DDT “FIGHTING BEER GARDEN 2025 IN SHINJUKU – DAY 1”, 15/07/2025 Shinjuku FACE ??? Fans – Unannounced
1. Yuya Koroku defeated Yuki Ishida with the Chickenwing Arm Lock (9:51).
2. Director Contra Retirement Match: Yuki Iino, Yukio Naya, HARASHIMA & Akito defeated Daisuke Sasaki, Hideki Okatani, Ilusion, MJ Paul & Mataro when Iino pinned Mataro with The Apex Elbow Drop (12:20).
3. Rock ‘N’ Roll 4 Way Death Match: MAO (w/ KIMIHIRO) defeated A.YAZAWA, Kazuki Hirata and Takeshi Masada when MAO pinned YAZAWA with the Stone Cold Stunner (15:30).
4. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Kazusada Higuchi, Yuki Ueno & Chris Brookes defeated Daichi Sato, Yuni & Kazuma Sumi when Higuchi pinned Yuni with a Body Slam (14:16).
5. DDT Extreme Title – About 24 Hours!! 10,000 Yen Of Pocket Money!! Pro Wrestling Excursion Death Match: To-y (c) defeated Hikaru Sato with the Kaze Ni Nare Splash (25:43:21).
*V1 for To-y.
6. Special Single Match: Danshoku Dieno defeated KANON with the Gaydo Clutch (11:55).
During the start of the show Danshoku Dieno and KANON had an interaction over at the autograph session that resulted in them getting into a fight. HARASHIMA stepped in to calm them down and the two bowed to each other in apology. However they ended up clashing heads and swapping bodies with each other! For the main event Dieno walked out wearing KANON’s gear and being accompanied by the rest of Strange Love Connection while KANON appeared in Dieno’s gear doing his style of entrance. Dieno in KANON’s body eventually put himself in the Hell Gate position where several wrestlers at ringside were thrown face first into his backside. Ryoma Tsukamoto, MAO, Kazuma Sumi and Yuki Ishida were all made victims of this and they all stripped off their clothes to reveal they were wearing Danshoku outfits underneath! While they caused chaos in the venue, KANON and Dieno clashed heads again and swapped their bodies back to normal. Dieno then gave KANON the Lip Lock and pinned him with the Gaydo Clutch. KIMIHIRO tried to close out the show with SLC but MAO & KANON both gave him the Lip Lock instead. Backstage Dieno said he isn’t sure if today gives him any momentum for his upcoming match against Hiroshi Tanahashi. But he did Tanahashi’s “Aishitemasu” pose to send him a message.
In the 24 hours leading into this show To-y and Hikaru Sato were given pocket money to spend on anything they wanted to use as weapons for their DDT Extreme Title match. The rules also allowed them to find ways to increase their pocket money whether it was through a public autograph session or even gambling. The match itself was also ongoing but the two were so busy finding ways to make cash and spend it that they ignored fighting each other until they actually got to the venue. To-y actually travelled to Odaiba and Sato to Harajuku at certain points in the day in search of allies to hire. To-y tried to hire Yukio Naya and Shunma Katsumata while Sato gave money to Minoru Suzuki but it turned out it was only to buy some stuff from his Piledriver shop. However it turned out Sato did indeed buy some hired goons because Ryoma Tsukamoto, Takahiro Tababa and Gajo all agreed to attack To-y for only 100 yen each. However Yuya Koroku decided to come to To-y’s rescue and even the odds somewhat. Sato put on a Minoru Suzuki shirt and the image of Suzuki intimidated To-y. But To-y took the shirt off Sato and put it on himself, causing Sato to freeze in fear at the sight of Suzuki staring back at him. The shirt also intimidated the goons into joining To-y’s side and they all piled on top of Sato after To-y did a Diving Splash while shouting “Kaze Ni Nare”. To-y said it was fate that Sato was his first challenger for the Extreme Title (actually it was a fan vote on Twitter). He also told him that any money he lent from him would not be given back. Koroku though helped To-y for free so rather than give him money, To-y asked if he would like to challenge for the Extreme Title instead? Koroku said yes because he is jealous of To-y for being the first D GENERATIONS wrestler to win that championship. The title match will go ahead at “WRESTLE PETER PAN 2025 – DAY 1” on 30th August.
Daichi Sato was convinced by NωA Jr. to join in with their musical entrance for the 6-Man Tag Match. While they tried their best in the actual match they ended up being picked apart by Kazusada Higuchi, Yuki Ueno & Chris Brookes. The finish came from Higuchi repeatedly Body Slamming Yuni, encouraging him to get back up after each one. Yuni tried fighting back with some Elbow Strikes but Higuchi knocked him down with a Chop and pinned him with one final Body Slam. He gave him words of encouragement after the match, explaining that if he feels frustrated then that means he is serious about wrestling. The hiatus he is about to take also shows he is taking his college entry exams seriously as well. So if there is only one thing Higuchi can say to him it is he must pass!
KIMIHIRO got involved in the Rock ‘N’ Roll Death Match a couple of ways. Most of the music for the match played over the speakers but at one point he sang along to it with MAO joining in for a duet. KIMIHIRO also joined in with the dancing by the end and was caught in a chain of Stunners that led to MAO pinning A.YAZAWA for the win.
There was a surprise return on the show when Mataro walked out with DAMNATION T.A instead of Daisuke Sasaki! He told Akito he came here today to rise up against the ruling elite! For the last 20 years he’s been working the cameras and videos for DDT and CyberFight and he is tired of recording third rate wrestlers! Akito decided if Mataro was going to wrestle this match then he must retire if he loses. But DAMNATION T.A won then Akito would step down as Vice President of CyberFight. When the match began Sasaki was found at ringside working as a cameraman and decided to join in on the action after all. Mataro tried to submit Yuki Iino with the Crossface and when that didn’t work he went for a Lariat while Sasaki held Iino from behind. Iino broke free and Mataro hit Sasaki by mistake. Iino then took Mataro down and pinned him with The Apex Elbow, forcing Mataro into retirement for a second time. He also got a retirement ceremony again.
DDT “ROCK IN RING 2025 ~STRIKE THE BEAT, SHOUT THE CHEERS~”, 13/07/2025 Tokyo Korakuen Hall ??? Fans – Unannounced
0. Dark Match: Naomi Yoshimura & Antonio Honda defeated Soma Takao & Yuni when Honda pinned Yuni with a Jackknife Pin (6:36).
1. Chris Brookes, Jun Akiyama & Daichi Sato defeated Yuki Iino, Yukio Naya & Yuki Ishida when Sato pinned Ishida with the Mad Splash (8:29).
2. 3 Way Match: Super Sasadango Machine defeated Danshoku Dieno and Kazuki Hirata when Sasadango pinned Hirata with a School Boy (4:19).
3. Special 6-Man Tag Match: MAO, KANON & Kazuma Sumi (w/ KIMIHIRO) defeated Masashi Takeda, Ilusion & Haruto Sakuraba when MAO pinned Ilusion with a Japanese Leg Roll Clutch (11:10).
4. Special Tag Match: Kosei Fujita & Takeshi Masada defeated To-y & Yuya Koroku when Masada pinned Koroku with the Masada no Chikara KOBU Mukimuki (12:22).
5. DDT Universal Title: Minoru Suzuki (c) defeated Shinya Aoki by Referee Stoppage with Elbow Strikes (15:17). *V3 for Minoru Suzuki.
6. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Yuki Ueno, Akito & Kaisei Takechi defeated Daisuke Sasaki, Hideki Okatani & MJ Paul when Ueno pinned Paul with the BME (11:40).
7. KO-D Openweight Title: Kazusada Higuchi (c) defeated HARASHIMA with the Claw Slam (16:55). *V1 for Kazusada Higuchi.
The new KO-D Openweight Champion treated his first defence as if he was the challenger instead of the title holder. Kazusada Higuchi took on this mindset because his opponent was HARASHIMA, one of his most difficult career opponents who he had never beaten in previous matches where the KO-D Title was on the line. HARASHIMA targeted Higuchi’s arm in a bid to shut down the Claw Hold and Claw Slam. Higuchi caught HARASHIMA’s Somato at ringside and slammed him back first onto the ring apron. He was also able to apply the Claw Hold after catching a kick leaving HARASHIMA open to be grabbed. HARASHIMA took him down with a Cross Armbreaker but Higuchi powered himself back to his feet to slam him down. He did get hit with the Somato but kicked out and was able to pin HARASHIMA with the Claw Slam to score his first defence.
After the match Higuchi called HARASHIMA a crazy 51 year old. Higuchi has only been able to beat him once so he has a long way to go. HARASHIMA told him he will keep challenging again and again if he can so Higuchi should keep polishing the belt for when he takes it back. Hisaya Imabayashi then told Higuchi his next title defence will be at Night 1 of “WRESTLE PETER PAN 2025” on 30th August. Before Higuchi could select his challenger, Jun Akiyama entered the ring and said the time is right for Higuchi to wrap the belt around his waist again. Higuchi responded that he will make Akiyama wrap the belt around his waist one more time and accepted the challenge. Akiyama then took the first shot by hitting Higuchi with a Lariat! The winner of the match will go on to defend the title on Night 2 of “WRESTLE PETER PAN 2025” on 31st August against the winner of a Battle Royal that will be held on 16th July.
It was a baptism of fire for DDT’s newest signing. Kaisei Takechi brought in a big crowd to the show like he did in his previous DDT appearances last year. Now THE RAMPAGE star will be delving into a deeper adventure into the promotion starting off with a match against DAMNATION T.A. He and Hideki Okatani had fought before and Okatani gave him a cheap shot to start off the match. Takechi relied on teamwork with Yuki Ueno & Akito to control the match until Daisuke Sasaki threw a chair at him and beat him up around ringside. Takechi caught a chairshot from Sasaki only to get hit from behind by Okatani with another chair. Yet the big comeback had Akito Side Suplex MJ Paul and Ueno follow up with a Frog Splash. The Takechi grabbed Sasaki by the neck and Choke Slammed him out of the ring onto the rest of DAMNATION T.A plus a few ringside seconds below. With the ring cleared, Ueno then landed the BME on Paul to win the match.
Takechi got on them microphone afterwards and spoke about his goal to bring pro wrestling to people who have never seen it before. If these dots connect they can make the circle of fans even bigger and create an amazing whirlwind that will help DDT become more popular. He wants to fight more opponents in DDT and also confirmed he will compete at “ULTIMATE PARTY 2025” in Sumo Hall on 3rd November. Akito, speaking from his role as a CyberFight director later said he would like to get Takechi to appear in DDT as regularly as he can before that show. Ueno asked if that means he could even be at the outdoor Ueno Park shows? Akito said absolutely! DAMNATION T.A also wants to fight Takechi more often. They accept him as a DDT wrestler but warn him that next time he won’t get away with the trouble he caused them today!
There’s been a few times Minoru Suzuki and Shinya Aoki have shared the wrestling ring together but today was the first singles match between the two accomplished fighters. The DDT Universal Title held by Suzuki was on the line too so both were trying to be at the top of their game. Suzuki flipped a switch and turned a back and forth grapple exchange into a ringside fight. Aoki hit a dive and then back in the ring went for different submissions until he locked in the Full Nelson Hold. However when he rolled it into the Aoki Clutch it was too close to the ropes and Suzuki escaped the pin because of it. Aoki applied the Full Nelson again but this time Suzuki rolled out of it and applied the Sleeper Hold as a counter. Aoki tried reversing it only to end up back in the Sleeper Hold. However Aoki still had some fight left in him and did what he could to avoid the Gotch-Style Piledriver until Suzuki fish hooked his mouth to finally pull off the move. Rather than go for the pin, Suzuki instead slapped and threw elbow strikes at Aoki repeatedly until Yukinori Matsui called for the match to end by TKO.
Suzuki told Aoki this is how much fun pro wrestling can be. Someone like Aoki cannot even get a foothold on Suzuki so Suzuki told him to get out of the ring. He then asked if there was any challenger out there who deserves to be called a Universal Champion? MAO came down to the ring and Suzuki admitted he was waiting for him to show up. MAO talked about his recent success with Strange Love Connection as well as his performances in the Best Of The Super Juniors. All of a sudden he is now feeling the urge to beat Suzuki, bring the Universal Title back to DDT and more importantly bring it back to himself! Suzuki accepted the challenge and said he’s been wanting to wrestle MAO after travelling to shows in other countries with him. MAO later called the Universal Title his ex-lover and he’s going to rescue it from that lust-driven old man!
A close friendship that crosses wrestling companies led to Takeshi Masada inviting this year’s BOSJ winner Kosei Fujita over for a tag match. The two of them fought To-y & Yuya Koroku in a match showcasing their generation. Most of the match pitted Fujita against To-y while Masada and Koroku continued their growing rivalry. Masada & Fujita ended up gelling greatly as a team and won in the end. Fujita wiped out T-oy with a dive out of the ring allowing Masada to pin Koroku with the Masada no Chikara KOBU Mukimuki.
Things went up a notch after the match when Chris Brookes entered the ring with Bunbun on his hand. Shortly following after him was the arrival of Zack Sabre Jr.! All of a sudden there was a face off between the SCHADENFREUDE International side and the TMDK side. Bunbun started mouthing off so Sabre grabbed him off Brookes’s hand and threw him out of the ring. While this was going on Hisaya Imabayashi had gotten in contact with New Japan and got their permission to book Sabre’s match at Night 1 of “WRESTLE PETER PAN 2025”. It’s going to be Brookes & Masada against Sabre & Fujita! Backstage Fujita said he had fun in DDT today and he’d like to return the favour and invite Masada over to NJPW sometime.
DAMNATION T.A’s massive weapon was back for his second match. Haruto Sakuraba teamed with KANON for his debut but things were different this time. Now KANON is the enemy that Sakuraba came to rip apart while Ilusion and Masashi Takeda made life hell for MAO & Kazuma Sumi. However Sumi was in sync with the Strange Love Connection and KANON fought to match Sakuraba’s power with his own. Sakuraba came out on top of the exchange but Ilusion couldn’t capitalize on it. He missed the Swanton Bomb aimed for MAO and was rolled up in a Japanese Leg Roll Clutch while KANON used the Cobra Twist on Sakuraba and Sumi pinned down Takeda with a School Boy to hold them both back from breaking the pin. After the match KANON and Sakuraba continued to provoke each other. Then backstage Sakuraba blamed Ilusion for losing the match and said it isn’t over between him and KANON.
The participants of the 3 Way Match were given strict instructions by Hisaya Imabayashi to not waste any time and start right at the climax. So Danshoku Dieno immediately went into the Hell Gate position in the corner while Super Sasadango Machine unmasked himself and laid prone on the canvas. He then got back up to attack Kazuki Hirata once Hirata finished his entrance. When Dieno got the back of his tights fully pulled down, Imabayashi ran into the ring to protest it and give Sasadango a Stunner. Hirata knocked out the GM and shoved him face first into Dieno’s Hell Gate. He then hit Sasadango with an Axe Bomber but as he posed heroicly, Sasadango rolled him up with a School Boy to win the match.
After the 3 Way Match ended, Sasadango had a PowerPoint presentation to shoe everyone. In it he talked about his recent DDT Vs NJPW match and how afterwards Hiroshi Tanahashi met him in the waiting room asking to be treated to a meal sometime. Sasadango couldn’t help but wonder what Tanahashi’s intention was so he looked into the origin of the word “ogoru” (“treat”). He found out the word can be used for arrogance or pride, then discovered a Greek origin where it refers to someone following their desires and stepping into forbidden territory. So when Tanahashi asked him to treat him to a meal, Sasadango worked out that what he really meant was Tanahashi wants a singles match against Danshoku Dieno! DDT then confirmed the match will happen at Night 2 of “WRESTLE PETER PAN 2025” on 31st August!
When Dieno heard about the match he said it will not be about DDT or NJPW. For him the match is his final chance to see if Dieno’s way of life can reach Tanahashi. He then talked about the recent “shocking” discovery that Sasadango is really Muscle Sakai, who retired from pro wrestling 15 years ago. The anniversary of that retirement is coming up so Dieno thinks it would be a good time for Sakai to revisit that match. This is going to be Dieno’s treat to Sasadango. It was then announced that Muscle Sakai will face Minoru Suzuki at Night 1 of “WRESTLE PETER PAN 2025” on 30th August!
The Apex met their next challengers in a preview of the upcoming KO-D Tag Team Titles match. Jun Akiyama & Daichi Sato went toe to toe with them with Chris Brookes and Yuki Ishida throwing themselves into the action. Sato suffered the numbers game against Yuki Iino & Yukio Naya but Akiyama & Brookes were there to cut them off. That left Sato to give Ishida a Fire Thunder Driver and then get the win with the Mad Splash.
The dark match had Antonio Honda telling his jokes, Naomi Yoshimura joining in the fun, Soma Takao shilling the Dropkick Bar shirt and Yuni Moonsaulting into Honda’s raised feet so he could get pinned with a Jackknife afterwards.
There was a lot of news announcements at the beginning of the show. Rukiya announced he will return from injury on 17th August. He has been out of action since May 2024 with a cervical sprain. He described how frustrated he was seeing the other young wrestlers working so hard while he’s been gone so he is starting from scratch in a bid to catch up, surpass them and reach to the top.
A new trainee introduced himself to everybody and this one is noteworthy. If “Happy Boy” Hinata Kasai is a name that sounds familiar then it should because he is the son of “Crazy Monkey” Jun Kasai! Hinata is 21 years old from Yokohama, is 171cm tall and weighs 79kg. He will make his pro wrestling debut at Night 1 of “WRESTLE PETER PAN 2025” on 30th August. There is a dream he set out for himself and that is to surpass his father as a pro wrestler!
This year’s Right To Challenge Anytime, Anywhere challenge was announced. It will begin next month with four Right To Challenge prizes being put on the line in matches held on the 9th, 10th, 16th and 17th August. The four prizes are all KO-D Openweight Title shots that can be cashed in during the period between 9th August and 19th October. If a prize holder directly loses a match on a DDT show they will transfer their title shot over to the person that beat them.
1. Soma Takao defeated Munetatsu Nakamura with a Rotating Cradle (9:18).
2. Hideki Okatani defeated Lil’ Kraken with the Vertical Drop Brainbuster (10:24).
3. Takeshi Masada defeated Ryoma Tsukamoto with the Masada no Chikara KOBU Mukimuki (12:16).
4. Special Tag Match: Keisuke Ishii & Shigehiro Irie defeated To-y & Yuya Koroku when Irie pinned Koroku with the Beast Bomber (13:46).
5. Special Tag Match: Yuki Ishida & Kazuma Sumi defeated Shota & Kazuki Hirata when Sumi pinned Hirata with the School Boy (0:16).
5a. Rematch: Yuki Ishida & Kazuma Sumi defeated Shota & Kazuki Hirata when Sumi pinned Hirata with the School Boy (12:36).
6. Battle Royal: Kazuma Sumi defeated Takeshi Masada and To-y by Double Ring Out (6:18). Order Of Elimination: Yuki Ishida, Yuya Koroku, Takeshi Masada & To-y.
Momentum is building up for D GENERATIONS in their feud with the Young Communication. What started out as a spur of the moment show to showcase DDT’s fresh blood is quickly starting to develop itself into a proper sub-brand. The D GENERATIONS group are in the middle of developing their own logo so they decided the winner of the main event Battle Royal would get their colour used for the final logo. Kazuma Sumi ended up winning by eliminating both Takeshi Masada & To-y at the same time. What happened was Masada and To-y were both knocked out of the ring but were caught by Yuki Ishida and Yuya Koroku without touching the floor. Sumi then did a Topé Suicida to knock them all down. Since he went throuh the rope instead of over it, that meant he didn’t eliminate himself so he won the match! The logo will now be in his colour which is yellow because that colour represents happiness. He thinks it will be a suitable colour for the logo that will liven up D GENERATIONS while he makes it even more exciting.
The home side were braced for danger when Shota warned he would be bringing along a secret weapon for this show but it just turned out to be Kazuki Hirata. He was quickly pinned by Sumi and didn’t realized until afterwards what his role as Secret Weapon X was meant to be so he demanded a restart. He & Shota put up a bigger fight this time but Sumi & Ishida were still able to beat them a second time. Hirata praised his younger opponents for being so strong. He claims to have nothing left to teach them so he wishes them luck in surpassing the Young Communication. Shota was annoyed that Hirata kept forgetting who the enemy was and promised to bring a proper Secret Weapon X next time.
At this point it looks like the Young Generation are bring propped up by Keisuke Ishii & Shigehiro Irie. They proved to still be to high a wall for D GENERATIONS to climb over after they defeated To-y & Koroku.
DDT “KING OF KINGS ~ARASHI’S JUNE SHOWDOWN~”, 29/06/2025 Tokyo Korakuen Hall ??? Fans – Unannounced
0. Dark Match: Naomi Yoshimura & Yuki Ishida defeated Akito & Kazuma Sumi when Ishida pinned Sumi with the Flame Palm (6:46).
1. Jun Akiyama, Daichi Sato & Soma Takao defeated Toru Owashi, Antonio Honda & Takeshi Masada when Sato pinned Masada with the Mad Splash (8:53).
2. International Special Tag Match: Mansoor & Mason Madden defeated Danshoku Dieno & Kazuki Hirata when Madden pinned Hirata after the Danshoku Driver-Style Centrefold (8:57).
-. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title: Sanshiro Takagi defeated Poison Sawada JULIE (c) with the Stunner (12:08 pm). *Sanshiro Takagi becomes the 1,749th champion.
3. Special Tag Match: MJ Paul & Ilusion defeated HARASHIMA & Kumadori when Ilusion pinned Kumadori with a Cradle (10:43).
4. 3 Way Tag Match: Daisuke Sasaki & Hideki Okatani defeated MAO & KANON (w/ KIMIHIRO) and Shunma Katsumata & To-y when Sasaki submitted Katsumata with La Mistica Crossface Lock (8:39).
5. Special Tag Match: Minoru Suzuki & Yuki Ueno defeated Shinya Aoki & Yuya Koroku when Ueno pinned Koroku with a Chickenwing Arm Lock Counter (14:03).
6. KO-D Tag Team Titles: Yuki Iino & Yukio Naya defeated Fuminori Abe & Takuya Nomura (c) when Naya pinned Abe with The World’s Best Back Drop (14:14). *Astronauts fails in V6. The Apex become the 87th KO-D Tag Team Champions!
7. KO-D Openweight Title: Kazusada Higuchi defeated Chris Brookes (c) with the Claw Slam (20:43). *Chris Brookes fails in V5. Kazusada Higuchi becomes the 85th KO-D Openweight Champion!
Three months after his return from injury, Kazuasada Higuchi has climbed to the top of DDT again to regain his place as the KO-D Openweight Champion! His match with Chris Brookes started with a Chop battle and quickly escalated from there. Brookes did a Piledriver onto the ring apron, a Diving Foot Stomp to the outside, an Avalanche Double Arm Suplex back into the ring and also the Somato. Higuchi kicked out of the Praying Mantis Bomb, Heabutted his way into taking control of the match and did the Claw Slam, which Brookes also kicked out of. Higuchi then powered his way out of the Octopus Hold and used Lariats as well as the Doctor Bomb to soften up the champ. Another Claw Slam (that Brookes tried to stop by pinching Higuchi’s nose) after that kept Brookes down for the count and made Higuchi the new champion!
Brookes was leaving the ring when Higuchi called for him to come back. He told Brookes he is really strong for brushing off every challenge that has come his way in order to defend the KO-D Title. Brookes wrapped the belt around Higuchi’s waist then Harimao and SCHADENFREUDE International shared cans of beer together. Higuchi talked about how it was his dream to regain the title when HARASHIMA approached the ring. He said he always admires strength which is why he always aiming to win the strongest championship in DDT. Therefore he is here to challenge Higuchi for a title match! Higuchi agreed and the match will take place at Korakuen Hall on 13th July.
A new heavyweight tag team has taken over the tag division. Yuki Iino & Yukio Naya only just recently joined forces but their combined power was too much for Astronauts to handle. The result brings an end to their KO-D Tag Team Title reign at the halfway point of reaching their goal to get the most title defences. Fuminori Abe continued to stop Iino from doing his “I Am BURNING! Yeah!” catchphrase as he’s been doing in the buildup to this match. But Iino got the last laugh by hitting him and Takuya Nomura with a Double Spear then gave another Spear to Nomura so he wouldn’t be able to stop Naya pinning Abe with The World’s Best Back Drop. However Abe was able to get one last sucker punch in to stop Iino from saying his catchphrase after the match.
Despite becoming the new KO-D Tag Champs, Naya told Iino they still have a lot to learn but at least together they will make DDT the best it can be. Iino is pleased to have safely come back from his eye injury and win his comeback match. He also revealed to everyone their tag team’s new name. Is it BURNING? No, it is The Apex! They way he announced it left the audience feeling a bit confused but Jun Akiyama & Daichi Sato walked out to quickly move on from the awkward moment so they could challenge The Apex for the titles. Akiyama even said out loud what a confusing name it is. Earlier in the show Sato directly won a DDT match for the first time today and he wants to carry on that momentum to get a title shot with Akiyama. Naya accepted but warned Sato not to get too cocky just because he won one match. The title bout will happen in Sumitomo on 27th July.
Earlier in the show Minoru Suzuki and Shinya Aoki had a contract signing segment for their DDT Universal Title match taking place on 13th July. It went ahead without any trouble although the two had a tense staredown at the end of it. Then later in the show they fought in a tag team match with Yuki Ueno on Suzuki’s team and Yuya Koroku on Aoki’s. This turned out to be a lot more dangerous with Suzuki and Aoki having a ringside brawl with chairshots being thrown. Back in the ring Koroku went for the Triangle Lancer on Ueno but Suzuki found himself getting trapped in Aoki’s Sleeper Hold. Ueno made a surprise cradle counter on Koroku to get away with the win but as this was happening, his partner Suzuki was choked out cold by Aoki! After the match Aoki got on the microphone and simply said it was an “Easy job.” He had already made his way to the back when Suzuki regained consciousness. Suzuki then immediately went on a rampage by kicking referees, attacking the wrestlers doing ringside duties and throwing furniture around the venue.
A 3 Way Tag Match featuring wrestlers from Strange Love Connection, The 37KAMIINA and DAMNATION T.A was always going to get out of control. To-y wanted to show how crazy he is but Daisuke Sasaki hit him in the back with a chair. To-y tried to get revenge with a Diving Body Press but Sasaki blocked it with his knees. MAO & KANON worked over Hideki Okatani with double team moves until Shunma Katsumata stunned MAO with a Thrust Kick. MAO fired back with the Michinoku Driver II but Sasaki broke the pin and then put Katsumata in La Mistica Crossface Lock to make him tap out.
Other members of DAMNATION T.A played spoiler for Kumadori’s return to DDT. Ilusion in particular wanted to make an example of the O-MENZ dancer because he got served when it comes to dance moves. HARASHIMA came to Kumadori’s aid by hitting Ilusion with a Standing Somato and then went to hold MJ Paul back. But Ilusion found the referee’s blind spot to give Kumadori a Low Blow and get away with cradling him for the three count. Ilusion made fun of Kumadori afterwards, calling him a weak baby who should go back to his mom’s bed instead of being in the ring. Kumdaori demanded a singles match with Ilusion and he is going to get it at Shinjuku FACE on 16th July.
Perhaps MxM Collection are an even better fit in DDT than I thought. They made their entrance to “Death By Glamour” from Undertale and did their own little dance along with their chic poses. They weren’t going to beat Danshoku Dieno & Kazuki Hirata in a popularity contest though, if only because Dieno brought his pet dog Haku down to the ring. Once the match actually began Mansoor quickly found out how much of a pervert Dieno is. MxM did some of their own Danshoku moves to Hirata but that only made Dieno want to take Hirata’s place. It fired him up enough to get the hot tag just so nothing could stop him from getting a piece of Mason Madden. But when Madden grabbed him for a Choke Slam, Dieno successfully pleaded him not to do it because Haku was watching from the corner. When Mason bowed to Haku in apology Dieno knocked him out of the ring, attached the handle to Haku’s dog collar around his neck and made Haku walk forward to strangle him. Mansoor then tried to take Haku and bring him up to the top rope when Hirata stopped him. Dieno stripped off his main tights and tried to do Danshoku things to MxM when Madden escaped and hit a Double Spear to Dieno & Hirata. Madden then put Dieno’s tights on himself and with Mansoor gave Hirata the Centrefold (elevated double team Pedigree) to get the win.
Sato’s first DDT win was almost overshadowed by Soma Takao attacking Bunbun with an unwarranted Leg Drop during the match. Toru Owashi used a little bit of lucha to deal with him and Sato while Antonio Honda prepared Gongitsune. Things almost got passionate between Sato and Takeshi Masada but Akiyama was there to give Masada the Exploder Suplex. Sato then scored his first win by hitting the Mad Splash from the top rope.
Naomi Yoshimura’s limited schedule has put him in the dark match for today’s show. He and Yuki Ishida kicked off what became a good day for Harimao by beating Akito & Kazuma Sumi. Akito targeted Yoshimura’s massive legs to slow him down but couldn’t count on Sumi to finish Ishida. Instead Ishida gave him a Back Drop followed by the Flame Palm for the victory.
To celebrate the 25 years of the Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title its creator and current champion Poison Sawada JULIE went and created a brand new belt to replace the first generation prize that has become badly worn down. Sawada explained it was originally created so he could fight Sanshiro Takagi 24 hours a day, seven days a week. However many, many different things got in their way resulting in so many wrestlers, oridnary people, animals and inanimate objects to become champions over the last 25 years. Hisaya Imabayashi presented the 2nd generation belt to Sawada who started laughing because nobody will ever be able to take it off him! Then Takagi ran into the ring, gave Sawada the Stunner and pinned him to win the title. Backstage Takagi said he hopes the new belt will make new history for the championship. He also told fans to keep an eye on its movements because it will also show up in Super Japan as well as DDT.
It was announced that Zack Sabre Jr. will compete at “WRESTLE PETER PAN 2025 – DAY 1” being held in Higashin Arena Main Arena on 30th August. This news came out hours before Sabre won back the IWGP World Heavyweight Title at today’s New Japan show.
DDT “ECHIGO POWER SLAM”, 15/06/2025 Niigata City Higashi Ward Plaza ??? Fans – Unannounced
1. Yuni & Daichi Sato defeated Takeshi Masada & Kazuma Sumi when Yuni pinned Sumi with the Messiah DDT (9:45).
2. 3 Way Match: HARASHIMA defeated Danshoku Dieno and Kazuki Hirata when HARASHIMA pinned Hirata with the Somato (10:32).
3. Daisuke Sasaki, Hideki Okatani, MJ Paul & Ilusion defeated Jun Akiyama, Akito, Shunma Katsumata & Yukio Naya when Sasaki submitted Katsumata with La Mistica Crossface Lock (11:25).
4. After KING OF DDT 2025! Special Single Match: Yuki Ueno defeated Yuya Koroku with the Jul.2 (16:42).
5. Special 3 Way Tag Match: Kazusada Higuchi & Yuki Ishida defeated Chris Brookes & Antonio Honda and MAO & KANON (w/ KIMIHIRO) when Higuchi submitted Honda with the Claw (12:13).
6. DDT Extreme Title – Best 2 Out Of 3 Falls: To-y (2) defeated Super Sasadango Machine (c) (1) (16:16).
6a. If You Spit It Out It’s Over!! Contains Milk. Death Match!!: Super Sasadango Machine (1) defeated To-y (0) when To-y pat out his Milk (2:10).
6b. You’re Going In The Trash Can. Trash Can Death Match!!: To-y (1) defeated Super Sasadango Machine (1) when To-y put Sasadango into the Trash Can (4:30).
6c. Sena 100 Chop Death Match!!: To-y (2) defeated Super Sasadango Machine (1) when To-y did the 100th Chop To The Back (9:36). *Super Sasadango Machine fails in V3. To-y becomes the 63rd DDT Extreme Champion!
Normally whoever holds the DDT Extreme Title gets to decide on the stipulation match for their defences. However Super Sasadango Machine felt he had enough of an advantage going into today’s show because it was being held in his home city of Niigata. It wouldn’t impress his own people if he were to beat To-y using rules that tipped the match in his favour. So he gave To-y one day’s notice to come up with three stipulations for the fans to vote on. When the show began Sasadango admitted he liked all three of To-y’s ideas so he decideded to have a Best 2 Out Of 3 Falls match for the title.
The 1st Fall had Sasadango and To-y wrestle each other while their mouths were full of milk. Whoever spat out their milk first would lose the fall. Sasadango was able to drink the milk through his mask and he then removed the mask to reveal he had his face painted like Aja Kong! To-y couldn’t help but spit out his milk in surprise. The 2nd Fall was a Trash Can Death Match. You won when you put your opponent into a trach can. They started off using an aluminium bin that was too small so Kong used it as a weapon like Kong’s steel can. Sasadango then gave To-y the Lehmann Shock into a plastic box but it broke apart so it didn’t count. Sasadango found a big plastic pin and wedged it between the ropes but To-y sent him falling into it with a Hurricanrana to win the fall. The 3rd Fall was a 100 Chop Death Match. The match would continue until total amount of 100 chops to the back happened. Whoever did the 100th chop would win and get the Extreme Title. When they reached up to 99 chops Sasadango laid down on his back to defend himself. To-y tricked him into rolling over by pretending to do a Diving Body Attack only to stop and throw the 100th chop to become the new Extreme Champion! He shouted out that he is going so crazy he will run all the way home from Niigata. He told fans to keep watching his crazy Extreme Title matches and when he comes back to Niigata, the show will be sold out again!
Kazusada Higuchi made Antonio Honda give up to the Claw as a warning to Chris Brookes. The two had a staredown after the match but neither said anything. Instead Yuki Ishida spoke on Higuchi’s behalf backstage. He said Higuchi is definitely going to win the KO-D Openweight Title. Brookes better get his act together because the real match happens at Korakuen Hall.
After Match #4 Yuki Ueno got on the microphone and spoke about his support for the D GENERATIONS. He told Yuya Koroku that before he knows it there will be a day when he is no longer a young person and he will wonder what can he do in the future. The good thing is according to Ueno, Koroku has the power to do what he wants and enjoy it as he likes. In pro wrestling you will have friends, teams and opponents but a big aspect is having to work hard by yourself.
Parts of the undercard were changed when Soma Takao fell ill and was unable to wrestle on the show.
DDT “KING OF DDT 2025 FINAL!!”, 25/05/2025 Tokyo Korakuen Hall ??? Fans – Unannounced
1. SCHADENFREUDE International Vs DAMNATION T.A!: Chris Brookes, Antonio Honda & Takeshi Masada defeated Daisuke Sasaki, MJ Paul & Ilusion when Honda pinned Ilusion with the Japanese Leg Roll Clutch (9:59).
2. King Of DDT 2025 – Semi Final: Kazusada Higuchi defeated Yuki Ueno with the Claw Slam (12:10).
3. King Of DDT 2025 – Semi Final: KANON defeated Hideki Okatani with the LONELY DEZIRES (9:41).
4. 4 Way Tag Match: Akito & Yuya Koroku defeated HARASHIMA & Kazuki Hirata, Toru Owashi & Yuki Ishida and Yuni & Kazuma Sumi when Koroku submitted Akito with the Modified Triangle Lancer (9:47).
5. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Shinya Aoki, Shunma Katsumata & To-y defeated Jun Akiyama, Yukio Naya & Daichi Sato when Aoki pinned Sato with a Modified Crucific Pin (8:45).
6. DDT Universal Title: Minoru Suzuki (c) defeated Danshoku Dieno with the Gotch-Style Piledriver (12:50). *V2 for Minoru Suzuki.
7. King Of DDT 2025 – Final: Kazusada Higuchi defeated KANON with the Claw Slam (19:09).
Any lingering doubt that Kazusada Higuchi had returned to action in perfect condition can now be laid to rest because he has won this year’s King Of DDT tournament! He came back to the ring with something to prove and meeting him in the final was KANON, who had his own eventful journey to get here. When KANON put Higuchi in the Cobra Twist 2.0, Higuchi grabbed him by the jaw and countered the hold into the Claw Slam. KANON used the Lariat many times to hit back against Higuchi’s Double Chops. But Higuchi hit him back with Headbutts, Lariats and the Doctor Bomb for a nearfall. Higuchi was then able to apply the Claw once more and used another Claw Slam to get the three count and be crowned King Of DDT for the second time in his career.
Higuchi was filled with joy when he received his trophy. He told the fans when he was away recovering from his neck injury he thought he wouldn’t be able to survive in the ring anymore. But he took things one step at a time and is happy to be standing here today talking to everyone as the tournament champion. He thanked the other members of Harimao at ringside for always standing by him and later spoke about how grateful he is towards each of his opponents in this year’s tournament. But there’s one more thing he wants. As King Of DDT he now qualifies for a shot for the KO-D Openweight Title! Meanwhile KANON said this month has been the most fulfilling period of his career since coming to DDT and he is really glad he joined the promotion. He wants to earn a KO-D Title shot by himself and said he will definitely get it at the next opportunity.
KANON had to overcome a grudge with Hideki Okatani to reach the final. Okatani was KANON’s replacement in DAMNATION T.A after KANON was kicked out of the unit. Okatani attacked KANON with the bamboo stick at the start and had Ilusion interfere for him but KANON built up a comeback that included him blocking those attacks. Okatani turned the tables again by doing a Sling Blade style Crucifix Pin and also the Skewer-Style Claymore for a nearfall. KANON got things back on track with a Brainbuster, followed up with a Lariats and then got the victory by pinning Okatani with the LONELY DEZIRES.
Higuchi had to survive against everything Yuki Ueno could throw at him in the other semi final. Ueno used everything in his arsenal including a Springboard Hurricanrana, the Blackout Sleeper, the Jul.2 and also the Dropkick aimed for Higuchi’s face. But Ueno didn’t expect Higuchi to grab him in the Claw Hold straight after kicking out of a pin. He also didn’t expect Higuchi to run through the WR and Shining Wizard with Lariat counters that knocked Ueno senseless. Ueno had enough awareness to block Higuchi from giving him the Claw Slam except Higuchi then grabbed him from the back of the head to squeeze the life out of him before finishing him off with the Claw Slam. Ueno backstage said he wanted to win but admits that is the Higuchi everyone loves to see. While Konosuke Takeshita and MAO are showing everyone how great they are in other promotions, Ueno thinks it is up to him to show the wrestling world that you can still find power and dreams in DDT too.
Maybe Strong Style isn’t the right fit for Danshoku Dieno after all. He tried living up to his promise to give Minoru Suzuki the most serious fight of his life for the DDT Universal Title and wore plain black trunks to prove it. But the gap between them was too large for him to overcome so he had to unlock his Danshoku style for his best chance at surviving. When Suzuki had him trapped in a Cobra Twist, Dieno used the Lip Lock to break out of it. Then Jun Akiyama showed up to hand Dieno back his regular costume so Dieno was fully himself again. A deep Lip Lock almost had Suzuki down for the count but he kicked out in time and stopped Dieno from hitting a Moonsault. But even he couldn’t fight off the gravity pulling power of the Danshoku Driver. When Dieno had the move all set up he chose to do it Gotch-Style but Suzuki struggled his way out of it and Headbutted Dieno to stop him from doing another Lip Lock. Suzuki then applied his Sleeper Hold to weaken Dieno enough for the Gotch-Style Piledriver, ending the match with Suzuki retaining the Universal Title.
After the match Suzuki said Dieno was messing around a little bit but he accepts Dieno’s Strong Style. He explained pro wrestling is not just about grabbing holds, stretching limbs and punching each other. Suzuki won today but he wanted Dieno to know one more thing. He would like to do a match with him again. Shinya Aoki then walked down to the ring as Dieno was making his exit. The two hugged and high fived each other as they crossed paths. Aoki then got into the ring and said he cannot let Suzuki look this strong forever. He wants to be his next challenger! Suzuki wants an opponent just like Aoki but isn’t sure if it will be treated like a joke. Hisaya Imabayashi understands Suzuki is suspicious after taking on such difficult challengers like Yoshihiko and Dieno so far in his reign but this is the real deal Shinya Aoki stepping up to him next! Suzuki accepted the challenge and the title match will take place on the 13th July Korakuen Hall show.
Maybe Aoki was in a relaxed mood today by teaming up with members of The 37KAMIINA? He joined forces with Shunma Katsumata & To-y to face the heavyweight trio of Akiyama, Yukio Naya & Daichi Sato. To-y took a beating outside the ring thanks to Akiyama and Naya Body Slamming him onto the floor. The heavyweights looked to have the match in control until Sato got in the ring with Aoki. The rookie was smothered Aoki’s skills on the mat and was easily pinned with a Modified Crucifix Hold that came from an Aoki Clutch attempt that didn’t go right.
A 4 Way Tag Match ended up sorting out who the next challengers for the KO-D Tag Team Titles are going to be. The match was a free for all with Yuni & Kazuma Sumi using their NωA Jr. music to power themselves up. It was interrupted by Toru Owashi & Yuki Ishida doing a Dosukoi pose to the beat of sumo drums. HARASHIMA & Kazuki Hirata danced while wearing the Hirata GO! glasses but that caused HARASHIMA to take Hirata style pratfalls. The only team that were fully on the same page was Akito & Yuya Koroku. Their teamwork outclassed everyone else’s and the finish was set up from Akito giving Sumi an Ankle Lock. While the hold was locked in, Koroku kicked Sumi’s arm and then applied the Triangle Lancer to the damaged limb to make Sumi give up.
Backstage Koroku asked Akito where are the KO-D Tag Titles currently? Akito answered they are being defended by Astronauts in other promotions. Koroku finds it weird that nobody in DDT has said anything about this and he wants to bring the belts back. Akito agreed and is happy to keep teaming with Koroku so they get the tag titles back to DDT. They want the message sent out to Astronauts. Akito & Koroku are coming after them!
The latest battle between SCHADENFREUDE International and DAMNATION T.A saw Bunbun getting thrown around like a toy. When Daisuke Sasaki cut off the rubber band spot he tied the band around Bunbun, spun him around in the air and threw him into the crowd. DAMNATION T.A then worked over Antonio Honda until Chris Brookes & Takeshi Masada made the comeback. Honda returned to attack his opponents with Gongitsune but he was soon flattened by a Double Body Press from MJ Paul & Ilusion. Honda dodged Ilusion’s Swanton Bomb though and rolled him up in the Japanese Leg Roll Clutch to escape with the victory.
A video played during the show announcing the return of “THE MONSTER” Haruto Sakuraba to DDT! The muscular stage actor had his debut wrestling match last October and is still a member of DAMNATION T.A. While he’s been away he heard about them recently kicking out a pathetic guy from the group. He isn’t impressed to hear what KANON has been up to since then, making stupid heart signs with his hands. Sakuraba is coming back to DDT on 13th July to crush KANON’s heart so hard that he’ll never be able to get back up again!
DDT “EARLY SUMMER BEER GARDEN PRO WRESTLING 2025 – DAY 1”, 13/05/2025 Tokyo Ueno Park Outdoor Stage
1. 3 Way Match – Submission Rules Only: Kazusada Higuchi Vs KANON Vs Yuya Koroku
2. Thank You Toru Owashi ~Toru Owashi 20th Anniversary Of DDT Participation Series Vol. 1~ Lucha Libre Rules: Daisuke Sasaki, Hideki Okatani & Ilusion Vs Toru Owashi, Soma Takao & Kazuma Sumi
3. Jun Akiyama & Antonio Honda Vs HARASHIMA & Kazuki Hirata
4. Danshoku Dieno Produce Match ~ Woof Woof Paradise Insurance Match: Akito Vs Yukio Naya
5. Danshoku Dieno Produce Match ~ Woof Woof Paradise: Danshoku Dieno (w/ Haku) Vs Shunma Katsumata (w/ Ponta & Komachi) Vs Yuki Kamifuku (w/ Zac) Vs Yoshiko Hasegawa (w/ Qoo)
6. Special Tag Match: Chris Brookes & Yuki Ueno Vs To-y & Takeshi Masada
There is now a two week break from the King Of DDT tournament until the final takes place near the end of the month. Instead DDT is heading back to Ueno Park for a series of early summer shows.
DDT “D GENERATIONS 2 ~THERE’S NO LIMIT TO GROWING PAINS~”, 14/05/2025 Tokyo Ueno Park Outdoor Stage
1. Special Single Match: Keisuke Ishii Vs Kazuma Sumi
2. Soma Takao Vs Takumi Saito
3. Yuni Vs Ali Najima
4. Hideki Okatani & Ilusion Vs Munetatsu Nakamura & Shota Kawakami
5. Special Single Match: Ryoma Tsukamoto Vs To-y
6. Special Tag Match: Shigehiro Irie & Shota Vs Takeshi Masada & Yuya Koroku
The match order for the second D GENERATIONS show has been decided.
BASARA “BASARA 278 ~KOO~”, 14/05/2025 Shin-Kiba 1st RING
More tournament action this week with BASARA holding the second round of its Chouten ~Itadaki~ tournament.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW SPRING TOUR 2025 IN SHINAGAWA VOL. 1”, 17/05/2025 Tokyo Shinagawa Prince Hotel Club eX
1. 3 Way Match: Pom Harajuku Vs Mahiro Kiryu Vs Chika Nanase
2. Yuki Aino Vs Ivy Steele
3. Yuki Kamifuku & Raku Vs Rika Tatsumi & Haruna Neko
4. Mizuki, Wakana Uehara & Mifu Ashida Vs Miu Watanabe, Toga & Kira Summer
5. Shoko Nakajima & Kaya Toribami Vs Yuki Arai & Moka Miyamoto
6. Maki Itoh Vs Uta Takami
7. Suzume, Arisu Endo & Haru Kazashiro Vs Yoshiko Hasegawa, HIMAWARI & Shino Suzuki
The singles match between Maki Itoh and Uta Takami is going to mean a lot to Takami. She tweeted about the time she was a trainee and took an Elbow Strike from Itoh for the first time. She would never forget the pain. Then when Takami got to wrestle Itoh for the first time back in January she hit her with an Elbow Strike using all of her heart. However Itoh hit back with an Elbow Strike using all of her soul. They then had a singles match at the Garafes show in March where Takami felt like she couldn’t do anything against Itoh. It was the most depressed she ever felt so with this rematch coming up she is going to put all of her soul into it.
The two current holders of Asian championships are teaming up on this show. Yuki Kamifuku recently lost the VPW Women’s Title but still has the Queen Of Asia Title in her possession while Raku is currently the SETUP All Asia Women’s Champion.
Hyper Misao is still out of action with the right hand injury she suffered last week.
DDT “EARLY SUMMER BEER GARDEN PRO WRESTLING 2025 – DAY 2”, 21/05/2025 Tokyo Ueno Park Outdoor Stage
1. Daisuke Sasaki & Ilusion Vs Kazuki Hirata & Antonio Honda
2. No English Match: HARASHIMA, Akito & Yuya Koroku Vs Yukio Naya, Daichi Sato & Yuki Ishida
3. 3 Count Vs 1 Count! Count Handicap Match: Jun Akiyama Vs Kazuma Sumi
4. Thank You Toru Owashi ~ Toru Owashi 20th Anniversary Of DDT Participation Series Vol. 2: Toru Owashi Vs Danshoku Dieno
5. Takeshi Masada Produce Match – Hardcore Match: Chris Brookes & Takeshi Masada Vs Shunma Katsumata & To-y
6. Road To KING OF DDT 2025 FINAL!! Special 4 Way Match: Kazusada Higuchi Vs Yuki Ueno Vs KANON Vs Hideki Okatani
There will be a big preview of the semi finals taking place just a few days before. The final four will be pitted against each other in a 4 Way Match.
More Beer Garden inspired silliness is happening on the show. Kazuma Sumi only needs a 1 Count Pinfall to beat Jun Akiyama while Akiyama will follow the usual rules. There will also be a match where speaking in English for any reason is prohibited!
“HEISEI’S PRO WRESTLING MASTERMIND – KATSUJI NAGASHIMA’S FINAL MOVE! IKEBUKURO ROOFTOP WRESTLING”, 24/05/2025 Tokyo Yodobashi HD Ikebukuro Building Special Rooftop Venue
1. GLEAT Offer Match: Katsuhiko Nakajima & El Lindaman Vs Minoru Tanaka & Yumehito Imanari
2. DDT Offer Final nWJ Match: Ken Ohka, Yukio Nay & Soma Takao (w/ Sanshiro Takagi) Vs Tomomitsu Matsunaga, Yuya Koroku & Kazuma Sumi
A special memorial show for the late Katsuji Nagashima will be taking place later this month. DDT, New Japan, GLEAT and Ganbare☆Pro along with the Battle News website will hold the show at the rooftop of the Yodobashi HD Ikebukuro Building in Tokyo to pay tribute to the Heisei era’s pro wrestling mastermind who passed away back in February. Admission to the event is free although visitors are encouraged to leave a donation at the reception desk with all of the funds minus the minimum expenses being donated to his widow.
The DDT match of the show will be the final match for New World Japan, the nWo Japan parody that Sanshiro Takagi put together in 2012 that included Nagashima as the unit’s backer. The GLEAT match includes Katsuhiko Nakajima who had his debut match in Wrestle Japan, the company that Nagashima helped launch after he left NJPW. The other wrestlers in the match El Lindaman, Minoru Tanaka and Yumehito Imanari also had connections with Nagashima when he was alive.
Yuji Nagata will be at the event as one of the guests for a talk show segment being held in between the two matches. Also former AKB48 idol Chisato Nakata will be the special ring announcer for the event. She was a radio host with Nakajima for over two years on a show called Avalanche Brainbuster Radio.
DDT “KING OF DDT 2025 FINAL!!”, 25/05/2025 Tokyo Korakuen Hall
1. 4 Way Tag Match: HARASHIMA & Kazuki Hirata Vs Akito & Yuya Koroku Vs Toru Owashi & Yuki Ishida Vs Yuni & Kazuma Sumi
2. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Jun Akiyama, Yukio Naya & Daichi Sato Vs Shinya Aoki, Shunma Katsumata & To-y
3. SCHADENFREUDE International Vs DAMNATION T.A!: Chris Brookes, Antonio Honda & Takeshi Masada Vs Daisuke Sasaki, MJ Paul & Ilusion
4. DDT Universal Title: Minoru Suzuki (c) Vs Danshoku Dieno
5. King Of DDT 2025 – Semi Final: KANON Vs Hideki Okatani
6. King Of DDT 2025 – Semi Final: Kazusada Higuchi Vs Yuki Ueno
7. King Of DDT 2025 – Final: X Vs X
So how are the semi finals shaking out? Kazusada Higuchi and Yuki Ueno are both trying to climb back to the top of DDT. Higuchi’s run has been presenting him as being completely recovered from his injuries while Ueno has a specific vision of DDT in mind that he feels only he can lead. Meanwhile KANON has a grudge match with Hideki Okatani. It was Okatani who helped DAMNATION T.A kick KANON out of the unit as his replacement and the new mean streak has served him well ever since. KANON found a new path to change the error of his ways but a chance at revenge might briefly turn him back into a psychopath.
1. Akito Vs Yuya Koroku
2. Thank You Toru Owashi ~ Toru Owashi 20th Anniversary Of DDT Participation Series Vol. 3: Toru Owashi Vs Danshoku Dieno Vs Antonio Honda Vs Kazuki Hirata
3. Special Tag Match: HARASHIMA & Yasu Urano Vs Naomi Yoshimura & Yuki Ishida
4. KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles: Daisuke Sasaki, Hideki Okatani & Ilusion (c) Vs Yuki Ueno, Shunma Katsumata & To-y
Nagoya sees Naomi Yoshimura & Yuki Ishida joining together as a tag team for the first time since Yoshimura’s return from injury. Their opponents are the Smile Squash tag team of HARASHIMA & Yasu Urano.
What a month. Felt like the moment WrestleMania Week ended the wrestling world just kept going. Konosuke Takeshita was involved with the Owen Hart Foundation Tournament in AEW and when that came to an end he very quickly established a new tag team with Josh Alexander. Then in Japan some DDT and Tokyo Joshi Pro wrestlers took part in Deadlock Pro’s weekend in the country’s capital. There was also some lucha libre action happening in Tokyo a few days later. Back in America Maki Itoh got her face painted again in a very nice and very evil manner. Then the very busy month came to an end with Miyu Yamashita stepping foot back inside AEW after a two or three year absence.
Yamashita is going to have a packed schedule in May. Itoh has a few things coming up but she will be back in TJPW in the middle of the month. Yamashita though has plenty on her plate and the AEW appearance came about at a good time to replenish some interest in her. What’s included below is not the complete schedule she posted on her Twitter account. There are plenty more dates coming up over the next few months but some haven’t been announced by the promotions yet so I left them out just to save some space. Our old pal Yuka Sakazaki got her first booking on the indies in quite a while too. Another thing to keep an eye on is just where will Keigo Nakamura land for his indefinite overseas excursion. Apparently wherever he’s going he is has gone travelling over there already. If he is indeed still going to wrestle I’ll do my best to keep track of it in these articles.
AEW “DYNAMITE – SPRING BREAKTHRU”, 16/04/2025 MGM Music Hall At Fenway, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
1. Owen Hart Foundation 2025 Men’s Tournament – Semi Final: Will Ospreay Vs Konosuke Takeshita
AEW “COLLISION – SPRING BREAKTHRU”, 17/04/2025 MGM Music Hall At Fenway, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
1. Josh Alexander & Konosuke Takeshita Vs Rocky Romero & Tomohiro Ishii
AEW “DYNAMITE”, 23/04/2025 Lakefront Arena, New Orleans, Louisiana, USA
1. Will Ospreay & Brody King Vs Josh Alexander & Konosuke Takeshita
AEW “DYNAMITE”, 30/04/2025 Chartway Arena, Norfolk, Virginia, USA
1. AEW Women’s World Title Eliminator Match: Toni Storm (w/ Luther) Vs Miyu Yamashita
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Results
AEW “DYNAMITE – SPRING BREAKTHRU”, 16/04/2025 MGM Music Hall At Fenway, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
1. Owen Hart Foundation 2025 Men’s Tournament – Semi Final: Will Ospreay defeated Konosuke Takeshita with the Stormbreaker (21:43).
A highly anticipated rematch in the Owen Hart Cup saw Takeshita clash with Will Ospreay once again. Ospreay looked to have had Takeshita’s number until Takeshita purposely collapsed to avoid taking the Hidden Blade. Takeshita even caught Ospreay in mid-air with an Elbow Strike only for Ospreay to kick out at one and hit the Hidden Blade from out of nowhere. Takeshita kicked out at one as well leading to a role reversal where Ospreay used the Bastard Driver into the German Suplex and Takeshita responded with a Hidden Blade of his own. More counters came with Ospreay turning the Raging Fire into a Hurricanrana that then switched into the Styles Clash. Takeshita countered another Hidden Blade with a Backslide into a Powerdrive Knee but Ospreay flipped over a Lariat and lifted Takeshita into the Stormbreaker, winning a hard fought match that booked his spot in the final.
AEW “COLLISION – SPRING BREAKTHRU”, 17/04/2025 MGM Music Hall At Fenway, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
1. Josh Alexander & Konosuke Takeshita defeated Rocky Romero & Tomohiro Ishii when Alexander pinned Ishii with a Power Bomb (10:18).
There wasn’t much time for Takeshita to lick his wounds but The Don Callis Family are already regrouping with a new addition to the unit. AEW’s newest signing Josh Alexander has taken on Don Callis’s management services and made to team with Takeshita. They won their first match as a tag team but one of the reasons it happened was because Rocky Romero ended up abandoning Tomohiro Ishii and left him to the wolves. Alexander & Takeshita rocked Ishii with a Double Roaring Elbow then Alexander finished him off with a Power Bomb. There was then more drama when Trent Beretta made his return after the match and attacked Ishii with Romero. Callis gave a wrench to Beretta and he used it to knock Ishii out.
AEW “DYNAMITE”, 23/04/2025 Lakefront Arena, New Orleans, Louisiana, USA
1. Josh Alexander & Konosuke Takeshita defeated Will Ospreay & Brody King when Alexander pinned King after the Assisted C4 Spike (13:08).
Winning ways continued for The Don Callis Family when they took on Takeshita’s two opponents from the Owen Hart Cup. It was a heck of a task getting there though. Brody King ran through them like a tank while Ospreay and Takeshita had unfinished business from their match last week. The Family needed Lance Archer to distract the ref in order to turn the tables. Even then it took a lot fo Alexander & Takeshita to put King away. It eventually took Takeshita helping Alexander lift King up for the C4 Spike to finally put the big boy away.
DPW “SPIRIT RISING – NIGHT 1”, 24/04/2025 Shinjuku FACE
1. Chris Brookes & HARASHIMA Vs LaBron Kozone & Calvin Tankman ended in a Draw (?:??).
2. DPW Women’s World Title: Dani Luna (c) defeated Rika Tatsumi (?:??). *V3 for Dani Luna.
I couldn’t get any proper results from DPW’s two shows in Japan since they’re usually pretty good at keeping things under wraps until the matches get uploaded to their streaming service. But some scraping through Twitter I was able to piece together some things. Rika Tatsumi failed in her bid to win the DPW Women’s Title from Dani Luna. Also the DPW Vs DDT match went to a draw, I assume of the time limit kind. One of the big spots was HARASHIMA going to do the Somato on LaBron Kozone only to get ran over in midair with the Pounce from Calvin Tankman.
DPW “SPIRIT RISING – NIGHT 2”, 25/04/2025 Shin-Kiba 1st RING
1. Calvin Tankman & Kazuma Sumi defeated Kazusada Higuchi & Yuki Ishida (?:??).
2. Emi Sakura, Chris Brookes, Mei Suruga & Baliyan Akki defeated Miyuki Takase, Kevin Ku, Dominic Garrini & Ryo Mizunami (?:??).
On Night 2 Chris Brookes was part of a ChocoPro team against a USA/Japan alliance representing DPW. Meanwhile Tankman got thrown in with some DDT wrestlers for a tag match between two pairs of big man and little man. Tankman is remaining in Japan for a ZERO1 tour but who knows, maybe DDT will come calling while he’s there.
HOG “ISOLATION”, 25/04/2025 NYC Arena, New York City, New York, USA
1. HOG Heavyweight Title: Mike Santana (c) Vs Konosuke Takeshita ended in a No Contest when Charles Mason interfered (15:57). *V14 for Mike Santana.
Well that kind of felt like a waste of time. The HOG Heavyweight Title was on the line and neither Mike Santana nor Takeshita were in a position to take a loss. So Charles Mason came out and ruined the whole thing. Santana had Takeshita pinned with the Spin The Block Roaring Lariat but Santana pulled the ref out of the ring mid-count and attacked Santana to stop the match. Takeshita tried to come to the rescue but Mason fled the ring unharmed. Santana and Takeshita raised each other’s hands to everyone afterward.
BLACK LABEL PRO “BLP AT SCX III”, 25/04/2025 The Wyndham, Indianapolis, Indiana, USA
1. Miyu Yamashita defeated Leyla Hirsch with the Skull Kick (?:??).
2. Danhausen & Maki Itoh defeated Davey Bang & August Matthews when Danhausen pinned Matthews and Itoh pinned Bang with the Double Kokeshi (?:??).
The latest American tours for Itoh & Yamashita kicked off over in Black Label Pro. Itoh joined forces with Danhausen once again to reunite Very Cute, Very Evil Makihausen. Itoh had the face fully painted to match her tag partner and be battle ready to go against Bang And Matthews. Itoh was in grave danger when Davey Bang & August Matthews combined to hit the Spears Tower on her but Danhausen broke the pin. When they tried the same move on Danhausen he paused them with a Curse that resulted in Itoh tripping them over. The two then filled their opponents’ mouths with jars of teeth before kicking them in their faces. Itoh & Danhausen then finished them off with Stereo Kokeshi Headbutts.
This month saw Leyla Hirsch return to action, now as a freelancer. Yamashita got to be one her of first opponents back and didn’t show much ring rust with her performance. She tried wearing down Yamashita with an Ankle Lock but Yamashita fired back with strikes that took a lot out of her opponent. Hirsch then missed a Moonsault and charged right into the Skull Kick for the finish.
1. Mexican Tourist Belt – The Road To Studying In Mexico 6 Way Match: Yuki Mashiro defeated Honoka, YuuRI, SONYA, CoCo and Yoshiko Hasegawa when Mashiro pinned Hasegawa with a Modified Suplex Hold (?:??). Order Of Elimination: SONYA, CoCo, Honoka, YuuRI, Yoshiko Hasegawa.
2. Octagon & El Hijo del Octagon Vs Daisuke Sasaki & Pantera Jr. ended in a Draw when El Hijo del Octagon and Pantera Jr. pinned each other from a Romero Special (?:??).
The warm vibes of lucha libre were in the air surrounding Sumo Hall for a sponsored show put together by the Mexico Kanko tourism company. Daisuke Sasaki was thrown in with some luchadors for a tag match. Naturally Sasaki was on the rudo side teaming with Pantera Jr. to take on the supposedly family pair of Octagon & El Hijo del Octagon. Sasaki stepped in to stop Octagon from doing dive from the top turnbuckle. But the match ended up going to a draw when Pantera put El Hijo del Octagon in the Romero Special. The move leaned both luchadors back onto their shoulders resulting in a double pinfall. After some arguing over the finish, all four wrestlers raised each others hands in the ring.
A sixth woman was added to the Mexican Tourist Belt match. Yoshiko Hasegawa may be retiring from wrestling soon but she didn’t want to miss a chance to win a holiday to Mexico! She came close to winning too, eliminating YuuRI and making it to the final two with Yuki Mashiro. She tried to win using the Fisherman Buster but Mashiro got the better of her and won the match with a Modified Suplex.
AEW “DYNAMITE”, 30/04/2025 Chartway Arena, Norfolk, Virginia, USA
1. AEW Women’s World Title Eliminator Match: Toni Storm (w/ Luther) Vs Miyu Yamashita
Right at the end of the month Yamashita wound up in a familiar place. She came back to AEW for the first time since 2022 (or maybe 2023 if you want to count ROH). She was here to repeat what she did back then and that was to fight the AEW Women’s World Champion and beat her to get a title shot. We’re far past the days of Thunder Rosa though. It’s Toni Storm’s time now, which also happens to rewind the clock back one century thanks to her Timeless gimmick. Yamashita got into the swing of things by literally kicking Storm’s ass around the ring as well as kicking away the loyal butler Luther. She also hit the Skull Kick but was too fatigued to make the pin in time. I couldn’t tell if she broke the pin herself or if Storm kicked out of it because both looked like they happened at the same time. Storm made a comeback and avoided the Crash Rabbit Heat to throw Yamashita over to the corner with a German Suplex. She then landed the Running Hip Attack and pinned Yamashita with the Storm Zero. The booking sounds like it was a one time thing for Yamashita during this latest stay in the States. But she promised if she ever comes back to AEW she will kick someone else’s head in!
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Upcoming Appearances
TOP TALENT “LIVE AT MIDWAY MUSIC HALL”, 02/05/2025 Midway Music Hall, Edmonton, Canada
1. Miyu Yamashita Vs Ava Lawless
May starts off with Yamashita and Itoh going in separate directions for a while. Yamashita will be in Canada to face Ava Lawless in her Top Talent Wrestling debut.
HOODSLAM “PHANTASMAGORIA”, 02/05/2025 Continental Club, Oakland, California, USA
1. Maki Itoh Vs X
Meanwhile Itoh returns to a Hoodslam that is currently in chaos. But when is it ever quiet over there?
GCW “CRAZY SCARY SPOOKY HILARIOUS”, 03/05/2025 Ukrainian Culture Center, Los Angeles, California, USA
1. Maki Itoh Vs Miyu Yamashita
The next day 121000000 are back together but this time as opponents. Can Itoh finally beat Yamashita one on one for the first time ever?
GCW “WE STILL DON’T TRUST YOU”, 04/05/2025 Hawthorne Theatre, Portland, Oregon, USA
1. JCW World Title: Masha Slamovich (c) Vs Miyu Yamashita
2. GCW World Title: Effy (c) Vs Maki Itoh
Then soon after that the two of them have the chance to both become champions in the GCW sphere on the same night. While Itoh faces Effy for the GCW World Title, Yamashita gets in the ring again with Masha Slamovich in a bid to take away her JCW World Title. Slamovich just recently pinned Yamashita at the “DDT VS TJPW VS GCW” show which seems to be what set this title match up. At the moment this looks to be Itoh’s last booking before she goes back to Japan. Her TJPW return will be on 11th May.
HOG “WAGING WAR”, 09/05/2025 Logan Square Auditorium, Chicago, Illinois, USA
1. Indi Hartwell Vs Miyu Yamashita
Yamashita gets another match with someone who knows what it’s like to wrestle in WWE. This time it is the Indi Hartwell, the former NXT Women’s Champion (bet some of you forgot she held that title for a month) turned TNA’s latest signing.
NJPW “RESURGENCE”, 09/05/2025 Toyota Arena, Ontario, California, USA
1. NEVER Openweight Title: KONOSUKE TAKESHITA (c) Vs El Phantasmo
It’s now been confirmed that Takeshita will defend the NEVER Openweight Title against El Phantasmo at New Japan’s next USA show. This is also happening a week after they face each other in Japan with the NJPW World TV Title on the line. Does Rocky Romero get involved after the ambush he committed on ELP last month?
MAPLE LEAF PRO “NORTHERN RISING”, 10/05/2025 Mattamy Athletic Centre, Toronto, Canada
1. Miyu Yamashita Vs Serena Deeb
Yamashita is just bouncing back and forth between Canada and America during this trip. Serena Deeb will want to be the road block that stops her.
MLW “AZTECA LUCHA”, 10/05/2025 Cicero Stadium, Chicago, Illinois USA
1. Shoko Nakajima Vs X
After winning the MLW Women’s World Featherweight Title earlier this month, Shoko Nakajima is set to return to MLW for their next “AZTECA LUCHA” taping. Nothing has been announced yet for what her match is going to be. Could it be a title defence against a luchadora from CMLL?
GCW “BIG TIME”, 17/05/2025 RJ Meyer Arena, Joppa, Maryland, USA
1. Miyu Yamashita Vs Tony Deppen
Itoh will be long gone home by this time so GCW could become Yamashita’s for the taking in her absence. Beating the promotion’s gatekeeper Tony Deppen would send her in the right direction.
GCW “RUN FOR IT”, 18/05/2025 Water Street Music Hall, Rochester, New York, USA
1. Billie Starkz Vs Miyu Yamashita
What kind of momentum will be following Yamashita by the time she fights Billie Starkz again?
MKW “BATTLE OF THE DECADE”, 24/05/2025 Dongxin Plaza, Beijing, China
1. Yuki Kamifuku & Chen Wenbin Vs Alexis Lee & Big Sam
Could this be the penultimate chapter of the rivalry between Yuki Kamifuku and Alexis Lee?
SAJ “HUNTER’S NET”, 24/05/2025 Via Dante 72, Sporting Cesate, Milan, Italy
1. Irene Vs Miyu Yamashita Vs Session Moth Martina
A change of venue for Yamashita’s debut in Italy due to an electrical problem in the original building. She is also finally going to face Session Moth Martina after their scheduled match in EVE back in March got cancelled. One week later Martina got to team with Italian wrestler Irene at the most recent SAJ Wrestling show. I haven’t seen it so I don’t know if anything happened as a reason to make them opponents here or if this is just three wrestlers who want to have some fun in the ring.
1. Queen Of Asia Title: Yuki Kamifuku (c) Vs Alexis Lee
If all goes wrong for Kamifuku in May she could end up losing both the VPW Women’s Title and the Queen Of Asia Title!
NEW TEXAS PRO “BAT CITY”, 01/06/2025 Empire Control Room, Austin, Texas, USA
1. Yuka Sakazaki Vs X
Finally Sakazaki gets to wrestle somewhere again! I don’t know if her lack of ring time lately is AEW/ROH not wanting to book her or if there’s an undisclosed injury of some sort holding her back but she’s making a reappearance on the American indies with New Texas Pro as her first stop.
KITSUNE “GOING BACK TO SAN DIEGO”, 07/06/2025 Primal Compound, San Diego, California, USA
1. Miyu Yamashita Vs Zara Zakher
2. Vipress & Hudson Envy Vs Nagisa Nozaki & Yuna Manase
The first singles meeting between Yamashita and Zara Zakher. They fought each other once before in a Princess Tag Team Titles match back in January. Yamashita pinned Zakher in that match. Will she do it again?
KITSUNE “8888”, 08/06/2025 South Gate, Los Angeles, California, USA
1. Miyu Yamashita Vs X
2. Kitsune World Title: Yuna Manase (c) Vs Tae Honma
This October Tae Honma is going to retire from pro wrestling. One of her last big singles matches will be in America when Yuna Manase defends the Kitsune World Title against her.
LLL “BUT THE TICKET, TAKE THE RIDE NIGHT 2”, 14/06/2025 The Oriental Theater, Denver, Colorado, USA
1. Dark Sheik Vs Miyu Yamashita
Yamashita returns to Lucha, Libre & Laughs for two nights but only one of them has a match announced so far. She faces Dark Sheik on Night 2. Nothing yet on what match she will get on Night 1.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW LIVE IN HOUSTON – NIGHT 1”, 10/07/2025 POST, Houston, Texas, USA
Four wrestlers are currently confirmed for TJPW’s big tripleshot in Texas.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW LIVE IN HOUSTON – NIGHT 2”, 11/07/2025 POST, Houston, Texas, USA
Yamashita and Itoh will be there as will Miu Watanabe and Suzume. So far that’s all of the official announcements.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW LIVE IN DALLAS”, 13/07/2025 The OC, Forney, Texas, USA
Psst… the English website promoting the show also lists Yuki Arai, Mizuki, Hyper Misao, Shoko Nakajima, Pom Harajuku, Moka Miyamoto, Shino Suzuki, Raku and Arisu Endo as all “awaiting confirmation” to be on the show. I guess they could go and confirm them all but as we saw with Harajuku this month they might be making sure everything is absolutely ready for them all to travel first.
1. SAGAT defeated Shota Kofuji with the Goregrind (8:58)
2. Takumi Tsukamoto & Ayumu Honda defeated KUBITO & Daichi Kazato when Honda submitted Kazato with an Arm Bar (11:19).
3. Minoru Fujita defeated Gouma Ryu with an Inside Cradle (0:18).
3a. Rematch: Gouma Ryu Vs Minoru Fujita ended in a Double Countout (5:14).
4. Isami Kodaka & Tomoki Hatano defeated Daiki Shimomura & Lil’ Kraken when Hatano pinned Kraken with the Suigintou (13:38)
5. Ryota Nakatsu, Kazusada Higuchi, Naomi Yoshimura & Yuki Ishida defeated Ryuichi Sekine, FUMA, Takato Nakano & Masato Kamino when Nakatsu pinned Nakano with the V Slider (14:57).
Naomi Yoshimura made his BASARA wrestling debut appearing with the rest of Harimao in the main event. He has appeared in BASARA as a second for the other Harimao wrestlers many times previously but today was his first time wrestling in BASARA. Ryota Nakatsu praised Hyakusho Ikki and Aijin Tag for being strong opponents before congratulating both Yoshimura & Kazusada Higuchi for being back. He also didn’t forget Yuki Ishida by telling him he’s glad he’s doing well. Nakatsu also revealed that back when Yoshimura was a trainee, Nakatsu tried scouting him for BASARA but DDT didn’t want to give him up because he is so good.
When Match #3 ended in under 20 seconds, Gouma Ryu asked for an immediate rematch and accused Minoru Fujita of being a fee thief when he was refused. Fujita was offended by the remark and challenged Ryu to put his legal career on the line if he really wants the rematch. Ryu agreed and fought his heart out because his career as a lawyer is more important to him then pro wrestling. The two ended up fighting out of the ring and both were counted out. Gouma didn’t win but he didn’t lose either so his legal job is safe.
Judomaster had to pull out of the show after suffering from gout so Ayumu Honda took his place.
What a month it’s been already and we’re not even halfway through yet. It’s the busiest time of the year for American wrestling with WrestleMania coming up next weekend and the carnival of shows that exist around it. DDT and Tokyo Joshi Pro will be deep in the mix with shows held under The Collective banner along with some outside bookings scattered around the Paradise of Las Vegas. Then there is no rest for the wicked afterwards because the months leading into summertime will be very busy for the likes of Miyu Yamashita and Maki Itoh. The international exchange will even be seen in Japan with Deadlock Pro running a tour over there and YuuRI getting involved in a big lucha libre show. Plus one of the big rivalries happening in Southeast Asia may finally come to an end if Yuki Kamifuku defeats Alexis Lee one more time.
But I’m burying the lede here. Shoko Nakajima won a championship in MLW! She has become the latest TJPW wrestler to win a title belonging to a foreign company and we may possibly add another person to that somehow growing list at the end of the month. Meanwhile Konosuke Takeshita is already turning April 2025 into a memorable period. He squashed an age old beef with one of Japan’s modern legends and has started a tournament run that will at least produce a few great matches if he doesn’t make it all the way.
Video starts at 22:53 for Match #1. Go to 1:12:00 for Match #2. MLW “BATTLE RIOT VII”, 05/04/2025 Thunder Studios Arena, Long Beach, California, USA
1. HIMAWARI Vs Janai Kai
2. MLW Women’s World Featherweight Title: Delmi Exo (c) Vs Shoko Nakajima
8th match Backstage 4/11/25 | Windy City Riot 2025
AEW “COLLISION”, 12/04/2025 MassMutual Center, Springfield, Massachusetts, USA
1. Owen Hart Foundation 2025 Men’s Tournament – Quarter Final: Brody King (w/ Julia Hart) Vs Konosuke Takeshita
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Results
AEW “COLLISION”, 02/04/2025 (Aired 05/04/2025) Peoria Civic Center, Peoria, Illinois, USA
1. Kyle Fletcher & Konosuke Takeshita defeated Powerhouse Hobbs & Tomohiro Ishii (w/ Rocky Romero) when Fletcher pinned Ishii with the Sheer Drop Brainbuster (13:47).
Takeshita had to miss the “DYNASTY” PPV because he had other priorities with New Japan that weekend but he was able to fit in an AEW tag match right before he left. He and Kyle Fletcher are really catching on as a tag team lately and they were really put through the grinder against Powerhouse Hobbs & Tomohiro Ishii. They tried to give Ishii a Super Bomb from the corner but Ishii countered it into a Frankensteiner on Fletcher. Takeshita came to help Fletcher give Ishii a Sheer Drop Brainbuster for a nearfall and then clashed with Hobbs. Ishii’s face was bloody at this point but he was still fired up to fight. Fletcher didn’t care though and he used a Tombstone Piledriver followed by another Brainbuster for the victory.
MLW “BATTLE RIOT VII”, 05/04/2025 Thunder Studios Arena, Long Beach, California, USA
1. Janai Kai defeated HIMAWARI with the Tornado Kick (7:28).
2. MLW Women’s World Featherweight Title: Shoko Nakajima defeated Delmi Exo (c) with the Diving Senton (9:17). *Delmi Exofails in V2. Shoko Nakajima becomes the 5th MLW Women’s World Featherweight Champion!
Well would you look at that, MLW went all the way with Nakajima and made her their women’s champion! The 619, Double Arm DDT and Diving Senton put Delmo Exo away and now Nakajima can add the MLW Women’s World Featherweight Title to her collection.
Also HIMAWARI did not in fact get abducted or murdered by CONTRA Unit. She made it back to Japan in one piece. Janai Kai still beat her pretty handily but I’d still call it a successful MLW excursion.
NJPW “WINDY CITY RIOT”, 11/04/2025
Wintrust Arena, Chicago, Illinois, USA
4,674 Fans – No Vacancy
1. Hiroshi Tanahashi Last Match In The USA Final Road ~Kinship~: KONOSUKE TAKESHITA defeated Hiroshi Tanahashi with the Raging Fire (20:37).
It was an emotional battle that’s been over a decade in the making. Takeshita was not only fighting Hiroshi Tanahashi in a rematch from their DDT bout from 2014 but he was defending DDT’s honour over the disrespect Tanahashi gave to them in 2015. Due to the added importance that this will be Tanahashi’s final wrestling match in America before he retires it was made the main event of the show ahead of the IWGP World Heavyweight Title bout. The two had counters for each other’s finishers but Takeshita surprised everyone by doing his own High Fly Flow. Everyone was then in even more shock when Tanahashi kicked out at one! Takeshita nailed Tanahashi with several Wagamama knee strikes before giving a big shout to HARASHIMA by hitting the Somato. After that he used the Raging Fire to get the win.
Backstage Takeshita said he was all anger before this match but now that it is over, his revenge on Tanahashi has ended and he now for the first time respects him. There is one thing that Takeshita couldn’t do to Tanahashi and that was take away the last of his light. He wishes to see Tanahashi keep that light shining until his retirement. He was then interrupted by El Phantasmo who complained about Takeshita not showing respect until now. He still remembers their match at last year’s G1 Climax and he wants to challenge him to a rematch, this time with the NEVER Openweight Title on the line. Suddenly Phantasmo was then attacked from behind by Rocky Romero. Whatever it is that’s going on between them has nothing to do with Takeshita. At least for now.
AEW “COLLISION”, 12/04/2025 MassMutual Center, Springfield, Massachusetts, USA
1. Owen Hart Foundation 2025 Men’s Tournament – Quarter Final: Konosuke Takeshita defeated Brody King (w/ Julia Hart) with the Powerdrive Knee (12:18).
The 4th annual Owen Hart Cup is packed this year on both the men’s and women’s tournaments. Count Takeshita among them on the men’s side. His opening round match was against Brody King from The Hounds Of Hell. Even a guy like Takeshita gets a bit worried when he hears King barking nearby. It took several Powerdrive Knee strikes to break down King and the final two needed Takeshita to pull his kneepad down for extra damage to finally put his opponent down for the count.
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WrestleMania Week Appearances
PANDEMONIUM PRO “THE HOUSE ALWAYS WINS”, 17/04/2025 Fremont Country Club, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
1. Masha Slamovich Vs MAO
2. Maya World Vs Miu Watanabe
Let’s get crazy. The first piece of involvement in Wrestlemania Week from DDT and TJPW both take place at the same show. Miu Watanabe makes a rare outside appearance from TJPW to take on Maya World while one of her later upcoming opponents Masha Slamovich takes a trip on MAO’s wild ride. Or maybe it’s MAO going on Slamovich’s wild ride.
WRESTLECON “MARK HITCHCOCK MEMORIAL SUPERSHOW”, 17/04/2025 Pearl Theater At Palms Casino Resort, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
1. Mickie James Vs Maki Itoh
Who knows what else WrestleCon has in store for their big event of the week and if it applies here. They have a mystery 10-Man Tag Match on the card which was used to promote TJPW in a previous year. Itoh might meet her match in more ways than one when she faces off against Mickie James. But the worst thing James could do is go in their and underestimate Itoh.
WEST COAST PRO “VEGAS VACATION”, 17/04/2025 Meet Las Vegas, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
1. MAO Vs Jiah Jewell
It will be the second match of the day for both MAO and Jiah Jewell.
GCW “JOSH BARNETT’S BLOODSPORT XIII”, 17/04/2025 Pearl Theater At Palms Casino Resort, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
1. Charlie Dempsey Vs Shinya Aoki
2. Nattie Neidhart Vs Miyu Yamashita
This year’s Bloodsport went through a slight overbooking problem with some fighters but it hasn’t affected the two matches here that I care about. Bless GCW and Josh Barnett for having conflicting stories over who is actually booking the show when it was time to explain why previously announced talent were being left off the final card. Friendship aside, Nattie Neidhart doesn’t want to be used as a stepping stone by Yamashita but Yamashita doesn’t want Neidhart to take her lightly either. Are we going to get MMA Shinya Aoki or DDT Shinya Aoki when he fights Charlie Dempsey?
BZW “VIVA LAS VEGAS”, 17/04/2025 Swan Dive, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
1. BZW Tag Team Titles: MAO & Yoshihiko (c) Vs Marcus Mathers & Alec Price
Alec Price has found a replacement partner to challenge MAO & Yoshihiko for the BZW Tag Team Titles. With Cole Radrick out of action, Marcus Mathers is going to take his place.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “QUERI PRESENTS TJPW LIVE IN LAS VEGAS”, 18/04/2025 Pearl Theater At Palms Casino Resort, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
1. Rika Tatsumi, Shino Suzuki & Vert Vixen Vs Yuki Aino, Raku & Viva Van
2. Yuki Arai Vs Arisu Endo
3. Maki Itoh & Zara Zakher Vs Max The Impaler & Pom Harajuku
4. Special Single Match: Masha Slamovich Vs Miu Watanabe
5. International Princess Title: Suzume (c) Vs Jada Stone
6. Princess Tag Team Titles: Shoko Nakajima & Hyper Misao (c) Vs Yuki Kamifuku & Wakana Uehara
7. Princess Of Princess Title: Mizuki (c) Vs Miyu Yamashita
I’ll aim to have my guide for the TJPW Las Vegas show posted either late Tuesday night or early Wednesday morning Las Vegas time.
DDT “DDT GOES LAS VEGAS!”, 18/04/2025 Pearl Theater At Palms Casino Resort, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
1. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Nick Wayne, Shunma Katsumata & Kazuma Sumi Vs Gringo Loco, Marcus Mathers & Tyler Bateman
2. Special Single Match: Antonio Honda Vs Santana Jackson
3. Special Single Match: Shinya Aoki Vs Timothy Thatcher
4. Special Single Match: KONOSUKE TAKESHITA Vs MAO
5. wXw Unified World Wrestling Title: 1 Called Manders (c) Vs Yukio Naya
6. DDT Universal Title: Minoru Suzuki (c) Vs Yoshihiko
Same with my guide for the DDT Las Vegas show. You’ll pretty much know I arrived safe and sound when the articles get posted.
WRESTLECORE “FEAR & WRESTLECORE IN LAS VEGAS”, 18/04/2025 Swan Dive, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
1. ELP Vs Maki Itoh
Well so much for El Phantasmo and Maki Itoh joining forces as The Cutest Tag Team In The World. They’re not getting along so they’re going to fight each other instead.
PRIDESTYLE “OUT OF THIS WORLD”, 18/04/2025 Swan Dive, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
0. Yoshihiko’s Super Special Open Challenge: Yoshihiko Vs X
1. G-Sharpe Vs MAO
A new booking for MAO over at PrideStyle. If his opponent G-Sharpe looks a little familiar it may be because you might recognize him when he wrestles under a mask as Hyperstreak. There is a group called The Cartel de Los Villanos who have been feuding with G-Sharpe over in PrideStyle and they are the ones who hired MAO to fight him.
A bonus attraction will be happening before the show officially starts. That’s right, Yoshihiko is throwing out an open challenge! Who will dare step foot against “The Grave Digger Doll From Hell”?
GRAPHOUSE “FOR VEGAS, BY VEGAS”, 18/04/2025 Fergusons Downtown, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
1. Lazarus Vs MAO
MAO’s Friday night comes to a close with a brawl against Lazarus near Fremont Street. Someone convince MAO to Moonsault off of the Vegas Vic neon sign.
DDT/TOKYO JOSHI PRO/GCW “DDT VS TJPW VS GCW”, 19/04/2025 Pearl Theater At Palms Casino Resort, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
1. Rika Tatsumi & Antonio Honda Vs Kidd Bandit & Shota
2. 3 Way Match: MAO & Yoshihiko Vs Jimmy Lloyd & Alec Price Vs Jack Cartwheel & Kazuma Sumi
3. Special Tag Match: Mance Warner & Shunma Katsumata Vs John Wayne Murdoch & Matt Tremont
4. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Daisuke Sasaki, Ilusion & Dark Sheik Vs Super Crazy, Marcus Mathers & Shoko Nakajima
5. Special Tag Match: KONOSUKE TAKESHITA & Masha Slamovich Vs Shinya Aoki & Miyu Yamashita
What the hell kind of Fire Pro random card is this?
GCW “CLUSTERF*CK FOREVER”, 19/04/2025 Pearl Theater At Palms Casino Resort, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
1. Clusterfuck Match: Yoshihiko Vs X
Yoshihiko is among the many, many competitors announced for the Clusterfuck so far but nobody else from DDT or TJPW has declared they will be in it. It’s likely a bunch of the talent will already be flying home by the time this show takes place.
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Upcoming Appearances After WrestleMania Week
AEW “DYNAMITE – SPRING BREAKTHRU”, 16/04/2025 MGM Music Hall At Fenway, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
1. Owen Hart Foundation 2025 Men’s Tournament – Semi Final: Will Ospreay Vs Konosuke Takeshita
Ok this is during WrestleMania Week but isn’t actually part of it so let’s stick it here. It’s now on to the semi finals for Takeshita where is next opponent is quite a doozy. It’s the rematch against Will Ospreay!
DPW “SPIRIT RISING – NIGHT 1”, 24/04/2025 Shinjuku FACE
1. Chris Brookes & HARASHIMA Vs LaBron Kozone & Calvin Tankman
2. DPW Women’s World Title: Dani Luna (c) Vs Rika Tatsumi
The hype train’s not stopping once WrestleMania is done. The schedule is going to get even more packed heading into the summer! DPW is heading back to Japan and has some familiar wrestlers taking part on their shows. Rika Tatsumi is getting a shot at the DPW Women’s World Title on the first night. The champion Dani Luna is coming out of a violent feud with Hyan over the belt which included title defences in Street Fights and Dog Collar matches. Sounds like she’ll be ready to handle Tatsumi’s madness. Meanwhile Chris Brookes & HARASHIMA are teaming up to take on two of DPW’s mainstays. LaBron Kozone is currently the DPW National Champion which just so happens to be the first DPW championship that his teammate Calvin Tankman won in the company.
DPW “SPIRIT RISING – NIGHT 2”, 25/04/2025 Shin-Kiba 1st RING
1. Kazusada Higuchi & Yuki Ishida Vs Calvin Tankman & Kazuma Sumi
2. Emi Sakura, Chris Brookes, Mei Suruga & Baliyan Akki Vs Miyuki Takase, Kevin Ku, Dominic Garrini & Ryo Mizunami
Then on the second night Brookes joins team ChocoPro to fight a mix of joshi and Violence Is Forever… Joshi Is Forever? Violence Is Joshi? Miyuki Takase & Ryo Mizunami Plus Two?
Tankman finds himself in the ring surrounded by DDT wrestlers. It will be a match of big man and little man teams when Tankman teams with Kazuma Sumi to fight the Harimao pair of Kazusada Higuchi & Yuki Ishida.
HOG “ISOLATION”, 25/04/2025 NYC Arena, New York City, New York, USA
1. HOG Heavyweight Title: Mike Santana (c) Vs Konosuke Takeshita
Will Takeshita bring an end to Mike Santana’s 16 month reign as House Of Glory’s champion?
BLACK LABEL PRO “BLP AT SCX III”, 25/04/2025 The Wyndham, Indianapolis, Indiana, USA
1. Miyu Yamashita Vs Leyla Hirsch
2. Danhausen & Maki Itoh Vs Davey Bang & August Matthews
You know, this is one of those shows that feels like it just takes forever to get to.
MEXICO KANKO/CMLL/LADYS RING “LUCHA FIESTA ESPECIAL”, 27/04/2025 Tokyo Ryogoku Kokugikan
1. Mexican Tourist Belt – The Road To Studying In Mexico 5 Way Match: Yuki Mashiro Vs Honoka Vs YuuRI Vs SONYA Vs CoCo
2. Octagon & El Hijo del Octagon Vs Daisuke Sasaki & Pantera Jr.
I heard this show has a Street Fighter 6 product placement match. Makoto and Hikaru Shida are cosplaying as R. Mika & Yamato Nadeshiko to fight a pair of masked Zangief wrestlers. It would be funny if The Gief #1 and The Gief #2 were other members of DAMNATION T.A.
I missed that YuuRI was booked for this show a month ago. She’s taking part in a 5 Way match where the winner will be crowned the second Mexican Tourist Belt Champion. Whoever holds possession of the belt is given the right to go study in Mexico thanks to the show sponsors. YuuRI’s opposition in the match are the freelancer Yuki Mashiro, Honoka from WAVE, SONYA from the Costa Rica Wrestling Embassy (CWE) and CoCo from MY WAY.
TOP TALENT “LIVE AT MIDWAY MUSIC HALL”, 02/05/2025 Midway Music Hall, Edmonton, Canada
1. Miyu Yamashita Vs X
Yamashita is going to be visiting Canada a few more times during this excursion. Top Talent Wrestling is the latest promotion over there to book her.
HOODSLAM “PHANTASMAGORIA”, 02/05/2025 Continental Club, Oakland, California, USA
1. Maki Itoh Vs X
Itoh is getting her ass back to Hoodslam!
GCW “CRAZY SCARY SPOOKY HILARIOUS”, 03/05/2025 Ukrainian Culture Center, Los Angeles, California, USA
1. Maki Itoh Vs Miyu Yamashita
Itoh believes she cannot lose to Yamashita in GCW. Anywhere but over there!
GCW “WE STILL DON’T TRUST YOU”, 04/05/2025 Hawthorne Theatre, Portland, Oregon, USA
1. Miyu Yamashita Vs X
2. GCW World Title: Effy (c) Vs Maki Itoh
One day later she gets her chance to win the GCW World Title from Effy. Only one person missing from making it a full Maki Death Bussy reunion.
HOG “WAGING WAR”, 09/05/2025 Logan Square Auditorium, Chicago, Illinois, USA
1. Miyu Yamashita Vs X
Just have to wait and see who House Of Glory wants to put Yamashita against. It didn’t work out so well for her there last time.
NJPW “RESURGENCE”, 09/05/2025 Toyota Arena, Ontario, California, USA
1. KONOSUKE TAKESHITA Vs X
It hasn’t been made official at the time of writing but it’s looking like Takeshita will defend the NEVER Openweight Title against El Phantasmo at this show. Unless Romero does something else to ELP and changes the situation.
MAPLE LEAF PRO “NORTHERN RISING”, 10/05/2025 Mattamy Athletic Centre, Toronto, Canada
1. Miyu Yamashita Vs Sereena Deeb
North American promoters really have a type of opponent in mind for Yamashita this time around, eh? She’ll have to deal with the wrestling expertise of Serena Deeb for her return to Maple Leaf Pro.
GCW “BIG TIME”, 17/05/2025 RJ Meyer Arena, Joppa, Maryland, USA
1. Miyu Yamashita Vs Tony Deppen
Yamashita’s journey through GCW continues.
GCW “RUN FOR IT”, 18/05/2025 Water Street Music Hall, Rochester, New York, USA
1. Billie Starkz Vs Miyu Yamashita
Once again, they meet at last.
MKW “BATTLE OF THE DECADE”, 24/05/2025 Dongxin Plaza, Beijing, China
1. Yuki Kamifuku & Chen Wenbin Vs Alexis Lee & Big Sam
The end of May will be a dramatic period for Yuki Kamifuku and Alexis Lee. This match in Middle Kingdom Wrestling has now become the warmup for what happens in Singapore Pro Wrestling one week later.
SAJ “HUNTER’S NET”, 24/05/2025 Magnete, Milan, Italy
1. Queen Of Asia Title: Yuki Kamifuku (c) Vs Alexis Lee
The stakes have been risen to the extreme. Lee is wagering her pro wrestling career to get one last chance at winning back the Queen Of Asia Title from Kamifuku. If she loses this time then she is done for!
KITSUNE “GOING BACK TO SAN DIEGO”, 07/06/2025 Primal Compound, San Diego, California, USA
1. Miyu Yamashita Vs X
2. Vipress & Hudson Envy Vs Nagisa Nozaki & Yuna Manase
Hey since Darkness Revolution are now down a member in Marigold maybe Nagisa Nozaki will consider replacing Bozilla with Yuna Manase.
KITSUNE “8888”, 08/06/2025 South Gate, Los Angeles, California, USA
1. Miyu Yamashita Vs X
2. Yuna Manase Vs X
Yamashita’s match on this show will be a singles match with an opponent yet to be determined.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW LIVE IN HOUSTON – NIGHT 1”, 10/07/2025 POST, Houston, Texas, USA
Does the T in TJPW now stand for Texas? On the weekend when AEW runs “ALL IN TEXAS” TJPW will be holding three shows in the Lone Star State.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW LIVE IN HOUSTON – NIGHT 2”, 11/07/2025 POST, Houston, Texas, USA
Two of the shows are going to be in Houston.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW LIVE IN DALLAS”, 13/07/2025 The OC, Forney, Texas, USA
The third show is happening… not in Dallas but they’re calling it Dallas anyway. Is this like years ago when WWE would be in New York State and only mention on air that they’re somewhere near New York City?
Posted by JamieOD 
Dramatic DDT 