DDT “INTO THE FIGHT 2024” Results

February 25, 2024

DDT “INTO THE FIGHT 2024”, 25/02/2024
Tokyo Korakuen Hall
1,600 Fans – Super No Vacancy Full House

1. Chris Brookes, Masahiro Takanashi & Antonio Honda defeated Yuki Iino, Yuni & Ilusion when Brookes pinned Yuni with the Our Love Letter (8:48).
2. Daisuke Sasaki & KANON defeated Akito & Soma Takao when KANON pinned Takao after the Freedom Call (8:24).
3. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Kazuki Hirata, Naruki Doi & Shinya Aoki defeated Danshoku Dieno, Makoto Oishi & Toru Owashi when Doi pinned Oishi with a Crucifix Pin (9:05).
4. Special Single Match: To-y defeated MJ Paul with a School Boy (7:12).
5. Kazusada Higuchi & Yoshitatsu defeated Yukio Naya & Rukiya when Higuchi pinned Rukiya with the Brain Claw Slam (10:58).
6. DDT Universal Title: MAO (c) defeated Hikaru Machida with the Michinoku Driver II (14:27).
*V5 for MAO.
7. Kaisei Takechi Debut Match ~ Special 6-Man Tag Match: Yuki Ueno, Shunma Katsumata & Kaisei Takechi defeated Tetsuya Endo, Hideki Okatani & Takeshi Masada when Ueno pinned Okatani with the BME (20:19).

Today’s DDT show was a little bit different than usual. The big attraction was the debut pro wrestling match of Kaisei Takechi, a member of a famous dance group in Japan called THE RAMPAGE, which itself is part of an entertainment collective called EXILE TRIBE. In 2022 Takechi took a role on a TV drama about wrestling called Fukumen D. That show featured involvement from DDT (represented on the show as a fictional company called BBT, Brave Battle Truth) and it led to the two sides coming up with this deal. The hype behind today’s debut led to best business DDT’s had at Korakuen Hall in years. Tickets had been sold out for weeks thanks to THE RAMPAGE fanbase buying them up to see Takechi’s big performance.

For the main event Takechi wanted to team with Yuki Ueno, the reigning KO-D Openweight Champion who coached him during training. He also wanted to be in the ring against wrestlers his own age so DDT decided the match would be Ueno, Shunma Katsumata & Takechi against Tetsuya Endo, Hideki Okatani & Takeshi Masada. These are all wrestlers considered by DDT to be part of the same generation. Takechi got to get time fighting each one of his three opponents during the match. He also got moments to do double team moves with his tag partners. He was able to land a Diving Cross Body to Endo and slam Masada with a Full Nelson Buster. The finish however came down to Ueno pinning Okatani with the Best Moonsault Ever.

With his team declared the winners, Takechi loudly proclaimed after the match that pro wrestling is the best! He said the power of everyone who came to support him is amazing and inspired him to do even better. There is still a lot he would like to do inside the ring so if he ever gets another chance he will take it. He didn’t appreciate how Okatani treated him during the match so he would like to fight him again. There are 15 other members of THE RAMPAGE so he hopes any of the DDT Fans who are impressed with him will take up an interest in following the group. The same goes for any of THE RAMPAGE’s fans if they liked what they saw from DDT today. Ueno teased that perhaps one day Takechi will fight him for the KO-D Title but he’ll have to work a little harder to get there. So this might not be the last we will see of Kaisei Takechi in DDT!

MAO’s adventure with the DDT Universal Title took him over to fight against a high level kickboxer. Hikaru Machida. The two had unfinished business over a KO-D Tag Team Titles defence one year ago and Machida was looking to avenge losing that match. A battle of strikes broke out and then the two fought outside the ring over by one of Korakuen’s staircases. Machida hit his patented Iai Punch but MAO reached for the ropes to avoid getting pinned. MAO then used a Stunner to break out of the strikes and pinned Machida with the Michinoku Driver II to win.

MAO was full of praise for Machida and then called himself the best DDT Universal Champion ever. He announced his plans to defend the title at “DDT GOES PHILADELPHIA!” in America on 4th April. However Takeshi Masada suddenly entered the ring with his own idea. He wants to win the title from MAO before they go to America so Masada will be the champion in Philadelphia. MAO told Masada he only has one rule for this championship. He only wants challengers he feels comfortable entrusting the title with should they beat him for it. He thinks that is too high of a hurdle for Masada to climb but if the fans want to see the match, he will agree to do it at DDT’s 27th Anniversary show on 17th March.

Today is Rukiya’s 23rd birthday so he was eager to do his best in his tag match. Yoshitatsu patronised him by giving him a pat on the head and rubbing his hair. Yukio Naya played his part to keep Rukiya in the fight. He hit Kazusada Higuchi with a Knee Lift so Rukiya could then do the Proto Bomb but Yoshitatsu made it in to break the pin. Naya then had to break the pin when Higuchi gave Rukiya the Doctor Bomb. Rukiya used what energy he had left to throw Elbow Strikes until Higuchi knocked him down with a Lariat and pinned him with the Brain Claw Slam.

To-y was supposed to take on HARASHIMA but unfortunately the match was cancelled because HARASHIMA tested positive for covid over the weekend. MJ Paul became To-y’s new opponent and he attacked him with a chair outside the ring. To-y rebounded and had Paul on the ropes when the rest of DAMNATION T.A decided to interfere. Thankfully To-y had Katsumata in his corner and he stopped KANON from doing a chair attack. To-y then rolled up Paul with a School Boy during the chaos and got the 3 count for the upset victory.

While Jun Akiyama was away in America this weekend wrestling in AEW, the other two members of D.O.A teamed with Toru Owashi to take on Kazuki Hirata’s new unit. Zuncha♪Muscle Survivor’s first match together was a successful one and it was a win against two-thirds of the KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Champions! The non-wrestling fans in Korakuen were given an eyeful thanks to Danshoku Dieno pulling the back of his tights down and laying himself over the top turnbuckle. Even Toru Owashi went above expectations by using the Lip Lock on Naruki Doi. A lot of wrestlers got their faces pressed against Dieno’s butt until Doi trapped Makoto Oishi with a Crucifix Pin to win the match.

Doi admitted it is shocking that Zuncha♪Muscle Survivor won their first match and it ended with him pinning a champion. That means they should get the next shot at the KO-D 6-Man Tag Titles! Oishi argued that he is the weakest wrestler in DDT so Doi shouldn’t be proud of the result. Doi disagreed because Hirata is the weakest. Oishi won’t accept the challenge unless the other team puts something on the line. Doi suggested his team put their hair on the line but Oishi refused because they all have short cuts. Oishi then offered to disband Zuncha♪Muscle Survivor if they lose. Oishi thinks that idea is too much but Doi said he would be happy with either winning the titles or breaking up the team he doesn’t even want to be part of. The challenge was accepted and will take place on 17th March. Later backstage Shinya Aoki made demands for a rematch with Chihiro Hashimoto. He lost to Hashimoto on a DDT show at the end of December 2022 and wants revenge! DDT later announced that match will go ahead at the 7th April Korakuen show.

DAMNATION T.A also used a chair as a weapon to help set up their win against Akito & Soma Takao. After a ref bump, Daisuke Sasaki kicked Takao below the belt and then hit both opponents with the chair. Then Sasaki & KANON gave Takao the Freedom Call for the tainted win.

SCHADENFREUDE International found a convoluted way to win the opening match. But before that happened Antonio Honda got to tell his latest Gongitsune joke and engage in a twisted nipple battle with Yuki Iino. Later Chris Brookes & Masahiro Takanashi physically manipulated Yuni & Ilusion into doing a Rolling Cradle on each other. CDK then piled on top of them to score the pinfall.

After the match Brookes told the fans he had a present for them and it is a dramatic dream that involves a friend of his. Out walked Zack Sabre Jr. from New Japan down to the ring! He is here because he wants to have a match in DDT! Brookes asked him who he would like to face. Sabre said Yoshihiko and the Ladder. Unfortunately Yoshihiko’s asking price is too high and the Ladder he’s thinking of has been retired for years. Sabre then said he would like to fight two champions so how about Yuki Ueno & MAO? Brookes can even team with him so it can be a tag match! Ueno & MAO heard the challenge and came down to the ring to accept it. It will happen on the 7th April Korakuen show.

DDT announced the next KO-D Title match after 17th March will be at Sumida Ward General Gymnasium on 26th April. Also Konosuke Takeshita will appear at “WRESTLE PETER PAN 2024” at Sumo Hall on 21st July.


GANBARE☆PRO “GANPRO 2024 DESIRE” Results

February 23, 2024

GANBARE☆PRO “GANPRO 2024 DESIRE”, 23/02/2024
Yokohama Radiant Hall
329 Fans – Super No Vacancy Full House

1. Shota defeated Munetatsu Nakamura with the Frog Splash (7:00).
2. HARUKAZE & Banny Oikawa defeated YuuRI & Riara when Oikawa pinned Riara with the Majin Windmill Suplex (11:23).
3. Ken Ohka, Mizuki Watase & Tyson Maeguchi defeated Keisuke Ishii, Soma Takao & Shinichiro Tominaga when Ohka pinned Tominaga with the Shin Spear Of Flame (9:39).
4. EVE International Title: Yuu (c) defeated Yoshiko Hasegawa with a Katahajime (12:12).
*V11 for Yuu.
5. Yuna Manase Return Match: Sayaka Unagi & Minoru Fujita defeated Yuna Manase & Yumehito Imanari when Fujita pinned Manase with the Modified Samson Clutch (18:28).
6. Spirit Of Ganbare World Openweight Title: Shuichiro Katsumura (c) defeated Takuya Wada with the Ninja Choke (14:09).
*V2 for Shuichiro Katsumura.

It’s full steam ahead as all the pieces for Ganbare☆Pro preparations to move into independent life continue falling into place. The championship scene currently belongs to Shuichiro Katsumura. He remains as GanPro’s double champion after he successfully defended the Spirit Of Ganbare Title against his tag team partner Takuya Wada. He told the fans afterwards he’s been friends with Wada for almost 30 years but haven’t gotten to fight him much. Today’s result proves that nobody is stronger than himself but if there’s anybody stronger than Wada then they should step forward. Soma Takao entered the ring but it wasn’t to challenge for the SOG Title. He invited Shota to enter beside him because ROMANCE DAWN want to fight GROUND ABSOLUTE for the Spirit Of Ganbare Tag Team Titles! Shota will be leaving GanPro to go freelance soon and Takao doesn’t know how often ROMANCE DAWN will get to team up here again in the future. In fact that may mean ROMANCE DAWN will soon become GanPro’s enemy. If they win the SOG Tag Titles then that means they can bring the belts wherever Shota decides to go next. GROUND ABSOLUTE accepted the challenge for 20th March.

A fully recovered Yuna Manase returned to the ring for her first match in around 13 months. She arrived in a new costume to team with Yumehito Imanari against Sayaka Unagi & Minoru Fujita. The opposing team carried their collection of championship belts with them to the ring. Unagi approached Manase to hug her but it was a trap and she bit her breast instead. That wasn’t the first time she did that. Manase fought back with Imanari at her side. She gave Fujita a Power Bomb and also kicked out of the SAYONARA Tombstone. Manase was at her limit throwing Elbow Strikes at Fujita but he wasn’t effected by them. Fujita then used the Modified Samson Clutch to roll her up for the three count. He congratulated Manase for her successful return and called her the symbol of GanPro. He then tried to pin Unagi for the Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title as they were leaving the ring but she kicked out and chased him out of the room. Two title changes back and forth did happen between them backstage after the show. Manase said she was happy how her return match went but she does not want the story to end with her losing. She asked Imanari to help her so they can beat Fujita & Unagi together.

A Camel Clutch version of the Katahajime ended Yoshiko Hasegawa’s hopes of winning the EVE International Title. After the match Yuu thanked Hasegawa for gathering together a big crowd on a big stage for them to wrestle at. Yuu hates it when she hears wrestlers talk about their growth but she thinks Hasegawa is passionate beyond words. Since Hasegawa is becoming a freelancer that means she is going to be Yuu’s rival from now on! Yuu will win more championships for Hasegawa to challenge her for and whenever Hasegawa becomes a champion, Yuu will come looking to be her first opponent.

The show began with Shinichiro Tominaga and HARUKAZE speaking to the fans. Tominaga became a full time member of GanPro this month but has been wrestling for the promotion since its beginning. He spent the last 11 years waiting for Ken Ohka to ask him to join the company. It wasn’t until GanPro started planning its split from CyberFight that he finally asked him! Tominaga said he thought about it for only 2 minutes before he accepted the offer. His moral of the story is if you have something to say to somebody important to you, let them know right away. HARUKAZE talked about Yokohama being her hometown and how her parents’ house is only a 10 minute drive away from the venue.


DDT “INTO THE FIGHT 2024 TOUR IN NAGANO” Results

February 4, 2024

DDT “INTO THE FIGHT 2024 TOUR IN NAGANO”, 04/02/2024
Nagano Act Hall
220 Fans – No Vacancy

1. Hideki Okatani defeated Rukiya with a Modified Neck Lock (10:00).
2. Sanshiro Takagi, Yoshitatsu & Yukio Naya defeated Chris Brookes, Takeshi Masada & Kazuma Sumi when Yoshitatsu pinned Sumi with the This Is My WWE (10:10).
3. Daisuke Sasaki & KANON defeated Yuki Iino & Akito when Sasaki submitted Akito with the Crossface Lock (17:22).
4. Special Tag Match: Yukio Sakaguchi & Antonio Honda defeated Kazuki Hirata & Kazusada Higuchi when Sakaguchi pinned Hirata with the God’s Right Knee (17:21).
5. Nagano Specialty Special 6-Man Tag Match: Jun Akiyama, Toru Owashi & Akihiro defeated Danshoku Dieno, Makoto Oishi & Tetsuya Endo when Akihiro pinned Oishi with the Reincarnation (15:29).
6. Special Tag Match: Yuki Ueno & Shunma Katsumata defeated HARASHIMA & Soma Takao when Ueno pinned Takao with the BME (17:51)

Yuki Ueno & Shunma Katsumata used today’s main event to show their intent that The 37KAMIINA are at the center of DDT right now. Katsumata did a dive off of the entrance gate onto their opponents and did another dive out of the ring to wipe out HARASHIMA. Ueno went on to pin Soma Takao with the BME. They told the Nagano fans that they will have even more championship belts with them the next time they come back here. Backstage Ueno hyped up his KO-D Openweight Title defence against Danshoku Dieno while Katsumata promised to finally beat Kuroshio TOKYO Japan at the same show on 14th February. Ueno said he cannot be the kind of KO-D Champion that Dieno, HARASHIMA or Konosuke Takeshita all were but he will stand across the ring from Dieno as his own type of great champion.

The “Hero Of Nagano” Toru Owashi (who admitted he isn’t actually local because his hometown Saku City is a fair distance away from Nagano Act Hall) was in the semi-main event but may of had his spotlight stolen by Akihiro. It was Akihiro who scored the pin by doing its Reincarnation finisher on Makoto Oishi. Meanwhile Jun Akiyama was more concerned about avoiding his face being pressed into Dieno’s backside. That is what happened to Tetsuya Endo when Akihiro gave him a Top Rope Frankensteiner across the ring.

It’s only a few more days until Yukio Sakaguchi’s retirement match to today he wanted to do something a little bit different. He appeared for his tag match wearing a costume identical to Antonio Honda! He wanted to just have fun but Kazuki Hirata still found a way to annoy him and get angry as the match progressed. Honda dedicated his Gongistune spot to Sakaguchi’s upcoming retirement. Hirata then offered Sakaguchi a pair of Hirata GO! Glasses so they could dance together one last time. He accepted them, they danced to the music and then Hirata tried pinning Sakaguchi with the Miracle One Shot Cradle. Sakaguchi kicked out and hit Hirata with the God’s Right Knee for the win.

After the match Hirata called Sakaguchi a scary person who bullied him a lot but he can’t help but feel lonely now that Sakaguchi is retiring. He will never forget seeing him dressed like Honda today and dancing along with him. Sakaguchi praised Kazusada Higuchi for how strong his Chops were today, he thanked Honda for always telling good stories and he admitted to Hirata he had fun today. He brought up Hirata winning the MVP Award during the Japan Indie Grand Prix Awards and asked if Hirata will use the prize money to treat him to a meal? Hirata had to tell him the award did not include any prize money.

Today was the first time in a long, long time that Akito and Yuki Iino were teaming together without any trace of Pheromones around to get in the way. However Iino has no memory of their time together in ALL OUT. Akito asked him before the match if he remembers being in that unit? Iino asked what was that because he is a member of BURNING and that is all he thinks about. That answer was still good enough for Akito to put his complete trust in him again. However DAMNATION T.A were able to redirect things and make Iino Spear Akito by accident, leading to Daisuke Sasaki tapping out Akito with the Crossface Lock while Iino and KANON got into a fight outside the ring.

This Is My WWE is the name of Yoshitatsu’s Diving Knee Kick finisher. Don’t let The Rock find out about that. Sanshiro Takagi attacked both Chris Brookes & Takeshi Masada with a Double Stunner after the match. He then taunted Masada by pouring mousse over his head and rubbing his hair with it.


Max Heart Final, Ueno Picks Dieno, Momono Coming To GanJo, TJPW USA Lineup

January 30, 2024

DDT “INTO THE FIGHT 2024 TOUR IN NAGANO”, 04/02/2024
Nagano Act Hall

1. Hideki Okatani Vs Rukiya
2. Sanshiro Takagi, Yoshitatsu & Yukio Naya Vs Chris Brookes, Takeshi Masada & Kazuma Sumi
3. Daisuke Sasaki & KANON Vs Yuki Iino & Akito
4. Special Tag Match: Yuki Ueno & Shunma Katsumata Vs HARASHIMA & Soma Takao
5. Special Tag Match: Yukio Sakaguchi & Antonio Honda Vs Kazuki Hirata & Kazusada Higuchi
6. Nagano Specialty Special 6-Man Tag Match: Jun Akiyama, Toru Owashi & Akihiro Vs Danshoku Dieno, Makoto Oishi & Tetsuya Endo

Yoshihiko has gotten itself into trouble after getting double booked this weekend. It will be travelling to Europe with MAO to wrestle in France and England. However DDT had also booked Yoshihiko for their show in Nagano this Sunday. It’s too late to change plans so DDT is pulling their other battle doll Akihiro out of storage to take Yoshihiko’s place. The company has strictly warned Yoshihiko not to double book itself like that again. However MAO is defending his friend because their European dates were booked well in advance and MAO has been promoting them online since December so DDT had plenty of time to avoid this scenario.

DDT “INTO THE FIGHT 2024 TOUR IN SHINJUKU”, 07/02/2024
Shinjuku FACE

1. Kazuki Hirata & Danshoku Dieno Vs Chris Brookes & Masahiro Takanashi
2. Jun Akiyama, Yoshitatsu & Soma Takao Vs Toru Owashi, Akito & Kazuma Sumi
3. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Yuki Ueno, MAO & Shunma Katsumata Vs Kazusada Higuchi, Yukio Naya & Makoto Oishi
4. Special Tag Match ~ DDT Vs AJPW: Takeshi Masada & Rukiya Vs Ryuki Honda & Yuma Anzai
5. DDT Extreme Title Next Challenger Match: Hideki Okatani Vs MJ Paul
6. KO-D Tag Team Titles: Daisuke Sasaki & KANON (c) Vs Tetsuya Endo & Yuki Iino
7. Yukio Sakaguchi Retirement Match: Yukio Sakaguchi Vs HARASHIMA

The DDT Extreme Title picture has a new direction after Shunma Katsumata regained the championship over the weekend and two potential challengers approached him. Hideki Okatani wants to rekindle his rivalry with Katsumata over the title from last year. However MJ Paul has also stepped forward wanting a title shot, even going through the effort to write a letter to declare his challenge. A fight broke out between everyone over the situation so a decision was made to have Okatani and Paul fight each other in a No. 1 Contender’s Match.

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “THE 4TH “FUTARI WA PRINCESS” MAX HEART TOURNAMENT”, 10/02/2024
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

1. Shino Suzuki Vs Haru Kazashiro
2. Yuki Kamifuku, Nao Kakuta & Mahiro Kiryu Vs Raku, Pom Harajuku & Ram Kaichow
3. Moka Miyamoto Vs Kaya Toribami
4. Mizuki Vs Zara Zakher
5. Shoko Nakajima & Hyper Misao Vs Wakana Uehara & HIMAWARI
6. Miyu Yamashita & Toga Vs Ryo Mizunami & Yuki Aino
7. International Princess Title: Yuki Arai (c) Vs Juria Nagano
8. “Futari wa Princess” Max Heart Tournament – Final: Rika Tatsumi & Miu Watanabe Vs Suzume & Arisu Endo

The Max Heart Tournament could get its first two-time winner if Daydream beats Daisy Monkey in the final. The tournament winners usually move on to challenge for the Princess Tag Team Titles and Rika Tatsumi previously made a suggestion that Miu Watanabe can do two title matches at “GRAND PRINCESS ’24”. Watanabe would go along with the idea even if she isn’t super enthusiastic about it. Suzume & Arisu Endo keep finding ways to get shots at the top teams, Daydream included, but it always ends in failure for them. Will this turn out differently?

Juria Nagano is making sure to do as much as she can in the ring before her graduation in April. Her big goal is to win a championship or tournament. She couldn’t do it in the Max Heart Tournament so now she wants to challenge Yuki Arai for the International Princess Title. Nagano sees Arai as a wrestling senpai to surpass rather than some big celebrity.

The next foreign wrestler to enter Tokyo Joshi Pro is Zara Zakher from the California wrestling scene. She is 22 years old and only been wrestling for a year but her talent and potential as a breakout prospect leads her over to TJPW. Mizuki has been selected to be her opponent for her Korakuen Hall debut.

The opening match is going to give either Shino Suzuki or Haru Kazashiro their first singles win.

Ryo Mizunami and Ram Kaichow are both paying a visit here again.

BASARA “BASARA 241 ~TAKAGARI 22~”, 10/02/2024
Tokyo Takashimadaira Kumin Center

1. Lil’ Kraken Vs Masahiro Takanashi
2. Ryuichi Sekine Vs Takato Nakano
3. Isami Kodaka & Minoru Fujita Vs Takumi Tsukamoto & SAGAT
4. FUMA, Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi & Daichi Kazato Vs Masato Kamino, Tsutomu Oosugi & Banana Senga
5. IRON FIST Tag Team Titles: Ryota Nakatsu & Kazusada Higuchi (c) Vs KUBITO & Yasu Urano

Masahiro Takanashi is going over to BASARA for a match against Lil’ Kraken.

GANBARE☆JOSHI “GANJO EMERALD DRAGON ’24”, 12/02/2024
Tokyo Takashimadaira Kumin Center

1. Special Single Match: Riara Vs Kizuna Tanaka
2. Ram Kaichow & Sumire Natsu Vs Kaho Kobayashi & Banny Oikawa
3. Alex Lee & Yoshiko Hasegawa Vs Yappy & JC Storm
4. Special Single Match: YuuRI Vs Mio Momono

Last year at “WRESTLE SEKIGAHARA II” there was a joshi tag match with YuuRI and Mio Momono on opposite teams. Now they get to fight each other in Ganbare☆Joshi one on one!

An international tag match gathers together Alex Lee from Bosnia & Herzegovina, Yoshiko Hasegawa from Japan, Yappy from the Philippines and JC Storm from America. Storm is currently in Japan to wrestle for Ice Ribbon.

DDT “NEPPA OVER FLOWERS 3 ~TOTONOI TO YOU~”, 14/02/2024
Shinjuku FACE

1. Hideki Okatani, Yuni & Ilusion Vs Takeshi Masada, Kazuma Sumi & Rukiya
2. ~Kazuki Hirata’s Sauna Room?~: Kazuki Hirata Vs Makoto Oishi Vs Kazusada Higuchi Vs Yukio Naya
3. ~Toy Kojima’s Sauna Room~: Toy Kojima Vs Masato Tanaka
4. ~Shunma Katsumata’s Sauna Room~: Shunma Katsumata Vs Kuroshio TOKYO Japan
5. ~Mao Inoue’s Sauna Room~: MAO Vs Chris Brookes
6. KO-D Openweight Title ~Yuki Ueno’s Sauna Room~: Yuki Ueno (c) Vs Danshoku Dieno

A request was made by Yuki Ueno to defend the KO-D Openweight Title against Danshoku Dieno. He wanted his next challenger to be the most interesting person in DDT since the championship is more than just about who is the strongest. There is already a singles match between them booked for The 37KAMIINA’s produce show in Shinjuku FACE. To make his point even clearer, Ueno convinced DDT to turn that match into a KO-D Title bout because it does not matter to him where it takes place. This will be the first KO-D Title match held in front of an audience in around 8 years. Dieno warns Ueno that there’s a reason why the company never wants him to win that championship even if he symbolises the spirit of DDT more than anyone else. The entire direction of the KO-D Title will change if Dieno gets his hands on it!

Kazuki Hirata gets to keep his spot on the show despite turning down The 37KAMIINA’s offer to join their unit. He now has his mind set on creating his own stable and he is searching for potential members.

DDT “PRO WRESTLING WINTER FESTIVAL 2024 IN JOETSU DAY 2 – INTO THE FIGHT 2024 TOUR IN NIIGATA”, 18/02/2024
Niigata Dúo CEREZO

1. Daisuke Sasaki & KANON Vs Yuki Iino & Rukiya
2. Chris Brookes & Takeshi Masada Vs HARASHIMA & Akito
3. Kazuki Hirata Vs Toy Kojima
4. Special Tag Match: Jun Akiyama & Yoshitatsu Vs Tetsuya Endo & Makoto Oishi
5. Special Single Match: Danshoku Dieno Vs Super Sasadango Machine

Does Toy Kojima take it personally that Hirata turned him down along with the rest of the sauna boys? Does Hirata take it personally that Kojima is the reason he is no longer the Extreme Champion? If there are any sore feelings between them coming out of the weekend, it’s best to settle them as soon as possible.

GANBARE☆PRO “GANPRO 2024 DESIRE”, 23/02/2024
Yokohama Radiant Hall

1. YuuRI & Riara Vs HARUKAZE & Banny Oikawa
2. Ken Ohka, Mizuki Watase & Tyson Maeguchi Vs Keisuke Ishii, Soma Takao & Shinichiro Tominaga
3. Shota Vs Munetatsu Nakamura
4. Yuna Manase Return Match: Yuna Manase & Yumehito Imanari Vs Sayaka Unagi & Minoru Fujita
5. EVE International Title: Yuu (c) Vs Yoshiko Hasegawa
6. Spirit Of Ganbare World Openweight Title: Shuichiro Katsumura (c) Vs Takuya Wada

The rest of the Ganbare☆Pro and GanJo roster fills up the Yokohama card.

DDT “INTO THE FIGHT 2024 TOUR IN YOKOHAMA”, 23/02/2024
Yokohama Radiant Hall

1. Tetsuya Endo & Yuki Iino Vs Kazusada Higuchu & Kazuma Sumi
2. Daisuke Sasaki & KANON Vs MAO & Kazuki Hirata
3. Special Single Match: Yoshitatsu Vs Soma Takao
4. KO-D 10-Man Tag Team Titles: Chris Brookes, Masahiro Takanashi, Antonio Honda, Takeshi Masada & Mecha Mummy (c) Vs Maya Yukihi, Ram Kaichow, Rina Yamashita, Sanshiro Takagi & Akito

If there is anyone out there who ever thought Yoshitatsu and Soma Takao should have a match together then mark 23rd February down on your calendar right now.

DDT “INTO THE FIGHT 2024”, 25/02/2024
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

1. Kaisei Takechi Debut Match ~ Special 6-Man Tag Match: Yuki Ueno, Shunma Katsumata & Kaisei Takechi Vs Tetsuya Endo, Hideki Okatani & Takeshi Masada.
2. DDT Universal Title: MAO (c) Vs Hikaru Machida

The 37KAMIINA are on Kaisei Takechi’s side for his debut. He will team with Ueno & Katsumata for his big first match. Facing them is a trio mixing three wrestlers together. Tetsuya Endo, Hideki Okatani & Takeshi Masada will put the newcomer through his paces.

DDT “JUDGEMENT 2024 ~27TH ANNIVERSARY 5 HOUR SPECIAL~”, 17/03/2024
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

1. Tsubasa Suzuki Debut Match: Tsubasa Suzuki Vs X
2. DDT Extreme Title: Shunma Katsumata (c) Vs Winner Of 7/2 Next Challenger Match
3. Special Single Match: KONOSUKE TAKESHITA Vs Yuma Aoyagi
4. KO-D Openweight Title: Yuki Ueno (c) Vs X

The very next KO-D Title match was supposed to be at DDT’s 27th Anniversary show until Ueno made his request to fight Dieno. The winner of that headlines Korakuen the next month.

The winner of Okatani Vs Paul faces Katsumata for the Extreme Title here too.

DDT “DDT GOES PHILADELPHIA!”, 04/04/2024
Penns Landing Caterers Auditorium, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA

We have talent announcements for Wrestlemania Week. Announced so far for DDT’s USA show are Yuki Ueno, MAO, Kazuki Hirata, Konosuke Takeshita, Tetsuya Endo, Daisuke Sasaki, Chris Brookes, Shunma Katsumata, KANON, Takeshi Masada and Yoshihiko.

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW LIVE IN PHILLY”, 05/04/2024
Penns Landing Caterers Auditorium, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA

TJPW are sending over 14 women to Philadelphia for Wrestlemania Week. They are Miyu Yamashita, Yuki Aino, Shoko Nakajima, Rika Tatsumi, Mizuki, Maki Itoh, Miu Watanabe, Yuki Kamifuku, Hyper Misao, Nao Kakuta, Raku, Pom Harajuku, Suzume and Arisu Endo. All 14 of them will be at “GCW VS TJPW” the next day too.

 


DDT “SWEET DREAMS! 2024 TOUR IN SHINAGAWA” Results

January 21, 2024

DDT “SWEET DREAMS! 2024 TOUR IN SHINAGAWA”, 21/01/2024
Tokyo Shinagawa Prince Hotel Club eX
242 Fans

1. Kazuki Hirata & Yuni defeated Akito & Ilusion when Hirata pinned Ilusion with the Miracle One Shot Cradle (11:51).
2. Special Single Match: Kazusada Higuchi defeated MJ Paul with the Brain Claw Press (10:16).
3. Tetsuya Endo & Yuki Iino defeated Takeshi Masada & Rukiya when Iino pinned Rukiya with a Lariat (12:09).
4. Jun Akiyama, Danshoku Dieno & Makoto Oishi defeated HARASHIMA, Hideki Okatani & Kazuma Sumi when Oishi submitted Sumi with the Fujiyama Knee Lock (9:50).
5. Special Tag Match: Yukio Naya & Yoshitatsu defeated Yuki Ueno & Shunma Katsumata when Naya pinned Katsumata with The World’s Best Back Drop (11:18).
6. KO-D Tag Team Titles: Daisuke Sasaki & KANON defeated Soma Takao & Shota (c) when KANON submitted Shota with the Cobra Twist 2.0 (14:46).
*ROMANCE DAWN fails in V4. DAMNATION T.A becomes the 81st KO-D Tag Team Champions!
7. DDT Universal Title: MAO (c) defeated Bryan Keith with a Running Palm Sole (18:27).
*V4 for MAO.

Two title matches highlighted today’s finale for the weekend of shows held inside Shinagawa Prince Hotel Club eX. The headline match was MAO defending the DDT Universal Title against Bryan Keith, the American bounty hunter who already has a win against him that happened in the USA last year. This time Keith went for a bigger plan of attack, throwing MAO into the corner post with an Exploder Suplex from the ring apron. MAO had scouted his opponent’s finisher the Emerald Tiger Driver and was able to avoid taking it. But Keith was also too tough to be pinned with the Avalanche Michinoku Driver II. MAO used his own Tiger Driver among other moves but couldn’t put Keith away. But the constant attacks took their toll and Keith was finally pinned after being hit with a Running Palm Strike.

At first Keith refused to shake MAO’s hand after the match but that was just so he could bow to him instead. MAO responded with his own bow and then they shook hands. When Keith left the ring, Hikaru Machida suddenly appeared and climbed in. MAO remembers him from a KO-D Tag Team Titles match they had together a year ago. Machida remembers it too and has unfinished business with MAO. He wants to fight him one on one with the Universal Title on the line! MAO accepted the challenge but there was no authority figure at the show today to book the match. MAO told Machida it will have to happen sometime in February because he already has a tag match with TAKA Michinoku scheduled for the next Korakuen Hall show. DDT later confirmed the title match will happen at the 25th February Korakuen show.

New KO-D Tag Champions were crowned when DAMNATION T.A defeated ROMANCE DAWN! Of course there was cheating involved throughout. MJ Paul was at ringside to give his team the numbers advantage whenever the referee couldn’t see it. That put the champions on the ropes. Daisuke Sasaki gave Soma Takao the Pedigree and then hit Shota with a Spear. Shota got a second wind but that was cut off by KANON who submitted him with the Cobra Twist 2.0. KANON bragged about DAMNATION T.A getting their revenge with a complete victory over the team that won the belts from himself and Minoru Fujita. Sasaki then called for Tetsuya Endo & Yuki Iino to come out and challenge them, not noticing that they had already approached the ring behind him while he was talking. Endo pointed out that he & Iino had already declared their intention to challenge for the KO-D Tag Titles after they won their match earlier in the show. They also beat Sasaki & KANON in Osaka two weeks ago and they expect the same result to happen when the titles are on the line. Backstage Sasaki told the reporters he wants the title match to happen on 7th February because it is DDT’s next show after Korakuen. DDT later confirmed the match will happen there.

Is Yukio Naya starting to figure it all out? He & Yoshitatsu defeated Yuki Ueno & Shunma Katsumata and the finish all came down to him. He got rid of Ueno with a Choke Slam and pinned Katsumata with The World’s Best Back Drop. He said on the microphone that when he joined DDT he ended up making irreplaceable friends, meeting seniors he respects and also got to fight Ueno. Naya wants to show his gratitude to all of them by becoming the best and strongest in DDT. He thinks this is why he will beat Ueno for the KO-D Openweight Title fair and square. After listening to his speech, Ueno ignored a handshake and gave him the NeppoWER!! pose instead.

Backstage Yoshitatsu said he noticed a change in Naya from when he wrestles to when he speaks. It reminded him of the time when he was a young lion watching Yoshihiro Takayama from ringside. Takayama was the biggest monster in wrestling back then and Yoshitatsu thinks Naya can become the biggest monster in wrestling today. He sees himself as a link between both and wants to team with Naya more for that reason. Yoshitatsu also said this will not be a teacher-student relationship but a team made up of equals.

The KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Champions may have figured out the key to defending their titles against Hikaru Sato’s team at the end of the month. It all comes down to Danshoku Dieno’s ass! The lightbulb above Jun Akiyama’s head went off after he used the Exploder Suplex position to push HARASHIMA face first into Dieno’s rear end and then shoved Hideki Okatani’s face into the same target. Makoto Oishi was then clear to put Kazuma Sumi in the Fujiyama Knee Lock for the submission victory. D.O.A also have brand new T-shirts on sale so they are determined more than ever to retain the titles and survive as a unit otherwise DDT will get mad at them.

Both Yuni and Ilusion wanted to film the opening match on their phones while they wrestled because that’s what everybody does in 2024. Akito and Kazuki Hirata didn’t understand at first but got into the groove as the match progressed.


DDT “NEW YEAR FAN APPRECIATION DAY!” Results

January 20, 2024

DDT “NEW YEAR FAN APPRECIATION DAY!”, 20/01/2024
Tokyo Shinagawa Prince Hotel Club eX
354 Fans – Super No Vacancy Full House

1. New Year’s Six Major Single Match: KANON defeated Yuni with the Cobra Twist (8:07).
2. New Year’s Six Major Single Match: Daisuke Sasaki defeated Ilusion with an Inside Cradle (10:06).
3. New Year’s Six Major Single Match ~ 30 Count Outside & Sumi Only 2 Count Fall Match: Danshoku Dieno defeated Kazuma Sumi with the Danshoku Driver (8:07).
4. 4 Way Tag Match: HARASHIMA & Kazusada Higuchi defeated Yuki Ueno & Kazuki Hirata, Yoshitatsu & Akito and Toru Owashi & Yuki Iino when HARASHIMA pinned Hirata with the Somato (12:38).
5. New Year’s Six Major Single Match: Jun Akiyama defeated Rukiya with the Knee Butt (12:04).
6. New Year’s Six Major Single Match: Yukio Naya defeated Takeshi Masada with The World’s Best Back Drop (12:23).
7. New Year’s Six Major Single Match: Tetsuya Endo Vs Hideki Okatani ended in a Time Limit Draw (15:00).
8. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Bryan Keith, Soma Takao & Shota defeated MAO, Shunma Katsumata & Makoto Oishi when Keith pinned Oishi with the Emerald Tiger Driver (18:57).

One of the ideas DDT put together for its Fan Appreciation Day show was to have MAO, Shunma Katsumata & Makoto Oishi bring back NωA for one night only! Unfortunately they lost their match but if you ask MAO that means nothing has changed since NωA were last around. What has changed is the first appearance of Bryan Keith in DDT. He scored the pinfall on Oishi, setting his sights on tomorrow’s match with MAO for the DDT Universal Title. MAO is calling the match an unusual battle of opposites. He is Japanese and fights with an American indies style while Keith is American and uses a Japanese Strong Style! Keith said there have been many wrestlers from Texas who made a name for themselves in Japan and he is going to be next when he gets his bounty from MAO!

Another element in the main event was ROMANCE DAWN getting to fight ShunMao. If Shota can get his way he would like to defend the KO-D Tag Team Titles against MAO & Katsumata in the future. Soma Takao told him to first focus on defending the belts against DAMNATION T.A tomorrow. They need to because Daisuke Sasaki & KANON attacked them backstage after the show! During the fight Sasaki told ROMANCE DAWN that Shinagawa is their graveyard and DAMNATION T.A will have a party tomorrow when they win the titles. However the champions stood their ground and fought off their attackers.

Out of all of the Special Single Matches that took place on today’s show Hideki Okatani was the only one one the underdog side that did not lose. He didn’t win either but getting to fight Tetsuya Endo to a 15 minute time limit draw is nothing to sneeze at. In fact the final moments of the match saw Endo miss the Burning Star Press and Okatani hit him from behind with a Lariat to the back of the head. The bell rang right as Okatani crawled over to cover Endo.

Rukiya was given a chance to show his toughness because Jun Akiyama was beating him up outside the ring. Rukiya beat the 20 count and also kicked out of the Exploder Suplex. He was finally beaten when Akiyama pulled down one of his kneepads and hit a raw Knee Butt for the win.

Kazuma Sumi really wanted to win his match so he asked Danshoku Dieno if he could only need a 2 Count pinfall to beat him. Dieno talked with Yukinori Matsui about it and agreed on the condition that he got to add a rule too. Dieno then attacked Sumi before that rule was revealed. They fought out of the ring and up to the balcony behind a curtain. Sumi reappeared holding Dieno’s tights and a bare bottom could be seen sticking out from the curtains. Sumi made it back to the ring by the time Matsui counted to 20. But instead of ending the match, Matsui kept counting. It turned out the other rule was a 30 count was applied for being outside the ring! Dieno snuck back into the ring in his thong revealing that the butt in the balcony was not his. It was Makoto Oishi’s butt! Dieno then put Sumi in the Lip Lock and pinned him with the Danshoku Driver.

Before any of the matches began there was a contract signing for the three upcoming title matches in DDT. First was MAO and Keith talking about the Universal Title bout. Keith said he beat MAO once in America and he will do it again in MAO’s home country. MAO said he will never forget the match they had in America. He had Yoshihiko by his side then but this time he cannot find the doll anywhere so he has to fight Keith on his own. He wants the fans to support him as much as he can because he admits it is possible he can lose the title to Keith.

Next up was Kazuki Hirata and Katsumata for the DDT Extreme Title. Hirata has decided on what rules the match will have. It will be a Toy Kojima Challenge Death Match! When a wrestler gets a 2 Count pin Kojima will have to take on a challenge. If Kojima succeeds then that wrestler wins the match! Katsumata convinced Hirata to let him help choose what challenges Kojima will have to do. Hirata said if he wins this match then it will be fate for him to break the record for most Extreme Title defences.

Last was the KO-D Openweight Title match between Yuki Ueno and Yukio Naya. The challenger Naya said he has a strong desire to win the title and will do so with everything he has. Ueno talked about winning the 2022 D-Ou Grand Prix and then losing his title shot against Kazusada Higuchi. He expects the strongest version of Naya to come fight him and he wants to beat him to show he is the strongest future DDT has. The two shook hands after signing the contract.


DDT “NEW YEAR’S CURRENT BLAST! 2024” Results

January 14, 2024

DDT “NEW YEAR’S CURRENT BLAST! 2024”, 14/01/2024
Kanagawa Tsurumi Fruit & Vegetable Market
220 Fans – Super No Vacancy

1. Wind And Clouds! Takagi Castle Match: Kazuki Hirata & Danshoku Dieno defeated Sanshiro Takagi, HARASHIMA & Masahiro Takanashi when Takagi’s team were unable to build the Castle (10:00).
2. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Tetsuya Endo, Yuki Iino & Yusuke Okada defeated Yoshitatsu, Kazusada Higuchi & Akito when Iino pinned Akito with the Spear (10:56).
3. Special Single Match: Daisuke Sasaki defeated Shota with the Crossface Lock (8:58).
4. Special Single Match: Soma Takao defeated KANON with the Sorarina (8:24).
5. Special 4 Way Match: Demonio Uno defeated MAO, Mecha Mummy and Mecha Pandita when Uno pinned Pandita after Pandita was run over with a car (14:06).
6. Special Tag Match: Yuki Ueno & Shunma Katsumata defeated Yukio Naya & Rukiya when Katsumata pinned Rukiya with the Totonou Splash (15:32).
7. All Asia Tag Team Titles – Current Blast Bat & Board Tag Death Match: Atsushi Onita & Toy Kojima defeated Yukio Sakaguchi & Hideki Okatani (c) when Kojima pinned Okatani after a Sandwich Current Blast Bat Full Swing with Onita (11:36).
*Eruption fails in V2. DDO becomes the 122nd All Asia Tag Team Champions!

Once again the All Asia Tag Team Titles have been taken by Atsushi Onita. This time around Toy Kojima is his partner in crime, earning the first proper championship of his career. They defeated Eruption in an Exploding Bat & Board Death Match where the items were rigged with three and a half times the amount of explosives than they normally would be. Onita himself took the first explosion when Yukio Sakaguchi hit him with a baseball bat. Kojima grabbed the bat and hit Sakaguchi with an explosion for revenge. Sakaguchi got his own back by Power Bombing Kojima through an exploding board. Onita blinded Hideki Okatani with the Poison Mist. Together with Kojima, they each grabbed an exploding bat and hit Okatani with it at the same time. Kojima then pinned him for the three count.

The team known as Dramatic Dream Onita (or DDO for short) celebrated their prize and left ringside. That left Eruption defeated in the ring. Sakaguchi had said leading up to the match that they were going to fight as if they would disband if they lost. It turns out he was living up to his word and Eruption are splitting up as of today! Okatani said everyone in Eruption helped get him to this point but he cannot rely on Sakaguchi forever. From here on out Okatani is going to tell his own story. The final two members of Eruption then thanked the fans for their support, took off their Eruption shirts and left them behind in the ring.

As for DDO they already have new plans in the works after becoming the All Asia Tag Champions. Onita wants to bring the belts back to All Japan! Kojima will follow him, ready to make an explosion anytime, anywhere. There is also a third member of DDO that should not be forgotten about. Shunma Katsumata is on their side and wants the three of them to challenge for the KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles! If they win they will then exclusively defend the titles in exploding death matches! DDO is ready to take over DDT!

Yuki Ueno had some harsh words for Yukio Naya after their tag match. He said it cannot be helped whenever Naya loses a match and he just rushes home. Being strong is not enough to take the KO-D Openweight Title from Ueno. If all Naya has is strength then there is no way he will win at Korakuen Hall on 28th January. Naya brushed off the comments and said he is looking forward to the actual title match. He is strong now and able to beat Ueno.

Kazuki Hirata is trying to gain membership into The 37KAMIINA even if it is just temporary. He tried interviewing Ueno & Katsumata after their match and joined in on the NeppoWER!! pose. However that does not mean he’s been fully accepted into the unit yet.

Fresh back from America, MAO had a lot of crazy ideas he wanted to do so DDT stuck him in a match with Mecha Mummy, Mecha Pandita and Demonio Uno. That way when things went out of control no living creature under contract to DDT would be harmed. MAO brought out a bazooka that shot fireworks at Mummy and then drove a van into Pandita. Demonio took advantage and pinned Pandita to win.

The latest batch of matches between ROMANCE DAWN and DAMNATION T.A has resulted in ROMANCE DAWN declaring war on their enemies! Daisuke Sasaki cheated to beat Shota by using a chair and giving him a Low Blow. Sasaki then immediately tried to interfere in the match between Soma Takao and KANON but Shota was right behind him to get back in his way. In the chaos Sasaki hit KANON with a chair by mistake and Takao used the opportunity to get the win. Shota complained about Sasaki’s attitude and said ROMANCE DAWN will still be the top tag team throughout 2024.

The opening match had to be changed in the last minute because Yuni caught the flu and couldn’t be at the show. So instead the other five wrestlers came up with a new match type. Sanshiro Takagi, HARASHIMA & Masahiro Takanashi were given the task of building a castle of chairs inside the ring within a 10 minute time limit. It was up to Hirata & Danshoku Dieno to stop them and knock over the castle whenever they could. If Takagi’s team couldn’t complete the castle after 10 minutes then Hirata & Dieno were the winners.


There Is So Much Wrestling This Month!

January 3, 2024

This week already feels like the craziest January schedule of wrestling shows in years.

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TOKYO JOSHI PRO ’24”, 04/01/2024
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

1. Yuki Kamifuku, Mahiro Kiryu & Toga Vs Moka Miyamoto, Juria Nagano & Kaya Toribami
2. Raku, Ram Kaichow & Pom Harajuku Vs HIMAWARI, Haru Kazashiro & Runa Okubo
3. Mizuki Vs Nao Kakuta
4. Shoko Nakajima Vs Hyper Misao
5. Riho Vs Shino Suzuki
6. Aja Kong Vs Wakana Uehara
7. Special Single Match: Rina Yamashita Vs Maki Itoh
8. International Princess Title: Max The Impaler (c) Vs Yuki Arai
9. Princess Tag Team Titles – 3 Way Match: Rika Tatsumi & Miu Watanabe Vs Suzume & Arisu Endo Vs Ryo Mizunami & Yuki Aino
10. Princess Of Princess Title: Miyu Yamashita (c) Vs Masha Slamovich

The participants of tomorrow’s three title matches all gathered together for contract signings and a press conference earlier today. Masha Slamovich bragged about her success in 2023 that included pinning Miyu Yamashita at “COMBAT PRINCESS USA”. She thinks it is time for a new Princess Of Princess Champion to be crowned in 2024. If she becomes champion she intends to defend it around the world and have the longest reign in the title’s history. Yamashita said she visited many states in America last year and wherever she went, Slamovich was always there. After wrestling each other so much in USA, Yamashita wanted to wrestle her in Japan and asked Tetsuya Koda to bring her over to have this title match. She feels the pressure but enjoys it because she wants to take bigger risks so her fourth title reign can stand out.

Three teams are now ready to fight each other for the vacant Princess Tag Team Titles. As far as Daisy Monkey are concerned the situation has not changed for them. Suzume & Arisu Endo want to win the belts that were held by Tokyo Joshi Pro’s strongest tag teams. Daydream last held the titles in 2020 so Miu Watanabe would like to make her daydreams with Rika Tatsumi come true again. Tatsumi always thought it was strange that Daydream were not the next challengers in the first place. Yuki Aino is happy to get a chance to win the tag titles with Ryo Mizunami. Her tag partner is often called “Everyone’s Aniki” but when they win Aino wants it to change to “My Aniki”! Mizunami said 2024 is the Year Of The Dragon and she was also born in the Year Of The Dragon. So it is fate that she and Aino can leave a mark in TJPW by becoming the new tag champions!

Yuki Arai signed the International Princess Title match contract while waiting for Max The Impaler to show up. She talked about this being her second shot at the title and how she lost the Princess Tag Titles at last year’s Ittenyon show. She wants to start off her year shining and become champion for Saki Akai. Max then finally arrived at the building and marked the contract with their thumb which counts as their signature. Max then pulled out a hair band that Arai recognised. It is the hairband that Max took from her when The Wasteland War Party beat Reiwa AA Cannon for the Princess Tag Titles last year! Arai promised to win the belt and also get her hairband back!

GANBARE☆PRO “2024 GANBARE☆THE FIGHT BEGINS”, 04/01/2024
Tokyo Itabashi Green Hall

1. YuuRI & Riara Vs Yoshiko Hasegawa & Kaho Matsushita
2. Hartley Jackson & HARUKAZE Vs Shigehiro Irie & Banny Oikawa
3. New Year Special 3 Way Match: Munetatsu Nakamura Vs Yuni Vs Ilusion
4. GanPro New Year Special 6-Man Tag Match: Keisuke Ishii, Yumehito Imanari & Mizuki Watase Vs Shota, Soma Takao & Shinichiro Tominaga
5. Spirit Of Ganbare World Openweight Title: Shuichiro Katsumura (c) Vs Ken Ohka

Munetatsu Nakamura must be feeling like a million bucks after winning the Best Newcomer category at the Japan Indie Grand Prix Awards on New Year’s Eve.

DDT “SWEET DREAMS! 2024 TOUR IN SHINJUKU”, 05/01/2024
Shinjuku FACE

1. Soma Takao & Kazuma Sumi Vs Kazusada Higuchi & Ilusion
2. Eruption Vs D.O.A!: Yukio Sakaguchi & Hideki Okatani Vs Danshoku Dieno & Makoto Oishi
4. BURNING Vs DAMNATION T.A!: Tetsuya Endo & Yusuke Okada Vs Daisuke Sasaki & KANON
5. DISASTER BOX Final Match: HARASHIMA Vs Toru Owashi Vs Kazuki Hirata
5. Jun Akiyama, Yoshitatsu & Yukio Naya Vs Akito, Yuki Iino & Rukiya
6. KO-D 10-Man Tag Team Titles: Yuki Ueno, MAO, Shunma Katsumata, Toy Kojima & Yoshihiko (c) Vs Masahiro Takanashi, Antonio Honda, Takayuki Ueki, Takeshi Masada & Mecha Mummy

The first new addition to DDT this year is Yoshitatsu. He left All Japan a few days ago and chose DDT as his landing spot because the place reminds him of how fun pro wrestling can be. Jun Akiyama is someone in particular he wants to be in the ring with again so they get to team up in Yoshitatsu’s first match under this new arrangement.

Daisuke Sasaki approached Tetsuya Endo after today’s show and suggested they should join forces again. His argument is Endo no longer has any ties to BURNING without Akiyama involved and with that he shouldn’t have anything holding him back either. He left before Endo could respond so what will happen next?

DDT “SWEET DREAMS! 2024 TOUR IN OSAKA DAY 1”, 06/01/2024
Osaka 176BOX

1. Kazusada Higuchi Vs Rukiya
2. Special Single Match: Yoshitatsu Vs Kazuma Sumi
3. Daisuke Sasaki & KANON Vs HARASHIMA & Yuni
4. Yukio Sakaguchi & Hideki Okatani Vs Yuki Iino & Toy Kojima
5. Special Tag Match: Sanshiro Takagi & Kazuki Hirata Vs Toru Owashi & Shunma Katsumata
6. Special Single Match: Yukio Naya Vs Takeshi Masada
7. The 37KAMIINA Vs BURNING!: Yuki Ueno & MAO Vs Tetsuya Endo & Yusuke Okada
8. KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles – DEAD OR ALIVE Contra DEAD OR ALIVE: Jun Akiyama, Danshoku Dieno & Makoto Oishi (c) Vs Bodyguard, Naruki Doi & Tsutenkakka

The next day Yoshitatsu faces Kazuma Sumi.

DDT “SWEET DREAMS! 2024 TOUR IN OSAKA DAY 2”, 07/01/2024
Osaka 176BOX

1. Makoto Oishi Vs Yuni
2. Special Single Match: Yoshitatsu Vs Takeshi Masada
3. Jun Akiyama & Toru Owashi Vs Akito & Yuki Iino
4. BURNING Vs DAMNATION T.A!: Tetsuya Endo & Yusuke Okada Vs Daisuke Sasaki & KANON
5. Special Tag Match: Sanshiro Takagi & Rukiya Vs HARASHIMA & Kazuma Sumi
6. Special Single Match: Hideki Okatani Vs Toy Kojima
7. Special Single Match: Kazuki Hirata Vs Danshoku Dieno
8. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Yuki Ueno, MAO & Shunma Katsumata Vs Yukio Naya, Kazusada Higuchi & Yukio Sakaguchi

Then the day after that he takes on Takeshi Masada. The previously announce 3 Way Match Masada was in is now just Makoto Oishi against Yuni.

DDT “SWEET DREAMS! 2024 TOUR IN SHINAGAWA”, 21/01/2024
Tokyo Shinagawa Prince Hotel Club eX

1. KO-D Tag Team Titles: Soma Takao & Shota (c) Vs Daisuke Sasaki & KANON
2. DDT Universal Title: MAO (c) Vs Bryan Keith

Sasaki & KANON have become the next challengers for the KO-D Tag Team Titles. Sasaki is trying to rile up ROMANCE DAWN over their connection to the Young Communication generation. Shota is proud to be part of that circle of wrestlers but Sasaki thinks his connection to the group is insignificant. Soma Takao meanwhile wants revenge on DAMNATION T.A for the chairshot they gave him earlier today.

DDT “SWEET DREAMS! 2024”, 28/01/2024
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

1. MAO Birthday Commemorative Match: MAO Vs X
2. Special Single Match: KONOSUKE TAKESHITA Vs Naruki Doi
3. DDT Extreme Title: Kazuki Hirata (c) Vs Shunma Katsumata
4. KO-D Openweight Title: Yuki Ueno (c) Vs Yukio Naya

The winner of the D-Oh Grand Prix 2023 is Yukio Naya which means he is now lined up for a KO-D Openweight Title shot! Yuki Ueno admits Naya proved he is the strongest wrestler in DDT but the championship belongs to only the most interesting. The battles over different visions for what DDT should be will continue to flare throughout this year.

The previous DDT Extreme Champion is back from injury and wants to win the belt again. Shunma Katsumata has been a a big supporter of Kazuki Hirata’s current title reign and is eager to find out what rules Hirata will come up with.

DDT “JUDGEMENT 2024 ~27TH ANNIVERSARY 5 HOUR SPECIAL~”, 17/03/2024
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

1. Tsubasa Suzuki Debut Match: Tsubasa Suzuki Vs X
2. Special Single Match: KONOSUKE TAKESHITA Vs Yuma Aoyagi

The biggest match yet in the DDT Vs All Japan rivalry has been announced. Konosuke Takeshita will be representing DDT on its 27th Anniversary against Yuma Aoyagi! The former Triple Crown Champion wants to introduce his own “Dramatic Dream” to Takeshita and sees this match as a path that will lead him down to Yuki Ueno and the KO-D Title!

For the first time DDT has an intern pro wrestler. Tsubasa Suzuki is a student wrestler from Hitotsubashi University World Pro Wrestling Alliance (or HWWA for short). He was born in Shizuoka on 14th August 2002. He is 176cm tall, weighs 80kg and has a background in track and field as well as his student wrestling club. He will work several shows for DDT on an internship. After a certain amount of time DDT will decide if they want to officially hire him.


DDT “D-OH GRAND PRIX 2023 THE FINAL” Results

January 3, 2024

DDT “D-OH GRAND PRIX 2023 THE FINAL”, 03/01/2024
Tokyo Korakuen Hall
1,194 Fans – Super No Vacancy

1. Daisuke Sasaki, KANON & MJ Paul defeated Soma Takao, Yuki Iino & Yuni when KANON submitted Takao with the Cobra Twist 2.0 (8:15).
2. Jun Akiyama & Makoto Oishi defeated Yusuke Okada & Kazuma Sumi when Oishi submitted Sumi with the Fujiyama Knee Lock (7:42).
3. Special Tag Match ~ Shunma Katsumata Return Match: Shunma Katsumata & Toy Kojima defeated Yukio Sakaguchi & Hideki Okatani when Kojima pinned Okatani with a Modified Facebuster (9:37).
4. HARASHIMA, Toru Owashi & Kazuki Hirata defeated Sanshiro Takagi, Akito & Antonio Honda when Hirata pinned Honda with the Miracle One Shot Cradle (12:05).
5. Special Tag Match ~ DDT Vs AJPW: Jun Saito & Rei Saito defeated Kazusada Higuchi & Rukiya when Rei pinned Rukiya with the Saito Iginari Smash (11:40).
-. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title: Kuroshio TOKYO Japan defeated Christmas Tree (c) by Pinfall (8:11 pm).
*Kuroshio TOKYO Japan becomes the 1,600th champion.
6. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title: Kuroshio TOKYO Japan defeated Danshoku Dieno with the Ikemenrana (12:31).
*V1 for Kuroshio TOKYO Japan.
7. The 37KAMIINA Vs SCHADENFREUDE International!: Yuki Ueno & Yuki Iino defeated Masahiro Takanashi & Takeshi Masada when Ueno pinned Masada with the Jul.2 (10:28).
8. D-Oh Grand Prix 2023 – Final: Yukio Naya defeated Tetsuya Endo with The World’s Best Back Drop (26:59).

At the end of 2022 Yukio Naya made it all the way to the D-Ou Grand Prix final but could not win the tournament. He made it his goal to do one better in the 2023 Grand Prix and right here at the start of 2024 he achieved it! Tetsuya Endo was also determined to win today’s final but he couldn’t defeat Naya even with Exploder Suplexes, Spinning Torture Rack Bombs and Burning Star Presses. The last move in particular was blocked by Naya and served him the opening to take over the match. Endo relied on Rolling Chops to try and get back into it but Naya cut him off with Knee Lifts and a Choke Slam for a nearfall. Naya then overpowered Endo with The World’s Best Back Drop to put him away and win the Grand Prix!

Naya burst into tears after the match when Kenta Kobashi presented him with the trophy and posed with him for a photo. Naya thanked everyone for supporting him from his family to everyone in DDT. This means so much to him because a few years ago nobody ever thought he could compete at this level. He still has one dream that hasn’t come true yet and that is to win the KO-D Openweight Title! He called Yuki Ueno down to the ring and challenged him for the championship so everyone will see who really is the strongest in DDT. Ueno accepted but told him the title should be held by the most interesting guy in DDT. The title match will take place at Korakuen Hall on 28th January.

As for Endo, he thought 2024 was going to start out well for him because he was on the winning team of the Shuffle 6-Man Tag Tournament on New Year’s Eve. But after losing to Naya today he now feels like he fell to the bottom of DDT and has to climb out of Hell. Then suddenly backstage Daisuke Sasaki approached Endo after his post-match interview with the media. Sasaki explained the reason why Endo lost today is because he did not have Jun Akiyama next to him. But that also means there is nothing tying down Endo anymore either. Sasaki suggested that Endo does not need BURNING anymore and they should go change the world together. But before Endo could respond, Sasaki told him to relax and think about what he just said because they will see each other again soon.

Ueno was meant to team with MAO in the semi-main event but MAO had fever symptoms and was pulled from the show. Parts of the card were changed around and Ueno got to team with Yuki Iino instead. Masahiro Takanashi & Takeshi Masada jumped them early but Ueno & Iino quickly rallied together. Things went pair shaped when Iino’s Lariat missed Masada and hit Ueno by mistake. Masada tried to capitalise but Ueno held on until he could counter attack and pin Masada with the Jul.2. The result left SCHADENFREUDE International feeling disappointed because Chris Brookes was in attendance for the first time since getting his surgery. Brookes suggested they disband right away but everyone else convinced him not to. Instead they figured out Masada can get revenge on Ueno beating him today by pinning him for the KO-D 10-Man Tag Team Titles in two days time!

After Danshoku Dieno made his entrance to the ring for his match, footage was shown of Kuroshio TOKYO Japan and Seigo Tachibana hanging out backstage. They opened a nearby locker and out fell the Christmas Tree that won the Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title on Christmas Eve! Tachibana decided to pin the tree but Kuroshio stopped him and stole the pin to become the champion instead. Kuroshio then forced Tachibana to get into the ring with Dieno while he completed his long and elaborate entrance. Dieno kept Tachibana in the Lip Lock while Kuroshio pranced around the audience until his theme song looped back to the beginning. He finally attacked Dieno to start the match and they brawled through the crowd with the back of their tights all pulled down. The fight went up to the commentary table where Kenta Kobashi was seated. Dieno tried to stumble over for a kiss but Kobashi sent him away with a Chop. The match returned to the ring where Tachibana tried to get involved again. He ended up getting a water bottle shoved up his rear by Dieno that Kuroshio then had to pull out. Makoto Oishi forcibly filled Dieno’s mouth with wasabi but the Lip Lock missed Kuroshio and landed on Tachibana instead. Kuroshio then rubbed the wasabi onto his crotch and pinned Dieno with a Hurricanrana to retain the Iron Man Title. Backstage he admitted he doesn’t even know what this championship is. He likes it but wants to win a proper title as well as compete in DDT more often in 2024.

If DDT thought they were now safe from The Saito Brothers bringing them doom then they are sorely mistaken. Rei Saito had one more appearance left for them and this time he brought along his brother Jun Saito. The two of them fought Kazuasada Higuchi & Rukiya. Higuchi did a good job handling them in the ring but it was a more difficult challenge for Rukiya. In the end they just couldn’t handle so much doom. Jun used a Lariat to take out Higuchi and then The Saito Brothers together threw down Rukiya with a Double Choke Slam for the win. Rei said next time he is going to beat up Rukiya even more! Jun however showed interest in seeing Higuchi show up in All Japan some day. Apparently Higuchi and The Saito Brothers already have a history together going back to their sumo days over a decade ago.

For the final time the three main members of DISASTER BOX all teamed together and they finished the occasion with a win. Toru Owashi brought along the lucha to fight Akito while HARASHIMA suddenly had bad flashbacks when Sanshiro Takagi started using Hiroshi Tanahashi’s moves on him to celebrate the New Japan wrestler’s promotion to company president. Antonio Honda relied on Gongitsune like he always does but Kazuki Hirata’s eyes were protected by his Hirata GO! glasses. The deflected attack allowed Hirata to pin Honda with the Miracle One Shot Cradle.

After the match HARASHIMA told the others DISASTER BOX is going away but it will always feel like the unit is still around whenever they are together. They all left the ring together when Shunma Katsumata suddenly ran out and dragged Hirata back into the ring. Without taking any breaths Katsumata challenged Hirata for the DDT Extreme Title. He was the previous champion who had to vacate the title due to injury but admitted Hirata has become the kind of Extreme Champion he always wanted to be. They agreed to have the title match on 28th January.

Katsumata’s challenge came shorty after his return match from injury. He teamed with Toy Kojima to take on Eruption. He made sure to start off the match against Hideki Okatani and even thanked him for waiting all this time for him to return. But it was Kojima who stole the spotlight by using a new Spinning Flapjack move to pin Okatani for the 3 count. After a brief staredown with Yukio Sakaguchi, Kojima told Eruption this will be the same when they fight in the exploding death match on 14th January! Katsumata said now that he’s back, The 37KAMIINA will make DDT more hotter than ever!

Jun Akiyama & Makoto Oishi gave Kazuma Sumi a tough night in the ring. Yusuke Okada was there to help out until he missed a Diving Headbutt aimed for Akiyama. Sumi found his second wind and used Oishi as a footstep to Dropkick Akiyama off the ring apron. However Oishi dodged the Mickey Boomerang and planed Sumi with the Miracle Ecstasy. That would have been the end but Akiyama pushed Oishi away during the pin and gave Sumi an Exploder Suplex as payback for the Dropkick. Oishi then made Sumi tap out to the Fujiyama Knee Lock.

DAMNATION T.A now find themselves in the midst of a KO-D Tag Team Titles shot after they won the opening match. Sasaki took out Yuni with a Spear and then tricked the referee into distracting Shota because he was holding a chair. While that was going on Sasaki hit Soma Takao with another chair and KANON applied the Cobra Twist 2.0 for the submission win. Afterwards KANON wished ROMANCE DAWN to have a miserable new year and declared himself and Sasaki as their next challengers. The two sides agreed to have the match on 21st January. Sasaki insulted Shota for claiming he is a part of the Young Communication generation. According to Sasaki, Shota was only a supporting role and that name should only be used for the likes of Shigehiro Irie and Keisuke Ishii!

The first DDT show of the year means a lot of big announcements to get through along with other major news stories. First, the DDT Vs All Japan rivalry will continue throughout 2024. Ryuki Honda and Yuma Anzai will be at the 7th February DDT show in Shinjuku. Then on 17th March at DDT’s 27th Anniversary show Konosuke Takeshita will face Yuma Aoyagi one on one! Aoyagi was in attendance to greet the fans after the announcement. He hoped Takeshita would be here too but he has to wait until 17th March to show Takeshita his own Dramatic Dream. Later backstage Aoyagi told reporters he would also like to face Yuki Ueno for the KO-D Title too!

Kaisei Takechi sent in a video to promote his pro wrestling debut on 25th February. The celebrity who is part of THE RAMPAGE from EXILE TRIBE told fans he worked with DDT wrestlers during the filming of Fukumen D and felt indebted to them. He is very happy to repay them by doing this match. This is just his first step into the pro wrestling world and he is honored to do it on such a wonderful stage.

Student pro wrestler Tsubasa Suzuki has applied to DDT as an intern wrestler. He will debut on the 27th Anniversary show on 17th March. Suzuki comes from Hitotsubashi University World Pro Wrestling Alliance and previously appeared on DDT shows a year ago under the ring name “Mother’s Child” Mazakon Kid. The point of an internship is so students can get work experience before starting their careers so he will wrestle on DDT shows for a certain amount of time. At the end DDT will talk with Suzuki and decide if he can join the company. Suzuki told the fans he is the world’s first intern wrestler and promises to do his best to become a beloved member of DDT. He likes high flying wrestling and has a lot of respect for Kota Ibushi and Naomichi Marufuji (bad timing to bring those two names up) so he thinks it will be great if he could become like them (hopefully not in their present forms).

Miu Watanabe appeared in the ring to promote tomorrow’s annual Ittenyon show for Tokyo Joshi Pro. She will be part of the 3 Way Tag Match to determine the new Princess Tag Team Champions.

During the show’s opening ceremony Yoshitatsu appeared and announced he will become a regular part of DDT shows starting on 5th January. The wrestler had just left All Japan over the new year. He said when he fought in DDT a couple of times in 2023 it reminded him of the fun side of pro wrestling that he had forgotten. One match he had with Jun Akiyama in particular stood out for him and he would like to have more tough battles against him. Also DDT working with Chris Jericho and Matt Cardona who he both knew from WWE made it an appealing place for him to look for an opportunity.

Chris Brookes told the fans he would like to come back from his surgery as soon as possible. He feels fine physically but does not know when he can return to wrestling again yet.

The last piece of news came after the show had ended. Sanshiro Takagi announced to reporters he will be taking an indefinite break as a pro wrestler after DDT’s Sumo Hall show on 21st July. He is doing this for several reasons from taking care of his health to concentrating more on managing Cyberfight. He also said he will soon need to begin the process of finding his successor because he believes current management across Japan’s pro wrestling industry is aging out. This is not intended to be him retiring from the ring because he will start wrestling again when his health improves. However he does not know when that will happen which is why he saved this announcement for the media after the show. He may go into more details later this week.


“NEW YEAR’S EVE PRO WRESTLING 2023 ~TOSHIWASURE! SHUFFLE 6-MAN TAG TOURNAMENT~” Results

December 31, 2023

“NEW YEAR’S EVE PRO WRESTLING 2023 ~TOSHIWASURE! SHUFFLE 6-MAN TAG TOURNAMENT~”, 31/12/2023
Tokyo Korakuen Hall
778 Fans

1. Shuffle 6-Man Tag Tournament – Round 1: HARASHIMA, Kota Sekifuda & Yuji Hino defeated Takeshi Masada, Akira & Koji Iwamoto when HARASHIMA pinned Masada with the Somato (7:06).
2. Shuffle 6-Man Tag Tournament – Round 1: Kazusada Higuchi, Yasufumi Nakanoue & Kohei Kinoshita defeated Soma Takao, Kazumasa Yoshida & Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi when Kinoshita pinned Hiroshi with the Blockbuster Hold (6:51).
3. Shuffle 6-Man Tag Tournament – Round 1: Yukio Naya, Hideyoshi Kamitani & Minoru Suzuki Vs Danshoku Dieno, Daichi Hashimoto & Ikuto Hidaka ended in a Time Limit Draw (10:00).
3a. Overtime – 1 Count Fall Rules: Yukio Naya, Hideyoshi Kamitani & Minoru Suzuki defeated Danshoku Dieno, Daichi Hashimoto & Ikuto Hidaka when Suzuki submitted Dieno with the Sleeper Hold (4:45).
4. Shuffle 6-Man Tag Tournament – Round 1: Tetsuya Endo, Daisuke Sekimoto & Fuminori Abe defeated Hideki Okatani, Yuki Ishikawa & Brahman Shu (w/ Brahman Kei) when Abe submitted Shu with the Manjigatame (6:03).
5. So Daimonji, Ender Kara, Leyton Buzzard & Tempesta defeated Kazumi Kikuta, Kazuki Hashimoto, Kazuma Sumi & Rukiya when Buzzard pinned Rukiya with the Firebird Splash (8:37).
6. Shuffle 6-Man Tag Tournament – Semi Final: HARASHIMA, Kota Sekifuda & Yuji Hino defeated Kazusada Higuchi, Yasufumi Nakanoue & Kohei Kinoshita when Sekifuda pinned Kinoshita with the Ironman (5:48).
7. Shuffle 6-Man Tag Tournament – Semi Final: Yukio Naya, Hideyoshi Kamitani & Minoru Suzuki Vs Tetsuya Endo, Daisuke Sekimoto & Fuminori Abe ended in a Time Limit Draw (10:00).
7a. Overtime – 1 Count Fall Rules: Tetsuya Endo, Daisuke Sekimoto & Fuminori Abe defeated Yukio Naya, Hideyoshi Kamitani & Minoru Suzuki when Sekimoto pinned Kamitani with a Lariat (1:20).
8. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Takuya Nomura, Abdullah Kobayashi & Kankuro Hoshino defeated Yuki Ueno, Kazuki Hirata & Antonio Honda when Kobayashi pinned Honda with a Modified School Boy (13:32).
9. Shuffle 6-Man Tag Tournament – Final: Tetsuya Endo, Daisuke Sekimoto & Fuminori Abe defeated HARASHIMA, Kota Sekifuda & Yuji Hino when Endo pinned Sekifuda with the Burning Star Press (13:33).

On the final day of 2023 DDT, Big Japan and a scoop of the indies all joined together at Korakuen Hall to take part in the annual New Year’s Eve Shuffle Tag Team Tournament. This year was the third year in a row the tournament consisted of 6-Man Tag matches. Every team taking part consisted of a DDT wrestler, a BJW wrestler and a wild card independent wrestler. But before any of the matches began, Samurai TV presented the Japan Indie Grand Prix Awards for 2023. The full results for those can be found at the bottom of this report.

Shuffle 6-Man Tag Tournament – Round 1

Smile Lizard King Kong Vs Lonely Hot College Students

The opening round began with HARASHIMA, Kota Sekifuda & Yuji Hino all joining forces to fight a team that no longer had an accurate team name. Yuya Aoki pulled out sick and had to be replaced with Akira who is not single like Takeshi Masada & Koji Iwamoto are. Although you could still argue he might have been feeling lonely anyway without being near his new friends anyway. They isolated HARASHIMA but Masada could not get the job done. Instead the tables were turned on him and HARASHIMA scored the pin with the Somato.

Team Katagi Returns Vs The Kind People

Style was the name of the game here. Team Katagi Returns all showed up wrestling in sunglasses and flashy shirts looking to boss around their opponents. Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi tried to settle them down with some karaoke, buying Soma Takao & Kazumasa Yoshida some time to regroup. Hiroshi tried it again to distract Kohei Kinoshita but ended up getting pinned with the Blockbuster Hold for his troubles.

Big Bombers Kai Vs Anal Destruction Hidaka

The big draw for this year’s tournament made his appearance in the third match. Minoru Suzuki showed up with no concern that Danshoku Dieno, Daichi Hashimoto & Ikuto Hidaka were all plotting to defeat him one way or another. It didn’t matter because whatever they threw at Suzuki, he just countered it and twisted them into submission holds. The match ended in a time limit draw so it went to 1 Count sudden death rules. Hidaka was convinced to settle himself on the top turnbuckle with his tights pulled down so Dieno & Hashimoto could throw their opponents face first into his rear end. The plan worked until it was Suzuki’s turn. He simply stopped in front of Hidaka and spanked him! Hashimoto then force fed Dieno the wasabi paste but the Lip Lock aimed for Suzuki was sent to Hashimoto instead! Suzuki used the Sleeper Hold on Dieno to squeeze the wasabi out of him until he gave up.

Go For It! The Three Inokori Brothers Vs Bati Bati F’N In The Sky

You can always count on The Brahman Brothers to come into this tournament with their partners already brainwashed into acting like them. It happened here with Hideki Okatani & Yuki Ishikawa. Together their obscene fighting styles left the opponents doubled over in pain due to where the attacks were targeted. However Fuminori Abe was able to trap Brahman Shu in the Manjigatame so his team could escape to the next round with enough of their collective dignity still intact.

Non-Tournament 8-Man Tag Match

There were two matches outside of the tournament. The first of which focused on PROJECT: HAVOC, the unit of wrestlers currently invading Big Japan led by So Daimonji. Facing them were the collective team of mostly young DDT and BJW wrestlers. Despite the best efforts of the combined home team, HAVOC overwhelmed them and won out in the end.

Shuffle 6-Man Tag Tournament – Semi Final

Smile Lizard King Kong Vs Team Katagi Returns

Over to the semi finals now where Smile Lizard King Kong continued to show their combined strength. The normally powerful Kazusada Higuchi & Yasufumi Nakanoue were instead powerless to save Kinoshita from getting flattened with Flying Body Press after Flying Body Press from their opponents, ending with Sekifuda folding him over with the Ironman pin for the 3 count.

Big Bombers Kai Vs Bati Bati F’N In The Sky

The other semi finals treated fans to a couple of important matchups. First was a preview of Tetsuya Endo against Yukio Naya in the D-Oh Grand Prix final happening on 3rd January. The other was Suzuki and Daisuke Sekimoto getting the rare chance to fight each other! Their battle ended in a stalemate because the time ran out. When sudden death began the match scrambled into Hideyoshi Kamitani trying to pin Sekimoto only to get defeated instead with Sekimoto’s Lariat. Endo and Naya had a staredown in the middle of the ring after the match.

Non-Tournament Special 6-Man Tag Match

The second non-tournament match was a straightforward DDT Vs Big Japan 6-Man Tag. Well I say straightforward but the match involved Antonio Honda and Abdullah Kobayashi both getting rope burn between their legs, the DDT team all dancing to “What Does The Fox Say”, then the Big Japan team dancing to “Tokyo GO!” until Takuya Nomura stopped them. But that was only because he wanted to lead the dance and use that power to overpower his opponents. Kobayashi ended up using Honda’s Gongitsune against him and rolled him up with a School Boy to get Big Japan the victory.

Shuffle 6-Man Tag Tournament – Final

Smile Lizard King Kong Vs Bati Bati F’N In The Sky

Sadly the show has not yet returned to running long enough that it reaches up to the clock striking midnight to bring in the new year. But the finalists were still able to take each other on without having to worry about a time limit. Sekimoto and Hino got into a big chop battle while HARASHIMA took out Abe with the Somato. Sekifuda almost pinned Endo with the Ironman but was then flipped upside down with the Tetsuya In the Sky. It was all there for Endo to take it and he finished Sekifuda off with the Burning Star Press, making Bati Bati F’N In The Sky the winners of this year’s tournament!

Japan Indie Grand Prix Awards 2023

MVP

1. Kazuki Hirata (DDT)
2. Fujita “Jr.” Hayato (Michinoku Pro)
3. Fuminori Abe (Freelance)
4. Chris Brookes (DDT)
5. HARUKAZE (Ganbare☆Pro)

Best Bout

1. Fujita “Jr.” Hayato Vs Hiromu Takahashi (Michinoku Pro, 15th October)
2. Fuminori Abe Vs Takuya Nomura (Kakuto Tanteidan, 12th October)
3. Yuji Okabayashi Vs Yuya Aoki (Big Japan, 4th May)
4. Hiromu Takahashi Vs Kazuki Hirata (DDT, 12th November)
5. Chris Brookes Vs Yuki Ueno (DDT, 12th November)

Best Unit

1. Astronauts (Freelance/Big Japan)
2. Pheromones (DDT)
3. Lethal Weapon (Ganbare☆Pro)
4. Eruption (DDT)
5. The 37KAMIINA (DDT)

Best Show

1. DDT @ Ryogoku Kokugikan, 12th November
2. Kakuto Tanteidan @ Shinjuku FACE, 12th October
3. Big Japan @ Yokohama Budokan, 4th May
4. Michinoku Pro @ Yahaba Townsmen Gymnasium, 15th October
5. 666 @ Korakuen Hall, 2nd, August

Best Newcomer

1. Munetatsu Nakamura (Ganbare☆Pro)
2. Kazumasa Yoshida (Big Japan)
3. Takeshi Masada (DDT)
4. Yusaki Ito (Dove Pro)
5. Yuki Kanzaki (TTT)