I don’t have the time to write up full previews for this weekend’s “WRESTLE PETER PAN 2025” shows but there was a press conference held during the week where several wrestlers talked about their matches.
The current Right To Challenge Arm Cover holders going into the weekend are Kazuki Hirata (Yellow), Daichi Sato (Green), Hideki Okatani (Blue) and Soma Takao (Red).
DDT “WRESTLE PETER PAN 2025 – DAY 1”, 30/08/2025 Tokyo Higashin Arena Main Arena
1. Hinata Kasai Debut Match: HARASHIMA Vs Hinata Kasai
2. Soma Takao & Rukiya Vs Shinichiro Kawamatsu & Yuki Ishida
3. 3 Way Match: Danshoku Dieno Vs Kazuki Hirata Vs Antonio Honda
4. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Ilusion, MJ Paul & Haruto Sakuraba Vs Akito, Naomi Yoshimura & Daichi Sato
5. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Yuki Ueno, Shinya Aoki & Kazuma Sumi Vs MAO, KANON & Kumadori (w/ KIMIHIRO)
6. DDT Extreme Title – Earn Your Own Life!! Pro Wrestling Life Or Death Death Match!: To-y (c) Vs Yuya Koroku
7. Muscle Sakai 15th Anniversary Of Retirement Match ~ Special Single Match: Minoru Suzuki Vs Muscle Sakai
8. Dramatic Dream Tag Match: Zack Sabre Jr. & Kosei Fujita Vs Chris Brookes & Takeshi Masada
9. KO-D Tag Team Titles: Yuki Iino & Yukio Naya (c) Vs Daisuke Sasaki & Hideki Okatani
10. KO-D Openweight Title: Kazusada Higuchi (c) Vs Jun Akiyama
There are two KO-D Openweight Title matches guaranteed to happen this weekend with the first day going to Kazusada Higuchi defending the belt against Jun Akiyama. The challenger said it’s been four years since he last attended a press conference for a big event in this position and he’s excited to be competing at the highest level again. He aims to win the title without getting injured so he can have a good match with Yuki Ueno the next day. He would have wanted to be Higuchi’s first challenger but HARASHIMA beat him to the punch. When Akiyama saw how hard HARASHIMA worked in the match it motivated him to get next in line for a title shot before anyone else.
Higuchi talked about challenging Akiyama for the title four years ago and losing. It remains the most frustrating time of his wrestling career but time has passed long enough for him to develop respect for Akiyama. It is with that respect that he will beat him this time. He also hasn’t put any thought towards any Right To Challenge title shots getting cashed in on him. What motivates Higuchi right now is to make it to Sumo Hall on 3rd November as the KO-D Champion because he never got to have a title defence there during his previous reign.
When Muscle Sakai originally retired after wrestling Minoru Suzuki 15 years ago, Suzuki thought Sakai completely disappeared from the industry. So when he discovered that Sakai quietly returned to the business as Super Sasadango Machine, he decided he will make him pay for going back on his decision to retire! If you get Minoru Suzuki as your final opponent you should never take your decision to retire lightly.
The result of the KO-D Tag Team Titles match on Day 1 will have an effect on Day 2’s card. If The Apex successfully defend the tag titles against DAMNATION T.A then their match against HARASHIMA & Shinya Aoki the next day will also be a title match. But if Daisuke Sasaki & Hideki Okatani win the titles then they will defend the belts on Day 2 in the 3 Way Tag Match. Sasaki said all that Yuki Iino & Yukio Naya are good for is being big. They aren’t funny, the tag belts don’t suit them and they’re both too ugly. Iino said he can’t tell if Sasaki is ugly or not because he covers 80% of his face with his sunglasses.
At the time when the press conference took place To-y had 15 life points and Yuya Koroku had 14 for their DDT Extreme Title match. Social media numbers are what determine how many Life Points they can get before the match starts. Life Points will be lost in the match after every One Count in a pin, every time someone gives up, every rope break and every time someone is thrown out of the ring. First wrestler to reduce their opponent’s Life Points to zero will be the winner. To-y admits he needed help in his previous title matches and has no shame in admitting he will continue to rely on the help of others from now on. If he can get 100 Life Points before the match begins then he thinks he will can win easily. One of the things Koroku did to prepare for this match is meet up with Animal Hamaguchi at the gym he trained at before going to DDT. The rules of the actual wrestling isn’t any different from a normal match so Koroku thinks he just has to avoid getting pinned while he whittles down To-y’s LP to zero.
The debuting Hinata Kasai wasn’t at the press conference but did an interview online to talk more about himself. His favorite wrestlers are CM Punk and Ric Flair because he loves American wrestling of all shapes and sizes. He wants to be the kind of wrestler who leaves an impact that people will never forget once they see him. It was Sanshiro Takagi’s idea to debut Kasai while he is still a college student because a debut match in a big building like Higashin Arena would draw a lot of attention. Kasai admits he currently does not have a lot of skill and is more of a clumsy type but what sets him apart from others is his mentality. He wants his debut match to stir the audience’s emotions with all of the passion and feelings he has held for pro wrestling ever since he was a child. He would like it if his goal was to win the KO-D Title but he thinks he should win support from the fans and trust from the company first to build himself up to that goal.
DDT “WRESTLE PETER PAN 2025 – DAY 2”, 31/08/2025 Tokyo Korakuen Hall
1. D GENERATIONS Special 8-Man Tag Match: To-y, Daichi Sato, Rukiya & Hinata Kasai Vs Ilusion, Yuya Koroku, Munetatsu Nakamura & Yuki Ishida
2. Loser Of 30/08 KO-D Title Match, Super Sasadango Machine & Akito Vs KANON, Kazuki Hirata & Antonio Honda (w/ KIMIHIRO)
3. Special 3-Way Tag Match: Daisuke Sasaki & Hideki Okatani Vs Chris Brookes & Takeshi Masada Vs Naomi Yoshimura & Yuki Ishida
4. Special Tag Match: Yuki Iino & Yukio Naya Vs HARASHIMA & Shinya Aoki
5. DDT Universal Title: Minoru Suzuki (c) Vs MAO
6. Double Main Event I ~ Dramatic Dream Match: Hiroshi Tanahashi Vs Danshoku Dieno
7. Double Main Event II ~ KO-D Openweight Title: Kazusada Higuchi (c) or Jun Akiyama Vs Yuki Ueno
Ueno cannot predict who he will be facing for the KO-D Title on Day 2. He thinks he has made progress during his time without the championship and he’s been watching Konosuke Takeshita win the G1 Climax. If Ueno becomes champion again he does not want to compare himself to others. He would rather focus on raising DDT and one way to do that is to wrestle Takeshita when both are at the height of their powers! He’ll have to beat either Higuchi or Akiyama to move that plan forward. He knows he’ll have the stamina advantage going into the match because his opponent won’t even have 24 hours to rest after Day 1’s main event ends.
It took Minoru Suzuki becoming the DDT Universal Champion to make MAO feel it is time for him to win the title back for a fourth time. He cannot help but get excited over the thought of beating Suzuki for the belt in front of a packed Korakuen Hall. It’s all he can see in his mind right now. He even said it doesn’t matter if the win is clean or dirty, he will beat Suzuki doing whatever it takes! Suzuki is also looking forward to the match because he’s been wanting to fight MAO ever since they first met. With that being said he’s not here to play around. He’s going to kill MAO!
Matches #3 and #4 may swap places on the card depending on who wins the KO-D Tag Titles on Day 1. The tag title match will be placed as the 4th match. Iino approves of the idea because he wants The Apex to rack up title defences. Sasaki complained he will be too busy celebrating the title victory on Day 1 to defend it on Day 2.
DDT “DRAMATIC BEER GARDEN NEVERLAND IN UENO – DAY 2”, 20/08/2025 Tokyo Ueno Park Outdoor Stage ??? Fans – Unannounced
1. Special Tag Match: Soma Takao & Yuya Koroku defeated Aero Boy & Rukiya when Takao pinned Rukiya with the Official Endless Waltz (9:34).
2. 3 Way Match: Daichi Sato defeated Kazuki Hirata and Daichi Sato when Sato pinned Sumi with the Mad Splash (9:46). *Daichi Sato wins Kazuma Sumi’s Right To Challenge Anytime, Anywhere Arm Cover.
3. 3 Way Tag Match: Jun Akiyama & Yukio Naya defeated Kazusada Higuchi & Yuki Ishida Vs Yuki Ueno & To-y when Akiyama pinned Ishida with the Wrist-Clutch Exploder Suplex (10:48).
4. Yuki Iino 8th Anniversary Match ~ Pro Wrestling & Personal Training Match: KANON (w/ KIMIHIRO) defeated Yuki Iino (w/ Kazuma Sumi) when Kazuma Sumi was unable to continue training.
5. Crocodile Death Match THE FINAL: Daisuke Sasaki, Hideki Okatani, Ilusion & MJ Paul defeated Chris Brookes, Antonio Honda, Bunbun’s Big Brother & Munetatsu Nakamura when Ilusion pinned Honda with the Wani Wani Splash (16:38).
6. MAO 10th Anniversary Match Vol. 2 ~ Falls Count Anywhere 4 Match: HARASHIMA, Danshoku Dieno and Akito defeated MAO (w/ KIMIHIRO) when HARASHIMA, Dieno and Akito pinned MAO after the Danshoku Driver (17:57).
If there is one thing MAO wants to do most during his 10th Anniversary celebrations it’s to have a match that is as chaotic as possible. Shortly after the 4 Way Match began, MAO shouted into the microphone that is was now Falls Count Anywhere and he wants music to be played over it too! “Ikenai Taiyou” by ORANGE RANGE then started playing while everyone brawled into the crowd. The ring itself got stripped apart as the match went on and planks of wood from it were used as platforms for the wrestlers’ attacks. Danshoku Dieno chased after KIMIHIRO at one point up to the scaffold. Then down in the crowd HARASHIMA gave MAO the Somato, Akito dropped MAO onto the planks with a Gourdbuster and Dieno gave him the Danshoku Driver. All three then piled on top of MAO for the pin to all be declared the winners.
After the match MAO said what a promotion he ended up joining! Before he knew it 10 years has gone by and he’s already 28 years old. He remembers apologizing to his parents when his debut was decided and he never thought he would say it again a decade later. But he wants them to know their son is so happy to be here! He loves how crazy DDT is, how the young guys don’t have any cares in the world and he loves the fans. In 10 and even 20 years time he will keep doing this and never change. He came here to follow Sanshiro Takagi and hopes future DDT wrestlers will follow him the same way.
Takeshi Masada was having trust issues during the day and decided he would not wrestle on the show. Bunbun had to replace him in the Crocodile Death Match but it turns out he wasn’t alone. He brought along his Big Brother to do the fighting for him! Ilusion disappeared during the match only to show back up dressed like a crocodile to dive onto his opponents in the pool. Whatever was going on with Masada, his trust issues went away shortly after the match ended and he was present for the autograph session.
The rules of Yuki Iino’s match with KANON was after every round a “client” for a wrestler would need to pass an exercise routine. The length of the routine would be extended for every 2 Count and rope break that happened in the previous round. Kazuma Sumi was Iino’s client while KIMIHIRO was KANON’s client. Sumi broke first and couldn’t finish off his exercises so KANON was declared the winner. Iino then took his frustration out by giving Sumi and then KIMIHIRO The Apex Elbow.
Things continue to get intense between Kazusada Higuchi and Jun Akiyama but this time Yuki Ueno was in the mix too because it was a 3 Way Tag Match. Higuchi feels more fired up for his KO-D Openweight Title defence with Akiyama while also noticing that Ueno is in good shape for the next title match the day after. Akiyama said Higuchi won’t see just how capable he is until they face each other one on one.
All of a sudden Daichi Sato got his hands on one of the Right To Challenge Arm Covers after he pinned Soma Takao. Sato believes Akiyama will beat Higuchi for the KO-D Title so he is looking forward to using this title shot to challenge Akiyama for the belt.
DDT “OSAKA VS TOKYO – DREAM EAST VS WEST PRO WRESTLING BATTLE 2025”, 17/08/2025 Osaka Edion Arena #2 ??? Fans – Unannounced
1. East Vs West Vs Unknown All-Out Competition ~ Rukiya Return Match: Yuya Koroku (Chiba) & Daichi Sato (Kanagawa) defeated Yuki Ishida (Kumamoto) & Rukiya (Osaka) when Koroku pinned Rukiya with an Elbow Butt (8:47).
2. Right To Challenge Anytime, Anywhere 4 Way Match: Soma Takao defeated Akito, Naomi Yoshimura and Shota when Takao pinned Shota with a School Boy (5:46). *Soma Takao wins the Red Right To Challenge Anytime, Anywhere Arm Cover.
3. East Vs West All-Out Competition ~ Special 6-Man Tag Match: Kuroshio TOKYO Japan (Tokyo), To-y (Saitama) & Kazuki Hirata (Tokyo) Vs Danshoku Dieno (Hiroshima), Shigehiro Irie (Osaka) & Mikiya Sasaki (Osaka) ended in a Double Knockout (13:46).
4. Western Army Offer Match: Jun Akiyama (Osaka) defeated Miyu Yamashita (Fukuoka) with the Running Knee Butt (10:49).
5. Eastern Army Offer Match – Kansai-Style Three Can Anywhere Match: Yuki Ueno (Osaka) defeated MAO (Miyagi) (w/ KIMIHIRO (Tokyo)) and Super Sasadango Machine (Niigata) (13:32).
6. East Vs West Vs Unknown All-Out Competition ~ 3 Way Tag Match: Chris Brookes (UK) & Takeshi Masada (Osaka) defeated Yuki Iino (Tokyo) & Yukio Naya (Tokyo) and Ilusion (Unknown) & MJ Paul (Unknown) when Masada pinned Ilusion with the Masada no Chikara KOBU Mukimuki (10:06).
7. East Vs West All-Out Competition ~ Special Elimination 8-Man Tag Match: Yuki Ueno (Osaka), Hideki Okatani (Kochi), KANON (Ishikawa) & Kazuma Sumi (Mie) defeated Kazusada Higuchi (Hokkaido), Daisuke Sasaki (Tokyo), HARASHIMA (Tokyo) & Antonio Honda (Tokyo) (23:46).
7a. Daisuke Sasaki eliminated HARASHIMA by Ring Out (13:01).
7b. Daisuke Sasaki eliminated KANON after the Skewered Claymore from Hideki Okatani (16:08).
7c. Kazusada Higuchi eliminated Hideki Okatani by Ring Out (16:49).
7d. Kazusada Higuchi eliminated Daisuke Sasaki by Ring Out (16:49).
7e. Kazusada Higuchi eliminated Yuki Ueno by Ring Out (22:41).
7f. Kazuma Sumi eliminated Kazusada Higuchi by Ring Out (22:57).
7g. Kazuma Sumi eliminated Antonio Honda with the School Boy (23:46). *Kazuma Sumi wins Antonio Honda’s Right To Challenge Anytime, Anywhere Arm Cover.
For DDT’s visit to Osaka this weekend they decided to book a series of East Vs West matches based on the different hometowns of every wrestler involved on the card. It was an idea they started last summer and wanted to try again. It led to a strange bedfellows style Elimination Tag Match in the main event. Daisuke Sasaki and Hideki Okatani were on opposite teams but didn’t want to let geography determine who they should team with so Sasaki first tried to take a fall for Okatani and then he purposely threw his own partner HARASHIMA out of the ring to eliminate him. Okatani also betrayed his own team by knocking over KANON with the Claymore Kick so Sasaki could pin him. Kazusada Higuchi got fed up with their behavior and Clotheslined both of them out of the ring for a double elimination. He then got one over on Yuki Ueno by Shoulder Blocking him from the apron to the floor but he got eliminated soon after by Kazuma Sumi kicking him out of the ring. That left Sumi and Antonio Honda as the final two and Sumi pinned Honda with the School Boy to win the match for the West Army. He also got to take Honda’s Right To Challenge Arm Cover in the process. Sumi was so excited over the result he asked if he could become the leader of the West Army. Ueno decided he could have it. Sumi then announced his dream as leader is to have a homecoming show in Tsu City, Mie!
Not all of the matches were West Vs East. Each side provided their own matches on the undercard. The East Army came up with a stipulation where Super Sasadango Machine, MAO and KIMIHIRO all hid biscuit tins around the venue and the first person to find the opponent’s tin and drop it into the ring three times would become the winner. At first the match just resembled a treasure hunt around the room but when it came down to the final points, Sasadango and MAO started wrestling each other over the last tin. KIMIHIRO also got involved in the action when Sasadango lost his temper and tried to fight him. He then wanted to win the match for himself so he turned on MAO by spraying him in the face. While this was happening, Kazuma Sumi showed up to give MAO a Low Blow while Yuki Ueno climbed the top rope and threw some tins into the ring. Ueno then did a Frog Splash onto everyone and was declared the winner. KIMIHIRO then revealed he and Ueno betrayed MAO because they are actually from Kagoshima in the far west of Japan! The rest of the East Army rushed down to the ring and chased them away while Sasadango told them they must avenge MAO.
The West Army match caught the most attention in the lead because it was Jun Akiyama taking on Miyu Yamashita from Tokyo Joshi Pro! Today just so happened to be the 12th Anniversary of Yamashita’s pro debut too. She threw everything she had at Akiyama including the Attitude Adjustment and the Skull Kick but couldn’t put him away with any of those moves. Akiyama hit back with his coveted Knee Strikes as well as the Exploder Suplex but Yamashita also refused to be beaten like that. Akiyama had to pull down his own kneepad and hit Yamashita with a Raw Knee Strike to finally defeat her. He offered to shake her hand after the match but Yamashita brushed it off. She said backstage that she never imagined she would face Akiyama one on one and is incredibly frustrated that she couldn’t win.
Now all four RTC Arm Covers are activated and currently in play. Soma Takao won a 4 Way Match by pinning his ROMANCE DAWN teammate Shota to earn the prize. Shota had given Akito the Frog Splash and was about to win when Takao rolled him up with La Magistral Cradle to steal the win. Takao reminded everyone that at one point last year he held two RTC prizes at the same time but lost both of them. His plan this year is to hold even more all at once and auction them all off at high prices!
Rukiya made his return to the ring after a lengthy injury. He lost his match but that was to be expected. He told everyone he is starting again from scratch and will do his best to catch up with everyone.
DDT “SANKO MANUFACTURING CO., LTD. OME PRESENTS HARASHIMA RETURNS HOME! ~WE’RE HOLDING A SHOW IN OME! WHY? BECAUSE IT’S MY HOMETOWN!~”, 27/07/2025 Sumitomo Metal Mine Arena Ome Sports Hall 1 ??? Fans – Unannounced
1. Team Ome Presents: Kazuma Sumi defeated Ilusion with the School Boy (5:41).
2. Cockpit Ome Co., Ltd. Presents: Naomi Yoshimura & Soma Takao defeated Makoto Oishi & Shinichiro Kawamatsu when Yoshimura pinned Oishi with the Hara-goshi (6:27).
3. Special Single Match: Danshoku Dieno defeated Kazuki Hirata with the Gaydo Clutch (8:12).
4. Ome Shinkin Bank Presents: Daisuke Sasaki, Hideki Okatani & MJ Paul defeated Antonio Honda, Tomomitsu Matsunaga & Yuya Koroku when Sasaki submitted Matsunaga with the Crossface Lock (10:51).
5. Enoki Kougyou Presents Harimao Vs STRANGE LOVE CONNECTION!: MAO & KANON (w/ KIMIHIRO) defeated Kazusada Higuchi & Yuki Ishida when MAO pinned Ishida with a Japanese Leg Roll Clutch (10:25).
6. JA Nishitokyo Presents Falls Count Anywhere Match: Yuki Ueno & To-y defeated Chris Brookes & Takeshi Masada when To-y pinned Brookes with the To-y Who Travels Through Time (15:50).
7. KO-D Tag Team Titles – Seiwa Shoji Co., Ltd. Presents: Yuki Iino & Yukio Naya (c) defeated Jun Akiyama & Daichi Sato when Naya pins Sato with The World’s Best Back Drop (19:27). *V1 for The Apex.
8. Toyota S&D Nishitokyo Co., Ltd. Presents HARASHIMA Debut 24th Anniversary Match – Special 6-Man Tag Match: HARASHIMA, Togi Makabe & Yasu Urano defeated Shinya Aoki, Shuji Ishikawa & Akito when HARASHIMA pinned Akito with the Swan Dive Somato (17:41).
It was a glorious homecoming for HARASHIMA as DDT held a show in his home city of Ome in Tokyo. He invited his old buddy Togi Makabe from the Teikyo University Pro Wrestling Club to team with him and Yasu Urano in the main event. HARASHIMA started the match off with Shinya Aoki while Makabe traded Lariats with Shuji Ishikawa. Urano took a beating from the other team but HARASHIMA avoided taking the Splash Mountain from Ishikawa. Makabe Clotheslined him out of the ring to allow HARASHIMA to pin Akito with the Swan Dive Somato. HARASHIMA thanked Makabe after the match for making memories with him. Backstage Makabe said he is overwhelmed with emotion because he sees how hard HARASHIMA is working to promote DDT. HARASHIMA talked about the times they trained together in the wrestling club 30 years ago and now here they are standing in the same ring together as pro wrestlers. He always wanted to wrestle in his hometown and it took everyone’s help to finally make it happen.
The Apex got past Jun Akiyama & Daichi Sato for their first defence of the KO-D Tag Team Titles but the next pair of challengers quickly revealed themselves. Akiyama & Sato came close to winning the belts when Akiyama gave Yukio Naya a Superplex and Sato followed up with the Mad Splash. But Yuki Iino broke the count and Naya regained his footing by hitting Sato with Knee Lifts before finishing him off with The World’s Best Back Drop. As soon as Iino tried to speak on the microphone, Ilusion came out and distracted The Apex so Daisuke Sasaki & Hideki Okatani could attack them from behind with chairs and Low Blows. They then said DAMNATION T.A are the next challengers because they want the belts and The Apex do not deserve them. The champions accepted the challenge and will do the match on 30th August. Backstage Iino & Naya praised Sato for his performance and look forward to fighting him even more in the future. Akiyama also told Sato they can keep challenging the champions as many times as it will take to beat them. Then even later Iino confronted DAMNATION T.A demanding a KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles shot. Sasaki refused because The Apex don’t have a third man to team with. Iino quickly found Kazuma Sumi nearby and told him he’s the perfect “heavyweight” to team with him and Naya. That title match will happen on 9th August.
The tag match between The 37KAMIINA and SCHADENFREUDE International was turned into a Falls Count Anywhere Match on a few days notice but everyone involved took to the idea like a duck to water. There was a lot of action that took place outside the ring, a castle of chairs that everyone crashed into and a lot of dives that happened over by the entrance stage. Takeshi Masada Power Bombed To-y into a stack of chairs and he tried to pin To-y on top of them but Yuki Ueno broke the count by diving into them. Chris Brookes then added extra damage to everyone by doing a Senton onto the pile of bodies. Even Bunbun got caught up in the carnage when Ueno gave him a Backbreaker and threw his mangled body high into the air for SCHADENFREUDE International to catch. Ueno then followed with a dive onto them. After that he placed Masada onto a table for To-y to do a Diving Body Press from the stage to get the three count.
The Danshoku Dieno Vs Kazuki Hirata bout was the only match on the card that did not have any sponsorship attached to it. For that reason Hisaya Imabayashi ordered Hirata to stop Dieno from doing anything vulgar so DDT can run a show in Ome again next year. The GM also did his part by staying at ringside to block Dieno from approaching any fans. It became too difficult for them to stop Dieno from being, well, Dieno so Imabayashi brought in a chair to attack him with. However Hirata stopped him and gave a speech about how a pro wrestler is as good as dead if they ever lose their individuality. Imabayashi didn’t agree and tried to attack Hirata with the chair. Hirata deflected him right into Dieno’s Hell Gate, knocking Imabayashi out. Hirata hugged Dieno but then tried to hit him with an Axe Bomber. Dieno dodged it, put Hirata in the Lip Lock and then pinned him with the Gaydo Clutch.
Shinichiro Kawamatsu wanted to win his match with the Axe Bomber he inherited from the late Hulk Hogan and even hit the move on Soma Takao. However Naomi Yoshimura knocked him out of the ring afterwards and pinned Makoto Oishi with the Hara-goshi. Kawamatsu revealed backstage he had tried several times in the past to set up a Hogan appearance for DDT but was never able to make it happen. He promised to continue working hard while thinking about what Hogan would want to tell the Japanese fans.
DDT “ROCK IN RING 2025 ~STRIKE THE BEAT, SHOUT THE CHEERS~”, 13/07/2025 Tokyo Korakuen Hall ??? Fans – Unannounced
0. Dark Match: Naomi Yoshimura & Antonio Honda defeated Soma Takao & Yuni when Honda pinned Yuni with a Jackknife Pin (6:36).
1. Chris Brookes, Jun Akiyama & Daichi Sato defeated Yuki Iino, Yukio Naya & Yuki Ishida when Sato pinned Ishida with the Mad Splash (8:29).
2. 3 Way Match: Super Sasadango Machine defeated Danshoku Dieno and Kazuki Hirata when Sasadango pinned Hirata with a School Boy (4:19).
3. Special 6-Man Tag Match: MAO, KANON & Kazuma Sumi (w/ KIMIHIRO) defeated Masashi Takeda, Ilusion & Haruto Sakuraba when MAO pinned Ilusion with a Japanese Leg Roll Clutch (11:10).
4. Special Tag Match: Kosei Fujita & Takeshi Masada defeated To-y & Yuya Koroku when Masada pinned Koroku with the Masada no Chikara KOBU Mukimuki (12:22).
5. DDT Universal Title: Minoru Suzuki (c) defeated Shinya Aoki by Referee Stoppage with Elbow Strikes (15:17). *V3 for Minoru Suzuki.
6. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Yuki Ueno, Akito & Kaisei Takechi defeated Daisuke Sasaki, Hideki Okatani & MJ Paul when Ueno pinned Paul with the BME (11:40).
7. KO-D Openweight Title: Kazusada Higuchi (c) defeated HARASHIMA with the Claw Slam (16:55). *V1 for Kazusada Higuchi.
The new KO-D Openweight Champion treated his first defence as if he was the challenger instead of the title holder. Kazusada Higuchi took on this mindset because his opponent was HARASHIMA, one of his most difficult career opponents who he had never beaten in previous matches where the KO-D Title was on the line. HARASHIMA targeted Higuchi’s arm in a bid to shut down the Claw Hold and Claw Slam. Higuchi caught HARASHIMA’s Somato at ringside and slammed him back first onto the ring apron. He was also able to apply the Claw Hold after catching a kick leaving HARASHIMA open to be grabbed. HARASHIMA took him down with a Cross Armbreaker but Higuchi powered himself back to his feet to slam him down. He did get hit with the Somato but kicked out and was able to pin HARASHIMA with the Claw Slam to score his first defence.
After the match Higuchi called HARASHIMA a crazy 51 year old. Higuchi has only been able to beat him once so he has a long way to go. HARASHIMA told him he will keep challenging again and again if he can so Higuchi should keep polishing the belt for when he takes it back. Hisaya Imabayashi then told Higuchi his next title defence will be at Night 1 of “WRESTLE PETER PAN 2025” on 30th August. Before Higuchi could select his challenger, Jun Akiyama entered the ring and said the time is right for Higuchi to wrap the belt around his waist again. Higuchi responded that he will make Akiyama wrap the belt around his waist one more time and accepted the challenge. Akiyama then took the first shot by hitting Higuchi with a Lariat! The winner of the match will go on to defend the title on Night 2 of “WRESTLE PETER PAN 2025” on 31st August against the winner of a Battle Royal that will be held on 16th July.
It was a baptism of fire for DDT’s newest signing. Kaisei Takechi brought in a big crowd to the show like he did in his previous DDT appearances last year. Now THE RAMPAGE star will be delving into a deeper adventure into the promotion starting off with a match against DAMNATION T.A. He and Hideki Okatani had fought before and Okatani gave him a cheap shot to start off the match. Takechi relied on teamwork with Yuki Ueno & Akito to control the match until Daisuke Sasaki threw a chair at him and beat him up around ringside. Takechi caught a chairshot from Sasaki only to get hit from behind by Okatani with another chair. Yet the big comeback had Akito Side Suplex MJ Paul and Ueno follow up with a Frog Splash. The Takechi grabbed Sasaki by the neck and Choke Slammed him out of the ring onto the rest of DAMNATION T.A plus a few ringside seconds below. With the ring cleared, Ueno then landed the BME on Paul to win the match.
Takechi got on them microphone afterwards and spoke about his goal to bring pro wrestling to people who have never seen it before. If these dots connect they can make the circle of fans even bigger and create an amazing whirlwind that will help DDT become more popular. He wants to fight more opponents in DDT and also confirmed he will compete at “ULTIMATE PARTY 2025” in Sumo Hall on 3rd November. Akito, speaking from his role as a CyberFight director later said he would like to get Takechi to appear in DDT as regularly as he can before that show. Ueno asked if that means he could even be at the outdoor Ueno Park shows? Akito said absolutely! DAMNATION T.A also wants to fight Takechi more often. They accept him as a DDT wrestler but warn him that next time he won’t get away with the trouble he caused them today!
There’s been a few times Minoru Suzuki and Shinya Aoki have shared the wrestling ring together but today was the first singles match between the two accomplished fighters. The DDT Universal Title held by Suzuki was on the line too so both were trying to be at the top of their game. Suzuki flipped a switch and turned a back and forth grapple exchange into a ringside fight. Aoki hit a dive and then back in the ring went for different submissions until he locked in the Full Nelson Hold. However when he rolled it into the Aoki Clutch it was too close to the ropes and Suzuki escaped the pin because of it. Aoki applied the Full Nelson again but this time Suzuki rolled out of it and applied the Sleeper Hold as a counter. Aoki tried reversing it only to end up back in the Sleeper Hold. However Aoki still had some fight left in him and did what he could to avoid the Gotch-Style Piledriver until Suzuki fish hooked his mouth to finally pull off the move. Rather than go for the pin, Suzuki instead slapped and threw elbow strikes at Aoki repeatedly until Yukinori Matsui called for the match to end by TKO.
Suzuki told Aoki this is how much fun pro wrestling can be. Someone like Aoki cannot even get a foothold on Suzuki so Suzuki told him to get out of the ring. He then asked if there was any challenger out there who deserves to be called a Universal Champion? MAO came down to the ring and Suzuki admitted he was waiting for him to show up. MAO talked about his recent success with Strange Love Connection as well as his performances in the Best Of The Super Juniors. All of a sudden he is now feeling the urge to beat Suzuki, bring the Universal Title back to DDT and more importantly bring it back to himself! Suzuki accepted the challenge and said he’s been wanting to wrestle MAO after travelling to shows in other countries with him. MAO later called the Universal Title his ex-lover and he’s going to rescue it from that lust-driven old man!
A close friendship that crosses wrestling companies led to Takeshi Masada inviting this year’s BOSJ winner Kosei Fujita over for a tag match. The two of them fought To-y & Yuya Koroku in a match showcasing their generation. Most of the match pitted Fujita against To-y while Masada and Koroku continued their growing rivalry. Masada & Fujita ended up gelling greatly as a team and won in the end. Fujita wiped out T-oy with a dive out of the ring allowing Masada to pin Koroku with the Masada no Chikara KOBU Mukimuki.
Things went up a notch after the match when Chris Brookes entered the ring with Bunbun on his hand. Shortly following after him was the arrival of Zack Sabre Jr.! All of a sudden there was a face off between the SCHADENFREUDE International side and the TMDK side. Bunbun started mouthing off so Sabre grabbed him off Brookes’s hand and threw him out of the ring. While this was going on Hisaya Imabayashi had gotten in contact with New Japan and got their permission to book Sabre’s match at Night 1 of “WRESTLE PETER PAN 2025”. It’s going to be Brookes & Masada against Sabre & Fujita! Backstage Fujita said he had fun in DDT today and he’d like to return the favour and invite Masada over to NJPW sometime.
DAMNATION T.A’s massive weapon was back for his second match. Haruto Sakuraba teamed with KANON for his debut but things were different this time. Now KANON is the enemy that Sakuraba came to rip apart while Ilusion and Masashi Takeda made life hell for MAO & Kazuma Sumi. However Sumi was in sync with the Strange Love Connection and KANON fought to match Sakuraba’s power with his own. Sakuraba came out on top of the exchange but Ilusion couldn’t capitalize on it. He missed the Swanton Bomb aimed for MAO and was rolled up in a Japanese Leg Roll Clutch while KANON used the Cobra Twist on Sakuraba and Sumi pinned down Takeda with a School Boy to hold them both back from breaking the pin. After the match KANON and Sakuraba continued to provoke each other. Then backstage Sakuraba blamed Ilusion for losing the match and said it isn’t over between him and KANON.
The participants of the 3 Way Match were given strict instructions by Hisaya Imabayashi to not waste any time and start right at the climax. So Danshoku Dieno immediately went into the Hell Gate position in the corner while Super Sasadango Machine unmasked himself and laid prone on the canvas. He then got back up to attack Kazuki Hirata once Hirata finished his entrance. When Dieno got the back of his tights fully pulled down, Imabayashi ran into the ring to protest it and give Sasadango a Stunner. Hirata knocked out the GM and shoved him face first into Dieno’s Hell Gate. He then hit Sasadango with an Axe Bomber but as he posed heroicly, Sasadango rolled him up with a School Boy to win the match.
After the 3 Way Match ended, Sasadango had a PowerPoint presentation to shoe everyone. In it he talked about his recent DDT Vs NJPW match and how afterwards Hiroshi Tanahashi met him in the waiting room asking to be treated to a meal sometime. Sasadango couldn’t help but wonder what Tanahashi’s intention was so he looked into the origin of the word “ogoru” (“treat”). He found out the word can be used for arrogance or pride, then discovered a Greek origin where it refers to someone following their desires and stepping into forbidden territory. So when Tanahashi asked him to treat him to a meal, Sasadango worked out that what he really meant was Tanahashi wants a singles match against Danshoku Dieno! DDT then confirmed the match will happen at Night 2 of “WRESTLE PETER PAN 2025” on 31st August!
When Dieno heard about the match he said it will not be about DDT or NJPW. For him the match is his final chance to see if Dieno’s way of life can reach Tanahashi. He then talked about the recent “shocking” discovery that Sasadango is really Muscle Sakai, who retired from pro wrestling 15 years ago. The anniversary of that retirement is coming up so Dieno thinks it would be a good time for Sakai to revisit that match. This is going to be Dieno’s treat to Sasadango. It was then announced that Muscle Sakai will face Minoru Suzuki at Night 1 of “WRESTLE PETER PAN 2025” on 30th August!
The Apex met their next challengers in a preview of the upcoming KO-D Tag Team Titles match. Jun Akiyama & Daichi Sato went toe to toe with them with Chris Brookes and Yuki Ishida throwing themselves into the action. Sato suffered the numbers game against Yuki Iino & Yukio Naya but Akiyama & Brookes were there to cut them off. That left Sato to give Ishida a Fire Thunder Driver and then get the win with the Mad Splash.
The dark match had Antonio Honda telling his jokes, Naomi Yoshimura joining in the fun, Soma Takao shilling the Dropkick Bar shirt and Yuni Moonsaulting into Honda’s raised feet so he could get pinned with a Jackknife afterwards.
There was a lot of news announcements at the beginning of the show. Rukiya announced he will return from injury on 17th August. He has been out of action since May 2024 with a cervical sprain. He described how frustrated he was seeing the other young wrestlers working so hard while he’s been gone so he is starting from scratch in a bid to catch up, surpass them and reach to the top.
A new trainee introduced himself to everybody and this one is noteworthy. If “Happy Boy” Hinata Kasai is a name that sounds familiar then it should because he is the son of “Crazy Monkey” Jun Kasai! Hinata is 21 years old from Yokohama, is 171cm tall and weighs 79kg. He will make his pro wrestling debut at Night 1 of “WRESTLE PETER PAN 2025” on 30th August. There is a dream he set out for himself and that is to surpass his father as a pro wrestler!
This year’s Right To Challenge Anytime, Anywhere challenge was announced. It will begin next month with four Right To Challenge prizes being put on the line in matches held on the 9th, 10th, 16th and 17th August. The four prizes are all KO-D Openweight Title shots that can be cashed in during the period between 9th August and 19th October. If a prize holder directly loses a match on a DDT show they will transfer their title shot over to the person that beat them.
DDT “FIGHTING BEER GARDEN 2025 IN UENO”, 08/07/2025 Tokyo Ueno Park Outdoor Stage ??? Fans – Unannounced
1. Yuya Koroku & Yuki Ishida defeated Makoto Oishi & Kazuma Sumi when Koroku pinned Sumi with the Moonsault Press (8:53).
2. Beer Specialty “Youth” Borrowing Competition Death Match: Yuni defeated Kazuki Hirata when Yuni reached 3 Points (10:19).
3. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Kazusada Higuchi, Yuki Iino & Yukio Naya defeated Jun Akiyama, Daichi Sato & Soma Takao when Iino pinned Takao with the Spear (10:37).
4. Falls Count Anywhere Crocodile Death Match: Daisuke Sasaki, Hideki Okatani & Ilusion (w/ MJ Paul) defeated Chris Brookes, Antonio Honda & Takeshi Masada when Ilusion pinned Honda with the Crocodile Splash (16:10).
5. A Match To Win 1,000 Yen In Pocket Money: Hikaru Sato & Akito defeated Yuki Ueno & To-y when Sato sumbitted To-y with an Armpit Hold (15:15).
6. KANON 6th Anniversary Match ~ Special Tag Match: MAO & KANON (w/ KIMIHIRO) defeated HARASHIMA & Danshoku Dieno when KANON pinned Dieno with the Ground Cobra Twist (13:59).
KANON got to celebrate the 6th Anniversary of his debut match successfully by scoring a pinfall victory over Danshoku Dieno. The two will be facing off again soon with a singles match on 15th July so KANON hyped it up with MAO and KIMIHIRO to end the show.
The DDT Extreme Title contract signing took place and To-y revealed to Hikaru Sato what the rules of their match on 1th July is going to be. It will be a 10,000 Yen Pocket Money Pro Wrestling Excursion Death Match! To-y said they will be given 10,000 yen each and must spend an hour before the match spending it on items and hiring allies to appear in the match. Sato convinced To-y to increase the spending time from one hour before the match to 24 hours before the match. Both wrestlers are also allowed to gamble their pocket money in the hopes of getting more to spend. So later in the show they had a tag match where they wagered their money on penalties. They would have to give over 1,000 yen for every time they get pinned, 2,000 yen for every rope break they use to escape a submission hold and 3,000 yen whenever their tag partner had to break up a pin or submission. Sato’s team won the match and after all of To-y’s penalties were added up, Sato now had 19,000 yen while To-y only had 1,000 yen. To-y was upset with having so little cash that he pleaded with Sato to lend him 9,000 yen. The fans convinced Sato to lend him the money so they are now back to 10,000 yen each. Backstage Sato said he thought DDT wasn’t that kind of company anymore where everyone borrows money a lot. But if the cost of winning the Extreme Title is 10,000 yen then Sato is willing to pay it.
The Crocodile Death Match was pretty much a big excuse for SCHADENFREUDE International and DAMNATION T.A to have a massive water fight against each other. Everyone brought out water guns of various kinds, they dunked each other into big bins filled with water and Daisuke Sasaki tried to drown Bunbun. The crocodile was attached to Ilusion’s back by Hideki Okatani & MJ Paul. He jumped from a bench onto Antonio Honda in the kiddie pool to pin him for the three count. Chris Brookes and Takeshi Masada tried to get the last laugh by throwing buckets of water at DAMNATION T.A after the match.
The heavyweight trio of Kazusada Higuchi & The Apex were dominant over Jun Akiyama, Daichi Sato & Soma Takao. Akiyama was in danger of being beaten by Yukio Naya so Sato went to fight Naya off. But that left Yuki Iino free to Spear Takao and get the win for his team. Iino was impressed by Sato’s kicks during the match and encourages him to strike him more. Naya however warned Sato not to underestimate him. Akiyama meanwhile told the KO-D Tag Team Champions not to hold back against him and his tag partner. This has only just begun.
A special rule was added to the Kazuki Hirata Vs Yuni match. Hisaya Imabayashi would write a request on a piece of paper and the wrestlers would have to go do that request to earn a point. The first to reach three points would then win.
With Shunma Katsumata currently out injured, NωA Jr. had original NωA member Makoto Oishi fill in for him in the opening match. He did the entrance as well as wrestle in the match.
DDT “YOKOHAMA NIGHT SPLASH”, 05/07/2025 Yokohama Radiant Hall ??? Fans – Unannounced
1. Special Single Match: KANON defeated MJ Paul with the Just Cobra Twist (7:50).
2. 5 Way Match: Danshoku Dieno Vs Akito Vs Naomi Yoshimura Vs Kazuki Hirata Vs Yuya Koroku ended in a Time Limit Draw when the Earth’s destruction was averted (?:??).
3. Special Tag Match: Yuki Ueno & Kazuma Sumi defeated Ryota Nakatsu & Yuki Ishida when Ueno pinned Ishida with the Frog Splash (9:52).
4. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Jun Akiyama, Hikaru Sato & Daichi Sato defeated Yuki Iino, To-y & Tomomitsu Matsunaga when Akiyama pinned Matsunaga with the Exploder Suplex (12:23).
5. Special Tag Match: Kazusada Higuchi & Yukio Naya defeated HARASHIMA & Soma Takao when Naya pinned Takao with The World’s Best Back Drop (12:13).
6. KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles: Daisuke Sasaki, Hideki Okatani & Ilusion (c) defeated Chris Brookes, Antonio Honda & Takeshi Masada when Ilusion pinned Honda with the Bombo Claat (21:17). *V3 for DAMNATION T.A.
Chaos broke out for the KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles main event. Bunbun was left to hang upside down from one of the nearby banners in the room. Antonio Honda tried to beat Ilusion with the Tenzan Tombstone Driver but MJ Paul pulled the referee out of the ring to stop his pin count. That allowed DAMNATION T.A to attack SCHADENFREUDE International with chairs. Daisuke Sasaki & Hideki Okatani got rid of Chris Brookes & Takeshi Masada, then hit Honda with the Claymore Kick and the Pedigree onto the chair. However Ilusion missed the Swanton Bomb and landed on the chair, allowing Honda to roll him up in the Japanese Leg Clutch Hold. Okatani just about broke the pin in time and Ilusion used his own Arm Clutch version of the move on Honda called the Bombo Claat to get the three count in the end. No new challengers stepped forward afterwards so Ilusion declared DAMNATION T.A as the forever champions!
Both Kazusada Higuchi and HARASHIMA signed the contract for their KO-D Openweight Title bout earlier in the show. During the signing Higuchi brought up all of the times he challenged HARASHIMA for the KO-D Title and lost. He believes successfully defending the KO-D Title against him will be his way of getting revenge. HARASHIMA said he wants to win the title to he can bring it with him for his homecoming show on 27th July. They then faced off in a tag match with Yukio Naya and Soma Takao also involved. HARASHIMA was able to hit Higuchi with the Somato at ringside but Naya ended up beating Takao in the ring. After the match HARASHIMA said he could feel Higuchi’s mental strength as well as his physical one.
Hikaru Sato has been hearing To-y’s claims about being a crazy wrestler so he wanted to give him an extreme test to prove it. Michael Nakazawa recently sent him bottles of laxatives from America so Hikaru and To-y agreed to drink a bottle each one hour before their match today took place. Their match also involved Jun Akiyama & Daichi Sato warming up against Yuki Iino for their upcoming KO-D Tag Team Titles bout. Akiyama & Daichi noticed To-y was holding it in so they purposely targeted his stomach while Hikaru was also showing signs of panic. Thankfully nothing disgusting was let loose in the ring and as soon as the match finished both Hikaru and To-y sprinted for the toilets while Iino and Daichi kept fighting each other. Then once things calmed down, Hikaru and To-y returned to the ring to pose over the DDT Extreme Title. Hikaru later said the match left him feeling refreshed because he and To-y fought their guts out. To-y promised to come up with a crazier rule for the title match and will keep the belt for when Shunma Katsumata returns from injury.
Apparently the 5 Way Match was all in Hisaya Imabayashi’s head. He dreamed about the impending destruction of the planet so everyone had to try and win the match before the world was doomed. Time ran out though and explosions could be heard throughout the room. Nothing happened after that and the wrestlers looked around in confusion. They noticed Imabayashi was sleeping at his desk and woke him up, learning that it was all a dream he was having.
During the week Shunma Katsumata injured his knee during practice and was diagnosed with a torn ACL in his left knee. He will be out of action for a while. It is the same injury he suffered last November that kept him on the shelf until this past March so he is having rotten luck with his health lately. A lot of his matches for July were already booked so plenty of show lineups had to be changed around because of his injury.
DDT “YOKOHAMA NIGHT SPLASH”, 05/07/2025 Yokohama Radiant Hall
1. Special Single Match: KANON V MJ Paul
2. 5 Way Match: Danshoku Dieno Vs Akito Vs Naomi Yoshimura Vs Kazuki Hirata Vs Yuya Koroku
3. Special Tag Match: Yuki Ueno & Kazuma Sumi Vs Ryota Nakatsu & Yuki Ishida
4. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Yuki Iino, To-y & Tomomitsu Matsunaga Vs Jun Akiyama, Hikaru Sato & Daichi Sato
5. Special Tag Match: Kazusada Higuchi & Yukio Naya Vs HARASHIMA & Soma Takao
6. KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles: Daisuke Sasaki, Hideki Okatani & Ilusion (c) Vs Chris Brookes, Antonio Honda & Takeshi Masada
Katsumata was meant to team with Yuki Ueno to take on Ryota Nakatsu & Yuki Ishida from Harimao. Ueno will now team with Kazuma Sumi.
The public contract signing for the next KO-D Openweight Title match will happen before the show starts.
DDT “JAPAN PARA-WRESTLING FEDERATION PRESENTS CHARITY PRO WRESTLING FESTIVAL ~REIWA 7TH ODAWARA BATTLE~”, 06/07/2025 Kanagawa Odawara Arena Sub-Arena
1. Ilusion Vs Kazuma Sumi
2. Daichi Sato & Munetatsu Nakamura Vs Tomomitsu Matsunaga & Yuki Ishida
3. Special Tag Match: Danshoku Dieno & Pokotan (w/ Umemaru) Vs Kazuki Hirata & Antonio Honda
4. Daisuke Sasaki, Hideki Okatani & MJ Paul Vs HARASHIMA, Soma Takao & Yukio Naya
5. Special Single Match: KANON Vs Yuya Koroku
6. Uchiyama Kenichi Presents Special 6-Man Tag Match: Tatsumi Fujinami, Yoshiaki Yatsu & Jun Akiyama Vs Yuki Ueno, To-y & Akito
7. Shonan Spirits Co. Ltd. Presents Special Tag Match: Kazusada Higuchi & Yuki Iino Vs Chris Brookes & Takeshi Masada
Akito replaces Katsumata to face the legends on Sunday’s show.
DDT “FIGHTING BEER GARDEN 2025 IN UENO”, 08/07/2025 Tokyo Ueno Park Outdoor Stage
1. Makoto Oishi & Kazuma Sumi Vs Yuya Koroku & Yuki Ishida
2. Dance Vs Idol Battle Without Honor & Humanity ~ Special Single Match: Kazuki Hirata Vs Yuni
3. Falls Count Anywhere Crocodile Death Match: Daisuke Sasaki, Hideki Okatani & Ilusion Vs Chris Brookes, Antonio Honda & Takeshi Masada
4. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Kazusada Higuchi, Yuki Iino & Yukio Naya Vs Jun Akiyama, Daichi Sato & Soma Takao
5. Special Tag Match: Yuki Ueno & To-y Vs Hikaru Sato & Akito
6. KANON 6th Anniversary Match ~ Special Tag Match: MAO & KANON (w/ KIMIHIRO) Vs HARASHIMA & Danshoku Dieno
With To-y and Hikaru Sato about to face each other for the DDT Extreme Title soon, they’re first going to test each other out in a tag match.
The KO-D Champion and KO-D Tag Team Champions are teaming up together. Two of their opponents will be challenging for the tag titles soon but Soma Takao is sticking out like a sore thumb here.
DDT “ROCK IN RING 2025 ~PLAY THE STRIKES, SHOUT THE CHEERS”, 13/07/2025 Tokyo Korakuen Hall
0. Dark Match: Naomi Yoshimura & Antonio Honda Vs Soma Takao & Yuni
1. 3 Way Match: Danshoku Dieno Vs Super Sasadango Machine Vs Kazuki Hirata
2. Yuki Iino, Yukio Naya & Yuki Ishida Vs Chris Brookes, Jun Akiyama & Daichi Sato
3. Special Tag Match: Kosei Fujita & Takeshi Masada Vs To-y & Yuya Koroku
4. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Masashi Takeda, Ilusion & Haruto Sakuraba Vs MAO, KANON & Kazuma Sumi (w/ KIMIHIRO)
5. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Yuki Ueno, Akito & Kaisei Takechi Vs Daisuke Sasaki, Hideki Okatani & MJ Paul
6. DDT Universal Title: Minoru Suzuki (c) Vs Shinya Aoki
7. KO-D Openweight Title: Kazusada Higuchi (c) Vs HARASHIMA
The new champion Kazusada Higuchi instantly attracted one of the best wrestlers in DDT to challenge him for the title. HARASHIMA always wants to fight the strongest wrestlers and admires Higuchi for having the strength to climb back to the top of the mountain after returning from his injuries.
Akito will also be filling in for Katsumata on this show for the all important Kaisei Takechi match.
DAMNATION T.A are really ramping things up. Not only do they have Haruto Sakuraba coming back for his second wrestling match but now Masashi Takeda will be on his team! Ilusion may not even have to do much on the day other than be an annoying little shit to the opponents and that’s second nature to him at this point.
DDT “FIGHTING BEER GARDEN 2025 IN SHINJUKU – DAY 2”, 16/07/2025 Shinjuku FACE
1. Dedicated To Lafcadio Hearn! Ghost Story Shin-Numabukuro Death Match: Danshoku Dieno Vs Akito Vs KANON Vs Soma Takao *Ghost Story Artist: Hisaya Imabayashi
2. Noryo KING OF DRUNK Decision Match: HARASHIMA Vs Daisuke Sasaki Vs Shunma Katsumata
3. Special Single Match: Ilusion Vs Kumadori
4. Beer Garden Specialty Customer Lottery 8-Man Tag Match: To-y, Yuki Ueno, MAO, Kazuki Hirata, Antonio Honda, Takeshi Masada, Yuya Koroku and Yuki Ishida
Ilusion’s behavior has gotten under someone’s skin for them to do something about it. Kumadori has had enough of Ilusion’s cheating and insults so he wants to deal with him one on one.
Just because Katsumata blew out his ACL again doesn’t mean he can’t compete in the KING OF DRUNK contest. He’s still taking part in it as far as I can tell.
DDT “SANKO MANUFACTURING CO., LTD. OME PRESENTS HARASHIMA RETURNS HOME! ~WE’RE HOLDING A SHOW IN OME! WHY? BECAUSE IT’S MY HOMETOWN!~”, 27/07/2025 Sumitomo Metal Mine Arena Ome Sports Hall 1
1. KO-D Tag Team Titles: Yuki Iino & Yukio Naya (c) Vs Jun Akiyama & Daichi Sato
2. HARASHIMA Debut 24th Anniversary Match – Special 6-Man Tag Match: HARASHIMA, Togi Makabe & Yasu Urano Vs Shinya Aoki, Shuji Ishikawa & Akito
The brand new tag team called The Apex are now the KO-D Tag Champs. Yuki Iino & Yukio Naya now have another pair of heavyweights coming to take their new belts. Ever since Daichi Sato became a full fledged member of DDT he’s been teaming with Jun Akiyama a lot. The legend has seen to it to become the teenager’s mentor and could end up being rewarded for it by with a first time KO-D Tag Title reign.
DDT “WRESTLE PETER PAN 2025 – DAY 1”, 30/08/2025 Tokyo Higashin Arena Main Arena
1. KO-D Openweight Title: Kazusada Higuchi (c) Vs X
Zack Sabre Jr. will be on the show. Looks like he will only be on Day 1 of “WRESTLE PETER PAN 2025” and not Day 2.
DDT “KING OF KINGS ~ARASHI’S JUNE SHOWDOWN~”, 29/06/2025 Tokyo Korakuen Hall ??? Fans – Unannounced
0. Dark Match: Naomi Yoshimura & Yuki Ishida defeated Akito & Kazuma Sumi when Ishida pinned Sumi with the Flame Palm (6:46).
1. Jun Akiyama, Daichi Sato & Soma Takao defeated Toru Owashi, Antonio Honda & Takeshi Masada when Sato pinned Masada with the Mad Splash (8:53).
2. International Special Tag Match: Mansoor & Mason Madden defeated Danshoku Dieno & Kazuki Hirata when Madden pinned Hirata after the Danshoku Driver-Style Centrefold (8:57).
-. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title: Sanshiro Takagi defeated Poison Sawada JULIE (c) with the Stunner (12:08 pm). *Sanshiro Takagi becomes the 1,749th champion.
3. Special Tag Match: MJ Paul & Ilusion defeated HARASHIMA & Kumadori when Ilusion pinned Kumadori with a Cradle (10:43).
4. 3 Way Tag Match: Daisuke Sasaki & Hideki Okatani defeated MAO & KANON (w/ KIMIHIRO) and Shunma Katsumata & To-y when Sasaki submitted Katsumata with La Mistica Crossface Lock (8:39).
5. Special Tag Match: Minoru Suzuki & Yuki Ueno defeated Shinya Aoki & Yuya Koroku when Ueno pinned Koroku with a Chickenwing Arm Lock Counter (14:03).
6. KO-D Tag Team Titles: Yuki Iino & Yukio Naya defeated Fuminori Abe & Takuya Nomura (c) when Naya pinned Abe with The World’s Best Back Drop (14:14). *Astronauts fails in V6. The Apex become the 87th KO-D Tag Team Champions!
7. KO-D Openweight Title: Kazusada Higuchi defeated Chris Brookes (c) with the Claw Slam (20:43). *Chris Brookes fails in V5. Kazusada Higuchi becomes the 85th KO-D Openweight Champion!
Three months after his return from injury, Kazuasada Higuchi has climbed to the top of DDT again to regain his place as the KO-D Openweight Champion! His match with Chris Brookes started with a Chop battle and quickly escalated from there. Brookes did a Piledriver onto the ring apron, a Diving Foot Stomp to the outside, an Avalanche Double Arm Suplex back into the ring and also the Somato. Higuchi kicked out of the Praying Mantis Bomb, Heabutted his way into taking control of the match and did the Claw Slam, which Brookes also kicked out of. Higuchi then powered his way out of the Octopus Hold and used Lariats as well as the Doctor Bomb to soften up the champ. Another Claw Slam (that Brookes tried to stop by pinching Higuchi’s nose) after that kept Brookes down for the count and made Higuchi the new champion!
Brookes was leaving the ring when Higuchi called for him to come back. He told Brookes he is really strong for brushing off every challenge that has come his way in order to defend the KO-D Title. Brookes wrapped the belt around Higuchi’s waist then Harimao and SCHADENFREUDE International shared cans of beer together. Higuchi talked about how it was his dream to regain the title when HARASHIMA approached the ring. He said he always admires strength which is why he always aiming to win the strongest championship in DDT. Therefore he is here to challenge Higuchi for a title match! Higuchi agreed and the match will take place at Korakuen Hall on 13th July.
A new heavyweight tag team has taken over the tag division. Yuki Iino & Yukio Naya only just recently joined forces but their combined power was too much for Astronauts to handle. The result brings an end to their KO-D Tag Team Title reign at the halfway point of reaching their goal to get the most title defences. Fuminori Abe continued to stop Iino from doing his “I Am BURNING! Yeah!” catchphrase as he’s been doing in the buildup to this match. But Iino got the last laugh by hitting him and Takuya Nomura with a Double Spear then gave another Spear to Nomura so he wouldn’t be able to stop Naya pinning Abe with The World’s Best Back Drop. However Abe was able to get one last sucker punch in to stop Iino from saying his catchphrase after the match.
Despite becoming the new KO-D Tag Champs, Naya told Iino they still have a lot to learn but at least together they will make DDT the best it can be. Iino is pleased to have safely come back from his eye injury and win his comeback match. He also revealed to everyone their tag team’s new name. Is it BURNING? No, it is The Apex! They way he announced it left the audience feeling a bit confused but Jun Akiyama & Daichi Sato walked out to quickly move on from the awkward moment so they could challenge The Apex for the titles. Akiyama even said out loud what a confusing name it is. Earlier in the show Sato directly won a DDT match for the first time today and he wants to carry on that momentum to get a title shot with Akiyama. Naya accepted but warned Sato not to get too cocky just because he won one match. The title bout will happen in Sumitomo on 27th July.
Earlier in the show Minoru Suzuki and Shinya Aoki had a contract signing segment for their DDT Universal Title match taking place on 13th July. It went ahead without any trouble although the two had a tense staredown at the end of it. Then later in the show they fought in a tag team match with Yuki Ueno on Suzuki’s team and Yuya Koroku on Aoki’s. This turned out to be a lot more dangerous with Suzuki and Aoki having a ringside brawl with chairshots being thrown. Back in the ring Koroku went for the Triangle Lancer on Ueno but Suzuki found himself getting trapped in Aoki’s Sleeper Hold. Ueno made a surprise cradle counter on Koroku to get away with the win but as this was happening, his partner Suzuki was choked out cold by Aoki! After the match Aoki got on the microphone and simply said it was an “Easy job.” He had already made his way to the back when Suzuki regained consciousness. Suzuki then immediately went on a rampage by kicking referees, attacking the wrestlers doing ringside duties and throwing furniture around the venue.
A 3 Way Tag Match featuring wrestlers from Strange Love Connection, The 37KAMIINA and DAMNATION T.A was always going to get out of control. To-y wanted to show how crazy he is but Daisuke Sasaki hit him in the back with a chair. To-y tried to get revenge with a Diving Body Press but Sasaki blocked it with his knees. MAO & KANON worked over Hideki Okatani with double team moves until Shunma Katsumata stunned MAO with a Thrust Kick. MAO fired back with the Michinoku Driver II but Sasaki broke the pin and then put Katsumata in La Mistica Crossface Lock to make him tap out.
Other members of DAMNATION T.A played spoiler for Kumadori’s return to DDT. Ilusion in particular wanted to make an example of the O-MENZ dancer because he got served when it comes to dance moves. HARASHIMA came to Kumadori’s aid by hitting Ilusion with a Standing Somato and then went to hold MJ Paul back. But Ilusion found the referee’s blind spot to give Kumadori a Low Blow and get away with cradling him for the three count. Ilusion made fun of Kumadori afterwards, calling him a weak baby who should go back to his mom’s bed instead of being in the ring. Kumdaori demanded a singles match with Ilusion and he is going to get it at Shinjuku FACE on 16th July.
Perhaps MxM Collection are an even better fit in DDT than I thought. They made their entrance to “Death By Glamour” from Undertale and did their own little dance along with their chic poses. They weren’t going to beat Danshoku Dieno & Kazuki Hirata in a popularity contest though, if only because Dieno brought his pet dog Haku down to the ring. Once the match actually began Mansoor quickly found out how much of a pervert Dieno is. MxM did some of their own Danshoku moves to Hirata but that only made Dieno want to take Hirata’s place. It fired him up enough to get the hot tag just so nothing could stop him from getting a piece of Mason Madden. But when Madden grabbed him for a Choke Slam, Dieno successfully pleaded him not to do it because Haku was watching from the corner. When Mason bowed to Haku in apology Dieno knocked him out of the ring, attached the handle to Haku’s dog collar around his neck and made Haku walk forward to strangle him. Mansoor then tried to take Haku and bring him up to the top rope when Hirata stopped him. Dieno stripped off his main tights and tried to do Danshoku things to MxM when Madden escaped and hit a Double Spear to Dieno & Hirata. Madden then put Dieno’s tights on himself and with Mansoor gave Hirata the Centrefold (elevated double team Pedigree) to get the win.
Sato’s first DDT win was almost overshadowed by Soma Takao attacking Bunbun with an unwarranted Leg Drop during the match. Toru Owashi used a little bit of lucha to deal with him and Sato while Antonio Honda prepared Gongitsune. Things almost got passionate between Sato and Takeshi Masada but Akiyama was there to give Masada the Exploder Suplex. Sato then scored his first win by hitting the Mad Splash from the top rope.
Naomi Yoshimura’s limited schedule has put him in the dark match for today’s show. He and Yuki Ishida kicked off what became a good day for Harimao by beating Akito & Kazuma Sumi. Akito targeted Yoshimura’s massive legs to slow him down but couldn’t count on Sumi to finish Ishida. Instead Ishida gave him a Back Drop followed by the Flame Palm for the victory.
To celebrate the 25 years of the Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title its creator and current champion Poison Sawada JULIE went and created a brand new belt to replace the first generation prize that has become badly worn down. Sawada explained it was originally created so he could fight Sanshiro Takagi 24 hours a day, seven days a week. However many, many different things got in their way resulting in so many wrestlers, oridnary people, animals and inanimate objects to become champions over the last 25 years. Hisaya Imabayashi presented the 2nd generation belt to Sawada who started laughing because nobody will ever be able to take it off him! Then Takagi ran into the ring, gave Sawada the Stunner and pinned him to win the title. Backstage Takagi said he hopes the new belt will make new history for the championship. He also told fans to keep an eye on its movements because it will also show up in Super Japan as well as DDT.
It was announced that Zack Sabre Jr. will compete at “WRESTLE PETER PAN 2025 – DAY 1” being held in Higashin Arena Main Arena on 30th August. This news came out hours before Sabre won back the IWGP World Heavyweight Title at today’s New Japan show.