DDT “MEGA MAX BUMP 2023 IN YOKOHAMA”, 03/05/2023 Yokohama Budokan 1,160 Fans
0. Dark Match – Pheromones Vs D GENERATIONS Army Best Of 3 Singles Matches: Yumehito “Fantastic” Imanari defeated Rukiya with the Tiger Driver (4:07).
0. Dark Match – Pheromones Vs D GENERATIONS Army Best Of 3 Singles Matches: Ilusion defeated Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno with a Japanese Leg Roll Clutch Hold (5:21).
0. Dark Match – Pheromones Vs D GENERATIONS Army Best Of 3 Singles Matches: Koju “Shining Ball” Takeda defeated Yuki Ishida with the Shining Katame (4:54).
1. Yuya Koroku & Munetatsu Nakamura defeated Toy Kojima & Kazuma Sumi when Koroku submitted Sumi with the Modified Triangle Lancer (8:36).
2. International Special Single Match: Saki Akai defeated Rayne Leverkusen with the Quetzalcoatl (5:51).
3. Daisuke Sasaki, Minoru Fujita & MJ Paul defeated Soma Takao, Yusuke Okada & Diego when Sasaki submitted Diego with the Crossface Lock (11:09).
4. Dance Vs Kickboxing Mixed Martial Arts Challenge: Hikaru Machida defeated Kazuki Hirata by TKO with a Right Straight (R1 0:07). (Round Girl: Sayuri Namba)
4a. Rematch: Kazuki Hirata defeated Hikaru Machida with the Miracle One Shot Cradle (R4 3:32). (Round Girl: Sayuri Namba)
5. Chiitan☆ Debut Match ~ Special 6-Man Tag Match: Chiitan☆, Toru Owashi & Akito defeated Chris Brookes, Masahito Takanashi & Antonio Honda when Chiitan☆ pinned Honda with the Shining Wizard (10:26).
6. Special Tag Match: Yuki Ueno & Yuni defeated Vent Vert Jack & Takeshi Masada when Ueno pinned Masada with the Rolling Guillotine Ace Crusher (12:03).
7. DDT Extreme Title – TLC (Toys, Ladders & Chairs) Match: Shunma Katsumata defeated Jun Akiyama (c) with a School Boy (17:03). *Jun Akiyama fails in V5. Shunma Katsumata becomes the 57th DDT Extreme Champion!
8. Road To King Of DDT 2023 Special 8-Man Tag Match: Kazusada Higuchi, Yukio Sakaguchi, Naruki Doi & KANON defeated Sanshiro Takagi, HARASHIMA, Kotaro Suzuki & Hideki Okatani when Sakaguchi pinned Okatani with the God’s Right Knee (10:40).
9. DDT Universal Title: Tetsuya Endo (c) defeated MAO with the Tetsuya In The Sky (19:17). *V1 for Tetsuya Endo.
10. KO-D Openweight Title: Yuji Hino (c) defeated Yuki “Super Sexy” Iino with the Fuckin’ BOMB (22:28). *V2 for Yuji Hino.
All throughout the build up for the Yokohama Budokan Golden Week show, Yuki Iino had promised to seal away his “Sexy” persona in order to get a KO-D Openweight Title shot. It led to him evolving a “Strong” persona that pleased Yuji Hino and left the champion thinking they would deliver a strong style match for the ages. Oh boy was he wrong. A referee bump led to Pheromones interfering and Makoto Oishi jumping in to try and stop them. Hino wanted nothing to do with the nonsense and ran off backstage with everyone chasing after him. Danshoku Dieno took the microphone, said he held Iino back for too long and it was time to give fans a title match only DDT can deliver! Pheromones returned with Hino all gagged up and behind them was the first appearance of Yuki “Super Sexy” Iino! Pheromones did their spots but Oishi was there once again to get in their way and revive Yukinori Matsui. From there the match went back to normal. Iino hit his new Strong Splash finisher but only got a two count. Hino came back throwing Lariats to combat Iino’s Spear. The momentum flipped all the way to the champion and he got the three count with the Fuckin’ BOMB.
Hino was presented with the KO-D Title by Kenta Kobashi after the match (apparently Kobashi did not sound the least bit amused by the main event on commentary). Hino told Iino that he is a strong wrestler when they fight each other and he should be choosing his friends more carefully. Dieno defended Iino by telling Hino he dares to be “Sexy” and chose to be that way. When times are tough everyone should look to Pheromones for inspiration. Dieno also warned that the Pheromones way of life will lead him to meet Hino in the ring again some day. Hino gave Iino credit for showing off his real ability today and reminded fans that DDT is the place where amazing wrestlers gather together to have amazing matches.
The war of words between Tetsuya Endo and MAO has come to an end for now after Endo was put down his arch rival. For weeks the two have sent harsh words to each other over who suits the DDT Universal Title more. When it came down to the match itself both tried to outdo each other with big moves. Endo kicked out of the Avalanche Michinoku Driver II and the Cannonball 450 but when Endo hit the Tetsuya In The Sky it was all over. MAO was left beaten but he said afterwards the result did not change his mind. He still intends to win the Universal Title he just has to start from scratch all over again. As long as he behaves how he thinks the Universal Champion should behave then the belt will eventually gravitate towards him by itself. Meanwhile Endo said MAO was just all talk and no better than Daisuke Sasaki’s snot! If MAO wants to get revenge and beat him, he should go home and become his town’s toursim ambassador first!
With MAO now out of the way, Endo has a new mystery challenger on the horizon. As he walked up the ramp to leave ringside, a video played with the message “I have won many titles. Next target is DDT Universal Title. On July 23, Ryogoku. I will go to steal the belt.” The video also mentioned the message was sent from a former WWE wrestler and their identity will be revealed on 21st May. Who could it be? Well maybe it’s the guy who tweeted out a similar vague message a few hours later and then posted the video itself? Endo said a WWE wrestler is the best choice for his next defence. However Endo is about to take part in the King Of DDT tournament and the winner of that will most likely get a KO-D Title match at “WRESTLE PETER PAN 2023” on 23rd July. Endo wants to win the tournament and then win the KO-D Title while still holding the Universal Title. If he gets that opportunity then he won’t be able to do two title matches at the Sumo Hall show. It would just be too difficult for him!
A preview for the King Of DDT was on display in an 8-Man Tag Match. Given the amount of people in the match chomping at the bit to wrestle, the match went ahead with No Tag Rules. It led to some of the 1st Round pairings squaring up to each other. Sanshiro Takagi and Yukio Sakaguchi fought each other while Kotaro Suzuki and KANON went back and forth. Hideki Okatani tried cutting off his Eruption stablemate but was pinned with the God’s Right Knee for his troubles. Sakaguchi helped Okatani to the back after the match, showing there was no ill intention over the result. Everyone also gave out comments about King Of DDT. Takagi is now trying to figure out how to prepare for his 1st Round match in three days. Sakaguchi wants Takagi to put his phone away and be ready for him. Suzuki wants to win King Of DDT at all costs. Naruki Doi sees everyone as his enemy because he knows it only takes one loss to get eliminated from the bracket. HARASHIMA wanted his side to win as a team today but their teamwork wasn’t good enough. Kazusada Higuchi was reminded of how tough the competition is going to be so he will tighten his resolve for the early rounds. KANON promised to give Suzuki a nightmare he deserves. Okatani was excited by the match and wants to win no matter what it takes.
The TLC Match was all about Toys, Ladders and Chairs! The idea was put together by Shunma Katsumata to ensure Jun Akiyama would experience a true DDT Extreme Title defence. However the in the build up to the match the plan seemed to have backfired when Akiyama got the bright idea to get Toy Kojima involved because he counts as a “Toy”! The match went ahead with chaos being caused around the ring. Akiyama crashed into a castle of chairs but he also used Kojima as a weapon against Katsumata. One Exploder Suplex was not enough to get the win so Akiyama set up another. However Kojima suddenly showed he had enough of being treated like a toy and he hit Akiyama with a Leg Lariat. That caused Katsumata to roll up Akiyama from behind and get the pin to win the Extreme Title! After the match Kojima yelled at Akiyama, telling him to stop treating people like toys and how Katsumata has always treated him as a friend. His comments got Akiyama to go to management and demand a singles match with him somewhere down the line. Meanwhile Katsumata wants to take the Extreme Title and KO-D Tag Team Titles with MAO worldwide. He also wants to turn the belt strap back from white to purple but that might take some time.
DDT’s young portion of their roster was put on display for Match #6. Yuki Ueno teamed up with Yuni originally expecting to face some international competition. However visa issues prevented Nick Wayne from being able to travel to Japan so Takeshi Masada instead had to team with Vent Vert Jack from Yokohama’s MY WAY promotion. It was the first time Yuni and Jack were in the ring together since the end of the DDTeeeen!! project. Yuni pulled out a Firebird Splash on Masada to give Ueno a nearfall. Jack tried to keep breaking the pins but Ueno scored the win in the end by giving Masada the Rolling Guillotine Ace Crusher. Ueno said everyone in the match was amazing and makes him wonder how good he himself will be when Wayne does finally come to DDT? His upcoming singles match with HUB is giving him an explosion of motivation and he wants to also face Wayne in a singles match. Yuni also threw his name into the hat to have a match with Wayne. Jack said he would like to come back to DDT for more matches with Yuni and Ilusion. Masada said he was able to see the difference in his career to those of Yuni and Jack. He’s older than both of them but they have far more experience than he does. He sees he has to catch up to them first before he can catch up to Ueno.
The pro wrestling debut of Chiitan saw the mascot get outclassed by its opponents at first. But Toru Owashi & Akito were there to provide backup against CDK & Antonio Honda. Chiitan got into a punch exchange with Chris Brookes until Honda paused the match to give his latest Gongitsune joke. When the match resumed Brookes set Chiitan up for the Praying Mantis Bomb when music suddenly began to play. DDT’s own oversized mascot Pokotan ran down to the ring to the rescue! It instead got attacked and had its head stomped in by Brookes. But unknown to him, Chiitan had climbed the top rope and went on to hit a Diving Cross Body onto Brookes, Honda & Masahiro Takanashi. With the ring cleared, Chiitan then hit the Shining Wizard on Honda to win the match.
The two mascots gathered together afterwards and seemed to be on the same page. Until suddenly Chiitan attacked Pokotan with a baseball bat! The two got into a brawl that Akito tried to break up. Things briefly calmed down long enough for Akito to announce Chiitan and Pokotan will have a match against each other on 13th May but that just caused the mascots to get into another fight. Backstage Akito tried to explain what was going on to the reporters. Pokotan thinks he is DDT’s No. 1 mascot while Chiitan thinks it is Japan’s No. 1 mascot. The two are now determined to end each other!
The long awaited MMA fight between Dance and Kickboxing only lasted 7 seconds when Hikaru Machida immediately knocked out Kazuki Hirata. One person in particular took more offence to the result than anyone else in the building. The round girl Sayuri Namba was furious! She didn’t put all this effort into becoming a round girl again only to see she wasn’t needed. She even handmade her own costume for the match! She took her anger out on Hirata, Machida and the ref Matsui by slapping them all to the canvas. Everyone agreed to restart the match to further avoid her wrath. Namba became a lot more cheerful now she was able to do her job.
In the 3rd Round, Hirata feared he was about to get knocked out again so he got on the microphone and read a letter he wrote about wanting to put smiles on children’s faces. He thinks Machida’s own child would have the biggest smile if Hirata and Machida danced together. In the 4th Round Machida held back his Iai Punch and tearfully told Hirata he will always be a father before a fighter. The two danced to Hirata’s music but Hirata then cradled Machida for a nearfall. Machida hit the Iai Punch but that also got a two count. Hirata then locked in the Miracle One Shot Cradle from out of nowhere to take the win. Namba raised both of their hands and the three of them all danced to close out the match. Backstage Machida said this was the first time he ever lost a fight because his opponent exploited his love for his son. He also never danced in front of so many people before. His cornerman Thanomsak Toba told him that this is pro wrestling and everything is a learning experience. Namba said she would love to do more round girl work but only if the fighters are stronger so the audience can enjoy the fight more.
Diego’s first match with DDT in six years came about when Keigo Nakamura got injured. Diego was already in Japan and had attended a DDT show as Katsumata’s guest so when a spot on this show opened up it was only natural to bring him in. Unfortunately DAMNATION T.A spoiled his return and left him with a loss on his record. Daisuke Sasaki gave him a Low Blow, Minoru Fujita followed up with the Sayonara Tombstone and Sasaki landed a Diving Elbow. Diego kicked out of the pin but was put into the Crossface Lock for the submission ending. Soma Takao & Yusuke Okada still thanked Diego for joining their team on short notice. Sasaki complained about Diego coming back and demanded to fight him one on one in Diego’s home country of Chile. The flights are expensive though so he wants Diego to pay for it.
Rayne Leverkusen’s goal to “Make It Rayne” in Japan was taken down a notch after she lost to Saki Akai. She tried using a Rolling Elbow, German Suplex and Spinebuster to win. Akai fired back with a High Kick, the Rookie Award and then the Quetzalcoatl to get her hand raised in the end. For Akai she didn’t take it for granted that she got a singles match on one of DDT’s big shows of the year. She could tell that Rayne only has a year and a half of experience. She also doesn’t know anything about Iron Maiden so she was able to treat Leverkusen as an opponent and nothing else. Leverkusen said she respects Akai and she also won’t run away whenever her opponents brings up her family’s fame. She will continue to wrestle for her family and is proud to get a big singles match in Japan today. She wants to come back and if she is still a champion when she does, she thinks she will have to give Akai a title match.
The opening match ended with Yuya Koroku cutting off Kazuma Sumi’s Lionsault and then submitting him with the Triangle Lancer. However Koroku is not satisfied with that after failing to win the D GENERATIONS CUP and failing to qualify for King Of DDT. He wants to get even stronger so he can move out of the opening match spot as soon as possible. Munetatsu Nakamura from Ganbare☆Pro was happy to be on the winning team and hopes the next time he comes to DDT he will get to team with Keigo Nakamura as was originally planned. This was the fourth time Kojima & Sumi teamed up together. Kojima figures he has to protect Sumi even more after today’s loss. Sumi meanwhile is getting frustrated because he cannot figure out how to break out of Koroku’s Triangle Lancer.
Most of Pheromones were banished to the pre-show to take part in three dark matches. They pulled out a 2-1 score against a trio of rookies in singles matches. First, Yumehito Imanari beat Rukiya by using the Lariat and then the Tiger Driver. Then there was an upset when Ilusion defeated Danshoku Dieno! Ilusion got unmasked by Dieno during the match but the other rookies had the bright idea to place Dieno’s discarded tights over his head as a replacement. Ilusion then caught Dieno with a Japanese Leg Roll Clutch Hold to get the surprise three count and even the score. The third match was the decider with Yuki Ishida facing Koju Takeda. Ishida using an Emerald Flowsion for a nearfall and went for the Flame Palm. But Takeda countered it with his Shining Katame submission to make Pheromones win the series. Dieno used the result to declare today was going to be Pheromones Day!
A few guest names were announced for “WRESTLE PETER PAN 2023” on 23rd July. First, Andreza Giant Panda will be coming back to DDT. The other was a person that nobody would have predicted, a wrestler by the name of Yoshitomo Shimohigashi. He is considered the first graduate of the Ibushi Wrestling Institute, having debuted in wrestling back in 2018. He also has an athletic background in bowling. Given his connection to Kota Ibushi, Shimohigashi is nicknamed “Golden Stardust” and he now carries on Kota Ibushi’s lineage in pro wrestling. Akito explained he has a hand in the Institute as an advisor and that even though Shimohigashi is unknown to the vast majority of wrestling fans, he is well known within the wrestling industry. Shimohigashi told the fans he wants to make an explosion inside the very ring that Ibushi created.
DDT will go to Sumo Hall for a second time this year on 12th November for “ULTIMATE PARTY 2023”.
DDT “MAX BUMP 2023 TOUR IN SHINJUKU”, 15/04/2023 Shinjuku FACE 246 Fans
0. Dark Match: Kazuma Sumi defeated Rukiya with a Camel Clutch (4:42).
1. MJ Paul & KANON defeated Chris Brookes & Ilusion when KANON submitted Ilusion with the Crucifixion Cobra Twist (8:51).
2. Special Single Match: Kazuki Hirata defeated Yuni with the Miracle One Shot Cradle (9:15).
3. Yuji Hino & Toru Owashi defeated Kazusada Higuchi & Yuki Ishida when Hino pinned Ishida with the Power Bomb (9:40).
4. Falls Count Anywhere Scramble Bunkhouse Street Fight 6-Man Tag Team Death Match: Sanshiro Takagi, Joey Janela & Takeshi Masada defeated Yukio Sakaguchi, Antonio Honda & Hideki Okatani when Janela pinned Honda with a Diving Foot Stomp from a Ladder through a Plastic Case and Chair (15:10).
5. Yuki “Not Sexy” Iino & Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno (w/ Yumehito “Fantastic” Imanari) defeated HARASHIMA & Keigo Nakamura when Iino submitted Nakamura with the Body Choke Not Dragon Sleeper (11:47).
6. Elimination 8-Man Tag Match ~BURNING Vs The 37KAMIINA!~: MAO, Shunma Katsumata, Yuki Ueno & Toy Kojima defeated Tetsuya Endo, Jun Akiyama, Yusuke Okada & Yuya Koroku (25:28).
6a. Jun Akiyama and Shunma Katsumata eliminated each other by Double Ring Out (9:22).
6b. Yuki Ueno eliminated Yusuke Okada by Ring Out (13:20).
6c. Toy Kojima eliminated Yuya Koroku with a Modified Cradle (17:34).
6d. Tetsuya Endo eliminated Toy Kojima with the Swivel Torture Rack Bomb (19:28).
6e. Tetsuya Endo eliminated Yuki Ueno by Ring Out (22:16).
6f. MAO eliminated Tetsuya Endo by Ring Out (25:28).
Two of DDT’s championships are currently embroiled in the rivlary between BURNING and The 37KAMIINA. The two champs, Tetsuya Endo with the DDT Universal Title & Jun Akiyama with the DDT Extreme Title were on the losing aside against their upcoming challengers in an 8-Man Tag Elimination match. First, Akiyama was taken out of the ring by Shunma Katsumata thanks to some help from Toy Kojima. Katsumata was eliminated by that spot too but it removed BURNING’s most experienced wrestler from the match. BURNING took further hits with Yusuke Okada & Yuya Koroku getting eliminated next, leaving Endo on his own. He was on the way to scoring a major comeback by eliminating Yuki Ueno & Kojima only for MAO to take victory from the jaws of defeat. MAO dropped Endo to the floor by doing a Package Piledriver on the ring apron and then letting Endo fall out.
Backstage MAO brought up his previous criticisms of Endo and explained why he said them. It’s not that he hates Endo. It’s because MAO’s own growing momentum overseas makes it the perfect time for him to be the Universal Champion again. He needs to be the Universal Champion while all of these companies around the world are starting to pay attention to him. If that doesn’t resonate with Endo then that is Endo’s problem, not MAO’s. Katsumata also butted in to say he is more extreme than Akiyama. Endo’s response to MAO is he will not bend his beliefs as champion no matter what his challenger says.
For the rest of this month Yuki Iino must prove he is “Not Sexy” in order to get his KO-D Openweight Title match on 3rd May. Makoto Oishi was at ringside for his match carrying a Sexy Counter device to judge if Iino was being honest. Iino’s first attempt to prove this was by wearing black trunks similar to the gear he wore earlier in his career, before discovered Pheromones. He had to fight his urges to strip while fighting but was able to pull out the win in the end by giving Keigo Nakamura the Bubba Bomb and then turning it into a Dragon Sleeper. However after the match Iino felt a big headache, showing his resistance is taking a toll on his body. Oishi announced that Iino did not set off the sexy detector but he will stay near him during tomorrow’s show. Danshoku Dieno warned that at Yokohama Budokan all of this stored energy will evolve Iino into a super monster that cannot be controlled!
A Street Fight means every wrestler involved has to wear regular clothing for the match. Sanshiro Takagi thought differently and took part wearing an inflatable alien costume! He spent most of the match fighting with Yukio Sakaguchi in the crowd as well as outside the room. At one point Sakaguchi crashed a bicycle into Takagi! Hideki Okatani used a stapler on both Joey Janela & Takeshi Masada. Janela also got his face smashed with a chair from Antonio Honda’s Bionic Elbow. Masada fought back by diving onto the two Eruption wrestlers outside the ring. Janela laid Honda onto a row of chairs in the ring, placed a plastic case on top of him and then did a Double Stomp from the top of a ladder onto him for the finish. Janela celebrated his victory by shouting threats aimed at Atsushi Onita over tomorrow’s exploding death match.
Kazuki Hirata claimed he felt moved after watching Yuni’s match with Yuki Ueno last week. He didn’t want to be treated like a villain today so he promised to give Yuni a clean and exciting match. Then as the match progressed, Hirata knocked out the referee and summoned two masked men to help him assault Yuni! The teenager fought off the masked men by hitting a Moonsault onto them and Hirata out of the ring. Back in the ring he gave Hirata the RKO but an Inside Cradle gave Hirata the win out of nowhere. Hirata called it a landslide victory and he swore to stand in Yuni’s way as a villain from now on! Yuni demanded a rematch so he can fight Hirata one on one, fair and square.
Another loss for Ilusion is making him think about the future. He thinks something has to change for him and it may have to be something that changes behind the scenes. His next match will be on 3rd May as part of the pre-show series against Pheromones. He warns he will show up at Yokohama Budokan both different and stronger in order to beat them.
Today’s dark match turned out to be Kazuma Sumi’s first singles win! He beat Rukiya by submitting him with a Camel Clutch. He described his joy over winning as amazing. Now he is looking forward to beating the other wrestlers in his generation and do his best to aim higher after that.
Former DDT wrestler Diego was in attendance for the show as a guest of Shunma Katsumata and greeted the fans before the opening match.
KANON will have a match to celebrate his 4th Anniversary in wrestling on 7th June.
DDT “APRIL FOOL 2023”, 09/04/2023 Tokyo Korakuen Hall 531 Fans
0. Dark Match: MJ Paul & KANON defeated Antonio Honda & Kazuma Sumi when KANON submitted Sumi with the Crucifix Cobra Twist (7:02).
1. Rukiya Debut Match: Yuya Koroku defeated Rukiya with the Chickenwing Arm Lock (7:34).
2. Akito, Shinichiro Kawamatsu & Toy Kojima defeated Toru Owashi, Kazuki Hirata & Gota Ihashi when Kawamatsu pinned Ihashi with the Shitamatchi Rocket (8:39).
3. Harimao Vs Eruption!: Yukio Sakaguchi, Saki Akai & Hideki Okatani defeated Kazusada Higuchi, Ryota Nakatsu & Yuki Ishida when Okatani pinned Ishida with the Double Arm Suplex (10:27).
4. Special Single Match: Yuki Ueno defeated Yuni with the BME (9:08).
5. Special 8-Man Tag Match: Tetsuya Endo, Jun Akiyama, Kotaro Suzuki & Yusuke Okada defeated Naruki Doi, Chris Brookes, Joey Janela & Takeshi Masada when Endo pinned Masada with the Swivel Torture Rack Bomb (12:18).
6. WORLD HINO CLASSIC ~Finals~: Yuki “Sexy” Iino, Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno & Yumehito “Fantastic” Imanari defeated Yuji Hino, “brother” YASSHI & Makoto Oishi by TKO when Iino used the Cross Ass Sexy Lock Ass on YASSHI (9:25).
7. KO-D Tag Team Titles: MAO & Shunma Katsumata (c) defeated HARASHIMA & Keigo Nakamura when Katsumata pinned Nakamura after the Oretachi no Mad Max (20:11). *V5 for ShunMao.
The spotlight was shining brightly on Keigo Nakamura. With HARASHIMA on his side, the young wrestler was looking to make up for his poor record in the D GENERATIONS CUP by winning the KO-D Tag Team Titles. The champions ShunMao were fresh back from America where they got to wrestle in AEW and were ready for the challenge. Nakamura used his own version of the Somato on Shunma Katsumata but the tables turned when Katsumata caught Nakamura’s Diving Headbutt with a Stunner. ShunMao then kept HARASHIMA out of action long enough to pin Nakamura with the Oretachi no Mad Max.
Afterwards Katsumata said he expected this to be an easy defence but Nakamura has left him feeling tired. He then turned his attention to Jun Akiyama and criticised the DDT Extreme Champion for not acting extreme at all. Akiyama entered the ring in a huff but was stopped by Katsumata’s next line. He wants their Extreme Title match on 3rd May to be a TLC Match. In this case TLC stands for Toys, Ladders & Chairs! Akiyama accepted the idea. Meanwhile Tetsuya Endo confronted MAO and raised his DDT Universal Title over his next challenger’s head. This caused MAO to let loose on Endo backstage, criticising him for his recent performances in America and his lack of effort to get more bookings over there. How can Endo proudly call himself the Universal Champion when he is anything but universal?
The final of the World Hino Classic was Yuki Iino’s final step towards earning a KO-D Openweight Title shot. Pheromones needed to get past Ω with “brother” YASSHI added to the opposing side. Makoto Oishi counted on Yuji Hino’s fellow high school wrestling club partner to be the difference maker but YASSHI had never experienced anything like Pheromones before! When Danshoku Dieno & Yumehito Imanari started showing off their new “magic trick” involving Iino wearing only a bathrobe, Hino was nowhere to be seen and YASSHI was left on his own to take the humiliating defeat.
Hino reappeared after the match after Pheromones demanded that Iino finally get the title match he’s been asking for on 3rd May. Hino said this entire WHC thing was Oishi’s idea. He admits that Iino is a strong wrestler but he has no interest in getting stuck into the Pheromones experience. He only wants serious challengers. Dieno spoke with Iino and they agreed to offer a deal. From now until after the title match on 3rd May, the Yuki “Sexy” Iino will be sealed so the match can go ahead without any incident to worry about. Iino started to cry and he promised Hino “I am not sexy!” After hearing this, Hino accepted the deal. However Oishi does not trust Pheromones to live up to their side of the deal so until 3rd May he will be in attendance for all of their matches to judge if Yuki “Not Sexy” Iino will stick to his promise.
Endo claimed he was only just finally getting over his jetlag today. Good timing because he lead BURNING to victory against a team of all sorts. He kicked out of Joey Janela’s Avalanche Brainbuster and went on to pin Takeshi Masada with the Torture Rack Bomb. Most of the wrestlers in the match like Kotaro Suzuki, Yusuke Okada, Naruki Doi and Chris Brookes are making preparations for the King Of DDT tournament. Endo and Akiyama are facing each other in the first round. Akiyama thinks it is a conspiracy because it’s so rare for wrestlers in the same unit to fight each other in a tournament’s opening round. Janela is not in the tournament but his focus for this tour is to defeat Atsushi Onita in an exploding death match!
The re-debut of Yuni as a high school pro wrestler saw him take on Yuki Ueno one on one. Yuni did a Moonsault to the outside, a Swan Dive Dropkick and the RKO as some of his big moves. Ueno was able to brush them aside, laid out Yuni with a Dropkick and pin him with the BME. Ueno is impressed with the new generation of wrestlers like Yuni and Ilusion. His advice to them are there’s no detours in life so he wants them to explore many places in wrestling. Yuni is happy with how the match went despite how tough and painful it was. His next match is against Kazuki Hirata and he’s looking forward to beating him.
The Eruption Vs Harimao match kicked off with Yuki Ishida attacking Hideki Okatani. The decision wasn’t a good one because Ishida ended up getting overwhelmed by the numbers game. Yukio Sakaguchi and Ryota Nakatsu pretty much cancelled each other out. Kazusada Higuchi used his power to shift the momentum in Harimao’s direction but that was stopped by Saki Akai diving onto everybody outside the ring. The match went back over to Okatani against Ishida and Okatani finished on top with the Double Arm Suplex. After the match Sakaguchi called Harimao a good team and he’s interested in fighting them again.
The politician Shinichiro Kawamatsu scored his first ever victory in pro wrestling by pinning Gota Ihashi with the Shitamachi Rocket. That is his own name for the Spear. The momentum was on his side from the get go when he overpowered Toru Owashi with a Shoulder Block exchange. Kazuki Hirata wanted to try out a brand new move called the Shining Sleeper but Toy Kojima easily stopped him. Ihashi missed a Moonsault on Kawamatsu and that set up the finish. Akito congratulated the politician for his victory and told backstage reporters that Kawamatsu will continue to wrestle on a steady basis. However Kawamatsu reminded him there is an election coming up so his schedule is going to get very busy.
The debut of Rukiya showed off the rookie in an all blue attire including his hair being dyed in the same colour. He used Elbow Strikes, Body Slams, Bulldog Headlocks and a Back Drop on Yuya Koroku. But once Koroku got hold of Rukiya’s arm and twisted it into a Chicken Wing Lock, it was all over for the newcomer. Rukiya said he wants to grow into a big wrestler who can still use high flying moves, like Tetsuya Endo.
Antonio Honda & Kazuma Sumi tried to jump DAMNATION T.A before the bell but their plan failed big time. It led to KANON attacking Honda with one of the ring tools on the outside. A missed attack from MJ Paul led to Sumi coming in for a hot tag but a dive attack was caught by KANON and turned into a Crucifix Cobra Twist for the submission victory.
Dieno & Imanari interrupted Hisaya Imabayashi’s opening news announcements wanting to know what else Pheromones will be doing on 3rd May. Akito entered the ring and told them the remaining members will be put into a Best of 3 singles match challenge against Yuki Ishida, Ilusion and Rukiya.
DDT “DDT GOES YOKOHAMA! ~BLOW UP HOLLYWOOD!!~”, 01/04/2023 Yokohama Radiant Hall 196 Fans – No Vacancy
1. Tomomitsu Matsunaga & Yusuke Okada defeated Toru Owashi & Kazuma Sumi when Okada submitted Sumi with a Crab Hold (6:14).
2. O-40 Title: Makoto Oishi (c) defeated Antonio Honda with the Fujiyama Knee Lock (8:44). *V1 for Makoto Oishi.
3. Kotaro Suzuki & Soma Takao defeated Keigo Nakamura & Yuki Ishida when Takao pinned Ishida with the Official Endless Waltz (11:24).
4. Special Single Match I: Invisible Man defeated Kazuki Hirata with the Dragonrana (12:02).
5. Special Single Match II ~ Hardcore Match: Masashi Takeda defeated MJ Paul with the Reverse U-Crash Kai (12:15).
6. Special Single Match III: Yuji Hino defeated Akito with the King Kong Sleeper (10:04).
7. Special Tag Match: HARASHIMA & Hikaru Sato defeated Yukio Sakaguchi & Masahiro Takanashi when HARASHIMA pinned Takanashi with the Somato (14:15).
8. King Of DDT 2023 Qualifying Battle: Hideki Okatani defeated Toy Kojima and Yuya Koroku.
8a. Hideki Okatani defeated Toy Kojima with the Double Arm Suplex (10:09).
8b. Hideki Okatani defeated Yuya Koroku with the Double Arm Suplex (12:00).
While half of the DDT roster was enjoying their visit to Los Angeles, the other half ran a show by themselves in Yokohama. The main event was a Qualifiying Battle for the final spot in the King Of DDT tournament. Hideki Okatani, Toy Kojima and Yuya Koroku would face each other in alternating singles matches until one of them won two falls in a row. A lottery at the start of the show determined Okatani and Kojima as the first match. Okatani ended up achieving a clean sweep by beating Kojima and then Koroku, both with the Double Arm Suplex. For Okatani he still feels like he is at the starting point with everyone else in the tournament. He promised Kojima and Koroku that he will carry their feelings on his back going into King Of DDT where he will crush everyone in his way!
The semi-main event was put together to be a nostalgic tag match. For one night only Shuten-dōji were reunited. Yukio Sakaguchi teamed up with Masahiro Takanashi and they had KUDO standing in their corner. HARASHIMA brought Hikaru Sato back to DDT so they could team up against them. All of them celebrated with drinks in the ring after the match.
The Hardcore match between Masashi Takeda and MJ Paul featured chairs, tables, a chain, a ladder, skewers and also a pair of scissors. Yukinori Matsui stopped Takeda from using the scissors and Takeda wouldn’t stop complaining about it afterward.
With so much newsworthy things happening around the wrestling world this weekend, Kazuki Hirata tried to get attention by wrestling The Invisible Man. In a hard fought fight Hirata kicked out of the Rainmaker but was pinned with a Dragonrana. Hirata described The Invisible Man moving like a Heavyweight but he is pretty sure he is really a Junior Heavyweight.
The last time Kotaro Suzuki and Soma Takao teamed together was at “RYOGOKU PETER PAN 2017” but that was in a 4 Way Tag. Takao enjoyed getting to tag with Suzuki for a regular tag team match because he is such a big influence to him.
Makoto Oishi is determined to make the O-40 Title a belt that every wrestler over the age of 40 around the world will want to fight for. He was nervous going into his first defence against Antonio Honda but isn’t going to lose the title that easily.
This May will be spent determining the next King Of DDT. The annual single elimination tournament will feature 16 participants this year. Every match will have no time limit and a bracket will be followed until the semi-finals. The final four will then go through a lottery to determine who faces who. The 16 participants are:
HARASHIMA (14th Appearance, 2010 & 2013 Winner)
Yukio Sakaguchi (11th Appearance, 2015 Winner)
Kazusada Higuchi (9th Appearance, 2022 Winner)
Tetsuya Endo (7th Appearance, 2017 & 2020 Winner)
Yuki Ueno (6th Appearance)
Shunma Katsumata (7th Appearance)
Sanshiro Takagi (5th Appearance)
MAO (5th Appearance)
Chris Brookes (4th Appearance)
Jun Akiyama (3rd Appearance)
KANON (2nd Appearance)
Naruki Doi (1st Appearance)
Kotaro Suzuki (1st Appearance)
Yusuke Okada (1st Appearance)
Takeshi Masada (1st Appearance)
Winner of 1st April Qualifying Battle (either Hideki Okatani, Toy Kojima or Yuya Koroku)
Originally Yukio Naya was supposed to enter but he is out of action with a fractured ankle. Yusuke Okada was chosen to take his place.
DDT “KING OF DDT 2023 1ST ROUND”, 06/05/2023 Shinjuku FACE
1. King Of DDT 2023 – Round 1A: Yusuke Okada Vs Kazusada Higuchi
2. King Of DDT 2023 – Round 1B: Shunma Katsumata Vs Winner of 1st April Qualifying Battle
3. King Of DDT 2023 – Round 1C: Sanshiro Takagi Vs Yukio Sakaguchi
4. King Of DDT 2023 – Round 1D: HARASHIMA Vs Chris Brookes
5. King Of DDT 2023 – Round 1E: Jun Akiyama Vs Tetsuya Endo
6. King Of DDT 2023 – Round 1F: MAO Vs Takeshi Masada
7. King Of DDT 2023 – Round 1G: Kotaro Suzuki Vs KANON
8. King Of DDT 2023 – Round 1H: Yuki Ueno Vs Naruki Doi
———————————————————————–
DDT “KING OF DDT 2023 2ND ROUND”, 07/05/2023 Shinjuku FACE
1. King Of DDT 2023 – Round 2: Winner Of Match 1A Vs Winner Of Match 1B
2. King Of DDT 2023 – Round 2: Winner Of Match 1C Vs Winner Of Match 1D
3. King Of DDT 2023 – Round 2: Winner Of Match 1E Vs Winner Of Match 1F
4. King Of DDT 2023 – Round 2: Winner Of Match 1G Vs Winner Of Match 1H
———————————————————————–
DDT “KING OF DDT 2023 FINAL!!”, 21/05/2023 Tokyo Korakuen Hall
1. King Of DDT 2023 – Semi Final: X Vs X
2. King Of DDT 2023 – Semi Final: X Vs X
3. King Of DDT 2023 – Final: X Vs X
GANBARE☆PRO “HERO NEVER DIE 2023”, 25/03/2023 Tokyo Oji BASEMENT MON☆STAR 70 Fans
1. Soma Takao Vs Munetatsu Nakamura
2. Moeka Haruhi Vs YuuRI
3. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Keisuke Ishii, Shota & Shinichiro Tominaga Vs Hartley Jackson, Takuya Wada & Yumehito Imanari
4. Spirit Of Ganbare World Tag Team Titles Tournament – Round 1: Ken Ohka & Shuichiro Katsumura Vs Hikaru Sato & Tyson Maeguchi
GANBARE☆PRO “MIZUKI WATASE PRODUCE 2023”, 25/03/2023 Tokyo Oji BASEMENT MON☆STAR 79 Fans
1. Shuichiro Katsumura & Moeka Haruhi Vs Shinichiro Tominaga & Munetatsu Nakamura
2. DDT Foods 3 Army Battle ~Ebisuko Tavern Vs Drop Kick Vs Swan Dive~: Ken Ohka Vs Soma Takao Vs YuuRI
3. Hartley Jackson Vs HARUKAZE
4. Special Tag Match: Mizuki Watase & Yukio Sakaguchi Vs Keisuke Ishii & Tyson Maeguchi
GANBARE☆PRO “GANBARE☆PRO WRESTLING PLAYERS ASSOCIATION PERFORMANCE”, 25/03/2023 Tokyo Oji BASEMENT MON☆STAR 81 Fans
1. Munetatsu Nakamura Vs Daiki Shimomura
2. Moeka Haruhi & Yoshiko Hasegawa Vs Rina Amikura & YuuRI
3. Elimination 6-Man Tag Match: Mizuki Watase, Shinichiro Tominaga & Yuki Kanzaki Vs Ken Ohka, Shuichiro Katsumura & Keisuke Ishii
4. Spirit Of Ganbare World Tag Team Titles Tournament – Round 1: Tatsuhito Takaiwa & Yumehito Imanari Vs Shota & Soma Takao
GANBARE☆PRO “MIZUKI WATASE PRODUCE 2023”, 25/03/2023 Tokyo Oji BASEMENT MON☆STAR 79 Fans
1. Shuichiro Katsumura & Moeka Haruhi defeated Shinichiro Tominaga & Munetatsu Nakamura when Katsumura submitted Nakamura with an Inverted Cross Armbreaker (13:29).
2. DDT Foods 3 Army Battle ~Ebisuko Tavern Vs Drop Kick Vs Swan Dive~: Soma Takao defeated Ken Ohka and YuuRI when Takao pinned YuuRI with a Jackknife Pin (8:24).
3. Hartley Jackson defeated HARUKAZE with the Jumping Piledriver (11:25).
4. Special Tag Match: Keisuke Ishii & Tyson Maeguchi defeated Mizuki Watase & Yukio Sakaguchi when Ishii pinned Watase with the High Angle Double Arm DDT (13:06).
The second of three Ganbare☆Pro shows today was all put together by Mizuki Watase. Despite getting to team with Yukio Sakaguchi, he was pinned by Keisuke Ishii in the main event. Watase was still proud of the performance though. He teamed with Sakaguchi before but today felt different. Today’s match means more to him than wrestling in Budokan Hall or Tokyo Dome ever could.
Watase was also impressed by how HARUKAZE’s David Vs Goliath battle with Hartley Jackson went. He was in the locker room as the match was going on but could hear the fans cheering for HARUKAZE from there. It made him glad he made the match.
DDT “JUDGEMENT 2023 ~LONGEST 5 HOUR SPECIAL IN KORAKUEN HISTORY~”, 21/03/2023 Tokyo Korakuen Hall 1,138 Fans – No Vacancy
0. Ilusion & El Unicorn DDTeeeen!! Graduation Match: Ilusion & Munetatsu Nakamura defeated El Unicorn & Raimu Imai when Ilusion pinned Unicorn with the RE:VISION1 (8:15).
1. Yuya Koroku & Yuki Ishida defeated Toy Kojima & Kazuma Sumi when Koroku submitted Sumi with the Modified Triangle Lancer (9:02).
2. Kazuki Hirata Debut 13th Anniversary Match: Keisuke Ishii & Soma Takao defeated Kazuki Hirata & Yoshihiko when Ishii pinned Hirata with the Running Double Arm Driver (10:39).
3. O-40 Title – 3 Way Match: Makoto Oishi defeated Gorgeous Matsuno and Shinichiro Kawamatsu when Oishi pinned Matsuno with a Cradle (4:54). *Makoto Oishi becomes the 4th O-40 Champion!
4. Pheromones Vs Pheromones Subjugation Army All Out Battle: Yuki “Sexy” Iino, Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno, Yumehito “Fantastic” Imanari & Koju “Shining Ball” Takeda Vs Akito, Toru Owashi, Hiroshi Yamato & Yusuke Okada ended in a No Contest (11:21).
5. Special Tag Match: Max The Impaler & Heidi Howitzer defeated Super Sasadango Machine & Antonio Honda when Howitzer pinned Honda after the Master Blaster (7:46).
6. Saki Akai Debut 10th Anniversary Match Vol 1.: Saki Akai defeated Masahiro Takanashi with the Quetzalcoatl (9:19).
7. HARASHIMA & Keigo Nakamura defeated Yukio Sakaguchi & Hideki Okatani when HARASHIMA pinned Okatani with the Somato (12:26).
8. Special Single Match: Takeshi Masada defeated Hikaru Machida with the Samurai Driver ’01 (6:31).
9. Special 6-Man Tag Match ~ CHARISMA RETURNS!: Daisuke Sasaki, MJ Paul & KANON defeated Chris Brookes, Drew Parker & Hagane Shinno when Sasaki submitted Shinno with La Mistica Crossface Lock (11:55).
10. DDT Extreme Title – Regular Pro Wrestling Rules: Jun Akiyama (c) defeated Kotaro Suzuki with a Wrist-Clutch Cradle (10:48). *V4 for Jun Akiyama.
11. DDT 26th Anniversary Special Single Match: Konosuke Takeshita defeated Sanshiro Takagi by Knockout (13:17).
12. International Special Single Match: Yuki Ueno defeated Samuray Del Sol with the WR (13:28).
13. DDT Universal Title: Tetsuya Endo defeated Naruki Doi (c) with the Burning Star Press (20:49). *Naruki Doi fails in V2. Tetsuya Endo becomes the 10th DDT Universal Champion!
14. KO-D Tag Team Titles – Falls Count Anywhere Match: MAO & Shunma Katsumata (c) defeated Kazusada Higuchi & Ryota Nakatsu when MAO pinned Nakatsu after the Oretachi no Madmax (18:15). *V4 for ShunMao.
15. KO-D Openweight Title: Yuji Hino (c) defeated Yukio Naya with the Fuckin’ BOMB (22:23). *V1 for Yuji Hino.
Settle in folks because this is going to be a long one. DDT produced 16 matches across over almost 6 hours in Korakuen Hall to celebrate their 26th Anniversary. The spotlight at the end was given to Yuji Hino defending the KO-D Openweight Title against Yukio Naya. Hino had become something of a mentor to Naya over the last two years and today was a chance for the young heavyweight project to try and take the company’s top spot. With Kenta Kobashi watching from the commentary table, the two wrestlers threw heavy strikes and slam to each other. Naya eventually became flustered by the challenge, yelling this wasn’t going the way it was supposed to be while getting into another strike exchange late into the match. Hino took Naya’s best shots but the same could not be said vice versa. Naya looked to be down for the count until Hino stopped the referee and demanded his opponent to return back to his feet under his own strength. When Naya did Hino took him down with a Lariat but only got a two count out of it. He then finished off Naya with the Fuckin’ BOMB to successfully defend the KO-D Title.
After the match Kobashi presented Hino with the KO-D Title and Hino shook Naya’s hand. Hisaya Imabayashi informed the champion that his next defence will be at Yokohama Budokan on 3rd May. Before Naya could comment on that they were suddenly interrupted by Pheromones! According to Danshoku Dieno, Hino’s next challenger is going to be Yuki “Sexy” Iino! Earlier in the show Pheromones made a promise to Imabayashi not to get naked during their match and in return Iino should get a KO-D Title shot. Imabayashi refused because he thinks Pheromones did not live up to their promise. Hino agreed with the GM and told Iino to come back once he starts behaving like a more serious wrestler. Dieno said Hino is a big, heavy and strong man but is missing something. DDT needs a champion who is big, heavy, strong and naughty. The only man who fulfills those requirements is Iino! Imabayashi put off making a decision since everybody is feeling tired after such a long show. Hino said DDT is the only place that can do that kind of overkill. He praised the roster for putting on amazing matches today and told the fans if you want to see amazing matches then come see DDT where he the amazing champion!
It was time for MAO to get over his negative memories of DNA and Ryota Nakatsu by finally standing up to him. ShunMao put the KO-D Tag Team Titles on the line against Harimao in a Falls Count Anywhere match. Nakatsu brought out the plastic baseball bat he carried around in DNA and bullied MAO into doing a dance he used to do to make others laugh. MAO did what he was told despite Shunma Katsumata’s protests. Kazusada Higuchi then attacked Katsumata and brought him up to the balcony while Nakatsu dragged MAO over to the spot on the floor beneath it. Higuchi tried to throw Katsumata over the balcony with a Power Bomb but Katsumata escaped. So Higuchi found a nearby turnbuckle pad in the balcony and threw it at MAO down below. The brawl moved over to the lobby where Higuchi put Katsumata through a table near the staircase by jumping off a vending machine. Katsumata got one back in the aisle towards ringside by doing the Stuka Splash off of the entrance onto Higuchi. ShunMao brought out ring boards used for the canvas and bridged them over the front row barricade. They slammed Nakatsu onto the boards with the Oretachi no Madmax to get the 3 count and finally but MAO’s bad memories to bed.
ShunMao met with Imabayashi in the ring afterwards to find out where their next title defence would be. Suddenly Keigo Nakamura entered the ring, saying he and HARASHIMA should be the next challengers. Nakamura acted the same after his match earlier in the show. HARASHIMA went along with the idea because he wants to see Nakamura work hard and take advantage of his momentum. MAO isn’t interested in fighting HARASHIMA but Nakamura has caught his attention from out of nowhere. The title challenge was accepted and will take place in Korakuen on 9th April. When that was settled, all members of The 37KAMIINA got together in the ring and did their group pose.
That period of the show turned out to be a busy one for MAO. He was involved in the aftermath of the DDT Universal Title match. Tetsuya Endo won that championship for the first time by dethroning Naruki Doi. Endo’s knee was targeted and some of his high risk moves missed, like the Swan Dive Firebird Splash. But he also kicked out of the Bakatare Sliding Kick and blocked the Noshigami. Doi got stunned with an Overhead Kick and was thrown to the canvas with the Tetsuya In The Ski With Diamonds. Endo got the win when he did the Burning Star Press, taking the Universal Title away from Doi. After the match Endo apologised to Doi for calling him an enemy outsider. Doi carried DDT on his back by bringing the Universal Title with him to his matches for other companies and for that reason Endo now accepts him as one of us. Backstage Doi said he was planning on withdrawing from DDT after the loss but he cannot end his run here like this. He’ll be back to win more championships and other achievements!
MAO then entered the ring to challenge Endo to a title match. Endo got annoyed because he wants to fight challengers from around the world, not a neighbor from Miyagi! MAO brought up that he is currently one half of the KO-D Tag Champions and is also a former Universal Champion so he is qualified for a shot. Endo reluctantly agreed and brought up that MAO is probably more famous than him overseas. Endo is also still the tourism ambassador of Shiriashi City so he has the power to ban MAO from Miyagi if given the chance! The match will take place on 3rd May.
An international showdown saw Yuki Ueno defeat the visiting Samuray Del Sol. The match had dives back and forth from both as they tried to out-do each other. Ueno avoided the Soledo Del Sol but got caught with a Reverse Frankensteiner that’s called the Rising Sun for a nearfall. Ueno got his bearings back though and picked up the win once he put Del Sol in the WR. Backstage Del Sol said Ueno’s name sounds like “bueno” and it was a great honour to fight a great wrestler like him. Ueno said he is still carrying DDT on his back even though he no longer has the Universal Title. Even without the championship he wants to let the world know about DDT.
The relationship between Sanshiro Takagi and Konosuke Takeshita is similar to one between a father and son. Takeshita has grown up in DDT to become the wrestler he is today. It means a lot to Tagaki, so much so that preview video of the match revealed Takagi’s original dream plan for the company’s 25th Anniversary show. His dream was to hold that show in the Tokyo Dome and headline it with Takeshita Vs Kota Ibushi. Takeshita also means so much to Takagi that he felt if there was ever going to be a singles match between them it would be Takagi’s retirement match. Today the match finally happened and Takagi put everything he had into it. He did Avalanche Brainbusters only for Takeshita to return with his own, including one that went through a table outside the ring. Takagi had to rely on using the Stunner and he gave the move to Takeshita over and over and over. Takeshita was tough enough to take those Stunners and fire back with the Zahi twice. A beaten Takagi told Takeshita to finish him off with one more Zahi. Tears came down Takeshita’s face but he did the move one more time. Takagi suddenly popped back up to give Takeshita one more Stunner but that was it. Takeshita got back to his feet while Takagi couldn’t, ending the match with a knockout. Afterwards Takeshita told everyone he will win a singles championship in AEW as a DDT wrestler no matter what it takes. In exchange for this, he wants to see Takagi win the KO-D Title one more time before he decides to retire! He doesn’t care how long it takes because one day both Takeshita and Takagi will both fulfill this promise and then they can face each other one more time.
Jun Akiyama fought his favourite disciple Kotaro Suzuki in the fourth defence of his DDT Extreme Title reign. In a change of pace for the championship, there were no special rules attached to the match. It was a regular pro wrestling match between two of the best to do it. Suzuki got a nearfall with the Tiger Driver and held his ground to stop Akiyama from doing the Wrist-Clutch Exploder Suplex. But Akiyama kept his grip on Suzuki’s wrist and rolled him over into a cradle to get the win. Suzuki was happy with how the match went despite losing. He sees the result as a kick up the pants for him to continue fighting for his goals.
Akiyama appreciated the subdued nature of the match compared to the rest of the card. He was sent crashing back into the DDT world afterwards though when his next challenger appeared. Shunma Katsumata quickly got into the ring, asked for a title match and left so he could prepare for the KO-D Tag Title bout. Akiyama told Imabayashi he accepts the challenge and the match will take place on 3rd May. He also wants a message to be sent back to Katsumata telling him he has no chance of winning.
DAMNATION T.A were back to good strength with Daisuke Sasaki’s return to the ring after recovering from a left eye injury. There was a little bit of rustiness, particularly the part where Sasaki’s chair attacks hit MJ Paul & KANON by accident. That gave Chris Brookes, Drew Parker & Hagane Shinno to take control of the match. However Sasaki used a ref bump to give Shinno a Low Blow. He then got him in La Mistica Crossface Lock for the submission win.
Sasaki got on the microphone after the match. First he told Parker they should do a singles match sometime. Then he called Imabayashi incompetent because Sasaki got up to something while he was gone. Sasaki didn’t spend the last two months away from the ring by lying around in a hospital. He went on day trips to get a deal done for “WRESTLE PETER PAN 2023” that Imabayashi did not know about. Sasaki has put himself in a big match for Sumo Hall on 23rd July. The video screen then revealed Sasaki’s opponent will be El Desperado! The two wrestlers have been angling for a match for a long time now. Sasaki’s message to Desperado is the DDT ring will be where he will beat him up first! Until then, Sasaki might decide to disappear again until the match takes place.
Takeshi Masada scored a big win by beating Hikaru Machida in a strike heavy battle. Machida had Tanomusaku Toba in his corner giving the kickboxer advice. Masada found himself taking big shots from Machida but once the rookie got to do the Samurai Driver ’01, it was all over. Machida admitted it was a complete defeat and he has to start over if he wants to survive in pro wrestling. Masada is happy with the result but is also concerned over how beat up he is getting in these matchups, even when he wins. He knows he has to continue working hard to make up for that difference.
HARASHIMA & Nakamura’s path to the KO-D Tag Title shot came from them beating Yukio Sakaguchi & Hideki Okatani. HARASHIMA scored the fall but it was Nakamura who suddenly got on the microphone and declared the two of them will use this momentum to get a title shot. The comments got a good response from the fans so HARASHIMA told him they would talk about it backstage. As mentioned above, they came back out after the KO-D Tag Title match and made their challenge official. Meanwhile Okatani said he now won’t be in good shape going into the 3 Way Qualifying Battle for the King Of DDT taking place on 1st April. Sakaguchi told him he will have to fight through the pain.
Saki Akai kicked off her 10th anniversary celebration with a massive win over Masahiro Takanashi, the man she teamed with for her debut match a decade ago. The special ocassion was almost spoiled thanks to interference from Chris Brookes. He gave Akai a Diving Senton outside the ring, taking out Okatani with a Dropkick in the process. That got all of Eruption more involved in reaction to this with Sakaguchi giving Brookes a PK and sticking around to stop Takanashi from cheating again. Akai got her second wind by wiping all of those people out with a Cross Body outside the ring. She caught up to Takanashi by stunning him with the Rookie Award and then hit the Quetzalcoatl to score the upset win. Akai said she was able to win by showing everyone she has learned a lot more than just what Takanashi had taught her.
PowerPoint Presentations are not going to stop The Wasteland War Party from doing what they want. Super Sasadango Machine made one to show how he and Antonio Honda would beat their opponents today. He reckoned Max The Impaler & Heidi Howitzer were not on the same page after losing the Princess Tag Team Titles in Tokyo Joshi Pro a few days ago. So the plan was to act friendly towards Max so they will fall out with Howitzer and split the team apart. Then they can coax Max over to their side by promising gifts like food and Mad Max DVDs. It looked to be working at first. Max accepted the food and began eating it while Howitzer complained. But Sasadango & Honda couldn’t capitalize and soon the War Party became a reunited force. Max & Howitzer solved their problems and went on to win the match. Sasadango & Honda called it a scary experience. However Sasadango also ended up taking a liking to Howitzer and wonders if maybe something nice could happen between them under different circumstances. He also noticed Max looks like they enjoy being in Japan. It makes him hope more foreign wrestlers will visit and fall in love with the country. He knows foreign wrestlers like the hard hitting power fighters like Kenta Kobashi and Kensuke Sasaki but he hopes today’s match will let those people know there are wrestlers like Sasadango & Honda in Japan too.
I mentioned earlier that Pheromones made a promise to Imabayashi as part of their plan to get Iino a KO-D Title shot. That promise was they would keep their clothes on for their match and if they broke that rule they would be disqualified. Toru Owashi taunted Iino by claiming to be sexier than he is. Iino submitted to his urges and tried to strip out of his costume anyway. When Imabayashi got on the microphone to warn Iino, all of Pheromones gave Yukinori Matsui a Low Blow. Imabayashi then had to be rescued by the other wrestlers causing Akito, Owashi, Hiroshi Yamato & Yusuke Okada to all get knocked out by very lewd moves. By the time Pheromones got their hands on Imanari and did their thing, Matsui recovered and threw the match out. Dieno claimed his side kept their promise because the match ended in a No Contest instead of a DQ.
Makoto Oishi used his tricky wrestling style to tangle up both of his opponents to win the vacant O-40 Title. He had a small alliance with Gorgeous Matsuno that broke down when Matsuno saw his chance to win. Matsuno got Shinichiro Kawamatsu with the Gorgeous Star Elbow only for Oishi to pounce on top of him to steal the three count and win the belt. Oishi said the title is seen as a comedy championship but he wants it to be something for every wrestler around the world over the age of 40 will want to fight him for. Matsuno swears he will get revenge and take back what belongs to him. Kawamatsu has heard stories about wrestlers backstabbing each other so he wasn’t surprise to find out that happened with his two opponents.
Kazuki Hirata got to celebrate 13 years in the business by teaming with Yoshihiko. He warned Keisuke Ishii & Soma Takao not to treat Yoshihiko like a doll then proceeded to use Yoshihiko as a weapon against both of them. Takao got Yosihiko trapped in the Official Endless Waltz but he wasn’t able to get a three count out of it. Hirata threw some Clotheslines that he called the 13th Anniversary Bomber. Yoshihiko gave Takao the Reincarnation but Ishii broke the pin. Takao used the Gin And Tonic on Yoshihiko to take the doll out of the match so Ishii could beat Hirata with the Running Double Arm Driver. It’s been a while since Hirata fought Ishii. He has nothing but good things to say about Ishii, calling him the same old monster with the great wrestling mind. Ishii said Hirata was a very good wrestler when he began 13 years ago and he was even better than that today.
The opening match of the main show saw Yuya Koroku & Yuki Ishida defeating Toy Kojima & Kazuma Sumi. Koroku blocked a Moonsault from Sumi with his knees and then submitted him with the Modified Triangle Lancer. He has unfinished business with Kojima along with Okatani going into the King Of DDT 3 Way Qualifying Battle on 1st April. Koroku has beaten both Kojima and Okatani in singles matches before so he is confident he will do that again in back to back falls.
The pre-show match was a graduation for the DDTeeeen!! wrestlers. Ilusion and El Unicorn have both grown out of their positions as teenager pro wrestlers and are moving on up to the proper DDT roster. The match also included Raimu Imai who has been on the sub-brand previously and Munetatsu Nakamura who wasn’t. Ilusion scored the win by pinning Unicorn with his Modified Pedigree. That version of the move he uses is now called the RE:VISION1.
After the match Takagi congratulated both Ilusion and Unicorn on their graduation. He explained that the two of them had to wrestle in masks the entire time because they were underage. Today they can choose if they want to keep the masks or remove them and reveal their identities. Unicorn said he has recently graduated from middle school as well as DDTeeeen!! and will about to enter high school. For that reason he will unmask. He took the mask off and revealed he is Yuni, the young pro wrestler who’s been with DDT since 2016 when he started training at 8 years old. Ilusion teased taking off his mask but decided against it. He said he has more work to do as Ilusion and wants to keep the mask on for the time being.
A variety of different names and faces will be coming to DDT over in the not too distant future. The most bizarre of which is Chiitan, the infamous mascot who often goes viral on Twitter for doing crazy stunts. The “otter fairy” mascot has dabbled with pro wrestling and will have its official debut match on 3rd May. Chiitan’s announcement was interrupted by Chris Brookes, who attacked Chiitan in the ring while it was greeting the fans. Brookes threatened to kill Chiitan there and then with a Diving Double Stomp but Imabayashi stopped him from doing it. Chiitan then got some measure of revenge by Dropkicking Brookes out of the ring.
British wrestler Rayne Leverkusen will be coming to DDT in April. She often wrestles for EVE and is also the niece of the late Clive Burr from Iron Maiden. Her big match on the tour will be a singles bout against Saki Akai on 3rd May.
Last but certainly not least, American wrestler Nick Wayne will bet at the Yokohama Budokan show on 3rd May. The youngster has been called a supernova on the US indies and gained attention for signing a deal with AEW at the age of 16. Takeshita recommended DDT to bring him over to Japan for a tour.
DDT “DRAMATIC DREAM ONITA ~DDO HATAAGE BATTLE~”, 19/03/2023 Kanagawa Tsurumi Fruit & Vegetable Market 282 Fans – Super No Vacancy
1. Yusuke Okada defeated Keigo Nakamura with the Sudden Death (6:51).
2. Sumi Only 2 Count Falls Match: Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno defeated Akito & Kazuma Sumi when Iino submitted Sumi after the Pheromones Stamp Rally (9:50).
3. MJ Paul & KANON defeated Makoto Oishi & Shinichiro Kawamatsu when Paul pinned Kawamatsu with a Running Body Press (7:16).
4. Yukio Sakaguchi, Saki Akai & Hideki Okatani defeated Toru Owashi, Yukio Naya & Chie Koishikawa when Akai submitted Koishikawa with the Extreme Arm Triangle Choke (12:05).
5. Road To Judgement 2023! Special 6-Man Tag Match: Konosuke Takeshita, MAO & Hikaru Machida defeated Sanshiro Takagi, Chris Brookes & Takeshi Masada when Takeshita pinned Masada with an Inside Cradle (14:31).
6. Harimao Vs BURNING!: Kazusada Higuchi & Ryota Nakatsu defeated Tetsuya Endo & Yuya Koroku when Nakatsu submitted Koroku with an Upide Down Cross Armbreaker (11:49).
7. Jado Alert Issued! Current Blast Jado Missile 6-Man Tag Team Death Match: Atsushi Onita, Shunma Katsumata & Toi Kojima defeated HARASHIMA, Soma Takao & Kazuki Hirata when Katsumata pinned Hirata with a Current Blast Bat Full Swing (13:55).
Both HARASHIMA & Kazuki Hirata got to experience an exploding death match for the first time in their careers. They along with Soma Takao represented DDT against Atsushi Onita’s new splinter group Dramatic Dream Onita featuring Shunma Katsumata & Toi Kojima. The big weapon of this match was the Jado Missile. When pressed, the wrestlers had 30 seconds to prepare themselves for the impact of a missile launched straight into the ring. All six took the explosion but were still able to continue fighting. HARASHIMA hit the Firebird Splash onto Onita, bringing back memories of Hayabusa. Katsumata broke the pin and Onita came back by spitting Poison Mist at HARASHIMA’s face. Hirata then appeared with his Hirata GO! glasses and an exploding barbwire bat. Onita wore his own glasses to counter Hirata and set him up for an exploding bat swing from Katsumata to end the match.
After the match Sanshiro Takagi entered the ring and told Onita he hasn’t given up his quest to take the explosion death match trademark from him. Joey Janela will be coming back to DDT next month and he’s demanding to face Onita in an exloding death match. So Takagi is joining forces with both Janela & Takeshi Masada to challenge Onita, Katsumata & Kojima for the trademark! Onita threw a bucket of water at Masada and accepted the challenge for 16th April in Niigata. Later after the show Onita also said if his team wins then he will create new 6-Man Tag Team Titles to be defended in exploding death matches.
Harimao used today’s show as preparation for their Falls Count Anywhere match on Tuesday. Kazusada Higuchi & Ryota Nakatsu purposely fought with Tetsuya Endo & Yuya Koroku outside the ring and around the venue. Nakatsu almost took it too far when he brought in a motorbike but at the last second declinded to use it because he didn’t want to damage it. After Harimao beat BURNING, Nakatsu feels confident about winning the KO-D Tag Team Titles because this match showed they can act unpredictable.
Fresh off of his latest AEW appearances, Konosuke Takeshita touched down back in Japan for his return to DDT. His focus for this stay is his upcoming match with Sanshiro Takagi. Maybe it was the jetlag from arriving the night before or maybe it’s from the difference in experience but Takagi came off looking like he has Takeshita’s number. He got Takeshita with the Stunner and Masada tried to capitilise by doing the Samurai Driver ’01. However Takeshita countered it into a Small Package to escape with a win out of nowhere. Although Masada took the fall, his upcoming opponent Hikaru Machida still got on the microphone after the match to talk about how much he is looking forward to fighting him on 21st March. Meanwhile Takagi declined to shake hands with Takeshita, giving him the middle fingers instead. Backstage Takeshita said he thinks Takagi is ready for their singles match. He wants to put everything he’s done in the last 10 years into that match as a show of gratitude towards Takagi.
Who could have guessed that Chie Koishikawa all people would show no fear fighting against Eruption? She wasn’t even intimidated to face off with Yukio Sakaguchi! Her antics roped in Toru Owashi to get the upper hand on Hideki Okatani while Yukio Naya had a more traditional back and forth with Sakaguchi. Eruption regrouped and took out Owashi with a Sandwich PK. Saki Akai then got a hold of Koishikawa and trapped her in a Modified Triangle Choke to get the win.
Makoto Oishi & Shinichiro Kawamatsu got along as a team in their failed attempt to beat DAMNATION T.A. But that alliance fell apart backstage after the match. Oishi said he was going to fight Kawamatsu fair and square for the O-40 Title but then took offence and stormed off after Kawamatsu cracked a joke about him. Kawamatsu has now made both of his opponents in the 3-Way Match angry at him but he still thinks he can win the O-40 Title.
Akito found himself back in a never ending war with Pheromones and told Kazuma Sumi they could not win by strength alone. Sumi slapped him for having no confidence and revealed he came up with an idea. He wants their match against Pheromones to include a special rule where only Sumi can win with a 2 Count. Akito liked the idea and used his Vice President powers to make it happen. The plan didn’t work because Yuki Iino & Danshoku Dieno ended up teabagging Sumi into submission.
Yusuke Okada and Keigo Nakamura kept shouting “Thank you” at each other in a game of one-upmanship during their match. Okada got the better of Nakamura in the end, pinning him with the Sudden Death.
DDT “HANAMI PRO WRESTLING 2023”, 12/03/2023 Saitama Tokorozawa Aviation Memorial Park Outdoor Stage 312 Fans
1. Student Pro Wrestling Support Special 6-Man Tag Match: HARASHIMA, Great-GO-Khan & “Mother’s Child” Mazakon Kid defeated Antonio Honda, Macho Gallows & Dopyu♡McIntyre when Khan pinned McIntyre with the Divine Punishment (10:06).
2. MJ Paul & KANON defeated Hideki Okatani & Yuya Koroku when Paul pinned Koroku with the Death Valley Bomb (9:43).
3. Yuki “Sexy” Iino Produce Match ~ Pheromone Rumble: Yuki “Sexy” Iino, Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno & Yumehito “Fantastic” Imanari defeated Shunma Katsumata with the Over The Sexy Dose (19:19). Order Of Elimination: Yusuke Okada, Pokotan, Chris Brookes, Kazuma Sumi and Shunma Katsumata.
4. Kazuki Hirata Produce Match ~ Bring Items Anywhere Falls Count Fair And Square Full Settlement Tag Team Match: Toru Owashi & Yukio Sakaguchi defeated Kazuki Hirata, Soma Takao, Gota Ihashi & Keigo Nakamura when Sakaguchi pinned Hirata with the PK (13:09).
5. Tetsuya Endo Produce Match ~ Shiraishi Castle Love Song: Tetsuya Endo & Keisuke Ishii defeated Akito & Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi when Endo pinned Hiroshi with the Burning Star Press (11:40).
6. Special Challenge Match: Jun Akiyama defeated Takeshi Masada with the Exploder Suplex (11:46).
7. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Yuji Hino, MAO & Makoto Oishi defeated Yukio Naya, Kazusada Higuchi & Yuki Ishida when Hino submitted Ishida with the King Kong Sleeper (15:34).
The final preview matches for “JUDGEMENT 2023” saw the champion team beat their challengers in a trios match. Both Yuji Hino & MAO took the time to rub the result in the faces of Yukio Naya & Kazusada Higuchi respectively. Naya told Hino they will show the best of DDT and heavyweight wrestling when their KO-D Openweight Title match takes place. Hino is looking forward to it but warns Naya that he will beat him. Meanwhile MAO & Higuchi agreed to make their KO-D Tag Team Title match Falls Count Anywhere!
“The Amazing Newcomer” Takeshi Masada was given a singles match against Jun Akiyama as one of his prizes for winning the D GENERATIONS CUP. He tried to use the Samurai Driver ’01 but Akiyama blocked the move and countered it into the Nagata Lock II. Masada reached the ropes to break the hold but was drilled with Knee Strikes until Akiyama finished him off with the Exploder Suplex. After the match Masada said he will be going back to university this spring so he will be travelling between Osaka and Tokyo a lot. However his DDT schedule will not be effected.
Tetsuya Endo’s produce match was a rematch from his debut 12 years ago. Afterwards he asked Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi to do a singles match with him in the future because Endo has never beaten him one on one. Hiroshi agreed but wonders if the match won’t be happening for another 12 years.
Some of the weapons used in Match #4 include a sasumata, a water pistol, balloons, a Singapore cane, tape and the World Omori Title that Soma Takao is currently the champion of. Yukio Sakaguchi taped Keigo Nakamura against the ring post, Gota Ihashi was sent rolling down a nearby hill and Takao got drunk so Kazuki Hirata was left to fight on his own. He got Sakaguchi to strike Toru Owashi with the cane by mistake and tried blocking the cane with his own hand. But Sakaguchi overpowered Hirata and pinned him on the stage with a Penalty Kick.
Wrestlers in the Pheromones Rumble were eliminated when they got their face shoved into Yuki Iino’s backside for five seconds.
Posted by JamieOD 
Dramatic DDT 