Video – Formation Of The Hole Brothers!

February 7, 2020

DDT “VALENTINE ITABASHI SERIES 2020”, 01/02/2020
Tokyo Itabashi Green Hall
195 Fans – Super No Vacancy

Danshoku Dieno & Hiroshi Yamato Vs Cody Hall & Yukio Naya


DDT “VALENTINE ITABASHI SERIES 2020” Results

February 1, 2020

DDT “VALENTINE ITABASHI SERIES 2020”, 01/02/2020
Tokyo Itabashi Green Hall
195 Fans – Super No Vacancy

1. Daisuke Sasaki & Tetsuya Endo defeated Tomomitsu Matsunaga & Keigo Nakamura when Endo submitted Nakamura with the Yurikamome (11:23).
2. Konosuke Takeshita & Antonio Honda defeated Toru Owashi & Kazuki Hirata when Takeshita pinned Hirata with the Zahi (10:02).
3. Danshoku Dieno & Hiroshi Yamato Vs Cody Hall & Yukio Naya ended in a No Contest (9:03).
4. Right To Challenge Anytime, Anywhere Match: Yuki Iino defeated Mizuki Watase with the Spear (13:03).
*Yuki Iino wins the black Right To Challenge Anytime, Anywhere Gauntlet.
5. Right To Challenge Anytime, Anywhere 3 Way Match: Naomi Yoshimura defeated Kazusada Higuchi and Mad Paulie when Yoshimura pinned Paulie with a Lariat (7:16).
*Naomi Yoshimura wins the yellow Right To Challenge Anytime, Anywhere Gauntlet.
6. Beloved Hometown! Itabashi Specialty Special 3 Way Match: Masato Tanaka & Tetsuhiro Kuroda defeated HARASHIMA & Masahiro Takanashi and MAO & Makoto Oishi when Tanaka pinned Oishi with the Sliding D (8:15).
7. Right To Challenge Anytime, Anywhere Survival 4 Way Match: Akito defeated Yuki Ueno, Yukio Sakaguchi and Soma Takao (16:47).
7a. Akito eliminated Soma Takao with a Cradle (11:29).
7b. Yuki Ueno eliminated Yukio Sakaguchi with a Modified Jackknife Pin (13:35).
7c. Akito eliminated Yuki Ueno with a Modified Leg Lock (16:47).
*Akito wins the green Right To Challenge Anytime, Anywhere Gauntlet.

Three Right To Challenge Gauntlets have new owners. Akito, Naomi Yoshimura and Yuki Iino now all have a chance to get a KO-D Openweight Title whenever they want, as long as they don’t lose any matches before they cash it in. Akito is thrilled to be back in the title chase. He’s been positioned as a tag team wrestler after he lost the DDT Extreme Title. With the younger generation gaining progress in DDT, Akito doesn’t want to get left behind. Yoshimura thinks it is not a coincidence that the colour of his gauntlet is the same as when he cashed in on Konosuke Takeshita two and a half years ago. He is still tempted to go hunting for the Saitama Super Arena Sword. Yuki Iino said he will cash in his shot when the champion is as weak as possible.

The champion Masato Tanaka should be looking over his shoulder but right now his attention is solely focused on MAO. After winning the 3 Way Tag with Tetsuhiro Kuroda, Tanaka stood off with MAO. Suddenly MAO Dropkicked Tanaka and gave him the Michinoku Driver II. MAO admitted he was a little scared today but now he discovered he is too strong to be feeling scared.

The recent changes in the wrestling scene has given Danshoku Dieno plenty to think about. He doesn’t think Sanshiro Takagi is right in saying that DDT will stay the same after NOAH got purchased by CyberAgent. Things will be different and for Dieno it is a chance to still be an influential figure to carry DDT forward. In order to do this he needs to be a champion again. He asked Yukio Naya to form a team with him because Naya is big and comes from a yokozuna bloodline. Naya turned him down because he already has Cody Hall as a tag partner. Then during the match something unexpected happened. Hall turned on Naya! He hit him with a Lariat then Dieno gave his own tag partner Hiroshi Yamato a Brainbuster with Hall also Spearing Yamato on the way down. Dieno and Hall then attacked Yukinori Matsui causing the match to end via No Contest. Dieno got on the mic and said he has a “sex” partner with a yokozuna bloodline after all. He has the son of Scott Hall! Together Dieno and Hall are The Hole Brothers!

Kazuki Hirata had his entrance gear stolen before his match. He accused Antonio Honda behind the theft because he has done this kind of thing before. But much to everyone’s surprise it was Takeshita who came out wearing the stolen costume! Takeshita wrestling a match so low on the card had Hirata asking everyone if this was the main event.

At the start of the show Takagi told the fans DDT will not be any different with his new job at NOAH. The only change is Takagi will now be twice as busy.

Sidenote: 3,000th blog post!


Time’s Up For Daredasore, Cody Hall Returns, Saki Akai Vs Miranda Gordy

January 28, 2020

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TOKYO JOSHI 2020 WINTER ~WONDERFUL HARMONY~”, 01/02/2020
Tokyo Itabashi Green Hall

1. Natsumi Maki Vs Pom Harajuku
2. Hikari Noa & Sena Shiori Vs Mahiro Kiryu & Haruna Neko
3. 3 Way Match: Rika Tatsumi Vs Yuki Kamifuku Vs Suzume
4. Maki Itoh Vs Raku
5. Goodbye Akemi: Shoko Nakajima Vs Akemi Daredasore
6. Miyu Yamashita & Yuna Manase Vs Miu Watanabe & Mirai Maiumi
7. Yuka Sakazaki, Mizuki & Mina Shirakawa Vs Lana Austin, Nodoka Tenma & Yuki Aino

This is the last Tokyo Joshi Pro show for the Akemi Daredasore name. The 30 day period for Hyper Misao to wrestle under that name ends a few days later. She should go back to normal on the show after this but who knows with her. Misao might end up finding another way to change her gimmick again. Shoko Nakajima helped bring Daredasore to life so it’s only fitting for her to say goodbye.

DDT “VALENTINE ITABASHI SERIES 2020”, 01/02/2020
Tokyo Itabashi Green Hall

1. Daisuke Sasaki & Tetsuya Endo Vs Tomomitsu Matsunaga & Keigo Nakamura
2. Konosuke Takeshita & Antonio Honda Vs Toru Owashi & Kazuki Hirata
3. Danshoku Dieno & Hiroshi Yamato Vs Cody Hall & Yukio Naya
4. Right To Challenge Anytime, Anywhere Match: Yuki Iino Vs Mizuki Watase
5. Right To Challenge Anytime, Anywhere 3 Way Match: Naomi Yoshimura Vs Kazusada Higuchi Vs Mad Paulie
6. Right To Challenge Anytime, Anywhere 4 Way Match: Yuki Ueno Vs Yukio Sakaguchi Vs Soma Takao Vs Akito
7. Beloved Hometown! Itabashi Specialty Special 3 Way Match: HARASHIMA & Masahiro Takanashi Vs Masato Tanaka & Tetsuhiro Kuroda Vs MAO & Makoto Oishi

There is currently one Right To Challenge Contract in play along with the sword that represents the Right To Challenge At Saitama Super Arena. Three more contracts will come into action when February begins.

Cody Hall’s return to DDT has him teaming up with Yukio Naya again. They last joined forces at the “ULTIMATE PARTY 2019!” Tag Gauntlet back in November.

DDT “IBARAKI DE IKAPPEYO KATSUPE 2020”, 02/02/2020
Ibaraki Kasumigaura Cultural Gymnasium

1. Danshoku Dieno & Antonio Honda Vs Toru Owashi & Kazuki Hirata
2. Yuki Ueno, Naomi Yoshimura & Tomomitsu Matsunaga Vs Daisuke Sasaki, Soma Takao & Hiroshi Yamato
3. Kazusada Higuchi, Yukio Sakaguchi & Saki Akai Vs MAO, Makoto Oishi Vs Keigo Nakamura
4. DDT Megatonweight Single Match: Cody Hall Vs Yuki Iino
5. ALL OUT Vs DAMNATION!: Konosuke Takeshita & Akito Vs Tetsuya Endo & Mad Paulie
6. Ibaraki Hero Hayato “Mach” Sakurai & Tanomusaku Toba Triumph! Kasumigaura Specialty 6-Man Tag Match: HARASHIMA, Hayato Sakurai & Tanomusaku Toba Vs Masahiro Takanashi, Mizuki Watase & Yukio Naya

The newly named Eruption have a chance to get their hands on the next challenger for the KO-D Openweight Title.

BOYZ “(BRAND NEW) BOYZ α -VALENTINE EDITION-”, 11/02/2020
Kitazawa Town Hall

1. Keigo Nakamura BOYZ Assessment Match: Hiroshi Yamato Vs Keigo Nakamura
2. BOYZ Ace Showdown: MAO Vs Yuki Ueno
3. Fairy BOYZ: Yasu Urano & Antonio Honda Vs Kazusada Higuchi & Naomi Yoshimura
4. DAMNATION Vs BOYZ!: Soma Takao & Tetsuya Endo Vs Jun Masaoka & Kazuki Hirata
5. BOYZ-Like Exchange Match: Konosuke Takeshita & Masahiro Takanashi Vs Shuichiro Tominaga & Shota
6. HomoClo Revival: Danshoku Dieno, Makoto Oishi & Akito (w/ KUDO & Hiroshi Fukuda) Vs HARASHIMA, Keisuke Ishii & Mizuki Watase

The Homoiro Clover Z reunion gets even bigger with former members KUDO & Hiroshi Fukuda (aka Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi) standing in the team’s corner for the main event.

Whatever contest Hiroshi Yamato and Kazuki Hirata were going to have has been cancelled. Instead Hirata will be teaming with Jun Masaoka to face the invading DAMNATION team of Soma Takao & Tetsuya Endo. Yamato now has a match with Keigo Nakamura to see whether or not Nakamura is worthy of becoming a BOY. Akito thinks he should belong to YaroZ.

DDT “INTO THE FIGHT 2020”, 23/02/2020
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

1. DDT UNIVERSAL Title: Konosuke Takeshita Vs Chris Brookes
2. KO-D Openweight Title: Masato Tanaka (c) Vs MAO

The #STRONGHEARTS trio of CIMA, T-Hawk & El Lindaman will be on the show. The unit still has the business relationship with DAMNATION.

DDT “ISN’T IT DRAMATIC 2020”, 24/02/2020
Nagoya City East Sports Center

1. Saki Akai “Okibariyasu” 7 Match Series – 4th Match – Rocky Of Naniwa II Vs Human Torpedo II: Saki Akai Vs Miranda Gordy

The next challenge Saki Akai will face in the Okibariyasu series is Miranda Gordy, the daughter of Terry Gordy! Miranda began wrestling in the American indies last year and is touring Japan in February as part of Tokyo Championship Wrestling. She sent a video to the DDT office explaining that she and Akai share something in common. Akai’s dad was a great boxer and Gordy’s dad was a great wrestler. But Miranda thinks she is a better wrestler than Akai and will crush her in the ring to prove it. Akai understands it is important to be proud of her father’s blood but they will be fighting each other regardless of their second generation status. Akai has been nicknamed “The Rocky Of Naniwa II” because of her family connection but when she finishes the series, she wants to have earned a new nickname for herself.


MUSCLE “HIRAGANA MUSCLE 1” Results

January 27, 2020

MUSCLE “HIRAGANA MUSCLE 1”, 27/01/2020
Shin-Kiba 1st RING
361 Fans – Super No Vacancy

1. Team L Vs Team S ~ Hell In A Blue Sheet Death Match: Kazusada Higuchi & Yukio Naya defeated Yumehito Imanari & Shota when Higuchi pinned Shota with a Gedo Clutch (4:00)
2. Team M Vs Team M: Akito & Kazuki Hirata defeated Mizuki Watase & Yuki Ueno ended in a Time Limit Draw (4:30).
2a. Team M Vs Team M ~ Finish Designated Theme Match: Mizuki Watase & Yuki Ueno defeated Akito & Kazuki Hirata when Watase pinned Hirata with a Kido Clutch (4:00).
3. Team L Vs Team S ~ Mixed Tag Match Between Professionals And Amateurs: Konosuke Takeshita & South River Minamikawa defeated Shunma Katsumata & Masa Oyoshi when Minamikawa pinned Oyoshi after the Shooting Star Press from Tetsuya Endo (16:13).
4. Cygames Subsidiary Of Parent Company Presents Muscle 1 GP 2020: Mizuki Watase & Yuki Ueno defeated Konosuke Takeshita & South River Minamikawa by Audience Judgement.

It can be said that current day DDT lacks Muscle-like elements. With the rise of a new athletic generation of wrestlers led by Konosuke Takeshita bringing in new fans to DDT, some long time fans have to look somewhere else for the old surreal style and characters DDT was known for. Does a wrestling “genius” like Muscle Sakai still fit in with DDT nowadays? When he retired back in 2010, the final Muscle show was held. A promise was made back then to revive the brand in the year 2030 for the next generation to take over but with the previous generation of Muscle wrestlers now retired and unlikely to be around in 2030 to pass on their Muscle knowledge, it makes the task look impossible.

Which is why when Muscle came brought back for one night in Sumo Hall last year, Sakai felt the need to move the revival ten years forward. The next generation needs to learn the Muscle way now so it can thrive for years to come. Sakai had the means to hold today’s show in Korakuen Hall but instead he chose Shin-Kiba 1st RING. The original brand began in Kitazawa Town Hall and grew all the way up to Sumo Hall. Sakai wants to repeat that kind of achievement. A bunch of DDT wrestlers answered the call for auditions but one had to cancel before the show. They were all athletic, the complete opposite of a Muscle wrestler. That does not mean the wrestlers are incompatible with Muscle. Some wrestlers like Kazusada Higuchi also work on the YaroZ brand which is closer to Muscle’s entertainment style than DDT. Others like Takeshita were at a disadvantage because they are set in their athletic pro wrestling ways. Basically, Sakai wants the big strong wrestlers to do stupid things more often.

The wrestlers were split into three teams based on their heights. Everybody was measured in the ring and some like Yukio Naya had their real height exposed to be shorter than advertised. We got the largest in Team L, the mediums in Team M and the shortest in Team S.

The first match was Hell In A Blue Sheet! A large blue sheet covered over the ring while the wrestlers fought beneath it. Since the audience had no way of seeing what was going on, the commentary team were allowed to enter through the sheet and call play-by-play inside the ring. Higuchi won for Team L by pinning Shota with a Gedo Clutch. The commentary said there was a Low Blow involved so we have to take their word for it.

The second match featured all members of Team M tagging against each other. The match somehow ended in a time limit draw after four minutes much to the chagrin of the wrestlers involved. A rematch took place with a strict four minute time limit. Mizuki Watase pinned Kazuki Hirata right at the deadline. Hirata and Akito somehow drank poison during the match and collapsed afterwards.

The third match was a Mixed Tag Match. However there were no women booked for the show so the mixed teams featured one pro wrestler and a non-wrestler. Takeshita teamed with a comedian named South River Minamikawa while Shunma Katsumata sided with a “financial planner” called Masa Oyoshi. He looked a lot like Choun-Shiryu and had the same amount of martial arts experience too. Takeshita got tied up against the corner post and cried for help. Suddenly that one wrestler who cancelled earlier decided to come over after all. It was Tetsuya Endo! He did the Shooting Star Press onto Oyosho/Shiryu and Minamikawa got the pin.

The main event was the inaugural Muscle 1 Grand Prix 2020. It was a stand up comedy contest between two teams. Watase & Ueno performed under the stage name Protein Tiger. Takeshita & Minamikawa were called Dental & Systema. Watase’s performance was the deciding factor and his team won. Sakai was pleased with how the revival show turned out. The next generation of Muscle Warriors are on track to find their place in the sun where they will shine!


Video – 1st Half Of Handmade In Japan Match

January 24, 2020

DDT “ROJO PRO WRESTLING IN HANDMADE IN JAPAN FES WINTER (2020)”, 11/01/2020
Tokyo Big Sight West 1.2 Hall
??? Fans

Falls Count Anywhere 4 Way Tag Match: Shunma Katsumata & Yuki Iino Vs Yuki Ueno & Naomi Yoshimura Vs Makoto Oishi & Yukio Naya Vs MAO & Keigo Nakamura


GANBARE☆WRESTLING “GANBARE☆ONITA OYA☆PRO WRESTLING RAISING A FLAG” Results

January 13, 2020

GANBARE☆WRESTLING “GANBARE☆ONITA OYA☆PRO WRESTLING RAISING A FLAG”, 13/01/2020
Osaka City Suminoe Maikon Hall
163 Fans

1. Ganpro Vs DDT Full Battle: Shunma Katsumata defeated Shuhei Washida with a Buzzsaw Kick (12:54).
2. Special Tag Match: Ultimate Spider Jr. & Itsuki Aoki defeated Miss Mongol & Mizuki Watase when Spider pinned Watase with an Inverted Hurricanrana (9:54).
3. Ganpro Special Tag Match: Keisuke Ishii & Kouki Iwasaki defeated Shuichiro Katsumura & Yumehito Imanari when Ishii pinned Imanari with the Double Arm Extreme Driver (13:53).
4. Special Single Match: Chris Brookes defeated Shinichiro Tominaga with the Praying Mantis Bomb (14:02).
5. Scramble Bunkhouse Street Fight 6-Man Tag Death Match: The Great Nita, Ken Ohka & Hiroaki Moriya defeated Kenichiro Arai, Guts Ishijima & Shota when Ohka pinned Shota with the Vertical Drop Brainbuster (17:05).

The return of The Great Nita saw him attack Shota with a sickle, blind him with the Poison Mist and put him through a table with a Piledriver. He also attacked Guts Ishijima with the remains of the table. Ken Ohka got rid of Kenichiro Arai with the Fire Spear while Hiroaki Moriya took out Ishijima with a Lariat. The finish came when Ohka pinned Shota with the Vertical Drop Brainbuster.

But that wasn’t the end. Nita attacked Yukio Naya at ringside after the match and left him in a bloody mess with his sickle. Nita then wandered away and banged the sickle against the ring post. Ohka promoted the next Bakuha Koshien show on 28th March. He mentioned Atsushi Onita being absent from today’s show and assured everyone he will be back at Bakuha Koshien. Nita then attacked Ohka with the sickle but he got away mostly unharmed.

The language barrier was a little difficult but Chris Brookes got the message across to Ohka that he wants to be part of the Bakuha Koshien show when he comes back to Japan. Brookes was a big FMW fan growing up and he could never do an explosion match in England. He not only wants to take part in the match, he also wants to fight against Onita! It might kill him. If it does, it could also get him on the cover of Shukan Puroresu.

The second match turned out to be a lot more dangerous than expected. Mizuki Watase missed a Missile Dropkick intended for Ultimate Spider Jr. and hit Miss Mongol by accident instead. Mongol fainted which sent Watase into a rage. He charged at Spider but got pinned with an Inverted Hurricanrana. After the match Spider told everyone he wanted the match to be safer. He placed a chair down at the entrance stage and sat down in protest over how careless the match turned out. The other wrestlers simply lifted up the chair with him still sitting on it and carried him out of the room.

A 10 bell tribute was given to the late Kendo Nagasaki before the main event.


DDT “ROJO PRO WRESTLING IN HANDMADE IN JAPAN FES WINTER (2020)” Results

January 11, 2020

DDT “ROJO PRO WRESTLING IN HANDMADE IN JAPAN FES WINTER (2020)”, 11/01/2020
Tokyo Big Sight West 1.2 Hall
??? Fans

1. Falls Count Anywhere 4 Way Tag Match: Yuki Ueno & Naomi Yoshimura defeated Shunma Katsumata & Yuki Iino, Makoto Oishi & Yukio Naya and MAO & Keigo Nakamura when Yoshimura pinned Nakamura with a Fire Thunder from the stage through a table (32:18).

The stage was set with Hisaya Imabayashi and Pokotan welcoming the audience to DDT’s annual match at the HandMade In Japan Fes. Each team entered with their own weapons like a ladder, chairs and a table. The match started off with basic holds and grappling until it was time to cause some mayhem throughout the rest of the festival.

Naomi Yoshimura lifted Keigo Nakamura up in a Canadian Backbreaker and carried him around for all the fans to see. MAO put Yuki Iino in a Crossface Lock until Yukio Naya broke it up with a Shoulder Tackle. MAO hit back with a Shining Wizard. He then stole Pokotan’s feet and used them as a weapon.

The fighting moved throughout the market area where the wrestlers all put each other in submission holds. When they weren’t wrestling they were checking out all of the goods on sale.

Over in the play area, Nakamura climbed above the vending machines. He wanted to dive onto everyone but thought against it when nobody would get in position below. The others found a playhouse shaped like Mt. Fuji and formed a Headscissors chain through it. Naya then flipped everyone over with a Crab Hold. Yoshimura dragged everyone through the other side to escape.

Iino & Shunma Katsumata took control and piled everyone up in front of Mt. Fuji. Iino did the Haka Elbow onto the pile.

Nakamura found a large blue sphere that he wanted to dive off of. He needed help from the referee to climb it but still slipped off. Yuki Ueno had no trouble climbing the sphere and Moonsaulting off of it.

The match returned to the music area where everyone discovered a castle of chairs was built in front of the stage. Makoto Oishi had it built while Naya stood around as its protector. Iino accidentally charged into it when his attack missed Oishi. This made Oishi cry a lot.

The remains left a pile of chairs waiting to be used as weapons. Katsumata grabbed one but got it kicked into his head by Nakamura. Everybody’s attention then moved over to the ladder. They all fought over the chance to climb it.

Nakamura tried to climb but Iino pulled him down. Iino tried to climb but MAO pulled him down. MAO tried to climb but Oishi pulled him down. Oishi tried to climb… and everyone allowed him to. A reluctant Oishi eventually dived off the ladder.

MAO placed a bunch of chairs together and put Oishi through them with a Package Piledriver. Naya cut off the pin with a Knee Attack to MAO. He then Choke Slammed Oishi onto MAO. Iino did the Spear to Naya but Yoshimura broke up the pin.

Nautilus used their combined strength to give Iino and Double Brainbuster. Katsumata and Ueno fought up to the stage. Katsumata charged Ueno but was given a Back Body Drop off the stage onto everyone below.

Nakamura placed the ladder onto his shoulders and spun around, hitting whoever walked into him. He got on the stage and wanted to climb the ladder again but Nautilus stopped him. Nakamura kicked out of the double team so Ueno set up a table next to the stage. Yoshimura put Nakamura through the table with a Fire Thunder for the three count.

Ueno & Yoshimura addressed the fans after the match then asked if Nakamura was ok. He didn’t move so everyone laughed. They then asked the festival president if DDT can come back next year. He said he would consider it.


DDT “NEW YEAR DRAMATIC ITABASHI SERIES 2020” Results

January 5, 2020

DDT “NEW YEAR DRAMATIC ITABASHI SERIES 2020”, 05/01/2020
Tokyo Itabashi Green Hall
175 Fans – No Vacancy

1. Kazusada Higuchi & Yukio Sakaguchi defeated Hiroshi Yamato & Keigo Nakamura when Sakaguchi submitted Nakamura with the Modified Sleeper Hold (8:27).
2. Mad Paulie & El Lindaman defeated Tomomitsu Matsunaga & Yukio Naya when Lindaman pinned Naya with a Low Blow (8:58).
3. O-40 Title: Gorgeous Matsuno (c) defeated Danshoku Dieno with La Magistral Cradle (10:30).
*V2 for Gorgeous Matsuno.
4. Chris Brookes, Masahiro Takanashi & Mizuki Watase defeated HARASHIMA, Toru Owashi & Antonio Honda when Brookes submitted Honda with the Octopus Stretch (9:53).
5. MAO defeated Makoto Oishi with a Backslide Pin (11:27).
6. KO-D Tag Team Titles: Yuki Ueno & Naomi Yoshimura (c) defeated Keisuke Ishii & Kazuki Hirata when Yoshimura pinned Hirata after the Osaka Strad (14:22).
*V1 for Nautilus.
7. New Year Is Good Pro Wrestling! Itabashi Specialty 8-Man Tag Match: Daisuke Sasaki, Soma Takao, Tetsuya Endo & T-Hawk defeated Konosuke Takeshita, Akito, Shunma Katsumata & Yuki Iino when Endo pinned Katsumata with the Shooting Star Press (16:31).
-. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title: Antonio Honda defeated Saki Akai (c) with a Cradle (8:30 pm).
*Antonio Honda becomes the 1,464th champion.
-. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title: Saki Akai defeated Antonio Honda (c) with a Right Middle Kick (8:31 pm).
*Saki Akai becomes the 1,465th champion.

The business relationship between DAMNATION and #STRONGHEARTS is off to a strong start with a win over ALL OUT. That was the easy part, the hard part is trying to come up with a name for this alliance. Strong Damhearnation? Dastrongheartion? They don’t know!

Nautilus showed respect to Kazuki Hirata after the KO-D Tag Team Titles match. They are all part of DISASTER BOX so the match never got ill tempered. Although at the end of the match Yuki Ueno decided the throw Hirata out of the ring as a prank. Yuki Iino then attacked Naomi Yoshimura at ringside. Iino will be the next challenger for the KO-D Tag Titles with Chihiro Hashimoto.

Keisuke Ishii still wants to offer his assistance to Hirata despite their short lived tag team ending. He found out that Naomichi Marufuji still does not know who Hirata is even though he joined DISASTER BOX two days ago. Ishii promised to make sure Marufuji will remember Hirata from now on.

The NωA must feel like it happened an eternity ago for Makoto Oishi & MAO. It took some tricky mat work that MAO learned from the UK to beat his former idol mentor. He countered the European Clutch into a Backslide Pin with a headstand included for leverage. MAO explained afterwards the he learned the art of pinning opponents from training at the Fight Club: PRO dojo during his stay there. It was confirmed at the start of the show that MAO will face the winner of HARASHIMA Vs Masato Tanaka for the KO-D Openweight Title on 23rd February.

Chris Brookes made it clear he wants to become the first DDT Universal Champion when he comes back for his year long stay in Japan.

Gorgeous Matsuno’s gameplan today was to attack Danshoku Dieno’s arm. Makes sense given how much of a grabby person Dieno is. The work paid off when Matsuno countered the Danshoku Driver and pinned his opponent with La Magistral Cradle. He asked Dieno if his life fell to the bottom at the age of 42. Because Matsuno has fallen and crawled back up many times in life. If Dieno wants to try and take the O-40 Title again, Matsuno will be waiting for him. Dieno never thought he would be beaten so decisively against Matsuno. He still has a specific goal to achieve in wrestling but now he’s thinking he may have to win the O-40 Title from Matsuno to get there.

Today was Yukio Naya’s first match back after having a high fever last week. Both Mad Paulie & El Lindaman are convinced he had the flu and were concerned that Naya was going to spread his germs to them. They came out wearing protective face masks and also a disinfectant spray. Lindaman ended up blinding Naya with the spray behind the ref’s back and gave him a Low Blow for the dirty victory.

Kazusada Higuchi & Yukio Sakaguchi still want to have fun while they threaten to change the landscape of DDT. They forced Hiroshi Yamato & Keigo Nakamura to pose with them over at the fan photo display after their match.

Shunma Katsumata confirmed the news he will be taking a few weeks off for surgery to remove a metal place from his cheek. He will return in February.

The Right To Challenge Anytime Anywhere Battle Royal returns on 26th January. The reason it the match is happening early this year is because the prizes will be active up until “WRESTLE PETER PAN 2020” in June.


Naya Ill, Parker Going to Gake no Fuchi, Enfants Terribles In Ganpro

January 3, 2020

DDT “NEW YEAR SPECIAL GIFT! ALL SEATS 2,000 YEN BOX OFFICE!! 2020”, 03/01/2020
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

1. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title – Time Difference Battle Royal: Toru Owashi (c) Vs Kazuki Hirata Vs Yuki Iino Vs Antonio Honda Vs Saki Akai Vs Gorgeous Matsuno Vs Mizuki Watase Vs Keigo Nakamura
2. Kazusada Higuchi & Yukio Sakaguchi Vs Mad Paulie & Hiroshi Yamato
3. New Year! Special 3 Way Match: Sanshiro Takagi Vs Danshoku Dieno Vs Super Sasadango Machine
4. HARASHIMA & Shinya Aoki Vs Masahiro Takanashi & Makoto Oishi
5. MAO Triumph Match: MAO Vs Shunma Katsumata
6. New Year! Special Worldwide Match: Masato Tanaka Vs Chris Brookes
7. Tetsuya Endo & X Vs Konosuke Takeshita & Akito
8. KO-D Tag Team Titles: Daisuke Sasaki & Soma Takao (c) Vs Yuki Ueno & Naomi Yoshimura

Yukio Naya has caught a high fever and will not be taking part in the show. Since he was only in the Battle Royal there will not be a replacement.

GAKE NO FUCHI JOSHI PRO “GAKEPPUCHI SNOW WHITE 2020”, 04/01/2020
Tokyo Itabashi Green Hall

1. Miyako Matsumoto Vs Chris Brookes

Drew Parker, Metropoli-chan V and Ohuchi Rider will be in attendance. Due to the amount of foreign fans expected to attend the event, Shota will be there to provide English commentary and they are planning to have someone do Spanish commentary as well. Tickets can be purchased by foreign fans at the door for $30 or €30 in exact notes.

GANBARE☆WRESTLING “SARABA SEISHUN NO HIKARI 2019”, 12/01/2020
Tokyo Itabashi Green Hall

1. The Fifth Trial Singles Match Of Shuhei Washida: Yumehito Imanari Vs Shuhei Washida
2. Ken And Shin Collide At Itabashi! Hokuto Hyakuchiken Vs Nantogoku Sword!: Ken Ohka Vs Shin Suzuki
3. Someone Is Going To Miss You Special 3 Way Match: Choun-Shiryu Vs Moeka Haruhi Vs HARUKAZE
4. Ro & Ro Vs Hattoshite Good “β”: Shuichiro Katsumura & Shinichiro Tominaga Vs Shota & Buffalo
5. New Year Special Tag Match: Keisuke Ishii & Kouki Iwasaki Vs Kuma Arashi & Yusuke Kodama
6. Independent World Jr. Heavyweight Title Next Challenger Battle Royal: Ken Ohka Vs Shuichiro Katsumura Vs Yumehito Imanari Vs Kouki Iwasaki Vs Shota Vs Shinichiro Tominaga Vs Shuhei Washida Vs Haruhi Moeka Vs HARUKAZE Vs Shin Suzuki

The Enfants Terribles from WRESTLE-1 are entering Ganbare☆Wrestling! It’s up to Keisuke Ishii & Kouki Iwasaki to defend the home turf against Kuma Arashi & Yusuke Kodama.


“NEW YEAR’S EVE WRESTLING 2019 ~TOSHIWASHURE! SHUFFLE TAG TOURNAMENT” Results

December 31, 2019

“NEW YEAR’S EVE WRESTLING 2019 ~TOSHIWASHURE! SHUFFLE TAG TOURNAMENT”, 31/12/2019
Tokyo Korakuen Hall
1,232 Fans – No Vacancy

1. Shuffle Tag Tournament – Round 1: Konosuke Takeshita & Hideyoshi Kamitani defeated Daichi Hashimoto & Akito when Kamitani pinned Akito with the Loyly Diving Elbow Drop (9:36).
2. Shuffle Tag Tournament – Round 1: Yasufumi Nakanoue & Yuki Iino defeated Yukio Sakaguchi & Kazuki Hashimoto when Nakanoue pinned Hashimoto with a Lariat (6:27).
3. Shuffle Tag Tournament – Round 1: HARASHIMA & Yuya Aoki defeated El Lindaman & Yukio Naya when Aoki pinned Lindaman with a Tiger Suplex (9:08).
4. Shuffle Tag Tournament – Round 1: Daisuke Sekimoto & Chris Brookes defeated Yuji Okabayashi & Antonio Honda when Brookes submitted Honda with the Octopus Stretch (8:48).
5. Shuffle Tag Tournament – Round 1: Ryuichi Kawakami & T-Hawk Vs Soma Takao & Kota Sekifuda ended in a Time Limit Draw (10:00).
5a. Overtime – 1 Count Fall Rules: Ryuichi Kawakami & T-Hawk defeated Soma Takao & Kota Sekifuda when T-Hawk pinned Sekifuda with the Cerberus (1:02).
6. Shuffle Tag Tournament – Round 1: Tetsuya Endo & Takuya Nomura defeated Brahman Kei & Naomi Yoshimura when Endo pinned Kei with the Puma Toke de Espaldas (7:07).
7. Shuffle Tag Tournament – Round 1: Yuko Miyamoto & Daisuke Sasaki defeated Yuki Ueno & Takuho Kato when Sasaki submitted Ueno with the Cross Facelock (7:07).
8. Shuffle Tag Tournament – Round 1 – Lighttube Death Match: Takumi Tsukamoto & Kankuro Hoshino defeated Toshiyuki Sakuda & Shunma Katsumata when Tsukamoto pinned Katsumata with the Suffocation Zudon (7:45).
9. Shuffle Tag Tournament – Round 2: Yasufumi Nakanoue & Yuki Iino defeated Konosuke Takeshita & Hideyoshi Kamitani when Iino pinned Kamitani with the Spear (8:31).
10. Shuffle Tag Tournament – Round 2: Daisuke Sekimoto & Chris Brookes defeated HARASHIMA & Yuya Aoki when Sekimoto pinned Aoki with a Lariat (9:03).
11. Shuffle Tag Tournament – Round 2: Tetsuya Endo & Takuya Nomura defeated Ryuichi Kawakami & T-Hawk when Nomura pinned Kawakami with a Cross Legged Cradle (7:44).
12. Shuffle Tag Tournament – Round 2: Yuko Miyamoto & Daisuke Sasaki defeated Takumi Tsukamoto & Kankuro Hoshino when Sasaki submitted Hoshino with the Cross Facelock (6:33).
13. Shuffle Tag Tournament – Semi Final: Tetsuya Endo & Takuya Nomura defeated Yasufumi Nakanoue & Yuki Iino when Endo pinned Iino with the Shooting Star Press (8:01).
14. Shuffle Tag Tournament – Semi Final: Daisuke Sekimoto & Chris Brookes defeated Yuko Miyamoto & Daisuke Sasaki when Sekimoto pinned Sasaki with the German Suplex (6:45).
15. New Year’s Eve! Defeat Hunger! Very Funny! Special 6-Man Tag Match: Abdullah Kobayashi, Danshoku Dieno & Super Sasadango Machine defeated Tatsuhiko Yoshino, Drew Parker & Mizuki Watase when Kobayashi pinned Watase with the Bakachinga Elbow Drop (8:50).
16. Shuffle Tag Tournament – Final: Tetsuya Endo & Takuya Nomura defeated Daisuke Sekimoto & Chris Brookes when Nomura pinned Sekimoto with the Dragon Suplex (17:19).

A flu pandemic didn’t stop Big Japan from joining up with DDT for the annual New Year’s Eve Wrestling party. In the runup to the show six wrestlers fell ill and had to pull out of the show. While it was a shame that they couldn’t be here it did open up slots for some different faces to take their place.

Round 1

The opening match turned out to be an unusual tribute to Shinjiro Otani. The pairing of Daichi Hashimoto & Akito named themselves Team Shinjiro Otani due to his influence over them. Their opponents Konosuke Takeshita & Hideyoshi Kamitani responded by paying tribute to Masato Tanaka. They both did Tanaka’s pose together while Hashimoto & Akito did Otani’s Fire Sword pose. The Otani team both did the Facewash spot and all looked to be over when Akito punt Takeshita in a Figure 4 Leglock. That was until Kamitani climbed the top rope and hit a Diving Elbow Drop on Akito to get the pin. The losers decided they could no longer call themselves Team Shinjiro Otani so they renamed themselves The Shinjiro Otani Victims Association. They hope Otani will be a member some day.

The next match was all about brute strength against kicking power. Yuki Iino was about to do the Haka Elbow on Yukio Sakaguchi when Kazuki Hashimoto kicked him away. The kickers gave Yasufumi Nakanoue a PK Sandwich but Iino hit both of them with a Double Spear afterwards. Nakanoue & Iino then used their combined strength to Choke Slam Hashimoto. A Lariat from Nakanoue ended the match.

At first it looked like El Lindaman & Yukio Naya were going to get along great. Then they figured out the harsh truth that they are not the same size. They tried doing double team moves together but the 40cm height difference between them made it difficult. Meanwhile HARASHIMA & Yuya Aoki had no such trouble working together. The Lindaman & Naya team fell apart when Naya accidentally hit Lindaman with a Diving Shoulder Block. Lindaman snapped and said some unpleasant things to his partner. An angry Naya Choke Slammed Lindaman and left him to get pinned by Aoki’s Tiger Suplex.

The next match had wrestlers wearing matching gear in their teams. Yuji Okabayashi came out dressed like Antonio Honda while Chris Brookes wore Daisuke Sekimoto’s entrance robe. Honda unleashed Gongitsune after a hot tag. He got Sekimoto in the eyes but Brookes then grabbed both Gon hands and made Honda pinch Okabayashi’s nipples. Brookes locked Honda in an Octopus Stretch for the win. Honda hopes everyone will at least remember Okabayashi’s strawberry costume.

The only match on the show to last the full time limit was Ryuichi Kawakami & T-Hawk Vs Soma Takao & Kota Sekifuda. A lot of the match featured a cuddly toy cobra that Takao brought down to the ring. Unfortunately the cobra ripped in half when Takao & Sekifuda used it to Clothesline on T-Hawk. The time ran out while Sekifuda and T-Hawk had a tug of war over the cobra. Overtime began and Soma swung the cobra at T-Hawk. He ducked and Sekifuda took the hit as the cobra’s remans exploded. T-Hawk gave Sekifuda the Nightride and then the Cerberus knee strike for the one count victory.

We got a rare sighting of a single Brahman Brother wrestling. Brahman Shu was out sing so Brahman Kei was by himself. Good thing Naomi Yoshimura got in the Brahman spirit of things and joined in with Shu’s antics. So did Tetsuya Endo & Takuya Nomura. They stole the buckets of water and threw them at their opponents. Shu placed a suitcase against Endo & Nomura for Yoshimura to throw a bowling ball at. Kei threw the briefcase but Endo ducked and Yoshimura got hit. Nomura blinded Kei with the black India Ink and Endo pinned him with the Puma Toke de Espaldas. Kei blamed the loss on the flu.

The team bonding continued with Daisuke Sasaki wearing similar yankee gear as Yuko Miyamoto. The team of Yuki Ueno & Takuho Kato gelled well together too. Kato held Ueno up on seated on his shoulders and threw him on top of Sasaki for a nearfall. Miyamoto hit Yeno with a Handspring Kneel Kick and then dropped him with the Fire Thunder. The match ended when Sasaki submitted Ueno with the Cross Facelock.

The 1st Round ended with a Lighttube Death Match. Shunma Katsumata has been wanting to do more violent matches so this was his chance. He brought along his own lighttube with Lego attached to it. Takumi Tsukamoto & Kankuro Hoshino gave Katsumata a death match baptism by smashing lighttubes over him. They had control early until Katsumata did some violent spots of his own with the help of Toshiyuki Sakuda. He broke a bundle of lighttubes taped together and revealed there were even more Lego blocks hidden inside it! He gave Hoshino the ¡Hasta la vista! onto the pile but Tsukamoto broke it up. Tsukamoto placed a plastic bag over Katsumata to suffocate him then hit the Zudon for the win. They shook hands after the match and Katsumata smashed the last remaining lighttube over his own head.

Round 2

Round 2 began with a bit of an upset. Nakanoue & Iino defeated Takeshita & Kamitani, ending Takeshita’s streak of reaching the final! The Double Choke Slam was the difference maker again, this time with Iino hitting the Spear on Kamitani to in the match.

As the tournament progressed, the team bonds were getting stronger. Aoki came out wearing matching HARASHIMA gear. Meanwhile Sekimoto joined Brookes in given Aoki a wet willy while he was in a Camel Clutch. HARASHIMA went for the Somato but Brookes dodged it and caught him in the Octopus Stretch. With HARASHIMA held in place, nobody could stop Sekimoto from pinning Aoki with a Lariat.

There was no nonsense in the Endo & Nomura versus Kawakami & T-Hawk match. Nomura was double teamed on while Endo was cut off from rescuing him. But Nomura escaped from the Nightraide and put Kawakami in a Cross Armbreaker. Kawakami tried to roll out but Nomura clasped his legs into a Cradle to pin him for the flash three count.

The last match in the 2n Round turned weird. Miyamoto came out dressed like Shinobu Kandori. Then Hoshino came out looking like Kenshiro from Fist Of The North Star. He used many of Kenshiro’s attacks but when he told Sasaki “You are already dead” Miyamoto hit him in the back with a chair. Sasaki then made Hoshino quickly tap to the Cross Facelock.

Semi Finals

The tournament was now down to four teams. Nakanoue & Iino threw Endo off the top rope then set Nomura up for the Haka Elbow. Iino went for the Spear but Nomura blocked it with a High Kick. Endo came in to hit a Handspring Overhead Kick before pinning Iino with the Shooting Star Press.

Miyamoto decided to return the favour to Sasaki by wearing a leather jacket and carrying around the DAMNATION signboard. Their run came to an end here when Brookes caught Sasaki by surprise with a Cutter and Sekimoto capitalised with the German Suplex.

Special 6-Man Tag Match

Before the final took place there was a non-tournament 6-Man Tag to get through. At this point in the show it was almost midnight. The countdown appeared on the screen while Danshoku Dieno was up to his usual behavior in the ring. As the final seconds counted down, the locker room emptied out and everybody celebrated the new year. When they left we discovered that the wrestlers in the match were all trampled during the celebration. They recovered and slowly wrestled the rest of the match while the song “SEVEN DAYS WAR” by TM Network played over the speakers.

Final

The first complete pro wrestling match of the new decade saw Endo & Nomura defeated Sekimoto & Brookes. Sekimoto tried to German Suplex Nomura but Endo cut him off with the Springboard Overhead Kick. Nomura then tried to German Suplex Sekimoto but Brookes cut him off with a Diving Foot Stomp. Endo had to wipe out Brookes with the Sasuke Special so Nomura could hit the Dragon Suplex on Sekimoto to win the tournment!

Japan Indie Grand Prix Awards

MVP
1. Isami Kodaka
2. Konosuke Takeshita
3. Daisuke Sekimoto
4. HARASHIMA
5. Minoru Fujita

Best Bout
1. Daisuke Sekimoto Vs Michael Elgin (Big Japan, 24th August)
2. Konosuke Takeshita Vs HARASHIMA (DDT, 3rd November)
3. Isami Kodaka Vs Yuko Miyamoto (Big Japan, 4th November)
4. Daisuke Sekimoto & Walter Vs Yuji Okabayashi & Yuji Hino (Big Japan, 4th November)
5. Jun Kasai Vs Toru Sugiura (FREEDOMS, 1st October)

Best Unit
1. #STRONGHEARTS
2. Kobayashi-gun
3. DAMNATION
4. Yuji Okabayashi & Shigehiro Irie
5. Sento Minzoku

Best Box Office
Tied 1. DDT at Sumo Hall, 3rd November & Big Japan at Sumo Hall, 4th November
3. Muscle at Sumo Hall, 16th February
4. Shin Nemuro Pro Wrestling at Shin-Kiba 1st RING, 13th October
5. Michinoku Pro at Shinjuku FACE, 27th November

Best Newcomer
1. Keigo Nakamura
2. Toshiyuki Sakuda
3. Maku Donaruto
4. Chris Brookes
5. Asuka