DDT “MEGA MAX BUMP 2022 TOUR IN YOKOHAMA”, 01/05/2022 Yokohama Budokan 835 Fans
0. Dark Match: KANON defeated Yuya Koroku with the Just Cobra Twist (7:22).
0. Dark Match: Toru Owashi & Naomi Yoshimura defeated Antonio Honda & Yuki Ishida when Yoshimura pinned Ishida with a Harai Goshi (9:33).
1. Shinya Aoki defeated Toui Kojima with a Leg Lock (5:04).
2. KO-D 10-Man Tag Team Titles: Poison Sawada JULIE, Takashi Sasaki, GENTARO, MIKAMI & Thanomsak Toba (w/ Naomi Susan) (c) defeated Sanshiro Takagi, Yoshiaki Yatsu, Akito, Kazuki Hirata & Gota Ihashi when JULIE submitted Hirata with the Cattle Mutilation (8:45). *V1 for Poison Sawada JULIE, Takashi Sasaki, GENTARO, MIKAMI & Thanomsak Toba.
3. Maya Yukihi & Shunma Katsumata defeated Saki Akai & Hideki Okatani when Katsumata pinned Okatani with the Totonou Splash (10:28).
4. Special 6-Man Tag Match ~ Pheromones Vs GM Imabayashi Final Battle: Hisaya Imabayashi, AKIRA & Muscle Sakai defeated Yuki “Sexy” Iino, Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno & Yumehito “Fantastic” Imanari when Imabayashi pinned Dieno with a Jackknife Pin (16:55).
5. Daisuke Sasaki, MJ Paul & KANON defeated Yuji Hino, Yukio Naya & Soma Takao when Sasaki submitted Takao with the Crossface Lock (10:43).
6. Special Tag Match: Kazusada Higuchi & Yukio Sakaguchi defeated HARASHIMA & Hikaru Sato when Higuchi pinned HARASHIMA with the Brain Claw (14:25).
7. DDT Universal Title: MAO (c) defeated Asuka with the Cannonball 450 (13:56). *V2 for MAO.
8. KO-D Tag Team Titles – Kitai Jisho Group K.O. GYM Presents: Chris Brookes & Masahiro Takanashi (c) defeated Jun Akiyama & Yusuke Okada when Takanashi pinned Okada with a Cradle (21:09). *V2 for CDK.
9. KO-D Openweight Title: Tetsuya Endo (c) defeated Yuki Ueno with the Burning Star Press (31:17). *V1 for Tetsuya Endo.
Golden Week continued with DDT’s big offering for the holidays held inside Yokohama Budokan. It was Yuki Ueno’s chance to take the top spot and be the one to lead DDT into a new direction. Tetsuya Endo though just claimed the headline role for himself and isn’t going to be giving it up anytime soon. Some vital rope breaks kept the match alive for Endo after Ueno had him beaten, first with the WR and then with a Sleeper Hold. Ueno attempted to set up his Wrist Clutch variation the WR Unlimited but Endo blocked the move. Instead Endo launched the comeback hitting an Exploder Suplex, a Modified One-Winged Angel and then the Burning Star Press to put his opponent away. While Ueno was carried out of the ring by his teammates, Endo said he will deal with him again when Ueno learns how to turn today’s regrets into having fun with his beliefs. Kenta Kobashi then entered the ring to present the KO-D Openweight Title to Endo.
With the KO-D Title successfully defended inside a new venue, Endo said today he engraved his name on a new page of DDT history. He believes the company has potential can grow bigger from here and he is the only one who can make that happen. However he does admit that he cannot achieve this by himself. He made a decision not to choose his next challenger. He does not care who it will be as long as they have confidence and he thinks they are a suitable representative for DDT. Sanshiro Takagi praised the main event and wonders if the sight of young wrestlers doing their best can get the audience emotionally drawn into their matches. He also likes Yokohama Budokan as a venue and hopes to continue running shows there.
Nobody can stop CDK from using the referee as a weapon when they want to! They were able to physically manipulate Yukinori Matsui into Power Bombing Yusuke Okada for an unfair advantage. Jun Akiyama, who has been the strongest critic of this kind of dirty tactics, was quick to respond by giving Chris Brookes the Exploder Suplex. Okada took over from there focusing his attacks on Masahiro Takanashi. But victory slipped out of his fingers when Takanashi countered the Sudden Death into an Inside Cradle for a flash three count. Later backstage Brookes said he respects Akiyama but will not change his wrestling style for him, because his style is the DDT style.
CDK’s future plans were set in stone afterward when MAO & Asuka entered the ring. The two of them decided to team up and challenge CDK for the KO-D Tag Team Titles. Takanashi told MAO he will accept the challenge but only if MAO agrees to give him a DDT Universal Title shot. Asuka interrupted MAO and accepted the deal on his behalf. The KO-D Tag Title match will take place on 22nd May and the DDT Universal Title match will happen on 1st June.
MAO and Asuka had just finished fighting each other for the Universal Title before their reappearance later in the show. Even though MAO previously refused Asuka’s request to do a Hardcore Match, he still pulled out a plastic box to use as a weapon. Asuka ended up Choke Slamming him through the box. MAO got the upper hand and almost won with the Michinoku Driver II, a move Asuka had previously pinned him with. That didn’t work here but MAO did get the win once he hit the Cannonball 450. The two shook hands after the match, setting up their return for later. MAO said he wants to defend the Universal Title against a wide range of different challengers and unknown foreigners.
Hikaru Sato returned to DDT and Yukio Sakaguchi was right there waiting for him. Their early exchanges had them giving each other Snapmares followed by a Football Kick to the back. HARASHIMA and Kazusada Higuchi carried the second half of the match. Higuchi countered the Somato with a Power Bomb. HARASHIMA tried to block the Brain Claw Slam but Higuchi persisted and used the Brain Claw to pin his rival for the three count. Sakaguchi said the match felt like he went back in time to nine years ago. Higuchi has confidence to become more aggressive because there were three former KO-D Champions involved but he was the one who got the win.
After weeks of teases and threats of betrayal, it was time for DAMNATION T.A to reveal their newest member. It’s KANON! In the time between his dark match and the DAMNATION T.A match, KANON dyed his hair and changed into a new costume to fit in with his new alignment. The injured Minoru Fujita was also at ringside grabbing Yukio Naya’s leg to give his team the advantage. The other side still had Yuji Hino though so it was still a tough match. Daisuke Sasaki had to distract the referee so KANON could hit Soma Takao with a chair. Sasaki then applied the Crossface Lock on Takao to make him submit. He later said KANON is not in DDT to play games. DAMNATION T.A wants to reach the top in the shortest possible time which is why they recruited KANON. Then when Fujita is cleared to wrestle again their momentum will be unstoppable!
Everyone got a big surprise after that match was over and the ring emptied. Kenoh from NOAH walked out! He got on the microphone and said DDT fans have been watching fake wrestlers but now a real wrestler has arrived. He called DDT an arts and crafts show filled with a pampered roster of people. He blames Sanshiro Takagi for this and demands he leave the pro wrestling business! But first he wants to fight Takagi at “CYBERFIGHT FESTIVAL 2022” on 12th June. Suddenly Sasaki got back into the ring and faced off with Kenoh. He said if Kenoh wants a match then he should fight the best wrestler in DDT instead of a third rate wrestler like Takagi. Kenoh said Takagi is not even a fifth rate wrestler. He also thought Sasaki was the only sane person in DDT but it is clear he isn’t if he is standing up for them. Kenoh accepted Sasaki’s challenge for a singles match at “CYBERFIGHT FESTIVAL 2022”.
Hisaya Imabayashi was put into the fight of his life. His feud with Pheromones reached its climax right here with his children in attendance to see it. The skill gap was still gigantic but the DDT GM fought to his limit while AKIRA and Muscle Sakai did their best to keep their team in the match. Pheromones were up to their usual tricks like Yumehito Imanari spraying his opponents with a fire extinguisher in a lewd manner. Danshoku Dieno put Imabayashi in a Knee Cross that looked to be the finish until Imabayashi’s kids approached ringside cheering for their dad to keep fighting until he reached the ropes. Dieno lifted him up to do a Danshoku Driver in front of the children but AKIRA cut him off and Imabayashi rolled Dieno over into a Jackknife Pin for the upset victory!
Imabayashi thanked his two sons for their help and then told Pheromones this was the end of their conflict. However he has one request. He would like to see AKIRA hold a championship again so he wants him to challenge Yuki Iino for the DDT Extreme Title! AKIRA is happy to take that request and agreed with Iino to have the match on 1st June.
In mixed tag action Maya Yukihi & Shunma Katsumata beat the Eruption duo of Saki Akai & Hideki Okatani. The match briefly brought back the rivalry between Akai and Yukihi since they have been on good terms since their match at “JUDGEMENT 2022”. Yukihi politely interrupted Akai’s post match interview backstage. The match they just had made Yukihi wonder what will happen if they have another singles bout against each other. Akai thought she wanted them to form the only two woman tag team in DDT but Yukihi convinced her to have one more singles match before they do that.
There was another big story coming out of that tag match. Prominence came out after the match and attacked Katsumata! Suzu Suzuki wants to get revenge for him beating her in the King Of Street Wrestling. Every day since then she has only gotten angrier at Katsumata because she lost to him. She will never forgive him until they have a rematch. Katsumata said he already beat Suzuki so he will never fight her again!
The DDT Legend team hold on to the KO-D 10-Man Tag Team Titles. Their first title defence was against a collection of undercard DDT wrestlers along with special guest and former champion Yoshiaki Yatsu. There was a moment when Kazuki Hirata almost overpowered Poison Sawada JULIE with his own magic power. JULIE stopped him and made him give up to the Cattle Mutilation. Now DDT has a scheduling problem with the reigning champions. Takashi Sasaki said he doesn’t feel like coming back to DDT unless they bring in big competition. His logic is if the complete team (including Naomi Susan) cannot get together for a title defence then they will be champions forever! However MIKAMI said he can adjust his schedule for future title defences. GENTARO is the same because he’s happy to get the work.
Toui Kojima tried using the Triangle Choke to beat Shinya Aoki but didn’t have the experience to make it work. Aoki stayed patience and found his spot to put Kojima in a Leg Lock, making the young wrestler tap. Backstage Aoki asked if Kojima wants DDT to become the No. 1 wrestling company. Kojima said he does so he can become stronger. Aoki joked they will have to beat the competition one by one so their first target is Stardom.
There were two dark matches before the show. The heavyweight team of Toru Owashi & Naomi Yoshimura were victorious against Antonio Honda & Yuki Ishida. Owashi and Honda teased kissing each other. Yoshimura used the Harai Goshi throw from Judo to pin Ishida.
KANON’s earlier appearance with his previous look was when he won against Yuya Koroku. KANON talked about Koroku potentially becoming a rival. As a hint of what was to come later, KANON said he would never have left JTO if he was just going to stop at this level. He told the fans to keep an eye on him.
It was announced that Dick Togo will be at “WRESTLE PETER PAN 2022” on 20th August.
DDT “APRIL FOOL 2022”, 10/04/2022 Tokyo Korakuen Hall 580 Fans
0. Dark Match: Yuya Koroku & Ilusion defeated Toui Kojima & El Unicorn when Koroku pinned Kojima with a Hold Down Triangle Choke (6:57).
0. Dark Match – Lucha Libre Rules: Toru Owashi, Naomi Yoshimura & Kazuki Hirata defeated Akito, Soma Takao & Gota Ihashi when Hirata pinned Ihashi with La Magistral Cradle (6:53).
1. KANON defeated Yuki Ishida with the Modified Cobra Twist (4:34).
2. KO-D Tag Team Titles: Chris Brookes & Masahiro Takanashi (c) defeated Yuji Hino & Yukio Naya when Takanashi pinned Naya after the Everclear (13:19). *V1 for CDK.
3. KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles: Daisuke Sasaki, Minoru Fujita & MJ Paul defeated Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno, Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Yumehito “Fantastic” Imanari (c) when Fujita pinned Dieno with the Modified Samson Clutch (10:37). *Pheromones fail in V3. DAMNATION T.A become the 45th KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Champions!
4. DDT 25th Anniversary Special Tag Match: Saki Akai & Maya Yukihi defeated Cherry & Miyako Matsumoto when Akai pinned Matsumoto with the Rookie Award (7:15).
5. Special Single Match: Yusuke Okada defeated Shunma Katsumata with the Sudden Death (8:51).
6. The 37KAMIINA Vs Eruption!: Yuki Ueno & MAO defeated Kazusada Higuchi & Hideki Okatani when Ueno pinned Okatani with the BME (10:34).
7. Tetsuya Endo 10th Anniversary Match: Tetsuya Endo, Jun Akiyama & Yukio Sakaguchi defeated Konosuke Takeshita, HARASHIMA & Antonio Honda when Endo pinned Honda with the Burning Star Press (20:16).
Here’s to ten years of Tetsuya Endo and here’s to ten years more. Some of the most important faces from his past and present gathered together for a DDT all star trios main event. Endo had Jun Akiyama and Yukio Sakaguchi on his team to take on Konosuke Takeshita, HARASHIMA & Antonio Honda. It ended up with Endo and Honda exchanging Bionic Elbows until Endo cut him off with an Overhead Kick. Endo couldn’t put Honda away with the Torture Rack Bomb so he busted out the Burning Star Press for the victory.
Endo spoke about having his debut match a few months before Sakaguchi joined the company. He thanked HARASHIMA for supporting him since day one and said Honda was like a father raising him in Happy Motels. Takeshita was leaving ringside when Endo suddenly called out to him. He understands Takeshita going overseas is a big deal and told him not to worry because DDT will remain interesting as long as Endo is the KO-D Openweight Champion. He will prove it when he defends the title against Takeshita’s friend Yuki Ueno on 1st May. Endo also wants everyone to know that he will be the winner of course. Ueno got on the microphone and said he will beat Endo. He is confident he will have more wonderful days as KO-D Champion than Endo, Takeshita and even HARASHIMA! Takeshita told both of them that DDT in Japan is in good hands with either of them as the champion. Endo had one last thing to tell Takeshita. He still hates him. Ueno still loves him though.
Before everyone left the ring to end the show, Yusuke Okada asked Akiyama for his attention. He said he hasn’t been part of DDT long enough to know their history but he wants to do more to support the version of BURNING Endo has built. To do that Okada wants to himself and Akiyama to challenge for the KO-D Tag Team Titles! The two of them were granted permission from Hisaya Imabayashi to make the challenge. CDK emerged at the entrance and both agreed to do the title match on 1st May. Endo encouraged his stablemates to win the belts so all eyes at the Yokohama Budokan will be on BURNING!
Ueno is building up momentum for his title shot. Today he teamed with MAO to beat Kazusada Higuchi & Hideki Okatani. MAO cheapshotted Higuchi with a Rock Punch and later got his just desserts when Higuchi grabbed him in the Brain Claw. But the match came down to a back and forth between Ueno and Okatani. The 37KAMIINA hit Shining Wizards and Enzuigiris to the Eruption members to get the upper hand. Ueno then came out on top with the BME onto Okatani.
The 37KAMIINA heat waves from Shunma Katsumata was a challenge for Yusuke Okada to overcome when the two of them faced off. Katsumata targeted his neck which slowed Okada down, even when he was on the attack with a Diving Headbutt. However Okada’s use of a Lariat and the Tricolor DDT did big damage and he was able to win with the Sudden Death. Okada repeated after the show that Endo can’t do all the work in BURNING. Akiyama agrees and also mentioned that he hates how CDK always gets the referee physically involved in their matches. He just as much wants to beat them up for that reason than to win the tag titles.
It’s been a busy weekend of tag team adventuring for Saki Akai. Yesterday she teamed with Yuki Arai in Tokyo Joshi Pro and today she teamed with Maya Yukihi in DDT. They were victorious over the team of Cherry & Miyako Matsumoto. Akai said she learned a lot about Yukihi by fighting her all the way over to Sumo Hall. She hopes to continue working with her so they can both improve each other. Yukihi was happy to wrestle with Cherry again but thought she was finally done with Matsumoto. She came in as a replacement for Bambi so Yukihi had to deal with her one more time.
Pheromones are no longer the KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Champions which means DDT won’t have to worry about their title matches being banned from Youtube! With that said, this match still tried to cross the line as much as it could. Yuki Iino stripped down to his O-Back even as Daisuke Sasaki kept hitting him in the ass with a chair. Hisaya Imabayashi ran in ordering Pheromones to stop their usual antics and he gave Danshoku Dieno a Stunner. DAMNATION T.A then went on the attack with Sasaki and Iino brawling their way up towards the balcony while the GM chased after them. Meanwhile Dieno, Yumehito Imanari, Minoru Fujita and MJ Paul were still wrestling in the ring while this was going down. Up in the balcony, Sasaki fully stripped Iino naked and threw his O-Back over the balcony! Imabayashi jumped onto Iino to stop him from fully exposing himself to the audience. Back in the ring, Fujita caught Dieno in the Samson Clutch to score the win out of nowhere. After the match Sasaki said that a new member will join DAMNATION T.A on 1st May. He warned the roster that the person standing next to them may be a traitor so everyone should be looking forward to the reveal. However if a reporter wants to go drinking with Sasaki and pay his tab, he will give them a hint in return.
CDK couldn’t beat Yuji Hino & Yukio Naya in a fight because of the size difference, so they had to outsmart them to keep the KO-D Tag Titles. Naya put Masahiro Takanashi in the Cobra Twist when outside the ring, Chris Brookes rang the bell and tricked Naya into thinking he won. While Naya and the referee were distracted, Takanashi grabbed one of the Asia Dream Tag Team Title belts and nailed Naya in the head with it. Hino broke the pin to keep the match going but CDK then used a combined Crucifix and Jackknife Pin on Naya to get the three count and steal a title defence. Takanashi praised Brookes for his strange plan working out but knows they won’t be able to get away with it again. They’re relieved they won’t have to defend the titles against Hino & Naya again but the challengers think otherwise.
The DDT debut of KANON saw him defeat Yuki Ishida. KANON hit Soccer Ball Kicks, Backbreakers and K Spike chops. Ishida fought back with a Brainbuster and his Sumo Chop Rush. KANON recovered from that and put Ishida in the Cobra Twist to make him submit. He praised Ishida for having a strong core because of his sumo background. KANON also said he is looking forward to doing more with DDT in the future.
One of the dark matches went out of control thanks to the addition of Lucha tag rules. Kazuki Hirata ended up knocking out both Toru Owashi & Naomi Yoshimura so he put himself in a 3-on-1 disadvantage. His solution was to give Hirata GO! glasses to all of his opponents. Akito, Soma Takao & Gota Ihashi danced with him and then attacked. However Ihashi missed a Moonsault and Hirata rolled him up with La Magistral to escape with the win.
Two young rivalries met in the very first match of the day. El Unicorn and Ilusion continue their back and forth feud. Toui Kojima hit a setback in his rivalry against Yuya Koroku. Kojima had finally beaten him by using a Triangle Choke so he went for it again today. This time though Koroku defended himself and rolled over on top of Kojima to pin him for the three count.
The result caused Kojima to come out during the show opening announcements where Shinya Aoki was already in the ring. Kojima asked him for a singles match on 1st May so Kojima can get stronger and catch up to the rest of The 37KAMIINA. Aoki accepted and wondered if Kojima wasn’t taking things seriously until now.
The full card for the Yokohama Budokan show on 1st May was revealed at the end of the show. One of the new matches is a KO-D 10-Man Tag Team Titles defence. Also HARASHIMA will team with Hikaru Sato to take on Higuchi & Sakaguchi from Eruption.
DDT “MEGA MAX BUMP 2022 TOUR IN YOKOHAMA”, 01/05/2022 Yokohama Budokan
0. Dark Match: KANON Vs Yuya Koroku
0. Dark Match: Toru Owashi & Naomi Yoshimura Vs Antonio Honda & Yuki Ishida
1. Shinya Aoki Vs Toui Kojima
2. Saki Akai & Hideki Okatani Vs Maya Yukihi & Shunma Katsumata
3. Daisuke Sasaki, MJ Paul & X Vs Yuji Hino, Yukio Naya & Soma Takao
4. Special 6-Man Tag Match ~ Pheromones Vs GM Imabayashi Final Battle: Yuki “Sexy” Iino, Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno & Yumehito “Fantastic” Imanari Vs Hisaya Imabayashi, AKIRA & Muscle Sakai
5. Special Tag Match: HARASHIMA & Hikaru Sato Vs Kazusada Higuchi & Yukio Sakaguchi
6. KO-D 10-Man Tag Team Titles: Poison Sawada JULIE, Takashi Sasaki, GENTARO, MIKAMI & Thanomsak Toba (w/ Naomi Susan) (c) Vs Sanshiro Takagi, Yoshiaki Yatsu, Akito, Kazuki Hirata & Gorgeous Matsuno
7. KO-D Tag Team Titles: Chris Brookes & Masahiro Takanashi (c) Vs Jun Akiyama & Yusuke Okada
8. DDT Universal Title: MAO (c) Vs Asuka
9. KO-D Openweight Title: Tetsuya Endo (c) Vs Yuki Ueno
DDT “JUDGEMENT 2022 ~DDT 25TH ANNIVERSARY~”, 20/03/2022 Tokyo Ryogoku Kokugikan 2,516 Fans – No Vacancy
0. Dark Match: Yusuke Okada, Yuya Koroku & Ilusion defeated Tomomitsu Matsunaga, Toui Kojima, Yuki Ishida when Okada pinned Ishida with the Sudden Death (11:00).
0. Dark Match – Time Admission Tag Battle Royal: Yuji Hino & Yukio Naya defeated Yasu Urano & Shota when Naya pinned Shota with the Back Drop (14:28). Order Of Elimination: Tomohiko Hashimoto & Seiya Morohashi, Gorgeous Matsuno & Gota Ihashi, Andreza Giant Panda & Super Sasadango Machine, Minoru Fujita & MJ Paul, Shota & Yasu Urano.
1. KO-D 10-Man Tag Team Titles: Poison Sawada JULIE, Takashi Sasaki, GENTARO, MIKAMI & Thanomsak Toba (w/ Naomi Susan) defeated Toru Owashi, Antonio Honda, Kazuki Hirata & Yoshihiko (c) when MIKAMI pinned Honda with the School Boy (8:49). *The DDT Variety Team fails in V2. Poison Sawada JULIE, Takashi Sasaki, GENTARO, MIKAMI & Thanomsak Toba becomes the 7th KO-D 10-Man Tag Team Champions!
2. Special Single Match: Saki Akai defeated Maya Yukihi with the Quetzalcoatl (10:40).
3. DDT 25th Anniversary Special Single Match – No DQ “I’m Sorry” Match: Sanshiro Takagi defeated Michael Nakazawa when Takagi made Nakazawa say “I’m Sorry” (10:20).
4. Special Tag Match: Yuki Ueno & Shunma Katsumata defeated Isami Kodaka & Yukio Sakaguchi when Ueno pinned Sakaguchi with the WR (11:02).
5. LiLiCo Retirement Match: Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno, Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Yumehito “Fantastic” Imanari defeated LiLiCo, Ryohei Odai & Akito (w/ Junretsu) when Dieno submitted LiLiCo with a Cross Knee Lock (16:52).
6. Jun Akiyama 30th Anniversary Match: Jun Akiyama & Takao Omori defeated Kazusada Higuchi & Hideki Okatani when Akiyama pinned Okatani with the Wrist-Clutch Exploder Suplex (12:36).
7. DDT Universal Title – Hardcore 3 Way Match: MAO defeated Daisuke Sasaki (c) and Jun Kasai when MAO pinned Sasaki with the Super Michinoku Driver II (19:56). *Daisuke Sasaki fails in V5. MAO becomes the 6th DDT Universal Champion!
8. KO-D Tag Team Titles: Chris Brookes & Masahiro Takanashi defeated HARASHIMA & Naomi Yoshimura (c) when Brookes submitted Yoshimura with the House Piano Death (18:50). *DISASTER BOX fails in V1. CDK becomes the 73rd KO-D Tag Team Champions!
9. KO-D Openweight Title – Japan Bakery Marketing Presents: Tetsuya Endo defeated Konosuke Takeshita (c) with two Burning Star Presses (46:30). *Konosuke Takeshita fails in V2. Tetsuya Endo becomes the 78th KO-D Openweight Champion!
DDT celebrates its 25th Anniversary with a new KO-D Openweight Champion! It was the first singles match between Konosuke Takeshita and Tetsuya Endo in 2 years and 3 months with both going in at the peak of their abilities. It led to a juggernaut of a match lasting 46 minutes with every move in their arsenal being used. It took Endo using something new to bring the champion to the brink of defeat. As the match reached towards the 45 minute mark, Endo took inspiration from his BURNING teammate and used the Exploder Suplex three times for nearfalls. While that wasn’t enough to get the pin, there was no coming back for Takeshita after those moves. Endo dropped him with the Swivel Torture Rack Bomb and after another kickout he followed it up with two Burning Star Presses to finally get the career defining victory over his destined enemy.
Endo told Takeshita after the match that this was the first time he was happy to be seen side by side with him in the same company and generation. He still hates him but also thanks him for today. Takeshita refused to shake Endo’s hand but instead raised it into the air before leaving the ring. Kenta Kobashi entered the ring to present Endo with the KO-D Title and BURNING followed to celebrate with him. Endo thanked the audience for coming to see Tokyo Joshi Pro and DDT in Sumo Hall this weekend. Endo has finally defeated Takeshita for the KO-D Title but he believes there is still more to come for these companies. TJPW will be entering its 10th year in existence while DDT enters its 26th. The journey continues and Endo thinks he won’t be able to make them grow by himself. He will lead the way so everyone follow him and keep your eyes on DDT and Tetsuya Endo from now on!
Backstage Endo repeated what he said about the CyberFight promotions, including NOAH. None of them are done yet and whether they all reach 26, 50 or 100 years he will be there standing at the top. He debuted 10 years ago and he feels like everything he worked for was rewarded to him today. His first KO-D Title defence of this reign will be at Yokohama Budokan on 1st May. He thinks any challenger will be find as long as they are prepared to carry DDT on their back. Takeshita echoed some of Endo’s points, also believing they still have a long way to go beyond DDT’s 26th year. He cannot stop at where he is right now. Kobashi compared Takeshita to Jumbo Tsuruta from his physical ability to his stamina recovery. He also said Endo carries a wonderful BURNING soul and is looking forward to seeing what his future title defences will be like.
CDK always said the most dramatic and dreamy tag team in DDT should be the KO-D Tag Team Champions so I guess they proven right. Chris Brookes countered the Osaka Pride from Naomi Yoshimura and instead stretched his body in so many wrong directions with the House Piano Death. HARASHIMA fought to grab onto them and break the hold but Masahiro Takanashi kept him away long enough for Yoshimura to submit. Takanashi lost his voice so he let Brookes do the talking after the match.
However he was interrupted when Yuji Hino & Yukio Naya climbed onto the ring apron demanding a title shot. They agreed to do the match on 10th April at Korakuen Hall. Backstage DISASTER BOX admitted defeat and HARASHIMA told Yoshimura to rest up before they decide on what to do next. Naya said he is really happy because a year ago he wouldn’t have been able to challenge for the KO-D Tag Titles like this. Hino asked if Naya was weak back then because he only knows how big and strong he is now. Brookes in his interview suddenly took another direction when he called out El Desperado from New Japan! He brought up that Desperado wants CDK to go challenge him but CDK has more championships, so he should come over here and challenge them instead. Takanashi said Hino & Naya should fight for the Asia Dream Tag Team Titles instead of the KO-D Tag Titles because he wants to see a team as large as them inside Ichigaya Chocolate Square. He might get in trouble for suggesting that but as double champions they should have the responsibility and freedom to do what they want.
The feud between Daisuke Sasaki and Jun Kasai took up so much of their attention that MAO swooped in and won the DDT Universal Title! Blood was shed, boxes were smashed, tables were broken and chairs were destroyed as the three all fought each other in and out of the ring. Kasai kept complaining that DDT wasn’t violent enough for him which might have spurred the others to turn up the dial. MAO finally got what he wanted, the attention of his opponents, when he smashed a guitar over both of their head. He won the match by giving Sasaki the Michinoku Driver II from a ladder bridge through the table below.
MAO said it’s been a long month and a half but it was worth it to win the championship today. He wants to increase the presence of the Universal Title so he will only defend it against people with presence. For some reason Michael Nakazawa thought that meant him so he came out and challenged MAO. He said it is a championship made for the world so if he wins it, he can bring it to AEW and show it to even more people worldwide. MAO refused because Nakazawa lost earlier and he told him to leave. Nakazawa agreed he is weak but made the argument that beating a wrestler from AEW is a big deal no matter who they are. MAO saw his point and demanded they do the title match in AEW’s home turf… the Jacksonville Jaguars stadium! Hisaya Imabayashi told him that was impossible so he settled to have the match at Korakuen Hall on 27th March instead.
The show also celebrated Jun Akiyama’s 30th Anniversary in pro wrestling. He teamed up with an old partner of his, Takao Omori from All Japan to beat the Eruption duo of Kazusada Higuchi & Hideki Okatani. He was quickly provoked by Okatani and put the youngster in his place with a fight up the entrance ramp. Higuchi was a tougher wall to break down but Omori’s solution was to hit him with the Axe Bomber. Akiyama dusted off the Wrist-Clutch Exploder Suplex for the occasion, pinning Okatani with the deadly finisher. Akiyama said Omori has been wrestling for 30 years too so he was the first name he had in mind when the match was presented to him. As for the future, Akiyama will steadily continue on without any hesitation. He hadn’t thought about DDT being the company he celebrated his 30th Anniversary with. Not even he knows where he will be for the 40th and 50th.
DDT gave LiLiCo the platform to say goodbye to her pro wrestling career with a retirement ceremony unlike any other. First she had her retirement match teaming with her husband Ryohei Odai and the CyberFight VP Akito to take on Pheromones. The opponents were determined to humiliate LiLiCo on her big day. Yumehito Imanari threatened to record every moment of what they would do to her and then send the footage to the media. LiLiCo & Odai were successfully able to complete their special double team move the Princess SEXY Chest Kick ♡ on Yuki Iino. However Danshoku Dieno targeted LiLiCo’s injured knees, which proved to be her downfall. Dieno gave her the Danshoku Driver and made her tap out to a Cross Knee Lock.
After the match Dieno encouraged LiLiCo to get up by herself because a pro wrestler’s final duty is to stand up under their own power. However his show of respect was a farce and he attacked her again. Pheromones were about to set LiLiCo up for the ultimate humiliation on the entrance ramp when suddenly Andreza Giant Panda appeared and attacked all of Pheromones with Headbutts! The retirement ceremony went ahead and Odai brought out his pop band Junretsu to sing “Proposal” for her as a show of his love. When the ceremony reached its end, LiLiCo told the fans she is going back to being a normal girl. She then laid down her entrance gown in the middle of the ring and bowed to each side of the venue.
Yuki Ueno & Shunma Katsumata picked up a big win against the wild card pairing of Isami Kodaka & Yukio Sakaguchi. Kodaka thought his team had it in the bag after he gave Katsumata a Brainbuster onto the ring apron. However the God’s Right Knee from Sakaguchi was blocked with a Dropkick by Ueno. He got back to his feet only to get with with a Standing Shining Wizard. Ueno then finished him off with the WR. The 37KAMIINA said they had hot opponents today but they didn’t seem like they wanted to team together. Ueno was happy to beat Sakaguchi again and Katsumata feels the same beating Kodaka. The BASARA wrestler admitted he was too hostile with Sakaguchi but he does not hate him. They are more like rivals and Kodaka is thankful that Sakaguchi invited him to be part of DDT’s 25th Anniversary.
Nakazawa’s wild efforts to make Sanshiro Takagi apologize to him ended in failure. Their No DQ Match spilled over to a nearby restroom where Takagi gave Nakazawa a Piledriver into a toilet. Back in the ring Nakazawa almost made Takagi say “I’m Sorry” when he used the Ultimate Venom AEW Arm on him. But Takagi fought out of it and suddenly gathered the powers of DDT past. He hit Nakazawa with Kenny Omega’s Hadouken and followed it up with Kota Ibushi’s Kamigoye. He started breaking plastic boxes over Nakazawa’s head until Nakazawa pleaded him to stop. He was about to say “I’m Sorry” when Takagi shoved Nakazawa’s pants into his own mouth to keep him quiet. Takagi then lifted him up in the Himawari Bomb ready to put him through more boxes when Nakazawa finally shouted “I’m Sorry!” to end the match. Takagi Power Bombed him into the boxes anyway.
Takagi actually did apologize to Nakazawa after the match but it is too late. Nakazawa now hates him even more! However he likes DDT and remembers that DDT is his home so he has a special present for everyone today. A video message from Christopher Daniels played on the screen. Daniels congratulated DDT for its 25th Anniversary and announced a mutual agreement between DDT and AEW that will bring DDT wrestlers to America in the future! Daniels said he cannot wait to introduce DDT’s wrestlers to the American fans and hopes the company will do their best until that day comes. Nakazawa then explained to Takagi that he and Kenny Omega had negotiated this deal together. Takagi thanked him and promised the fans they will make pro wrestling even more exciting! Backstage Nakazawa added that the deal also includes bringing in wrestlers from Tokyo Joshi Pro.
The jealous grudge Saki Akai and Maya Yukihi held with each other was finally settled in the ring. Akai came out on top thanks to her finishing move, the Quetzalcoatl. Any hatred the two had was gone when the match was over and they both hugged each other. Akai told reporters that it was a match only she and Yukihi could do because they have different backgrounds but travelled in the same direction. Yukihi said she is grateful to DDT and joshi for the match today and she would like to team with Akai if she is interested.
A collective blast from the past have taken the KO-D 10-Man Tag Team Titles! The match brought together many of DDT’s wacky gimmicks from throughout its history. The appearance of Yoshihiko left Takashi Sasaki & GENTARO confused. They were even more confused when the doll outwrestled them. Antonio Honda tried to summon Gongitsune but Poison Sawada JULIE used his magic to make Honda strike Toru Owashi instead. Honda began to withstand the magic when suddenly Kazuki Hirata appeared completely taken over by the snake magic! He fought off Honda then danced with JULIE & Naomi Susan to the song “Hateless Bastard” by Kenji Sawada. Yoshihiko stopped the dancing and went wild on everyone while Owashi hung onto him for dear life. That left Honda along to get hit by every challenger ending with him getting rolled up by MIKAMI’s signature School Boy for the victory. Sasaki said he doesn’t want his team to be called “Legends” because that implies they are all over the hill. He also told DDT to work out how to get them all together again to schedule their title defences otherwise the belts will belong to them forever. JULIE is confident they can defend the belts 100 or 200 times. MIKAMI and Thanomsak Toba are hopeful this team will bring back something that’s been missing from DDT and that it will be interesting for old fans.
There was a last minute change to the Tag Team Rumble. Soma Takao had to pull out before the show for reasons that were not detailed to the public. Yasu Urano took his place to team with Shota. Hino & Naya eliminated them last to win the match, giving them the momentum to make their title challenge later in the show. The match also featured Andreza’s in-ring return to DDT with former opponent Super Sasadango Machine by his side, Tomohiko Hashimoto & Seiya Morohashi reuniting as a team, more trouble making from DAMNATION T.A with Minoru Fujita & MJ Paul entering together and the usual appearances from Gorgeous Matsuno & Gota Ihashi.
The other dark match had Yusuke Okada and Tomomitsu Matsunaga in the ring with DDT’s various rookies. Ilusion put up a good showing for the DDTeeeen!! brand. He carried the mask of his rival El Unicorn down to the ring because covid prevented Unicorn from being in the match. Toui Kojima tried to earn a first direct win over Yuya Koroku but couldn’t make it. It came down to Yuki Ishida firing his Sumo Slaps to Okada but he was taken out with a Diving Headbutt. Ishida kicked out of that but was done for when Okada gave him the Sudden Death. He praised Ilusion and encouraged him to continue doing his best. Ilusion said he had El Unicorn’s mask to let him know they were still able to fight together in Sumo Hall. He wants a singles match with him whenever he is fully recovered.
The main show began with the Anal Explosion ceremony, as is tradition for DDT when they are in a venue as prestigious as this one. Ryota Yamasato was reluctant to take part and called everyone in DDT crazy for thinking this is a normal thing to do. Hisaya Imabayashi calmed him down by getting Super Sasadango Machine to show him a PowerPoint presentation explaining why the ceremony is so important. According to Sasadango, the Anal Explosion was originally a symbol of the “Phoenix” and acts as a ritual for success and prosperity of the company. Yamasato complained until Hoshitango carried him over to the stage and pinned him down for Danshoku Dieno to set up the bomb. A countdown began and a small explosion went off without a hitch. Yamasato was then told a second explosion 25 times more powerful than the first will now happen to celebrate DDT’s 25 years. It went off, Yamasato called for the show to begin and then he went unconscious.
A new tournament called the King Of Street Wrestling will be shown on WRESTLE UNIVERSE this April. Eight fighters from around the world will compete including Sanshiro Takagi, Shunma Katsumata and Chris Brookes as the DDT representatives. Abdullah Kobayashi and Suzu Suzuki will also take part.
DDT “JUDGEMENT 2022 ~DDT 25TH ANNIVERSARY~”, 20/03/2022 Tokyo Ryogoku Kokugikan
0. Dark Match: Tomomitsu Matsunaga, Toui Kojima, Yuki Ishida Vs Yusuke Okada, Yuya Koroku & Ilusion
0. Dark Match – Time Admission Tag Battle Royal: Tomohiko Hashimoto & Seiya Morohashi Vs Soma Takao & Shota Vs Minoru Fujita & MJ Paul Vs Yuji Hino & Yukio Naya Vs Gorgeous Matsuno & Gota Ihashi Vs Andreza Giant Panda & Super Sasadango Machine
1. KO-D 10-Man Tag Team Titles: Toru Owashi, Antonio Honda, Kazuki Hirata & Yoshihiko (c) Vs Poison Sawada JULIE, Takashi Sasaki, GENTARO, MIKAMI & Thanomsak Toba (w/ Naomi Susan)
2. Special Single Match: Saki Akai Vs Maya Yukihi
3. DDT 25th Anniversary Special Single Match – No DQ “I’m Sorry” Match: Sanshiro Takagi Vs Michael Nakazawa
4. Special Tag Match: Isami Kodaka & Yukio Sakaguchi Vs Yuki Ueno & Shunma Katsumata
5. LiLiCo Retirement Match: LiLiCo, Ryohei Odai & Akito (w/ Junretsu) Vs Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno, Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Yumehito “Fantastic” Imanari
6. Jun Akiyama 30th Anniversary Match: Jun Akiyama & Takao Omori Vs Kazusada Higuchi & Hideki Okatani
7. DDT Universal Title – Hardcore 3 Way Match: Daisuke Sasaki (c) Vs Jun Kasai Vs MAO
8. KO-D Tag Team Titles: HARASHIMA & Naomi Yoshimura (c) Vs Chris Brookes & Masahiro Takanashi
9. KO-D Openweight Title – Japan Bakery Marketing Presents: Konosuke Takeshita (c) Vs Tetsuya Endo
Bloody hell this thing lasted 25 years. TWENTY FIVE YEARS! DDT is a company that was put together by a promoter named Shintaro Muto* along with three wrestlers who exited Pro Wrestling Crusaders with him in 1996. Those three wrestlers are known today by the names Sanshiro Takagi, MIKAMI and NOSAWA Rongai. Fast forward to 2022. DDT is now celebrating its silver anniversary and is a key part of the second most powerful wrestling conglomerate in Japan. Its very first show in March 1997, one that was held even before the name Dramatic Dream Team was decided on, was called “JUDGEMENT” because the audience was asked to vote on whether or not the actual launch in May should go ahead. 154 people voted for the launch to proceed and 24 people voted to cancel it. Thank God nobody listened to those 24 people.
There is plenty on show to celebrate the 25th Anniversary. Many figures from the company’s past are flocking into Sumo Hall to join with the present and perhaps future of DDT. Four championships are on the line, career milestones are being acknowledged, grudges will be settled, a retirement will take place and the headline match features the two wrestlers DDT spent the last decade building up to be their star players.
*It is very difficult to find information about Muto online. He was a part of PWC behind the scenes but other than that I don’t know what his background is. There’s an old blog post from 2007 where Takagi jokes about Muto always finding newly opened club venues for DDT to hold shows at. There’s also a picture Takagi tweeted of him from his wedding party in 2009 if you want to see what he actually looked like back then.
0. Dark Match: Tomomitsu Matsunaga, Toui Kojima, Yuki Ishida Vs Yusuke Okada, Yuya Koroku & Ilusion
This one had a last minute change of plans. El Unicorn was supposed to be in this match but tested positive for covid a few days before the show. Tomomitsu Matsunaga is taking his place. He in-ring time for much of the year was as a opening match substitute for anyone who is suddenly out of action. The other DDTeeeen!! wrestler Ilusion has wrestled twice so far this year as the heel representation of the brand. Yusuke Okada also had some covid setbacks that set him back but he has since found his place in the BURNING unit. Yuki Ishida has been a bright spark in the ring so far. He can turn into a little sumo firecracker if he keeps it up.
The fun part of this match is the growing feud between the rookies Toui Kojima and Yuya Koroku. These two have been at each other’s throats in a lot of The 37KAMIINA Vs BURNING matches and Koroku has gotten Kojima’s number every time. At first the losses got to Kojima and made him cry. But he swore the next time he cries it will be from tears of joy when he finally beats Koroku! Even if it happens on the first match of the pre-show, it will still mean the world to him if he pulls it off here.
0. Dark Match – Time Admission Tag Battle Royal: Tomohiko Hashimoto & Seiya Morohashi Vs Soma Takao & Shota Vs Minoru Fujita & MJ Paul Vs Yuji Hino & Yukio Naya Vs Gorgeous Matsuno & Gota Ihashi Vs Andreza Giant Panda & Super Sasadango Machine
Some DDT nostalgia fills up the Dark Match Tag Team Rumble. The Double Bridge team of Tomohiko Hashimoto & Seiya Morohashi returns for this match. Hashimoto was a regular part of DDT shows in the 2000s while Morohashi stuck around the DDT family up until 2016. Soma Takao & Shota have been bouncing around Ganbare☆Pro as ROMANCE DAWN and having fun doing so. Not so fun is the DAMNATION T.A pair of Minoru Fujita & MJ Paul. The big boys Yuji Hino & Yukio Naya are still together despite a lack of success as a team. Gorgeous Matsuno will be there to serenade the fans while Gota Ihashi will hopefully try a fat boy Moonsault. That leaves Super Sasadango Machine joining forces with an old opponent. It’s the return of Andreza Giant Panda! It is the first time Andreza has been in Sumo Hall since Muscle ran there in 2019. Sadly his master Samson Miyamoto passed away during September 2020 but Andreza continues to make sporadic appearances in wrestling shows around the country.
1. KO-D 10-Man Tag Team Titles: Toru Owashi, Antonio Honda, Kazuki Hirata & Yoshihiko (c) Vs Poison Sawada JULIE, Takashi Sasaki, GENTARO, MIKAMI & Thanomsak Toba (w/ Naomi Susan)
More nostalgia will be found in the opener. The rules for the KO-D 10-Man Tag Team Titles are a little muddled up at the moment. It was turned into the KO-D 8-Man Tag Team Titles during the pandemic to reduce spreading covid through the roster. However when it was changed back into a 10-Man Tag Championship, the DDT Variety Team were told to keep defending the belts as a team of four. So the current champions have to take part in 4 Vs 5 Handicap matches until they lose the titles. It’s a tough challenge but the foursome have lasted this long. Toru Owashi spent the year winning a small collection of obscure championships, Antonio Honda keeps finding ways to talk about Gongitsune, Kazuki Hirata is trying to find a new direction but always reverts back to his dancing and Yoshihiko is as dangerous as ever.
A cast of DDT Legends have come to challenge for the title. Poison Sawada JULIE leads the charge with his valet Naomi Susan ready to rattle along to his snake magic. Takashi Sasaki is nowadays known for running FREEDOMS but he was also the fourth wrestler in DDT when it launched. His Aka Rangers tag team partner GENTARO is along for the ride too. MIKAMI is also a DDT original from the very start. If his inspiration Jeff Hardy can still go strong then why can’t he? Plus if MIKAMI is here then you need to get Thanomsak Toba to complete The Suicide Boyz. On behalf of the 2000s message board era of puroresu fans, I apologise for spelling his name Tanomusaku Toba for all these years. It took this long for me to get the Thanomsak Sithbaobay influence.
2. Special Single Match: Saki Akai Vs Maya Yukihi
If you like the free agency/transfer window period in sports then joshi wrestling for the last five months was a blast to follow. Women jumping ship to other promotions, contracts going haywire and promotions turning on their heads meant there was never a dull moment behind the scenes. One of the key figures during this time is Maya Yukihi. For seven years she called Ice Ribbon her home promotion until last December when she was among the wave of talent announcing their intentions to leave the company. Everyone else in the group went on to form Prominence but Yukihi decided to go freelance instead. It makes sense when you see that she already has established roles in OZ Academy along with the Rebel & Enemy faction on the indies. But once she turned freelance, the first place she went to was DDT. Then things got interesting. She hadn’t even worked her first date with DDT yet when Tokyo Sports reported that CyberFight really wanted Yukihi to sign a contract with them.
When Yukihi did have her first match in DDT, she stood across the ring from Saki Akai. Their interactions were respectful during the match and polite afterwards but Yukihi couldn’t help but think Akai was a little bit jealous now she was sharing her DDT spotlight with another woman. As the two continued wrestling each other Yukihi revealed that eight years ago she approached DDT wanting to become a pro wrestler but was turned down. Around that same time period she found out Akai debuted for DDT and essential ended up getting the career she wanted. The positive side to this story is Yukihi found another path to becoming a pro wrestler and it is one she is proud of. Now she wanted to prove that her style of joshi wrestling is better than Akai’s style! A women’s match with a story as powerful as this deserves to take place on an event as important as DDT’s 25th Anniversary so Takagi decided to put it right here in Sumo Hall!
Ever since the match was announced, the tag matches between Akai and Yukihi have become more heated as one would accuse the other of being jealous. Akai would blatantly pin Yukihi with her Rookie Award finisher to rub in the fact she won that category in the Tokyo Sports Awards. Yukihi got her own back by making Akai submit in a later match, figuring out that using her arsenal of moves that nobody from DDT have seen before will be the key to victory. Akai wants to prove that she made it to where she is today through hard work and that she is capable of carrying DDT on her back. But she also can’t help but dig deeper into the insults. She recently gave Yukihi a bouquet of yellow roses because yellow roses represent jealousy. Yukihi promised to give them back to Akai when she beats her!
3. DDT 25th Anniversary Special Single Match – No DQ “I’m Sorry” Match: Sanshiro Takagi Vs Michael Nakazawa
Apologizing to your boss for doing something wrong is a humbling experience that can bruise your ego. However when the tables are turned and your boss apologizes to you it can lift your spirits a lot. So I can kind of relate to what Michael Nakazawa is going through. His first couple of years in DDT were alright but the cracks in his working relationship with Sanshiro Takagi first began in 2008. Nakazawa’s contract with DDT wasn’t renewed despite his intentions to stay with the company. He fought and clawed his way back into DDT later that year but the same situation repeated a year later. Takagi just wanted to get rid of him but somehow Nakazawa would always find a way to get back in! So Takagi decided to do whatever he could think of to embarrass Nakazawa on shows event though he had support from wrestlers like Kota Ibushi and Kenny Omega. Poor Nakazawa had fireworks shot at him, was beaten around like a crash test dummy, got into mismatches against the likes of Minoru Suzuki and even took part in the first Anal Explosion opening ceremony when DDT held their Ryogoku debut. It’s now wonder he held a grudge with Takagi for all these years.
So when Nakazawa was picked up by AEW to work in America it looked like a massive reward for all the crap Nakazawa had to eat in DDT. Finally he was going to be a big star around the world. Unfortunately the matches he has on AEW Dark all reach a level low enough to make Excalibur and Taz consider retirement from broadcasting. However wrestling overseas always makes a wrestler improve no matter who they are and Nakazawa is ready to unload on his old boss. His finishing move the Ultimate Venom Arm has been upgraded to include the AEW initials in the name. Earlier this week he beat Takagi in an impromptu Falls Count Anywhere match held outside of a bookstore. The taste of victory was sweet but not enough. Nakazawa needs something more and that is for Takagi to apologize to him for everything he put him through in his life. Their match at Sumo Hall is No Holds Barred and can take place anywhere inside or out of the building. The only way to win is to make your opponent say “I’m Sorry!” on the microphone. What will it take for either of them to finally admit they were wrong?
4. Special Tag Match: Isami Kodaka & Yukio Sakaguchi Vs Yuki Ueno & Shunma Katsumata
A good mix of wrestlers here. Isami Kodaka was never really a proper member of the DDT roster. He came in through Union Pro and took the indies path that led him to forming BASARA. His absolute peak in DDT was around that time period when he also beat Yukio Sakaguchi to become the company’s top champion. That was seven years ago so there should be no problem with the two teaming together this weekend. But if there is some tension between the two then maybe a visit to the sauna will calm them down.
That’s where The 37KAMIINA come in. Shunma Katsumata’s love for the sauna is so strong he now runs a hut in Tateyama, Chiba called Sea Sauna Shack. In the ring he shows a more violent side that somehow matches his joyful behavior. Maybe it’s the Lego weapons that keeps him from never losing his temper. Yuki Ueno however is making big strides up the ladder, reaching the D-Ou Grand Prix final at the end of last year. It is only a matter of time before he reaches the top of the DDT mountain. Only problem is right now he is stuck in the shadow of his high school classmate. But we’ll eventually cross that bridge when we get to it. Not that it will be anytime soon.
DDT has held many matches involving celebrities before and LiLiCo is the one who stood out the most. The half Swedish, half Japanese TV personality wrestled several times for DDT between 2014 and 2017. During her time here she won the DDT Extreme Title, the Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title and the KO-D 10-Man Tag Titles. She hasn’t wrestled since then but a knee injury suffered two years ago made her want to have one more match so she could have a proper pro wrestling retirement. To make this match even more special, LiLiCo asked for many handsome men to be involved. DDT made it so by including Akito and also her husband Ryohei Odai to be on her team. Odai is an actor who has starred in Kamen Rider shows and was also a part of the pop band Junretsu (whose name inspired the identical sounding DDT unit). Despite that pedigree he does not have the physical tools needed to wrestle. Even running the ropes gives him a bad back ache. When asked for an opponent, LiLiCo suggested one of them be Danshoku Dieno because they had a risky rivalry together. She may end up regretting that because… *sighs* well let’s just get straight into it with Pheromones.
For the last year DDT has been surrounded by Pheromones. Dieno, Yuki Iino & Yumehito Imanari became obsessed over their lusty attitudes and succumbed to their lewd behaviour. Dieno became “Dandy”, Iino became “Sexy” and Imanari became “Fantastic”. They don’t care about winning or losing often. Instead they want to do what they want without any limitation or censorship. Unfortunately their actions often go beyond the line of good taste and decency so many of their matches end before the finish so DDT doesn’t get kicked off Samurai! TV or banned from Youtube. The GM Hisaya Imabayashi often tries to stop them just to end up getting “publicly executed” by Pheromones for getting in their way. You’d be surprised how many ways Dieno and his mates can come up with giving their opponents the Stinkface. Just when I think I’ve seen them all, poof, there’s a new angle one person’s face can be shoved into another person’s backside. It’s kind of impressive actually.
So that is what LiLiCo and her handsome men have to deal with. She’s up for the challenge and is threatening to cut off Dieno’s you know what if she has to. Akito has this match to worry about alongside his CyberFight VP duties. And Odai still needs to learn how he can fight in the ring when he gets blisters just from pointing at stuff. As retirement matches go it’s not quite on the level of Genichiro Tenryu but I think it can get close enough.
6. Jun Akiyama 30th Anniversary Match: Jun Akiyama & Takao Omori Vs Kazusada Higuchi & Hideki Okatani
There’s an alternate timeline where Jun Akiyama was able to travel in America in 2020 and coach at the WWE Performance Center. What a gift DDT would have missed out on if that went ahead as planned. Instead he was offered a guest coaching spot in, slowly made the transition over from All Japan to join the company full time and the rest is history. And that history is important because Akiyama is celebrating 30 years in pro wrestling this year. All Japan gave permission for Takao Omori to come on over and bring back the Burning Wild tag team for one night only. However their opponents are not in the mood to wish them well for their accomplishment.
Eruption added a new member this year and it is somebody Akiyama knows well. The young wrestler Hideki Okatani learned from him as part of the Junretsu stable but now he is on a new path to become the Red Fighting Spirit. Kazusada Higuchi tested the kid before accepting him into Eruption and now the unit has renewed energy flowing through it. The two of them would love nothing more than to beat Akiyama and surpass him. When Omori heard about the disrespect coming from his opponents he threatened to crush them in the ring! What was meant to be an honorable tag team match may turn into a war between generations!
7. DDT Universal Title – Hardcore 3 Way Match: Daisuke Sasaki (c) Vs Jun Kasai Vs MAO
There’s a bunch of stories going on in this match but you can ignore the MAO stuff. That’s what the other two are doing. MAO pinned Daisuke Sasaki during the Ultimate Tag League and demanded a shot at his DDT Universal Title. Sasaki refused and continued doing so when MAO kept demanding the match. Then Jun Kasai returned to DDT wanting Sasaki to do a rematch of their Hardcore war at Saitama Super Arena five years ago. Sasaki is the only wrestler in DDT that excites Kasai because he couldn’t beat him back then. Sasaki agreed to the rematch but still had MAO following him claiming to have the next title shot. The solution was to do a 3 Way Hardcore match. That way Sasaki gets to fight Kasai again and MAO will finally leave him alone. The latter hasn’t happened yet, MAO still follows him around trying to get his attention. Sasaki had to go deep into the Nerima mountains for special training to finally escape from him. Even then MAO eventually figured out there are no mountains in Nerima.
The situation going into this match is Sasaki and Kasai are only focused on each other. Kasai’s goal is to maim and embarrass Sasaki. Taking the Universal Title from him will naturally happen as part of the process. The champion wants to make Kasai vomit blood and cry in despair that he will never beat Sasaki. MAO would just like his opponents to notice him for once.
8. KO-D Tag Team Titles: HARASHIMA & Naomi Yoshimura (c) Vs Chris Brookes & Masahiro Takanashi
HARASHIMA & Naomi Yoshimura pulled off an unusual gambit for this year’s Ultimate Tag League. They were the reigning KO-D Tag Team Champions but decided to vacate the belts before the tournament so they would be rewarded to the League winners. Their logic was by entering the League without the championship, they were on an even playing field to everyone else. Therefore winning the tournament will be undeniable proof that DISASTER BOX is the strongest tag team in DDT. Their plan worked and their pay off was having the KO-D Tag Titles returned to them. Things may have turned out different though because the Tag League was pretty much cursed from the get go.
Learn this lesson. Never run a round robin tournament during a pandemic. The Tag League this year was riddled with forfeits because wrestlers kept catching covid or had to stay home because they were close contacts. CDK only wrestled two matches and won both of them but had to forfeit the rest of their matches because Chris Brookes & Masahiro Takanashi both had separate positive cases. They had no chance of reaching the finals despite winning matches when they were able to compete. Plus one of those wins was against DISASTER BOX!
The champions did not forget about that. Their only loss in the Tag League was against CDK in the group stage so minutes after the final was over and they received their prizes, the call out was made. DISASTER BOX wanted the rematch and would put the KO-D Tag Titles on the line! CDK accepted the challenge, believing the belts should belong to them anyway. They’ve been using every trick in their book to get the upper hand in recent matches and they also won the Asia Dream Tag Team Titles in ChocoPro. Meanwhile HARASHIMA has his trusty old Somato while Yoshimura now has a new F5 style finisher called the Osaka Dream. It is the strongest tag team in DDT taking on the most dramatic and dreamiest tag team!
9. KO-D Openweight Title – Japan Bakery Marketing Presents: Konosuke Takeshita (c) Vs Tetsuya Endo
The main event of the 25th Anniversary show cannot fit in all 25 years of DDT’s history into one match but it will complete the decade long story of Konosuke Takeshita and Tetsuya Endo. Last year was the most impressive yet from Takeshita. He overcame a bad period of results by going overseas to AEW and coming back as a complete pro wrestler who was finally comfortable in his own skin. He regained the KO-D Openweight Title and has swept through everyone who stood in his way. All that is left to challenge him is an opponent who probably knows him more than anyone else.
Endo needed to find a new direction and control his own fate after the original DAMNATION was forced to split up. He was happy being the right hand man back then but the time had come for him to have a new unit he could call his own. He had some wise men guiding him along the process. Kenta Kobashi had been supporting Endo and decided to pair him with Jun Akiyama to start off. Endo then decided to add in Yusuke Okada and Yuya Koroku to complete the group. All that was needed was a name. Endo took inspiration from his two mentors and revived the name BURNING with their permission. A name with that much history would motivate Endo to work his hardest to live up to it. Everything was set up and Endo now only needs one last piece to complete the puzzle. The KO-D Openweight Title. When Takeshita asked for a challenger to face him for DDT’s 25th Anniversary, Endo came out and said he was the only one who can face him at Sumo Hall.
It was said before that this is not a rivalry because rivals are meant to motivate each other to do their best. These two are enemies. The proof can be seen from the last four months of DDT shows where The 37KAMIINA Vs BURNING has dominated the main events and upper parts of the cards. Endo has upgraded the Shooting Star Press. First he changed the name to the Burning Star Press and now it is The Best Burning Star Press In The Universe. It is a move Endo was able to pin Takeshita with in response to Takeshita submitting him with the Plus Ultra a few days earlier. It has been a tight conflict and the only thing for certain is whoever wins will lead DDT into its 26th year and beyond!
GANBARE☆PRO “BAD COMMUNICATION 2022”, 27/02/2022 Tokyo Korakuen Hall 319 Fans
1. Katsumura-gun Vs Hitodenashi BLUES: Shuichiro Katsumura & Tsuyoshi Okada defeated Nobuhiro Shimatani & Tyson Maeguchi when Katsumura submitted Shimatani with a Triangle Choke (10:04).
2. Ganjo Special Tag Match: Moeka Haruhi & Maya Yukihi defeated Yuna Manase & YuuRI when Yukihi submitted YuuRI with the Whiteout (13:49).
3. Ganpro’s Famous Hardcore Mixed Tag Match: Shunma Katsumata & Akane Fujita defeated Mizuki Watase & HARUKAZE when Fujita pinned HARUKAZE with the Mikan de Pon onto the Ladder (15:30).
4. Unleash The Curse Of The Great Prophecy!: Yumehito Imanari defeated The Great Sasuke with a Lariat (15:50).
5. BAD COMMUNICATION 2022 Special Bout: Ken Ohka, Keisuke Ishii & Shigehiro Irie defeated Shota, Soma Takao & Shinichiro Tominaga when Ohka pinned Tominaga with the Fire Spear (12:38).
6. Spirit Of Ganbare World Openweight Title: Tatsuhito Takaiwa (c) defeated Kouki Iwasaki with the Avalanche Death Valley Bomb (23:02). *V2 for Tatsuhito Takaiwa.
A hot topic in Japanese wrestling right now is how hard the old guard are fighting to stay in the spotlight. It’s happening in Ganbare☆Pro too where Tatsuhito Takaiwa has a tight grip on the new Spirit Of Ganbare World Title. He successfully defended the championship against Kouki Iwasaki in the main event of Korakuen Hall after a hard fought battle. Any hope Ganpro had of their “young general” bringing the belt back home failed to materialize after the Avalanche Death Valley Bomb put him away. Takaiwa called the match the toughest he’s had in years because he is not good against kickers. Iwasaki agreed, describing the champion as a man who crawled up from Hell. Takaiwa is being a good spirit despite being somewhat of an outsider. He made a promise to help Ganpro grow bigger while he is their champion and welcomes anyone to come challenge him. He is willing to have a rematch against Iwasaki but he also wants to learn more about the rest of the roster for potential opponents.
The trio of Ken Ohka, Keisuke Ishii & Shigehiro Irie were too strong from ROMANCE DAWN & Shinichiro Tominaga to sail through. Irie smashed through Soma Takao with the Traffic Accident while Ishii took Shota out of play. That left Tominaga on his own ducking and diving all of his opponent’s big moves. He dodged the Beast Bomber and Kneel Kick but Ohka finally caught him with the Flame Spear to get the win.
In December 2015 The Great Sasuke gave Yumehito Imanari a “Great Prophecy” predicting he would have a breakout year in 2016. Nothing has happened since then and Imanari puts the blame on Sasuke for giving him a false blessing. That is what led to their singles match today. Sasuke, being the nutjob he is, did a Senton Bomb to the floor and missed. He was able to keep fighting until Imanari beat him with a Lariat. A tearful Imanari told Sasuke he still believes in the prophecy because it drives him to do his best. Sasuke gave an excuse that his prophecies sometimes have a time lag so Imanari’s one will definitely come true this year!
The Mixed Tag Match brought violence on an absurd level with some of the bizarre weapons being used. Mizuki Watase wore a tiger paw glove covered in barbed wire, HARUKAZE carried a garbage bag filled with empty plastic bottles, Akane Fujita had a baseball bat covered in thumbtacks and Shunma Katsumata had a bad with toy blocks stuck to it. Other weapons used included chairs, a ladder, an acupressure foot mat, steel cans and concrete blocks. Katsumata & Fujita kept accusing each other of stealing their own weapon ideas but had to get along out of necessity to win the match. Katsumata told Akane they keep winning together but they should stop before Sanshiro Takagi decides to make them team up again. Akane said that’s his problem and she will team with whoever the company offers to her. Watase & HARUKAZE enjoyed doing the match and like the idea of becoming a Hardcore Manzai tag team.
The Ganbare☆Joshi division was put on display in Match #2. YuuRI was put through the wringer by Moeka Haruhi & Maya Yukihi so Yuna Manase used her own size and power to spark a comeback. YuuRI also got her second wind but it couldn’t last against Yukihi. After Haruhi got Manase out of the ring, Yukihi stretched and pulled YuuRI in the Whiteout until she gave up.
In the opening match Shuichiro Katsumura & Tsuyoshi Okada joined forces to beat Nobuhiro Shimatani & Tyson Maeguchi. It was a Power Bomb from Shimatani that was suddenly countered into a Triangle Choke from Katsumura that led to that result.
2022 is going to be a big year schedule wise for Ganpro. There will be three more Korakuen shows this year on 3rd May, 13th August and 27th December. Pocchari Joshi will also return for its third show on 26th April. But that’s not all. Ganpro are making their biggest gamble yet to become a major pro wrestling promotion. On 10th July they are going to run Ota Ward Gymnasium! When Ganpro began in 2013 Ohka only had 150,000 yen and Nanhai Ichigaya Memorial Clinic (now known as Ichigaya Chocolate Square) as a venue. He likes venues like that and Itabashi Green Hall but believes the time has come to grow bigger and become more major. That is why Ganpro is running Korakuen four times a year and also going to Ota Ward. He wants to keep the momentum going so one day Ganpro will reach Sumo Hall and the Tokyo Dome! He also said if Ganpro works hard and Japan works hard they can create a booming economy together!
DDT “ULTIMATE TAG LEAGUE 2022 THE FINAL!!”, 27/02/2022 Tokyo Korakuen Hall 573 Fans – No Vacancy
-. Ultimate Tag League 2022 – A Block: Kazusada Higuchi & Hideki Okatani (2) Vs Shuji Kondo & Kazuki Hirata (0) is a Double Forfeit.
0. Dark Match: Yusuke Okada defeated Yuki Ishida with a Crab Hold (6:34).
0. Dark Match: Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno Vs Hiroshi Yamato ended in a No Contest (5:44).
1. Toru Owashi & Shuji Kondo defeated Soma Takao & Kazusada Higuchi when Kondo pinned Takao with the King Kong Lariat (9:16).
2. Ultimate Tag League 2022 – B Block: Chris Brookes & Masahiro Takanashi (4) defeated Shunma Katsumata & MAO (2) when Brookes pinned Katsumata with the Praying Mantis Bomb (7:03).
3. Ultimate Tag League 2022 – B Block: HARASHIMA & Naomi Yoshimura (6) defeated Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Yumehito “Fantastic” Imanari (4) when HARASHIMA pinned Iino with a Forward Rolling Cradle (12:30).
4. Ultimate Tag League 2022 – A Block: Konosuke Takeshita & Yuki Ueno (6) defeated Tetsuya Endo & Jun Akiyama (6) when Takeshita submitted Endo with the Plus Ultra (24:09).
5. Daisuke Sasaki, Minoru Fujita & MJ Paul defeated Yuji Hino, Akito & Yukio Naya when Sasaki submitted Akito with La Mistica Crossface Lock (13:23).
6. Special Tag Match: Sanshiro Takagi & Maya Yukihi defeated Yukio Sakaguchi & Saki Akai when Yukihi pinned Akai with the Snowton Bomb (12:23).
7. KO-D Tag Team Titles – Ultimate Tag League 2022 – Final: HARASHIMA & Naomi Yoshimura defeated Konosuke Takeshita & Yuki Ueno when Yoshimura pinned Ueno with the Modified Shonenba (20:14). *DISASTER BOX becomes the 72nd KO-D Tag Team Champions!
It was an unusual idea put forth by HARASHIMA & Naomi Yoshimura to vacate the KO-D Tag Team Titles before the Ultimate Tag League. But they made their point by entering the tournament as challengers on an even playing field with everyone else, then winning the entire thing to regain the belts! They topped their group and then faced The 37KAMIINA in the final. The match came down to former Nautilus teammates Naomi Yoshimura and Yuki Ueno fighting each other. They were evenly matched while HARASHIMA and Konosuke Takeshita did what they can to tip the balance in their team’s favour. In the end, Ueno’s Frankensteiner pin was destroyed by the Somato from HARASHIMA. Yoshimura hit a Power Bomb and a Lariat but Ueno still kicked out. He was finally put away with a Modified version of the Shonenba.
Yoshimura was satisfied with winning the tournament and regaining the tag titles like he had intended. However there was one team DISASTER BOX did not beat in the group stage. He called out CDK, who came to the ring carrying the Asia Dream Tag Team Titles they won in ChocoPro yesterday. HARASHIMA challenged them to a KO-D Tag Titles match at the 25th Anniversary show on 20th March! Masahiro Takanashi admitted DISASTER BOX are the best tag team in DDT but the tag titles should belong to the most dramatic and dreamy of tag teams, which is himself & Chris Brookes! Yoshimura closed out the show giving a shoutout to Kazuki Hirata. He and HARASHIMA had a pair of Hirata GO! glasses with them for both of their matches today.
Maya Yukihi got the better of Saki Akai in their latest preview match ahead of Sumo Hall. She teamed with Sanshiro Takagi, who himself is fired up for his matches at Ryogoku weekend, to beat Akai & Yukio Sakaguchi. Yukihi was also eager to fight Sakaguchi and that possibly kept her sharp enough to pin Akai directly with the Snowton Bomb. Yukihi told Akai afterwards she wants to drag out her emotional side to make their singles make even more fierce. Whether that happens or not, Yukihi is certain she will win. She also came up with a team name for her and Takagi. They can be called Fire Snow! Akai feels she let herself down because she wanted to prove to Takagi and Sakaguchi she can carry DDT on her own. She thinks this because she will be on her own against Yukihi at Sumo Hall and she wants to be the last one standing and smiling at the end.
Preparations are going well for DAMNATION T.A even if there is somebody trying to get their attention. Daisuke Sasaki, Minoru Fujita & MJ Paul were a well oiled, greasy team bending all the rules to beat Yuji Hino, Akito & Yukio Naya. After the match Sasaki attacked the referee while MAO appeared at the top of the entrance gate watching on. He tried to get Sasaki’s attention but Sasaki kicked the gate until MAO fell. He then walked off leaving MAO lying on the floor. Backstage, Sasaki asked who the current KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Champions are and got confused when he found out it is Pheromones. He wants to challenge them for the titles. He also said Fujita had been spying on Jun Kasai so Sasaki now knows everything about him. His plan to defend the DDT Universal Title in the Hardcore 3 Way Match is going along nicely.
The final block matches of the Ultimate Tag League made up the early portions of the show. Takeshita & Ueno reached the final be beating BURNING to top their group. It was a big preview of the upcoming Ryogoku main event between Takeshita Vs Tetsuya Endo. Takeshita took out Jun Akiyama with the very Jumping Knee Strike that was passed down to him. He also blocked the Burning Star Press before making Endo tap out to the Plus Ultra. Both teams ended with 6 points but this result meant The 37KAMIINA advanced thanks to the Direct Confrontation rule. Endo was angry at himself for giving up. However he and Akiyama both agree there is still one thing he can use to beat Takeshita. Whatever it is, Endo didn’t expand upon it any further. Instead he said he will beat Takeshita for the KO-D Openweight Title at Sumo Hall.
DISASTER BOX won their block but had to get an unwanted eye-full of Pheromones to do it. A No Contest would have created a 4 Way tie for first place so both teams wanted to win. Yes, even Pheromones. They complained Yuki Iino’s shoulder was up while HARASHIMA pinned him with a Victory Roll. Danshoku Dieno later accused DDT of bribing the ref so they would lose. Yumehito Imanari was more concerned about the size of Yoshimura’s thighs. He never seen anything like them and thinks they should be used in his movies!
There was only pride on the line for the ShunMao Vs CDK match. Both teams were already eliminated from contention. ShunMao’s teamwork blew up in their own faces when Shunma Katsumata accidentally hit the Sauna Trance Splash onto his own partner. With MAO taken out that way, CD hit a Super Kick/Praying Mantis Bomb combo to pin Katsumata. ShunMao still believe they did well in the tournament. They had to wrestle under normal rules and were still able to entertain the fans. Now they will wait for offers to wrestle anywhere, even somewhere abroad like America or Finland. Takanashi used one of the Asia Dream Tag Title belts to block a punch from MAO during the match. He later found out the punch broke one of the plates! He swore revenge on them as soon as he finds some tape to fix the belt.
Both Kazusada Higuchi and Shuji Kondo found themselves without their regular tag partners because of covid. Their Tag League match was declared void and neither team got points out of it. Instead, Higuchi teamed with Soma Takao to face Kondo & Toru Owashi. The Toryumon flavored team came out on top which makes Owashi think it was fate for Hirata to get sick and make himself team with Kondo. It may be the start of something new or it may not. The one thing Owashi is sure of is Kondo won the match for Hirata.
Dark match? More like After Dark match! Danshoku Dieno’s bout against Hiroshi Yamato aired live on DDT’s Youtube channel so Hisaya Imabayashi warned them not to go overboard. They did anyway by trying to strip off each other’s wrestling tights. Imabayashi called off the match and finally had enough. When Dieno tried to attack him he fought back and gave Dieno a Stunner! Imabayashi then kicked Yamato out of the ring and ordered the staff to disinfect everything before the main show could begin.
The other dark match was a much cleaner affair. Yusuke Okada submitted Yuki Ishida. The youngster hit his Sumo Slaps and kicked out of a Brainbuster but the Crab Hold defeated him in the end.
The complete card for “JUDGEMENT 2022 ~DDT 25TH ANNIVERSARY~” on 20th March was revealed at the end of the show. Isami Kodaka sent in a video promising to be there. He and Yukio Sakaguchi will face Yuki Ueno & Shunma Katsumata on the show. Kazusada Higuchi & Hideki Okatani are the team that will face Jun Akiyama & Takao Omori. There will also be a pre-show matches with the past, present and future of DDT invovled.
DDT “JUDGEMENT 2022 ~DDT 25TH ANNIVERSARY~”, 20/03/2022 Tokyo Ryogoku Kokugikan
0. Dark Match: Yusuke Okada, Yuya Koroku & Ilusion Vs Toui Kojima, Yuki Ishida & El Unicorn
0. Dark Match – Time Admission Tag Battle Royal: Tomohiko Hashimoto & Seiya Morohashi Vs Soma Takao & Shota Vs Minoru Fujita & MJ Paul Vs Yuji Hino & Yukio Naya Vs Gorgeous Matsuno & Gota Ihashi Vs Andreza Giant Panda & Super Sasadango Machine
1. KO-D 10-Man Tag Team Titles: Toru Owashi, Antonio Honda, Kazuki Hirata & Yoshihiko (c) Vs Poison Sawada JULIE, Takashi Sasaki, GENTARO, MIKAMI & Tanomusaku Toba (w/ Naomi Susan)
2. LiLiCo Retirement Match: LiLiCo, Ryohei Odai & Akito (w/ Junretsu) Vs Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno, Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Yumehito “Fantastic” Imanari
3. Special Tag Match: Isami Kodaka & Yukio Sakaguchi Vs Yuki Ueno & Shunma Katsumata
4. Special Single Match: Saki Akai Vs Maya Yukihi
5. Jun Akiyama 30th Anniversary Match: Jun Akiyama & Takao Omori Vs Kazusada Higuchi & Hideki Okatani
6. DDT 25th Anniversary Special Single Match: Sanshiro Takagi Vs Michael Nakazawa
7. KO-D Tag Team Titles: HARASHIMA & Naomi Yoshimura (c) Vs Chris Brookes & Masahiro Takanashi
8. DDT Universal Title – Hardcore 3 Way Match: Daisuke Sasaki (c) Vs Jun Kasai Vs MAO
9. KO-D Openweight Title – Japan Bakery Marketing Presents: Konosuke Takeshita (c) Vs Tetsuya Endo
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TOKYO JOSHI 2022 WINTER ~OSAKA PERFORMANCE~”, 26/02/2022 Osaka Azalea Taisho Hall
1. Suzume Vs Kaya Toribami
2. Maki Itoh & Yuki Kamifuku Vs Raku & Pom Harajuku
3. Nao Kakuta Vs Haruna Neko
4. Miyu Yamashita & Marika Kobashi Vs Hikari Noa & Arisu Endo
5. Shoko Nakajima, Hyper Misao & Mahiro Kiryu Vs Rika Tatsumi, Miu Watanabe & Moka Miyamoto
6. Yuka Sakazaki Vs Mizuki Vs Nodoka Tenma & Yuki Aino
It’s the final showdown between The Magical Sugar Rabbits and The Bakuretsu Sisters!
Miyu Yamashita and Maki Itoh are both cleared and back in action. Yamashita gets to team with Marika Kobashi again, although I think their original team name JK Strikers is a bit out of date at this point. Itoh teams with Yuki Kamifuku, showing that they are still friends after their International Princess Title match earlier this month.
DDT “ULTIMATE TAG LEAGUE 2022 THE FINAL!!”, 27/02/2022 Tokyo Korakuen Hall
-. Ultimate Tag League 2022 – A Block: Kazusada Higuchi & Hideki Okatani (2) Vs Shuji Kondo & Kazuki Hirata (0) is a Double Forfeit.
0. Dark Match: Yusuke Okada Vs Yuki Ishida
0. Dark Match: Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno Vs Hiroshi Yamato
1. Toru Owashi & Shuji Kondo Vs Soma Takao & Kazusada Higuchi
2. Ultimate Tag League 2022 – B Block: Chris Brookes & Masahiro Takanashi (2) Vs Shunma Katsumata & MAO (2)
3. Ultimate Tag League 2022 – B Block: HARASHIMA & Naomi Yoshimura (4) Vs Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Yumehito “Fantastic” Imanari (4)
4. Ultimate Tag League 2022 – A Block: Konosuke Takeshita & Yuki Ueno (4) Vs Tetsuya Endo & Jun Akiyama (6)
5. Daisuke Sasaki, Minoru Fujita & MJ Paul Vs Yuji Hino, Akito & Yukio Naya
6. Special Tag Match: Yukio Sakaguchi & Saki Akai Vs Sanshiro Takagi & Maya Yukihi
7. KO-D Tag Team Titles – Ultimate Tag League 2022 – Final : Winners Of Block A Vs Winners Of Block B
The final block matches for the Ultimate Tag League tell two different stories. In the A Block BURNING only needs a tie to advance to the final. However if The 37KAMIINA beats them, then Konosuke Takeshita & Yuki Ueno advance because of the head to head rule. DISASTER BOX versus Pheromones needs to have a winner otherwise the B Block can get complicated. A time limit draw leads to a restart because the teams get one point each and tie in first without a head to head tiebreaker. Real chaos can happen if the match ends in a Double DQ, Double Countout or No Contest because no points are awarded to anyone. That can possibly create a 3 Way or 4 Way tie with DAMNATION T.A and whoever wins between ShunMao and CDK. Normally we do not have to worry about that scenario happening but Pheromones are involved. Their entire thing is ruining matches without caring about winning or losing. They can now ruin the entire tournament if they want to!
Unfortunately two more wrestlers have been pulled from the show. Toui Kojima tested positive for covid while Antonio Honda has been under poor physical condition. In Honda’s case he tested negative so he might just be feeling ill this week. The dark matches have been changed with their removal alongside Toru Owashi and Soma Takao getting bumped up to the opening match with Shuji Kondo and Kazusada Higuchi.
GANBARE☆PRO “BAD COMMUNICATION 2022”, 27/02/2022 Tokyo Korakuen Hall
1. Katsumura-gun Vs Hitodenashi BLUES: Shuichiro Katsumura & Tsuyoshi Okada Vs Nobuhiro Shimatani & Tyson Maeguchi
2. Ganjo Special Tag Match: Yuna Manase & YuuRI Vs Moeka Haruhi & Maya Yukihi
3. Ganpro’s Famous Hardcore Mixed Tag Match: Mizuki Watase & HARUKAZE Vs Shunma Katsumata & Akane Fujita
4. Unleash The Curse Of The Great Prophecy!: The Great Sasuke Vs Yumehito Imanari
5. BAD COMMUNICATION 2022 Special Bout: Ken Ohka, Keisuke Ishii & Shigehiro Irie Vs Shota, Soma Takao & Shinichiro Tominaga
6. Spirit Of Ganbare World Openweight Title: Tatsuhito Takaiwa (c) Vs Kouki Iwasaki
Not only will there be English commentary for the first time at a Ganbare☆Pro show, there will also be a special guest joining Chris Brookes and Mr. HAKU for the main event. Shinjiro Otani will be calling the Spirit Of Ganbare Title match with them!
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW MIDWINTER POOL WRESTLING ON WRESTLE UNIVERSE”, 28/02/2022 Tokyo Sumida Sports Health Center Pool
1. 5 Way Tag Match: Yuka Sakazaki & Mizuki Vs Rika Tatsumi & Miu Watanabe Vs Hyper Misao & Nodoka Tenma Vs Hikari Noa & Yuki Arai Vs Marika Kobashi & Raku
Pro wrestling matches at swimming pools have been done before by DDT. Now it is Tokyo Joshi Pro’s turn to try it out. The match has already been recorded and will be shown for the first time on WRESTLE UNIVERSE this Monday, so for now I’m using the broadcast date for the match record. Five teams will be against each other but some special rules will be included so it may not be just one match with every team all against each other at once.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “GRAND PRINCESS ’22”, 19/03/2022 Tokyo Ryogoku Kokugikan
1. Juria Nagano Debut Match: Juria Nagano Vs X
2. Sanshiro Takagi Vs Hyper Misao
3. Nodoka Tenma Vs Yuki Aino
4. Special Single Match: Hikaru Shida Vs Hikari Noa
5. International Princess Title: Maki Itoh (c) Vs Yuki Arai
6. Princess Tag Team Titles: Yuka Sakazaki & Mizuki (c) Vs Rika Tatsumi & Miu Watanabe
7. Princess Of Princess Title: Miyu Yamashita (c) Vs Shoko Nakajima
Nodoka Tenma and Yuki Aino will have their first and only singles match against each other at Sumo Hall. A match between The Bakuretsu Sisters was often pitched over the years but Aino never liked the idea. Tenma wants the match to finally happen because she will be graduating from wrestling soon. This time Aino agree to the match because Tenma helped make her who she is today.
Getting a match against the crazy company president should be top of the list of things Hyper Misao would like to do. However she wasn’t happy to find out she will be fighting Sanshiro Takagi. He’s become too old and boring for her wacky ideas. Takagi warned her that he is just as crazy in the ring as he always was so she better be ready to eat her words!
Juria Nagano seems to be training with Yuka Sakazaki and Mizuki if her latest TikTok is anything to go by.
The complete match line-up will be revealed tomorrow. The show will have ten matches in total.
DDT “DDT FREE -FEBRUARY- ULTIMATE TAG LEAGUE 2022 IN SHINJUKU!!”, 14/02/2022 Shinjuku FACE 233 Fans – Super No Vacancy Full House
-. Ultimate Tag League 2022 – B Block: Daisuke Sasaki & MJ Paul (2) defeated Chris Brookes & Masahiro Takanashi (2) by Forfeit.
0. Dark Match: Yusuke Okada defeated Yuya Koroku with the Sudden Death (8:27).
1. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title – You Cannot Leave Without Defending For 2 Minutes 5 Way Match: Antonio Honda defeated Toru Owashi (c), Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno, Masahiro Takanashi and Shunma Katsumata (7:28).
1a. Antonio Honda defeated Toru Owashi (c) with a School Boy (1:12). *Antonio Honda becomes the 1,531st champion.
1b. Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno defeated Antonio Honda (c) with a School Boy (1:19). *Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno becomes the 1,532nd champion.
1c. Masahiro Takanashi defeated Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno (c) with a School Boy (1:27). *Masahiro Takanashi becomes the 1,533rd champion.
1d. Toru Owashi defeated Masahiro Takanshi (c) with a School Boy (1:43). *Toru Owashi becomes the 1,534th champion.
1e. Antonio Honda defeated Toru Owashi (c) with a School Boy (1:50). *Antonio Honda becomes the 1,535th champion.
1f. Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno defeated Antonio Honda (c) with a School Boy (1:56). *Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno becomes the 1,536th champion.
1g. Masahiro Takanashi defeated Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno (c) with a School Boy (2:03). *Masahiro Takanashi becomes the 1,537th champion.
1h. Foot Acupoint Mat defeated Masahiro Takanashi (c) by Pinfall (2:50). *Foot Acupoint Mat becomes the 1,538th champion.
1i. Antonio Honda defeated Foot Acupoint Mat (c) by Pinfall (3:52). *Antonio Honda becomes the 1,539th champion.
1j. Toru Owashi defeated Antonio Honda (c) with a Figure 4 Head Lock (4:33). *Toru Owashi becomes the 1,540th champion.
1k. Masahiro Takanashi defeated Toru Owashi (c) with a Figure 4 Head Lock (4:42). *Masahiro Takanashi becomes the 1,541st champion.
1l. Shunma Katsumata defeated Masahiro Takanashi (c) with a Figure 4 Head Lock (5:03). *Shunma Katsumata becomes the 1,542nd champion.
1m. Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno defeated Shunma Katsumata (c) with a Figure 4 Head Lock (5:11). *Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno becomes the 1,543rd champion.
1n. Antonio Honda defeated Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno (c) with a School Boy (5:28). *Antonio Honda becomes the 1,544th champion.
2. Special Tag Match: Maya Yukihi & Yukio Naya defeated Saki Akai & Toui Kojima when Naya pinned Kojima with the Back Drop (7:10).
-. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title: Lingling defeated Antonio Honda (c) with a Handshake (7:26 pm). *Lingling becomes the 1,545th champion.
3. Daisuke Sasaki, Minoru Fujita & MJ Paul defeated Akito, MAO & Yuki Ishida when Paul pinned Ishida with the Death Valley Bomb (10:01).
4. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Jun Kasai, Yuji Hino & Yukio Sakaguchi defeated HARASHIMA, Naomi Yoshimura & Soma Takao when Kasai pinned Takao with the Vertical Drop Reverse Tiger Driver (10:04).
5. DDT Extreme Title – Turkish Wrestling Rules: Yuki “Sexy” Iino defeated Shinya Aoki (c) by Countout (7:58). *Shinya Aoki fails in V6. Yuki “Sexy” Iino becomes the 53rd DDT Extreme Champion!
6. Ultimate Tag League 2022 – A Block: Tetsuya Endo & Jun Akiyama (6) defeated Shuji Kondo & Kazuki Hirata (0) when Akiyama pinned Hirata with the Exploder Suplex (12:10).
7. Ultimate Tag League 2022 – A Block: Kazusada Higuchi & Hideki Okatani (4) defeated Konosuke Takeshita & Yuki Ueno (4) when Higuchi pinned Ueno with the Brain Claw Slam (19:51).
Eruption are now on the board, scoring their first win in the Ultimate Tag League. They also deal a blow to The 37KAMIINA’s chances of reaching first place in the A Block. Kazusada Higuchi & Hideki Okatani ended up focusing their teamwork on Yuki Ueno, hitting the Diving Knee Drop and Doctor Bomb on him. Konosuke Takeshita kept breaking as many pins as he could but in the end Higuchi finally got the three count on Ueno with the Brain Claw Slam.
Okatani was pleased with getting his first league win in Eruption even though he did not directly get the pin. They have two more group matches left so he is certain he can get a direct win on the way to the final. There is also something else on his mind. He was recently given the nickname “Red Super Comet”. He doesn’t think it suits him and also doesn’t want to use a name created by someone else. He instead wants to be called “The Red Fighting Spirit” of Eruption!
It is BURNING who leads the A Block uncontested and they now just need to win their last match to reach the final. You could argue they had it easy today because one of their opponents was Kazuki Hirata. He would have been quickly beaten by Jun Akiyama had he not pleaded for mercy when Akiyama set him up for the Exploder Suplex. Shuji Kondo had to do the heavy lifting until he was blocked off by Tetsuya Endo. Hirata did what he could to steal a win but Akiyama got him with the Exploder anyway. Hirata surprisingly kicked out so Akiyama gave him another one to get the win. Endo said there would be no miracle today while Akiyama thinks Hirata wants a one on one match against him. Hirata definitely does not agree, even with Kondo encouraging him to do it!
Yuki “Sexy” Iino is the new DDT Extreme Champion but Shinya Aoki got to get oiled up by Yumiko Hotta, so who really won today? The answer is Iino because he now has a championship belt, duh. The more oil that covered Iino and Aoki, the slippier they became. There is no justice I could do to describe a match so lewd it caused DDT to delete the video from Youtube after it aired. Pheromones eventually attacked Aoki outside the ring until Hotta came to the rescue. Unfortunately for Hotta, Danshoku Dieno Slingshotted her face into Iino’s butt while he held Aoki in the WAR Special. The referee was near the 20 count when both wrestlers ran back to the ring. Iino got back in time but Aoki slipped and stumbled, causing him to lose by countout. That result is still eligible for a title change so Iino is the new champion! On the bright side, Aoki got a box of Valentine’s day chocolates from Hotta.
Dieno got on the microphone and said that match is the part of pro wrestling Pheromones are here to do. Iino then nominated Shunma Katsumata to be his first challenger. Katsumata doesn’t want to get involved but reluctantly appeared when Dieno threatened Hisaya Imabyashi to take his place. He refused the nomination but Imabayashi booked the title match for 27th March anyway. Pheromones then attacked Katsumata and left him laying. Backstage Katsumata said the Iino he knew from ALL OUT is gone. He also accused Imabayashi of possibly being the secret mastermind behind Pheromones! Why else would he put him into this match against his wishes?
The visiting Jun Kasai had a lot on his plate today. First he was victorious in a 6-Man Tag Match with Yuji Hino & Yukio Sakaguchi. After his partners got wiped out along with HARASHIMA & Naomi Yoshimura, Kasai was left alone with Soma Takao. Seemingly looking frustrated, Kasai yelled for DDT to get him more excited before he pinned Takao with the Vertical Drop Reverse Tiger Driver. Kasai didn’t want to celebrate the win though and called for his music to stop.
Kasai said after being a long time away from DDT he was looking forward to seeing who in the company would inspire him. He found the experience today lacking and can only think of one person that interests him. Daisuke Sasaki! He walked out but was followed by MAO behind him. Earlier in the show MAO had finally convinced Sasaki to give him the DDT Universal Title shot at Sumo Hall on 20th March. But now Kasai is making the same challenge because he wants a rematch of their Saitama Super Arena war from five years ago! MAO butted in to remind them he already has the title shot. Sasaki agreed to make it a Hardcore 3 Way Match at Sumo Hall so MAO would finally shut up.
Sasaki is full to the brim with confidence now that Minoru Fujita is with DAMNATION T.A. After accepting the 3 Way Challenge, Sasaki said Fujita is like his spy because Fujita knows Kasai in the ring very well. When DAMNATION T.A had their match, they quickly attacked MAO first. MAO recovered and had some help with Akito to clean up the opposition but that left Yuki Ishida alone with MJ Paul. A Lariat and the Death Valley Bomb gave Paul the win. Sasaki then hit Ishida with a chair and gave Daisuke Kiso the Michinoku Driver II. That was when MAO challenged Sasaki for the title shot and finally got it.
The Mixed Tag match ended with Yukio Naya pinning Toui Kojima but the attention was all on Saki Akai and Maya Yukihi as their rivalry grows further. Yukihi can see that Akai is becoming more emotional in their matches. She thought Akai was always looking down on her but maybe Akai is starting to see her for who she is. Akai at least approves of Yukihi being ready to fight her in all of their matches so far. The differences between them means they will have a match unlike anything else at Sumo Hall.
Toru Owashi came up with a new match format to try out with the Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title. He wanted the 5 Way Match to go on until the defending champion survives for two minutes without losing the belt. It’s a task that is easier said than done because there were loads of title changes within five minutes. Owashi, Dieno, Katsumata, Masahiro Takanashi and Antonio Honda all got to win the title during the match. A Foot Acupoint Mat also briefly became the champion because it covered Takanashi while Katsumata was pinning him. Honda was finally able to last the two minutes as champion and be declared the winner.
The Iron Man Title returned later in the show when Honda was chased into the ring. Everyone stopped when they saw special guest Lingling from BiSH in the ring. She all shook their hands, unaware that she has an incredibly strong grip that left each wrestler in pain. When she shook Honda’s hand, a loud crack was heard and Honda screamed he was giving up. That means Lingling is now the Iron Man Champion! She didn’t think she was this powerful but she is happy to win a championship.
Yusuke Okada beat Yuya Koroku in the dark match. Koroku missed a Moonsault and was made to crawl over to the ropes in a Crab Hold. His attempt to regain momentum was cut off with the Kitchen Sink and Okada pinned him with the Sudden Death.
It was announced that Akiyama will team with Takao Omori at Sumo Hall! This is being done to celebrate Akiyama’s 30th Anniversary in wrestling. He is happy with the news because it’s been a long time since he’s been in the ring with Omori. Their opponents are to be announced.
DDT “ULTIMATE TAG LEAGUE 2022 IN OSAKA!!”, 12/02/2022 Osaka Suminoe Maikon Hall 131 Fans
1. Yuya Koroku defeated Yuki Ishida with the Chickenwing Arm Lock (10:21).
2. Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno & Yuki “Sexy” Iino Vs Antonio Honda & Kazuki Hirata ended in a No Contest (10:55).
3. Tetsuya Endo, Jun Akiyama & Yusuke Okada defeated Toru Owashi, Kazusada Higuchi & Hideki Okatani when Endo pinned Okatani with the Swivel Torture Rack Bomb (15:22).
4. Daisuke Sasaki, Minoru Fujita & MJ Paul defeated Soma Takao, Akito & Toui Kojima when Fujita pinned Kojima with the SAYONARA (13:43).
5. Ultimate Tag League 2022 – B Block: HARASHIMA & Naomi Yoshimura (4) defeated Shunma Katsumata & MAO (2) when Yoshimura pinned MAO with the Throwaway Power Bomb (14:41).
6. Ultimate Tag League 2022 – A Block – Maikon no Kohara Presents: Konosuke Takeshita & Yuki Ueno (4) defeated Yuji Hino & Yukio Naya (2) when Ueno pinned Naya with an Inverted Hurricanrana (18:28).
As the Ultimate Tag League rolls on there are two unbeaten teams remaining in the A Block. The 37KAMIINA spoiled Yuji Hino’s return home to Osaka and probably ended his team’s chances of reaching the final. Konosuke Takeshita & Yuki Ueno get to enjoy their sponsored prizes for winning while Hino is left encouraging Yukio Naya to get even stronger. Both teams have Eruption next on their schedules. For Hino & Naya it will be their last match in the block so Naya badly wants to end their run with a win.
Hard work is paying off for one team in the B Block. DISASTER BOX blew through ShunMao’s wacky tactics to move up to the top side of the group. MAO attempted to break a submission hold by tying his own boot laces to the tag rope so he would technically still be in his corner. The plan didn’t work because he was still too far away from the others and was left dangling over the ring ropes. When he got freed he later hit a stage dive onto HARASHIMA & Naomi Yoshimura. But the end came when Yoshimura pinned Shunma Katsumata with the Throwaway Power Bomb. He is enjoying his team with HARASHIMA so much he forgets they are wrestling in a high stakes tournament. MAO isn’t too concerned with losing because he believes he is the next challenger for the DDT Universal Title. No losses in the Tag League will take that away from him but he told Katsumata he will still try to win.
The newly enforced DAMNATION T.A did plenty of cheating to win their match against Soma Takao, Akito & Toui Kojima. They took advantage of ref bumps (that they caused on purpose) to beat down their opponents with chairs until they won. MJ Paul even gave Kojima an extra chairshot after the match. Daisuke Sasaki warned that Minoru Fujita may not be the only new member of the unit. DAMNATION T.A will take over DDT and the wrestling world!
The Pheromones match was once again cancelled midway through because the show was airing live on Youtube and DDT doesn’t want their channel to get banned. Sanshiro Takagi was even in charge of using the iPad filming the show and tried to keep the hard cam shot as wide as he could. Hisaya Imabayashi called off the match and was “publicly executed” Pheromones style for doing so.
Posted by JamieOD 
Dramatic DDT 