DDT “JUDGEMENT 2016 ~DDT 19th ANNIVERSARY~” Preview

March 19, 2016

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DDT “JUDGEMENT 2016 ~DDT 19th ANNIVERSARY~”, 21/03/2016
Tokyo Ryogoku Kokugikan

0. King Of Dark Title: Seiya Morohashi (c) & Hoshitango Vs DJ Nira & Dai Suzuki
0. Tokyo Joshi Pro Offer Battle Royal: Miyu Yamashita Vs Shoko Nakajima Vs Yuka Sakazaki Vs Nonoko Vs Rika Tatsumi Vs Hyper Misao Vs Azusa Takigawa Vs Yuu Vs Nodoka-onesan Vs Marika Kobashi Vs Ai Shimizu Vs Poison Miura Vs KANNA
0. DNA Offer Match – Mao Inoue Comeback: Shunma Katsumata, Guanchulo & Mao Inoue Vs Kouki Iwasaki, Rainbow Kawamura & Nobuhiro Shimatani
0. Pro Wrestling BASARA Offer Match: Takumi Tsukamoto, Daichi Kazato & Ryu Gouma Vs FUMA, Yusuke Kubo & SAGAT
1. Ryogoku First Appearance! Next KO-D Openweight Title Challenger Decision And Right To Challenge Anytime, Anywhere Battle Royal: Toru Owashi Vs Kazuki Hirata Vs Masa Takanshi Vs Soma Takao Vs Tomomitsu Matsunaga Vs Kazusada Higuchi Vs Gorgeous Matsuno Vs Cherry Vs Ryuichi Sekine Vs Ryota Nakatsu Vs Yoshihiko Vs Ken Ohka
2. 3 Way Tag Match: Joey Ryan & Candice LeRae Vs Keisuke Ishii & Shigehiro Irie Vs Akito & Yasu Urano
3. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title – Special 6-Man Tag Team Match: Saki Akai, Makoto Oishi & Lady Beard Vs LiLiCo (c), Kota Umeda & Mizuki Watase
4. Special Tag Match: Antonio Honda & Hiroshi Fukuda Vs Tatsumi Fujinami & LEONA
5. DDT Extreme Title – Ultimate Royal Barbed Wire PowerPoint No Power Blast PWF Rules: Kendo Kashin (c) Vs Super Sasadango Machine
6. Kota Ibushi Comeback & Ibushi Wrestling Institute 1st Leg – East & West Toward The Front Over The Entire Surface Falls Count Anywhere Weapon Treasure Hunt Match: Sanshiro Takagi & Jun Kasai Vs KENSO & Michael Nakazawa Vs Kota Ibushi & Gota Ihashi
7. Dramatic Dream Match: Yukio Sakaguchi Vs Minoru Suzuki
8. Dramatic Dream Match: Danshoku Dino Vs Akebono
9. KO-D Tag Team Titles – Uchicomi! Presents: Konosuke Takeshita & Tetsuya Endo (c) Vs Daisuke Sasaki & Shuji Ishikawa
10. KO-D Openweight Title – Good Com Asset Presents: Isami Kodaka (c) Vs HARASHIMA

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DDT celebrates the 19th year of its existence with the first of two visits to Sumo Hall in 2016. After drawing a disappointing number back in August, they have packed this card with everything they have in their arsenal. Spin offs BASARA, DNA and Tokyo Joshi Pro all have spots on the pre-show so there is a sense of DDT getting everybody they can on their rosters onto the show in a WrestleMania kind of manner. Things to look forward to this year are the aces of DDT and BASARA facing off, one man and his dog chasing after tag team gold, sumo being challenged by the power of asses, two grumpy fighters being grumpy to each other, the return of a Golden Star to shine over the least wanted feud in wrestling, the presence of a Dragon and his son and the most extreme PowerPoint presentation known to mankind.

0. King Of Dark Title: Seiya Morohashi (c) & Hoshitango Vs DJ Nira & Dai Suzuki

Seiya Morohashi has the unwanted honour of defending the King Of Dark Title at one of DDT’s biggest shows of the year. The belt has been in existence for over a year now and has been a nightmare for everyone who held it. Morohashi needs to pin either DJ Nira or Dai Suzuki to transfer the belt to them and escape from dark match hell.

0. Tokyo Joshi Pro Offer Battle Royal: Miyu Yamashita Vs Shoko Nakajima Vs Yuka Sakazaki Vs Nonoko Vs Rika Tatsumi Vs Hyper Misao Vs Azusa Takigawa Vs Yuu Vs Nodoka-onesan Vs Marika Kobashi Vs Ai Shimizu Vs Poison Miura Vs KANNA

The girls from Tokyo Joshi Pro take the stage with a Battle Royal. Miyu Yamashita is currently leading the brand as the first and only TOKYO Princess Of Princess Champion. She doesn’t have a No. 1 Contender at the moment so the winner here might grab that spot.

0. DNA Offer Match – Mao Inoue Comeback: Shunma Katsumata, Guanchulo & Mao Inoue Vs Kouki Iwasaki, Rainbow Kawamura & Nobuhiro Shimatani

The rookie brand DDT New Attitude has been a highlight for DDT throughout the year. The shows are uploaded to DDT’s official Youtube channel and are a great showcase for the younger and newer talent. In fact two thirds of the KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Champions are captaining the two teams in this match. Shunma Katsumata is teaming with his Chilean amigo Guanchulo and the returning Mao Inoue. Inoue debuted at “RYOGOKU PETER PAN 2015” and is one of the more flashier wrestlers in DNA. But a jaw injury at “OSAKA OCTOPUS 2015” in November put him on the shelf. On the other side, one-third champ Kouki Iwasaki has the now more colourful Rainbow Kawamura and recently debuting Nobuhiro Shimatani to partner with.

0. Pro Wrestling BASARA Offer Match: Takumi Tsukamoto, Daichi Kazato & Ryu Gouma Vs FUMA, Yusuke Kubo & SAGAT

It’s been go, go, go for Pro Wrestling BASARA since its first show earlier this year. As a replacement for Union, BASARA put together a much busier schedule than its predecessor and the shows held so far have been a success. One of the main storylines going on right now is FUMA’s obsession for heavy metal music resulting in the creation of Kotetsu Gundan. FUMA wants to spread around his love of heavy metal and convinced the now masked Yusuke Kubo and a slightly confused Madoka to join his cause. FUMA won’t shut up and it’s starting to annoy the rest of BASARA. Takumi Tsukamoto has a massive hammer to smash FUMA’s mouth shut, Daichi Kazato has a megaphone to drown out the noise and Ryu Gouma has his lawbook so surely he can find something to declare FUMA’s antics as noise pollution.

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1. Ryogoku First Appearance! Next KO-D Openweight Title Challenger Decision And Right To Challenge Anytime, Anywhere Battle Royal: Toru Owashi Vs Kazuki Hirata Vs Masa Takanshi Vs Soma Takao Vs Tomomitsu Matsunaga Vs Kazusada Higuchi Vs Gorgeous Matsuno Vs Cherry Vs Ryuichi Sekine Vs Ryota Nakatsu Vs Yoshihiko Vs Ken Ohka

The show starts off proper with the annual Right To Challenge Anytime, Anywhere match appearing in Sumo Hall for the first time. It is a combination of a Money In The Bank Ladder Match and the Royal Rumble. The winner of the Rumble itself gets a guaranteed KO-D Openweight Title shot at Korakuen Hall on 24th April. However the competitors can instead try and claim one of several contracts held high above the ring. Those who grab a contract then leave the match with a prize. This year the prize is a MITB style title shot for any show from 26th March to 28th August, the date of the next Sumo Hall event. But this being DDT things are not always that simple. Rules can change but based on previous years the contract holder is forced to defend the contract in every single match they appear in until the contract is cashed in. This way the contract holder cannot just rest on their laurels and accept defeat after defeat knowing that they can claim an easy title shot whenever they want (see WWE booking). Plus it’s a bit unfair for the champion to have up to 4 or 5 people waiting to ambush him at any time so this concept keeps the roster scrambling amongst themselves for a few months.

After a string of wins including a Battle Royal victory, Kazuki Hirata offered to take the No. 1 entry spot in the match. He originally demanded to enter last but was convinced all of the contracts would be gone by the time he enters. So he’s entering first to grab a contract as soon as possible. He also has new heart shaped HIRATA GO! glasses on sale at the event. The rest of DDT’s misfits fill up the field. Masa Takanashi is aiming to win a title shot so he can become a double champion, one in Japan and one in Singapore. Toru Owashi is currently battling a flu but he also wants to snap every pair of HIRATA GO! glasses he sees. He also wants to flush Hirata down a toilet in the sumo locker room. Kazusada Higuchi held one of the contracts last year during his impressive rookie unbeaten streak. This time he wants to get a successful cash in. Tomomitsu Matsunaga and Cherry both want to finally achieve their goal of becoming KO-D Champion. Cherry wants to defend the title 41 times, one for every year she’s been alive. She believes this will end with her becoming reborn into an even more beautiful woman. Ryota Nakatsu is ready to get into a baseball dugout brawl if he has to. Ryuichi Sekine calls himself the best orthodox wrestler in BASARA and him getting a title shot will guarantee the belt either stays or comes back to his home company. Ken Ohka who briefly became KO-D Champion last year thanks to the Right To Challenge concept, sees himself as the outsider of the match due to being a representative of Ganbare☆Wrestling. At the press conference he challenged everybody to fight him one on one. Higuchi then gave him a Headbutt and he backed off, instead complimenting everybody for being so enthusiastic for the match. The other wild card is Yoshihiko. It probably just wants to watch the world burn.

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2. 3 Way Tag Match: Joey Ryan & Candice LeRae Vs Keisuke Ishii & Shigehiro Irie Vs Akito & Yasu Urano

It’s safe to say DDT has fallen in love with The World’s Cutest Tag Team. Last year’s video of Joey Ryan overpowering Danshoku Dino with his dick made him famous and the DDT roster fell head over heels for Candice LeRae, one of them even going so far to propose to her almost immediately. For their return to Japan they have two mainstay tag teams thrown in their way. Keisuke Ishii & Shigehiro Irie are former KO-D Tag Team and All Asia Tag Team Champions. Yasu Urano & Akito are busy working their strategy for the match. They understand that communication is key to winning and both of their opposing teams have strong bonds. However the one thing Ryan & LeRae have over Ishii & Irie is the language barrier. Ishii & Irie are terrible at English! Urano & Akito however understand English and can work out what Ryan & LeRae will be saying to each other. They don’t speak it themselves but they still understand it. Ishii tried to prove them wrong at the press conference by having Irie translate his message to both teams in English.

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3. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title – Special 6-Man Tag Team Match: Saki Akai, Makoto Oishi & Lady Beard Vs LiLiCo (c), Kota Umeda & Mizuki Watase

The Kawaii Connection reunite to deliver their cuteness to the entire world. Cute model Saki Akai, cute wrestler Makoto Oishi and cute crossdresser Lady Beard are ready to get revenge on LiLiCo for what she did to Akai. Back in December Akai finally achieved her goal and won the Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title for the second time in her career. But a few weeks later LiLiCo made a surprise return to choke out Akai with a steel chain and win the title. Now they will finally meet in the ring properly but LiLiCo has some back up. She recruited DNA wrestlers Kota Umeda & Mizuki Watase. mostly based on their looks, to protect her and her championship. They’ve been living a lavish lifestyle in the run up to the show. LiLiCo’s been bragging about eating delicious meat with her handsome men. Umeda thinks the full stomach he has from the meat puts him in peak physical condition. Meanwhile a war of words has erupted between Akai and Watase over each other’s appearances. It’s gotten so bad that the two had to be pulled apart from each other during the press conference.

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4. Special Tag Match: Antonio Honda & Hiroshi Fukuda Vs Tatsumi Fujinami & LEONA

The latest puroresu legend to step into DDT’s ring is WWE Hall Of Famer Tatsumi Fujinami! He’s been looking for a new challenge for himself and his son LEONA to overcome so DDT gave them a call and here they are. Antonio Honda spent the last few months chasing after the DDT Extreme Title and trying to get Kendo Kashin to notice him. The experience left him in a bad state of mind so when he heard he will be teaming with Hiroshi Fukuda it cheered him up. He said he always had fun when he’s in the ring with Fukuda. That it’s against Fujinami & LEONA is icing on the cake for both. Fukuda claims he recently received a WWE tryout and he wonders if Fujinami gets a Legends discount for the WWE Network because he’s in their Hall Of Fame.

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5. DDT Extreme Title – Ultimate Royal Barbed Wire PowerPoint No Power Blast PWF Rules: Kendo Kashin (c) Vs Super Sasadango Machine

And now we go to whatever the hell this is. Kendo Kashin’s DDT Extreme Title run has been complicated in ways that should not be so. He created rulesets for his title defences that turn out to be exactly like normal match stipulations. Instead of a normal match it is an Amateur rules bout with 3 count pins, submissions allowed and 20 count ring outs. Instead of a tag team match it is a single match but both wrestlers have partners they can swap places with. Instead of a Triple Threat it is a singles match but with three wrestlers involved. And so on and so forth. Add in Super Sasadango Machine who is a master of bizarre match stipulations and you have a recipe for a beautiful disaster.

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So what exactly is an Ultimate Royal Barbed Wire PowerPoint No Power Blast PWF Rules match? Does it have anything to do with that stupid 4 Way MMA Gauntlet match New Japan did for its 2005 Tokyo Dome show? Actually yes it does but there’s only two wrestlers involved this time. Also Kashin has never seen the match so he’s not entirely sure what the rules for that are. Does it have anything to do with the Barbed Wire Explosion matches FMW was famous for? Again yes it does but explosions of that size are banned in Sumo Hall so they won’t be included. Instead barbed wire will be wrapped around the laptop Sasadango uses for his PowerPoint presentations and it will be rigged to explode after 5 minutes.

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6. Kota Ibushi Comeback & Ibushi Wrestling Institute 1st Leg – East & West Toward The Front Over The Entire Surface Falls Count Anywhere Weapon Treasure Hunt Match: Sanshiro Takagi & Jun Kasai Vs KENSO & Michael Nakazawa Vs Kota Ibushi & Gota Ihashi

There are two stories surrounding this match. First is the feud that no one wanted resurfaced last year and has lingered in DDT ever since. Sanshiro Takagi and KENSO had a feud in 2006 that ended with a No Rope Exploding Barbed Wire Match on a show where everything just fell apart. How bad was it? There were power outages during the match caused by the barbed wire ruining the explosions. KENSO showed up in DDT last year wanting to rekindle the feud. It was the most alive he ever felt and he wanted to experience it again. It turned smarky on social media with Takagi tweeting about KENSO’s failures in wrestling including losing to an actor when he wrestled in HUSTLE. KENSO’s response was usually just linking a picture of Takagi’s election poster, an embarrassing part of his past. A dark match 60 minute Ironman Match couldn’t decide a winner of the feud so it’s off to Sumo Hall for another final battle. Jun Kasai is coming to bring back his Crazy & President tag team with Takagi. KENSO has to rely on Michael Nakazawa who is returning from Singapore just to do this match. The stage is set for an out of control Falls Count Anywhere Match that will spread all over Sumo Hall. What could possibly take the spotlight from that?

Oh hey there, Kota Ibushi. How’s it going?

So get this. Last October Ibushi starts dropping out of shows including him missing a KO-D Title Match. Turns out he was diagnosed with a herniated cervical disc. So that’s him gone for God knows how long. Months pass and he’s all quiet until all of a sudden videos appear on Twitter of Ibushi working out and taking bumps with a training dummy. The herniated disc wasn’t as bad as expected and he was getting close to a full recovery. DDT and New Japan fans get excited for what will surely be his inevitable glorious comeback for both companies. Then in February he drops a bombshell. Ibushi decided to quit both DDT and New Japan. The double schedule took its toll on his body and he also felt he wouldn’t be able to do the kind of pro wrestling he wants to do while tied down to both companies. So he “graduates” from DDT and New Japan and then creates the Ibushi Wrestling Institute. What that is we still don’t know. What we do know is Ibushi’s first match back will be in this clusterfuck. He gets to wrestle Takagi and Nakazawa again, two men he has the deepest respect for and he gets to do a Falls Count Anywhere Match in Sumo Hall, which he has never done before.

What he does after the next few weeks is anyone’s guess. Maybe the WWE fans get their wish and he enters the Global Cruiserweight Series. Maybe NJPW fans can still get their wish of Ibushi Vs Kenny Omega at the Tokyo Dome next year. Or maybe he’s just going to do what he thinks is fun even if it means hardcore fans tearing out their hair because his big goal is to fight in Kaiju Big Battel. I mean fair play to EVOLVE and all but it has to be a bit embarrassing when everyone hears that the main reason a big star took your booking is because he wants to fight a devil monkey, a dust bunny, a murderous can of soup and a giant waffle in the same town that weekend.

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7. Dramatic Dream Match: Yukio Sakaguchi Vs Minoru Suzuki

The last time Yukio Sakaguchi was in Sumo Hall for DDT he won the KO-D Championship. The last time Minoru Suzuki was in Sumo Hall for DDT he was part of some nonsense with Takagi, Kasai and Nakazawa. Both are grumpy hybrid wrestlers so it’s only natural for a showdown between the two. Sakaguchi isn’t in the mood to talk about the match. Suzuki cares a little more but he’s rather enjoying teasing Sakaguchi over his public reputation for being a bad guy. Expect this match to get physical.

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8. Dramatic Dream Match: Danshoku Dino Vs Akebono

Danshoku Dino is an ass man. This shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone. What could be a surprise is Dino might not be able to handle the next ass he’s in the ring with. Akebono was last in DDT for “SAITAMA SUPER DDT” at the Saitama Super Arena. Since then he’s won some titles, created his own wrestling company Odo and got punched in the back of the head by Bop Sapp. You know, the usual stuff Akebono likes to do. For this match Dino has been trying to hunt down the asses of various wrestlers as some sort of power up but the plan hasn’t been a success. He’ll need to pull out every trick he can think of to win but it’s possible. Dino once defeated Bob Sapp. He can do the same to Akebono!

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9. KO-D Tag Team Titles – Uchicomi! Presents: Konosuke Takeshita & Tetsuya Endo (c) Vs Daisuke Sasaki & Shuji Ishikawa

The New Generation Combination are currently DDT’s top tag team. Konosuke Takeshita & Tetsuya Endo are the leading examples that DDT’s future is in good hands. But for the last month they’ve had a duo barking up their tree and snapping at their heels. Daisuke Sasaki is a crafty veteran who has had success in the past. However his luck changed when he fell in love with Candice LeRae. After teaming with her he bent down on one knee and proposed. She turned him down and he had a mental breakdown when he found out she got engaged to someone else immediately afterwards. Unable to handle rejection Sasaki started bringing a dog leash with him. When he demanded a tag team title shot without having any tag partners he went out and got a dog named Adrien. The “dog” then showed up and attacked the New Gen Combo. He unmasked and was revealed to be Shuji Ishikawa! Sasaki now has a partner and together they want the tag titles. Takeshita & Endo believe they are the future of pro wrestling and they’re not going to drop the titles to a dumped man and his pet dog.

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10. KO-D Openweight Title – Good Com Asset Presents: Isami Kodaka (c) Vs HARASHIMA

The KO-D Openweight Championship has been around Isami Kodaka’s waist since November. Things have been great for him. His new promotion BASARA is doing well, he’s a tag team champion in All Japan and he’s been unbeatable in DDT. If there is anyone who has the best shot at winning the title from him it’s good old Mr. Reliable himself, HARASHIMA. For the 5th time in his career HARASHIMA is in the headline match for DDT at Sumo Hall. The last time was in 2014 in a 3 Way Match with Kodaka and Kenny Omega. HARASHIMA got the pin on Kodaka to keep the title. This time he’s going in as challenger and he aims to leave with the belt. Kodaka equates this match to the rivalry between Kenshiro and Raoh in Fist Of The North Star. Isami is Kenshiro, HARASHIMA is Raoh. Isami is desperate to win and he’ll even use the Muso Tensei if he has to!


DDT “DNA 13” Videos

February 14, 2016


DDT “DNA 13”, 08/01/2016
Kitazawa Town Hall
223 Fans – No Vacancy


1. Daichi Kazato Vs Dai Suzuki


2. Mizuki Watase Vs Kouki Iwasaki


3. Yasu Urano & Shiori Asahi Vs Shunma Katsumata & Guanchulo


4. Shuji Ishikawa & Zeus Vs Kazusada Higuchi & Suguru Miyatake


5. Konosuke Takeshita Vs Kota Umeda


DDT “SAITAMA SLAM! VOL. 8” Results

February 7, 2016

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DDT “SAITAMA SLAM! VOL. 8”, 07/02/2016
Saitama Kawaguchi City Industrial Science and Technology Center
369 Fans – Super No Vacancy

0. King Of Dark Title: Yasu Urano defeated Mizuki Watase (c) with a Headlock (16:37).
*D1 for Mizuki Watase.
1. Masa Takanashi & Hoshitango defeated Keisuke Ishii & Tomomitsu Matsunaga when Takanashi pinned Matsunaga with the Takatonic (6:44).
2. 3 Way Match: Guanchulo defeated Makoto Oishi and DJ Nira when Guanchulo pinned Nira with the Guanchulo y Medio (8:38).
3. Yukio Sakaguchi, Kota Umeda & Saki Akai defeated Seiya Morohashi, Cherry & Gota Ihashi when Sakaguchi knocked out Ihashi with the Sleeper Hold (8:17).
4. Kazusada Higuchi & Kouki Iwasaki defeated Konosuke Takeshita & Hiroshi Fukuda when Iwasaki pinned Fukuda with the Capture Suplex (11:55).
5. KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles – Elimination Match: Sanshiro Takagi, Toru Owashi & Kazuki Hirata defeated Danshoku Dino, Super Sasadango Machine & KENSO (c) (15:25).
5a. Super Sasadango Machine eliminated Sanshiro Takagi by Ring Out (10:07).
5b. KENSO eliminated Toru Owashi by Ring Out (10:07).
5c. Kazuki Hirata eliminated KENSO by Ring Out (12:11).
5d. Kazuki Hirata eliminated Super Sasadango Machine with the Miracle One Shot Cradle (13:39).
5e. Kazuki Hirata eliminated Danshoku Dino by Ring Out (15:25)
*#OhkaEmpire fails in V1. T2Hide becomes the 23rd KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Champions!
6. 3 Way Tag Match: Shigehiro Irie & Soma Takao defeated Isami Kodaka & Ryota Nakatsu and HARASHIMA & Akito when Irie pinned Nakatsu with the Beast Bomber (11:48).
7. Daisuke Sasaki & Shuji Ishikawa defeated Antonio Honda & Tetsuya Endo when Sasaki pinned Honda after the Splash Mountain from Ishikawa (15:51).

Looks like the dog costume wasn’t just for show. Daisuke Sasaki brought Shuji Ishikawa to the ring on a leash for their main event match against one half of the KO-D Tag Team Champions. They beat Tetsuya Endo & Antonio Honda with Ishikawa’s strength as the deciding factor. Sasaki mocked the champions after the match. They always say they train hard and are the future of DDT but Sasaki just showed them reality. He and his cute little dog Shuji will send them from Sumo Hall to the graveyard!

The triangle scramble over the KO-D Openweight Title continued with the latest battle involving Isami Kodaka, HARASHIMA & Shigehiro Irie in a 3 Way Tag. Irie scored the latest win and was happy with it. He repeated his claim that he will defeat HARASHIMA this month and then Isami Kodaka next month to become the new KO-D Champion. He might cry when it happens but it will be tears of joy.

It took a miracle but T2Hide won back the KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles from #OhkaEmpire thanks to Kazuki Hirata. It was an Elimination Match with Over The Top Rope rules. Sanshiro Takagi was willing to risk his place in the match when he attempted to Suplex KENSO out of the ring to the floor but he was talked out of doing it. Takagi & Toru Owashi were both eliminated at the same time, giving the champs a 3 on 1 advantage. However the tables turned when Takagi interfered and Dropkicked KENSO off the top rope to the floor outside to eliminate him. Hirata then pinned Super Sasadango Machine to bring the match down to himself and Danshoku Dino. The Hirata GO! Glasses came out but Hirata was slowed down with the Lip Lock. Dino got distracted long enough for Hirata to recover and Dropkick Dino out of the ring to bring the titles back to T2Hide!

KENSO did what he’s been doing a lot lately, demanding a rematch. His partners weren’t feeling it. Dino already has a match set for Sumo Hall next month and Sasadango is preparing to enroll in a NHK High School course that begins in April. Both decided to leave #OhkaEmpire for now. KENSO then received a video message from Michael Nakazawa. In it, Nakazawa said KENSO doesn’t look interesting, like a punchline without the joke. However he is willing to join forces with KENSO to destroy Crazy & President at Sumo Hall.

During Match #3 Gota Ihashi turned his back to Saki Akai and bravely asked her to go out with him with the assumption that they will someday get married. He was overjoyed when he felt arms wrapping around him. But it wasn’t Akai giving him a hug, it was Yukio Sakaguchi choking him out with a Sleeper Hold.

Guanchulo used a Brainbuster Slam he calls the Guanchulo y Medio to win the 3 Way Match. He is now getting prepared to win back the MAX Maximo Title from Daisuke Sasaki. According to Guanchulo MAX LUCHA LIBRE has been in trouble ever since Sasaki won the title and took it out of Chile. Guanchulo aims to win it back and bring the belt to DNA as well as back home.

In an unusual turn for King Of Dark Title matches, Mizuki Watase Vs Yasu Urano went on for over 16 minutes and was quite exciting. Although Watase lost the match Amon Tsurumi said it was strange he was the champion instead of someone like Gota Ihashi. Tsurumi decided it will be best for Watase to defend the title against his seniors instead of the usual outcasts. If he wants to get out of dark match hell, he’ll have to beat a DDT veteran. Watase’s next defence will be against Masa Takanashi on 11th February.

Several matches were announced for March. The 1st March BOYZ show has Takeshita & Endo Vs Akito & Soma Takao as well as Sakaguchi Vs Makoto Oishi. There is another BOYZ show on 6th March with HARASHIMA, Takeshita & Takanashi Vs Akito, Endo & Sakaguchi as well as Keisuke Ishii Vs Kota Umeda.

YaroZ has a show in Shinkiba on 1st March has Ihashi & Dai Suzuki Vs Kengo Mashimo & Zeus in a Boxing Match. Sanshiro Takagi Vs Yumehito Imanari and Ryuichi Sekine Vs Takayuki Ueki are also on the card. Finally DNA on 5th March has Kota Umeda Vs Kouki Iwasaki in the main event. DNA’s two newest rookies will debut when Daiki Shimomura faces Umeda and Tsunehiro Shimatani takes on Iwasaki.


DDT “DNA 13” Results

January 8, 2016

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DDT “DNA 13”, 08/01/2016
Kitazawa Town Hall
223 Fans – No Vacancy

1. Daichi Kazato defeated Dai Suzuki with the Sister Abigail (8:50).
2. Kouki Iwasaki defeated Mizuki Watase with a Cradle (10:36).
3. Yasu Urano & Shiori Asahi defeated Shunma Katsumata & Guanchulo when Asahi pinned Guanchulo with the Modified Modern Times (9:36).
4. Shuji Ishikawa & Zeus defeated Kazusada Higuchi & Suguru Miyatake when Zeus pinned Miyatake with the Choke Slam (11:42).
5. Konosuke Takeshita defeated Kota Umeda with the German Suplex (19:06).

Konosuke Takeshita praised Kota Umeda after the main event. However Umeda refused his handshake and kicked him away. Umeda said he was frustrated by recent events in DNA. He wasn’t happy with the loss he just suffered, he misses Ryota Nakatsu and he still has a lot to do before he can catch up with Kazusada Higuchi.

Suguru Miyatake spent all day doing bodybuilding poses to prepare for his match. Higuchi was just happy to fight against two other heavyweights.

Guanchulo has been accepted into DNA! He formed a tag team with Shunma Katsumura called Los Amigos.

Tomoya Kawamura will return on the 5th March DNA show in Kasukabe Hall. Kawamura was part of DNA from the beginning as a Union wrestler but has been out of action throughout most of 2015 with injuries.


UNION “10TH ANNIVERSARY BOX OFFICE” Results

October 4, 2015

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UNION “10TH ANNIVERSARY BOX OFFICE”, 04/10/2015
Tokyo Korakuen Hall
1,530 Fans – Super No Vacancy

1. Mitomi Masayuki & Ryota Nakatsu defeated Yusuke Kubo & Daichi when Masayuki pinned Kubo with the Salty Splash (7:09).
2. Selection!! Memorial Tag Team Special Rules Match: Sanshiro Takagi & New Sanshiro Takagi, Choun-Shiryu & Cao Zhang (w/ Princess Makoto), A.YAZAWA & Mame Endo (w/ Rumi Kazama), Ricky Fuji & DJ Nira and Gaijin A & Gaijin A (3) defeated Seiya Morohashi, Hiroshi Fukuda & Ryu Gouma (w/ Kazuhiko Ogasawara) (1).
2a. Seiya Morohashi & Hiroshi Fukuda defeated Ricky Fuji & DJ Nira when Morohashi submitted Nira with the Crippler Crossface (2:59).
2b. Sanshiro Takagi & New Sanshiro Takagi defeated Seiya Morohashi & Hiroshi Fukuda when Takagi pinned Fukuda with the Sit Down Himawari Bomb (2:54).
2c. Choun-Shiryu & Cao Zhang defeated Seiya Morohashi & Ryu Gouma when Zhang pinned Gouma with the Huge Hammer Attack (3:09).
2d. Seiya Morohashi & Ryu Gouma Vs Gaijin A & Gaijin A ended in a No Contest when God appeared (8:02).
2e. A.YAZAWA & Mame Endo defeated Hiroshi Fukuda & Ryu Gouma whe YAZAWA pinned both Fukuda & Gouma with a Double School Boy (4:45).
3. Union Fly To Everywhere World Title: Cherry (c) defeated Masako Takanashi with the Union Lock (11:06).
*V1 for Cherry.
4. 3 Way Tag Team Match: MEN’S Teioh & SAGAT defeated Kengo Ohka & Madoka and Ken Ohka & Shinichiro Tominaga (w/ Mio Shirai) when Teioh pinned Tominaga with a Jackknife Pin (10:20).
5. FUMA defeated Daichi Kazato with the Jawbreaker (16:22).
6. Union MAX Title: Isami Kodaka (c) defeated Shuji Ishikawa with the Isamuashi Zan (23:46).
*V1 for Isami Kodaka.

After ten years of indie sleaze, Union Pro Wrestling has today closed its doors. The sub-brand was DDT’s bratty little brother consisting of hardcore matches and crazy stipulations amongst its small roster over the years. But with Naomi Susan leaving her role as the brand’s manager it was agreed that today was time for Union to end.

ishikawa-kodaka-max

The main event was between two wrestlers who have been with Union Pro since it begun back in 2005. Isami Kodaka defended the Union MAX Title against Shuji Ishikawa to determine who was the better ace of the promotion. Both believed that this was not the end but the beginning for every Union wrestler. Union’s founder Poison Sawada was in attendance for the match and he handed a bouquet of flowers to both champion and challenger. Isami kicked out of Shuji’s Splash Mountain Bomb but Shuji later kicked out of Isami’s Diving Double Knee Drop. Shuji hit a barrage of Knee Lifts and also a Rainmaker Headbutt. He attempted a Cross Arm Splash Mountain but Isami escaped and hit Sliding Lariats and Sliding Kicks to take down Shuji. Another Splash Mountain was countered into a Hurricanrana for a nearfall. The two traded Elbow Strikes and Isami got the better of the exchange. He hit another Diving Double Knee Drop but Shuji kicked out at one! Shuji blocked the Isamuashi Zan once but Isami wore him down and tried the finisher again, this time nailing Shuji in the jaw. That was enough to put him away and end Union with Isami as the champion.

union-goodbye

Isami was handed the title belt by Sawada and the Union roster filled up the ring. He called Shuji his older brother and said Sawada was like their father. Sawada congratulated both of them for becoming great wrestlers. He said there was no shame in Union ending on the match they just had. Ishikawa said he will now become a freelancer but he is disappointed he couldn’t win the MAX Title. He said his sweetness was his weakness today and he will work on becoming stronger when he wrestles in other companies. Everybody thanked the fans for attending the show and asked to continue supporting them wherever they go. Susan said that from now on everybody will be walking down a new road.

thankyou-union

One by one each of the wrestlers said their goodbye. Ryu Gouma said he spent the last ten years as a rip off of someone else (Ryuma Go). Yusuke Kubo said he developed a deep love of wrestling during his time here. Daichi said he was grateful to be standing here even though he was only in Union for a short while. Mitomi Masayuki said Union was where he was born and it will always be his hometown. Tomoya Kawamura, who could not wrestle today due to injury, said he was the last rookie to debut in Union and he was happy to be part of it. Hiroshi Fukuda said from now on he wants to fight the strongest wrestlers in honour of Union. Seiya Morohashi’s message was interrupted by the fans chanting “USA!” at Fukuda but he was able to tell fans to remember the “Love Muscle”. Cherry also said she hopes the fans will remember her because she won’t forget them. SAGAT said he came to Union as part of an experiment and it he lived the best life because of it. FUMA thanked everyone for their support and also for their future support. Daichi Kazato thanked the fans over and over. Sawada said Union wrestlers will never die. Susan and Ishikawa both said Union was the best. Kodaka finished the roll call by promising to stop crying. Let’s all laugh instead. The show ended with the combined cries of “3, 2, 1, Thank You Union!”

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The Union MAX Title is now sealed, at least temporarily. Kodaka may bring the MAX Title back some day but he thinks a new championship should be made if a successor to Union appears.

kazato-fuma

Daichi Kazato had a chance to kill off the King Legion for his final Union match. The unit would be forced to dissolve if Kazato could beat its leader FUMA. He came close when he hit the Sister Abigail but FUMA recovered and hit the Jawbreaker kick for the three count. FUMA grabbed Kazato by the hair after the match and lifted him to his feet. He then offered a handshake which Kazato accepted. FUMA said he was disappointed not to be in the MAX Title match but was satisfied to go against another Union made wrestler. There was no mention about what the King Legion will get up to now.

ohka-ohka

The 3 Way Tag Match had Ken Ohka and Mio Shirai reunite for one last time. The retired Shirai was in Ohka’s corner and wore a Ganbare☆Wrestling shirt to support him and Shinichiro Tominaga. Ohka also got to be in the ring with his replacement model Kengo (Mashimo) Ohka one more time. The King Legion benefited from the match going out of control. Ken Ohka got rid of Kengo Ohka with the Spear Of Flame but he then accidentally collided with his partner Tominaga. MEN’S Teioh capitalised and pinned Tominaga with a Jackknife.

cherry-ftehug

Cherry was happy to defend the Fly To Everywhere Title against her “best pupil” Masako Takanashi. She pinned Takanashi with an over-rotated School Boy she calls the Union Lock. Cherry has not decided what to do with the championship now Union has closed. She will take her time making her decision over the belt’s future.

union-memorialtag

A bunch of old faces returned to Union for a special series of tag matches. Seiya Morohashi, Hiroshi Fukuda and Ryu Gouma paired into various combinations to go against various wrestlers from Union’s past. Ricky Fuji and DJ Nira came out wanting to rock and roll. Gouma told them it’s 2015 and nobody wants to hear the old kind of rock music. Morohashi and Fukuda defeated Fuji and Nira while Gouma yelled “Rock ‘n’ roll is dead!” They did not fare as well in the second match against Sanshiro Takagi & New Sanshiro Takagi. New Takagi gave Fukuda a Stunner and old Takagi pinned him with the Sit Down Himawari Bomb. Team #3 was New Beijing Pro Wrestling. Choun-Shiryu & Cao Zhang came out with a giant tonkachi hammer as well as the lovely Princess Makoto. She distracted the referee with her charms so Zhang could hit Gouma with the giant hammer for the win. The next team was supposed to be Yusuke Inokuma & Keisuke Masuda but it was announced that they injured themselves during their pre-match warm up. Taking their place was the violent team of Gaijin A & Gaijin A! They attacked Morohashi, Fukuda, Gouma and even the referee with sellotape until the lights dimmed. God came out and he began singing badly while Gaijin A & Gaijin A hung the other wrestlers over the rope with sellotape wrapped around their necks. The match ended in a no contest. When all the tape was cleared up out came the final team A.YAZAWA and Mame Endo with Rumi Kazama. Everybody danced to Swan Lake until YAZAWA pinned the entire Union team with a School Boy to end the match.

kubo-mitomi

The show opened with some of the unsung heroes from Union. Mitomi Masayuki was a big signing when he turned pro but a car crash, some bad behaviour on Twitter and another serious injury wrestling elsewhere kept him out of the ring for a significant amount of time. Ryota Nakatsu only debuted last year as part of the DNA brand. Yusuke Kubo previously wrestled under a mask as Goro Jr. and only unmasked back in February. Daichi was a part timer with only a few appearances in Union under his belt.

I think Naomi Susan might still be working for DDT behind the scenes. She mentioned her decision to quit as Union’s manager does not mean she is retired from the pro wrestling industry entirely. She has in the past helped DDT bring in foreign talent.


TAVERN WRESTLING “ALCOHOL SLAM” Results

September 30, 2015

kasai-kodaka

TAVERN WRESTLING “ALCOHOL SLAM”, 30/09/2015
Shin-kiba 1st RING
309 Fans – Super No Vacancy

1. Tequila Lumberjack Match: Tetsuya Endo defeated Ryota Nakatsu with a School Boy (10:25).
*Red Team Earns 2 Points. Red Team 2 – 0 White Team.
2. Tokyo Joshi Pro Offer Match: Miyu Yamashita & Shoko Nakajima defeated Akane Miura & Rika Tatsumi when Nakajima pinned Tatsumi with the Northern Lights Suplex (8:26).
3. Single Fluorescent Lighttube Death Match: Akito defeated Ryuichi Sekine with a Penalty Kick through the Lighttube (7:15).
*White Team Earns 2 Points. Red Team 2 – 2 White Team.
4. Glove Match: Isami Kodaka Vs Tanomusaku Toba ended in a Draw (5R 3:00).
*Red Team Earns 1 Point. Red Team 3 – 2 White Team.
5. Showa Kayo Anytime, Anywhere Death Match: Great Kojika defeated Hiroshi Fukuda with an Osoto Gari (11:24).
*White Team Earns 0 Points. Red Team 3 – 2 White Team.
6. Falls Count Anywhere 8-Man Tag Team Match: Isami Kodaka, Ryuichi Sekine, Tetsuya Endo & Shuji Ishikawa defeated Hiroshi Fukuda, Akito, Ryota Nakatsu & Jun Kasai when Kodaka pinned Nakatsu with the Giga Ladder Break (21:09).
*Red Team Earns 2 Points. Red Team 5 – 2 White Team. Red Team Wins!

Red Team: Isami Kodaka, Ryuichi Sekine, Tetsuya Endo & Shuji Ishikawa

White Team: Hiroshi Fukuda, Akito, Ryota Nakatsu & Jun Kasai

A team challenge took place throughout the show. The Dropkick Bar wrestlers were on Team Red and their opponents were on Team White.

In the main event the White Team introduced Jun Kasai as their mystery wrestler. Isami Kodaka landed the Diving Double Knee Drop from the ladder onto Ryota Nakatsu to win the match and the challenge for his team. Afterwards he offered Kasai a match on 27th October. Kasai accepted.

Hiroshi Fukuda and The Great Kojika sang old songs while they wrestled each other.

Music from Ashita no Joe played throughout the Glove Match. By the time the match went into the final round Kodaka was starting to resemble Joe Yabuki in his final fight.

A single lighttube was attached to the ropes for Match #3. The aim of the match was to smash the lighttube into the opponent.

In the opening match a wrestler had to drink a glass of tequila every time they were thrown out of the ring. Tetsuya Endo put Nakatsu in a Sleeper Hold and force fed him the bottle, rolling him over with a School Boy afterwards.


UNION “UNION HARVEST FESTIVAL 2015” Results

September 15, 2015

isami-shuji

UNION “UNION HARVEST FESTIVAL 2015”, 15/09/2015
Shin-kiba 1st RING
303 Fans – Super No Vacancy

1. Hiroshi Fukuda defeated Ryu Gouma (w/ Kazuhiko Ogasawara) with the Perfect Plex (3:08).
2. Madoka & Ayumu Honda defeated Mitomi Masayuki & Ryota Nakatsu when Madoka pinned Masayuki with the Ranhyei (11:32).
3. Mio Shirai Last Union Match: GENTARO & Kyoko Kimura defeated Mio Shirai & Ladybeard when GENTARO pinned Shirai with a Figure Four Neck Lock Cutback (16:41).
4. Union Fly To Everywhere World Title – Three Match Special Rules: Cherry (2) defeated Aoi Kizuki (c) (1).
4a. 3 Way Match: Cherry defeated Aoi Kizuki (c) and Miyako Matsumoto when Cherry pinned Matsumoto with the Spring Night Love (3:27).
4b. Rock ‘N’ Roll Death Match: Aoi Kizuki (c) defeated Cherry with a Backslide Pin (9:27) (Special Referee: A.YAZAWA).
4c. Irregular Count Fall Match: Cherry defeated Aoi Kizuki (c) with the Union Lock (2:46).
*Aoi Kizuki fails in V1. Cherry becomes the 9th Union Fly To Everywhere World Champion!
5. 8-Man Tag Team Elimination Match: FUMA, MEN’S Teioh, Kazushi Miyamoto & SAGAT defeated Isami Kodaka, Daichi Kazato, Yusuke Kubo & Masato Shibata (16:40).
5a. Kazushi Miyamoto eliminated Masato Shibata by Ring Out (5:41).
5b. FUMA eliminated Yusuke Kubo with a Buzzsaw Kick (10:18).
5c. Isami Kodaka eliminated Kazushi Miyamoto by Ring Out (11:58).
5d. Isami Kodaka eliminated SAGAT by Ring Out (12:31).
5e. FUMA eliminated Isami Kodaka by Ring Out (12:40).
5f. Daichi Kazato eliminated MEN’S Teioh by Ring Out (13:40).
5g. FUMA eliminated Daichi Kazato with the Diving Headbutt (16:40).
6. Last Man Standing Match: Shuji Ishikawa defeated Seiya Morohashi by KO with the Running Knee Lift Barrage (16:56).

In a Last Man Standing match between Union’s two beefiest men, Shuji Ishikawa came out on top. Seiya Morohashi survived the Splash Mountain but his Quarrel Bomber was countered with a Knee Lift. Ishikawa then spammed Running Knee Lifts until Morohashi could no longer answer the ten count. Ishikawa and Isami Kodaka met in the ring at the end of the show to talk about their Union MAX Title match on the final Union event in Korakuen Hall on 4th October.

The King Legion once more reigned victorious over Union, this time in an 8-Man Elimination Tag match. FUMA was the last man standing but Union’s last man Daichi Kazato did not go down without a fight. FUMA challenged Kazato to a match on 4th October and to spice things up he will put the fate of the King Legion on the line. If Kazato beats FUMA then King Legion will de dissolved.

Cherry regained the Union Fly To Everywhere World Title for the third time after beating Aoi Kizuki two falls to one. Miyako Matsumoto took part in the first fall because the goal was for either Cherry or Kizuki to pin her. The second fall was called a Rock ‘N’ Roll Death Match but music from Swan Lake was used rather than anyting rock ‘n’ roll. In the deciding fall Cherry pinned Kizuki with a special version of the Spring Night Love she calls the Union Lock. After the match Cherry said she wanted to face Masako Takanashi on the final Union show in the decisive battle between Union’s two female(ish) wrestlers.

Mio Shirai was pinned in her final Union match. She put GENTARO in the Figure Four Neck Lock but he countered the move into a pin for the three count. Shirai described the people she wrestled with in the match as a group rich with variety. She said her final match in Union was a good experience. She also got to give a closing speech at the end of the show.


A God Damn Pole Match, Ishikawa Thanks Morohashi, Takagi’s In The Dark

September 8, 2015

DDT “OSAKA BAY BLUES SPECIAL 2015”, 13/09/2015
Osaka Prefectural Gymnasium #2

1. Suguru Miyatake, Kazusada Higuchi & Ryota Nakatsu Vs Tomomitsu Matsunaga, Kouki Iwasaki & Kiai Ryuuken Ecchan
2. Sanshiro Takagi, Toru Owashi & Kazuki Hirata Vs Makoto Oishi, Shunma Katsumata & Shoichi Uchida
3. Strife Love-Hate Drama Wash Blood With Blood Final Settlement: Masa Takanashi Vs Hiroshi Fukuda & Yoshihiko
4. Team Drift Vs #OhkaEmpire Complete Settlement Warfae – 6-Man Tag Team Elimination Match: Keisuke Ishii, Shigehiro Irie & Soma Takao Vs Danshoku Dino, Super Sasadango Machine & Ken Ohka
5. It Is Either Swallowed Or Breathtaking? Special Tag Match: Yukio Sakaguchi & KUDO Vs HARASHIMA & Akito
6. DDT Extreme Title – Four Corners Four Items Death Match: Antonio Honda (c) Vs Yasu Urano
7. KO-D Tag Team Titles: Kota Ibushi & Daisuke Sasaki (c) Vs Konosuke Takeshita & Tetsuya Endo

In a match that will get both late era WCW fans salivating, the DDT Extreme Title is on the line in a four corner pole match. A different item hangs in a bag from each of the poles. It’s been confirmed that two of the bags will contain a bra and a cole miner’s glove.

Hiroshi Fukuda is bringing along Yoshihiko to Osaka. His match with Masa Takanashi is now a 2-on-1 Handicap Match.

UNION “UNION HARVEST FESTIVAL 2015”, 15/09/2015
Shin-kiba 1st RING

1. Mio Shirai & Ladybeard Vs GENTARO & X
2. Union Fly To Everywhere World Title: Aoi Kizuki (c) Vs Cherry
3. Isami Kodaka, Daichi Kazato, Yusuke Kubo & Masato Shibata Vs FUMA, MEN’S Teioh, Kazushi Miyamoto & SAGAT
4. Shuji Ishikawa Vs Seiya Morohashi

Before Shuji Ishikawa faces Isami Kodaka for the Union MAX Title, he takes Seiya Morohashi. Despite being a mainstay of Union, Morohashi was not part of the original group that jumped from DDT when the brand formed back in 2005. Morohashi instead joined a few years later. Ishikawa is proud of Morohashi’s time in Union. He brought up one time when he fell ill and had to pull out of a match. Morohashi took his place at the last minute and gave a physically intense performance. I bet the match he is talking about is Morohashi Vs Shigehiro Irie from July 2012. Ishikawa wants to thank Morohashi for always being there for Union.

Mio Shirai has requested GENTARO’s tag partner to be a female wrestler.

DDT “WHO’S GONNA TOP? ~DDT DRAMATIC GENERAL ELECTION 2015~”, 27/09/2015
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

0. King Of Dark Title: Gota Ihashi (c) Vs Sanshiro Takagi
1. KO-D Openweight Title: Yukio Sakaguchi (c) Vs X

A confrontation from this past Sunday leads Sanshiro Takagi down a risky path. Gota Ihashi is becoming more and more desperate to get rid of the King Of Dark Title.


UNION “SUMMER FESTIVAL UNION 2015” Results

August 30, 2015

isami-wins-title

UNION “SUMMER FESTIVAL UNION 2015”, 30/08/2015
Shinjuku FACE
467 Fans – Super No Vacancy

1. Judo Army Vs Karate Bodybuilding Allies Final Settlement: Hiroshi Fukuda, Gorgeous Matsuno, Mame Endo & Pedro Takaishi defeated Kazuhiko Ogasawara, Ryu Gouma, Seiya Morohashi & Macho Michaels when Fukuda submitted Gouma with the This Morning Lock (6:40).
2. Mitomi Masayuki & Ryota Nakatsu defeated Kazuhiro Tamura & Daisuke Kanehira when Masayuki pinned Kanehira with the Salty Splash (9:59).
3. Aoi Kizuki & Ladybeard defeated Cherry & Masako Takanashi when Kizuki pinned Takanashi with a German Suplex (11:47).
4. Hardcore Match: Jun Kasai defeated Mio Shirai with (12:54).
5. Go Shiozaki & Kotaro Suzuki defeated Shuji Ishikawa & Daichi Kazato when Suzuki pinned Kazato with the Tiger Driver (16:51).
6. Union MAX Title: Isami Kodaka defeated FUMA (c) with the Isamuashi Zan (16:55).
*FUMA fails in V4. Isami Kodaka becomes the 5th Union MAX Champion!

The King has finally been defeated! After months of dominating Union, FUMA lost his Union MAX Title to Isami Kodaka. FUMA had SAGAT trying to help with when he hit Kodaka with the Goregrind but it didn’t work. Kodaka fought back with a Sliding Lariat and hit the Isamuashi Zan to win the title for the second time. Kodaka mentioned Union only has two shows left before it shuts down and he has a selfish idea. He wants to put the MAX Title on the line against Shuji Ishikawa in the main event of Union’s final show on 4th October.

Shuji Ishikawa & Daichi Kazato fought two of All Japan’s best in the semi-main event. They lost to Go Shiozaki & Kotaro Suzuki but Kazato impressed them. In the post-match interview Suzuki said Kazato is an energetic, gutsy young man. Shiozaki noticed a kind of vigor about him. They both thought Union had a good atmosphere to wrestle in because they sensed unity between everyone invovled.

The Hardcore match between Mio Shirai and Jun Kasai was not pretty. Before the match began Shirai said she was prepared to win but she wasn’t the one who brought a barbed wire bat with her. Kasai busted Shirai open with a chairshot and also by rubbing the bat against her head. She fought back when she applied the Figure Four Neck Lock with the bat pressed against Kasai’s forehead. She kicked out of a Brainbuster and the Reverse Tiger Driver but was eventually put away with the Pearl Harbour Splash. Kasai told Shirai she showed a lot of guts today and he was amazed by the spirit she showed.

Last month Mio Shirai lost the Fly To Everywhere Title to Aoi Kizuki in Ice Ribbon. Kizuki came over to Union today to compete but Cherry wasn’t happy to see her. Cherry wants to be the Fly To Everywhere Champion when Union closes down so she challenged Kizuki to a title match on 15th September.

Ayumu Honda suffered a nose injury and was unable to wrestle in the opener. Gorgeous Matsuno took his place in the Judo Army. That’s not all, Pedro Takaishi from the old MUSCLE promotion was the mysterious fourth member. The Judo Army went against an alliance of Karate people and bodybuilders. Ryu Gouma didn’t know much about karate but he had a rulebook to help him. Unfortunately Hiroshi Fukuda threw him down and tapped him out.


Union Pro To Disband

August 17, 2015

A press conference was held today to announce the dissolution of Union Pro Wrestling on 4th October, the day of their 10th Anniversary show in Korakuen Hall. The three key figures of Union Naomi Susan, Shuji Ishikawa and Isami Kodaka were in attendance to explain their decision.

Originally it was just Susan who was going to leave the promotion after the 10th Anniversary show. However when that news broke everyone in Union felt the company in its current form could not exist without her. Susan revealed there have been talks of forming a new promotion that would be closer in direction to DDT but out of respect for the Union locker room she will let the wrestlers talk about their futures when the time comes. Ishikawa however said he will become a freelancer when Union closes down. He will be 40 years old in September and wants to continue proving his strength in the ring. Kodaka said with only three shows left in Union’s life he hopes they will run full force towards 4th October.

When asked if there was any dissent among the roster over the decision Kodaka said everyone is feeling painful about it. He repeated that Susan was irreplaceable and apologised to the fans for what sounds like a selfish reason for their decision. The future of the Union MAX Title and Fly To Everywhere Title was brought up but no decision has yet been made to seal the championships or keep them active.

The conference ended with Kodaka saying he wants Union’s end to be a complete explosion. Though this is a negetive story it can be turned into something positive. Everyone in Union will be laughing happily until the end.

I’ll try to keep you all posted about Union’s future when more information comes out.