TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TOKYO JOSHI 2021 SUMMER ~STEP AND A STEP~”, 21/08/2021 Tokyo Itabashi Green Hall
1. Hikari Noa & Arisu Endo Vs Maki Itoh & Raku
2. Mirai Maiumi Vs Kaya Toribami
3. Yuka Sakazaki & Pom Harajuku Vs Hyper Misao & Nao Kakuta
4. Rika Tatsumi, Yuki Kamifuku & Marika Kobashi Vs Nodoka Tenma, Yuki Aino & Haruna Neko
5. Miyu Yamashita, Suzume & Moka Miyamoto Vs Shoko Nakajima, Mizuki & Miu Watanabe
Both Hikari Noa and Maki Itoh are working double shots on Saturday. First they fight in the Tokyo Joshi Pro opening match in Itabashi then travel over to Kawasaki for the “WRESTLE PETER PAN 2021” pre-show.
Mahiro Kiryu is out of action with a neck injury. She will consult with her doctor when she can be cleared to return based on the progress of her treatment.
DDT “DRAMATIC SURVIVOR 2021”, 04/09/2021 Nagoya Congress Center Event Hall
1. 1 Day Unit Tournament – Semi Final: X, X, X & X Vs X, X, X & X
2. 1 Day Unit Tournament – Semi Final: X, X, X & X Vs X, X, X & X
3. Danshoku Dieno & Yuki Iino Vs Sanshiro Takagi & Antonio Honda
4. Special Single Match: Chris Brookes Vs Yukio Sakaguchi
5. 1 Day Unit Tournament – Final: X, X, X & X Vs X, X, X & X
Eruption aren’t part of the Unit Tournament so Yukio Sakaguchi is free to take on Chris Brookes in their second ever singles match. The first match took place at the 2021 D-Ou Grand Prix and Sakaguchi won it that time.
DDT “TENJIN WARS 2021”, 12/09/2021 Fukuoka Nishitetsu Hall
1. Special 6-Man Tag Team Match ~ DRAMATIC WARS: Yoshihiko, Mecha Mummy & Pokotan Vs Sanshiro Takagi, Toru Owashi & Antonio Honda
2. Special Single Match ~ DDT Vs Ganbare☆Joshi Pro Wrestling: Saki Akai Vs Yuna Manase
3. DDT Extreme Title: Shinya Aoki (c) Vs Kazuki Hirata
A group of freaks team up to fight Yoshihiko, Mecha Mummy & Pokotan.
BASARA X DOVE “R.E.S.P.E.C.T”, 18/08/2021 Shinjuku FACE
1. Takumi Tsukamoto, Yusuke Kubo, Daichi Kazato & Kenshin Chikano Vs Ryota Nakatsu, Takato Nakano & Masato Kamino & TORU
2. Fuminori Abe & Shoichi Uchida Vs Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi & Rey Paloma
3. FUMA Vs “brother” YASSHI
4. Hardcore Tag Match: Isami Kodaka & Gunso Vs SAGAT & Naoki Tanizaki
5. Daiki Shimomura Vs Kohei Kinoshita
The first leg of BASARA X Dove Pro 2021 series takes place tomorrow.
DDT “WRESTLE PETER PAN 2021”, 21/08/2021 Fujitsu Stadium Kawasaki
0. Under Match: Yukio Naya & Keigo Nakamura Vs Hideki Okatani & Yuya Koroku
0. Electric Current Explosion 8-Man Tag Death Match: Atsushi Onita, Sanshiro Takagi, Akito & Maki Itoh Vs Kuro-chan, Super Sasadango Machine, Tetsuhiro Kuroda & Hikari Noa
1. Special 10-Man Tag Match – El Unicorn & Ilusion Debut Match: HARASHIMA, Naomi Yoshimura, Yusuke Okada, Reimu Imai & El Unicorn Vs Yuji Okabayashi, TAMURA, Mizuki Watase, Yuki Iino & Ilusion
2. Double Ring Double Single Match: Toru Owashi Vs Antonio Honda
2. Double Ring Double Single Match: Danshoku Dieno Vs Kazuki Hirata
3. Special Hardcore Tag Match: Shunma Katsumata & MAO Vs Chris Brookes & Jun Kasai
4. KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles: Tetsuya Endo, Soma Takao & Yuji Hino (c) Vs Kazusada Higuchi, Yukio Sakaguchi & Saki Akai
5. DDT Universal Title: Yuki Ueno (c) Vs Daisuke Sasaki
6. KO-D Openweight Title: Jun Akiyama (c) Vs Konosuke Takeshita
I am aiming to have a preview written and posted by Thursday night at the latest.
The main event will have Kenta Kobashi at ringside to witness the KO-D Openweight Title match. Whenever he shows up for big matches involving Jun Akiyama, Akiyama usually wins so he is kind of a good luck charm for him. That isn’t meant to be the intention of his appearances though. Last time he appeared in DDT he was invited by Tetsuya Endo to give advice for fighting against Akiyama.
Yuki Ueno briefly had the DDT Universal Title returned to him during today’s press conference. Hisaya Imabayashi convinced Daisuke Sasaki to send the belt back in order to sign the match contract but Sasaki did not attend the signing. Instead he sent a video message that Ueno watched. That turned out to be a trap and Sasaki was in the room all along! He ambushed Ueno, stole the belt and ran off with it yet again!
Saki Akai is determined to win the KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles and silence those who are uncomfortable with her wrestling against men. Like Yuji Hino for example. He thinks having a woman on the team is like taking part in a Handicap match. Akai admits she is afraid of taking Chops from Yuji Hino (and he swears he won’t Chop her because it would result in murder) but she needs to overcome those fears to become a champion again. Yukio Sakaguchi credits Akai for burning a fire within himself and Kazusada Higuchi that they have been missing recently. That has been shown during Sakaguchi’s clashes with Soma Takao. They may have to face a cruel reality though. Endo has warned that he has only gotten better since the title match was put together. DAMNATION’s comments made Akai mad and she slapped the rest of Eruption to fire them up.
There has been an attempt by DDT recently to put together more hardcore matches. Jun Kasai has watched some and feels lukewarm towards them. They’re a bit too relaxed for his tastes. But rumours are going around that Kasai has a low pain threshold for stepping on Lego. Shunma Katsumata brought it up and Kasai avoided the topic by saying he never feels pain when he is in front of an audience. MAO wants to prove there is nothing “relaxed” about DDT’s hardcore style. Chris Brookes thinks he is being ignored because he doesn’t feature in the hype video for the match.
The youngsters from the DDT Teenage Project want to make an impact. Ilusion promises to make that impact and be the standout of the match so he can become the symbol of the project. El Unicorn is the smallest wrestler in the match but wants to be in the ring with the likes of Yuji Okabayashi and Naomi Yoshimura. They’re not the only teenagers in the match. Reimu Imai is 16 years old and looks forward to hitting the larger opponents with all he’s got. TAMURA is fascinated to see how these teenagers will fare. HARASHIMA is excited to see DDT run a big show outdoors and it reminds him of the other outdoor shows DDT has held throughout his time with them.
“MASAHIRO TAKANASHI BOX OFFICE YOPPARAI IS BACK”, 03/09/2021 Shinjuku FACE
1. Dragon Sakurabo, “Old Wise Man” Human-Zee & Tiger Jeet Singh-juku Sumidagawa (w/ Haru Miyako) Vs Gota Ihashi & Antonio Honda (w/ Sayaka Obihiro & KUDO)
2. Saki Akai & Rina Yamashita Vs Yuna Mizumori & Mei Suruga
3. Yukio Sakaguchi, ken45° & Manabu Murakami Vs Isami Kodaka, Daiki Shimomura & Yasu Urano
4. Kenichiro Arai Vs Baliyan Akki
5. Masahiro Takanashi & Chris Brookes Vs Brahman Shu & Brahman Kei (w/ Gorgeous Matsuno)
Unfortunately Masahiro Takanashi’s self-produced show has been postpone again. He decided it is still not safe to run the show under current circumstances. He is currently in discussions with the venue to arrange a new date for the show.
GANBARE☆PRO “GANBARE☆JOSHI PRO WRESTLING ~THE WORLD CALLS IT LOVE 2021~”, 04/09/2021 Tokyo Itabashi Green Hall
1. Gatoh Move Pro Wrestling Offer Match: Yuna Mizumori Vs Tokiko Kirihara
2. Ganbare☆Pro Wrestling Offer Match: Keisuke Ishii Vs Shinichiro Tominaga
3. Texas Tornado Street Fight Special Mixed Tag Match: Miss Mongol & Yumehito Imanari Vs Cherry & Shota
4. 3 Way Match: Choun-Shiryu Vs Makoto Vs Itsuki Aoki
5. Ganjo Special Tag Match: Yuna Manase & Moeka Haruhi Vs Yuu Yamagata & HARUKAZE
Oh the betrayal! HARUKAZE got Yuu Yamagata’s message loud and clear, ditching Yuna Manase after all they did to build up Ganbare☆Joshi together. Now HARUKAZE is siding with Yamagata to learn how to become stronger. Manase still has Moeka Haruhi to rely on and they will fight to bring HARUKAZE back to Ganjo.
Makoto is also sticking around for a while as part of Yamagata’s group. That’s a woman with a lot of different links and connections in the industry so not all of her matches will be attached to the Manase/Yamagata feud.
DDT “TENJIN WARS 2021”, 12/09/2021 Fukuoka Nishitetsu Hall
1. Special Single Match ~ DDT Vs Ganbare☆Joshi Pro Wrestling: Saki Akai Vs Yuna Manase
2. DDT Extreme Title: Shinya Aoki (c) Vs Kazuki Hirata
Kazuki Hirata gets a DDT Extreme Title shot after threatening to quit DDT and leave all of the jobs nobody else wants to do. He also wants Shinya Aoki to come up with a match stipulation that can allow even the weakest wrestler like Hirata an even chance to win. He swears it’s to make the match more exciting before Aoki beats him.
GANBARE☆PRO “HARLEY DAVIDSON & MARLBORO MAN 2021”, 12/09/2021 Tokyo Itabashi Green Hall
1. Ganpro Special Mixed 6-Person Tag Match: Shota, Moeka Haruhi & Miyako Matsumoto Vs Shinichiro Tominaga, Makoto & HARUKAZE
2. Ken Ohka Pre-Debut 20th Anniversary Special Tag Match Part 2: Ken Ohka & Yumehito Imanari Vs Keisuke Ishii & Shigehiro Irie
Ganbare☆Pro continues putting together intergender tag matches, this time doing one under trios rules.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “WRESTLE PRINCESS II”, 09/10/2021 Tokyo Ota Ward Gymnasium
1. Princess Of Princess Title: Miyu Yamashita (c) Vs Maki Itoh
Doesn’t matter how battered and bruised she is right now because Maki Itoh could not be happier. After winning the Tokyo Princess Cup she will now face Miyu Yamashita for the Princess Of Princess Title at Ota Ward Gymnasium. Yamashita is amazed at how strong Itoh has become and she wants to beat this version of her. They’ve had several singles matches before including two Princess Title bouts and Itoh has never won any of them. They also team together as 121000000 but Itoh thought they should disband. Yamashita talked her out of it because it wouldn’t make a difference to the match. Therefore there’s no need to split the team up.
DDT “SUMMER VACATION 2021”, 15/08/2021 Tokyo Korakuen Hall 529 Fans – No Vacancy
1. Mizuki Watase Return Match: Hideki Okatani defeated Mizuki Watase with the Double Arm Suplex (8:08).
2. Chris Brookes, Danshoku Dieno, Antonio Honda & Keigo Nakamura defeated HARASHIMA, Toru Owashi, Naomi Yoshimura & Kazuki Hirata when Brookes submitted Hirata with the Octopus Stretch (0:22).
2a. Rematch: HARASHIMA, Toru Owashi, Naomi Yoshimura & Kazuki Hirata defeated Chris Brookes, Danshoku Dieno, Antonio Honda & Keigo Nakamura when Hirata pinned Nakamura witha School Boy (9:27).
3. Kininashi Wanaru ~The Universe In My Head~ Match: Dorago (Yukio Naya) & Haka (Yuki Iino) defeated Sanshiro Takagi & Shiro Koshinaka when Haka pinned Takagi with the Spear (10:14).
4. Tetsuya Endo, Soma Takao & Yuji Hino defeated Kazusada Higuchi, Yukio Sakaguchi & Yuya Koroku when Takao pinned Koroku with the Gin And Tonic (9:10).
5. Yuki Ueno & Akito defeated Daisuke Sasaki & Mad Paulie when Akito pinned Paulie with an Ankle Package Hold (12:17).
6. DDT Extreme Title – Hardcore Judo Match: Shinya Aoki (c) (2) defeated MAO (1).
6a. Judo Rules: MAO (1) defeated Shinya Aoki (0) by Ippon (1:23).
6b. Hardcore Rules: Shinya Aoki (1) defeated MAO (1) with a European Clutch (6:25).
6c. Hardcore Judo Rules: Shinya Aoki (2) defeated MAO (1) by Table Crash (5:41). *V1 for Shinya Aoki.
7. KO-D Tag Team Titles: Konosuke Takeshita & Shunma Katsumata (c) defeated Jun Akiyama & Yusuke Okada when Katsumata pinned Okada with the Firebird Splash (20:33). *V1 for The 37KAMIINA.
It’s one week until “WRESTLE PETER PAN 2021” but there was still some business for DDT to tend too. For the main event the ring canvas was removed to show a brand new blue rimmed canvas underneath. The 37KAMIINA and Junretsu were the first to wrestle on it with the KO-D Tag Team Titles on the line. Jun Akiyama dealt with Konosuke Takeshita and created a 2-on-1 situation for his side. Akiyama threw Shunma Katsumata with an Exploder Suplex and Yusuke Okada hit a Diving Headbutt for a nearfall. Takeshita made it back in to break the count and even the odds. He blocked Okada’s Tornado DDT and lifted him up for a Braibuster. Then Katsumata jumped in to hit the MADMAX but Akiyama broke the pin. Takeshita held Akiyama back while Katsumata finished Okada off with the Firebird Splash.
After the match Takeshita pointed at the KO-D Openweight Title resting on Akiyama’s shoulder. They bumped fists to so there is no bad blood heading into their title match and Junretsu left. Katsumata then celebrated his team making their first title defence. Takeshita thanked him for his hard work winning them the match today and giving them momentum heading into “WRESTLE PETER PAN”.
The Hardcore Judo match for the DDT Extreme Title turned out to be a Best 2 Out Of 3 Falls contest. In the 1st fall Shinya Aoki and MAO had to have a regular judo match inside the ring. They both grappled and threw each other to the ground. At first Daisuke Kiso gave the point to Aoki but after consulting with judges outside the ring it was decided that MAO scored the Ippon instead. The 2nd fall was a Hardcore Match so both participants took off their judo jackets and brought out the weapons. After a violent back and forth, Aoki caught MAO in the European Clutch to get the three count. The final fall was Hardcore Judo rules, a Judo fight with weapons! They fought up the turnbuckles and Aoki threw MAO through a table below to score Ippon and win the match!
After the match Kazuki Hirata entered the ring in his full entrance costume. Aoki immediately threw a chair at him. Hirata calmed him down and respectfully challenged him for the Extreme Title. He explained it is great to win exciting matches against opponents you don’t know if you can beat. However it is also great to defend against opponents you can easily beat, like him! In a normal match Aoki Vs Hirata is heavily one-sided but Aoki can create a rule that can allow even the weakest wrestler to win! Aoki answered no. Hirata then threatened to quit DDT and without him there won’t be anybody backstage to do all the dirty work that keeps the show running. Aoki laughed and accepted the challenge. Hisaya Imabayashi decided the match will take place in Nishitetsu Hall on 12th September.
Daisuke Sasaki came back from quarantine with the stolen DDT Universal Title and quickly made a beeline for Yuki Ueno. As the match went on, Sasaki struck Ueno in the head with the belt and busted him open. While Sasaki continued beating up Ueno at ringside, Akito rolled up Mad Paulie to win the match. But that wasn’t the focus as Sasaki threw Ueno into the ring post and continued to beat him bloody. Sasaki even ambushed Ueno again backstage during the post-match interview. His message is loud and clear. Daisuke Sasaki is back!
Eruption faced DAMNATION is another warm up bout for the KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles match. Soma Takao threw his belt down in front of Yukio Sakaguchi to annoy him. Yuji Hino blocked the God’s Right Knee but was bashed by Kazusada Higuchi. Higuchi was then wiped out by Tetsuya Endo’s Sasuke Special No. 1. Yuya Koroku tagged in to take the glory but Takao ended up beating him with the Gin And Tonic. Takao threw his title belt again, provoking Sakaguchi into fighting him. Meanwhile Higuchi and Endo butted heads. Saki Akai then entered the ring where Hino stood before here. Hino teased throwing a chop but relaxed and told Akai to go home. Akai slapped him across the face in response. The situation calmed down after that and both sides separated.
The Kininashi Wanaru match had a specific goal to achieve. The hosts of the TV show created their own characters for Yuki Iino & Yukio Naya to play. They also made 100 T-shirts for the gimmicks and wanted to sell all of them. In fact, the hosts were more concerned with selling the shirts than watching the match. Drago was Naya wearing a Riki Choshu mask while Haka was Iino wearing a Sanshiro Takagi mask. That one caught the real Takagi by surprise. They wrestled under the masks at first but they eventually got removed. Shiro Koshinaka did his thing while reminding everyone he is 62 years old. Takagi had Haka beat but Danshoku Dieno suddenly appeared and pulled Yukinori Matsui out of the ring mid pinfall. Takagi gave Dieno the Stunner and placed him over the turnbuckles with his backside hanging out. Unfortunately Takagi himself was sent face first into Dieno’s butt and then Iino pinned him with the Spear.
Hirata’s appearance earlier in the show quickly ended when he submitted to Chris Brookes. Everyone agreed to an immediate rematch and Brookes instantly put Hirata in the Octopus Stretch again. This time Toru Owashi broke the hold. Naomi Yoshimura cleaned house until Hirata pleaded to be tagged back in. Antonio Honda brought the match to a halt with Gongitsune that was also charged by Dieno’s backside. Keigo Nakamura also got charged up when he was thrown head first into Dieno. His charged head gave everyone electric shocks but Hirata guided him to collide with Honda and then rolled him up for the three count. Hirata promised to win his part of the Double Ring Double Single Match and be crowned the king of the 2nd match on the card!
After a long absence due to injury, Mizuki Watase returned to the ring for his first wrestling match in six months. His opponent was his Junretsu teammate Hideki Okatani. The match showed just how much Okatani has progressed while Watase was gone. Watase still put up a fight but he was done when Okatani countered the Back Drop into a Bulldog Headlock. Okatani then got the pin with the Double Arm Suplex. The two shook hands after the match. Watase was disappointed to lose against a younger and less experienced wrestler. But he also understands while he was gone for six months, Okatani was training with Akiyama during that same time period. Watase has to start again from scratch but at least he too will have Akiyama guiding him.
DDT is now sponsored by Japan Bakery Marketing and they get a prime advertising spot on the neutral corner pads. The company producer Takuya Kishimoto appeared with Takagi to pose with some bread. The deal came together when Takagi met with Kishimoto at a recent Rojo Pro Wrestling event that DDT put together. Kishimoto said he became hooked with wrestling and feels the same happiness he gets from eating bread.
Kenta Kobashi will appear at “WRESTLE PETER PAN” to observe the KO-D Title match between Akiyama and Takeshita.
DDT “SUMMER VACATION 2021 TOUR IN IWATE”, 09/08/2021 Iwate Education Center Multipurpose Hall (Morioka City) 150 Fans – Super No Vacancy Full House
1. Chris Brookes defeated Tomomitsu Matsunaga with the Octopus Stretch (7:19).
2. 3 Way Match: Toru Owashi defeated Antonio Honda and Saki Akai when Owashi pinned Hona with La Magistral Cradle (9:27).
3. Kazusada Higuchi, Danshoku Dieno & Akito defeated HARASHIMA, Naomi Yoshimura & Kazuki Hirata when Higuchi submitted Hirata with the Brain Claw (0:53).
3a. Rematch: Kazusada Higuchi, Danshoku Dieno & Akito defeated HARASHIMA, Naomi Yoshimura & Kazuki Hirata when Akito submitted Hirata with the Ou Mountains (11:13).
4. Soma Takao & Yuji Hino defeated Yukio Sakaguchi & Yukio Naya when Hino pinned Naya with the Fuckin’ BOMB (9:03).
5. The 37KAMIINA Vs DAMNATION!: Yuki Ueno & MAO defeated Tetsuya Endo & Mad Paulie when Ueno pinned Paulie with the BME (13:46).
6. Morioka Specialty Special 6-Man Tag Match: Konosuke Takeshita, Shunma Katsumata & Keigo Nakamura defeated Jun Akiyama, Yusuke Okada & Hideki Okatani when Nakamura pinned Okatani with a Jackknife Pine (20:25).
Every dog has his day. Today’s that day and Keigo Nakamura is that dog. Today was his first homecoming show and he wanted to fight Jun Akiyama straight away. Akiyama had some fun by keeping score of all his points for every hold he used until he tagged out. Junretsu kept getting the upper hand on Nakamura. Yusuke Okada Superplexed him and Akiyama got in his knee strike. Konosuke Takeshita & Shunma Katsumata were able to break pins and keep the match alive. Then when Hideki Okatani tried to set up the Northern Lights Suplex, Nakamura countered him with a Headbutt and used a Jackknife Pin to get the upset win! Both Takeshita & Katsumata praised Nakamura for winning the main event for them. Nakamura promised he will win a singles title someday and wrestle in Morioka as the champion!
Daisuke Sasaki wasn’t at the show today so Yuki Ueno couldn’t get the DDT Universal Title back. However Mad Paulie brought out a homemade cardboard Universal Title to taunt the champion with. Tetsuya Endo even used it to hit Ueno with a belt shot! In the end Ueno beat Paulie with the BME and took the cardboard title from him. Backstage Ueno called the fake title worthless garbage. That is a perfect representation of Sasaki. He then tore the belt apart.
Yukio Sakaguchi and Soma Takao kept fighting outside the ring after their match ended. Takao came out on top when he hit Sakaguchi with his KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Title belt.
The Ou Mountains used by Akito to win his match is a Standing Anklelock applied while the victim Kazuki Hirata was planted face first into Danshoku Dieno’s backside. Kazusada Higuchi also applied the Claw to Dieno’s crotch to charge more power to the move somehow.
DDT “BEER GARDEN-LIKE PRO WRESTLING 2021 DAY 3”, 01/08/2021 Shinjuku FACE 223 Fans – Super No Vacancy Full House
0. Special Under Match – Ultimate Vs Supreme: Tetsuya Koda defeated Hisaya Imabayashi by TKO with the Sleeper Hold (11:57).
1. Yukio Naya & Yuki Iino defeated Sanshiro Takagi & Yuya Koroku when Iino pinned Koroku with a Lariat (9:35).
2. Playfulness Series Act 3: Danshoku Dieno Vs Hideki Okatani ended in a No Contest (5:19).
3. Yukio Sakaguchi, Akito & Yusuke Okada defeated Soma Takao, Yuji Hino & Nobuhiro Shimatani when Sakaguchi pinned Shimatani with the God’s Right Knee (8:17).
4. Rock & Roll 5 Way Death Match: A.YAZAWA defeated HARASHIMA, Saki Akai, Mad Paulie and Kazuki Hirata when YAZAWA pinned Hirata with a School Boy (14:17).
5. Shunma Katsumata & MAO defeated Chris Brookes & Keigo Nakamura when MAO pinned Nakamura after the MADMAX (14:45).
6. The Annual Tradition! Customer Lottery Match: Jun Akiyama, Konosuke Takeshita & Tetsuya Endo defeated Yuki Ueno, Kazusada Higuchi & Naomi Yoshimura when Endo pinned Yoshimura with the Shooting Star Press (21:26).
Beer Garden 2021 came to a close with the usual end to DDT’s tradition, a Fan Lottery 6-Man Tag Match. Members of the audience randomly picked the spots for each team and we ended up with Jun Akiyama, Konosuke Takeshita & Tetsuya Endo all on the same side. Any visual sign of tension disappeared when Endo came out dressed in his old wrestling gear and encouraged the others to reform Happy Motels for one night. Akiyama had to play the role of Antonio Honda in this case. The opposing team was Yuki Ueno, Kazusada Higuchi & Naomi Yoshimura. All of them came from the DNA generation so they paid tribute to the old brand by wearing DNA shirts and walking out to the DNA theme song. Akiyama played the part of Honda well by tripping onto his knee and doing the Bionic Elbow with his partners. The three of them worked so well they won the match with Endo getting the pin on Yoshimura.
After the match Endo said Beer Garden is all about having fun so he encouraged Akiyama and Takeshita to let go of their rivalry for the day. He also apologised to Takeshita for cheap shotting him at last year’s Beer Garden finale. Takeshita and Akiyama both agreed to get along but things will go back to normal when they fight each other for the KO-D Tag Team Titles on 15th August and the KO-D Openweight Title on the 21st. Endo also promoted his DAMNATION team defending the KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles on that day too. They all raised their hands together to end the show… and then Endo Headbutted Takeshita. Endo stormed off backstage and stripped out of his old costume embarrassed that he had to act so nice towards Akiyama & Takeshita today.
Chris Brookes didn’t want to team with Keigo Nakamura so he purposely joined the other team to make it a 3 Vs 1 Handicap match. Brookes entered the ring with The 37KAMIINA but Nakamura begged him to team up as planned. Brookes agreed to do it but still helped Shunma Katsumata & MAO do some triple team spots. Brookes eventually took the match seriously but it wasn’t enough for them to win. Katsumata & MAO hit the Power Bomb/Blockbuster version of MADMAX (apparently any double team move involving Katsumata jumping off the top rope is called the MADMAX) on Nakamura to get the win. Afterwards Katsumata told MAO he found out Jun Kasai’s weakness. He doesn’t like stepping on Lego so they’re going to use them against him at “WRESTLE PETER PAN 2021”!
Daisuke Sasaki was pulled from the show on short notice because he might have been in close contact with somebody who recently tested positive for the Coronavirus. The Drunk Match was cancelled and HARASHIMA was moved over to the Rock & Roll Death Match. There was another replacement as Antonio Honda suffered from love sickness and had to be replaced by A.YAZAWA in a rare appearance. Everyone in the match got drunk and danced whenever music played. YAZAWA and Saki Akai did karaoke. A recording of Shuji Ishikawa singing caused Mad Paulie to dance. Everyone fell asleep until Swan Lake played and they all did ballet together. YAZAWA then rolled over Kazuki Hirata to win the match.
Eruption once again got the better of DAMNATION once again in their latest preview match, this time with Yusuke Okada teaming with them. Yuji Hino was already drinking and decided to wrestle in his normal clothing. When he put Akito in a Sleeper Hold he flipped off the rest of his opponents. Eventually he got drunk and when he went to do the Diving Body Press off the top rope, he landed on Nobuhiro Shimatani instead of Yukio Sakaguchi. Hino needed Soma Takao’s help to get out of the ring and while that happened, Sakaguchi pinned Shimatani with the God’s Right Knee.
An accidental bump of heads between Danshoku Dieno and Hideki Okatani during the opening of the show led to them swapping bodies before their match. Dieno walked out wearing Okatani’s gear while Okatani ran out in Dieno’s costume acting just like him. Another clash of heads seemed to turn them back to normal. Dieno was himself again and he chased after Daisuke Kiso. However Okatani didn’t change and he got his hands on Yukinori Matsui. That officials had to call of the match as things got out of hand.
Sanshiro Takagi paid a lot of cash to repair the Dramatic Dream so he is going to get his money’s worth! He brought it out for the opening match, crashed into the combined centaur form of Yukio Naya & Yuki Iino and then crashed into his own partner Yuya Koroku. Iino then hit a Lariat on Koroku to take the win for his team.
The most important match of the week, nay, the month took place in the pre-show. It was the DDT GM Hisaya Imabayashi against the Tokyo Joshi Pro GM Tetsuya Koda in the latest chapter of their never ending one sided rivalry. Imabayashi was spurned on by phonecalls of his increasingly disgruntled wife while Koda showed a more evil side to his wrestling abilities. Sadly for Imabayashi he fell to the Sleeper Hold and as a result won’t be welcomed back home by his family.
Midway through the show, Dieno & Iino confronted Imabayashi demanding to be made into a full time tag team. They kept coming up with sexual innuendos for team names like Osu Academy, The Wizard Of Osu and Will Osupreay. Imabayashi told them he will agree to their demand once they come up with a better tag team name.
Earlier today on the Ganbare☆Pro show, Yuna Manase made it known that she wants a match against Saki Akai. She crashed the DDT show along with Ken Ohka to challenge Akai directly. It is a match she wanted to have at “CYBERFIGHT FESTIVAL 2021” and when that never happened it’s been bothering her ever since. Akai accepted the challenge and wants the match to happen in Fukuoka on 12th September. Manase said Ganpro already has a show in Itabashi that day but Ohka encouraged her to go do it. Manase offered to shake hands but Akai left her hanging.
Voice actor Tetsu Inada will be making appearances at the Hiragana Muscle shows in September.
DDT “BEER GARDEN-LIKE PRO WRESTLING 2021 DAY 1”, 30/07/2021 Shinjuku FACE 186 Fans – No Vacancy
1. MAO & Yukio Naya defeated Akito & Gota Ihashi when Naya submitted Ihashi with the Naya Link E (9:15).
2. Texas Tornado Charinco Death Match: Sanshiro Takagi defeated SHINGO with the Dramatic Dream Twister (10:31).
3. Saki Akai Produce Match: Kazusada Clark, Yukio Ochanomizu & Saki Akamon defeated Regent Hirata, Yuko Kamisori & One Punch Nakamura when Clark pinned Kamisori with a Lariat (11:35).
4. Danshoku Dieno Produce Match – Kaidan Shin Numabukuro Death Match ~Showa, Heisei, Reiwa Are Also A Classic!~: Toru Owashi, Danshoku Dieno, Super Sasadango Machine & Yuki Ueno defeated Shinigami after they moved his heart (4:43).
5. HARASHIMA Produce Match – DISASTER BOX Vs Ganpro!: Shuichiro Katsumura & Keisuke Ishii defeated HARASHIMA & Naomi Yoshimura when Katsumura submitted Yoshimura with the Ninja Choke (17:28).
6. Chris Brookes & Hideki Okatani defeated Konosuke Takeshita & Yuya Koroku when Okatani submitted Koroku with a Crab Hold (22:18).
Summertime means it’s time for DDT to go back to the beer garden. Normally the headline match goes to one of the wrestler self-produced matches but this year the Day 1 spotlight was given to Hideki Okatani and Yuya Koroku. The tag match also involved Konosuke Takeshita and Chris Brookes but the final moments came down to the youngsters. Okatani got the better of Koroku in a duel of Elbow Strikes and almost won with a Running Elbow Smash. He had to make Koroku give up to a Crab Hold to get the win in the end. Okatani got to give the show closing speech. He wants to win his matches on all the Beer Garden shows this year.
The visiting Ganbare☆Pro team were victorious over DISASTER BOX. Even they were surprised by the result! While HARASHIMA and Keisuke Ishii kicked each other back and forth on the ring apron, Naomi Yoshimura tangled with Shuichiro Katsumura in the ring. Katsumura caught his opponent’s Lariat and countered it into the Ninja Choke. He kept the move locked in until the referee stopped the match in his favour. HARASHIMA took the loss well and along with Yoshimura shook hands with his opponents after the match.
The annual ghost story from Hisaya Imabayashi almost never took place. First a delay was announced because everyone involved in the match was caught in a traffic accident on the way to the venue. Imabayashi arrived in a hurry and explained to everyone they crashed into a dump truck. He wasn’t hurt in the accident but the four wrestlers were all sent to the hospital in an unconscious state. He broke down and cried in the ring until suddenly Toru Owashi, Danshoku Dieno, Super Sasadango Machine and Yuki Ueno all climbed into the ring and began wrestling their match. However nobody at ringside was reacting to them, leaving the wrestlers feeling confused. All of a sudden, a Shinigami appeared and told the wrestlers they all died in the traffic accident earlier due to Sasadango’s bad driving. Their souls made it to Shinjuku FACE because it was their duty to still wrestle but the time had come for him to take their souls to the afterlife. The wrestlers begged for their lives and struck a deal with the Shinigami. He would bring them back to life for five minutes so they could wrestle their last match. They were revived, giving Yukinori Matsui a big shock, and they went straight into the 4 Way. But there was a twist from Shinigami. He would spare the winner of the match and only take the souls of the losers! Ueno ended up winning the match by making Sasadango tap out to a Sleeper Hold. However Ueno offered to sacrifice himself to Shinigami in order to spare the other three. Each of the wrestlers all did the same until Shinigami got annoyed and decided to revive all of them. The wrestlers celebrated until Imabayashi tried to scare them all with the evil point he always does during his ghost stories. But nothing happened. They didn’t even notice him. Imabayashi was confused until the Shinigami tapped on his shoulder and told him it was time for them to leave. That was when Imabayashi realized he was dead all along. The room went dark and then “Wild Thing” played.
It was a bunch of family fortunes in Match #3. The relatives of six DDT wrestlers were gathered together for a 6-Man Tag Match. One team was made up of well behaved high school students: Kazusada Clark, Yukio Ochanomizu & Saki Akamon. Their opponents Regent Hirata, Yuko Kamisori & One Punch Nakamura were all delinquents. Hirata bullied Ochanomizu for his money. Ochanomizu offered him his lunch bread instead but Hirata slapped it away. They continued to bully the students until they stripped off Ochanomizu’s jacket to discover his body was covered in tattoos. The tables turned anf Ochanomizu led his team to fight back against the bullies. Clark confessed his love for Kamisori after the match and they kissed in the ring.
Bicycles were legal when Sanshiro Takagi went to war with wrestler/cyclist SHINGO. First SHINGO cycled out in his full costume then Takagi appeared with the revived and upgraded Dramatic Dream! SHINGO asked for his legs to not be targeted because he has a race next week but his pleas were ignored as Takagi attacked them. They soon brought their bikes into the ring and cycled into each other. SHINGO got the upper hand at first but Takagi eventually lifted both him and his bicycle high in the air for an Argentine Backbreaker. Takagi then attached a drill to the Dramatic Dream and used it to smash a plastic box into SHINGO. Takagi then finished him off with the Dramatic Dream Twister. He praised SHINGO and his trainers at HEAT-UP for a great performance after the match.
MAO & Yukio Naya were a well oiled machine together against Akito & Gota Ihashi. Naya Choke Slammed Akito onto his partner and then put Ihashi in a Cobra Twist. MAO made the letter E with his body and climbed on top of them to add more pressure to the hold, causing Ihashi to give up.
DDT “JUN AKIYAMA LOCAL TRIUMPHANT RETURN! SUMMER VACATION 2021 TOUR IN IZUMI”, 24/07/2021 Osaka Izumi City Plaza Yayoi no Kaze Hall 229 Fans
1. Danshoku Dieno Vs Yuya Koroku with the Danshoku Driner (5:48).
2. Tetsuya Endo defeated Kazuki Hirata with a Lariat (0:44).
2a. 2 & 4 Equality Death Match: Tetsuya Endo defeated Kazuki Hirata with a Cross Armbreaker (5:51).
3. Sanshiro Takagi, Yuki Iino & Yukio Naya defeated HARASHIMA, Naomi Yoshimura & Antonio Honda when Iino pinned Honda with the Haka Elbow (11:30).
4. Daisuke Sasaki & Soma Takao defeated Yuki Ueno & Keigo Nakamura when Takao pinned Nakamura with the Diving Foot Stomp (10:36).
5. Izumi Specialty Special Single Match: Chris Brookes defeated Akito with the Praying Mantis Bomb (13:18).
6. Eruption Vs DAMNATION!: Kazusada Higuchi & Yukio Sakaguchi defeated Yuji Hino & Mad Paulie when Higuchi pinned Paulie with the Brain Claw Slam (13:04).
7. PIONEER NEXT Presents Special 6-Man Tag Match: Jun Akiyama, Yusuke Okada & Hideki Okatani defeated Konosuke Takeshita, Shunma Katsumata & MAO when Okada pinned Katsumata with the Sudden Death (20:56).
It was an eventful return home for Jun Akiyama. First of all, believe it or not this was the first time Akiyama had a homecoming match in Izumi City. Ever! Before the main event Junretsu were presented with bouquets from his alma mater’s wrestling club and also from the president of the match sponsor PIONEER NEXT. That president also happens to be Hiroyuki Akiyama, Jun’s younger brother. Akiyama’s team came out on top against THE 37KAMIINA despite Konosuke Takeshita claiming his shoulder is in great shape again. Hideki Okatani took out MAO with the Running Neckbreaker. Akiyama & Yusuke Okada gave Shunma Katsumata a Back Drop/Diving Neckbreaker double team move. Akiyama followed up with the Exploder Suplex and tagged in Okada. Katsumata still had fight left in him and wouldn’t be pinned. Okada declined tagging Akiyama back in and was eventually able to win by himself with the Sudden Death.
After the match Okada explained to Akiyama that he taught him never to read the room while wrestling, which is why he never tagged him back in. Akiyama corrected Okada and said you’re supposed to read the room! He never told him to do the opposite! Okada’s excuse is he misheard him. He then asked Akiyama about something serious. Makoto Oishi, the leader of Junretsu, has been forced to take a long break due to injury. Okada is not a member of Junretsu despite always hanging around Akiyama and the rest of the unit. It was Oishi who first welcomed him to DDT and if he is no longer around, then Okada wants to protect Junretsu for him. So today Yusuke Okada is asking to join Junretsu! Not only that but he also wants to team with Akiyama to challenge for the KO-D Tag Team Titles on 15th August! Akiyama asked for the audience’s opinion and agreed when they gave a positive response.
Eruption got one over DAMNATION in a preview of the next KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles match. Yuji Hino posed with his title belt to provoke Kazusada Higuchi & Yukio Sakaguchi. He did so again even after Higuchi pinned Mad Paulie to end the match in Eruption’s favour. Backstage Hino blamed the loss on the sake his drank before the match.
For a brief moment, Yuki Ueno had the DDT Universal Title belt given back to him by staff after his match. Unfortunately Daisuke Sasaki gave him a Low Blow and stole the belt again. Even Sasaki admitted that he is a shameless belt thief.
Kazuki Hirata instantly went for the kill against Tetsuya Endo but a Lariat ended his hopes pretty quickly. He asked for a rematch but with special rules to even the odds. In the rematch, Hirata only has to pin Endo for a 2 Count to win but Endo needs to pin Hirata for a 4 Count. Endo agreed and made Hirata submit to a Cross Armbreaker after the restart.
Yukinori Matsui announced he will be producing a show in Abeno Ward Center, Osaka on 17th October.
Makoto Oishi tweeted about his back injury he suffered during yesterday’s match. He is currently under examinations at a hospital in Shiroishi. He said he feels sore but doesn’t have any numbness in his back. Other than that he’s just waiting for updates at this point. DDT themselves haven’t said anything about it yet.
GANBARE☆PRO “GANBARE☆JOSHI PRO WRESTLING ~UTAGOE YO OKORE 2021~”, 20/07/2021 Saitama Wrestle Butokan
1. Special Single Match: Cherry Vs Shota
2. Ganpro Mixed Tag Tournament Ranking Battle & LariPro Outpost Battle: Keisuke Ishii & HARUKAZE Vs Yumehito Imanari & Yuna Manase
3. Ganjo Special Single Match: Yuna Manase Vs HARUKAZE
Two special ring announcers have been advertised to appear but their identities are a mystery.
DDT “DAMNATION ILLEGAL ASSEMBLY RETURNS VOL. 4”, 26/07/2021 Shinjuku FACE
1. Choun-Shiryu Vs Darkunesu K
2. Hiroshi Yamato Vs Kikutaro
3. Soma Takao & Nobuhiro Shimatani Vs Shigehiro Irie & Daiki Shimomura
4. Tetsuya Endo Vs Leo Isaka
5. Mad Paulie’s Five Years And A Few Months After His Birth Anniversary Match: Kohei Sato, Yuji Hino & Mad Paulie Vs Kengo Mashimo, Masashi Takeda & Keizo Matsuda
6. MONDAY NIGHT WAR: Daisuke Sasaki Vs Minoru Fujita
There is a replacement in the semi-main event. Shuji Ishikawa recently tested positive for Covid-19 and his recovery period is expected to end on the same day as the DAMNATION show. However he is taking the safe option and has pulled out of the show just in case something goes wrong. Kohei Sato takes his place in Mad Paulie’s big bash.
BASARA “BASARA 164 ~GLITTER~”, 27/07/2021 Shin-Kiba 1st RING
1. Takato Nakano Vs Banana Senga
2. 4 Way Match: Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi Vs Masato Kamino Vs Yasu Urano Vs Gouma
3. Isami Kodaka, Daiki Shimomura & Tsutomu Oosugi Vs FUMA, Yusuke Kubo & Daichi Kazato
4. IRON FIST Tag Titles: Fuminori Abe & Takuya Nomura (c) Vs Ryota Nakatsu & SAGAT
5. Union MAX Title: Takumi Tsukamoto (c) Vs Minoru Fujita
The new IRON FIST Tag Champions don’t have to wait long for their first defence. Astronauts are getting Sparky straight away.
DDT “SUMMER VACATION 2021”, 15/08/2021 Tokyo Korakuen Hall
1. Kininashi Wanaru ~The Universe In My Head~ Match: Yuki Iino & Yukio Naya Vs Sanshiro Takagi & Shiro Koshinaka
2. DDT Extreme Title & Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title: Shinya Aoki (c/c) Vs MAO
3. KO-D Tag Team Titles: Konosuke Takeshita & Shunma Katsumata (c) Vs Jun Akiyama & Makoto Oishi
Another special guest is added to the TV show product placement. Shiro Koshinaka shows up in DDT for the first time in over two years to team with Sanshiro Takagi. Their opponents Yuki Iino & Yukio Naya will be “produced” by the guest host Noritake Kinsahi.
DDT “WRESTLE PETER PAN 2021”, 21/08/2021 Fujitsu Stadium Kawasaki
0. Electric Current Explosion 8-Man Tag Death Match: Atsushi Onita, Sanshiro Takagi, Akito & Maki Itoh Vs Kuro-chan, Super Sasadango Machine, Tetsuhiro Kuroda & Hikari Noa
1. Double Ring Double Single Match: Toru Owashi Vs Antonio Honda
1. Double Ring Double Single Match: Danshoku Dieno Vs Kazuki Hirata
2. Special Hardcore Tag Match: Shunma Katsumata & MAO Vs Chris Brookes & Jun Kasai
3. KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles: Tetsuya Endo, Soma Takao & Yuji Hino (c) Vs Kazusada Higuchi, Yukio Sakaguchi & Saki Akai
4. DDT Universal Title: Yuki Ueno (c) Vs Daisuke Sasaki
5. KO-D Openweight Title: Jun Akiyama (c) Vs Konosuke Takeshita
Saki Akai is taking the initiative and challenged DAMNATION for the KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles! The concern coming from the rest of Eruption is whether or not Akai is ready to face the powerful trio of Tetsuya Endo, Soma Takao & Yuji Hino. Endo in particular is riding a high as the tourist ambassador of Shiroishi City banishing everyone he beats from his hometown. There are no actual stipulations preventing those wrestlers from visiting that place again but nobody can convince Endo otherwise. Akai isn’t afraid of the mighty task ahead of her. She sees Eruption and DAMNATION as the two strongest groups in DDT so the match must happen to see who is best!
DDT “SUMMER VACATION 2021 TOUR IN SHINJUKU”, 15/07/2021 Shinjuku FACE 191 Fans – No Vacancy
0. Under Match: Tomomitsu Matsunaga defeated Hideki Okatani with a Hammerlock (6:29).
1. DDT Variety Group Summer Greeting Tag Match: Danshoku Dieno & Kazuki Hirata Vs Toru Owashi & Antonio Honda ended in a No Contest (9:15).
2. Tetsuya Endo, Yuji Hino & Mad Paulie defeated Akito, Yuki Iino & Yukio Naya when Paulie pinned Naya with the Reverse Splash (9:31)
3. Kazusada Higuchi, Yukio Sakaguchi & Saki Akai defeated HARASHIMA, Naomi Yoshimura & Keigo Nakamura when Akai pinned Nakamura with the Quetzalcoatl (10:41).
4. Daisuke Sasaki & Soma Takao defeated Yuki Ueno & Yuya Koroku when Sasaki pinned Ueno with the Sasaki Hurricanrana (3:59).
5. DDT Extreme Title & Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title – No DQ, No Submission Rules: Shinya Aoki (I/c) defeated Chris Brookes (E/c) with the Dial Hold (17:32). *V? for Shinya Aoki. Chris Brookes fails in V3. Shinya Aoki becomes the 52nd DDT Extreme Champion!
6. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Jun Akiyama, Makoto Oishi & Yusuke Okada defeated Konosuke Takeshita, Shunma Katsumata & MAO when Oishi submitted Katsumata with the Fujiyama Knee Lock (14:14).
The build up to “WRESTLE PETER PAN 2021” took some extra twists and turns in Shinjuku FACE today. Makoto Oishi submitted Shunma Katsumata in the main event then asked him what kind of champion is he to lose like that? Oishi felt he deserved a KO-D Tag Team Title shot over the result and wants Jun Akiyama to team with him for it. The title match will take place on 15th August. That’s six days before “WRESTLE PETER PAN”. Konosuke Takeshita warned Akiyama that he is going to beat him in two title matches in the same week. Oishi is confident that Katsumata is the weak point of The 37KAMIINA. First Junretsu will beat him and then Akiyama will beat Takeshita.
Barring submission holds in the double title match proved to be a big task for Shinya Aoki to get through. He had to brawl with Chris Brookes around ringside using chairs and plastic cases. Back in the ring Brookes Power Bombed his opponent onto a bunch of chairs while Aoki later put him through a table with a Piledriver. Aoki reminded everyone he is still a decent striker by breaking a case in Brookes’s hands with a High Kick. There was a scramble for pins and Aoki got the three count using the Dial Hold. After the match Aoki explained to everyone that he recently fell for a scam where he gave somebody a million yen for the promise of receiving two and a half times that amount back four months later. He doesn’t have time to think about who to defend both the DDT Extreme Title and Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title against. Not when his life has been ruined! He asked Hisaya Imabayashi to find him a “sexy” opponent like Keigo Nakamura. That was turned down so he asked for MAO instead. MAO accepted the challenge and the double title defence will happen on 15th August.
In a repeat of what happened at King Of DDT, a referee distraction led to Daisuke Sasaki giving Yuki Ueno a Low Blow and pinning him in a quick match. Afterwards Ueno asked Sasaki why does he never fight fair? Still, a loss is a loss and Ueno offered to put the DDT UNIVERSAL Title on the line against him. Sasaki warned Ueno not to do that because he is a future star who recently pinned Kaito Kiyomiya. Losing to Sasaki again would only humiliate him further. Ueno pushed for the title match and Imabayashi booked it for “WRESTLE PETER PAN”. Ueno and Sasaki shook hands afterwards. Sasaki then kicked Ueno below the belt and left the ring with the title belt in his hands.
Eruption won their match today but Saki Akai was left feeling unsatisfied. She stopped Kazusada Higuchi & Yukio Sakaguchi from leaving and asked them about regaining the KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles. Sakaguchi asked if Akai really is ready to face the current champions in DAMNATION. Akai slapped Sakaguchi in anger and then slapped Higuchi too even though he never said anything. She told them chances don’t fall by the wayside in today’s DDT. If Sakaguchi & Higuchi aren’t going to take the lead then she will do things her own way! She stormed off, leaving the other two confused in the ring.
The opening match had no winners because Antonio Honda and Kazuki Hirata both hit Daisuke Kiso with their deadly strike moves by accident. Those two along with Danshoku Dieno and Toru Owashi all argued after the match. They all started challenging each other to main event matches at “WRESTLE PETER PAN” until Imabayashi told them all to shut up. He explained that there are not many spots left for singles matches at the show. Only one match can be made. Hirata suggested they can do two singles matches at the same time because there will be two rings set up in Fujitsu Stadium Kawasaki. Imabayashi thought that is a great idea and booked Owashi Vs Honda and Dieno Vs Hirata for DDT’s first (and probably last) ever Double Ring Double Singles Match!
Sanshiro Takagi announced his prized Dramatic Dream Mobile had to be sent for repairs after “CYBERFIGHT FESTIVAL 2021”. It will return in complete condition on 30th July so Takagi is having a special match for it. He will face HEAT-UP wrestler and competitive cyclist SHINGO in a match where all attacks involving bikes are legal!
A secret project was revealed for the first time. The DDT Teenage Project trained four teenagers into becoming pro wrestlers. The first two wrestlers will make their debut at “WRESTLE PETER PAN”. They are El Unicorn (13 years old) and Ilusion (18 years old). They will both be wrestling in masks and concept art of their costumes were shown.
Mizuki Watase announced his return match will happen on 15th August. He has been out of action since February with an arm injury.