Sanshiro Takagi | Dramatic DDT

DDT “SWEET DREAMS! 2024 TOUR IN OSAKA DAY 2” Results

January 7, 2024

DDT “SWEET DREAMS! 2024 TOUR IN OSAKA DAY 2”, 07/01/2024
Osaka 176BOX
208 Fans

1. Makoto Oishi defeated Yuni with the Fujiyama Knee Lock (4:41).
2. Special Single Match: Kazuki Hirata defeated Danshoku Dieno with the Miracle One Shot Cradle (10:42).
3. Special Single Match: Yoshitatsu defeated Takeshi Masada with the This Is WWE (8:47).
4. Jun Akiyama, Toru Owashi & Yukio Sakaguchi defeated Mizuki Watase, Yusuke Okada & Ilusion when Sakaguchi pinned Ilusion with the God’s Right Knee (10:46).
5. Special Single Match: Hideki Okatani defeated Akito with the Quetzalcoatl (9:54).
6. Special Tag Match: Sanshiro Takagi & Rukiya defeated HARASHIMA & Kazuma Sumi when Rukiya pinned Sumi with the Proto Bomb (9:56).
7. BURNING Vs DAMNATION T.A!: Tetsuya Endo & Yuki Iino defeated Daisuke Sasaki & KANON when Iino pinned KANON with the Spear (12:19).
8. Special Tag Match: Yukio Naya & Kazusada Higuchi defeated Yuki Ueno, & Shunma Katsumata when Naya pinned Katsumata with The World’s Best Back Drop (15:48).

There were a bunch of giant truck tyres in the venue today so of course the wrestlers in the main event wanted to use them as weapons. There was a reason Yukio Naya went along with this. He remembers yesterday when Yuki Ueno said the KO-D Openweight Title does not belong to the strongest but to the most fun and interesting. Well today Naya ended up winning the match by using Ueno’s own fun pro wrestling against him. Ueno flat out disagreed and told Naya he did not understand his point. He should stick to what he wants to do if he wants to become the KO-D Champion.

So far Yuki Iino joining BURNING is working out for both parties. DAMNATION T.A attacked them with chairs early in the match but once it calmed down into a more regular tag match, BURNING won out in the end. Tetsuya Endo said he is glad Iino has joined his group and if this feud between the units is what Daisuke Sasaki wants, they should fight each other more. KANON went crazy over losing the match and swore to get revenge on Iino for beating him.

The Toyonaka Tag Team of Sanshiro Takagi & Rukiya made the most of their home field advantage. Takagi used the Sling Blade on Kazuma Sumi and set the table for Rukiya to get his first pro wrestling victory. Rukiya used the Proto Bomb twice on Sumi to get the win. He said it took him nine months after debuting to finally win a match and he is happy it happened in his hometown.

Toy Kojima got injured yesterday and could not compete today. Akito replaced him for the match against Hideki Okatani. Also Mizuki Watase from Ganbare☆Pro came in to take Akito’s spot in the 6-Man Tag Match.

Comments Off on DDT “SWEET DREAMS! 2024 TOUR IN OSAKA DAY 2” Results | Results | Tagged: Akito, BURNING, Daisuke Sasaki, DAMNATION T.A, DDT Pro Wrestling, Dramatic Dream Team, Hideki Okatani, KANON, Kazuma Sumi, Mizuki Watase, Osaka 176BOX, Rukiya, Sanshiro Takagi, Tetsuya Endo, Toy Kojima (Toi Kojima), Yuki Iino, Yuki Ueno, Yukio Naya | Permalink
Posted by JamieOD

DDT “D-OH GRAND PRIX 2023 THE FINAL” Results

January 3, 2024

DDT “D-OH GRAND PRIX 2023 THE FINAL”, 03/01/2024
Tokyo Korakuen Hall
1,194 Fans – Super No Vacancy

1. Daisuke Sasaki, KANON & MJ Paul defeated Soma Takao, Yuki Iino & Yuni when KANON submitted Takao with the Cobra Twist 2.0 (8:15).
2. Jun Akiyama & Makoto Oishi defeated Yusuke Okada & Kazuma Sumi when Oishi submitted Sumi with the Fujiyama Knee Lock (7:42).
3. Special Tag Match ~ Shunma Katsumata Return Match: Shunma Katsumata & Toy Kojima defeated Yukio Sakaguchi & Hideki Okatani when Kojima pinned Okatani with a Modified Facebuster (9:37).
4. HARASHIMA, Toru Owashi & Kazuki Hirata defeated Sanshiro Takagi, Akito & Antonio Honda when Hirata pinned Honda with the Miracle One Shot Cradle (12:05).
5. Special Tag Match ~ DDT Vs AJPW: Jun Saito & Rei Saito defeated Kazusada Higuchi & Rukiya when Rei pinned Rukiya with the Saito Iginari Smash (11:40).
-. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title: Kuroshio TOKYO Japan defeated Christmas Tree (c) by Pinfall (8:11 pm).
*Kuroshio TOKYO Japan becomes the 1,600th champion.
6. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title: Kuroshio TOKYO Japan defeated Danshoku Dieno with the Ikemenrana (12:31).
*V1 for Kuroshio TOKYO Japan.
7. The 37KAMIINA Vs SCHADENFREUDE International!: Yuki Ueno & Yuki Iino defeated Masahiro Takanashi & Takeshi Masada when Ueno pinned Masada with the Jul.2 (10:28).
8. D-Oh Grand Prix 2023 – Final: Yukio Naya defeated Tetsuya Endo with The World’s Best Back Drop (26:59).

At the end of 2022 Yukio Naya made it all the way to the D-Ou Grand Prix final but could not win the tournament. He made it his goal to do one better in the 2023 Grand Prix and right here at the start of 2024 he achieved it! Tetsuya Endo was also determined to win today’s final but he couldn’t defeat Naya even with Exploder Suplexes, Spinning Torture Rack Bombs and Burning Star Presses. The last move in particular was blocked by Naya and served him the opening to take over the match. Endo relied on Rolling Chops to try and get back into it but Naya cut him off with Knee Lifts and a Choke Slam for a nearfall. Naya then overpowered Endo with The World’s Best Back Drop to put him away and win the Grand Prix!

Naya burst into tears after the match when Kenta Kobashi presented him with the trophy and posed with him for a photo. Naya thanked everyone for supporting him from his family to everyone in DDT. This means so much to him because a few years ago nobody ever thought he could compete at this level. He still has one dream that hasn’t come true yet and that is to win the KO-D Openweight Title! He called Yuki Ueno down to the ring and challenged him for the championship so everyone will see who really is the strongest in DDT. Ueno accepted but told him the title should be held by the most interesting guy in DDT. The title match will take place at Korakuen Hall on 28th January.

As for Endo, he thought 2024 was going to start out well for him because he was on the winning team of the Shuffle 6-Man Tag Tournament on New Year’s Eve. But after losing to Naya today he now feels like he fell to the bottom of DDT and has to climb out of Hell. Then suddenly backstage Daisuke Sasaki approached Endo after his post-match interview with the media. Sasaki explained the reason why Endo lost today is because he did not have Jun Akiyama next to him. But that also means there is nothing tying down Endo anymore either. Sasaki suggested that Endo does not need BURNING anymore and they should go change the world together. But before Endo could respond, Sasaki told him to relax and think about what he just said because they will see each other again soon.

Ueno was meant to team with MAO in the semi-main event but MAO had fever symptoms and was pulled from the show. Parts of the card were changed around and Ueno got to team with Yuki Iino instead. Masahiro Takanashi & Takeshi Masada jumped them early but Ueno & Iino quickly rallied together. Things went pair shaped when Iino’s Lariat missed Masada and hit Ueno by mistake. Masada tried to capitalise but Ueno held on until he could counter attack and pin Masada with the Jul.2. The result left SCHADENFREUDE International feeling disappointed because Chris Brookes was in attendance for the first time since getting his surgery. Brookes suggested they disband right away but everyone else convinced him not to. Instead they figured out Masada can get revenge on Ueno beating him today by pinning him for the KO-D 10-Man Tag Team Titles in two days time!

After Danshoku Dieno made his entrance to the ring for his match, footage was shown of Kuroshio TOKYO Japan and Seigo Tachibana hanging out backstage. They opened a nearby locker and out fell the Christmas Tree that won the Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title on Christmas Eve! Tachibana decided to pin the tree but Kuroshio stopped him and stole the pin to become the champion instead. Kuroshio then forced Tachibana to get into the ring with Dieno while he completed his long and elaborate entrance. Dieno kept Tachibana in the Lip Lock while Kuroshio pranced around the audience until his theme song looped back to the beginning. He finally attacked Dieno to start the match and they brawled through the crowd with the back of their tights all pulled down. The fight went up to the commentary table where Kenta Kobashi was seated. Dieno tried to stumble over for a kiss but Kobashi sent him away with a Chop. The match returned to the ring where Tachibana tried to get involved again. He ended up getting a water bottle shoved up his rear by Dieno that Kuroshio then had to pull out. Makoto Oishi forcibly filled Dieno’s mouth with wasabi but the Lip Lock missed Kuroshio and landed on Tachibana instead. Kuroshio then rubbed the wasabi onto his crotch and pinned Dieno with a Hurricanrana to retain the Iron Man Title. Backstage he admitted he doesn’t even know what this championship is. He likes it but wants to win a proper title as well as compete in DDT more often in 2024.

If DDT thought they were now safe from The Saito Brothers bringing them doom then they are sorely mistaken. Rei Saito had one more appearance left for them and this time he brought along his brother Jun Saito. The two of them fought Kazuasada Higuchi & Rukiya. Higuchi did a good job handling them in the ring but it was a more difficult challenge for Rukiya. In the end they just couldn’t handle so much doom. Jun used a Lariat to take out Higuchi and then The Saito Brothers together threw down Rukiya with a Double Choke Slam for the win. Rei said next time he is going to beat up Rukiya even more! Jun however showed interest in seeing Higuchi show up in All Japan some day. Apparently Higuchi and The Saito Brothers already have a history together going back to their sumo days over a decade ago.

For the final time the three main members of DISASTER BOX all teamed together and they finished the occasion with a win. Toru Owashi brought along the lucha to fight Akito while HARASHIMA suddenly had bad flashbacks when Sanshiro Takagi started using Hiroshi Tanahashi’s moves on him to celebrate the New Japan wrestler’s promotion to company president. Antonio Honda relied on Gongitsune like he always does but Kazuki Hirata’s eyes were protected by his Hirata GO! glasses. The deflected attack allowed Hirata to pin Honda with the Miracle One Shot Cradle.

After the match HARASHIMA told the others DISASTER BOX is going away but it will always feel like the unit is still around whenever they are together. They all left the ring together when Shunma Katsumata suddenly ran out and dragged Hirata back into the ring. Without taking any breaths Katsumata challenged Hirata for the DDT Extreme Title. He was the previous champion who had to vacate the title due to injury but admitted Hirata has become the kind of Extreme Champion he always wanted to be. They agreed to have the title match on 28th January.

Katsumata’s challenge came shorty after his return match from injury. He teamed with Toy Kojima to take on Eruption. He made sure to start off the match against Hideki Okatani and even thanked him for waiting all this time for him to return. But it was Kojima who stole the spotlight by using a new Spinning Flapjack move to pin Okatani for the 3 count. After a brief staredown with Yukio Sakaguchi, Kojima told Eruption this will be the same when they fight in the exploding death match on 14th January! Katsumata said now that he’s back, The 37KAMIINA will make DDT more hotter than ever!

Jun Akiyama & Makoto Oishi gave Kazuma Sumi a tough night in the ring. Yusuke Okada was there to help out until he missed a Diving Headbutt aimed for Akiyama. Sumi found his second wind and used Oishi as a footstep to Dropkick Akiyama off the ring apron. However Oishi dodged the Mickey Boomerang and planed Sumi with the Miracle Ecstasy. That would have been the end but Akiyama pushed Oishi away during the pin and gave Sumi an Exploder Suplex as payback for the Dropkick. Oishi then made Sumi tap out to the Fujiyama Knee Lock.

DAMNATION T.A now find themselves in the midst of a KO-D Tag Team Titles shot after they won the opening match. Sasaki took out Yuni with a Spear and then tricked the referee into distracting Shota because he was holding a chair. While that was going on Sasaki hit Soma Takao with another chair and KANON applied the Cobra Twist 2.0 for the submission win. Afterwards KANON wished ROMANCE DAWN to have a miserable new year and declared himself and Sasaki as their next challengers. The two sides agreed to have the match on 21st January. Sasaki insulted Shota for claiming he is a part of the Young Communication generation. According to Sasaki, Shota was only a supporting role and that name should only be used for the likes of Shigehiro Irie and Keisuke Ishii!

The first DDT show of the year means a lot of big announcements to get through along with other major news stories. First, the DDT Vs All Japan rivalry will continue throughout 2024. Ryuki Honda and Yuma Anzai will be at the 7th February DDT show in Shinjuku. Then on 17th March at DDT’s 27th Anniversary show Konosuke Takeshita will face Yuma Aoyagi one on one! Aoyagi was in attendance to greet the fans after the announcement. He hoped Takeshita would be here too but he has to wait until 17th March to show Takeshita his own Dramatic Dream. Later backstage Aoyagi told reporters he would also like to face Yuki Ueno for the KO-D Title too!

Kaisei Takechi sent in a video to promote his pro wrestling debut on 25th February. The celebrity who is part of THE RAMPAGE from EXILE TRIBE told fans he worked with DDT wrestlers during the filming of Fukumen D and felt indebted to them. He is very happy to repay them by doing this match. This is just his first step into the pro wrestling world and he is honored to do it on such a wonderful stage.

Student pro wrestler Tsubasa Suzuki has applied to DDT as an intern wrestler. He will debut on the 27th Anniversary show on 17th March. Suzuki comes from Hitotsubashi University World Pro Wrestling Alliance and previously appeared on DDT shows a year ago under the ring name “Mother’s Child” Mazakon Kid. The point of an internship is so students can get work experience before starting their careers so he will wrestle on DDT shows for a certain amount of time. At the end DDT will talk with Suzuki and decide if he can join the company. Suzuki told the fans he is the world’s first intern wrestler and promises to do his best to become a beloved member of DDT. He likes high flying wrestling and has a lot of respect for Kota Ibushi and Naomichi Marufuji (bad timing to bring those two names up) so he thinks it will be great if he could become like them (hopefully not in their present forms).

Miu Watanabe appeared in the ring to promote tomorrow’s annual Ittenyon show for Tokyo Joshi Pro. She will be part of the 3 Way Tag Match to determine the new Princess Tag Team Champions.

During the show’s opening ceremony Yoshitatsu appeared and announced he will become a regular part of DDT shows starting on 5th January. The wrestler had just left All Japan over the new year. He said when he fought in DDT a couple of times in 2023 it reminded him of the fun side of pro wrestling that he had forgotten. One match he had with Jun Akiyama in particular stood out for him and he would like to have more tough battles against him. Also DDT working with Chris Jericho and Matt Cardona who he both knew from WWE made it an appealing place for him to look for an opportunity.

Chris Brookes told the fans he would like to come back from his surgery as soon as possible. He feels fine physically but does not know when he can return to wrestling again yet.

The last piece of news came after the show had ended. Sanshiro Takagi announced to reporters he will be taking an indefinite break as a pro wrestler after DDT’s Sumo Hall show on 21st July. He is doing this for several reasons from taking care of his health to concentrating more on managing Cyberfight. He also said he will soon need to begin the process of finding his successor because he believes current management across Japan’s pro wrestling industry is aging out. This is not intended to be him retiring from the ring because he will start wrestling again when his health improves. However he does not know when that will happen which is why he saved this announcement for the media after the show. He may go into more details later this week.

Comments Off on DDT “D-OH GRAND PRIX 2023 THE FINAL” Results | Results, Tournaments | Tagged: AJPW, Akito, All Japan Pro Wrestling, Antonio Honda, BURNING, Chris Brookes, CyberFight, D-Oh Grand Prix, Daisuke Sasaki, DAMNATION T.A, Danshoku Dieno, DDT Extreme Championship, DDT Pro Wrestling, DISASTER BOX, Dramatic Dream Team, Eruption, HARASHIMA, Hideki Okatani, Iron Man Heavymetalweight Championship, Jun Akiyama, Jun Saito, Kaisei Takechi, KANON, Kazuki Hirata, Kazuma Sumi, Kazusada Higuchi, Kenta Kobashi, KO-D Openweight Championship, KO-D Tag Team Championship, Konosuke Takeshita, Korakuen Hall, Kuroshio TOKYO Japan, Makoto Oishi, MAO, Masahiro Takanashi, Miu Watanabe, MJ Paul, Mother’s Child Mazakon Kid, Rei Saito, ROMANCE DAWN, Rukiya, Ryuki Honda, Saito Brothers, Sanshiro Takagi, SCHADENFREUDE International, Seigo Tachibana, Shota, Shunma Katsumata, Soma Takao, Takeshi Masada, Tetsuya Endo, The 37KAMIINA, Toru Owashi, Toy Kojima (Toi Kojima), Tsubasa Suzuki, Yoshitatsu, Yuki Iino, Yuki Ueno, Yukio Naya, Yukio Sakaguchi, Yuma Anzai, Yuma Aoyagi, Yuni, Yusuke Okada | Permalink
Posted by JamieOD

DramaticDDT’s Predictions For 2024

December 24, 2023

Merry Christmas! I’m giving this another go despite how bad my predictions for 2023 went. What do I think is in store for DDT, Tokyo Joshi Pro, Ganbare☆Pro, BASARA and maybe even CyberFight as a whole? It’s a tricky challenge this time because whenever I try guessing how 2024 will turn out, all I see is murkiness. There’s a weird contradiction in my thoughts about where wrestling is right now. On the one hand there is a status quo where all the companies around the world are positioned that I do not see changing anytime soon. But then there are changes within the companies themselves, some that are so unexpected that I have no idea what the entire scene will look like this time next year. Like of course WWE will be the top company on the planet but what does it turn into next as it finally moves away from Vince McMahon’s ideas and has the most fan goodwill it has probably ever had? AEW badly fell apart this year but the Continental Classic tournament is providing a nice set of building blocks to rebuild the company with. The problem is will Tony Khan want to use those blocks? It doesn’t help that the loudest podcasters in the room are constantly telling everyone that AEW should be more like WWE in the storyline department. That is my biggest pet peeve with wrestling at the moment, by the way. Whenever I hear people say every wrestling show should be a three ringed circus with something for everybody they’re really just saying “go be like WWE”. It’s the same voices that reject other companies for doing things differently.

And then there is Japan’s wrestling scene still trying to re-establish themselves post-pandemic. It’s mostly alright with some brief moments of greatness but there’s not a lot that has really caught my imagination this year compared to the 2010s. Show attendances week to week isn’t inspiring much hope in me either. It seems like homecoming shows and retirement matches can bring in crowds but outside of that a lot of companies are getting dwindling crowd numbers which has me worried. New Japan and Stardom will be fine as long as they can manage themselves properly. 2023 definitely gave Stardom a lot of lessons about show scheduling and injuries but they seem to be learning from it. All Japan discovering success again should also be a sign that there is still an audience out there in Japan that pro wrestling can appeal to. Now let’s see if this United Japan Pro Wrestling alliance is actually going to mean anything substantial.

Before I give you my predictions for 2024, here is how my 2023’s predictions went. Not very good it turns out.

DDT

✓. Mike Bailey wrestles a match in DDT again.
X. KANON outperforms Daisuke Sasaki.
X. Yuya Koroku becomes the next wrestler from DDT’s new generation (debuted 2020 onwards) to win a championship.
✓. Tetsuya Endo struggles to reclaim the top position in DDT.
X. Dramatic Dream Gate is revived.

The first one was by far the easiest prediction to make. It is basically the free spot on a bingo card. DDT going to America guaranteed that Mike Bailey would be on one of their shows. Although I do think the New Japan appearances he also made this year means he’s fully done with DDT in Japan. KANON is slowly getting pushed but I wouldn’t put his work above Daisuke Sasaki’s in 2023. Hideki Okatani was the breakout in the new generation, not Yuya Koroku like I expected. Tetsuya Endo is definitely struggling and I’ll get back to that point later. No Dramatic Dream Gate revival because DDT worked with All Japan instead of Dragongate.

Tokyo Joshi Pro

X. At least 3 women who originally came from Actwres girl’Z will appear in TJPW and at least 1 of them becomes a regular roster member.
X. An outsider wins the Princess Of Princess Title.
X. Maki Itoh gets to No. 1 on a iTunes or Spotify chart somewhere in the world.
X. A woman from Sakisama’s past comes back to haunt her.
X. Sasha Banks appears at Grand Princess ’23.

Oh so now Actwres girl’Z gets their act together and stops leaking talent left, right and centre! TJPW’s roster growth all came from training their own rookies and bringing in foreign wrestlers. An outsider did become champion but it was Max The Impaler winning the International Princess Title, not the Princess Of Princess Title. No idea how to look up music chart data but if Maki Itoh got No. 1 somewhere we would have heard about it. My Sakisama fantasy booking was inspired by the rumour of CyberFight wanting to sign Maya Yukihi. If Mercedes Moné does end up going back to WWE then the hype surrounding her for an entire year was an absolute waste of time for everyone else involved.

Ganbare☆Pro Wrestling

✓. Some of the wrestlers Shota worked with in America get booked for Ganpro.
X. Keisuke Ishii wins the Spirit Of Ganbare Title.
1/2✓. Ganpro creates a tag team championship and builds it around mixed tag wrestling.
X. Ganbare☆Joshi runs their own show in Korakuen Hall.
X. Kota Ibushi wrestles a match in Ganpro.

Shota’s American excursion got the likes of Dan The Dad and Kody Lane booked in Japan. Keisuke Ishii did get a Spirit Of Ganbare Title but lost that match to Mizuki Watase in one of Ganpro’s best matches of the year. We did get the Spirit Of Ganbare World Tag Team Titles created and it does allow intergender teams. However it has not been the focal point of the title’s existence yet so I only got it half right. No standalone Ganbare☆Joshi show in Korakuen Hall yet but I think it is only a matter of time before it happens. Who on earth would have guessed Kota Ibushi’s first match back would be in GCW?

Miscellaneous

X. Gake no Fuchi Joshi crosses over with Baka Gaijin + Friends.
X. AEW will host another event in Japan with DDT & TJPW involvement.
X. CyberFight adds another promotion to their portfolio.
X. A brand new puroresu console game gets announced.
✓. BASARA does something new and different.

I’m kind of surprised Miyako Matsumoto hasn’t shown up in Baka Gaijin + Friends yet. It seems like her kind of wrestling but I can’t tell what goes through her mind on most days. AEW seems to have developed less interest in the Japanese scene while they go through something of an identity crisis heading into the fifth year of their existence. No new wrestling brand for CyberFight but there is the United Japan Pro Wrestling brand attaching the big wrestling companies together. No new puroresu game which makes me sad. AEW: Fight Forever is fine and I bet has a good base to create a better sequel. Will that happen though? The last prediction is also the best one for me. BASARA made Banana Senga their champion! That was definitely something new and different.

———————————————————————–

So yeah, let’s ignore all that and get on to next year’s predictions. I came up with 20 predictions for 2024 spread across four categories. Five for DDT, five for Tokyo Joshi Pro, five for Ganbare☆Pro and five guesses that apply to anything attached to BASARA and the CyberFight promotions. I’m also listing them in order from easy to hard, likely to unlikely, mild to spicy, etc. I came up with these predictions using booking patterns, reading tea leaves and coming up with ideas that are just as creative as they are plausible.

DDT

Prediction: Naomi Yoshimura returns from injury and gets a singles push.

It’s been over a year since Naomi Yoshimura last wrestled a match. What’s promising though is his regular appearances seconding the other wrestlers in Harimao. There’s also glimpses on his social media of him training in the DDT dojo again. It at least suggests he will be back in the ring sooner or later. When Yoshimura took time off to recover from a herniated disc he said he wanted to reclaim the KO-D Tag Team Titles for Harimao when he returns. I think too much time has past for that to be his only goal. He should instead focus on catching up with Yuki Ueno. My fingers are crossed he is able to come back, stay healthy and win some accomplishments by himself.

Prediction: Kento Miyahara will be at “WRESTLE PETER PAN 2024”.

At no point this year did I expect DDT and All Japan to be doing inter-promotional matches with each other. What a great thing that turned out to be though. Adding a few DDT Vs AJPW matches on shows here and there spiced up the midcard for both companies. It had history to play off of because of Jun Akiyama’s involvement. It is helping Yukio Naya develop into the heavyweight DDT wants him to be thanks to the feud with The Saito Brothers that will likely continue in AJPW. Eruption got to start their new chapter without Saki Akai by winning the All Asia Tag Team Titles and giving Yukio Sakaguchi an achievement he can now share with his father. Eruption also entered the Real World Tag League which gave Hideki Okatani some valuable experience. I want this working relationship to continue in 2024 and I know the best place where it can reach its climax. DDT will likely have a big guest for their Sumo Hall show in July. Bring on over AJPW’s biggest star Kento Miyahara to liven up the place! He would be a great singles match opponent for somebody like Yuki Ueno or Kazusada Higuchi. He’s definitely someone who Ueno should learn from about how to be a showman in the ring.

Prediction: Sanshiro Takagi fights Hiroshi Tanahashi in a battle of the presidents!

This week New Japan announced Hiroshi Tanahashi has become the new president of the company. Now he has a lot more in common with Sanshiro Takagi. Now Tanahashi has an awkward history with DDT but that was years ago and I’m sure it’s all water under the bridge. But just in case there’s still some bad blood there is always the wrestling ring right there for them to settle their differences. Two presidents of different wrestling companies having a match against each other is the kind of idea Takagi would jump on and I think Tanahashi would be game for it. United Japan Pro Wrestling is going to need something a little bit novel to put on their Budokan Hall card in the summer. Why not this in the midcard?

Prediction: Somebody (or something) from WWE wins the Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title.

WWE looking to carve out their place in Japan is a topic that gets brought up a lot online. This year finally saw the company make their move when they signed a broadcasting deal with ABEMA and also got increased presence in Shukan Puroresu magazine. There were also points throughout the year when Shinsuke Nakamura would pop up. He headlined a big show for NOAH as the final opponent for The Great Muta. He also filmed a special message for Saki Akai that was shown to her during her retirement ceremony. If that’s not enough, on the day I am writing this paragraph All Japan are teasing that the mystery challenger for a Triple Crown title match on 3rd January could be coming from NXT. So if WWE in Japan really is happening, we might as well have some fun with it before everything gets ruined again. DDT will be in Philadelphia during Wrestlemania week and that usually means the Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title will be going along for the ride. It’s only a matter of time before somebody in the WWE gets to win the championship for even the briefest of moments. Now I’m not expecting Cody Rhodes to win it in front of 50,000 people to finish the story. But somebody involved with the company hanging out at WrestleCon and taking their chance to win a 24/7 title just to amuse themselves? That sounds more likely. This prediction also applies to any item, prop or official piece of merchandise tied to WWE. If a Jey Uso “Yeet” shirt becomes champion then it counts!

Prediction: Tetsuya Endo should go on an overseas excursion.

This is not so much of a prediction but more a piece of advice. After thinking of ways for Tetsuya Endo to get out of the current position he is in, the best idea I can come up with is for him to go wrestle overseas for a while. Whether that is a several month stay in America or going on weekend trips to Europe every couple of months, he badly needs a change of pace in a new surrounding. Get him in there with Gringo Loco in GCW, have Shigehiro Irie show him the (lack of) sights in Oberhausen during a wXw tournament weekend, book him on ROH so he can travel around with the AEW crew, seat him in the front row behind the commentary table at an NXT taping. He should go broaden his horizons because the direction DDT put him in as Kenta Kobashi’s protégé is not working.

Tokyo Joshi Pro

Prediction: Somebody from the 2023 Class scores a pinfall on a TJPW veteran.

We got six rookies in 2023 and they have all been fun to watch as they learn on the job and figure out who they want to be. Wakana Uehara winning the New Generation Tournament shows that TJPW have faith in her becoming an important part of the roster if she sticks with them. HIMAWARI had her character down flat from day one and her match against Uehara in the final is a great example of how to create a dramatic match with limited movesets. Toga is capturing everyone’s hearts one big Elbow Smash at a time (although really you should thank Hikari Noa for selling that move like a champ), Shino Suzuki has the bonus advantage of being in The Up Up Girls and we might end up with a future generational rivalry between Haru Kazashiro & Runa Okubo as they learn different wrestling styles separate from each other. Talent development for TJPW needs to be coming quick and fast if there is a need to replace the likes of Yuka Sakazaki. Young blood needs to be beating veterans eventually and it is more likely to happen than you think. Remember, TJPW holds a couple of one day tournaments throughout the year with matches that end in 2 Count pinfalls. That’s where you can see Uehara suddenly beat Mahiro Kiryu or Toga only needing to roll up Kaya Toribami for two seconds to get her hand raised. I don’t expect it to be on the level of Arisu Endo pinning Shoko Nakajima out of nowhere but somebody from the 2023 class is going to get a moment in the spotlight her senpai’s expense in 2024.

Prediction: Mizuki Vs Rika Tatsumi finally happens… in the Tokyo Princess Cup.

When Mizuki’s reign as the Princess Champion ended there was one thing that left me completely baffled. Why was there never a title defence against Rika Tatsumi? One of the longest running pieces of character lore in TJPW is Tatsumi’s crush on Mizuki going all the way back to 2018 when Tatsumi wanted to banish the Forbidden Three rules the in-house roster had to follow because nobody was sure if “No Boyfriends” also meant “No Girlfriends”. Fast forward to 2023 and we got a very good 2-Vs-1 Handicap Match between Daydream and Mizuki where Tatsumi battled those feelings in order to beat her crush. Nothing ever came out of it and to be fair it never intended to be more than an emergency replacement match due to Sakazaki getting injured. TJPW also has an odd thing where some of their big singles matches only ever happen in the Tokyo Princess Cup, either as a 1st Round match to eliminate a top contender early or as a random drawing in the final stages of the tournament. So I think if we ever do get Mizuki Vs Tatsumi, it will be at the Princess Cup instead of a big singles title bout.

Prediction: Maki Itoh wins the GCW World Heavyweight Championship.

I think odds are really good for Maki Itoh to win one of GCW’s championships next year given she is one of the bigger attractions for the group nowadays. Her winning the tag team titles with Nick Gage is an obvious direction to go. But I want to go all in for this prediction. GCW has Blake Christian as their long term heel world champion and groundwork has been laid down for a Blake Vs Gage title match down the road. But we’ve been there, done that with Gage as the top babyface champion for GCW. This is a company that doesn’t mind doing wacky novelty booking with their titles. So how about Itoh unexpectedly gets a title match with Blake, maybe Money In The Bank style and she shockingly beats him for the GCW Title? It would be the peak of her run with the company, that’s for sure.

Prediction: Aja Kong takes on a regular role in TJPW.

Just like how Jun Akiyama became a coach in DDT, I’d like to see Aja Kong do something similar in TJPW. She has been a guest for so many shows at this point it’s not like she would be a stranger to everyone there. Whether it is coaching the youngsters, becoming a matchmaker or just keeping a stern eye on Tetsuya Koda so he won’t lose focus Kong would have a wealth of knowledge to offer the company. And maybe then we get a payoff for her rivalry with Max The Impaler.

Prediction: Miyu Yamashita and Maki Itoh remain with TJPW for the year.

I’m testing fate with this one, aren’t I? Miyu Yamashita has done almost everything there is to do in TJPW and Maki Itoh spends so much time in America she’s currently divorced from what’s going on in her home promotion. And yet I just don’t believe both of them are ready to graduate from TJPW like Yuka Sakazaki did. At least not in the next 12 months. Yamashita and Itoh will definitely have plenty of American bookings for everyone to look forward to in 2024. But leaving TJPW to focus on that entirely? I don’t think so. They will still have TJPW as their home base.

Ganbare☆Pro

Prediction: Ken Ohka Wins The Spirit Of Ganbare Title From Isami Kodaka

The ways that Ken Ohka and Isami Kodaka have been booked in GanPro this year makes this in my opinion the likeliest prediction to come true. Kodaka is cleaving through the roster with title defence after title defence while Ohka, the main guy behind all of GanPro, has been kept away from the title picture for over a year and a half. Ohka is always fighting from the bottom as the underdog so him never winning the Spirit Of Ganbare Title would fit how he books himself. However that’s not how pro wrestling works and there is bound to be a day when he finally gets his hands on his own promotion’s championship.

Prediction: The Ganbare☆Climax returns.

The last time GanPro held a tournament called the Ganbare☆Climax was in 2021 and that was to crown their first SOG Champion. It would be nice to see it come back to determine a No. 1 Contender during the year. GanPro held tournaments for the Young Ganbare Cup and the Spirit Of Ganbare Tag Team Titles this year but they both felt like one-offs. That clears up the schedule for a single elimination tournament to happen whenever they want.

Prediction: Yuna Manase returns from injury and feuds with YuuRI.

One of the key additions to GanPro this year was the relaunch of the Ganbare☆Joshi division built around YuuRI, Yoshiko Hasegawa and Riara. Sadly Yuna Manase was relegated to a GM role while she recovers from her ACL injury. YuuRI in particular put in the work to become the face of the GanJo division in her absence. So let’s say that Manase is able to wrestle again in 2024. Would she be willing to play second fiddle to YuuRI? Or will history continue to be a circle and Manase now finds herself as the veteran unwilling to let the new generation surpass her? Wouldn’t that be interesting given Manase’s feud with Yuu Yamagata a few years ago was over the same idea? YuuRI still has a lot to prove and the dynamic could make Hasegawa and Riara choose sides until the matter is resolved. Build it up to one big singles match and it could end up being a lot of fun to follow.

Prediction: A mixed gender tag team wins the Spirit Of Ganbare Tag Titles.

I admit this is just a repackaged prediction I made last year about the SOG Tag Titles being built around intergender wrestling. There’s only been one title defence so far featuring a mixed gender team and that was when Lethal Weapon (Hartley Jackson & HARUKAZE) were the challengers. I like seeing them team together but I fear that match in August was their only chance, at least while Ground Absolute hold the belts/trophies. There are always other people in GanPro for HARUKAZE to team with and also Banny Oikawa is now with GanPro mostly to do mixed tags. I bet it is only a matter of time before it happens.

Prediction: A Stardom wrestler appears on a Ganbare☆Joshi show.

Another factor of GanJo’s return this year was seeing that roster interact with wrestlers from TJPW, Ice Ribbon, Marvelous, Diana and more. YuuRI even brought over Ice Ribbon’s main championship for a title defence on a GanJo show. Now let’s add Stardom to the list through the UJNW connection. Stardom and TJPW will probably stay being icy towards each other but Yuna Manase and YuuRI both got to wrestle on a Stardom show in 2022. I see talk online about how cool it would be if all the joshi companies get together in 2024 for a major arena show to celebrate the 30th Anniversary of “BIG EGG UNIVERSE”. Something like that was kind of done in 2022 to celebrate 60 years of Korakuen Hall and even then that had some bruised egos coming out of it when Shukan Puroresu only put Starlight Kid on the front cover at the expense of everyone else involved who were not associated with Stardom. Also TJPW stayed away from the show too which again, some icy relationships are probably going on there. So let’s keep this prediction on a much smaller level and just say a Stardom wrestler shows up at a GanJo event.

Miscellaneous

Prediction: A DDT wrestler makes a full time jump over to BASARA.

Appearances from Kazusada Higuchi during the last quarter of 2023 helped freshen up BASARA a little bit. They’re not a company I expect much change from going forward but they could do with adding another full timer to their roster. Even though they are independent there is history with a DDT wrestler deciding they are better off jumping over to BASARA (or Union Pro before that) so they can play a bigger role at shows. It could be a veteran who already wrestles in BASARA and no longer seeing themselves being relevant in DDT (*cough*Soma Takao*cough*) or maybe one of the younger, less experienced wrestlers are looking for a change of pace. Ilusion for example seems to get along with that group well. Someone from that age group would turn into a rival for Munetatsu Nakamura too if that were to happen.

Prediction: Konosuke Takeshita wrestles in the main event of an AEW PPV.

It is really annoying to see Konosuke Takeshita being wasted in The Don Callis Family storyline. It is also annoying that the next step of the angle is the group using Freebird rules that will obviously set up Sammy Guevara’s return to TV rather than giving more focus to Takeshita or Powerhouse Hobbs for that matter. So what is it that has me thinking Takeshita can be in a PPV main event next year? Just the numbers game, really. AEW are adding more PPVs to their schedule so that should be more opportunities for new title challengers. Also if this storyline continues without Kenny Omega and just becomes the Family feuding with Chris Jericho there is can be something like a new Anarchy In The Arena happening to close out one of the PPVs.

Prediction: Yuka Sakazaki becomes the first ROH Women’s TV Champion.

Sakazaki is getting ready for the next chapter in her pro wrestling life. Given how AEW presents their women’s division, she is probably going to get more time in ROH instead. She already had her shot at Athena and the regular ROH Women’s Title but the group now has something new to fight for. A brand new ROH Women’s TV Title was recently revealed and Sakazaki would make a great choice to be its first champion.

Prediction: Baka Gaijin + Friends runs a show at Shin-Kiba 1st RING.

When I wrote a preview for the “WRESTLE PETER PAN 2023” main event I compared the Baka Gaijin + Friends shows to DDT’s Beer Garden shows. There’s a warm vibe and fun atmosphere to these matches that take place in such a small venue. I think the series has become popular enough that Chris Brookes can go from 50 fans in ARENA Shimokitazawa to a triple digit attendance in Shin-Kiba 1st RING, the place where DDT hosted Beer Garden for many years. See it like Gatoh Move running ChocoPro in Ichigaya on the regular and then every once in a while they move up to a place where a full scale wrestling ring can be set up. As long as the drinks still flow the crowd will be with them all the way.

Prediction: The 2024 New Year’s Eve Shuffle Tag Tournament lasts past midnight again.

It used to be that the final show of the year in Korakuen Hall goes beyond midnight into the early hours of the new year. It hasn’t been that way for a while because of restrictions coming out of the pandemic. Unfortunately I think a reason why this year’s edition still has an early evening start is because the show is not much of a draw anymore. But I want to be proven wrong so Korakuen fans get to count down the new year in the middle of a semi-final tag team match again.

Prediction: Yuka Sakazaki gets arrested for assaulting Mickey Mouse at Disney World.

~~She’s your problem now, Tony!~~

1 Comment | Previews | Tagged: AEW, Aja Kong, AJPW, All Elite Wrestling, All Japan Pro Wrestling, Baka Gaijin + Friends, Banny Oikawa, CyberFight, DDT Pro Wrestling, Dramatic Dream Team, Game Changer Wrestling, Ganbare☆Climax, Ganbare☆Joshi, Ganbare☆Pro Wrestling, GanJo, GanPro, GCW, GCW World Championship, Haru Kazashiro, HARUKAZE, HIMAWARI, Hiroshi Tanahashi, Iron Man Heavymetalweight Championship, Isami Kodaka, Ken Ohka, Kento Miyahara, Konosuke Takeshita, Korakuen Hall, Maki Itoh, Miyu Yamashita, Mizuki, Naomi Yoshimura, New Japan Pro Wrestling, NJPW, Pro Wrestling BASARA, Rika Tatsumi, Ring Of Honor, ROH, Runa Okubo, Sanshiro Takagi, Shin-Kiba 1st RING, Shino Suzuki, Spirit Of Ganbare World Openweight Championship, Spirit Of Ganbare World Tag Team Championship, TJPW, Toga, Tokyo Joshi Pro Wrestling, Tokyo Princess Cup, UJPW, United Japan Pro Wrestling, Wakana Uehara, World Wonder Ring Stardom, WWE, Yuka Sakazaki, Yuna Manase, YuuRI | Permalink
Posted by JamieOD

DDT “D-OH GRAND PRIX 2023 IN KORAKUEN HALL” Results

December 24, 2023

DDT “D-OH GRAND PRIX 2023 IN KORAKUEN HALL”, 24/12/2023
Tokyo Korakuen Hall
761 Fans – No Vacancy

-. D-Oh Grand Prix 2023 – B Block: Rei Saito (8) defeated Chris Brookes (2) by Forfeit.
1. KANON & MJ Paul defeated Yukio Sakaguchi & Rukiya when KANON submitted Rukiya with the Torture Cobra Twist (4:57).
2. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title – Battle Royal ~ Toru Owashi Return Match: Toru Owashi defeated The Great Koji (c), Sanshiro Takagi, Kazuki Hirata, Akito, Kazuma Sumi and Poison Sawada JULIE (10:21).
2a. Sanshiro Takagi eliminated Akito by Over The Top Rope (8:25).
2b. Sanshiro Takagi eliminated Kazuma Sumi by Over The Top Rope (8:25).
2c. Sanshiro Takagi eliminated Kazuki Hirata by Over The Top Rope (8:25).
2d. Poison Sawada JULIE eliminated Sanshiro Takagi by Over The Top Rope (8:25).
2e. Poison Sawada JULIE eliminated The Great Koji (c) with the Cattle Mutilation (10:08).
*Poison Sawada JULIE becomes the 1,597th champion.
2f. Toru Owashi defeated Poison Sawada JULIE (c) with a School Boy (10:21).
*Toru Owashi becomes the 1,598th champion.
3. Special Single Match: Rei Saito defeated Hideki Okatani with the Drill-A-Hole Piledriver (4:43).
4. KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles: Jun Akiyama, Danshoku Dieno & Makoto Oishi (c) defeated Masahiro Takanashi, Antonio Honda & Takeshi Masada when Oishi pinned Honda with a Rotating Cradle (10:41).
*V1 for D.O.A.
5. D-Oh Grand Prix 2023 – B Block: Yukio Naya (8) defeated MAO (6) with The World’s Best Back Drop (10:58).
6. D-Oh Grand Prix 2023 – A Block: HARASHIMA (4) defeated Daisuke Sasaki (5) with the Somato (6:37).
7. D-Oh Grand Prix 2023 – A Block: Yuki Iino (4) defeated Yuki Ueno (5) with the Spear (8:14).
8. D-Oh Grand Prix 2023 – A Block: Tetsuya Endo (6) defeated Kazusada Higuchi (6) with the Burning Star Press (20:37).
– Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title: Christmas Tree defeated Toru Owashi (c) with a Body Press (1:39 pm).
*Christmas Tree becomes the 1,599th champion.

A Block

1. Tetsuya Endo (6)
-. Kazusada Higuchi (6)
3. Yuki Ueno (5)
-. Daisuke Sasaki (5)
5. Yuki Iino (4)
-. HARASHIMA (4)

B Block

1. Yukio Naya (8)
-. Rei Saito (8)
3. MAO (6)
4. KANON (4)
5. Kazuki Hirata (2)
-. Chris Brookes (2)

Back from the brink, Tetsuya Endo has won the A Block but only just! The last day of group matches in the D-Ou Grand Prix took place at Korakuen Hall on Christmas Eve. Every remaining A Block match had somebody fighting to finish in first so they will qualify for the grand final. The other potential challengers all fell at the final hurdle leaving it all on the line in the main event between Endo and Kazusada Higuchi. Throughout the tournament Endo has been using the Rolling Chop taught to him by Kenta Kobashi. The move here was not enough to put down Higuchi so Endo came up with an even more dangerous idea from Kobashi’s moveset. He wanted to do the Torture Rack Bomb but Higuchi grabbed him with the Brain Claw. Endo resisted and turned the Torture Rack into a Sitout Burning Hammer! He was then able to do the Spinning Torture Rack Bomb but Higuchi kicked out. Endo then hit the Burning Star Press and this time Higuchi was done for, ending the A Block with Endo heading to the final!

The other two frontrunners in the A Block both collapsed, leading to Endo to overtake them. Yuki Ueno was knocked for a loop thanks to Yuki Iino’s Spear. The first one was blocked with a Dropkick but when Ueno went for the WR, Iino countered it with a short-range Spear and pinned last year’s D-Oh winner in an upset! Iino calls the result a very precious victory and he will use this momentum to keep evolving into the next year. Ueno said whether he won or lost in this tournament, he is still the KO-D Openweight Champion coming out of it. He thinks it is still up to him to carry DDT over his back.

Daisuke Sasaki saw his chances of reaching the final blow up in flames thanks to HARASHIMA. Even with MJ Paul at ringside helping him behind the ref’s back, Sasaki fell to the Somato in short order. HARASHIMA credits his battleplan for the win because you have to be careful fighting against Sasaki. He isn’t pleased with only getting 4 points in the tournament but it will spur him on to train harder for next year. Sasaki meanwhile was so upset over his failure to win the Grand Prix that he decided to retire! Then he got cold feet and convinced a nearby reporter to grant permission for him to delay the retirement for one year.

Meeting Endo in the final is Yukio Naya in the B Block. There was only one match left in that group and Naya needed to win or else Rei Saito would go to the final instead. MAO was out of the running due to circumstances out of his control but he still fought like he had a chance to qualify. But despite using the match to get his frustrations out, MAO was hit with Knee Strike after Knee Strike, including one with his kneepad pulled down. It was all over for MAO when he was given The World’s Best Back Drop. He wasn’t happy about the result and complained about Naya not showing enough spirit when he fight. It has MAO wondering if Naya really wants to win this?

So the D-Oh final comes down to Endo against Naya. The two had a standoff in the ring after Endo’s match. Naya called Endo as amazing wrestler and Naya has to surpass amazing wrestlers to make up for last year’s defeat in the final. He wants to be the best not just in DDT but also all of Japanese pro wrestling so he cannot afford to lose now. Endo said Naya is bigger than him but not as strong. On 3rd January keep your eyes on Endo because he promises to crush Naya!

D.O.A might be getting a little ahead of themselves by accepting more title challengers than they need to but right now they look like they can handle the pressure. Their first KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles defence was a successful one against Schadenfreude International. The match saw Jun Akiyama using his own Gongitsune to combat Antonio Honda’s version. Things were looking bad when Masahiro Takanashi & Takeshi Masada blocked Danshoku Dieno’s Wasabi Lip Lock. But Makoto Oishi maneuvered Honda to run face first into Dieno’s backside and Oishi then rolled him up for the victory. Even though the champions won, Dieno was in agony because he still had the wasabi stuck in his mouth. Their next defence will be against Bodyguard’s Osaka team on 6th January. That match also has the D.O.A name on the line!

Rei Saito went into today’s show with a forfeit win over Chris Brookes. So with no tournament match Saito instead fought Hideki Okatani in a singles match between an AJPW World Tag Team Champion and an All Asia Tag Team Champion. Okatani had some chances to win but Saito was too big to let the Quetzalcoatl be used against him. Saito used his strength to turn things around and beat Okatani with the Drill-A-Hole Piledriver. Saito is still booked for 3rd January and so is his brother Jun Saito. Since the D-Oh final is no longer on the cards for Rei, The Saito Brothers are instead challenging DDT to give them a tag team to fight. Meanwhile Okatani promised to get revenge on Rei no matter if it is in DDT, All Japan or anywhere else!

The return of Toru Owashi from injury has him back in his natural role. He is and always will be the straight man in a comedy Battle Royal. The Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title was on the line as The Great Koji emerged from Parts Unknown against a field of challengers including a mystery opponent. That mystery wrestler turned out to be the championship’s creator Poison Sawada JULIE! He used his Snake Magic on Sanshiro Takagi forcing him to eliminate Akito, Kazuma Sumi and Kazuki Hirata one by one until JULIE eliminated Takagi by himself. Great Koji armed himself with a sickle and resisted JULIE’s magic at first but the spell eventually overpowered him. JULIE then applied his version of the Cattle Mutilation, forcing Koji to give up. JULIE was not the Iron Man champion but Owashi quickly pinned him with a School Boy to win the belt and the match.

Afterwards Takagi attacked JULIE and they fought their way to the back. Owashi stayed in the ring so he could thank the fans for their support during his recovery. Backstage he also made a decision to disband DISASTER BOX! Over the last five months Owashi has seen Hirata grow up and learn to take care of himself. The reason why DISASTER BOX stuck around for so long was so Owashi & HARASHIMA could look after Hirata but now that is no longer needed. Hirata is now walking down a new path, Owashi feels lucky he still has time to be a pro wrestler and HARASHIMA is fighting to remain the ace of DDT so the time is right for DISASTER BOX to end. The unit may come back in the future because it has been revived before. Also the three of them can still team together in some form whenever DDT tells them to so Hirata thinks not much is going to change from this decision.

Both KANON & MJ Paul were interested in fighting Yukio Sakaguchi because he is one half of the All Asia Tag Champions. So KANON felt a bit let down when he had to beat up Rukiya instead. At least DAMNATION T.A are having a year end drinking party at Sasaki’s house to make up for that disappointment.

At the very end of the show everyone came down to the ring dressed in Santa Claus outfits to celebrate Christmas with the fans. Hirata talked about how great DDT is and how he cannot wait for 2024. He then suddenly attacked Owashi with a Christmas Tree and everybody piled on top of them to try and win the Iron Man Title! Yukinori Matsui counted the pin and then seperated the pile of bodies to figure out who won. Everyone was pulled away until the only thing left directly lying on Owashi was the tree. Which means the Christmas Tree is the new Iron Man Champion! Takagi ordered everybody not to attack the tree because it is fitting for it to become a champion on Christmas Eve. Ueno closed out the show telling fans DDT in 2024 will make dreams come true for everyone!

The team challenging for the KO-D 10-Man Tag Team Titles on 5th January have chosen the replacement for Chris Brookes. Taking his place for the title match is Takayuki Ueki. That means the team is not fighting as Schadenfreude International but instead representing Baka Gaijin + Friends!

DDT will be holding two outdoor Beer Garden shows in Tokyo Ueno Park on 21st and 26th March.

Comments Off on DDT “D-OH GRAND PRIX 2023 IN KORAKUEN HALL” Results | Results, Tournaments | Tagged: Akito, Antonio Honda, Baka Gaijin + Friends, D-Oh Grand Prix, D.O.A (Dead Or Alive), Daisuke Sasaki, DAMNATION T.A, Danshoku Dieno, DDT Pro Wrestling, DISASTER BOX, Dramatic Dream Team, Great Koji, HARASHIMA, Hideki Okatani, Iron Man Heavymetalweight Championship, Jun Akiyama, Jun Saito, KANON, Kazuki Hirata, Kazuma Sumi, Kazusada Higuchi, KO-D 10-Man Tag Team Championship, KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Championship, Korakuen Hall, Makoto Oishi, MAO, Masahiro Takanashi, MJ Paul, Poison Sawada JULIE, Rei Saito, Rukiya, Saito Brothers, Sanshiro Takagi, SCHADENFREUDE International, Takayuki Ueki, Takeshi Masada, Tetsuya Endo, Toru Owashi, Yuki Iino, Yuki Ueno, Yukinori Matsui, Yukio Naya, Yukio Sakaguchi | Permalink
Posted by JamieOD

Toyonaka City Getting Represented, Explosion Match For All Asia Tag Titles

December 11, 2023

DDT “SWEET DREAMS! 2024 TOUR IN OSAKA DAY 1”, 06/01/2024
Osaka 176BOX

1. Kazusada Higuchi Vs Rukiya
2. Special 3 Way Match: Kazuki Hirata Vs Sanshiro Takagi Vs Shunma Katsumata
3. KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles – DEAD OR ALIVE Contra DEAD OR ALIVE: Jun Akiyama, Danshoku Dieno & Makoto Oishi (c) Vs Bodyguard, Naruki Doi & Tsutenkakka

This will be Shunma Katsumata’s first match in Osaka since coming back from injury.

Osaka local Rukiya is showing some guts by challenging Kazusada Higuchi to a singles match.

DDT “SWEET DREAMS! 2024 TOUR IN OSAKA DAY 2”, 07/01/2024
Osaka 176BOX

1. Special Single Match: Kazuki Hirata Vs Danshoku Dieno
2. Special Tag Match: Sanshiro Takagi & Rukiya Vs HARASHIMA & Kazuma Sumi

Both Sanshiro Takagi & Rukiya are from Toyonaka so they decided to try out as a team together while DDT is in Osaka.

DDT “NEW YEAR’S CURRENT BLAST! 2024”, 14/01/2024
Kanagawa Tsurumi Fruit & Vegetable Market

1. All Asia Tag Team Titles – Current Blast Death Match: Yukio Sakaguchi & Hideki Okatani (c) Vs Atsushi Onita & Toy Kojima

Toy Kojima came out and challenged Eruption for the All Asia Tag Team Titles over the weekend with Atsushi Onita planned to be his tag partner. Yukio Sakaguchi was not interested with the idea in the least but Hideki Okatani was open to it as long as Kojima could raise the stakes higher. Since Kojima & Onita were already planning to team together again next month for another Current Blast Death Match, Kojima decided that can be where the title bout takes place! Eruption agreed and the challenge was signed off by the PWF commission. The PWF still has Dory Funk Jr. as its president so I can only imagine he was asked to sanction an exploding death match for the belts and he replied “yeah, that makes a lot of sense.”

Comments Off on Toyonaka City Getting Represented, Explosion Match For All Asia Tag Titles | News | Tagged: All Asia Tag Team Championship, Atsushi Onita, DDT Pro Wrestling, Dramatic Dream Team, Eruption, Hideki Okatani, Kazusada Higuchi, Osaka 176BOX, Rukiya, Sanshiro Takagi, Shunma Katsumata, Toy Kojima (Toi Kojima), Tsurumi Fruit And Vegetable Market, Yukio Sakaguchi | Permalink
Posted by JamieOD

Next Gen Final, Rei Saito’s D-Oh Targets, MIKAMI Teams With Sumi

November 20, 2023

DDT “DRAMATIC DREAM TOUR 2023 IN MIYAGI”, 23/11/2023
Miyagi Yume Messe West Building Hall

1. KANON Vs Kazuma Sumi
2. Jun Akiyama & Yusuke Okada Vs Kazusada Higuchi & Rukiya
3. Daisuke Sasaki & Demus Vs Yuni & Yuya Koroku
4. Miyagi Specialty Special 6-Man Tag Match: Kazuki Hirata & Aizawa No.1 & Ilusion Vs HARASHIMA, Danshoku Dieno & Makoto Oishi
5. Special Single Match: Tetsuya Endo Vs MJ Paul
6. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Yuki Ueno, MAO & Toy Kojima Vs Chris Brookes, Akito & Yukio Naya

Sanshiro Takagi has to miss the next show because of an injury. Ilusion takes his place.

DDT “D-OH GRAND PRIX 2023 OPENING ROUND”, 26/11/2023
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

0. Dark Match: Yuni & Yuya Koroku Vs Kazuma Sumi & Rukiya
1. Danshoku Dieno, Makoto Oishi & Toy Kojima Vs Masahiro Takanashi, Antonio Honda & Takeshi Masada
2. Tetsuya Endo, Jun Akiyama & Yusuke Okada Vs Daisuke Sasaki, Demus & MJ Paul
3. D-Oh Grand Prix 2023 – A Block: Yuki Ueno Vs Kazusada Higuchi
4. D-Oh Grand Prix 2023 – A Block: HARASHIMA Vs Yuki Iino
5. D-Oh Grand Prix 2023 – B Block: Chris Brookes Vs Yukio Naya
6. D-Oh Grand Prix 2023 – B Block: MAO Vs Rei Saito
7. D-Oh Grand Prix 2023 – B Block: KANON Vs Kazuki Hirata

For the third year in a row Kenta Kobashi returns as the Executive Committee Chairman of the D-Oh Grand Prix. He will be attending both the opening day and final day of the tournament.

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TOKYO JOSHI PRO WRESTLING 10TH ANNIVERSARY PERFORMANCE ~WE ARE TJPW~”, 01/12/2023
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

1. Hyper Misao & Mahiro Kiryu Vs Yuki Aino & Raku
2. Juria Nagano, Shino Suzuki & Haru Kazashiro Vs Kaya Toribami, Toga & Runa Okubo
3. Yuki Kamifuku Vs Viva Van
4. Next Generation Tournament ’23 – Final: HIMAWARI Vs Wakana Uehara
5. Princess Tag Team Titles: Hikari Noa & Nao Kakuta (c) Vs Max The Impaler & Pom Harajuku
6. 10th Anniversary Special 10-Woman Tag Match: Miyu Yamashita, Shoko Nakajima, Yuka Sakazaki, Rika Tatsumi & Mizuki Vs Miu Watanabe, Yuki Arai, Suzume, Moka Miyamoto & Arisu Endo

The Next Generation Tournament final comes down to HIMAWARI against Wakana Uehara. The only time they previously fought each other one on one Uehara bested HIMAWARI. It is a result HIMAWARI wants to get revenge for.

Never mind my suggestion last week of Yuki Kamifuku and Viva Van getting along. After they team together on one show they will be wrestling each other on another.

DDT “D-OH GRAND PRIX 2023 IN SHINJUKU DAY 1”, 02/12/2023
Shinjuku FACE

1. Special 8-Man Tag Match: Yuki Ueno, Toy Kojima, Takeshi Masada & Kazuma Sumi Vs Jun Akiyama, Yuki Iino, Yusuke Okada & Yuya Koroku
2. D-Oh Grand Prix 2023 – A Block: Tetsuya Endo Vs HARASHIMA
3. D-Oh Grand Prix 2023 – A Block: Kazusada Higuchi Vs Daisuke Sasaki
4. D-Oh Grand Prix 2023 – B Block: Chris Brookes Vs KANON
5. D-Oh Grand Prix 2023 – B Block: MAO Vs Kazuki Hirata
6. D-Oh Grand Prix 2023 – B Block: Yukio Naya Vs Rei Saito
7. KO-D Tag Team Titles: Soma Takao & Shota (c) Vs Toru Sugiura & Akito

The tournament grudge match between Yukio Naya and Rei Saito happens here. Saito is taking part in the D-Oh GP at the same time as the Real World Tag League because he wanted an opportunity to show off his skills as a singles wrestler. Not only is he building up a feud with Naya, he also has his sights on Kazusada Higuchi given they all share a background in sumo. They are in separate blocks though so Higuchi Vs Saito is only possible if it’s the GP final.

First sign of where Yuki Iino might align himself with when he returns. Since Jun Akiyama is leaving BURNING soon would they be interested in taking Iino as his replacement? The 8-Man Tag on this show could turn into a tryout for him.

DDT “D-OH GRAND PRIX 2023 IN SHINJUKU DAY 2”, 03/12/2023
Shinjuku FACE

1. Jun Akiyama, Yusuke Okada, Yuya Koroku & Rukiya Vs HARASHIMA, Akito, Toy Kojima & Takeshi Masada
2. Special Tag Match: MIKAMI & Kazuma Sumi Vs Demus & KANON
3. D-Oh Grand Prix 2023 – A Block: Yuki Ueno Vs Daisuke Sasaki
4. D-Oh Grand Prix 2023 – A Block: Tetsuya Endo Vs Yuki Iino
5. D-Oh Grand Prix 2023 – B Block: Chris Brookes Vs MAO
6. D-Oh Grand Prix 2023 – B Block: Yukio Naya Vs Kazuki Hirata

A promise was made by MIKAMI to team up with Kazuma Sumi and it gets to happen here. It might be the step he needs to finally get a win against KANON. However Demus is still here hanging around with DAMNATION T.A.

Comments Off on Next Gen Final, Rei Saito’s D-Oh Targets, MIKAMI Teams With Sumi | News | Tagged: BURNING, D-Oh Grand Prix, DDT Pro Wrestling, Demus, Dramatic Dream Team, HIMAWARI, Ilusion, KANON, Kazuma Sumi, Kazusada Higuchi, Kenta Kobashi, MIKAMI, Next Generation Tournament, Rei Saito, Sanshiro Takagi, TJPW, Tokyo Joshi Pro Wrestling, Viva Van, Wakana Uehara, Yuki Iino, Yuki Kamifuku, Yukio Naya | Permalink
Posted by JamieOD

DDT “HOUSEBOAT PRO WRESTLING” Results

November 13, 2023

DDT “HOUSEBOAT PRO WRESTLING”, 13/11/2023
Tokyo Ryogoku Pier
24 Fans – Super No Vacancy Full House

1. Time Difference Embarkation Falls Count Anywhere 3 Way Tag Match: Yuki Ueno & Toy Kojima defeated Tetsuya Endo & Kazuma Sumi and Sanshiro Takagi & Makoto Oishi when Ueno pinned Sumi after the My MADMAX onto the Chair with Kojima (86:27).

One day after DDT held “ULTIMATE PARTY 2023” they celebrated with an afterparty on the Ryogoku Pier. Part of the celebration was the first ever Houseboat Pro Wrestling match!

A houseboat on the Sumida River would collect wrestlers from pier to pier and they would fight each other on the boat. Also during breaks in the action the wrestlers would find other ways to entertain the guests. Yuki Ueno, Toy Kojima, Sanshiro Takagi and Makoto Oishi were the first wrestlers to step on board.

The match began with Ueno and Takagi against each other. When Ueno got the upper hand, Takagi offered to give Oishi 25,000 Yen to help him fight Ueno in a 2 Vs 1 Handicap Match. Oishi accepted but Kojima then came to Ueno’s aid to even the numbers.

Takagi and Ueno stabbed each other in the head with toothpicks until the match moved outside to the houseboat deck. The two sides did double team moves on each other before they decided to move back inside. They saw Shunma Katsumata was singing karaoke for the fans and Kojima decided to join in.

The houseboat stopped at Etchujima where Tetsuya Endo and Kazuma Sumi climbed on board. Fans soon noticed that Takagi & Oishi had vanished. It turned out that Endo & Sumi attacked them outside, tied them up in tape and left them stranded on the pier when the houseboat sailed off!

This meant the match was now Ueno & Kojima against Endo & Sumi. They fought up and down the boat until it moved outside to the deck again. From there Ueno & Kojima gave Sumi the My MADMAX onto a pile of chairs, winning the match after 1 hour and 26 minutes.

After the match Ueno talked about DDT hosting matches on a bullet train and on a houseboat. He thinks the next idea should be an Airplane Pro Wrestling match up in the sky! He admits that would be difficult because everybody has to wear seatbelts on a flying plane but it might come true.

Katsumata said there are many other houseboats around Japan so taking Houseboat Pro Wrestling on tour through all the different rivers could work. Ueno said The 37KAMIINA has become the centre of DDT. Their next goal is to win the vacated KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles.

MAO was originally meant to be in the match but he was too banged up from yesterday to take part. A medical examination showed no injuries though so he will be back wrestling later this week.

Comments Off on DDT “HOUSEBOAT PRO WRESTLING” Results | Results | Tagged: DDT Pro Wrestling, Dramatic Dream Team, Kazuma Sumi, Makoto Oishi, Rojo Pro Wrestling, Sanshiro Takagi, Shunma Katsumata, Street Pro Wrestling, Tetsuya Endo, The 37KAMIINA, Toy Kojima (Toi Kojima), Yuki Ueno | Permalink
Posted by JamieOD

DDT “ULTIMATE PARTY 2023” Results

November 12, 2023

DDT “ULTIMATE PARTY 2023”, 12/11/2023
Tokyo Ryogoku Kokugikan
4,785 Fans – No Vacancy

1. KO-D Tag Team Titles: Soma Takao & Shota (c) defeated Masahiro Takanashi & Antonio Honda when Takao pinned Honda with the Gin And Tonic (7:46).
*V1 for ROMANCE DAWN.
2. Staggered Entry Tag Rumble: Yusuke Okada & Yuya Koroku defeated KANON & MJ Paul, Naruki Doi & Kazuma Sumi, Toy Kojima & Yuki Ishida and Yuni & Rukiya (9:32).
2a. Naruki Doi & Kazuma Sumi eliminated Yuni & Rukiya when Doi pinned Yuni with the Bakatare Sliding Kick (4:18).
2b. KANON & MJ Paul eliminated Naruki Doi & Kazuma Sumi when Paul pinned Kojima with a Running Body Press (6:38).
2c. Yusuke Okada & Yuya Koroku eliminated Naruki Doi & Kazuma Sumi by Ring Out when Okada threw Doi over the top rope (7:53).
2d. Yusuke Okada & Yuya Koroku eliminated KANON & MJ Paul when Koroku pinned Paul with a Cradle (9:32).
3. Tokyo Joshi Pro Offer 6-Woman Tag Match: Yuki Arai, Moka Miyamoto & Shino Suzuki defeated Suzume, Arisu Endo & Wakana Uehara when Arai pinned Uehara with the Finally (11:15).
4. Special 8-Man Tag Match – Japanese Dogeza Match: Yoshitatsu, Yoshihiko, Danshoku Dieno & Super Sasadango Machine defeated Sanshiro Takagi, Akito, Makoto Oishi & Shinichiro Kawamatsu when Takagi apologized to Sasadango (8:20).
5. Special Single Match: Kuroshio TOKYO Japan defeated Takeshi Masada with a Crucifix Pin (13:14).
6. Special 6-Man Tag Match ~ DDT Vs VOODOO-MURDERS: Jun Akiyama, HARASHIMA & Yukio Naya defeated Jun Saito, Rei Saito & Toshizo when Naya pinned Toshizo with the World’s Best Back Drop (10:11).
7. Special Single Match: Daisuke Sasaki defeated Tetsuya Endo by Referee Stoppage with the Crossover Face Lock (14:50).
8. Goodcom Presents Saki Akai Retirement Match ~Strong, Noble, Beautiful~: Naomichi Marufuji, Kazusada Higuchi & Miyu Yamashita defeated Saki Akai, Yukio Sakaguchi & Hideki Okatani when Yamashita pinned Akai with the Skull Kick (20:30).
9. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title – Nivea Cream Care Body Wash Presents ~ Dramatic Dream Round “Let’s Have Fun!!” What Will Happen!? Fun Death Match: Hiromu Takahashi (c) defeated Kazuki Hirata with a Fisherman Suplex (R5 3:53).
*V? for Hiromu Takahashi.
-. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title: IWGP Junior Heavyweight Title Belt defeated Hiromu Takahashi (c) by Pinfall (5:36 pm).
*IWGP Junior Heavyweight Title Belt becomes the 1,590th champion.
-. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title: Kazuki Hirata defeated IWGP Junior Heavyweight Title Belt (c) by Pinfall (5:37 pm).
*Kazuki Hirata becomes the 1,591st champion.
10. DDT Universal Title – No DQ Match: MAO defeated Matt Cardona (c) (w/ Steph De Lander) with the Radio Silence onto a Plastic Case (16:50).
*Matt Cardona fails in V2. MAO becomes the 12th DDT Universal Champion!
11. Double Main Event I: Chris Jericho defeated KONOSUKE TAKESHITA with the Walls Of Jericho (23:35).
12. KO-D Openweight Title – Double Main Event II: Yuki Ueno defeated Chris Brookes (c) with the WR (29:39).
*Chris Brookes fails in V3. Yuki Ueno becomes the 82nd KO-D Openweight Champion!

A new KO-D Openweight Champion has been crowned! For the last couple of years Yuki Ueno set himself a hefty goal of becoming the guy to carry all of DDT on his back. There were setbacks and big walls to climb over along the way but it all lead to his crowning moment at Sumo Hall today. On a show filled with other matches taking up the spotlight, it was Ueno’s match with Chris Brookes that ended the day with DDT’s biggest prize on the line. The two close friends fighting each other on such a big occasion brought out their reckless sides. It didn’t take long for the fight to make its way outside the ring where Ueno did a Moonsault from the entrance arch and later Brookes put him through a table with a Piledriver. Back in the ring the two almost took each other to a double knockout and then a double countout but they kept showing life to continue. Brookes hit the Praying Mantis Bomb twice with the second being an elevated version of the finisher. But Ueno kicked out of both of them and fired back with doing the BME twice. Brookes kicked out of them so Ueno then used the WR. This time Brookes had no answer for it and Ueno pinned him to become the new KO-D Champion!

Brookes was the one to wrap the belt around Ueno’s waist and then hug him before leaving the ring. Ueno said on the microphone that when Brookes came to DDT they became friends right away. He told Brookes to stay in Japan so they can fight each other in DDT even more. Ueno then told the fans he discovered DDT in his second year of high school thanks to his classmate Konosuke Takeshita. Ueno took the path to becoming a pro wrestler, grew little by little and has now become the champion he never thought he would become. His dream now is to fill every venue and live up to the high expectations a champion should have. He also showed support for the rest of The 37KAMIINA for all of their hard work and success. Meanwhile backstage Brookes spoke to reporters about having more motivation than ever. He thinks a key to Ueno’s victory is being part of a unit that supports each other. Brookes has Masahiro Takanashi and Antonio Honda to rely on but they’ve never been an actual stable together. That is until now. Brookes remembers being part of a group in England called SCHADENFREUDE. This new unit will carry the same name and can be called SCHADENFREUDE International! Brookes then noticed Takeshi Masada was nearby and invited him to join to make it a group of four people. Masada happily accepted the offer to fight for his “wrestling dad” from now on.

The show promoted two main events and the one placed second to last on the card had the most international interest going into it. Chris Jericho wrestled in DDT for the first time to face Takeshita in a match that carries over their current storyline from AEW. There was no sign of Don Callis anywhere so the match went ahead without any threat of outside interference to worry about. Jericho entered to his “Judas” theme song and the audience knew to sing along with the chorus. He and Takeshita fought around ringside where Jericho stole a photographer’s camera to take pictures of his opponent while beating him up. In the ring Takeshita blocked the Judas Effect and tried to win using the Walls Of Takeshita, his version of Jericho’s submission hold. He also used the Super Blue which is the top rope Blue Thunder Bomb for a nearfall. Takeshita followed up with Jumping Knee Strikes and then pulled down his kneepad in order to deliver one final strike. But Jericho cut Takeshita off and trapped him in the Walls Of Jericho. No matter how hard Takeshita tried to escape, it was usless and he had to tap out.

After the match Jericho stuck out his hand to Takeshita. To everyone’s surprise Takeshita shook Jericho’s hand. He then got on the microphone and told the fans his big dream is not going to end yet! Backstage he said the Walls Of Jericho he tried to climb over was much higher than he anticipated. His feud with Jericho is not over and they will continue to fight each other in America. He then made it clear that in Japan he will continue to be Konosuke Takeshita of DDT. In the United States he will become the world’s number one as KONOSUKE TAKESHITA. Today is not the end but the beginning of his dramatic dream. Jericho in his post-match interview said he wanted to do this match in DDT instead of AEW. He is full of praise for Takeshita and thinks the only reason he didn’t win today is because his opponent was Chris Jericho. He would accept an offer to fight Takeshita again 100 times out of 100. He also said he would like to wrestle Tetsuya Endo, Kota Ibushi and Minoru Suzuki. The last one in particular Jericho wants to take place in Japan at a venue the size of Sumo Hall or bigger. He enjoyed his time here in DDT and would come back as long as they can find the right important opponent for him.

Two people who did not enjoy as much of their time with DDT this weekend were Matt Cardona and Steph De Lander. They returned to Japan so Cardona could defend the DDT Universal Title again but his challenger MAO was a major annoyance for them. First Cardona and MAO got into a fight at yesterday’s press conference and that resulted in the title match turning into a No DQ bout. Cardona tried to win straight away by immediately doing the Radio Silence to MAO for a two count. De Lander quickly intervened too which caused the injured Shunma Katsumata to get involved at ringside so the playing field was back to being even. Yukinori Matsui got knocked out during the chaos so there was no referee around. The solution was to bring in Yoshihiko as the substitute ref! Both Cardona and MAO had to grab Yoshihiko and guide it to counting their pinfalls until De Lander threw it out of the ring. Luckily Matsui recovered and was able to continue doing his job while Cardona and MAO smashed plastic cases over each other. Cardona stacked up a pile of cases but went through them himself thanks MAO giving him a top rope Radio Silence. When the dust settled, MAO pinned Cardona on top of the wreckage to win the Universal Title!

Cardona & De Lander stormed off blaming the result on screwjobs while MAO celebrated with the title. MAO said it’s been a long time since he last held the Universal Title and he was able to win today because he worked hard in front of a large crowd. He then announced his first challenger for the belt will be Demus. There is already a singles match between the two booked for 19th November so it will now have the title on the line. Backstage MAO said he couldn’t do what he wanted with the title the first time around because of the pandemic. He has a lot of regrets but today is his happy ending and he can now start a new story. Meanwhile Cardona compared what happened here to the Montreal Screwjob and complained about interference from Katsumata and Toy Kojima. This was the Tokyo Screwjob! He promised when he returns to DDT he will be coming for the KO-D Openweight Title!

Nobody was prepared for what Hiromu Takahashi and Kazuki Hirata had in store for everyone. Not even those two! Takahashi entered Sumo Hall as the defending Iron Man Heavymetalweight Champion and agreed to take part in a match filled with match stipulations normally reserved for the DDT Extreme Title. Every round lasted two minutes and began with a roulette wheel on the screen picking a new stipulation. This would go on until a winner was determined. Round 1 was a Musical Sitatuon Death Match where everyone had to do moves that were fitting for the song being played. Takahashi ignored the rule until Hisaya Imabayashi yelled at him on the microphone. When Sengoku era music played Takahashi and Hirata fought each other like samurai. Then romantic music began playing and the two slowly embraced each other. The round ended right before they were about to kiss. Round 2 was a Handicap Match allowing Hirata to team up with Yoshihiko. They had the early advantage until Takahashi got rid of Hirata so he could fight Yoshihiko one on one. Takahashi did the Time Bomb but Yoshihiko kicked out at one. Takahashi then did the Time Bomb II but Yoshihiko kicked out of that as well! It was then onto Round 3, the Blindfold Hidden Breat Death Match! Takahashi and Hirata had to wear blindfolds and bras. The goal was to strip off the opponent’s bra without being able to see. The two eventually found each other and Hirata had a grip of Takahashi’s bra. But the round ended before he could pull it off. Round 4 was a Dancing Death Match but Takahashi did everything he could to prevent Hirata from dancing, leaving the crowd very upset. For Round 5 the roulette wheel was about to land on Normal Rules but instead stopped at the Dancing Death Match again. This time the round was given a 55 minute time limit. Takahashi knocked down his opponent and picked up the Hirata GO! glasses. He admitted he’s been prepared to dance ever since this match was announced! He put the glasses on, “Tokyo GO!” began to play and Takahashi danced with Hirata. The dance turned into a fight with Hirata using the Miracle One Shot Cradle for a nearfall. Takahashi fought back and used the Fisherman Suplex to pin Hirata for a three count. It is the same move Takahashi used to beat Hirata in their first match together back in 2011.

That wasn’t the end of it by a long shot. Takahashi had just defended the Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title and laid down next to Hirata with the IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Title belt resting on his chest. Big mistake. Yukinori Matsui, as sharp-eyed as always, noticed the belt on top of Takahashi and suddenly gave a three count. A confused Takahashi looked up as it was announced that the actual IWGP Junior Heavyweight Title Belt itself was now the Iron Man Champion! Hirata quickly grabbed the belt and pinned it on the canvas. Matsui counted along and then declared Hirata was now the Iron Man Champion! When Takahashi finally figured out what had happened he shook Hirata’s hand and tried to roll him up to win the belt back but failed. Hirata escaped from ringside, leaving Takahashi by himself in the ring. Then when Takahashi walked away, Danshoku Dieno crept up from behind and gave him a big kiss when he turned around. Backstage Takahashi said this is the end of his story with Hirata and they may never see each other again. He suggests his next story could be with Keisuke Ishii because he’s never beaten him in their three singles matches. He had more to say but Dieno reappeared and chased him off.

Saki Akai’s pro wrestling career in the ring has now come to an end. After spending a decade in the ring, Akai announced in the summer her choice to step away at her peak of performance, feeling it is better to end her career as a beautiful rose instead of a wilting flower. By doing this she gets to be a rare case of a pro wrestler getting to retire on their own terms without ever suffering a serious injury. For her final match Akai teamed up with the rest of Eruption one last time. Their opponents were also all of her choosing. There was Naomichi Marufuji from NOAH because Akai felt she was strong enough to face him in the ring. They also knew each other from before Akai got into wrestling. Kazusada Higuchi was picked because he is a former member of Eruption who founded the unit with Akai and Yukio Sakaguchi. And third was Miyu Yamashita from Tokyo Joshi Pro because they are friends in private who helped with each other’s wrestling careers a lot. Akai got to get time in the ring against all three opponents while Sakaguchi & Hideki Okatani were there for backup. Akai kept fighting despite taking a Thrust Kick from Marufuji and a Headbutt from Higuchi. The match came down to her against Yamashita with Akai trying to last as long as she could before finally falling to the Skull Kick to end her last match.

With the match complete everybody got their chance to shake Akai’s hand before the retirement ceremony began. Akai was sent video messages from several notable pro wrestlers. Hiroshi Tanahashi, Togi Makabe and Genichiro Tenryu all wishing her the best. Next Akai received bouquets of flowers from Eruption, her friends Takumi Iroha and Rina Yamashita and also Sanshiro Takagi. Akai was praised by Takagi for becoming a truly fine pro wrestler who made it without suffering any major injuries. There were many ideas Takagi came up with when he scouted her that Akai never complained about. He now has one more idea. Akai is now finished with wrestling but DDT still needs her so would she like to continue working with DDT behind the scenes? Akai thanked Takagi for the offer and said she will help make everyone in DDT shine. Akai was then shown an unexpected video message from Shinsuke Nakamura! He was the person Akai watched that made her hooked on wrestling. He told Akai her wrestling has touched people’s lives and she should use that inspiration to become the person she wants to be in her next stage of life. Akai then gave a speech to the fans. She had her debut match here in Sumo Hall 10 years ago but her view back then and her view now is completely different. She has come to think of DDT and their fans as family. Once she steps out of the ring she will no longer be a wrestler but those family ties will never be broken. Her pro wrestling life was a dream that made her happy and she loves everyone from the bottom of her heart. The ceremony ended with the ten bell salute, her final ring announcement and the ring being filled with streamers.

There were some more comments from everyone during their post-match interviews. Yamashita didn’t feel the impact of it being Akai’s final match until she saw Akai stepping into the ring. She is thankful to be chosen for the match and said it is a great honour to team with Marufuji. In fact, she would like to fight Marufuji herself one day! Marufuji approved of the idea and would like to have a singles match against her if all of the promotions involved agree to it. Higuchi struggled to find the words to say about Akai’s retirement. All he could do is thank her for her hard work. Sakaguchi and Okatani also felt too emotional about the match to talk about it. Akai said she doesn’t know what is going to happen next but if she believes Takagi’s offer is real then she is staying attached to DDT. She heard her mother was in attendance so she wants to go show her she is safe and sound after the match.

Two former friends met in the ring when Tetsuya Endo took on Daisuke Sasaki to see if either of them really have moved on from DAMNATION. Sasaki did his Diving Elbow Drop out of the ring onto Endo in the front row. Endo hit back by putting Sasaki through a table at ringside with the Firebird Splash. Sasaki tried to play mind games by giving Endo a hug but he was pushed away. Endo got a nearfall with the Canadian Destroyer and then went for the Burning Star Press. Sasaki blocked it with his knees and put Endo in the Crossover Face Lock, keeping the pressure up until Endo lost consciousness and the match was stopped. Sasaki swears he heard Endo say “Thank you” to him and that was Endo’s true feelings. Endo said he blanked out until he heard Sasaki’s music playing. He lost but like a phoenix he will come back and start from scratch. Endo has turned negative emotions into energy before and he will do it again to reach the top of DDT.

The DDT Vs All Japan rivalry was on display in Match #6. Jun Akiyama grouped himself with HARASHIMA & Yukio Naya to defend home turf from the Voodoo Murders. It was a chance for Naya to size himself up against Rei Saito before the D-Ou Grand Prix begins. Rei’s brother Jun Saito missed a Lariat aimed for Naya, hitting Toshizo instead by mistake. Naya took over and hit Toshizo with a Knee Lift before pinning him with the World’s Best Back Drop. Naya warned Rei Saito he will show the difference of power between them in the D-Ou Grand Prix.

The return of an ikeman to DDT inspired Takeshi Masada to wear new trunks for his match. He better have felt comfortable in them because Kuroshio TOKYO Japan is back to stretching out his ring entrance for as long as he possibly can. Kuroshio already had several matches back in Japan since leaving WWE but hasn’t won any of them. So he was looking for his first win in a long time against an opponent recommended to him by Takeshita. It was a back and forth match that saw Kuroshio grab victory from the jaws of defeat by pinning Masada with a Crucifix Pin. His advice to Masada is to brush up on the basics. However Kuroshio admits that Masada is better at this stage of his career than he was. He would like to fight him again. Masada was disappointed to go through all this effort to get a new ring costume only to lose.

Takagi made a last minute decision to turn his 8-Man Tag Match into a Japanese Dogeza Match. The goal is to make your opponent kneel down and apologize on the microphone. Takagi tried to force Dieno to make an apology but he refused because he is putting his life on the line. Akito then bribed Dieno with a year’s worth of dog food for his beloved pet dog Haku. Dieno agreed to it until Yoshitatsu stopped him. Yoshitatsu then pulled down the back of Akito’s tights to break up his Ankle Lock on Dieno. Yoshihiko wiped out Makoto Oishi while Dieno put Shinichiro Kawamatsu in the Lip Lock. Super Sasadango Machine instructed the cameraman at ringside to film a close up of Kawamatsu with Dieno in order to cause a massive scandal that will harm Kawamatsu’s political career. In order to protect DDT’s reputation, Takagi got on his knees and apologized to end the match in defeat. Backstage Dieno, Sasadango and Yoshitatsu spoke to each other about their age. They are all 46 years old so they came up with an idea to call themselves Just Same Age. Meanwhile Akito said there are not enough apologies in pro wrestling. He can say that again.

TJPW had more representation on the show with their own 6-Woman Tag Match on the undercard. Yuki Arai scored the pinfall for her team after hitting Wakana Uehara with the Finally axe kick. Arai said she was happy to take part and get to see Akai’s retirement with her own eyes. Shino Suzuki admitted she was nervous because it is her first time wrestling in Sumo Hall. It makes her want to do her best knowing that TJPW will be running their own Sumo Hall show next year. Moka Miyamoto is pleased she was able to show her style to people who have never seen TJPW before. Suzume praised Uehara for her effort and talked about what it was like when she got to wrestle in Sumo Hall so shortly after her debut. Arisu Endo was disappointed to lose but liked that the fans were cheering for her more than she expected.

The next challengers for the All Asia Tag Team Titles proved their worth by winning a Tag Team Rumble. Yusuke Okada & Yuya Koroku outlasted four other teams with KANON & MJ Paul being their biggest threat. By winning this match Okada is confident he and Okada are ready to bring the belts back to BURNING. Koroku said it proves they are serious about winning the All Asia Tag Titles. They don’t have a track record as a team but it’s all about their feelings. They will put their hearts into beating Eruption for the belts next month.

The ROMANCE DAWN continues for Shota & Soma Takao. They successfully defended the KO-D Tag Team Titles against Takanashi & Honda in the opener. Honda gave Takao the Tenzan Tombstone Driver but missed the Diving Fist Drop afterward. Takao recovered to pin Honda with the Gin And Tonic. Shota said Sumo Hall is where Takao made his pro wrestling debut which makes him jealous. They are from different promotions but that means there are many possibilities for where they can defend the KO-D Tag Titles next. Takao said that being able to beat two veterans who debuted before them is another accomplishment for ROMANCE DAWN. Honda revealed he is embarrased to lose to the Gin And Tonic because he is non-alcoholic. Takanashi suggested they should next go after the KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles with Brookes.

Yuki Iino appeared midway through the show to explain his recent whereabouts. When Pheromones disbanded he was sent to a facility to remove every trace of Pheromones and sexiness from his body. The treatment was a success and he is now ready to win the D-Ou Grand Prix. He hopes everyone will look forward to seeing the new Yuki Iino.

At the very end of the show, once the credits finished rolling Ueno went into the locker room to celebrate with the rest of the roster. He went over to Akai and gave her a retirement gift and everyone got together for a group message. That got interrupted when wrestlers started going after Hirata for the Iron Man Title. Hirata was chased out of the room by mostly everybody, leaving Ueno behind on his own. Takeshita then walked into the room and stood in front of Ueno. The two had a staredown and then hugged with Takeshita congratulating his friend for finally making it to the top of DDT. Meanwhile Hirata was chased back to ringside where he hid under the ring until the other wrestlers went away. He whispered into the microphone to say goodbye to the audience while Toru Owashi watched him from nearby.

It was announced that “WRESTLE PETER PAN 2024” will be held in Sumo Hall on 21st July, 2024.

Comments Off on DDT “ULTIMATE PARTY 2023” Results | Results | Tagged: AJPW, Akito, All Japan Pro Wrestling, Antonio Honda, Arisu Endo, Chris Brookes, Chris Jericho, Daisuke Sasaki, Danshoku Dieno, DDT Pro Wrestling, DDT Universal Championship, Demus, Dramatic Dream Team, Eruption, Genichiro Tenryu, HARASHIMA, Hideki Okatani, Hiromu Takahashi, Hiroshi Tanahashi, Iron Man Heavymetalweight Championship, IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Championship, Jun Akiyama, Jun Saito, Just Same Age, KANON, Kazuki Hirata, Kazuma Sumi, Kazusada Higuchi, KO-D Openweight Championship, KO-D Tag Team Championship, Konosuke Takeshita, Kuroshio TOKYO Japan, Makoto Oishi, MAO, Masahiro Takanashi, Matt Cardona, Miyu Yamashita, MJ Paul, Moka Miyamoto, Naomichi Marufuji, Naruki Doi, Rei Saito, Rina Yamashita, ROMANCE DAWN, Rukiya, Ryogoku Kokugikan, Saito Brothers, Saki Akai, Sanshiro Takagi, SCHADENFREUDE International, Shinichiro Kawamatsu, Shino Suzuki, Shinsuke Nakamura, Shota, Shunma Katsumata, Soma Takao, Steph De Lander, Sumo Hall, Super Sasadango Machine, Suzume, Takeshi Masada, Takumi Iroha, Tetsuya Endo, Togi Makabe, Toru Owashi, Toshizo, Toy Kojima (Toi Kojima), Ultimate Party, Voodoo Murders, Wakana Uehara, Yoshihiko, Yoshitatsu, Yuki Arai, Yuki Iino, Yuki Ishida, Yuki Ueno, Yukinori Matsui, Yukio Naya, Yukio Sakaguchi, Yuni, Yusuke Okada, Yuya Koroku | Permalink
Posted by JamieOD

Ultimate Party Match Order, Houseboat Pro Wrestling, Demonio, BASARA’s Korakuen Card

November 10, 2023

I haven’t even started on writing a preview for “ULTIMATE PARTY 2023” yet because of the busy week I’ve had. I’ll try getting it done by Saturday but if it doesn’t show up it’s because I just didn’t have the time to complete it.

DDT “ULTIMATE PARTY 2023”, 12/11/2023
Tokyo Ryogoku Kokugikan

1. KO-D Tag Team Titles: Soma Takao & Shota (c) Vs Masahiro Takanashi & Antonio Honda
2. Staggered Entry Tag Rumble: KANON & MJ Paul Vs Naruki Doi & Kazuma Sumi Vs Yusuke Okada & Yuya Koroku Vs Toy Kojima & Yuki Ishida Vs Yuni & Rukiya
3. Tokyo Joshi Pro Offer 6-Woman Tag Match: Yuki Arai, Moka Miyamoto & Shino Suzuki Vs Suzume, Arisu Endo & Wakana Uehara
4. Special 8-Man Tag Match: Sanshiro Takagi, Akito, Makoto Oishi & Shinichiro Kawamatsu Vs Yoshitatsu, Yoshihiko, Danshoku Dieno & Super Sasadango Machine
5. Special Single Match: Kuroshio TOKYO Japan Vs Takeshi Masada
6. Special 6-Man Tag Match ~ DDT Vs VOODOO-MURDERS: Jun Akiyama, HARASHIMA & Yukio Naya Vs Jun Saito, Rei Saito & Toshizo
7. Special Single Match: Daisuke Sasaki Vs Tetsuya Endo
8. Goodcom Presents Saki Akai Retirement Match ~Strong, Noble, Beautiful~: Saki Akai, Yukio Sakaguchi & Hideki Okatani Vs Naomichi Marufuji, Kazusada Higuchi & Miyu Yamashita
9. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title – Nivea Cream Care Body Wash Presents ~ Dramatic Dream Round “Let’s Have Fun!!” What Will Happen!? Fun Death Match: Hiromu Takahashi (c) Vs Kazuki Hirata
10. DDT Universal Title: Matt Cardona (c) (w/ Steph De Lander) Vs MAO
11. Double Main Event I: Chris Jericho Vs KONOSUKE TAKESHITA
12. KO-D Openweight Title – Double Main Event II: Chris Brookes (c) Vs Yuki Ueno

Here is the match order for Sunday’s big show. There is a public press conference tomorrow featuring the wrestlers involved in the most important matches so there may be a last minute angle or moment done to heat them up a little one last time.

The KO-D Tag Team Titles match being pushed all the way down to the opening bout is odd. Maybe it’s for scheduling reasons regarding some of the wrestlers involved? Everyone in that match are the kind of wrestlers who keep themselves busy on the indies.

DDT “ULTIMATE PARTY 2023 OFFICIAL AFTER EVENT IN RYOGOKU”, 13/11/2023
Tokyo Ryogoku Pier

1. Staggered Entry ? Way Match: Sanshiro Takagi Vs MAO Vs X

The first ever Houseboat Pro Wrestling match will take place in the middle of the Sumida River. There will be a Rumble entry style Falls Count Anywhere match with a potentially unlimited amount of people taking part. Sanshiro Takagi and MAO are the only wrestlers announced so far but who knows who else will show up?

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TOKYO JOSHI PRO WILL IMPRESS YOU ’23”, 23/11/2023
Kanagawa Tsurumi Fruit & Vegetable Market

1. 3 Way Match: Super Sasadango Machine Vs Yumehito Imanari Vs Antonio Honda
2. Rika Tatsumi Vs Demonio
3. Shoko Nakajima Vs Pom Harajuku
4. Miyu Yamashita, Hikari Noa & Yuki Aino Vs Yuka Sakazaki, Mizuki & Hyper Misao

We’ve had Demonio Uno and Demonio Dos previously showing up at Tokyo Joshi Pro whenever they are in the Tsurumi Fruit & Vegetable Market. Now there is just Demonio. Whichever one it is, Rika Tatsumi will still want to run it over with the ring truck.

BASARA “BASARA 237 ~GRIND AN AXE TO MAKE A NEEDLE~”, 03/12/2023
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

1. KUBITO, Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi, Daichi Kazato & Fuminori Abe Vs Ryuichi Sekine, Minoru Fujita, Yasu Urano & Abdullah Kobayashi
2. 3 Way Match: Masato Kamino Vs Gouma Ryu Vs Leo Isaka
3. Takumi Tsukamoto & SAGAT Vs Hideyoshi Kamitani & Daichi Hashimoto
4. Takato Nakano Vs Yuko Miyamoto
5. Lil’ Kraken Vs The Great Sasuke
6. IRON FIST Tag Team Titles: Ryota Nakatsu & Kazusada Higuchi (c) Vs Tsutomu Oosugi & Banana Senga
7. Union MAX Title: FUMA (c) Vs Isami Kodaka

The full card for BASARA’s next show in Korakuen Hall is here. The IRON FIST TAG TOURNAMENT finalists Takumi Tsukamoto & SAGAT get to take on a Big Japan team. Hideyoshi Kamitani & Daichi Hashimoto are coming over from BJW along with Abdullah Kobayashi who is in the opener.

Comments Off on Ultimate Party Match Order, Houseboat Pro Wrestling, Demonio, BASARA’s Korakuen Card | News | Tagged: Abdullah Kobayashi, Big Japan Wrestling, BJW, Daichi Hashimoto, DDT Pro Wrestling, Demonio, Demonio Dos, Demonio Uno, Dramatic Dream Team, Hideyoshi Kamitani, Korakuen Hall, MAO, Pro Wrestling BASARA, Rika Tatsumi, Rojo Pro Wrestling, Ryogoku Kokugikan, SAGAT, Sanshiro Takagi, Street Pro Wrestling, Sumo Hall, Takumi Tsukamoto, TJPW, Tokyo Joshi Pro Wrestling, Tsurumi Fruit And Vegetable Market | Permalink
Posted by JamieOD

Danshoku Fantasy, Banny Makes It to GanPro, BASARA At Korakuen, New Year’s Eve Guests

November 8, 2023

DDT “ULTIMATE PARTY 2023”, 12/11/2023
Tokyo Ryogoku Kokugikan

1. Staggered Entry Tag Rumble: KANON & MJ Paul Vs Naruki Doi & Kazuma Sumi Vs Yusuke Okada & Yuya Koroku Vs Toy Kojima & Yuki Ishida Vs Yuni & Rukiya
2. Tokyo Joshi Pro Offer 6-Woman Tag Match: Yuki Arai, Moka Miyamoto & Shino Suzuki Vs Suzume, Arisu Endo & Wakana Uehara
3. Special 8-Man Tag Match: Sanshiro Takagi, Akito, Makoto Oishi & Shinichiro Kawamatsu Vs Yoshitatsu, Yoshihiko, Danshoku Dieno & Super Sasadango Machine
4. Special 6-Man Tag Match ~ DDT Vs VOODOO-MURDERS: Jun Akiyama, HARASHIMA & Yukio Naya Vs Jun Saito, Rei Saito & Toshizo
5. Special Single Match: Kuroshio TOKYO Japan Vs Takeshi Masada
6. Special Single Match: Daisuke Sasaki Vs Tetsuya Endo
7. KO-D Tag Team Titles: Soma Takao & Shota (c) Vs Masahiro Takanashi & Antonio Honda
8. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title – Nivea Cream Care Body Wash Presents ~ Dramatic Dream Round “Let’s Have Fun!!” What Will Happen!? Fun Death Match: Hiromu Takahashi (c) Vs Kazuki Hirata
9. DDT Universal Title: Matt Cardona (c) (w/ Steph De Lander) Vs MAO
10. Goodcom Presents Saki Akai Retirement Match ~Strong, Noble, Beautiful~: Saki Akai, Yukio Sakaguchi & Hideki Okatani Vs Naomichi Marufuji, Kazusada Higuchi & Miyu Yamashita
11. Dramatic Dream Match: Chris Jericho Vs KONOSUKE TAKESHITA
12. KO-D Openweight Title: Chris Brookes (c) Vs Yuki Ueno

Danshoku Dieno’s team has been spending time together in preparation for their match against Sanshiro Takagi’s squad. The latest meeting had Dieno, Yoshitatsu & Yoshihiko go visit MMA fighter Hideo Tokoro’s gym to learn some new techniques. Yoshitatsu has been friends with Tokoro since childhood and Tokoro also got along with Dieno when he found out they are all 46 years old. Tokoro tried to teach them submission holds by using Yoshihiko as a training dummy. He then showed Dieno a way to apply multiple submissions at once by demonstrating a Cobra Twist and Muffler Hold combination. Dieno failed to apply the combination to Yoshitatsu and was scolded for not taking the training seriously.

Suddenly Takagi, Akito & Makoto Oishi barged into the gym. They heard from the media about this session going on and told Dieno that training with Tokoro for just a few minutes isn’t going to work. Dieno disagreed but Akito reminded him he is currently in a slump. Oishi said he will make sure Dieno won’t even make it to Sumo Hall and he suddenly attacked him. However all of a sudden Dieno outwrestled Oishi and successfully applied the submission combination he tried earlier while also reaching over to touch Oishi’s groin. This caused Oishi to submit while in great pain. Takagi, Akito & Oishi then fled from the scene. Dieno announced he is naming his new submission move the Danshoku Fantasy. Tokoro was surprised at how quickly Dieno learned the move. Dieno explained that people tend to get stronger when they are backed into a corner. He is in a slump and adversity was the key for him to break out of it.

Dieno then invited Tokoro to give pro wrestling a try. Tokoro declined, saying he would have to start off as a trainee. Dieno pointed out that DDT is unlike other wrestling companies. As long as you are willing to put your life on the line then you can step into the DDT ring. He told Tokoro the possibility will always be there if he is interested.

DDT “ROJO PRO WRESTLING IN NARAHA TOWN”, 18/11/2023
Fukushima Tenjin Misaki Sports Park

1. Falls Count Anywhere 3 Way Tag Match: MAO & Toy Kojima Vs Kazusada Higuchi & Makoto Oishi Vs Yukio Naya & Kazuma Sumi (Special Referee: Shunma Katsumata)

Wrestling in his hometown is not the only advantage Toy Kojima might have for this Falls Count Anywhere match. Shunma Katsumata is the special guest referee so he might play favorites with The 37KAMIINA team.

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “THE MOUNTAIN TOP 2023”, 19/11/2023
Osaka Edion Arena #2

1. Next Generation Tournament ’23 – Semi-Final: Shino Suzuki Vs HIMAWARI
2. Next Generation Tournament ’23 – Semi-Final: Wakana Uehara Vs Toga
3. Hikari Noa & Nao Kakuta Vs Yuki Kamifuku & Runa Okubo
4. Hyper Misao, Mahiro Kiryu & Haru Kazashiro Vs Yuki Aino, Raku & Pom Harajuku
5. Yuki Arai, Suzume & Arisu Endo Vs Moka Miyamoto, Juria Nagano & Kaya Toribami
6. Yuka Sakazaki & Mizuki Vs Rika Tatsumi & Miu Watanabe
7. International Princess Title: Max The Impaler (c) Vs Shoko Nakajima

The main event is subject to change if Max The Impaler loses the International Princess Title to Kasey in EVE later this week.

It’s been over a year since Juria Nagano has wrestled in Osaka so Tokyo Joshi Pro is putting her in the same match as Yuki Arai to make it a bigger deal. The two of them have only been in the same match once before and that was at “CYBERFIGHT FESTIVAL 2022”.

Miyu Yamashita is not at the show because she will in wrestling at EVE in England that same day.

BASARA “BASARA 236 ~TAKAGARI 21~”, 23/11/2023
Shin-Kiba 1st RING

1. SAGAT Vs Akiyori Takizawa
2. Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi & Daichi Kazato Vs Keisuke Ishii & Shinichiro Tominaga
3. Takumi Tsukamoto & Lil’ Kraken Vs KUBITO & Ryuichi Sekine
4. Ryota Nakatsu, Takato Nakano & Masato Kamino Vs Tsutomu Oosugi, Banana Senga & Yasu Urano
5. Isami Kodaka & Minoru Fujita Vs FUMA & Hagane Shinno

As we get closer to the last Union MAX Title match of the year FUMA and Isami Kodaka are both bringing in reinforcements. Kodaka is staying within Sento Minzoku and has Minoru Fujita on his side. FUMA is calling in an old ally of his from BASARA’s early years. Hagane Shinno will be teaming with him.

This weekend Masato Kamino will be challenging T-Hawk for the G-REX Title in GLEAT. Will he be their new champion by the time BASARA’s next show takes place?

This is Akiyori Takizawa’s first appearance in BASARA since Sparky disbanded.

GANBARE☆PRO “ELEVATOR TO THE GALLOWS ’23”, 23/11/2023
Tokyo Takashimadaira Kumin Center

1. YuuRI & Riara Vs SAKI & Yoshiko Hasegawa
2. Dan The Dad, Tyson Maeguchi & Banny Oikawa Vs Soma Takao, Shinichiro Tominaga & HARUKAZE
3. Yumehito Imanari Vs Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi
4. Ken Ohka & Mizuki Watase Vs Koji Doi & Kuma Arashi
5. Spirit Of Ganbare World Tag Team Titles: Shuichiro Katsumura & Takuya Wada (c) Vs Keisuke Ishii & Munetatsu Nakamura
6. Spirit Of Ganbare World Openweight Title: Isami Kodaka (c) Vs Shota

Kind of cheeky for Ken Ohka to lose a hair match and then take a month off from running main Ganbare☆Pro shows so it would have grown back a little bit when the next one takes place. He has wrestled on other indies since then so it’s not like he’s been avoiding attention. Anyway he still wants revenge on DoiKuma and gets another tag match against them. This time Mizuki Watase is teaming with him.

Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi pays a visit from BASARA to face Yumehito Imanari.

After months of preparation on Ganbare☆Joshi shows Banny Oikawa finally gets her wish to wrestle on a main GanPro show. She’s taking part in an intergender tag match too which is the style she came back to wrestling for. What a weird world we live in when we get a match that has both her and Dan The Dad involved.

BASARA “BASARA 237 ~GRIND AN AXE TO MAKE A NEEDLE~”, 03/12/2023
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

1. Takato Nakano Vs Yuko Miyamoto
2. Lil’ Kraken Vs The Great Sasuke
3. IRON FIST Tag Team Titles: Ryota Nakatsu & Kazusada Higuchi (c) Vs Tsutomu Oosugi & Banana Senga
4. Union MAX Title: FUMA (c) Vs Isami Kodaka

Kodaka has the slight edge over FUMA after he pinned him with a Japanese Leg Roll Clutch yesterday. A flash pin from moves like that or the Samson Clutch is a danger that FUMA needs to watch out for.

The IRON FIST Tag Team are now shared between a BASARA wrestler and a DDT wrestler. Kazusada Higuchi for now has to bounce back and forth between the two promotions while representing the Harimao stable with Ryota Nakatsu. Their first title defence is against Speed Of Sounds and will be held on the same day as a DDT show. However Higuchi made sure that none of his D-Ou Grand Prix matches are taking place that day so he can concentrate on defending the belts without having to worry about his tournament run at the same time.

Two of BASARA’s younger wrestlers have each been given challenging opponents in an effort to make them step up and progress further. Lil’ Kraken grew up watching videos of The Great Sasuke and would love nothing more than to surpass the legend. Takato Nakano steps into the ring to fight Yuko Miyamoto. The match seems to be held under normal rules but if Miyamoto wants to make it hardcore, who is going to tell him no? Nakano would take on that challenge if he had to.

No matches announced yet for Abdullah Kobayashi and Hideyoshi Kamitani. They were already announced for the show along with Leo Isaka.

“NEW YEAR’S EVE PRO WRESTLING 2023 ~TOSHIWASURE! SHUFFLE 6-MAN TAG TOURNAMENT~”, 31/12/2023
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

1. Shuffle 6-Man Tag Tournament – Round 1A: DDT X, Big Japan X & Dream Slot X Vs DDT X, Big Japan X & Dream Slot X
2. Shuffle 6-Man Tag Tournament – Round 1B: DDT X, Big Japan X & Dream Slot X Vs DDT X, Big Japan X & Dream Slot X
3. Shuffle 6-Man Tag Tournament – Round 1C: DDT X, Big Japan X & Dream Slot X Vs DDT X, Big Japan X & Dream Slot X
4. Shuffle 6-Man Tag Tournament – Round 1D: DDT X, Big Japan X & Dream Slot X Vs DDT X, Big Japan X & Dream Slot X
5. X Vs X
6. Shuffle 6-Man Tag Tournament – Semi Final: Winners Of Match 1A Vs Winners Of Match 1B
7. Shuffle 6-Man Tag Tournament – Semi Final: Winners Of Match 1C Vs Winners Of Match 1D
8. X Vs X
9. Shuffle 6-Man Tag Tournament – Final: X, X & X Vs X, X & X

DDT: Chris Brookes, HARASHIMA, Danshoku Dieno, Tetsuya Endo, Kazusada Higuchi, Yukio Naya, Hideki Okatani and Takeshi Masada

Big Japan: Yuki Ishikawa, Yuya Aoki, Daisuke Sekimoto, Yasufumi Nakanoue, Daichi Hashimoto, Hideyoshi Kamitani, Kota Sekifuda and Kazumasa Yoshida

New Year Dream Slot: Minoru Suzuki, Yuji Hino, Ikuto Hidaka, Koji Iwamoto, Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi, Kohei Kinoshita, Brahman Shu (w/ Brahman Kei) and Fuminori Abe

The New Year’s Eve tradition continues with Minoru Suzuki, Yuji Hino, Ikuto Hidaka, Koji Iwamoto and Kohei Kinoshita as some of the special guests. There will also be around two non-tournament matches booked on the show.

The lottery to determine all of the teams entering this year’s Shuffle 6-Man Tag Tournament will be held on 15th November.

Comments Off on Danshoku Fantasy, Banny Makes It to GanPro, BASARA At Korakuen, New Year’s Eve Guests | News | Tagged: Abdullah Kobayashi, Akito, Akiyori Takizawa, Banana Senga, Banny Oikawa, Big Japan Wrestling, BJW, Dan The Dad, Danshoku Dieno, DDT Pro Wrestling, DoiKuma, Dramatic Dream Team, Fukushima Tenjin Misaki Sports Park, FUMA, Ganbare☆Pro Wrestling, GLEAT, Great Sasuke, Hagane Shinno, Harimao, Hideo Tokoro, Hideyoshi Kamitani, Ikuto Hidaka, International Princess Championship, Iron Fist Tag Team Championship, Isami Kodaka, Juria Nagano, Kazusada Higuchi, Ken Ohka, Kohei Kinoshita, Koji Doi, Koji Iwamoto, Korakuen Hall, Kuma Arashi, Leo Isaka, Lil' Kraken, Makoto Oishi, Masato Kamino, Max The Impaler, Minoru Fujita, Minoru Suzuki, Miyu Yamashita, Mizuki Watase, New Year's Eve Pro Wrestling, Osaka Edion Arena, Pro Wrestling BASARA, Rojo Pro Wrestling, Ryogoku Kokugikan, Ryota Nakatsu, Sanshiro Takagi, Shin-Kiba 1st RING, Shunma Katsumata, Speed Of Sounds, Street Pro Wrestling, Sumo Hall, Takashimadaira Kumin Center, Takato Nakano, TJPW, Tokyo Joshi Pro Wrestling, Toy Kojima (Toi Kojima), Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi, Tsutomu Oosugi, Union MAX Championship, Yoshihiko, Yoshitatsu, Yuji Hino, Yuki Arai, Yuko Miyamoto, Yumehito Imanari | Permalink
Posted by JamieOD

Dramatic DDT