DDT “KING OF DDT 2025 1ST ROUND”, 06/05/2025 Tokyo Korakuen Hall ??? Fans – Unannounced
0. Dark Match – 3 Way Tag Match: MJ Paul & Ilusion defeated Toru Owashi & Tomomitsu Matsunaga and Yuni & Kazuma Sumi when Ilusion pinned Sumi with a Rope-Assisted School Boy (5:31).
0. Dark Match: Jun Akiyama & Danshoku Dieno defeated MAO & Kazuki Hirata (w/ KIMIHIRO) when Dieno submitted Hirata with a Strong Chicken Wing Sleeper Hold (8:25).
1. King Of DDT 2025 – Round 1: Yuki Ueno defeated Antonio Honda with the Blackout Sleeper (15:05).
2. King Of DDT 2025 – Round 1: Daisuke Sasaki defeated Akito with the Crossover Face Lock (4:44).
3. King Of DDT 2025 – Round 1: KANON defeated Shunma Katsumata with the Cobra Twist 2.0 (9:16).
4. King Of DDT 2025 – Round 1: Yukio Naya defeated Daichi Sato with The World’s Best Back Drop (12:33).
5. King Of DDT 2025 – Round 1: Hideki Okatani defeated To-y with the Vertical Drop Brainbuster (11:58).
6. King Of DDT 2025 – Round 1: HARASHIMA defeated Chris Brookes with the Somato (0:22).
7. King Of DDT 2025 – Round 1: Takeshi Masada defeated Yuya Koroku with the Masada No Chikara KOBU Mukimuki (12:10).
8. King Of DDT 2025 – Round 1: Kazusada Higuchi defeated Shinya Aoki with the Claw (15:34).
Kazusada Higuchi sent a message loud and clear in the opening round of this year’s King Of DDT tournament. He has reached a complete recovery! The final match of the 1st Round pitted Higuchi against Shinya Aoki over two and a half years after their KO-D Openweight Title bout against each other. The rematch featured grappling from Aoki, Higuchi no selling his head hitting off the corner post, the Aoki Clutch being kicked out of and a costly mistake from Aoki after that. He gave Higuchi a Headbutt that only hurt himself, giving Higuchi the opening to clamp on the Claw and make Aoki tap out! Higuchi said he only focused on fighting Aoki and hasn’t thought about anything beyond that. He described Aoki as being frighteningly strong. Aoki admitted he felt relieved after the match because Higuchi is refreshingly strong. It is the strength of somebody regaining the ground he lost. A reporter pointed out this is the first time in a while Aoki has lost to the same fighter twice in a row. Aoki knew who the reporter is talking about and compared Higuchi to Hayato Sakurai. Aoki is also now looking to the future as an unemployed man because he is no longer under contract to ONE FC. He might follow Sayaka Unagi’s example and put together his own independent event.
Meeting Higuchi in the next round will be Takeshi Masada. He avenged the D GENERATIONS CUP final loss to Yuya Koroku thanks to his perfect calculations of how it would go this time. Koroku targeted the arm so Masada focused on leg based attacks including Dropkicking a chair into his opponent at ringside. He was also able to break out of the Modified Triangle Lancer and caught Koroku with the Masada No Chikara KOBU Mukimuki to get the win. Masada said it is one of the new formulas he came up with since the DGC so he has Koroku to thank for that. He said Higuchi has a great Japanese spirit but so does he and he will bring it out to show everyone in DDT for the next round. Koroku is really disappointed his tournament is over already but he knows he’s been through lower lows than this. He will go on as he is now.
A record was broken on today’s show. HARASHIMA defeated Chris Brookes in just 22 seconds, the fastest time ever in King Of DDT history! Brookes got the jump on HARASHIMA with a Dropkick during the entrances and quickly went for the Praying Mantis Bomb. But HARASHIMA popped out of the move and fired a short range Somato at Brookes before hitting the full on version for the shock three count! HARASHIMA said he responded calmly to the ambush and just went with his gut resulting in a perfect victory against the KO-D Champion. He hasn’t given up on winning the title again and every fan who came to the show today all know it is possible.
To-y’s hopes of finally getting to face Brookes one on one were already extinguished at this point because he was already eliminated by Hideki Okatani. There was a little bit of help from MJ Paul and Ilusion but To-y fought against the odds and almost won with the Kojima In Wonderland. Okatani hit back with the Vertical Drop Brainbuster and that was enough for him to advance to Round 2. Afterwards he said To-y is as hot headed and annoying as ever. Okatani will next face HARASHIMA. He said HARASHIMA is not an ace but a corpse fighting against the times.
There are not a lot of heavyweights in the tournament this year and now even less so when one knocked out another in the 1st Round. Yukio Naya put Daichi Sato through his paces, beating him down while withstanding the young wrestler’s return strikes. Sato kept it up though and soon Naya was breaking down. A High Kick followed by a Rolling Elbow and a Brainbuster gave Sato a nearfall. Naya turned things around with Knee Butts and Elbow Strikes before putting his opponent away with The World’s Best Back Drop. Naya said Sato will grow in DDT just like he did and the next time they fight, Sato should try to surprise him even more. Sato was thankful to compete in the tournament so soon after joining the company. His goal is to become the face of DDT’s heavyweight division but he’ll need to surpass Naya first.
One of the first round matches was a little bit awkward because it pitted MAO’s current tag partner against his ex-tag partner. KANON looked to have gotten the better of Shunma Katsumata when he put him in the Cobra Twist 2.0. Katsumata wouldn’t submit though despite having no way to escape. It led to a situation on the ring apron where Kazuma Sumi wanted to throw in the towel but Yuni wouldn’t let him. They had a tug of war over the towel until they lost their grips and accidentally threw it into the ring. This happened right when Katsumata tapped out anyway so it was still a valid win for KANON. Katsumata gave his approval to KANON afterwards because he thinks he is now on the right path. KANON said he has a lot of respect for ShunMao which is why Strange Love Connection will do things differently from MAO’s other team. He also called himself the “Yukio Naya Killer” because he has never lost to Naya in singles matches. They just so happen to be facing each other in the next round.
Akito wanted to make quick work of Daisuke Sasaki and grabbed him by the leg as he entered the ring. That advantage was ruined when Ilusion got into the ring to distract Akito by flipping him off. Akito turned back and continued going for Sasaki’s legs but a counter attack led to Sasaki trapping him in the Crossover Face Lock for the submission victory. Akito admitted he was arrogant when he said this year’s tournament might be his last chance to win King Of DDT and the KO-D Title. He has a lot to think about but he wants to be involved in the main storyline of DDT within the next year. Sasaki originally said he wanted this to be a Hair Vs Hair match but in honor of Akito’s effort he decided not to go through with the stipulation. His Round 2 match though? He wants is to be Hair Vs Hair because he gets joy in life by making his next opponent miserable.
That next opponent is Yuki Ueno. He was taking on a sentimental favorite in this year’s competition because Antonio Honda was competing on behalf of the injured Masahiro Takanashi. While Honda did pull out the Shining Gongitsune, he also used his serious techniques to try and win including the Octopus Hold, the Tenzan Tombstone Driver and the Diving Fist Drop. Unfortunately Honda ran out of steam after Ueno hit him with a Dropkick followed by the WR. He was almost counted out for a KO but got back to his feet at nine. Ueno ended up putting him in the Blackout Sleeper to choke him out for the win. Ueno promised to carry Honda’s feelings with him for the rest of the tournament as he begins his path to win back the KO-D Title and make DDT even more fun and interesting. He noticed that even though DAMNATION T.A is usually a gloomy group, Sasaki has been having more fun lately…
There were two non-tournament dark matches in the pre-show. One of them was to continue showing how Danshoku Dieno is taking pro wrestling seriously for his upcoming match with Minoru Suzuki. He proved this by trying to stop Kazuki Hirata from dancing. MAO tried to get Jun Akiyama to dance by offering him the Hirata GO! glasses but Akiyama gave him the Exploder Suplex instead. He then heard the fans chanting for him to put the glasses on so he did so. But just when he started to dance, Dieno made Hirata tap out to a Crossface Chicken Wing and the match ended.
The other dark match was meant to include Soma Takao but he was feeling unwell and was replaced by Tomomitsu Matsunaga. He and Toru Owashi worked together as best as they could in the 3 Way Tag Match but in the end DAMNATION T.A got the win over NωA Jr when Ilusion used the ropes for a leveraged pin on Sumi after Low Blowing him.
Yet again NωA Jr.’s show opening performance was hijacked by KIMIHIRO and the Strange Love Connection. This time Sumi tried to fight back by challenging KIMIHIRO to a rap battle but he quickly lost his flow and ran out of the ring feeling really embarrassed.
DDT “DDT HARU NO KEN FESTIVAL ~STILL GOING ON IN UENO~”, 23/04/2025 Tokyo Ueno Park Outdoor Stage ??? Fans – Unannounced
1. Daisuke Sasaki, Hideki Okatani & Ilusion (w/ MJ Paul) defeated Yukio Naya, Tomomitsu Matsunaga & Yuya Koroku when Sasaki submitted Matsunaga with the Crossface Lock (9:36).
2. O-40 Title: Antonio Honda defeated Toru Owashi (c) with a Crushed La Magistral Cradle (10:55). *Toru Owashi fails in V1. Antonio Honda becomes the 7th O-40 Champion!
3. Special Tag Match: Chris Brookes & Takeshi Masada defeated Jun Akiyama & Daichi Sato when Masada pinned Sato with the Masada No Chikara KOBU Mukimuki (9:48).
4. Staggered Entry Tag Rumble: MAO & KANON defeated Shunma Katsumata & Yuni when MAO pinned Katsumata after the Lariat + McEnroe (22:22). Order Of Elimination: HARASHIMA & Kazuma Sumi, Kazusada Higuchi & Yuki Ishida, Danshoku Dieno & To-y, Akito & Kazuki Hirata, Shunma Katsumata & Yuni.
5. Keigo Nakamura Send Off Match ~ Special Single Match: Yuki Ueno defeated Keigo Nakamura with the Jul.2 (17:32).
6. Emergency Match: Shinya Aoki defeated Keigo Nakamura by Referee Stoppage with a Shoulder Lock (1:11).
Today was Keigo Nakamura’s farewell match before he starts his indefinite excursion overseas. His send off match was against Yuki Ueno and he had most of the D GENERATIONS wrestlers all around ringside watching him on. Ueno won the match as expected but Nakamura’s day was not over yet. Ueno had a special present to give Nakamura and it was one more match, this time against his mentor Shinya Aoki! The bonus match didn’t last long because Aoki quickly put Nakamura in a Shoulder Lock and the ref stopped the match to stop Nakamura from fainting. After that match Nakamura told everyone he will do his best and come back stronger. He does not know how many years he will be gone for but he wants everyone to please keep supporting him.
The new tag team Strange Love Connection has already gotten themselves a new member. A Tag Rumble took place where the winners would get a wish granted for them. MAO & KANON won the match then were greeted by a voice from heaven asking for their wish. MAO asked to be paid five times more than he’s getting now but the voice told him that would be impossible. He then asked for 80% of the money made from their portrait sales but that’s impossible too. MAO then thought about it and asked if his rapper friend MC KIMIHIRO can join Strange Love Connection? KIMIHIRO is better on the microphone than MAO or KANON. That way whenever the team gets to close out the show, KIMIHIRO can do it for them. The voice granted the wish but not until the start of May because DDT is going to Sapporo before then and the airfare to there is expensive. MAO already has a plan in mind. Strange Love Connection want to steal NωA Jr.’s opening act performance from them!
The O-40 Title had not been defended since Toru Owashi won it last October and he really wanted to get rid of it. He claimed that nobody has stepped up to challenge him and all of his acrylic stand merch has sold out so there was no point in him being champion anymore. However Daisuke Kiso told everyone Owashi’s merch hadn’t sold out so he still has a reason to be a fighting champion. Owashi went out and tried to directly sell his stands to the crowd until Honda followed him and fought him back to the ring. Back in the ring the Gongitsune spot led to Kiso and Yukinori Matsui accidentally embracing each other to romantic music. Honda rolled up Owashi for a nearfall. Owashi then went for La Magistral Cradle but Honda blocked it and pinned him down for the three count to win the O-40 Title! Honda put the message out that he wants everyone over 40 years old to challenge him, including Stone Cold Steve Austin. He promised to defend the belt until it becomes the O-80 Championship!
I’m going to be travelling to Las Vegas tomorrow and it’s going to be a long trip ahead. You will know I have arrived safe and sound when the guides for the DDT and Tokyo Joshi Pro shows get posted. That should be on Tuesday night Vegas time but if more things get announced or even changed it will have to wait until Wednesday morning. I’ll try to at least stay up to date with the show results for the rest of the week but show reports may take a while because I’m still meant to be on holiday. Enjoy the week and let it all seep in!
DDT “KANDA MYOJON CULTURAL EXCHANGE CENTER PRESENTS LAS VEGAS SERIES ~JITSUGETSU~”, 19/04/2025 Tokyo Kanda Myojin Hall
1. KANON Vs Yuki Ishida
2. Kazusada Higuchi & Akito Vs Yuya Koroku & Keigo Nakamura
3. Hideki Okatani & MJ Paul Vs Toru Owashi & Tomomitsu Matsunaga
4. Special Tag Match: Chris Brookes & Takeshi Masada Vs HARASHIMA & Daichi Sato
5. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Yuki Ueno, To-y & Mikosee Vs Danshoku Dieno, Soma Takao & Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi
6. DDT Extreme Title: Super Sasadango Machine (c) Vs Kazuki Hirata
The cards for the DDT shows going on in Japan while the Las Vegas tour is going on have been finalized. The local mascot Mikosee joins forces with The 37KAMIINA to complete the lineup.
DDT “KANDA MYOJON CULTURAL EXCHANGE CENTER PRESENTS LAS VEGAS SERIES ~NESHIN~”, 20/04/2025 Tokyo Kanda Myojin Hall
1. 3 Way Match: Danshoku Dieno Vs Toru Owashi Vs Yuki Ishida
2. Hideki Okatani & MJ Paul Vs KANON & Tomomitsu Matsunaga
3. Special Single Match: Kazusada Higuchi Vs Soma Takao
4. Special Single Match: HARASHIMA Vs Keigo Nakamura
5. Twilight Rouge Cup Battle Royal: Chris Brookes Vs Yuki Ueno Vs Akito Vs Kazuki Hirata Vs To-y Vs Yuya Koroku Vs Takeshi Masada
Seven people will take part in the Twilight Rouge Cup. Meanwhile HARASHIMA and Keigo Nakamura have their last singles match together for a while.
DDT “DDT HARU NO KEN FESTIVAL ~STILL GOING ON IN UENO~”, 23/04/2025 Tokyo Ueno Park Outdoor Stage
1. Daisuke Sasaki, Hideki Okatani & Ilusion Vs Yukio Naya, Tomomitsu Matsunaga & Yuya Koroku
2. Special Tag Match: Chris Brookes & Takeshi Masada Vs Jun Akiyama & Daichi Sato
3. O-40 Title: Toru Owashi (c) Vs Antonio Honda
4. Staggered Entry Tag Rumble: Shunma Katsumata & Yuni Vs MAO & KANON Vs HARASHIMA & Kazuma Sumi Vs Kazusada Higuchi & Yuki Ishida Vs Akito & Kazuki Hirata Vs Danshoku Dieno & To-y
5. Keigo Nakamura Send Off Match ~ Special Single Match: Yuki Ueno Vs Keigo Nakamura
Once the American trip is done it’s back to work with another show at Ueno Park. It includes a rare defence of the O-40 Title that Toru Owashi won last October. He hasn’t defended it yet so he has to put it on the line against Antonio Honda.
The winners of the Tag Rumble will apparently get a wish granted as their prize.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “GOLDEN WEEK FAN APPRECIATION DAY 「EAST」”, 03/05/2025 Saitama Kasukabe Fureai Cube
1. VPW Women’s Title: Yuki Kamifuku (c) Vs Viva Van
In December 2023 Viva Van came to TJPW as a challenger for Yuki Kamifuku to defend the Queen Of Asia Title against. Next month the rematch will happen this time with the VPW Women’s Title on the line. Van is a Vietnamese-American wrestler so it will mean a lot to her to win a championship from Vietnam Pro Wrestling.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “GOLDEN WEEK FAN APPRECIATION DAY 「WEST」”, 05/05/2025 Osaka Edion Arena #2
1. SETUP All Asia Women’s Title: Raku (c) Vs Nor ‘Phoenix’ Diana
2. Princess Tag Team Titles: Shoko Nakajima & Hyper Misao (c) Vs Matcha & Alexis Lee
When Matcha and Alexis Lee both come back to Japan they will team up as an “All Southeast Asian Team” challenging for the Princess Tag Team Titles. I also heard Sayuri Namba refer to them as SEA Storm but I don’t know if it will be their official team name. They will face either Kyoraku Kyomei or Ober Eats for the belts depending on which team wins the title match this week in Vegas.
GANBARE☆PRO “SUICIDE SQUAD 2025”, 05/05/2025 Yokohama Radiant Hall
1. Moeka Haruhi, Yuna Manase & Banny Oikawa Vs YuuRI, Nanami & Kirari Wakana
2. Shuichiro Katsumura & Hartley Jackson Vs Toru Sugiura & Dragon Libre
3. Yumehito Imanari, Keisuke Ishii & Shinichiro Tominaga Vs Yuki Kanzaki, Munetatsu Nakamura & Daisuke®️
4. Shota Kawakami 1st Anniversary Match: Shota Kawakami Vs Shota
5. HARUKAZE’s Last Match Before Her Hiatus: Ken Ohka Vs HARUKAZE
6. Spirit Of Ganbare World Tag Team Titles: Shigehiro Irie & Mizuki Watase (c) Vs Yasu Urano & PSYCHO
The SOG World Tag Team Titles haven’t been defended since last November because of Mizuki Watase’s injury. Both he and Shigehiro Irie want to make up for lost time and start fighting in tag title matches again. Yasu Urano & PSYCHO have stepped up to be their first challengers. They believe Watase is not being honest about his recovery and is not wrestling at 100%. The sooner this match happens, the better their chances are to win the tag titles.
There is only one person HARUKAZE believes she can beat in a fair fight and she is desperate to finally win one match before her wrestling career is put on hiatus. So she’s breaking the emergency glass and picked Ken Ohka to be her final opponent!
The Ganbare☆Joshi match will feature Nanami from Diana and Kirari Wakana from Ice Ribbon.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “SAYURI NAMBA’S DREAM COME TRUE SPECIAL”, 14/06/2025 Shin-Kiba 1st RING
1. LEONA Vs X
2. Mizuki & Suzume (w/ Sayuri Namba) Vs X & X
Namba is starting to put her special show together. She has opted to be in the corner for Mizuki & Suzume in the main event tag match. The opponents as well as the ring announcer for the main event have not been decided on yet.
The show will also have LEONA from Dradition taking part in a match. He and Namba were classmates in the same university so they both know each other from before they entered the pro wrestling industry. One of Namba’s dreams was to announce LEONA for a match so it will come true after all.
DDT “CHARISMANIA II”, 18/06/2025 Shinjuku FACE
1. GREATEST WRESTLING MATCH EVER: Dick Togo Vs Daisuke Sasaki
For the second “CHARISMANIA” show Daisuke Sasaki most wants to have a singles match against his mentor Dick Togo.
The rest of DAMNATION T.A will be on the show. That means Hideki Okatani, MJ Paul and Ilusion.
DDT “CHANGE AGE 2025 ~YOUR LIE IN APRIL~”, 06/04/2025 Tokyo Korakuen Hall ??? Fans – Unannounced
0. Dark Match: MJ Paul & Ilusion defeated Toru Owashi & Antonio Honda when Ilusion pinned Honda with the Swanton Bomb (7:30).
1. Naomi Yoshimura’s Return Match: Kazusada Higuchi, Naomi Yoshimura, Ryota Nakatsu & Yuki Ishida defeated Yukio Naya, To-y, Takeshi Masada & JJ Furno when Higuchi pinned Furno with the Claw Slam (8:26).
2. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Shunma Katsumata, Yuni & Kazuma Sumi defeated MAO, Kazuki Hirata & Kumadori when Katsumata pinned Hirata with an Inside Cradle (9:53).
3. Special Single Match: Jun Akiyama defeated Daichi Sato with the Exploder Suplex (11:03).
4. 2 Vs 1 Special Handicap Match: Daisuke Sasaki & Hideki Okatani defeated KANON when Okatani pinned KANON with a Vertical Drop Brainbuster (11:55).
5. Special Tag Match: Minoru Suzuki & Yuki Ueno Vs HARASHIMA & Danshoku Dieno ended in a Double Countout (13:29).
6. KO-D Tag Team Titles: Fuminori Abe & Takuya Nomura (c) defeated Shinya Aoki & Keigo Nakamura when Abe pinned Nakamura with the O-Manji Clutch (11:46). *V1 for Astronauts.
7. KO-D Openweight Title: Chris Brookes (c) defeated Yuya Koroku with the Praying Mantis Bomb (23:38). *V4 for Chris Brookes.
Today was Yuya Koroku’s big chance to step up and prove to Chris Brookes that he is not a generic Tetsuya Endo but the man who will lead DDT’s new generation. He didn’t have Brookes’s respect at the start though. Brookes threw a chair at him to stop a dive and targeted the leg to keep him grounded. When Koroku found an opening to go on the attack he went after Brookes’s arm. However the damage done to his leg came back to haunt him when he did the Sky Twister Press and was slow enough to go for the cover that Brookes could kick out of it. The frustration got to Koroku and he shouted “I am not Endo”, leaving his guard down for Brookes to slap him senseless. From there Brookes did the Somato but Koroku kicked out at one. Brookes then stunned Koroku with a Buzzsaw Kick and pinned him with the Praying Mantis Bomb to retain the KO-D Openweight Title.
After the match Brookes finally paid Koroku some respect. He spent all this time badmouthing him but admitted today was fun. Now Brookes is looking forward to winning this year’s King Of DDT so he can choose his next challenger for the KO-D Title. He celebrated the win by sharing drinks with Antonio Honda & Takeshi Honda. They brought a spare can into the ring for the injured Masahiro Takanashi. Backstage the three of them wondered what could happen if the King Of DDT final is between two wrestlers from SCHADENFREUDE International? Meanwhile Koroku said he has learned something from this period of his career. Between this title match and getting to wrestle in New Japan a few days ago, he realized he can’t think of himself as a junior wrestler forever. Today he fought to the end believing in the wrestling he loves. He promises he will come back to this stage and win the KO-D Title.
A tough challenge was given to Astronauts for their first KO-D Tag Team Titles defence. Shinya Aoki & Keigo Nakamura has been working well together as a teacher and student pairing. They also matched the champions strike for strike, hold for hold. There was a moment where Fuminori Abe put Nakamura in the Manjigatame so Aoki did the same to Takuya Nomura. The two then had a strike exchange while still applying the submission holds on the others. Aoki & Nakamura got the upper hand by giving Astronauts stereo Piledrivers. But when Nakamura went to finish Abe off with the Full Nelson Hold, Abe countered it into the O-Manjigatame and modified the submission into a cradle to pin Nakamura for the three count. Astronauts now want to break the record for most KO-D Tag Title defences but found out the current record is held by Sanshiro Takagi & Munenori Sawa at 12 wins. Astronauts just so happen to have a tag match against Sawa & Hikaru Sato (together known as SEX-MEN) coming up at Takagi’s MatchMake & Agent show on Wednesday so they now want to make it a title match!
It’s not often when Minoru Suzuki meets his match in the wrestling ring. It’s even more weird when the person he’s in a stalemate with is Danshoku Dieno! Suzuki did not want to deal with Dieno’s usual shenanigans during their tag match. He asked Dieno if he wants to do the same stuff he’s been doing for 20 years or if he wants to fight? Dieno took Suzuki’s comments to heart and decided to pull his tights back up in order to give Suzuki the serious fight he’s been asking for. The two of them tangled themselves into dueling Leg Locks that rolled them out of the ring. They brawled up among the fans while HARASHIMA and Yuki Ueno fought each other by the stage. As the referee was reaching the 20 count, HARASHIMA & Ueno rushed back into the ring. However neither of them were the legal man meaning Dieno and Suzuki got each other counted out for a draw!
Both were still hurting from the fight when they got back into the ring. Dieno straight up told Suzuki he wants to keep fighting so he challenged him to a singles match. Suzuki wanted to know what is with this company when they’re first putting him in a match against a doll and now in a match with Dieno? At least he enjoys teaming with Ueno and would be happy to keep doing that. He can’t tell if Dieno is serious because fighting Suzuki one on one means it is a fight to the death! Dieno understands that and is willing to throw away the Danshoku moveset so he can have a match with Suzuki. Hisaya Imabayashi agreed to book it for 25th May. Dieno then had a close staredown with Suzuki and resisted the temptation to give him the Lip Lock. Then when Suzuki left the ring Yoshihiko appeared from the balcony and lowered itself down to the entrance aisle. Suzuki no sold it and pushed Yoshihiko aside as he walked back to the locker room.
KANON showed up for his Handicap Match against DAMNATION T.A in new ring gear to show he is now fully separated from the unit. Hideki Okatani also had new gear for his comeback match but that was to show he has fully embraced becoming DAMNATION T.A’s newest member. The match was supposed to be just KANON fighting both Okatani & Daisuke Sasaki but the other DAMNATION T.A members unsurprisingly got involved. MJ Paul and Ilusion did what they could to interfere while Sasaki distracted the referee. KANON put up a valiant fight until Sasaki hit him with a chair and Okatani pinned him with a Vertical Drop Brainbuster.
After the match Sasaki said KANON is no longer of any interest to them but Okatani wanted to give him one last finishing blow. KANON blocked Okatani’s chair attack but couldn’t fight back against the numbers. Suddenly a mystery person looking like Kyonin Shihan from IWA Japan ran into the ring and cleared DAMNATION T.A out of it. The person then turned to KANON and offered to help him stand back up. He then removed his disguise to reveal he is MAO! KANON accepted his help and the two left ringside together. Backstage MAO explained that KANON is not an unwanted child because MAO needs him. He always wanted them to team up because KANON is the only one he feels can help him turn DDT upside down in one go. KANON noted that MAO has a busy schedule coming up so while MAO is away, KANON promises he will become somebody worthy enough to be by his side. MAO said they can spread a Strange Love Connection across wrestling. KANON misunderstood and said he only knows “Bad Communication”…
Young Daichi Sato is now DDT’s latest signing so leave it up to Jun Akiyama to try and kill him on his first day. Akiyama gave him a Piledriver, threw him into the corner post, hit him with Knee Strikes including one with the kneepad pulled down and also made contact with a Headbutt. Sato got to show how tough he is to kick out of pins and fight back with Middle Kicks but Akiyama eventually put him down with the Exploder Suplex. He encouraged Sato to get back up under his own power after the match. Sato did so and hit Akiyama with an Elbow Strike. Akiyama ignored it and walked off. He told reporters backstage that Sato needs to build up more stamina because if he can throw a Forearm Strike after the match then he should have done it during the match. Sato admits he was no match against Akiyama but he wants to grow in DDT and become a wrestler who will surpass Akiyama.
The masked dancer Kumadori returned to DDT for his second ever wrestling match. He had to deal with NωA Jr. who felt his abilities were overshadowing their own musical talent. Kazuki Hirata was on Kumadori’s team but put forth such a weak performance he came close to costing his team the win on several occasions. But when Shunma Katsumata declared that the era of TOKYO GO! is over, Hirata found it in himself to fight back with the power of dance. Yuni & Kazuma Sumi joined Katsumata for a singalong but that was countered by MAO & Kumadori joining in with Hirata’s dancing. A dance battle broke out between the two teams and Katsumata succeeded in pinning Hirata with an Inside Cradle for the victory.
After the match Katsumata signaled to Kumadori that he wants to wrestle him again. He then announced that NωA Jr.’s second single called “Oshi Towel de Blow Off Lucha♪” will be released on 6th May. Suddenly Sanshiro Takagi came out and told NωA Jr. the harsh reality. They made 10,000 copies of their first single and only sold 800 of them. The reason for that is because the unit does not have a clear goal. Takagi came up with a solution because he wants to see NωA Jr. win the New Artist Award at the next Japan Record Awards. So Takagi booked an NωA Jr. at Shinjuku Loft on 23rd December and their goal is to sell it out!
All of Harimao were reunited for Naomi Yoshimura’s long awaited return from injury. Yukio Naya wasted no time in calling Yoshimura to start the match against him. To-y was eager to get “T! O! Y!” chants going but Ryota Nakatsu wanted to replace it with “N! K! T!” chants. Takeshi Masada Power Bombed Yuki Ishida into the turnbuckles but was thrown aside by Yoshimura with the Harai Goshi. JJ Furno came close to winning when he hit the Firebird Splash on Kazusada Higuchi but the count was broken up by the rest of Harimao. Higuchi then caught Furno on a dive and gave him the Claw Slam for the finish. It was as good a result that Harimao could ask for because Yoshimura is back and Higuchi got his first direct win since returning too. Yoshimura said his goal is to help Harimao in both DDT and BASARA. This match was Furno’s last appearance in DDT for this tour. He is sure this isn’t the end of him coming here. He says next time he comes to DDT he won’t be coming alone.
In the dark match Toru Owashi wanted to show off his lucha skills against DAMNATION T.A. Honda tried to use the power of love by forming a heart with Owashi using their hands. Paul & Ilusion attacked them only to almost embrace with each other. Honda’s plan didn’t work in the end. Instead Paul & Ilusion squashed him with a Double Body Press and Ilusion went on to pin him with the Swanton Bomb.
The show ended with the King Of DDT 1st Round matches begin announced. The matches taking place on 6th May are Antonio Honda Vs Yuki Ueno, Daisuke Sasaki Vs Akito, KANON Vs Shunma Katsumata, Yukio Naya Vs Daichi Sato, Hideki Okatani Vs To-y, Chris Brookes Vs HARASHIMA, Takeshi Masada Vs Yuya Koroku and Shinya Aoki Vs Kazusada Higuchi.
DDT “JUDGEMENT 2025 ~28TH ANNIVERSARY 5 HOUR SPECIAL~”, 20/03/2025 Tokyo Korakuen Hall ??? Fans – Unannounced
1. 57th KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Champions Decision Match – Kazusada Higuchi & Shunma Katsumata Double Return Match: Shunma Katsumata, Yuni & Kazuma Sumi defeated Kazusada Higuchi, Ryota Nakatsu & Yuki Ishida when Sumi pinned Ishida with the School Boy (11:29). *NωA Jr. becomes the 57th KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Champions!
2. 3 Way Match: Toru Owashi defeated Antonio Honda and Kazuki Hirata when Owashi pinned Honda with La Magistral Cradle (8:40).
3. Special Tag Match: MJ Paul & Ilusion defeated JJ Furno & Tomomitsu Matsunaga when Paul pinned Matsunaga with the Reverse Splash (7:23).
4. Yukio Naya, Yuya Koroku & Keigo Nakamura defeated Makoto Oishi, Akito & Soma Takao when Koroku submitted Takao with the Modified Triangle Lancer (11:42).
5. Special Tag Match: HARASHIMA & Takeshi Masada defeated Jun Akiyama & Daichi Sato when HARASHIMA pinned Sato with the Somato (13:39).
6. DDT Extreme Title – Loser Joins Match: Super Sasadango Machine defeated Danshoku Dieno (c) with the Avalanche Vertical Drop Lehman Shock (8:33). *Special Observer: Amon Tsurumi. Danshoku Dieno fails in V3. Super Sasadango Machine becomes the 62nd DDT Extreme Champion! Dieno’s pet dog Haku must now join DDT!
7. Special Single Match: Daisuke Sasaki defeated KANON with La Mistica Crossface Lock (11:34).
8. KO-D Tag Team Titles: Fuminori Abe & Takuya Nomura defeated MAO & To-y (c) when Abe submitted To-y with the O-Manjigatame (16:17). *The 37KAMIINA fails in V2. Astronauts become the 86th KO-D Tag Team Champions!
9. DDT Universal Title: Minoru Suzuki defeated Yuki Ueno (c) with the Gotch-Style Piledriver (23:32). *Yuki Ueno fails in V1. Minoru Suzuki becomes the 18th DDT Universal Champion!
10. KO-D Openweight Title: Chris Brookes (c) defeated Masahiro Takanashi with the Praying Mantis Bomb (21:17). *V3 for Chris Brookes.
What was supposed to be a big DDT show to celebrate the 28th Anniversary of their debut show turned into a scary ending in the main event. Chris Brookes and Masahiro Takanashi wanted to give it their all for their KO-D Openweight Title match with neither holding back their efforts. A table was set up at ringside and Takanashi tried to put Brookes through it with the Takatonic. However Brookes blocked the move and countered it into an Implant through the table instead, busting Takanashi open in the process. KUDO made a surprise appearance at ringside to psyche up Takanashi and get him to continue the match. That inspired Takanashi to use KUDO’s Diving Double Knee Drop on Brookes but Brookes blocked it with his own knees. The fight went back up to the top turnbuckle where Brookes stopped Takanashi from doing the Avalanche Takatonic. Instead Brookes gave him the Avalanche Praying Mantis Bomb, causing Takanash’s head to hit off the back of the canvas. Brookes followed up with a regular version of the Praying Mantis Bomb for the three count.
Things quickly became concerning once the match was over when Takanashi was unable to move. He was still conscious and could talk to Brookes, Yukinori Matsui and the ring doctor. Brookes held the microphone to Takanashi so he could thank the fans, Brookes and DDT that he loves them all. The ending of the show was paused and everyone remained in their seats so the ambulance could arrive and the medical team could safely take Takanashi away on a stretcher. He was still conscious, was able to speak and he even raised his fist to the crowds as he was being taken away. As the show was officially brought to a close, Sanshiro Takagi told the fans on the microphone he is confident that Takanashi will definitely come back from this injury.
DDT are currently waiting to hear on his diagnosis before they announce any further details. Tokyo Sports were able to get a comment from the ring doctor. Takanashi told him his upper body was feeling numb and he couldn’t move his lower body. While the news article suggests there is a possibility of a cervical spine injury based on that description, the doctor himself cannot say what the extent of the injury is until they get the MRI results.
While Takanashi was being tended to in the ring, DDT tried to keep the show going by having Yuya Koroku approach Brookes at ringside. Brookes was holding the KO-D Title while Koroku carried out the D GENERATIONS CUP trophy. Koroku said he is not the same person he used to be. He is no longer the Koroku from BURNING and he is no longer a “Generic Endo” either. He found his confidence, won the DGC and will be facing Brookes for the KO-D Title on 6th April. Brookes understandably wasn’t in the mood to spend much time on this so he had a brief staredown with Koroku before trying to close out the show with the rest of SCHADENFREUDE International.
Great job, Yuki Ueno. You used the DDT Universal Title as bait to get a match with Minoru Suzuki and he just came over, beat the crap out of you and won the championship. This definitely didn’t go the way he thought it would. The “Pirate King” overwhelmed Ueno with his power and took the fight out to the bleachers. Ueno was able to fight back and even use a chair as a weapon against Suzuki. He seemed to find some joy in the fight and even used Takagi’s finisher the Sit Down Himawari Bomb for a nearfall. But Suzuki kicked out of the BME and eventually got Ueno to crack by putting him in the Sleeper Hold. The Dropkick to the face that usually works out so well for Ueno couldn’t take Suzuki off his feet. Instead Suzuki dropped Ueno with the Gotch-Style Piledriver to win his first ever DDT championship.
Suzuki could see that Ueno was in pain and agony after the match but he couldn’t help but tell him he had fun today. Suzuki will happily “play” with him again anytime. Ueno left the ring in frustration while Suzuki could hear a voice coming from the championship telling him to bring it to the outside world. Suzuki is travelling to Las Vegas next month so if anybody wants to aim for him and the Universal Title, he welcomes them to come forward and challenge him. There are no borders for him and he won’t discriminate against class or gender. Wherever there is pro wrestling Suzuki can defend the championship there as long as he can find an opponent who is undoubtedly strong. Meanwhile Ueno is coming to terms with just how big of a mistake he made by doing this match.
The Astronauts have successfully landed in DDT by beating MAO & To-y to become the new KO-D Tag Team Champions! The Bati-Bati style of the “Fighting Detectives” is just what was needed to match MAO’s fucked up wrestling along with To-y’s fiery attitude. Fuminori Abe was almost beaten when he took the Whirlwind Kick from MAO followed by the Kojima Wonderland but Takuya Nomura broke the pin. MAO attacked Nomura with a Quebrada leaving Abe and To-y left in the ring to fight each other. Abe countered the Kojima Wonderland into the Manjigatame and then forced To-y down onto the mat with a grounded version of the hold to make him give up.
Astronauts were quickly met by one of their first challengers when Keigo Nakamura got into the ring. Nakamura wants to challenge them with Shinya Aoki as his tag partner. Abe said they would be happy to do the match and it was confirmed for the 6th April Korakuen Hall show. Nakamura said backstage he’s been relying on Aoki so much that he wants to win the tag belts under his own power. Astronauts told reporters they want to use the KO-D Tag Titles to help them investigate not just DDT but the wider pro wrestling scene to prove they are the best tag team in the world!
As for the former tag champs, MAO dropped a big announcement by telling reporters he will now leave The 37KAMIINA! He believes he has done everything he can do with the group and has nothing more to teach To-y. In fact now is the time he expects To-y to try and beat him. There are many more things away from The 37KAMIINA that MAO wants to do including things he admits he should have already done by now. He already made his mind up to leave once he lost the KO-D Tag Titles with To-y so that means today is the day. DDT is going to completely change because of this decision and MAO wants to bet on that happening. He said he’s not quitting DDT but his schedule for the next four months is going to make people a bit dizzy when they see it.
KANON Vs Daisuke Sasaki was advertised as a singles match but it may as well have been a Handicap Match given how much DAMNATIONA T.A got involved. KANON took a bamboo stick beating from Hideki Okatani, had Ilusion all over his back and just when he though the coast was clear MJ Paul was there to cause more trouble. In the end another stick strike from Okatani set KANON up for La Mistica Crossface Lock so Sasaki could win. After the match Sasaki called KANON weak but took back the claim he is an unwanted child. He is in fact needed to serve as a sacrifice for Okatani’s return match on 6th April. Sasaki decided the match at that show will be Sasaki & Okatani against KANON in a 2-on-1 Handicap Match! Hell is still to come for KANON and Okatani told him not to run away. KANON was in an emotional mess backstage but accepted the match because he has nothing left to lose.
The DDT Extreme Title match is meant to be Super Sasadango Machine’s last time fighting for the belt so he, Danshoku Dieno and Amon Tsurumi wanted to make it as dramatic as possible. Dieno chose a stipulation that would force Sasadango to join DDT full time if Dieno won the match. But if Sasadango won the match then Dieno’s beloved pet dog Haku would join the DDT roster instead. It became the topic of Sasadango’s pre-match PowerPoint presentation where he talked about labour regulations and the risks of forced labour. Tsurumi argued Sasadango’s point by reminding him he retired from wrestling once before and came back anyway. To make the match even more dramatic it slowed down and paused at points so the audience could listen in to the thoughts and feelings of those at ringside. Yukinori Matsui wondered when to step in and ask if the wrestlers would give up, the cameraman was complaining about how difficult it is to film Dieno without getting into trouble and Dieno wanted to convince Sasadango just how fun pro wrestling can be. The audience even heard the thoughts of the celebrity guest commentator Leyla Ikeda from the comedy duo Kanjuku Fresh. She was completely bored out of her mind by the match and was waiting for the handsome wrestlers to show up. Tsurumi however was thinking the complete opposite and was moved by the match his friends were putting on. Dieno called his shot to finish the match with three Moonsaults in a row but Sasadango caught up to him and hit the Lehman Shock from the top rope to win the match and the Extreme Title!
Tsurumi complained about the finish and told Sasadango he couldn’t do a top rope move in slow motion. Sasadango admitted it didn’t turn out the way he expected. He apologised to everyone including Stardom and their company president Taro Okada for some reason. Haku was brought down to the ring by Makoto Oishi to give a comment about becoming DDT’s newest roster member but all he did was sniff the microphone. Sasadango later said he wanted to do his best for Yuki Iino because Iino’s injury made him miss out on an Extreme Title shot. Sasadango also announced he has an event coming up in Tokyo on 9th June and advised fans to keep their schedule free for that day. Dieno admitted he is a bad owner and bad father for letting Haku join such a barbaric wrestling company. However he knows Haku has guts and they will do their best together side by side. He also needs to negotiate what percentage of Haku’s merchandise they’re going to get from the company once DDT starts selling it.
In just a few weeks time Daichi Sato will become DDT’s newest roster member (getting beaten to the punch by Haku is DDT in a nutshell) so he was given a big tag match teaming with Jun Akiyama to take on HARASHIMA & Takeshi Masada. Sato wasted little time going toe to toe with HARASHIMA and linked together well with Akiyama when it came to fighting against Masada. But HARASHIMA won out in the end by pinning Sato with the Somato. Akiyama was pleased with Sato’s performance and challenged him to a singles match on 6th April as Sato’s first official match as a DDT wrestler. Akiyama encouraged Sato to hunt the old man down!
Part of Koroku’s preparation for his KO-D Title match was to show up in new wrestling gear for his match today. However Akito had new gear too so that spoiled things a little bit. He had Yukio Naya & Keigo Nakamura teaming with him but went at it alone with Soma Takao for the final stretch. Koroku was able to counter Takao’s Gin And Tonic into the Triangle Lancer and held onto the move to make Takao give up.
DAMNATION T.A also ruined JJ Furno’s DDT debut. Ilusion didn’t know who he was and made fun of his hair. He seemed to care more about his brand new college diploma, until he used that to hit Tomomitsu Matsunaga over the head with. MJ Paul then went on to pin Matsunaga with the Reverse Splash.
The 3 Way Match was filled with the nonsense you’d expect from the people involved. Kazuki Hirata was ignored and felt left out. Then he got mad when Antonio Honda and Toru Owashi decided to act like a tag team against him. He powered up with the Hirata GO! glasses but was stopped when Honda tripped over the ropes and summoned Gongitsune. Honda and Owashi fought each other but it slowly turned into something more romantic with Honda forming Owashi’s hands into a heart sign. Just when they were about to kiss, Hirata interrupted the moment so he could get a kiss from Matsui. However Owashi rolled up Hirata in a School Boy so the match continued. Honda hit Hirata with the Shining Gongitsune but Owashi then rolled up Honda with La Magistral Cradle to get the win.
New KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Champions were guaranteed in the opening match. It was also the return bouts for both Kazusada Higuchi and Shunma Katsumata so one of them was becoming a champion in their first match back from injury. Kazuma Sumi & Yuni did stereo Moonsaults out of the ring while Ryota Nakatsu & Yuki Ishida doubled up with sumo slaps to the opponents. It all came down to Sumi catching Ishida by surprise with a School Boy to make NωA Jr. the new champions at Harimao’s expense. Sumi said it was speed and quickness that defeated power and strength today. Katsumata said no matter how many times he falls he always crawls and gets back up. He wants to show his true colors and show everyone bigger dreams with NωA Jr.
There is more good news for Harimao coming up though. Naomi Yoshimura gave everyone an update on his health since he took time off from wrestling in November 2022 to rehab his neck injury. He will soon return to the ring and have his first match back on 6th April! He promised to repay all of the kindness he received during his absence and will show his wrestling to new fans who haven’t seen him before. He is not going to return to a full time schedule at first but whenever DDT wants to book him he will be available. Yoshimura’s first match back will be an 8-Man Tag featuring all of Harimao teaming together.
The field for King Of DDT 2025 was revealed. The 16 participants announced for this year’s tournament are Chris Brookes, HARASHIMA, Daisuke Sasaki, Kazusada Higuchi, Yuki Ueno, Yukio Naya, KANON, Takeshi Masada, Masahiro Takanashi, Shunma Katsumata, Akito, Hideki Okatani, To-y, Yuya Koroku, Daichi Sato and Shinya Aoki. Obviously with Takanashi’s injury he will no longer be taking part.
Things are going to be different for DDT’s usual biggest show of the year this time round. “WRESTLE PETER PAN 2025” will be held over a two day weekend. Day 1 will be held at Higashin Arena in Sumida on 30th August and Day 2 will be in Korakuen Hall on 31st August.
DDT “IT’S FINALLY HERE!! KAZUKI HIRATA 15TH ANNIVERSARY COMMEMORATIVE EVENT ~ TALK! 15 YEARS OF HIRATA GO!!”, 12/03/2025 Shinjuku FACE ??? Fans – Unannounced
1. Starting With The Young Communication Generation: Shigehiro Irie, Akito & Shota defeated Yukio Naya, Takeshi Masada & Keigo Nakamura when Irie pinned Nakamura with the Beast Bomber (11:37).
2. Punch-san, I Am Looking Forward To This Tag Match: Toru Owashi & Punch Tominaga defeated Danshoku Dieno & Antonio Honda when Owashi pinned Honda with a School Boy (0:09).
2a. Rematch: Toru Owashi & Punch Tominaga defeated Danshoku Dieno & Antonio Honda when Owashi pinned Honda with a School Boy (9:55).
3. Staggered Entrance Battle Royal: Kotoka defeated Gota Ihashi with the Caldera (10:48). Order Of Elimination: Yuya Koroki, Kazuma Sumi, Yuni, Maku Donaruto, Chris Brookes and Gota Ihashi.
4. They’re Back! Zuncha♪Muscle Survivor’s Tearful Reunion!: Shinya Aoki & Naruki Doi defeated Yuki Ueno & Yuki Ishida when Doi pinned Ishida with the Bakatare Sliding Kick (10:37).
5. Crazy Semi-Final!: MAO & Yoshihiko defeated HARASHIMA & Pokotan when Yoshihiko pinned Pokotan after the Double Rainmaker (14:38).
6. Talk! 15 Years Of HIRATA GO!! Special 6-Man Tag Match: Kazuki Hirata, Hiromu Takahashi & Keisuke Ishii defeated YO-HEY, Kenshin Chikano & Soma Takao when Hirata pinned Takao with the Egoist Driver (28:35). *Special Referee: Katsumi Tamagawa
In 2020 Kazuki Hirata planned to put together a show to celebrate the 10th anniversary of his debut match. Sadly he had to shelve the idea due to the pandemic and waited around for five years so he could have an appropriate occassion to finally run the show. What better time to do that than this week with the 15th anniversary approaching the horizon? Hirata went ahead an invited close friends of his from across the wrestling scene to put the event together. The main event was a wealth of Jr. Heavyweights from different companies gathering together to celebrate Hirata. There was Hiromu Takahashi from New Japan, YO-HEY from NOAH, Keisuke Ishii from Ganbare☆Pro, Kenshin Chikano from Dove Pro and Soma Takao from DDT all joining Hirata in the main event. Hirata’s old Kobe classmate Katsumi Tamagawa got involved too as the referee.
Hirata almost felt left out in his own main event so he pleaded with Takahashi to tag him in so he could get the victory himself. He fought to use the Hirata GO! glasses but came to the realization he doesn’t want to dance on his own anymore. Takahashi & Ishii assured him they would join in and they all put on the glasses. Even the other team found their own pairs and joined in for the big finale. Hirata then purposely singled out YO-HEY & Chikano because today will be the last time all three of them will be fighting each other in the ring. They fought to a stalemate, leading to Takao getting tagged in. He gave Hirata the Perfect Driver but the pin got broken up. Takahashi hit Takao with the Hiromu Bomber, Ishii followed up with the Kneel Kick and Hirata scored the pinfall with the Egoist Driver.
This was an unusual position for Hirata to be in so he asked the other wrestlers to talk first after the match. Takahashi said he knows Hirata the least out of everyone in the group but Hirata was the first wrestler he’s ever beaten and that was a turning point for his career. He also brought up what a great memory their match at Sumo Hall was back in November 2023. He still doesn’t understand what the rules were that day but he remembers Chris Jericho praising it. He’s had many moving matches with many wrestlers but that one has stuck with him the most. Ishii told Hirata they’ve been friends since their trainee days. Things may have changed a bit as the years have gone on and Ishii became Hirata’s senior but he thanked him for letting him join his team today. Hirata said it took 15 years for all of these dots to connect together. Good things will happen to him if he keeps going so he is glad to have become a pro wrestler.
For a show that was meant to all fun and games for everybody it took a very dangerous turn in the semi-main event. Heat between Pokotan and Yoshihiko led to them fighting each other from the get go. MAO joined in and the fight went outside the ring. MAO & Yoshihiko would then give Pokotan a double chairshot near the entranceway, causing the mascot to get busted open! Back in the ring Yoshihiko worked over HARASHIMA until Pokotan returned with a chair. Pokotan and Yoshihiko had a tug of war over the chair, accidentally knocking out Yukinori Matsui when the chair was thrusted into him. MAO attacked Pokotan with an umbrella then handed it over to Yoshihiko. Their attack backfired when Yoshihiko charged, Pokotan jumped out of the way and the umbrella stabbed straight through MAO’s stomach! More chaos happened that ended with HARASHIMA accidentally hitting Pokotan with the Somato, causing the mascot’s head to fall off. MAO & Pokotan did an Iai Kick/Canadian Destroyer for a nearfall and then won with the Double Rainmaker to Pokotan.
Things were a little bit rusty for the return of Zuncha♪Muscle Survivor. There was a moment when Shinya Aoki kicked Naruki Doi by accident but they were then attacked by the other team before anything could go further. Zuncha♪Muscle Survivor were able to regroup and get the win in the end.
Hirata promised the winner of the Battle Royal would get a special prize that he promised would cheer them up. Chris Brookes took advantage of a mistake Yuya Koroku made to knock him out of the ring. Maku Donaruto showed up as one of the surprise entries and he ended up chasing Yuni out of the ring. An even more unexpected surprise appeared when the last entrant turned out to be Kotoka, the Dragongate wrestler who retired back in 2018! Brookes was happy to see him because he was a big fan of his but that didn’t stop Kotoka from eliminating him. Kotoka then went on to win the match and Hirata’s special prize. It was one of Hirata’s old wrestling outfits. The trunks, the kneepads, the wristguards and everything. Kotoka didn’t want them and threw it all out of the ring.
Hirata’s special day meant he wasn’t the one losing a match in under 10 seconds like he usually does. That happened to Antonio Honda instead. Before the match restarted, Hisaya Imabayashi warned everyone that Punch Tominaga can be really scary and his promotion Dragongate does not allow dirty humour. That didn’t stop Danshoku Dieno because he still pulled his own wrestling tights down to “Open The Dream Gate”. Tominaga joined in the dirty jokes by using Dieno’s Dream Gate to charge him up but Dieno ran out of energy. Tominaga then ordered Imabayashi to get in the same position and joined him. While that happened, Honda was pinned by Toru Owashi to end the match leaving Tominaga frozen in an awkward position.
DDT “NEXT GENERATION 2025 ~KISARAGI ROMAN~”, 23/02/2025 Tokyo Korakuen Hall ??? Fans – Unannounced
1. Toru Owashi & Yuki Ishida defeated Yuni & Kazuma Sumi when Ishida pinned Sumi with the Ensho (5:10).
2. Special Single Match: Kazuki Hirata defeated Antonio Honda with the Miracle One Shot Cradle (7:11).
3. Special Tag Match: Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno & Koju “Shining Ball” Takeda Vs Super Sasadango Machine & Yumehito Imanari ended in a No Contest (11:12).
4. Daisuke Sasaki, KANON, MJ Paul & Ilusion defeated To-y, Jun Akiyama, Tomomitsu Matsunaga & Daichi Sato when KANON pinned Matsunaga with the Sleepy Hollow (9:32).
5. Special Tag Match: Chris Brookes & Baliyan Akki defeated Shinya Aoki & Keigo Nakamura when Brookes pinned Nakamura with the Praying Mantis Bomb (9:46).
6. “Brave Bang Bravern!” Collaboration 6-Man Tag Match ~ Bravern Debut Match: Bravern, Yuki Ueno & MAO defeated Yukio Naya, Akito & Soma Takao when Bravern pinned Takao with the Brave Cross Stinger (17:29).
7. D GENERATIONS CUP 2025 – Final: Yuya Koroku defeated Takeshi Masada with the Modified Triangle Lancer (16:40).
DDT really wanted to shine a spotlight on their new generation of wrestlers so they placed this year’s D GENERATIONS CUP final in the main event of today’s Korakuen Hall show. With a future KO-D Openweight Title shot on the line, Takeshi Masada and Yuya Koroku faced off in a rematch of the 2023 DGC final. At first Koroku went for his usual game plan to target the arm until he started pulling out moves from his former BURNING allies. He used the Intercept DDT from Yusuke Okada and the Spinning Torture Rack Bomb from Tetsuya Endo. He also had Masada’s finisher scouted and countered the move into the Chickenwing Arm Lock before switching over to the Triangle Lancer. Masada had no answer to that and gave up, making Koroku the third tournament winner!
Koroku thanked the fans for supporting him and talked about what happened five months ago when he was humiliated in this ring. He thought about quitting but the fan support gave him the strength to get to this point. This is just the beginning because on 6th April he will get his KO-D title match at Korakuen Hall. Backstage he told reporters that he wouldn’t have come this far without BURNING because they taught him so much about everything. He also thinks it is an honour he will get to fight for the KO-D Title exactly four years into his career. He made himself a promise at the start of the year and this April he will fulfill it by winning that title!
There was something familiar surrounding the Brave Bang Bravern collaboration match that I just can’t put my finger on. The giant mecha Bravern was shrunk down to human size for its debut pro wrestling match. It teamed with Yuki Ueno (back from his health scare) & MAO to take on the team of Yukio Naya, Akito & Soma Takao who were representing the show’s bad guys. One of the voice actors for the show (and also the current Iron Man Heavymetalweight Champion) Tetsu Inada watched from the commentary booth but became so invested in the match he moved down to ringside. There he saw Bravern, Ueno & MAO give Akito a Triple Razor’s Edge from the corner. Bravern then used the Somato Brave Cross Stinger on Akito to get the pinfall. He thanked Ueno & MAO for helping him save DDT with their fiery spirit and indomitable courage. If DDT is ever in trouble again they can call for his help. In return Ueno & MAO suggested they can show up in Season 2 of the anime if it ever gets made.
In a last minute change to the show Masahiro Takanashi became ill with fever symptoms and was replaced by Baliyan Akki. He and Chris Brookes still meshed together well as a tag team. Perhaps a little too well because when Brookes tried to slap Keigo Nakamura and Nakamura ducked, Akki saw it coming and blocked it before instinctively slapping Brookes back. That minor setback gave Nakamura & Shinya Aoki a chance to get the win but it didn’t work out for them. In the end Brookes got his second wind, dodged Nakamura’s Diving Headbutt and eventually pinned him with the Praying Mantis Bomb.
After the match Hisaya Imabayashi approached Brookes in the ring. He had given him a month to decide who he wants defend the KO-D Title against at DDT’s 28th Anniversary show on 20th March. Brookes knew who to pick and decided to ring the person on his phone right there in the ring. The call was answered and it turned out to be Masahiro Takanashi on the other end! Brookes asked his CDK partner to challenge him for a title match. Takanashi said he knew Brookes would pick him and asked if it was out of kindness for all that he has done for him? Brookes told him it is an important show so he wants to fight a strong Takanashi, not a kind one. He will kill him in the ring if he has to! Takanashi promised he will give it his all and take the belt from Brookes so he will be the one defending it against the DGC winner in April!
A ragtag bunch of babyfaces were not able to beat DAMNATION T.A in an 8-Man Tag Match. To-y tried to take charge by telling Jun Akiyama to grab Ilusion and hold him still. To-y then missed his attack and hit Akiyama instead so Akiyama angrily yelled at him while DAMNATION T.A were beating up To-y. Akiyama had a much better time doing teamwork with Daichi Sato. The youngster even went toe to toe with MJ Paul until the match broke down into a brawl. To-y ended up hitting Akiyama by accident again and nobody was there to save Tomomitsu Matsunaga from being pinned by KANON. Akiyama got a shot in on To-y for revenge after the match.
The day wasn’t over for DAMNATION T.A yet. All of a sudden Hideki Okatani walked down to the ring armed with a bamboo stick. He climbed inside and attacked KANON with it while the rest of DAMNATION T.A… joined in on the attack! After the beatdown Daisuke Sasaki introduced Okatani as DAMANTION T.A’s newest crazy member and then announced KANON has been kicked out of the group! According to Sasaki, KANON has become too smug and no good for the unit so it is time to say goodbye. Okatani then called KANON a brown-nosing wrestler for always pandering to the crowd before hitting him again with the bamboo stick until it broke.
Okatani explained even more backstage, revealing that KANON has actually been cut off from the unit a long time ago. Sasaki called KANON the biggest failure he has ever created but now he has created his new masterpiece in Okatani. He then claimed that Okatani will have his return match in April. He tore his ACL last April so a year will have passed when he wrestles again. KANON was in tears backstage because he doesn’t know what he did to deserve this. He demanded a singles match with Sasaki to settle things and DDT ended up booking it for 20th March. Lost in the middle of this is what will happen with the KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles? DAMNATION T.A are the current title holders and KANON was part of the champion team.
Hisaya Imabayashi’s worst nightmare came back to life for one night only. There was supposed to be a full blown Pheromones reunion but it got hampered when Yuki Iino got injured. Super Sasadango Machine filled in for him and Yumehito Imanari appeared as his normal self. But Danshoku Dieno & Koju Takeda both showed up acting like their Pheromones personas. The match eventually became too lewd for any audience and Imabayashi had to call it off by using a towel to cover anything that should not be seen on a live broadcast. He paid the price and Pheromones rendered him unconscious with their salacious attacks.
While this was all happening, Sasadango made his way up to the commentary table and grabbed everyone’s attention with his latest PowerPoint presentation. It was titled “Characteristics And Practical Methods Of People Who Are Good At Schedule Management.” He explained how posters can be used to promote his matches and pointed out he does not have a match yet for the 28th Anniversary show despite being on the poster. So he is challenging Dieno to a DDT Extreme Title match for 20th March! It will be a special day for DDT and Dieno is a special wrestler for the company. Also the Extreme Title is the only proper DDT championship Sasadango has ever held. He even added an extra condition to make the match even more special. It will be the last time Sasadango will challenge for that title! Dieno refused the challenge but only so he can nominate Sasadango as his next challenger. He also told Imabayashi he wants his alter ego Amon Tsurumi to be part of the match as the special referee! Together these three old men promise to put on the worst match ever!
Kazuki Hirata had a lot of down time while he was recovering from his knee injury so he occupied himself by watching a lot of wrestling. By doing so he made the eye opening discovery that nobody else dances during their matches. So for his return match he wanted to take things seriously and wrestle properly. Too bad his opponent Antonio Honda wanted to see him dance instead and kept tempting him to put the Hirata GO glasses back on. Hirata couldn’t take it but just when he was about to put on the glasses, Honda attacked him. Hirata fought back though and pinned Honda with the Miracle One Shot Cradle before getting to dance as his true self again.
Hirata then had an announcement to make about his 15th Anniversary Match on 12th March. He and Keisuke Ishii are going to team up with someone special to take on YO-HEY, Kenshin Chikano & Soma Takao. The third man on his team is Hiromu Takahashi! He said he is putting everything he has into the production of this show so everyone will have a happy time together.
The show began with a song performance by NωA Jr. (no doubt trying to impress Kaisei Takechi over at the commentary booth. When they were done Yuni & Kazuma Sumi then faced Toru Owashi & Yuki Ishida in the opening bout. Owashi did a little bit of lucha before switching over to sumo which fitted in more with Ishida’s Dosukoi spirit. Sumi tried to win with a Lionsault and the School Boy but Ishida threw him over with a Scooping German Suplex and pinned him with the Ensho.
DDT “JUDGEMENT 2025 ~28TH ANNIVERSARY 5 HOUR SPECIAL~”, 20/03/2025 Tokyo Korakuen Hall
1. 3 Way Match: Toru Owashi Vs Antonio Honda Vs Kazuki Hirata
2. Makoto Oishi, Akito & Soma Takao Vs Yukio Naya, Yuya Koroku & Keigo Nakamura
3. Special Tag Match: MJ Paul & Ilusion Vs JJ Furno & Tomomitsu Matsunaga
4. Special Tag Match: Jun Akiyama & Daichi Sato Vs HARASHIMA & Takeshi Masada
5. Special 6-Man Tag Match ~ Kazusada Higuchi & Shunma Katsumata Double Comeback Match: Kazusada Higuchi, Ryota Nakatsu & Yuki Ishida Vs Shunma Katsumata, Yuni & Kazuma Sumi
6. Special Single Match: Daisuke Sasaki Vs KANON
7. KO-D Tag Team Titles: MAO & To-y (c) Vs Fuminori Abe & Takuya Nomura
8. DDT Extreme Title: Danshoku Dieno (c) Vs Super Sasadango Machine *Special Referee: Amon Tsurumi.
9. DDT Universal Title: Yuki Ueno (c) Vs Minoru Suzuki
10. KO-D Openweight Title: Chris Brookes (c) Vs Masahiro Takanashi
DDT “SANSHIRO TAKAGI 30TH ANNIVERSARY COMMEMERATION EVENT ~ NEVER SAY NEVER”, 03/02/2025 Shinjuku FACE ??? Fans – Unannounced
1. Special Single Match: Fumihito Kihara defeated Shota with a European Clutch (8:02).
2. Special Single Match: Hyper Misao defeated Muscle Sakai with the I Am A Hero (14:40).
3. Special Tag Match: Fuminori Abe & Ippanjin Munenori Sawa defeated Yumiko Hotta & Shinya Aoki when Hotta was Disqualified for going on a rampage (9:24).
4. Special Tag Match: Dump Matsumoto & Toru Owashi defeated Brahman Shu & Brahman Kei when Shu was Disqualified for throwing powder at Referee Sanshiro Abe (0:44).
4a. Complete Conclusion No DQ Tornado Match: Dump Matsumoto & Toru Owashi defeated Brahman Shu & Brahman Kei when Dump pinned Kei with a Body Press (8:03).
5. Special Single Match: Meiko Satomura defeated Shin Sanshiro Takagi (w/ Sanshiro Takagi) with an Overhead Kick (11:04).
6. Special Single Match: Yuji Nagata defeated Kuroshio TOKYO Japan with the Exploder Suplex (1:33).
6a. Rematch: Yuji Nagata defeated Kuroshio TOKYO Japan with the Exploder Suplex (0:30).
6b. Rematch: Yuji Nagata defeated Kuroshio TOKYO Japan with the Back Drop Hold (6:11).
To celebrate 30 years in the business, Sanshiro Takagi wanted to put his connections across Japan’s wrestling scene to good use by booking a DDT show without using any DDT contracted talent. It gave him the opportunity to book many first time matches that nobody would have ever thought could happen before. In some cases there was probably a good reason why such as in the main event. Yuji Nagata waited patiently for Kuroshio TOKYO Japan to complete his long entrance and when the match finally began, Nagata beat him in around 90 seconds. Takagi asked for the match to restart but Nagata then beat Kuroshio in just 30 seconds. Takagi had to beg Nagata to have one more rematch. Kuroshio used his jacket to obscure Nagata’s vision before applying his own version of the White-Eyed Arm Lock. However Nagata fought back and pinned him with the Back Drop Hold to make it three wins in a row.
Nagata told Kuroshio he is a strange guy but he had fun today and would like to team up with him. There were some calls of New Japan coming from the crowd but Nagata quickly encouraged them to chant “Ikemen” instead. Kuroshio blamed his three losses on Takagi’s decision making but agreed to team up with Nagata. Takagi likes the idea and already has a team lined up for them… The Brahman Brothers! The match will happen on 9th April as part of Takagi’s new project that will be explained below.
Takagi had second thoughts on his choice for Shin Sanshiro Takagi when she was already hitting the canvas just from taking Meiko Satomura’s Leg Kicks. He kept telling everyone he’s not that weak while she was being bumped around the ring. He brought out the Dramatic Dream combat bike as an equalizer but Satomura took it off him and decided to use it herself! She crashed the bike into the two Takagis, hit the Scorpio Rising to the real Takagi back in the ring and then hit the Overhead Kick to Shin Takagi. Satomura then pinned both of them to win the match.
Takagi put on a referee outfit to officiate Match #4 as Sanshiro Abe. Unfortunately it was for a match featuring such rulebreakers as The Brahamn Brothers and Dump Matsumoto so he only had himself to blame when powder was thrown into his eyes. He disqualified the Brahmans over it but they demanded a rematch under Tornado Tag rules and with No DQs. Matsumoto swung her bamboo stick around and accidentally hit Toru Owashi with it. Takagi got his revenge by grabbing a bucket of water from Brahman Shu and throwing it at Brahman Kei. Matsumoto then hit Kei over the head with a Steel Can and pinned him with a Body Press.
MIO had her hands full as the referee for Match #3. Fuminori Abe couldn’t see why Shinya Aoki & Yumiko Hotta are into each other so he and Munenori Sawa kept telling Aoki that Hotta is an ugly old hag. Hotta snapped and attacked her opponents with a chain while her ringside attendant Miku Kanae joined in the assault. Once they started using the chain to hang Abe over the ring apron MIO had to disqualify them.
Two kindred spirits were pitted against each other when Muscle Sakai fought Hyper Misao. The match was held using a “personal novel” format where the match is simply a story being told while the audience listened to the inner monologues of the wrestlers involved. Through this format the fans learned that Misao could not lose to a middle aged man while Sakai simply couldn’t think of anything. Soon the inner monologues turned into insults as Sakai kept calling Misao an ugly 35 year old. Misao had enough of the insults and pulled off her mask before kicking him below the belt over and over. She put the mask back on and pinned Sakai with the I Am A Hero to win.
Fumihito Kihara worked double duty on the show as both the ring announcer as well as the opening bout wrestler. Shota was determined to beat him and told the fans that they cannot let the elderly run wild forever. However Kihara fired back and outmaneuvered Shota, pinning him with a flat European Clutch and lifting his own right shoulder up right before the three count to avoid getting himself pinned too.
Even though DDT are continuing not to announce attendance numbers for their shows this year, Takagi revealed that this show had sold out so he feels encouraged to book another event like this again. There are many more wrestlers that Takagi has ties with that he couldn’t fit on the card today. Also in the leadup to this show he received many calls from people asking why were they not invited to take part? Takagi’s solution is to come up with a new project to continue celebrating his 30th Anniversary. He is launching a new series of shows called MatchMake & Agent Pro Wrestling, or M&A Pro Wrestling for short. The first show will be held at Ueno Park on 9th April with Nagata & Kuroshio Vs The Brahman Brothers already announced. There will also a second show booked for Shinjuku FACE on 25th June.
DDT “NEW YEAR, NEW HERO. 2025 ~A NEW STORY BEGINS~”, 26/01/2025 Tokyo Korakuen Hall ??? Fans – Unannounced
1. Yuki Iino & Daichi Sato defeated Soma Takao & Yukio Naya when Iino pinned Takao with the Spear (9:30).
2. MAO & Toru Owashi defeated Masahiro Takanashi & Antonio Honda when MAO pinned Honda with a Japanese Leg Roll Clutch Hold (8:29).
3. Jun Akiyama, HARASHIMA & Tomomitsu Matsunaga defeated Daisuke Sasaki, KANON & MJ Paul when Matsunaga pinned KANON with a Sideways Cradle Hold (9:20).
4. DDT Extreme Title – Life’s Sparkle Rules: Danshoku Dieno (c) defeated Gorgeous Matsuno with an Inside Cradle (9:47). *V2 for Danshoku Dieno.
5. Road To D GENERATIONS CUP 2025! Special 8-Man Tag Match: To-y, Yuya Koroku, Yuni & Kazuma Sumi defeated Takeshi Masada, Keigo Nakamura, Ilusion & Yuki Ishida when Koroku submitted Nakamura with the Modified Triangle Lancer (12:53).
6. DDT Universal Title: Yuki Ueno defeated Gringo Loco (c) with the WR (15:40). *Gringo Loco fails in V3. Yuki Ueno becomes the 17th DDT Universal Champion!
7. KO-D Openweight Title: Chris Brookes (c) defeated Shuji Ishikawa with the Ground Octopus Stretch (22:21). *V2 for Chris Brookes.
The second KO-D Openweight Title defence is in the bag for Chris Brookes. He was given a big challenge in the form of Shuji Ishikawa so he took some big risks to try and beat him. He tried attacking him with a stapler but Ishikawa did the same to him. Brookes set up a table at ringside but Ishikawa put him through it with the Fire Thunder and then attacked him with the remains to make the champ bleed. Brookes was able to deal some damage with the Somato and Praying Mantis Bomb but Ishikawa kicked out of them. Ishikawa pulled out another Fire Thunder but Brookes kept on fighting, even kicking out after he was given the Kamigoye and the Splash Mountain. An opening was badly needed to reverse him fortunes and Brookes found one when he avoided the Giant Slam. He jumped onto Ishikawa and clamped him into the Octopus Stretch, pulling him down to the mat and tightening the hold until Ishikawa gave up.
Ishikawa declined to shake Brookes’s hand after the match and left the ring. Brookes was then met with Akito who was serving as the GM in place of Hisaya Imabayashi today. Akito told him the next KO-D Title match will be at DDT’s 28th Anniversary show in Korakuen Hall on 20th March. He asked if Brookes had an opponent in mind? Brookes said there are around 10 people he would like to defend the title against but right now he cannot think straight because of the match he just had. Akito told him he has until the 23rd February Korakuen show to nominate his challenger. Brookes then decided to sing some karaoke in place of Ishikawa, singing “Don’t Stop Me Now” by Queen. But when he reached the chorus, Ishikawa suddenly returned to the ring to join in! He then shook Brookes’s hand and left again. Backstage he promised the next time he fights Brookes he will be singing The Beatles for karaoke afterwards.
The DDT Universal Title has spent the last two months travelling around North America with Gringo Loco. Today was the first time he was wrestling in Japan since winning the championship at DDT’s Seattle weekend back in November. Yuki Ueno was his opponent of choice and the two provided a match filled with high flying and high impact moves. There were plenty of Frankensteiners, Destroyers and Spanish Flies to be seen. Loco hit the Base Bomb onto the ring apron and also gave Ueno an Avalanche Falcon Arrow. However Ueno hit back with the Dropkick to the Face, a Reverse Hurricanrana and then the WR to win the match and become the new champion! The two shook hands and Ueno told Loco he will see him next time in America.
Ueno called the Universal Title a divine belt that he won again for the first time in years. As much as he would like to spend a month going overseas to defend the belt in countries like America and Mexico, there is another idea he wants to do first. When he thinks about who he could defend the title against, one person immediately came to mind. There is a “Pirate King” he fought last year that he would like to fight again and he finally has the treasure needed to lure him back to DDT. He wants Minoru Suzuki! Akito heard his request and said he will pass it on to Suzuki. A decision over whether or not the title match can happen will depend on Suzuki’s schedule.
With the D GENERATIONS CUP about to start next month, all eight participants were eager to show what they are made of in an 8-Man Tag preview. Well, most of them were. Ilusion spent the last few days complaining about being sick and not wanting to wrestle today so he was nowhere to be seen at the start. His team had to wrestle 4-on-3 until Ilusion finally showed up to attack Takeshi Masada even though they were meant to be partners. They continued to get in each other’s way, allowing Kazuma Sumi & To-y to both get some moves in on them. Keigo Nakamura also got involved trying stop Ilusion from attacking the other team with a chair, distracting him long enough for Masada to Super Kick him. So Ilusion decided to get revenge by attacking Masada with the chair, leaving Nakamura & Yuki Ishida to spend the rest of the match fighting 2 against 4. Ishida in particular used his sumo power to fend off To-y, Yuni & Sumi. That left Nakamura and Yuya Koroku fighting each other by themselves. Koroku blocked Nakamura’s Crucifix Pin and turned it into the Modified Triangle Lancer to get the tap out win for his team.
According to Danshoku Dieno the most important thing in the world is the next second you live so his DDT Extreme Title match against Gorgeous Matsuno only needed a One Count Pinfall to win. The rule meant Matsuno needed to be at his absolute best while his back was against the wall. He constantly kicked out of Dieno’s moves before the pins could be counted but as the match went on, everybody noticed that Dieno was hesitant to use the Lip Lock on his 63 year old opponent. Matsuno saw his chance to win when Dieno missed a Moonsault. He gave Dieno his own Lip Lock, causing Dieno to wretch and collapse to the mat. Matsuno then hit the Gorgeous Superstar Elbow onto Dieno’s back. But when he rolled Dieno over, Dieno caught him with an Inside Cradle to get the one count pin and win.
Matsuno accepted defeat and shook Dieno’s hand before leaving the ring. Akito then told Dieno there is one person he would like Dieno to defend the Extreme Title defence on 20th March. It’s Yuki Iino! Akito explained it is the one match DDT has been avoiding. Their history together as Pheromones continues to cause a lot of trouble because videos of their matches recently demonetized DDT’s Youtube channel. However Akito would like Dieno and Iino to face each other before Pheromones completely disappears from everyone’s memories. Dieno argued against the decision because he wants to decide when he will fight Iino, not DDT. Iino told Dieno it was never the company’s decision to make him quit Pheromones, it was his own. He is also challenging Dieno for the Extreme Title out of his own free will, not because Akito asked him to do it. Akito ensured the two they can do whatever they want in the match as long as it results in the best Extreme Title bout ever. Dieno said he will do it but on one condition. Hisaya Imabayashi must be the referee! Akito agreed to his request and said he will take full responsibility for everything that will happen to Imabayashi.
The next challengers for the KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles made themselves known after they beat DAMNATION T.A in a non-title bout. Tomomitsu Matsunaga used KANON’s momentum against him and used an Arm-Trap Cradle to get the three count. Afterward he said he can sense the team of himself, Jun Akiyama & HARASHIMA are good enough to fight Daisuke Sasaki, KANON & MJ Paul again this time with the titles on the line. Akito agreed and booked a title match for 5th February at Shinjuku FACE. Matsunaga promised his team will turn the world upside down when they win the titles from DAMNATION T.A!
When Antonio Honda was winding up his Bionic Elbow in Match #2, MAO quickly removed his own wrestling gear to reveal he was wearing his Antonio Honda XL costume underneath. The two then did mirror spots to Toru Owashi and Masahiro Takanashi before fighting each other in a mirrored setting. MAO ended up becoming the better Honda by reversing the Japanese Leg Roll Clutch for the pinfall. They played Honda’s victory music after the match anyway.
The teenage heavyweight Daichi Sato wanted to fight Yukio Naya directly, leaving Yuki Iino to put away Soma Takao without much danger to worry about.
During the show Kazuasada Higuchi made an appearance to announce his return from injury. He had taken time off from wrestling last June to recover from several injuries including a cervical hernia. Higuchi told the fans he will return on 20th March because the ring means everything to him.
More details were announced for DDT’s collaboration with the anime “Brave Bang Bravern”. There will be merchandise of the characters Isami Ao & Lewis Smith dressed up as Yuki Ueno & MAO under the tag team name Brave Knights. Also on 23rd February DDT will host the pro wrestling debut of the Bravern, the anime’s star mecha! Bravern’s wrestling costume will be designed by the anime’s director Masami Obari.
Posted by JamieOD 
Dramatic DDT 