DDT “D-OU GRAND PRIX 2022 IN KORAKUEN HALL” Results

November 18, 2022

DDT “D-OU GRAND PRIX 2022 IN KORAKUEN HALL”, 18/11/2022
Tokyo Korakuen Hall
450 Fans

0. Dark Match: Yusuke Okada defeated Yuki Ishida with the Sudden Death (6:45).
0. Dark Match – 3 Vs 4 Handicap Match: Yuki “Sexy” Iino, Yumehito “Fantastic” Imanari & Koju “Shining Ball” Takeda defeated Akito, Masahiro Takanashi, Antonio Honda & Gorgeous Matsuno when Iino pinned Honda after the Sexy Lock Up (8:28).
1. Minoru Fujita, MJ Paul & KANON defeated Yukio Sakaguchi, Hideki Okatani & Yuya Koroku when KANON pinned Koroku with the Sleepy Hollow (5:57).
2. Special 8-Man Tag Match: HARASHIMA, Naruki Doi, Toru Owashi & Kazuki Hirata defeated MAO, Shunma Katsumata, Toi Kojima & Takeshi Masada when Doi pinned Kojima with the Bakatare Sliding Kick (11:38).
3. D-Ou Grand Prix 2022 – A Block: Joey Janela (4) Vs RSP (4) ended in a Double Countout (11:36).
4. D-Ou Grand Prix 2022 – A Block: Naomi Yoshimura (4) defeated Tetsuya Endo (5) with the Harai Goshi (7:05).
5. D-Ou Grand Prix 2022 – A Block: Yuki Ueno (6) defeated Daisuke Sasaki (5) with the Rolling Guillotine Ace Crusher (16:53).
6. D-Ou Grand Prix 2022 – B Block: Chris Brookes (4) defeated Yuji Hino (7) with a Modified Samson Clutch (12:10).
7. D-Ou Grand Prix 2022 – B Block: Yukio Naya (8) defeated Kazusada Higuchi (7) with the Back Drop (19:05).

A Block

1. Yuki Ueno (6)
2. Tetsuya Endo (5)
-. Daisuke Sasaki (5)
4. RSP (4)
-. Joey Janela (4)
-. Naomi Yoshimura (4)

B Block

1. Yukio Naya (8)
2. Yuji Hino (7)
-. Kazusada Higuchi (7)
4. Chris Brookes (4)
5. KANON (2)
-. MAO (2)

The race to the final is complete and two men are left to fight over who will win the 2022 D-Ou Grand Prix. The Block was decided by what is possibly the biggest upset in the entire tournament this year when Yukio Naya defeated Kazusada Higuchi! The reigning KO-D Openweight Champion was one of two unbeaten wrestlers left in the group and when the path opened up for him to remain the only one at the finish, but Naya decided it would go differently. The Headbutt was the key move in a Higuchi match yet again. The twist however was the move came from Naya to get the advantage. Some Knee Lifts were used afterwards to soften up Higuchi for the Back Drop for the surprise result. Naya’s win means he vaults over the two top heavyweights to reach the final!

So how did it all go wrong for Yuji Hino, the other undefeated wrestler in B Block? Blame CDK for that. Chris Brookes relied on Masahiro Takanashi to help him get a win. The referee was taken out after being used as a shield then Takanashi gave Hino a Low Blow right when he was about to hit the Fuckin’ BOMB on Brookes. Makoto Oishi came to the rescue by grabbing the Asia Dream Tag Team Title belt off of Takanashi. However Brookes then pushed Oishi right into Hino, knocking the big guy loopy when he head first came into contact with the title belt. He was still able to kick out of the pin but was too dazed to kick out of a Samson Clutch afterwards. Brookes isn’t happy with this year being the fourth in a row he failed to win the final. If things don’t improve for him in the next 12 months he does not see a point in him being in the next D-Ou GP. Hino isn’t mad because he doesn’t feel like he lost. All he knows is his head and crotch both hurt so he just wants to go home and get into his bed.

The A Block was a much tighter race with five of the six contestants still in the running one way or another. When the dust settled it was Yuki Ueno who was left standing above everyone else in first place uncontested. He took a beating to get there because Daisuke Sasaki attacked him with plenty of chairs in their match. But Ueno had enough with that kind of stuff and stopped Sasaki with a Dropkick. He hit the BME but Sasaki only kicked out at one. He also blocked the Crossface Lock when Sasaki tried to convert it into the Crossover Facelock. However the BME only got a one count so Ueno had to pull out his new finisher, the Rolling Guillotine Ace Crusher to clear past Sasaki and book his place in the final. Sasaki is so upset over the loss he says 2022 has ended for himself and DAMNATION T.A as well as the first half of 2023. You’ll have to wait until the second half of 2023 to see them get their revenge!

Tetsuya Endo fell at the final hurdle thanks to Naomi Yoshimura. Endo was fighting for first place going into this show and would have made the final had he won, now that we know how Ueno Vs Sasaki went. Instead the Harai Goshi pinned Endo out of nowhere and dashed his chances of advancing. It’s been one of the few bright spots of Yoshimura’s tournament this year and he is currently not in the mood to talk about it. Meanwhile Endo is already thinking of any lessons he learned, figuring out that he has not grown since their last singles match while Yoshimura clearly has.

The two American wrestlers both left their mark in the A Block as wild cards disrupting everyone else’s chances. Both Joey Janela and RSP had slim chances of staying in the Grand Prix but they also had their sights set on each other during the entire tour due to their history together on the American indies. It led to a match where the two tried to destroy each other with the biggest moves they could think of. The biggest came when RSP gave Janela a Death Valley Bomb from the ring apron onto the floor outside. The move took out both men and the match ended in a Double Countout. Due to the new scoring rules implemented this year, a Double Counout means neither wrestlers received any points. Janela takes some enjoyment that the result stopped RSP from getting anywhere near the final. He also now wants to move on to his next target, Jun Akiyama! He thought he would get to fight Akiyama until he found out DDT added an age limit to this year’s D-Ou GP. If that’s not enough, while Janela is here in Japan Akiyama is in America wrestling Eddie Kingston in Janela’s previous workplace AEW! Janela wants Akiyama to come face him when he returns to Japan.

The D-Ou GP final is now set. The A Block winner Yuki Ueno faces the B Block winner Yukio Naya on 4th December. Ueno is in the final for the second year in a row and did not expect to be seeing Naya with him here. Naya’s a big guy but Ueno wants to live up to his promise to carry DDT on his own back. Naya said he is ready to do that too. He just beat Higuchi and now he has to beat Ueno. Should he do that then Naya will make it clear he wants to challenge Higuchi for the KO-D Title inside Tokyo Dome City Hall at the end of December!

Even without the tournament there is a lot of news coming out of this show. Naruki Doi made his next appearance for DDT, forming a team with DISASTER BOX that was nicknamed Disaster Muscle. Doi felt like he was being pranked with DISASTER BOX, The 37KAMIINA and even Takeshi Masada all getting him involved in wacky spots. Toru Owashi did his lucha while Kazuki Hirata tried to mimic MAO’s Koppojutsu but was easily brushed aside. He also tried to wear the Hirata GO! glasses but the music immediately caused Doi to kick him. Toi Kojima was the one to step up to Doi but was cut down with the Doi 555 and Bakatare Sliding Kick. After the match HARASHIMA welcomed Doi to DDT and congratulated him on winning the KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles, one of the few championships that HARASHIMA has never held. Doi asked the fans if they would like to see him face HARASHIMA some day? He then said he will be back in DDT on the 21st and 29th December. If anyone wants to fight Doi, Owashi & Hirata for the titles then Doi will accept any challengers… except for Shunma Katsumata.

KANON had a poor run in the tournament but that is all behind him now. He rejoined MJ Paul & Minoru Fujita to get a win against Eruption & Yuya Koroku. It was a close match with Yukio Sakaguchi & Hideki Okatani keeping DAMNATION T.A on their toes. Koroku then took the lead against KANON but a reversal of fortunes saw KANON pin him with the Sleepy Hollow.

There were also two matches on the pre-show. Danshoku Dieno was absent with a fever so it was up to the rest of Pheromones to keep it up with their obscene antics. This is bad news for Akito because their behaviour is getting so bad that Korakuen Hall management may consider stepping in and banning DDT from doing further shows in the building. Yuki Iino & Koju Takeda may have found a kindred spirit because Gorgeous Matsuno was more than ready to compare his fit body with theirs. Antonio Honda used Iino’s backside to charge up Gongitsune but some bad targeting led to both Akito & Takanashi getting knocked out. Yumehito Imanari saw the opening and got his partners to lock up with each other. Doing so had them essentially teabag all of their opponents over and over into submission. Akito was mad with the result because he bungled the numbers advantage and now DDT is at risk of being kicked out of Korakuen. Pheromones need to be subjugated so Akito will bring in the political tag team of Osamu Nishimura & Shinichiro Kawamatsu for the big 29th December show at Tokyo Dome City Hall!

The other dark match saw Yusuke Okada take all that Yuki Ishida could throw at him. Ishida fought out of a Crab Hold and kicked out of a long distance Diving Headbutt. It was a good effort but Okada beat him with the Sudden Death in the end.

Katsumata feels like there is not enough excitement going around so he came up with an idea to do an Explosion Death Match in the new year. So one will take place in Tsurumi on 7th January where Katsumata will aim to surpass Atsushi Onita and become the Reiwa era’s version of “Evil Ways”. He promised that show will not end until he blows up Onita!

An update was given in regards to LiLiCo’s request to take part in the Anal Explosion opening ceremony for the 29h December show in TDC Hall. Hisaya Imabayashi took part in a show with LiLiCo’s husband Ryohei Odai during the week so he recorded a video discussing the situation with him. Odai does not like the idea but is under the impression that all couples have a rule where they do not need to be concerned for what their partners do with their anuses. So he is ok with LiLiCo and DDT going ahead with the ceremony.

DDT has a Korakuen show on 21st December to celebrate the launch of Dieno’s new book about his views on pro wrestling. Dieno will have a match against Muscle Sakai on the show. There will also be a match between Yuki Iino and Yumehito Imanari just because Dieno wants to see it happen.

Matsuno gave everyone a news update about his planned kidney transplant operation for his partner Junko Tashiro. It was previously announced that the operation was delayed until next Spring because Tashiro is in stable health and has no need to get a transplant right away. The operation is now scheduled for April but may be delayed again if Tashiro remains in good health. It is inevitable that the transplant will need to happen some day and when it does, Matsuno made a vow to return to the ring after it is completed.


DDT “GOD BLESS DDT 2022” Results

October 23, 2022

DDT “GOD BLESS DDT 2022”, 23/10/2022
Tokyo Korakuen Hall
701 Fans – Super No Vacancy Full House

0. Dark Match – Pheromones Vs Takagi-gun Complete Showdown FINAL ~ Dissolution Contra 1 Day President! 2 Vs 5 Handicap Match: Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno (w/ Yumehito “Fantastic” Imanari) defeated Sanshiro Takagi, Toru Owashi, Makoto Oishi, Antonio Honda & Akito when Dieno pinned Takagi after a Chairshot from Hisaya Imabayashi (7:39).
*Yuki “Sexy” Iino gets to be CyberFight President for 1 day.
1. Kazuma Sumi Debut Match: Kazuki Hirata defeated Kazuma Sumi with a Crab Hold (8:48).
2. Daisuke Sasaki, Minoru Fujita, MJ Paul & KANON defeated Shunma Katsumata, Toi Kojima, Saki Akai & Hideki Okatani when KANON pinned Kojima with the Sleepy Hollow (12:08).
3. Special Tag Match: Soma Takao & Hikaru Machida defeated HARASHIMA & Takeshi Masada when Machida pinned Masada with the Iai Punch (10:56).
4. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Jun Akiyama, Yusuke Okada & Yuya Koroku defeated Osamu Nishimura, Shinichiro Kawamatsu & Yuki Ishida when Koroku submitted Ishida with the Triangle Lancer (10:39).
5. Road To D-Ou GP Special 6-Man Tag Match: Naomi Yoshimura, Yuji Hino & Chris Brookes defeated Tetsuya Endo, MAO & Yukio Naya when Brookes pinned Naya with a Roll Up (15:22).
6. DDT Universal Title: Yuki Ueno (c) defeated Koju “Shining Ball” Takeda with the WR (15:24).
*V2 for Yuki Ueno.
7. KO-D Openweight Title: Kazusada Higuchi (c) defeated Yukio Sakaguchi with the Brain Claw Slam (16:12).
*V4 for Kazusada Higuchi.

A fourth successful KO-D Openweight Title defence is in the books for Kazusada Higuchi and it was his most emotional one yet. Yukio Sakaguchi spent the build up to the match pulling the “big brother” card and reminding everyone that he is Higuchi’s senpai. It was all mind games to see if Higuchi has really moved on from Eruption or not. It added more danger to Sakaguchi’s kicks and choke holds. The attacks left Higuchi bleeding from the bridge of his nose. But Higuchi hit back with the Brain Claw Slam and several Horizontal Chops. Sakaguchi was spent by the end of it while Higuchi yelled at him to stand back up. Both of them knew the match was finished and a tearful Higuchi gave his “big brother” another Brain Claw Slam to get the win.

The aftermatch saw Sakaguchi praising Higuchi for being merciless and also as strong as ever. He told Naomi Yoshimura & Yuki Ishida that they are part of a good unit in Harimao and they should trust Higuchi as their leader. It also made Sakaguchi tell Saki Akai & Hideki Okatani that Eruption need to fire up even stronger from now on because they cannot lose. Higuchi thanked Sakaguchi & Akai for what they taught him in Eruption. He then gave Okatani a gift. It is Higuchi’s entrance gown he wore when he was part of Eruption. When they left, Higuchi said the D-Ou Grand Prix is a physically and mentally tough challenge but he is going to face it and break through. The next KO-D Title defence won’t be until 29th December.

Old allies from the DNA days turned into fresh rivals for the DDT Universal Title. The champion Yuki Ueno not only had to worry about fighting Koju Takeda but the rest of Pheromones too. However The 37KAMIINA were there to support Ueno and get Pheromones out of the way, although it took some dives from Takeda and Ueno to help clear out the interference. When it went back into a 1 on 1 match, Ueno pinned Takeda with the WR to defend the title. He told Takeda afterwards he is glad their match has gone from Kitasenju Theatre 1010 to Korakuen Hall. Ueno doesn’t want to face anyone from Pheromones again but he can’t help but feel jealous at them. Now he will move on to the D-Ou Grand Prix where he hopes to do one better than last year and win the tournament.

A lot of the D-Ou field used today’s matches to get ready and call their shots for the tournament next month. Chris Brookes declared after the trios match he was going to win the D-Ou GP. Yoshimura then cut off the music to say he would win it instead. Yuji Hino called the two of them idiots because he will win. Then Tetsuya Endo questioned all of their opinions and decided he was going to be the winner. MAO kept cutting in during this so everyone just heard the two of them talk over each other. Yukio Naya had enough and shoved them over to say he will win. They played his music to end the segment, which annoyed Brookes because Brookes beat Naya to win the match.

The wrestling politicians team came back. Osamu Nishimura & Shinichiro Kawamatsu teamed with Ishida to take on three members of BURNING. Kawamatsu was thrown right in there with Jun Akiyama which has to be both an exciting and terrifying experience for a long time wrestling fan. Maybe the same can be said for Yusuke Okada getting to fight Nishimura. But it was the two youngest wrestlers of the match who determined which side won. Yuya Koroku timed Ishida’s momentum well and drew him into a Triangle Lancer to get the submission victory. Okada criticized Kawamatsu’s performance in the post-match interview backstage. He said the politician should put more energy into his performance. Elsewhere Kawamatsu said he fell into the same trap as his last match. Whenever he gets into the ring, his mind goes blank and his body stiffens up. If he gets another chance to do a match he promises to devote himself into showing everyone a more solid performance.

A brand new challenge was presented to Takeshi Masada. How would he fare taking on a kickboxer like Hikaru Machida? The match also presented a big challenge for Machida because HARASHIMA was Masada’s tag partner. Masada held his own against both Machida & Soma Takao until Machida started getting the combos in. They took their toll on the rookie and he was done for once the Iai Punch found its target. HARASHIMA would like to team with Masada again but they need a better tag name. The suggestions they got were Pantaloon Tag and Harashimasada but HARASHIMA thinks both of them sound too dorky.

The two members of DAMNATION T.A entering the D-Ou GP are also looking in good shape going into it. Daisuke Sasaki & KANON were victorious along with Minoru Fujita & MJ Paul against a combined foursome of Eruption and The 37KAMIINA members. Sasaki and Shunma Katsumata had a close exchange but KANON got the win by pinning Toi Kojima. After the match Sasaki said he hates the D-Ou GP but will make sure he still wins it. He will see KANON in the final. KANON replied that the D-Ou GP will be covered in DAMNATION T.A’s colours. However things looked to get tense between the two so Fujita and Paul stepped in to keep things cool between everyone.

The debut of Kazuma Sumi gave Kazuki Hirata the opportunity to wrestle a mostly serious match without his wacky antics getting in the way. Sumi made it clear he is going to be a fast moving high flyer. Hirata stopped mid-match and asked Sumi what his goal is going to be. Sumi said he wants to win the match. Hirata asked for the answer to be bigger and louder. Sumi shouted he is going to be at the top of DDT! Hirata wanted an even bigger and louder answer. Sumi shouted he will become the KO-D Champion! Hirata shook his hand and then kicked him to continue the match. He got the rookie to submit to the Crab Hold, as is tradition in pro wrestling. Kojima said Sumi has a good mindset but there are a lot of young wrestlers now in DDT that Sumi has to compete with. Sumi said a week ago he fell into a slump and couldn’t sleep but his debut match was fun and he has Hirata to thank for that.

Perhaps the match with the greatest consequence today took place on the pre-show. The dark match featured Sanshiro Takagi leading a team of wrestlers against Pheromones in a 5 Vs 2 battle. It was kind of 5 Vs 3 because Yumehito Imanari was there at ringside to help his mates out. Still, Yuki Iino & Danshoku Dieno still had to fight Takagi, Toru Owashi, Makoto Oishi, Antonio Honda & Akito all at once. Takagi had Dieno beat with the Himawari Bomb and called Hisaya Imabayashi into the ring. He gave the DDT GM a chair and told him to finish Dieno off once and for all. Imabayashi hesitated until he finally swung the chair… at Takagi! Dieno jumped on top of Takagi to get the three count, meaning Yuki Iino now gets to be President of CyberFight for a day!

Imabayashi explained his actions after the match. He was not betraying Takagi to join Pheromones. Instead he was taking a stand towards Takagi for his abuse of power. A 5 Vs 2 Handicap match was unfair from the beginning. Takagi has too much on his plate as CyberFight president to keep worrying about Pheromones. DDT has a very important project coming up next year that Takagi needs to put his full attention on. Imabayashi won’t be able to feel at peace when he leaves DDT if Takagi doesn’t move on. Takagi understands and announced he his “graduating” from his feud with Pheromones. However he appointed Akito to take his place and keep the feud going. Akito complained that he always fights Pheromones anyway but he accepts the decision.

Midway through the show Saori Anou & Riko Kawahata were brought into the ring to be announced as the opponents for Reiwa AA Cannon on 29th December. Anou was carrying the ICEx∞ Title from Ice Ribbon with her. She said she will prove she is more attractive and strong than either Saki Akai or Yuki Arai. Kawahata said she lost to Akai the last time she was in DDT so she wants to mess up the faces of both Akai & Arai on 29th December. Later Akai said she had singles matches against Anou and Kawahata before. She wonders if anything has changed with Kawahata since their previous match. She also thinks it will be great experience for Arai to fight wrestlers from other promotions and see what they all have to offer.

The big project for next year seems to be DDT’s return to America! First, Takagi announced “DDT GOES HOLLYWOOD” will take place on 30th March, 2023 at the Ukrainian Cultural Center in Los Angeles! The show will be part of The Collective, a series of events spearheaded by GCW held during WrestleMania week. If that wasn’t enough, Joey Janela sent in a video announcing “GCW VS DDT” will take place in the same venue on 31st March! It will be the first time in 4 years DDT will be holding shows in America. Takagi said he’s been wanting to do it every year since the New York show in 2019 but the pandemic kept putting them back at square one. The Yen is weak against the Dollar right now so Takagi is aiming to make a lot of money while DDT is in the USA.

Soma Takao is now the store manager of the Dropkick Bar. So if you ever want to drink with Takao, he’ll be waiting for you at the Dropkick Bar!


DDT “WHO’S GONNA TOP? 2022” Results

September 25, 2022

DDT “WHO’S GONNA TOP? 2022”, 25/09/2022
Tokyo Korakuen Hall
701 Fans – Super No Vacancy Full House

0. Dark Match: Hideki Okatani & Toi Kojima defeated Yuya Koroku & Yuki Ishida when Okatani pinned Ishida with the Double Arm Suplex (6:37).
1. MAO, Asuka & Saki Akai defeated Toru Owashi, Kazuki Hirata & Antonio Honda when Akai pinned Honda with the Rookie Award (6:44).
2. Right To Challenge Anytime, Anywhere 3 Way Match: Shinya Aoki defeated Shunma Katsumata and Yuki “Sexy” Iino (w/ Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno) when Aoki pinned Katsumata with the European Clutch (6:58).
3. Special Tag Match: Akito & Yukio Naya defeated Osamu Nishimura & Shinichiro Kawamatsu when Naya submitted Kawamatsu with the Torture Cobra Twist (11:41).
4. Daisuke Sasaki, Minoru Fujita & KANON (w/ MJ Paul) defeated Naomi Yoshimura, Yuji Hino & Makoto Oishi when Sasaki submitted Oishi with the Crossface Lock (11:21).
5. Sanshiro Takagi, HARASHIMA, Yukio Sakaguchi & Soma Takao defeated Tetsuya Endo, Jun Akiyama, Yusuke Okada & Takeshi Masada when Sakaguchi pinned Okada with the God’s Right Knee (11:18).
6. DDT Universal Title: Yuki Ueno (c) defeated Cara Noir with the WR (13:01).
*V1 for Yuki Ueno.
7. KO-D Openweight Title: Kazusada Higuchi (c) defeated Konosuke Takeshita with the Buchikamashi (18:57).
*V2 for Kazusada Higuchi.

A hard headed effort from Kazusada Higuchi withstood the challenge of Konosuke Takeshita, preventing the KO-D Openweight Title from leaving Japan once Takeshita goes back to America. Higuchi’s iron toughness was on show when Takeshita pulled him by the arms, driving him head first into the steel ring post. Higuchi took a second long pause to register what happened and calmly fired back with a Headbutt that drew some blood from Takeshita’s forehead. Higuchi later attempted a big Choke Slam from the top rope but it was countered into a Frankensteiner followed by the Zahi. Higuhci kicked out of that and also the German Suplex before catching the Jumping Knee. More big bombs were thrown between the two and Takeshita finally hit the Jumping Knee. What he didn’t see coming was Higuchi standing firm and then charging in with the Buchikamashi sumo tackle. That put Takeshita down for the three count and Higuchi remains the champion.

After the match Takeshita gave his approval to Higuchi for being the champion and told him to do his best. He will be in America for around two and a half months before coming back for a DDT booking at the end of the year. Shinya Aoki then came down to ringside but rather than tease cashing in his title shot, he reached through the ropes to give Higuchi a fist bump instead and left. Yukio Sakaguchi then came out during Higuchi’s victory speech. He said Higuchi understands why he came out and he still does not understand true fear the likes of which Sakaguchi is capable of. Higuchi accepted his challenge and the two former “brothers” will fight for the KO-D Title on 23rd October.

You ever hear when wrestling commentators joke about how “it ain’t ballet”? Isn’t that in reality an insult backfire when you think about it? I’ve watched footage of ballet training and that stuff looks like hell on Earth even when compared to pro wrestling drills. Okay, okay, I’m getting distracted because I don’t want to make the usual theatre puns when writing about Cara Noir. The English wrestler performed his big entrance for the fans and then jumped Yuki Ueno with a John Woo Dropkick. Ueno was able to defend himself and escape from the Blackout Sleeper. He then returned with a Dropkick of his own, hitting Noir right in his face. The WR afterwards got Ueno the win and a successful DDT Universal Title defence under his belt.

There is a language barrier between the two but Ueno thanked Noir for coming to Japan after their match. It is a difficult time for Ueno to do what he wants and defend the Universal Title abroad, so he appreciates foreign opponents coming to DDT to challenge him. The three main members of Pheromones then entered the ring. Yuki Iino stepped over to Ueno and then turned around, revealing Ueno’s iPhone sticking out of his butt. Ueno pulled out his phone and found out he got a message from Koju Takeda. He read the message containing accusations that he does not have enough Pheromones. Takeda wants to measure their hormone levels together and so challenges Ueno for the Universal Title on 23rd October. Ueno accepts and wants to see how much Takeda has changed since their days in DNA together.

Sakaguchi cemented his claim for a KO-D Title shot by grabbing the win in Match #5. He was part of a DDT all veteran team against three members of BURNING along with the rookie Takeshi Masada. For some reason Sanshiro Takagi was a target for the opposing team. Tetsuya Endo got some ring time with HARASHIMA but Masada in particular wanted to beat Takagi. Jun Akiyama explained to the reporters backstage it’s because pro wrestling is the only place where it is acceptable to beat up the company president. It’s also acceptable to kick the heck out of Yusuke Okada like Sakaguchi did to win the match. Soma Takao was just kind of there. Even he noticed that he isn’t in any of the match pictures on DDT’s website.

DAMNATION T.A gave some of their next KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles opponents a taste of what’s to come. Minoru Fujita & KANON had their hands full with Naomi Yoshimura & Yuji Hino until MJ Paul got into a brawl with Hino out of the ring and up towards the balcony. Daisuke Sasaki had Makoto Oishi right where he wanted him from there. DAMNATION T.A benefited from the numbers game and Sasaki ended up tapping out Oishi with the Crossface Lock. Sasaki mocked Oishi for being so weak and wanted to injure him with a chair. Suddenly Shiori Asahi’s music began playing and he ran out to rescue his friend, fighting off Sasaki with a skateboard. Together, Oishi & Asahi then gave KANON the Cactus Flower. Asahi said it’s been a long time since he showed up as X on DDT shows. Hino said Ω is getting closer to a complete recovery. They will show DAMNATION T.A what real evil looks like when they take the KO-D 6-Man Tag Titles from them!

The politician tag team of Osamu Nishimura & Shinichiro Kawamatsu were back at it again, this time wrestling against Akito & Yukio Naya. Two two are becoming more cohesive by doing double team moves together. However Naya was able to break them apart and submit Kawamatsu with the Cobra Twist. Nishimura gave advice to Kawamatsu by comparing a wrestling career to an election. Elections are the accumulation of everything politicians do day by day. Kawamatsu admits that every time he steps into the ring to wrestle his head goes blank and everything happens at a blink of an eye. Akito thinks this won’t be the last we see of Kawamatsu. Naya meanwhile has more important matters to get ready for.

Aoki had no choice but to put his Right To Challenge NFT on the line against Shunma Katsumata and Yuki Iino in a 3 Way Match. Katsumata dealt with Iino by sticking party poppers into his backside and setting them off. What he couldn’t have anticipated was Aoki turning into a Pheromones gimmick! He reappeared wearing very little and pinned Katsumata with the European Clutch. He still hasn’t publicly told people when he wants to cash in the NFT for a KO-D Title shot. The only hint he gives is it will happen soon.

Romance was unexpectedly in the air during the opening bout. Toru Owashi and Antonio Honda’s grappling gradually turned into them slowly embracing each other for a kiss. That was interrupted by the others but soon some unintentional hugging led to Saki Akai wanting to kiss Asuka and MAO wanting to kiss Kazuki Hirata. Before they could almost all of them snapped back to normal and Akai pinned Honda with the Rookie Award. Asuka was left in a frozen state with her eyes closed, still waiting for Akai to kiss her. Yukinori Matsui woke her up causing Asuka to scream at the sight of him and leave.

The dark match saw Hideki Okatani & Toi Kojima beat Yuya Koroku & Yuki Ishida in a tag battle between the young generation. Ishida kicked out of Okatani’s Northern Lights Suplex so Okatani had to pull out the Double Arm Suplex for the win.

19 year old trainee Kazuma Sumi will make his debut against Kazuki Hirata on 23rd October. He spoke to the crowd and called Hirata a very talented person so he will do his best. Sumi has a background in karate and gymnastics. He is the second of the trainee class introduced in May to make his debut, the first being Takeshi Masada.

Danshoku Dieno has written a book to celebrate his 20th Anniversary in pro wrestling. He said he lied to the publisher about making a self-help book to convince them to sell it. However he will be covering topics about the pro wrestling business from his point of view based on his two decades of experience. It will be available in December and Dieno is hosting a special event at Korakuen Hall on the 21st to commemorate the release. Attendees will receive a copy of the book but the cost of it will be added on top of the ticket price.

The D-Ou Grand Prix 2022 lineup was revealed. The A Block consists of Yuki Ueno, Naomi Yoshimura, Joey Janela, Tetsuya Endo, Daisuke Sasaki and Rickey Shane Page. The B Block consists of Kazusada Higuchi, Chris Brookes, MAO, Yuji Hino, KANON and Yukio Naya.


Takeshita Heading Back To USA Next Month, El Unicorn Taking Time Off To Study

September 22, 2022

GANBARE☆PRO “TWIN PEAKS 2022”, 23/09/2022
Tokyo Oji BASEMENT MON☆STAR

1. GanPro Three Major Singles Match: Shuichiro Katsumura Vs Yuki Ishida
2. GanPro Specialty! Mixed 6-Man Tag Match: Ken Ohka, Moeka Haruhi & HARUKAZE Vs Yumehito Imanari, Yuna Manase & YuuRI
3. GanPro Three Major Singles Match: Soma Takao Vs Yuki Kanzaki
4. GanPro Three Major Singles Match: Shinichiro Tominaga Vs Jun Masaoka
5. Twin Peaks 2022 Special Tag Match: Keisuke Ishii & Tyson Maeguchi Vs Kouki Iwasaki & Mizuki Watase

Here’s the match order for the first Ganbare☆Pro show of the day. They are a few ticket sales away from a sell out.

GANBARE☆PRO “ENEMY OF AMERICA 2022”, 23/09/2022
Tokyo Oji BASEMENT MON☆STAR

1. Young Drama Generation Vs Reiwa Dramatic Generation: Keisuke Ishii Vs Toi Kojima
2. GanPro Three Major Tag Match: Moeka Haruhi & HARUKAZE Vs Miyuki Takase & Yoshiko Hasegawa
3. YuuRI GanPro 1st Anniversary Match: Yuna Manase Vs YuuRI
4. GanPro Three Major Tag Match: Shuichiro Katsumura & Shinichiro Tominaga Vs Kouki Iwasaki & Yuki Kanzaki
5. GanPro Three Major Tag Match: Ken Ohka & Yumehito Imanari Vs Soma Takao & Mizuki Watase

And here’s the match order for the evening. This show is sold out.

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW AUTUMN TOUR ’22”, 24/09/2022
Tokyo Ryogoku KFC Hall

1. 3 Way Match: Hikari Noa Vs Suzume Vs Moka Miyamoto
2. Miyu Yamashita & Maki Itoh Vs Miu Watanabe & Arisu Endo
3. Yuki Kamifuku Vs Kaya Toribami
4. Nao Kakuta Vs Haruna Neko
5. Shoko Nakajima, Hyper Misao & Rika Tatsumi & Yuki Aino Vs Yuka Sakazaki, Mizuki, Raku & Pom Harajuku

A contract signing with Shoko Nakajima and Yuka Sakazaki for the main event of “WRESTLE PRINCESS III” will be held during the show.

Both Miyu Yamashita & Maki Itoh are back from their American bookings. They are together as 121000000 for their first match back.

Mahiro Kiryu will miss the show due to a shoulder injury.

BASARA “BASARA 200 ~TAKAGARI 12~”, 24/09/2022
Takashimadaira Ward Community Center

1. Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi & Antonio Honda Vs Fuminori Abe & Yasu Urano
2. 3 Way Match: Ryota Nakatsu Vs SAGAT Vs Akiyori Takizawa
3. Takumi Tsukamoto Vs Jun Masaoka
4. Elimination 6-Man Tag Match: Isami Kodaka, Daiki Shimomura & Minoru Fujita Vs Lil’ Kraken, Tsutomu Oosugi & Banana Senga
5. IRON FIST Tag Titles: Takato Nakano & Masato Kamino (c) Vs FUMA & Daichi Kazato

A big jump up the card for Lil’ Kraken. The “mystery” masked wrestler teams with Speed Of Sounds to take on Sento Minzoku in an Elimination Tag Match.

The three regular members of Sparky are going all against each other in a 3 Way Match.

DDT “WHO’S GONNA TOP? 2022”, 25/09/2022
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

0. Dark Match: Hideki Okatani & Toi Kojima Vs Yuya Koroku & Yuki Ishida
1. MAO, Asuka & Saki Akai Vs Toru Owashi, Kazuki Hirata & Antonio Honda
2. Right To Challenge Anytime, Anywhere 3 Way Match: Shinya Aoki Vs Shunma Katsumata Vs Yuki “Sexy” Iino (w/ Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno)
3. Special Tag Match: Osamu Nishimura & Shinichiro Kawamatsu Vs Akito & Yukio Naya
4. Daisuke Sasaki, Minoru Fujita & KANON (w/ MJ Paul) Vs Naomi Yoshimura, Yuji Hino & Makoto Oishi
5. Tetsuya Endo, Jun Akiyama, Yusuke Okada & Takeshi Masada Vs Sanshiro Takagi, HARASHIMA, Yukio Sakaguchi & Soma Takao
6. DDT Universal Title: Yuki Ueno (c) Vs Cara Noir
7. KO-D Openweight Title: Kazusada Higuchi (c) Vs Konosuke Takeshita

A press conference was held earlier today featuring the participants of the two title matches. Konosuke Takeshita announced he is returning to America in October so his goal for Sunday is to win the KO-D Openweight Title and bring it with him to AEW. He does not believe Kazusada Higuchi’s claim that a new wind is blowing through DDT. Higuchi disagrees and thinks the KO-D Title has already taken a new form that will not change back if Takeshita wins it off him and takes it abroad. Win or lose, this is the match Higuchi has been looking for.

Nobody was able to get a word out of Cara Noir during the press conference. Even Yuki Ueno tried to make him speak by asking him questions in English but Noir stayed silent throughout. However his physical gestures made it clear he wants to beat Ueno and become the new DDT Universal Champion. Ueno hopes that if he can successfully defend the title it will open the door to him having a title defence in the United Kingdom. He also wants to defend the belt in Thailand to live up to a promise that Masahiro Takanashi made when he was the champion.

The full line-up of this year’s D-Ou Grand Prix tournament will be revealed during the show.

DDT “YUBUN PRESENTS DDT PRO WRESTLING IN IKEBUKURO FULL MOON FESTIVAL”, 01/10/2022
Ikebukuro Nishiguchi Park Outdoor Theater Global Ring Theater

1. Yukio Naya Vs Yuya Koroku
2. Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno Vs Sanshiro Takagi & Kazuki Hirata
3. DDTeeeen!! Special Single Match: Ilusion Vs El Unicorn
4. Toru Owashi & Makoto Oishi Vs Saki Akai & Hideki Okatani
5. Daisuke Sasaki & KANON Vs Yuji Hino & Takeshi Masada
6. Tetsuya Endo, Jun Akiyama & Yusuke Okada Vs HARASHIMA, MAO & Antonio Honda
7. Harimao Vs The 37KAMIINA!: Kazusada Higuchi, Naomi Yoshimura & Yuki Ishida Vs Yuki Ueno, Shunma Katsumata & Toi Kojima

El Unicorn will be taking time off from pro wrestling to prepare for his upcoming high school entrance exams. Before he leaves he will get one more singles match against his DDTeeeen!! rival Ilusion. El Unicorn said he is sad he won’t be able to wrestle for a while but he also understands this will be good for the future of his pro wrestling career.

GANBARE☆PRO “NERAWARETA GAKUEN 2022”, 02/10/2022
Tokyo Itabashi Green Hall

1. Union Alumni Assocation In Ganbare☆Pro Wrestling: Ken Ohka Vs Daichi Kazato
2. Toyama & India Vs Ota Ward & Nakano All-Out Battle!: Shinichiro Tominaga & Baliyan Akki Vs Soma Takao & Mizuki Watase
3. England x Makai x GanJo! Special 6-Woman Tag Match: Nightshade, Moeka Haruhi & HARUKAZE Vs Ram Kaichow, YuuRI & Yoshiko Hasegawa
4. Spirit Of Ganbare World Openweight Title: Hartley Jackson (c) Vs Yuna Manase

We haven’t seen Baliyan Akki around Ganpro since April. He’s been doing well since then, just coming back from wrestling across America including a couple of AEW appearances.

Daichi Kazato from BASARA is coming over for a Union Pro reunion with Ken Okha. Both of them have changed a lot since they were last in the ring together.

Tyson Maeguchi and Yuki Kanzaki will also be on the show.

DDT “DRAMATIC DREAMS! VOL. 9 ~NO CLOUDS OVER THE MOON~”, 10/10/2022
Osaka Higashinari Ward Community Center

1. The Man Called Supernova & The Man Who Was Once Called Supernova Vs The Men Who Were Never Called Supernova: Soma Takao & Takeshi Masada Vs Yusuke Okada & Yuki Ishida
2. A Song Of Geniuses! Special 4 Way Tag Match: Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno Vs Toru Owashi & Kazuki Hirata Vs Sanshiro Takagi & Makoto Oishi Vs Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi & Yoshihiko
3. DDT Dotonbori THE NEXT!: Toi Kojima & Harutoki Vs Hideki Okatani & Yuya Koroku
4. Special 6-Man Tag Match ~Smile Squash Vs DAMNATION T.A~: HARASHIMA, Yasu Urano & Akito Vs Minoru Fujita, MJ Paul & KANON
5. Special Tag Match Sterness Siege ~Men Of Ice Vs Men Of Melting Ice~: Jun Akiyama & Antonio Honda Vs Kuishinbo Kamen & Kikutaro
6. Special Single Match ~Road Of Former Champions~: Tetsuya Endo Vs Masahiro Takanashi
7. Special Tag Match ~Wrestling Master Jrs Vs The 37KAMIINA~: Daisuke Sasaki & HUB Vs Yuki Ueno & Shunma Katsumata
8. Naniwa Earthquake! Super Special 6-Man Tag Match: Magnitude Kishiwada, Yuji Hino & Yukio Naya Vs Shuji Ishikawa, Yukio Sakaguchi & Chris Brookes
9. Special Tag Match Osaka Monogatari ~ Destruction Demon King Vs The “It Was The Power Of Wrestling That Resolved The Worst Of Their Relationship To The Point Where They Didn’t Even See Eye To Eye. Their Belief Is That There Is Never A Normal Good Match And The Common Denominator Is An Unusual wrestling Head”z~: Kazusada Higuchi & Naomi Yoshimura Vs Shigehiro Irie & MAO

Harutoki is been wrestling for three years with Dotonbori Pro.

DDT “GOD BLESS DDT 2022 TOUR IN SAPPORO – DAY 1”, 15/10/2022
Hokkaido Sapporo ii-one Stadium

1. Kazuki Hirata & Saki Akai Vs Shunma Katsumata & Manami Kanda
2. Special Single Match: Kouki Iwasaki Vs Hideki Okatani
3. Sapporo Specialty Special Tag Match: Tetsuya Endo & Jun Akiyama Vs Noriyuki Yoshida & Yuya Koroku

Several guests have been booked for the show. On this very day one year ago Noriyuki Yoshida fought Jun Akiyama in an emotional match to celebrate his 15th wrestling anniversary. They meet again this time in a tag match with other members of BURNING. Also on the show are Kouki Iwasaki, Manami Kanda and Tomoya.

DDT “GOD BLESS DDT 2022 TOUR IN SAPPORO – DAY 2”, 16/10/2022
Hokkaido Sapporo ii-one Stadium

1. HARASHIMA & Makoto Oishi Vs Tomoya & Takeshi Masada
2. Special Single Match: Saki Akai Vs Manami Kanda
3. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Yuki Ueno, Shunma Katsumata & Chris Brookes Vs Tetsuya Endo, Jun Akiyama & Noriyuki Yoshida

The next day will see Akiyama and Yoshida teaming together.

Kanda’s weekend in DDT is built around matches against Saki Akai.

DDT “GOD BLESS DDT 2022”, 23/10/2022
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

1. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Jun Akiyama, Yusuke Okada & Yuya Koroku Vs Osamu Nishimura, Shinichiro Kawamatsu & Yuki Ishida
2. Special Tag Match: HARASHIMA & Takeshi Masada Vs Soma Takao & Hikaru Machida
3. Pheromones Vs Takagi-gun Complete Settlement Battle FINAL: X Vs X

Kickboxer Hikaru Machida is coming back to DDT and HARASHIMA will be there waiting for him. The big matches are also piling up for the rookie Takeshi Masada. He’s getting some ring time with Soma Takao both as teammates and opponents in October.

Osamu Nishimura & Shinichiro Kawamatsu are sticking around in DDT. They have a battle alongside Yuki Ishida against BURNING coming up next month.


SOS Vs Aijin Tag Again, Legislator Tag Team, Men’s Club Revival

August 29, 2022

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW AUTUMN TOUR ’22”, 03/09/2022
Tokyo Narimasu Act Hall

1. Hyper Misao Vs Nao Kakuta
2. Yuki Aino Vs Moka Miyamoto
3. Rika Tasumi & Miu Watanabe Vs Suzume & Haruna Neko
4. Miyu Yamashita, Maki Itoh & Raku Vs Yuka Sakazaki, Mizuki & Pom Harajuku
5. Shoko Nakajima & Arisu Endo Vs Yuki Kamifuku & Mahiro Kiryu

Hikari Noa won’t be around this week because she will be in England trying to win back the International Princess Title from Alex Windsor at an EVE show.

BASARA “BASARA 199 ~GLITTER~”, 06/09/2022
Shin-Kiba 1st RING

1. IRON FIST Tag Titles: Tsutomu Oosugi & Banana Senga (c) Vs Takato Nakano & Masato Kamino
2. Union MAX Title: Isami Kodaka (c) Vs Daiki Shimomura

Last week Isami Kodaka defended the Union MAX Title against Gunso at the annual BASARA/Dove Pro summer meet. With that out of the way, Kodaka accepted Daiki Shimomura’s challenge for the next title shot.

Speed Of Sounds already defended the IRON FIST Tag Titles against Aijin Tag back in April. Takato Nakano & Masato Kamino are nothing if not persistent though. They keep wanting as many chances to beat SOS as they can to finally win the belts. Tsutomu Oosugi & Banana Senga admire their determination and do like wrestling them so another title match is going ahead.

DDT “WHO’S GONNA TOP? 2022”, 25/09/2022
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

1. Special Tag Match: Osamu Nishimura & Shinichiro Kawamatsu Vs Akito & Yukio Naya
2. DDT Universal Title: Yuki Ueno (c) Vs Cara Noir
3. KO-D Openweight Title: Kazusada Higuchi (c) Vs Konosuke Takeshita

We’re getting a legislator tag team of Osamu Nishimura & Shinichiro Kawamatsu! Ota Ward was host to Kawamatsu’s debut match so it’s only fair for he and Nishimura to step into the ring again over at Nishimura’s home of Bunkyo Ward. That means they’re heading to Korakuen Hall together. Akito & Yukio Naya were chosen to be their opponents.

DDT “GET ALIVE 2022”, 12/10/2022
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

1. Yuki Ishida 1st Anniversary Match ~ Playfulness Series Act 4: Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno Vs Yuki Ishida
2. Makoto Oishi 20th Anniversary Match ~ Men’s Club Vs The 37KAMIINA: Makoto Oishi, MEN’S Teoih & Shiori Asahi Vs Yuki Ueno, MAO & Shunma Katsumata

Makoto Oishi’s 20th Anniversary is a great time to revive Men’s Club! He’s bringing in MEN’S Teioh & Shiori Asahi to take on the new generation represented by The 37KAMIINA.

Yuki Ishida is not getting a similar amount of pomp and circumstance for his one year anniversary. He’s getting a first time singles match against Danshoku Dieno.


DDT “WRESTLE PETER PAN 2022” Results

August 20, 2022

DDT “WRESTLE PETER PAN 2022”, 20/08/2022
Tokyo Ota Ward Gymnasium
1,250 Fans – No Vacancy

1. Yusuke Okada, Yuya Koroku & Ilusion defeated Toi Kojima, Yuki Ishida & Takeshi Masada when Koroku submitted Ishida with a Modified Strangle Hold (9:11).
2. 3 Way 6-Man Tag Match: Yuki “Sexy” Iino, Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno & Koju “Shining Ball” Takeda (w/ Yumehito “Fantastic” Imanari) defeated Yuji Hino, Yukio Naya & Super Sasadango Machine and Toru Owashi, Kazuki Hirata & Antonio Honda by TKO after Pheromones knocked out Hirata with the Sexy Bay Bridge (12:18).
3. Special 6-Man Tag Match: HARASHIMA, Yukio Sakaguchi & Hideki Okatani defeated Naomi Yoshimura, Kota Umeda & Keisuke Okuda when HARASHIMA pinned Yoshimura with the Somato (12:44).
4. Shinichiro Kawamatsu Debut Match ~ Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly Member Vs Bunkyo Ward Assembly Member: Osamu Nishimura, Makoto Oishi & Akito defeated Shinichiro Kawamatsu, Sanshiro Takagi & Soma Takao when Nishimura submitted Kawamatsu with a Figure 4 Leg Lock (14:47).
5. Special Mixed Tag Match: Jun Akiyama & Saki Akai defeated Chris Brookes & Asuka when Akai submitted Asuka with an Arm Triangle Choke (15:21).
6. DDT Extreme Title – Special Hardcore Match: Joey Janela (c) defeated Shunma Katsumata with the Death Valley Driver from the Ladder through the Table and Barbed Wire Board (18:56).
*V1 for Joey Janela.
7. DDT Universal Title: Yuki Ueno defeated Masahiro Takanashi (c) with the WR (14:26).
*Masahiro Takanashi fails in V2. Yuki Ueno becomes the 8th DDT Universal Champion!
8. DDT 25th Anniversary Special 6-Man Tag Match: Konosuke Takeshita, MAO & Yasu Urano defeated Dick Togo, Daisuke Sasaki & KANON (w/ MJ Paul & Minoru Fujita) when Takeshita pinned KANON with the Jumping Knee (20:41).
9. KO-D Openweight Title: Kazusada Higuchi (c) defeated Tetsuya Endo with the Brain Claw Slam (25:24).
*V1 for Kazusada Higuchi.

The DDT flag is firmly in Kazusada Higuchi’s grasp after today and there can be no denying he is deserving to hold the KO-D Openweight Title. His first defence was against the previous champion Tetsuya Endo, who vacated the belt after suffering a concussion earlier in the summer. Endo threw everything he had to try and win the belt back. Higuchi held firm and delivered his own big bombs like a Brain Claw Slam throwing Endo from the top turnbuckle onto the ring apron. Later Endo looked to be on the verge of getting knocked out only for Higuchi to demand he show his determination and get back up. Endo was able to answer the ten count but was smashed with more Lariats and collisions until he was pinned with another Brain Claw Slam.

Kenta Kobashi presented the KO-D Title to Higuchi and congratulated him after the match. He also shook hands with Endo only for Endo to collapse in front of him. While Endo was helped out of the ring, Higuchi called out to him and said after so much has happened, they both stood together in the ring. Higuchi won today but he looks forward to facing Endo again. Backstage Endo admits he was completely defeated and has now been surpassed. Higuchi is the true 79th KO-D Champion.

Higuchi was then approached by Hisaya Imabayashi. The GM told him the next KO-D Title defence is scheduled for 25th September and then asked if he would like to nominate a challenger. Higuchi did not hesitate and chose Konosuke Takeshita! He would later explain he cannot become the symbol of DDT’s strength if he cannot beat him. Takeshita walked down to the ring and simply said “Let’s fight, Higuchi” before leaving. Backstage Takeshita noted he has never fought Higuchi in a KO-D Title match. He would like to win the title again before continuing his American excursion. He sees it as bringing the KO-D Title home to him rather than taking it over to the USA. Higuchi closed out the show thanking the fans for coming out and creating a good turnout. A lot is still going wrong in the world but everyone in DDT is fighting no matter the difficulties so their fans will have the courage to stand up and push forward.

Takeshita’s return to the title picture was set up in the main event when he got the winning fall. The odds were against him and his team because DAMNATION T.A worked well teaming with Dick Togo. He and Daisuke Sasaki even moved in stereo when they both performed Crossfaces at the same time and then Pedigrees at the same time. MJ Paul and Minoru Fujita also got involved so the numbers game was in DAMNATION’s favour. Takeshita did his best to fight back by blocking Togo’s chair shot only to get hit with another chair from Sasaki. However, the difference in levels between Takeshita and KANON was soon on show when the K-Spike was blocked and KANON was smashed with an Elbow Strike. Takeshita found the opening to hit the Jumping Knee and that was all he needed to get the three count.

After the match Takeshita said he’s only been gone for four months but it’s been the hardest working four months of his entire career. DDT is his home and his goal is to become the best wrestler in the world as a DDT wrestler! He credited his partners for their work today. MAO with his high flying and Yasu Urano with his Socrates-like attitude (Urano found it funny that was all Takeshita could come up with to describe him). Sasaki admits Takeshita has gotten a little stronger by wrestling in America but cannot tell if he’s changed as a person. He also warned today is not the only time you will see DAMNATION T.A and House Of Torture working together! Whenever Sasaki and Togo team up, bad things will happen. However Togo wasn’t as dark with his thoughts and said he’ll come back to DDT at 60 years old wrestling in red tights just like Giant Baba.

Masahiro Takanashi’s hopes of taking the DDT Universal Title around the world to defend against younger generations of wrestlers has been cut short. Yuki Ueno already had youth and physical ability on his side going into the match. All he had to do was figure out Takanashi’s gameplan, which he did. He found ways to block the Takatonic but only when the champion did the move. Takanashi was able to trick Daisuke Kiso into performing it on Ueno for a nearfall. Ueno himself had trouble setting up the WR but finally hit his finisher after a well placed Dropkick to win the title.

He told Takanashi that from the bottom of his heart he considers him to be a deep part of DDT’s history. With those pleasantries out of the way, Ueno then met with Imabayashi to learn about his first title defence. Ueno will put the Universal Title on the line against Cara Noir on 25th September! Noir is an English wrestler and former ballet dancer, known for his literally dramatic ring entrances and match performances. He will be coming to DDT on 18th September before getting his title shot on the 25th. Once this match happens then maybe the title can start to be defended overseas again like it was originally meant to be.

“The Bad Boy” defeats “The Happy Boy” to keep his DDT Extreme Title! A nutty Hardcore match between Joey Janela and Shunma Katsumata delivered some crazy scenes around Ota Ward Gymnasium. Janela rode on a the Dramatic Dream bicycle around ringside and got hit with a toy block covered baseball bat. Katsumata did a balcony dive through a table away from ringside. Janela jumped off a ladder barefoot and missed a Double Stomp, landing feet first onto thumbtacks and toy blocks. The big finish saw Janela give Katsumata the Death Valley Driver from the ladder through a table with a barbed wire board placed on top of it. Janela will now go back to America with the Extreme Title but he promises he will be back. He wants to become part of the DDT family and even enter the D-Oh Grand Prix. Then once he’s finished with that, he wants to go in search for a certain “Mr. Liar”, Atsushi Onita!

The Mixed Tag Match was a new experience for Jun Akiyama. He claims he didn’t feel uncomfortable wrestling with and against the women although Asuka was determined to leave her mark by fighting him. However the match came down to Asuka against Saki Akai and a Moonsault counter completely changed the result from out of nowhere. Asuka did the move and Akai caught her with an Arm Triangle Choke, keeping Asuka trapped until she gave up. It is the first time Asuka directly lost a match to Akai. Asuka slapped Akiyama across the face after the match. Akai was thankful to team with him though and wants to learn more from him. Chris Brookes said he is not angry over the result but the next time he is in the ring with Asuka will be when they face each other in a singles match on 4th September. He is already thinking of ways to win against her. Asuka warned him she has closets full of ideas about what she wants to do against him.

The politician Shinichiro Kawamatsu made his official pro wrestling debut in his full daytime suit. Well that’s not entirely true. He removed his tie before the match began. He also received a bouquet from Eriko Imai, a member of the House of Councilors. He was able to stand toe to toe against Makoto Oishi & Akito thanks to some help from Sanshiro Takagi and Soma Takao. But the real meat of the match came from Kawamatsu’s interactions with Osamu Nishimura. The ring legend held him in a Full Nelson so Akito could grab a leg and do a Dragon Screw. From there Nishimura applied the Spinning Toe Hold before turning it into a Figure 4 Leg Lock to make his fellow politician submit. After the match Nishimura told Kawamatsu he is free to ask him about pro wrestling whenever he wants, but he will not join his political party! Kawamatsu thanked him for the match and told the fans he would like to stay active in pro wrestling. Takagi later suggested they do another match with Kawamatsu and Nishimura involved but this time hold it in Bukyo Ward. In other words, he means Korakuen Hall!

Naomi Yoshimura’s big DNA reunion was spoiled thanks to HARASHIMA pinning him with the Somato. For HARASHIMA & Yukio Sakaguchi, the result shows that their generation is still good. HARASHIMA was also so happy to be wrestling in front of cheering fans again. Hideki Okatani was also pleased to wrestle against the likes of Kota Umeda & Keisuke Okuda, thinking they can bring out the best in him. Today was Okuda’s first match in DDT in around 4 years and it’s been so long since he fought an opponent who wanted to kill him. Sakaguchi is that opponent. They did a fist bump after the match rather than a handshake because they don’t want to get too buddy buddy with each other. It would only ruin the dynamic they have together. Okuda would be happy to do another match like that again if DDT wants to invite him back. Umeda said the competitive spirit he felt in that match is hard to find nowadays both in DDT and elsewhere.

Is there any united force out there that can defeat Pheromones? A team of heavyweights like Yuji Hino, Yukio Naya & Super Sasadango Machine cannot. There’s no relying on The DDT Variety Team to put a stop to them either. They’ve become unstoppable with the addition of Koju Takeda along with the return of Yumehito Imanari in their corner. That only makes them even more outlandish with their antics. Danshoku Dieno has no problem telling fans that they can blame Pheromones for everything wrong that happened today. Antonio Honda and his Gongitsune was powerless while Toru Owashi was thrown into the Triple Hell Gate. Kazuki Hirata became everyone’s last hope with the power of dance but even that wasn’t enough. Pheromones won the 3 Way Match by total destruction. Dieno then gave a victory speech telling everyone that Pheromones will rewrite DDT and turn it into a world of stupidity!

The opening match featured a mix of wrestlers from BURNING as well as the new generation of DDT. Yuya Koroku felt motivated by the atmosphere created by the crowd and it spurned him on to win the match for his team. Ilusion felt the same. Tomorrow will be the one year anniversary of his debut so he wants to spend the next year wrestling more and getting stronger. Yusuke Okada thought the match was really good and did its job to get the fans excited for the rest of the show. Yuki Ishida was upset to take the fall and blames it on being a bit lax with is preparation. Toi Kojima is feeling the pressure to stand out more now that there are even more young and new wrestlers entering the company. This was Takeshi Masada’s second match and he admitted he still doesn’t know right from left while the action is going on. He thinks his lack of ability is why he was on the losing team today. He promised to train harder so his recent debut won’t be taken lightly by everyone.

LiLiCo promised everyone a big announcement for her appearance on the show. The news is DDT will be going to Tokyo Dome City Hall on 29th December for their last big event of 2022. LiLiCo will serve as the event’s special ambassador and she suggested DDT hand out full price refunds to any ticket buyer who does not enjoy the show. She also offered to take part in the Anal Explosion ceremony! Imabayashi refuses to grant her that request because it’s meant to be a punishment you do not volunteer for and he’s worried over what would happen if a woman takes part. However LiLiCo is determined to go through with it and discussions between the two parties will continue.

The D-Ou Grand Prix 2022 will be held throughout November with the final taking place on 4th December. 12 wrestlers all under the age of 40 will enter the tournament in a two block round robin format. Takagi explained that there are more wrestlers under that age competing in DDT nowadays but not been many in their 20s have competed in the D-Ou GP. Kenta Kobashi will continue his role as the chairman of the tournament committee which was established last year.


DDT “WRESTLE PETER PAN 2022” Preview

August 18, 2022


DDT “WRESTLE PETER PAN 2022”, 20/08/2022
Tokyo Ota Ward Gymnasium

1. Yusuke Okada, Yuya Koroku & Ilusion Vs Toi Kojima, Yuki Ishida & Takeshi Masada
2. 3 Way 6-Man Tag Match: Yuki “Sexy” Iino, Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno & Koju “Shining Ball” Takeda (w/ Yumehito “Fantastic” Imanari) Vs Yuji Hino, Yukio Naya & Super Sasadango Machine Vs Toru Owashi, Kazuki Hirata & Antonio Honda
3. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Naomi Yoshimura, Kota Umeda & Keisuke Okuda Vs HARASHIMA, Yukio Sakaguchi & Hideki Okatani
4. Shinichiro Kawamatsu Debut Match ~ Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly Member Vs Bunkyo Ward Assembly Member: Shinichiro Kawamatsu, Sanshiro Takagi & Soma Takao Vs Osamu Nishimura, Makoto Oishi & Akito
5. Special Mixed Tag Match: Jun Akiyama & Saki Akai Vs Chris Brookes & Asuka
6. DDT Extreme Title – Special Hardcore Match: Joey Janela (c) Vs Shunma Katsumata
7. DDT Universal Title: Masahiro Takanashi (c) Vs Yuki Ueno
8. DDT 25th Anniversary Special 6-Man Tag Match: Dick Togo, Daisuke Sasaki & KANON (w/ MJ Paul) Vs Konosuke Takeshita, MAO & Yasu Urano
9. KO-D Openweight Title: Kazusada Higuchi (c) Vs Tetsuya Endo

It’s back to Ota Ward Gymnasium for this year’s edition of “WRESTLE PETER PAN”. For what is usually one of DDT’s biggest shows of the year, things don’t feel as such this time around. For DDT it’s still a big event but against the rest of the wrestling scene, I’m not feeling it as much this year. Choosing Ota Ward is a downgrade from a usual venue choice like Sumo Hall and DDT themselves have made reference to ticket sales not being that great. The company challenged its roster to sell more tickets with better quality lunches as their rewards. The last update they gave on that was they reached the “Nori Bento” level which refers to between 775 and 1,000 tickets sold. DDT wants their attendance numbers to return to what they were before the pandemic happened. That is going to stay a tough challenge for them until Japan moves past their covid restrictions. Even then it’s hard to say if DDT can grow back their audience. You can’t entirely blame the pandemic for shrinking wrestling’s popularity in Japan when a company like Stardom is growing like crazy over there under the same environment.

This show can end up becoming a turnaround in fortunes though. Through unexpected circumstances a new wind is blowing through the company as DDT’s current two top wrestlers battle over who should be carrying the flag. The man the company was built around for the last few years has all of a sudden gained a brand new global fanbase and maybe a chunk of them will follow him back to see what DDT is like. One of the most infamous wrestlers on the American indie scene has come over wanting to carve his name into the history books. A first time mixed tag match will offer something never seen before. Actual politicians will fight each other. And if that’s not enough, LiLiCo will be there with an important news update she wants to tell everyone.


1. Yusuke Okada, Yuya Koroku & Ilusion Vs Toi Kojima, Yuki Ishida & Takeshi Masada

Some of the youngest wrestlers in DDT gather together for the opening match. And also Yusuke Okada who is only 29 years old even though some days he looks about 42. He’s the veteran base of the match while Yuya Koroku and Toi Kojima get to bring their classmate rivalry onto a big stage. Their clashes in all of the BURNING Vs The 37KAMIINA matches over the last year are fun to watch. Yuki Ishida is showing improvement with his performances and developing more fire power to make up for his lack of size. Ilusion has been used sparingly over the summer because the DDTeeeen!! project hasn’t been publicly active. The few opportunities he’s been getting are at least moving him away from his rival El Unicorn so he gets to show they are not attached by the hip. But the spotlight right now is shining brightly on Takeshi Masada. He just had his debut match after only three months of training and dazzled everyone with his performance. If he keeps in good health over the next few years (always remember that rookies break easily) DDT could have a new supernova on their hands.


2. 3 Way 6-Man Tag Match: Yuki “Sexy” Iino, Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno & Koju “Shining Ball” Takeda (w/ Yumehito “Fantastic” Imanari) Vs Yuji Hino, Yukio Naya & Super Sasadango Machine Vs Toru Owashi, Kazuki Hirata & Antonio Honda

Is 2022 the year of Pheromones? The DDT shows that allow cheering usually has that unit getting the most reactions. Maybe it’s because they still use the canned cheering for their ring announcements or maybe it’s because chanting “Sexy!” out loud while sticking out your pinky fingers is a lot of fun. One thing for sure is Pheromones has become more stronger with the latest and perhaps final addition to the unit. A perverted looking masked man began following the group around and was eventually revealed to be Koju Takeda. He appeared in DDT before and is a former KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Champion but now has a bigger presence in the company under the name Koju “Shining Ball” Takeda. He’s never been shy about showing off his physique so he is a perfect fit for Pheromones, perhaps filling in the gaps that Yuki Iino and Danshoku Dieno could not fill. Was that meant to be written as a double entendre? You tell me.

The other two teams in this match can’t help but look plain in comparison. Yuji Hino & Yukio Naya have spent over a year bonding as a tag team and working together under the ONLY WE banner. It’s given Naya the ability to finally start climbing up the ladder and reach even a little bit of the potential that others see in him. Super Sasadango Machine is an odd third man to be on that team but this is an odd match to begin with. The other trio is made up of wrestlers sometimes nicknamed The DDT Variety Team. Whenever you get Toru Owashi, Kazuki Hirata & Antonio Honda all in the same ring you are guaranteed to get some nonsense coming from them.


3. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Naomi Yoshimura, Kota Umeda & Keisuke Okuda Vs HARASHIMA, Yukio Sakaguchi & Hideki Okatani

We are getting treated to a DNA reunion on the show. The developmental brand for DDT became redundant in 2018 but many wrestlers who came from it have become regular parts of several wrestling rosters. Naomi Yoshimura was a key part of DNA’s second half of its existence and he wanted to team with two men who were a constant presence around him during his time there. His rival Kota Umeda and his ally Keisuke Okuda. Umeda is a part time wrestler with some re-appearances in DDT every now and then. But Okuda’s name being brought up is intriguing. He was once under contract to DDT for two years then left the company for DRAGONGATE. Then recently there seems to be an apparent split between the two and suddenly Okuda is back in DDT by Yoshimura’s request. Maybe it’s just a one time reunion for old time’s sake.

Whether it is or it isn’t, Okuda has another reason to come back. He’s looking for a fight with Yukio Sakaguchi, thinking he is a scared old man. In response to this, Sakaguchi’s Eruption buddy Hideki Okatani is stepping in also wanting to join in the scrap the second it kicks off. Their team needs a calming presence so maybe HARASHIMA can keep things under control with his many years of wisdom under his belt. But he and Yoshimura are on course for a KO-D Tag Team Titles match in the future and they have a lot of recent history together. If the wrong guy gets provoked here then all hell could break loose.


4. Shinichiro Kawamatsu Debut Match ~ Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly Member Vs Bunkyo Ward Assembly Member: Shinichiro Kawamatsu, Sanshiro Takagi & Soma Takao Vs Osamu Nishimura, Makoto Oishi & Akito

I don’t have a clue about Japanese politics other than Sanshiro Takagi tried it once and it left him traumatized. It seems that the wrestling bug has bitten Shinichiro Kawamatsu from the Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly after the publicity stunt where he won and defended the Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title. To show his gratitude to DDT and their fans, he decided to try and have a go as a pro wrestler for real. Finding time to train in between his political duties, Kawamatsu is having his official debut match against another politician. One who knows the wrestling ring very well.

Osamu Nishimura has been wrestling for over 31 years but his main priority nowadays is his council work in his hometown of Bunkyo Ward. There is a friendly link between the two in the lead up to the match because Kawamatsu is a longtime fan of Nishimura. Kawamatsu is even focusing his wrestling training on matwork specifically because he wants to fight against Nishimura’s Muga style of pro wrestling. The soft political atmosphere of the match is inspiring Soma Takao because it is taking place in his hometown of Ota Ward. It may end up spurring him on into campaigning for a seat on the Ota Ward Council in the future. Makoto Oishi & Akito will be there to provide more challenges for Kawamatsu. They should be eager to impress Nishimura in the process too.


5. Special Mixed Tag Match: Jun Akiyama & Saki Akai Vs Chris Brookes & Asuka

Jun Akiyama’s time as a coach in DDT has been invaluable to those who are learning from him. It’s worked out so well that Saki Akai asked him to team with her on this show so she can become a stronger wrestler. Akiyama accepted her request as long as she knew he will treat her no differently to any other wrestler in DDT. When it was decided they were going to get a Mixed Tag Match, Chris Brookes & Asuka was chosen to be their opponents. It will be the first time Akiyama takes part in a Mixed Tag Match. Asuka teased him at a press conference saying she has a good reputation as an opponent for first timers and she’ll be one woman he will never forget!

The whole match has Asuka feeling pretty confident. She has never lost to Akai before and is certain it won’t happen anytime soon. Still, she is encouraging her opponents to work hard together so she will get a good challenge out of them. Akai gave Asuka’s comments a lot of thought. She thinks all wrestlers walk their own paths. Akai’s path may be slower than Asuka’s or maybe it is just a detour. She isn’t going to stay feeling sorry for herself when she has a chance to learn from Akiyama. Brookes is excited about the match because it is a fresh experience for everyone involved. He has previously fought against Asuka in tag matches but they can start something brand new when they team together. Brookes even thinks a new history will begin if Asuka gets the pinfall on Akiyama!


6. DDT Extreme Title – Special Hardcore Match: Joey Janela (c) Vs Shunma Katsumata

It’s “The Bad Boy” against “The Happy Boy”! Joey Janela’s tour of DDT has been two years in the making after his constant viral wrestling matches caught Takagi’s attention. Little appetizers were put together in the meantime with Yoshihiko and the Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title being sent over to America for Janela to interact with. When the time came for Janela to finally visit Japan, he wasted no time in making an impact by winning the DDT Extreme Title in the infamous IPPON Lighttube Death Match. A Hardcore Match against Shunma Katsumata was already scheduled before his title win so it is now even more important with the championship stakes being added. Katsumata has developed his own hardcore style in DDT but how different is it to anything that Janela has experienced before? The American has experienced death matches in many forms from violent to wacky. Janela’s goal is to become the greatest foreign wrestler ever in DDT. That’s a tall task given those who previously called the company their Japanese home promotion. But hey, if Janela didn’t have the guts to aim high he wouldn’t have achieved so much in his crazy career. I mean he has a match against Ernest “The Cat” Miller coming up in GCW soon. What if that ends up becoming a DDT Extreme Title match?


7. DDT Universal Title: Masahiro Takanashi (c) Vs Yuki Ueno

The DDT Universal Title is on the line in a battle between old and new generations of DDT. When Masahiro Takanashi won the title he wanted to do two things. Travel the world with the championship because that is the original point of the title and defend it against all of the younger wrestlers who have stepped up over the last two years while he was out injured. He’s barely gotten started and already he has a high wall in the form of Yuki Ueno standing in his way. The former Universal Champion wants the belt back so he can make DDT more exciting in his own way. The build up consisted of Ueno standing tall in the warmup matches and Takanashi being in physical positions where he has no choice but to look up at his challenger. Even though Takanashi is the champion, he is coming into the match looking like the underdog. But that’s always been the story with him. He wouldn’t be Masahiro Takanashi if he didn’t have to climb up from the bottom each and every time.


8. DDT 25th Anniversary Special 6-Man Tag Match: Dick Togo, Daisuke Sasaki & KANON (w/ MJ Paul) Vs Konosuke Takeshita, MAO & Yasu Urano

Did you ever hear the saying it takes an artist ten years to become an overnight success? It kind of feels like that here. This summer the entire wrestling world fell in love with Konosuke Takeshita. In return he fell in love with America and also Cinnabon. Mostly Cinnabon. Almost entirely Cinnabon. He won’t stop eating their food. Anyway, his excursion to America for both AEW and the independent scene led to rave reviews across the board and even sparked a lot of gossip about his future. Should AEW try to sign him full time and throw him further into their murderer’s row of main eventers? Will a reinvigorated WWE poach him in their search for a new Japanese superstar to add to their roster? How never ending can the line of indie wrestlers wanting to challenge him become? All of a sudden DDT better be careful not to lose the supernova they’ve spent the last decade building their company around because he is very quickly becoming an attraction overseas. He’s back in Japan for two months before continuing his excursion so DDT are putting together some attraction matches for him while he is home.

The attraction here is the return of Dick Togo to DDT. The man has done it all in wrestling from all angles, from being revered for his skills to being despised for his role in with House Of Torture over in New Japan. It looks like Togo is coming to DDT under his normal guise but he always liked to cheat anyway. Plus he is siding with DAMNATION T.A and expecting clean play to come out of them is foolish. Togo is one of the few people who can get Daisuke Sasaki somewhat motivated to improve himself. The timing is right for that to happen here because Sasaki is going to be Takeshita’s opponent for his 10th Anniversary match next month. That’s not all. MJ Paul will be at ringside as the wild card and there is also KANON who has been really promising so far since his entry into DDT. Takeshita has MAO & Yasu Urano to make up a talented trio but can they mesh together as well as DAMNATION T.A can? If they don’t then Takeshita will wish he was back in the states tucking into another Center Of The Roll.


9. KO-D Openweight Title: Kazusada Higuchi (c) Vs Tetsuya Endo

One slap earlier this year created a butterfly effect resulting in a new turbulent wind blowing across DDT. The main event of this year’s “WRESTLE PETER PAN” was probably always supposed to be Kazusada Higuchi Vs Tetsuya Endo but the roles they are in and how we got there is very different. In March Endo walked out of Sumo Hall as the new KO-D Openweight Champion and the man to carry DDT forward. That only lasted until June thanks to the slap heard around the world. A DDT Vs NOAH inter-promotional match at “CYBERFIGHT FESTIVAL 2022” prematurely ended when Katsuhiko Nakajima knocked out Endo with a slap across the face after an awkward exchange where neither looked to be on the same page with the other. The aftermath was disastrous for DDT. Intentional or not, their champion was easily defeated on the big stage for the entire world to see. Even worse, Endo was now out of action with a concussion and a decision was made for him to vacate his championship while he recovered. DDT needed a new flag bearer and quickly went to work setting that person up.

DDT was at least able to get the timing right with their backup plan. The King Of DDT tournament was next on the schedule after “CYBERFIGHT FESTIVAL 2022” and the vacant KO-D Title was now up for grabs. Higuchi literally waved the DDT flag in Saitama Super Arena and made it clear he was the best choice to lead the promotion in Endo’s absence. He spent his 8 year career struggling to win the KO-D Title and finally achieved his goal by winning the tournament. His victory was a crowning moment both literally and symbolically because he was given the flag once more to represent his emergence as DDT’s strongest wrestler. That was when the new wind started blowing. Higuchi left his unit Eruption to form Harimao with Yoshimura. He also called out his first challenger… Tetsuya Endo!

Endo recovered from his concussion and wanted his return to the ring to be a fresh restart. He accepted the knockout he suffered counts as a loss no matter how you look at it. It wasn’t his intention to immediately return to challenging for the KO-D Title but once Higuchi called him out, he couldn’t resist. Also Endo feels the need to repay his fans for their continued support by becoming the champion again. He answered by throwing out his own title challenge to Higuchi just because it is tradition for the contender to approach the champion instead of vice versa. He went to get advice from Kenta Kobashi like he always does before his important matches. Kobashi’s advice to him was he needs to be angry more and should use the injury as fuel for that. That may be for another story to be told on another day though. This weekend Endo’s focus needs to be on Higuchi and just Higuchi. He has a winning singles record against him but only just. In their previous six singles matches together Endo has three wins, Higuchi has two and there was a Double KO between them. Whoever wins this 7th battle will carry the DDT flag from here on out!


Omega (Not That One) Reunites, Kawamatsu Training For Muga, Non-Alcoholic Beer Garden Matches

August 10, 2022

DDT/ONLY WE “ROAD TO PETER PAN 2022 IN CHIBA”, 11/08/2022
Chiba 2AW Square

1. Yusuke Okada Vs Toi Kojima
2. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Daisuke Sasaki, MJ Paul & KANON Vs Kaji Tomato, Yuya Koroku & El Unicorn
3. Yukio Sakaguchi, Hideki Okatani & Hiroshi Yamato Vs Soma Takao, Yukio Naya & Yuki Ishida
4. ONLY WE x DDT Special Tag Match ~ Harimao Vs Ω: Kazusada Higuchi & Naomi Yoshimura Vs Yuji Hino & Makoto Oishi
5. Summer! Chiba! Swim Shorts! ONLY WE x DDT Special Swim Shorts Rumble: Yuji Hino Vs Kaji Tomato Vs Akito Vs MAO Vs Shunma Katsumata Vs Chris Brookes Vs Antonio Honda Vs Yuki “Sexy” Iino Vs Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno Vs Sanshiro Takagi Vs Hoshitango Vs Yukio Naya

The card is shuffled around a little bit after Yuji Hino & Makoto Oishi agreed to reform Ω as a special occasion. The K-DOJO unit had other members but it is these two who are getting together for a match against Harimao.

Rumours are going around that the White Briefs Man is making his way to Chiba in time to be at the show.

DDT “ROAD TO PETER PAN 2022 IN KORAKUEN ~LET’S SHOUT!~”, 14/08/2022
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

1. Yuki “Sexy” Iino, Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno & X (w/ Yumehito “Fantastic” Imanari) Vs Sanshiro Takagi, Toru Owashi & Soma Takao
2. Daisuke Sasaki, MJ Paul & KANON Vs Yukio Sakaguchi, MAO & Yuki Ishida
3. Takeshi Masada Debut Match: HARASHIMA Vs Takeshi Masada
4. Right To Challenge Anytime, Anywhere Battle Royal: Yuji Hino Vs Chris Brookes Vs Shinya Aoki Vs Shunma Katsumata Vs Makoto Oishi Vs Kazuki Hirata Vs Yusuke Okada Vs Yukio Naya Vs Hideki Okatani Vs Yuya Koroku
5. Special Single Match: Asuka Vs Saki Akai
6. Masahiro Takanashi & Antonio Honda Vs Yuki Ueno & Toi Kojima
7. DDT Extreme Title – Fluorescent Lighttube IPPON Death Match: Akito (c) Vs Joey Janela
8. Road To WRESTLE PETER PAN 2022! Special Tag Match: Kazusada Higuchi & Naomi Yoshimura Vs Tetsuya Endo & Jun Akiyama

Seems like Tetsuya Endo and Jun Akiyama will be cleared to wrestle this weekend if they have not been already yet.

DDT “WRESTLE PETER PAN 2022”, 20/08/2022
Tokyo Ota Ward Gymnasium

1. Yusuke Okada, Yuya Koroku & Ilusion Vs Toi Kojima, Yuki Ishida & Takeshi Masada
2. 3 Way 6-Man Tag Match: Yuki “Sexy” Iino, Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno & X (w/ Yumehito “Fantastic” Imanari) Vs Yuji Hino, Yukio Naya & Super Sasadango Machine Vs Toru Owashi, Kazuki Hirata & Antonio Honda
3. Shinichiro Kawamatsu Debut Match ~ Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly Member Vs Bunkyo Ward Assembly Member: Shinichiro Kawamatsu, Sanshiro Takagi & Soma Takao Vs Osamu Nishimura, Makoto Oishi & Akito
4. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Naomi Yoshimura, Kota Umeda & Keisuke Okuda Vs HARASHIMA, Yukio Sakaguchi & Hideki Okatani
5. Special Mixed Tag Match: Jun Akiyama & Saki Akai Vs Chris Brookes & Asuka
6. International Special Hardcore Match: Joey Janela Vs Shunma Katsumata
7. DDT 25th Anniversary Special 6-Man Tag Match: Dick Togo, Daisuke Sasaki & KANON (w/ MJ Paul) Vs Konosuke Takeshita, MAO & Yasu Urano
8. DDT Universal Title: Masahiro Takanashi (c) Vs Yuki Ueno
9. KO-D Openweight Title: Kazusada Higuchi (c) Vs Tetsuya Endo

A press conference was held today for Shinichiro Kawamatsu and Osamu Nishimura to meet each other before their 6-Man Tag Match at “WRESTLE PETER PAN 2022”. Also in at the conference were Soma Takao and Akito. Kawamatsu said he’s been able to train for the match without having it interfere with his political duties. His wrestling style will be ground focused and he wants to see Nishimura use the Muga style against him. He brought along a T-shirt from 15 years ago that Nishimura autographed for him at the time. Nishimura was touched by this and said if Kawamatsu respects him that much, he will show him the Muga style in a DDT ring. Nishimura isn’t forgetting about Akito and Takao though. Even though it is a tag match, Nishimura will treat it like he’s fighting against three different opponents on his own to show how determined he is.

The match also means a lot to Takao because it is taking place in his home of Ota Ward and he some day hopes to become a city councilor. He would like to learn from both Kawamatsu and Nishimura to achieve that goal. Nishimura spent most of his time talking about his hometown Bunkyo and had to be reminded by Hisaya Imabayashi to talk about the wrestling match.

DDT “NON-ALCOHOLIC BEER GARDEN PRO WRESTLING”, 26/08/2022
Tokyo Ueno Park Amphitheater

1. MJ Paul & KANON Vs Hideki Okatani & Takeshi Masada
2. Bring Your Own Weapons Falls Count Anywhere 8-Man Tag Match: Sanshiro Takagi, Toru Owashi, Kazuki Hirata & Soma Takao Vs Yuji Hino, Yukio Naya, Yuki Ishida & Ilusion
3. Drunk 3 Way Match: Masahiro Takanashi Vs HARASHIMA Vs Yukio Sakaguchi
4. The Scariest In History! Shin Numabukuro Ghost Story 3 Way Tag Death Match: Akito & Makoto Oishi Vs Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno Vs Antonio Honda & Saki Akai (Ghost Story Artist: Hisaya Imabayashi)
5. BURNING Vs The 37KAMIINA!: Jun Akiyama, Yusuke Okada & Yuya Koroku Vs MAO, Shunma Katsumata & Toi Kojima
6. Special Single Match: Daisuke Sasaki Vs El Unicorn
7. Beer Garden Specialty Customer Lottery 6-Man Tag Match: Kazusada Higuchi, Tetsuya Endo, Konosuke Takeshita, Naomi Yoshimura, Yuki Ueno, Chris Brookes

The upcoming Beer Garden show may be a little different than usual but some of the traditions are sticking around. The main event 6-Man Tag will determine its teams by a lottery held at the start of the show. Randomly chosen fans will pick names or balls out of a box that decides who teams with who. Also on the card is Imabayashi’s annual ghost story. They can be so scary it’s fatal!

The grudge match between Daisuke Sasaki and El Unicorn is going ahead but without any stipulation added to it. Unicorn wants to get revenge for DAMNATION T.A constantly unmasking him. Sasaki was willing to put his hair on the line against Unicorn’s mask but that does not seem to be necessary for now.

It’s still supposed to be a non-alcohol Beer Garden show but three of the DDT wrestlers will do their damnedest to get drunk anyway. The drinking songs just aren’t the same when you only chug glasses of water to them. You know what I’m saying?

DDT doing a Fans Bring The Weapons match. What could go wrong?

DDT “DRAMATIC EXPLOSION 2022”, 04/09/2022
Aichi Nagoya Congress Center Event Hall

1. Special Single Match: Chris Brookes Vs Asuka
2. KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles: Daisuke Sasaki, MJ Paul & KANON (c) Vs Yukio Sakaguchi, Saki Akai & Hideki Okatani
3. Current Blast 6-Man Tag Death Match: Atsushi Onita, Shinya Aoki & Yukio Naya Vs Konosuke Takeshita, Shunma Katsumata & Toi Kojima

Eruption came out to defend El Unicorn from DAMNATION T.A’s bullying and ended up challenging them for the KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles.

DDT “JAPAN BAKERY MARKETING PRESENTS KONOSUKE TAKESHITA 10TH ANNIVERSARY ~NISHINARI BAY BLUES~”, 10/09/2022
Osaka Nishinari Kumin Center

1. Yasu Urano, Antonio Honda & Trans-Am ☆ Hiroshi Vs Masahiro Takanashi, Super Sasadango Machine & X
2. Nobuyuki Onizawa’s Ochakan Radio Presents Special Tag Match: Minoru Suzuki & Yukio Sakaguchi Vs HARASHIMA & Shinya Aoki
3. Japan Bakery Marketing Co., Ltd. Presents Special Single Match: Konosuke Takeshita Vs Daisuke Sasaki

Two matches that could not be more different are added to Konosuke Takeshita’s 10th Anniversary show. A dangerous encounter between Minoru Suzuki & Yukio Sakaguchi against HARASHIMA & Shinya Aoki is being sponsored by a local radio show. Then there is an odd bunch of wrestlers gathering together for a 6-Man Tag Match with one participant yet to be revealed.


Higuchi New KO-D Champ, Everett Not A Giant? Salad Or Sweetbread, Extreme Title Handicap Match

July 4, 2022

DDT “DDT FREE -LET’S ALL SPEAK UP!-”, 07/07/2022
Shinjuku FACE

1. KANON Vs Yuya Koroku
2. Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno Vs Akito & Kazuki Hirata
3. Jun Akiyama, Yuji Hino, Yukio Naya & Yuki Ishida Vs HARASHIMA, Toru Owashi, Yukio Sakaguchi & Hideki Okatani
4. Masahiro Takanashi & Shunma Katsumata Vs Asuka & Yusuke Okada
5. DAMNATION T.A Vs The Iyasareru!: Daisuke Sasaki & MJ Paul Vs Chris Brookes & Antonio Honda
6. Special Single Match: MAO Vs Andrew “The Giant” Everett
7. Special Tag Match: Kazusada Higuchi & Naomi Yoshimura Vs Yuki Ueno & Toi Kojima

A press conference was held today for Kazusada Higuchi to address the King Of DDT aftermath. The new KO-D Openweight Champion thanked the fans for their support because he doesn’t think he won the tournament by himself. He praised both of his recent opponents Jun Akiyama and Naomi Yoshimura. He would be fine with Akiyama being one of his title challengers. He also suggested teaming with Yoshimura in a tag match because they did not interact often in DNA and it would be something new. DDT accepted his request for the tag match. They chose Yuki Ueno & Toi Kojima for their opponents because Ueno was also in the semi-finals and Kojima is from after the DNA generation.

Questions have been asked about Andrew Everett’s true size ever since his DDT debut took place. He was given a surprise height measurement during today’s press conference after he was told he would face MAO in a singles match this Thursday. Hisaya Imabayashi tried to measure him but Everett kept trying to cheat. He jumped in the air, stood on a chair and then accidentally pulled the measuring tape off the wall before Choke Slamming it. Imabayashi finally got to measure him when he wasn’t looking and discovered he is really only 170cm tall! Everett has been exposed as a fraud! However his high flying abilities during yesterday’s match was so impressive that DDT still wants to book him. So his match with MAO will go ahead.

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “SUMMER SUN PRINCESS ’22”, 09/07/2022
Tokyo Ota Ward Gymnasium

1. Moka Miyamoto Vs Juria Nagano
2. Aja Kong, Yuki Aino, Raku & Pom Harajuku Vs Hyper Misao, Nao Kakuta, Haruna Neko & Kaya Toribami
3. Ryo Mizunami Vs Miu Watanabe
4. Hikaru Shida & Hikari Noa Vs Yuki Kamifuku & Mahiro Kiryu
5. International Princess Title: Maki Itoh (c) Vs Alex Windsor
6. Riho & Arisu Endo Vs Mei Suruga & Suzume
7. Special Single Match: Thunder Rosa Vs Miyu Yamashita
8. Princess Tag Team Titles: Yuka Sakazaki & Mizuki (c) Vs Saki Akai & Yuki Arai
9. Princess Of Princess Title: Shoko Nakajima (c) Vs Rika Tatsumi

Unfortunately Willow Nightingale is unable to get her visa in time to travel to Japan for the show. Tokyo Joshi Pro are trying to arrange a new schedule for her to wrestle in Japan as soon as possible. Miu Watanabe’s new opponent is Ryo Mizunami making her first appearance in TJPW!

GANBARE☆PRO “WRESTLE SEKIGAHARA”, 10/07/2022
Tokyo Ota Ward Gymnasium

1. Ganpro Specialty 3 Vs 2 Handicap Match: Ganbare Tamagawa, Nobuhiro Shimatani & HARUKAZE Vs Onryo & YuuRI (w/ Ippanjin Munenori Sawa)
2. Ganbare☆Pro Wrestling Vs Takaiwa Army: Kouki Iwasaki & Tyson Maeguchi Vs Tatsuhito Takaiwa & 5th Black Tiger
3. Four Beasts Of Fate Gathered In Sekigahara ~Special Tag Match~: Keisuke Ishii & Shigehiro Irie Vs Isami Kodaka & Shuji Ishikawa
4. Ganbare☆Pro Wrestling Vs Eruption: Mizuki Watase, Moeka Haruhi & Shinichiro Tominaga Vs Yukio Sakaguchi, Saki Akai & Hideki Okatani
5. Special Single Match: Yuna Manase Vs Sayaka Unagi
6. Special Tag Match ~ CDK Vs ROMANCE DAWN: Chris Brookes & Masahiro Takanashi Vs Shota & Soma Takao
7. Special Single Match: Shuichiro Katsumura Vs Minoru Suzuki
8. Spirit Of Ganbare World Openweight Title: Yumehito Imanari (c) Vs Ken Ohka

An autograph session for Ken Ohka and Shota was held at the Champion shop in Suidobashi yesterday. Yumehito Imanari crashed the event and taunted Ohka by offering him a choice of chicken salad or sweetbread. Ohka chose the salad and took a bite out of it to prove he is taking his diet for the match seriously. Imanari approved and said he can see the shine in Ohka’s face returning. But then he tried to stuff the sweetbread into Ohka’s mouth. Ohka resisted and said he wouldn’t break his promise to be the best Ken Ohka he can be. Imanari backed off and again gave approval to Ohka’s serious attitude toward their match.

BASARA “BASARA 196 ~ITCHI DANKETSU~”, 10/07/2022
Tokyo Itabashi Green Hall

1. Lil’ Kraken Vs Banana Senga
2. Daichi Kazato & Tsutomu Oosugi Vs Takato Nakano & Masato Kamino
3. Daiki Shimomura Vs Yasu Urano
4. FUMA, KUBITO & Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi Vs Ryota Nakatsu, SAGAT & Akiyori Takizawa
5. Isami Kodaka 20th Anniversary Special Tag Match: Isami Kodaka & Takumi Tsukamoto Vs Fuminori Abe & Ikuto Hidaka

This is KUBITO’s first match under his new ring name.

“SUPER HARDCORE GIRLS BOX OFFICE ~ SUPER HARDCORE GIRLS VS PROMINENCE”, 14/07/2022
Shin-Kiba 1st RING

1. DDT Offer? Match: Yuki Ueno & Sakura Hirota Vs Akito & Kazuki Hirata
2. Special TLC Match: DASH Chisako Vs Hideki Okatani
3. Super Hardcore Girls Vs Prominence ~ Falls Count Anywhere Match: SenoSister Mao Inoue Vs Mochi Natsumi
4. Super Hardcore Girls Vs Prominence ~ Bring In 1 Item Hardcore Match: Elizabeth❤️Toy & Sylvania❤️Catherine Vs Risa Sera & Akane Fujite
5. Super Hardcore Girls Vs Prominence ~ Special Hardcore Match: Carousel❤️Shun Vs Suzu Suzuki

All matches for the one-off Super Hardcore Girls Vs Prominence show have been decided. Carousel❤️Shun & Elizabeth❤️Toy aren’t the only members of Super Hardcore Girls, there are two more coming in. SenoSister Mao Inoue is a familiar face on Gake no Fuchi Joshi shows. Sylvania❤️Catherine is apparently related to indie wrestler Takahiro Katori.

DDT “SUMMER VACATION 2022 TOUR IN NAGOYA”, 16/07/2022
Aichi Nippon Gaishi Sports Plaza 3rd Stadium

1. KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles: Daisuke Sasaki, MJ Paul & KANON (c) Vs Masahiro Takanashi, Chris Brookes & Antonio Honda
2. DDT Extreme Title – 3 Vs 1 Handicap Rule: Yuki “Sexy” Iino (c), Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno & Yumehito “Fantastic” Imanari Vs Akito

The match stipulations for DDT Extreme Title defences are usually decided by the champion so it is a little odd how little those rules get abused. This is one of those times. Yuki Iino is teaming with Danshoku Dieno AND Yumehito Imanari to face Akito in a 3 Vs 1 Handicap Match. However the rule may backfire because it is a one fall match and Akito will become the champion if he beats any member of Pheromones.

DDT “SUMMER VACATION 2022”, 24/07/2022
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

1. Makoto Oishi Return Match: Makoto Oishi Vs X
2. Tetsuya Endo Return Match: Tetsuya Endo Vs X
3. DDT Universal Title: Masahiro Takanashi (c) Vs Yusuke Okada

Yusuke Okada is tired sitting on the sidelines while the rest of BURNING gets to do their thing. He is finally taking initiative for himself and challenging Masahiro Takanashi for the DDT Universal Title. Takanashi is fighting to keep the title so he can bring it with him when he begins wrestling around the world after the summer.

42 days after his concussion, Tetsuya Endo will be cleared to wrestle again. He accepts the result of the DDT Vs NOAH match from “CYBERFIGHT FESTIVAL 2022” and wants to move on with a fresh start. Whether or not he quickly returns to the title picture remains to be seen but the path to take it would begin here.

DDT “WRESTLE PETER PAN 2022”, 20/08/2022
Tokyo Ota Ward Gymnasium

1. Shinichiro Kawamatsu Debut Match ~ Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly Member Vs Bunkyo Ward Assembly Member: Shinichiro Kawamatsu, Sanshiro Takagi & Soma Takao Vs Osamu Nishimura, Makoto Oishi & Akito
2. International Special Hardcore Match: Joey Janela Vs Shunma Katsumata
3. DDT Universal Title: Masahiro Takanashi (c) Vs X
4. KO-D Openweight Title: Kazusada Higuchi (c) Vs X

Higuchi wants to nominate Endo as his opponent for “WRESTLE PETER PAN 2022”. It will all depend on how well Endo does in his return match on 27th July. If DDT or Endo himself does not think he is up to the task then Higuchi may have to nominate someone else.

The debut match of Shinichiro Kawamatsu is going to be more political than he anticipated. One of his opponents is Osamu Nishimura! The legendary wrestler is currently a Councilor on the Bunkyo Ward Council.

Konosuke Takeshita will be on the show. He is coming back to Japan for a little while before continuing his international excursion.

DDT “DRAMATIC EXPLOSION 2022”, 04/09/2022
Aichi Nagoya Congress Center Event Hall

1. Current Blast Death Match: Atsushi Onita Vs X

It’s the return of Atsushi Onita and the Explosion Death Match to DDT!

DDT “JAPAN BAKERY MARKETING PRESENTS KONOSUKE TAKESHITA 10TH ANNIVERSARY ~NISHINARI BAY BLUES~”, 10/09/2022
Osaka Nishinari Kumin Center

1. Japan Bakery Marketing Co., Ltd. Presents Special Single Match: Konosuke Takeshita Vs Daisuke Sasaki

Takeshita will also be in his hometown to celebrate the 10th Anniversary of his debut match. He was asked to choose his opponent and he picked Daisuke Sasaki. He decided nobody else can bring out all of himself in the ring like Sasaki can. He also doesn’t know how many more times they will have singles matches against each other so now is the time to do it again.


DDT “KING OF DDT 2022 FINAL!!” Results

July 3, 2022

DDT “KING OF DDT 2022 FINAL!!”, 03/07/2022
Tokyo Korakuen Hall
703 Fans

0. Dark Match: Yukio Sakaguchi, Saki Akai & Hideki Okatani defeated Toru Owashi, Soma Takao & Toi Kojima when Okatani pinned Kojima with the Double Arm Suplex (7:55).
0. Dark Match: Daisuke Sasaki, MJ Paul & KANON defeated Yuji Hino, Yukio Naya & Yuki Ishida when KANON pinned Ishida with the Sleepy Hollow (6:51).
1. Yuki “Sexy” Iino, Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno & Yumehito “Fantastic” Imanari defeated Akito, Antonio Honda & Kazuki Hirata by TKO when Iino used the Pheromone Judgement on Akito (7:16).
2. King Of DDT 2022 – Semi Final: Naomi Yoshimura defeated Yuki Ueno with the Osaka Pride (10:46).
3. King Of DDT 2022 – Semi Final: Kazusada Higuchi defeated Jun Akiyama with the Brain Claw Slam (14:28).
4. Yusuke Okada & Yuya Koroku defeated Masahiro Takanashi & HARASHIMA when Okada pinned Takanashi with the Sudden Death (10:09).
5. Special Tag Match: Chris Brookes & Andrew “The Giant” Everett defeated MAO & Shunma Katsumata when Everett pinned Katsumata with the Choke Slam Spanish Fly (14:59).
6. KO-D Openweight Title – King Of DDT 2022 – Final: Kazusada Higuchi defeated Naomi Yoshimura with the Brain Claw Slam (18:55).
*Kazusada Higuchi becomes the 79th KO-D Openweight Champion!

There is a word that has been following around Kazusada Higuchi, particularly recently. “Kuronin” (苦労人). It’s a word that describes a person who works hard because they struggle so much in their life. For Higuchi that struggle was his failure to win the KO-D Openweight Title throughout his 8 year career. Five chances that spread across from his super rookie days in DNA up to his current standing in Eruption all ended in failure. Today he finally reached the top and claimed the belt by winning King Of DDT! The vacant KO-D Title was on the line in the final when Higuchi faced a red hot Naomi Yoshimura. The two heavyweights had an even battle of strength with Yoshimura using a Choke Slam to counter Higuchi’s Brain Claw. Lariats were thrown back and forth. Yoshimura’s key moves the Harai Goshi and Osaka Pride were both blocked so he reverted to his original finisher, the Throwaway Power Bomb. Higuchi grabbed him in the Brain Claw once more and this time hit the Brain Claw Slam, pinning him for the victory.

Higuchi is now the champion and he needed to have his belt. Suddenly, Jun Akiyama entered the ring and volunteered to wrap the title around Higuchi’s waist. It was over a year ago when Akiyama established his authority in DDT by ordering a rebellious Higuchi to wrap the belt around his waist after beating him in a title match. To see Akiyama now present the title to Higuchi shows how much respect has been earned. Sanshiro Takagi then brought out the DDT flag that Higuchi carried to the ring at “CYBERFIGHT FESTIVAL 2022”. He told Higuchi he is now entrusting the flag to him as a symbol of DDT’s strength for him to lead the company with. Higuchi thanked the other members of Eruption as well as Akiyama for their support. He went through a lot to reach this point and is now putting a lot of thought into who he wants his first challenger to be. He wants to defend the title against Tetsuya Endo! He will wait for him at Ota Ward Gymnasium on 20th August.

Endo himself confirmed his return to the ring by announcing 24th July as his comeback date. He apologised to the fans causing worry with his absence while he recovered from his concussion. He was also sorry for showing a side at Saitama Super Arena that no champion should ever show. He received permission from his doctor to resume his in-ring training again last week and no longer feels any discomfort from moving around. He and DDT agreed to set 24th July as the target for his return. He is half excited, half anxious over it but will push himself hard over the next 3 weeks to regain any trust he lost from the fans. In his backstage comments, Endo said he lost to Katsuhiko Nakajima because he could not withstand his slap even if it was an accidental knockout. Everything that happens in the ring is reality and Endo accepts that reality. He will move on with his wrestling life on 24th July.

DDT’s latest foreign attraction has arrived but has the company been sold a bill of goods? Andrew “The Giant” Everett built hype to his DDT debut by claiming to be 223cm tall while weighing 190.5kg. When he finally showed up, people became skeptical because he looked to be around 175cm tall. Not even Chris Brookes kneeling down next to him could make “The Giant” look any taller. Everett also struggled to give MAO a Choke Slam. However as the match started speeding up, Everett’s aerial skills begun to be highlighted. A Shooting Star Press to MAO out of the ring wowed everyone. He then placed Shunma Katsumata up on the top rope and delivered the Choke Slam Spanish Fly to get the win. MAO is now a believer. He thinks Everett will become a tourist attraction in Japan once he stabs a spike onto his head and turns him into a second Sky Tree. Backstage, Everett mocked ShunMao for being small opponents and said he wants to fight the biggest guy in DDT… Yoshihiko?!?

The tricky wrestling style of Masahiro Takanashi has its benefits but the weakness is what happens once his opponents finally catch up to him. That was what happened today. Some wacky redirections from Takanashi caused Yusuke Okada & Yuya Koroku to bundle up together so HARASHIMA could hit a Swan Dive Body Press to the both of them. However Okada got his breath back and avoided the Takatonic. Instead he got to do the Intercept DDT and Diving Headbutt on Takanashi. Some cradle attempts were used from Takanashi but it couldn’t stop Okada’s momentum. In the end Okada got Takanashi’s shoulders on the mat for three with the Sudden Death. After the match Okada challenged him for the DDT Universal Title. He had to miss “CYBERFIGHT FESTIVAL 2022” and King Of DDT. He also couldn’t do anything but watch the rest of BURNING to their thing during that period. It’s driving him crazy so he wants the title match. Takanashi accepted the challenge and the match will take place on 24th July. Takanashi also said he is the one about to travel the world so the Universal Title rightfully belongs to himself.

Higuchi and Yoshimura bought went through important opponents in their King Of DDT semi-final bouts. As mentioned already, Higuchi’s history with Akiyama is one with plenty of disrespect and trust issues. Even putting that aside you are always in a fight for your life against Akiyama. Higuchi was almost counted out when he was given an Exploder Suplex on the floor. He was also almost pinned with exposed Knee Strikes from Akiyama. Higuchi almost got his big win earlier in the match with an Avalanche Brain Claw Slam but he took too long to go for the pin. Akiyama also tried a rate top rope attack but his Flying Knee Strike was countered in mid-air with a Lariat. Higuchi got to apply the Brain Claw again and turned it into the Brain Claw Slam to advance to the final.

Yoshimura continues to be unbeaten against Yuki Ueno in singles matches but don’t let that fool you into thinking it was an easy match. Some well timed Dropkicks kept giving Ueno an advantage but he could just not get his big moves to count when it mattered. Yoshimura blocked the BME and avoided the WR. Ueno however couldn’t stop the Throwaway Power Bomb and was done for when he was given the Osaka Pride. Ueno is obviously disappointed he lost but the experience made him excited to spread the word of how fun and strong DDT is.

Akito’s desire to regain the DDT Extreme Title is taking him through Pheromones hell. Before their match today began, Danshoku Dieno warned that he was lifting a banned torture technique that was handed down from generation to generation since the Edo Period. This was Pheromones way of judging Akito for the Extreme Title shot on 16th July. The torture move was eventually shown to be Akito getting his head sandwiched between Yuki Iino’s backside and Dieno’s crotch. Any rescue attempt from Antonio Honda & Kazuki Hirata was cut off by Yumehito Imanari. Akito was stuck in the hold for such a long time that the match was eventually stopped for his safety and Pheromones were declared the winners. After the match Dieno said Akito was not going to fight Iino on his own for the Extreme Title. The match will be a 3 Vs 1 Handicap match where Akito has to fight all of Pheromones by himself! Dieno reminded everyone the rule of the Extreme Title is the champion gets to pick the stipulation so Akito has to accept it.

A new referee named Yusho Nakata (son of the late NOAH executive and ring announcer Ryu Nakata) debuted on this show by working the opener and the dark match. That meant the poor guy had to deal with DAMNATION T.A. He tried to show control by warning Daisuke Sasaki over illegal usage of the ropes. But when Yuji Hino & Yukio Naya looked to be on the road to victory Nakata was pulled down and held back by MJ Paul. That gave KANON the chance to regroup and give Yuki Ishida a Modified Brainbuster that is now called the Sleepy Hollow for the win.

The dark match saw the other three members of Eruption beat the trio of Toru Owashi, Soma Takao & Toi Kojima. There was an exchange between Saki Akai and Takao where Akai tried applying a Triangle Choke only to get slammed out of it. Kojima almost pinned Hideki Okatani with the Full Nelson Buster but Yukio Sakaguchi broke the count. Eruption took control with Sakaguchi & Akai giving Kojima a Sandwich PK. Kojima had enough strength to kick out of Okatani’s Northern Lights Suplex but the follow up Double Arm Suplex couldn’t be beaten.

Konosuke Takeshita is temporarily returning to Japan in August. He sent a video announcing he will be part of “WRESTLE PETER PAN 2022” on the 20th.

Also revealed for the show was news of Shinichiro Kawamatsu’s debut match. He will team with Sanshiro Takagi & Soma Takao in a 6-Man Tag Match. Their opponents are Makoto Oishi, Akito and another pro wrestling politician Osamu Nishimura! Takagi wants to answer the question of who will win a fight between Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly and the Bunkyo City Council! Kawamatsu thought he wouldn’t be bringing politics into the ring for his match but he looks forward for the chance to wrestle Councilor Nishimura.

At the beginning of the show several wrestlers promoted a bunch of upcoming events. Katsumata promoted the upcoming Super Hardcore Girls Vs Prominence event taking place on 14th July.

Akiyama will be holding his 30th Anniversary show on 18th September. Two special guests were announced for it today. They are Yuji Nagata and Yoshinobu Kanemaru from New Japan! Akiyama has a deep history with both wrestlers so it was important for them to be involved in the show.

Ken Ohka was at the show promoting Ganbare☆Pro’s biggest show in their history “WRESTLE SEKIGAHARA” at Ota Ward Gym on 10th July. He was joined by Yuki Aino & Raku who both promoted Tokyo Joshi Pro’s event in the same venue, “SUMMER SUN PRINCESS ’22” on the 9th.

Last but not least, Atsushi Onita returns to DDT on 4th September for a Current Blast Death Match in Nagoya.