Time’s Up For Daredasore, Cody Hall Returns, Saki Akai Vs Miranda Gordy

January 28, 2020

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TOKYO JOSHI 2020 WINTER ~WONDERFUL HARMONY~”, 01/02/2020
Tokyo Itabashi Green Hall

1. Natsumi Maki Vs Pom Harajuku
2. Hikari Noa & Sena Shiori Vs Mahiro Kiryu & Haruna Neko
3. 3 Way Match: Rika Tatsumi Vs Yuki Kamifuku Vs Suzume
4. Maki Itoh Vs Raku
5. Goodbye Akemi: Shoko Nakajima Vs Akemi Daredasore
6. Miyu Yamashita & Yuna Manase Vs Miu Watanabe & Mirai Maiumi
7. Yuka Sakazaki, Mizuki & Mina Shirakawa Vs Lana Austin, Nodoka Tenma & Yuki Aino

This is the last Tokyo Joshi Pro show for the Akemi Daredasore name. The 30 day period for Hyper Misao to wrestle under that name ends a few days later. She should go back to normal on the show after this but who knows with her. Misao might end up finding another way to change her gimmick again. Shoko Nakajima helped bring Daredasore to life so it’s only fitting for her to say goodbye.

DDT “VALENTINE ITABASHI SERIES 2020”, 01/02/2020
Tokyo Itabashi Green Hall

1. Daisuke Sasaki & Tetsuya Endo Vs Tomomitsu Matsunaga & Keigo Nakamura
2. Konosuke Takeshita & Antonio Honda Vs Toru Owashi & Kazuki Hirata
3. Danshoku Dieno & Hiroshi Yamato Vs Cody Hall & Yukio Naya
4. Right To Challenge Anytime, Anywhere Match: Yuki Iino Vs Mizuki Watase
5. Right To Challenge Anytime, Anywhere 3 Way Match: Naomi Yoshimura Vs Kazusada Higuchi Vs Mad Paulie
6. Right To Challenge Anytime, Anywhere 4 Way Match: Yuki Ueno Vs Yukio Sakaguchi Vs Soma Takao Vs Akito
7. Beloved Hometown! Itabashi Specialty Special 3 Way Match: HARASHIMA & Masahiro Takanashi Vs Masato Tanaka & Tetsuhiro Kuroda Vs MAO & Makoto Oishi

There is currently one Right To Challenge Contract in play along with the sword that represents the Right To Challenge At Saitama Super Arena. Three more contracts will come into action when February begins.

Cody Hall’s return to DDT has him teaming up with Yukio Naya again. They last joined forces at the “ULTIMATE PARTY 2019!” Tag Gauntlet back in November.

DDT “IBARAKI DE IKAPPEYO KATSUPE 2020”, 02/02/2020
Ibaraki Kasumigaura Cultural Gymnasium

1. Danshoku Dieno & Antonio Honda Vs Toru Owashi & Kazuki Hirata
2. Yuki Ueno, Naomi Yoshimura & Tomomitsu Matsunaga Vs Daisuke Sasaki, Soma Takao & Hiroshi Yamato
3. Kazusada Higuchi, Yukio Sakaguchi & Saki Akai Vs MAO, Makoto Oishi Vs Keigo Nakamura
4. DDT Megatonweight Single Match: Cody Hall Vs Yuki Iino
5. ALL OUT Vs DAMNATION!: Konosuke Takeshita & Akito Vs Tetsuya Endo & Mad Paulie
6. Ibaraki Hero Hayato “Mach” Sakurai & Tanomusaku Toba Triumph! Kasumigaura Specialty 6-Man Tag Match: HARASHIMA, Hayato Sakurai & Tanomusaku Toba Vs Masahiro Takanashi, Mizuki Watase & Yukio Naya

The newly named Eruption have a chance to get their hands on the next challenger for the KO-D Openweight Title.

BOYZ “(BRAND NEW) BOYZ α -VALENTINE EDITION-”, 11/02/2020
Kitazawa Town Hall

1. Keigo Nakamura BOYZ Assessment Match: Hiroshi Yamato Vs Keigo Nakamura
2. BOYZ Ace Showdown: MAO Vs Yuki Ueno
3. Fairy BOYZ: Yasu Urano & Antonio Honda Vs Kazusada Higuchi & Naomi Yoshimura
4. DAMNATION Vs BOYZ!: Soma Takao & Tetsuya Endo Vs Jun Masaoka & Kazuki Hirata
5. BOYZ-Like Exchange Match: Konosuke Takeshita & Masahiro Takanashi Vs Shuichiro Tominaga & Shota
6. HomoClo Revival: Danshoku Dieno, Makoto Oishi & Akito (w/ KUDO & Hiroshi Fukuda) Vs HARASHIMA, Keisuke Ishii & Mizuki Watase

The Homoiro Clover Z reunion gets even bigger with former members KUDO & Hiroshi Fukuda (aka Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi) standing in the team’s corner for the main event.

Whatever contest Hiroshi Yamato and Kazuki Hirata were going to have has been cancelled. Instead Hirata will be teaming with Jun Masaoka to face the invading DAMNATION team of Soma Takao & Tetsuya Endo. Yamato now has a match with Keigo Nakamura to see whether or not Nakamura is worthy of becoming a BOY. Akito thinks he should belong to YaroZ.

DDT “INTO THE FIGHT 2020”, 23/02/2020
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

1. DDT UNIVERSAL Title: Konosuke Takeshita Vs Chris Brookes
2. KO-D Openweight Title: Masato Tanaka (c) Vs MAO

The #STRONGHEARTS trio of CIMA, T-Hawk & El Lindaman will be on the show. The unit still has the business relationship with DAMNATION.

DDT “ISN’T IT DRAMATIC 2020”, 24/02/2020
Nagoya City East Sports Center

1. Saki Akai “Okibariyasu” 7 Match Series – 4th Match – Rocky Of Naniwa II Vs Human Torpedo II: Saki Akai Vs Miranda Gordy

The next challenge Saki Akai will face in the Okibariyasu series is Miranda Gordy, the daughter of Terry Gordy! Miranda began wrestling in the American indies last year and is touring Japan in February as part of Tokyo Championship Wrestling. She sent a video to the DDT office explaining that she and Akai share something in common. Akai’s dad was a great boxer and Gordy’s dad was a great wrestler. But Miranda thinks she is a better wrestler than Akai and will crush her in the ring to prove it. Akai understands it is important to be proud of her father’s blood but they will be fighting each other regardless of their second generation status. Akai has been nicknamed “The Rocky Of Naniwa II” because of her family connection but when she finishes the series, she wants to have earned a new nickname for herself.


DDT “SWEET DREAMS! 2020” Results

January 26, 2020

DDT “SWEET DREAMS! 2020”, 26/01/2020
Tokyo Korakuen Hall
1,278 Fans – Super No Vacancy

1. Soma Takao, Mad Paulie & Nobuhiro Shimatani defeated Masahiro Takanashi, Mizuki Watase & Keigo Nakamura when Takao pinned Nakamura with a Running Elbow Butt (5:00).
2. Gamo & L’Oréal Presents Hair Arrange Tag Match: MAO & Hiroshi Yamato defeated Toru Owashi & Super Sasadango Machine when MAO pinned Sasadango with the Cannonball 450 (7:18).
3. Kazusada Higuchi, Yukio Sakaguchi & Saki Akai defeated Konosuke Takeshita, Akito & Shunma Katsumata when Higuchi pinned Akito with the Doctor Bomb (8:06).
4. Right To Challenge Anytime, Anywhere Time Difference Battle Royal: Daisuke Sasaki, Shinya Aoki and Yasu Urano defeated Tetsuya Endo, Danshoku Dieno, Makoto Oishi, Yukio Naya and Antonio Honda (12:26).
4a. Right To Challenge At Saitama Super Arena Sword: Yasu Urano grabbed the envelope (5:26).
4b. Right To Challenge Anytime, Anywhere Contract: Daisuke Sasaki grabbed the envelope (9:24).
4c. Right To Challenge Anytime, Anywhere Contract: Shinya Aoki grabbed the envelope (12:26).
-. Right To Challenge At Saitama Super Arena Sword: Daisuke Sasaki defeated Yasu Urano by Pinfall (1:59).
*Daisuke Sasaki wins Yasu Urano’s Right To Challenge At Saitama Super Arena Sword. Sasaki cashes in his Right To Challenge Anytime, Anywhere Contract.
5. Special Single Match To Have Naomichi Marufuji Remember Your Name: Naomichi Marufuji defeated Kazuki Hirata with the Ko-oh (11:01).
6. KO-D Tag Team Titles: Yuki Ueno & Naomi Yoshimura (c) defeated Chihiro Hashimoto & Yuki Iino when Yoshimura pinned Iino with the Shonenba (11:27).
*V2 for Nautilus.
7. KO-D Openweight Title: Masato Tanaka defeated HARASHIMA (c) with the Sliding D (20:18).
*HARASHIMA fails in V2. Masato Tanaka becomes the 74th KO-D Openweight Champion!

There is now no doubt about it, Masato Tanaka is the strongest in DDT! He went through the D-Ou Grand Prix undefeated and today wiped out the only blight in his record from that tournament to become the new KO-D Openweight Champion! It wasn’t easy though. HARASHIMA threw everything he had against Tanaka from the Somato to the Firebird Splash. The ace up Tanaka’s sleeve as always was the Sliding D. He used it to great effect, finding even the smallest of openings to use the move. The climax of the match saw HARASHIMA go for the Swan Dive Somato. Tanaka avoided the move and popped his opponent with the Sliding D, then hit the finisher two more times from behind and from the front to finish him off.

When the KO-D Title was wrapped around Tanaka’s waist, he told HARASHIMA he does not know how many defences he will last but he is looking forward to finding out. Hisaya Imabayashi informed Tanaka that his first defence is against MAO on 23rd February. Suddenly Pokotan came down but the mascot costume was only partially completed. Imabayashi pulled Pokotan’s head off to reveal it was MAO in disguise! MAO told Tanaka “Just bring it, bitch!” He tried to attack Tanaka with a Hurricanrana but Tanaka countered it into a Power Bomb. Tanaka warned MAO that there is a lot of things to be done between themselves and HARASHIMA before the next title match. Tanaka promised he will wear the KO-D Title with pride in any ring he climbs into while he is champion.

Tension between Yuki Iino & Chihiro Hashimoto was so bad that the team couldn’t even decided whose entrance music to use, so the sound guy had to mash their songs together. They both went for the Haka Elbow early on Yuki Ueno but got in each other’s way. The champions Nautilus took control until Hashimoto got the better of Ueno, leaving Iino facing off with Naomi Yoshimura. Unfortunately for the challengers, Yoshimura wore down Iino with the Drill-A-Hole Piledriver and ultimately won with the Shonenba. Ueno thanked Iino & Hashimoto for the match then said Nautilus’ goal is to defend the KO-D Tag Team Titles at Saitama Super Arena this summer.

There was confusion when Kazuki Hirata’s music played but nobody stepped through the curtain. Keigo Nakamura eventually made his way down to ringside to tell Yukinori Matsui that Hirata had gone missing. Naomichi Marufuji then made his entrance carrying Hirata over his shoulders! It turned out Hirata tried to ambush Marufuji backstage but failed in a major way. Hirata apologised to Marufuji and promised he was now Reborn. He offered a handshake but it was a trap for another sneak attack to start the match. Marufuji easily took control, forcing Hirata to bring out the Hirata GO! glasses. Marufuji knocked off the glasses and broke them over his knee. Just when he was about to finish the job, Hirata begged for a break so he could tell him something important. Hirata wrote a letter telling Marufuji how seeing him wrestle on TV gave him hope to live at a time when he had nothing. His one wish is to dance with Marufuji! Two Hirata GO! glasses found their way into the ring and Hirata convinced a hesitant Marufuji to dance with him. Then he hit an Enzuigiri and tried to Cradle Marufuji for a near fall. Marufuji stayed calm, danced with Hirata again and knocked him out with the Ko-oh knee strike. When Hirata came to, Marufuji stuck out his hand and asked him his name. This isn’t the reason he came to DISASTER BOX and DDT but after today, Marufuji will remember Hirata’s name.

The Right To Challenge series returned with three prizes on the line in a Ladder Match. Yasu Urano, Daisuke Sasaki and (a bare assed) Shinya Aoki all grabbed an envelope that hung above the ring. After the match Imabayashi told them to open their envelopes because one of them was different than the others. Sasaki and Aoki just has the regular Right To Challenge Anytime, Anywhere Contracts but Urano found out he held a Right To Challenge At Saitama Super Arena Contract! Imabayashi gifted Urano with a decorative sword that represented the KO-D Title shot at “WRESTLE PETER PAN 2020” in June.

Imabayashi explained that the rules for the sword are the same as the regular Right To Challenge Contract. If Urano loses to another wrestler then he loses the sword and the title shot to that wrestler. Sasaki asked if he could use his own contract to challenge Urano for the cool looking sword? Imabayashi figured he could. Sasaki shouted he was cashing in his contract and he immediately attacked Urano to start the match. They scrambled for two minutes until Sasaki rolled through Urano’s Hurricanrana to pin him for the three count. Sasaki celebrated with the sword by doing the Fire Festival pose. Backstage Sasaki said he wants to win the KO-D Title at Saitama Super Arena then propose to Candice LeRae at NXT or Raw or Smackdown or AEW or wherever it is she works.

The trio of Kazusada Higuchi, Yukio Sakaguchi & Saki Akai are now called Eruption. They entered together with matching white entrance gear and a unit video. Their debut as a new force in DDT saw them defeat ALL OUT. Sakaguchi & Akai took out Konosuke Takeshita & Shunma Katsumata with Apron PKs while Higuchi pinned Akito with the Doctor Bomb. When asked what the meaning of Eruption is, Sakaguchi told reports to just look at the name and their entrance video. Higuchi believes DDT as it is now is not the DDT he likes so Eruption will go on a rampage. Akai said they will create something new with DDT, something that is fun for the three of them.

A stylist from the Gold Shibuya hair salon worked on the hairstyles for every wrestler involved in Match #2. Yes even Super Sasadango Machine. The fans chanted “ikemen” at the wrestlers during the match. Sasadango was unmasked when MAO grabbed his “hair” and gave him a Snapmare. It turned out Sasadango’s real hair underneath the mask was also styled. Toru Owashi got some hairspray to freshen it up. They then helped the stylist live out his dream of being a pro wrestler by having him do The People’s Elbow on MAO. Hiroshi Yamato broke the pin and put Sasadango in position for MAO to hit the Cannonball 450.

Soma Takao has really taken a liking to using Elbow Smashes lately. He used a bunch of them followed by a Rolling Elbow on Keigo Nakamura for a nearfall. When Nakamura got back up, Takao took him out with a Running Elbow Butt.


DDT “NEW YEAR SPECIAL GIFT! ALL SEATS 2,000 YEN BOX OFFICE!! 2020” Results

January 3, 2020

DDT “NEW YEAR SPECIAL GIFT! ALL SEATS 2,000 YEN BOX OFFICE!! 2020”, 03/01/2020
Tokyo Korakuen Hall
1,750 Fans – Super No Vacancy Full House

-. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title: Kagami Mochi defeated Toru Owashi (c) by Pinfall (6:37 pm).
*Kagami Mochi becomes the 1,458th champion.
1. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title – Time Difference Battle Royal: Saki Akai defeated Kagami Mochi (c), Toru Owashi, Kazuki Hirata, Yuki Iino, Antonio Honda, Gorgeous Matsuno, Mizuki Watase and Keigo Nakamura (11:06).
1a. Mizuki Watase eliminated Kagami Mochi (c) by Pinfall (2:41).
*Mizuki Watase becomes the 1,459th champion.
1b. Kazuki Hirata eliminated Mizuki Watase (c) by Pinfall (4:22).
*Kazuki Hirata becomes the 1,460th champion.
1c. Kazuki Hirata (c) eliminated Yuki Iino by Ring Out (4:57).
*V1 for Kazuki Hirata.
1d. Kazuki Hirata (c) eliminated Gorgeous Matsuno by Ring Out (5:00).
*V2 for Kazuki Hirata.
1e. Kazuki Hirata (c) eliminated Toru Owashi by Ring Out (10:25).
*V3 for Kazuki Hirata.
1f. Kazuki Hirata (c) eliminated Antonio Honda by Ring Out (10:28).
*V4 for Kazuki Hirata.
1g. Saki Akai eliminated Kazuki Hirata (c) with a School Boy (10:46).
*Saki Akai becomes the 1,461st champion.
1h. Saki Akai (c) eliminated Keigo Nakamura with the Rookie Award (11:06).
*V1 for Saki Akai.
2. Kazusada Higuchi & Yukio Sakaguchi defeated Mad Paulie & Hiroshi Yamato when Higuchi pinned Paulie with the Doctor Bomb (10:46).
3. No Passcode Scramble Bunkhouse Account Takeover 3 Way Death Match: Super Sadadango Machine defeated Sanshiro Takagi and Danshoku Dieno when Sasadango pinned Dieno with the Vertical Drop Lehmann Shock (7:41).
4. HARASHIMA & Shinya Aoki defeated Masahiro Takanashi & Makoto Oishi when HARASHIMA pinned Oishi with the Somato (8:06).
5. MAO Triumph Match: MAO defeated Shunma Katsumata with the Avalanche Michinoku Driver II (8:08).
6. New Year! Special Worldwide Match: Masato Tanaka defeated Chris Brookes with the Sliding D (9:38).
7. Tetsuya Endo & T-Hawk defeated Konosuke Takeshita & Akito when T-Hawk pinned Akito with the Night Ride (11:44).
8. KO-D Tag Team Titles: Yuki Ueno & Naomi Yoshimura defeated Daisuke Sasaki & Soma Takao (c) when Ueno pinned Sasaki with the BME (27:28).
*DAMNATION fails in V10. Nautilus becomes the 67th KO-D Tag Team Champions!

The decade kicks off with new KO-D Tag Team Champions! For DAMNATION today ends their dominant title reign. Daisuke Sasaki’s dream of taking pro wrestling to outer space after achieving 10 title defences will not become a reality. For Naomi Yoshimura, his new year has been as far away from his calamitous injury twelve months ago as it could be. At first it looked to be over when Nautilus hit the Osaka Strad on Sasaki but Soma Takao broke the count. When Yoshimura got rid of him, Yuki Ueno hit the Best Moonsault Ever on Sasaki for the three count.

After the match Ueno told everyone that two young people from the Osaka countryside have become the Tag Champions! He thanked the fans for cheering them because it really helped them a lot. With DISASTER BOX becoming stronger today (more on that later), Nautilus looks forward to growing even bigger in DDT! Ueno & Yoshimura then asked the fans to cheer “Yes or Nautilus!” from now on.

So who was the mystery partner Tetsuya Endo chose for his match against ALL OUT? He came out alone carrying the DAMNATION signboard. Konosuke Takeshita poked fun at him, saying Endo couldn’t find a tag partner. But Endo assured him he found a great partner. It was T-Hawk! Takeshita had beaten T-Hawk at an OWE show in Korakuen Hall on 30th December so this was T-Hawk’s chance for revenge. The member of #STRONGHEARTS came out with El Lindaman by his side. He had to settle with pinning Akito with the Night Ride. After the match Lindaman got on the microphone. He said he and T-Hawk weren’t booked to wrestle today until Endo invited them to come over here. They found out DDT have a show in Itabashi Green Hall on 5th January. They want to have a match whether DDT wants them there or not! Endo said that DAMNATION and #STRONGHEARTS are now in a business relationship. Backstage Takeshita admitted he thought Endo was going to bring in Nobuhiro Shimatani to be his tag partner while Akito thought X was going to be Shiori Asahi.

Chris Brookes didn’t waste any time attacking Masato Tanaka before the bell. When Tanaka was introduced in the ring, Brookes blindsided him with a Swand Dive Dropkick. Brookes then hit a Topé Suicida while Tanaka tried to recover outside the ring. Back in the ring Brookes wore down Tanaka with the Octopus Hold. Tanaka took control with his Elbow Strikes, avoided the Praying Mantis Bomb and hit the Sliding D to win.

HARASHIMA approached Tanaka in the ring when his match was over. He told him he is looking forward to their match on 26th January. Tanaka promised he will train hard enough to win the KO-D Openweight Title from him. Then suddenly Pokotan came down to the ring. He was pointing at HARASHIMA but Tanaka noticed something. Instead of pointing at the DDT Extreme Title, Pokotan was instead pointing at the KO-D Title. Tanaka grabbed Pokotan and pulled its head off, revealing it to be MAO! He Dropkicked HARASHIMA and gave Tanaka a Frankensteiner. He then told HARASHIMA in English “I wanna challenge KO-D Openweight Championship. Just bring it!” He then ran off.

Speaking of MAO, his return match was a victory against Shunma Katsumata. He entered to a new entrance song and used what he learned from his excursion. Katsumata brought out his death match side by pouring out a box of Lego in the middle of the ring. That idea backfired when MAO slammed Katsumata onto the Lego with an Avalanche Michinoku Driver. After the match MAO apologised to the fans for Mike Bailey’s absence. Until his visa situation gets sorted, MAO will have to climb to the top of DDT on his own. Katsumata backstage said he will be getting an operation to remove metal plates from his cheekbone in February. He will be absent from DDT for a while after that but when he returns he will be DDT’s death match fighter!

The team of Makoto Oishi & Masahiro Takanashi pulled some foul play to weaken Shinya Aoki. But Aoki got into the swing of things after HARASHIMA helped him clear the ring. When HARASHIMA did a Swan Dive Body Press on Oishi, Aoki summoned up the courage to attempt the same move. Oishi still had some fight left in him when he dodged the Somato and went for the Jikiden Tornado Clutch. But HARASHIMA eventually did hit the Somato to give his team the win.

The rules for the Special 3 Way Match were revealed before the match began. It was Scramble Bunkhouse rules which meant the wrestlers had to stand at opposite ends of the room. Three phones were placed in the middle of the ring, each containing the Twitter accounts of the wrestlers, all logged in with no protection. When the match began whoever got to the phones would be able to tweet whatever he wanted on the other wrestlers’ accounts! The bell rang and everyone charged into the ring. While Danshoku Dieno and Sanshiro Takagi were grappling, Super Sasadango Machine grabbed Takagi’s phone and tweeted out a poll about a certain event happening at the Tokyo Dome this weekend. The tweet appeared on Takagi’s account and was shown on the arena screen, causing great harm to Takagi. Dieno took the phone and used Takagi’s account to promise a 100,000 yen new year giveaway to Takagi’s followers. Takagi got on Sasadango’s phone to complain about Kazuyoshi Sakai doing commentary for said event at the Tokyo Dome. He then used Dieno’s account to retweet Riki Choshu a lot. Dieno used Takagi’s account to invite girls looking for a sugar daddy to contact him. Takagi then used both Dieno and Sasadango’s account to threaten run-ins at the Tokyo Dome tomorrow (Bushiroad president Takaaki Kidani later responded that they will only get in if they have a ticket)! Sasadango used Takagi’s account to ask The Rock if he wants to wrestle at DDT’s Saitama Super Arena show this summer. Dieno ordered Sasadango to reveal personal information on Takagi’s account. Instead Sasadango posted a link to Dieno’s LINE account! Dieno was so distracted by this, Sasadango easily pinned him with the Lehmann Shock. Sasadango scorned Dieno for wanting to expose Takagi’s personal info. That kind of stuff crosses the line for a pro wrestler. They all agreed to do something as an apology. Dieno will leave his LINE account public for the month, Sasadango will send flowers to the Tokyo Dome tomorrow and Takagi will split 100,000 yen among 10 of the accounts that retweeted him. Now he just has to figure out how to choose them from the 5,000+ retweets.

The new team of Kazusada Higuchi & Yukio Sakaguchi showed that they are not ones to mess around. After beating Mad Paulie & Hiroshi Yamato, they said that there is another person in DDT who shares their ambition. It is Saki Akai! She said she had always been watching from backstage but now she wants to do something big. Doesn’t matter if it is against men or women. So starting on 26th January Higuchi, Sakaguchi & Akai will be forming a new team together! They ordered Hisaya Imabayashi to set up a match for them on that date. Imabayashi tried to tell her the matches were already booked but Sakaguchi intimidated him into taking Akai’s request. This new trio want to show everyone a new landscape and shake things up in DDT!

While Kazuki Hirata was making his entrance, an odd situation happened backstage. A Kagami Mochi dish somehow fell on top of Toru Owashi, pinning him to become the new Iron Man Heavymetalweight Champion. It was brought down to the ring by Yukinori Matsui and forced to enter the Battle Royal where Mizuki Watase eliminated it to win the title. Watase was incapacitated by Yuki Iino. But when Iino ran the ropes to do the Haka Elbow, Hirata pinned Watase to become the champion. Hirata went on to eliminate most of the field until it came down to him, Saki Akai and Keigo Nakamura. The rookie thought he could get a kiss from Akai but she shove Hirara into his lips instead. Akai pinned Hirata with the School Boy then pinned Nakamura with the Rookie Award to win the Battle Royal as the Iron Man Champ.

There were a couple of big announcements throughout the show. After intermission DISASTER BOX entered the ring. HARASHIMA was excited to show everyone the unit’s newest member. It’s Naomichi Marufuji!!! The NOAH wrestler was asked by HARASHIMA to join them for 2020. He didn’t know anything about DISASTER BOX before but a Google search got him up to speed. Marufuji’s first match as part of the group will be on 26th January.

Chris Brookes had a final message to give everyone at the end of the show. He said today was his last match in Korakuen Hall for this tour. He likes his time here in DDT and feels it has made him a better wrestler. So the next time he tours to Japan he will stay in the country for an entire year!

Last and certainly least, Kurochan will be at “WRESTLE PETER PAN 2020” on 7th June.


“NEW YEAR’S EVE WRESTLING 2019 ~TOSHIWASHURE! SHUFFLE TAG TOURNAMENT” Results

December 31, 2019

“NEW YEAR’S EVE WRESTLING 2019 ~TOSHIWASHURE! SHUFFLE TAG TOURNAMENT”, 31/12/2019
Tokyo Korakuen Hall
1,232 Fans – No Vacancy

1. Shuffle Tag Tournament – Round 1: Konosuke Takeshita & Hideyoshi Kamitani defeated Daichi Hashimoto & Akito when Kamitani pinned Akito with the Loyly Diving Elbow Drop (9:36).
2. Shuffle Tag Tournament – Round 1: Yasufumi Nakanoue & Yuki Iino defeated Yukio Sakaguchi & Kazuki Hashimoto when Nakanoue pinned Hashimoto with a Lariat (6:27).
3. Shuffle Tag Tournament – Round 1: HARASHIMA & Yuya Aoki defeated El Lindaman & Yukio Naya when Aoki pinned Lindaman with a Tiger Suplex (9:08).
4. Shuffle Tag Tournament – Round 1: Daisuke Sekimoto & Chris Brookes defeated Yuji Okabayashi & Antonio Honda when Brookes submitted Honda with the Octopus Stretch (8:48).
5. Shuffle Tag Tournament – Round 1: Ryuichi Kawakami & T-Hawk Vs Soma Takao & Kota Sekifuda ended in a Time Limit Draw (10:00).
5a. Overtime – 1 Count Fall Rules: Ryuichi Kawakami & T-Hawk defeated Soma Takao & Kota Sekifuda when T-Hawk pinned Sekifuda with the Cerberus (1:02).
6. Shuffle Tag Tournament – Round 1: Tetsuya Endo & Takuya Nomura defeated Brahman Kei & Naomi Yoshimura when Endo pinned Kei with the Puma Toke de Espaldas (7:07).
7. Shuffle Tag Tournament – Round 1: Yuko Miyamoto & Daisuke Sasaki defeated Yuki Ueno & Takuho Kato when Sasaki submitted Ueno with the Cross Facelock (7:07).
8. Shuffle Tag Tournament – Round 1 – Lighttube Death Match: Takumi Tsukamoto & Kankuro Hoshino defeated Toshiyuki Sakuda & Shunma Katsumata when Tsukamoto pinned Katsumata with the Suffocation Zudon (7:45).
9. Shuffle Tag Tournament – Round 2: Yasufumi Nakanoue & Yuki Iino defeated Konosuke Takeshita & Hideyoshi Kamitani when Iino pinned Kamitani with the Spear (8:31).
10. Shuffle Tag Tournament – Round 2: Daisuke Sekimoto & Chris Brookes defeated HARASHIMA & Yuya Aoki when Sekimoto pinned Aoki with a Lariat (9:03).
11. Shuffle Tag Tournament – Round 2: Tetsuya Endo & Takuya Nomura defeated Ryuichi Kawakami & T-Hawk when Nomura pinned Kawakami with a Cross Legged Cradle (7:44).
12. Shuffle Tag Tournament – Round 2: Yuko Miyamoto & Daisuke Sasaki defeated Takumi Tsukamoto & Kankuro Hoshino when Sasaki submitted Hoshino with the Cross Facelock (6:33).
13. Shuffle Tag Tournament – Semi Final: Tetsuya Endo & Takuya Nomura defeated Yasufumi Nakanoue & Yuki Iino when Endo pinned Iino with the Shooting Star Press (8:01).
14. Shuffle Tag Tournament – Semi Final: Daisuke Sekimoto & Chris Brookes defeated Yuko Miyamoto & Daisuke Sasaki when Sekimoto pinned Sasaki with the German Suplex (6:45).
15. New Year’s Eve! Defeat Hunger! Very Funny! Special 6-Man Tag Match: Abdullah Kobayashi, Danshoku Dieno & Super Sasadango Machine defeated Tatsuhiko Yoshino, Drew Parker & Mizuki Watase when Kobayashi pinned Watase with the Bakachinga Elbow Drop (8:50).
16. Shuffle Tag Tournament – Final: Tetsuya Endo & Takuya Nomura defeated Daisuke Sekimoto & Chris Brookes when Nomura pinned Sekimoto with the Dragon Suplex (17:19).

A flu pandemic didn’t stop Big Japan from joining up with DDT for the annual New Year’s Eve Wrestling party. In the runup to the show six wrestlers fell ill and had to pull out of the show. While it was a shame that they couldn’t be here it did open up slots for some different faces to take their place.

Round 1

The opening match turned out to be an unusual tribute to Shinjiro Otani. The pairing of Daichi Hashimoto & Akito named themselves Team Shinjiro Otani due to his influence over them. Their opponents Konosuke Takeshita & Hideyoshi Kamitani responded by paying tribute to Masato Tanaka. They both did Tanaka’s pose together while Hashimoto & Akito did Otani’s Fire Sword pose. The Otani team both did the Facewash spot and all looked to be over when Akito punt Takeshita in a Figure 4 Leglock. That was until Kamitani climbed the top rope and hit a Diving Elbow Drop on Akito to get the pin. The losers decided they could no longer call themselves Team Shinjiro Otani so they renamed themselves The Shinjiro Otani Victims Association. They hope Otani will be a member some day.

The next match was all about brute strength against kicking power. Yuki Iino was about to do the Haka Elbow on Yukio Sakaguchi when Kazuki Hashimoto kicked him away. The kickers gave Yasufumi Nakanoue a PK Sandwich but Iino hit both of them with a Double Spear afterwards. Nakanoue & Iino then used their combined strength to Choke Slam Hashimoto. A Lariat from Nakanoue ended the match.

At first it looked like El Lindaman & Yukio Naya were going to get along great. Then they figured out the harsh truth that they are not the same size. They tried doing double team moves together but the 40cm height difference between them made it difficult. Meanwhile HARASHIMA & Yuya Aoki had no such trouble working together. The Lindaman & Naya team fell apart when Naya accidentally hit Lindaman with a Diving Shoulder Block. Lindaman snapped and said some unpleasant things to his partner. An angry Naya Choke Slammed Lindaman and left him to get pinned by Aoki’s Tiger Suplex.

The next match had wrestlers wearing matching gear in their teams. Yuji Okabayashi came out dressed like Antonio Honda while Chris Brookes wore Daisuke Sekimoto’s entrance robe. Honda unleashed Gongitsune after a hot tag. He got Sekimoto in the eyes but Brookes then grabbed both Gon hands and made Honda pinch Okabayashi’s nipples. Brookes locked Honda in an Octopus Stretch for the win. Honda hopes everyone will at least remember Okabayashi’s strawberry costume.

The only match on the show to last the full time limit was Ryuichi Kawakami & T-Hawk Vs Soma Takao & Kota Sekifuda. A lot of the match featured a cuddly toy cobra that Takao brought down to the ring. Unfortunately the cobra ripped in half when Takao & Sekifuda used it to Clothesline on T-Hawk. The time ran out while Sekifuda and T-Hawk had a tug of war over the cobra. Overtime began and Soma swung the cobra at T-Hawk. He ducked and Sekifuda took the hit as the cobra’s remans exploded. T-Hawk gave Sekifuda the Nightride and then the Cerberus knee strike for the one count victory.

We got a rare sighting of a single Brahman Brother wrestling. Brahman Shu was out sing so Brahman Kei was by himself. Good thing Naomi Yoshimura got in the Brahman spirit of things and joined in with Shu’s antics. So did Tetsuya Endo & Takuya Nomura. They stole the buckets of water and threw them at their opponents. Shu placed a suitcase against Endo & Nomura for Yoshimura to throw a bowling ball at. Kei threw the briefcase but Endo ducked and Yoshimura got hit. Nomura blinded Kei with the black India Ink and Endo pinned him with the Puma Toke de Espaldas. Kei blamed the loss on the flu.

The team bonding continued with Daisuke Sasaki wearing similar yankee gear as Yuko Miyamoto. The team of Yuki Ueno & Takuho Kato gelled well together too. Kato held Ueno up on seated on his shoulders and threw him on top of Sasaki for a nearfall. Miyamoto hit Yeno with a Handspring Kneel Kick and then dropped him with the Fire Thunder. The match ended when Sasaki submitted Ueno with the Cross Facelock.

The 1st Round ended with a Lighttube Death Match. Shunma Katsumata has been wanting to do more violent matches so this was his chance. He brought along his own lighttube with Lego attached to it. Takumi Tsukamoto & Kankuro Hoshino gave Katsumata a death match baptism by smashing lighttubes over him. They had control early until Katsumata did some violent spots of his own with the help of Toshiyuki Sakuda. He broke a bundle of lighttubes taped together and revealed there were even more Lego blocks hidden inside it! He gave Hoshino the ¡Hasta la vista! onto the pile but Tsukamoto broke it up. Tsukamoto placed a plastic bag over Katsumata to suffocate him then hit the Zudon for the win. They shook hands after the match and Katsumata smashed the last remaining lighttube over his own head.

Round 2

Round 2 began with a bit of an upset. Nakanoue & Iino defeated Takeshita & Kamitani, ending Takeshita’s streak of reaching the final! The Double Choke Slam was the difference maker again, this time with Iino hitting the Spear on Kamitani to in the match.

As the tournament progressed, the team bonds were getting stronger. Aoki came out wearing matching HARASHIMA gear. Meanwhile Sekimoto joined Brookes in given Aoki a wet willy while he was in a Camel Clutch. HARASHIMA went for the Somato but Brookes dodged it and caught him in the Octopus Stretch. With HARASHIMA held in place, nobody could stop Sekimoto from pinning Aoki with a Lariat.

There was no nonsense in the Endo & Nomura versus Kawakami & T-Hawk match. Nomura was double teamed on while Endo was cut off from rescuing him. But Nomura escaped from the Nightraide and put Kawakami in a Cross Armbreaker. Kawakami tried to roll out but Nomura clasped his legs into a Cradle to pin him for the flash three count.

The last match in the 2n Round turned weird. Miyamoto came out dressed like Shinobu Kandori. Then Hoshino came out looking like Kenshiro from Fist Of The North Star. He used many of Kenshiro’s attacks but when he told Sasaki “You are already dead” Miyamoto hit him in the back with a chair. Sasaki then made Hoshino quickly tap to the Cross Facelock.

Semi Finals

The tournament was now down to four teams. Nakanoue & Iino threw Endo off the top rope then set Nomura up for the Haka Elbow. Iino went for the Spear but Nomura blocked it with a High Kick. Endo came in to hit a Handspring Overhead Kick before pinning Iino with the Shooting Star Press.

Miyamoto decided to return the favour to Sasaki by wearing a leather jacket and carrying around the DAMNATION signboard. Their run came to an end here when Brookes caught Sasaki by surprise with a Cutter and Sekimoto capitalised with the German Suplex.

Special 6-Man Tag Match

Before the final took place there was a non-tournament 6-Man Tag to get through. At this point in the show it was almost midnight. The countdown appeared on the screen while Danshoku Dieno was up to his usual behavior in the ring. As the final seconds counted down, the locker room emptied out and everybody celebrated the new year. When they left we discovered that the wrestlers in the match were all trampled during the celebration. They recovered and slowly wrestled the rest of the match while the song “SEVEN DAYS WAR” by TM Network played over the speakers.

Final

The first complete pro wrestling match of the new decade saw Endo & Nomura defeated Sekimoto & Brookes. Sekimoto tried to German Suplex Nomura but Endo cut him off with the Springboard Overhead Kick. Nomura then tried to German Suplex Sekimoto but Brookes cut him off with a Diving Foot Stomp. Endo had to wipe out Brookes with the Sasuke Special so Nomura could hit the Dragon Suplex on Sekimoto to win the tournment!

Japan Indie Grand Prix Awards

MVP
1. Isami Kodaka
2. Konosuke Takeshita
3. Daisuke Sekimoto
4. HARASHIMA
5. Minoru Fujita

Best Bout
1. Daisuke Sekimoto Vs Michael Elgin (Big Japan, 24th August)
2. Konosuke Takeshita Vs HARASHIMA (DDT, 3rd November)
3. Isami Kodaka Vs Yuko Miyamoto (Big Japan, 4th November)
4. Daisuke Sekimoto & Walter Vs Yuji Okabayashi & Yuji Hino (Big Japan, 4th November)
5. Jun Kasai Vs Toru Sugiura (FREEDOMS, 1st October)

Best Unit
1. #STRONGHEARTS
2. Kobayashi-gun
3. DAMNATION
4. Yuji Okabayashi & Shigehiro Irie
5. Sento Minzoku

Best Box Office
Tied 1. DDT at Sumo Hall, 3rd November & Big Japan at Sumo Hall, 4th November
3. Muscle at Sumo Hall, 16th February
4. Shin Nemuro Pro Wrestling at Shin-Kiba 1st RING, 13th October
5. Michinoku Pro at Shinjuku FACE, 27th November

Best Newcomer
1. Keigo Nakamura
2. Toshiyuki Sakuda
3. Maku Donaruto
4. Chris Brookes
5. Asuka


DDT “D-OU GRAND PRIX 2020 THE FINAL!!” Results

December 28, 2019

DDT “D-OU GRAND PRIX 2020 THE FINAL!!”, 28/12/2019
Tokyo Korakuen Hall
2,019 Fans – Super No Vacancy

1. Chihiro Hashimoto & Yuki Iino defeated Keisuke Ishii & Keigo Nakamura when Hashimoto pinned Nakamura with the Albright (7:01).
2. “Novice Papa” 9-Man Trial Of Makoto Oishi – 1 Count Fall: Makoto Oishi finishes the series 4-5.
2a. Makoto Oishi defeated Danshoku Dieno with a Jackknife Pin (1:02).
2b. Hirosho Yamato defeated Makoto Oishi with the Sliding X (0:58).
2c. Makoto Oishi defeated Mizuki Watase with a Running Forearm (0:44).
2d. Mad Paulie defeated Makoto Oishi with a Flying Body Scissors Drop (1:03).
2e. Makoto Oishi defeated Antonio Honda with a Rolling Cradle (2:04).
2f. Masahiro Takanashi defeated Makoto Oishi with a Crucifix Pin (0:32).
2g. Kazuki Hirata defeated Makoto Oishi with the Extreme Tegatana (1:00).
2h. Toru Owashi defeated Makoto Oishi with a Hand Press Pin (0:30).
2i. Makoto Oishi defeated Yoshihiko with the Sweet Bomb (3:29).
3. Saki Akai “Okibariyasu” 7 Match Series – 2nd Match: Saki Akai defeated Sakura Hirota with the Rookie Award (7:58).
4. 3 Way Tag Match: Yuki Ueno & Naomi Yoshimura defeated Soma Takao & Nobuhiro Shimatani and Akito & Shunma Katsumata when Ueno pinned Shimatani after the Osaka Strad (7:50).
5. Toshiwasure! Special Single Match – Pro Wrestling x Oogiri Mix Rules: Shinya Aoki defeated Super Sasadango Machine with a Director Ishii joke (6:48).
6. Kazusada Higuchi Returns To War: Kazusada Higuchi & Yukio Sakaguchi defeated Bull James & Yukio Naya when Higuchi pinned Naya with the Doctor Bomb (7:36).
7. D-Ou Grand Prix 2020 Special 4 Way Match: Konosuke Takeshita defeated HARASHIMA, Daisuke Sasaki and Chris Brookes when Takeshita pinned Brookes with the German Suplex (11:53).
8. D-Ou Grand Prix 2020 – Final: Masato Tanaka defeated Tetsuya Endo with the Sliding D (23:57).

The tournament master Masato Tanaka becomes the first person to win the D-Ou Grand Prix while undefeated! He didn’t take Tetsuya Endo lightly in the final. He went for the Sliding D at the very first opportunity. Endo dodged it and in return tried to trap Tanaka in the Modified Yurikamome Hold. Tanaka put Endo through a table outside the ring with a Diving Body Press, which ended up leaving a big gash in Endo’s leg. To add insult to the injury, Tanaka then attacked Endo with pieces of the table and also the DAMNATION signboard. Endo’s comebacks would get cut off by Elbow Smashes until he countered the Tornado DDT into a Brainbuster. Tanaka cut him off again with a Vertical Drop Brainbuster. Endo countered the Diamond Dust into a German Suplex but Tanaka once more stopped his momentum with a Lariat. The match went even when Tanaka blocked the Shooting Star Press then Endo blocked the Superfly afterwards. When they got up Endo hit a Canadian Destroyer only for Tanaka to immediately fire back with a short range Sliding D. Endo finally got his momentum going with the Tetsuya In The Sky, the Swinging Torture Rack Bomb and the Shooting Star Press. Tanaka was able to kick out at two. Endo quickly applied the Yurikamome Hold but Tanaka cradled him for a nearfall. Endo changed it into the Crossface Lock but Tanaka got out of it by biting Endo’s hand. Tanaka stunned Endo with a Backfist then hit several Sliding D’s, finally keeping Endo down for the three count.

After the match Tanaka said fighting against Endo and DAMNATION was interesting. Tanaka has been wrestling for 26 years and is still in his prime. He has to show that in the ring when he faces off against younger wrestlers. Still, he thanked Endo for the match. HARASHIMA entered the ring during the trophy ceremony. He congratulated Tanaka for winning the Grand Prix then told him they will have a KO-D Openweight Title match on 26th January. He promised him a rematch after their 30 minute draw in the group stage so now they get to have one with higher stakes. Tanaka called HARASHIMA the No. 1 wrestler in DDT. Even though Tanaka won today’s main event, he gave the show closing speech to HARASHIMA.

When HARASHIMA finished his speech, Pokotan came out and confronted him to promote their DDT Extreme Title match on 12th January.

Some of the wrestlers who missed out on reaching the final were pitted together in a 4 Way Match. HARASHIMA wanted it to start off peacefully but it went mayhem when Konosuke Takeshita and Chris Brookes both attacked him. Daisuke Sasaki tried to sneak a pin on HARASHIMA afterwards but Takeshita and Brookes then attacked him. Brookes broke off his short alliance with Takeshita and the match was all against each other from that point on. Sasaki put Takeshita in La Mistica Cross Facelock, HARASHIMA broke it up with the Somato then Brookes caught HARASHIMA in mid-air with a Cutter. Takeshita gave HARASHIMA and Sasaki a German Suplex at the same time, emptying the ring down to just him and Brookes. Brookes put Takeshita in an Octopus Hold then tried to pin him with a European Clutch but Takeshita rolled him into the German Suplex to take the win. This result is considered as payback for Brookes beating Takeshita in the group stage.

A reinvigorated and fully recovered Kazusada Higuchi was victorious in his return match. He wasn’t lying when he said he lost wait during his time off, the audience was impressed by his improved physique. Both he and Yukio Sakaguchi came out to brand new theme songs. Sakaguchi struck Bull James with the God’s Right Knee, allowing Higuchi to pin Yukio Naya with the Doctor Bomb. Backstage Higuchi said he’s been watching DDT while he was recovering from his injury and it just wasn’t the same. Sakaguchi agreed. They want to make DDT fun and rampant so Higuchi and Sakaguchi are going to stir up DDT together!

Super Sasadango Machine wanted to make sure his win over Shinya Aoki last month wasn’t a fluke. To ensure the result would be undisputed their match today would consist of two stages. Stage 1 is the Pro Wrestling Stage, a regular pro wrestling match. When that is over they would then move on to the Oogiri Stage, a comedy quiz where judges Yuki Iino, Mizuki Watase and Yumehito Imanari choose who gave the best answer. The winner of the match is the first person to either win both stages back-to-back or win the Oogriri Stage 3 times. The match began and Aoki immediately made Sasadango submit to the Sleeper Hold. The Oogiri question asked for their dream match for a New Year’s Eve MMA show. Sasadango said Tatsuya Kawajiri Vs Erika Sawajiri in an MMA Vs MDMA fight (Sawajiri is an actress who was recently arrested over drug possession). Aoki chose Takeru Vs Tenshin Nasukawa. Sasadango won the judge’s vote. The match began again and Sasadango immediately gave up to a handshake. The Oogiri question asked to name the sequel for Aoki’s book “Strong Instinct”. Sasadango said “Grand Maison Instinct” while Aoki picked “Daddy”. Aoki got some laughs but Sasadango still won the judge’s decision. Aoki tapped out Sasadango once more with a Cross Armbreaker. The Oogiri question asked for a phrase that will be used as a warning in 2020. Sasadango’s arm was so damaged from the Cross Armbreaker that he couldn’t write a decent answer, so he went with “Safety First”. Aoki answered with “Director Ishii” referring to the disgraced K-1 director Kazuyoshi Ishii. Aoki unanimously won the judge’s decision and was declared the winner of the match.

The freelance Nobuhiro Shimatani was back in DDT to do what he does best. Run around with the DAMNATION signboard! What he isn’t good at is being used as a projectile. Soma Takao tried to Body Slam him onto their opponents in the 3 Way Match but they kept rolling out of the way. Shimatani did get a few whacks in on Akito & Shunma Katsumata with his signboard until he accidentally hit Takao with it. From there Yuki Ueno & Naomi Yoshimura double teamed on Shimatani and finished him off with the Osaka Strad. Nautilus are now ready to challenge for the KO-D Tag Team Titles on 3rd January. They are also taking over the Drop Kick Bar from Akito in the new year.

One of the goals for Saki Akai’s “Okibariyasu” series is to bring in joshi and let them experience what DDT is like. In the case of Sakura Hirota this turned out to be the most DDT match in a long time. First Hirota came out dressed as Akai and mimicking her entrance. Then we found out her children were at ringside where there was a special play area built for them to stay in. Also Antonio Honda was babysitting them. The situation was so distracting that Yukinori Matsui missed some pinfalls. Hirota used Kancho attacks to get the advantage until Honda called for an emergency because one of the kids soiled their diaper. Akai, Hirota and Matsui all agreed to speed up the match with cradles and quick pin counts. Hirota attempted to do the Quetzalcoatl but couldn’t apply it properly. The result was only her flipping onto her back empty handed. Akai gave Hirota a Kancho poke then pinned her with the Rookie Award. It was announced afterwards that Akai’s third opponent in her series will be against Rina Yamashita on 12th January.

Fatherhood is taking it’s toll on Makoto Oishi. So much so that he decided today’s One Count Gauntlet Match would be his last match. He informed all of his opponents backstage before their match and everyone agreed to give him their best. The results went back and forth. Oishi pinned Danshoku Dieno with a Cradled counter to the Danshoku Driver. Hiroshi Yamato pinned Oishi with the Sliding X. Oishi went 2-1 when he caught Mizuki Watase with a Running Forearm. Mad Paulie flattened Oishi with the Lou Thesz Press. Antonio Honda went for his old Gongitsune trick but Oishi saw it coming and cradled him to make it 3-2. Masahiro Takanashi countered the Jikiden Tornado Clutch into a Crucifix Pin to even the score. Kazuki Hirata turned the match into a dance until he overdone the Tegatana strikes to Oishi’s neck. When Toru Owashi entered the match Oishi was still knocked out from the attack. Owashi pleaded with him to get back up but Oishi wouldn’t move. Oishi placed his hand on Oishi’s chest and didn’t realise it counted as a pin. Oishi’s final opponent was Yoshihiko. Oishi fought with all he had left, using all his strength to get a rope break from a Scorpion Deathlock. Yoshihiko was thrown into the air for the Reincarnation but Oishi rolled it into a pin to end the match with a win. All the wrestlers begged with him to reconsider his decision. Oishi then revealed it was all a misunderstanding. Today was his final match… in 2019. He wanted everyone to do their best today because it was the final DDT show of 2019. He’s not retiring. Who said that? Oishi loves pro wrestling and he wants his newborn daughter to grow up and watch him wrestle.

Rivals turning into teammates seems to happen a lot in wrestling nowadays. It happened here with Yuki Iino and Chihiro Hashimoto joining forces to take on Keisuke Ishii & Keigo Nakamura. They weren’t 100% compatible but still came out on top. Iino hit Nakamura with the Haka Elbow and Hashimoto followed up with the Albright to win. When asked if they were interested in going after the KO-D Tag Titles, both liked the idea but think they can do it on their own.

A brand new championship called the DDT Universal Title will crown its first champion on 23rd February. The belt was created as part of DDT’s international plans for 2020. Both Takeshita and Brookes have expressed their interest in becoming the first champion. Takeshita believes being the first champion on any belt is a special thing and he also wants to spread DDT across the world. Brookes thinks him versus Takeshita is the match to make to determine the first champion. Also the Praying Mantis Bomb will always beat Takeshita and Brookes wants another singles match to prove it.


Korakuen For The Holidays, Speedball Can’t Make It To Japan, Space Pro Wrestling?

December 26, 2019

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “THE FINAL BATTLE ~I HOPE THERE WILL BE LOTS OF FUN AND JOY NEXT YEAR~”, 27/12/2019
Tokyo Itabashi Green Hall

1. Yuki Kamifuku Vs Haruna Neko
2. Yuna Manase Vs Mirai Maiumi
3. Shoko Nakajima & Raku Vs Mizuki & Suzume
4. Sakisama’s France Return Commemorative Match: Sakisama Vs Pom Harajuku
5. Special 8-Woman Tag Match: Yuka Sakazaki, Rika Tatsumi, Miu Watanabe & Maki Itoh Vs Miyu Yamashita, Nodoka Tenma, Yuki Aino & Hikari Noa

Sakisama has one more match before she goes home to Paris. She probably doesn’t want it to be against Pom Harajuku.

Mina Shirakawa and Mahiro Kiryu are both absent from the show. Shirakawa has family circumstances and Kiryu has a minor injury.

BASARA “BASARA 115 ~ALL THINGS IN NATURE~”, 28/12/2019
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

1. Tetsuo Usui Debut Match: Ryota Nakatsu Vs Tetsuo Usui
2. Russia Will Not Appear In The Tokyo Olympics But Kamino Will Appear In Korakuen! Sento Minzoku Vs Kamino Brothers!: Minoru Fujita & Ryuichi Sekine Vs Daichi Kazato & Masato Kamino
3. GRAN MILLIMETERS ONE NIGHT STAND: Daiki Shimomura & Nobuhiro Shimatani Vs Banana Senga & Tsutomu Oosugi
4. Starring Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi ~Eat, Pray & Pour Water~: Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi & Osamu Nishimura Vs Brahman Shu & Brahman Kei
5. IRON FIST TAG Titles: FUMA & Yusuke Kubo (c) Vs Fuminori Abe & Takuya Nomura
6. UWA World 6-Man Tag Team Titles: Takumi Tsukamoto, Yasu Urano & Takato Nakano (c) Vs Ryota Nakatsu, Naoki Tanizaki & Akiyori Takizawa
7. Union MAX Title: Masahiro Takanashi (c) Vs Isami Kodaka

The BASARA roster spent their days before Christmas working security at the Nakayama Racecourse during the big Arima Kinen race. The job worked perfectly but none of the wrestlers won any of their bets.

DDT “D-OU GRAND PRIX 2020 THE FINAL!!”, 28/12/2019
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

1. Chihiro Hashimoto & Yuki Iino Vs Keisuke Ishii & Keigo Nakamura
2. “Novice Papa” 9-Man Trial Of Makoto Oishi: Makoto Oishi Vs Danshoku Dieno, Toru Owashi, Kazuki Hirata, Masahiro Takanashi, Antonio Honda, Hiroshi Yamato, Mizuki Watase, Mad Paulie & Yoshihiko
3. Saki Akai “Okibariyasu” 7 Match Series – 2nd Match: Sakura Hirota Vs Saki Akai
4. 3 Way Tag Match: Soma Takao & Nobuhiro Shimatani Vs Akito & Shunma Katsumata Vs Yuki Ueno & Naomi Yoshimura
5. Toshiwasure! Special Single Match: Shinya Aoki Vs Super Sasadango Machine
6. Kazusada Higuchi Returns To War: Kazusada Higuchi & Yukio Sakaguchi Vs Bull James & Yukio Naya
7. D-Ou Grand Prix 2020 Special 4 Way Match: HARASHIMA Vs Daisuke Sasaki Vs Konosuke Takeshita Vs Chris Brookes
8. D-Ou Grand Prix 2020 – Final: Tetsuya Endo Vs Masato Tanaka

Friday kicks off a very busy Korakuen Hall schedule for everyone. BASARA and DDT have their doubleheader, then there is the New Year’s Eve Show a few days later. DDT returns on the 3rd and Tokyo Joshi Pro wraps it up a day later. That’s not including all of the other wrestling companies of course.

DDT “NEW YEAR SPECIAL GIFT! ALL SEATS 2,000 YEN BOX OFFICE!! 2020”, 03/01/2020
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

1. Yukio Sakaguchi & Kazusada Higuchi Vs Mad Paulie & Hiroshi Yamato
2. HARASHIMA & Shinya Aoki Vs Masahiro Takanashi & Makoto Oishi
3. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title – Time Difference Battle Royal: Toru Owashi (c) Vs Kazuki Hirata Vs Yuki Iino Vs Antonio Honda Vs Saki Akai Vs Gorgeous Matsuno Vs Mizuki Watase Vs Yukio Naya Vs Keigi Nakamura
4. MAO Triumph Match: MAO Vs Shunma Katsumata
5. Tetsuya Endo & X Vs Konosuke Takeshita & Akito
6. New Year! Special Worldwide Match: Masato Tanaka Vs Chris Brookes
7. New Year! Special 3 Way Match: Sanshiro Takagi Vs Danshoku Dieno Vs Super Sasadango Machine
8. KO-D Tag Team Titles: Daisuke Sasaki & Soma Takao (c) Vs Yuki Ueno & Naomi Yoshimura

Daisuke Sasaki has revealed his big plan if DAMNATION makes it to 10 KO-D Tag Team Title defences in a row. In 2020 Sasaki wants to launch Space Pro Wrestling! That’s right, Sasaki wants to go to outer space and defend the belts against aliens! Soma Takao found out about the idea the same time as everyone else but he approves of it. Sasaki claims to have the mayor of Shiraishi City sponsoring the project.

Tetsuya Endo is bringing in a mystery partner to face Konosuke Takeshita & Akito. Whoever it will be is the choice of Endo and Endo alone.

DDT “NEW YEAR DRAMATIC ITABASHI SERIES 2020”, 05/01/2020
Tokyo Itabashi Green Hall

1. O-40 Title: Gorgeous Matsuno (c) Vs Danshoku Dieno
2. KO-D Tag Team Titles: Daisuke Sasaki & Soma Takao (c) Vs Keisuke Ishii & Kazuki Hirata

Unfortunately Mike Bailey’s visa documents needed to enter Japan were lost by the international courier service. That means Bailey is unable to visit Japan next month and cannot be on the DDT shows. Bailey and DDT are currently working together for him to obtain his visa so he can wrestle here again as soon as possible.

Bailey’s problem means he will be replaced in the title matches he was previously booked for. Keisuke Ishii & Kazuki Hirata stepped up to challenge for the KO-D Tag Titles. Ishii said he has had a good 2019 and wants to have an even better start for 2020 by winning a championship. He thinks he and Hirata can do it if Hirata puts fourth the same amount of effort as he did in last week’s Independent World Jr. Heavyweight Title match.

DDT “WRESTLE SHIOKONBU! 2020”, 12/01/2020
Osaka City Suminoe Maikon Hall

1. DDT Extreme Title: HARASHIMA (c) Vs Pokotan (w/ Danshoku Dieno)

Bailey’s DDT Extreme Title shot now goes to Pokotan! Apparently nobody asked for the spot when it opened up so it was there for Pokotan to take it.

GANBARE☆WRESTLING “KATSUMURA-GUN VS SHOTA-GUN FULL FIGHT ONE MATCH PERFORMANCE ~BURNOUT! HOT BATTLE, FIERCE BATTLE, GREAT BATTLE!!~”, 02/02/2020
Tokyo Oji BASEMENT MON☆STAR

1. Shuichiro Katsumura, Takafumi Ito & Mitsuhisa Sunabe Vs Shota, Syuri & Mitomi Masayuki

The wrestlers chosen by Shuichiro Katsumura and Shota for their one match Ganbare☆Wrestling show have been revealed. Katsumura is bringing in his first Ganpro friend/rival Takafumi Ito and also Mitsuhisa Sunabe. Shota has Mitomi Masayuki and in a surprise, returning joshi and former UFC fighter Syuri.


BASARA Rookie Usui, Higuchi Ready To Return, New Year Tag Title Defences

December 19, 2019

BASARA “BASARA 115 ~ALL THINGS IN NATURE~”, 28/12/2019
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

1. Tetsuo Usui Debut Match: Ryota Nakatsu Vs Tetsuo Usui
2. GRAN MILLIMETERS ONE NIGHT STAND: Daiki Shimomura & Nobuhiro Shimatani Vs Banana Senga & Tsutomu Oosugi
3. Starring Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi ~Eat, Pray & Pour Water~: Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi & Osamu Nishimura Vs Brahman Shu & Brahman Kei
4. Russia Will Not Appear In The Tokyo Olympics But Kamino Will Appear In Korakuen! Sento Minzoku Vs Kamino Brothers!: Minoru Fujita & Ryuichi Sekine Vs Daichi Kazato & Masato Kamino
5. IRON FIST TAG Titles: FUMA & Yusuke Kubo (c) Vs Fuminori Abe & Takuya Nomura
6. UWA World 6-Man Tag Team Titles: Takumi Tsukamoto, Yasu Urano & Takato Nakano (c) Vs Ryota Nakatsu, Naoki Tanizaki & Akiyori Takizawa
7. Union MAX Title: Masahiro Takanashi (c) Vs Isami Kodaka

Masahiro Takanashi is really looking forward to his match against Isami Kodaka. With DDT and BASARA splitting up, he does not think there will be another opportunity for this match to happen again.

Well look at this, Gran MilliMeters are reunited! If things work out maybe Nobuhiro Shimatani will hang around BASARA a bit more in 2020.

The new rookie Tetsuo Usui is a 23 year old from Utsunomiya, Tochigi. He began training in April and is debuting after 8 months. His opponent Ryota Nakatsu will be wrestling twice on the show.

DDT “D-OU GRAND PRIX 2020 THE FINAL!!”, 28/12/2019
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

1. 3 Way Tag Match: Soma Takao & Nobuhiro Shimatani Vs Akito & Shunma Katsumata Vs Yuki Ueno & Naomi Yoshimura
2. Chihiro Hashimoto & Yuki Iino Vs Keisuke Ishii & Keigo Nakamura
3. “Novice Papa” 9-Man Trial Of Makoto Oishi: Makoto Oishi Vs Danshoku Dieno, Toru Owashi, Kazuki Hirata, Masahiro Takanashi, Antonio Honda, Hiroshi Yamato, Mizuki Watase, Mad Paulie & Yoshihiko
4. Kazusada Higuchi Returns To War: Kazusada Higuchi & Yukio Sakaguchi Vs Bull James & Yukio Naya
5. D-Ou Grand Prix 2020 Special 4 Way Match: HARASHIMA Vs Daisuke Sasaki Vs Konosuke Takeshita Vs Chris Brookes
6. Saki Akai “Okibariyasu” 7 Match Series – 2nd Match: Sakura Hirota Vs Saki Akai
7. Toshiwasure! Special Single Match: Shinya Aoki Vs Super Sasadango Machine
8. D-Ou Grand Prix 2020 – Final: Tetsuya Endo Vs Masato Tanaka

Kazusada Higuchi is busy making preparations for his return match. He has dropped weight from 115kg to 105kg, reducing any burden on his knee. He claims to be at 100% health and wants to wrestle as violently as he was before. He is also interested in teaming with Yukio Sakaguchi on a more regular basis because he admires Sakaguchi’s way of fighting.

DDT “NEW YEAR SPECIAL GIFT! ALL SEATS 2,000 YEN BOX OFFICE!! 2020”, 03/01/2020
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

1. New Year! Special 3 Way Match: Sanshiro Takagi Vs Danshoku Dieno Vs Super Sasadango Machine
2. KO-D Tag Team Titles: Daisuke Sasaki & Soma Takao (c) Vs Yuki Ueno & Naomi Yoshimura

2020 kicks off with two KO-D Tag Team Title defences in the space of three days. Daisuke Sasaki & Soma Takao have promised to reach a new level as the champions if they reach a 10th successful defence. That will be achieved if they beat Nautilus. Easier said than done though. Naomi Yoshimura has unfinished business with Takao after the D-Ou Grand Prix. His win over Sasaki at least made sure he finished the tournament with a win. Yuki Ueno comes out of it looking pretty good too thanks to some big wins over the likes of Tetsuya Endo and Keisuke Ishii.

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TOKYO JOSHI PRO ’20”, 04/01/2020
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

1. Saki Akai Vs Yuki Kamifuku
2. Shoko Nakajima Vs Hyper Misao
3. Aja Kong, Raku & Pom Harajuku Vs Yuna Manase, Mina Shirakawa & Mirai Maiumi
4. Mizuki Vs Thunder Rosa
5. Princess Tag Team Titles: Rika Tatsumi & Miu Watanabe (c) Vs Nodoka Tenma & Yuki Aino
6. International Princess Title: Maki Itoh (c) Vs Hikari Noa
7. Princess Of Princess Title: Yuka Sakazaki (c) Vs Miyu Yamashita

Aja Kong returns to Tokyo Joshi Pro for a one-off appearance. She’ll bring the steel cans, Raku will bring the Goodnight Express and Pom Harajuku will bring the shin kicking.

DDT “NEW YEAR DRAMATIC ITABASHI SERIES 2020”, 05/01/2020
Tokyo Itabashi Green Hall

1. O-40 Title: Gorgeous Matsuno (c) Vs Danshoku Dieno
2. KO-D Tag Team Titles: Daisuke Sasaki & Soma Takao (c) Vs MAO & Mike Bailey

Whoever the tag champions are after the 3rd will defend against the returning Moonlight Express two days later.

Gorgeous Matsuno faces his greatest challenge yet as the O-40 Champion. It’s Danshoku Dieno!


DDT “D-OU GRAND PRIX 2020 IN HARAJUKU 2 DAYS” Results

December 15, 2019

DDT “D-OU GRAND PRIX 2020 IN HARAJUKU 2 DAYS”, 15/12/2019
Tokyo Belle Epoque Beauty School 2nd School Hall
201 Fans – Super No Vacancy

1. Konosuke Takeshita & Yuki Iino defeated Yuki Ueno & Keigo Nakamura when Takeshita pinned Nakamura with a Blue Thunder Bomb (11:30).
2. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title – Time Limit Battle Royal: Saki Akai defeated Makoto Oishi (c), Toru Owashi, Masahiro Takanashi, Tomomitsu Matsunaga, Mizuki Watase, Yukio Naya, Hisaya Imabayashi and D-Ou Grand Prix Trophy (10:00).
2a. Toru Owashi defeated Makoto Oishi (c) with a Figure 4 Neck Lock (4:30).
*Toru Owashi becomes the 1,449th champion.
2b. Saki Akai defeated Toru Owashi (c) with a Figure 4 Neck Lock (4:35).
*Saki Akai becomes the 1,450th champion.
2c. Tomomitsu Matsunaga defeated Saki Akai (c) with a Figure 4 Neck Lock (4:39).
*Tomomitsu Matsunaga becomes the 1,451st champion.
2d. Masahiro Takanashi defeated Tomomitsu Matsunaga (c) with a Figure 4 Neck Lock (4:42).
*Masahiro Takanashi becomes the 1,452nd champion.
2e. D-Ou Grand Prix Trophy defeated Masahiro Takanashi (c) by Pinfall (6:18).
*D-Ou Grand Prix Trophy becomes the 1,453rd champion.
2f. Hisaya Imabayashi defeated D-Ou Grand Prix Trophy (c) by Pinfall (7:21).
*Hisaya Imabayashi becomes the 1,454th champion.
2g. Saki Akai defeated Hisaya Imabayashi (c) by submission (9:22).
*Saki Akai becomes the 1,455th champion.
3. O-40 Title: Gorgeous Matsuno (c) defeated Cherry with the Spring Night Love (6:15).
*V1 for Gorgeous Matsuno.
4. DAMNATION Vs ALL OUT!: Tetsuya Endo & Mad Paulie defeated Akito & Shunma Katsumata when Endo submitted Modified Yurikamome Hold (8:08).
5. Chris Brookes & Kazuki Hirata defeated Bull James & Antonio Honda when Hirata pinned Honda with the GO! GO! Splash (11:07).
6. D-Ou Grand Prix 2020 – B Block: Yukio Sakaguchi (4) defeated Soma Takao (4) with the God’s Right Knee (8:16).
7. D-Ou Grand Prix 2020 – B Block: Naomi Yoshimura (2) defeated Daisuke Sasaki (8) with a Cradle (16:12).
8. D-Ou Grand Prix 2020 – B Block: HARASHIMA (9) Vs Masato Tanaka (11) ended in a Time Limit Draw (30:00).
-. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title: Kazuki Hirata defeated Saki Akai (c) with a Cradle (4:42 pm).
*Kazuki Hirata becomes the 1,456th champion.
-. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title: Toru Owashi defeated Kazuki Hirata (c) with a Cradle (4:43 pm).
*Toru Owashi becomes the 1,457th champion.

B Block

1. Masato Tanaka (11)
2. HARASHIMA (9)
3. Daisuke Sasaki (8)
4. Yukio Sakaguchi (4)
-. Soma Takao (4)
-. Bull James (4)
7. Naomi Yoshimura (2)

The final of the D-Ou Grand Prix 2020 is now set. Masato Tanaka completes an undefeated run in the B Block but has not quite pulled off a clean sweep. With an earlier result on the show giving HARASHIMA one last lifeline to reach the final, he couldn’t afford to lose against Tanaka. With both becoming their most stubborn version of themselves as the match progressed, a win was not coming for either of them. Tanaka kicked out of the Firebird Splash while HARASHIMA got a rope break after the Sliding D to the back of the head. Tanaka avoided the Somato and gave HARASHIMA a Back Drop Hold when the bell rang for the time limit draw. With this result, Tanaka finishes on top of the block uncontested. He and HARASHIMA shook hands after the match and praised each other.

The final at Korakuen Hall on 28th December is now confirmed to be Tetsuya Endo Vs Masato Tanaka! Endo came out and said he worked out long ago that Tanaka was going to make it this far. He then asked Tanaka if he wanted to come work for DAMNATION. Tanaka slapped away Endo’s hand, rejecting his offer. Endo warned at Korakuen he will show what it means to decline his offer. Tanaka said there are a lot of companies with new young wrestlers now on top. But there are still the older wrestlers around and he is different from everyone else. The two pressed their heads together for a face off before Endo left.

Whatever slim chances Daisuke Sasaki had left to top the group vanished when he lost to Naomi Yoshimura. For Yoshimura the result ended his Grand Prix losing streak. In an even stronger message, Yoshimura kicked out of the Pedigree with a one count. Almost a year ago Yoshimura suffered a cervical sprain when Sasaki spiked him with that move. Sasaki hit another Pedigree but Yoshimura kicked out again this time at 2. Sasaki went for La Mistica Crossface Lock but Yoshimura used his power to block the transition and then drop down on top of Sasaki to pin him for the three count. With this win Yoshimura wants a KO-D Tag Team Titles match. He also wants that match to avenge his earlier defeat to Soma Takao.

The other remaining D-Ou match had nothing but pride on the line. Yukio Sakaguchi countered the Reverse Gory Special Bomb into a Sleeper Hold. Takao rolled him into a pin to break it up then attempted the Gin And Tonic. When that didn’t work, Takao ran to the ropes. On the rebound Sakaguchi struck him with the God’s Right Knee for the win. Backstage Sakaguchi reflected on the current state of the D-Ou Grand Prix after three tournaments. He mentioned some of the absences. Kazusada Higuchi was injured and MAO is wrestling overseas so they have excuses. But Sakaguchi doesn’t understand why half of ALL OUT stayed away from the Grand Prix this time around.

In non-tournament matches, Chris Brookes used a chop to the neck to knockout Bull James. James fell on top of Antonio Honda and Kazuki Hirata did the GO! GO! Splash onto both of them for the pin. Hirata said he is going to change gears when he challenges Keisuke Ishii for the Independent World Jr. Heavyweight Title in Ganbare☆Wrestling on 22nd December. Hirata will also hold a special 10th Anniversary show on 14th March next year.

Gorgeous Matsuno used one of Cherry’s trademark moves against her to defend the O-40 Title. Cherry went for the Spring Night Love but Matsuno ended up pinning her with a reversal. Matsuno called Cherry an unexpected dark horse to challenge him. Even though the title is for over-forties there is still an 18 year difference between the two of them. Matsuno will continue to defend the title so he can share his middle-aged dreams, hopes and spirits with the fans.

The Time Limit Battle Royal was dusted off for today’s Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title defence. Makoto Oishi entered as the champion and had to survive 10 minutes against the rest of the field. He told his opponents he wanted to protect the championship until his new born daughter grows up. However Yukio Naya wanted to win the title because he hasn’t won a belt in DDT yet, so Oishi’s plea fell on deaf ears. A chain of Headscissors outside the ring resulted in the Iron Man Title changing hands four times at once with Masahiro Takanashi ending up as the current champion. Mizuki Watase noticed the D-Ou Grand Prix trophy was nearby so he carried it over and pressed it down on Takanashi to pin him. However Yukinori Matsui declared that the trophy was now the champion and not Watase! Matsui brought the trophy into the ring and Watase climbed the ropes threatening to hit it with a Missile Dropkick. Hisaya Imabayashi ran in and dove onto the trophy to protect it but Matsui thought he was pinning it so he counted to three and made Imabayashi the new champion! Imabayashi used the microphone to defend himself from Naya and the others until Saki Akai got her hands on him. She set him up for the Quetzalcoatl and Imabayashi got so scared of taking the move that he instantly gave up. Akai was the champion when time ran out which means she won the match. However at the end of the show more title changes happened and Toru Owashi left as the champion.


D-Ou Repercussions, Tokyo Joshi Christmas, Ganbare☆Onita

December 11, 2019

DDT “D-OU GRAND PRIX 2020 IN HARAJUKU 2 DAYS”, 14/12/2019
Tokyo Belle Epoque Beauty School 2nd School Hall

1. Yukio Sakaguchi & Makoto Oishi Vs Shunma Katsumata & Keigo Nakamura
2. 3 Way Tag Match: Toru Owashi & Yuki Ueno Vs Akito & Yukio Naya Vs Masahiro Takanashi & Antonio Honda
3. DISASTER BOX Vs DAMNATION!: HARASHIMA, Kazuki Hirata & Naomi Yoshimura Vs Daisuke Sasaki, Soma Takao & Mad Paulie
4. Special Single Match: Danshoku Dieno Vs Bull James
5. D-Ou Grand Prix 2020 – A Block: Yuki Iino (6) Vs Chihiro Hashimoto (4)
6. D-Ou Grand Prix 2020 – A Block: Tetsuya Endo (5) Vs Keisuke Ishii (6)
7. D-Ou Grand Prix 2020 – A Block: Konosuke Takeshita (6) Vs Chris Brookes (5)

One round left in the group stage of the D-Ou Grand Prix and it’s all to play for. In the A Block each of the three matches have repercussions for the top spot. For the five still alive they need more than just a win to reach the final. Let’s look at what they need.

Yuki Iino: Needs at least a draw and for Takeshita & Ishii to both not win. If either do win, Iino will lose the tiebreaker against them. If both lose, Iino can qualify with a draw because he wins tiebreakers against Endo & Brookes.

Keisuke Ishii: Needs to win and he will qualify regardless of the other results. He will beat any tiebreakers against Iino & Takeshita. If he gets a draw then he will need Iino to not win and Takeshita Vs Brookes to end in a draw.

Konosuke Takeshita: Needs to win and have Ishii lose. There is no possible tiebreaker he can win.

Tetsuya Endo: Needs to win, have Iino lose and Takeshita Vs Brookes end in a draw. He is still alive if Brookes beats Takeshita because of the draw they had. In that situation Endo Vs Brookes in a playoff decides who wins the block.

Chris Brookes: Needs to win, have Iino lose and Endo Vs Ishii end in a draw. That way his win over Ishii is the tiebreaker. As mentioned above, Brookes and Endo both winning creates a playoff between them unless Iino gets a point.

DDT “D-OU GRAND PRIX 2020 IN HARAJUKU 2 DAYS”, 15/12/2019
Tokyo Belle Epoque Beauty School 2nd School Hall

1. Konosuke Takeshita & Yuki Iino Vs Yuki Ueno & Keigo Nakamura
2. Chris Brookes & Kazuki Hirata Vs Bull James & Antonio Honda
3. DAMNATION Vs ALL OUT!: Tetsuya Endo & Mad Paulie Vs Akito & Shunma Katsumata
4. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title – Battle Royal: Makoto Oishi (c) Vs Toru Owashi Vs Saki Akai Vs Masahiro Takanashi Vs Tomomitsu Matsunaga Vs Mizuki Watase Vs Yukio Naya
5. O-40 Title: Gorgeous Matsuno (c) Vs Cherry
6. D-Ou Grand Prix 2020 – B Block: Soma Takao (4) Vs Yukio Sakaguchi (2)
7. D-Ou Grand Prix 2020 – B Block: Daisuke Sasaki (8) Vs Naomi Yoshimura (0)
8. D-Ou Grand Prix 2020 – B Block: HARASHIMA (8) Vs Masato Tanaka (10)

The B Block is simpler to work out but still has a risk of getting messy. Masato Tanaka only needs a draw to qualify. HARASHIMA needs to beat Tanaka and hope Daisuke Sasaki does not beat Naomi Yoshimura. However if HARASHIMA and Sasaki both win, we get a three way tie with the tiebreakers all cancelling each other. The Soma Takao Vs Yukio Sakaguchi match does not matter in this situation.

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “MERRY CHRISTMAS! 2019”, 22/12/2019
Tokyo Art Center White Studio

1. Rika Tatsumi & Miu Watanabe Vs Yuki Aino & Raku
2. Christmas Special 3 Way Match: Shoko Nakajima Vs Nodoka Tenma Vs Haruna Neko
3. Christmas Special Tag Match: Sakisama, Yuna Manase, Pom Harajuku, Mahiro Kiryu
4. Christmas Special 4 Big Singles Match: X Vs X
5. Christmas Special 4 Big Singles Match: X Vs X
6. Christmas Special 4 Big Singles Match: X Vs X
7. Christmas Special 4 Big Singles Match: X Vs X

If you haven’t noticed, this is the Christmas show.

Four singles matches each with 10 minute time limits will have its participants determined by a lottery. The 8 wrestlers taking part are Yuka Sakazaki, Maki Itoh, Miyu Yamashita, Hikari Noa, Mizuki, Mina Shirakawa, Mirai Maiumi and Suzume.

Sakisama will be taking an absence from Tokyo Joshi Pro by the end of the year. Before she leaves she takes part in a lottery tag match. How will she handle teaming with either Yuna Manase, Pom Harajuku or Mahiro Kiryu?

GANBARE☆WRESTLING “WHITE BREATH 2019”, 22/12/2019
Tokyo Art Center White Studio

1. Ganpro Special Mixed Match ~A Beautiful Man, Beautiful Women And A Pervert~: Hagane Shinno & Moeka Haruhi Vs Shinichiro Tominaga & HARUKAZE
2. Ganpro Vs Real GUTS Army ~The Fourth Trial Singles Match Of Shuhei Washida~: Shuhei Washida Vs Guts Ishijima
3. The Third Emergency Battle! Show Me What You Mean!: Shuichiro Katsumura & Kouki Iwasaki Vs Shin Suzuki & Shigeyuki Kawahara
4. GWC 6-Man Tag Team Titles: Kenichiro Arai, Masked Mystery & Shota (c) Vs Ken Ohka, Yumehito Imanari & Miss Mongol
5. Independent World Jr. Heavyweight Title – Delayed Young Drama Cup Final: Keisuke Ishii (c) Vs Kazuki Hirata

Ultra Soki is out of action with peritonitis. Shin Suzuki takes his place in Match #3.

DDT “D-OU GRAND PRIX 2020 THE FINAL!!”, 28/12/2019
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

1. Kazusada Higuchi Return Match: Kazusada Higuchi Vs X
2. Saki Akai “Okibariyasu” 7 Match Series – 2nd Match: Sakura Hirota Vs Saki Akai
3. Toshiwasure! Special Single Match: Shinya Aoki Vs Super Sasadango Machine
4. D-Ou Grand Prix 2020 – Final: Winner Of A Block vs Winner Of B Block

So if we end up getting a playoff tiebreaker for either of the blocks, they are likely to take place on the same night as the final. That is not for certain but in the previous D-Ou tournaments in DDT it was always the backup plan.

Nobuhiro Shimatani will be on the show. It will be his first appearance in DDT since becoming a freelancer.

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TOKYO JOSHI PRO ’20”, 04/01/2020
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

1. Saki Akai Vs Yuki Kamifuku
2. Shoko Nakajima Vs Hyper Misao
3. Mizuki Vs Thunder Rosa
4. International Princess Title: Maki Itoh (c) Vs Hikari Noa
5. Princess Tag Team Titles: Rika Tatsumi & Miu Watanabe (c) Vs Nodoka Tenma & Yuki Aino
6. Princess Of Princess Title: Yuka Sakazaki (c) Vs Miyu Yamashita

Now that she is a superhero again, Hyper Misao is taking time off to train at her local hyperbolic time chamber. Her return match will be against Shoko Nakajima on 4th January. It is fitting for a superhero’s first fight back to be against the Big Kaiju!

Saki Akai makes her annual appearance for Tokyo Joshi. Akai’s opponent is Yuki Kamifuku, who looks up to her not just as a wrestler but as a professional. Kamifuku thinks Akai is a good example of a joshi who can be both feminine and strong in the ring. She asked for this match to see if she can reach Akai’s level with her own style and beauty.

This is not the completed card. Tetsuya Koda is waiting to see if any inactive members of the roster will be ready in time before he sets everything in stone. Could an injured wrestler be close to full recovery?

GANBARE☆WRESTLING “GANBARE☆ONITA OYA☆PRO WRESTLING RAISING A FLAG”, 13/01/2020
Osaka City Suminoe Maikon Hall

1. Special Single Match: Thunder Rosa Vs Itsuki Aoki
2. Special Single Match: Chris Brookes Vs Shinichiro Tominaga
3. Ganpro Special Tag Match: Keisuke Ishii & Yumehito Imanari Vs Shuichiro Katsumura & Kouki Iwasaki
4. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Atsushi Onita, Ken Ohka & Hiroaki Moriya Vs Kenichiro Arai, Guts Ishijima & Shota

The success of last month’s Bakuha Koshien show will be followed up next year with a tour of events across Japan. Atsushi Onita also wants to find a way to bring the show over to Tampa next year for Wrestlemania week. Ken Ohka is so enthusiastic with the project that he asked Onita to co-promote a Ganbare☆Wrestling show with him next January. Onita agreed and Ganbare☆Onita Oya☆Pro Wrestling (Gan☆Nita☆Pro Wrestling for short) was born.


DDT “D-OU GRAND PRIX 2020 IN HIROSHIMA” Results

December 10, 2019

DDT “D-OU GRAND PRIX 2020 IN HIROSHIMA”, 10/12/2019
Hiroshima Aster Plaza Multipurpose Hall
205 Fans – No Vacancy

1. Akito, Shunma Katsumata & Mizuki Watase defeated Masahiro Takanashi, Yukio Naya & Keigo Nakamura when Watase pinned Nakamura with the Back Drop (5:29).
2. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title: Rey Paloma & Antonio Honda defeated Danshoku Dieno & Makoto Oishi (c) when Paloma pinned Oishi with a Prawn Hold (8:22).
*Rey Paloma becomes the 1,447th champion.
3. Daisuke Sasaki, Tetsuya Endo & Hiroshi Yamato defeated Toru Owashi, Kenshin Chikano & Kazuki Hirata when Endo submitted Hirata with the Modified Yurikamome Hold (7:30).
4. D-Ou Grand Prix 2020 – B Block: Soma Takao (4) defeated Naomi Yoshimura (0) with a Running Elbow Butt (9:08).
5. D-Ou Grand Prix 2020 – A Block: Yuki Iino (6) defeated Yuki Ueno (4) with the Spear (10:47).
6. D-Ou Grand Prix 2020 – A Block: Chris Brookes (5) defeated Keisuke Ishii (6) with the Praying Mantis Bomb (13:51).
-. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title: Makoto Oishi defeated Rey Paloma (c) with a Cradle (8:12 pm).
*Makoto Oishi becomes the 1,448th champion.
7. D-Ou Grand Prix 2020 – B Block: HARASHIMA (8) defeated Bull James (4) with the Somato (13:26).
8. D-Ou Grand Prix 2020 – A Block: Konosuke Takeshita (6) defeated Chihiro Hashimoto (4) with the German Suplex (20:16).

A Block

1. Keisuke Ishii (6)
-. Konosuke Takeshita (6)
-. Yuki Iino (6)
4. Tetsuya Endo (5)
-. Chris Brookes (5)
6. Chihiro Hashimoto (4)
-. Yuki Ueno (4)

B Block

1. Masato Tanaka (10)
2. Daisuke Sasaki (8)
-. HARASHIMA (8)
4. Soma Takao (4)
-. Bull James (4)
6. Yukio Sakaguchi (2)
7. Naomi Yoshimura (0)

The group stage of this year’s D-Ou Grand Prix is nearing its end. Today confirmed some eliminations while keeping hopes alive for others. One such example was in the main event. Konosuke Takeshita is still alive going into the last set of matches but Chihiro Hashimoto’s chances are now gone. The German Suplexes were flying in there match including one where Hashimoto Suplexed Takeshita on the ring apron. But Takeshita won out in the end, countering the Albright into his own German Suplex and holding on for dear life so Hashimoto wouldn’t kick out. Takeshita thanked his opponent for the match but also said he is stronger than her. His goal is to win the Grand Prix and regain the KO-D Openweight Title. He hopes it will be around his waist again when DDT returns to Hiroshima next year.

HARASHIMA’s victory over Bull James keeps him tied with Daisuke Sasaki right behind the B Block leader Masato Tanaka. HARASHIMA targeted James’ leg early, using a Figure 4 Leg Lock. The plan worked out when James had difficulty moving in to do the Doink Drop. HARASHIMA stunned James with a High Kick and pinned him with the Somato. This was James’ last match in the tournament. He won’t reach the final but he is proud of his overall performance.

It has become a tight race over in the A Block. It’s even tighter now that Chris Brookes is coming in as a late challenger. By beating Keisuke Ishii, Brookes can find a path to the final if a few remaining results go his way. With Takeshita as his final opponent, Brookes warns that he is more prepared for him than anyone else in their block. It was a result that Ishii could have done without. He blamed his defeat on Brookes’ height. A pro wrestler as proud as Ishii should not be losing to tall people.

The Grand Prix is now over for Yuki Ueno. His run ends with a loss to Yuki Iino. Ueno’s excitement got the better of him. When he hit a Half Nelson Suplex he turned his back on Iino to run the ropes. What he didn’t notice was Iino standing right back up so he could grab him for a Bubba Bomb. One Lariat and a Spear later ended the match. Ueno said he has a lot of regrets from this tournament but today’s match is something he will never forget.

Things just keep getting worse for Naomi Yoshimura. His losing streak extended even further after a flash loss to Soma Takao. A Running Elbow Smash of all moves was what put Yoshimura down for the count this time. He protested the pin to Yukinori Matsui after the match. Keigo Nakamura tried to hold him back but Yoshimura retaliated by giving him a Choke Slam before storming off.

In Match #3 Kazuki Hirata unleashed his Knockout Chop on Tetsuya Endo but it had no effect. Hirata was too busy dancing to notice so Endo played dead until he found his moment to strike and win the match for DAMNATION.

Rey Paloma joined in with Antonio Honda’s usual gameplan. He suffered Honda’s usual setbacks too. However Honda came to his partner’s aid after Makoto Oishi threw him into Danshoku Dieno’s Hell Gate. Oishi had Paloma pinned in a Sunset Flip when Honda stuck his fingers in Dieno’s backside to charge up Gongitsune. Honda then used Gongitsune to poke Oishi’s face and Paloma rolled him up for the three count. Paloma won the Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title but Oishi would win it back later in the show.