DDT “JUDGEMENT 2022 ~DDT 25TH ANNIVERSARY~” Preview

March 18, 2022

DDT “JUDGEMENT 2022 ~DDT 25TH ANNIVERSARY~”, 20/03/2022
Tokyo Ryogoku Kokugikan

0. Dark Match: Tomomitsu Matsunaga, Toui Kojima, Yuki Ishida Vs Yusuke Okada, Yuya Koroku & Ilusion
0. Dark Match – Time Admission Tag Battle Royal: Tomohiko Hashimoto & Seiya Morohashi Vs Soma Takao & Shota Vs Minoru Fujita & MJ Paul Vs Yuji Hino & Yukio Naya Vs Gorgeous Matsuno & Gota Ihashi Vs Andreza Giant Panda & Super Sasadango Machine
1. KO-D 10-Man Tag Team Titles: Toru Owashi, Antonio Honda, Kazuki Hirata & Yoshihiko (c) Vs Poison Sawada JULIE, Takashi Sasaki, GENTARO, MIKAMI & Thanomsak Toba (w/ Naomi Susan)
2. Special Single Match: Saki Akai Vs Maya Yukihi
3. DDT 25th Anniversary Special Single Match – No DQ “I’m Sorry” Match: Sanshiro Takagi Vs Michael Nakazawa
4. Special Tag Match: Isami Kodaka & Yukio Sakaguchi Vs Yuki Ueno & Shunma Katsumata
5. LiLiCo Retirement Match: LiLiCo, Ryohei Odai & Akito (w/ Junretsu) Vs Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno, Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Yumehito “Fantastic” Imanari
6. Jun Akiyama 30th Anniversary Match: Jun Akiyama & Takao Omori Vs Kazusada Higuchi & Hideki Okatani
7. DDT Universal Title – Hardcore 3 Way Match: Daisuke Sasaki (c) Vs Jun Kasai Vs MAO
8. KO-D Tag Team Titles: HARASHIMA & Naomi Yoshimura (c) Vs Chris Brookes & Masahiro Takanashi
9. KO-D Openweight Title – Japan Bakery Marketing Presents: Konosuke Takeshita (c) Vs Tetsuya Endo

Bloody hell this thing lasted 25 years. TWENTY FIVE YEARS! DDT is a company that was put together by a promoter named Shintaro Muto* along with three wrestlers who exited Pro Wrestling Crusaders with him in 1996. Those three wrestlers are known today by the names Sanshiro Takagi, MIKAMI and NOSAWA Rongai. Fast forward to 2022. DDT is now celebrating its silver anniversary and is a key part of the second most powerful wrestling conglomerate in Japan. Its very first show in March 1997, one that was held even before the name Dramatic Dream Team was decided on, was called “JUDGEMENT” because the audience was asked to vote on whether or not the actual launch in May should go ahead. 154 people voted for the launch to proceed and 24 people voted to cancel it. Thank God nobody listened to those 24 people.

There is plenty on show to celebrate the 25th Anniversary. Many figures from the company’s past are flocking into Sumo Hall to join with the present and perhaps future of DDT. Four championships are on the line, career milestones are being acknowledged, grudges will be settled, a retirement will take place and the headline match features the two wrestlers DDT spent the last decade building up to be their star players.

*It is very difficult to find information about Muto online. He was a part of PWC behind the scenes but other than that I don’t know what his background is. There’s an old blog post from 2007 where Takagi jokes about Muto always finding newly opened club venues for DDT to hold shows at. There’s also a picture Takagi tweeted of him from his wedding party in 2009 if you want to see what he actually looked like back then.

0. Dark Match: Tomomitsu Matsunaga, Toui Kojima, Yuki Ishida Vs Yusuke Okada, Yuya Koroku & Ilusion

This one had a last minute change of plans. El Unicorn was supposed to be in this match but tested positive for covid a few days before the show. Tomomitsu Matsunaga is taking his place. He in-ring time for much of the year was as a opening match substitute for anyone who is suddenly out of action. The other DDTeeeen!! wrestler Ilusion has wrestled twice so far this year as the heel representation of the brand. Yusuke Okada also had some covid setbacks that set him back but he has since found his place in the BURNING unit. Yuki Ishida has been a bright spark in the ring so far. He can turn into a little sumo firecracker if he keeps it up.

The fun part of this match is the growing feud between the rookies Toui Kojima and Yuya Koroku. These two have been at each other’s throats in a lot of The 37KAMIINA Vs BURNING matches and Koroku has gotten Kojima’s number every time. At first the losses got to Kojima and made him cry. But he swore the next time he cries it will be from tears of joy when he finally beats Koroku! Even if it happens on the first match of the pre-show, it will still mean the world to him if he pulls it off here.

0. Dark Match – Time Admission Tag Battle Royal: Tomohiko Hashimoto & Seiya Morohashi Vs Soma Takao & Shota Vs Minoru Fujita & MJ Paul Vs Yuji Hino & Yukio Naya Vs Gorgeous Matsuno & Gota Ihashi Vs Andreza Giant Panda & Super Sasadango Machine

Some DDT nostalgia fills up the Dark Match Tag Team Rumble. The Double Bridge team of Tomohiko Hashimoto & Seiya Morohashi returns for this match. Hashimoto was a regular part of DDT shows in the 2000s while Morohashi stuck around the DDT family up until 2016. Soma Takao & Shota have been bouncing around Ganbare☆Pro as ROMANCE DAWN and having fun doing so. Not so fun is the DAMNATION T.A pair of Minoru Fujita & MJ Paul. The big boys Yuji Hino & Yukio Naya are still together despite a lack of success as a team. Gorgeous Matsuno will be there to serenade the fans while Gota Ihashi will hopefully try a fat boy Moonsault. That leaves Super Sasadango Machine joining forces with an old opponent. It’s the return of Andreza Giant Panda! It is the first time Andreza has been in Sumo Hall since Muscle ran there in 2019. Sadly his master Samson Miyamoto passed away during September 2020 but Andreza continues to make sporadic appearances in wrestling shows around the country.

1. KO-D 10-Man Tag Team Titles: Toru Owashi, Antonio Honda, Kazuki Hirata & Yoshihiko (c) Vs Poison Sawada JULIE, Takashi Sasaki, GENTARO, MIKAMI & Thanomsak Toba (w/ Naomi Susan)

More nostalgia will be found in the opener. The rules for the KO-D 10-Man Tag Team Titles are a little muddled up at the moment. It was turned into the KO-D 8-Man Tag Team Titles during the pandemic to reduce spreading covid through the roster. However when it was changed back into a 10-Man Tag Championship, the DDT Variety Team were told to keep defending the belts as a team of four. So the current champions have to take part in 4 Vs 5 Handicap matches until they lose the titles. It’s a tough challenge but the foursome have lasted this long. Toru Owashi spent the year winning a small collection of obscure championships, Antonio Honda keeps finding ways to talk about Gongitsune, Kazuki Hirata is trying to find a new direction but always reverts back to his dancing and Yoshihiko is as dangerous as ever.

A cast of DDT Legends have come to challenge for the title. Poison Sawada JULIE leads the charge with his valet Naomi Susan ready to rattle along to his snake magic. Takashi Sasaki is nowadays known for running FREEDOMS but he was also the fourth wrestler in DDT when it launched. His Aka Rangers tag team partner GENTARO is along for the ride too. MIKAMI is also a DDT original from the very start. If his inspiration Jeff Hardy can still go strong then why can’t he? Plus if MIKAMI is here then you need to get Thanomsak Toba to complete The Suicide Boyz. On behalf of the 2000s message board era of puroresu fans, I apologise for spelling his name Tanomusaku Toba for all these years. It took this long for me to get the Thanomsak Sithbaobay influence.

2. Special Single Match: Saki Akai Vs Maya Yukihi

If you like the free agency/transfer window period in sports then joshi wrestling for the last five months was a blast to follow. Women jumping ship to other promotions, contracts going haywire and promotions turning on their heads meant there was never a dull moment behind the scenes. One of the key figures during this time is Maya Yukihi. For seven years she called Ice Ribbon her home promotion until last December when she was among the wave of talent announcing their intentions to leave the company. Everyone else in the group went on to form Prominence but Yukihi decided to go freelance instead. It makes sense when you see that she already has established roles in OZ Academy along with the Rebel & Enemy faction on the indies. But once she turned freelance, the first place she went to was DDT. Then things got interesting. She hadn’t even worked her first date with DDT yet when Tokyo Sports reported that CyberFight really wanted Yukihi to sign a contract with them.

When Yukihi did have her first match in DDT, she stood across the ring from Saki Akai. Their interactions were respectful during the match and polite afterwards but Yukihi couldn’t help but think Akai was a little bit jealous now she was sharing her DDT spotlight with another woman. As the two continued wrestling each other Yukihi revealed that eight years ago she approached DDT wanting to become a pro wrestler but was turned down. Around that same time period she found out Akai debuted for DDT and essential ended up getting the career she wanted. The positive side to this story is Yukihi found another path to becoming a pro wrestler and it is one she is proud of. Now she wanted to prove that her style of joshi wrestling is better than Akai’s style! A women’s match with a story as powerful as this deserves to take place on an event as important as DDT’s 25th Anniversary so Takagi decided to put it right here in Sumo Hall!

Ever since the match was announced, the tag matches between Akai and Yukihi have become more heated as one would accuse the other of being jealous. Akai would blatantly pin Yukihi with her Rookie Award finisher to rub in the fact she won that category in the Tokyo Sports Awards. Yukihi got her own back by making Akai submit in a later match, figuring out that using her arsenal of moves that nobody from DDT have seen before will be the key to victory. Akai wants to prove that she made it to where she is today through hard work and that she is capable of carrying DDT on her back. But she also can’t help but dig deeper into the insults. She recently gave Yukihi a bouquet of yellow roses because yellow roses represent jealousy. Yukihi promised to give them back to Akai when she beats her!

3. DDT 25th Anniversary Special Single Match – No DQ “I’m Sorry” Match: Sanshiro Takagi Vs Michael Nakazawa

Apologizing to your boss for doing something wrong is a humbling experience that can bruise your ego. However when the tables are turned and your boss apologizes to you it can lift your spirits a lot. So I can kind of relate to what Michael Nakazawa is going through. His first couple of years in DDT were alright but the cracks in his working relationship with Sanshiro Takagi first began in 2008. Nakazawa’s contract with DDT wasn’t renewed despite his intentions to stay with the company. He fought and clawed his way back into DDT later that year but the same situation repeated a year later. Takagi just wanted to get rid of him but somehow Nakazawa would always find a way to get back in! So Takagi decided to do whatever he could think of to embarrass Nakazawa on shows event though he had support from wrestlers like Kota Ibushi and Kenny Omega. Poor Nakazawa had fireworks shot at him, was beaten around like a crash test dummy, got into mismatches against the likes of Minoru Suzuki and even took part in the first Anal Explosion opening ceremony when DDT held their Ryogoku debut. It’s now wonder he held a grudge with Takagi for all these years.

So when Nakazawa was picked up by AEW to work in America it looked like a massive reward for all the crap Nakazawa had to eat in DDT. Finally he was going to be a big star around the world. Unfortunately the matches he has on AEW Dark all reach a level low enough to make Excalibur and Taz consider retirement from broadcasting. However wrestling overseas always makes a wrestler improve no matter who they are and Nakazawa is ready to unload on his old boss. His finishing move the Ultimate Venom Arm has been upgraded to include the AEW initials in the name. Earlier this week he beat Takagi in an impromptu Falls Count Anywhere match held outside of a bookstore. The taste of victory was sweet but not enough. Nakazawa needs something more and that is for Takagi to apologize to him for everything he put him through in his life. Their match at Sumo Hall is No Holds Barred and can take place anywhere inside or out of the building. The only way to win is to make your opponent say “I’m Sorry!” on the microphone. What will it take for either of them to finally admit they were wrong?

4. Special Tag Match: Isami Kodaka & Yukio Sakaguchi Vs Yuki Ueno & Shunma Katsumata

A good mix of wrestlers here. Isami Kodaka was never really a proper member of the DDT roster. He came in through Union Pro and took the indies path that led him to forming BASARA. His absolute peak in DDT was around that time period when he also beat Yukio Sakaguchi to become the company’s top champion. That was seven years ago so there should be no problem with the two teaming together this weekend. But if there is some tension between the two then maybe a visit to the sauna will calm them down.

That’s where The 37KAMIINA come in. Shunma Katsumata’s love for the sauna is so strong he now runs a hut in Tateyama, Chiba called Sea Sauna Shack. In the ring he shows a more violent side that somehow matches his joyful behavior. Maybe it’s the Lego weapons that keeps him from never losing his temper. Yuki Ueno however is making big strides up the ladder, reaching the D-Ou Grand Prix final at the end of last year. It is only a matter of time before he reaches the top of the DDT mountain. Only problem is right now he is stuck in the shadow of his high school classmate. But we’ll eventually cross that bridge when we get to it. Not that it will be anytime soon.

5. LiLiCo Retirement Match: LiLiCo, Ryohei Odai & Akito (w/ Junretsu) Vs Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno, Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Yumehito “Fantastic” Imanari

DDT has held many matches involving celebrities before and LiLiCo is the one who stood out the most. The half Swedish, half Japanese TV personality wrestled several times for DDT between 2014 and 2017. During her time here she won the DDT Extreme Title, the Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title and the KO-D 10-Man Tag Titles. She hasn’t wrestled since then but a knee injury suffered two years ago made her want to have one more match so she could have a proper pro wrestling retirement. To make this match even more special, LiLiCo asked for many handsome men to be involved. DDT made it so by including Akito and also her husband Ryohei Odai to be on her team. Odai is an actor who has starred in Kamen Rider shows and was also a part of the pop band Junretsu (whose name inspired the identical sounding DDT unit). Despite that pedigree he does not have the physical tools needed to wrestle. Even running the ropes gives him a bad back ache. When asked for an opponent, LiLiCo suggested one of them be Danshoku Dieno because they had a risky rivalry together. She may end up regretting that because… *sighs* well let’s just get straight into it with Pheromones.

For the last year DDT has been surrounded by Pheromones. Dieno, Yuki Iino & Yumehito Imanari became obsessed over their lusty attitudes and succumbed to their lewd behaviour. Dieno became “Dandy”, Iino became “Sexy” and Imanari became “Fantastic”. They don’t care about winning or losing often. Instead they want to do what they want without any limitation or censorship. Unfortunately their actions often go beyond the line of good taste and decency so many of their matches end before the finish so DDT doesn’t get kicked off Samurai! TV or banned from Youtube. The GM Hisaya Imabayashi often tries to stop them just to end up getting “publicly executed” by Pheromones for getting in their way. You’d be surprised how many ways Dieno and his mates can come up with giving their opponents the Stinkface. Just when I think I’ve seen them all, poof, there’s a new angle one person’s face can be shoved into another person’s backside. It’s kind of impressive actually.

So that is what LiLiCo and her handsome men have to deal with. She’s up for the challenge and is threatening to cut off Dieno’s you know what if she has to. Akito has this match to worry about alongside his CyberFight VP duties. And Odai still needs to learn how he can fight in the ring when he gets blisters just from pointing at stuff. As retirement matches go it’s not quite on the level of Genichiro Tenryu but I think it can get close enough.

6. Jun Akiyama 30th Anniversary Match: Jun Akiyama & Takao Omori Vs Kazusada Higuchi & Hideki Okatani

There’s an alternate timeline where Jun Akiyama was able to travel in America in 2020 and coach at the WWE Performance Center. What a gift DDT would have missed out on if that went ahead as planned. Instead he was offered a guest coaching spot in, slowly made the transition over from All Japan to join the company full time and the rest is history. And that history is important because Akiyama is celebrating 30 years in pro wrestling this year. All Japan gave permission for Takao Omori to come on over and bring back the Burning Wild tag team for one night only. However their opponents are not in the mood to wish them well for their accomplishment.

Eruption added a new member this year and it is somebody Akiyama knows well. The young wrestler Hideki Okatani learned from him as part of the Junretsu stable but now he is on a new path to become the Red Fighting Spirit. Kazusada Higuchi tested the kid before accepting him into Eruption and now the unit has renewed energy flowing through it. The two of them would love nothing more than to beat Akiyama and surpass him. When Omori heard about the disrespect coming from his opponents he threatened to crush them in the ring! What was meant to be an honorable tag team match may turn into a war between generations!

7. DDT Universal Title – Hardcore 3 Way Match: Daisuke Sasaki (c) Vs Jun Kasai Vs MAO

There’s a bunch of stories going on in this match but you can ignore the MAO stuff. That’s what the other two are doing. MAO pinned Daisuke Sasaki during the Ultimate Tag League and demanded a shot at his DDT Universal Title. Sasaki refused and continued doing so when MAO kept demanding the match. Then Jun Kasai returned to DDT wanting Sasaki to do a rematch of their Hardcore war at Saitama Super Arena five years ago. Sasaki is the only wrestler in DDT that excites Kasai because he couldn’t beat him back then. Sasaki agreed to the rematch but still had MAO following him claiming to have the next title shot. The solution was to do a 3 Way Hardcore match. That way Sasaki gets to fight Kasai again and MAO will finally leave him alone. The latter hasn’t happened yet, MAO still follows him around trying to get his attention. Sasaki had to go deep into the Nerima mountains for special training to finally escape from him. Even then MAO eventually figured out there are no mountains in Nerima.

The situation going into this match is Sasaki and Kasai are only focused on each other. Kasai’s goal is to maim and embarrass Sasaki. Taking the Universal Title from him will naturally happen as part of the process. The champion wants to make Kasai vomit blood and cry in despair that he will never beat Sasaki. MAO would just like his opponents to notice him for once.

8. KO-D Tag Team Titles: HARASHIMA & Naomi Yoshimura (c) Vs Chris Brookes & Masahiro Takanashi

HARASHIMA & Naomi Yoshimura pulled off an unusual gambit for this year’s Ultimate Tag League. They were the reigning KO-D Tag Team Champions but decided to vacate the belts before the tournament so they would be rewarded to the League winners. Their logic was by entering the League without the championship, they were on an even playing field to everyone else. Therefore winning the tournament will be undeniable proof that DISASTER BOX is the strongest tag team in DDT. Their plan worked and their pay off was having the KO-D Tag Titles returned to them. Things may have turned out different though because the Tag League was pretty much cursed from the get go.

Learn this lesson. Never run a round robin tournament during a pandemic. The Tag League this year was riddled with forfeits because wrestlers kept catching covid or had to stay home because they were close contacts. CDK only wrestled two matches and won both of them but had to forfeit the rest of their matches because Chris Brookes & Masahiro Takanashi both had separate positive cases. They had no chance of reaching the finals despite winning matches when they were able to compete. Plus one of those wins was against DISASTER BOX!

The champions did not forget about that. Their only loss in the Tag League was against CDK in the group stage so minutes after the final was over and they received their prizes, the call out was made. DISASTER BOX wanted the rematch and would put the KO-D Tag Titles on the line! CDK accepted the challenge, believing the belts should belong to them anyway. They’ve been using every trick in their book to get the upper hand in recent matches and they also won the Asia Dream Tag Team Titles in ChocoPro. Meanwhile HARASHIMA has his trusty old Somato while Yoshimura now has a new F5 style finisher called the Osaka Dream. It is the strongest tag team in DDT taking on the most dramatic and dreamiest tag team!

9. KO-D Openweight Title – Japan Bakery Marketing Presents: Konosuke Takeshita (c) Vs Tetsuya Endo

The main event of the 25th Anniversary show cannot fit in all 25 years of DDT’s history into one match but it will complete the decade long story of Konosuke Takeshita and Tetsuya Endo. Last year was the most impressive yet from Takeshita. He overcame a bad period of results by going overseas to AEW and coming back as a complete pro wrestler who was finally comfortable in his own skin. He regained the KO-D Openweight Title and has swept through everyone who stood in his way. All that is left to challenge him is an opponent who probably knows him more than anyone else.

Endo needed to find a new direction and control his own fate after the original DAMNATION was forced to split up. He was happy being the right hand man back then but the time had come for him to have a new unit he could call his own. He had some wise men guiding him along the process. Kenta Kobashi had been supporting Endo and decided to pair him with Jun Akiyama to start off. Endo then decided to add in Yusuke Okada and Yuya Koroku to complete the group. All that was needed was a name. Endo took inspiration from his two mentors and revived the name BURNING with their permission. A name with that much history would motivate Endo to work his hardest to live up to it. Everything was set up and Endo now only needs one last piece to complete the puzzle. The KO-D Openweight Title. When Takeshita asked for a challenger to face him for DDT’s 25th Anniversary, Endo came out and said he was the only one who can face him at Sumo Hall.

It was said before that this is not a rivalry because rivals are meant to motivate each other to do their best. These two are enemies. The proof can be seen from the last four months of DDT shows where The 37KAMIINA Vs BURNING has dominated the main events and upper parts of the cards. Endo has upgraded the Shooting Star Press. First he changed the name to the Burning Star Press and now it is The Best Burning Star Press In The Universe. It is a move Endo was able to pin Takeshita with in response to Takeshita submitting him with the Plus Ultra a few days earlier. It has been a tight conflict and the only thing for certain is whoever wins will lead DDT into its 26th year and beyond!


DDT “JUDGEMENT 2022 TOUR IN OSAKA” Results

March 13, 2022

DDT “JUDGEMENT 2022 TOUR IN OSAKA”, 13/03/2022
Osaka Suminoe Maikon Hall
145 Fans – Super No Vacancy

1. MAO defeated Yuki Ishida with the Michinoku Driver II (9:22).
2. 3 Way Tag Match: HARASHIMA & Toru Owashi defeated Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno & Yuki “Sexy” Iino and Antonio Honda & Saki Akai when HARASHIMA pinned Honda with the Somato (9:17).
3. Minoru Fujita (w/ MJ Paul) defeated Hideki Okatani with the Modified Samson Clutch (7:36).
4. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Yuji Hino, Bodyguard & Yukio Naya defeated Kazusada Higuchi, Yukio Sakaguchi & Kazuki Hirata when Hino pinned Hirata with a Reverse Horizontal Chop (0:09).
4a. Rematch: Yuji Hino, Bodyguard & Yukio Naya defeated Kazusada Higuchi, Yukio Sakaguchi & Kazuki Hirata when Bodyguard submitted Hirata with the Rising Dragon (9:47).
5. Osaka Specialty Special Single Match: Naomi Yoshimura defeated Chris Brookes with the Osaka Pride (12:54).
6. Maikon no Kohara Presents Special Survival Tag Match: Tetsuya Endo, Jun Akiyama, Yusuke Okada & Yuya Koroku (3) defeated Konosuke Takeshita, Yuki Ueno, Shunma Katsumata & Toui Kojima (2).
6a. Tetsuya Endo & Jun Akiyama defeated Yuki Ueno & Shunma Katsumata when Endo submitted Katsumata with the Modified Yurikamome (17:03).
6b. Konosuke Takeshita & Yuki Ueno defeated Tetsuya Endo & Jun Akiyama when Ueno eliminated Jun Akiyama by Ring Out (15:34).
6c. Konosuke Takeshita & Yuki Ueno Vs Tetsuya Endo & Yusuke Okada ended in a Draw when Takeshita and Endo eliminated each other by Double Ring Out (6:08).
6d. Yusuke Okada & Yuya Koroku defeated Yuki Ueno & Toui Kojima when Koroku pinned Kojima with the Moonsault Press (7:58).

Today was the final preview match for Konosuke Takeshita and Tetsuya Endo before the 25th Anniversary show. For weeks now The 37KAMIINA and BURNING have been at each other’s throats with the spotlight on both Takeshita versus Endo and Toui Kojima against Yuya Koroku. The Survival Tag rules saw Shunma Katsumata get eliminated first followed by Jun Akiyama. Endo then took himself and Takeshita out of the running with a Frankensteiner out of the ring. That left Kojima coming in to tag with Yuki Ueno and Koroku stepping up beside Yusuke Okada. Koroku overwhelmed Kojima with Elbow Strikes and got a big victory at the end with the Moonsault Press. He said he didn’t want to lose the final match before Sumo Hall and wants Endo to promise he will win the KO-D Openweight Title.

The new variation of the Shonenba that Naomi Yoshimura used to win the Ultimate Tag League was used again today to beat Chris Brookes. That version of the move is now called the Osaka Pride and can be described like an F5 turned into a Boss Man Slam. He’s happy to get his first singles win over Brookes but repeated what he said yesterday about singles matches and tag team matches being different. Yoshimura knows he can beat Brookes one on one but beating CDK will be more difficult. However DISASTER BOX will again prove why they are DDT’s strongest tag team. Masahiro Takanashi was not at the show but backstage Brookes said he could feel his presence, knowing he was watching the Youtube stream.

For one day only Eruption had a brand new fifth member of the unit. It is Kazuki Hirata! He entered the ring wearing an Eruption cloak, had his hair slicked back and an arm covered in tattoos similar to Yukio Sakaguchi. He then charged into Yuji Hino’s chop and was pinned in nine seconds. A rematch was agreed to and while a proper match did take place, Hirata was still the weak link of the team. He gave up trying to act like Eruption and went back to his trusty dancing gimmick but Sakaguchi & Kazusada Higuchi were nowhere to be seen for help. Hirata was alone with Hino, Bodyguard & Yukio Naya and was beaten into submission.

The president of today’s show sponsor Maikon no Kohara wanted to give out a second prize along with the one for the main event. However when his Fighting Spirit Award was presented to Saki Akai before her match even took place, everyone else complained and fought over who deserved it more. Pheromones tried appealing to the sponsor with sexy poses. They also piled onto a platform trolley and were pushed asses first into Akai’s face. HARASHIMA got the pinfall on Antonio Honda to win the match for himself & Toru Owashi. However the sponsor still gave the award to Akai after the match so he could pose for a picture with her.


DDT “DDT FREE -MARCH-” Results

March 12, 2022

DDT “DDT FREE -MARCH-”, 12/03/2022
Osaka Suminoe Maikon Hall
176 Fans – Super No Vacancy Full House

1. Yusuke Okada defeated Yuki Ishida with a Crab Hold (8:43).
2. Yukio Sakaguchi & Saki Akai defeated Kazuki Hirata & Yukio Naya when Sakaguchi pinned Hirata after the Sandwich PK (8:20).
3. Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno & Yuki “Sexy” Iino Vs Sanshiro Takagi & Antonio Honda ended in a No Contest when Michael Nakazawa interfered (11:46).
4. HARASHIMA, Naomi Yoshimura & Toru Owashi defeated Chris Brookes, Kazusada Higuchi & Hideki Okatani when HARASHIMA pinned Okatani with the Somato (16:33).
5. DAMNATION T.A Vs The 37KAMIINA!: MAO & Shunma Katsumata defeated Minoru Fujita & MJ Paul when MAO pinned Paul with the Cannonball 450 onto the boards (11:38).
6. Maikon no Kohara Presents Osaka Specialty Special 6-Man Tag Match: Konosuke Takeshita, Yuki Ueno & Toui Kojima defeated Tetsuya Endo, Jun Akiyama & Yuya Koroku when Takeshita pinned Koroku with the German Suplex (22:40).

After the main event Konosuke Takeshita told Tetsuya Endo he wants to make it clear who is stronger and who will lead DDT from its 26th onwards. Toui Kojima then took the microphone from Takeshita to say he came back today and is on the winning team. He didn’t beat Yuya Koroku directly so he will do that the next time. Takeshita told Kojima not to give up until he wins. Takeshita also wants to do a lot of big things in Osaka this year and he promoted tomorrow’s show. Yuki Ueno said The 37KAMIINA will meet up in the boiler room to discuss what team combinations to use for tomorrow’s Survival Tag Match. Meanwhile Jun Akiyama encouraged Koroku to go crazy in the match tomorrow. It will be their last match before the 25th Anniversary show and Endo will wants the power of everyone’s support so BURNING will win.

While Daisuke Sasaki is away training in the Nerima mountains that do not exist, MAO did his own preparations by making his match No DQ. Shunma Katsumata wheeled him down on a platform trolley but crashed into the ring post when DAMNATION T.A both jumped out of the way. However ShunMao then brought out large wooden boards into the ring. It was a clumsy display but MAO successfully swung the board at Minoru Fujita & MJ Paul. MAO then placed the boards on top of Paul and hit the Cannonball 450 onto the pile to get the win. MAO questioned if Sasaki was in reality just staying home and drinking instead of training.

HARASHIMA is pleased with the teamwork DISASTER BOX put together today against Chris Brookes. He predicts Naomi Yoshimura will beat Brookes tomorrow. However Yoshimura thinks the version of Brookes he fought today isn’t the same as the version he will fight tomorrow, especially if Masahiro Takanashi will be there. Brookes is confident that CDK are the better team.

The show was airing live on Youtube today which prompted Danshoku Dieno to warn the viewers that Sanshiro Takagi would get stripped naked! When he was about to make good on their promise, Hisaya Imabayashi ran in to stop them. However he was attacked by Pheromones and Takagi had to rescue him instead. Takagi was about to finish off Yuki Iino when suddenly Michael Nakazawa appeared! He Speared Takagi and gave him the Ultimate Venom AEW Arm. He then pushed the referee causing the match to be ruled a No Contest. There was a standoff between Nakazawa and Pheromones until Nakazawa told them they have common enemies in Takagi & Akito. Dieno agreed and declared a new alliance between Pheromones and AEW! Nakazawa said by becoming a big star in America, he has what it takes to beat Takagi in the street and in Sumo Hall!

Eruption defeated Kazuki Hirata while Yukio Naya was too busy dancing. Sakaguchi then motivated Kazusada Higuchi, Saki Akai & Hideki Okatani as well as himself to win their matches at Sumo Hall.


Video – Sakaguchi/Akai Vs Takagi/Yukihi

March 11, 2022

DDT “ULTIMATE TAG LEAGUE 2022 THE FINAL!!”, 27/02/2022
Tokyo Korakuen Hall
573 Fans – No Vacancy

Special Tag Match: Yukio Sakaguchi & Saki Akai Vs Sanshiro Takagi & Maya Yukihi


Judgment Requires A Captain’s Fall, Rygoku Doubleheader Lineup, DAMNATION T.A Challenge Pheromones

March 1, 2022

DDT “JUDGEMENT 2022 -LIMITED-”, 02/03/2022
Shinjuku FACE

1. Saki Akai, Kazusada Higuchi & Yukio Sakaguchi Vs Maya Yukihi, Naomi Yoshimura & Yuya Koroku
2. Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno & Yuki “Sexy” Iino Vs Akito & Yuki Ishida
3. Daisuke Sasaki & Minoru Fujita Vs MAO & Yukio Naya
4. Road To Judgement 2022! Special Single Match: HARASHIMA Vs Chris Brookes
5. Road To Judgement 2022! Captain’s Fall Elimination 6-Man Tag Match: Konosuke Takeshita (C), Yuki Ueno & Shunma Katsumata Vs Tetsuya Endo (C), Jun Akiyama & Yusuke Okada

Nothing like a Captain’s Fall Tag match to really spice up a rivalry between units. The match has elimination rules but will end once either captain is pinned or submitted. There is no over the top rope rule in effect for this match. Tag Team Elimination matches in Japan usually include that rule.

Yuya Koroku has recovered from covid and is cleared to return.

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TOKYO JOSHI 2022 WINTER”, 05/03/2022
Tokyo Ryogoku KFC Hall

1. Nao Kakuta & Kaya Toribami Vs Mahiro Kiryu & Haruna Neko
2. 3 Way Match: Hyper Misao Vs Yuki Aino Vs Arisu Endo
3. Yuki Kamifuku & Hikari Noa Vs Raku & Pom Harajuku
4. Nodoka Tenma Vs Marika Kobashi
5. Miyu Yamashita, Yuka Sakazaki, Mizuki, Maki Itoh & Suzume Vs Shoko Nakajima, Rika Tatsumi, Miu Watanabe, Yuki Arai & Moka Miyamoto

Champions and challengers for Sumo Hall are on opposite sides of the main event. Suzume and Moka Miyamoto are added in for fun too.

Since both Nodoka Tenma and Marika Kobashi are leaving soon it’s only fair to pit them against each other and find out who is better once and for all.

GANBARE☆PRO “MERCURY RISING 2022”, 06/03/2022
Tokyo Itabashi Green Hall

1. Ganpro Mixed Tag Match: Ken Ohka & Moeka Haruhi Vs Yumehito Imanari & HARUKAZE
2. Tiger & Tiger Vs Power Of Nobu: Shuichiro Katsumura & Mizuki Watase Vs Kouki Iwasaki & Nobuhiro Shimatani
3. Japan Ganbare Union To Become AAAW Tag Team Champions: Yuna Manase & YuuRI Vs Cherry & Sayaka
4. Special Single Match – Wrestle Drunker Vs Punch Drunker: Keisuke Ishii Vs Tyson Maeguchi
5. Takaiwa Army Vs Ganpro Full-Scale Battle: Tatsuhito Takaiwa, 5th Black Tiger & Kenya Maeda Vs Shota, Soma Takao & Shinichiro Tominaga

Right now there is no challenger for Spirit Of Ganbare World Title so Tatsuhito Takaiwa is putting himself out there for anyone to challenge him. Maybe somebody from ROMANCE DAWN will step up? Shinichiro Tominaga is there too looking to bounce back from his defeat at the recent Korakuen Hall show.

Yuna Manase & YuuRI have entered a tag league in Marvelous for the vacant AAAW Tag Team Titles. Their team name is Nippon Ganbare Union and they are getting a warm-up bout a day after their first block match takes place.

The “Real Tiger Mask” and “Tenori Tiger” are joining forces which is why Shuichiro Katsumura & Mizuki Watase are called Tiger & Tiger. Their opponents Kouki Iwasaki & Nobuhiro Shimatani combine the “Power Of Dreams” with “Nobu” to become Power Of Nobu.

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “GRAND PRINCESS ’22”, 19/03/2022
Tokyo Ryogoku Kokugikan

1. Juria Nagano Debut Match: Suzume & Arisu Endo Vs Moka Miyamoto & Juria Nagano
2. Tokyo Joshi Pro Wrestling Vs Ganbare☆Pro Wrestling: Nao Kakuta, Mahiro Kiryu, Haruna Neko & Kaya Toribami Vs Yuna Manase, Moeka Haruhi, HARUKAZE & YuuRI
3. Sanshiro Takagi Vs Hyper Misao
4. Yuki Kamifuku Vs Asuka
5. Nodoka Tenma Vs Yuki Aino
6. Sakisama, Mei Saint-Michel, Martha & Yukio Saint Laurent Vs Marika Kobashi, Raku, Pom Harajuku & Ram Kaichow
7. Special Single Match: Hikaru Shida Vs Hikari Noa
8. International Princess Title: Maki Itoh (c) Vs Yuki Arai
9. Princess Tag Team Titles: Yuka Sakazaki & Mizuki (c) Vs Rika Tatsumi & Miu Watanabe
10. Princess Of Princess Title: Miyu Yamashita (c) Vs Shoko Nakajima

Both Tokyo Joshi Pro and DDT announced their full cards for Ryogoku weekend. An almost complete NEO Biishiki-gun reunion has been added but what would Sakisama make of Ram Kaichow when they meet in the ring? The Bakuretsu Sisters are not the only tag team fighting each other because Yuki Kamifuku and Asuka are having a match too. Nao Kakuta and Yuna Manase have gathered together wrestlers from their respective promotions for a big TJPW Vs Ganbare☆Pro tag match. Finally Juria Nagano gets to debut by teaming with another karate fighter, Moka Miyamoto. She will be put to the test against Arisuzu.

DDT “JUDGEMENT 2022 ~DDT 25TH ANNIVERSARY~”, 20/03/2022
Tokyo Ryogoku Kokugikan

0. Dark Match: Yusuke Okada, Yuya Koroku & Ilusion Vs Toui Kojima, Yuki Ishida & El Unicorn
0. Dark Match – Time Admission Tag Battle Royal: Tomohiko Hashimoto & Seiya Morohashi Vs Soma Takao & Shota Vs Minoru Fujita & MJ Paul Vs Yuji Hino & Yukio Naya Vs Gorgeous Matsuno & Gota Ihashi Vs Andreza Giant Panda & Super Sasadango Machine
1. KO-D 10-Man Tag Team Titles: Toru Owashi, Antonio Honda, Kazuki Hirata & Yoshihiko (c) Vs Poison Sawada JULIE, Takashi Sasaki, GENTARO, MIKAMI & Tanomusaku Toba (w/ Naomi Susan)
2. LiLiCo Retirement Match: LiLiCo, Ryohei Odai & Akito (w/ Junretsu) Vs Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno, Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Yumehito “Fantastic” Imanari
3. Special Tag Match: Isami Kodaka & Yukio Sakaguchi Vs Yuki Ueno & Shunma Katsumata
4. Special Single Match: Saki Akai Vs Maya Yukihi
5. Jun Akiyama 30th Anniversary Match: Jun Akiyama & Takao Omori Vs Kazusada Higuchi & Hideki Okatani
6. DDT 25th Anniversary Special Single Match: Sanshiro Takagi Vs Michael Nakazawa
7. KO-D Tag Team Titles: HARASHIMA & Naomi Yoshimura (c) Vs Chris Brookes & Masahiro Takanashi
8. DDT Universal Title – Hardcore 3 Way Match: Daisuke Sasaki (c) Vs Jun Kasai Vs MAO
9. KO-D Openweight Title – Japan Bakery Marketing Presents: Konosuke Takeshita (c) Vs Tetsuya Endo

DDT has eleven matches in total for their big anniversary event. DISASTER BOX regained the KO-D Tag Team Titles that they gave up but CDK believes that they should be the champions instead because they are more dramatic and dreamy.

Eruption has a busy day in the building. Saki Akai’s match with Maya Yukihi is turning into a bigger grudge every time they are in the ring together. Kazusada Higuchi & Hideki Okatani were chosen to be the opponents for Jun Akiyama & Takao Omori. That would leave Yukio Sakaguchi on his own but he was invited by Isami Kodaka to team up and take on Yuki Ueno & Shunma Katsumata.

A Tag Team Battle Royal featuring names from the past, present and future of DDT is part of the pre-show. One past team to keep an eye on in the match is Double Bridge. That is the name given to the pair of former KO-D Tag Champions Tomohiko Hashimoto & Seiya Morohashi. They held the titles together all the way back in 2003.

DDT “APRIL FOOL 22”, 10/04/2022
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

1. KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles: Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno, Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Yumehito “Fantastic” Imanari (c) Vs Daisuke Sasaki, Minoru Fujita & MJ Paul

New challengers have emerged for the KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles although the match won’t be for another month. DAMNATION T.A want the belts but I’m not sure if they know what they are getting into when Pheromones are the champions.


DDT “ULTIMATE TAG LEAGUE 2022 THE FINAL!!” Results

February 27, 2022

DDT “ULTIMATE TAG LEAGUE 2022 THE FINAL!!”, 27/02/2022
Tokyo Korakuen Hall
573 Fans – No Vacancy

-. Ultimate Tag League 2022 – A Block: Kazusada Higuchi & Hideki Okatani (2) Vs Shuji Kondo & Kazuki Hirata (0) is a Double Forfeit.
0. Dark Match: Yusuke Okada defeated Yuki Ishida with a Crab Hold (6:34).
0. Dark Match: Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno Vs Hiroshi Yamato ended in a No Contest (5:44).
1. Toru Owashi & Shuji Kondo defeated Soma Takao & Kazusada Higuchi when Kondo pinned Takao with the King Kong Lariat (9:16).
2. Ultimate Tag League 2022 – B Block: Chris Brookes & Masahiro Takanashi (4) defeated Shunma Katsumata & MAO (2) when Brookes pinned Katsumata with the Praying Mantis Bomb (7:03).
3. Ultimate Tag League 2022 – B Block: HARASHIMA & Naomi Yoshimura (6) defeated Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Yumehito “Fantastic” Imanari (4) when HARASHIMA pinned Iino with a Forward Rolling Cradle (12:30).
4. Ultimate Tag League 2022 – A Block: Konosuke Takeshita & Yuki Ueno (6) defeated Tetsuya Endo & Jun Akiyama (6) when Takeshita submitted Endo with the Plus Ultra (24:09).
5. Daisuke Sasaki, Minoru Fujita & MJ Paul defeated Yuji Hino, Akito & Yukio Naya when Sasaki submitted Akito with La Mistica Crossface Lock (13:23).
6. Special Tag Match: Sanshiro Takagi & Maya Yukihi defeated Yukio Sakaguchi & Saki Akai when Yukihi pinned Akai with the Snowton Bomb (12:23).
7. KO-D Tag Team Titles – Ultimate Tag League 2022 – Final: HARASHIMA & Naomi Yoshimura defeated Konosuke Takeshita & Yuki Ueno when Yoshimura pinned Ueno with the Modified Shonenba (20:14).
*DISASTER BOX becomes the 72nd KO-D Tag Team Champions!

A Block

1. Konosuke Takeshita & Yuki Ueno (6)
-. Tetsuya Endo & Jun Akiyama (6)
3. Yuji Hino & Yukio Naya (4)
4. Kazusada Higuchi & Hideki Okatani (2)
5. Shuji Kondo & Kazuki Hirata (0)

B Block

1. HARASHIMA & Naomi Yoshimura (6)
2. Daisuke Sasaki & MJ Paul (4)
-. Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Yumehito “Fantastic” Imanari (4)
-. Chris Brookes & Masahiro Takanashi (4)
5. Shunma Katsumata & MAO (2)

It was an unusual idea put forth by HARASHIMA & Naomi Yoshimura to vacate the KO-D Tag Team Titles before the Ultimate Tag League. But they made their point by entering the tournament as challengers on an even playing field with everyone else, then winning the entire thing to regain the belts! They topped their group and then faced The 37KAMIINA in the final. The match came down to former Nautilus teammates Naomi Yoshimura and Yuki Ueno fighting each other. They were evenly matched while HARASHIMA and Konosuke Takeshita did what they can to tip the balance in their team’s favour. In the end, Ueno’s Frankensteiner pin was destroyed by the Somato from HARASHIMA. Yoshimura hit a Power Bomb and a Lariat but Ueno still kicked out. He was finally put away with a Modified version of the Shonenba.

Yoshimura was satisfied with winning the tournament and regaining the tag titles like he had intended. However there was one team DISASTER BOX did not beat in the group stage. He called out CDK, who came to the ring carrying the Asia Dream Tag Team Titles they won in ChocoPro yesterday. HARASHIMA challenged them to a KO-D Tag Titles match at the 25th Anniversary show on 20th March! Masahiro Takanashi admitted DISASTER BOX are the best tag team in DDT but the tag titles should belong to the most dramatic and dreamy of tag teams, which is himself & Chris Brookes! Yoshimura closed out the show giving a shoutout to Kazuki Hirata. He and HARASHIMA had a pair of Hirata GO! glasses with them for both of their matches today.

Maya Yukihi got the better of Saki Akai in their latest preview match ahead of Sumo Hall. She teamed with Sanshiro Takagi, who himself is fired up for his matches at Ryogoku weekend, to beat Akai & Yukio Sakaguchi. Yukihi was also eager to fight Sakaguchi and that possibly kept her sharp enough to pin Akai directly with the Snowton Bomb. Yukihi told Akai afterwards she wants to drag out her emotional side to make their singles make even more fierce. Whether that happens or not, Yukihi is certain she will win. She also came up with a team name for her and Takagi. They can be called Fire Snow! Akai feels she let herself down because she wanted to prove to Takagi and Sakaguchi she can carry DDT on her own. She thinks this because she will be on her own against Yukihi at Sumo Hall and she wants to be the last one standing and smiling at the end.

Preparations are going well for DAMNATION T.A even if there is somebody trying to get their attention. Daisuke Sasaki, Minoru Fujita & MJ Paul were a well oiled, greasy team bending all the rules to beat Yuji Hino, Akito & Yukio Naya. After the match Sasaki attacked the referee while MAO appeared at the top of the entrance gate watching on. He tried to get Sasaki’s attention but Sasaki kicked the gate until MAO fell. He then walked off leaving MAO lying on the floor. Backstage, Sasaki asked who the current KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Champions are and got confused when he found out it is Pheromones. He wants to challenge them for the titles. He also said Fujita had been spying on Jun Kasai so Sasaki now knows everything about him. His plan to defend the DDT Universal Title in the Hardcore 3 Way Match is going along nicely.

The final block matches of the Ultimate Tag League made up the early portions of the show. Takeshita & Ueno reached the final be beating BURNING to top their group. It was a big preview of the upcoming Ryogoku main event between Takeshita Vs Tetsuya Endo. Takeshita took out Jun Akiyama with the very Jumping Knee Strike that was passed down to him. He also blocked the Burning Star Press before making Endo tap out to the Plus Ultra. Both teams ended with 6 points but this result meant The 37KAMIINA advanced thanks to the Direct Confrontation rule. Endo was angry at himself for giving up. However he and Akiyama both agree there is still one thing he can use to beat Takeshita. Whatever it is, Endo didn’t expand upon it any further. Instead he said he will beat Takeshita for the KO-D Openweight Title at Sumo Hall.

DISASTER BOX won their block but had to get an unwanted eye-full of Pheromones to do it. A No Contest would have created a 4 Way tie for first place so both teams wanted to win. Yes, even Pheromones. They complained Yuki Iino’s shoulder was up while HARASHIMA pinned him with a Victory Roll. Danshoku Dieno later accused DDT of bribing the ref so they would lose. Yumehito Imanari was more concerned about the size of Yoshimura’s thighs. He never seen anything like them and thinks they should be used in his movies!

There was only pride on the line for the ShunMao Vs CDK match. Both teams were already eliminated from contention. ShunMao’s teamwork blew up in their own faces when Shunma Katsumata accidentally hit the Sauna Trance Splash onto his own partner. With MAO taken out that way, CD hit a Super Kick/Praying Mantis Bomb combo to pin Katsumata. ShunMao still believe they did well in the tournament. They had to wrestle under normal rules and were still able to entertain the fans. Now they will wait for offers to wrestle anywhere, even somewhere abroad like America or Finland. Takanashi used one of the Asia Dream Tag Title belts to block a punch from MAO during the match. He later found out the punch broke one of the plates! He swore revenge on them as soon as he finds some tape to fix the belt.

Both Kazusada Higuchi and Shuji Kondo found themselves without their regular tag partners because of covid. Their Tag League match was declared void and neither team got points out of it. Instead, Higuchi teamed with Soma Takao to face Kondo & Toru Owashi. The Toryumon flavored team came out on top which makes Owashi think it was fate for Hirata to get sick and make himself team with Kondo. It may be the start of something new or it may not. The one thing Owashi is sure of is Kondo won the match for Hirata.

Dark match? More like After Dark match! Danshoku Dieno’s bout against Hiroshi Yamato aired live on DDT’s Youtube channel so Hisaya Imabayashi warned them not to go overboard. They did anyway by trying to strip off each other’s wrestling tights. Imabayashi called off the match and finally had enough. When Dieno tried to attack him he fought back and gave Dieno a Stunner! Imabayashi then kicked Yamato out of the ring and ordered the staff to disinfect everything before the main show could begin.

The other dark match was a much cleaner affair. Yusuke Okada submitted Yuki Ishida. The youngster hit his Sumo Slaps and kicked out of a Brainbuster but the Crab Hold defeated him in the end.

The complete card for “JUDGEMENT 2022 ~DDT 25TH ANNIVERSARY~” on 20th March was revealed at the end of the show. Isami Kodaka sent in a video promising to be there. He and Yukio Sakaguchi will face Yuki Ueno & Shunma Katsumata on the show. Kazusada Higuchi & Hideki Okatani are the team that will face Jun Akiyama & Takao Omori. There will also be a pre-show matches with the past, present and future of DDT invovled.

DDT “JUDGEMENT 2022 ~DDT 25TH ANNIVERSARY~”, 20/03/2022
Tokyo Ryogoku Kokugikan

0. Dark Match: Yusuke Okada, Yuya Koroku & Ilusion Vs Toui Kojima, Yuki Ishida & El Unicorn
0. Dark Match – Time Admission Tag Battle Royal: Tomohiko Hashimoto & Seiya Morohashi Vs Soma Takao & Shota Vs Minoru Fujita & MJ Paul Vs Yuji Hino & Yukio Naya Vs Gorgeous Matsuno & Gota Ihashi Vs Andreza Giant Panda & Super Sasadango Machine
1. KO-D 10-Man Tag Team Titles: Toru Owashi, Antonio Honda, Kazuki Hirata & Yoshihiko (c) Vs Poison Sawada JULIE, Takashi Sasaki, GENTARO, MIKAMI & Tanomusaku Toba (w/ Naomi Susan)
2. LiLiCo Retirement Match: LiLiCo, Ryohei Odai & Akito (w/ Junretsu) Vs Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno, Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Yumehito “Fantastic” Imanari
3. Special Tag Match: Isami Kodaka & Yukio Sakaguchi Vs Yuki Ueno & Shunma Katsumata
4. Special Single Match: Saki Akai Vs Maya Yukihi
5. Jun Akiyama 30th Anniversary Match: Jun Akiyama & Takao Omori Vs Kazusada Higuchi & Hideki Okatani
6. DDT 25th Anniversary Special Single Match: Sanshiro Takagi Vs Michael Nakazawa
7. KO-D Tag Team Titles: HARASHIMA & Naomi Yoshimura (c) Vs Chris Brookes & Masahiro Takanashi
8. DDT Universal Title – Hardcore 3 Way Match: Daisuke Sasaki (c) Vs Jun Kasai Vs MAO
9. KO-D Openweight Title – Japan Bakery Marketing Presents: Konosuke Takeshita (c) Vs Tetsuya Endo


DDT “ULTIMATE TAG LEAGUE 2022 IN FUKUSHIMA!!” Results

February 23, 2022

DDT “ULTIMATE TAG LEAGUE 2022 IN FUKUSHIMA!!”, 23/02/2022
Will Fukushima
98 Fans

0. Ultimate Tag League 2022 – A Block: Yuji Hino & Yukio Naya (4) defeated Kazusada Higuchi & Hideki Okatani (2) by Forfeit.
1. Kazusada Higuchi defeated Yuki Ishida with the Brain Claw (10:00).
2. Pheromones Vs DISASTER BOX!: Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno & Yuki “Sexy” Iino Vs Toru Owashi & Naomi Yoshimura ended in a No Contest (13:08).
3. Chris Brookes defeated Yukio Naya with the Death By Roll-Up (12:41).
4. Fukushima Specialty Special Tag Match: HARASHIMA & Antonio Honda defeated Yukio Sakaguchi & Gorgeous Matsuno when Honda pinned Matsuno with a Crushed La Magistral Cradle (13:07).
5. Daisuke Sasaki & MJ Paul defeated Yuji Hino & Akito when Sasaki submitted Akito with the Crossface Lock (12:43).
6. BURNING! Vs The 37KAMIINA!: Tetsuya Endo, Jun Akiyama & Yusuke Okada defeated Yuki Ueno, Shunma Katsumata & MAO when Endo pinned Katsumata with the Best Burning Star Press In the Universe (19:27).

A Block

1. Tetsuya Endo & Jun Akiyama (6)
2. Konosuke Takeshita & Yuki Ueno (4)
-. Yuji Hino & Yukio Naya (4)
4. Kazusada Higuchi & Hideki Okatani (2)
5. Shuji Kondo & Kazuki Hirata (0)

B Block

1. HARASHIMA & Naomi Yoshimura (4)
-. Daisuke Sasaki & MJ Paul (4)
-. Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Yumehito “Fantastic” Imanari (4)
4. Shunma Katsumata & MAO (2)
-. Chris Brookes & Masahiro Takanashi (2)

The absence of Konosuke Takeshita was noticeable from both sides in the main event. Tetsuya Endo felt something was different and Jun Akiyama told him The 37KAMIINA come off lukewarm without their main man. Endo still wants to send him a message. He will beat Takeshita at Korakuen Hall and then at Sumo Hall in the next month! Endo also ripped off MAO’s shirt during the match. The shirt was a piece of Gorgeous Matsuno merchandise, MAO’s favourite one in fact. He swore to get revenge on Endo over it.

Matsuno & Yukio Sakaguchi swapped robes for their entrance. It must have been Matsuno’s idea because Sakaguchi didn’t look happy doing it. Matsuno also teased he will form a new unit with him soon, one that will last for a long time. Sakaguchi instantly shot down that idea and refuses having to do it. Matsuno then came up with another idea. He will hold a show in Fukushima celebrating his 20th anniversary in wrestling on 19th September!

Pheromones came up with a creative public execution for Hisaya Imabayashi this time. Makoto Oishi carried in a tiny snowman which was placed on Yuki Iino’s crotch while he was lying down. Danshoku Dieno then gave Imabayashi an Atomic Drop onto the snowman. Afterward they smothered his face and crotch with the snow.


Tag League Reaching Its End, Kasai Looking for Excitement, Akiyama’s 30th Anniversary

February 16, 2022

DDT/ONLY WE “ULTIMATE TAG LEAGUE 2022 IN CHIBA!!”, 20/02/2022
Chiba 2AW Square

1. Yusuke Okada Vs Toui Kojima
2. DISASTER BOX Vs Eruption!: Toru Owashi & Naomi Yoshimura Vs Kazusada Higuchi & Hideki Okatani
3. Chris Brookes & Antonio Honda Vs Hiroshi Yamato & Shunma Katsumata
4. Konosuke Takeshita, Yuki Ueno & MAO Vs HARASHIMA, Kazuki Hirata & Akito
5. ONLY WE Special Single Match: Quiet Storm Vs Shogun Okamoto
6. Ultimate Tag League 2022 – B Block: Daisuke Sasaki & MJ Paul (2) Vs Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Yumehito “Fantastic” Imanari (4)
7. DDT x ONLY WE Special 6-Man Tag Match: Tetsuya Endo, Jun Akiyama & Yuya Koroku Vs Yuji Hino, Kaji Tomato & Yukio Naya

The two teams that got forfeit wins in the Ultimate Tag League now face each other. This is also DAMNATION T.A’s last match in their group. If Pheromones win then they might be able to qualify for the final with one match still in hand.

It was confirmed by DDT earlier today that Chris Brookes had tested positive for covid while he was out with a fever. However he has since recovered and is expected to be back at this Sunday’s show in Chiba.

BASARA “BASARA 184 ~GLITTER~”, 22/02/2022
Shin-Kiba 1st RING

1. Takato Nakano Vs Lil Kraken
2. FUMA, Yusuke Kubo & Daichi Kazato Vs Takumi Tsukamoto, Gouma Ryu & Yasu Urano
3. SAGAT Vs Masato Kamin
4. Tsutomu Oosugi, Banana Senga & Fuminori Abe Vs Isami Kodaka, Daiki Shimomura & Minoru Fujita
5. Union MAX Title: Ryota Nakatsu (c) Vs Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi

Minoru Fujita is a busy man nowadays. A busy, busy man.

DDT “ULTIMATE TAG LEAGUE 2022 IN FUKUSHIMA!!”, 23/02/2022
Will Fukushima

1. MAO Vs Yuya Koroku
2. Daisuke Sasaki & MJ Paul Vs Shunma Katsumata & Yuki Ishida
3. Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno & Yuki “Sexy” Iino Vs Akito & Naomi Yoshimura
4. Ultimate Tag League 2022 – A Block: Kazusada Higuchi & Hideki Okatani (2) Vs Yuji Hino & Yukio Naya (0)
5. Fukushima Specialty Special 6-Man Tag Match: HARASHIMA, Toru Owashi & Kazuki Hirata Vs Chris Brookes, Yukio Sakaguchi & Gorgeous Matsuno
6. The 37KAMIINA Vs BURNING!: Konosuke Takeshita, Yuki Ueno & Toui Kojima Vs Tetsuya Endo, Jun Akiyama & Yusuke Okada

In the A Block Eruption needs to win to have any chance of reaching a tiebreaker. Even then their odds aren’t good. Yuji Hino & Yukio Naya just want to end their run with a win as proof that Naya has gotten stronger.

DDT “ULTIMATE TAG LEAGUE 2022 THE FINAL!!”, 27/02/2022
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

0. Dark Match: Soma Takao, Yusuke Okada & Yuya Koroku Vs Toru Owashi, Toui Kojima & Yuki Ishida
0. Dark Match – 3 Way Match: Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno Vs Antonio Honda Vs Hiroshi Yamato
1. Daisuke Sasaki, Minoru Fujita & MJ Paul Vs Yuji Hino, Akito & Yukio Naya
2. Ultimate Tag League 2022 – B Block: Chris Brookes & Masahiro Takanashi Vs Shunma Katsumata & MAO
3. Ultimate Tag League 2022 – B Block: HARASHIMA & Naomi Yoshimura Vs Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Yumehito “Fantastic” Imanari
4. Ultimate Tag League 2022 – A Block: Kazusada Higuchi & Hideki Okatani Vs Shuji Kondo & Kazuki Hirata
5. Ultimate Tag League 2022 – A Block: Konosuke Takeshita & Yuki Ueno Vs Tetsuya Endo & Jun Akiyama
6. Special Tag Match: Yukio Sakaguchi & Saki Akai Vs Sanshiro Takagi & Maya Yukihi
7. Ultimate Tag League 2022 – Final: Winners Of Block A Vs Winners Of Block B

I’m not going to worry about who needs to do what to qualify for the final until the matches on the shows above have taken place.

The Saki Akai Vs Maya Yukihi rivalry is getting even more dangerous with the additions of Yukio Sakaguchi and Sanshiro Takagi. If the boss of DDT and CyberFight decides to team with you then take the hint Yukihi!

Lingling, the current reigning and defending Iron Man Heavymetalweight Champion will be at the show. She will be there even if she loses the title to someone else beforehand.

DDT “JUDGEMENT 2022 ~DDT 25TH ANNIVERSARY~”, 20/03/2022
Tokyo Ryogoku Kokugikan

1. LiLiCo Retirement Match: LiLiCo, Ryohei Odai & Akito (w/ Junretsu) Vs Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno, Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Yumehito “Fantastic” Imanari
2. KO-D 10-Man Tag Team Titles: Toru Owashi, Antonio Honda, Kazuki Hirata & Yoshihiko (c) Vs Poison Sawada JULIE, Takashi Sasaki, GENTARO, MIKAMI & Tanomusaku Toba (w/ Naomi Susan)
3. Jun Akiyama 30th Anniversary Match: Jun Akiyama & Takao Omori Vs X & X
4. Special Single Match: Saki Akai Vs Maya Yukihi
5. DDT 25th Anniversary Special Single Match: Sanshiro Takagi Vs Michael Nakazawa
6. DDT Universal Title – Hardcore 3 Way Match: Daisuke Sasaki (c) Vs Jun Kasai Vs MAO
7. KO-D Openweight Title: Konosuke Takeshita (c) Vs Tetsuya Endo

When Jun Kasai came back to DDT last week, he was looking for an opponent that could excite him. In the end he thinks Daisuke Sasaki is the only one who can do that. They had a Hardcore Match in Saitama Super Arena five years ago that Sasaki won. Kasai thinks it is time for a rematch. There is one problem though. MAO has pestered Sasaki non-stop to get the next shot at the DDT Universal Title and the champion finally agreed to it. The solution is to have all three fight each other at the same time!

Jun Akiyama is celebrating his 30th anniversary in wrestling this year. To celebrate, he is reuniting Burning Wild with Takao Omori for a special tag match. DDT contacted All Japan and got their permission to make this match happen. Their opponents have not been chosen yet.

DDT “DAY DREAM BELIEVER 2022”, 27/03/2022
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

1. Jun Akiyama Vs Kazuki Hirata
2. DDT Extreme Title: Yuki “Sexy” Iino (c) Vs Shunma Katsumata

The DDT Extreme Title now belongs to Yuki Iino. Who knows what perverted match ideas he and Pheromones will come up with. All we know is he really wants Shunma Katsumata to be his first challenger. Katsumata reluctantly accepts the match. He is also getting suspicious that the GM Hisaya Imabayashi is secretly the mastermind of Pheromones because he never really punishes them for their “public executions” even when he is often the victim.

That’s not all Akiyama has planned for March. He fought Kazuki Hirata in the Ultimate Tag League and is convinced Hirata wants to fight him one on one. Things couldn’t be any further from the truth. Hirata is intimidated as hell by that idea. Too bad for him because the match is going to happen anyway!


DDT “DDT FREE -FEBRUARY- ULTIMATE TAG LEAGUE 2022 IN SHINJUKU!!” Results

February 14, 2022

DDT “DDT FREE -FEBRUARY- ULTIMATE TAG LEAGUE 2022 IN SHINJUKU!!”, 14/02/2022
Shinjuku FACE
233 Fans – Super No Vacancy Full House

-. Ultimate Tag League 2022 – B Block: Daisuke Sasaki & MJ Paul (2) defeated Chris Brookes & Masahiro Takanashi (2) by Forfeit.
0. Dark Match: Yusuke Okada defeated Yuya Koroku with the Sudden Death (8:27).
1. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title – You Cannot Leave Without Defending For 2 Minutes 5 Way Match: Antonio Honda defeated Toru Owashi (c), Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno, Masahiro Takanashi and Shunma Katsumata (7:28).
1a. Antonio Honda defeated Toru Owashi (c) with a School Boy (1:12).
*Antonio Honda becomes the 1,531st champion.
1b. Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno defeated Antonio Honda (c) with a School Boy (1:19).
*Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno becomes the 1,532nd champion.
1c. Masahiro Takanashi defeated Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno (c) with a School Boy (1:27).
*Masahiro Takanashi becomes the 1,533rd champion.
1d. Toru Owashi defeated Masahiro Takanshi (c) with a School Boy (1:43).
*Toru Owashi becomes the 1,534th champion.
1e. Antonio Honda defeated Toru Owashi (c) with a School Boy (1:50).
*Antonio Honda becomes the 1,535th champion.
1f. Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno defeated Antonio Honda (c) with a School Boy (1:56).
*Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno becomes the 1,536th champion.
1g. Masahiro Takanashi defeated Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno (c) with a School Boy (2:03).
*Masahiro Takanashi becomes the 1,537th champion.
1h. Foot Acupoint Mat defeated Masahiro Takanashi (c) by Pinfall (2:50).
*Foot Acupoint Mat becomes the 1,538th champion.
1i. Antonio Honda defeated Foot Acupoint Mat (c) by Pinfall (3:52).
*Antonio Honda becomes the 1,539th champion.
1j. Toru Owashi defeated Antonio Honda (c) with a Figure 4 Head Lock (4:33).
*Toru Owashi becomes the 1,540th champion.
1k. Masahiro Takanashi defeated Toru Owashi (c) with a Figure 4 Head Lock (4:42).
*Masahiro Takanashi becomes the 1,541st champion.
1l. Shunma Katsumata defeated Masahiro Takanashi (c) with a Figure 4 Head Lock (5:03).
*Shunma Katsumata becomes the 1,542nd champion.
1m. Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno defeated Shunma Katsumata (c) with a Figure 4 Head Lock (5:11).
*Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno becomes the 1,543rd champion.
1n. Antonio Honda defeated Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno (c) with a School Boy (5:28).
*Antonio Honda becomes the 1,544th champion.
2. Special Tag Match: Maya Yukihi & Yukio Naya defeated Saki Akai & Toui Kojima when Naya pinned Kojima with the Back Drop (7:10).
-. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title: Lingling defeated Antonio Honda (c) with a Handshake (7:26 pm).
*Lingling becomes the 1,545th champion.
3. Daisuke Sasaki, Minoru Fujita & MJ Paul defeated Akito, MAO & Yuki Ishida when Paul pinned Ishida with the Death Valley Bomb (10:01).
4. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Jun Kasai, Yuji Hino & Yukio Sakaguchi defeated HARASHIMA, Naomi Yoshimura & Soma Takao when Kasai pinned Takao with the Vertical Drop Reverse Tiger Driver (10:04).
5. DDT Extreme Title – Turkish Wrestling Rules: Yuki “Sexy” Iino defeated Shinya Aoki (c) by Countout (7:58).
*Shinya Aoki fails in V6. Yuki “Sexy” Iino becomes the 53rd DDT Extreme Champion!
6. Ultimate Tag League 2022 – A Block: Tetsuya Endo & Jun Akiyama (6) defeated Shuji Kondo & Kazuki Hirata (0) when Akiyama pinned Hirata with the Exploder Suplex (12:10).
7. Ultimate Tag League 2022 – A Block: Kazusada Higuchi & Hideki Okatani (4) defeated Konosuke Takeshita & Yuki Ueno (4) when Higuchi pinned Ueno with the Brain Claw Slam (19:51).

A Block

1. Tetsuya Endo & Jun Akiyama (6)
2. Konosuke Takeshita & Yuki Ueno (4)
3. Kazusada Higuchi & Hideki Okatani (2)
-. Yuji Hino & Yukio Naya (2)
5. Shuji Kondo & Kazuki Hirata (0)

B Block

1. HARASHIMA & Naomi Yoshimura (4)
-. Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Yumehito “Fantastic” Imanari (4)
3. Shunma Katsumata & MAO (2)
-. Daisuke Sasaki & MJ Paul (2)
-. Chris Brookes & Masahiro Takanashi (2)

Eruption are now on the board, scoring their first win in the Ultimate Tag League. They also deal a blow to The 37KAMIINA’s chances of reaching first place in the A Block. Kazusada Higuchi & Hideki Okatani ended up focusing their teamwork on Yuki Ueno, hitting the Diving Knee Drop and Doctor Bomb on him. Konosuke Takeshita kept breaking as many pins as he could but in the end Higuchi finally got the three count on Ueno with the Brain Claw Slam.

Okatani was pleased with getting his first league win in Eruption even though he did not directly get the pin. They have two more group matches left so he is certain he can get a direct win on the way to the final. There is also something else on his mind. He was recently given the nickname “Red Super Comet”. He doesn’t think it suits him and also doesn’t want to use a name created by someone else. He instead wants to be called “The Red Fighting Spirit” of Eruption!

It is BURNING who leads the A Block uncontested and they now just need to win their last match to reach the final. You could argue they had it easy today because one of their opponents was Kazuki Hirata. He would have been quickly beaten by Jun Akiyama had he not pleaded for mercy when Akiyama set him up for the Exploder Suplex. Shuji Kondo had to do the heavy lifting until he was blocked off by Tetsuya Endo. Hirata did what he could to steal a win but Akiyama got him with the Exploder anyway. Hirata surprisingly kicked out so Akiyama gave him another one to get the win. Endo said there would be no miracle today while Akiyama thinks Hirata wants a one on one match against him. Hirata definitely does not agree, even with Kondo encouraging him to do it!

Yuki “Sexy” Iino is the new DDT Extreme Champion but Shinya Aoki got to get oiled up by Yumiko Hotta, so who really won today? The answer is Iino because he now has a championship belt, duh. The more oil that covered Iino and Aoki, the slippier they became. There is no justice I could do to describe a match so lewd it caused DDT to delete the video from Youtube after it aired. Pheromones eventually attacked Aoki outside the ring until Hotta came to the rescue. Unfortunately for Hotta, Danshoku Dieno Slingshotted her face into Iino’s butt while he held Aoki in the WAR Special. The referee was near the 20 count when both wrestlers ran back to the ring. Iino got back in time but Aoki slipped and stumbled, causing him to lose by countout. That result is still eligible for a title change so Iino is the new champion! On the bright side, Aoki got a box of Valentine’s day chocolates from Hotta.

Dieno got on the microphone and said that match is the part of pro wrestling Pheromones are here to do. Iino then nominated Shunma Katsumata to be his first challenger. Katsumata doesn’t want to get involved but reluctantly appeared when Dieno threatened Hisaya Imabyashi to take his place. He refused the nomination but Imabayashi booked the title match for 27th March anyway. Pheromones then attacked Katsumata and left him laying. Backstage Katsumata said the Iino he knew from ALL OUT is gone. He also accused Imabayashi of possibly being the secret mastermind behind Pheromones! Why else would he put him into this match against his wishes?

The visiting Jun Kasai had a lot on his plate today. First he was victorious in a 6-Man Tag Match with Yuji Hino & Yukio Sakaguchi. After his partners got wiped out along with HARASHIMA & Naomi Yoshimura, Kasai was left alone with Soma Takao. Seemingly looking frustrated, Kasai yelled for DDT to get him more excited before he pinned Takao with the Vertical Drop Reverse Tiger Driver. Kasai didn’t want to celebrate the win though and called for his music to stop.

Kasai said after being a long time away from DDT he was looking forward to seeing who in the company would inspire him. He found the experience today lacking and can only think of one person that interests him. Daisuke Sasaki! He walked out but was followed by MAO behind him. Earlier in the show MAO had finally convinced Sasaki to give him the DDT Universal Title shot at Sumo Hall on 20th March. But now Kasai is making the same challenge because he wants a rematch of their Saitama Super Arena war from five years ago! MAO butted in to remind them he already has the title shot. Sasaki agreed to make it a Hardcore 3 Way Match at Sumo Hall so MAO would finally shut up.

Sasaki is full to the brim with confidence now that Minoru Fujita is with DAMNATION T.A. After accepting the 3 Way Challenge, Sasaki said Fujita is like his spy because Fujita knows Kasai in the ring very well. When DAMNATION T.A had their match, they quickly attacked MAO first. MAO recovered and had some help with Akito to clean up the opposition but that left Yuki Ishida alone with MJ Paul. A Lariat and the Death Valley Bomb gave Paul the win. Sasaki then hit Ishida with a chair and gave Daisuke Kiso the Michinoku Driver II. That was when MAO challenged Sasaki for the title shot and finally got it.

The Mixed Tag match ended with Yukio Naya pinning Toui Kojima but the attention was all on Saki Akai and Maya Yukihi as their rivalry grows further. Yukihi can see that Akai is becoming more emotional in their matches. She thought Akai was always looking down on her but maybe Akai is starting to see her for who she is. Akai at least approves of Yukihi being ready to fight her in all of their matches so far. The differences between them means they will have a match unlike anything else at Sumo Hall.

Toru Owashi came up with a new match format to try out with the Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title. He wanted the 5 Way Match to go on until the defending champion survives for two minutes without losing the belt. It’s a task that is easier said than done because there were loads of title changes within five minutes. Owashi, Dieno, Katsumata, Masahiro Takanashi and Antonio Honda all got to win the title during the match. A Foot Acupoint Mat also briefly became the champion because it covered Takanashi while Katsumata was pinning him. Honda was finally able to last the two minutes as champion and be declared the winner.

The Iron Man Title returned later in the show when Honda was chased into the ring. Everyone stopped when they saw special guest Lingling from BiSH in the ring. She all shook their hands, unaware that she has an incredibly strong grip that left each wrestler in pain. When she shook Honda’s hand, a loud crack was heard and Honda screamed he was giving up. That means Lingling is now the Iron Man Champion! She didn’t think she was this powerful but she is happy to win a championship.

Yusuke Okada beat Yuya Koroku in the dark match. Koroku missed a Moonsault and was made to crawl over to the ropes in a Crab Hold. His attempt to regain momentum was cut off with the Kitchen Sink and Okada pinned him with the Sudden Death.

It was announced that Akiyama will team with Takao Omori at Sumo Hall! This is being done to celebrate Akiyama’s 30th Anniversary in wrestling. He is happy with the news because it’s been a long time since he’s been in the ring with Omori. Their opponents are to be announced.


Video – Junretsu New Member Audition 2019 Battle Royal

February 14, 2022

MUSCLE “MUSCLE MANIA 2019 IN RYOGOKU ~ OUR SECOND CAREER”, 16/02/2019
Tokyo Ryogoku Kokugikan
4,115 Fans – No Vacancy

Junretsu New Member Audition 2019 Time Difference Battle Royal: Makoto Oishi Vs Yuki Ueno Vs Akito Vs Gorgeous Matsuno Vs Kazusada Higuchi Vs Kazuyoshi Sakai Vs Ken Ohka Vs Yukio Sakaguchi Vs Saki Akai Vs Konosuke Takeshita Vs Antonio Honda Vs Andreza Giant Panda Vs Choun-Shiryu Vs Tetsu Watanabe