1. Kazuma Sumi & Yuki Ishida defeated HARASHIMA & Hinata Kasai when Sumi pinned Kasai with the School Boy (7:49).
2. 3 Way Match: Akito defeated Takeshi Masada and Kazuki Hirata when Akito submitted Hirata with an Ankle Lock (10:07).
3. KANON, Yuki Iino, Yukio Naya & Viento Maligno (w/ KIMIHIRO) defeated Jun Akiyama, Junta Miyawaki, Tomomitsu Matsunaga & Masami Inahata when KANON submitted Matsunaga with the Just Cobra Twist (10:43).
4. FANTÔMES DRAMATIC Vs DAMNATION T.A!: Hideki Okatani & MJ Paul defeated Chris Brookes & Antonio Honda when Paul pinned Honda with the Reverse Splash (10:28).
5. Shunma Katsumata 12th Anniversary Debut Match: Shunma Katsumata & To-y defeated Yuya Koroku & Daichi Sato when Katsumata pinned Koroku with a Casadora (11:23).
6. Special Tag Match: MAO & Danshoku Dieno defeated Yuki Ueno & Super Sasadango Machine when MAO pinned Sasadango with the Cannonball 450 (19:11).
Wrestling in his hometown meant so much to Super Sasadango Machine that he pulled off his mask midway through the match in reaction to Danshoku Dieno taking off his Dansbhoku tights. However MAO got a replacement mask for Sasadango while Yuki Ueno gave Dieno a spare pair of tights so they just went back to wrestling like they normally would. After the match Ueno volunteered to be part of Sasadango’s team for his upcoming DDT Vs NJPW show against Toru Yano. Sasadango politely declined, explaining that if the KO-D Openweight Champion takes part in the show then New Japan might feel pressured into booking the IWGP Heavyweight Champion and it could turn into a big old hassle. The match between the two companies is not meant to be that grand in scale of importance. Instead, Sasadango asked Dieno to join his team knowing that Yano wouldn’t be able to handle an opponent like him. Dieno turned him down because his focus for now is entirely on winning the King Of DDT tournament.
The semi-main event was turned into a 12th Anniversary celebration of Shunma Katsumata’s debut match on short notice. Everyone in the match marked the occassion by doing something twelve times in a row to Katsumata. Daichi Sato kicked him twelve times in a row, To-y chopped him twelve times in a row and Yuya Koroku shouted “Give it your all!” to him twelve times in a row.
Antonio Honda painted his face to look like MJ Paul as a form of mind games against the DAMNATION T.A wrestler. Paul got the last laugh by beating Honda in the tag match and showing off his strong form as he heads towards the KO-D Tag Team Titles match.
1. Shinya Aoki defeated Rukiya with the European Clutch (9:42).
2. Kazuki Hirata & Naomi Yoshimura defeated Danshoku Dieno & Antonio Honda when Yoshimura submitted Honda with a Side Headlock (0:02).
2a. 1 Vs 3 Handicap Match ~ No Tag Rules: Naomi Yoshimura defeated Danshoku Dieno, Kazuki Hirata & Antonio Honda when Yoshimura submitted Hirata with the Anal Side Headlock (8:53).
3. No Tag Rules: MAO, KANON, Yuki Iino, Yukio Naya & Viento Maligno defeated Kazuma Sumi, Junta Miyawaki, Tomomitsu Matsunaga, Yuni & Yuki Ishida when MAO pinned Yuni with the Totsugeki Love Heart (12:44).
4. Special Tag Match: Yuki Ueno & Akito defeated Daichi Sato & Masami Inahata when Ueno pinned Inahata with the Sit Down Himawari Bomb (15:46).
5. FANTÔMES DRAMATIC Vs DAMNATION T.A!: Hideki Okatani, Minoru Fujita & MJ Paul defeated Chris Brookes, HARASHIMA & Hinata Kasai when Okatani pinned Kasai with the Skewered Claymore (12:47).
6. paleyouth Vs The 37KAMIINA!: Shunma Katsumata & To-y defeated Takeshi Masada & Yuya Koroku when To-y pinned Masada with a Frankensteiner (16:53).
Recently Takeshi Masada stuck two of his fingers into To-y’s mouth during a match, causing To-y to gag uncontrollably. Since then Masada has been playing mind games with To-y by sticking his two fingers near his face to make him flinch some more. Shunma Katsumata sacrificed himself by stepping in the way, causing Masada’s fingers to stick into his mouth instead. It was a successful distraction that allowed To-y to pin Masada with a Frankensteiner. He then bragged about how healthy his throat is because he was able to protect himself. Now he is no longer afraid of Masada’s fingers and is ready to fight him at King Of DDT next month. He later noticed how much Katsumata was gagging and promised to get revenge on Masada for him. While all of that is going on, Yuya Koroku is staying focused on wrestling Hideki Okatani next month both in the tournament and in a KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles match.
With Daisuke Sasaki still abroad and Ilusion out injured, DAMNATION T.A called upon their former member Minoru Fujita to help fill their ranks on short notice. Also Okatani stepped up to more of a leadership role and sent a message to the absent members that he will win the King Of DDT for them, He told Sasaki to enjoy the rest of his stay in America and Ilusion to get better so he can come back and get revenge on Chris Brookes for hurting him. HARASHIMA was reminded from today’s match how dangerous MJ Paul can be and learned to be careful of him for the upcoming KO-D Tag Team Titles match.
Yuki Ueno praised both Daichi Sato & Masami Inahata after their match and encouraged the both of them to get stronger. Inahata declared that some day he will crush Ueno!
The Totsugeki Love Heart is a Choke Slam/Crucifix Pin combo used together by Yukio Naya & MAO. With King Of DDT coming up, MAO reminded Kazuma Sumi who it was that made the DDT Universal Title valuable in the first place. MAO thinks Sumi will have to surprise him in order to beat him.
The big news regarding King Of DDT coming out of today’s show is the big draw will no longer be taking part! Kaisei Takechi was recently diagnosed with an acute appendicitis and had to pull out of the tournament. This was announced at the start of the show and DDT promised to announce his replacement as soon as it was decided on. Then at the end of the show Hisaya Imabayashi revealed that Kazuki Hirata is taking Takechi’s spot! Hirata said he was about to go on holiday to Okinawa tomorrow and was angry about the news but then he thought about all of the people who are upset over the cancellation of Takechi versus Danshoku Dieno, those two in particular being the most disappointed of all. Hirata knows how difficult it will be for him to just get out of Round 1 but if he beats Dieno, he wants Takechi to promise him they can take a picture together of them wearing their entrance robes.
1. Special Single Match: Daichi Sato defeated Kazuki Hirata with a PK (9:31).
2. 10,000 Yen For A 3 Count Pinfall Against Hisaya Imabayashi: Hisaya Imabayashi defeated Takeshi Masada & Yuya Koroku and Danshoku Dieno & Akito when Imabayashi pinned Dieno with a Jackknife Pin (6:35).
3. Special Tag Match: Yuki Ishida & Kumadori defeated Junta Miyawaki & Hinata Kasai when Kumadori pinned Kasai with the Spinning Senton (7:55).
4. Jun Akiyama & Azul Dragon defeated Yukio Naya & Masami Inahata when Akiyama pinned Inahata with the Exploder Suplex (10:14).
5. DAMNATION T.A Vs STRANGE LOVE CONNECTION!: MAO, KANON & Viento Maligno (w/ KIMIHIRO) defeated Hideki Okatani, MJ Paul & Ilusion when KANON submitted Paul with the Just Cobra Twist (11:51).
6. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Chris Brookes, HARASHIMA & Antonio Honda defeated Yuki Ueno, To-y & Yuni when Honda pinned Yuni with a Samson Clutch (15:54).
7. DDT Universal Title: Kazuma Sumi (c) defeated Shunma Katsumata with the School Boy (16:37). *V1 for Kazuma Sumi.
The show began with Kazuma Sumi and Shunma Katsumata singing together for the NωA Jr. and then ended with the two wrestling each other for the DDT Universal Title. They wanted to get the message across that they are really good friends but when the time came for the main event, they were both focused on beating each other up. Katsumata piled up some chairs outside the ring and gave Sumi a Death Valley Bomb onto it. He also channeled Konosuke Takeshita by doing a German Suplex in a style similar to his. Sumi kept trying to use the School Boy to catch out Katsumata over and over. The plan eventually worked when he used it as a counter to the ¡Hasta la vista! to get the three count. Sumi thanked Katsumata for the match and said so much has happened in the time since NωA Jr. was formed. Whenever Sumi got nervous, Katsumata would always tell him it would be okay and he should go out there to have fun. Sumi thinks that advice is the reason he has made it this far. Although he beat Katsumata today, he doesn’t feel like he has surpassed him yet. He promised he will do that the next time they fight against each other. Until then, he wants to defend the Universal Title against amazing wrestlers from all over the world.
Today was Kumadori’s first time wrestling on one of DDT’s regional shows. He brought along a cue card to read after he won his match. It was simply a message that said he will be at next month’s shows in Hokkaido too.
Special rules were added to Match #2. The GM Hisaya Imabayashi was turned into a target and the first team to pin him would win the match and be given a 10,000 yen reward taken directly out of Imabayashi’s personal account. However if Imabayashi either survived the 10 minute time limit or scored a 3 count pin of his own, then both teams lose and every wrestler in the match would have to give Imabayashi 10,000 yen each. He tried to fight off all comers in the ring at first but was overwhelmed by the constant attacks. However he countered the Danshoku Driver into a Jackknife Pin to score the fall on Danshoku Dieno to beat the odds and win the match by himself.
DDT “DREAM LIGHTS ~HOW DO YOU LIKE DDT WEDNESDAY~”, 15/04/2026 Tokyo Korakuen Hall ??? Fans – Unannounced
0. Dramatic Dark Match: Yoshihiko defeated Ilusion with the Reincarnation (15:03).
1. Jun Akiyama & Rukiya defeated Akito & Masami Inahata when Rukiya pinned Inahata with a Running Elbow Butt (7:32).
2. 3 Way Tag Match: Kazuma Sumi & Yuni defeated Danshoku Dieno & Kazuki Hirata and Naomi Yoshimura & Kumadori when Sumi submitted Hirata with a Cross Armbreaker (7:36).
3. Special 8-Man Tag Match: MAO, KANON, Viento Maligno (w/ KIMIHIRO) & Yuya Aoki defeated Shunma Katsumata, Junta Miyawaki, To-y & Yuki Ishida when KANON pinned Ishida with the GURU-GURU Driver (11:26).
4. Special Single Match: YOH defeated Antonio Honda with an Anaconda Vice (13:45).
5. KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles: Takeshi Masada, Yuya Koroku & Daichi Sato (c) defeated Chris Brookes, HARASHIMA & Hinata Kasai when Masada pinned Kasai with the Masada No Chikara KOBU Mukimuki (12:54). *V2 for paleyouth.
6. DDT Extreme Title – Hardcore Table Crash Match: Hideki Okatani (c) defeated Yukio Naya by Table Crash (14:40). *V1 for Hideki Okatani.
7. KO-D Openweight Title: Yuki Ueno (c) defeated Yuki Iino by Referee Stoppage with a Body-Scissors Sleeper Hold (21:44). *V7 for Yuki Ueno.
Right from the start Yuki Iino tried to take down Yuki Ueno with overwhelming power in his latest challenge for the KO-D Openweight Title. Even when Ueno tried to counter attack with high risk dives out of the ring and also from the top of the entrance to one of the seating sections. Iino caught him after that one and slammed him onto the floor before doing The Apex Elbow. Back in the ring Iino used his power to slam his way out of the Blackout Sleeper and then brought back the Bubba Bomb to set up a low angle Spear for a nearfall. There were more Spears dealt by Iino but Ueno wouldn’t stay down for long. Instead once he found the chance to grab Iino in a Sleeper Hold, Ueno fought to keep a hold of it unil Iino lost consciousness to end the match via TKO.
After the match Ueno told Iino he wants them to keep wrestling each other for the KO-D Title over and over whether it happens five years down the line, ten years down the line or even 100 years down the line! Ueno then brought up another Yuki that is in DDT. He turned to Yuki Ishida at ringside and talked about how lost he must be feeling now that Kazusada Higuchi has retired and Harimao disbanded. Ueno encouraged Ishida to give it his absolute all no matter what path he takes, because it will be the right path for him. Once he does, Ueno will look forward to the day Ishida asks him for a title shot. Backstage, Ueno also gave encouraging words about Iino. Iino recently described himself at being at his peak and it will be all downhill for him from here. Ueno disagrees because DDT has HARASHIMA, Jun Akiyama, Sanshiro Takagi and even Gorgeous Matsuno all still going to the best of their abilities that go beyond physical strength, speed and stamina. As for his next title defence, Ueno assumes it will be against the winner of the King Of DDT tournament which is why he is not entering it this year.
Hideki Okatani got what he wanted and then some when he decided to fight Yukio Naya in a Hardcore Table Crash Match. The rules allowed either a pinfall, submission or table break to decide the winner while everything else goes (barring weapons the referee would deem too dangerous). The two attacked each other with chairs and even a keyboard while the other members of Strange Love Connection built a castle of chairs outside the ring. Naya knocked it down by giving Okatani a Giant Swing into it. DAMNATION T.A interfered to stop Naya from winning, allowing Okatani to put his opponent through a table outside the ring with a Sunset Flip Power Bomb to defend the DDT Extreme Title. After the match Okatani told Naya he is truly a monster and the one who is destined to succeed after Higuchi. It is for that very reason that Okatani swears he will do whatever he can to tear Naya down! Naya accepted he lost the match but said he doesn’t have any injuries coming out of it so he will get revenge by beating Okatani in a standard match with regular rules.
We’re going to have to wait a while longer for Hinata Kasai to win his first match. He wasn’t able to do it here when FANTÔMES DRAMATIC challenged paleyouth for the KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles. With Chris Brookes & HARASHIMA doing what they could to neutralize Yuya Koroku & Daichi Sato, it came down to Kasai trying to find some way to finish off Takeshi Masada. He put him in an STF but it didn’t work, he punched him with a closed fist to set up a Backslide Pin but that didn’t work either. Masada then quickly used the Masada No Chikara KOBU Mukimuki to pin Kasai and ensure paleyouth remain the champions. They were then challenged to a title match by MAO, KANON & Viento Maligno from SLC. That will happen on 2nd May.
When Antonio Honda and YOH worked together at the Super Sasadango Machine Vs Yasu Urano show last year, they ended up discovering they are kindred spirits. Today they met again in the ring, this time as opponents in a wrestling match. YOH cut off Honda from telling a Gongitsune joke until he also hurt his knee and decided to tell one of his own. Honda joined in so they could tell the joke together before getting back to fighting each other. Honda went into the books of Antonio Inoki and Hiroyoshi Tenzan by using their moves to try and win. But YOH fought back and made Honda give up to the Anaconda Vice. YOH told Honda that today he has finally gotten over his fear of foxes so they can do Gongitsune together again, maybe this time in New Japan? Honda loves the idea but is that ever going to happen?
Yuya Aoki made his first appearance for DDT in a long time, mixing it up with a lot of the roster in an 8-Man Tag Match. He started off squaring up with Junta Miyawaki but also got to fight Shunma Katsumata, To-y & Ishida throughout the match. Ishida tried to fight fire with fire against KANON but ended up getting burned. KANON out-Lariated him and scored the pinfall with the GURU-GURU Driver.
The appearance of Kumadori in Match #2 inspired Danshoku Dieno to come up with a special rule. Everyone agreed that Kumadori must spend the entire match inside the ring and he is forbidden from stepping outside! It was already a 3 Way Tag Match so the chaotic layout made it a little easier for him to follow the rule. He also astonished Dieno, Kazuki Hirata and Kazuma Sumi when they all grabbed him by the groin and discovered something was unusual about the size. Dieno fell into a depression until Hirata encouraged him to go into the Hell Gate position. Naomi Yoshimura and Yuni were thrown face first into it but Kumadori blocked it… with his groin. With that taken care off, Sumi put Hirata in a Cross Armbreaker to win by submission. He then told everyone that size doesn’t matter.
Rukiya got to score the pinfall in the opening match by beating the newcomer Masami Inahata. With Jun Akiyama and Akito not being able to get the advantage, Rukiya ended up hitting Inahata with a Running Elbow Butt twice. The first time was a nearfall but Inahata couldn’t kick out of the second. The two still confronted each other after the match.
The dark match was originally planned to be Sanshiro Takagi against Ilusion but Takagi is out of action with facial injuries. Ilusion had to go into the show not knowing who his new opponent would be so he demanded the match should have no time limit applied. Hisaya Imabayashi agreed to it and revealed Ilusion had to fight Yoshihiko! It was a dark match for the ages with dives and cheating galore from both wrestlers. Ilusion got to hit Yoshihiko with a chair while the ref was down and then frame Yoshihiko for using the weapon. He even gave Yoshihiko a Low Blow but couldn’t put it away with the Swanton Bomb. Yoshihiko got revenge by giving a Low Blow back to Ilusion and then scored the win by using the Reincarnation.
DDT “O HANAMI PRO WRESTLING 2026 ~BEER GARDEN PRO WRESTLING BEGINS AGAIN THIS YEAR~”, 09/04/2026 Tokyo Ueno Park Outdoor Stage ??? Fans
1. Daichi Sato, Tomomitsu Matsunaga & Yuki Ishida defeated Jun Akiyama, Masami Inahata & Hinata Kasai when Ishida pinned Kasai with the Flame Palm (7:19).
2. DAMNATION T.A Vs STRANGE LOVE CONNECTION!: Hideki Okatani & Ilusion (w/ MJ Paul) defeated Yukio Naya & Viento Maligno when Ilusion pinned Maligno with the Swanton Bomb (9:02).
3. Junta Miyawaki’s First Beer Garden Pro Wrestling ~ Only Miyawaki Drunk Death Match: Junta Miyawaki defeated MAO (w/ KIMIHIRO), Antonio Honda and To-y when Miyawaki pinned Honda after a Bionic Elbow from MAO (11:44).
4. Special Tag Match: Yuki Ueno & Naomi Yoshimura defeated Takeshi Masada & Yuya Koroku when Ueno pinned Koroku with a Crucifix Pin (9:43).
5. KING OF DRUNK 2026 Opening Round: Chris Brookes Vs HARASHIMA Vs Kazuma Sumi Vs KANON Vs Yuki Iino Vs Rukiya ended in a No Contest (19:32).
6. Special Tag Match ~ Yuni University Entrance Commemorative Match: Shunma Katsumata & Yuni defeated Danshoku Dieno & Kazuki Hirata when Yuni pinned Hirata with an Inside Cradle (13:41).
It’s time for Yuni to be treated like a grown up now he’s in college. He was warned in the main event that Danshoku Dieno would be merciless against him. Shunma Katsumata promised to protect Yuni but Dieno immediately gave Katsumata the Lip Lock and Danshoku Driver to kick off the match. Yuni had to fight Dieno & Kazuki Hirata on his own. Katsumata recovered but then had “Danshoku Water” sprayed over him, making him suddenly target Yuni because he’s so cute! Many DDT wrestlers ran in to make the save only to also get sprayed with the water, making them all obsess over Yuni too. Even Hisaya Imabayashi got sprayed but Yuni took care of him with a Buzzsaw Kick. Hirata opened the spray and poured it into Yuni’s mouth but Yuni passed it back by giving Hirata the Lip Lock. That made Hirata turn full Danshoku and he even put on the Danshoku costume. He tried to give Yuni the Danshoku Driver but it was countered into a Small Package to give Yuni the win. Yuni still had some residue left in his mouth and accidentally swallowed it after the match. It made him obsess over Daisuke Kiso and he chased the ref out of the ring. Katsumata closed out the show and Yuni came back to chase after him too. Yuni claims he doesn’t remember anything that happened after the match ended.
This year’s Beer Garden show began with a more business like presentation with everyone wearing employee suits for the King Of Drunk match. That just meant when it was time to start drinking, all of the wrestlers decided to really get loose. Yuki Iino got so drunk he stripped down to his underwear, causing Rukiya to complain that everyone was getting too rowdy. The problem was he was so drunk he almost threw up and had to go find a restroom. One by one a wrestler would either get eliminated by pinfall or just drop out of the match entirely because they were too drunk. By the end of the match nobody was left in a good state so it had to be called off without a winner decided.
The tag team of Nautilus hasn’t been around together since October 2020. Yuki Ueno talked to Naomi Yoshimura about the nostalgia he felt when he heard their theme song again. He also thinks today’s reunion will help Yoshimura move forward again. Yoshimura said a lot has changed over the last year going back to his return from injury. He’ll do his best to keep improving.
Junta Miyawaki was so excited to take part in his first Beer Garden show. He wanted the 4 Way Match to have drinking rules so everyone could get drunk. However the other participants were all responsible and declined for various reasons, such as needing to drive a vehicle after the show. The 4 Way instead had a rule where only Miyawaki was allowed to drink whenever music interrupted the match. He got so drunk that he only won the match by accident, tripping himself on top of a knocked out Antonio Honda for the pinfall while MAO and To-y were too busy fighting each other to stop it.
There was a contract signing for the DDT Extreme Title match held before any of the matches began. During it Hideki Okatani revealed he will defend the title against Yukio Naya in a Hardcore Table Crash Death Match! It is a Hardcore match that can be won by pinfall, submission or putting your opponent through a table. The two fought in a tag match later in the show where Okatani attacked Naya with his bamboo stick while Ilusion gave Viento Maligno his first pinfall loss. Naya got some payback afterwards by Choke Slamming Okatani through a table set up at ringside. Ilusion got on the microphone next to his prone stablemate anyway and said Okatani will beat Naya on 15th April!
The pre-show press conference also had Ueno and Iino talk about their KO-D Openweight Title match. Iino explained that he is living his life to the fullest every day because he is in the prime of his life right now. Even when he is sitting down he will speak and shout with all of his might. Ueno said he himself has lived in the present more than anyone else for the last six months and he is certain Iino will burn to his fullest at Korakuen Hall on 15th April.
DDT “CHANGE AGE 2026 ~TOBIKIRI ZENKAI POWER~”, 05/04/2026 Tokyo Korakuen Hall ??? Fans – Unannounced
0. Dark Match: Rukiya defeated Yuni with the Proto Bomb (6:12).
1. Takeshi Masada, Yuya Koroku & Daichi Sato defeated Kazuma Sumi, Masami Inahata & Hinata Kasai when Masada pinned Kasai with a PK (8:25).
2. Variety King Decision Match: Hisaya Imabayashi defeated Toru Owashi, Danshoku Dieno, Super Sasadango Machine, Kazuki Hirata, Antonio Honda and Akito when Imabayashi submitted Hirata with a Sleeper Hold (13:41).
3. DAMNATION T.A Vs STRANGE LOVE CONNECTION!: Yukio Naya & Viento Maligno defeated Hideki Okatani & Ilusion when Naya pinned Ilusion with The World’s Best Back Drop (8:27).
4. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Yuki Iino, Jun Akiyama & Junta Miyawaki defeated Yuki Ueno, Shinya Aoki & To-y when Iino pinned Ueno with the Spear (10:59).
5. Special Single Match: Kaisei Takechi defeated Makoto Oishi with the BREAK IT DOWN (9:46).
6. KO-D Tag Team Titles: Chris Brookes & HARASHIMA defeated MAO & KANON (c) (w/ KIMIHIRO) when HARASHIMA pinned KANON with the Swan Dive Somato (12:26). *STRANGE LOVE CONNECTION fails in V5. FANTÔMES DRAMATIC become the 89th KO-D Tag Team Champions!
7. Special 6-Man Tag Match ~ Harimao Last Match: Naomi Yoshimura, Ryota Nakatsu & Yuki Ishida (w/ Kazusada Higuchi) defeated Shunma Katsumata, Kota Umeda & Kouki Iwasaki when Ishida pinned Katsumata with the Flame Palm (19:56).
If it was Kazusada Higuchi he would want to wrestle a little bit longer but today he had to retire from pro wrestling, ending his eleven year career over a neck injury. Having already wrestled his last match due to doctor’s orders, Higuchi had to serve as a second for Harimao in the main event 6-Man Tag Match. The sumo themed unit agreed to split up because of Higuchi’s retirement and today would be their last match together. Their opponents were three wrestlers who Higuchi grew up with in the DDT New Attitude developmental brand that existed from 2014 to 2018. It brought back some old rivalries likes the one between Ryota Nakatsu and Kota Umeda. Higuchi did take one more chance to get physical by throwing Chops at all of the wrestlers who were brought over to him at ringside. Yuki Ishida got rid of Kouki Iwasaki with the Leg Scoop Suplex while on the other side Shunma Katsumata wiped out Naomi Yoshimura with a Topé Con Hilo. The match came down to Ishida receiving one last fighting spirit from Higuchi to hit Katsumata with the Flame Palm for the three count.
Higuchi’s retirement ceremony took place after the match. He took commemorative photos with Harimao and then the DNA wrestlers. After that the next group of people to appear were Shuji Ishikawa, Yuji Hino and KUBITO who were tied to Higuchi as tag partners, rivals or training buddies at various times. Higuchi then received an anonymous letter from his alledged trainer. This mystery person is apparantely not in Japan at the moment but he wanted to tell Higuchi he is proud of him for becoming a top class wrestler and for leaving the ring with his body still intact. More wrestlers entered the ring to gift Higuchi with bouquets including Jun Akiyama, HARASHIMA, Danshoku Dino, Antonio Honda, Yuki Ueno, Tetsuya Endo and Konosuke Takeshita.
Finally Higuchi was reunited with the other Eruption members Yukio Sakaguchi & Saki Akai. Not only that but Hideki Okatani entered the ring holding the Eruption gown that Higuchi had gifted to him when Higuchi left the unit. Okatani returned it back to him. Sanshiro Takagi was the last person to give a bouquet and everyone got together for a big group photo. Higuchi got on the microphone and said today he has run out of his strength and he’s come to the conclusion that this is the best decision he could make. He can only express is gratitude and is grateful to everyone in DDT. He also used the Wrestle Universe broadcast to tell Yoshihiro Takayama and Masahiro Takanashi that everyone here is waiting for their return. While Higuchi will no longer live in the ring, he will continue to move forward step by step in the ring of life.
FANTÔMES DRAMATIC have gotten their hands on their first proper championship by winning the KO-D Tag Team Titles! Things went crazy from the get go when The Apex lifted up KIMIHIRO and threw him onto everybody grouped together outside the ring. Strange Love Connection found that their own teamwork was being evenly matched by Chris Brookes & HARASHIMA. The challengers separated KANON from MAO and focused all of their attacks on the former. KANON was able to kick out after taking a Piledriver followed by the Somato but HARASHIMA used the souped up Swan Dive version of his finisher to win the tag titles. Later backstage MAO said his goal with this title run was to help KANON loosen up and he thinks they accomplished that. They can rebound by going after any championship but for the moment he wants the both of them to aim for the Top 3 in this year’s King Of DDT tournament.
While Fandora were celebrating their title win, Ilusion got into the ring while wearing all of the KO-D 10-Man Tag Team Title belts over his body. He claimed to be the new leader of DAMNATION T.A and because he has more title belts than Fandora, he is using his position to challenge them for the KO-D Tag Titles. He then unveiled a banner of Daisuke Sasaki to reveal that Sasaki will be his partner for the match. HARASHIMA accepted the challenge for 1st May because so that can be Sasaki’s first match back in DDT after coming home from his North American excursion. Before that takes place, Brookes said Fandora will go win the KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles on 15th April.
It was a special match between teacher and student when Makoto Oishi found himself being challenged by Kaisei Takechi. It’s been lightly thrown around that Takechi would officially surpass Oishi as soon as he could beat him in the ring. But Takechi has yet to win a singles match so he couldn’t afford to take his mentor lightly. Oishi took his student to school with basic moves as well as a well times Dropkick to the knee as a counter for the Flying Forearm. Takechi took a page out of Higuchi’s book by using the Brain Claw to break his way out of Oishi’s Fujiyama Knee Lock. He then showed off his new Choke Slam/Rock Bottom finisher called the BREAK IT DOWN, pinning Oishi to get his first ever singles victory.
Takechi was then suddenly met by Danshoku Dieno after the match. Dieno was there to propose the two of them have a singles match some day. Takechi agreed, saying he has no reason to refuse a challenge. Hisaya Imabayashi then decided since the two of them are entering the King Of DDT tournament, this can be one of the 1st Round matches! Takechi and Dieno shook hands over the idea but Takechi then stopped Dieno from leaning in for a kiss. He made a promise to Dieno that he is going to exceed his expectations. Backstage Takechi was asked if his agency is worried about him wrestling Dieno. He said DDT has the rights to book that match but admits if the card has to change, it is because LDH did not want it to happen. Dino acknowledged that there is an unwritten no contact agreement in place with him and Takechi but Takechi is officially a DDT wrestler so it is inevitable that Danshoku Dieno would be unleashed on him eventually.
There was a little bit of confusion among Yuki Ueno’s team when Shinya Aoki decided to stop up him pinning Junta Miyawaki early in the 6-Man Tag Match. Ueno then had Jun Akiyama properly stopping him from pinning Yuki Iino by hitting him with the Knee Strike. To-y did a big dive onto everyone so Ueno could be left alone to fight Iino. But the WR was countered into a Short-Range Spear followed by a full fledged one to give Iino a big win over the KO-D Openweight Champion. Iino asked Ueno how it felt to lose for the fist time after so long because Iino will soon take the belt and prove he is the strongest in DDT! Ueno asked him if he has any dreams for the future but Iino answered he has no time to think about that. He is busy living every day to its fullest.
Okatani and Yukio Naya gave everyone a preview of their DDT Extreme Title match by brawling around ringside while Ilusion and Viento Maligno wrestled each other. Naya toughed it out by taking chair shots and being thrown into the front row. He then refused to budge when he put Ilusion in a Crab Hold and invited Okatani to try and physically break it up. MJ Paul interfered to finally make some progress but Maligno was able to get him out of the ring. Naya recovered and Choke Slammed Okatani to stop him from using the chair again. After that he pinned Ilusion with The World’s Best Back Drop.
A really important designation was on the line in Match #2. All of the DDT goofballs were gathered together to determine who is the king of DDT’s “Variety” wrestlers! However the show was already running on a tight schedule so Imabayashi wanted everyone to do their entrances all at once. Kazuki Hirata suggested they start wrestling before the entrances and then play everyone’s music as the match progresses. They all brawled down to the ring, taking Imabayashi down with them and continued fighting until Toru Owashi’s song played. He ran to the back to make his entrance and ring introduction. This would next happen to Super Sasadango Machine, then Akito, then Dieno, then Antonio Honda and finally Kazuki Hirata. Except the heavy usage of the music system blew out the venue’s amplifier during Hirata’s entrance. The wrestlers (including Saki Akai and Tetsu Inada) all formed a daisy chain connecting from Dieno over to the amplifier in order to charge it back up to full repair. Hirata got to do his entrance until Imabayashi suddenly put him in a Sleeper Hold and tapped him out! Imabayashi was declared the winner and he ordered everyone to get out so the show could continue.
As previously mentioned way up above, FANTÔMES DRAMATIC will soon be challenging for the KO-D 6-Man Tag Titles. Hinata Kasai will be on the challenger team and he got to fight the champions paleyouth in today’s opening bout. He had a tough go at fighting Takeshi Masada & Daichi Sato until Kazuma Sumi tagged in to even things out. Yuya Koroku found himself fighting Masami Inahata to a stalemate. paleyouth then gathered their wits about them to team up on Kasai, ultimately leading to Masada pinning Kasai with a Penalty Kick. He showed off one of the title belts to him after the match, causing Kasai to hit him with an Elbow Strike in response. Koroku then grabbed Kasai and threw him out of the ring.
After graduating from high school and becoming a college student, Yuni showed up wearing a new costume for his match against Rukiya. A big Moonsault from Yuni was blocked by Rukiya sticking his feet up. He got the win with the Proto Bomb but it took two of them to get the result after Yuni kicked out of it the first time.
DDT “NO SPOILERS EVENT VOL. 4 IN UENO”, 01/04/2026 Tokyo Ueno Park Outdoor Stage ??? Fans – Unannounced
1. Antonio Honda, Junta Miyawaki & Viento Maligno defeated Yuki Iino, Masami Inahata & Rukiya when Honda pinned Inahata with the Japanese Leg Roll Clutch (8:39).
2. Yuya Koroku & Daichi Sato defeated Bad Buddy Yuni & Pito Chico Sumi by Disqualification when Sumi attacked the referee (6:47).
3. Fake Daisuke Sasaki Army Vs DAMNATION T.A!: Hideki Okatani, Posuke Sasaki & Daision Sasaki defeated Daisuke Sasaki (Yukio Naya), Daisuke Sasaki (Takeshi Masada) & Nerima Sting (Yuki Ishida) when Daision submitted Sting with La Mistica Crossface Lock (12:07).
4. Playfulness Series Act 5: Danshoku Dieno Vs Hinata Kasai ended in a No Contest (9:54).
4a. No DQ & No Tag Rules: Danshoku Dieno & Hinata Kasai defeated Kazuki Hirata & To-y when Dieno submitted To-y with his Hell Gate (8:37).
5. Special 3-Way Tag Match ~ Best Friends (Mav) Superior: MAO & KANON (w/ KIMIHIRO) Vs Yuki Ueno & Shunma Katsumata Vs Chris Brookes & HARASHIMA ended in a No Contest (10:42).
5a. 4 Way Tag Match: Yuki Ueno & Shunma Katsumata, MAO & KANON (w/ KIMIHIRO), Chris Brookes & HARASHIMA and Bad Buddy Yuni & Pito Chico Sumi when Katsumata pinned Yuni with the I Love You Splash (9:23).
No spoilers or talk about what happened on this April Fool’s Day show was allowed until the clock struck midnight. So for those who weren’t at the show, they had to wait until the next day to hear about Kazuma Sumi & Yuni all of a sudden showing their rebel sides. The show was meant to begin with a performance by NωA Jr. but it was cut off when Sumi & Yuni attacked Shunma Katsumata out of nowhere! The two of them told everyone they didn’t want to be idols anymore and they stormed out of the ring. They reappeared for their match dressed in rebellious clothing with new ring names to boot. They were now Bad Buddy Yuni & Pito Chico Sumi! Their tag match ended in Disqualification after they attacked their opponents with chairs and squeaky toy hammers.
They then reappeared in the 3 Way Tag main event because the theme of the match was every tag team were dressed as some type of delinquent. Their interference caused the match to get thrown out because they attacked the referee and caused more chaos afterward. The match restarted with Yuni & Sumi added as a fourth team. Katsumata (who was dressed as a delinquent schoolgirl by the way) got his revenge on them by pinning Yuni for the victory. Yuki Ueno confessed his love for Katsumata after the match only to start a chain reaction of all the others doing the same. Katsumata turned all of them down for Yuni and the two embraced. However Sumi suddenly got jealous and he tried to stab Yuni with an umbrella. He missed though and stabbed Katsumata instead by accident! Katsumata wished the two of them to be happy together and then died. Everyone sang a song to revive him and the show ended with everyone safe and sound. That was until Ueno approached Katsumata backstage and stabbed him with the umbrella. Sumi & Yuni revived him again and the three all agreed they should go back to being idols.
Both Kazuki Hirata & To-y had something planned for the show with their only clue being it would resemble a party gathering together underneath the blooming cherry blossoms. They ended up interfering in Match #3 to cost Hinata Kasai a victory against Danshoku Dieno. In that match whenever Dieno gave someone the Lip Lock, the victim would reveal they are wearing Danshoku tights beneath their clothes. It happened to KANON and Yukinori Matsui, turning the two of them into Danshoku zombies. That story was thrown out thanks to Hirata & To-y so it turned into a No DQ tag match where the two of them attacked Dieno, Kasai and the wrestlers standing near ringside with umbrellas and coathangers. However Kasai rallied the other wrestlers to grab To-y and carry him face first into Dieno’s Hell Gate until he gave up. The Lip Lock storyline continued with the victims turning back to normal after bumping heads with each other. It ended when Dieno finally got to give Kasai the Lip Lock.
A dejected Daisuke Sasaki has left Japan to go on tour across North America. He claims he will not return unless he falls in love and gets rejected but it was recently announced that New Japan has booked him for this year’s Best Of The Super Jr. tournament. Either way that leaves DAMNATION T.A currently without their leader. This has somehow led to an army of Fake Daisuke Sasakis appearing on today’s show along with a Nerima Sting. Also MJ Paul turned into Posuke Sasaki. During the match Ilusion would disappear only to return as Daision Sasaki to get the hot tag and win the match for his team. He said that from today onwards he is the new leader of DAMNATION T.A! Later at the end of the show, Sanshiro Takagi appeared also dressed like Daisuke Sasaki. He tried to attack Daision but was given a Low Blow instead. Takagi and Ilusion have a dark match coming up on 15th April and Ilusion keeps ambushing him with Low Blows to build up the match.
DDT “DDT X MOP WRESTLE TOUR 2026 IN MITSUI OUTLET TAMA MINAMIOSAWA”, 28/03/2026 Tokyo Mitsui Outlet Park Tama Minamiosawa
1. MAO & Masami Inahata Vs Naomi Yoshimura & Yuki Ishida
2. Jun Akiyama & Yuya Koroku Vs Kazuki Hirata & Kazuma Sumi
3. Hideki Okatani, Ilusion & MJ Paul Vs Takeshi Masada, Daichi Sato & Hinata Kasai
4. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Chris Brookes, HARASHIMA & Antonio Honda Vs Shunma Katsumata, To-y & Yuni
5. MOP Tag Team Titles: KANON & Viento Maligno (w/ KIMIHIRO) Vs Junta Miyawaki & Rukiya
Some changes to Saturday’s card have been made because Yuki Ueno needs to go get laser surgery in his eye. His doctor found signs of a possible retinal tear in one of his eyes and its needs to be dealt with. He will only be out of action for a week but that means Ueno will miss the next DDT show.
DDT “NO SPOILERS EVENT VOL. 4 IN UENO”, 01/04/2026 Tokyo Ueno Park Outdoor Stage
1. Something With To-y & Kazuki Hirata: To-y Vs Kazuki Hirata
2. Playfulness Series Act 5: Danshoku Dieno Vs Hinata Kasai
3. DAMNATION T.A Vs Fake Daisuke Sasaki Army!: Hideki Okatani, MJ Paul & Ilusion Vs Nise Daisuke Sasaki A, Nise Daisuke Sasaki B & Deka Daisuke Sasaki
4. Special 3-Way Tag Match ~ Best Friends (Mav) Superior: MAO & KANON (w/ KIMIHIRO) Vs Yuki Ueno & Shunma Katsumata Vs Chris Brookes & HARASHIMA
There will be more matches happening on the show but they will not be revealed until they happen.
DDT “CHANGE AGE 2026 ~TOBIKIRI ZENKAI POWER~”, 05/04/2026 Tokyo Korakuen Hall
0. Dark Match: Yuni Vs Rukiya
1. Takeshi Masada, Yuya Koroku & Daichi Sato Vs Kazuma Sumi, Masami Inahata & Hinata Kasai
2. Variety King Decision Match: Toru Owashi Vs Danshoku Dieno Vs Super Sasadango Machine Vs Kazuki Hirata Vs Antonio Honda Vs Akito
3. DAMNATION T.A Vs STRANGE LOVE CONNECTION!: Hideki Okatani & Ilusion Vs Yukio Naya & Viento Maligno
4. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Yuki Ueno, Shinya Aoki & To-y Vs Yuki Iino, Jun Akiyama & Junta Miyawaki
5. Special Single Match: Kaisei Takechi Vs Makoto Oishi
6. KO-D Tag Team Titles: MAO & KANON (c) (w/ KIMIHIRO) Vs Chris Brookes & HARASHIMA
7. Special 6-Man Tag Match ~ Harimao Last Match: Naomi Yoshimura, Ryota Nakatsu & Yuki Ishida Vs Shunma Katsumata, Kota Umeda & Kouki Iwasaki
The first week of April will now have the retirement of Kazusada Higuchi taking place. Sadly he will not have one more match to mark the end of his career. Instead the other members of Harimao will team together one last time before the group disbands. Naomi Yoshimura, Ryota Nakatsu & Yuki Ishida will face three opponents from Higuchi’s past going all the way back to their DNA days. Shunma Katsumata recently returned to action and was an early rival of Higuchi. Both Kota Umeda & Kouki Iwasaki rarely show up in DDT these days but such an important occasion have brought the both of them back.
FANTÔMES DRAMATIC are on the hunt for some gold and could get plenty of it if things go their way soon. Chris Brookes & HARASHIMA have become the No. 1 Contenders for the KO-D Tag Team Titles. The timing could not be better because KANON is coming off of a failed KO-D Openweight Title challenge and may need to rely on MAO to do all the hard work if he hasn’t bounced back by then.
DDT “DREAM LIGHTS ~HOW DO YOU LIKE DDT WEDNESDAY~”, 15/04/2026 Tokyo Korakuen Hall
0. Dramatic Dark Match: Sanshiro Takagi Vs Ilusion
1. Special Single Match: YOH Vs Antonio Honda
2. KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles: Takeshi Masada, Yuya Koroku & Daichi Sato (c) Vs Chris Brookes, HARASHIMA & Hinata Kasai
3. DDT Extreme Title: Hideki Okatani (c) Vs Yukio Naya
4. KO-D Openweight Title: Yuki Ueno (c) Vs Yuki Iino
Ueno will definitely be ready to defend the KO-D Title against Yuki Iino no matter what. He was someone Iino learned a lot from when Iino trained to become a pro wrestler. Ueno was also a part of Iino’s debut match back in 2017.
Meanwhile Yukio Naya has gone and challenged Hideki Okatani for the DDT Extreme Title. His logic is “Extreme” means big so the title should belong to him.
Brookes & HARASHIMA could be double tag champs if Fandora wins the KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles from paleyouth. The wild card is Hinata Kasai. He hasn’t directly won a match yet but Antonio Honda thinks having Kasai on the challenger team will add some drama to the title match. The idea has painted a target on Kasai when Brookes threw Bunbun into the crowd after the challenge was made. Takeshi Masada blames Kasai for that and wants to get revenge!
DDT “MOTSUNABE BUSTER”, 18/04/2026 ACROS Fukuoka
1. DDT Universal Title: Kazuma Sumi (c) Vs Shunma Katsumata
The new DDT Universal Champion is looking to surpass a wrestler he looks up to. Kazuma Sumi nominated Katsumata to be his first challenger to repay him for his support over the years. However the repayment will be completed when Sumi beats Katsumata! Same goes the other way around. Katsumata will show his appreciation for Sumi by crushing him for the championship!
Kumadori will be on the show.
DDT “WRESTLE PETER PAN 2026”, 11/08/2026 Tokyo Ryogoku Kokugikan
1. Dramatic Dream Match: Konosuke Takeshita Vs Kaisei Takechi
The next time DDT goes to Sumo Hall they will give everyone a Konosuke Takeshita versus Kaisei Takechi match! Hopefully neither of them will get a case of pink eye right before the match again.
A press conference was held by DDT in Tokyo today to announce that Kazusada Higuchi will be retiring from pro wrestling on 5th April. Higuchi had been taking time off since from wrestling since the start of the year to deal with a neck injury. This comes after he previously had to take eight months off during 2024 into 2025 to recover from other injuries including a cervical hernia. This decision came about when at some point between December and January, Higuchi went through a health checkup that is regularly given out to everyone in the DDT roster. The doctor found Higuchi had subluxation of the first and second cervical vertebrae and told him that continuing to wrestle (or take part in any kind of contact sport) would be dangerous for his health. Higuchi and his doctor had discussions with DDT over him having any possibility of continuing his wrestling career but they reached the decision that it would be best for him to retire.
Unfortunately due to the current state of Higuchi’s neck, he has already wrestled his last match and his retirement at DDT’s Korakuen Hall show on 5th April will just be a ceremony without a final match preceding it. Higuchi said he is currently not feeling any symptoms over his condition but understands that his neck has reached it physical limit. He regrets not being able to wrestle again but is glad to have detected this problem early so he could exit the business on his own two feet. Although he will no longer live in the ring, he believes his life will continue for a long time.
The press conference also had comments from Sanshiro Takagi and Akito both speaking as representatives of CyberFight. Akito explained the above routine health checkups that the DDT roster goes through over the new year period. He also noted that the cervical condition Higuchi has usually gives the person symptoms of numbness or even paralysis in the limbs. Higuchi does not have those symptoms but the doctor determined that no amount of treatment would solve the problem. Surgery could be an option but it comes with the setback of restricting Higuchi’s neck movement and he wouldn’t be able to wrestle in that condition either.
Takagi told the story of the first time he was introduced to Higuchi by a friend, leading to the former sumo from Hokkaido to join DDT. He claims there were times when Higuchi’s powerful style helped DDT and he became a symbol of the company’s strength from 2022 onwards. He is surprised by the sudden news and thinks the best thing DDT can do is to give him the warmest send-off possible. By Higuchi’s request, his unit Harimao will have its final match on 5th April taking on a team of wrestlers who are also all close to him. It will be Naomi Yoshimura, Ryota Nakatsu & Yuki Ishida against Shunma Katsumata, Kota Umeda & Kouki Iwasaki. Once that match is finished, Harimao will disband. He has a message to tell the other members of the group but will say what he wants to say after the match.
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This is bumming me out. It’s the news I was worried would eventually come to light when Higuchi took another injury break in January. Writing this blog for 16 years means I see a lot of wrestling careers of various sizes come and go. This is one of the most significant ones. A fascinating moment in wrestling happened in October 2014 when DDT introduced the DNA generation, a new class of seven (later eight) rookies about to turn pro at a time when many wrestling companies in Japan were struggling to find new blood. Higuchi very quickly stood out as top of the pack with his powerful stature coming from his sumo background and he was given the rookie superpush that spread into DDT itself. While he was a serious no nonsense wrestler at first, spots would come here and there that allowed Higuchi to show his silly side, allowing him to fit in more with DDT’s comedy while still being positioned as someone who is difficult for anyone to beat. An early highlight of his to seek out is the week long DNA Grand Prix tournament that was held in October 2016 where he went on an undefeated run all the was to the final in order to face Mike Bailey.
The presentation of Higuchi being so unique in DDT included something that I’ve seen follow his entire career among the foreign fanbase. I have long lost count of the amount of times I’ve heard people online say they wish Higuchi was with NOAH instead of DDT because he looked like a better fit there. It’s easy to see why on the surface. Hard strikes, mean looks and an iron head to go with it is catnip for those who like their wrestling to not pull back its punches. Yet I just could never imagine him shining brighter anywhere else than with DDT. The formation of Eruption with Yukio Sakaguchi & Saki Akai in 2020 was a major step forward for him. Then with DDT emerging from the pandemic the seeds were planted for his ascension to the top when he feuded with Jun Akiyama over the KO-D Openweight Title in an act of rebellion towards the legend joining the company. He lost that match but had the ultimate redemption in 2022 when he was the one chosen to rebuild DDT’s reputation over the Tetsuya Endo/Katsuhiko Nakajima incident.
The visual that should follow Higuchi’s career came when he won the 2022 King Of DDT tournament. By winning it he finally claimed the KO-D Title after eight years of trying. He had now become DDT’s literal symbol of strength, waving a giant flag of the company logo in victory and having Akiyama wrap the belt around his waist as a show of his respect. Higuchi would then spend the year being a central figure of DDT’s title scene as they tried to push a bigger focus towards heavyweights. Eruption would go away along with the careers of Sakaguchi & Akai. Higuchi would then move on to forming Harimao, building the unit more around sumo like themes. He got to hold the KO-D Title again last year but this time it was a short lived run. It’s hard to believe that only a few months later his career would end like this.
I can’t quite put my finger on why his runs on top went the ways they did. As much as Higuchi’s style appealed to the likes of us, it wasn’t really the same with DDT’s fans in Japan and business hardly picked up with him as champion. You can point to the social distancing rules at the time which resulted in low attendances for everybody but there’s just some factor missing that meant his title reign didn’t connect like I thought it would. I just look at the hot streak DDT is having with Korakuen now and wish Higuchi would have a role to play in it. Perhaps Takagi has a bigger point to make when he talks about how much Higuchi helped DDT. Maybe history will treat him as the person who patched up DDT at a time when the company needed it rather than the rising star who carried the company to greater heights.
There’s so much of Higuchi’s career I’m leaving out. He was a perfect opponent for HARASHIMA. Their matches together going back to the earliest years of Higuchi’s career were like they were made for each other. His singles matches with Konosuke Takeshita, Shuji Ishikawa and Yuji Hino are all barnburners. Those were the kind of matches that fueled the constant wishes he would move over to NOAH where he could get more attention. There are all the times he would be driven head first into the ring post just to no sell it (probably not a good idea in hindsight). When DDT had their “MAJI MANJI” weekly series, Higuchi insisted on putting somebody through a table on almost every episode he was in. When a Falls Count Anywhere match would happen outdoors, Higuchi would usually show up wearing just a mawashi. I’m pretty sure he sumo pushed a van away one time too. I’m going to miss seeing this guy wrestle.
Posted by JamieOD 
Dramatic DDT 