appointed the President and Representative Director of Sakai Seiki Co., Ltd on 1st June. It is a farm equipment manufacturer and also Sakai’s family business. He originally retired from pro wrestling in 2010 to focus on that job and eventually succeed to the top. A decade later and it finally happened. To celebrate, the Super Sasadango Machine Vs Pokotan match will be dedicated to his achievement. I think it is being filmed in Niigata too since it was originally advertised as a Remote Pro Wrestling match.
GANBARE☆WRESTLING “COMEBACK ANYTIME 2020”, 14/06/2020 Tokyo Itabashi Green Hall
1. Shuhei Washida Trial Singles Match: Washi Sakurai Vs Minoru Fujita
2. Master And Disciple Confrontation! Special Mixed Tag Match: Shuichiro Katsumura & Moeka Haruhi Vs Yumehito Imanari & HARUKAZE
3. Special Single Match: Asuka Vs Shota
4. Ganpro Vs RENEGADES Full Face to Face Battle: Shinichiro Tominaga & Kouki Iwasaki Vs Shigehiro Irie & Mizuki Watase
5. Independent World Jr. Heavyweight Title: Keisuke Ishii (c) Vs Ken Ohka
Ganbare☆Wrestling returns tomorrow for a one off empty arena match. After that they are back with fans and are putting together a big card for them. Ken Ohka aims to become a three time Independent World Jr. Heavyweight Champion by facing the currently unstoppable Keisuke Ishii. The home team of Shinichiro Tominaga & Kouki Iwasaki face the reunited RENEGADES. The newest Ganpro regular Asuka takes on one of the longest serving wrestlers here, Shota.
DDT “INTO THE FIGHT 2008”, 03/02/2008 Tokyo Korakuen Hall 1,194 Fans
Next KO-D Openweight Title Contender Royal Rumble: Michael Nakazawa Vs Sanshiro Takagi Vs Poison Sawada JULIE Vs Muscle Sakai Vs Tomomitsu Matsunaga Vs Yasu Urano Vs Masa Takanashi Vs GENTARO Vs Hoshitango Vs KUDO Vs Danshoku Dieno Vs Yoshiaki Yago
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.
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!
The return of Muscle for a special Sumo Hall show back in February was a big success. Nobody was happier about it than Muscle Sakai. Since then he has gained a desire to bring the brand back for a new generation of DDT wrestlers to get involved with. So Muscle is coming back but as a new entity, different from its previous version. The writing has been changed from katakana (マッスル) to hiragana (まっする) and it has a new tagline of “STRONG VARIETY & INTERESTING WRESTLING”. Sakai wants to create something that combines strength with fun. He thinks it would be nice if there was a place where big and strong wrestlers could get the chance to do stuff that is more interesting and stupid than anywhere else.
There are some things that will stay the same. Sakai will be in charge of scripting the show as before and Amon Tsurumi (Hisaya Imabayashi’s alter ego) will return as the general director. They still intend to hold “MUSCLE HOUSE 11” at Budokan Hall in 2030 so those who received tickets at Sakai’s retirement show in 2010 still have that to look forward to. Sakai hopes that DDT will help them make it to that date. No wrestlers have been booked yet. Sakai believes it will be for the good of the entire company if DDT wrestlers participate in more Muscle-like activities.
DDT “DRAMATIC NIIGATA! 2019 ~SUPER SASADANGO MACHINE LOCAL TRIUMPH~”, 16/11/2019 Niigata Kobari Aoyama Public Hall 208 Fans
1. Mad Paulie defeated Keigo Nakamura with a Running Body Press (4:56).
2. Antonio Honda & Yuki Iino defeated Kazuki Hirata & Yuki Ueno when Iino pinned Hirata with the Haka Elbow (11:46).
3. DISASTER BOX Vs ALL OUT!: Toru Owashi & Naomi Yoshimura defeated Akito & Shunma Katsumata when Owashi pinned Katsumata with La Magistral Cradle (8:16).
4. Daisuke Sasaki, Soma Takao & Tetsuya Endo defeated Masahiro Takanashi, Makoto Oishi & Mizuki Watase when Takao pinned Watase with the Reverse Gory Special Bomb (14:02).
5. DDT Extreme Title – 10 Vs 1 Captain’s Fall Match: HARASHIMA (c) Vs DJ Nira ended but nobody knows who won this match (17:00). *V2 for HARASHIMA for some reason.
6. “Local Celebrity” Super Sasadango Machine Local Triumph! Niigata Specialty Ultra Super Mechanko Special Single Match: Konosuke Takeshita defeated Super Sasadango Machine with the Verdict (21:17).
Today was Super Sasadango Machine’s toughest challenge in a while. He needed to figure out a way to beat Konosuke Takeshita. His PowerPoint presentation showed Sasadango is aware of his lack of stamina as a weakness. His plan was to get the audience to cheer his name at the five minute mark, do a big move to Takeshita on the ring apron and attack him with a weapon outside the ring. If all else fails he can rely on doing the Lehmann Shock three times for a victory as guaranteed as Hiroshi Tanahashi hitting the Sling Blade and the High Fly Flow.
The plan didn’t go quite as intended. The big apron bump was blocked, the bell hammer was taken as a weapon but it was Takeshita who used it on Sasadango. The Lehmann Shock was hit twice and Sasadango unmasked himself as time slowed down. But the third one was slowly countered into a Sling Blade. Takeshita climbed the ropes to do a High Fly Flow but Sasadango’s thoughts about a dead grandpa (I’ll explain that later) motivated him to stop Takeshita and hit the third Lehmann Shock! Shockingly, Takeshita kicked out at two and fought back. He used Muscle Sakai’s old finisher the Verdict to beat Sasadango.
After the match Takeshita told Sakai/Sasadango that he is a million years away from beating him. But he respects him especially since DDT does not have a new generation wrestler to replace the likes of him and Danshoku Dieno. Sasadango said today was the first time he took the Verdict. He never thought anyone other than Brock Lesnar would give it to him. He discovered that the move hurts his nose.
The rules for the 10 Vs 1 Captain’s Fall match were made a little bit clearer before it began. HARASHIMA was on the champion team, which meant he was on his own. DJ Nira was part of the 10 man team with other members of the roster. However the captain of that team was purposely kept secret so the audience could have fun solving the mystery with HARASHIMA. Nira had Masahiro Takanashi, Antonio Honda, Makoto Oishi, Keigo Nakamura and even the referee Yukinori Matsui helping him. However the ring announcer Inoue Mic noticed that Nira’s team did not have 10 people in it. He then admitted that he was the team captain! The team all beat up HARASHIMA until Nira told them to stop. This was supposed to be him challenging for the DDT Extreme Title so he wanted the match to just be between himself and HARASHIMA. The ring emptied. Nira went for the Rocket Punch. HARASHIMA went for the Somato. When they hit the room went dark. An old Hisaya Imabayashi appeared sitting on a chair telling the story of this legendary battle. A voice asked “Hey Grandpa, what happened after that?” Imabayashi did not respond. A narrator told the audience “Grandpa was dead. Nobody knows who won this match.”
DAMNATION won the 6-Man Tag but things were looking shaky within the group. At one point Daisuke Sasaki accidentally Clotheslined Soma Takao. They patched things up but later on Sasaki accidentally hit Soma again with a Spear. They still won but Takao left the ring and took no part in the post-match group pose.
Posted by JamieOD 
Dramatic DDT 