Brookes To Get Surgery, D-Oh Paths To The Final

December 21, 2023

News came out from DDT today about Chris Brookes visiting the hospital after feeling pain in his abdomen. Examinations discovered he has a tumour. It is not malignant but he will need to have surgery as soon as possible to remove it. He is expected to be out of action for a few weeks and has forfeited his remaining B Block match in the D-Oh Grand Prix.

DDT “D-OH GRAND PRIX 2023 IN KORAKUEN HALL”, 24/12/2023
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

-. D-Oh Grand Prix 2023 – B Block: Rei Saito (8) defeated Chris Brookes (2) by Forfeit.
1. Yukio Sakaguchi & Rukiya Vs KANON & MJ Paul
2. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title – Battle Royal ~ Toru Owashi Return Match: The Great Koji (c) Vs Toru Owashi Vs Sanshiro Takagi Vs Kazuki Hirata Vs Akito Vs Yusuke Okada Vs Kazuma Sumi Vs Open Recruitment X
3. Special Single Match: Rei Saito Vs Hideki Okatani
4. KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles: Jun Akiyama, Danshoku Dieno & Makoto Oishi (c) Vs Masahiro Takanashi, Antonio Honda & Takeshi Masada
5. D-Oh Grand Prix 2023 – B Block: MAO (6) Vs Yukio Naya (6)
6. D-Oh Grand Prix 2023 – A Block: Daisuke Sasaki (5) Vs HARASHIMA (2)
7. D-Oh Grand Prix 2023 – A Block: Yuki Ueno (5) Vs Yuki Iino (2)
8. D-Oh Grand Prix 2023 – A Block: Tetsuya Endo (4) Vs Kazusada Higuchi (6)

A Block

1. Kazusada Higuchi (6)
2. Yuki Ueno (5)
-. Daisuke Sasaki (5)
4. Tetsuya Endo (4)
5. Yuki Iino (2)
-. HARASHIMA (2)

B Block

1. Rei Saito (8)
2. Yukio Naya (6)
-. MAO (6)
4. KANON (4)
5. Kazuki Hirata (2)
-. Chris Brookes (2)

Brookes forfeiting his match against Rei Saito has big consequences for the B Block. Saito is now sitting on top of the group with 8 points and will go through to the final if Yukio Naya does not beat MAO. If Naya wins that match then he will reach the final because he holds the head-to-head tiebreaker over Saito. MAO however has the disadvantage with Saito and can no longer finish in 1st place even with a win over Naya. So while Naya is fighting for survival against MAO, Saito will face Hideki Okatani in a non-tournament match between an AJPW World Tag Team Champion and an All Asia Tag Team Champion.

That means the final day of the group stage is all built around the A Block. Daisuke Sasaki, Yuki Ueno, Tetsuya Endo and Kazusada Higuchi are all still alive in the race for 1st. Here is what needs to happen for each person to reach the final.

Kazusada Higuchi: A win against Endo sends him straight to the final. If it ends in a time limit draw then Higuchi still goes through if Ueno cannot beat Iino.

Tetsuya Endo: Beating Higuchi is absolutely necessary just to have a chance of making the final. If that happens then Endo had better hope that Ueno couldn’t beat Iino while Sasaki lost to HARASHIMA.

Daisuke Sasaki: Needs to beat HARASHIMA and hope either Endo beats Higuchi or that match ends in a Double Countout/No Contest (those draws are 0 points). If he and Ueno both win their matches and Higuchi loses then a sudden death tiebreaker will happen between Sasaki and Ueno.

Yuki Ueno: Needs to beat Iino, Sasaki not to win against HARASHIMA and Higuchi not to win against Endo. He can still go through if he time limit draws with Iino, Sasaki loses to HARASHIMA and Endo Vs Higuchi ends in Double Countout/No Contest. Ueno might go through if he and Sasaki both win and Higuchi gets a time limit draw. That ends with a 3 way tie at 7 points and I think Ueno would win the tiebreaker because he beat Higuchi while Sasaki could not. There’s also a bizarre possibility of Ueno, Sasaki, Higuchi and maybe Endo all finishing in 1st at 6 points but that requires two time limit draws on the same show along with a 4 way tiebreaker I cannot figure out. Wrestling tournament booking in Japan never gets that silly anyway.


Video – “BAKA GAIJIN + FRIENDS VOL. TEN”

December 20, 2023


BAKA GAIJIN + FRIENDS “VOL. TEN: ONE YEAR ANNIVERSARY”, 12/12/2023
Tokyo ARENA Shimokitazawa
??? Fans

1. Special Single Match: Yuki Ueno Vs Masahiro Takanashi
2. Special Single Match: Shigehiro Irie Vs Mad Dr. Ueki
3. Special Single Match: MAO Vs Ram Kaichow
4. Special Single Match: Chris Brookes Vs Munetatsu Nakamura


The Last Shows Of 2023, Free WiFi Challenged By Daisy Monkey

December 18, 2023

BASARA “BASARA 238 ~UTAGE~”, 19/12/2023
Shin-Kiba 1st RING

1. Takumi Tsukamoto & SAGAT Vs Yasu Urano & Masahiro Takanashi
2. 3 Way Match: Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi Vs Gouma Ryu Vs A.YAZAWA
3. FUMA, KUBITO & Daichi Kazato Vs Lil’ Kraken, Tsutomu Oosugi & Banana Senga
4. Isami Kodaka & Minoru Fujita Vs Shuichiro Katsumura & Munetatsu Nakamura
5. Ryota Nakatsu & Kazusada Higuchi Vs Takato Nakano & Masato Kamino

Harimao Vs Aijin Tag headlines the last BASARA show of the year.

DDT “D-OH GRAND PRIX 2023 IN KORAKUEN HALL”, 24/12/2023
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

1. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title – Battle Royal ~ Toru Owashi Return Match: The Great Koji (c) Vs Toru Owashi Vs Sanshiro Takagi Vs Kazuki Hirata Vs Akito Vs Yusuke Okada Vs Yuki Ishida Va Kazuma Sumi Vs Rukiya Vs Open Recruitment X
2. Yukio Sakaguchi & Hideki Okatani Vs KANON & MJ Paul
3. KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles: Jun Akiyama, Danshoku Dieno & Makoto Oishi (c) Vs Masahiro Takanashi, Antonio Honda & Takeshi Masada
4. D-Oh Grand Prix 2023 – A Block: Yuki Ueno (5) Vs Yuki Iino (2)
5. D-Oh Grand Prix 2023 – A Block: Tetsuya Endo (4) Vs Kazusada Higuchi (6)
6. D-Oh Grand Prix 2023 – A Block: Daisuke Sasaki (5) Vs HARASHIMA (2)
7. D-Oh Grand Prix 2023 – B Block: Chris Brookes (2) Vs Rei Saito (6)
8. D-Oh Grand Prix 2023 – B Block: MAO (6) Vs Yukio Naya (6)

Christmas Eve is the last day of the D-Oh Grand Prix group stage and it is still all to play for in both blocks. The A Block will go to either Yuki Ueno, Tetsuya Endo, Kazusada Higuchi or Daisuke Sasaki depending on how all the results will go. B Block is a 3 way tie between Rei Saito, MAO and Yukio Naya. I’ll go work out their paths to the final in a separate post later this week.

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “SE-NO, MERRY CHRISTMAS! 2023”, 24/12/2023
Tokyo Ryogoku KFC Hall

1. Mahiro Kiryu Vs Haru Kazashiro
2. Mizuki, HIMAWARI & Runa Okubo Vs Hyper Misao, Yuki Aino & Pom Harajuku
3. Maki Itoh & Yuki Kamifuku Vs Wakana Uehara & Shino Suzuki
4. Hikari Noa & Toga Vs Suzume & Arisu Endo
5. Miyu Yamashita, Shoko Nakajima, Yuki Arai & Kaya Toribami Vs Rika Tatsumi, Miu Watanabe, Raku & Moka Miyamoto

Christmas Eve is also the day of Tokyo Joshi Pro’s last show of 2023. It’s only five matches but the main event is an 8-Woman Tag.

GANBARE☆PRO “BAD COMMUNICATION 2023”, 27/12/2023
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

1. Yuko Miyamoto Vs Munetatsu Nakamura
2. Sumire Natsu, YuuRI & Riara Vs HARUKAZE, Makoto & Banny Oikawa
3. Special Single Match: Yoshiko Hasegawa Vs Arisu Endo
4. Special Single Match: Ken Ohka Vs Kuma Arashi
5. GanPro Vs GLEAT All Out Battle ~ GanPro’s Famous Elimination 10-Man Tag Match: Yumehito Imanari, Takuya Wada, Mizuki Watase, Shinichiro Tominaga & Tyson Maeguchi Vs Kaz Hayashi, Minoru Tanaka, Takanori Ito, Check Shimatani & Jun Tonsho
6. KO-D Tag Team Titles: Shota & Soma Takao (c) Vs Keisuke Ishii & Shigehiro Irie
7. Spirit Of Ganbare World Openweight Title: Isami Kodaka (c) Vs Shuichiro Katsumura

Earlier today Shuichiro Katsumura went to the Reversal Gym in Yokohama for a special training session with MMA fighters Seiichiro Ito and Hideo Tokoro. After some sparring Katsumura talked over tactics with them for his Spirit Of Ganbare Title match against Isami Kodaka. They agreed he needed more than just the Ninja Choke to win so Katsumura was taught how to use a series of transtioning submission holds to the arm. The transitions went from Arm Lock to Clothespin to Side Triangle Choke to Cross Armbreaker. Tokoro gave him encouragement for the title match. He also showed support for Ito who will be competing for the Interim King Of Pancrase Flyweight Title on 24th December.

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TOKYO JOSHI PRO ’24”, 04/01/2024
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

1. Aja Kong Vs Wakana Uehara
2. Shoko Nakajima Vs Hyper Misao
3. Rina Yamashita Vs Maki Itoh
4. International Princess Title: Max The Impaler (c) Vs Yuki Arai
5. Princess Tag Team Titles: Hikari Noa & Nao Kakuta (c) Vs Suzume & Arisu Endo
6. Princess Of Princess Title: Miyu Yamashita (c) Vs Masha Slamovich

Another title match added to TJPW’s Ittenyon show. Free WiFi are defending the Princess Tag Team Titles against Daisy Monkey. All of the previous challengers for Hikari Noa & Nao Kakuta were makeshift teams but Suzume & Arisu Endo have been an established pair for a good while now. Daisy Monkey has had one previous shot at the belts back in April 2022 when they lost to The Magical Sugar Rabbits. Both Suzume & Endo associate the championship with MagiRabi the most because they were TJPW’s strongest ever team. Now that Yuka Sakazaki is gone from TJPW it makes Daisy Monkey want to win the titles even more to carry on that legacy.


DDT “D-OH GRAND PRIX 2023 IN KUMAMOTO” Results

December 17, 2023

DDT “D-OH GRAND PRIX 2023 IN KUMAMOTO”, 17/12/2023
Kumamoto Sakurajuji Hall Yatsushiro Multipurpose Hall
282 Fans – Super No Vacancy

1. Yukio Sakaguchi & Hideki Okatani defeated Soma Takao & Kazuma Sumi when Okatani submitted Sumi with a Dragon Sleeper (10:43).
2. Chris Brookes, Akito & Takeshi Masada defeated Danshoku Dieno, Makoto Oishi & Kazuki Hirata when Masada pinned Oishi with the Triangle Kick (10:47).
3. Tetsuya Endo, Jun Akiyama & Yusuke Okada defeated HARASHIMA, Yukio Naya & Rukiya when Endo pinned Rukiya with the Swivel Torture Rack Bomb (14:19).
4. D-Oh Grand Prix 2023 – A Block: Daisuke Sasaki (5) defeated Yuki Iino (2) with a Modified Crucific Pin (11:53).
5. D-Oh Grand Prix 2023 – B Block: MAO (6) defeated KANON (4) with the Just Face Lock (13:17).
6. The 37KAMIINA Vs Harimao!: Kazusada Higuchi & Yuki Ishida defeated Yuki Ueno & Toy Kojima when Higuchi pinned Kojima with the Brain Claw Slam (22:08).

A Block

1. Kazusada Higuchi (6)
2. Yuki Ueno (5)
-. Daisuke Sasaki (5)
4. Tetsuya Endo (4)
5. Yuki Iino (2)
-. HARASHIMA (2)

B Block

1. Yukio Naya (6)
-. MAO (6)
-. Rei Saito (6)
4. KANON (4)
5. Kazuki Hirata (2)
-. Chris Brookes (2)

Only two D-Oh Grand Prix matches today but they both help set the table for the final group matches taking place on Christmas Eve. MAO now finds himself at the top of the B Block but space is tight up there. He beat KANON and used TAKA Michinoku’s Just Face Lock submission for the win to rub it in. The result is payback for KANON beating him with the Cobra Twist during last year’s Grand Prix. With that debt repaid, MAO now thinks KANON is somebody who might be standing on the same level as him in the near future. KANON has now completed all of his group matches and he’s upset because all he got out of it is a pair of Hirata GO! glasses.

The only A Block match had Daisuke Sasaki playing mind games with Yuki Iino. Sasaki claimed Iino still has a trace of “Sexy” inside him and he was going to bring it out of him! Sasaki did poses to remind Iino of Pheromones and make him lose his temper. While this sent Iino on a rampage chasing after Sasaki, it also led to him making mistakes. The big one was Iino missing a Spear and hitting the exposed corner post after Sasaki had removed the turnbuckle pad. The damage did not immediately cost Iino the match but it didn’t take Sasaki long to pin him with a Crucifix afterwards. Sasaki then added insult to injury by saying Iino was never sexy at all! While Iino no longer has a chance to reach the final, he still promises fans will see him show everything with full power at DDT’s last Korakuen Hall show of the year.

The show today did not have a big focus on the D-Oh because it was also Yuki Ishida’s triumphant return to his hometown Yatsushiro, Kumamoto. The 37KAMIINA wanted to spoil Harimao’s party, particularly when Ishida responded to Toy Kojima’s “NeppoWER” pose with an enthusiastic “Dosukoi” shout. It was Kazusada Higuchi who scored the win by pinning Kojima but Ishida did his part by keeping Yuki Ueno away from the finish. After the match Ishida told the fans he’s really happy to see so many people from Yatsushiro come to watch DDT wrestling. It’s always been his goal to perform here for DDT and next time he wants DDT to book him in a title match here!

Today was Jun Akiyama’s last time teaming with other wrestler in BURNING before he leaves the unit at the end of the year. Tetsuya Endo said the unit will now consist of just himself, Yusuke Okada and the currently injured Yuya Koroku. He thanked Akiyama for everything he taught them over the last two years. Endo also thinks the best way to repay Akiyama is for BURNING to grow bigger without him, even if that means they go and win the KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles from Akiyama’s other team D.O.A! Akiyama joked that when he quits BURNING he will go back to being a normal old man. He also pointed out BURNING has to wait for Koroku to come back before they can get in line for a title shot. That is unless they find a new member of course. However it happens, D.O.A have to go through their current schedule of title defences in order to make a title match against BURNING happen in the future.

Growing with confidence thanks to some recent success, Takeshi Masada claims he is no longer scared of Danshoku Dieno and and his backside. Makoto Oishi threatened to feed Dieno wasabi paste but Hisaya Imabayashi stopped him, just like he did yesterday. Instead Imabayashi invited Yuki Ishida’s father into the ring to hand them a piece of Karashi Renkon, which is a local dish in Kumamoto. During the match Oishi stuck the food in Dieno’s backside and tried forcing Masada to eat it. Masada instead turned it around and shoved it into Oishi’s mouth. Masada then pinned him with the Triangle Kick. He thought about thanking Ishida’s father for helping him win but decided it was because of the Karashi Renkon instead. Schadenfreude International then vowed o win the KO-D 6-Man Tag Titles from D.O.A on Christmas Eve.


DDT “D-OH GRAND PRIX 2023 IN FUKUOKA” Results

December 16, 2023

DDT “D-OH GRAND PRIX 2023 IN FUKUOKA”, 16/12/2023
Fukuoka Nishitetsu Hall
355 Fans – No Vacancy

0. Dark Match – Kyushu Sangyo University Pro Wrestling Research Department Offer Match: Ionazun Shirai & Tiger Nishiya Mask defeated Great Tamu & Occult Daimao when Nishiya pinned Daimao with the Mad Splash (12:33).
1. Yukio Sakaguchi & Soma Takao defeated Yukio Naya & Yusuke Okada when Takao pinned Okada with an Inside Cradle (7:58).
2. Special 6-Man Tag Match: MAO, Toy Kojima & Van Vert Jack defeated Azul Dragon, Akito & Kazuma Sumi when Kojima pinned Sumi with the Kojima In Wonderland ~KOJIMA Wonderland~ (9:33).
3. D-Oh Grand Prix 2023 – B Block: Kazuki Hirata (2) defeated Chris Brookes (2) with the Miracle One Shot Cradle (9:46).
4. D-Oh Grand Prix 2023 – B Block: Rei Saito (6) defeated KANON (4) with the Body Splash (11:43).
5. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Jun Akiyama, Danshoku Dieno & Makoto Oishi defeated Hideki Okatani, Yuki Ishida & Takeshi Masada when Oishi pinned Ishida with the Jikiden Tornado Clutch (10:22).
6. D-Oh Grand Prix 2023 – A Block: Kazusada Higuchi (6) defeated Yuki Iino (3) with the Brain Claw Press (12:03).
7. D-Oh Grand Prix 2023 – A Block: Yuki Ueno (5) defeated HARASHIMA (2) with the WR (14:21).
8. D-Oh Grand Prix 2023 – A Block: Daisuke Sasaki (3) defeated Tetsuya Endo (4) with the Foot Trapped Crossface Lock (22:53).

A Block

1. Kazusada Higuchi (6)
2. Yuki Ueno (5)
3. Tetsuya Endo (4)
4. Daisuke Sasaki (3)
5. Yuki Iino (2)
-. HARASHIMA (2)

B Block

1. Yukio Naya (6)
-. Rei Saito (6)
3. MAO (4)
-. KANON (4)
5. Kazuki Hirata (2)
-. Chris Brookes (2)

This weekend starts the deep end of the D-Oh Grand Prix with plenty of must win situations for the wrestlers involved. Daisuke Sasaki got his first victory in this year’s tournament by beating Tetsuya Endo in a rematch from “ULTIMATE PARTY 2023”. Sasaki targeted Endo’s left knee early but switched to spiking his neck onto the canvas with the Implant as well as a Tombstone Destroyer. The left knee then came back into play when Sasaki trapped the limb while applying the Crossface Lock to make Endo submit. Sasaki said what happened in the past between him and Endo as well as what will happen in the future does not matter. He just wants to soak in today’s victory.

Yuki Ueno remains in the race for first place and eliminated HARASHIMA from contention to get there. HARASHIMA hit the Somato but Ueno pulled out one of his own to give his opponent a taste of his own medicine. A big Dropkick to the face followed by the WR ended the match with Ueno’s arm raised. He said being raised by DISASTER BOX is what helped him become a champion and he is now good enough to win against his former senpai.

The two big boys of the A Block clashed. Yuki Iino hit hard but Kazusada Higuchi fought back even harder. He also showed some agility by doing the splits in order to dodge Iino’s Low Altitude Spear. Higuchi hit some moves of his own but it was still all even between the two. Iino applied a Bearhug but it was countered with the Brain Claw. Higuchi kept hold of Iino’s head and slammed him to the canvas, pressing him down for the pinfall. Higuchi said Iino has always been a monster in the ring but he has blossomed during the Grand Prix. Higuchi now wants to rest so he can be ready for a vital match against Endo. Iino however might have his recent past come back to haunt him. His next opponent Sasaki claims Iino is hiding something “Sexy” and it will be exposed to everyone when they fight!

KANON’s results are playing a vital role in how the B Block is turning out. His win against Yukio Naya most of the field still in the running. Now his loss against Rei Saito today could be the turning point in improving Saito’s chances of reaching the final. Saito believes the size difference was why he won today. KANON could not break him down like he did to Naya one week ago.

There is now no chance for Chris Brookes to reach the final. Also he might end up having the worst win-loss record in the Grand Prix by the end of it. But worst of all he has the misfortune of being the only person in the tournament to lose to Kazuki Hirata! That’s right, Hirata won his last block match to avoid finishing with zero points! He came up with a plan to disguise himself as a cameraman at ringside so he could roll up Brookes immediately. Brookes kicked out though and instantly turned the tables against him. Hirata perservered though and pulled off the upset thanks to the Miracle One Shot Cradle! He thanked his fans for their support and called this a win they all achieved together. Despite only winning once he is still proud of his performance because it took 13 years of his life to get here and he gave it his all.

The bottle of wasabi Makoto Oishi carries around with him was confiscated by Hisaya Imabayashi before D.O.A’s match began and replaced with a pack of spicy cod roe. Danshoku Dieno didn’t think it was a good substitute but Oishi still force fed him it to power up the Lip Lock. The move worked on Yuki Ishida, leaving him vulnerable to be pinned with the Jikiden Tornado Clutch.


BAKA GAIJIN + FRIENDS “VOL. TEN: ONE YEAR ANNIVERSARY” Results

December 12, 2023

BAKA GAIJIN + FRIENDS “VOL. TEN: ONE YEAR ANNIVERSARY”, 12/12/2023
Tokyo ARENA Shimokitazawa
??? Fans

1. Special Single Match: Yuki Ueno defeated Masahiro Takanashi with La Magistral Cradle Cutback (?:??).
2. Special Single Match: Mad Dr. Ueki defeated Shigehiro Irie with a School Boy (?:??).
3. Special Single Match: MAO Vs Ram Kaichow ended in a No Contest (?:??).
4. Special Single Match: Chris Brookes defeated Munetatsu Nakamura with the Praying Mantis Bomb (?:??).

That year went by quickly. In the space of twelve months Chris Brookes has held 10 events in the small but packed ARENA Shimokitazawa with his friends of all shapes, sizes and origins. To celebrate one year with Baka Gaijin + Friends, Brookes decided to face a young wrestler who was just a fan back when Brookes first started wrestling in Japan. Munetatsu Nakamura got the full Baka Gaijin experience wrestling against Brookes. He was Body Slammed onto a front row of stools but also jumped off the bar counter to hit a Rolling Senton. Brookes took the match down to the mat with the Octopus Stretch, hit him with a short-range Somato and even did a Tombstone but Nakamura kept kicking out. He was finally put away with the Praying Mantis Bomb. After the match Masahiro Takanashi challenged Nakamura to a tag team bout at Gatoh Move on 10th January. Not only that but Takanashi also called over Taiwanese wrestler Gaia Hox to be Nakamura’s partner so the two of them can fight CDK together.

The main event was slightly delayed because everyone had to clean up after the mess MAO and Ram Kaichow made during their match against each other. MAO came out dressed in a ghostbusting uniform that did not infringe any copyrights. Despite Kaichow being the more paranormal presence of the two, MAO was arguably the weirder person. He mimicked other wrestlers and deflected Kaichow’s invisible shurikans at Daisuke Kiso, causing the ref to bleed out while Kaicow had what could have been the match winning pinfall. MAO also brought out a vaccum cleaner to suck in Kaichow but Kiso was used as a human shield. Kaichow threw ectoplasm powder at MAO but it did nothing thanks to the goggles he was wearing. With the fight at a standstill, both MAO and Kaichow grabbed fire extinguishers and used them against each other, filling the entire room in a cloud of CO2! It was so chaotic that the match had to be called off and the mat had to be hoovered.

Mad Dr. Ueki pulled off an upset against Shigehiro Irie. There was barely enough room on the mat for the two to fight each other so they tried to hit the big moves early. Ueki then took out a syringe but it was knocked to the floor and stepped on, breaking it. Kiso got in the way trying to clear the pieces and all three people bumped into each other, causing Irie to swap bodies with Kiso! He did Irie’s moves like the Cannoball and Beast Bomber but Ueki kept kicking out and throwing Kiso into Irie to send their bodies back to normal. The situation finally fixed itself when Kiso and Irie ran into each other and accidentally kissed. Irie was back in his normal body but Ueki then immediately pinned him with a School Boy. Not only did Ueki win the match but he now has more data that can be used for Mecha Mummy!

One of the other first timers on today’s show was Yuki Ueno. The current KO-D Openweight Champion was given a match with Takanashi and all of the dirty tricks he knows in an environment such as this. He tricked Ueno into calling a toast and then attacked him from behind. He also forced Ueno to drink a full glass of beer before dragging him around the room and throwing him head first into a wooden pillar. Ueno eventually found his footing and adapted to his new surroundings. He did a handstand on a stool, the ceiling bar and also leap frogged the referee to elevate his moves. Takanashi however blocked a Diving Body Press from the bar counter and tried to get the win with cradle pins. That backfired when Ueno blocked La Magistral Cradle and pressed down Takanashi’s shoulders to get the three count and the victory.

Shin Suzuki was the ring announcer today. Chie Koishikawa also did some microphone duties while Antonio Honda did a musical performance during intermission.

The next Baka Gaijin + Friends event will take place on 17th January.


DDT “D-OH GRAND PRIX 2023 IN OSAKA” Results

December 9, 2023

DDT “D-OH GRAND PRIX 2023 IN OSAKA”, 09/12/2023
Osaka Azalea Taisho Hall
245 Fans – No Vacancy

1. Danshoku Dieno & Makoto Oishi defeated Akito & Kazuma Sumi when Oishi pinned Sumi with the Death Penalty (9:35).
2. Daisuke Sasaki & MJ Paul defeated Yuki Iino & Tsutenkakka by Disqualification when Iino attacked the referee (9:38).
3. Chris Brookes, Antonio Honda & Takeshi Masada defeated MAO, Toy Kojima & Ilusion when Masada pinned Ilusion with the Masada Power KOBU Mukimuki (13:00).
4. D-Oh Grand Prix 2023 – B Block: Rei Saito (4) defeated Kazuki Hirata (0) with the Diving Body Press (12:49).
5. D-Oh Grand Prix 2023 – B Block: KANON (4) defeated Yukio Naya (6) by Referee Stoppage with the Modified Cobra Twist (13:47).
6. All Asia Tag Team Titles: Yukio Sakaguchi & Hideki Okatani (c) defeated Jun Akiyama & Yusuke Okada when Okatani pinned Okada with the Quetzalcoatl (16:57).
*V1 for Eruption.
7. D-Oh Grand Prix 2023 – A Block: Kazusada Higuchi (4) defeated HARASHIMA (2) with the Brain Claw Slam (13:14).
8. D-Oh Grand Prix 2023 – A Block: Tetsuya Endo (4) defeated Yuki Ueno (3) with the Forest Bridge (21:18).

A Block

1. Tetsuya Endo (4)
-. Kazusada Higuchi (4)
3. Yuki Ueno (3)
4. Yuki Iino (2)
-. HARASHIMA (2)
6. Daisuke Sasaki (1)

B Block

1. Yukio Naya (6)
2. Rei Saito (4)
-. MAO (4)
-. KANON (4)
5. Chris Brookes (2)
6. Kazuki Hirata (0)

The KO-D Openweight Champion has hit a rocky patch in his D-Oh Grand Prix block. Yuki Ueno’s next match after his time limit draw did not go the way he wanted it to. Tetsuya Endo beat him after a back and forth battle, catching Ueno with a roll up. There was an exchange of signature moves from the two and when Ueno got the upper hand and ran the ropes, Endo caught him in a Headlock Takeover and hooked the leg to pin him for the victory. Endo is keeping the move in his arsenal, naming it the Forest Bridge. He said there is not much time left in 2023 but when he comes back to Osaka in January he will do so as the D-Oh winner! Ueno knows a title match against Endo might be on the cards in the future because of this result. But if Endo does challenge him in the future, he’s never going to give the KO-D Title over to him.

Joining Endo in first place is Kazusada Higuchi after the big man defeated HARASHIMA. He caught the Somato and turned it into a Power Bomb. However HARASHIMA was able to hit the move after another try to cause a double down situation. Higuchi got the advantage from that point and pinned HARASHIMA with the Brain Claw Slam. Higuchi said he can’t take a second to relax in his matches but he still persevered. HARASHIMA praised Higuchi for always being a great opponent to fight.

B Block is still alive with a big upset. KANON not only beat Yukio Naya but sapped the life out of him to win by TKO! The way KANON fought was enough to take Naya down to an even level where they were both close to getting counted out via Double Knockout. But at the 8 count they got back up and kept fighting. When KANON got to put Naya in the Cobra Twist he squeezed as hard as he could. Naya ended up losing conciousness and the match had to be stopped. Backstage Naya admitted he underestimated KANON but there is now a debt between them that will be repayed some day. This result might end up blowing B Block wide open right when it looked like Naya had it all locked up.

Well, the only one who doesn’t have a chance in B Block now is Kazuki Hirata. He continues to be at zero points with another loss. Today’s result was already over before the match even begun because Rei Saito carried a beaten up Hirata down to the ring during the entrances. When asked what happened, Saito said Hirata attacked him backstage so he just returned the favour. Hirata was checked on and he was still breathing so the match went ahead. Saito thought he would get an easy win but Hirata refused to lose. He then distracted Saito by giving him fried rice to eat and then tried attacking him from behind. That only made Saito mad because he hates it when people get in the way of his meal. He got the last laugh by putting on the Hirata GO! glasses and then crushing Hirata with the Diving Body Press, all while music was playing. He wonders if what happened was really pro wrestling but a win is a win.

The big match outside of the Grand Prix bouts was Eruption against BURNING with the All Asia Tag Team Titles at stake. What was planned to be Yusuke Okada teaming with Yuya Koroku was changed to a team with Jun Akiyama instead due to Koroku being injured. Eruption had just come back from wrestling in All Japan for a month as part of the Real World Tag League. A big development in that tournament for Hideki Okatani in particular was him adopting Saki Akai’s finisher the Quetzalcoatl as his own match winning move. He used it here to pin Okada and defend the titles.

After the match Toy Kojima entered the ring. He congratulated Eruption for winning and then announced today is his 24th birthday! To celebrate it he challenged Eruption to a title match and his tag partner is going to be Atsushi Onita! His challenge was turned down by Yukio Sakaguchi who said while Kojima has spent the last three weeks in the sauna, Eruption were busy fighting heavyweight tag teams in AJPW. Kojima wouldn’t give up and figured he just needed to promise something passionate for Eruption to convince them. Okatani was interested and told Kojima to come up with whatever match he wants because Eruption will beat them no matter what. Kojima decided the match can also be a Current Blast Death Match! The idea has been sent to the PWF committee and DDT will have to hear back from them for the date and location of the match if it gets approved.

Rukiya was absent from the show over being in poor health so he was replaced with Tsutenkakka as Yuki Iino’s tag partner. During the match itself Daisuke Sasaki attacked Iino with a chair. He then grabbed Iino’s tights and tried to pull them down! Iino lost his temper and attacked Sasaki. When the referee stepped in to stop him, Iino then attacked the ref causing himself to get disqualified.

Before the opening match took place Kazuma Sumi told Akito he is scared of the Wasabi Lip Lock that Danshoku Dieno now uses. Akito explained that Dieno hates the move too but promised to stop Makoto Oishi from feeding Dieno with the wasabi. The plan did not work and the Lip Lock happened when Oishi squeezed the wasabi into Dieno’s mouth. He then gave Dieno a Stunner that bounced him lips first into Sumi. After that Oishi used the Death Penalty Inverted DDT on Sumi for the win.


TJPW Title Defences In North America, Something By DISASTER BOX, An Unpaid Debt Between MAO & Keith

December 8, 2023

DDT “D-OH GRAND PRIX 2023 IN OSAKA”, 09/12/2023
Osaka Azalea Taisho Hall

1. Daisuke Sasaki & MJ Paul Vs Yuki Iino & Rukiya
2. Danshoku Dieno & Makoto Oishi Vs Akito & Kazuma Sumi
3. Chris Brookes, Antonio Honda & Takeshi Masada Vs MAO, Toy Kojima & Ilusion
4. D-Oh Grand Prix 2023 – B Block: Kazuki Hirata (0) Vs Rei Saito (2)
5. D-Oh Grand Prix 2023 – B Block: Yukio Naya (6) Vs KANON (2)
6. All Asia Tag Team Titles: Yukio Sakaguchi & Hideki Okatani (c) Vs Jun Akiyama & Yusuke Okada
7. D-Oh Grand Prix 2023 – A Block: Kazusada Higuchi (2) Vs HARASHIMA (2)
8. D-Oh Grand Prix 2023 – A Block: Yuki Ueno (3) Vs Tetsuya Endo (2)

The D-Oh Grand Prix continues tomorrow. A Block still has everyone in the race so it’s only fair to have Yuki Ueno Vs Tetsuya Endo and Kazusada Higuchi Vs HARASHIMA be the top two matches of the show. But over in B Block Yukio Naya is one more step towards cleaning up the entire group if he beats KANON. The Kazuki Hirata Vs Rei Saito match is pretty much just for pride at this point. Not that Hirata has that much pride to begin with but you know what I mean.

Eruption are also back from the Real World Tag League looking to shake off their middle of the table finish. They might have a long line of challengers forming up in front of them so they need to retain the All Asia Tag Team Titles against BURNING if they have any intention of dealing with that.

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TOKYO JOSHI PRO ’24”, 04/01/2024
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

1. Aja Kong Vs Wakana Uehara
2. Rina Yamashita Vs Maki Itoh
3. International Princess Title: Max The Impaler (c) Vs Yuki Arai
4. Princess Of Princess Title: Miyu Yamashita (c) Vs Masha Slamovich

Last night in the space of about half an hour there were two Tokyo Joshi Pro title matches taking place in North America. Over in Quebec, Canada Max The Impaler had a surprise International Princess Title defence at the Mystery Wrestling show put together by Evil Uno. Max defeated Jody Threat in the semi-main event. Word of the match reached back to TJPW and they officially recognize it as Max’s third successful title defence. That now means if Max beats Yuki Arai on 4th January they will tie the current record for most IP Title defences in a single reign at four wins.

Then as soon as that match had finished Miyu Yamashita was entering the ring in New York, USA to defend the Princess Of Princess Title against Delmi Exo at an MLW show. She won that match to earn her second defence in this latest title run. Maki Itoh was also on the show but she lost to Janai Kai in a match for the MLW World Featherweight Title. I’ll write more about the matches on the next DDT Around The World article at the start of next month.

DDT “SWEET DREAMS! 2024 TOUR IN SHINJUKU”, 05/01/2024
Shinjuku FACE

1. Something by HARASHIMA, Toru Owashi, Kazuki Hirata, etc.: X Vs X
2. KO-D 10-Man Tag Team Titles: Yuki Ueno, MAO, Shunma Katsumata, Toy Kojima & Yoshihiko (c) Vs Chris Brookes, Masahiro Takanashi, Antonio Honda, Takeshi Masada & Mecha Mummy

The three main members of DISASTER BOX are all putting their heads together to book something for DDT’s first visit to Shinjuku FACE in 2024. Whatever it is the three of them will be involved along with others.

GANBARE☆PRO “GANPRO 2024 ROSIER”, 06/01/2024
Osaka 176BOX

1. Legendary Hostess Vs The Toughest Girl In Osaka: Riara Vs Momoka Hanazono

When Ganbare☆Pro heads to Osaka in the new year Riara takes on Momoka Hanazono. This joshi wrestler’s nickname may not match with all of the flowers and bubbles she surrounds herself with but it is still accurate. Hanazono has a background in rugby before becoming a pro wrestler.

HARASHIMA, Soma Takao, Ilusion, Tyson Maeguchi and Banny Oikawa will all be on the show.

DDT “NEW YEAR FAN APPRECIATION DAY!”, 20/01/2024
Tokyo Shinagawa Prince Hotel Club eX

1. Special 6-Man Tag Match: MAO, Shunma Katsumata & Toi Kojima Vs Bryan Keith, Soma Takao & Shota

Three days of DDT appearances await for Bryan Keith in the new year. He makes his Japanese wrestling debut here by teaming with ROMANCE DAWN against The 37KAMIINA. Keith was an opponent for Shota during Shota’s US excursion last year.

DDT “SWEET DREAMS! 2024 TOUR IN SHINAGAWA”, 21/01/2024
Tokyo Shinagawa Prince Hotel Club eX

1. DDT Universal Title: MAO (c) Vs Bryan Keith

The next day Keith gets the match MAO has been demanding. The DDT Universal Title is on the line for this rematch from West Coast Pro during the summer. Keith won the first battle and MAO wants revenge! What happens to a bounty hunter when it’s time for them to repay a debt?

DDT “SWEET DREAMS! 2024”, 28/01/2024
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

1. Special Single Match: KONOSUKE TAKESHITA Vs Naruki Doi

Keith’s third and last appearance on this tour will be at Korakuen Hall near the end of the month.


TJPW Lottery Line Up, New Year’s Eve 1st Round Matches, Ittenyon Updates, Bryan Keith Heading To DDT

December 7, 2023

TOKYO JOSHI PRO/PRESTIGE “COMBAT PRINCESS USA”, 14/12/2023
The Vermont Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA

1. Rika Tatsumi & Amira Vs Max The Impaler & Pom Harajuku
2. Moka Miyamoto Vs Trish Adora
3. Mizuki Vs Sandra Moone
4. Shoko Nakajima Vs Taya Valkyrie
5. Miu Watanabe Vs Hyan
6. Princess Tag Team Titles: Hikari Noa & Nao Kakuta (c) Vs Janai Kai & Shazza McKenzie
7. Special Tag Match: Miyu Yamashita & Maki Itoh Vs Masha Slamovich & Killer Kelly

Ok so now The Globe Theater actually is closed down. For real this time. Prestige announced the event is now taking place at The Vermont Hollywood. The show will airing as a PPV on Wrestle Universe with English commentary from Jordan Castle and Veda Scott.

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW CITY CIRCUIT ’23 ~KASUKABE PERFORMANCE~”, 17/12/2023
Saitama Kasukabe Fureai Cube

1. 3 Way Match: Yuki Kamifuku Vs Shino Suzuki Vs Runa Okubo
2. Arisu Endo Vs Haru Kazashiro
3. Hyper Misao Vs Kaya Toribami
4. Mahiro Kiryu Vs Wakana Uehara
5. Suzume Vs HIMAWARI
6. Shoko Nakajima Vs Toga
7. Raku Vs Juria Nagano
8. Yuki Aino Vs Pom Harajuku
9. Miu Watanabe Vs Moka Miyamoto
10. Maki Itoh Vs Hikari Noa

The fan lottery was held yesterday to determine the matchups. Maki Itoh Vs Hikari Noa main events the show but the other match to take note of is Yuki Aino Vs Pom Harajuku. The two of them have spent the last year closely linked together along with Raku so that friendship needs to be pushed aside for up to seven minutes.

“NEW YEAR’S EVE PRO WRESTLING 2023 ~TOSHIWASURE! SHUFFLE 6-MAN TAG TOURNAMENT~”, 31/12/2023
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

1. Shuffle 6-Man Tag Tournament – Round 1A: HARASHIMA, Kota Sekifuda & Yuji Hino Vs Takeshi Masada, Yuya Aoki & Koji Iwamoto
2. Shuffle 6-Man Tag Tournament – Round 1B: Kazusada Higuchi, Yasufumi Nakanoue & Kohei Kinoshita Vs Chris Brookes, Kazumasa Yoshida & Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi
3. Shuffle 6-Man Tag Tournament – Round 1C: Yukio Naya, Hideyoshi Kamitani & Minoru Suzuki Vs Danshoku Dieno, Daichi Hashimoto & Ikuto Hidaka
4. Shuffle 6-Man Tag Tournament – Round 1D: Hideki Okatani, Yuki Ishikawa & Brahman Shu (w/ Brahman Kei) Vs Tetsuya Endo, Daisuke Sekimoto & Fuminori Abe
5. So Daimonji, Ender Kara, Leyton Buzzard & Tempesta Vs Kazumi Kikuta, Kazuki Hashimoto, Kazuma Sumi & Rukiya
6. Shuffle 6-Man Tag Tournament – Semi Final: Winners Of Match 1A Vs Winners Of Match 1B
7. Shuffle 6-Man Tag Tournament – Semi Final: Winners Of Match 1C Vs Winners Of Match 1D
8. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Yuki Ueno, Kazuki Hirata & Antonio Honda Vs Takuya Nomura, Abdullah Kobayashi & Kankuro Hoshino
9. Shuffle 6-Man Tag Tournament – Final: X, X & X Vs X, X & X

Bati Bati F’N In The Sky: Tetsuya Endo, Daisuke Sekimoto & Fuminori Abe
Big Bombers Kai: Yukio Naya, Hideyoshi Kamitani & Minoru Suzuki
Team Katagi Returns: Kazusada Higuchi, Yasufumi Nakanoue & Kohei Kinoshita
Anal Destruction Hidaka: Danshoku Dieno, Daichi Hashimoto & Ikuto Hidaka
The Kind People: Chris Brookes, Kazumasa Yoshida & Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi
Lonely Hot College Students: Takeshi Masada, Yuya Aoki & Koji Iwamoto
Smile Lizard King Kong: HARASHIMA, Kota Sekifuda & Yuji Hino
Go For It! The Three Inokori Brothers: Hideki Okatani, Yuki Ishikawa & Brahman Shu (w/ Brahman Kei)

The Shuffle 6-Man Tag Tournament is out. Round 1 has Smile Lizard King Kong versus Lonely Hot College Students first, Team Katagi Returns versus The Kind People second, Big Bombers Kai versus Anal Destruction Hidaka third and Go For It! The Three Inokori Brothers versus Bati Bati F’N In The Sky last.

There are two non-tournament matches. The big one is the DDT team of Yuki Ueno, Kazuki Hirata & Antonio Honda against the Big Japan trio of Takuya Nomura, Abdullah Kobayashi & Kankuro Hoshino. The other match has DDT and Big Japan joining forces to fight the international unit PROJECT: HAVOC. That group has been a thorn in Big Japan’s side for a couple of months now.

DDT “D-OH GRAND PRIX 2023 THE FINAL”, 03/01/2024
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

1. New Year’s GiFt Special Single Match: Kuroshio TOKYO Japan Vs Danshoku Dieno
2. Special Tag Match ~ Shunma Katsumata Return Match: Yukio Sakaguchi & Hideki Okatani Vs Shunma Katsumata & Toy Kojima
3. D-Oh Grand Prix 2023 – Final: Winner Of A Block Vs Winner Of B Block

DDT’s gift for their fans to open up 2024 is a match between Kuroshio TOKYO Japan and Danshoku Dieno… Did they keep the receipt?

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TOKYO JOSHI PRO ’24”, 04/01/2024
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

1. Aja Kong Vs Wakana Uehara
2. Rina Yamashita Vs Maki Itoh
3. International Princess Title: Max The Impaler (c) Vs Yuki Arai
4. Princess Of Princess Title: Miyu Yamashita (c) Vs Masha Slamovich

The two new matches announced for the Tokyo Joshi Pro Ittenyon show can all be traced back to this year’s Ittenyon show. Max The Impaler will defend the International Princess Title against Yuki Arai. This past January Max took the Princess Tag Team Titles from Arai. But now one year later the roles will be reversed and Arai has a chance to beat Max to take away their championship.

On the first anniversary of her pro debut, Wakana Uehara gets to fight Aja Kong! This is the Uehara’s reward for winning the Next Generation Tournament. The two have a little bit of history going back to before Uehara’s debut. When she was on the Youtube series Yume Pro Wrestling -dream on the ring- there was an episode with Kong as the special guest trainer. Then at “WRESTLE PRINCESS IV” in October Kong beat Uehara in a 6-Woman Tag match. Uehara is still excited for the match though and wants to show Kong how much she has grown as a wrestler.

DDT “SWEET DREAMS! 2024”, 28/01/2024
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

1. Special Single Match: KONOSUKE TAKESHITA Vs Naruki Doi

DDT announced the first two dates for Konosuke Takeshita’s return in 2024. The first is a big singles match against Naruki Doi on DDT’s second Korakuen Hall show of the year. The second date is for “JUDGEMENT 2024” at Korakuen on 17th March.

Bryan Keith is coming to DDT in January! “The Bounty Hunter” will be at shows on 20th, 21st and 28th January. The announcement of his appearance immediately got MAO’s attention. They fought each other at West Coast Pro in America back in July with Keith coming out as the winner. MAO wants to avenge that loss and might use the DDT Universal Title as the reward to convince Keith into taking a rematch.


DDT “D-OH GRAND PRIX 2023 IN SHINJUKU DAY 2” Results

December 3, 2023

DDT “D-OH GRAND PRIX 2023 IN SHINJUKU DAY 2”, 03/12/2023
Shinjuku FACE
266 Fans

1. Special Tag Match: KANON & Demus defeated MIKAMI & Kazuma Sumi when Demus pinned Sumi with La Valagueza (10:36).
2. HARASHIMA, Akito, Toy Kojima & Takeshi Masada defeated Jun Akiyama, Makoto Oishi, Yusuke Okada & Rukiya when Masada pinned Rukiya with the Masada Power KOBU Mukimuki (8:58).
3. D-Oh Grand Prix 2023 – B Block: Yukio Naya (6) defeated Kazuki Hirata (0) with The World’s Best Back Drop (11:39).
4. D-Oh Grand Prix 2023 – A Block: Tetsuya Endo (2) defeated Yuki Iino (0) with the Burning Star Press (13:36).
5. D-Oh Grand Prix 2023 – A Block: Yuki Ueno (3) Vs Daisuke Sasaki (1) ended in a Time Limit Draw (30:00).
6. DDT Universal Title – D-Oh Grand Prix 2023 – B Block: MAO (c) (4) defeated Chris Brookes (2) by Countout (21:34).
*V2 for MAO.

A Block

1. Yuki Ueno (3)
2. HARASHIMA (2)
-. Tetsuya Endo (2)
-. Yuki Iino (2)
-. Kazusada Higuchi (2)
6. Daisuke Sasaki (1)

B Block

1. Yukio Naya (6)
2. MAO (4)
3. Rei Saito (2)
-. Chris Brookes (2)
-. KANON (2)
6. Kazuki Hirata (0)

In an unusual turn of events MAO came out before any of the D-Oh Grand Prix matches began and demanded his bout with Chris Brookes be for the DDT Universal Title and also be moved to the main event. What prompted this was the announcement of American independent wrestler Bryan Keith coming to DDT in January. Hisaya Imabayashi was confused by MAO’s actions but when Brookes agreed to it he went through the proper channels to make it happen. The main event itself played off of last year’s D-Oh match between MAO and Brookes where they both purposely fought to win by countout. They took the action all over the room. Brookes used tape to stick MAO flat onto a table but Shunma Katsumata & Toy Kojima lifted him back to the ring. SCHADENFREUDE International then interfered after a ref bump and had to be fought off by The 37KAMIINA. Outside the ring Brookes gave MAO the Praying Mantis Bomb onto a counter but couldn’t crawl back to the ring in time because his legs were all taped together. MAO however recovered and jumped off the counter across the aisle onto the ring apron to beat the 20 count and win! It is a successful title defence and MAO now wants to have a Universal Title match against Keith when he shows up next month.

Yuki Ueno now leads the B Block in the early going but only just. He scraped a point by going to a 30 minute draw against Daisuke Sasaki. The match was a struggle for Ueno to get going because MJ Paul was there to help Sasaki when needed. He could have won when he hit the Jul.2 but Paul pulled away the ref during the pin. Sasaki got his second wind to go back and forth with Ueno. By the time Sasaki took him down with a Spear, the bell rang and the match ended without a winner. Ueno said whenever he has momentum, Sasaki is always there to get in his way and today’s result is not good enough. He wonders if the next time he fights him will the KO-D Openweight Title be on the line? Sasaki’s hopes of winning the tournament have gone the complete opposite from yesterday. He thinks if he can’t beat Tetsuya Endo in the next match it will be all over for him. So therefore Sasaki claims if he loses to Endo then that will be his retirement match! Nobody believes him so he made sure the reporters wrote that down.

It was time to see how the new and improved Yuki Iino could fare against Endo. He was fired up from the start but Endo used that eagerness against him. Iino charged around ringside but kept missing his target, instead running over Yusuke Okada or crashing into a row of seats. Back inside the ring the smaller space meant Iino was able to hit Endo with Spears and other tackles until Endo caught him with the Tetsuya In The Sky. Iino withstood the attacks for as long as he could but he was pinned with the Burning Star Press to end the match. The two shook hands afterwards. Endo credited the win to Iino’s lack of stamina being his weak point. He is sympathetic to him because they were both part of units that were forced to split up. Where the reborn Iino will end up is anyone’s guess.

The B Block is currently being ruled by Yukio Naya. With three wins out of three matches last year’s runner up must be having a good time out there. He got to party during today’s match because his opponent was Kazuki Hirata and that meant Hirata GO! glasses being used to set up a dance battle! The two danced together then started fighting along to the music. It ended with Naya pulling off his glasses and giving Hirata The World’s Best Back Drop to win. Naya said he loves this part of DDT and knew what to expect. He was one step ahead of Hirata the entire time. Hirata’s next match is with Rei Saito and he is not looking forward to that. He asks Saito to please be considerate towards him. Hirata also believes it would be impossible for him to dance in All Japan because the heels there will crush him if he makes any mistake.