DDT/NJPW “ONE-ON-ONE CONFRONTATION PART 2” Results

June 8, 2026

DDT/NJPW “ONE-ON-ONE CONFRONTATION PART 2 ~SASADANGO-GUN VS YANO-GUN 5-ON-5 ELIMINATION TAG BATTLE~”, 08/06/2025
Tokyo Korakuen Hall
??? Fans – Unannounced

0. Special Exhibition Match: Hinata Kasai Vs Tatsuya Matsumoto ended in a Time Limit Draw (3:00).
0a. Overtime: Tatsuya Matsumoto defeated Hinata Kasai with a Crab Hold (3:32).
1. Fluorescent Lighttube IPPON Hell: MAO & Akito defeated El Desperado & KUSHIDA by IPPON when Desperado broke the Lighttube (8:46).
2. Blindfold Butt-Finding Hell: YOH & Ryusuke Taguchi defeated MAO & Akito when MAO & Akito had their bare butts exposed (6:51).
3. Give UP A Hellish Situation Where Only Submission Is Possible: Kazuki Hirata & Antonio Honda Vs YOH & Ryusuke Taguchi ended in a Draw when they all submitted to Milano Collection A.T.’s Paradise Lock (11:08).
4. If Your Junior Laughs, You Lose! A Junior Role Model Death Match: Hirooki Goto defeated Super Sasadango Machine by Submission with the GTR (8:50).
5. Danshoku Dieno Vs Hirooki Goto ended in a No Contest (7:55).
6. Weapon Rumble Hell: Sanshiro Takagi Vs Toru Yano ended in a No Contest when the match gets cancelled (23:31).
7. Special Match: KONOSUKE TAKESHITA defeated Toru Yano & Super Sasadango Machine when TAKESHITA pinned Sasadango with the Raging Fire (2:01).
8. Special Match: KONOSUKE TAKESHITA, Toru Yano, Hirooki Goto, El Desperado, Ryusuke Taguchi, KUSHIDA, YOH, Masatora Yasuda, Tatsuya Matsumoto, Taisei Nakahara, Super Sasadango Machine, Danshoku Dieno, MAO, KANON, Kazuki Hirata, Akito, Antonio Honda & Hinata Kasai defeated Sanshiro Takagi when TAKESHITA pinned Takagi with a Stunner (1:38).

One year ago a rivalry between Super Sasadango Machine and Toru Yano brought DDT and New Japan together, mending a decade long broken relationship in the process. The event was such a success that both parties agreed to do it again, this time under more friendlier circumstances. With a hot summer of sport about to begin, an agreement was made by both sides to provide the best sportsmanship and keep things fair throughout the day. But as the show hit its stride, the trust between DDT and NJPW would be taken advantage of by some for the sake of getting the competitive advantage.

For an inter-promotional show such as this it was necessary that everything would be presented 50/50. It aired as a PPV on both NJPW World and Wrestle Universe with each streaming service providing their own full scale broadcast on separate screens side-by-side. That meant separate commentary teams with their own special guests, separate ring announcers, alternating referees, etc. Korakuen Hall even tried to split itself in half with the green DDT side having a security fence installed while the red NJPW side was barrier free. The NJPW World commentators were Yohei Onishi, Milano Collection A.T. and special guest Hiroshi Tanahashi. The Wrestle Universe commentators were Haruo Murata, Ken Suzuki.txt and special guest Yuki Ueno. Murata wants to be neutral because he works with both companies but his interactions with Daisuke Sasaki during the Best Of The Super Jr. meant he was DDT through and through no matter what he says.

A signing ceremony was planned to take place but first Yano had an announcement to make regarding his team. Tomoaki Honma was unable to appear at the show today because of illness so a substitute was called in at the last minute. His replacement is KUSHIDA! With that news out of the way, Sasadango and Yano signed the contract and started to hype up the fans to chant for their favorite side.

The chants turned into a cheering contest with Yano ordering Tatsuya Matsumoto to encourage even louder chants for New Japan. Hinata Kasai tried to do the same with the DDT fans, leading the two young wrestlers to get in each other’s way and then begin arguing. The arguing turned into a staredown and the staredown was going to turn into a fight!

All of a sudden a three minute long wrestling exhibition broke out between Matsumoto and Kasai. The two fought back and forth until the time expired but both kept trying to fight so they were allowed another five minutes to settle their differences. Kasai locked in an STF but Matsumoto broke free and got a nearfall with a Body Slam. As the match hit the 3 minute mark, Matsumoto put Kasai in a Crab Hold and got him to give up.

Everything was now calm again after that fired up display so it was time for the show to begin proper. DDT and New Japan would face each other in a gauntlet of singles matches with mystery lineups made out of five participants on each team. However a match could be turned into a tag team bout if both sides agree to the change beforehand. Sasadango and Yano together gave an oath promising to uphold good sportsmanship in every match… but it was all a trick! A video played on the two screens showing an unmasked Sasadango dressed up as the famous fortune teller Kazuko Hosoki. Here, “Kazuko Sasaki” informed Yano that DDT had just invited NJPW into taking part in a special tour… The DDT Hell Tour!

Sasadango admits he was foolish to think his team could beat New Japan in five regular pro wrestling matches so he hatched a plan. The DDT GM Hisaya Imabayashi then showed Yano the contract he signed included an extra sentence written in English that was not included in the Japanese print. “All match rules must be accepted as decided by DDT.” Yano was tricked into letting DDT decide the rules for every match tonight!

DDT used the surprise to their immediate advantage by making the first match an IPPON Lighttube Tag Death Match! In this match there is only one lighttube and the loser is the person whose body breaks it. DDT sent the master of the match Akito out there to team with MAO while NJPW were represented by KUSHIDA & El Desperado. The sudden rule change made things more dangerous for KUSHIDA because lately he likes to wrestle barefoot. Akito made fun of that by shoving a sock into KUSHIDA’s mouth near the end of the match. However as everyone fought over the lighttube or tried to avoid touching it, MAO and Desperado formed their own alliance because of their friendship and agreed to break the lighttube together. They both climbed up the same turnbuckle, counted down together and… only Desperado went ahead with the trust fall. He smashed landed on the lighttube while MAO remained on the turnbuckles to celebrate winning the match. Desperado was so furious over the betrayal he abducted Viento Maligno at ringside and threatened to harm him with the remains of the broken lighttube unless MAO apologizes.

Akito & MAO remained in the ring to take part in the second match. This one showed everybody how DDT’s plan could backfire on them in a spectacular manner. It was a Blindfold Butt-Finding Hell Match where every wrestler had to fight blindfolded in their underwear and the first one to have their backside exposed would lose. NJPW sent out the two wrestlers that were guaranteed to thrive under such a ruleset, YOH & Ryusuke Taguchi! Both men walked out wearing an extra pair of underwear over their heads along with slingkinis and stockings. Keep in mind this show is taking place exactly one day after YOH won BOSJ! The blindness led to Akito & MAO almost fighting each other until they recognized each other by their body shape. The two of them as well as YOH all ended up wandering outside the ring while back inside Taguchi was trying to do Hip Attacks into thin air. When everyone got back into the ring MAO slid up from underneath Taguchi only to bump into YOH and accidentally Lip Lock him. The four wrestlers then formed a chain by all reaching out to the person in front of them to grab their tights. The NJPW team won the duel and exposed the DDT wrestlers’ butts to win the match. According to MAO, the lesson he learned from this match is everybody from Miyagi is weird. YOH proved it later by telling reporters backstage that the experience he went through today feels so good.

Match #3 had DDT send out reinforcements in the form of Antonio Honda & Kazuki Hirata because the only way to win the match was to make your opponents give up. The DDT team jumped YOH & Taguchi but the NJPW duo would taunt them on the microphone whenever they were asked to give up. Honda told Hirata to put them in the Paradise Lock but Hirata confessed he does not know how to do the move. Honda went outside to bring Milano Collection A.T. into the ring so they could learn it from him. But Honda tripped over the ropes on the way back in. He had injured himself and decided it was time to give up but first he needed to tell his latest Gongitsune joke. It turned into an attack that led to everyone brawling. As the dust settled, only Milano was left standing. He noticed a pair of Hirata GO! glasses had fallen onto the canvas so he put them on and “Tokyo GO!” began to play. He tried to ignore it until he couldn’t help but dance to the music belonging to an old foe. As this was happening, Honda and Taguchi were doing Gongitsune attacks and they both wound up pinching Milano by the nipples. Milano’s response was to put the both of them in Paradise Locks and then continue dancing on top of them. Both Honda and Taguchi gave up at the same time, causing the match to end in a tie.

The series was reaching its halfway point so Sasadango decided now was a good time to do a PowerPoint Presentation… From Hell! He explained to the audience that the ideal way of doing inter-promotional matches is to help develop the next generation. His presentation was suddenly interrupted when his laptop decided to reset itself for updates. While the fans started chanting for the laptop to restart, Sasadango handed his microphone to Hiroshi Tanahashi and asked him to talk for a bit. Tanahashi spoke about the repaired relationship between New Japan and DDT, entirely crediting himself for making it happen. Sasadango then gave up on the laptop and tried to continue his presentation without PowerPoint. He and Yano then broke out into an argument until they noticed Rukiya and Tatsuya Matsumoto both laughing at them nearby. Sasadango and Yano agreed they need to set a good example to their juniors or they would lose their respect. So for the next match the wrestlers involved would lose if their junior laughs at them!

Sasadango would step into the ring to finally be part of the action but his opponent was Hirooki Goto! Rukiya and Matsumoto were made to sit down near the ring with instructions to fill their mouths with water. Every time one of them laughed and spat the water out, their respective wrestler would lose a point. The first to lose three points would lose the match. Both of them laughed at the same time when Goto accidentally unmasked Sasadango during a Headlock off of the ropes. Rukiya then laughed a second time when Sasadango took a Lariat, apologized to Goto and then retreated from the ring. When Sasadango returned, he all of a sudden looked like a completely different person with a ripped physique. Goto was able to unmask him, revealing it was KANON under the mask. That made Matsumoto laugh. The real Sasadango returned to launch a sneak attack on Goto but that failed. He then challenged Goto to a sumo match and encouraged the fans to chant “Edmond” at Goto (because he plays E. Honda in the upcoming Street Fighter movie). Sasadango tricked Goto into taking a Dropkick but Goto got back up and grabbed his opponent. Just when Goto was in position to do the GTR, Sasadango instantly gave up so he wouldn’t take the move. Rukiya laughed at this, taking away Sasadango’s last point. Goto gave him th GTR anyway and pinned him for the three count so he ended up having three different ways to claim victory for the match.

Sasadango was beaten but DDT was not. He still had one more card to play. For many weeks leading up to this show, Sasadango has been trying to recruit one wrestler more than any other but his advances were rejected every time. Well it turns out this person finally agreed to show up because Danshoku Dieno made a big entrance to have a match with Goto! It didn’t take long for the match to get out of hand because the referees Yumehito Imanari, Marty Asami and Daisuke Kiso were all knocked out with Lip Locks that were intended for Goto. Akito ran into the ring to help put Dieno into the Hell Gate position over the top turnbuckle. Chaos then broke out with many wrestlers from both teams all running down to the ring to fight each other and then get their heads shoved into Dieno’s backside. Everything was so out of control that the match had to be called off.

By this point the DDT had run out of all of their players while the NJPW team still had only Toru Yano remaining. Yano thought this meant the series was over and his team had won without him even having to do anything. However Sasadango had one more trick up his sleeve. As much as he works hard for DDT, he does not have a contract with them and in fact wrestles as a freelancer. He is not really a DDT wrestler so that means the result of his match against Goto does not count towards the contest! Yano was furious over the revelation and demanded whoever is in charge of DDT to come out and face him. Sanshiro Takagi did just that and introduced himself to Yano as the supreme commander of DDT. For one more twist of the knife, Takagi and Yano would now face off in a Weapon Rumble!

The rules are a new weapon would be brought down to the ring Royal Rumble style and each weapon was decided upon by either DDT or New Japan. Yano complained that his team didn’t prepare any weapons but Sasadango revealed that he surveyed YOH about it beforehand and was able to get the weapons he suggested. The weapons included a blonde wig, a fire extinguisher, a “Yano Set” of a chair and sake, Mecha Mummy armed with the Mecha Drill, Daisuke Sasaki drinking tequila and El Desperado drinking tequila. The big surprise of all came when Takagi brought out his greatest weapon, Konosuke Takeshita! He had travelled to Japan just to be at this show and he attacked Yano on Takagi’s behalf. But just as Takeshita was about to give Yano the Raging Fire, the countdown for Yano’s next weapon fell to zero and it was revealed to be… Konosuke Takeshita?!? He played along with the rules and switched to attacking Takagi until Takagi started protesting. He said Takeshita belongs to DDT while Yano argued he also belongs to New Japan. Sasadango then stepped into the ring with Tanahashi as everyone agreed this was an issue that needed to be sorted out immediately.

Sasadango pointed out to Takeshita that this is the drawback to having contracts with three different wrestling companies. Two of them are here today so he needed to make a choice between them. Takagi spoke about Takeshita contacting him at 15 years old asking to become a pro wrestler because he was so confident he could reach to the top. Takagi always believes Takeshita will come back to DDT even when he is winning championships in AEW and New Japan. Tanahashi reminded Takeshita of the singles match they had in Sumo Hall back in 2014. He could feel Takeshita’s potential all the way back then and he still has high expectations for him going forward.

Sasadango handed Takeshita a “Final Rose” for him to give to the person he wants to be with (exactly like what Yuma Anzai experienced in Japan’s version of The Bachelorette recently). Takeshita said when he watched NJPW as a kid it gave him dreams and DDT made those dreams come true. He belongs to both companies solely out of gratitude with a desire to repay their kindness. He told Tanahashi he will do his best to protect NJPW from now on. He also made a promise to Takagi he will work hard to help him bring DDT to the Tokyo Dome!

Takeshita was about to hand the Final Rose to both Tanahashi and Takagi when Yano angrily cut him off. Yano complained he cannot choose both and Sasadango agreed that nobody would be satisfied with this ending. Sasadango then said if DDT carelessly goes into the Tokyo Dome and fails miserably then DDT will be finished and everyone will be left out on the streets! All of a sudden Yano & Sasadango now wanted to fight Takeshita in a Handicap match. It didn’t take long for Takeshita to dispatch both of them before pinning Sasadango with the Raging Fire.

After the impromptu match, Takeshita felt it was time he explained himself. He couldn’t find the way to properly convey his feelings up to this point so he got Muscle Sakai to help him out by creating a PowerPoint Presentation for him. It is titled “Why I Belong To Three Pro Wrestling Organizations” He introduced himself as a 31 year old wrestler currently living in Orlando with two special skills: working out and pro wrestling. He won the KO-D Openweight Title in DDT at a young age and still holds the record for most title defences. In New Japan he won the G1 Climax and then held the IWGP World Heavyweight Title. Recently in AEW he defeated Kazuchika Okada (the crowd popped at the mention of this) to become the new AEW International Champion. He is confident he is one of the busiest wrestlers in the world.

He gets all sorts of requests from the companies he works for. NJPW wants him on more domestic tours, DDT wants him to bring them to the Tokyo Dome and AEW doesn’t want any other company taking him away from them. The reason he is signed to all three companies is a simple one. He wants to share his world of pro wrestling to more people. He felt left out when he was not a part of last year’s DDT Vs New Japan show and it is one of his biggest regrets because he belongs to both companies. An all star show like this is supposed to be the most entertaining showdown but there are many ways for people to entertain themselves these days. Takeshita has other hobbies to keep himself occupied but pro wrestling will always be the most interesting.

So Takeshita has come up with three ideas that will prove his point. The first idea is he wants to hold the world’s largest pro wrestling league consisting of 365 wrestlers all fighting each other in a gigantic year long round robin tournament! He watches so much wrestling in his off time that he is subscribed to all of the different streaming services. That means he’s been able to carefully select a list of 365 wrestlers from all over the world he wants to compete and has also created a tentative schedule of matches to be held across Japan so there will be tournament events every single day from the opening bouts on 1st January all the way to the final night on 31st December! He understands the schedule might be difficult to pull off which is why he thinks the league should only be held once every four years likes the Olympics.

 

Takeshita’s second idea is to revise pro wrestling’s rules so they are more in line to modern times. He recognizes that violence doesn’t solve anything and disputes can be resolved through discussion. A suggestion he has is to introduce AI judging and a scoring system based on technical points, artistic points, and compositional skills. His example of a scoring system that works is the annual M-1 Grand Prix comedy show that is always a huge hit at the end of the year. His third idea is to ultimately unify the world of pro wrestling. Today the polar opposites that are New Japan and DDT fought each other in exciting ways because of their completely different styles. If doing this with two companies is exciting then imagine adding countless more into the mix. In order to achieve that goal, Takeshita believes he must first become the world’s No. 1 pro wrestler! He asked for everyone’s support so they can all create the perfect world where pro wrestling is the best.

The presentation touched the hearts of everyone who listened… Well, almost everyone. Takagi was still in a fired up competitive mood and wasn’t going to stand there letting the action go to waste. He tried to rally the other wrestlers around him but everyone went over to the other side of the ring and all stared him down. It was time for the final match where Takagi had to fight everyone else all by himself! He got pummeled by everyone one after the other until Takeshita finished him off with a Stunner.

The show was now reaching its end and a few wrestlers wanted to give their final words. Sasadango asked all of the NJPW fans watching to continue supporting Takeshita. That request goes to the wrestlers in Hontai too. Yano announced that Takeshita was the winner of today’s series and Takagi told him to liven up the wrestling world even more. Tanahashi then led everyone to say the same catchphrase that was used to end last year’s show: “3, 2, 1, Love Muscle! Muscle!”

Wait, wait, wait, hang on. There’s one more thing. After everyone left the ring, Sasadango and Akito both suddenly remembered something and ran out of the room. They rushed through a hallway to find a closed out locker room featuring the final secret weapon that they completely forgot to use during the show. They opened up the door and there inside was the furious NOAH wrestler Kenoh! He demanded to know where Toru Yano was while Sasadango & Akito both desperately apologized to him. It turns out that even though DDT is the last place Kenoh ever wants to be, he has been trying to pick a fight with Yano for ages and agreed to be part of Sasadango’s plan if it meant he could finally get his hands on Yano. That didn’t happen so Kenoh stormed out of Korakuen Hall and went down to the NJPW store in near Suidobashi in search of Yano. The shop was closed and Yano was nowhere to be found so Kenoh decided to start a livestream on his YouTube channel and complain about the whole thing.

Comments Off on DDT/NJPW “ONE-ON-ONE CONFRONTATION PART 2” Results | Results | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by JamieOD

DDT/Sasadango Vs NJPW/Yano Round 2 Announced

April 21, 2026

DDT/NJPW “ONE-ON-ONE CONFRONTATION PART 2 ~TEAM SASADANGO VS TEAM YANO 5-ON-5 ELIMINATION TAG BATTLE~”, 08/06/2025
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

1. Team Sasadango Vs Team Yano: X Vs X
2. Team Sasadango Vs Team Yano: X Vs X
3. Team Sasadango Vs Team Yano: X Vs X
4. Team Sasadango Vs Team Yano: X Vs X
5. Team Sasadango Vs Team Yano: X Vs X

A joint press conference was held on Monday between DDT and New Japan to announced a follow up event to last year’s “One Match” show that pitted Super Sasadango Machine against Toru Yano in Korakuen Hall. It was a show that helped heal a decade long rift between the two companies. This time around DDT and New Japan want to hold a similar event but have it be built around sportsmanship so the format is going to be a 5 Vs 5 Team Elimination Challenge. At the press conference Sasadango and Yano both talked about the respect they gained for each other after last year’s match and how much of a learning experience it was for the two companies to understand what they can each provide for the pro wrestling world.

Much like last year, the show will be held as a dual PPV broadcast airing on both NJPW World and Wrestle Universe with each feed being its own complete production. Just like the wrestlers, there was mutual respect earned among the production teams after last year’s show. Yano wants the match to have a definitive winner this time instead of the agreed upon double countout that happened last time. He is ready to call up wrestlers from New Japan’s Hontai unit to be on his team. When Sasadango heard that, he pointed out that he doesn’t currently belong to any DDT unit so he is free to pick whoever he wants in the company to join his team.

The two agreed that they need to be flexible over the rules of the match and they might organize a meeting leading up to the show to hammer out all the details. Sasadango suggested they may include some extra wrestlers placed in reserve should their original picks get injured or decide to leave their company before the match takes place. He also wondered if the 5 Vs 5 format just means five singles matches or if it will be possible to have tag bouts take place? Yano understands the idea and is open to it, again pointing out that the rules need to be flexible for this situation. They both seem to understand that the show will consist of five matches but some may end up being tag team matches instead of singles. The press conference ended with Sasadango saying he trusts New Japan will not betray DDT and Yano said the same vice versa.

Comments Off on DDT/Sasadango Vs NJPW/Yano Round 2 Announced | News | Tagged: , , , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by JamieOD

MONDAY MAGIC “UNIVERSE MAGIC 2026” Results

April 6, 2026

MONDAY MAGIC “UNIVERSE MAGIC 2026”, 09/03/2026
Shinjuku FACE
??? Fans – Unannounced

1. The 1st UNIVERSE CUP – Semi Final: Naomichi Marufuji defeated Hayabusa with the Perfect Neck Lock (14:52).
2. The 1st UNIVERSE CUP – Semi Final: Sanshiro Takagi defeated The Great Sasuke with the Stunner (14:47).
3. Tokyo Joshi Pro Offer Match: Miyu Yamashita defeated Shino Suzuki with the Skull Kick (7:44).
4. UNIVERSE MIX MAGIC 8-Man Tag Match: Kaito Kiyomiya, Kuroshio TOKYO Japan, Takeshi Masada & Yumehito Imanari defeated Masato Tanaka, Isami Kodaka, Taro Nohashi & Great Mummy when Imanari pinned Mummy with the Lariat (9:15).
5. 10-WOMAN MAGIC RUMBLE: YUNA defeated Senka Akatsuki by Ring Out (26:41).
*Order Of Elimination: Megaton, Manami, Sora Ayame, YuuRI, The Great Sayaka, Yuki Mashiro, Seri Yamaoka, Momoka Hanazono, Senka Akatsuki.
6. The 1st UNIVERSE CUP – Final: Naomichi Marufuji defeated Sanshiro Takagi with the Perfect Neck Lock (17:33).

The winner of the first ever Universe Cup tournament belongs to NOAH! It was a tough road for Naomichi Marufuji to walk through because he first had to fight Hayabusa in the semi final. After taking big blows from dives and Falcon Arrows, Marufuji dodged the Firebird Splash and relied on using Tiger King knee strikes to wear down Hayabusa until he was weak enough to be submitted with the Perfect Cradle. Sanshiro Takagi fought past The Great Sasuke in a rematch many years in the making (Sasuke blamed the slightly different ring size on his defeat) to reach Marufuji in the final. In the battle between the CyberFight Vice Presidents, Takagi was taken to the brink with Marufuji ordering a delay in countouts so Takagi could bring out the Dramatic Dream bike for them to fight with. Marufuji won that duel and Takagi barely made it back to the ring in time just to get put in the Perfect Neck Lock for Marufuji to win the match.

Takagi got injured during the match so only Hayabusa and Sasuke joined Marufuji for his trophy presentation. Marufuji praised all of the wrestlers and promotions involved for doing their best to liven up pro wrestling. Sasuke believes the Universe Cup will continue on for many years which will somehow help Michinoku Pro become invincible! On cue his company’s theme song began to play until Marufuji stopped it so Hayabusa could have the last word. Hayabusa told everyone that the fun is just beginning.

The rest of the show featured random and unexpected wrestlers showing up since that is the whole point of Monday Magic. Multiple promotions were represented including DDT, Ganbare☆Pro and BASARA. There was an 8-Man Tag Match featuring DDT’s Takeshi Masada, GanPro’s Yumehito Imanari and BASARA’s Isami Kodaka. GanPro also had a participant in the women’s Magic Rumble match. YuuRI took part in it but was among the first half of eliminated wrestlers.

Tokyo Joshi Pro also showed up at a Monday Magic event for the first time. TJPW presented a singles match where Miyu Yamashita beat Shino Suzuki. Because they were in front of a new audience, Yamashita was more fired up than usual while Suzuki was able to overcome her anxiety when the fans started calling her name during the match.

Comments Off on MONDAY MAGIC “UNIVERSE MAGIC 2026” Results | Outside Of DDT, Results, Tournaments | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by JamieOD

MONDAY MAGIC “UNIVERSE MAGIC 2026” Results

March 9, 2026

MONDAY MAGIC “UNIVERSE MAGIC 2026”, 09/03/2026
Shinjuku FACE
??? Fans – Unannounced

1. Takeru Inoue & Sentaro Motoshima defeated Yuki Toki & Nobuhiko Kimura when Inoue submitted Toki with a Crab Hold (8:56).
2. The 1st UNIVERSE CUP – Round 1: Sanshiro Takagi defeated Great Mummy with the Stunner (8:23).
3. The 1st UNIVERSE CUP – Round 1: Naomichi Marufuji defeated Kuroshio TOKYO Japan with the Perfect Neck Lock (9:12).
4. Takumi Iroha, Utami Hayashishita & Miyuki Takase Vs Mayu Iwatani, Mika Iwata & Mio Momono ended in a Time Limit Draw (20:00).
5. The 1st UNIVERSE CUP – Round 1: The Great Sasuke defeated Isami Kodaka with La Magistral Cradle (12:24).
6. The 1st UNIVERSE CUP – Round 1: Hayabusa defeated Yumehito Imanari with the Firebird Splash (14:06).

The first round of the inaugural UNIVERSE CUP took place, pitting eight wrestlers from eight different promotions against each other. The common ground linking almost all of the promotions together is that they are a part of the Wrestle Universe streaming service. Add in the randomness of Monday Magic and the result is a bunch of unexpected surprises in store both in and out of the tournament.

Hayabusa from ZERO1 defeated Yumehito Imanari from Ganbare☆Pro in the main event. Imanari was crushed over the loss because he was originally part of Wrestle Universe from the very beginning when it was called DDT Universe. Hayabusa will meet Naomichi Marufuji from NOAH in the semi-final. Marufuji had to deal with Kuroshio TOKYO Japan’s antics today. Even thought Kuroshio lost, he doesn’t want to go away. The Up Town wrestler asked Marufuji backstage if he can come over to NOAH? Marufuji simply told him no.

The Great Sasuke and Isami Kodaka went wild for their 1st Round match. The Michinoku Pro legend gave Kodaka a Piledriver onto the entrance ramp and also slammed him onto a pile of chairs at ringside. Kodaka almost got him back with a Brainbuster but Sasuke pinned the BASARA wrestler with La Magistral Cradle for the victory. Kodaka hopes he can come back to Monday Magic and maybe get some NOAH bookings too. Sanshiro Takagi had an adventure of his own when he had to fight not just one mummy, but two! While he fought The Great Mummy in the ring, NOSAWA Rongai brought down a second Great Mummy to add some confusion to the mix. Luckily for Takagi, Mecha Mummy showed up to help him and Takagi went on to win the match for DDT. NOSAWA swears he will get revenge on Takagi by sending his mummy wrestlers over to invade Super Japan!

MONDAY MAGIC “UNIVERSE MAGIC 2026”, 06/04/2026
Shinjuku FACE

1. The 1st UNIVERSE CUP – Semi Final: Sanshiro Takagi Vs The Great Sasuke
2. The 1st UNIVERSE CUP – Semi Final: Hayabusa Vs Naomichi Marufuji
3. Tokyo Joshi Pro Offer Match: X Vs X
4. 10-WOMAN MAGIC RUMBLE: X Vs X Vs X Vs X Vs X Vs X Vs X Vs X Vs X Vs X
3. The 1st UNIVERSE CUP – Final: X Vs X

There’s been one CyberFight promotion that has stayed away from Monday Magic but that’s all going to change next month. Tokyo Joshi Pro will finally have some involvement in the show, although it is going to be for a match they are putting together by themselves. There will also be a small Royal Rumble style match for the joshi wrestlers so maybe TJPW will start to mix in with the rest of the scene after all.

Comments Off on MONDAY MAGIC “UNIVERSE MAGIC 2026” Results | Outside Of DDT, Results, Tournaments | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by JamieOD

Universe Cup

February 10, 2026

Looks like I now have to start talking about MONDAY MAGIC a bit more often. This thing started off in 2023 as an idea by NOSAWA Rongai to host live weekly NOAH shows on ABEMA built around mystery lineups and surprise matches. After the debut season, the series was then added to Wrestle Universe and last year it was quietly spun off into becoming its own brand, although it is still NOAH adjacent. I personally like the idea of treating Monday Magic as its own thing but you’d still be right to label it a NOAH show.

During the most recent season titled “RISING SUN”, it was announced that two upcoming spin-off episodes called “UNIVERSE MAGIC” will host the first ever Universe Cup tournament. It will be an eight man tournament featuring a representative from many different wrestling promotions that can be seen on Wrestle Universe. The wrestlers taking part are:

Naomichi Marufuji (Pro Wrestling NOAH)
Sanshiro Takagi (DDT Pro Wrestling)
The Great Sasuke (Michinoku Pro Wrestling)
Hayabusa (ZERO1 Pro Wrestling)
Isami Kodaka (Pro Wrestling BASARA)
Yumehito Imanari (Ganbare☆Pro Wrestling)
Kuroshio TOKYO Japan (Pro Wrestling Up Town)
Great Mummy (MONDAY MAGIC)

MONDAY MAGIC “UNIVERSE MAGIC 2026”, 09/03/2026
Shinjuku FACE

1. UNIVERSE CUP – Round 1: Sanshiro Takagi Vs Great Mummy
2. UNIVERSE CUP – Round 1: Naomichi Marufuji Vs Kuroshio TOKYO Japan
3. UNIVERSE CUP – Round 1: Isami Kodaka Vs The Great Sasuke
4. UNIVERSE CUP – Round 1: Hayabusa Vs Yumehito Imanari

Alright I get to talk about the new Hayabusa! Actually Bahu did a great job explaining the whole situation with him and ZERO1 recently so I recommend you give his video a watch. The inclusion of ZERO1 to this tournament comes from their repaired relationship with NOAH after the Go Shiozaki fiasco (I knew something was up with him a while back) and that led to Hayabusa recently appearing on Monday Magic so his addition has not come out of nowhere.

One of NOSAWA’s running jokes in Monday Magic is to often book one of the wrestlers to disguise themselves as Great Mummy, a throwback to the mummy gimmicks that were a regular presence around Japan’s sleazier indies decades ago. It’s only fitting that Sanshiro Takagi was chosen to be Great Mummy’s opponent in the first round.

MONDAY MAGIC “UNIVERSE MAGIC 2026”, 06/04/2026
Shinjuku FACE

1. UNIVERSE CUP – Semi Final: X Vs X
2. UNIVERSE CUP – Semi Final: X Vs X
3. UNIVERSE CUP – Final: X Vs X

The match announcement video included an image of a playoff bracket that makes it look like the winners of Matches #1 and #3 will meet in one semi final and the winners of Matches #2 and #4 will face off in the other. However I’m feeling suspicious about something. To put it kindly, NOSAWA is a trickster at heart. Don’t be surprised if he suddenly throws in a swerve or two that could completely change the face of the Universe Cup going into the final rounds.

Comments Off on Universe Cup | News, Outside Of DDT, Tournaments | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by JamieOD

DDT “SUMIRE SEPTEMBER LOVE 2025” Results

September 14, 2025

DDT “SUMIRE SEPTEMBER LOVE 2025”, 14/09/2025
Hokkaido Sapporo Sun Plaza
??? Fans – Unannounced

1. MJ Paul defeated Kazuma Sumi with the Reverse Splash (5:34).
2. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Yuki Iino, Tomomitsu Matsunaga & Ryuto defeated Tomoya, Yuya Koroku & Hinata Kasai when Iino pinned Kasai with a Lariat (8:38).
3. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Jun Akiyama, Noriyuki Yoshida & Daichi Sato defeated Kazusada Higuchi, Yukio Naya & Yuki Ishida when Sato pinned Ishida with the Mad Splash (12:21).
4. Sapporo Specialty Trial Of Two Single Matches Again – Round 1!: Akito (7) defeated Kazuki Hirata (0) (10:00).
4a. Akito (1) submitted Kazuki Hirata (0) with the Ankle Hold (0:13).
4b. Akito (2) pinned Kazuki Hirata (0) with a School Boy (1:28).
4c. Kazuki Hirata (1) wore the Hirata GO! Glasses (3:35).
4d. Kazuki Hirata (-1) was Disqualified for being suspected of attacking Akito with the KO-D Openweight Title belt (5:49).
4e. Akito (0) was Disqualified for choking Kazuki Hirata (-1) with the KO-D Openweight Title belt (5:52).
4f. Akito (-2) was Disqualified for choking Kazuki Hirata (-1) with the KO-D Openweight Title belt (6:08).
4g. Akito (-1) pinned Kazuki Hirata (-1) with a School Boy (7:22).
4h. Kazuki Hirata (0) wore the Hirata GO! Glasses (8:45).
4i. Akito (0) wore the Hirata GO! Glasses (9:23).
4j. Akito (1) submitted Kazuki Hirata (0) with the Ankle Hold (9:27).
4k. Akito (2) submitted Kazuki Hirata (0) wi5. Special 3 Way Tag Match: MAO & KANON defeated HARASHIMA & Danshoku Dieno and Chris Brookes & Takeshi Masada when MAO pinned Dieno with a School Boy (12:09).
6. Special Single Match: Yuki Ueno defeated Hideki Okatani by Referee Stoppage with the Blackout Sleeper (14:14).
*Yuki Ueno wins Hideki Okatani’s Right To Challenge Anytime, Anywhere Arm Cover.
7. DDT Extreme Title – Stop The Annoying Streamers!! Unicast Death Match!: To-y (c) defeated Ilusion with the Kojima Impact (16:32).
*V3 for To-y.

Since Ilusion has become such an annoying streamer lately, To-y decided to use the concept for their DDT Extreme Title Match. Both wrestlers decided to film themselves live by using Wrestle Universe’s Universe Cast feature and the goal was to either beat the opponent on-stream or find a way to switch the opponent’s stream off! Yukinori Matsui had to inspect the phones constantly to make sure the streams were still live but he ended up getting flattened by To-y’s Diving Cross Body after Ilusion pulled him into the way. Ilusion and MJ Paul then attacked To-y so the rest of the D GENERATIONS wrestlers ran down to the ring with phones in their hands to harass Ilusion by filming him up close. Ilusion lost his cool from the distraction and became so flustered he missed the Swanton Bomb. He then smashed a chair over To-y’s head but that only psyched To-y up into giving him the Kojima Impact for the victory. To-y thanked the others after the match and told fans his goal now is to be the DDT Extreme Champion going into Sumo Hall on 3rd November. This is because he wants to defend the title against the person who most symbolises the championship. Meanwhile Ilusion swore to never use Wrestle Universe again and will film his matches for Youtube from now on.

Are we now in a place where Yuki Ueno can give Kazuki Hirata a taste of his own medicine? Ueno defeated Hideki Okatani to win his Right To Challenge Arm Cover. He used the Blackout Sleeper to win although Okatani passed out rather than gave up. Okatani backstage blamed Hirata for this because Hirata keeps running away from the wrestlers trying to cash in their title shots. It delayed Okatani from cashing in his prize long enough for him not to have it anymore!

Akito is one of the wrestlers who really wants to cash in his shot but Hirata keeps convincing him not to. Today’s excuse is the two of them have singles matches against each other today and tomorrow so it would make more sense for Akito to use his title shot tomorrow. The rules for the two matches are the points from all the pinfalls will be added together and whoever has the higher total score after tomorrow will be the winner. Akito won it easily scoring seven points to zero despite Hirata’s attempts to make it look like Akito strangled him unconscious using the KO-D Openweight Title to reduce his opponent’s score. When the 10 minute time limit expired, Akito tried to cash in again but Hirata suddenly announced he is holding a photograph session which means the merch table will be understaffed if Akito continued to wrestle. Akito didn’t want that to happen so he decided to hold off on the title shot until tomorrow.

Comments Off on DDT “SUMIRE SEPTEMBER LOVE 2025” Results | Results | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by JamieOD

DDT “FIGHTING BEER GARDEN 2025 IN SHINJUKU ~EXTRA TIME~” Results

September 12, 2025

DDT “FIGHTING BEER GARDEN 2025 IN SHINJUKU ~EXTRA TIME~”, 12/09/2025
Shinjuku FACE
??? Fans – Unannounced

1. Special Single Match: Shinya Aoki defeated Takeshi Masada with an Inside Cradle (8:52).
2. Akito, Soma Takao & Rukiya defeated Daichi Sato, Yuki Ishida & Hinata Kasai when Akito pinned Ishida with a Modified Single Leg Cradle (8:40).
*Akito wins Yuki Ishida’s Right To Challenge Anytime, Anywhere Arm Cover.
3. To-y, Yuya Koroku & Kazuma Sumi defeated Hideki Okatani, Ilusion & MJ Paul by Disqualification when Ilusion attacked the referee (9:09).
4. Our LariPro ’25: HARASHIMA, Keisuke Ishii & MAO defeated Yuki Ueno, Toru Owashi & Tomomitsu Matsunaga when Ishii pinned Matsunaga with a School Boy (9:48).
5. Yukio Naya 8th Anniversary ~ Special Tag Match: Yukio Naya & Kazusada Higuchi defeated Yuki Iino & Jun Akiyama when Naya pinned Iino with La Magistral Cradle (11:59).
*Yukio Naya wins Yuki Iino’s Right To Challenge Anytime, Anywhere Arm Cover.
6. Enter Sandman Match: Antonio Honda defeated Kazuki Hirata, Danshoku Dieno, Chris Brookes and KANON (w/ KIMIHIRO) when Honda pinned Hirata (19:09).

Today was the day Kazuki Hirata needed to choose his first challenger for the KO-D Openweight Title. There is a scheduled title defence at Korakuen Hall set for 28th September and Hirata’s request to fight a weak opponent like Hisaya Imabayashi kept getting denied by the GM. Hirata also had the problem of three Right To Challenge Arm Covers being active, two of which were being held by wrestlers who want to cash them in as soon as possible. To deal with that Hirata today brought along a masked, muscular bodyguard to protect him. Fans watching assumed it was Ryoma Tsukamoto under the mask but he went to Twitter to deny it, although he agrees they could pass for twins given their identical body shape (he then went on to retweet a lot of photos of the bodyguard).

As the show progressed there were two Right To Challenge movements. Akito pinned Yuki Ishida in the second match to win his RTC Arm Cover. Then in the fifth match Yukio Naya pinned Yuki Iino to take that Arm Cover. So when Hirata took part in the main event, Akito entered the ring midway through wanting to cash in his title shot. However the bodyguard was there to physically stop him. Then Naya entered the ring and successfully fought off the bodyguard. But when he tried to cash in his shot, Danshoku Dieno interrupted him by giving him the Lip Lock and Hirata then shoved Naya’s face into Dieno’s rear end. Just when Hirata thought he was safe and sound, the lights went out and the music stopped. The lights then came back on to show Yoshihiko was suddenly in the ring and it attacked Hirata using the Reincarnation. Antonio Honda tried to rescue Hirata but Yoshihiko send him head first into Dieno’s Hell Gate, knocking him out. Honda then collapsed onto Hirata with Yoshihiko on top of both of them while the ref counted to three.

Honda was officially the winner but Hirata knew Yoshihiko was the enemy. He came to the conclusion that the most worthy opponent to fight him for the KO-D Title is not a human being. It is Yoshihiko! Imabayashi accepted the nomination and announced the title match for 28th September. Backstage Hirata told reporters he is now at six successful title defences and everyone quickly figured out he is counting every avoidance of a cash in as a successful defence. Hirata also told the bodyguard he will continue to pay him well so he is counting on his continued protection in the future.

Naya showed everyone that even after eight years of being a wrestler he is still learning new things. He used La Magistral Cradle for the first time and it worked in pinning Iino for the three count in their tag match. Naya got on the microphone afterwards and told fans he will become a strong wrestler who can compete on the level of Iino, Kazusada Higuchi and Jun Akiyama in the future. Backstage The Apex switched to talking about their next KO-D Tag Team Titles defence. Iino warned Naya not to let his guard down because they can lose to To-y & Yuya Koroku if their challengers do indeed show their true strength.

The whole point of “LariPro” matches is to throw Lariats so Yuki Ueno kept getting booed for using other moves. When Toru Owashi complained to him about it, Ueno got on the microphone and said he wasn’t going to do a boring match where everyone does the same move over and over. He stormed out of the ring while Owashi admitted he didn’t want to use Lariats either. So Owashi decided to wrestle like Mil Mascaras instead! The match turned into lucha libre and HARASHIMA even dragged Yukinori Matsui into the action. That was when Ueno returned dressed just like Riki Choshu! He threw Choshu-style Lariats at the other team until MAO stopped him using the Takeshita Line followed by the Buckshot Lariat. However despite all of the Lariats being thrown by everyone, the match instead ended when Keisuke Ishii pinned Tomomitsu Matsunaga with a School Boy.

A contact signing for Sunday’s DDT Extreme Title match took place and To-y revealed the match rules to Ilusion. It is called a “Stop The Annoying Streamers!! Unicast Death Match!” Both wrestlers will stream themselves on Wrestle Universe while the match goes on. In order to win you must either pin or submit your opponent on-camera or switch off their stream! The usual rules still apply for fouls and there will also be no countout. During the signing Ilusion read out a prepared statement apologising for his recent streamer behaviour while also asking To-y to admit that both sides are to blame. To-y got mad over Ilusion’s insincere apology and said he came up with these rules to punish him. However he also showed his lack of knowledge about live streaming, telling reports he just needs to press a button on his phone so even an idiot like him can do it. Then later in the show their match ended in a DQ when Ilusion attacked To-y and the referee with his streamer equipment. He also stole the Extreme Title belt to add insult to injury.

On paper the result of the opening match doesn’t look good for Takeshi Masada but he and also his opponent think differently. He lost to Shinya Aoki in what was supposed to be a warm up match for his DDT Universal Title shot later this month. However Aoki was able to counter Masada’s finishing move into an Inside Cradle to get the win out of nowhere. Aoki still praised Masada for having a strong desire to do his best. He is rooting for him because he doesn’t want to see Minoru Suzuki going around doing as he pleases. Masada also told reporters he gained something amazing from this match so Suzuki better watch out!

Daisuke Sasaki made an appearance to give everyone some updates over his health as well as the “CHARISMANIAxMANIAxMANIA” happening on 2nd October. First he said if his injury forced him to miss the show then the show would have been cancelled. Lucikly his ribs are currently at 90% health thanks to taking vitamins, doing muscle training and praying to God. That means his return to the ring will be at that show. He then told Hideki Okatani he has a very early birthday present for him. Okatani is going to face Jun Kasai in a Hardcore Match at the show!

Comments Off on DDT “FIGHTING BEER GARDEN 2025 IN SHINJUKU ~EXTRA TIME~” Results | Results | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by JamieOD

BASARA “BASARA 287 ~TAKAGARI 29~” Results

August 31, 2025

BASARA “BASARA 287 ~TAKAGARI 29~”, 31/08/2025
Tokyo Takashimadaira Kumin Center
??? Fans – Unannounced

1. Takeru Inoue defeated Shota Kawakami with a Tiger Driver (6:33).
2. Isami Kodaka & Keisuke Ishii defeated Lil’ Kraken & Munetatsu Nakamura when Ishii pinned Kraken with the High-Angle Double Arm DDT (7:59).
3. 4 Way Match: SAGAT defeated Daiki Shimomura, Takato Nakano and Yasu Urano when SAGAT pinned Nakano with the Goregrind (11:01).
4. Daichi Kazato 15th Anniversary Match: Guts Ishijima defeated Daichi Kazato with the Facebuster (11:09).
5. 4 Vs 4 Elimination Match: Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi, Masato Kamino, Tsutomu Oosugi & Banana Senga defeated Ryota Nakatsu, Ryuichi Sekine, FUMA & Takumi Tsukamoto (25:51).
5a. Takumi Tsukamoto eliminated Masato Kamino by Ring Out (12:44).
5b. Banana Senga eliminated Ryuichi Sekine with a Jackknife Pin (15:20).
5c. FUMA eliminated Banana Senga with a Flying Armbar (16:38).
5d. FUMA eliminated Tsutomu Oosugi by Ring Out (18:01).
5e. Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi eliminated FUMA by Ring Out (18:39).
5f. Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi eliminated Ryota Nakatsu by Ring Out (24:21).
5g. Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi eliminated Takumi Tsukamoto with the Perfect Plex (25:51).

Even with having Speed Of Sounds and a masked Masato Kamino on his team, Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi wound up in a 3-Vs-1 situation in the Elimination Tag match. But through the skin of his teeth he was able to fight against the odds and become the sole survivor of the main event. After the match he explained Kamino wrestled in a mask because he was supposed to be Body Slam Machine but WizRYU needs to give him some fine tuning. Hiroshi then said on 31st October he will be the one wearing the Union MAX Champion! Backstage Ryota Nakatsu recognized Hiroshi as the “strongest foreigner” which means as a Japanese wrestler he cannot afford to lose the title to him. Also BASARA has recently rejoined Wrestle Universe with this month’s shows being added to the service so Nakatsu hopes new fans will get hooked if they give BASARA a try.

It’s been years since Daichi Kazato and Guts Ishijima have seen each other. So long in fact that when Ishijima saw what Kazato is like now, he remarked that he is nothing like he was as a high school student. At the start of the show Kazato explained his history with Ishijima to the audience. He was a high school student doing backyard wrestling when Ishijima found him and invited him to train over the summer. One of the things Kazato learned was a Dropkick that is so dangerous he was banned from using it. So today he was going to unban the move! During the match Ishijima was confused by Kazato’s wrestling style which included several moves backfiring. But Kazato’s unusual style made Ishijima more tired than a usual wrestling match and while that did give Kazato the advantage for a while, Ishijima ended up beating him. Afterwards Kazato said the match really brought him back to his routes and he would love to team with Ishijima sometime.

The rookie Takeru Inoue earned his first victory by beating Shota Kawakami and he did it all by himself!

The next Iron Fist Tag Tournament will be held later in the year. The teams entering are Ryota Nakatsu & Daichi Kazato, Aijin Tag, Hyakusho Ikki, Daiki Shimomura & Lil’ Kraken, Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi & Tsutomu Oosugi, Isami Kodaka & Takumi Tsukamoto, Takeru Inoue & Tomoki Hatano and Naka Shuma & Kyu Mogami.

Comments Off on BASARA “BASARA 287 ~TAKAGARI 29~” Results | Results | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by JamieOD

DDT/NJPW “ONE-ON-ONE CONFRONTATION ~SUPER SASADANGO MACHINE VS TORU YANO~” Results

June 9, 2025

DDT/NJPW “ONE-ON-ONE CONFRONTATION ~SUPER SASADANGO MACHINE VS TORU YANO~”, 09/06/2025
Tokyo Korakuen Hall
??? Fans – Unannounced

-. Special Exhibition Match: Kazuma Sumi Vs Daiki Nagai ended in a Time Limit Draw (3:00).
-. Special Exhibition Match – Extra Time: Kazuma Sumi Vs Daiki Nagai ended in a Time Limit Draw (5:00).
-. DDT Pro Wrestling x New Japan Pro Wrestling Mini All-Out Match: Hiroshi Tanahashi, Toru Yano & YOH defeated Super Sasadango Machine, Akito & Antonio Honda when Tanahashi pinned Sasadango with the High Fly Flow (12:03).
-. New Japan Pro Wrestling & DDT Pro Wrestling Alliance Vs World Pro Wrestling Union Peacekeeping Force: Hiroshi Tanahashi, Toru Yano, YOH, Super Sasadango Machine, Akito & Antonio Honda defeated Sanshiro Takagi, HARASHIMA, Toru Owashi, Shuji Ishikawa, Ken Ohka & MAO when YOH pinned Takagi with the Dragon Suplex (15:10).
1. DDT Extreme Title – Corner Mat On The Mat Rules: Super Sasadango Machine (c) Vs Toru Yano ended in a Double Countout (126:32).
*V2 for Super Sasadango Machine.

Today’s show was an experiment in pushing the idea of inter-promotional wrestling warfare to its limit. It was ten years ago when a blossoming working relationship between DDT and New Japan led to a dream match that instead became a nightmare. A battle of the aces turned sour when New Japan’s ace Hiroshi Tanahashi vehemently rejected the idea that DDT’s ace HARASHIMA was even close to his level. A few months later there was an apology of sorts when DDT was able to book a tag match between HARASHIMA & Ken Ohka against Tanahashi & Yohei Komatsu. DDT came out on the winning side but the result never sat right with Toru Yano who felt that NJPW should never lose in these situations. Regardless, once the match was over DDT’s working relationship with New Japan pretty much came to an end (there’s also the Kota Ibushi double contract drama that happened around the same time period but that’s a whole different story and he’s currently persona non grata to both companies so let’s just ignore it for now).

On paper it was a one match card that was built upon years of history between DDT and New Japan Pro Wrestling. What it turned into was a pro wrestling therapy session to mend the decade long damaged relationship between both companies. It could also just all have been a grand plan by Muscle Sakai to trick wrestling fans into attending a Muscle show. Every element of the event was produced twice, one end by the DDT side and the other by the NJPW side. Wrestle Universe and NJPW World had separate PPV broadcasts of the show with their own commentary team and camera crew. Korakuen Hall even had two screens set up side by side just to show the differences in the separate broadcasts.

The crowd were split into separate cheering sections to keep DDT fans and NJPW fans away from each other. Both companies also provided their own referees and ring announcers. Haruo Murata was given the neutral role of explaining the rules since he works closely with both companies. The agreed rule was there would be one referee for the match but Yukinori Matsui and Kenta Sato would have to trade shifts every five minutes. Sato won the draw to be the ref at the beginning. Inoue Mic and Makoto Abe would ring their bells together to start the match but only one would get to announce the winner depending on who won. Finally a lottery determined that Yano would enter first and Sasadango second. Normally in Japan the wrestler who enters second is considered higher in rank.

Next the commentary teams were revealed. New Japan had Shinpei Nogami and Milano Collection A.T. calling the match for NJPW World while Wrestle Universe relied on Ken Suzuki and… Haruo Murata! Turns out he wasn’t going to play neutral after all. Danshoku Dieno then came out to encourage cheers from the DDT fans. Hiromu Takahashi then showed up to do the same with the NJPW crowd. This kept going until Dieno snuck up behind Takahashi. He tried to put him in the Lip Lock but the lights went out and it was time for the show to begin!

Yano made his entrance and along the way handed his towel to a lucky fan named Yuji Nagata who was sitting in the front row. When the match started, Yano quickly left the ring and came back carrying a Louis Vuitton bag as a present for Sasadango. When Sasadango bent over to take a look inside, Yano knocked it into his face resulting in a cloud of powder blowing out of the bag and supposedly blinding him. Yano then rolled him up but only got a nearfall. Another roll up attempt had Sasadango complaining because the show is scheduled to last for another two hours. They then had a strike exchange that Yano didn’t like so he left the ring again. He and Sasadango decided to waste time by going around ringside signing autographs for fans until they had to break the 20 count.

Five minutes had passed and Sato had to be replaced by Matsui. Yano quickly decided to brawl with Sasadango all the way out of the room and into a nearby elevator before they went back into the room so Yano could throw Sasadango into the railings. However Sasadango’s ringboy Kazuma Sumi suddenly grabbed him and held on to stop Yano from doing another Irish Whip. That caused Yano’s young lion Daiki Nagai to confront him and start a fight between the two youngsters! Sasadango and Yano saw what was going on and came up with an idea. If the fans want to see the rookies fight then they’ll let it happen!

All of a sudden an exhibition bout between Sumi and Nagai began. For three minutes they exchanged holds and got into a strike battle until the match was ruled a time limit draw. Sasadango wanted it to continue so he allowed a five minute overtime to begin. This time the match was more clearly about Sumi’s agility against Nagai’s power but again it ended in a draw when the extra time ran out. The enthusiastic effort of both wrestlers overwhelmed Sasadango and he asked for a time out so he could clear his mind. Yano agreed and the two walked back to their locker rooms.

To keep the audience occupied during this break, Antonio Honda entered the ring to promote the special T-shirt that Shinsuke Nakamura designed for the show. However he tripped over the ropes and hurt his knee. This was supposed to set up Gongitsune but YOH interrupted it because he hates foxes! He told everyone the story of when he was four years old and got bitten by a fox. Honda told YOH he makes a living doing fox jokes so he wasn’t going to stop it just for him. YOH climbed into the ring to attack Honda only to trips over the ropes and hurt himself just like Honda did. Honda then suggested they do Gongitsune together so YOH could get over his hatred of foxes. He led him into doing a dick joke about “Mission Chinpo-ssible” before they tried attacking each other with Gongitsune. They struggled until their hands formed together shaped like a heart and before they knew it, they were dancing together. When they were done Honda told the audience there was more of the show to come.

Sasadango returned but instead of continuing his match (that was still in progress) he decided to do one of his famous PowerPoint Presentations instead. Titled “How Can I Defeat Toru Yano And Win The One-On-One Confrontation Match” Sasadango explained he wants Yano to take the match more seriously. To make that happen Sasadango decided that his DDT Extreme Title was now on the line! And since the Extreme Champion gets to create the match stipulation, Sasadango deliberately came up with a match format that Yano will not want to lose. Two of the corner pads just so happened to be sponsored by businesses related to the two wrestlers. There was a Sakai Seiki Co. Ltd sponsor pad belonging to Sasadango and a EBRIETAS sponsor pad belonging to Yano. Whoever could unhook their opponent’s corner pad and pin it down on the canvas for a three count would become the winner!

Yano returned to the ring to repeat the match introductions now that is was turned into a title bout. He immediately removed Sasadango’s turnbuckle and attack him with it. He then removed his own turnbuckle to hide it beneath the ring. Sasadango retrieved it thanks to help from some fans telling him which side of the ring it was hidden in. He and Yano continued to hit each other with turnbuckles until Sasadango dared Yano to fight him using Strong Style. Yano did so but soon changed his mind and taped Sasadango to one of the other corners. He then pinned the turnbuckle but right before the three count was made, time stopped.

The song “Etupirka” played over the speakers as everyone was given a chance to see into Sasadango’s thoughts at this moment in time. He was digging deep inside himself looking for the strength he needed to break the pin. With everything now in slow motion, Honda cut the tape away and Sasadango broke Yano’s pin in time. He knocked down Yano with the other turnbuckle and began to pin it when time froze again. This time we got to hear Yano’s inner thoughts, which was pretty much him shilling the EBRIETAS bar. Somehow that made his turnbuckle pad kick out of Sasadango’s pin by itself! Yano then made fun of the slow motion gimmick and made the song play in fast forward, forcing the two of them to fight at the same speed.

Yano had the advantage at this point so Honda and Akito ran into the ring to fight him. Yano fought off the 3-on-1 disadvantage by using Low Blows and Manhattan Drops until he collapsed from exhaustion. YOH ran in to check on him and now everyone could hear his inner thoughts. YOH said he hasn’t paid back his debt to Yano from ten years ago and he has never lived a day of his life without him. Sasadango brought everyone back to reality and asked YOH what he meant about a debt from 10 years ago? YOH said he meant the tag match he and Tanahashi had against HARASHIMA & Ohka where HARASHIMA pinned him with the Somato. He never got over losing that match while Yano still doesn’t accept why NJPW lost and Tanahashi had to apologise afterward. Akito reminded the fans that this longstanding grudge began when Tanahashi said he didn’t want DDT to be treated as NJPW’s equal. He thought the grudge was finally settled when Konosuke Takeshita beat Tanahashi in America recently but now he realizes it hasn’t ended for YOH yet. YOH admitted how weird it is that he is still wrestling with these feelings while Tanahashi hasn’t been bothered by it at all. Sasadango brought up that at the tag match a decade ago, he remembers Tanahashi called Yohei Komatsu a future start but in the ten years since then that hasn’t happened at all! YOH went as far as to do the Somato on MAO at the Best Of The Super Jr. yet it seems like Tanahashi has completely forgotten about that match! If only Tanahashi would care enough to be here and explain himself…

Yano then remembered that Tanahashi is currently being interviewed somewhere by the comedian Ryota Yamasato. Sasadango helps out with Yamasato’s Youtube channel so he knows that Yamasato likes to film his guests in the Chinese restaurant three floors below Korakuen Hall. In fact he can get a video feed onto one of the screens. The video stream showed Yamasato ending the interview and telling the viewers that Tanahashi is about to leave. But he is certain if Tanahashi ever hears a crowd chanting his name, he will be drawn towards them. The fans began the chant and Tanahashi couldn’t help but notice it. Say his name and he appears, Hiroshi Tanahashi entered Korakuen Hall with Yamasato following him!

After Tanahashi introduced himself, Sasadango had a question for him. Does he remember calling YOH a future star ten years ago? Tanahashi was at a loss for words and couldn’t answer. Sasadango then played a video of the comment as proof. He then told Tanahashi to give YOH some tips in front of everyone on how to become a star. After giving it some thought, Tanahashi said YOH doesn’t need somebody to make him a star. He instead needs to be one of the stars of New Japan. The advice didn’t quite work so Yamasato stepped in to help. He knew something like this would happen so he prepared his own PowerPoint Presentation!

Yamasato’s first advice in the presentation is a wrestler needs to find success in their home promotion. YOH has won the IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Tag Titles many times and recently made it to the Best Of The Super Jr. final but he is still one step away from becoming the ace he wants to be. The key is he needs to win an inter-promotional match against another big wrestling company! All of a sudden he noticed there were three DDT wrestlers and three NJPW wrestlers in the ring so he came up with the idea for them to do a 6-Man Tag Match straight away. After all this could be YOH’s final chance to team with Tanahashi for a shot at revenge against DDT. Everyone agreed and they all left ringside so they could do proper entrances for the match.

It was a full length trios match where Tanahashi, Yano & YOH were victorious against Sasadango, Akito & Honda. Sasadango gave Tanahashi the Vertical Drop Lehman Shock but only got a two count. He tried it a second time but Tanahashi escaped and gave him the Sling Blade. YOH called his partner for a tag but when he was setting Sasadango up for the finish, Tanahashi suddenly tagged himself back in, climbed the top rope and hit the High Fly Flow to get the three count for himself! Sasadango got annoyed because he put together all this effort to put YOH over just for Tanahashi to steal the glory. This is why he hates New Japan!

Sasadango was about to declare an end to DDT and New Japan’s recovering relationship when he was interrupted by Amon Tsurumi. The former GM of Muscle said Sasadango is always worried about looking good which is why he keeps losing. He should be watching more WCW Nitro and learn from that instead! Tsurumi then revealed he is now the executive director of the World Pro Wrestling Union, the world’s first automatic pro wrestling industry organization which automatically operates every wrestling company around the world. The main goal of the operation is to maintain peace in the wrestling industry. He is here because it is absolutely unacceptable for New Japan and DDT to be fighting each other on a Monday night! All six wrestlers who just had the match are going to receive serious penalties for what they’ve done.

To sort this out Tsurumi has called upon The Pro Wrestling Peacekeeper Force. Six elite wrestlers are on their way to crush those they deem responsible. The Force turned out to be HARASHIMA, Toru Owashi, Shuji Ishikawa, Ken Ohka & MAO. Plus there was their leader who was making a one night only return from his hiatus, Sanshiro Takagi! A 12-Man Tag Match broke out with everyone brawling all over the venue.

The match included MAO giving Tanahashi the Sling Blade and Takagi also giving him the Stunner. Later Tanahashi got to face off with HARASHIMA again for the first time in a decade. Ishikawa blocked Honda’s Gongitsune but didn’t expect Tanahashi to poke him in the eyes with the same move instead! The NJPW x DDT Alliance got the upper hand and YOH was ready to get the win he was after for so long. Then Tanahashi tagged himself in again to give Takagi the Sling Blade. This time however YOH convinced Tanahashi to tag him back in so he could get the glory. YOH gave Takagi the Somato and then followed up with the Dragon Suplex to get the win.

After the 12-Man Tag was done, Takagi asked YOH if he knows what it means to beat him? YOH won the match but Takagi is only one member of DDT. The fight between the two companies isn’t over yet and will go on for years if not decades! He hopes YOH will become a superstar. Sasadango then explained to YOH that this whole entire thing going back to ten years ago was all Takagi’s fault. He is the root of all evil and Sasadango thanked YOH for beating Takagi. Tanahashi said he has learned a lot since becoming a company president. He thinks NJPW and DDT can work together more often from now on to make pro wrestling even more exciting. YOH said he feels like a little bit more of a star now but he will work hard to become a real one.

Yano then interrupted the closing speech to point out that his match with Sasadango hasn’t ended yet. He called for “Etupirka” to be played normally so everyone could hear his true thoughts. He thinks the right way to end today’s match is for every wrestler to get out of the ring and all be counted out together. That way the rivalry between New Japan and DDT can end in a draw. Everyone did so (including an El Desperado cameo) and they all waited for Matsui and Sato to both count to 20, meaning the match between Sasadango and Yano ended in a Double Countout after officially lasting for over two hours.

Before the show could end, Sasadango gave his thanks to everyone who was involved in putting the event together. He also had one more request for Tanahashi. He wanted him to do the Muscle Muscle pose to close out the show. Tanahashi made a deal with him to combine it with his “I Love You!” catchphrase. So in the end everyone shouted “3, 2, 1 Love Muscle! Muscle!” Even though the show was now over, the Wrestle Universe and NJPW World broadcasts couldn’t help but continue streaming just to see who could stay on the air longer.

Backstage Tanahashi admitted that after all of these years, DDT saved his heart. He didn’t go into this show thinking he had to atone for anything he did in the past. But he is happy to have done it with only six months left until his retirement from pro wrestling. Yano is impressed with himself because it was the first time he wrestled for two hours. It felt to him like NJPW and DDT were competing against each other on several levels. Sasadano said he could never imagine being able to hold a show like this in his 25 years as a wrestler. He thanks Yano for making so many dreams come true today.

Takagi got to talk about DDT’s involvement with New Japan that went back even further beyond 2015. He remembers when there were DDT wrestlers appearing on NJPW Lion’s Road shows during the mid 2000s. He admits DDT has never been able to catch up to NJPW but it suits him better to chase after them. He also brought up Takeshita’s current triple deal as well as MAO’s Best Of The Super Jr. appearance. Takagi also explained he got asked to take part in the show only recently and he felt good enough physically to do it. He may be able to get in the ring again in the not too distant future. He wants to get his body in shape and once he does he hopes everyone will look forward to his comeback.

Comments Off on DDT/NJPW “ONE-ON-ONE CONFRONTATION ~SUPER SASADANGO MACHINE VS TORU YANO~” Results | Results | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by JamieOD

DramaticDDT’s Questions For 2025

December 31, 2024

So instead of doing predictions for 2025 I am instead going to ask a few questions about the year ahead. What should we as fans of DDT, Tokyo Joshi Pro, Ganbare☆Pro or BASARA be paying attention to? How is the wrestling scene in Japan going to change in the next twelve months, if there is change at all? There are even stories happening elsewhere that could eventually relate to the CyberFight bubble in big or small ways. I have eleven questions to talk about and I want you to read them!


What will a new year of Akito’s DDT look like?

DDT is always going to be Sanshiro Takagi’s baby but a search for his successor is already under way. Akito is that guy and he has stepped up to the plate this year so Takagi could take a step back for health reasons. It looks like this will continue for a while next year and there are already signs of change in the air. A lot of the events on the 2025 schedule so far are using new naming conventions. Gone are the “SWEET DREAMS!” and “INTO THE FIGHT” tour names that have been used for over a decade. There is also no sign yet of the D-Oh Grand Prix returning after it skipped this year.

If there are new event concepts happening alongside the name changes then I wonder how many ideas are coming from Akito instead of Takagi? If Takagi’s 2025 is focused on management behind the scenes then how much of Akito’s influence will get to rise to the surface? Maybe it’s already happening and it’s not much of a difference. The winter feud between SCHADENFREUDE International and DAMNATION T.A being built around different multi-man stipulation matches was a nice change of pace to buildup a Sumo Hall main event. Definitely different from the last couple of big match programs DDT have booked.


Who is coming back from injury next year?

I’ve lost track of who is currently out of action so let’s remind ourselves. Shunma Katsumata got a torn ACL in November. Kazusada Higuchi took time off back in June to recover from a cervical hernia among other injuries. Naomi Yoshimura hasn’t wrestled since November 2022 because of a herniated disc. Sanshiro Takagi stopped wrestling in July to deal with general health problems. Hideki Okatani tore his ACL in April. Rukiya has been out of action since May because of a cervical sprain.

TJPW and BASARA are currently injury free. Runa Okubo is on an indefinite absence from TJPW to focus on her education and it kind of sounds like she has another career in mind for her future so who knows if she will ever come back. Over in GanPro, Mizuki Watase ruptured his Achilles tendon earlier this month. Shinichiro Tominaga also ruptured an Achilles tendon in May but he recently announced his return to the ring will happen on 13th January.


How much further is the ice wall surrounding TJPW going to melt?

TJPW has isolated themselves from other joshi promotions for the vast majority of its history. There was the time during the pre-launch days when NOZOMI flew the flag on Stardom and Ice Ribbon shows. Also Mizuki and Shoko Nakajima would make rare appearances in ChocoPro once in a blue moon. But actual inter-promotional programs between TJPW and another joshi company? Barely anywhere to be seen. They’ll work with companies overseas like EVE, GCW and DEFY but domestically Tetsuya Koda does not see much value or reward from interacting with other promotions.

But this year saw a little bit of change going on. Ryo Mizunami was a super sub for the company and reaped the benefits by winning the Princess Tag Team Titles along with the Tokyo Princess Cup. Also in that tournament Zara Zakher went on a strong run after coming in as a virtual unknown beforehand. Raku and Pom Harajuku paid a visit to 666 (although that’s because of a marriage thing Raku has going on with Ram Kaichow). And of course there was the big one during the summer. Nao Kakuta produced a show that included some Stardom talent, one of whom I thought would never want to step foot into a TJPW ring ever again.

Now there were clever decisions being made behind the scenes for that show in particular. For Stardom it was a positive attention grabbing news story happening at a time when they were reorganizing themselves from the Marigold split. Their president told media he is open for more cooperation between Stardom and TJPW if there’s a big enough demand for it. Koda is way more sheepish on the idea but at least admitted it wouldn’t be impossible. It lasted for a brief moment but this year was the first sign of the ice wall surrounding TJPW beginning to melt. It’s not much so far but that it even happened at all is noteworthy.

Oh yeah and there’s that whole UJPW thing. TJPW is a part of that along with Stardom and I think DIANA. The two UJPW shows bombed bad enough that I doubt we’re going to hear about them running a third one. I think it still exists as a behind the scenes alliance to have a unified voice whenever they want to communicate with government groups. Just don’t expect it to be the thing that will ever get TJPW and Stardom working together properly.


Have we hit the peak of Konosuke Takeshita’s AEW run?

Hang on, let me check if I can make some blue tick money off of this take. *click* Okay, let’s go. What a frustrating year it’s been to follow AEW. While Konosuke Takeshita’s matches for the company have been great, there’s been too much time in between where he’s either stuck standing next to Don Callis or not on TV at all. He beat Kenny Omega which on paper should result in a rocket-strapped push up the card but it felt like there’s been no follow up to it. Then he won his first championship in the company by winning the AEW International Title from Will Ospreay but the finish of that match was all about Kyle Fletcher’s heel turn. Since then Takeshita has taken on the travelling champion role defending the belt in other companies. It’s not a bad role for watching good matches but it’s also not a good sign that he currently doesn’t really matter as a major TV character. That the International Title is booked as one of several interchangeable midcard championships in AEW doesn’t help matters either. If anything the title reign is making Takeshita look more appealing as a New Japan wrestler than an AEW one.

Now maybe I should hold my horses and think this over. Of course someone like me wants Takeshita to be part of the AEW World Title picture more than anything else on the show. It’s been two years since Takeshita got the “All Elite” graphic and he’s been associated with the company for around three. He’s been in the ring with everybody who is currently considered a main eventer in AEW. And yet when I watch how the booking plays out over time I just worry we’re going to end up with wasted potential when all is said and done. Unless that potential gets picked up by another place if the time has come to move on… But that all depends on how long he’s going to be here for.


Will Wrestle Universe add even more promotions to their service?

This was the year that Wrestle Universe cemented itself as one of the best value streaming services in pro wrestling thanks to several different groups being added to the deal. Joining the service was Michinoku Pro, Sendai Girls, the REAL ZERO1 splinter group (which I think is now turning into ZERO1 HARD CORE), Marigold in its debut year and even Deadlock Pro on a delayed schedule. There were also sporadic uploads related to AEW, Osaka Pro, TAKAYAMANIA, Kakuto Tanteidan (the “Fighting Detectives” pair) and the CMLL shows in Japan promoted by LADY’S RING. It’s a lot of stuff with some variety among them if you’re ever looking for something outside of the CyberFight promotions.

As someone with an insatiable appetite for wrestling I would love the convenience of Wrestle Universe expanding its archive by adding even more promotions. However it seems like all of the main players in Japan are currently accounted for with their own services or third party dealings. I don’t think Big Japan wants to ditch their platform anytime soon for example. This is also where I have to admit I have no idea what the deals are like and how much they financially benefit the companies. Would it be worth it for BASARA or any of the other indies on the NicoNico Pro Wrestling Channel to jump over to Wrestle Universe? It would for me!


Are celebrities the answer for DDT to draw bigger crowds?

If there is an idol out there who wants to find a new path in life, Sanshiro Takagi wants to meet them. DDT stuck box office gold this year with the pro wrestling debut of Kaisei Takechi and their Korakuen Hall attendances since then have been pretty good. Plus we just had the debuts of the muscle actor Haruto Sakuraba and dancer Kumadori too. Sakuraba’s debut in particular is going down a treat on social media with women going gaga over his looks. And don’t get me started with TJPW. Throw a dart in that locker room and odds are good you will hit somebody who already had a taste of showbiz before they stepped foot into the wrestling ring. Whether it’s for DDT or TJPW, Takagi is one heck of a talent scout when it comes to celebrities becoming pro wrestlers in Japan.

There are a few ways this plan has worked out in the past. The famous people coming in stick around and become beloved members of the workforce like Saki Akai did. They do great business for DDT in the short term like Takechi (if he doesn’t ever come back). There’s also the likes of LiLiCo who was part of a few fun storylines during her time here and Shinichiro Kawamatsu whose current political position has definitely aided DDT recently in putting some of their more ambitious events together. And at worst it’s still a neat one time thing to see, like with Ami Yumoto when she teamed with Nao Kakuta for a match. If DDT it looking for more draws from outside the wrestling sphere, then training celebrities seems to be the answer. They better hope Makoto Oishi isn’t busy if that’s the case then.

(If anyone remembers the tweet where someone posted Kurt Angle’s entrance video from TNA to explain how good DDT & TJPW are at training idols, that’s what inspired this question. I can’t find it anymore.)


Is Yuki Arai ready to take over TJPW?

We are going to find out in 2025 if Yuki Arai’s commitment to SKE48 held her back from achieving even more in TJPW. When March comes to an end she will have graduated from the idol unit after spending over a decade of her life with them. From that point on pro wrestling will be her main priority. If you thought she was pushed before, get ready to see what they’ll do now she’s going to be on almost every show! She is in the midst of a record breaking International Princess Title reign. If it ends in a few days time then she would have lasted as champ for exactly one year. So if the reign finally comes to a close, what is next for her? Whether it’s in singles or tags TJPW will be ready to make her even more of a centerpiece than she was before. But is she going to be ready for it at her current level?

She already had a big tag team run with Saki Akai in 2022. She also usually performs well with other partners in the Max Heart Tournament. The 2025 tournament is happening before her graduation though so I don’t think the timing works out for her big push to happen there. The Tokyo Princess Cup however sounds like the perfect time for her to go on a big singles run, perhaps even all the way to the Princess Of Princess Title itself. She will have to step up for this scenario to work out. A lot of her matches especially those in her title reign feel samey to me. It’s fine with the IP Title but the Princess Title is held to a higher standard. With her star power (should it not vanish after she leaves SKE48) I can easily see her become the next first time Princess Champion, even within the next 12 months. It will be up to her to evolve into a better wrestler along the way.


What is going on with NOAH’s soft brand split?

We had some changes with CyberFight behind the scenes this year. In May there was a new company structure put in place that relegated Takagi from the President managing all of CyberFight to a Vice President in charge of just DDT and TJPW. Those two promotions remained the same but NOAH in particular went in some unexpected directions. The big one is establishing a working relationship with WWE. So far the pay offs have been Shinsuke Nakamura and AJ Styles wrestling on NOAH’s biggest shows with Omos about to get involved too. There was also a talent swap that saw the likes of Yoshiki Inamura, Josh Briggs and Tavion Heights crossing companies. Oh and it’s probably no coincidence that The Great Muta benefitted from this as well. It’s not a coincidence his WWE Hall Of Fame induction took place this year. So for the big picture, things are going well for them.

However even before the management change took place, NOAH has had something of an identity crisis this year that I think has gone under the radar a little bit. The “MONDAY MAGIC” spin off series presented by NOSAWA Rongai ran for another two seasons and provided a lot of the company’s long term storylines. Meanwhile Go Shiozaki and the old guard called TEAM NOAH ran their own series called “LIMIT BREAK” that seems to exist as far away as it can from NOSAWA’s antics. That also became the place where NOAH and DDT finally crossed over on a semi-regular basis. I thought MONDAY MAGIC would have made more sense because NOSAWA booked the 2nd season like it was DDT’s ABEMA show “MAJI MANJI” anyway but nope! Limit Break wanted Jun Akiyama and saw that DDT has other heavyweights to butt heads with so the DDT guys went over there.

The whole thing comes off like there’s been a soft brand split in NOAH whenever these shows are on the schedule. MONDAY MAGIC carries on with NOAH’s main story continuity while showcasing a variety of different wrestlers from around the world, women included. Limit Break shows have been no nonsense affairs that is closer to traditional NOAH while also interacting with DDT heavyweights and the remains of ZERO1 that Tochigi Pro does not have control over. Is everyone over in NOAH happy with the roster being divided like this or are we going to be in for a shock when contract season rolls around?


Will TJPW dive into this year’s joshi free agency?

As a football fan the January and summer transfer windows are always something to follow even when they are not all its hyped up to be. Same goes for college football whenever I look over there and wonder what the Transfer Portal is all about. Even right now WWE sees how much of a useful tool the concept is to promote interest for their brand split. For wrestling in Japan these kind of dealings get noticed in January and then calms down for the rest of the year, save for one or two names. Joshi however is way more unstable, especially coming into 2025. A couple of renowned veterans are getting ready to retire, one company in particular has hit an iceberg and the landscape is as tumultuous as ever which means some women are off looking for greener pastures.

Stardom usually gets the pick of the litter when it comes to star power. TJPW will find a few freelancers to work with but prefers to rely on their homegrown talent. Marigold hasn’t lived up to expectations of becoming the joshi version of the original NOAH exodus but they did take a big chunk out of Actwres girl’Z on its very first day of existence. As the calendar turns over though the crosshairs are this time aimed squarely at Ice Ribbon. The company is in turmoil over ownership issues leaving talent with little pay for their hard work. Several wrestlers have already announced their intentions to leave when their contracts end while the company’s top champion Yuuki Mashiro is now hanging around there as a freelancer. But how long will that last for? Marigold management is not even pretending to hide their intention to hire a few of them alongside other potential signings throughout 2025. Pro Wrestling Evolution is suddenly popping up as another new place for women to wrestle in too.

Let’s get back to TJPW. As already mentioned they’ve become a regular stop for the likes of Aja Kong, Mizunami, SAKI and Kaichow (who is now married into the family of course). With Nao Kakuta leaving wrestling, Yoshiko Hasegawa was brought in to take her place in the midcard. TJPW also opened their doors for Kakeru Sekiguchi this year too (although it may be because everybody keeps mistaking her for Mahiro Kiryu). They’re not hurting for numbers in the locker room at the minute and there’s at least one debut on the horizon with Kana from The Up Up Girls still undergoing training. Still, I can’t help but get excited at the thought of seeing who will jump where and if TJPW will benefit from it. I should include Ganbare☆Joshi a lot more into this conversation too because of how much Yuna Manase and YuuRI have been booked by Ice Ribbon over the last three years. Hopefully Ice Ribbon won’t fall apart completely so that working relationship can continue.


Are visa problems going to rear their ugly head again when it comes to American bookings?

Oh dear, America voted Donald Trump to be their president again. If his second term is going to be as much of a shit show as his first then it’s going to effect everything, pro wrestling included. If you remember the US government shutdown back in 2019, New Japan was one of the companies affected by it because their Japanese roster was unable to get visas to wrestle in America. Dragongate also had visa disputes for some of their roster that year which cancelled a big planned appearance at WrestleCon. What’s also largely forgotten about was when OWE’s alliance with the newly launched AEW didn’t turn out the way they envisioned because the Chinese wrestlers couldn’t get their visas approved either. That’s why OWE’s only presence in AEW was from #STRONGHEARTS going over in their place.

DDT and TJPW have been doing well with holding international shows in America two or three times a year. Their plans for WrestleCon in Las Vegas in April are going to be their biggest shows yet if all things work out for them. Since their rosters have already been travelling to America on the regular they should be ok but who knows what is going to happen once Trump takes office again. Maki Itoh and Miyu Yamashita in particular better have everything already in place to continue travelling safely because those US excursions are regular money makers they won’t want to lose out on.


Does Hikari Noa come back to wrestling?

By the time this is posted it will be over a full year since Hikari Noa wrestled her last match in TJPW and vacated the Princess Tag Titles over “poor health”. Her absence at the time continued under “personal reasons” until she graduated from TJPW and The Up Up Girls in May. Those “personal reasons” were allegedly Noa becoming friends with a superfan and letting her in on private information as well as industry secrets. The two then had a falling out which resulted in the fan airing their dirty laundry on social media. Since then there’s been no sign of Noa in the wrestling world. Whether or not she will ever return is a question I’m wondering about because of how her situation went down.

The announcement of her graduation happened around the 6 month mark of her absence. With a full year now gone by could there have been a no-compete clause of some sort that’s ready to run out? It’s wishful thinking to hope at some point in 2025 the woman formerly known as Hikari Noa returns to wrestle again. Doesn’t matter for who. If not though then this is probably the last time I’m ever going to write about her as a topical person on this blog.

———————————————————————–

Questions Submitted From Twitter

I wanted to write more than the ten topics above but ran out of ideas. So I went to Twitter asking if anyone out there had questions of their own. I only meant for questions to be about the CyberFight groups I cover but this article is already an excuse for me to ramble about AEW, NOAH and the joshi scene at large. So let’s take the chance to spread out the topics further. I also wrote most of these answers before Christmas so the first answer is not just me jumping on a bandwagon after it already left the station.

With the surge of younger stars in recent years, who do you think has the most upside coming into 2025?
– meepmeepmooper

It’s a two horse race between Keigo Nakamura and To-y. I’m giving To-y the lead only because of Nakamura’s injury history. Nakamura is more skillful than To-y in the ring but I worry that him getting two serious knee injuries within four years has reduced how long his career is actually going to be. To-y is just as likeable, benefits from being part of DDT’s top babyface unit, is coming off of a high profile Sumo Hall match and has the extra local hometown hero factor. Now if Hideki Okatani comes back from injury soon and still has an Eruption sized chip on his shoulder I’m going to change my pick.

Related to above, given a more active presence in South East Asia, which SEA stars do you think have a good chance of making an impression on DDT / Cyberfight?
– meepmeepmooper

We’re already seeing Alexis Lee and Matcha fitting in with TJPW during their brief tours in Japan even if it’s just going to be for a handful of appearances a year. Monomoth and Dr. Gore got a few bookings in Japan this year but haven’t surfaced above the level of Baka Gaijin + Friends and ChocoPro yet. Monomoth in particular was getting hyped up in the first half of the year but I haven’t heard the name as much in the second half. Andruew Tang is someone I’d like to see coming in as a DDT Universal Title challenger. If he doesn’t have the status for that then getting a shot in a place like GanPro or BASARA would be good enough. Might depend on if Masahiro Takanashi would be guiding him with the bookings. If I can include Taiwanese wrestlers in the answer then Gaia Hox’s stock on the indies is going to rise the longer he wrestles in Japan. That is somebody who would fit in with NOAH but probably not with the rest of F-SWAG.

Was Takeshita a loss for DDT in terms of business, and will he bring any value with his infrequent returns to DDT?
– Monkey_Buckles

You know I’m actually not sure because DDT’s Korakuen numbers rebounded pretty well this year without him. If anything, ever since the G1 happened Takeshita became more valuable to New Japan than to AEW or DDT. He will always be a good addition to any Korakuen or big arena show DDT puts on but what can DDT do with him at this point? His status means they won’t make him put over one of their own so he’s kind of in his own bubble whenever he shows up. But the special one-off matches he got against outsiders in 2024 were all really good so I won’t complain if DDT continues to book him that way. Unless this is the year his DDT contract finally ends and he decides to leave for good. That’ll make me sad.

Do DDT ever pull the trigger on MAO, or is his a permanent midcarder?
– Monkey_Buckles

He’s never getting the Yuki Ueno push, that’s for sure. A short lived KO-D Openweight Title run is always going to be on the table because DDT usually gives every main player in a generation their turn with the belt. I think he got his big chance with the “WRESTLE PETER PAN 2024” main event and his performance wasn’t good enough to convince DDT he is the answer to their problems. The Universal Title scene was perfect for him. His long title run helped mature him as a performer and he had the most confidence I’ve ever seen from him as a result. Problem now is he’s been there and done that. The thing with MAO as a singles act is he’s probably just best off being a small room wrestler rather than a company’s main eventer. You can always rely on him as a tag team wrestler though.

Who will be the future of njpw, and will Zack Sabre Jr and David Finlay carry the company until they create more stars?
– Cleop4tr4hla

Here’s the problem that I think is currently haunting the “Reiwa Musketeers” era of NJPW. This generation has not gotten enough big wins over veteran stars yet. Shota Umino is about to main event the Tokyo Dome but what are the tentpole victories that got him here? Zack Sabre Jr. at the G1 before Sabre became the champ and a lukewarm SANADA after that? Yota Tsuji at least got to win the New Japan Cup and he beat Hirooki Goto to do it. But that was before Goto caught on fire as the sentimental favourite of the fans for being a family guy. The timing of that meant David Finlay got more out of beating Goto than Tsuji did. Ren Narita to me still feels out of place as a House Of Torture heel. At least he has something that makes him more of an individual than being a Katsuyori Shibata clone but I enjoyed watching him more when he was the Shibata clone.

Sabre is in a good position and I’d like to see him stay there for a while. His wrestling style stands out in New Japan and that makes the times he shows up in other companies more appealing. Finlay is winning people over but as long as the Gedo heel finish follows him around it’s going to handicap him. I’m sorry but that stuff continues to come off like New Japan just copy and pasted the Jay White playbook into him. Gabe Kidd I think is a year or two away from jumping to one of the big American companies. The injury to Jake Lee happened at a bad time because his Mad Bastards team with Kidd was going to get over in the World Tag League. I like Ryohei Oiwa but don’t see him leap frogging over the “Musketeers” anytime soon. Young Blood might be fun for the tag division once they return but that part of New Japan relies too much on hot potato booking to get anyone ready for a singles push.

There is a wild card in the form of Oleg Boltin. He had a good G1 debut and he’s been booked strong in the Tag League with Toru Yano of all people as his tag partner. He is a unique homegrown wrestler that I think will stay under the radar from WWE or AEW for another while. But until he’s ready I can’t confidently pick who the next ace is. Hiroshi Tanahashi going on a year long journey to retirement might be what carries the company throughout 2025.

1 Comment | Previews | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by JamieOD

« Previous Entries