DDT “NEW YEAR’S DAY GIFT SPECIAL! ALL SEATS 3,000 YEN SPECIAL BOX OFFICE!! 2021”, 03/01/2021 Tokyo Korakuen Hall 713 Fans – Super No Vacancy Full House
1. Keigo Nakamura defeated Hideki Okatani with a Cradle (7:42).
2. Antonio Honda 43rd Birthday & 16th Anniversary Debut Match: Antonio Honda defeated Choun-Shiryu with the Diving Fist Drop (9:14).
3. Yukio Sakaguchi, Saki Akai & Gota Ihashi defeated Toru Owashi, Tomomitsu Matsunaga & Toui Kojima when Sakaguchi pinned Kojima with the PK (9:37).
4. Mad Paulie, Nobuhiro Shimatani & Hiroshi Yamato defeated Makoto Oishi, Mizuki Watase & Yukio Naya when Paulie pinned Watase with the Reverse Splash (12:19).
5. 1 Vs 3 Handicap Match: Shinya Aoki, Danshoku Dieno & Super Sasadango Machine defeated Sanshiro Takagi when Aoki pinned Takagi with a Jackknife Pin (10:00).
6. Konosuke Takeshita, Shunma Katsumata, MAO & Yuki Ueno defeated Akito, Kazuki Hirata, Shota & Keisuke Ishii when Ueno pinned Shota with the BME (14:34).
7. Tetsuya Endo, Soma Takao & Yuji Hino (w/ Daisuke Sasaki) defeated HARASHIMA, Kazusada Higuchi & Chris Brookes when Endo pinned Brookes with the Shooting Star Press (17:18).
The first DDT show of 2021 was almost entirely a surprise card. The audience only knew what the matches were once they were ready to begin. For the main event HARASHIMA, Kazusada Higuchi & Chris Brookes joined forces to fight DAMNATION. While all of DAMNATION were at ringside, Daisuke Sasaki got directly involved by grabbing Brookes by the leg. Yuji Hino brought it to both HARASHIMA & Higuchi. Soma Takao overheard Higuchi insult CIMA which spurred him on to fight through the Brain Claw. Tetsuya Endo got the win in the end by hitting Brookes with Tetsuya In The Sky, the Swivel Torture Rack Bomb and finally the Shooting Star Press. Endo looked over to Jun Akiyama at the commentary table while the pin was counted.
Shouting was heard over by the entrance after the match. It was Yuki Iino calling for Hino’s attention while the rest of ALL OUT tried to hold him back. Iino pushed his teammates back, entered the ring and demanded to face Hino in an arm wrestling contest on the canvas. Hino was confused but he accepted the challenge and won. Iino got mad over losing and had to be held back again while Konosuke Takeshita introduced him to Hino. He then explained that Iino’s return match from injury will be at “KAWASAKI STRONG 2021” on 14th February when ALL OUT takes on DAMNATION. He then suggested that Iino and Hino have a singles match at the next big event after that. Hisaya Imabayashi agreed to book Iino Vs Hino in Nagoya on 23rd February. ALL OUT dragged Iino away while Endo took the microphone and warned Akiyama that he is always ready. Endo closed out the show by saying this year he is aiming for more than just the Tokyo Sports MVP Award. He wants to make scandalous news stories with glamourous women in the tabloids too!
Another 8-Man Tag pitted the two new units that have unexpectedly taken over DDT in the last few months. All four members of the DDT Sauna Club came out first, followed by the Young Communication Generation. The latter team then surprised everyone by bringing out Keisuke Ishii! Akito warned him about the Sauna Club’s “Heat Wave WER!!” pose but he didn’t understand it. Kazuki Hirata did a Plancha to the outside while Ishii did his work. The Sauna Club isolated Shota and piled on the top rope moves to him. Shunma Katsumata, MAO & Yuki Ueno hit Diving Body Presses one after the other but Ueno’s pin was broken up. Shota caught Ueno in the Gannosuke Clutch but MAO was there to break that pin up. Ueno got to recover and beat Shota with the BME. Backstage Ishii said it was the first time in a long while he wrestled in DDT (not counting BOYZ) and he would like to appear more in 2021 to be with his friends in Young Communication again. Shota wants to make it a year where Ganbare☆Pro doesn’t lose to DDT. Meanwhile Katsumata wants to make 2021 the year of the Sauna Club!
One of the matches was supposed to be Sanshiro Takagi & Danshoku Dieno Vs Shinya Aoki & Super Sasadango Machine. But backstage before the match Dieno, Aoki & Sasadango were all complaining about Takagi’s tweets including one that where Takagi was showing off his calves. The three of them instead decided to gang up on Takagi in a Handicap Match and purposely target his calf. Aoki put him in a Jail Hold while Dieno & Sasadango brought out a bag containing some of Takagi’s personal belongings. Sasadango found Takagi’s wallet, pulled out 29,000 yen in cash and raffled it off to three fans in the audience. Dieno eventually thought things went overboard and he felt sorry for Takagi. It is thanks to Takagi that they get to wrestle this year so the best New Year’s gift is to give Takagi his first win of 2021. Sasadango agreed and with Dieno they both attacked Aoki. Dieno is still recovering from the fire extinguisher attack to his rear but Takagi forced to go into the Hell Gate position. That lost him Sasadango’s support and Takagi was thrown face first into the Hell Gate. Aoki kicked Takagi in the calf, Sasadango did the Vertical Drop Lehmann Shock and Aoki pinned him with a Jackknife. Backstage Sasadango offered to be on Aoki’s team at “KAWASAKI STRONG 2021” because they should be fighting for a better goal than satisfying Takagi’s desires. They like Takagi but will not be used by him anymore!
As Takagi was leaving the ring after his match, he was suddenly approached at ringside by Yusuke Okada! The former All Japan wrestler introduced himself to the audience and told them he wants to experience a new world of pro wrestling now that he became freelance. He asked Takagi if he could have a match in DDT. Takagi questioned his interest in DDT after seeing the match that just happened. He then passed the request over to Imabayashi, who wasn’t expecting that. Imabayashi told Okada he will book him on next week’s Korakuen Hall show on 9th January.
DAMNATION’s good run begun earlier in the show when Mad Paulie, Nobuhiro Shimatani & Hiroshi Yamato beat Makoto Oishi, Mizuki Watase & Yukio Naya. Paulie threw Yamato onto Watase with an X-Style Iconoclasm. Shimatani then hopped onto Paulie’s back and they jumped on top of Watase for a nearfall when Oishi & Naya broke it up. Paulie then hit Watase with a Lariat and won with the Reverse Splash.
Gota Ihashi didn’t get to wrestle in Korakuen Hall last year so he wanted to make up for lost time. This year he wants to join a unit and rampage all over DDT. There is only one unit he wants to join and that’s Eruption! He came out with his own custom entrance video wearing an Eruption coat made out of posters. He even drew his own version of the Eruption logo calling it Ihaption. Yukio Sakaguchi & Saki Akai were bemused over this but it kind of worked out in the end. Akai gave Toru Owashi a Brainbuster and Ihashi went toe to toe with Tomomitsu Matsunaga. Eruption(?) then focused their attacks on Toui Kojima. Ihashi almost lost the match when he missed the Moonsault. Akai kicked Ihashi out of frustration and Sakaguchi tagged himself in to finish Kojima off. Sakaguchi & Akai had enough of Ihashi and walked off on him backstage. However he believes he can continue teaming with Eruption and together they can all go after the KO-D 8-Man Tag Team Titles.
Antonio Honda’s big day was almost ruined when he tripped on the ropes and hurt his knee. Choun-Shiryu knew what was coming and attacked Honda before he could tell his latest Gongitsune joke. Honda lived up to the big occasion though and hit a Topé Suicida and the Tenzan Tombstone Driver on route to victory.
The first DDT match of 2021 was Keigo Nakamura’s first ever singles victory! He defeated his generation rival Hideki Okatani by cradling his way out of the Double Arm Suplex. Nakamura currently has a 1-3 record against Okatani so he wants to reverse the numbers this year.
Some more matches were booked for “KAWASAKI STRONG 2021”. Akai will be teaming with Maya Yukihi from Ice Ribbon to take on Saori Anou & Miyako Matsumoto. Yukihi said she discovered DDT more than 10 years ago so she is deeply moved to be wrestling a match for them. She thought she was going to fight against Akai but Imabayashi corrected her. Akai always wanted to team with her because she is beautiful and strong. She is also excited to face Anou again. When Imabayashi asked Akai & Yukihi about Matsumoto, they both declined to answer. They were asked again backstage and Yukihi finally had something to say. “In terms of strength, beauty and glamour, Miyako-san will never the best.”
The New Year’s Shuffle Tag Tournament winners Smile Pissari will team again at the Culttz Kawasaki show. HARASHIMA & Yuji Okabayashi will face a team yet to be determined.
Takagi will return to the battlefield for his next DDT Extreme Title defence. He takes on Nabe Yakan from Best Body Pro Wrestling on 10th January. The match was made when earlier in the day Yakan led a bunch of soldiers armed with air guns into the locker room to steal the Extreme Title belt.
DDT “D-OU GRAND PRIX 2021 THE FINAL!!”, 27/12/2020 Tokyo Korakuen Hall ??? Fans – Withheld
1. Toui Kojima Debut Match: Hideki Okatani defeated Toui Kojima with a Crab Hold (5:59).
2. 3 Way Match: Antonio Honda defeated Toru Owashi and Nobuhiro Shimatani when Honda pinned Shimatani with the Diving Fist Drop (8:15).
3. Hold Your Stomach! Forget The Year Special Tag Match: Sanshiro Takagi & Danshoku Dieno defeated Nayashiro Nayagi & Super Sasadango Machine when Takagi pinned Nayagi with the Stone Cold Stunner (7:40).
4. Kazusada Higuchi, Yukio Sakaguchi & Saki Akai defeated Makoto Oishi, Mizuki Watase & Tomomitsu Matsunaga when Higuchi submitted Watase with the Brain Claw (7:35).
5. Tetsuya Endo, Soma Takao, Mad Paulie & Yuji Hino (w/ Daisuke Sasaki) defeated HARASHIMA, Chris Brookes, Shinya Aoki & Keigo Nakamura when Hino pinned Nakamura with the Diving Body Press (12:56).
6. KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles: Akito, Kazuki Hirata & Shota (c) defeated Shunma Katsumata, MAO & Yuki Ueno when Shota pinned Ueno with the Gannosuke Clutch (12:53). *V1 for Young Communicaton Generation.
7. D-Ou Grand Prix 2021 – Final: Jun Akiyama defeated Konosuke Takeshita by TKO with a Modified Armlock (23:29).
You can now add a former Champion Carnival winner to the short list of D-Ou Grand Prix champions. Jun Akiyama overcame an injured leg to defeat his foe Konosuke Takeshita in the final. The leg injury came when Takeshita caught a Stomp and gave Akiyama a Dragon Screw. From there Takeshita targeted the leg with attacks against the ring post as well as wrestling holds to that limb. What evened the score was Takeshita going into the match with an injured arm that Akiyama could focus on. German and Exploder Suplexes were exchanged and Akiyama Headbutted his way out of a Cross-Arm German Suplex. Seeing his chance, Akiyama applied a Chickenwing Armlock and rolled Takeshita into the centre of the ring. Takeshita struggled to move and soon became lifeless. That caused Yukinori Matsui to end the match and award Akiyama the tournament!
Akiyama received his trophy and praised the field of wrestlers who competed in the Grand Prix this year. He faced a lot of great DDT wrestlers. In fact he lost to two of them in the tournament. But he is the one standing on top in the end. There are only three singles champions in Japan he recognises today: Tetsuya Naito with the IWGP Heavyweight Title, Go Shiozaki with the GHC Heavyweight Title and Tetsuya Endo with the KO-D Openweight Title. (Akiyama later explained he only recognises those championships because Naito, Shiozaki and Endo all won Tokyo Sports Awards this year. All Japan was shut out of the awards so he unfortunately no longer sees the Triple Crown as a major championship. If AJPW can win over the community and the pro wrestling media in 2021, then he will change his tune.) Akiyama now gets to face Endo in a rematch on 14th February in Culttz Kawasaki, this time for the KO-D Title. Akiyama thanked Sanshiro Takagi for inviting him to coach in DDT back in May. He also thanked the wrestlers, staff and fans for accepting him. Lastly, he thanked the All Japan fans too.
From the get go, the DDT Sauna Club did their “Heat Wave WER!!” pose to the Young Communication Generation. In response, Kazuki Hirata & Shota did the post back to their opponents while Akito looked on embarrassed by the situation. Shunma Katsumata hit the Stuka Splash on Hirata. MAO & Yuki Ueno then both leapt across the ring with Frog Splashes on Shota & Hirata. Ueno tried to hit Shota with the WR but Shota maneuvered his way into the Gannosuke Clutch to steal the win. The two teams were satisfied with their match and Akito now understands the power of the sauna.
Shota then turned his attention to Ueno and challenged him for the DDT UNIVERSAL Title. Shota wants to become a leader of the independent scene in 2021 and he is already on his way with two championshps. That’s not enough, he wants a third title that can let him travel around the world. Ueno accepted and the match will happen on 9th January as the Korakuen Hall main event! Akito then asked if his team can next defend the KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles in his hometown of Nagoya when DDT goes there on 23rd February. He wants to defend the belts against DDT’s top wrestlers: Sanshiro Takagi, HARASHIMA & Danshoku Dieno! Young Communication want to beat the guys they looked up to when they were young. Then in 2021 they will all become main eventers of the indie world!
DAMNATION are looking unstoppable with the addition of Yuji Hino to their ranks. The heavyweight freelancer crushed Keigo Nakamura with a Diving Body Press to win the 8-Man Tag. He also overpowered HARASHIMA in a Chop Battle. Endo went through a few exchanges with Chris Brookes that ultimately ended with Endo hitting the Sasuke Special onto Brookes and a bunch of other wrestlers outside the ring. Shinya Aoki was the one who posed a big threat when he took down Soma Takao but DAMNATION all ganged up on him. Still, Aoki kicked out after taking a string of diving moves Endo and Takao did off of Mad Paulie’s back. After the match Daisuke Sasaki reintroduced Hino to the DDT fans. He said DAMNATION will mess up DDT’s ring in 2021! Hino told him he would like to go wild and have fun with his new friends. Backstage he also said he would like to win the KO-D Title because he thinks he held it before (he did). Endo doesn’t seem too enthused about that.
2020 ends on a strong note for Eruption. The finish to their match saw Yukio Sakaguchi & Saki Akai run opposite ways on the apron to do Penalty Kicks to Makoto Oishi & Tomomitsu Matsunaga. Akai then dove on top of them while Kazusada Higuchi applied a Lifted Brain Claw to Mizuki Watase for the victory.
Let’s be frank, Yukio Naya doesn’t know how to be Sanshiro Takagi. He needed Super Sasadango Machine to teach him when to do the “FIRE!” pose in time with the entrance music. The real Takagi demanded Danshoku Dieno to go into the Hell Gate position but he declined. Sasadango had to explain that Dieno’s backside was burned after he was sprayed with a CO2 fire extinguisher during this week’s Street Wrestling match. Takagi eventually made Dieno climb the turnbuckle and bend over, no matter how much it hurt him. Sasadango revealed he is now a shareholder of CyberAgent and attacked Takagi with his stock certificate to prove it. Sasadango’s mask slipped up when he took an Atomic Drop and he fell face first into Dieno’s backside. Takagi then stuck his fingers into Dieno’s butt, stuck them up to Naya’s nose and gave him the Stunner for the win.
The 3 Way Match briefly became two on one with Antonio Honda & Nobuhiro Shimatani joining forces to fight Toru Owashi. Gongitusune was turned into a heart shape that attracted Honda and Owashi to each other. Shimatani kept them apart but then found himself moving towards Yukinori Matsui for a possible tender embrace. Owashi & Honda both gave Shimatani a School Boy but no count happened because Matsui had his eye closed waiting to be kissed. Matsui was brought back down to Earth and Honda pinned Shimatani with the Diving Fist Drop.
The debuting Toui Kojima was put to the test against Hideki Okatani. Kojima used a Diving Body Attack from the middle rope and also a Running Double Chop. His big move of the match was a Full Nelson Buster for a 2 count. Okatani hit back with a Vertical Chop and the Northern Lights Suplex. Kojima kicked out but was put in a Crab Hold to make him submit. In his post-match interview Kojima said he wants to be a cool wrestler just by standing, like Randy Orton. He was also nervous about today’s debut. Last night he received a message of encouragement from Satoshi Kojima which only made him even more nervous. Satoshi supports him because he always likes seeing another Kojima in wrestling.
Honda’s 16th Anniversary match will be against Choun-Shiryu on 3rd January. The rest of the card for that Korakuen show will be kept secret until the show starts.
DDT “ATSUSHI ONITA VS KURO-CHAN! CHRISTMAS FINAL BATTLE! SKYTREE STREET CURRENT EXPLOSION WRESTLING!”, 23/12/2020 Tokyo Solamachi 40,000 ABEMA Views
1. Tokyo Joshi Pro Offer Match @ Tokyo Solamachi 3-4F Solami Zaka: Yuka Sakazaki, Mizuki & Hikari Noa defeated Miyu Yamashita, Nodoka Tenma & Marika Kobashi when Sakazaki pinned Kobashi with a Sliding Lariat (10:47).
2. 6-Man Tag Match @ Asakusa Kaminarimon Ichinomiya Shotenkai: Kazusada Higuchi, Yukio Sakaguchi & Saki Akai defeated Danshoku Dieno, Kazuki Hirata & Akito when Higuchi submitted Hirata with the Canadian Snow Samba Backbreaker (16:15).
3. Tag Match @ Yakiniku Drago Skytree Ekimae Store: HARASHIMA & Yukio Naya defeated Makoto Oishi & Keigo Nakamura when HARASHIMA pinned Oishi & Nakamura with the Somato (3:16).
4. DAMNATION! Vs DDT Sauna Club! @ Sumida Health Sports Center Pool: Tetsuya Endo, Soma Takao, Mad Paulie & Hiroshi Yamato (w/ Daisuke Sasaki) defeated Konosuke Takeshita, Shunma Katsumata, MAO & Yuki Ueno when Endo pinned Katsumata with the Shooting Star Senton into the Pool (19:53).
5. Current Explosion Death Match @ Tokyo Solamachi 8F Dome Garden: Kuro-chan (w/ Shinya Aoki, Super Sasadango Machine & Yuki Kamifuku) defeated Atsushi Onita (w/ Sanshiro Takagi, Chris Brookes & Maki Itoh) with the Current Blast Bat Swing (11:09).
All around Tokyo SKYTREE Town there were pro wrestlers waiting around for matches to happen. Members of Jungle Pocket followed the action from place to place for the ABEMA viewers at home. The reason for all of this was the long awaited Current Blast Death Match between Atsushi Onita and Kuro-chan. Both men were allowed a trio of wrestlers to accompany them and get involved in the fight. Kuro-chan tried to run away but Onita caught him and let Chris Brookes & Maki Itoh beat him up. Itoh swung a Current Blast Bat but Super Sasadango Machine stood in her way and took the blow. Onita pinned Kuro-chan after the explosion but Yuki Kamifuku broke the count. Sasadango told Kuro-chan that Kamifuku’s knees contain ingredients that would heal him from the blast. Kamifuku was grossed out but allowed Kuro-chan to lick her knee for recovery purposes. That powered up Kuro-chan until Sanshiro Takagi strangled him with a belt. Onita put Shinya Aoki through a table with a Piledriver then grabbed another Blast Bat. However Kamifuku turned off the bat’s power supply at the last second. The distraction allowed Sasadango & Aoki to attack Onita. Kuro-chan & Kamifuku then swung the Blast Bat at Onita together for the second explosion. Soon after, Onita grabbed the last Blast Bat but Kuro-chan grabbed Kamifuku to be his human shield. Onita hesitated and Aoki attacked him from behind. Kuro-chan grabbed the bat and hit Onita for the final explosion. Two Blast Bat hits were too much for Onita and he couldn’t kick out of the pin. Kuro-chan has defeated him!
Kuro-chan taunted Onita by pouring a bottle of water over him and bragging about “the moment when the pro wrestler lost to the entertainer!” Onita got up and started beating Kuro-chan with the bottle. Kuro-chan backed off but was still laughing over winning the match. An angry Onita then turned his attention to Jungle Pocket when they stepped in to protect their fellow entertainer. Kuro-chan grabbed Onita’s leather jacket, put it on himself and declared himself the new Evil Ways!
Over at the Sumida Health Sports Center pool, the DDT Sauna Club and DAMNATION met for a swim and an 8-Man Tag. After a quick swimming race, Jungle Pocket’s Otake asked when they would start wrestling. Daisuke Sasaki demanded money and both teams agreed that the match winner would get Otake’s money. After fighting around poolside, everyone wound up in the pool when a chain of Headscissors was flipped over by Mad Paulie. Everyone then moved over to the waterslide. Tetsuya Endo gave Yuki Ueno a Sunset Flip down the waterslide with Yukinori Matsui sliding after them to try and count the pin. One by one the wrestlers slid down with MAO’s turn involving a bunch of small rubber ducks coming down with him. Shunma Katsumata tried to blow hot sauna wind with a towel at Hiroshi Yamato but since it was pool it only made Yamato feel cold. Katsumata & Ueno put a rubber ring around Yamato and tried to make him float upside down in the pool. Konosuke Takeshita, Ueno & Katsumata tried piling on top of each other for a triple piggy back attack but they fell over when Sasaki sprayed them with a hose. The Sauna Club recovered to give Soma Takao an Assisted Cutter into the pool. There was a bridge where Paulie did the Reverse Splash into the pool but everyone moved out of the way. Takeshita then gave Yamato the Kinniku Buster from the bridge into the water. Sasaki was all alone against the Sauna Club when suddenly Yuji Hino showed up wearing a DAMNATION shirt! One by one he destroyed the Sauna Club and he gave Katsumata the Fuckin’ Bomb from the bridge into the pool. Endo then hit the Shooting Star Senton from the bridge to Katsumata and pinned him in the water.
After the match, Sasaki introduced everyone to Hino. He explained they used to be soldiers together and now Hino is the newest member of DAMNATION! Not only that but Hino will also be at the 27th December Korakuen Hall show. Hino threw Otake into the water to celebrate and everyone in DAMNATION laughed.
Hirohisa Ota from Jungle Pocket spectated a match held in a nearby yakiniku restaurant. Yukio Naya welcomed him and they looked at the menu until they heard a commotion nearby. It was Makoto Oishi & Keigo Nakamura causing noise and being a nuisance. Angry clerk HARASHIMA confronted them and with Naya started the tag match against the troublemakers. Oishi tried to take female clerk hostage when suddenly the disgraced sumo wrestler Takatoriki appeared from the back of the restaurant! He and Naya slammed Oishi & Nakamura together outside and HARASHIMA pinned both of them with the Somato.
The third Jungle Pocket member Shinji Saito met up with Saki Akai along the shopping street when all of a sudden Akito & Kazuki Hirata showed up in a rickshaw pulled by Danshoku Dieno. Luckily for Akai, the rest of Eruption showed up from the nearby subway and the trios match was ready to begin. Dieno summoned samba dancers while he did the Asakusa Nightmare to Akai. Akito chased Kazusada Higuchi into a store and found Higuchi dressed like an enlightened monk attending pilgrimage. Higuchi wouldn’t budge while he was in his state of enlightenment. Yukio Sakaguchi and Hirata stopped fighting so they could go buy sweet desserts. Sakaguchi made sure it was paid with money from Hirata’s wallet. Higuchi returned on a bike and cycled into his opponents. Dieno climbed up a wall and sat in the Hell Gate position. Hirata then called for “Anal Snow Samba” and Dieno shot smoke from beneath him onto everyone below while the samba dancers performed around them. Sakaguchi used a fire extinguisher to freeze Dieno’s ass. Akai then sprayed it into Hirata while Higuchi held him in the Canadian Backbreaker for the finish.
The show began at the entrance of Tokyo Solamachi where six Tokyo Joshi Pro wrestlers came to fight. Marika Kobashi brought along a selfie stick but Hikari Noa used it to choke her. Nodoka Tenma Body Slammed Mizuki onto the ground and then jumped on top of her with a Body Press. Yuka Sakazaki and Miyu Yamashita fought near the stairway and Sakazaki ended up pushing her opponent down the steps. Sakazaki, Mizuki & Noa then joined up for a sprint down the path to hit a Triple Dropkick on the other team. Noa found a ladder and spun it around, hitting anyone who dared come near her. The ladder was set up near the Skytree and The Magical Sugar Rabbits did a Double Diving Body Attack off it onto everyone below. Sakazaki ended the match by pinning Kobashi with the Sliding Lariat.
0. Exhibition Match: Mizuki Watase defeated Toui Kojima with a Dropkick (4:54).
1. Nobuhiro Shimatani defeated Keigo Nakamura with the Modified Camel Clutch (8:17).
2. Danshoku Dieno & Toru Owashi defeated Chris Brookes & Antonio Honda when Owashi pinned Honda with La Magistral Cradle (12:06).
3. Yuki Ueno & MAO defeated HARASHIMA & Yukio Naya when Ueno pinned Naya with the BME (13:51).
4. Young Communication Generation Vs Junretsu!: Akito, Kazuki Hirata & Shota defeated Jun Akiyama, Makoto Oishi & Hideki Okatani when Hirata pinned Okatani with the Miracle One Shot Cradle (11:41).
5. Eruption Vs DAMNATION!: Kazusada Higuchi & Yukio Sakaguchi defeated Soma Takao & Mad Paulie when Sakaguchi pinned Paulie with the God’s Right Knee (12:34).
6. DAMNATION Vs ALL OUT!: Konosuke Takeshita & Shunma Katsumata defeated Tetsuya Endo & Hiroshi Yamato when Takeshita pinned Yamato with the German Suplex (17:11).
Konosuke Takeshita used the main event to show everyone his left arm is pretty much healed. Shunma Katsumata used his time with Hiroshi Yamato to make fun of Yamato’s X sign he makes with his arms. Tetsuya Endo helped Yamato get some revenge by calling for “Skill Award X” and the two of them attacked their opponent with X Thrusts. Yamato accidentally hit Endo with an X and Takeshita knocked him down with a Lariat. Katsumata landed a Plancha on Endo while Takeshita finished off Yamato with the Fable and then the German Suplex. Takeshita told the crowd he expects to be fully recovered in time for the D-Ou Grand Prix final. Katsumata then invited the other DDT Sauna Club members Yuki Ueno & MAO into the ring and interviewed them about their earlier victory. Katsumata then looked at the ceiling and told everyone they can clearly see the aurora of Finland.
Eruption picked apart Soma Takao & Mad Paulie. After the match Yukio Sakaguchi asked Takao where was CIMA? Takao should bring him over next time and they can do the KO-D Tag Team Titles match early. Takao grabbed a chair and threatened to throw it at Sakaguchi. The ringside seconds calmed him down and Takao left. However Takao confronted Sakaguchi backstage during his post-match interview. He knocked the interview booth over Eruption and told them he and CIMA will take their belts.
Kazuki Hirata wanted to teach Jun Akiyama how to dance but the offer was violently turned down. Hirata got the last laugh by winning the match for his team and he danced in front of Akiyama again to rub it in. The DDT Sauna Club approached the Young Communication Generation after the match. Akito and Katsumata agreed that ALL OUT ran out of goals in 2020. Katsumata wants to restart ALL OUT sometime in 2021 but it’s important for the group to take a break. That’s why Katsumata will be fighting for the Sauna Club in the KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles match on 27th December. He also knows Hirata and Shota both like visiting saunas but Akito does not. Akito is the odd man out in the title match. What Akito does have in common with his teammates is none of them want to lose to the DNA generation.
The Gongitsune joke led to some miscommunication between Antonio Honda and Chris Brookes. When Honda tripped, Brookes called for medical help and wanted Honda to be rushed to hospital. Honda told him he wasn’t hurt, he was only setting up his latest Gongitsune joke. Brookes got angry at Honda for lying and stormed out of the ring back to the locker room. Honda had to wrestle Danshoku Dieno & Toru Owashi on his own and yelled out an apology to Brookes, hoping he would hear it. Brookes did and his music played for a heroic rescue. Brookes then tripped on the rope and hurt his knee. It was then Brookes who told the Gongitsune story almost entirely in Japanese. Unfortunately the Gongitsune attack backfired and Honda hit Brookes instead of his intended target. Owashi then rolled Honda in La Magistral for the three count.
The trainee Toui Kojima was given an exhibition bout before his official debut on the 27th. Mizuki Watase put him through the wringer but Kojima got in a little bit of offence with a Double Chop. Watase stopped him with an Arm Drag followed by a Double Stomp. Watase then won with a Dropkick to the face.
DDT “ATSUSHI ONITA VS KURO-CHAN! CHRISTMAS FINAL BATTLE! SKYTREE STREET CURRENT EXPLOSION WRESTLING!”, 23/12/2020 Tokyo Solamachi
1. Kazusada Higuchi, Yukio Sakaguchi & Saki Akai Vs Danshoku Dieno, Kazuki Hirata & Akito
2. HARASHIMA & Yukio Naya Vs Makoto Oishi & Keigo Nakamura
3. Tokyo Joshi Pro Offer Match: Yuka Sakazaki, Mizuki & Hikari Noa Vs Miyu Yamashita, Nodoka Tenma & Marika Kobashi
4. DDT Sauna Club Vs DAMNATION!: Konosuke Takeshita, Shunma Katsumata, MAO & Yuki Ueno Vs Tetsuya Endo, Soma Takao, Mad Paulie & Hiroshi Yamato (w/ Daisuke Sasaki)
5. Current Explosion Death Match: Atsushi Onita (w/ Sanshiro Takagi, Chris Brookes & Maki Itoh) Vs Kuro-chan (w/ Shinya Aoki, Super Sasadango Machine & Yuki Kamifuku)
Kuro-chan held a public training session with his helpers Shinya Aoki, Super Sasadango Machine & Yuki Kamifuku earlier today. Sasadango told Kuro-chan that to be a successful wrestler you need to figure out your opponent’s weaknesses. Atsushi Onita’s weakness is his knees. Aoki was there to teach Kuro-chan submission holds to target the knee. Kamifuku was the closest in size to Onita out of the four so she had to spar with Kuro-chan. They then immediately stopped because Kuro-chan was tempted to lick her knees. Aoki had to demonstrate the submissions on Kuro-chan instead. When that painful exercise was finished, Sasadango then told Kuro-chan he can in fact lick Onita’s knee to exploit his weakness! Sasadango explained Kuro-chan’s saliva can rust the artificial joints in Onita’s knees and ordered him to lick his own knee for practice. When asked to give a message to Onita, Kuro-chan threatened to lick and kill him!
DDT “D-OU GRAND PRIX 2021 THE FINAL!!”, 27/12/2020 Tokyo Korakuen Hall
1. Toi Kojima Debut Match: Toi Kojima Vs Hideki Okatani
2. 3 Way Match: Toru Owashi Vs Antonio Honda Vs Nobuhiro Shimatani
3. Kazusada Higuchi, Yukio Sakaguchi & Saki Akai Vs Makoto Oishi, Mizuki Watase & Tomomitsu Matsunaga
4. Tetsuya Endo, Soma Takao & Mad Paulie Vs HARASHIMA, Chris Brookes & Shinya Aoki
5. Hold Your Stomach! Forget The Year Special Tag Match: Sanshiro Takagi & Danshoku Dieno Vs Nayashiro Nayagi & Super Sasadango Machine
6. KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles: Akito, Kazuki Hirata & Shota (c) Vs Shunma Katsumata, MAO & Yuki Ueno
7. D-Ou Grand Prix 2021 – Final: Konosuke Takeshita vs Jun Akiyama
The D-Ou Grand Prix finalists met for a press conference yesterday to comment on their upcoming rematch. Konosuke Takeshita said when he lost to Jun Akiyama at “ULTIMATE PARTY 2020” it left him questioning his wrestling ways. It hasn’t been easy for him to find the answer he was looking for. But soon he can get his revenge in order to truly lead DDT. Then he can stand across the ring from Tetsuya Endo and reignite their feud over the KO-D Openweight Title. Even though Takeshita has held the KO-D Title many times and holds the defence record, he never won a Tokyo Sports Award during that period (he only ever won Best Newcomer for his debut year). Endo on the other hand won the Best Skill category for this year. That is what’s motivating Takeshita to go after the title again. As for his injured left arm, Takeshita promises to be at 100% on the day of the final.
Akiyama said he didn’t reach the final on his own. He got here because of Junretsu, in particular Makoto Oishi. This final is just as much for him. Akiyama came to DDT alone and was quickly welcomed by Oishi leading to Junretsu’s formation. He realized the importance of the team and also having them in his circle of friends because of how much they helped him. But Akiyama thinks nothing has changed in the rivalry between himself and Takeshita.
DDT “GO TO DDT! VOL. 1”, 09/01/2021 Tokyo Korakuen Hall
1. KO-D Tag Team Titles: Kazusada Higuchi & Yukio Sakaguchi (c) Vs CIMA & Soma Takao
Eruption’s first KO-D Tag Team Titles defence will be against CimaSoma. The champions need to reclaim some shine after they unexpectedly lost the KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles. The challengers meanwhile should be coming in hot after they beat HarashiMarufuji last month.
1. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Super Delfin, Chris Brookes & Maki Itoh Vs MAO, Keigo Nakamura & Mirai Maiumi
2. KO-D Openweight Title: Tetsuya Endo (c) Vs D-Ou Grand Prix 2021 Winner
A special trio is coming together to face a team filled with Tohoku flavour. Maki Itoh has a regular column in Shukan Puroresu magazine and one of her articles revealed she became a fan of the late Gran Naniwa after seeing Chris Brookes post clips of him on Twitter. When Super Delfin found out about this from Naniwa’s father, he wanted to team with her whenever it was possible. This leads to the return of the Itoh Respect Army (the NEO part seems to be gone) to team with Delfin in Culttz Kawasaki next February. Itoh hopes she can learn the Swinging DDT from Delfin and would be grateful to become his disciple. Brookes, like any wrestling nerd, pointed to the 1994 Super J Cup to explain his original discovery of Delfin. The Tohoku part of this match also comes from their opponents. MAO is from Miyagi and is influenced by Michinoku Pro while Keigo Nakamura & Mirai Maiumi are both from Iwate.
DDT “D-OU GRAND PRIX 2021 IN NARIMASU!”, 12/12/2020 Tokyo Narimasu Act Hall ??? Fans – Withheld
1. 3 Way Tag Match: Mad Paulie & Nobuihiro Shimatani defated Mizuki Watase & Hideki Okatani and Yukio Naya & Keigo Nakamura when Shimatani pinned Nakamura after a Combined Body Press (8:13).
2. D-Ou Grand Prix 2021 – B Block: Shunma Katsumata (4) defeated Soma Takao (6) by Countout (10:05).
3. D-Ou Grand Prix 2021 – B Block: Jun Akiyama (8) defeated Yuki Ueno (6) with the Front Neck Lock (11:51).
4. D-Ou Grand Prix 2021 – B Block: Makoto Oishi (4) defeated Tetsuya Endo (7) with the Fujiyama Knee Lock (19:26).
5. D-Ou Grand Prix 2021 – A Block: Akito (7) defeated Yukio Sakaguchi (6) by TKO with a Modified Figure 4 Leg Lock (8:56).
6. D-Ou Grand Prix 2021 – A Block: MAO (6) defeated Chris Brookes (6) with an Inside Cradle (14:28).
7. D-Ou Grand Prix 2021 – A Block: Konosuke Takeshita (8) defeated HARASHIMA (7) with the German Suplex (20:39).
The dust has settled and no tiebreakers were needed. The D-Ou Grand Prix 2021 final will be between Konosuke Takeshita and Jun Akiyama! The A Block was decided in the last three matches of the show with Takeshita winning the group by beating HARASHIMA. Takeshita’s injured left arm was targeted in by HARASHIMA in a last ditch attempt to avoid the German Suplex. But Takeshita wrestled his way into position to pin his opponent with the move. Takeshita gave HARASHIMA credit and said today’s match was the strongest he’s ever been. HARASHIMA joked and asked Takeshita if his arm was sore. Akiyama came out and told Takeshita he already beat him on 3rd November. If Takeshita wants revenge he needs to recover from his injury and bring his best on 27th December. Takeshita told Akiyama he won’t lose to him again.
A lot of come from behind results happened for the blocks to end up the way they did. Chris Brookes lost to MAO to get knocked out of the running. MAO added a Reverse Quetzalcoatl to his move set but that wasn’t enough to win. Instead he had to counter the Praying Mantis Bomb into a Small Package to pin Brookes. MAO admitted he would like to have seen Brookes reach the final because they are friends outside the ring (they go to karaoke and sing “One Night Carnival” a lot) but he wasn’t going to lose to him today. MAO is also feeling tired of wrestling in singles matches. He wants to do tag team wrestling again.
The other wrestler in A Block to fall at the final hurdle was Yukio Sakaguchi. He was only interested in grappling with Akito so he did not throw many kicks in their match. Akito got the better of him on the mat and tangled him into a modifed Figure 4 Leg Lock. Sakaguchi refused to give up but the referee had to end the match when it was clear that Sakaguchi was done for. Sakaguchi admitted his knee wasn’t 100% after his match with HARASHIMA and Akito was smart to go after it. Akito wasn’t fully motivated to wrestle today because he wouldn’t reach the final. He wondered if Sakaguchi intentionally invited him to mat wrestle to give him that motivation. He found a new way to do a Figure 4 so in the end he did get something out of it.
Over in the B Block, Tetsuya Endo was stunned by a submission loss to Makoto Oishi! The shock result happened when Oishi grabbed Endo’s leg to avoid the Canadian Destroyer and got him into the Fujiyama Knee Lock. Endo was managing to withstand it until Oishi put all of his power into the hold, getting the tapout. The result meant Akiyama was going to the final instead of Endo. Oishi said it would have been uncool if the leader of Junretsu couldn’t help get Akiyama to the final. For anyone who thought it’s time for Oishi to retire, his message today is it’s not his time yet! He’s still getting better and he is not going to retire before Akiyama.
The penultimate B Block match was where Akiyama cemented his spot in the final. He took over when Yuki Ueno missed the BME and hit the Exploder Suplex. He then did the Wrist-Clutch Exploder but Ueno kicked out at two. Akiyama didn’t waste time and he put Ueno in the Front Neck Lock for the submission win. Backstage Akiyama gave his thoughts on the current wrestling scene. The likes of Ueno need to step up more. They’re not going to catch up to Akiyama if they’re just aiming to get along with him. There is a difference between trying to get better together and trying to get better alone. Akiyama is in DDT to compete and that difference is why he is beating wrestlers half his age. He says it’s fine when Sanshiro Takagi says he wants his company to catch up to New Japan and overtake them. But when you say that then you must treat the business as a competition and you must compete. You can still go and create interesting ideas that are different from the norm, but if it’s not done with the intention of competing then pro wrestling will eventually have nothing left.
Soma Takao’s chance to win the block was ruined thanks to Shunma Katsumata. He has to give some of the blame to Nobuhiro Shimatani though. Also himself but he still blamed Shimatani. He used the steel basin in the match but Katsumata fought back with Lego. Shimatani grabbed the basin but hit Takao by accident. Takao then purposely hit him with the basin and chased him out of the room with Katsumata following them. While the 20 count was being made, Katsumata returned to the ring first. Takao then came back with his legs taped together forcing him to hop back to the ring. He was about to break the count when Katsumata dropped the basin on his head, knocking him down and leaving him counted out. Katsumata said the tournament has been hard for him because he injured his knee during the summer. That is why he’s been cheating throughout the Grand Prix so he could still leave an impression with his matches. Today was the end of his tournament run but as a pro wrestler he will continue to rise.
In the non-tournament 3 Way Tag, Shimatani jumped onto Mad Paulie’s back and together they squashed Keigo Nakamura.
DDT “D-OU GRAND PRIX 2021 IN NARIMASU!”, 12/12/2020 Tokyo Narimasu Act Hall
1. 3 Way Tag Match: Mad Paulie & Nobuihiro Shimatani Vs Mizuki Watase & Hideki Okatani Vs Yukio Naya & Keigo Nakamura
2. D-Ou Grand Prix 2021 – B Block: Soma Takao (6) Vs Shunma Katsumata (2)
3. D-Ou Grand Prix 2021 – B Block: Yuki Ueno (6) Vs Jun Akiyama (6)
4. D-Ou Grand Prix 2021 – B Block: Tetsuya Endo (7) Vs Makoto Oishi (2)
5. D-Ou Grand Prix 2021 – A Block: Yukio Sakaguchi (6) Vs Akito (5)
6. D-Ou Grand Prix 2021 – A Block: MAO (4) Vs Chris Brookes (6)
7. D-Ou Grand Prix 2021 – A Block: Konosuke Takeshita (6) Vs HARASHIMA (7)
There’s the match order for the final matches in the group stage. So let’s grab a drink and figure out the paths that can play out. DDT only said a tiebreaker match will be held in case of a tie for first place. No mention of the direct confrontation rule so the previous results may not be as advantageous as they normally are. I am writing these paths assuming that the tiebreaker will happen no matter who finishes with the same amount of points. Also it’s a Friday night so if I’m wrong I’m not going to worry too much about it. Show’s on in a few hours time anyway.
A Block
1. HARASHIMA (7)
A win over Takeshita guarantees a spot in the final. A draw means getting into a tiebreaker with Chris Brookes and/or Yukio Sakaguchi if they win their matches. If they both fail to win in that situation then HARASHIMA gets a lucky escape.
2. Yukio Sakaguchi (6)
A win over Akito, HARASHIMA losing and Brookes failing to win gets Sakaguchi first place. If Sakaguchi gets a draw he needs HARASHIMA to lose and Brookes to not win in order to enter the tiebreaker.
2. Chris Brookes (6)
Brookes will finish first if he beats MAO, HARASHIMA loses and Sakaguchi fails to win. If Brookes gets a draw he needs HARASHIMA to lose and Sakaguchi to not win in order to enter the tiebreaker.
2. Konosuke Takeshita (6)
Needs to beat HARASHIMA to stay alive. Finishes on top if Brookes and Sakaguchi both fail to win. Otherwise it’s a tiebreaker.
5. Akito (5)
Any result of the main event prevents Akito from finishing first so he is eliminated. He ends Sakaguchi’s run if he beats him. Maybe even a draw.
6. MAO (4)
Cannot reach the final but can eliminate Brookes.
7. Daisuke Sasaki (2)
Completely out of it because of injury. Sorry for rubbing it in.
B Block
1. Tetsuya Endo (7)
Just needs to beat Oishi to win the block. A draw ties him with the winner of Ueno Vs Akiyama and Takao if he beats Katsumata. Endo still has a chance if he loses but that direction won’t be pretty.
1. Kazusada Higuchi (7)
This is the chaos path. Higuchi already wrestled all his matches. Only hope is if Endo loses, Takao doesn’t win and Ueno Vs Akiyama ends in a draw. That results in a massive 4 way or even 5 way tiebreaker.
3. Jun Akiyama (6)
Needs to beat Ueno, Endo loses and Takao loses. Akiyama Vs Ueno ending in a draw, Takao not winning and Endo losing leads to chaos.
3. Soma Takao (6)
Can squeak into the final if he beats Katsumata, Endo loses and Ueno Vs Akiyama ends in a draw. Otherwise Takao winning sends him to a tiebreaker against the winner of Akiyama Vs Ueno if Endo still loses.
3. Yuki Ueno (6)
Ueno’s in the same position as Akiyama. Just read his bit and swap their names around.
6. Makoto Oishi (2)
Won’t reach the final but can play one hell of a spoiler against Endo. Root for him if you want to see the the entire block turn on its head.
6. Shunma Katsumata (2)
Down and out but can ruin Soma Takao’s chances.
DDT “D-OU GRAND PRIX 2021 IN NARIMASU!”, 06/12/2020 Tokyo Narimasu Act Hall ??? Fans – Withheld
-. D-Ou Grand Prix 2021 – A Block: Chris Brookes (6) defeated Daisuke Sasaki (2) by Forfeit.
1. Chris Brookes defeated Hideki Okatani with the Elevator Action Death Parade (6:13).
2. Blow Away The D-Ou GP 2021 From The DDT Variety Team! ~ Narimasu Tag Death Match: Danshoku Dieno & Saki Akai defeated Toru Owashi & Kazuki Hirata when Akai pinned Hirata with a PK (8:27).
3. D-Ou Grand Prix 2021 – A Block: Konosuke Takeshita (6) defeated Yukio Sakaguchi (6) by Knockout with the Zahi (11:26).
4. D-Ou Grand Prix 2021 – A Block: HARASHIMA (7) Vs Akito (5) ended in a Draw after a Double Pinfall (16:26).
5. D-Ou Grand Prix 2021 – B Block: Yuki Ueno (6) defeated Shunma Katsumata (2) with the WR (13:56).
6. D-Ou Grand Prix 2021 – B Block: Soma Takao (6) defeated Tetsuya Endo (7) with the Gin And Tonic (16:37).
7. D-Ou Grand Prix 2021 – B Block: Kazusada Higuchi (7) defeated Jun Akiyama (6) with the Brain Claw Pin (4:03).
With one last roar, Kazusada Higuchi finishes his schedule of block matches with a gigantic win over Jun Akiyama! He did it in quick time too. In just over 4 minutes, Higuchi applied the Brain Claw and pressed Akiyama down to the canvas to pin him. Higuchi got on the mic and said the top spot cannot be given to someone who is about to go back to All Japan. With this result, Higuchi is now tied in first place but he has no more matches remaining. He needs a bunch of results from other matches to play out a certain way in order for him to enter some sort of emergency tiebreaker match.
Tetsuya Endo could have sealed his place in the final here today if he had beaten Soma Takao. Instead he is in a position where it could all slip away. Takao avoided the Modified One-Winged Angel and trapped his stablemate in the Official Endless Waltz. Endo wouldn’t be pinned by it but Takao got him into the Gin And Tonic and got the upset victory. Takao reminded Endo he is still his senpai. He hates him but also loves him too. Backstage Endo said that Takao beating him means Takao has indirectly beaten Akiyama. If that doesn’t make him feel anything then he will never move past the spot he is in.
The DDT Sauna Club had another member versus member match in the D-Ou Grand Prix. That relationship came into play when Shunma Katsumata made Yuki Ueno sit down on a chair and waved him with a towel before choking him with it. Katsumata used more chairs to cut off a Plancha and then taped Ueno’s feet together for a possible countout. Ueno got Toui Kojima to cut the tape off and he made it back to the ring to continue the match. Katsumata tried using Daisuke Kiso as a human shield but Ueno maneuvered around them and hit a Standing Shining Wizard. Ueno then won with the WR. Katsumata praised Ueno for getting stronger and he told him to look up at the Finnish sky so they can see aurora borealis together. He told Ueno he will meet him again at the Grand Prix final. Ueno said that isn’t possible but Katsumata told him he wouldn’t give up.
HARASHIMA is clinging on to the top spot of the A Block. He got into a back and forth match with Akito and almost got counted out when he missed the Somato on the apron and crashed into the ring post. Akito then attempted the Goliath Birdeater but HARASHIMA attempted a counter Cradle. Both men’s shoulders were on the mat long enough for Yukinori Matsui to count to three. Matsui called it a double pin and declared the match a draw. HARASHIMA said the difference between Akito now compared to their past matches is the Goliath Birdeater so he knew he had to avoid it. Since there was no winner or loser, HARASHIMA doesn’t understand how to feel about the result.
The bad news for Konosuke Takeshita is his left arm is hanging by a thread. The good news is his recent run of results have gotten him back in the hunt for a place in the final. His victory over Yukio Sakaguchi today came from a clash of knee strikes. Sakaguchi hit the God’s Right Knee and Takashita got in the Zahi before they both crumpled to the mat. Takeshita was able to stand back up before the 10 count but Sakaguchi couldn’t do the same. Takeshita thinks luck is on his side and he will give up his left arm to finish the Grand Prix.
The non-tournament tag match was suddenly turned into a Narimasu Tag Death Match. After three minutes a weapon handed down from the ancient times would be introduced to the match. It was revealed to be Yuki Iino, Keigo Nakamura and Hisaya Imabayashi all sitting on the turnbuckles bent over with their backsides exposed. Danshoku Dieno appreciated the idea and copied them on the remaining turnbuckle. Toru Owashi and Saki Akai were thrown face first into the backsides. The four corners then joined in Kazuki Hirata’s dance with their butts still hanging out. They then all closed into the center of the ring where Akai threw Hirata and Hirata got his face full of everyone. Akai then hit a Penalty Kick and pinned him.
Chris Brookes spent most of his replacement match twisting Hideki Okatani into knots.
At the start of the show it was announced that Sanshiro Takagi & Danshoku Dieno Vs Nayashiro Nayagi & Super Sasadango Machine will happen at Korakuen Hall on 27th December. Nayagi is Yukio Naya’s parody of Takagi from the Hiragana Muscle shows. Takagi saw that and noticed Naya’s posing and the angle he hits the Stunner with are not accurate enough. Takagi won’t stand for this!
The #STRONGHEARTS quartet of CIMA, T-Hawk, El Lindaman & Shigehiro Irie will be at the Nagoya Congress Center show on 23rd February.
DDT “D-OU GRAND PRIX 2021 IN NARIMASU (FREE!)”, 04/12/2020 Tokyo Narimasu Act Hall ??? Fans – Withheld
-. D-Ou Grand Prix 2021 – A Block: Akito (4) defeated Daisuke Sasaki (2) by Forfeit.
1. K-Ou Grand Prix 2021: Danshoku Dieno & Akito (w/ Yuki Iino) (3) Vs Mizuki Watase & Hideki Okatani (w/ Keigo Nakamura) (3) ended in a Draw (5:00).
1a. Penalty Shootout: Danshoku Dieno & Akito (w/ Yuki Iino) (3) defeated Mizuki Watase & Hideki Okatani (w/ Keigo Nakamura) (2).
2. D-Ou Grand Prix 2021 – B Block: Yuki Ueno (4) defeated Makoto Oishi (2) with an Inverted Cross Armbreaker (17:23).
3. D-Ou Grand Prix 2021 – B Block: Shunma Katsumata (2) defeated Kazusada Higuchi (5) with the 120% School Boy (10:59).
4. D-Ou Grand Prix 2021 – B Block: Jun Akiyama (6) defeated Soma Takao (4) with the Wrist Clutch Exploder Suplex (8:22).
5. D-Ou Grand Prix 2021 – A Block: Yukio Sakaguchi (6) defeated HARASHIMA (6) by TKO with the Sleeper Hold (10:17).
6. D-Ou Grand Prix 2021 – A Block: Konosuke Takeshita (4) defeated MAO (4) with the Zahi 3 Barrage (22:46).
After a brief break in the schedule, the D-Ou Grand Prix continued on with a DDT Sauna Club showdown as today’s headliner. Konosuke Takeshita entered the match with his injured left arm heavily taped. While MAO did target the arm at points, it wasn’t in his gameplan to fully exploit that limb. Instead MAO’s big move was the Marines Tornado Splash. Unfortunately for him, Takeshita rolled out of the way and MAO went splat. Takeshita went for a barrage of three Zahi knee strikes and just about pinned MAO long enough to get the three count. MAO was a split second too late in lifting his shoulder up. Takeshita was impressed with how much stronger MAO has gotten. MAO can’t believe that Takeshita is still one step ahead of him but they’re still able to have fun fighting each other. They closed out the show with the rest of the DDT Sauna Club celebrating in the ring. “Ready, heatwaver WER!!”
Yukio Sakaguchi jumped straight to the top of the A Block by beating the previous leader HARASHIMA. The match was kept close to the mat with HARASHIMA and Sakaguchi ending up getting into the Inoki/Ali positions before grappling for submission holds. Sakaguchi caught HARASHIMA in the Sleeper and sunk it in deep until HARASHIMA lost consciousness for the referee stoppage. When HARASHIMA recovered he took the loss in his stride and happily shook Sakaguchi’s hand for a job well done. Sakaguchi called this match the result of all his years in DDT. He and his “brothers” KUDO, Masahiro Takanashi and even Danshoku Dieno cultivated different fields in the farm that is DDT. He is able to show himself in a way only he can after putting in all of that time cultivating.
The newest DDT rookie Toui Kojima worked in Jun Akiyama’s corner for Match #4. Akiyama thought his name was Oshima and had to be corrected. Soma Takao brought in a steel basin but Akiyama took it off him. Takao brought in another basin and they both hit each other with them. Akiyama got the better of the exchange with some Knee Strikes. He had the match won with the Exploder Suplex but he went ahead and did the Wrist Clutch Exploder to win with emphasis. Akiyama said in his post-match interview that he is using the Wrist Clutch version more to let the DDT roster know what’s waiting for them when they try against him. Takao said Akiyama should have been disqualified for hitting him with the basin. When it was explained to him that the referee didn’t see it, Takao then claimed victory for being able to hit Akiyama with his own basin.
The rivalry between Kazusada Higuchi and Shunma Katsumata has existed going all the way back to their DNA days. It means so much to Katsumata that he wore his old DNA attire for today’s match. He’s a different wrestler compared to back then though. During the match Katsumata dared Higuchi to fight him outside the ring, pulled off one of the turnbuckle pads and lured Higuchi underneath the ring. When Higuchi reemerged he had tape wrapped around his body, sticking his arms to his side! Katsumata blinded him with spray then hit move after move trying to pin him. The tricks finally took their toll on Higuchi when a missed charge sent him running into the exposed turnbuckle. Katsumata rolled him up with the 120% School Boy and it got him his first win in this year’s Grand Prix. It is also the first time Katsumata ever beat Higuchi! He understands he cannot win the Grand Prix but he still wants to win his remaining matches by any means necessary. Higuchi was asked backstage how Katsumata was able to wrap tape around him under the ring. He explained there were also spanners under there which Katsumata used to beat him up first so he could use the tape.
Yuki Ueno rounded out what was mostly a good day for the Sauna Club. His WR finisher was almost countered by Makoto Oishi into the Fujiyama Knee Lock. Ueno turned the move over into a Cross Armbreaker to make Oishi give up. Oishi thinks he is losing because he is not being careful enough. He knows using a Knee Lock leaves his arms exposed for a counter and he would expect fighters like Sakaguchi or Shinya Aoki to exploit it. But he never expected Ueno to take advantage the same way. Ueno proved Oishi’s point when he explained his thought process. Fujiyama makes him think of Mount Fuji. Fuji makes him think of Shizuoka. Shizuoka makes him think of Shinya Aoki. Eureka!
The opening contest was not a wrestling match but a competition called the K-Oh Grand Prix. The K stands for Kancho. Whichever team do the kancho butt poke to their opponents and make them scream in pain the most in five minutes wins. Yuki Iino appeared to perform the Haka as part of the opening ceremony. Dieno & Akito took the lead when Dieno got Hideki Okatani. Akito made it 2-0 when he caught Mizuki Watase with a kancho. The Junretsu pair tied the game, even after Dieno called for VAR. The score ended at 3-3 when the time expired. A penalty shootout was held to determine a winner. It was still tied to Iino and Keigo Nakamura were brought in. Iino scored the winning point on Nakamura, giving the win to Dieno & Akito. The two teams exchanged wrestling gear afterwards and praised each other for a good game.
Posted by JamieOD 
Dramatic DDT 