TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TOKYO JOSHI 2022 WINTER”, 29/01/2022 Shinjuku FACE
1. Yuka Sakazaki Vs Mahiro Kiryu
2. 3 Way Match: Mizuki Vs Nao Kakuta Vs Pom Harajuku
3. Shoko Nakajima, Hyper Misao & Marika Kobashi Vs Suzume, Arisu Endo & Kaya Toribami
4. Miyu Yamashita & Maki Itoh Vs Hikari Noa & Haruna Neko
5. 2nd “Futari wa Princess” Max Heart Tournament – Semi-Final: Rika Tatsumi & Miu Watanabe Vs Moka Miyamoto & Yuki Arai
6. 2nd “Futari wa Princess” Max Heart Tournament – Semi-Final: Nodoka Tenma & Yuki Aino Vs Yuki Kamifuku & Asuka
There is a change in the card after Raku was suspected of getting in close contact with a covid carrier. She tested negative from a PCR test but will not be at the show tomorrow just to be safe. Raku will keep an eye on if she shows any sign of illness but is likely to be back at the next show. The trios match will now be a tag match with Nao Kakuta moving over to Match #2 to turn that into a 3 Way.
DDT “SWEET DREAMS! 2022 ~ULTIMATE TAG LEAGUE 2022 OPENING ROUND~”, 30/01/2022 Tokyo Korakuen Hall
0. Dark Match: Sanshiro Takagi, Antonio Honda & Yusuke Okada Vs Toru Owashi, Tomomitsu Matsunaga & Yuki Ishida
1. Kazusada Higuchi, Yukio Sakaguchi, Saki Akai & Hideki Okatani Vs Akito, Soma Takao, Toui Kojima & Yuya Koroku
2. Ultimate Tag League 2022 – B Block: Shunma Katsumata & MAO Vs Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Yumehito “Fantastic” Imanari
3. Ultimate Tag League 2022 – A Block: Konosuke Takeshita & Yuki Ueno Vs Shuji Kondo & Kazuki Hirata
4. Ultimate Tag League 2022 – A Block: Tetsuya Endo & Jun Akiyama Vs Yuji Hino & Yukio Naya
5. Ultimate Tag League 2022 – B Block: HARASHIMA & Naomi Yoshimura Vs Chris Brookes & Masahiro Takanashi
6. DDT Universal Title: Daisuke Sasaki (c) Vs Minoru Fujita
After getting a fever during the week, Danshoku Dieno got a covid test and received a positive result. No DDT wrestler or staff were identified a close contacts so he is the only absence from the show (knock on wood). It was already announced that Yumehito Imanari will replace Dieno in the Ultimate Tag League and he will likely be a permanent fill in for the rest of the tournament.
Some of the teams got to give their thoughts going into the opening day. Konosuke Takeshita wants to show everyone his bond with Yuki Ueno. Ueno wants to win the league so they can become KO-D Tag Team Champions and defend them in Osaka. Tetsuya Endo wants to win as part of his journey to Sumo Hall in March. Jun Akiyama says he can kill two birds with one stone by helping Endo become a champion again and getting a title for himself in the process. Former champions HARASHIMA & Naomi Yoshimura will make a massive statement about their dominance in the division by winning the titles they gave up, not lost. Yoshimura in particular will be very angry if another teams wins it.
Eruption have gained new energy with Hideki Okatani joining them. Okatani wants to use other teams as a stepping stone and Kazusada Higuchi wants the entire unit to leap forward this year. Yuji Hino sent in a message saying he wants to evolve with Yukio Naya. A message was also sent by Shuji Kondo listing all the wrestlers he is looking forward to fighting. He is also aware his partner Kazuki Hirata will get targeted for being weak. Now is the time for Hirata to get serious so Kondo prohibits him from dancing!
CDK as a team have mostly worked together in ChocoPro rather than DDT. Because of this, Masahiro Takanashi thinks the team will be fighting on behalf of ChocoPro in the tournament. He wants to win the Tag Titles and bring them over there. Chris Brookes adds his goal is to win all matches and kill Shunma Katsumata. On the other hand, MAO has figured out that his previous attempts to destroy Katsumata prevents them from achieving anything together. So instead of saying “Crush Shunma Katsumata” he will now say “I Love Shunma Katsumata!” Daisuke Sasaki is getting fed up with DDT putting on so many tournaments every year to determine who the best is. He doesn’t care as long as everyone watches him in the ring.
DDT “ULTIMATE TAG LEAGUE 2022 IN OYAMA!!~”, 05/02/2022 Tochigi Oyama City Cultural Center
1. Yukio Naya Vs Yuki Ishida
2. Yuji Hino & Akito Vs Yusuke Okada & Yuya Koroku
3. 3 Way Match: Chris Brookes Vs Antonio Honda Vs Yuki “Sexy” Iino
4. The 37KAMIINA Vs DISASTER BOX!: Konosuke Takeshita, Yuki Ueno & Toui Kojima Vs HARASHIMA, Naomi Yoshimura & Kazuki Hirata
5. Ultimate Tag League 2022 – B Block: Daisuke Sasaki & MJ Paul Vs Shunma Katsumata & MAO
6. Ultimate Tag League 2022 – A Block: Tetsuya Endo & Jun Akiyama Vs Kazusada Higuchi & Hideki Okatani
The Pheromones Vs The Iyasareru tag match will now be a 3 Way with the remaining wrestlers after Dieno was removed.
GANBARE☆PRO “ICE SMILE 2022”, 13/02/2022 Osaka City Suminoe Maikon Hall
1. Tiger Vs Dragon In Osaka: Mizuki Watase Vs Ryuya Matsufusa
2. Ganjo Special Single Match: Yuna Manase Vs YuuRI
3. Ganpro Special Tag Match: Keisuke Ishii & Nobuhiro Shimatani Vs Tsuyoshi Okada & Tyson Maeguchi
4. Koshi Enjo Vs Harukatsu Shoot: Yumehito Imanari & HARUKAZE Vs Shuichiro Katsumura & Moeka Haruhi
5. Ganpro Osaka Winter Team: Ken Ohka, Kouki Iwasaki & Katsumi Oribe Vs Shota, Soma Takao & Rapid
A couple of guests from Dotonbori Pro will be at Ganbare☆Pro’s next visit to Osaka. Rapid is a masked wrestler with a motif based around bullet trains. Ryuya Matsufusa is a newcomer who has been wrestling for the promotion since 2020.
Ganpro is hyping up the tag team of Tsuyoshi Okada & Tyson Maeguchi as an exciting MMA/Kickboxing combo.
YuuRI’s very first match in Ganpro was against Yuna Manase last September. It was all very abrupt because of her unexpected appearance on the show. Now it’s time for the rematch and both will be prepared for each other this time.
DDT “ROJO PRO WRESTLING IN TOKYO DOME RETURNS ~DDT TOKYO DOME CUP~”, 31/10/2021 Tokyo Dome 0 Fans
1b. 5,000,000 Yen DDT TOKYO DOME CUP – Gauntlet 8-Man Tag Match: Konosuke Takeshita, Shunma Katsumata, Yuki Ueno & MAO Vs Miyu Yamashita, Hikari Noa, Maki Itoh & Hyper Misao
DDT “SWEET DREAMS! 2022 TOUR IN HIROSHIMA”, 15/01/2022 Hiroshima Marina Hop 143 Fans – No Vacancy
1. MAO defeated Yuki Ishida with the Michinoku Driver I (8:12).
2. Daisuke Sasaki & MJ Paul defeated Naomi Yoshimura & Toui Kojima when Sasaki submitted Kojima with the Crossface Lock (11:00).
3. Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno & Yuki “Sexy” Iino defeated Rey Paloma & Antonio Honda when Iino pinned Honda with the Ketsugoye (12:46).
4. Yuji Hino, Chris Brookes & Akito defeated Toru Owashi, Kazusada Higuchi & Hideki Okatani when Brookes pinned Okatani with the Praying Mantis Bomb (13:27).
5. Hiroshima Specialty Special Tag Match: HARASHIMA & Soma Takao defeated Kenshin Chikano & Kazuki Hirata when HARASHIMA pinned Hirata with the Somato (12:03).
6. The 37KAMIINA Vs BURNING!: Konosuke Takeshita, Yuki Ueno & Shunma Katsumata defeated Tetsuya Endo, Jun Akiyama & Yuya Koroku when Ueno pinned Koroku with the WR (20:47).
There is a lot going on with both The 37KAMIINA and BURNING as we are on the long journey to the 25th Anniversary show. Konosuke Takeshita & Yuki Ueno are getting ready to enter the Ultimate Tag League while Takeshita is trying to build even more muscle because he knows Tetsuya Endo is getting stronger. Endo believes the matches between the two groups will get even more intense the closer we get to Sumo Hall. The unit advisor Jun Akiyama is laying out the plan to make Endo gain more power when he gets to Ryogoku. They lost today but Endo understands that losing is important because it can make you stronger.
Kazuki Hirata got ready to enter the Tag League with Shuji Kondo by teaming with another face from his past, Kenshin Chikano. That would be a big story but it just so happened to be in the same match where HARASHIMA & Soma Takao teamed together for the first time since 2018 when Takao betrayed HARASHIMA to join DAMNATION. HARASHIMA pretty much knocked out Hirata with the Somato and moved him like a puppet to dance and revive him afterwards.
Imagine the Kamigoye but instead of a knee to the face it’s your butt. That is what the Ketsugoye by Yuki Iino is like. Rey Paloma also wrestled with his costume pulled down to his ankles but that isn’t a declaration of joining or supporting Pheromones. He’s been doing that in his matches long before they showed up.
DDT “SWEET DREAMS! 2022 TOUR IN OSAKA DAY 2”, 10/01/2022 Osaka 176BOX 159 Fans
1. Shunma Katsumata defeated Yuya Koroku with the Totonou Splash (7:49).
2. HARASHIMA & Toru Owashi defeated Antonio Honda & Toui Kojima when HARASHIMA pinned Honda with the Somato (9:44).
3. Daisuke Sasaki & MJ Paul defeated Naomi Yoshimura & Hideki Okatani when Paul pinned Okatani with the Death Valley Bomb (11:46).
4. Special Tag Match: Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno & Yuki “Sexy” Iino defeated Bodyguard & Kazuki Hirata when Dieno & Iino submitted Hirata with the Rainbow Bridge (12:06).
5. Tetsuya Endo & Jun Akiyama defeated Kazusada Higuchi & Yuki Ishida when Endo submitted Ishida with the Yurikamome (10:52).
6. Osaka Specialty Special 6-Man Tag Match: Konosuke Takeshita, Yuki Ueno & MAO defeated Yuji Hino, Chris Brookes & Akito when Takeshita submitted Akito with the Plus Ultra (21:23).
The main event briefly turned into a literal tug of war when MAO and Chris Brookes found a rope near ringside and each grabbed an end of it. Next thing you know the rest of The 37KAMIINA as well as Yuji Hino and Akito got involved. Naturally, Hino’s raw strength meant his side easily won the tug of war. The 37KAMIINA won the actual wrestling match though. Shunma Katsumata & Toui Kojima also tried and failed to pin MAO for the Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title afterwards. Teamwork was the topic of the day among The 37KAMIINA. They have two teams entering the Ultimate Tag League with last year’s winners split apart. Konosuke Takeshita hopes he & Yuki Ueno will meet Katsumata & MAO in the final. Katsumata & MAO said they are counting on their history together entering the NOAH Global Jr. Tag League as well as being a team since their NωA days to take them far.
Kazuki Hirata was terrified of facing Pheromones again after his experience with them yesterday. He felt reassured when Bodyguard told him to follow his lead and leave the match to him. Things went well until Bodyguard decided to give everyone a live performance of his entrance song. He even signed autographs for Hisaya Imabayashi and Ken Kato while he sang on the microphone. While this was all going on, Bodyguard was oblivious to Pheromones torturing Hirata into submission in the ring behind him.
Antonio Honda almost tricked HARASHIMA & Toru Owashi into kissing each other.
Katsumata brought out boxing gloves for his match against Yuya Koroku. When they fought outside the ring, Katsumata taped Koroku’s hands to the ring post then repeatedly punched him in the ribs while wearing the gloves.
DDT “DDT FREE -JANUARY-”, 07/01/2022 Shinjuku FACE 233 Fans – Super No Vacancy Full House
1. Toru Owashi & Naomi Yoshimura defeated Antonio Honda & MAO when Owashi pinned Honda with La Magistral Cradle (9:55).
-. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title: MAO defeated Toru Owashi (c) with a School Boy (7:16 pm). *MAO becomes the 1,528th champion.
2. Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno, Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Yumehito “Fantastic” Imanari Vs Super Sasadango Machine, Kazuki Hirata & Shunma Katsumata ended in a No Contest (12:57).
3. Saki Akai & Akito defeated Maya Yukihi & Yuki Ishida when Akito submitted Ishida with a Sasori-Gatame (9:01).
4. Special Single Match: Chris Brookes defeated Yoshihiko with the Praying Mantis Bomb through a Table (13:15).
5. HARASHIMA & Yuji Hino defeated Kazusada Higuchi & Hideki Okatani when HARASHIMA pinned Okatani with the Somato (12:09).
6. Special Tag Match: Minoru Fujita & Soma Takao defeated Daisuke Sasaki & MJ Paul when Fujita pinned Paul with the Modified Samson Clutch (12:24).
7. The 37KAMIINA Vs BURNING!: Tetsuya Endo, Jun Akiyama & Yuya Koroku defeated Konosuke Takeshita, Yuki Ueno & Toui Kojima when Koroku submitted Kojima with a Chickenwing Arm Lock (24:12).
The result of the main event is a little reminder that BURNING is not just about Tetsuya Endo. It was Yuya Koroku who picked up the win for the first time in his 9 month long career by making Toui Kojima submit. Koroku didn’t join the unit just to be Endo’s or Jun Akiyama’s henchman. He wants to put himself out there and reach for the top! Meanwhile Endo & Akiyama declared their intention to win the Ultimate Tag League and Endo promised to be the last man standing at Sumo Hall at the 25th Anniversary show! Meanwhile Konosuke Takeshita mentioned he will have nothing to say if he & Yuki Ueno don’t reach the Tag League final.
The DDT Universal Title match is just around the corner and Minoru Fujita showed he is in good enough shape for the champion. Fujita won the tag match by rolling up MJ Paul with the Samson Clutch. His message to Daisuke Sasaki was to sleep well and eat well before they fight for the title in Yokohama. Sasaki is happy to see the dirty fighter version of Fujita reappear because that is who he wants to wrestle against.
Maya Yukihi told Saki Akai a personal story about her first attempted entry into pro wrestling. Yukihi was always a DDT fan and approached the company eight years ago wanting to become a wrestler. She was turned down. So when she saw Akai join DDT and have her debut match with the company around the same time period, she felt an ugly jealousy towards her. But the rejection sent Yukihi on the path towards joshi wrestling and she made her career through that direction instead. So as a proud joshi, Yukihi challenged Akai to a singles match in a DDT ring. Akai accepted the match and asked for it to take place in either Shinjuku FACE or Korakuen Hall. Instead Sanshiro Takagi decided to book it for Sumo Hall! He apologised to Yukihi for DDT rejecting her all those years ago. Akai told her what an important milestone it is for a singles match between two women to take place at the 25th Anniversary show. Yukihi said she will put all that she’s done in joshi to the test against her.
Chris Brookes knew he was in for the fight of his life against Yoshihiko and wasted no time going in for the attack. He left the doll beaten and battered outside the ring hoping to get a countout win by Yoshihiko dragged itself back into the ring. Drew Parker set up a table and Brookes put Yoshihiko through it with the Praying Mantis Bomb to finally end the match. The hellacious fight ended with the two earning each other’s respect and they shook hands afterwards. Backstage Brookes called Yoshihiko the strongest wrestler in DDT but he had the stronger desire to win.
The DDT GM Hisaya Imabayashi is sick of seeing Pheromones getting away with their antics and putting the live broadcasts at risk. He hatched a plan with their opponents before the match. He noticed that every match Pheromones wins involves their butts getting exposed so preventing that will increase their chances of losing. Imabayashi himself got involved by grabbing hold of Yuki Iino’s tights so he wouldn’t pull them down. However Danshoku Dieno then grabbed Imabayashi’s pants and pulled them down. The match got called off when Imabayashi was thrown face first into Iino’s backside. Dieno called this a New Year’s gift from Pheromones. They are entering the Ultimate Tag League and promise to drag all opponents down to their level.
MAO winning the Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title means we’re going to see that belt get passed around during the Tag League.
Super Sasadango Machine announced that Hiragana Muscle will hold five shows in three days at Kitazawa Town Hall from 29th to 31st March. All five shows count as “HIRAGANA MUSCLE 6”.
DDT “DDTEEEEN!!”, 05/01/2022 Tokyo Itabashi Green Hall 60 Fans
1. Raimu Imai & Toui Kojima defeated Yuya Koroku & Yuki Ishida when Kojima pinned Ishida with the Kojima In Wonderland ~Kojima Wonderland~ (9:23).
2. Hardcore Match: Akane Fujita & Shunma Katsumata defeated Suzu Suzuki & Hideki Okatani when Katsumata pinned Okatani with the Sauna Trance Splash from the Ladder (19:37).
3. Yuki Ueno defeated Daichi Sato with the Blizzard Suplex (11:26).
4. You-sei☆Estrella defeated El Unicorn with the Styles Clash (11:55).
5. Ilusion & Tetsuya Endo defeated Vent Vert Jack & Naomi Yoshimura when Ilusion pinned Jack with the Modified Pedigree (18:58).
Ilusion got one over on Vent Vert Jack after Jack beat him on 26th December. This time around it was a tag match where Ilusion was teaming with Tetsuya Endo and Jack had Naomi Yoshimura as his partner. While Ilusion is pleased to win his first match of 2022, he still wants a singles rematch against Jack so he can get his full revenge over what happened in Yoyogi.
El Unicorn was disappointed with his loss to You-sei☆Estrella. He understands he needs find more opponents to wrestle against repeatedly so he can become stronger. His next match will be against Vent Vert Jack on the 16th January DDT show so he promises to practice hard until then.
Yuki Ueno praised Daichi Sato a lot for his performance today. He said the 13 year old looks like a baby but he has loads of enthusiasm and energy. Ueno is looking forward to see what Sato will learn from this point forward and he hopes his career won’t stumble.
There is still resentment between Akane Fujita and Shunma Katsumata over Fujita’s accusations that Katsumata steals her death match ideas. Katsumata’s denies it and explains he just gets the same ideas for using toy blocks that she does. Katsumata also liked wrestling against Suzu Suzuki and hopes the two of them will get a singles match somewhere. Suzuki wants that challenge because Katsumata scattered her box of bells over the floor before the match began. Hidaki Okatani thought the match was exciting but regrets the moments when his ideas backfired.
The second annual Ultimate Tag League has grown massively in size with 10 teams competing in the 2022 tournament. The prize for the winners is the newly vacated KO-D Tag Team Titles. The previous champions DISASTER BOX opted to go into the tournament without the belts so they can fight everyone else on an even playing field and grow even further as a tag team. Not the best excuse I’ve heard for a company putting their tag titles up for grabs if I’m being honest here.
Tournament rules will be fully announced on a later date but DDT have confirmed there will be multiple blocks. Judging from the lineup I think we’re getting two blocks of five teams each. The participating teams are:
DDT “DDT 25TH ANNIVERSARY OPENING SPECIAL! ALL SEATS 3000 YEN BOX OFFICE!!”, 03/01/2022 Tokyo Korakuen Hall 725 Fans – Super No Vacancy Full House
1. KO-D 10-Man Tag Team Titles: Toru Owashi, Antonio Honda, Kazuki Hirata & Yoshihiko (c) defeated Sanshiro Takagi, Akito, Soma Takao, Gota Ihashi & Yuki Ishida when Hirata submitted Ihashi with a Jumping Cross Armbreaker (10:23). *V1 for the The DDT Variety Team.
2. No Tag Rule: Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno, Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Yumehito “Fantastic” Imanari defeated Yuji Hino, Toui Kojima & Yuya Koroku when Dieno pinned Kojima after the Sexy Invader Danshoku Driver (11:33).
3. Special Mixed Tag Match: Masahiro Takanashi & Maya Yukihi defeated Shunma Katsumata & Saki Akai when Takanashi pinned Katsumata with an Oklahoma Roll (11:00).
4. Special Single Match: Chris Brookes defeated Pokotan by TKO with the Diving Foot Stomp (13:57).
5. Daisuke Sasaki & MJ Paul Vs Yukio Sakaguchi & Yuki Ueno ended in a Time Limit Draw (15:00).
6. Kazusada Higuchi defeated Hideki Okatani by TKO with the Torture Canadian Backbreaker (12:02).
7. Tetsuya Endo & Naomi Yoshimura defeated HARASHIMA & MAO when Endo pinned MAO with the Shooting Star Press (13:52).
8. DDT 25th Anniversary Opening Memorial Special Single Match: Konosuke Takeshita Vs Shinya Aoki ended in a Time Limit Draw (15:00).
8a. Overtime: Konosuke Takeshita defeated Shinya Aoki with a Kimura Lock (2:16).
It’s a new year and a very important one for DDT. They are spending 2022 celebrating their 25th anniversary beginning with today’s event in Korakuen Hall. Every match on the card was given a 15 minute time limit to cram in as many matches as they could. In the main event it was the KO-D Openweight Champion and the DDT Extreme Champion battling to a stalemate. Konosuke Takeshita went hold for hold against Shinya Aoki with the match being kept on the ground for most of the fifteen minutes. When the match ended Takeshita asked for a restart and five more minutes were added when Aoki agreed to it. That was when Aoki changed his game plan and attempted a Suicide Dive out of the ring! Takeshita caught him and dropped him onto the floor with a Brainbuster. Back in the ring Takeshita tried to apply the Plus Ultra but couldn’t go through with it. He switched over to a Kimura Lock and that made Aoki submit.
Aoki praised Takeshita for being really strong and Takeshita asked him for a rematch down the road. It is this kind of support that made 2021 Takeshita’s greatest year in his decade long career. The nostalgia DDT is celebrating this year made him think about his debut match at Budokan Hall for DDT’s 15th Anniversary and his championship main event at Saitama Super Arena for the 20th Anniversary. Right when he began saying he would take on any challenger for the 25th Anniversary show, Tetsuya Endo walked down to the ring. He wasted no time and said he is the only one who can face Takeshita in the main event of Sumo Hall. Takeshita simply stuck his hand out and accepted the challenge. It will be Takeshita Vs Endo for the KO-D Title on 20th March!
Some of the tag matches mixed together teams and units as part of the festive mood. HARASHIMA and Naomi Yoshimura were put on opposite sides with HARASHIMA teaming with MAO and Yoshimura teaming with Endo. The finish saw Endo catch MAO with the Tetsuya In The Sky for a nearfall so Endo finished him off with the Shooting Star Press. HARASHIMA thinks the match was a good way to judge how much stronger Yoshimura has gotten. Then a bombshell was dropped. Yoshimura made a request to vacate the KO-D Tag Team Titles! He wants his team with HARASHIMA to advance further and win the Ultimate Tag League 2022 without being champions. HARASHIMA liked the idea and suggested the Tag Titles can be the prize for the tournament winners. That way if DISASTER BOX wins the tournament they will get the belts back and prove they are the absolute best team in DDT! Their request was granted and the KO-D Tag Team Titles were later declared vacant.
Hideki Okatani went through his big test to join Eruption, taking on Kazusada Higuchi. What may have looked like a mismatch was instead a chance for Okatani to show everything he’s got, not just to Higuchi but to the rest of Eruption standing at ringside. Okatani wouldn’t give up even when Higuchi bent him backwards with the Torture Canadian Backbreaker. The bell rang but not because Okatani submitted. Instead Yukio Sakaguchi threw in his hoodie as a stand-in for a towel to forfeit the match on Okatani’s behalf. The three members of Eruption quickly agreed that Okatani had proven himself and he is now the newest member of the group! Sakaguchi said he thought Okatani was just all talk but today he showed guts, determination and the desire to keep climbing. Higuchi said he will be here for when Okatani wants to challenge him again. The rookie achieved his goal of joining Eruption but his story is only just beginning.
There was another time limit draw on today’s show when Sakaguchi teamed with Yuki Ueno to take on DAMNATION T.A. Sakaguchi saw to it to fight against MJ Paul while Ueno reignited his feud with Daisuke Sasaki from last year. Sasaki fought for the Crossface Lock and then the Crossover Facelock to Ueno when the bell rang for the draw. Both sides weren’t thrilled with the result but Sakaguchi did flash Ueno a cheeky NeppoWER!! pose before leaving the ring.
Down, Set, Fight! I think Chris Brookes hates mascots judging from how his day went today. He didn’t know what to make of Pokotan’s antics especially when the mascot kept getting its head stuck between the ropes. It threw Brookes for a loop even further when it began stealing New Japan finishing moves like the Rainmaker, Kamigoye and Sling Blade. When Brookes had finally gotten enough he gave Pokotan an Avalanche Double Arm Suplex, the Praying Mantis Bomb and then crushed its head with a Diving Double Stomp. That last move was so devastating Yukinori Matsui had to call off the match and get Pokotan medical help.
Brookes continued to attack the injured Pokotan after the match until the room went dark and “Darkside” began playing over the speakers. Brookes walked back to the entrance unaware of what was going on until he looked up at the balcony. Suddenly there was Yoshihiko and the doll hit a balcony dive onto Brookes! The two brawled around ringside and when they were pulled apart, Brookes demanded a singles match against Yoshihiko as soon as possible. Hisaya Imabayashi booked the match for 7th January. Yoshihiko later attacked Brookes again backstage during his post-match interview.
Maya Yukihi became a topic of interest a few days ago when Tokyo Sports reported on CyberFight’s determination to sign her to a deal. Today was her first match as a freelancer since leaving Ice Ribbon and she already has several dates with DDT lined up this month. Masahiro Takanashi pinned Shunma Katsumata to get the result but all of the attention was on Yukihi and Saki Akai when they were together. Yukihi reintroduced herself to the DDT fans and said it was an honour for her first freelance match to be here. She’s looking forward to being in the ring with Akai more often both as opponents and as tag team partners. Akai said she is looking forward to seeing what kind of stage awaits Yukihi after her welcoming visit to DDT today. Even though Akai was polite, Yukihi sensed maybe a little bit of jealousy coming from her now that an outsider has appeared to share the spotlight with her. Akai’s point of view is if Yukihi wants to change things for the better then she will support it. But if Yukihi is doing something wrong then Akai will step in and destroy her plans!
A new warning has come from Pheromones. There is an Uber Pheromone among us! Danshoku Dieno can sense it. It can’t be Yuji Hino because he doesn’t like wrestling against Pheromones and was scared off by their behavior in the ring. Hino hardly took any physical damage in the match but the psychological damage stopped him from helping Toui Kojima & Yuya Koroku have any chance to win the match. Not while Yuki Iino propped himself on the ropes calling Hino’s name with Yumehito Imanari filming the entire thing. Pheromones won the match while Hino fled ringside. Afterwards Dieno bragged about Pheromones winning the Best Unit category at the recent Japan Indie Grand Prix Awards. That means Pheromones have a sign of endorsement from Samurai TV! Dieno’s goal for 2022 is Pheromones appearing on Samurai TV and using their lewd material to get the channel kicked off the air!
The KO-D 10-Man Tag Team Titles are serious business so the challenging team all decided to wrestle in typical salaryman outfits. Kazuki Hirata however wanted to dance because it is the new year and a lot of people bought tickets to see the show. He attacked all of his opponents with the Tegatana Chop until Yuki Ishida blocked it. Hirata won out and started dancing until Sanshiro Takagi put him in an Armbar. Hirata wanted to quit but Toru Owashi wouldn’t let him. Yoshihiko was thrown in to deal with the likes of Akito and Soma Takao. The Gongitsune from Antonio Honda was foiled by Gota Ihashi and his big belly. Hirata then grabbed Ihashi’s arm and made him submit to a Cross Armbreaker. Owashi called the title defence a miracle because the champion team only has 2.5 people on it (Owashi: 1, Honda: 1, Yoshihiko: 0, Hirata: 0.5). Takao didn’t like teaming with the others and never wants to team with them again. However he perked up when Akito suggested he fight Yoshihiko in a first time ever singles match.
Miyako Matsumoto promoted tomorrow’s Gake no Fuchi Joshi show at the beginning of today’s announcements. El Unicorn and Ilusion also promoted the DDTeeeens!! show on the 5th. HARASHIMA opened the show by joking about his old age. He said he is 24 years old.
The entries for Ultimate Tag League 2022 were announced. The 10 teams entering are HARASHIMA & Naomi Yoshimura, Konosuke Takeshita & Yuki Ueno, Shunma Katsumata & MAO, Tetsuya Endo & Jun Akiyama, Chris Brookes & Masahiro Takanashi, Daisuke Sasaki & MJ Paul, Yuji Hino & Yukio Naya, Kazusada Higuchi & Hideki Okatani, Shuji Kondo & Kazuki Hirata and Danshoku Dieno & Yuki Iino. As mentioned above the winners will become the new KO-D Tag Team Champions.
DDT “NEVER MIND 2021 IN YOYOGI”, 26/12/2021 Yoyogi National Stadium 2nd Gymnasium 1,134 Fans – No Vacancy
0. Dark Match: Toru Owashi & Yukio Naya defeated Antonio Honda & Hideki Okatani when Naya pinned Okatani with the Back Drop (6:17).
0. Dark Match – DDTeeeen!! Special Single Match: Vent Vert Jack defeated Ilusion with the Tlaloc (9:08).
0. Dark Match: Sanshiro Takagi defeated Maku Donaruto with the Kentucky Bomb (7:54).
1. Soma Takao & Shota defeated Akito & Yuki Ishida when Shota pinned Ishida with the Frog Splash (8:35).
2. KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles: Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno, Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Yumehito “Fantastic” Imanari (c) defeated Shinya Aoki, Yumiko Hotta & Super Sasadango Machine when Iino submitted Machine after the Ferrozzo (9:57). *V2 for Pheromones.
3. Special Single Match: Shuji Kondo defeated Kazuki Hirata with the King Kong Lariat (9:40).
4. Special 6-Man Tag Match – Yukio Sakaguchi Return Match: Minoru Suzuki, Chris Brookes & Maki Itoh defeated Yukio Sakaguchi, Kazusada Higuchi & Saki Akai when Suzuki pinned Sakaguchi with the Gotch-Style Piledriver (20:38).
5. BURNING Vs The 37KAMIINA!: Tetsuya Endo, Jun Akiyama, Yusuke Okada & Yuya Koroku defeated Shunma Katsumata, Yuki Ueno, MAO & Toui Kojima when Endo pinned Kojima with the Shooting Star Press (16:30).
6. DDT Universal Title – BLACKOUT Presents: Daisuke Sasaki (c) defeated Masahiro Takanashi with the Crossface Lock (17:48). *V3 for Daisuke Sasaki.
7. KO-D Tag Team Titles – WRESTLE UNIVERSE Presents: HARASHIMA & Naomi Yoshimura defeated Yuji Hino & Bodyguard when Yoshimura pinned Bodyguard with a Lariat (18:17). *V1 for DISASTER BOX.
8. KO-D Openweight Title – Yanekabe Presents: Konosuke Takeshita (c) defeated Yuji Okabayashi with the Plus Ultra (37:17). *V2 for Konosuke Takeshita.
The final DDT show of 2021 took place in Yoyogi National Stadium 2nd Gymnasium and was the first time DDT held a show in the venue. The main event was a rematch from the D-Ou Grand Prix with Konosuke Takeshita taking on Yuji Okabayashi. The D-Ou match went the distance and ended with a 30 minute draw but this time the KO-D Openweight Title was on the line, extending the time limit to 60 minutes. Kenta Kobashi watched on from the commentary booth as champion and challenger fought for almost 40 minutes this time. Okabayashi used the power of Pissari to resist the Plus Ultra submission hold. Trading German Suplexes led to a double down moment. Lariats and Jumping Knees couldn’t put Okabayashi away so Takeshita went for Plus Ultra again. Okabayashi used his strength to stand up for Takeshita held on and added a Manjigatame style hold to bring his opponent back down to the mat and make him submit.
Kobashi entered the ring to present the KO-D Title to Takeshita. The champion thanked Okabayashi for coming to DDT from Big Japan all by himself and giving the fans many great matches. Takeshita picked him to be his challenger and in return he got the most spirited opponent he had ever seen. He is now his rival and best opponent. They should have another match again and maybe this time Big Japan can host it. He said this was the year when he, The 37KAMIINA and DDT all improved together as a team. 2022 will be when DDT becomes bigger and stronger without forgetting what makes them DDT. Backstage Takeshita said his determination as champion was the deciding factor today. He thinks if the roles were reversed and he was the challenger he wouldn’t have won. Kobashi called this match more intense than the D-Ou draw. He also complimented the Jumping Knee that Takeshita now uses.
Determination to hold onto the championship is also what drove Naomi Yoshimura today. He & HARASHIMA struggled against Yuji Hino & Bodyguard leading up to the show so today they had to give it their all. Yoshimura took all the Lariats and High Kicks his opponents threw at him while HARASHIMA was there to break him out of trouble. A collapse in teamwork from Hino & Bodyguard gave the champions the opportunity to strike. HARASHIMA hit Hino with the Somato and Yoshimura knocked down Bodyguard with a Lariat. Bodyguard kicked out at two but another Lariat kept him down for good. DISASTER BOX scores their first KO-D Tag Team Titles defence. Bodyguard shook Yoshimura’s hand after the match and praised him for putting up a good fight. HARASHIMA also praised him for his hard work. Yoshimura said he was beaten up so badly today he doesn’t think he will ever get beaten up so badly like this ever again. He knows he is getting stronger but respects his opponents enough to know he has not surpassed them yet. Hino said Bodyguard’s wrestling career still has a long way to go even though he is 53. Hino himself said he will continue wrestling until he becomes 150 years old!
Everything was set up for today to be Masahiro Takanashi’s day. He had the backing of ChocoPro’s male wrestlers joining him for his entrance to take on the dastardly Daisuke Sasaki for the DDT Universal Title. He also got a video message of support from Emi Sakura over in America. The back up was there to even the playing field whenever MJ Paul interfered. Sasaki used a ref bump to hit a Low Blow and a chair attack to Takanashi. When Yukinori Matsui recovered, Sasaki used La Mistica to transition into the Crossface Lock but Takanashi reached a rope break. Sasaki then had to hit the Vietnam Driver II before applying an elevated Crossface Lock to finally win.
Sasaki told Takanashi to go back to Ichigaya because he has unfinished business with somebody else from ChocoPro. Minoru Fujita! He doesn’t care if Fujita has recovered from his illness or not, he wants him to be the next challenger. Fujita admitted his physical condition hasn’t been great since he got out of intensive care but he still looks in better health than Sasaki. Fujita went to the neighborhood of hell and came back stronger in spirit. He will take the title from him on 30th January. Backstage Sasaki called himself a genius because he figured out when you get pinned, you have 2.99 seconds of recovery before you kick out so he used that to his advantage. He also ignored complaints of interference because he only has Paul with him while Takanashi had six people in his corner. Fujita said he wishes Takanashi would have won today but it is now up to him to win the Universal Title for ChocoPro.
The 4th generation of BURNING has gone off to a great start with the entire unit beating the remaining members of The 37KAMIINA. Tetsuya Endo came out to new music produced by Osamu Suzuki and wearing new gear including an entrance robe that Jun Akiyama gave to him. Endo even scored the winning pin on Toui Kojima. However he isn’t content with that. The leader of The 37KAMIINA is Takeshita and that is Endo’s ultimate target. If he can’t beat him at the end then there is no point in this new version of BURNING even existing. But that’s in the future, today Endo sees the potential that he, Akiyama, Yusuke Okada & Yuya Koroku all have together. Akiyama encourages the unit to make a name for themselves not only in DDT but across the wrestling world! MAO was annoyed that Kojima lost but is trying to give him a chance. Yuki Ueno reminded him that The 37KAMIINA will fall apart if they lose their sauna spirit. Shunma Katsumata thanked the fans for supporting them this year.
The return of Yukio Sakaguchi from a herniated disc was added to Minoru Suzuki’s first match in DDT in five years as Eruption battled The Itoh Respect Army. Well, if you ask Suzuki he isn’t part of Maki Itoh’s group as shown when he refused to wear the merchandise Itoh gave him. There is no love lost between Sakaguchi and Suzuki. They kept each other in their sights for the whole match. Itoh kept wanting to do the Cutest Knuckle Punch In The World but Suzuki would pull her aside and keep the fight going. When Suzuki did the punches in the corner, Itoh said her catchphrase which made Suzuki stop and kick both her & Chris Brookes away. He did show support for Itoh later shouting encouragement when she was in the ring with Kazusada Higuchi. Brookes was taken out by Saki Akai and the Quetzalcoatl. The match came down to Sakaguchi and Suzuki again. Suzuki won the strike exchange, applied the Sleeper Hold and pinned Sakaguchi with the Gotch-Style Piledriver. He then gave the other members of Eruption a glare after the match.
Akai admitted to getting goosebumps when Sasaki made his entrance and for some reason it made her want to make Suzuki get even angrier so she could leave a mark on his fighter’s soul. Higuchi was disappointed to lose but also happy to see Sakaguchi come back to the ring. Sakaguchi said the match wasn’t about winning or losing. His three months off with the injury felt hellish to him because he didn’t know if he could return. That he was given a worthy opponent like Suzuki for his return match makes him think he’s not ready to die yet. Eruption aren’t going to forget the look Suzuki gave them after the match. To them it is now a three person race to see who will get Suzuki’s head! Meanwhile Itoh fired Suzuki from The Itoh Respect Army for refusing to wear the unit’s shirt even though she left her Piledriver jacket at home. They can still be friends though.
Shuji Kondo didn’t wait for his match against Kazuki Hirata to begin. He walked out in the middle of Hirata’s entrance while Hirata was going up and down the ramp on a hoverboard. A scared Hirata reversed back towards the ring for the match to start. Hirata tried to stop the match so he could read a letter to Kondo that conveys his feelings but Kondo ripped the letter apart. Toru Owashi came down with Yoshihiko to help Hirata get some offence in and he even countered the Spear into the Miracle One Shot Cradle for a nearfall. But once Kondo hit the King Kong Lariat it was all over. Kondo looked like he was going to praise Hirata after the match but he hit him with another Lariat instead. Kondo explained afterwards that he isn’t made about Hirata’s dancing or anything else he does, it’s just not the wrestling for him. Kondo understands that violence is more frowned upon nowadays but the kind he does is acceptable. He hopes this match will change Hirata but knows it won’t.
Love was in the air for the KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles match. Shinya Aoki has fallen in love with Yumiko Hotta and Super Sasadango Machine wanted to help get them together. Fighting Pheromones together was his bright idea. Hotta was confused by the behavior of the champions. Meanwhile Aoki was more concerned with giving her an expensive red belt he bought for her as a Christmas gift than he was with wrestling the match. Pheromones ended up winning by isolating Sasadango. Yuki Iino put him in a European Clutch and Danshoku Dieno sat on top of them, making Sasadango submit when his backside got cramped. Yumehito Imanari filmed the whole thing on his camera. On the bright side, Hotta accepted Aoki’s present and was happy to learn it could fit her. It’s not true love just yet but Hotta would like to form a tag team with Aoki to show her appreciation.
The opening match continues ROMANCE DAWN’s quick success as a tag team. Shota caught Akito with a surprise Topé while Soma Takao took down Yuki Ishida with a Jumping High Kick. Shota followed up with the Frog Splash for the three count. He said it felt huge to win a match in DDT because ROMANCE DAWN has mainly fought together in Ganbare☆Pro. Takao hopes that the wider audience that watched them today understands what ROMANCE DAWN is all about. 2022 will be a big voyage for the team. Akito admits to having some disdain towards this new team because he doesn’t have the kind of teamwork that they have. He thinks he should go look for an ally to work hard with them to form their own tag team. He praised Ishida but he is still just a rookie so the team won’t be with him.
As the pandemic continues spreading across the world, Sanshiro Takagi feels the need to boost the global fast food industry. That is why for his match against Maku Donaruto he was dressed up as Colonel Sanders! The match was fought under Hardcore rules and featured weapons such as plastic cases, barbed wire bats, ladders and chairs. Takagi used a Modified Stretch Bomb that today was called the Kentucky Bomb to win. Takagi thanked Donaruto afterwards and told him it was the end of his run in DDT. After five years in DDT it is time for Donaruto to move on to new pastures. Takagi explained that for DDT’s 25th Anniversary next year they need to make more contributions to society and they can’t do that with Donaruto hanging around. Takagi however would like to continue working with him at events independent from DDT.
The DDTeeeen!! match saw Vent Vert Jack live up to his promise to defeated Ilusion. The Tlaloc Diving Knee Stomp gave the MY WAY wrestler the victory. He thanked DDT for inviting him to wrestling on their big finale for the year and also looks forward to fighting Ilusion again on 5th January. Ilusion swears today’s loss is just a setback and not the end of his story. He sees his future going beyond Jack and he will become a teenage champion next year before he turns 20 years old.
The opening dark match had Antonio Honda get Hideki Okatani to join in with the Gongitsune attack. Yukio Naya hit Okatani back with Big Boots and Running Knee Strikes. He then pinned him with the Back Drop.
The first big talent announcement for “JUDGEMENT 2022 ~DDT 25TH ANNIVERSARY~” on 20th March was revealed. Andreza Giant Panda is back!
Posted by JamieOD 
Dramatic DDT 