1. Chouten ~Itadaki~ – Round 1 A Block – 2 Count Rules: FUMA defeated Daiki Shimomura with a Cradle (8:14).
2. Chouten ~Itadaki~ – Round 1 B Block – 2 Count Rules: Yasu Urano defeated Ryota Nakatsu with a School Boy (8:42)
3. Chouten ~Itadaki~ – Round 1 A Block – 2 Count Rules: Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi defeated Minoru Fujita with a Cross Armbar (7:58).
4. Chouten ~Itadaki~ – Round 1 B Block – 2 Count Rules: Isami Kodaka defeated Banana Senga with the Diving Double Knee Drop (4:24).
5. Chouten ~Itadaki~ – Round 1 A Block – 2 Count Rules: Tsutomu Oosugi defeated Lil’ Kraken with the Tsuki no Ishi (6:23).
6. Chouten ~Itadaki~ – Round 1 B Block – 2 Count Rules: Takato Nakano defeated SAGAT with a Cradle (1:03).
7. Chouten ~Itadaki~ – Round 1 A Block – 2 Count Rules: Fuminori Abe defeated Daichi Kazato with the Modified Manjigatame (5:36).
8. Chouten ~Itadaki~ – Round 1 B Block – 2 Count Rules: Masato Kamino defeated Takumi Tsukamoto with the Lariat (8:38).
The Chouten ~Itadaki~ Quarter Finals are FUMA Vs Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi, Tsutomu Oosugi Vs Fuminori Abe, Masato Kamino Vs Takato Nakano and Isami Kodaka Vs Yasu Urano.
FUMA said he has been waiting to finally fight Hiroshi with all of his might. Hiroshi credits his Judo skill for eliminating the last Chouten winner Minoru Fujita and believes it will also beat his friend in the next round.
Urano thinks the 2 Count Rule was the reason he beat Ryota Nakatsu in the 1st Round. If Urano is lucky enough to beat him then he is lucky enough to win the tournament! His match with Kodaka in Round 2 is under normal 3 Count rules though.
Oosugi and Abe have never been in a singles match against each other before. However Oosugi still hates Abe a lot because of all the times they fought in tag matches. Abe’s jokey behavior pisses him off.
Aijin Tag now have to meet in the next round. Nakano said he will pin Kamino for a 3 Count in 0.1 seconds. Kamino had to ask the ref if he can physically count that fast.
After a year’s absence the Chouten ~Itadaki~ tournament is back for its 7th edition. For its entire existence I always called it the Heaven Summit ~Itadaki~ as a direct translation but it’s more accurate to call it Chouten. I can be stubborn that way.
BASARA “BASARA 201 ~GLITTER~”, 11/10/2022 Shin-Kiba 1st RING
1. Chouten ~Itadaki~ – Round 1 A Block: FUMA Vs Daiki Shimomura
2. Chouten ~Itadaki~ – Round 1 A Block: Minoru Fujita Vs Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi
3. Chouten ~Itadaki~ – Round 1 A Block: Tsutomu Oosugi Vs Lil’ Kraken
4. Chouten ~Itadaki~ – Round 1 A Block: Fuminori Abe Vs Daichi Kazato
5. Chouten ~Itadaki~ – Round 1 B Block: Takumi Tsukamoto Vs Masato Kamino
6. Chouten ~Itadaki~ – Round 1 B Block: Takato Nakano Vs SAGAT
7. Chouten ~Itadaki~ – Round 1 B Block: Isami Kodaka Vs Banana Senga
8. Chouten ~Itadaki~ – Round 1 B Block: Ryota Nakatsu Vs Yasu Urano
———————————————————————–
BASARA “BASARA 202 ~TAKAGARI 13~”, 22/10/2022 Takashimadaira Ward Community Center
1. Chouten ~Itadaki~ – Round 2 A Block: Winner Of Match #1 Vs Winner Of Match #2
2. Chouten ~Itadaki~ – Round 2 A Block: Winner Of Match #3 Vs Winner Of Match #4
3. Chouten ~Itadaki~ – Round 2 B Block: Winner Of Match #5 Vs Winner Of Match #6
4. Chouten ~Itadaki~ – Round 2 B Block: Winner Of Match #7 Vs Winner Of Match #8
———————————————————————–
BASARA “BASARA 203 ~GLITTER~”, 08/11/2022 Shin-Kiba 1st RING
1. Chouten ~Itadaki~ – A Block Final: Winner Of Match #1 Vs Winner Of Match #2
2. Chouten ~Itadaki~ – B Block Final: Winner Of Match #3 Vs Winner Of Match #4
3. Chouten ~Itadaki~ – Final: Winner Of A Block Vs Winner Of B Block
DDT “JAPAN BAKERY MARKETING PRESENTS KONOSUKE TAKESHITA 10TH ANNIVERSARY ~NISHINARI BAY BLUES~”, 10/09/2022 Osaka Nishinari Kumin Center 487 Fans – Super No Vacancy
0. Dark Match: MJ Paul & KANON defeated Hideki Okatani & Takeshi Masada when KANON pinned Masada with the Sleepy Hollow (6:52).
0. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title – Staggered Entry Battle Royal: Toru Owashi defeated Kazuki Hirata with a Crushed Body Slam (13:55). Order Of Elimination: Makoto Oishi, Yuya Koroku, Yuki Ishida, Saki Akai, Soma Takao, Ilusion, Akito, Yusuke Okada, Yumehito “Fantastic” Imanari, Yuki “Sexy” Iino, El Unicorn, Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno and Toru Owashi. *Kazuki Hirata becomes the 1,551st Champion.
-. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title: Kazuki Hirata defeated Toru Owashi (c) with a Cradle (4:58 pm). *Kazuki Hirata becomes the 1,552nd champion.
-. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title: Keiko Takeshita defeated Kazuki Hirata (c) with the Rainmaker (4:59 pm). *Keiko Takeshita becomes the 1,553rd champion.
1. Special Tag Match ~ Sakuya Konohana Tag Vs CCK!: Konosuke Takeshita & Yuki Ueno defeated Chris Brookes & Kid Lykos when Ueno pinned Lykos with the BME (16:55).
2. The 37KAMIINA Vs Brahmin Brothers: MAO, Shunma Katsumata & Toi Kojima defeated Brahman Shu, Brahman Kei & Brahman Sanshiro when Kojima pinned Takagi after an Accidental Explosion Of Mysterious Powder (11:10).
3. Tokyo Joshi Pro 3 Way Tag Offer Match: Yuka Sakazaki & Mizuki defeated Shoko Nakajima & Hyper Misao and Miu Watanabe & Arisu Endo when Sakazaki pinned Endo with the Magical Merry-Go-Round (9:17).
4. Yasu Urano, Antonio Honda & Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi defeated Masahiro Takanashi, Super Sasadango Machine & DJ Nira when Hiroshi pinned Sasadango with the Seiken Zuki (11:59).
5. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Tetsuya Endo, Jun Akiyama & Yuji Hino defeated Kazusada Higuchi, Naomi Yoshimura & Yukio Naya when Hino pinned Naya with the Fuckin’ BOMB (13:26).
6. Nobuyuki Onizawa’s Ochakan Radio Presents Special Tag Match: Minoru Suzuki & Yukio Sakaguchi defeated HARASHIMA & Shinya Aoki when Sakaguchi pinned HARASHIMA with the God’s Right Knee (15:57).
7. Japan Bakery Marketing Co., Ltd. Presents Special Single Match: Konosuke Takeshita defeated Daisuke Sasaki with the German Suplex (22:19).
Konosuke Takeshita has now been wrestling for decade. His goal from the 11th onwards is to take over the world! His 10 year anniversary show was built around two matches. The main event was a singles match against Daisuke Sasaki, one of Takeshita’s toughest opponents. Sasaki could have ruined the entire party but there was support for Takeshita coming from all corners. Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi tried singing to him from ringside for motivation until Sasaki whacked him over the back with a chairshot. Sasaki used the chair again without the ref seeing it and tried latching in the Crossface Lock by using La Mistica to set it up. Takeshita was able to fight back and hit the Jumping Knee, opening Sasaki up for the German Suplex to end the match. Takeshita thanked Sasaki for being the person who helped him polish his wrestling skills and made it evolve. Sasaki may have still been dizzy from the match because he complimented his opponent. He said if Takeshita is good enough to beat him then Takeshita is world class. He then said they should meet up again for a rematch in ten years time.
Takeshita’s other match of the day was a tag match featuring wrestlers who are close to him. Yuki Ueno has been his classmate in both a high school and pro wrestling sense. Chris Brookes is somebody Takeshita has become best friends with through what they’ve been through inside the ring. The wild card was Kid Lykos, Brookes tag team partner from England who was making his DDT debut. CCK’s M.O. is “sick fucking tag moves” and they got to display it here. But the hometown team got the better of them and Ueno pinned Lykos with the BME.
The semi-main event pitted four dangerous fighters against each other in a tag match. It was a rare chance to see Shinya Aoki and Minoru Suzuki face each other. Their fight was pretty much a stalemate and Yukio Sakaguchi proved to be the difference maker by pinning HARASHIMA with the God’s Right Knee. Aoki and Suzuki were still at each other’s throats outside the ring when the match ended. Aoki said afterwards he is interested in another match with him. Sakaguchi however does has another match with Suzuki coming up at a festival next month in Yokohama called WILD ONE. His feelings to beat up Suzuki are growing stronger and stronger.
The mystery wrestler in Match #4 was DJ Nira. Yay… Antonio Honda disappeared midway through the match. There was a sudden announcement of a new life being born and Honda reappeared in the ring wearing diapers. Super Sasadango Machine cut him off but Honda got his revenge by hitting the Diving Fist Drop to him right after Yasu Urano did a Diving Body Press. Hiroshi had easy pickings and pinned Sasadango with a closed fist punch for the win.
In the pre-show Battle Royal, Pheromones dominated the field with their antics. They set up their Hell Gate and threw everyone they could into it one by one to eliminate them. However when they did it to El Unicorn they unintentionally unmasked him. That was deemed and illegal move so both Yuki Iino and Yumehito Imanari were Disqualified. Unicorn also eliminated himself by leaving the ring while trying to keep his face hidden. The match came down to Toru Owashi and Kazuki Hirata. An attempted Body Slam from Hirata backfired when Owashi fell on top of him and he was pinned by his weight.
Owashi’s win means he regains the Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title that he previously vacated to prove he is a serious wrestler. Keiko Takeshita, the mother of Konosuke entered the ring to present Owashi with a prize of 551 pork buns. Hirata suddenly rolled up Owashi to win the title and then tried grabbing the buns from Keiko. In response to this Keiko grabbed Hirata from behind and gave him the Rainmaker! She placed her foot on him and gave him a scolding while the referee counted to three. Keiko Takeshita is now the Iron Man Champion! She’s happy with that because it means she could be on the front cover of the next Weekly Pro-Wrestling magazine.
DDT “WRESTLE PETER PAN 2022”, 20/08/2022 Tokyo Ota Ward Gymnasium 1,250 Fans – No Vacancy
1. Yusuke Okada, Yuya Koroku & Ilusion defeated Toi Kojima, Yuki Ishida & Takeshi Masada when Koroku submitted Ishida with a Modified Strangle Hold (9:11).
2. 3 Way 6-Man Tag Match: Yuki “Sexy” Iino, Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno & Koju “Shining Ball” Takeda (w/ Yumehito “Fantastic” Imanari) defeated Yuji Hino, Yukio Naya & Super Sasadango Machine and Toru Owashi, Kazuki Hirata & Antonio Honda by TKO after Pheromones knocked out Hirata with the Sexy Bay Bridge (12:18).
3. Special 6-Man Tag Match: HARASHIMA, Yukio Sakaguchi & Hideki Okatani defeated Naomi Yoshimura, Kota Umeda & Keisuke Okuda when HARASHIMA pinned Yoshimura with the Somato (12:44).
4. Shinichiro Kawamatsu Debut Match ~ Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly Member Vs Bunkyo Ward Assembly Member: Osamu Nishimura, Makoto Oishi & Akito defeated Shinichiro Kawamatsu, Sanshiro Takagi & Soma Takao when Nishimura submitted Kawamatsu with a Figure 4 Leg Lock (14:47).
5. Special Mixed Tag Match: Jun Akiyama & Saki Akai defeated Chris Brookes & Asuka when Akai submitted Asuka with an Arm Triangle Choke (15:21).
6. DDT Extreme Title – Special Hardcore Match: Joey Janela (c) defeated Shunma Katsumata with the Death Valley Driver from the Ladder through the Table and Barbed Wire Board (18:56). *V1 for Joey Janela.
7. DDT Universal Title: Yuki Ueno defeated Masahiro Takanashi (c) with the WR (14:26). *Masahiro Takanashi fails in V2. Yuki Ueno becomes the 8th DDT Universal Champion!
8. DDT 25th Anniversary Special 6-Man Tag Match: Konosuke Takeshita, MAO & Yasu Urano defeated Dick Togo, Daisuke Sasaki & KANON (w/ MJ Paul & Minoru Fujita) when Takeshita pinned KANON with the Jumping Knee (20:41).
9. KO-D Openweight Title: Kazusada Higuchi (c) defeated Tetsuya Endo with the Brain Claw Slam (25:24). *V1 for Kazusada Higuchi.
The DDT flag is firmly in Kazusada Higuchi’s grasp after today and there can be no denying he is deserving to hold the KO-D Openweight Title. His first defence was against the previous champion Tetsuya Endo, who vacated the belt after suffering a concussion earlier in the summer. Endo threw everything he had to try and win the belt back. Higuchi held firm and delivered his own big bombs like a Brain Claw Slam throwing Endo from the top turnbuckle onto the ring apron. Later Endo looked to be on the verge of getting knocked out only for Higuchi to demand he show his determination and get back up. Endo was able to answer the ten count but was smashed with more Lariats and collisions until he was pinned with another Brain Claw Slam.
Kenta Kobashi presented the KO-D Title to Higuchi and congratulated him after the match. He also shook hands with Endo only for Endo to collapse in front of him. While Endo was helped out of the ring, Higuchi called out to him and said after so much has happened, they both stood together in the ring. Higuchi won today but he looks forward to facing Endo again. Backstage Endo admits he was completely defeated and has now been surpassed. Higuchi is the true 79th KO-D Champion.
Higuchi was then approached by Hisaya Imabayashi. The GM told him the next KO-D Title defence is scheduled for 25th September and then asked if he would like to nominate a challenger. Higuchi did not hesitate and chose Konosuke Takeshita! He would later explain he cannot become the symbol of DDT’s strength if he cannot beat him. Takeshita walked down to the ring and simply said “Let’s fight, Higuchi” before leaving. Backstage Takeshita noted he has never fought Higuchi in a KO-D Title match. He would like to win the title again before continuing his American excursion. He sees it as bringing the KO-D Title home to him rather than taking it over to the USA. Higuchi closed out the show thanking the fans for coming out and creating a good turnout. A lot is still going wrong in the world but everyone in DDT is fighting no matter the difficulties so their fans will have the courage to stand up and push forward.
Takeshita’s return to the title picture was set up in the main event when he got the winning fall. The odds were against him and his team because DAMNATION T.A worked well teaming with Dick Togo. He and Daisuke Sasaki even moved in stereo when they both performed Crossfaces at the same time and then Pedigrees at the same time. MJ Paul and Minoru Fujita also got involved so the numbers game was in DAMNATION’s favour. Takeshita did his best to fight back by blocking Togo’s chair shot only to get hit with another chair from Sasaki. However, the difference in levels between Takeshita and KANON was soon on show when the K-Spike was blocked and KANON was smashed with an Elbow Strike. Takeshita found the opening to hit the Jumping Knee and that was all he needed to get the three count.
After the match Takeshita said he’s only been gone for four months but it’s been the hardest working four months of his entire career. DDT is his home and his goal is to become the best wrestler in the world as a DDT wrestler! He credited his partners for their work today. MAO with his high flying and Yasu Urano with his Socrates-like attitude (Urano found it funny that was all Takeshita could come up with to describe him). Sasaki admits Takeshita has gotten a little stronger by wrestling in America but cannot tell if he’s changed as a person. He also warned today is not the only time you will see DAMNATION T.A and House Of Torture working together! Whenever Sasaki and Togo team up, bad things will happen. However Togo wasn’t as dark with his thoughts and said he’ll come back to DDT at 60 years old wrestling in red tights just like Giant Baba.
Masahiro Takanashi’s hopes of taking the DDT Universal Title around the world to defend against younger generations of wrestlers has been cut short. Yuki Ueno already had youth and physical ability on his side going into the match. All he had to do was figure out Takanashi’s gameplan, which he did. He found ways to block the Takatonic but only when the champion did the move. Takanashi was able to trick Daisuke Kiso into performing it on Ueno for a nearfall. Ueno himself had trouble setting up the WR but finally hit his finisher after a well placed Dropkick to win the title.
He told Takanashi that from the bottom of his heart he considers him to be a deep part of DDT’s history. With those pleasantries out of the way, Ueno then met with Imabayashi to learn about his first title defence. Ueno will put the Universal Title on the line against Cara Noir on 25th September! Noir is an English wrestler and former ballet dancer, known for his literally dramatic ring entrances and match performances. He will be coming to DDT on 18th September before getting his title shot on the 25th. Once this match happens then maybe the title can start to be defended overseas again like it was originally meant to be.
“The Bad Boy” defeats “The Happy Boy” to keep his DDT Extreme Title! A nutty Hardcore match between Joey Janela and Shunma Katsumata delivered some crazy scenes around Ota Ward Gymnasium. Janela rode on a the Dramatic Dream bicycle around ringside and got hit with a toy block covered baseball bat. Katsumata did a balcony dive through a table away from ringside. Janela jumped off a ladder barefoot and missed a Double Stomp, landing feet first onto thumbtacks and toy blocks. The big finish saw Janela give Katsumata the Death Valley Driver from the ladder through a table with a barbed wire board placed on top of it. Janela will now go back to America with the Extreme Title but he promises he will be back. He wants to become part of the DDT family and even enter the D-Oh Grand Prix. Then once he’s finished with that, he wants to go in search for a certain “Mr. Liar”, Atsushi Onita!
The Mixed Tag Match was a new experience for Jun Akiyama. He claims he didn’t feel uncomfortable wrestling with and against the women although Asuka was determined to leave her mark by fighting him. However the match came down to Asuka against Saki Akai and a Moonsault counter completely changed the result from out of nowhere. Asuka did the move and Akai caught her with an Arm Triangle Choke, keeping Asuka trapped until she gave up. It is the first time Asuka directly lost a match to Akai. Asuka slapped Akiyama across the face after the match. Akai was thankful to team with him though and wants to learn more from him. Chris Brookes said he is not angry over the result but the next time he is in the ring with Asuka will be when they face each other in a singles match on 4th September. He is already thinking of ways to win against her. Asuka warned him she has closets full of ideas about what she wants to do against him.
The politician Shinichiro Kawamatsu made his official pro wrestling debut in his full daytime suit. Well that’s not entirely true. He removed his tie before the match began. He also received a bouquet from Eriko Imai, a member of the House of Councilors. He was able to stand toe to toe against Makoto Oishi & Akito thanks to some help from Sanshiro Takagi and Soma Takao. But the real meat of the match came from Kawamatsu’s interactions with Osamu Nishimura. The ring legend held him in a Full Nelson so Akito could grab a leg and do a Dragon Screw. From there Nishimura applied the Spinning Toe Hold before turning it into a Figure 4 Leg Lock to make his fellow politician submit. After the match Nishimura told Kawamatsu he is free to ask him about pro wrestling whenever he wants, but he will not join his political party! Kawamatsu thanked him for the match and told the fans he would like to stay active in pro wrestling. Takagi later suggested they do another match with Kawamatsu and Nishimura involved but this time hold it in Bukyo Ward. In other words, he means Korakuen Hall!
Naomi Yoshimura’s big DNA reunion was spoiled thanks to HARASHIMA pinning him with the Somato. For HARASHIMA & Yukio Sakaguchi, the result shows that their generation is still good. HARASHIMA was also so happy to be wrestling in front of cheering fans again. Hideki Okatani was also pleased to wrestle against the likes of Kota Umeda & Keisuke Okuda, thinking they can bring out the best in him. Today was Okuda’s first match in DDT in around 4 years and it’s been so long since he fought an opponent who wanted to kill him. Sakaguchi is that opponent. They did a fist bump after the match rather than a handshake because they don’t want to get too buddy buddy with each other. It would only ruin the dynamic they have together. Okuda would be happy to do another match like that again if DDT wants to invite him back. Umeda said the competitive spirit he felt in that match is hard to find nowadays both in DDT and elsewhere.
Is there any united force out there that can defeat Pheromones? A team of heavyweights like Yuji Hino, Yukio Naya & Super Sasadango Machine cannot. There’s no relying on The DDT Variety Team to put a stop to them either. They’ve become unstoppable with the addition of Koju Takeda along with the return of Yumehito Imanari in their corner. That only makes them even more outlandish with their antics. Danshoku Dieno has no problem telling fans that they can blame Pheromones for everything wrong that happened today. Antonio Honda and his Gongitsune was powerless while Toru Owashi was thrown into the Triple Hell Gate. Kazuki Hirata became everyone’s last hope with the power of dance but even that wasn’t enough. Pheromones won the 3 Way Match by total destruction. Dieno then gave a victory speech telling everyone that Pheromones will rewrite DDT and turn it into a world of stupidity!
The opening match featured a mix of wrestlers from BURNING as well as the new generation of DDT. Yuya Koroku felt motivated by the atmosphere created by the crowd and it spurned him on to win the match for his team. Ilusion felt the same. Tomorrow will be the one year anniversary of his debut so he wants to spend the next year wrestling more and getting stronger. Yusuke Okada thought the match was really good and did its job to get the fans excited for the rest of the show. Yuki Ishida was upset to take the fall and blames it on being a bit lax with is preparation. Toi Kojima is feeling the pressure to stand out more now that there are even more young and new wrestlers entering the company. This was Takeshi Masada’s second match and he admitted he still doesn’t know right from left while the action is going on. He thinks his lack of ability is why he was on the losing team today. He promised to train harder so his recent debut won’t be taken lightly by everyone.
LiLiCo promised everyone a big announcement for her appearance on the show. The news is DDT will be going to Tokyo Dome City Hall on 29th December for their last big event of 2022. LiLiCo will serve as the event’s special ambassador and she suggested DDT hand out full price refunds to any ticket buyer who does not enjoy the show. She also offered to take part in the Anal Explosion ceremony! Imabayashi refuses to grant her that request because it’s meant to be a punishment you do not volunteer for and he’s worried over what would happen if a woman takes part. However LiLiCo is determined to go through with it and discussions between the two parties will continue.
The D-Ou Grand Prix 2022 will be held throughout November with the final taking place on 4th December. 12 wrestlers all under the age of 40 will enter the tournament in a two block round robin format. Takagi explained that there are more wrestlers under that age competing in DDT nowadays but not been many in their 20s have competed in the D-Ou GP. Kenta Kobashi will continue his role as the chairman of the tournament committee which was established last year.
DDT “WRESTLE PETER PAN 2022”, 20/08/2022 Tokyo Ota Ward Gymnasium
1. Yusuke Okada, Yuya Koroku & Ilusion Vs Toi Kojima, Yuki Ishida & Takeshi Masada
2. 3 Way 6-Man Tag Match: Yuki “Sexy” Iino, Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno & Koju “Shining Ball” Takeda (w/ Yumehito “Fantastic” Imanari) Vs Yuji Hino, Yukio Naya & Super Sasadango Machine Vs Toru Owashi, Kazuki Hirata & Antonio Honda
3. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Naomi Yoshimura, Kota Umeda & Keisuke Okuda Vs HARASHIMA, Yukio Sakaguchi & Hideki Okatani
4. Shinichiro Kawamatsu Debut Match ~ Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly Member Vs Bunkyo Ward Assembly Member: Shinichiro Kawamatsu, Sanshiro Takagi & Soma Takao Vs Osamu Nishimura, Makoto Oishi & Akito
5. Special Mixed Tag Match: Jun Akiyama & Saki Akai Vs Chris Brookes & Asuka
6. DDT Extreme Title – Special Hardcore Match: Joey Janela (c) Vs Shunma Katsumata
7. DDT Universal Title: Masahiro Takanashi (c) Vs Yuki Ueno
8. DDT 25th Anniversary Special 6-Man Tag Match: Dick Togo, Daisuke Sasaki & KANON (w/ MJ Paul) Vs Konosuke Takeshita, MAO & Yasu Urano
9. KO-D Openweight Title: Kazusada Higuchi (c) Vs Tetsuya Endo
It’s back to Ota Ward Gymnasium for this year’s edition of “WRESTLE PETER PAN”. For what is usually one of DDT’s biggest shows of the year, things don’t feel as such this time around. For DDT it’s still a big event but against the rest of the wrestling scene, I’m not feeling it as much this year. Choosing Ota Ward is a downgrade from a usual venue choice like Sumo Hall and DDT themselves have made reference to ticket sales not being that great. The company challenged its roster to sell more tickets with better quality lunches as their rewards. The last update they gave on that was they reached the “Nori Bento” level which refers to between 775 and 1,000 tickets sold. DDT wants their attendance numbers to return to what they were before the pandemic happened. That is going to stay a tough challenge for them until Japan moves past their covid restrictions. Even then it’s hard to say if DDT can grow back their audience. You can’t entirely blame the pandemic for shrinking wrestling’s popularity in Japan when a company like Stardom is growing like crazy over there under the same environment.
This show can end up becoming a turnaround in fortunes though. Through unexpected circumstances a new wind is blowing through the company as DDT’s current two top wrestlers battle over who should be carrying the flag. The man the company was built around for the last few years has all of a sudden gained a brand new global fanbase and maybe a chunk of them will follow him back to see what DDT is like. One of the most infamous wrestlers on the American indie scene has come over wanting to carve his name into the history books. A first time mixed tag match will offer something never seen before. Actual politicians will fight each other. And if that’s not enough, LiLiCo will be there with an important news update she wants to tell everyone.
1. Yusuke Okada, Yuya Koroku & Ilusion Vs Toi Kojima, Yuki Ishida & Takeshi Masada
Some of the youngest wrestlers in DDT gather together for the opening match. And also Yusuke Okada who is only 29 years old even though some days he looks about 42. He’s the veteran base of the match while Yuya Koroku and Toi Kojima get to bring their classmate rivalry onto a big stage. Their clashes in all of the BURNING Vs The 37KAMIINA matches over the last year are fun to watch. Yuki Ishida is showing improvement with his performances and developing more fire power to make up for his lack of size. Ilusion has been used sparingly over the summer because the DDTeeeen!! project hasn’t been publicly active. The few opportunities he’s been getting are at least moving him away from his rival El Unicorn so he gets to show they are not attached by the hip. But the spotlight right now is shining brightly on Takeshi Masada. He just had his debut match after only three months of training and dazzled everyone with his performance. If he keeps in good health over the next few years (always remember that rookies break easily) DDT could have a new supernova on their hands.
2. 3 Way 6-Man Tag Match: Yuki “Sexy” Iino, Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno & Koju “Shining Ball” Takeda (w/ Yumehito “Fantastic” Imanari) Vs Yuji Hino, Yukio Naya & Super Sasadango Machine Vs Toru Owashi, Kazuki Hirata & Antonio Honda
Is 2022 the year of Pheromones? The DDT shows that allow cheering usually has that unit getting the most reactions. Maybe it’s because they still use the canned cheering for their ring announcements or maybe it’s because chanting “Sexy!” out loud while sticking out your pinky fingers is a lot of fun. One thing for sure is Pheromones has become more stronger with the latest and perhaps final addition to the unit. A perverted looking masked man began following the group around and was eventually revealed to be Koju Takeda. He appeared in DDT before and is a former KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Champion but now has a bigger presence in the company under the name Koju “Shining Ball” Takeda. He’s never been shy about showing off his physique so he is a perfect fit for Pheromones, perhaps filling in the gaps that Yuki Iino and Danshoku Dieno could not fill. Was that meant to be written as a double entendre? You tell me.
The other two teams in this match can’t help but look plain in comparison. Yuji Hino & Yukio Naya have spent over a year bonding as a tag team and working together under the ONLY WE banner. It’s given Naya the ability to finally start climbing up the ladder and reach even a little bit of the potential that others see in him. Super Sasadango Machine is an odd third man to be on that team but this is an odd match to begin with. The other trio is made up of wrestlers sometimes nicknamed The DDT Variety Team. Whenever you get Toru Owashi, Kazuki Hirata & Antonio Honda all in the same ring you are guaranteed to get some nonsense coming from them.
3. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Naomi Yoshimura, Kota Umeda & Keisuke Okuda Vs HARASHIMA, Yukio Sakaguchi & Hideki Okatani
We are getting treated to a DNA reunion on the show. The developmental brand for DDT became redundant in 2018 but many wrestlers who came from it have become regular parts of several wrestling rosters. Naomi Yoshimura was a key part of DNA’s second half of its existence and he wanted to team with two men who were a constant presence around him during his time there. His rival Kota Umeda and his ally Keisuke Okuda. Umeda is a part time wrestler with some re-appearances in DDT every now and then. But Okuda’s name being brought up is intriguing. He was once under contract to DDT for two years then left the company for DRAGONGATE. Then recently there seems to be an apparent split between the two and suddenly Okuda is back in DDT by Yoshimura’s request. Maybe it’s just a one time reunion for old time’s sake.
Whether it is or it isn’t, Okuda has another reason to come back. He’s looking for a fight with Yukio Sakaguchi, thinking he is a scared old man. In response to this, Sakaguchi’s Eruption buddy Hideki Okatani is stepping in also wanting to join in the scrap the second it kicks off. Their team needs a calming presence so maybe HARASHIMA can keep things under control with his many years of wisdom under his belt. But he and Yoshimura are on course for a KO-D Tag Team Titles match in the future and they have a lot of recent history together. If the wrong guy gets provoked here then all hell could break loose.
4. Shinichiro Kawamatsu Debut Match ~ Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly Member Vs Bunkyo Ward Assembly Member: Shinichiro Kawamatsu, Sanshiro Takagi & Soma Takao Vs Osamu Nishimura, Makoto Oishi & Akito
I don’t have a clue about Japanese politics other than Sanshiro Takagi tried it once and it left him traumatized. It seems that the wrestling bug has bitten Shinichiro Kawamatsu from the Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly after the publicity stunt where he won and defended the Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title. To show his gratitude to DDT and their fans, he decided to try and have a go as a pro wrestler for real. Finding time to train in between his political duties, Kawamatsu is having his official debut match against another politician. One who knows the wrestling ring very well.
Osamu Nishimura has been wrestling for over 31 years but his main priority nowadays is his council work in his hometown of Bunkyo Ward. There is a friendly link between the two in the lead up to the match because Kawamatsu is a longtime fan of Nishimura. Kawamatsu is even focusing his wrestling training on matwork specifically because he wants to fight against Nishimura’s Muga style of pro wrestling. The soft political atmosphere of the match is inspiring Soma Takao because it is taking place in his hometown of Ota Ward. It may end up spurring him on into campaigning for a seat on the Ota Ward Council in the future. Makoto Oishi & Akito will be there to provide more challenges for Kawamatsu. They should be eager to impress Nishimura in the process too.
5. Special Mixed Tag Match: Jun Akiyama & Saki Akai Vs Chris Brookes & Asuka
Jun Akiyama’s time as a coach in DDT has been invaluable to those who are learning from him. It’s worked out so well that Saki Akai asked him to team with her on this show so she can become a stronger wrestler. Akiyama accepted her request as long as she knew he will treat her no differently to any other wrestler in DDT. When it was decided they were going to get a Mixed Tag Match, Chris Brookes & Asuka was chosen to be their opponents. It will be the first time Akiyama takes part in a Mixed Tag Match. Asuka teased him at a press conference saying she has a good reputation as an opponent for first timers and she’ll be one woman he will never forget!
The whole match has Asuka feeling pretty confident. She has never lost to Akai before and is certain it won’t happen anytime soon. Still, she is encouraging her opponents to work hard together so she will get a good challenge out of them. Akai gave Asuka’s comments a lot of thought. She thinks all wrestlers walk their own paths. Akai’s path may be slower than Asuka’s or maybe it is just a detour. She isn’t going to stay feeling sorry for herself when she has a chance to learn from Akiyama. Brookes is excited about the match because it is a fresh experience for everyone involved. He has previously fought against Asuka in tag matches but they can start something brand new when they team together. Brookes even thinks a new history will begin if Asuka gets the pinfall on Akiyama!
6. DDT Extreme Title – Special Hardcore Match: Joey Janela (c) Vs Shunma Katsumata
It’s “The Bad Boy” against “The Happy Boy”! Joey Janela’s tour of DDT has been two years in the making after his constant viral wrestling matches caught Takagi’s attention. Little appetizers were put together in the meantime with Yoshihiko and the Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title being sent over to America for Janela to interact with. When the time came for Janela to finally visit Japan, he wasted no time in making an impact by winning the DDT Extreme Title in the infamous IPPON Lighttube Death Match. A Hardcore Match against Shunma Katsumata was already scheduled before his title win so it is now even more important with the championship stakes being added. Katsumata has developed his own hardcore style in DDT but how different is it to anything that Janela has experienced before? The American has experienced death matches in many forms from violent to wacky. Janela’s goal is to become the greatest foreign wrestler ever in DDT. That’s a tall task given those who previously called the company their Japanese home promotion. But hey, if Janela didn’t have the guts to aim high he wouldn’t have achieved so much in his crazy career. I mean he has a match against Ernest “The Cat” Miller coming up in GCW soon. What if that ends up becoming a DDT Extreme Title match?
7. DDT Universal Title: Masahiro Takanashi (c) Vs Yuki Ueno
The DDT Universal Title is on the line in a battle between old and new generations of DDT. When Masahiro Takanashi won the title he wanted to do two things. Travel the world with the championship because that is the original point of the title and defend it against all of the younger wrestlers who have stepped up over the last two years while he was out injured. He’s barely gotten started and already he has a high wall in the form of Yuki Ueno standing in his way. The former Universal Champion wants the belt back so he can make DDT more exciting in his own way. The build up consisted of Ueno standing tall in the warmup matches and Takanashi being in physical positions where he has no choice but to look up at his challenger. Even though Takanashi is the champion, he is coming into the match looking like the underdog. But that’s always been the story with him. He wouldn’t be Masahiro Takanashi if he didn’t have to climb up from the bottom each and every time.
8. DDT 25th Anniversary Special 6-Man Tag Match: Dick Togo, Daisuke Sasaki & KANON (w/ MJ Paul) Vs Konosuke Takeshita, MAO & Yasu Urano
Did you ever hear the saying it takes an artist ten years to become an overnight success? It kind of feels like that here. This summer the entire wrestling world fell in love with Konosuke Takeshita. In return he fell in love with America and also Cinnabon. Mostly Cinnabon. Almost entirely Cinnabon. He won’t stop eating their food. Anyway, his excursion to America for both AEW and the independent scene led to rave reviews across the board and even sparked a lot of gossip about his future. Should AEW try to sign him full time and throw him further into their murderer’s row of main eventers? Will a reinvigorated WWE poach him in their search for a new Japanese superstar to add to their roster? How never ending can the line of indie wrestlers wanting to challenge him become? All of a sudden DDT better be careful not to lose the supernova they’ve spent the last decade building their company around because he is very quickly becoming an attraction overseas. He’s back in Japan for two months before continuing his excursion so DDT are putting together some attraction matches for him while he is home.
The attraction here is the return of Dick Togo to DDT. The man has done it all in wrestling from all angles, from being revered for his skills to being despised for his role in with House Of Torture over in New Japan. It looks like Togo is coming to DDT under his normal guise but he always liked to cheat anyway. Plus he is siding with DAMNATION T.A and expecting clean play to come out of them is foolish. Togo is one of the few people who can get Daisuke Sasaki somewhat motivated to improve himself. The timing is right for that to happen here because Sasaki is going to be Takeshita’s opponent for his 10th Anniversary match next month. That’s not all. MJ Paul will be at ringside as the wild card and there is also KANON who has been really promising so far since his entry into DDT. Takeshita has MAO & Yasu Urano to make up a talented trio but can they mesh together as well as DAMNATION T.A can? If they don’t then Takeshita will wish he was back in the states tucking into another Center Of The Roll.
9. KO-D Openweight Title: Kazusada Higuchi (c) Vs Tetsuya Endo
One slap earlier this year created a butterfly effect resulting in a new turbulent wind blowing across DDT. The main event of this year’s “WRESTLE PETER PAN” was probably always supposed to be Kazusada Higuchi Vs Tetsuya Endo but the roles they are in and how we got there is very different. In March Endo walked out of Sumo Hall as the new KO-D Openweight Champion and the man to carry DDT forward. That only lasted until June thanks to the slap heard around the world. A DDT Vs NOAH inter-promotional match at “CYBERFIGHT FESTIVAL 2022” prematurely ended when Katsuhiko Nakajima knocked out Endo with a slap across the face after an awkward exchange where neither looked to be on the same page with the other. The aftermath was disastrous for DDT. Intentional or not, their champion was easily defeated on the big stage for the entire world to see. Even worse, Endo was now out of action with a concussion and a decision was made for him to vacate his championship while he recovered. DDT needed a new flag bearer and quickly went to work setting that person up.
DDT was at least able to get the timing right with their backup plan. The King Of DDT tournament was next on the schedule after “CYBERFIGHT FESTIVAL 2022” and the vacant KO-D Title was now up for grabs. Higuchi literally waved the DDT flag in Saitama Super Arena and made it clear he was the best choice to lead the promotion in Endo’s absence. He spent his 8 year career struggling to win the KO-D Title and finally achieved his goal by winning the tournament. His victory was a crowning moment both literally and symbolically because he was given the flag once more to represent his emergence as DDT’s strongest wrestler. That was when the new wind started blowing. Higuchi left his unit Eruption to form Harimao with Yoshimura. He also called out his first challenger… Tetsuya Endo!
Endo recovered from his concussion and wanted his return to the ring to be a fresh restart. He accepted the knockout he suffered counts as a loss no matter how you look at it. It wasn’t his intention to immediately return to challenging for the KO-D Title but once Higuchi called him out, he couldn’t resist. Also Endo feels the need to repay his fans for their continued support by becoming the champion again. He answered by throwing out his own title challenge to Higuchi just because it is tradition for the contender to approach the champion instead of vice versa. He went to get advice from Kenta Kobashi like he always does before his important matches. Kobashi’s advice to him was he needs to be angry more and should use the injury as fuel for that. That may be for another story to be told on another day though. This weekend Endo’s focus needs to be on Higuchi and just Higuchi. He has a winning singles record against him but only just. In their previous six singles matches together Endo has three wins, Higuchi has two and there was a Double KO between them. Whoever wins this 7th battle will carry the DDT flag from here on out!
DDT “SUMMER VACATION 2022”, 24/07/2022 Tokyo Korakuen Hall 624 Fans
1. Makoto Oishi Return Match: Akito & Yasu Urano defeated Makoto Oishi & Kazuki Hirata when Urano pinned Hirata with a Cradle (0:14).
1a. Rematch: Akito & Yasu Urano defeated Makoto Oishi & Kazuki Hirata when Akito submitted Hirata with an Ankle Hold (5:54).
2. 2 Vs 3 Handicap Match: Yuji Hino & Yukio Naya defeated Antonio Honda, Saki Akai & Ilusion when Naya submitted Honda with the Torture Cobra Twist (7:29).
3. Yuki “Sexy” Iino, Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno & Yumehito “Fantastic” Imanari defeated Sanshiro Takagi, Toru Owashi & Gota Ihashi when Iino submitted Ihashi with the Ketsugoye (9:46).
4. Shinya Aoki, Shunma Katsumata & El Unicorn defeated Daisuke Sasaki, MJ Paul & KANON by Disqualification when Sasaki unmasked El Unicorn (12:36).
5. Tetsuya Endo Return Match ~ Special 6-Man Tag Match: Tetsuya Endo, Jun Akiyama & Chris Brookes defeated HARASHIMA, Yukio Sakaguchi & Soma Takao when Endo pinned Takao with the Burning Star Press (16:24).
6. DDT Universal Title: Masahiro Takanashi (c) defeated Yusuke Okada with the Takatonic (10:55). *V1 for Masahiro Takanashi.
7. KO-D Tag Team Titles: Kazusada Higuchi & Naomi Yoshimura defeated MAO & Asuka (c) when Higuchi pinned MAO with the Brain Claw Slam (20:07). *VENIMAO fail in V1. Harimao become the 75th KO-D Tag Team Champions!
The new wind blowing through DDT now has a name. Kazusada Higuchi & Naomi Yoshimura started off the show announcing their tag team from this point forward will be called Harimao. In the main event they went on to beat MAO & Asuka to capture the KO-D Tag Team Titles! MAO wasn’t pleased to hear they came up with a name that sounds similar to his own, so he retroactively named his team with Asuka VENIMAO. The champions didn’t give up easily. They hit Higuchi with the Doomsday Shiranui only for Yoshimura to break the count. Harimao recovered to give Asuka an Assisted Razor’s Edge. Higuchi then grabbed MAO to do the Brain Claw Slam for the victory. The title change means Higuchi is now a double crown champion! He thanked MAO & Asuka after the match for taking Harimao’s challenge on short notice.
Higuchi then turned his attention to “WRESTLE PETER PAN 2022” on 20th August. He knows he is going to defend the KO-D Openweight Title on the show but does not have an opponent yet. He will change that now because he wants to nominate Tetsuya Endo as his challenger! Endo came out and said he is grateful to Higuchi for carrying DDT in his absence along with everyone else in the company. Today Endo got back on his feet with his return match and wants to repay everyone for their support by returning to the top and becoming KO-D Champion again. He turned down Higuchi’s nomination but only so he can be the one to throw out the challenge instead. It will be Higuchi Vs Endo for the KO-D Title at Ota Ward Gymnasium!
A leg injury may have cost Yusuke Okada his only chance to win the DDT Universal Title. He hurt his leg early in the match and Masahiro Takanashi decided to target it from that point on. Takanashi bending the rules by physcially getting the referee in the way stopped Okada from building up any momentum. He finally got back on track but Takanashi avoided the Sudden Death, stunned Okada with a Super Kick and pinned him with the Takatonic. The audience showed their appreciation to Okada after the match but it seems like Takanashi is done with him and moving on. He is taking Okada’s idea of nominating Yuki Ueno as the next challenger. Ueno was not at the show due to having covid but he when he recovers he will get the title shot at “WRESTLE PETER PAN 2022”. Takanashi thinks that out of all of the new generation wrestlers in DDT, Ueno may be the one and is a can’t miss opponent. If Takanashi can beat him then he will start to look outside of DDT for young wrestlers to defend the Universal Title against.
Endo’s return from his concussion was as part of a 6-Man Tag Match. He was supposed to be in full on BURNING trio with Jun Akiyama & Yuya Koroku but Koroku was a close contact suspect and pulled off the show. Chris Brookes replaced him and had no problems with being part of the team. Any worries about the state of Endo’s health went away after HARASHIMA slapped him across the head and Endo kept fighting. Soma Takao quickly congratulated Endo on his return while hitting his moves on him. Endo turned the tables by countering the Gin And Tonic with the Tetsuya In The Sky. A Torture Rack Bomb only got a 2 count so Endo went for the Burning Star Press to complete his comeback with a win. Endo said today was the happiest he felt since his debut match because when you get into the ring there is no guarantee you will get out of it in one piece. He will no longer apologise to the fans for what happened to him, instead he will tell them “thank you” for their support. Akiyama’s advice to him is he can turn what happened into an opportunity and then do his best with it. Even Endo’s opponents were positive over his return. Yukio Sakaguchi said there is no shame if Endo was fighting with himself over how far he fell because the only direction to go next is to climb up.
More covid problems affected the card. DAMNATION T.A was supposed to defend the KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles against The 37KAMIINA but that was cancelled because Ueno and Toi Kojima were both absent. Shunma Katsumata is still here but now his tag team partners are Shinya Aoki and El Unicorn. The latter in particular was unexpectedly targeted by Daisuke Sasaki while MJ Paul & KANON dealt with the the others. Sasaki’s attempts to get a fall on Unicorn kept getting cut off so he ended up losing his temper and unmasked Unicorn for the disqualification! Backstage Unicorn demanded a match with Sasaki. Meanwhile Sasaki made a similar challenge but wants to take it one step further. His idea is to face El Unicorn in a Mask Vs Hair match, Mascara Contra Cabellera!
Just when you think Pheromones are all out of surprises, they pull another one out of their hats. Sanshiro Takagi thought he had them on the ropes after his involvement in getting Yuki Iino to lose the DDT Extreme Title. Today his plan was to destroy them once and for all with help from Toru Owashi & Gota Ihashi. Instead a masked man in a shirt and underwear ran out during the match. He then took off his underwear, wore it over his hand and gave Ihashi the Ultimate Venom Arm. Iino took over by putting Ihashi in the Ketsugoye until Ihashi gave up. Danshoku Dieno told everyone that Pheromones now has a new member. He may remind everyone of Michael Nakazawa but according to Dieno it may not be him! The masked man’s identity will remain a mystery for now until 14th August when he will be revealed for all to see.
A scheduled 3 Way Tag Match turned into a 2 Vs 3 Handicap Match because of covid related absences. Yuji Hino & Yukio Naya were almost unmovable objects for Antonio Honda, Saki Akai & Ilusion to try and topple. Honda warned Ilusion not to get Chopped by Hino only to get Chopped himself. Akai tried to give Hino the Quetzalcoatl but he wouldn’t budge due to the massive size difference. Gongistune was the only move effective against the heavyweights but even that couldn’t stop Naya from submitting Honda for the win.
Endo was not the only wrestler returning from injury on this show. Makoto Oishi was out for a year with a hip injury and today was going to be the next chapter of his wrestling career. He was teaming with Kazuki Hirata and their opponents were meant to be Akito & Yuki Ishida. However Ishida was pulled off the show and replaced with Yasu Urano. Oishi made his big entrance with a brand new look but by the time he made it to the ring, Urano had already won the match by pinning Hirata with a Roll Up. Hisaya Imabayashi demanded an immediate rematch for Oishi’s sake. The same thing happened only this time Oishi broke the pin so the match could continue. It went on as normal until the ending when Oishi climbed the top rope wanting to do a cool move only to see Akito put Hirata in an Anklelock to win the match. Oishi stayed still on the top rope and had a microphone handed to him. He said he was able to come back thanks to everyone’s support. He wants to carry DDT on his shoulders and made it his goal to win a championship.
Right before the summer began, DDT introduced five new trainees under their development system. Imabayashi announced that one of them is about to make their pro debut! Takeshi Masada will take on HARASHIMA on 14th August in his first match after only three months of training. It will be the quickest pro wrestling debut in DDT history. Masada is 21 years old, from Osaka and has a background in basketball and Shorinji Kempo.
The Right To Challenge Anytime, Anywhere Battle Royal will be return on 14th August.
“SUPER HARDCORE GIRLS BOX OFFICE ~ SUPER HARDCORE GIRLS VS PROMINENCE”, 14/07/2022 Shin-Kiba 1st RING
1. Super Hardcore Girls Vs Prominence ~ Falls Count Anywhere Match: SenoSister Mao Inoue Vs Mochi Natsumi
2. DDT Offer? Match: Yuki Ueno & Sakura Hirota Vs Akito & Kazuki Hirata
3. Special TLC Match: DASH Chisako Vs Hideki Okatani
4. Super Hardcore Girls Vs Prominence ~ Bring In 1 Item Hardcore Match: Elizabeth❤️Toy & Sylvania❤️Catherine Vs Risa Sera & Akane Fujite
5. Super Hardcore Girls Vs Prominence ~ Special Hardcore Match: Carousel❤️Shun Vs Suzu Suzuki
Shunma Katsumata has been tweeting messages to Suzu Suzuki on behalf of Carousel❤️Shun, warning Suzuki she won’t win no matter how hard she studies for the “exam”.
GANBARE☆PRO “BAKURETSU TOSHI BURST CITY 2022”, 17/07/2022 Tokyo Oji BASEMENT MON☆STAR
1. GanPro Summer Festival! MakoHaruka Vs YuriMoeka Full-Scale Battle: Makoto & HARUKAZE Vs Moeka Haruhi & YuuRI
2. GanPro Summer Festival! Lari Pro Army Vs Knee Pro Army Full-Scale Battle: Shuichiro Katsumura & Shinichiro Tominaga Vs Keisuke Ishii & Shota
3. GanPro Summer Festival! GanPro Survival 8-Man Tag Match ~Ohka Army Vs Imanari Army Full-Scale Battle~: Ken Ohka, Kouki Iwasaki, Mizuki Watase & Sayaka Obihiro Vs Yumehito Imanari, Soma Takao, Tyson Maguchi & Yuna Manase
The GanPro Survival Tag Match is fought as a regular 2 Vs 2 tag match. Whenever a wrestler is eliminated, they are replaced with the next wrestler on their team. This continues until a team is reduced to one wrestler left and cannot field a complete tag team. An extra rule is being added to the upcoming version of this match. Over the top rope eliminations will count but the match cannot be won that way. The final elimination needs to be done through normal means (pinfall, submission, DQ, etc).
Lariat Pro Wrestling returns but there is resistance coming from Knee Pro Wrestling. It’s time to decide which is better, Lariats or Knee Strikes!
DDT “ROJO PRO WRESTLING IN HANDMADE IN JAPAN FES 2022”, 23/07/2022 Tokyo Big Sight West Hall 1 & 2
1. Falls Count Anywhere 3 Way Tag Match: MAO & Toi Kojima Vs Sanshiro Takagi & Yuki Ishida Vs Yukio Naya & Yuya Koroku
A good time is always had when DDT holds a Falls Count Anywhere Match at the HandMade In Japan Festival.
DDT “ROAD TO PETER PAN 2022 IN OSAKA”, 30/07/2022 Osaka 176BOX
1. Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno Vs Toru Owashi & Antonio Honda
2. Shunma Katsumata Vs Kazuki Hirata
3. Daisuke Sasaki, MJ Paul & KANON Vs Yukio Sakaguchi, Akito & Yuya Koroku
4. Tetsuya Endo Vs Hideki Okatani
5. Special Tag Match: Kazusada Higuchi & Naomi Yoshimura Vs MAO & Toi Kojima
6. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Jun Akiyama, Yusuke Okada & Bodyguard Vs Yuji Hino, Yukio Naya & Yuki Ishida
7. Osaka Specialty Special Tag Match: HARASHIMA & Gamma Vs Yuki Ueno & Makoto Oishi
Gamma is the special guest for this show. The former DRAGONGATE star will be retiring from pro wrestling on 14th August.
Tetsuya Endo’s first singles match during his comeback is against Hideki Okatani.
DDT “ROAD TO PETER PAN 2022 IN KORAKUEN ~LET’S SHOUT!~”, 14/08/2022 Tokyo Korakuen Hall
1. Special Single Match: Asuka Vs Saki Akai
One week before they join Jun Akiyama and Chris Brookes for the Mixed Tag Match, Saki Akai and Asuka face off one on one.
DDT “WRESTLE PETER PAN 2022”, 20/08/2022 Tokyo Ota Ward Gymnasium
1. Shinichiro Kawamatsu Debut Match ~ Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly Member Vs Bunkyo Ward Assembly Member: Shinichiro Kawamatsu, Sanshiro Takagi & Soma Takao Vs Osamu Nishimura, Makoto Oishi & Akito
2. Special Mixed Tag Match: Jun Akiyama & Saki Akai Vs Chris Brookes & Asuka
3. International Special Hardcore Match: Joey Janela Vs Shunma Katsumata
4. DDT 25th Anniversary Special 6-Man Tag Match: Dick Togo, Daisuke Sasaki & KANON (w/ MJ Paul) Vs Konosuke Takeshita, MAO & Yasu Urano
5. DDT Universal Title: Masahiro Takanashi (c) Vs X
6. KO-D Openweight Title: Kazusada Higuchi (c) Vs X
Daisuke Sasaki is calling in the big guns to combat Konosuke Takeshita on his return. He’s bringing his master Dick Togo back to DDT! Sasaki’s history with his maestro is usually hostile so there haven’t been many times when they teamed together. But “WRESTLE PETER PAN 2022” is a big show and Sasaki is offering the olive branch to Togo. It will also be KANON’s first time in the ring with him too. We’ll see if wrestling with DAMNATION T.A is any different from wrestling with House Of Torture. In response to this, Takeshita chose MAO & Yasu Urano as his partners. Urano was picked because he knows both Sasaki & Togo inside out!
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “GO GO DO IT”, 05/05/2022 Osaka Edion Arena #2
1. Yuki Aino Vs Haruna Neko
2. Hyper Misao Vs Kaya Toribami
3. Hikari Noa & Nao Kakuta Vs Raku & Pom Harajuku
4. Yuna Manase Vs Mahiro Kiryu
5. Miyu Yamashita & Miu Watanabe Vs Saki Akai & Yuki Kamifuku
6. Osaka Special 8-Woman Tag Match: Shoko Nakajima, Mizuki, Maki Itoh & Rika Tatsumi Vs Yuki Arai, Suzume, Moka Miyamoto & Arisu Endo
No title changes for Tokyo Joshi Pro yesterday so that means Shoko Nakajima and Mizuki are added to tomorrow’s main event. Rika Tatsumi takes Yuka Sakazaki’s place on the team after Sakazaki was invited by AEW to enter a qualifying match for the Owen Hart Foundation Tournament. She takes on Riho for a spot in the tournament on the next episode of Rampage.
DDT “AUDIENCE 2022 TOUR IN SHINJUKU”, 06/05/2022 Shinjuku FACE
1. Jun Akiyama, Yusuke Okada & Yuya Koroku Vs Yuji Hino, Yukio Naya & Yuki Ishida
2. Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno Vs Antonio Honda & Kazuki Hirata
3. Children’s Day Special! DDTeeeen!! Challenge Match I: Yuki Ueno Vs Ilusion
4. Children’s Day Special! DDTeeeen!! Challenge Match II: Tetsuya Endo Vs El Unicorn
5. KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles Tournament – Round 1: Daisuke Sasaki, MJ Paul & KANON Vs HARASHIMA, Toru Owashi & Naomi Yoshimura
6. KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles Tournament – Round 1: Kazusada Higuchi, Yukio Sakaguchi & Hideki Okatani Vs Akito, Hikaru Machida & Thanomsak Toba
7. CDK Vs The 37KAMIINA!: Chris Brookes & Masahiro Takanashi Vs MAO & Shunma Katsumata
It’s going to be a busy summer for CDK. They are butting heads with MAO in DDT, reigning over everything in ChocoPro and now are getting challenged over in Ganbare☆Pro.
1. Punch Drunker Vs Strong Zero Drunker: Tyson Maeguchi Vs Soma Takao
2. Nippon University Alumni Association In 2AW Square: Ken Ohka Vs Kyu Mogami
3. Special Tag Match: Shigehiro Irie & Kouki Iwasaki Vs Naoya Nomura & Mizuki Watase
4. Shinichiro Tominaga 2nd Hometown Triumph Match: GENTARO & Yasu Urano Vs Shuichiro Katsumura & Shinichiro Tominaga
5. GanJo Super Fight In Chiba: Moeka Haruhi & YuuRI Vs HARUKAZE & Ann Cham
6. Yuna Manase Triumphant Special 6-Man Tag Match: Yumehito Imanari, Kaji Tomato & Yuna Manase Vs Keisuke Ishii, Shota & Ayame Sasamura
Remember that story about how a young Shinichiro Tominaga once tried to get into K-DOJO? That’s why he considers Chiba his second home. Both GENTARO & Yasu Urano were involved with K-DOJO at the time Tominaga tried to get in. After all these years will they accept the wrestler he has grown into?
It was a big surprise to see Naoya Nomura show up yesterday asking to wrestle a match in Ganpro. He and Mizuki Watase have formed team in Capture International called REAL BLOOD and they are ready to show it to a new audience. Watase wants everyone to know that he wrestles in other places besides Ganpro so an alliance like this did not come from out of nowhere.
GANBARE☆PRO “WRESTLE SEKIGAHARA”, 10/07/2022 Tokyo Ota Ward Gymnasium
1. Special Tag Match ~ CDK Vs ROMANCE DAWN: Chris Brookes & Masahiro Takanashi Vs Shota & Soma Takao
2. Spirit Of Ganbare World Openweight Title: Yumehito Imanari (c) Vs Ken Ohka
The biggest match in Ganpro history is set. Ken Ohka founded Ganpro in 2013 and Yumehito Imanari was his very first signing. Fast forward to 2022 and they will fight each other in a headline match at Ota Ward Gymnsium. Imanari’s newly won Spirit Of Ganbare Title will also be on the line.
Shota & Soma Takao are having a blast teaming together as ROMANCE DAWN. They now want to take on the best teams around and that means CDK are in their sights. CDK are ready for them but are a little confused that ROMANCE DAWN have not asked for any of their tag team championships to be on the line. For now the match is non-title and advertised as a special attraction.
GANBARE☆PRO “LOVE PHANTOM 2022”, 03/05/2022 Tokyo Korakuen Hall 380 Fans
1. Punch Drunker Vs Nobleman Of The Spirit World: Onryo defeated Tyson Maeguchi with a Cradle (9:30).
2. Ganpro Specialty Mixed Tag Match: HARUKAZE & Tsuyoshi Okada defeated Yuu Yamagata & Shinichiro Tominaga when Okada submitted Tominaga with a Cross Armbreaker (6:40).
3. Nippon Ganbare Union Vs VENYU Full-Scale Battle: Yuki Kamifuku & Asuka defeated Yuna Manase & YuuRI when Kamifuku pinned YuuRI with the Famouser (11:30).
4. Ganpro’s Famous 3 Way Battle! ROMANCE DAWN Vs ChocoPro Vs BASARA: Shota & Soma Takao defeated Chris Brookes & Antonio Honda and Takumi Tsukamoto & Yasu Urano when Shota pinned Honda with the Gannosuke Clutch (14:43).
5. Ganpro Special Single Match ~A Better Tomorrow~: Ken Ohka defeated Muscle Sakai with 3 Flame Spears in a row (11:09).
6. LOVE PHANTOM 2022 ~Special Tag Match~: Keisuke Ishii & Kouki Iwasaki defeated Shuichiro Katsumura & Mizuki Watase when Ishii pinned Watase with the Kneel Kick (21:56).
7. Spirit Of Ganbare World Openweight Title: Yumehito Imanari defeated Tatsuhito Takaiwa (c) with a Lariat (17:20). *Tatsuhito Takaiwa fails in V4. Yumehito Imanari becomes the 2nd Spirit Of Ganbare World Openweight Champion!
The Imanari Revolution that began four years ago has reached its climax. Yumehito Imanari is the new Spirit Of Ganbare Champion! The first champion Tatsuhito Takaiwa looked to be unbeatable especially when he used the Death Valley Bomb to put away all challengers. But today Imanari withstood the move, forcing the champion to hit an Avalanche version and tiring him out in the process. The two got into a Lariat duel until Imanari gave Takaiwa a taste of his own medicine by using his own finisher on him! Takaiwa kicked out at two but was finally down for the count after Imanari hit him with one more Lariat.
Imanari thanked Takaiwa for coming to Ganbare☆Pro and increasing the value of the title by being its first champion. Imanari defeated him today but the respect he has for him remains the same. Takaiwa told Imanari to polish the belt and make it even more valuable. He also gave out words of encouragement for the injured Shinjiro Otani. When he left, Ken Ohka came out and challenged Imanari for a title shot at Ota Ward Gymnasium on 10th July. Imanari accepted because if it wasn’t for Ohka and Ganpro, he would not be in this position today.
The pure-blooded tag team match showdown between Keisuke Ishii & Kouki Iwasaki against Shuichiro Katsumura & Mizuki Watase was a hard fought battle. Watase was taken to his limit by Ishii. It took two Tiger Suplexes and the Kneel Kick to finally put him away. Katsumura wants it to be known that these four all represent Ganpro and it is up to them to make Ganpro more exciting. He also welcomes adding more wrestlers to the promotion. He said this in response to the big appearance after the match.
Former All Japan wrestler Naoya Nomura entered the ring after the tag match. He called it an exciting match, one that makes him want to be involved with them. So on 14th May when Ganpro goes to Chiba he wants to wrestle a match there! Nomura is currently involved with a promotion called Capture International where he and Watase formed a team called REAL BLOOD. He asked Watase if they should bring REAL BLOOD to Ganpro!
Ken Ohka’s journey back to the top of the mountain he created led him to an emotional match with his close friend Muscle Sakai. Their match featured voices coming from their hearts, interrupting the action to tell the audience what their friendship meant to them. It also revealed their true motives. Sakai wants to beat Ohka while Ohka never wants to lose! In the end Ohka had to hit Sakai with the Fire Spear three times before he finally won. Ohka declared his challenge for the Spirit Of Ganbare Title afterwards and spoke of his joy over getting to wrestle Sakai again. Sakai spoke of discovering something thanks to this match. He found out he does his best when his opponent is trying to kill him!
The 3 Way Tag match ended with ROMANCE DAWN getting their hands raised. Chris Brookes & Antonio Honda almost had Takumi Tsukamoto beaten but Yasu Urano made the save. Honda then got into an exchange with Shota. He started winding up for a big Bionic Elbow when Shota suddenly rolled him over with the Gannosuke Clutch to score the three count. Shota said he’s been teaming with Soma Takao for half a year now and they’re getting good responses. It makes him enthusiastic to fight the best tag teams out there so he wants ROMANCE DAWN to take on CDK at Ota Ward Gym! Masahiro Takanashi questioned if Shota only wants it to be a “Special Tag Match” and not for any of their tag team championships. But he accepted the challenge to a match on 10th July.
The friendship between Yuna Manase and Yuki Kamifuku was briefly put aside when Nippon Ganbare Union took on VENYU. The heavy hits came from Manase and Asuka while YuuRI stepped up to give Kamifuku some trouble. Asuka wiped out Manase with an Asai Moonsault. YuuRI’s momentum of nearfalls got cut down when Kamifuku gave her the Famouser. The win for VENYU was a natural result according to Asuka. Manase and Kamifuku though put aside their problems and shook hands after the match.
A mixed tag match reunited HARUKAZE with Yuu Yamagata, although they were on opposite sides here. The result was determined by the men though when Tsuyoshi Okada made Shinichiro Tominaga submit to a Cross Armbreaker.
No matter how much Tyson Maeguchi is learning about pro wrestling, nothing could have prepared him for Onryo. Plenty of dusty ectoplasm flew around and covered Maeguchi inside, outside and even underneath the ring. A referee distraction caused Maeguchi to get blinded with more powder so Onryo could roll him up for the three count.
Posted by JamieOD 
Dramatic DDT 