Video – Junretsu New Member Audition 2019 Battle Royal

February 14, 2022

MUSCLE “MUSCLE MANIA 2019 IN RYOGOKU ~ OUR SECOND CAREER”, 16/02/2019
Tokyo Ryogoku Kokugikan
4,115 Fans – No Vacancy

Junretsu New Member Audition 2019 Time Difference Battle Royal: Makoto Oishi Vs Yuki Ueno Vs Akito Vs Gorgeous Matsuno Vs Kazusada Higuchi Vs Kazuyoshi Sakai Vs Ken Ohka Vs Yukio Sakaguchi Vs Saki Akai Vs Konosuke Takeshita Vs Antonio Honda Vs Andreza Giant Panda Vs Choun-Shiryu Vs Tetsu Watanabe


MUSCLE “HIRAGANA MUSCLE 5 ~NO MORE SPECIAL MOVES ANYMORE~ ADDITIONAL PERFORMANCE” Results

September 11, 2021

MUSCLE “HIRAGANA MUSCLE 5 ~NO MORE SPECIAL MOVES ANYMORE~ ADDITIONAL PERFORMANCE DAY TIME”, 10/09/2021
Kitazawa Town Hall
117 Fans – Super No Vacancy

1. Pro Wrestling “Kata” Group Final: United States Of Finish (2) defeated Republic Of Creatord Tobago (2) and Federal Republic Of Isubekistan (0).
1a. Single Match Section: Takaku Karahiko defeated Kazusada Kokuyo and DJ Nira by Audience Judgment.
1b. Tag Team Match Section: Totaro Omoiki & Baseball Bat Swing defeated Itoki Oyoshi & Shota Okamura and Yuki Rock & Minamikawa by Audience Judgment.
1c. 3 Way Match Section: Amon Tsurumi defeated Knee Cross Kinya and Herman Miller Mao by Audience Judgment.
1d. Backstage Comment Section: Hondusty Rhodes defeated Marume Komimatsu and AK Racing Yoshimura, Eames Watase & Human Chair Imanari by Advisor Judgement (Honorary Advisor: Danshoku Dieno).
*Gold: United States Of Finish, Silver: Republic Of Creatord Tobago, Bronze: Federal Republic Of Isubekistan. Honorary Advisor Danshoku Dieno chooses United States Of Finish for the tiebreaker.
2. Remote Pro Wrestling: Tetsu Inada defeated Shota Okamura with the Last Ride (23:10).
*Gold: Tetsu Inada, Silver: Haruo Murata, Bronze: Super Sasadango Machine.

United States Of Finish: Totaro Omoiki (Konosuke Takeshita), Takaku Karahiko (Yuki Ueno), Baseball Bat Swing (Shunma Katsumata), Knee Cross Kinya (Akito) & Marume Komimatsu (Kazuki Hirata)

Federal Republic Of Isubekistan: Kazusada Kokuyo (Kazusada Higuchi), Herman Miller Mao (MAO), AK Racing Yoshimura (Naomi Yoshimura), Itoki Oyoshi (Choun-Shiryu), Shota Okamura (Shota), Eames Watase (Mizuki Watase) & Human Chair Imanari (Yumehito Imanari)

Republic Of Creatord Tobago: Yuki Rock, Minamikawa, Amon Tsurumi, DJ Nira, RAM RIDER & Hondusty Rhodes (Antonio Honda)

The shows were largely the same as the first performance although a few results were different because of audience voting. A few of the jokes were also altered to keep repeat viewers on their toes.

MUSCLE “HIRAGANA MUSCLE 5 ~NO MORE SPECIAL MOVES ANYMORE~ ADDITIONAL PERFORMANCE NIGHT TIME”, 10/09/2021
Kitazawa Town Hall
147 Fans – Super No Vacancy Full House

1. Pro Wrestling “Kata” Group Final: Republic Of Creatord Tobago (2) defeated Federal Republic Of Isubekistan (1) and United States Of Finish (1).
1a. Single Match Section: DJ Nira defeated Takaku Karahiko and Kazusada Kokuyo by Advisor Judgment (Honorary Advisor: Danshoku Dieno).
1b. Tag Team Match Section: Itoki Oyoshi & Shota Okamura defeated Totaro Omoiki & Baseball Bat Swing and Yuki Rock & Minamikawa by Audience Judgment.
1c. 3 Way Match Section: Amon Tsurumi defeated Knee Cross Kinya and Herman Miller Mao by Audience Judgment.
1d. Backstage Comment Section: Marume Komimatsu defeated Hondusty Rhodes and AK Racing Yoshimura, Eames Watase & Human Chair Imanari by Advisor Judgement (Honorary Advisor: Danshoku Dieno).
*Gold: Republic Of Creatord Tobago, Silver: Federal Republic Of Isubekistan, Bronze: United States Of Finish.
2. Remote Pro Wrestling: Tetsu Inada defeated Shota Okamura with the Last Ride (22:06).
*Gold: Tetsu Inada, Silver: Haruo Murata, Bronze: Super Sasadango Machine.

United States Of Finish: Totaro Omoiki (Konosuke Takeshita), Takaku Karahiko (Yuki Ueno), Baseball Bat Swing (Shunma Katsumata), Knee Cross Kinya (Akito) & Marume Komimatsu (Kazuki Hirata)

Federal Republic Of Isubekistan: Kazusada Kokuyo (Kazusada Higuchi), Herman Miller Mao (MAO), AK Racing Yoshimura (Naomi Yoshimura), Itoki Oyoshi (Choun-Shiryu), Shota Okamura (Shota), Eames Watase (Mizuki Watase) & Human Chair Imanari (Yumehito Imanari)

Republic Of Creatord Tobago: Yuki Rock, Minamikawa, Amon Tsurumi, DJ Nira, RAM RIDER & Hondusty Rhodes (Antonio Honda)

Even though he isn’t credited in the results, Yasu Urano was involved in the Single Match Section taking DJ Nira’s place for most of the segment.


MUSCLE “HIRAGANA MUSCLE 5 TOKYO PERFORMANCE” Results

September 1, 2021

MUSCLE “HIRAGANA MUSCLE 5 TOKYO PERFORMANCE ~NO MORE SPECIAL MOVES ANYMORE~”, 01/09/2021
Tokyo Korakuen Hall
565 Fans – No Vacancy

1. Pro Wrestling “Kata” Group Final: Federal Republic Of Isubekistan (2) defeated Republic Of Creatord Tobago (1) and United States Of Finish (1).
1a. Single Match Section: Takaku Karahiko defeated Kazusada Kokuyo and DJ Nira by Audience Judgment.
1b. Tag Team Match Section: Itoki Oyoshi & Shota Okamura defeated Totaro Omoiki & Baseball Bat Swing and Yuki Rock & Minamikawa by Audience Judgment.
1c. 3 Way Match Section: Amon Tsurumi defeated Knee Cross Kinya and Herman Miller Mao by Audience Judgment.
1d. Backstage Comment Section: AK Racing Yoshimura, Eames Watase & Human Chair Imanari defeated Marume Komimatsu and Hondusty Rhodes by Advisor Judgement (Honorary Advisor: Danshoku Dieno).
*Gold: Federal Republic Of Isubekistan, Silver: Republic Of Creatord Tobago, Bronze: United States Of Finish.
2. Remote Pro Wrestling: Tetsu Inada defeated Shota Okamura with the Last Ride (23:47).
*Gold: Tetsu Inada, Silver: Haruo Murata, Bronze: Super Sasadango Machine.

United States Of Finish: Totaro Omoiki (Konosuke Takeshita), Takaku Karahiko (Yuki Ueno), Baseball Bat Swing (Shunma Katsumata), Knee Cross Kinya (Akito) & Marume Komimatsu (Kazuki Hirata)

Federal Republic Of Isubekistan: Kazusada Kokuyo (Kazusada Higuchi), Herman Miller Mao (MAO), AK Racing Yoshimura (Naomi Yoshimura), Itoki Oyoshi (Choun-Shiryu), Shota Okamura (Shota), Eames Watase (Mizuki Watase) & Human Chair Imanari (Yumehito Imanari)

Republic Of Creatord Tobago: Yuki Rock, Minamikawa, Amon Tsurumi, DJ Nira, RAM RIDER & Hondusty Rhodes (Antonio Honda)

The latest adventures of Hiragana Muscle began with a PowerPoint presentation from Super Sasadango Machine. It was called “What Is Public Awareness?” and he talked about his struggles to make Muscle famous around the world. His hopes for 2.9 Dimensional Pro Wrestling catching on fell on deaf ears and his mood got worse when he found out Super Delfin is successfully putting together a similar idea with his own musical pro wrestling show. To solve this problem, today’s special guest is famous voice actor Tetsu Inada. The idea already paid off with evidence of The Great O-Kharn allegedly tweeting about the show.

Inada narrated the story while the producers Yuki Rock and Minamikawa introduced everyone to the show. Amon Tsurumi then came out and gave a huge announcement. A big sports festival is taking place today and they’re hosting it! This event only happens every 40 years because of the toll it takes on the athletes taking part. The opening ceremony began with a speech from Yuriko Koikebukuro, who looks like the Governor Of Tokyo. Rock got bored and started arguing with Koikebukuro. Each of the producers were then fired because Rock implied he has taken illegal drugs, Minamikawa previously made inappropriate TV shows and Tsurumi was caught looking at porn on the company laptop. The producers all swore revenge.

Meanwhile The Finisher Boys were busy training when they found out about the sports festival. Most countries declined to participant due to the pandemic leaving only three teams. The Finisher Boys will be there representing the United States Of Finish. Their enemies The Steel Chair Boys from the Federal Republic Of Isubekistan will also compete. Last but not least is the Republic Of Creatord Tobago consisting of all the creative types. The Finisher Boys had the least members on a team until a trainee named Secondotti Tetsuji (played by Inada) approached them asking to join. They accepted him but only when he said everybody in DDT are his favourite wrestlers.

Suddenly, The Steel Chair Boys entered the scene. Shota challenged The Finisher Boys to a fight in the form of pictograms. They easily defeated him but it was all a distraction so The Steel Chair Boys could kidnap Tetsuji! If our heroes want to rescue him, they need to win the sports festival! Luckily for Tetsuji he is being played by a famous voice actor so the villains actually took good care of him while he was captive.

It was time for the festival to begin. Every team would take part in several rounds of Pro Wrestling “Kata” against each other. Each participant would perform no contact pro wrestling against an invisible opponent and fans would vote for the best performance. The master of ceremonies Danshoku Dieno oversaw the proceedings and would give the deciding vote if any audience poll ended in a tie. In the Singles Match Section, Yuki Ueno won the vote with his rendition of a midcarder wrestling in the second match of the third show during a tour outside of Tokyo. It beat Kazusada Higuchi’s performance of a heavyweight double down spot and DJ Nira doing the standard opening moments of a wrestling match.

Round 2 was in the Tag Team Section. Yuki Rock & Minamikawa performed the Tetsuya Naito & SANADA tag team. Konosuke Takeshita & Shunma Katsumata choreographed a tag team style that will become popular in the American indies some day in the future. But the winners were Choun-Shiryu & Shota Okamura who bounced around the ring as if they were getting beaten up by Strong BJ.

Round 3 was fittingly the 3 Way Match Section. Akito, MAO and Amon Tsurumi worked together to tell the story of a 3 Way Match that has a complete amateur also involved. Tsurumi was that amateur but he tricked Kinya & Mao into linking their arms together while back to back. He then pushed both of them over upside down onto their shoulders for a double pin. That won him the support of the crowd, tying the medals table at one victory a piece.

It all came down to the final round. The Backstage Comment Section. The remaining participants from each of the teams went backstage and gave post-match interviews for famous moments in wrestling. Hondusty Rhodes did a promo based on the aftermath of Wrestlemania III. Next was Kazuki Hirata throwing a chair around like a mentor pushing around his student. Finally Naomi Yoshimura, Mizuki Watase & Yumehito Imanari did a reenactment of Tatsumi Fujinami’s “Dragon Revolution”. It’s a famous scene where Fujinami confronted Antonio Inoki for not stepping aside and letting his generation step up. Watase committed to the bit and cut off bits of his hair just like Fujinami did. It was worth it because that won his team the gold!

The sports festival ended and the next scene was Sasadango recording his radio show with Inada. Things took a turn when Inada realised this is a wrestling show and he has a chance to live out his dream of becoming a pro wrestler. Sasadango refused because he doesn’t want to deal with any trouble caused if Inada gets hurt. RAM RIDER came up with a solution. They can do a Remote Pro Wrestling match with Inada shouting out orders to his team of wrestlers. Inada and Sasadango agreed to it and they went down to the ring.

The match itself is 5 Vs 5 with Inada coaching The Steel Chair Boys while Sasadango ordered around The Finisher Boys. Things went south when Sasadango was hit over the head several times with chairs. He needed to be replaced so Haruo Murata took his spot. The Steel Chair Boys continued to dominate under Inada’s commands until Tetsuya Endo made his mandatory run in and cleared the ring. He then gave a motivating speech to Murata before leaving. Inada and Murata then spoke to each other about each of them living their dreams. They both agreed it was time for them to wrestle! They begun their match when suddenly, Shota ran in with a chair ready to attack Murata. Inada stopped Shota with a Lariat and, with the help of everyone else, delivered the Last Ride to win the match!

Inada and Murata embraced after the match. Inada then received the gold medal from Yuriko Koikebukuro. The show ended with Inada talking about his love for pro wrestling. He also wished both Tsurumi and Yuki Ueno a happy birthday.


MUSCLE “HIRAGANA MUSCLE 4 OSAKA ADDITIONAL PERFORMANCE” Results

March 18, 2021

MUSCLE “HIRAGANA MUSCLE 4 OSAKA ADDITIONAL PERFORMANCE ~THE OTHER SIDE OF SPECIAL MOVES~ HIRAGANA MUSCLE FESTIVAL 2021”, 18/03/2021
COOL JAPAN PARK OSAKA SS Hall
105 Fans

1. Opening Act – Mixed Systema Martial Arts Rules Showdown: Shinya Aoki defeated Minamikawa when Minamikawa said “Ouch!” (R1 3:58).
2. 2nd Act – Manzai Showdown: Yuki Rock & Hisaya Imabayashi Vs Mizuki Watase & Yukio Naya ended with The Story Of Imabayashi’s House.
3. 3rd Act – Freestyle Mike Performance Showdown: Kazusada Kokuyo (Kazusada Higuchu), Herman Miller Mao (MAO), Shota Okamura (Shota), Itoki Oyoshi (Choun-Shiryu) & Velbon Imanari (Yumehito Imanari) (3) defeated Naguttaro Omoikiri (Konosuke Takeshita), Dokufuki Wagner Jr. (Yuki Ueno), Kota Metsubusi (Akito), Tsubushigaoka Kinteki (Shunma Katsumata) & Rantonio Rodorigo Nogueira (Kazuki Hirata) (2).
3a. Tsubushigaoka Kinteki defeated Velbon Imanari by Audience Judgement.
3b. Itoki Oyoshi defeated Rantonio Rodorigo Nogueira by Audience Judgement.
3c. Herman Miller Mao defeated Dokufuki Wagner Jr. by Audience Judgement.
3d. Shota Okamura defeated Kota Metsubusi by Audience Judgement.
3e. Naguttaro Omoikiri defeated Kazusada Kokuyo by Audience Judgement.
4. Main Act – Wrestling Showdown: Hondusty Rhodes (Antonio Honda) & Ramridusty Rhodes (RAM RIDER) defeated DJ Nira & Naguttaro Omoikiri (Konosuke Takeshita) when Hondusty pinned Nira with the Bionic Elbow (19:41).

MUSCLE “HIRAGANA MUSCLE 4 OSAKA PERFORMANCE ~THE OTHER SIDE OF SPECIAL MOVES~ HIRAGANA MUSCLE FESTIVAL 2021”, 18/03/2021
COOL JAPAN PARK OSAKA SS Hall
110 Fans – Super No Vacancy Full House

1. Opening Act – Mixed Systema Martial Arts Rules Showdown: Minamikawa defeated Shinya Aoki with a Rope Assisted Pin (R1 7:27).
2. 2nd Act – Manzai Showdown: Yuki Rock & Hisaya Imabayashi Vs Mizuki Watase & Yukio Naya ended with The Story Of Imabayashi’s House.
3. 3rd Act – Freestyle Mike Performance Showdown: Kazusada Kokuyo (Kazusada Higuchu), Herman Miller Mao (MAO), Shota Okamura (Shota), Itoki Oyoshi (Choun-Shiryu) & Velbon Imanari (Yumehito Imanari) (4) defeated Naguttaro Omoikiri (Konosuke Takeshita), Dokufuki Wagner Jr. (Yuki Ueno), Kota Metsubusi (Akito), Tsubushigaoka Kinteki (Shunma Katsumata) & Rantonio Rodorigo Nogueira (Kazuki Hirata) (1).
3a. Tsubushigaoka Kinteki defeated Velbon Imanari by Audience Judgement.
3b. Itoki Oyoshi defeated Rantonio Rodorigo Nogueira by Audience Judgement.
3c. Herman Miller Mao defeated Dokufuki Wagner Jr. by Audience Judgement.
3d. Shota Okamura defeated Kota Metsubusi by Audience Judgement.
3e. Kazusada Kokuyo defeated Naguttaro Omoikiri by Audience Judgement.
4. Main Act – Wrestling Showdown: Hondusty Rhodes (Antonio Honda) & Ramridusty Rhodes (RAM RIDER) defeated DJ Nira & Naguttaro Omoikiri (Konosuke Takeshita) when Hondusty pinned Nira with the Bionic Elbow (23:27).

The two performances were pretty much identical to the “HIRAGANA MUSCLE 4 TOKYO PERFORMANCE” that took place in Korakuen Hall back on 9th March. The freestyle rap battle had different combinations and Shinya Aoki lost his match in the second show for some reason but other than that it’s more or less the same as last time.


MUSCLE “HIRAGANA MUSCLE 4 TOKYO PERFORMANCE” Results

March 9, 2021

MUSCLE “HIRAGANA MUSCLE 4 TOKYO PERFORMANCE ~THE OTHER SIDE OF SPECIAL MOVES~ HIRAGANA MUSCLE FESTIVAL 2021”, 09/03/2021
Tokyo Korakuen Hall
588 Fans – No Vacancy

1. Opening Act – Mixed Systema Martial Arts Rules Showdown: Shinya Aoki defeated Minamikawa when Minamikawa said “Ouch!” (R1 3:44).
2. 2nd Act – Manzai Showdown: Yuki Rock & Hisaya Imabayashi Vs Mizuki Watase & Yukio Naya ended in a draw.
3. 3rd Act – Freestyle Mike Performance Showdown: Kazusada Kokuyo (Kazusada Higuchu), Herman Miller Mao (MAO), Shota Okamura (Shota), Itoki Oyoshi (Choun-Shiryu) & Velbon Imanari (Yumehito Imanari) (3) defeated Naguttaro Omoikiri (Konosuke Takeshita), Dokufuki Wagner Jr. (Yuki Ueno), Kota Metsubusi (Akito), Tsubushigaoka Kinteki (Shunma Katsumata) & Rantonio Rodorigo Nogueira (Kazuki Hirata) (2).
3a. Tsubushigaoka Kinteki defeated Herman Miller Mao by Audience Judgement.
3b. Itoki Oyoshi defeated Rantonio Rodorigo Nogueira by Audience Judgement.
3c. Dokufuki Wagner Jr. defeated Velbon Imanari by Audience Judgement.
3d. Kazusada Kokuyo defeated Kota Metsubusi by Audience Judgement.
3e. Shota Okamura defeated Naguttaro Omoikiri by Audience Judgement.
4. Main Act – Wrestling Showdown: Hondusty Rhodes (Antonio Honda) & Ramridusty Rhodes (RAM RIDER) defeated DJ Nira & Naguttaro Omoikiri (Konosuke Takeshita) when Hondusty pinned Nira with the Bionic Elbow (19:05).

The Hiragana Muscle brand is growing with today’s show being the first of two performances being held this month. There’s a problem though. Yuki Rock and South River Minamikawa want to know why is Muscle not included in the big “CYBERFIGHT FESTIVAL 2021” event taking place on 6th June? Joining in with the complaint is RAM RIDER, the musician who has been producing the songs used in Muscle’s musical acts. He believes the 2.9 Dimensional Pro Wrestling concept is still lacking in the music department because the wrestlers can’t sing, they can only lip sync. That problem was suddenly put on hold when the crew received a phone call. RAM’s father has fallen ill and is in critical condition. What follows is the “Story Of RAM’s House”.

Rock, Minamikawa & Amon Tsurumi were entered the ring to introduce the show. Tsurumi talked about becoming the DDT General Manager again, Rock mentioned losing his access to New Japan and being blacklisted by the company after he started appearing on Muscle shows. He demanded to be made the Muscle GM then challenged another comedian Kuniko Yamada to fight over who gets to be the NOAH GM. Tsurumi changed topics back to RAM RIDER’s situation. He explained RAM is from a family of pro wrestlers such as his father Hondusty Rhodes. But now that Hondusty is undergoing medical treatment, it is up to RAM to enter the pro wrestling business! Super Sasadango Machine agreed to handle RAM’s musical role in the meantime. Time to start the show.

The Finisher Boys were working out when they received an invitation to perform at the Hiragana Festival. That sounds exciting except for one thing. No lip syncing is allowed! Shota entered the ring along with Choun-Shiryu & Yumehito Imanari representing The Steel Chair Boys. He asked The Finisher Boys why they haven’t replied to the invitation yet? A fight broke out with The Finisher Boys coming out on top but they were left in a tired state. How can they sing live with such low stamina? DJ Nira entered the scene and suggested they all turn heel to become stronger performers. The Finisher Boys then danced.

The Folding Chair Boys returned to their base to lick their wounds and wonder if The Finisher Boys are turning heel. Kazusada Higuchi & MAO appeared on the western balcony declaring their intentions to destroy The Finisher Boys. In order to do that they will have to walk down the “Main Road” of pro wrestling. They are going to pay a visit to a house belonging to the parents of a certain musician. Rumour is the musician is trying to become a pro wrestler himself. They can train him! The Folding Chair Boys then danced.

Over at the Hondusty Dojo, RAM RIDER is learning Bionic Elbows from his family. He hears about the Hiragana Festival and finds out he can earn 100,000 yen to perform there. There is no pro wrestling involved, just singing and dancing. He shows up in disguise and performs as DJ One More Taima.

However his collaboration with The Folding Chair Boys is interrupted when DJ Nira attacks Taima. The Finisher Boys also run in and attack The Folding Chair Boys in heel like fashion! They complete their heel turn by changing their names to The Foul (Gimmick) Boys! Taima tried to fight them off with the Bionic Elbow but gets ganged up on. Hondusty entered the ring pleading with the Gimmick Boys to stop but they Power Bomb him instead.

Tsurumi threatened not to pay RAM RIDER because his performance had no singing. However RAM recorded the illegal threat on his phone and threatened to sent it to the media. This sent Tsurumi, Rock & Minamikawa into a panic. If this goes public then all of the future Muscle plans will get cancelled! They might all lose their jobs and will have to go work in Sasadango’s factory. Sasadango then put together a PowerPoint presentation to explain what went wrong and how it can be fixed.

Sasadango decided Minamikawa would have a Mixed Systema Martial Arts match against the strongest opponent he could find. It’s Shinya Aoki! The rules allowed three breaks per round so the fighters could take a breather. Also the first person to react in pain loses. Aoki only needed one round to submit Minamikawa, placing him in a Front Neck Lock and making him shout out “Ouch!”

With that over with, Sasadango showed his plans for Rock & Tsurumi. They were going to have a manzai comedy challenge against Mizuki Watase & Yukio Naya. Rock & Tsurumi’s duo name was The Harigane Sisters and they joked about Tsurumi’s family. Watase & Naya were called Taiho Tiger and they made fun of Real Japan. When they were done an epilogue flashed on the screen about the fictional comedy career of Hisaya Imabayashi after he left DDT. He performed on stage 30,000 times and passed away at the age of 80. Meanwhile Taiho Tiger qualified for the next round of this year’s M-1 Grand Prix.

Two more acts to go and it’s going to stay strange. The Gimmick Boys and The Folding Chair Boys were now going to have a rap battle! Five rounds took place as everyone rapped to puro theme remixes that Taima put together. The audience voted for each winner and The Folding Chair Boys ended up taking the challenge 3 rounds to 2.

Sasadango began the final act by announcing Muscle will be back in Korakuen Hall on 1st September. It was time for RAM RIDER to finally wrestle a match. He dropped the One More Taima gimmick and renamed himself Ramridusty Rhodes so he could fight alongside his father Hondusty. Together they took on the heel team of DJ Nira & Konosuke Takeshita. A ref bump caused a massive brawl to happen at ringside. That was the cue for Tetsuya Endo to make his advertised run in and dive onto everyone outside the ring. Takeshita grabbed a chair but Hondusty talked him out of using it. The dramatic finish then happened with Hondusty pinning Nira with the Bionic Elbow while RAM RIDER played music on his keyboard.

With the show coming to a close, RAM RIDER wanted to return to normal and go back to being a music producer. Takeshita apologised for turning heel and promised never to do it again. Also he needs to be a babyface for Muscle’s Osaka performance next week. Sasadango said he wants to continue making these kind of fun shows.


MUSCLE “HIRAGANA MUSCLE 3 II ~FINISH DAI RANPATSU~” Results

November 9, 2020

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” Results

September 21, 2020

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.


MUSCLE “HIRAGANA MUSCLE 2” Results

March 26, 2020

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” Results

January 27, 2020

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!


Muscle Is Revived!

November 21, 2019

MUSCLE “MUSCLE 1”, 27/01/2020
Shin-Kiba 1st RING

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.