DDT “SWEET DREAMS! 2022 TOUR IN OSAKA DAY 2”, 10/01/2022 Osaka 176BOX 159 Fans
1. Shunma Katsumata defeated Yuya Koroku with the Totonou Splash (7:49).
2. HARASHIMA & Toru Owashi defeated Antonio Honda & Toui Kojima when HARASHIMA pinned Honda with the Somato (9:44).
3. Daisuke Sasaki & MJ Paul defeated Naomi Yoshimura & Hideki Okatani when Paul pinned Okatani with the Death Valley Bomb (11:46).
4. Special Tag Match: Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno & Yuki “Sexy” Iino defeated Bodyguard & Kazuki Hirata when Dieno & Iino submitted Hirata with the Rainbow Bridge (12:06).
5. Tetsuya Endo & Jun Akiyama defeated Kazusada Higuchi & Yuki Ishida when Endo submitted Ishida with the Yurikamome (10:52).
6. Osaka Specialty Special 6-Man Tag Match: Konosuke Takeshita, Yuki Ueno & MAO defeated Yuji Hino, Chris Brookes & Akito when Takeshita submitted Akito with the Plus Ultra (21:23).
The main event briefly turned into a literal tug of war when MAO and Chris Brookes found a rope near ringside and each grabbed an end of it. Next thing you know the rest of The 37KAMIINA as well as Yuji Hino and Akito got involved. Naturally, Hino’s raw strength meant his side easily won the tug of war. The 37KAMIINA won the actual wrestling match though. Shunma Katsumata & Toui Kojima also tried and failed to pin MAO for the Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title afterwards. Teamwork was the topic of the day among The 37KAMIINA. They have two teams entering the Ultimate Tag League with last year’s winners split apart. Konosuke Takeshita hopes he & Yuki Ueno will meet Katsumata & MAO in the final. Katsumata & MAO said they are counting on their history together entering the NOAH Global Jr. Tag League as well as being a team since their NωA days to take them far.
Kazuki Hirata was terrified of facing Pheromones again after his experience with them yesterday. He felt reassured when Bodyguard told him to follow his lead and leave the match to him. Things went well until Bodyguard decided to give everyone a live performance of his entrance song. He even signed autographs for Hisaya Imabayashi and Ken Kato while he sang on the microphone. While this was all going on, Bodyguard was oblivious to Pheromones torturing Hirata into submission in the ring behind him.
Antonio Honda almost tricked HARASHIMA & Toru Owashi into kissing each other.
Katsumata brought out boxing gloves for his match against Yuya Koroku. When they fought outside the ring, Katsumata taped Koroku’s hands to the ring post then repeatedly punched him in the ribs while wearing the gloves.
DDT “DDTEEEEN!!”, 05/01/2022 Tokyo Itabashi Green Hall 60 Fans
1. Raimu Imai & Toui Kojima defeated Yuya Koroku & Yuki Ishida when Kojima pinned Ishida with the Kojima In Wonderland ~Kojima Wonderland~ (9:23).
2. Hardcore Match: Akane Fujita & Shunma Katsumata defeated Suzu Suzuki & Hideki Okatani when Katsumata pinned Okatani with the Sauna Trance Splash from the Ladder (19:37).
3. Yuki Ueno defeated Daichi Sato with the Blizzard Suplex (11:26).
4. You-sei☆Estrella defeated El Unicorn with the Styles Clash (11:55).
5. Ilusion & Tetsuya Endo defeated Vent Vert Jack & Naomi Yoshimura when Ilusion pinned Jack with the Modified Pedigree (18:58).
Ilusion got one over on Vent Vert Jack after Jack beat him on 26th December. This time around it was a tag match where Ilusion was teaming with Tetsuya Endo and Jack had Naomi Yoshimura as his partner. While Ilusion is pleased to win his first match of 2022, he still wants a singles rematch against Jack so he can get his full revenge over what happened in Yoyogi.
El Unicorn was disappointed with his loss to You-sei☆Estrella. He understands he needs find more opponents to wrestle against repeatedly so he can become stronger. His next match will be against Vent Vert Jack on the 16th January DDT show so he promises to practice hard until then.
Yuki Ueno praised Daichi Sato a lot for his performance today. He said the 13 year old looks like a baby but he has loads of enthusiasm and energy. Ueno is looking forward to see what Sato will learn from this point forward and he hopes his career won’t stumble.
There is still resentment between Akane Fujita and Shunma Katsumata over Fujita’s accusations that Katsumata steals her death match ideas. Katsumata’s denies it and explains he just gets the same ideas for using toy blocks that she does. Katsumata also liked wrestling against Suzu Suzuki and hopes the two of them will get a singles match somewhere. Suzuki wants that challenge because Katsumata scattered her box of bells over the floor before the match began. Hidaki Okatani thought the match was exciting but regrets the moments when his ideas backfired.
GAKE NO FUCHI JOSHI PRO “CLOCKWORK GAKE NO FUCHI 2022 ~GAKE NO FUCHI VS PROMINENCE~”, 04/01/2022 Shinjuku FACE 147 Fans
1. Hardcore Match: Chris Brookes defeated Suzu Suzuki with the Praying Mantis Bomb onto the Coffin (22:25).
2. Special Single Match ~ Gake no Fuchi Rules: Risa Sera (105 pts) defeated Miyako Matsumoto (0 pts) by Points Victory (14:28).
3. Special Hardcore Tag Match: Sanshiro Takagi & SenoSister Mao Inoue Vs Mochi Miyagi & Akane Miura ended in a No Contest when Shunma Katsumata interfered (11:45).
4. Gake no Fuchi Vs Prominence Full Scale Battle! No DQ Match: Sanshiro Takagi, Risa Sera, Mochi Miyagi, Akane Fujita & Suzu Suzuki (w/ Hiragi Kurumi) defeated Miyako Matsumoto, Chris Brookes, Shunma Katsumata & SenoSister Mao Inoue (w/ SenoSister Mao & Ippanjin Munenori Sawa) when Sera pinned Matsumoto with the Diving Double Knee Drop onto the Ladder (15:26).
Today was the first event for Prominence since the freelance group’s inception. They were invited by Gake no Fuchi Joshi for a full-scale inter-promotional battle on one of the most important dates of the Japanese wrestling calandar. Four matches pitting different members of the two groups against each other filled out the card.
Up first was Chris Brookes against Suzu Suzuki in a Hardcore Match. The match featured chairs, ladders, thumbtacks, a board full of forks sticking out and most striking of all, a coffin! Brookes won in the end by putting Suzuki through the coffin with the Praying Mantis Bomb. Suzuki still gave him the middle finger afterwards.
Next up was former colleagues Miyako Matsumoto and Risa Sera taking each other on under Gake no Fuchi Rules. The match would get interrupted with mini-games where points are scored. The ringside seconds Munenori Sawa and Hiragi Kurumi would get dragged into the fun with some of the games on offer, like a sumo bout for example. The match was finally called to an end after Sera put Matsumoto in a Giant Swing for 22 rotations. She was given 100 points for it making the final score Risa Sera – 105, Miyako Matsumoto – 0.
Match #3 was turned into a Hardcore Tag Match after strong requests from almost everyone involved. MAO did his SenoSister impersonation gimmick alongside the real SenoSister Mao. His weapon attacks kept hitting Sanshiro Takagi by mistake, causing Takagi to betray Gake no Fuchi and join Prominence’s side! Akane Fujita poured out a box of block toys in the ring and Mochi Miyagi gave MAO a Lou Thesz Press onto them. Takagi was ready to finish him off with the Himawari Bomb when suddenly Shunma Katsumata ran out and attacked the Prominence team! He had previously been accused by Prominence of stealing their ideas for death match weapons so today he came to confront them over it. The Hardcore match was called off and Matsumoto added Katsumata to her team for the main event.
The big finale was an all out battle between Gake no Fuchi Joshi and Prominence. Katsumata and Fujita had a swordfight with swords made out of toy blocks. Matsumoto jumped out of the ring to put Sera through a table at ringside. SenoSister Mao got involved by diving off the top rope onto everyone below. But in the end Prominence took over and Risa hit a Diving Double Knee Drop onto Matsumoto with a ladder to win the match.
The show ultimately ended with Prominence as the winners. Takagi called today a really great show and offered Prominence to distribute their future events on WRESTLE UNIVERSE. Mao encouraged a beaten Matsumoto to make Gake no Fuchi Joshi a rival promotion to Prominence from now on. Matsumoto then announced her new year’s resolution is to get Gake no Fuchi Joshi to Korakuen Hall and ultimately Sumo Hall!
The second annual Ultimate Tag League has grown massively in size with 10 teams competing in the 2022 tournament. The prize for the winners is the newly vacated KO-D Tag Team Titles. The previous champions DISASTER BOX opted to go into the tournament without the belts so they can fight everyone else on an even playing field and grow even further as a tag team. Not the best excuse I’ve heard for a company putting their tag titles up for grabs if I’m being honest here.
Tournament rules will be fully announced on a later date but DDT have confirmed there will be multiple blocks. Judging from the lineup I think we’re getting two blocks of five teams each. The participating teams are:
DDT “DDT 25TH ANNIVERSARY OPENING SPECIAL! ALL SEATS 3000 YEN BOX OFFICE!!”, 03/01/2022 Tokyo Korakuen Hall 725 Fans – Super No Vacancy Full House
1. KO-D 10-Man Tag Team Titles: Toru Owashi, Antonio Honda, Kazuki Hirata & Yoshihiko (c) defeated Sanshiro Takagi, Akito, Soma Takao, Gota Ihashi & Yuki Ishida when Hirata submitted Ihashi with a Jumping Cross Armbreaker (10:23). *V1 for the The DDT Variety Team.
2. No Tag Rule: Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno, Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Yumehito “Fantastic” Imanari defeated Yuji Hino, Toui Kojima & Yuya Koroku when Dieno pinned Kojima after the Sexy Invader Danshoku Driver (11:33).
3. Special Mixed Tag Match: Masahiro Takanashi & Maya Yukihi defeated Shunma Katsumata & Saki Akai when Takanashi pinned Katsumata with an Oklahoma Roll (11:00).
4. Special Single Match: Chris Brookes defeated Pokotan by TKO with the Diving Foot Stomp (13:57).
5. Daisuke Sasaki & MJ Paul Vs Yukio Sakaguchi & Yuki Ueno ended in a Time Limit Draw (15:00).
6. Kazusada Higuchi defeated Hideki Okatani by TKO with the Torture Canadian Backbreaker (12:02).
7. Tetsuya Endo & Naomi Yoshimura defeated HARASHIMA & MAO when Endo pinned MAO with the Shooting Star Press (13:52).
8. DDT 25th Anniversary Opening Memorial Special Single Match: Konosuke Takeshita Vs Shinya Aoki ended in a Time Limit Draw (15:00).
8a. Overtime: Konosuke Takeshita defeated Shinya Aoki with a Kimura Lock (2:16).
It’s a new year and a very important one for DDT. They are spending 2022 celebrating their 25th anniversary beginning with today’s event in Korakuen Hall. Every match on the card was given a 15 minute time limit to cram in as many matches as they could. In the main event it was the KO-D Openweight Champion and the DDT Extreme Champion battling to a stalemate. Konosuke Takeshita went hold for hold against Shinya Aoki with the match being kept on the ground for most of the fifteen minutes. When the match ended Takeshita asked for a restart and five more minutes were added when Aoki agreed to it. That was when Aoki changed his game plan and attempted a Suicide Dive out of the ring! Takeshita caught him and dropped him onto the floor with a Brainbuster. Back in the ring Takeshita tried to apply the Plus Ultra but couldn’t go through with it. He switched over to a Kimura Lock and that made Aoki submit.
Aoki praised Takeshita for being really strong and Takeshita asked him for a rematch down the road. It is this kind of support that made 2021 Takeshita’s greatest year in his decade long career. The nostalgia DDT is celebrating this year made him think about his debut match at Budokan Hall for DDT’s 15th Anniversary and his championship main event at Saitama Super Arena for the 20th Anniversary. Right when he began saying he would take on any challenger for the 25th Anniversary show, Tetsuya Endo walked down to the ring. He wasted no time and said he is the only one who can face Takeshita in the main event of Sumo Hall. Takeshita simply stuck his hand out and accepted the challenge. It will be Takeshita Vs Endo for the KO-D Title on 20th March!
Some of the tag matches mixed together teams and units as part of the festive mood. HARASHIMA and Naomi Yoshimura were put on opposite sides with HARASHIMA teaming with MAO and Yoshimura teaming with Endo. The finish saw Endo catch MAO with the Tetsuya In The Sky for a nearfall so Endo finished him off with the Shooting Star Press. HARASHIMA thinks the match was a good way to judge how much stronger Yoshimura has gotten. Then a bombshell was dropped. Yoshimura made a request to vacate the KO-D Tag Team Titles! He wants his team with HARASHIMA to advance further and win the Ultimate Tag League 2022 without being champions. HARASHIMA liked the idea and suggested the Tag Titles can be the prize for the tournament winners. That way if DISASTER BOX wins the tournament they will get the belts back and prove they are the absolute best team in DDT! Their request was granted and the KO-D Tag Team Titles were later declared vacant.
Hideki Okatani went through his big test to join Eruption, taking on Kazusada Higuchi. What may have looked like a mismatch was instead a chance for Okatani to show everything he’s got, not just to Higuchi but to the rest of Eruption standing at ringside. Okatani wouldn’t give up even when Higuchi bent him backwards with the Torture Canadian Backbreaker. The bell rang but not because Okatani submitted. Instead Yukio Sakaguchi threw in his hoodie as a stand-in for a towel to forfeit the match on Okatani’s behalf. The three members of Eruption quickly agreed that Okatani had proven himself and he is now the newest member of the group! Sakaguchi said he thought Okatani was just all talk but today he showed guts, determination and the desire to keep climbing. Higuchi said he will be here for when Okatani wants to challenge him again. The rookie achieved his goal of joining Eruption but his story is only just beginning.
There was another time limit draw on today’s show when Sakaguchi teamed with Yuki Ueno to take on DAMNATION T.A. Sakaguchi saw to it to fight against MJ Paul while Ueno reignited his feud with Daisuke Sasaki from last year. Sasaki fought for the Crossface Lock and then the Crossover Facelock to Ueno when the bell rang for the draw. Both sides weren’t thrilled with the result but Sakaguchi did flash Ueno a cheeky NeppoWER!! pose before leaving the ring.
Down, Set, Fight! I think Chris Brookes hates mascots judging from how his day went today. He didn’t know what to make of Pokotan’s antics especially when the mascot kept getting its head stuck between the ropes. It threw Brookes for a loop even further when it began stealing New Japan finishing moves like the Rainmaker, Kamigoye and Sling Blade. When Brookes had finally gotten enough he gave Pokotan an Avalanche Double Arm Suplex, the Praying Mantis Bomb and then crushed its head with a Diving Double Stomp. That last move was so devastating Yukinori Matsui had to call off the match and get Pokotan medical help.
Brookes continued to attack the injured Pokotan after the match until the room went dark and “Darkside” began playing over the speakers. Brookes walked back to the entrance unaware of what was going on until he looked up at the balcony. Suddenly there was Yoshihiko and the doll hit a balcony dive onto Brookes! The two brawled around ringside and when they were pulled apart, Brookes demanded a singles match against Yoshihiko as soon as possible. Hisaya Imabayashi booked the match for 7th January. Yoshihiko later attacked Brookes again backstage during his post-match interview.
Maya Yukihi became a topic of interest a few days ago when Tokyo Sports reported on CyberFight’s determination to sign her to a deal. Today was her first match as a freelancer since leaving Ice Ribbon and she already has several dates with DDT lined up this month. Masahiro Takanashi pinned Shunma Katsumata to get the result but all of the attention was on Yukihi and Saki Akai when they were together. Yukihi reintroduced herself to the DDT fans and said it was an honour for her first freelance match to be here. She’s looking forward to being in the ring with Akai more often both as opponents and as tag team partners. Akai said she is looking forward to seeing what kind of stage awaits Yukihi after her welcoming visit to DDT today. Even though Akai was polite, Yukihi sensed maybe a little bit of jealousy coming from her now that an outsider has appeared to share the spotlight with her. Akai’s point of view is if Yukihi wants to change things for the better then she will support it. But if Yukihi is doing something wrong then Akai will step in and destroy her plans!
A new warning has come from Pheromones. There is an Uber Pheromone among us! Danshoku Dieno can sense it. It can’t be Yuji Hino because he doesn’t like wrestling against Pheromones and was scared off by their behavior in the ring. Hino hardly took any physical damage in the match but the psychological damage stopped him from helping Toui Kojima & Yuya Koroku have any chance to win the match. Not while Yuki Iino propped himself on the ropes calling Hino’s name with Yumehito Imanari filming the entire thing. Pheromones won the match while Hino fled ringside. Afterwards Dieno bragged about Pheromones winning the Best Unit category at the recent Japan Indie Grand Prix Awards. That means Pheromones have a sign of endorsement from Samurai TV! Dieno’s goal for 2022 is Pheromones appearing on Samurai TV and using their lewd material to get the channel kicked off the air!
The KO-D 10-Man Tag Team Titles are serious business so the challenging team all decided to wrestle in typical salaryman outfits. Kazuki Hirata however wanted to dance because it is the new year and a lot of people bought tickets to see the show. He attacked all of his opponents with the Tegatana Chop until Yuki Ishida blocked it. Hirata won out and started dancing until Sanshiro Takagi put him in an Armbar. Hirata wanted to quit but Toru Owashi wouldn’t let him. Yoshihiko was thrown in to deal with the likes of Akito and Soma Takao. The Gongitsune from Antonio Honda was foiled by Gota Ihashi and his big belly. Hirata then grabbed Ihashi’s arm and made him submit to a Cross Armbreaker. Owashi called the title defence a miracle because the champion team only has 2.5 people on it (Owashi: 1, Honda: 1, Yoshihiko: 0, Hirata: 0.5). Takao didn’t like teaming with the others and never wants to team with them again. However he perked up when Akito suggested he fight Yoshihiko in a first time ever singles match.
Miyako Matsumoto promoted tomorrow’s Gake no Fuchi Joshi show at the beginning of today’s announcements. El Unicorn and Ilusion also promoted the DDTeeeens!! show on the 5th. HARASHIMA opened the show by joking about his old age. He said he is 24 years old.
The entries for Ultimate Tag League 2022 were announced. The 10 teams entering are HARASHIMA & Naomi Yoshimura, Konosuke Takeshita & Yuki Ueno, Shunma Katsumata & MAO, Tetsuya Endo & Jun Akiyama, Chris Brookes & Masahiro Takanashi, Daisuke Sasaki & MJ Paul, Yuji Hino & Yukio Naya, Kazusada Higuchi & Hideki Okatani, Shuji Kondo & Kazuki Hirata and Danshoku Dieno & Yuki Iino. As mentioned above the winners will become the new KO-D Tag Team Champions.
“NEW YEAR’S WRESTLING 2021 ~TOSHIWASURE! SHUFFLE 6-MAN TAG TOURNAMENT”, 31/12/2021 Tokyo Korakuen Hall
1. Toshiwasure! Shuffle 6-Man Tag Tournament – Round 1A: Kazusada Higuchi, Ryuji Ito & Shiro Koshinaka Vs Chris Brookes, Takuya Nomura & X
2. Toshiwasure! Shuffle 6-Man Tag Tournament – Round 1B: Soma Takao, Yuya Aoki & Shuji Ishikawa Vs HARASHIMA, Daichi Hashimoto & Kengo Mashimo
3. Toshiwasure! Shuffle 6-Man Tag Tournament – Round 1C: Konosuke Takeshita, Yuji Okabayashi & Kuishinbo Kamen Vs Naomi Yoshimura, Kota Sekifuda & Brahman Kei (w/ Brahman Shu)
4. Toshiwasure! Shuffle 6-Man Tag Tournament – Round 1D: MAO, Yasufumi Nakanoue & Shigehiro Irie Vs Akito, Daisuke Sekimoto & Jun Kasai
5. MUSASHI, Daisuke Kanehira, Takafumi & Tatsuya Hanami Vs Takuho Kato, Kosuke Sato, Hideki Okatani & Yuki Ishida
6. Toshiwasure! Shuffle 6-Man Tag Tournament – Semi Final: Winners Of Match 1A Vs Winners Of Match 1B
7. Toshiwasure! Shuffle 6-Man Tag Tournament – Semi Final: Winners Of Match 1C Vs Winners Of Match 1D
8. 3 Way Tag Match: Abdullah Kobayashi & Kazuki Hirata Vs Jaki Numazawa & Antonio Honda Vs Danshoku Dieno & Kankuro Hoshino
9. Toshiwasure! Shuffle 6-Man Tag Tournament – Final: X, X & X Vs X, X & X
Team Saiyuki – Akito, Daisuke Sekimoto & Jun Kasai Ikemen’s – Soma Takao, Yuya Aoki & Shuji Ishikawa I Dream Of Twins, Lizards And Naomi – Naomi Yoshimura, Kota Sekifuda & Brahman Kei (w/ Brahman Shu) Three Brothers Kawaii – Chris Brookes, Takuya Nomura & X I’ll Do It!! – Kazusada Higuchi, Ryuji Ito & Shiro Koshinaka Deadlifters – Konosuke Takeshita, Yuji Okabayashi & Kuishinbo Kamen Ugo Association – MAO, Yasufumi Nakanoue & Shigehiro Irie LEFTOVERS – HARASHIMA, Daichi Hashimoto & Kengo Mashimo
The tradition of wrestling on New Year’s Eve is always a busy one. DDT and Big Japan along with a gang of wrestlers sprinkled throughout the indies close out 2021 over in Korakuen Hall.
BASARA “NEW YEAR’S EVE SHOW”, 31/12/2021 Tokyo Oji BASEMENT MONSTAR
1. Lil Kraken Vs Yasu Urano
2. Tsutomu Oosugi, Banana Senga & Daiki Shimomura Vs FUMA, Yusuke Kubo & Fuminori Abe
3. Jacket Match: Ryota Nakatsu Vs Daichi Kazato
4. Isami Kodaka, Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi & Takato Nakano Vs Takumi Tsukamoto, SAGAT & Masato Kamino
5. Battle Royal: X Vs X
Meanwhile BASARA have their own little end of year show going on at Oji BASEMENT MONSTAR.
DDT “DDT 25TH ANNIVERSARY OPENING SPECIAL! ALL SEATS 3000 YEN BOX OFFICE!!”, 03/01/2022 Tokyo Korakuen Hall
1. Yusuke Okada Vs Yuya Koroku
2. KO-D 10-Man Tag Team Titles: Toru Owashi, Antonio Honda, Kazuki Hirata & Yoshihiko (c) Vs Sanshiro Takagi, Akito, Soma Takao, Gota Ihashi & Yuki Ishida
3. Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno, Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Yumehito “Fantastic” Imanari Vs Yuji Hino, Yukio Naya & Toui Kojima
4. Special Mixed Tag Match: Shunma Katsumata & Saki Akai Vs Masahiro Takanashi & Maya Yukihi
5. Special Single Match: Chris Brookes Vs Pokotan
6. Daisuke Sasaki & MJ Paul Vs Yukio Sakaguchi & Yuki Ueno
7. Kazusada Higuchi Vs Hideki Okatani
8. HARASHIMA & MAO Vs Tetsuya Endo & Naomi Yoshimura
9. DDT 25th Anniversary Opening Memorial Special Single Match: Konosuke Takeshita Vs Shinya Aoki
The match order is official. Konosuke Takeshita Vs Shinya Aoki is the headliner, a few units get mixed together for tag matches, Chris Brookes gets to deal with the returning Pokotan, previous tag partners Saki Akai and Maya Yukihi are now against each other and the KO-D 10-Man Tag Team Titles have to be defended by four people.
GAKE NO FUCHI JOSHI PRO “CLOCKWORK GAKE NO FUCHI 2022 ~GAKE NO FUCHI VS PROMINENCE~”, 04/01/2021 Shinjuku FACE
1. Hardcore Match: Chris Brookes Vs Suzu Suzuki
2. Special Tag Match: Sanshiro Takagi & SenoSister Mao Inoue Vs Mochi Miyagi & Akane Fujita
3. Special Single Match ~ Gake no Fuchi Rules: Miyako Matsumoto Vs Risa Sera
4. Gake no Fuchi Vs Prominence Full Scale Battle! No DQ 8-Man Tag Match: Miyako Matsumoto, Sanshiro Takagi, Chris Brookes & (w/ Ippanjin Munenori Sawa) Vs Risa Sera, Mochi Miyagi, Akane Fujita & Suzu Suzuki (w/ Hiragi Kurumi)
This is the first challenge for Prominence since their inception. Risa Sera is close with Miyako Matsumoto and Miyamoto was even considered to be recruited for Prominence during its inception. However Matsumoto turned down the invitation out of loyalty to Gake no Fuchi, CyberFight and Sanshiro Takagi. It must be noted that Matsumoto is NOT a CyberFight employee.
When Suzu Suzuki originally debuted, people kept saying she reminded them of Matsumoto. She felt insulted by that and after holding in her feelings for so long, she will take her anger about it out on Chris Brookes. She isn’t sure how to deal with the height difference but thinks if she can beat a big man with big moves then she cane become a big woman in the ring.
Mochi Miyagi thought she would be taking on the Mao from SenoSister and was looking forward to it. Then she found out it is actually the wrestler MAO and she now wants a explanation. On the bright side she is looking forward to fighting Takagi and making him scream squeal. She isn’t the only person targeting Takagi.
Akane Fujita has accused Shunma Katsumata of stealing all of her ideas for death match weapons. She has proof of using block toys and acupuncture mats as weapons in her own matches before Katsumata used them in DDT. She isn’t facing Katsumata on this show so she will target Takagi instead because he is the DDT president.
Last but not least, Hiragi Kurumi admits she doesn’t know what she is going to do at the show. She isn’t able to wrestle at the moment so she is only advertised to accompany the rest of Prominence for the main event. She knows Munenori Sawa is doing the same so she guesses she will have to deal with him one way or another.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TOKYO JOSHI 2022 WINTER ~KOBE PERFORMANCE~”, 08/01/2022 Kobe Art Center
1. “Futari wa Princess” Max Heart Tournament – Round 1A: Pom Harajuku & Mahiro Kiryu Vs Moka Miyamoto & Yuki Arai
2. Kobe Special 6-Woman Tag Match: Yuka Sakazaki, Mizuki & Shoko Nakajima Vs Miyu Yamashita, Maki Itoh & Yuki Kamifuku
Will Mizuki enter her hometown of Kobe as the Princess Of Princess Champion?
Kaya Toribami is expected to have her return match on this show. She has spent the last few months in Budapest, Hungary away from wrestling.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TOKYO JOSHI 2022 WINTER ~OKAYAMA PERFORMANCE~”, 09/01/2022 Okayama Convention Center
1. “Futari wa Princess” Max Heart Tournament – Round 1B: Hikari Noa & Nao Kakuta Vs Haruna Neko & Kaya Toribami
2. Okayama Special 6-Woman Tag Match: Nodoka Tenma, Yuki Aino & Shoko Nakajima Vs Miyu Yamashita, Rika Tatsumi & Miu Watanabe
The next day will Tokyo Joshi Pro will be in Okayama for The Bakuretsu Sisters homecoming show.
DDT “NEVER MIND 2021 IN YOYOGI”, 26/12/2021 Yoyogi National Stadium 2nd Gymnasium 1,134 Fans – No Vacancy
0. Dark Match: Toru Owashi & Yukio Naya defeated Antonio Honda & Hideki Okatani when Naya pinned Okatani with the Back Drop (6:17).
0. Dark Match – DDTeeeen!! Special Single Match: Vent Vert Jack defeated Ilusion with the Tlaloc (9:08).
0. Dark Match: Sanshiro Takagi defeated Maku Donaruto with the Kentucky Bomb (7:54).
1. Soma Takao & Shota defeated Akito & Yuki Ishida when Shota pinned Ishida with the Frog Splash (8:35).
2. KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles: Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno, Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Yumehito “Fantastic” Imanari (c) defeated Shinya Aoki, Yumiko Hotta & Super Sasadango Machine when Iino submitted Machine after the Ferrozzo (9:57). *V2 for Pheromones.
3. Special Single Match: Shuji Kondo defeated Kazuki Hirata with the King Kong Lariat (9:40).
4. Special 6-Man Tag Match – Yukio Sakaguchi Return Match: Minoru Suzuki, Chris Brookes & Maki Itoh defeated Yukio Sakaguchi, Kazusada Higuchi & Saki Akai when Suzuki pinned Sakaguchi with the Gotch-Style Piledriver (20:38).
5. BURNING Vs The 37KAMIINA!: Tetsuya Endo, Jun Akiyama, Yusuke Okada & Yuya Koroku defeated Shunma Katsumata, Yuki Ueno, MAO & Toui Kojima when Endo pinned Kojima with the Shooting Star Press (16:30).
6. DDT Universal Title – BLACKOUT Presents: Daisuke Sasaki (c) defeated Masahiro Takanashi with the Crossface Lock (17:48). *V3 for Daisuke Sasaki.
7. KO-D Tag Team Titles – WRESTLE UNIVERSE Presents: HARASHIMA & Naomi Yoshimura defeated Yuji Hino & Bodyguard when Yoshimura pinned Bodyguard with a Lariat (18:17). *V1 for DISASTER BOX.
8. KO-D Openweight Title – Yanekabe Presents: Konosuke Takeshita (c) defeated Yuji Okabayashi with the Plus Ultra (37:17). *V2 for Konosuke Takeshita.
The final DDT show of 2021 took place in Yoyogi National Stadium 2nd Gymnasium and was the first time DDT held a show in the venue. The main event was a rematch from the D-Ou Grand Prix with Konosuke Takeshita taking on Yuji Okabayashi. The D-Ou match went the distance and ended with a 30 minute draw but this time the KO-D Openweight Title was on the line, extending the time limit to 60 minutes. Kenta Kobashi watched on from the commentary booth as champion and challenger fought for almost 40 minutes this time. Okabayashi used the power of Pissari to resist the Plus Ultra submission hold. Trading German Suplexes led to a double down moment. Lariats and Jumping Knees couldn’t put Okabayashi away so Takeshita went for Plus Ultra again. Okabayashi used his strength to stand up for Takeshita held on and added a Manjigatame style hold to bring his opponent back down to the mat and make him submit.
Kobashi entered the ring to present the KO-D Title to Takeshita. The champion thanked Okabayashi for coming to DDT from Big Japan all by himself and giving the fans many great matches. Takeshita picked him to be his challenger and in return he got the most spirited opponent he had ever seen. He is now his rival and best opponent. They should have another match again and maybe this time Big Japan can host it. He said this was the year when he, The 37KAMIINA and DDT all improved together as a team. 2022 will be when DDT becomes bigger and stronger without forgetting what makes them DDT. Backstage Takeshita said his determination as champion was the deciding factor today. He thinks if the roles were reversed and he was the challenger he wouldn’t have won. Kobashi called this match more intense than the D-Ou draw. He also complimented the Jumping Knee that Takeshita now uses.
Determination to hold onto the championship is also what drove Naomi Yoshimura today. He & HARASHIMA struggled against Yuji Hino & Bodyguard leading up to the show so today they had to give it their all. Yoshimura took all the Lariats and High Kicks his opponents threw at him while HARASHIMA was there to break him out of trouble. A collapse in teamwork from Hino & Bodyguard gave the champions the opportunity to strike. HARASHIMA hit Hino with the Somato and Yoshimura knocked down Bodyguard with a Lariat. Bodyguard kicked out at two but another Lariat kept him down for good. DISASTER BOX scores their first KO-D Tag Team Titles defence. Bodyguard shook Yoshimura’s hand after the match and praised him for putting up a good fight. HARASHIMA also praised him for his hard work. Yoshimura said he was beaten up so badly today he doesn’t think he will ever get beaten up so badly like this ever again. He knows he is getting stronger but respects his opponents enough to know he has not surpassed them yet. Hino said Bodyguard’s wrestling career still has a long way to go even though he is 53. Hino himself said he will continue wrestling until he becomes 150 years old!
Everything was set up for today to be Masahiro Takanashi’s day. He had the backing of ChocoPro’s male wrestlers joining him for his entrance to take on the dastardly Daisuke Sasaki for the DDT Universal Title. He also got a video message of support from Emi Sakura over in America. The back up was there to even the playing field whenever MJ Paul interfered. Sasaki used a ref bump to hit a Low Blow and a chair attack to Takanashi. When Yukinori Matsui recovered, Sasaki used La Mistica to transition into the Crossface Lock but Takanashi reached a rope break. Sasaki then had to hit the Vietnam Driver II before applying an elevated Crossface Lock to finally win.
Sasaki told Takanashi to go back to Ichigaya because he has unfinished business with somebody else from ChocoPro. Minoru Fujita! He doesn’t care if Fujita has recovered from his illness or not, he wants him to be the next challenger. Fujita admitted his physical condition hasn’t been great since he got out of intensive care but he still looks in better health than Sasaki. Fujita went to the neighborhood of hell and came back stronger in spirit. He will take the title from him on 30th January. Backstage Sasaki called himself a genius because he figured out when you get pinned, you have 2.99 seconds of recovery before you kick out so he used that to his advantage. He also ignored complaints of interference because he only has Paul with him while Takanashi had six people in his corner. Fujita said he wishes Takanashi would have won today but it is now up to him to win the Universal Title for ChocoPro.
The 4th generation of BURNING has gone off to a great start with the entire unit beating the remaining members of The 37KAMIINA. Tetsuya Endo came out to new music produced by Osamu Suzuki and wearing new gear including an entrance robe that Jun Akiyama gave to him. Endo even scored the winning pin on Toui Kojima. However he isn’t content with that. The leader of The 37KAMIINA is Takeshita and that is Endo’s ultimate target. If he can’t beat him at the end then there is no point in this new version of BURNING even existing. But that’s in the future, today Endo sees the potential that he, Akiyama, Yusuke Okada & Yuya Koroku all have together. Akiyama encourages the unit to make a name for themselves not only in DDT but across the wrestling world! MAO was annoyed that Kojima lost but is trying to give him a chance. Yuki Ueno reminded him that The 37KAMIINA will fall apart if they lose their sauna spirit. Shunma Katsumata thanked the fans for supporting them this year.
The return of Yukio Sakaguchi from a herniated disc was added to Minoru Suzuki’s first match in DDT in five years as Eruption battled The Itoh Respect Army. Well, if you ask Suzuki he isn’t part of Maki Itoh’s group as shown when he refused to wear the merchandise Itoh gave him. There is no love lost between Sakaguchi and Suzuki. They kept each other in their sights for the whole match. Itoh kept wanting to do the Cutest Knuckle Punch In The World but Suzuki would pull her aside and keep the fight going. When Suzuki did the punches in the corner, Itoh said her catchphrase which made Suzuki stop and kick both her & Chris Brookes away. He did show support for Itoh later shouting encouragement when she was in the ring with Kazusada Higuchi. Brookes was taken out by Saki Akai and the Quetzalcoatl. The match came down to Sakaguchi and Suzuki again. Suzuki won the strike exchange, applied the Sleeper Hold and pinned Sakaguchi with the Gotch-Style Piledriver. He then gave the other members of Eruption a glare after the match.
Akai admitted to getting goosebumps when Sasaki made his entrance and for some reason it made her want to make Suzuki get even angrier so she could leave a mark on his fighter’s soul. Higuchi was disappointed to lose but also happy to see Sakaguchi come back to the ring. Sakaguchi said the match wasn’t about winning or losing. His three months off with the injury felt hellish to him because he didn’t know if he could return. That he was given a worthy opponent like Suzuki for his return match makes him think he’s not ready to die yet. Eruption aren’t going to forget the look Suzuki gave them after the match. To them it is now a three person race to see who will get Suzuki’s head! Meanwhile Itoh fired Suzuki from The Itoh Respect Army for refusing to wear the unit’s shirt even though she left her Piledriver jacket at home. They can still be friends though.
Shuji Kondo didn’t wait for his match against Kazuki Hirata to begin. He walked out in the middle of Hirata’s entrance while Hirata was going up and down the ramp on a hoverboard. A scared Hirata reversed back towards the ring for the match to start. Hirata tried to stop the match so he could read a letter to Kondo that conveys his feelings but Kondo ripped the letter apart. Toru Owashi came down with Yoshihiko to help Hirata get some offence in and he even countered the Spear into the Miracle One Shot Cradle for a nearfall. But once Kondo hit the King Kong Lariat it was all over. Kondo looked like he was going to praise Hirata after the match but he hit him with another Lariat instead. Kondo explained afterwards that he isn’t made about Hirata’s dancing or anything else he does, it’s just not the wrestling for him. Kondo understands that violence is more frowned upon nowadays but the kind he does is acceptable. He hopes this match will change Hirata but knows it won’t.
Love was in the air for the KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles match. Shinya Aoki has fallen in love with Yumiko Hotta and Super Sasadango Machine wanted to help get them together. Fighting Pheromones together was his bright idea. Hotta was confused by the behavior of the champions. Meanwhile Aoki was more concerned with giving her an expensive red belt he bought for her as a Christmas gift than he was with wrestling the match. Pheromones ended up winning by isolating Sasadango. Yuki Iino put him in a European Clutch and Danshoku Dieno sat on top of them, making Sasadango submit when his backside got cramped. Yumehito Imanari filmed the whole thing on his camera. On the bright side, Hotta accepted Aoki’s present and was happy to learn it could fit her. It’s not true love just yet but Hotta would like to form a tag team with Aoki to show her appreciation.
The opening match continues ROMANCE DAWN’s quick success as a tag team. Shota caught Akito with a surprise Topé while Soma Takao took down Yuki Ishida with a Jumping High Kick. Shota followed up with the Frog Splash for the three count. He said it felt huge to win a match in DDT because ROMANCE DAWN has mainly fought together in Ganbare☆Pro. Takao hopes that the wider audience that watched them today understands what ROMANCE DAWN is all about. 2022 will be a big voyage for the team. Akito admits to having some disdain towards this new team because he doesn’t have the kind of teamwork that they have. He thinks he should go look for an ally to work hard with them to form their own tag team. He praised Ishida but he is still just a rookie so the team won’t be with him.
As the pandemic continues spreading across the world, Sanshiro Takagi feels the need to boost the global fast food industry. That is why for his match against Maku Donaruto he was dressed up as Colonel Sanders! The match was fought under Hardcore rules and featured weapons such as plastic cases, barbed wire bats, ladders and chairs. Takagi used a Modified Stretch Bomb that today was called the Kentucky Bomb to win. Takagi thanked Donaruto afterwards and told him it was the end of his run in DDT. After five years in DDT it is time for Donaruto to move on to new pastures. Takagi explained that for DDT’s 25th Anniversary next year they need to make more contributions to society and they can’t do that with Donaruto hanging around. Takagi however would like to continue working with him at events independent from DDT.
The DDTeeeen!! match saw Vent Vert Jack live up to his promise to defeated Ilusion. The Tlaloc Diving Knee Stomp gave the MY WAY wrestler the victory. He thanked DDT for inviting him to wrestling on their big finale for the year and also looks forward to fighting Ilusion again on 5th January. Ilusion swears today’s loss is just a setback and not the end of his story. He sees his future going beyond Jack and he will become a teenage champion next year before he turns 20 years old.
The opening dark match had Antonio Honda get Hideki Okatani to join in with the Gongitsune attack. Yukio Naya hit Okatani back with Big Boots and Running Knee Strikes. He then pinned him with the Back Drop.
The first big talent announcement for “JUDGEMENT 2022 ~DDT 25TH ANNIVERSARY~” on 20th March was revealed. Andreza Giant Panda is back!
DDT “NEVER MIND 2021 IN YOYOGI”, 26/12/2021 Yoyogi National Stadium 2nd Gymnasium
0. Dark Match: Toru Owashi & Yukio Naya Vs Antonio Honda & Hideki Okatani
0. Dark Match: Sanshiro Takagi Vs Maku Donaruto
0. Dark Match – DDTeeeen!! Special Single Match: Ilusion Vs Vent Vert Jack
1. Soma Takao & Shota Vs Akito & Yuki Ishida
2. Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno, Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Yumehito “Fantastic” Imanari Vs Shinya Aoki, Yumiko Hotta & Super Sasadango Machine
3. Special Single Match: Shuji Kondo Vs Kazuki Hirata
4. BURNING Vs The 37KAMIINA!: Tetsuya Endo, Jun Akiyama, Yusuke Okada & Yuya Koroku Vs Shunma Katsumata, Yuki Ueno, MAO & Toui Kojima
5. Special 6-Man Tag Match – Yukio Sakaguchi Return Match: Yukio Sakaguchi, Kazusada Higuchi & Saki Akai Vs Minoru Suzuki, Chris Brookes & Maki Itoh
6. KO-D Tag Team Titles: HARASHIMA & Naomi Yoshimura Vs Yuji Hino & Bodyguard
7. DDT Universal Title: Daisuke Sasaki (c) Vs Masahiro Takanashi
8. KO-D Openweight Title: Konosuke Takeshita (c) Vs Yuji Okabayashi
Earlier today Chris Brookes & Maki Itoh went to visit Minoru Suzuki at his clothing store Piledriver in Harajuku. Their intention was to initiate Suzuki as the newest member of The Itoh Respect Army before their match against Eruption. Despite Suzuki’s intimidating presence, the two introduced themselves to him and explained what was going on. Suzuki told them if they spent 10,000 yen in his shop then he would become friends with them. He gave advice to Itoh, telling her not to compare herself to others. He also said he will target Yukio Sakaguchi because he has known him since junior high. Brookes volunteered to fight Saki Akai because they are both tall and slim wrestlers who have good chemistry together in the ring. That leaves Itoh to deal with Kazusada Higuchi. Brookes told Itoh they both have iron heads so it will be an even fight. Itoh welcomed Suzuki into the Itoh Respect Army after making Brookes pay for their items. However Suzuki denies joining the unit because he is still Suzuki-gun.
GAKE NO FUCHI JOSHI PRO “CLOCKWORK GAKE NO FUCHI 2022 ~GAKE NO FUCHI VS PROMINENCE~”, 04/01/2021 Shinjuku FACE
1. Hardcore Match: Chris Brookes Vs Suzu Suzuki
Two years ago Gake No Fuchi Joshi held an unforgettable Ittenyon show where Brookes and Miyako Matsumoto had a nightmare of a Falls Count Anywhere Match. Matsumoto urgently decided to hold a show on 4th January again but this time it’s to welcome one of the newest joshi units onto the scene. A few weeks ago several wrestlers from Ice Ribbon announced their intentions to go leave the company and become a freelance death match unit called Prominence. One of the key members of this new unit is Suzu Suzuki who was built up by Ice Ribbon to be their young prodigy with a love for death match wrestling. A Hardcore Match against Brookes is exactly what she is looking for after taking her career in a new direction.
The other members of Prominence will also be on the show for other matches. The members are Risa Sera, Mochi Miyagi and Akane Fujita. Gake No Fuchi in the past hasn’t held more than two matches in a single show so I expect it to be a tag match with Matsumoto also involved. As you will see below the Prominence wrestlers have no problem with wrestling each other.
DDT “DDTEEEEN!!”, 05/01/2022 Tokyo Itabashi Green Hall
1. Raimu Imai & Toui Kojima Vs Yuya Koroku & Yuki Ishida
2. Daichi Sato Vs Yuki Ueno
3. Hardcore Match: Suzu Suzuki & Hideki Okatani Vs Akane Fujita & Shunma Katsumata
4. Ilusion & Tetsuya Endo Vs Vent Vert Jack & Naomi Yoshimura
5. El Unicorn Vs You-sei☆Estrella
The main event between El Unicorn and You-sei☆Estrella promises to be a high flying battle.
If there is any unsettled business between Ilusion and Vent Vert Jack from Yoyogi then Tetsuya Endo and Naomi Yoshimura will help clear things up between them.
Prominence is also showing up on the next DDTeeeen!! show with Suzuki and Fujita taking part in a Hardcore Match. Suzuki will team with Hideki Okatani who recently took part in his first Hardcore Match thanks to Shunma Katsumata. Only makes sense for Katsumata to drag him into another here.
The other teenage wrestlers Daichi Sato and Raimu Imai are back for more.
GANBARE☆PRO “MOEKA HARUHI PRODUCE ~PARADISE AFTER THE RAIN 2022~”, 08/01/2022 Kitazawa Town Hall
1. Rain And Bumblebees: Shuichiro Katsumura Vs Thanomusaku Toba Vs Fuminori Abe
2. Rain And Then Downpour: Ken Ohka & Miyako Matsumoto Vs Nobuhiro Shimatani & HARUKAZE
3. After The Rain, Gokigen: Kaori Yoneyama Vs YuuRI
4. I Like The Rain: Moeka Haruhi, Makoto & Cherry Vs Yuna Manase, Rina Yamashita & Tsubasa Kuragaki
The final match added to Moeka Haruhi’s produce show is a heavy striking 3 Way between Shuichiro Katsumura, Tanomusaku Toba and Fuminori Abe.
GANBARE☆PRO “TROPIC THUNDER 2022”, 10/01/2022 Tokyo Itabashi Green Hall
1. Hatsuyume Special Tag Match 2nd Round: Yuna Manase & YuuRI Vs SAKI & Hikari Shimizu
2. RENEGADES Are Back! New Year Special Tag Team Match: Shigehiro Irie & Mizuki Watase Vs Yumehito Imanari & Baliyan Akki
3. Ganpro New Year Battle 2022 2nd Round: Shuichiro Katsumura, Taison Maeguchi & Moeka Haruhi Vs Shota, Nobuhiro Shimatani & HARUKAZE
4. New Year Special Single Match 2nd Round: Soma Takao Vs Shinichiro Tominaga
5. Ganpro Vs Takaiwa Army Full Scale Battle 2nd Round: Keisuke Ishii & Kouki Iwasaki Vs 5th Black Tiger & Kenya Maeda
6. Spirit Of Ganbare World Openweight Title: Tatsuhito Takaiwa (c) Vs Ken Ohka
Now that Mizuki Watase has gotten his feet wet in Ganbare☆Pro he is getting straight to business. He is reviving RENEGADES with Shigehiro Irie! The tag team was originally a unit led by Irie during his 2018 main event run in DDT. However most of the unit was made up of foreign wrestlers so for now RENEGADES is coming back as just a tag team. Watase said he will DM the other members and ask them to come back once the pandemic is over. There is one question I have to ask. Does this mean Watase will wrestle in a suit again?
The Ganbare☆Joshi division is open to work with Color’s and that relationship continues here. Yuna Manase is looking for more joshi to appear on GanJo shows. YuuRI also just learned a harsh lesson being in the ring with SAKI.
Posted by JamieOD 
Dramatic DDT 