DDT “WHAT ARE YOU DOING 2023 TOUR IN SAPPORO DAY 2”, 18/06/2023 Sapporo ii-one Stadium 304 Fans
1. Daisuke Sasaki & MJ Paul defeated Hideki Okatani & Kazuma Sumi when Paul pinned Sumi with a Running Body Press (9:33).
2. Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno Vs Sanshiro Takagi & Yukio Sakaguchi ended in a No Contest (7:24).
3. Akito & Sanae Takebayashi defeated Kazuki Hirata & Saki Akai when Akito submitted Hirata with an Ankle Lock (10:20).
4. Special Single Match: Andreza Giant Panda defeated Pokotan with the Andreza Press (6:04).
5. Sapporo Specialty Special Tag Match: Yuji Hino & Tomoya defeated Kazusada Higuchi & Yuki Ishida when Hino submitted Ishida with the King Kong Sleeper (13:30).
6. Jun Akiyama & Noriyuki Yoshida defeated HARASHIMA & Takeshi Masada when Akiyama pinned Masada with the Exploder Suplex (12:13).
7. BURNING Vs The 37KAMIINA!: Yuki Ueno, MAO & Toy Kojima defeated Tetsuya Endo, Yusuke Okada & Yuya Koroku when Ueno pinned Koroku with the WR (18:39).
Yuki Ueno & Toy Kojima successfully pulled off the My MADMAX on the way to winning today’s main event. The move itself did not score the win though. Ueno picked up Yuya Koroku afterwards to pin him with the WR. He then promoted the 25th June Korakuen Hall show to the Sapporo crowd where he, Kojima & MAO will all be fighting to win championships. Backstage Kojima said he is confident he & Ueno will win the KO-D Tag Team Titles while MAO will win the DDT Extreme Title.
Noriyuki Yoshida talked to Jun Akiyama backstage after their match and told him he wants to join BURNING. Akiyama decided to let him in as part of BURNING’s Hokkaido branch. DDT will be back in Sapporo this October so we’ll likely see Yoshida on those shows teaming with BURNING again.
The growing bad blood between Pokotan and Andreza Giant Panda led to a violent finish to their match. An Uppercut from Andreza knocked Pokotan’s head off! Andreza followed up with a big Headbutt followed by the Andreza Press to finish off the mascot. Andreza held Pokotan’s decapitated head while placing one foot on top of the body for the pinfall.
When Akito put Kazuki Hirata in the Ankle Lock, Hirata quickly tapped out. Somehow he thinks the speed of his tapping shows how great shape he’s in for the Extreme Title match. Sanae Takebayashi said she was happy to wrestle in DDT for the first time and would like to appear on their shows more often if given the chance. Akito said he liked seeing Saki Akai wrestle more women in DDT and hopes she will wrestle many more matches until her retirement later in the year.
Sanshiro Takagi had good news for everyone today. Pheromones are going to break up because there is no way they can beat him & Yukio Sakaguchi! The two of them took Yuki Iino out of action during the match, leaving Danshoku Dieno to fight them by himself. Sakaguchi put Dieno in a Sleeper Hold and Takagi placed a microphone up to Dieno’s face to force him into saying Pheromones are breaking up. Iino returned for the rescue and then trapped Takagi to force him into saying DDT is breaking up! Sakaguchi stopped them by shoving a penlight up Iino’s backside. Big mistake. Iino pulled it out and stuck the penlight into Sakaguchi’s mouth, causing him to faint. Iino then tried to strip naked causing the match to get called off.
DDT “WHAT ARE YOU DOING 2023 TOUR IN SAPPORO DAY 1”, 17/06/2023 Sapporo ii-one Stadium 210 Fans
1. Hideki Okatani defeated Yuki Ishida with the Double Arm Suplex (8:46).
2. 2 Vs 3 Handicap Match: Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno defeated Yusuke Okada, Kazuma Sumi & Rukiya when Iino submitted Rukiya after the Boys Be Ambitious (10:49).
3. Special Tag Match: Andreza Giant Panda & Saki Akai defeated Akito & Kazuki Hirata by TKO after Akito knocked out Akito with an Accidental Elbow Strike (0:19).
3a. Rematch: Andreza Giant Panda & Saki Akai defeated Akito & Kazuki Hirata when Akai pinned Hirata with the Quetzalcoatl (9:59).
4. Sapporo Specialty Special 8-Man Tag Match: Tetsuya Endo, Jun Akiyama, Yuya Koroku & Noriyuki Yoshida defeated Sanshiro Takagi, HARASHIMA, Tomoya & Makoto Oishi when Endo pinned Oishi with the Burning Star Press (14:35).
5. DAMNATION T.A Vs The 37KAMIINA!: MAO & Toy Kojima defeated Daisuke Sasaki & MJ Paul when Kojima pinned Paul with a School Boy (14:30).
6. Special Tag Match: Yuji Hino & Yukio Sakaguchi defeated Kazusada Higuchi & Takeshi Masada when Hino pinned Masada with the Fuckin’ BOMB (14:33).
It’s possible that Yuji Hino needed a day like today. All he had to do was focus on his match and not worry about Chris Brookes in any way, shape or form. The result of this was Hino scoring the pin and feeling very happy with how hot the atmosphere was in the building. He joked with Makoto Oishi that Sapporo is where it snows in the summer so it couldn’t possibly be this hot today. But it is! Yukio Sakaguchi added to the tension by gesturing towards Kazusada Higuchi and his KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Title belt after the match. He simply warned him that Eruption will take the titles from Harimao at Sumo Hall.
The latest drama between Toy Kojima and DAMNATION T.A continued the chair based beatings on The 37KAMIINA wrestler. However today he got a win over his enemies thanks to some help from MAO. Things went pear shaped when MAO missed the Whirlwind Kick and hit the referee Tomomitsu Matsunaga by accident. Sasaki hit Kojima with a chair until Kojima was able to defend himself and block the attack. Kojima then rolled over MJ Paul with a School Boy to get the 3 count from a recovered Matsunaga. DAMNATION T.A attacked Kojima again after the match but when they left, a defiant Kojima told the fans he and Yuki Ueno will win the vacant KO-D Tag Team Titles at Korakuen Hall! However Sasaki backstage called today’s result a miracle. One that will never happen again.
Obviously whenever Andreza Giant Panda appears it is very noticeable. It was even more so here when fans could see Andreza’s head sticking out behind the entrance curtain before he even made his entrance. He ended up getting stuck and his match began without him. Kazuki Hirata grabbed Saki Akai and Akito threw an Elbow Strike at her. She ducked and Hirata accidentally knocked out Hirata with his elbow. Akai was angry over how the match went and purposely revived Hirata to restart it, entrances and all. Andreza was still stuck behind the stage by the way. The match restarted and Akai made sure it wouldn’t suddenly end with Hirata getting knocked out again. Akito & Hirata got Andreza to chase them around ringside but it was to lure him into a trap. With the help of Underwear Sanshiro (a Sanshiro Takagi impersonator wearing underwear instead of wrestling trunks), Andreza was trapped inside two dollies leaving Akai having to fight Akito & Hirata by herself. Akai was able to fight off her opponents, free Andreza and go on to win the match as a team.
After the match Pokotan suddenly appeared and grabbed the microphone. He said he and Chiitan are now called the Chi-Poko Alliance and they will beat Andreza & Super Sasadango Machine to a pulp at Sumo Hall on 23rd July! But first Pokotan will face Andreza in a singles match tomorrow. He promised a fair fight and shook Andreza’s paw. Pokotan then gave him a Low Blow and a Stunner but Andreza shook it off and Headbutted Pokotan in retaliation!
DDT announced their next doubleshot at Sapporo ii-one Stadium will be on 14th and 15th October.
DDT “WHAT ARE YOU DOING 2023 TOUR IN OSAKA”, 10/06/2023 Osaka Suminoe Maikon Hall 190 Fans
1. 2 Vs 1 Handicap Match: Akito defeated Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno when Akito pinned Iino with a Back Kangaroo Clutch (6:20).
2. Yukio Sakaguchi, Saki Akai & Hideki Okatani defeated Sanshiro Takagi, Makoto Oishi & Rukiya when Okatani pinned Rukiya with a Northern Lights Suplex (12:13).
3. Yuki Ueno defeated Kazuma Sumi with a Frog Splash (10:28).
4. Tetsuya Endo & Jun Akiyama defeated Yusuke Okada & Yuya Koroku when Endo pinned Koroku with the Rotating Torture Rack Bomb (11:59).
5. Special Tag Match: Toru Owashi & “brother” YASSHI defeated Naruki Doi & Kazuki Hirata when YASSHI pinned Hirata with the Flying Big Head (11:23).
6. DAMNATION T.A Vs The 37KAMIINA!: Daisuke Sasaki & MJ Paul defeated MAO & Toy Kojima when Paul pinned Kojima with the Death Valley Bomb (13:56).
7. Maikon no Kohara Presents Special Tag Match: Yuji Hino & HARASHIMA defeated Kazusada Higuchi & Takeshi Masada when Hino pinned Masada with the Fuckin’ BOMB (17:05).
Yuji Hino had some harsh words for the missing Chris Brookes after the main event, accusing him of not being strong because he dislocated his shoulder. Kazusada Higuchi and HARASHIMA disagreed and both defended Brookes for being absent. Higuchi told Hino that Brookes will take the KO-D Openweight Title from him and HARASHIMA said Brookes never disappoints the fans. Their opinions made Hino realise that he himself is busy fighting and getting hurt while his challenger is currently resting. Could Hino be going into his big KO-D Title defence at a disadvantage?
DAMNATION T.A are getting annoyed by Toy Kojima’s persistence. No matter how much of a beating they give him in and outside the ring he still tries to fight them. After today’s match Sasaki decided he’s now going to try and break Kojima before 25th June so the vacant KO-D Tag Team Titles match will be turned into a 2 Vs 1 Handicap bout! If Sasaki & MJ Paul get their way, Kojima will never get to stand inside Korakuen Hall ever again!
Speaking of persistence. Kazuki Hirata said he was in great shape today and still got beaten up by Toru Owashi & “brother” YASSHI. Their match also featured Naruki Doi, making it heavily Toryumon flavored. After the match Doi told the fans that the “Dragon” genes are scattered throughout various wrestling promotions.
Hirata claims he is preparing something crazy if he gets to choose the stipulation for the DDT Extreme Title match against MAO. All he said is it will be something outrageous. Meanwhile MAO once again threatened to kick Hirata to death.
The odds were against Akito today but he pulled off the upset by beating Pheromones in a Handicap Match! He was originally supposed to have a team of his own outnumbering Yuki Iino & Danshoku Dieno but changes due to illnesses left Akito having to fight them by himself. Pheromones did their usual acts of humiliation but Akito countered the Cross Ass Sexy Lock Ass into a Kangaroo Clutch to pin Iino for the three count. Akito said DDT is wondering if he really is serious in trying to take down Pheromones? He’ll show the company he is by beating them and forcing them to disband on 23rd July in Sumo Hall!
Saki Akai was given an award by the president of the show’s sponsor Maikon no Kohara. The prize for the award was a year’s worth of Maikon NMN vitamins.
DDT “WHAT ARE YOU DOING 2023 TOUR IN ASAKUSA”, 13/06/2023 Tokyo Asakusa Hanayashi Theater
1. Daisuke Sasaki Vs Kazuma Sumi
2. Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno Vs Toru Owashi & Antonio Honda
3. Kazusada Higuchi, Ryota Nakatsu & Yuki Ishida Vs Jun Akiyama, Yusuke Okada & Rukiya
4. Tetsuya Endo & Yuya Koroku Vs Sanshiro Takagi & Akito
5. Asakusa Specialty Special Tag Match: Yuki Ueno & MAO Vs Yoshihiko & Kazuki Hirata
6. Special Single Match: MJ Paul Vs Toy Kojima
7. Yuji Hino, HARASHIMA & Makoto Oishi Vs Yukio Sakaguchi, Masahiro Takanashi & Hideki Okatani
It’s going to be a bumpy few weeks for Toy Kojima. He has a lot more matches against DAMNATION T.A waiting for him. Up next is a singles match against MJ Paul.
Earlier today Kazuki Hirata and MAO held a meeting with Hisaya Imabayashi that was streamed on Youtube. The two of them were asked to come up with match stipulations for their DDT Extreme Title bout. Neither of them thought of anything so they instead asked the Youtube chat for suggestions. After rejecting all of the ideas (including a Milk Deathmatch, a Borrowed Items Deathmatch, a Mahjong Shogi Deathmatch, a Plush Deathmatch and a Trampoline Deathmatch) Imabayashi gave up and made a new plan. Hirata and MAO are now given a week to come up with something and the winner of their tag match on this show will get to choose the stipulation.
The show has sold out, which prompted Sanshiro Takagi to tweet that DDT may consider running future shows in Asakusa at a bigger venue. The two buildings he is considering are the Taito Riverside Sports Center and Asakusa Public Hall.
DDT “WHAT ARE YOU DOING 2023 TOUR IN HAKODATE”, 16/06/2023 Hakodate City General Wholesale Center Distribution Hall
1. Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno Vs Akito & Kazuma Sumi
2. HARASHIMA & Hideki Okatani Vs Kazusada Higuchi & Yuya Koroku
3. Hakodate Specialty Special Single Match: Yuki Ishida Vs Akinori Ariji
4. Daisuke Sasaki & MJ Paul Vs Toy Kojima & Rukiya
5. SILVER QUEEN Infomercial Match: Sanshiro Takagi & Kazuki Hirata Vs MAO & Yoshihiko
6. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Yuji Hino, Makoto Oitshi & Yukio Sakaguchi Vs Tetsuya Endo, Jun Akiyama & Yusuke Okada
Akinori Ariji is an “amateur” pro wrestler from Narigari, a small scale wrestling group Danshoku Dieno puts together in his spare time. He’s been involved in DDT before, mainly back when Takagi was defending the Extreme Title against amateur opponents to draw more attention towards this micro corner of the wrestling scene.
DDT “WHAT ARE YOU DOING 2023 TOUR IN SAPPORO DAY 1”, 17/06/2023 Sapporo ii-one Stadium
1. 2 Vs 3 Handicap Match: Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno Vs Yusuke Okada, Kazuma Sumi & Rukiya
2. Hideki Okatani Vs Yuki Ishida
3. DAMNATION T.A Vs The 37KAMIINA!: Daisuke Sasaki & MJ Paul Vs MAO & Toy Kojima
4. Special Tag Match: Andreza Giant Panda & Saki Akai Vs Akito & Kazuki Hirata
5. Sapporo Specialty Special 8-Man Tag Match: Tetsuya Endo, Jun Akiyama, Yuya Koroku & Noriyuki Yoshida Vs Sanshiro Takagi, HARASHIMA, Tomoya & Makoto Oishi
6. Special Tag Match: Yuji Hino & Yukio Sakaguchi Vs Kazusada Higuchi & Takeshi Masada
Another goal for Saki Akai to tick off the bucket list before she retires is to team up with Andreza Giant Panda. Nobody tell Andreza’s wife.
DDT “WHAT ARE YOU DOING 2023 TOUR IN SAPPORO DAY 2”, 18/06/2023 Sapporo ii-one Stadium
1. Daisuke Sasaki & MJ Paul Vs Hideki Okatani & Kazuma Sumi
2. Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno Vs Sanshiro Takagi & Yukio Sakaguchi
3. Kazuki Hirata & Saki Akai Vs Akito & Sanae Takebayashi
4. Jun Akiyama & Noriyuki Yoshida Vs HARASHIMA & Takeshi Masada
5. Sapporo Specialty Special Tag Match: Yuji Hino & Tomoya Vs Kazusada Higuchi & Yuki Ishida
6. BURNING Vs The 37KAMIINA!: Tetsuya Endo, Yusuke Okada & Yuya Koroku Vs Yuki Ueno, MAO & Toy Kojima
7. Special Single Match: Andreza Giant Panda Vs Pokotan
DDT will be cowards if they don’t keep Andreza versus Pokotan as the main event.
DDT “MEMORIES OF SUMMER VACATION 2023”, 27/08/2023 Tokyo Korakuen Hall
1. HARASHIMA Debut 22nd Anniversary Match: HARASHIMA Vs X
Without a doubt HARASHIMA has been the backbone of DDT for the majority of the company’s existence. Giving him a special match to celebrate the 22nd anniversary of his debut is the least they could do for him.
The shit has hit the fan now boys and girls because Konosuke Takeshita has turned heel! What looked like a quiet month of recovery for the guy after getting injured by the Blackpool Combat Club in AEW instead ending with a bang with him betraying The Elite and solidifying his alliance with Don Callis. The angle has sent AEW fantasy booking into overdrive with fans now hoping this will lead into Kota Ibushi making his long awaited entry into the company to join the storyline. Kenny Omega is fanning the flames somewhat by telling the audience after Sunday’s PPV that he has friends from outside AEW he’s thinking about bringing in to even the numbers. Whatever happens next, it should become a big step forward for Takeshita’s AEW career.
Meanwhile May was the second full month for Miyu Yamashita in America. She has named her excursion the Kick Rampage Tour and continues to experience wins and losses across the country. She even started the month with a very busy weekend in England. Title matches in particular have been the big challenges she’s had difficulty with this month. While she’s been busy with that, Maki Itoh begun her own training excursion in America to prepare for her big Princess Of Princess Title match in July. So far her appearances have all been for GCW and she’s been thick in the action over there. Both Yamashita and Itoh will be staying in America for most of June along with Yuka Sakazaki.
Sakazaki’s story for this article is a little odd. She is currently in America travelling with AEW but has not wrestled any matches yet, as of the time I write this. That’s what happens when you get rid of Dark and Elevation but I digress. She is going to be wrestling in June but her visit seems to be more about preparations for life in America after she graduates from Tokyo Joshi Pro at the end of the year. Also I want to remind everyone she is a playable character in AEW: Fight Forever coming out at the end of June. She’s even in a photo for one of the game achievements. By the time June ends Yamashita, Itoh and Sakazaki will all be back in Japan for TJPW again but that won’t be the end of their international bookings this year by a long shot.
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Videos
NEW TEXAS PRO “SUPER TEXAS CONTENDERS SERIES 1”, 11/05/2023 Houston Premier Arena, Houston, Texas, USA
1. New Texas Pro Women’s Title: Hyan (c) Vs Miyu Yamashita
HOG “BEWARE THE FURY”, 19/05/2023 Amazura, Queens, New York, USA
1. HOG Women’s Title: The Ultra Violette (c) Vs Miyu Yamashita
GCW “I CAN’T SAVE YOU”, 21/05/2023 Valley Dale Ballroom, Columbus, Ohio, USA
1. Steph De Lander Vs Maki Itoh
GLORY PRO “GO FOR BROKE”, 21/05/2023 South Broadway Athletic Club, St. Louis, Missouri, USA
1. Tootie Lynn Vs Miyu Yamashita
TITLE MATCH “LADIES NIGHT OUT: TRIPLE SHOT 2”, 26/05/2023 AML Wrestling Training Center, Winston-Salem, North Carolina, USA
1. Ladies Night Out Title – 3 Way Match: Janai Kai (c) Vs Miyu Yamashita Vs Angélica Risk
AEW “DYNAMITE”, 31/05/2023 Viejas Arena, San Diego, California, USA
Don Callis and Konosuke Takeshita Get Booed Out Of San Diego
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Results
EVE “LUCKY 13 – NIGHT 1”, 05/05/2023 The Dome, Tufnell Park, London, England
1. EVE Title – Iron Woman Match: Miyu Yamashita (c) (4) defeated Millie McKenzie (3) (30:00).
1a. Millie McKenzie (1) defeated Miyu Yamashita (0) with a German Suplex (5:05).
1b. Miyu Yamashita (1) defeated Millie McKenzie (1) with the Skull Kick (11:14).
1c. Millie McKenzie (2) defeated Miyu Yamashita (1) with an Inside Cradle (23:13).
1d. Miyu Yamashita (2) defeated Millie McKenzie (2) with a High Kick (23:20).
1e. Miyu Yamashita (3) defeated Millie McKenzie (2) with the Attitude Adjustment (24:34).
1f. Millie McKenzie (3) defeated Miyu Yamashita (3) with the Spear (26:20).
1g. Miyu Yamashita (4) defeated Millie McKenzie (3) with the Skull Kick (28:05). *V4 for Miyu Yamashita.
It’s the rivalry that went worldwide. Yamashita and Millie McKenzie have fought each other in Spain, England and Japan with a close win-loss record between them if you include their tag match in TJPW. McKenzie failed to win the EVE Title from Yamashita once before but she got a second chance on home soil. This time it was going to be a grueling 30 minute Iron Woman Match so there could be no question over who deserved to be champion. The battle left McKenzie as a bloody mess but she got the first pinfall early and was able to catch up when Yamashita took the lead. But the Skull Kick was the difference maker, giving Yamashita the winning fall and the two were left exhausted by the time the match reached its end.
EVE “LUCKY 13 – NIGHT 2”, 06/05/2023 The Dome, Tufnell Park, London, England
1. EVE Title: Miyu Yamashita (c) defeated Billie Starkz with the Skull Kick (12:00). *V5 for Miyu Yamashita.
With hardly even a good day’s rest, Yamashita defended the EVE Title again the next day against Billie Starkz. She and Starkz are going to have matches together in America soon enough but EVE also wanted to host one because they didn’t know if they would ever get another chance. That Yamashita was still the champion gave them the perfect opportunity to make it a title match too. The result here shows that even when Yamashita’s American excursion ends, she still has a second home with EVE in England. They haven’t seen the last of her at all.
NEW TEXAS PRO “SUPER TEXAS CONTENDERS SERIES 1”, 11/05/2023 Houston Premier Arena, Houston, Texas, USA
1. New Texas Pro Women’s Title: Hyan (c) defeated Miyu Yamashita with the Beauty Sleep (15:05). *V4 for Hyan.
A big main event spot was given to Yamashita and Hyan over at New Texas Pro. Hyan successfully defended her Women’s Title in a back and forth match, withstanding a High Kick to give Yamashita her version of the Glam Slam for the victory.
MAW “VENDETTA”, 13/05/2023 2nd St. Depot, Hastings, Minnesota, USA
1. Miyu Yamashita defeated Sierra (?:??).
Even though Sierra holds Midwest All-Star Wrestling’s women’s title, her match with Yamashita turned out to be a non-title bout. It was in the main event however and Yamashita won it. Would have been nice if she added another belt to her collection during this tour. Two is not enough!
HOG “BEWARE THE FURY”, 19/05/2023 Amazura, Queens, New York, USA
1. HOG Women’s Title: The Ultra Violette (c) defeated Miyu Yamashita after a Chairshot (10:46). *V5 for Violette.
Yamashita has dealt with interference from a heel unit before but I don’t remember anyone from NEO Biishiki-gun ever smashing a chair over her head. That is what happened here when The Ultra Violette got help from The Bookers to defend the HOG Women’s Title. Yamashita did her best to fend off the cheaters, kicking The Bookers off of the ring apron and landing the Skull Kick on Violette. But the referee was pulled out of the ring during the pinfall, Yamashita got knocked out with a chairshot and Violette’s limp arm was placed over her to get the three count.
AIW “GAUNTLET FOR THE GOLD 16”, 20/05/2023 Force Sports, Eastlake, Ohio, USA
1. Joseline Navarro defeated Miyu Yamashita with a Low Cross Body (?:??).
A result like this sounds like a massive upset but looking at Joseline Navarro’s run of results in AIW, she has a pretty strong win-loss record for the company. Still, Yamashita looked to have underestimated her. She didn’t realise Navarro shook off a High Kick to the head and was German Suplexed over to the corner of the ring. Yamashita got some momentum back but missed the Skull Kick and was German Suplexed again, this time head first into the bottom turnbuckle. Navarro followed up with a Basement Cross Body into the corner and that kept Yamashita down for the three count.
GCW “THE WAY I AM”, 20/05/2023 Harpo’s Theatre, Detroit, Michigan, USA
1. GCW World Title – 5 Way Match: Masha Slamovich (c) defeated LuFisto, Shazza McKenzie, Maki Itoh and Allysin Kay when Slamovich submitted McKenzie with (12:25). *V6 for Masha Slamovich.
This was originally going to be just Itoh against Shazza McKenzie in a singles match but in the week leading up to the show GCW thankfully changed plans. It was changed to a 6 Way Match featuring Masha Slamovich defending the GCW World Title against 5 other women, Itoh included. Then it turned out to be a 5 Way Match when Allie Katch was unable to make it to the show. Unlike Yamashita, Itoh can take a chair to the head and proved it by grabbing a chair and repeatedly headbutting it. Sadly she wasn’t able to become champion in the end.
GCW “I CAN’T SAVE YOU”, 21/05/2023 Valley Dale Ballroom, Columbus, Ohio, USA
1. Steph De Lander (w/ Matt Cardona) defeated Maki Itoh (w/ Nick Gage) with a Sit Out F5 (8:58).
The next night Itoh went face to face with a woman who is fast becoming her international nemesis, Steph De Lander. Both Nick Gage and Matt Cardona were there for their entrances but it was Cardona who ended up interfering when he stopped Itoh from using her pizza cutter. The distraction led to De Lander getting a cheap win.
GLORY PRO “GO FOR BROKE”, 21/05/2023 South Broadway Athletic Club, St. Louis, Missouri, USA
1. Miyu Yamashita defeated Tootie Lynn with the Skull Kick (12:26).
After a poor run of results Yamashita got things back on track by beating Tootie Lynn in the main event of a Glory Pro show. She even acted a little cheeky after the match, pulling back on a handshake only to give Lynn a hug afterwards. I think she liked wrestling her.
1. Triple Threat Match: Masahiro Takanashi defeated Big T and John Day (?:??).
2. SPW Queen Of Asia Title: Alexis Lee (c) defeated Saki Akai (?:??).
*V? for Alexis Lee.
3. SPW Southeast Asia Title: Aiden Rex (c) defeated Yukio Sakaguchi (?:??).
*V? for Aiden Rex.
This one slipped past me when it was announced last month. Eruption members Yukio Sakaguchi and Saki Akai went over to Singapore Pro Wrestling to challenge some of their champions. Both of them failed to win the belts with Sakaguchi losing to Aiden Rex and Saki Akai losing to Alexis Lee. The only DDT related win on the show was Masahiro Takanashi getting his hand raised after the 3 Way Match.
TITLE MATCH “LADIES NIGHT OUT: TRIPLE SHOT 2”, 26/05/2023 AML Wrestling Training Center, Winston-Salem, North Carolina, USA
1. Ladies Night Out Title – 3 Way Match: Angélica Risk defeated Janai Kai (c) and Miyu Yamashita when Risk pinned Yamashita after the Tornado Kick from Kai (?:??). *Janai Kai fails in V4. Angélica Risk becomes the 3rd Ladies Night Out Champion!
Janai Kai has become a favourite opponent for Yamashita during her tour and this time she had a chance to win a championship from her. But things got weird. Title Match were running three shows that day and promoted two matches for Yamashita. One against Kai and one against Angélica Risk. Then on the night it turned out to be just one match between all three wrestlers and it was the main event of the final show. Kai actually had Yamashita beat by hitting her with the Tornado Kick. But Risk got Kai out of the way and stole the pin to become the new champion.
GCW “LIFESTYLE”, 26/05/2023 Silver Nugget Casino, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
1. Maki Itoh defeated Sandra Moone with the I.S.D. (9:18).
Itoh’s GCW adventure bounced back from last week’s losses by beating Sandra Moone in Las Vegas. She had no time to celebrate though because Cardona & De Lander attacked her immediately after the match. Gage ran down to the rescue, leading everyone to anticipate Maki Death Kill to team up again so they can cut their enemies apart!
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Upcoming Appearances
LLL “BEST WISHES WARMEST REGARDS”, 02/06/2023 The Oriental Theater, Denver, Colorado, USA
1. 3 Way Match: Masha Slamovich Vs Heidi Howitzer Vs Miyu Yamashita
Two opponents Yamashita has gotten to know in the ring pretty well this year. Her versus Masha Slamovich should happen more often. Heidi Howitzer is showing how busy she is while she’s away from Max The Impaler.
BLACK LABEL PRO “FANCY WRESTLING 2”, 03/06/2023 RDS Gym, Crown Point, Indiana, USA
1. Rachel Armstrong Vs Miyu Yamashita
From what I could find about Rachel Armstrong, she has a deadly looking 450 Splash.
GCW “CAGE OF SURVIVAL 2”, 04/06/2023 The Showboat, Atlantic City, New Jersey, USA
1. Maki Itoh Vs X
Itoh’s not going to fight in a Cage Match, is she?
INSPIRE A.D. “KIDS OF THE BLACKHOLE”, 04/06/2023 Empire Control Room, Austin, Texas, USA
1. Miyu Yamashita Vs Killa Kate
Yamashita says farewell to Texas by fighting “The Submission Musician” Killa Kate. The people at Inspire A.D. have such big expectations for this match they made their own instruction video teaching fans how to throw streamers into the ring.
ST. LOUIS ANARCHY “GIANT’S WOKE EYES OPEN”, 09/06/2023 The House of Anarchy, Alton, Illinois, USA
1. Billie Starkz Vs Miyu Yamashita
This is the US match between Yamashita and Starkz that I was talking about earlier.
SPARK “IGNITE EAST”, 11/06/2023 The Heart Ballroom, Newark, New Jersey, USA
1. Maki Itoh Vs Brittany Blake
2. Spark Joshi World Title: Miyu Yamashita Vs Rachael Ellering
Yamashita is one of the two wrestlers chosen to fight for the new Spark Joshi World Title with Rachael Ellering being the other. If you ever wanted to know how those zombie championships that bounce around the Japanese indies get created, maybe give this thing a follow. Am I being too harsh with that assumption? Yep!
Itoh joins Yamashita for the first two Spark shows. She takes on Brittany Blake on the debut event.
SPARK “IGNITE WEST”, 16/06/2023 East San Gabriel Valley Japanese Cultural Center, West Covina, California, USA
1. Maki Itoh Vs X
2. Miyu Yamashita Vs Delilah Doom
Delilah Doom is a well travelled veteran of the independents, wrestling for a similar length of time Yamashita has.
ENJOY “SOMETHING TO WRITE HOME ABOUT”, 17/06/2023 Mr. Smalls Theatre, Millvale, Pennsylvania, USA
1. Miyu Yamashita Vs Ray Lyn
It appears that the Kick Rampage Tour will indeed end here. Yamashita’s first match back in TJPW will be on 24th June so unless something gets booked in the last week this will be it.
WRESTLING REVOLVER “RING OF DESTINY”, 17/06/2023 Calumet Center, Dayton, Ohio, USA
1. JT Dunn (w/ Allie Katch) Vs Konosuke Takeshita
JT Dunn has had a few chances now at trying to beat Takeshita but has yet to find success. Things in Wrestling REVOLVER have been going way lately though. He and Allie Katch got engaged at the last REVOLVER show and they have been causing chaos over there as part of The Unit. Is Katch the difference maker Dunn needed all along? Will this match even make sense by the time it happens? It could become heel versus heel depending on how Takeshita will start acting in AEW after his recent actions.
GCW “THANK ME LATER”, 17/06/2023 Ukrainian Cultural Center, Los Angeles, California, USA
1. Rina Yamashita Vs Maki Itoh
If there is a joshi wrestler who has taken GCW even more by storm than Itoh, it is Rina Yamashita. She is the longest reigning GCW Ultraviolent Champion and also has the most defences in a single reign. Who will the GCW audience get behind more or will there be an audible split in support?
DPW “TAG FESTIVAL 2023”, 18/06/2023 Durham Armory, Durham, North Carolina, USA
1. Yuka Sakazaki & Mizuki Vs X & X
Of course Deadlock Pro is the first place in America to book The Magical Sugar Rabbits outside of TJPW!
EVE “NMITB”, 02/07/2023 The Dome, Tufnell Park, London, England
1. Eve Title: Miyu Yamashita (c) Vs Rhio or Emersyn Jayne
Last week EVE held a taping that had a No. 1 Contender’s match to determine Yamashita’s next challenger for her title. Videos of the show won’t be uploaded to their paid Youtube channel until June and the promoters asked their audience not to put any spoilers out anywhere. Those fans obliged and no results from the show can be found online. So right now I don’t know if it is Rhio or Emersyn Jane who is getting the title shot. Or even both if their match ended in a draw.
WEST COAST PRO “CRUEL SUMMER 2023”, 08/07/2023 United Irish Cultural Center, San Francisco, California, USA
1. Bryan Keith Vs MAO
There’s still going to be international wrestling for me to talk about after the women go back to TJPW. MAO will be going to America in July and West Coast Pro are giving him a doozy of an opponent. Bryan Keith might have the tools needed to deal with MAO’s crazy energy.
IWTV “MARCUS MATHERS ALL I WANT 2”, 13/07/2023 H20 Wrestling Center, Williamstown, New Jersey, USA
1. Yoshihiko Vs X
2. MAO Vs X
Both MAO and Yoshihiko have been invited over to a show produced by Marcus Mathers for IWTV.
GCW “NOW AND FOREVER”, 14/07/2023 Melrose Ballroom, Queens, New York, USA
1. Yoshihiko Vs X
2. Maki Itoh Vs X
Itoh’s going to be doing more GCW appearances that TJPW appearances the way things are going. Yoshihiko also returns.
Itoh’s relationship with death match wrestling is no longer just confined to GCW. She’ll be going over to Canada to make her International Wrestling Syndicate debut in July!
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW LIVE TOUR IN SPRING ’23”, 27/05/2023 Kanagawa Fujisawa City Shonandai Cultural Center
1. Hikari Noa Vs Haru Kazashiro
2. Yuki Aino & Pom Harajuku Vs Toga & Runa Okubo
3. Nao Kakuta & Asuka Vs Moka Miyamoto & Kaya Toribami
4. Mizuki & Raku Vs Hyper Misao & Shino Suzuki
5. Rika Tatsumi, Miu Watanabe & HIMAWARI Vs Suzume, Arisu Endo & Wakana Uehara
6. Shoko Nakajima & Yuki Kamifuku Vs Aja Kong & Mahiro Kiryu
The weekend of shows begin with Yuki Kamifuku’s homecoming in Kanagawa.
DDT “WHAT ARE YOU DOING 2023 TOUR IN HIROSHIMA”, 27/05/2023 Hiroshima JMS Aster Plaza
1. Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno Vs Kazuma Sumi & Rukiya
2. Kazusada Higuchi & Yuki Ishida Vs Sanshiro Takagi & Yusuke Okada
3. MAO Vs Hideki Okatani
4. Special Single Match: Kenshin Chikano Vs Kazuki Hirata
5. Hiroshima Specialty Special 6-Man Tag Match: Tetsuya Endo, Jun Akiyama & Yuya Koroku Vs HARASHIMA, Toru Owashi & Rey Paloma
6. The 37KAMIINA Vs DAMNATION T.A!: Yuki Ueno & Toy Kojima Vs Daisuke Sasaki & MJ Paul
7. Special Tag Match: Yuji Hino & Makoto Oishi Vs Chris Brookes & Takeshi Masada
Then it’s onto the first preview of Yuji Hino versus Chris Brookes.
GANBARE☆PRO “I WILL BE A BUTTERFLY FOR YOU 2023”, 28/05/2023 Tokyo Oji BASEMENT MON☆STAR
1. GanPro Vs Australia: Keisuke Ishii & Soma Takao Vs Hartley Jackson & Mitch Ryder
2. GanJo Special Tag Match: YuuRI & Yoshiko Hasegawa Vs Moeka Haruhi & Riara
3. GanPro Vs Sento Minzoku: Ken Ohka & Shota Vs Minoru Fujita & Daiki Shimomura
4. Mizuki Watase, Shuichiro Katsumura & Yuki Kanzaki Vs Yumehito Imanari, Tyson Maeguchi & Shinichiro Tominaga
On Sunday Ganbare☆Pro presents its monthly tripleshot. GanPro’s feud with Sento Minzoku also brings back the rivalry between Ken Ohka and Minoru Fujita.
GANBARE☆PRO “WRESTLE YUMEHITO FACTORY 2023”, 28/05/2023 Tokyo Oji BASEMENT MON☆STAR
1. BEST OF THE SUPER arena Grand Final: Moeka Haruhi Vs YuuRI
2. Yumehito Poison Rumble: Mizuki Watase Vs Soma Takao Vs Tyson Maeguchi Vs Yuki Kanzaki Vs HARUKAZE Vs Yoshiko Hasegawa Vs Riara
3. Shin Rogai-gun Vs Shin Jidai-gun: Shuichiro Katsumura & Shota Vs Ilusion & Munetatsu Nakamura
4. Yumehito Imanari’s GanPro 10th Anniversary Match: Yumehito Imanari & Shinichiro Tominaga Vs Ken Ohka & Keisuke Ishii
Then things get a bit silly with Yumehito Imanari in charge of the middle show. The show’s logo is a tribute to Wrestle Yume Factory.
DDT “WHAT ARE YOU DOING 2023 TOUR IN KUMAMOTO”, 28/05/2023 Kumamoto Castle Hall Civic Hall
1. Yuya Koroku Vs Rukiya
2. 2 Vs 3 Handicap Match: Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno Vs HARASHIMA, Toru Owashi & Kazuki Hirata
3. Chris Brookes & Sanshiro Takagi Vs Hideki Okatani & Kazuma Sumi
4. BURNING Vs The 37KAMIINA!: Tetsuya Endo & Yusuke Okada Vs Yuki Ueno & MAO
5. Special Single Match: Jun Akiyama Vs Toy Kojima
6. Kumamoto Specialty Special Tag Match: Kazusada Higuchi & Yuki Ishida Vs Kota Umeda & Takeshi Masada
7. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Yuji Hino, Makoto Oishi & X Vs Daisuke Sasaki, MJ Paul & Shogun Okamoto
Still no reveal of who X is yet.
GANBARE☆PRO “GANBARE☆PRO WRESTLING PLAYERS ASSOCIATION PERFORMANCE”, 28/05/2023 Tokyo Oji BASEMENT MON☆STAR
1. Mixed Tag Match: Shota & YuuRI Vs Shinichiro Tominaga & HARUKAZE
2. Special Single Match: Choun-Shiryu Vs Moeka Haruhi
3. Elimination 6-Man Tag Match: Mizuki Watase, Soma Takao & Yumehito Imanari Vs Ken Ohka, Keisuke Ishii & Shuichiro Katsumura
4. Spirit Of Ganbare World Openweight Title Next Challenger: Isami Kodaka Vs Munetatsu Nakamura
GanPro ends their long day finding out who will be the No. 1 Contender for the Spirit Of Ganbare Title.
BASARA “BASARA 220 ~OJI NI KITSUNE 25~”, 03/06/2023 Tokyo Oji BASEMENT MONSTAR
1. Isami Kodaka & Daiki Shimomura Vs Daichi Kazato & Lil’ Kraken
2. 3 Way Match: Ryuichi Sekine Vs Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi Vs SAGAT
3. Chouten ~Itadaki~ 2023 – Round 1 B Block: Takato Nakano Vs Minoru Fujita
4. Chouten ~Itadaki~ 2023 – Round 1 B Block: Ryota Nakatsu Vs Tatsuhiko Yoshino
5. Chouten ~Itadaki~ 2023 – Round 1 B Block: FUMA Vs Fuminori Abe
6. Chouten ~Itadaki~ 2023 – Round 1 B Block: Takumi Tsukamoto Vs Yasu Urano
The Chouten ~Itadaki~ moves onto the B Block in Round 1.
DDT “DDT YOKOHAMA UNLIMITED VOL. 3”, 03/06/2023 Yokohama Radiant Hall
1. Takeshi Masada Vs Kazuma Sumi
2. Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno Vs Akito & Antonio Honda
3. Yukio Sakaguchi, Hideki Okatani & Rukiya Vs Yusuke Okada, Yuya Koroku & Yuki Ishida
4. Tetsuya Endo & Jun Akiyama Vs HARASHIMA & Soma Takao
5. DAMNATION T.A Vs The 37KAMIINA!: Daisuke Sasaki & MJ Paul Vs Yuki Ueno & Toy Kojima
6. Special Single Match: MAO Vs Yuni
7. Special Tag Match ~ Gatoh Move Vs DDT’s Comical Strongest Tag: Masahiro Takanashi & Mei Suruga Vs Toru Owashi & Kazuki Hirata
8. Special Tag Match: Yuji Hino & Makoto Oishi Vs Chris Brookes & Kazusada Higuchi
One by one Yuni is going to be getting singles matches against DDT’s regulars. Not sure if it’s a good idea to let MAO be of any influence to him.
BASARA “BASARA 221 ~OJI NI KITSUNE 26~”, 03/06/2023 Tokyo Oji BASEMENT MONSTAR
1. FUMA & Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi Vs Ryota Nakatsu & SAGAT
2. Ryuichi Sekine Vs Daichi Kazato
3. Takumi Tsukamoto & Yasu Urano Vs Fuminori Abe & Takato Nakano
4. Lil’ Kraken & Leo Isaka Vs Tsutomu Oosugi & Banana Senga
5. Chouten ~Itadaki~ 2023 – Round 2 A Block: Isami Kodaka Vs Daiki Shimomura
The 2nd Round schedule looks to be changed a little bit. Only one match from Round 2 is happening on the show due to some wrestlers having commitments elsewhere that evening. The rest of Round 2 will be happening on the 17th June show.
DDT “JAPAN PARA-WRESTLING FEDERATION CHARITY SHOW ~ WHAT ARE YOU DOING 2023 TOUR IN ODAWARA”, 04/06/2023 Kanagawa Odawara Arena Sub Arena
1. Takeshi Masada Vs Rukiya
2. Saki Akai & Hideki Okatani Vs Kazuki Hirata & Toy Kojima
3. DAMNATION T.A Vs BURNING!: Daisuke Sasaki & MJ Paul Vs Yusuke Okada & Yuya Koroku
4. Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno Vs MAO & Kazuma Sumi
5. Special Single Match: Yuki Ueno Vs Akito
6. Odawara Specialty Special 6-Man Tag Match: Yoshiaki Yatsu, Tetsuya Endo & Jun Akiyama Vs Sanshiro Takagi, Toru Owashi & Makoto Oishi
7. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Yuji Hino, HARASHIMA & Yukio Sakaguchi Vs Chris Brookes, Kazusada Higuchi & Yuki Ishida
Two wrestlers who were part of Hino’s 20th Anniversary match are teaming with him here. Hino gets HARASHIMA & Yukio Sakaguchi on his team while Brookes joins forces with Harimao.
DDT “WHAT ARE YOU DOING 2023 TOUR IN OSAKA”, 10/06/2023 Osaka Suminoe Maikon Hall
1. Yuki Ishida Vs Kazuma Sumi
2. Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno Vs Akito & Makoto Oishi
3. Tetsuya Endo & Jun Akiyama Vs Kazusada Higuchi & Rukiya
4. Yukio Sakaguchi, Saki Akai & Hideki Okatani Vs Sanshiro Takagi, Yusuke Okada & Yuya Koroku
5. DAMNATION T.A Vs The 37KAMIINA!: Daisuke Sasaki & MJ Paul Vs MAO & Toy Kojima
6. Special Tag Match: Toru Owashi & “brother” YASSHI Vs Naruki Doi & Kazuki Hirata
7. Maikon no Kohara Presents Special Tag Match: Yuji Hino & HARASHIMA Vs Chris Brookes & Takeshi Masada
The main event gets a sponsor and the undercard is changed around a bit because of Shunma Katsumata’s injury.
DDT “WHAT ARE YOU DOING 2023 TOUR IN MATSUYAMA”, 11/06/2023 Ehime Matsuyama City Comprehensive Community Center Exhibition Hall
1. Kazusada Higuchi Vs Rukiya
2. 2 Vs 3 Handicap Match: Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno Vs Toru Owashi, Kazuki Hirata & Yuki Ishida
3. Daisuke Sasaki & MJ Paul Vs Chris Brookes & Takeshi Masada
4. Special Tag Match: Akito & Char Vs Yusuke Okada & Tsuru Himeka
5. Ω Vs Eruption!: Yuji Hino & Makoto Oishi Vs Yukio Sakaguchi & Hideki Okatani
6. BURNING Vs The 37KAMIINA!: Tetsuya Endo, Jun Akiyama & Yuya Koroku Vs MAO, Yuki Ueno & Toy Kojima
7. Matsuyama Specialty Special 6-Man Tag Match: Sanshiro Takagi (w/ Cutie Elly The Ehime), Imabari Taoru Mascaras & Tsutenkakka Vs HARASHIMA, Saki Akai & Kazuma Sumi
Katsumata’s injury means the Ehime shows gets changed a little bit too.
DDT “WHAT ARE YOU DOING 2023”, 25/06/2023 Tokyo Korakuen Hall
1. Yukio Sakaguchi, Saki Akai, Hideki Okatani & Sanshiro Takagi Vs Ryota Nakatsu, Yuki Ishida, Yusuke Okada & Yuya Koroku
2. International Special Single Match: Tetsuya Endo Vs Nick Wayne
3. DDT Extreme Title: MAO Vs Kazuki Hirata
4. KO-D Tag Team Titles: X & X Vs X & X
MAO and Kazuki Hirata have been chosen to compete in the vacant DDT Extreme Title match. MAO thinks it is fitting to be the next person to hold the title after Katsumata. Hirata understands that would be lovely story telling but that doesn’t matter because he is going to win it instead! He expects the match to be so exciting it will help Katsumata recover quicker.
Now in his 30s, Tetsuya Endo is starting to notice it takes longer for him to recover from his matches so it motivates him to see the next generation rise. That is why he wants to face Nick Wayne in a singles match for Wayne’s DDT debut in Japan to keep him sharp for Matt Cardona in July.
Sanshiro Takagi wants to team up with Eruption one time before Saki Akai’s retirement takes place. His King Of DDT match against Sakaguchi also inspired him to come up with the idea. Ryota Nakatsu is looking forward to facing Takagi because he likes fighting his bosses. Just ask Isami Kodaka in BASARA.
DDT “WRESTLE PETER PAN 2023”, 23/07/2023 Tokyo Ryogoku Kokugikan
1. Special Tag Match: Chiitan☆ & Pokotan Vs Andreza Giant Panda & Super Sasadango Machine
2. Dramatic Dream Match: Daisuke Sasaki Vs El Desperado
3. KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles: Kazusada Higuchi, Ryota Nakatsu & Yuki Ishida (c) Vs Yukio Sakaguchi, Saki Akai & Hideki Okatani
4. DDT Universal Title: Tetsuya Endo (c) Vs Matt Cardona (w/ Steph De Lander)
5. KO-D Openweight Title: Yuji Hino (c) Vs Chris Brookes
One of Akai’s requests before she retires is try and win the KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles with Eruption one more time. Takagi immediately put the match together for “WRESTLE PETER PAN 2023”.
DDT “WRESTLE PETER PAN 2023”, 23/07/2023 Tokyo Ryogoku Kokugikan
1. KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles: Kazusada Higuchi, Ryota Nakatsu & Yuki Ishida (c) Vs Yukio Sakaguchi, Saki Akai & Hideki Okatani
DDT “SAKI AKAI 10TH ANNIVERSARY TOUR IN KORAKUEN!!”, 13/08/2023 Tokyo Korakuen Hall
1. Saki Akai Vs X
DDT “SAKI AKAI 10TH ANNIVERSARY TOUR IN KYOTO!!”, 30/09/2023 Kyoto KBS Hall
1. Saki Akai Vs X
DDT “ULTIMATE PARTY 2023”, 12/11/2023 Tokyo Ryogoku Kokugikan
1. Saki Akai Retirement Match: Saki Akai Vs X
The big announcement that DDT has been teasing this week was revealed today. Saki Akai announced she will be retiring from pro wrestling on 12th November at “ULTIMATE PARTY 2023”. She is celebrating her 10th year as a pro wrestler this year and felt the end of it is the right time for her career to finish as a beautiful flower instead of a wilting one. Akai said at the press conference that she’s been with DDT for 10 years non-stop and is proud to have been a part of the company. When she was inexperienced and lacking in skill during her early years, the warm support from everybody gave her strength and confidence. She decided that Sumo Hall was the perfect place for her retirement match because it is also where she debuted in 2013.
Also at the press conference was Sanshiro Takagi. He spoke about scouting Akai a decade ago, thinking she had great potential and then faced a lot of opposition over the idea from her mother. Takagi ensured Akai’s mother that they would take responsibility for her every step of the way and asked her to let Akai do it for at least one year. He is so happy and proud to see how much Akai loves DDT and was willing to do anything she could to help them grow. It is now up to DDT to give her the most beautiful send off they can give her. Takagi also told Akai she will always be part of the DDT family even when she is retired.
Akai then answered questions from the press. She told them her post-retirement plans is to run her beauty salon along with continuing her modelling career. She didn’t start thinking about retiring until her 8th or 9th year in the business and felt her 10th anniversary would be the most ideal finishing point. It was this past February when Akai told Takagi of her intentions to retire. Takagi thought Akai would be with DDT forever and then joked about asking her mother for forgiveness every year until he stopped in year six. Akai has told her mother about the retirement plans and also hopes today’s news will reach her estranged father Hidekazu Akai. She also suggested doing a mixed-gender match of some sort for her last bout because she debuted in that kind of match.
But before all that happens, Akai wants one more chance to win the KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles with Eruption because that championship is the one she has the most affection for. Takagi listened and decided right there that Harimao Vs Eruption will take place at “WRESTLE PETER PAN 2023” on 23rd July with the belts on the line. Takagi was asked to describe what Akai’s appeal as a wrestler was. He said Akai is tall, beautiful and hates to lose. He thinks she probably inherited the last one from her father. He also said she has an amazing fighting instinct and wants her to keep showing it until the end. Akai said she is thankful she never suffered any serious injuries during her career that made her miss any ring time. As a pro wrestler it makes her happy she gets to end her career on her own terms. She still has her anniversary shows coming up and her retirement is 6 months away but she knows it will all go past in a blink of an eye. She thanks her fans because they made her a pro wrestler and took care of her.
DDT “KING OF DDT 2023 FINAL!!”, 21/05/2023 Tokyo Korakuen Hall 677 Fans
0. Dark Match: Yuki “Sexy” Iino, Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno & Yumehito “Fantastic” Imanari defeated Akito, Yusuke Okada & Rukiya by TKO when Iino used the Radio Taiso Exercise on Rukiya (6:01).
0. Dark Match: Yukio Sakaguchi, Saki Akai, Soma Takao, Yuni & Yuki Ishida defeated Toru Owashi, Makoto Oishi, Antonio Honda, Kazuki Hirata & Kazuma Sumi when Akai pinned Hirata with the Quetzalcoatl (7:39).
1. King Of DDT 2023 – Semi Final: Kazusada Higuchi defeated Yuki Ueno with the Brain Claw Slam (10:57).
2. King Of DDT 2023 – Semi Final: Chris Brookes defeated Jun Akiyama with the Praying Mantis Bomb (11:20).
3. BURNING Vs DAMNATION T.A!: Tetsuya Endo & Kotaro Suzuki defeated Daisuke Sasaki & MJ Paul when Endo pinned Paul with the Burning Star Press (11:02).
4. Special 8-Man Tag Match: Yuji Hino, Sanshiro Takagi, HARASHIMA & Naruki Doi defeated MAO, Toy Kojima, Yuya Koroku & Takeshi Masada when Hino submitted Koroku with the King Ghidorah Sleeper (10:32).
5. DDT Extreme Title – Piercing Death Match: Shunma Katsumata (c) defeated Hideki Okatani with an Inside Cradle (12:02). *V1 for Shunma Katsumata.
6. King Of DDT 2023 – Final: Chris Brookes defeated Kazusada Higuchi with the Ground Octopus Stretch (24:28).
Four years ago an English wrestler from the independents named Chris Brookes came to DDT. He took to Japan’s wrestling scene like a duck to water, ticking off a hardcore puroresu bucket list of things to do that isn’t just wrestle in Korakuen Hall and getting a Ribera Steakhouse jacket. What was supposed to be a year long visit to Japan became a four year stay, partly due to the pandemic, but that only helped his career grow. He ingrained himself into Japan’s wrestling scene from as many corners as he could whether it was for DDT, Gatoh Move or somewhere else. Today that four year journey reached its highest point for now because Brookes is the winner of this year’s King Of DDT tournament!
Brookes earned his victory by beating last year’s winner Kazusada Higuchi in the final. Higuchi kicked out of the Praying Mantis Bomb and used the Brain Claw to set up an Exploder Suplex. That almost resulted in a double KO countout but both men got up at 9. Higuchi did the Doctor Bomb but Brookes kicked out at two. Higuchi provoked Brookes into Headbutting him several times and then fired back with one of his own. But when Higuchi charged in to do the Buchikamashi, Brookes jumped onto him and latched on the Octopus Stretch. The move took Higuchi off his feet and Brookes kept finding ways to twist him until Higuchi finally gave up.
Brookes shook hands with Higuchi after the match and was presented with the trophy. He then celebrated with his cornermen Masahiro Takanashi, Drew Parker and Antonio Honda. Brookes told the fans he was able to win because of their cheers. But his “Dramatic Dream” is not over yet because Brookes is now setting his sights on the KO-D Openweight Title! Backstage he told the reporters that it was not a hard decision to stay in Japan during the pandemic because his friends and family are with DDT and he will always be a part of the company. He beat HARASHIMA, Sanshiro Takagi, Jun Akiyama and Higuchi to win this tournament so he isn’t intimidated with fighting Yuji Hino for the KO-D Title. Higuchi praised Brookes for his persistence and tenacity. He credits that as the difference maker today.
The DDT Extreme Title was on the line in a Piercing Death Match. It was a No DQ match featuring nothing but sharp weapons for Shunma Katsumata and Hideki Okatani to stab each other with. Okatani purposely dyed his hair blonde for the match so he could cover it in Katsumata’s blood! An extra stipulation was added where piercing your opponent’s ear three times was a valid way to win the match. That wasn’t needed in the end although both men did get their ears stapled a lot. Okatani had his back rolled over a pile of thumbtacks while Katsumata was pushed through a barbed wire board. However Katsumata got away with the win thanks to an Inside Cradle.
Afterwards Katsumata said he always thought Okatani had what it takes to do hardcore and death match wrestling. He wants to do a rematch some day. Okatani agreed because he had fun doing his first death match. Katsumata then suggested when Atsushi Onita comes back to DDT on 1st July, they can get him involved too for a tag team match. However when Yukio Sakaguchi heard about the idea backstage he got angry over hearing Onita’s name.
Before Hino knew who his next challenger was going to be, he led his squad to victory in an 8-Man Tag Match. It was a rocky start with MAO’s team setting up a Kongo style train of Elbow Drops onto Takagi. Takeshi Masada attacked Takagi, complaining to his boss that he wants to travel to shows on the bullet train. Takagi ordered him while fighting back to take the bus instead because he’s too immature. Naruki Doi also got more annoyed at his younger opponents as the match progressed. Hino sorted that problem out, hitting both Yuya Koroku and Toy Kojima with his big Chops. Kojima withstood the Chops as best as he could until Hino held both him and Koroku in a Double Dragon Sleeper for the win. When Hino does the move to one person it’s called the King Kong Sleeper. But when he does it to two people at the same time it’s called the King Ghidorah Sleeper!
Tetsuya Endo faced his past in the BURNING Vs DAMNATION T.A tag match. Daisuke Sasaki attacked him before the bell and took a moment to look at the DDT Universal Title. Endo fought back and had help from Kotaro Suzuki against MJ Paul. Suzuki blocked Paul from doing the Reverse Splash and then he along with Endo gave Paul a Power Bomb/Neckbreaker combo. Later Sasaki missed a Diving Clothesline and accidentally hit Paul from behind. That gave Endo the opening to knock Sasaki outside, wipe him out with the Sasuke Special and then climb the turnbuckles to pin Paul with the Burning Star Press.
After the match Endo called for the big announcement over the ex-WWE wrestler coming to DDT soon to be revealed. He doesn’t care who it is but he heard that this person is being paid 30 million yen to come over! A video played revealing the wrestler is Matt Cardona! The man who now calls himself the “Indy God” is going to face Endo for the Universal Title at “WRESTLE PETER PAN 2023” and he is bringing former NXT wrestler Steph De Lander along with him. Endo was not impressed. He expected a big name but this exceeded his expectations in a bad way. He thinks no amount of money or Twitter followers directly relates to how strong a wrestler is. Endo swore he will defend the Universal Title, take Cardona’s Twitter followers and also take the 30 million yen! Endo also put out word he is waiting for KANON to come back from injury because he owes him a match. KANON was supposed to be part of today’s tag match but is out of action with a dislocated shoulder.
Brookes had to go through Akiyama in the King Of DDT semi-finals earlier in the show. Akiyama threw his Knee Strikes, Exploder Suplexes and even applied the Front Neck Lock to no success. Brookes recovered some ground by countering another Exploder into a Cradle for a nearfall. Akiyama went for the move again but Brookes cut him off with a Knee Strike of his own and used the Praying Mantis Bomb to get the win out of nowhere. Akiyama said afterwards he has to get back into the swing of things otherwise he will wind up like the NOAH Health Club. That is a nickname he gave to Jun Izumida, Masao Inoue and Kishin Kawabata back in 2004 for their lackadaisical efforts in training at the time.
Higuchi’s path to the final saw him go through Yuki Ueno in a rematch of their KO-D Title bout from last December. The two know each other well by this point and had counters for each other’s signature moves. Ueno just couldn’t go through with the WR and was stunned with a Headbutt. Higuchi ran him over with a Lariat and finished him off with the Brain Claw Slam. Ueno told the reporters that results like this should prove he is not good enough. But he beat Naruki Doi and Kotaro Suzuki to get to this point so giving up now would only be disrespectful to them. So Ueno will not stop fighting until he makes it to the top of DDT!
The final rounds of the tournament taking up so much of the main card resulted in a lot of the roster being relegated to the dark matches. A 10-Man Tag featured the usual mix. Kazuki Hirata was briefly abandoned by the rest of his side, leaving him alone in the ring with Sakaguchi. That led to a train attack on Hirata until he was able to tag in Toru Owashi. Then Yuni gave Makoto Oishi a top rope Frankensteiner and got a two count that was broken up by Kazuma Sumi. A circle of split leg submissions formed in the ring with Honda and Yuki Ishida both being left out so they joined together in the center of the circle for a Gongitsune spot. The spot went out of control with Honda striking everybody until he and Ishida started pinching each other’s nipples. Hirata broke it up with his dance but that got intercepted by an attack from Sakaguchi. Saki Akai then joined in wearing the Hirata GO! glasses and pinned Hirata with the Quetzalcoatl.
The pre-show began in the morning time so Pheromones had an idea in mind to wake everyone up. They started playing exercise music from a morning TV show midway through the match so they could do lewd looking exercises while fighting off the opposition. Akito & Yusuke Okada both had their attempts to stop the workout fail, leaving Rukiya to take the worst of it. The exercises Pheromones did to him rendered him unconscious so the match ended by TKO.
When the show had ended and Korakuen started clearing out, Daisuke Sasaki urgently called for the media to meet him in the waiting room backstage. There he told them he was waiting for El Desperado to show up because New Japan were running the next event in Korakuen later in the evening. He claimed he only wanted to meet with Desperado and take a picture together to promote their match at “WRESTLE PETER PAN 2023”. However the venue staff started to complain and told Sasaki to leave so they could clean the place up before New Japan arrived. Management then approached Sasaki telling him to leave and he tried to pay them 1,000 yen and then promised that Sanshiro Takagi will pay for an extension fee. He finally gave up and left when the staff started pushing him out of the room with their mops.
The Yuki Ueno & Yuni Vs Nick Wayne & Takeshi Masada that was meant to take place in Yokohama Budokan earlier this month is now happening at Yokohama Radiant Hall on 1st July. Yuni backstage said he is very excited and wil be waiting for Wayne right here in DDT.
Fighting Beer Garden 2023 will be held at Ueno Park on 16th and 29th August. For the first time in four years it will be a full fledged drinking show for the fans like it used to be.
Starting on 23rd May DDT will be doing a free ticket campaign for preschool, elementary school and junior high school students at all of their shows. The plan was originally going to be for just preschoolers but DDT decided to include other students due to Yuki Ueno’s recent appearances on the NHK show Tensai TV-kun.
ShunMao’s next KO-D Tag Team Titles defence was announced to take place at Korakuen on 25th June.
DDT “DRAMATIC DREAM TAKASHIMAYA VOL. 1”, 13/05/2023 Tokyo Shinjuku Takashimaya 1st Floor JR Exit Special Venue ??? Fans – Unannounced
1. Kazusada Higuchi, Saki Akai & Yuki Ishida defeated Sanshiro Takagi, Yuya Koroku & Kazuma Sumi when Higuchi submitted Sumi with the Torture Canadian Backbreaker (10:58).
2. Special Tag Match: Chiitan☆ & Akito defeated Pokotan Vs Kazuki Hirata when Chiitan☆ pinned Hirata after the Chi☆Poco Trigger (13:03).
3. Tetsuya Endo, Chris Brookes & Takeshi Masada defeated MAO, Yuki Ueno & Toy Kojima when Brookes pinned Kojima with the Praying Mantis Bomb (12:57).
The first in what DDT is hoping to be many co-promoted shows with the Shinjuku Takashimaya department store took place today. Three matches were held throughout the day with public talks and other panels sprinkled in between them. After the main event Tetsuya Endo joked about getting lost in the store for 30 minutes before the show because there are no shops as big as this in Shiroishi City.
The heated rivalry between Chiitan and Pokotan suddenly turned into an alliance when Kazuki Hirata tried to steal the spotlight for himself. Hirata tried knocking everybody out with his chops to the neck but the mascots rallied together and used a unique double team finisher called the Chi☆Poco Trigger to put and end to Hirata’s plan. After the match Akito came up with an idea for Chiitan and Pokotan to form a tag team together. They agreed so Akito decided to make sure their match will be on an even bigger stage than today. Chiitan & Pokotan are going to “WRESTLE PETER PAN 2023” on 23rd July!
A press conference for the King Of DDT finals was held after the first match. Jun Akiyama, Chris Brookes, Kazusada Higuchi and Yuki Ueno all took part and gave their comments about the semi-finals. Ueno wants to win the tournament and grow DDT so it will fill Korakuen Hall all the time and go on to run a show at the Tokyo Dome. Higuchi reminded everyone he won last year’s tournament to win the vacant KO-D Openweight Title but he is not looking past Ueno in the semi-final. Brookes is feeling the pressure because this is the first time he reached the final four in the tournament. The first Japanese pro wrestling show he ever watched was NOAH’s Tokyo Dome show in 2005 so he knows Akiyama is a legend. Akyama said he wants to do his best and become a middle aged star who won’t lose to the younger wrestlers.
One of the talk panels involved Sanshiro Takagi and Saki Akai talking about their shopping habits. They both claim to be regular customers at Shinjuku Takashimaya. Since a lot of the audience were customers who all discovered there was a wrestling show going on while they were shopping, the rules of pro wrestling were explained to the audience before the matches began.
DDT “MEGA MAX BUMP 2023 IN YOKOHAMA”, 03/05/2023 Yokohama Budokan 1,160 Fans
0. Dark Match – Pheromones Vs D GENERATIONS Army Best Of 3 Singles Matches: Yumehito “Fantastic” Imanari defeated Rukiya with the Tiger Driver (4:07).
0. Dark Match – Pheromones Vs D GENERATIONS Army Best Of 3 Singles Matches: Ilusion defeated Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno with a Japanese Leg Roll Clutch Hold (5:21).
0. Dark Match – Pheromones Vs D GENERATIONS Army Best Of 3 Singles Matches: Koju “Shining Ball” Takeda defeated Yuki Ishida with the Shining Katame (4:54).
1. Yuya Koroku & Munetatsu Nakamura defeated Toy Kojima & Kazuma Sumi when Koroku submitted Sumi with the Modified Triangle Lancer (8:36).
2. International Special Single Match: Saki Akai defeated Rayne Leverkusen with the Quetzalcoatl (5:51).
3. Daisuke Sasaki, Minoru Fujita & MJ Paul defeated Soma Takao, Yusuke Okada & Diego when Sasaki submitted Diego with the Crossface Lock (11:09).
4. Dance Vs Kickboxing Mixed Martial Arts Challenge: Hikaru Machida defeated Kazuki Hirata by TKO with a Right Straight (R1 0:07). (Round Girl: Sayuri Namba)
4a. Rematch: Kazuki Hirata defeated Hikaru Machida with the Miracle One Shot Cradle (R4 3:32). (Round Girl: Sayuri Namba)
5. Chiitan☆ Debut Match ~ Special 6-Man Tag Match: Chiitan☆, Toru Owashi & Akito defeated Chris Brookes, Masahito Takanashi & Antonio Honda when Chiitan☆ pinned Honda with the Shining Wizard (10:26).
6. Special Tag Match: Yuki Ueno & Yuni defeated Vent Vert Jack & Takeshi Masada when Ueno pinned Masada with the Rolling Guillotine Ace Crusher (12:03).
7. DDT Extreme Title – TLC (Toys, Ladders & Chairs) Match: Shunma Katsumata defeated Jun Akiyama (c) with a School Boy (17:03). *Jun Akiyama fails in V5. Shunma Katsumata becomes the 57th DDT Extreme Champion!
8. Road To King Of DDT 2023 Special 8-Man Tag Match: Kazusada Higuchi, Yukio Sakaguchi, Naruki Doi & KANON defeated Sanshiro Takagi, HARASHIMA, Kotaro Suzuki & Hideki Okatani when Sakaguchi pinned Okatani with the God’s Right Knee (10:40).
9. DDT Universal Title: Tetsuya Endo (c) defeated MAO with the Tetsuya In The Sky (19:17). *V1 for Tetsuya Endo.
10. KO-D Openweight Title: Yuji Hino (c) defeated Yuki “Super Sexy” Iino with the Fuckin’ BOMB (22:28). *V2 for Yuji Hino.
All throughout the build up for the Yokohama Budokan Golden Week show, Yuki Iino had promised to seal away his “Sexy” persona in order to get a KO-D Openweight Title shot. It led to him evolving a “Strong” persona that pleased Yuji Hino and left the champion thinking they would deliver a strong style match for the ages. Oh boy was he wrong. A referee bump led to Pheromones interfering and Makoto Oishi jumping in to try and stop them. Hino wanted nothing to do with the nonsense and ran off backstage with everyone chasing after him. Danshoku Dieno took the microphone, said he held Iino back for too long and it was time to give fans a title match only DDT can deliver! Pheromones returned with Hino all gagged up and behind them was the first appearance of Yuki “Super Sexy” Iino! Pheromones did their spots but Oishi was there once again to get in their way and revive Yukinori Matsui. From there the match went back to normal. Iino hit his new Strong Splash finisher but only got a two count. Hino came back throwing Lariats to combat Iino’s Spear. The momentum flipped all the way to the champion and he got the three count with the Fuckin’ BOMB.
Hino was presented with the KO-D Title by Kenta Kobashi after the match (apparently Kobashi did not sound the least bit amused by the main event on commentary). Hino told Iino that he is a strong wrestler when they fight each other and he should be choosing his friends more carefully. Dieno defended Iino by telling Hino he dares to be “Sexy” and chose to be that way. When times are tough everyone should look to Pheromones for inspiration. Dieno also warned that the Pheromones way of life will lead him to meet Hino in the ring again some day. Hino gave Iino credit for showing off his real ability today and reminded fans that DDT is the place where amazing wrestlers gather together to have amazing matches.
The war of words between Tetsuya Endo and MAO has come to an end for now after Endo was put down his arch rival. For weeks the two have sent harsh words to each other over who suits the DDT Universal Title more. When it came down to the match itself both tried to outdo each other with big moves. Endo kicked out of the Avalanche Michinoku Driver II and the Cannonball 450 but when Endo hit the Tetsuya In The Sky it was all over. MAO was left beaten but he said afterwards the result did not change his mind. He still intends to win the Universal Title he just has to start from scratch all over again. As long as he behaves how he thinks the Universal Champion should behave then the belt will eventually gravitate towards him by itself. Meanwhile Endo said MAO was just all talk and no better than Daisuke Sasaki’s snot! If MAO wants to get revenge and beat him, he should go home and become his town’s toursim ambassador first!
With MAO now out of the way, Endo has a new mystery challenger on the horizon. As he walked up the ramp to leave ringside, a video played with the message “I have won many titles. Next target is DDT Universal Title. On July 23, Ryogoku. I will go to steal the belt.” The video also mentioned the message was sent from a former WWE wrestler and their identity will be revealed on 21st May. Who could it be? Well maybe it’s the guy who tweeted out a similar vague message a few hours later and then posted the video itself? Endo said a WWE wrestler is the best choice for his next defence. However Endo is about to take part in the King Of DDT tournament and the winner of that will most likely get a KO-D Title match at “WRESTLE PETER PAN 2023” on 23rd July. Endo wants to win the tournament and then win the KO-D Title while still holding the Universal Title. If he gets that opportunity then he won’t be able to do two title matches at the Sumo Hall show. It would just be too difficult for him!
A preview for the King Of DDT was on display in an 8-Man Tag Match. Given the amount of people in the match chomping at the bit to wrestle, the match went ahead with No Tag Rules. It led to some of the 1st Round pairings squaring up to each other. Sanshiro Takagi and Yukio Sakaguchi fought each other while Kotaro Suzuki and KANON went back and forth. Hideki Okatani tried cutting off his Eruption stablemate but was pinned with the God’s Right Knee for his troubles. Sakaguchi helped Okatani to the back after the match, showing there was no ill intention over the result. Everyone also gave out comments about King Of DDT. Takagi is now trying to figure out how to prepare for his 1st Round match in three days. Sakaguchi wants Takagi to put his phone away and be ready for him. Suzuki wants to win King Of DDT at all costs. Naruki Doi sees everyone as his enemy because he knows it only takes one loss to get eliminated from the bracket. HARASHIMA wanted his side to win as a team today but their teamwork wasn’t good enough. Kazusada Higuchi was reminded of how tough the competition is going to be so he will tighten his resolve for the early rounds. KANON promised to give Suzuki a nightmare he deserves. Okatani was excited by the match and wants to win no matter what it takes.
The TLC Match was all about Toys, Ladders and Chairs! The idea was put together by Shunma Katsumata to ensure Jun Akiyama would experience a true DDT Extreme Title defence. However the in the build up to the match the plan seemed to have backfired when Akiyama got the bright idea to get Toy Kojima involved because he counts as a “Toy”! The match went ahead with chaos being caused around the ring. Akiyama crashed into a castle of chairs but he also used Kojima as a weapon against Katsumata. One Exploder Suplex was not enough to get the win so Akiyama set up another. However Kojima suddenly showed he had enough of being treated like a toy and he hit Akiyama with a Leg Lariat. That caused Katsumata to roll up Akiyama from behind and get the pin to win the Extreme Title! After the match Kojima yelled at Akiyama, telling him to stop treating people like toys and how Katsumata has always treated him as a friend. His comments got Akiyama to go to management and demand a singles match with him somewhere down the line. Meanwhile Katsumata wants to take the Extreme Title and KO-D Tag Team Titles with MAO worldwide. He also wants to turn the belt strap back from white to purple but that might take some time.
DDT’s young portion of their roster was put on display for Match #6. Yuki Ueno teamed up with Yuni originally expecting to face some international competition. However visa issues prevented Nick Wayne from being able to travel to Japan so Takeshi Masada instead had to team with Vent Vert Jack from Yokohama’s MY WAY promotion. It was the first time Yuni and Jack were in the ring together since the end of the DDTeeeen!! project. Yuni pulled out a Firebird Splash on Masada to give Ueno a nearfall. Jack tried to keep breaking the pins but Ueno scored the win in the end by giving Masada the Rolling Guillotine Ace Crusher. Ueno said everyone in the match was amazing and makes him wonder how good he himself will be when Wayne does finally come to DDT? His upcoming singles match with HUB is giving him an explosion of motivation and he wants to also face Wayne in a singles match. Yuni also threw his name into the hat to have a match with Wayne. Jack said he would like to come back to DDT for more matches with Yuni and Ilusion. Masada said he was able to see the difference in his career to those of Yuni and Jack. He’s older than both of them but they have far more experience than he does. He sees he has to catch up to them first before he can catch up to Ueno.
The pro wrestling debut of Chiitan saw the mascot get outclassed by its opponents at first. But Toru Owashi & Akito were there to provide backup against CDK & Antonio Honda. Chiitan got into a punch exchange with Chris Brookes until Honda paused the match to give his latest Gongitsune joke. When the match resumed Brookes set Chiitan up for the Praying Mantis Bomb when music suddenly began to play. DDT’s own oversized mascot Pokotan ran down to the ring to the rescue! It instead got attacked and had its head stomped in by Brookes. But unknown to him, Chiitan had climbed the top rope and went on to hit a Diving Cross Body onto Brookes, Honda & Masahiro Takanashi. With the ring cleared, Chiitan then hit the Shining Wizard on Honda to win the match.
The two mascots gathered together afterwards and seemed to be on the same page. Until suddenly Chiitan attacked Pokotan with a baseball bat! The two got into a brawl that Akito tried to break up. Things briefly calmed down long enough for Akito to announce Chiitan and Pokotan will have a match against each other on 13th May but that just caused the mascots to get into another fight. Backstage Akito tried to explain what was going on to the reporters. Pokotan thinks he is DDT’s No. 1 mascot while Chiitan thinks it is Japan’s No. 1 mascot. The two are now determined to end each other!
The long awaited MMA fight between Dance and Kickboxing only lasted 7 seconds when Hikaru Machida immediately knocked out Kazuki Hirata. One person in particular took more offence to the result than anyone else in the building. The round girl Sayuri Namba was furious! She didn’t put all this effort into becoming a round girl again only to see she wasn’t needed. She even handmade her own costume for the match! She took her anger out on Hirata, Machida and the ref Matsui by slapping them all to the canvas. Everyone agreed to restart the match to further avoid her wrath. Namba became a lot more cheerful now she was able to do her job.
In the 3rd Round, Hirata feared he was about to get knocked out again so he got on the microphone and read a letter he wrote about wanting to put smiles on children’s faces. He thinks Machida’s own child would have the biggest smile if Hirata and Machida danced together. In the 4th Round Machida held back his Iai Punch and tearfully told Hirata he will always be a father before a fighter. The two danced to Hirata’s music but Hirata then cradled Machida for a nearfall. Machida hit the Iai Punch but that also got a two count. Hirata then locked in the Miracle One Shot Cradle from out of nowhere to take the win. Namba raised both of their hands and the three of them all danced to close out the match. Backstage Machida said this was the first time he ever lost a fight because his opponent exploited his love for his son. He also never danced in front of so many people before. His cornerman Thanomsak Toba told him that this is pro wrestling and everything is a learning experience. Namba said she would love to do more round girl work but only if the fighters are stronger so the audience can enjoy the fight more.
Diego’s first match with DDT in six years came about when Keigo Nakamura got injured. Diego was already in Japan and had attended a DDT show as Katsumata’s guest so when a spot on this show opened up it was only natural to bring him in. Unfortunately DAMNATION T.A spoiled his return and left him with a loss on his record. Daisuke Sasaki gave him a Low Blow, Minoru Fujita followed up with the Sayonara Tombstone and Sasaki landed a Diving Elbow. Diego kicked out of the pin but was put into the Crossface Lock for the submission ending. Soma Takao & Yusuke Okada still thanked Diego for joining their team on short notice. Sasaki complained about Diego coming back and demanded to fight him one on one in Diego’s home country of Chile. The flights are expensive though so he wants Diego to pay for it.
Rayne Leverkusen’s goal to “Make It Rayne” in Japan was taken down a notch after she lost to Saki Akai. She tried using a Rolling Elbow, German Suplex and Spinebuster to win. Akai fired back with a High Kick, the Rookie Award and then the Quetzalcoatl to get her hand raised in the end. For Akai she didn’t take it for granted that she got a singles match on one of DDT’s big shows of the year. She could tell that Rayne only has a year and a half of experience. She also doesn’t know anything about Iron Maiden so she was able to treat Leverkusen as an opponent and nothing else. Leverkusen said she respects Akai and she also won’t run away whenever her opponents brings up her family’s fame. She will continue to wrestle for her family and is proud to get a big singles match in Japan today. She wants to come back and if she is still a champion when she does, she thinks she will have to give Akai a title match.
The opening match ended with Yuya Koroku cutting off Kazuma Sumi’s Lionsault and then submitting him with the Triangle Lancer. However Koroku is not satisfied with that after failing to win the D GENERATIONS CUP and failing to qualify for King Of DDT. He wants to get even stronger so he can move out of the opening match spot as soon as possible. Munetatsu Nakamura from Ganbare☆Pro was happy to be on the winning team and hopes the next time he comes to DDT he will get to team with Keigo Nakamura as was originally planned. This was the fourth time Kojima & Sumi teamed up together. Kojima figures he has to protect Sumi even more after today’s loss. Sumi meanwhile is getting frustrated because he cannot figure out how to break out of Koroku’s Triangle Lancer.
Most of Pheromones were banished to the pre-show to take part in three dark matches. They pulled out a 2-1 score against a trio of rookies in singles matches. First, Yumehito Imanari beat Rukiya by using the Lariat and then the Tiger Driver. Then there was an upset when Ilusion defeated Danshoku Dieno! Ilusion got unmasked by Dieno during the match but the other rookies had the bright idea to place Dieno’s discarded tights over his head as a replacement. Ilusion then caught Dieno with a Japanese Leg Roll Clutch Hold to get the surprise three count and even the score. The third match was the decider with Yuki Ishida facing Koju Takeda. Ishida using an Emerald Flowsion for a nearfall and went for the Flame Palm. But Takeda countered it with his Shining Katame submission to make Pheromones win the series. Dieno used the result to declare today was going to be Pheromones Day!
A few guest names were announced for “WRESTLE PETER PAN 2023” on 23rd July. First, Andreza Giant Panda will be coming back to DDT. The other was a person that nobody would have predicted, a wrestler by the name of Yoshitomo Shimohigashi. He is considered the first graduate of the Ibushi Wrestling Institute, having debuted in wrestling back in 2018. He also has an athletic background in bowling. Given his connection to Kota Ibushi, Shimohigashi is nicknamed “Golden Stardust” and he now carries on Kota Ibushi’s lineage in pro wrestling. Akito explained he has a hand in the Institute as an advisor and that even though Shimohigashi is unknown to the vast majority of wrestling fans, he is well known within the wrestling industry. Shimohigashi told the fans he wants to make an explosion inside the very ring that Ibushi created.
DDT will go to Sumo Hall for a second time this year on 12th November for “ULTIMATE PARTY 2023”.
Posted by JamieOD 
Dramatic DDT 