DDT “KING OF DDT ~20TH ANNIVERSARY~ 1ST ROUND” Results

May 5, 2024

DDT “KING OF DDT ~20TH ANNIVERSARY~ 1ST ROUND”, 05/05/2024
Tokyo Korakuen Hall
1,025 Fans – No Vacancy

0. Dark Match: Soma Takao, Keigo Nakamura & Yuya Koroku defeated Yuni, Ilusion & Kazuma Sumi when Nakamura pinned Sumi with the Diving Headbutt (9:25).
0. Dark Match: Jun Akiyama, Makoto Oishi & Tomomitsu Matsunaga defeated Shunma Katsumata, Akito & Kazuki Hirata when Oishi pinned Hirata with the Jikiden Tornado Clutch (0:09).
0a. Rematch: Jun Akiyama, Makoto Oishi & Tomomitsu Matsunaga defeated Shunma Katsumata, Akito & Kazuki Hirata when Oishi pinned Hirata with the Jikiden Tornado Clutch (4:43).
1. King Of DDT 20th Anniversary – Round 1: MAO defeated Poison Sawada JULIE with the Iai Kick (9:16).
2. King Of DDT 20th Anniversary – Round 1: To-y defeated KANON with a Frankensteiner (11:09).
3. King Of DDT 20th Anniversary – Round 1: Sanshiro Takagi defeated Yuki Ueno with the Stone Cold Stunner (11:09).
4. King Of DDT 20th Anniversary – Round 1: Daisuke Sasaki defeated Yuki Iino with the Standing Crossover Face Lock (11:15).
5. King Of DDT 20th Anniversary – Round 1: Kazusada Higuchi defeated Yukio Naya with the Buchikamashi (14:12).
6. King Of DDT 20th Anniversary – Round 1: Shuji Ishikawa defeated HARASHIMA with the Giant Slam (13:58).
7. King Of DDT 20th Anniversary – Round 1: Tetsuya Endo defeated Danshoku Dieno with the Burning Tanetsuke Press (18:26).
8. King Of DDT 20th Anniversary – Round 1: Chris Brookes defeated Takeshi Masada with the Praying Mantis Bomb (15:53).

2004 was the year when DDT held its first King Of DDT tournament. It was not held on an annual basis until 2009 but the history of the tournament is filled with winners who have gone on to accomplish many things in DDT and pro wrestling as a whole. This year is the 20th anniversary of the first King Of DDT and the 18th edition of the event. The main show began with all of the 16 participants lining up in the ring for the opening ceremony.

The main event was all about SCHADENFREUDE International as two of its members faced off in the last of the Round 1 matches. Brookes had a special guest with him because Zack Sabre Jr. was there to be in his corner. Takeshi Masada wanted to win badly and tried using the Takatonic and the KOBU Mukimuki. He even tried to withstand the pain from taking an Avalanche Tiger Suplex but at that point Brookes just had to keep up the attack until he won. Masada had one last chance left when he countered the Praying Mantis Bomb but Brookes countered the Mukimuki, hit two Somatos and pinned Masada with the Praying Mantis Bomb. After the match Brookes told Masada that any bad things he said about him at the press conference was lies and he really wanted him to do his best today. Backstage Brookes and Sabre talked up the tag match they are having at “ALL TOGETHER” tomorrow.

Meeting Brookes in the next round is Tetsuya Endo. He had to dig in deep to beat Danshoku Dieno because Dieno was ready to avoid the Burning Star Press at any opportunity. One of the counters Dieno pulled off was a top rope Frankensteiner! He also had Makoto Oishi interfering when the two of them gave Endo the 3D after the referee was knocked out with a Lip Lock. Dieno went into the Hell Gate position over the turnbuckles but it was Oishi who got a face full of the Gate. Endo then grabbed Dieno by the crotch and Headbutted his butt! When Endo climbed the top rope to finally hit the Burning Star Press, Dieno had one last idea to defend himself. He rolled over and stuck his butt into the air daring Endo to jump in. Endo did exactly what Dieno wanted except first he pulled off Dieno’s tights and then hit the Burning Star Press! He was able to turn Dieno over and pin him without exposing anything further to the crowd.

After the match El Desperado unexpectedly entered the ring while Oishi was getting Dieno’s trunks back on him. He has a lot to look forward to this summer but he isn’t here to talk about the Best Of The Super Juniors or his next DDT appearance at “WRESTLE PETER PAN 2024”. Instead he pulled out two invitations for the “DESPE-INVITACIONAL” event he is holding at Korakuen Hall on 10th June. The two invitations are for Dieno and a wrestler of his choice. If it was up entirely to Desperado he would have wanted his main event to be Pheromones Vs House Of Torture just so he could see Dieno chase EVIL around the ring. Dieno confirmed to him that Pheromones have disbanded and cannot be brought back. Desperado will give him the invitations anyway and trusts Dieno to find a suitable partner so they can do something similar to Pheromones at the show. Dieno asked if that means his partner does not have to be anybody from DDT? Desperado said yes, the choice is all up to Dieno and no one else.

One of the former King Of DDT winners Shuji Ishikawa returned with a bang by eliminating HARASHIMA in Round 1. HARASHIMA was able to kick out of the Splash Mountain, Running Knee Lift, Fire Thunder and also the Kamigoye. But he was a beaten man at that point and was finally put away with the Giant Slam. He will be facing Kazusada Higuchi in the next round and Higuchi met him in the ring after the match to give him a Headbutt! Backstage Ishikawa admitted he needs to improve his own conditioning. When he fights Higuchi he will either strike out or hit a home run. If the latter happens then nothing will stop Ishikawa from winning the tournament and then the KO-D Openweight Title!

Higuchi already got rid of one big boy to advance into Round 2. He beat Yukio Naya by wearing him down with the Brain Claw inbetween the moments of high impact moves between them. Naya finally went down to a series of Headbutts and struggled to get back to his feet to beat the 10 count. When he did stand back up, Higuchi was already in position to run him over with the Buchikamashi for the victory. As mentioned above, Higuchi is eager to face Ishikawa next.

Yuki Iino was almost unstoppable against Daisuke Sasaki but “Charisma” found a way to beat him eventually. Chair shots over the head and interference from MJ Paul didn’t work. Even trying to Spear Iino just had Sasaki bounce off of him. What did work was countering the Spear into a Pedigree in midair. It wasn’t enough to pin Iino but Sasaki was able to give him La Mistica Crossover Face Lock from there. Iino used his power to stand back up but Sasaki would not let go of the hold, keeping it on tight so Iino had no choice but to give up from the pain he was feeling in his shoulder. Sasaki bragged about showing off his power as the strongest wrestler in DDT.

There were a couple of upsets in Round 1. The biggest of perhaps the entire tournament is the KO-D Champion Yuki Ueno losing to Sanshiro Takagi! This year’s King Of DDT looks to be Takagi’s last stand before he takes a break from being a wrestler and he could not have sent out a louder message for everyone to hear. They fought in the crowd so Takagi could knock Ueno down the stairs. Ueno fought back with a Moonsault out of the ring and also a Frog Splash in the ring. But he missed the BME, landing on his feet right there for Takagi to give him the Stunner for the shock three count! Takagi later said if he wins the tournament then he will challenge Ueno for the KO-D Title. Ueno does not want to end this with a loss and thinks Takagi must come challenge him for the title eventually.

The other big upset in the opening round is To-y advancing past KANON. He kept on getting hit with K-Spikes but fought back using the Kojima Wonderland. KANON avoided the Kojima Impace but got caught with a Frankensteiner for the upset loss. He heard KANON’s comments about Hideki Okatani during the week and is sure Okatani was supporting him rather than KANON. All he needs is a 1% chance of winning to turn it into a 100% chance! Meanwhile KANON can’t believe he lost in the first round again. After three years of trying he has never gotten past Round 1 in the King Of DDT.

It was a battle of magic and danger when MAO took on the very first King Of DDT winner Poison Sawada JULIE. The dreaded Snake Magic is Sawada’s main weapon. Using it causes the victim to raise their rattling hand in the air to show that Sawada can then make them do whatever he wants. However it turns out MAO has been learning the same dark magic and used his own version to fight back. The spells ended up knocking out Yukinori Matsui after they were deflected into his direction. MAO then summoned invisible baseball bats rigged with explosives that had its own warning siren to go with it. He and Sawada both hit each other with the bats, causing an invisible explosion every time. Sawada then blinded MAO with Poison Mist but couldn’t get the three count with the Choke Slam or the Maoi Of Easter. MAO had to defend himself from the magic and did so by spitting his own Mist in Sawada’s face. Sawada was then powerless to block the Iai Kick, ending the match and eliminating him from the tournament.

The King Of DDT Round 2 matches on 11th May will be MAO Vs To-y, Sanshiro Takagi Vs Daisuke Sasaki, Kazusada Higuchi Vs Shuji Ishikawa and Tetsuya Endo Vs Chris Brookes.

One of the dark matches ended before Jun Akiyama could even enter the ring so they had to restart it on his orders. His team did their entrance again and the same thing almost happened a second time. However Akiyama was there to stop Oishi from quickly pinning Kazuki Hirata again so everyone could get a chance to wrestle. Later in the match everyone began to fight over the Hirata GO! Glasses. When Akiyama was the last man standing he decided to put them on. Right when he was about to dance Oishi pinned Hirata to cut the music and end the match.

The other dark match had Keigo Nakamura winning the bout for his team. Yuni & Ilusion both did dives onto Soma Takao & Yuya Koroku outside the ring. But Kazuma Sumi couldn’t follow up for his side and got pinned by Nakamura’s Diving Headbutt.

There were a few announcements for some of DDT’s upcoming shows. Minoru Suzuki will be at “WRESTLE PETER PAN 2024” on 21st July. There will be a Street Pro Wrestling match held inside a sauna on 21st June with Sayaka Unagi as one of the participants. Unagi will also be at the 20th July Beer Garden show.


King Of DDT 2024 Press Conference

May 3, 2024

DDT “KING OF DDT ~20TH ANNIVERSARY~ 1ST ROUND”, 05/05/2024
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

0. Dark Match: Yuni, Keigo Nakamura & Yuya Koroku Vs Ilusion, Kazuma Sumi & Rukiya
0. Dark Match: Shunma Katsumata, Akito & Kazuki Hirata Vs Jun Akiyama, Makoto Oishi & Tomomitsu Matsunaga
1. King Of DDT 20th Anniversary – Round 1A: MAO Vs Poison Sawada JULIE
2. King Of DDT 20th Anniversary – Round 1B: KANON Vs To-y
3. King Of DDT 20th Anniversary – Round 1C: Yuki Ueno Vs Sanshiro Takagi
4. King Of DDT 20th Anniversary – Round 1D: Yuki Iino Vs Daisuke Sasaki
5. King Of DDT 20th Anniversary – Round 1E: Kazusada Higuchi Vs Yukio Naya
6. King Of DDT 20th Anniversary – Round 1F: HARASHIMA Vs Shuji Ishikawa
7. King Of DDT 20th Anniversary – Round 1G: Tetsuya Endo Vs Danshoku Dieno
8. King Of DDT 20th Anniversary – Round 1H: Chris Brookes Vs Takeshi Masada

A press conference was held at yesterday’s DDT fanfest featuring 14 of the 16 entrants in this year’s King Of DDT tournament. Takeshi Masada could not be there due to university commitments but sent in a message. The message said Masada does not want to get knocked out in the first round like he did last year. He will be in the main event against his stablemate Chris Brookes. Masada has learned a lot from being in SCHADENFREUDE International and sees this match as a challenge to surpass his friend. Brookes is last year’s winner and he brought the trophy with him. He is motivated to win the tournament again and go all the way to winning back the KO-D Openweight Title. However he admits he felt a little aimless after he lost the KO-D Title last year. He’s still motivated but felt something was missing.

Elsewhere Tetsuya Endo’s match against Danshoku Dieno has more meaning to it than you would think. Endo’s recent luck in King Of DDT hasn’t been good but he feels he has gotten into shape after winning the New Year’s Eve trios tournament and raching the final of the D-Oh Grand Prix. However Dieno means so much to DDT that Endo admits he is not as good of a pro wrestler as Dieno is. He thinks Dieno does not realize that though and for that reason Endo is confident he will win. Dieno said he is only concentrating on this match and has done a lot of studying for it. His entire game plan is going to be based around Endo using the Burning Star Press. He knows how to avoid it and also how to counter it. The percentage of him succeeding is low but if Dieno can nail the timing of the Burning Star Press being used against him, he can find a way to exploit it and beat Endo.

It’s been a while since a HARASHIMA Vs Shuji Ishikawa match has happened. HARASHIMA is well aware of his big and strong Ishikawa is. He is also a believer that tomorrow is when a person will reach their peak so he will be stronger too. Both of them are evolving so he does not expect the match to be identical to their previous fights against each other. Ishikawa understands it takes a lot of training at his age to keep fit and HARASHIMA is older than he is. He had seen Yuki Ueno wrestle at Korkauen Hall last month and it made him realise all of DDT’s champions right now are young. He intends to last forever though. He also feels emotional about the tournament because he missed so many of them due to his affiliation with Union Pro at the time. When he finally got to have a proper go it was as an independant wrestler in 2016 and he won it that year. His hope is he will face Poison Sawada JULIE in the final.

An illness prevented Kazusada Higuchi from being at the event but he had a message written out for everyone. His thought process is the same, he will take it one match at a time. His 1st Round opponent is Yukio Naya so he will be focused the most on beating him. Naya is trying to repeat his success from the D-Oh Grand Prix so he can get another shot at the KO-D Title. He believes his momentum began when he beat Higuchi at the 2022 D-Oh GP. He wants to beat him again to take his place as the center of DDT’s heavyweight division.

There is a lot going on is Daisuke Sasaki’s mind. He knows if Yuki Iino hits him with the Spear in Round 1 it will be all over for him. However Sasaki realized some of the best wrestlers in the world right now like Jon Moxley, Cody Rhodes and Roman Reigns are all 38 years old. He is 38 years old so that means he is going to win! Iino has never beaten Sasaki in a singles match but is confident he can do it because of the Spear. He doesn’t know what direction it will come from but he will hit it. Also if age is a factor then Iino at 29 is the same as Shohei Ohtani and Yuzuru Hanyu. That means he is going to win, not Sasaki!

Sanshiro Takagi’s entry into the tournament has caught the attention of the wrestling press because of his age and also who he is facing in Round 1. The 54 year old is taking on the KO-D Champion Yuki Ueno! He told Ueno that when he was his age it was a year into DDT’s existence and he worked as hard as he could to keep the company from collapsing. He wants to fight Ueno like he is 28 again. In order to do that he is thinking about visiting beauty salons and saunas to build up his stamina for a possible 60 minute long match. He also wants to keep his promise to Konosuke Takeshita. The promise is Takagi wins the KO-D Title one more time, Takeshita wins a singles title in AEW and the two of them will have a champion versus champion match together. Takeshita recently showing intentions to challenge for the IWGP World Heavyweight Title has only made Takagi’s wish become stronger. Ueno’s entire reign as champion has been about him proving he is the ace of DDT. Fighting the company president continues that story and will provide a look into DDT’s future. He will be in the main event of next week’s “ALL TOGETHER” show and wants to convey the fun that DDT brings to wrestling at that event.

It is To-y’s dream to win the KO-D Title so he is all revved up to be in the King Of DDT. KANON was unusually serious when he talked about looking forward to the match. He offered a handshake but To-y didn’t trust him. That caused KANON to burst into tears and claim he was told by Hideki Okatani to win the tournament. He then flipped out and attacked To-y putting him in the Cobra Twist. To-y promised to get revenge afterward.

There is a lot of nostalgia surrounding this year’s tournament because it is the 20th anniversary of the first one. The very first winner Poison Sawada JULIE is not feeling that nostalgia. He knows just how clever and tricky MAO is to fight. He is going to be careful but is confident he will win because of his magic spells. MAO said this year’s tournament is the turning point of DDT and he is that turning point. He has a counter for Sawada’s spells and that is to point somewhere so Sawada loses attention and then punch him in the face. Sawada sees the funny side of MAO’s idea and suggested the entire match just be them casting spells at each other.


DDT In NOAH Limit Break Results

May 1, 2024

NOAH “THE LEAVE PRESENTS LIMIT BREAK EX.”, 27/04/2024
Yokohama Radiant Hall
314 Fans

2. Atsushi Kotoge & Black Menso-re defeated Jun Akiyama & Rukiya when Kotoge pinned Rukiya with the Killswitch (14:32).
3. Tetsuya Endo defeated Hi69 with the Burning Star Press (15:24).
4. Go Shiozaki, Kazuyuki Fujita & Mohammed Yone Vs Shuji Ishikawa, Yuki Iino & Yukio Naya ended in a Time Limit Draw (20:00).
4a. Emergency Decision Match: Go Shiozaki, Kazuyuki Fujita & Mohammed Yone defeated Shuji Ishikawa, Yuki Iino & Yukio Naya when Shiozaki pinned Iino with the Strong Arm Lariat (4:41).

Forgot to write about this last when it happened last week. I have to do a better job keeping track of DDT’s entry into NOAH. The second “LIMIT BREAK” show had more inter-promotional matches between the two companies. Yuki Iino & Yukio Naya found themselves teaming with Shuji Ishikawa for a match against TEAM NOAH that lasted the entire 20 minute time limit. The visiting team still wanted to fight and convinced the NOAH wrestlers to restart the match. The home side won the rematch thanks to Go Shiozaki hitting Iino with the Strong Arm Lariat. Even though the end result wasn’t what the DDT wrestlers wanted, they and Ishikawa took a moral victory by getting a time limit draw and restart in the first place. Iino even blamed NOAH for changing the rules even though his team asked for the restart. The three of them said they want to wrestle the NOAH side even more. In fact, Naya thinks DDT is stronger than NOAH and will prove it to Mohammed Yone if he ever comes over to DDT.

Tetsuya Endo had a singles match against Hi69 and beat him with the Burning Star Press. The two did not shake hands afterwards but according to Endo it was not out of spite. He respects Hi69 and didn’t shake his hand because he thinks there is still more in the fight between them. But Endo also has a bigger reason for showing up in NOAH. He wants to beat Go Shiozaki and demands a singles match between them take place as soon as possible!

DDT lost the other tag match on the show when Jun Akiyama & Rukiya were beaten by Atsushi Kotoge & Black Menso-re. After the match Kotoge called out Akiyama for hiding behind younger wrestlers and challenged him to a singles match. Akiyama took offence to the comments and accepted the challenge for the next “LIMIT BREAK” show. He also took his anger out on Rukiya for taking the fall. He ordered Rukiya not to talk because in NOAH you don’t get to make any comments when you lose. Akiyama would have done the same if Kotoge hadn’t challenged him to a match.


DDT “DDT X ZEEKSTAR TOKYO SPECIAL PERFORMANCE ~ DDZT” Results

April 26, 2024

DDT “DDT X ZEEKSTAR TOKYO SPECIAL PERFORMANCE ~ DDZT”, 26/04/2024
Tokyo Higashin Arena (Sumida City Gymnasium)
687 Fans

0. Dark Match – 3 Way Match: Kazuma Sumi defeated Yuni and Ilusion when Sumi pinned Yuni with a School Boy (7:39).
1. DDT Universal Title: MAO (c) defeated Keigo Nakamura with the Cannonball 450 (13:26).
*V8 for MAO.
2. Kazusada Higuchi & Yuya Koroku defeated Yukio Naya & Rukiya when Higuchi submitted Rukiya with the Canadian Backbreaker (11:41).
3. KO-D 10-Man Tag Team Titles: Chris Brookes, Masahiro Takanashi, Antonio Honda, Takeshi Masada & Mecha Mummy (c) defeated Toru Owashi, Hiroshi Yamato, Tomomitsu Matsunaga, Soma Takao & Shinichiro Kawamatsu when Masada pinned Matsunaga with the Masada No Chikara KOBU Mukimuki (7:44).
*V2 for SCHADENFREUDE International & Mecha Mummy.
4. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title: Sanshiro Unagi defeated Sayaka Unagi (c) with the Stunner (7:46).
*Sanshiro Unagi becomes the 1,626th champion.
-. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title: Sayaka Unagi defeated Sanshiro Unagi (c) with a School Boy (6:23 pm).
*Sayaka Unagi becomes the 1,627th champion.
-. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title: Sanshiro Unagi defeated Sayaka Unagi (c) with a School Boy (6:25 pm).
*Sanshiro Unagi becomes the 1,628th champion.
5. BURNING Vs The 37KAMIINA!: Tetsuya Endo & Yuki Iino defeated Shunma Katsumata & To-y when Endo pinned To-y with the Burning Star Press (11:16).
-. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title: Zeestar defeated Sanshiro Unagi (c) with a Body Press (7:03 pm).
*Zeestar becomes the 1,629th champion.
6. Special Single Match: HARASHIMA defeated Kazuki Hirata (w/ Adachi Tamasuke) with the Somato (12:17).
7. KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles: Daisuke Sasaki, KANON & MJ Paul defeated Jun Akiyama, Danshoku Dieno & Makoto Oishi (c) when Sasaki submitted Oishi with the Crossface Lock (15:28).
*D.O.A fails in V5. DAMNATION T.A becomes the 54th KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Champions!
8. KO-D Openweight Title: Yuki Ueno (c) defeated Akito with the WR (28:42).
*V4 for Yuki Ueno.

It was a long shot from the beginning over Akito’s chances of winning the KO-D Openweight Title. His plan over time was to wear down Yuki Ueno both physically and then mentally in the prelim matches building up to this bout. Ultimately the plan did not work out but Ueno had to work hard for half an hour to retain his championship. By targeting the knee Akito was able to avoid the WR several times. He also unexpectedly adopted some of Danshoku Dieno’s signature moves to try and win. But Ueno was finally able to land his finisher and get the victory. He was full of praise for Akito after the match and he wants to share his dream of bringing DDT all the way to the Tokyo Dome! Akito thanked Ueno by directly presenting him with the winner’s prize for the main event, since he is also the company vice president.

The KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles now belong to DAMNATION T.A again and they don’t want to defend it against anybody! KANON in particular had to go through so much to win the belts. He has been the target of Dieno’s affections lately and that continued with Dieno chasing him all the way up to the balcony seats. KANON got some revenge back in the ring when he was thrown towards Dieno’s Hell Gate and he blocked it with a Volleyball Spike to the rear. Jun Akiyama then found himself getting a face full of the Hell Gate. That left Makoto Oishi alone to fight off both Daisuke Sasaki & MJ Paul but he couldn’t survive. Sasaki put him in the Crossface Lock and he tapped out. Originally D.O.A said they were going to disband as soon as they lost the titles but plans have now changed. Oishi is annoyed that neither Dieno or Akiyama came to save him but he’s not going to break up the unit just yet. He forced the three of them to shake each other’s hands backstage and continue to do their best as Dead Or Alive!

Kazuki Hirata brought out an unknown person to the ring for his match and introduced him as his disciple Adachi Tamasuke. He was allowed by HARASHIMA to stick around at ringside to learn about the business. Whenever HARASHIMA was about to beat Hirata with the Somato, Tamasuke would interrupt the match to ask HARASHIMA questions. That allowed Hirata to recover and try to fight back. HARASHIMA soon lost his temper and slammed him out of frustration. As Tamasuke drifted into unconsciousness he told Hirata all he ever wanted was to see his master do his famous Rainmaker move. Hirata had to tell Tamasuke he confused him for someone else. So instead Tamasuke wished for Hirata and HARASHIMA to dance together. They did but it was all a trap for Tamasuke to grab HARASHIMA and hold him in place. The trap failed and Hirata accidentally knocked out his disciple. He still rolled up HARASHIMA in the Miracle One Shot Cradle but he kicked out and beat Hirata with the Somato. Hirata admitted he hired Tamasuke to become his disciple and he might not have the money to continue training him.

In a non-title match BURNING defeated The 37KAMIINA in a regular tag bout. Tetsuya Endo & Yuki Iino were happy to win their match at the Higashin Arena but both admit they have no emotional connection to the place. They are now turning their attention to the King Of DDT tournament and think they may wind up fighting each other in the final. No matter who wins they want to show the tournament will be about BURNING! It was To-y who took the fall in the match and he is angry over it. He knows it is a single elimination tournament so he cannot afford to lose after working so hard to win the D GENERATIONS CUP and qualify for this. Shunma Katsumata won’t be in the tournament but hearing To-y’s words gave him motivation for the next DDT Extreme Title defence.

Whenever you fight Sanshiro Takagi you can never know what idea he will come up with. You may even find yourself fighting… yourself! Sayaka Unagi was in for a shock when Takagi entered the ring dressed and painted head to toe just like her. He had become Sanshiro Unagi! They fought each other Hardcore style with fire extinguishers, plastic cases and even a castle of chairs getting knocked over outside the ring. Sanshiro kicked out of the Sliding U and suffered a slight wardrobe malfunction when Sayaka accidentally pulled his wig off. The awkward moment left a big enough pause for Sanshiro to give her a Stunner and win the Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title! He explained after the match that Unagi has become a great wrestler who is also famous among people who are not wrestling fans. Takagi dressing up like her today is proof of that! Unagi said she always thought Dramatic Dream Team was a genius idea for a name and she will continue to work hard so she can one day surpass Takagi. She offered a handshake and then surprised Takagi with a roll up to win back the Iron Man Title! Takagi gave her credit and said since they are both from Toyonaka City they should team up as the Unagi Warriors. They left the ring together but then Takagi rolled up Unagi at the entrance to win the Iron Man Title again!

There was another Iron Man Title change later in the show. After Match #5 had finished, DDT and the Zeekstar Tokyo handball team held a few challenges in the venue. First the mascot Zeestar beat Pokotan in a sumo contest. Then Takagi, still in his Unagi costume was encouraged to play in goal for a game of handball where he was obliterated by shots from the Zeekstar team. He was left beaten and laying on the ground so Zeestar decided to pin him and win the title!

The wacky history of the KO-D 10-Man Tag Team Titles can now finally say that a champion team had more than one title defence. SCHADENFREUDE International successfully retained the titles against Toro Owashi and his merry men (he claims there is a secret bond between sumo and parliament which explains his team choices). Mecha Mummy felt left out at some points because it was too heavy to get involved with the tag team moves but it made a big impact using the Mecha Drill on all five opponents. The challengers tried fighting back with Tomomitsu Matsunaga hitting Tommy Bombers and Shinichiro Kawamatsu using the Shitamachi Rocket finisher but Takeshi Masada won the match for his team. Chris Brookes said he loves the 10-Man Tag Titles and wants to defend them in other places like Baka Gaijin + Friends. He will also be fighting Masada in the King Of DDT 1st Round. Both Antonio Honda & Masahiro Takanashi are staying neutral for the match.

More King Of DDT preparation was shown on the undercard with Kazusada Higuchi and Yukio Naya facing off in a tag match. Yuya Koroku and Rukiya were there to be thrown around by the heavyweights. Higuchi got the last hit in on Naya by knocking him off the ring apron with a Lariat. He then made Rukiya submit to the Canadian Backbreaker. Higuchi thinks Naya has gotten stronger since their last singles match against each other but he will not lose to him again. Naya said he wants to prove he is better than Higuchi.

The return of Keigo Nakamura from injury had bigger stakes attached to it when MAO agreed to defend the DDT Universal Title against him. Nakamura wrestled in a new costume and showed some HARASHIMA influence by hitting a Reverse Frankensteiner followed by the Somato. A missed Diving Headbutt stopped his momentum and MAO took over, eventually winning with the Cannonball 450. MAO congratulated Nakamura on his return and told it takes more than just winning to become a strong pro wrestler. You get strong by wrestling a hundred matches a year without getting injured. He encouraged Nakamura to continue wrestling so he can grow stronger.

In the pre-show Kazuma Sumi won in a 3 Way Match. Yuni had things in control when he gave Ilusion a Swinging DDT. He then missed the Phoenix Splash aimed for Sumi and Sumi pinned him with a MIKAMI style School Boy.


DDT “SPOILER FREE BOX OFFICE VOL. 1” Results

April 21, 2024

DDT “SPOILER FREE BOX OFFICE VOL. 1”, 21/04/2024
Kanagawa Tsurumi Fruit & Vegetable Market
312 Fans – Super No Vacancy

1. No DQ Match: Daisuke Sasaki & KANON Vs Bad Buddy Yuni & Pitochiko Sumi ended in a No Contest when it changed into Yuni Vs Kazuma Sumi.
1a. Bad Buddy Yuni defeated Pitochiko Sumi with a Sleeper Hold (7:50).
2. No Rope Survival 4 Way Match: Kazusada Higuchi defeated Yukio Naya, MJ Paul and Gota Ihashi (7:06).
2a. Yukio Naya eliminated MJ Paul by Ring Out (3:46).
2b. Kazusada Higuchi eliminated Yukio Naya by Ring Out (6:43).
2c. Kazusada Higuchi eliminated Gota Ihashi by Ring Out (7:06).
3. Special Tag Match ~ No Tag Rules: Yuki Iino & Yuki “Sexy” Iino (Rukiya) Vs Danshoku Dieno & Danshoku Dieno (Takeshi Masada) ended in a No Contest (12:55).
4. Different Martial Arts Special Tag Match ~ Rhythmic Gymnastics & Amateur Wrestling & Student Pro Wrestling Mixed Rules: Akito Nishigaki & Hayabucha defeated Tetsuya Endo & Yuya Koroku when Hayabucha pinned Koroku with the Firebird Splash (R3 2:59).
5. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Tyrannosaurus Inoue, Super Hardcore Katsumata & To-y Vs Takagi Sanshirobo (w/ Mad Dr. Hige), Pakuri Muso & Super Hardcore Chris ended in a Double Countout (14:35).
6. No Tag Rules: Yuki Ueno, Yuki Ueno (MAO), Yuki Ueno (Shunma Katsumata) & Yuki Ueno (To-y) defeated Kazuki Hirata, Antonio Honda, Kazuki Hirata (Kazuma Sumi) & Antonio Honda (Kazusada Higuchi) when Ueno pinned Hirata & Honda with Double Crucifix Pin (27:24).

Today’s show had a stipulation for the audience to follow. Everything that happened had to be kept secret and not be posted on any social media sites until after midnight. DDT also kept the results to themselves until the same time too. To live up to expectations, every match had something unexpected happen unlong with the unusual lineup that was already advertised. Akito would explain after the show the concept was something new that DDT wanted to do in place of the BOYZ and YaroZ events they used to run.

The main event was advertised as a Handicap Match where Yuki Ueno had to fight Kazuki Hirata & Antonio Honda two on one. Ueno was able to fight them off but just when he was about to win, Kazuma Sumi entered the match as another Kazuki Hirata. Then Kazusada Higuchi climbed into the ring as another Antonio Honda. The numbers soon evened out when Shunma Katsumata & To-y joined the match both acting like Ueno. Tyrannosaurus Inoue showed up continuing its fight against Takagi Sanshirobo. When Inoue was done he stripped out of the dinosaur costume to evolve into MAO as Yuki Ueno! The four Yuki Uenos then danced with the two Hiratas and two Hondas. The match then ended when the real Ueno pinned both the real Hirata & Honda with a Double Crucifix. All four Uenos made comments after the match and Ueno said he felt like his soul was split into four.

Some of the wrestlers in Match #5 took on some unexpected personas. MAO as Tyrannosaurus Inoue and Sanshiro Takagi as Takagi Sanshirobo was already advertised. However Shunma Katsumata and Chris Brookes both showed up in Super Hardcore forms while Fuminori Abe turned into Pakuri Muso, his bootleg version of Jinsei Shinzaki. This left To-y embarrassed because he was the only one not to take up an alter ego for the match. The two teams ended up fighting outside the ring over to where the company truck was parkers. Yoshihiko appeared and jumped off the truck onto everyone below. Katsumata also dived off the truck to put To-y through a table. The match ended in a draw after both teams were counted out.

Match #4 was a mixed martial arts bout in that every wrestler taking part represented a different martial art and the rules of their sport would all be mixed together. This included Tetsuya Endo and his Rhythmic Gymnastics background for some reason. Akito and Yuya Koroku were bout amateur wrestlers while HARASHIMA came in using his student pro wrestling gimmick Hayabucha. The rules included 3 minute long rounds and an amateur wrestling 1 Count for pinfalls. However pins would not be counted until the wrestler scored 18 points for their Gymnastics performance. Also anyone who was knocked out of the ring had to return to the centre and place themselves in the Par Terre position. Hayabucha got the win for his team after giving Koroku the Falcon Arrow followed by the Firebird Splash.

At the beginning of the show an argument broke out among all of the wrestlers involved in Match #3 over Danshoku Dieno dying his hair pink. HARASHIMA calmed everyone down and told them to apologise. The four all bowed but also all banged their heads together. It caused a body swapping situation to happen, turning Takeshi Masada into another Danshoku Dieno while Rukiya became Yuki “Sexy” Iino. The real Yuki Iino finally got to experience what it was like to be a victim of Pheromones because his face was now getting shoved into the butts of other wrestlers. Just like in the old Pheromones matches, things got out of control. Hisaya Imabayashi tried to stop them from going too far but he wound up getting attacked too so the match had to be called off.

The ring ropes were removed for the 4 Way Match and the goal was to knock your opponents out of the ring to the floor. MJ Paul was the first eliminated when Yukio Naya knocked him to the floor. Naya then challenged Higuchi to a Sumo contest but blindsided him with a Knee Strike. Higuchi was knocked out of the ring at the corner but he grabbed onto the top of the post and pulled himself back into the ring without touching the floor. Higuchi then put Naya in the same situation. Naya almost saved himself the same way until Higuchi grabbed him in the Brain Claw and dropped him feet first onto the ground. That left Gota Ihashi as the other wrestler left but Higuchi easily dispatched of him to win.

Yuni & Kazuma Sumi showed up acting like heels and wanted to show DAMNATION T.A what it’s really like to be bad guys. Their match was turned into a No DQ bout. The new “heels” attacked Daisuke Sasaki & KANON with chairs. When they threatened Sasaki with a glass bottle, he pleaded for his life and offered to join their side. The three of them all attacked KANON together. KANON fought back which caused Sasaki to plead for his life again and swear he only joined the other heels as a spy. Yuni missed a chair shot and hit Sumi by accident. That caused the team to break down immediately and the two started fighting each other! KANON decided the match was now Yuni Vs Sumi with Sasaki as the referee. Sumi missed a chair shot, causing it to bounce off the ropes and hit him in the face. Yuni put him in a Sleeper Hold and Sasaki decided to end the match, declaring Yuni as the winner.

At the start of the show Keigo Nakamura approached MAO with a request. He wants his return match against MAO on 26th April to have the DDT Universal Title on the line. It is something he developed a desire to win while he was out recovering from his injury. MAO found the idea interesting. A guy like Nakamura winning the Universal Title in his comeback match? Nothing like this had ever happened before in DDT so MAO agreed to it.

Another title match was set up by Shunma Katsumata. He nominated Antonio Honda to be his next challenger for the DDT Extreme Title. According to Katsumata, Honda’s name is engraved in the title’s history and he must surpass him. Honda thinks not that many fans remember he was once an Extreme Champion. But he did treat the title with care when he held it and he would like to have it again. The title match will go ahead on 17th May. That is a Beer Garden show and Katsumata hopes to come up with a stipulation that will be appropriate for the venue.


King Of DDT 2024 Brackets

April 12, 2024

DDT “KING OF DDT ~20TH ANNIVERSARY~ 1ST ROUND”, 05/05/2024
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

1. King Of DDT 20th Anniversary – Round 1A: MAO Vs Poison Sawada JULIE
2. King Of DDT 20th Anniversary – Round 1B: KANON Vs To-y
3. King Of DDT 20th Anniversary – Round 1C: Yuki Ueno Vs Sanshiro Takagi
4. King Of DDT 20th Anniversary – Round 1D: Yuki Iino Vs Daisuke Sasaki
5. King Of DDT 20th Anniversary – Round 1E: Kazusada Higuchi Vs Yukio Naya
6. King Of DDT 20th Anniversary – Round 1F: HARASHIMA Vs Shuji Ishikawa
7. King Of DDT 20th Anniversary – Round 1G: Tetsuya Endo Vs Danshoku Dieno
8. King Of DDT 20th Anniversary – Round 1H: Chris Brookes Vs Takeshi Masada

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DDT “KING OF DDT ~20TH ANNIVERSARY~ 2ND ROUND”, 11/05/2024
Yokohama Radiant Hall

1. King Of DDT 20th Anniversary – Round 2: Winner Of Match 1A Vs Winner Of Match 1B
2. King Of DDT 20th Anniversary – Round 2: Winner Of Match 1C Vs Winner Of Match 1D
3. King Of DDT 20th Anniversary – Round 2: Winner Of Match 1E Vs Winner Of Match 1F
4. King Of DDT 20th Anniversary – Round 2: Winner Of Match 1G Vs Winner Of Match 1H

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DDT “KING OF DDT ~20TH ANNIVERSARY~ FINAL!!”, 26/05/2024
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

1. King Of DDT 20th Anniversary – Semi Final: X Vs X
2. King Of DDT 20th Anniversary – Semi Final: X Vs X
3. King Of DDT 20th Anniversary – Final: X Vs X


DDT “APRIL FOOL 2024” Results

April 7, 2024

DDT “APRIL FOOL 2024”, 07/04/2024
Tokyo Korakuen Hall
1,334 Fans – Super No Vacancy

0. Dark Match – Unpaid Rumble FINAL!: Sayaka Unagi defeated Sanshiro Takagi by Ring Out (22:43).
Order Of Elimination: Kishida-kun & Lotus Mukai, Bide Nagata & Tonikaku Yaritai Akiyama, Dick Zlater, Thick And Hard Star Kankuro, Hoju Takemoto, Takashi Oyanaka, “Binbin 53cm” Hiwaietto Storm & Ashikoki Saiko & Kota Ibushikoshi & Dragon Sky, Yokutatsu, Yagi Hiroshi, Seto Hiroshi, Erin Takagi, Hurricane Oniba & HAYAZi & Lumberjack & Bison Fuji & Fuck Takeda & Jiro Sora Aoi, Big Bear, KAKERU & Toto Kawakami & Shinya & Tawaramachi Kid Jr. & “My Face Is Hidden Behind A Mask, But My Real Name Is Fukuda” & Torinonta Shinki & Toru Owashi, Ariji Akinori & Itto & Super Yakiniku Machine & Tezuka Awesome, Marilyn Joy & Kinnikuman, Great-CO-Khan, ASHUKA, Nyuji Nagata & GU Nagata & Akito, Tiger Mask V (Self-Proclaimed) & Washitomo Dragon and Sanshiro Takagi.
1. Yuni & Yuya Koroku defeated Ilusion & Munetatsu Nakamura when Koroku submitted Nakamura with the Modified Triangle Lancer (4:01).
2. 4 Way 6-Man Tag Match: Kazusada Higuchi, Yukio Naya & Hideki Okatani defeated Daisuke Sasaki, KANON & MJ Paul, HARASHIMA, Yoshitatsu & Takeshi Masada and Danshoku Dieno, Kazuki Hirata & Kazuma Sumi when Okatani pinned Sumi with the Double Arm Suplex (8:17).
3. D GENERATIONS CUP 2024 – Final: To-y defeated Rukiya with the Kojima Impact (10:22).
4. Special Single Match: Shinya Aoki Vs Chihiro Hashimoto ended in a Time Limit Draw (15:00).
5. DDT Extreme Title – Good Luck!! Survival Deadly Weapon Omikuji Great Battle That Causes Pain: Shunma Katsumata (c) defeated Hi69 with the Sauna Trance Splash from the Giga Ladder (15:37).
*V2 for Shunma Katsumata.
6. KO-D Tag Team Titles: Tetsuya Endo & Yuki Iino (c) defeated Jun Akiyama & Tomomitsu Matsunaga when Iino pinned Matsunaga with a Lariat (9:49).
*V2 for BURNING.
7. Dramatic Dream Tag Match: Yuki Ueno & MAO Vs Zack Sabre Jr. & Chris Brookes ended in a Time Limit Draw (30:00).

Fresh back from its trip to America, DDT had a special main event lined up for it’s April visit to Korakuen Hall. Long time friends Yuki Ueno & MAO teamed up to fight another pair of long time friends, ones that come from England. Chris Brookes invited Zack Sabre Jr. from New Japan over so his mate could get to experience DDT first hand (he brought along Kosei Fujita too). Both Ueno & MAO wanted to fight him and got plenty of chances to do so. What started off with some chain wrestling in the ring burst outside and all the way up to the Korakuen balcony. While Sabre was up there he bumped into Pokotan. They got into a fight that ended with Sabre ripping Pokotan’s head off. Back in the ring The 37KAMIINA convinced Yukinori Matsui to allow the use of plastic cases as weapons. Ueno & MAO Power Bombed Sabre through the cases but Matsui refused to count the pinfall. That was his compromise for not disqualifying The 37KAMIINA over using the boxes as weapons. Sabre turned the tables with his submission game. He countered Ueno’s Shining Wizard into an Ankle Lock while Brookes did what he could to try and keep MAO away from rescuing his partner. The final minutes of the match came down to a back and forth between Ueno and Sabre. In the very last seconds, Ueno was unable to pull off the WR and the match ended in a 30 minute draw.

Ueno told Sabre there must have been plenty of obstacles he had to climb over in order to make this match happen so he thanked him for coming to DDT today. He asked Sabre why did he want to come here? Sabre said he is a big Japanese pro wrestling nerd (as opposed to a Big Japan Pro Wrestling nerd) so getting to wrestle in DDT was a dream come true. Nobody won today though so they need to do another match sometime. Ueno welcomed him into the DDT family and said everyone here from now on will be supporting him on his quest to become the IWGP World Heavyweight Champion! MAO described the crazy couple of days he just went through which included wrestling 5 matches across two days in America. That is the crazy love he has for pro wrestling. It just goes to show if Ueno and MAO want to make pro wrestling bigger then they have the abilities to do it. Backstage Sabre praised Ueno for having high flying skill, power and speed. He also thinks he is both handsome and scary. All that was missing for him during his DDT stay was Yoshihiko. Brookes thinks Yoshihiko still had a few matches scheduled in America which is why it wasn’t here today. Sabre reckons the next time we will see him in DDT, he will be the IWGP Champion!

The current generation of BURNING took on their former coach Jun Akiyama along with Tomomitsu Matsunaga in a wild card role. It was the first time in ten years that former champion Matsunaga got to challenge for the KO-D Tag Team Titles again. And it’s been almost 17 years since he had that tag title reign with Michael Nakazawa. He had pinned Yuki Iino with a Crucifix Pin in the build up to the match but the same move did not create the same result here. Instead Iino powered out of an Exploder Suplex attempt and kept hitting Lariats until Matsunaga could not kick out anymore. Tetsuya Endo said it is always frustrating when a talented wrestler like Matsunaga never gets the spotlight for such a long period of time. He called him one of the most underrated wrestlers around and could tell from today’s match he can do so much more. Akiyama agrees and told Matsunaga he still has a long way to go even at the age of 43. He is also encouraging Endo to build a new BURNING that fits the current era of DDT. Endo still has Kenta Kobashi’s blessing to take the unit name so he should use it however he sees fit. As for Akiyama he always preferred being a Sternness guy.

Luck was needed to get ahead in the DDT Extreme Title match. Mystery boxes were placed in every corner in the ring and whatever the wrestlers could find inside was theirs to use as they pleased. A torii gate was also placed in the ring as a background piece while Shunma Katsumata and Hi69 fought each other. The discovered weapons included chairs, Pico Pico Hammers, stuffed panda toys, the official NOAH protein drink, block toys and most important of all the Giga Ladder! Katsumata jumped off the Giga Ladder and hit the Totonou Splash onto Hi69 for the win to remain champion. He admitted being lucky to win and the result would have been different if he did not draw the Giga Ladder ticket. Hi69 called Katsumata a tomboyish champion but he will not give up on winning the Extreme Title. He wants another shot at Katsumata someday in the future.

In a rematch from December 2022, Chihiro Hashimoto was back in DDT to face Shinya Aoki again. Last time Hashimoto was victorious in under 10 minutes. Aoki was more prepared this time around but his efforts could only earn him a 15 minute time limit draw. Aoki tried using the Cobra Twist and Sleeper Hold to try and submit Hashimoto but her powerful strength kept her in the fight until the time expired. Aoki believed he had spent the last year thinking more about pro wrestling and martial arts than Hashimoto did. It turns out he was wrong and even though he got a draw this time, the gap between them is not closing in. Hashimoto wants to have another rematch and thinks DDT is the only place where it should happen.

The final of the second ever D GENERATIONS CUP had the last spot in this year’s King Of DDT tournament on the line. The bracket came down to To-y against Rukiya and both young wrestler went all out. To-y tried using the Kojima Wonderland a couple of times including one from the top turnbuckle. Rukiya meanwhile wanted to use the Proto Bomb to get the win he wanted so bad. But in the end it came down to To-y using the Kojima Impact for the three count, winning him the D GENERATIONS CUP! Rukiya admitted he didn’t expect to get so much fan support during the tournament. With that support he will climb back up and become stronger. To-y said Rukiya often talks about being plain and good natured. He used to be the same but had to start believing in himself if he wanted to climb higher. That is how he seizes his opportunities. His next opportunity is to enter the King Of DDT and he will use that path to get him even closer to his biggest goal of all, the KO-D Openweight Championship!

The 4 Way Trios match was the last time we’ll be seeing Hideki Okatani in action for a while. After today he is taking time off to recover from a torn ACL in his left knee. With four teams of three all involved there were no tag rules in effect to keep the match going. Danshoku Dieno didn’t pay much attention to the times Kazuma Sumi was in trouble. Sumi however tried to rescue Kazuki Hirata when DAMNATION T.A all ganged up on him armed with chairs. Kazusada Higuchi & Yukio Naya were powerhouses that needed to be dealt with but that was what HARASHIMA, Yoshitatsu & Takeshi Masada were all there for. The match came down to Okatani pinning Sumi with the Double Arm Suplex for the finish.

The teamwork between Yuni & Yuya Koroku was what helped them defeat Ilusion & Munetatsu Nakamura. Koroku ended up submitting Ilusion with the Modified Triangle Lancer.

The Unpaid Rumble was moved to the pre-show as a special dark match. Sanshiro Takagi, Toru Owashi and Akito welcomed a whole bunch of volunteer wrestlers from all corners of the independent, amateur, college and hobby scenes. Along with the regular Battle Royal rules, Hisaya Imabayashi was also judging at ringside with the power to disqualify any entrants if he felt they did not belong in the match for any reason. One by one the participants came and went, each looking odder than the last. Just when it looked like the whole project was a bust, the final entrant appeared. It was Sayaka Unagi with the Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title! She eliminated Takagi to become the last one standing and win the match!

Unagi’s reason for entering the match was because she’s been taking care of the Iron Man Title since January but DDT hasn’t done anything out of it. Is Takagi an idiot? They should fight each other in a singles match and if Unagi wins she will become the Super Big Boss in pro wrestling! Takagi said he doesn’t really want to win the Iron Man Title again but he does in fact like making money so he accepted her challenge. On 26th April Unagi will assess Takagi!

Some returns are coming up soon. Keigo Nakamura’s first match back from injury will be against MAO on 26th April. Yuki Ishida also announced he will be back on 16th May.

The King Of DDT 1st Round Matches on 5th May are MAO Vs Poison Sawada JULIE, KANON Vs To-y, Yuki Ueno Vs Sanshiro Takagi, Yuki Iino Vs Daisuke Sasaki, Kazusada Higuchi Vs Yukio Naya, HARASHIMA Vs Shuji Ishikawa, Tetsuya Endo Vs Danshoku Dieno and Chris Brookes Vs Takeshi Masada.


DDT “APRIL FOOL 2024 TOUR IN YOKOHAMA” Results

March 30, 2024

DDT “APRIL FOOL 2024 TOUR IN YOKOHAMA”, 30/03/2024
Yokohama Radiant Hall
228 Fans – No Vacancy

1. Danshoku Dieno & Antonio Honda defeated Kazuki Hirata & Kazuma Sumi when Honda pinned Sumi with a Japanse Leg Lock Clutch Hold (8:20).
2. HARASHIMA, Kazusada Higuchi & Akito defeated Yukio Naya, Soma Takao & Yuya Koroku when Akito submitted Koroku with the Scorpion Death Lock (10:47).
3. Special Single Match: KANON defeated Hideki Okatani by Referee Stoppage with the Cobra Twist 2.0 (10:38).
4. Special Tag Match: Hi69 & Yasu Urano defeated Shunma Katsumata & Ilusion when Hi69 pinned Ilusion with the Stuka Splash (10:50).
5. Tetsuya Endo & Yuki Iino defeated Jun Akiyama & Rukiya when Endo pinned Rukiya with the Burning Star Press (12:38).
6. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Chris Brookes, Masahiro Takanashi & Takeshi Masada defeated Yuki Ueno, MAO & Yuni when Brookes submitted Yuni with the Elevator Action Death Parade (21:09).

Yuni kind of took the result of the main event personally. He was given a Piledriver by Chris Brookes and then had his legs twisted into submission with the Elevator Action Death Parade. After the match Brookes offered to shake his hand but Yuni slapped him across the face instead. Brookes didn’t let that get to him and allowed Yuni leave. Instead Brookes talked about DDT heading to America next week and when he comes back he’ll be teaming with Zack Sabre Jr. in Korakuen Hall. Backstage Yuni was praised by Yuki Ueno & MAO for showing his competitive spirit. MAO said he would like to bring Yuni on an American tour with him some day. Ueno suggested they can do it in August when Yuni is on his school holidays.

After losing directly to Tomomitsu Matsunaga earlier in the week, BURNING were not taking today’s match lightly. They took Rukiya seriously because they knew he was building up momentum for the D GENERATIONS CUP final. So while Rukyia did well teaming with Jun Akiyama, he took the fall after Yuki Iino Speared him and Tetsuya Endo pinned him with the Burning Star Press. But while the KO-D Tag Team Champions look like they have patched up all the holes in their teamwork, Akiyama has known them long enough to see there are still holes he and Matsunaga can exploit.

A press conference was held at the start of the show where Shunma Katsumata revealed the full rules for his DDT Extreme Title defence against Hi69 coming up on 7th April. The match is called “Good Luck!! Survival Deadly Weapon Omikuji Great Battle That Causes Pain”. There will be a secret item at every corner of the ring. Each item is a weapon that will be legal to use in the match from that point onwards. Katsumata came up with the rules because he has had great luck already this year and Hi69 will need a similar amount to beat him. Hi69 said he likes his pro wrestling to be gentlemanly and mature. However after he won the tag match later in the show, Hi69 admitted he is a tomboyish wrestler too and he will use that style to win the Extreme Title! He has Yasu Urano’s support. Urano thinks DDT is currently stagnant because The 37KAMIINA hold all of the singles titles. Hi69 becoming the Extreme Champion will be the first step towards bringing back the DDT that Urano loves.

KANON’s spot in the King Of DDT tournament is safe and sound after he beat Hideki Okatani. The match was heated from the start when Okatani attacked KANON and they fought outside the ring. KANON used Lariats to wear Okatani down and then put him in the Cobra Twist 2.0. Okatani would not give up but the match had to be stopped for his safety. Backstage Okatani revealed that he tore his ACL in his left knee a while ago and kept it secret so he could work through it. He will take time off after 7th April to heal his injury and promised to come back stronger than ever. When KANON heard the news he said he will wait for Okatani to come back so he can beat him again, this time when he is in perfect condition.

There was no Yuki Ueno Vs Akito preview match today but Akito was still looking for ways to play mind games. He purposely used ground wrestling on Yuya Koroku and submitted him with the Scorpion Death Lock. The reason for that is he thinks Ueno’s ground game is not as good a Koroku’s, even with Koroku just coming back from injury.

Finally after years and years the question everyone wonders was asked. Kazuma Sumi wanted to know why does everybody stand still and listen to Antonio Honda tell his Gongitsune joke? Kazuki Hirata never thought about it so the two agreed to ignore Honda during their match. However Honda showed determination to say his joke no matter how many times he was stopped. His efforts made Hirata & Sumi learn the error of their ways. They allowed Honda to say his joke and the match continued until Honda pinned Sumi to win.

After the match Hirata was suddenly attacked by Yoshihiko! The two fought and Yoshihiko ended up getting the upper hand with the Reincarnation. Backstage Hirata promised to get revenge in America. Yoshihiko then attacked him again.


DDT “SPRING BEER GARDEN PRO WRESTLING – DAY 2” Results

March 26, 2024

DDT “SPRING BEER GARDEN PRO WRESTLING – DAY 2”, 26/03/2024
Tokyo Ueno Park Outdoor Stage
336 Fans

1. Takeshi Masada & Yuni defeated Yuya Koroku & Kazuma Sumi when Masada pinned Sumi with the Masada No Chikara KOBU Mukimuki (7:00).
2. Chris Brookes, Kazusada Higuchi & Hideki Okatani defeated Daisuke Sasaki, KANON & MJ Paul when Okatani pinned KANON with a Sliding Lariat (11:31).
3. Tetsuya Endo & Toru Owashi (w/ Furitsuke Kamen) defeated Kazuki Hirata & Antonio Honda when Endo pinned Honda with the Swivel Torture Rack Bomb (8:40).
4. D GENERATIONS CUP 2024 – Semi Final: Rukiya defeated Munetatsu Nakamura with the Proto Bomb (6:54).
5. D GENERATIONS CUP 2024 – Semi Final: To-y defeated Ilusion with the Kojima Impact (8:53).
6. Jun Akiyama & Tomomitsu Matsunaga defeated Yuki Iino & Yukio Naya when Matsunaga pinned Iino with a Crucifix Pin (14:05).
7. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Yuki Ueno, MAO & Shunma Katsumata defeated Akito, HARASHIMA & Danshoku Dieno when Ueno pinned Akito with a Figure 4 Leg Lock Cutback (23:25).

The spring edition of Beer Garden ended with Yuki Ueno getting a lucky break against Akito. Ueno’s legs were targeted again and Akito put him in a Figure 4 Leg Lock. Extra damage was done when Danshoku Dieno gave Shunma Katsumata the Danshoku Driver on top of Ueno’s chest while he was still in the hold. However when Akito grabbed Ueno by the arm to apply more pressure, Ueno pulled himself up and rolled on top of Akito, pinning his shoulders on the mat for the three count. Akito didn’t mind losing though. He knows his plan of weakening Ueno with limb work match after match is working. He said at Korakuen Hall he was going to poison him and this is what he meant!

In an upset Tomomitsu Matsunaga pinned Yuki Iino! A lot of the tag match had Iino spend time fighting Jun Akiyama and when it came to facing Matsunaga he wasn’t having any trouble. That was until Matsunaga dodged a Lariat and trapped Iino in a Crucifix Pin for the victory. Akiyama praised Matsunaga for the veteran like move because beating a champion is always a big deal no matter how it is done. Iino was mad at the result but Tetsuya Endo got him to calm down. They will get their revenge at the KO-D Tag Team Titles match on 7th April. Matsunaga overheard them playing down the result and took offence. He wants every match to matter and the Tag Titles should not belong to anyone who thinks otherwise.

The D GENERATIONS CUP final on 7th April will be between Rukiya and To-y. Rukiya beat Munetatsu Nakamura to get there while To-y had to get past Ilusion. Rukiya said he will definitely win to prove he is DDT’s strongest young wrestler. To-y promised he will show everyone just how much he has evolved in order to go even higher.

Things went a little bit weird for the match with Furitsuke Kamen in it. Kazuki Hirata is supposed to be the only one in DDT who dances and took offence to Kamen showing up. So for the match he wore black eyeliner to intimidate his opponents (I think he might have been doing Genki Horiguchi’s heel poses too) while Antonio Honda carried a giant inflatable stag beetle to the ring, holding it hostage because Endo loves collecting beetles. Kamen wanted to pause the match so he could lead everyone to a dance but Hirata grabbed him from behind and pulled his mask off. Honda put it on and declared himself to be Chin Chin Mask. When the Gongitsune spot backfired Kamen got his mask back and Endo pinned Honda with the Torture Rack Bomb. After the match Honda learned his lesson and said insects are not tools for conflict. Kamen then got all of the wrestlers to dance with him.

Match #2 had some outside brawling going on with Hideki Okatani and KANON as the focal point even though MJ Paul drove a van into Chris Brookes & Kazusada Higuchi. Back in the ring Daisuke Sasaki tried to give Higuchi the Nenbutsu Power Bomb as used by Jinsei Shinzaki but Brookes stopped him by making him drink beer until Higuchi could regain his senses and do a Back Body Drop counter. Then Paul made Brookes drink the beer. After all of this happened the focus returned to Okatani against KANON and Okatani won with a Sliding Lariat. That didn’t stop the two of them from still fighting each other after the match. When they were pulled apart Okatani made a promise to beat KANON with the Quetzalcoatl. KANON mocked him and said the reason why DDT isn’t promoting the King Of DDT stipulation for their upcoming singles match is because the company doesn’t have high expectations that Okatani will win!


Hi69 Coming Back To DDT, GCW Vs TJPW Card, “No Spoiler” Matches

March 23, 2024

DDT “SPRING BEER GARDEN PRO WRESTLING – DAY 2”, 26/03/2024
Tokyo Ueno Park Outdoor Stage

1. 3 Way Tag Match: Chris Brookes & Takeshi Masada Vs Daisuke Sasaki & KANON (w/ MJ Paul) Vs Kazusada Higuchi & Hideki Okatani
2. Yuki Iino & Yukio Naya Vs Jun Akiyama & Tomomitsu Matsunaga
3. D GENERATIONS CUP Tag Match: Yuni & Yuya Koroku Vs Kazuma Sumi & Tsubasa Suzuki
4. D GENERATIONS CUP 2024 – Semi Final: Munetatsu Nakamura Vs Rukiya
5. D GENERATIONS CUP 2024 – Semi Final: To-y Vs Ilusion
6. Tetsuya Endo & Toru Owashi (w/ Furitsuke Kamen) Vs Kazuki Hirata & Antonio Honda
7. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Yuki Ueno, MAO & Shunma Katsumata Vs Akito, HARASHIMA & Danshoku Dieno

The D GENERATIONS CUP semi finals are To-y Vs Ilusion and Munetatsu Nakamura Vs Rukiya. The winners of those matches will meet in the final on 7th April.

The card has been changed around a little bit to add Tomomitsu Matsunaga into the same match as Jun Akiyama since the two of them will be challenging for the KO-D Tag Team Titles soon. One half of the champs Yuki Iino gets to test them out as a team first.

The opening match is also changed from a 6-Man Tag to a 3 Way Tag. Chris Brookes wasn’t booked on the show yet so he gets added here while MJ Paul is relegated from being in the match to standing at ringside for DAMNATION T.A. That’s a bit weird but okay.

DDT “APRIL FOOL 2024 TOUR IN YOKOHAMA”, 30/03/2024
Yokohama Radiant Hall

1. Danshoku Dieno & Antonio Honda Vs Kazuki Hirata & Kazuma Sumi
2. HARASHIMA, Kazusada Higuchi & Akito Vs Yukio Naya, Soma Takao & Yuya Koroku
3. Tetsuya Endo & Yuki Iino Vs Jun Akiyama & Rukiya
4. Special Single Match: Hideki Okatani Vs KANON
5. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Yuki Ueno, MAO & Yuni Vs Chris Brookes, Masahiro Takanashi & Takeshi Masada
6. Special Tag Match: Shunma Katsumata & Ilusion Vs Hi69 & Yasu Urano

The Hardcore Match for the DDT Extreme Title gets previewed here when Shunma Katsumata and Hi69 collide in tag team action. Hi69 is bringing along Yasu Urano to form a team straight out of the old K-DOJO days. Katsumata will be teaming with Ilusion. The masked wrestler is gradually getting booked more by DDT which is good to see. This will be a good challenge for him.

The fighting between Hideki Okatani and KANON during the first night of Beer Garden did not stop after their match was over. When they were finally pulled apart Okatani demanded KANON to fight him in a singles match. When the match was confirmed to go ahead, Okatani then went on Twitter and challenged KANON to put his King Of DDT spot on the line. If Okatani wins he takes KANON’s place in the tournament. In return Okatani has an idea for a punishment in mind for himself should he lose. He hasn’t said what it is yet but KANON is intrigued enough to risk gambling his tournament spot away.

GCW/TOKYO JOSHI PRO “GCW VS TJPW”, 06/04/2024
Penns Landing Caterers Auditorium, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA

1. Suzume Vs Pom Harajuku
2. Session Moth Martina Vs Raku
3. Dark Sheik Vs Yuki Kamifuku
4. Steph De Lander Vs Hyper Misao
5. Shazza McKenzie Vs Arisu Endo
6. Sawyer Wreck & Allie Katch Vs Mizuki & Nao Kakuta
7. Billie Starkz & Janai Kai Vs Rika Tatsumi & Miu Watanabe
8. Special 6-Woman Tag Match: Rina Yamashita, Masha Slamovich & Maki Itoh Vs Miyu Yamashita, Shoko Nakajima & Yuki Aino

The GCW Vs Tokyo Joshi Pro full match lineup is here and… uh… yeah… There is an audience out there that’s into this card. I’m not part of it outside of the main event. Maybe the other two top matches as well if everybody involved all click together on the day. I’ll have a preview for the show written up along with one for “TJPW LIVE IN PHILLY” a little after next week. I’ve already written most of it already because so much is happening at the end of March and the start of April.

DDT “APRIL FOOL 2024”, 07/04/2024
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

1. No Gamble FINAL!: Sanshiro Takagi, Akito & Toru Owashi Vs X
2. D GENERATIONS CUP 2024 – Final: X Vs X
3. Special Single Match: Shinya Aoki Vs Chihiro Hashimoto
4. DDT Extreme Title – Hardcore Match: Shunma Katsumata (c) Vs Hi69
5. KO-D Tag Team Titles: Tetsuya Endo & Yuki Iino (c) Vs Jun Akiyama & Tomomitsu Matsunaga
6. Dramatic Dream Tag Match: Yuki Ueno & MAO Vs Zack Sabre Jr. & Chris Brookes

The reason why Matsunaga was chosen by Akiyama to be his partner is because of his work ethic behind the scenes. Matsunaga only wrestles part-time in DDT nowadays, usually as a substitute for someone who can’t be at the show for whatever reason. However he keeps himself in shape and is always ring ready when he does get called up as a replacement. Akiyama appreciates that and wants to see if that work ethic can be converted into a championship win for them.

DDT “SPOILER FREE SHOW VOL. 1”, 21/04/2024
Kanagawa Tsurumi Fruit & Vegetable Market

1. Different Martial Arts Special Tag Match: Tetsuya Endo & Yuya Koroku Vs Akito Nishigaki & Hayabucha
2. 1 Vs 2 Special Handicap Match: Yuki Ueno Vs Kazuki Hirata & Antonio Honda
3. Special Tag Match: Danshoku Dieno & Rukiya Vs Yuki Iino & Takeshi Masada

The gimmick for this show is that no information about what happens is allowed to be posted online until after midnight. That won’t be much of a problem for me because where I am I just have to wait until after 4pm local time to start looking up the results. That’s not out of the ordinary for me with the regular show results and reports.

A forbidden in-ring reunion for Danshoku Dieno and Yuki Iino. The two former members of Pheromones will face each other for the first time since the unit’s split back in October of last year.

DDT’s top wrestler of the moment Yuki Ueno has to fight both Kazuki Hirata & Antonio Honda by himself. Is that really much of a challenge for him though?

Four different athletic backgrounds clash in a “martial arts” tag match. Tetsuya Endo represents rhythmic gymnastics, Yuya Koroku is junior high amateur wrestling, Akito is high school amateur wrestling and HARASHIMA goes back to his college club student pro wrestling roots by becoming Hayabucha again. At least I assume it’s going to be HARASHIMA under the mask here.