“NEW YEAR’S EVE WRESTLING 2018 ~TOSHIWASHURE! SHUFFLE TAG TOURNAMENT” Results

December 31, 2018

“NEW YEAR’S EVE WRESTLING 2018 ~TOSHIWASHURE! SHUFFLE TAG TOURNAMENT”, 31/12/2018
Tokyo Korakuen Hall
1,242 Fans – No Vacancy

1. Shuffle Tag Tournament – Round 1: Daisuke Sekimoto & Yuki Iino defeated Ryota Hama & Antonio Honda (w/ Jaki Numazawa) when Sekimoto submitted Honda with a Scorpion Lock (6:26).
2. Shuffle Tag Tournament – Round 1: Yuji Okabayashi & Yukio Sakaguchi defeated Takuya Nomura & Kazuki Hirata when Okabayashi submitted Hirata with the Argentine Backbreaker (6:57).
3. Shuffle Tag Tournament – Round 1: Yuko Miyamoto & Konosuke Takeshita defeated Brahman Kei & Masahiro Takanashi (w/ Brahman Shu) when Miyamoto submitted Takanashi with a Cross Armbreaker (5:53).
4. Shuffle Tag Tournament – Round 1: Takayuki Ueki & Mike Bailey defeated Great Kojika & Sammy Guevara when Ueki pinned Kojika with a School Boy (6:44).
5. Shuffle Tag Tournament – Round 1: Yuya Aoki & MAO defeated Tatsuhiko Yoshino & Tetsuya Endo when Aoki pinned Yoshino with a Modified Backslide Pin (7:37).
6. Shuffle Tag Tournament – Round 1: Daichi Hashimoto & Daisuke Sasaki defeated Yoshihisa Uto & Sanshiro Takagi (w/ Hideki Suzuki) when Hashimoto pinned Takagi with the Shining Wizard (1:22).
7. Shuffle Tag Tournament – Round 1: Yasufumi Nakanoue & Kazusada Higuchi defeated Minoru Fujita & Soma Takao when Higuchi pinned Takao with a Cradle (5:38).
8. Shuffle Tag Tournament – Round 1: Masashi Takeda & HARASHIMA defeated Ryuji Ito & Yuki Ueno when Takeda pinned Ueno with a One Man Conchairto (6:50).
9. Shuffle Tag Tournament – Round 2: Yuji Okabayashi & Yukio Sakaguchi defeated Daisuke Sekimoto & Yuki Iino when Sakaguchi pinned Iino with the God’s Right Knee (9:50).
10. Shuffle Tag Tournament – Round 2: Yuko Miyamoto & Konosuke Takeshita defeated Takayuki Ueki & Mike Bailey when Miyamoto submitted Ueki with a Heel Hold (9:21).
11. Shuffle Tag Tournament – Round 2: Daichi Hashimoto & Daisuke Sasaki defeated Yuya Aoki & MAO when Sasaki submitted Aoki with the Cross Facelock (9:14).
12. Shuffle Tag Tournament – Round 2: Yasufumi Nakanoue & Kazusada Higuchi Vs Masashi Takeda & HARASHIMA ended in a Time Limit Draw (10:00).
12a. Sudden Death – 1 Count Fall: Masashi Takeda & HARASHIMA defeated Yasufumi Nakanoue & Kazusada Higuchi when HARASHIMA pinned Higuchi with a Jackknife Pin (0:41).
13. Shuffle Tag Tournament – Semi Final: Yuji Okabayashi & Yukio Sakaguchi defeated Daichi Hashimoto & Daisuke Sasaki when Okabayashi pinned Hashimoto with the Golem Splash (10:07).
14. Shuffle Tag Tournament – Semi Final: Yuko Miyamoto & Konosuke Takeshita Vs Masashi Takeda & HARASHIMA ended in a Time Limit Draw (15:00).
14a. Sudden Death – 1 Count Fall: Yuko Miyamoto & Konosuke Takeshita defeated Masashi Takeda & HARASHIMA when Takeshita pinned HARASHIMA with a Rolling Leg Clutch (1:54).
15. Shuffle Tag Tournament – Final: Yuko Miyamoto & Konosuke Takeshita defeated Yuji Okabayashi & Yukio Sakaguchi when Takeshita pinned Sakaguchi with the Fable (13:10).

The annual New Year’s tradition of a massive inter-promotional tournament in Korakuen Hall is back again. The teams all contained one Big Japan wrestler and one DDT wrestler although a few had an extra wrestler aiding them from ringside one way or another. Let’s get through this marathon.

Round 1

Muscle Wolf Vs Hama Ton
Antonio Honda was able to poke Daisuke Sekimoto in the eyes with Gongitsune but Yuki Iino was one step ahead and countered Honda with a nipple pinch when the attack was aimed at him. This is the point where Ryota Hama thinks his team lost the match. From there Sekimoto gave Honda an Atomic Drop and then submitted him with a Scorpion Deathlock. Jaki Numazawa was in Hama & Honda’s corner for the match. He blames himself for the team losing.

Bald & Blonde Vs ☆Team Nomura☆
Takuya Nomura came out dressed like Kazuki Hirata. The two were about to dance for their entrance when Yukio Sakaguchi immediately attacked Hirata. Nomura stood up to his opponents with his kicks but his momentum was purposely stopped by Hirata so he could tag in. Hirata’s knock out chop worked against Yuji Okabayashi although it took a few moments for it to take effect. Nomura & Hirata got to do their dance but unbeknownst to them, Okabayashi & Sakaguchi got up behind them also wearing Hirata Go glasses! The bald and blonde wrestlers beat up their opponents along to the music until Okabayashi submitted Hirata with the Argentine Backbreaker. Nomura said he doesn’t remember anything after he put on the glasses. He also never learned Hirata’s dance and blames that for the loss. On the bright side, Hirata thinks there are infinite possibilities for them together as a team. He hopes they work together again so he can harness that power to beat Sakaguchi!

Nishinari Elite Yankee Konosuke And Joshi Pro Wrestling’s Strongest Man Vs Toryumon Refugees
This year Yuko Miyamoto has been promoting himself as the strongest Joshi wrestler in Japan. In the opening round he was going to prove it by transforming himself into Shinobu Kandori! He entered to Kandori’s song “GET IT BACK” and wore an identical costume to hers. Maybe she would have found it funny but she was too busy losing her shit at a Brazilian She Hulk over at the RIZIN show during this time. Masahiro Takanashi and the Brahman Brothers also paid a tribute of their own to their mentor Ultimo Dragon by entering to his music. Brahman Shu was also wearing an Ultimo Dragon mask. The usual Brahmans plunder came out like their suitcase and bowling ball. Konosuke Takeshita threw the briefcase at Takanashi then handled the Brahmans while Miyamoto scrambled with Takanashi. Miyamoto rolled Takanashi into a Cross Armbreaker for the submission victory. He and Takanashi then gave the Brahmans a taste of their own medicine by doing the bowling ball spot on them. Backstage Takanashi & Brahman Kei begged Shu/Dragon for forgiveness. Kei/Dragon demanded they become Toryumon trainees againt and pay the tuition fees along with it.

Japan-US 4 Dimensional Combination Vs Team Let’s Go
Takayuki Ueki & Mike Bailey got along great, screaming “Let’s Go!” at everyone and each other for the entire match. Bailey was also wearing his own Ueki’s style shirt with his name on it. Sammy Guevara gave both of them the middle finger and The Great Kojika did the same later. Kojika got into a strike exchange with Bailey until Ueki snuck in a School Boy to pin him. Kojika enjoyed teaming with Guevara and wants to do it again next year. Guevara asked Kojika how old he was. Kojika said he was 60…

2nd Generation Party Boys Vs Cherry Boys On The Run
Tetsuya Endo wasn’t eager to team with Tatsuhiko Yoshino. He had to be encouraged down to the ring by Yoshino and Kota Sekifuda. During the match MAO put Endo in a Crab Hold and Endo couldn’t move. Sekifuda got into the ring and along with the audience taught Endo how to reach the ropes. Endo tried to follow the instructions but MAO dragged him back into the centre and Yoshino had to break up the hold. When Yoshino got tagged in the match became more cheeky when he pulled down the back of Yuya Aoki & MAO’s tights, exposing their backsides. Endo & Yoshino would end up having the back of their tights pulled back too. Aoki put an end to the match by backsliding Yoshino into a pin and bridging over on top of him for the pin. Endo told Yoshino he would be muting him on Twitter because of what happened.

Super Fighting Three Musketeers Vs Black Tri-Stars
This was weird. Daichi Hashimoto & Daisuke Sasaki came out doing a mashup act of The Three Musketeers: Daichi’s father Shinya Hashimoto, Masahiro Chono and Keiji Muto. They were supposed to fight Yoshihisa Uto & Sanshiro Takagi with Hideki Suzuki in their corner but they were nowhere to be found. Instead the Black Tri-Star Gundams appeared! They circled around Korakuen Hall until they finally attacked. Sasaki grabbed their cannon and struck them with it. Hashimoto then channeled Muto and his chronic knee pain to hit the Shining Wizard and win the match. The Black Tri-Stars fled but not before attacking Mita Sayoko at the commentary table along the way.

Team Katagi Vs MudNATION
Yasufumi Nakanoue carried a wooden sword to the ring and acted like Kazusada Higuchi’s mentor for the match. Nakanoue tried to strike Soma Takao with the sword but he moved and Higuchi took the blow. Minoru Fujita grabbed the sword and tried to attack Higuchi. Higuchi also moved out of the ring and Takao got hit. That allowed Higuchi to cradle Takao for the three count. Both Fujita & Takao said they couldn’t hear each other during the match and would have needed subtitles to communicate better.

Team A Line Vs Crazy Smile
Yuki Ueno got in the death match mood by dressing up like Ryuji Ito and asking for the match to be held under Hardcore rules. On the other side, Masashi Takeda wore one of HARASHIMA’s ring jackets for his entrance and wanted to wrestle a normal match. Chairs were brought into the ring anyway and were used a lot. Ueno didn’t hesitate to hit his DISASTER BOX leader HARASHIMA with a chair but that meant HARASHIMA also would not hold back when the roles were reversed. Takeda wasn’t able to hit the Reverse U-Crash, Ueno countered it into a Cradle for a nearfall. Takeda instead placed a chair on top of Ueno’s face then hit it with another chair to keep Ueno down for the pin count. Ito & Ueno admitted they did not communicate with each other much before the show. They only shared 4 or 5 direct messages with each other. If they team up again they promise to message each other more.

Round 2

Muscle Wolf Vs Bald & Blonde
Big lads collided a bunch to kick off the second round. In the dying seconds of the match Sakaguchi hit Iino with the God’s Right Knee to get the win. Iino thinks he pulled a muscle in his leg after doing the Spear. However he says he learned a lot teaming with Sekimoto and will use it to win the KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles in DDT on 3rd January. Iino and Sekimoto also promised to keep in touch through DMs.

Nishinari Elite Yankee Konosuke And Joshi Pro Wrestling’s Strongest Man Vs Team Let’s Go
Ueki came up with the perfect plan to counter Miyamoto’s Shinobu Kandori tribute. He came out dressed as Aja Kong! Bailey also joined in by having his face painted like Kong’s. The Kandori Vs Kong match up was historically accurate until Ueki lost his temper and pulled out his gun. Ueki then crotched himself on the top rope and Miyamoto submitted him with a Heel Hold. Ueki admitted that Miyamoto really is the world’s strongest male Joshi wrestler.

Cherry Boys On The Run Vs Super Fighting Three Musketeers
Hashimoto continued the Muto tribute by putting Aoki in the Figure 4 Leg Lock. Sasaki was put in danger after MAO dove onto him. However Sasaki avoided Aoki’s Tiger Suplex and trapped him in the Cross Facelock. Aoki fought to reach the ropes but Sasaki rolled him back into the centre and made him tap out. MAO felt regretful because their elimination from the tournament means the Cherry Boys’ youth has come to an end and they now have to become adults. Maybe it’s not all bad though. MAO heard that a 23 year old’s sex drive is bigger than an 18 year old’s. So maybe he can still work hard when he reaches the ripe old age of 23…

Team Katagi Vs Crazy Smile
The first time limit draw of the show happened here. This time HARASHIMA got into Takeda’s state of mind by wearing Takeda’s entrance gear to the ring. He held Higuchi in place for Takeda to stick a bundle of bamboo skewers into his head. Higuchi then got revenge by sticking skewers in HARASHIMA’s head. They scrambled for a pin but the 10 minute time limit was reached. The match restarted with One Count Pinfall rules to determine the winners. Higuchi went for the Doctor Bomb but HARASHIMA countered it into a Jackknife for the one count victory. Backstage Higuchi took responsibility for the “scandal” of his team losing. He is blessed to have a “big brother” like Nakanoue looking over him. Nakanoue then told him the team was disbanded and he walked out of the room, leaving Higuchi all alone.

Semi Finals

Bald & Blonde Vs Super Fighting Three Musketeers
The semi final lottery paired Okabayashi & Sakaguchi against Hashimoto & Sasaki. Things kicked off literally with Sakaguchi and Hashimoto laying into each other with kicks. Okabayashi blasted Sasaki with a Lariat then added another Lariat with the God’s Right Knee to combo Hashimoto. Sakaguchi kicked Sasaki away while Okabayashi pinned Hashimoto with the Golem Splash. Sasaki blamed Hashimoto for drawing a Muto Kitty on his shirt instead of the Muto Bear. He then came up with an idea to go drink at Seiji Sakaguchi’s house. Hashimoto tried to follow him but he still had Muto’s knee pain to deal with.

Nishinari Elite Yankee Konosuke And Joshi Pro Wrestling’s Strongest Man Vs Crazy Smile
Miyamoto ditched the Shinobu Kandori jokes and wrestled as his normal self for the rest of the show. Takeshita also wore custom made Yankee gear to match with his tag partner. Another time limit draw happened this time with 15 minutes not being enough to get a result. Sudden death did not immediately begin because the draw happened minutes before 2018 ended and 2019 would begin. The locker room emptied out for the countdown and everyone celebrate the New Year! Overtime then began and HARASHIMA went for the Somato on Takeshita. Takeshita moved and HARASHIMA crashed into the corner. Miyamoto then hit a Somato to HARASHIMA from behind and Takeshita used a Rolling Leg Clutch to pin HARASHIMA for the one count! Takeda & HARASHIMA both had fun teaming together. Takeda was praised for the big success he is currently achieving. HARASHIMA hopes to reach a similar level in 2019. Takeda also talked about Abdullah Kobayashi who was originally supposed to team with HARASHIMA on this show before suffering a shoulder injury.

Sumo Hall Announcements

The first big news of 2019 is DDT and Big Japan announcing a Sumo Hall double header happening this November. DDT runs Sumo Hall on 3rd November and Big Japan has their show on the 4th. Both Sanshiro Takagi and Eiji Kosaka acted like they didn’t expect the other to make their announcement. Yukinori Matsui went ahead with setting up the ticket sales for both shows anyway. Both companies see the situation as friendly competition. They would like to make hundreds of millions of yen this year but may need something like a donation from Floyd Mayweather to make that happen.

Final

Bald & Blonde Vs Nishinari Elite Yankee Konosuke And Joshi Pro Wrestling’s Strongest Man
Is this definitely the first pro wrestling match of 2019 around the world? Let’s go with that until somebody says otherwise. With no time limit, a winner must be decided definitively. Takeshita got rid of Okabayashi with a German Suplex followed by a Somato from Miyamoto. Sakaguchi aimed the God’s Right Knee at Takeshita but it was blocked and turned into a Reverse Implant Driver. Takeshita ended the night by hitting the Fable on Sakaguchi to win the tournament! Takeshita thanked Miyamoto for helping him reach the final for the 4th year in a row. Miyamoto promised to get his own custom Takeshita gear to return the favour for Takeshita’s costume. Takeshita ended the show by saying both DDT and Big Japan will do their best not to lose against the larger pro wrestling companies this year. The Sumo Hall double header in November will show that.

Japan Indie Grand Prix Awards

There was a break after the 2nd Round for the Japan Indie Grand Prix Awards ceremony to be held. Masashi Takeda dominated the contest by winning the MVP award and being featured FOUR times in the Best Match category! He hopes to become a triple champion in 2019. Isami Kodaka wants to win Best Bout again in 2019 but this time as the match winner. El Lindaman accepted the Best Unit Award on behalf of #STRONGHEARTS. He said 2019 will be an important year not just for the unit but also OWE. He personally also wants to win another championship so he can be a double champion. Best Newcomer Syuuou Fujiwara couldn’t be at the show but he was able to send in a video message. In the message Fujiwara said he is upset that Mita Sayoko is being physically given the award instead of him. He threatened to come down to Samurai! TV studio to take it back. When Eiji Kosaka accepted the Best Show Award for BJW’s Sumo Hall show, he promised to protect Mita from Fujiwara because she is his favourite Mita.

MVP
1. Masashi Takeda
2. Hideki Suzuki
3. Syuuou Fujiwara
4. Masahiro Takanashi
5. Minoru Fujita

Best Bout
1. Masashi Takeda Vs Isami Kodaka (Big Japan, 20th June)
2. Hideki Suzuki Vs Daisuke Sekimoto (Big Japan, 11th November)
3. Masashi Takeda Vs Violent Jack (FREEDOMS, 2nd May)
4. Masashi Takeda Vs Jun Kasai (Jun Kasai Produce, 28th August)
5. Masashi Takeda Vs Masaya Takahashi (Big Japan, 11th November)

Best Unit
1. #STRONGHEARTS
2. Kobayashi-gun
3. Arrival
4. DAMNATION
5. 3rd Generation Bloody Brothers

Best Box Office
1. Big Japan at Sumo Hall, 11th November
2. DDT at Sumo Hall, 21st October
3. Jun Kasai Produce at Korakuen Hall, 28th August
4. Masahiro Takanashi Produce at Ryogoku KFC Hall, 8th July
5. Guts World at Shinjuku FACE, 15th April

Best Newcomer
1. Syuuou Fujiwara
2. Yuya Aoki
3. Koju Takeda
4. Yoshihisa Uto
5. Ayame Sasamura


DDT “D-OU GRAND PRIX 2019 IN NAGOYA” Results

December 15, 2018

DDT “D-OU GRAND PRIX 2019 IN NAGOYA”, 15/12/2018
Nagoya City Mid-Sports Center
313 Fans – Super No Vacancy

1. Puma King & Mizuki Watase defeated Kota Umeda & Yuki Ueno when King pinned Ueno with La Casita (11:14).
2. D-Ou Grand Prix 2019 – A Block: Akito (6) defeated MAO (4) with the Perfect Figure 4 Leg Lock (8:43).
3. Nagoya Specialty! Special 6-Man Tag Match: Ultimo Dragon, Toru Owashi & Keisuke Okuda defeated Makoto Oishi, Masahiro Takanashi & Kazuki Hirata when Okuda pinned Hirata with a PK (10:22).
4. D-Ou Grand Prix 2019 – B Block: Soma Takao (4) defeated Mike Bailey (6) with the Gin And Tonic (12:39).
5. D-Ou Grand Prix 2019 – B Block: Shinya Aoki (8) defeated Tetsuya Endo (6) by TKO with a Front Neck Lock (8:13).
6. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title – D-Ou Grand Prix 2019 – B Block: Konosuke Takeshita (c) (8) defeated Sammy Guevara (6) with the Fable (11:37).
*V2 for Konosuke Takeshita.
7. D-Ou Grand Prix 2019 – A Block: Daisuke Sasaki (6) defeated Kazusada Higuchi (6) with the Crossover Facelock (16:41).
8. D-Ou Grand Prix 2019 – A Block: Go Shiozaki (10) defeated HARASHIMA (6) with the Strong Arm Lariat (22:50).

A Block

1. Go Shiozaki (10)
2. Kazusada Higuchi (6)
-. HARASHIMA (6)
-. Akito (6)
-. Daisuke Sasaki (6)
6. MAO (4)
-. Puma King (4)

B Block

1. Konosuke Takeshita (8)
-. Shinya Aoki (8)
3. Tetsuya Endo (6)
-. Sammy Guevara (6)
-. Mike Bailey (6)
6. Masahiro Takanashi (4)
-. Soma Takao (4)

The final for the D-Ou Grand Prix 2019 is now set. In the main event of today’s show, Go Shiozaki defeated HARASHIMA to win the A Block uncontested. HARASHIMA had him stunned with a Standing Somato but was cut off with a Lariat. Shiozaki finished him off with the Go Flasher and then the Strong Arm Lariat to win.

The other A Block wrestler scrapping for the top spot was Kazusada Higuchi although his chances were difficult from the onset. He needed to beat Daisuke Sasaki and hope that HARASHIMA would beat Shiozaki to cause a three way tie with the direct confrontation rule cancelling each other out. Sadly for Higuchi he was put in danger after an Avalanche Pedigree from Sasaki. Then when Sasaki applied La Mistica Cross Facelock Higuchi was in even more danger. It was all over when Sasaki switched the move into the Crossover Facelock, getting the submission win and knocking Higuchi out of the tournament.

When that match was over Danshoku Dieno & Naomi Yoshimura appeared. Yesterday they put forth the challenge for Sasaki to defend the KO-D Openweight Title against Yoshimura on 3rd January. Today they wanted his answer. Sasaki said no. He wants to defend the title against Nobuhiro Shimatani instead! Yoshimura knocked Shimatani out with a Lariat and Dieno told Sasaki his choice was now out of action. Yoshimura then told everyone that while he was in America he found out everyone over there knows that the champion of DDT is some pathetic long haired man who was dumped by Candice LeRae. He also heard that LeRae received flowers from this loser and she threw them away. Sasaki lost his temper and got into a fight with Yoshimura. The two were pulled apart with Sasaki yelling he will kill Yoshimura and that he did spend 5,000 yen on flowers for LeRae. Dieno laughed and told Sasaki if he wants to get his hands on Yoshimura, he should give him the title shot on 3rd January.

Meeting Shiozaki in the final is Konosuke Takeshita. The B Block was all to play for with each of the three matches today determining someone’s fate. Takeshita beat Sammy Guevara to seal his place in the final. He ends with the same amount of points as Shinya Aoki but goes through via the direct confrontation tiebreaker because Takeshita beat Aoki in their block match.

Speaking of Aoki, he was able to kill off Tetsuya Endo’s chance of qualifying for the final. Endo gave him a Northern Lights Suplex but Aoki held on and applied a Front Neck Lock, choking Endo out.

Last but not least in the B Block, Mike Bailey failed to advance when he lost to Soma Takao. Once again Takao seems to be unaware over the tournament schedule. When he found out he didn’t qualify for the final, Takao asked if any of the other DAMNATION members made it even the ones who weren’t in the Grand Prix like Shimatani, Mad Paulie and Shuji Ishikawa. But maybe what Takao can fairly ask for is a KO-D Tag Team Titles shot since he just beat one of the champions.

There was one more Grand Prix match on the show with nothing to play for other than pride. Akito defeated MAO to finish above him by two points. MAO is keeping his head up because he got a win over HARASHIMA in the tournament. Akito used the tournament to experiment with his wrestling style and he has no regrets with how he performed. The big question he asks himself is whether or not he improved his standing in the lead up to ALL OUT challenging for the KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles.


DDT “D-OU GRAND PRIX 2019 IN YOKOHAMA” Results

December 14, 2018

DDT “D-OU GRAND PRIX 2019 IN YOKOHAMA”, 14/12/2018
Yokohama Radiant Hall
187 Fans

1. 3 Way Tag Match: KUDO & Antonio Honda defeated Toru Owashi & Kazuki Hirata and Akito & Yuki Iino when KUDO pinned Hirata with a Backspin Kick (7:51).
2. Daisuke Sasaki, Tetsuya Endo, Mad Paulie & Nobuhiro Shimatani defeated Kazusada Higuchi, Kota Umeda, Mizuki Watase & Makoto Oishi when Endo pinned Watase with the Swivel Torture Rack Bomb (8:10).
3. D-Ou Grand Prix 2019 – A Block: HARASHIMA (6) defeated Puma King (4) with the Somato (9:37).
4. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title – D-Ou Grand Prix 2019 – B Block: Konosuke Takeshita (c) (6) defeated Soma Takao (2) with the Fable (14:21).
*V1 for Konosuke Takeshita.
5. D-Ou Grand Prix 2019 – B Block: Masahiro Takanashi (4) defeated Shinya Aoki (6) with a School Boy (1:01).
6. D-Ou Grand Prix 2019 – A Block: Go Shiozaki (8) defeated MAO (4) with the Strong Arm Lariat (15:04).
7. D-Ou Grand Prix 2019 – B Block: Mike Bailey (6) defeated Sammy Guevara (6) with the Flamingo Driver (19:57).

A Block

1. Go Shiozaki (8)
2. Kazusada Higuchi (6)
-. HARASHIMA (6)
4. Akito (4)
-. MAO (4)
-. Daisuke Sasaki (4)
-. Puma King (4)

B Block

1. Shinya Aoki (6)
-. Tetsuya Endo (6)
-. Sammy Guevara (6)
-. Mike Bailey (6)
-. Konosuke Takeshita (6)
6. Masahiro Takanashi (4)
-. Soma Takao (2)

The penultimate show in the D-Ou Grand Prix group stages saw the A Block get whittled down to a few while the B Block was blown wide open. The main event was a rare one for DDT as a Canadian and an American were the two headliners. Mike Bailey and Sammy Guevara wouldn’t stop swearing at each other until Yukinori Matsui yelled “Important Match!” at them. They went all out from there with Moonsaults, Canadian Destroyers and Shooting Stars aplenty. Speedball ended up on top thanks to the Flamingo Driver. Bailey told Guevara after the match that he has the worst attitude, but he also has the best heart. MAO ended the show by telling Bailey to do his best in the final days of the Grand Prix.

Sadly for MAO he won’t be able to join Bailey in the chase for the final. Go Shiozaki eliminated MAO from contention. Shiozaki admitted he didn’t expect to be overwhelmed by MAO’s pace. But that’s the beauty of pro wrestling, to have two styles like theirs mesh.

In the most bizarre match of the tournament Masahiro Takanashi pulled every out of the box trick he could think of to beat Shinya Aoki in just over a minute! First, three fake Takanashis entered the ring. They were Baliyan Akki, Yumehito Imanari and Shota in disguise. Aoki beat them up until the real Takanashi appeared dressed as a referee and took Daisuke Kiso’s place. Aoki didn’t know what had happened and dropped his guard when Takanashi gave him a referee order. That allowed Takanashi to give him an Inside Cradle but Aoki countered it into an Armbar. The fake Takanashis jumped on the ring apron to distract Aoki while the real Takanashi placed a mannequin arm into his shirt. Aoki fell for the trap and grabbed the fake arm, pulling it out completely. He was then pinned with a School Boy. Takanashi is pleased that he has ended his tournament run with two victories. That’s one more than he got in the previous Grand Prix.

Konosuke Takeshita finds himself still in the running thanks to his win over Soma Takao in a first time singles match between the two. The occasion was special enough to make Takao drop his lies about being undefeated throughout the group stage. Although he was still bitter enough to claim he kicked out of the Fable at two.

It’s close but HARASHIMA is still alive in A Block. He doesn’t know the details of how he needs to qualify other than winning his final match tomorrow. Puma King did well against him but he fell to the Somato like so many others have in the past. He still leaves the tournament with his head held high by showing everyone he can handle many styles from Japan, America and Mexico.

After a brief absence since regaining his memory, Danshoku Dieno appeared after Match #2 to confront Daisuke Sasaki. A shocked Sasaki asked Dieno how he escaped from the casket he locked him in at Sumo Hall. Dieno explained the casket had an escape hatch underneath which he used just before he lost his memory. When Dieno got his memory back he went looking for footage of their KO-D Openweight Title bout. After watching it over and over he came to the conclusion that Sasaki is to blame for making Dieno get naked during the match! Dieno wants revenge and also a chance to regain the KO-D title but he is in no physical state to do it for now. So instead he found someone who will give Sasaki the beating he deserves. Out came Naomi Yoshimura returning from his overseas excursion from Hell! Sasaki said he had already decided on his next challenger. He was then distracted by the chain Yoshimura was wearing. Sasaki asked if it was made out of plastic. Next thing you know, Yoshimura decks Sasaki with a Short Arm Lariat! Sasaki was too unconscious to answer the challenge so Yoshimura told everyone he will wait for an answer at tomorrow’s show in Nagoya.


DDT “D-OU GRAND PRIX 2019 IN OSAKA” Results

December 9, 2018

DDT “D-OU GRAND PRIX 2019 IN OSAKA”, 08/12/2018
Osaka World Pavilion
244 Fans – Super No Vacancy Full House

1. 3 Way Match: Yukio Sakaguchi defeated Antonio Honda and Yuki Iino when Sakaguchi submitted Honda with the Modified Cobra Clutch (7:42).
2. Lucha Libre Rules: MAO, Sammy Guevara & Mizuki Watase defeated Toru Owashi, Kazuki Hirata & Yuki Ueno when MAO pinned Hirata with a Jackknife Pin (9:17).
3. D-Ou Grand Prix 2019 – A Block: Kazusada Higuchi (4) defeated Puma King (2) with the Doctor Bomb (7:53).
4. D-Ou Grand Prix 2019 – B Block: Mike Bailey (4) defeated Masahiro Takanashi (2) with the Green Tea Plunge (10:40).
5. D-Ou Grand Prix 2019 – A Block: HARASHIMA (2) defeated Akito (4) with the Somato (11:59).
6. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title – D-Ou Grand Prix 2019 – B Block: Shinya Aoki (6) defeated Soma Takao (c) (2) with a Triangle Choke (5:34).
*Shinya Aoki becomes the 1,341st champion.
7. D-Ou Grand Prix 2019 – A Block: Daisuke Sasaki (4) defeated Go Shiozaki (6) with the Sasaki Hurricanrana (18:22).
8. D-Ou Grand Prix 2019 – B Block: Tetsuya Endo (6) defeated Konosuke Takeshita (2) with the Shooting Star Press (22:11).

A Block

1. Go Shiozaki (6)
2. Akito (4)
-. MAO (4)
-. Daisuke Sasaki (4)
-. Kazusada Higuchi (4)
6. Puma King (2)
-. HARASHIMA (2)

B Block

1. Shinya Aoki (6)
-. Tetsuya Endo (6)
3. Sammy Guevara (4)
-. Mike Bailey (4)
5. Konosuke Takeshita (2)
-. Masahiro Takanashi (2)
-. Soma Takao (2)

The D-Ou Grand Prix rolled into Osaka for the next battle in DDT’s biggest feud. Konosuke Takeshita and Tetsuya Endo faced off one on one for the first time since the first Grand Prix in January. That one ended in a time limit draw but today there was a winner. Endo blocked Takeshita’s new Fable finisher with a Handspring Kick and later countered the move with a Sit Down Power Bomb. From there Endo hit the Swivel Torture Rack Bomb and pinned Takeshita with the Shooting Star Press. Endo told everyone that this was reality. He never liked Takeshita even when they were teaming together. Every time they wrestle he hates him even more. Endo then staked his claim that he will win the Grand Prix for DAMNATION. Not Daisuke Sasaki and not Soma Takao. His speech was interrupted when Nobuhiro Shimatani tried to finish it for Endo. Endo Low Blowed Shimatani to shut him up.

Daisuke Sasaki got back on track by beating the A Block leader Go Shiozaki, handing the NOAH wrestler his first defeat in the Grand Prix. Sasaki was in danger after taking the Strong Arm Lariat and a Fisherman Buster. But he escaped with the two points thanks to his flash Hurricanrana pinning Shiozaki from out of nowhere. Sasaki taunted Shiozaki after the match by lifting up the KO-D Openweight Title over him. Sasaki also has his confidence back with this win and thinks he is the strongest man in the universe. Even stronger than “that asshole” Thanos from the Avengers.

Two tournament trends continued today. Shinya Aoki winning matches in short times and the Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title changing hands. Aoki is now a double champion in DDT after beating Soma Takao. This was his longest block match yet thanks to Takao’s dirty tactics like ringside brawling and a low blow. Aoki recovered from it to counter the Official Endless Waltz into a Triangle Choke to get the submission victory. Takao doesn’t accept the result and is telling everyone his B Block record is now 7-0. He only has 6 matches in his block…

HARASHIMA finally gets his first win, beating Akito by breaking out of the Perfect Figure 4 and hitting two Somatos. He doesn’t know what his chances are at winning his block after his rocky start but there is still something good to be found in winning his remaining matches.

The match between Mike Bailey and Masahiro Takanashi was promised to be a clean fight. At least Takanashi kept swearing to Bailey that he would fight fair. Instead he pounced on Bailey when his guard dropped. His tricks weren’t enough though and Bailey won with the Green Tea Plunge.

Kazusada Higuchi followed up on yesterday’s win over HARASHIMA by beating Puma King with the Doctor Bomb. He knew he was going up against a mysterious opponent but was confident he would be the stronger man. King is disappointed that his record will most likely make him miss the final. He wants the Japanese fans to see how powerful a wrestler he is but he might have lost too many matches to prove it.


DDT “D-OU GRAND PRIX 2019 IN SHINKIBA” Results

December 7, 2018

DDT “D-OU GRAND PRIX 2019 IN SHINKIBA”, 07/12/2018
Shin-Kiba 1st RING
213 Fans – No Vacancy

1. 4 Way Tag Match: Keisuke Okuda & Yuki Iino defeated Toru Owashi & Kazuki Hirata, Yukio Sakaguchi & Saki Akai and Antonio Honda & Veda Scott when Iino pinned Hirata with the Haka Elbow (7:16).
2. No Tag Rules: MAO, Sammy Guevara & Puma King defeated Kota Umeda, Mizuki Watase & Yuki Ueno when King pinned Ueno with La Casita (7:45).
3. Husband Vs Wife! Oishi Asahi Vs AvidRival: Makoto Oishi & Shiori Asahi Vs Ryo Mizunami & Misaki Ohata ended in a Time Limit Draw (10:00).
4. D-Ou Grand Prix 2019 – A Block: Akito (4) defeated Daisuke Sasaki (2) with the Perfect Figure 4 Leg Lock (13:05).
5. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title – D-Ou Grand Prix 2019 – B Block: Soma Takao (2) defeated Tetsuya Endo (c) (4) with La Magistral Cradle (13:28).
*Soma Takao becomes the 1,340th champion.
6. D-Ou Grand Prix 2019 – B Block: Shinya Aoki (4) defeated Mike Bailey (2) with a Rotation Armlock (4:28).
7. D-Ou Grand Prix 2019 – B Block: Konosuke Takeshita (2) defeated Masahiro Takanashi (2) with the Fable (13:53).
8. D-Ou Grand Prix 2019 – A Block: Kazusada Higuchi (2) defeated HARASHIMA (0) with the Doctor Bomb (17:13).

A Block

1. Go Shiozaki (6)
2. Akito (4)
-. MAO (4)
4. Puma King (2)
-. Daisuke Sasaki (2)
-. Kazusada Higuchi (2)
7. HARASHIMA (0)

B Block

1. Shinya Aoki (4)
-. Tetsuya Endo (4)
-. Sammy Guevara (4)
4. Mike Bailey (2)
-. Konosuke Takeshita (2)
-. Masahiro Takanashi (2)
-. Soma Takao (2)

After a few days off the D-Ou Grand Prix was back in action today but one wrestler in particular continues to struggle out of the starting gates. HARASHIMA is now the only person in the tournament who is winless. Even worse is his defeat today was against Kazusada Higuchi, a rival who has not had the best of luck against HARASHIMA in singles matches until now. HARASHIMA did have Higuchi beaten with the Somato but was too slow to pin him. That allowed Higuchi time to fight back and hit the Doctor Bomb twice to win. Higuchi called HARASHIMA his wall and today he was able to climb over it! HARASHIMA gave credit to Higuchi for staying calm throughout the match. His mental strength has improved since their last match against each other and that was the difference maker.

Konosuke Takeshita took a page out of Mike Bailey’s book by bringing out a new finishing move to win his first match in the Grand Prix. Takeshita has created the Fable, a Swanton Bomb from the middle of the top rope onto an opponent sitting in the middle of the ring. Masahiro Takanashi takes the “honour” of being the first victim of the move. Takeshita was inspired by CIMA’s Meteora to create a similar move. He would have used it in his first match against Bailey but the opportunity was never there. Takeshita now wants to change his style whenever he loses so nobody from the wrestlers to the fans can predict what he’ll do in the ring next.

In his second match of the tournament, Shinya Aoki again won in under five minutes this time against Mike Bailey. Aoki chased down his opponent and applied a deep Sleeper Hold, keeping it on while Bailey rolled them out of the ring and onto the entrance ramp. When he finally let go and went back into the ring, Bailey caught him with a High Kick and went for the Ultima Weapon. Aoki instead caught him in a Rotation Arm Lock and got the submission victory. Aoki later complained about his opponents not being a good fit for him so far. He thinks none of his tournament matches have meshed and he’s felt no danger.

The DAMNATION Vs DAMNATION match had the added bonus of being an Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title match. Despite being in the same stable, Tetsuya Endo and Soma Takao did not hold back against each other. Endo thought he had the match won with the Tetsuya In The Sky but Takao turned the pin into the Official Endless Waltz. With Endo left dizzy, Takao then applied La Magistral Cradle to win the match and the title! Takao apologised to Endo for taking his belt. He didn’t even want it. Takao then asked Nobuhiro Shimatani where Mad Paulie was. He’s having his food time. Shimatani then addressed the audience about DAMNATION’s performance today with Takao being the only one in the group to win. He accidentally called Takao “BIMA” and Takao knocked him out to shut him up. Takao also claims his official record in the tournament is 3 wins and 0 losses. Today is really his first win.

As mentioned above, DAMNATION didn’t have the most success today. Daisuke Sasaki lost his match to Akito in a match where Akito constantly targets Sasaki’s knees. The damage took its toll and Akito was able to escape from Sasaki’s Cross Facelock to drop Sasaki knees first onto the canvas. From there Akito got Sasaki to submit to the Perfect Figure 4 Leg Lock. Akito says this victory is bigger than anything he’s gotten before. He got valuable league points and more important than that, he’s beaten the reigning KO-D Openweight Champion! Sasaki was left in despair over the result. Backstage he begged reporters to give him scissors so he could cut his own hair as a forfeit. When he got no answers Sasaki instead decided to make Akito his challenger for the KO-D Title on 3rd January!

Husband and wife Makoto Oishi & Misaki Ohata got their wish to wrestle each other with Shiori Asahi & Ryo Mizunami also involved. Oishi & Asahi had Ohata beaten with the Cactus Flower but time ran out before they could get the pin. Oishi & Ohata embraced after the match before AvidRival left Oishi & Asahi in the ring. Oishi pointed out that he and Asahi are currently the STRONGEST-K TAG Champions in K-DOJO. Maybe they should go after the KO-D Tag Team Titles in DDT too! MAO entered the ring with both of the KO-D Tag belts to confront them but Oishi & Asahi instead decided to change their minds and leave him be.

The Muscle brand will provide a pre-show match on the 30th December Korakuen Hall show. Super Sasadango Machine, Antonio Honda, Choun-Shiryu, Pedro Takaishi, Yasu Urano and Makoto Oishi will be part of the match.


DDT “D-OU GRAND PRIX 2019 IN NANTO” Results

December 1, 2018

DDT “D-OU GRAND PRIX 2019 IN NANTO”, 01/12/2018
Toyama Nanto City Fukuno B & G Ocean Center
308 Fans – Super No Vacancy

1. Konosuke Takeshita, Yuki Iino & Kota Umeda defeated Mike Bailey, Kazusada Higuchi & Yuki Ueno when Takeshita submitted Ueno with the Wall Of Takeshita (10:35).
2. D-Ou Grand Prix 2019 – A Block: MAO (4) defeated Puma King (2) with the Momo☆Clutch (10:43).
3. D-Ou Grand Prix 2019 – B Block: Sammy Guevara (2) defeated Soma Takao (0) with the Shooting Star Press (10:14).
4. D-Ou Grand Prix 2019 – B Block: Tetsuya Endo (2) defeated Masahiro Takanashi (2) with the Modified Yurikamome Hold (12:05).
5. D-Ou Grand Prix 2019 – A Block: Go Shiozaki (4) defeated Akito (0) with the Strong Arm Lariat (13:03).
6. Ken Ohka Local Triumph! Nanto Specialty How Surprising Special 6-Man Tag Match: Ken Ohka, HARASHIMA & Antonio Honda defeated Daisuke Sasaki, Mad Paulie & Nobuhiro Shimatani when Ohka pinned Shimatani with the Vertical Drop Brainbuster (15:43).

A Block

1. MAO (4)
-. Go Shiozaki (4)
3. Puma King (2)
4. Akito (0)
-. HARASHIMA (0)
-. Kazusada Higuchi (0)
-. Daisuke Sasaki (0)

B Block

1. Mike Bailey (2)
-. Shinya Aoki (2)
-. Tetsuya Endo (2)
-. Masahiro Takanashi (2)
-. Sammy Guevara (2)
6. Konosuke Takeshita (0)
-. Soma Takao (0)

While the D-Ou Grand Prix moved into its second day, the show was more focused on Ken Ohka’s homecoming. His father was part of the show opening introductions because he will be honored by the governor of Toyama on 22nd December for his volunteer work. The moment was interrupted by DAMNATION who surrounded Ohka’s dad. Ohka, HARASHIMA & Antonio Honda ran out to protect him and chase off DAMNATION. In the main event Ohka valiantly fought his best and was able to pin Nobuhiro Shimatani with the Vertical Drop Brainbuster. Ohka spoke about getting married a few years ago and becoming a father, something he never thought about until he turned 39. He’s 41 now and having a child makes him appreciate his father even more. Ohka’s dad thanked everyone and gave details about how to help his volunteer work in the area. Ohka then closed the show out by tearfully celebrating with the fans at ringside.

Akito played dirty late in his match with Go Shiozaki by using the referee as a shield so he could Dropkick Shiozaki in the knee. The plan didn’t work because Shiozaki recovered to hit the Go Flasher and the Strong Arm Lariat to win. Akito voiced his complaints backstage about the tournament having outsiders when it’s supposed to determine who is the best in DDT. He’s not looking forward to facing Puma King later in the block for this reason.

Masahiro Takanashi tried to trap Tetsuya Endo underneath a guardrail to count him out. He countered the Swivel Torture Rack Bomb into a DDT but Endo was able to lock in the Modified Yurikamome Hold to win his first match in the Grand Prix. Endo said he is highly motivated to compete in the tournament this time around after his unexpected confrontation with Daisuke Sasaki at the last Korakuen Hall show. However Endo won’t explicitly say why he has now become so motivated.

With yesterday’s humiliation now behind him, Sammy Guevara got his first win by beating Soma Takao. He countered the Gin And Tonic into the Canadian Destroyer and got the three count with the Shooting Star Press. Takao is trying to deny losing two block matches in a row because he has no memory of it. He thinks he won his first two matches and will make it three in a row when he takes on his stablemate Endo at Shin-Kiba 1st RING next week. Guevara bragged about having the most impact out of anyone when he is on the show whether the match lasts one minute or sixteen. He is spending his birthday here in Japan instead of being at home with his family so he will definitely be winning the Grand Prix and become a champion!

MAO joins Shiozaki at the top of A Block with a win over Puma King. MAO wanted to go high flying but King was ready for him most of the time, either grounding his opponent or catching his moves. MAO got one over him though by doing the Momo☆Clutch for the win. MAO said that lucha libre is something that has become easier to access and learn in Japan but even then he just knows the basic stuff. His plan today was to use the Momo☆Clutch at the right time. It worked. He now looks forward to his next match, a champion versus champion bout with Daisuke Sasaki.


DDT “D-OU GRAND PRIX 2019 IN SHINJUKU” Results

November 30, 2018

DDT “D-OU GRAND PRIX 2019 IN SHINJUKU”, 30/11/2018
Shinjuku FACE
342 Fans – No Vacancy

0. Scramble Bunkhouse Musical Match: Kota Umeda & Mizuki Watase defeated Toru Owashi & Kazuki Hirata when Umeda pinned Hirata with a PK (8:25).
1. Tetsuya Endo & Mad Paulie defeated Yukio Sakaguchi & Yuki Ueno when Endo pinned Ueno with the Swivel Torture Rack Bomb (6:38).
2. D-Ou Grand Prix 2019 – B Block: Masahiro Takanashi (2) defeated Soma Takao (0) with an Official Endless Waltz Cutoff (8:33).
3. D-Ou Grand Prix 2019 – A Block: Puma King (2) defeated Daisuke Sasaki (0) with the Puma Kingdom (13:34).
4. D-Ou Grand Prix 2019 – B Block: Shinya Aoki (2) defeated Sammy Guevara (0) with a Reverse Cross Armbreaker (3:52).
5. Akito, Yuki Iino, Makoto Oishi, Antonio Honda & Gorgeous Matsuno defeated CIMA, El Lindaman, Dezmond Xavier, Zachary Wentz & Trey Miguel when Akito submitted Lindaman with the Perfect Figure 4 Leg Lock (13:00).
6. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title – D-Ou Grand Prix 2019 – B Block: Mike Bailey (2) defeated Konosuke Takeshita (c) (0) with the Flamingo Driver (16:56)
*Mike Bailey becomes the 1,338th champion.
7. D-Ou Grand Prix 2019 – A Block: Go Shiozaki (2) defeated Kazusada Higuchi (0) with the Strong Arm Lariat (16:05).
8. D-Ou Grand Prix 2019 – A Block: MAO (2) defeated HARASHIMA (0) with a Jackknife Pin (16:20).

A Block

1. MAO (2)
-. Go Shiozaki (2)
-. Puma King (2)
4. Akito (0)
-. HARASHIMA (0)
-. Kazusada Higuchi (0)
-. Daisuke Sasaki (0)

B Block

1. Mike Bailey (2)
-. Shinya Aoki (2)
-. Masahiro Takanashi (2)
4. Tetsuya Endo (0)
-. Konosuke Takeshita (0)
-. Sammy Guevara (0)
-. Soma Takao (0)

The second D-Ou Grand Prix kicked off with a packed show where the Moonlight Express both earned significant victories over DDT’s most accomplished wrestlers. MAO swept away from HARASHIMA’s Somato, allowing MAO to hit HARASHIMA with a Screw High Kick and then roll him up in a Jackknife to get the surprise three count. HARASHIMA lowered his head to MAO after the match to accept the result. MAO said that his momentum and hot passion will not be stopped. He will win the A Block, Mike Bailey will win the B Block and together these two idiots will put on a foolish final!

Go Shiozaki immediately made his mark in the tournament by turning Kazusada Higuchi’s chest raw with Chops. This was a rematch from their NOAH Global League match from earlier this month and the result was the same. Shiozaki knows just how powerful Higuchi is and he is relieved to get this match over with first in the Grand Prix. Higuchi is disappointed that he wasn’t able to use the lessons learned from their first match to get a different result today. The match was closer this time but he still suffered a complete defeat to Shiozaki twice now.

Speedball joined MAO in the victory circle by beating his former teammate Konosuke Takeshita, winning the Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title in the process. Bailey figured he had to do something new to beat Takeshita and boy did he find it. After a Tornado Whirlwind Kick in the corner, Bailey lifted Takeshita onto the turnbuckle and placed him knees first onto his shoulder. Bailey then walked into the centre of the ring and flipped Takeshita down into a driver to get the three count. The move is called the Flamingo Driver and Bailey knew he could win with the move because of how much damage it inflicts on the opponent. Backstage Bailey said the result wasn’t luck. He is a man with brains, skills and worldwide experience. Now he’s a double champion too.

Who would have guessed that STRONG HEARTS would meet their match in the form of Gorgeous Matsuno? Sure, sure, Akito was the one to make El Lindaman submit while Yuki Iino cleaned house, giving ALL OUT some momentum against the outsiders. But CIMA just couldn’t figure Matsuno out even with Matsuno wrestling with a back injury. Antonio Honda threw everyone off even more by telling his Gongitsune joke in English. Iino Speared CIMA while Akito trapped Lindaman in the Perfect Figure 4 Leg Lock to win the match. CIMA made the excuse that he didn’t take the match seriously then brought up how nobody in DDT challenged STRONG HEARTS at the last Korakuen Hall show to a KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles match. Afterwards he was told by Lindaman to look up Akito on the internet. There he found out that Akito is owed a title match by DDT for finishing second in this year’s Dramatic General Election. CIMA wants Akito to use that shot against STRONG HEARTS and to also include Konosuke Takeshita on the team. Akito accepted but added that Yuki Iino will also be on the team because Shunma Katsumata is injured. CIMA doesn’t care about Katsumata. Takeshita is who he wants to fight again. Tetsuya Koda confirmed the match will take place on 30th December. Hisaya Imabayashi cut in and told Koda that Takeshita and Akito can’t be booked for that date yet because one or both of them might be in the Grand Prix final that day. Imabayashi asked CIMA when T-Hawk & Duan Yingnan can next be available for DDT. CIMA said 3rd January. That’s the date of the match then. With that over with, CIMA moved the spotlight over to The Rascalz because the 30th December will be their last match in DDT for this tour. The crowd responded favourably when CIMA asked if they would like to see The Rascalz come back next year.

Back to the Grand Prix and the most unusual pairing in the tournament provided the most unusual match. Sammy Guevara constantly taunted Shinya Aoki by kicking him off the apron and insulting him over the microphone. When he gave Aoki the middle finger, Aoki grabbed his arm and made him tap to the Cross Armbreaker. Aoki didn’t care if he didn’t mesh with Guevara. This is a long tournament for him so starting off with a quick win is a good thing. Guevara couldn’t process what happened, it went by so fast. From his point of view he offered a handshake to Aoki and everything went into a blur from there.

Puma King’s first appearance in DDT could not have gone any better. A clean win over the KO-D Openweight Champion should catch the attention of any DDT fan. Daisuke Sasaki tried to stop King by pulling at his mask but the luchador couldn’t be held down in the Cross Facelock. Sasaki went to the top rope for an Avalanche Pedigree but Puma countered it with a Super Power Bomb for the upset victory. Puma King says DDT has plenty of talented wrestlers and by coming here he can become a world star. Puma King wants to be known all around the world. He was happy to wrestle with Sasaki because they are friends who learned from the same mentor. Sasaki however did not give any interview after the match.

Masahiro Takanashi wanted to put his focus only on Soma Takao but Nobuhiro Shimatani annoyed him from ringside. Takanashi reached his breaking point and attacked Shimatani outside the ring. He then took his DAMNATION sign and attacked Takao with it! When the match went back to normal both wrestlers tried to do the Takatonic to each other. Takao turned the tussle into the Official Endless Waltz but Takanashi stopped it long enough to pin Takao. Afterwards Takao complained about Takanashi not being disqualified for attacking him with the sign.

A strong demand from Kazuki Hirata created a new match for DDT, the Scramble Bunkhouse Musical Match. A pair of Hirata GO! glasses was hung lowly over the ring with the idea that both teams will fight each other for it. Instead Hirata was the only person who ran down to it while everyone else fought with each other around ringside. Hirata later put the glasses on but instead of dancing, he was kicked to oblivion by Kota Umeda & Mizuki Watase in time to his music.

With Danshoku Dieno absent and becoming less reliable, DDT is now on the lookout to recruit new comedy wrestlers. They will hold an audition called the New Year’s Day Burst Out Laughing Rumble to find the next Dieno. Sanshiro Takagi & Makoto Oishi will be the judges.

Meiko Satomura, Toru Owashi & Kazuki Hirata will team together on 30th December.

Match #6 for Kota Umeda’s Mad Dog Trial will be Daichi Hashimoto on 3rd January.


DDT “SOUKEN HOLDINGS PRESENTS DDT SPECIAL 2018” Results

November 25, 2018

DDT “SOUKEN HOLDINGS PRESENTS DDT SPECIAL 2018”, 25/11/2018
Tokyo Korakuen Hall
1,312 Fans – Super No Vacancy
DDT Dramatic General Election Ranking In Parentheses

0. Under Match: Gota Ihashi (#22) & Makoto Oishi (#23) defeated Mizuki Watase (#21) & Yuki Ueno (#24) when Oishi pinned Watase with a Back Drop Switchover (6:26).
-. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title: Konosuke Takeshita defeated Tetsuya Koda (c) with a Low Blow (11:26 am).
*Konosuke Takeshita becomes the 1,337th champion.
1. 3 Way Match: Toru Owashi (#19) defeated Antonio Honda (#12) and Saki Akai (#14) when Owashi pinned Honda with La Magistral Cradle (5:29).
2. Tetsuya Endo (#6) & Soma Takao (#8) defeated Keisuke Ishii (#10) & Yumehito Imanari (#11) when Takao pinned Imanari with a Perfect Driver (7:58).
3. Dezmond Xavier, Zachary Wentz & Trey Miguel defeated KUDO (#15), Shunma Katsumata (#16) & Kazusada Higuchi (#17) when Wentz pinned Katsumata with the Hot Fire Flame (7:00).
4. DDT Special Four Great Singles Match – Hardcore Rules: Jun Kasai (#20) defeated MAO (#9) with the Vertical Drop Reverse Tiger Driver (12:30).
5. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title – DDT Special Four Great Singles Match: Konosuke Takeshita (#13) (c) defeated Maki Itoh (#3) by Knockout with a Zahi (11:53).
*V1 Konosuke Takeshita.
6. DDT Special Four Great Singles Match: Akito (#2) Vs Danshoku Dieno (#7) ended in a No Contest (12:04).
7. DISASTER BOX Vs #STRONGHEARTS: CIMA & El Lindaman defeated HARASHIMA (#4) & Kazuki Hirata (#18) when CIMA pinned Hirata with an Egoist Driver (14:17).
8. KO-D Openweight Title & 1,000,000 Yen Prize Money ~ DDT Special Four Great Singles Match: Daisuke Sasaki (#5) (c) defeated Masahiro Takanashi (#1) with the Sasaki Hurricanrana (21:56).
*V1 for Daisuke Sasaki.

Guess who is a million yen richer? Daisuke Sasaki, that’s who! His win over Masahiro Takanashi not only marks his first successful defence of the KO-D Openweight Title but he also wins the cash prize Takanashi originally earned from the Dramatic General Election. Sasaki used the Flash Hurricanrana early for a nearfall but his second attempt twenty minutes later sealed the deal. Inbetween that time, Takanashi used everything from the Takatonic to the Laphroaig to even KUDO’s Diving Double Knee Drop to win. Although Sasaki was the one who had his hand raised, he showed a rare moment of compassion for his opponent by calling him back to the ring. Sasaki asked if the scene around him was what he wanted to see, a packed Korakuen Hall cheering for him. Sasaki said today was an important story and together he and Takanashi can bring in a new era for DDT. He offered out his hand but Takanashi turned around and left the ring.

With that out of the way, Sasaki turned to his future plans. His next scheduled title defence is at Sumo Hall on 17th February against the winner of the D-Ou Grand Prix but he thinks that is a bit too far to wait. He’d rather have a title defence sooner and he also wants nominate his own challenger. The DDT GMs Tetsuya Koda and Hisaya Imabayashi consulted with each other and decided a title match can happen on 3rd January for the first episode of “DDT LIVE! MAJI MANJI SUPER”. Sasaki said he will pay attention to the entire Grand Prix and choose his opponent from his research. Suddenly Tetsuya Endo pushed Sasaki and told him he’s going to win the Grand Prix. Well, either him or Soma Takao. Takao told Endo to calm down and then asked Sasaki if he can have the prize money because Sasaki used the Gin And Tonic in the main event without his permission. Think of it as a rights fee. Sasaki said no. It was his birthday this week so he’s off to spend the money at a bar to celebrate.

El Lindaman was worried that Kazuki Hirata’s entrance would bring back some horrible memories for CIMA so he made CIMA wear an eye mask and headphones until Hirata finished his dance. Hirata instead Dropkicked CIMA while his guard was down. He would then taunt CIMA by giving Lindaman a Gyrating Frankensteiner. To everyone’s surprise, CIMA did his own Gyrating Frankensteiner to Hirata in response. Lindaman dove out of the ring onto HARASHIMA while CIMA tried to take care of Hirata. There was a moment where Hirata caught CIMA in the Miracle One Shot Cradle but CIMA kicked out of it. CIMA got the win when he pinned Hirata with the Egoist Driver. Turns out CIMA has gotten over that piece of his past. After the match CIMA talked about STRONG HEARTS recently getting a new member from WRESTLE-1. Maybe they should get a member from DDT and it should be Hirata! CIMA offered Hirata a handshake but Hirata turned him down. Hirata looked a bit hesitant over his decision as he walked back to the locker room.

Nobody wanted Danshoku Dieno to get his memory back more than Akito. Today was meant to be a dream match for the lad but Dieno just wasn’t himself. Instead of kissing fans in the audience, he just shook their hands. Every time Akito blatantly put himself in position for one of Dieno’s trademark moves Dieno would do something else instead. Makoto Oishi & Super Sasadango Machine got involved desperately trying to cure their friend’s amnesia. Nothing worked and it drove Oishi mad to the point that he grabbed a chair. Oishi swung the chair at Dieno but he ducked and Akito got hit instead. Dieno grabbed the chair and swung at Oishi but missed. The chair bounced off the ropes and smashed back into Dieno’s face! Suddenly Dieno began to stir and the lights went off. When they came back on Dieno was naked with his lose tights covering his junk! He gave Akito the Lip Lock and a naked Danshoku Driver while everyone else at ringside tried to block it from the audience’s view. The match ended in a no contest while Dieno rampaged through the crowd to the back.

The match between Konosuke Takeshita and Maki Itoh became more interesting when Takeshita won the Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title at the beginning of the show. So now Itoh had a chance to win back the title. Itoh gave Takeshita the middle finger but struggled to do much against her opponent. However that only charged Itoh up. Takeshita begun to get worried when Itoh started banging her head off the turnbuckles so he removed one of them. That backfired when Itoh was able to throw Takeshita head first into the exposed turnbuckle. Takeshita grabbed the title belt from ringside to use it as a weapon but Itoh stopped him with a DDT. Itoh was later pushed into the steel but she landed onto Takeshita’s crotch for an unintentional low blow. Itoh tried to give Takeshita another middle finger but he grabbed her hand and smashed her in the face with an elbow strike. Takeshita stomped on Itoh’s hands and then hit the Zahi Knee Strike. Yukinori Matsui started counting Itoh out but she slowly started to get up. At nine she gave Takeshita one last middle finger and collapsed, losing the match by knockout.

As Ito was being helped to the back, Takeshita scolded her for giving him the middle finger so many times. He thought they could be rivals but unfortunately admits it is too much of a mismatch. However he wants Ito to continue on the path she has chosen. That is the pro wrestling way. You can go as far as you like when you do things your way as long as you try your hardest. Ito gave him the middle finger and walked off. Michiaki Nakano from Souken Holdings entered the ring and handed the Iron Man Title to Takeshita. Nobuhiro Shimatani and Gota Ihashi both tried to ambush Takeshita with School Boys but Takeshita kicked out of both of them. Nakano then tried to do one but couldn’t even get Takeshita off his feet. Takeshita, Shimatani and Ihashi all stomped on Nakano until he was pulled out of the ring.

MAO has had a crazy 2018 and considered today’s match with Jun Kasai as his final boss battle. He wasn’t able to win but he thinks having a Hardcore Match with Kasai will open new doors for him. They slammed each other through plastic boxes and skewered each other’s heads with bamboo skewers. MAO kicked out of the Pearl Harbor Splash but was put away with the Vertical Drop Reverse Tiger Driver.

STRONG HEARTS were also victorious earlier in the show when Dezmond Xavier, Zachary Wentz & Trey Miguel beat the mixed DDT team of KUDO, Shunma Katsumata & Kazusada Higuchi. The home side were unprepared for the fast paced moves presented by The Rascalz which included a triple dive to the outside. When Higuchi tagged into the match his team were able to take control but eventually Katsumata was singled out. Wentz got the pin with the Hot Fire Flame, a move where he does Standing Moonsault next to his opponent and Xavier pushes him over to the target in mid-air!

The DAMNATION duo of Endo & Takao were able to beat Ganbare☆Wrestling’s pair of Keisuke Ishii & Yumehito Imanari without much trouble. Endo gave Imanari the Swivel Torture Rack and Takao got the three count with the Perfect Driver. Was that done intentionally because CIMA was on the show?

When Toru Owashi put Saki Akai in a Mexican Stretch it had the unintended effect of making Antonio Honda too hyper actively aroused to wrestle. This happened again when Honda was ready to do a Shining Wizard to Akai only to stall when Akai moved herself into a seductive pose. Owashi used the distraction to pin Honda with La Magistral Cradle.

In the pre-show match Makoto Oishi was able to counter Mizuki Watase’s Back Drop into a Cradle to nab the three count.

Takeshita was able to win the Iron Man Title from Tetsuya Koda at the beginning of the show when the two were in the ring for the opening announcements. Takeshita was there to promote the New Year’s Eve wrestling show. He said that he’s been in the final of the annual tournament for the last three years so he has to make it four in a row. When it was Koda’s turn to talk, Takeshita gave him a Low Blow and pinned him to win the title. After he left the ring, Michiaki Nakano climbed in and jumped on top of Koda. Hisaya Imabayashi had to tell him Koda was no longer the champion so nobody was going to count his pin

Chigusa Nagayo’s match at the 17th Febuary Sumo Hall show will be a 6-Person Tag Match. She will be teaming up with Sanshiro Takagi & Ryuji Ito against a trio to be announced later. Nagayo, Takagi & Ito have teamed together once before way back in March 2005 as part of an event produced by Nagayo in Differ Ariake.


D-King Grand Prix 2019 Schedule… In 2018

November 13, 2018

The D-Ou Grand Prix is back for a second go around. The first tournament held in January earlier this year was a successful concept for DDT. Even though the upcoming edition is labelled as the 2019 tournament, the first show will take place on 30th November and the rest takes place during December 2018. The reason for this is the winner of the D-Ou GP will get a KO-D Openweight Title shot at “JUDGEMENT 2019” on 17th February. If the tournament was to be held in January like the first one then there wouldn’t be much time left to set up and promote the Sumo Hall show coming out of it. The same format of two groups containing seven wrestlers each is being kept. Each block match has a 30 minute time limit, winners get 2 points and draws of any kind are worth 1 point. The final between the two block winners will have no time limit. In the case of a tie for 1st place in one of the blocks then the direct confrontation rule will be used. The results of the group match(es) between the tied wrestlers determines who advances to the final. If that also ends in a tie then a tiebreaker match will be held on the 30th December show before the final takes place.

A Block

Daisuke Sasaki
HARASHIMA
Kazusada Higuchi
Akito
MAO
Puma King
Go Shiozaki

B Block

Konosuke Takeshita
Tetsuya Endo
Soma Takao
Masahiro Takanashi
Mike Bailey
Sammy Guevara
Shinya Aoki

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DDT “D-OU GRAND PRIX 2019 IN SHINJUKU”, 30/11/2018
Shinjuku FACE

1. D-Ou Grand Prix 2019 – A Block: Daisuke Sasaki Vs Puma King
2. D-Ou Grand Prix 2019 – A Block: HARASHIMA Vs MAO
3. D-Ou Grand Prix 2019 – A Block: Kazusada Higuchi Vs Go Shiozaki
4. D-Ou Grand Prix 2019 – B Block: Konosuke Takeshita Vs Mike Bailey
5. D-Ou Grand Prix 2019 – B Block: Soma Takao Vs Masahiro Takanashi
6. D-Ou Grand Prix 2019 – B Block: Shinya Aoki Vs Sammy Guevara

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DDT “D-OU GRAND PRIX 2019 IN NANTO”, 01/12/2018
Toyama Nanto City Fukuno B & G Ocean Center

1. D-Ou Grand Prix 2019 – A Block: MAO Vs Puma King
2. D-Ou Grand Prix 2019 – A Block: Akito Vs Go Shiozaki
3. D-Ou Grand Prix 2019 – B Block: Tetsuya Endo Vs Masahiro Takanashi
4. D-Ou Grand Prix 2019 – B Block: Soma Takao Vs Sammy Guevara

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DDT “D-OU GRAND PRIX 2019 IN FUJI”, 02/12/2018
Shizuoka Fuji-san Messe

1. D-Ou Grand Prix 2019 – A Block: Daisuke Sasaki Vs MAO
2. D-Ou Grand Prix 2019 – A Block: Kazusada Higuchi Vs Akito
3. D-Ou Grand Prix 2019 – A Block: Go Shiozaki Vs Puma King
4. D-Ou Grand Prix 2019 – B Block: Tetsuya Endo Vs Mike Bailey
5. D-Ou Grand Prix 2019 – B Block: Masahiro Takanashi Vs Sammy Guevara

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DDT “D-OU GRAND PRIX 2019 IN SHINKIBA”, 07/12/2018
Shin-Kiba 1st RING

1. D-Ou Grand Prix 2019 – A Block: Daisuke Sasaki Vs Akito
2. D-Ou Grand Prix 2019 – A Block: HARASHIMA Vs Kazusada Higuchi
3. D-Ou Grand Prix 2019 – B Block: Konosuke Takeshita Vs Masahiro Takanashi
4. D-Ou Grand Prix 2019 – B Block: Tetsuya Endo Vs Soma Takao
5. D-Ou Grand Prix 2019 – B Block: Shinya Aoki Vs Mike Bailey

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DDT “D-OU GRAND PRIX 2019 IN OSAKA”, 08/12/2018
Osaka World Pavilion

1. D-Ou Grand Prix 2019 – A Block: Daisuke Sasaki Vs Go Shiozaki
2. D-Ou Grand Prix 2019 – A Block: HARASHIMA Vs Akito
3. D-Ou Grand Prix 2019 – A Block: Kazusada Higuchi Vs Puma King
4. D-Ou Grand Prix 2019 – B Block: Konosuke Takeshita Vs Tetsuya Endo
5. D-Ou Grand Prix 2019 – B Block: Soma Takao Vs Shinya Aoki
6. D-Ou Grand Prix 2019 – B Block: Masahiro Takanashi Vs Mike Bailey

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DDT “D-OU GRAND PRIX 2019 IN HAKATA”, 09/12/2018
Hakata Star Lane

1. D-Ou Grand Prix 2019 – A Block: Daisuke Sasaki Vs HARASHIMA
2. D-Ou Grand Prix 2019 – A Block: Kazusada Higuchi Vs MAO
3. D-Ou Grand Prix 2019 – A Block: Akito Vs Puma King
4. D-Ou Grand Prix 2019 – B Block: Konosuke Takeshita Vs Shinya Aoki
5. D-Ou Grand Prix 2019 – B Block: Tetsuya Endo Vs Sammy Guevara

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DDT “D-OU GRAND PRIX 2019 IN YOKOHAMA”, 14/12/2018
Yokohama Radiant Hall

1. D-Ou Grand Prix 2019 – A Block: HARASHIMA Vs Puma King
2. D-Ou Grand Prix 2019 – A Block: MAO Vs Go Shiozaki
3. D-Ou Grand Prix 2019 – B Block: Konosuke Takeshita Vs Soma Takao
4. D-Ou Grand Prix 2019 – B Block: Masahiro Takanashi Vs Shinya Aoki
5. D-Ou Grand Prix 2019 – B Block: Mike Bailey Vs Sammy Guevara

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DDT “D-OU GRAND PRIX 2019 IN NAGOYA”, 15/12/2018
Nagoya City Mid-Sports Center

1. D-Ou Grand Prix 2019 – A Block: Daisuke Sasaki Vs Kazusada Higuchi
2. D-Ou Grand Prix 2019 – A Block: HARASHIMA Vs Go Shiozaki
3. D-Ou Grand Prix 2019 – A Block: Akito Vs MAO
4. D-Ou Grand Prix 2019 – B Block: Konosuke Takeshita Vs Sammy Guevara
5. D-Ou Grand Prix 2019 – B Block: Tetsuya Endo Vs Shinya Aoki
6. D-Ou Grand Prix 2019 – B Block: Soma Takao Vs Sammy Guevara

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DDT “D-OU GRAND PRIX 2019 THE FINAL!!”, 30/12/2018
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

1. D-Ou Grand Prix 2019 – Final: Winner Of A Block Vs Winner Of B Block


Video – Soma Takao Vs Akito

November 7, 2018

DDT “DRAMATIC TENJINBASHI! 2018”, 03/11/2018
Osaka Oyodo Community Center
219 Fans

Road To D-Oh GP 2019 Special Single Match: Soma Takao Vs Akito