DDT “KING OF DDT 2023 2ND ROUND” Results

May 7, 2023

DDT “KING OF DDT 2023 2ND ROUND”, 07/05/2023
Shinjuku FACE
206 Fans

0. Dark Match: Yuni & Yuki Ishida defeated Yuya Koroku & Kazuma Sumi when Ishida pinned Sumi with the Flame Palm (6:58).
1. Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno defeated Akito & Antonio Honda by TKO when Iino used the Sleeper From A Wise Reincarnated Man on Honda (6:38).
2. Daisuke Sasaki, MJ Paul & KANON defeated Shunma Katsumata, Toy Kojima & Takeshi Masada when KANON pinned Masada with the Sleepy Hollow (9:00).
3. Special 8-Man Tag Match: Yuji Hino, Tetsuya Endo, Yukio Sakaguchi & Yusuke Okada defeated HARASHIMA, Naruki Doi, Toru Owashi & Kazuki Hirata when Sakaguchi pinned Hirata with the PK (14:14).
4. King Of DDT 2023 – Round 2: Yuki Ueno defeated Kotaro Suzuki with the WR (12:59).
5. King Of DDT 2023 – Round 2: Jun Akiyama defeated MAO with the Sterness Dust (10:19).
6. King Of DDT 2023 – Round 2: Chris Brookes defeated Sanshiro Takagi with the Praying Mantis Bomb (12:04).
7. King Of DDT 2023 – Round 2: Kazusada Higuchi defeated Hideki Okatani with the Brain Claw Slam (16:04).

Former allies in Eruption crossed paths in the King Of DDT 2nd Round. Last year’s winner Kazusada Higuchi fought Hideki Okatani, the youngster who was all set to blaze through the tournament and make a name for himself. Okatani threw his best shot and did get to leave a mark on his opponent but Higuchi stood tall in the end and beat him with the Brain Claw Slam. It wasn’t all bad news for Okatani though. Shunma Katsumata approached him backstage after the main event offering him a DDT Extreme Title shot. Okatani eliminated him in Round 1 so Katsumata wants to settle that score, putting his title on the line in order to do so. Okatani accepted and Katsumata promised to come up with a stipulation that will show off more of Okatani to the fans.

Chris Brookes somehow got a hold of Mecha Mummy’s fist and brought it into his match against Sanshiro Takagi. However a misfired attack knocked out Yukinori Matsui by accident. This also happened after Brookes accidentally took out Daisuke Kiso with a missed RKO. With no more referees in sight Brookes and Takagi fought out of the ring and around the room. Takagi brought out the Dramatic Dream bike but Brookes smashed a plastic box over his head and then threw him into a castle of chairs. Back in the ring both Masahiro Takanashi and Drew Parker interfered to help Brookes out. Takagi fought on but a combination of being put through a table and having more plastic boxes smashed over his head became overwhelming. With nothing left to give, he was pinned with the Praying Mantis Bomb. Backstage Takagi said when he first met Brookes in Japan he thought he had the potential to become the top wrestler in DDT. Today he is convinced Brookes will reach that level.

One thing you should know by now is you should never count out Jun Akiyama in any competition. He reaches the final four by defeating MAO in today’s bout. It took quite a bit to get that result though. The Exploder Suplex and a bare Knee Strike wasn’t enough to put MAO away. Instead Akiyama had to pull out the old Sterness Dust to get his hand raised in the end. MAO didn’t think the match was going to be so close. He went into today with an empty head and came out of the match with a little bit of Akiyama knowledge filling it up. He’ll be going to wrestle in America again soon so he plans to push himself while still wrestling at his own pace.

In a battle of skill, Yuki Ueno came out on top against Kotaro Suzuki. The Endless Waltz couldn’t dizzy Ueno enough to keep him pinned and he also kicked out of a Tombstone. Suzuki then went for the Blue Destiny but Ueno got out of the move and twisted Suzuki into the WR to win the match. Suzuki refuses to let his time in DDT end like this and wants a rematch with Ueno to get revenge.

A lottery was held after the main event to pair off the semi-finals on 21st May. Ueno will face Higuchi and Brookes has to take on Akiyama. Ueno thinks it’s all well and good to see Higuchi shave his head and act like he has given himself a fresh start. But Ueno thinks he himself has been developing too. Higuchi is not giving the final a single thought until he beats Ueno first. Brookes knows he has to go on and win King Of DDT after both HARASHIMA and Takagi have given him their support. If he can beat those two then he can beat Akiyama! But Akiyama has been doing this for decades. Fighting Brookes in a singles match is going to be a new experience for him.

Kazuki Hirata wanted to cheer up and motivate his friend HARASHIMA during their match. He decided the two of them dancing together would be the best way to achieve that. Unfortunately their dance got cut off by the other team and Hirata wound up getting destroyed by Tetsuya Endo & Yukio Sakaguchi, losing the match for his side.

Shunma Katsumata tried to replicate Komander’s tight rope walk into a dive during his match. It ended poorly and Katsumata crotched himself on the rope.

The first appearance of Yuki Iino since his failure to win the KO-D Openweight Title showed him in a crazy state that even has Danshoku Dieno worried. This was a different kind of “Sexy” than everyone is used to seeing. First Iino ran across the entrance way wearing what can be best described as half a speedo. Then when he reappeared for the actual team entrance, Hisaya Imabayashi stopped Pheromones and convinced Dieno to get Iino back into his proper wrestling costume. The match went ahead with Dieno, Akito and Antonio Honda all trying to stop Iino from stripping naked. Honda got Iino to calm down with a lewd Gongitsune joke. In return the now relaxed and enlightened Iino sent both Akito & Honda to sleep with a Sleeper Hold to win the match. Dieno promised the fans that Iino will return to his normal “Sexy” self the next time we see him.


DDT “KING OF DDT 2023 1ST ROUND” Results

May 6, 2023

DDT “KING OF DDT 2023 1ST ROUND”, 06/05/2023
Shinjuku FACE
234 Fans

1. King Of DDT 2023 – Round 1: Kazusada Higuchi defeated Yusuke Okada by TKO with a Headbutt (9:11).
2. King Of DDT 2023 – Round 1: Hideki Okatani defeated Shunma Katsumata with the Double Arm Suplex (8:50)
3. King Of DDT 2023 – Round 1: Sanshiro Takagi defeated Yukio Sakaguchi with the Texas Clothesline (3:40).
4. King Of DDT 2023 – Round 1: Chris Brookes defeated HARASHIMA with two Praying Mantis Bombs (12:08).
5. King Of DDT 2023 – Round 1: Jun Akiyama defeate Tetsuya Endo with a Torture Rack Turn Back (10:12).
6. King Of DDT 2023 – Round 1: MAO defeated Takeshi Masada with the Senpukyaku (9:28).
7. King Of DDT 2023 – Round 1: Kotaro Suzuki defeated KANON with an Inside Cradle 8:43).
8. King Of DDT 2023 – Round 1: Yuki Ueno defeated Naruki Doi with the WR (16:19).

Some eye catching results can be found among the first round matches in this year’s King Of DDT tournament. Naruki Doi’s decision to stick around in DDT to claim more prizes hit a wall when Yuki Ueno defeated him in the main event. Ueno jumped over the Bakatare Sliding Kick and landed with a Double Knee Drop onto Doi. However he missed the BME and Doi hit his next attempt at the Sliding Kick, this time aiming for the back of the head. Doi wanted to finish him off with the Muscular Bomb but Ueno countered it into a Cradle for a nearfall and then got the WR to get the win. The result is revenge for Doi taking the DDT Universal Title from Ueno earlier this year. Ueno again told the fans he is going to carry DDT on his back and he wants the audience to give him all of the power of their support.

KANON was left stunned over how he lost to Kotaro Suzuki. He gave him the Sleepy Hollow but Suzuki immediately cradled his shoulders onto the mat and scored the three count from out of nowhere. It left KANON is dispair because he is back to the bottom with no championships again. Suzuki wanted KANON to know that just because you hit your finishing move does not mean you drop your guard in the last second. Suzuki now moves on to face Ueno tomorrow and it’s a match he’s been really looking forward to since he came to DDT

The martial arts background of Takeshi Masada inspired MAO to go barefoot for their match that consisted almost entirely of strike moves. MAO won out by using the Senpukyaku whirlwind kick to sweep away Masada’s Triangle Kick. He praised Masada afterwards, saying it is guys like him who make DDT interesting. It makes MAO make changes to his gameplan, such as to wrestle barefoot like he did here. It makes MAO enjoy himself in the ring more. Masada however is now feeling confused over where he stands compared to the other young wrestlers on the roster. Is he on the right path by having a different wrestling style than the others or has he become lazy?

The DDT Universal Champion is out in the first round but when it’s from losing to Jun Akiyama can you call it an upset? Maybe it is when it’s Tetsuya Endo who is meant to be the leader of BURNING, not Akiyama. Endo was on track to winning when he gave Akiyama the Exploder Suplex three times in a row. But when he lifted him up into the Torture Rack, Akiyama rolled him over and pinned his shoulders to the mat. Well at least he can focus on that mystery former WWE wrestler now. Akiyama now has to deal with MAO in Round 2 tomorrow.

It took two Praying Mantis Bombs to get here but Chris Brookes scored a huge win against HARASHIMA, eliminating one of DDT’s most distinguished wrestlers in the 1st Round. By beating “Mr. DDT”, Brookes is now certain he is going to win the rest of the tournament. HARASHIMA is not left wondering if he is no longer as strong enough any more. It isn’t a thought he gets that often. But since Brookes beat him, he now supports Brookes to go all the way and win King Of DDT.

After five years away from King Of DDT, Sanshiro Takagi returned to the tournament with a vengeance. He defeated Yukio Sakaguchi in under 4 minutes but that result came from both men looking to win as soon as possible. Takagi’s used of the Stunner and then bringing back the Texas Clothesline gave him the victory. He admits if the match lasted even a minute longer he would have lost. He takes on Brookes in Round 2 and now has the time to figure out what he is weakest at.

Hideki Okatani took a longer path to enter the tournament than everyone else and he wasn’t going to do all that just to get eliminated in Round 1. He pulled off an upset by pinning Shunma Katsumata clean with the Double Arm Suplex. Okatani even called Katsumata pathetic because a double champion shouldn’t be losing in Round 1!

The day kicked off with Kazusada Higuchi entering the room with a newly shaved head ready to fight Yusuke Okada. Power versus speed was the name of the game here and power won out. Okada was pretty much on his last legs when he had the idea to Headbutt his opponent for one last desperate attack. When that didn’t work Higuchi returned the favour with his own Headbutt, knocking out Okada and ending the match. Higuchi praised Okada for showing passion in the ring. But he has nothing to say about his next opponent Okatani other than he is going to crush him tomorrow.

DDT “KING OF DDT 2023 2ND ROUND”, 07/05/2023
Shinjuku FACE

0. Dark Match: Yuni & Yuki Ishida Vs Yuya Koroku & Kazuma Sumi
1. Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno Vs Akito & Antonio Honda
2. Daisuke Sasaki, MJ Paul & KANON Vs Shunma Katsumata, Toy Kojima & Takeshi Masada
3. Special 8-Man Tag Match: Yuji Hino, Tetsuya Endo, Yukio Sakaguchi & Yusuke Okada Vs HARASHIMA, Naruki Doi, Toru Owashi & Kazuki Hirata
4. King Of DDT 2023 – Round 2: Kotaro Suzuki Vs Yuki Ueno
5. King Of DDT 2023 – Round 2: Jun Akiyama Vs MAO
6. King Of DDT 2023 – Round 2: Sanshiro Takagi Vs Chris Brookes
7. King Of DDT 2023 – Round 2: Kazusada Higuchi Vs Hideki Okatani

The semi-final lottery will take place after the Round 2 matches are completed.


DDT “MAX BUMP 2023 TOUR IN SHINJUKU” Results

April 15, 2023

DDT “MAX BUMP 2023 TOUR IN SHINJUKU”, 15/04/2023
Shinjuku FACE
246 Fans

0. Dark Match: Kazuma Sumi defeated Rukiya with a Camel Clutch (4:42).
1. MJ Paul & KANON defeated Chris Brookes & Ilusion when KANON submitted Ilusion with the Crucifixion Cobra Twist (8:51).
2. Special Single Match: Kazuki Hirata defeated Yuni with the Miracle One Shot Cradle (9:15).
3. Yuji Hino & Toru Owashi defeated Kazusada Higuchi & Yuki Ishida when Hino pinned Ishida with the Power Bomb (9:40).
4. Falls Count Anywhere Scramble Bunkhouse Street Fight 6-Man Tag Team Death Match: Sanshiro Takagi, Joey Janela & Takeshi Masada defeated Yukio Sakaguchi, Antonio Honda & Hideki Okatani when Janela pinned Honda with a Diving Foot Stomp from a Ladder through a Plastic Case and Chair (15:10).
5. Yuki “Not Sexy” Iino & Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno (w/ Yumehito “Fantastic” Imanari) defeated HARASHIMA & Keigo Nakamura when Iino submitted Nakamura with the Body Choke Not Dragon Sleeper (11:47).
6. Elimination 8-Man Tag Match ~BURNING Vs The 37KAMIINA!~: MAO, Shunma Katsumata, Yuki Ueno & Toy Kojima defeated Tetsuya Endo, Jun Akiyama, Yusuke Okada & Yuya Koroku (25:28).
6a. Jun Akiyama and Shunma Katsumata eliminated each other by Double Ring Out (9:22).
6b. Yuki Ueno eliminated Yusuke Okada by Ring Out (13:20).
6c. Toy Kojima eliminated Yuya Koroku with a Modified Cradle (17:34).
6d. Tetsuya Endo eliminated Toy Kojima with the Swivel Torture Rack Bomb (19:28).
6e. Tetsuya Endo eliminated Yuki Ueno by Ring Out (22:16).
6f. MAO eliminated Tetsuya Endo by Ring Out (25:28).

Two of DDT’s championships are currently embroiled in the rivlary between BURNING and The 37KAMIINA. The two champs, Tetsuya Endo with the DDT Universal Title & Jun Akiyama with the DDT Extreme Title were on the losing aside against their upcoming challengers in an 8-Man Tag Elimination match. First, Akiyama was taken out of the ring by Shunma Katsumata thanks to some help from Toy Kojima. Katsumata was eliminated by that spot too but it removed BURNING’s most experienced wrestler from the match. BURNING took further hits with Yusuke Okada & Yuya Koroku getting eliminated next, leaving Endo on his own. He was on the way to scoring a major comeback by eliminating Yuki Ueno & Kojima only for MAO to take victory from the jaws of defeat. MAO dropped Endo to the floor by doing a Package Piledriver on the ring apron and then letting Endo fall out.

Backstage MAO brought up his previous criticisms of Endo and explained why he said them. It’s not that he hates Endo. It’s because MAO’s own growing momentum overseas makes it the perfect time for him to be the Universal Champion again. He needs to be the Universal Champion while all of these companies around the world are starting to pay attention to him. If that doesn’t resonate with Endo then that is Endo’s problem, not MAO’s. Katsumata also butted in to say he is more extreme than Akiyama. Endo’s response to MAO is he will not bend his beliefs as champion no matter what his challenger says.

For the rest of this month Yuki Iino must prove he is “Not Sexy” in order to get his KO-D Openweight Title match on 3rd May. Makoto Oishi was at ringside for his match carrying a Sexy Counter device to judge if Iino was being honest. Iino’s first attempt to prove this was by wearing black trunks similar to the gear he wore earlier in his career, before discovered Pheromones. He had to fight his urges to strip while fighting but was able to pull out the win in the end by giving Keigo Nakamura the Bubba Bomb and then turning it into a Dragon Sleeper. However after the match Iino felt a big headache, showing his resistance is taking a toll on his body. Oishi announced that Iino did not set off the sexy detector but he will stay near him during tomorrow’s show. Danshoku Dieno warned that at Yokohama Budokan all of this stored energy will evolve Iino into a super monster that cannot be controlled!

A Street Fight means every wrestler involved has to wear regular clothing for the match. Sanshiro Takagi thought differently and took part wearing an inflatable alien costume! He spent most of the match fighting with Yukio Sakaguchi in the crowd as well as outside the room. At one point Sakaguchi crashed a bicycle into Takagi! Hideki Okatani used a stapler on both Joey Janela & Takeshi Masada. Janela also got his face smashed with a chair from Antonio Honda’s Bionic Elbow. Masada fought back by diving onto the two Eruption wrestlers outside the ring. Janela laid Honda onto a row of chairs in the ring, placed a plastic case on top of him and then did a Double Stomp from the top of a ladder onto him for the finish. Janela celebrated his victory by shouting threats aimed at Atsushi Onita over tomorrow’s exploding death match.

Kazuki Hirata claimed he felt moved after watching Yuni’s match with Yuki Ueno last week. He didn’t want to be treated like a villain today so he promised to give Yuni a clean and exciting match. Then as the match progressed, Hirata knocked out the referee and summoned two masked men to help him assault Yuni! The teenager fought off the masked men by hitting a Moonsault onto them and Hirata out of the ring. Back in the ring he gave Hirata the RKO but an Inside Cradle gave Hirata the win out of nowhere. Hirata called it a landslide victory and he swore to stand in Yuni’s way as a villain from now on! Yuni demanded a rematch so he can fight Hirata one on one, fair and square.

Another loss for Ilusion is making him think about the future. He thinks something has to change for him and it may have to be something that changes behind the scenes. His next match will be on 3rd May as part of the pre-show series against Pheromones. He warns he will show up at Yokohama Budokan both different and stronger in order to beat them.

Today’s dark match turned out to be Kazuma Sumi’s first singles win! He beat Rukiya by submitting him with a Camel Clutch. He described his joy over winning as amazing. Now he is looking forward to beating the other wrestlers in his generation and do his best to aim higher after that.

Former DDT wrestler Diego was in attendance for the show as a guest of Shunma Katsumata and greeted the fans before the opening match.

KANON will have a match to celebrate his 4th Anniversary in wrestling on 7th June.


Yuki “Not Sexy” Iino, Mega Max Bump Full Card

April 11, 2023

Not even halfway through my holiday and look at all the stuff I already missed! I’m splitting the news post in half, starting with all the DDT updates.

DDT “MAX BUMP 2023 TOUR IN SHINJUKU”, 15/04/2023
Shinjuku FACE

0. Dark Match: Kazuma Sumi Vs Rukiya
1. MJ Paul & KANON Vs Chris Brookes & Ilusion
2. Yuji Hino & Toru Owashi Vs Kazusada Higuchi & Yuki Ishida
3. Yuki “Not Sexy” Iino & Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno Vs HARASHIMA & Keigo Nakamura
4. Special Single Match: Kazuki Hirata Vs Yuni
5. Elimination 8-Man Tag Match ~BURNING Vs The 37KAMIINA!~: Tetsuya Endo, Jun Akiyama, Yusuke Okada & Yuya Koroku Vs MAO, Shunma Katsumata, Yuki Ueno & Toy Kojima
6. Falls Count Anywhere Scramble Bunkhouse Street Fight 6-Man Tag Team Death Match: Sanshiro Takagi, Joey Janela & Takeshi Masada Vs Yukio Sakaguchi, Antonio Honda & Hideki Okatani

A deal was made between Pheromones and Yuji Hino in order to get Yuki Iino a KO-D Openweight Title match. Iino must seal away his “Sexy” persona from now until May. If he lives up to that promise then he will get a title match on 3rd May. However he will still have to be Yuki “Not Sexy” Iino for that match. Makoto Oishi has sworn to be at ringside for all of Iino’s matches until then to make sure he is still living up to his side of the deal.

DDT “DRAMATIC EXPLOSION IN NIIGATA”, 16/04/2023
Niigata Bandaijima Multi-Purpose Plaza

1. KANON Vs Keigo Nakamura
2. Kazusada Higuchi & Yuki Ishida Vs Chris Brookes & Kazumi Sumi
3. Yuki “Not Sexy” Iino & Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno Vs Toru Owashi & Akito
4. Special Single Match: MAO Vs Kazuki Hirata
5. Special Tag Match: Tetsuya Endo & HARASHIMA Vs Yukio Sakaguchi & Hideki Okatani
6. KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles: Shinya Aoki, Yuki Ueno & Super Sasadango Machine (c) Vs Jun Akiyama, Yusuke Okada & Yuya Koroku
7. Current Blast Bat 6-Man Tag Death Match: Atsushi Onita, Shunma Katsumata & Toy Kojima Vs Joey Janela, Sanshiro Takagi & Takeshi Masada

I think you have to go back years to find the last time Tetsuya Endo & HARASHIMA teamed together.

DDT “MAX BUMP 2023 TOUR IN FUKUOKA”, 22/04/2023
Fukuoka Kasuga General Sports Center

1. Sanshiro Takagi & Kazuki Hirata Vs Akito & Takeshi Masada
2. Fukuoka Specialty Special Tag Match: Daisuke Sasaki & KANON Vs Azul Dragon & Keigo Nakamura
3. Pheromones Vs DISASTER BOX!: Yuki “Not Sexy” Iino & Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno Vs HARASHIMA & Toru Owashi
4. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Yukio Sakaguchi, Saki Akai & Hideki Okatani Vs Yusuke Okada, Rayne Leverkusen & Kazuma Sumi
5. Ω Vs Harimao!: Yuji Hino & Makoto Oishi Vs Kazusada Higuchi & Yuki Ishida
6. BURNING Vs The 37KAMIINA!: Tetsuya Endo, Jun Akiyama & Yuya Koroku Vs MAO, Shunma Katsumata & Toy Kojima

The visiting Rayne Leverkusen gets a few warm up matches before she goes one on one against Saki Akai.

DDT “YAMADA FISHERIES PRESENTS 4.23 SHIBUSHI FISH MEAT DECISIVE BATTLE @ UNAGI STATION”, 23/04/2023
Kagoshima Shibushi City Unagi Station

1. Yusuke Okada & Rukiya Vs Takeshi Masada & Kazuma Sumi
2. Shunma Katsumata, Rayne Leverkusen & Kazuki Hirata Vs Makoto Oishi, Saki Akai & Hideki Okatani
3. The 37KAMIINA Vs DAMNATION T.A!: MAO & Toy Kojima Vs Daisuke Sasaki & KANON
4. Special Tag Match: Yuji Hino & Keigo Nakamura Vs Yuki “Not Sexy” Iino & Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno
5. Shibushi Specialty Special 6-Man Tag Match: Shiro Koshinaka, Toru Owashi & Yukio Sakaguchi Vs Sanshiro Takagi, Tetsuya Endo & Yuya Koroku
6. Fish Vs Meat Full-Scale Battle! Special 6-Man Tag Match: Shishamo Power, Unagi Mask & Super Unagi Mask Vs Jun Akiyama, Kazusada Higuchi & Yuki Ishida

The reason why Iino has to seal away his Pheromones gimmick is because Hino refuses to defend the title against that version of him. Their tag match here will let Iino show just how much he wants the belt without the need for his alter ego. Or maybe he falls for temptation and the whole journey blows up in everyone’s faces before it ever reaches the Yokohama Budokan.

DDT “MAX BUMP 2023 TOUR IN OSAKA”, 29/04/2023
Osaka 176BOX

1. Hideki Okatani Vs Rukiya
2. Yuki “Not Sexy” Iino & Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno Vs Keigo Nakamura & Kazuma Sumi
3. Yuji Hino & Yukio Sakaguchi Vs HARASHIMA & Yuki Ishida
4. Osaka Specialty Special 6-Man Tag Match: Chris Brookes, Saki Akai & Tsutenkakka Vs Toru Owashi, Rayne Leverkusen & Kazuki Hirata
5. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Daisuke Sasaki, MJ Paul & KANON Vs Naruki Doi, Yuni & Takeshi Masada
6. Special Tag Match: Jun Akiyama & Yusuke Okada Vs Shunma Katsumata & Kazusada Higuchi
7. BURNING Vs The 37KAMIINA!: Tetsuya Endo Vs Yuya Koroku Vs MAO & Yuki Ueno

An odd looking trio of Naruki Doi, Yuni & Takeshi Masada are getting together to face DAMNATION T.A with a returning Minoru Fujita also included.

The new rookie Rukiya is already getting a homecoming match. It only took him 20 days to get here!

DDT “MAX BUMP 2023 TOUR IN HAMAMATSU”, 30/04/2023
Shizuoka Create Hamamatsu Hall

1. Yusuke Okada Vs Kazuma Sumi
2. Daisuke Sasaki & KANON Vs Hideki Okatani & Keigo Nakamura
3. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Toru Owashi, Kazuki Hirata & Mari Manji Vs Antonio Honda, Takeshi Masada & Rayne Leverkusen
4. BURNING Vs The 37KAMIINA!: Tetsuya Endo, Jun Akiyama & Yuya Koroku Vs MAO, Shunma Katsumata & Yuki Ueno
5. Ω Vs Pheromones!: Yuji Hino & Makoto Oishi Vs Yuki “Not Sexy” Iino & Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno
6. Hamamatsu Specialty Special 6-Man Tag Match: HARASHIMA, Yukio Sakaguchi & Hiroshi Yamato Vs Kazusada Higuchi, Chris Brookes & Yuki Ishida

The last stop before Yokohama sees Hino and Iino in the ring one more time.

DDT “MEGA MAX BUMP 2023 IN YOKOHAMA”, 03/05/2023
Yokohama Budokan

0. Dark Match – Pheromones Vs D GENERATIONS Army Best Of 3 Singles Matches: Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno, Yumehito “Fantastic” Imanari & Koju “Shining Ball” Takeda Vs Yuki Ishida, Ilusion & Rukiya
1. Keigo Nakamura & Munetatsu Nakamura Vs Toy Kojima & Kazuma Sumi
2. Daisuke Sasaki, Minoru Fujita & MJ Paul Vs Soma Takao, Yusuke Okada & Yuya Koroku
3. Dance Vs Kickboxing Mixed Martial Arts Challenge: Kazuki Hirata Vs Hikaru Machida
4. Chiitan☆ Debut Match ~ Special 6-Man Tag Match: Chiitan☆, Toru Owashi & Akito Vs Chris Brookes, Masahito Takanashi & Antonio Honda
5. International Special Single Match: Saki Akai Vs Rayne Leverkusen
6. International Special Tag Match: Yuki Ueno & Yuni Vs Nick Wayne & Takeshi Masada
7. Road To King Of DDT 2023 Special 8-Man Tag Match: Sanshiro Takagi, HARASHIMA, Kotaro Suzuki & Hideki Okatani Vs Kazusada Higuchi, Yukio Sakaguchi, Naruki Doi & KANON
8. DDT Extreme Title – TLC (Toys, Ladders & Chairs) Match: Jun Akiyama (c) Vs Shunma Katsumata
9. DDT Universal Title: Tetsuya Endo (c) Vs MAO
10. KO-D Openweight Title: Yuji Hino (c) Vs Yuki “Not Sexy” Iino

The full card for the Yokohama Budokan show is here. The main event will become invalid if Iino breaks his promise and becomes “Sexy” again. Whether that means it becomes just a non-title match or gets cancelled completely hasn’t been explained yet.

MAO had a lot of harsh words to say about Endo after last weekend’s show. MAO complained about Endo’s lack of effort to break out into the international scene. He only wrestled the matches in America DDT already booked for him during his recent trip there. Meanwhile MAO went out of his way to get more bookings, including a recent appearance on AEW Dark Elevation with other members of The 37KAMIINA. The point MAO is making is how can Endo call himself the DDT Universal Champion when his attitude and behaviour towards wrestling overseas has no universal appeal at all?

According to Shunma Katsumata, the DDT Extreme Title hasn’t been that extreme during Jun Akiyama’s title reign. His solution is to fight Akiyama in a TLC Match. However in this case the T in TLC stands for Toys. The Ladders and Chairs will still be there, don’t worry about that. But you know how much wrestling fans love their tables.

When Nick Wayne touches down in Japan he will be thrown into the mix with the present and future of DDT. Takeshi Masada is teaming with Wayne to take on Yuki Ueno & Yuni.

After what happened between Chiitan☆ and Chris Brookes the last time the mascot showed up here, it only makes sense they are opponents for Chiitan’s debut match.

The Dance Vs Kickboxing MMA fight between Kazuki Hirata and Hikaru Machida will be contested under 15 rounds all lasting two minutes long.

The rest of Pheromones will be in the dark match taking part in a Best of 3 singles challenge against Yuki Ishida, Ilusion & Rukiya. That class of rookies are now called the D GENERATIONS Army.


Hot Shirt Coming Through, Janela’s Violent Vacation, BURNING Vs The 37KAMIINA All Month

April 4, 2023

A few things I want to mention before going into the updates. First, I was a guest on Alan4L’s ProWres Paradise over at PWTorch this week. The show is behind their VIP subscription and it is the latest episode in Alan’s “30 4L 30” series that is dedicated to talking about significant wrestling careers over the last 30 years. What if I told you our subject was the life and times of Kota Ibushi? We cover everything from his DDT days right up to his comeback in GCW last weekend with some extra trivia in between. I even try to clear up some misconceptions about his life that people have wondered about the last few years (mainly I really doubt he comes from a rich family). So for any PWTorch subscribers reading this, you can go listen to the episode here.

(Also fun little note, while we were recording this the news of WWE’s business merger with UFC broke online. However we did not find out about it until after we finished recording. Talking about Ibushi for 150 minutes needed the absolute focus he deserves, you know.)

Second, I will be going on holiday to Canada soon and will be away for two weeks. There will be a news post on Thursday before I go. I’m bringing my laptop so if I comfortably have the time to posts results, news and other stuff I will do so. Otherwise things might be kept to the Twitter account while I’m busy going on a loop around all the different Toronto sports teams. I have tickets for the the Impact PPV happening there too so I get to add Canada to the list of countries I’ve seen wrestling in.

And lastly, speaking of travelling. It looks like most of the DDT wrestlers have returned safely to Japan. Daisuke Sasaki took a detour to Texas though where he wrestled and hung out with Sam Adonis & Hernandez. I’ll find out more for the next DDT Around The World article. The Tokyo Joshi Pro roster though had their flight cancelled and their tweets suggest they are waiting a long time at the airport for the next plane ride home.

Now onto the news.

DDT “APRIL FOOL 2023”, 09/04/2023
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

1. MJ Paul & KANON Vs Antonio Honda & Kazuma Sumi
2. Rukiya Debut Match: Yuya Koroku Vs Rukiya
3. Toru Owashi, Kazuki Hirata & Gota Ihashi Vs Akito, Shinichiro Kawamatsu & Toy Kojima
4. Harimao Vs Eruption!: Kazusada Higuchi, Ryota Nakatsu & Yuki Ishida Vs Yukio Sakaguchi, Saki Akai & Hideki Okatani
5. Special Single Match: Yuki Ueno Vs Yuni
6. Special 8-Man Tag Match: Tetsuya Endo, Jun Akiyama, Kotaro Suzuki & Yusuke Okada Vs Naruki Doi, Chris Brookes, Joey Janela & Takeshi Masada
7. WORLD HINO CLASSIC ~Finals~: Yuji Hino, “brother” YASSHI & Makoto Oishi Vs Yuki “Sexy” Iino, Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno & Yumehito “Fantastic” Imanari
8. KO-D Tag Team Titles: MAO & Shunma Katsumata (c) Vs HARASHIMA & Keigo Nakamura

An unusual training practice was held by HARASHIMA for Keigo Nakamura during the week. A pot of boiling water was in the room and HARASHIMA left a shirt to soak inside it. He instructed Nakamura to put the boiling hot shirt on as fast as he can. If he succeeded then he will be prepared to handle ShunMao’s sauna heat. Nakamura understood and was able to put the shirt on despite scalding himself. He then told HARASHIMA it was his turn to do it next but HARASHIMA said he came here to train, not put on a shirt! They went on to complete their practice session as normal.

Gota Ihashi replaces the injured Yukio Naya in Match #3. If I were DISASTER BOX I’d be asking if there’s another replacement available.

The trainee Rukiya Ikeda has decided on his official ring name. He will officially be simply known as Rukiya when he has his debut match.

DDT “MAX BUMP 2023 TOUR IN SHINJUKU”, 15/04/2023
Shinjuku FACE

1. Special Single Match: Kazuki Hirata Vs Yuni
2. Elimination 8-Man Tag Match: Tetsuya Endo, Jun Akiyama, Yusuke Okada & Yuya Koroku Vs MAO, Shunma Katsumata, Yuki Ueno & Toy Kojima
3. Falls Count Anywhere Scramble Bunkhouse Street Fight 6-Man Tag Team Death Match: Sanshiro Takagi, Joey Janela & Takeshi Masada Vs Yukio Sakaguchi, Antonio Honda & Hideki Okatani

A busy weekend awaits for Joey Janela when he comes back to Japan. His first match back in the country for DDT will be a Scramble Bunkhouse Street Fight. The match is happening to prepare Janela, Sanshiro Takagi & Takeshi Masada for the Current Blast Death Match they are having against Atsushi Onita the following day. Since the first match is going to be a Street Fight, every wrestler has been told to go find an outfit different from their wrestling gear to fight in.

A lot of BURNING versus The 37KAMIINA matches to look forward to this month. It kicks off with a big Elimination Tag Match between the two groups.

Yuni’s wrestling career hasn’t been around for long but in the days before he became El Unicorn he already developed a rivalry with Kazuki Hirata. That rivalry is now being brought back for the next chapter of Yuni’s career.

DDT “MAX BUMP 2023 TOUR IN FUKUOKA”, 22/04/2023
Fukuoka Kasuga General Sports Center

1. BURNING Vs The 37KAMIINA!: Tetsuya Endo, Jun Akiyama & Yuya Koroku Vs MAO, Shunma Katsumata & Toy Kojima

More clashes between the two units. These are being done to promote the upcoming DDT Universal and DDT Extreme Title matches. Yuki Ueno will be missing this show due to the stage show he’s a part of.

Azul Dragon and Rayne Leverkusen will both be on the show.

DDT “MAX BUMP 2023 TOUR IN OSAKA”, 29/04/2023
Osaka 176BOX

1. BURNING Vs The 37KAMIINA!: Tetsuya Endo Vs Yuya Koroku Vs MAO & Yuki Ueno

Dragon and Leverkusen will also be on this show along with Naruki Doi and an Osaka masked wrestler called Tsutenkakka. He is named after the local Tsutenkaku Tower and is apparantely authorised by the tower’s management to fight on behalf of the landmark. He was part of the No Fee Rumble DDT held back in February.

DDT “MAX BUMP 2023 TOUR IN HAMAMATSU”, 30/04/2023
Shizuoka Create Hamamatsu Hall

1. Hamamatsu Specialty Special 6-Man Tag Match: HARASHIMA, Yukio Sakaguchi & Hiroshi Yamato Vs Kazusada Higuchi, Chris Brookes & Yuki Ishida

Leverkusen will be on the show along with Mari Manji from Yanagase Pro Wrestling. She was originally from PURE-J.


King Of DDT 2023

March 30, 2023

This May will be spent determining the next King Of DDT. The annual single elimination tournament will feature 16 participants this year. Every match will have no time limit and a bracket will be followed until the semi-finals. The final four will then go through a lottery to determine who faces who. The 16 participants are:

HARASHIMA (14th Appearance, 2010 & 2013 Winner)
Yukio Sakaguchi (11th Appearance, 2015 Winner)
Kazusada Higuchi (9th Appearance, 2022 Winner)
Tetsuya Endo (7th Appearance, 2017 & 2020 Winner)
Yuki Ueno (6th Appearance)
Shunma Katsumata (7th Appearance)
Sanshiro Takagi (5th Appearance)
MAO (5th Appearance)
Chris Brookes (4th Appearance)
Jun Akiyama (3rd Appearance)
KANON (2nd Appearance)
Naruki Doi (1st Appearance)
Kotaro Suzuki (1st Appearance)
Yusuke Okada (1st Appearance)
Takeshi Masada (1st Appearance)
Winner of 1st April Qualifying Battle (either Hideki Okatani, Toy Kojima or Yuya Koroku)

Originally Yukio Naya was supposed to enter but he is out of action with a fractured ankle. Yusuke Okada was chosen to take his place.

DDT “KING OF DDT 2023 1ST ROUND”, 06/05/2023
Shinjuku FACE

1. King Of DDT 2023 – Round 1A: Yusuke Okada Vs Kazusada Higuchi
2. King Of DDT 2023 – Round 1B: Shunma Katsumata Vs Winner of 1st April Qualifying Battle
3. King Of DDT 2023 – Round 1C: Sanshiro Takagi Vs Yukio Sakaguchi
4. King Of DDT 2023 – Round 1D: HARASHIMA Vs Chris Brookes
5. King Of DDT 2023 – Round 1E: Jun Akiyama Vs Tetsuya Endo
6. King Of DDT 2023 – Round 1F: MAO Vs Takeshi Masada
7. King Of DDT 2023 – Round 1G: Kotaro Suzuki Vs KANON
8. King Of DDT 2023 – Round 1H: Yuki Ueno Vs Naruki Doi

———————————————————————–

DDT “KING OF DDT 2023 2ND ROUND”, 07/05/2023
Shinjuku FACE

1. King Of DDT 2023 – Round 2: Winner Of Match 1A Vs Winner Of Match 1B
2. King Of DDT 2023 – Round 2: Winner Of Match 1C Vs Winner Of Match 1D
3. King Of DDT 2023 – Round 2: Winner Of Match 1E Vs Winner Of Match 1F
4. King Of DDT 2023 – Round 2: Winner Of Match 1G Vs Winner Of Match 1H

———————————————————————–

DDT “KING OF DDT 2023 FINAL!!”, 21/05/2023
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

1. King Of DDT 2023 – Semi Final: X Vs X
2. King Of DDT 2023 – Semi Final: X Vs X
3. King Of DDT 2023 – Final: X Vs X


DDT “DRAMATIC DREAM TOUR IN SHINJUKU 2023” Results

March 24, 2023

DDT “DRAMATIC DREAM TOUR IN SHINJUKU 2023”, 24/03/2023
Shinjuku FACE
191 Fans

1. HARASHIMA & Keigo Nakamura defeated Kazusada Higuchi & Yuki Ishida when Nakamura pinned Ishida with a Modified Crucifix Pin (10:14).
2. WORLD HINO CLASSIC ~Opening Round~: Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno defeated Makoto Oishi & Bambi by TKO when Iino used the Cross Ass Sexy Lock Ass on Oishi (8:52).
3. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title: Yusuke Okada defeated Akito (c) with an Inside Cradle (6:56).
*Yusuke Okada becomes the 1,564th champion.
-. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title: Akito defeated Yusuke Okada (c) with an Inside Cradle (7:45 pm).
*Akito becomes the 1,565th champion.
-. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title: Yoshihiko defeated Akito (c) with a Choke Slam (7:47 pm).
*Yoshihiko becomes the 1,566th champion.
4. Daisuke Sasaki, MJ Paul & KANON defeated Toru Owashi, Kazuki Hirata & Kazuma Sumi when Paul pinned Sumi with a Throwaway German Suplex (9:49).
5. BURNING Vs The 37KAMIINA!: Tetsuya Endo, Jun Akiyama & Yuya Koroku defeated MAO, Shunma Katsumata & Toy Kojima when Koroku submitted Kojima with the Modified Triangle Lancer (13:36).
6. Yuji Hino & Yukio Naya defeated Yukio Sakaguchi & Hideki Okatani when Hino submitted Okatani with the King Kong Sleeper (10:18).
7. International Special Tag Match: Konosuke Takeshita & Samuray Del Sol defeated Chris Brookes & Takeshi Masada when Del Sol pinned Masada with the Solida Del Sol (16:20).

Konosuke Takeshita got a chance to try out some lucha libre by teaming with Samuray Del Sol. The idea was laughed at by Chris Brookes who was only happy to point out that Takeshita cannot wrestle in that style. He was proven right when Takeshita’s attempts to do a tightrope spot on Takeshi Masada failed in a big manner. Del Sol came to the rescue by giving Takeshita his own luchador mask and the two performed double dives onto the other team. Takeshita then blocked the Samurai Driver ’01 from Masada and Samuray took over to pin Masada with the Solida Del Sol. Takeshita admitted the mask felt uncomfortable but he thanked Del Sol for coming to DDT. Masada took the loss in his stride because next week he’s going to Hollywood! He wants DDT to change the show posters to advertise him as “Hollywood Superstar”.

After Yuji Hino won his tag match, an almost Yuki Iino came down to the ring to confront him. Makoto Oishi congratulated Iino for advancing past the Ω Block of the World Hino Classic and then showed a video introducing Iino’s final challenge. It’s “brother” YASSHI! The video explained that YASSHI is Hino’s senior from the same high school wrestling club. Pheromones will have to fight Hino, Oishi & YASSHI at Korakuen Hall on 9th April. If Pheromones win then Iino will get even closer towards having a KO-D Openweight Title shot.

BURNING beat The 37KAMIINA in a match that built up several programs. Tetsuya Endo will soon be defending the DDT Universal Title against MAO, Jun Akiyama is putting the DDT Extreme Title on the line against Shunma Katsumata and both Yuya Koroku and Toy Kojima are fighting for the last spot in the King Of DDT. Koroku picked up the win by tapping out Kojima. However the three wrestlers from The 37KAMIINA are still feeling confident in their chances of succeeding. MAO thinks Endo is scared of him, Katsumata is eager to fight Akiyama and Kojima thinks he can take both Koroku and Hideki Okatani to their limits in the Qualifying Battle.

Kazuma Sumi struck a deal with Kazuki Hirata before their match. If Sumi could beat DAMNATION T.A then he would be allowed to wear the Kazuki GO! glasses and dance to celebrate. Sumi ended up stealing the glasses from Hirata late in the match and was too busy dancing to notice MJ Paul walk up behind him and throw him across the ring with a German Suplex for the finish.

There were a couple of Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title changes setting up the belt’s journey to America next week. Yusuke Okada beat Akito in their scheduled match to become the new champion. Akito rolled him up afterwards to take the belt back. Then Yoshihiko appeared and Choke Slammed Akito for another title change. Yoshihiko then announced in English it is going to Los Angeles as the champion and will be targeting The 37KAMIINA over there!

Iino’s first challenge in the Wolrd Hino Classic was to convince Bambi that he is sexy. According to Oishi, Bambi is an expert on sexy stuff and her proof was using a whip on Pheromones during the match. But Iino & Danshoku Dieno turned the tables by using Pheromones moves on Bambi. With her taken care of, Iino then made Oishi go unconcious with a submission hold that is accruately called the Cross Ass Sexy Lock Ass. After the match Dieno asked Bambi is Iino proved he is sexy. She agreed! That means Iino now qualifies for the World Hino Classic final.

HARASHIMA & Keigo Nakamura are continuing to build momentum towards their KO-D Tag Team Titles match. HARASHIMA said today’s win is a big deal for Nakamura and makes him look forward to the title match. Nakamura pointed out he lost to Yuki Ishida in the D GENERATIONS CUP so today he got to avenge that result.

The King Of DDT 2023 entries are HARASHIMA, Kazusada Higuchi, Yukio Sakaguchi, Tetsuya Endo, Jun Akiyama, Yuki Ueno, Shunma Katsumata, MAO, Chris Brookes, Yukio Naya, KANON, Naruki Doi, Kotaro Suzuki, Takeshi Masada, Sanshiro Takagi and the winner of the 3 Way Qualifying Battle on 1st April.


World Hino Classic, El Unicorn Is Yuni Again, Super Unagi Mask, Sasaki’s Dream Match With Despy

March 23, 2023

DDT “DRAMATIC DREAM TOUR IN SHINJUKU 2023”, 24/03/2023
Shinjuku FACE

1. HARASHIMA & Keigo Nakamura Vs Kazusada Higuchi & Yuki Ishida
2. WORLD HINO CLASSIC ~Opening Match~: Makoto Oishi & Bambi Vs Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno
3. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title: Akito (c) Vs Yusuke Okada
4. Daisuke Sasaki, MJ Paul & KANON Vs Toru Owashi, Kazuki Hirata & Kazuma Sumi
5. BURNING Vs The 37KAMIINA!: Tetsuya Endo, Jun Akiyama & Yuya Koroku Vs MAO, Shunma Katsumata & Toy Kojima
6. Yuji Hino & Yukio Naya Vs Yukio Sakaguchi & Hideki Okatani
7. International Special Tag Match: Konosuke Takeshita & Samuray Del Sol Vs Chris Brookes & Takeshi Masada

Coming out of the anniversary show, Pheromones are demanding that Yuki Iino be chosen as the No. 1 Contender for the KO-D Openweight Title. It has been refused by Hisaya Imabayashi and Yuji Hino agrees with the decision. Hino knows Iino is a strong man but he wants nothing to do with that character. At first he said he will only consider giving Iino a title shot if he becomes a serious heavyweight again. Then Makoto Oishi came up with an idea called the World Hino Classic. Pheromones will go through a couple of trial matches and if they win them all then Iino gets his title match. The opening match is being called the Group Of Death because Iino & Danshoku Dieno have to fight the Ω team of Oishi and Bambi. All Pheromones need to do is win this match and they will go straight to the WHC final. What the final is will be revealed if Pheromones make it out of the Group Of Death.

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW LIVE TOUR IN SPRING ’23”, 26/03/2023
Tokyo Ryogoku KFC Hall

1. Wakana Uehara Vs Toga
2. Raku Vs Shino Suzuki
3. Yuka Sakazaki, Moka Miyamoto & Kaya Toribami Vs Yuki Kamifuku, Haru Kazashiro & Runa Okubo
4. Rika Tatsumi & Miu Watanabe Vs Pom Harajuku & HIMAWARI
5. Shoko Nakajima & Hyper Misao Vs Yuki Aino & Haruna Neko
6. Mizuki, Suzume & Arisu Endo Vs Hikari Noa, Nao Kakuta & Mahiro Kiryu

The recently debuted Haru Kazashiro is about to graduate from junior high school so this will be her final match as a junior high student.

Both Miyu Yamashita and Maki Itoh are missing the show to wrestle in Canada this weekend.

DDT “APRIL FOOL 2023”, 09/04/2023
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

1. Rukiya Ikeda Debut Match: Yuya Koroku Vs Rukiya Ikeda
2. Special Single Match: Yuki Ueno Vs Yuni
3. KO-D Tag Team Titles: MAO & Shunma Katsumata (c) Vs HARASHIMA & Keigo Nakamura

A new tag team of HARASHIMA & Keigo Nakamura are next to challenge ShunMao for the KO-D Tag Team Titles. It is the addition of Nakamura to the match that excites MAO & Shunma Katsumata. The two of them have fought HARASHIMA a lot so he’s nothing new. But Nakamura is from the new generation of DDT wrestlers who are all hungry to climb up the ladder. It was Nakamura who wanted to challenge the champions. That took HARASHIMA off guard but he quickly came around on the idea when he realised it is making Nakamura want to work hard.

The elementary school wrestler Yuni finally revealed he was El Unicorn all along and has ditched the mask to start a new chapter in his career. Now in high school, Yuni wants to make a fresh start in wrestling and thinks showing his real face is the best way to go about it. He is back to using the name Yuni but it is now written in katakana instead of hiragana. He is training to grow bigger and stronger for his goal to win the KO-D Title while still in high school. He sees his match against Yuki Ueno as a huge opportunity he does not want to miss.

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “STAND ALONE ’23”, 15/04/2023
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

1. Shoko Nakajima & Hyper Misao Vs Yuki Arai & HIMAWARI (Special Referee: Shiori Aoki)
2. Princess Of Princess Title: Mizuki (c) Vs Nao Kakuta

Last December Mizuki chose Nao Kakuta to be part of her 10th Anniversary match. This week Kakuta returned the favour by telling Mizuki she wants to fight her for the Princess Of Princess Title. It is a challenge Mizuki says she cannot refuse.

SKE48 idol Shiori Aoki gets to be a pro wrestling referee. There’s a conflict of interest though because Yuki Arai will be wrestling in the match. Does Aoki go on to play favorites or even go the complete opposite way and screw over her fellow idol? Even if she calls everything fair and square, having to officiate a Kyoraku Kyomei match sounds way too much for a rookie referee to handle.

DDT “YAMADA FISHERIES PRESENTS 4.23 SHIBUSHI FISH MEAT DECISIVE BATTLE @ UNAGI STATION”, 23/04/2023
Kagoshima Shibushi City Unagi Station

1. Fish Vs Meat Full-Scale Battle! Special 6-Man Tag Match: Shishamo Power, Unagi Mask & Super Unagi Mask Vs Kazusada Higuchi, Yukio Naya & Yuki Ishida

The war between fish eaters and meat eaters went lopsided after Kazusada Higuchi betrayed Shishamo Power & Unagi Mask last month. Higuchi revealed he prefers meat over seafood so jumped over to side with Yukio Naya & Yuki Ishida for the next match in the feud. The seafood team looked to be in trouble until the president of Yamada Suisan revealed the company has been developing another Unagi Mask wrestler to even the odds. According to the president, Super Unagi Mask is more well-trained than the regular Unagi Mask. He thinks the two of them would work well together in a seafood wrestling Tag League. Sanshiro Takagi likes the idea and will consider launching Yamada Suisan Pro Wrestling if the seafood team wins their battle against the meat eaters.

Shiro Koshinaka and Rayne Leverkusen will both be on the show.

DDT “MEGA MAX BUMP 2023 IN YOKOHAMA”, 03/05/2023
Yokohama Budokan

1. Chiitan☆Debut Match: Chiitan Vs X
2. International Special Single Match: Saki Akai Vs Rayne Leverkusen
3. DDT Extreme Title: Jun Akiyama (c) Vs Shunma Katsumata
4. DDT Universal Title: Tetsuya Endo (c) Vs MAO
5. KO-D Openweight Title: Yuji Hino (c) Vs X

So at the moment Hino will be defending the KO-D Title at Yokohama Budokan. He just does not have an official opponent yet. It might be Iino if Pheromones win the World Hino Classic.

Things are going well again for Tetsuya Endo now he is the new DDT Universal Champion. He considers Naruki Doi a friend and wants to see him sticking around in DDT. What Endo does not like is having MAO as his first defence. However the pride of the Miyagi prefecture is on the line with Endo representing Shiroishi City and MAO representing Osaki City. This side will determine which city is the best!

Both ShunMao wrestlers have a chance of becoming double champions at the same time. Shunma Katsumata challenges Jun Akiyama for the DDT Extreme Title. It will be back to the crazy stuff for Akiyama after having such a nice, normal and relaxing match with Kotaro Suzuki.

Rayne Leverkusen is debuting for DDT in April but her only match announced so far is a singles bout against Saki Akai in May.

The insane mascot Chiitan makes its pro wrestling debut. Its presence has already driven Chris Brookes into a murderous rage so he’ll probably be involved in the match. Maybe Pokotan can be a part of it too.

Nick Wayne will be on the show making his first appearance in Japan for DDT.

DDT “WRESTLE PETER PAN 2023”, 23/07/2023
Tokyo Ryogoku Kokugikan

1. Dramatic Dream Match: Daisuke Sasaki Vs El Desperado

Turns out Daisuke Sasaki kept himself busy while he was out from injury. Instead of staying around in bed he went out, did the work and signed up a dream match for himself against El Desperado from New Japan! Desperado is an interesting figure, constantly referring to the wider pro wrestling scene in Japan on his social media. At times it looked like that was the only interactions with other wrestlers that the public would get to see. But as the scene opens up more in order to get fans back into the arenas Desperado is at the forefront of getting into matches with wrestlers outside of NJPW. In a past life he’s had a little bit of involvement in DDT related shows. He’s been part of a few Monthly Young Communication shows that happened back in 2011. Only recently Sasaki and Desperado fought each other in a tag match that ended in a DQ so there is some bad blood between the two going into this dream bout.


TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW LIVE TOUR IN SPRING ’23” Results

March 22, 2023

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW LIVE TOUR IN SPRING ’23”, 22/03/2023
Shinjuku FACE
207 Fans

1. Suzume defeated Shino Suzuki with the Mikazuki Meteor Shower (6:31).
2. Shoko Nakajima, Wakana Uehara & HIMAWARI defeated Arisu Endo, Haru Kazashiro & Runa Okubo when Nakajima submitted Kazashiro with a Butterfly Lock (9:16).
3. Max The Impaler & Heidi Howitzer defeated Hyper Misao & Pom Harajuku when Max pinned Harajuku with a Short Range Lariat (7:39).
4. Rika Tatsumi, Miu Watanabe & Raku defeated Yuya Koroku, Mahiro Kiryu & Toga when Tatsumi pinned Toga with the Twist Of Fate (11:56).
5. Miyu Yamashita & Maki Itoh defeated Moka Miyamoto & Kaya Toribami when Yamashita pinned Toribami with a Right High Kick (10:06).
6. Hikari Noa, Nao Kakuta & Yuki Aino defeated Mizuki, Yuka Sakazaki & Haruna Neko when Kakuta pinned Neko with the Shiden Kai (12:39).

After the main event Nao Kakuta got on the microphone and told Mizuki how amazed she was seeing her win the Princess Of Princess Title at “GRAND PRINCESS ’23”. Kakuta then brought up Mizuki’s 10th Anniversary from December and how happy she was that Mizuki chose her to take part in it. Today Kakuta is the one choosing Mizuki because she wants a Princess Title shot! Mizuki said if she was chosen then she cannot refuse the challenge. She did however decline to shake Kakuta’s hand. The title match will headline the 15th April Korakuen Hall show.

Today was Miyu Yamashita’s last match in Tokyo Joshi Pro before she embarks on her three month tour of America. Her return match in Japan will be at Fukuoka on 25th June. Maki Itoh will be with her on and off during this time depending on Itoh’s own schedule. For example they will be flying to Canada together because they are both wrestling on a Nation Extreme Wrestling show this Friday.

Hyper Misao came up with a plan to beat The Wasteland War Party called “Operation Hansel And Gretel”. It involved Misao leaving a bunch of cute objects around ringside to distract Max The Impaler. When Max gets distracted, Misao would then tape them to the ring post. Max fell for the trap but easily got rid of the tape. Pom Harajuku tried to fight off Heidi Howitzer with Shin Kicks until Max returned. That caused Misao & Harajuku to keep tagging each other in to avoid Max. They finally found the courage to find back and even got to trap Howitzer against the ropes. Harajuku had her big moment to shine by attempting the Pom de Justice but Max countered it with a Lariat for the 3 count.

Texas wrestler Vert Vixen will be touring with TJPW in April. She will be wrestling on the shows booked for 15th, 22nd and 23rd April. Yuka Sakazaki fought Vixen on AEW Dark Elevation last month.

Shiori Aoki from SKE48 is making her referee debut on 15th April. The match she is officiating will be Kyoraku Kyomei Vs Yuki Arai & HIMAWARI.


26th Anniversary Show Tomorrow, LA Title Matches, New Explosion Death Match Championship?

March 20, 2023

DDT “JUDGEMENT 2023 ~LONGEST 5 HOUR SPECIAL IN KORAKUEN HISTORY~”, 21/03/2023
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

0. Ilusion & El Unicorn DDTeeeen!! Graduation Match: Ilusion & Munetatsu Nakamura Vs El Unicorn & Raimu Imai
1. Yuya Koroku & Yuki Ishida Vs Toi Kojima & Kazuma Sumi
2. Kazuki Hirata Debut 13th Anniversary Match: Kazuki Hirata & Yoshihiko Vs Keisuke Ishii & Soma Takao
3. O-40 Title – 3 Way Match: Makoto Oishi Vs Gorgeous Matsuno Vs Shinichiro Kawamatsu
4. Pheromones Vs Pheromones Subjugation Army All Out Battle: Yuki “Sexy” Iino, Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno, Yumehito “Fantastic” Imanari & Koju “Shining Ball” Takeda Vs Akito, Toru Owashi, Hiroshi Yamato & Yusuke Okada
5. Special Tag Match: Super Sasadango Machine & Antonio Honda Vs Max The Impaler & Heidi Howitzer
6. Saki Akai Debut 10th Anniversary Match Vol 1.: Masahiro Takanashi Vs Saki Akai
7. HARASHIMA & Keigo Nakamura Vs Yukio Sakaguchi & Hideki Okatani
8. Special Single Match: Hikaru Machida Vs Takeshi Masada
9. Special 6-Man Tag Match ~ CHARISMA RETURNS!: Daisuke Sasaki, MJ Paul & KANON Vs Chris Brookes, Drew Parker & Hagane Shinno
10. DDT Extreme Title – Regular Pro Wrestling Rules: Jun Akiyama (c) Vs Kotaro Suzuki
11. DDT 26th Anniversary Special Single Match: Sanshiro Takagi Vs Konosuke Takeshita
12. International Special Single Match: Samuray Del Sol Vs Yuki Ueno
13. DDT Universal Title: Naruki Doi (c) Vs Tetsuya Endo
14. KO-D Tag Team Titles – Falls Count Anywhere Match: MAO & Shunma Katsumata (c) Vs Kazusada Higuchi & Ryota Nakatsu
15. KO-D Openweight Title: Yuji Hino (c) Vs Yukio Naya

A press conference was held in Shinjuku today for some of the matches on the show. Yuki Ueno said he feels honored that an international superstar has come to Japan wanting to fight him. Samuray Del Sol said the one place he has not conquered is Japan. He first learned of DDT by seeing footage of El Generico wrestling Kota Ibushi there. He’s been watching and studying Ueno’s matches so is excited to be wrestling the best.

Konosuke Takeshita reminded everyone that he’s been with DDT for over ten years and the only person he hasn’t wrestled one on one is his boss Sanshiro Takagi. They have no choice but to finally do this match now. He has gratitude for Takagi and sees this as a match between a parent and their child. Takagi’s been a great father figure but the time has come to surpass him. Takagi said he wants to be in the best shape he can for the match. Some injuries have gotten in his way but he isn’t letting that be any excuse. He won’t let Takeshita move past him so easily and will do his best to crush him! Takeshita also said his experience in AEW has given him a hunger he couldn’t get in Japan because spots on their shows are so limited.

The “Super Powerhouse Tag Team” made themselves known while Super Sasadango Machine & Antonio Honda were being interviewed. The two men thought they were going to get Hiroyoshi Tenzan & Satoshi Kojima until they worked out that TenKoji’s schedule wouldn’t make it possible. Instead they are getting The Wasteland War Party! Both Sasadango & Honda were terrified by the appearance of Max The Impaler & Heidi Howitzer. The War Party left them laying on the floor with Headbutts. When Honda regained consciousness he began to cry. He thought he was getting a dream match but instead it’s going to be a nightmare!

Away from the press conference in a separate interview, Saki Akai talked about her upcoming match against Masahiro Takanashi. They had one previous singles match together in the 1st Round of the King Of DDT 2018. Takanashi won that match but for the rematch Akai warns there is a part of her that he does not know about. If she can tap into it tomorrow she can find a way to beat him. Then when that match is done Akai wants to focus on Eruption winning the KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles in order to push Hideki Okatani up to the next level. She has other plans to celebrate her 10 year anniversary later in the year. Yukio Sakaguchi taught her how to fight in the ring so she would like to face him in a match. She hopes Yoshiko will come back from her break some day for another match. Danshoku Dieno is another past opponent she wants to do a big match with again. She also suggested Takumi Iroha, Rina Yamashita and Sumire Natsu as potential future opponents for her in a DDT ring.

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW LIVE TOUR IN SPRING ’23”, 22/03/2023
Shinjuku FACE

1. Suzume Vs Shino Suzuki
2. Shoko Nakajima, Wakana Uehara & HIMAWARI Vs Arisu Endo, Haru Kazashiro & Runa Okubo
3. Hyper Misao & Pom Harajuku Vs Max The Impaler & Heidi Howitzer
4. Rika Tatsumi, Miu Watanabe & Raku Vs Yuya Koroku, Mahiro Kiryu & Toga
5. Miyu Yamashita & Maki Itoh Vs Moka Miyamoto & Kaya Toribami
6. Mizuki, Yuka Sakazaki & Haruna Neko Vs Hikari Noa, Nao Kakuta & Yuki Aino

We have come out of “GRAND PRINCESS ’23” with brand new champions holding all of the titles in Tokyo Joshi Pro. We also have some wrestlers refreshing their looks while the new generation of debuts have landed and taken their first steps. Where we go from here is towards Los Angeles.

It wouldn’t be right if The Wasteland War Party went home without getting a chance to say goodbye to Pom Harajuku. I’m sure she appreciates it.

Shino Suzuki is having her first ever singles match. Suzume is her opponent.

DDT “DRAMATIC DREAM TOUR IN SHINJUKU 2023”, 24/03/2023
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

1. Daisuke Sasaki, MJ Paul & KANON Vs Toru Owashi, Kazuki Hirata & Kazuma Sumi
2. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title: Akito (c) Vs Yusuke Okada
3. International Special Tag Match: Konosuke Takeshita & Samuray Del Sol Vs Chris Brookes & Takeshi Masada

It’s rare to see promotion for an Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title singles match in advance. Akito Vs Yusuke Okada will go ahead even if Akito loses the belt before it happens.

The lineup for the King Of DDT 2023 will be revealed during this show.

BASARA “BASARA 214 ~KOO~”, 28/03/2023
Shin-Kiba 1st RING

1. Lil’ Kraken Vs Leo Isaka
2. Basara Strange Style Jacket Match: Gouma Ryu Vs Ryota Nakatsu
3. Ryuichi Sekine & Daiki Shimomura Vs FUMA & KUBITO
4. Takato Nakao, Masato Kamino & Yasu Urano Vs Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi, Daichi Kazato & Tsutomu Oosugi
5. CCW Canadian Heavyweight Title: Takumi Tsukamoto (c) Vs SAGAT
6. Union MAX Title: Isami Kodaka (c) Vs Banana Senga

The super obscure CCW Canadian Heavyweight Title held by Takumi Tsukamoto is being defended again in BASARA. Tsukamoto brought the belt into the company at the end of 2021. He’s defended it twice here but usually saves his title matches for other indies. SAGAT is his next challenger.

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW LIVE IN LOS ANGELES”, 31/03/2023
Globe Theatre, Los Angeles, California, USA

1. Yuki Kamifuku Vs Janai Kai
2. Hikari Noa & Nao Kakuta Vs Suzume & Arisu Endo
3. Hyper Misao & Trish Adora Vs Yuki Aino & Raku
4. Shoko Nakajima & Miu Watanabe Vs Max The Impaler & Heidi Howitzer
5. International Princess Title: Rika Tatsumi (c) Vs Billie Starkz
6. Princess Tag Team Titles: Miyu Yamashita & Maki Itoh (c) Yuka Sakazaki & Mizuki

Some of the new champions making their first defences on the USA show. 121000000 Vs The Magical Sugar Rabbits in the main event now has the Princess Tag Team Titles on the line. Yuka Sakazaki wants to show everyone how much MagiRabi has powered up from fighting each other. Mizuki has the least experience wrestling overseas of the four but now she is the Princess Of Princess Champion she is not scared of any challenge. She’s also excited by the possibility of becoming the only person in TJPW to hold two Princess Titles at the same time. Miyu Yamashita believes the timing is right for 121000000 to beat MagiRabi on TJPW’s first USA show. Maki Itoh wants her American simps to know they are getting to see her TJPW form instead of the usual version they see from her previous appearances in the country.

Billie Starkz claims she was going to challenge the International Princess Champion no matter who it was coming out “GRAND PRINCESS ’23”. That it happens to be her already scheduled opponent Rika Tatsumi made it a lot easier for her to get the title shot. With the match happening in America, Starkz will get to fight for the championship in front of her friends and family. The new champion Tatsumi has already begun changing her look to be more America-like (or “AmeRika”) in order to truly act like an international champion. She went to this press conference wearing sunglasses and drinking a cola. She isn’t worried about fighting Starkz in her home country because it is still happening on a TJPW show. That means Tatsumi still has the home field advantage.

DDT “DRAMATIC EXPLOSION IN NIIGATA”, 16/04/2023
Niigata Bandaijima Multi-Purpose Plaza

1. KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles: Shinya Aoki, Yuki Ueno & Super Sasadango Machine (c) Vs Jun Akiyama, Yusuke Okada & Yuya Koroku
2. Current Blast 6-Man Tag Death Match: Atsushi Onita, Shunma Katsumata & Toi Kojima Vs Joey Janela, Sanshiro Takagi & Takeshi Masada

According to Atsushi Onita he paid 400,000 yen to trademark the Current Blast Death Match. Rather than trying to buy it off him, Sanshiro Takagi would rather take it by force. He still wants DDT to take ownership of the trademark and is joining forces with Joey Janela to do it. Janela has made it his number one goal during his latest tour of Japan to destroy his hero Onita in an exploding death match. Takagi also picked Takeshi Masada to be their tag partner, thinking this kind of dangerous atmosphere is just what the super rookie has been missing. Onita has his DDO allies Shunma Katsumata & Toi Kojima backing him up. If their winning ways continue then Onita has promised to create a new Current Blast 6-Man Tag Team Championhip as something new for them to fight for!

BAKA GAIJIN + FRIENDS “VOL. FOUR: WHEN GOOD DOGS DO BAD THINGS”, 18/04/2023
Tokyo ARENA Shimokitazawa

1. Special Single Match: Masashi Takeda Vs Death Worm
2. Special Tag Team Match: Sayaka & Baliyan Akki Vs MAO & Chie Koishikawa
3. Special Tag Team Match: Rina Yamashita & Drew Parker Vs Chris Brookes & Masahiro Takanashi

Rina Yamashita and Masashi Takeda are the next guests to join in the Baka Gaijin party. Also Baliyan Akki & Sayaka will together wrestle their first match on one of these shows. It’s about time Akki wrestled on one of them. Maybe Chris Brookes & Drew Parker will do the camera work and commentary for his match.