DDT “NEPPA OVER FLOWERS 4 ~LOVE SO SAUNA~”, 14/02/2025 Shinjuku FACE ??? Fans – Unannounced
1. Big NeppoWER!!: Shinya Aoki defeated Keigo Nakamura with the Camel Clutch Full Nelson Hold (10:55).
2. 120℃ High Temperature Sauna Match: Sauna Oyakata & Sauna Kobun defeated Naya Tonttu & Kazuma Sumi when Kobun submitted Sumi with the O-Manjigatame (8:02).
3. Totonoi ALL OUT: Shin KONOSUKE TAKESHITA defeated Shin Shunma Katsumata and Akito when Shin TAKESHITA pinned Shin Katsumata with the Raging Fire (10:42).
4. Ueno Nordic Presents ~Yuki Ueno Löyly~: Takeshi Masada defeated Kuishinbo Kamen and Kikutaro when Masada pinned both Kamen and Kikutaro (11:23).
5. BZW Tag Team Title – NELJAS Presents ~MAO Löyly~: MAO & Yoshihiko (c) defeated Chris Brookes & Masahiro Takanashi when Yoshihiko pinned Takanashi after the Double Rainmaker (18:59). *V2 for MAO & Yoshihiko.
6. SeaSaunaShack Presents ~To-y Löyly~: Shuji Kondo defeated To-y with the King Kong Lariat (19:20).
All four members of The 37KAMIINA gathered everyone over to Shinjuku FACE for a wrestling show that is supposed to spread the feeling you get being in a sauna. Only two members of the group were actually able to wrestle because of injuries and health scares for the other two. To-y was one of them, fighting against another sauna lover Shuji Kondo in the main event. To-y did his best and even landed the Kojima Wonderland but some well timed Lariats from Kondo put the match in his favour. Kondo received a free bathing ticket from the match sponser for winning the match. Kondo said he heard rumours about how good To-y is and he was impressed with him today. If this show happens again next year he would like to have a rematch. To-y said he had a dream where he fought Kondo and lost. He also lost the real match today. That means the next time they fight will be the third match and it will be third time’s the charm for To-y to beat Kondo!
The BZW Tag Team Titles were defended in Japan for a second time when MAO & Yoshihiko put them on the line against a determined CDK. The tag champs were put in mortal danger when Chris Brookes choked both of them with the rubber strap and hung both of them from the ropes over the ring apron. He also did the stretch band attack with Yoshihiko still attached, launching the doll into MAO. But Yoshihiko landed on Brookes with a dive and gave Masahiro Takanashi a Canadian Destroyer. Takanashi kicked out of the Somato so MAO & Yoshihiko combined their powers to give him the Double Rainmaker for the victory. MAO said the team is ready to defend the belts in BZW again and will be going to Belgium next motnh. He heard BZW is running a show in Las Vegas during WrestleMania week so he & Yoshihiko can be there too. Takanashi was disappointed he didn’t win the title because he wants to go to France. That made Brookes wonder wouldn’t it be better if they won the titles in France instead of Japan?
It is in the bucket list of every Osaka wrestler to take part in a Kuishinbo Kamen Vs Kikutaro match with Yukinori Matsui as the referee. Sadly for Takeshi Masada none of them wanted him to be part of it. Whenever he tried to take part in their spots they either ignored him or shoved him aside. Masada had to fight them properly but ended up getting a DDT from Matsui. That caused Kamen and Kikutaro to figure out it is much more fun to fight Matsui so they attacked him. Matsui fought them off, knocked them down with a Double Lariat and gave Masada a Facebuster on top of them. Masada was left on top of the pile so Matsui counted the pin, making Matsui the winner.
Plans for an ALL OUT reunion fell apart for one reason or another but a Konosuke Takeshita did show up as advertised. Shin Konosuke Takeshita made a grand entrance along with Shin Don Callis, ready to take part in a 3 Way Match against Shin Shunma Katsumata (who looks an awful lot like Yuni) and Akito (who actually really was just Akito). Callis disappeared midway through the match which is exactly when Shin Yuki Iino did a run in spot. He stayed around to help Shin Takeshita pull off her big moves like the German Suplex and the Raging Fire.
A bunch of people booked for Match #2 pulled out of the show for various reasons. Danshoku Dieno was busy minding his pet dog Haku and didn’t want to leave him, Fuminori Abe needed to exorcise his demons at a waterfall and Yukio Naya was recently banned from saunas for having bad manners. So Kazuma Sumi was put in the ring with the sauna fairy Naya Tonttu to fight Sauna Oyakata (Dieno) & Sauna Kobun (Abe). However Tonttu felt the room was too cold so he abandoned Sumi early in the match. He eventually returned when Sumi called for his help it was not enough for them to win the match.
Shinya Aoki put Keigo Nakamura to the test with a challenging singles match. Nakamura got some moments by moving Aoki from a European Clutch into a Gedo Clutch but once he tried to target Aoki’s foot, Aoki reversed course and worked over Nakamura’s leg. Nakamura then put him in the Full Nelson and repositioned it into a Camel Clutch to make Nakamura submit.
At the end of the show MAO encouraged To-y by telling him they will continue to defend the KO-D Tag Team Titles as many times as they can. He called for any team to come out and challenge them. Suddenly Fuminori Abe & Takuya Nomura walked down to the ring. MAO thought they were hear to challenge him & Yoshihiko for the BZW Tag Titles. Nope, Astronauts are answering the call for a KO-D Tag Titles match! Abe also revealed that there is only one Toy in wrestling who they answer to and it is Yuki Ishikawa (because his real first name is Toyohiko). MAO wants to be in top condition for the match so everyone agreed it will take place at DDT’s 28th Anniversary show on 20th March.
Also at the end of the show Shunma Katsumata had an announcement to make. MAO kept guessing it was Katsumata’s retirement. Thankfully it is not. Katsumata will be returning to the ring on 20th March! He’s been out of action since November with a torn ACL in his left knee.
At the start of the show Yuki Ueno greeted the audience and told them he is currently feeling fine. He is unable to wrestle this weekend after being examined for hematuria symptoms.
DDT “SANSHIRO TAKAGI 30TH ANNIVERSARY COMMEMERATION EVENT ~ NEVER SAY NEVER”, 03/02/2025 Shinjuku FACE ??? Fans – Unannounced
1. Special Single Match: Fumihito Kihara defeated Shota with a European Clutch (8:02).
2. Special Single Match: Hyper Misao defeated Muscle Sakai with the I Am A Hero (14:40).
3. Special Tag Match: Fuminori Abe & Ippanjin Munenori Sawa defeated Yumiko Hotta & Shinya Aoki when Hotta was Disqualified for going on a rampage (9:24).
4. Special Tag Match: Dump Matsumoto & Toru Owashi defeated Brahman Shu & Brahman Kei when Shu was Disqualified for throwing powder at Referee Sanshiro Abe (0:44).
4a. Complete Conclusion No DQ Tornado Match: Dump Matsumoto & Toru Owashi defeated Brahman Shu & Brahman Kei when Dump pinned Kei with a Body Press (8:03).
5. Special Single Match: Meiko Satomura defeated Shin Sanshiro Takagi (w/ Sanshiro Takagi) with an Overhead Kick (11:04).
6. Special Single Match: Yuji Nagata defeated Kuroshio TOKYO Japan with the Exploder Suplex (1:33).
6a. Rematch: Yuji Nagata defeated Kuroshio TOKYO Japan with the Exploder Suplex (0:30).
6b. Rematch: Yuji Nagata defeated Kuroshio TOKYO Japan with the Back Drop Hold (6:11).
To celebrate 30 years in the business, Sanshiro Takagi wanted to put his connections across Japan’s wrestling scene to good use by booking a DDT show without using any DDT contracted talent. It gave him the opportunity to book many first time matches that nobody would have ever thought could happen before. In some cases there was probably a good reason why such as in the main event. Yuji Nagata waited patiently for Kuroshio TOKYO Japan to complete his long entrance and when the match finally began, Nagata beat him in around 90 seconds. Takagi asked for the match to restart but Nagata then beat Kuroshio in just 30 seconds. Takagi had to beg Nagata to have one more rematch. Kuroshio used his jacket to obscure Nagata’s vision before applying his own version of the White-Eyed Arm Lock. However Nagata fought back and pinned him with the Back Drop Hold to make it three wins in a row.
Nagata told Kuroshio he is a strange guy but he had fun today and would like to team up with him. There were some calls of New Japan coming from the crowd but Nagata quickly encouraged them to chant “Ikemen” instead. Kuroshio blamed his three losses on Takagi’s decision making but agreed to team up with Nagata. Takagi likes the idea and already has a team lined up for them… The Brahman Brothers! The match will happen on 9th April as part of Takagi’s new project that will be explained below.
Takagi had second thoughts on his choice for Shin Sanshiro Takagi when she was already hitting the canvas just from taking Meiko Satomura’s Leg Kicks. He kept telling everyone he’s not that weak while she was being bumped around the ring. He brought out the Dramatic Dream combat bike as an equalizer but Satomura took it off him and decided to use it herself! She crashed the bike into the two Takagis, hit the Scorpio Rising to the real Takagi back in the ring and then hit the Overhead Kick to Shin Takagi. Satomura then pinned both of them to win the match.
Takagi put on a referee outfit to officiate Match #4 as Sanshiro Abe. Unfortunately it was for a match featuring such rulebreakers as The Brahamn Brothers and Dump Matsumoto so he only had himself to blame when powder was thrown into his eyes. He disqualified the Brahmans over it but they demanded a rematch under Tornado Tag rules and with No DQs. Matsumoto swung her bamboo stick around and accidentally hit Toru Owashi with it. Takagi got his revenge by grabbing a bucket of water from Brahman Shu and throwing it at Brahman Kei. Matsumoto then hit Kei over the head with a Steel Can and pinned him with a Body Press.
MIO had her hands full as the referee for Match #3. Fuminori Abe couldn’t see why Shinya Aoki & Yumiko Hotta are into each other so he and Munenori Sawa kept telling Aoki that Hotta is an ugly old hag. Hotta snapped and attacked her opponents with a chain while her ringside attendant Miku Kanae joined in the assault. Once they started using the chain to hang Abe over the ring apron MIO had to disqualify them.
Two kindred spirits were pitted against each other when Muscle Sakai fought Hyper Misao. The match was held using a “personal novel” format where the match is simply a story being told while the audience listened to the inner monologues of the wrestlers involved. Through this format the fans learned that Misao could not lose to a middle aged man while Sakai simply couldn’t think of anything. Soon the inner monologues turned into insults as Sakai kept calling Misao an ugly 35 year old. Misao had enough of the insults and pulled off her mask before kicking him below the belt over and over. She put the mask back on and pinned Sakai with the I Am A Hero to win.
Fumihito Kihara worked double duty on the show as both the ring announcer as well as the opening bout wrestler. Shota was determined to beat him and told the fans that they cannot let the elderly run wild forever. However Kihara fired back and outmaneuvered Shota, pinning him with a flat European Clutch and lifting his own right shoulder up right before the three count to avoid getting himself pinned too.
Even though DDT are continuing not to announce attendance numbers for their shows this year, Takagi revealed that this show had sold out so he feels encouraged to book another event like this again. There are many more wrestlers that Takagi has ties with that he couldn’t fit on the card today. Also in the leadup to this show he received many calls from people asking why were they not invited to take part? Takagi’s solution is to come up with a new project to continue celebrating his 30th Anniversary. He is launching a new series of shows called MatchMake & Agent Pro Wrestling, or M&A Pro Wrestling for short. The first show will be held at Ueno Park on 9th April with Nagata & Kuroshio Vs The Brahman Brothers already announced. There will also a second show booked for Shinjuku FACE on 25th June.
“SANSHIRO TAKAGI 30TH ANNIVERSARY COMMEMERATION EVENT ~ NEVER SAY NEVER”, 03/02/2025 Shinjuku FACE
1. Special Single Match: Fumihito Kihara Vs Shota
2. Special Single Match: Muscle Sakai Vs Hyper Misao
3. Special Tag Match: Yumiko Hotta & Shinya Aoki Vs Fuminori Abe & Ippanjin Munenori Sawa
4. Special Tag Match: Dump Matsumoto & Toru Owashi Vs Brahman Shu & Brahman Kei
5. Special Single Match: Yuji Nagata Vs Kuroshio TOKYO Japan
6. Special Single Match: Meiko Satomura Vs Shin Sanshiro Takagi (w/ Sanshiro Takagi)
The main event opponent for Meiko Satomura has been revealed. Sanshiro Takagi is bringing in a new and improved Shin Sanshiro Takagi to face her! Satomura may have already figured out who this person is already and is looking forward for what may be her final battle against this particular opponent before she retires.
BASARA “BASARA 270 ~SOUEN~”, 10/02/2025 Shin-Kiba 1st RING
1. Turnabout Pro Wrestling Trial: Lil’ Kraken Vs Gouma Ryu Vs Banana Senga
2. Takumi Tsukamoto & Yasu Urano Vs Daichi Kazato & Tsutomu Oosugi
3. SAGAT & Ryota Nakatsu Vs Munetatsu Nakamura & Shota Kawakami
4. Isami Kodaka, Ryuichi Sekine & Daiki Shimomura Vs FUMA, KUBITO & Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi
5. Union MAX Title: Masato Kamino (c) Vs Takato Nakano
It’s turning into a mixed week for Lil’ Kraken. His team won yesterday’s competition on the evening BASARA show but now he’s been called up for a Pro Wrestling Trial!
GLEAT/DDT “GLEAT VER. & – GLEAT X DDT PRO WRESTLING”, 15/02/2025 Osaka Umeda Sky Building Stella Hall
1. GLEAT & DDT Tag Battle: Takanori Ito & Yuki Iino Vs Issei Onitsuka & Keigo Nakamura
2. GLEAT & DDT Tag Battle: Densha MICHIo & Danshoku Dieno Vs JD Lee & To-y
3. Into The G-RUSH – G-RUSH Rules: El Lindaman Vs Ilusion
4. GLEAT Vs DDT Single Battle: Junjie Vs KANON
5. GLEAT Vs DDT Single Battle: Kaito Ishida Vs Yuki Ishida
6. GLEAT & DDT Tag Battle: T-Hawk & Takeshi Masada Vs Daisuke Sasaki & Ryo Aitaka
7. GLEAT & DDT Dream 6-Man Tag Battle: HARASHIMA, CIMA & KAZMA SAKAMOTO Vs Chris Brookes, Parker Boudreaux & Yukio Naya
8. GLEAT Tag Battle: Katsuhiko Nakajima & Jay Lamrod Vs Kotaro Suzuki & Tetsuya Izuchi
9. GLEAT & DDT & AAA 6-Man Tag Battle: Takehiro Yamamura, MAO & Yuya Koroku Vs SBK, TAKUMA & Kazuma Sumi
10. GLEAT Vs DDT Premium Battle: Soma Watanabe Vs Yuki Ueno
Don’t think nobody hasn’t noticed Katsuhiko Nakajima being snuck onto the card in the only match that doesn’t involve anyone from DDT. This might turn into something awkward on the day.
“YOSHIKO HASEGAWA INDEPENDENT PERFORMANCE -YOPPY’S NEXT STAGE-”, 28/02/2025 TOKYO SQUARE In Itabashi
1. Kaya Toribami Vs HIMAWARI
2. SAKI & Kakeru Sekiguchi Vs Yuko Sakurai & Rina Amikura
3. Yoshiko Hasegawa Vs Hikari Shimizu
This month sees the opening of a brand new venue in Itabashi dedicated to pro wrestling called TOKYO SQUARE. So far none of the CyberFight companies have a show scheduled in the building but there is something going on related to Tokyo Joshi Pro happening soon. Yoshiko Hasegawa is putting together a self-produced show in the new building featuring wrestlers from both COLOR’S and TJPW. She put this show together after she heard about Hikari Shimizu’s plan to retire this March because neither COLOR’S or TJPW were able to book a match between them for their upcoming schedules. The date of this show also happens to be Hasegawa’s birthday.
There will be one or two matches added to the card soon. Riara is booked on the show.
DDT “SAKI AKAI 10TH ANNIVERSARY TOUR IN KORAKUEN!!”, 13/08/2023 Tokyo Korakuen Hall 816 Fans
0. Dark Match: Yuya Koroku defeated Rukiya with the Modified Triangle Lancer (7:14).
1. Special Single Match: KANON defeated Hideki Okatani with the Vietnam Driver II (8:04).
2. Diya Diamond Presents 6-Man Tag Match: Jun Akiyama, Yukio Naya & Yusuke Okada defeated Kazusada Higuchi, Yuki Ishida & Takeshi Masada when Naya pinned Masada with the World’s Best Back Drop (9:19).
3. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title – marcheur Presents Battle Royal: Naruki Doi defeated Sanshiro Takagi (c), HARASHIMA, Yuki “Sexy” Iino, Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno, Antonio Honda, Akito and Kazuma Sumi (14:37).
3a. Naruki Doi eliminated Sanshiro Takagi (c) with a Cradle (6:58). *Naruki Doi becomes the 1,573rd champion.
3b. Antonio Honda eliminated Kazuma Sumi by Ring Out (11:41).
3c. Naruki Doi (c) eliminated Antonio Honda by Ring Out (11:59). *V1 for Naruki Doi.
3d. HARASHIMA eliminated Yuki “Sexy” Iino and Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno by Double Ring Out (13:24).
3e. Naruki Doi (c) eliminated HARASHIMA by Ring Out (13:54). *V2 for Naruki Doi.
3f. Naruki Doi (c) eliminated Akito with the Bakatare Sliding Kick (14:37). *V3 for Naruki Doi.
4. Jemile Fran Presents Special 6-Man Tag Match: Yuki Ueno, MAO & Toy Kojima defeated Kyusei Sakisama, Chris Saint Laurent & Martha when Ueno pinned Sakisama with a Cradle (9:58).
5. KO-D Tag Team Titles: Yuji Hino & Makoto Oishi defeated Daisuke Sasaki & MJ Paul (c) when Oishi pinned Paul with the Jikiden Tornado Clutch (11:13). *DAMNATION T.A fails in V1. Ω becomes the 78th KO-D Tag Team Champions!
6. DDT Extreme Title – Weakness Explosion!! Activation Conditions Are Up To You! Fall & Escape = Ghost & Balloon Explosion Death Match: Kazuki Hirata (c) defeated Yukio Sakaguchi with the Miracle One Shot Cradle from a huge balloon explosion (14:27). *V2 for Kazuki Hirata.
7. Nivea Body Wash Presents Saki Akai Debut 10th Anniversary Match Vol. 2 ~ Special 6-Woman Tag Match: Saki Akai, Maya Yukihi & Asuka defeated Takumi Iroha, Rina Yamashita & Shoko Nakajima when Akai pinned Nakajima with the Quetzalcoatl (19:01).
It came a couple of days early but Saki Akai celebrated the 10th anniversary of her debut pro wrestling match in DDT. With her retirement coming up later this year, Akai is getting several matches dedicated to her decade in the business and today gathered together a lot of women she has attachments with. In the main event Akai teamed up with Maya Yukihi & Asuka, two women who have been her biggest opponents in DDT over the last two years. Their opponents were a trio of wrestlers who all debuted in the same year as Akai. It was the first time Takumi Iroha, Rina Yamashita & Shoko Nakajima all teamed together. Iroha & Yamashita quickly thought up a move where they gave Nakajima a Double Splash Mountain onto Akai. Asuka Moonsaulted onto Iroha & Yamashita outside the ring and Akai rolled out of the way from Nakajima’s Diving Senton. Akai then hit the Rookie Award and pinned Nakajima with the Quetzalcoatl.
Akai thanked the other wrestlers for accepting her invitation, knowing how busy all of their schedules are. She wanted to show the fans all of the wonderful friends she made outside of DDT over the years. She knows they will all continue to shine a light on pro wrestling when she’s gone so everyone should keep watching them. She isn’t sure how many more matches she has left until her retirement but she is going to hone her strength and run all the way to the end. Asuka said she wished the three of them had teamed together sooner and wonders if they could have chased after one of the KO-D championships together. Yamashita overheard that idea and told them they should do it anyway, even if it’s for the KO-D 10-Man Tag Team Titles. Her advice to Akai is to be greedy from this point until the end because she isn’t finished yet. Yukihi feels lucky she got to do her rivalry with Akai in DDT because she didn’t expect Akai’s retirement announcement to come when it did. Akai described all of the women are a fun loving group of people with good hearts.
Kazuki Hirata’s bizarre ideas to even the playing field against his opponents are working for him. The DDT Extreme Champion is normally scared of having to fight Yukio Sakaguchi but this time he got to turn the tables against him. Hirata’s stipulation for the match was to add ghosts and balloons whenever there was a kickout or rope break. Sakaguchi hates the sound of balloons bursting and also fears ghosts so we got the unlikely sight of Sakaguchi being submissive to Hirata and fleeing in fear whenever a ghost chased after him! Sakaguchi tried to fight his fears and found his spots to kick the hell out of Hirata. But by this point there were three ghosts in the ring haunting him with one popping a gigantic balloon right in his face. The fright made Sakaguchi walk right into the Miracle One Shot Cradle and Hirata got the win.
Once all of the ghosts vanished, Sakaguchi calmed down and handed the Extreme Title over to Hirata. He then attacked him a little bit and walked off. Hirata got on the microphone, said he was feeling mentally exhausted and now wants to know who his next challenger is. Naruki Doi walked out carrying the Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title he won earlier in the show. Doi said his title win makes him feel more absorbed into DDT and he now wants to win the Extreme Title to become fully immersed in the company. He especially wants to beat Hirata for the belt because Hirata is the DDT wrestler who best expresses what the company is all about. Hirata refused but Hisaya Imabayashi ignored him. A double title match between Hirata and Doi will take place on 9th September. If Doi loses the Iron Man Title before that date then the match will just be for the Extreme Title. Hirata then tried to pin Doi to win the Iron Man Title but only got a two count. Doi chased him back to the locker room.
The KO-D Tag Team Titles aren’t ready to settle down with a team yet. DAMNATION T.A’s reign ended in their first defence, losing the belts to Ω. The champions tried to isolate Makoto Oishi and also get KANON involved to interfere for them. Yuji Hino came in to make a difference but his attempt to Fuckin’ BOMB MJ Paul was cut off by Daisuke Sasaki. That left Oishi to deal with Paul by himself. Paul threw Lariats at him but Oishi caught him with the Jikiden Tornado Clutch for the flash pinfall and title change. Hino praised Oishi for winning the KO-D Tag Titles under his own strength, calling it a miracle. Oishi was too exhausted to respond so Hino encouraged the audience to give him a round of applause.
KANON then entered the ring demanding a title shot but not as a member of DAMNATION T.A. There is another wrestler out there he considers a mentor. Hino thought he meant TAKA Michinoku but KANON said it is actually someone else because TAKA is busy. KANON’s partner is going to be Minoru Fujita! Imabayashi granted the request and booked the title match for 9th September. KANON helped Oishi back up to his feet, shook his hand… and then gave him a Clothesline before leaving.
Before Match #4 could begin it was announced that Chris Brookes & Masahiro Takanashi were not at the show because they were both too hungover to wrestle. Then “The Rose Of Versailles” began to play and what appeared to be NEO Biishiki-gun walked out. Martha was there but instead of Yukio Saint Laurent we got Chris Saint Laurent instead. Also Sakura Hirota was nowhere to be seen, seemingly replaced in the match by Kyusei Sakisama. Despite their appearance looking weirder than usual, they were still NEO Biishiki-gun through and through. The 37KAMIINA had to deal with the unit’s antics. “Saint Laurent” jabbed an injection needle into Yuki Ueno’s neck, Martha was a nuisance towards MAO and Toy Kojima ended up suffering a Kancho attack involving Martha’s mop. “Sakisama” used the Academy Award finisher on Ueno but her glamorous pin was reversed and Ueno posed on top of her for the three count instead. The 37KAMIINA celebrated with their sponsored prize after the match until all of NEO Biishiki-gun gave them Kancho attacks and took the prizes for themselves.
Doi won the Iron Man Title pretty early in the Battle Royal. In fact him pinning Sanshiro Takagi to become champion was the first elimination in the match. Doi then had to fight through the rest of the field to survive. He still got caught up in the Pheromones experience with Kazuma Sumi, fell for Antonio Honda’s Gongitsune joke and outsmarted HARASHIMA. All that was left for him was a battle with Akito that ended with the DOI 555 and the Bakatare Sliding Kick. Doi promised to raise the value of the Iron Man Title then immediately had to fight off Sumi. That was when he realised the title is defended 24/7. He will stick to his promise anyway even if there’s a risk of him losing it in another company. Rukiya then tried to pin him so Doi kicked him away.
The 2nd match was overshadowed by the appearance of Evolution from All Japan. During the week Suwama told Tokyo Sports he had tickets for this show and was going in order to confront Jun Akiyama over a grudge held going back to Akiyama’s time as AJPW president. Suwama sat in his seat along with other Evolution members Hikaru Sato & Dan Tamura to see Akiyama’s team beat Kazusada Higuchi, Yuki Ishida & Takeshi Masada. Then after the match Evolution approached the ring, throwing aside Yuya Koroku and Rukiya who were trying to block them. Naya then wanted to stand in Suwama’s way but Suwama said he isn’t here for him. Suwama asked “useless former president” Akiyama why he is going to do an Exploding Death Match soon when he hated the idea of Suwama doing one six years ago? He then challenged Akiyama to come to Yoyogi on 8th September when AJPW is running a show there. He can even bring along Takagi so they can do a big Evolution Vs DDT match! Akiyama called the idea crazy but agreed to do it. He then told Suwama to stop making decisions without the AJPW president’s approval! Backstage Sato told DDT to send their icons like Dieno or HARASHIMA because as a former KO-D Openweight Champion and winner of a DDT General Election himself, he thinks he should be a DDT icon too. Tamura said he wants Yusuke Okada to come over because they have unfinished business from Okada’s time in AJPW.
KANON is sticking with the Vietnam Driver II as his new finisher, using it to beat Hideki Okatani in their first singles match against each other. KANON said the match left him more tired than he expected but that’s probably because of the summer heat. Okatani didn’t like the result and warned KANON he will beat him the next time they meet.
Koroku and Rukiya probably thought their dark match was the only physicality they would both experience today. Then Evolution came along and beat them up later in the show. In the match itself Rukiya tried to win with a Running Elbow Strike but Koroku took him down into a Modified Triangle Lancer to win by submission.
Chris Brookes has been appointed as the sales manager for “DDT BIG BANG 2023” at Ota Ward Gymnasium on 9th September. Also announced was Mei Suruga being at the 30h September show in Kyoto KBS Hall. That show is part of Akai’s countdown towards her retirement.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TOKYO PRINCESS CUP”, 15/07/2023 Tokyo Ryogoku KFC Hall
1. Wakana Uehara & HIMAWARI Vs Haru Kazashiro & Runa Okubo
2. Kaya Toribami Vs Shino Suzuki
3. Yuki Kamifuku, Mahiro Kiryu & Toga Vs Hikari Noa, Nao Kakuta & Arisu Endo
4. Rika Tatsumi, Miu Watanabe, Suzume & Haruna Neko Vs Shoko Nakajima, Yuki Aino, Raku & Pom Harajuku
5. Tokyo Princess Cup – Round 1B: Hyper Misao Vs Moka Miyamoto
6. Tokyo Princess Cup – Round 1A: Miyu Yamashita Vs Mizuki
The Tokyo Princess Cup begins this weekend. The plan for the undercard on these shows is to put wrestlers from upcoming tournament matches in preview tag matches. So for example Rika Tatsumi and Raku are on opposite teams in the same match, Suzume and Shoko Nakajima are on opposite teams, so on and so forth. Hikari Noa and Yuki Arai are the exception because Arai isn’t available to wrestle until their tournament match on 22nd July.
DDT “SUMMER VACATION 2023”, 30/07/2023 Tokyo Korakuen Hall
1. Yukio Sakaguchi 50th Birthday Match ~ Special 6-Man Tag Match: Yukio Sakaguchi, Saki Akai & Hideki Okatani Vs Shuji Ishikawa, Thanomsak Toba & Masahiro Takanashi
2. DDT Extreme Title: Kazuki Hirata (c) Vs HARASHIMA
Yukio Sakaguchi is turning 50 years old on 26th July! So to celebrate it DDT is putting together a special match for him. Eruption are going to take on a team made up of wrestlers with some sort of connection to him. Shuji Ishikawa has been a rival of his in the past, Thanomsak Toba is a training buddy and Masahiro Takanashi is his little brother equivalent from Shuten-dōji.
Konosuke Takeshita will be on the show.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “GARAFES ~DAIHONMEI!! TOTSUGEKI! SOMERSAULT DROP~”, 30/07/2023 Tokyo Ueno Park Outdoor Stage
1. Hikari Noa & Toga Vs Raku & Moka Miyamoto
2. Miu Watanabe Vs HIMAWARI
Earlier this year Tokyo Joshi Pro held a couple of matches at an idol festival. They are doing it again at the end of this month. The two matches will take place on a mat placed on the concert stage instead of a wrestling ring.
DDT “SAKI AKAI 10TH ANNIVERSARY TOUR IN KORAKUEN!!”, 13/08/2023 Tokyo Korakuen Hall
1. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title – Battle Royal: Sanshiro Takagi (c) Vs X
2. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Chris Brookes, Masahiro Takanashi & Sakura Hirota Vs Yuki Ueno, MAO & Toy Kojima
3. Saki Akai Debut 10th Anniversary Match Vol. 2 ~ Special 6-Woman Tag Match: Saki Akai, Maya Yukihi & Asuka Vs Takumi Iroha, Rina Yamashita & X
Sakura Hirota is invited to celebrate Saki Akai’s 10th Anniversary. Will she bust out the Akai cosplay again?
While Sanshiro Takagi has been recovering from injury he had been tempting fate on Twitter, talking about how vulnerable he is while as the current Iron Man Heavymetalweight Champion. Stuff like asking the wrestlers not to even think about Low Kicking his injured leg when they meet up for example. Nobody has taken advantage of his perdicament and he remains the champion at the moment.
DDT “NEPPA OVER FLOWERS 2 ~THE WORLD UNKNOWN TO EVERYONE~”, 14/02/2023 Shinjuku FACE 306 Fans – Super No Vacancy
1. Anshin Oyado Presents ~The World Unknown To ShunMao~ Reprinted Men’s Club! Special 4 Way Tag Match: MAO & Shunma Katsumata defeated Chris Brookes & Masahiro Takanashi, Makoto Oishi & Shiori Asahi and Tsutomu Oosugi & Banana Senga when MAO pinned Oishi after the Oretachi no Madmax (12:12). (Special Referee: MEN’S Teioh)
2. D GENERATIONS CUP – A Block: Ilusion (2) defeated Kazuma Sumi (0) with a Japanese Leg Roll Clutch (6:19).
3. D GENERATIONS CUP – B Block: Yuki Ishida (2) defeated Keigo Nakamura (2) with the Ensho (11:02).
4. sauna line Presents ~The World Unknown To Yuki~ A Fair And Square Special Handicap Match Where Blood Is Washed Away: Yuki Ueno defeated Gorgeous Matsuno & Gabai Ji-chan when Ueno pinned Matsuno after the Swanton Bomb from Ji-chan (13:10).
5. SeaSaunaShack Presents ~The World Unknown To Toi~ Burn The Firewood! Special Singles Match: Yasu Urano defeated Toi Kojima with a Hurricanrana Turnback (10:01).
6. Special Tag Match: Konosuke Takeshita (Sakura Hirota) & Akito defeated Tetsuya Endo & Kazuki Hirata when Takeshita (Hirota) pinned Hirata with the Jumping Knee (17:19).
7. Final Set – Naniwa Kenko Land Yu~topia Presents ~The World Unknown To The 37KAMIINA~ Beyond The Totonoi: Toi Kojimda defeated MAO, Shunma Katsumata and Yuki Ueno (19:38).
7a. 4 Way Match: Shunma Katsumata Vs MAO Vs Yuki Ueno Vs Toi Kojima is still ongoing.
7b. Single Match: MAO Vs Shunma Katsumata is still ongoing.
7c. Single Match: Yuki Ueno Vs Toi Kojima is still ongoing.
7d. Tag Team Match: MAO & Yuki Ueno Vs Shunma Katsumata & Toi Kojima is still ongoing.
7e. 3 Vs 1 Handicap Match: MAO, Yuki Ueno & Toi Kojima Vs Shunma Katsumata is still ongoing.
7f. 3 Vs 1 Handicap Hardcore Match: MAO, Yuki Ueno & Toi Kojima Vs Shunma Katsumata is still ongoing.
7g. Survival 4 Way Match ~ 2 Count Falls & Over The Top Rope Rules: Toi Kojimda defeated MAO, Shunma Katsumata and Yuki Ueno (19:38).
7ga. Yuki Ueno eliminated MAO by Ring Out (17:39).
7gb. Shunma Katsumata eliminated Yuki Yeno with a Foot Stomp (18:12).
7gc. Toi Kojima eliminated Shunma Katsumata with a Modified Ebigatame (19:38).
1. Toi Kojima (4)
2. Takeshi Masada (2)
-. Yuki Ishida (2)
-. Keigo Nakamura (2)
One year ago The 37KAMIINA held their first self produced show. It was a success so one year later they did it again. The four members of the unit still in Japan all came up with their own ideas for matches to fill up the card but the main event was a mystery until it began. The missing member of the group Konosuke Takeshita was somehow able to speak from the heavens and declared that he will come up with the rules for the main event. What he wanted to see depended on how hot the match would get. At first he asked for a 4 Way Match but after an exchange between MAO and Shunma Katsumata took place he then wondered what a singles match between ShunMao would look like. After a few minutes of that he then noticed Yuki Ueno and Toi Kojima were cooling off so they should do a singles match too. Just when Ueno was about to win, Takeshita changed his mind and said it was now a tag match between Ueno & MAO against Katsumata & Kojima. He also told them there is now a special rule that you can only tag in and out by kissing each other! He then said was only joking. He continued changing the rules turning the match into a 3 Vs 1 Handicap with everyone against Katsumata, then turning that into a Hardcore 4 Way before finally settling on a 4 Way Survival Match with 2 Count Pins and Battle Royal style eliminations in effect. When the dust finally settled it was the most junior member of the unit Kojima who was the winner! Kojima was so happy to win because today is the first time he could hear the fans chanting his name for a victory. He told the rest of The 37KAMIINA they should do a third show like this in the future.
Takeshita was part of the show in body as well as spirit. Well kind of. Akito was supposed to team with Sakura Hirota and Hirota walked out in a full bodsuit Takeshita costume! Her mimickry was so convincing that Tetsuya Endo wanted to start the match against “Takeshita” instead of Akito. They proceeded to do a back and forth that was very similar to a section of the Takeshita Vs MJF match from AEW last week. Akito provided some assistance so “Takeshita” could give Endo & Kazuki Hirata a Double German Suplex. “Takeshita” then wanted to do the Zahi but it came off looking more like the Jumping Knee. Either way, it was enough to pin Hirata for the three count. After the match Akito thanked “Takeshita” for coming back to America just to do this match. Endo also shook “Takeshita’s” hand finally putting their heated rivalry to rest. That counts, right?
Most of the undercard featured at least one member of The 37KAMIINA involved in it. Kojima had a singles match against Yasu Urano that turned out to be way more heated than it looked on paper. Urano attacked Kojima behind the curtain before he could even make his entrance and attacked him around ringside. Kojima fought back, even leaving Urano with a shiner over his right eye. He tried to use Cradle moves to pin Urano but his Hurricanrana was used against him. Urano ended up rolling back on top of Kojima out of that move to get the pin.
Ueno’s match was a 2-On-1 Handicap contest against the elderly. Gorgeous Matsuno picked a fight with Ueno in the leadup to the show and said he knew somebody who wanted to fight Ueno even more. It turned out to be Gabai Ji-chan. At first Ueno easily fought them off until he had the temerity to cuss out Ji-chan for being an old man. That made Ji-chan drop his cane and proceed to wrestle at a fast pace. Ueno couldn’t keep up until he gave the cane back to Ji-chan, regressing him back to his elderly state. The cane was passed around, turning whoever held it into an old person. When Matsui was given the cane, it made him count pinfalls slower than Joe Higuchi. Matsuno put Ueno in a Sleeper Hold and held him down, offering to sacrifice himself so Ji-chan could hit the Swanton Bomb onto both of them. Ueno escaped anyway and Matsuno took the entire move. Ueno then pinned him for the win. Despite the loss, Matsuno & Ji-chan congratulated Ueno for winning so their little grudge is now settled.
ShunMao’s match was a Men’s Club style 4 Way Tag Match with Men’s Teioh himself involved as the referee. The other three teams were CDK, Speed Of Sounds and Makoto Oishi & Shiori Asahi. All teams tried to one up each other with tricky Men’s Club spots in between their usual moves. Teioh ended up getting caught in the crossfire and got hit by Oishi. Teioh took his anger out on him and helped ShunMao get the win over him.
The four wrestlers in today’s D GENERATIONS CUP matches all finish their runs with no chance of making the final. Keigo Nakamura had a slim chance depending on other results but Yuki Ishida killed off any hope of that happening by beating him. Ilusion also finally got to win a block match in his very last bout of the group. That result means Kazuma Sumi ends the tournament with 0 points. He is the only one to not win a match.
BASARA “BASARA 208 ~HATAAGE ANNIVERSARY~”, 21/01/2023 Tokyo Itabashi Green Hall
1. Daichi Kazato & Lil’ Kraken Vs Tsutomu Oosugi & Banana Senga
2. Takumi Tsukamoto, Takato Nakano & Masato Kamino Vs FUMA, KUBITO & Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi
3. SAGAT 10th Anniversary Match: SAGAT Vs Hideyoshi Kamitani
4. Ryuichi Sekine & Daiki Shimomura Vs Ryota Nakatasu & Fuminori Abe
5. Union MAX Title: Isami Kodaka (c) Vs Yasu Urano
Cheering is allowed for tomorrow’s BASARA show.
DDT “SWEET DREAMS! 2023 TOUR IN YOKOHAMA”, 21/01/2023 Yokohama Radiant Hall
1. KANON & MJ Paul Vs Yuya Koroku & Kazuma Sumi
2. Yokohama Two Major Singles Match I: Yusuke Okada Vs Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno
3. Yuki Ueno, Toi Kojima & Shinichiro Kawamatsu Vs Sanshiro Takagi, Akito & Makoto Oishi
4. Yokohama Two Major Singles Match II: Tetsuya Endo Vs Yuki “Sexy” Iino
5. HARASHIMA, Toru Owashi & Kazuki Hirata Vs Soma Takao, Keigo Nakamura & Takeshi Masada
6. DDT Extreme Title – Monoboke Death Match: Jun Akiyama (c) Vs Antonio Honda
7. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Kazusada Higuchi, Yuki Ishida & Chris Brookes Vs Yuji Hino, Yukio Naya & Hideki Okatani
DDT is still claiming they will change the card slightly if Daisuke Sasaki shows up tomorrow.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “THE 3RD “FUTARI WA PRINCESS” MAX HEART TOURNAMENT”, 29/01/2023 Saitama Kasukabe Fureai Cube
1. “Futari wa Princess” Max Heart Tournament – Semi-Final: Moka Miyamoto & Juria Nagano Vs Miyu Yamashita & Maki Itoh
2. “Futari wa Princess” Max Heart Tournament – Semi-Final: Rika Tatsumi & Miu Watanabe Vs Shoko Nakajima & Hyper Misao
Four teams left in the Max Heart Tournament. Can Karate Tag continue their Cinderella run by advancing past 121000000? Over on the other side of the bracket Kyoraku Kyomei are looking to get revenge on Daydream for eliminating them from last year’s tournament.
DDT “HEAT WAVE OVER FLOWERS 2 ~THE WORLD THAT EVERYONE DOES NOT KNOW~”, 14/02/2023 Shinjuku FACE
1. D GENERATIONS CUP – B Block: Keigo Nakamura Vs Yuki Ishida
2. D GENERATIONS CUP – A Block: Kazuma Sumi Vs Ilusion
3. ~The World Unknown To ShunMao~: MAO & Shunma Katsumata Vs Chris Brookes & Masahiro Takanashi Vs Makoto Oishi & Shiori Asahi Vs Tsutomu Oosugi & Banana Senga (Special Referee: MEN’S Teioh)
4. ~The World Unknown To Toi~: Toi Kojima Vs Yasu Urano
5. ~The World Unknown To Yuki~: Yuki Ueno Vs Gorgeous Matsuno
6. Special Tag Match: Akito & Sakura Hirota Vs Tetsuya Endo & Kazuki Hirata
7. Final Set ~The World Unknown To The 37KAMIINA~: MAO, Shunma Katsumata, Yuki Ueno, Toi Kojima
The 37KAMIINA are putting some wacky ideas together for their own show. The main event will feature the four unit members in Japan but the match type is currently unknown. It may be a tag match, it may be a 4 Way or it may be something else entirely. Maybe Sakura Hirota can do her Konosuke Takeshita cosplay again. Each member of the unit is putting together their own match too. Yuki Ueno wants to fight Gorgeous Matsuno, Toi Kojima puts himself to the test against Yasu Urano and the ShunMao tag team invited MEN’s Teioh to officiate a 4 Way Tag match that wouldn’t look out of place at a MEN’S Club promoted event.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW CITY CIRCUIT WINTER ~NAGOYA PERFORMANCE~”, 18/02/2023 Nagoya International Conference Center Event Hall
1. International Princess Title: Miu Watanabe (c) Vs Janai Kai
Back in November during a JCW show, commentary let slip that Janai Kai was heading to Japan in the new year. There was a slight delay but she will arrive in Tokyo Joshi Pro this February. “The Kick Demon” with a background in kickboxing and Muay Thai has faced Miyu Yamashita and Maki Itoh during their visits to America last year. When Kai comes over to Japan she has an International Princess Title shot against Miu Watanabe waiting for her. Her TJPW debut is happening a week earlier on 11th February.
“SUPER HARDCORE GIRLS BOX OFFICE ~ SUPER HARDCORE GIRLS VS PROMINENCE”, 14/07/2022 Shin-Kiba 1st RING 147 Fans – Super No Vacancy
1. Super Hardcore Girls Vs Prominence ~ Falls Count Anywhere Match: SenoSister Mao Inoue defeated Mochi Natsumi with a Japanese Leg Roll Clutch (12:07).
2. DDT Offer? Match: Yuki Ueno & Konosuke Takeshita (Sakura Hirota) defeated Akito & Kazuki Hirata when Takeshita (Hirota) pinned Hirata with the German Suplex (14:06).
3. Special TLC Match: DASH Chisako Vs Hideki Okatani ended in a Time Limit Draw (15:00).
4. Super Hardcore Girls Vs Prominence ~ Bring In 1 Item Hardcore Match: Risa Sera & Akane Fujita defeated Elizabeth❤️Toy & Sylvania❤️Catherine when Sera pinned Toy with the Diving Double Knee Drop onto Chairs (17:18).
5. Super Hardcore Girls Vs Prominence ~ Special Hardcore Match: Suzu Suzuki defeated Carousel❤️Shun with the German Suplex (20:18).
The feud between Shunma Katsumata and Suzu Suzuki continues going in unusual directions. Suzuki wanted to get revenge on Katsumata for beating her in the King Of Street Wrestling tournament earlier this year. Katsumata however did not want to deal with her again so he brought his “relative” Carousel❤️Shun to take his place. As the story goes, Carousel❤️Shun is a joshi wrestler who travelled to America three years ago to form the Super Hardcore Girls promotion. The global pandemic kept her from returning to Japan until recently but she jumped at the opportunity to lead SHG against Prominence in a war between two deathmatch joshi groups! The two sides agreed to a crossover show where Suzuki could settle the score with the Katsumata family.
The main event involved tables being broken, jumping off ladders, a lot of toy blocks spread across the ring and plenty more. Shun and Suzuki both use a stapler on each other’s arms until Suzuki found something to pierce Shun’s ear with. Shun should have won the match when she had Suzuki pinned with the Totonoe Splash but other members of Prominence pulled the referee out of the ring to stop the count. That led to a big brawl between the SHG and Prominence wrestlers around ringside. Suzuki recovered and Power Bombed Shun from a ladder through a board with forks sticking out of it. That wasn’t enough and Suzuki then landed the German Suplex onto the toy blocks to get the win. After the match Suzuki demanded that Shun go and get Shunma Katsumata so the actual rematch can happen. Suzuki warned that Katsumata won’t get away with it if he does not show up again. Shun said she was thankful to bring SHG to Japan and will continue to chase after Prominence while leaving the rest to Katsumata.
Prominence can confidently declare victory over SHG with a 2-1 result from today’s show. The other win came from Risa Sera & Akane Fujita defeating the relatives of Toi Kojima & Takahiro Katori in a match where everyone was allowed to bring one weapon each. Elizabeth❤️Toy brought out an ear piercing device but Fujita took it off her and used it against her. Sylvania❤️Catherine brought out a stuff toy wrapped in barb wire but Toy got hit with it by accident. Sera then whacked Toy over the head with a bamboo stick, placed chairs on top of her and hit a Diving Double Knee Drop from the top rope for the finish. Unlike Suzuki, Sera enjoyed today’s show and said she would like to do fight against SHG again.
There was a different crossover match away from the feuding promotions. Hideki Okatani likes to dip his toe into Hardcore wrestling every now and then so he was put into a TLC Match against DASH Chisako from Sendai Girl’s! Okatani took some big bumps throughout the match including a Power Bomb over the top rope onto a bridging ladder outside the ring! Chisako made a big mistake though when she missed a Diving Double Stomp from the ladder onto some chairs. Okatani quickly turned the tables and hit a Diving Elbow onto chairs from the same ladder. The two kept on fighting until the very end when time ran out and the match was ruled a 15 minute draw.
There was a sudden change of plans in the match DDT put together. Yuki Ueno was meant to team with Sakura Hirota but when it was time for her entrance, Konosuke Takeshita’s music played instead and out came “Konosuke Takeshita”! Now “Takeshita” looked a little shorter than usual but once the shirt was off and the physique was on show, there was no doubt over who it was. There was one uncharacteristic moments when “Takeshita” struck Akito from behind with a kancho attack. Kazuki Hirata dodged the same move but was eventually caught in the German Suplex with “Takeshita” getting some assistance with the bridge from Ueno. Afterwards backstage “Takeshita” talked about getting a last minute flight from America to get here today after wrestling in AEW last night. Makes perfect sense.
SHG’s only win on the show came from SenoSister Mao Inoue beating Mochi Natsumi in a Falls Count Anywhere match. They fought outside to the parking lot then on the way back to the ring, Inoue’s costume was suddenly replaced with wrestling gear similar looking to what Natsumi was wearing. Inoue ended up pinning Natsumi with a Japanese Leg Roll Clutch on the entrance ramp.
DDT “D-OU GRAND PRIX 2020 THE FINAL!!”, 28/12/2019 Tokyo Korakuen Hall 2,019 Fans – Super No Vacancy
1. Chihiro Hashimoto & Yuki Iino defeated Keisuke Ishii & Keigo Nakamura when Hashimoto pinned Nakamura with the Albright (7:01).
2. “Novice Papa” 9-Man Trial Of Makoto Oishi – 1 Count Fall: Makoto Oishi finishes the series 4-5.
2a. Makoto Oishi defeated Danshoku Dieno with a Jackknife Pin (1:02).
2b. Hirosho Yamato defeated Makoto Oishi with the Sliding X (0:58).
2c. Makoto Oishi defeated Mizuki Watase with a Running Forearm (0:44).
2d. Mad Paulie defeated Makoto Oishi with a Flying Body Scissors Drop (1:03).
2e. Makoto Oishi defeated Antonio Honda with a Rolling Cradle (2:04).
2f. Masahiro Takanashi defeated Makoto Oishi with a Crucifix Pin (0:32).
2g. Kazuki Hirata defeated Makoto Oishi with the Extreme Tegatana (1:00).
2h. Toru Owashi defeated Makoto Oishi with a Hand Press Pin (0:30).
2i. Makoto Oishi defeated Yoshihiko with the Sweet Bomb (3:29).
3. Saki Akai “Okibariyasu” 7 Match Series – 2nd Match: Saki Akai defeated Sakura Hirota with the Rookie Award (7:58).
4. 3 Way Tag Match: Yuki Ueno & Naomi Yoshimura defeated Soma Takao & Nobuhiro Shimatani and Akito & Shunma Katsumata when Ueno pinned Shimatani after the Osaka Strad (7:50).
5. Toshiwasure! Special Single Match – Pro Wrestling x Oogiri Mix Rules: Shinya Aoki defeated Super Sasadango Machine with a Director Ishii joke (6:48).
6. Kazusada Higuchi Returns To War: Kazusada Higuchi & Yukio Sakaguchi defeated Bull James & Yukio Naya when Higuchi pinned Naya with the Doctor Bomb (7:36).
7. D-Ou Grand Prix 2020 Special 4 Way Match: Konosuke Takeshita defeated HARASHIMA, Daisuke Sasaki and Chris Brookes when Takeshita pinned Brookes with the German Suplex (11:53).
8. D-Ou Grand Prix 2020 – Final: Masato Tanaka defeated Tetsuya Endo with the Sliding D (23:57).
The tournament master Masato Tanaka becomes the first person to win the D-Ou Grand Prix while undefeated! He didn’t take Tetsuya Endo lightly in the final. He went for the Sliding D at the very first opportunity. Endo dodged it and in return tried to trap Tanaka in the Modified Yurikamome Hold. Tanaka put Endo through a table outside the ring with a Diving Body Press, which ended up leaving a big gash in Endo’s leg. To add insult to the injury, Tanaka then attacked Endo with pieces of the table and also the DAMNATION signboard. Endo’s comebacks would get cut off by Elbow Smashes until he countered the Tornado DDT into a Brainbuster. Tanaka cut him off again with a Vertical Drop Brainbuster. Endo countered the Diamond Dust into a German Suplex but Tanaka once more stopped his momentum with a Lariat. The match went even when Tanaka blocked the Shooting Star Press then Endo blocked the Superfly afterwards. When they got up Endo hit a Canadian Destroyer only for Tanaka to immediately fire back with a short range Sliding D. Endo finally got his momentum going with the Tetsuya In The Sky, the Swinging Torture Rack Bomb and the Shooting Star Press. Tanaka was able to kick out at two. Endo quickly applied the Yurikamome Hold but Tanaka cradled him for a nearfall. Endo changed it into the Crossface Lock but Tanaka got out of it by biting Endo’s hand. Tanaka stunned Endo with a Backfist then hit several Sliding D’s, finally keeping Endo down for the three count.
After the match Tanaka said fighting against Endo and DAMNATION was interesting. Tanaka has been wrestling for 26 years and is still in his prime. He has to show that in the ring when he faces off against younger wrestlers. Still, he thanked Endo for the match. HARASHIMA entered the ring during the trophy ceremony. He congratulated Tanaka for winning the Grand Prix then told him they will have a KO-D Openweight Title match on 26th January. He promised him a rematch after their 30 minute draw in the group stage so now they get to have one with higher stakes. Tanaka called HARASHIMA the No. 1 wrestler in DDT. Even though Tanaka won today’s main event, he gave the show closing speech to HARASHIMA.
When HARASHIMA finished his speech, Pokotan came out and confronted him to promote their DDT Extreme Title match on 12th January.
Some of the wrestlers who missed out on reaching the final were pitted together in a 4 Way Match. HARASHIMA wanted it to start off peacefully but it went mayhem when Konosuke Takeshita and Chris Brookes both attacked him. Daisuke Sasaki tried to sneak a pin on HARASHIMA afterwards but Takeshita and Brookes then attacked him. Brookes broke off his short alliance with Takeshita and the match was all against each other from that point on. Sasaki put Takeshita in La Mistica Cross Facelock, HARASHIMA broke it up with the Somato then Brookes caught HARASHIMA in mid-air with a Cutter. Takeshita gave HARASHIMA and Sasaki a German Suplex at the same time, emptying the ring down to just him and Brookes. Brookes put Takeshita in an Octopus Hold then tried to pin him with a European Clutch but Takeshita rolled him into the German Suplex to take the win. This result is considered as payback for Brookes beating Takeshita in the group stage.
A reinvigorated and fully recovered Kazusada Higuchi was victorious in his return match. He wasn’t lying when he said he lost wait during his time off, the audience was impressed by his improved physique. Both he and Yukio Sakaguchi came out to brand new theme songs. Sakaguchi struck Bull James with the God’s Right Knee, allowing Higuchi to pin Yukio Naya with the Doctor Bomb. Backstage Higuchi said he’s been watching DDT while he was recovering from his injury and it just wasn’t the same. Sakaguchi agreed. They want to make DDT fun and rampant so Higuchi and Sakaguchi are going to stir up DDT together!
Super Sasadango Machine wanted to make sure his win over Shinya Aoki last month wasn’t a fluke. To ensure the result would be undisputed their match today would consist of two stages. Stage 1 is the Pro Wrestling Stage, a regular pro wrestling match. When that is over they would then move on to the Oogiri Stage, a comedy quiz where judges Yuki Iino, Mizuki Watase and Yumehito Imanari choose who gave the best answer. The winner of the match is the first person to either win both stages back-to-back or win the Oogriri Stage 3 times. The match began and Aoki immediately made Sasadango submit to the Sleeper Hold. The Oogiri question asked for their dream match for a New Year’s Eve MMA show. Sasadango said Tatsuya Kawajiri Vs Erika Sawajiri in an MMA Vs MDMA fight (Sawajiri is an actress who was recently arrested over drug possession). Aoki chose Takeru Vs Tenshin Nasukawa. Sasadango won the judge’s vote. The match began again and Sasadango immediately gave up to a handshake. The Oogiri question asked to name the sequel for Aoki’s book “Strong Instinct”. Sasadango said “Grand Maison Instinct” while Aoki picked “Daddy”. Aoki got some laughs but Sasadango still won the judge’s decision. Aoki tapped out Sasadango once more with a Cross Armbreaker. The Oogiri question asked for a phrase that will be used as a warning in 2020. Sasadango’s arm was so damaged from the Cross Armbreaker that he couldn’t write a decent answer, so he went with “Safety First”. Aoki answered with “Director Ishii” referring to the disgraced K-1 director Kazuyoshi Ishii. Aoki unanimously won the judge’s decision and was declared the winner of the match.
The freelance Nobuhiro Shimatani was back in DDT to do what he does best. Run around with the DAMNATION signboard! What he isn’t good at is being used as a projectile. Soma Takao tried to Body Slam him onto their opponents in the 3 Way Match but they kept rolling out of the way. Shimatani did get a few whacks in on Akito & Shunma Katsumata with his signboard until he accidentally hit Takao with it. From there Yuki Ueno & Naomi Yoshimura double teamed on Shimatani and finished him off with the Osaka Strad. Nautilus are now ready to challenge for the KO-D Tag Team Titles on 3rd January. They are also taking over the Drop Kick Bar from Akito in the new year.
One of the goals for Saki Akai’s “Okibariyasu” series is to bring in joshi and let them experience what DDT is like. In the case of Sakura Hirota this turned out to be the most DDT match in a long time. First Hirota came out dressed as Akai and mimicking her entrance. Then we found out her children were at ringside where there was a special play area built for them to stay in. Also Antonio Honda was babysitting them. The situation was so distracting that Yukinori Matsui missed some pinfalls. Hirota used Kancho attacks to get the advantage until Honda called for an emergency because one of the kids soiled their diaper. Akai, Hirota and Matsui all agreed to speed up the match with cradles and quick pin counts. Hirota attempted to do the Quetzalcoatl but couldn’t apply it properly. The result was only her flipping onto her back empty handed. Akai gave Hirota a Kancho poke then pinned her with the Rookie Award. It was announced afterwards that Akai’s third opponent in her series will be against Rina Yamashita on 12th January.
Fatherhood is taking it’s toll on Makoto Oishi. So much so that he decided today’s One Count Gauntlet Match would be his last match. He informed all of his opponents backstage before their match and everyone agreed to give him their best. The results went back and forth. Oishi pinned Danshoku Dieno with a Cradled counter to the Danshoku Driver. Hiroshi Yamato pinned Oishi with the Sliding X. Oishi went 2-1 when he caught Mizuki Watase with a Running Forearm. Mad Paulie flattened Oishi with the Lou Thesz Press. Antonio Honda went for his old Gongitsune trick but Oishi saw it coming and cradled him to make it 3-2. Masahiro Takanashi countered the Jikiden Tornado Clutch into a Crucifix Pin to even the score. Kazuki Hirata turned the match into a dance until he overdone the Tegatana strikes to Oishi’s neck. When Toru Owashi entered the match Oishi was still knocked out from the attack. Owashi pleaded with him to get back up but Oishi wouldn’t move. Oishi placed his hand on Oishi’s chest and didn’t realise it counted as a pin. Oishi’s final opponent was Yoshihiko. Oishi fought with all he had left, using all his strength to get a rope break from a Scorpion Deathlock. Yoshihiko was thrown into the air for the Reincarnation but Oishi rolled it into a pin to end the match with a win. All the wrestlers begged with him to reconsider his decision. Oishi then revealed it was all a misunderstanding. Today was his final match… in 2019. He wanted everyone to do their best today because it was the final DDT show of 2019. He’s not retiring. Who said that? Oishi loves pro wrestling and he wants his newborn daughter to grow up and watch him wrestle.
Rivals turning into teammates seems to happen a lot in wrestling nowadays. It happened here with Yuki Iino and Chihiro Hashimoto joining forces to take on Keisuke Ishii & Keigo Nakamura. They weren’t 100% compatible but still came out on top. Iino hit Nakamura with the Haka Elbow and Hashimoto followed up with the Albright to win. When asked if they were interested in going after the KO-D Tag Titles, both liked the idea but think they can do it on their own.
A brand new championship called the DDT Universal Title will crown its first champion on 23rd February. The belt was created as part of DDT’s international plans for 2020. Both Takeshita and Brookes have expressed their interest in becoming the first champion. Takeshita believes being the first champion on any belt is a special thing and he also wants to spread DDT across the world. Brookes thinks him versus Takeshita is the match to make to determine the first champion. Also the Praying Mantis Bomb will always beat Takeshita and Brookes wants another singles match to prove it.
Posted by JamieOD 
