DDT “DDT MY LOVE 2026”, 03/06/2026 Shinjuku FACE ??? Fans – Unannounced
1. Special Tag Match – 2 Out Of 3 Falls: Sanshiro Takagi & Akito (2) defeated Yuki Ueno & Shunma Katsumata (0).
1a. Standard Rules: Sanshiro Takagi (1) pinned Shunma Katsumata (0) with a Cradle (6:30).
1b. Falls Count Anywhere: Sanshiro Takagi (2) pinned Shunma Katsumata (0) with a Cradle (109:19).
2. 3 Way 6-Man Tag Match: Hideki Okatani, MJ Paul & Ilusion defeated Takeshi Masada, Yuya Koroku & Munetatsu Nakamura and Danshoku Dieno, Naomi Yoshimura & KANON when Ilusion pinned Koroku with a School Boy (9:02).
3. Junta Miyawaki Three Match Trial – Match 2: Junta Miyawaki defeated Kazuki Hirata with a School Boy (10:56).
4. MAO & Yukio Naya (w/ KIMIHIRO) defeated Jun Akiyama & Tomomitsu Matsunaga when MAO pinned Matsunaga after the Charge Love Heart (9:43).
5. Special Single Match: Shinya Aoki defeated Viento Maligno with a Modified Butterfly Lock (11:25).
6. Special 8-Man Tag Match: Chris Brookes, HARASHIMA, Antonio Honda & Hinata Kasai defeated Daichi Sato, To-y, Yuni & Yuki Ishida when Honda pinned Yuni with a Samson Clutch (19:36).
It turns out there was more background to the Shinya Aoki Vs Viento Maligno match than I first thought. Before the King Of DDT tournament began, Aoki allegedly made a prediction that Maligno would unmask and compete in Best Of The Super Jr. so both of them could have a match between tournament winners. Aoki lived up to his end of the idea which is why after he won King Of DDT he called out Maligno and told him everybody knows what he is doing. They had a match today where Maligno tried to counter the Aoki Clutch but Aoki switched over to a Modified Butterfly Lock to make the luchador give up. He then ripped the mask off Maligno’s face to reveal it was Keigo Nakamura the whole time! Nakamura admitted his real identity and explained that he couldn’t adapt to wrestling in Mexico during his excursion. Even now he does not know who he is and his confidence has disappeared after he saw how all of his juniors have surpassed him. However he still gets support from everybody in Strange Love Connection and he wants to become stronger by being with them. Aoki asked him what will he do from now on and who does he want to fight? Nakamura put the mask back on and will continue to wrestle as Viento Maligno because he’s hit rock bottom has nothing else to lose.
The opening match was officially Sanshiro Takagi’s return to action in DDT (as long as you ignore Super Japan). He feels so reenergised from his time off that he asked for the match to be Best 2 Out Of 3 Falls with no time limit applied. The 37KAMIINA agreed and quickly tried to injure him again. However he blocked Shunma Katsumata’s Totonou Splash and then Cradled him to win the first fall. He then declared the 2nd Fall would be Falls Count Anywhere. For the next two hours Takagi, Akito, Yuki Ueno and Katsumata brawled all over Shinjuku FACE and even outside on the street. Since the action was happening away from ringside, DDT decided to go on with the show and it wasn’t until the very end when the opening match returned to the ring and Takagi pinned Katsumata again to win the match in two straight falls.
Takagi said this comeback could not have been possible if it wasn’t for the other wrestlers in the match and he is feeling super pumped about winning. He’s been cheating on DDT a little bit with Super Japan but he thinks DDT is the best and he is super motivated to wrestle here again. There is one guy in particular he wants to wrestle again to reignite his passion even more. It is MAO, who he hasn’t fought against one on one since 2019 in New York! He challenged MAO to a singles match on 28th June. MAO agreed and blamed Takagi for making him the wrestler he is today. So all of the times he tried to run Takagi over with a car is really Takagi’s fault.
Junta Miyawaki’s trial through DDT’s roster is going well with two wins out of two matches so far. He fought and danced with Kazuki Hirata until Hirata was too spent to continue. Before he could be beaten, Hirata got on the microphone and reminisced about the times back when Miyawaki was a NOAH trainee when they would hang out and eat meals together. He couldn’t continue so he asked Miyawaki to complete the dance by himself but it was only so Hirata could roll him up for a nearfall. Miyawaki countered by putting the Hirata GO! glasses on Hirata’s face, forcing him to dance and be vulnerable to be pinned with a School Boy. Afterwards Miyawaki was informed by Hisaya Imabayashi that the third and final match of his trial will happen on 10th June. It will be against Danshoku Dieno! With that announcement, Dieno entered the ring carrying his pet dog Haku in a protective bag. Miyawaki asked if this is a mistake because Dieno is tougher than any other opponent he could imagine. He promised to give it his all becaue this is a once in a lifetime match for him.
A win in the 3 Way Trios match prompted DAMNATION T.A to challenge paleyouth for the KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles afterward. Ilusion said his unit is filled with belt collectors and if they take those titles from paleyouth they would then have 10 belts in their collection (DDT Extreme Title with Hideki Okatani, O-40 Title with Daisuke Sasaki and the group has the KO-D 10-Man Tag Team Titles which currently makes seven). Ilusion said the challenging team will be himself, MJ Paul and Sasaki once he comes back from New Japan. The challenge was accepted and will take place on 21st June in Nagoya. Ilusion later made fun of paleyouth being full of old people because only Daichi Sato is younger than him. Takeshi Masada & Yuya Koroku didn’t appreciate being Ilusion calling them old geezers.
A contract signing for the KO-D Tag Team Titles match between FANTÔMES DRAMATIC and The 37KAMIINA took place at the start of the show. One of the challengers To-y unexpectedly announced he is from the future where he wins the title with Yuki Ueno and builds a castle as the Prince Of Nagoya. Chris Brookes lost his patience and kept rushing To-y to finish up his story so the show could continue. To-y ignored him and tried to get Ueno to play along that they are the champions from the future and it is they who are defending the belts instead of Brookes & HARASHIMA. Both Ueno and HARASHIMA tried to keep things on track but Brookes is clearly becoming fed up with To-y’s quirky personality.
DDT “KING OF DDT 2026 FINAL!!”, 31/05/2026 Tokyo Korakuen Hall ??? Fans – Unannounced
0. Dark Match: Tomomitsu Matsunaga & Yuki Ishida defeated Akito & Hinata Kasai when Ishida pinned Kasai with the Leg Scoop Suplex (7:59).
1. King Of DDT – Semi Final: Shinya Aoki defeated Minoru Suzuki with the European Clutch (9:37).
2. King Of DDT – Semi Final: MAO defeated Danshoku Dieno with the Iai Kick (11:54).
3. Jun Akiyama, Naomi Yoshimura & Junta Miyawaki defeated Hideki Okatani, MJ Paul & Ilusion when Miyawaki pinned Ilusion with the Sunshine Driver (9:05).
4. Special Tag Match ~ Kaisei Takechi Return Match: Yuki Ueno & Kaisei Takechi defeated Kazuki Hirata & To-y when Ueno submitted Hirata with a Crab Hold (0:01).
4a. Rematch: Yuki Ueno & Kaisei Takechi defeated Kazuki Hirata & To-y when Takechi pinned Hirata with the BREAK IT DOWN (9:15).
5. FANTÔMES DRAMATIC Vs STRANGE LOVE CONNECTION!: Chris Brookes, HARASHIMA & Antonio Honda defeated KANON, Yukio Naya & Viento Maligno (w/ KIMIHIRO & YUZUKI) when Brookes pinned Maligno with the Praying Mantis Bomb (12:08).
6. KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles: Takeshi Masada, Yuya Koroku & Daichi Sato (c) defeated Shunma Katsumata, Yuni & Kazuma Sumi when Masada pinned Yuni with the Masada No Chikara KOBU Mukimuki (14:56). *V4 for paleyouth.
7. King Of DDT – Final: Shinya Aoki defeated MAO with the Aoki Clutch (17:20).
Shinya Aoki can now add his name to the list of quite frankly eccentric list of names to have won the King Of DDT tournament! His fighting style proved to be the most dominant throughout the bracket and tempted MAO into playing Aoki’s gameplan instead of his own in the final. Aoki then pulled out something different by using a Spinning Headscissors to throw MAO out of the ring so he could follow up with the Topé Suicida. MAO tried rolling up Aoki into cradles like the Japanese Leg Roll and the Crucifix Pin but that backfired big time when Aoki caught him in the Aoki Clutch, getting the three count and crowning himself the tournament winner.
As Aoki was receiving his trophy he started calling out to an unexpected member of Strange Love Connection. Aoki yelled at Viento Maligno to get in the ring and stop his nonsense because everybody knows what he’s doing… Maligno simply made a big “Wooooo” noise into the microphone before rejoining SLC and walking back to the locker room with them. Due to this interaction taking place, DDT later decided to book a singles match between Aoki and Maligno for 3rd June at Shinjuku FACE.
Aoki then declared his challenge to Yuki Ueno for the KO-D Openweight Title. He likes Aoki and said he is like family to him. But the more Aoki likes his opponent, the more power he unleashes on that person so he asked Ueno to be the very best he’ll ever be for the title match. The match is made for 28th June and Aoki promised to live his life to the fullest until then so he can beat Ueno. The champion remembers losing the KO-D Title to Aoki back in 2024 and does not want to repeat that. He is going to give his friend so much in the match that Aoki won’t be able to handle it!
MAO’s place in the semi final was secured when he defeated Danshoku Dieno earlier in the show. Dieno unleashed his full Danshoku power early but MAO expertly countered the attack by Kancho poking him up the backside. MAO then fought fire with fire by using the Lip Lock until Dieno overpowered him with the same move. The Danshoku Claw to the crotch couldn’t hold MAO back forever and he kept fighting even when the back of his tights were pulled down by Dieno for pinning leverage. A number of different strikes from MAO took their toll on Dieno and he was put down with the Iai Kick, bringing his spirited tournament run to an end.
The last time Aoki fought Minoru Suzuki in DDT, the DDT Universal Title was on the line and Suzuku pummeled his opponent into a KO victory. The rematch here was more grapple heavy this time with Suzuki and Aoki trying to bend whatever part of the opponent’s body they could grab onto. Suzuki avoided the Aoki Clutch but that isn’t the only move in Aoki’s arsenal. He switched over to a Modified Armbar that then turned into the European Clutch that kept Suzuki pinned down for the victory!
It was Yuni’s time to step up and do his part to make NωA Jr. the KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Champions again. paleyouth didn’t see things that way because they still have things to do as champions, things that NωA Jr. couldn’t even scratch when they last held the belts. The challengers almost overwhelmed Takeshi Masada with their numbers. He was able to German Suplex Shunma Katsumata away but took a Canadian Destroyer from Kazuma Sumi and then the Messiah DDT from Yuni. Masada brought things to a halt for Yuni by giving him a Middle Kick and planting him with the Masada No Chikara KOBU Mukimuki to retain the titles. After the match Daichi Sato said he was happy to have a tough title match with Yuni because they are near the same age. Yuya Koroku called Yuni a brat but also admitted he has incredible determination. paleyouth then said they are two defences away from tying the record for most KO-D 6-Man Tag Title defences and three more away from breaking it. Backstage Katsumata talked about how Yuni struggles the most out of D GENERATIONS because everyone else has achieved their own thing while he was focused on his university exams. He hopes today will be a turning point for Yuni because he can offer something unique to DDT just like how everyone else has their own thing.
The addition of YUZUKI to SLC hasn’t instantly paid off with success yet. She assisted the team by attacking Antonio Honda with a whip after he got sent outside the ring. Honda deserved it for being rude towards Maligno at the start of the match. He loudly shouted “Who are you?” while fighting him. HARASHIMA and Yukio Naya fought to a stalemate so Honda tagged in. He then tripped and tried to tell a story about his town being filled with kids who ring doorbells in the middle of the night and run away before he can answer them. KANON then blocked the Gongitsune attack and redirected Honda into striking his own partners. Chris Brookes saved Honda from being pinned by throwing a towel at Maligno and ended up pinning Maligno himself by using the Praying Mantis Bomb.
Kaisei Takechi’s big return from appendicitis ended right when it started. Yuki Ueno immediately threw To-y out of the ring and made Kazuki Hirata tap out to a Crab Hold without Takechi needing to do anything. Hisaya Imabayashi blew a gasket because the big star’s return was ruined. Takechi calmed things down by saying everyone in DDT is a star, including Hirata because of his dance skills. Takechi then encouraged everyone to restart the match so Hirata can show why he shouldn’t be giving up so easily. Imabayashi was touched by Takechi’s humility and allowed the match to restart. This time To-y & Hirata both put on a better fight together and Takechi got to dance with Hirata despite Ueno’s hatred of it. Ueno was briefly knocked out by his own partner so the dance could go ahead. Hirata tried to sneak attack Takechi during the dance but paid for it by taking the BREAK IT DOWN and take the losing fall again.
After the match Takechi told the fans he had to miss the King Of DDT tournament due to his illness so he is going to clear his schedule, get into shape and work hard so he will get to take part in it next year. Ueno then announced he will be holding a show at Korakuen Hall on 13th September to celebrate the 10th Anniversary of his debut. He promised to show everyone the DDT he’s been able to cultivate over the last 10 years. Takechi asked to be a part of it so Ueno is thinking about making him team up with Hirata. As for Ueno himself, he later brought up wanting to have a match against Katsumata on the show.
Momentum is looking to be on Junta Miyawaki’s side as he heads toward his DDT Extreme Title challenge against Hidaki Okatani. The heavy threat of MJ Paul was extinguished by Naomi Yoshimura and Miyawaki ducked under a bamboo stick swing, causing Okatani to hit Ilusion over the head instead. With Jun Akiyama’s help, Miyawaki gave Okatani a Swinging DDT before pinning Ilusion with the Sunshine Driver.
The dark match was changed on short notice because Rukiya’s neck is acting up and he wasn’t able to wrestle today. Akito took his place and teamed up with Hinata Kasai in a losing effort against Tomomitsu Matsunaga & Yuki Ishida. Kasai came close to winning but was stunned by Ishida’s Flame Palm and was then pinned with the Leg Scoop Suplex.
For the third time in weeks, Super Sasadango Machine approached Dieno asking him to be part of his team for the DDT Vs New Japan show happening in one week’s time. He met him in the ring at the end of the show, pointing out that King Of DDT is now finished and Dieno should now be completely free to help Sasadango out. If Dieno refused then Sasadango would do the unspeakable and reveal to everyone Dieno’s shoot name! Dieno’s response is it’s not the right time for him to do Sasadango’s show because the World Cup begins three days afterwards. Dieno wants to watch all of the late night games coming up so he needs the few days before that to save up on his sleeping habits. Sasadango begun to cry because he couldn’t believe Dieno would sit by and watch his beloved DDT get trampled by New Japan. As much as the show is being built around friendly competition, it is really a war that DDT cannot afford to lose! He threatened to bring Dieno to court where his real name would be exposed but Dieno told him to calm down so they can talk again later.
There is currently a brief break for the Best Of The Super Jr. tournament so Daisuke Sasaki was in attendance for today’s show. He was too embarrassed to talk because he currently has a losing record so he whispered his message into Imabayashi’s ear. Imabayashi encouraged Sasaki not to give up because he still has a chance to win his block if he wins his remaining matches. The GM then revealed one of Sasaki’s opponents for his tag match happening at “WRESTLE PETER PAN 2026” on 11th August. It’s Antonio Honda! Imabayashi then revealed that DDT has not made a decision for who Sasaki or Honda’s tag partners will be. Instead it will be up to them to look into their connections and decide for themselves. Since DDT is holding a competition for fans to guess what the match is, Honda said he is going to pick someone who will surprise everybody. Sasaki on the other hand said his pick won’t surprise anyone.
Soma Takao announced his return match will happen on 28th June. He has been on the shelf with a left knee injury since January and is thrilled to be making his comeback soon. He said there are quite a few new DDT fans who only know him as the manager of the Dropkick Bar so he is excited for them to see him wrestle for the first time.
DDT will be holding a pro wrestling event attached to the Kumagawa Railway in Kumamoto on 22nd November. The Kumagawa Railway has been under repairs due to storm damage ever since the summer of 2020. This year those repairs will be completed and it is scheduled to finally reopen this September. DDT is celebrating the occasion by holding two matches to take place inside the train along with an actual wrestling show taking place at the journey’s destination Yunomae Station.
DDT “D GENERATIONS 9”, 20/05/2026 Tokyo Ueno Park Outdoor Stage ??? Fans – Unannounced
1. Ali Najima defeated Hinata Kasai with the Victor-Style Kneebar (7:29).
2. Yuya Koroku & Yuki Ishida defeated Hideki Okatani & Ilusion when Ishida pinned Ilusion with the Flame Palm (11:58).
3. Munetatsu Nakamura defeated Rukiya with the Mune-chan Clutch (8:39).
4. Takeshi Masada Produce Match – No Throwing Moves Match: Takeshi Masada Vs To-y ended in a Double Disqualification after a Double Brainbuster to the Referee (10:51).
5. Special Single Match: Kazuma Sumi defeated Yuni with the School Boy (11:12).
Since NωA Jr. are soon going to be challenging for the KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles, the main event of today’s D GENERATIONS show was the showdown between Kazuma Sumi and Yuni. Sumi kicked out of a Moonsault so Yuni then went for the Phoenix Splash but had to land on his feet when Sumi rolled out of the way. Sumi tried to hit the Mickey Boomerang (MIKAMI’s original version of the move that everyone now knows as the 619) but Yuni dodged that and locked in a Jorge Clutch for a nearfall. Sumi eventually found a crack in Yuni’s defence to give him a High Kick to the head and then roll him into the School Boy for the victory. After the match Sumi asked Yuni if he really thinks that NωA Jr. can win the KO-D 6-Man Tag Titles at the end of this month? Yuni said that if he didn’t think the could win it, he would have never made the challenge in the first place! He admits to being the weak link of the unit right now but promised he will catch up to Sumi & Shunma Katsumata so they can all win the titles together on 31st May!
The match between Takeshi Masada and To-y had special rules implemented by the former. Masada wanted the match to prohibit all forms of throwing or slamming moves so he and To-y could only attack each other using strikes or submission holds. The rule meant neither Masada nor To-y could use their usual finishing moves. To-y ended up breaking the rule and in a panic knocked out Yukinori Matsui before he could disqualify him. With the referee down, Masada and To-y started using all of the throwing moves they could think of on each other. Yuya Koroku tried to interfere on Masada’s behalf but he was taken out with the Kojima Wonderland. Masada and To-y then got into a stalemate trying to Suplex each other. A groggy Matsui pulled himself back up only to get grabbed by both wrestlers so he could be Suplexed instead! Matsui was still conscious enough after the bump to disqualify both wrestlers for giving him a throwing move together.
During the show closing speech Sumi revealed that the original main event planned for today was going to be the singles match between Masami Inahata and Rukiya. He sent a message out to the injured Inahata, telling him to hang in there and keep on fighting but also to take his time coming back to the ring. Everyone in D GENERATIONS will be waiting for him. Rukiya instead fought Munetatsu Nakamura in the midcard, losing to the guest from Ganbare☆Pro.
A misfire from Hideki Okatani led to him giving the Skewered Claymore to Ilusion by accident. That allowed Yuki Ishida to finish Ilusion off with the Leg Scoop Suplex followed by the Flame Palm.
DDT “HELLO☆DRAMATIC DREAMS FESTIVAL 2026”, 16/05/2026 Yokohama Radiant Hall ??? Fans – Unannounced
1. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Kazuma Sumi, Daichi Sato & Akito defeated Naomi Yoshimura, Yukio Naya & Miles Karu when Sumi pinned Karu with the School Boy (9:27).
2. Takeshi Masada, Yuya Koroku & Yuni defeated Chris Brookes, Antonio Honda & Hinata Kasai when Koroku submitted Kasai with a Flying Armbar (10:31).
3. Jun Akiyama & Junta Miyawaki defeated Yuki Ishida & Rukiya when Miyawaki submitted Rukiya with the Cattle Mutilation (11:12).
4. Special Single Match: HARASHIMA defeated Viento Maligno with the Somato (11:12).
5. The 37KAMIINA Vs DAMNATION T.A!: Yuki Ueno, Shunma Katsumata & To-y defeated Hideki Okatani, MJ Paul & Ilusion when To-y pinned Ilusion with the Kojima Impact (12:42).
6. Special Tag Match: Danshoku Dieno & Kazuki Hirata defeated MAO & KANON (w/ KIMIHIRO) when Dieno pinned MAO with the Gaydo Clutch (21:21).
As far as Danshoku Dieno is concerned, it is up to him and MAO to make sure the winner of King Of DDT this year is a full blown DDT wrestler and not an outsider like Minoru Suzuki or Shinya Aoki. MAO and Kazuki Hirata spend the main event fighting each other in a Stand Battle with Yukinori Matsui wearing special glasses that allowed him to see what was going on. Dieno and KANON joined in until Dieno used his Stand powers to pin MAO with the Gaydo Clutch. After the match Dieno told MAO that this is what DDT is all about. He has a dream for DDT and he believes MAO has that same dream, so when they face off in the tournament semi final they will mean everything from the bottom of their hearts. MAO said he is committed to fight for DDT but unlike two years ago, he has to take his own path if he wants to fight Yuki Ueno for the KO-D Openweight Title again.
It was a case of partners today, opponents tomorrow for Match #2. After his team won the match Yuni called Takeshi Masada & Yuya Koroku back into the ring but struggled to tell them what he wanted to say. Shunma Katsumata went out and told Yuni he has to learn how to properly convey his feelings. Yuni then said he wants to challenge paleyouth for the KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles. He was rejected by Koroku and was called a timid little brat who did nothing in the ring today while Masada & Koroku did all the work to get the win. Both Katsumata and Masada criticised Koroku for being harsh towards Yuni because he was only trying to do his best. Yuni then pressed Koroku into accepting the challenge and the title match will go ahead on 31st May. NωA Jr. briefly held the belts last year but the reign only lasted a month with no successful defences. Yuni explained he wants to win the titles again so NωA Jr. can do everything they didn’t get to do the first time around. Kazuma Sumi wants to take part because paleyouth are all from D GENERATIONS like he and Yuni both are and he wants to crush them!
UJPW “FACE THE NEXT”, 12/05/2026 Shinjuku FACE 460 Fans – Super No Vacancy
1. Tatsuya Matsumoto Vs Yuto Koyanagi ended in a Time Limit draw (10:00).
2. Sentaro Motoshima, Hinata Kasai & Jiro Shinbashi defeated @KEY, Koyo Ume & Midori Takahashi when Motoshima submitted Ume with a Crab Hold (10:05).
3. Katsumi Inahata, Shota Kawakami, Masatora Yasuda & Ryuma Sekimo defeated GuC, Rukiya, Reiya Igarashi & Taisei Nakahara when Yasuda submitted Nakahara with a Crab Hold (7:12).
4. Kazumasa Yoshida, Daichi Sato & Kazuma Kimura defeated Yuki Ishida, Koshiro Asakura & Hiroto Tsuruya when Sato pinned Asakura with the Mad Splash (9:16).
5. Yuya Koroku defeated Homare with the Modified Triangle Lancer (8:33).
6. Kazuma Sumi, Munetatsu Nakamura & Ryoya Tanaka defeated Ilusion, Daiki Nagai & Daiki Odashima when Tanaka pinned Ilusion with the Stardust Press Joker Strizer (12:26).
Two years after the ill-fated “ALL TOGETHER” revival, United Japan held its third show built on a much, much smaller scale. This event was focused solely on the next generation of wrestlers provided by eight of the promotions that are members of the federation. DDT and Ganbare☆Pro were well represented on the show especially in the main event. DDT had Kazuma Sumi and Ilusion involved while Munetatsu Nakamura was there on behalf of GanPro. Ilusion didn’t get along with his tag partners and turned on them when Daiki Nagai complained about him using a Low Blow. Ilusion went to Low Blow him too but Nagai blocked it and knocked him away. Sumi & Nakamura then wiped out Nagai & Daiki Odashima with dives while Ryoya Tanaka pinned Ilusion with his own version of the Stardust Press. Sumi was happy to main event the show with the DDT Universal Title over his shoulder. Nakamura was worried about the match because it was first announced while he was recovering from his neck injury. That he made it to the match and was on the winning team means he has recovered perfectly. If there is another event like this in the future, Nakamura said he would like to either challenge Sumi for the Universal Title or challenge Tanaka for the Open The Brave Gate Title. Ilusion called the whole event incomprehensible and blamed the two Daikis, although he thinks the “Red Daiki” treated him more kindly than the “Black Daiki”. Ilusion now hopes that Daisuke Sasaki and Daiki Nagai both reach the final of the Best Of The Super Jr in New Japan so it will be a match between DAMNATION T.A and Unbound Co.!
Yuya Koroku had a lot to handle by taking on an opponent who recently lost his hair in a cage match. Homare from Dragongate took him by surprise with a Topé con Hilo and he then dragged Koroku around ringside to throw into the front rows. Homare also found Bunbun in Koroku’s corner and stomped on it. Koroku tried to make comebacks but Homare would use eye pokes to stop him. He made a mistake by going for the 450 Splash, missing it so Koroku could find his opening to take control. Homare kickedo out of the Modified Northern Lights Bomb but was forced to give up when Koroku locked him into the Triangle Lancer. Koroku said it is insane that Homare has already accomplished so much with just a year and a half of experience under his belt. Homare found Koroku interesting enough to make him think he should maybe check out DDT sometime.
There was a second trios match that had DDT wrestlers on both teams. Match #4 saw Daichi Sato pick up the win for his side while Yuki Ishida was among those heading back to lick their wounds. Sato asked his teammates if they saw the strength of DDT today? Kazumasa Yoshida won the BJW World Strong Heavyweight Title last month and is looking for challengers, so he’d like Sato or Kazuma Kimura to challenge him. Sato said of course he would take on the challenge! Kimura had to stand between the two and explain to them that he just came back from an injury that kept him out of action for eight months. He would like to wrestle both of them someday so they can start building towards that for now. That calmed Yoshida and Sato down enough for them to get along again.
Shota Kawakami found himself on the winners side of his match while DDT’s Rukiya ended up on the opposite end. Neither of them were involved in the finish though. Backstage Ryuma Sekimo encouraged Kawakami to shout out his feelings, so he did. Kawakami said the match shows that the split between major wrestling companies and indie wrestling companies doesn’t matter. He is glad that the indie wrestlers got to show the major league wrestlers what they are made of. Sekimo agreed and pointed out he may be the only person on the show to have bowled inside Ueno Park. Rukiya did not feel fulfilled after the match. He wants to do more in order to find out what is missing. Maybe it’s all of the different wrestlers from different promotions that have gathered together. He wants to fight so many of them!
GanPro comes out of the show with three wins out of three matches. Not only was Nakamura victorious in the main event but Sentaro Motoshima scored his first ever direct victory in Match #2 by making the Kyushu Pro wrestler Koyo Ume tap out! The result may be something of an upset given his tag team partners were Hinata Kasai and the Dragongate salaryman Jiro Shinbashi. Motoshima said this win is a big deal for him and he will work even harder to be a GanPro wrestler.
NJPW’s Aaron Wolf was in the corner of Tatsuya Matsumoto for the young lion’s match against Yuto Koyanagi from NOAH.
The event also featured a talk show held in the ring by Kosei Fujita and Takeshi Masada. Fujita was looking forward to seeing Ilusion wrestle in the main event while Masada hyped up Hinata Kasai for stepping in as a last minute replacement for the injured Masami Inahata. One of the questions they unexpectedly got was from Hiroshi Tanahashi asking them what their type is? As the interview segment reached its close, Fujita and Masada were asked if they would ever wrestle each other one on one? They don’t expect it to ever happen but they would like to do it.
DDT “KING OF DDT 2026 2ND ROUND”, 09/05/2026 Shinjuku FACE ??? Fans – Unannounced
1. Daisuke Sasaki, MJ Paul & Ilusion defeated Kumadori, Masami Inahata & Hinata Kasai when Sasaki submitted Kasai with the Crossface Lock (9:05).
2. Yuya Koroku, Daichi Sato & Yuki Ishida defeated Kazuki Hirata, Antonio Honda & Yuni when Ishida pinned Hirata with an Iso-gatame (11:09).
3. 3 Way 6-Man Tag Match: Yuki Ueno, Shunma Katsumata & To-y defeated Kazuma Sumi, Junta Miyawaki & Rukiya and KANON, Yukio Naya & Viento Maligno when Katsumata pinned Maligno with the ¡Hasta la vista! (9:54).
4. King Of DDT – Round 2: MAO defeated Hideki Okatani with the Avalanche Michinoku Driver II (10:27).
5. King Of DDT – Round 2: Danshoku Dieno defeated Takeshi Masada with an Inside Cradle (11:42).
6. King Of DDT – Round 2: Minoru Suzuki defeated Chris Brookes with a Heel Hold (20:29).
7. King Of DDT – Round 2: Shinya Aoki defeated HARASHIMA with the European Clutch (16:16).
Today is the last time the a King Of DDT round will be held inside Shinjuku FACE before the venue closes down later this year. It was the Quarter Finals with eight wrestlers still remaining in the tournament. Shinya Aoki knocked out a former two-time winner HARASHIMA in the main event. HARASHIMA countered Aoki’s submission game by hitting the Somato twice but Aoki kicked out of the pin both times. Aoki then used the ropes to prevent HARASHIMA from using the rare Yama-ori finisher. Instead Aoki put him in position for the dreaded European Clutch, ultimately winning the struggle to pin HARASHIMA’s shoulders for the three count.
A brawl broke out between Chris Brookes and Minoru Suzuki early on in their match. Suzuki got the advantage by hurting Brookes’s left leg with a chair and then targeting it from around ringside. The plan worked out when Brookes repeatedly went for Penalty Kicks using his left leg, reducing the effectiveness of the move until Suzuki could block a kick and grab Brookes into a Heel Hold for the instant submission victory. Suzuki looked like he was going to show Brookes respect after the match by reaching out his hand but it was only so he could grab his leg one more time and slam it against the canvas.
Danshoku Dieno continues his unlikely run through the tournament by making it to the semi final! Takeshi Masada tried to weaken him by using the two finger attack that was effective against To-y but it did not work out in the end. Dieno stripped down to give Masada a more dangerous version of the Danshoku Driver but Masada defended himself from it. Dieno instead pulled the win out of nowhere when he countered Masada’s finisher into a Small Package for the pinfall. After the match, Super Sasadango Machine entered the ring to once again ask Dieno to join his team of DDT wrestlers who will fight against Toru Yano and New Japan next month. Dieno continued to turn him down in order to focus on winning King Of DDT.
A victory by any means necessary was on Hideki Okatani’s mind. He tried to get MAO counted out with an attack outside the ring but MAO narrowly got back in on time by jumping from the counter to the ring apron. Okatani then stabbed a bundle of skewers into MAO’s head but got a taste of his own medicine when MAO did the same to him! Okatani had some of MAO’s other tactics scouted but ran into a finish he could not have anticipated. When he charged towards MAO in the corner, MAO hopped up to the top turnbuckle and grabbed Okatani up with him in order to give him the Avalanche Michinoku Driver II! That was enough for MAO to advance to the final four.
The four finalists all met in the ring at the end of the show for the semi final drawing. It didn’t taking long for the pairings to be determined because Dieno and MAO immediately picked the same colour to fill out one semi final match, meaning Aoki and Suzuki will fight in the other! Those two had a deep stare down in the middle of the ring while Dieno and MAO were next to them playing with each other’s balls. Backstage Dieno admits he is the weakest of the four but is counting on MAO to become complacent and underestimate him. Having reached this far, MAO is now compelled to challenge Yuki Ueno for the KO-D Openweight Title again otherwise what will become of DDT if that rematch never happens in the future? Suzuki thinks it is destiny that he is going to fight Aoki again and he is going to beat him to a pulp just like last time. Aoki didn’t have much to say backstage other that simply state he will face Suzuki in the semi final.
This weekend is Daisuke Sasaki’s last matches with DDT before he goes over to New Japan to compete in the Best Of The Super Jr. He told the fans that if he does not win the tournament, he will never come back to DDT!
DDT “KING OF DDT 2026 1ST ROUND”, 04/05/2026 Tokyo Korakuen Hall ??? Fans – Unannounced
0. Dark Match: Jun Akiyama, Yuni, Yuki Ishida & Rukiya defeated Naomi Yoshimura, Viento Maligno (w/ KIMIHIRO), Tomomitsu Matsunaga & Masami Inahata when Rukiya pinned Maligno with the R. Fisherman Buster (6:50).
0. Dark Match ~ 3 Way Tag Match: Yuki Ueno & Shunma Katsumata defeated Daisuke Sasaki & MJ Paul and Antonio Honda & Hinata Kasai when Ueno submitted Kasai with a Crab Hold (6:03).
1. King Of DDT – Round 1: Hideki Okatani defeated Yuya Koroku with the Skewered Claymore (11:21).
2. King Of DDT – Round 1: Takeshi Masada defeated To-y with the Masada No Chikara KOBU Mukimuki (8:47).
3. King Of DDT – Round 1: Chris Brookes defeated Junta Miyawaki with the Praying Mantis Bomb (11:51)
4. King Of DDT – Round 1: HARASHIMA defeated Daichi Sato with the Somato (7:48).
5. King Of DDT – Round 1: Shinya Aoki defeated KANON with the European Clutch (12:31).
6. King Of DDT – Round 1: Minoru Suzuki defeated Yukio Naya with the Gotch-Style Piledriver (16:17).
7. King Of DDT – Round 1: Danshoku Dieno defeated Kazuki Hirata with the Gotch-Style Danshoku Driver (11:26).
8. King Of DDT – Round 1: MAO defeated Kazuma Sumi with the Rock Killer (21:12).
Round 1 of this year’s King Of DDT tournament is in the books, headlined with a match between two wrestlers who see each other as brothers. MAO defeated his “little brother” Kazuma Sumi but the gap between them is starting to close. MAO pulled out the rare Ultra Big Tone that Sumi almost exclusively takes in the small amount of times it’s been used. However this time Sumi landed on his feet and escaped the move unscathed. Sumi relied on the School Boy to try and win the match, using it from several different directions. MAO couldn’t be beat though and he got Sumi trapped in the Just Face Lock. When Sumi was close to fighting out of it, MAO switched it over to the Crossjacket version of the move called the Rock Killer. Sumi couldn’t escape that and had no choice but to give up. MAO told Sumi he was amazing after the match and he had a reward for him. Sumi will be going to France with MAO later this month to wrestle on a BZW Vs GCW show. Not only that but Sumi will be defending the DDT Universal Title against Gringo Loco and French wrestler Leedz Lewis in a 3 Way Match!
The disappearance of Kaisei Takechi from the tournament may end up causing a butterfly effect that ends with Danshoku Dieno finally becoming King Of DDT for the first time! Takechi couldn’t compete because he had appendicitis so Kazuki Hirata was convinced to take his place. An honest Hirata didn’t expect to beat Dieno but still fought as hard as he could by using the Hirata GO! glasses to power up and also reverse the effects of Lip Lock back onto Dieno. However the Miracle One Shot Cradle wasn’t as effective and Hirata was worn down with Brainbusters, the Danshoku Driver and also a Moonsault. As much as Hirata tried to stay in the fight, he was finally put away with the Gotch-Style Danshoku Driver. Since Dieno advanced in the tournament, he had a reason after the match to turn down Super Sasadango Machine’s request to join his team for the upcoming DDT Vs New Japan team challenge against Toru Yano. Dieno is now carrying the dreams of both Takechi and Hirata on his back so he cannot afford to be distracted from the tournament right now.
That was the second match in a row to end with a Gotch-Style Piledriver. Match #6 saw Minoru Suzuki use his version of the move to defeat Yukio Naya. He countered Naya’s size by attacking him with chairs outside the ring. Naya fought back by using The World’s Best Back Drop, Knee Lifts and the Choke Slam. Suzuki withstood those attacks to choke out Naya with a Front Neck Lock and drop him with the Piledriver to advance into Round 2. Suzuki was pleased with the match, telling everyone that DDT is not all about silly wrestling. He understands that when you step inside you can find a lot of strong wrestlers around. Suzuki now looks forward to fighting even stronger opponents as the tournament progresses until he gets all the way to claiming the KO-D Openweight Title for himself.
The one result in Round 1 that could be called an upset was last year’s finalist KANON losing to Shinya Aoki. While KANON had the power advantage to beat Aoki while standing, his ground game proved to be his undoing. Aoki got to take him down to the mat, apply some submissions and then flip himself on top of KANON with the European Clutch to get the three count.
A war of kicks broke out between HARASHIMA and Daichi Sato during their 1st Round match. Middle Kicks to the chest were thrown back and forth between them until HARASHIMA got Sato with a High Kick to the head. Sato fired back with a German Suplex and got some other strikes in until HARASHIMA cut him off to hit two Somatos for the win.
Junta Miyawaki jumped Chris Brookes before the bell by Dropkicking him out of the ring and then diving off the top turnbuckle to the floor. The tactic quickly backfired when Brookes reversed an Irish Whip at ringside that flung Miyawaki into the front rows of chairs. There were some close calls back in the ring with Brookes almost being pinned with the Sunshine Clutch and a German Suplex. Miyawaki also had a last gasp with trying to roll Brookes up as a counter to the Praying Mantis Bomb. Brookes cut him off with a Lariat though and used his finisher to knock Miyawaki out of the tournament.
It seemed that To-y in fact did not get over having Takeshi Masada’s two fingers stuck down his throat because he reactively started to gag whenever Masada raised his fingers towards him. He eventually got over his fear midway through the match but it wasn’t enough of a difference maker to actually make him win. Instead Masada countered the Kojima Impact and pinned his opponent with the Masada No Chikara KOBU Mukimuki to advance.
Round 1 opened up with one champion eliminating another. Hideki Okatani bested Yuya Koroku in an almost entirely clean manner. When Koroku had him in an Armlock, Okatani tried stomping his way out of the move. Koroku swapped over to the Triangle Lancer but Okatani struggled back to his feet and then forcefully pulled on the back of Koroku’s collar to free himself from the hold while choking his opponent. That opened up some space for Okatani to hit a Spinning Back Elbow. Koroku went for the Triangle Lancer once more but Okatani countered it into a Vertical Drop Brainbuster. When that didn’t end the match, Okatani then hit the Skewered Claymore to get the three count.
There were two dark matches on the card featuring the rest of the DDT roster that were not taking part in the tournament. The 37KAMIINA beat DAMNATION T.A and FANTÔMES DRAMATIC in a 3 Way Tag Match. MJ Paul almost took out all of the opposition by himself. Daisuke Sasaki tried to pick up the pieces by putting Yuki Ueno in the Crossface Lock but Shunma Katsumata was there to break it up. Antonio Honda charged up the Shining Gongitsune only for Ueno to deflect it back into him. Hinata Kasai then saw his chance to try and win but Ueno cut him off pretty easily and made him tap out to a Crab Hold.
The other dark match began with former members of Harimao facing each other. Yuki Ishida and Naomi Yoshimura started off with their collisions turning into something out of sumo. Yuni and Viento Maligno then tried to out-do each other on the high flying front. Yuni was then caught by Tomomitsu Matsunaga & Masami Inahata so the two of them could baseball chop him. Jun Akiyama evened the odds when he tagged in and his team scored the win all thanks to Rukiya using a modified Fisherman Buster to pin Maligno. Rukiya grabbed Maligno’s leg by the inside of his thigh instead of the outside like you would normally do, which is what makes the R. Fisherman Buster his own unique take on the move.
The King Of DDT 2nd Round matches being held on 9th May are Danshoku Dieno Vs Takeshi Masada, Minoru Suzuki Vs Chris Brookes, HARASHIMA Vs Shinya Aoki and Hideki Okatani Vs MAO. All eight wrestlers were brought down to the ring at the end of the show to briefly interact with their next opponents.
Hang on. United Japan is running shows again and actually doing something interesting for their next card? Well okay then. Eight members of UJPW are sending their youngest and brightest wrestlers to Shinjuku FACE for a future generation showcase. We have wrestlers from New Japan, NOAH, DDT, Ganbare☆Pro, Dragongate, Kyushu Pro, Big Japan and FREEDOMS all getting involved. Not only are there matches taking place but there will also be a talk show happening with Kosei Fujita and Takeshi Masada as the guests.
DDT “SAPPORO GOLDEN BATTLE 2026”, 02/05/2026 Hokkaido Sapporo Sun Plaza ??? Fans – Unannounced
1. Junta Miyawaki & Yukio Naya defeated Kazuma Sumi & Yuki Ishida when Miyawaki pinned Ishida with the Sunshine Driver (9:32).
2. Reverse Lumberjack ~Jackberlum Match~: Danshoku Dieno defeated Kazuki Hirata and Akito by a 5-Count Double Countout (7:42).
3. Tomomitsu Matsunaga & Masami Inahata defeated Tomoya & Hinata Kasai when Inahata submitted Kasai with a Cran Hold (7:39).
4. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Jun Akiyama, Takeshi Masada & Kumadori defeated Daisuke Sasaki, Hideki Okatani & MJ Paul when Akiyama submitted Paul with the Front Neck Lock (11:38).
5. Sapporo Studio Five Presents Special 6-Man Tag Match ~ Art Is A Battle! Rules: Yuki Ueno, Shunma Katsumata & To-y defeated Chris Brookes, HARASHIMA & Antonio Honda when To-y pinned Honda with the Kojima Impact (15:01).
6. KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles: Takeshi Masada, Yuya Koroku & Daichi Sato (c) defeated MAO, KANON & Viento Maligno (w/ KIMIHIRO) when Masada pinned Maligno with the Masada No Chikara KOBU Mukimuki (22:49). *V3 for paleyouth.
A big mental block was placed on Yuya Koroku by Strange Love Connection before the KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles match began. KIMIHIRO taunted Koroku with a rap and then encouraged him to respond in kind. Koroku couldn’t do it though and was left shaken by this mental block. KIMIHIRO tried to do it again but Takeshi Masada got him to shut up and paleyouth attacked SLC to start the match. The champions retained the belts when Masada pinned Viento Maligno to win. KIMIHIRO then handed over the microphone to Koroku afterwards to make a victory speech. Masada told Koroku the meaning of this was significant so he can’t just do a regular speech. Koroku agreed and was able to give everyone a “Yuya Rap” instead.
The semi-main event was sponsored by Sapporo Studio Five, a photography studio so the match had a special rule where pinfalls and submissions only counted if the poses looked highly artistic. Saki Akai often works with the studio so she was involved in the match as a special guest commentator speaking over a live microphone at ringside. Despite being retired for two and a half years, she was drawn to get back into the ring gradually rediscovered her wrestling abilities. She blocked Antonio Honda’s Gongitsune attack and redirected it towards Chris Brookes. That cause Brookes to attack Akai in retaliation but she avoided the Praying Mantis Bomb and even gave Brookes the Quetzalcoatl! To-y went on to beat Honda and his prize was a free photoshoot at Sapporo Studio Five the next time he visits the area. Both Yuki Ueno & Shunma Katsumata were jealous and wanted the prize for themselves. To-y wouldn’t give it to them but he did reveal that DDT’s next shows in Sapporo are on 11th and 12th October.
Match #2 was turned into a Reverse Lumberjack match, or a Jackberlum match if you will. The wrestlers had to start fighting outside the ring and whenever there are at least two of them in the ring, the referee would start a 5 Count and disqualify whoever is still in the ring when he reaches five. A ref bump prevented Kazuki Hirata from winning the match while he and Akito were in the ring. Danshoku Dieno grabbed Hirata from the ring apron and gave him the Lip Lock. Akito then stumbled into Hirata in the middle of the ring to inadvertedly give him the Lip Lock too, knocking both of them out. Yukinori Matsui then counted out Akito and Hirata while Dieno stood out on the ring apron celebrating his victory.
Posted by JamieOD 
Dramatic DDT 