Ibushi Announces Return, Creates Ibushi Wrestling Institute

February 22, 2016

ibushi-returns-institute

A press conference was held inside DDT’s new Shinjuku office this morning and it was all about Kota Ibushi. He’s been away from the public eye ever since October when a suspected herniated cervical disc put him out of action. Barring a tweet here and there, things were quiet from his end until today. He was at the conference along with DDT President Sanshiro Takagi & GM Amon Tsurumi to make a few announcements. First Ibushi’s dual contract with DDT and New Japan Pro Wrestling has been cancelled. Ibushi’s injury turned out to be lumbar spondylolisthesis and he is on track to making a full recovery. He was given the OK by his doctor to return to pro wrestling but personally feels he has hit his physical limit. The schedule he had for the last two years working for two companies at the same time has taken its toll. He now thinks it is time for him to pursue a new kind of pro wrestling separate from either company. So he is now graduating from DDT and New Japan to launch the Ibushi Wrestling Institute. What that is exactly Ibushi hasn’t said but he will give us more details eventually. He is the only member of the Institute and he himself does not know if he will invite anyone else to join.

It looks like Ibushi will still wrestle for DDT and New Japan eventually but as a representative of Ibushi Wrestling Institute. NJPW President Naoki Sugibayashi released a statement saying he looks forward to working with Ibushi again in the future. Ibushi’s return match will take place at “JUDGEMENT 2016 ~DDT 19th ANNIVERSARY~” in Sumo Hall on 21st March. He and Gota Ihashi will be added to the Falls Count Anywhere Weapon Treasure Hunt Match turning it into a 3 Way Tag against Sanshiro Takagi & Jun Kasai and KENSO & Michael Nakazawa. It will be the first time Ibushi will be in a Falls Count Anywhere Match at Sumo Hall. That and getting to wrestle both Takagi and Nakazawa again are why Ibushi was put into the match.

Comments Off on Ibushi Announces Return, Creates Ibushi Wrestling Institute | News | Tagged: , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by JamieOD

Tomorrow HARASHIMA & Tanahashi Will Meet Again!

November 16, 2015

DDT “#OHKAEMPIRE BOX OFFICE ~MUSCLE MATES 2015~”, 17/11/2015
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

1. HARASHIMA & Ken Ohka Vs Hiroshi Tanahashi & Yohei Komatsu

This is the only match advertised for tomorrow’s #OhkaEmpire show in Korakuen Hall, which is sold out. The DDT website says there will be other matches on the card but we will not find out what they are until they happen. Given that the show is being run by Ken Ohka, Danshoku Dino and Super Sasadango Machine the card format might end up being similar to the old Muscle sub-brand. In fact, old Muscle shirts will be sold at the merchandise stand. So there may be a lot more than just wrestling matches to look forward to.

This is HARASHIMA’s chance at redemption against Hiroshi Tanahashi. Their match at “RYOGOKU PETER PAN 2015” back in August created friction between the two when Tanahashi afterwards criticised HARASHIMA for not stepping up to his level and also expecting to be treated as his equal. Ken Ohka stepped in to help HARASHIMA defend his and also DDT’s honour by doing everything he could to set up this match.

Comments Off on Tomorrow HARASHIMA & Tanahashi Will Meet Again! | News | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by JamieOD

Ibushi’s Health Problems Revealed

November 2, 2015

sugabayashi-takagi

After a week long absence from the ring attributed to illness, a press conference was held to discuss the current and future status of Kota Ibushi. Both Sanshiro Takagi and Naoki Sugabayashi were in attendance since the news effected both DDT and New Japan. It was explained that at midnight on 24th October Ibushi picked up a high fever that forced him to be taken off of DDT’s Korakuen Hall show the next day. The illness also cancelled an autograph signing for his new book. During the summer Ibushi had been feeling numbness in the left side of his body. He was sent to a doctor for a check-up and diagnosed with a herniated cervical disc. The decision was made that Ibushi will not be wrestling for either company until he has healed from his injury. According to Takagi, Ibushi has decided not to go under surgery as part of his treatment. There is no time given for how long his recovery will take but Takagi reckons he will be gone until the start of 2016 at the earliest.

In DDT, Ibushi is one half of the KO-D Tag Team Champions with Daisuke Sasaki. Takagi announced that the titles will be vacated and he does not want to interfere with Ibushi’s daily life while he recovers. He wants Ibushi to completely recover and will wait for his return if he has to. Takagi also apologised to Ibushi’s fans for the inconvenience. Sugabayashi said Ibushi’s contract with New Japan which is about to run out will be renewed and he will wait for his return to the company.

On the DDT side of things this injury comes at a bad time. With Ibushi and KUDO both out of action for the time being that is two big absences in the main event scene. HARASHIMA is still there to carry the load as he always does, it’s too early to tell if Yukio Sakaguchi is a draw as the KO-D Openweight Champion, I have no idea how much mileage is in another Danshoku Dino push and Isami Kodaka will be busy with BASARA and his outside bookings. While DDT has done a great job in the last 12 months introducing and debuting new wrestlers, the younger generation hasn’t been fully embraced by the fans judging by the Dramatic General Election results. With a big Sumo Hall show booked for March next year they need something big and if Ibushi hasn’t recovered by then it will put a big dent in that plan. They better pray to whatever deity that can protect HARASHIMA from getting injured.

Comments Off on Ibushi’s Health Problems Revealed | News | Tagged: , , , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by JamieOD

Ibushi Prepares For Yoshihiko & AJ Styles, Mitomi Masayuki Comeback

March 18, 2015

Kota Ibushi’s run in New Japan just keeps getting better. After winning the New Japan Cup last weekend he now has an IWGP Title against AJ Styles match at Sumo Hall on 5th April. If Ibushi beats Yoshihiko this Saturday then the New Japan main event is guaranteed to be IWGP Champion Vs KO-D Champion, a first for New Japan and DDT’s relationship.

DDT “SAITAMA SLAM SPECIAL! 2015 ~TELETAMA BROADCASTING 1ST ANNIVERSARY~”, 21/03/2015
Saitama Kasukabe Hall

0. Dark Match: Kazusada Higuchi & Kouki Iwasaki Vs Ryota Nakatsu & Kota Umeda
1. Yasu Urano & Akito Vs Tomoya & Shunma Katsumata
2. Danshoku Dino & Makoto Oishi Vs Daisuke Sasaki & Suguru Miyatake
3. Teletama Presents Infomercial Match: Sanshiro Takagi, Toru Owashi, Kazuki Hirata & MIKAMI Vs Antonio Honda, Konosuke Takeshita, Tomomitsu Matsunaga & DJ Nira
4. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title – Do It Or Die! – Special Single Match: Aja Kong (c) Vs Saki Akai
5. Eat Or Be Eaten! – Special Single Match: HARASHIMA Vs Tetsuya Endo
6. KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles: Keisuke Ishii, Shigehiro Irie & Soma Takao (c) Vs KUDO, Yukio Sakaguchi & Masa Takanashi
7. KO-D Openweight Title: Kota Ibushi (c) Vs Yoshihiko

So DDT has put up a fact sheet and list of career highlights for Yoshihiko before his KO-D Title match with Ibushi. Apparently Kurt Angle gave plenty of praise when he saw footage of Yoshihiko attacking Ibushi and laying down the challenge. When Ric Flair watched the same clip he just said “This is wrestling!” Also of note is Yoshihiko feels strongly about getting the 5th April IWGP Title shot if he beats Ibushi.

UNION “MARCH OF UNION 2015”, 28/03/2015
Yokohama Radiant Hall

1. Yuuya Kubo Vs Yuki Sato
2. Hiroshi Fukuda Vs Madoka (w/ Harumi Tachibana)
3. Mio Shirai & Aoi Ishibashi Vs Ryu Gouma & Ladybeard
4. Isami Kodaka Vs Ryota Nakatsu
5. Mitomi Masayuki Comeback: Seiya Morohashi & Tomoya Kawamura Vs Mitomi Masayuki & Daisuke Kanehira
6. Union Fly To Everywhere World Title: Cherry Vs Shu Shibutani
7. FUMA, Kazushi Miyamoto & SAGAT (w/ MEN’S Teioh) Vs Shuji Ishikawa, Masato Shibata & Daichi Kazato

Mitomi Masayuki is back after going through a bad period last December. He was suspended from Union and DDT for bad behaviour on Twitter and then got himself injured while wrestling on a micro indie show a week later. He will be teaming with Daisuke Kanehira from Pro Wrestling HEAT-UP for his comeback.

Comments Off on Ibushi Prepares For Yoshihiko & AJ Styles, Mitomi Masayuki Comeback | News | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by JamieOD

Kenny Omega To Leave DDT, Joins New Japan

October 3, 2014

kenny-omega-njpw

An emergency press conference was held by DDT today to announce Kenny Omega will finish working for the company in October and will be permanently transferring over to New Japan. Due to changing circumstances DDT is now signing its roster to 6 month contracts instead of year long contracts. During negotiations Omega said he wanted to work for New Japan and was determined to move. NJPW president Naoki Sugabayashi said he was surprised when he heard about Omega’s proposal but immediately started discussions with other New Japan staff to sign him. A deal was struck between DDT and New Japan to let Kenny finish up his remaining dates with DDT.

Kenny said he has often wrestled in New Japan, usually in the Best Of The Super Juniors tournament, but always felt like he was just a guest. He thinks New Japan has the best wrestlers in the world and he wants to prove he is the best Junior Heavyweight. Leaving DDT will be painful and he will feel lonely without them but he is at his physical peak. He will be disappointed if he could never reach his limit at 100%. Kenny confirmed he is not signing a dual contract like Kota Ibushi (who has signed a new one year contract with NJPW). He needs to put all of his focus on New Japan if he wants to be successful.

DDT president Sanshiro Takagi told the press he respects the will of his wrestlers as to why he is allowing Kenny to transfer between companies. Ibushi did not want to leave DDT entirely for New Japan so a deal was made for him to sign two contracts with the goal of boosting both companies. Because Kenny had so much desire to wrestle for New Japan, Takagi would not stop him from leaving.

When asked about whether or not Omega will continue the Golden Lovers team with Ibushi, Omega said they now wrestle in different divisions. Omega is sticking with Jr. Heavyweight while Ibushi has recently become a heavyweight. Omega says he has no choice but to find a new partner if he was to focus on tag team wrestling. He does wonder if he and Ibushi will eventually team together again in New Japan though. He was asked if there was a unit he wants to join. Kenny said he considered joining Bullet Club but they don’t suit him. For now his goal is to win the IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Title as soon as possible.

Kenny’s last words for his fans is they should continue supporting DDT. To the fans of New Japan, he wants to show them more of his style of wrestling. He also wants to make new fans out of people who have never seen him before. Omega’s match for DDT will be at the 26th October Korakuen Hall show. It will be himself and Ibushi against Danshoku Dino and Konosuke Takeshita in a Falls Count Anywhere match. There is no date set yet for his first New Japan match.

Comments Off on Kenny Omega To Leave DDT, Joins New Japan | News | Tagged: , , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by JamieOD

Kota Ibushi Signs With New Japan, Also With DDT

October 7, 2013

ibushi-njpw-ddt

The day many New Japan fans have been waiting for (and I have been somewhat dreading) has finally happened. Kota Ibushi has signed a contract with New Japan! He is now a full time member of the New Japan roster. However in what may be a first for Japanese wrestling, Ibushi will also continue to be under contract with DDT. So Ibushi will be wrestling for both companies. His NJPW contract lasts for one year, as it traditionally is for every New Japan wrestler while his DDT contract lasts for another three years.

It is interesting how this deal came about. New Japan chairman Naoki Sugabayashi has attempted to sign Ibushi in the past but could never convince him to jump ship. In fact he even admits that if this happened decades ago he would have paid a lot of money to steal him from DDT. Fortunately New Japan and DDT have a good relationship and Sugabayashi realises the potential Ibushi has if he wrestles for both promotions. Sugabayashi recently made an official offer to Sanshiro Takagi and even then Takagi had to convince Ibushi to take the deal! Ibushi says he loves DDT and does not want to leave the company but after a deal was made to wrestle for both he finally agreed. For now Ibushi will exclusively wrestle for New Japan and DDT but offers for appearances in other promotions could still be considered.

However, Ibushi did not get everything he wanted from the deal. His request to have Michael Nakazawa continue to be in his corner for the New Japan matches has been repeatedly turned down. Takagi even joked that he will force Ibushi to go out to the ring alone if he has to. But Sugabayashi did offer to send Captain New Japan over to DDT so he would become Captain DDT. Hey it could be worse. They could send over YOSHI-HASHI.

In DDT it will be business as usual for Ibushi and he will still be available for the crazy stuff like the Falls Count Anywhere matches that take place outdoors. He will not change his style for New Japan and wants to focus on the Junior Heavyweight division and win the IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Title from Prince Devitt. He also wants to face wrestlers he has never fought before. His schedule will increase because he will also appear on New Japan’s tours. Both New Japan and DDT will work together to avoid any double bookings if the companies are hosting events on the same day.

Ibushi’s first match as a New Japan wrestler will be at Sumo Hall on 14/10 for the “KING OF PRO-WRESTLING” iPPV. He teams with Togi Makabe & Tomoaki Honma to face Prince Devitt’s BULLET CLUB faction.

Comments Off on Kota Ibushi Signs With New Japan, Also With DDT | News | Tagged: , , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by JamieOD

Ibushi’s G1 Has Climaxed

August 11, 2013

NJPW “G1 CLIMAX 23”, 01/08/2013
Act City Hamamatsu
3,200 Fans – Super No Vacancy Full House

G1 Climax – Block B: Kota Ibushi [2] defeated Toru Yano [0] with the Phoenix Splash (7:32).

NJPW “G1 CLIMAX 23”, 02/08/2013
Tokyo Korakuen Hall
2,015 Fans – Super No Vacancy Full House

G1 Climax – Block B: Kota Ibushi [4] defeated Tetsuya Naito with the Phoenix Splash [0] (13:16).

NJPW “G1 CLIMAX 23”, 03/08/2013
Aichi Prefectural Gymnasium
7,500 Fans – Super No Vacancy

G1 Climax – Block B: Kota Ibushi [6] defeated Karl Anderson [4] with the Phoenix Splash (9:52).

NJPW “G1 CLIMAX 23”, 04/08/2013
Osaka Prefectural Gymnasium
6,700 Fans – Super No Vacancy Full House

G1 Climax – Block B: Shinsuke Nakamura [4] defeated Kota Ibushi [6] with the Boma Ye (19:18).

NJPW “G1 CLIMAX 23”, 06/08/2013
Ishikawa Industrial Exhibition Hall #3
2,000 Fans – No Vacancy

G1 Climax – Block B: Yuji Nagata [6] defeated Kota Ibushi [6] with the Back Drop Hold (13:49).

NJPW “G1 CLIMAX 23”, 07/08/2013
Sendai Sun Plaza Hall
2,950 Fans – Super No Vacancy Full House

G1 Climax – Block B: Shelton Benjamin [6] defeated Kota Ibushi [6] with the Paydirt (10:20).

NJPW “G1 CLIMAX 23”, 08/08/2013
Yokohama Bunka Gymnasium
5,500 Fans – Super No Vacancy

G1 Climax – Block B: Yujiro Takahashi [8] defeated Kota Ibushi [6] with the Tokyo Pimps (8:45).

NJPW “G1 CLIMAX 23”, 10/08/2013
Tokyo Ryogoku Kokugikan
8,200 Fans – No Vacancy

G1 Climax – Block B: Minoru Suzuki [10] defeated Kota Ibushi [6] with the Gotch-Style Piledriver (13:37).

NJPW “G1 CLIMAX 23”, 11/08/2013
Tokyo Ryogoku Kokugikan
11,500 Fans – Super No Vacancy Full House

G1 Climax – Block B: Kota Ibushi [8] defeated Hiroyoshi Tenzan [6] by forfeit.
Special 6 Man Tag Match: Kazushi Sakuraba, Akebono & Kota Ibushi defeated Takashi Iizuka, Tomohiro Ishii & YOSHI-HASHI when Sakuraba submitted YOSHI-HASHI with the Sakuraba Lock (13:25).

Kota Ibushi has completed the busiest two weeks of his life and came out of it with a wealth of new opportunities. His first set of matches as a heavyweight in the famous G1 Climax tournament won him plenty of praise as well as a few matches. Ibushi started off as strong as possible, winning his first three matches against Toru Yano, the eventual G1 winner Tetsuya Naito and Karl Anderson. But his run ended there as he lost the next five against Shinsuke Nakamura, Yuji Nagata, Shelton Benjamin, Yujiro Takahashi and Minoru Suzuki. His final match against Hiroyoshi Tenzan was cancelled when Tenzan suffered an injury halfway through the tournament. Instead, Ibushi spent the final night teaming with MMA legend Kazushi Sakuraba and Ribera’s favourite son Akebono, forming possibly the weirdest 3-man team in Japan since the days of WAR. And he probably got a future match against Tomohiro Ishii out of it. Ibushi ended the tournament with 8 points and although he didn’t qualify for the final, he proved he can go with some of the best New Japan has to offer. Next up… Kazuchika Okada!

Comments Off on Ibushi’s G1 Has Climaxed | News, Outside Of DDT, Tournaments | Tagged: , , , | Permalink
Posted by JamieOD

Practice Makes Perfect For HARASHIMA, Genius Vs Rainmaker

July 8, 2013

ibushi-vs-okada

DDT “RYOGOKU PETER PAN 2013”, 18/08/2013
Tokyo Ryogoku Kokugikan

1. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title – “Research Group” Battle Royal: Komyo (c) Vs
2. Dramatic Dream Match: Kota Ibushi Vs Kazuchika Okada
3. KO-D Openweight Title: Shigehiro Irie or Yuji Okabayashi (c) Vs HARASHIMA

As the 2013 King of DDT winner, HARASHIMA gets a main event KO-D Title shot at Sumo Hall. It is a title shot that has alluded the challenger ever since February when HARASHIMA fought and lost to Kenny Omega. All that is left to figure out now is who the champion will be. Shigehiro Irie defends the championship against Big Japan’s Yuji Okabayashi in Korakuen Hall on 21st July. If Okabayashi wins, it will bring back memories of “RYOGOKU PETER PAN 2010” when HARASHIMA challenged Daisuke Sekimoto for that very championship. A victory for Irie however will continue what is now arguably the most successful KO-D Title reign in DDT history.

Meanwhile a co-main event has been signed and I am so excited to see it happen. It will be the Independent Genius taking on the Rainmaker when Kota Ibushi faces the current IWGP Heavyweight Champion, Kazuchika Okada from New Japan. This will continue Ibushi’s move up to heavyweight status along with his recent weight gain (it is currently 88kg). What’s interesting to note is the match will take place one week after the final of the G1 CLIMAX, which both men have entered. Ibushi thinks he will win the G1 and is interested, is highly motivated to wrestle Okada and wants to challenge for the IWGP Title. However, since there has been no mention of the championship during the announcement, I believe that Ibushi Vs Okada will be a non-title bout if Okada is still the champion when “RYOGOKU PETER PAN 2013” takes place.

Speaking of Ibushi and the G1 CLIMAX, his group match with Shinsuke Nakamura in Osaka on 4th August will be shown live on Ustream iPPV.

Comments Off on Practice Makes Perfect For HARASHIMA, Genius Vs Rainmaker | News | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by JamieOD

DDT “KING OF DDT OSAKA 2013” Results

July 7, 2013

DDT “KING OF DDT OSAKA 2013”, 07/07/2013
Osaka Umeda Nasci Hall
350 Fans – Super No Vacancy Full House

1. 3 Way Tag Team Match: Antonio Honda & Daisuke Sasaki defeated Kushinbo Kamen & Michael Nakazawa and Masa Takanashi & Akito when Sasaki pinned Nakazawa with the Now Or Never (6:26).
2. Hikaru Sato defeated Tetsuya Endo with a Boston Crab (6:59).
3. King Of DDT Semi Final: Kenny Omega defeated Yukio Sakaguchi with the Croyt’s Wrath (9:59).
4. King Of DDT Semi Final: HARASHIMA defeated Konosuke Takeshita with the Somato (10:09).
5. Kota Ibushi & DJ Nira defeated Danshoku Dino & Makoto Oishi when Ibushi pinned Oishi with the Osaka Muscle Sakai Last Ride (10:07).
6. Shigehiro Irie, Keisuke Ishii & Takao Soma defeated KUDO, Yasu Urano & FUMA when Irie pinned FUMA with the Flying Sausage (13:11).
7. King Of DDT Final: HARASHIMA defeated Kenny Omega with the Swan Dive Somato (15:20).

HARASHIMA wins the 2013 King of DDT and will challenge for the KO-D Openweight Title in the co-main event of “RYOGOKU PETER PAN 2013”. It took two Somatos and a Swan Dive Somato for HARASHIMA to beat Kenny Omega in the final. HARASHIMA defeated the rookie phenom Konosuke Takeshita in the semi-final while Omega took care of Yukio Sakaguchi. Now we to see who the champion will be, Shigehiro Irie or Yuji Okabayashi?

The “super important” announcement was the reveal of Kazuchika Okada competing at “RYOGOKU PETER PAN 2013”. But that’s not all, it was announced Okada will take on Kota Ibushi in the co-main event! Ibushi thanked the crowd for the support they will give him in the upcoming G1 Climax and he promised he will do his best against the Rainmaker.

Danshoku Dino & Makoto Oishi announced that Kensuke Sasaki will be the third member of their team when they challenge the Monster Army for the KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles on 21/7. GM Tsurumi Amon was completely unaware of this and now has to contact Sasaki and negotiate with him to actually appear at the show.

Antonio Honda and Daisuke Sasaki both wrestled in Kushinbo Kamen costumes along with the gear they stole from Masa Takanashi & Akito. I guess they are Kamen’s spare costumes and the Monster Army stole them too.

Comments Off on DDT “KING OF DDT OSAKA 2013” Results | Results, Tournaments | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by JamieOD

Ibushi Enters G1 CLIMAX 23!

July 5, 2013

ibushi-g1

Kota Ibushi surprised everyone by being announced as a participant in this year’s G1 Climax tournament in New Japan. He made an appearance at today’s New Japan iPPV in Korakuen Hall after the reveal. His message was brief and polite. “I am Kota Ibushi from DDT Pro Wrestling. I decided to enter the G1 Climax for the first time. Thank you!”

Ibushi had previously competed in New Japan as a Jr. Heavyweight, winning the Best of the Super Jr. tournament and holding both IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Championships. Now he has moved up to Heavyweight and the decision may not be as sudden as you think.

During an interview on the DDT website last year, Ibushi said one of his dreams was to compete in the G1 Climax. Ever since Ibushi returned to active competition, he has toned down his high flying moves a little bit while adding some power to his repertoire. These changes might have helped Ibushi adapt his style to be more compatible with heavier opponents. Could it be that Ibushi’s entry was planned a long time ago?

Kota has been added to Group B where he will have matches against Yuji Nagata, Shinsuke Nakamura, Minoru Suzuki, Hiroyoshi Tenzan, Tetsuya Naito, Toru Yano, Yujiro Takahashi, Shelton X Benjamin and Karl Anderson. The tournament will take place in the first two weeks of August.

Comments Off on Ibushi Enters G1 CLIMAX 23! | News | Tagged: , , , | Permalink
Posted by JamieOD

« Previous Entries
Next Entries »