DDT “INTO THE FIGHT 2023 IN OSAKA”, 05/02/2023 Osaka Azalea Taisho Hall 216 Fans – Super No Vacancy
1. D GENERATIONS CUP – A Block: Yuya Koroku (2) defeated Kazuma Sumi (0) with a Triangle Lancer (6:39).
2. D GENERATIONS CUP – A Block: Hideki Okatani (4) defeated Ilusion (0) with the Double Arm Suplex (6:25).
3. Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno Vs Shunma Katsumata & Maku Donaruto ended in a No Contest (10:55).
4. D GENERATIONS CUP – B Block: Toi Kojima (2) defeated Yuki Ishida (0) with the Kojima In Wonderland ~KOJIMA Wonderland~ (8:58).
5. Osaka Specialty Special Tag Match: Naruki Doi & Toru Owashi Vs MJ Paul & KANON ended in a Double Countout (2:34).
5a. Rematch: Naruki Doi & Toru Owashi defeated MJ Paul & KANON when Doi pinned Paul with the V9 Clutch (9:08).
6. Special Tag Match: Kazusada Higuchi & Chris Brookes defeated Yuji Hino & Makoto Oishi when Higuchi submitted Oishi with the Brain Claw (13:39).
7. Tetsuya Endo, Jun Akiyama & Yusuke Okada defeated HARASHIMA, Yukio Sakaguchi & Kazuki Hirata when Endo pinned Hirata with the Swivel Torture Rack Boom (15:12)
8. Special Tag Match: Yuki Ueno & MAO defeated Yukio Naya & Takeshi Masada when Ueno pinned Masada with the WR (18:47).
1. Keigo Nakamura (2)
2. Toi Kojima (2)
-. Yuki Ishida (0)
-. Takeshi Masada (0)
Given that today’s show was taking place in Osaka, Yuki Ueno had a few words to say after the main event. First, he did not expect Yukio Naya to be even more fired up than he was when they fought in the D-Ou Grand Prix final. Second, he heard about Takeshi Masada, also from Osaka, was amazing for a newcomer. He now believes it after fighting him today. However Ueno thinks it will be Toi Kojima who wins the D GENERATIONS CUP and goes to Hollywood with him. Speaking of Hollywood, Ueno then promoted his singles match against Konosuke Takeshita at “DDT GOES HOLLYWOOD” in Los Angeles on 30th March and asked for the fans to support him. The 37KAMIINA is the unit that will make the entire world hot in 2023 but Ueno’s heart will always be in Osaka. MAO does not like Osaka however because of that one time he and Mike Bailey had travel issues there and arrived late for a show.
Yukio Sakaguchi ordered Kazuki Hirata not to wear his Hirata GO! glasses for the semi-main event because it was “not that kind of match”. Hirata tried to put them on but Sakaguchi took the glasses off him and placed them over in the other team’s corner. Hirata eventually got the glasses back and began dancing. Somehow all of his opponents then appeared in the ring wearing Hirata GO! glasses too. Jun Akiyama knocked Hirata down with a Lariat, Yusuke Okada hit a Diving Headbutt and Tetsuya Endo pinned him with the Torture Rack Bomb. HARASHIMA didn’t spend much time caring about the loss. His focus quickly switched to watching how his next big opponent Naya fared in the main event.
The Brain Claw was used by Kazusada Higuchi to counter Makoto Oishi’s Fujiyama Knee Lock. When Oishi applied the move, Higuchi grabbed his head in the Claw and overpowered him for the tapout victory.
Naruki Doi and KANON took their fight out of the ring and kept it out there long enough for the tag match to end in a Double Countout. Doi got on the microphone and said this was their last match before the DDT Universal Title bout on 18th February and he did not want it to end this way. KANON agreed so the match restarted. It almost ended in another Double Countout but they both made it back to the ring at 19. MJ Paul tagged in and KANON struck Doi in the back with a chair when the referee wasn’t looking. However things then went wrong for DAMNATION T.A and Doi pinned Paul out of nowhere with the V9 Clutch. KANON & Paul both attacked Doi after the match, leaving him beaten in the middle of the ring. Backstage Doi admitted KANON did what he is supposed to do and he wants him to do the same when the title is on the line. There will be nobody in his corner when that match happens and Doi wants to test how far KANON can go on his own.
Of course the Pheromones match with Maku Donaruto also involved ended in an obscene No Contest. There was no way the finish would be anything else. The antics caused Shunma Katsumata to turn into Shunma “Chunma” Katsumata and it was he who caused the match to get thrown out when he gave Yukinori Matsui the Lip Lock.
Three block matches in the D GENERATIONS CUP took place today. Kojima is off to a good start by beating Yuki Ishida. He dodged the Flame Palm and then used two versions of the Kojima In Wonderland to pin Ishida. He is very satisfied with the result because he could tell Ishida was giving him his “Dosukoi” best effort. His next group opponent is Keigo Nakamura and he promises to beat him up because he finds him annoying.
Hideki Okatani takes the clear lead in the A Block after winning his second match in a row. It was Ilusion’s first match in the tournament and he threw everything he had at his opponent. Okatani isn’t interested in following Ilusion’s career but he admits he is now a little more aware of the guy after the match they had today. Ilusion said he will win his remaining matches and go on to win the tournament. He also swore he will spend years and even decades chasing after Okatani so he can overtake him!
The only person who can stop Okatani in the A Block now is Yuya Koroku. His first match today ended with a win and he will have to beat Ilusion next week to catch up with Okatani. He uses a Triangle Lancer to beat Kazuma Sumi after discovering that Sumi was a more aggressive opponent than he expected. Sumi cannot reach the final now but will stay strong for his final group match. All he can do now is do his best.
DDT “SWEET DREAMS! 2023”, 29/01/2023 Tokyo Korakuen Hall 777 Fans – Super No Vacancy Full House
0. Dark Match – Bonno Dai Shacho Presents No Fee Rumble: Fuminori Abe defeated Sanshiro Takagi with a School Boy (12:29). Order Of Elimination: Mori Haruomi, Tsutenkakuka, Honagi Takemoto, Tezuka awesome Ichiro, Ariji Akinori, Shinya, Shosaku Inoue, “Mother’s Child” Mazakon Kid, Macho Gallows, Dopyu♡McIntyre, Dick Zlater, Thick And Hard Kankuro Hoshino, BRA-VO, Kaijin Mukuro 696, Hen China, Big Bear, Crusher Inoba, ASHUKA, Tadaki Toronomi, Great-CO-Khan, Kim Yocchan, Tiger Mask V (Self-Proclaimed), Gundan Hitori, Fuck Takeda, Great-GO-Khan, Takuma Joshiba, Fat Kobashi and Sanshiro Takagi.
0. Dark Match – 4 Way Tag Match: MJ Paul & KANON defeated Toru Owashi & Kazuki Hirata, Antonio Honda & Akito and Yuya Koroku & Yuki Ishida when KANON submitted Honda with the Cobra Twist (7:11).
1. D GENERATIONS CUP – A Block: Hideki Okatani (2) defeated Kazuma Sumi (0) with the Double Arm Suplex (5:22).
2. D GENERATIONS CUP – B Block: Keigo Nakamura (2) defeated Takeshi Masada (0) with a Modified Crucifix Pin (7:10).
3. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Shinya Aoki, Yuki Ueno & Toi Kojima defeated Thanomsak Toba, Yukio Sakaguchi & Hikaru Machida when Aoki submitted Toba with a Modified Ground Cobra Twist (8:20).
4. Special 6-Man Tag Match: HARASHIMA, Chris Brookes & Yukio Naya defeated Naruki Doi, Jun Akiyama & Soma Takao when HARASHIMA pinned Takao with the Somato (10:02).
5. KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles: Tetsuya Endo, Kotaro Suzuki & Yusuke Okada (c) defeated Yuki “Sexy” Iino, Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno & Koju “Shining Ball” Takeda when Endo pinned Dieno with the Burning Star Press (12:08). *V1 for BURNING.
6. KO-D Tag Team Titles: MAO & Shunma Katsumata (c) defeated Makoto Oishi & Shiori Asahi when Katsumata pinned Oishi after the Oretachi no Mad Max (14:59). *V1 for ShunMao.
7. KO-D Openweight Title: Yuji Hino defeated Kazusada Higuchi (c) with the Fuckin’ BOMB (26:27). *Kazusada Higuchi fails in V6. Yuji Hino becomes the 80th KO-D Openweight Champion!
1. Keigo Nakamura (2)
2. Toi Kojima (0)
-. Yuki Ishida (0)
-. Takeshi Masada (0)
For the first time in over a decade Yuji Hino is the KO-D Openweight Champion! All month long Hino and Kazusada Higuchi have been chopping each other back and forth in their matches with neither wrestler backing off. Other moves were used in this match but the chop battles continued here. It’s been claimed by DDT that 220 chops were thrown in total between them today! Someone eventually had to break and it happened to Higuchi in the end. Hino got the upper hand with one more barrage of Chops and hit the Fuckin’ BOMB to become a two time KO-D Champion! After the match Hino said he was always confident he would win the KO-D Title no matter who the champion was but winning today’s match has made him more happier than he thought he would be. That’s because Higuchi was stronger than he imagined. He wants to do the match again and the two wrestlers paid respect to each other.
Higuchi left ringside while Hino told Hisaya Imabayashi he does not care who his first challenger will be on 21st March as long. His only preference is he wants the opponent to be a big guy because if it’s a small guy Hino is worried he would kill him. Yukio Naya entered the ring and said his wrestling life did a 180 since meeting Hino. He wants to beat Hino for the championship and become the strongest wrestler in DDT! However HARASHIMA then entered the ring and said he wants to fight for the KO-D Title on 21st March because it is DDT’s 26th anniversary. He’s not a big guy like Hino wants but he will prove he is still the centre of DDT! Hino couldn’t decide who to choose so Imabayashi booked Naya against HARASHIMA in a No. 1 Contender’s match on 26th February. Hino accepted the conditions and said if DDT can bolster their heavyweight division and mix it in with everything else that they do, it can become the number one wrestling promotion in Japan!
It was a show of two halves for Ω. Hino was able to win the KO-D Title but Makoto Oishi & Shiori Asahi couldn’t live up to their task of winning the KO-D Tag Team Titles. Instead the masters lost out to their students. They did the Cactus Flower to Shunma Katsumata but MAO broke the pin. Oishi & Asahi then tried to do an Avalance Cactus Flower but MAO cut them off again and later hit the Cannonball 450 on Oishi. The champions followed up by giving Oishi the Oretachi no Mad Max for the victory. After the match Oishi & Asahi congratulated ShunMao and wrapped the tag belts around their waists.
Imabayashi then told ShunMao their next title defence will be at Korakuen Hall on 26th February. Sanshiro Takagi & Fuminori Abe came out and challenged them for the belts. But before Imabayashi confirmed the match, Takagi told him it won’t be taking place in Korakuen on the 26th. Instead it will be a Falls Count Anywhere match happening three days earlier inside a Roppongi burlesque club! ShunMao Vs Bonno Dai Shacho for the tag titles will be at Burlesque Tokyo on 23rd February! Whichever team wins the match will have to defend the titles in Korakuen three days later.
The KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles match briefly turned into a Handicap Match thanks to some Pheromones trickery. They wanted Tetsuya Endo to join their side and Danshoku Dieno used the Lip Lock to convince him. Endo turned into Tetsuya “Hercules” Endo and he turned on Yusuke Okada, throwing his poor partner into the usual Pheromones attacks. Kotaro Suzuki tried to snap Endo back to normal and had to do something desperate. He gave him the Lip Lock! Endo recovered, realised he wasn’t wrestling in his tights anymore and pinned Dieno with the Burning Star Press.
A video message was shown to BURNING after the match. It was from Super Sasadango Machine and he has put together an impromptu unit to challenge for the KO-D 6-Man Tag Titles. The unit is himself, Shinya Aoki and Yuki Ueno! He explains that even though it looks like the three of them have nothing in common, they are all radio personalities outside of wrestling. Therefore they can use their upcoming radio appearances to promote the title match on 26th February. Back in the arena Ueno & Aoki entered the ring and asked BURNING for the title shot face to face. Endo was more concerned about trying to cover himself with the title belts so he accepted.
Future opponents HARASHIMA and Yukio Naya were on the same team earlier in the show. They along with Chris Brookes beat the trio of Naruki Doi, Jun Akiyama & Soma Takao. What happened backstage afterwards was a little more noteworthy. Doi was hyping up his DDT Universal Title defence against KANON on 18th February when KANON & MJ Paul ambushed him! Kazuki Hirata came to the rescue only to also get beaten up by DAMNATION T.A. KANON threatened to win the title and take it with him to Hollywood. He & Paul then ran off when Toru Owashi arrived on the scene.
A potential new team could be in the making coming out of Match #3. Yukio Sakaguchi & Hikaru Machida worked well together against Aoki. It should have put their team on track towards winning the match but Aoki caught Thanomsak Toba in a Cobra Twist and rolled him onto his shoulders to escape with a win. Backstage Machida said he and Sakaguchi both come from martial arts so he wants to learn from him while he is still being taught how to wrestle by Toba. Sakaguchi is gets the idea but believes Machida has a long way to go before they can become a tag team together. Meanwhile Aoki asked Toi Kojima if his monthly salary has gone up since they last met. Kojima said it hasn’t but thinks it will double when he wins the D GENERATIONS CUP. Aoki joked that if you double zero you still get zero.
Speaking of the D GENERATIONS CUP it began today with two block matches. Keigo Nakamura gets an early lead in the B Block by beating Takeshi Masada. He kicked out of a Perfect Driver, dodged a Triangle Kick and caught Masada in a Crucifix Pin for the three count. Masada thought this would be a fresh start for him but he just lost his opening group match due to underestimating Nakamura. Meanwhile Nakamura is ecstatic!
The A Block opening match had Hideki Okatani going off to a strong start. He withstood Kazuma Sumi’s quick attacks, cut him off with a Running Neckbreaker and pinned him with the Double Arm Suplex. Okatani is letting his ring work do the talking because all he told reporters afterwards is to keep watching him. Sumi admitted he felt the gap in ability and experience with the most experienced young wrestler in the tournament.
The pre show matches probably had more people involved than the entire main card put together! DAMNATION T.A won a 4 Way Tag Match. Hirata took a beating when he got caught between Yuya Koroku and Yuki Ishida but he eventually knocked both of them out with Tegatana strikes to their necks. Akito’s leg work led to a ring of Leg Holds forming around Antonio Honda in the middle of the ring. KANON wanted nothing to do with the Gongitsune joke and he made Honda submit to the Cobra Twist.
Then there was the No Fee Rumble. Oh boy this was something. Takagi and Abe invited accepted a whole bunch of amateur pro wrestlers to enter a Royal Rumble style match. Due to safety reasons entrants would be eliminated if they were knocked out of the ring no matter if it was over the top rope or not. Among the competitors were tribute acts for Asuka, Tiger Mask, Great-O-Khan and Kenta Kobashi. There was also a child, a Super Sentai and 2AW wrestler Takuma Joshiba. Takagi and Abe complained about his entry because Joshiba is an actual pro wrestler. A bunch of participants were all eliminated at the same time when a group attempt to skin the cat failed in spectacular fashion. Abe was the last man standing after he pinned Takagi with a roll up. Takagi liked Great-CO-Khan in particular and thinks he can become the next Chinsuke Nakamura.
Yuki Ueno will get to face Samuray Del Sol at “JUDGEMENT 2023” on 21st March after all. The match was announced during the show.
DDT “D-OU GRAND PRIX 2022 IN YOKOHAMA DAY 2”, 05/11/2022 Yokohama Radiant Hall 280 Fans – Super No Vacancy
1. Harimao Vs DAMNATION T.A!: Naomi Yoshimura & Yuki Ishida Vs Daisuke Sasaki & MJ Paul
2. Yukio Sakaguchi Produce Match ~ 2 Vs 3 Handicap Match: Pokotan & Gota Ihashi Vs Saki Akai, Hideki Okatani & Kazuki Hirata
3. D-Ou Grand Prix 2022 – B Block: Chris Brookes (0) Vs KANON (2)
4. D-Ou Grand Prix 2022 – A Block: Tetsuya Endo (3) Vs Joey Janela (2)
5. Jun Akiyama, HARASHIMA, Soma Takao & Yukio Naya Vs MAO, Shunma Katsumata, Toi Kojima & Takeshi Masada
6. D-Ou Grand Prix 2022 – A Block: Yuki Ueno (2) Vs RSP (4)
7. D-Ou Grand Prix 2022 – B Block: Kazusada Higuchi (2) Vs Yuji Hino (4)
DDT “SWEET DREAMS! 2023 TOUR IN YOKOHAMA”, 21/01/2023 Yokohama Radiant Hall 175 Fans – No Vacancy
1. KANON & MJ Paul defeated Yuya Koroku & Kazuma Sumi when KANON pinned Sumi with the Sleepy Hollow (7:33).
2. Yokohama Two Major Singles Match I: Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno defeated Yusuke Okada with a School Boy (3:31).
3. Sanshiro Takagi, Akito & Makoto Oishi defeated Yuki Ueno, Toi Kojima & Shinichiro Kawamatsu when Akito pinned Kojima with a Stepover Toe Hold (9:30).
4. Yokohama Two Major Singles Match II: Yuki “Sexy” Iino defeated Tetsuya Endo by Disqualification when Endo stripped off Iino’s costume (9:23).
5. HARASHIMA, Toru Owashi & Kazuki Hirata defeated Soma Takao, Keigo Nakamura & Takeshi Masada when HARASHIMA pinned Nakamura with the Somato (10:17).
6. DDT Extreme Title – Monoboke Death Match: Jun Akiyama (c) (3) defeated Antonio Honda (1) (13:22).
6a. Jun Akiyama (1) pinned Antonio Honda (0) with a Cradle (0:17).
6b. Jun Akiyama (2) pinned Antonio Honda (0) with the Exploder Suplex (7:56).
6c. Antonio Honda (1) made Jun Akiyama (2) laugh (12:12).
6d. Jun Akiyama (3) submitted Antonio Honda (1) with the Front Neck Lock (13:22). *V2 for Jun Akiyama.
7. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Kazusada Higuchi, Yuki Ishida & Chris Brookes defeated Yuji Hino, Yukio Naya & Hideki Okatani when Higuchi pinned Okatani with the Brain Claw Slam (18:10).
The final preliminary tag match between Kazusada Higuchi and Yuji Hino ended with Higuchi getting his hand raised as the winner. Earlier in the show both wrestlers participated in a contract signing ceremony and gave their comments for the KO-D Openweight Title match on 29th January. Hino said he wants the match to show off the greatness of DDT’s heavyweight division. Higuchi said it will be a match only the two of them will do and it there will be a clear winner coming out of it. After the main event Higuchi told Hino he is protecting the KO-D Title with his entire body and soul.
When Jun Akiyama holds the DDT Extreme Title, the championship is no laughing matter. The belt was on the line in a first to three falls Monoboke Death Match. Every time Antonio Honda kicked out of a pin or caused a rope break he was given a chance to make Akiyama laugh. Do it three times and he will win the match. Akiyama had to beat Honda by regular means three times in order to win, which was easy because he immediately pinned Honda with a Small Package when the match began. Honda brought along a box filled with costumes to do impressions with. He was pinned again with an Exploder Suplex but finally made Akiyama laugh after telling a joke about nipples. That was the only joy he got because Akiyama put him straight into a Front Neck Lock and made Honda submit for the last fall to give Akiyama the win.
After the match Akito challenged Akiyama to a title match. He pointed out that Akiyama has been defending the title against previous champions so Akito wants to be next in line. He even offered to come up with the match stipulation himself. Akito also wants to return the belt back to the purple strap if he can win it. Akiyama accepted and the match will go ahead in Nagoya on 18th February.
BURNING and Pheromones had a couple of matches against each other today in the build up to their KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles match at the end of the month. The matches became heated when Yuki Iino discovered at the start of the show that Tetsuya Endo had stolen his O-back! It had an effect on their matches because Yusuke Okada and Danshoku Dieno fought each other with no care over their fight being called off by the referee. Dieno ended up winning when Iino flashed Okada for a distraction, allowing Dieno to give Okada a Low Blow and then a School Boy. Endo got revenge after the match by stripping Iino completely naked!
Iino later returned in his usual wrestling gear for the revenge match against Endo. Dieno had warned everyone that because Endo still had possession of the O-back, Iino was going commando! This time Okada interfered in the match causing a ref bump to Yukinori Matsui. Iino was stripped naked again but Dieno grabbed the O-back and gave it back to him. Endo knocked Iino face down onto the canvas and climbed the turnbuckle to set up the Burning Star Press. Dieno then handed the O-back to Endo and Matsui regained consciousness. He saw Iino was completely naked with Endo holding his costume and disqualified Endo thinking he stripped his opponent! Dieno then got Endo in a Lip Lock and Stunner for good measure. A Pheromones made their exit, Dieno told everyone “This is the way of Kotaro Suzuki!” They spent the backstage interview blaming everything that happened today on Suzuki and he will pay for it on 29th January.
DDT “SWEET DREAMS! 2023 TOUR IN SENDAI”, 14/01/2023 Sendai City Miyagino Ward Bunka Center 198 Fans – No Vacancy
1. MJ Paul & KANON defeated Yusuke Okada & Keigo Nakamura when KANON pinned Nakamura with the Sleepy Hollow (9:25).
2. Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno defeated Kazuki Hirata & Kazuma Sumi when Iino pinned Sumi with the Sexy Roll 2023 (8:45).
3. Jun Akiyama & Toru Owashi defeated Yukio Naya & Takeshi Masada when Akiyama pinned Masada with the Exploder Suplex (11:19).
4. Special Single Match: Makoto Oishi defeated Shunma Katsumata by Countout (10:57).
5. Special Tag Match: Yuji Hino & Akito defeated Kazusada Higuchi & Yuki Ishida when Akito pinned Ishida with a Stepover Toe Hold (12:08).
6. Special Challenge Match: Tetsuya Endo defeated Yuya Koroku with the Burning Star Press (15:38).
7. Sendai Specialty Special 6-Man Tag Match: Yuki Ueno, MAO & Toi Kojima defeated HARASHIMA, Chris Brookes & Hideki Okatani when MAO pinned Okatani with the Cannonball 450 (17:48).
Maybe it’s because MAO’s head still feels a little shaken from taking the Cactus Flower yesterday but today he showed his appreciation for his teammates in The 37KAMIINA. After winning the main event, MAO told the fans he lives with the support of everyone around him. He said it is thanks to Shunma Katsumata that ShunMao are the KO-D Tag Team Champions. He also thinks it is now impossible to become a singles champion again so he lives for tag team wrestling.
BURNING members Tetsuya Endo and Yuya Koroku face each other in the semi-main event. Koroku thought he had gotten stronger from training with Endo for a year but Endo was still able to beat him. Koroku understands he is not at the same level yet and will continue to get stronger. Endo is now moving his thoughts over to the upcoming singles match against Yuki Iino on 21st January. Endo teased he has a secret plan for the match.
The chests of Kazusada Higuchi and Yuji Hino were still raw from all of their chops yesterday. They continued where they left off today. Not only are they still Chopping each other but they apply the Brain Claws to each other too. Backstage Hino said on 29th January he wants this to reach the level where they hit each other until their hearts rip open! Meanwhile Akito is just happy he won a match against someone other than Pheromones for the first time in half a year. He pinned Yuki Ishida with a Stepover Toe Hold.
The match between Shunma Katsumata and Makoto Oishi had a lot of sticky tape involved. The two fought outside over to the ring announcer’s table where the roll of tape was taken. Katsumata stuck tape over Oishi’s mouth and also wrapped Oishi’s ankles together. Oishi was able to pull the tape off and choke Katsumata with it. He later wrapped tape around Katsumata’s eyes while they were outside the ring. Katsumata stumbled around ringside blindly and got counted out.
Daisuke Sasaki was missing from the show after telling KANON yesterday he will disappear for a while. MJ Paul took his place in the opening match. Everyone in DAMNATION T.A is currently puzzled over Sasaki’s absence and are wondering where he went.
DDT “SWEET DREAMS! 2023 TOUR IN SHINJUKU ~FIRE!~”, 13/01/2023 Shinjuku FACE 241 Fans
1. Keigo Nakamura Comeback Match: Tetsuya Endo, Jun Akiyama & Yusuke Okada defeated HARASHIMA, Hideki Okatani & Keigo Nakamura when Endo submitted Nakamura with the Modified Yurikamome (10:57).
2. MJ Paul & KANON defeated Antonio Honda & Kazuma Sumi when KANON pinned Sumi with the Sleepy Hollow (5:22).
3. Shunma Katsumata Pheromones One Day Experience Match: Yuki “Sexy” Iino, Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno & Shunma “Chunma” Katsumata defeated Akito, Kazuki Hirata & Yuya Koroku when Katsumata pinned Hirata after the Assisted Bubba Bomb from Iino (7:58).
4. Special Single Match: Kotaro Suzuki defeated Soma Takao with the Endless Waltz (8:51).
5. Makoto Oishi & Shiori Asahi defeated MAO & Toi Kojima when Kojima pinned MAO with the Jikiden Tornado Clutch (8:48).
6. Special Tag Match: Sanshiro Takagi & Fuminori Abe defeated Chris Brookes & Takeshi Masada when Abe submitted Masada with the Manjigatame (9:31).
7. Special Tag Match: Yuji Hino & Yukio Naya defeated Kazusada Higuchi & Yuki Ishida when Hino submitted Ishida with the King Kong Sleeper (10:01).
8. DDT Universal Title – Survival 3 Way Match: Naruki Doi defeated Yuki Ueno (c) and Daisuke Sasaki (20:59).
8a. Yuki Ueno eliminated Daisuke Sasaki with a Sasaki Hurricanrana Return (17:49).
8b. Naruki Doi eliminated Yuki Ueno with the Muscular Bomb (20:59). *Yuki Ueno fails in V3. Naruki Doi becomes the 9th DDT Universal Champion!
A bomb of muscular proportions was dropped on DDT after Naruki Doi became the new DDT Universal Champion! The result of today’s main event completely changes the blueprint Yuki Ueno had planned for the rest of the Spring. He had a schedule that would take him all the way to America with the belt but that’s been ripped to shreds by Doi. Daisuke Sasaki was the first elimination in the Survival 3 Way Match. He gave Ueno the Hurricanrana but Ueno maneuvered himself into rolling over on top of Sasaki to pin him out of nowhere. Ueno then tried to land the WR on Doi but it was blocked and Doi instead pinned Ueno with the Muscular Bomb for the title change. In just three months Doi has already won two of DDT’s championships. He called Ueno a wrestler who symbolizes the present and future of DDT. Doi’s role is to interfere with it. Now he wants to be the one to defend the Universal Title in Hollywood this March! Hisaya Imabayashi is not so eager on the idea. He is hoping that Doi’s freelance status will allow him to bring the Universal Title to other promotions in Japan and raise the belt’s prestige. Doi accepted the proposal.
KANON then entered the ring and said he was waiting for Sasaki to win the title so he could challenge him for a shot. Doi ruined those plans too but KANON is demanding a title match anyway. Doi Vs KANON with the belt on the line will happen in Nagoya on 18th February. Backstage after the show Sasaki approached KANON and told him he will be disappearing for a while because today’s result has left him in despair. Sasaki also said he is leaving DAMNATION T.A to KANON while he is gone. KANON could not tell if this was just Sasaki’s usual behaviour whenever he loses. He is now determined to win the Universal Title from Doi so Sasaki can find his smile again. Meanwhile Ueno said he has no regrets over what led to this result happening. He had wanted to wrestle both Doi and Sasaki at the same time and got it. He does not know if Samuray Del Sol still wants to wrestle him when he appears in DDT this March because Ueno is no longer the Universal Champion. However Ueno is keeping his chin up and promises to carry DDT on his back in 2023.
Kazusada Higuchi and Yuji Hino left their marks on each other with another big Chop-off during their tag match. Yuki Ishida also showed some progress by pulling off some power moves on the much bigger Yukio Naya. Hino cut him down to size though and used a Hanging Dragon Sleeper called the King Kong Sleeper to win by submission. Hino was happy with how fun the match was and told Higuchi they have a lot more prelim matches with each other before the KO-D Openweight Title bout on 29th January.
The debut of Bonno Dai Shacho met some resistance but can be qualified as a success. Birthday boy Sanshiro Takagi had to deal with Takeshi Masada again but this time the rookie had Chris Brookes backing him up. Fuminori Abe was the difference maker and got Masada to submit to the Manjigatame. After the match Takagi told Abe it is up to them to change the wrestling world which is why they are throwing out a challenge to the entire Japanese wrestling scene! Bonno Dai Shacho will break down the barriers by hosting a No Fee Rumble match on 29th January. They want teams from the indies, local federations, amateur groups and even college clubs to come forward and face their challenge. It will cost participants nothing to enter but they also will not be paid anything if they lose. Anyone is welcome except for actual fighters because Abe fears those will be too strong. Further details on how to apply will be announced soon.
MAO learned first hand just how dangerous of a team Makoto Oishi & Shiori Asahi are. The two of them immediately gave MAO the Cactus Flower at the start of their match and Toi Kojima (in new gear) had to break the pinfall. Kojima came to MAO’s rescue again by stopping a second attempt of the Cactus Flower. MAO got a little bit of revenge by using the Miracle Ecstasy on Oishi for a nearfall. Oishi got the last laugh by catching MAO in the Jikiden Tornado Clutch for the win. Asahi asked MAO after the match if this brought back any memories for him? Backstage MAO said Oishi on his own is not difficult to deal with but Oishi & Asahi together is a much stronger enemy. The Asahi of today is also not the Asahi he remembers fighting years ago. MAO wants Shunma Katsumata to break Oishi’s nose tomorrow.
You can’t beat the original. Soma Takao had wanted to beat Kotaro Suzuki with the Endless Waltz but the opposite happened instead. Suzuki countered the move with his own, cradling Takao over and over until he got the three count. He had fun wrestling Takao despite the match being short and explained he gave permission let Takao use the move all those years ago (which is why it is called the Official Endless Waltz when Takao uses it). He’ll be glad to wrestle Takao again someday but not anytime soon. Suzuki will be busy showing Pheromones just how sexy he is! Takao finds himself in limbo with DDT at the moment but today he decided his next goal is to beat Suzuki and also team up with him.
Today was when Katsumata had to spend all of 24 hours experiencing life as a member of Pheromones. The unit nicknamed him “Chunma” like Yuki Iino always does and introduced him as Tokyo Sexy Land’s newest attraction. He spent the match acting like a dog and being treated as one. Following the rules, Katsumata was obedient the entire time and joined in on the usual Pheromones spots. He even scored the pin on Kazuki Hirata thanks to an assisted Bubba Bomb from Iino. After the match Danshoku Dieno told Katsumata he fits in pretty well so would he be interested in officially joining Pheromones? Suddenly Toi Kojima got into the ring and tried to convince Katsumata not to by doing the NeppoWER pose. When Katsumata started to snap out of his current state, Dieno ordered him to ignore Kojima and perform a ritual of licking Iino’s backside to be accepted into Pheromones. Katsumata instead Super Kicked both Iino and Dieno to show he returned back to normal. He also Super Kicked Akito because it was Akito’s fault he got into this mess in the first place. Katsumata said it wasn’t bad being a member of Pheromones for a day but he’s just not meant to be with them. They will go their seperate ways but maybe one day “Chunma” will mingle with them again. Dieno then reminded him that the stipulation is still active for the rest of the day so he has to be “Chunma” for the meet and greet after the show.
Maybe KANON has what it takes to be in control of DAMNATION T.A while Sasaki gone missing. MJ Paul likes teaming with him and the two of them beat Antonio Honda & Kazuma Sumi pretty handily.
Keigo Nakamura is back in the ring after being absent for a long time due to injury. The date of today’s match means a lot to him too because 13th January last year was when he had surgery for a torn ACL. He started off the match with Yusuke Okada but got to spend time in the ring with Tetsuya Endo and Jun Akiyama as well. Naturally he took the fall by submitting to Endo’s Yurikamome hold. Endo congratulated Keigo “Darkness” Nakamura on his return and joked about how the “Darkness” version of him sank into the Hokkaido sea. Akiyama encouraged him to get fired up for the D GENERATIONS CUP so he can reach the same level of his competition. Backstage HARASHIMA said he worked with Nakamura during the recovery phase to help him prepare for his return today. Hideki Okatani reminded Nakamura that while he is happy to see him come back, they are now going to be opposition in the D GENERATIONS CUP.
There were contract signings for two championships matches at the start of the show. The DDT Extreme Title match on 21st January needed a stipulation. The champion Akiyama suggested PWF Rules but Honda complained the result would be so obvious it will kill the entire wrestling business. He instead suggested a Monoboke Death Match. Every time Akiyama kicks out of a pin or escapes a submission hold he gets to tell a joke. If he can make Akiyama laugh three times then Honda wins the match! On the other side, Akiyama will have to pin or submit Honda three times to be declared the winner. Akiyama accepted the rule once he figured out he can just beat the hell out of Honda a bunch to win.
The KO-D Tag Team Titles match also had its contract signed by all participants. Asahi said this will be his third chance to win the belt. He does not often get that many opportunities to fight for another company’s championship. Oishi said a high percentage of ShunMao is made up of Oishi DNA. The belts they hold should belong to him. MAO said he knows a lot about Asahi from the times The Moonlight Express fought him as well as by watching his DVD collection of Men’s Club matches. Katsumata joked that ever since he was a trainee people have said he looks like Asahi so the title match will prove who the real Shiori Asahi is! He also wants to see the glitzy Oishi from his old days.
After the contract signing ended, Katsumata stuck around for one more announcement. “DRAMATIC DREAM ONITA” is going ahea in Tsurumi on 19th March! The show will have an explosion death match with both HARASHIMA and Kazuki Hirata confirmed to take part. Katsumata promised he is going to blow up Hirata. Pheromones then came out and captured Katsumata so he could be turned into “Chunma” for later in the show.
DDT “NEW YEAR’S CURRENT EXPLOSION!”, 07/01/2023 Kanagawa Tsurumi Fruit & Vegetable Market 234 Fans – Super No Vacancy
1. Yukio Naya defeated Takeshi Masada with the Choke Slam (8:22).
2. Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno defeated Hideki Okatani & Kazuma Sumi when Iino submitted Sumi with a Scorpion Ketsulock (8:41).
3. Special 6-Man Tag Match: HARASHIMA, Saori Anou & Yusuke Okada defeated Kazuki Hirata, Saki Akai & Gota Ihashi after Anou pinned Ihashi after a High Kick & Enzuigiri Combo from Akai and Anou (8:58).
4. Chain Death Match: Chris Brookes defeated Demonio Uno by TKO with the Octopus Stretch (12:37).
5. The 37KAMIINA Vs BURNING!: Yuki Ueno & MAO defeated Tetsuya Endo & Yuya Koroku when Ueno pinned Koroku with a Stretch Bomb (13:21).
6. Harimao Vs DAMNATION T.A!: Daisuke Sasaki & KANON defeated Kazusada Higuchi & Yuki Ishida when KANON submitted Ishida with the Just Cobra Twist (10:37).
7. “Current Blast” Trademark Rights & Position Battle ~ Legend Resurrected! New Year Aerial Time Bomb & Current Blast Bat Death Match: Atsushi Onita, Shunma Katsumata & Toi Kojima defeated Sanshiro Takagi, Akito & Soma Takao when Onita pinned Takao with a Current Blast Bat Swing (12:23). *Atsushi Onita becomes the Honorary Drop Kick store manager.
DDT’s first attempt of 2023 to flex their corporate muscle ended in failure and may perhaps come back to haunt them later in the Spring. Sanshiro Takagi, Akito & Soma Takao challenged Atsushi Onita to put his trademark for exploding death matches on the line so DDT could control the stipulation worldwide. In return Onita, Shunma Katsumata & Toi Kojima demanded their opponents to put their CyberFight management roles on the line so whoever lost would have to transfer their company position over to the person who pinned them.
The result of the explosive main event saw Onita spit Poison Mist at Takao, blow him up with a baseball bat and then pin him to end the match. As a result, Onita is the new store manager for the Drop Kick bar! However due to the long distance between Onita’s home and the bar he is unable to do that job properly so he agreed to be the bar’s honorary manager instead. However Takagi still wants to take over the trademark. Katsumata then said he wanted to do another explosion death match and already booked Tsurumi Fruit & Vegetable Market for 19th March. He asked if there was anyone in DDT who wanted to take part? HARASHIMA walked out dragging Kazuki Hirata along with him. He wants to do it and win the trademark for CyberFight. He told Hirata he can do a bomb dance there too.
Onita then dropped a bombshell. He still wants the company president position so he is thinking of forming a new wrestling promotion called DDO… Dramatic Dream Onita! He told Katsumata he can be the vice president and Toi Kojima can become a managing director. If they can convince other wrestlers to join DDO they can then make triple or quadruple the amount of money they currently make in DDT. On 19th March DDO will take over DDT and CyberFight will have to pay for all of their debts! Onita also threw out a challenge for the All Asia Tag Team Titles but that’s another story for another blog to cover.
Yuki Ueno & MAO wrestled their match wearing yankee gear. MAO even tried fighting with his hands in his pockets at the start. He also gave Tetsuya Endo a Low Blow but that backfired when Endo inadvertedly gave MAO a Low Blow back. Ueno took over and used a Stretch Bomb to pin Yuya Koroku.
The Chain Death Match spilled outside of the ring which is where Demonio Uno is at his best. He started a tug of war using the chain and Chris Brookes was able to win it with the help of some fans joining in on his side. Brookes then put Uno on a dolly and pushed him into the ring post. Back in the ring Uno fought back using the chain. However it ended up getting wrapped around Yukinori Matsui, preventing the referee from being able to count any pins. Uno then tried hanging Brookes over the ropes with the chain but Brookes found a way to free himself. He got a nearfall with the Praying Mantis Bomb and then applied a chain assisted Octopus Stretch. Uno wouldn’t respond and the match ended with Brookes declared as the winner.
Gota Ihashi found himself in a state of crisis. He’s already in love with Saki Akai but then he got into the ring with Saori Anou and is feeling can’t decide who he wants more. When Akai and Anou ended up against each other in the ring, Ihashi was convinced they were both fighting over him. He ran towards them hoping to receive just as much adoration in return but instead the two women knocked him out with a High Kick Sandwich.
Class was in session because Pheromones wanted to teach their opponents a lesson today. Yuki Iino used a Stinkface syle Scorpion Deathlock on Kazuma Sumi to win the match by submission. Afterwards Danshoku Dieno told Hideki Okatani that Pheromones do not take their sexy clothes off during matches just for pleasure. They also do it for strength and strategy. Today’s lesson from Pheromones to young people is to think and find your own strength. When in doubt, come back and Pheromones will teach you.
DDT “ALL SEATS ARE 3,000 YEN! DDT NEW YEAR PRO WRESTLING FESTIVAL!”, 05/01/2023 Tokyo Itabashi Green Hall 234 Fans – Super No Vacancy Full House
1. HARASHIMA & Antonio Honda defeated Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno when Honda pinned Dieno with the Diving Fist Drop (8:40).
2. 3 Way Tag Match: Daisuke Sasaki & KANON defeated Toru Owashi & Kazuki Hirata and Yukio Naya & Yusuke Okada when Sasaki submitted Hirata with the Crossface Lock (6:20).
3. Yuki Ueno & Yuya Koroku defeated Makoto Oishi & Ilusion when Ueno pinned Ilusion with the Dropkick (12:36).
4. New Year Special Challenge Match I: Tetsuya Endo defeated Hideki Okatani with the Modified Yurikamome (10:11).
5. MAO & Shunma Katsumata defeated Toi Kojima & Kazuma Sumi when Katsumata pinned Kojima after the Super Double Miracle Ecstacy (10:09).
6. New Year Special Challenge Match II: Chris Brookes defeated Takeshi Masada with the House Piano Death (10:21).
7. New Year Special Challenge Match III: Kazusada Higuchi defeated Yuki Ishida with the Buchikamashi (11:03).
8. Emergency Decision Match: Konosuke Takeshita Vs Yuki Ueno ended in a Time Limit Draw (10:00).
The fans in attendance was treated to a bonus unadvertised match at the end of the show. After the main event was over Konosuke Takeshita walked out in his wrestling gear. He was only advertised to be on the show as part of a meet and greet. Takeshita said he will be travelling back to America tomorrow, will be competing in the PWG Battle Of Los Angeles tournament this weekend and has a match scheduled against Bryan Danielson in AEW next week. He has a packed week ahead but seeing the sold out crowd DDT got today he knew that it was not enough to just hang around and sign autographs. He won’t be back in DDT until March so before he leaves he wants a singles match against Yuki Ueno! There was some hesitency from Hisaya Imabayashi to let it happen because it is such a big match to do on no notice. Everyone agreed to do the match with a 10 minute time limit.
The match went ahead and lasted the entire 10 minutes with no winner coming out of it. Takeshita said both he and Ueno had gotten stronger since their last match against each other. He even admits that the Takeshita from two years ago would have lost to Ueno today. Before he goes back to the USA, Takeshita has advice to give the younger DDT wrestlers. You don’t have to do your best when you get an opportunity but you have to do your best to get that opportunity. It’s doesn’t matter if it’s the main event, a championship match or somewhere low on the card you have to do your best everywhere. He will do his best in America and will look forward to wrestling in front of a full Korakuen Hall on 21st March. Ueno promised everyone will do their best to make DDT’s future look amazing.
Kazusada Higuchi gave Yuki Ishida plenty of motivation to do his best during and after their match. He told Ishida he may not be ready yet even with momentum behind him. He has to have the same focus he showed today for his matches in the D GENERATIONS CUP. Ishida agreed and promised to win the tournament. He was fired up to fight Higuchi today and is coming out of the match with more confidence. Higuchi said it is up to both of them to make Harimao more exciting while Naomi Yoshimura is injured.
Another young wrestler who’s been appreciating his recent matches against veterans is Takeshi Masada. Although he lost to Chris Brookes today, he is determined to win the D GENERATIONS CUP so he can wrestle in Hollywood. Brookes wished him luck after their match.
The new KO-D Tag Team Champions have some thoughts about their first title defence coming up on 29th January. It will be taking place the day after MAO turns 26 years old. He won’t be afraid of Makoto Oishi & Shiori Asahi because they are like grandpas to him. All they can do is lecture to the younger wrestlers in the locker room.
Tetsuya Endo has high hopes for Yuya Koroku in the D GENERATIONS CUP. He wants Koroku to win and do his best as a member of BURNING. He is also hoping to see everyone taking part to show a lot of spirit and guts like Hideki Okatani did today. Okatani was frustrated to lose against Endo. He said he doesn’t even care about wrestling in America, he just wants to win the tournament.
Perhaps the biggest underdog going into the D GENERATIONS CUP is Ilusion. He has among the least amount of experience and ring time of the wrestlers entering the tournament. Oishi described the chances of him winning would be like a dramatic dream.
A win for Antonio Honda today has somehow given him all the drive in the world to beat Jun Akiyama for the DDT Extreme Title. He said on 21st January he is going to retire Akiyama because when he takes the belt off him, Akiyama will never want to step into the ring again!
Some of the wrestlers taking part in the exploding death match on 7th January gave their thoughts on the match. Akito likes the trademark versus company role stipulation because he does not want DDT to stay complacent. Soma Takao wants to pin Atsushi Onita so he can be crowned the “Explosion Prince”. He is also worried because he has to work his shift at the Drop Kick Bar shortly after the show ends. Sanshiro Takagi joked that when they win the trademark they can blow up the Drop Kick Bar to celebrate. Shunma Katsumata wants to know if his opponents are serious when they say they are putting their CyberFight management roles on the line. Toi Kojima promised to pin Sanshiro Takagi so he will win the CyberFight presidency. Once that happens he will give everyone in DDT a raise!
DDT “HATSUYUME 2023”, 03/01/2023 Tokyo Korakuen Hall 759 Fans – Super No Vacancy Full House
1. Makoto Oishi & Shiori Asahi defeated Hideki Okatani & Toi Kojima when Oishi pinned Kojima after the Cactus Flower (8:12).
2. Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno Vs Akito & Antonio Honda ended in a No Contest (7:13).
3. New Year Special 8-Man Tag Match: Toru Owashi, Kazuki Hirata, Yuji Hino & Yukio Naya defeated Shinshun Pokotan, Yukio Sakaguchi, Saki Akai & Kazuma Sumi when Hirata pinned Sumi with the Miracle One Shot Cradle (11:59).
4. Alice Tour Presents Special 10-Man Tag Match: Tetsuya Endo, Jun Akiyama, Kotaro Suzuki, Yusuke Okada & Yuya Koroku defeated Kazusada Higuchi, HARASHIMA, RSP, Soma Takao & Yuki Ishida when Endo pinned Ishida with the Burning Star Press (10:41).
5. Alice Tour Presents Special Tag Match: Yuki Ueno & Cara Noir defeated MJ Paul & KANON when Noir submitted Paul with the Blackout Sleeper (11:49).
6. Special Single Match: Konosuke Takeshita defeated Takeshi Masada with the Zahi (10:02).
7. DDT Universal Title Next Challenger Decision Battle: Naruki Doi Vs Daisuke Sasaki ended in a Time Limit Draw (30:00).
8. KO-D Tag Team Titles: MAO & Shunma Katsumata defeated Chris Brookes & Masahiro Takanashi when MAO pinned Takanashi after Oretachi no Mad Max (19:02). *ShunMao becomes the 76th KO-D Tag Team Champions!
2023 begins with the crowning of new KO-D Tag Team Champions! The belts were vacated by Harimao back in November when Naomi Yoshimura took time off to deal with a herniated disc. The top two teams chosen to fight over the vacant titles were ShunMao and CDK. The match also had relaxed rules for double pinfalls, which is something CDK is used to by wrestling in places like ChocoPro. But MAO & Shunma Katsumata got used to the idea and together delivered a Double Miracle Ecstacy for a nearfall. Chris Brookes & Masahiro Takanashi had their own tricks and double team moves up their sleeve too and almost won several times. Katsumata took out Brookes with a Topé and ShunMao focused on isolating Takanashi, putting him away with the Oretachi no Mad Max to become the new champs!
The two teams were on good terms after the match. MAO said after six years he & Katsumata are finally the KO-D Tag Champions together and there was no better way for them to start the new year that way! While ShunMao was celebrating with the rest of The 37KAMIINA, suddenly Makoto Oishi & Shiori Asahi entered the ring. They had a new year’s gift for the champions and it is a challenge from Ω. ShunMao agreed and the match will take place on 29th January. It is the same show where Yuji Hino will be fighting for the KO-D Openweight Title so the three of them are aiming to dye DDT’s top championships in Ω’s colours. Backstage Brookes said he is sad CDK lost but their goal as a team is to have fun with pro wrestling. Takanashi is disappointed they aren’t getting to wrestle Oishi & Asahi next.
Nothing could determine a winner between Naruki Doi and Daisuke Sasaki within 30 minutes. Not interference from DAMNATION T.A, not counter interference from Toru Owashi, not the Doi 555 & Bakatare Sliding Kick combo, not the Pedigree & La Mistica Crossface Lock combo, not even the Sasaki Hurricanrana or a School Boy with the cheeky MIKAMI shout out along with it. The match reached its time limit and as a result there is no No. 1 Contender to challenge for the DDT Universal Title on 13th January. Hisaya Imabayashi kept the two in the ring after the match and called the champion Yuki Ueno down to figure out what to do next. Imabayashi suggested doing a 3 Way Match. Ueno liked the idea because he wants to fight Doi and Sasaki but he wants to beat both of them too. So Ueno asked for it to be a Survival 3 Way Match. Doi agreed to it if the match has a 60 minute time limit because he thinks that is enough time for him to beat both Sasaki and Ueno. Sasaki isn’t sure if 60 minutes really is enough but he also accepted the stipulation. He’s certain he can beat Ueno in 3 seconds, it’s just trying to figure out how to beat Doi in 59 minutes and 57 seconds that’s going to be the difficult part.
It will be a few months before Konosuke Takeshita is back in DDT again. His last match here for a while was a win against Takeshi Masada today. Masada pulled out a lot of dazzling kicks at the behest of his opponent to give him his strongest attacks. That was until Takeshita fired back with an Elbow Strike. The Jumping Knee missed its target but Takeshita readjusted himself and caught Masada with a Lariat before pinning him with the Zahi.
After the match Takeshita announced he will return to DDT for “JUDGEMENT 2023” on 21st March where there is a special match he finally wants to do. He has never wrestled a singles match against Sanshiro Takagi! It’s been 15 years since Takeshita first contacted the DDT president about wanting to become a pro wrestler. He’s been able to become one of the best because of him. Takagi was happy to be chosen but unsure he is physically able to do a match at that level. But once Takeshita thought about finding someone better, Takagi lost his temper and gave him a Stunner. He accepts the match after all! He’s going to spend the next three months training until he his no longer Sanshiro Takagi the president but Sanshiro Takagi the pro wrestler!
Ueno had already dealt with DAMNATION T.A earlier in the show with some help from Cara Noir. Together the two were a well oiled team against MJ Paul & KANON. Double Dropkicks, double dives and it all ended with Noir trapping Paul in the Blackout Sleeper with Ueno cutting KANON off from breaking the hold. Noir showed interest in having another match with Ueno in the future but for now he was pleased with getting a prize from the match sponsor Alice Tour for their win today.
Alice Tour also sponsored the 10-Man Tag Match. All active members of BURNING were together in one match for the first time. Poor Yusuke Okada took the brunt of the opposing team’s offence. Soma Takao threw elbows at him, HARASHIMA stomped him in the corner (but not before wishing him a happy new year), RSP & Kazusada Higuchi both flattened him with power moves. Good thing Yuki Ishida messed up his part and ended up getting squashed by RSP’s Swanton Bomb when it was meant for Okada. Jun Akiyama took down RSP with a Lariat and then it was Ishida up taking a train attack from Kotaro Suzuki, Yuya Koroku and the rest of BURNING. Ishida was tough enough to kick out of the Torture Rack Bomb but Tetsuya Endo followed it up with the Burning Star Press to put him away.
Pokotan was in a party mood for the new year and showed up wearing a large Kagami Mochi rice cake on its head. It is said to be good luck if you ever see Pokotan in this state. The wrestlers started to believe it when Pokotan started handing out gift envelopes. It gave an envelope to Yuji Hino just so he would stop attacking it. That led to the other wrestlers all excitedly lining up to receive their own envelopes. Yukinori Matsui got one too. The excitement quickly turned sour once everybody opened their gift just to find a 100 yen coin inside. They all attacked Pokotan, ending with Yukio Naya literally kicking its head off to reveal it is Sanshiro Takagi in the mascot suit! He went on a rampage in the ring until Kazuki Hirata knocked him out. Hirata then put on his glasses and led a big group dance. Unfortunately for him Yukio Sakaguchi did not put on a pair and attacked him instead with Saki Akai joining in. Kazuma Sumi tried to finish Hirata off but the Miracle One Shot Cradle was used out of nowhere and Hirata got away with winning the match.
2023 is the year of the rabbit so Danshoku Dieno wrestled his match wearing rabbit ears. I wish that was the only thing to write about this match. Instead Pheromones had to go out and do their best to cause another incident. When Antonio Honda had Dieno stunned with his latest Gongitsune joke, Yuki Iino was wheeled down to ringside on a cart pushed by Yumehito Imanari and stripped of most of his clothes. The spot was repeated several times with Iino stripping off more and more of his clothing with every appearance. By the fourth time Iino was completely naked using only gift envelopes to hide his shame. That finally caused the match to be called off. Dieno told the fans if they are having a hard time in 2023 then they should look towards Pheromones! Akito will probably have to do just that whether he wants to or not.
Oishi & Asahi were all set up to make their challenge after they beat Hideki Okatani & Toi Kojima in the opening match. Okatani did well to stop the Cactus Flower from being used first time around, causing Kojima to get a nearfall on Oishi. But Asahi broke the pin and was able to do the Cactus Flower with Oishi the second time to get their hands raised.
A lot of announcements and surprises were revealed throughout the show. Samuray Del Sol was announced to appear at “JUDGEMENT 2023” but it turned out he was right there in Korakuen Hall! He came out and chanted “lucha” a lot. Backstage he said the one name that interests him most about DDT is Yuki Ueno so he would like to challenge him for the DDT Universal Title at that show.
Also coming to DDT soon are Kip Sabian & Penelope Ford from AEW. The couple will be in Nagoya on 18th February and Korakuen Hall on 26th February.
Takagi announced his mystery tag partner for his birthday match on 13th January will be Fuminori Abe! Takagi is ready to go over the top in 2023 and wanted his tag partner to be just as crazy. Abe is the disciple of Munenori Sawa who was part of a fond tag team with Takagi over a decade ago. It could be recreated here with Takagi & Abe joining forces. Their tag team name is Bonno Dai Shacho, a reference to Takagi & Sawa being Hentai Dai Shacho.
Two more DDT supercards are added to the schedule, taking place after “JUDGEMENT 2023” in March. “MEGA MAX BUMP 2023” in Yokohama Budokan is happening on 3rd May. “WRESTLE PETER PAN 2023” in Sumo Hall will be on 23rd July.
DDT “HATSUYUME 2023”, 03/01/2023 Tokyo Korakuen Hall
1. Makoto Oishi & Shiori Asahi Vs Hideki Okatani & Toi Kojima
2. Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno Vs Akito & Antonio Honda
3. New Year Special 8-Man Tag Match: Toru Owashi, Kazuki Hirata, Yuji Hino & Yukio Naya Vs Shinshun Pokotan, Yukio Sakaguchi, Saki Akai & Kazuma Sumi
4. Alice Tour Presents Special 10-Man Tag Match: Kazusada Higuchi, HARASHIMA, RSP, Soma Takao & Yuki Ishida Vs Tetsuya Endo, Jun Akiyama, Kotaro Suzuki, Yusuke Okada & Yuya Koroku
5. Alice Tour Presents Special Tag Match: Yuki Ueno & Cara Noir Vs MJ Paul & KANON
6. Special Single Match: Konosuke Takeshita Vs Takeshi Masada
7. DDT Universal Title Next Challenger Decision Battle: Naruki Doi Vs Daisuke Sasaki
8. KO-D Tag Team Titles: Chris Brookes & Masahiro Takanashi Vs MAO & Shunma Katsumata
Sanshiro Takagi has a mystery tag team partner lined up for his birthday match on 13th January. He will reveal who it is on this show.
Cheers are allowed for the show.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TOKYO JOSHI PRO ’23”, 04/01/2023 Tokyo Korakuen Hall
1. HIMAWARI Debut Match: Yuki Aino Vs HIMAWARI
2. Wakana Uehara Debut Match: Moka Miyamoto & Juria Nagano Vs Arisu Endo & Wakana Uehara
3. Nao Kakuta, Mahiro Kiryu & Kaya Toribami Vs Raku, Pom Harajuku & Haruna Neko
4. New Year Special Match: Shoko Nakajima Vs Hyper Misao
5. Princess Of Princess Title Next Challenger Decision Battle Royal: Rika Tatsumi Vs Mizuki Vs Maki Itoh Vs Yuki Kamifuku Vs Hikari Noa Vs Suzume
6. International Princess Title: Miu Watanabe (c) Vs Trish Adora
7. Princess Tag Team Titles: Saki Akai & Yuki Arai (c) Vs Max The Impaler & Heidi Howitzer
8. Princess Of Princess Title: Yuka Sakazaki (c) Vs Miyu Yamashita
The 10th official year of Tokyo Joshi Pro begins in two days time!
GANBARE☆PRO “ADRENALINE 2023”, 05/01/2023 Tokyo Itabashi Green Hall
1. Riko Kawahata Vs YuuRI
2. Yuna Manase & Yoshiko Hasegawa Vs Moeka Haruhi & HARUKAZE
3. New Year Special 8-Man Elimination Tag Match: Ken Ohka, Shigehiro Irie, Shota & Shinichiro Tominaga Vs Shuichiro Katsumura, Keisuke Ishii, Shota & Hartley Jackson
4. Young Ganbare Cup: Yuki Kanzaki Vs Kentaro Hachisu
5. Young Ganbare Cup: Yumehito Imanari Vs Munetatsu Nakamura
6. Spirit Of Ganbare World Openweight Title: Mizuki Watase (c) Vs Tyson Maeguchi
Now that Shota is back in Japan his focus for now is on singles wrestling. This means there is not going to be a ROMANCE DAWN reunion with Soma Takao happening anytime soon. To prove it, they are on opposite teams for the Elimination Tag Match happening here.
The Ganbare☆Joshi division is rebooting this year. Details for what it entails are still to come but for now the women will continue doing their best. Like YuuRI here taking on the visiting Riko Kawahata. YuuRI is also going over to Ice Ribbon tomorrow as a last minute replacement for a few Actwres girl’Z wrestlers who pulled out all of a sudden. Don’t know what’s going on there.
DDT “NEW YEAR’S CURRENT EXPLOSION!”, 07/01/2023 Kanagawa Tsurumi Fruit & Vegetable Market
1. Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno Vs Hideki Okatani & Kazuma Sumi
2. Yukio Naya Vs Takeshi Masada
3. The 37KAMIINA Vs BURNING!: Yuki Ueno & MAO Vs Tetsuya Endo & Yuya Koroku
4. Harimao Vs DAMNATION T.A!: Kazusada Higuchi & Yuki Ishida Vs Daisuke Sasaki & KANON
5. Special 6-Man Tag Match: HARASHIMA, Saori Anou & Yusuke Okada Vs Kazuki Hirata, Saki Akai & Gota Ihashi
6. Chain Death Match: Chris Brookes Vs Demonio Uno
7. “Current Blast” Trademark Rights & Position Battle ~ Legend Resurrected! New Year Aerial Time Bomb & Current Blast Bat Death Match: Atsushi Onita, Shunma Katsumata & Toi Kojima Vs Sanshiro Takagi, Akito & Soma Takao
The Chris Brookes Vs Demonio Uno bout is now a Chain Death Match.
The show will begin with Atsushi Onita and Shunma Katsumata hosting a explosion themed opening ceremony to bring in the new year.
DDT “SWEET DREAMS! 2023 TOUR IN SHINJUKU ~FIRE!~”, 13/01/2023 Shinjuku FACE
1. Keigo Nakamura Comeback Match: Tetsuya Endo, Jun Akiyama & Yusuke Okada Vs HARASHIMA, Hideki Okatani & Keigo Nakamura
2. Shunma Katsumata Pheromones One Day Experience Match: Yuki “Sexy” Iino, Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno & Shunma Katsumata Vs Akito, Kazuki Hirata & Yuya Koroku
3. Special Tag Match: Sanshiro Takagi & X Vs Chris Brookes & Takeshi Masada
4. Special Single Match: Kotaro Suzuki Vs Soma Takao
5. DDT Universal Title: Yuki Ueno (c) Vs Winner Of 3/1 Decision Match
It’s going to be an Endless Waltz battle between Kotaro Suzuki and Soma Takao. Suzuki is the person who came up with the name Endless Waltz for the constant Las Magistral Cradles he likes to do. He got the name from a Gundam movie.
The show is happening on Takagi’s birthday. He will have already announced who his tag partner is going to be by the time the show takes place.
The supposed one day Katsumata has to join Pheromones is taking place on this day. Pheromones claim he is their “pet” for one month though.
Keigo Nakamura’s return match is throwing him right in there against BURNING.
Naruki Doi will be on the show.
DDT “SWEET DREAMS! 2023 TOUR IN YOKOHAMA”, 21/01/2023 Yokohama Radiant Hall
1. Yokohama Two Major Singles Match I: Yusuke Okada Vs Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno
2. Yokohama Two Major Singles Match II: Tetsuya Endo Vs Yuki “Sexy” Iino
3. DDT Extreme Title: Jun Akiyama (c) Vs Antonio Honda
By accident Antonio Honda has found himself challenging Jun Akiyama for the DDT Extreme Title. He was simply trying to get Super Sasadango Machine out of the ring when he stumbled into Akiyama while the champion was waiting for a new challenger to appear.
BURNING and Pheromones have a couple of singles matches happening leading up to their big battle at the end of the month. No way Yuki Iino and Danshoku Dieno will be on their own for these matches.
DDT “SWEET DREAMS! 2023”, 29/01/2023 Tokyo Korakuen Hall
1. KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles: Tetsuya Endo, Kotaro Suzuki & Yusuke Okada (c) Vs Yuki “Sexy” Iino, Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno & Koju “Shining Ball” Takeda
2. KO-D Tag Team Titles: X & X (c) Vs X & X
3. KO-D Openweight Title: Kazusada Higuchi (c) Vs Yuji Hino
In a rematch from the D-Ou Grand Prix draw that happened in November, Kazusada Higuchi and Yuji Hino are facing off again this time with the KO-D Openweight Title on the line. The previous match had a total of 182 chops thrown between the two and still ended without a winner. Admittedly, Hino demanded the match more because he wants to fight Higuchi again rather than because of a desire to win the KO-D Title for a second time.
BURNING defends their newly won KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles against Pheromones. Kotaro Suzuki was told when you come to DDT, a confrontation against Pheromones is inevitable. Tetsuya Endo & Yusuke Okada are already trying to get into their opponent’s heads by telling them what they do is not sexy at all. Koju Takeda will be the wild card because he is the third man on the Pheromones side instead of Yumehito Imanari.
Shinya Aoki, Naruki Doi and Hikaru Machida will all be on the show.
DDT “HAMAMATSU TRAIN PRO WRESTLING”, 19/02/2023 Shizuoka Tenryu Hamanako Railway
1. Hiroshi Yamato Vs X
DDT will be wrestling on a moving train again! A train filled with 47 passengers will depart from Mikkabi Station and travel along the Tenryu Hamanako Railway while wrestlers fight each other inside it. Hiroshi Yamato is the first wrestler to put his name into the hat.
Posted by JamieOD 
Dramatic DDT 