DDT “ROAD TO WRESTLE PETER PAN 2019 ~FREE BOX OFFICE SIMULATION SPECIAL~”, 06/02/2019 Shin-Kiba 1st RING 352 Fans – Super No Vacancy Full House
1. Jason Kincaid & Naomi Yoshimura defeated Akito & Space Monkey when Kincaid pinned Monkey with the Philosopher’s Stomp (8:43).
2. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title – 4 Way Match: Asuka (c) defeated Mad Paulie, Kazuki Hirata and Saki Akai when Asuka pinned Hirata with the Moonsault (4:46). *V? for Asuka.
3. Toru Owashi & Yuki Ueno defeated Kazusada Higuchi & Antonio Honda when Owashi pinned Owashi with La Magistral (10:26).
4. Sanshiro Takagi defeated Soma Takao by Disqualification when Takao attacked the referee (7:43).
5. HARASHIMA & Yukio Sakaguchi defeated Kota Umeda & Makoto Oishi when HARASHIMA pinned Umeda with the Somato (12:42).
6. Masahiro Takanashi defeated MAO with the Takatonic (16:17).
7. DAMNATION Vs ALL OUT!: Daisuke Sasaki & Tetsuya Endo defeated Konosuke Takeshita & Yuki Iino when Sasaki pinned Iino with a Diving Elbow Drop (19:45).
Well it was nice while it lasted but Daisuke Sasaki is fighting clean no more. Sasaki kept up the good behaviour at first by shaking everyone’s hands and even calling out Tetsuya Endo for fighting dirty against Yuki Iino. But Sasaki eventually showed his true self when Yukinori Matsui got knocked out. With the referee gone, Sasaki said he couldn’t hold it in any longer and he kicked Konosuke Takeshita below the belt. He then threw a chair at Takeshita when they were outside the ring. Takeshita got revenge back inside when he took Sasaki’s chair and smashed it over Sasaki’s head. Takeshita then tried to squash Sasaki by Power Bombing Iino onto him but Sasaki rolled out of the way. Takeshita then tried to give Sasaki a German Suplex but Sasaki grabbed onto Matsui to block the move and do the Now Or Never Instead. With Takeshita out of the picture, Endo gave Iino the Swivel Torture Rack Bomb and Sasaki pinned him with a Diving Elbow.
Sasaki mocked Takeshita after the match by calling him stupid for ever believing that Sasaki was a good guy now. Takeshita admitted he keeps falling for Sasaki’s tricks but he really thought Sasaki meant it this time because there was a glint in his eyes that was never there before. Even Endo said he was also falling for it. Sasaki told everyone he will protect the KO-D Openweight Title from being taken by idiots like Takeshita. He ended the show with the DAMNATION motto, adding “You must never trust us” at the end of his mantra.
Masahiro Takanashi doesn’t see what is so threatening about MAO. He beat him cleanly in a singles match today. Yukio Sakaguchi couldn’t do that but Takanashi showed there is nothing to fear. For MAO the defeat brought back bad memories of NωA and the times when Shuten-dōji would beat them over and over. MAO needs to beat Shuten-dōji at Sumo Hall so he can move on from that period of his life.
After Match #5, HARASHIMA got on the microphone to talk about how he still doesn’t know what the stipulation is for his DDT Extreme Title match at Sumo Hall in two weeks time. Luckily for him, the champion Shinya Aoki was in the building and he came down to the ring. Aoki already said the stipulation. They will be fighting for “our pride”. Hisaya Imabayashi stepped in and asked for clarification but HARASHIMA understood Aoki’s point. Aoki and HARASHIMA will fight with their pride on the line.
Something has been bothering Soma Takao lately and Sanshiro Takagi was determined to find out what. He brought out the Dream Go but once again it fell apart as soon as it was used. The match turned violent with both Takagi and Takao smashing the plastic boxes over each other until Daisuke Kiso told them to stop. Takao then made a pile of chairs in the ring and gave Kiso a Michinoku Driver onto them! He then gave Takagi a the Scwhein but the bell rang and Takao was disqualified for attacking the referee. Takao told Takagi that he is angry at him, angry at Ryuji Ito, angry at Chigusa Nagayo and angry at, well, everything! Takagi told Takao to bring that anger with him to Sumo Hall. In his backstage interview, Takagi explained he has twenty years worth of reasons to be angry. New Japan, All Japan, NOAH, WWE and AEW have made him angry. He’s been angry at the wrestling magazines for the times they only gave DDT half a monochrome page worth of coverage in their issues. When he goes to other shows and gets stuck in a packed lobby that makes him angry. What reason does Takao have to be angry at in comparison?
Yesterday Toru Owashi made his triumphant return to Dragon Gate for the first time in 14 years! Today he marked the occasion by imitating Masato Yoshino’s high speed rope running at the start of Match #3. The match also featured a lot of kiss teasing between the wrestlers. Owashi and Honda first teased it when they were fighting over Gongitsune. Yuki Ueno and Kazusada Higuchi then teased it but their moment was interrupted when Owashi pinned Honda.
Asuka had nothing in her schedule today so she came to the building and added herself into the 3 Way Match. Kazuki Hirata dared Asuka and Saki Akai to give Mad Paulie a Double Suplex and they succeeded. The three of them danced until Asuka and Akai attacked Hirata. Asuka turned on Akai and hit her with a High Kick. Asuka then pinned Hirata with a Choke Slam and the Moonsault.
The Right To Challenge Anytime, Anywhere Gauntlets will be up for grabs on the 23rd February Shinjuku FACE show. A new rule has been added this year where the Gauntlets can only be cashed in for an immediate title match. The holder can no longer declare their intention to cash in on a certain date in advance.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TOKYO JOSHI 2019 WINTER ~HIGH SCORE~”, 02/02/2019 Tokyo Itabashi Green Hall
1. Shoko Nakajima Vs Himawari Unagi
2. Yuki Kamifuku Vs Pom Harajuku
3. Maki Ito & Raku Vs Natsumi Maki & Hikari Noa
4. Yuna Manase Vs YUMI
5. Yuka Sakazaki, Mizuki & Pinano Pipipipi Vs Reika Saiki, Marika Kobashi & Mina Shirakawa
6. Miyu Yamashita & Miu Watanabe Vs Nodoka Tenma & Yuki Aino
Haruna Neko will miss the show due to a back injury.
DDT “ROAD TO WRESTLE PETER PAN 2019 ~FREE BOX OFFICE SIMULATION SPECIAL~”, 06/02/2019 Shin-Kiba 1st RING
1. Sanshiro Takagi Vs Soma Takao
The history between Sanshiro Takagi and Soma Takao has been coming back to the surface lately. Takagi thinks that Takao is treading water and limiting himself by being a member of DAMNATION. Back when they were teaming together as nWJ, Takao had all of the potential in the world and Takagi wants him to be like that again. Takao doesn’t buy it and is satisfied with being a DAMNATION wrestler. Before they face off at Sumo Hall they will have a singles match at a special free show at Shin-Kiba 1st RING. All tickets for the show have already been given out.
MUSCLE “MUSCLE MANIA 2019 IN RYOGOKU ~ OUR SECOND CAREER”, 16/02/2019 Tokyo Ryogoku Kokugikan
1. Pedro Takaishi Retirement Match: Pedro Takaishi Vs X
What is there to say about Pedro Takaishi? No really, what is there? Muscle in its prime days came and went before this blog existed so the importance of this guy is unknown to me. All I know is he is a business man who learned capoeira and joined Muscle to became a pro wrestler. Now in his 50s, Takaishi will now call an end to his pro wrestling career. Or at least Super Sasadango Machine is making him do it as a selling point for this show.
DDT “JUDGEMENT 2019 ~DDT 22ND ANNIVERSARY~”, 17/02/2019 Tokyo Ryogoku Kokugikan
0. Pro Wrestling BASARA Offer Match: Ryuichi Sekine & Daiki Shimomura Vs Takato Nakano & Masato Kamino
0. Tokyo Joshi Pro Offer Match: Yuna Manase, Nodoka Tenma & Yuki Aino Vs Natsumi Maki, Hikari Noa & Miu Watanabe
1. Shunma Katsumata Return Match: Shunma Katsumata, Yuki Ueno & Space Monkey Vs Antonio Honda, Jason Kincaid & Naomi Yoshimura
2. Special Single Match: Akito Vs T-Hawk
3. Taiho Koki’s Grandson Yukio Naya Ryogoku Kokugikan First Participation!: Go Shiozaki, Kazusada Higuchi & Yukio Naya Vs Daisuke Sekimoto, Toru Owashi & Yuki Iino
4. Danshoku Dieno Produce Yuru-chara “Pokotan” Debut Match: Danshoku Dieno, Pokotan & KUDO Vs Keisuke Ishii, Kota Umeda & Mizuki Watase
5. Special Hardcore 6-Person Tag Match: Sanshiro Takagi, Chigusa Nagayo & Ryuji Ito Vs Soma Takao, Mad Paulie & Takumi Iroha
6. Dramatic Dream Match: Naomichi Marufuji Vs Tetsuya Endo
7. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title – Time Difference Battle Royal: Asuka (c) Vs Super Sasadango Machine Vs Makoto Oishi Vs Keisuke Okuda Vs Saki Akai Vs Kazuki Hirata Vs Gorgeous Matsuno Vs Hoshitango Vs Gota Ihashi Vs Yuni Vs Yasu Urano Vs El Lindaman Vs Scorpio X2 Vs Yuka Sakazaki Vs Mina Shirakawa Vs Chinsuke Nakamura Vs Maku Donaruto
8. KO-D Tag Team Titles – 3 Way Match: Mike Bailey & MAO (c) Vs Yukio Sakaguchi & Masahiro Takanashi Vs CIMA & Seiki Yoshioka
9. DDT Extreme Title – Souken Holdings Presents: Shinya Aoki (c) Vs HARASHIMA
10. KO-D Openweight Title: Daisuke Sasaki (c) Vs Konosuke Takeshita
No stipulations for the DDT Extreme Title match. It will be a straight forward singles rematch between Shinya Aoki and HARASHIMA.
Asuka is now expected to be the defending Iron Man Heavymetalweight Champion going into the Battle Royal. Chinsuke Nakamura will still be part of the match with or without the belt. He can bring back his homemade US Title now.
With Tomomitsu Matsunaga Vs Nobuhiro Shimatani pulled from the show, a new pre-show match was made featuring BASARA wrestlers.
GANBARE☆WRESTLING “DON’T STOP ME NOW 2019”, 21/02/2019 Shin-Kiba 1st RING
1. Ganbare☆Wrestling Vs Sento Minzoku ~Fate Reunion! Ohka & Isami!~: Ken Ohka & Shuichiro Katsumura Vs Isami Kodaka & Ryuichi Sekine
2. Ganbare☆Wrestling Vs Sento Minzoku ~Fort Of Ganpro~: Keisuke Ishii Vs Minoru Fujita
3. Are You In A Wrestling Textbook? Yumehito Imanari’s Believe S-Road: Yumehito Imanari Vs Shinjiro Otani
If there is one person who is qualified to write the definitive textbook on pro wrestling, it’s Shinjiro Otani. He’s coming to Ganbare☆Wrestling to teach a lesson or two towards Yumehito Imanari.
Keisuke Ishii is ready to defend Ganpro’s honour against Minoru Fujita. Most of the roster have fallen to Fujita so now it’s up to Ishii.
As of 26th January Shuichiro Katsumura has a full time member of Ganpro.
The Sento Minzoku feud has led to a reunion between Ken Ohka and Isami Kodaka. The two have a long history together from their Union Pro days and plenty has changed with both since they were last in the ring together.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “BE UPDATED TO THE FUTURE, THE FUTURE, THE FUTURE”, 23/02/2019 Shinjuku FACE
1. Sakisama Vs X
2. TOKYO Princess Tag Team Titles: Yuka Sakazaki & Mizuki (c) Vs Reika Saiki & Marika Kobashi
3. TOKYO Princess Of Princess Title: Miyu Yamashita (c) Vs Nodoka Tenma
Miyu Yamashita found her next challenger for the TOKYO Princess Title. The list of contenders must be running low at this point in her reign but that isn’t dampening her desire to defend the title against Nodoka Tenma.
DDT “SWEET DREAMS! 2019”, 27/01/2019 Tokyo Korakuen Hall 1,040 Fans – No Vacancy
1. Akito & Space Monkey defeated Antonio Honda & Jason Kincaid when Monkey pinned Honda with the Tail Whip (10:07).
2. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title – Battle Royal: Asuka defeated Chinsuke Nakamura (c), Toru Owashi, Kazuki Hirata, Kazusada Higuchi, Keisuke Okuda, Yuki Iino and Kikutaro (9:53).
2a. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title: Kikutaro eliminated Chinsuke Nakamura (c) after a Big Boot from Toru Owashi (0:04). *Kikutaro becomes the 1,346th champion.
2b. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title: Kazuki Hirata eliminated Kikutaro (c) with a School Boy (4:16). *Kazuki Hirata becomes the 1,347th champion.
2c. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title: Asuka, Keisuke Okuda & Kazuki Hirata (c) eliminated Toru Owashi, Kazusada Higuchi & Yuki Iino by Ring Out (6:32). *V1 for Kazuki Hirata.
2d. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title: Asuka & Kazuki Hirata (c) eliminated Keisuke Okuda with a Roll Up (7:40). *V2 for Kazuki Hirata.
2e. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title: Asuka eliminated Kazuki Hirata (c) with the Moonsault (9:53). *Asuka becomes the 1,348th champion.
3. Heisei’s Last Grudge Match Check: Yukio Sakaguchi defeated El Lindaman with the God’s Right Knee (8:42).
4. Soma Takao, Tetsuya Endo, Mad Paulie & Takumi Iroha defeated Sanshiro Takagi, Makoto Oishi, Mizuki Watase & Yuki Ueno when Takao pinned Oishi with the Gin And Tonic (11:22).
5. Special 3 Way Match: Masahiro Takanashi defeated MAO and CIMA when Takanashi pinned MAO with the Laphroaig (10:41).
6. Kota Umeda “Mad Dog” 7 Match Series – Final Match: Shuji Ishikawa defeated Kota Umeda with the Splash Mountain (13:02).
7. Special Tag Match: Daisuke Sasaki & HARASHIMA defeated Konosuke Takeshita & Shinya Aoki when Sasaki submitted Takeshita with the Crossover Facelock (22:43).
In a preview for next month’s Sumo Hall show, the two big title matches were mashed together for a special wild card tag match. Daisuke Sasaki had to team up with one of his rivals HARASHIMA to take on their competition Konosuke Takeshita & Shinya Aoki. Tensions between the two sides went out of control after a flash Hurricanrana bumped into Yukinori Matsui and knocked him out. Sasaki brought out a chair and chaos happened when a “missed” swing hit his partner with it! Takeshita grabbed the chair but he too missed his target and hit Aoki by accident. Sasaki finally found his mark with a chairshot to Takeshita. However a German Suplex only got him a one count. Victory looked to have slipped away for Sasaki when Takeshita got his hands on him but HARASHIMA suddenly saved the day with the Somato. Sasaki quickly reacted by using La Mistica to put Takeshita in position for the Crossover Facelock. Takeshita was at his limit and had to give up.
HARASHIMA wasted no time after the match asking Aoki what the stipulation will be for their DDT Extreme Title bout. Aoki said their prides will be on the line so it will be a match where both champion and challenger are determined to do their best. They both left the ring so Sasaki and Takeshita could take over. Sasaki doesn’t have pride so the KO-D Openweight Title match won’t be about that. Instead he showed a video of Tetsuya Endo and Mad Paulie having a meal at the restaurant owned by Takeshita’s parents! They left without paying so Konosuke’s mother Keiko Takeshita chased after them yelling into the camera. A slightly embarrassed Takeshita swore revenge on Sasaki for bringing his family into this.
Kota Umeda’s seven match trial series comes to an end with no victories and a defeat to Shuji Ishikawa. Umeda threw many kicks but he was stopped in his tracks with a Running Knee Lift and the Splash Mountain. Ishikawa feels honored to be the final opponent for Umeda’s trial. He thinks Umeda can fill a hole DDT has been missing for a while because there are not many who fight like him. Although Umeda lost every match, he believes he gained something from every one so the trial was worth it. He agrees with Ishikawa that his style is rare in DDT so he wants to continue it.
DDT is a weird place but even with that knowledge CIMA wasn’t prepared for the antics MAO and Masahiro Takanashi had in store. Takanashi stole the win when CIMA went for the Meteora but MAO moved out of the way. MAO hit CIMA with the Screw High Kick but Takanashi then snuck in and pinned MAO with the Laphroaig. He told CIMA that this kind of wrestling is different than what they learned in the Dragon System. They argued about their past until turning their attentions to MAO. CIMA said the 3 Way Match for the KO-D Tag Team Titles will be fought in #STRONGHEARTS favour this time. He also boasted that despite being outsiders, #STRONGHEARTS are popular with the DDT fans. When he left the ring Takanashi told everyone a story about how bad CIMA’s cooking was back when they were in the Toryumon dojo with the Brahman Brothers.
Chigusa Nagayo was in the audience to watch the 8-Person Tag featuring Sanshiro Takagi fighting DAMNATION and Takumi Iroha. When things went wrong for Takagi’s team he yelled out to staff to summon his secret weapon, the Dream Go! Staff went to carry the plastic case mecha only to drop it down the stairs of Korakuen Hall’s lobby. Takagi used the remains as best he could but in the end Soma Takao won the match for DAMNATION.
After the match Takagi asked Takao if he is satisfied being in DAMNATION. What position is he in the group? Number one? Two? Three? Four? When they were part of an anti-establishment unit years ago Takao aimed to reach a much higher level back then than he does now. Takagi doesn’t want to wait until Sumo Hall to fight him. He wants a singles match on 6th February so Takao can finally wake up! Takao said he always hated Takagi. The people he is with in DAMNATION are his friends. He’s going to defeat Takagi on his way to the top. Takao then looked over at Nagayo in the audience and provoked her into standing up. Takagi went over to Nagayo and raised her hands. Takao took back what he said. He’s not going to just beat Takagi to reach the top. He’s going to beat Takagi and Nagayo to reach the top!
El Lindaman made a grave mistake. He spat at Yukio Sakaguchi. You don’t do that without suffering the consequences! Sakaguchi responded with a Rock Punch, a High Kick and the God’s Right Knee to win. Sakaguchi is confident that he and Takanashi can win the KO-D Tag Titles at Sumo Hall. Lindaman said it’s been a long time since he was kicked like this.
Throughout the week Chinsuke Nakamura has been spending his day to day life defending the Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title against a bunch of different parody and comedy characters. Being on guard 24/7 must have taken his toll because he was eliminated four seconds into the Battle Royal. Toru Owashi kicked him and everyone piled on top for the pin. Kikutaro was on top of Chinsuke so he was declared the new champion. Kikutaro was chased away from ringside. When everyone returned, Yukinori Matsui was wearing Kikutaro’s mask and holding the title belt. Everyone attacked him until they realised it wasn’t the real deal. Kikutaro used the distraction to attack Keisuke Okuda. He was about to set up the Shining Wizard when Kazuki Hirata gave him a School Boy to win the title. With six wrestlers left they split off into two sides of three. The trio of Hirata, Okuda and Asuka all Dropkicked Owashi, Kazusada Higuchi and Yuki Iino out of the ring to eliminate them. Hirata and Asuka then rolled up Okuda to pin him. With the match down to two, Hirata and Asuka put on Hirata Go! glasses and danced. That ended when Asuka gave Hirata a Choke Bomb and pinned him with the Moonsault to become the new champion! Asuka called it a perfect victory.
The debuting Space Monkey is already getting along with ALL OUT. He was given a banana by Akito before the match started. Jason Kincaid demanded the jokes to stop so they can wrestle. Monkey threw the banana away and gave Kincaid a Monkey Flip. When Antonio Honda got in the ring he slipped on the banana peel and hurt his knee, setting up the latest Gongitsune gag. Honda targeted Monkey’s tail believing it to be his weak point. Monkey toughened up and hit a Lionsault to both members of Gon Gift. He then won the match by hitting Honda across the face with his tail. Akito praised Space Monkey and told him he’s already winning over the DDT fans.
Danshoku Dieno has come up with a final name for his mascot. He finally realised it needed to be family friendly so he is naming his creation Pokotan.
Riki Choshu makes his DDT debut on the 21st March Korakuen show.
Makoto Oishi, Antonio Honda, Colt Cabana, Joey Ryan, Jason Kincaid and Ethan Page are the latest names added to “DDT IS COMING TO AMERICA” in New York on 4th April.
It was already announced that DDT’s next show at Sumo Hall after “JUDGEMENT 2019” will be on 3rd November. The new news today is the show will be called “ULTIMATE PARTY 2019” and will feature big matches from DDT, BASARA, Tokyo Joshi Pro and Ganbare☆Wrestling.
Both Naomi Yoshimura and Shunma Katsumata made appearances at the start of the show to promote their return matches next month.
The Muscle show taking place the day before “JUDGEMENT 2019” in Sumo Hall will feature a retirement match. Pedro Takaishi will have his final match on the show. He is considered one of the four pillars of Muscle. That doesn’t really mean anything but hey, whatever sells tickets. They really need to sell tickets…
DDT “DRAMATIC ROKUMONSEN! 2019”, 14/01/2019 Osaka Hirano Community Hall 262 Fans – No Vacancy
1. Kota Umeda defeated Nobuhiro Shimatani with the Umeda Driver (7:02).
2. New Year’s Special Rumble: Kazusada Higuchi defeated Maku Donaruto (w/ Phoenix Haru) with a Crucifix Pin (14:10). Order Of Elimination: Keisuke Okuda, Toru Owashi, Yuni & Kikutaro & Antonio Honda, Maku Donaruto.
3. Mike Bailey, MAO & Veda Scott defeated Makoto Oishi, Kazuki Hirata & Mizuki Watase when Bailey pinned Hirata with a Buzzsaw Kick (10:15).
4. Soma Takao defeated Yuki Ueno with the Gin And Tonic (11:56).
5. Masahiro Takanashi defeated Sammy Guevara by Countout (9:12).
6. Humanity Is A Game Blooming In The Big Ring Of Naniwa! Osaka Specialty Special Single Match: HARASHIMA defeated Jason Kincaid with the Somato (11:41).
7. DAMNATION Vs ALL OUT!: Daisuke Sasaki, Tetsuya Endo & Mad Paulie defeated Konosuke Takeshita, Akito & Yuki Iino when Endo pinned Iino with the Shooting Star Press (16:31).
The first of several ALL OUT Vs DAMNATION match ups on the road to Sumo Hall ended in victory for DAMNATION. At first Daisuke Sasaki was in trouble when he was in the ring with Konosuke Takeshita. Things changed thanks to Sasaki’s partners. Tetsuya Endo gave Takeshita the Tetsuya In The Sky onto Yuki Iino! Then Mad Paulie took out Akito with a Lariat. The end came with Endo hitting the Shooting Star Press onto Iino. Nobuhiro Shimatani made fun of ALL OUT afterwards because the KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Champions just lost so easily! Takeshita told DAMNATION they can have a title shot whenever they wanted. When ALL OUT left the ring, Sasaki said they could have the title match now. Takeshita asked Iino if he could go for another match but Iino was in too much pain to take the request. Sasaki told ALL OUT to go home. This is just getting started. Sasaki says he will get everything he wants in 2019.
HARASHIMA called Jason Kincaid a peculiar and unique wrestler. He had fun fighting him today. He is now waiting for Shinya Aoki to choose the match stipulation for their DDT Extreme Title bout next month.
Masahiro Takanashi rolled Sammy Guevara up in the ring apron to win by countout. Guevara tried to chase him afterwards.
Yesterday Soma Takao kicked Yuki Ueno below the belt not once but twice. Ueno didn’t waste any time waiting to attack when Takao came out for their match today. They brawled around the ring and later Ueno saw Takao’s Low Blow coming so he could block it. Ueno tried to avoid the Gin And Tonic but a Thrust Kick left him stunned long enough for Takao to hit his finisher and win.
In the Battle Royal Yuni couldn’t be punched by Kikutaro and Antonio Honda because he was too short for them. Keisuke Okuda wasn’t so friendly and attacked Yuni with no problem until Kazusada Higuchi and the others eliminated him. When Toru Owashi was eliminated, Honda and Kikutaro lifted Yuni onto their shoulders to celebrate. All three of them ended up falling over the top rope and out of the ring. That left Higuchi with Maku Donaruto. The clown dry humped Higuchi and hit the Swanton Bomb. However Higuchi then hooked Donaruto into a Crucifix Pin to steal the three count. Donaruto decided to dry hump Higuchi again while Sanshiro Takagi entered the ring. Takagi asked Donaruto if he enjoyed wrestling in DDT this week. Donaruto called it fun. Well Takagi now wants to see him wrestle on a bigger stage so Maku Donrauto is booked for Sumo Hall in February!
DDT and Yukinori Matsui will put on a special show at Osaka Edion Arena #2 on 26th May. The show celebrates Matsui’s 25th anniversary in wrestling. Kikutaro snuck up on Matsui and sent him to sleep with a chop to the neck. Kikutaro took over the segment and told everyone it will be his 25th anniversary in May too. He promoted his own stuff before reviving Matsui so the show could start.
DDT “DRAMATIC AKASONAE! 2019”, 13/01/2019 Osaka Hirano Community Hall 302 Fans – Super No Vacancy
1. Antonio Honda & Jason Kincaid defeated Tetsuya Endo & Nobuhiro Shimatani when Kincaid pinned Shimatani with the Philosopher’s Stomp (10:10).
2. Toru Owashi, Makoto Oishi & Keisuke Okuda defeated Akito, Tomomitsu Matsunaga & Mizuki Watase when Okuda pinned Watase with the PK (13:10).
3. Naniwa 3 Big Single Match: Mad Paulie defeated Yuki Iino with the Reverse Splash (8:37).
4. Naniwa 3 Big Single Match: Maku Donaruto (w/ Phoenix Haru) defeated Kazuki Hirata with the Swanton Bomb (10:31).
5. Naniwa 3 Big Single Match: Konosuke Takeshita Vs Yuni ended in a Double Countout (3:51).
5a. Rematch: Konosuke Takeshita defeated Yuni with a Hurricanrana Cutback (8:56).
6. Masahiro Takanashi & Sammy Guevara defeated Kazusada Higuchi & Kota Umeda when Guevara pinned Umeda with a Running Knee to the back of the head (12:07).
7. Tomorrow Is Good! Osaka Specialty Special Tag Match: Daisuke Sasaki & Soma Takao defeated HARASHIMA & Yuki Ueno when Sasaki submitted Ueno with the Cross Facelock (18:57).
8. Special Single Match: MAO defeated Mike Bailey with a Jackknife Pin (15:30).
Last minute changes were made to the card because MAO & Mike Bailey were stuck on a bullet train after wrestling for K-DOJO in Korakuen Hall earlier in the day. The big change was the new main event being a singles match between both members of The Moonlight Express! The two were evenly matched as they fought and tried to force the other to loudly apologise for their lateness. Bailey hit the Green Tea Plunge but only got a nearfall. MAO hit the Screw High Kick then rolled over Bailey with a Jackknife to get the win. After the match both of them apologised to the fans and explained that after they successfully defended the STRONGEST-K TAG Titles in Korakuen, they immediately went to go get the bullet train. However during the journey they realised they got on the longer train route from Tokyo to Osaka. They tried to figure out how they could still make the show in time. When they couldn’t find an answer MAO phoned Yukinori Matsui to send the message they would be late.
Soma Takao gave Yuki Ueno a Low Blow to set up the finish to Match #7. Daisuke Sasaki provoked Ueno into a confrontation after the match and Takao gave Ueno another Low Blow.
Some bullying took place at the start of the show when Yuni was supposed to give the opening speech. Konosuke Takeshita interrupted the speech and attacked his opponent! When the match happened later on Takeshita underestimated Yuni so much that they took the match outside the ring and Takeshita somehow got thrown into the ringside chairs. The match ended in a double countout. Takeshita wanted no more and began to leave when Yuki demanded a restart. This time Yuni threw everything at him. There was an Asai Moonsault, the 2nd Rope Sky Twister Press and even the Kamigoye. Takeshita was able to kick out of them though and narrowly scored the win when he cut off Yuni’s Hurricanrana and pressed him down for the pin. Takeshita praised Yuni for the match and promised a rematch in 13 years time when Yuni is the age Takeshita is now. Yuni promised to train a lot so he can become stronger than Takeshita!
The debuting Maku Donaruto impressed some and bothered others with his performance against Kazuki Hirata. His lewd movements reminded Hirata of Danshoku Dieno. With Phoenix Haru helping out from outside the ring, Donaruto was able to Moonsault onto Hirata. The Hirata GO! glasses weren’t enough to stop him and he pinned Hirata with a Swanton Bomb.
Keisuke Okuda complained about having to team up with Makoto Oishi again. At least Oishi was nice enough to promote Okuda’s homecoming show in Mie on 10th February. Okuda was pleased with that until he found out Oishi would be there.
The team of Antonio Honda & Jason Kincaid are now going by the name Gon Gift. Honda credited their win today by recently seeing Creed 2 in the cinema. Creed 2 taught him to always crawl no matter how low he falls. He promises to carry the Russian boxing world forward into the future! Kincaid hasn’t seen either Creed movie yet.
Naomi Yoshimura came out to tell everyone he is feeling quite well now. After he has his return match on 2nd February he promises to wrestle in Osaka again when DDT returns later in the year.
DDT “MITSUI CHOJI CO., LTD. PRESENTS CHIBA CITY MONORAIL WRESTLING”, 12/01/2019 Chiba City Monorail Car 24 Fans – 100% Boarding Rate
1. Falls Count Anywhere Throws Prohibited Battle Royal: HARASHIMA defeated Sanshiro Takagi, Hiroshi Yamato, Konosuke Takeshita, Ippanjin Munenori Sawa, Akito, Yuki Iino, HARASHIMA, Toru Owashi, Yuki Ueno, Soma Takao, Tetsuya Endo, Nobuhiro Shimatani, Isami Kodaka, Chinsuke Nakamura, Gota Ihashi (36:30).
1a. Soma Takao, Tetsuya Endo and Nobuhiro Shimatani eliminated Konosuke Takeshita, Akito and Yuki Iino by Monorail Out (12:3).
1b. Isami Kodaka eliminated Chinsuke Nakamura with the Zeyyari (17:34).
1c. Isami Kodaka and Tetsuya Endo eliminated Gota Ihashi by Monorail Out (19:07).
1d. Isami Kodaka and Yuki Ueno eliminated Hiroshi Yamato, Toru Owashi and Antonio Honda by Double Ladder Pin (28:21).
1e. Sanshiro Takagi eliminated Soma Takao with a Diving Body Press from a Ladder through a Table (30:33).
1f. Tetsuya Endo eliminated Sanshiro Takagi and Ippanjin Munenori Sawa with a Moonsault from the Platform Stairway (31:10).
1g. Isami Kodaka eliminated Tetsuya Endo with a School Boy (31:21).
1h. Yuki Ueno eliminated Nobuhiro Shimatani with a Cradle (32:52).
1i. Yuki Ueno eliminated Isami Kodaka after a Brainbuster from HARASHIMA onto a stairway (35:35).
1j. HARASHIMA eliminated Yuki Ueno with the Somato (36:30).
-. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title: Chinsuke Nakamura defeated Konosuke Takeshita (c) with a School Boy (7:38pm). *Chinsuke Nakamura becomes the 1,343rd champion.
A packed monorail train of 24 fans got to take a trip with DDT across the Chiba line. The Battle Royal began with Sanshiro Takagi, Hiroshi Yamato and Konosuke Takeshita duking it out as the monorail left Chiba Station. With slams prohibited for the safety of the monorail and everybody onboard, the wrestlers had to think up of other ways to fight. Takeshita quickly came up with the idea to hang off of the train handles to Dropkick his opponents without having to land on the floor.
When the monorail made its first stop at Chiba Park Station a salaryman walked on board reading a newspaper. It was Ippanjin Munenori Sawa! Takeshita attacked Sawa and purposely ripped the sleeve on Sawa’s suit jacket. Sawa however used one of the train handles to trap Takeshita in a Wristlock.
Akito & Yuki Iino entered the match at Sakusabe Station. Iino put Yamato in an Argentine Backbreaker while Akito traded Anklelocks with Sawa.
Chaos broke out when another man in a suit started attacking the wrestlers and acting lewd. It was Danshoku Dieno! The wrestlers were put into a linked chain of Headscissors for Dieno to do the Danshoku Nightmare along the entire monorail.
With no eliminations yet the car got even more packed when DISASTER BOX got on board at Anagawa Station. HARASHIMA, Toru Owashi & Yuki Ueno got caught up in Dieno’s shenanigans. It still continued when Takeshita hit Dieno with the Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title belt. Dieno just fell into Iino and got his hands all over him even more.
ALL OUT were so focused on Dieno that they didn’t see DAMNATION coming on board at Dobotsukoen Station. Soma Takao, Tetsuya Endo & Nobuhiro Shimatani kicked every member of ALL OUT as well as Dieno out of the monorail and the doors closed on them, eliminating ALL OUT from the match!
Isami Kodaka was ready for a fight when the monorail reached Mitsuwadai Station. For a few moments we got the dream matchup of HARASHIMA Vs Kodaka inside a monorail. Meanwhile Ueno put Endo in a Cobra Twist.
Familiar music played at Tsuga Station for the entry of the one, the only, Chinsuke Nakamura! Kodaka hit Nakamura with a knee to the back of the head and pinned him for the quick elimination. YeahOh!
Gota Ihashi got on board at Sakuragi Station. The other wrestlers welcomed Ihashi by forming arches with their arms for Ihashi to walk through. The arches guided Ihashi to the door at the other end of the monorail. Kodaka and Endo then kicked him out before the door closed to eliminate him.
Chaos broke out again when everyone decided to gang up on Shimatani. Even Takao and Endo got involved even though Shimatani is on their side! Takagi and Sawa also clashed with each other during the melee.
The final entrant was Antonio Honda at Chishirodai Station. He immediately wanted to give up because he was standing out in the cold for so long. Yamato dropped his guard while listening to the story so Honda used Gongitsune to pinch him in the nipple.
The monorail was still at the Chishirodai Station so some of the wrestlers took the fight outside to the platform. Yamato, Owashi and Honda found a ladder then suddenly began singing a song from Galaxy Express 999. This lured DJ Nira out from the shadows to grab the ladder with the other three and join in with the song. Kodaka and Ueno jumped on top of the group and used the ladder to pin all of them at the same time for the three count.
Nearby Sawa hit Takao with the Shining Wizard and placed him on a table. Takagi climbed a ladder beside it and put Takao through the table with a Diving Body Press. That was enough for Takagi to eliminate him by pinfall.
The eliminations then came thick and fast on the platform. Endo did a Moonsault from the stairway railing onto Takagi and Sawa to pin both of them.
Kodaka then rolled up Endo with a School Boy to pin him with some extra help by HARASHIMA & Ueno.
Shimatani dashed from one end of the platform to the other yelling “I am Nobu!” Whatever he wanted to do didn’t happen because Ueno rolled him into a Cradle for the three count.
Kodaka went and found a tag team partner to face HARASHIMA & Ueno. It is the Chiba Monorail mascot Mono-chan! HARASHIMA was surprised to discover how easily Mono-chan overpowered him.
Kodaka tried to Brainbuster HARASHIMA down a flight of stairs but HARASHIMA reversed it! Kodaka tumbled down the steps while Ueno chased after him. When Kodaka reached the bottom it was an easy three count for Ueno.
So the match came down to HARASHIMA and Ueno as the final two. Ueno shook HARASHIMA’s hand but it was a trap to roll him into a pin. HARASHIMA got out of it and hit Ueno with a High Kick. He then hit the Somato to win the match!
The match was over but HARASHIMA was suddenly approached by an exhausted looking Takeshita. He ran the entire way from Dobotsukoen Station chasing after the monorail! Chinsuke Nakamura snuck up behind Takeshita and hit the Low Blow. Chinsuke then pinned Takeshita with a School Boy to become the new Iron Man Champion! Chinsuke ran off yelling “YeahOh!” HARASHIMA called today the best wrestling match on a type of transportation DDT has done yet.
“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.
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”, 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)
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”, 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)
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.
Posted by JamieOD 
