Video – ELP Vs Brookes From “WRESTLE KINGDOM 20”

January 10, 2026


NJPW “SANSEI R&D PRESENTS WRESTLE KINGDOM 20 IN TOKYO DOME – HIROSHI TANAHASHI RETIREMENT”, 01/04/2026
Tokyo Dome
46,913 Fans – Super No Vacancy Full House

0. NJPW World TV Title: El Phantasmo (c) Vs Chris Brookes


Takeshita, Brookes And Takechi All Lose At Wrestle Kingdom 20

January 4, 2026

NJPW “SANSEI R&D PRESENTS WRESTLE KINGDOM 20 IN TOKYO DOME – HIROSHI TANAHASHI RETIREMENT”, 01/04/2026
Tokyo Dome
46,913 Fans – Super No Vacancy Full House

0. NJPW World TV Title: El Phantasmo (c) defeated Chris Brookes with the Super Thunder Kiss ’86 (11:48).
*V6 for El Phantasmo.
1. NEVER Openweight 6-Man Tag Team Titles – Tornado Rambo: Zack Sabre Jr., Ryohei Oiwa & Hartley Jackson defeated Hirooki Goto, YOSHI-HASHI & Oleg Boltin when Sabre pinned Boltin with the European Clutch (20:43).
Order Of Elimination: Yuto-Ice/OSKAR/Clark Conners, Tiger Mask/Togi Makabe/Ryusuke Taguchi, Tomohiro Ishii/Taichi/Satoshi Kojima and Shota Umino/Yuya Uemura/Kaisei Takechi, Toru Yano/YOH/Master Wato (c), Ren Narita/SANADA/Yoshinobu Kanemaru, Hirooki Goto/YOSHI-HASHI/Oleg Boltin.
*Toru Yano, YOH & Master Wato fail in V4. TMDK become the 32nd NEVER Openweight 6-Man Tag Team Champions!
6. IWGP World Heavyweight Title & IWGP Global Heavyweight Title: Yota Tsuji (c/g) defeated KONOSUKE TAKESHITA (c/w) with a Crab Hold (29:20).
*V2 for Yota Tsuji. KONOSUKE TAKESHITA fails in V2. Yota Tsuji becomes the 15th IWGP World Heavyweight Champion!

It was all set up for DDT to hijack one of the biggest wrestling events to happen in years but in the end it was all dashed away. Oh well at least New Japan made all of the right moves to help take care of their own problems. On the day that Hiroshi Tanahashi ended his legendary wrestling career, Konosuke Takeshita was there in the semi-final of the Tokyo Dome taking part in a double championship match against Yota Tsuji. Takeshita was putting the IWGP World Heavyweight Title on the line while Tsuji was defending the IWGP Global Heavyweight Title. Instead of wearing the “blessed” kneepad from yesterday’s DDT show, Takeshita had a different costume on that included a red bandana wrapped around his arm. It was later confirmed to belong to Shinsuke Nakamura who couldn’t be there on the night. The grand battle came down to Takeshita and Tsuji charging into each other, Wagamama versus Gene Blaster. The Gene Blast won out but rather than go for the pin, Tsuji instead put Takeshita in the Crab Hold to make him tap out! Takeshita admitted defeat afterwards but knows he can get stronger and climb higher. According to him, this is just the beginning.

Kaisei Takechi’s appearance in the Tornado Rambo match turned out to be rather pointless. He got to make a big entrance along with the rest of THE RAMPAGE with a live performance of the song “BREAK IT DOWN”. However the rules of the match resulted in his team’s elimination happening in a rather uneventful manner. Yuya Uemura and Taichi eliminated each other double Battle Royal style, meaning both of their teams were taken out of the match too. It wasn’t really a good showcase for Takechi, Uemura or Shota Umino in anyway outside of THE RAMPAGE entrance. Takechi wants to team up with the others again because he regrets how little they did in the match. Then maybe after that he could fight against them too.

The pre-show match allowed Chris Brookes to bring some SCHADENFREUDE International energy into the Tokyo Dome. With the likes of Antonio Honda, Baliyan Akki, Munetatsu Nakamura and Bunbun on his side, Brookes got to pull out the rubber band spot that stretched all the way up the Tokyo Dome entrance ramp. El Phantasmo had too much fight in him though and he kicked out of the Praying Mantis Bomb. Brookes kicked out of the CRIII but ELP quickly hit him with the Super Thunder Kiss ’86 to successfully defend the NJPW World TV Title. Backstage ELP talked about how a decade ago Brookes was one of the few wrestlers to give him a hand while he was touring the UK and that always meant a lot to him. He also talked about how the health scare Brookes had last year is what led to him finding out about his own cancer diagnosis months later. For that he will be forever greatful to Brookes. He also predicts 2026 is going to be a crazy year for pro wrestling in Japan and today they got to give everyone a taste of what it could be like.


Takechi Finds His Wrestle Kingdom Team, Brookes Challenges ELP For NJPW TV Title

December 22, 2025

NJPW “SANSEI R&D PRESENTS WRESTLE KINGDOM 20 IN TOKYO DOME – HIROSHI TANAHASHI RETIREMENT”, 01/04/2026
Tokyo Dome

0. NJPW World TV Title: El Phantasmo (c) Vs Chris Brookes
1. NEVER Openweight 6-Man Tag Team Titles – Tornado Rambo: Toru Yano, YOH & Master Wato (c) Vs Hirooki Goto, YOSHI-HASHI & Oleg Boltin Vs Ren Narita, SANADA & Yoshinobu Kanemaru Vs Tiger Mask, Togi Makabe & Ryusuke Taguchi Vs Shota Umino, Yuya Uemura & Kaisei Takechi
7. IWGP World Heavyweight Title & IWGP Global Heavyweight Title: KONOSUKE TAKESHITA (c/w) Vs Yota Tsuji (c/g)

Some DDT filled surprises appeared at today’s New Japan show in Korakuen Hall. It was the final NJPW event of 2025 as well as the go home show for “WRESTLE KINGDOM 20” in the Tokyo Dome. The first surprise happened after the opening match. El Phantasmo had just successfully defended the NJPW World TV Title against Ryusuke Taguchi in an open challenge when Christmas music began to play. Santa Claus (looking very Tatsuya Matsumoto shaped) walked down to the ring with a present for ELP. The champion opened it up to reveal Bunbun was inside it! Chris Brookes suddenly appeared in the ring, gave ELP a Low Blow and attacked both Santa as well as Jado the reindeer. Brookes got on the microphone and said even though they are good friends, he has to take an opportunity like this. ELP is always looking for challengers so Brookes is challenging him for the NJPW TV Title at the Tokyo Dome! He gave Phantasmo the Praying Mantis Bomb before telling everyone that things are going to change in 2026, starting with Brookes winning the TV Title.

There was another DDT related appearance a few matches later. The House Of Torture had just won a 10-Man Tag Match in dominating fashion and they continued to beat down their opponents afterwards. Kaisei Takechi unexpectedly got into the ring to try and put a stop to things, receiving some help from Shota Umino & Yuya Uemura to chase them off. When things calmed down, Umino joked if this means Takechi will be showing up at the Tokyo Dome (he’s already booked). Takechi told Umino he always wanted to wrestle him and they could team up with Uemura to enter the Tornado Rambo together. Uemura said it takes more than just looking cool to wrestle in a New Japan ring but if that’s what Takechi wants, he is up for going after the NEVER Openweight 6-Man Tag Team Titles with them.


Takeshita Defends IWGP Title Against Goto, Heading To Double Title Match At The Tokyo Dome

November 7, 2025

NJPW “HIROSHI TANAHASHI ~ FINAL HOMECOMING”, 02/11/2025
Gifu Memorial Center Deai Dome
3,742 Fans – No Vacancy

8. IWGP World Heavyweight Title: KONOSUKE TAKESHITA (c) defeated Hirooki Goto with the Raging Fire (24:20).
*V1 for KONOSUKE TAKESHITA.

Last weekend Konosuke Takeshita recorded his first successful defence of the IWGP World Heavyweight Title, beating former champion Hirooki Goto in a rematch from the 2024 G1 Climax. For Goto it was his chance to reclaim the title he lost earlier this year when he physically reached his limit. Now back from an injury (and from filming a Street Fighter movie where played the role of as E. Honda), Goto stepped up to be Takeshita’s first challenger. Takeshita wound up blocking the Goto Revolution, knocked him back with the big Elbow Strike, stunned Goto with the Wagamama and pinned him with the Raging Fire for the win.

NJPW “SANSEI R&D PRESENTS WRESTLE KINGDOM 20 IN TOKYO DOME – HIROSHI TANAHASHI RETIREMENT”, 01/04/2026
Tokyo Dome

1. IWGP World Heavyweight Title & IWGP Global Heavyweight Title: KONOSUKE TAKESHITA (c/w) Vs Yota Tsuji (c/g)

Takeshita’s path to the Tokyo Dome for 4th January is now clear. All he needed next was a challenger. Yota Tsuji answered the call carrying a championship of his own. He challenged Takeshita to a double title match with the IWGP World Title and IWGP Global Heavyweight Title both on the line. For both men the match is the final destination for their respective journeys all happening under the retirement of Hiroshi Tanahashi.


Takeshita’s Tokyo Dome Adventure

January 6, 2025

What a newsworthy weekend Konosuke Takeshita has had! He went into the Tokyo Dome for New Japan’s biggest show of the year ready to defend his AEW International Title. He came out of it still with the belt, gaining another championship and making a pretty important announcement about where his future belongs to.


NJPW “WRESTLE KINGDOM 19 IN TOKYO DOME”, 04/01/2025
Tokyo Dome, Japan
24,107 Fans

1. NEVER Openweight Title & AEW International Title: KONOSUKE TAKESHITA (I/c) defeated Shingo Takagi (N/c) with the Raging Fire (11:42).
*V5 for KONOSUKE TAKESHITA. Shingo Takagi fails in V2. Becomes the 47th/11th Champion!

On the Saturday Takeshita went into a double title match putting his AEW title on the line against Shingo Takagi and his NEVER Openweight Title. The winner would not only have two championships but would also face Tomohiro Ishii in the Dome the next day. So Ishii made it a priority to sit at ringside to watch this match up close. Takeshita tried to weaken the arm Takagi prefers to use the Pumping Bomber with but he never expected Takagi to pull out a Reverse Frankensteiner. However Takeshita was too tough to put down and he won by using the Raging Fire. He held both belts up high while staring down Ishii after the match.

Backstage Takeshita said he always thought Takagi was strong but he was able to beat him on the biggest stage. When he fights Ishii he will show him the pride of AEW as well as give him the fight of a NEVER Champion. He will attack Ishii with 120% of his strength! Takagi said he couldn’t remember what happened in the match other than he lost to Takeshita in under 15 minutes. Ishii meanwhile dared Takeshita to throw all of his strikes at him tomorrow.


NJPW/AEW/CMLL/STARDOM/ROH “WRESTLE DYNASTY”, 05/01/2025
Tokyo Dome, Japan
16,300 Fans

1. NEVER Openweight Title & AEW International Title: KONOSUKE TAKESHITA (c/c) defeated Tomohiro Ishii with the Raging Fire (13:30).
*V1 for NEVER Openweight Title. V6 for AEW International Title.

The next day Takeshita defended both of his championships against Ishii at the Dome. Ishii provoked Takeshita into hitting him with Elbow Strikes then fought back by throwing Chops towards the throat. Then the two started hitting big bombs on each other resulting in a double down. Ishii switched to throwing Headbutts while Takeshita fought back by using Brainbusters and a Reverse Frankensteiner. He was able to hit the Raging Fire and that was enough to put Ishii away for a successful double title defence.

After the match backstage Takeshita had good news to tell the wrestling media. Right now he is currently affiliated with DDT and AEW. Well now he made a deal with New Japan to work for all three companies at the same time! His goal is to unify the pro wrestling world and he will do that by walking a path nobody else has taken before. He then said his upcoming plans are to defend the International Title in AEW again while defending the NEVER Title at New Japan’s USA shows. He singled out KUSHIDA as somebody he would like to defend the NEVER Title against because he is another wrestler who is well-travelled. However when he finished his interview Oleg Boltin walked in and gave him a stare down.


According to Takaaki Kidani through quotes taken from a Tokyo Sports article, Takeshita might have signed a one year contract with New Japan while continuing his current deals with DDT and AEW. Kidani said AEW’s light match schedule makes it possible for Takeshita to wrestle in New Japan more often so if he wants to become a mainstay for the company it can happen. Dave Meltzer on today’s Wrestling Observer Radio explained that AEW is still his priority whenever they want to use him. He also expects AEW and NJPW will keep in touch with each other to avoid any scheduling conflicts. I see DDT as the third wheel in this deal but Takeshita’s appearances for the company have dwindled down to single digits per year so it shouldn’t be too hard to get him for the important shows.


DDT And TJPW At Keiji Muto’s Retirement Show Results

February 21, 2023

NOAH “KEIJI MUTO GRAND FINAL PRO-WRESTLING “LAST” LOVE~HOLD OUT~”, 21/02/2023
Tokyo Dome
30,096 Fans

0. Tokyo Joshi Pro Wrestling Offer Match – TJPW Spark: Yuka Sakazaki, Miyu Yamashita, Shoko Nakajima & Rika Tatsumi defeated Mizuki, Maki Itoh, Miu Watanabe & Yuki Arai when Sakazaki pinned Arai with the Magical Girl Chicken Dude (11:38).
2. DDT Pro Wrestling Offer Match – Dramatic Dream Future: MAO, Shunma Katsumata, Yuki Ueno & Toi Kojima defeated Tetsuya Endo, Hideki Okatani, Yuya Koroku & Takeshi Masada when Ueno pinned Masada with the WR (9:06).

Without a doubt the biggest wrestling show to take place in Japan this year took place today with Keiji Muto retiring at the Tokyo Dome. On the undercard there were matches put together by several companies including DDT and Tokyo Joshi Pro. The DDT match presented The 37KAMIINA taking on Tetsuya Endo leading a team of DDT’s future stars in the making. For Endo the match gave him an opportunity to be on the big stage for the first time since the concussion incident at “CYBERFIGHT FESTIVAL 2022” last June. His Burning Star Press was dodged by MAO but he was able to make up for it by hitting the Sasuke Special into an Overhead Kick later on. Takeshi Masada also stepped up to the plate and brought the fight to Yuki Ueno. That moment was stopped with a German Suplex followed by Ueno’s pinpoint Dropkick. Ueno then got the pin by giving Masada the WR to give The 37KAMIINA the victory.

Backstage Ueno told reporters unfamiliar with The 37KAMIINA that the group loves to have hot matches that transforms arenas into saunas. For Muto’s retirement at the Tokyo Dome they really wanted to have a match as passionate as the occasion. Because of that MAO admitted everybody in the match were feeling nervous. Even if they made the atmosphere even just a little bit more electric he hopes the match helped build the show up towards its massive main event. Toi Kojima had a Konosuke Takeshita shirt with him to represent Takeshita in spirit so in a way all five members of the unit were together at the Tokyo Dome. Shunma Katsumata told everyone to keep doing their best so some day DDT will have their own proper show in the Dome. Endo noted that his team was not a unit at all but everyone got to see how hard they work on a regular basis. Yuya Koroku said the match is a great source of inspiration for his future in wrestling. Hideki Okatani isn’t as positive because he felt he did not give his best effort out there. The experience will fuel him to get better though. Out of all of the wrestlers involved, the match may have left the most impact on Takeshi Masada. The rookie said he will never forget the sight of the ceiling he had to stare at after he lost the match.

The pre-show featured an 8-Woman Tag Match put together by TJPW. Everyone got their own moment in the spotlight in the centre of the ring. Maki Itoh demonstrated her hard head, Miu Watanabe did the Giant Swing, Rika Tatsumi threw some Dragon Screws, Mizuki landed the Whirling Candy, Miyu Yamashita used her Return Crash kick from the corner, Yuki Arai was able to do the Full Nelson Buster and Shoko Nakajima wiped out a group of wrestlers outside with a Topé Suicida. But it was Yuka Sakazaki who brought things to an end by pinning Arai with the Magical Girl Chicken Dude.

Everyone gave their comments backstage after the match. Yamashita said their time out there in the Tokyo Dome came and went in the blink of an eye. She is really happy that TJPW played a part on a day as historic as Muto’s retirement. Sakazaki wanted to thank Muto for allowing them to have the match because it made them love pro wrestling even more. Nakajima now wants TJPW to run the Tokyo Dome themselves and does not think that dream is impossible. Tatsumi agrees and because she wants all of TJPW to be here. Watanabe wants to spread the word and tell everyone how wonderful TJPW is. Mizuki thinks the company will grow even bigger and she will do her best to headline the Dome some day. Itoh was very happy to do the Cutest Knuckle Punch In The World at the Tokyo Dome. Arai was disappointed to lose the match but still called the experience a wonderful time with wonderful wrestlers.


Miu Vs Janai Tomorrow, Endo Misses This Weekend, Kingston & Akiyama Team Up In LA

February 17, 2023

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW CITY CIRCUIT WINTER ~NAGOYA PERFORMANCE~”, 18/02/2023
Nagoya International Conference Center Event Hall

1. Hikari Noa & Wakana Uehara Vs Yuki Aino & HIMAWARI
2. 3 Way Match: Nao Kakuta Vs Haruna Neko Vs Pom Harajuku
3. Shoko Nakajima, Hyper Misao & Kaya Toribami Vs Rika Tatsumi, Suzume & Arisu Endo
4. Yuka Sakazaki, Mizuki & Raku Vs Maki Itoh, Yuki Kamifuku & Mahiro Kiryu
5. International Princess Title: Miu Watanabe (c) Vs Janai Kai
6. Miyu Yamashita & Yuki Arai Vs Aja Kong & Moka Miyamoto

A press conference held earlier today had Miu Watanabe and Janai Kai meeting each other face to face. Watanabe said the more she defends the International Princess Title, the more new sights she will get to see. Her target is to defend the belt next month both at Ariake Coliseum and in America. She can still feel her potential to grow as champion so she cannot lose it tomorrow. Kai said it took her five years to finally wrestle in Japan and winning the IP Title tomorrow is part of her dream. She is friends with Watanabe’s previous challenger Trish Adora and has already gotten advice from her on how to deal with Watanabe’s power. Kai also warned the champion that she is wearing black today because this press conference is also a funeral for Watanabe’s title reign! Watanabe tried to respond in English, telling Kai “No!” and “Not!” over and over. She also tried to say tomorrow but kept stuttering. Mr. HAKU figured out Watanabe was actually saying “to-tomorrow” as in the day after tomorrow.

DDT “FRIENDSHIP, EFFORT, VICTORY IN NAGOYA 2023”, 18/02/2023
Aichi Nagoya International Conference Center Event Hall

1. D GENERATIONS CUP – B Block: Toi Kojima (4) Vs Takeshi Masada (2)
2. D GENERATIONS CUP – A Block: Hideki Okatani (4) Vs Yuya Koroku (4)
3. 4 Way Tag Match: Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno Vs Antonio Honda & Saki Akai Vs Toru Owashi & Kazuki Hirata Vs Gota Ihashi & Keigo Nakamura
4. Kotaro Suzuki, Yukio Sakaguchi & Yusuke Okada Vs Yuji Hino, Makoto Oishi & Kazuma Sumi
5. International Special 6-Man Tag Match: Kip Sabian (w/ Penelope Ford), Chris Brookes & Hagane Shinno Vs Kazusada Higuchi, Yuki Ueno & Yuki Ishida
6. DDT Extreme Title – Master Of Environment Match: Jun Akiyama (c) Vs Akito
7. Nagoya Specialty Special 6-Man Tag Match: MAO, Shunma Katsumata & Yukio Naya Vs HARASHIMA, Soma Takao & Shinya Ishida
8. DDT Universal Title: Naruki Doi (c) Vs KANON

Tetsuya Endo will be off of this weekend’s shows due to illness. He tested negative for covid though so he will be back and ready in time for Keiji Muto’s retirement show on Tuesday. Yukio Sakaguchi moves up from the 4 Way Tag to replace Endo in Match #4. Gota Ihashi now takes up the empty slot in the 4 Way, with some teams mixed around to fit him in.

The last two block matches in the D GENERATIONS CUP are must-wins for everyone involved. Whoever wins their match goes through to the final. Toi Kojima has a little extra wriggle room because a draw against Takeshi Masada will also send him through. No such tiebreaker is there for Hideki Okatani Vs Yuya Koroku though.

DDT “HAMAMATSU TRAIN PRO WRESTLING”, 19/02/2023
Shizuoka Tenryu Hamanako Railway

1. Hiroshi Yamato Vs X

The illness means Endo has to miss the train wrestling match on Sunday.

NOAH “KEIJI MUTO GRAND FINAL PRO-WRESTLING “LAST” LOVE~HOLD OUT~”, 21/02/2023
Tokyo Dome

0. Tokyo Joshi Pro Wrestling Offer Match – TJPW Spark: Yuka Sakazaki, Miyu Yamashita, Shoko Nakajima & Rika Tatsumi Vs Mizuki, Maki Itoh, Miu Watanabe & Yuki Arai
2. DDT Pro Wrestling Offer Match – Dramatic Dream Future: MAO, Shunma Katsumata, Yuki Ueno & Toi Kojima Vs Tetsuya Endo, Hideki Okatani, Yuya Koroku & Takeshi Masada

I thought I blogged about this already but I didn’t. DDT and Tokyo Joshi Pro are getting a match each on Keiji Muto’s retirement show at the Tokyo Dome next week. It will no doubt be the biggest wrestling event taking place in Japan this year. DDT’s match pits The 37KAMIINA against Endo and the three young wrestlers who best represents DDT’s future. TJPW are grouping together their four pillars to take on the generation tier that are right below them.

DDT “DDT YOKOHAMA UNLIMITED VOL. 2”, 04/03/2023
Yokohama Radiant Hall

1. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title – Battle Royal: Saki Akai (c) Vs X
2. Special Tag Match: Yuji Hino & Yukio Sakaguchi Vs 26/2 Main Event Winner & D GENERATIONS CUP Winner

By the time February is over either HARASHIMA or Yukio Naya will be the No. 1 Contender for the KO-D Openweight Title. Once March begins the No. 1 Contender will begin facing off with Yuji Hino to build up their title match on the 21st. Whoever wins the D GENERATIONS CUP will also get bumped up the card too with a chance to fight both Hino & Sakaguchi in this tag match.

Saki Akai has been doing a good job keeping the Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title in her grasp. She hasn’t been pinned or submitted since winning the title back in November.

DDT “JUDGEMENT 2023 TOUR IN NAGANO”, 05/03/2023
Nagano City Art Center Act Space

1. Yuki “Sexy” Iino, Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno & Gota Ihashi Vs Akito, Keigo Nakamura & Kazuma Sumi
2. Nagano Specialty Special 6-Man Tag Match: Yasushi Kanda, Toru Owashi & Kazuki Hirata Vs MAO, Shunma Katsumata & Toi Kojima

The Dragon Gene Trio of Yasushi Kanda, Toru Owashi & Kazuki Hirata will go to battle against The 37KAMIINA for the first time when DDT returns to Nagano.

Ihashi joins forces with Pheromones. No one will be safe from that image!

DDT “DDT GOES HOLLYWOOD”, 30/03/2023
Ukrainian Cultural Center, Los Angeles, California, USA

1. Saki Akai Vs Vert Vixen
2. Special Tag Match: MAO & Shunma Katsumata Vs Chris Brookes & Yoshihiko
3. Special Single Match: Tetsuya Endo Vs Joey Janela
4. Dramatic Dream Tag Match: Jun Akiyama & Eddie Kingston Vs Daisuke Sasaki & KANON
5. Special Single Match: Konosuke Takeshita Vs Yuki Ueno

The respect Eddie Kingston earned from Jun Akiyama is paying off in spades. The two will now team up for the first time ever! Daisuke Sasaki is now going to show up in LA too so he & KANON are going to be their opponents.

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW LIVE IN LOS ANGELES”, 31/03/2023
Globe Theatre, Los Angeles, California, USA

We’re probably going to get a Princess Tag Team Titles match on the show because The Wasteland War Party of Max the Impaler & Heidi Howitzer have been added to the lineup.

DDT/GCW “GCW VS DDT”, 31/03/2023
Ukrainian Cultural Center, Los Angeles, California, USA

1. Dark Sheik Vs Saki Akai
2. EFFY & Allie Katch Vs Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno
3. Blake Christian Vs Kazusada Higuchi
4. Homicide & Tony Deppen Vs Jun Akiyama & Tetsuya Endo
5. Jordan Oliver & Nick Wayne Vs MAO & Mike Bailey

Akiyama will be teaming with Endo the next day. They are representing DDT while GCW are pairing together Homicide & Tony Deppen to face them.

Pheromones Vs BUSSY… Oh dear…


Video – The 37KAMIINA Vs TJPW At The Tokyo Dome!

January 19, 2022

DDT “ROJO PRO WRESTLING IN TOKYO DOME RETURNS ~DDT TOKYO DOME CUP~”, 31/10/2021
Tokyo Dome
0 Fans

1b. 5,000,000 Yen DDT TOKYO DOME CUP – Gauntlet 8-Man Tag Match: Konosuke Takeshita, Shunma Katsumata, Yuki Ueno & MAO Vs Miyu Yamashita, Hikari Noa, Maki Itoh & Hyper Misao


DDT “ROJO PRO WRESTLING IN TOKYO DOME RETURNS” Results

October 31, 2021

DDT “ROJO PRO WRESTLING IN TOKYO DOME RETURNS ~DDT TOKYO DOME CUP~”, 31/10/2021
Tokyo Dome
0 Fans

1. 5,000,000 Yen DDT TOKYO DOME CUP – Gauntlet 8-Man Tag Match: Konosuke Takeshita, Shunma Katsumata, Yuki Ueno & MAO defeated Chris Brookes, Brahman Shu, Brahman Kei & Gorgeous Matsuno, Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno, Yuki “Sexy” Iino, Yumehito “Fantastic” Imanari & Tetsuya “Hercules” Endo, Miyu Yamashita, Hikari Noa, Maki Itoh & Hyper Misao and Kouzi, Shinya Aoki, Kazusada Higuchi & Kazuki Hirata.
1a. Konosuke Takeshita, Shunma Katsumata, Yuki Ueno & MAO defeated Chris Brookes, Brahman Shu, Brahman Kei & Gorgeous Matsuno when MAO pinned Matsuno with a Curb Stomp onto a Traffic Sign (12:46).
1b. Konosuke Takeshita, Shunma Katsumata, Yuki Ueno & MAO defeated Miyu Yamashita, Hikari Noa, Maki Itoh & Hyper Misao when Katsumata pinned Misao with the Totonoe Splash onto a Chair (15:38).
1c. Konosuke Takeshita, Shunma Katsumata, Yuki Ueno & MAO defeated Kouzi, Shinya Aoki, Kazusada Higuchi & Kazuki Hirata when Ueno pinned Hirata after a Missed Headbutt from Kouzi (6:20).
1d. Wrestleball: Konosuke Takeshita, Shunma Katsumata, Yuki Ueno & MAO (4x) defeated Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno, Yuki “Sexy” Iino, Yumehito “Fantastic” Imanari & Tetsuya “Hercules” Endo (3) when Takeshita pinned Imanari with the German Suplex.

After over four years away, DDT made its return to the world famous Tokyo Dome for its second empty arena show in the venue. This time the visit was to crown the winners of the first ever DDT TOKYO DOME CUP. 5 million yen was put on the line with 5 teams competing in total. When The 37KAMIINA entered the field first the format was revealed to be a Gauntlet match. They complained about the unfair disadvantage of being the first team but they kept quiet when Hisaya Imabayashi handed them a million yen in cash. The voice of Azusa Takigawa explained over the speakers that every team is given a million yen. The winners of each round would then take the losers’ money until the entire prize pot was filled. Chris Brookes, The Brahman Brothers and Gorgeous Matsuno then entered the field and handed over their money to start the match.

The two teams brawled around the baseball diamond. Brookes attempted to do an Old School walk across the fence but Konosuke Takeshita knocked him off it. The 37KAMIINA held each of their opponents in a Headlock on all four bases and all charged into the pitcher’s mound to give their opponents one big meeting of the minds. An Estrella chain was formed while Yuki Ueno countered the Praying Mantis Bomb into a Hurricanrana on Brookes for a nearfall. The Brahmans brought out their wacky weapons and gathered their opponents onto home base where they bowled a spare on them (Brahman Shu’s first bowl missed and hit Brahman Kei in the foot). Brookes leapt over Takeshita & Ueno to give MAO a Cutter. Matsuno took over and attempted to Power Bomb MAO but it was blocked. The Brahmans ran in with an electric drill but missed MAO and caught Matsuno in the groin with it instead. Brookes threw powder but MAO ducked that too and Matsuno took the damage again. MAO laid The Brahmans’ traffic sign underneath Matsuno and Curb Stomped him into it for the win.

The 37KAMIINA now had 2,000,000 yen and walked up the stands to meet their next opponents. Along the way Saki Akai appeared working as a beer seller. Shunma Katsumata asked for a beer and Akai told him it would cost 2 million yen. When Katsumata said that’s too expensive Akai called him a poor man, kicked him in the face and walked off looking for more customers.

The next team entering the Gauntlet appeared in the concourse area. It was the Tokyo Joshi Pro team! Hyper Misao carried a protest sign accusing The 37KAMIINA of lying about their love for saunas. They’re just cashing in on the rising popularity of the sauna industry and secretly hates saunas! She then pulled out a straw doll and began attacking it, committing a voodoo spell on Katsumata that worked. Ueno turned the spell against Misao and made her writhe in pain by twisting the doll in her direction. Misao stopped the spell by blinding Ueno with a spray and throwing him into a nearby trash can. Maki Itoh attacked MAO in the stands and called for the Cutest Knuckle Punch In The World to the empty Tokyo Dome. She then attempted the Gran Naniwa Crab Walk across a railing but was next to a column and had no room to complete the move. Hikari Noa took out a Barbwire Baseball Bat and Katsumata brought over a toy bat covered in Lego for a duel between the two. Their fight left a mess of Lego all over the floor. That left Takeshita facing off with Miyu Yamashita in a clash between the two champions of DDT and Tokyo Joshi. Yamashita kicked him good but was thrown chin first into a railing. She got angry and threw more kicks at The 37KAMIINA until MAO showed up challenging her to a martial arts face off. The two had a tense staredown that ended when MAO made Yamashita flinch and then punched her while her guard was down. Noa ran in holding a ladder over her head and shoulders, spinning around and knocking her opponents away. Takeshita stopped the spinning and Katsumata hit the ladder with a chair, leaving Noa in a stunned state. Yamashita was ready to charge back in when suddenly Misao cycled into the scene on a bike and crashed right into a castle of chairs! MAO smashed a plastic box over Itoh’s head but she no sold it. Her head finally took damage when MAO blocked the Kokeshi Headbutt with a chair. MAO then gave Itoh a Package Piledriver onto a stack of chairs. Finally, Katsumata laid Misao onto a pile of Chairs and hit the Totonoe Splash off of a scaffold for the three count. The 37KAMIINA now have 3 million yen.

The next round was taking place in the bullpen but on the way over, everyone bumped into Saki Akai again. Katsumata again tried to buy a beer but now Akai told him it would cost 3 million yen. He said the price is a ripoff so Akai kicked him down the stairway.

Waiting in the bullpen were Shinya Aoki, Kazusada Higuchi & Kazuki Hirata. They had a mystery partner too and it was revealed to be the RIZIN fighter Kouzi! The match started in the bullpen but moved over to the outfield. Higuchi threw MAO into the wall with a BT Bomb. Aoki’s team then all put The 37KAMIINA in submission holds when all of a sudden, the lights went out. They came back on and Yoshihiko was there standing above them in the seats! It did a dive from the balcony onto everyone below. It then caught Aoki in an Armbar until Hirata broke them apart. Yoshihiko challenged Kouzi to a fight but it was defeated with a combo that ended in a High Kick. Hirata praised Kouzi but then knocked him out with the Tegatana strike. The Hirata GO! glasses were pulled out and Hirata started dancing until Ueno Dropkicked him. Kouzi called for his special move and charged in for a Headbutt (Kouzi has a reputation for headbutting opponents in his fights, whether it’s always accidental is up for debate). Ueno dodged it and Hirata took the blow, leading him to get pinned. Imabayashi interviewed Kouzi after the round to see if he enjoyed the experience. Kouzi said it was a lot of fun and he is already prepared to transfer from RIZIN to DDT so he can continue doing it!

While everyone was getting into place for the final round, a VIP ceremonial first pitch was held back on the field. The first surprise was Jun Akiyama entering to the pitcher’s mound. The second surprise was Kenta Kobashi stepping up to the plate ready to bat! Akiyama threw a dangerous ball at Kobashi, causing a fight to nearly break out between them for the first time in the Tokyo Dome since 2004! Cooler heads prevailed and the two shook hands before introducing the final round.

Pheromones entered the field alongside Tetsuya Endo who for one night only was part of their antics as Tetsuya “Hercules” Endo. The entire prize pot of 5,000,000 yen was now complete and the final would be held under special rules. DDT is combining pro wrestling and baseball together to create Wrestleball! They play baseball and score runs by pinning their opponents on the way to the bases. It didn’t really make much sense and only got more crazy from there. Pheromones scored three points during an inning that involved Yuki Iino doing the Sexy Elbow on his opponents after hitting a home run, Endo getting his shorts pulled down and Danshoku Dieno committing “Brazilian Flatulence” by spraying a CO2 canister from between his legs onto everyone while two samba dancers performed beside him. The 37KAMIINA went into the final inning needing to score 4 runs to win. They got the bases loaded despite some bad swinging from Takeshita & Ueno. The score got tied when Katsumata, Ueni & MAO all ran home. Dieno & Iino were left incapacitated thanks to a Lip Lock gone wrong. Takeshita ran his way round the bases but Endo stood in his way, still with his backside exposed. Endo went for a Hip Attack but Takeshita caught him with an Atomic Drop and knocked him into the air with a Lariat. All that was left was to reach home base. Takeshita sprinted over, hit Yumehito Imanari with the Zahi and German Suplexed him onto home plate for the winning run. The 37KAMIINA wins the DDT TOKYO DOME CUP!

But that wasn’t the end because there was one more surprise for everyone. The 5 million yen is a rewards for one person only so now The 37KAMIINA had to fight each other to claim the prize for themselves! Katsumata got a Triple Super Kick from his partners and the other three fought amongst themselves. Hisaya Imabayashi watched on until a member of the Tokyo Dome management approached him. He was told the show has gone on past the agreed time and DDT now has to pay an extension fee of 5,000,000 yen! Imabayashi hurriedly paid management the entire prize money while The 37KAMIINA continued fighting each other, oblivious that the prize was now gone.


Halloween Weekend, Tokyo Dome, D-Ou Training

October 29, 2021

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “LET’S TAKE BRAVELY”, 30/10/2021
Tokyo Ryogoku KFC Hall

1. Nao Kakuta Vs Moka Miyamoto
2. Hyper Misao & Mahiro Kiryu Vs Suzume & Arisu Endo
3. Shoko Nakajima & Nodoka Tenma Vs Yuki Kamifuku & Pom Harajuku
4. Rika Tatsumi, Raku & Yuki Arai Vs Yuki Aino, Marika Kobashi & Haruna Neko
5. Miyu Yamashita, Maki Itoh & Miu Watanabe Vs Yuka Sakazaki, Mizuki & Hikari Noa

The show taking place a day before Halloween might mean some costume related shenanigans will happen at Tokyo Joshi Pro.

DDT “DRAMATIC DREAM TOUR 2021 IN CHIBA”, 30/10/2021
Chiba 2AW Square

1. Chris Brookes & Keigo Nakamura Vs Akito & Yuya Koroku
2. Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno, Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Yumehito “Fantastic” Imanari Vs Toru Owashi, Antonio Honda & Saki Akai
3. Yuki Ueno Vs Gota Ihashi
4. HARASHIMA, Naomi Yoshimura & Kazuki Hirata Vs Jun Akiyama, Yusuke Okada & Yukio Naya
5. Daisuke Sasaki & MJ Paul Vs Soma Takao & Hideki Okatani
6. Special Single Match: Tetsuya Endo Vs DJ Nira
7. Chiba Specialty Special 6-Man Tag Match: Konosuke Takeshita, Shunma Katsumata & MAO Vs Yuji Hino, Kazusada Higuchi & Hiroshi Yamato

The above could apply to the DDT show too.

DDT “ROJO PRO WRESTLING IN TOKYO DOME ~DDT TOKYO DOME CUP~”, 31/10/2021
Tokyo Dome

1. DDT TOKYO DOME CUP: Konosuke Takeshita, Shunma Katsumata, Yuki Ueno & MAO Vs Chris Brookes, Brahman Shu, Brahman Kei & Gorgeous Matsuno Vs Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno, Yuki “Sexy” Iino, Yumehito “Fantastic” Imanari & Tetsuya “Heracles” Endo Vs Miyu Yamashita, Hikari Noa, Maki Itoh & Hyper Misao Vs Shinya Aoki, Kazusada Higuchi, Kazuki Hirata & X

This Sunday the Tokyo Dome won’t know what hit it.

DDT “D-OU GRAND PRIX 2021 II IN OTA-KU”, 03/11/2021
Tokyo Ota Ward Gymnasium

0. Dark Match – Toui Kojima Return Match: Hideki Okatani & Yuki Ishida Vs Toui Kojima & Yuya Koroku
0. Dark Match: Soma Takao Vs Baliyan Akki
0. Dark Match – KO-D 8-Man Tag Team Titles: Yoshiaki Yatsu, Akito, Hiroshi Yamato & Keigo Nakamura (c) Vs Toru Owashi, Antonio Honda, Kazuki Hirata & Yoshihiko
1. Daisuke Sasaki & MJ Paul Vs Bodyguard & Naomi Yoshimura
2. Special Tag Match: Saki Akai & Masahiro Takanashi Vs Chihiro Hashimoto & Yukio Naya
3. Special Hardcore Tag Match: Shunma Katsumata & MAO Vs Chris Brookes & Drew Parker
4. KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles – Decision Match: Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno, Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Yumehito “Fantastic” Imanari Vs Sanshiro Takagi, Shinya Aoki & Yusuke Okada
5. D-Ou Grand Prix 2021 II – B Block: HARASHIMA Vs Kazusada Higuchi
6. D-Ou Grand Prix 2021 II – B Block: Konosuke Takeshita Vs Yuji Okabayashi
7. D-Ou Grand Prix 2021 II – A Block: Tetsuya Endo Vs Yuji Hino
8. D-Ou Grand Prix 2021 II – A Block: Jun Akiyama Vs Yuki Ueno

Some of the D-Ou Grand Prix invited press to view their training sessions in the lead up to the tournament. Kazusada Higuchi was taken through special training in Yokohama under Yukio Sakaguchi’s supervision and with Yuki Ishida helping out. First they worked out in a park then they held drills over at the Sakaguchi Dojo to work on Higuchi’s lower body strength. Higuchi said it was a long time since he participated in sumo training, not since before his knee injury. Sakaguchi told Higuchi that the D-Ou is more of a mental game than a physical one. Higuchi agrees it is a good lesson to learn.

Meanwhile MAO visited self-proclaimed Koppojutsu expert Takumi Yano to learn from him. After being shown around the place for an hour, MAO learned new stand up and ground techniques from Yano that focus on body joints. MAO learned a lot but admitted that one day’s training does not mean he can do use the new moves just like that. It will require more training but if he can get ready then he thinks Koppojutsu will be useful against HARASHIMA. Yano encouraged MAO to continue because when he was MAO’s age he was only a year into his Koppojutsu training.