TAKESHITA Sides With Sasaki? Next Union MAX Challenger, Akito Vs Pheromones One Last Time, Itoh Brings GCW Feud To DDT

July 25, 2023

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TOKYO PRINCESS CUP”, 29/07/2023
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

1. Juria Nagano & Kaya Toribami Vs Wakana Uehara & HIMAWARI
2. Hyper Misao, Nao Kakuta & Yuki Aino Vs Mahiro Kiryu, Pom Harajuku & Haruna Neko
3. Mizuki, Toga, Haru Kazashiro & Runa Okubo Vs Hikari Noa, Raku, Suzume & Shino Suzuki
4. Tokyo Princess Cup – Quarter Final: Arisu Endo Vs Yuki Arai
5. Tokyo Princess Cup – Quarter Final: Yuki Kamifuku Vs Miu Watanabe
6. Tokyo Princess Cup – Quarter Final: Rika Tatsumi Vs Shoko Nakajima
7. Tokyo Princess Cup – Quarter Final: Miyu Yamashita Vs Moka Miyamoto

The Tokyo Princess Cup moves over to Korakuen Hall for its remaining rounds. Next up is the Quarter Finals this Saturday.

DDT “SUMMER VACATION 2023”, 30/07/2023
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

0. Dark Match: Yuni Vs Kazuma Sumi
1. Minoru Fujita & MJ Paul Vs Soma Takao & Rukiya
2. Yuji Hino, Makoto Oishi & Yukio Naya Vs Jun Akiyama, Yusuke Okada & Yuya Koroku
3. Chris Brookes, Antonio Honda & Takeshi Masada Vs Kazusada Higuchi, Kotaro Suzuki & Yuki Ishida
4. Special Tag Match: Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno Vs Akito & Naruki Doi
5. Yukio Sakaguchi 50th Birthday Match ~ Special 6-Man Tag Match: Yukio Sakaguchi, Saki Akai & Hideki Okatani Vs Shuji Ishikawa, Thanomsak Toba & Masahiro Takanashi
6. DDT Extreme Title – Super Fierce Battle! Hirata’s Miraculous Allies Gather! No Touch Captain’s Fall & 2 Count Hall Handicap Death Match: Kazuki Hirata (C/c), Broom, Kokeshi, Chair, Yakitori & X (w/ Other Merry Ultimate Fighters) Vs HARASHIMA (C)
7. Special 6-Man Tag Match: KONOSUKE TAKESHITA, Daisuke Sasaki & KANON Vs Yuki Ueno, MAO & Toy Kojima

The final image everyone saw at the end of “WRESTLE PETER PAN 2023” was Konosuke Takeshita and Daisuke Sasaki shaking hands in a hallway backstage. Now we see Takeshita is teaming up with DAMNATION T.A to take on The 37KAMIINA! Takeshita denies having any intention of joining DAMNATION T.A. Instead he claims The 37KAMIINA no longer needs him so he now wants to stand across the ring from them. That Takeshita is choosing to team with Sasaki & KANON in order to do this is an unusual turn of events. It’s another chance for Yuki Ueno to chase after his friend. Toy Kojima also hasn’t been happy with Takeshita’s change in behaviour. MAO is a wild card coming out of Sumo Hall with a big win behind him.

Today Kazuki Hirata announced the match stipulation for his DDT Exteme Title defence against HARASHIMA. His big idea to even the odds is to use every idea he has. So it’s a Captain’s Fall Handicap Match with no tags needed, you only need a 2 count pinfall to win and HARASHIMA is on his own while Hirata’s team is filled up with a bunch of inanimate objects.

Two injuries came out this weekend. Tetsuya Endo suffered a left hand injury and later found out his fractured a metacarpal bone. Toru Owashi had a neck injury that was then diagnosed as a cervical spine injury. Both are now out of action with no timetable yet for either to return.

BASARA “BASARA 226 ~HAKUSEKIREI NO YORU~”, 06/08/2023
Tokyo Itabashi Green Hall

1. Takumi Tsukamoto Vs Lil’ Kraken
2. SAGAT & Akiyori Takizawa Vs Takato Nakano & Masato Kamino
3. Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi Vs Shinichiro Tominaga
4. KUBITO Return Match: KUBITO & Daichi Kazato Vs Yasu Urano & Fuminori Abe
5. Isami Kodaka & Daiki Shimomura Vs Tsutomu Oosugi & Banana Senga
6. Union MAX Next Challenger Match: FUMA Vs Ryota Nakatsu

Both FUMA and Ryota Nakatsu wanted to be the next challenger for the Union MAX Title so we’re getting a No. 1 Contender’s match between them.

KUBITO returns for his first match since April. He’s been out of action ever since dealing with health problems involving his pancreas.

Shinichiro Tominaga comes over to pay BASARA a visit. Although he is a regular with Ganbare☆Pro his actual home promotion is with a small indy in Tokyo called Come On Wrestling Party.

BAKA GAIJIN + FRIENDS “VOL. SEVEN: CHRISSY B’S BIRTHDAY BASH”, 24/08/2023
Tokyo ARENA Shimokitazawa

1. Special Single Match: Mecha Mummy (w/ Mad Dr. Ueki) Vs Takeshi Masada
2. Special Single Match: Antonio Honda Vs Ram Kaichow
3. Special Single Match: Hagane Shinno Vs Maya Yukihi
4. Special Single Match: Chris Brookes Vs Yoshihiko

The next Baka Gaijin + Friends show is also a big birthday party for Chris Brookes! Among the invited guests are Yoshihiko, Hagane Shinno, Maya Yukihi, Antonio Honda, Ram Kaichow, Mecha Mummy and Takeshi Masada.

Looks like Takayuki Ueki is fully adopting a mad doctor gimmick for these shows.

BASARA “BASARA 227 ~UTAGE~”, 29/08/2023
Shin-Kiba 1st RING

1. IRON FIST Tag Team Titles: Daiki Shimomura & Minoru Fujita (c) Vs Tsutomu Oosugi & Banana Senga
2. Union MAX Title: Takumi Tsukamoto (c) Vs Winner Of 06/08 Match

The winner of FUMA Vs Nakatsu will face Takumi Tsukamoto for the MAX Title. Tsukamoto wanted to wait until the 29th August show for his next title defence because that show is when BASARA will be going back to serving all you can drink beers at Shin-Kiba 1st RING.

Sento Minzoku are now the undisputed IRON FIST Tag Team Champions but they have former two time champions Speed Of Sounds as their next challengers.

DDT “DDT BIG BANG 2023”, 09/09/2023
Tokyo Ota Ward Gymnasium

1. Pheromones Vs Subjugation Final Match! Special Single Match ~ Dissolution Contra Vice President: Yuki “Sexy” Iino (w/ Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno) Vs Akito
2. Current Blast Death Match: Atsushi Onita Vs X
3. KO-D Openweight Title: Chris Brookes (c) Vs Shigehiro Irie

Sunday was a dream come true for Brookes after he won the KO-D Openweight Title. He now has a big challenge in the form of Shigehiro Irie to prepare for this September. Irie coming out to challenge him was a surprise because Brookes expected somebody like Ueno to do that first. The two know each other from wrestling in Europe and they currently have a 1-1 singles record together. Irie has world domination on his mind so he intends to win the KO-D Title and bring it with him on his upcoming overseas tours (because that worked out sooooo well last time).

Akito has called out Pheromones and wants to put an end to their feud once and for all. For real this time. No seriously. He means it. He will face Yuki Iino in a match that will not be prematurely stopped or called off for any reason. If Akito wins then Pheromones must disband. However Danshoku Dieno complained that the match was put together without Akito putting anything at risk. After having a public meeting with Dieno today, Akito agreed to put his Vice President position on the line!

“MASAHIRO TAKANASHI 20TH ANNIVERSARY SHOW”, 19/09/2023
Shinjuku FACE

1. Special Single Match: Mei Suruga Vs Minoru Suzuki
2. Chris Brookes Vs Masahiro Takanashi

For the first time ever Mei Suruga takes on Minoru Suzuki in what will surely become a bloodbath! What caused Masahiro Takanashi to come up with such a sadistic idea for a match?

DDT “WHO’S GONNA TOP? 2023”, 24/09/2023
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

1. DDT Universal Title: Matt Cardona (w/ Steph De Lander) (c) Vs Maki Itoh

The next DDT Universal Title match brings one of the big feuds in GCW over to Japan. Matt Cardona is still soaking in the glory of his title win and now calls the belt the DMK (Death Match King) Universal Championship. Meanwhile Steph De Lander is wondering if she would go on a date with the injured Tetsuya Endo as long as he pays for every single thing she wants. Maki Itoh was so annoyed to see Cardona win the title she immediately sent a video to DDT demanding a title shot. She is certain she is the right person to bring the belt back to DDT and restore its prestige.


Wrestle Peter Pan This Sunday, Kodaka Vs SHO Gets A Sponsor, Takanashi’s 20th Anniversary

July 21, 2023

The “WRESTLE PETER PAN 2023” preview will be posted later this evening. First there are three shows happening tomorrow but the cards are already finalized. So let’s go straight to Sunday.

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

1. Takeshi Masada Vs Kazuma Sumi
2. Sanshiro Takagi, Shinichiro Kawamatsu & Yuni Vs Masahiro Takanashi, Toy Kojima & Rukiya
3. 3 Way 6-Man Tag Match: Naruki Doi, Toru Owashi & Kazuki Hirata Vs Minoru Fujita, MJ Paul & KANON Vs Kotaro Suzuki, Yusuke Okada & Yuya Koroku
4. Yuki “Sexy” Iino, Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno & Yumehito “Fantastic” Imanari (w/ Kachikire Hisaya) Vs Akito, Soma Takao & Yoshitomo Shimohigashi (w/ Buchigire Ujihara)
5. Special Tag Match: Chiitan☆ & Pokotan Vs Andreza Giant Panda & Super Sasadango Machine
6. KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles: Kazusada Higuchi, Ryota Nakatsu & Yuki Ishida (c) Vs Yukio Sakaguchi, Saki Akai & Hideki Okatani
7. Special Single Match: TAKA Michinoku Vs MAO
8. Special Tag Match ~ Yukio Naya Return Match: HARASHIMA & Yukio Naya Vs Jun Akiyama & Shigehiro Irie
9. Special Single Match: KONOSUKE TAKESHITA Vs Yuki Ueno
10. DDT Universal Title: Tetsuya Endo (c) Vs Matt Cardona (w/ Steph De Lander)
11. Mexico Kanko Presents Dramatic Dream Match: Daisuke Sasaki Vs El Desperado
12. KO-D Openweight Title – Good Com Asset Presents: Yuji Hino (c) Vs Chris Brookes

Kenta Kobashi will be at the show to do commentary for the main event.

BASARA “BASARA 225 ~SENGUNBANBA~”, 23/07/2023
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

1. FUMA & Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi Vs Lil’ Kraken & Akira Jo
2. 3 Way Match: Daichi Kazato Vs Gouma Ryu Vs Yasu Urano
3. IRON FIST Tag Team Titles Next Challengers 3 Way Match: Ryuichi Sekine & Ryota Nakatsu Vs Fuminori Abe & Takuya Nomura Vs Tsutomu Oosugi & Banana Senga
4. Acacia Leaf Presents: Isami Kodaka Vs SHO
5. IRON FIST Tag Team Titles Unification Match: Takato Nakano & Masato Kamino (c) Vs Daiki Shimomura & Minoru Fujita (i/c)
6. Union MAX Title & CCW Canadian Heavyweight Title: Takumi Tsukamoto (M/c) Vs SAGAT (C/c)

The Isami Kodaka Vs SHO match now has a sponsor. Acacia Leaf is a photography studio.

GANBARE☆PRO “UNDER THE SILVER LAKE 2023”, 06/08/2023
Tokyo Takashimadaira Kumin Center

1. Keisuke Ishii Vs Munetatsu Nakamura
2. GanJo Vs JTO!: Yoshiko Hasegawa & Riara Vs Misa Kagura & HisokA
3. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Yumehito Imanari, Mizuki Watase & Tyson Maeguchi Vs Shota, Soma Takao & Shinichiro Tominaga
4. Special Single Match: Ken Ohka Vs Koji Doi
5. Spirit Of Ganbare World Tag Team Titles: Shuichiro Katsumura & Takuya Wada (c) Vs Hartley Jackson & HARUKAZE
6. Spirit Of Ganbare World Openweight Title: Isami Kodaka (c) Vs YuuRI

The Ganbare☆Joshi Vs JTO rivalry continues. JTO are sending over Misa Kagura & HisokA to take on Yoshiko Hasegawa & Riara.

A challenge was thrown out by Munetatsu Nakamura to face Keisuke Ishii one on one.

DDT “MEMORIES OF SUMMER VACATION 2023 TOUR IN YAMAGATA”, 06/08/2023
Yamagata Big Wing

1. Yamagata Specialty Special Tag Match: Kazusada Higuchi & Yuki Ishida Vs Yukio Naya & Keisuke Goto

Yamagata’s own Keisuke Goto makes his second appearance in DDT. The first took place in October 2021.

“MASAHIRO TAKANASHI 20TH ANNIVERSARY SHOW”, 19/09/2023
Shinjuku FACE

1. Chris Brookes Vs Masahiro Takanashi

Masahiro Takanashi celebrates 20 years in wrestling and Chris Brookes is invited for the main event. CDK clashes against each other!


TOKYO JOSHI PRO “UP UP GIRLS (PRO WRESTLING) 2ND SHOW GRAB IT! THE HIGHEST STAGE!” Results

June 10, 2023

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “UP UP GIRLS (PRO WRESTLING) 2ND SHOW GRAB IT! THE HIGHEST STAGE!”, 10/06/2023
Shinjuku FACE
??? Fans

1. Moka Miyamoto & Toga defeated Arisu Endo & Shino Suzuki when Miyamoto submitted Suzuki with the Rashomon (?:??).
2. Hikari Noa & Nao Kakuta defeated Wakana Uehara & Haru Kazashiro when Noa pinned Uehara after the 5G (?:??).
3. Miu Watanabe & Suzume defeated Raku & HIMAWARI when Watanabe pinned HIMAWARI with the Tear Drop (?:??).

The Up Up Girls (Pro Wrestling) held their own event that was a mixture of music concert and pro wrestling matches. The first half of the show was a concert with a full playlist including solo performances from each of the women as well as the debut of two new songs “Rock It Now” and “babyface”.

Then three wrestling matches were held featuring the Tokyo Joshi Pro roster including The Up Up Girls themselves Miu Watanabe, Hikari Noa, Raku & Shino Suzuki. Once that was completed came the big news story of the show. The Up Up Girls has a new member joining the group! Her name is Uta, she is from Ishikawa, she was born on 29th March, 2007 and she stands at 150cm tall. Watanabe is both her favorite idol and wrestler. She also likes ice cream. She performed “Upper Kick” (the second time the song was performed) with the rest of the unit to close out the show.


New Up Up Girls Show, IP Title No. 1 Contender Match, SILVER QUEEN, Time To Get Assessed

June 5, 2023

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “UP UP GIRLS (PRO WRESTLING) 2ND SHOW GRAB IT! THE HIGHEST STAGE!”, 10/06/2023
Shinjuku FACE

1. Moka Miyamoto & Toga Vs Arisu Endo & Shino Suzuki
2. Hikari Noa & Nao Kakuta Vs Wakana Uehara & Haru Kazashiro
3. Miu Watanabe & Suzume Vs Raku & HIMAWARI

For the first time in four and a half years The Up Up Girls (Pro Wrestling) are holding their own show featuring music performances as well as wrestling matches. The first show was a milestone for the unit because it was where each member revealed their pro wrestling names as well debuting their song “Upper Chop!” Shino Suzuki already has her ring name. Unless at the show she decides to change it to Susususu Suzuki?

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “STICK OUT ’23”, 11/06/2023
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

1. Pom Harajuku Vs HIMAWARI
2. Hikari Noa & Nao Kakuta Vs Toga & Runa Okubo
3. Shoko Nakajima & Moka Miyamoto Vs Suzume & Haru Kazashiro
4. Yuki Kamifuku, Kaya Toribami & Wakane Uehara Vs Yuki Arai, Raku & Shino Suzuki
5. Hyper Misao Vs Mahiro Kiryu
6. International Princess Title Next Challenger Match: Yuki Aino Vs Arisu Endo
7. Princess Tag Team Titles: Yuka Sakazaki & Mizuki (c) Vs Rika Tatsumi & Miu Watanabe

Two wrestlers have stepped forward asking for a shot at the International Princess Title for different reasons. Yuki Aino wants to win the championship after seeing there are women all over the world coming to Tokyo Joshi Pro to fight for it. Arisu Endo was inspired to ask for a shot after standing in her friend Suzume’s corner during last month’s title match. The two will face off in a singles match with the winner getting to challenge Rika Tatsumi somewhere down the road.

A few weeks ago Hyper Misao made Mahiro Kiryu the hero of her own story at the “HYPE!” event. Now they have to be opponents. Misao didn’t see this match coming but understands she will have to beat her friend, even if it ends Kiryu’s momentum coming out of “HYPE!”

Yuki Arai is cleared to return to wrestling on this show. Her return match is also the first time she will be teaming with Raku & Shino Suzuki. That fact is making her look forward to returning even more.

English commentary for the show will be provided by Chris Brookes, Drew Parker and Baliyan Akki.

DDT “WHAT ARE YOU DOING 2023 TOUR IN HAKODATE”, 16/06/2023
Hakodate City General Wholesale Center Distribution Hall

1. SILVER QUEEN Infomercial Match: Sanshiro Takagi & Kazuki Hirata Vs MAO & Yoshihiko

DDT is bringing back the Infomercial Match. It is a wrestling match purposefully put together to promote a local sponsor. For example the sponsor for this show is SILVER QUEEN, a restaurant marketed towards fans of the singer Eikichi Yazawa (the inspiration for Antonio Honda’s alter ego A.YAZAWA).

BASARA “BASARA 222 ~OENSOGURA~”, 17/06/2023
Miyagi-no Cultural Center

1. Lil’ Kraken Vs Yasu Urano
2. FUMA & Daichi Kazato Vs Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi & SAGAT
3. Daiki Shimomura & Takato Nakano Vs Tsutomu Oosugi & Banana Senga
4. Isami Kodaka Vs MUSASHI
5. Chouten ~Itadaki~ 2023 – Round 2 B Block: Ryota Nakatsu Vs Minoru Fujita
6. Chouten ~Itadaki~ 2023 – Round 2 B Block: Takumi Tsukamoto Vs Fuminori Abe

Three of the four remaining wrestlers in the B Block are former Chouten ~Itadaki~ winners. Takumi Tsukamoto has never won the tournament but he is the current Union MAX Champion. Meanwhile Ryota Nakatsu is a two time winner while Minoru Fujita and Fuminori Abe are the two most recent tournament champions.

Isami Kodaka being knocked out of the tournament early frees him up for a first time singles match against MUSASHI from Michinoku Pro.

DDT “WHAT ARE YOU DOING 2023”, 25/06/2023
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

1. Yukio Sakaguchi, Saki Akai, Hideki Okatani & Sanshiro Takagi Vs Ryota Nakatsu, Yuki Ishida, Yusuke Okada & Yuya Koroku
2. International Special Single Match: Tetsuya Endo Vs Nick Wayne
3. DDT Extreme Title: MAO Vs Kazuki Hirata
4. KO-D Tag Team Titles: Daisuke Sasaki & MJ Paul Vs Yuki Ueno & Toy Kojima

This past weekend saw Daisuke Sasaki & MJ Paul attack Toy Kojima with chairs before throwing their names in for the vacant KO-D Tag Team Titles match. DAMNATION T.A are entering the match thinking the championship is as good as theirs. Kojima has Yuki Ueno backing him up and will be fighting to bring the belts back to The 37KAMIINA on Shunma Katsumata’s behalf.

MAO has threatened to kick Kazuki Hirata to death in order to win the vacant DDT Extreme Title. However Hirata is always ready and expecting to be kicked to death in his matches so MAO will have to think about doing something else!

BASARA “BASARA 223 ~KOO~”, 27/06/2023
Shin-Kiba 1st RING

1. Chouten ~Itadaki~ 2023 – A Block Final: Daiki Shimomura Vs SAGAT
2. Chouten ~Itadaki~ 2023 – B Block Final: X Vs X
3. Chouten ~Itadaki~ 2023 – Final: X Vs X

Daiki Shimomura joins SAGAT in the semi-finals. Shimomura had to beat Kodaka to get hear while SAGAT had a much more peaceful route thanks to a bye sending him past the previous round without him having to wrestle.

GANBARE☆PRO “WRESTLE SEKIGAHARA II”, 09/07/2023
Tokyo Ota Ward Gymnasium

1. Riara Vs Sayaka Unagi
2. Yoshiko Hasegawa Vs Miyuki Takase
3. YuuRI & Tomoka Inaba Vs Takumi Iroha & Mio Momono
4. Keisuke Ishii, Shigehiro Irie & Soma Takao Vs Akito, Shota & Shinichiro Tominaga
5. Spirit Of Ganbare World Tag Team Titles: Hikaru Sato & Tyson Maeguchi (c) Vs Shuichiro Katsumura & Takuya Wada
6. Spirit Of Ganbare World Openweight Title: Mizuki Watase (c) Vs Isami Kodaka

Friends, training partners, wrestling rivals and now a tag team. That describes the relationship between Shuichiro Katsumura & Takuya Wada. They’ve never been able to fight each other in MMA due to being in different weight classes and also different companies. But they are joining forces believing they are the only two fighters who can defeat Hentai Punch Drunkers for the Spirit Of Ganbare Tag Team Titles. Their challenge was accepted by Tyson Maeguchi before Hikaru Sato could give his thoughts on the matter.

It will soon be time for Riara to get assessed by Sayaka Unagi. Apparently that’s a thing a lot of joshi has to go through these days. Unagi offered to wrestle on Ganbare☆Pro’s biggest show of the year again as a favour to her friend Yuna Manase. Since Manase is currently injured, Riara was chosen to be Unagi’s opponent. The two already knew each other while Riara was training to be a pro wrestler. Unagi’s lesson for her is it takes more than just having the “ganbare” spirit to succeed in wrestling.

The 6-Man Tag Match is a reunion on both sides. Akito, Shota & Shinichiro Tominaga represent the Young Communication Generation while Keisuke Ishii, Shigehiro Irie & Soma Takao are back together as Team Drift.


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 Ensho (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

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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

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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