Takagi Injured, Upcoming DDT Cards Changed Around

April 7, 2026

DDT “DDT X MOP WRESTLE TOUR 2026 IN MITSUI OUTLET PARK MARINE PIA KOBE”, 11/04/2026
Hyogo Mitsui Outlet Park Marine Pia Kobe

1. Jun Akiyama & Yuni Vs Chris Brookes & Hinata Kasai
2. Takeshi Masada, Yuya Koroku & Daichi Sato Vs Kazuma Sumi, Shunma Katsumata & Kazuki Hirata
3. Antonio Honda, Junta Miyawaki & Yuki Ishida Vs MAO, Yukio Naya & Tomomitsu Matsunaga
4. The 37KAMIINA Vs DAMNATION T.A!: Yuki Ueno & To-y Vs Hideki Okatani & Ilusion
5. MOP Tag Team Titles: KANON & Viento Maligno (c) (w/ KIMIHIRO) Vs HARASHIMA & Masami Inahata

Yesterday on the “UNIVERSE MAGIC” show Sanshiro Takagi suffered an injury to his right eye. He has since been diagnosed with a orbital fracture as well as a nasal bone fracture so he will be out of action for a while. He was supposed to challenge for the MOP Tag Team Titles this weekend but will now be replaced by HARASHIMA. That decision has shuffled the rest of Saturday’s and Sunday’s cards around.

DDT “DDT X MOP WRESTLE TOUR 2026 IN MITSUI OUTLET PARK HOKURIKU OYABE”, 12/04/2026
Toyama Mitsui Outlet Park Hokuriku Oyabe

1. Kazuma Sumi & Takeshi Masada Vs Kazuki Hirata & Yuki Ishida
2. FANTÔMES DRAMATIC Vs DAMNATION T.A!: Chris Brookes & Antonio Honda Vs Hideki Okatani & Ilusion
3. HARASHIMA & Masami Inahata Vs Tomomitsu Matsunaga & Hinata Kasai
4. Special 8-Man Tag Match: Yuki Ueno, Shunma Katsumata, To-y & Junta Miyawaki Vs MAO, Yukio Naya, Yuya Koroku & Daichi Sato
5. MOP Tag Team Titles: KANON & Viento Maligno (c) Vs Jun Akiyama & Yuni

HARASHIMA will be teaming with Masami Inahata on both shows this weekend because of how the MOP Tag Titles matches are being set up.

DDT “DREAM LIGHTS ~HOW DO YOU LIKE DDT WEDNESDAY~”, 15/04/2026
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

0. Dramatic Dark Match: Ilusion Vs X
1. 3 Way Tag Match: Kazuma Sumi & Yuni Vs Danshoku Dieno & Kazuki Hirata Vs Naomi Yoshimura & Kumadori
2. Jun Akiyama & Rukiya Vs Akito & Masami Inahata
3. Special 8-Man Tag Match: MAO, KANON, Viento Maligno (w/ KIMIHIRO) & Yuya Aoki Vs Shunma Katsumata, Junta Miyawaki, To-y & Yuki Ishida
4. Special Single Match: YOH Vs Antonio Honda
5. KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles: Takeshi Masada, Yuya Koroku & Daichi Sato (c) Vs Chris Brookes, HARASHIMA & Hinata Kasai
6. DDT Extreme Title: Hideki Okatani (c) Vs Yukio Naya
7. KO-D Openweight Title: Yuki Ueno (c) Vs Yuki Iino

Takagi’s injury means he is no longer able to wrestle Ilusion at next Wednesday’s Korakuen Hall show. Ilusion is still expected to have a singles match on the pre-show but for now his opponent is unknown.

DDT “YAMADA SUISAN CO., LTD. PRESENTS GATHERING! THE THREE UNAGI SIBLINGS! ~IN ONE POND~”, 19/04/2026
Kagoshima Shibushi City “Unagi Station” Special Venue

1. Daichi Sato Vs Masami Inahata
2. Hideki Okatani & Ilusion Vs Takeshi Masada & Junta Miyawaki
3. Kazuma Sumi Vs Yuni Vs Danshoku Dieno & Kazuki Hirata
4. Tokyo Joshi Pro Offer Match: Rika Tatsumi & Haru Kazashiro Vs Arisu Endo & Ren Konatsu
5. Special 8-Man Tag Match: Yuki Ueno, Jun Akiyama, Shunma Katsumata & To-y Vs MAO, KANON, Yukio Naya & Viento Maligno (w/ KIMIHIRO)
6. Special Tag Match: Shishamo Power & Gota Ihashi Vs Yuki Ishida & Hinata Kasai
7. Gathering! The Three Unagi Siblings! ~In One Pond~ Special 6-Man Tag Match: Unagi Mask, Super Unagi Mask & Unagi Mask Woman Vs Aja Kong, Chris Brookes & Antonio Honda

The promise Gota Ihashi got to team with Shishamo Power is being made a reality.


MONDAY MAGIC “UNIVERSE MAGIC 2026” Results

April 6, 2026

MONDAY MAGIC “UNIVERSE MAGIC 2026”, 09/03/2026
Shinjuku FACE
??? Fans – Unannounced

1. The 1st UNIVERSE CUP – Semi Final: Naomichi Marufuji defeated Hayabusa with the Perfect Neck Lock (14:52).
2. The 1st UNIVERSE CUP – Semi Final: Sanshiro Takagi defeated The Great Sasuke with the Stunner (14:47).
3. Tokyo Joshi Pro Offer Match: Miyu Yamashita defeated Shino Suzuki with the Skull Kick (7:44).
4. UNIVERSE MIX MAGIC 8-Man Tag Match: Kaito Kiyomiya, Kuroshio TOKYO Japan, Takeshi Masada & Yumehito Imanari defeated Masato Tanaka, Isami Kodaka, Taro Nohashi & Great Mummy when Imanari pinned Mummy with the Lariat (9:15).
5. 10-WOMAN MAGIC RUMBLE: YUNA defeated Senka Akatsuki by Ring Out (26:41).
*Order Of Elimination: Megaton, Manami, Sora Ayame, YuuRI, The Great Sayaka, Yuki Mashiro, Seri Yamaoka, Momoka Hanazono, Senka Akatsuki.
6. The 1st UNIVERSE CUP – Final: Naomichi Marufuji defeated Sanshiro Takagi with the Perfect Neck Lock (17:33).

The winner of the first ever Universe Cup tournament belongs to NOAH! It was a tough road for Naomichi Marufuji to walk through because he first had to fight Hayabusa in the semi final. After taking big blows from dives and Falcon Arrows, Marufuji dodged the Firebird Splash and relied on using Tiger King knee strikes to wear down Hayabusa until he was weak enough to be submitted with the Perfect Cradle. Sanshiro Takagi fought past The Great Sasuke in a rematch many years in the making (Sasuke blamed the slightly different ring size on his defeat) to reach Marufuji in the final. In the battle between the CyberFight Vice Presidents, Takagi was taken to the brink with Marufuji ordering a delay in countouts so Takagi could bring out the Dramatic Dream bike for them to fight with. Marufuji won that duel and Takagi barely made it back to the ring in time just to get put in the Perfect Neck Lock for Marufuji to win the match.

Takagi got injured during the match so only Hayabusa and Sasuke joined Marufuji for his trophy presentation. Marufuji praised all of the wrestlers and promotions involved for doing their best to liven up pro wrestling. Sasuke believes the Universe Cup will continue on for many years which will somehow help Michinoku Pro become invincible! On cue his company’s theme song began to play until Marufuji stopped it so Hayabusa could have the last word. Hayabusa told everyone that the fun is just beginning.

The rest of the show featured random and unexpected wrestlers showing up since that is the whole point of Monday Magic. Multiple promotions were represented including DDT, Ganbare☆Pro and BASARA. There was an 8-Man Tag Match featuring DDT’s Takeshi Masada, GanPro’s Yumehito Imanari and BASARA’s Isami Kodaka. GanPro also had a participant in the women’s Magic Rumble match. YuuRI took part in it but was among the first half of eliminated wrestlers.

Tokyo Joshi Pro also showed up at a Monday Magic event for the first time. TJPW presented a singles match where Miyu Yamashita beat Shino Suzuki. Because they were in front of a new audience, Yamashita was more fired up than usual while Suzuki was able to overcome her anxiety when the fans started calling her name during the match.


DDT “CHANGE AGE 2026 ~TOBIKIRI ZENKAI POWER~” Results

April 5, 2026

DDT “CHANGE AGE 2026 ~TOBIKIRI ZENKAI POWER~”, 05/04/2026
Tokyo Korakuen Hall
??? Fans – Unannounced

0. Dark Match: Rukiya defeated Yuni with the Proto Bomb (6:12).
1. Takeshi Masada, Yuya Koroku & Daichi Sato defeated Kazuma Sumi, Masami Inahata & Hinata Kasai when Masada pinned Kasai with a PK (8:25).
2. Variety King Decision Match: Hisaya Imabayashi defeated Toru Owashi, Danshoku Dieno, Super Sasadango Machine, Kazuki Hirata, Antonio Honda and Akito when Imabayashi submitted Hirata with a Sleeper Hold (13:41).
3. DAMNATION T.A Vs STRANGE LOVE CONNECTION!: Yukio Naya & Viento Maligno defeated Hideki Okatani & Ilusion when Naya pinned Ilusion with The World’s Best Back Drop (8:27).
4. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Yuki Iino, Jun Akiyama & Junta Miyawaki defeated Yuki Ueno, Shinya Aoki & To-y when Iino pinned Ueno with the Spear (10:59).
5. Special Single Match: Kaisei Takechi defeated Makoto Oishi with the BREAK IT DOWN (9:46).
6. KO-D Tag Team Titles: Chris Brookes & HARASHIMA defeated MAO & KANON (c) (w/ KIMIHIRO) when HARASHIMA pinned KANON with the Swan Dive Somato (12:26).
*STRANGE LOVE CONNECTION fails in V5. FANTÔMES DRAMATIC become the 89th KO-D Tag Team Champions!
7. Special 6-Man Tag Match ~ Harimao Last Match: Naomi Yoshimura, Ryota Nakatsu & Yuki Ishida (w/ Kazusada Higuchi) defeated Shunma Katsumata, Kota Umeda & Kouki Iwasaki when Ishida pinned Katsumata with the Flame Palm (19:56).

If it was Kazusada Higuchi he would want to wrestle a little bit longer but today he had to retire from pro wrestling, ending his eleven year career over a neck injury. Having already wrestled his last match due to doctor’s orders, Higuchi had to serve as a second for Harimao in the main event 6-Man Tag Match. The sumo themed unit agreed to split up because of Higuchi’s retirement and today would be their last match together. Their opponents were three wrestlers who Higuchi grew up with in the DDT New Attitude developmental brand that existed from 2014 to 2018. It brought back some old rivalries likes the one between Ryota Nakatsu and Kota Umeda. Higuchi did take one more chance to get physical by throwing Chops at all of the wrestlers who were brought over to him at ringside. Yuki Ishida got rid of Kouki Iwasaki with the Leg Scoop Suplex while on the other side Shunma Katsumata wiped out Naomi Yoshimura with a Topé Con Hilo. The match came down to Ishida receiving one last fighting spirit from Higuchi to hit Katsumata with the Flame Palm for the three count.

Higuchi’s retirement ceremony took place after the match. He took commemorative photos with Harimao and then the DNA wrestlers. After that the next group of people to appear were Shuji Ishikawa, Yuji Hino and KUBITO who were tied to Higuchi as tag partners, rivals or training buddies at various times. Higuchi then received an anonymous letter from his alledged trainer. This mystery person is apparantely not in Japan at the moment but he wanted to tell Higuchi he is proud of him for becoming a top class wrestler and for leaving the ring with his body still intact. More wrestlers entered the ring to gift Higuchi with bouquets including Jun Akiyama, HARASHIMA, Danshoku Dino, Antonio Honda, Yuki Ueno, Tetsuya Endo and Konosuke Takeshita.

Finally Higuchi was reunited with the other Eruption members Yukio Sakaguchi & Saki Akai. Not only that but Hideki Okatani entered the ring holding the Eruption gown that Higuchi had gifted to him when Higuchi left the unit. Okatani returned it back to him. Sanshiro Takagi was the last person to give a bouquet and everyone got together for a big group photo. Higuchi got on the microphone and said today he has run out of his strength and he’s come to the conclusion that this is the best decision he could make. He can only express is gratitude and is grateful to everyone in DDT. He also used the Wrestle Universe broadcast to tell Yoshihiro Takayama and Masahiro Takanashi that everyone here is waiting for their return. While Higuchi will no longer live in the ring, he will continue to move forward step by step in the ring of life.

FANTÔMES DRAMATIC have gotten their hands on their first proper championship by winning the KO-D Tag Team Titles! Things went crazy from the get go when The Apex lifted up KIMIHIRO and threw him onto everybody grouped together outside the ring. Strange Love Connection found that their own teamwork was being evenly matched by Chris Brookes & HARASHIMA. The challengers separated KANON from MAO and focused all of their attacks on the former. KANON was able to kick out after taking a Piledriver followed by the Somato but HARASHIMA used the souped up Swan Dive version of his finisher to win the tag titles. Later backstage MAO said his goal with this title run was to help KANON loosen up and he thinks they accomplished that. They can rebound by going after any championship but for the moment he wants the both of them to aim for the Top 3 in this year’s King Of DDT tournament.

While Fandora were celebrating their title win, Ilusion got into the ring while wearing all of the KO-D 10-Man Tag Team Title belts over his body. He claimed to be the new leader of DAMNATION T.A and because he has more title belts than Fandora, he is using his position to challenge them for the KO-D Tag Titles. He then unveiled a banner of Daisuke Sasaki to reveal that Sasaki will be his partner for the match. HARASHIMA accepted the challenge for 1st May because so that can be Sasaki’s first match back in DDT after coming home from his North American excursion. Before that takes place, Brookes said Fandora will go win the KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles on 15th April.

It was a special match between teacher and student when Makoto Oishi found himself being challenged by Kaisei Takechi. It’s been lightly thrown around that Takechi would officially surpass Oishi as soon as he could beat him in the ring. But Takechi has yet to win a singles match so he couldn’t afford to take his mentor lightly. Oishi took his student to school with basic moves as well as a well times Dropkick to the knee as a counter for the Flying Forearm. Takechi took a page out of Higuchi’s book by using the Brain Claw to break his way out of Oishi’s Fujiyama Knee Lock. He then showed off his new Choke Slam/Rock Bottom finisher called the BREAK IT DOWN, pinning Oishi to get his first ever singles victory.

Takechi was then suddenly met by Danshoku Dieno after the match. Dieno was there to propose the two of them have a singles match some day. Takechi agreed, saying he has no reason to refuse a challenge. Hisaya Imabayashi then decided since the two of them are entering the King Of DDT tournament, this can be one of the 1st Round matches! Takechi and Dieno shook hands over the idea but Takechi then stopped Dieno from leaning in for a kiss. He made a promise to Dieno that he is going to exceed his expectations. Backstage Takechi was asked if his agency is worried about him wrestling Dieno. He said DDT has the rights to book that match but admits if the card has to change, it is because LDH did not want it to happen. Dino acknowledged that there is an unwritten no contact agreement in place with him and Takechi but Takechi is officially a DDT wrestler so it is inevitable that Danshoku Dieno would be unleashed on him eventually.

There was a little bit of confusion among Yuki Ueno’s team when Shinya Aoki decided to stop up him pinning Junta Miyawaki early in the 6-Man Tag Match. Ueno then had Jun Akiyama properly stopping him from pinning Yuki Iino by hitting him with the Knee Strike. To-y did a big dive onto everyone so Ueno could be left alone to fight Iino. But the WR was countered into a Short-Range Spear followed by a full fledged one to give Iino a big win over the KO-D Openweight Champion. Iino asked Ueno how it felt to lose for the fist time after so long because Iino will soon take the belt and prove he is the strongest in DDT! Ueno asked him if he has any dreams for the future but Iino answered he has no time to think about that. He is busy living every day to its fullest.

Okatani and Yukio Naya gave everyone a preview of their DDT Extreme Title match by brawling around ringside while Ilusion and Viento Maligno wrestled each other. Naya toughed it out by taking chair shots and being thrown into the front row. He then refused to budge when he put Ilusion in a Crab Hold and invited Okatani to try and physically break it up. MJ Paul interfered to finally make some progress but Maligno was able to get him out of the ring. Naya recovered and Choke Slammed Okatani to stop him from using the chair again. After that he pinned Ilusion with The World’s Best Back Drop.

A really important designation was on the line in Match #2. All of the DDT goofballs were gathered together to determine who is the king of DDT’s “Variety” wrestlers! However the show was already running on a tight schedule so Imabayashi wanted everyone to do their entrances all at once. Kazuki Hirata suggested they start wrestling before the entrances and then play everyone’s music as the match progresses. They all brawled down to the ring, taking Imabayashi down with them and continued fighting until Toru Owashi’s song played. He ran to the back to make his entrance and ring introduction. This would next happen to Super Sasadango Machine, then Akito, then Dieno, then Antonio Honda and finally Kazuki Hirata. Except the heavy usage of the music system blew out the venue’s amplifier during Hirata’s entrance. The wrestlers (including Saki Akai and Tetsu Inada) all formed a daisy chain connecting from Dieno over to the amplifier in order to charge it back up to full repair. Hirata got to do his entrance until Imabayashi suddenly put him in a Sleeper Hold and tapped him out! Imabayashi was declared the winner and he ordered everyone to get out so the show could continue.

As previously mentioned way up above, FANTÔMES DRAMATIC will soon be challenging for the KO-D 6-Man Tag Titles. Hinata Kasai will be on the challenger team and he got to fight the champions paleyouth in today’s opening bout. He had a tough go at fighting Takeshi Masada & Daichi Sato until Kazuma Sumi tagged in to even things out. Yuya Koroku found himself fighting Masami Inahata to a stalemate. paleyouth then gathered their wits about them to team up on Kasai, ultimately leading to Masada pinning Kasai with a Penalty Kick. He showed off one of the title belts to him after the match, causing Kasai to hit him with an Elbow Strike in response. Koroku then grabbed Kasai and threw him out of the ring.

After graduating from high school and becoming a college student, Yuni showed up wearing a new costume for his match against Rukiya. A big Moonsault from Yuni was blocked by Rukiya sticking his feet up. He got the win with the Proto Bomb but it took two of them to get the result after Yuni kicked out of it the first time.


Higuchi Retirement This Sunday, More MOP Tag Title Matches, ZSJ Returns To DDT

April 3, 2026

DDT “CHANGE AGE 2026 ~TOBIKIRI ZENKAI POWER~”, 05/04/2026
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

0. Dark Match: Yuni Vs Rukiya
1. Takeshi Masada, Yuya Koroku & Daichi Sato Vs Kazuma Sumi, Masami Inahata & Hinata Kasai
2. Variety King Decision Match: Toru Owashi Vs Danshoku Dieno Vs Super Sasadango Machine Vs Kazuki Hirata Vs Antonio Honda Vs Akito
3. DAMNATION T.A Vs STRANGE LOVE CONNECTION!: Hideki Okatani & Ilusion Vs Yukio Naya & Viento Maligno
4. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Yuki Ueno, Shinya Aoki & To-y Vs Yuki Iino, Jun Akiyama & Junta Miyawaki
5. Special Single Match: Kaisei Takechi Vs Makoto Oishi
6. KO-D Tag Team Titles: MAO & KANON (c) (w/ KIMIHIRO) Vs Chris Brookes & HARASHIMA
7. Special 6-Man Tag Match ~ Harimao Last Match: Naomi Yoshimura, Ryota Nakatsu & Yuki Ishida Vs Shunma Katsumata, Kota Umeda & Kouki Iwasaki

This Sunday DDT says farewell to Kazusada Higuchi as well as Harimao. DDT have confirmed that Saki Akai will be one of the guest commentators during the show. Does that mean Yukio Sakaguchi will show up too for one last Eruption reunion?

DDT “DDT X MOP WRESTLE TOUR 2026 IN MITSUI OUTLET PARK MARINE PIA KOBE”, 11/04/2026
Hyogo Mitsui Outlet Park Marine Pia Kobe

1. Takeshi Masada, Yuya Koroku & Daichi Sato Vs KAzuma Sumi, Kazuki Hirata & Yukio Naya
2. Jun Akiyama & Yuni Vs Chris Brookes & Hinata Kasai
3. HARASHIMA, Antonio Honda & Yuki Ishida Vs MAO, Junta Miyawaki & Tomomitsu Matsunaga
4. The 37KAMIINA Vs DAMNATION T.A!: Yuki Ueno, Shunma Katsumata & Yuki Ishida Vs Hideki Okatani, MJ Paul & Ilusion
5. MOP Tag Team Titles: KANON & Viento Maligno (c) (w/ KIMIHIRO) Vs Sanshiro Takagi & Masami Inahata

The next two shows of the “DDT X MOP WRESTLE TOUR” will continue having MOP Tag Team Title matches in the main event. First up KANON & Viento Maligno have their first defence lined up against Sanshiro Takagi & Masami Inahata.

DDT “DDT X MOP WRESTLE TOUR 2026 IN MITSUI OUTLET PARK HOKURIKU OYABE”, 12/04/2026
Toyama Mitsui Outlet Park Hokuriku Oyabe

1. Kazuma Sumi & Takeshi Masada Vs Kazuki Hirata & Yuki Ishida
2. Sanshiro Takagi & Masami Inahata Vs Tomomitsu Matsunaga & Hinata Kasai
3. FANTÔMES DRAMATIC Vs DAMNATION T.A!: Chris Brookes, HARASHIMA & Antonio Honda Vs Hideki Okatani, MJ Paul & Ilusion
4. Special 8-Man Tag Match: Yuki Ueno, Shunma Katsumata, To-y & Junta Miyawaki Vs MAO, Yukio Naya, Yuya Koroku & Daichi Sato
5. MOP Tag Team Titles: KANON & Viento Maligno (c) Vs Jun Akiyama & Yuni

Whichever team wins the title match in Kobe will go defend them against Jun Akiyama & Yuni in Oyabe the next day. The losers of the Kobe match will face Tomomitsu Matsunaga & Hinata Kasai instead.

DDT “SAPPORO GOLDEN BATTLE 2026”, 02/05/2026
Hokkaido Sapporo Sun Plaza

1. Sapporo Studio Five Presents Special 6-Man Tag Match: Yuki Ueno, Shunma Katsumata & To-y Vs Chris Brookes, HARASHIMA & Antonio Honda

DDT are bringing in Tomoya and Noriyuki Yoshida like they always do whenever they go to Hokkaido. Kumadori will be on the show too.

DDT “DRAMATIC DREAMS! VOL. 13 ~MY SPIRIT GUARDS MY LORD IN THE EAST~”, 17/05/2026
Osaka City Sumiyoshi Community Center

1. Special Tag Match ~ Laughter Brings Fortune: MAO & KANON (w/ KIMIHIRO) Vs Kuishinbo Kamen & Kikutaro
2. Special Tag Match ~ Infinite Stimulation Anniversary: Zack Sabre Jr. & Chris Brookes Vs HARASHIMA & Shinya Aoki

Yukinori Matsui is bringing the big guns out for this one. Zack Sabre Jr. is back in DDT to team up with Chris Brookes again. Together, SCAHDEN TEKKERS are going to face the team of HARASHIMA & Shinya Aoki, making this match a first time meeting between Sabre and Aoki in the ring.


DDT “NO SPOILERS EVENT VOL. 4 IN UENO” Results

April 1, 2026

DDT “NO SPOILERS EVENT VOL. 4 IN UENO”, 01/04/2026
Tokyo Ueno Park Outdoor Stage
??? Fans – Unannounced

1. Antonio Honda, Junta Miyawaki & Viento Maligno defeated Yuki Iino, Masami Inahata & Rukiya when Honda pinned Inahata with the Japanese Leg Roll Clutch (8:39).
2. Yuya Koroku & Daichi Sato defeated Bad Buddy Yuni & Pito Chico Sumi by Disqualification when Sumi attacked the referee (6:47).
3. Fake Daisuke Sasaki Army Vs DAMNATION T.A!: Hideki Okatani, Posuke Sasaki & Daision Sasaki defeated Daisuke Sasaki (Yukio Naya), Daisuke Sasaki (Takeshi Masada) & Nerima Sting (Yuki Ishida) when Daision submitted Sting with La Mistica Crossface Lock (12:07).
4. Playfulness Series Act 5: Danshoku Dieno Vs Hinata Kasai ended in a No Contest (9:54).
4a. No DQ & No Tag Rules: Danshoku Dieno & Hinata Kasai defeated Kazuki Hirata & To-y when Dieno submitted To-y with his Hell Gate (8:37).
5. Special 3-Way Tag Match ~ Best Friends (Mav) Superior: MAO & KANON (w/ KIMIHIRO) Vs Yuki Ueno & Shunma Katsumata Vs Chris Brookes & HARASHIMA ended in a No Contest (10:42).
5a. 4 Way Tag Match: Yuki Ueno & Shunma Katsumata, MAO & KANON (w/ KIMIHIRO), Chris Brookes & HARASHIMA and Bad Buddy Yuni & Pito Chico Sumi when Katsumata pinned Yuni with the I Love You Splash (9:23).

No spoilers or talk about what happened on this April Fool’s Day show was allowed until the clock struck midnight. So for those who weren’t at the show, they had to wait until the next day to hear about Kazuma Sumi & Yuni all of a sudden showing their rebel sides. The show was meant to begin with a performance by NωA Jr. but it was cut off when Sumi & Yuni attacked Shunma Katsumata out of nowhere! The two of them told everyone they didn’t want to be idols anymore and they stormed out of the ring. They reappeared for their match dressed in rebellious clothing with new ring names to boot. They were now Bad Buddy Yuni & Pito Chico Sumi! Their tag match ended in Disqualification after they attacked their opponents with chairs and squeaky toy hammers.

They then reappeared in the 3 Way Tag main event because the theme of the match was every tag team were dressed as some type of delinquent. Their interference caused the match to get thrown out because they attacked the referee and caused more chaos afterward. The match restarted with Yuni & Sumi added as a fourth team. Katsumata (who was dressed as a delinquent schoolgirl by the way) got his revenge on them by pinning Yuni for the victory. Yuki Ueno confessed his love for Katsumata after the match only to start a chain reaction of all the others doing the same. Katsumata turned all of them down for Yuni and the two embraced. However Sumi suddenly got jealous and he tried to stab Yuni with an umbrella. He missed though and stabbed Katsumata instead by accident! Katsumata wished the two of them to be happy together and then died. Everyone sang a song to revive him and the show ended with everyone safe and sound. That was until Ueno approached Katsumata backstage and stabbed him with the umbrella. Sumi & Yuni revived him again and the three all agreed they should go back to being idols.

Both Kazuki Hirata & To-y had something planned for the show with their only clue being it would resemble a party gathering together underneath the blooming cherry blossoms. They ended up interfering in Match #3 to cost Hinata Kasai a victory against Danshoku Dieno. In that match whenever Dieno gave someone the Lip Lock, the victim would reveal they are wearing Danshoku tights beneath their clothes. It happened to KANON and Yukinori Matsui, turning the two of them into Danshoku zombies. That story was thrown out thanks to Hirata & To-y so it turned into a No DQ tag match where the two of them attacked Dieno, Kasai and the wrestlers standing near ringside with umbrellas and coathangers. However Kasai rallied the other wrestlers to grab To-y and carry him face first into Dieno’s Hell Gate until he gave up. The Lip Lock storyline continued with the victims turning back to normal after bumping heads with each other. It ended when Dieno finally got to give Kasai the Lip Lock.

A dejected Daisuke Sasaki has left Japan to go on tour across North America. He claims he will not return unless he falls in love and gets rejected but it was recently announced that New Japan has booked him for this year’s Best Of The Super Jr. tournament. Either way that leaves DAMNATION T.A currently without their leader. This has somehow led to an army of Fake Daisuke Sasakis appearing on today’s show along with a Nerima Sting. Also MJ Paul turned into Posuke Sasaki. During the match Ilusion would disappear only to return as Daision Sasaki to get the hot tag and win the match for his team. He said that from today onwards he is the new leader of DAMNATION T.A! Later at the end of the show, Sanshiro Takagi appeared also dressed like Daisuke Sasaki. He tried to attack Daision but was given a Low Blow instead. Takagi and Ilusion have a dark match coming up on 15th April and Ilusion keeps ambushing him with Low Blows to build up the match.


Video – Sayaka Unagi Vs Sanshiro Unagi

March 27, 2026


DDT “DDT X ZEEKSTAR TOKYO SPECIAL PERFORMANCE ~ DDZT”, 26/04/2024
Tokyo Higashin Arena (Sumida City Gymnasium)
687 Fans

4. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title: Sayaka Unagi (c) Vs Sanshiro Unagi


SUPER JAPAN “JUDGEMENT” Results

March 24, 2026

SUPER JAPAN “JUDGEMENT”, 24/03/2026
Shinjuku FACE
??? Fans – Unannounced

1. Evil Uno & Ram Kaichow defeated Shota & Marika Kobashi when Uno pinned Shota with the Something Evil (9:05).
2. 3 Way Match: Hiroshi Yamato Vs Gym Trainer Kotoka Vs Ippanjin Munenori Sawa ended in a Triple Knockout Draw (9:17).
3. Special 6-Man Tag Team Titles: Brahman Shu, Brahman Kei & Mac Matsushita defeated Takashi Sasaki, Naoshi Sano & Demonio Uno when Kei pinned Uno after the Gotai Fumanzoku (8:17).
4. Special Single Match: Sanshiro Takagi defeated Poison Sawada JULIE with the Stone Cold Stunner (9:02).
5. Special Single Match: Kuroshio TOKYO Japan defeated Kumadori with a School Boy (10:32).
6. Special Single Match: Kazunari Murakami Vs Shinya Aoki ended in a No Contest (11:16).
7. Special Single Match: Yuji Nagata defeated Fuminori Abe with the Back Drop Hold (16:04).

DDT’s 29th Anniversary show wasn’t the only wrestling event named “JUDGEMENT” to take place this week. It’s alternate timeline equivalent Super Japan held its own “JUDGEMENT” today, using the original gimmick related to that name in order to determine if it should continue to exist or not. Every fan in attendance was handed a ballot to vote on whether they support more Super Japan shows in the future or if Sanshiro Takagi’s side project should be binned instead. With 258 Yes votes, only 6 No votes and 51 non-answers the judgement was clear. Super Japan will continue! It’s a good thing too because Takagi already went ahead and made future plans for the brand that would have gone to waste if the audience rejected the promotion.

One of the decisions made today was the hiring of a new advisor for the brand. Takagi has now brought Masayuki Uchida on board and will count on his experience of managing several wrestling promotions in the past. Uchida was the president of All Japan in the early 2010s then became chairman for NOAH during the second half of that decade. He also previously worked with Takagi as a director for the Bakuha Koshien spin off that DDT promoted with Atsushi Onita during the pandemic. Uchida said he is just as confused over the disappearance of those shows as anyone else. His first goal as Super Japan’s advisor is to push Yuji Nagata back to the top of the wrestling industry.

After Nagata beat Fuminori Abe in the main event, Uchida approached him with an idea to form a brilliant new tag team for the next show in Ueno Park on 27th May. Had Super Japan disbanded today, Takagi would have used the booking to put on something else as a backup plan. Instead he now gets to be part of a once in a lifetime main event. Uchida brought out CIMA to meet Nagata! CIMA explained to everyone that he is linked to Nagata because they once had a match against each other in WCW 29 years ago. It was very early in CIMA’s wrestling career and Ultimo Dragon also entrusted him to be Nagata’s weight training partner back then. Nagata agreed to be CIMA’s partner and together the two can be called WCW’s Strongest Tag Team! Facing them on 27th May will be two rivals who decided to form an alliance today. Sanshiro Takagi beat his long time enemy Poison Sawada JULIE earlier in the show then proposed they form their own tag team because Super Japan is meant to be an alternate timeline of DDT. The two later answered Nagata & CIMA’s challenge. Nagata remembers when Sawada was a trainee in New Japan so he’s interested to fight him. CIMA then tried to attack Sawada only to get stopped by Sawada’s snake magic. Takagi said now that he and Sawada are a team after being enemies for 30 years, something terrifying is bound to happen!

There were two matches that finished without a winner during today’s show. Kazunari Murakami and Shinya Aoki got into a brawl at ringside that went out of control and put the referee in danger. He ended up calling off the match when both Murakami and Aoki kept putting him in harm’s way. The 3 Way Match between Hiroshi Yamato, Gym Trainer Kotoka and Munenori Sawa turned into an impromptu workout session where all three men exhausted themselves into unconsciousness.

Kuroshio TOKYO Japan taunted Kumadori’s dancing by asking his if he even knows how to wrestle? He then baited his opponent into breakdancing so he could get the jump on him. Kuroshio then declared he would intentionally injure Kumadori so he would never dance again! Kumadori’s dance skills helped him fight back to where the two started a dance battle against each other. But Kuroshio cut it off with a surprise roll up to win the match.


Kazusada Higuchi Announces His Retirement

March 23, 2026

A press conference was held by DDT in Tokyo today to announce that Kazusada Higuchi will be retiring from pro wrestling on 5th April. Higuchi had been taking time off since from wrestling since the start of the year to deal with a neck injury. This comes after he previously had to take eight months off during 2024 into 2025 to recover from other injuries including a cervical hernia. This decision came about when at some point between December and January, Higuchi went through a health checkup that is regularly given out to everyone in the DDT roster. The doctor found Higuchi had subluxation of the first and second cervical vertebrae and told him that continuing to wrestle (or take part in any kind of contact sport) would be dangerous for his health. Higuchi and his doctor had discussions with DDT over him having any possibility of continuing his wrestling career but they reached the decision that it would be best for him to retire.

Unfortunately due to the current state of Higuchi’s neck, he has already wrestled his last match and his retirement at DDT’s Korakuen Hall show on 5th April will just be a ceremony without a final match preceding it. Higuchi said he is currently not feeling any symptoms over his condition but understands that his neck has reached it physical limit. He regrets not being able to wrestle again but is glad to have detected this problem early so he could exit the business on his own two feet. Although he will no longer live in the ring, he believes his life will continue for a long time.

The press conference also had comments from Sanshiro Takagi and Akito both speaking as representatives of CyberFight. Akito explained the above routine health checkups that the DDT roster goes through over the new year period. He also noted that the cervical condition Higuchi has usually gives the person symptoms of numbness or even paralysis in the limbs. Higuchi does not have those symptoms but the doctor determined that no amount of treatment would solve the problem. Surgery could be an option but it comes with the setback of restricting Higuchi’s neck movement and he wouldn’t be able to wrestle in that condition either.

Takagi told the story of the first time he was introduced to Higuchi by a friend, leading to the former sumo from Hokkaido to join DDT. He claims there were times when Higuchi’s powerful style helped DDT and he became a symbol of the company’s strength from 2022 onwards. He is surprised by the sudden news and thinks the best thing DDT can do is to give him the warmest send-off possible. By Higuchi’s request, his unit Harimao will have its final match on 5th April taking on a team of wrestlers who are also all close to him. It will be Naomi Yoshimura, Ryota Nakatsu & Yuki Ishida against Shunma Katsumata, Kota Umeda & Kouki Iwasaki. Once that match is finished, Harimao will disband. He has a message to tell the other members of the group but will say what he wants to say after the match.

———————————————————————–

This is bumming me out. It’s the news I was worried would eventually come to light when Higuchi took another injury break in January. Writing this blog for 16 years means I see a lot of wrestling careers of various sizes come and go. This is one of the most significant ones. A fascinating moment in wrestling happened in October 2014 when DDT introduced the DNA generation, a new class of seven (later eight) rookies about to turn pro at a time when many wrestling companies in Japan were struggling to find new blood. Higuchi very quickly stood out as top of the pack with his powerful stature coming from his sumo background and he was given the rookie superpush that spread into DDT itself. While he was a serious no nonsense wrestler at first, spots would come here and there that allowed Higuchi to show his silly side, allowing him to fit in more with DDT’s comedy while still being positioned as someone who is difficult for anyone to beat. An early highlight of his to seek out is the week long DNA Grand Prix tournament that was held in October 2016 where he went on an undefeated run all the was to the final in order to face Mike Bailey.

The presentation of Higuchi being so unique in DDT included something that I’ve seen follow his entire career among the foreign fanbase. I have long lost count of the amount of times I’ve heard people online say they wish Higuchi was with NOAH instead of DDT because he looked like a better fit there. It’s easy to see why on the surface. Hard strikes, mean looks and an iron head to go with it is catnip for those who like their wrestling to not pull back its punches. Yet I just could never imagine him shining brighter anywhere else than with DDT. The formation of Eruption with Yukio Sakaguchi & Saki Akai in 2020 was a major step forward for him. Then with DDT emerging from the pandemic the seeds were planted for his ascension to the top when he feuded with Jun Akiyama over the KO-D Openweight Title in an act of rebellion towards the legend joining the company. He lost that match but had the ultimate redemption in 2022 when he was the one chosen to rebuild DDT’s reputation over the Tetsuya Endo/Katsuhiko Nakajima incident.

The visual that should follow Higuchi’s career came when he won the 2022 King Of DDT tournament. By winning it he finally claimed the KO-D Title after eight years of trying. He had now become DDT’s literal symbol of strength, waving a giant flag of the company logo in victory and having Akiyama wrap the belt around his waist as a show of his respect. Higuchi would then spend the year being a central figure of DDT’s title scene as they tried to push a bigger focus towards heavyweights. Eruption would go away along with the careers of Sakaguchi & Akai. Higuchi would then move on to forming Harimao, building the unit more around sumo like themes. He got to hold the KO-D Title again last year but this time it was a short lived run. It’s hard to believe that only a few months later his career would end like this.

I can’t quite put my finger on why his runs on top went the ways they did. As much as Higuchi’s style appealed to the likes of us, it wasn’t really the same with DDT’s fans in Japan and business hardly picked up with him as champion. You can point to the social distancing rules at the time which resulted in low attendances for everybody but there’s just some factor missing that meant his title reign didn’t connect like I thought it would. I just look at the hot streak DDT is having with Korakuen now and wish Higuchi would have a role to play in it. Perhaps Takagi has a bigger point to make when he talks about how much Higuchi helped DDT. Maybe history will treat him as the person who patched up DDT at a time when the company needed it rather than the rising star who carried the company to greater heights.

There’s so much of Higuchi’s career I’m leaving out. He was a perfect opponent for HARASHIMA. Their matches together going back to the earliest years of Higuchi’s career were like they were made for each other. His singles matches with Konosuke Takeshita, Shuji Ishikawa and Yuji Hino are all barnburners. Those were the kind of matches that fueled the constant wishes he would move over to NOAH where he could get more attention. There are all the times he would be driven head first into the ring post just to no sell it (probably not a good idea in hindsight). When DDT had their “MAJI MANJI” weekly series, Higuchi insisted on putting somebody through a table on almost every episode he was in. When a Falls Count Anywhere match would happen outdoors, Higuchi would usually show up wearing just a mawashi. I’m pretty sure he sumo pushed a van away one time too. I’m going to miss seeing this guy wrestle.


DDT “JUDGEMENT 2026” Results

March 22, 2026

DDT “JUDGEMENT 2026 ~29TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION 5 HOUR SPECIAL~”, 22/03/2026
Tokyo Korakuen Hall
??? Fans – Unannounced

0. Dark Match: Yuni defeated Hinata Kasai with the Jorge Clutch (7:26).
0. Dark Match – Tokyo Joshi Pro Offer Match: HIMAWARI, Haru Kazashiro & Chika Nanase defeated Toga, Ren Konatsu & Shion Kanzaki when Kazashiro pinned Kanzaki with the Fisherman Suplex (9:53).
1. Jun Akiyama defeated Rukiya with the Exploder Suplex (6:20).
2. Special Tag Match: Yuki Iino & Yukio Naya defeated Evil Uno & Akito when Iino pinned Akito with the Spear (11:12).
3. 3 Way Tag Match: Viento Maligno & Kumadori defeated MJ Paul & Ilusion and Makoto Oishi & Masami Inahata when Maligno pinned Ilusion with the Driver Maligno (8:25).
4. Special Single Match ~ Shunma Katsumata Return Match: MAO defeated Shunma Katsumata with a Running Palm Strike (12:04).
5. KO-D Tag Team Titles Next Challengers Decision Match: Chris Brookes & HARASHIMA defeated Shinya Aoki & Junta Miyawaki when HARASHIMA pinned Miyawaki with the Somato (12:33).
6. DDT Extreme Title – No Hitting With The Bamboo Sword! If You Want To Use It Make Them Laugh! Staring Contest Punishment Bamboo Sword Deathmatch!!!!!: Hideki Okatani defeated To-y (c) with the Vertical Drop Brainbuster (12:20).
*To-y fails in V8. Hideki Okatani becomes the 64th DDT Extreme Champion!
7. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title – 1 Vs 6 Handicap Match: Sanshiro Takagi, Toru Owashi, Danshoku Dieno, Super Sasadango Machine, Antonio Honda, Hisaya Imabayashi & Glasses defeated Minoru Suzuki (c) when Glasses pinned Suzuki (11:51).
*Glasses becomes the 1,812nd champion.
8. KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles: Takeshi Masada, Yuya Koroku & Daichi Sato (c) defeated Naomi Yoshimura, Ryota Nakatsu & Yuki Ishida when Masada pinned Ishida with the Manburi (14:17)
*V1 for paleyouth.
9. Dramatic Dream Match: KONOSUKE TAKESHITA defeated Kazuki Hirata (w/ John Robinson) with a Big Boot (0:07).
9a. Rematch: KONOSUKE TAKESHITA defeated Kazuki Hirata (w/ John Robinson) with an Elbow Butt (0:10).
9b. World’s 20 Vs Adachi Ward’s 2! Let’s Have A Great Death Match!: KONOSUKE TAKESHITA defeated Kazuki Hirata (w/ John Robinson) with the Walls Of Takeshita (9:02).
10. DDT Universal Title: Kazuma Sumi defeated Daisuke Sasaki (c) with the School Boy (16:48).
*Daisuke Sasaki fails in V1. Kazuma Sumi becomes the 21st DDT Universal Champion!
11. KO-D Openweight Title: Yuki Ueno (c) defeated KANON with the WR (25:12).
*V6 for Yuki Ueno.
-. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title: Antonio Honda defeated Glasses (c) by Destruction (18:47).
*Antonio Honda becomes the 1,813rd champion.

The 29th Anniversary of DDT was also the first attempt by KANON to try and win the KO-D Openweight Title. For the weeks leading up to this match, KANON had been winning matches with the Lariat so Yuki Ueno tried to weaken it by hitting KANON’s hand off the corner post early on. KANON would still use the Lariat as an equalizer but then tried using his other moves to win. The Cobra Twist, Sleepy Hollow and LONELY DEZIRES wouldn’t work so he went back to the Lariat. However Ueno’s well time Dropkick to the face helped him to set up the Blackout Sleeper to squeeze the life out of KANON. While he was eventually able to get out of it, KANON was then given the WR to put him down and out.

Ueno told KANON after the match that he’s been thinking about him a lot. He thinks KANON is strong, handsome, kind and also weird. If he wants to make it to the top of DDT he cannot stay the way he is now. KANON needs to show more. Still, Ueno had fun and reminded KANON he’s been part of the DDT family even going back to when he was part of DAMNATION T.A. When he was done, Yuki Iino got into the ring feeling moved by Ueno’s speech. Iino asked for a title match because Ueno was his senior who taught him everything about pro wrestling back when Iino was a trainee. Ueno was also Iino’s first ever opponent. Ueno said he would accept the challenge on the condition that Iino would not immediately attack him after they shake hands. Iino agreed and they shook hands without incident. Ueno then told the fans he will carry the hopes of everybody as DDT moves into its 30th year.

After several failed attempts, Kazuma Sumi solved the puzzle and got to pin Daisuke Sasaki with the School Boy to win the DDT Universal Title! Sasaki targeted his leg from the get-go, including attacking the limb with a chair. A ref bump also led to the other members of DAMNATION T.A interfering on Sasaki’s behalf. Sumi fought against the odds but almost paid big by missing the Reverse 450 Splash. His luck then turned around when DAMNATION T.A interfered again only to backfire on Sasaki when Ilusion accidentally hit him with the chair. From there Sumi tried to pin Sasaki with the School Boy several times. Sasaki caught him in the Crossface Lock only for Sumi to counter it into another School Boy, this time pinning Sasaki down for the three count! Sasaki complained backstage that his “visa” for travelling the world was now taken from him and he’s trying to figure out does this mean he is being banished from the country? He only remembers being hit by a chair so that means Sumi cheated to win! Sasaki will accept his fate for now. He will go abroad, fall in love, get dumped and then come back home.

When Sumi celebrated with the title he said he is so glad he never gave up. He was able to keep going because of everyone’s support. He was then asked to nominated his first challenger for a title defence in Fukuoka on 18th April. Sumi chose Shunma Katsumata because he wants to repay him for all of his kindness ever since he debuted. However Sumi’s way of repaying Katsumata is to surpass him so he is not taking him lightly by putting this title match together. Katsumata agreed to the match and said he is going to treat Sumi as his equal. His way of repaying Sumi will be to crush him and win the Universal Title!

Kazuki Hirata was given the biggest entrance possible by having John Robinson sing him down to the ring with a live performance of “TOKYO GO!” Then after all of that hype, Konosuke Takeshita pinned Hirata in seconds after a Big Boot. A rematch immediately took place but Takeshita won again this time with an Elbow Butt that knocked Hirata out. Hirata begged for another rematch and Takeshita accepted. He even allowed Hirata to only need a 2 Count pin to beat him while Takeshita would need to pin Hirata for a 20 Count! The match began again with those conditions. This time Robinson got involved by stopping Takeshita from attacking Hirata with a chair. He also offered a pair of Hirata GO! glasses but Takeshita destroyed them. Robinson got on the mic to sing “TOKYO GO!” again in order to revive Hirata’s chances. This time Takeshita put on the glasses and started dancing only for Robinson to sneak in and Low Blow Takeshita! Hirata then got in the Miracle One Shot Cradle but Takeshita kicked out at one. Hirata’s comeback was cut off with the Wagamama knee strike but he somehow kicked out at 19! Another Miracle One Shot Cradle was done as a counter for the Raging Fire but Takeshita kicked out at one again. Possibly knowing how close of a call that was, Takeshita flipped Hirata over into the Walls Of Takeshita to win the match by submission instead of pinfall.

After the match Takeshita told Hirata his style of wrestling is one of a kind and it is time for him to become No. 1 in DDT again! He wants Hirata to show him the ultimate Dramatic Dream. Then they can have another rematch where this time Takeshita will need to pin Hirata for a 30 count! After they left the ring, DDT announced that Takeshita will return at “WRESTLE PETER PAN 2026” in Sumo Hall on 11th August for a single match against Kaisei Takechi!

paleyouth got their first KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles defence in the bag after beating Harimao today. The challengers were accompanied by Kazusada Higuchi but he stood by and did not get involved. Daichi Sato stood toe to toe with Naomi Yoshimura while Takeshi Masada & Yuya Koroku threw both Ryota Nakatsu & Yuki Ishida away with German Suplexes. The match came down to Masada dodging Ishida’s Flame Palm and then hitting him with two Manburi kicks for the victory.

The champions were then greeted by FANTÔMES DRAMATIC after the match. Chris Brookes, HARASHIMA & Antonio Honda were there to get the next title shot until Honda talked about how dramatic it would be for a team with Hinata Kasai in it to win the titles from paleyouth. Masada asked if Kasai had even won a match yet? Kasai said he hasn’t but that doesn’t mean he cannot get his first win against them! He thinks the best way to celebrate his first win would be to hold championships with the rest of Fandora. All of a sudden, Brookes grabbed Bunbun and threw him into the audience! He went to retrieve him afterwards only to throw him to another part of the room! Masada swore revenge by declaring he will take all of his anger out on Kasai!

As part of the plan to get the Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title from Minoru Suzuki, the opposing team in the Handicap Match took part in Gongitsune training before the match. Their logic is Suzuki’s biggest weakness is his eyeballs so it will be up to Honda to poke them. Hisaya Imabayashi bravely started the match with Suzuki but was left to fight by himself and was almost choked out with the Sleeper Hold. Sanshiro Takagi got into a Chop Battle with Suzuki while Danshoku Dieno stopped him with a Lip Lock. When Honda’s attempts at Gongitsune kept on failing, Suzuki got on the microphone to ask everyone how long is DDT going to keep doing this kind of pro wrestling? This is the kind of pro wrestling that makes New Japan wrestlers look down on them! He called Takagi the root of all evil but then admitted to having good memories with everyone in the ring with him. Honda finally poked him in the eye with Gongitsune during the speech but Suzuki didn’t react. He revealed he had trained his eyeballs in anticipation for this match! Honda charged up Gongitsune by using Dieno’s Hell Gate but Suzuki blocked it by stealing Imabayashi’s glasses and putting them on to act as a shield. Suzuki then fought off Toru Owashi & Super Sasadango Machine but was caught with the Stunner by Takagi. Suzuki resisted the impact at first but soon ran out of energy and collapsed to the match. Everyone piled on top of him to get the pinfall but Daisuke Kiso declared afterward that it was Imabayashi’s glasses that pinned Suzuki which means the Glasses are now the Iron Man Champion! Later at the end of the show Honda found the glasses over at the timekeeper’s table and destroyed them to be declared the new champion.

The rule for the DDT Extreme Title match was Yukinori Matsui had to wear a helmet with a button attached to it on his head. If To-y or Hideki Okatani pressed the button, they would then need to make Matsui laugh during a staring contest. Succeeding in that would allow them to use a bamboo sword as a legal weapon for one minute. To-y was eager to follow those rules while Okatani was not in the humour to mess around like that. When he kept ignoring the rule, Matsui told Okatani he wants him to make him laugh. Okatani finally obliged and made a funny face to make Matsui collapse in laughter. Okatani then whacked To-y over the head with the bamboo stick and pinned him with the Vertical Drop Brainbuster to become the new Extreme Champion.

After the match KIMIHIRO appeared at the entrance to make an introduction for Yukio Naya. When Naya got into the ring he told Okatani that “extreme” means big so he’s going to use his size to take the Extreme Title from him! Okatani called Naya arrogant but accepted his challenge for 15th April. According to him, just because Naya is big doesn’t mean he can beat Okatani to win the title. Meanwhile To-y accepted defeat and praised Okatani for being the star of the match even though he expected Okatani would remain as a supporting character.

Fandora have another championship match to look forward to soon. Brookes & HARASHIMA teamed up against Shinya Aoki & Junta Miyawaki to determine the No. 1 Contenders for the KO-D Tag Team Titles. Miyawaki almost had HARASHIMA beat with the Sunshine Clutch but Brookes broke up the pin. HARASHIMA fired himself back up to put Miyawaki on the defensive and used the Somato on Aoki to knock him off the ring apron. Meanwhile Brookes gave Miyawaki a Piledriver, rolling him into position for another Somato to give Fandora the win. Backstage HARASHIMA said they knew their opponents had moves that could beat them regardless of how much stamina they had so it was up to their own teamwork to get past any close calls and win.

It was 29th June, 2025 when Shunma Katsumata last wrestled a proper match. Now after spending the last nine months rehabilitating from a torn ACL he was back in action and wrestling his good friend MAO. They wasted no time in setting their pace and MAO even broke a few plastic boxes in the process. Katsumata went for the Totonou Splash but MAO blocked it with his knees. Katsumata tried to fire himself back up after taking the Michinoku Driver II but he was put away with a Running Palm Strike afterward. Katsumata spoke about how happy he is to be back in the ring after 265 days. As long as he gets to wrestle like this he will never complain. He might get injured again but he’ll recover and return again no matter how many times it happens! MAO said he hopes this is the last time Katsumata has a comeback match. He and Katsumata will also make sure they will never put themselves in a position where they have to forfeit a championship again.

The 3 Way Tag Match featured the DDT debut of Masami Inahata. He got to start off the match against Kumadori until Ilusion got involved trying to form alliances. When that didn’t work, MJ Paul went on the attack by targeting Makoto Oishi. Inahata got his moment by giving Paul a Brainbuster but Ilusion ruined it by giving Inahata a Low Blow afterward. In the end it was the teamwork of Viento Maligno & Kumadori that won out. Kumadori did a Fosbury Flop onto everyone outside the ring while Maligno pinned Ilusion with his finisher to win. Kumadori liked teaming with Maligno but wishes they could communicate better because Maligno doesn’t seem to understand Japanese. Oishi told Inahata that today is a new beginning for him and he will become even bigger in DDT.

Evil Uno was welcomed back into DDT for a tag match against The Apex. Uno teamed with Akito but the pair of them were overwhelmed by the power of Iino & Naya. One big Spear from Iino to Akito was all it took to end the match. Iino hasn’t been wrestling that much lately but he reminded everyone he is still training hard. Uno said he should be unhappy over the result but the last time he was in DDT he had to kiss Dieno’s butt so today was a much better experience for him.

Jun Akiyama stood before Rukiya as his big challenge in the opening contest. Rukiya tried to deal some damage outside the ring only for Akiyama to do that to him instead. Rukiya was able to rope break his way out of a Crab Hold and he also kicked out of the Exploder Suplex. Akiyama waited patiently to hit him with a Knee Strike before using another Exploder to beat him.

One of the dark matches was put together by Tokyo Joshi Pro to promote “GRAND PRINCESS ’26” taking place at Sumo Hall on 29th March. HIMAWARI, Haru Kazashiro & Chika Nanase went on to beat Toga, Ren Konatsu & Shion Kanzaki. Kazashiro scored the win for her team and got to advertise the show for her post match victory speech.

The other dark match was Yuni taking on Hinata Kasai. As already mentioned earlier, Kasai still has not won a match by himself yet. He tried to submit Yuni with the STF but Yuni got out of it and used the Jorge Clutch out of an Arm Drag to pin him.

The participants for King Of DDT 2026 were revealed during the show. The entries are HARASHIMA, Danshoku Dieno, MAO, Chris Brookes, Yukio Naya, KANON, Takeshi Masada, Hideki Okatani, To-y, Shinya Aoki, Yuya Koroku, Daichi Sato, Kaisei Takechi, Junta Miyawaki, Kazuma Sumi and Minoru Suzuki.


Judgement 2026 Press Conference

March 20, 2026

DDT “JUDGEMENT 2026 ~29TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION 5 HOUR SPECIAL~”, 22/03/2026
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

0. Dark Match: Yuni Vs Hinata Kasai
0. Dark Match – Tokyo Joshi Pro Offer Match: HIMAWARI, Haru Kazashiro & Chika Nanase Vs Toga, Ren Konatsu & Shion Kanzaki
1. Jun Akiyama Vs Rukiya
2. Special Tag Match: Yuki Iino & Yukio Naya Vs Evil Uno & Akito
3. 3 Way Tag Match: MJ Paul & Ilusion Vs Makoto Oishi & Masami Inahata Vs Viento Maligno & Kumadori
4. Special Single Match ~ Shunma Katsumata Return Match: MAO Vs Shunma Katsumata
5. KO-D Tag Team Titles Next Challengers Decision Match: Chris Brookes & HARASHIMA Vs Shinya Aoki & Junta Miyawaki
6. DDT Extreme Title – No Hitting With The Bamboo Sword! If You Want To Use It Make Them Laugh! Staring Contest Punishment Bamboo Sword Deathmatch!!!!!: To-y (c) Vs Hideki Okatani
7. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title – 1 Vs 6 Handicap Match: Minoru Suzuki (c) Vs Sanshiro Takagi, Toru Owashi, Danshoku Dieno, Super Sasadango Machine, Antonio Honda & Hisaya Imabayashi
8. KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles: Takeshi Masada, Yuya Koroku & Daichi Sato Vs Naomi Yoshimura, Ryota Nakatsu & Yuki Ishida
9. Dramatic Dream Match: KONOSUKE TAKESHITA Vs Kazuki Hirata (w/ John Robinson)
10. DDT Universal Title: Daisuke Sasaki (c) Vs Kazuma Sumi
11. KO-D Openweight Title: Yuki Ueno (c) Vs KANON

A press conference was held in Tokyo earlier today highlighting several of the big matches taking place on the Anniversary show this Sunday. Yuki Ueno has thought a lot about his match with KANON ever since it was announced and came to the conclusion that he should enjoy the day as much as he can. He wants to lead DDT into their 30th year as the KO-D Openweight Champion with the Tokyo Dome as their ultimate destination. KANON knows he will win the title someday but hasn’t thought about what will happen next if he wins on Sunday. Right now his only focus is on winning the title. He’s been with DDT for four years so he is going to put all of those four years into the match on Sunday.

Kazuma Sumi is feeling confused going into his DDT Universal Title match because he cannot figure out how he can beat Daisuke Sasaki. All of the warm up matches leading up to this has had Sasaki counter the School Boy and then beat Sumi with little trouble. However Sumi is not afraid of losing or being embarrassed in front of everyone so he will not give up. He found out that at 22 years of age he can become the youngest person to ever win the Universal Title. He wants to set that record and then break the record for most defences. Sasaki had way more harsh things to say, telling Sumi he has zero chance of winning. He will lose immediately and be forced to take the introductory test all over again, which he will fail! Sasaki recently found out he will be getting a GCW World Title shot when he wrestles in GCW during his American tour next month. He wants to bring the Universal Title with him to make it a Title Vs Title match! He later admitted on Twitter he forgot he also has the O-40 Title, so he corrected himself and said it can become a triple crown title match.

The KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles are up for grabs. Ryota Nakatsu hasn’t fought two of paleyouth’s members much but he has fought Takeshi Masada many times. Yuki Ishida is well used to fighting all three opponents and thinks they are all lacking in substance. Meanwhile Harimao are all strong and they also have Kazusada Higuchi in their corner. Naomi Yoshimura brought up that it’s been one year since he returned from injury. He always wanted to win the 6-Man Titles with Harimao but due to that injury he’s never found the courage to make the challenge until now. He thinks he is in perfect condition now and has no worries of getting hurt. Daichi Sato is still basking in paleyouth winning the titles and despite the team recently losing a warm up match, he is certain their best performance is yet to come. Yuya Koroku brought up that it is the DNA generation that is currently leading the way for DDT. He wants D GENERATIONS to be ones who lead DDT towards the Tokyo Dome. Masada said everybody in the match are all now on the same channel and he hopes everyone else will tune into the came channel to witness a wonderful future coming from this match.

The stipulation chosen for the DDT Extreme Title is a mouthful to say and is also built around Hideki Okatani’s bamboo sword. The weapon will be allowed to use legally under certain circumstances. A button will be placed on the referee’s head and whoever presses it will get a chance to make the ref laugh. If he succeeds then they will be allowed to use the bamboo sword as a weapon for one minute. Other than that, the usual ways of winning wrestling matches applies. Okatani understands the reasoning for the rule, that sometimes you need to sacrifice something to succeed. But he noticed To-y isn’t sacrificing anything for this stipulation. To-y agreed and said he doesn’t need to do that because he is a strong Extreme Champion. He thinks Okatani used to be extreme like him until he joined DAMNATION T.A. Okatani walked away only to come and attack To-y with the bamboo sword. He told To-y he will teach him what real extreme is!

More chaos broke out over the Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title match, the result of which has changed the 1 Vs 6 Handicap bout a little bit. Toru Owashi and Super Sasadango Machine couldn’t attend the press conference so both sent messages to be read out loud. Owashi’s message was just an advertisement for the miso he sells while Sasadango demanded that Hisaya Imabayashi should immediately relinquish the title in order to be a good role model for his son who recently got accepted into Keio University. Those who were in attendance all threatened Imabayashi in their own ways. Antonio Honda wants revenge for being hit in the head with the belt, Danshoku Dieno knows that Imabayashi still holds a grudge against him over Pheromones and Sanshiro Takagi complained that the company went through all the trouble of making a new belt to increase its value but it’s now meaningless because Imabayashi is wearing it. Minoru Suzuki was the odd one out because he doesn’t care about this match and wants to go fight Ueno for the KO-D Title instead. Imabayashi said he won the title in order to protect it from being taken by New Japan. He then accused Akito of corporate harassment for forcing him into defending the belt in a 1 V 6 Handicap Match. However he will find a way to remain champion so he can go defend it in Sumo Hall one week later at the Tokyo Joshi Pro show. When it was time for the group photo, Suzuki changed his tune and suddenly put Imabayashi in a Sleeper Hold to win the title! The other wrestlers all warned him they will rip the belt away from him on Sunday but he suggested he might not be the champion by then because he could lose it at the Shawn Capture show he’s wrestling on tomorrow! DDT later officially swapped the positions of Imabayashi and Suzuki so it is now Suzuki on his own against the other six opponents. However the company cannot guarantee the title will make it to TJPW’s Sumo Hall show if the scenario Suzuki came up with comes true.