DDT “JUDGEMENT 2017 ~ DDT 20TH ANNIVERSARY BOX OFFICE” Preview

March 17, 2017

DDT “JUDGEMENT 2017 ~ DDT 20TH ANNIVERSARY BOX OFFICE”, 20/03/2017
Saitama Super Arena

0. Iron Man Heavymetalweight & King Of Dark Titles – DDT Pro Wrestling 20th Anniversary Memorial Celebration Dramatic Rumble: Kotatsu (I/c) Vs Gota Ihashi (D/c) Vs Tomomitsu Matsunaga Vs Mad Paulie Vs Guanchulo Vs Hoshitango Vs Gorgeous Matsuno Vs Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi Vs Ken Ohka Vs MIKAMI Vs Poison Sawada JULIE Vs GENTARO Vs Tomohiko Hashimoto Vs Rion Mizuki Vs Bambi Vs Yoshihiko
0. DNA Offer Match: Rekka, Daiki Shimomura & Yuki Ueno Vs Nobuhiro Shimatani, Naomi Yoshimura & Dai Suzuki
0. Tokyo Joshi Pro Offer Match: Yuu, Mil Clown & Itoh Maki Vs Reika Saiki, Rika Tatsumi & Azusa Takigawa
1. Super Joshi Pro Wars 2017: Saki Akai, Meiko Satomura & Shoko Nakajima Vs Aja Kong, Cherry & Miyu Yamashita
2. Kou Shibusawa 35th Anniversary “Nobunaga’s Ambition ~Our Warring States~” Sengoku Warlords Match: Toyotomi Hideyoshi (Sanshiro Takagi), Shingen Takeda (Keiji Muto) & Yukimura Sanada (Isami Kodaka) (w/ Matsu-hime (Kimika Tokuta)) Vs Katsuie Shibata (Daisuke Sekimoto), Kenshin Uesugi (Jun Akiyama) & Nobunaga Oda (Kota Ibushi) (w/ Oichi (Mai Iriya))
3. Special 8-Man Tag Match: Toru Owashi, Kazuki Hirata, Antonio Honda & Lady Beard Vs Jaguar Yokota, Keisuke Ishii, Masahiro Takanashi & Yuni
4. Shungo Oyama Pro Wrestling Challenge Match: Yoshihiro Takayama & Dick Togo Vs KUDO & Shungo Oyama
5. Shigehiro Irie Triennial Special Single Match: Shigehiro Irie Vs Mike Bailey
6. PRO WRESTLING TEES Presents “DDT Is DDT” 20 Years Entertainment Culmination! The Best In The World Bad Guy Decisive Battle: Danshoku Dino Vs Joey Ryan
7. KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles – 3 Way Match: Kazusada Higuchi, Kouki Iwasaki & Mizuki Watase (c) Vs Soma Takao, Akito & Yasu Urano Vs Makoto Oishi, Shunma Katsumata & MAO
8. DDT Extreme Title – Sekichu Presents Hardcore Match: Jun Kasai (c) Vs Daisuke Sasaki
9. KO-D Tag Team Titles: Masakatsu Funaki & Yukio Sakaguchi (c) Vs Shuji Ishikawa & Tetsuya Endo
10. KO-D Openweight Title – Good Com Asset Presents: HARASHIMA (c) Vs Konosuke Takeshita

The show airs live on DDT UNIVERSE om Monday 2:00pm JST, 5:00am GMT, 1:00am ET and Sunday 10:00pm PT.

I was also a guest on the Japanese Audio Wrestling podcast last week to preview the show. The episode can be heard here.

Twenty years. Who would have thought DDT would last twenty years? Sanshiro Takagi’s brainchild was created in 1997 when he, MIKAMI and NOSAWA Rongai quit a promotion called Pro Wrestling Crusaders to form their own wrestling league. From there Dramatic Dream Team was born and it created a bizarre path for itself as time went by. From parodying WWE to experimenting with the elements of pro wrestling that have existed for so long that they were taken for granted, DDT became home to some of the most bizarre gimmicks and ideas in the business. But it had something else going for it. Among the island of misfit toys were some gems that have since gone on to be major players on the scene. The parodies and knock offs eventually transformed into more creative endeavours that can now stand on their own. The buildings being booked became bigger. The roster developed into something that the next generation of wrestlers now choose to be there rather than use it as a backup plan.

And it all leads to here. “JUDGEMENT 2017” the 20th Anniversary celebration for DDT is taking place in Saitama Super Arena. This is a plan years in the making. Originally DDT wanted to run the building in 2011 but there was no room on the Arena’s schedule to make it happen. In 2015 DDT booked the Community Hub section of the building for “SAITAMA SUPER DDT 2015”. Finally this year is the year they are running the full building. If that isn’t aiming high, remember that back at the 15th Anniversary show, Takagi announced his intentions to run the Tokyo Dome for the 20th Anniversary! Sadly that never came to pass but hey, Saitama Super Arena isn’t anything to sneeze at.

So let’s get to the card itself. DDT is following the format that a lot of others now use for their biggest show of the year. Cram as much as they can and give everyone a spot somewhere. This is going to be a long show, ladies and gentlemen. The Future attempts to replace the present, an angry warrior looks set to take on DAMNATION, furniture will fly in a charismatic death match, a 3 Way determines who deserves the trios championship, a viral video clip results in a World Wrestling War, two top singles wrestlers battle it out to move up the ranks, an MMA fighter shifts over to pro wrestling, a joshi legend teams up with a child, there’s a match filled with superstar samurai and much more is on the cards. So let’s dig in.


0. Iron Man Heavymetalweight & King Of Dark Titles – DDT Pro Wrestling 20th Anniversary Memorial Celebration Dramatic Rumble: Kotatsu (I/c) Vs Gota Ihashi (D/c) Vs Tomomitsu Matsunaga Vs Mad Paulie Vs Guanchulo Vs Hoshitango Vs Gorgeous Matsuno Vs Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi Vs Ken Ohka Vs MIKAMI Vs Poison Sawada JULIE Vs GENTARO Vs Tomohiko Hashimoto Vs Rion Mizuki Vs Bambi Vs Yoshihiko

We start off with a staple match on these major shows, a Royal Rumble for the Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title. However this time there is an added caveat in the mix. The King Of Dark Title is also on the line, hence why this match is on the pre-show. The current Iron Man Champion is Kotatsu, a literal table. Kotatsu has been unstoppable since becoming the champion. Its defensive capabilities is beyond anything seen from previous champions. As you’d expect from a Japanese table it is tough to break. But it has a soft side too. It has a quilt attached around itself that is so comfortable, anyone who sits next to it falls asleep. The current King Of Dark Champion is Gota Ihashi who recently reclaimed the title for the 6th time. The rest of the field is filled with many names from DDT’s past. MIKAMI had been with DDT for most of its existence and was the Jr. Heavyweight star in the group for many years. Poison Sawada JULIE had many forms but is best remembered as the dark snake magician. GENTARO was a dominant tag wrestler, teaming with Takashi Sasaki as the Akarangers. Tomohiko Hashimoto was one of Koichiro Kimura’s disciples and was part of a unit called B52 Special. Rion Mizuki was an ikemen wrestler who briefly has a Saint Seiya gimmick. Bambi wrestled in DDT under a mask as “Showa”. And then there is the usual lot involved too. It is possible that one of the titles will not change hands depending on the result of the match. It’s a complicated situation that the referees are trying to figure out.


0. DNA Offer Match: Rekka, Daiki Shimomura & Yuki Ueno Vs Nobuhiro Shimatani, Naomi Yoshimura & Dai Suzuki

Earlier this year DDT New Attitude reinvented itself into Fighting Gig DNA. It is still a development brand for DDT’s less experienced wrestlers but the plan is for the group to grow and become its own brand of wrestling. Naomi Yoshimura has quickly become a standout to me. He has the fewest matches out of the six wrestlers but the biggest ego and a powerful body to match. His generation counterpart Yuki Ueno is almost the opposite. Ueno takes a beating every match but he takes it in his stride. Daiki Shimomura and Nobuhiro Shimatani are friends/rivals who recently formed a team together called Gran Millimeters. Dai Suzuki just began a 7 match series where he must win or tie one match or else he must retire. He’s 0-1 so far. Rekka is the most experienced of the bunch by far, joining DNA from New Taiwan Wrestling. Everybody involved in this match are hungry and unsatisfied at just being in the pre-show. They are determined to have an exciting match because of this.


0. Tokyo Joshi Pro Offer Match: Yuu, Mil Clown & Itoh Maki Vs Reika Saiki, Rika Tatsumi & Azusa Takigawa

The last of the pre-show matches involved Tokyo Joshi Pro. DDT’s spin-off women’s brand has been around for four years now and has a colourful cast of idol wrestlers. Yuu is the current queen of the ring, holding the TOKYO Princess Of Princess Title. Her judo talent quickly pushed her heads and shoulders ahead of the rest of the roster. Mil Clown is a trickster from the Magical Country. She came to Tokyo Joshi to take the place of twin sister Yuka Sakazaki when she took a break to find herself. Itoh Maki is a former singer from LinQ and is convinced she is the cutest wrestler ever. Reika Saiki is the powerful Muscle Idol and a member of the Cheer♡1 cheerleader squad. Rika Tatsumi is becoming known for her Dragon Sleeper. It is no coincidence that her ring name was inspired by Tatsumi Fujinami. Finally Azusa Takigawa is the wrestler who is determined to get married. Her use of Zexy Magazine as a weapon in matches got some attention online this year including a request from the magazine’s publisher to stop doing it.


1. Super Joshi Pro Wars 2017: Saki Akai, Meiko Satomura & Shoko Nakajima Vs Aja Kong, Cherry & Miyu Yamashita

Tokyo Joshi’s influence continues into the main show. The two most established wrestlers from the brand are being put in with DDT’s two mainstay women as well as two joshi legends. Miyu Yamashita has been with Tokyo Joshi since its very first show back in January 2013 with Shoko Nakajima coming in a few months later. Yamashita was the first ever Princess Champion while Nakajima is a Tokyo Princess Cup winner and has been in the final for all three tournaments. Saki Akai and Cherry have a not so friendly relationship in DDT. Cherry was the token women’s wrestler for the DDT family until Akai the celebrity came in. Cherry has been jealous of her success and popularity ever since. Then there is the famed rivalry between Meiko Satomura and Aja Kong. I got to see their Sendai Girls match live last April and it was amazing to watch. Maybe Yamashita and Nakajima can impress the right people in this match and get an opportunity to spread their wings.


2. Kou Shibusawa 35th Anniversary “Nobunaga’s Ambition ~Our Warring States~” Sengoku Warlords Match: Toyotomi Hideyoshi (Sanshiro Takagi), Shingen Takeda (Keiji Muto) & Yukimura Sanada (Isami Kodaka) (w/ Matsu-hime (Kimika Tokuta)) Vs Katsuie Shibata (Daisuke Sekimoto), Kenshin Uesugi (Jun Akiyama) & Nobunaga Oda (Kota Ibushi) (w/ Oichi (Mai Iriya))

It’s surprising to see a match of this magnitude apparantly take place so early on the show but this is going to be a highlight for sure. To celebrate game director Kou Shibusawa’s 35th year in the business, DDT is teaming up with Koei Tecmo to put on a star studded match promoting the Nobunaga’s Ambition phone game. If you don’t know about that series then maybe you are more familiar with Dynasty Warriors or Romance Of The Three Kingdoms. Chances are if the Yellow Turban Rebellion is mentioned somewhere then this match relates to it. To get the most out of this match I suggest you grab a Playstation controller and mash Square over and over. It’s how I played through Dynasty Warriors 8.

To the teams themselves. On one side you have the Big President Sanshiro Takagi, the BASARA samurai Isami Kodaka and the Pro Wrestling Master Keiji Muto. On the other side there is the hard bodied Daisuke Sekimoto, the wise man Jun Akiyama and the nutjob who thinks showering in fireworks during a trip to London is a good idea Kota Ibushi. So far so good but to make things more interesting each wrestler is playing a different character from the historical video game series. There are also actresses involved, Mai Iriya is playing Sekimoto’s character’s wife and Kimika Tokuta is playing Muto’s character’s daughter. Ibushi turned down WWE for this and I couldn’t be happier. Twitter videos also show he has a blunderbuss as part of his costume because you know, giving Ibushi a gun is such a good idea.


3. Special 8-Man Tag Match: Toru Owashi, Kazuki Hirata, Antonio Honda & Lady Beard Vs Jaguar Yokota, Keisuke Ishii, Masahiro Takanashi & Yuni

Another mish-mash multi-person tag match. The focus here is on two people with around a 45 year a age difference between them. Jaguar Yokota wrestled for DDT once before back in June 2003. Teaming with her is the 3rd grade elementary student Yuni. The kid convinced DDT to train him as a wrestler and he’s had a few matches since his debut last December. During his time away from the ring he’s been bouncing on his bed trying to learn stylish moves like the Sky Twister Press. Yokota and Yuni have met and trained together in the build up to this match. They get along and Yokota warns she won’t forgive anyone who tries to bully Yuni in the ring. Joining their team are Keisuke Ishii and Masahiro Takanashi. Ishii has had a banner year since winning the AJPW Jr. Heavyweight Title. Takanashi is firmly suited in his role for Shuten-dōji and can catch anyone with his pinning manoeuvres. Their opponents are Toru Owashi and the three people who annoy him. Kazuki Hirata wants nothing more than to dance on the biggest stage (sadly his music will be blocked on DDT UNIVERSE). Both Antonio Honda and Lady Beard are warming up their vocals and will probably be more interested in telling stories and singing karaoke rather than wrestling.


4. Shungo Oyama Pro Wrestling Challenge Match: Yoshihiro Takayama & Dick Togo Vs KUDO & Shungo Oyama

Former MMA fighter Shungo Oyama has fought many big names in PRIDE, K-1 and HERO’S. He’s fought Wanderlai Silva, Peter Aerts, Renzo Gracie (and a few others from that family), Dan Henderson, Cro Cop and Carlos Newton. He even once fought Sean O’Haire in a kickboxing bout! When his MMA career ended DDT sent him an invite to try out pro wrestling. It’s an idea he considered but put off for years because he was coming off of injuries and did not want to disrespect pro wrestling with a lacklustre performance. But he came round on the idea and figured it is better to do it now then never at all. He sent a strong message to Yoshihiro Takayama in February when they met in a DDT ring. Takayama tried attacked Oyama but was quickly put in a Sleeper Hold and choked unconscious. KUDO is encouraged by Oyama’s appearance. His advice to him is if he can see success then he can win. Takayama isn’t going to take it lying down though. He warns that all Oyama did was wake up the fighter inside him and he’s now hungry for blood! Takayama’s tag partner Dick Togo wants to remind everyone that even though Oyama is strong he is still a pro wrestling rookie. Togo is eager to teach him a lesson!


5. Shigehiro Irie Triennial Special Single Match: Shigehiro Irie Vs Mike Bailey

This is an interesting match up. Shigehiro Irie and “Speedball” Mike Bailey have both been recovering from set-backs after losing title matches to HARASHIMA. They are both on the cusp of hitting the main event level again but are taking different paths to reach it. Irie has been relying on excursions to the United States of America. The first trip saw him return to Japan much stronger and more confident than ever before. He was already planning a return to America when he fought HARASHIMA on Christmas Day but he wanted to bring the KO-D Openweight Title with him. That did not happen. Still, Irie loves spending time in America and did not take his latest trip for granted.

Bailey’s climb to the top is coming from his time teaming with Happy Motels and wrestling in DNA. He won the DNA Grand Prix on his own in October and then won the KO-D Tag Team Titles with Konosuke Takeshita in December. But Irie isn’t impressed. He’s given him the thumbs down after their matches together. Expect the winner of this match to start banging on the door for a title shot in the future.


6. PRO WRESTLING TEES Presents “DDT Is DDT” 20 Years Entertainment Culmination! The Best In The World Bad Guy Decisive Battle: Danshoku Dino Vs Joey Ryan

Where do I even begin with this? DDT put together the most DDT match they could think of to promote DDT UNIVERSE to a global audience. On November 2015, Danshoku Dino and Joey Ryan faced off in a 6-Man Tag. Their interactions went viral and the aftermath has been following them ever since. When Dino was given 500,000 yen to find his dream opponent for Saitama Super Arena he went for the obvious choice. Triple H! Unfortunately he’s too busy trying to drain the European wrestling scene of its talent for NXT so Dino went for the next obvious choice. Joey Ryan! And to make the match even more appealing to a global audience, Super Sasadango Machine is creating a special PowerPoint presentation in Japanese, English, Spanish and Chinese for the match.

Everything surrounding the match was well and good until a few days ago when a certain powerful figure in the world of politics got involved. “Donald Trump” stepped in and declared the match a World Wrestling War between Japan and America. This is a serious situation that calls for a dangerous stipulation. Using the SWOT Analysis on Dino, Trump determined that Dino Vs Ryan should be an Anal Explosion Death Match! If such a match goes ahead then any scenes of graphic content will be censored on DDT UNIVERSE with this NSFW image.

Oh and Pro Wrestling Tees is sponsoring the match. Buy DDT shirts here. You picked a hell of a match to sponsor, lads.


7. KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles – 3 Way Match: Kazusada Higuchi, Kouki Iwasaki & Mizuki Watase (c) Vs Soma Takao, Akito & Yasu Urano Vs Makoto Oishi, Shunma Katsumata & MAO

Things will calm down for the KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles match. Three units clash and each side has its own story to tell. Team DNA are the champions going into the match. Kazusada Higuchi is the top man in DNA and has progressed far enough to fight for the KO-D Title a few times already. Kouki Iwasaki is a solid wrestler who is currently picking fights with Kazushi Sakuraba in DNA. Mizuki Watase has gotten his wrestling career back on track after a whirlwind romance with TV celebrity and former champion LiLiCo last year.

Smile Squash are the stronger of the two challenging teams. With Soma Takao recently joining the unit they’ve been on a strong run in tag matches. Akito is happy to team with him but Yasu Urano is pretty suspect of the situation. Takao himself admits he joined Smile Squash to wrestle with HARASHIMA and learn what it will take to beat him someday. Urano wonders why should a guy like that get to join the unit? Regardless, this team contains three skillful wrestlers with momentum on their side.

Last but not least is NωA. Their success in the ring is difficult to find but out of all the teams in the match they are the most tightly knit unit. They sing together, dance together and wrestle together. They released two CDs which nobody else on the show can boast.


8. DDT Extreme Title – Sekichu Presents Hardcore Match: Jun Kasai (c) Vs Daisuke Sasaki

Now we’re getting into the big matches. The last three bouts are going to carry the heavy end of the show so I have high hopes for them. The Hardcore Match is being sponsored by Sekichu and the weapons laid out around the ring will all be provided by them. Daisuke Sasaki is mostly over his infatuation with Candice LeRae but the idea that a championship can impress her may still be in his head. But if he has moved on from her he is now focused on getting rid of Jun Kasai. He stole Kasai’s goggles a month ago but Kasai got back at him by stealing his leather jacket. The items were given back to each other but the fighting continued. Sasaki is confident he will win. So much so he is already thinking of using his match winnings to buy a 65 inch TV to replace his 50 inch one. Is Sasaki charismatic enough to overcome Kasai’s violent streak?


9. KO-D Tag Team Titles: Masakatsu Funaki & Yukio Sakaguchi (c) Vs Shuji Ishikawa & Tetsuya Endo

DAMNATION’s presence continues on to the KO-D Tag Team Titles Match. Nobody has gotten Yukio Sakaguchi more riled up than Tetsuya Endo lately. Endo beating Sakaguchi in a singles match last month only made the bad blood between the two worse. Now Endo has his eyes the tag titles and he’s brining along Shuji Ishikawa to help. He’s also winding up Masakatsu Funaki by calling his Hybrid Wrestling style a thing of the past. Sakaguchi threatens that he will fill Saitama Super Arena with Endo’s blood!


10. KO-D Openweight Title – Good Com Asset Presents: HARASHIMA (c) Vs Konosuke Takeshita

The backbone of DDT defends his place on top against the future of the company. HARASHIMA is the most successful KO-D Openweight Champion in DDT history with 9 title reigns and around 28 successful title defences over the course of 10 years. Konosuke Takeshita left his mark on history by becoming the youngest ever KO-D Champion, winning the title on his 21st birthday. Takeshita wants nothing more than for HARASHIMA to be at his absolute best when they wrestle. He wants to beat HARASHIMA at his best so he can rewrite the history books and cement his place as the strongest wrestler to ever step foot in DDT. HARASHIMA assures him that he is constantly getting better every time he steps in the ring. He hears Takeshita’s claims that he is the future of DDT but HARASHIMA doesn’t think the generation shift will happen under his watch. HARASHIMA is thrilled to see DDT on the big stage like this after 20 years. He thinks beating Takeshita in the main event is a good way to kickstart the 21st year. The future of DDT is at stake. Is it time for The Future to take over?


DDT “ROAD TO SUPER ARENA IN NAGOYA ~DRAMATIC DREAM TENMUSU~” Results

January 8, 2017

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DDT “ROAD TO SUPER ARENA IN NAGOYA ~DRAMATIC DREAM TENMUSU~”, 08/01/2017
Nagoya Chikusa Sports Center
291 Fans – Super No Vacancy

1. Makoto Oishi, Shunma Katsumata & Ultraman Robin defeated Sanshiro Takagi, Toru Owashi & Kazuki Hirata when Oishi pinned Hirata with the Jikiden Tornado Clutch (7:07).
2. Daisuke Sasaki & Mad Paulie defeated Shinya Ishida & Rekka when Sasaki submitted Rekka with the Cross Facelock (11:17).
3. Keisuke Ishii, Kazusada Higuchi & Yoshihiko defeated Antonio Honda, Guanchulo & Candice LeRae when Yoshihiko pinned Honda with a Back Drop (9:54).
4. 3 Way Tag Match: Akito & Yasu Urano defeated Mike Bailey & Kouki Iwasaki and Yukio Sakaguchi & Masahiro Takanashi when Akito submitted Sakaguchi with a Perfect Figure Four Leg Lock (11:19).
5. Shigehiro Irie, Konosuke Takeshita & Kengo Takai defeated HARASHIMA, Yoshihiro Takayama & Soma Takao when Irie pinned Takao with the Beast Bomber (14:47).
6. KO-D Openweight Title Challenger Decision Tournament – Round 1: KUDO defeated Tetsuya Endo with Three Backspin Kicks (24:00).

KUDO joins Konosuke Takeshita in the final of the KO-D Openweight Title contender tournament. Tetsuya Endo’s chance of beating him was ruined by his surroundings. The ceiling was so low that he hesitated to do the Sky Twister Press from the top rope. That allowed KUDO to recover and trip Endo into a Tree Of Woe position. KUDO hit the Diving Double Knee Drop and then hit another one to the back of Endo’s head when he stood up. KUDO then hit three Backspin Kicks for the victory. Takeshita approached KUDO after the match and offered a handshake. KUDO rejected it by knocking Takeshita’s hand away with his knee.

Today was Shigehiro Irie’s final match in Japan before his next tour of North America. Irie spoke to everyone involved in his match after it ended. He told Soma Takao he still likes him even though they drifted apart after Team Dream Futures split up. Irie was also happy to wrestle with his teacher Kengo Takai again. He wants to repay Takai by growing into a bigger wrestler overseas and returning to DDT better than ever.

Akito scored a huge accomplishment in the 3 Way Tag match by being the first person to submit Yukio Sakaguchi in DDT! He put Sakaguchi in a Figure Four Leg Lock, then grabbed Sakaguchi’s arms and pulled them towards him to apply a “perfect” version of the hold until Sakaguchi submitted. Sakaguchi was furious afterwards and swore revenge. He will never forgive Akito for this and will destroy him as payback!

Candince LeRae said wrestling Yoshihiko felt like a dream. Not as in it was a dream come true, more like she isn’t sure it really happened. She was told beforehand that Yoshihiko is a legend around these parts but she thought a joke was being played on her. For one thing she doesn’t know if Yoshihiko is male or female.

MAO was unavailable so Sanshiro Takagi went ahead and found a temporary replacement and possible new member for NωA. Their music played and out came Ultraman Robin wearing MAO’s entrance gear and badly singing along. Makoto Oishi was insulted but had no choice but to team with Robin when T2Hide attacked them to start the match. Robin got rid of Takagi & Toru Owashi, allowing Oishi to pin Kazuki Hirata with the Tornado Clutch. Despite his good performance, he wasn’t accepted into NωA. Oishi and Shunma Katsumata instead flipped him off and left the ring.


DDT “NEVER MIND 2016” Results

December 25, 2016

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DDT “NEVER MIND 2016”, 25/12/2016
Tokyo Korakuen Hall
2,016 Fans – Super No Vacancy

1. Dramatic Christmas Carnival: Danshoku Dino, Keisuke Ishii & Jiro Kuroshio defeated Sanshiro Takagi, Toru Owashi & Kazuki Hirata when Ishii pinned Hirata with the High Angle Double Arm DDT (9:53).
2. 3 Way Tag Match: Shunma Katsumata & MAO defeated Soma Takao & Mizuki Watase and Antonio Honda & Guanchulo when Katsumata pinned Guanchulo with the Kasadora (7:24).
3. Joey Ryan & Laura James defeated Makoto Oishi & Saki Akai when Ryan pinned Oishi with the Super Kick (5:50).
4. Yoshihiro Takayama, Kazusada Higuchi & Kouki Iwasaki defeated Akito, Yasu Urano & Tomomitsu Matsunaga when Higuchi pinned Matsunaga with the Doctor Bomb (11:13).
5. New Year’s Big Bang Bout: Konosuke Takeshita defeated Mad Paulie with the Pull Out German Suplex (11:15).
6. KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles: KUDO, Yukio Sakaguchi & Masahiro Takanashi (c) defeated Daisuke Sasaki, Shuji Ishikawa & Tetsuya Endo when Takanashi pinned Sasaki with the Bacchus (15:37).
*V1 for Shuten-dōji.
7. KO-D Openweight Title: HARASHIMA (c) defeated Shigehiro Irie with the Somato (23:53).
*V1 for HARASHIMA.

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Merry Christmas everyone! The final DDT show of the year had HARASHIMA’s first defence of his current KO-D Openweight Title reign. The challenger Shigehiro Irie had a lot of momentum on his side ever since he came back from America. He had pinned HARASHIMA in his first match back and was on the winning side for most of their tag matches in the lead up to today. Irie would even taunt HARASHIMA by giving him the thumbs down after all of their matches. HARASHIMA targeted Irie’s abdomen early on, hitting the John Woo Dropkick, some Knee Drops and Foot Stomps then a Cobra Twist. He did the deed by doing a Falcon Arrow but Irie kicked out and turned the tables with a Traffic Accident Tackle. HARASHIMA avoided both a Piledriver and the Flying Sausage but Irie finally hit a move with the Black Hole Slam. He tried to do a Piledriver on the apron but HARASHIMA slipped out and hit a Buzzsaw Kick. Irie quickly cut his momentum at ringside with a Power Bomb onto the apron instead. When HARASHIMA was rolled back into the ring he kicked out of the pin. He blocked Irie from doing the Flying Sausage and did a Superplex instead. A Swan Dive Foot Stomp got a two count. Irie applied the Tazzmission and tried to do a Suplex variation but HARASHIMA fought his way out of it. HARASHIMA hit three middle kicks but Irie hit back with the Beast Bomber and then gave a thumbs down. He went for the Vertical Drop Back Flip but HARASHIMA slipped out and hit a Jumping High Kick. The end came with both wrestlers trying to hit either the Somato or the Beast Bomber and HARASHIMA came out on top.

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Irie finally gave HARASHIMA the thumbs up after the match. HARASHIMA said that everyone now sees how strong Irie has become and he would be happy to fight him again. HARASHIMA is now looking forward to defending the title against Mike Bailey on 3rd January. The rest of the roster then came out including Super Sasadango Machine wearing a Santa costume. Several of the wrestlers gave out their goals for 2017. Konosuke Takeshita wants to win back the KO-D Title. Yukio Sakaguchi will kill everyone who stands before his eyes. KUDO has spent this year recovering from his injuries and becoming a father so he wants to show everyone a strong KUDO next year. Yoshihiro Takayama has gotten so used to wrestling in DDT he now wants something to wrap around his waist to keep warm. Danshoku Dino will go on a diet. Keisuke Ishii wants to be more central to DDT. Saki Akai wants to spread the world of DDT. Kazusada Higuchi wants to win the New Year Tag Team Tournament. Shunma Katsumata wants to release a solo album, record more songs with NωA, win the KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles and recruit a new member for NωA. Sasadango wants to return to the ring and live vigorously in good health. Sanshiro Takagi wants to send DDT across the whole world through DDT UNIVERSE. Finally HARASHIMA wants everyone to continue their support for DDT.

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Shuten-dōji continues to have DAMNATION’s number. They beat DAMNATION to win the KO-D 6-Man Tag Titles earlier this month, beat them again earlier this week and then beat them once more in their first title defence. If that wasn’t enough, Masahiro Takanashi pinned Daisuke Sasaki in all three matches! Even Takanashi has trouble believing it. The third straight loss for DAMNATION has put them in crisis. They stormed out at the end of the show after the rest of the roster gave their resolutions. Is DAMNATION going to split up? Hell no! Sasaki says if they’re breaking up on Christmas Day, they would do it alone during a party for just themselves. Instead Sasaki will prepare for his next match on 3rd January. He will face the love of his life Candice LeRae! Next year DAMNATION will not flock together or flirt or get married… but Sasaki will get married to Candice! Sasaki was also kicking Shuji Ishikawa as he was shouting this out. Mad Paulie wasn’t really paying attention, instead wishing everyone a merry Christmas and a happy new year.

nevermind-dino

The first two matches for “JUDGEMENT 2017” in Saitama Super Arena next March were announced. A good card has to be prepared since the show celebrates DDT’s 20 year anniversary. First, Tokyo Joshi Pro gets a high profile match by mixing in with DDT’s women and two big joshi names. It will be Meiko Satomura, Saki Akai & Shoko Nakajima Vs Aja Kong, Cherry & Miyu Yamashita! The other match is Danshoku Dino versus whoever he wants. Dino requested Triple H but that was immediately turned down because it is deemed impossible to set up. It is up to Dino to choose his dream opponent under one condition, he cannot spend over 500,000 yen combined in payment, transportation and accommodation expenses.

nevermind-german

Mad Paulie was truly in the Christmas spirit all day. He came down to the ring for his match against Konosuke Takeshita wearing a Santa hat and beard. He dominated the early portion of the bout, overwhelming Takeshita with brute force and throwing him around ringside. Takeshita spent the match defending himself against Paulie’s attacks. The opening he was looking for when he avoided the Reverse Splash. He then hit move after move from Big boots to Lariats to Brainbusters until Paulie couldn’t take anymore. Takeshita then got the win with the German Suplex. Takeshita was happy to spend the last DDT show of the year wrestling in a singles match and his victory was his Christmas gift to the fans.

nevermind-iwasaki

Kazusada Higuchi say he has learned a lot by teaming with Yoshihiro Takayama in the last few months. Takayama thinks Higuchi is just trying to flatter him but Higuchi is being honest. Takayama says he too is learning new things by teaming with Higuchi and Kouki Iwasaki. When asked about his desire to want something around his waist, Takayama simply answered he is the man who wants everything.

nevermind-ryan

Joey Ryan & Laura James have set their sights on becoming DDT’s power couple. Before their match with Makoto Oishi & Saki Akai began, James dared the referee to check her tights for any hidden items. When the ref became uncomfortable, Ryan then demanded him to do it. The couple showed off their deadly double team move during the match. Ryan falls down on his hands and knees next to the target, James pours lotion all over his back, she then charges towards him and slides over his back head first into the opponent. After winning the match, Ryan said their opponents were easy and he match difficult on purpose just to have a challenge. Their goal in DDT for 2017 is to win the KO-D Tag Team Titles. Also James wants to visit Harajuku and go see a cat cafe.

nevermind-fox

Everyone in the 3 Way Tag match agreed to Lucha tag rules for the bout. Antonio Honda got upset when he couldn’t join in on the wrestling between Soma Takao and Shunma Katsumata. So he began telling a story that happened a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away. Everybody expected him to talk about Star Wars but it instead turned out to be Gon, The Little Fox again.

nevermind-ikemen

Whenever Jiro Kuroshio shows up in DDT it is always a fun time for everyone, except Kazuki Hirata. He’s jealous of Kuroshio’s popularity and hates his entrance song. It’s incomprehensible and annoying unlike his own song. He was going to crush Kuroshio in this match! He also warned him about Dino’s behaviour around handsome wrestlers. Dino was in fact smitten by Kuroshio but that motivated him rather than cause a distraction. Sanshiro Takagi used the brand new DDT Storage Box as a weapon during the match but was cut off with a Dropkick. Kuroshio was ready to end the match until Dino stopped to confess his love to him. Keisuke Ishii took over while this was going on and won the match for his team anyway.


DDT “ROAD TO SUPER ARENA ~DRAMATIC DREAM TAN~” Results

December 23, 2016

togo-mao

DDT “ROAD TO SUPER ARENA ~DRAMATIC DREAM TAN~”, 23/12/2016
Miyagi Yume Messe West Wing Hall
334 Fans – No Vacancy

1. Fantastic Memories Vs NωA: Danshoku Dino & Keisuke Ishii defeated Makoto Oishi & Shunma Katsumata when Ishii pinned Katsumata with the Tiger Suplex (10:08).
2. 3 Way Match: Akito defeated Guanchulo and Gorgeous Matsuno when Akito submitted Guanchulo with the Scorpion Lock and Matsuno with a Cobra Twist at the same time (9:56).
3. Joey Ryan & Laura James defeated Sanshiro Takagi & Kazuki Hirata when James pinned Hirata with the Northern Lights Suplex (11:02).
4. Kazusada Higuchi, Toru Owashi & Kouki Iwasaki defeated Konosuke Takeshita, Antonio Honda & Soma Takao when Higuchi pinned Honda with the Doctor Bomb (11:53).
5. Yoshihiro Takayama & Shigehiro Irie defeated HARASHIMA & Yasu Urano when Irie submitted Urano with the Tazzmission (14:35).
6. Wrestling Master Vs 19 Year Old Idol Wrestler From Osaka City! Miyagi Specialty Special Single Match: Dick Togo defeated MAO with the Diving Senton (16:54).
7. Shuten-dōji Vs DAMNATION: KUDO, Yukio Sakaguchi & Masahiro Takanashi defeated Daisuke Sasaki, Tetsuya Endo & Mad Paulie when Takanashi pinned Sasaki with the Takatonic (13:49).

Masa Takanashi pins Daisuke Sasaki for the second time in a row. Yukio Sakaguchi set it up with the Right Knee Of God and Takanashi finished it with the Takatonic. Takanashi himself noticed this new trend is unusual for him. He wanted to act like beating Sasaki twice is no big deal be even he admits it is strange. Eh, whatever. Let’s drink!

A stipulation was added to MAO Vs Dick Togo. If MAO won then Togo would have to join NωA. But if Togo won then he would get to make a wish. He teased that he might wish to join NωA anyway. Before the match began, MAO was given 30kg of rice as a gift of encouragement from a local sponsor. During the match Togo pulled MAO out of the ring, pulled away a ring mat and Body Slammed MAO onto the exposed floor. Togo continued to control the match until MAO hit a No Touch Tope out of the ring. MAO later stopped Togo from doing the Senton Bomb by hitting an Avalanche Frankensteiner followed by the Screw Kick. Togo avoided the 450 Cannonball and took MAO back outside the ring so he could give him a Vertical Drop Brainbuster onto the floor. Togo returned to the ring at the 19 count but was then hit with a Lariat. Togo won the match with the Pedigree and the Diving Senton. After the match Makoto Oishi came out with an exciting announcement for the future of NωA. He wants to introduced the newest member of NωA, the Wrestling Master turned Idol Master Dick Togo! Togo was taken aback but played along and asked Oishi if he was ready to help make his wish come true. Oishi said of course! Togo then gave Oishi the Pedigree. Wish granted.

Yoshihiro Takayama & Shigehiro Irie had a dominating victory over Smile Squash. They hit a Back Drop/Neckbreaker Drop combo to HARASHIMA to take him out of the match then Irie latched on the Tazzmission to Yasu Urano for the victory. Irie said after the match that he will become the KO-D Openweight Champion in two days time.

The show featured the DDT debut of Laura James, wife of Joey Ryan. Joey and Sanshiro Takagi wanted her debut to be a serious match so they both stopped Kazuki Hirata from dancing. Ryan then repeatedly shouted “This is serious!” while he traded holds with Takagi. Hirata got the message and tried not to do anything wacky when he was in the ring with Laura. That all went out the window when Joey started doing his crotch spots and Hirata convinced Laura to dance with him. Joey stopped the dancing by shoving a lollipop into Hirata’s mouth and then Super Kicking him. Laura then hit a Northern Lights Suplex to win her first DDT match.


DDT “ROAD TO SUPER ARENA ~DRAMATIC DREAM CLOCK TOWER~” Results

December 18, 2016

paulie-choke-akito

DDT “ROAD TO SUPER ARENA ~DRAMATIC DREAM CLOCK TOWER~”, 18/12/2016
Sapporo Sun Plaza
595 Fans – Super No Vacancy

1. Masahiro Takanashi & Soma Takao defeated Sanshiro Takagi & Kazuki Hirata when Takao pinned Hirata with the Gin And Tonic (9:52).
2. How About A Big Hokkaido! Two Big Single Match: Akito defeated Mad Paulie by Disqualification (12:06).
3. Keisuke Ishii & Tomoya defeated Yasu Urano & Koji Yoshida when Ishii pinned Urano with the High Angle Double Arm DDT (10:59).
4. DAMNATION Vs NωA!: Daisuke Sasaki & Tetsuya Endo defeated Makoto Oishi & Shunma Katsumata when Endo pinned Katsumata with the Torture Rack Bomb (14:10).
5. How About A Big Hokkaido! Two Big Single Match: Yoshihiro Takayama defeated Antonio Honda with a Leg Split (10:53).
6. Shuten-dōji Vs DNA Combination: KUDO & Yukio Sakaguchi defeated Kazusada Higuchi & Kouki Iwasaki when Sakaguchi pinned Iwasaki with the Right Knee Of God (17:40).
7. Sapporo Specialty! Sea Urchin, Scallop, Cuttlefish, Crab Bowl Special 4 Way Match: HARASHIMA defeated Shigehiro Irie, Konosuke Takeshita and Danshoku Dino when HARASHIMA pinned Dino with the Somato (14:10).

At one point in the 4 Way Match, Shigehiro Irie hit HARASHIMA with the Beast Bomber just when HARASHIMA was about to do the Somato on Danshoku Dino. Konosuke Takeshita took out Irie with the German Suplex. Dino then got rid of Takeshita with the Lip Lock. He tried to do the Raw Danshoku Driver but that was stopped by HARASHIMA who hit the Somato to win. HARASHIMA stared at Irie after the match and Irie just gave him a thumbs down.

Kazusada Higuchi is still dealing with getting pinned in yesterday’s DNA main event. With his mind elsewhere he wasn’t on the same page as Kouki Iwasaki which caused them to lose to Shuten-dōji.

When Yoshihiro Takayama put Antonio Honda in a submission hold early in their match, Honda teased giving up. It sounded like he was trying to say “Give Up” but it then turned out he actually said “Mel Gibson” and “Give me chocolate”. He then tried to distract Takayama by telling him the Three Little Pigs story. His last trick was attempting a Manjigatame but Honda pulled his groin in the process. Takayama then used a Leg Split submission to stretch Honda’s groin even further, making him submit to the pain.

The match between Akito and Mad Paulie ended in a DQ. What happened was Paulie became frustrated by being out-wrestled by Akito. So Paulie left the ring and came back with a rope to choke his opponent with. Akito tried to outmanoeuvre his way out of trouble but Paulie eventually got to him on the apron. Paulie went on a small rampage after he was DQ’ed. He gave Yuki Ueno a Lariat when Ueno tried to stop him.


DDT “ROAD TO SUPER ARENA ~DRAMATIC DREAM PORK~” Results

December 11, 2016

shutendoji-damnation-kod6

DDT “ROAD TO SUPER ARENA ~DRAMATIC DREAM PORK~”, 11/12/2016
Hakata Star Lane
446 Fans – No Vacancy

1. 3 Way Tag Match: Makoto Oishi & Shunma Katsumata defeated Sanshiro Takagi & Kazuki Hirata and Antonio Honda & Guanchulo when Oishi pinned Hirata with the Jikiden Tornado Clutch (9:07).
2. Toru Owashi, Yuto Aijima & Azul Dragon defeated Soma Takao, Kazusada Higuchi & Kouki Iwasaki when Owashi pinned Iwasaki with La Magistral Cradle (9:34).
3. Maki Itoh Pro Wrestling Debut: Miyu Yamashita defeated Maki Itoh with the Attitude Adjustment (9:52).
4. Show Me, The Battle Of Those Born In 1975! Classmate Confrontation!: Shuji Ishikawa defeated Yasu Urano with the Running Knee Lift (9:58).
5. Hakata Specialty! Seimonbarai Special Tag Match: Yoshihiro Takayama & Shigehiro Irie defeated HARASHIMA & Akito when Irie pinned Akito with the Beast Bomber (13:27).
6. KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles: KUDO, Yukio Sakaguchi & Masahiro Takanashi defeated Daisuke Sasaki, Tetsuya Endo & Mad Paulie (c) when Takanashi pinned Sasaki with the Bacchus (18:24).
*DAMNATION fails in V2. Shuten-dōji becomes the 27th KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Champions!
7. KO-D Tag Team Titles: Konosuke Takeshita & Mike Bailey (c) defeated Danshoku Dino & Keisuke Ishii when Bailey pinned Dino with the Shooting Star Double Knee Drop (24:00).
*V1 for Konosuke Takeshita & Mike Bailey.

As mentioned after yesterday’s show, Mike Bailey wanted nothing to do with Danshoku Dino in the main event. Dino chased him around ringside until Bailey had to fend him off with kicks. It wasn’t any better for Konosuke Takeshita, he missed a Lariat to Keisuke Ishii and hit his arm off the ring post. Dino & Ishii took advantage and worked over the arm. They tried a Go 2 Sleep style set up for the Danshoku Driver to Bailey but Takeshita cut them off. Takeshita countered Ishii’s Kneel Kick with a Lariat and that took him out of the match. Bailey secured the win with a Buzzsaw Kick to Dino followed by the Shooting Star Double Knee Drop. Bailey said after the match that his problem with Dino has nothing to do with his sexual preference. It’s because Dino keeps grabbing men’s crotches without their consent. Aside from that Bailey called him a good wrestler and “The No. 1 Gay”. With that out of the way Bailey then asked Amon Tsurumi for a request. He recently won the DNA Grand Prix and the KO-D Tag Team Titles so now he wants a shot at the KO-D Openweight Title! Tsurumi confirmed that the winner of HARASHIMA Vs Shigehiro Irie will face Bailey at Korakuen Hall on 3rd January with the title on the line!

It’s all falling apart for DAMNATION, they have now lost all of their championships! In the lead up to this match, Daisuke Sasaki said if DAMNATION lost the KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles to Shuten-dōji then they should split up. Kota Umeda was at ringside using crutches to stand so he could cheer on his stablemates. Early in the match Sasaki grabbed Masahiro Takanashi’s legs from the apron and pulled him outside the ring. That led to a ringside brawl where Sasaki grabbed Umeda’s crutch and then hit him with it. The end came when Takanashi escaped Sasaki’s Vietnam Driver II. Sasaki fought off the Takatonic but was surprised when Takanashi switched to the Bacchus. That was enough for the three count and the title change! Sasaki was distraught by the result. DAMNATION has lost all of its championships in the space of a week and they deserve to be dissolved because of this! While Sasaki had a mental breakdown backstage, Shuji Ishikawa demanded the group get a rematch at Korakuen Hall on Christmas Day. Mad Paulie already has a match set for that show so Ishikawa will take his spot on the team. The new champions welcome the decision. Takanashi said Sasaki should go wash dishes for DDT’s restaurants if he loses again. As far as he is concerned, Sasaki owed a debt to Shuten-dōji when he lost and that debt was paid for with the 6-Man Tag Titles. If Sasaki loses again, he’ll owe Shuten-dōji another debt and he has nothing left that they want so he may as well start from zero like a rookie and do chores.

Shigehiro Irie was happy to play with his new friend Yoshihiro Takayama in Hakata! He has nothing to be afraid of because his new friend is big and strong! Takayama gave Irie his stamp of approval to be the next KO-D Champion! Together they yelled “No Fear!”

Maki Itoh was all business for her debut wrestling match. After watching Miyu Yamashita’s dance entrance she told her she wasn’t here to do the same. Itoh’s offence included Elbow Strikes, a Body Slam, a Dropkick and even a Headbutt. Yamashita defeated her with a Skewered Knee Strike followed by the Attitude Adjustment. Yamashita said she was happy to be back in her home city of Fukuoka and she was pleased with Itoh’s performance. Her true feelings were showcased in the ring because she worked hard. Yamashita also said from now on she and Itoh are rivals so they can have more exciting matches together in Fukuoka. Itoh admitted defeat but claims she has a cuter face than Yamashita.


DDT “SAITAMA SLAM! VOL. 17” Results

December 11, 2016

ihashi-frye-takayama

DDT “SAITAMA SLAM! VOL. 17”, 10/12/2016
Saitama Kasukabe Hall
350 Fans – Super No Vacancy Full House

0. King Of Dark Title: Tomomitsu Matsunaga & Saki Akai defeated Nobuhiro Shimatani (c) & Cherry when Matsunaga pinned Shimatani with the Back Drop (6:33).
*D6 for Nobuhiro Shimatani.
1. Kazuki Hirata defeated Shunma Katsumata with the One Shot Miracle Cradle (9:54).
2. He Is That Guy And He Is Me: Akito defeated Rekka with the Scorpion Lock (10:49).
3. 3 Way Match: Makoto Oishi defeated Daisuke Sasaki and Soma Takao when Oishi pinned Takao with the Jikiden Tornado Clutch (8:20).
4. Yoshihiro Takayama & Kazusada Higuchi defeated Toru Owashi & Gota Ihashi when Takayama pinned Ihashi with a Big Boot (0:06).
4a. Rematch: Yoshihiro Takayama & Kazusada Higuchi defeated Toru Owashi & Gota Ihashi when Takayama pinned Ihashi with the Running Knee Lift (6:02).
5. Tetsuya Endo & Mad Paulie defeated Yukio Sakaguchi & Masahiro Takanashi when Paulie pinned Takanashi with the Paulie Buster (12:03).
6. Prelude To A Healthy Television Match: Danshoku Dino, Keisuke Ishii & Guanchulo defeated Konosuke Takeshita, Mike Bailey & Antonio Honda when Dino pinned Honda with the Danshoku Driver (11:24).
7. Special Tag Match: HARASHIMA & Yasu Urano defeated Shigehiro Irie & Kouki Iwasaki when HARASHIMA pinned Iwasaki with the Somato (14:07).

Shigehiro Irie gave HARASHIMA a thumbs down after the main event. HARASHIMA called the match just a preview of what will happen on Christmas Day and he will win just like he did today.

Danshoku Dino & Keisuke Ishii now have to nothing to be afraid of after they beat a trio featuring the KO-D Tag Team Champions. Ishii thinks their odds of winning the titles tomorrow are at 80% and predicts they will win in 8 minutes. Mike Bailey did not like wrestling against Dino but not because Dino is gay, Bailey thinks Dino grabbing a woman in the ring the same way he did to him would be just as disgusting. Konosuke Takeshita ensured Bailey that he would fight Dino so Bailey could just fight Ishii.

Daisuke Sasaki gave Shuten-dōji one more warning that DAMNATION will destroy them at the KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Title match tomorrow.

Gota Ihashi had his face painted to look like Don Frye so he could reenact the famous fight with Yoshihiro Takayama. He was immediately pinned after a Big Boot and the Pride FC victory music played over the sound system. A rematch took place and Takayama pinned Ihashi again this time with the Running Knee Lift.

Makoto Oishi knows that his win over Daisuke Sasaki and Soma Takao in the 3 Way Match was a fluke. However he needs all the confidence boost he can get to prepare for Jun Kasai. He will beat Kasai even if it is a fluke.

In a callback to their previous King Of Dark Title match, Saki Akai demanded that this time Cherry should be given the championship if she lost the pre-show match. Luckily for her, Nobuhiro Shimatani was pinned again so he stays as champion.


All Irie Wants For Christmas Is The KO-D Title

December 6, 2016

DDT “SAITAMA SLAM! VOL. 17”, 10/12/2016
Saitama Kasukabe Hall

0. King Of Dark Title: Nobuhiro Shimatani (c) & Cherry Vs Tomomitsu Matsunaga & Saki Akai
1. Kazuki Hirata Vs Shunma Katsumata
2. He Is That Guy And He Is Me: Akito Vs Rekka
3. 3 Way Match: Daisuke Sasaki Vs Makoto Oishi Vs Soma Takao
4. Yoshihiro Takayama & Kazusada Higuchi Vs Toru Owashi & Gota Ihashi
5. Tetsuya Endo & Mad Paulie Vs Yukio Sakaguchi & Masahiro Takanashi
6. Prelude To A Healthy Television Match: Konosuke Takeshita, Mike Bailey & Antonio Honda Vs Danshoku Dino, Keisuke Ishii & Guanchulo
7. Special Tag Match: HARASHIMA & Yasu Urano Vs Shigehiro Irie & Kouki Iwasaki

With “OSAKA OCTOPUS 2016” over and done with it’s time for DDT to move its focus over to Christmas Day. HARASHIMA nominated Shigehiro Irie as the first challenger for his latest KO-D Openweight Title reign and that means tag team preview matches to build up the bout.

DDT “ROAD TO SUPER ARENA ~DRAMATIC DREAM PORK~”, 11/12/2016
Hakata Star Lane

1. Toru Owashi, Yuto Aijima & Azul Dragon Vs Soma Takao, Kazusada Higuchi & Kouki Iwasaki
2. Itoh Maki Pro Wrestling Debut: Miyu Yamashita Vs Itoh Maki
3. 3 Way Tag Match: Sanshiro Takagi & Kazuki Hirata Vs Makoto Oishi & Shunma Katsumata Vs Antonio Honda & Guanchulo
4. Show Me, The Battle Of Those Born In 1975! Classmate Confrontation!: Shuji Ishikawa Vs Yasu Urano
5. Hakata Specialty! Seimonbarai Special Tag Match: HARASHIMA & Akito Vs Yoshihiro Takayama & Shigehiro Irie
6. KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles: Daisuke Sasaki, Tetsuya Endo & Mad Paulie (c) Vs KUDO, Yukio Sakaguchi & Masahiro Takanashi
7. KO-D Tag Team Titles: Konosuke Takeshita & Mike Bailey (c) Vs Danshoku Dino & Keisuke Ishii

Konosuke Takeshita & Mike Bailey will also have their first KO-D Tag Team Title defence taking place during the same weekend.

DAMNATION had a bad night in Osaka and are now down to holding one championship. They still have the KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles but Shuten-dōji are gunning after them. This is KUDO’s first shot at the belts since his return from injury. He previously went for the Tag Titles when DAMNATION held them but failed to take it off them.

DDT “YOKOHAMA TWILIGHT 2016 ~WINTER~”, 17/12/2016
Yokohama Radiant Hall

1. DDT Extreme Title: Jun Kasai (c) Vs Makoto Oishi

Makoto Oishi tried to help Danshoku Dino beat Jun Kasai in Osaka. That failed so now he’s taking matters into his own hands. He’s going to try and win back the DDT Extreme Title himself. But now that Kasai is champion, the match stipulations could become more violent. He did say he wants to dye the belt in “colour” and given how even the brush of a feather can make him bleed he’s going to fulfil his promise easily.

DDT “NEVER MIND 2016”, 25/12/2016
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

1. New Year’s Big Bang Bout: Konosuke Takeshita Vs Mad Paulie
2. Joey Ryan & Laura James Vs Makoto Oishi & Saki Akai
3. KO-D Openweight Title: HARASHIMA (c) Vs Shigehiro Irie

Irie pinned HARASHIMA in his return match and has been on fire since then. The USA trip revitalised him and he wants to return to America with the KO-D Title. That way he can spread the word of DDT all across America!


DDT “OSAKA OCTOPUS 2016 ~IT’S NANIWABUSHI WRESTLING~” Results

December 4, 2016

octopus-harashima-irie

DDT “OSAKA OCTOPUS 2016 ~IT’S NANIWABUSHI WRESTLING~”, 04/12/2016
Osaka Edion Arena #1
2,355 Fans

0. King Of Dark Title: Kouki Iwasaki, Guanchulo & Daiki Shimomura defeated Nobuhiro Shimatani (c), Mizuki Watase & Rekka when Iwasaki submitted Shimatani with a Crab Hold (6:43).
*D5 for Nobuhiro Shimatani.
1. Naomi Yoshimura Debut Match: KUDO, Soma Takao & Naomi Yoshimura defeated Keisuke Ishii, Akito & Yuki Ueno when Yoshimura pinned Ueno with the Throw Away Power Bomb (11:47).
2. Naniwa Woman Saga: Aja Kong & LiLiCo defeated Saki Akai & Lady Beard when Kong pinned Akai with the Vertical Drop Brainbuster (8:12).
-. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title: Pork Bun defeated Toru Owashi (c) by Pinfall (4:44 pm).
*Pork Bun becomes the 1,200th champion.
3. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title – Battle Royal: Kuishinbo Kamen defeated Pork Bun (c), Masahiro Takanashi, Toru Owashi, Kazuki Hirata, Mad Paulie, Kikutaro, Dai Suzuki, Shoichi Uchida, Kenshin Chikano and Yoshihiko (17:48).
3a. Mad Paulie eliminated Porn Bun (c) by eating it (5:15).
*Mad Paulie becomes the 1,201st champion.
3b. Dai Suzuki eliminated Mad Paulie (c) by Submission (9:07).
*Dai Suzuki becomes the 1,202nd champion.
3c. Toru Owashi eliminated Dai Suzuki (c) with the Paradise Lock (11:36).
*Toru Owashi becomes the 1,203rd champion.
3d. Yoshihiko eliminated Shoichi Uchida by Ring Out (13:08).
3e. Yoshihiko eliminated Kenshin Chikano by Ring Out (13:11).
3f. Yoshihiko eliminated Masahiro Takanashi by Ring Out (13:16).
3g. Yoshihiko eliminated Kazuki Hirata with the Reincarnation (13:24).
3h. Kuishinbo Kamen eliminated Yoshihiko by Ring Out (13:40).
3i. Kuishinbo Kamen eliminated Toru Owashi (c) with by Pinfall (15:23).
*Kuishinbo Kamen becomes the 1,204th champion.
3j. Kuishinbo Kamen eliminated Kikutaro by Pinfall (17:48).
*V1 for Kuishinbo Kamen.
-. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title: Kikutaro defeated Kuishinbo Kamen (c) with the Shining Kikuzard (5:07 pm).
*Kikutraro becomes the 1,205th champion.
4. Elementary School 3rd Grader – Yuni Debut Match: Shigehiro Irie, Yasu Urano & Yuni defeated Makoto Oishi, Shunma Katsumata & MAO when Irie pinned MAO with the Beast Bomber (9:23).
5. Special Tag Match: Masakatsu Funaki & Yukio Sakaguchi defeated Yoshihiro Takayama & Kazusada Higuchi when Sakaguchi pinned Higuchi with the Right Knee Of God (9:39).
6. DDT Launch Pre-20th Anniversary Commemoration TLC (Takoyaki, Ladder & Chair) Special 6-Man Tag Match: Sanshiro Takagi, Kota Ibushi & Gota Ihashi defeated Dick Togo, Antonio Honda & Takashi Sasaki when Ibushi pinned Honda with the Sit Down Last Ride onto a Kotatsu (15:03).
7. DDT Extreme Title – Doyama Hardcore Match: Jun Kasai defeated Danshoku Dino (c) with the Danshoku Reverse Tiger Driver (13:05).
*Danshoku Dino fails in V4. Jun Kasai becomes the 38th DDT Extreme Champion!
8. KO-D Tag Team Titles: Konosuke Takeshita & Mike Bailey defeated Daisuke Sasaki & Tetsuya Endo (c) when Takeshita pinned Sasaki with the German Suplex (23:34).
*DAMNATION fails in V2. Konosuke Takeshita & Mike Bailey becomes the 58th KO-D Tag Team Champions!
9. KO-D Openweight Title: HARASHIMA defeated Shuji Ishikawa (c) with the Swandive Somato (20:08).
*Shuji Ishikawa fails in V3. HARASHIMA becomes the 60th KO-D Openweight Champion!
-. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title: Kotatsu defeated Kikutaro (c) by Pinfall (8:08 pm).
*Kotatsu becomes the 1,206th champion.
-. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title: Hyota Echizenya defeated Kotatsu (c) by Pinfall (8:09 pm).
*Hyota Echizenya becomes the 1,207th champion.

octopus-harashima-ishikawa

HARASHIMA is now a 9-time KO-D Openweight Champion! If he was feeling intimidated by the challenge to topple Shuji Ishikawa off his throne, he didn’t show it. Instead he made every kick and Knee Strike count, wearing down the champion. Ishikawa did hit the Splash Mountain but HARASHIMA kicked out of that. Eventually the kicks were all too much for Ishikawa to bear and HARASHIMA ended the match with the Swan Dive Somato. HARASHIMA credited the crowd’s support for helping him win back the title. He enjoyed fighting Shuji with all of his effort and wants to do it again and again. GM Amon Tsurumi asked if HARASHIMA wanted a particular wrestler to face him in a title match at Korakuen Hall on Christmas Day. HARASHIMA thought about it and nominated Shigehiro Irie because he was pinned by Irie in a tag match back last month. Irie says he will return to America in 2017. His first trip was done to make him stronger. Now his goal is to win the KO-D Title and bring it with him to the USA!

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DAMANTION had a bad night overall. Not only did Ishikawa lose the KO-D Title but Daisuke Sasaki & Tetsuya Endo lost the KO-D Tag Team Titles too. Not only that but they lost it to their bitter rivals Happy Motels. Sasaki again did his Low Blow to Sasaki Hurricanrana combo that’s been so effective this year but this time Konosuke Takeshita kicked out. Meanwhile Mike Bailey was focused on getting revenge against the champions which ended with him intercepting Endo’s Springboard Dropkick with a Springboard Dropkick of his own. He then flattened Endo outside the ring with a Shooting Star Press. With a clear target on Sasaki, Takeshita threw him over with the Geman Suplex and got the three count to win the tag titles. This is Takeshita’s third time holding the tag title while Bailey gets his first championship in DDT.

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The DDT Extreme Title was put on the line in a straight up Hardcore Match. Danshoku Dino had to be violent against Jun Kasai and did so by putting him through a table with the Danshoku Driver. Kasai fought back by grabbing a bundle of bamboo skewers and shoving them in Dino where there sun doesn’t shine. That plan came back to haunt Kasai when Dino grabbed the skewers and shoved them into Kasai’s mouth. He then dug them into the top of Kasai’s head and gave him another Danshoku Driver but Kasai kicked out! Kasai dug the skewers into Dino’s head and hit the Reverse Tiger Driver but Dino kicked out of that too! Finally Kasai pulled his tights down and gave Dino a Danshoku version of the Reverse Tiger Driver. This time it did the job and Kasai became the new Extreme Champion! Kasai said before the match Dino told him how handsome he was and his love for him was true. Kasai’s response is he’s not gay but thanks for the match. Dino gave him the middle finger, said he loves him and returned to the locker room. Kasai said now he is the champion he will dye the belt with colour. As he left the ring he went over to the commentary table and gave Yoshihiro Takayama a deep kiss, making him faint into his chair.

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To commemorate DDT’s upcoming 20th Anniversary a special TLC Match took place between Sanshiro Takagi, Kota Ibushi & Gota Ihashi against Dick Togo, Antonio Honda & former DDT turned FREEDOMS wrestler Takashi Sasaki. The “T” in this match stood for Takoyaki which was being cooked by Nobuhiro Shimatani at ringside. Togo immediately slumped into the corner when the match began. He apologised but his heart wasn’t in it. He could only gain the spirit to wrestle if Honda told the tale of “Gon, The Little Fox”. This was all just a ruse for Togo’s team to attack when their opponents dropped their guard. Togo grabbed Takagi’s bicycle and spun the rear tyre against Ihashi’s head. Ibushi intercepted the bicycle but Togo cut him off by spraying him with a fire extinguisher. Togo and Ihashi both climbed a ladder and Togo knocked him off it by feeding him piping hot Takoyaki. He then put Ihashi in the Crippler Crossface while Honda fed Ihashi more Takoyaki. Special guest Hyota Echizenya made an appearance wearing a Kotatsu table over his back. Takagi put the Kotatsu over himself and tried to splash Sasaki through another table but missed. Outside the ring another table was set up to act as a ramp for Ibushi to cycle jump into Togo. However Togo moved and Ibushi crashed into Ihashi instead. Back in the ring Takagi used the Kotatsu as a shield to block chairshots. He then lied down and ordered Ibushi to give Honda the Last Ride onto the Kotatsu above him. After the match Togo shook Takagi’s hand but then gave him the Pedigree, all while Takagi was still wearing the Kotatsu table.

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Yukio Sakaguchi rebounded from his TKO defeat to Yoshihiro Takayama last month with a victory here. With Masakatsu Funaki holding back Takayama, Sakaguchi was able to pin Kazusada Higuchi with the Right Knee Of God. Funaki said backstage that he has teamed with various wrestlers but did not get along with many of them. He gets along with Sakaguchi though and both of them are interested in winning championships.

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The 3rd grade student Yuni made his debut, probably being the youngest person to ever wrestle in Osaka Edion Arena. The 8 year old’s big spots in the match were a Moonsault and also an elevated Dropkick using Irie and Yasu Urano as steps to get the height necessary to hit the target. Urano thought Yuni’s performance was amazing and gave him a score of 100 points. Yuni’s goal is to win the KO-D Title before he turns 10 years old.

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Ever since the Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title came back to DDT the champion has had sleepless nights. Whoever holds the belt becomes so paranoid that they lose sleep. Toru Owashi entered the building as the champion but he was so tired from fighting off ambushes that he needed rest. He ate a Pork Bun he found on a bed backstage but then fell asleep with the Pork Bun on top of him. 1…2…3! The Pork Bun was now champion. It was brought down to the ring for the Battle Royal and somehow outwrestled Kazuki Hirata. Everything was going great until Mad Paulie entered and ate the Pork Bun to win the title. He knocked Dai Suzuki around the ring until everyone piled on top them. Paulie was pinned and Suzuki was declared the champion. When Owashi woke up and entered the hall he stopped Suzuki from fleeing and trapped him in the Paradise Lock on the entrance ramp where Suzuki stayed for the rest of the match. It took the combined powers of Kuishinbo Kamen and Kikutaro to send Owashi back to sleep. The match came down to them and although Kamen won the title, Kikutaro crotched him on the ropes after the match and used the 24/7 rule to escape with the belt. However at the end of the show Kikutaro found the Kotatsu used in the TLC match and used it to take a nap. 1…2…3! The Kotatsu became the champion. Hyota Echizenya walked in and tried to pick up the table. 1…2…3! Echizenya is now the champion!

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Aja Kong & LiLiCo were too strong for the Kawaii Connection to handle. They cut off Saki Akai from Lady Beard and Kong dominated her up until the finish. LiLiCo even did her own version of the Spinning Backfist. In the post-match interview Kong reiterated that DDT was wrong to use LiLiCo like a toy by parading her around for some dating nonsense. Maybe as punishment they should go after the KO-D Tag Team Titles!

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The show kicked off proper with the debut of Naomi Yoshimura, the latest rookie to wrestle for DNA. He got to show off his power by repeatedly Body Slamming Yuki Ueno then hitting a big Power Slam. His finishing move was a release Power Bomb. KUDO notes that it is a new era for DDT and it’s his job now not to lose to the new blood. Yoshimura says he wants to fight Higuchi because he is the strongest in DNA however he also wants to be on his side until he is ready to fight him. Also Yoshimura looks up to Zeus and Yuji Hino as wrestlers of inspiration.

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Nobuhiro Shimatani continues his downward spiral to the bottom of DDT when he was defeated in the dark match. The current King Of Dark Champion hit a couple of Standing Shooting Stars in a row to Kouki Iwasaki but eventually fell to the usual rookie killer move, the Crab Hold.

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Super Sasadango Machine hopes to return to the ring in time for DDT’s 20th Anniversary show in Saitama Super Arena on 20th March. He received a message of support from Yoshihiro Takayama on Facebook which has given him encouragement.

More information for DDT Universe has become known. The video on demand service launches on 23rd January, 2017 and the first live broadcast will be “SWEET DREAMS! 2017” on 29th January. The monthly price is 900 yen a month but the first month of the subscription will be free.


DDT “DDT FES 2016” Results

November 6, 2016

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DDT “DDT FES 2016”, 06/11/2016
Shin-Kiba Studio Coast
1,630 Fans – Super No Vacancy

1. Kameleo-gun Vs Macho 29-gun: TORU (Toru Owashi), SAKI (Saki Akai) & NOBU (Nobuhiro Shimatani) defeated Seiya Morohashi, Reika Saiki & Lady Beard when TORU pinned Morohashi with La Magistral Cradle (4:36).
2. BLACK OUT Presents Tag Match: LiLiCo & Gorgeous Matsuno defeated Guanchulo & Cherry when Matsuno pinned Guanchulo with a School Boy (9:30).
3. DJ Stecase King Presents Symphony Of Hell 6-Man Tag Team Death Match: KUDO, Masahiro Takanashi & Yoshihiko defeated Yasu Urano, Keisuke Ishii & Kikutaro when KUDO submitted Kikutaro with a Manjigatame (8:59).
4. Endless Idol Strife: Yoshihiro Takayama, Kazuki Hirata & Kouki Iwasaki (w/ Up Up Girls) defeated Makoto Oishi, Shunma Katsumata & MAO when Hirata pinned Oishi with the One Shot Miracle Cradle (9:06).
5. DISH// Danshoku Trials Pilgrimage: Soma Takao & Akito (w/ DISH//) defeated Danshoku Dino & Mizuki Watase when Takao pinned Watase with the Gin And Tonic (11:44).
6. Rock ‘N’ Roll Death Match: Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi (w/ Akira Shimizu) defeated A.YAZAWA (w/ Bed Inn Girls) with a Double Brainbuster (14:40).
7. Shin-Kiba STUDIO COAST Whole Surface Street Wrestling: Daisuke Sasaki, Shuji Ishikawa, Tetsuya Endo & Mad Paulie defeated Sanshiro Takagi, Kota Ibushi, Kazusada Higuchi & Gota Ihashi when Endo pinned Ihashi with the Sky Twister Press (20:47).
8. Special Tag Match: Konosuke Takeshita & Shigehiro Irie defeated HARASHIMA & Yukio Sakaguchi when Irie pinned HARASHIMA with the Vertical Drop Back Flip (13:40).

DDT’s first music festival put together a mixture of pro wrestling and pop music concerts. There were many, many, many musical acts performing throughout the day so I’m just going to focus on the wrestling portion of the show.

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The main event was Shigehiro Irie’s first match back in DDT since he left for an American excursion back in July. Irie teamed with Konosuke Takeshita to take on HARASHIMA & Yukio Sakaguchi. Irie’s time away wrestling in another country looks to have paid off because he ended up beating one of the headliners for “OSAKA OCTOPUS 2016”! He and Takeshita celebrated by inviting musician Kenji Ohtsuki into the ring. Irie requested for Ohtsuki to make him a new entrance song. Ohtsuki said if Sanshiro Takagi is willing to pay him an exorbitant price, he can get to working on the song.

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Kota Ibushi also returned to DDT for a big 8-Man Tag Team Falls Count Anywhere match against DAMNATION. This was Ibushi and Daisuke Sasaki’s first match together since they were part of the Golden☆Storm Riders. The match began away from the ring and near the stage. In fact, NωA were on stage ready to perform their new song when the other wrestlers came by and literally kicked them off the stage to continue their match. Ibushi and Mad Paulie squared off by spraying each other with cola. The match then spread over to a nearby swimming pool. Paulie intercepted Takagi’s Combat Bicycle but wound up cycling into the pool. Sasaki & Tetsuya Endo then Suplexed Ibushi in with Gota Ihashi joining when he tried to stop them. Back near the ring Endo Moonsaulted from a handrail while Sasaki and Ibushi fought up to a second floor balcony. Sasaki grabbed Ibushi’s arm, stood on the balcony and did the Jinsei Shinzaki rope walk across the rail! Meanwhile Kazusada Higuchi jumped off the VIP seat area to splash Paulie through a table! Shuji Ishikawa directed the match back to the ring where he fought with Takagi. Eventually Ihashi found himself in a 1 Vs 4 predicament against all of DAMNATION. He had no chance and was given the Splash Mountain followed by the Sky Twister Press to end a chaotic match. Surprisingly it turns out Sasaki and Ibushi still get along. Sasaki said it’s been a year since they last saw each other and he didn’t know what Ibushi was up to until he checked the internet. Meanwhile he conquered DDT with the kingdom of DAMNATION. Sasaki wished Ibushi the best and they shook hands.

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Antonio Honda was sidelined with love-sickness and unable to compete. Luckily A.YAZAWA was brought in to replace him. YAZAWA was accompanied by the Bed Inn Girls while Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi had Akira Shimizu in his corner. It was a Rock ‘N’ Roll Death Match where everyone had to stop wrestling and dance whenever music was played. The Bed Inn Girls stripped down to their swimsuits to distract Hiroshi but Shimizu’s own music then played. His live singing made Hiroshi concentrate and win the match.

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The members of DISH// helped fight off Danshoku Dino with Dropkicks after Match #5. Dino claimed before the show that one of the band would betray the others. The guilty party admitted to this and ran off being chased by the others.

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Throughout the show NωA’s musical performance kept on getting interrupted. Not only did the Falls Count Anywhere match push them away but Yoshihiro Takayama’s entrance cut off their original set too. NωA declared they will finally sing their new song after they beat Takayama’s team. That didn’t happen. Instead Kazuki Hirata placed his HIRATA GO! glasses on Takayama and the giant gave Big Boots to all NωA members on route to victory. However there was a happy ending for NωA. At the very end of the show they came out and got to sing their new song “Going My ωay!! ~You Are Not Alone~”.

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The wrestlers in Match #3 were all at the mercy of the Kinnikuman character Stecase King. He was the DJ for the match and would play different theme songs throughout the match. The wrestlers were powerless to the music and found themselves mimicking the wrestlers associated with the famous theme songs. Kikutaro transformed into Stan Hansen and Jumbo Tsuruta while Yoshihiko became a shoot wrestler when the UWF Theme was played. It then did some high flying spots during “Sky High”. The match ended when “Honō no Fighter” came on and everyone on KUDO’s team applied the Manjigatame to their opponents until they submitted.

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Gorgeous Matsuno tried to be a leader and told LiLiCo he would teach their opponents “the rigours of professional wrestling”. That was easier said than done. Cherry was in a sour mood and told Guanchulo to kill the “old hag” LiLiCo. Some miscommunication caused Cherry and Guanchulo to hit each other and Matsuno caught Guanchulo in a School Boy to win.

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Toru Owashi, Saki Akai & Nobuhiro Shimatani came out with new looks to fit in with the band Kameleo in the opener. Their opponents came out looking macho because they were accompanied by the Macho 29. Lady Beard had to leave early to go prepare for a live NHK interview so the Macho 29 team had to fight a 2 Vs 3 disadvantage. Sanshiro Takagi eventually came to the rescue to big fanfare but an accidental Lariat to Seiya Morohashi cost them the match.