Iron Man Updates, DNA 18, Super Star Lane, Road To Ryogoku

June 30, 2016

If you’ve lost track of the Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title’s tour of America, here’s the list of champions since it left Japan up until 25th June. Joey Ryan, Rey Mysterio Jr., Ryan again (Rey fell asleep), Chuck Taylor (won it in a proper wrestling match), Scott Hall (won Rock-Paper-Scissors for the right to pin Chuck), Colt Cabana (officially with the dreaded Trapezius Nerve Hold), Ryan once more, Kikutaro (shitty weight spotter), Laura James (via seduction), Bunny (Laura’s pet cat), Ryan Nemeth (bribed the cat), Taya Valkyrie, John Morrison and now as of 25th June Ricochet. Title changes have been happening daily and videos are uploaded to Joey Ryan’s Twitter account and Youtube page. There are certainly more to come.

DDT “DNA 18”, 01/07/2016
Kitasenju Theatre 1010

1. Rekka Vs Nobuhiro Shimatani
2. Guanchulo Vs Masa Takanashi
3. There Is Heart In Your Character! Let This Be Assessed! This Is Not A Special Single Match: Rainbow Kawamura Vs Kikutaro
4. Kazusada Higuchi & Daiki Shimomura Vs Shunma Katsumata & Kouki Iwasaki
5. Kota Umeda Vs KENSO
6. MAO & Mizuki Watase Vs Konosuke Takeshita & Tetsuya Endo

Rainbow Kawamura is approaching four months under his current colorful gimmick. He will be assessed by Kikutaro who has been doing weird shit in wrestling for the last 17 years.

BASARA “VAJRA 15 ~50 HUMAN YEARS~”, 03/07/2016
Chikusa Culture Small Theater

1. Daichi Kazato Vs Kazuhiro Tamura
2. Best Phantom Consultation!: Ryu Gouma Vs Kodaka = Pale One
3. Michio Kageyama, Makoto Hasuka & hi69 Vs Ryuichi Sekine, Ryota Nakatsu & Koji Iwamoto
4. Tsukasaga Army Vs Kotetsu Gundan: Takumi Tsukamoto & SAGAT Vs FUMA & Yusuke Kubo
5. Isami Kodaka & Masamune Vs Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi & Shinya Ishida

Michio Kageyama and Makoto Hasuka are both from Daiwa Entertainment Pro Wrestling.

DDT “SUPER STAR LANE 2016”, 03/07/2016
Hakata Star Lane

1. Miyu Yamashita Triumph Match!: Miyu Yamashita & Shoko Nakajima Vs Saki Akai & Yuka Sakazaki
2. Sanshiro Takagi, Toru Owashi & Kazuki Hirata Vs Danshoku Dino, Shigehiro Irie & Yuto Aijima
3. HARASHIMA, Soma Takao & Azul Dragon Vs Yukio Sakaguchi, Masa Takanashi & Kota Umeda
4. Hakata Specialty Special! Wonderful! Survival! 4 Way Match: Tetsuya Endo Vs Keisuke Ishii Vs Kazusada Higuchi Vs Mad Paulie
5. DDT Extreme Title – Stockholm Style Kiss Kiss Bang Bang Death Match: LiLiCo (c) (w/ Mizuki Watase) Vs Makoto Oishi (w/ Batten Burabura)
6. Dick Togo Active Duty Comeback! Special Tag Match: Dick Togo & Antonio Honda Vs Yasu Urano & Guanchulo
7. KO-D Tag Team Titles: Daisuke Sasaki & Shuji Ishikawa (c) Vs Ken Ohka & KAI
8. KO-D Openweight Title: Konosuke Takeshita (c) Vs Yuko Miyamoto
*Yuko Miyamoto will cash in his Right To Challenge Anytime, Anywhere Contract.

Once Yuko Miyamoto gets his title shot there will be two remaining Right To Challenge contracts in play. Toru Owashi and Kouki Iwasaki currently have them. Owashi has impressively kept hold of his ever since he earned it back in March. He’s just waiting for the right time to use it.

LiLiCo and Mizuki Watase have been training hard for the Kiss Kiss Bang Bang Death Match. And by training hard I mean making out in the DDT dojo.

TAVERN WRESTLING “DON’T THE HANGOVER 2016”, 06/07/2016
Shin-Kiba 1st RING

1. Tokyo Joshi Pro Offer Match: Miyu Yamashita & Azusa Takigawa Vs Yuka Sakazaki & Yuu
2. Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi Vs Makoto Oishi
3. Obi-chan Close Call! 3 Way Match: Antonio Honda Vs Shunma Katsumata Vs Obihiro Sayaka
4. Drop Kick Vs Ebisuko Tavern Entire Surface Of Strife Extra Chapter!: Isami Kodaka & Tetsuya Endo Vs Kazusada Higuchi & Kouki Iwasaki
5. New Beijing Vs Cavalry Special Tag Match: Somato & Yasuura No (w/ Cao Zhang) Vs Ryuichi Sekine & Ryota Nakatsu

Side note, I keep resisting myself from typing Calvary whenever I have to type out Cavalry.

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “KASUKABE LOVE RIN”, 09/07/2016
Saitama Kasukabe Hall

1. Reika Saiki & Azusa Takigawa Vs Shoko Nakajima & KANNA
2. Tokyo Princess Cup – Round 1A: Nonoko Vs Akane Miura
3. Tokyo Princess Cup – Round 1B: Yuka Sakazaki Vs Marika Kobashi
4. Tokyo Princess Cup – Round 1C: Yuu Vs Nodoka Onee-san
5. Tokyo Princess Cup – Round 1D: Miyu Yamashita Vs Hyper Misao

Opponents have now become tag partners in the opener. Reika Saiki faced Azusa Takigawa in her Tokyo Joshi debut.

DDT “ROAD TO RYOGOKU 2016”, 17/07/2016
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

1. Dick Togo Return Second Leg! Special Tag Match: Dick Togo & Yasu Urano Vs Kazusada Higuchi & Kouki Iwasaki
2. Shigehiro Irie Send-off Match: Shigehiro Irie & Yukio Sakaguchi Vs HARASHIMA & Keisuke Ishii

Shigehiro Irie’s final DDT match for now involves his closest allies and rivals. He’s teaming with Yukio Sakaguchi because they rarely if not ever wrestled together on the same side. He’s fighting HARASHIMA because he ultimately wants to surpass him. Keisuke Ishii is also there because of their close ties together in Team Drift. They were champions together but now go their separate ways.

As one of the few remaining Right To Challenge holders, Kouki Iwasaki is in a dangerous position going up against a fresh out of retirement Dick Togo.

DDT “PETER PAN 2016 ~MOST HOT SUMMER IN THE WORLD~”, 28/08/2016
Tokyo Ryogoku Kokugikan

1. Special 6-Man Tag Team Match: Terry Funk, Sanshiro Takagi & NOSAWA Rongai Vs Great Kabuki, Yukio Sakaguchi & Kota Umeda
2. KO-D Openweight Title: Konosuke Takeshita (c) Vs Shuji Ishikawa

Shuji Ishikawa’s spot in the main event is guaranteed. However the KO-D Champion could change between now and then. Konosuke Takeshita has other title defences to worry about including any possible Right To Challenge cash ins.

Dick Togo and Reika Saiki are scheduled to wrestle on the show. Shigehiro Irie will not due to his excursion to America.


DDT “KING OF DDT 2016 OSAKA” Results

June 12, 2016

kingofddt-final4

DDT “KING OF DDT 2016 OSAKA”, 12/06/2016
Osaka Edion Arena #2
607 Fans – No Vacancy

0. Dark Match: Mizuki Watase & Nobuhiro Shimatani defeated Guanchulo & Heddi French when Watase pinned Guanchulo with a Back Drop (4:40).
*Mizuki Watase wins Guanchulo’s Right To Challenge Anytime, Anywhere Contract.
1. 4 Way Tag Match: Daisuke Sasaki & Mad Paulie defeated Sanshiro Takagi & Toru Owashi, Keisuke Ishii & Kouki Iwasaki and Yasu Urano & Shunma Katsumata when Sasaki submitted Katsumata with the Cross Facelock (5:39).
2. Konosuke Takeshita, Antonio Honda & Hiroshi Fukuda defeated Yukio Sakaguchi, Masa Takanashi & Kota Umeda when Takeshita pinned Umeda with the German Suplex (9:47).
3. King Of DDT 2016 – Round 2: Tetsuya Endo defeated Kazuki Hirata with the Sky Twister Press (10:11).
4. King Of DDT 2016 – Round 2: Shuji Ishikawa defeated Soma Takao with the Splash Mountain (16:07).
5. All Asia Tag Team Titles: Isami Kodaka & Yuko Miyamoto (c) defeated Danshoku Dino & Makoto Oishi when Miyamoto pinned Dino with the Axe Guillotine Driver (11:59).
*V6 for Yankee Two Kenju. Yuki Miyamoto wins Danshoku Dino’s Right To Challenge Anytime, Anywhere Contract.
6. King Of DDT 2016 – Round 2: HARASHIMA defeated KENSO with the Somato (16:06).
7. King Of DDT 2016 – Round 2: Shigehiro Irie defeated Kazusada Higuchi with a Tazzmission (15:50).

The King Of DDT final four has been determined. In the quarter final matches Shigehiro Irie surprised everyone by tapping out Kazusada Higuchi with a Tazzmission. This is a new move in Irie’s arsenal and to tap out Higuchi with it is quite an achievement. HARASHIMA did everyone a favour and knocked KENSO out of the tournament. Shuji Ishikawa cut short Soma Takao’s post-Drift winning streak. And last but not least Tetsuya Endo bested Kazuki Hirata who claimed his Hirata GO! glasses were at full power. A lottery was held at the end of the show to pick who would face who at the semi final. Ishikawa had to leave early so Daisuke Sasaki represented him by wearing a cardboard cutout of his face. The semi final matches are HARASHIMA Vs Endo and Ishikawa Vs Irie.

The All Asia Tag Team Title match was overshadowed by an embarrassing situation for DDT. All Japan entrusted the belts to DDT during the week but they were accidentally left behind in Nagano after Saturday’s show. The referee for the match Kyohei Wada was angry that such a thing could even happen. Both Sanshiro Takagi and Amon Tsurumi apologised and took the blame for the mismanagement of the belts. Despite the absence of the belts, the championship match between Yankee Two Kenju and Guname Express went ahead as planned. Yuko Miyamoto scored the pinfall and won a Right To Challenge Contract to go along with a successful title defence. When Miyamoto had the contract explained to him by Isami Kodaka, he asked when the next KO-D Openweight Title match was supposed to take place. He was told the 3rd July in Hakata Star Lane. Miyamoto declared he will cash in his title shot for 3rd July and will go one on one with Konosuke Takeshita! However he was warned that the match will not go ahead if he loses a match and his contract between now and then.

Dick Togo made his first appearance in DDT since announcing his intentions to come back from retirement. He explained that for the last year his desire to wrestle again became louder and louder everyday. It became so big that he can no longer take it. He has only one life and he wants to live it by being honest with himself. So he decided now is the time for his return to the ring. He announced his first match back in DDT will be on 3rd July and he is also booked for several other dates throughout the summer including “PETER PAN 2016” at Sumo Hall on 28th August. His return match is a tag bout between himself & Antonio Honda Vs Yasu Urano & Guanchulo. Togo said DDT has changed dramatically since he was gone. He looks forward to hitting the new wrestlers who have come during his absence. He looks forward to hitting his disciples again. He even looks forward to hitting whatever unknown wrestlers he might get put in the ring with.

Another Right To Challenge Contract changed hands in the dark match. Guanchulo lost his contract to Mizuki Watase.


DDT “MAX BUMP 2016” Results

April 24, 2016

all-hail-sasaki

DDT “MAX BUMP 2016”, 24/04/2016
Tokyo Korakuen Hall
1,633 Fans – Super No Vacancy

0. King Of Dark Title – 3 Way Match: Hoshitango (c) defeated Tomomitsu Matsunaga and Gota Ihashi when Hoshitango pinned Ihashi with the Midnight Buenos Aires (5:28).
*Hoshitango passes D1. Gota Ihashi becomes the 15th King Of Dark Champion.
1. Sanshiro Takagi, Toru Owashi & Jiro Kuroshio defeated Shunma Katsumata, Kouki Iwasaki & Guanchulo when Owashi pinned Guanchulo with La Magistral Cradle (5:43).
2. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title: Saki Akai & Makoto Oishi defeated LiLiCo (c) & Mizuki Watase when Akai pinned LiLiCo after a Sleeper Hold (8:33).
*Saki Akai becomes the 1,072nd champion.
3. Antonio Honda, Hiroshi Fukuda & Eddie French defeated Danshoku Dino, Soma Takao & Mao Inoue when Honda pinned Inoue with the Diving Fist Drop (7:22).
4. KO-D Tag Team Titles Next Challenger Decision 3 Way Match: Akito & Yasu Urano defeated Keisuke Ishii & Shigehiro Irie and Yukio Sakaguchi & Masa Takanashi when Akito pinned Ishii with the Hanamasa (9:46).
5. DDT Extreme Title – Ultimate CCC Match: Super Sasadango Machine (c) defeated Kazuki Hirata with the Vertical Drop Lehmann Shock onto a chair (7:21).
*V2 for Super Sasadango Machine.
6. KO-D Tag Team Titles: Daisuke Sasaki & Shuji Ishikawa (c) defeated Konosuke Takeshita & Tetsuya Endo when Sasaki submitted Takeshita with the Cross Facelock (15:22).
*V2 for Daisuke Sasaki & Shuji Ishikawa.
7. KO-D Openweight Title: HARASHIMA (c) defeated Kazusada Higuchi with the Somato (18:58).
*V2 for HARASHIMA.
– KO-D Openweight Title: Daisuke Sasaki defeated HARASHIMA (c) with La Mistica Cross Facelock (1:45).
*HARASHIMA fails in V3. Daisuke Sasaki cashes in his Right To Challenge Anytime, Anywhere Contract. Daisuke Sasaki becomes the 57th KO-D Openweight Champion!

harashima-somato-higuchi

There is a new ruler of DDT but it isn’t Kazusada Higuchi. It’s Daisuke Sasaki! A Right To Challenge Anytime, Anywhere Contract was cashed in after the main event in which an exhausted HARASHIMA defeated Higuchi. The match between HARASHIMA and Higuchi was tense but respect was shown from both sides. HARASHIMA targeted Higuchi’s legs but an alternate tactic of bashing Higuchi’s head into the ring post had no effect on the challenger. Instead Higuchi picked up HARASHIMA and rammed his back into the ring post. Higuchi applied an Iron Claw back in the ring but HARASHIMA fought out of it and hit the John Woo Dropkick into the turnbuckles. He unleashed his arsenal of kicks and was able to lift Higuchi up for the Falcon Arrow. Higuchi fought back with Headbutts and a big Doctor Bomb. He was a fraction away from the three count but HARASHIMA somehow kicked out! HARASHIMA avoided the Goten and was set up for the Somato but Higuchi stopped him with a Lariat. HARASHIMA kicked out Higuchi’s left leg and hit an Enzuigiri when Higuchi was brought down to his knees. He then hit the Somato to the back, a Buzzsaw Kick and then another Somato and that was enough to put the big man down and out.

sasaki-crossfacelock

There was no time for anyone to catch their breath when Daisuke Sasaki & Shuji Ishikawa rushed the ring! Ishikawa attacked HARASHIMA’s seconds and then removed Higuchi from the ring. Sasaki told Amon Tsurumi that HARASHIMA is in a weak state so he will now cash in his Right To Challenge Contract for an immediate KO-D Openweight Title match! The bell rang and Sasaki jumped at the champion. HARASHIMA shocked Sasaki by hitting a Reverse Hurricanrana and the Somato but Sasaki kicked out of the pin and locked in the Cross Facelock. HARASHIMA escaped the hold but Sasaki caught him with his flash Hurricanrana. HARASHIMA kicked out but Sasaki then performed his La Mistica variation of the Cross Facelock. This time HARASHIMA had nowhere to go and he fainted while in the move. Yukinori Matsui called for the bell meaning Sasaki is now the new KO-D Champion!

sakaguchi-confronts-sasaki

The defeated HARASHIMA had barely left the ring when Yukio Sakaguchi appeared and stood face to face with Sasaki. He said he wasn’t going to copy Sasaki’s dirty plan because his principles are different. Instead he is sticking to his promise to cash in his Right To Challenge Contract for a regular title match in Sapporo on 8th May. He left the ring allowing Sasaki to celebrate his new found dominance of DDT. He may be small but he has a big attitude. He is now a double champion and he claims it’s all because of his talent and charisma.

takeshita-tope

Sasaki’s scheduled match was the KO-D Tag Team Title defence with Shuji Ishikawa against the former champions Konosuke Takeshita & Tetsuya Endo. There was no love lost between the two teams as the champions attacked the challengers to kickstart the match. A brawl outside the ring left Takeshita & Endo in a bad state but some big risks began to pay off. Takeshita dove out of the ring onto the champions with a No Touch Topé. He later Superplexed Sasaki into Ishikawa! But it all fell apart when Sasaki escaped from Endo’s Torture Rack Bomb and a follow up Lariat from Endo hit Takeshita instead. Sasaki capitalised by putting Takeshita in the Cross Facelock and changing it to a modified stretch until Takeshita could take no more. The champions were confronted by their next challengers Akito & Yasu Urano. Urano told them he knows their weakness.

ultimate-ccc

The latest DDT Extreme Title defence took place in an Ultimate CCC Match. CCC stands for Chair And Chair And Chair. Super Sasadango Machine was inspired to create this match when Kazuki Hirata got angry over him breaking a chair at the Nagaoka show last week. When one of three Ultimate CCC cards came into play then Sasadango’s seconds at ringside would bring chairs into the ring and they would be legal to use. One of the chairs turned out to be a beanbag chair and Sasadango drove Hirata into it with the Lehmann Shock. That didn’t do much damage. Hirata took control and used the chairs as part of his dance act. This allowed Sasadango to recover and give Hirata the Lehman Shock onto a pile of chairs to win the match.

watase-kisses-lilico

Sasadango was told that his next title shot is happening on 29th May. Sasadango said he doesn’t want to wrestle, he instead wants to fight somebody from Yahoo! Suddenly the unconscious body of LiLiCo was brought out to the ring on a stretcher. The shock of losing the Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title earlier in the show put her into a deep sleep and only the power of love could wake her up. Mizuki Watase kissed LiLiCo and she awoke! She screamed that she has risen from Hell and she will bite more and more into DDT until she becomes a champion again. Sasadango took that as a challenge and accepted it.

drift-breaks-up

New challengers for the KO-D Tag Team Titles were declared in a 3 Way Match but the aftermath turned out to be the bigger story. Akito & Yasu Urano got the win and will get their title shot in Nagoya on 15th May. But the losing team in the match was Keisuke Ishii & Shigehiro Irie. When the match was over a defeated Ishii spoke into the mic and said Team Drift is breaking up! The audience was left stunned as Drift left the ring after their bombshell announcement.

honda-diving-fist

Danshoku Dino targeted Takao throughout the third match but Eddie French was there to hold him back. That was until French decided to throw him aside giving Dino the chance to chase after Takao and give him a Lip Lock. Antonio Honda cleared house with the Bionic Elbow and won the match with the Diving Fist Drop on Mic Inoue.

akai-sleeper-lilico

Saki Akai has finally achieved her goal to regain the Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title and gain revenge on LiLiCo in the process. The two wanted to fight each other straight away although their respective tag partners Makoto Oishi and Mizuki Watase stepped in to make sure the action between the women wouldn’t go out of control. It all went wrong for LiLiCo when a Running Elbow hit Inoue by accident. Akai grabbed LiLiCo and rendered her unconscious with a Sleeper Hold. Instead of keeping the hold locked Akai decided to go for a pin and she got the three count to become the new champion! LiLiCo was put into such a deep sleep she had to be stretchered away from ringside with Watase worriedly chasing after her. In a backstage interview Akai called herself the New Generation Iron Man Princess. This time she’s ready to take on anybody, anytime, anywhere.

kuroshio-moonsault

The mystery wrestler in Match #1 came from WRESTLE-1. The pretty boy known as Jiro “Ikemen” Kuroshio milked his entrance for all that it was worth, walking through the crowds and getting them to chant his name to the music. His antics won over the crowd and he received a loud “Ikemen!” chant after the match. Backstage both Sanshiro Takagi and Toru Owashi agreed that Kuroshio is ten times better than their usual partner Kazuki Hirata. Kuroshio will return on the 11th May DNA show.

ihashi-dark-again

Gota Ihashi is being sent back to where he came from, the pre-show. He is now a 5 time King Of Dark Champion. Poor bastard.

The Great Kabuki will appear at “PETER PAN 2016” in Sumo Hall on 28th August.

DDT will hold a show in Katsuragi, Nara on 30th July. Katsuragi is known as the birthplace of sumo wrestling. The mayor of Katsuragi sent a video message welcoming DDT to the city.

This year’s Beer Garden week is changing venue. It will now be held in Shinjuku FACE with a show everyday from 8th to 13th August.


DDT “ROAD TO RYOGOKU 2016 IN NAGAOKA ~DRAMATIC DREAM TOCHIO FESTIVAL~” Results

April 17, 2016

higuchi-pins-harashima

DDT “ROAD TO RYOGOKU 2016 IN NAGAOKA ~DRAMATIC DREAM TOCHIO FESTIVAL~”, 17/04/2016
Nagaoka Ao-re
369 Fans – Super No Vacancy

1. Keisuke Ishii defeated Tomomitsu Matsunaga with the Kneel Kick (7:05).
2. Sanshiro Takagi & Toru Owashi defeated Shigehiro Irie & Soma Takao when Owashi pinned Takao with a Modified Crucifix Pin (8:26).
3. Kazuki Hirata defeated Antonio Honda with the One Shot Miracle Cradle (10:57).
4. Yukio Sakaguchi & Masa Takanashi defeated Danshoku Dino & Makoto Oishi when Sakaguchi submitted Oishi with the Cobra Clutch (8:48).
*One of Danshoku Dino’s Right To Challenge Anytime, Anywhere Contracts is transferred over to Makoto Oishi. Yukio Sakaguchi wins Makoto Oishi’s Right To Challenge Anytime, Anywhere Contract.
5. Daisuke Sasaki, Shuji Ishikawa & Guanchulo defeated Konosuke Takeshita, Tetsuya Endo & Mao Inoue when Ishikawa pinned Inoue with the Splash Mountain (13:14).
6. Super Sasadango Machine defeated Hiroshi Fukuda with the Vertical Drop Lehmann Shock (8:46).
7. KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles: Kazusada Higuchi, Shunma Katsumata & Kouki Iwasaki defeated HARASHIMA, Akito & Yasu Urano when Higuchi pinned HARASHIMA with the Goten (19:42).
*V2 for Team DNA.

Kazusada Higuchi stepped up big by pinning the KO-D Openweight Champion while defending the KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles in the process! The DNA team put the belts on the line against Smile Squash and came out on top. Higuchi was unstoppable, giving both HARASHIMA and Akito a Double Choke Slam. Shunma Katsumata took out Yasu Urano with a Moonsault leaving Higuchi to pick up the pieces. HARASHIMA showed some signs of life when he hit a Jumping High Kick but Higuchi grabbed him once more and pinned him with the Goten. Higuchi told the Niigata crowd that he would like to return to the city as a double champion.

Kazuki Hirata watched Super Sasadango Machine’s match from a distance, the third floor balcony to be precise. Sasadango demanded Hirata to come down to the ring and face him but he refused. They finally faced each other backstage afterwards and they argued about a chair that Sasadango accidentally broke at ringside during his match. Hirata thinks Sasadango should have been disqualified for breaking the chair. Sasadango thinks Hirata is showing weakness by being so concerned about a broken chair.

The KO-D Tag Team Champions weren’t impressed by their competition. Daisuke Sasaki thinks the rematch against the New Gen Combo is just going to have the same result. A victory over them won’t feel rewarding and won’t give him what he wants: Candice LeRae. Konosuke Takeshita knows that this will be his & Tetsuya Endo’s last chance at beating Sasaki & Shuji Ishikawa for the titles. They will have to win no matter what.

Danshoku Dino’s usual Right To Challenge tease at the start of the show was interrupted by Makoto Oishi. He thought it was stupid that Dino was withholding three contracts for a title shot while a 14 year veteran such as himself has nothing. Oishi demanded Dino to give him one of the contracts. Dino stood by his friend and gave him a contract. Unfortunately later in the show Oishi lost the contract to Yukio Sakaguchi after the Shuten-dōji fighter tapped him out with the Cobra Clutch. Oishi demanded Dino give him another contract after the match and Dino gave him the Danshoku Driver in response. Sakaguchi revealed in a backstage interview that he plans to cash in his title shot on 8th May in Sapporo.


DDT “ROAD TO RYOGOKU 2016 IN KANAZAWA ~DRAMATIC DREAM TORIYASAI~” Results

April 17, 2016

higuchi-dino-harashima

DDT “ROAD TO RYOGOKU 2016 IN KANAZAWA ~DRAMATIC DREAM TORIYASAI~”, 16/04/2016
Kanazawa Distribution Hall
126 Fans

1. Sanshiro Takagi, Toru Owashi & Kazuki Hirata defeated Akito, Makoto Oishi & Hiroshi Fukuda when Hirata pinned Fukuda with the One Shot Miracle Cradle (9:50).
2. Tetsuya Endo defeated Mao Inoue with the Torture Rack Bomb (11:41).
3. Danshoku Dino defeated Kouki Iwasaki with the Danshoku Driver (6:04).
*Danshoku Dino wins Kouki Iwasaki’s Right To Challenge Anytime, Anywhere Contract.
4. Daisuke Sasaki & Guanchulo defeated Antonio Honda & Konosuke Takeshita when Sasaki submitted Honda with La Mistica Cross Facelock (11:37).
*Daisuke Sasaki wins Antonio Honda’s Right To Challenge Anytime, Anywhere Contract.
5. Yukio Sakaguchi, Masa Takanashi & Tomomitsu Matsunaga defeated Keisuke Ishii, Shigehiro Irie & Soma Takao when Sakaguchi pinned Ishii with the Right Knee Of God (12:37).
6. HARASHIMA & Yasu Urano defeated Kazusada Higuchi & Shunma Katsumata when HARASHIMA pinned Katsumata with the Somato (17:36).

The Danshoku Dino hid in a corner with a blanket draped over him during the entrances for the main event. With three Right To Challenge Contracts now in his possession he could cash in for a title shot, lose a contract should he be defeated and still have one contract remaining for another go. However he instead got cold feet when both HARASHIMA and Kazusada Higuchi stared at him. Dino said he just wanted to see a sporting contest between those two and made them shake each other’s hand before leaving.

In a small preview of the KO-D Tag Team Title Next Challenger match, Shuten-dōji defeated Drift in the semi-main event. After taking the pin Keisuke Ishii said he is now in a state of crisis over the match. How can he & Shigehiro Irie go after the tag titles if they can’t beat the competition?

Another Right To Challenge movement took place when Daisuke Sasaki made Antonio Honda submit in Match #4. Sasaki currently isn’t interested in going after the KO-D Openweight Title. He instead wondered if he could use the contract to marry Candice LeRae. He came to the conclusion that he will need to collect all five active contracts to make that happen.


DDT “ROAD TO RYOGOKU 2016 IN HIROSHIMA ~DRAMATIC DREAM TOKASAN~” Results

April 14, 2016

higuchi-dino-harashima

DDT “ROAD TO RYOGOKU 2016 IN HIROSHIMA ~DRAMATIC DREAM TOKASAN~”, 08/04/2016
Hiroshima Aster Plaza Multipurpose Studio
190 Fans – No Vacancy

1. Antonio Honda & Konosuke Takeshita defeated Sanshiro Takagi & Kazuki Hirata when Honda submitted Hirata with a Manjigatame (10:55).
2. 3 Way Match: Gaunchulo defeated Makoto Oishi and Masa Takanashi when Guanchulo pinned both Oishi and Takanashi with a Double Cradle (8:47).
3. Keisuke Ishii, Shigehiro Irie & Soma Takao defeated Yukio Sakaguchi, Kota Umeda & Kenshin Chikano when Takao pinned Umeda with the Gin And Tonic (11:51).
4. Danshoku Dino & Rey Paroma defeated Yasu Urano & Mizuki Watase when Dino pinned Watase after the 3P (12:01).
*Danshoku Dino wins Mizuki Watase’s Right To Challenge Anytime, Anywhere Contract.
5. Daisuke Sasaki defeated Tetsuya Endo with the Sasaki Huracanrana (10:45).
6. Kazusada Higuchi, Kouki Iwasaki & Mao Inoue defeated HARASHIMA, Akito & Tomomitsu Matsunaga when Higuchi pinned Matsunaga with the Goten (18:45).

The different potential contenders for the KO-D Openweight Title are starting to get in each other’s way. Danshoku Dino appeared at the beginning of the show to say he was not going to cash in his title shot but he would sneak up on HARASHIMA at some point so the champion would not forget about him. Dino then claimed a second Right To Challenge contract when he pinned Mizuki Watase in a tag match later in the show. Then in the main event Dino appeared from beneath the ring to ambush HARASHIMA during his entrance. Kazusada Higuchi of all people saved HARASHIMA and Headbutted Dino, bringing an end to his night. Higuchi went on to get the pin in the main event and had a staredown with HARASHIMA.

Daisuke Sasaki seems to be over his obsession to fight Johnny Gargano. But he still wants a match with Candice LeRae.

Kazuki Hirata went into the opener with the goal of pinning Antonio Honda for his Right To Challenge contract. With a DDT Extreme Title shot in the bag Hirata also wants a KO-D Title shot so he can become a double champion. However when the HIRATA GO! glasses came out both danced together and the mood lightened. Honda offered a handshake but it was a trap and he locked Hirata in a Manjigatame when his guard dropped. Honda’s still feeling salty over being left out of the DDT Extreme Title race.


DDT “DRAMATIC GRAND ILLUMINATION!” Results

April 14, 2016

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DDT “DRAMATIC GRAND ILLUMINATION!”, 03/04/2016
Shizuoka Izuguranparu Park
500 Fans – Super No Vacancy

1. Kazusada Higuchi & Kouki Iwasaki defeated Tomomitsu Matsunaga & Gota Ihashi when Iwasaki pinned Matsunaga with the Leg Capture Suplex (5:10).
*Kouki Iwasaki wins Tomomitsu Matsunaga’s Right To Challenge Anytime, Anywhere Contract.
2. Toru Owashi & Kazuki Hirata defeated Shunma Katsumata & Guanchulo when Hirata pinned Guanchulo with the Viagra Driver (7:33).
3. Danshoku Dino & Makoto Oishi defeated Masa Takanashi & Kota Umeda when Dino pinned Umeda with the Danshoku Driver (8:41).
4. DDT Extreme Title – Illumination Match: Super Sasadango Machine (c) defeated Shigehiro Irie with the Vertical Drop Lehmann Shock (8:34).
*V1 for Super Sasadango Machine.
5. Akito & Yasu Urano defeated Keisuke Ishii & Soma Takao when Urano pinned Ishii with a Rolling Cradle (10:47).
6. DDT Special 4 Vs Happy Motel Falls Count Anywhere 8-Man Tag Team Match: Sanshiro Takagi, HARASHIMA, Yukio Sakaguchi & Saki Akai defeated Antonio Honda, Konosuke Takeshita, Tetsuya Endo & Hiroshi Fukuda when HARASHIMA pinned Fukuda with the Somato (18:48).

DDT went to the great outdoors for this show. Izuguranparu Park was holding a light show and DDT was brought in as the lead up to the event. A ring and stage entrance was set up in the area but everyone in the main event didn’t care and took the match over to different areas of the park. Yukio Sakaguchi and Saki Akai entered the area in style by driving a car over to the ring. Sanshiro Takagi cycled to ringside on his Combat Bicycle. He used a fire extinguisher on anyone in his way. Then there was a daisy chain of Necklocks along a pathway. The match went over to the trampoline area where everyone got on swings and tried to swing into each other. Takagi was thrown into a night covered in lights and acted like he was caught in a barbed wire explosion blast. Tetsuya Endo Moonsaulted off of a vending machine. Then he was run over by the car driven by Sakaguchi. Konosuke Takeshita found a baseball bat covered in lights and swung it at Takagi. The match eventually found its way back to the ring and HARASHIMA pinned Hiroshi Fukuda with the Somato to win.

Super Sasadango Machine presented his thesis on “The Creation Of Mutual Benefit In Professional Wrestling And Illumination” before the DDT Extreme Title match. He then faced Shigehiro Irie in an Illumination Match. As daylight went away the lights in the area would switch on. Sasadango was hoping that the pretty lights would distract Irie so he could hit the Lehmann Shock three times, enough to beat anyone. In order to do this he had possession of three Illumination Cards that would activate Royale Mode and switch on the lights. The plan surprisingly worked and Sasadango pinned Irie after the third Lehmann Shock. The champion admitted he thought he was going to die and he wanted to turn down his next title defence scheduled for 24th April. Kazuki Hirata came down on a segway and challenged Sasadango for the title.

Kouki Iwasaki took the Right To Challenge contract from Tomomitsu Matsunaga by pinning him in the opener.


DDT “SAITAMA SLAM! VOL. 10” Results

April 13, 2016

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DDT “SAITAMA SLAM! VOL. 10”, 02/04/2016
Saitama Kasukabe Hall
330 Fans – Super No Vacancy

0. King Of Dark Title: Seiya Morohashi (c) defeated Hoshitango with the Quarrel Bomber (4:55).
*Seiya Morohashi passes D2. Hoshitango becomes the 14th King Of Dark Champion.
1. Guanchulo & Mizuki Watase defeated Saki Akai & Makoto Oishi when Watase pinned Akai with a Dropkick (6:37).
*Mizuki Watase wins Saki Akai’s Right To Challenge Anytime, Anywhere Contract.
2. Sanshiro Takagi & Toru Owashi defeated Tomomitsu Matsunaga & Gota Ihashi when Owashi pinned Ihashi with La Magistral Cradle (7:27).
3. Decision To Allow KENSO Or Rekka Into DNA Match: KENSO defeated Rekka with the Diving Elbow Drop (8:14).
4. Danshoku Dino defeated Kazuki Hirata with the Arm Clutch Lip Lock (1:07).
4a. Emergency Decision Single Match: Aja Kong defeated Kazuki Hirata with the Uraken (3:48).
5. Keisuke Ishii, Shigehiro Irie & Soma Takao defeated Yukio Sakaguchi, Masa Takanashi & Kota Umeda when Ishii pinned Umeda with the Kneel Kick (10:37).
6. Konosuke Takeshita & Tetsuya Endo defeated Antonio Honda & Hiroshi Fukuda when Endo pinned Fukuda with the Sky Twister Press (12:33).
7. HARASHIMA, Akito & Yasu Urano defeated Kazusada Higuchi, Kouki Iwasaki & Mao Inoue when HARASHIMA pinned Inoue with the Somato (14:06).

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I was in Japan for almost two weeks for a gigantic wrestling trip across Tokyo. A blog post about that entire trip is in the works but for now I’ll focus on the DDT show I got to see in Saitama. After all what sort of DDT fan would I be if I didn’t get to see one of their shows during this trip? They were gearing up for a tour around Japan during my stay but Kasukabe Hall was within distance from where I and my friends were staying. So after an email exchange with DDT to get tickets myself, Joey from America and Matt from Canada set off for Saitama.

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Kasukabe is a quiet town from what I can tell. We found a sushi restaurant and through very limited Japanese (zero from myself) were able to order a meal that included tiny little appetizer squids. I didn’t have the stomach for it (blame Splatoon) but the others were happy to try it. According to them it tastes like ginger. We found Kasukabe Hall afterwards, got our tickets and lined up for the show. After getting in it didn’t take long for Amon Tsurumi to greet us. This was the start of a surreal evening where different members of DDT staff came over to greet and thank me for the work I do on this blog. Joey and Matt were amazed at the situation.

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The show began with a King Of Dark Title match. Seiya Morohashi defeated Hoshitango to get rid of the cursed belt and pass it over to the Argentinian. Morohashi treated the belt with disdain by swinging it between his legs during his ring announcement. A Quarrel Bomber put away Hoshitango in a brief match. Morohashi then announced he will be quitting DDT in April and is becoming a freelancer. He will still work for their Best Stretch business which is opening a second office in Shinjuku later this month.

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The show began with the current Right To Challenge contract holders filling the ring then moved onto the first match. The dates for the next four scheduled KO-D Openweight Title defences were announced. They are happening on 24th April in Korakuen Hall, 8th May in Sapporo, 29th May in Korakuen and 3rd July in Hakata. This does not include any possible Right To Challenge cash ins.

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The first match began with Mizuki Watase offering an apology to Saki Akai for the bad blood between them but then yelled he lied. The two were rough to each other throughout the match and Mizuki got the pin on Akai after a Dropkick to win her Right To Challenge contract. Makoto Oishi took the blame for his team’s loss. He and Akai will face Watase and LiLiCo at Korakuen on 24th April. With both the Right To Challenge contract and Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title on the line Akai has a chance to win either of them back from her enemies.

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The 2nd match had a lot of comedy based around getting Gota Ihashi tired. He was made to run the ropes a lot and was constantly thrown out of the ring and tossed over to a wall. Also Toru Owashi and Tomomitsu Matsunaga had a duel using their contract arm bands as weapons. Ihashi missed a Moonsault and Owashi capitalised with La Magistral Cradle to win.

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Match #3 was KENSO and Rekka fighting over who deserved to be in DNA. KENSO is trying to find any way to join DDT full time. If he has to go through DDT’s developmental brand then so be it. Rekka had the DNA roster support and was led out to the ring in a train formation with the wrestlers. KENSO was relentless and even did a Plancha onto Rekka. They brawled very close to us and KENSO hit a nasty looking Brainbuster onto the floor. Rekka tried to fight back and even kicked out of a Brainbuster at one but he was put away with a Diving Elbow Drop. KENSO told Rekka and the other DNA wrestlers that this business is not so sweet and he is above their level. Kouki Iwasaki took offense and challenge KENSO to defend DNA’s pride. Tsurumi was reluctant to make the match because he doesn’t want to book KENSO again but agreed to let it happen at DNA 16 on 11th May.

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Next up was Danshoku Dino Vs Kazuki Hirata. I warned Joey and Matt about Dino’s entrance antics but luckily for us he only had eyes for Hirata on this day. He attacked Hirata before the dance could begin and the match began. A minute later Dino applied the Lip Lock and then twisted Hirata’s arm for a clutch variation of the move, winning the match by tapout. After the match we found out Hirata had his date with Aja Kong and it was recorded. A video played on the screen of the date. They went on a ferris wheel and Hirata was scared of heights. They then ended the night sitting on a bench and looked like they were about to kiss until Hirata got cold feet. He said he tried to like her but it’s impossible. He apologised and ran off, leaving Kong alone.

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Dino asked Hirata why he ran off. Hirata said it’s because she’s too chubby and the date was a terrible prank. We then got a surprise when Aja Kong showed up at ringside! She was in a cold state of emotion and Hirata was frozen with fear in the ring. Dino suggested they wrestle a match there and then. He took out a referee shirt so he could look over the match. The bell rang and Kong took her time beating up Hirata. He had one chance at a comeback but wasn’t strong enough to lift Kong up for the Viagra Driver. Kong beat him up again and Dino was too scared to call any fouls so he just let her do what she wanted. One Spinning Backfist later and that was it for Hirata. Dino very slowly counted the pin but it was clear that Hirata was out cold. When he came to he said he realised how wrong he was to ditch Kong and offered to take her out again. Kong rejected him and instead showed interest in Nobuhiro Shimatani, chasing him out of the ring when he got too scared of her. Dino and Hirata were left stunned for a few minutes by what happened. “Eeeeeeh?” … “Eeeeeeh?” … “Eeeeeeh?” ……….. “Eeeeeeh?!?”

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I can now say after seeing them in person Yukio Sakaguchi, Kota Umeda and Shigehiro Irie all hit hard. Really hard.

During intermission I got to meet Sanshiro Takagi and Guanchulo and had a brief talk with them. I also got to finally speak with the man behind the Extreme Party website who was such a help during the early years of this blog. It’s pretty weird when Takagi called me over to his table and showed me my Twitter accounts on his phone in order to ask if I was that guy. This show happened half a day after Kota Ibushi’s appearance on NXT Takeover: Dallas but that wasn’t the place to talk about it.

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“American Dream” played over the speakers for the semi-main event. Antonio Honda and Hiroshi Fukuda came out for an all Happy Motel tag team match against the New Gen Combo. Honda & Fukuda tried to keep the match at their pace but Konosuke Takeshita & Tetsuya Endo came out the winners in the end. Fukuda’s Perfect Plex was countered into a Brainbuster and Endo hit the Sky Twister Press for the pin. Honda & Fukuda threw their support behind the New Gen Combo for their KO-D Tag Team Titles rematch with Daisuke Sasaki & Shuji Ishikawa later this month.

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The main event was the best match of the show. Kazusada Higuchi has a great presence about him and knows how to throw his weight around. His moments with HARASHIMA were very good and the match played around all of Smile Squash trying to cut down Higuchi by the legs. Mao Inoue also shined during the ending sequence but my highlight of the match was HARASHIMA countering Inoue’s Screw Kick with a Leg Sweep in mid air. HARASHIMA won with the Somato of course and Higuchi left the ring to go lick his wounds. The show ended with Smile Squash giving a victory speech. A good end to the evening.

I would like to thank Sanshiro Takagi, Amon Tsurumi and Guanchulo so much for all that they did to accommodate me, Matt and Joey throughout the show. I’d also like to thank Naomi Susan for everything she did to help organise tickets. Quite a few surprises happened along the way and afterwards but I don’t think I can say much about it for now.


DDT “DRAMATIC 2016 MARCH SPECIAL” Results

March 27, 2016

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DDT “DRAMATIC 2016 MARCH SPECIAL”, 26/03/2016
Shinjuku FACE
600 Fans – Super No Vacancy

1. Tomomitsu Matsunaga & Gota Ihashi defeated Sanshiro Takagi & Toru Owashi when Ihashi pinned Takagi with a School Boy (8:05).
2. Shigehiro Irie & Soma Takao defeated Super Sasadango Machine & Mizuki Watase when Irie pinned Machine with the Flying Sausage (10:45).
3. Konosuke Takeshita & Tetsuya Endo defeated Hoshitango & Guanchulo when Takeshita pinned Guanchulo with a Texas Cloverhold (9:39).
4. KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles: Kazusada Higuchi, Shunma Katsumata & Kouki Iwasaki (c) defeated Yukio Sakaguchi, Masa Takanashi & Kota Umeda when Katsumata pinned Umeda with the Nebula Storm (14:14).
*V1 for Higuchi-gumi.
5. Right To Challenge Anytime, Anywhere Battle Royal: Saki Akai, Danshoku Dino, amd Antonio Honda all won Right To Challenge Anytime, Anywhere Contracts (11:25).
5a. Saki Akai eliminated Makoto Oishi by Ring Out (3:50).
*Saki Akai wins a Right To Challenge Anytime, Anywhere Contract.
5b. Danshoku Dino eliminated Keisuke Ishii with a Lip Lock (6:10).
*Danshoku Dino wins a Right To Challenge Anytime, Anywhere Contract.
5c. Hiroshi Fukuda eliminated Yasu Urano by Ring Out (8:24).
5d. Akito eliminated Hiroshi Fukuda by Ring Out (8:24).
5e. Antonio Honda defeated Kazuki Hirata with a Crucifix Pin (11:25).
*Antonio Honda wins a Right To Challenge Anytime, Anywhere Contract.
6. KO-D Tag Team Titles: Daisuke Sasaki (c) & Shuji Ishikawa defeated Joey Ryan & Candice LeRae when Sasaki pinned LeRae with the Vietnam Driver II (18:11).
*V1 for Daisuke Sasaki & Shuji Ishikawa.
7. KO-D Openweight Title: HARASHIMA (c) defeated Ken Ohka with the Somato (16:11).
*V1 for HARASHIMA. Ken Ohka cashes in his Right To Challenge Anytime, Anywhere Contract.

Ken Ohka made several appearances throughout the show before the main event. Each time he demanded HARASHIMA to come out so they could begin their KO-D Openweight Title match. But whenever HARASHIMA appeared Ohka backtracked and instead claimed he was out to get advice from the other wrestlers in the ring. The match finally happened in the main event as originally scheduled. Ohka hit the Spear Of Flame but only got a two count. He surprised HARASHIMA with a Dragon Suplex but another Spear was avoided and HARASHIMA hit the Somato to win. The champion didn’t expect Ohka to be so driven to win and was impressed by how strong he has gotten. Ohka cried and thanked HARASHIMA before leaving.

Kazusada Higuchi was invited to the ring to set up HARASHIMA’s next title match on 24th April. Higuchi said he’s been disciplining himself ever since HARASHIMA handed him his first loss in Sapporo last year. He said he has youth on his side and that is what will make him win.

Love is over! Daisuke Sasaki had to put his feelings for Candice LeRae aside as the two duked over the KO-D Tag Team Titles along with Shuji Ishikawa and Joey Ryan. At one point the canvas was covered in candy and gave Sasaki the Ball Plex onto them. But it all fell apart for the challengers when Ishikawa gave LeRae the Fire Thunder onto the candy. Sasaki was in tears and told LeRae “I’m sorry, I love you!” before hitting a Super Kick. He then gave her the Vietnam Driver II for the victory. After the match Sasaki thought it was a good time to propose to LeRae one more time but he was turned down as usual. Sasaki wouldn’t take no for an answer and tried to leave the ring with LeRae over his shoulders. The New Gen Combo came to the rescue and then challenged the champions to a rematch. Sasaki instead demanded a match with LeRae and Johnny Gargano! Amon Tsurumi said there was no chance of it happening so the New Gen Combo are now the No. 1 Contenders.

Three more Right To Challenge contracts are now in play. A Battle Royal was held with a contract given to whoever could score an elimination by pinfall or submission. Saki Akai, Danshoku Dino and Antonio Honda won the remaining contracts. Kazuki Hirata once again failed to get one. At least he still has Aja Kong.

Team DNA just barely got out of Shinjuku FACE with the KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles still in their grips. Shunma Katsumata caught Kota Umeda with a cradle but the two teams continued fighting after the bell rang. When they were kept apart Katsumata said their win wasn’t a fluke, it instead proved they can’t be stopped. Their goal as champions is to beat all of the senior wrestlers in DDT.

KENSO interfered in the opening match to again ask Sanshiro Takagi if he could join DDT permanently. Gota Ihashi got involved and got in a fight with KENSO. A missed Big Boot hitting Takagi allowed Ihashi to win the match via a roll up. KENSO ignored that and went back to asking about joining DDT. He will not give up because it his his dream to join DDT and wrestle for its amazing fans. Takagi said no. He instead brought out Taiwanese wrestler Rekka and asked him to join DDT and DNA. KENSO said he wanted to join more than Rekka but he was again told no. Takagi revealed he’s been in contact with New Taiwan Pro Wrestling and was impressed with Rekka’s hard work. DDT will hold its first show in Taiwan this November and DDT hopes Rekka will become a star in time for the show. KENSO yet again tried to get Takagi’s attention so a decision was made to have KENSO Vs Rekka in Saitama on 2nd April.

In a preview of their DDT Extreme Title match next week, Shigehiro Irie pinned Super Sasadango Machine. Sasadango didn’t even realise Irie was his next opponent until after the match. But he might have learned a few clues towards what Irie’s weaknesses are.


DDT “JUDGEMENT 2016 ~DDT 19th ANNIVERSARY~” Results

March 21, 2016

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DDT “JUDGEMENT 2016 ~DDT 19th ANNIVERSARY~”, 21/03/2016
Tokyo Ryogoku Kokugikan
6,938 Fans – No Vacancy

0. King Of Dark Title: DJ Nira & Dai Suzuki defeated Seiya Morohashi (c) & Hoshitango when Nira pinned Morohashi with the Ravioli (3:31).
*D1 for Seiya Morohashi.
0. Tokyo Joshi Pro Offer Battle Royal: Yuka Sakazaki defeated Shoko Nakajima with the Osaekomi Backslide (8:37).
Order Of Elimination: Poison Miura, Yuu, Hyper Misao, Nodoka-onesan, Ai Shimizu and Rika Tatsumi, Marika Kobashi, Nonoko, Azusa Takigawa, KANNA, Miyu Yamashita.
0. DNA Offer Match – Mao Inoue Comeback: Shunma Katsumata, Guanchulo & Mao Inoue defeated Kouki Iwasaki, Rainbow Kawamura & Nobuhiro Shimatani when Katsumata pinned Shimatani with the Lightning Spiral (6:53).
0. Pro Wrestling BASARA Offer Match: FUMA, Yusuke Kubo & SAGAT defeated Takumi Tsukamoto, Daichi Kazato & Ryu Gouma when FUMA pinned Kazato with the HEAVY METAL ANTHEM (5:28).
1. Ryogoku First Appearance! Next KO-D Openweight Title Challenger Decision And Right To Challenge Anytime, Anywhere Battle Royal: Kazusada Higuchi defeated Soma Takao with the Goten (16:53).
1a. Right To Challenge Anytime, Anywhere Blue: Ken Ohka (6:26).
1b. Right To Challenge Anytime, Anywhere Yellow: Tomomitsu Matsunaga (8:27).
1c. Right To Challenge Anytime, Anywhere Red: Toru Owashi (10:43).
1d. Right To Date Aja Kong: Kazuki Hirata (13:19).
Order Of Elimination: Gorgeous Matsuno, Cherry, Ryuichi Sekine, Masa Takanshi, Yoshihiko, Ryota Nakatsu.
2. 3 Way Tag Match: Keisuke Ishii & Shigehiro Irie defeated Joey Ryan & Candice LeRae and Akito & Yasu Urano when Irie pinned Akito with the Beast Bomber (9:57).
3. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title – Special 6-Man Tag Team Match: LiLiCo (c), Kota Umeda & Mizuki Watase defeated Saki Akai, Makoto Oishi & Lady Beard when LiLiCo submitted Oishi with a Manjigatame (9:38).
*V1 for LiLiCo.
4. Special Tag Match: Tatsumi Fujinami & LEONA defeated Antonio Honda & Hiroshi Fukuda when Fujinami submitted Fukuda with the Dragon Sleeper (12:10).
5. DDT Extreme Title – Ultimate Royal Barbed Wire PowerPoint No Power Blast PWF Rules: Super Sasadango Machine defeated Kendo Kashin (c) with a Cross Armbreaker Crush (7:07).
*Kendo Kashin fails in V4. Super Sasadango Machine becomes the 35th DDT Extreme Champion!
6. Kota Ibushi Comeback & Ibushi Wrestling Institute 1st Leg – East & West Toward The Front Over The Entire Surface Falls Count Anywhere Weapon Treasure Hunt Match: Kota Ibushi & Gota Ihashi defeated Sanshiro Takagi & Jun Kasai and KENSO & Michael Nakazawa when Ibushi pinned Nakazawa with the Phoenix Splash (23:12).
7. Dramatic Dream Match: Minoru Suzuki defeated Yukio Sakaguchi by TKO with the Sleeper Hold (16:15).
8. Dramatic Dream Match: Akebono defeated Danshoku Dino with the Danshoku Yokozuna Impact (10:20).
9. KO-D Tag Team Titles – Uchicomi! Presents: Daisuke Sasaki & Shuji Ishikawa defeated Konosuke Takeshita & Tetsuya Endo (c) when Sasaki submitted Takeshita with La Mistica Cross Facelock (17:22).
*New Generation Combination fails in V2. Daisuke Sasaki & Shuji Ishikawa become the 54th KO-D Tag Team Champions!
10. KO-D Openweight Title – Good Com Asset Presents: HARASHIMA defeated Isami Kodaka (c) with the Swan Dive Somato (18:15).
*Isami Kodaka fails in V4. HARASHIMA becomes the 56th KO-D Openweight Champion!

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A lot happened at DDT’s 19th Anniversary show. I mean a lot. Three title changes, a mental Falls Count Anywhere match, bare asses, new challengers determined and a few announcements for DDT’s future too. DDT also had an entire seating setup of Sumo Hall available to them instead of having one side blocked off for the entrance stage like in previous years.

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In the main event HARASHIMA took the KO-D Openweight Title from Isami Kodaka to become an 8-time KO-D Champion. No amount of Isamuashi Zan kicks and Zeyyari knee strikes could keep the challenger down. Once again the Somato was the difference maker. During an intense back and forth HARASHIMA hit a short range Somato and followed up with a Swan Dive version to put Kodaka away. HARASHIMA said that little difference between him and Kodaka was needed to win and he will keep on winning. He said the scenery around him in Sumo Hall was amazing and when DDT returns in the summer he’ll be ready for whoever is thrown in front of him.

When HARASHIMA’s victory speech was over a message was shown on the video screen. On 20th March, 2017 DDT will hold its 20th Anniversary show in Saitama Super Arena! Previously DDT ran the Community Hub area of the building but this time the show takes place inside the main hall! Sanshiro Takagi said he wants to chase the dream with everyone and the show ended with the ring showered in cherry blossoms raining from the sky.

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The KO-D Tag Team Titles changed hands when Daisuke Sasaki & Shuji Ishikawa dethroned the New Generation Combination. The former champions went down fighting though. Ishikawa took out Tetsuya Endo with the Fire Thunder but Konosuke Takeshita never tapped out to Sasaki’s La Mistica Cross Facelock. Instead the referee had to call for the bell when Takeshita went motionless. After the match Sasaki said if the New Gen Combo can hear him then they should know the future is now in his and Ishikawa’s hands. In the post-match interview the former champions said they will go back to the drawing board but they also don’t know what their next step will be. Sasaki was quick to nominated The World’s Cutest Tag Team as the No. 1 Contenders. He still wants revenge on Candice LeRae for rejecting his marriage proposal earlier this year.

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We finally got to see what Danshoku Dino wanted to do with the collection of asses he gathered for Akebono. Dino had the turnbuckle pads removed from all corner posts and in their place was the bare asses of the DDT roster! Four corners and three asses per corner meant twelve asses surrounding the ring. However Akebono had his own trick up his sleeve. He put Dino in a Lip Lock then put on a pair of Danshoku tights. He used the power of Danshoku to deliver the Danshoku Yokozuna Impact to Dino and that was the end of that.

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Minoru Suzuki didn’t care where he was or what company he is fighting in. It could be DDT or NOAH or some joshi promotion, as long as there was a squared circle to stand in Suzuki was ready for his match. It didn’t matter that his opponent Yukio Sakaguchi is a former KO-D Champion and somebody he never faced before. He was ready regardless. Sakaguchi had the rest of Shuten-dōji in his corner and tried to go hold for hold. His attempts to hit the Right Knee Of God were foiled but he was able to lock on the Modified Cobra Clutch. The big turning point came when Suzuki hit Sakaguchi with a Dropkick. By this point Sakaguchi barely had enough energy to fight off the Sleeper Hold and Gotch-Style Piledriver. But Suzuki was quick to catch him in another Sleeper Hold and choke him out to earn the victory. Suzuki showed good sportsmanship after the match and hugged Sakaguchi. Despite the loss Sakaguchi thinks he has grown stronger because of that match.

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Before Kota Ibushi’s comeback match began a teaser trailer played for DDT’s next movie called Dai Kaiju Mono, directed by Minoru Kawasaki. He is behind such films as Calamari Wrestler, Executive Koala, Kabuto-O Beetle, Everyone But Japan Sinks and Crab Goalkeeper. The Treasure Hunt Match began with Sanshiro Takagi & Jun Kasai carrying a locker and barbed wire board to the ring before everybody walked out of Sumo Hall to the outdoor starting area. When the bell rang there was chaos. Takagi and KENSO went straight for each other, Kasai threw Ibushi into the crowd of people watching them, everybody went over to cardboard cutouts of sumo wrestlers so they could takes pictures then Ibushi kicked Michael Nakazawa down a flight of stairs. Nakazawa was then dragged indoors to a restroom and Ibushi gave him a Piledriver into a toilet! Back in the arena everyone fought throughout the crowd and a giant hammer was brought out. KENSO and Takagi fought in the lobby and eventually found their way down to ringside. They both got on bicycles and cycled around the ring until they crashed into each other. Meanwhile Ibushi did a Moonsault from an entrance onto Nakazawa and Gota Ihashi below. Kasai brought Ibushi over to a table and climbed the top rope. He put Ibushi through the table with the Pearl Harbour Splash but he only got a two count. Back in the ring Takagi got the better of KENSO and wanted to throw him into the locker. He opened the longer and inside was former DDT wrestler Tanomusaku Toba! The kickboxer popped out and attacked whoever got in his way. Ihashi entered the ring with boxing gloves and got immediately knocked out. Ibushi entered with gloves and faired much better. Ihashi was somehow knocked out again during this by Toba and then Ibushi. In fact Ibushi lost track of what was happening and decided to beat up his partner until Toba regained his attention. Toba knocked out Ibushi and decided to leave. KENSO hit a Diving Elbow on Ibushi but his pin was interrupted by Takagi spraying him with a fire extinguisher. Nakazawa tried to clear the ring but was stopped by Kasai and a piece of the broken table. Nakazawa was then thrown into the barbed wire board. Kasai climbed the locker and hit the Pearl Harbour Splash on KENSO but Ibushi stopped the pin. With encouragement from Ibushi, Ihashi hit a Running Body Press onto both Takagi & Kasai outside the ring. Ibushi prevented Nakazawa from doing the Ultimate Venom Arm and knocked him out with a straight right hand punch. Ibushi paid tribute to Hayabusa by doing his pose before climbing the turnbuckles and then hit the match winning Phoenix Splash.

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After the match Takagi and Ibushi shared an emotional moment in the ring. Takagi congratulated Ibushi for his return, called him crazy and said he can now do whatever he wants to do. He hopes the Ibushi Wrestling Institute will discover new and interesting ways to do pro wrestling. Ibushi thanked him and said he would like to come back to DDT in the future. He did some backflips for the fans and then left. But KENSO was still there and he wanted to talk to Takagi. He said he came to DDT to chase after Takagi but then discovered DDT is the best and their fans are the best. So he wants to join DDT! Takagi instantly refused and demanded his music to cut off KENSO’s mic. KENSO asked again and Takagi instantly refused again. KENSO asked one more time and this time Kasai stepped in to offer his opinion. Kasai thinks a psychopath like KENSO joining DDT wouldn’t be a bad idea. Takagi thought about it but said no and left the ring to his music while KENSO fainted.

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The Ultimate Royal Barbed Wire PowerPoint No Power Blast PWF Rules match began with Super Sasadango Machine doing a PowerPoint presentation on a laptop that was surrounded in barbed wire and rigged to explode in 5 minutes. Thankfully there was no explosion because Sasadango got to explain the rules of the match within the time limit. He was joined by four men wearing Machine masks and he called them the Sasadango Machine Army. During the match a wrestler can pull out one of three Ultimate Royal cards. Doing so would activate Ultimate Royale Mode and the Machine Army will attack their opponent to the music of Chocoball Mukai’s entrance theme. Oh and the cards have a drawing of The Ultimate Warrior on them. Sasadango pulled out a card while Kendo Kashin had him in an Indian Deathlock. Kashin stole the second card and used it to turn the Army against Sasadango. This time they and also Yukinori Matsui wore Kashin masks. Kashin tried to lock in the Cross Armbreaker when Sasadango pulled out the final card. Matsui switched the Kashin mask with a Machine mask and fast counted the pin to make Sasadango the new DDT Extreme Champion!

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There was really nothing that Antonio Honda & Hiroshi Fukuda could do to beat Tatsumi Fujinami & LEONA. Even Fukuda singing “Macho Dragon” to distract Fujinami so Honda could sneak attack him didn’t do much in the long run. Fujinami said wrestling in Sumo Hall again for the first time in years made him feel nostalgic. LEONA admitted to being nervous by teaming with his father in such an important building. LEONA was asked in an interview if he would like to wrestle in DDT again in the future and he answered “By all means, please.” Fujinami thinks it will be good experience for him to do it.

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LiLiCo now stands triumphant over the Kawaii Connection. She escaped from Makoto Oishi’s Miracle Ecstasy and locked on a Manjigatame after Kota Umeda softened Oishi up with a Back Spin Kick. LiLiCo bragged about her success and credited it to being beautiful and eating good meat because she will forever be a carnivore. Saki Akai snuck up and gave her a School Boy to try and win the Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title but LiLiCo kicked out. Umeda & Mizuki Watase then blocked off Akai from any further attacks. LiLiCo demanded revenge and said she will keep her schedule open for the 24th April Korakuen Hall show.

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Team Drift came out on top in the 3 Way Tag match. Joey Ryan’s penis got to do the voodoo that you do so well and Candice Lerae delivered a double Ball Plex as part of a Tower Of Doom spot but she was then taken out with a Black Hole Slam from Shigehiro Irie. Akito tried his best to stop Irie but the Beast Bomber put an end to him and the match. The World’s Cutest Tag Team were still happy to wrestle in Sumo Hall and noted that although they didn’t win, they didn’t take the fall either. Keisuke Ishii felt confident about the win and revealed his goal is to now main event Sumo Hall. Irie is also disappointed that he went from headlining Sumo Hall a few years ago to wrestling in an undercard tag bout although he is happy he won with his friend Ishii.

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The show began with the first Right To Challenge Rumble to take place inside Sumo Hall. Kazuki Hirata entered at No. 1 hoping to grab a contract before anyone else could but someone was always there do stop him. Ken Ohka easily grabbed the first contract when he headbutted Hirata off of the ladder. Tomomitsu Matsunaga grabbed the second when he spat Lotion Mist at Hirata and he fell. Hirata was able to pull down the third contract when Soma Takao Dropkicked him off the ladder but the contract slipped out of his hands and Toru Owashi picked it up to win possession. One more was left and Hirata fought his heart out to claim it, escaping Kazusada Higuchi’s Canadian Backbreaker to step up the ladder and grab his prize. The Rumble part of the match continued and Higuchi outlasted both Takao and Ryota Nakatsu to win. Higuchi now has a KO-D Title shot on 24th April in Korakuen Hall. The contract holders returned to reveal their prize. Ohka, Matsunaga and Owashi all got Right To Challenge Anytime, Anywhere Contracts as expected. Hirata however got something different. His prize is a date with Aja Kong! She came out wearing HIRATA GO! glasses and she told Hirata they will go out dancing together. Hirata ran away and Kong chased after him. When that was done Ohka announced he will not wait long to cash in his contract. He wants his title match to take place on 26th March in Shinjuku FACE! Matsunaga and Owashi declined to say when they will cash in their contracts.

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Sumo Hall got a taste of heavy metal when FUMA’s team won the BASARA match. Although SAGAT is not a part of Kotetsu Gundan he fit in pretty well with his aggressive wrestling style. His GOREGRIND followed by Yusuke Kubo’s Goro Suplex left Daichi Kazato as an easy picking for FUMA’s HEAVY METAL ANTHEM Diving Elbow finisher.

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Mao Inoue’s return to action in the DNA match ended with him on the winning team. He wiped out Kouki Iwasaki and Rainbow Kawamura with the Alien Plancha allowing Guanchulo to set up Nobuhiro Shimatani for Shunma Katsumata’s Lightning Spiral.

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Poison Sawada JULIE appeared in the Tokyo Joshi Pro Battle Royal with his protege Poison Miura. He tried to eliminate everyone with his snake magic but Hyper Misao stopped him and eliminated Miura. When the match came down to three girls the Fighting Comedians double-teamed Miyu Yamashita to eliminate the TOKYO Princess Of Princess Champion. Yuka Sakazaki then pinned her teammate with a Leg Clutch Backslide to score the biggest win of her career.

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DJ Nira won a match in Sumo Hall. This is the first sign of the apocalypse. Seiya Morohashi was pretty lackadaisical with a pin attempt and Nira capitalized by shifting his dead weight on Morohashi’s shoulders.

DDT announced plans of an overseas expansion for later this year. They will hold a show in Taipai, Taiwan this November at the ATT SHOW BOX. The show is being sponsored by Nitori, a brand of furniture stores.

After the dark matches were over Amon Tsurumi and Mita Sayoko announced the winners of this year’s Dramatic Awards.

MVP: HARASHIMA
Best Bout: HARASHIMA & Ken Ohka Vs Hiroshi Tanahashi & Yohei Komatsu (DDT “#OHKAEMPIRE BOX OFFICE ~MUSCLE MATES 2015~”, 17/11/2015)
Best Tag: Danshoku Dino & Super Sasadango Machine
Best Microphone: Minoru Fujita (GANBARE☆WRESTLING “WOW WAR TONIGHT 2015”, 16/05/2015)
Worst Bout: All Japan Hand Sumo Championship Final: Kazunori Huzioka Vs Ryota Yamazato (DDT “#OHKAEMPIRE BOX OFFICE ~MUSCLE MATES 2015~”, 17/11/2015)
Best Sexy: Shigeru Matsuzaki singing “Obsession” (DDT “SAITAMA SUPER DDT 2015”, 15/02/2015)
Best Shot: Ayano Fujiwara for Sanshiro Takagi 20th Anniversary Falls Count Anywhere Match: Sanshiro Takagi & Jun Kasai Vs Kota Ibushi & Suguru Miyatake (DDT “JUDGEMENT 2015”, 29/03/2015)
Best SNS: Sanshiro Takagi
Best Hype Video: HARASHIMA Vs Hiroshi Tanahashi (DDT “RYOGOKU PETER PAN 2015 ~FROM DDT WITH LOVE~”, 23/08/2015)
Best Tonpachi: Kota Ibushi
Best Joshi: Saki Akai
Best Performance: Kazuki Hirata