1. MAO defeated Keigo Nakamura with the Michinoku Driver I (9:45).
2. A Rumble Of Laughter! DDT Variety Group Sangokushi: Kazuki Hirata defeated Danshoku Dieno and Antonio Honda when Hirata pinned Honda (10:25).
3. Kazusada Higuchi, Yukio Sakaguchi & Saki Akai defeated Akito, Chris Brookes & Yukio Naya when Higuchi pinned Naya with the Brain Claw Slam (14:12).
4. 42 Years Old Soon! Makoto Oishi Shizuoka Local Triumph Special Tag Match: Soma Takao & Mad Paulie defeated Makoto Oishi & Mizuki Watase when Takao pinned Watase with the Official Endless Waltz (10:23).
5. DAMNATION Vs Junretsu!: Tetsuya Endo & Nobuhiro Shimatani defeated Jun Akiyama & Hideki Okatani when Endo submitted Okatani with the Yurikamome (11:59).
6. Shinya Aoki Shizuoka Triumph! Shimizu Specialty Special 6-Man Tag Match: HARASHIMA, Toru Owashi & Shinya Aoki defeated Konosuke Takeshita, Shunma Katsumata & Yuki Ueno when Aoki pinned Katsumata with a Crucifix Chickenwing (20:30).
The DDT Sauna Club started the show giving their opinions on today’s opponents. Shinya Aoki can almost be a member because his intensity can be as hot as a sauna. HARASHIMA is a health nerd so he would also get along with the Sauna Club. Toru Owashi however is an unhealthy black pig and those animals are not allowed in saunas. Owashi stuck his head out of the entrance gate when he heard that. In the main event, Aoki had Shunma Katsumata in the Foot Choke when Konosuke Takeshita & Yuki Ueno broke it up. The DISASTER BOX duo kept them out of the ring while Aoki went back to Katsumata. At first it looked like Katsumata was unconscious but he was faking it to cradle Aoki for a nearfall. Aoki held his opponent in a Chickenwing and rolled him over with a Crucifix to pin him for the victory.
A confident Hideki Okatani told Jun Akiyama to leave the start of the match to him. He was then easily outwrestled by Tetsuya Endo. When Nobuhiro Shimatani tagged in he demanded to fight Akiyama and the same thing happened to him. Shimatani was able to clamp onto Akiyama to prevent him from breaking up Endo’s submission hold on Okatani. Akiyama said he has never fought anyone as noisy as Shimatani. A proud Shimatani now wants to face Akiyama in a singles match.
The 3 Way Match took all of the wrestlers involved to their limit. Danshoku Dieno went to the corner in his Hell Gate position. Antonio Honda missed the Gongitsune and hit Daisuke Kiso with it by mistake. He then stuck his Gongitsune hand into Dieno’s backside to charge up his attack. Honda hit Kazuki Hirata with the Gongitsune but then tripped over Kiso and fell face first into Dieno’s Hell Gate. Hirata then collapsed on top of Honda to get the unintentional three count.
DDT “D-OU GRAND PRIX 2021 IN NARIMASU!”, 12/12/2020 Tokyo Narimasu Act Hall ??? Fans – Withheld
1. 3 Way Tag Match: Mad Paulie & Nobuihiro Shimatani defated Mizuki Watase & Hideki Okatani and Yukio Naya & Keigo Nakamura when Shimatani pinned Nakamura after a Combined Body Press (8:13).
2. D-Ou Grand Prix 2021 – B Block: Shunma Katsumata (4) defeated Soma Takao (6) by Countout (10:05).
3. D-Ou Grand Prix 2021 – B Block: Jun Akiyama (8) defeated Yuki Ueno (6) with the Front Neck Lock (11:51).
4. D-Ou Grand Prix 2021 – B Block: Makoto Oishi (4) defeated Tetsuya Endo (7) with the Fujiyama Knee Lock (19:26).
5. D-Ou Grand Prix 2021 – A Block: Akito (7) defeated Yukio Sakaguchi (6) by TKO with a Modified Figure 4 Leg Lock (8:56).
6. D-Ou Grand Prix 2021 – A Block: MAO (6) defeated Chris Brookes (6) with an Inside Cradle (14:28).
7. D-Ou Grand Prix 2021 – A Block: Konosuke Takeshita (8) defeated HARASHIMA (7) with the German Suplex (20:39).
The dust has settled and no tiebreakers were needed. The D-Ou Grand Prix 2021 final will be between Konosuke Takeshita and Jun Akiyama! The A Block was decided in the last three matches of the show with Takeshita winning the group by beating HARASHIMA. Takeshita’s injured left arm was targeted in by HARASHIMA in a last ditch attempt to avoid the German Suplex. But Takeshita wrestled his way into position to pin his opponent with the move. Takeshita gave HARASHIMA credit and said today’s match was the strongest he’s ever been. HARASHIMA joked and asked Takeshita if his arm was sore. Akiyama came out and told Takeshita he already beat him on 3rd November. If Takeshita wants revenge he needs to recover from his injury and bring his best on 27th December. Takeshita told Akiyama he won’t lose to him again.
A lot of come from behind results happened for the blocks to end up the way they did. Chris Brookes lost to MAO to get knocked out of the running. MAO added a Reverse Quetzalcoatl to his move set but that wasn’t enough to win. Instead he had to counter the Praying Mantis Bomb into a Small Package to pin Brookes. MAO admitted he would like to have seen Brookes reach the final because they are friends outside the ring (they go to karaoke and sing “One Night Carnival” a lot) but he wasn’t going to lose to him today. MAO is also feeling tired of wrestling in singles matches. He wants to do tag team wrestling again.
The other wrestler in A Block to fall at the final hurdle was Yukio Sakaguchi. He was only interested in grappling with Akito so he did not throw many kicks in their match. Akito got the better of him on the mat and tangled him into a modifed Figure 4 Leg Lock. Sakaguchi refused to give up but the referee had to end the match when it was clear that Sakaguchi was done for. Sakaguchi admitted his knee wasn’t 100% after his match with HARASHIMA and Akito was smart to go after it. Akito wasn’t fully motivated to wrestle today because he wouldn’t reach the final. He wondered if Sakaguchi intentionally invited him to mat wrestle to give him that motivation. He found a new way to do a Figure 4 so in the end he did get something out of it.
Over in the B Block, Tetsuya Endo was stunned by a submission loss to Makoto Oishi! The shock result happened when Oishi grabbed Endo’s leg to avoid the Canadian Destroyer and got him into the Fujiyama Knee Lock. Endo was managing to withstand it until Oishi put all of his power into the hold, getting the tapout. The result meant Akiyama was going to the final instead of Endo. Oishi said it would have been uncool if the leader of Junretsu couldn’t help get Akiyama to the final. For anyone who thought it’s time for Oishi to retire, his message today is it’s not his time yet! He’s still getting better and he is not going to retire before Akiyama.
The penultimate B Block match was where Akiyama cemented his spot in the final. He took over when Yuki Ueno missed the BME and hit the Exploder Suplex. He then did the Wrist-Clutch Exploder but Ueno kicked out at two. Akiyama didn’t waste time and he put Ueno in the Front Neck Lock for the submission win. Backstage Akiyama gave his thoughts on the current wrestling scene. The likes of Ueno need to step up more. They’re not going to catch up to Akiyama if they’re just aiming to get along with him. There is a difference between trying to get better together and trying to get better alone. Akiyama is in DDT to compete and that difference is why he is beating wrestlers half his age. He says it’s fine when Sanshiro Takagi says he wants his company to catch up to New Japan and overtake them. But when you say that then you must treat the business as a competition and you must compete. You can still go and create interesting ideas that are different from the norm, but if it’s not done with the intention of competing then pro wrestling will eventually have nothing left.
Soma Takao’s chance to win the block was ruined thanks to Shunma Katsumata. He has to give some of the blame to Nobuhiro Shimatani though. Also himself but he still blamed Shimatani. He used the steel basin in the match but Katsumata fought back with Lego. Shimatani grabbed the basin but hit Takao by accident. Takao then purposely hit him with the basin and chased him out of the room with Katsumata following them. While the 20 count was being made, Katsumata returned to the ring first. Takao then came back with his legs taped together forcing him to hop back to the ring. He was about to break the count when Katsumata dropped the basin on his head, knocking him down and leaving him counted out. Katsumata said the tournament has been hard for him because he injured his knee during the summer. That is why he’s been cheating throughout the Grand Prix so he could still leave an impression with his matches. Today was the end of his tournament run but as a pro wrestler he will continue to rise.
In the non-tournament 3 Way Tag, Shimatani jumped onto Mad Paulie’s back and together they squashed Keigo Nakamura.
BASARA “BASARA 141 ~THE 8TH FOX PRINCE~”, 28/11/2020 Tokyo Oji BASEMENT MON☆STAR
1. Ryota Nakatsu Vs FUMA
2. Banana Senga Vs Masato Kamino
3. Isami Kodaka Vs Fuminori Abe
4. Daichi Kazato Vs Tsutomu Oosugi
5. Ryuichi Sekine Vs SAGAT
6. Takato Nakano Vs Takumi Tsukamoto
7. Yusuke Kubo Vs Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi
BASARA “BASARA 142 ~THE 9TH FOX PRINCE~”, 28/11/2020 Tokyo Oji BASEMENT MON☆STAR
1. Yusuke Kubo & Takato Nakano Vs SAGAT & Fuminori Abe
2. Isami Kodaka & Banana Senga Vs Takumi Tsukamoto & Masato Kamino
3. Ryuichi Sekine, Ryota Nakatsu & Daichi Kazato Vs FUMA, Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi & Tsutomu Oosugi
4. Each Army Selection Elimination 6-Man Tag Match: X, X & X Vs X, X & X
Team Isami: Isami Kodaka, Ryota Nakatsu, Ryuichi Sekine, Yusuke Kubo, Banana Senga, Daichi Kazato and Takato Nakano
Team Abe: Fuminori Abe, Takumi Tsukamoto, FUMA, Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi, Tsutomu Oosugi, SAGAT and Masato Kamino
Unfortunately there are a lot of last minute changes going on because of COVID-19. Yasu Urano went for a PCR test this week after getting a fever and it came back positive. Meanwhile Daiki Shimomura, Tetsuo Usui and referee Yuya Okada have gone into quarantine after coming into close contact with someone who has the virus while wrestling for other promotions (it is unclear if they are referring to Urano). The Shimomura Vs Usui match on the afternoon show has now been cancelled. The evening show is also mixing some matches around. The new main event will be 6-Man Tag Team Elimination match with teams decided right before it takes place.
DDT “D-OU GRAND PRIX 2021 IN NARIMASU”, 28/11/2020 Tokyo Narimasu Act Hall
-. D-Ou Grand Prix 2021 – A Block: Yukio Sakaguchi (4) defeated Daisuke Sasaki (2) by Forfeit.
1. Yukio Sakaguchi Vs Hideki Okatani
2. Danshoku Dieno, Antonio Honda & Keigo Nakamura Vs Saki Akai, Tomomitsu Matsunaga & Yukio Naya
3. D-Ou Grand Prix 2021 – A Block: Akito (4) Vs Chris Brookes (2)
4. D-Ou Grand Prix 2021 – A Block: HARASHIMA (4) Vs MAO (2)
5. D-Ou Grand Prix 2021 – B Block: Soma Takao (2) Vs Makoto Oishi (2)
6. D-Ou Grand Prix 2021 – B Block: Shunma Katsumata (0) Vs Jun Akiyama (0)
7. D-Ou Grand Prix 2021 – B Block: Tetsuya Endo (4) Vs Kazusada Higuchi (2)
Still early in the grand prix but when the weekend is over we’ll be past the halfway point.
BAKUHA KOSHIEN “BAKUHA KOSHIEN 2020 ~30TH ANNIVERSARY OF CURRENT BLAST~”, 29/11/2020 Kanagawa Tsurumi Fruit & Vegetable Market
1. Mizuki Watase Vs Maku Donaruto
2. Yuna Manase Vs Ayumi Hayashi
3. Ricky Fuji Vs Gota Ihashi
4. Rikidozan III Vs Taiho III: Chikara & Yumehito Imanari Vs Yukio Naya & Hoshitango Imachi
5. First In History! Air Time Bomb & Current Blast Bat x 3 Death Match: Atsushi Onita, Mecha Pandita & Rambo Kawamura Vs Takashi Sugiura, NOSAWA Rongai & Hidetaka Monma
In other absence news, Nobuhiro Shimatani has a fever and will not be at the Bakuha Koshien show this Sunday. He was tested for COVID and thankfully the result came back negative. The decision was still made for him to stay home and rest just to be safe. Gota Ihashi takes his place in the match against Ricky Fuji.
1. DAMNATION Vs ALL OUT!: Tetsuya Endo & Hiroshi Yamato Vs Konosuke Takeshita & Shunma Katsumata
With Daisuke Sasaki out of action probably for the rest of the year, Tetsuya Endo & Hiroshi Yamato are given the chance to team up together.
DDT “DRAMATIC 2020 MARINE!”, 20/12/2020 Shizuoka Shimizu Marine Bill
1. MAO Vs Keigo Nakamura
2. A Rumble Of Laughter! DDT Variety Group Sangokushi: Danshoku Dieno Vs Antonio Honda Vs Kazuki Hirata
3. Kazusada Higuchi, Yukio Sakaguchi & Saki Akai Vs Akito, Chris Brookes & Yukio Naya
4. DAMNATION Vs Junretsu!: Tetsuya Endo & Nobuhiro Shimatani Vs Jun Akiyama & Hideki Okatani
5. 42 Years Old Soon!: Makoto Oishi & Mizuki Watase Vs Soma Takao & Mad Paulie
6. Shinya Aoki Shizuoka Triumph! Shimizu Specialty Special 6-Man Tag Match: HARASHIMA, Toru Owashi & Shinya Aoki Vs Konosuke Takeshita, Shunma Katsumata & Yuki Ueno
Shinya Aoki’s first match back since losing the DDT Extreme Title will be in his hometown.
A press conference was held today reacting to the aftermath of “ULTIMATE PARTY 2020”. It began with Tetsuya Endo apologizing to anyone who was offended by Shuji Ishikawa’s singing at the end of the show. Endo then explained his treatment of Daisuke Sasaki over the last couple of weeks including banishing him from DAMNATION was all done to guarantee he would get the most serious match out of him. He doesn’t hate him and it’s all water under the bridge now. Finally, Endo announced that Nobuhiro Shimatani has been promoted from a temporary DAMNATION member to an official full time member. Sasaki has been asked to hold the signboard from now on.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “WRESTLE PRINCESS”, 07/11/2020 Tokyo Dome City Hall
1. Suzume & Sena Shiori Vs Moka Miyamoto & Mei Suruga
2. Marika Kobashi & Haruna Neko Vs Pom Harajuku & Mahiro Kiryu
3. International Princess Title Tournament – Semi Final: Hikari Noa Vs Mirai Maiumi
4. International Princess Title Tournament – Semi Final: Shoko Nakajima Vs Yuki Kamifuku
5. Raku Vs Yuna Manase
6. WP Switch Random Rules Match: Hyper Misao Vs Saki Akai
7. Miyu Yamashita & Aja Kong Vs Maki Itoh & Sareee
8. International Princess Title Tournament – Final: X Vs X
9. Princess Tag Team Titles: Rika Tatsumi & Miu Watanabe (c) Vs Nodoka Tenma & Yuki Aino
10. Princess Of Princess Title: Yuka Sakazaki (c) Vs Mizuki
I’ll have a preview posted either tomorrow or Friday.
The rules of the WP Switch Random Rules Match will be explained on the day of the show.
DDT “DDT TV SHOW! #11”, 08/11/2020 DDT TV SHOW Studio
1. O-40 Title: Gorgeous Matsuno (c) Vs Toru Owashi
2. DDT UNIVERSAL Title: Yuki Ueno (c) Vs MAO
He’s been gone for over four months but MAO thinks he is already good enough to get a title shot after one match back. He hopes if he wins the DDT UNIVERSAL Title he can show the belt off to the mayor of Osaki and become an ambassador for his hometown just like Endo became one for Shiroishi. Yuki Ueno is looking forward to defending the title against another DNA wrestler. Ueno was only part of that brand for a year or two before it was suspended so he didn’t get to wrestle MAO as much over there. That MAO approached him to make the challenge makes Ueno happy.
DDT “DDT TV SHOW! #12”, 14/11/2020 DDT TV SHOW Studio
1. KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles: Kazusada Higuchi, Yukio Sakaguchi & Saki Akai (c) Vs Akito, Kazuki Hirata & Shota
Long before DNA there was another brand associated with DDT that was dedicated to giving the young wrestlers ring time. Monthly Young Communication existed a decade ago where the likes of Akito, Kazuki Hirata and Shota got to wrestle with each other. This was long before any member of Eruption joined DDT so the reemergence of this brand to challenge them for the KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles surprised them. But they said they will take on any trio who wants to take them on so the titles are on the line.
Normally DDT holds two major shows a year in venues such as Sumo Hall or Ota Ward Gymnasium. The Coronavirus pandemic has forced them to reconsider the schedule and attempt more shows in bigger venues. It’s hard to say if Sumo Hall will be available for DDT in 2021 because of the rescheduled Olympic Games. It has also been difficult for DDT to find a venue that will allow 1,000+ fans to attend their show. Also there are cities in Japan where the population are staying put rather than travelling to Tokyo for their entertainment. So DDT are attempting to hold a major show outside of Tokyo, choosing the Culttz Kawasaki venue in Kawasaki as their spot. For now the only match attached to the card is a KO-D Openweight Title defence. It’s not confirmed yet if the D-Ou Grand Prix winner will be the challenger but that’s usually how it goes.
DDT “ULTIMATE PARTY 2020”, 03/11/2020 Tokyo Ota Ward Gymnasium ??? Fans
0. Under Match: Hideki Okatani defeated Keigo Nakamura with the Double Arm Suplex (4:24).
0. Under Match: Hiroshi Yamato & Hoshitango defeated Mizuki Watase & Yukio Naya when Yamato submitted Watase with the Just X (9:00).
1. MAO Return Battle: MAO defeated Shunma Katsumata with the Marines Tornado Splash (7:51).
2. Akito defeated Danshoku Dieno with the Mouth Breathing Sanno Type Kiss (9:51).
3. Survival 4 Way 6-Man Tag Match: Kazusada Higuchi, Yukio Sakaguchi & Saki Akai defeated Toru Owashi, Naomi Yoshimura & Kazuki Hirata, Mad Paulie, El Lindaman & Nobuhiro Shimatani and Super Sasadango Machine, Makoto Oishi & Antonio Honda (11:03).
3a. Kazuki Hirata eliminated Nobuhiro Shimatani with the Miracle One Shot Cradle (7:12).
3b. Kazuki Hirata eliminated Antonio Honda with the Miracle One Shot Cradle (9:50).
3c. Yukio Sakaguchi eliminated Kazuki Hirata with a Cradle (11:03).
4. DDT Extreme Title – Yanekabe Presents Weapon Rumble: Sanshiro Takagi defeated Shinya Aoki (c) with La Magistral Cradle (10:55). *Shinya Aoki fails in V6. Sanshiro Takagi becomes the 49th DDT Extreme Champion!
5. Special Tag Match – HarashiMarafuji Vs CimaSoma: CIMA & Soma Takao defeated HARASHIMA & Naomichi Marufuji when Takao pinned HARASHIMA with the Gin And Tonic (12:47).
6. DDT UNIVERSAL Title: Yuki Ueno defeated Chris Brookes (c) with the WR Unlimited (14:05). *Chris Brookes fails in V3. Yuki Ueno becomes the 4th DDT UNIVERSAL Champion!
7. Special Single Match: Jun Akiyama defeated Konosuke Takeshita with the Front Neck Lock (25:38).
8. KO-D Openweight Title – BLACK OUT Presents: Tetsuya Endo (c) defeated Daisuke Sasaki with the Shooting Star Press (27:48). *V3 for Tetsuya Endo.
The stage was set for the Battle Of DAMNATION over the KO-D Openweight Title. The challenger Daisuke Sasaki walked down to the ring carrying a chair with Hiroshi Yamato backing him up. The champion Tetsuya Endo appeared with #DAMNHEARTS flanking behind him. Sasaki immediately went for the Cross Facelock when the match began and Endo fled out of the ring. Endo went for a Shooting Star Press at the first opportunity and Sasaki too backed away. Sasaki blocked a Quebrada and attacked Endo’s leg with the chair. Nobuhiro Shimatani bought Endo some time to recover by pulling Sasaki out of the ring but Endo’s leg was too damaged to do the Sasuke Special. Shimatani again pulled Sasaki out of the ring and the rest of #DAMNHEARTS joined in the interference. When Endo was handed a chair to use on Sasaki, he threw it away and told #DAMNHEARTS to stop getting involved. He wanted the match to stay one on one. Everyone appreciated his noble intention except for Sasaki who gave him a Low Blow. Later Shimatani and Mad Paulie got on the apron to distract Yukinori Matsui. Things went out of control from there when Sasaki catapulted Endo into the three of them, taking the referee out. Endo grabbed the chair off Sasaki and readied his swing when Paulie blocked the chair and allowed Sasaki to Low Blow Endo again! Sasaki hit a chairshot over Endo’s head and placed him in the Cross Facelock in time for Matsui to recover. However Endo reach the ropes. Sasaki used his flash Hurricanrana but only got a two count. Endo quickly turned the tables and hit the Swivel Torture Rack Bomb yet his Shooting Star Press was blocked by Sasaki’s knees. Sasaki rolled Endo back into the Cross Facelock and tried to switch it into the Crossover version but it was broken up by a Cradle pin attempt. Endo eventually did the Modified One-Winged Angel but Sasaki kicked out at two. Sasaki was spent at this point and could do little else. Endo hugged him then Headbutted him before winning with the Shooting Star Press.
Sasaki was helped to the back by Yamato and Paulie when Endo told them to come back. Endo is going to take responsibility for Sasaki’s future in front of everyone. A defeated Sasaki wanted none of it and demanded a ten bell salute to mark his retirement from pro wrestling. Yamato went to ring the bell but Endo stopped him. Retirement is not taking responsibility in Endo’s eyes. He’d rather see Sasaki stick to wrestling. He wanted a serious fight with Sasaki today and he got it. So now he wants them to reach the top together as part of DAMNATION! Sasaki began to cry and asked if that means he can disregard the retirement stipulation he promised? Endo would allow it. The two shook hands and suddenly Shuji Ishikawa walked out singing “Ito” by Miyuki Nakajima. He congratulated his friends and told them how happy he is to see them make up. He then went back to singing, ignoring anyone who asked him what he was doing. Endo closed out the show with his victory speech when Ishikawa was finished. The Saitama Super Arena show was cancelled and then the Sumo Hall show was cancelled but DDT was able to get it done in Ota Ward Gymnasium. Endo thanked everyone for believing in them to put the show together. #DAMNHEARTS gathered together on the stage for one last pose. “Into The Light” played while the credits rolled and the final view we see is Endo and Sasaki walking down a hallway side by side.
In the post-show interview, Endo said he was so driven to get the match he wanted today that he wonders if he is now reborn because of it. Sasaki still thinks he should retire for losing. He and Sasaki agreed that he should at least go on a retirement tour. The “Charisma Retirement Tour” begins tomorrow and will last until the year 2080. Sasaki expects either he or the media will be dead at that point so they should all be around to witness the tour from beginning to end. Endo said there is no limit for DAMNATION’s goal to reach the top. He wants them to win all of the titles in DDT! He also brought up the idea of DDT going back to Shiroishi because he recently became a tourist ambassador for the city. Ishikawa pointed out he has now sung inside Sumo Hall, the Budokan and Ota Ward Gym. Only the Tokyo Dome remains!
Jun Akiyama made Konosuke Takeshita tap out! Stamina was Akiyama’s concern over the match so he wanted to win early. They kept battling over the German Suplex and the Exploder Suplex as well as the Lariat against the Jumping Knee. Akiyama outlasted his opponent and got a critical strike in when he pulled down a kneepad and struck with his exposed knee. Takeshita kicked out of the Exploder but seemed to be done when Akiyama did the Wrist Clutch Exploder. But rather than pin him, Akiyama instead applied the Front Neck Lock and made Takeshita tap to win. Backstage he praised Takeshita and said he has all the tools a great wrestler needs. But he is still missing experience. Akiyama knows many of the moves Takeshita uses and if there was more emotion put into them then maybe today’s result would have been different. If Takeshita can take the lead from Akiyama in a match then he will win. But for now Akiyama is still in the lead. A defeated Takeshita is now left wondering if the path he took all this time was the wrong one.
A new variation of the WR made Yuki Ueno the new DDT UNIVERSAL Champion! He used a Wrist Clutch version of the hold called the WR Unlimited to pin Chris Brookes. Ueno thanked everyone for their support and invited all of DISASTER BOX into the ring. He thanked each of them before announcing he is leaving the group! The reason he was able to win and defend the KO-D Tag Team Titles with Naomi Yoshimura was because of everybody in DISASTER BOX watching over him. He worked hard ever since joining the group and it paid off with his first singles title today. He thinks Yoshimura and Kazuki Hirata will be good rivals for him while all of his senpais will become a high wall for him to climb over.
DISASTER BOX posed together with Ueno for the last time. When they left, MAO entered the ring wanting the new champ’s attention. Ueno is now alone? Well MAO is alone too. Since they are not both feeling lonely they should be together! Ueno was confused and thought MAO was asking for a hug. Instead MAO hit him with a Palm Strike and explained he was asking for a UNIVERSAL Title match as soon as possible. Hisaya Imabayashi made the match official for the 8th November episode of DDT TV SHOW.
In an upset, CimaSoma defeated HarashiMarufuji with Soma Takao getting the three count on HARASHIMA! The veteran outsiders CIMA and Naomichi Marufuji cancelled each other out whenever they faced off. They both did Corner To Corner Dropkicks on each other’s partners at the same time. Takao intercepted HARASHIMA’s Somato with the Schwein, giving CIMA the opening to do the Mad Splash. Takao followed up with his own Mad Splash but Marufuji broke the pin. Takao struggled to get HARASHIMA into the Gin And Tonic and got rolled over. But he readjusted himself to stand back up with HARASHIMA still in position to take the move. Takao pulled it off and got the win because of it. CIMA was surprised by the result and admitted as such. Takao felt a little awful that CIMA thought he couldn’t win but he’ll forget about it. After all, Takao got to wrestling in his hometown, teaming with somebody he highly respects and wearing similar gear too! Takao asked CIMA to team with him again so they can go after the KO-D Tag Titles.
The contract for the DDT Extreme Title match was finally signed in the ring moments before the match took place. As soon as Shinya Aoki put pen to paper, he attacked Sanshiro Takagi and the match began. Aoki gave Takagi a Piledriver on the table before the first weapon showed up. It was Keigo Nakamura. He and Aoki worked together to fight Takagi. The second weapon was a Sound Only Current Blast Bat. Takagi pressed the button to switch the bat on and swung it at Aoki. Nakamura took the hit instead to the sound of a large explosion, knocking him out. The next weapon was Maku Donaruto. He helped Aoki until Takagi’s equalizer appeared. It was Hayato “Mach” Sakurai! He tossed over Donaruto (not in the way Donaruto wanted) and chased him away from the ring. Aoki’s next weapon was “Exposure Talk”, a video of Danshoku Dieno & Super Sasadango Machine with their faces blurred talking about embarrassing stories involving Takagi. It caused great psychological damage to Takagi. However the weapon after that was another “Exposure Talk” video. This one was of an unidentified woman (possibly Aoki’s ex-wife) making innuendos about how awful Aoki’s “ground game” is. Takagi rolled Aoki over for a School Boy but Aoki kicked out so Takagi called for another “Exposure Talk” video. This time the video was of another woman revealing the dirty Instagram DMs Aoki had been sending her. The video was so shocking that Aoki became lifeless. Takagi easily pinned him with La Magistral Cradle then bowed in apology. Aoki was carried out of the ring on a stretcher while Takagi was handed his newly won title.
Takagi was approached by Imabayashi about his first title defence. Who, when and where are the questions Imabayashi wants the answers to. Takagi wants the title to shine brighter so every one of his defences will take place outside the ring and on the streets! He wants any wrestler from any company with any amount of experience to come challenge him. His title defences won’t be shown on WRESTLE UNIVERSE or ABEMA. Instead they will be held on DDT’s Youtube channels! It will be an All You Can Eat Extreme Defence Battle! Takagi went up to the stage to celebrate but was attacked by Shunma Katsumata with a chair. Katsumata made it clear he wants a title match.
Sasadango had a cunning plan for the Survival 4 Way Trios match. He needed to confuse the #DAMNHEARTS team so hidden underneath his mask was his face painted to look like Mad Paulie. He claimed the make up was made with a special elixir from the African Amazon. A match with this many wrestlers involved already became a mess when everyone gathered around Daisuke Kiso asking to be body checked all at once. Antonio Honda went through great effort not to lose his balance but still tripped and hurt his knee. He wanted to tell a Gongitsune story but El Lindaman stopped him. The time was now for Sasadango’s plan. He unmasked, showed them his Paulie facepaint and said he wanted to join them as Paulie #2! #DAMNHEARTS excitedly accepted him and they posed together. They then attacked Sasadango’s tag partner Makoto Oishi. A Sandwich Lariat from Paulie & Sasadango missed Kazuki Hirata and then a Double Lariat hit Shimatani & Lindaman instead. Hirata took advantage and pinned Shimatani to eliminated #DAMNHEARTS. The match continued with everyone attacking Hirata. He got all of them to stop and then tricked Yukio Sakaguchi to do a hop spot on his own. An Estrella chain was made around the ring and Honda stood in the centre to tell his Gongitsune joke. He poked everyone in the eyes and then pinched Sakaguchi’s nipple. Hirata snuck in and pinned Honda to eliminate his team. It was down to Eruption and DISASTER BOX. Kazusada Higuchi took out Naomi Yoshimura & Toru Owashi with a Double Lariat. When they recovered outside the ring, Saki Akai dove onto them from the top turnbuckle. Hirata went for the Miracle One Shot Cradle on Sakaguchi but it was reversed for the three count, giving Eruption the victory.
There was hardly any time for Eruption to celebrate when Hirata got on the microphone and called Sakaguchi a coward for how he won the match. Suddenly Shota got into the ring wanting to speak to Sakaguchi. He brought up comments made by Sakaguchi & Akai about Eruption defending the KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles against any trio who are motivated enough to challenge them. Shota wants himself, Hirata and Akito to get a title shot by representing the Young Communication generation! Sakaguchi doesn’t know what that is and thinks Hirata is too old to be part of something with “Young” in the name. Akai did say Eruption would take on all comers so they accept the challenge. The match will be held on the 14th November episode of DDT TV SHOW.
Looks like nerves got the best of both Danshoku Dieno and Akito. Dieno was found by Imabayashi outside the restroom backstage. Dieno looked like he was having stomach cramps but Imabayashi ignored him to bring up something more important. Dieno is still prohibited from kissing other wrestlers for safety reasons so he must wrestle the match with bamboo held in his mouth. Meanwhile Akito couldn’t sleep last night so he drank bottle after bottle of energy drinks to stay awake. The end result was Dieno and Akito both wrestling with sick stomachs. Dieno resisted using his regular attacks until Akito begged him to do them. Dieno finally removed the bamboo so they could have the vulgar match they wanted. Suddenly Akito asked for a time out due to stomach cramps. Dieno attacked him anyway and did the Danshoku Driver. The expression on his face froze and “Gurenge” from the anime Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba began playing. Yukinori Matsui began to notice a smell in the ring while Dieno tried to sneak away. Akito attacked Dieno as the smell got worse. Dieno fought back and pulled his tights down to reveal he was wearing a diaper underneath! He gave Akito the Final Nightmare and called Matsui over to check if Akito was still conscious. Suddenly, Yuki Iino jumped onto the ring apron encouraging Akito not to give up. Akito recovered and put Dieno into the Goliath Birdeater, changing it up so he could get close enough to give Dieno the Lip Lock so Dieno would give up. Akito is satisfied to have had such a vulgar match during the Coronavirus pandemic. He is both prepared as a pro wrestler and determined as the CyberFight Vice President.
MAO’s comeback match with Shunma Katsumata resulted in the ring getting filled with toy blocks. There might also have been little bits of glass from lighttubes in there for which Katsumata apologized for. MAO used a Swan Dive Phoenix Splash to win. It’s called the Marines Tornado Splash because its was originally used by Marines Mask II. MAO had always wanted to try the move himself. He and Katsumata were in good spirits together afterward. They’re considering whether or not to team together again for the first time since their NωA days. They are still connected through the DDT Sauna Club so they are thinking if they can turn that project into a proper unit. Katsumata later MAO “Congratulations on your return!” when he found out nobody else said that sentence to him.
At the start of the show, Yuki Iino gave a brief update on his hip injury. He was safely discharged from the hospital and is currently rehabilitating with the goal of returning in February next year. He performed the Haka to kick off the show.
There were two pre-show matches. One of them saw Hiroshi Yamato & Hoshitango defeat Mizuki Watase & Yukio Naya.
The other saw Hideki Okatani beat Keigo Nakamura in the battle of the rookies. Can you tell I’m getting tired?
The D-Ou Grand Prix 2021 field was announced after intermission. The A Block consists of Konosuke Takeshita, HARASHIMA, Daisuke Sasaki, Yukio Sakaguchi, Akito, MAO and Chris Brookes. Block B features Tetsuya Endo, Kazusada Higuchi, Soma Takao, Makoto Oishi, Yuki Ueno, Shunma Katsumata and Jun Akiyama. According to Akiyama he is looking forward to wrestling more of the DDT roster after focusing so much of his time on Takeshita.
DDT’s first major show of 2021 on 14th February. “KAWASAKI STRONG 2021” will take place in Culttz Kawasaki.
DDT “ULTIMATE PARTY 2020”, 03/11/2020 Tokyo Ota Ward Gymnasium
0. Under Match: Keigo Nakamura Vs Hideki Okatani
0. Under Match: Hiroshi Yamato & Hoshitango Vs Mizuki Watase & Yukio Naya
1. MAO Return Battle: MAO Vs Shunma Katsumata
2. Danshoku Dieno Vs Akito
3. 4 Way 6-Man Tag Match: Kazusada Higuchi, Yukio Sakaguchi & Saki Akai Vs Toru Owashi, Naomi Yoshimura & Kazuki Hirata Vs Mad Paulie, El Lindaman & Nobuhiro Shimatani Vs Super Sasadango Machine, Makoto Oishi & Antonio Honda
4. DDT Extreme Title – Yanekabe Presents Weapon Rumble: Shinya Aoki (c) Vs Sanshiro Takagi
5. Special Tag Match – HarashiMarafuji Vs CimaSoma: HARASHIMA & Naomichi Marufuji Vs CIMA & Soma Takao
6. DDT UNIVERSAL Title: Chris Brookes (c) Vs Yuki Ueno
7. Special Single Match: Jun Akiyama Vs Konosuke Takeshita
8. KO-D Openweight Title – BLACK OUT Presents: Tetsuya Endo (c) Vs Daisuke Sasaki
It’s been a while since I’ve done one of these things. A year ago in fact! Skipped over writing a preview for “WRESTLE PETER PAN 2020” because everything was put together in too short of an amount of time but I can’t complain about a lack of build for this one. As no doubt many of you have seen, most of the pro wrestling industry worldwide has been chugging through the Coronavirus pandemic, good idea or not. For DDT they ran empty arena shows until fans were allowed back in. The block of wrestling companies owned by CyberAgent that DDT is a part of all merged their management together to form CyberFight in order to survive. Some big plans for this show went up in smoke. “ULTIMATE PARTY 2020” was originally meant to be in Sumo Hall, now it is happening in Ota Ward Gymnasium because Ryogoku became unavailable. Also Kenny Omega was supposed to be here but travel restrictions nixed that idea. DDT adapted to the problems, came up with a card they want to reach across the world and show that they aren’t just a storm in a teacup.
0. Under Match: Keigo Nakamura Vs Hideki Okatani
It’s been fun watching these two rookies flourish throughout 2020. Keigo Nakamura has become this lovable little gremlin who can adapt into whatever scenario DDT throws at him. When they need a flexible punching bag, Nakamura is there to take those lumps. I can only imagine what his imagination will be like when he has some more years on him and gets the chance to put something together by himself. It’s not all antics either. He seriously wants to win matches and isn’t happy to see the younger Hideki Okatani quickly overtake him. Okatani has been more straightforward in his first year as a wrestler. He wasted no time standing up to Jun Akiyama for a few DDT TV SHOW bouts. It led to him being the fourth man for Junretsu and getting a bigger spotlight than his “senpai” Nakamura. But these two are still fresh rookies so they get the curtain jerking spot on the pre-show.
0. Under Match: Hiroshi Yamato & Hoshitango Vs Mizuki Watase & Yukio Naya
This is Hoshitango’s first match in DDT this year. As far as I know he’s done nothing but be JR level horny on Twitter during his time away from the ring. If he’s been on other wrestling shows I can’t find them. Hiroshi Yamato made several DDT appearances doing not much of note until recently. He willingly got into the DAMNATION drama and came out of it slightly changed. He hasn’t been singing during his entrances and his eyes have gone black. After years of being stuck in the mud, Mizuki Watase is starting to progress again as part of Junretsu. He needed that kick up the bum and to be honest it isn’t enough if he wants to stop treading water. Yukio Naya is in a similar position of underachieving. He’s been accused of not performing like a man his size should. To be fair he must have a ton of pressure on his shoulders coming from such a well regarded sumo family. His grandfather is a legendary yokozuna and his three younger brothers have all joined sumo stables in the last two years. At least he has his hobbies.
1. MAO Return Battle: MAO Vs Shunma Katsumata
MAO is back from injury and he wants to break Shunma Katsumata. It’s a good sign that the world can go back to normal. A left MCL injury in June has kept MAO out of action so he was reduced to just hanging out at shows when he could. He’s still the same guy he always was. Katsumata however is no longer the sweet little boy we all knew. He was always into deathmatches but he jumped in hard this year. When he’s not wrestling Super Hardcore on Lego in DDT, he is earning his blood soaked stripes in Big Japan also with Lego. It is quickly reaching the point where I wonder if Katsumata is better off in Big Japan than DDT? There isn’t any stipulation added to the match but if MAO and Katsumata wanted to bring weapons in I’m sure nobody will want to stop them.
2. Danshoku Dieno Vs Akito
One of the biggest beneficiaries from the creation of CyberFight is Akito. Ever since he became a Vice President for the company, his success in the ring has soared. The key to his newfound momentum is the Goliath Birdeater, a disgusting looking submission hold that was originally used by Taku Iwasa in Toryumon (“It’s a Spider Thread, It’s a Spider Thread, It’s a Spider Thread, It’s a Spider Threeeeeaaaaad”). It tangles up all of the victim’s limbs just like a spider the move is named after would do. Outside the ring, Akito is taking his new role very seriously and it has made look at things with a more critical eye. He singled out Danshou Dieno in particular, asking him if his work over the summer was up to par. For you see, Akito has always wanted to wrestle Dieno in his prime. He thinks they are both one of a kind in DDT and mixing together can create something special. A match like that should happen in a big venue like Ota Ward Gymnasium. Dieno agrees and wants to prove his best days are not behind him. There’s still a lot of ideas in that creative mind of his. Who could be better than Akito to help bring them to life?
3. 4 Way 6-Man Tag Match: Kazusada Higuchi, Yukio Sakaguchi & Saki Akai Vs Toru Owashi, Naomi Yoshimura & Kazuki Hirata Vs Mad Paulie, El Lindaman & Nobuhiro Shimatani Vs Super Sasadango Machine, Makoto Oishi & Antonio Honda
As things stand now the entire tag team division belongs to Eruption. The trio have been a force to be reckoned with and were highly featured on DDT cards throughout the year. Kazusada Higuchi & Yukio Sakaguchi recently won the KO-D Tag Team Titles and with Saki Akai they also hold the KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles. So far they are living up to their goal of creating their own path in DDT. Higuchi & Sakaguchi have been regular threats to championships. Akai meanwhile completed the Okabariyasu series where she fought the likes of Rina Yamashita, Miranda Gordy, Syuri, Saori Anou and Meiko Satomura. There are no challengers for either tag titles at the moment so Eruption are in a non-title 4 Way with a bunch of DDT regulars. One team is DISASTER BOX with former tag champion Naomi Yoshimura having his final match before taking an extended break to recover from his cervical injuries. Toru Owashi is still in his gatekeeper position while Kazuki Hirata recently reminded Sakaguchi not to take him or the Miracle One Shot Cradle lightly. #DAMNHEARTS are represented by Mad Paulie, El Lindaman & Nobuhiro Shimatani. I bet Lindaman doesn’t want to be reminded of losing the trios titles to Akai after all of that big talk he gave to her beforehand. The last team rounding out the field is Super Sasadango Machine, Makoto Oishi & Antonio Honda. Sasadango has been busy producing the Hiragana Muscle revival that was meant to be the first pro wrestling musical (until Chris Jericho & MJF beat him to the punch). Oishi has been refreshed by becoming the leader of Junretsu. Honda is still Honda and er… let’s leave it at that.
4. DDT Extreme Title – Yanekabe Presents Weapon Rumble: Shinya Aoki (c) Vs Sanshiro Takagi
It has been nigh on impossible for wrestlers to take the DDT Extreme Title from Shinya Aoki. The championship that is defended under many different rules has been over Aoki’s shoulder since March and no amount of DDT foolishness has slowed him down. He’s defended the belt in a Blindfold Hidden Bra Death Match held in the centre of an empty Saitama Super Arena. He’s defended it in a Falls Count Anywhere match to celebrate the end of Japan’s lockdown. He even defended the belt against Maku Donaruto. Nothing seems to stop the MMA veteran. Only one man is left to stop him and he has just the plan needed to succeed. It’s Sanshiro Takagi and the Weapon Rumble! There’s one problem though, Aoki hasn’t signed the contract yet and would rather forfeit the title than do that match. Probably serves DDT right for promoting the match before getting Aoki’s signature but they might have figured out the reason why it came to this. Takagi suggests that Aoki has a phobia of signing contracts because it reminds him too much of his marriage and divorce. He had to sign a marriage certificate and he had to sign the divorce papers. Maybe those memories left him mentally scarred. Takagi does not want to become champion by default and is determined to make the match happen one way or another. If this turns out to be a negotiation tactic to drop the Weapon Rumble stipulation then Takagi will agree to it. Anything to ensure that Aoki shows up to Ota Ward to defend his title. I can’t blame Aoki for his paranoia about this. The weapons used in Weapon Rumbles are just as much for psychological pain than they are physical damage. What if his ex-wife shows up as a weapon?!? Probably not, from what I could find it sounds like they had a nasty split. One that is maybe too upsetting to make fun of by reuniting them in the ring.
Geez way to end the comedy match preview on a sad note, me.
5. Special Tag Match – HarashiMarafuji Vs CimaSoma: HARASHIMA & Naomichi Marufuji Vs CIMA & Soma Takao
This match was originally meant to take place at “WRESTLE PETER PAN” back in June. When DDT got to run shows in front of crowds again, HARASHIMA and Soma Takao were told that the match was back on. There was another risk of the match getting cancelled again when CIMA got into a traffic accident, breaking his nose, fracturing his wrist and getting a couple other minor injuries across the body. Thankfully he recovered and made it back to the ring in good shape. He also has been getting a lot of ring time with Takao, both as tag partners and as opponents. Takao used to wrestle using a tribute gimmick called BIMA when he was in a college wrestling club. CIMA wants to help Takao surpass him so he can start from B, skip C and go straight to D. Then he can be renamed DIMA! Plus they get to to this in Soma’s hometown of Ota. That kind of ambition and regular reps might make them a better oiled machine than HARASHIMA and Naomichi Marufuji. The HarashiMarufuji team have worked together a couple times this year but not as much as CimaSoma. In September there was an Elimination Tag Match where Takao eliminated Marufuji early by throwing him out of the ring. Marufuji wants to get revenge for being humiliated like that. Rustiness is the only weak point I can see with HarashiMarufuji. Experience and skill levels combined makes that team nearly unbeatable otherwise.
6. DDT UNIVERSAL Title: Chris Brookes (c) Vs Yuki Ueno
The newest championship in DDT has been tailor made for Chris Brookes. In February Brookes became the first DDT UNIVERSAL Champion, holding a belt created to boost DDT’s global presence. There was a setback over the Spring where he lost the belt in his first defence and had a hell of a time trying to reclaim it. But reclaim it he did and he’s having a much better go around this time. He got his cockiness back with this reign and it’s been rubbing some of the other wrestlers the wrong way. Like Yuki Ueno for example. After Brookes successfully defended the title against Naomi Yoshimura, he called him weak. Brookes then looked over to Ueno and called him even weaker. Ueno snapped and challenged Brookes for the title so he could shut him up. Brookes accepted and then put Ueno in the Octopus Stretch. Ueno got something back in the mind games department when he used the Praying Mantis Bomb in a match. Things went worse from there with Brookes attacking Ueno again after Nautilus lost the KO-D Tag Titles. Brookes continued to rub Ueno’s face in by presenting him with flowers at a press conference as if he was in mourning of Ueno’s title loss. He has the recent success behind him to back up his cocky attitude. The normally quiet Ueno has to step away from his safety net especially now that Yoshimura is taking time off. By all means the talent is there for Ueno to be a top name for DDT in the future. I always thought Yoshimura would be the stand out of Nautilus but the KO-D Tag Title reign (which has been my highlight of 2020 DDT by the way) was a breakthrough period for Ueno. This match has sleeper hit of the show written all over it.
7. Special Single Match: Jun Akiyama Vs Konosuke Takeshita
Usually it’s one company’s loss that becomes another company’s gain. In this case two companies losing out benefitted DDT. Jun Akiyama was supposed to spend some time in Florida back in May working as a temporary coach in the WWE Performance Center. COVID-19 prevented that trip from happening so DDT offered him the same role for their own roster. Akiyama got to spend time in the ring with guys like Mizuki Watase and Hideki Okatani, teaching them valuable lessons in King’s Road wrestling. The idea worked out so well that DDT struck a deal with All Japan to rent Akiyama’s services for the rest of this year (that is the other company losing out, nobody is expecting Akiyama to go back when his rental period ends). From the get go the plan was to put Akiyama and Konosuke Takeshita together as opponents. Akiyama was here to teach King’s Road but Takeshita was more interested in experiencing Akiyama’s personal wrestling style. In return Akiyama gets to experience the high level of DDT presented by Takeshita. Akiyama formed the unit Junretsu (intentionally referencing the pop band with the same name) to fight against Takeshita & ALL OUT. There is no grudge between the two wrestlers but the fights between them have been fierce. The result of this generational confrontation will shift the balance of the pro wrestling world. There’s no holding back here. Win or lose, Akiyama will do his part to nourish one of DDT’s best and help him grow even stronger.
8. KO-D Openweight Title – BLACK OUT Presents: Tetsuya Endo (c) Vs Daisuke Sasaki
Ambition is what caused this main event to exist. Ambition is what led to a betrayal and then a betrayal of that betrayal. Ambition is what created a fracture in the most powerful faction in DDT. Tetsuya Endo achieved his goal of winning the KO-D Openweight Title from Masato Tanaka back in June. In the midst of the empty arena shows he built up the momentum needed to knock Tanaka off his throne and carry the main event picture onwards. It was Endo’s savviness to form a business alliance between DAMNATION and #STRONGHEARTS, creating #DAMNHEARTS. Then he had an even bigger goal he wanted to accomplish. He let the world know when he won the King Of DDT tournament as the reigning KO-D Champion. Endo wanted to defend the title against Kenny Omega at “ULTIMATE PARTY 2020”! Endo even began using a modified Wrist Clutch One-Winged Angel to prepare for the fateful match. Unfortunately it was unable to happen at Ota Ward so Endo was tasked to find a replacement challenger. He knew who it had to be. There are only two wrestlers left he needs to defeat. One is Omega. The other is his leader Daisuke Sasaki!
At first it looked like the match would happen smoothly. Endo is loyal to Sasaki so there was no bad blood to look out for. Then cracks began to appear when they tagged together. Double team moves would backfire but ultimately would not cause them to lose. Both would take this in somewhat good spirits (if that’s even possible for the mood Sasaki is always in) and instead banter about getting into better shape more than the other can. It all came to a head in September when Sasaki turned on Endo, banished him from DAMNATION and instructed #DAMNHEARTS to join in the beating. Except they didn’t. Instead #DAMNHEARTS took Endo’s side and held a mutiny on Sasaki, kicking him out of the group instead! It turned out that Sasaki and Endo had the same idea of turning on each other and both approached #DAMNHEARTS to join them. Given the choice, #DAMNHEARTS picked to be with Endo. The new leader declared that DAMNATION can now conform, kiss ass and get married! A furious Sasaki declared he was the only member of DAMNATION and the others were banished but he can’t stop them from using the name anyway. His lone attempts to fight his former allies looked hopeless until Hiroshi Yamato came along to help him with mixed results.
As the weeks went by Sasaki fell deep into his drinking and came up with an ultimatum. If he cannot beat Endo at “ULTIMATE PARTY 2020” then he will retire! He will flee Japan in shame and go find a job in another country where he can work three days a week with no early morning shifts. Now it’s difficult to tell how serious Sasaki is with going through with this plan. He has a history of throwing down championships and threatening to quit whenever he loses only to drink his misery away to forget about it. He also has a DAMNATION show celebrating his 15th Anniversary in wrestling happening on 12th November (that the DAMNATION wrestlers have since been banned from) that seems to be going ahead no matter what the result is. What also prevents a Sasaki win from being a sure fire bet is Endo’s supposed match with Omega. Will that still happen if Endo loses the title? You’ve seen what Omega is like now. He probably isn’t going to be interested in making the trip back to DDT when allowed if both Endo and the KO-D Title isn’t involved.
DDT “THIS WILL BE OUR THIRD NARIMASU EVENT! 2020”, 03/10/2020 Tokyo Narimasu Act Hall ??? Fans – Withheld
1. Danshoku Dieno, Toru Owashi & Makoto Oishi defeated Kazuki Hirata, Mizuki Watase & Hideki Okatani when Dieno pinned Okatani with a Kido Clutch (8:17).
2. 3 Way Match: Mad Paulie defeated Shunma Katsumata and Yukio Naya when Paulie pinned Naya with the Reverse Splash (7:20).
3. HARASHIMA & Antonio Honda defeated Soma Takao & Nobuhiro Shimatani when HARASHIMA pinned Shimatani with the Somato (10:28).
4. Jun Akiyama & Chris Brookes defeated Konosuke Takeshita & Akito when Akiyama pinned Akito with the Exploder Suplex (12:27).
5. Kazusada Higuchi, Yukio Sakaguchi & Saki Akai defeated Yuki Ueno, Naomi Yoshimura & Keigo Nakamura when Akai pinned Nakamura with the Quetzalcoatl (15:28).
6. It Will Be A Narimasu Special Handicap Match!: Daisuke Sasaki defeated Tetsuya Endo & T-Hawk by Disqualification when DAMNATION interfered (7:58).
6a. Emergency Match: Tetsuya Endo & T-Hawk defeated Daisuke Sasaki & Hiroshi Yamato when Hawk pinned Yamato with the Night Ride (6:18).
Daisuke Sasaki went into Narimasu Act Hall looking for revenge against DAMNATION. He brought a chair into the ring during his entrance but got ambushed by his opponents while Yukinori Matsui stopped him from using it. The Handicap Match was one sided until Sasaki caught Tetsuya Endo in the Cross Facelock. Nobuhiro Shimatani ran in to hit Sasaki with his signboard and the rest of DAMNATION joined in the attack, bringing the match to a halt.
Help came for Sasaki unexpectedly when Hiroshi Yamato ran down to the ring with a chair! He hit Shimatani with a chair and told Sasaki he came to help him. The match restarted and was now a tag team match with Sasaki & Yamato facing Endo & T-Hawk. Unfortunately, Yamato received a Low Blow from T-Hawk and was pinned with the Night Ride. DAMNATION continued to beat up Sasaki and Yamato until they were both knocked out. Endo got on the microphone and said DAMNATION’s goal to never conform, never kiss ass and never get married is full of shit! Endo instead wants DAMNATION to conform, kiss ass and get married! Backstage Yamato told Sasaki he will team with him to fight DAMNATION again tomorrow.
Yukio Sakaguchi taunted Nautilus by asking how was it to fight against Eruption today? Yuki Ueno just said it felt normal and he left with Naomi Yoshimura. Sakaguchi called them boring and said the next time they fight he will take their KO-D Tag Team Titles as Eruption’s prize.
In the post-match interview for Match #4, Chris Brookes gave his opinion that Konosuke Takeshita is looking a little less confident. He thinks Takeshita has always been the best in DDT but today he was different. Jun Akiyama isn’t counting him out though. The tension when they’re in the ring together hasn’t dropped. But that’s only because Akiyama hasn’t raised his own effort yet. He’ll bring his best to Takeshita at Ota Ward Gymnasium next month. Over at the other team, Akito wants to avenge his recent losses against Akiyama while Takeshita wants to do this tag match all around the country. He already came up with a new strategy to beat Akiyama from what he learned today.
HARASHIMA got to unwind by teaming with Antonio Honda. His match was still a preview of what he and Soma Takao can do at Ota Ward but HARASHIMA could afford to take it lightly today. He joined in with Honda’s swiveling of the hips to set up the Bionic Elbow. It left him wondering if he can move his hips more smoothly.
Shunma Katsumata did all the work wearing down Yukio Naya only for Mad Paulie to steal the win. Katsumata hit the Stuka Splash on Naya and Paulie got rid of him afterwards. Naya wasn’t fully beaten until Paulie used the Reverse Splash on him.
Makoto Oishi and Kazuki Hirata swapped teams before the opening match to make it generation versus generation. This happened when Hirata asked Mizuki Watase & Hideki Okatani what they were doing to revolutionize DDT? When the veteran team won, Oishi took the credit and said he is better than everyone else in Junretsu. All the wrestlers looked over to the end of the room and pointed to Akiyama who was looking at them. Oishi quickly took back what he said, gathered the other Junretsu members together and declared Akiyama will lead them to the top of the wrestling world!
DDT “WHO’S GONNA TOP? 2020”, 27/09/2020 Tokyo Korakuen Hall ??? Fans – Withheld
1. Soma Takao, Mad Paulie & Nobuhiro Shimatani defeated Toru Owashi, Saki Akai & Hideki Okatani when Takao pinned Okatani with the Diving Foot Stomp (6:45).
2. Playfulness Series Act 2: Kazuki Hirata defeated Danshoku Dieno with the Miracle One Shot Cradle (7:34).
3. DDT Extreme Title – Lost Point System: Shinya Aoki (c) defeated Antonio Honda by TKO (9:45). *V5 for Shinya Aoki.
4. KO-D Tag Team Titles: Yuki Ueno & Naomi Yoshimura (c) defeated Chris Brookes & Drew Parker when Yoshimura pinned Brookes with the Throwaway Power Bomb (11:00). *V7 for Nautilus.
5. Junretsu Vs ALL OUT 3 On 3 Tug Of War!: Konosuke Takeshita, Akito & Shunma Katsumata (2) defeated Jun Akiyama, Makoto Oishi & Mizuki Watase (1).
5a. Konosuke Takeshita defeated Makoto Oishi with the Cabello 2020 (9:55).
5b. Jun Akiyama defeated Akito by Referee Stoppage with the Front Neck Lock (2:19).
5c. Shunma Katsumata defeated Mizuki Watase with a Buzzsaw Kick (5:38).
6. Special 8-Man Tag Match: Daisuke Sasaki, Tetsuya Endo, T-Hawk & El Lindaman defeated HARASHIMA, Kazusada Higuchi, Yukio Sakaguchi & Yukio Naya when Sasaki submitted Naya with the Cross Facelock (16:32).
There’s been a mutiny in DAMNATION! In the main event the group worked like a mostly well oiled machine when they defeated HARASHIMA’s team. Daisuke Sasaki & Tetsuya Endo worked together to put down Yukio Naya. Sasaki held him for Endo’s Overhead Kick and that hit the target as planned. Sasaki then hit a Diving Elbow Drop and Endo followed up with a Swan Dive 450 Splash. Sasaki went for the pin and when Naya kicked out, he rolled him into the Cross Facelock for the submission victory.
It was after the match when the double cross happened. Except that double cross was countered by another double cross. Sasaki got on the microphone and said he was in the best shape ever, even better than Rasse in his prime. Endo took the microphone and said he was tired of hearing about what shape Sasaki was in. Suddenly, Sasaki gave Endo a Low Blow from behind and started stomping on him. He revealed that ever since Endo nominated him to be his opponent at “ULTIMATE PARTY 2020”, Sasaki decided to banish Endo from DAMNATION! He ordered the rest of the unit to beat Endo up.
But that didn’t happen. Instead Nobuhiro Shimatani smacked the DAMNATION signboard over Sasaki’s head! T-Hawk struck Sasaki with a right hand, El Lindaman gave him a German Suplex, Soma Takao planted him with the Gin And Tonic. Even Mad Paulie gave his master a Lariat! Endo then finished Sasaki off with the Swivel Torture Rack Bomb. DAMNATION’s secret plan wasn’t to kick out Endo, it was to kick out Sasaki! Endo will no longer refer to Sasaki as “Charisma”. He admitted that when Sasaki came up with the plan to banish him, Endo came up with the same plan to banish Sasaki. The unit no longer needs Sasaki and he can be read like a book. DAMNATION does not flock, does not flirt and most of all does not need somebody as weak as Sasaki! The entire #DAMNHEARTS group then posed with the fallen Sasaki to rub extra salt in his wounds.
In the post-show interview, #DAMNHEARTS spoke about what had happened. Shimatani said it was great to finally smash Sasaki with the signboard. Lindaman said Sasaki was the first one to approach him about banishing Endo. But when Endo approached him afterwards about banishing Sasaki, everyone in the group chose to side with Endo. T-Hawk also confirmed this means Sasaki is now blocked from the unit’s LINE group and Sasaki should unfollow him. Endo promised to end Sasaki’s career at Ota Ward Gymnasium. Lindaman suggested Sasaki should fight Shimatani in a Chain Death Match at the show instead of challenging for the KO-D Openweight Title because Endo will successfully defend it for sure. A furious Sasaki said he is DAMNATION and everyone else is banished! He will be DAMNATION on his own from now on. He will never forgive Endo and the others for what they did to him.
At the start of the show ALL OUT and Junretsu came out to determine who would face who in the Tug Of War series of matches. Three ropes were placed under a mat in the ring with each end hanging out of the sides. Every wrestler chose a rope end and whoever was connected by the same rope had to wrestle each other. Makoto Oishi convinced Jun Akiyama to swap ropes with him at the last second and Oishi ended up having to wrestle Konosuke Takeshita in the first match!
Each match in the series would take place immediately after the previous so the wrestlers on both sides were at ringside throughout the entire challenge. Each match had a 10 minute time limit and Oishi came very close to surviving the full length. He still tried to win and attempted the Jikiden Tornado Clutch but Takeshita countered it into a Tornado Bomb. In the final ten seconds of the match, Takeshita applied the Cabello 2020 to make Oishi submit.
The second match pitted Akito against Akiyama and this one was short. Akito started off fast with the goal of applying the Goliath Birdeater. Akiyama escaped before the hold was completed and took over with Knee Strikes, Exploder Suplexes and then the Front Neck Lock to make Akito pass out. The series was tied 1-1.
It was up to Shunma Katsumata and Mizuki Watase to decide which team would win. Katsumata tired out Watase with non-stop Locomotive School Boys. When Watase used up his energy to kick out over and over, Katsumata hit him with a Buzzsaw Kick for the three count. ALL OUT wins the challenge 2-1 and Takeshita promised a complete victory over Akiyama at Ota Ward.
Nautilus have their hands full in the tag division. First Chris Brookes & Drew Parker gave them a tough fight for the KO-D Tag Team Titles. The challengers surprised the champions with a Topé Con Hilo before the bell and then put them through tables at ringside. The plan was to inflict so much damage before the match began so an easy victory could be achieved once the bell rang. However Naomi Yoshimura dodged a chairshot from Parker that hit Brookes instead. Yuki Ueno dove onto Parker and Yoshimura pinned Brookes with the Throwaway Power Bomb. Yoshimura challenged Brookes for the DDT UNIVERSAL Title afterwards. Brookes tried to ignore him by saying he doesn’t understand Japanese but Hisaya Imabayashi made it clear to him the match will happen on the 10th October episode of “DDT TV SHOW!”
That’s one team out of the way, now Nautilus has another squad to deal with. Eruption came out and Yukio Sakaguchi dared Ueno to repeat what he said about him in Itabashi a fortnight ago to his face. That day Nautilus challenged Eruption for the KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles and Ueno asked if Kazusada Higuchi & Saki Akai needed Sakaguchi to make the decision for them. Ueno explained that to him today and asked again if they will get the title shot. They already have a third person to fill out their team. It’s their DISASTER BOX stablemate Kazuki Hirata! Sakaguchi accepted but in return challenged Nautilus to defend the KO-D Tag Titles against himself and Higuchi. Imabayashi stepped in and said both title matches can happen but they need to figure out the schedule to do them on separate shows. Sakaguchi told him there’s no need to do that, they can do both title matches back to back at the next Korakuen Hall show on 25th October! Both teams agreed to the terms. The main event and semi-main event of the next Korakuen will be the two title matches between Nautilus/DISASTER BOX and Eruption!
The DDT Extreme Title match used a Lost Points system. Shinya Aoki and Antonio Honda both start the match with 5 points each. They lost a point for everytime there was a pinfall, knockout, rope escape or if they laughed at their opponent’s joke. A box full of props was placed in the ring for the wrestlers to use. Honda easily lost points by being outwrestled but turned the tables when he started making jokes. Aoki soon resisted laughing and dared Honda to try harder with the props. When they finally lost all of their usefulness, Aoki twisted Honda into submission to make him lose his final point.
After the match, Imabayashi asked Aoki to select his challenger for “ULTIMATE PARTY 2020”. Aoki said after five title defences he had ran out of enemies he wanted to face. But there is one guy who others have said was badmouthing him and even exploiting him. Aoki picked Sanshiro Takagi to be his next opponent! Takagi joked that he wasn’t meant to appear on today’s show because he wasn’t on the poster but he appreciates being challenged. Aoki even allowed Takagi to come up with the stipulation. Takagi decided it will be the return of the Weapon Rumble!
Being in the second match of a show is a badge of honour for Danshoku Dieno. That was until Hirata took the spot from him. Today Dieno and Hirata fought to determine who was the king of Match #2! The Hirata GO! glasses were used to resist the pull of the Danshoku Driver. Dieno fought back by pulling off his tights one by one to diminish the power of the glasses. Dieno then wore the glasses and danced while Hirata put on the Danshoku tights behind his back. Hirata stunned Dieno with the Lip Lock and rolled him up with the Miracle One Shot Cradle for the victory.
Who would have thought when DAMNATION kicked off the show they would do what they did a few hours later? The team had a bit of trouble when Akai put Paulie in a Cross Armbreaker but Shimatani broke it up with a Standing Shooting Star Press. Hideki Okatani was put in danger too many times for Toru Owashi to rescue him. Takao knocked down Okatani with the Running Elbow Butt and won with a Diving Foot Stomp.
MAO returned and announced his first match back from injury. He will face Katsumata at “ULTIMATE PARTY 2020”. The only thing MAO had to say is he will destroy Katsumata.
DDT “GET ALIVE 2020”, 07/09/2020 Tokyo Korakuen Hall ??? Fans – Withheld
1. Akito & Yukio Naya defeated Makoto Oishi & Mizuki Watase when Akito submitted Watase with the Goliath Birdeater (8:42).
2. Super Sasadango Machine & Antonio Honda defeated Kazuki Hirata & Keigo Nakamura when Honda pinned Nakamura with the Diving Fist Drop (9:34).
3. KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles: Kazusada Higuchi, Yukio Sakaguchi & Saki Akai (c) defeated Danshoku Dieno, Seigo Tachibana & Yoshiko when Sakaguchi pinned Dieno with the Gay-do Clutch (11:57). *V2 for Eruption.
4. Team Big Boomers Vs ALL OUT!: Jun Akiyama & Sanshiro Takagi defeated Konosuke Takeshita & Shunma Katsumata when Akiyama pinned Katsumata with the Exploder Suplex (10:48).
5. DDT UNIVERSAL Title – No DQ Match: Chris Brookes (c) defeated Drew Parker with the Praying Mantis Bomb (13:55). *V1 for Chris Brookes.
6. DAMNATION Vs DISASTER BOX Full Scale Battle! Elimination 10-Man Tag Match: Daisuke Sasaki, Tetsuya Endo, Soma Takao, Mad Paulie & Nobuhiro Shimatani defeated HARASHIMA, Naomichi Marufuji, Yuki Ueno, Naomi Yoshimura & Toru Owashi (23:37).
6a. Soma Takao eliminated Naomichi Marufuji by Ring Out (13:48).
6b. Mad Paulie & Nobuhiro Shimatani and Toru Owashi were all eliminated by Triple Ring Out (15:24).
6c. Daisuke Sasaki eliminated Naomi Yoshimura with a School Boy (17:11).
6d. HARASHIMA eliminated Soma Takao by Ring Out (18:43).
6e. Tetsuya Endo eliminated HARASHIMA by Ring Out (21:13).
6f. Yuki Ueno eliminated Daisuke Sasaki by Ring Out (22:36).
6g. Tetsuya Endo eliminated Yuki Ueno with the Shooting Star Press (23:37).
The main event elimination match had No Tag and Over The Top Rope rules added to it before everyone came out. Naomichi Marufuji was the surprise first elimination when Soma Takao blocked the Shiranui, knocked him onto the apron and then Missile Dropkicked him to the floor. Toru Owashi evened the score in a big way by holding on to both Mad Paulie and Nobuhiro Shimatani in the apron. HARASHIMA & Yuki Ueno understood his plan and Dropkicked the group to the floor, bringing the match down to 3 Vs 3. Paulie & Shimatani stuck around however and distracted the referee so Daisuke Sasaki could Low Blow Naomi Yoshimura twice before pinning him. The entire DAMNATION side continued their attack until the full DISASTER BOX team fought back and HARASHIMA eliminated Takao by countering the Gin And Tonic into a Headscissors over the rope and out of the ring. Sasaki hit a Topé Suicida to Ueno while Tetsuya Endo caught HARASHIMA with the Overhead Kick. He lifted him up for the Torture Rack but instead of going for the Bomb like he normally does, he ran across the ring and threw HARASHIMA to the floor instead. DAMNATION’s 2 on 1 advantage backfired when Endo accidentally kicked Sasaki out the ring when he aimed for Ueno. Endo recovered from that mistake and pinned Ueno with the Shooting Star Press to win.
After the match there were two things DAMNATION had to talk about in regards to “ULTIMATE PARTY 2020”. Takao was discussing his tag match against HarashiMarufuji when he received two video messages from CIMA. The first message was CIMA saying how much he is looking forward to the match after it was delayed. Then the second video was CIMA suggesting he and Takao have a warm up match before that. But instead of them teaming together CIMA and Takao will have a match against each other on 27th September!
The other issue needing attention was Endo’s big announcement. Who will he choose to defend the KO-D Openweight Title against at Ota Ward Gymnasium? He chooses Daisuke Sasaki! Endo explained there are two wrestlers left he has to surpass. One is Kenny Omega but that match cannot happen for now. That means he will go with his other influence and that is Sasaki. The challenge was accepted but Sasaki made something clear. DAMNATION has nothing to do with this. It will be Endo Vs Sasaki, nothing else!
Years of friendship was put aside when Chris Brookes defended the DDT UNIVERSAL Title against Drew Parker in a No DQ Match. Parker had Abdullah Kobayashi in his corner while Masahiro Takanashi accompanied Brookes to the ring. The smashed birthday mug that led to all of this was a hint of what was to come. Parker Double Stomped Brookes through a pile of plastic cases from a ladder. He also threw him through a board of plastic forks. Brookes stapled paper to Parker’s cheeks and broke a chair over his head. He then used the Praying Mantis Bomb to put his friend away. The two got along again after the match and Brookes told the fans this won’t be the last time Parker is in DDT. Together they will go after the KO-D Tag Team Titles! They got permission from Hisaya Imabayashi to challenge Nautilus and the match will happen on 27th September.
Team Big Boomers put those young up ‘n comers in their place. Shunma Katsumata had his back targeted because he still had wounds over it from a recent death match he had in Big Japan. There was a small setback when Sanshiro Takagi accidentally kicked Jun Akiyama in the face outside the ring but other than that their teamwork was flawless. Konosuke Takeshita got to fight evenly with Akiyama again but was taken aside and had to watch his rival pin Katsumata with the Exploder Suplex. Makoto Oishi approached Takeshita after the match with a challenge. He wants to do three Junretsu Vs ALL OUT singles matches at the next Korakuen Hall show. They will put down three tug of war ropes hidden from view and whichever wrestlers choose the same rope will wrestle each other. Akito pointed out the possibility of Takeshita and Akiyama choosing the same rope which means their first singles match could happen before “ULTIMATE PARTY 2020”. But this rivalry between the two factions is now more than just Takeshita Vs Akiyama. The rest of ALL OUT also want to get that match against Akiyama.
The pantyhose joke is still funny to Yukio Sakaguchi so Eruption’s challengers had their gameplan ready. That was until Yoshiko refused to wear pantyhose over her head. Danshoku Dieno got her to wear jokey sunglasses instead and that worked just as well on Sakaguchi. Kazusada Higuchi wasn’t in a laughing move though. His goal was to slice off Seigo Tachibana’s little finger with a karate chop! Saki Akai was the only one on the champion team fully focused on the match and that’s because she was in the ring with her career rival Yoshiko again. Dieno took out more masks to make Sakaguchi laugh including a horse head he put over one of the production staff. Sakaguchi finally figured out he could unmask his opponents but Dieno still put the masks on other people to distract him. Sakaguchi got out of the ring only to come back in wearing the horse head himself. Dieno pulled it off to reveal Sakaguchi was wearing pantyhose on his head underneath! Dieno burst into laughter allowing Sakaguchi to put him in a Sleeper Hold. He then rolled him into a Gaydo Clutch to get the three count.
Normally in pro wrestling rookies get yelled at because they are not taking things seriously. In DDT rookies get yelled at when they do take things seriously! Keigo Nakamura got a grilling from Super Sasadango Machine, Antonio Honda and Kazuki Hirata because all he was doing in the match was wrestling. He didn’t dance, tell rude jokes or even do a PowerPoint presentation. Why even be in DDT if you don’t want to do stuff like this? To show Nakamura what he is missing, the others came up with a creative musical called TOKYO Gon. Honda sang “TOKYO GO!” with his own rude lyrics and Hirata danced to them. Nakamura got into it and joined in until Sasadango & Honda attacked Hirata & Nakamura with Bionic Elbows. Sasadango gave Nakamura the Verdict and Honda pinned him with the Diving Fist Drop while still singing “TOKYO GO!”
Junretsu came close to winning in the opener but they are still an unpolished product when Akiyama isn’t in the match. Oishi wiped out Yukio Naya with a Plancha. Mizuki Watase used a Wrist Clutch DDT and got a nearfall out of it. But Akito countered the Back Drop into an Anklelock. He turned it into the Goliath Birdeater submission and that made Watase give up.
The D-Ou Grand Prix 2021 will take place between 22nd November and 27th December. Three of the shows from the tournament will be broadcast on DDT TV SHOW when the series comes back on WRESTLE UNIVERSE.
Posted by JamieOD 
Dramatic DDT 