This year’s King Of DDT tournament will have three previous winners taking part alongside four first timers. Every match in the tournament will have no time limit. The bracket ends at the semi finals were the four remaining wrestlers will be paired together via lottery.
DDT “KING OF DDT 2026 1ST ROUND”, 04/05/2026 Tokyo Korakuen Hall
1. King Of DDT – Round 1A: Danshoku Dieno Vs Kaisei Takechi
2. King Of DDT – Round 1B: To-y Vs Takeshi Masada
3. King Of DDT – Round 1C: Minoru Suzuki Vs Yukio Naya
4. King Of DDT – Round 1D: Chris Brookes Vs Junta Miyawaki
5. King Of DDT – Round 1E: HARASHIMA Vs Daichi Sato
6. King Of DDT – Round 1F: Shinya Aoki Vs KANON
7. King Of DDT – Round 1G: Hideki Okatani Vs Yuya Koroku
8. King Of DDT – Round 1H: MAO Vs Kazuma Sumi
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DDT “KING OF DDT 2026 2ND ROUND”, 09/05/2026 Shinjuku FACE
1. King Of DDT – Round 2: Winner Of Match 1A Vs Winner Of Match 1B
2. King Of DDT – Round 2: Winner Of Match 1C Vs Winner Of Match 1D
3. King Of DDT – Round 2: Winner Of Match 1E Vs Winner Of Match 1F
4. King Of DDT – Round 2: Winner Of Match 1G Vs Winner Of Match 1H
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DDT “KING OF DDT 2026 FINAL!!”, 31/05/2026 Tokyo Korakuen Hall
1. King Of DDT – Semi Final: X Vs X
2. King Of DDT – Semi Final: X Vs X
3. King Of DDT – Final: X Vs X
DDT “CHANGE AGE 2026 ~TOBIKIRI ZENKAI POWER~”, 05/04/2026 Tokyo Korakuen Hall ??? Fans – Unannounced
0. Dark Match: Rukiya defeated Yuni with the Proto Bomb (6:12).
1. Takeshi Masada, Yuya Koroku & Daichi Sato defeated Kazuma Sumi, Masami Inahata & Hinata Kasai when Masada pinned Kasai with a PK (8:25).
2. Variety King Decision Match: Hisaya Imabayashi defeated Toru Owashi, Danshoku Dieno, Super Sasadango Machine, Kazuki Hirata, Antonio Honda and Akito when Imabayashi submitted Hirata with a Sleeper Hold (13:41).
3. DAMNATION T.A Vs STRANGE LOVE CONNECTION!: Yukio Naya & Viento Maligno defeated Hideki Okatani & Ilusion when Naya pinned Ilusion with The World’s Best Back Drop (8:27).
4. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Yuki Iino, Jun Akiyama & Junta Miyawaki defeated Yuki Ueno, Shinya Aoki & To-y when Iino pinned Ueno with the Spear (10:59).
5. Special Single Match: Kaisei Takechi defeated Makoto Oishi with the BREAK IT DOWN (9:46).
6. KO-D Tag Team Titles: Chris Brookes & HARASHIMA defeated MAO & KANON (c) (w/ KIMIHIRO) when HARASHIMA pinned KANON with the Swan Dive Somato (12:26). *STRANGE LOVE CONNECTION fails in V5. FANTÔMES DRAMATIC become the 89th KO-D Tag Team Champions!
7. Special 6-Man Tag Match ~ Harimao Last Match: Naomi Yoshimura, Ryota Nakatsu & Yuki Ishida (w/ Kazusada Higuchi) defeated Shunma Katsumata, Kota Umeda & Kouki Iwasaki when Ishida pinned Katsumata with the Flame Palm (19:56).
If it was Kazusada Higuchi he would want to wrestle a little bit longer but today he had to retire from pro wrestling, ending his eleven year career over a neck injury. Having already wrestled his last match due to doctor’s orders, Higuchi had to serve as a second for Harimao in the main event 6-Man Tag Match. The sumo themed unit agreed to split up because of Higuchi’s retirement and today would be their last match together. Their opponents were three wrestlers who Higuchi grew up with in the DDT New Attitude developmental brand that existed from 2014 to 2018. It brought back some old rivalries likes the one between Ryota Nakatsu and Kota Umeda. Higuchi did take one more chance to get physical by throwing Chops at all of the wrestlers who were brought over to him at ringside. Yuki Ishida got rid of Kouki Iwasaki with the Leg Scoop Suplex while on the other side Shunma Katsumata wiped out Naomi Yoshimura with a Topé Con Hilo. The match came down to Ishida receiving one last fighting spirit from Higuchi to hit Katsumata with the Flame Palm for the three count.
Higuchi’s retirement ceremony took place after the match. He took commemorative photos with Harimao and then the DNA wrestlers. After that the next group of people to appear were Shuji Ishikawa, Yuji Hino and KUBITO who were tied to Higuchi as tag partners, rivals or training buddies at various times. Higuchi then received an anonymous letter from his alledged trainer. This mystery person is apparantely not in Japan at the moment but he wanted to tell Higuchi he is proud of him for becoming a top class wrestler and for leaving the ring with his body still intact. More wrestlers entered the ring to gift Higuchi with bouquets including Jun Akiyama, HARASHIMA, Danshoku Dino, Antonio Honda, Yuki Ueno, Tetsuya Endo and Konosuke Takeshita.
Finally Higuchi was reunited with the other Eruption members Yukio Sakaguchi & Saki Akai. Not only that but Hideki Okatani entered the ring holding the Eruption gown that Higuchi had gifted to him when Higuchi left the unit. Okatani returned it back to him. Sanshiro Takagi was the last person to give a bouquet and everyone got together for a big group photo. Higuchi got on the microphone and said today he has run out of his strength and he’s come to the conclusion that this is the best decision he could make. He can only express is gratitude and is grateful to everyone in DDT. He also used the Wrestle Universe broadcast to tell Yoshihiro Takayama and Masahiro Takanashi that everyone here is waiting for their return. While Higuchi will no longer live in the ring, he will continue to move forward step by step in the ring of life.
FANTÔMES DRAMATIC have gotten their hands on their first proper championship by winning the KO-D Tag Team Titles! Things went crazy from the get go when The Apex lifted up KIMIHIRO and threw him onto everybody grouped together outside the ring. Strange Love Connection found that their own teamwork was being evenly matched by Chris Brookes & HARASHIMA. The challengers separated KANON from MAO and focused all of their attacks on the former. KANON was able to kick out after taking a Piledriver followed by the Somato but HARASHIMA used the souped up Swan Dive version of his finisher to win the tag titles. Later backstage MAO said his goal with this title run was to help KANON loosen up and he thinks they accomplished that. They can rebound by going after any championship but for the moment he wants the both of them to aim for the Top 3 in this year’s King Of DDT tournament.
While Fandora were celebrating their title win, Ilusion got into the ring while wearing all of the KO-D 10-Man Tag Team Title belts over his body. He claimed to be the new leader of DAMNATION T.A and because he has more title belts than Fandora, he is using his position to challenge them for the KO-D Tag Titles. He then unveiled a banner of Daisuke Sasaki to reveal that Sasaki will be his partner for the match. HARASHIMA accepted the challenge for 1st May because so that can be Sasaki’s first match back in DDT after coming home from his North American excursion. Before that takes place, Brookes said Fandora will go win the KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles on 15th April.
It was a special match between teacher and student when Makoto Oishi found himself being challenged by Kaisei Takechi. It’s been lightly thrown around that Takechi would officially surpass Oishi as soon as he could beat him in the ring. But Takechi has yet to win a singles match so he couldn’t afford to take his mentor lightly. Oishi took his student to school with basic moves as well as a well times Dropkick to the knee as a counter for the Flying Forearm. Takechi took a page out of Higuchi’s book by using the Brain Claw to break his way out of Oishi’s Fujiyama Knee Lock. He then showed off his new Choke Slam/Rock Bottom finisher called the BREAK IT DOWN, pinning Oishi to get his first ever singles victory.
Takechi was then suddenly met by Danshoku Dieno after the match. Dieno was there to propose the two of them have a singles match some day. Takechi agreed, saying he has no reason to refuse a challenge. Hisaya Imabayashi then decided since the two of them are entering the King Of DDT tournament, this can be one of the 1st Round matches! Takechi and Dieno shook hands over the idea but Takechi then stopped Dieno from leaning in for a kiss. He made a promise to Dieno that he is going to exceed his expectations. Backstage Takechi was asked if his agency is worried about him wrestling Dieno. He said DDT has the rights to book that match but admits if the card has to change, it is because LDH did not want it to happen. Dino acknowledged that there is an unwritten no contact agreement in place with him and Takechi but Takechi is officially a DDT wrestler so it is inevitable that Danshoku Dieno would be unleashed on him eventually.
There was a little bit of confusion among Yuki Ueno’s team when Shinya Aoki decided to stop up him pinning Junta Miyawaki early in the 6-Man Tag Match. Ueno then had Jun Akiyama properly stopping him from pinning Yuki Iino by hitting him with the Knee Strike. To-y did a big dive onto everyone so Ueno could be left alone to fight Iino. But the WR was countered into a Short-Range Spear followed by a full fledged one to give Iino a big win over the KO-D Openweight Champion. Iino asked Ueno how it felt to lose for the fist time after so long because Iino will soon take the belt and prove he is the strongest in DDT! Ueno asked him if he has any dreams for the future but Iino answered he has no time to think about that. He is busy living every day to its fullest.
Okatani and Yukio Naya gave everyone a preview of their DDT Extreme Title match by brawling around ringside while Ilusion and Viento Maligno wrestled each other. Naya toughed it out by taking chair shots and being thrown into the front row. He then refused to budge when he put Ilusion in a Crab Hold and invited Okatani to try and physically break it up. MJ Paul interfered to finally make some progress but Maligno was able to get him out of the ring. Naya recovered and Choke Slammed Okatani to stop him from using the chair again. After that he pinned Ilusion with The World’s Best Back Drop.
A really important designation was on the line in Match #2. All of the DDT goofballs were gathered together to determine who is the king of DDT’s “Variety” wrestlers! However the show was already running on a tight schedule so Imabayashi wanted everyone to do their entrances all at once. Kazuki Hirata suggested they start wrestling before the entrances and then play everyone’s music as the match progresses. They all brawled down to the ring, taking Imabayashi down with them and continued fighting until Toru Owashi’s song played. He ran to the back to make his entrance and ring introduction. This would next happen to Super Sasadango Machine, then Akito, then Dieno, then Antonio Honda and finally Kazuki Hirata. Except the heavy usage of the music system blew out the venue’s amplifier during Hirata’s entrance. The wrestlers (including Saki Akai and Tetsu Inada) all formed a daisy chain connecting from Dieno over to the amplifier in order to charge it back up to full repair. Hirata got to do his entrance until Imabayashi suddenly put him in a Sleeper Hold and tapped him out! Imabayashi was declared the winner and he ordered everyone to get out so the show could continue.
As previously mentioned way up above, FANTÔMES DRAMATIC will soon be challenging for the KO-D 6-Man Tag Titles. Hinata Kasai will be on the challenger team and he got to fight the champions paleyouth in today’s opening bout. He had a tough go at fighting Takeshi Masada & Daichi Sato until Kazuma Sumi tagged in to even things out. Yuya Koroku found himself fighting Masami Inahata to a stalemate. paleyouth then gathered their wits about them to team up on Kasai, ultimately leading to Masada pinning Kasai with a Penalty Kick. He showed off one of the title belts to him after the match, causing Kasai to hit him with an Elbow Strike in response. Koroku then grabbed Kasai and threw him out of the ring.
After graduating from high school and becoming a college student, Yuni showed up wearing a new costume for his match against Rukiya. A big Moonsault from Yuni was blocked by Rukiya sticking his feet up. He got the win with the Proto Bomb but it took two of them to get the result after Yuni kicked out of it the first time.
DDT “CHANGE AGE 2026 ~TOBIKIRI ZENKAI POWER~”, 05/04/2026 Tokyo Korakuen Hall
0. Dark Match: Yuni Vs Rukiya
1. Takeshi Masada, Yuya Koroku & Daichi Sato Vs Kazuma Sumi, Masami Inahata & Hinata Kasai
2. Variety King Decision Match: Toru Owashi Vs Danshoku Dieno Vs Super Sasadango Machine Vs Kazuki Hirata Vs Antonio Honda Vs Akito
3. DAMNATION T.A Vs STRANGE LOVE CONNECTION!: Hideki Okatani & Ilusion Vs Yukio Naya & Viento Maligno
4. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Yuki Ueno, Shinya Aoki & To-y Vs Yuki Iino, Jun Akiyama & Junta Miyawaki
5. Special Single Match: Kaisei Takechi Vs Makoto Oishi
6. KO-D Tag Team Titles: MAO & KANON (c) (w/ KIMIHIRO) Vs Chris Brookes & HARASHIMA
7. Special 6-Man Tag Match ~ Harimao Last Match: Naomi Yoshimura, Ryota Nakatsu & Yuki Ishida Vs Shunma Katsumata, Kota Umeda & Kouki Iwasaki
This Sunday DDT says farewell to Kazusada Higuchi as well as Harimao. DDT have confirmed that Saki Akai will be one of the guest commentators during the show. Does that mean Yukio Sakaguchi will show up too for one last Eruption reunion?
DDT “DDT X MOP WRESTLE TOUR 2026 IN MITSUI OUTLET PARK MARINE PIA KOBE”, 11/04/2026 Hyogo Mitsui Outlet Park Marine Pia Kobe
1. Takeshi Masada, Yuya Koroku & Daichi Sato Vs KAzuma Sumi, Kazuki Hirata & Yukio Naya
2. Jun Akiyama & Yuni Vs Chris Brookes & Hinata Kasai
3. HARASHIMA, Antonio Honda & Yuki Ishida Vs MAO, Junta Miyawaki & Tomomitsu Matsunaga
4. The 37KAMIINA Vs DAMNATION T.A!: Yuki Ueno, Shunma Katsumata & Yuki Ishida Vs Hideki Okatani, MJ Paul & Ilusion
5. MOP Tag Team Titles: KANON & Viento Maligno (c) (w/ KIMIHIRO) Vs Sanshiro Takagi & Masami Inahata
The next two shows of the “DDT X MOP WRESTLE TOUR” will continue having MOP Tag Team Title matches in the main event. First up KANON & Viento Maligno have their first defence lined up against Sanshiro Takagi & Masami Inahata.
DDT “DDT X MOP WRESTLE TOUR 2026 IN MITSUI OUTLET PARK HOKURIKU OYABE”, 12/04/2026 Toyama Mitsui Outlet Park Hokuriku Oyabe
1. Kazuma Sumi & Takeshi Masada Vs Kazuki Hirata & Yuki Ishida
2. Sanshiro Takagi & Masami Inahata Vs Tomomitsu Matsunaga & Hinata Kasai
3. FANTÔMES DRAMATIC Vs DAMNATION T.A!: Chris Brookes, HARASHIMA & Antonio Honda Vs Hideki Okatani, MJ Paul & Ilusion
4. Special 8-Man Tag Match: Yuki Ueno, Shunma Katsumata, To-y & Junta Miyawaki Vs MAO, Yukio Naya, Yuya Koroku & Daichi Sato
5. MOP Tag Team Titles: KANON & Viento Maligno (c) Vs Jun Akiyama & Yuni
Whichever team wins the title match in Kobe will go defend them against Jun Akiyama & Yuni in Oyabe the next day. The losers of the Kobe match will face Tomomitsu Matsunaga & Hinata Kasai instead.
DDT “SAPPORO GOLDEN BATTLE 2026”, 02/05/2026 Hokkaido Sapporo Sun Plaza
1. Sapporo Studio Five Presents Special 6-Man Tag Match: Yuki Ueno, Shunma Katsumata & To-y Vs Chris Brookes, HARASHIMA & Antonio Honda
DDT are bringing in Tomoya and Noriyuki Yoshida like they always do whenever they go to Hokkaido. Kumadori will be on the show too.
DDT “DRAMATIC DREAMS! VOL. 13 ~MY SPIRIT GUARDS MY LORD IN THE EAST~”, 17/05/2026 Osaka City Sumiyoshi Community Center
1. Special Tag Match ~ Laughter Brings Fortune: MAO & KANON (w/ KIMIHIRO) Vs Kuishinbo Kamen & Kikutaro
2. Special Tag Match ~ Infinite Stimulation Anniversary: Zack Sabre Jr. & Chris Brookes Vs HARASHIMA & Shinya Aoki
Yukinori Matsui is bringing the big guns out for this one. Zack Sabre Jr. is back in DDT to team up with Chris Brookes again. Together, SCAHDEN TEKKERS are going to face the team of HARASHIMA & Shinya Aoki, making this match a first time meeting between Sabre and Aoki in the ring.
SUPER JAPAN “JUDGEMENT”, 24/03/2026 Shinjuku FACE ??? Fans – Unannounced
1. Evil Uno & Ram Kaichow defeated Shota & Marika Kobashi when Uno pinned Shota with the Something Evil (9:05).
2. 3 Way Match: Hiroshi Yamato Vs Gym Trainer Kotoka Vs Ippanjin Munenori Sawa ended in a Triple Knockout Draw (9:17).
3. Special 6-Man Tag Team Titles: Brahman Shu, Brahman Kei & Mac Matsushita defeated Takashi Sasaki, Naoshi Sano & Demonio Uno when Kei pinned Uno after the Gotai Fumanzoku (8:17).
4. Special Single Match: Sanshiro Takagi defeated Poison Sawada JULIE with the Stone Cold Stunner (9:02).
5. Special Single Match: Kuroshio TOKYO Japan defeated Kumadori with a School Boy (10:32).
6. Special Single Match: Kazunari Murakami Vs Shinya Aoki ended in a No Contest (11:16).
7. Special Single Match: Yuji Nagata defeated Fuminori Abe with the Back Drop Hold (16:04).
DDT’s 29th Anniversary show wasn’t the only wrestling event named “JUDGEMENT” to take place this week. It’s alternate timeline equivalent Super Japan held its own “JUDGEMENT” today, using the original gimmick related to that name in order to determine if it should continue to exist or not. Every fan in attendance was handed a ballot to vote on whether they support more Super Japan shows in the future or if Sanshiro Takagi’s side project should be binned instead. With 258 Yes votes, only 6 No votes and 51 non-answers the judgement was clear. Super Japan will continue! It’s a good thing too because Takagi already went ahead and made future plans for the brand that would have gone to waste if the audience rejected the promotion.
One of the decisions made today was the hiring of a new advisor for the brand. Takagi has now brought Masayuki Uchida on board and will count on his experience of managing several wrestling promotions in the past. Uchida was the president of All Japan in the early 2010s then became chairman for NOAH during the second half of that decade. He also previously worked with Takagi as a director for the Bakuha Koshien spin off that DDT promoted with Atsushi Onita during the pandemic. Uchida said he is just as confused over the disappearance of those shows as anyone else. His first goal as Super Japan’s advisor is to push Yuji Nagata back to the top of the wrestling industry.
After Nagata beat Fuminori Abe in the main event, Uchida approached him with an idea to form a brilliant new tag team for the next show in Ueno Park on 27th May. Had Super Japan disbanded today, Takagi would have used the booking to put on something else as a backup plan. Instead he now gets to be part of a once in a lifetime main event. Uchida brought out CIMA to meet Nagata! CIMA explained to everyone that he is linked to Nagata because they once had a match against each other in WCW 29 years ago. It was very early in CIMA’s wrestling career and Ultimo Dragon also entrusted him to be Nagata’s weight training partner back then. Nagata agreed to be CIMA’s partner and together the two can be called WCW’s Strongest Tag Team! Facing them on 27th May will be two rivals who decided to form an alliance today. Sanshiro Takagi beat his long time enemy Poison Sawada JULIE earlier in the show then proposed they form their own tag team because Super Japan is meant to be an alternate timeline of DDT. The two later answered Nagata & CIMA’s challenge. Nagata remembers when Sawada was a trainee in New Japan so he’s interested to fight him. CIMA then tried to attack Sawada only to get stopped by Sawada’s snake magic. Takagi said now that he and Sawada are a team after being enemies for 30 years, something terrifying is bound to happen!
There were two matches that finished without a winner during today’s show. Kazunari Murakami and Shinya Aoki got into a brawl at ringside that went out of control and put the referee in danger. He ended up calling off the match when both Murakami and Aoki kept putting him in harm’s way. The 3 Way Match between Hiroshi Yamato, Gym Trainer Kotoka and Munenori Sawa turned into an impromptu workout session where all three men exhausted themselves into unconsciousness.
Kuroshio TOKYO Japan taunted Kumadori’s dancing by asking his if he even knows how to wrestle? He then baited his opponent into breakdancing so he could get the jump on him. Kuroshio then declared he would intentionally injure Kumadori so he would never dance again! Kumadori’s dance skills helped him fight back to where the two started a dance battle against each other. But Kuroshio cut it off with a surprise roll up to win the match.
DDT “JUDGEMENT 2026 ~29TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION 5 HOUR SPECIAL~”, 22/03/2026 Tokyo Korakuen Hall ??? Fans – Unannounced
0. Dark Match: Yuni defeated Hinata Kasai with the Jorge Clutch (7:26).
0. Dark Match – Tokyo Joshi Pro Offer Match: HIMAWARI, Haru Kazashiro & Chika Nanase defeated Toga, Ren Konatsu & Shion Kanzaki when Kazashiro pinned Kanzaki with the Fisherman Suplex (9:53).
1. Jun Akiyama defeated Rukiya with the Exploder Suplex (6:20).
2. Special Tag Match: Yuki Iino & Yukio Naya defeated Evil Uno & Akito when Iino pinned Akito with the Spear (11:12).
3. 3 Way Tag Match: Viento Maligno & Kumadori defeated MJ Paul & Ilusion and Makoto Oishi & Masami Inahata when Maligno pinned Ilusion with the Driver Maligno (8:25).
4. Special Single Match ~ Shunma Katsumata Return Match: MAO defeated Shunma Katsumata with a Running Palm Strike (12:04).
5. KO-D Tag Team Titles Next Challengers Decision Match: Chris Brookes & HARASHIMA defeated Shinya Aoki & Junta Miyawaki when HARASHIMA pinned Miyawaki with the Somato (12:33).
6. DDT Extreme Title – No Hitting With The Bamboo Sword! If You Want To Use It Make Them Laugh! Staring Contest Punishment Bamboo Sword Deathmatch!!!!!: Hideki Okatani defeated To-y (c) with the Vertical Drop Brainbuster (12:20). *To-y fails in V8. Hideki Okatani becomes the 64th DDT Extreme Champion!
7. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title – 1 Vs 6 Handicap Match: Sanshiro Takagi, Toru Owashi, Danshoku Dieno, Super Sasadango Machine, Antonio Honda, Hisaya Imabayashi & Glasses defeated Minoru Suzuki (c) when Glasses pinned Suzuki (11:51). *Glasses becomes the 1,812nd champion.
8. KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles: Takeshi Masada, Yuya Koroku & Daichi Sato (c) defeated Naomi Yoshimura, Ryota Nakatsu & Yuki Ishida when Masada pinned Ishida with the Manburi (14:17) *V1 for paleyouth.
9. Dramatic Dream Match: KONOSUKE TAKESHITA defeated Kazuki Hirata (w/ John Robinson) with a Big Boot (0:07).
9a. Rematch: KONOSUKE TAKESHITA defeated Kazuki Hirata (w/ John Robinson) with an Elbow Butt (0:10).
9b. World’s 20 Vs Adachi Ward’s 2! Let’s Have A Great Death Match!: KONOSUKE TAKESHITA defeated Kazuki Hirata (w/ John Robinson) with the Walls Of Takeshita (9:02).
10. DDT Universal Title: Kazuma Sumi defeated Daisuke Sasaki (c) with the School Boy (16:48). *Daisuke Sasaki fails in V1. Kazuma Sumi becomes the 21st DDT Universal Champion!
11. KO-D Openweight Title: Yuki Ueno (c) defeated KANON with the WR (25:12). *V6 for Yuki Ueno.
-. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title: Antonio Honda defeated Glasses (c) by Destruction (18:47). *Antonio Honda becomes the 1,813rd champion.
The 29th Anniversary of DDT was also the first attempt by KANON to try and win the KO-D Openweight Title. For the weeks leading up to this match, KANON had been winning matches with the Lariat so Yuki Ueno tried to weaken it by hitting KANON’s hand off the corner post early on. KANON would still use the Lariat as an equalizer but then tried using his other moves to win. The Cobra Twist, Sleepy Hollow and LONELY DEZIRES wouldn’t work so he went back to the Lariat. However Ueno’s well time Dropkick to the face helped him to set up the Blackout Sleeper to squeeze the life out of KANON. While he was eventually able to get out of it, KANON was then given the WR to put him down and out.
Ueno told KANON after the match that he’s been thinking about him a lot. He thinks KANON is strong, handsome, kind and also weird. If he wants to make it to the top of DDT he cannot stay the way he is now. KANON needs to show more. Still, Ueno had fun and reminded KANON he’s been part of the DDT family even going back to when he was part of DAMNATION T.A. When he was done, Yuki Iino got into the ring feeling moved by Ueno’s speech. Iino asked for a title match because Ueno was his senior who taught him everything about pro wrestling back when Iino was a trainee. Ueno was also Iino’s first ever opponent. Ueno said he would accept the challenge on the condition that Iino would not immediately attack him after they shake hands. Iino agreed and they shook hands without incident. Ueno then told the fans he will carry the hopes of everybody as DDT moves into its 30th year.
After several failed attempts, Kazuma Sumi solved the puzzle and got to pin Daisuke Sasaki with the School Boy to win the DDT Universal Title! Sasaki targeted his leg from the get-go, including attacking the limb with a chair. A ref bump also led to the other members of DAMNATION T.A interfering on Sasaki’s behalf. Sumi fought against the odds but almost paid big by missing the Reverse 450 Splash. His luck then turned around when DAMNATION T.A interfered again only to backfire on Sasaki when Ilusion accidentally hit him with the chair. From there Sumi tried to pin Sasaki with the School Boy several times. Sasaki caught him in the Crossface Lock only for Sumi to counter it into another School Boy, this time pinning Sasaki down for the three count! Sasaki complained backstage that his “visa” for travelling the world was now taken from him and he’s trying to figure out does this mean he is being banished from the country? He only remembers being hit by a chair so that means Sumi cheated to win! Sasaki will accept his fate for now. He will go abroad, fall in love, get dumped and then come back home.
When Sumi celebrated with the title he said he is so glad he never gave up. He was able to keep going because of everyone’s support. He was then asked to nominated his first challenger for a title defence in Fukuoka on 18th April. Sumi chose Shunma Katsumata because he wants to repay him for all of his kindness ever since he debuted. However Sumi’s way of repaying Katsumata is to surpass him so he is not taking him lightly by putting this title match together. Katsumata agreed to the match and said he is going to treat Sumi as his equal. His way of repaying Sumi will be to crush him and win the Universal Title!
Kazuki Hirata was given the biggest entrance possible by having John Robinson sing him down to the ring with a live performance of “TOKYO GO!” Then after all of that hype, Konosuke Takeshita pinned Hirata in seconds after a Big Boot. A rematch immediately took place but Takeshita won again this time with an Elbow Butt that knocked Hirata out. Hirata begged for another rematch and Takeshita accepted. He even allowed Hirata to only need a 2 Count pin to beat him while Takeshita would need to pin Hirata for a 20 Count! The match began again with those conditions. This time Robinson got involved by stopping Takeshita from attacking Hirata with a chair. He also offered a pair of Hirata GO! glasses but Takeshita destroyed them. Robinson got on the mic to sing “TOKYO GO!” again in order to revive Hirata’s chances. This time Takeshita put on the glasses and started dancing only for Robinson to sneak in and Low Blow Takeshita! Hirata then got in the Miracle One Shot Cradle but Takeshita kicked out at one. Hirata’s comeback was cut off with the Wagamama knee strike but he somehow kicked out at 19! Another Miracle One Shot Cradle was done as a counter for the Raging Fire but Takeshita kicked out at one again. Possibly knowing how close of a call that was, Takeshita flipped Hirata over into the Walls Of Takeshita to win the match by submission instead of pinfall.
After the match Takeshita told Hirata his style of wrestling is one of a kind and it is time for him to become No. 1 in DDT again! He wants Hirata to show him the ultimate Dramatic Dream. Then they can have another rematch where this time Takeshita will need to pin Hirata for a 30 count! After they left the ring, DDT announced that Takeshita will return at “WRESTLE PETER PAN 2026” in Sumo Hall on 11th August for a single match against Kaisei Takechi!
paleyouth got their first KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles defence in the bag after beating Harimao today. The challengers were accompanied by Kazusada Higuchi but he stood by and did not get involved. Daichi Sato stood toe to toe with Naomi Yoshimura while Takeshi Masada & Yuya Koroku threw both Ryota Nakatsu & Yuki Ishida away with German Suplexes. The match came down to Masada dodging Ishida’s Flame Palm and then hitting him with two Manburi kicks for the victory.
The champions were then greeted by FANTÔMES DRAMATIC after the match. Chris Brookes, HARASHIMA & Antonio Honda were there to get the next title shot until Honda talked about how dramatic it would be for a team with Hinata Kasai in it to win the titles from paleyouth. Masada asked if Kasai had even won a match yet? Kasai said he hasn’t but that doesn’t mean he cannot get his first win against them! He thinks the best way to celebrate his first win would be to hold championships with the rest of Fandora. All of a sudden, Brookes grabbed Bunbun and threw him into the audience! He went to retrieve him afterwards only to throw him to another part of the room! Masada swore revenge by declaring he will take all of his anger out on Kasai!
As part of the plan to get the Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title from Minoru Suzuki, the opposing team in the Handicap Match took part in Gongitsune training before the match. Their logic is Suzuki’s biggest weakness is his eyeballs so it will be up to Honda to poke them. Hisaya Imabayashi bravely started the match with Suzuki but was left to fight by himself and was almost choked out with the Sleeper Hold. Sanshiro Takagi got into a Chop Battle with Suzuki while Danshoku Dieno stopped him with a Lip Lock. When Honda’s attempts at Gongitsune kept on failing, Suzuki got on the microphone to ask everyone how long is DDT going to keep doing this kind of pro wrestling? This is the kind of pro wrestling that makes New Japan wrestlers look down on them! He called Takagi the root of all evil but then admitted to having good memories with everyone in the ring with him. Honda finally poked him in the eye with Gongitsune during the speech but Suzuki didn’t react. He revealed he had trained his eyeballs in anticipation for this match! Honda charged up Gongitsune by using Dieno’s Hell Gate but Suzuki blocked it by stealing Imabayashi’s glasses and putting them on to act as a shield. Suzuki then fought off Toru Owashi & Super Sasadango Machine but was caught with the Stunner by Takagi. Suzuki resisted the impact at first but soon ran out of energy and collapsed to the match. Everyone piled on top of him to get the pinfall but Daisuke Kiso declared afterward that it was Imabayashi’s glasses that pinned Suzuki which means the Glasses are now the Iron Man Champion! Later at the end of the show Honda found the glasses over at the timekeeper’s table and destroyed them to be declared the new champion.
The rule for the DDT Extreme Title match was Yukinori Matsui had to wear a helmet with a button attached to it on his head. If To-y or Hideki Okatani pressed the button, they would then need to make Matsui laugh during a staring contest. Succeeding in that would allow them to use a bamboo sword as a legal weapon for one minute. To-y was eager to follow those rules while Okatani was not in the humour to mess around like that. When he kept ignoring the rule, Matsui told Okatani he wants him to make him laugh. Okatani finally obliged and made a funny face to make Matsui collapse in laughter. Okatani then whacked To-y over the head with the bamboo stick and pinned him with the Vertical Drop Brainbuster to become the new Extreme Champion.
After the match KIMIHIRO appeared at the entrance to make an introduction for Yukio Naya. When Naya got into the ring he told Okatani that “extreme” means big so he’s going to use his size to take the Extreme Title from him! Okatani called Naya arrogant but accepted his challenge for 15th April. According to him, just because Naya is big doesn’t mean he can beat Okatani to win the title. Meanwhile To-y accepted defeat and praised Okatani for being the star of the match even though he expected Okatani would remain as a supporting character.
Fandora have another championship match to look forward to soon. Brookes & HARASHIMA teamed up against Shinya Aoki & Junta Miyawaki to determine the No. 1 Contenders for the KO-D Tag Team Titles. Miyawaki almost had HARASHIMA beat with the Sunshine Clutch but Brookes broke up the pin. HARASHIMA fired himself back up to put Miyawaki on the defensive and used the Somato on Aoki to knock him off the ring apron. Meanwhile Brookes gave Miyawaki a Piledriver, rolling him into position for another Somato to give Fandora the win. Backstage HARASHIMA said they knew their opponents had moves that could beat them regardless of how much stamina they had so it was up to their own teamwork to get past any close calls and win.
It was 29th June, 2025 when Shunma Katsumata last wrestled a proper match. Now after spending the last nine months rehabilitating from a torn ACL he was back in action and wrestling his good friend MAO. They wasted no time in setting their pace and MAO even broke a few plastic boxes in the process. Katsumata went for the Totonou Splash but MAO blocked it with his knees. Katsumata tried to fire himself back up after taking the Michinoku Driver II but he was put away with a Running Palm Strike afterward. Katsumata spoke about how happy he is to be back in the ring after 265 days. As long as he gets to wrestle like this he will never complain. He might get injured again but he’ll recover and return again no matter how many times it happens! MAO said he hopes this is the last time Katsumata has a comeback match. He and Katsumata will also make sure they will never put themselves in a position where they have to forfeit a championship again.
The 3 Way Tag Match featured the DDT debut of Masami Inahata. He got to start off the match against Kumadori until Ilusion got involved trying to form alliances. When that didn’t work, MJ Paul went on the attack by targeting Makoto Oishi. Inahata got his moment by giving Paul a Brainbuster but Ilusion ruined it by giving Inahata a Low Blow afterward. In the end it was the teamwork of Viento Maligno & Kumadori that won out. Kumadori did a Fosbury Flop onto everyone outside the ring while Maligno pinned Ilusion with his finisher to win. Kumadori liked teaming with Maligno but wishes they could communicate better because Maligno doesn’t seem to understand Japanese. Oishi told Inahata that today is a new beginning for him and he will become even bigger in DDT.
Evil Uno was welcomed back into DDT for a tag match against The Apex. Uno teamed with Akito but the pair of them were overwhelmed by the power of Iino & Naya. One big Spear from Iino to Akito was all it took to end the match. Iino hasn’t been wrestling that much lately but he reminded everyone he is still training hard. Uno said he should be unhappy over the result but the last time he was in DDT he had to kiss Dieno’s butt so today was a much better experience for him.
Jun Akiyama stood before Rukiya as his big challenge in the opening contest. Rukiya tried to deal some damage outside the ring only for Akiyama to do that to him instead. Rukiya was able to rope break his way out of a Crab Hold and he also kicked out of the Exploder Suplex. Akiyama waited patiently to hit him with a Knee Strike before using another Exploder to beat him.
One of the dark matches was put together by Tokyo Joshi Pro to promote “GRAND PRINCESS ’26” taking place at Sumo Hall on 29th March. HIMAWARI, Haru Kazashiro & Chika Nanase went on to beat Toga, Ren Konatsu & Shion Kanzaki. Kazashiro scored the win for her team and got to advertise the show for her post match victory speech.
The other dark match was Yuni taking on Hinata Kasai. As already mentioned earlier, Kasai still has not won a match by himself yet. He tried to submit Yuni with the STF but Yuni got out of it and used the Jorge Clutch out of an Arm Drag to pin him.
The participants for King Of DDT 2026 were revealed during the show. The entries are HARASHIMA, Danshoku Dieno, MAO, Chris Brookes, Yukio Naya, KANON, Takeshi Masada, Hideki Okatani, To-y, Shinya Aoki, Yuya Koroku, Daichi Sato, Kaisei Takechi, Junta Miyawaki, Kazuma Sumi and Minoru Suzuki.
DDT “JUDGEMENT 2026 ~29TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION 5 HOUR SPECIAL~”, 22/03/2026 Tokyo Korakuen Hall
0. Dark Match – Tokyo Joshi Pro Offer Match: HIMAWARI, Haru Kazashiro & Chika Nanase Vs Toga, Ren Konatsu & Shion Kanzaki
0. Dark Match: Yuni Vs Hinata Kasai
1. Jun Akiyama Vs Rukiya
2. 3 Way Tag Match: MJ Paul & Ilusion Vs Makoto Oishi & Masami Inahata Vs Viento Maligno & Kumadori
3. Special Tag Match: Yuki Iino & Yukio Naya Vs Evil Uno & Akito
4. KO-D Tag Team Titles Next Challengers Decision Match: Chris Brookes & HARASHIMA Vs Shinya Aoki & Junta Miyawaki
5. Special Single Match ~ Shunma Katsumata Return Match: MAO Vs Shunma Katsumata
6. Dramatic Dream Match: KONOSUKE TAKESHITA Vs Kazuki Hirata (w/ John Robinson)
7. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title – 1 Vs 6 Handicap Match: Hisaya Imabayashi (c) Vs Minoru Suzuki, Sanshiro Takagi, Toru Owashi, Danshoku Dieno, Super Sasadango Machine & Antonio Honda
8. KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles: Takeshi Masada, Yuya Koroku & Daichi Sato Vs Naomi Yoshimura, Ryota Nakatsu & Yuki Ishida
9. DDT Extreme Title: To-y (c) Vs Hideki Okatani
10. DDT Universal Title: Daisuke Sasaki (c) Vs Kazuma Sumi
11. KO-D Openweight Title: Yuki Ueno (c) Vs KANON
Thirteen matches in total will fill up five hours at Korakuen Hall later this month. DDT is celebrating the 29th Anniversary of its creation and hopes are growing high that something big will be in store for their 30th. But we’re getting ahead of ourselves with that one. Almost every one of DDT’s championships will be defended (the KO-D 10-Man Tag Team Titles are being left out in the cold), future challengers for some of the belts will be set up and there is also the debut of Masami Inahata to look forward to.
It’s all going easy for paleyouth. I only took them a few days to win the KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles after the unit was created. They also don’t have to wait long for their first defence. Harimao are stepping up to the plate with Kazusada Higuchi standing by to support his buddies.
The Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title is currently in quite the predicament. Antonio Honda won the title only to lose it to Hisaya Imabayashi because the DDT GM does not trust Honda enough to beat YOH on 15th April. That match made Imabayashi paranoid that the belt would end up in New Japan’s hands and DDT cannot afford to ever let that happen again. However now he has to defend the title against six opponents and it won’t be in a Battle Royal. It is going to be a Handicap Match instead! The only hope he has is if the opposing team cannot get along and end up falling apart because of it. That could happen if Minoru Suzuki is in a particularly sour mood that day. Sanshiro Takagi does not often inspire a lot of loyalty among his wrestlers either, as a teammate or a boss.
A growing tag team between Shinya Aoki & Junta Miyawaki that is built out of respect and admiration could soon see them get rewarded for their efforts. If they can beat Chris Brookes & HARASHIMA then they will become the No. 1 Contenders for the KO-D Tag Team Titles. Otherwise it will be the FANTÔMES DRAMATIC pair who will get the next shot.
The good news for Evil Uno is this appearance on a DDT show in Korakuen Hall cannot be as humiliating for him as the first one. The bad news is he will likely end up with more bruises because The Apex will be his opponents.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “GRAND PRINCESS ’26”, 29/03/2026 Tokyo Ryogoku Kokugikan
1. Uta Takami Vs Shion Kanzaki
2. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title – Staggered Entry Battle Royal: Hisaya Imabayashi (c) Vs Sumire Uesaka Vs Rika Tatsumi/Great Wakabayashi-kun Vs Raku Vs Mahiro Kiryu Vs Mifu Ashida Vs Kira Summer Vs Chika Nanase Vs Sakura Hattori Vs Matcha Vs Momo Sato Vs Minimo (w/ Mari Yaguchi)
3. HIMAWARI & Shino Suzuki Vs Toga & Ren Konatsu
4. Shoko Nakajima, Yuki Aino & Haru Kazashiro (w/ Ninja Red, Geki Red & Go-On Red) Vs Aja Kong, Max The Impaler & Pom Harajuku
5. Mizuki Vs Andreza Giant Panda
6. Miyu Yamashita & Arisu Endo Vs Sareee & Takumi Iroha
7. Special Tag Match: Yuka Sakazaki & KONOSUKE TAKESHITA Vs Hyper Misao & Super Sasadango Machine
8. International Princess Title: MIRAI (c) Vs Suzume
9. Princess Tag Team Titles: Yuki Kamifuku & Wakana Uehara (c) Vs Jessie McKay & Cassie Lee
10. Princess Of Princess Title: Miu Watanabe (c) Vs Yuki Arai
Close-up images of the new Princess Championship belts have been revealed by Tokyo Joshi Pro. They will be on display at Sunday’s TJPW show but will not be given out to the champions until the Sumo Hall show.
In an unfortunate turn of events, TNA have told Tokyo Joshi Pro that Lei Ying Lee is unable to take part at their Sumo Hall show and her scheduled trip to Japan has been cancelled. Despite having the booking placed well in advance, TJPW were unable to convince TNA to change their decision. Instead, TNA provided TJPW with a statement that claims neither TJPW nor Lee are to blame over the situation. As best as I can tell, TNA have their “SACRIFICE” special as well as a TV taping happening in New Orleans during the same weekend as “GRAND PRINCESS ’26”. So if Lee is needed for the TV taping on the Saturday then she definitely can’t make it to Tokyo in time for TJPW on the Sunday. The time difference probably makes it too difficult for her to start travelling on the Friday night too. Plus there’s also the general travel risks from going in and out of America that’s currently happening right now that could be playing a part in this situation.
TJPW were quick to announce Lee’s replacement after they put that news out. They put out an offer to Marvelous to secure the TJPW debut of Takumi Iroha! She will be teaming up with Sareee which means their tag team Spark Rush is coming to TJPW! Miyu Yamashita was already excited to fight Sareee again but now she is salivating over the chance to fight Iroha too. Arisu Endo doesn’t want to be left out of the action and says she will shine the brightest out of anyone in the match!
The recent Iron Man Title changes have an effect on this card too. Rika Tatsumi is no longer the champion but she is still in the match. The deal with this Battle Royal is whoever holds the Iron Man Title must take part in the match, which means the DDT GM Hisaya Imabayashi could potentially defend the belt in Sumo Hall on a TJPW show! He never gets to beat Tetsuya Koda in the ring but a moral victory like this would be huge in their professional rivalry.
Another thing with the Battle Royal is TJPW have asked fans not to throw streamers for the entrances due to the nature of the match. However Minimo-chan has made requests for streamers from the fans to celebrate the mascot’s debut wrestling match. After a couple of discussions, TJPW decided that Minimo-chan will enter the match first and will be the only participant allowed to get streamers during the entrance.
Oh, and I almost forgot. Remember how Koda was told to go find a big star for the show but couldn’t do it? Well luck sort of fell on his lap. He accompanied Shion Kanzaki for her day of street performances in Shinjuku to promote the show. All of a sudden Koda was ambushed by the Sumire Uesaka, a voice actress and singer who once performed a solo concert at Sumo Hall ten years ago! She was armed with a saber and assaulted Koda with it in a way that reminded Tokyo Sports of Tiger Jeet Singh attacking Antonio Inoki in the same city back in 1973! Uehara appeared to be in a rage because she once held the Iron Man Title for a brief time last year and wants to be part of the Battle Royal to win it back! After Kanzaki stopped the incident and Uehara calmed down, she explained to Tokyo Sports that she was meant to grab her umbrella as she was leaving her home but grabbed the mysterious saber instead. She felt a sudden urge of fighting spirit overcome her but does not remember anything that happened after that.
DDT “ICHIKABACHIKA 2026”, 11/03/2026 Shinjuku FACE ??? Fans – Unannounced
0. Dark Match – Tokyo Joshi Pro Offer Match: Rika Tatsumi & Uta Takami defeated Yuki Kamifuku & Kira Summer when Tatsumi pinned Summer with the Missile Hip (10:17).
-. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title: Antonio Honda defeated Rika Tatsumi (c) with an Inside Cradle (6:55 pm). *Antonio Honda becomes the 1,809th champion.
1. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Shinya Aoki, Junta Miyawaki & Viento Maligno defeated Chris Brookes, Kota Sekifuda & Hinata Kasai when Aoki pinned Kasai with the Aoki Clutc (10:05).
2. HARASHIMA & Antonio Honda defeated Jun Akiyama & Kazuki Hirata when Honda pinned Hirata after the Somato from HARASHIMA (7:34).
-. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title: Hisaya Imabayashi defeated Antonio Honda (c) with a Belt Strike (7:34 pm). *Hisaya Imabayashi becomes the 1,810th champion.
3. Kazuma Sumi, Naomi Yoshimura, Ryota Nakatsu & Yuki Ishida defeated Daisuke Sasaki, Hideki Okatani, MJ Paul & Ilusion when Yoshimura pinned Ilusion with the Harai-goshi (10:12).
4. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Shishamo Power, Unagi Mask & Gota Ihashi defeated Yuki Iino, Yukio Naya & Tomomitsu Matsunaga when Shishamo pinned Matsunaga with the Fisher’s Buster (9:33).
5. KO-D Tag Team Titles: MAO & KANON (c) (w/ KIMIHIRO) defeated Danshoku Dieno & Super Sasadango Machine when KANON pinned Dieno with the Lariat (18:47). *V4 for STRANGE LOVE CONNECTION.
6. KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles: Takeshi Masada, Yuya Koroku & Daichi Sato defeated Yuki Ueno, To-y & Kaisei Takechi (c) when Masada pinned Takechi with the Masada No Chikara KOBU Mukimuki (18:25). *Yuki Ueno, To-y & Kaisei Takechi fail in V3. paleyouth become the 60th KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Champions!
The new generation is on a roll, paleyouth have already become champions and they’ve done it at Kaisei Takechi’s expense! Takechi & The 37KAMIINA almost wiped out the challengers completely with a triple Topé Con Hilo. They then targeted Takeshi Masada by having Takechi & To-y Double Choke Slam him followed by Yuki Ueno landing the Frog Splash. However Yuya Koroku went ahead and took out Ueno & To-y, then Daichi Sato helped Masada bring down Takechi. Masada then got to beat Takechi for the first time by giving him the Masada No Chikara KOBU Mukimuki to win the KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles!
After the match, Masada praised Takechi for growing so much and said whenever they fight each other they click so well. When the former champions made their exit, paleyouth quickly found out who their first challengers were going to be. Harimao walked out and Naomi Yoshimura said he, Ryota Nakatsu & Yuki Ishida wanted a title shot. Masada called Harimao a perfect match for paleyouth and he accepts the challenge for 22nd March at DDT’s 28th Anniversary show. Backstage Masada was happy with the recent turn of events. paleyouth was only made official a few days ago and they already won a championship and he got to avenge his previous losses to Takechi too. Meanwhile Takechi said he was frustrated over losing a second match in a row and he actually feels a little insulted by Masada’s praise for him. Ueno reminded him of his goal to wrestle in King Of DDT and also at Sumo Hall later this year. He is sure Takechi will get there.
Any hopes that Danshoku Dieno & Super Sasadango Machine had of CyberAgent exploiting their likenesses for trading cards and gacha games have gone out the window after the pair failed to win the KO-D Tag Team Titles. Instead it is Strange Love Connection that are currently in the better position to become the faces of DDT. KANON in particular got the brunt of the lewd attacks from the followers yet he figured out how to turn the tide against them. He pulled down his own costume to fight in his underwear and resist Dieno’s Raw Danshoku Claw before taking him down with the Lariat for the victory. KANON told everyone afterwards he has exposed everything about himself and has nothing left to show because he wants to become the new icon of DDT. Today he has beaten two DDT icons so now he must beat the biggest icon Ueno to become the new KO-D Openweight Champion!
The return of the Yamada Suisan pro wrestlers sets up DDT’s annual sponsored matches with the seafood company for this year. Shishamo Power & Unagi Mask teamed up with Gota Ihashi to win their match then had an announcement to make afterward. Ihashi works for the Tsukiji branch of Yamada Suisan and he met a woman there who wants to become a pro wrestler. A masked woman named Unagi Mask Woman entered the ring and did the splits to pose for everyone. However her big moment was interrupted by Chris Brookes & Antonio Honda attacking Ihashi until Super Unagi Mask came to the rescue. Honda challanged the seafood wrestlers to a match and told them that Aja Kong will be teaming with FANTÔMES DRAMATIC! The president of Yamada Suisan then had a shocking confession to make. The three masked wrestlers are all siblings who were seperated at birth! The “Unagi Brothers” must now join forces to face Kong & FANTÔMES DRAMATIC on 19th April. Ihashi complained about being left out so he was offered a chance to team with Shishamo Power on the same show.
After spending such a long time away from DDT, the Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title has come back home. At least for now. Antonio Honda caused a scene after the Tokyo Joshi Pro dark match by attacking everyone with Gongitsune and winning the belt off of Rika Tatsumi. Then later in the show Honda was told by Hisaya Imabayashi that he will face YOH on 15th April. Honda said he will look forward to defending the Iron Man Title against him but then he was suddenly blindsided by Imabayashi! The GM knocked out Honda with the title and pinned him to become the champion, explaining afterward that he cannot risk losing a DDT championship to a New Japan wrestler. Imabayashi was then approached by Akito at the end of the show because a special match was being booked for 22nd March. Imabayashi must defend the title in a 1 Vs 6 Handicap Match and one of his opponents will be Minoru Suzuki! Imabayashi complained especially since Akito was making decisions involving the DDT GM without being a GM himself. Akito told him that company directors are above company general managers. Sanshiro Takagi then tried to ambush Imabayashi to win the title but Akito broke the pin and allowed Imabayashi to escape with the belt.
The Iron Man Title changes today created a bit of a problem for the upcoming schedule. The belt is meant to be on the line in a Battle Royal at TJPW’s Sumo Hall show at the end of the month. It turns out that is still going to happen, which means if Imabayashi somehow survives the DDT Anniversary show still as champion he will then get to defend the belt at Sumo Hall on a TJPW show! When Imabayashi learned about that scenario being possible, he became motivated to hold onto the title as best as he can until 29th March.
A No. 1 Contenders match for the KO-D Tag Titles was later announced for 22nd March. Chris Brookes & HARASHIMA will face Shinya Aoki & Junta Miyawaki. The winners will face MAO & KANON for the tag titles on 5th April.
A new championship has been created exclusively for a series of sponsored shows DDT will run in conjunction with the Matsui Outlet Park later this year. The first MOP Tag Team Champions will be crowned on 28th March. After that there are two other DDT x MOP shows scheduled for April where presumably a title defence or two can take place there.
DDT “HYBRID PERFORMER 2026 ~KAISEI TAKECHI 2ND ANNIVERSARY~”, 22/02/2026 Tokyo Korakuen Hall ??? Fans – Unannounced
1. Jun Akiyama, Makoto Oishi & Yukio Naya defeated Sanshiro Takagi, Tomomitsu Matsunaga & Ryoma Tsukamoto when Naya pinned Matsunaga with The World’s Best Back Drop (9:11).
2. Chris Brookes, HARASHIMA, Antonio Honda & Hinata Kasai defeated To-y, Toru Owashi, Kazuki Hirata & Yuni when Honda pinned Hirata with the Diving Fist Drop (9:41).
3. Special Tag Match: Shinya Aoki & Junta Miyawaki defeated Yuya Koroku & Rukiya when Miyawaki pinned Rukiya with the Sunshine Clutch (10:32).
4. DAMNATION T.A Vs Harimao!: Naomi Yoshimura, Ryota Nakatsu & Yuki Ishida defeated Daisuke Sasaki, Hideki Okatani & Ilusion (w/ MJ Paul) when Yoshimura pinned Ilusion with the Harai-goshi (10:56).
5. Special 6-Man Tag Match: MAO, KANON & Viento Maligno (w/ KIMIHIRO) defeated Danshoku Dieno, Super Sasadango Machine & Akito when Maligno pinned Akito with the Driver Maligno (10:37).
6. D GENERATIONS CUP 2026 – Final: Kazuma Sumi defeated Takeshi Masada with the School Boy (17:08).
7. Kaisei Takechi 2nd Anniversary Match: Yuki Ueno defeated Kaisei Takechi with WR (20:50).
To celebrate the second anniversary of his pro wrestling debut, Kaisei Takechi asked DDT for a particular opponent he wanted to face one on one. Up until today Yuki Ueno has been supporting Takechi as a tag partner in the majority of the dozen matches he’s had so far. Now Takechi wanted Ueno to be his first singles opponent. The result of this is Ueno has become the first person to make Takechi look up at the lights, handing him his first pinfall defeat. Takechi brought the fight to Ueno from the start, delaying an early rope break and firing Elbow Strikes along with Dropkicks to Ueno. That made Ueno take him more seriously and bring the fight outside the ring. Ueno threw Takechi into a row of chairs but Takechi got his own back by doing a Diving Cross Body above one of the stairways in the seating section. Back in the ring Takechi got close to winning by using the Choke Slam and Swan Dive Forearm. He then went to use a Sleeper Hold but Ueno got out of it to use his own Dropkicks and Elbow Strikes. Takechi couldn’t withstand the punishment for long and he was pinned with the WR.
Ueno congratulated Takechi after the match and if there is anyone out there who thinks Takechi is only doing pro wrestling as a side gig, Ueno wants them to come tell him. He told Takechi he isn’t at the level to compete for the KO-D Openweight Title yet but the next time they have a singles match against each other, Ueno will put the championship on the line. Takechi thanked him for welcoming him into DDT and talked about experiencing more losses than wins since before he even entered the entertainment industry. That has helped make him strong for wrestling. He also said he regrets not entering the King Of DDT tournament last year or appear at “WRESTLE PETER PAN” because of his summer schedule back then. So this year he has opened up his schedule in order to enter the tournament as well as take part in DDT’s big summer show! He will show everyone how much he will evolve until the day comes when the KO-D Title is worn around his waist! Takechi still has may tours with THE RAMPAGE lined up for 2026 but he is hoping to find gap where he can be booked for some of DDT’s shows outside of Tokyo too.
Kazuma Sumi has now been crowned this year’s best wrestler out of D GENERATIONS by winning the D GENERATIONS CUP! The final of the annual tournament’s fourth edition had Sumi beat the first ever winner Takeshi Masada. He relied on big high flying moves such as the Lionsault and Reverse 450 while Masada kept to a more balanced moveset to keep things under his control. It almost worked out for the latter as he used a Dominator to counter a Frankensteiner, then used the Triangle Kick and the Manburi for a nearfall. But when he went to use his finisher, Sumi suddenly flipped out of it and rolled him over with the School Boy lightning fast for the victory!
When Sumi received his trophy he told Masada that the best classmates are those to eat together, practice together and share both the good times and bad together. While they have trained together and experienced hard times, they were never close like that. Masada was always ahead ever since Sumi debuted but it gave Sumi something to chase after and made him work hard enough to become strong. So in a way Masada really is the best classmate Sumi could ever have. Daisuke Sasaki entered the ring to congratulate Sumi and tell him they can have an exciting match on 22nd March when Sumi gets his DDT Universal Title shot as his reward for winning the DGC. Sumi went to shake his hand until Sasaki kicked him between the legs. Sasaki called him stupid and there is zero chance Sumi will win the title from him. When Sumi recovered he said he isn’t a kid anymore and he is incredibly confident he will beat Sasaki for the belt next month. Meanwhile Masada talked to Yuya Koroku backstage about forming a new unit centered around the D GENERATIONS. Koroku agreed to be a part of it and Masada will now go look for other potential members to join.
The newest member of Strange Love Connection has arrived! The masked man Viento Maligno is a newcomer to DDT although some people suspect he may be more familiar to them than they realize. Danshoku Dieno gave him the Danshoku Claw early in the match then paused to give a reaction that suggested he recognized who Maligno is just from feeling his crotch. He didn’t dwell on it for long because he wanted to impress the guest commentator Riki Matsui from BALLISTIK BOYZ and tried to do so by doing lewd things to KANON in the ring. Viento got the hot tag in and used a llave submission on Akito while MAO did a Moonsault onto everyone outside. Viento then got the win by pinning Akito with the Driver Maligno, a move that looks like a Leg Clutch Olympic Slam thrown into a Michinoku Driver.
Dieno got on the microphone after the match to complain because DDT bringing in new wrestlers is making his generation feel disposable. Super Sasadango Machine agreed and wanted to send a message to CyberAgent. Pro wrestlers like them are not supposed to be treated like trading cards or gacha games… but they should be! CyberAgent is responsible for making loads of different card and gacha games so why are the wrestlers belonging to them being left out of being turned into content (don’t listen to Yota Tsuji, he doesn’t know what he’s talking about)? In order to make a more convincing arguement to the corporation, Dieno & Sasadango challenged SLC for the KO-D Tag Team Titles. MAO sort of understands their intentions because they want to work hard together for DDT’s sake so he accepted the challenge for 11th March. KANON then reluctantly shook his opponents’ hands to confirm they have the title shot.
At first it looked like Harimao were going to be in trouble fighting DAMNATION T.A because the numbers game was against them. Sasaki and Hideki Okatani both attacked Yuki Ishida with weapons but Ryota Nakatsu was able to give them more of a fight. Sasaki also threw a chair at Naomi Yoshimura while MJ Paul interfered a couple of times. Ilusion missing the Swanton Bomb gave Yoshimura his second wind while Kazusada Higuchi at ringside finally stepped in to grab Sasaki and then Paul with the Claw Hold at ringside. With the coast clear, Yoshimura threw over Ilusion with the Harai-goshi to get the victory. Harimao were fired up over the win and all said they couldn’t sense any sumo spirit from DAMNATION T.A. Harimao said they will climb higher from here and Nakatsu told the others he can come back for another match in DDT on 2nd March.
So far during his stay Junta Miyawaki is making both friends and enemies in DDT. He looks up to Shinya Aoki and got to team with him today but one of the wrestlers facing him, Rukiya, is getting more frustrated with him every time they fight in the ring. It continued here when Miyawaki pinned him with the Sunshine Clutch, a new cradle pin he created inspired by the Aoki Clutch where it is set up Tiger Suplex style instead of with a Full Nelson. Rukiya didn’t like how smug Miyawaki looked after the match and tried to fight him again until Koroku and others at ringside held him back. Backstage Miyawaki said he can really tell that Aoki enjoys pro wrestling which makes him enjoy wrestling even more too. Aoki though kept asking him if he saw Keigo Nakamura anywhere because that is who he used to team with. Unfortunately, Miyawaki doesn’t know who Nakamura is.
Today was the first time all four members of FANTÔMES DRAMATIC got to team together for an 8-Man Tag match and it turned into a success. Hinata Kasai was called out by Toru Owashi to begin the match then after some lucha spots he wanted to tag in Yuni to let the young blood take the stage. Kazuki Hirata didn’t care and burst in wanting to do his dance instead. Chris Brookes & HARASHIMA took over to fight with Yuni & To-y while Hirata kept trying to get in the way. Antonio Honda did an Olympics joke for Gongitsune, Hirata tried to counter it with dance but fell to a 4-on-1 situation all in tune to “TOKYO GO!”. Honda ended up pinning him with the Diving Fist Drop to give FANTÔMES DRAMATIC the win.
Hirata was made to stay behind after the match because Hisaya Imabayashi wanted to talk to him. The GM had an announcement regarding Hirata’s big match against Konosuke Takeshita happening on 22nd March. For years now Hirata has been using “TOKYO GO!” as his entrance song, even recording his own cover to avoid getting DDT into any copyright trouble. Well now DDT has invited the creator of the song John Robinson to attend the show and perform “TOKYO GO!” live for Hirata’s match entrance! Hirata is thrilled with the news and cannot wait to do the original “Magnum” dance with the actual DJ singing for him.
It’s not that often Makoto Oishi appears in DDT nowadays but he was here today because he is Takechi main mentor who trained him from scratch. It meant he got to wrestle Ryoma Tsukamoto for the first time and experience his strength up close. When that got too overwhelming Oishi tagged in Yukio Naya to give Tsukamoto a more powerful challenge. Tomomitsu Matsunaga had some fun keeping Oishi away from his corner when the going got tough. Sanshiro Takagi was also fired up and attempted a Coast To Coast Dropkick… where he just landed on his feet and then gave Oishi a regular Dropkick in the corner. He also took an Exploder Suplex from Jun Akiyama only to get back up and hit back with a Stunner. Akiyama came back later to Headbutt Matsunaga while Matsunaga had Naya in a Sharpshooter. Naya then purposely Choke Slammed Oishi onto Matsunaga for a near fall. Matsunaga also kicked out of a Running Knee Strike from Naya but was put down for good with The World’s Best Back Drop. Backstage Oishi said once Kaisei Takechi surpasses his then he will become a real pro wrestler.
A new wrestler was announced during the show to have joined DDT as a full time member of the roster. Masami Inahata is a 20 year old wrestler from Toyonaka City, Osaka who was formerly known as Thunder Masami in JTO. He only has a year’s worth of experience under his belt but announced in January he had graduated from his home promotion. What funny timing that this is happening so soon after his older brother Katsumi Inahata (formerly Fire Katsumi) went through a similar path from JTO to NOAH recently. Masami Inahata told the audience he has come to DDT because the company has many wrestlers his age here. His first match in DDT will take place on 22nd March.
When NωA Jr. finished their musical performance at the start of the show, Shunma Katsumata talked about his planned comeback from injury happening on 22nd March. He has someone in mind he wants his first match back to be against. It’s MAO! They have a lot of history together so it will mean a lot to Katsumata for MAO to be his opponent. MAO acted like he was going to attack his friend but instead he shook his hand and welcomed him back. He also said one of the reasons he left The 37KAMIINA was so he could fight Katsumata but the ACL injury happened to Katsumata before that could happen. MAO told him never to skip a match like that again and he’ll see him on 22nd March.
DDT “NEPPA OVER FLOWERS 5 ~THE ONLY SAUNA IN THE WORLD~”, 14/02/2026 Shinjuku FACE ??? Fans – Unannounced
1. Young Boy Akito Nishigaki Shinjuku FACE Debut Match: Rukiya Vs Young Boy Akito Nishigaki ended in a Time Limit Draw (5:00).
1a. Overtime: Rukiya defeated Young Boy Akito Nishigaki with a Cradle (1:59).
2. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Shin KONOSUKE TAKESHITA, Shunma KatsuMAO & Takeshi Masada defeated Danshoku Dieno, Kazuki Hirata & Koju Takeda when TAKESHITA pinned Hirata with the Wagamama (15:33).
3. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Brahman Shu, Brahman Kei & Brahman Sasaki defeated Yuya Koroku, Yuni & Kazuma Sumi when Sasaki pinned Yuni after the Gotai Fumanzoku (12:23).
4. SeaSaunaShack Presents: Shinya Aoki defeated Hinata Kasai with the Aoki Clutch (10:35).
5. Ueno Nordic Presents Special Single Match: Yuki Ueno defeated Pokotan (w/ Chris Bathooks, Naya Tonttu & Sauna Stones・Den) with the Frog Splash (15:03).
6. Naniwa Health Land Utopia Presents Special Single Match: Minoru Suzuki defeated To-y with the Gotch-Style Piledriver (14:51).
7. Bonus Track Exhibition Match: Yuki Ueno Vs Shunma Katsumata ended in a Time Limit Draw (3:00).
A surprise attack from To-y led to him and Minoru Suzuki brawling around ringside during the main event. Suzuki got the advantage by Heel Hooking To-y over near the entrances. To-y tried fighting back with Chops as well as the Kojima Wonderland. But Suzuki got back in control, fired himself up in a To-y like manner and won with the Gotch-Style Piledriver. After the match Suzuki had something to say to To-y and the rest of The 37KAMIINA. He likes saunas too! When Suzuki left the ring, To-y admitted to everyone he was scared of fighting him but also discovered it was exciting too. He wants to go crazy but couldn’t because something else crazy was about to happen in the surprise bonus main event!
Shunma Katsumata then got into the ring. He had spent the entire show playing multiple roles from event producer to ring announcer. Now after eight months since his last match, he was going to wrestle again! The surprise match was a three minute exhibition between Katsumata and Yuki Ueno. It ended in a tie and Katsumata told everyone today has been the most tiring day of his life. However he is now in great condition and will have his official return match from injury on 22nd March!
Ueno earlier found himself in what was pretty much a 1 Vs 4 match. His opponent was Pokotan but the mascot was accompanied with three DDT wrestlers taking up their own sauna gimmicks: Chris Bathooks (Chris Brookes), Naya Tonttu (Yukio Naya) & Sauna Stones・Den (Yuki Ishida). Pokotan lost its head during the match and one of the other wrestlers would put it on to take its place in the match. Ueno took everyone’s moves until the original Pokotan got its head back. Ueno wiped out the others with a Plancha and then hit a Frog Splash onto Pokotan while using its head for extra impact to get the win.
Hinata Kasai got to go ten minutes with Shinya Aoki. Whether or not that can be seen as valuable experience or an excuse to get stretched apart is for him to figure out. While Kasai got to get some offence in, Aoki was firmly in control for much of the match and he got Kasai with the Aoki Clutch to get the three count. Aoki said Kasai gave it his all and that was the reason why Aoki couldn’t end the match as soon as he wanted to. He’s happy with Kasai’s performance and looks forward to what’s to come for the rookie. Kasai called himself weak and said his entire body is in pain but he was able to resist the pain in order to fight Aoki with all that he’s got. He will treasure this match and will definitely beat Aoki some day, even if it takes a few years to get there.
Something Katsumata wasn’t able to do today was perform with NωA Jr. so Daichi Sato was supposed to take his place. Sato is out injured so Yuya Koroku ended up filling his spot instead. Meanwhile The Brahman Brothers had a new ally in the blue form of Brahman Sasaki. He joined in their shenanigans of throwing buckets of water at everyone and spewing mysterious goo out of his mouth. However NωA Jr. ended up doing something similar by drooling what was described as melted chocolate from their mouths onto the Brahmans. Things ended up backfiring for Koroku, Yuni & Kazuma Sumi with missed attacks that ended with powder being thrown into their faces. From there the Brahmans trapped Yuni in the Gotai Fumanzoku double pin for the victory. It took until after the match for Brahman Shu & Brahman Kei to figure out that NωA Jr. used melted chocolate because today is Valentine’s Day.
While the real Konosuke Takeshita is busy wrestling over in Australia, Shin Konosuke Takeshita made their big return a year after their previous appearance on this series. Kazuki Hirata was impressed with Shin Takeshita’s world class ability. Danshoku Dieno was fixated on fighting ShunMAO Katsumata and Koju Takeda joined in on his lewd spots. Shin Takeshita hit the Takeshita Line but couldn’t get over the ropes to do a Topé. Instead ShunMAO & Takeshi Masada used a spinning chair to help Shin Takeshita give Hirata the Raging Fire. Hirata kicked out much to everyone’s surprise but was then thrown into the Double Hell Gate that was Dieno & Takeda’s rear ends. ShunMAO then did the Totonou Splash onto Hirata and Shin Takeshita finished him off with the Wagamama.
Akito rolled back the clock and wrestled his match as a “Young Boy”, wearing the plain black trunks and using a more basic moveset. His match with Rukiya only lasted five minutes because that was the time limit allowed but Katsumata decided to give them a restart in order to determine a winner. Rukiya got the best of Akito here after a series of countered cradles ended with Rukiya getting the pin.
Before the show began, a press conference was held for the upcoming D GENERATIONS CUP final between Kazuma Sumi and Takeshi Masada. Sumi has thought about this match a lot but his thoughts are just him surpassing Masada to win the tournament. He thinks Masada is amazing but he is just as amazing too. Masada (accompanied by Bunbun) appreciated being called an amazing wrestler and competed in this year’s DGC tournament to get more fans to watch it. He wants as much support he can get to win and get the DDT Universal Title shot against Daisuke Sasaki. The two were asked what were their favorite matches in the tournament? Sumi’s answer was his match against Daichi Sato because they punched and kicked each other as hard as they could. Masada chose his two matches with Koroku because they left a lasting impression on him he will never forget. They were then asked about getting a Universal Title match. Sumi said he would like to challenge for that title for the first time and his goal is to become a top Junior Heavyweight wrestler. Masada feels uneasy because he had two previous title shots that both ended in failure. But if he wins it he wants to express what it’s like to be the Universal Champion in his own way.
Posted by JamieOD 
Dramatic DDT 