DDT “D-OU GRAND PRIX 2022 IN YOKOHAMA DAY 2”, 05/11/2022 Yokohama Radiant Hall 280 Fans – Super No Vacancy
1. Harimao Vs DAMNATION T.A!: Naomi Yoshimura & Yuki Ishida Vs Daisuke Sasaki & MJ Paul
2. Yukio Sakaguchi Produce Match ~ 2 Vs 3 Handicap Match: Pokotan & Gota Ihashi Vs Saki Akai, Hideki Okatani & Kazuki Hirata
3. D-Ou Grand Prix 2022 – B Block: Chris Brookes (0) Vs KANON (2)
4. D-Ou Grand Prix 2022 – A Block: Tetsuya Endo (3) Vs Joey Janela (2)
5. Jun Akiyama, HARASHIMA, Soma Takao & Yukio Naya Vs MAO, Shunma Katsumata, Toi Kojima & Takeshi Masada
6. D-Ou Grand Prix 2022 – A Block: Yuki Ueno (2) Vs RSP (4)
7. D-Ou Grand Prix 2022 – B Block: Kazusada Higuchi (2) Vs Yuji Hino (4)
DDT “HATSUYUME 2023”, 03/01/2023 Tokyo Korakuen Hall 759 Fans – Super No Vacancy Full House
1. Makoto Oishi & Shiori Asahi defeated Hideki Okatani & Toi Kojima when Oishi pinned Kojima after the Cactus Flower (8:12).
2. Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno Vs Akito & Antonio Honda ended in a No Contest (7:13).
3. New Year Special 8-Man Tag Match: Toru Owashi, Kazuki Hirata, Yuji Hino & Yukio Naya defeated Shinshun Pokotan, Yukio Sakaguchi, Saki Akai & Kazuma Sumi when Hirata pinned Sumi with the Miracle One Shot Cradle (11:59).
4. Alice Tour Presents Special 10-Man Tag Match: Tetsuya Endo, Jun Akiyama, Kotaro Suzuki, Yusuke Okada & Yuya Koroku defeated Kazusada Higuchi, HARASHIMA, RSP, Soma Takao & Yuki Ishida when Endo pinned Ishida with the Burning Star Press (10:41).
5. Alice Tour Presents Special Tag Match: Yuki Ueno & Cara Noir defeated MJ Paul & KANON when Noir submitted Paul with the Blackout Sleeper (11:49).
6. Special Single Match: Konosuke Takeshita defeated Takeshi Masada with the Zahi (10:02).
7. DDT Universal Title Next Challenger Decision Battle: Naruki Doi Vs Daisuke Sasaki ended in a Time Limit Draw (30:00).
8. KO-D Tag Team Titles: MAO & Shunma Katsumata defeated Chris Brookes & Masahiro Takanashi when MAO pinned Takanashi after Oretachi no Mad Max (19:02). *ShunMao becomes the 76th KO-D Tag Team Champions!
2023 begins with the crowning of new KO-D Tag Team Champions! The belts were vacated by Harimao back in November when Naomi Yoshimura took time off to deal with a herniated disc. The top two teams chosen to fight over the vacant titles were ShunMao and CDK. The match also had relaxed rules for double pinfalls, which is something CDK is used to by wrestling in places like ChocoPro. But MAO & Shunma Katsumata got used to the idea and together delivered a Double Miracle Ecstacy for a nearfall. Chris Brookes & Masahiro Takanashi had their own tricks and double team moves up their sleeve too and almost won several times. Katsumata took out Brookes with a Topé and ShunMao focused on isolating Takanashi, putting him away with the Oretachi no Mad Max to become the new champs!
The two teams were on good terms after the match. MAO said after six years he & Katsumata are finally the KO-D Tag Champions together and there was no better way for them to start the new year that way! While ShunMao was celebrating with the rest of The 37KAMIINA, suddenly Makoto Oishi & Shiori Asahi entered the ring. They had a new year’s gift for the champions and it is a challenge from Ω. ShunMao agreed and the match will take place on 29th January. It is the same show where Yuji Hino will be fighting for the KO-D Openweight Title so the three of them are aiming to dye DDT’s top championships in Ω’s colours. Backstage Brookes said he is sad CDK lost but their goal as a team is to have fun with pro wrestling. Takanashi is disappointed they aren’t getting to wrestle Oishi & Asahi next.
Nothing could determine a winner between Naruki Doi and Daisuke Sasaki within 30 minutes. Not interference from DAMNATION T.A, not counter interference from Toru Owashi, not the Doi 555 & Bakatare Sliding Kick combo, not the Pedigree & La Mistica Crossface Lock combo, not even the Sasaki Hurricanrana or a School Boy with the cheeky MIKAMI shout out along with it. The match reached its time limit and as a result there is no No. 1 Contender to challenge for the DDT Universal Title on 13th January. Hisaya Imabayashi kept the two in the ring after the match and called the champion Yuki Ueno down to figure out what to do next. Imabayashi suggested doing a 3 Way Match. Ueno liked the idea because he wants to fight Doi and Sasaki but he wants to beat both of them too. So Ueno asked for it to be a Survival 3 Way Match. Doi agreed to it if the match has a 60 minute time limit because he thinks that is enough time for him to beat both Sasaki and Ueno. Sasaki isn’t sure if 60 minutes really is enough but he also accepted the stipulation. He’s certain he can beat Ueno in 3 seconds, it’s just trying to figure out how to beat Doi in 59 minutes and 57 seconds that’s going to be the difficult part.
It will be a few months before Konosuke Takeshita is back in DDT again. His last match here for a while was a win against Takeshi Masada today. Masada pulled out a lot of dazzling kicks at the behest of his opponent to give him his strongest attacks. That was until Takeshita fired back with an Elbow Strike. The Jumping Knee missed its target but Takeshita readjusted himself and caught Masada with a Lariat before pinning him with the Zahi.
After the match Takeshita announced he will return to DDT for “JUDGEMENT 2023” on 21st March where there is a special match he finally wants to do. He has never wrestled a singles match against Sanshiro Takagi! It’s been 15 years since Takeshita first contacted the DDT president about wanting to become a pro wrestler. He’s been able to become one of the best because of him. Takagi was happy to be chosen but unsure he is physically able to do a match at that level. But once Takeshita thought about finding someone better, Takagi lost his temper and gave him a Stunner. He accepts the match after all! He’s going to spend the next three months training until he his no longer Sanshiro Takagi the president but Sanshiro Takagi the pro wrestler!
Ueno had already dealt with DAMNATION T.A earlier in the show with some help from Cara Noir. Together the two were a well oiled team against MJ Paul & KANON. Double Dropkicks, double dives and it all ended with Noir trapping Paul in the Blackout Sleeper with Ueno cutting KANON off from breaking the hold. Noir showed interest in having another match with Ueno in the future but for now he was pleased with getting a prize from the match sponsor Alice Tour for their win today.
Alice Tour also sponsored the 10-Man Tag Match. All active members of BURNING were together in one match for the first time. Poor Yusuke Okada took the brunt of the opposing team’s offence. Soma Takao threw elbows at him, HARASHIMA stomped him in the corner (but not before wishing him a happy new year), RSP & Kazusada Higuchi both flattened him with power moves. Good thing Yuki Ishida messed up his part and ended up getting squashed by RSP’s Swanton Bomb when it was meant for Okada. Jun Akiyama took down RSP with a Lariat and then it was Ishida up taking a train attack from Kotaro Suzuki, Yuya Koroku and the rest of BURNING. Ishida was tough enough to kick out of the Torture Rack Bomb but Tetsuya Endo followed it up with the Burning Star Press to put him away.
Pokotan was in a party mood for the new year and showed up wearing a large Kagami Mochi rice cake on its head. It is said to be good luck if you ever see Pokotan in this state. The wrestlers started to believe it when Pokotan started handing out gift envelopes. It gave an envelope to Yuji Hino just so he would stop attacking it. That led to the other wrestlers all excitedly lining up to receive their own envelopes. Yukinori Matsui got one too. The excitement quickly turned sour once everybody opened their gift just to find a 100 yen coin inside. They all attacked Pokotan, ending with Yukio Naya literally kicking its head off to reveal it is Sanshiro Takagi in the mascot suit! He went on a rampage in the ring until Kazuki Hirata knocked him out. Hirata then put on his glasses and led a big group dance. Unfortunately for him Yukio Sakaguchi did not put on a pair and attacked him instead with Saki Akai joining in. Kazuma Sumi tried to finish Hirata off but the Miracle One Shot Cradle was used out of nowhere and Hirata got away with winning the match.
2023 is the year of the rabbit so Danshoku Dieno wrestled his match wearing rabbit ears. I wish that was the only thing to write about this match. Instead Pheromones had to go out and do their best to cause another incident. When Antonio Honda had Dieno stunned with his latest Gongitsune joke, Yuki Iino was wheeled down to ringside on a cart pushed by Yumehito Imanari and stripped of most of his clothes. The spot was repeated several times with Iino stripping off more and more of his clothing with every appearance. By the fourth time Iino was completely naked using only gift envelopes to hide his shame. That finally caused the match to be called off. Dieno told the fans if they are having a hard time in 2023 then they should look towards Pheromones! Akito will probably have to do just that whether he wants to or not.
Oishi & Asahi were all set up to make their challenge after they beat Hideki Okatani & Toi Kojima in the opening match. Okatani did well to stop the Cactus Flower from being used first time around, causing Kojima to get a nearfall on Oishi. But Asahi broke the pin and was able to do the Cactus Flower with Oishi the second time to get their hands raised.
A lot of announcements and surprises were revealed throughout the show. Samuray Del Sol was announced to appear at “JUDGEMENT 2023” but it turned out he was right there in Korakuen Hall! He came out and chanted “lucha” a lot. Backstage he said the one name that interests him most about DDT is Yuki Ueno so he would like to challenge him for the DDT Universal Title at that show.
Also coming to DDT soon are Kip Sabian & Penelope Ford from AEW. The couple will be in Nagoya on 18th February and Korakuen Hall on 26th February.
Takagi announced his mystery tag partner for his birthday match on 13th January will be Fuminori Abe! Takagi is ready to go over the top in 2023 and wanted his tag partner to be just as crazy. Abe is the disciple of Munenori Sawa who was part of a fond tag team with Takagi over a decade ago. It could be recreated here with Takagi & Abe joining forces. Their tag team name is Bonno Dai Shacho, a reference to Takagi & Sawa being Hentai Dai Shacho.
Two more DDT supercards are added to the schedule, taking place after “JUDGEMENT 2023” in March. “MEGA MAX BUMP 2023” in Yokohama Budokan is happening on 3rd May. “WRESTLE PETER PAN 2023” in Sumo Hall will be on 23rd July.
“NEW YEAR’S EVE PRO WRESTLING 2022 ~TOSHIWASURE! SHUFFLE 6-MAN TAG TOURNAMENT~”, 31/12/2022 Tokyo Korakuen Hall 615 Fans – No Vacancy
1. Shuffle 6-Man Tag Tournament – Round 1: MAO, Yuya Aoki & Yuko Miyamoto defeated Yukio Naya, Hideyoshi Kamitani & Kikutaro when MAO pinned Kikutaro after a Double Choke Slam from Naya & Kamitani (8:06).
2. Shuffle 6-Man Tag Tournament – Round 1: Kazusada Higuchi, Kota Sekifuda & MUSASHI Vs Chris Brookes, Daisuke Sekimoto & Isami Kodaka ended in a Time Limit Draw (10:00).
2a. Overtime – 1 Count Fall Rule: Kazusada Higuchi, Kota Sekifuda & MUSASHI defeated Chris Brookes, Daisuke Sekimoto & Isami Kodaka when Higuchi pinned Brookes with a Cradle Turnback (1:03).
3. Shuffle 6-Man Tag Tournament – Round 1: Yuki Ueno, Daichi Hashimoto & Yuma Aoyagi defeated Tetsuya Endo, Yasufumi Nakanoue & Brahman Shu (w/ Brahman Kei) when Aoyagi pinned Kei with a School Boy (7:58).
4. Shuffle 6-Man Tag Tournament – Round 1: HARASHIMA, Yuki Ishikawa & Masashi Takeda defeated Takeshi Masada, Takuya Nomura & Masato Tanaka when Takeda pinned Masada with the Reverse U Crash (8:31).
5. Ryuji Ito, Abdullah Kobayashi, Jaki Numazawa & Kankuro Hoshino defeated Danshoku Dieno, Antonio Honda, Kazuki Hirata & Shunma Katsumata when Ito pinned Hirata with the Biribiri Dragon Splash (14:27).
6. Shuffle 6-Man Tag Tournament – Semi Final: MAO, Yuya Aoki & Yuko Miyamoto defeated Kazusada Higuchi, Kota Sekifuda & MUSASHI when Aoki pinned Sekifuda with the Blue Storm (10:15).
7. Shuffle 6-Man Tag Tournament – Semi Final: Yuki Ueno, Daichi Hashimoto & Yuma Aoyagi defeated HARASHIMA, Yuki Ishikawa & Masashi Takeda when Ueno pinned Ishikawa with the Rolling Guillotine Ace Crusher (11:16).
8. Special 8-Man Tag Match: Konosuke Takeshita, Drew Parker, Cara Noir & RSP defeated Yuji Okabayashi, Kazumi Kikuta, Takuho Kato & Kazumasa Yoshida when Takeshita pinned Yoshida with the Zahi (15:23).
9. Shuffle 6-Man Tag Tournament – Final: Yuki Ueno, Daichi Hashimoto & Yuma Aoyagi defeated MAO, Yuya Aoki & Yuko Miyamoto when Hashimoto pinned MAO with the Rising DDT (19:21).
Last year’s tournament being built around trios matches was kept around for this year’s edition. Each team featured one DDT wrestler, one Big Japan wrestler and one wild card all of which were random combinations. For everyone involved it was their last chance to grab some glory in the ring before the new year begins.
Shuffle 6-Man Tag Tournament – Round 1
Ika Ra Takeshi Ki Asu Manji Hai (Driver’s High) Vs Big Bombers
The atmosphere of the show was set early by the team called Big Bombers. Their entrance included a video of MAO, Yuya Aoki & Yuko Miyamoto all travelling together for a road trip on motorbikes. Their opponents attempted to use a game of Rock, Paper, Scissors to determine who starts but Kikutaro misunderstood. He thought it was just a charade to jump Big Bombers while they weren’t looking so he charged them on his own and got beaten up for it. Kikutaro had even more bad luck, the worse of which involved MAO manipulating Yukio Naya & Hideyoshi Kamitani into Double Choke Slamming their own partner. MAO slipped in for the pin afterward to keep his team’s road trip going.
Team 2023 Vs Super J Cups
The only time limit draw on the show took place in the second match. The Super J Cups are called that because it is a trio of junior heavyweight champions. Supposedly. Kazusada Higuchi’s weight was announced in the venue as 99.999999kg so he was really pushing it. Higuchi spent the end of the match fighting with Daisuke Sekimoto too so nobody was complaining about getting to see that heavyweight battle. It built up to Sekimoto leading Chris Brookes & Isami Kodaka into a Triple Topé Suicida aimed at Higuchi, Kota Sekifuda & MUSASHI. The time limit was reached right when Sekimoto gave Higuchi the German Suplex. When overtime began Sekimoto went straight for the pin but Higuchi kicked out immediately. Brookes tagged in and caught Higuchi in a Prawn Hold. However Higuchi reversed the move and rolled himself on top of Brookes to steal the 1 Count pin needed to win.
Zero Hyaku Vs BraNoue In The Sky With Diamonds
If there is one thing everyone knows about The Brahman Brothers its that they like to stay clean, am I right? Tetsuya Endo & Yasufumi Nakanoue shared their concerns and carried around disinfectant spray. Oh, the two of them were also Brahman-ised and happy to take part in their cheating during the match. Yuma Aoyagi fought back by covering his arms with the metal hoses and Lariating both Brahmans but he ended up pinning Brahman Kei by mistake so the match continued. Nakanoue placed a stake up to Yuki Ueno’s butt (after disinfecting the butt first of course) and Brahman Shu hit it with a chairshot. The gameplan then fell apart due to miscommunication. Endo accidentally hit Kei over the head with a steel tray and then the suitcase thrown by Nakanoue hit Shu instead of Aoyagi. It ended up costing them the match and Zero Hyaku advanced at their expense.
Emi Chichichi (Wara Chichichi) Vs Team Kansai
Round 1 almost closed out with a little bit of death match flavour. Masashi Takeda brought out a pair of scissors which annoyed the referee Yukinori Matsui. When that was taken away we were left with a match on the regular level of danger. I mean Takeda and Masato Tanaka were still on opposite sides of the ring here. We also had HARASHIMA and Takuya Nomura trading kicks against each other. Takeshi Masada though ended up getting the worst of everything. He took a Swan Dive Body Press from HARASHIMA, a Double Stomp from Yuki Ishikawa and was finished off with the Takeda’s Reverse U Crash.
Non-Tournament 8-Man Tag Match
DDT and Big Japan got threw some of their veterans together for an inter-promotional 8-Man Tag. Danshoku Dieno was back to his old self looking for men in the audience to kiss during his entrance. Shunma Katsumata took to taunting Ryuji Ito when the opportunity presented itself. Antonio Honda tried to tell a Gongitsune joke but Jaki Numazawa cut him off so he could tell his own jokes. Gongitsune groaned after every punchline. Kazuki Hirata put on the Hirata GO! glasses and danced until Kankuro Hoshino placed fox ears over his head. The music changed to “What Does The Fox Say” and the two danced until Hirata realised what was going on and fainted. Dieno set himself up in the Hell Gate position in the corner to charge up his teammate’s attacks. Abdullah Kobayashi then revealed he has the same ability, it only works once every four years. Kobayashi then formed his own Hell Gate. Ito placed a steel plate over his chest, used Kobayashi to charge it up and then did the Dragon Splash onto Hirata to give Big Japan the win. Ito declared Big Japan as the winners of the feud against DDT but Dieno refused to accept defeat. Ito and Dieno threw challenges at each other and both left the ring in a huff.
Shuffle 6-Man Tag Tournament – Semi Final
Ika Ra Takeshi Ki Asu Manji Hai (Driver’s High) Vs Super J Cups
People still didn’t believe that Higuchi is a junior heavyweight so he tried vaulting the top rope along with his tag partners. The whole thing didn’t work because Sekifuda & MUSASHI were both pulled down and Higuchi tripped. The Driver’s High team capitalised and all three hit Handspring Back Elbows to the opposition. Sekifuda recovered and keep trying to go for the win until Aoki cut him off and stole the win with the Blue Storm.
Zero Hyaku Vs Emi Chichichi (Wara Chichichi)
The death match flavour did show up in this match. Takeda took out his scissors again but put them away, promising to fight fair. Zero Hyaku had a lot of communication problems when Ueno tried to direct Hashimoto & Aoyagi into setting up a Triple Power Bomb properly. The match then broke down when chairs were brought into the ring. Ishikawa and even HARASHIMA threw chairshots at their opponents. Ueno took the chair and hit HARASHIMA with it. Takeda then pulled out a stapler and stapled a show poster onto Ueno’s chest! Ueno got his revenge by stapling the poster onto Ishikawa’s forehead and then pinning him with the Rolling Guillotine Ace Crusher.
Special 8-Man Tag Match
Before the final could take place there was another non-tournament match to get through. Konosuke Takeshita led a team of foreign wrestlers against Yuji Okabayashi and his band of Strong BJ fighters. The DDT related side won this one. Everything was built up to Takeshita, Drew Parker and RSP doing stereo Swanton Bombs along with the Fable on Kazumi Kikuta, Takuho Kato & Kazumasa Yoshida. Takeshita then pinned Yoshida with the Zahi. After the match backstage RSP said he first wrestled in Japan for Big Japan but now he considers himself part if DDT. Takeshita thinks 2023 will see the full return of wrestlers travelling everywhere around the world. Cara Noir did not say anything. Okabayashi is impressed by how much Takeshita has improved since the last time they fought. However he is also happy with the knowledge that his Chops are still effective against Takeshita. Kikuta told the DDT team not to get carried away just because they won. Kato spoke about Parker’s success since leaving Big Japan. He considers himself close to Parker because they are the same age and their birthdays are only a few days apart. Yoshida was happy to get to fight Takeshita.
Shuffle 6-Man Tag Tournament – Final
Ika Ra Takeshi Ki Asu Manji Hai (Driver’s High) Vs Zero Hyaku
The final came down to this. The Driver’s High team came out all wearing gear matching with Miyamoto’s. Late in the match MAO & Aoki focused on Missile attacks to Hashimoto until the tables turned. Ueno caught MAO with the Dropkick, Aoyagi hit the Rockstar Buster and Hashimoto hit the Shining Wizard. MAO kicked out of both at one so Hashimoto had to drop him with the Rising DDT, crowning Zero Hyaku as the tournament winners!
The winners received their prize from Sayoko Mita. Aoyagi was happy to win because this was his first New Year’s Eve show. Hashimoto said the team went from Zero to Hyaku! Ueno admitted he never expected Hashimoto to be so mischievous and Aoyagi to be so nice. He doesn’t know what to expect in 2023 but the three of them will continue to change pro wrestling. Aoyagi wants the three of them to reunite for next year’s tournament but he was told it can only happen if the random lottery somehow pairs the three of them together again.
1. MUSASHI Vs Fujita Jr. Hayato (Michinoku Pro, 1st July)
2. Jun Kasai Vs El Desperado (JUST TAP OUT, 12th September)
3. Hartley Jackson Vs Mizuki Watase (Ganbare☆Pro, th )
4. Drew Parker Vs Masashi Takeda (FREEDOMS, 16th November)
5. Konosuke Takeshita Vs Tetsuya Endo (DDT, 20th March)
Best Unit
1. Pheromones
2. The 37KAMIINA
3. Astronauts
4. CDK
5. Speed Of Sounds
Best Box Office
1. Big Japan @ Yokohama Budokan, 5th May
2. Ganbare☆Pro @ Ota Ward Gymnasium, 10th July
3. Michinoku Pro @ Korakuen Hall, 1st July
4. FREEDOMS @ Yokohama Budokan, 3rd May
5. DDT @ Ryogoku Kokugikan, 20th March
DDT “NEVER MIND 2022”, 29/12/2022 Tokyo Dome City Hall 1,207 Fans – Super No Vacancy
0. Dark Match: Hideki Okatani & Toi Kojima defeated Yuya Koroku & Kazuma Sumi when Okatani pinned Sumi with the Diving Knee Drop (9:32).
0. Dark Match: Minoru Fujita, MJ Paul & KANON defeated Masahiro Takanashi, Soma Takao & Antonio Honda when KANON submitted Honda with the Cobra Twist (9:31).
1. Sanshiro Takagi defeated Takeshi Masada with a Texas Cloverleaf (4:42).
2. HARASHIMA & Yukio Sakaguchi defeated Yuji Hino & Yuki Ishida when HARASHIMA pinned Ishida with the Somato (10:08).
3. Pheromones Vs “Miyako & Ward” Pheromones Subjugation Allied Forces ~ Dissolution & Pet Dogs Contra One Day Experience: Yuki “Sexy” Iino, Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno, Yumehito “Fantastic” Imanari & Koju “Shining Ball” Takeda defeated Akito, Osamu Nishimura, Shinichiro Kawamatsu & Shunma Katsumata when Iino pinned Katsumata with the Badonkadonk (16:20). *Shunma Katsumata must join Pheromones for one day.
4. Special Single Match: Chihiro Hashimoto defeated Shinya Aoki with the Albright (8:21).
5. Special Tag Match: Saki Akai & Yuki Arai defeated Saori Anou & Riko Kawahata when Akai pinned Kawahata with the Quetzalcoatl (12:40).
6. KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles: Tetsuya Endo, Kotaro Suzuki & Yusuke Okada defeated Naruki Doi, Toru Owashi & Kazuki Hirata (c) when Endo pinned Hirata with the Burning Star Press (12:25). *Doi-gumi fails in V1. BURNING becomes the 49th KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Champions!
7. DDT Extreme Title – If 45-Year-Old Sasadango Machine’s Weight Loss Fails We Will Have A Normal Rules Match! Special: Jun Akiyama (c) defeated Super Sasadango Machine with the Wrist-Clutch Exploder (2:30). *V1 for Jun Akiyama.
8. Special Tag Match: Konosuke Takeshita & Yukio Naya defeated Daisuke Sekimoto & RSP when Naya pinned RSP with the Back Drop (17:43).
9. International 4 Way Match: MAO defeated Daisuke Sasaki, Chris Brookes and Cara Noir when MAO pinned Brookes with a Modified Backslide Pin (13:22).
10. KO-D Openweight Title: Kazusada Higuchi (c) defeated Yuki Ueno with the Brain Claw Slam (27:57). *V5 for Kazusada Higuchi.
The finale of DDT’s 25th year in business took place in Tokyo Dome City Hall. The year also closes out with the KO-D Openweight Title remaining firmly around Kazusada Higuchi’s waist. He successfully defended the belt against Yuki Ueno, the current DDT Universal Champion in a match between arguably the two top wrestlers in the company right now. Ueno’s gameplan was to overwhelm Higuchi with his high flying. Higuchi’s toughness won out with the highlight being him taking a Dropkick to the face and shrugging it off. Ueno kept up the pressure but both the BME missed its target and Higuchi kicked out of the Rolling Guillotine Ace Crusher. The challenger’s last move in his pocket was the WR but Higuchi had ways to block it. His first counter was to grab Ueno in the Brain Claw, then his second counter was using Naomi Yoshimura’s Harai Goshi throw! A Headbutt thrown afterwards left Ueno stunned long enough for Higuchi to hit him with the Brain Claw Slam and win.
Higuchi thanked Ueno after the match and said as champions and tournament winners this year they supported DDT together alongside each other. The two embraced each other and Ueno left the ring. Hisaya Imabayashi told Higuchi it was a fitting match to end DDT in 2022. The GM then asked Higuchi who he wants to defend the KO-D Title against on 29th January? Before Higuchi could answer, Yuji Hino interrupted him! He congratulated Higuchi and said he deserved to win tonight. Hino also thinks Higuchi is the only person who can go head-to-head with him, referring to the 30 minute draw they had in November where they chopped each other non-stop until the time limit expired. Hino normally wouldn’t be interested in becoming the KO-D Champion for a second time but since it is Higuchi’s belt he now wants it! Higuchi accepted the challenge because he too wants to settle who is stronger once and for all.
When Hino left, Higuchi gave a speech to the fans thanking them for their support. He does not know what to expect in 2023 because this year he surpassed everyone in DDT. However he promised DDT will continue to push forward with their hearts. The show ended with Higuchi meeting up with everybody backstage, Yoshimura included and they all got together for a group farewell to the audience.
The International 4 Way Match turned TDC Hall into a glorious venue for the return of Cara Noir. Not all of the welcomes was warm for him though. Daisuke Sasaki Headbutted him during the start of match handshake. MAO also took his entrance cloak and then impersonated him. Noir Headbutted MAO in response. The match continued to be chaotic as all four wrestlers fought each other, made alliances, switched those alliances and did whatever they could to win. It ended up with Chris Brookes dropping Sasaki with a Tombstone Piledriver. After Sasaki kicked out, MAO suddenly caught Brookes in a Backslide Pin on top of Sasaki for leverage to get the win out of nowhere. The result represents MAO’s 2022. He said 2020 was a bad year, 2021 he stayed patient and this year he blossomed. Sasaki was pissed at the result and complained about not trusting anybody whethere they are British or Japanese. CDK were suprised by how MAO won the match. That was a CDK-like move and Masahiro Takanashi admits he never thought MAO could pull off something like that. Today’s result is a lesson they learned before the KO-D Tag Team Titles match on 3rd January. Noir did not leave any comment.
Yukio Naya is another wrestler who gets to end his year on a good note. He was the one standing tall in an all heavyweight tag team match. The focus for a lot of the match though was on Konosuke Takeshita clashing with Daisuke Sekimoto. Not even Naya & RSP trying to pull them away for German Suplexes could stop them. Takeshita and Sekimoto ended up German Suplexing both of them for getting in their way! They then traded German Suplexes to each other, leaving each other too beaten to continue fighting. So the match came down to Naya and RSP against each other. Naya pulled off a big move by hitting an Avalanche Choke Slam before pinning him for the three count. Takeshita admitted that the match was the first time in a long time he had an out of body experience. He’s been fighting strong wrestlers in America but nothing compares to the strength of Sekimoto! He also wondered if everyone in DDT has become harder hitters since he was gone. Naya confirmed so and Takeshita said that’s a good thing. He also said he wants a singles match against Sekimoto and he does not care if it is in DDT or Big Japan. He warns that if neither of them do it then it might end up happening in America. Naya then told Takeshita he wants a singles match against him some day and to keep an eye on him throughout 2023.
The match stipulation for the DDT Extreme Title bout hung on the weight of Super Sasadango Machine. He’s been losing weight and was given a target by Jun Akiyama to drop down below 110kg. If Sasadango met the goal he would choose the match stipulation. Unfortunately he could only get down to 119.6kg (116.9kg without the costume) so it was going to be a traditional PWF rules wrestling bout instead. However Sasadango had a trick up his sleeve. When he signed the contract for the match his signature was written as “1/12 Super Sasadango Machine” referring to a 1/12 scale plastic toy model of himself that he possesses. That means only his plastic figure had to be under 110kg, not him! The model passed the weighing test (it’s only 59g) and Sasadango decided the Extreme Title will be contested in a “TonTon Pro Wrestling” match between Sasadango’s model and an acrylic stand of Jun Akiyama!
Before the match began, Sasadango held his latest PowerPoint Presentation. He has spent years developing his plastic model and is proud of the result. While he is happy to have dropped loads of weight for this match, his current physique now renders his model obsolete when it’s supposed to be the strongest plastic model on the market! He also claimed Akiyama’s demands for Sasadango to update his progress regularly on social media was against CyberAgent employee policy. When he was done it was time for the title match. TonTon wrestling games involve each player placing their model on the game board and tapping the board with their fingers to make them move. Whoever falls over first loses. Here one model needs to fall on top of the other and pin it for three seconds for the player to be declared the winner. The game began and not much happened. Sasadango complained about Akiyama’s acrylic stand had an unfair advantage because it has a flat base preventing it from tipping over. Akiyama agreed to find a replacement and took out his NOAH action figure customized by a fan to look up to date (i.e. bald). The game continued and both models fell over. Yukinori Matsui asked the audience who they thought won and when they sounded more in favour of Akiyama, he grabbed Sasadango’s model and snapped it in half! Sasadango quickly agreed to do a normal wrestling match instead.
The match re-started and Sasadango saw his only chance. He countered the Exploder Suplex into the Vertical Drop Lehmann Shock but only got a nearfall. Akiyama hit him in the face with Knee Strikes, including one with his kneepad pulled down. He threw an Exploder Suplex and then just for good measure used the Wrist-Clutch Exploder as the finish. After the match Imabayashi informed Akiyama the next Extreme Title defence will be in Yokohama on 21st January. Akiyama called for someone to come down and challenge him. Antonio Honda was already in the ring trying to get Sasadango out. He suddenly stumbled in front of Akiyama, making the champion think he is the next challenger! Imabayashi confirmed Honda will get the title shot on 21st January whether he wants to do it or not.
This past week Naruki Doi & Toru Owashi had the chance to hold trios championships in both Dragongate and DDT at the same time. It did not turn out that way and instead they don’t have any championships at all! Today they along with Kazuki Hirata lost the KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles to BURNING. Hirata’s insistance to get tagged in may be what cost them the belts because it was Hirata who dropped the fall to Tetsuya Endo. After the match Pheromones entered the ring demanding a title shot against BURNING. Danshoku Dieno said there is no more threat of them splitting up so 2023 will be spent taking championships starting with the 6-Man Tag Titles. Endo accepted and told Kotaro Suzuki that when you come here to DDT this path is unavoidable. He promised that he, Suzuki & Yusuke Okada will show Pheromones what sexy really looks like! The title match will happen on 29th January.
Reiwa AA Cannon were victorious against the visiting team of Saori Anou & Riko Kawahata in a close match. Saki Akai was in trouble when she took Double Jumping High Kicks from her opponents. Anou threw her over with a German Suplex and Kawahawa went for the Moonsault. Akai moved out of the way and Yuki Arai came in reverse the momentum. She took out Anou with the Full Nelson Buster followed by the Finally. Then Akai & Arai hit Kawahata with the Double Rookie Award. With no one there to save her, Kawahata was pinned by Akai with the Quetzalcoatl. Backstage Anou admitted she underestimated Arai. She thought she was just a cute face and found out the weight of her attacks were way more heavier than she expected. As for her opinion of Akai, Anou likes wrestling her and would come back to DDT to do more matches like this. Anou also wants Arai to know that her name also starts with A so if she ever gets tired of teaming with Akai, give her a call.
There was a message sent loud and clear by Chihiro Hashimoto today. She is physically and mentally as good as anyone in the world. Shinya Aoki however is not good enough. Those were the comments she made after beating Aoki clean, countering his Cross Armbreaker into a Doctor Bomb and then pinning him with the Albright. Even though she won she is still feeling frustration in a way she hasn’t felt since fighting Meiko Satomura. Aoki can’t figure out why he lost, particularly how Hashimoto was able to use a Power Bomb to counter his submission hold.
As mentioned earlier, Pheromones did not disband today. They won their high stakes match against Akito’s subjugation squad. It was the one time the politicians Osamu Nishimura & Shinichiro Kawamatsu did not want their constituents to watch them wrestle because they were left embarrassed by their opponents. Kawamatsu tried to shout down Yuki Iino by telling him he isn’t sexy at all. It didn’t work and Pheromones got to do their thing, knocking out members of Akito’s team one by one with their perverted moveset while Yumehito Imanari filmed the whole thing. The match ended with Iino pinning Shunma Katsumata meaning Katsumata has to spend 24 hours with Pheromones. “Chunma” is now going to be their pet dog! He reluctantly played along by barking into the microphone while on his hands and knees. Dieno then revealed that “Chunma” isn’t going to be with Pheromones for 24 hours. He’s going to be with them for a whole month! Akito tried to cheer up the others by saying every fight has sacrifices and Katsumata’s sacrifice will not be in vain. Today is just a bad dream that everyone can pretend never happened.
There’s something to this tag team pairing of HARASHIMA & Yukio Sakaguchi. They won against Hino & Yuki Ishida to show that it’s not just the young wrestlers who are doing their best. Sakaguchi said he was happy to team with HARASHIMA and win on his last show of 2022. HARASHIMA thinks 2023 is going to be tough but his generation are going to make things exciting too.
Sanshiro Takagi dashed Takeshi Masada’s dreams of going to Hollywood next year but there may still be hope yet for the youngster. Takagi’s dodgy shoulder had healed and he was able to show it by doing an Avalanche Double Arm Suplex. When he applied a Crab Hold, Masada reached the ropes so Takagi kicked at his legs before putting on a Texas Cloverleaf to win. After the match Takagi called in all of the young DDT wrestlers to enter the ring. He thinks it is unfair that Masada was the only rookie given the chance to win a spot for DDT’s shows in America next year. So Takagi has created the D GENERATIONS CUP! It will be a league for DDT’s rookies to compete in and the winner goes to the Hollywood show in March!
There were two matches on the pre-show. DAMNATION T.A defeated Takanashi, Soma Takao & Honda in one of them. KANON got the win by making Honda submit to the Cobra Twist.
The other pre-show match featured the younger wrestlers. Toi Kojima wiped out Yuya Koroku with a Diving Body Attack out of the ring. Hideki Okatani then pinned Kazuma Sumi with the Diving Knee Drop.
The long awaited Anal Explosion opening ceremony hosted by LiLiCo was almost ruined by the appearance of Danshoku Dieno. He was chosen to detonate the explosive placed inside LiLiCo and she refused to let that responsibility be given to one of her enemies. The problem was solved when her husband Ryohei Odai unexpectedly showed up. He was supposed to be at rehearsals for the NHK New Year’s Eve show but found out at the last minute it was pushed back to tomorrow. He made it to TDC Hall as fast as he could so he would be the one to set off the love of his life’s Anal Explosion. He also suggested that next year when he has more free time he could perform one himself because that’s how important the bond between a husband and wife is to him. Dieno was moved to tears and allowed Odai to ignite the bomb. It went off without a hitch. LiLiCo was still alive afterwards and said her love for Odai has deepened. She also wants to make a pro wrestling comeback next year if her anus has healed. Unfortunately the doctor on site informed her that her anus is currently in serious condition (Odai said that part of LiLiCo’s body now “looks like a black hole”). Will LiLiCo ever return to wrestling in one piece?
Keigo Nakamura announced he has fully recovered from his knee injury and will return to the ring on 13th January. His last match was in November 2021.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW CITY CIRCUIT AUTUMN ~HAMAMATSU PERFORMANCE~”, 10/12/2022 Shizuoka Entetsu Hall
1. Suzume Vs Kaya Toribami
2. Hyper Misao Vs Mahiro Kiryu
3. Hikari Noa Vs Haruna Neko
4. Yuka Sakazaki & Mizuki Vs Raku & Pom Harajuku
5. Shoko Nakajima, Yuki Aino & Arisu Endo Vs Rika Tatsumi, Miu Watanabe & Moka Miyamoto
6. EVE Title: Miyu Yamashita (c) Vs Rhio
Maki Itoh & Yuki Kamifuku are both missing from this Saturday’s show because they will be wrestling in Malaysia. Nao Kakuta is also absent because of her stage work.
“BAKA GAIJIN + FRIENDS”, 13/12/2022 Tokyo ARENA Shimokitazawa
1. Interdimensional Kaiju Vs Fucked Up Warfare: MAO Vs Death Worm
2. Gatoh Move Tag: Mei Suruga & Miya Yostuba Vs Masahiro Takanashi & Chie Koishikawa
3. Double Anniversary Special: Chris Brookes Vs Drew Parker
A mat pro wrestling show is taking place at ARENA Shimokitazawa to celebrate Chris Brookes’ 15th Anniversary as well as Drew Parker’s 10th Anniversary. Guests from Gatoh Move and IWA Japan are involved on the undercard and there is also going to be a solo acoustic performance by Antonio Honda.
DDT “DANSHOKU DIENO 20TH ANNIVERSARY BOOK PUBLICATION COMMEMORATION”, 21/12/2022 Tokyo Korakuen Hall
1. DDT Tradition 6-Man Tag Match: Kazusada Higuchi, Yuki Ishida & Thanomsak Toba Vs Tesuya Endo, Jun Akiyama & DJ Nira
2. Novelty Single Match: Naruki Doi Vs Shunma Katsumata
3. Selfishly For The 2nd Time In 20 Years, A Single Match That Danshoku Dieno Just Wants To See: Yuki “Sexy” Iino Vs Yumehito “Fantastic” Imanari
4. Selfishly For The 1st Time In 20 Years, Danshoku Dieno’s Self-Satisfaction Match: Danshoku Dieno Vs Muscle Sakai
A first time ever match between Naruki Doi and Shunma Katsumata is one of the matches Danshoku Dieno made for his book launch event. He also put together a standard 6-Man Tag match between Harimao and BURNING with Thanomsak Toba and DJ Nira also sprinkled in.
GANBARE☆PRO “GIRI GIRI CHOP! 2022”, 27/12/2022 Tokyo Korakuen Hall
1. Munetatsu Nakamura Debut Match: Shinichiro Tominaga Vs Munetatsu Nakamura
2. GanJo x TJPW Special Tag Match: Suzume & Yoshiko Hasegawa Vs Yuki Kamifuku & YuuRI
3. Shota Triumphant Return Match: Shuichiro Katsumura & Shota Vs Soma Takao & Shigehiro Irie
4. Kouki Iwasaki Ganbare☆Pro Wrestling Last Match: Keisuke Ishii Vs Kouki Iwasaki
5. Spirit Of Ganbare World Openweight Title: Hartley Jackson (c) Vs Mizuki Watase
Shota’s American excursion is coming to and end and he will be back home in Japan before the year is over. His big return match for Ganbare☆Pro sees him teaming with Shuichiro Katsumura against the Team Drift pair of Soma Takao & Shigehiro Irie.
We’re getting a collaboration between Ganbare☆Joshi and Tokyo Joshi Pro. Previous opponents Suzume & Yoshiko Hasegawa are excited to be teaming together. Their opponents Yuki Kamifuku & YuuRI not so much. I mean, YuuRI is thrilled because she looks up to Kamifuku. Shame that Kamifuku thinks little of YuuRI in return.
The Ganpro rookie Munetatsu Nakamura gets Shinichiro Tominaga as his first opponent. As long as he doesn’t take any of Tominaga’s advice on how to spend time with the opposite sex he’ll be fine.
DDT “NEVER MIND 2022”, 29/12/2022 Tokyo Dome City Hall
0. Dark Match: Hideki Okatani & Toi Kojima Vs Yuya Koroku & Kazuma Sumi
0. Dark Match: Minoru Fujita, MJ Paul & KANON Vs Masahiro Takanashi, Soma Takao & Antonio Honda
1. Sanshiro Takagi Vs Takeshi Masada
2. HARASHIMA & Yukio Sakaguchi Vs Yuji Hino & Yuki Ishida
3. Pheromones Vs “Miyako & Ward” Pheromones Subjugation Allied Forces: Yuki “Sexy” Iino, Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno, Yumehito “Fantastic” Imanari & Koju “Shining Ball” Takeda Vs Akito, Osamu Nishimura, Shinichiro Kawamatsu & Shunma Katsumata
4. Special Tag Match: Saki Akai & Yuki Arai Vs Saori Anou & Riko Kawahata
5. Special Tag Match: Konosuke Takeshita & Yukio Naya Vs Daisuke Sekimoto & RSP
6. International 4 Way Match: Daisuke Sasaki Vs Chris Brookes Vs MAO Vs Cara Noir
7. Special Single Match: Shinya Aoki Vs Chihiro Hashimoto
8. KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles: Naruki Doi, Toru Owashi & Kazuki Hirata (c) Vs Tetsuya Endo, Kotaro Suzuki & Yusuke Okada
9. DDT Extreme Title: Jun Akiyama (c) Vs Super Sasadango Machine
10. KO-D Openweight Title: Kazusada Higuchi (c) Vs Yuki Ueno
DDT’s 25th year comes to a close at Tokyo Dome City Hall. The main event is Kazusada Higuchi putting the KO-D Openweight Title on the line against Yuki Ueno, the winner of this year’s D-Ou Grand Prix. Going back to the summer the main event scene in DDT has been built around who is the most capable to carry the company on their back. Higuchi ended up standing head and shoulders above everyone else and getting to fly the flag (in some cases literally) was his reward. Ueno has one of the loudest claims to being the rightful leader of DDT, purposely adding more pressure to himself in order to reach his goal. He just won the Grand Prix and is still the reigning DDT Universal Champion. He is going to get what he wants and stand toe to toe against DDT’s current symbol of strength Higuchi. Ueno’s plan if he becomes the double crown champion is to defend the Universal Title overseas. He also wants to defend both championships on a monthly basis as long as his body can take it.
Jun Akiyama is keeping himself busy going into the new year by coming up with a bunch of suggestions for DDT to work on. He is the new DDT Extreme Champion and already has a challenger lined up for him. Super Sasadango Machine asked for a title shot to make up for how little he wrestled this year. Akiyama agreed to it but thinks Sasadango has become overweight. He strongly advised Sasadango to lose 20kg in time for the match. In order to do this Akiyama suggested DDT should create the DDT Health Club which he can be president of. There used to be a NOAH Health Club so he got his idea from there. As champion Akiyama can also choose the match stipulation but he will consult with Kenta Kobashi before making that decision. He would rather Sasadango come up with the rules if it is allowed because the champion having that power gives him too much of an unfair advantage. In fact, Akiyama wants to form a committee for the Extreme Title and Kobashi to be the chairman. Akiyama also isn’t comfortable with holding a purple championship because he has a bad history with that colour. He asked DDT if they can change the Extreme Title to a white belt in tribute to the retired GHC Hardcore Openweight Title he was originally responsible for creating.
Well, Naruki Doi said he wanted a match with Tetsuya Endo so he’s getting one. Endo made it known during the Grand Prix his goal in DDT is to win all of the championships and right now his target is the KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles. The match gives Yusuke Okada some sorely needed spotlight after spending the last few months on the undercard. Kotaro Suzuki adds a lot of firepower to the team as well. Can Doi rely on DISASTER BOX to carry their share of the work? Toru Owashi won’t let him down but Kazuki Hirata can go from completely useless to the luckiest man in the ring on a coin flip.
Time for Yukio Naya to dust himself off and move on to the next challenge. The D-Ou finalist gets to team with Konosuke Takeshita against the unusual pairing of Daisuke Sekimoto & RSP in an all heavyweight tag battle.
DDT “D-OU GRAND PRIX 2022 THE FINAL”, 04/12/2022 Tokyo Korakuen Hall 711 Fans – Super No Vacancy Full House
1. Soma Takao, Hideki Okatani & Hikaru Machida defeated Yuya Koroku, Yuki Ishida & Takeshi Masada when Takao pinned Ishida with the Gin And Tonic (8:36).
2. Soccer Match: Yuki “Sexy” Iino, Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno & Yumehito “Fantastic” Imanari (3) defeated Akito & Antonio Honda (2) by Penalty Shootout.
2a. Akito (1) pinned Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno (0) with a Gene LeBell Style Rolling Cradle (1st Half 0:18).
2b. Akito (2) pinned Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno (0) with a Free Kick (1st Half 1:21).
2c. Yuki “Sexy” Iino (1) pinned Akito (2) with the Ketsugoye (2nd Half 0:37).
2d. Yuki “Sexy” Iino (2) pinned Akito (2) with the Sexy Lariat (2nd Half 2:54). *Pheromotia advance to the Final 8.
3. BURNING Vs The 37KAMIINA!: Tetsuya Endo, Kotaro Suzuki & Yusuke Okada defeated MAO, Shunma Katsumata & Toi Kojima when Endo pinned Kojima with the Burning Star Press (12:09).
4. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Naruki Doi, Toru Owashi & Kazuki Hirata defeated HARASHIMA, Yukio Sakaguchi & Kazuma Sumi when Hirata pinned Sumi with the Miracle One Shot Cradle (10:25).
5. DDT Extreme Title – TLC Match: Jun Akiyama defeated Joey Janela (c) with the Wrist Clutch Exploder Suplex (11:32). *Joey Janela fails in V5. Jun Akiyama becomes the 56th DDT Extreme Champion!
6. Special 8-Man Tag Match: Kazusada Higuchi, Yuji Hino, Chris Brookes & RSP defeated Daisuke Sasaki, Minoru Fujita, MJ Paul & KANON when Higuchi pinned Paul with the Buchikamashi (10:50).
7. D-Ou Grand Prix 2022 – Final: Yuki Ueno defeated Yukio Naya with the BME (20:32).
The reigning DDT Universal Champion is now also the D-Ou Grand Prix winner for 2022! Before the tournament even began Yuki Ueno has been calling his shot to win the whole thing as part of his quest to be the leading figure in DDT. He achieved it here by beating Yukio Naya in the final. Naya came into the match as confident as he has ever been and looked to win with sheer power. He used an Avalanche Choke Slam as his big move to set up the Torture Cobra Twist. Ueno relied on his own speed and agility in response, nearly scoring a countout win after a Moonsault out of the ring. The BME was countered at first when Naya blocked it with his knees. Ueno tried to show fighting spirit against his opponent’s Lariats and Knee Strikes until he started to show signs of collapse. His second wind came when he countered a Choke Slam with a Triangle Choke. He used his new Rolling Guillotine Ace Crusher but was too beaten up to go for the pin. When both stood back up, Naya got the first blow and landed the Back Drop. However he too was slow to make the cover and Ueno kicked out. Naya rushed in for a final attack and he ran straight into a series of Dropkicks until he couldn’t get back up. Ueno got to hit the BME in the end and that was enough to win him the match.
Naya received applause from the crowd as he left ringside. Ueno stayed in the ring to receive his trophy from Kenta Kobashi. Ueno called Naya a big and amazing opponent that he was able to beat on his own. Ueno promises he will still work hard to become the best in DDT and get more people to watch DDT. He wants everybody to love DDT as much as he does. He has the DDT Universal Title, just won the D-Ou Grand Prix and now wants to win the KO-D Openweight Title! He’s sure Konosuke Takeshita is watching him from America and knows he wouldn’t be working so hard if it wasn’t for his friends. Backstage Naya showed frustration because he said he was going to carry DDT on his shoulders like a big shot only to lose in the final. He swore in 2023 he will go higher and become big enough to challenge for the KO-D Title. Kobashi praised Naya for not running out of stamina during such a long match and being able to respond to Ueno’s fast pace. Last year he was told by people in DDT that Ueno is a genius. Kobashi is beginning to understand the claim after watching him throughout the Grand Prix. He also thinks the future of DDT is blossoming because the final was between two wrestlers in their 20s.
A collection of heavyweights from the D-Ou group stages all joined forces to fight against DAMNATION T.A. The size differences took Minoru Fujita off guard. The opposition all ganged up on him and pulled off the Kai En Tai pyramid pose with Chris Brookes posing at the top. KANON tried slowing down Yuji Hino with the Cobra Twist. Daisuke Sasaki wanted to fight everyone off with a chair but was given a Double Choke Slam from RSP & Brookes. Hino then gathered most of DAMNATION T.A together outside the ring so RSP could do a Topé into them. MJ Paul showed some fight against Kazusada Higuchi but he too was decimated with the Buchikamashi sumo charge for the three count. After the match Higuchi said it does not matter if his next challenger is Ueno or Naya. He just wants to fight and defend the championship.
For the first time in his decorated career Jun Akiyama was taking part in a TLC Match. His opponent Joey Janela came up with the stipulation for the DDT Extreme Title match for his own benefit. Except that does not change the face he still had to fight Jun Akiyama! The challenger gradually found his footing in an arena filled with Tables, Ladders and Chairs all available to be used as weapons. He threw Janela out of the ring onto a castle of chairs. He also gave Janela the Exploder Suplex onto a ladder inside the ring. Janela showed his guts and went high risk. It paid off with a Diving Elbow from a ladder putting Akiyama through a table. He wanted to continue the attack but Akiyama gave him an Avalanche Exploder onto another table. Janela kicked out so Akiyama had to give him the Wrist-Clutch Exploder to finally put him away and win the Extreme Title!
After the match Janela finally showed Akiyama some respect by shaking his hand. Janela later said Akiyama earned his respect by stepping into his area of hardcore wrestling and winning. As Akiyama was leaving the ring, Super Sasadango Machine appeared and called for his attention. He told everyone that he has not wrestled much in 2022 and wanted to make a year end adjustment. He figured if he could challenge Akiyama for the Extreme Title at the end of the year it would make up for his inactivity. Akiyama thought about it and agreed. He then asked Sasadango how much he weighed. Sasadango answered he is 125kg. Akiyama told him to lose 20kg and then left the ring. Hisaya Imabayashi used his GM powers to make the match official for 29th December.
Naruki Doi’s request to face DDT’s best led him straight to HARASHIMA. Although first he had to go through Kazuma Sumi because the rookie wanted to start the match against him. Kazuki Hirata did not show as much bravery when he had to share the ring with Yukio Sakaguchi. Doi and HARASHIMA got to fight each other eventually but Hirata continued to look like the weak link. He took a Running Knee from Sakaguchi in the corner, a Springboard Splash from HARASHIMA and a Standing Moonsault from Sumi. However Hirata kicked out of the pin and suddenly caught Sumi in the Miracle One Shot Cradle to win the match for his team out of nowhere.
Hirata wanted to give a victory speech but he was interrupted by Tetsuya Endo’s theme music. Endo walked out with Kotaro Suzuki & Yusuke Okada by his side. Endo said he hadn’t forgotten about Doi mentioning his name in Kyoto as somebody he wants to fight. This is Endo accepting the challenge! He also wants it to be a KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles match. Hirata tried to speak but Doi cut him off. Doi thinks it is a chance of fate because not only does he want to fight Endo, he also never thought he would see Suzuki in a DDT ring again. Doi told them his next scheduled appearance for DDT is on 29th December. He asked Toru Owashi who was the authority around here and was confused when he was pointed over to Imabayashi. The GM confirmed the title match will happen on the 29th.
The BURNING trio had just wrestled in the match before, beating The 37KAMIINA. Suzuki squared off with Shunma Katsumata. The two of them had a singles match in DNA 5 years ago and Katsumata was eager to show hot much he has grown since then. Toi Kojima also wanted to test himself against the veteran. He ended up on the worst end of things by taking Suzuki’s Tombstone, then Okada’s Diving Headbutt and finally Endo’s Burning Star Press for the finish. Endo and Suzuki treated the match as their first introductions to each other. Suzuki also called DDT a new view for him to experience now that he is freelance. Katsumata wants another chance to fight Suzuki and show he can surpass him. MAO was in a bit of a bad mood after seeing the video of Akiyama interviewing Suzuki. In the video there are three times when Akiyama said DDT became a stronger place after he joined the company. That line has been bothering MAO ever since he heard it.
The success of Japan in the World Cup has Pheromones feeling football crazy. They all walked down to the ring wearing football kits and demanding their match be held under Soccer Rules. Every 1 Count pinfall counted as a goal. At first the plan backfired when Akito quickly pinned Dieno early in the 1st half. Dieno then caused a foul which allowed Akito to score a second goal from a free Dropkick. Antonio Honda was in the middle of telling his Gongitsune joke when Yukinori Matsui blew his whistle and ended the half. For the 2nd Half, Yumehito Imanari was brought in as a substitute for Dieno. Yuki Iino blocked Honda’s Bionic Elbow and used the Katsugoye to make the score 2-1. Imanari then pinned Akito to make it 2-2 but the pinfall was disallowed after a VAR review. Play restarted and Iino pinned Akito with the Sexy Lariat. Akito pleaded for another VAR review, claiming that Iino’s ball was showing outside of his skimpy costume. VAR showed that the ball was still in bounds within the line by the slightest of margins so the goal stood. The match went to an actual penalty shootout in the ring and Imanari scored the winning shot to send his team into the Quarter Finals! Final score: Pheromotia 3 – 2 Subjugation JAPAN.
The first match of the day featured the return of the kickboxer Hikaru Machida. He had some striking exchanges with Takeshi Masada when they were both in the ring. Yuya Koroku used a Waterwheel Drop on Soma Takao, setting up his team to launch a train attack against him. Yuki Ishida tried to take it all the way until Machida & Hideki Okatani cut him off. Ishida kicked out of Takao’s Running Elbow but was down and out when Takao did the Gin And Tonic.
Dieno announced some new matches for his book launch event at Korakuen Hall on 21st December. Doi and Katsumata face off in a first time singles match. Kazusada Higuchi, Thanomsak Toba & Yuki Ishida Vs Tesuya Endo, Jun Akiyama & DJ Nira will also happen on the show.
BASARA “BASARA 204 ~OJI NI KITSUNE 21~”, 26/11/2022 Tokyo Oji BASEMENT MONSTAR
1. Daichi Kazato & Lil’ Kraken Vs Tsutomu Oosugi & Banana Senga
2. 3 Way Match: SAGAT Vs Daiki Shimomura Vs Takato Nakano
3. Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi Vs Ryota Nakatsu
4. FUMA Vs Yasu Urano
5. Isami Kodaka & Masato Kamino Vs Takumi Tsukamoto & Fuminori Abe
We’re building up to Isami Kodaka against Fuminori Abe for the Union MAX Title next month.
The FUMA Vs Yasu Urano match can be treated as an unofficial 3rd place playoff from the Chouten ~Itadaki~ tournament. Both of them were eliminated from the semi finals.
BASARA “BASARA 205 ~OJI NI KITSUNE 22~”, 26/11/2022 Tokyo Oji BASEMENT MONSTAR
1. Submission Tag Match: Daiki Shimomura & Takato Nakano Vs Man Man Kai Kind & Fuminori Abe
2. Jacket Tag Match: Daichi Kazato & Takumi Tsukamoto Vs Masato Kamino & Lil’ Kraken
3. Horror! Jusenkyo Single Match: Tsutomu Oosugi Vs Banana Senga (Special Referee: Isami)
4. Loser Loses Gilberto Style Match: Yasu Urano Vs Isami Kodaka
5. Kung Fu Yoga Allied Forces Vs Ninja USA Forces Counter Attack: Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi & FUMA Vs Ryota Nakatsu & SAGAT
Asian Kung Fu Revolution are producing the evening show. Can the alliance of Kung Fu and Yoga defeat American ninjas in the final battle of the night?
The Gilberto Style Match between Urano and Kodaka is taken from the anime Baki The Grappler. In the anime it is a contest where both fighters hold onto the same handkerchief while they fight. The first one to let go of the handkerchief loses. The “Loser Loses” wordplay is because the Loser Loses his honour in defeat.
Speed Of Sounds having a match against each other is notable by itself but the match title sounding like a reference to Ranma 1/2’s cursed springs has me confused over what they could be planning.
DDT “UTAN FESTA 2022”, 27/11/2022 Tokyo JR Omori Station East Exit Square
1. Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno Vs Akito & Kazuma Sumi
2. Sanshiro Takagi, Yusuke Okada & Shinichiro Kawamatsu Vs Toru Owashi, Toi Kojima & Takeshi Masada
3. Daisuke Sasaki, MJ Paul & KANON Vs HARASHIMA, Yukio Naya & Hideki Okatani
4. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Joey Janela, Yuji Hino & Makoto Oishi Vs Tetsuya Endo, Jun Akiyama & Yuya Koroku
5. World Omori Title: Chikara (c) Vs Soma Takao
6. Omori Specialty Special 6-Man Tag Match: Kazusada Higuchi, Yuki Ishida & RSP Vs Yuki Ueno, MAO & Shunma Katsumata
Harimao will be without Naomi Yoshimura for a while but at least Kazusada Higuchi still has Yuki Ishida with him. They will team up with RSP to take on The 37KAMIINA.
We’re getting a preview of Joey Janela against Jun Akiyama. It may be the most normal action we’re going to get between the two as they prepare for the DDT Extreme Title match.
No Battle Royal to determine next year’s No. 1 Contender for the World Omori Title?
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “ALL RISE ’22”, 27/11/2022 Tokyo Korakuen Hall
1. 2 Vs 3 Handicap Match: Shoko Nakajima & Hyper Misao Vs Haruna Neko, Mahiro Kiryu & Kaya Toribami
2. Suzume Vs Yoshiko Hasegawa
3. Mizuki Vs Arisu Endo
4. Maki Itoh & Hikari Noa Vs Yuki Kamifuku & Nao Kakuta
5. Rika Tatsumi & Miu Watanabe Vs Moka Miyamoto & Juria Nagano
6. EVE Title: Miyu Yamashita (c) Vs Millie McKenzie
7. Princess Tag Team Titles: Saki Akai & Yuki Arai (c) Vs Yuki Aino & Pom Harajuku
8. Princess Of Princess Title: Yuka Sakazaki (c) Vs Billie Starkz
Raku tested positive for covid and is unable to appear on this weekend’s show. Yuki Aino will now team with Pom Harajuku for the Princess Tag Team Titles match. Harajuku was chosen because the show coincides with the 4th anniversary of her debut match and this will be her first ever title shot.
DDT/ONLY WE “DRAMATIC DREAM TOUR 2022 IN CHIBA”, 03/12/2022 Chiba 2AW Square
1. Yusuke Okada & Kazuma Sumi Vs Hideki Okatani & Toi Kojima
2. Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno Vs Akito & Hiroshi Yamato
3. The 37KAMIINA Vs BURNING!: Yuki Ueno, MAO & Shunma Katsumata Vs Tetsuya Endo, Jun Akiyama & Yuya Koroku
4. ONLY WE x DDT Special Tag Match ~ DAMNATION T.A Vs PERON GRANDES!: Daisuke Sasaki & KANON Vs Shogun Okamoto Vs Akira Raijin
5. ONLY WE x DDT Special 6-Man Tag Match: Kazusada Higuchi, Yuki Ishida & Quiet Storm Vs Chris Brookes, RSP & Takeshi Masada
6. ONLY WE x DDT Special Tag Match: Yuji Hino & Makoto Oishi Vs HARASHIMA & Yukio Naya
Yoshimura’s injury changes the top matches for the DDT & ONLY WE collaboration. Ω now faces the team of HARASHIMA & Yukio Naya, giving Naya a chance to fight Yuji Hino again. Higuchi is now in a 6-Man Tag Match with Ishida and Quiet Storm against the international trio of Chris Brookes, RSP & Takeshi Masada.
DDT “D-OU GRAND PRIX 2022 THE FINAL”, 04/12/2022 Tokyo Korakuen Hall
1. Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno Vs Akito & Antonio Honda
2. Soma Takao, Hideki Okatani & Hikaru Machida Vs Yuya Koroku, Yuki Ishida & Takeshi Masada
3. BURNING Vs The 37KAMIINA!: Tetsuya Endo & Yusuke Okada Vs MAO & Shunma Katsumata
4. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Naruki Doi, Toru Owashi & Kazuki Hirata Vs HARASHIMA, Yukio Sakaguchi & Kazuma Sumi
5. Special 8-Man Tag Match: Kazusada Higuchi, Yuji Hino, Chris Brookes & RSP Vs Daisuke Sasaki, Minoru Fujita, MJ Paul & KANON
6. DDT Extreme Title: Joey Janela (c) Vs Jun Akiyama
7. D-Ou Grand Prix 2022 – Final: Yuki Ueno Vs Yukio Naya
Naya visited his father Takatoriki Tadashige this week to give him the latest report on his pro wrestling career as well as talk about his brother Oho’s currently impressive run at the Grand Sumo Tournament in Fukuoka. Naya told his father he was competing in the D-Ou Grand Prix and qualified for the final next month. Takatoriki praised his son for working hard but told him he always had weak luck. Everybody likes people who are hungry to succeed and try their best but those qualities can be useless if Naya does not have the spirit to bring down his opponent and win. So Takatoriki offered to teach Naya that spirit by using forbidden gambling training to improve his luck.
The training is forbidden because Takatoriki was a retired sumo wrestler who became blackballed from the sport after admitting to illegal gambling on baseball games which resulted borrowing large amounts of money to pay off his debts. Despite his dark history with gambling, he felt this was necessary and challenged Naya to beat him in a game of blackjack. Naya succeeded and his father promised to reward him with a 6 month gift voucher at a Personal Training gym if he wins the D-Ou Grand Prix.
Four of the D-Ou Grand Prix participants who failed to make the final now have to team up together and fight the entire DAMNATION T.A.
Naruki Doi returns and gets his request to fight HARASHIMA granted. It’s in a 6-Man Tag Match though and HARASHIMA has to fight against the rest of his DISASTER BOX stablemates.
DDT “D-OU GRAND PRIX 2022 IN KORAKUEN HALL”, 18/11/2022 Tokyo Korakuen Hall 450 Fans
0. Dark Match: Yusuke Okada defeated Yuki Ishida with the Sudden Death (6:45).
0. Dark Match – 3 Vs 4 Handicap Match: Yuki “Sexy” Iino, Yumehito “Fantastic” Imanari & Koju “Shining Ball” Takeda defeated Akito, Masahiro Takanashi, Antonio Honda & Gorgeous Matsuno when Iino pinned Honda after the Sexy Lock Up (8:28).
1. Minoru Fujita, MJ Paul & KANON defeated Yukio Sakaguchi, Hideki Okatani & Yuya Koroku when KANON pinned Koroku with the Sleepy Hollow (5:57).
2. Special 8-Man Tag Match: HARASHIMA, Naruki Doi, Toru Owashi & Kazuki Hirata defeated MAO, Shunma Katsumata, Toi Kojima & Takeshi Masada when Doi pinned Kojima with the Bakatare Sliding Kick (11:38).
3. D-Ou Grand Prix 2022 – A Block: Joey Janela (4) Vs RSP (4) ended in a Double Countout (11:36).
4. D-Ou Grand Prix 2022 – A Block: Naomi Yoshimura (4) defeated Tetsuya Endo (5) with the Harai Goshi (7:05).
5. D-Ou Grand Prix 2022 – A Block: Yuki Ueno (6) defeated Daisuke Sasaki (5) with the Rolling Guillotine Ace Crusher (16:53).
6. D-Ou Grand Prix 2022 – B Block: Chris Brookes (4) defeated Yuji Hino (7) with a Modified Samson Clutch (12:10).
7. D-Ou Grand Prix 2022 – B Block: Yukio Naya (8) defeated Kazusada Higuchi (7) with the Back Drop (19:05).
The race to the final is complete and two men are left to fight over who will win the 2022 D-Ou Grand Prix. The Block was decided by what is possibly the biggest upset in the entire tournament this year when Yukio Naya defeated Kazusada Higuchi! The reigning KO-D Openweight Champion was one of two unbeaten wrestlers left in the group and when the path opened up for him to remain the only one at the finish, but Naya decided it would go differently. The Headbutt was the key move in a Higuchi match yet again. The twist however was the move came from Naya to get the advantage. Some Knee Lifts were used afterwards to soften up Higuchi for the Back Drop for the surprise result. Naya’s win means he vaults over the two top heavyweights to reach the final!
So how did it all go wrong for Yuji Hino, the other undefeated wrestler in B Block? Blame CDK for that. Chris Brookes relied on Masahiro Takanashi to help him get a win. The referee was taken out after being used as a shield then Takanashi gave Hino a Low Blow right when he was about to hit the Fuckin’ BOMB on Brookes. Makoto Oishi came to the rescue by grabbing the Asia Dream Tag Team Title belt off of Takanashi. However Brookes then pushed Oishi right into Hino, knocking the big guy loopy when he head first came into contact with the title belt. He was still able to kick out of the pin but was too dazed to kick out of a Samson Clutch afterwards. Brookes isn’t happy with this year being the fourth in a row he failed to win the final. If things don’t improve for him in the next 12 months he does not see a point in him being in the next D-Ou GP. Hino isn’t mad because he doesn’t feel like he lost. All he knows is his head and crotch both hurt so he just wants to go home and get into his bed.
The A Block was a much tighter race with five of the six contestants still in the running one way or another. When the dust settled it was Yuki Ueno who was left standing above everyone else in first place uncontested. He took a beating to get there because Daisuke Sasaki attacked him with plenty of chairs in their match. But Ueno had enough with that kind of stuff and stopped Sasaki with a Dropkick. He hit the BME but Sasaki only kicked out at one. He also blocked the Crossface Lock when Sasaki tried to convert it into the Crossover Facelock. However the BME only got a one count so Ueno had to pull out his new finisher, the Rolling Guillotine Ace Crusher to clear past Sasaki and book his place in the final. Sasaki is so upset over the loss he says 2022 has ended for himself and DAMNATION T.A as well as the first half of 2023. You’ll have to wait until the second half of 2023 to see them get their revenge!
Tetsuya Endo fell at the final hurdle thanks to Naomi Yoshimura. Endo was fighting for first place going into this show and would have made the final had he won, now that we know how Ueno Vs Sasaki went. Instead the Harai Goshi pinned Endo out of nowhere and dashed his chances of advancing. It’s been one of the few bright spots of Yoshimura’s tournament this year and he is currently not in the mood to talk about it. Meanwhile Endo is already thinking of any lessons he learned, figuring out that he has not grown since their last singles match while Yoshimura clearly has.
The two American wrestlers both left their mark in the A Block as wild cards disrupting everyone else’s chances. Both Joey Janela and RSP had slim chances of staying in the Grand Prix but they also had their sights set on each other during the entire tour due to their history together on the American indies. It led to a match where the two tried to destroy each other with the biggest moves they could think of. The biggest came when RSP gave Janela a Death Valley Bomb from the ring apron onto the floor outside. The move took out both men and the match ended in a Double Countout. Due to the new scoring rules implemented this year, a Double Counout means neither wrestlers received any points. Janela takes some enjoyment that the result stopped RSP from getting anywhere near the final. He also now wants to move on to his next target, Jun Akiyama! He thought he would get to fight Akiyama until he found out DDT added an age limit to this year’s D-Ou GP. If that’s not enough, while Janela is here in Japan Akiyama is in America wrestling Eddie Kingston in Janela’s previous workplace AEW! Janela wants Akiyama to come face him when he returns to Japan.
The D-Ou GP final is now set. The A Block winner Yuki Ueno faces the B Block winner Yukio Naya on 4th December. Ueno is in the final for the second year in a row and did not expect to be seeing Naya with him here. Naya’s a big guy but Ueno wants to live up to his promise to carry DDT on his own back. Naya said he is ready to do that too. He just beat Higuchi and now he has to beat Ueno. Should he do that then Naya will make it clear he wants to challenge Higuchi for the KO-D Title inside Tokyo Dome City Hall at the end of December!
Even without the tournament there is a lot of news coming out of this show. Naruki Doi made his next appearance for DDT, forming a team with DISASTER BOX that was nicknamed Disaster Muscle. Doi felt like he was being pranked with DISASTER BOX, The 37KAMIINA and even Takeshi Masada all getting him involved in wacky spots. Toru Owashi did his lucha while Kazuki Hirata tried to mimic MAO’s Koppojutsu but was easily brushed aside. He also tried to wear the Hirata GO! glasses but the music immediately caused Doi to kick him. Toi Kojima was the one to step up to Doi but was cut down with the Doi 555 and Bakatare Sliding Kick. After the match HARASHIMA welcomed Doi to DDT and congratulated him on winning the KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles, one of the few championships that HARASHIMA has never held. Doi asked the fans if they would like to see him face HARASHIMA some day? He then said he will be back in DDT on the 21st and 29th December. If anyone wants to fight Doi, Owashi & Hirata for the titles then Doi will accept any challengers… except for Shunma Katsumata.
KANON had a poor run in the tournament but that is all behind him now. He rejoined MJ Paul & Minoru Fujita to get a win against Eruption & Yuya Koroku. It was a close match with Yukio Sakaguchi & Hideki Okatani keeping DAMNATION T.A on their toes. Koroku then took the lead against KANON but a reversal of fortunes saw KANON pin him with the Sleepy Hollow.
There were also two matches on the pre-show. Danshoku Dieno was absent with a fever so it was up to the rest of Pheromones to keep it up with their obscene antics. This is bad news for Akito because their behaviour is getting so bad that Korakuen Hall management may consider stepping in and banning DDT from doing further shows in the building. Yuki Iino & Koju Takeda may have found a kindred spirit because Gorgeous Matsuno was more than ready to compare his fit body with theirs. Antonio Honda used Iino’s backside to charge up Gongitsune but some bad targeting led to both Akito & Takanashi getting knocked out. Yumehito Imanari saw the opening and got his partners to lock up with each other. Doing so had them essentially teabag all of their opponents over and over into submission. Akito was mad with the result because he bungled the numbers advantage and now DDT is at risk of being kicked out of Korakuen. Pheromones need to be subjugated so Akito will bring in the political tag team of Osamu Nishimura & Shinichiro Kawamatsu for the big 29th December show at Tokyo Dome City Hall!
The other dark match saw Yusuke Okada take all that Yuki Ishida could throw at him. Ishida fought out of a Crab Hold and kicked out of a long distance Diving Headbutt. It was a good effort but Okada beat him with the Sudden Death in the end.
Katsumata feels like there is not enough excitement going around so he came up with an idea to do an Explosion Death Match in the new year. So one will take place in Tsurumi on 7th January where Katsumata will aim to surpass Atsushi Onita and become the Reiwa era’s version of “Evil Ways”. He promised that show will not end until he blows up Onita!
An update was given in regards to LiLiCo’s request to take part in the Anal Explosion opening ceremony for the 29h December show in TDC Hall. Hisaya Imabayashi took part in a show with LiLiCo’s husband Ryohei Odai during the week so he recorded a video discussing the situation with him. Odai does not like the idea but is under the impression that all couples have a rule where they do not need to be concerned for what their partners do with their anuses. So he is ok with LiLiCo and DDT going ahead with the ceremony.
DDT has a Korakuen show on 21st December to celebrate the launch of Dieno’s new book about his views on pro wrestling. Dieno will have a match against Muscle Sakai on the show. There will also be a match between Yuki Iino and Yumehito Imanari just because Dieno wants to see it happen.
Matsuno gave everyone a news update about his planned kidney transplant operation for his partner Junko Tashiro. It was previously announced that the operation was delayed until next Spring because Tashiro is in stable health and has no need to get a transplant right away. The operation is now scheduled for April but may be delayed again if Tashiro remains in good health. It is inevitable that the transplant will need to happen some day and when it does, Matsuno made a vow to return to the ring after it is completed.
DDT “D-OU GRAND PRIX 2022 IN KORAKUEN HALL”, 18/11/2022 Tokyo Korakuen Hall
0. Dark Match: Yusuke Okada Vs Yuki Ishida
0. Dark Match – 3 Vs 4 Handicap Match: Yuki “Sexy” Iino, Yumehito “Fantastic” Imanari & Koju “Shining Ball” Takeda Vs Akito, Masahiro Takanashi, Antonio Honda & Gorgeous Matsuno
1. Minoru Fujita, MJ Paul & KANON Vs Yukio Sakaguchi, Hideki Okatani & Yuya Koroku
2. Special 8-Man Tag Match: HARASHIMA, Naruki Doi, Toru Owashi & Kazuki Hirata Vs MAO, Shunma Katsumata, Toi Kojima & Takeshi Masada
3. D-Ou Grand Prix 2022 – A Block: Joey Janela (4) Vs RSP (4)
4. D-Ou Grand Prix 2022 – A Block: Tetsuya Endo (5) Vs Naomi Yoshimura (2)
5. D-Ou Grand Prix 2022 – A Block: Daisuke Sasaki (5) Vs Yuki Ueno (4)
6. D-Ou Grand Prix 2022 – B Block: Chris Brookes (2) Vs Yuji Hino (7)
7. D-Ou Grand Prix 2022 – B Block: Kazusada Higuchi (7) Vs Yukio Naya (6)
Tomorrow sees which two wrestlers will advance to the D-Ou Grand Prix final. There are no clear single leader in either block and there’s room for an outside competitor to leapfrog over those tied in first place when all is said and done. So it’s time to work out who has to do what to make it to the final. The Head To Head rule is in effect for any tiebreakers, which means whoever won their match against their deadlocked opponent in the block stage moves up on top. If that tiebreaker was a draw then an extra playoff match will have to go ahead somewhere during tomorrow’s show. Remember there are two types of ways points are awarded for matches that end in a draw. A Time Limit Draw or a Double KO results in 1 point given to each wrestler. But a Double DQ/No Contest or a Double Countout means nobody gets any points. There are some crazy scenarios that can happen if there are a mixture of ties happening tomorrow but some are so farfetched I won’t go into those details. These tournaments rarely go the chaos route where multiple claims for first place all get tangled up together at the end. You’ll have to go far back to the 2009 Fire Festival to see something like that.
A Block
1. Tetsuya Endo (5)
Goes to the final by beating Yoshimura and if Sasaki cannot win his match. Will end up tied with Sasaki if both win, leading to a playoff match between the two. Endo goes through with a draw if Sasaki loses and Janela does not win. If Endo and Sasaki both draw their matches, that scenario can turn into a 3 way tie with the winner of Janela Vs RSP.
1. Daisuke Sasaki (5)
Reaches the final by beating Ueno and if Endo cannot win his match. Will end up tied with Endo if both win, leading to a playoff match between the two. Sasaki goes through with a draw if Endo loses and RSP does not win. If Endo and Sasaki both draw their matches, that scenario can turn into a 3 way tie with the winner of Janela Vs RSP.
3. Yuki Ueno (4)
Ueno needs to beat Sasaki and hope that Endo loses. That means he wins the tiebreaker over either Janela or RSP and finishes first. Anything else ends his run.
3. RSP (4)
It gets tricky from here on out. RSP’s route is to beat Janela, see Endo lose and Sasaki Vs Ueno go to a draw in order to get a tiebreaker in his favour.
3. Joey Janela (4)
Janela cannot win the group directly but can reach two playoff scenarios. He needs to beat RSP first of all. Then he can tie on points with either Endo and Sasaki if both draw or Endo and Ueno if Endo draws and Ueno wins. Either scenario results in a 3 Way playoff match.
6. Naomi Yoshimura (2)
No chance of reaching the final. All he can do is play spoiler. Can prevent Endo from finishing in 1st by beating him or possibly tying with him. Most likely to finish dead last unless he wins and Ueno loses.
B Block
1. Yuji Hino (7)
Hino beating Brookes and Higuchi failing to win sends Hino to the final. Hino and Higuchi both winning or drawing to finish with the same amount of points results in a playoff match between the two.
1. Kazusada Higuchi (7)
Higuchi winning against Naya while Hino fails to win sends Higuchi through. Higuchi and Hino both winning or drawing to finish with the same amount of points results in a playoff match between the two.
3. Yukio Naya (6)
Needs to beat Higuchi and Hino to lose in order to leapfrog over both into the final.
4. Chris Brookes (2)
Eliminated but can ruin Hino’s tournament by preventing him from winning their match. Losing puts him in a 3 Way tie for last place with KANON and MAO.
4. KANON (2)
Eliminated with no more matches left. Potentially finishes above MAO because of the Head To Head win.
4. MAO (2)
Eliminated with no more matches left. Potentially finishes below KANON because of the Head To Head loss.
DDT “D-OU GRAND PRIX 2022 IN OSAKA”, 12/11/2022 Osaka Edion Arena #2 320 Fans – No Vacancy
0. Dark Match: Yusuke Okada & Yuya Koroku defeated Shunma Katsumata & Kazuma Sumi when Okada submitted Sumi with a Crab Hold (7:33).
1. MJ Paul & KANON defeated Hideki Okatani & Takeshi Masada when KANON submitted Masada with a Ground X Hold (7:45).
2. Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno Produce Match: Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno Vs Aja Kong & HARASHIMA ended in a No Contest (10:49).
3. D-Ou Grand Prix 2022 – B Block: Yukio Naya (4) defeated Chris Brookes (2) with the Back Drop (5:24).
4. D-Ou Grand Prix 2022 – A Block: Daisuke Sasaki (3) defeated Joey Janela (4) with a Modified Samson Clutch (11:38).
5. D-Ou Grand Prix 2022 – A Block: Tetsuya Endo (5) defeated RSP (4) with the Burning Star Press (10:26).
-. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title: Shunma Katsumata defeated Keiko Takeshita (c) by Forfeit (7:04 pm). *Shunma Katsumata becomes the 1,554th champion.
6. KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles: Naruki Doi, Toru Owashi & Kazuki Hirata defeated Yuji Hino, Makoto Oishi & Shiori Asahi (c) when Hirata pinned Oishi with Miracle One Shot Cradle (15:22). *Ω fails in V1. Naruki Doi, Toru Owashi & Kazuki Hirata become the 48th KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Champions!
7. D-Ou Grand Prix 2022 – B Block: Kazusada Higuchi (5) defeated MAO (2) with a Rotating Foot Hold (11:41).
8. D-Ou Grand Prix 2022 – A Block: Naomi Yoshimura (2) defeated Yuki Ueno (4) with the Osaka Pride (22:57).
Naomi Yoshimura continues his unbeaten streak against his former Nautilus tag partner Yuki Ueno in singles matches. And not a moment too soon because this may kickstart Yoshimura’s recovery in the D-Ou Grand Prix. He blocked both the WR and also Ueno’s new Rolling Guillotine Ace Crusher. A Power Bomb, Lariat and the Osaka Pride only got a nearfall so Yoshimura had to hit the Osaka Pride a second time to earn the win. Yoshimura called this match his scariest one of the tournament but he proved he still a survivor of the D-Ou GP. He still has a chance to top the group as long as he wins his remaining matches. Ueno is frustrated he still cannot beat his generation rival. He believes he is the strongest to carry DDT on his back and will win the D-Ou no matter what.
As the days are counting down, a few of the wrestlers are getting desperate to win in order to remain in the running for the final. MAO is one example, jumping Kazusada Higuchi before the bell to start their match. He tried using the Koppojutsu skills he used to beat Higuchi in last year’s tournament, including the Clothespin. However this time Higuchi was ready for that move and had counters for it. The Brain Claw was also well scouted so Higuchi thought outside the box and pinned MAO with a Rotating Foot Hold. The result shows that MAO is not the only wrestler with tricks up his sleeve, Higuchi has been hiding stuff too. MAO is now unable to reach the final but he will keep fighting just in case the group winner pulls out of the final due to kidney stones or appendicitis. Hey it could happen!
RSP has been counting on his size to smash his way through the A Block. Today he ended up being overpowered by Tetsuya Endo! Agility played a major part as well because Endo flipped his way out of the GTF and then used an Overhead Kick to stun his opponent. The moment of strength came when Endo gave RSP the Torture Rack Bomb! RSP had enough fight left in him to kick out but the Burning Star Press put him away afterward. The performance shows that Endo’s ankle injury isn’t much of a problem anymore. He told the Osaka fans to keep an eye on him because once he wins the Grand Prix, he is going after all of the singles championships in DDT!
The build up to Daisuke Sasaki Vs Joey Janela promised a dirty fight and we got one. They fought outside the ring, attacked each other with chairs and Sasaki even Superplexed Janela out of the ring onto a bunch of ringside attendants! The chair usage went beyond what was acceptable and Yukinori Matsui tried to stop it. The unintentional distraction led to Sasaki giving Janela a Low Blow and then Janela giving a Low Blow back to Sasaki. However Sasaki found an opening to give one more Low Blow and then rolled up Janela in a Samson Clutch for the win. It revives Sasaki’s chances in the tournament but Janela is still in the chase for the final too.
Chris Brookes wasted no time in trying to finish off Yukio Naya by immediately doing the Praying Mantis Bomb to him before their match even began. Naya kicked out of the pin and remained on the defensive while Brookes continued his attack. The table turned when Naya hit a Knee Lift. He later hit a Choke Slam and pinned Brookes with the Back Drop. The win gives Naya a lot of confidence because of how experienced his opponent is. He now sees himself as the eye of the typhoon in the B Block. Brookes was taken aback because he didn’t realise just how strong Naya has become.
Outside of the tournament it was still an eventful show for DDT today. Naruki Doi made his first appearance on a regular DDT show and came out of it as a new champion! He teamed with DISASTER BOX members Toru Owashi & Kazuki Hirata to beat Ω for the KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles. It almost didn’t look that way with Ω being a united force. Makoto Oishi & Shiori Asahi used double team moves to great effect and Yuji Hino got rid of Owashi with the Funkin’ BOMB. Oishi gave Hirata the Miracle Ecstasy but Hirata somehow kicked out and used the Miracle One Shot Cradle to get the win out of nowhere. Owashi called the win a once in a hundred year miracle. Hirata corrected him and said it is once in a thousand years. Now that he holds a DDT championship that means he’s going to be here more often. Doi introduced himself to the fans after the match and said DDT was the first promotion to contact him after he turned freelance, so here he is. There are a lot of challengers he would like to face but one is on his mind. He heard there was once a DDT wrestler who looked a lot like him called Daichi Kakimoto…
Aja Kong got to experience the Pheromones madness. Both Sanshiro Takagi and Hisaya Imabayashi were absent from the show so the ring announcer Ken Kato was given the power to call off the match if things went out of control. He’s a big fan of Kong so he was really looking forward to seeing her fight. His dream was ruined by Danshoku Dieno & Yuki Iino. They used their seesaw attack with the wooden plank on HARASHIMA until Kong attacked them with the steel can. Pheromones got their own back by coming up with ways to stick their rear ends against Kong’s face until Kato called off the match. He also used his jacket to wipe Kong’s face after the match. Dieno & Iino probably needed it more because their backsides were now covered in Kong’s facepaint!
During the show Keiko Takeshita, Konosuke’s mother, came down to the ring and gave everyone an update on what life has been like ever since she became the Iron Man Heavymetalweight Champion. Every day people attack her to try and become champion but she always fights them off. She also had to defend the belt against a motorbike one time. Shunma Katsumata came down with a bag full of 551 pork buns as a gift for Keiko. He explained he will be wrestling in America this January and wants to go as the Iron Man Champion to increase his popularity. He also really likes Keiko so it would mean a lot if she gave him the title. Keiko was touched by Katsumata’s plea and agreed. With Matsui looking over, the title was officially transferred over from Keiko to Katsumata. Suddenly, Kazuma Sumi rolled over Katsumata with a School Boy. Keiko kicked Matsui to stop the pin count and then gave Sumi the Okanmaker to prevent a title change from happening. She’s not going to let anybody take the title away from Katsumata while she is here!
Posted by JamieOD 
Dramatic DDT 