July 5, 2024
DDT “FIGHTING BEER GARDEN 2024 IN UENO”, 05/07/2024
Tokyo Ueno Park Outdoor Stage
630 Fans – No Vacancy
1. Kazuki Hirata & Kazuma Sumi defeated Shinichiro Kawamatsu & Ilusion when Hirata pinned Ilusion with the Miracle One Shot Cradle (9:18).
2. Positive Thinking Death Match: HARASHIMA, Keigo Nakamura & Yuki Ishida defeated Jun Akiyama, Danshoku Dieno & Makoto Oishi when Akiyama called Nakamura “Smelly” (10:58).
3. No DQ I Quit Match: Antonio Honda defeated Invisible Leonardo DiCaprio when DiCaprio said “I Quit (9:52).
4. Sanshiro Takagi Indefinite Rest Road ~ Unagi Warriors Vs Brahman Brothers! Falls Count Anywhere Tag Match: Sanshiro Unagi & Sayaka Unagi Vs Brahman Shu & Brahman Kei ended in a No Contest (13:25).
5. Mid-Summer Ueno Onshi Specialty! DDT Summer Special Match: Chris Brookes, Takeshi Masada & Yukio Naya defeated Tetsuya Endo, Yuki Iino & Yuya Koroku when Naya pinned Koroku with the Choke Slam into the Pool (18:31).
6. The 37KAMIINA Vs DAMNATION T.A?: Yuki Ueno, Shunma Katsumata & To-y defeated MAO, Daisuke Sasaki & KANON (w/ MJ Paul) when Ueno pinned MAO with the Jul.2 (16:52).
MAO has ran away from The 37KAMIINA and decided to try out teaming with DDT’s other units in the leadup to “WRESTLE PETER PAN 2024”. First on his list is DAMNATION T.A and he even came to the show dressed like they do. However DAMNATION T.A weren’t enthusiastic about the idea until MAO offered them money to team with him. The loyalty didn’t last though. Daisuke Sasaki brought in a chair and accidentally hit MAO with it when Yuki Ueno dodged out of the way. Then KANON hit MAO with a Lariat that definitely wasn’t accidental. DAMNATION T.A decided to leave MAO high and dry for The 37KAMIINA to beat and then briefly returned to attack MAO once more. Ueno told MAO after the match that he can’t help him if he wants to run away from home. MAO is upset over what happened but is determined to stick to this path so he can beat Ueno for the KO-D Openweight Title at Sumo Hall.
Match #5 was given a summer theme with everybody wearing summer outfits and using summer related items as weapons. Yuya Koroku got the wrong message and wore a school swimsuit that he was too big for. Yuki Iino had a kendo stick and acted like a swimming instructor. Tetsuya Endo chased after Takeshi Masada with a stag beetle. Chris Brookes brought a watermelon for everyone to break open except he accidentally smashed it over Yukio Naya’s head. Buckets of water was thrown at everybody and Naya Choke Slammed Koroku into a kiddie pool to win the match for his team.
The match before that was even more of a mess thanks to who was involved. The Brahman Brothers soaked the place in water by throwing buckets, pouring bottles and spraying hoses at whoever was in front of them. The audience especially. The Unagi Warriors decided to fight water with water against them which only caused more of a mess. Soon the poor referee was doused in unagi sauce and other material that the match had to be called off and be ruled a No Contest. After the match Sayaka Unagi told Sanshiro Unagi they can team again some day but only after he pays her all the money he made from copying her likeness. Takagi agreed to talk with her lawyer about it. He then admitted to selling a lot of Unagi merchandise today so she demanded even more royalties from him.
In a battle of the ages Antonio Honda defeated Invisible Leonardo DiCaprio in an I Quit Match. Danshoku Dieno and Hisaya Imabayashi provided commentary at ringside for those who could not comprehend the ferocious action they were witnessing. Honda threw DiCaprio up to the ceiling with a Super Body Slam but then missed the Diving Fist Drop. Suddenly Honda was given a flash of inspiration from the famous Akira Maeda Vs Don Nakaya Nielsen fight and “Captured” played over the speakers. Honda grabbed DiCaprio in a Half Crab Hold and got him to say “I Quit”.
There was concerns that the hot weather would make some of the wrestlers grumpy so Match #2 was turned into a Positive Thinking Death Match. If anyone started to complain or say anything negative then their team would be disqualified. It forced the wrestlers to make nice and complimentary comments about all of the moves being given to them. The match ended when Jun Akiyama threw Keigo Nakamura into Dieno’s Hell Gate. Akiyama then complained about the area being stinky and that was enough to get his team disqualified.
After that match ended, DAMNATION T.A ran in to attack HARASHIMA and Yasu Urano. They also stole the third remaining KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Title belt. So now they have the complete set of belts despite not being the champions. Urano complained that there’s no point in DAMNATION T.A holding the belts if they are not the champions. He believes being the actual champion is more valuable than having posession of the belt. HARASHIMA wants the belts returned to them so Smile Squash can have a great entrance at Sumo Hall. He and Urano agree they’re not going to attack them before the match though.
Shinichiro Kawamatsu got booed for preventing Kazuki Hirata from putting on the Hirata GO! glasses and deciding to put them on himself. The wrestlers go thirsty during the match and Kazuma Sumi drank all of the water that was provided for them. He brought out orange juice instead and everyone fought over it. Kawamatsu accidentally Speared Ilusion during the fight and Hirata pinned Ilusion with the Miracle One Shot Cradle for the win.
During the intermission, Ryuichi Kawakami crashed the show and entered the ring. He was recently a GLEAT wrestler until a few days ago when his contract was terminated over him blowing up the company president during an exploding death match. Now a freelancer, he goes by the name of Ryuichi “Fire” Kawakami and he wants to know if DDT has the guts to book him. Imabayashi informed him the Sumo Hall card is finalized so so he will have to wait until the shows after that to get booked by them. Kawakami threatened to blow up Imabayashi until Naya got in the ring and confronted him. Kawakami left but later told reporters that as a freelancer he can do whatever he wants and bring along whoever he wants. He mentioned Atsushi Onita and The Great Kojika as examples of who he could team with. He also said he could even turn up to a place that has an ark or a lion mark.
Takeshi Masada has been appointed as a model for Bodix bodywear as part of a new collaboration between the company and DDT.
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Results | Tagged: Antonio Honda, Brahman Brothers, Chris Brookes, Daisuke Sasaki, DAMNATION T.A, Danshoku Dieno, DDT Pro Wrestling, Dramatic Dream Team, Fighting Beer Garden, HARASHIMA, Hisaya Imabayashi, Ilusion, Invisible Leonardo DiCaprio, Jun Akiyama, KANON, Kazuki Hirata, Kazuma Sumi, Keigo Nakamura, KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Championship, MAO, Ryuichi Kawakami, Sanshiro Takagi, Sanshiro Unagi, Sayaka Unagi, Shinichiro Kawamatsu, Takeshi Masada, Tetsuya Endo, The 37KAMIINA, Tokyo Ueno Park, Unagi Warriors, Yasu Urano, Yuki Iino, Yuki Ueno, Yukio Naya, Yuya Koroku | 
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Posted by JamieOD
June 29, 2024
DDT “TODEN PRO WRESTLING”, 29/06/2024
Tokyo Sakura Tram (Toden Arakawa Line)
16 Fans – Super No Vacancy Full House
-. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title: Towel defeated Unagi Sayaka (c) with a Sleeper Hold (10:19am).
*Towel becomes the 1,656th champion.
-. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title: Sugichan defeated Towel (c) by Pinfall (10:27am).
*Sugichan becomes the 1,657th champion.
-. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title: Towel defeated Sugichan (c) with the Sleeper Hold (10:28am).
*Towel becomes the 1,658th champion.
-. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title: Funky Kato defeated Towel (c) by Pinfall (10:52am).
*Funky Kato becomes the 1,659th champion.
1. Falls Count Anywhere Match: Minoru Suzuki defeated Sanshiro Takagi with the Gotch-Style Piledriver (55:07).
The never ending war between Sanshiro Takagi and Minoru Suzuki must have the most unique list of locations in pro wrestling. They have fought each other in Budokan Hall, the Tokyo Dome, the Shinkansen bullet train and now the humble Sakura Tram on the Toden Arakawa Line. The latest chapter of this rivalry was put together by DDT and the Tokyo Metropolitan Bureau of Transportation. It would be Takagi’s last chance at finally beating Suzuki before he takes an indefinite break as a pro wrestler on 21st July to focus on managing DDT behind the scenes.
The starting point was at Arakawa-shakomae Station. There both wrestlers made their entrance outdoors for the 16 passengers who won successfully got tickets to see the match. Then Shinichiro Kawamatsu showed up accompanied by the current Tokyo governor Yuriko Koike. This was especially newsworthy because the Tokyo gubernatorial election is taking place soon and Koike has mostly avoided making public appearances during her campaign, citing a busy schedule as her reason. This is the same election that has gone viral on social media for the high amount of the bizarre candidates involved, some being there to take advantage of equal media coverage to say and do whatever they want. I guess the best comparison I could make to another part of the world is imagine what would happen if the BBC had to give the Monster Raving Loony Party the same amount of coverage as they do for the major political parties in the UK. So this match ended up becoming part of someone’s political campaign, which I feel kind of iffy about.
The two politicians boarded the tram along with everyone else to witness the start of the match. It began slow with Takagi and Suzuki both taking a feeling out process. Takagi put Suzuki in a Headlock and encouraged Koike to throw a Chop at Suzuki’s chest. Then when Suzuki put Takagi in a Neck Lock, Takagi reached out to hold Koike’s hand which the referee decided counts as a rope break. Koike then Chopped both wrestlers before exiting the tram at Kodai Station.
Now that the governor was gone, Takagi and Suzuki agreed they could go do whatever they want. The fighting became more aggressive and they also interacted more with the passengers. When the tram arrived at Miyanomae Station everyone was in for a surprise. Sayaka Unagi stepped on board carrying all of her championships including the Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title!
Unagi took Takagi’s side and the two of them attacked Suzuki with a large rubber band. Suzuki continued to fight a 2-on-1 advantage until the tram arrived at Kumanomae Station. There he received reinforcements when Hikaru Sato stepped into the tram!
Soon Suzuki had the numbers advantage when Seigo Tachibana showed up at the Higashi-ogu-sanchome Station. But when he said he was here to mug people, Kawamatsu refused to stand by and do nothing. The politician joined Takagi’s side and now the match turned into a 3-on-3 fight on board! During the chaos Suzuki’s Towel won the Iron Man Title when Suzuki used it to choke Unagi into submission.
It became such a crazy situation that a policeman was waiting for them at Machiya-nichome Station. That policeman was Takayuki Ueki. However he lost his cool when someone pointed out he is a cop from Kanagawa which means he should have no power over here. Ueki threatened everyone on board with his pistol but suddenly cowered when Suzuki confronted him. Suzuki then grabbed the pistol and shot Ueki with it! With the situation now under control, Ueki’s body was dropped off at Arakawa-nanachome Station.
The next person to show up was a comedian named Sugichan. He performed a comedy skit and then pinned Suzuki’s towel to win the Iron Man Title! Suzuki didn’t find it funny so he choked Sugichan with the towel until he tapped out. Again the ref Daisuke Kiso decided that the towel was the new champion and not Suzuki.
The match suddenly got hijacked by MAO and Takeshi Masada at Minowabashi Station. The two young wrestlers complained that Takagi and Suzuki’s Toden Pro Wrestling was too lukewarm and declared themselves the new generation of Toden Pro Wrestling! They then started to fight each other as a demonstration until Takagi and Suzuki removed them from the tram so they could continue their own match.
At this point the tram had reached the end of the line so it began its return journey on the track. The next stop was Arakawa-itchumae Station where musician Funky Kato came on board singing the Pro Wrestling NOAH theme “VOYAGE” to advertise his new album. Suzuki forced him to also sing “Kaze Ni Nare”. Then a bunch of the wrestlers from earlier came back on board at Arakawa-nichome Station. They stayed around until the tram reached Higashi-ogu-sanchome Station. They all exited again leaving Takagi, Suzuki and Kato with the latest unexpected guest…
It was Meiko Satomura! She’s apparently still signed to WWE, you know. She approached Kato and challenged him to a battle. But it wasn’t a fight she was looking for. She wanted to prove she is a better singer than he is! She sang “Ii Hi Tabidachi” while the other wrestlers were putting each other in Sleeper Holds behind her. Satomura soon joined in. Kato then all of a sudden pinned Suzuki’s towel to win the Iron Man Title and escaped the tram at Miyanomae Station with the belt! Satomura left at the same spot.
When the tram returned to Kodai Station the station attendant stepped on board to inspect everyone’s tickets. Except it was really Jushin Liger in disguise! He got into an argument with Suzuki and hit him with the Shotei before going back to his cushy little post-retirement job.
With the journey nearing its end, Takagi declared it was now time to win by throwing a Lariat at the speed of 13.1km/h thanks to the tram’s momentum. Suzuki ducked the Lariat and grabbed Takagi in the Sleeper Hold instead. He then spun him around and dropped him on his head with the Gotch-Style Piledriver. Takagi was out after that and pinned for the three count.
After the match Takagi had a big announcement to make. He cannot beat Suzuki no matter how many times he tries so he is going to retire! He requested a 10 bell salute only to give Suzuki a Stunner in the middle of it. He was just lying to get the last laugh! Suzuki chased Takagi away from the tram, promising not to let Takagi escape until they reach the ends of Hell!
Comments Off on DDT “TODEN PRO WRESTLING” Results | Results | Tagged: DDT Pro Wrestling, Dramatic Dream Team, Funky Kato, Hikaru Sato, Iron Man Heavymetalweight Championship, Jushin Thunder Liger, MAO, Meiko Satomura, Minoru Suzuki, Rojo Pro Wrestling, Sanshiro Takagi, Sayaka Unagi, Seigo Tachibana, Shinichiro Kawamatsu, Street Pro Wrestling, Takayuki Ueki, Takeshi Masada, Train Pro Wrestling | Permalink
Posted by JamieOD
June 8, 2024
DDT “WHAT ARE YOU DOING 2024 TOUR IN KYOTO”, 08/06/2024
Kyoto KBS Hall
236 Fans
1. Special Single Match: Yukio Naya defeated Hirakata Nii-san with the Back Drop (6:32).
2. Daisuke Sasaki & KANON defeated Toru Owashi & Ilusion when Sasaki pinned Ilusion with a Sideways School Boy (8:12).
3. Special Single Match: Chris Brookes defeated Kazuki Hirata with a Lariat (0:10).
3a. Rematch – 1 Count Fall Rules: Kazuki Hirata defeated Chris Brookes with a School Boy (7:41).
4. MAO defeated Yuya Koroku with the Iai Kick (10:35).
5. STI Co., Ltd. Presents Special 6-Man Tag Match: Sanshiro Takagi, Akito & Shinichiro Kawamatsu defeated HARASHIMA, Kazusada Higuchi & Kazuma Sumi when Kawamatsu pinned Sumi with the Axe Bomber (10:06).
6. Tetsuya Endo & Yuki Iino defeated Takeshi Masada & Keigo Nakamura when Iino pinned Nakamura with the Spear (12:00).
7. STI Co., Ltd. Presents Special 6-Man Tag Match ~ The 37KAMIINA Vs D.O.A! Reiwa Version Of The Onin War: Yuki Ueno, Shunma Katsumata & To-y (2) defeated Jun Akiyama, Danshoku Dieno & Makoto Oishi (0).
7a. Yuki Ueno pinned Makoto Oishi after the My MADMAX (9:04).
-. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title: Jun Akiyama defeated To-y (c) with a School Boy (7:06 pm)
*Jun Akiyama becomes the 1,633rd champion.
-. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title: Danshoku Dieno defeated Jun Akiyama (c) with a School Boy (7:07 pm).
*Danshoku Dieno becomes the 1,644th champion.
7b. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title: To-y pinned Danshoku Dieno (c) with an Inverted Hurricanrana (11:07).
*To-y becomes the 1,635th champion.
It was a very busy day full of Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title changes that happened even before the show began. On the travel over to the venue Ilusion pinned Pokotan to win the title and then while the ring was being set up inside the room To-y won the belt from Ilusion. Then in the middle of the main event the Iron Man Title changed hands more times alongside the actual match results. The match was made into a Best 2 Out Of 3 Falls bout and when Yuki Ueno was pinning Makoto Oishi to win the first fall, Jun Akiyama pinned To-y at the same time to become the new champion. Danshoku Dieno then decided to roll up his partner Akiyama to take the belt only to get pinned by To-y’s Inverted Hurricanrana, sending the belt back to To-y. He couldn’t even find the time to celebrate because other wrestlers including his teammates in The 37KAMIINA all tried to beat him up for the belt.
Shinichiro Kawamatsu used an Axe Bomber to win his tag match. He revealed to everyone afterward that he travelled to America last month where he met Hulk Hogan in person. During the meeting Hogan taught him the Axe Bomber and passed the move down to him! Kawamatsu even sent DDT a video of the meeting as proof that he is telling the truth. The video is real, although Hogan thinks Kawamatsu is fighting for “Shin Nippon Pro Wrestling“.
At the start of the show it was announced that Sanshiro Takagi & CIMA Vs Danshoku Dieno & Kazuki Hirata will take place on the 22nd June show in Osaka.
Comments Off on DDT “WHAT ARE YOU DOING 2024 TOUR IN KYOTO” Results | Results | Tagged: CIMA, Danshoku Dieno, DDT Pro Wrestling, Dramatic Dream Team, Hulk Hogan, Ilusion, Iron Man Heavymetalweight Championship, Jun Akiyama, Kazuki Hirata, Kyoto KBS Hall, Makoto Oishi, Pokotan, Sanshiro Takagi, Shinichiro Kawamatsu, The 37KAMIINA, To-y, Yuki Ueno | Permalink
Posted by JamieOD
April 26, 2024
DDT “DDT X ZEEKSTAR TOKYO SPECIAL PERFORMANCE ~ DDZT”, 26/04/2024
Tokyo Higashin Arena (Sumida City Gymnasium)
687 Fans
0. Dark Match – 3 Way Match: Kazuma Sumi defeated Yuni and Ilusion when Sumi pinned Yuni with a School Boy (7:39).
1. DDT Universal Title: MAO (c) defeated Keigo Nakamura with the Cannonball 450 (13:26).
*V8 for MAO.
2. Kazusada Higuchi & Yuya Koroku defeated Yukio Naya & Rukiya when Higuchi submitted Rukiya with the Canadian Backbreaker (11:41).
3. KO-D 10-Man Tag Team Titles: Chris Brookes, Masahiro Takanashi, Antonio Honda, Takeshi Masada & Mecha Mummy (c) defeated Toru Owashi, Hiroshi Yamato, Tomomitsu Matsunaga, Soma Takao & Shinichiro Kawamatsu when Masada pinned Matsunaga with the Masada No Chikara KOBU Mukimuki (7:44).
*V2 for SCHADENFREUDE International & Mecha Mummy.
4. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title: Sanshiro Unagi defeated Sayaka Unagi (c) with the Stunner (7:46).
*Sanshiro Unagi becomes the 1,626th champion.
-. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title: Sayaka Unagi defeated Sanshiro Unagi (c) with a School Boy (6:23 pm).
*Sayaka Unagi becomes the 1,627th champion.
-. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title: Sanshiro Unagi defeated Sayaka Unagi (c) with a School Boy (6:25 pm).
*Sanshiro Unagi becomes the 1,628th champion.
5. BURNING Vs The 37KAMIINA!: Tetsuya Endo & Yuki Iino defeated Shunma Katsumata & To-y when Endo pinned To-y with the Burning Star Press (11:16).
-. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title: Zeestar defeated Sanshiro Unagi (c) with a Body Press (7:03 pm).
*Zeestar becomes the 1,629th champion.
6. Special Single Match: HARASHIMA defeated Kazuki Hirata (w/ Adachi Tamasuke) with the Somato (12:17).
7. KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles: Daisuke Sasaki, KANON & MJ Paul defeated Jun Akiyama, Danshoku Dieno & Makoto Oishi (c) when Sasaki submitted Oishi with the Crossface Lock (15:28).
*D.O.A fails in V5. DAMNATION T.A becomes the 54th KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Champions!
8. KO-D Openweight Title: Yuki Ueno (c) defeated Akito with the WR (28:42).
*V4 for Yuki Ueno.
It was a long shot from the beginning over Akito’s chances of winning the KO-D Openweight Title. His plan over time was to wear down Yuki Ueno both physically and then mentally in the prelim matches building up to this bout. Ultimately the plan did not work out but Ueno had to work hard for half an hour to retain his championship. By targeting the knee Akito was able to avoid the WR several times. He also unexpectedly adopted some of Danshoku Dieno’s signature moves to try and win. But Ueno was finally able to land his finisher and get the victory. He was full of praise for Akito after the match and he wants to share his dream of bringing DDT all the way to the Tokyo Dome! Akito thanked Ueno by directly presenting him with the winner’s prize for the main event, since he is also the company vice president.
The KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles now belong to DAMNATION T.A again and they don’t want to defend it against anybody! KANON in particular had to go through so much to win the belts. He has been the target of Dieno’s affections lately and that continued with Dieno chasing him all the way up to the balcony seats. KANON got some revenge back in the ring when he was thrown towards Dieno’s Hell Gate and he blocked it with a Volleyball Spike to the rear. Jun Akiyama then found himself getting a face full of the Hell Gate. That left Makoto Oishi alone to fight off both Daisuke Sasaki & MJ Paul but he couldn’t survive. Sasaki put him in the Crossface Lock and he tapped out. Originally D.O.A said they were going to disband as soon as they lost the titles but plans have now changed. Oishi is annoyed that neither Dieno or Akiyama came to save him but he’s not going to break up the unit just yet. He forced the three of them to shake each other’s hands backstage and continue to do their best as Dead Or Alive!
Kazuki Hirata brought out an unknown person to the ring for his match and introduced him as his disciple Adachi Tamasuke. He was allowed by HARASHIMA to stick around at ringside to learn about the business. Whenever HARASHIMA was about to beat Hirata with the Somato, Tamasuke would interrupt the match to ask HARASHIMA questions. That allowed Hirata to recover and try to fight back. HARASHIMA soon lost his temper and slammed him out of frustration. As Tamasuke drifted into unconsciousness he told Hirata all he ever wanted was to see his master do his famous Rainmaker move. Hirata had to tell Tamasuke he confused him for someone else. So instead Tamasuke wished for Hirata and HARASHIMA to dance together. They did but it was all a trap for Tamasuke to grab HARASHIMA and hold him in place. The trap failed and Hirata accidentally knocked out his disciple. He still rolled up HARASHIMA in the Miracle One Shot Cradle but he kicked out and beat Hirata with the Somato. Hirata admitted he hired Tamasuke to become his disciple and he might not have the money to continue training him.
In a non-title match BURNING defeated The 37KAMIINA in a regular tag bout. Tetsuya Endo & Yuki Iino were happy to win their match at the Higashin Arena but both admit they have no emotional connection to the place. They are now turning their attention to the King Of DDT tournament and think they may wind up fighting each other in the final. No matter who wins they want to show the tournament will be about BURNING! It was To-y who took the fall in the match and he is angry over it. He knows it is a single elimination tournament so he cannot afford to lose after working so hard to win the D GENERATIONS CUP and qualify for this. Shunma Katsumata won’t be in the tournament but hearing To-y’s words gave him motivation for the next DDT Extreme Title defence.
Whenever you fight Sanshiro Takagi you can never know what idea he will come up with. You may even find yourself fighting… yourself! Sayaka Unagi was in for a shock when Takagi entered the ring dressed and painted head to toe just like her. He had become Sanshiro Unagi! They fought each other Hardcore style with fire extinguishers, plastic cases and even a castle of chairs getting knocked over outside the ring. Sanshiro kicked out of the Sliding U and suffered a slight wardrobe malfunction when Sayaka accidentally pulled his wig off. The awkward moment left a big enough pause for Sanshiro to give her a Stunner and win the Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title! He explained after the match that Unagi has become a great wrestler who is also famous among people who are not wrestling fans. Takagi dressing up like her today is proof of that! Unagi said she always thought Dramatic Dream Team was a genius idea for a name and she will continue to work hard so she can one day surpass Takagi. She offered a handshake and then surprised Takagi with a roll up to win back the Iron Man Title! Takagi gave her credit and said since they are both from Toyonaka City they should team up as the Unagi Warriors. They left the ring together but then Takagi rolled up Unagi at the entrance to win the Iron Man Title again!
There was another Iron Man Title change later in the show. After Match #5 had finished, DDT and the Zeekstar Tokyo handball team held a few challenges in the venue. First the mascot Zeestar beat Pokotan in a sumo contest. Then Takagi, still in his Unagi costume was encouraged to play in goal for a game of handball where he was obliterated by shots from the Zeekstar team. He was left beaten and laying on the ground so Zeestar decided to pin him and win the title!
The wacky history of the KO-D 10-Man Tag Team Titles can now finally say that a champion team had more than one title defence. SCHADENFREUDE International successfully retained the titles against Toro Owashi and his merry men (he claims there is a secret bond between sumo and parliament which explains his team choices). Mecha Mummy felt left out at some points because it was too heavy to get involved with the tag team moves but it made a big impact using the Mecha Drill on all five opponents. The challengers tried fighting back with Tomomitsu Matsunaga hitting Tommy Bombers and Shinichiro Kawamatsu using the Shitamachi Rocket finisher but Takeshi Masada won the match for his team. Chris Brookes said he loves the 10-Man Tag Titles and wants to defend them in other places like Baka Gaijin + Friends. He will also be fighting Masada in the King Of DDT 1st Round. Both Antonio Honda & Masahiro Takanashi are staying neutral for the match.
More King Of DDT preparation was shown on the undercard with Kazusada Higuchi and Yukio Naya facing off in a tag match. Yuya Koroku and Rukiya were there to be thrown around by the heavyweights. Higuchi got the last hit in on Naya by knocking him off the ring apron with a Lariat. He then made Rukiya submit to the Canadian Backbreaker. Higuchi thinks Naya has gotten stronger since their last singles match against each other but he will not lose to him again. Naya said he wants to prove he is better than Higuchi.
The return of Keigo Nakamura from injury had bigger stakes attached to it when MAO agreed to defend the DDT Universal Title against him. Nakamura wrestled in a new costume and showed some HARASHIMA influence by hitting a Reverse Frankensteiner followed by the Somato. A missed Diving Headbutt stopped his momentum and MAO took over, eventually winning with the Cannonball 450. MAO congratulated Nakamura on his return and told it takes more than just winning to become a strong pro wrestler. You get strong by wrestling a hundred matches a year without getting injured. He encouraged Nakamura to continue wrestling so he can grow stronger.
In the pre-show Kazuma Sumi won in a 3 Way Match. Yuni had things in control when he gave Ilusion a Swinging DDT. He then missed the Phoenix Splash aimed for Sumi and Sumi pinned him with a MIKAMI style School Boy.
Comments Off on DDT “DDT X ZEEKSTAR TOKYO SPECIAL PERFORMANCE ~ DDZT” Results | Results | Tagged: Akito, Antonio Honda, BURNING, Chris Brookes, D.O.A (Dead Or Alive), Daisuke Sasaki, DAMNATION T.A, Danshoku Dieno, DDT Pro Wrestling, DDT Universal Championship, Dramatic Dream Team, HARASHIMA, Hiroshi Yamato, Ilusion, Iron Man Heavymetalweight Championship, Jun Akiyama, KANON, Kazuki Hirata, Kazuma Sumi, Kazusada Higuchi, Keigo Nakamura, KO-D 10-Man Tag Team Championship, KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Championship, KO-D Openweight Championship, Makoto Oishi, MAO, Masahiro Takanashi, Mecha Mummy, MJ Paul, Pokotan, Rukiya, Sanshiro Takagi, Sanshiro Unagi, Sayaka Unagi, SCHADENFREUDE International, Shinichiro Kawamatsu, Shunma Katsumata, Soma Takao, Sumida Ward General Gymnasium, Takeshi Masada, Tetsuya Endo, The 37KAMIINA, To-y, Tomomitsu Matsunaga, Toru Owashi, Yuki Iino, Yuki Ueno, Yukio Naya, Yuni, Yuya Koroku | Permalink
Posted by JamieOD
March 17, 2024
DDT “JUDGEMENT 2024 ~27TH ANNIVERSARY 5 HOUR SPECIAL~”, 17/03/2024
Tokyo Korakuen Hall
1,491 Fans – Super No Vacancy
1. “Intern Wrestler” Tsubasa Suzuki Debut Match: Soma Takao defeated Tsubasa Suzuki with the Perfect Driver (9:08).
2. Yuya Koroku Return Match: To-y, Ilusion & Rukiya defeated Yuni, Yuya Koroku & Kazuma Sumi when To-y pinned Koroku with the Kojima Impact (8:42).
3. Keisuke Ishii & Shinichiro Kawamatsu defeated Toru Owashi & Gorgeous Matsuno when Ishii pinned Matsuno with the Double Arm Driver (9:26).
4. Special Single Match: Super Sasadango Machine Vs Akito ended in a Draw when both of them fell asleep (7:20).
5. SCHADENFREUDE International Vs DAMNATION T.A!: Daisuke Sasaki, KANON & MJ Paul defeated Chris Brookes, Masahiro Takanashi & Antonio Honda when KANON submitted Honda with the Just Cobra Twist (11:21).
6. Special Single Match: Ken Ohka defeated Sanshiro Takagi with the Spear Of Flame (10:32).
7. Special Tag Match: Shuji Ishikawa & Yoshitatsu defeated Kazusada Higuchi & Yukio Naya when Ishikawa pinned Higuchi with the Splash Mountain (12:24).
8. KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles – Belt Contra Dissolution: Jun Akiyama, Danshoku Dieno & Makoto Oishi (c) defeated Kazuki Hirata, Naruki Doi & Shinya Aoki when Oishi pinned Hirata with an Egoist Driver Cutback (9:48).
*V4 for D.O.A. Zuncha♪Muscle Survivor must disband.
9. DDT Extreme Title – Painful Jungle Death Match: Shunma Katsumata (c) defeated Hideki Okatani with the Totonou Splash onto a Barbed Wire Board (13:38).
*V1 for Shunma Katsumata.
10. KO-D Tag Team Titles: Tetsuya Endo & Yuki Iino (c) defeated Ryuki Honda & Yuma Anzai when Endo pinned Honda with the Burning Star Press (16:57).
*V1 for BURNING.
11. DDT Universal Title: MAO (c) defeated Takeshi Masada by Knockout with the Senpukyaku (4:22).
*V6 for MAO.
12. Special Single Match: KONOSUKE TAKESHITA defeated Yuma Aoyagi with the Modified Falcon Arrow (19:16).
13. KO-D Openweight Title: Yuki Ueno (c) defeated HARASHIMA with the WR (22:50).
*V3 for Yuki Ueno.
27 years of DDT called for another marathon show at Korakuen Hall to celebrate. 13 matches took place across almost 6 hours in front of a big crowd. The big bout at the end was Yuki Ueno moving past HARASHIMA in the latest defence of his KO-D Openweight Title reign. The match called for a big performance for the champion who wants to be established as DDT’s ace against the wrestler who himself is nicknamed “Mr. DDT” for his own dominance over the company throughout the years. Ueno did a Moonsault from one of the aisle entrance ways while back in the ring HARASHIMA did an Inverted Hurricanrana off of the top rope. More action took place out of the ring and almost ended Ueno’s reign but he returned at the 19 count. HARASHIMA hit the Somato but only got a two count with it. Another attempt was countered with Ueno’s big Dropkick and when Ueno gave him the WR, HARASHIMA had no answer for it and was pinned.
After the match Ueno hugged HARASHIMA and Kenta Kobashi handed the KO-D Title to him. Ueno talked about figuring out how to put his thoughts and feelings about his relationship with HARASHIMA into words. Today his heart feels full and satisfied because he got to have a big title match with HARASHIMA. He is sure HARASHIMA will continue to be an ace and they will often be opponents again in the future. But next time Ueno will be stronger and even a little more cocky. He thanked him for always being there.
Now Ueno turns his attention to his next defence. It is scheduled for 26th April in Sumida Ward General Gymnasium. There is one more important person Ueno wants to have a title match and that is DDT’s vice president Akito! Ueno ignored Akito’s objections and called him into the ring. Akito explained it’s not right for a wrestler in his position to take on such an important challenge. He also has not won any singles matches at all this year. Ueno agreed there are other more suitable challengers out there but none of them interest him more than Akito. He has a lot of jobs as vice president and Ueno argued that being a title challenger is one of them. Akito understood but warned the champion what could happen once his filter is switched off because there is nobody who thinks more about DDT than he does! Not Sanshiro Takagi, not Danshoku Dieno, not HARASHIMA and not Yuki Ueno! 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, at work, at home, no matter where he travels to, it is Akito who devotes his life to the company. When DDT has good times he has good times too. When DDT has hard times he has hard times too. Akito is betting his entire life on DDT and will use all of his poison to erase Ueno’s brilliance!
Given this match was DDT against All Japan, you’d expect it would be Konosuke Takeshita coming out doing the wacky DDT entrance. Nope, it was Yuma Aoyagi who got into the swing of things riding to the ring on the Dramatic Dream bike and wearing a crazy looking helmet. The match itself was a smash with the two living up to expectations. Takeshita hit Aoyagi with the Jumping Knee and the Wagamama but it wasn’t enough to win. So he did the deal with the same Spinning Falcon Arrow he used to win a match in AEW earlier this week to get the same result here. Backstage Takeshita sent his thanks out to Aoyagi for accepting his invitation to do the match in DDT. Takeshita respects every wrestler from his generation no matter what company they work for and if possible would like to fight all of them. However he has something to do in America next so he has limited chances to wrestle again in Japan for the time being. He said it is up to his generation in Japan to liven up the wrestling world. Aoyagi called the match refreshing. He would like a rematch once every couple of years on a schedule similar to the Olympics. He also wants to fight other DDT wrestlers from his generation, like Yuki Ueno for example. But not now. Let him take a rest first.
It was a long show and time was not wasted in the DDT Universal Title match. Fueled by the recent criticisms aimed against him by the champion, Takeshi Masada attacked MAO before the bell with a Missile Dropkick. MAO responded with a Leapfrog Stunner over the ref and the match officially began from there. In the next four minutes MAO controlled the match and had an answer for most of what Masada threw at him. Masada got hit with big strikes but was determined to keep on fighting until he was hit with the Whirlwind Kick. Masada couldn’t return to his feet in time and was counted out. MAO quickly moved on and asked for who his challenger will be in America. An image flashed on the screen showing he will defend the Universal Title at Philadelphia on 4th April against Billie Starkz in a No Rules Match! MAO loves the Universal Title so much he will use it to set the whole world on fire!
There was another DDT Vs AJPW match on the card, this one had the KO-D Tag Team Titles on the line. The champions BURNING had been trying to sort themselves out lately over some miscommunication problems. New Period were coming over to be a big distraction for them, one that could see All Japan take over one of DDT’s main championships. The challengers even allegedly got in touch with Yoshihiko to learn what weaknesses of the champions they could exploit! However BURNING in the end got to show their problems with teamwork. In fact it was a missed double team from New Period that led to Ryuki Honda & Yuma Anzai hitting each other by accident. Later Yuki Iino charged towards Tetsuya Endo and Endo dropped down into the splits. Iino then jumped over him to Spear Honda! Endo then gave him the Torture Rack Bomb for a nearfall and finished him off with the Burning Star Press.
Endo declared the result a victory for BURNING and the KO-D Tag Titles still belong to them. However he admits it won’t be long until New Period’s time truly arrives. When that time does come Endo & Iino will want a rematch against them. Endo also told Honda it’s fine to use Yoshihiko but he has to return DDT’s property back to their office (later Honda and Yoshihiko got into a fight backstage bringing their short lived friendship to an end). BURNING’s next title defence will be at the 7th April Korakuen Hall show. Endo asked for Jun Akiyama to be one of the opponents because he wants to defend the title against him. Akiyama accepted but none of his regular partners are available at the moment. If he or DDT can find someone suitable to team with him he will do the title match on 7th April. Iino then tried to provoke Akiyama by doing the BURNING pose in front of him. Akiyama smiled, left the ring and did the same post in the dirction towards Kobashi at the commentary table. Endo told fans to look forward to the new BURNING, one without Akiyama or Kobashi in it!
The Painful Jungle Death Match lived up to its name, providing DDT with one of its most bloodiest matches in a while. Many sharp and piercing objects were placed in the ring along with some jungle looking items. For example there was a barbed wire board with a large snake toy caught on top of it. Shunma Katsumata and Hideki Okatani proceeded to throw and slam each other onto everything with the DDT Extreme Title at stake. Okatani couldn’t get the win with either the Double Arm Suplex or Quetzalcoatl. Instead Katsumata got the upper hand and won with the Totonou Splash while the snake and barbed wire board was placed on top of Okatani. The two embraced after the match and Katsumata thanked Okatani for giving him such an intense match. A video then played on the screen. It is a message sent by Hi69 from NOAH (or TEAM NOAH to be exact). He wants to challenge the Extreme Champion to a Hardcore Match for the title on 7th April! Katsumata is happy to hear Hi69 show interest but he does not know the first thing about the Extreme Title! The champion is supposed to make the rules, not the challenger. Katsumata accepted the challenge anyway.
Zuncha♪Muscle Survivor we hardly knew ye. They went up against D.O.A in a match that had both the KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles on the line as well as the future of Kazuki Hirata’s new unit. Sadly for Hirata the match ended in tragedy when he gave Makoto Oishi the Egoist Driver but left himself open for Oishi to cradle him into a suddent defeat. Naruki Doi did not mind facing the consequences. He consoled Hirata over what happened and then told Shinya Aoki it was time for them to go home. However Hirata wanted to soak in the moment knowing it would be the last time Zuncha♪Muscle Survivor would all be together. Hirata gave a speech that made Doi become impatient but sent Aoki to the brink of tears. The three then stood together for a special dissolution ceremony which included the singing of the unit’s anthem plus a narrated history of the unit. All 22 days of it. Meanwhile backstage DAMNATION T.A attacked Makoto Oishi, demanding the next shot at the KO-D 6-Man Tag Titles.
Does this kind of count as another DDT Vs AJPW match? Both Shuji Ishikawa & Yoshitatsu have called All Japan their home promotion up until very recently. They have since taken different paths away from there but those paths reunited them here for a match against two of DDT’s main heavyweights. Ishikawa had a handle of Kazusada Higuchi by the end of it. He blocked the Brain Claw Slam and turned it into the Fire Thunder for a nearfall. Ishikawa followed it up with the Kamigoye and Running Knee Strike for another two count before getting the victory by using the Splash Mountain. Yukio Naya didn’t want the fight to end though and stood toe to toe with Ishikawa afterwards. This won’t be the last we will see of Ishikawa in DDT this year. He is entering the King Of DDT tournament. He believes what he did today shows he is the only choice to win it. Both Naya & Higuchi are warning him not to mess with DDT’s heavyweight division.
The reason why DDT names its anniversary shows “JUDGEMENT” goes back to its very first show in 1997 where the audience in attendance back then judged whether or not Sanshiro Takagi and his crew would go ahead with running more shows. So it is only fitting that Takagi would himself judge whether or not Ken Ohka and Ganbare☆Pro are ready to go independent from CyberFight. GanPro’s next chapter begins in April and the entire group was in Korakuen to support Ohka at ringside while he fought his soon to be former employer. Ohka took a beating in the match and was almost counted out in the ring. But he got back to his feet all fired up, even giving Takagi a Stunner. Ohka then got the better of a strike exchange, knocking Takagi down with a Lariat. The opening was there and Ohka took it. He hit Takagi with the Spear Of Flame and beat his boss!
After the match an emotional Ohka said his life wouldn’t be like this if he never got involved with Takagi. He has changed Ohka’s life so much. Sometimes it was sad and painful but without Takagi, Ohka would not be so happy right now. From now on he will make GanPro a great wrestling company without the need to rely on Takagi and for that he thanks him. Takagi told Ohka he’s had a dramatic life but saying stuff like that makes it sound like Takagi was ruining his life! If that was true then he wouldn’t have a group of friends that all make up GanPro. Whatever happens in the future, Takagi wants to get with Ohka again whether it is to work together or fight each other. He then presented Ohka with a graduation certificate and told him to cherish his friends. Takagi hopes he will continue to give dreams to many people and have a more dramatic pro wrestling life than anyone else. Later Ohka told reporters he will continue with his goal to make pro wrestling into a major sport. Baseball has Shohei Ohtani, basketball has Michael Jordan, Formula 1 has Mika Häkkinen and football has Pelé. Ohka wants to become as great in wrestling as they are in their respective sports.
DAMNATION T.A’s path to a KO-D 6-Man Tag Titles shot started earlier in the show when they beat SCHADENFREUDE International. As always Antonio Honda was bothered by his trick knee but used Gongitsune to bounce back from it. Daisuke Sasaki & KANON hit him with the Freedom Call but CDK were there to break the pin. They got rid of Sasaki & MJ Paul but it turned out KANON could handle the 2 Vs 1 odds that were against him. The match came down to him against Honda and KANON countered the constant cradle pins into the Just Cobra Twist to make Honda submit.
Akito isn’t the only busy wrestler around here. Super Sasadango Machine has his own management problems to deal with and took valuable time out of his schedule to be at this show. So when he found out he wasn’t booked for a match despite being on the poster, Akito offered to fight him as an apology. Both of them have been feeling tired over work lately and Sasadango’s PowerPoint Presentation explained they were both going to wrestle at just 10% of their normal energy bar. However the presentation kept switching to a video of Akito being attacked backstage by all of the young DDT wrestlers so that was the actual reason why he made it to the ring in a tired state. When the match began it was as if Akito and Sasadango were already entering into the finishing stretch. Sasadango gave Akito the Lehmann Shock and went for the pin but before the count reached three everything froze. “Etuprika” began to play and the audience was shown a video of Akito’s inner monologue. Then in slow motion Akito kicked out, fought back and hit Sasadango so hard his mask peeled off. Akito slowly applied an Ankle Lock when time stood still again so everyone could hear Sasadango’s inner monologue. This time Sasadango spoke about how good and relaxed he felt. So much so that he fell asleep. Akito had run out of energy too so both men were practically out cold. Yukinori Matsui checked on both of them while they slept and had to rule the match a draw.
Did the world really need a face off between Gorgeous Matsuno and Shinichiro Kawamatsu? Well they got one. Matsuno’s offence was the weakest its been for a while even with Toru Owashi’s help. Things went from bad to worse when Keisuke Ishii got involved and did not hold back. When he lifted Matsuno up for the Double Arm Driver, Matsuno started to tap out. However the ref was standing on the other side and couldn’t see it so Ishii was free to drop him right onto the canvas for the win. Luckily Matsuno was not hurt too much. He returned at the very end of the show to sing everyone off.
Six of the young wrestlers entering the D GENERATIONS CUP were put in a 6-Man Tag together early in the show. To-y, Ilusion & Rukiya ended up beating Yuni, Yuya Koroku & Kazuma Sumi. It was also Koroku’s return match from injury but he took the losing fall to To-y in the end.
When Soma Takao had his debut match in DDT he won the bout with an Ultra Hurricanrana. So Tsubasa Suzuki trying to win his first DDT match as an intern with a Phoenix Splash isn’t that too outlandish. Too bad he missed his target. The match was going well for him up until then. He still had his wits about him to block the Gin And Tonic but Takao switched over to the Running Elbow Butt and then the Perfect Driver to win the match. He told reporters he could have used a traditional Crab Hold but he wanted to win with the finisher he used in his college club days. He is looking forward to the day Suzuki will beat him with the Phoenix Splash. Suzuki admits he is still weak and the difference between pro wrestling with student wrestling is like competing in a different sport. He hopes to grow into a stronger and better wrestler.
Keigo Nakamura appeared during the early portion of the show with some good news. He is returning to the ring on 26th April!
A guest wrestler was announced for “WRESTLE PETER PAN 2024” on 21st July. It is the return of everyone’s amigo El Desperado!
The full list of entries for the King Of DDT was revealed. Entering the tournament are Poison Sawada JULIE, Sanshiro Takagi, Danshoku Dieno, HARASHIMA, Shuji Ishikawa, Tetsuya Endo, Daisuke Sasaki, Kazusada Higuchi, Chris Brookes, Yuki Ueno, MAO, Yuki Iino, Yukio Naya, KANON, Takeshi Masada and the D GENERATIONS CUP winner.
Comments Off on DDT “JUDGEMENT 2024 ~27TH ANNIVERSARY 5 HOUR SPECIAL~” Results | Results | Tagged: AJPW, Akito, All Japan Pro Wrestling, Antonio Honda, Billie Starkz, BURNING, Chris Brookes, D.O.A (Dead Or Alive), Daisuke Sasaki, DAMNATION T.A, Danshoku Dieno, DDT Extreme Championship, DDT Pro Wrestling, DDT Universal Championship, Dramatic Dream Team, El Desperado, Gorgeous Matsuno, HARASHIMA, Hi69, Hideki Okatani, Ilusion, Jun Akiyama, KANON, Kazuki Hirata, Kazuma Sumi, Kazusada Higuchi, Keigo Nakamura, Keisuke Ishii, Ken Ohka, Kenta Kobashi, King Of DDT, KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Championship, KO-D Openweight Championship, KO-D Tag Team Championship, Konosuke Takeshita, Korakuen Hall, Makoto Oishi, MAO, Masahiro Takanashi, MJ Paul, Naruki Doi, New Period, Rukiya, Ryuki Honda, Sanshiro Takagi, SCHADENFREUDE International, Shinichiro Kawamatsu, Shinya Aoki, Shuji Ishikawa, Shunma Katsumata, Soma Takao, Super Sasadango Machine, Takeshi Masada, Tetsuya Endo, To-y, Toru Owashi, Tsubasa Suzuki, Yoshihiko, Yoshitatsu, Yuki Iino, Yuki Ueno, Yukinori Matsui, Yukio Naya, Yuma Anzai, Yuma Aoyagi, Yuni, Yuya Koroku, Zuncha Muscle Survivor | Permalink
Posted by JamieOD
January 28, 2024
DDT “SWEET DREAMS! 2024”, 28/01/2024
Tokyo Korakuen Hall
1,120 Fans – Super No Vacancy
1. Special 10-Man Tag Match: HARASHIMA, Tomoya, Antonio Honda, Takeshi Masada & Kazuma Sumi defeated Sanshiro Takagi, Toru Owashi, Akito, Shinichiro Kawamatsu & Yuni when Sumi pinned Yuni with a School Boy (7:07).
2. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Daisuke Sasaki, KANON & Bryan Keith (w/ MJ Paul) defeated Tetsuya Endo, Yuki Iino & Rukiya after KANON pinned Rukiya with the Freedom Call (8:39).
3. Yukio Sakaguchi Korakuen Final Match ~ Special Single Match: Yukio Sakaguchi defeated Hideki Okatani with the God’s Right Knee (5:42).
4. MAO Birthday Commemorative Match: MAO & TAKA Michinoku defeated Chris Brookes & Masahiro Takanashi when MAO pinned Takanashi with the Cannonball 450 (8:45).
5. DDT Extreme Title – Who Is The Fated One!? Toy Kojima Challenge Death Match: Shunma Katsumata defeated Kazuki Hirata (c) (8:33).
5a. Kazuki Hirata pinned Shunma Katsumata with the Miracle One Shot Cradle (0:57).
*Toy Kojima fails his challenge.
5b. Shunma Katsumata submitted Kazuki Hirata with a Crab Hold (4:04).
*Toy Kojima fails his challenge.
5c. Kazuki Hirata pinned Shunma Katsumata with the Miracle One Shot Cradle (7:42).
*Toy Kojima fails his challenge.
5d. Shunma Katsumata pinned Kazuki Hirata with a School Boy (8:33).
*Toy Kojima passes his challenge. Kazuki Hirata fails in V6. Shunma Katsumata becomes the 59th DDT Extreme Champion!
6. KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles – DEAD OR ALIVE Contra DEAD OR ALIVE: Jun Akiyama, Danshoku Dieno & Makoto Oishi (c) defeated Hikaru Sato, Kazusada Higuchi & Ryo Kawamura when Oishi pinned Kawamura with the Jikiden Tornado Clutch (8:20).
*V3 for D.O.A.
7. Special Single Match: KONOSUKE TAKESHITA defeated Naruki Doi with the Wagamama (10:58).
8. KO-D Openweight Title: Yuki Ueno (c) defeated Yukio Naya with the Twister (23:35).
*V1 for Yuki Ueno.
Yuki Ueno’s run as KO-D Openweight Champion has just begun and in his first defence he put down Yukio Naya, shutting down the D-Oh Grand Prix winner’s momentum. The champion went for big dives from the get go but took high risk damage of his own when Naya gave him an Avalanche Choke Slam. Naya also blocked the BME with his knees and used a Wrist-Clutch Back Drop. Ueno was only able to break the pin thanks to a rope break. He switched to using Dropkicks and got a nearfall with the BME. Naya tried fighting back using Knee Strikes but Ueno grabbed him in a Face Lock and pulled him into a Twister hold, making Naya give up. After the match Ueno said Naya has nothing to be ashamed about. He is a great wrestler not because he crawled from the bottom up to the top but because he uses pro wrestling to stand up for himself. Ueno will take what he learned from Naya today and carry them on his own shoulders.
Ueno was told the next KO-D Title defence is scheduled for 17th March. He expected to hear that and already has an opponent in mind. He wants to defend the KO-D Title against Danshoku Dieno and he is willing to do it before the mandatory March defence. The 37KAMIINA will be holding a produce show in Shinjuku FACE on 14th February and Ueno can defend the title against Dieno there. Sanshiro Takagi entered the ring and told Ueno his request cannot be met. The KO-D Title is DDT’s top championship and its matches need to attract large audiences. Ueno explained he does not want this match for the venue size or as an easy title defence. He chooses Dieno because Dieno is the most amazing guy and interesting wrestler in DDT. Takagi accepted his reasoning and gave permission for the match to go ahead. Dieno told Ueno what he said to Jun Akiyama three years ago. He knows the champ will not let him win and DDT does not want him to become the KO-D Champion but if you flash the belt in front of his face he is going to want it! And if he does win the belt who knows what direction he will take DDT in!
The semi-main event was a first time ever meeting between Konosuke Takeshita and Naruki Doi. Takeshita dealt a big blow by giving Doi a Brainbuster on the floor outside the ring. Back in the ring Doi had to rely on speed to try and keep one step ahead of his opponent’s power. He used the V9 Clutch to counter a Lariat for a nearfall. There was one power spot Doi got the better of. That was for a Brainbuster that led to the Doi 555 and Bakatare Sliding Kick combo for another two count. Takeshita blocked the Muscular Bomb and used Doi’s rolling attempt to throw him over with a German Suplex. He then hit the Wagamama to get the victory. Takeshita called it a fun match that made him feel like Takeshita the young wrestling fan again. He never forgets that feeling wherever he goes. He wants to fight Doi again and next time it should be in America.
The D.O.A branding is safe again for the time being. The name was up for grabs along with the KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles for the second time after Hikaru Sato complained about his catchphrase being stolen by them. Akiyama was the first one to stand against Sato and Kazusada Higuchi in the ring. Ryo Kawamura ended up sparring with Dieno and made the mistake of putting him in a Triangle Choke. Makoto Oishi kept trying to bring out wasabi and eventually succeeded in wiping it over Dieno’s backside. Both of them regretted it when Kawamura shoved Oishi face first in there but Oishi recovered and flash pinned Kawamura with the Jikiden Tornado Clutch. He celebrated the successful title defence by saying he is well aware that other people use the phrase “Dead Or Alive” so we are all D.O.A! He hoped Akiyama & Dieno would join in but he was left alone in the ring. Sato questioned if the team really are D.O.A because they show no intentions of staying alive and act like they only want to die.
The fate of the DDT Extreme Title all rested on Toy Kojima’s shoulders. Kazuki Hirata and Shunma Katsumata were wrestling each other under 2-Count Fall rules for the belt but the match result would only stand if Kojima could pass a challenge given to him backstage. He didn’t have to wait long for his first task because Hirata pinned Katsumata with the Miracle One Shot Cradle in under a minute. Kojima had to endure bumps for 30 seconds but he couldn’t so the match restarted. Katsumata then submitted Hirata with a Crab Hold so Kojima’s task was to drink a bottle of cola in one go. He couldn’t do that either. Hirata pinned Katsumata with the Miracle Cradle again so Kojima had to play Pop-Up Pirate for 10 turns without losing. He lost in the first turn. Katsumata used a School Boy to pin Hirata so Kojima had to play with a Kendama toy. He was given three goals to swing the ball onto the cup. He did it on his third and final go, making Katsumata the new Extreme Champion!
Katsumata thanked Hirata for coming up with such a fun ruleset. He also announced that after talking with the other members of the group, Kazuki Hirata has been accepted as the newest member of The 37KAMIINA! Unfortunately Hirata changed his mind and no longer wants to be part of the team. Why? Because he wants to create his own brand new unit instead! He later found Naruki Doi backstage and kept pestering him to join this new stable. Doi is reluctant but may have been talked into joining. Meanwhile Katsumata was asked for who he wants his challenger to be for his first defence on 17th March. He suggested Hideki Okatani so they could renew their rivalry over the title. However MJ Paul then came out to attack Okatani, handed Katsumata a piece of paper saying he wanted to challenge him and then he attacked Katsumata too. Katsumata and Okatani worked together to fend off Paul’s attack. Hisaya Imabayashi came up with a solution. Okatani and Paul will face each other on 7th February and the winner will get the title shot for 17th March.
MAO was having a big birthday bash and invited the likes of TAKA Michinoku and CDK to be at the party. One present he got was to be the headpiece of the Kaientai spot with poor Masahiro Takanashi being the victim. Somehow Chris Brookes got to be on the good side of that present. CDK fought back using their double team moves to wrap their opponents into each other but it couldn’t get them the win. Instead TAKA dropped Takanashi with the Michinoku Driver II and MAO pinned him with the Cannonball 450. MAO is happy to start off being 27 years old with a win. He said no matter where his career goes, TAKA Michinoku’s name will always be around him because he is his hero. TAKA said he is proud to be an influence to people outside of K-DOJO and JTO. He calls MAO one of the few genius young wrestlers he’s seen and that geniuses often don’t see it in themselves. He is sure he can become the KO-D Champion some day. CDK were disappointed to lose but everyone in SCHADENFREUDE International was happy to see Brookes be healthy and wrestle again.
Today was the final time Yukio Sakaguchi would wrestle in Korakuen Hall. He was given a singles match against his former Eruption teammate Hideki Okatani for the occasion. It was a chance for Sakaguchi to test how Okatani could fight by himself. Okatani took all the kicks he could and fought back with the Double Arm Suplex. But Sakaguchi blocked the Quetzalcoatl and put Okatani down with the God’s Right Knee to end the match. His message to Okatani backstage was to ask what is his strength? He needs to find that answer in order to change from what he is now. Okatani thanked Sakaguchi for the lesson and will use the DDT ring to show him what he learned.
The services of Bryan Keith were used by DAMNATION T.A to fight what’s currently left of BURNING along with Rukiya. MJ Paul interfered to take the Spear from Yuki Iino instead of KANON. Keith used the Emerald Tiger Driver on Rukiya then left him for the others to pick at the pieces. Daisuke Sasaki & KANON used a Vietnam Driver & Diving Elbow combination called the Freedom Call to finish Rukiya off. Sasaki called BURNING worthless and thinks the group should disband. KANON made fun of them, telling them to go home and drink their mothers’ protein. Iino complained about KANON needing Paul’s help because he doesn’t want to take the Spear. Tetsuya Endo thinks he needs to improve his accuracy because today’s performance wasn’t up to snuff. But he is confident that if he and Iino hit DAMNATION T.A right, they will win the KO-D Tag Team Titles from them.
The opening match went ahead with No Tag Rules. Takagi quickly gave Kazuma Sumi the Stunner but was then caught in a Train Attack that included the referee getting involved. HARASHIMA and Toru Owashi got to fight each other until Akito came in to target HARASHIMA’s leg. So did Tomoya and Shinichiro Kawamatsu in what turned out to be a battle between pro wrestling politicians. Antonio Honda paused the match for his Gongitsune joke but it backfired. Yuni gave Takeshi Masada a Tornado DDT but then missed a Moonsault aimed for Sumi. That allowed Sumi to roll up the school boy with the School Boy for the win.
The first set of wrestlers to enter this year’s King Of DDT are a mix of previous winners and finalists to mark the 20th Anniversary of the tournament. Poison Sawada JULIE (2004 winner), Sanshiro Takagi (2009 finalist), Danshoku Dieno (2012 finalist), HARASHIMA (2010 & 2013 winner, 2017 finalist) and Shuji Ishikawa (2016 winner) have all been announced to be taking part.
Kaisei Takechi’s debut match on 25th February has him teaming up with Yuki Ueno & Shunma Katsumata. They will be against Tetsuya Endo, Hideki Okatani & Takeshi Masada.
Comments Off on DDT “SWEET DREAMS! 2024” Results | Results | Tagged: Akito, Antonio Honda, Bryan Keith, BURNING, CDK (Calamari Drunken Kings), Chris Brookes, D.O.A (Dead Or Alive), Daisuke Sasaki, DAMNATION T.A, Danshoku Dieno, DDT Extreme Championship, DDT Pro Wrestling, Dramatic Dream Team, HARASHIMA, Hideki Okatani, Hikaru Sato, Hisaya Imabayashi, Jun Akiyama, Kaisei Takechi, KANON, Kazuki Hirata, Kazuma Sumi, Kazusada Higuchi, King Of DDT, KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Championship, KO-D Openweight Championship, Konosuke Takeshita, Korakuen Hall, Makoto Oishi, MAO, Masahiro Takanashi, MJ Paul, Naruki Doi, Poison Sawada JULIE, Rukiya, Ryo Kawamura, Sanshiro Takagi, SCHADENFREUDE International, Shinichiro Kawamatsu, Shuji Ishikawa, Shunma Katsumata, TAKA Michinoku, Takeshi Masada, Tetsuya Endo, The 37KAMIINA, Tomoya, Toru Owashi, Toy Kojima (Toi Kojima), Yuki Iino, Yuki Ueno, Yukio Naya, Yukio Sakaguchi, Yuni | Permalink
Posted by JamieOD
January 15, 2024
GANBARE☆JOSHI “GANJO WINNING SHOT ’24”, 16/01/2024
Shin-Kiba 1st RING
1. Alex Lee & Riara Vs Kaho Kobayashi & Itsuki Aoki
2. Ice Ribbon Offer Match: Ibuki Hoshi & Kaho Matsushita Vs Arisa Shinose & Tsukina Umino
3. SAKI Vs Banny Oikawa
4. Sumire Natsu & YuuRI Vs Yuu & Yoshiko Hasegawa
The next Ganbare☆Joshi show takes place tomorrow.
BAKA GAIJIN + FRIENDS “VOL. ELEVEN: STRANGE BUT NOT A STRANGER”, 17/01/2024
Tokyo ARENA Shimokitazawa
1. 2-On-1 Hardcore Match: Shunma Katsumata Vs Mad Dr. Ueki & Mecha Mummy
Only one match announced so far for this month’s Baka Gaijin + Friends show. It was originally supposed to be Shunma Katsumata against Mecha Mummy but Katsumata complained about getting an uninteresting opponent for his first Baka Gaijin show. So plans changed and Katsumata now has to fight both Mummy & Mad Dr. Ueki in a Handicap Hardcore match.
Also scheduled to appear on the show are Chris Brookes, MAO, Masahiro Takanashi, Antonio Honda, Gota Ihashi and Munetatsu Nakamura.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “THE 4TH “FUTARI WA PRINCESS” MAX HEART TOURNAMENT”, 20/01/2024
Tokyo Shinagawa Prince Hotel Club eX
1. Yuki Aino, Rika Tatsumi & Miu Watanabe Vs Suzume, Arisu Endo & Shino Suzuki
2. “Futari wa Princess” Max Heart Tournament – Round 1A: Kaya Toribami & Haru Kazashiro Vs Yuki Arai & Wakana Uehara
3. “Futari wa Princess” Max Heart Tournament – Round 1B: Shoko Nakajima & Hyper Misao Vs Yuki Kamifuku & Mahiro Kiryu
4. “Futari wa Princess” Max Heart Tournament – Round 1C: Nao Kakuta & HIMAWARI Vs Raku & Pom Harajuku
5. “Futari wa Princess” Max Heart Tournament – Round 1D: Miyu Yamashita & Toga Vs Moka Miyamoto & Juria Nagano
The Max Heart Tournament begins this weekend!
Mizuki will not be at the show because of a scheduling conflict.
DDT “NEW YEAR FAN APPRECIATION DAY!”, 20/01/2024
Tokyo Shinagawa Prince Hotel Club eX
1. 4 Way Tag Match: Yuki Ueno & Kazuki Hirata Vs HARASHIMA & Kazusada Higuchi Vs Yoshitatsu & Akito Vs Yuki Iino & Yusuke Okada
2. New Year’s Six Major Single Match: KANON Vs Yuni
3. New Year’s Six Major Single Match: Daisuke Sasaki Vs Ilusion
4. New Year’s Six Major Single Match: Danshoku Dieno Vs Kazuma Sumi
5. New Year’s Six Major Single Match: Yukio Naya Vs Takeshi Masada
6. New Year’s Six Major Single Match: Jun Akiyama Vs Rukiya
7. New Year’s Six Major Single Match: Tetsuya Endo Vs Hideki Okatani
8. Special 6-Man Tag Match: MAO, Shunma Katsumata & Makoto Oishi Vs Bryan Keith, Soma Takao & Shota
Toy Kojima got injured in yesterday’s match and was diagnosed with a fractured rib. He will be out of action for a month and is expected to be back on 14th February. A lot of the DDT cards for the next month have to be changed around due to his absence.
DDT “SWEET DREAMS! 2024 TOUR IN SHINAGAWA”, 21/01/2024
Tokyo Shinagawa Prince Hotel Club eX
1. Jun Akiyama, Danshoku Dieno & Makoto Oishi Vs HARASHIMA, Hideki Okatani & Kazuma Sumi
2. Tetsuya Endo & Yuki Iino Vs Takeshi Masada & Rukiya
3. Kazuki Hirata & Yuni Vs Akito & Yusuke Okada
4. Special Single Match: Kazusada Higuchi Vs MJ Paul
5. Special Tag Match: Yuki Ueno & Shunma Katsumata Vs Yukio Naya & Yoshitatsu
6. KO-D Tag Team Titles: Soma Takao & Shota (c) Vs Daisuke Sasaki & KANON
7. DDT Universal Title: MAO (c) Vs Bryan Keith
At least both Yuni and Kazuma Sumi will be well again to come back and wrestle this weekend.
DDT “SWEET DREAMS! 2024”, 28/01/2024
Tokyo Korakuen Hall
1. Special 10-Man Tag Match: Sanshiro Takagi, Toru Owashi, Akito, Shinichiro Kawamatsu & Rukiya Vs HARASHIMA, Tomoya, Antonio Honda, Takeshi Masada & Kazuma Sumi
2. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Tetsuya Endo, Yuki Iino & Yusuke Okada Vs Daisuke Sasaki, KANON & Bryan Keith (w/ MJ Paul)
3. MAO Birthday Commemorative Match: MAO & TAKA Michinoku Vs Chris Brookes & Masahiro Takanashi
4. Special Single Match: KONOSUKE TAKESHITA Vs Naruki Doi
5. Yukio Sakaguchi Korakuen Final Match ~ Special Single Match: Yukio Sakaguchi Vs Hideki Okatani
5. KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles – DEAD OR ALIVE Contra DEAD OR ALIVE: Jun Akiyama, Danshoku Dieno & Makoto Oishi (c) Vs Hikaru Sato, Kazusada Higuchi & Ryo Kawamura
6. DDT Extreme Title: Kazuki Hirata (c) Vs Shunma Katsumata
7. KO-D Openweight Title: Yuki Ueno (c) Vs Yukio Naya
It is on short notice but we are only getting a few more Yukio Sakaguchi matches until he retires next month. One of his requests is to have a singles match against Hideki Okatani. Now that Eruption has ended Sakaguchi wants to see for himself just how much Okatani has progressed as he starts the next chapter of his career.
Kojima’s injury has led to Shinichiro Kawamatsu getting booked for his first wrestling match of the year.
DDT “INTO THE FIGHT 2024 TOUR IN NAGANO”, 04/02/2024
Nagano Act Hall
1. Special Tag Match: Yukio Sakaguchi & Antonio Honda Vs Kazuki Hirata & Kazusada Higuchi
2. Nagano Specialty Special 6-Man Tag Match: Jun Akiyama, Toru Owashi & Yoshihiko Vs Danshoku Dieno, Makoto Oishi & Tetsuya Endo
Another match being specially put together for Sakaguchi is a tag match involving some of his favorite people to wrestle with. He and Kazusada Higuchi always hit hard as tag partners and opponents. Antonio Honda and Kazuki Hirata are at the opposite end of the scale. Their comedy antics always made Sakaguchi laugh.
DDT “INTO THE FIGHT 2024 TOUR IN SHINJUKU”, 07/02/2024
Shinjuku FACE
1. Yukio Sakaguchi Retirement Match: Yukio Sakaguchi Vs HARASHIMA
Sakaguchi chose HARASHIMA to be his opponent for his retirement match.
Ryuki Honda and Yuma Anzai from All Japan will both be on the show.
DDT “DDT GOES PHILADELPHIA!”, 04/04/2024
Penns Landing Caterers Auditorium, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
Talent announced for the show so far are Yuki Ueno, MAO, Kazuki Hirata, Konosuke Takeshita, Tetsuya Endo, Daisuke Sasaki, Chris Brookes, Shunma Katsumata, KANON, Takeshi Masada and Yoshihiko.
Comments Off on Kojima Injured, Sakaguchi’s Final Matches, Who Is Going To USA In April? | News | Tagged: Antonio Honda, ARENA Shimokitazawa, Baka Gaijin + Friends, DDT Pro Wrestling, Dramatic Dream Team, Futari wa Princess Max Heart Tournament, Ganbare☆Joshi, Ganbare☆Pro Wrestling, GanJo, GanPro, HARASHIMA, Hideki Okatani, Kazuki Hirata, Kazuma Sumi, Kazusada Higuchi, Korakuen Hall, Mad Dr. Ueki, Mecha Mummy, Mizuki, Nagano Act Hall, Penns Landing Caterers Auditorium, Ryuki Honda, Shin-Kiba 1st RING, Shinagawa Prince Hotel Club eX, Shinichiro Kawamatsu, Shunma Katsumata, The Collective, TJPW, Tokyo Joshi Pro Wrestling, Toy Kojima (Toi Kojima), Yukio Sakaguchi, Yuma Anzai, Yuni | Permalink
Posted by JamieOD
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
July 23, 2023
DDT “WRESTLE PETER PAN 2023”, 23/07/2023
Tokyo Ryogoku Kokugikan
3,465 Fans – No Vacancy
1. Takeshi Masada defeated Kazuma Sumi with the Masada Power KOBU Mukimuki (6:48).
2. Sanshiro Takagi, Shinichiro Kawamatsu & Yuni defeated Masahiro Takanashi, Toy Kojima & Rukiya when Kawamatsu pinned Rukiya with the Shitamachi Rocket (8:30).
3. 3 Way 6-Man Tag Match: Minoru Fujita, MJ Paul & KANON defeated Naruki Doi, Toru Owashi & Kazuki Hirata and Kotaro Suzuki, Yusuke Okada & Yuya Koroku when KANON pinned Koroku with the Vietnam Driver II (11:45).
4. Yuki “Sexy” Iino, Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno & Yumehito “Fantastic” Imanari (w/ Kachikire Hisaya) defeated Akito, Soma Takao & Yoshitomo Shimohigashi (w/ Buchigire Ujihara) when Iino pinned Akito after the Sexy Cannon (9:42).
5. Special Tag Match: Chiitan☆ & Pokotan defeated Andreza Giant Panda & Super Sasadango Machine when Chiitan☆ pinned Sasadango after the ChiiPoko☆Trigger (11:50).
6. KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles: Yukio Sakaguchi, Saki Akai & Hideki Okatani defeated Kazusada Higuchi, Ryota Nakatsu & Yuki Ishida (c) when Okatani pinned Ishida with the Double Arm Suplex (9:27).
*Harimao fails in V1. Eruption becomes the 52nd KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Champions!
7. Special Single Match: MAO defeated TAKA Michinoku with the Phoenix Splash (13:11).
8. Special Tag Match ~ Yukio Naya Return Match: Jun Akiyama & Shigehiro Irie defeated HARASHIMA & Yukio Naya when Irie pinned Naya with the Beast Bomber (13:25).
9. Special Single Match: KONOSUKE TAKESHITA defeated Yuki Ueno with the Brainbuster onto the corner turnbuckle (12:53).
10. DDT Universal Title: Matt Cardona (w/ Steph De Lander) defeated Tetsuya Endo (c) with the Radio Silence (15:43).
*Tetsuya Endo fails in V2. Matt Cardona becomes the 11th DDT Universal Champion!
11. Mexico Kanko Presents Dramatic Dream Match: El Desperado defeated Daisuke Sasaki with the Numero Dos (20:32).
12. KO-D Openweight Title – Good Com Asset Presents: Chris Brookes defeated Yuji Hino (c) with the Praying Mantis Bomb (21:04).
*Yuji Hino fails in V3. Chris Brookes becomes the 81st KO-D Openweight Champion!
In 2019 Chris Brookes came over from the British indepedents to DDT, taking to Japan’s wrestling scene like a duck to water. As his stay laster longer and longer he ticked off the most hardcore of bucket lists you can come up with in wrestling. He wasn’t just here to step inside Korakuen Hall, grab a Ribera jacket and have an excuse to start writing his name in Japanese for merchandise reasons. He ingrained himself into different pockets of all sizes in the wrestling industry. All the desire and hard work paid off with different accomplishments being added to his name over the years. The biggest one happened today when Brookes headlined “WRESTLE PETER PAN 2023” in Sumo Hall and became the new KO-D Openweight Champion! His challenge against the champion Yuji Hino was a big one but Brookes had a secret weapon ready for the ocassion.
The pre-match hype video revealed Brookes had spent time training with KUDO in order to add the High Kick to his moveset. KUDO won his first KO-D Title in Sumo Hall in 2011 and that inspired Brookes to get in touch and learn from him. Not only did he take the High Kick from training, he also used KUDO’s Diving Double Knee Drop on Hino. However Hino took that move as well as the Praying Mantis Bomb and shook off the attack. He fought back with a Lariat and Exploder Suplex. Then Hino made a mistake of putting his hands behind his back and daring Brookes to strike him. Brookes hit a few Flying Knee Strikes that Hino brushed off but it was the High Kick that rocked the champion. Then Brookes pulled out another secret weapon, hitting HARASHIMA’s finisher the Somato! Brookes then dropped Hino with a second Praying Mantis Bomb to become the new champion.
After the match Brookes was given the KO-D Title by special guest Kenta Kobashi. Brookes said Hino was really strong and he thanked him for the match today. He then wasted no time and asked if there was somebody out there to be his first challenger. Shigehiro Irie walked down to the ring. He congratulated Brookes and the two of them talked about the times they wrestled together in Europe. Irie also pointed out that he too has gone to foreign countries and won championships there. They haven’t had a match against each other in Japan yet so Irie wants to challenge Brookes for the belt. It was accepted and will take place at Ota Ward Gymnasium on 9th September. Irie warned that he’s come to take the KO-D Title and he’s the one who will bring it over to Europe. After he left, Brookes called out the DDT roster and paid his thanks to every one of them for their support. He reminded everyone that DDT stands for Dramatic Dream Team and everyone here is part of a team. He also went into the crowd to celebrate with the fans.
According to El Desperado, he is one of Daisuke Sasaki’s few friends and he offered him a bouquet of roses before their match as proof. Sasaki repaid Desperado by attacking him with the bouquet while they brawled outside. Sasaki also laid out Desperado on the front row of chairs and hit a Diving Elbow Drop from the top rope into him. Back in the ring Sasaki pulled off a Destroyer counter for Desperado’s Tombstone Piledriver. But La Mistica Crossface Lock was countered and Desperado stuck up his middle finger to Sasaki before trapping him in the Numero Dos to make him submit.
Desperado called the match fun but he now has a year’s worth of tequila that he won’t be able to drink all by himself. Sasaki confessed he is now feeling emotional about the match they just had and might start crying. Maybe they can have a rematch someday but this time in New Japan? Desperado joked that he has a spare key for the NJPW office so he might be able to sneak Sasaki in for something down the line. Backstage he told reporters he is going to split the tequila prize in half with Sasaki. Also if the sponsor allows it he wants to autograph the empty bottles with Sasaki and sell them with all of the proceeds going towards Yoshihiro Takayama and Shinjiro Otani.
The second of three title changes took place in Match #10 when Tetsuya Endo lost the DDT Universal Title to Matt Cardona thanks to the interference of Steph De Lander. Cardona & De Lander entered the ring carrying all of their championships, including Cardona wearing a replica of the WWE Women’s Tag Team Title that currently belongs to his wife Chelsea Green. De Lander’s constant interference backfired at one point when Cardona’s belt shot aimed for Endo hit her instead. Endo took control and had Cardona all set up for the Burning Star Press when De Lander recovered and distracted him again. This time she started flirting with Endo and gave him a bunch of kisses! Meanwhile Cardona turned the ref’s back to them so De Lander could kick Endo below the belt. Cardona then pinned Endo with the Radio Silence to add a new championship to his collection.
Cardona & De Lander’s celebration was quickly interrupted by the video screen. A live message from Maki Itoh started playing where she challenged Cardona for the Universal Title! She promised to take the championship and leave her GCW enemy covered in blood! The title match was later approved for the 24th September Korakuen Hall show. Backstage Cardona bragged about his title win and said he came here to conquer the world. It’s his first time in DDT and he already made the company and Endo his bitch. He’s not going back to WWE or AEW but when he leaves DDT he will be bringing the Universal Title with him!
Can the version of Konosuke Takeshita that showed up in Sumo Hall today be called new and improved? He was different than the Takeshita of old from before his AEW run that’s for sure. Yuki Ueno found that out up front during the latest match in their rivalry. Takeshita removed his own elbow pad to deliver raw Elbow Strikes and later dropped Ueno with an Implant Driver on the entrance ramp. Ueno fought back but his BME attempt was blocked with him getting kicked in midair. Takeshita then hit the Zahi into the corner and deadlifted Ueno up into a top rope Brainbuster onto the turnbuckle! Ueno had no answer for that and took the fall, losing again to his friend. Or is that now former friend?
Tension could be felt after the match when Ueno refused to shake Takeshita’s hand after the match. Then Toy Kojima decided to step in between them and push Takeshita away! Backstage Takeshita’s message towards Ueno was a blunt one. If Ueno ever wants to win the KO-D Title he should keep quiet and follow Takeshita! Elsewhere, Ueno said he needs to get stronger and increasing DDT’s audience is a way to do that. But after losing again today he doesn’t know what he should do next.
Yukio Naya went straight into the thick of things with his return match from injury. He started off the match with Shigehiro Irie and was just as eager to face off with Jun Akiyama. HARASHIMA was happy to fight Irie for the first time in a while although his opinion might have changed after Irie gave him a Piledriver on top of Naya. The Beat Bomber was blocked with a Knee Strike by Naya but Akiyama came in and threw Naya with the Exploder Suplex. Irie got a nearfall with a Running Cannonball into the corner and then got the three count after he hit the Beast Bomber. Both Akiyama & Irie spoke of their surprise by how powerful Naya was in his first match back. But Irie is on a mission to take everything in the world that he can, as shown by his appearance at the end of the show.
Start paying attention because MAO is back on track with a massive victory over TAKA Michinoku! MAO used his own versions of his influence’s moveset, using the Alien Plancha with an added midair twist and then two versions of the Michinoku Driver including one from the top rope. He then finished TAKA off with a Phoenix Splash. MAO said he was really happy to have this match because he’s been losing confidence in himself as a singles wrestler lately. He always admires TAKA so to beat him inside Sumo Hall using his own techniques means so much to him. However TAKA said in beating him in this day and age is not worth even a medal. MAO should be beating him and he should also be aiming for the top!
Just because Saki Akai is retiring later this year doesn’t mean she’s done winning championships. She achieved her goal of winning the KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles with Eruption one more time! Eruption defeated Harimao, the team led by their former “brother” Kazusada Higuchi to claim the belts. Akai herself went head to head with Higuchi and took his best shot. She held her ground and performed the Quetzalcoatl with some help from Yukio Sakaguchi hitting Higuchi with the God’s Right Knee. Akai then dived onto Higuchi & Ryota Nakatsu outside the ring, leaving Hideki Okatani to face off with Yuki Ishida. Okatani kicked out of the Dosukoi Hold and pinned Ishida with the Double Arm Suplex to cause the title change. Both teams shook hands after the match to show there is no bad blood between them.
Afterwards Akai said her retirement match will be at Sumo Hall later this year so she’s going at full speed for her remaining months as a pro wrestler. She wanted to win the titles with Sakaguchi & Okatani in this building and is glad to have done so. She is especially happy for Okatani because this is his first championship win. Okatani then revealed Eruption’s next big plan. If they have the power to challenge anybody then they want to go to All Japan and win the AJPW TV 6-Man Tag Team Titles! They are even willing to put the KO-D 6-Man Tag Titles on the line in a double championship match to get what they want. Akai is already booked for AJPW’s show in Nagoya on 27th August and she heard that their trios champions put out an open challenge regardless of company or gender. So she’s bringing the rest of Eruption with her!
There was a reason why Andreza Giant Panda & Super Sasadango Machine were given the tag team name Food Chain. Sasadango wrestled the match wrapped together in giant bamboo leaves, just like a real sasadango. The reason why was shown when Andreza started to deflate with hunger. Sasadango made himself bait to be sacrificed to the panda! The venue went dark and in the darkness Andreza swallowed Sasadango whole, leaving only his mask behind for a horrified Yukinori Matsui to discover. Now fully fed and powered up, Andreza went on a rampage of Headbutts against the ChiiPoko☆Ultra Cute Alliance. However Chiitan pulled out a samurai sword and stabbed Andreza in the stomach with it. The venue went dark again sparing the audience from seeing a giant panda throw up. The lights came back on and Sasadango was back in the ring in one piece, covered in bits of vomit. Pokotan took advantage by giving Sasadango the Swanton Bomb. Then the two mascots joined forces and did the ChiiPoko☆Trigger together on Sasadango to score the win. Backstage Sasadango explained what it was like being eaten by Andreza. He said Andreza’s stomach was bigger than he thought and would make for a comfortable living space in Tokyo.
The comedian Buchigire Ujihara was given the full Pheromones experience, something that the former Hisaya Imabayashi was happy to see because it wasn’t him getting humiliated for once. However he overstepped his bounds when he tried to interfere and attack Akito with a chair. Akito dodged it and the chair hit both Yuki Iino & Danshoku Dieno instead. Yumehito Imanari then caused a mess using a fire extinguisher on Akito, Soma Takao & Yoshitomo Shimohigashi. Dieno then launched Iino across the ring with a hip thrust, causing Iino to pin Akito with the Spear.
A victorious Hisaya celebrated Pheromones winning the match but didn’t expect them to turn on him. Imanari suddenly grabbed him and gave him a DDT inbetween Iino & Dieno’s backsides, leaving him vertically jammed upside down in the gap! Ujihara gave them a nod of approval, coming around to understand what Pheromones is like. Backstage Akito approached Pheromones asking for one more match. If Akito wins then Pheromones will disband but if Pheromones win then Akito will stop trying to destroy them. Dieno demanded that Akito crawl between Iino’s legs and then press his own face into Iino’s backside to prove he is being sincere. Akito did so and said he wanted the match to happen on 9th September at Ota Ward Gym.
DAMNATION T.A won the 3 Way Trios match against BURNING and the Dragon Gene team. KANON pulled out the Vietnam Driver II, a move previously used by Daisuke Sasaki to beat Yuya Koroku for the finish. KANON was of mixed emotions backstage afterwards. He was so happy that Minoru Fujita made it to the show on time and also that MJ Paul did his best. But then he got mad that the three of them were thrown into a nothing 3 Way Tag Match! Fujita had to calm him down. The BURNING team took the loss in good grace. Kotaro Suzuki was happy to wrestle in DDT again while Yusuke Okada was thankful to wrestle inside Sumo Hall again. Koroku said he will take the loss as another learning experience. Neither Naruki Doi, Toru Owashi or Kazuki Hirata gave any comments after the match.
Being born and raised in Ryogoku was enough motivation for Shinichiro Kawamatsu to go out there and win. With Sanshiro Takagi & Yuni on his team the three of them were able to beat Masahiro Takanashi, Toy Kojima & Rukiya. Takagi stacked Takanashi and Kojima on top of him to deliver a Double Samoan Drop. Yuni followed up with a Moonsault out of the ring. Kawamatsu then targeted Rukiya’s mid-section with the Shitamachi Rocket Spear to get the three count. Yuni called it a memorable experience because it is the first time he won a match inside Sumo Hall. His effort didn’t go unnoticed by Kojima because Kojima blames Yuni for his team losing! Takagi told Kawamatsu DDT will be back here in November so he’ll find a great opponent for him if he wants to wrestle then.
The opening match of the show saw Takeshi Masada use the Samurai Driver ’01 to beat Kazuma Sumi. However here the move was called the Masada Power KOBU Mukimuki. It’s been almost a year since Masada debuted and he feels like he has regressed since the end of the D GENERATIONS CUP. Today’s win against his classmate Sumi is a good step forward towards DDT’s next major shows in Ota Ward and Sumo Hall happening later this year. Sumi is frustrated to lose but he promises to do his best until he can win, no matter how many more times he loses.
When the show finally ended and all the wrestlers left ringside, the credits began to roll. And then it stopped for a sudden post-credits sequence. A fallen Sasaki was seen sitting on a hallway floor when he is approached by Takeshita. The scene ends with Takeshita offering his hand and Sasaki shaking it! To add more to the confusing scene, it was reported that Takeshita’s post-show meet and greet took place at the DAMNATION T.A merch table. What made things even more confusing is Takeshita afterwards said he has no intention of joining DAMNATION T.A. Instead he is doing this to position himself against The 37KAMIINA because he thinks the unit no longer needs him.
Comments Off on DDT “WRESTLE PETER PAN 2023” Results | Results | Tagged: Akito, Andreza Giant Panda, Buchigire Ujihara, ChiiPoko☆Ultra Cute Alliance, Chiitan, Chris Brookes, Daisuke Sasaki, Danshoku Dieno, DDT Pro Wrestling, DDT Universal Championship, Dramatic Dream Team, El Desperado, Eruption, HARASHIMA, Harimao, Hideki Okatani, Hisaya Imabayashi, Jun Akiyama, KANON, Kazuki Hirata, Kazuma Sumi, Kazusada Higuchi, Kenta Kobashi, KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Championship, KO-D Openweight Championship, Konosuke Takeshita, Kotaro Suzuki, KUDO, Maki Itoh, MAO, Masahiro Takanashi, Matt Cardona, Minoru Fujita, MJ Paul, Naruki Doi, Pheromones, Pokotan, Rukiya, Ryogoku Kokugikan, Ryota Nakatsu, Saki Akai, Sanshiro Takagi, Shigehiro Irie, Shinichiro Kawamatsu, Soma Takao, Steph De Lander, Sumo Hall, Super Sasadango Machine, TAKA Michinoku, Takeshi Masada, Tetsuya Endo, The 37KAMIINA, Toru Owashi, Toy Kojima (Toi Kojima), Yoshitomo Shimohigashi, Yuji Hino, Yuki Iino, Yuki Ishida, Yuki Ueno, Yukio Naya, Yukio Sakaguchi, Yumehito Imanari, Yuni, Yusuke Okada, Yuya Koroku | Permalink
Posted by JamieOD
July 21, 2023
DDT “WRESTLE PETER PAN 2023”, 23/07/2023
Tokyo Ryogoku Kokugikan
1. Takeshi Masada Vs Kazuma Sumi
2. Sanshiro Takagi, Shinichiro Kawamatsu & Yuni Vs Masahiro Takanashi, Toy Kojima & Rukiya
3. 3 Way 6-Man Tag Match: Naruki Doi, Toru Owashi & Kazuki Hirata Vs Minoru Fujita, MJ Paul & KANON Vs Kotaro Suzuki, Yusuke Okada & Yuya Koroku
4. Yuki “Sexy” Iino, Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno & Yumehito “Fantastic” Imanari (w/ Kachikire Hisaya) Vs Akito, Soma Takao & Yoshitomo Shimohigashi (w/ Buchigire Ujihara)
5. Special Tag Match: Chiitan☆ & Pokotan Vs Andreza Giant Panda & Super Sasadango Machine
6. KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles: Kazusada Higuchi, Ryota Nakatsu & Yuki Ishida (c) Vs Yukio Sakaguchi, Saki Akai & Hideki Okatani
7. Special Single Match: TAKA Michinoku Vs MAO
8. Special Tag Match ~ Yukio Naya Return Match: HARASHIMA & Yukio Naya Vs Jun Akiyama & Shigehiro Irie
9. Special Single Match: KONOSUKE TAKESHITA Vs Yuki Ueno
10. DDT Universal Title: Tetsuya Endo (c) Vs Matt Cardona (w/ Steph De Lander)
11. Mexico Kanko Presents Dramatic Dream Match: Daisuke Sasaki Vs El Desperado
12. KO-D Openweight Title – Good Com Asset Presents: Yuji Hino (c) Vs Chris Brookes
Welcome to the 15th annual “WRESTLE PETER PAN”! This year DDT is bringing their flagpole supercard back to Sumo Hall for the first time sine 2018. There is a lot to go through. It’s a twelve match card and all of it is included on the main card. No dark matches, pre-show exhibitions or whatever you want to call them. DDT needs to put their best foot forward on Sunday as they struggle to regain the ground they lost over the pandemic years. A few matches on the card looks like they’re throwing different ideas to the wall and seeing what sticks. It hasn’t reached the depths of desperation yet but they could really do with this show becoming a hit.
I’ll go through each topic in more detail below when it applies to the match but DDT has been hampered by a few things this year. There is a little bit of an identity crisis in there, perhaps the wrong people were chosen to hold a few of the championships and an injury bug keeps getting in the way of every attempt to elevate people. There is also a staleness to the humour and the fresh blood are not being given enough opportunities to come up with their own jokes. I will listen to any arguments that CyberFight should stop being scared of mixing DDT and NOAH together for more inter-promotional matches. Keiji Muto’s retirement show was a great demonstration what DDT and Tokyo Joshi Pro wrestlers would look like under NOAH’s top notch presentation. The problem there is the people in charge are determined not to make any of the same mistakes SWS did in the early 90s when it comes to to managing multiple companies in a “room-by-room” manner. It’s a delicate task having to juggle several different rosters with their own differing views on what kind of wrestling show to put on.
1. Takeshi Masada Vs Kazuma Sumi
The day kicks off with a match between two wrestlers from the current crop of rookies that have been at times referred to as D GENERATIONS. The name came from the D GENERATIONS CUP tournament that was held in the Spring to give DDT’s fresh blood the chance to earn the last spot on the company’s trip to Los Angeles for their DDT USA shows. The winner of the tournament was Takeshi Masada who was already being marketed as the highest prospect to come out of DDT’s dojo in years. Getting to debut after only three months of training will give you that kind of hype. He was the first from a group of five to debut. The second is his opponent here Kazuma Sumi. Officially it took him half a year of training before debut but in reality Sumi was previously attached to Dragongate’s dojo and dropped out. If there is more to the story about how, when and why he jumped to DDT, it hasn’t been told to anyone publicly so I doubt there is anything unusual or controversial behind it. So much of DDT’s talent development throughout its history is built around taking in dropouts from other dojos anyway. They’re not a picky company and if they are I can’t imagine what kind of trainees they’ve turned down for reasons involving quality.
The current state of DDT’s training system is sort of displayed with this matchup. The rookies they’ve been debuting over the last twelve to eighteen months are all functionally good. Masada’s been the best of the bunch and has clearly been positioned as such. Sumi gets to display his athleticism but not much else in the form of character. While I enjoy seeing fresh faces coming in and have fun following the careers that last, the underlying problem so far is the lack of creativity given to their roles. I can tell they get to have fun doing what they do and are willing to join in whatever silliness is thrown their way. It’s just that so far none of it is by their own creation. DDT needs to come up with new jokes and gimmicks. Keigo Nakamura is an example of somebody who is standing out as his own character and personality but unfortunately he’s become injury prone and I fear his wrestling career has been shortened for that reason. It’s fine that the company is able to attract new trainees on a regular basis but I would like to see them become more than just extra bodies to drop falls to the veterans.
2. Sanshiro Takagi, Shinichiro Kawamatsu & Yuni Vs Masahiro Takanashi, Toy Kojima & Rukiya
A battle between generations young and old with a few returns from injury added too. Sanshiro Takagi has been rehabbing a torn calf in his left leg in order to make this show. He is also the current Iron Man Heavymetalweight Champion at the time of writing. You’d think he’d be tempting fate by telling the other wrestlers not to take advantage of his weakened state but everyone followed the order and left him be. The politician Shinichiro Kawamatsu had a failed attempt at becoming the new O-40 Champion back in March but made up for it a month later by directly winning a match for the first time. Yuni has been the most active out of anyone from the team. The youngster unmasked himself to end his El Unicorn gimmick and graduated from child pro wrestler to teenage pro wrestler. The other team has Masahiro Takanashi as the veteran captaining two young prospects. Toy Kojima is finding his place in the world as part of The 37KAMIINA. He recently lost a feud to DAMNATION T.A but showed a lot of fire standing up for himself and his friends. Rukiya is at the time of writing still recovering from a cracked sternum. He only debuted in April so hopefully it’s just a minor setback. Still though, I always say rookies break easily. DDT is only just coming out of an injury bug too.
3. 3 Way 6-Man Tag Match: Naruki Doi, Toru Owashi & Kazuki Hirata Vs Minoru Fujita, MJ Paul & KANON Vs Kotaro Suzuki, Yusuke Okada & Yuya Koroku
Long story short this is three wrestlers who all carry the Toryumon gene in some form taking on both DAMNATION T.A and the lower ranked wrestlers in BURNING. Ever since he went freelance Naruki Doi has been on a tear by winning championships in both DDT and All Japan. His brightest moment in DDT was short lived but he still shows up from time to time where he is stuck with Toru Owashi & Kazuki Hirata due to their shared wrestling heritage. Yes, even including Hirata. DAMNATION T.A have sort of been inconsistent this year. KANON got injured with a dislocated shoulder and just came back to the ring recently. Minoru Fujita was busy wrestling elsewhere so DDT was not a priority for him. MJ Paul is the same as always but at least he gets a KO-D Tag Team Title reign out of it. BURNING’s two youngest wrestlers have spent a lot of time on the undercard. That’s fair for Yuya Koroku given how young his career is but Yusuke Okada never progresses anywhere and I’m not sure why. Kotaro Suzuki leads the team into the match and remains involved with BURNING as an extra guiding hand whenever they need it.
4. Yuki “Sexy” Iino, Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno & Yumehito “Fantastic” Imanari (w/ Kachikire Hisaya) Vs Akito, Soma Takao & Yoshitomo Shimohigashi (w/ Buchigire Ujihara)
DDT was spared from having the main event scene successfully taken over by Pheromones after “MEGA MAX BUMP 2023” back in May. Yuki Iino has brushed aside his short lived “Strong” persona to become “Sexy” again and is back to pushing the envelope with Danshoku Dieno & Yumehito Imanari. The boss Takagi has long since passed the responsibility of suppressing Pheromones down to his Vice President Akito. It’s a thankless task but Akito keeps agreeing to the job in the hopes it will take him right to the top of CyberFight management whenever Takagi calls it a day. Soma Takao is dragged into the mission as the man in charge of the Dropkick Bar. That makes him a vital employee in the eyes of Akito so he must take part whether he wants to or not. Filling out the team is Akito’s secret weapon. One with a origin that goes back to Kota Ibushi. It’s not Ibushi himself though. He was busy this week.
Remember the Ibushi Wrestling Institute? It’s that project Ibushi put together after he ended his double contract with DDT and New Japan. It turned out there actually was somebody who debuted as a pro wrestler under that banner in 2018. Meet Yoshitomo Shimohigashi, aka “Golden Stardust” the first man to carry on Ibushi’s pro wrestling legacy. His background is in pro bowling, his wife is a competitive eater and he’s barely wrestled much in the 5 years since. Boy, Ibushi sure knows how to pick them. Shimohigashi’s most high profile matches have been with Tokyo Gurentai and I haven’t been able to find anywhere else he’s been. He is a figure more known inside the pro wrestling business than out and Akito is attached to him through having an advisory role in the Institute.
One last addition to the match is the involvement of Buchigire Ujihara, a comedian on Youtube who was just a bystander at a restaurant where Pheromones and Akito’s team got into a fight. He got caught in the crossfire along with the DDT GM Hisaya Imabayashi. When Imabayashi found out who Ujihara is, he flipped his lid. Ujihara gets to make a living off of playing pranks and acting a fool on Youtube while Imabayashi has to work several different part time jobs along with his subcontracted DDT role in order to get a decent salary. The jealousy caused Imabayashi to unexpectedly side with Pheromones because he no longer sees the point of defending DDT against them when he is not a full time employee. Now going by the name Kachikire Hisaya, this time he’ll get to join in with the Pheromones abuse after years of having to take it.
5. Special Tag Match: Chiitan☆ & Pokotan Vs Andreza Giant Panda & Super Sasadango Machine
What can I say? Mascots are big in Japan. Chiitan’s crazy debut in May lured DDT’s own mascot Pokotan back to the ring out of jealousy. They settled their differences in a tag match and discovered they can work quite well together as a team. They also already came up with their own tag team finisher called the Chi☆Poco Trigger. All that was left needed is a tag team name. DDT fans did the job for them, coming up with ChiiPoko☆Ultra Cute Alliance as the name. Everything’s ready so let’s see what their opponents get up to. Andreza Giant Panda & Super Sasadango Machine have prior history with each other. In 2018 Sasadango made it his mission to put a stop to Andreza because the panda’s gigantic appitite was a danger to the local environment. He failed but ended up on Andreza’s good side afterward. Almost four years later and they are back in the ring together going against two violent mascots. Andreza defeated Pokotan in a preview singles match that saw Andreza take off Pokotan’s head with an uppercut! Will Chiitan be given the same fate? Normally Sasadango would come up with a big plan and happily tell the audience what he means to achieve, slide by slide. He won’t have to do that with something as powerful as Andreza by his side Headbutting mascots left, right and centre.
6. KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles: Kazusada Higuchi, Ryota Nakatsu & Yuki Ishida (c) Vs Yukio Sakaguchi, Saki Akai & Hideki Okatani
Aw man, we’re getting closer towards saying goodbye to Saki Akai. I don’t want to do that yet. She is set to retire from pro wrestling on 12th November, ending a decade long career on her own terms without injury and away from life changing circumstances (she has since called out the double standard in the industry where men always assume a female wrestler’s decision to retire is because of marriage or pregnancy). Until that day comes, Akai has one goal in mind and that is to win the KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles with Eruption one more time. It is a belt she has held just once before with the original Eruption trio. That is what makes this match a little more spicy because this time Akai & Yukio Sakaguchi are teaming with Hideki Okatani while Kazusada Higuchi is now on the other side defending the championship against them!
We are well past Higuchi’s reign at the top of the mountain sadly enough. Harimao wanted to blow a new wind across DDT but that plan hit a massive wall when Naomi Yoshimura took time off to deal with a herniated disc. Higuchi did his best to rebuild the unit to make up for Yoshimura’s absence. He called in his DNA generation rival Ryota Nakatsu from BASARA not to replace Yoshimura but to add more firepower for when he returns. The decision worked out as Harimao went on to win the KO-D 6-Man Tag Titles, giving the third man Yuki Ishida plenty of experience to gain. Ishida himself is gradually levelling up by relying heavily on having Dosukoi spirit. It inspired a new pinning hold he uses that has scored the three count on both Sakaguchi and Akai. Those results have left Sakaguchi in a bad mood. So not only does Eruption want to win the titles one more time, Sakaguchi wants Ishida’s head on a plate too!
7. Special Single Match: TAKA Michinoku Vs MAO
MAO has spent the month in America and is coming back ready for an important match against one of his inspirations. Growing up in the Tohoku region as a wrestling fan means it is obvious that MAO would look up to somebody like TAKA Michinoku. The Spaceman Plancha and use of the Michinoku Driver are as clear nods as you can get. This is not the first time MAO and TAKA have fought each other though. Back in 2017 TAKA defeated MAO on a DNA event. TAKA was complimentary towards him then. A few months later MAO avenged the loss a little bit by pinning TAKA at the annual New Year’s Eve Korakuen Hall show. What’s noteworthy about that is it happened right when the countdown reached zero so it was both the last pro wrestling result in Japan of 2017 as well as the first pro wrestling result of 2018! The two have not fought each other since then and a lot has changed. TAKA is a key part of Just 5 Guys in New Japan while 2023 became the year MAO started getting noticed on the American indies for his nutty antics inside and out of the ring.
This singles match will be a good test to see where MAO fits in from this point forward. His strongest work in DDT is as a tag team wrestler. His run with the KO-D Tag Titles as part of ShunMao is a highlight of DDT’s 2023 that sadly had to end when Shunma Katsumata fractured his ankle. That point I made for the first match about DDT giving the younger wrestlers more chances to be creative? MAO is a good example of letting that happen, especially when he used the recent USA excursion to spread his wings. Who ever thought we would see him cosplay as Don Callis for example? His feud with Yoshihiko and Kazuki Hirata over the vacant DDT Extreme Title was a fun way to shine a bigger spotlight over that part of the roster too. I hope to see that sort of energy going into the match with TAKA. Would his opponent be up for it though?
8. Special Tag Match ~ Yukio Naya Return Match: HARASHIMA & Yukio Naya Vs Jun Akiyama & Shigehiro Irie
The injury bug has been a regular problem for DDT this year. Several times they try to build up wrestlers and then bam! They go down with an injury. Yukio Naya is probably the biggest example of that given his main event push. After years of trying, the big lug finally started to click things together and had a strong run in the D-Ou Grand Prix, beating Higuchi in an upset to reach the final. He didn’t win the tournament but the push continued into Spring where he main evented DDT’s Korakuen shows two more times, including the 26th Anniversary show. Then his ankle went kaput and he’s been out of action ever since. Four months later and he finally gets to return and start climbing the ranks again. The question now is if the injury was disruptive enough to wipe away the progress he made since the winter? Before he got hurt he had improved a bunch but boy did it take a long time for that to happen. DDT wants to build their main events around heavyweights which is why they are determined to get a guy like Naya over. Him being part of a famous sumo family is a reason too.
So if Naya is back to being able to give and take a lot of big impact moves, DDT have found the right people to put him in the ring with. HARASHIMA was one of the wrestlers who lost to Naya as part of Naya’s rise up to the main event spot in the first half of the year. So it makes sense to have those two teaming up. Jun Akiyama is always there for Naya’s generation to chase after. There will be a day where Naya scores a fall on Akiyama but it won’t be here. Shigehiro Irie running into people at full speed is always as fun as it is dangerous. I’ll be sweating bullets thought if Irie does the Running Cannonball spot against the ropes to Naya. A guy Naya’s size will take the move better than Yumehito Imanari ever could but that injury bug is still hanging around.
9. Special Single Match: KONOSUKE TAKESHITA Vs Yuki Ueno
I don’t know how many more times I’ll get to write about Konosuke Takeshita in these kind of show previews so enjoy them while we can. A heel turn in AEW has him firmly placed in a storyline with The Elite over on the Dynamite half of the company. With that heel turn comes questions about how Takeshita will behave when he is back in DDT wrestling against his longtime friend Yuki Ueno. The hint is in how his name is now spelt. He has ditched the hiragana writing to go completely romanized in the upper case, becoming KONOSUKE TAKESHITA! Shout it as loud as that one Wakana Uehara fan for full effect. So how will Takeshita treat Ueno? Is he still a sauna loving member of The 37KAMIINA? Did Don Callis tell him to ditch the Cinnabon takeouts and go on a diet? Will he become Chris Jericho’s next clout victim? So many questions to answer and only some will be given at this match.
Takeshita and Ueno have had two previous singles matches this year. The first was only a ten minute long draw that was done as a new year bonus for the fans. The second took place in Los Angeles as the main event for DDT’s USA show with Takeshita coming out on top. While he’s been sorting out things in AEW, Ueno’s been advancing up the ranks in DDT by winning the D-Ou Grand Prix and working towards becoming the guy to carry the company on his back. The results so far have not matched his ambition. As much as I think the guy is talented in the ring, a bland personality continues to hold him back. I don’t know if the solution is to make him find a rotten side by turning heel or take some comedy classes to develop a wackier character but what he is right now does not connect. Something he has been up to recently is getting an acting role for a children’s TV show on NHK. So maybe the next step is booking him into becoming a hero to children? Ueno has always been in Takeshita’s shadow though. If the Takeshita that turns up is nothing like the one Ueno knows then there could be a harsh lesson to learn there.
10. DDT Universal Title: Tetsuya Endo (c) Vs Matt Cardona (w/ Steph De Lander)
2022 turned into a year to forget for Tetsuya Endo and not by choice either. There is no denying the diamond’s shine has been diminished ever since Katsuhiko Nakajima knocked him out and he hasn’t come close to reclaiming it. 2023 has been better. He has bounced back somewhat by holding the KO-D 6-Man Tag Titles with BURNING and then went on to win the DDT Universal Title. He is now being positioned in an important match of the card against a big international name. Not bad but given the high hopes I’ve always held for they guy I’m always going to think he should be doing better. How much that should be blamed on him is a bitter pill for me to swallow. That slap is going to keep haunting him for quite a while yet and it doesn’t look like he’ll a chance to exorcise that ghost anytime soon.
Next question to ask, is Endo’s opponent a good fit for DDT? Matt Cardona was the success story of the American indies in 2021 with his heel run in GCW reinventing himself into something way more newsworthy than just another ex-WWE superstar. He’s gone on to win championships across America and now sets his sights on winning the DDT Universal Title with a big pay day to go along with it. That last piece of info touched a nerve with the champion. He was told to expect a former WWE wrestler to come challenge him. But he didn’t know DDT was allegedly paying the challenger 30 million yen to do the match! That Cardona is the person chosen to fight him after so much hype does not impress Endo one bit. He doesn’t think of him as a strong opponent if it’s being based on how many social media followers he has. If that much money is being spent then Endo thinks it should have been given to himself instead! One thing to watch out for is Cardona’s partner in crime Steph De Lander. The former NXT wrestler has benefited greatly from working with Cardona as his Sensational Sherri equivalent. She won’t be afraid to do some nasty things to Endo in the ring if the opportunity presents itself. She said it herself in the hype video “When the Indy God and the Baddest Bitch come to DDT, you’re all fucked!”
11. Mexico Kanko Presents Dramatic Dream Match: Daisuke Sasaki Vs El Desperado
It’s not often that Daisuke Sasaki springs up a surprise for DDT fans that everyone approves of. So everyone was thrilled when he pulled some strings and got this as the first match announcement for the show. For somebody who always threatens to quit and go home every time he suffers a setback, the match has been keeping Sasaki focused for the last few months. That it’s being sponsored by a tourism company willing to reward the winner with a year’s worth of tequila probably helps. The company has already been warned that one year’s worth for Sasaki is equal to five year’s worth for anyone else. Sasaki is already promising to drink through three bottles a day if he wins. Can you blame the guy when he’s had to spend the last couple of weeks feuding with somebody as persistent as Toy Kojima? All that chair swinging is thirsty work you know.
Who right now is living a happier wrestling life than El Desperado? The masked man has been ticking off a bucket list of goals this year while somehow championing the independents as a New Japan wrestler. He’s been repping Junior Heavyweight wrestling, getting into death matches with Jon Moxley, fighting in the GCW Tournament Of Survival, popping through the Forbidden Door, getting a tour with CMLL that includes a visit to Arena Mexico and even found a way to get Jun Kasai inside the NJPW ring for the first time ever. The man loves the indies so much he wrestled Evil Uno on a Mystery Wrestling show for God’s sake! So when he got challenged by Sasaki, who is he to say no? In a wrestling world where it feels like every important match needs something on the line, both Sasaki and Desperado are happy to just have it be for the tequila. They don’t see the need for a championship to be on the line or for masks and hair to be wagered. Just the two of them as they are will be enough to promise an intense fight in the ring.
12. KO-D Openweight Title – Good Com Asset Presents: Yuji Hino (c) Vs Chris Brookes
The running storyline that carried DDT’s main event scene across 2022 was whoever was KO-D Openweight Champion became the man to carry DDT on their back from that point forward. In Higuchi’s case he was literally turned into the company’s flag bearer. The rest of the year was spent having Higuchi defend the title against the likes of Endo, Takeshita, Shinya Aoki, Sakaguchi and Ueno. Unfortunately he didn’t become much of a difference maker for DDT. As much as the foreign fanbase approves of Higuchi, he doesn’t have the same hold on the home audience. That’s why in 2023 the value of the KO-D Title has felt a little off. Yuji Hino defeated Higuchi to take the title in January and has held onto it ever since. What has felt off the entire time is Hino himself. He hasn’t been the big nasty heel that longtime fans remember from K-DOJO. In fact he’s been pretty supportive of DDT as their champion. He does his part to promote the company as the place to be, it just hasn’t been working out that way despite his efforts. DDT also really wants to get more heavyweights going in the main event position, as shown by having Hino’s defences so far be against Naya and Iino. It’s been a criticism towards DDT for quite a while now. Why fight to compete against the heavyweight divisions of the bigger companies when your appeal was always supposed to be something entirely different?
So if they story for DDT is the search for the right person to carry the company, they may have had him in the background the entire time. Chris Brookes from the moment he stepped foot in the company got what DDT is. Not just from a fanboy level by getting to relive everything he ever downloaded from Megaupload but also understanding a company spirit that is all parts open minded, anarchic and most of all daft. The dedication was also there when he chose to stay in Japan during the pandemic. Ever since then he’s been an integral part of DDT as well as Gatoh Move and a few other indies. He also went ahead and crafted his own little hub in the Japanese wrestling scene with the Baka Gaijin + Friends shows. At a time when DDT is trying to develop something that’s as prestigious as whatever NOAH or All Japan are doing, Brookes is busy digging up Mecha Mummy and putting together events that capture the warm vibes of DDT’s Beer Garden shows. The company always has a high ambition of where they want to go but perhaps how they get there is all wrong. It’s time to switch things up and Brookes looks like the guy to lead the pack.
That’s all easier said then done though. Brookes dislocated his shoulder two months ago and was out of action for a lot of the build up to this main event. He even admits he might have come back to wrestle too soon with his shoulder being anywhere from 70% to 90% recovered. His injury time has left Hino feeling annoyed for several reasons. Hino goes into his matches hurt too but he never takes time off. He argued why does Brookes get to stay home and rest while he has to keep wrestling on shows? Then Hino’s attitude towards Brookes changed into something more mocking. He started cracking jokes and treating Brookes like a rookie making his debut instead of an established wrestler coming back from injury. It was up to the challenger’s friends to step up and fight Hino on his behalf. Even when Brookes started wrestling again and won a tag match, Hino would still make fun of him for only beating Makoto Oishi. Brookes will have to work real hard to prove Hino wrong. He has taken big guys down with the Octopus Stretch in the past but Hino has been winning matches with the King Kong Sleeper. The champion also has the Fuckin’ BOMB, one of the most devastating moves in DDT. Does Brookes have the strength to lift up Hino with the Praying Mantis Bomb to combat this? The result of this match can lead to a different looking DDT for the rest of the year.
Comments Off on DDT “WRESTLE PETER PAN 2023” Preview | Previews | Tagged: Akito, Andreza Giant Panda, Buchigire Ujihara, BURNING, ChiiPoko☆Ultra Cute Alliance, Chiitan, Chris Brookes, Daisuke Sasaki, DAMNATION T.A, Danshoku Dieno, DDT Pro Wrestling, DDT Universal Championship, Dramatic Dream Team, El Desperado, Eruption, HARASHIMA, Harimao, Hideki Okatani, Hisaya Imabayashi, Jun Akiyama, KANON, Kazuki Hirata, Kazuma Sumi, Kazusada Higuchi, KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Championship, KO-D Openweight Championship, Konosuke Takeshita, Kotaro Suzuki, MAO, Masahiro Takanashi, Matt Cardona, Minoru Fujita, MJ Paul, Naruki Doi, Pheromones, Pokotan, Rukiya, Ryogoku Kokugikan, Ryota Nakatsu, Saki Akai, Sanshiro Takagi, Shigehiro Irie, Shinichiro Kawamatsu, Soma Takao, Steph De Lander, Sumo Hall, Super Sasadango Machine, TAKA Michinoku, Takeshi Masada, Tetsuya Endo, Toru Owashi, Toy Kojima (Toi Kojima), Yoshitomo Shimohigashi, Yuji Hino, Yuki Iino, Yuki Ishida, Yuki Ueno, Yukio Naya, Yukio Sakaguchi, Yumehito Imanari, Yuni, Yusuke Okada, Yuya Koroku | Permalink
Posted by JamieOD
Dramatic DDT 