DDT “NEW YEAR’S CURRENT EXPLOSION!” Results

January 7, 2023

DDT “NEW YEAR’S CURRENT EXPLOSION!”, 07/01/2023
Kanagawa Tsurumi Fruit & Vegetable Market
234 Fans – Super No Vacancy

1. Yukio Naya defeated Takeshi Masada with the Choke Slam (8:22).
2. Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno defeated Hideki Okatani & Kazuma Sumi when Iino submitted Sumi with a Scorpion Ketsulock (8:41).
3. Special 6-Man Tag Match: HARASHIMA, Saori Anou & Yusuke Okada defeated Kazuki Hirata, Saki Akai & Gota Ihashi after Anou pinned Ihashi after a High Kick & Enzuigiri Combo from Akai and Anou (8:58).
4. Chain Death Match: Chris Brookes defeated Demonio Uno by TKO with the Octopus Stretch (12:37).
5. The 37KAMIINA Vs BURNING!: Yuki Ueno & MAO defeated Tetsuya Endo & Yuya Koroku when Ueno pinned Koroku with a Stretch Bomb (13:21).
6. Harimao Vs DAMNATION T.A!: Daisuke Sasaki & KANON defeated Kazusada Higuchi & Yuki Ishida when KANON submitted Ishida with the Just Cobra Twist (10:37).
7. “Current Blast” Trademark Rights & Position Battle ~ Legend Resurrected! New Year Aerial Time Bomb & Current Blast Bat Death Match: Atsushi Onita, Shunma Katsumata & Toi Kojima defeated Sanshiro Takagi, Akito & Soma Takao when Onita pinned Takao with a Current Blast Bat Swing (12:23).
*Atsushi Onita becomes the Honorary Drop Kick store manager.

DDT’s first attempt of 2023 to flex their corporate muscle ended in failure and may perhaps come back to haunt them later in the Spring. Sanshiro Takagi, Akito & Soma Takao challenged Atsushi Onita to put his trademark for exploding death matches on the line so DDT could control the stipulation worldwide. In return Onita, Shunma Katsumata & Toi Kojima demanded their opponents to put their CyberFight management roles on the line so whoever lost would have to transfer their company position over to the person who pinned them.

The result of the explosive main event saw Onita spit Poison Mist at Takao, blow him up with a baseball bat and then pin him to end the match. As a result, Onita is the new store manager for the Drop Kick bar! However due to the long distance between Onita’s home and the bar he is unable to do that job properly so he agreed to be the bar’s honorary manager instead. However Takagi still wants to take over the trademark. Katsumata then said he wanted to do another explosion death match and already booked Tsurumi Fruit & Vegetable Market for 19th March. He asked if there was anyone in DDT who wanted to take part? HARASHIMA walked out dragging Kazuki Hirata along with him. He wants to do it and win the trademark for CyberFight. He told Hirata he can do a bomb dance there too.

Onita then dropped a bombshell. He still wants the company president position so he is thinking of forming a new wrestling promotion called DDODramatic Dream Onita! He told Katsumata he can be the vice president and Toi Kojima can become a managing director. If they can convince other wrestlers to join DDO they can then make triple or quadruple the amount of money they currently make in DDT. On 19th March DDO will take over DDT and CyberFight will have to pay for all of their debts! Onita also threw out a challenge for the All Asia Tag Team Titles but that’s another story for another blog to cover.

Yuki Ueno & MAO wrestled their match wearing yankee gear. MAO even tried fighting with his hands in his pockets at the start. He also gave Tetsuya Endo a Low Blow but that backfired when Endo inadvertedly gave MAO a Low Blow back. Ueno took over and used a Stretch Bomb to pin Yuya Koroku.

The Chain Death Match spilled outside of the ring which is where Demonio Uno is at his best. He started a tug of war using the chain and Chris Brookes was able to win it with the help of some fans joining in on his side. Brookes then put Uno on a dolly and pushed him into the ring post. Back in the ring Uno fought back using the chain. However it ended up getting wrapped around Yukinori Matsui, preventing the referee from being able to count any pins. Uno then tried hanging Brookes over the ropes with the chain but Brookes found a way to free himself. He got a nearfall with the Praying Mantis Bomb and then applied a chain assisted Octopus Stretch. Uno wouldn’t respond and the match ended with Brookes declared as the winner.

Gota Ihashi found himself in a state of crisis. He’s already in love with Saki Akai but then he got into the ring with Saori Anou and is feeling can’t decide who he wants more. When Akai and Anou ended up against each other in the ring, Ihashi was convinced they were both fighting over him. He ran towards them hoping to receive just as much adoration in return but instead the two women knocked him out with a High Kick Sandwich.

Class was in session because Pheromones wanted to teach their opponents a lesson today. Yuki Iino used a Stinkface syle Scorpion Deathlock on Kazuma Sumi to win the match by submission. Afterwards Danshoku Dieno told Hideki Okatani that Pheromones do not take their sexy clothes off during matches just for pleasure. They also do it for strength and strategy. Today’s lesson from Pheromones to young people is to think and find your own strength. When in doubt, come back and Pheromones will teach you.


DDT “ALL SEATS ARE 3,000 YEN! DDT NEW YEAR PRO WRESTLING FESTIVAL!” Results

January 5, 2023

DDT “ALL SEATS ARE 3,000 YEN! DDT NEW YEAR PRO WRESTLING FESTIVAL!”, 05/01/2023
Tokyo Itabashi Green Hall
234 Fans – Super No Vacancy Full House

1. HARASHIMA & Antonio Honda defeated Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno when Honda pinned Dieno with the Diving Fist Drop (8:40).
2. 3 Way Tag Match: Daisuke Sasaki & KANON defeated Toru Owashi & Kazuki Hirata and Yukio Naya & Yusuke Okada when Sasaki submitted Hirata with the Crossface Lock (6:20).
3. Yuki Ueno & Yuya Koroku defeated Makoto Oishi & Ilusion when Ueno pinned Ilusion with the Dropkick (12:36).
4. New Year Special Challenge Match I: Tetsuya Endo defeated Hideki Okatani with the Modified Yurikamome (10:11).
5. MAO & Shunma Katsumata defeated Toi Kojima & Kazuma Sumi when Katsumata pinned Kojima after the Super Double Miracle Ecstacy (10:09).
6. New Year Special Challenge Match II: Chris Brookes defeated Takeshi Masada with the House Piano Death (10:21).
7. New Year Special Challenge Match III: Kazusada Higuchi defeated Yuki Ishida with the Buchikamashi (11:03).
8. Emergency Decision Match: Konosuke Takeshita Vs Yuki Ueno ended in a Time Limit Draw (10:00).

The fans in attendance was treated to a bonus unadvertised match at the end of the show. After the main event was over Konosuke Takeshita walked out in his wrestling gear. He was only advertised to be on the show as part of a meet and greet. Takeshita said he will be travelling back to America tomorrow, will be competing in the PWG Battle Of Los Angeles tournament this weekend and has a match scheduled against Bryan Danielson in AEW next week. He has a packed week ahead but seeing the sold out crowd DDT got today he knew that it was not enough to just hang around and sign autographs. He won’t be back in DDT until March so before he leaves he wants a singles match against Yuki Ueno! There was some hesitency from Hisaya Imabayashi to let it happen because it is such a big match to do on no notice. Everyone agreed to do the match with a 10 minute time limit.

The match went ahead and lasted the entire 10 minutes with no winner coming out of it. Takeshita said both he and Ueno had gotten stronger since their last match against each other. He even admits that the Takeshita from two years ago would have lost to Ueno today. Before he goes back to the USA, Takeshita has advice to give the younger DDT wrestlers. You don’t have to do your best when you get an opportunity but you have to do your best to get that opportunity. It’s doesn’t matter if it’s the main event, a championship match or somewhere low on the card you have to do your best everywhere. He will do his best in America and will look forward to wrestling in front of a full Korakuen Hall on 21st March. Ueno promised everyone will do their best to make DDT’s future look amazing.

Kazusada Higuchi gave Yuki Ishida plenty of motivation to do his best during and after their match. He told Ishida he may not be ready yet even with momentum behind him. He has to have the same focus he showed today for his matches in the D GENERATIONS CUP. Ishida agreed and promised to win the tournament. He was fired up to fight Higuchi today and is coming out of the match with more confidence. Higuchi said it is up to both of them to make Harimao more exciting while Naomi Yoshimura is injured.

Another young wrestler who’s been appreciating his recent matches against veterans is Takeshi Masada. Although he lost to Chris Brookes today, he is determined to win the D GENERATIONS CUP so he can wrestle in Hollywood. Brookes wished him luck after their match.

The new KO-D Tag Team Champions have some thoughts about their first title defence coming up on 29th January. It will be taking place the day after MAO turns 26 years old. He won’t be afraid of Makoto Oishi & Shiori Asahi because they are like grandpas to him. All they can do is lecture to the younger wrestlers in the locker room.

Tetsuya Endo has high hopes for Yuya Koroku in the D GENERATIONS CUP. He wants Koroku to win and do his best as a member of BURNING. He is also hoping to see everyone taking part to show a lot of spirit and guts like Hideki Okatani did today. Okatani was frustrated to lose against Endo. He said he doesn’t even care about wrestling in America, he just wants to win the tournament.

Perhaps the biggest underdog going into the D GENERATIONS CUP is Ilusion. He has among the least amount of experience and ring time of the wrestlers entering the tournament. Oishi described the chances of him winning would be like a dramatic dream.

A win for Antonio Honda today has somehow given him all the drive in the world to beat Jun Akiyama for the DDT Extreme Title. He said on 21st January he is going to retire Akiyama because when he takes the belt off him, Akiyama will never want to step into the ring again!

Some of the wrestlers taking part in the exploding death match on 7th January gave their thoughts on the match. Akito likes the trademark versus company role stipulation because he does not want DDT to stay complacent. Soma Takao wants to pin Atsushi Onita so he can be crowned the “Explosion Prince”. He is also worried because he has to work his shift at the Drop Kick Bar shortly after the show ends. Sanshiro Takagi joked that when they win the trademark they can blow up the Drop Kick Bar to celebrate. Shunma Katsumata wants to know if his opponents are serious when they say they are putting their CyberFight management roles on the line. Toi Kojima promised to pin Sanshiro Takagi so he will win the CyberFight presidency. Once that happens he will give everyone in DDT a raise!


DDT “HATSUYUME 2023” Results

January 3, 2023

DDT “HATSUYUME 2023”, 03/01/2023
Tokyo Korakuen Hall
759 Fans – Super No Vacancy Full House

1. Makoto Oishi & Shiori Asahi defeated Hideki Okatani & Toi Kojima when Oishi pinned Kojima after the Cactus Flower (8:12).
2. Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno Vs Akito & Antonio Honda ended in a No Contest (7:13).
3. New Year Special 8-Man Tag Match: Toru Owashi, Kazuki Hirata, Yuji Hino & Yukio Naya defeated Shinshun Pokotan, Yukio Sakaguchi, Saki Akai & Kazuma Sumi when Hirata pinned Sumi with the Miracle One Shot Cradle (11:59).
4. Alice Tour Presents Special 10-Man Tag Match: Tetsuya Endo, Jun Akiyama, Kotaro Suzuki, Yusuke Okada & Yuya Koroku defeated Kazusada Higuchi, HARASHIMA, RSP, Soma Takao & Yuki Ishida when Endo pinned Ishida with the Burning Star Press (10:41).
5. Alice Tour Presents Special Tag Match: Yuki Ueno & Cara Noir defeated MJ Paul & KANON when Noir submitted Paul with the Blackout Sleeper (11:49).
6. Special Single Match: Konosuke Takeshita defeated Takeshi Masada with the Zahi (10:02).
7. DDT Universal Title Next Challenger Decision Battle: Naruki Doi Vs Daisuke Sasaki ended in a Time Limit Draw (30:00).
8. KO-D Tag Team Titles: MAO & Shunma Katsumata defeated Chris Brookes & Masahiro Takanashi when MAO pinned Takanashi after Oretachi no Mad Max (19:02).
*ShunMao becomes the 76th KO-D Tag Team Champions!

2023 begins with the crowning of new KO-D Tag Team Champions! The belts were vacated by Harimao back in November when Naomi Yoshimura took time off to deal with a herniated disc. The top two teams chosen to fight over the vacant titles were ShunMao and CDK. The match also had relaxed rules for double pinfalls, which is something CDK is used to by wrestling in places like ChocoPro. But MAO & Shunma Katsumata got used to the idea and together delivered a Double Miracle Ecstacy for a nearfall. Chris Brookes & Masahiro Takanashi had their own tricks and double team moves up their sleeve too and almost won several times. Katsumata took out Brookes with a Topé and ShunMao focused on isolating Takanashi, putting him away with the Oretachi no Mad Max to become the new champs!

The two teams were on good terms after the match. MAO said after six years he & Katsumata are finally the KO-D Tag Champions together and there was no better way for them to start the new year that way! While ShunMao was celebrating with the rest of The 37KAMIINA, suddenly Makoto Oishi & Shiori Asahi entered the ring. They had a new year’s gift for the champions and it is a challenge from Ω. ShunMao agreed and the match will take place on 29th January. It is the same show where Yuji Hino will be fighting for the KO-D Openweight Title so the three of them are aiming to dye DDT’s top championships in Ω’s colours. Backstage Brookes said he is sad CDK lost but their goal as a team is to have fun with pro wrestling. Takanashi is disappointed they aren’t getting to wrestle Oishi & Asahi next.

Nothing could determine a winner between Naruki Doi and Daisuke Sasaki within 30 minutes. Not interference from DAMNATION T.A, not counter interference from Toru Owashi, not the Doi 555 & Bakatare Sliding Kick combo, not the Pedigree & La Mistica Crossface Lock combo, not even the Sasaki Hurricanrana or a School Boy with the cheeky MIKAMI shout out along with it. The match reached its time limit and as a result there is no No. 1 Contender to challenge for the DDT Universal Title on 13th January. Hisaya Imabayashi kept the two in the ring after the match and called the champion Yuki Ueno down to figure out what to do next. Imabayashi suggested doing a 3 Way Match. Ueno liked the idea because he wants to fight Doi and Sasaki but he wants to beat both of them too. So Ueno asked for it to be a Survival 3 Way Match. Doi agreed to it if the match has a 60 minute time limit because he thinks that is enough time for him to beat both Sasaki and Ueno. Sasaki isn’t sure if 60 minutes really is enough but he also accepted the stipulation. He’s certain he can beat Ueno in 3 seconds, it’s just trying to figure out how to beat Doi in 59 minutes and 57 seconds that’s going to be the difficult part.

It will be a few months before Konosuke Takeshita is back in DDT again. His last match here for a while was a win against Takeshi Masada today. Masada pulled out a lot of dazzling kicks at the behest of his opponent to give him his strongest attacks. That was until Takeshita fired back with an Elbow Strike. The Jumping Knee missed its target but Takeshita readjusted himself and caught Masada with a Lariat before pinning him with the Zahi.

After the match Takeshita announced he will return to DDT for “JUDGEMENT 2023” on 21st March where there is a special match he finally wants to do. He has never wrestled a singles match against Sanshiro Takagi! It’s been 15 years since Takeshita first contacted the DDT president about wanting to become a pro wrestler. He’s been able to become one of the best because of him. Takagi was happy to be chosen but unsure he is physically able to do a match at that level. But once Takeshita thought about finding someone better, Takagi lost his temper and gave him a Stunner. He accepts the match after all! He’s going to spend the next three months training until he his no longer Sanshiro Takagi the president but Sanshiro Takagi the pro wrestler!

Ueno had already dealt with DAMNATION T.A earlier in the show with some help from Cara Noir. Together the two were a well oiled team against MJ Paul & KANON. Double Dropkicks, double dives and it all ended with Noir trapping Paul in the Blackout Sleeper with Ueno cutting KANON off from breaking the hold. Noir showed interest in having another match with Ueno in the future but for now he was pleased with getting a prize from the match sponsor Alice Tour for their win today.

Alice Tour also sponsored the 10-Man Tag Match. All active members of BURNING were together in one match for the first time. Poor Yusuke Okada took the brunt of the opposing team’s offence. Soma Takao threw elbows at him, HARASHIMA stomped him in the corner (but not before wishing him a happy new year), RSP & Kazusada Higuchi both flattened him with power moves. Good thing Yuki Ishida messed up his part and ended up getting squashed by RSP’s Swanton Bomb when it was meant for Okada. Jun Akiyama took down RSP with a Lariat and then it was Ishida up taking a train attack from Kotaro Suzuki, Yuya Koroku and the rest of BURNING. Ishida was tough enough to kick out of the Torture Rack Bomb but Tetsuya Endo followed it up with the Burning Star Press to put him away.

Pokotan was in a party mood for the new year and showed up wearing a large Kagami Mochi rice cake on its head. It is said to be good luck if you ever see Pokotan in this state. The wrestlers started to believe it when Pokotan started handing out gift envelopes. It gave an envelope to Yuji Hino just so he would stop attacking it. That led to the other wrestlers all excitedly lining up to receive their own envelopes. Yukinori Matsui got one too. The excitement quickly turned sour once everybody opened their gift just to find a 100 yen coin inside. They all attacked Pokotan, ending with Yukio Naya literally kicking its head off to reveal it is Sanshiro Takagi in the mascot suit! He went on a rampage in the ring until Kazuki Hirata knocked him out. Hirata then put on his glasses and led a big group dance. Unfortunately for him Yukio Sakaguchi did not put on a pair and attacked him instead with Saki Akai joining in. Kazuma Sumi tried to finish Hirata off but the Miracle One Shot Cradle was used out of nowhere and Hirata got away with winning the match.

2023 is the year of the rabbit so Danshoku Dieno wrestled his match wearing rabbit ears. I wish that was the only thing to write about this match. Instead Pheromones had to go out and do their best to cause another incident. When Antonio Honda had Dieno stunned with his latest Gongitsune joke, Yuki Iino was wheeled down to ringside on a cart pushed by Yumehito Imanari and stripped of most of his clothes. The spot was repeated several times with Iino stripping off more and more of his clothing with every appearance. By the fourth time Iino was completely naked using only gift envelopes to hide his shame. That finally caused the match to be called off. Dieno told the fans if they are having a hard time in 2023 then they should look towards Pheromones! Akito will probably have to do just that whether he wants to or not.

Oishi & Asahi were all set up to make their challenge after they beat Hideki Okatani & Toi Kojima in the opening match. Okatani did well to stop the Cactus Flower from being used first time around, causing Kojima to get a nearfall on Oishi. But Asahi broke the pin and was able to do the Cactus Flower with Oishi the second time to get their hands raised.

A lot of announcements and surprises were revealed throughout the show. Samuray Del Sol was announced to appear at “JUDGEMENT 2023” but it turned out he was right there in Korakuen Hall! He came out and chanted “lucha” a lot. Backstage he said the one name that interests him most about DDT is Yuki Ueno so he would like to challenge him for the DDT Universal Title at that show.

Also coming to DDT soon are Kip Sabian & Penelope Ford from AEW. The couple will be in Nagoya on 18th February and Korakuen Hall on 26th February.

Takagi announced his mystery tag partner for his birthday match on 13th January will be Fuminori Abe! Takagi is ready to go over the top in 2023 and wanted his tag partner to be just as crazy. Abe is the disciple of Munenori Sawa who was part of a fond tag team with Takagi over a decade ago. It could be recreated here with Takagi & Abe joining forces. Their tag team name is Bonno Dai Shacho, a reference to Takagi & Sawa being Hentai Dai Shacho.

Two more DDT supercards are added to the schedule, taking place after “JUDGEMENT 2023” in March. “MEGA MAX BUMP 2023” in Yokohama Budokan is happening on 3rd May. “WRESTLE PETER PAN 2023” in Sumo Hall will be on 23rd July.


Takagi’s Birthday Invitation, Endless Waltz, BURNING Vs Pheromones, Train Pro Wrestling

January 2, 2023

DDT “HATSUYUME 2023”, 03/01/2023
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

1. Makoto Oishi & Shiori Asahi Vs Hideki Okatani & Toi Kojima
2. Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno Vs Akito & Antonio Honda
3. New Year Special 8-Man Tag Match: Toru Owashi, Kazuki Hirata, Yuji Hino & Yukio Naya Vs Shinshun Pokotan, Yukio Sakaguchi, Saki Akai & Kazuma Sumi
4. Alice Tour Presents Special 10-Man Tag Match: Kazusada Higuchi, HARASHIMA, RSP, Soma Takao & Yuki Ishida Vs Tetsuya Endo, Jun Akiyama, Kotaro Suzuki, Yusuke Okada & Yuya Koroku
5. Alice Tour Presents Special Tag Match: Yuki Ueno & Cara Noir Vs MJ Paul & KANON
6. Special Single Match: Konosuke Takeshita Vs Takeshi Masada
7. DDT Universal Title Next Challenger Decision Battle: Naruki Doi Vs Daisuke Sasaki
8. KO-D Tag Team Titles: Chris Brookes & Masahiro Takanashi Vs MAO & Shunma Katsumata

Sanshiro Takagi has a mystery tag team partner lined up for his birthday match on 13th January. He will reveal who it is on this show.

Cheers are allowed for the show.

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TOKYO JOSHI PRO ’23”, 04/01/2023
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

1. HIMAWARI Debut Match: Yuki Aino Vs HIMAWARI
2. Wakana Uehara Debut Match: Moka Miyamoto & Juria Nagano Vs Arisu Endo & Wakana Uehara
3. Nao Kakuta, Mahiro Kiryu & Kaya Toribami Vs Raku, Pom Harajuku & Haruna Neko
4. New Year Special Match: Shoko Nakajima Vs Hyper Misao
5. Princess Of Princess Title Next Challenger Decision Battle Royal: Rika Tatsumi Vs Mizuki Vs Maki Itoh Vs Yuki Kamifuku Vs Hikari Noa Vs Suzume
6. International Princess Title: Miu Watanabe (c) Vs Trish Adora
7. Princess Tag Team Titles: Saki Akai & Yuki Arai (c) Vs Max The Impaler & Heidi Howitzer
8. Princess Of Princess Title: Yuka Sakazaki (c) Vs Miyu Yamashita

The 10th official year of Tokyo Joshi Pro begins in two days time!

GANBARE☆PRO “ADRENALINE 2023”, 05/01/2023
Tokyo Itabashi Green Hall

1. Riko Kawahata Vs YuuRI
2. Yuna Manase & Yoshiko Hasegawa Vs Moeka Haruhi & HARUKAZE
3. New Year Special 8-Man Elimination Tag Match: Ken Ohka, Shigehiro Irie, Shota & Shinichiro Tominaga Vs Shuichiro Katsumura, Keisuke Ishii, Shota & Hartley Jackson
4. Young Ganbare Cup: Yuki Kanzaki Vs Kentaro Hachisu
5. Young Ganbare Cup: Yumehito Imanari Vs Munetatsu Nakamura
6. Spirit Of Ganbare World Openweight Title: Mizuki Watase (c) Vs Tyson Maeguchi

Now that Shota is back in Japan his focus for now is on singles wrestling. This means there is not going to be a ROMANCE DAWN reunion with Soma Takao happening anytime soon. To prove it, they are on opposite teams for the Elimination Tag Match happening here.

The Ganbare☆Joshi division is rebooting this year. Details for what it entails are still to come but for now the women will continue doing their best. Like YuuRI here taking on the visiting Riko Kawahata. YuuRI is also going over to Ice Ribbon tomorrow as a last minute replacement for a few Actwres girl’Z wrestlers who pulled out all of a sudden. Don’t know what’s going on there.

DDT “NEW YEAR’S CURRENT EXPLOSION!”, 07/01/2023
Kanagawa Tsurumi Fruit & Vegetable Market

1. Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno Vs Hideki Okatani & Kazuma Sumi
2. Yukio Naya Vs Takeshi Masada
3. The 37KAMIINA Vs BURNING!: Yuki Ueno & MAO Vs Tetsuya Endo & Yuya Koroku
4. Harimao Vs DAMNATION T.A!: Kazusada Higuchi & Yuki Ishida Vs Daisuke Sasaki & KANON
5. Special 6-Man Tag Match: HARASHIMA, Saori Anou & Yusuke Okada Vs Kazuki Hirata, Saki Akai & Gota Ihashi
6. Chain Death Match: Chris Brookes Vs Demonio Uno
7. “Current Blast” Trademark Rights & Position Battle ~ Legend Resurrected! New Year Aerial Time Bomb & Current Blast Bat Death Match: Atsushi Onita, Shunma Katsumata & Toi Kojima Vs Sanshiro Takagi, Akito & Soma Takao

The Chris Brookes Vs Demonio Uno bout is now a Chain Death Match.

The show will begin with Atsushi Onita and Shunma Katsumata hosting a explosion themed opening ceremony to bring in the new year.

DDT “SWEET DREAMS! 2023 TOUR IN SHINJUKU ~FIRE!~”, 13/01/2023
Shinjuku FACE

1. Keigo Nakamura Comeback Match: Tetsuya Endo, Jun Akiyama & Yusuke Okada Vs HARASHIMA, Hideki Okatani & Keigo Nakamura
2. Shunma Katsumata Pheromones One Day Experience Match: Yuki “Sexy” Iino, Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno & Shunma Katsumata Vs Akito, Kazuki Hirata & Yuya Koroku
3. Special Tag Match: Sanshiro Takagi & X Vs Chris Brookes & Takeshi Masada
4. Special Single Match: Kotaro Suzuki Vs Soma Takao
5. DDT Universal Title: Yuki Ueno (c) Vs Winner Of 3/1 Decision Match

It’s going to be an Endless Waltz battle between Kotaro Suzuki and Soma Takao. Suzuki is the person who came up with the name Endless Waltz for the constant Las Magistral Cradles he likes to do. He got the name from a Gundam movie.

The show is happening on Takagi’s birthday. He will have already announced who his tag partner is going to be by the time the show takes place.

The supposed one day Katsumata has to join Pheromones is taking place on this day. Pheromones claim he is their “pet” for one month though.

Keigo Nakamura’s return match is throwing him right in there against BURNING.

Naruki Doi will be on the show.

DDT “SWEET DREAMS! 2023 TOUR IN YOKOHAMA”, 21/01/2023
Yokohama Radiant Hall

1. Yokohama Two Major Singles Match I: Yusuke Okada Vs Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno
2. Yokohama Two Major Singles Match II: Tetsuya Endo Vs Yuki “Sexy” Iino
3. DDT Extreme Title: Jun Akiyama (c) Vs Antonio Honda

By accident Antonio Honda has found himself challenging Jun Akiyama for the DDT Extreme Title. He was simply trying to get Super Sasadango Machine out of the ring when he stumbled into Akiyama while the champion was waiting for a new challenger to appear.

BURNING and Pheromones have a couple of singles matches happening leading up to their big battle at the end of the month. No way Yuki Iino and Danshoku Dieno will be on their own for these matches.

DDT “SWEET DREAMS! 2023”, 29/01/2023
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

1. KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles: Tetsuya Endo, Kotaro Suzuki & Yusuke Okada (c) Vs Yuki “Sexy” Iino, Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno & Koju “Shining Ball” Takeda
2. KO-D Tag Team Titles: X & X (c) Vs X & X
3. KO-D Openweight Title: Kazusada Higuchi (c) Vs Yuji Hino

In a rematch from the D-Ou Grand Prix draw that happened in November, Kazusada Higuchi and Yuji Hino are facing off again this time with the KO-D Openweight Title on the line. The previous match had a total of 182 chops thrown between the two and still ended without a winner. Admittedly, Hino demanded the match more because he wants to fight Higuchi again rather than because of a desire to win the KO-D Title for a second time.

BURNING defends their newly won KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles against Pheromones. Kotaro Suzuki was told when you come to DDT, a confrontation against Pheromones is inevitable. Tetsuya Endo & Yusuke Okada are already trying to get into their opponent’s heads by telling them what they do is not sexy at all. Koju Takeda will be the wild card because he is the third man on the Pheromones side instead of Yumehito Imanari.

Shinya Aoki, Naruki Doi and Hikaru Machida will all be on the show.

DDT “HAMAMATSU TRAIN PRO WRESTLING”, 19/02/2023
Shizuoka Tenryu Hamanako Railway

1. Hiroshi Yamato Vs X

DDT will be wrestling on a moving train again! A train filled with 47 passengers will depart from Mikkabi Station and travel along the Tenryu Hamanako Railway while wrestlers fight each other inside it. Hiroshi Yamato is the first wrestler to put his name into the hat.


Masada Ready For Hollywood, Watase’s 1st Title Defence, Explosive New Stipulations

December 28, 2022

DDT “NEVER MIND 2022”, 29/12/2022
Tokyo Dome City Hall

0. Dark Match: Hideki Okatani & Toi Kojima Vs Yuya Koroku & Kazuma Sumi
0. Dark Match: Minoru Fujita, MJ Paul & KANON Vs Masahiro Takanashi, Soma Takao & Antonio Honda
1. Sanshiro Takagi Vs Takeshi Masada
2. HARASHIMA & Yukio Sakaguchi Vs Yuji Hino & Yuki Ishida
3. Pheromones Vs “Miyako & Ward” Pheromones Subjugation Allied Forces ~ Dissolution & Pet Dogs Contra One Day Experience: Yuki “Sexy” Iino, Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno, Yumehito “Fantastic” Imanari & Koju “Shining Ball” Takeda Vs Akito, Osamu Nishimura, Shinichiro Kawamatsu & Shunma Katsumata
4. Special Single Match: Shinya Aoki Vs Chihiro Hashimoto
5. Special Tag Match: Saki Akai & Yuki Arai Vs Saori Anou & Riko Kawahata
6. KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles: Naruki Doi, Toru Owashi & Kazuki Hirata (c) Vs Tetsuya Endo, Kotaro Suzuki & Yusuke Okada
7. DDT Extreme Title – If 45-Year-Old Sasadango Machine’s Weight Loss Fails We Will Have A Standard Rules Match or Sasadango Extreme Rules: Jun Akiyama (c) Vs Super Sasadango Machine
8. Special Tag Match: Konosuke Takeshita & Yukio Naya Vs Daisuke Sekimoto & RSP
9. International 4 Way Match: Daisuke Sasaki Vs Chris Brookes Vs MAO Vs Cara Noir
10. KO-D Openweight Title: Kazusada Higuchi (c) Vs Yuki Ueno

It’s been four months since Takeshi Masada had his debut match. He’s been wrestling matches on a weekly basis since then so he hasn’t had the time to soak in any of them. He also doesn’t understand why DDT has labelled him a super rookie when he hasn’t won any matches yet. He’s also aware that Kazuma Sumi can quickly catch up with him which is another reason why he isn’t comfortable with the super rookie label. As for his match against Sanshiro Takagi, Masada is determined to win so he can be on DDT’s American shows next year. He wants to spread DDT across the world like Konosuke Takeshita is doing while also showing that DDT is more than just Takeshita. He wonders if Takagi really is the company president or only pretends to be one. He’ll find out tomorrow.

DDT “HATSUYUME 2023”, 03/01/2023
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

1. Makoto Oishi & Shiori Asahi Vs Hideki Okatani & Toi Kojima
2. Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno Vs Akito & Antonio Honda
3. New Year Special 8-Man Tag Match: Toru Owashi, Kazuki Hirata, Yuji Hino & Yukio Naya Vs Shinshun Pokotan, Yukio Sakaguchi, Saki Akai & Kazuma Sumi
4. Alice Tour Presents Special 10-Man Tag Match: Kazusada Higuchi, HARASHIMA, RSP, Soma Takao & Yuki Ishida Vs Tetsuya Endo, Jun Akiyama, Kotaro Suzuki, Yusuke Okada & Yuya Koroku
5. Alice Tour Presents Special Tag Match: Yuki Ueno & Cara Noir Vs MJ Paul & KANON
6. Special Single Match: Konosuke Takeshita Vs Takeshi Masada
7. DDT Universal Title Next Challenger Decision Battle: Naruki Doi Vs Daisuke Sasaki
8. KO-D Tag Team Titles: Chris Brookes & Masahiro Takanashi Vs MAO & Shunma Katsumata

Matches #4 and #5 are now sponsored by a travel agent called Alice Tours.

GANBARE☆PRO “ADRENALINE 2023”, 05/01/2023
Tokyo Itabashi Green Hall

1. Young Ganbare Cup: Yuki Kanzaki Vs Kentaro Hachisu
2. Young Ganbare Cup: Yumehito Imanari Vs Munetatsu Nakamura
3. Spirit Of Ganbare World Openweight Title: Mizuki Watase (c) Vs Tyson Maeguchi

The new Spirit Of Ganbare Champion already has a list of challengers he wants to face and is wasting no time in going through them. Mizuki Watase said there are some debts that need to be repaid and he mentioned losing to Tyson Maeguchi earlier in the year as an example. When Maeguchi heard this he demanded a title shot with both men agreeing to do it as soon as possible. Maeguchi has wanted to win this title ever since he took part in last year’s Ganbare☆Climax where the first champion was crowned. Doing so will be worth it for all of the times people have told Maeguchi to quit fighting because he is too small and weak.

Hartley Jackson will be on the show, confirming he is part of the Ganbare Family forever!

DDT “NEW YEAR’S CURRENT EXPLOSION!”, 07/01/2023
Kanagawa Tsurumi Fruit & Vegetable Market

1. Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno Vs Hideki Okatani & Kazuma Sumi
2. Yukio Naya Vs Takeshi Masada
3. The 37KAMIINA Vs BURNING!: Yuki Ueno & MAO Vs Tetsuya Endo & Yuya Koroku
4. Harimao Vs DAMNATION T.A!: Kazusada Higuchi & Yuki Ishida Vs Daisuke Sasaki & KANON
5. Special 6-Man Tag Match: HARASHIMA, Saori Anou & Yusuke Okada Vs Kazuki Hirata, Saki Akai & Gota Ihashi
6. Tsurumi Fruit & Vegetable Market Specialty Special Single Match: Chris Brookes Vs Demonio Uno
7. “Current Blast” Trademark Rights & Position Battle ~ Legend Resurrected! New Year Aerial Time Bomb & Current Blast Bat Death Match: Atsushi Onita, Shunma Katsumata & Toi Kojima Vs Sanshiro Takagi, Akito & Soma Takao

Now there are big stakes on the line for both teams in the main event. If Atsushi Onita’s team loses then Onita must transfer his trademark for exploding death matches over to DDT. However if the DDT team loses then whoever drops the fall must give up their company position to the wrestler who beats them! So either Onita, Shunma Katsumata or Toi Kojima could become the president of CyberFight, the vice president of CyberFight or the store manager of the Drop Kick Bar if they win.

The match itself is an Aerial Time Bomb & Current Blast Bat Death Match. There will be baseball bats rigged with explosives placed around the ring. Once 10 minutes have passed a time bomb that is hanging directly above the ring will drop and explode with a shower of sparks raining down along with it.


GANBARE☆PRO “GIRI GIRI CHOP! 2022” Results

December 27, 2022

GANBARE☆PRO “GIRI GIRI CHOP! 2022”, 27/12/2022
Tokyo Korakuen Hall
422 Fans

1. Munetatsu Nakamura Debut Match: Shinichiro Tominaga defeated Munetatsu Nakamura with a Crab Hold (8:33).
2. GanJo x TJPW Special Tag Match: Yuki Kamifuku & YuuRI defeated Suzume & Yoshiko Hasegawa when Kamifuku pinned Hasegawa with the Famouser (11:15).
3. GanPro Vs Pheromones: Ken Ohka & Yumehito Imanari Vs Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno ended in a No Contest (12:14).
4. GanJo Vs Ice Ribbon: Yuna Manase, Moeka Haruhi & HARUKAZE defeated Nao Ishikawa, Yuki Mashiro & Kaho Matsushita when Manase pinned Ishikawa with the Short-Range Lariat (13:45).
5. Shota Triumphant Return Match: Shuichiro Katsumura & Shota defeated Soma Takao & Shigehiro Irie when Shota pinned Takao with the Frog Splash (13:02).
6. Kouki Iwasaki Ganbare☆Pro Wrestling Last Match: Keisuke Ishii defeated Kouki Iwasaki with the Kneel Kick (11:12).
7. Spirit Of Ganbare World Openweight Title: Mizuki Watase defeated Hartley Jackson (c) with an Elbow Butt (17:20).
*Hartley Jackson fails in V3. Mizuki Watase becomes the 4th Spirit Of Ganbare Champion!

There is a new Spirit Of Ganbare Champion and it is Mizuki Watase! The shock result caps off a rollercoaster year for Watase. He had left DDT for Ganbare☆Pro last December and now 12 months later has become their champion, dethroning the seemingly unstoppable Hartley Jackson. The match was hot from the get go with Watase jumping Jackson in the ring and hitting a Topé outside. Jackson fought back using apron moves and Lariats. Watase fired himself up by using Shinjiro Otani style Facewashes in the corner before hitting a Missile Dropkick to the outside of the ring. Jackson’s size advantage came into play when Watase couldn’t use any lifting style moves and things looked to be over when he hit the Jumping Piledriver. However not only did Watase kick out at two but he gathered the strength to give Jackson a Brainbuster. Watase then rained down Elbow Butt after Elbow Butt to the champion. Jackson hit a second Piledriver only for Watase to shake it off and hit even more Elbow Butts, going for the pin after every strike until he finally got the three count.

Jackson handed the title over to Watase after the match and embraced him. In return Watase told him that he is now part of the Ganpro family. Jackson said Watase is now number one. He also said he has a dream he wants to achieve. His days here at Ganpro was fun but now its time to say goodbye. Jackson left the ring only for other Ganpro wrestlers to surround him and get him back into the ring. Jackson then said he was only kidding and he is part of the Ganbare Family forever! Watase told the fans he hopes everyone in Ganpro gave them even a little bit of energy, courage, hopes and dreams today. He thinks people who chase their dreams are wonderful and should never give them up. He got everyone in Korakuen Hall to stand up and together they all said “We are Ganbare☆Pro Wrestling!” to close out the show. He also got a congratulations from Shigehiro Irie while they were leaving ringside. Backstage Watase threw out a few names for potential title defences. He lost to Tyson Maeguchi and Ken Ohka in singles matches earlier this year. He even said he could defend it against a foreigner or a director from some research institute for all he cares.

One person who definitely is saying their goodbyes to Ganpro today is Kouki Iwasaki. His final match as a contracted member of their roster was a defeat to Keisuke Ishii, losing to the Kneel Kick. After the match Iwasaki told everyone that Ganpro isn’t just about crying and screaming. He is going out into the wrestling world to make himself even bigger and he thinks Ganpro will also grow without him. Maybe someday he will return to Ganpro too! He also told Ishii not to be satisfied with his current position in the company. He should be aiming for the Spirit Of Ganbare Title! Backstage Ishii said he was able to win today because of his willpower. His confidence is growing and he wants the Ganpro fans to have higher expectations for him next year.

Shota returned from America and landed with a statement win over his tag team partner. He pinned Soma Takao with the Frog Splash and said afterwards he wants to focus on being a singles wrestler for the time being. It will be a little while before the dawn of adventure comes again for ROMANCE DAWN. Shota is proud of what he achieved over the last four months in America and he is looking forward to everyone’s reactions to his return. He admits to hitting the wall while he was in America and decided he needs to raise his value back in Japan. So now his goal is to wrap a championship around his waist. Shuichiro Katsumura said he had two big matches in Ganpro this year. Lately he’s been feeling frustrated but seeing Shota again made him feel better and look forward to next year. Takao was disappointed with the loss because according to him it’s the first time he lost to Shota since he was 18 years old. He won’t lose to him in a singles match though. However those thoughts will go away and he hopes the ROMANCE DAWN tag team will resume eventually.

The Ganbare☆Joshi division had a good day at Ice Ribbon’s expense (possibly in more ways than one given the news below). In a 6-Woman Tag Match Yuna Manase scored the pinfall for her team after nailing Nao Ishikawa with a Lariat. Moeka Haruhi thought the Ice Ribbon team were the perfect opponents for her today. For example she was able to learn from Yuki Mashiro in the ring even though Mashiro will be retiring from pro wrestling in a few days time. HARUKAZE was happy to win her last Ganpro match of the year and thinks it gives her momentum for 2023. Manase has spent time in Ice Ribbon this year and thinks everybody over their are very Ganpro at heart. Kaho Matsushita said she wants to fight against the three GanJo wrestlers again and would like to see them come over to Ice Ribbon.

The Ganpro Vs Pheromones match went in a very weird direction. Early in the show a video played showing Yumehito Imanari being attacked backstage. The assailant was then revealed to be… Yumehito “Fantastic” Imanari? More confusion was shown when Ken Ohka walked to the ring on his own and Imanari appeared entered with the Pheromones team. Ohka preceeded to fight with a 3-on-1 disadvantage, taking the worst that Yuki Iino & Danshoku Dieno could throw at them while Imanari cut off any hope Ohka had of turning things around. Ohka finally found a way to snap Imanari back to normal and bring the fight back to even numbers. However the ensuing melee ended up with Shuichi Nishinaga getting caught in the crossfire so many times that the match had to be called off without a winner. Ohka and Iino kept on fighting for a little bit after the bell. When things calmed down, a video was shown of Imanari meeting with his “Fantastic” backstage. They both suggested they should have a singles match together someday (Imanari also described “Fantastic” as somebody “pretending to be Yoshiaki Fujiwara“).

The other women’s match on the show mixed wrestlers from Ganjo with Tokyo Joshi Pro into two teams. YuuRI teamed with Yuki Kamifuku while Yoshiko Hasegawa was partnered with Suzume. While in the build up Kamifuku looked to be annoyed to be paired with YuuRI, in the ring they gelled together as a team just as much as their opponents did. Kamifuku picked up the win by pinning Hasegawa with the Famouser. YuuRI is happy with the result but wanted to win the match by herself to impress Kamifuku and make her unrequitedl love for her come true. Kamifuku admits YuuRI has a cute face, the only thing is she has no real class. That’s why YuuRI wasn’t the one who won the match today. The explanation left YuuRI feeling confused. Kamifuku will think about teaming with her again but only if YuuRI can stop Ken Ohka from posting his creepy morning selfies.

The debut of Munetatsu Nakamura kicked off the show. He was put in the ring against Shinichiro Tominaga and impressed the fans by using a Locomotive Front Chancery Suplex for a nearfall. However Tominaga caught one of his Dropkicks and turned it into a Crab Hold, forcing the rookie to submit. Nakamura has a background in both amateur wrestling and judo. He says he wants to be a pro wrestler who makes the best out of both of those fighting styles. Tominaga liked what he sees and is trying to process why he was chosen to be Nakamura’s first opponent. That role can be a huge gift for a debuting pro wrestler. Tominaga’s first opponent was El Generico for example and that opportunity is something he could never repay even if it takes him the rest of his life. He admits he is nowhere near the global superstar that guy is now but Tominaga hopes Nakamura will grow so both of them can someday carry Ganpro on their backs.

There were some big news announcements at the beginning of the show. The first was the introduction of Michiyoshi Mishima, the newest adviser for Ganpro. Mishima was previously a staff member for Ice Ribbon and had a hand in helping DDT book Budokan Hall back in 2012. He has been a fan of Ganpro going back to the first year of the promotion’s existence, before they were even running full fledged shows. He has a deep knowledge of joshi wrestling so his first call to action involves rebooting Ganbare☆Joshi. He announced that next year Ganjo will hold a show by themselves with no male wrestlers involved in any of the matches.

The next announcement was a new tournament beginning on 5th January called the Young Ganbare Cup. It will be a league format built around encouraging the growth of younger wrestlers. Imanari asked to be one of the first entrants. Ohka was reluctant to agree but Mishima accepted his request. Nakamura will also be taking part with more participants to be revealed soon.

Last but not least, “WRESTLE SEKIGAHARA II” will take place in Ota Ward Gymnasium on 9th July! It will be he second year in a row Ganpro will be running in the venue.


The Eccentric’s Ambition, Dogs On The Line, Ittenyon Tradition, LiLiCo Prepares For Spectacular Explosion

December 19, 2022

DDT “DANSHOKU DIENO 20TH ANNIVERSARY BOOK PUBLICATION COMMEMORATION”, 21/12/2022
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

0. Dark Match – Karma Handicap Match: Sanshiro Takagi Vs Akito, Toru Owashi, Kazuki Hirata, Antonio Honda & Hiroshi Yamato
1. DDT Wrestlers With Short Career Experience Are Called Young Drama: Anarko Montaña & Hideki Okatani Vs Takeshi Masada & Kazuma Sumi
2. Untitled Staggered Entrance Rumble: HARASHIMA Vs Makoto Oishi Vs Yukio Sakaguchi Vs Saki Akai Vs Koju “Shining Ball” Takeda Vs Yusuke Okada Vs Yuya Koroku
3. In The Present 6-Man Tag Match: Yuki Ueno, MAO & Toi Kojima Vs Chris Brookes, Masahiro Takanashi & Ken Ohka
4. Novelty Single Match: Naruki Doi Vs Shunma Katsumata
5. DDT Tradition 6-Man Tag Match: Kazusada Higuchi, Yuki Ishida & Thanomsak Toba Vs Tesuya Endo, Jun Akiyama & DJ Nira
6. Selfishly For The 2nd Time In 20 Years, A Single Match That Danshoku Dieno Just Wants To See: Yuki “Sexy” Iino Vs Yumehito “Fantastic” Imanari
7. Selfishly For The 1st Time In 20 Years, Danshoku Dieno’s Self-Satisfaction Match: Danshoku Dieno Vs Muscle Sakai

The name of Danshoku Dieno’s book is “The Eccentric’s Ambition: What I Learnt From Fighting The Invisible Man On How To Increase My Value”. He got the book deal by pitching it as a self help title but it’s really an excuse for him to write his opinions about pro wrestling from throughout his career.

DDT “NEVER MIND 2022”, 29/12/2022
Tokyo Dome City Hall

0. Dark Match: Hideki Okatani & Toi Kojima Vs Yuya Koroku & Kazuma Sumi
0. Dark Match: Minoru Fujita, MJ Paul & KANON Vs Masahiro Takanashi, Soma Takao & Antonio Honda
1. Sanshiro Takagi Vs Takeshi Masada
2. HARASHIMA & Yukio Sakaguchi Vs Yuji Hino & Yuki Ishida
3. Pheromones Vs “Miyako & Ward” Pheromones Subjugation Allied Forces ~ Dissolution & Pet Dogs Contra One Day Experience: Yuki “Sexy” Iino, Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno, Yumehito “Fantastic” Imanari & Koju “Shining Ball” Takeda Vs Akito, Osamu Nishimura, Shinichiro Kawamatsu & Shunma Katsumata
4. Special Tag Match: Saki Akai & Yuki Arai Vs Saori Anou & Riko Kawahata
5. Special Tag Match: Konosuke Takeshita & Yukio Naya Vs Daisuke Sekimoto & RSP
6. International 4 Way Match: Daisuke Sasaki Vs Chris Brookes Vs MAO Vs Cara Noir
7. Special Single Match: Shinya Aoki Vs Chihiro Hashimoto
8. KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles: Naruki Doi, Toru Owashi & Kazuki Hirata (c) Vs Tetsuya Endo, Kotaro Suzuki & Yusuke Okada
9. DDT Extreme Title: Jun Akiyama (c) Vs Super Sasadango Machine
10. KO-D Openweight Title: Kazusada Higuchi (c) Vs Yuki Ueno

The big blowoff match between Pheromones and the Pheromones Subjugation Allied Forces now has several stipulations attached to it. Pheromones and Akito had three prelim matches earlier this month and the winner of each match got to add a stipulation. Pheromones won the first match and decided if they win the blowoff bout then whoever they pin must join their unit for one day. Akito’s team won the other two prelim matches and he got to come up with two conditions if Pheromones lose on the 29th. The first is Pheromones must disband. The second is Dieno & Yuki Iino must give away their pet dogs to Shunma Katsumata for a month! Will Haku & Lily end up under Katsumata’s care?

The special ambassador LiLiCo was interviewed over her role on the show. She said ever since her retirement from pro wrestling, she felt like she lost a part of herself. The anal explosion ceremony gives her something to focus on and she wants it to be spectacular. She understands the risk of it and promises not to complain if she can’t use that body part anymore afterwards. She also hopes to continue being involved with DDT next year. She is still rehabbing the knee injury that made her decide to do her retirement match back in March. However she is on track to be completely healed in 2023. Perhaps a return to the ring is in her future.

DDT “HATSUYUME 2023”, 03/01/2023
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

1. Makoto Oishi & Shiori Asahi Vs Hideki Okatani & Toi Kojima
2. New Year Special 8-Man Tag Match: Toru Owashi, Kazuki Hirata, Yuji Hino & Yukio Naya Vs Shinshun Pokotan, Yukio Sakaguchi, Saki Akai & Kazuma Sumi
3. DDT Universal Title Next Challenger Decision Battle: Naruki Doi Vs Daisuke Sasaki
4. KO-D Tag Team Titles: Chris Brookes & Masahiro Takanashi Vs MAO & Shunma Katsumata

Pokotan gets to be part of the new year celebrations. The DDT mascot will be appearing in its Shinsun New Year form for its first match of 2023.

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TOKYO JOSHI PRO ’23”, 04/01/2023
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

1. HIMAWARI Debut Match: Yuki Aino Vs HIMAWARI
2. Wakana Uehara Debut Match: Moka Miyamoto & Juria Nagano Vs Arisu Endo & Wakana Uehara
3. Nao Kakuta, Mahiro Kiryu & Kaya Toribami Vs Raku, Pom Harajuku & Haruna Neko
4. New Year Special Match: Shoko Nakajima Vs Hyper Misao
5. Princess Of Princess Title Next Challenger Decision Battle Royal: Rika Tatsumi Vs Mizuki Vs Maki Itoh Vs Yuki Kamifuku Vs Hikari Noa Vs Suzume
6. International Princess Title: Miu Watanabe (c) Vs Trish Adora
7. Princess Tag Team Titles: Saki Akai & Yuki Arai (c) Vs Max The Impaler & Heidi Howitzer
8. Princess Of Princess Title: Yuka Sakazaki (c) Vs Miyu Yamashita

A 6-Woman Battle Royal will determine the No. 1 Contender for the Princess Of Princess Title. There’s a former champion in Rika Tatsumi taking part. Both Mizuki and Maki Itoh have had failed challenges for the top title. Yuki Kamifuku, Hikari Noa or Suzume would all be first time challengers should one of them win.

The Ittenyon tradition returns! Since 2020 Shoko Nakajima and Hyper Misao have done a wacky singles match against each other on 4th January. The usual stipulation is the loser gets renamed by the winner for a short period of time, along with a gimmick change to go with it. The past examples are Misao becoming Akemi Daredasore and Nakajima becoming Shin Ultra Shoko. Nakajima did not go through with renaming Misao after the last match because she was concerned it would be a distraction for them before the “Futari wa Princess” Max Heart tournament began. The same situation is coming up in January so at least right now there is no stipulation attached to the match.

The debut matches for Wakana Uehara and HIMAWARI are now confirmed. Uehara gets to be in a tag match while HIMAWARI is doing a singles.

DDT “NEW YEAR’S CURRENT EXPLOSION!”, 07/01/2023
Kanagawa Tsurumi Fruit & Vegetable Market

1. Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno Vs Hideki Okatani & Kazuma Sumi
2. Yukio Naya Vs Takeshi Masada
3. The 37KAMIINA Vs BURNING!: Yuki Ueno & MAO Vs Tetsuya Endo & Yuya Koroku
4. Harimao Vs DAMNATION T.A!: Kazusada Higuchi & Yuki Ishida Vs Daisuke Sasaki & KANON
5. Special 6-Man Tag Match: HARASHIMA, Saori Anou & Yusuke Okada Vs Kazuki Hirata, Saki Akai & Gota Ihashi
6. Tsurumi Fruit & Vegetable Market Specialty Special Single Match: Chris Brookes Vs Demonio Uno
7. “Current Explosion” Trademark Battle ~ Current Explosion Death Match: Atsushi Onita, Shunma Katsumata & Toi Kojima Vs Sanshiro Takagi, Akito & Soma Takao

The CyberFight president, vice president and store manager of the Dropkick Bar are all joining forces to take the exploding death match trademark away from Atsushi Onita! Their argument is DDT could do more with the gimmick if they had the trademark while all Onita has done with it is create an exploding death match monopoly. Onita got some unlikely allies for this fight. Katsumata was previously trying to dethrone Onita as “The Evil Ways” for a new generation. He supports Onita here because you can’t do an exploding death match without him! Toi Kojima experienced this kind of match for the first time back in September and impressed Onita with his courage. Together the three of them will stop DDT management from taking what does not belong to them!

“BAKA GAIJIN + FRIENDS VOL. TWO”, 24/01/2023
Tokyo ARENA Shimokitazawa

1. Special Singles Match: Fuminori Abe Vs Death Worm
2. Thai Boxing Vs Death Match: Thanomsak Toba Vs Drew Parker
3. Special Tag Match: Ram Kaichow & Onryo Vs Chris Brookes & Masahiro Takanashi

The first “BAKA GAIJIN + FRIENDS” show was a big success and the second one looks to be even bigger. This time around Ram Kaichow & Onryo from 666 are here to give CDK a scary night. I bet Chris Brookes hasn’t forgotten about his casket match with both of them during the King Of Street Wrestling tournament.

Drew Parker has a styles clash waiting for him. The death match wrestler takes on the challenge of Thanomsak Toba and his Thai kickboxing abilities. Meanwhile Fuminori Abe is already making use of his newly freelance statuse by getting into fight with Death Worm.

Takayuki Ueki will be doing a variety performance of some sort before the main event.


DDT “ROAD TO NEVER MIND 2022 IN KUMAMOTO” Results

December 17, 2022

DDT “ROAD TO NEVER MIND 2022 IN KUMAMOTO”, 17/12/2022
Kumamoto City Information Distribution Center
250 Fans – Super No Vacancy

1. 3 Way Match: Shunma Katsumata defeated Saki Akai and Kazuki Hirata when Katsumata pinned Hirata with a Cradle (6:31).
2. Special Tag Match: Akito & Kazuma Sumi (w/ Yoshihiko) defeated Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno when Akito pinned Dieno with a Stepover Toe Hold (11:26).
3. Sanshiro Takagi & Yusuke Okada defeated Toru Owashi & Takeshi Masada when Okada pinned Masada after the Stunner from Takagi (8:28).
4. Daisuke Sasaki & KANON defeated HARASHIMA & Hideki Okatani when Sasaki submitted Okatani with the Numero Dos Punto Seis Seis Seis (11:23).
5. The 37KAMIINA Vs BURNING!: Yuki Ueno, MAO & Toi Kojima defeated Tetsuya Endo, Jun Akiyama & Yuya Koroku when Ueno pinned Koroku with the WR (16:03).
6. Kumamoto Specialty Special 6-Man Tag Match: Yuji Hino, Makoto Oishi & Shiori Asahi defeated Kazusada Higuchi, Chris Brookes & Yuki Ishida when Oishi pinned Ishida after the Cactus Flower (20:36).

Yuki Ishida’s homecoming show was spoiled by Ω. Ishida got to speak on the microphone at the beginning of the show. The end of the show however had Makoto Oishi standing over him throwing insults in front of everyone. Yuji Hino also announced Ω will be producing his 20th Anniversary show in Kumamoto on 20th July next year. DDT will be back there before then in May so Ishida promises to become stronger in time for that.

The big news coming out of this show came from backstage comments made by Sanshiro Takagi & Akito about Atsushi Onita’s upcoming appearance on 7th January. All of a sudden they accused Onita of monopolizing the Current Blast Death Match gimmick! They fear that style of wrestling will die out when Onita is finally gone and called it a negative on the pro wrestling world. Takagi & Akito challenged him to put his trademark for the stipulation on the line in a 6-Man Tag Death Match. Soma Takao will be the third man on the DDT team, putting the three company president wrestlers together to take the trademark away from Onita by force. They claim it will be better if DDT gets control of the trademark so they can spread exploding death matches across the world.

Takeshi Masada still has a lot to learn, like don’t trust anybody while you are wrestling. He almost had Yusuke Okada beaten when Takagi suddenly told him he passed his test and can now go to the DDT show in Hollywood next year. Masada believed him and dropped his guard. Takagi then kicked him in the gut and gave him a Stunner so Okada could roll him up into a pin. Masada said he will remember this and swore revenge on Takagi.

Akito’s team winning today against Pheromones means that his requested stipulation is now added to their match on 29th December. That stipulation is Pheromones must disband if they lose that match.


Baka Gaijin Show, Shota Coming Home, Never Mind 2022 Complete Card

December 5, 2022

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW CITY CIRCUIT AUTUMN ~HAMAMATSU PERFORMANCE~”, 10/12/2022
Shizuoka Entetsu Hall

1. Suzume Vs Kaya Toribami
2. Hyper Misao Vs Mahiro Kiryu
3. Hikari Noa Vs Haruna Neko
4. Yuka Sakazaki & Mizuki Vs Raku & Pom Harajuku
5. Shoko Nakajima, Yuki Aino & Arisu Endo Vs Rika Tatsumi, Miu Watanabe & Moka Miyamoto
6. EVE Title: Miyu Yamashita (c) Vs Rhio

Maki Itoh & Yuki Kamifuku are both missing from this Saturday’s show because they will be wrestling in Malaysia. Nao Kakuta is also absent because of her stage work.

“BAKA GAIJIN + FRIENDS”, 13/12/2022
Tokyo ARENA Shimokitazawa

1. Interdimensional Kaiju Vs Fucked Up Warfare: MAO Vs Death Worm
2. Gatoh Move Tag: Mei Suruga & Miya Yostuba Vs Masahiro Takanashi & Chie Koishikawa
3. Double Anniversary Special: Chris Brookes Vs Drew Parker

A mat pro wrestling show is taking place at ARENA Shimokitazawa to celebrate Chris Brookes’ 15th Anniversary as well as Drew Parker’s 10th Anniversary. Guests from Gatoh Move and IWA Japan are involved on the undercard and there is also going to be a solo acoustic performance by Antonio Honda.

DDT “DANSHOKU DIENO 20TH ANNIVERSARY BOOK PUBLICATION COMMEMORATION”, 21/12/2022
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

1. DDT Tradition 6-Man Tag Match: Kazusada Higuchi, Yuki Ishida & Thanomsak Toba Vs Tesuya Endo, Jun Akiyama & DJ Nira
2. Novelty Single Match: Naruki Doi Vs Shunma Katsumata
3. Selfishly For The 2nd Time In 20 Years, A Single Match That Danshoku Dieno Just Wants To See: Yuki “Sexy” Iino Vs Yumehito “Fantastic” Imanari
4. Selfishly For The 1st Time In 20 Years, Danshoku Dieno’s Self-Satisfaction Match: Danshoku Dieno Vs Muscle Sakai

A first time ever match between Naruki Doi and Shunma Katsumata is one of the matches Danshoku Dieno made for his book launch event. He also put together a standard 6-Man Tag match between Harimao and BURNING with Thanomsak Toba and DJ Nira also sprinkled in.

GANBARE☆PRO “GIRI GIRI CHOP! 2022”, 27/12/2022
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

1. Munetatsu Nakamura Debut Match: Shinichiro Tominaga Vs Munetatsu Nakamura
2. GanJo x TJPW Special Tag Match: Suzume & Yoshiko Hasegawa Vs Yuki Kamifuku & YuuRI
3. Shota Triumphant Return Match: Shuichiro Katsumura & Shota Vs Soma Takao & Shigehiro Irie
4. Kouki Iwasaki Ganbare☆Pro Wrestling Last Match: Keisuke Ishii Vs Kouki Iwasaki
5. Spirit Of Ganbare World Openweight Title: Hartley Jackson (c) Vs Mizuki Watase

Shota’s American excursion is coming to and end and he will be back home in Japan before the year is over. His big return match for Ganbare☆Pro sees him teaming with Shuichiro Katsumura against the Team Drift pair of Soma Takao & Shigehiro Irie.

We’re getting a collaboration between Ganbare☆Joshi and Tokyo Joshi Pro. Previous opponents Suzume & Yoshiko Hasegawa are excited to be teaming together. Their opponents Yuki Kamifuku & YuuRI not so much. I mean, YuuRI is thrilled because she looks up to Kamifuku. Shame that Kamifuku thinks little of YuuRI in return.

The Ganpro rookie Munetatsu Nakamura gets Shinichiro Tominaga as his first opponent. As long as he doesn’t take any of Tominaga’s advice on how to spend time with the opposite sex he’ll be fine.

DDT “NEVER MIND 2022”, 29/12/2022
Tokyo Dome City Hall

0. Dark Match: Hideki Okatani & Toi Kojima Vs Yuya Koroku & Kazuma Sumi
0. Dark Match: Minoru Fujita, MJ Paul & KANON Vs Masahiro Takanashi, Soma Takao & Antonio Honda
1. Sanshiro Takagi Vs Takeshi Masada
2. HARASHIMA & Yukio Sakaguchi Vs Yuji Hino & Yuki Ishida
3. Pheromones Vs “Miyako & Ward” Pheromones Subjugation Allied Forces: Yuki “Sexy” Iino, Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno, Yumehito “Fantastic” Imanari & Koju “Shining Ball” Takeda Vs Akito, Osamu Nishimura, Shinichiro Kawamatsu & Shunma Katsumata
4. Special Tag Match: Saki Akai & Yuki Arai Vs Saori Anou & Riko Kawahata
5. Special Tag Match: Konosuke Takeshita & Yukio Naya Vs Daisuke Sekimoto & RSP
6. International 4 Way Match: Daisuke Sasaki Vs Chris Brookes Vs MAO Vs Cara Noir
7. Special Single Match: Shinya Aoki Vs Chihiro Hashimoto
8. KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles: Naruki Doi, Toru Owashi & Kazuki Hirata (c) Vs Tetsuya Endo, Kotaro Suzuki & Yusuke Okada
9. DDT Extreme Title: Jun Akiyama (c) Vs Super Sasadango Machine
10. KO-D Openweight Title: Kazusada Higuchi (c) Vs Yuki Ueno

DDT’s 25th year comes to a close at Tokyo Dome City Hall. The main event is Kazusada Higuchi putting the KO-D Openweight Title on the line against Yuki Ueno, the winner of this year’s D-Ou Grand Prix. Going back to the summer the main event scene in DDT has been built around who is the most capable to carry the company on their back. Higuchi ended up standing head and shoulders above everyone else and getting to fly the flag (in some cases literally) was his reward. Ueno has one of the loudest claims to being the rightful leader of DDT, purposely adding more pressure to himself in order to reach his goal. He just won the Grand Prix and is still the reigning DDT Universal Champion. He is going to get what he wants and stand toe to toe against DDT’s current symbol of strength Higuchi. Ueno’s plan if he becomes the double crown champion is to defend the Universal Title overseas. He also wants to defend both championships on a monthly basis as long as his body can take it.

Jun Akiyama is keeping himself busy going into the new year by coming up with a bunch of suggestions for DDT to work on. He is the new DDT Extreme Champion and already has a challenger lined up for him. Super Sasadango Machine asked for a title shot to make up for how little he wrestled this year. Akiyama agreed to it but thinks Sasadango has become overweight. He strongly advised Sasadango to lose 20kg in time for the match. In order to do this Akiyama suggested DDT should create the DDT Health Club which he can be president of. There used to be a NOAH Health Club so he got his idea from there. As champion Akiyama can also choose the match stipulation but he will consult with Kenta Kobashi before making that decision. He would rather Sasadango come up with the rules if it is allowed because the champion having that power gives him too much of an unfair advantage. In fact, Akiyama wants to form a committee for the Extreme Title and Kobashi to be the chairman. Akiyama also isn’t comfortable with holding a purple championship because he has a bad history with that colour. He asked DDT if they can change the Extreme Title to a white belt in tribute to the retired GHC Hardcore Openweight Title he was originally responsible for creating.

Well, Naruki Doi said he wanted a match with Tetsuya Endo so he’s getting one. Endo made it known during the Grand Prix his goal in DDT is to win all of the championships and right now his target is the KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles. The match gives Yusuke Okada some sorely needed spotlight after spending the last few months on the undercard. Kotaro Suzuki adds a lot of firepower to the team as well. Can Doi rely on DISASTER BOX to carry their share of the work? Toru Owashi won’t let him down but Kazuki Hirata can go from completely useless to the luckiest man in the ring on a coin flip.

Time for Yukio Naya to dust himself off and move on to the next challenge. The D-Ou finalist gets to team with Konosuke Takeshita against the unusual pairing of Daisuke Sekimoto & RSP in an all heavyweight tag battle.


DDT “D-OU GRAND PRIX 2022 THE FINAL” Results

December 4, 2022

DDT “D-OU GRAND PRIX 2022 THE FINAL”, 04/12/2022
Tokyo Korakuen Hall
711 Fans – Super No Vacancy Full House

1. Soma Takao, Hideki Okatani & Hikaru Machida defeated Yuya Koroku, Yuki Ishida & Takeshi Masada when Takao pinned Ishida with the Gin And Tonic (8:36).
2. Soccer Match: Yuki “Sexy” Iino, Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno & Yumehito “Fantastic” Imanari (3) defeated Akito & Antonio Honda (2) by Penalty Shootout.
2a. Akito (1) pinned Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno (0) with a Gene LeBell Style Rolling Cradle (1st Half 0:18).
2b. Akito (2) pinned Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno (0) with a Free Kick (1st Half 1:21).
2c. Yuki “Sexy” Iino (1) pinned Akito (2) with the Ketsugoye (2nd Half 0:37).
2d. Yuki “Sexy” Iino (2) pinned Akito (2) with the Sexy Lariat (2nd Half 2:54).
*Pheromotia advance to the Final 8.
3. BURNING Vs The 37KAMIINA!: Tetsuya Endo, Kotaro Suzuki & Yusuke Okada defeated MAO, Shunma Katsumata & Toi Kojima when Endo pinned Kojima with the Burning Star Press (12:09).
4. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Naruki Doi, Toru Owashi & Kazuki Hirata defeated HARASHIMA, Yukio Sakaguchi & Kazuma Sumi when Hirata pinned Sumi with the Miracle One Shot Cradle (10:25).
5. DDT Extreme Title – TLC Match: Jun Akiyama defeated Joey Janela (c) with the Wrist Clutch Exploder Suplex (11:32).
*Joey Janela fails in V5. Jun Akiyama becomes the 56th DDT Extreme Champion!
6. Special 8-Man Tag Match: Kazusada Higuchi, Yuji Hino, Chris Brookes & RSP defeated Daisuke Sasaki, Minoru Fujita, MJ Paul & KANON when Higuchi pinned Paul with the Buchikamashi (10:50).
7. D-Ou Grand Prix 2022 – Final: Yuki Ueno defeated Yukio Naya with the BME (20:32).

The reigning DDT Universal Champion is now also the D-Ou Grand Prix winner for 2022! Before the tournament even began Yuki Ueno has been calling his shot to win the whole thing as part of his quest to be the leading figure in DDT. He achieved it here by beating Yukio Naya in the final. Naya came into the match as confident as he has ever been and looked to win with sheer power. He used an Avalanche Choke Slam as his big move to set up the Torture Cobra Twist. Ueno relied on his own speed and agility in response, nearly scoring a countout win after a Moonsault out of the ring. The BME was countered at first when Naya blocked it with his knees. Ueno tried to show fighting spirit against his opponent’s Lariats and Knee Strikes until he started to show signs of collapse. His second wind came when he countered a Choke Slam with a Triangle Choke. He used his new Rolling Guillotine Ace Crusher but was too beaten up to go for the pin. When both stood back up, Naya got the first blow and landed the Back Drop. However he too was slow to make the cover and Ueno kicked out. Naya rushed in for a final attack and he ran straight into a series of Dropkicks until he couldn’t get back up. Ueno got to hit the BME in the end and that was enough to win him the match.

Naya received applause from the crowd as he left ringside. Ueno stayed in the ring to receive his trophy from Kenta Kobashi. Ueno called Naya a big and amazing opponent that he was able to beat on his own. Ueno promises he will still work hard to become the best in DDT and get more people to watch DDT. He wants everybody to love DDT as much as he does. He has the DDT Universal Title, just won the D-Ou Grand Prix and now wants to win the KO-D Openweight Title! He’s sure Konosuke Takeshita is watching him from America and knows he wouldn’t be working so hard if it wasn’t for his friends. Backstage Naya showed frustration because he said he was going to carry DDT on his shoulders like a big shot only to lose in the final. He swore in 2023 he will go higher and become big enough to challenge for the KO-D Title. Kobashi praised Naya for not running out of stamina during such a long match and being able to respond to Ueno’s fast pace. Last year he was told by people in DDT that Ueno is a genius. Kobashi is beginning to understand the claim after watching him throughout the Grand Prix. He also thinks the future of DDT is blossoming because the final was between two wrestlers in their 20s.

A collection of heavyweights from the D-Ou group stages all joined forces to fight against DAMNATION T.A. The size differences took Minoru Fujita off guard. The opposition all ganged up on him and pulled off the Kai En Tai pyramid pose with Chris Brookes posing at the top. KANON tried slowing down Yuji Hino with the Cobra Twist. Daisuke Sasaki wanted to fight everyone off with a chair but was given a Double Choke Slam from RSP & Brookes. Hino then gathered most of DAMNATION T.A together outside the ring so RSP could do a Topé into them. MJ Paul showed some fight against Kazusada Higuchi but he too was decimated with the Buchikamashi sumo charge for the three count. After the match Higuchi said it does not matter if his next challenger is Ueno or Naya. He just wants to fight and defend the championship.

For the first time in his decorated career Jun Akiyama was taking part in a TLC Match. His opponent Joey Janela came up with the stipulation for the DDT Extreme Title match for his own benefit. Except that does not change the face he still had to fight Jun Akiyama! The challenger gradually found his footing in an arena filled with Tables, Ladders and Chairs all available to be used as weapons. He threw Janela out of the ring onto a castle of chairs. He also gave Janela the Exploder Suplex onto a ladder inside the ring. Janela showed his guts and went high risk. It paid off with a Diving Elbow from a ladder putting Akiyama through a table. He wanted to continue the attack but Akiyama gave him an Avalanche Exploder onto another table. Janela kicked out so Akiyama had to give him the Wrist-Clutch Exploder to finally put him away and win the Extreme Title!

After the match Janela finally showed Akiyama some respect by shaking his hand. Janela later said Akiyama earned his respect by stepping into his area of hardcore wrestling and winning. As Akiyama was leaving the ring, Super Sasadango Machine appeared and called for his attention. He told everyone that he has not wrestled much in 2022 and wanted to make a year end adjustment. He figured if he could challenge Akiyama for the Extreme Title at the end of the year it would make up for his inactivity. Akiyama thought about it and agreed. He then asked Sasadango how much he weighed. Sasadango answered he is 125kg. Akiyama told him to lose 20kg and then left the ring. Hisaya Imabayashi used his GM powers to make the match official for 29th December.

Naruki Doi’s request to face DDT’s best led him straight to HARASHIMA. Although first he had to go through Kazuma Sumi because the rookie wanted to start the match against him. Kazuki Hirata did not show as much bravery when he had to share the ring with Yukio Sakaguchi. Doi and HARASHIMA got to fight each other eventually but Hirata continued to look like the weak link. He took a Running Knee from Sakaguchi in the corner, a Springboard Splash from HARASHIMA and a Standing Moonsault from Sumi. However Hirata kicked out of the pin and suddenly caught Sumi in the Miracle One Shot Cradle to win the match for his team out of nowhere.

Hirata wanted to give a victory speech but he was interrupted by Tetsuya Endo’s theme music. Endo walked out with Kotaro Suzuki & Yusuke Okada by his side. Endo said he hadn’t forgotten about Doi mentioning his name in Kyoto as somebody he wants to fight. This is Endo accepting the challenge! He also wants it to be a KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles match. Hirata tried to speak but Doi cut him off. Doi thinks it is a chance of fate because not only does he want to fight Endo, he also never thought he would see Suzuki in a DDT ring again. Doi told them his next scheduled appearance for DDT is on 29th December. He asked Toru Owashi who was the authority around here and was confused when he was pointed over to Imabayashi. The GM confirmed the title match will happen on the 29th.

The BURNING trio had just wrestled in the match before, beating The 37KAMIINA. Suzuki squared off with Shunma Katsumata. The two of them had a singles match in DNA 5 years ago and Katsumata was eager to show hot much he has grown since then. Toi Kojima also wanted to test himself against the veteran. He ended up on the worst end of things by taking Suzuki’s Tombstone, then Okada’s Diving Headbutt and finally Endo’s Burning Star Press for the finish. Endo and Suzuki treated the match as their first introductions to each other. Suzuki also called DDT a new view for him to experience now that he is freelance. Katsumata wants another chance to fight Suzuki and show he can surpass him. MAO was in a bit of a bad mood after seeing the video of Akiyama interviewing Suzuki. In the video there are three times when Akiyama said DDT became a stronger place after he joined the company. That line has been bothering MAO ever since he heard it.

The success of Japan in the World Cup has Pheromones feeling football crazy. They all walked down to the ring wearing football kits and demanding their match be held under Soccer Rules. Every 1 Count pinfall counted as a goal. At first the plan backfired when Akito quickly pinned Dieno early in the 1st half. Dieno then caused a foul which allowed Akito to score a second goal from a free Dropkick. Antonio Honda was in the middle of telling his Gongitsune joke when Yukinori Matsui blew his whistle and ended the half. For the 2nd Half, Yumehito Imanari was brought in as a substitute for Dieno. Yuki Iino blocked Honda’s Bionic Elbow and used the Katsugoye to make the score 2-1. Imanari then pinned Akito to make it 2-2 but the pinfall was disallowed after a VAR review. Play restarted and Iino pinned Akito with the Sexy Lariat. Akito pleaded for another VAR review, claiming that Iino’s ball was showing outside of his skimpy costume. VAR showed that the ball was still in bounds within the line by the slightest of margins so the goal stood. The match went to an actual penalty shootout in the ring and Imanari scored the winning shot to send his team into the Quarter Finals! Final score: Pheromotia 3 – 2 Subjugation JAPAN.

The first match of the day featured the return of the kickboxer Hikaru Machida. He had some striking exchanges with Takeshi Masada when they were both in the ring. Yuya Koroku used a Waterwheel Drop on Soma Takao, setting up his team to launch a train attack against him. Yuki Ishida tried to take it all the way until Machida & Hideki Okatani cut him off. Ishida kicked out of Takao’s Running Elbow but was down and out when Takao did the Gin And Tonic.

Dieno announced some new matches for his book launch event at Korakuen Hall on 21st December. Doi and Katsumata face off in a first time singles match. Kazusada Higuchi, Thanomsak Toba & Yuki Ishida Vs Tesuya Endo, Jun Akiyama & DJ Nira will also happen on the show.