DDT “WHAT ARE YOU DOING 2024 TOUR IN OSAKA”, 22/06/2024 Osaka City Minato Civic Center 238 Fans – No Vacancy
1. 3 Way Match: Yuki Iino defeated Makoto Oishi and To-y when Iino pinned Oishi with a Lariat (4:44).
2. Osaka Specialty Special Single Match: HARASHIMA defeated Tsutenkakka with the Somato (10:39).
3. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title: Keigo Nakamura (c) defeated Kazuma Sumi with the Diving Bedpad (8:49). *V? for Keigo Nakamura.
4. Daisuke Sasaki, KANON & MJ Paul defeated Jun Akiyama, Toru Owashi & Tomomitsu Matsunaga when KANON submitted Matsunaga with the Cobra Twist 2.0 (9:58).
5. BURNING Vs SCHADENFREUDE International!: Chris Brookes & Takeshi Masada defeated Tetsuya Endo & Yuya Koroku when Brookes pinned Masada with the Cosmic Doom (9:51).
6. Sanshiro Takagi Indefinite Rest Road ~ Special Tag Match: Danshoku Dieno & Kazuki Hirata defeated Sanshiro Takagi & CIMA when Hirata pinned Takagi with a School Boy (0:05).
6a. Rematch – Captain’s Fall Tag Match: CIMA (C) & Sanshiro Takagi defeated Kazuki Hirata (C) & Danshoku Dieno when CIMA (C) pinned Hirata (C) with the Somato (11:09).
-. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title: CIMA defeated Keigo Nakamura (c) with a School Boy (6:48 pm). *CIMA becomes the 1,647th champion.
7. Special Tag Match: MAO & Shunma Katsumata defeated Yukio Naya & Yuki Ishida when MAO pinned Ishida after the Our Mad Max (19:56).
The show was missing Yuki Ueno due to illness and Kazusada Higuchi due to injury so MAO took it as an opportunity to take the reigns of DDT in their absence. He and Shunma Katsumata wanted to do their best and since Ueno was missing, MAO became bold and said he will definitely beat him for the KO-D Openweight Title at Sumo Hall on 21st July! He also congratulated Yuki Ishida for moving to Osaka and is confident he will become a success here with his sumo endeavors.
The long awaited team-up of Sanshiro Takagi & CIMA lasted five seconds. In a reverse of what usually happens, Kazuki Hirata immediately rolled up Takagi for the three count. Takagi accepted defeat, leaving CIMA confused. It’s been over three years since CIMA was last in DDT and the Takagi that he knows would not take this lying down. He demanded a rematch this time under Captain’s Fall Rules. The other side agreed and the match restarted with CIMA and Hirata as the captains. Danshoku Dieno with the help of Makoto Oishi set up the Hell Gate but CIMA avoided that terrible fate. Instead Takagi gave Hirata the Stunner and stabbed Dieno with the Kancho while CIMA pinned Hirata with the Somato.
Takagi said he was happy for the chance to team with CIMA before going on his break. CIMA suggested that DDT and GLEAT do another joint show in the near future, this time in Osaka. As he went to leave the ring he noticed Keigo Nakamura was holding the ropes down for him while wearing the Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title. CIMA acted nice towards him but it was only so he could roll him up in the ring and win the Iron Man Title from him! Backstage Takagi warned CIMA the belt is on the line 24 hours and he won’t be able to get any sleep because of it. He was proven right because Tsutenkakka then tried to attack CIMA in a failed attempt to win the belt.
Both Chris Brookes & Takeshi Masada tried hiding in the audience during Tetsuya Endo & Yuya Koroku’s entrance but their opponents caught them anyway. Endo then insulted Masada for not having any friends but apparently he did have some in the audience.
After HARASHIMA’s match both To-y & Katsumata entered the ring. To-y told HARASHIMA that The 37KAMIINA wants a shot at the KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles and Katsumata was going to be one of his partners. HARASHIMA pointed out that Smile Squash are already scheduled to defend the belts against DAMNATION T.A at Sumo Hall on 21st July. But if To-y wants the match then he will talk to Akito & Yasu Urano about it. However he noticed that To-y & Katsumata need another partner. The two muttered to each other and announced they know who the other member of their team will be. Except they refused to tell anyone who it is. Yukinori Matsui got mad at them for keeping it a secret and told them the challenge was not official yet.
DDT “WHAT ARE YOU DOING 2024 TOUR IN OSAKA”, 22/06/2024 Osaka City Minato Civic Center
1. 3 Way Match: Yuki Iino Vs Makoto Oishi Vs To-y
2. Osaka Specialty Special Single Match: HARASHIMA Vs Tsutenkakka
3. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title: Keigo Nakamura (c) Vs Kazuma Sumi
4. Jun Akiyama, Toru Owashi & Tomomitsu Matsunaga Vs Daisuke Sasaki, KANON & MJ Paul
5. BURNING Vs SCHADENFREUDE International!: Tetsuya Endo & Yuya Koroku Vs Chris Brookes & Takeshi Masada
6. Sanshiro Takagi Indefinite Rest Road ~ Special Tag Match: Sanshiro Takagi & CIMA Vs Danshoku Dieno & Kazuki Hirata
7. Special Tag Match: MAO & Shunma Katsumata Vs Yukio Naya & Yuki Ishida
Extra, extra last minute changes because Kazusada Higuchi is taking time off to deal with some injuries, such as getting treatment for a cervical hernia.
Yesterday Shunma Katsumata won the Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title from Kazuma Sumi in a 5 Way Match held at a sauna that also had the DDT Extreme Title on the line. However later that night Keigo Nakamura and Daisuke Kiso snuck into a room where Katsumata was sleeping under a blanket. Nakamura told Kiso to count the blanket pinning Katsumata for a title change. He then grabbed the blanket and put it in a Sleeper Hold, telling Kiso to lift and drop it three times. The blanket didn’t respond so Kiso declared Nakamura the new champion. He now has the belt going into this weekend’s shows. Sumi will be going after him so he can win the title again.
DDT “WHAT ARE YOU DOING 2024 TOUR IN HAMAMATSU”, 23/06/2024 Shizuoka Act City Hamamatsu
1. Toru Owashi & Tomomitsu Matsunaga Vs Makoto Oishi & To-y
2. Danshoku Dieno & Kazuki Hirata Vs Keigo Nakamura & Kazuma Sumi
3. Smile Squash Vs DAMNATION T.A!: HARASHIMA & Akito Vs Daisuke Sasaki & MJ Paul
4. Sanshiro Takagi Indefinite Rest Road ~ Special 6-Man Tag Match: Sanshiro Takagi, Jun Akiyama & Yoshitatsu vs Yuki Iino, Yukio Naya & Yuya Koroku
5. Special Single Match: Tetsuya Endo Vs KANON
6. The 37KAMIINA Vs SCHADENFREUDE International!: MAO & Shunma Katsumata Vs Chris Brookes & Takeshi Masada
Among the card changes is Tomomitsu Matsunaga being called over to fill in the gaps.
DDT “SPA & POOL AQUA YUKARI – SAUNA ROJO PRO WRESTLING”, 21/06/2024 Chiba Aqua Yukari 91 Fans
1. DDT Extreme Title & Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title – Falls Count Anywhere Survival 5 Way Match: Shunma Katsumata (E/c) defeated Yukio Naya, To-y, Ilusion and Kazuma Sumi (I/c) (55:20).
1a. Shunma Katsumata, To-y, Ilusion and Kazuma Sumi eliminated Yukio Naya by Pinfall (37:09).
1b. To-y eliminated Ilusion by Referee Stoppage (45:33).
1c. Shunma Katsumata and Kazuma Sumi eliminated To-y by Pinfall (47:27).
1d. Shunma Katsumata eliminated Kazuma Sumi with the Totonou Splash from the wall through the Table (55:20). *V4 for Shunma Katsumata. Shunma Katsumata becomes the 1,644th Iron Man Heavymetalweight Champion.
Two championships were on the line when DDT paid a visit to the Aqua Yukari spa in Chiba. The Survival 5 Way Match was originally just meant to be for the DDT Extreme Title held by Shunma Katsumata. But recently Kazuma Sumi won the Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title and since the match was elimination rules, somebody was going to end up as a double champion by the end of the match. Hisaya Imabayashi was there to make sure things did not get too out of control.
The spa features more than just a sauna and a swimming pool. The five wrestlers fought all over the place, taking everyone down stairways, through an arcade and past the café. There was also a karaoke booth where Sumi asked Imabayashi for money so he could sing a song or two for everyone. Sumi then wanted to take the fight over to the women’s bath area but Imabayashi told him it is out of bounds for them and they should go to the men’s bath instead.
In the men’s area Katsumata and To-y both tried to drown each other in the bath. There was a Headscissors chain formed with Yukio Naya at the end turning everyone over with a Crab Hold. He then threw everyone into the cold bath including Imabayashi and Keigo Nakamura. Then Ilusion got some payback by avoiding a Choke Slam and then sending Naya into the cold bath too.
Next place to visit was the sauna room. At this point Naya was getting tired and the increasing heat made things worse. He rushed out of the room and collapsed to the ground. Sumi covered him but he kicked out. Then everyone piled on top of Naya for the pin and he became the first elimination of the match. The remaining wrestlers went to sit outside but almost all got counted out because they were so relaxed it was like being knocked out.
Over at the pool the wrestlers started doing some high risk dives into the water. However To-y got a hold of him and submerged him under water. After a few moments To-y reemerged holding up Ilusion’s mask in the style of Robin Mask Vs Atlantis! Only Daisuke Kiso could see what happened to Ilusion beneath the water. He declared Ilusion was unable to continue so he was eliminated from the match!
To-y then found a giant plastic balloon to trap Katsumata and Sumi in. Once they were stuck inside, To-y got a hose and tried to fill it with water. However the other two overpowered him and rolled the balloon on top of To-y to pin him for the next elimination.
The final two wrestlers went back outside to finish the match. They attacked each other with chairs ending with Katsumata getting the upper hand. He put Sumi onto a table and then climbed a ladder next to it. Using the Totonou Splash, Katsumata put Sumi through the table and got the three count. He not only successfully defended the Extreme Title but won the Iron Man Title too!
Sadly however that reign did not last the night. Sometime after the match ended Katsumata found a place to sleep underneath a blanket. Nakamura and Kiso entered the room and Nakamura had a plan. He told Kiso to count the blanket pinning Katsumata because Katsumata was lying flat on his back. Kiso did so, making the Blanket the new Iron Man Champion! Nakamura then grabbed the blanket and put it in a Sleeper Hold. Kiso lifted up the other end of the blanket and dropped it three times. It didn’t respond so Kiso declared Nakamura knocked it out to win the championship!
BASARA “BASARA 251 ~UTAGE~”, 21/06/2024 Shin-Kiba 1st RING
1. Takato Nakano & Masato Kamino Vs Lil’ Kraken & Leo Isaka
2. FUMA, KUBITO & Daichi Kazato vs SAGAT, Gouma Ryu & Antonio Honda
3. Ryuichi Sekine & Minoru Fujita Vs Takumi Tsukamoto & Judomaster
4. Isami Kodaka Vs Yasu Urano
5. Iron Fist Tag Team Titles: Ryota Nakatsu & Kazusada Higuchi (c) Vs Fuminori Abe & Takuya Nomura
This is the match order for tomorrow’s BASARA show. It is the turn of Astronauts to try and take the Iron Fist Tag Team Titles from Harimao.
DDT “SPA & POOL AQUA YUKARI – SAUNA ROJO PRO WRESTLING”, 21/06/2024 Chiba Aqua Yukari
1. DDT Extreme Title – Falls Count Anywhere Survival 5 Way Match: Shunma Katsumata (c) Vs Yukio Naya Vs To-y Vs Ilusion Vs Kazuma Sumi
I think Kazuma Sumi still has the Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title so tomorrow night’s match at the sauna could end up having two championships on the line.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “PRECIOUS TIME ’24”, 29/06/2024 Tokyo Shinagawa Prince Hotel Club eX
1. Shoko Nakajima & Yoshiko Hasegawa Vs Nao Kakuta & Yuki Aino
Former Ganbare☆Pro wrestler Yoshiko Hasegawa returns to Tokyo Joshi Pro for the first time since going freelance. She gets to be part of Nao Kakuta’s road to graduation.
DDT “FIGHTING BEER GARDEN 2024 IN UENO”, 05/07/2024 Tokyo Ueno Park Outdoor Stage
1. No DQ I Quit Match: Antonio Honda Vs Invisible Leonardo DiCaprio
2. Special Tag Match ~ Unagi Warriors Vs Brahman Brothers!: Sanshiro Unagi & Sayaka Unagi Vs Brahman Shu & Brahman Kei
3. The 37KAMIINA Vs DAMNATION T.A!: Yuki Ueno, MAO & Shunma Katsumata Vs Daisuke Sasaki, KANON & MJ Paul
News about this show went haywire during the week. First it was announced that Antonio Honda would face The Invisible Man in a singles match. Then a few days later The Invisible Man pulled out of the booking due to what was only described as “various circumstances” by DDT. A replacement was found though and Honda has a new opponent. It is Invisible Leonardo DiCaprio! It is a matchup so big that Honda asked DDT to make it a No DQ I Quit match! It will only end when either Honda or DiCaprio says “I Quit” into a microphone.
DDT “ROAD TO PETER PAN 2024 TOUR IN ODAWARA”, 07/07/2024 Kanagawa Odawara Arena Sub Arena
1. Odawara City Tourism PR Character Umemaru Pro Wrestling Debut Match: Umemaru, Akito & Yuni Vs Pokotan, Antonio Honda & Kazuma Sumi
2. Special Single Match: Aja Kong Vs Kazuki Hirata
3. Sanshiro Takagi Indefinite Rest Road ~ Special 6-Man Tag Match: Sanshiro Takagi, Yoshiaki Yatsu & Kuroshio TOKYO Japan Vs Tetsuya Endo, Yuki Iino & Yuya Koroku
In the same month when the Olympics begins, DDT is heading over to Odawara to meet up with Yoshiaki Yatsu again. Kuroshio TOKYO Japan will be there as well to create the weird trio of Sanshiro Takagi, Yatsu & Kuroshio.
This show will not be the first time Kazuki Hirata and Aja Kong will be fighting each other in a singles match. Back in 2016 Hirata won a Right To Challenge Anytime, Anywhere Contract except the prize was to go on a date with Kong whenever he wanted. He had no choice but to cash in the prize and go on the date where they actually came close to hitting it off. However Hirata got cold feet and left Kong feeling rejected. Kong got her revenge by crashing the next DDT show afterwards and beating Hirata in an impromptu match. I should know. I was there (at the show, not the date)! Have broken hearts been healed over 8 years later?
Odawara’s local mascto Umemaru will make its pro wrestling debut. As usual when this kind of thing happens in DDT, Pokotan will be in the match too so it can show its mascot superiority in the ring.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “SUMMER SUN PRINCESS ’24”, 20/07/2024 Tokyo Korakuen Hall
1. Yuki Kamifuku Vs Nao Kakuta
2. Special Single Match: Aja Kong Vs Shoko Nakajima
3. Princess Of Princess Title: Miu Watanabe (c) Vs Rika Tatsumi
When Kakuta was asked to pick her final wrestling matches, she came up with two opponents she wants to fight one last time more than ever. They will be split across her final week as a pro wrestler. First she will take on Yuki Kamifuku at “SUMMER SUN PRINCESS ’24” for her final match at Korakuen Hall.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “NAO KAKUTA GRADUATION COMMEMORATION ~KIMITACHIHA ISSHOUNO TAKARAMONO~”, 25/07/2024 Shin-Kiba 1st RING
1. Nao Kakuta Graduation Match: Nao Kakuta Vs Mizuki
A few days later Kakuta will have her graduation match and her last opponent will be no other than Mizuki!
DDT “ROJO PRO WRESTLING”, 21/09/2024 Naraha Town, Fukushima
DDT is teaming up with To-y’s home of Naraha Town in Fukushima for the area’s migration campaign. The town was evacuated after the 2011 Tohoku earthquake until 2015 when town recovery efforts went into effect. DDT is getting involved with this year’s project by having one of their wrestlers become an ambassador for the area. To-y has been in the role before but now Shunma Katsumata is taking over to help promote the town. However the town’s mascot Yuzutaro objected to the idea because it claims To-y recently ate and drank too much of the local delicacies without paying for it. According to Yuzutaro, the damage to the town’s reputation caused by this will cost To-y one trillion yen! If To-y is unable to pay it back then Yuzutaro suggested he work jobs in Naraha until the debt is repaid. Katsumata thought that was a fair idea and offered to give up his role so To-y can be the ambassador again for a second year in a row. To-y had no choice but to accept the arrangement, although he has to be recognized as an unofficial ambassador due to the circumstances. One of the events DDT will do to promote the town is hold a Falls Count Anywhere match somewhere in the town this September.
DDT “DRAMATIC DREAM BATTLE”, 16/06/2024 TOKYO FM Hall 286 Fans – Super No Vacancy Full House
1. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title – 5 Way Match: Kazuma Sumi (c) defeated Shunma Katsumata, Yukio Naya, To-y and Ilusion when Sumi pinned Katsumata after the Choke Slam from Naya (4:54). *V? for Kazuma Sumi.
2. Akito, Kazusada Higuchi & Toru Owashi defeated Chris Brookes, Takeshi Masada & Yuni when Akito submitted Yuni with a Figure 4 Leg Lock (7:34).
3. Sanshiro Takagi Indefinite Rest Road ~ Special Single Match: Sanshiro Takagi defeated Kazuki Hirata with the Stone Cold Stunner (7:06).
4. Special Single Match: Danshoku Dieno Vs Makoto Oishi ended in a No Contest (2:55).
4a. Rematch: Takeshi Masada & Ilusion defeated Danshoku Dieno & Makoto Oishi when Masada pinned Oishi with the Masada No Chikara KOBU Mukimuki (1:58).
5. BURNING Vs DAMNATION T.A!: Daisuke Sasaki, KANON & MJ Paul defeated Tetsuya Endo, Yuki Iino & Yuya Koroku when KANON submitted Koroku with the Just Cobra Twist (9:10).
6. Special Tag Match: Yuki Ueno & Fuminori Abe defeated HARASHIMA & Keigo Nakamura when Ueno submitted Nakamura with the Blackout Sleeper (14:49).
7. DDT Universal Title: MAO (c) defeated Shiryu with the Michinoku Driver II (19:45). *V9 for MAO.
Big stakes were put together for the DDT Universal Title match. Shiryu will be retiring in Michinoku Pro next week and thinks it would be suitable if he became a champion when it happens. Then Kaz Hayashi approached him, passing along the challenge from MAO. The match would be the closest MAO could ever get to doing The 37KAMIINA Vs Kaientai☆DX. Shiryu warned MAO he would do anything it takes to beat him for the belt today. MAO understood and even made a request on the day of the show. If Shiryu wins then MAO wants him to seal the Universal Title away when he retires because Shiryu deserves to keep a championship with the word “Universal” attached to it. During the match Shiryu proved he would do anything to win by brawling with MAO away from ringside. When they returned MAO’s head was bleeding and Shiryu had swapped his face mask for his heel mask. A ref bump back in the ring led to Shiryu attacking MAO with a chair and followed it up with a Power Bomb onto a table that MAO bounced right off. MAO regained control though hitting a Whirlwind Kick, Palm Strike and Iai Kick. He then used a familiar Kaientai☆DX finisher the Michinoku Driver II to win the match. MAO said when the switch was flipped halfway through the match he figured out just how much of an influence Shiryu was for him. Shiryu is a strange guy but MAO is even stranger! He will be taking a break from defending the Universal Title for now because he wants to focus on the KO-D Openweight Title match with Yuki Ueno coming up next month.
TOKYO FM Hall is seen as the holy land for Fuminori Abe because the venue was home to Battlarts in the 1990s. So he was very motivated to wrestle there today and wanted Yuki Ueno to work just as hard as he does. Ueno told Abe the next time he comes to DDT they should wrestle each other. He thinks that would be more fun than teaming together. Even after they won their match he can’t figure out why they were paired together for the show. Abe also thinks Keigo Nakamura looks like a Mokugyo. He wants to see Nakamura turn his rebellious spirit into passion.
After that match took place, HARASHIMA & Akito were attacked by DAMNATION T.A backstage. Hisaya Imabayashi tried to stop them but Daisuke Sasaki attacked him too, sticking a clothes hanger into his mouth and holding him hostage until he gets a rematch against Smile Squash for the KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles. Akito reluctantly agreed because he thinks the former champions do have the right for a rematch despite their actions. He also wants it to happen on the biggest stage so the match will happen at Sumo Hall on 21st July!
A supposed lifelong grudge between Danshoku Dieno and Makoto Oishi was pushed to the side when their match got changed midway through. Dieno couldn’t keep his behaviour under control and ended up stripping both Takeshi Masada and Ilusion down to their underwear. The match was ruled a No Contest due to this. Masada & Ilusion then demanded a match against Dieno & Oishi so they can get some payback. Together they physically manipulated Dieno into giving Oishi the Danshoku Driver before picking up the win themselves when Masada pinned Oishi with his finisher.
The first of two 5 Way Matches happening this month was for the Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title being held by Kazuma Sumi. But when the match began it was Shunma Katsumata who was targeted by the other four. He was able to fight off most of them except for Yukio Naya. By that point Naya became the man to beat with To-y and Ilusion joining forces to fight him off. Naya took control again and gave Katsumata the Choke Slam. But before he could make another move, Sumi hit Naya with a Missile Dropkick and landed on top of Katsumata, pinning him to win the match. Sumi is now confident he will win next week’s 5 Way Match with the DDT Extreme Title on the line so he can become a double crown champion. The five wrestlers got into more arguements with each other backstage as the match.
DDT “WHAT ARE YOU DOING 2024 TOUR IN ASAKUSA”, 11/06/2024 Tokyo Asakusa Hanayashi Theater 240 Fans – Super No Vacancy Full House
0. Dark Match ~ Nariagari Sponsored Match: Sanshiro Takagi, Tawaramachi Kid Jr. & Super Nikuyaki Machine defeated Ariji Akinori, Shosaku Inoue & awesome Tezuka when Tawaramachi pinned Akinori with the Moonsault Press (12:03).
1. Special Single Match: KANON defeated Makoto Oishi with the Ground Cobra Twist (8:01).
2. Daisuke Sasaki & MJ Paul defeated HARASHIMA & Keigo Nakamura when Sasaki submitted Nakamura with the Crossface Lock (11:33).
3. Asakusa Special 6-Man Tag Match: Jun Akiyama, Danshoku Dieno & Yoshihiko defeated Akito, Kazuki Hirata & Antonio Honda when Yoshihiko pinned Honda with an Exploder Suplex (11:52).
4. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title: MAO & To-y defeated Chris Brookes (c) & Ilusion when MAO pinned Brookes (12:35). *MAO becomes the 1,641st champion.
-. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title: Ilusion defeated MAO (c) by Pinfall (8:30 pm). *Ilusion becomes the 1,642nd champion.
5. Yuki Ueno & Shunma Katsumata defeated Yukio Naya & Kazuma Sumi when Katsumata pinned Sumi with the Totonou Splash (12:56).
-. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title: Kazuma Sumi defeated Ilusion (c) with a Cradle (8:51 pm). *Kazuma Sumi becomes the 1,643rd champion.
6. Kazusada Higuchi 10th Anniversary Match ~ Harimao Vs BURNING!: Kazusada Higuchi, Ryota Nakatsu & Yuki Ishida defeated Tetsuya Endo, Yuki Iino & Yuya Koroku when Higuchi pinned Koroku with the Kachiage (17:38).
This year both Kazusada Higuchi and Ryota Nakatsu are celebrating 10 years in the wrestling business. The anniversary of their pro debut isn’t until November but DDT wanted to dedicate today’s main event to Higuchi’s debut. Tetsuya Endo took the time to congratulate Higuchi while fighting him. Yuki Ishida cared more about shouting “Dosukoi!” in response to Yuki Iino shouting “BURNING!” Higuchi pulled out a Sumo move to win the match, hitting Yuya Koroku with a Kachiage elbow strike across the face for the three count after Koroku kicked out of the Doctor Bomb.
After the match Higuchi praised each member of Harimao, including Naomi Yoshimura who was at ringside with them. He is grateful to share the Iron Fist Tag Team Titles with Nakatsu in BASARA. Little by little, Harimao will continue to move forward. Backstage Iino talked about the recent news that he will be getting a G-REX Title shot in GLEAT on 1st July after he pinned the champion Hayato Tamura last week. He’s going to break Tamura with the Spear again, break the rest of BULK Orchestra and take the G-REX Title!
There was a preview tag match for the upcoming DDT Extreme Title 5 Way bout. Shunma Katsumata teamed with Yuki Ueno to beat Yukio Naya & Kazuma Sumi. Katsumata scored the pin on Sumi but praised both him and Naya after the match. He has the highest of expectations for his opponents when they go fight each other in the sauna on 21st June. However To-y felt left out because he wrestled in the match before them and thought that was more extreme than anything that happened in this match.
The reason why To-y thinks his match was more extreme is because it was a Drunk Tag Match. Every two minutes every wrestler in the match had to drink a cup of alcohol. A lottery randomly determined which alcohol everyone had to drink each time. Everyone eventually got too drunk to wrestle. Chris Brookes fell on his back and couldn’t get up. MAO climbed the ropes wanting to do the Cannonball 450 and he just drunkingly fell onto Brookes, pinning him anyway to win the Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title. He then immediately lost it when Ilusion pinned him after the match. Ilusion’s title reign lasted one match when he reappeared in the ring with the rest of the Extreme Title participants. Kazuma Sumi cradled him to become the new champion, winning his first ever wrestling belt.
Sanshiro Takagi promised the Nariagari wrestlers that when he returns from his indefinite break he will appear on one of their shows. Even though it is an amateur promotion created by Danshoku Dieno, Nariagari also treats Takagi like a father figure.
Two different comedy acts performed during the show. The one during intermission is a fart artist who once competed in Britain’s Got Talent. The other act from the pre-show were dressed in Kinnikuman and Buffaloman costumes.
GLEAT/DDT “GLEAT VER. & – GLEAT X DDT PRO WRESTLING”, 06/06/2024 Tokyo Korakuen Hall 725 Fans
1. 3 Way Tag Match: Shunma Katsumata, Takanori Ito & Issei Onitsuka defeated Densha MICHIo, Jitensha KEIgo & Yu Iizuka and Danshoku Dieno, Makoto Oishi & Jun Tonsho when Katsumata pinned Oishi with the Totonou Splash (7:32).
2. Minoru Tanaka defeated Kazuki Hirata with the B”D”F (8:44).
3. CIMA & HARASHIMA defeated Soma Watanabe & Soma Takao when HARASHIMA pinned Takao with the Somato (7:15).
4. Tetsuya Endo defeated Tetsuya Izuchi with the Tetsuya In The Sky (9:34).
5. SBK & TAKUMA defeated To-y & Kazuma Sumi when TAKUMA pinned Sumi with the 630° (11:32).
6. Yuki Ueno, El Lindaman & MAO defeated Sanshiro Takagi, Kaz Hayashi & Akito when MAO pinned Akito with the Iai Kick (11:39).
7. Elimination Tag Match: Daisuke Sasaki, Kaito Ishida, KANON, Hartley Jackson & Kotaro Suzuki defeated T-Hawk, Chris Brookes, Takehiro Yamamura, Seiki Yoshioka & Takeshi Masada (22:43).
7a. Kotaro Suzuki eliminated Takehiro Yamamura with the Blue Destiny (8:18).
7b. Daisuke Sasaki eliminated Seiki Yoshioka by Ring Out (9:20).
7c. T-Hawk eliminated Kotaro Suzuki with a Low Blow (10:06).
7d. Hartley Jackson accidentally eliminated KANON by Ring Out (13:33).
7e. Chris Brookes eliminated Hartley Jackson by Ring Out (13:58).
7f. Daisuke Sasaki eliminated Chris Brookes with El Es Culero (14:50).
7g. Daisuke Sasaki eliminated T-Hawk with the Crossover Face Lock (18:36).
7h. Takeshi Masada eliminated Daisuke Sasaki by Ring Out (21:07).
7i. Kaito Ishida eliminated Takeshi Masada with the Half Tiger Suplex (22:43).
8. Kazusada Higuchi, Yuki Iino & Yukio Naya defeated Hayato Tamura, Ryuichi Kawakami & KAZMA SAKAMOTO when Iino pinned Tamura with the Spear (20:46).
The latest GLEAT show at Korakuen Hall was a joint show with DDT, mashing the two rosters together for a bunch of inter-promotional matches. In the main event it was DDT’s heavyweight team that defeated BULK Orchestra. Even more newsworthy is Yuki Iino pinned Hayato Tamura with the Spear, scoring the win over the G-REX Champion! Iino rubbed it in his opponents’ faces after the match, saying GLEAT is weak and comparing them to the brass band club in elementary school. When Tamura went to respond, Iino tackled him with another Spear and then posed with the G-REX Title. After the DDT team left the ring Tamura promised he will get revenge. He also encouraged GLEAT fans to support DDT and DDT fans to support GLEAT. Backstage Yukio Naya talked about the times he wrestled with KAZMA SAKAMOTO in Real Japan and then challenged him to a singles match. Ryuichi Kawakami lost his temper at his partners for making GLEAT look weak.
A 10-Man Elimination Tag match mixed the two rosters together. One side was an alliance between SCHADENFREUDE International and #STRONGHEARTS that took on the name SCHADENHEARTS. The other side paired together DAMNATION T.A with Black Generation International. BGI’s Kaito Ishida ended up being the last man standing.
El Lindaman didn’t hear the news about Sanshiro Takagi’s recent demotion. He declared he was going to take over the President role from Takagi while attacking him. When Takagi fought back he sadly explained to Lindaman he is the Vice President now. Takagi also crashed the Dramatic Dream bike into Yuki Ueno. Lindaman then brought out a bouquet as a gift for Takagi but tried to hit him with it. The match came down to MAO beating Akito with the Iai Kick. Afterwards he called out Kaz Hayashi and said he is his hero who has been a big influence. Hayashi is retiring soon but MAO wants to defend the DDT Universal Title against him before he retires. Or to be more exact, MAO wants to defend the title against Shiryu, Hayashi’s masked gimmick from Michinoku Pro! Hayashi said he can tell MAO has been influenced by him and he promised he will tell Shiryu to accept the challenge. The title match will go ahead in DDT on 16th June.
GLEAT did get a straight tag team win against DDT when SBK & TAKUMA defeated To-y & Kazuma Sumi. The DDT side did well enough. To-y hit the Kojima Wonderland while Sumi did a Lionsault. But SBK & TAKUMA isolated Sumi with tag moves and TAKUMA finished him off with the 630°. SBK joked that Sumi seems to already know them from somewhere else but he doesn’t remember. Sumi took the blame for losing and couldn’t shake the feeling there was something else other than GLEAT and DDT that connected him and his opponents today…
Several of the matches on the show seemed to be booked because the wrestlers involved had similar names. For example Tetsuya Endo from DDT fought Tetsuya Izuchi from GLEAT. Endo got the win out of nowhere by giving Izuchi the Tetsuya In The Sky. He thought they would get along afterwards because of their names but Izuchi bit Endo’s hand after the match.
There were times before when CIMA & HARASHIMA were in the same match but today was the first time they teamed up together. CIMA also got to meet up with Soma Takao again but this time Takao was teaming with Soma Watanabe. That made it HARACIMA Vs Soma-Soma! Backstage after the match Watanabe told Takao that when he was in high school he sent a resume to DDT hoping to wrestle for them but never received an answer. His Dramatic Dream to be in DDT finally came true today.
Kazuki Hirata tried to get Minoru Tanaka to wear the Hirata GO! glasses and dance with him. Tanaka kept on refusing until finally the temptation was too much to ignore. The extra power of the dance led to Tanaka pinning Hirata with the B”D”F. He ended up enjoying it so much he told Hirata they should go clubbing together!
The opening match was already changed when MICHIKO opted out so her otaku alter ego Densha MICHIo could take her place. Keigo Nakamura decided to do something similar by showing as Jitensha KEIgo. That left Yu Iizuka as the odd man out on the team because he wanted to wrestle seriously. Jun Tonsho got dragged into doing the Hell Gate with Danshoku Dieno but that left Makoto Oishi along to fight off everyone else. Shunma Katsumata, Takanori Ito & Issei Onitsuka took advantage of that to win the 3 Way Trios Match.
Most of May was spent going through what Miyu Yamashita got up to in America (plus a little stopover in Canada). She was quite busy away from shows too because a lot of social media activity revealed she’s been training with Mercedes Moné for her first match back from injury, working out in Ace Steel’s wrestling school and also sharpening her skills in the Dungeon 2.0 with Natalya from WWE. Away from the ring there was even whispers from a blog allegedly written by Kairi Sane that Yamashita and Yuka Sakazaki were guests at a surprise birthday party for Iyo Sky. Isn’t that a nice little thing to hear?
Things went kind of wacky for Konosuke Takeshita in AEW. He was built up for Jon Moxley as an important PPV opponent but things hit a rough patch over whether or not he is really allowed to go anywhere near the IWGP World Heavyweight Title. That situation along with a cartoonish attempt to stack the odds against Jon Moxley casted a shadow that spoiled what could have been an exciting match between the two and left Takeshita looking foolish. A kayfabe interview he did for DDT explaining the problems he is currently going through while adjusting to life as an AEW wrestler has not helped matters either.
Some interesting things are happening around in Asia for a few Tokyo Joshi Pro wrestlers. Yuki Kamifuku is now a double crown champion, Mizuki unexpectedly ended up fighting some kappa monsters in Thailand and Nao Kakuta got to wrestle in China for one last time. News is not going to stop there because we are hours away from Shunma Katsumata entering a death match tournament, Yamashita is finishing up her US tour, Takeshita has sights on a new championship and TJPW is heading over to England soon.
TNA “IMPACT!”, 02/05/2024 Palms Casino Resort, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
1. Knockouts World Title: Jordynne Grace (c) Vs Miyu Yamashita
Video starts at 50:05 MLW “FURY ROAD”, 11/05/2024 Cicero Stadium, Chicago, Illinois, USA
1. MLW Women’s World Featherweight Title – 4 Way Match: Janai Kai (c) Vs Miyu Yamashita Vs Zayda Vs Delmi Exo
AEW “DYNAMITE”, 22/05/2024 Mechanics Bank Arena, Bakersfield, California, USA
1. Konosuke Takeshita (w/ Don Callis) Vs Matt Sydal
LLL “HIGH STRANGENESS – NIGHT ONE”, 24/05/2024 The Oriental Theater, Denver, Colorado, USA
1. Abadon Vs Miyu Yamashita
SETUP “CLASH OF THE TITANS”, 25/05/2024 The Circus Studio, G Village, Bangkok, Thailand
1. SETUP All Asia Women’s Title: Matcha (c) Vs Mizuki
LLL “HIGH STRANGENESS – NIGHT TWO”, 25/05/2024 The Oriental Theater, Denver, Colorado, USA
1. Dulce Tormenta Vs Miyu Yamashita
AEW “RAMPAGE”, 31/05/2024 The Kia Forum, Inglewood, California, USA
1. TNT Title Eliminator Match: Konosuke Takeshita Vs Penta El Zero Miedo
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Results
GCW “RATHER YOU THAN ME”, 03/05/2024 Egypt Shrine Center, Tampa, Florida, USA
1. Joey Janela defeated Miyu Yamashita with the Package Piledriver (15:30).
The knee being targeted is what ultimately led to Yamashita losing to Joey Janela. He dealt big damage early on by picking Yamashita up at ringside and dropping her knees first into a chair in the front row. The attack paid off later when Yamashita’s leg gave out in the middle of her charging into Janela. She also took a Death Valley Driver onto the ring apron but kept on fighting. Janela though blocked the Skull Kick, hit her with a Palm Strike and attacked the knee again with a Dragon Screw. Yamashita’s last action was to give Janela the middle finger before he gave her a Thrust Kick followed by the Package Piledriver to win the match.
1. VPW Women’s Title: Yuki Kamifuku defeated Alexis Lee with the Diving Famouser (?:??). *Yuki Kamifuku becomes the 1st VPW Women’s Champion!
A new Asian Double Crown Championship has been formed thanks to Kamifuku! The reigning Queen Of Asia Champion has now also become the first ever Women’s Champion for Vietnam Pro Wrestling. Kamifuku even defeated Alexis Lee to win the belt just like she did with the QOA Title. Later in the month Kamifuku defeated Lee again back in Japan at a TJPW show to retain both titles.
MLW “FURY ROAD”, 11/05/2024 Cicero Stadium, Chicago, Illinois, USA
1. MLW Women’s World Featherweight Title – 4 Way Match: Janai Kai (c) defeated Miyu Yamashita, Zayda and Delmi Exo when Kai submitted Zayda with the Demon Clutch(6:45). *V5 for Janai Kai.
Next stop for Yamashita was an international 4 Way Match over in MLW for the MLW Women’s World Featherweight Title. She represented Japan, Delmi Exo represented Mexico, Zayda represented Morocco and Janai Kai disregarded her nationality to fly the CONTRA Unit flag instead. Yamashita thought she picked the right spot when she hit Exo with the Skull Kick in the middle of Exo giving Zayda the Package Piledriver. But Kai knocked down Yamashita with the Tornado Kick and applied the Demon Clutch to her as well as Zayda. Yamashita wasn’t going to quit and had the awareness to grab Zayda’s hand so she wouldn’t tap out either. However Zayda couldn’t hold on for any longer and had to tap out to Kai.
MYSTERY WRESTLING “MYSTERY WRESTLING 8”, 12/05/2024 Centre Aydelu, Gatineau, Quebec, Canada
1. Jordynne Grace defeated Miyu Yamashita with the Juggernaught Driver (?:??).
Yamashita made an unexpected trip up to Canada for a surprise rematch against Jordynne Grace over at the latest Mystery Wrestling show put together by Evil Uno. The result was not any different though. Grace scored the win again and went on to make more newsworthy headlines elsewhere later in the month.
SHINE “SHINE 78”, 18/05/2024 OCC Road House, Clearwater, Florida, USA
1. SHINE Title: Ivelisse Velez (c) defeated Miyu Yamashita with a Cradle (13:47). *V8 for Ivelisse Velez.
The SHINE Championship is a belt that Yamashita has held once before back in 2019. It was her first championship she won outside of Japan so how nice would it be to win it again almost five year later? It almost happened too. She got the three count on Ivelisse Velez by hitting the Skull Kick but Velez had her foot on the ropes during the pinfall. The match restarted and Velez was able to Cradle Yamashita for the successful defence. Yamashita took the result in her stride and the two bowed to each other afterwards.
DPW “LIMIT BREAK”, 19/05/2024 Durham Convention Center, Durham, North Carolina, USA
1. Miyu Yamashita & Lady Frost defeated Hyan & Vert Vixen when Frost pinned Hyan with the Temperature Drop (13:31).
A new face has appeared on Yamashita’s travels. Her return to Deadlock Pro was also the first time she got to be in the ring with Lady Frost. They make a pretty good team together as shown in their match against Yamashita’s regular rivals Hyan & Vert Vixen. Yamashita hit Vixen with two Skull Kicks and Frost hit her version of the Spiral Tap on Hyan for the victory.
AEW “DYNAMITE”, 22/05/2024 Mechanics Bank Arena, Bakersfield, California, USA
1. Konosuke Takeshita (w/ Don Callis) defeated Matt Sydal with an Elbow Butt (1:58).
Takeshita made quick work of Matt Sydal. The only thing that went wrong for him was Sydal countering the Blue Thunder Bomb into a Hurricanrana but Takeshita got him with the move on the second try. Don Callis then instructed Takeshita to knock out Sydal with an Elbow Strike, allowing Takeshita to pin him with only one hand on the chest. Takeshita then mocked Sydal by giving him a handshake after the match before turning him over with a German Suplex. Moxley then came down to the ring from the crowd looking to say something on the microphone. Instead he clocked Takeshita in the head with it and said he will see him at “DOUBLE OR NOTHING”.
LLL “HIGH STRANGENESS – NIGHT ONE”, 24/05/2024 The Oriental Theater, Denver, Colorado, USA
1. Abadon defeated Miyu Yamashita with the Cemetary Drive (?:??).
It was mixed fortunes for Yamashita for her weekend at Lucha Libre & Laughs in Denver. She lost to Abadon on the first show in a match that featured some out of the ring brawling.
LLL “HIGH STRANGENESS – NIGHT TWO”, 25/05/2024 The Oriental Theater, Denver, Colorado, USA
1. Miyu Yamashita defeated Dulce Tormenta with the Skull Kick (?:??).
The next night though Yamashita was victorious against the masked luchadora Dulce Tormenta.
SETUP “CLASH OF THE TITANS”, 25/05/2024 The Circus Studio, G Village, Bangkok, Thailand
1. SETUP All Asia Women’s Title: Matcha (c) Vs Mizuki ended in a No Contest (?:??). *V2 for Matcha?
The match was originally meant to be a 3 Way Match with Monomoth also involved. It was changed to just a singles between Matcha and Mizuki with the SETUP All Asia Women’s Title still on the line. Mizuki looked to be moments away from becoming the new champion when she climbed the top rope to deliver the Diving Foot Stomp. However the monsters from the Kappa World Order interfered in the match to attack both wrestlers. Poor Mizuki was even hit over the head with a chair which is something that usually never happens to her. Matcha and Mizuki were able to fight them off with Matcha giving one Kappa a Back Drop while Mizuki took out the other one with the Whirling Candy. The match had no winner but the two signaled to each other they can do it again sometime.
AEW “DOUBLE OR NOTHING”, 26/05/2024 MGM Grand Garden Arena, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
1. IWGP World Heavyweight Title Eliminator Match: Jon Moxley (c) defeated Konosuke Takeshita (w/ Don Callis) with the Death Rider (17:24).
Well this turned into a bit of a mess. The day before this show on Collision Takeshita attacked Moxley and Pilmanized his arm with a chair. So now we had the scenario in place where Takeshita could beat a weakened Moxley to earn a shot at the IWGP Title. That didn’t happen. The finish had Takeshita listen to Callis and go bring chairs into the ring to cause even more damage. Moxely then took the opportunity to Curb Stomp Takeshita while his guard was down and then pin him with the Death Rider. So now there is no IWGP Title match in Takeshita’s future. Look, New Japan wasn’t going to let a DDT guy take part in an IWGP Title match of any sort this way. And it’s possible DDT would have wanted a say in the matter too. Wrestling politics can be weird in that way. I get the criticism of how overbooked the story became when you could have just done a straightforward non-title match but I think that argument is a little bit overblown too. Title Eliminator matches in AEW is just their way of calling it a non-title match because the phrase “Non-Title Match” means absolutely nothing to fans these days. You can then complain why do the match in the first place but I’ll argue the match is still worth doing for a big PPV.
AEW “RAMPAGE”, 29/05/2024 (Aired 31/05/2024) The Kia Forum, Inglewood, California, USA
1. TNT Title Eliminator Match: Konosuke Takeshita defeated Penta El Zero Miedo with the Power Drive Knee (13:09).
So where to next for Takeshita? Time to take the path towards the vacant TNT Title perhaps? Adam Copeland was stripped of the championship due to injury so now the belt will be put on the line in a multi-man Ladder Match. Takeshita is the first person to qualify after he beat Penta El Zero Miedo. He even got under Penta’s skin a little bit by trying to unmask him midway through the match.
INFIN “PRO WRESTLING”, 31/05/2024 Shanghai, China
1. Yuki Kamifuku defeated Nao Kakuta with the Diving Famouser (?:??).
Right at the end of the month we go to China where TJPW sent over two wrestlers to an event held by INFIN and the Hong Kong group HKWF. The match was Kakuta’s last time wrestling outside of Japan before she retires. She couldn’t get the win here against Kamifuku. When she attempted to lift her up for the Shiden Kai, Kamifuku dropped back down and gave her the Famouser. Kamifuku then climbed the ropes and hit the Diving Famouser for the three count.
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Upcoming Appearances
GCW “TOURNAMENT OF SURVIVAL 9”, 01/06/2024 The Showboat, Atlantic City, New Jersey, USA
1. Tournament Of Survival 9 – Round 1: Brandon Kirk Vs Shunma Katsumata
We are hours away from Katsumata entering GCW’s annual Tournament Of Survival. He drew Brandon Kirk as his opening round opponent but his real battle seems to be against the airline he flew to America with because they lost his luggage along the way!
REPUBLIC OF LUCHA “ROL7: HIT THE LIGHTS”, 01/06/2024 Ukrainian Cultural Center, Los Angeles, California, USA
1. Konosuke Takeshita Vs Mike Bailey
The original plan was for Republic Of Lucha to hold this show inside the same building that was used as The Temple in Lucha Underground. They got permits to use the building at first but midway during the month those permits were pulled because the building was declared to be unusable. So now the show is taking place in the Ukrainian Cultural Center which is where GCW normally holds their shows in LA. When that was sorted out ROL announced Takeshita’s opponent on the show will be his old buddy Mike Bailey.
BLACK LABEL PRO “FAMILY REUNION”, 07/06/2024 Logan Square Auditorium, Chicago, Illinois, USA
1. BLP Title: Kevin Ku (c) Vs Miyu Yamashita
Before Yamashita heads home she has a chance to win Black Label Pro’s main championship from Kevin Ku. Her opponent has a Karate background just like she does so fire will fight against fire.
I still can’t find anymore Yamashita matches taking place after this so it looks like her American tour ends here.
AEW/NJPW “FORBIDDEN DOOR 2023”, 30/06/2024 UBS Arena, Elmont, New York, USA
1. TNT Title – Ladder Match: Konosuke Takeshita Vs X
The early story setting up this match is The Young Bucks wanted to just give the TNT Title to Jack Perry. So expect Perry to be one of the entrants for the match and perhaps even the favorite to win it.
NORTH WRESTLING “THUNDER STRUCK 2”, 13/07/2024 Walker Dome, Newcastle, England
1. Miyu Yamashita Vs X
Newcastle gets to experience Yamashita for the first time when she debuts for NORTH Wrestling.
IWA JAPAN “HARDCORE FOREVER”, 27/07/2024 The Circus Studio, G Village, Bangkok, Thailand
1. IWA Japan SETUP World Tag Team Titles: Chris Brookes & Masahiro Takanashi (c) Vs X & X
Still weird to me seeing IWA Japan being revived over in Thailand.
EVE/TOKYO JOSHI PRO “EVE X TJPW”, 24/08/2024 London, England
One day before AEW returns to Wembley there will be a few TJPW wrestlers heading over to London for a special joint show with EVE. The EVE promoters are currently finalizing the time and venue for the event because they might try to avoid clashing with Revolution Pro’s big show taking place on the same day. The other thing to take note is this show takes place slap bang inbetween the final two shows of the Tokyo Princess Cup. They won’t be able to announce right away which TJPW wrestlers are coming over because of that tournament. Also I cannot confirm this but I heard Maki Itoh won’t be among the talent going over because she will be in America that month.
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Cancelled Appearances
AEW “RAMPAGE”, 01/05/2024 Canada Life Centre, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
1. Konosuke Takeshita (w/ Don Callis) Vs London Lightning
The dreaded curse of live TV production came for Takeshita at the start of the month. AEW aired Dynamite and Rampage back to back on the same night due to clashing schedules with the NBA. On Dynamite there was a match graphic promoting Takeshita against London Lightning for Rampage. Then Rampage came and went without the match ever happening. Some previous segments overran and Takeshita’s match was cancelled, apparently at the last minute if Takeshita’s interview on the DDT site is entirely honest.
DDT “KING OF DDT ~20TH ANNIVERSARY~ FINAL!!”, 26/05/2024 Tokyo Korakuen Hall 1,005 Fans – No Vacancy
0. Dark Match: Yuni & Keigo Nakamura defeated Ilusion & Kazuma Sumi when Nakamura pinned Sumi with the Diving Headbutt (8:51).
1. KANON & MJ Paul defeated HARASHIMA & Akito when KANON pinned Akito with the Ground Cobra Twist (7:59).
2. King Of DDT 20th Anniversary – Semi Final: MAO defeated Kazusada Higuchi with the Iai Kick (11:43).
3. King Of DDT 20th Anniversary – Semi Final – No DQ Match: Daisuke Sasaki defeated Chris Brookes with the El Es Culero (13:48).
4. 3 Way Tag Match: Danshoku Dieno & Makoto Oishi defeated Toru Owashi & Kazuki Hirata and Yukio Naya & Takeshi Masada when Oishi pinned Hirata with a Rock Bottom (0:05).
4a. Rematch: Yukio Naya & Takeshi Masada defeated Danshoku Dieno & Makoto Oishi and Toru Owashi & Kazuki Hirata when Naya pinned Hirata and Oishi with the Double Choke Slam (6:42).
5. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Shuji Ishikawa, Masahiro Takanashi & Yuya Koroku defeated Poison Sawada JULIE, Tetsumamushi Endo & Yuki “Anaconda” Iino when Koroku pinned JULIE with a Moonsault Press (9:01).
6. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Yuki Ueno, Shunma Katsumata & To-y defeated Sanshiro Takagi, Jun Akiyama & Tomomitsu Matsunaga when Ueno pinned Matsunaga with the WR (11:45).
7. King Of DDT 20th Anniversary – Final: MAO defeated Daisuke Sasaki with the 450 Cannonball (23:45).
On the 20th Anniversary a new King Of DDT has been crowned and it is MAO! He reached all the way to the final where Daisuke Sasaki was there standing in his way. MAO wanted to win quickly and busted out the Hollywood Star Press for a nearfall. Sasaki then started targeting MAO’s knees before taking him outside to do a Super Diving Elbow Drop while MAO was sitting in the front row. MAO fought back by biting his way out of the Crossface Lock, turning Sasaki over with the Michinoku Driver I and then applying the Just Face Lock. Sasaki took a big risk to get back into the fight by giving MAO a Superplex out of the ring onto members of The 37KAMIINA and DAMNATION T.A below. He then tried using flash pins including the Hurricanrana but MAO wore him down with Palm Strikes, the Iai Kick and the Cannonball 450 to win.
With this victory MAO thinks he now has a spot in the main event of “WRESTLE PETER PAN 2024” on 21st July. He called Yuki Ueno into the ring to tell him it could be those two fighting for the KO-D Openweight Title at Sumo Hall. However Ueno told everyone that he has to beat Sanshiro Takagi first on 5th June. Takagi entered the ring to congratulate MAO and tell him that he too is fighting to achieve his dream of being in a KO-D Title match at Sumo Hall. The closest he’s been to that position was the King Of DDT 2009 final but he lost to Kota Ibushi. MAO reminded Takagi he still had the Weapon Rumble match against The Great Sasuke that year and that match captured MAO’s heart. So much so that if Takagi becomes his opponent at Sumo Hall then they should have a Weapon Rumble match! But if he faces Ueno the match will just be held under normal rules. Ueno was relieved to hear that. The three of them all agreed by sharing a toast together in the ring.
Sasaki went through a war with Chris Brookes in the semi-finals. The two agreed to have a No DQ Match over expectations that both could cheat against each other. Instead it became a full blown hardcore match with tables, plastic boxes, chairs, a ladder, a stapler and even a fork board laid against the corner with “Fuck You Sasaki” painted on it. Brookes also had backup in the form of Mecha Mummy but Sasaki used a taser to make it short circuit and play no further part in the match. Sasaki was thrown from the ladder through a table and Brookes followed up by hitting a Diving Double Knee Drop onto the remains. Sasaki kicked out and then countered the Praying Mantis Bomb into El Es Culero cradle to steal the win from out of nowhere. A bloody Brookes threw everything he could get his hands on around the ring out of anger after the match.
The other semi-final had MAO beating a previous King Of DDT winner Kazusada Higuchi. He had to use Middle Kicks and Palm Strikes to try and match Higuchi’s Chops and Headbutt. The Doctor Bomb Higuchi used was kicked out of but so was the Green Tea Plunge that MAO pulled out. The match came down to duel between the two. Higuchi charged in looking to do the Buchikamashi but MAO blocked it with a Thrust Kick, stunned Higuchi with a Palm Strike, cut off a Lariat with a Hurricane Kick and finally put his opponent down with the Iai Kick. Higuchi had no problem admitting backstage that MAO is a really, really strong wrestler.
Ueno and Takagi used their 6-Man Tag as a preview for what to expect in the KO-D Title bout by brawling with each other in the crowd with the Dramatic Dream bike involved before taking the fight up to the balcony. They had more to offer back in the ring with Ueno doing a Dropkick and Takagi firing back with the Stunner. Tomomitsu Matsunaga used the opening to hit Ueno with the Tommy Bomber for a nearfall. Ueno recovered and Dropkicked Matsunaga in the face before pinning him with the WR. After the match Takagi said he does not care if Ueno is ready or not for the title match. Takagi is now free from responsibility and will be at his most immature on 5th June! Meanwhile To-y told Shunma Katsumata they will be enemies on 21st June because he wants to win the DDT Extreme Title from him in the 5 Way Sauna match. In fact, To-y accused Katsumata of not helping him during today’s match so they may already be enemies!
Plans for Match #4 changed when before the match Poison Sawada JULIE looking for his teammates to brainwash them with his Snake Magic. While this was going on, Tetsuya Endo & Yuki Iino asked Yuya Koroku in a nearby locker room to go find them something to drink. Koroku found some cans labelled “Modification Drink” in the room where JULIE was just in and gave them to his BURNING partners. What happened when they drank it scared Koroku out of the room while a returning JULIE was pleased with the results. It all became clear what happened when JULIE entered the ring with Endo & Iino both brainwashed into becoming Tetsumamushi Endo & Yuki “Anaconda” Iino! Koroku now had to team with JULIE’s original partners Shuji Ishikawa & Masahiro Takanashi in order to win the antidotes that would turn Endo & Iino back to normal. It was a tough challenge but a well timed dodge from Kuroku caused Iino to Spear Endo by accident. Koroku then gave JULIE a Back Drop and pinned him with the Moonsault Press. He then quickly fed his friends the cans of antidote to free them from JULIE’s snake magic. Whenever JULIE returns to DDT he promises to get revenge on Koroku for stopping him from turning BURNING into his new Snake Magic army.
The 3 Way Tag Match ended too quickly thanks to Makoto Oishi immediately pinning Kazuki Hirata with a Rock Bottom before one of the other teams even made it to the ring. It required a restart and the same result almost happened. Yukio Naya made it in time to break it up so the match could continue. A noticable trend then happened where Takeshi Masada became left out of all of the multi-man spots. Somehow Yukinori Matsui took his place! When Masada became upset over it, Hisaya Imabayashi paused the match and ordered everyone to let Masada be more involved because he is already a lonely college student. Most of them although Danshoku Dieno wasn’t really interested. Naya instructed Masada to climb the top turnbuckle and wait for the opportunity to do a big move while Naya took care of Dieno and Toru Owashi. Oishi and Hirata tried to give Naya the Double Miracle Ecstasy but it was countered into a Double Choke Slam. Naya decided to pin the both of them while Masada was still waiting on the top turnbuckle. The match ended with them as the winners but a sad and lonely Masada took his time to leave the ring.
DAMNATION T.A halted some of Smile Squash’s momentum in the opening match. HARASHIMA & Akito were doing well against KANON & MJ Paul until KANON caught Akito in the Cobra Twist. He then grounded the move and rolled Akito over to pin his shoulders to the mat for a 3 count. KANON bragged about beating Akito with a roll up style move, something that Akito is meant to be a master of. Fans like it when teams from the past reunite but he hates it and for that reason hates Smile Squash too. HARASHIMA & Yasu Urano weren’t angry over the result. They assured Akito that they now all learned KANON is capable of winning that way and they will have to be careful of it in the KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles match.
In the dark match Yuni hit Ilusion & Kazuma Sumi with a top rope Moonsault out of the ring. He then gave Sumi a Spinning DDT in the ring and Keigo Nakamura followed up with the John Woo Dropkick for a nearfall. Nakamura didn’t waste anytime and landed the Diving Headbutt to get the win.
A new singles match was announced for “WRESTLE PETER PAN 2024”. Konosuke Takeshita will face Masato Tanaka in a rematch from March 2020!
There was an announcement during the show that DDT and GCW will be co-promoting a show together in Korakuen Hall on 12th August as part of GCW’s next tour of Japan. The show is called “NEVER ENDING NOISY SUMMER” and Effy sent in a video message to promote it. GCW talent currently announced for the show include Joey Janela, Effy, Allie Katch, Masha Slamovich, Mance Warner, Jordan Oliver, Dark Sheik, Alex Zayne and Rina Yamashita.
Before any of the matches began there was a special presentation held by Saki Akai. One of her first projects with DDT since retiring from pro wrestling last year was to set up a crowdfunding campaign to buy new training equipment for the company. The campaign succeeded and today Akai donated the new equipment to Takagi and DDT.
DDT will be launching a new photobook with Leslie Kee on 21st July. They previously worked together for a photobook called “Super DDT” back in 2013.
Posted by JamieOD 
Dramatic DDT 