Young Ganbare Cup

December 28, 2022

The first CyberFight related tournament of the new year is the Young Ganbare Cup. It will be a league focusing on revitalizing young pro wrestlers with participants representing Ganpro, MAKAI and P.P.P. TOKYO. Also Yumehito Imanari is taking part as a “young old man” because he strongly requested a spot when the tournament was announced. Each league match has a 30 minute time limit with 2 points for every win, 1 point for every tie and 0 points for every loss. Should one wrestler win all of their league matches then they will automatically be declared the tournament winner. If nobody wins all of their matches then the top two at the end of the league schedule will face each other in a playoff final. The prize for winning the Young Ganbare Cup is 30,000 yen. The four participants are:

Munetatsu Nakamura (Ganbare☆Pro Wrestling)
Yuki Kanzaki (MAKAI)
Kentaro Hachisu (P.P.P. TOKYO)
Yumehito Imanari (Ganbare☆Pro Wrestling)

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GANBARE☆PRO “ADRENALINE 2023”, 05/01/2023
Tokyo Itabashi Green Hall

1. Young Ganbare Cup: Yumehito Imanari Vs Munetatsu Nakamura
2. Young Ganbare Cup: Yuki Kanzaki Vs Kentaro Hachisu

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GANBARE☆PRO “TRANSPORTER 2023”, 28/01/2023
Tokyo Oji BASEMENT MON☆STAR

1. Young Ganbare Cup: Yumehito Imanari Vs Kentaro Hachisu
2. Young Ganbare Cup: Yuki Kanzaki Vs Munetatsu Nakamura

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GANBARE☆PRO “GANBARE☆PRO WRESTLING PLAYERS ASSOCIATION PERFORMANCE”, 28/01/2023
Tokyo Oji BASEMENT MON☆STAR

1. Young Ganbare Cup: Yumehito Imanari Vs Yuki Kanzaki
2. Young Ganbare Cup: Kentaro Hachisu Vs Munetatsu Nakamura
3. Young Ganbare Cup – Final (if needed): X Vs X

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Posted by JamieOD

GANBARE☆PRO “GIRI GIRI CHOP! 2022” Results

December 27, 2022

GANBARE☆PRO “GIRI GIRI CHOP! 2022”, 27/12/2022
Tokyo Korakuen Hall
422 Fans

1. Munetatsu Nakamura Debut Match: Shinichiro Tominaga defeated Munetatsu Nakamura with a Crab Hold (8:33).
2. GanJo x TJPW Special Tag Match: Yuki Kamifuku & YuuRI defeated Suzume & Yoshiko Hasegawa when Kamifuku pinned Hasegawa with the Famouser (11:15).
3. GanPro Vs Pheromones: Ken Ohka & Yumehito Imanari Vs Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno ended in a No Contest (12:14).
4. GanJo Vs Ice Ribbon: Yuna Manase, Moeka Haruhi & HARUKAZE defeated Nao Ishikawa, Yuki Mashiro & Kaho Matsushita when Manase pinned Ishikawa with the Short-Range Lariat (13:45).
5. Shota Triumphant Return Match: Shuichiro Katsumura & Shota defeated Soma Takao & Shigehiro Irie when Shota pinned Takao with the Frog Splash (13:02).
6. Kouki Iwasaki Ganbare☆Pro Wrestling Last Match: Keisuke Ishii defeated Kouki Iwasaki with the Kneel Kick (11:12).
7. Spirit Of Ganbare World Openweight Title: Mizuki Watase defeated Hartley Jackson (c) with an Elbow Butt (17:20).
*Hartley Jackson fails in V3. Mizuki Watase becomes the 4th Spirit Of Ganbare Champion!

There is a new Spirit Of Ganbare Champion and it is Mizuki Watase! The shock result caps off a rollercoaster year for Watase. He had left DDT for Ganbare☆Pro last December and now 12 months later has become their champion, dethroning the seemingly unstoppable Hartley Jackson. The match was hot from the get go with Watase jumping Jackson in the ring and hitting a Topé outside. Jackson fought back using apron moves and Lariats. Watase fired himself up by using Shinjiro Otani style Facewashes in the corner before hitting a Missile Dropkick to the outside of the ring. Jackson’s size advantage came into play when Watase couldn’t use any lifting style moves and things looked to be over when he hit the Jumping Piledriver. However not only did Watase kick out at two but he gathered the strength to give Jackson a Brainbuster. Watase then rained down Elbow Butt after Elbow Butt to the champion. Jackson hit a second Piledriver only for Watase to shake it off and hit even more Elbow Butts, going for the pin after every strike until he finally got the three count.

Jackson handed the title over to Watase after the match and embraced him. In return Watase told him that he is now part of the Ganpro family. Jackson said Watase is now number one. He also said he has a dream he wants to achieve. His days here at Ganpro was fun but now its time to say goodbye. Jackson left the ring only for other Ganpro wrestlers to surround him and get him back into the ring. Jackson then said he was only kidding and he is part of the Ganbare Family forever! Watase told the fans he hopes everyone in Ganpro gave them even a little bit of energy, courage, hopes and dreams today. He thinks people who chase their dreams are wonderful and should never give them up. He got everyone in Korakuen Hall to stand up and together they all said “We are Ganbare☆Pro Wrestling!” to close out the show. He also got a congratulations from Shigehiro Irie while they were leaving ringside. Backstage Watase threw out a few names for potential title defences. He lost to Tyson Maeguchi and Ken Ohka in singles matches earlier this year. He even said he could defend it against a foreigner or a director from some research institute for all he cares.

One person who definitely is saying their goodbyes to Ganpro today is Kouki Iwasaki. His final match as a contracted member of their roster was a defeat to Keisuke Ishii, losing to the Kneel Kick. After the match Iwasaki told everyone that Ganpro isn’t just about crying and screaming. He is going out into the wrestling world to make himself even bigger and he thinks Ganpro will also grow without him. Maybe someday he will return to Ganpro too! He also told Ishii not to be satisfied with his current position in the company. He should be aiming for the Spirit Of Ganbare Title! Backstage Ishii said he was able to win today because of his willpower. His confidence is growing and he wants the Ganpro fans to have higher expectations for him next year.

Shota returned from America and landed with a statement win over his tag team partner. He pinned Soma Takao with the Frog Splash and said afterwards he wants to focus on being a singles wrestler for the time being. It will be a little while before the dawn of adventure comes again for ROMANCE DAWN. Shota is proud of what he achieved over the last four months in America and he is looking forward to everyone’s reactions to his return. He admits to hitting the wall while he was in America and decided he needs to raise his value back in Japan. So now his goal is to wrap a championship around his waist. Shuichiro Katsumura said he had two big matches in Ganpro this year. Lately he’s been feeling frustrated but seeing Shota again made him feel better and look forward to next year. Takao was disappointed with the loss because according to him it’s the first time he lost to Shota since he was 18 years old. He won’t lose to him in a singles match though. However those thoughts will go away and he hopes the ROMANCE DAWN tag team will resume eventually.

The Ganbare☆Joshi division had a good day at Ice Ribbon’s expense (possibly in more ways than one given the news below). In a 6-Woman Tag Match Yuna Manase scored the pinfall for her team after nailing Nao Ishikawa with a Lariat. Moeka Haruhi thought the Ice Ribbon team were the perfect opponents for her today. For example she was able to learn from Yuki Mashiro in the ring even though Mashiro will be retiring from pro wrestling in a few days time. HARUKAZE was happy to win her last Ganpro match of the year and thinks it gives her momentum for 2023. Manase has spent time in Ice Ribbon this year and thinks everybody over their are very Ganpro at heart. Kaho Matsushita said she wants to fight against the three GanJo wrestlers again and would like to see them come over to Ice Ribbon.

The Ganpro Vs Pheromones match went in a very weird direction. Early in the show a video played showing Yumehito Imanari being attacked backstage. The assailant was then revealed to be… Yumehito “Fantastic” Imanari? More confusion was shown when Ken Ohka walked to the ring on his own and Imanari appeared entered with the Pheromones team. Ohka preceeded to fight with a 3-on-1 disadvantage, taking the worst that Yuki Iino & Danshoku Dieno could throw at them while Imanari cut off any hope Ohka had of turning things around. Ohka finally found a way to snap Imanari back to normal and bring the fight back to even numbers. However the ensuing melee ended up with Shuichi Nishinaga getting caught in the crossfire so many times that the match had to be called off without a winner. Ohka and Iino kept on fighting for a little bit after the bell. When things calmed down, a video was shown of Imanari meeting with his “Fantastic” backstage. They both suggested they should have a singles match together someday (Imanari also described “Fantastic” as somebody “pretending to be Yoshiaki Fujiwara“).

The other women’s match on the show mixed wrestlers from Ganjo with Tokyo Joshi Pro into two teams. YuuRI teamed with Yuki Kamifuku while Yoshiko Hasegawa was partnered with Suzume. While in the build up Kamifuku looked to be annoyed to be paired with YuuRI, in the ring they gelled together as a team just as much as their opponents did. Kamifuku picked up the win by pinning Hasegawa with the Famouser. YuuRI is happy with the result but wanted to win the match by herself to impress Kamifuku and make her unrequitedl love for her come true. Kamifuku admits YuuRI has a cute face, the only thing is she has no real class. That’s why YuuRI wasn’t the one who won the match today. The explanation left YuuRI feeling confused. Kamifuku will think about teaming with her again but only if YuuRI can stop Ken Ohka from posting his creepy morning selfies.

The debut of Munetatsu Nakamura kicked off the show. He was put in the ring against Shinichiro Tominaga and impressed the fans by using a Locomotive Front Chancery Suplex for a nearfall. However Tominaga caught one of his Dropkicks and turned it into a Crab Hold, forcing the rookie to submit. Nakamura has a background in both amateur wrestling and judo. He says he wants to be a pro wrestler who makes the best out of both of those fighting styles. Tominaga liked what he sees and is trying to process why he was chosen to be Nakamura’s first opponent. That role can be a huge gift for a debuting pro wrestler. Tominaga’s first opponent was El Generico for example and that opportunity is something he could never repay even if it takes him the rest of his life. He admits he is nowhere near the global superstar that guy is now but Tominaga hopes Nakamura will grow so both of them can someday carry Ganpro on their backs.

There were some big news announcements at the beginning of the show. The first was the introduction of Michiyoshi Mishima, the newest adviser for Ganpro. Mishima was previously a staff member for Ice Ribbon and had a hand in helping DDT book Budokan Hall back in 2012. He has been a fan of Ganpro going back to the first year of the promotion’s existence, before they were even running full fledged shows. He has a deep knowledge of joshi wrestling so his first call to action involves rebooting Ganbare☆Joshi. He announced that next year Ganjo will hold a show by themselves with no male wrestlers involved in any of the matches.

The next announcement was a new tournament beginning on 5th January called the Young Ganbare Cup. It will be a league format built around encouraging the growth of younger wrestlers. Imanari asked to be one of the first entrants. Ohka was reluctant to agree but Mishima accepted his request. Nakamura will also be taking part with more participants to be revealed soon.

Last but not least, “WRESTLE SEKIGAHARA II” will take place in Ota Ward Gymnasium on 9th July! It will be he second year in a row Ganpro will be running in the venue.

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DDT “DANSHOKU DIENO 20TH ANNIVERSARY BOOK PUBLICATION COMMEMORATION” Results

December 21, 2022

DDT “DANSHOKU DIENO 20TH ANNIVERSARY BOOK PUBLICATION COMMEMORATION”, 21/12/2022
Tokyo Korakuen Hall
537 Fans

0. Dark Match – Karma Handicap Match: Akito, Toru Owashi, Kazuki Hirata, Antonio Honda & Hiroshi Yamato defeated Sanshiro Takagi when Hirata pinned Takagi with the Miracle One Shot Cradle (5:43).
*Sanshiro Takagi must purchase 47 copies of “The Eccentric’s Ambition: What I Learnt From Fighting The Invisible Man On How To Increase My Value” with his own money.
1. DDT Wrestlers With Short Career Experience Are Called Young Drama: Anarko Montaña & Hideki Okatani defeated Takeshi Masada & Kazuma Sumi when Montaña pinned Sumi with the Shooting Star Press (9:27).
2. Untitled Staggered Entrance Rumble: Saki Akai defeated Makoto Oishi & Yusuke Okada by Double Ring Out (8:09).
Order Of Elimination: Yukio Sakaguchi & Yasu Urano, HARASHIMA, Koju “Shining Ball” Takeda, Yuya Koroku, Yusuke Okada, Makoto Oishi & Yusuke Okada (8:09).
*Saki Akai is declared the 2022 King Of Pantyhose.
3. In The Present 6-Man Tag Match: Chris Brookes, Masahiro Takanashi & Ken Ohka defeated Yuki Ueno, MAO & Toi Kojima when Takanashi pinned MAO after the Hair Of The Dog (12:20).
4. Novelty Single Match: Naruki Doi defeated Shunma Katsumata with the Bakatare Sliding Kick (11:48).
5. DDT Tradition 6-Man Tag Match: Tesuya Endo, Jun Akiyama & DJ Nira defeated Kazusada Higuchi, Yuki Ishida & Thanomsak Toba whne Endo pinned Ishida with the Swivel Torture Rack Bomb (11:12).
6. Selfishly For The 2nd Time In 20 Years, A Single Match That Danshoku Dieno Just Wants To See: Yuki “Sexy” Iino defeated Yumehito “Fantastic” Imanari with the Badonkadonk (16:43).
7. Selfishly For The 1st Time In 20 Years, Danshoku Dieno’s Self-Satisfaction Match: Haku defeated Danshoku Dieno and Muscle Sakai when Haku pinned both Dieno and Sakai (16:08).

In January 2002 a pro wrestler by the name of Danshoku Dieno emerged from the college club scene and took the pro wrestling world by storm. Quickly finding a home in DDT, Dieno shocked audiences with his gimmick as a hyper gay wrestler but gradually built up a rapport with fans alongside a long list of in-ring achievements as the years went by. Now 20 years into his career he has written a book about how he sees the world through the eyes of pro wrestling. The book is titled “The Eccentric’s Ambition: What I Learnt From Fighting The Invisible Man On How To Increase My Value”. Today’s show at Korakuen Hall was the launch event for his book and everyone who attended received a copy as part of their ticket purchase (the ticket prices were adjusted for this reason, he wasn’t giving out the books for free).

Dieno was given full match making power for the show. So he came up with a card of matches that he would personally enjoy as a fan. He also wanted to have a match against one of his closest friends in the business Muscle Sakai in the main event. Sakai took the time before the match to hold a PowerPoint presentation explaining the line that seperates himself from Super Sasadango Machine. He made the speech because last week he received a message from a fan who told him he is more famous for his talking than his wrestling. Sakai also revealed he’s been reading other self-help books to figure out how to beat Dieno today.

In the match itself Sakai focused on using the Headlock. One of the books had a piece of advice saying you should always train the skills you already have. Dieno’s book also explains how low difficulty wrestling moves can determine who will win the match. The Headlock is always the first move a wrestler is taught and Sakai worked out if he uses it long enough he could destroy Dieno’s skull and win. They spent so much of the match doing Headlocks that they started doing other stuff to pass the time, like listen to music or eat chocolate. It got so intense they ended up creating visions of their thoughts for the audience to see. Together they reminisced about MUSCLE, Sakai’s original retirement match and how this was the last time they were wrestling each other in front of Hisaya Imabayashi.

Imabayashi entered the ring to break up the Headlock fest and was given a Brainbuster from Dieno for his troubles. The match heated up with Sakai kicking out of the Homo Ye at one and Dieno being given the Vertical Drop Lehmann Shock. Dieno was sure to be beaten until he had a vision of his pet dog Haku flash across the screen. Haku is a rescue dog that Dieno adopted in September and has been the love of his life ever since. Along with the vision came a message that read “Don’t come here and do normal wrestling, do what only you can do.” With a flash of inspiration, Dieno kicked out. Haku then entered the ring and bit Sakai in the crotch. Dieno thought his pet came to rescue him but Haku then attacked him too and jumped on top of both fallen wrestlers. Yukinori Matsui decided to make the three count and declared Haku the winner of the match!

Imabayashi was confused by what he just watched. He asked the fans if that was a good main event and they applauded. Sakai explained this was the last time they could wrestle their match in front of him because Imabayashi is leaving DDT at the end of the year. Imabayashi had to correct them. It’s true he is quitting the company soon in order to spend more time with his family in Fukuoka but he recently agreed to remain the DDT GM as a subcontractor. With this deal he will only be gone from DDT once a month. There wasn’t much time left in the show to explain so Dieno was given the final moments to give his speech and thank everyone for coming. He especially singled out the older generation of DDT wrestlers who were there with the company before him.

The other big idea for a match Dieno had was his two contemporaries from Pheromones facing off against each other. All of the lewd stuff surrounding Pheromones was shoved into this match. Yuki Iino did his sexy poses while Yumehito Imanari tried to take over one of the Samurai TV cameras to film it. There actually was wrestling going on in between the antics, although Dieno told Iino through a video message to bring out the “Sexy” that nobody has seen yet. Iino did just that and finished the match on top. Imanari said there was a lot of conflict in Iino’s heart but he could see the “Sexy” pride inside. Iino just said “Pheromones good, forever.”

There was plenty of nonsense all over the show. A 6-Man Tag had Kazusada Higuchi & Yuki Ishida both wrestle in mawashi and fight using sumo techniques. Thanomsak Toba did not join in, preferring to stick to the kickboxing he knows. The match was briefly interrupted by the announcement that one of Jun Akiyama’s friends was here to celebrate his 30th anniversary. Antonio Honda entered the ring in a diaper and Toru Owashi put a home made Ultimo Dragon mask over his head. Meanwhile it took DJ Nira several attempts to pull off a successful double team move with Akiyama. When it finally worked, Tetsuya Endo took over and got the win for his team. Honda then returned in his diaper with several other wrestlers wearing the same costume to dance around Akiyama. None of the wrestlers in the match knew what was going on except for Toba. He explained to the others backstage that this kind of match used to happen all the time in DDT back when he was around. Now it only happens once every ten years.

Naruki Doi beat Shunma Katsumata in a first time singles meeting. Katsumata hit a dive to the outside onto Doi and a bunch of other wrestlers seconding at ringside. Doi almost won with the Avalanche Doi 555 but got the victory with the Bakatare Sliding Kick afterwards. Katsumata asked for a handshake at ringside and Doi gave him the NeppoWER pose instead. He’d like to have another match with him either as partners or opponents. Doi also promised to read Dieno’s new book instead of sleeping tonight.

6-Man Tag action saw CDK & Ken Ohka get the better of The 37KAMIINA. Ohka kept taunting Toi Kojima by saying his moves didn’t hurt at all after every bump. Everyone ended up forming a group pyramid submission with Ohka posing on top until Yuki Ueno made it all collapse with a Dropkick. Ohka returned with the Spear Of Fire to both MAO & Kojima before taking out Ueno with a Death Valley Bomb. That left CDK to pin MAO with the Hair Of The Dog to win the match. Backstage MAO complainied about both Chris Brookes & Masahiro Takanashi pinning him at the same time. That is supposed to be illegal in tag team matches. However MAO has an open mind and accepts that double pinfalls are fair play in ChocoPro, which is where CDK learned it from. He now wants the vacant KO-D Tag Team Titles match between CDK and ShunMao on 3rd January to allow double pinfalls.

The Rumble match had an unannounced rule where every competitor had to wrestle wearing pantyhose over their head, making them unwillingly pull funny faces. HARASHIMA and Koju Takeda had a pose off. Yuya Koroku didn’t want to wear it and got booed when he pulled his off. The eliminations caught some of the wrestlers off guard, like when Yukio Sakaguchi and Yasu Urano eliminated each other right when Sakaguchi entered the match. the match came down to Makoto Oishi and Yusuke Okada fighting on the apron. Suddenly the final wrestler made their entrance. It was Saki Akai! She walked out in full catwalk mode and the sight of her wearing pantyhose over her face scared the other wrestlers off the apron and out of the ring. She ended up winning the match without touching anybody. It was then revealed the match was to crown the King Of Pantyhose 2022! Akai credited the victory on reading Dieno’s book because it gave her courage.

The opening match gave the spotlight to DDT’s younger wrestlers along with the guest Anarko Montaña. The visitor hit some high risk moves including a Moonsault out of the ring. Takeshi Masada & Kazuma Sumi had their moments and could smell victory at times but Hideki Okatani was always there to stop it from happening. Instead Montaña planted Sumi with the Michinoku Driver II and pinned him with the Shooting Star Press.

An extra rule was added to the 5 Vs 1 dark match. Before it began, Keigo Nakamura wheeled out a cart full of copies of Dieno’s book. The rule was every count that happens in the match will be added up and whatever the total is, the losing side will have to buy that many copies of the book. The number ended up at 47 and Sanshiro Takagi was the loser after he was pinned by Kazuki Hirata. As a result, Takagi was forced to purchase 47 copies of the book with his own money. Even though Akito is currently Dieno’s enemy, he admitted he was happy to be a part of today’s show.

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Christmas Fan Lottery Matches, Iwasaki & Ishii Reminisce, New Year’s Eve Trios Bracket

December 13, 2022

DDT “DDT FREE -DECEMBER-”, 14/12/2022
Shinjuku FACE

1. 2 Vs 3 Handicap Match: Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno Vs Akito, MAO & Kazuma Sumi
2. Tryout Match: Shunma Katsumata Vs Anarko Montaña
3. Road To NEVER MIND 2022! Special Tag Match: Saki Akai & Yoshiko Hasegawa Vs Saori Anou & Riko Kawahata
4. Sanshiro Takagi, Yuji Hino & Makoto Oishi Vs Soma Takao, Yuya Koroku & Takeshi Masada
5. Special 8-Man Tag Match: HARASHIMA, Toru Owashi, Kazuki Hirata Vs Yukio Naya Vs Tetsuya Endo, Jun Akiyama, Kotaro Suzuki & Yusuke Okada
6. Daisuke Sasaki & KANON Vs Chris Brookes & Hideki Okatani
7. Road To NEVER MIND 2022! Special Tag Match: Kazusada Higuchi & Yuki Ishida Vs Yuki Ueno & Toi Kojima

Before the show takes place there will be a press conference announcing details for some of the matches taking place at Korakuen Hall on 3rd January. We will find out who the teams competing in the vacant KO-D Tag Team Titles match are and also the No. 1 Contendership for the DDT Universal Title.

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “SE-NO, MERRY CHRISTMAS! 2022”, 24/12/2022
Tokyo Ryogoku KFC Hall

1. Fan Lottery 3 Way Match: X Vs X Vs X
2. Fan Lottery Singles Match: X Vs X
3. Fan Lottery Singles Match: X Vs X
4. Fan Lottery Singles Match: X Vs X
5. Fan Lottery Singles Match: X Vs X
6. Fan Lottery Singles Match: X Vs X
7. TJPW Year End Special 8-Man Tag Match: Yuka Sakazaki, Mizuki, Shoko Nakajima & Suzume Vs Miyu Yamashita, Maki Itoh, Hyper Misao & Moka Miyamoto

Fan Lottery: Miu Watanabe, Rika Tatsumi, Yuki Aino, Yuki Kamifuku, Hikari Noa, Nao Kakuta, Raku, Pom Harajuku, Mahiro Kiryu, Haruna Neko, Arisu Endo, Kaya Toribami and Juria Nagano

A fan lottery taking place on the 15th December show will determine who faces who at the Christmas show.

GANBARE☆PRO “GIRI GIRI CHOP! 2022”, 27/12/2022
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

1. Sotatsu Nakamura Debut Match: Shinichiro Tominaga Vs Sotatsu Nakamura
2. GanJo x TJPW Special Tag Match: Suzume & Yoshiko Hasegawa Vs Yuki Kamifuku & YuuRI
3. Shota Triumphant Return Match: Shuichiro Katsumura & Shota Vs Soma Takao & Shigehiro Irie
4. GanPro Vs Pheromones: Ken Ohka & Yumehito Imanari Vs Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno
5. GanJo Vs Ice Ribbon: Yuna Manase, Moeka Haruhi & HARUKAZE Vs Nao Ishikawa, Yuki Mashiro & Kaho Matsushita
6. Kouki Iwasaki Ganbare☆Pro Wrestling Last Match: Keisuke Ishii Vs Kouki Iwasaki
7. Spirit Of Ganbare World Openweight Title: Hartley Jackson (c) Vs Mizuki Watase

Kouki Iwasaki credits Keisuke Ishii’s knowledge of pro wrestling for helping him gain confidence over the years. For example, Ishii can remember off the top of his head he has a record of 3 wins and one draw against Iwasaki in singles matches. He also has fond memories of them challenging for the GHC Jr. Tag Team Titles together back in 2018. Iwasaki wants to repay that kindness and is open to continue teaming with Ishii around the wrestling scene. Ishii identifies that this match is not just happening to give Iwasaki one last happy memory when he leaves Ganbare☆Pro. Iwasaki is looking to win and create momentum for himself when he steps out into the world. Ishii thinks the last year in Ganpro has been competitive within the roster and he wants to show he can be also competitive going into 2023.

A trio from Ice Ribbon are coming over to face Ganbare☆Joshi. It is a special match for Yuki Mashiro in particular because she will be retiring from pro wrestling a few day’s later on New Year’s Eve. Nao Ishikawa & Kaho Matsushita have been recent opponents of Yuna Manase in Ice Ribbon too.

When Yumehito Imanari is in DDT, he is part of Pheromones. But in his home promotion he is his own man! He is ditching the bowtie to fight against his pervert friends Yuki Iino & Danshoku Dieno with Ken Ohka along to help him.

“NEW YEAR’S EVE PRO WRESTLING 2022 ~TOSHIWASURE! SHUFFLE 6-MAN TAG TOURNAMENT~”, 31/12/2022
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

1. Shuffle 6-Man Tag Tournament – Round 1A: MAO, Yuya Aoki & Yuko Miyamoto Vs Yukio Naya, Hideyoshi Kamitani & Kikutaro
2. Shuffle 6-Man Tag Tournament – Round 1B: Kazusada Higuchi, Kota Sekifuda & MUSASHI Vs Chris Brookes, Daisuke Sekimoto & Isami Kodaka
3. Shuffle 6-Man Tag Tournament – Round 1C: Tetsuya Endo, Yasufumi Nakanoue & Brahman Kei (w/ Brahman Shu) Vs Yuki Ueno, Daichi Hashimoto & Yuma Aoyagi
4. Shuffle 6-Man Tag Tournament – Round 1D: Takeshi Masada, Takuya Nomura & Masato Tanaka Vs HARASHIMA, Yuki Ishikawa & Masashi Takeda
5. Danshoku Dieno, Antonio Honda, Kazuki Hirata & Shunma Katsumata Vs Ryuji Ito, Abdullah Kobayashi, Jaki Numazawa & Kankuro Hoshino
6. Shuffle 6-Man Tag Tournament – Semi Final: Winners Of Match 1A Vs Winners Of Match 1B
7. Shuffle 6-Man Tag Tournament – Semi Final: Winners Of Match 1C Vs Winners Of Match 1D
8. Special 8-Man Tag Match: Konosuke Takeshita, Drew Parker, Cara Noir & RSP Vs Yuji Okabayashi, Kazumi Kikuta, Takuho Kato & Kazumasa Yoshida
9. Shuffle 6-Man Tag Tournament – Final: X, X & X Vs X, X & X

Ika Ra Takeshi Ki Asu Manji Hai (Driver’s High) – MAO, Yuya Aoki & Yuko Miyamoto
Team 2023 – Chris Brookes, Daisuke Sekimoto & Isami Kodaka
Zero Hyaku – Yuki Ueno, Daichi Hashimoto & Yuma Aoyagi
Big Bombers – Yukio Naya, Hideyoshi Kamitani & Kikutaro
Emi Chichichi (Wara Chichichi) – HARASHIMA, Yuki Ishikawa & Masashi Takeda
Bara No Ue In The Sky With Diamonds – Tetsuya Endo, Yasufumi Nakanoue & Brahman Kei (w/ Brahman Shu)
Team Kansai – Takeshi Masada, Takuya Nomura & Masato Tanaka
Super J Cups – Kazusada Higuchi, Kota Sekifuda & MUSASHI

The New Year’s Eve teams are picked and the bracket is ready. Now all that’s left to do is wrestle during the final hours of 2022.

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DDT “D-OU GRAND PRIX 2022 THE FINAL” Results

December 4, 2022

DDT “D-OU GRAND PRIX 2022 THE FINAL”, 04/12/2022
Tokyo Korakuen Hall
711 Fans – Super No Vacancy Full House

1. Soma Takao, Hideki Okatani & Hikaru Machida defeated Yuya Koroku, Yuki Ishida & Takeshi Masada when Takao pinned Ishida with the Gin And Tonic (8:36).
2. Soccer Match: Yuki “Sexy” Iino, Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno & Yumehito “Fantastic” Imanari (3) defeated Akito & Antonio Honda (2) by Penalty Shootout.
2a. Akito (1) pinned Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno (0) with a Gene LeBell Style Rolling Cradle (1st Half 0:18).
2b. Akito (2) pinned Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno (0) with a Free Kick (1st Half 1:21).
2c. Yuki “Sexy” Iino (1) pinned Akito (2) with the Ketsugoye (2nd Half 0:37).
2d. Yuki “Sexy” Iino (2) pinned Akito (2) with the Sexy Lariat (2nd Half 2:54).
*Pheromotia advance to the Final 8.
3. BURNING Vs The 37KAMIINA!: Tetsuya Endo, Kotaro Suzuki & Yusuke Okada defeated MAO, Shunma Katsumata & Toi Kojima when Endo pinned Kojima with the Burning Star Press (12:09).
4. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Naruki Doi, Toru Owashi & Kazuki Hirata defeated HARASHIMA, Yukio Sakaguchi & Kazuma Sumi when Hirata pinned Sumi with the Miracle One Shot Cradle (10:25).
5. DDT Extreme Title – TLC Match: Jun Akiyama defeated Joey Janela (c) with the Wrist Clutch Exploder Suplex (11:32).
*Joey Janela fails in V5. Jun Akiyama becomes the 56th DDT Extreme Champion!
6. Special 8-Man Tag Match: Kazusada Higuchi, Yuji Hino, Chris Brookes & RSP defeated Daisuke Sasaki, Minoru Fujita, MJ Paul & KANON when Higuchi pinned Paul with the Buchikamashi (10:50).
7. D-Ou Grand Prix 2022 – Final: Yuki Ueno defeated Yukio Naya with the BME (20:32).

The reigning DDT Universal Champion is now also the D-Ou Grand Prix winner for 2022! Before the tournament even began Yuki Ueno has been calling his shot to win the whole thing as part of his quest to be the leading figure in DDT. He achieved it here by beating Yukio Naya in the final. Naya came into the match as confident as he has ever been and looked to win with sheer power. He used an Avalanche Choke Slam as his big move to set up the Torture Cobra Twist. Ueno relied on his own speed and agility in response, nearly scoring a countout win after a Moonsault out of the ring. The BME was countered at first when Naya blocked it with his knees. Ueno tried to show fighting spirit against his opponent’s Lariats and Knee Strikes until he started to show signs of collapse. His second wind came when he countered a Choke Slam with a Triangle Choke. He used his new Rolling Guillotine Ace Crusher but was too beaten up to go for the pin. When both stood back up, Naya got the first blow and landed the Back Drop. However he too was slow to make the cover and Ueno kicked out. Naya rushed in for a final attack and he ran straight into a series of Dropkicks until he couldn’t get back up. Ueno got to hit the BME in the end and that was enough to win him the match.

Naya received applause from the crowd as he left ringside. Ueno stayed in the ring to receive his trophy from Kenta Kobashi. Ueno called Naya a big and amazing opponent that he was able to beat on his own. Ueno promises he will still work hard to become the best in DDT and get more people to watch DDT. He wants everybody to love DDT as much as he does. He has the DDT Universal Title, just won the D-Ou Grand Prix and now wants to win the KO-D Openweight Title! He’s sure Konosuke Takeshita is watching him from America and knows he wouldn’t be working so hard if it wasn’t for his friends. Backstage Naya showed frustration because he said he was going to carry DDT on his shoulders like a big shot only to lose in the final. He swore in 2023 he will go higher and become big enough to challenge for the KO-D Title. Kobashi praised Naya for not running out of stamina during such a long match and being able to respond to Ueno’s fast pace. Last year he was told by people in DDT that Ueno is a genius. Kobashi is beginning to understand the claim after watching him throughout the Grand Prix. He also thinks the future of DDT is blossoming because the final was between two wrestlers in their 20s.

A collection of heavyweights from the D-Ou group stages all joined forces to fight against DAMNATION T.A. The size differences took Minoru Fujita off guard. The opposition all ganged up on him and pulled off the Kai En Tai pyramid pose with Chris Brookes posing at the top. KANON tried slowing down Yuji Hino with the Cobra Twist. Daisuke Sasaki wanted to fight everyone off with a chair but was given a Double Choke Slam from RSP & Brookes. Hino then gathered most of DAMNATION T.A together outside the ring so RSP could do a Topé into them. MJ Paul showed some fight against Kazusada Higuchi but he too was decimated with the Buchikamashi sumo charge for the three count. After the match Higuchi said it does not matter if his next challenger is Ueno or Naya. He just wants to fight and defend the championship.

For the first time in his decorated career Jun Akiyama was taking part in a TLC Match. His opponent Joey Janela came up with the stipulation for the DDT Extreme Title match for his own benefit. Except that does not change the face he still had to fight Jun Akiyama! The challenger gradually found his footing in an arena filled with Tables, Ladders and Chairs all available to be used as weapons. He threw Janela out of the ring onto a castle of chairs. He also gave Janela the Exploder Suplex onto a ladder inside the ring. Janela showed his guts and went high risk. It paid off with a Diving Elbow from a ladder putting Akiyama through a table. He wanted to continue the attack but Akiyama gave him an Avalanche Exploder onto another table. Janela kicked out so Akiyama had to give him the Wrist-Clutch Exploder to finally put him away and win the Extreme Title!

After the match Janela finally showed Akiyama some respect by shaking his hand. Janela later said Akiyama earned his respect by stepping into his area of hardcore wrestling and winning. As Akiyama was leaving the ring, Super Sasadango Machine appeared and called for his attention. He told everyone that he has not wrestled much in 2022 and wanted to make a year end adjustment. He figured if he could challenge Akiyama for the Extreme Title at the end of the year it would make up for his inactivity. Akiyama thought about it and agreed. He then asked Sasadango how much he weighed. Sasadango answered he is 125kg. Akiyama told him to lose 20kg and then left the ring. Hisaya Imabayashi used his GM powers to make the match official for 29th December.

Naruki Doi’s request to face DDT’s best led him straight to HARASHIMA. Although first he had to go through Kazuma Sumi because the rookie wanted to start the match against him. Kazuki Hirata did not show as much bravery when he had to share the ring with Yukio Sakaguchi. Doi and HARASHIMA got to fight each other eventually but Hirata continued to look like the weak link. He took a Running Knee from Sakaguchi in the corner, a Springboard Splash from HARASHIMA and a Standing Moonsault from Sumi. However Hirata kicked out of the pin and suddenly caught Sumi in the Miracle One Shot Cradle to win the match for his team out of nowhere.

Hirata wanted to give a victory speech but he was interrupted by Tetsuya Endo’s theme music. Endo walked out with Kotaro Suzuki & Yusuke Okada by his side. Endo said he hadn’t forgotten about Doi mentioning his name in Kyoto as somebody he wants to fight. This is Endo accepting the challenge! He also wants it to be a KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles match. Hirata tried to speak but Doi cut him off. Doi thinks it is a chance of fate because not only does he want to fight Endo, he also never thought he would see Suzuki in a DDT ring again. Doi told them his next scheduled appearance for DDT is on 29th December. He asked Toru Owashi who was the authority around here and was confused when he was pointed over to Imabayashi. The GM confirmed the title match will happen on the 29th.

The BURNING trio had just wrestled in the match before, beating The 37KAMIINA. Suzuki squared off with Shunma Katsumata. The two of them had a singles match in DNA 5 years ago and Katsumata was eager to show hot much he has grown since then. Toi Kojima also wanted to test himself against the veteran. He ended up on the worst end of things by taking Suzuki’s Tombstone, then Okada’s Diving Headbutt and finally Endo’s Burning Star Press for the finish. Endo and Suzuki treated the match as their first introductions to each other. Suzuki also called DDT a new view for him to experience now that he is freelance. Katsumata wants another chance to fight Suzuki and show he can surpass him. MAO was in a bit of a bad mood after seeing the video of Akiyama interviewing Suzuki. In the video there are three times when Akiyama said DDT became a stronger place after he joined the company. That line has been bothering MAO ever since he heard it.

The success of Japan in the World Cup has Pheromones feeling football crazy. They all walked down to the ring wearing football kits and demanding their match be held under Soccer Rules. Every 1 Count pinfall counted as a goal. At first the plan backfired when Akito quickly pinned Dieno early in the 1st half. Dieno then caused a foul which allowed Akito to score a second goal from a free Dropkick. Antonio Honda was in the middle of telling his Gongitsune joke when Yukinori Matsui blew his whistle and ended the half. For the 2nd Half, Yumehito Imanari was brought in as a substitute for Dieno. Yuki Iino blocked Honda’s Bionic Elbow and used the Katsugoye to make the score 2-1. Imanari then pinned Akito to make it 2-2 but the pinfall was disallowed after a VAR review. Play restarted and Iino pinned Akito with the Sexy Lariat. Akito pleaded for another VAR review, claiming that Iino’s ball was showing outside of his skimpy costume. VAR showed that the ball was still in bounds within the line by the slightest of margins so the goal stood. The match went to an actual penalty shootout in the ring and Imanari scored the winning shot to send his team into the Quarter Finals! Final score: Pheromotia 3 – 2 Subjugation JAPAN.

The first match of the day featured the return of the kickboxer Hikaru Machida. He had some striking exchanges with Takeshi Masada when they were both in the ring. Yuya Koroku used a Waterwheel Drop on Soma Takao, setting up his team to launch a train attack against him. Yuki Ishida tried to take it all the way until Machida & Hideki Okatani cut him off. Ishida kicked out of Takao’s Running Elbow but was down and out when Takao did the Gin And Tonic.

Dieno announced some new matches for his book launch event at Korakuen Hall on 21st December. Doi and Katsumata face off in a first time singles match. Kazusada Higuchi, Thanomsak Toba & Yuki Ishida Vs Tesuya Endo, Jun Akiyama & DJ Nira will also happen on the show.

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Posted by JamieOD

GANBARE☆PRO “TOKIMEKI NISHISU 2022” Results

December 3, 2022

GANBARE☆PRO “TOKIMEKI NISHISU 2022”, 03/12/2022
Yokohama Radiant Hall
113 Fans

1. GanPro Specialty Mixed Tag Match: Shinichiro Tominaga & HARUKAZE defeated Yuki Kanzaki & Yoshiko Hasegawa when HARUKAZE pinned Hasegawa with the Flame Spear (11:35).
2. GanJo Special Single Match: Moeka Haruhi defeated YuuRI with the West High East Low Winter Gorkuraku Gatame (9:08).
3. GanPro Vs P.P.P.: Yumehito Imanari & Yuna Manase defeated Kentaro Hachisu & Echika Miyabi when Manase submitted Miyabi with a Half Crab Hold (12:25).
4. GanPro Special 6-Man Tag Match In YOKOHAMA: Ken Ohka, Shuichiro Katsumura & Tsuyoshi Okada defeated Keisuke Ishii, Soma Takao & Tyson Maeguchi when Katsumura submitted Ishii with the Triple Three 3 Lock (14:38).
5. Tokimeki Nishisu 2022 Special Tag Match: Shigehiro Irie & Mizuki Watase defeated Hartley Jackson & Seiya Morohashi when Watase pinned Morohashi with the Elbow Butt (15:58).

The last prelim match before Ganbare☆Pro heads to Korakuen Hall at the end of December had Mizuki Watase score a big victory over Hartley Jackson’s team. The show began with a contract signing between the two and Watase spoke about wrestling in 15 different promotions this year. He’s been told he has no Ganbare☆Spirit but in reality he is burning with it. Jackson told Watase that Ganpro is his home too and no matter what Watase can do, he will not win the Spirit Of Ganbare Title from Jackson. In the main event Watase had Shigehiro Irie by his side and nailed Seiya Morohashi with an Elbow Butt to score the victory. Watase told Jackson that this is Ganbare☆Spirit. It does not matter if it looks uncool or unrefined, the more you win with it the more the spirit will burn! Jackson warned that when the title match takes place on 27th December he won’t be treating Watase like a little kid anymore.

The team from P.P.P. Tokyo provided a new challenge for Yumehito Imanari & Yuna Manase to take on together. Echika Miyabi was on the previous show losing to Manase. Kentaro Hachisu was making his Ganpro debut and has been getting attention lately for the “Chest Hair Niki” gimmick he uses to promote his wrestling matches and MMA fights. Manase won the match for the home team by tapping out Miyabi, but the Ganpro team paid respect to the P.P.P. wrestlers after the match.

Munetatsu Nakamura will have his debut match on 27th December against Shinichiro Tominaga. Nakamura told the fans he wants to have an exciting match that will leave a mark on everybody. Tominaga’s advice to him is to understand that pro wrestling is all about experience. He then gave a personal example involving a sexual act he was once involved in that almost left him blinded but I don’t want to write about those details at all.

An inter-promotional match mixing together Ganpro and Tokyo Joshi Pro is happening on the 27th. Yoshiko Hasegawa is going to team with Suzume, who she recently fought in a TJPW ring. The two of them think they can get along, grow and become stronger together. Their opponents don’t seem to be on the same page. YuuRI is excited to team with Yuki Kamifuku but the feelings don’t seem to be mutual. She always tweets compliments to her but never gets a response. Kamifuku is happy to wrestle in Ganpro again but thinks Ken Ohka has bad taste if he is making her team up with “a cabaret girl who makes about 1,200 yen an hour.”

A video message from Shota was sent in revealing his American excursion will soon be coming to an end. His return to Ganpro will be on 27th December.

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Posted by JamieOD

Hartley Faces RENEGADES, Dieno’s Selfish Matches, Rookie Munetatsu, New Year’s Eve Participants

November 21, 2022

“MASAHIRO TAKANASHI INDEPENDENT PERFORMANCE – BOKUTACHI 4 HANJUKU 4 I LOVE YOU! 2022”, 22/11/2022
Shinjuku FACE

0. Dark Match: Shinsetsu Gomu Ningen & Gota Ihashi (w/ Miyako Haru) Vs SAKI & Yasu Urano (w/ KUDO)
1. Chris Brookes, Mizuki Watase & Antonio Honda Vs Keisuke Ishii, Shigehiro Irie & Soma Takao
2. Mei Suruga Vs MAO
3. Mixed Gauntlet Tag Match: Ram Kaichow & Yuko Miyamoto Vs Saki Akai & Brahman Kei (w/ Brahman Shu) Vs Mochi Natsumi & Hoshitango Vs Cherry & Gorgeous Matsuno Vs Chie Koishikawa & Shin Suzuki Vs Choun-Shiryu & Lee Yoneyama Vs Isami Kodaka & Emi Sakura W
4. Daisuke Sekimoto Vs Masahiro Takanashi

Drew Parker had to pull out of tomorrow’s show due to an arm injury. Mizuki Watase is his replacement.

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “ALL RISE ’22”, 27/11/2022
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

1. Shoko Nakajima, Hyper Misao & Kaya Toribami Vs Pom Harajuku, Haruna Neko & Mahiro Kiryu
2. Suzume Vs Yoshiko Hasegawa
3. Mizuki Vs Arisu Endo
4. Maki Itoh & Hikari Noa Vs Yuki Kamifuku & Nao Kakuta
5. Rika Tatsumi & Miu Watanabe Vs Moka Miyamoto & Juria Nagano
6. EVE Title: Miyu Yamashita (c) Vs Millie McKenzie
7. Princess Tag Team Titles: Saki Akai & Yuki Arai (c) Vs Yuki Aino & Raku
8. Princess Of Princess Title: Yuka Sakazaki (c) Vs Billie Starkz

The undercard has now been filled out. Daydream are back together for a match against the Karate Tag of Moka Miyamoto & Juria Nagano. Also Yoshiko Hasegawa from Ganbare☆Pro returns for another appearance in Tokyo Joshi Pro. This time she’s getting a singles match against Suzume.

GANBARE☆PRO “TOKIMEKI NISHISU 2022”, 03/12/2022
Yokohama Radiant Hall

1. GanPro Vs P.P.P: Yumehito Imanari & Yuna Manase Vs Kentaro Hachisu & Echika Miyabi
2. Tokimeki Nishisu 2022 Special Tag Match: Hartley Jackson & Seiya Morohashi Vs Shigehiro Irie & Mizuki Watase

This is one last chance for Watase to prove he will be some kind of threat against Hartley Jackson. The Spirit Of Ganbare Champion suddenly turned sour on the idea he could be welcomed into the Ganpro family because of Watase’s recent weak efforts against him. So this time Watase is calling in his buddy Shigehiro Irie to provide back up against the champ and Seiya Morohashi. The power of RENEGADES may be just what Watase needs.

Yuna Manase and Echika Miyabi are in another match together after the two enjoyed their first rendezvous. This time the match is attracting other members of Ganpro and P.P.P Tokyo because Yumehito Imanari and Kentaro Hachisu are getting involved too.

DDT “D-OU GRAND PRIX 2022 THE FINAL”, 04/12/2022
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

1. DDT Extreme Title: Joey Janela (c) Vs Jun Akiyama
2. D-Ou Grand Prix 2022 – Final: Yuki Ueno Vs Yukio Naya

The D-Ou Grand Prix final is between Yuki Ueno and Yukio Naya. Ueno lost in last year’s final and is determined not to repeat that result. Naya has already called his shot after he wins the tournament to challenge Kazusada Higuchi for the KO-D Openweight Title in Tokyo Dome City Hall at the end of the year.

Why does Eddie Kingston get to have all the fun? Joey Janela wants to fight Jun Akiyama too and is willing to put the DDT Extreme Title on the line for it to happen.

DDT “DANSHOKU DIENO 20TH ANNIVERSARY BOOK PUBLICATION COMMEMORATION”, 21/12/2022
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

1. Selfishly For The 2nd Time In 20 Years, A Single Match That Danshoku Dieno Just Wants To See: Yuki “Sexy” Iino Vs Yumehito “Fantastic” Imanari
2. Selfishly For The 1st Time In 20 Years, Danshoku Dieno’s Self-Satisfaction Match: Danshoku Dieno Vs Muscle Sakai

A book launch to celebrate 20 years in the business is a good enough reason to give Danshoku Dieno some match making powers for the event. He is happily being selfish with the power by booking himself against his old friend Muscle Sakai. He also wants to see what Yuki Iino versus Yumehito Imanari would be like.

GANBARE☆PRO “GIRI GIRI CHOP! 2022”, 27/12/2022
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

1. Munetatsu Nakamura Debut Match: Munetatsu Nakamura Vs X
2. Kouki Iwasaki Ganbare☆Pro Wrestling Last Match: Keisuke Ishii Vs Kouki Iwasaki
3. Spirit Of Ganbare World Openweight Title: Hartley Jackson (c) Vs Mizuki Watase

The new rookie Munetatsu Nakamura is a 21 year old college student from Chiba. He is 168cm tall, weighs 65kg and his athletic experience is with wrestling and Judo. Nakamura originally trained for the DDTeeeen!! project but never wrestled a match (unless he was Ilusion all along but I have no evidence to back that up). Instead he switched his training over to Ganpro earlier this year and will make his pro debut with them.

DDT “NEVER MIND 2022”, 29/12/2022
Tokyo Dome City Hall

1. Pheromones Vs “Miyako & Ward” Pheromones Subjugation Allied Forces: Yuki “Sexy” Iino, Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno, Yumehito “Fantastic” Imanari & Koju “Shining Ball” Takeda Vs Akito, Osamu Nishimura, Shinichiro Kawamatsu & Shunma Katsumata
2. Special Tag Match: Saki Akai & Yuki Arai Vs Saori Anou & Riko Kawahata
3. KO-D Openweight Title: Kazusada Higuchi (c) Vs X

The KO-D Title shot at the end of the year is not the automatic prize for the D-Ou winner but it’s clear Ueno or Naya is going to get it.

Akito needs some powerful and influential people to help him keep Pheromones under control or else DDT is at risk of being banned from Korakuen Hall and probably all the other venues within Tokyo Dome City. Who could be more powerful and influential than politcians? Osamu Nishimura & Shinichiro Kawamatsu are here to help. Shunma Katsumata is also getting dragged into the fight.

It’s already been announced but here’s a reminder that Konosuke Takeshita and Cara Noir will be on the show. Takeshita is still part of the DDT roster along with his new affiliation with AEW.

“NEW YEAR’S EVE PRO WRESTLING 2022 ~TOSHIWASURE! SHUFFLE 6-MAN TAG TOURNAMENT~”, 31/12/2022
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

DDT: Kazusada Higuchi, HARASHIMA, Tetsuya Endo, Yuki Ueno, Chris Brookes, MAO, Yukio Naya & Takeshi Masada

BJW: Hideyoshi Kamitani, Takuya Nomura, Kota Sekifuda, Yasufumi Nakanoue, Daisuke Sekimoto, Daichi Hashimoto, Yuya Aoki & Yuki Ishikawa

Year End Dream Slot: Masato Tanaka, Yuko Miyamoto, Isami Kodaka, Masashi Takeda, MUSASHI, Yuma Aoyagi, Brahman Kei (w/ Brahman Shu) & Kikutaro

The lineup for the annual New Year’s Eve trios tournament has been revealed. There will be eight teams involved each containing one DDT wrestler, one Big Japan wrestler and one “Dream” wrestler. The teams will be chosen on 24th November. There will be two non-tournament matches happening on the New Year’s Eve show as well.

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Posted by JamieOD

DDT “D-OU GRAND PRIX 2022 IN KORAKUEN HALL” Results

November 18, 2022

DDT “D-OU GRAND PRIX 2022 IN KORAKUEN HALL”, 18/11/2022
Tokyo Korakuen Hall
450 Fans

0. Dark Match: Yusuke Okada defeated Yuki Ishida with the Sudden Death (6:45).
0. Dark Match – 3 Vs 4 Handicap Match: Yuki “Sexy” Iino, Yumehito “Fantastic” Imanari & Koju “Shining Ball” Takeda defeated Akito, Masahiro Takanashi, Antonio Honda & Gorgeous Matsuno when Iino pinned Honda after the Sexy Lock Up (8:28).
1. Minoru Fujita, MJ Paul & KANON defeated Yukio Sakaguchi, Hideki Okatani & Yuya Koroku when KANON pinned Koroku with the Sleepy Hollow (5:57).
2. Special 8-Man Tag Match: HARASHIMA, Naruki Doi, Toru Owashi & Kazuki Hirata defeated MAO, Shunma Katsumata, Toi Kojima & Takeshi Masada when Doi pinned Kojima with the Bakatare Sliding Kick (11:38).
3. D-Ou Grand Prix 2022 – A Block: Joey Janela (4) Vs RSP (4) ended in a Double Countout (11:36).
4. D-Ou Grand Prix 2022 – A Block: Naomi Yoshimura (4) defeated Tetsuya Endo (5) with the Harai Goshi (7:05).
5. D-Ou Grand Prix 2022 – A Block: Yuki Ueno (6) defeated Daisuke Sasaki (5) with the Rolling Guillotine Ace Crusher (16:53).
6. D-Ou Grand Prix 2022 – B Block: Chris Brookes (4) defeated Yuji Hino (7) with a Modified Samson Clutch (12:10).
7. D-Ou Grand Prix 2022 – B Block: Yukio Naya (8) defeated Kazusada Higuchi (7) with the Back Drop (19:05).

A Block

1. Yuki Ueno (6)
2. Tetsuya Endo (5)
-. Daisuke Sasaki (5)
4. RSP (4)
-. Joey Janela (4)
-. Naomi Yoshimura (4)

B Block

1. Yukio Naya (8)
2. Yuji Hino (7)
-. Kazusada Higuchi (7)
4. Chris Brookes (4)
5. KANON (2)
-. MAO (2)

The race to the final is complete and two men are left to fight over who will win the 2022 D-Ou Grand Prix. The Block was decided by what is possibly the biggest upset in the entire tournament this year when Yukio Naya defeated Kazusada Higuchi! The reigning KO-D Openweight Champion was one of two unbeaten wrestlers left in the group and when the path opened up for him to remain the only one at the finish, but Naya decided it would go differently. The Headbutt was the key move in a Higuchi match yet again. The twist however was the move came from Naya to get the advantage. Some Knee Lifts were used afterwards to soften up Higuchi for the Back Drop for the surprise result. Naya’s win means he vaults over the two top heavyweights to reach the final!

So how did it all go wrong for Yuji Hino, the other undefeated wrestler in B Block? Blame CDK for that. Chris Brookes relied on Masahiro Takanashi to help him get a win. The referee was taken out after being used as a shield then Takanashi gave Hino a Low Blow right when he was about to hit the Fuckin’ BOMB on Brookes. Makoto Oishi came to the rescue by grabbing the Asia Dream Tag Team Title belt off of Takanashi. However Brookes then pushed Oishi right into Hino, knocking the big guy loopy when he head first came into contact with the title belt. He was still able to kick out of the pin but was too dazed to kick out of a Samson Clutch afterwards. Brookes isn’t happy with this year being the fourth in a row he failed to win the final. If things don’t improve for him in the next 12 months he does not see a point in him being in the next D-Ou GP. Hino isn’t mad because he doesn’t feel like he lost. All he knows is his head and crotch both hurt so he just wants to go home and get into his bed.

The A Block was a much tighter race with five of the six contestants still in the running one way or another. When the dust settled it was Yuki Ueno who was left standing above everyone else in first place uncontested. He took a beating to get there because Daisuke Sasaki attacked him with plenty of chairs in their match. But Ueno had enough with that kind of stuff and stopped Sasaki with a Dropkick. He hit the BME but Sasaki only kicked out at one. He also blocked the Crossface Lock when Sasaki tried to convert it into the Crossover Facelock. However the BME only got a one count so Ueno had to pull out his new finisher, the Rolling Guillotine Ace Crusher to clear past Sasaki and book his place in the final. Sasaki is so upset over the loss he says 2022 has ended for himself and DAMNATION T.A as well as the first half of 2023. You’ll have to wait until the second half of 2023 to see them get their revenge!

Tetsuya Endo fell at the final hurdle thanks to Naomi Yoshimura. Endo was fighting for first place going into this show and would have made the final had he won, now that we know how Ueno Vs Sasaki went. Instead the Harai Goshi pinned Endo out of nowhere and dashed his chances of advancing. It’s been one of the few bright spots of Yoshimura’s tournament this year and he is currently not in the mood to talk about it. Meanwhile Endo is already thinking of any lessons he learned, figuring out that he has not grown since their last singles match while Yoshimura clearly has.

The two American wrestlers both left their mark in the A Block as wild cards disrupting everyone else’s chances. Both Joey Janela and RSP had slim chances of staying in the Grand Prix but they also had their sights set on each other during the entire tour due to their history together on the American indies. It led to a match where the two tried to destroy each other with the biggest moves they could think of. The biggest came when RSP gave Janela a Death Valley Bomb from the ring apron onto the floor outside. The move took out both men and the match ended in a Double Countout. Due to the new scoring rules implemented this year, a Double Counout means neither wrestlers received any points. Janela takes some enjoyment that the result stopped RSP from getting anywhere near the final. He also now wants to move on to his next target, Jun Akiyama! He thought he would get to fight Akiyama until he found out DDT added an age limit to this year’s D-Ou GP. If that’s not enough, while Janela is here in Japan Akiyama is in America wrestling Eddie Kingston in Janela’s previous workplace AEW! Janela wants Akiyama to come face him when he returns to Japan.

The D-Ou GP final is now set. The A Block winner Yuki Ueno faces the B Block winner Yukio Naya on 4th December. Ueno is in the final for the second year in a row and did not expect to be seeing Naya with him here. Naya’s a big guy but Ueno wants to live up to his promise to carry DDT on his own back. Naya said he is ready to do that too. He just beat Higuchi and now he has to beat Ueno. Should he do that then Naya will make it clear he wants to challenge Higuchi for the KO-D Title inside Tokyo Dome City Hall at the end of December!

Even without the tournament there is a lot of news coming out of this show. Naruki Doi made his next appearance for DDT, forming a team with DISASTER BOX that was nicknamed Disaster Muscle. Doi felt like he was being pranked with DISASTER BOX, The 37KAMIINA and even Takeshi Masada all getting him involved in wacky spots. Toru Owashi did his lucha while Kazuki Hirata tried to mimic MAO’s Koppojutsu but was easily brushed aside. He also tried to wear the Hirata GO! glasses but the music immediately caused Doi to kick him. Toi Kojima was the one to step up to Doi but was cut down with the Doi 555 and Bakatare Sliding Kick. After the match HARASHIMA welcomed Doi to DDT and congratulated him on winning the KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles, one of the few championships that HARASHIMA has never held. Doi asked the fans if they would like to see him face HARASHIMA some day? He then said he will be back in DDT on the 21st and 29th December. If anyone wants to fight Doi, Owashi & Hirata for the titles then Doi will accept any challengers… except for Shunma Katsumata.

KANON had a poor run in the tournament but that is all behind him now. He rejoined MJ Paul & Minoru Fujita to get a win against Eruption & Yuya Koroku. It was a close match with Yukio Sakaguchi & Hideki Okatani keeping DAMNATION T.A on their toes. Koroku then took the lead against KANON but a reversal of fortunes saw KANON pin him with the Sleepy Hollow.

There were also two matches on the pre-show. Danshoku Dieno was absent with a fever so it was up to the rest of Pheromones to keep it up with their obscene antics. This is bad news for Akito because their behaviour is getting so bad that Korakuen Hall management may consider stepping in and banning DDT from doing further shows in the building. Yuki Iino & Koju Takeda may have found a kindred spirit because Gorgeous Matsuno was more than ready to compare his fit body with theirs. Antonio Honda used Iino’s backside to charge up Gongitsune but some bad targeting led to both Akito & Takanashi getting knocked out. Yumehito Imanari saw the opening and got his partners to lock up with each other. Doing so had them essentially teabag all of their opponents over and over into submission. Akito was mad with the result because he bungled the numbers advantage and now DDT is at risk of being kicked out of Korakuen. Pheromones need to be subjugated so Akito will bring in the political tag team of Osamu Nishimura & Shinichiro Kawamatsu for the big 29th December show at Tokyo Dome City Hall!

The other dark match saw Yusuke Okada take all that Yuki Ishida could throw at him. Ishida fought out of a Crab Hold and kicked out of a long distance Diving Headbutt. It was a good effort but Okada beat him with the Sudden Death in the end.

Katsumata feels like there is not enough excitement going around so he came up with an idea to do an Explosion Death Match in the new year. So one will take place in Tsurumi on 7th January where Katsumata will aim to surpass Atsushi Onita and become the Reiwa era’s version of “Evil Ways”. He promised that show will not end until he blows up Onita!

An update was given in regards to LiLiCo’s request to take part in the Anal Explosion opening ceremony for the 29h December show in TDC Hall. Hisaya Imabayashi took part in a show with LiLiCo’s husband Ryohei Odai during the week so he recorded a video discussing the situation with him. Odai does not like the idea but is under the impression that all couples have a rule where they do not need to be concerned for what their partners do with their anuses. So he is ok with LiLiCo and DDT going ahead with the ceremony.

DDT has a Korakuen show on 21st December to celebrate the launch of Dieno’s new book about his views on pro wrestling. Dieno will have a match against Muscle Sakai on the show. There will also be a match between Yuki Iino and Yumehito Imanari just because Dieno wants to see it happen.

Matsuno gave everyone a news update about his planned kidney transplant operation for his partner Junko Tashiro. It was previously announced that the operation was delayed until next Spring because Tashiro is in stable health and has no need to get a transplant right away. The operation is now scheduled for April but may be delayed again if Tashiro remains in good health. It is inevitable that the transplant will need to happen some day and when it does, Matsuno made a vow to return to the ring after it is completed.

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Posted by JamieOD

Chouten Final, Echika Miyabi In GanPro, World Omori Title Returns

November 7, 2022

BASARA “BASARA 203 ~GLITTER~”, 08/11/2022
Shin-Kiba 1st RING

1. Chouten ~Itadaki~ – A Block Final: FUMA Vs Fuminori Abe
2. Chouten ~Itadaki~ – B Block Final: Masato Kamino Vs Yasu Urano
3. Turnabout Pro Wrestling Trial: Gouma Vs Banana Senga Vs X
4. Takumi Tsukamoto, Takato Nakano & Lil’ Kraken Vs Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi, Daichi Kazato & Tsutomu Oosugi
5. Isami Kodaka, Daiki Shimomura & Minoru Fujita Vs Ryota Nakatasu, SAGAT & Akiyori Takizawa
6. Chouten ~Itadaki~ – Final: Winner Of A Block Vs Winner Of B Block

Either FUMA, Fuminori Abe, Masato Kamino or Yasu Urano will come out of the show as this year’s Chouten ~Itadaki~ winner. There is also the return of the Turnabout Pro Wrestling Trial too. The last one of those that happened in BASARA was back in July 2020.

DDT “D-OU GRAND PRIX 2022 IN OSAKA”, 12/11/2022
Osaka Edion Arena #2

0. Dark Match: Shunma Katsumata & Kazuma Sumi Vs Yusuke Okada & Yuya Koroku
1. MJ Paul & KANON Vs Hideki Okatani & Takeshi Masada
2. Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno Produce Match: Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno Vs Aja Kong & HARASHIMA
3. KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles: Yuji Hino, Makoto Oishi & Shiori Asahi (c) Vs Naruki Doi, Toru Owashi & Kazuki Hirata
4. D-Ou Grand Prix 2022 – A Block: Yuki Ueno (4) Vs Naomi Yoshimura (0)
5. D-Ou Grand Prix 2022 – A Block: Daisuke Sasaki (1) Vs Joey Janela (4)
6. D-Ou Grand Prix 2022 – A Block: Tetsuya Endo (3) Vs RSP (4)
7. D-Ou Grand Prix 2022 – B Block: Kazusada Higuchi (3) Vs MAO (2)
8. D-Ou Grand Prix 2022 – B Block: Chris Brookes (2) Vs Yukio Naya (2)

Mixed fortunes all around in the D-Ou Grand Prix so far. A Block is all to play for at the moment. Everyone is still in the running so wrestlers like Naomi Yoshimura and Daisuke Sasaki have to start their comeback now before it’s too late. The B Block matches on this show is giving those involved the chance to catch up with the leader Yuji Hino.

GANBARE☆PRO “GUNHED 2022”, 19/11/2022
Chiba 2AW Square

1. Soma Takao & Tyson Maeguchi Vs Shuichiro Katsumura & Shinichiro Tominaga
2. Original GanPro Tag Vs Last Teacher-Student Tag: Ken Ohka & Yumehito Imanari Vs Keisuke Ishii & Kouki Iwasaki
3. Gunhed 2022 Special Tag Match: Hartley Jackson & Seiya Morohashi Vs Tatsuhito Takaiwa & Mizuki Watase
4. GanJo Three Big Singles Match: HARUKAZE Vs YuuRI
5. GanJo Three Big Singles Match: Moeka Haruhi Vs Yoshiko Hasegawa
6. GanJo Three Big Singles Match: Yuna Manase Vs Echika Miyabi

It’s time for Ganbare☆Joshi to finally do those big series of singles matches that shows are built around sometimes. Most of the division are taking on each other but Yuna Manase is getting a brand new opponent making her Ganbare☆Pro debut. Echika Miyabi is a trans joshi wrestler who made her pro wrestling debut with P.P.P. Tokyo in September. Miyabi is 21 years old, 178cm tall and weighs 75kg. She had a background in baseball and judo before she transitioned during her college years. She worked at a muscle girls themed bar where she was introduced to pro wrestling by her workmate, Chanyota and began training with her.

It will be a few weeks until the next Spirit Of Ganbare Title defence so until then Hartley Jackson and Mizuki Watase will have plenty of time to prepare for it. Former champion Tatsuhito Takaiwa is coming back to give Watase some help in his preparation. Jackson will be teaming with Seiya Morohashi for this match.

Kouki Iwasaki’s final match in Ganpro will be against Keisuke Ishii but before that happens, he wants to team with him one last time. Their friendship will be put to the test against Ganpro’s original best buddies, Ken Ohka & Yumehito Imanari.

DDT “UTAN FESTA 2022”, 27/11/2022
Tokyo JR Omori Station East Exit Square

1. World Omori Title: Chikara (c) Vs Soma Takao

2018 was the last time the World Omori Title was defended outside the JR Omori Station. It’s been years since DDT held a show there but they are finally going back. It was determined four years ago that Chikara would defend the title against Masahiro Takanashi next but Takanashi will be busy wrestling in Singapore. So instead Soma Takao has been chosen to challenge for the belt even though he does not want to. The next No. 1 Contender for the following year’s event is usually determined on this show too.

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DDT “GOD BLESS DDT 2022” Results

October 23, 2022

DDT “GOD BLESS DDT 2022”, 23/10/2022
Tokyo Korakuen Hall
701 Fans – Super No Vacancy Full House

0. Dark Match – Pheromones Vs Takagi-gun Complete Showdown FINAL ~ Dissolution Contra 1 Day President! 2 Vs 5 Handicap Match: Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno (w/ Yumehito “Fantastic” Imanari) defeated Sanshiro Takagi, Toru Owashi, Makoto Oishi, Antonio Honda & Akito when Dieno pinned Takagi after a Chairshot from Hisaya Imabayashi (7:39).
*Yuki “Sexy” Iino gets to be CyberFight President for 1 day.
1. Kazuma Sumi Debut Match: Kazuki Hirata defeated Kazuma Sumi with a Crab Hold (8:48).
2. Daisuke Sasaki, Minoru Fujita, MJ Paul & KANON defeated Shunma Katsumata, Toi Kojima, Saki Akai & Hideki Okatani when KANON pinned Kojima with the Sleepy Hollow (12:08).
3. Special Tag Match: Soma Takao & Hikaru Machida defeated HARASHIMA & Takeshi Masada when Machida pinned Masada with the Iai Punch (10:56).
4. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Jun Akiyama, Yusuke Okada & Yuya Koroku defeated Osamu Nishimura, Shinichiro Kawamatsu & Yuki Ishida when Koroku submitted Ishida with the Triangle Lancer (10:39).
5. Road To D-Ou GP Special 6-Man Tag Match: Naomi Yoshimura, Yuji Hino & Chris Brookes defeated Tetsuya Endo, MAO & Yukio Naya when Brookes pinned Naya with a Roll Up (15:22).
6. DDT Universal Title: Yuki Ueno (c) defeated Koju “Shining Ball” Takeda with the WR (15:24).
*V2 for Yuki Ueno.
7. KO-D Openweight Title: Kazusada Higuchi (c) defeated Yukio Sakaguchi with the Brain Claw Slam (16:12).
*V4 for Kazusada Higuchi.

A fourth successful KO-D Openweight Title defence is in the books for Kazusada Higuchi and it was his most emotional one yet. Yukio Sakaguchi spent the build up to the match pulling the “big brother” card and reminding everyone that he is Higuchi’s senpai. It was all mind games to see if Higuchi has really moved on from Eruption or not. It added more danger to Sakaguchi’s kicks and choke holds. The attacks left Higuchi bleeding from the bridge of his nose. But Higuchi hit back with the Brain Claw Slam and several Horizontal Chops. Sakaguchi was spent by the end of it while Higuchi yelled at him to stand back up. Both of them knew the match was finished and a tearful Higuchi gave his “big brother” another Brain Claw Slam to get the win.

The aftermatch saw Sakaguchi praising Higuchi for being merciless and also as strong as ever. He told Naomi Yoshimura & Yuki Ishida that they are part of a good unit in Harimao and they should trust Higuchi as their leader. It also made Sakaguchi tell Saki Akai & Hideki Okatani that Eruption need to fire up even stronger from now on because they cannot lose. Higuchi thanked Sakaguchi & Akai for what they taught him in Eruption. He then gave Okatani a gift. It is Higuchi’s entrance gown he wore when he was part of Eruption. When they left, Higuchi said the D-Ou Grand Prix is a physically and mentally tough challenge but he is going to face it and break through. The next KO-D Title defence won’t be until 29th December.

Old allies from the DNA days turned into fresh rivals for the DDT Universal Title. The champion Yuki Ueno not only had to worry about fighting Koju Takeda but the rest of Pheromones too. However The 37KAMIINA were there to support Ueno and get Pheromones out of the way, although it took some dives from Takeda and Ueno to help clear out the interference. When it went back into a 1 on 1 match, Ueno pinned Takeda with the WR to defend the title. He told Takeda afterwards he is glad their match has gone from Kitasenju Theatre 1010 to Korakuen Hall. Ueno doesn’t want to face anyone from Pheromones again but he can’t help but feel jealous at them. Now he will move on to the D-Ou Grand Prix where he hopes to do one better than last year and win the tournament.

A lot of the D-Ou field used today’s matches to get ready and call their shots for the tournament next month. Chris Brookes declared after the trios match he was going to win the D-Ou GP. Yoshimura then cut off the music to say he would win it instead. Yuji Hino called the two of them idiots because he will win. Then Tetsuya Endo questioned all of their opinions and decided he was going to be the winner. MAO kept cutting in during this so everyone just heard the two of them talk over each other. Yukio Naya had enough and shoved them over to say he will win. They played his music to end the segment, which annoyed Brookes because Brookes beat Naya to win the match.

The wrestling politicians team came back. Osamu Nishimura & Shinichiro Kawamatsu teamed with Ishida to take on three members of BURNING. Kawamatsu was thrown right in there with Jun Akiyama which has to be both an exciting and terrifying experience for a long time wrestling fan. Maybe the same can be said for Yusuke Okada getting to fight Nishimura. But it was the two youngest wrestlers of the match who determined which side won. Yuya Koroku timed Ishida’s momentum well and drew him into a Triangle Lancer to get the submission victory. Okada criticized Kawamatsu’s performance in the post-match interview backstage. He said the politician should put more energy into his performance. Elsewhere Kawamatsu said he fell into the same trap as his last match. Whenever he gets into the ring, his mind goes blank and his body stiffens up. If he gets another chance to do a match he promises to devote himself into showing everyone a more solid performance.

A brand new challenge was presented to Takeshi Masada. How would he fare taking on a kickboxer like Hikaru Machida? The match also presented a big challenge for Machida because HARASHIMA was Masada’s tag partner. Masada held his own against both Machida & Soma Takao until Machida started getting the combos in. They took their toll on the rookie and he was done for once the Iai Punch found its target. HARASHIMA would like to team with Masada again but they need a better tag name. The suggestions they got were Pantaloon Tag and Harashimasada but HARASHIMA thinks both of them sound too dorky.

The two members of DAMNATION T.A entering the D-Ou GP are also looking in good shape going into it. Daisuke Sasaki & KANON were victorious along with Minoru Fujita & MJ Paul against a combined foursome of Eruption and The 37KAMIINA members. Sasaki and Shunma Katsumata had a close exchange but KANON got the win by pinning Toi Kojima. After the match Sasaki said he hates the D-Ou GP but will make sure he still wins it. He will see KANON in the final. KANON replied that the D-Ou GP will be covered in DAMNATION T.A’s colours. However things looked to get tense between the two so Fujita and Paul stepped in to keep things cool between everyone.

The debut of Kazuma Sumi gave Kazuki Hirata the opportunity to wrestle a mostly serious match without his wacky antics getting in the way. Sumi made it clear he is going to be a fast moving high flyer. Hirata stopped mid-match and asked Sumi what his goal is going to be. Sumi said he wants to win the match. Hirata asked for the answer to be bigger and louder. Sumi shouted he is going to be at the top of DDT! Hirata wanted an even bigger and louder answer. Sumi shouted he will become the KO-D Champion! Hirata shook his hand and then kicked him to continue the match. He got the rookie to submit to the Crab Hold, as is tradition in pro wrestling. Kojima said Sumi has a good mindset but there are a lot of young wrestlers now in DDT that Sumi has to compete with. Sumi said a week ago he fell into a slump and couldn’t sleep but his debut match was fun and he has Hirata to thank for that.

Perhaps the match with the greatest consequence today took place on the pre-show. The dark match featured Sanshiro Takagi leading a team of wrestlers against Pheromones in a 5 Vs 2 battle. It was kind of 5 Vs 3 because Yumehito Imanari was there at ringside to help his mates out. Still, Yuki Iino & Danshoku Dieno still had to fight Takagi, Toru Owashi, Makoto Oishi, Antonio Honda & Akito all at once. Takagi had Dieno beat with the Himawari Bomb and called Hisaya Imabayashi into the ring. He gave the DDT GM a chair and told him to finish Dieno off once and for all. Imabayashi hesitated until he finally swung the chair… at Takagi! Dieno jumped on top of Takagi to get the three count, meaning Yuki Iino now gets to be President of CyberFight for a day!

Imabayashi explained his actions after the match. He was not betraying Takagi to join Pheromones. Instead he was taking a stand towards Takagi for his abuse of power. A 5 Vs 2 Handicap match was unfair from the beginning. Takagi has too much on his plate as CyberFight president to keep worrying about Pheromones. DDT has a very important project coming up next year that Takagi needs to put his full attention on. Imabayashi won’t be able to feel at peace when he leaves DDT if Takagi doesn’t move on. Takagi understands and announced he his “graduating” from his feud with Pheromones. However he appointed Akito to take his place and keep the feud going. Akito complained that he always fights Pheromones anyway but he accepts the decision.

Midway through the show Saori Anou & Riko Kawahata were brought into the ring to be announced as the opponents for Reiwa AA Cannon on 29th December. Anou was carrying the ICEx∞ Title from Ice Ribbon with her. She said she will prove she is more attractive and strong than either Saki Akai or Yuki Arai. Kawahata said she lost to Akai the last time she was in DDT so she wants to mess up the faces of both Akai & Arai on 29th December. Later Akai said she had singles matches against Anou and Kawahata before. She wonders if anything has changed with Kawahata since their previous match. She also thinks it will be great experience for Arai to fight wrestlers from other promotions and see what they all have to offer.

The big project for next year seems to be DDT’s return to America! First, Takagi announced “DDT GOES HOLLYWOOD” will take place on 30th March, 2023 at the Ukrainian Cultural Center in Los Angeles! The show will be part of The Collective, a series of events spearheaded by GCW held during WrestleMania week. If that wasn’t enough, Joey Janela sent in a video announcing “GCW VS DDT” will take place in the same venue on 31st March! It will be the first time in 4 years DDT will be holding shows in America. Takagi said he’s been wanting to do it every year since the New York show in 2019 but the pandemic kept putting them back at square one. The Yen is weak against the Dollar right now so Takagi is aiming to make a lot of money while DDT is in the USA.

Soma Takao is now the store manager of the Dropkick Bar. So if you ever want to drink with Takao, he’ll be waiting for you at the Dropkick Bar!

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