DDT “GET ALIVE 2022”, 12/10/2022 Tokyo Korakuen Hall 419 Fans
1. 4 Way Tag Match: Yukio Naya & Hideki Okatani defeated Minoru Fujita & MJ Paul Vs Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Yumehito “Fantastic” Imanari Vs Yusuke Okada & Yuya Koroku when Naya pinned Koroku with the Choke Slam (6:02).
2. Get Alive 4 Major Single Match! ~ Settling A Grudge! Complete Settlement! No DQ Hardcore Match: Toru Owashi defeated Kazuki Hirata with La Magistral Cradle (0:12).
2a. Rematch: Kazuki Hirata defeated Toru Owashi with La Magistral Cradle (0:14).
2b. Another Rematch: Toru Owashi defeated Kazuki Hirata with the Nodowa Otoshi (5:31).
3. Get Alive 4 Major Single Match! Yuki Ishida 1st Anniversary Match ~ Playfulness Series Act 4: Yuki Ishida defeated Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno after the Throwaway Himawari Bomb from Sanshiro Takagi (7:33).
4. Get Alive 4 Major Single Match!: Yukio Sakaguchi defeated Takeshi Masada by TKO with the Purgatory (7:48).
5. Makoto Oishi 20th Anniversary Match ~ Men’s Club Vs The 37KAMIINA No Touch Rule: Makoto Oishi, MEN’S Teioh & Shiori Asahi defeated Yuki Ueno, MAO & Shunma Katsumata when Oishi pinned Katsumata with the Luminous Press (10:48).
6. Get Alive 4 Major Single Match!: Koju “Shining Ball” Takeda defeated Toi Kojima with the Shining Driver (4:57).
7. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Tetsuya Endo, Jun Akiyama & Yuji Hino defeated HARASHIMA, Chris Brookes & Masahiro Takanashi when Endo pinned Takanashi with a Backslide Pin (11:48).
8. KO-D Tag Team Titles: Kazusada Higuchi & Naomi Yoshimura (c) defeated Daisuke Sasaki & KANON when Higuchi pinned KANON with the Brain Claw Slam (19:41). *V2 for Harimao.
-. KO-D Openweight Title: Kazusada Higuchi (c) defeated Shinya Aoki by TKO with a Headbutt (10:57). *V3 for Kazusada Higuchi. Shinya Aoki cashes in the Right To Challenge Anytime, Anywhere NFT.
The life of a double champion is not easy. You never know when you will find yourself having to do two straight title defences one after the other. That is what happened to Kazusada Higuchi today. The original main event was Harimao defending the KO-D Tag Team Titles against DAMNATION T.A. Higuchi went into the match nursing an injured right hand. The injury was caused by Daisuke Sasaki & KANON in the weeks leading up to this match so the clear plan for the challengers was to target the right arm. But no matter what they did to it, Higuchi fought through the pain. He stopped Sasaki’s chair attack by Headbutting the chair into him. Then when KANON applied the Cobra Twist, Higuchi caused a rope break by biting onto the rope because his arms were both held back. Higuchi then smashed into KANON with the Buchikamashi and got the win with the Brain Claw Slam.
Naomi Yoshimura took the microphone to give a victory speech for his team when suddenly Shinya Aoki entered the ring. He dropped a tablet in front of Higuchi, the one containing the Right To Challenge NFT. He was cashing in his KO-D Openweight Title shot and it will take place right away!
The match began with Aoki aiming his kicks at Higuchi’s injured arm. He fought for submission holds to the arm over and over but Higuchi kept fighting out of them. In a change of tactics, Aoki then went for a Topé Suicida and then back in the ring applied a Manjigatame. Higuchi found a way to power out of the move and counter it into the Brain Claw Slam. He then struck Aoki with a big Headbutt to the face, causing the referee to stop the match via knockout. Higuchi survived the cash in, proved NFTs really are worthless and remains the KO-D Champion!
An exhausted Higuchi was flat on his back in the ring when Yukio Sakaguchi approached him. Sakaguchi told him to get up because they will be fighting each other for the championship on 23rd October. Higuchi got back up to his feet and thanked Sakaguchi for firing him up. He also thanked DAMNATION T.A and Aoki for challenging him in different ways because no matter what obstacles are in his way he will break through them!
Two days ago Tetsuya Endo defeated Masahiro Takanashi in a singles match. However Endo was not satisfied by the result because he thinks Takanashi left a better lasting impression on the Osaka crowd. So today Endo wanted to get revenge by stealing the spotlight from Takanashi. The set up had Endo, Jun Akiyama & Yuji Hino all give Takanashi, Chris Brookes & HARASHIMA an Exploder Suplex all at the same time. With the the match now down to Endo against Takanashi, the back and forth ended with Endo doing the splits while pinning his opponent with a Backslide. Using a flashy looking pin against the wrestler who likes to use flashy looking pins is one way to get one over on him.
Avert your eyes all you want, you will still get blinded by Koju “Shining Ball” Takeda! He pulled off an easy victory against Toi Kojima to help him prepare for his upcoming DDT Universal Title match against Yuki Ueno. Takeda called the champion into the ring after the match. He said Ueno hasn’t changed a bit while Takeda has evolved into the “Shining Ball” you see before you. Ueno corrected him because in the years that passed since they teamed together, Ueno is now a champion while Takeda remained as a pervert.
There was some confusion over what the Men’s Club Vs The 37KAMIINA was meant to celebrate. It was supposed to mark Makoto Oishi’s 20th anniversary in pro wrestling. However MEN’S Teioh pointed out his own 30th anniversary passed by last month. Shiori Asahi suggested they add them together so the occasion can be turned into a 50th year anniversary. Men’s Club argued about it while they wrestled but eventually made it all to the same page. Oishi & Asahi took out Ueno with the Cactus Flower while Teioh gave MAO the Miracle Ecstasy. He did the same move to Shunma Katsumata and Oishi followed up with the Luminous Press to win the match. Oishi told Ueno and MAO to take what they learned today and use it for the D-Ou Grand Prix. Teioh then announced that the one day revival of Men’s Club has finished and he would like to join The 37KAMIINA instead! Backstage he told Oishi that he originally wanted Men’s Club to win all of the different multi-man championships in DDT but Oishi already won the KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles with Ω. Oishi promised Asahi if Teioh does join The 37KAMIINA, they will fight to take him back to Men’s Club. Or maybe they replace him with Ueno, they like that idea too.
Sakaguchi’s preparation for his KO-D Title shot was straight to the point. Kick the crap out of Takeshi Masada. The young Masada tried to go strike for strike but ended up getting knocked out with the Purgatory Right High Kick. If both Higuchi and Sakaguchi are both aiming to win their matches by knockout, their title match on 23rd October is going to become a slugfest!
Yuki Ishida’s one year anniversary saw him get caught in the crossfire between Pheromones and Sanshiro Takagi. Before that happened Ishida showed how determined he was to win by wearing multiple trunks as a defence mechanism against Danshoku Dieno. They were all eventually stripped off anyway so Ishida was reduced to wrestling in nothing but a red loincloth. Dieno’s next attacks all missed their mark and he kept knocking out referees. Daisuke Kiso and Yukinori Matsui were both taken out of action. A third referee Yuto Nakata was then stopped by Takagi and the boss decided to sort it out himself. He entered the ring wearing a ref shirt but refused to complete a 3 Count for the Danshoku Driver. Instead he gave Dieno the Himawari Bomb, dragged Ishida on top of him and then fast counted to three. Takagi congratulated Ishida for his first singles win and then promised to end Pheromones on 23rd October. Dieno said if Pheromones must split if they lose their match on the 23rd then Takagi’s team should put something on the line too. He wants Takagi to use his powers to the fullest so if Pheromones win, Yuki Iino gets to become the president of CyberFight for one day! Takagi said Dieno lost his mind and Pheromones have no chance of winning a 2 Vs 5 match so he agreed to the stipulation. Yumehito Imanari warned everyone backstage that when Iino becomes president, the employee ID cards will be replaced with O-back trunks.
For years Toru Owashi had to deal with Kazuki Hirata and his dancing nonsense. They have been tag team partners for what feels like an eternity but the time had come for the two to face off. A match of this magnitude deserved a fitting stipulation so weapons were left around the ring for what would surely be a violent No DQ Hardcore Match. Owashi gave Hirata a Big Boot and pinned him with La Magistral Cradle in 12 seconds. GM Hisaya Imabayashi was furious. All of this build up for that?!? He told Hirata he should quit wrestling but then broke down into tears. He is leaving DDT at the end of the year and wants to see Hirata live up to his potential. He pleaded with Owasahi to allow the match to restart and it went ahead. This time Hirata pinned Owashi in 14 seconds with La Magistral Cradle. Imabayashi got mad again and demanded another restart. It did and the third time was the charm. Owashi and Hirata fought their hardest for 5 minutes. Owashi blocked the Mad Splash with his knees. Hirata kept kicking out of Owashi’s moves until he was finally stopped with the Nodowa Otoshi.
The supposed grudge between Owashi & Hirata was now finally over and done with. Owashi now had an offer for Hirata. He wants the two of them to challenge for the KO-D 6-Man Tag Titles in Osaka on 12th October. Hirata asked if HARASHIMA would be the other partner? Owashi told him it is somebody else and HARASHIMA already gave his approval to the idea. A video message then played from Naruki Doi! The now former DRAGONGATE wrestler is choosing DDT as his first freelance booking because he heard DDT has a trios championship and he wants to win it. Owashi, Hirata and Doi are combining together as a “Dream Triangle DDT” to win the titles!
The opening match was a 4 Way Tag featuring teams from BURNING, DAMNATION T.A and Pheromones. However it was the unaffiliated team of Yukio Naya & Hideki Okatani who became the winners. Minoru Fujita & MJ Paul didn’t know what to make of Pheromones. Yusuke Okada used Pheromones own tricks against them. Naya got the pin in the end by Choke Slamming Yuya Koroku.
The mystery tag team appearing at the Tokyo Dome City Hall show on 29th December was revealed to be Reiwa AA Cannon from Tokyo Joshi Pro! While Saki Akai being on a DDT show is nothing out of the ordinary, this will be Yuki Arai’s first DDT match since becoming a pro wrestler. She previously won the Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title and took part in a Battle Royal back in 2018 but that was when she was just an idol.
DDT “STERNNESS 30TH ANNIVERSARY ~JUN AKIYAMA 30TH ANNIVERSARY~”, 18/09/2022 Tokyo Korakuen Hall 715 Fans – Super No Vacancy
1. Yusuke Okada defeated Yuya Koroku with the Sudden Death (7:01).
2. Yuki “Sexy” Iino, Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno, Yumehito “Fantastic” Imanari & Koju “Shining Ball” Takeda Vs Sanshiro Takagi, Toru Owashi, Antonio Honda & Kazuki Hirata ended in a No Contest (7:16).
3. Akito, Soma Takao & Yukio Naya defeated HARASHIMA & Yukio Sakaguchi & Hideki Okatani when Naya submitted Okatani with the Torture Cobra Twist (10:36).
4. Daisuke Sasaki, Minoru Fujita, MJ Paul & KANON defeated Kazusada Higuchi, Yuki Ishida, Yuji Hino & Makoto Oishi when KANON pinned Ishida with the Sleepy Hollow (12:40).
5. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Cara Noir, Chris Brookes & Masahiro Takanashi defeated Yuki Ueno, MAO & Toi Kojima when Noir submitted Kojima with the Blackout Sleeper (12:47).
6. Naomi Yoshimura defeated Takeshi Masada with the Lariat (10:14).
7. Jun Akiyama Debut 30th Anniversary Match – Special 6-Man Tag Match: Jun Akiyama, Tetsuya Endo & Yoshinobu Kanemaru defeated Yuji Nagata, Konosuke Takeshita & Shunma Katsumata when Akiyama pinned Katsumata with the Wrist-Clutch Exploder Suplex (20:34).
On 17th September, 1992 Jun Akiyama made his pro wrestling debut against Kenta Kobashi inside an All Japan ring. Over the next 30 years he fought for both AJPW and NOAH back and forth until he found an unlikely new home in DDT. So it was DDT who got to host his milestone celebration. But there is also some crossover with New Japan on the show with Akiyama inviting both Yuji Nagata and Yoshinobu Kanemaru to compete. Akiyama has close ties with both of them, Nagata was his rival from the enemy company while Kanemaru was his long time tag partner. The DDT involvement in the match included Tetsuya Endo and Konosuke Takeshita, who Akiyama have both taken under his wing in certain ways, as well as Shunma Katsumata. He is here because he reminds Akiyama so much of Kanemaru. Akiyama also received congratulations from Kobashi and President Kitai from the K.O. Gym.
It was only fitting for Akiyama and Nagata to start off the match together. They had a back and forth battle until Kanemaru and Katsumata got involved. Kanemaru went to spit liquor at his opponent but Katsumata ducked and Akiyama got sprayed with it instead. Endo and Takeshita cancelled each other out, particularly when Endo did a Canadian Destroyer and Takeshita hit back with the Zahi for a double down. Katsumata tried to take matters into his own hands but he missed the Totonou Splash aimed for Akiyama. That led to a string of finishers with Kanemaru giving Katsumata the Deep Impact, Endo hitting an Exploder Suplex and Akiyama charging in with a Running Knee Strike. The end came with Akiyama pulling out the Wrist-Clutch Exploder for the pinfall.
After the match Akiyama talked about when he was scouted by Giant Baba to become a pro wrestler. He also learned so much from Jumbo Tsuruta and Mitsuharu Misawa. Sadly they have all since passed away so he told Kobashi to please stay healthy for a long time! He then talked about DDT and how Sanshiro Takagi is their Baba-like figure. He then named Endo, Takeshita, Kazusada Higuchi and Naomi Yoshimura as DDT’s Four Pillars/Heavenly Kings. Akiyama is happy and grateful to be a part of DDT and the company feels like family to him. He ended the show by telling a story about Baba. During Baba’s later years he once said he is no longer in a fight against other wrestlers, but with himself. He will not lost to himself and instead will make the most of each and every day. Akiyama promises to do the same from here on out. Backstage Nagata praised Endo for being competitive and having a good slap.
Akiyama purposely chose Yoshimura versus Takeshi Masada to be in the semi-main event position. The reason is Akiyama’s debut match 30 years ago was in the same spot. Masada is getting so much attention as the rookie with a high ceiling that Akiyama felt he should be given the same opportunity. The result was expected, Yoshimura was dominant for the most part and took Masada’s offence before pinning him with the Lariat. Masada was able to show toughness by kicking out of one of the earlier Lariats. Backstage Yoshimura admitted to feeling nervous over the match because Akiyama put it together. However he wants Akiyama to know that he never looks down on any of the younger wrestlers. He praised Masada for the strength of his strikes, saying he hasn’t felt kicks that hard from a younger wrestler since Keigo Nakamura in his debut match. But Yoshimura is still stronger than him so Masada will have to think of another way to try and beat him. Masada said getting the chance to fight Yoshimura at the peak of his power will definitely help his pro wrestling career in the future.
The ballet wrestler Cara Noir made his DDT debut, performing his dramatic Swan Lake entrance in Japan for the first time. He has a DDT Universal Title shot against Yuki Ueno coming up on 25th September so the two faced off in a 6-Man Tag Match here. Ueno had his usual buddies in The 37KAMIINA on his side while Noir teamed with CDK. Just because those two were the focus of the match didn’t mean the others stepped aside. MAO got a cheap shot Straight Punch in on Noir, CDK got Noir to join in on a human pyramid style group taunt at their opponents’ expense. Toi Kojima tried firing up on the newcomer but once Noir spun into him to apply the Blackout Sleeper, it was all over. Ueno welcomed Noir after the match but told him he won’t give over the Universal Title to him next week. Noir didn’t say anything, instead he just gently stroked the title belt on Ueno’s shoulder and did a dramatic pose.
The confidence surrounding DAMNATION T.A is growing at a rapid rate after today’s result. All four members of the unit were together to win an 8-Man Tag Match against a combination of Harimao and Ω wrestlers. KANON grabbed the victory by pinning Yuki Ishida. Then Daisuke Sasaki started complaining about how much he doesn’t care about Akiyama’s 30th Anniversary. He continues to get Ω confused with Kenny Omega and warned everyone that all of the tag team championships in DDT should belong to DAMNATION T.A! Backstage Sasaki said the unit is now at full strength with Minoru Fujita back from injury and the entire company will be finished thanks to them. KANON then threw his name into the hat for the D-Ou Grand Prix, saying he expects to see a few people in the tournament who owe him favours. Yuji Hino & Makoto Oishi are now licking their wounds over today’s defeat. But they know they have so many options in Ω for backup when they and Shiori Asahi challenge DAMNATION T.A for the KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles on 8th October. Higuchi also warned DAMNATION T.A not to act so arrogant when they face Harimao for the KO-D Tag Team Titles four days later.
Yukio Naya also made a strong appeal to be included in the D-Ou Grand Prix. He got the victory in Match #3 by making Hideki Okatani submit. This was after he took all the kicks he could from HARASHIMA & Yukio Sakaguchi. When Akito & Soma Takao was able to clear them out of the ring, Naya took control and won the match for his team. Naya said he learned a lot from Akiyama and Hino over the last year when he was feeling so helpless. He is not only determined to be part of the tournament but also win it too!
Another day another Pheromones match getting cancelled midway through because of, well, Pheromones stuff. You have Koju Takeda attacking Kazuki Hirata with his bare backside while a clean shaven Yumehito Imanari watches on. Takagi tried leading his side in unison which went well until Antonio Honda’s Gongitsune went out of control and wiped the entire team out. Danshoku Dieno then called for the lights to switch off so Yuki Iino could strip completely naked. Hisaya Imabayashi called off the match so he and the ringside attendants could cover up Iino’s waist. Takagi was furious to see Pheromones pull off this stunt during Akiyama’s 30th Anniversary. He demanded an immediate rematch but Imabayashi refused. Instead there will be one final showdown between Takagi and Pheromones on 23rd October. Takagi told Honda & Toru Owashi to join him so they can all get revenge for Hirata. Dieno pointed out this will be their fourth “final battle” in two months. If that is not enough, Takeda later backstage called out Yuki Ueno for not having enough Pheromones in him!
The opening match was given to Yusuke Okada and Yuya Koroku, the two remaining members of BURNING. Akiyama chose them because he wanted the first match to be an exciting start for the show. The more experienced Okada got the win with the Sudden Death shortly after Koroku missed a Moonsault. The two of them congratulated Akiyama on his Anniversary. Okada said he’s been working with Akiyama for the last 6 years so he is proud to be involved today. Koroku promised to keep training hard so he can become as great and strong as Akiyama.
A second show celebrating Akiyama’s 30th Anniversary will be held in his hometown of Izumi, Osaka on 10th December.
DDT “JAPAN BAKERY MARKETING PRESENTS KONOSUKE TAKESHITA 10TH ANNIVERSARY ~NISHINARI BAY BLUES~”, 10/09/2022 Osaka Nishinari Kumin Center 487 Fans – Super No Vacancy
0. Dark Match: MJ Paul & KANON defeated Hideki Okatani & Takeshi Masada when KANON pinned Masada with the Sleepy Hollow (6:52).
0. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title – Staggered Entry Battle Royal: Toru Owashi defeated Kazuki Hirata with a Crushed Body Slam (13:55). Order Of Elimination: Makoto Oishi, Yuya Koroku, Yuki Ishida, Saki Akai, Soma Takao, Ilusion, Akito, Yusuke Okada, Yumehito “Fantastic” Imanari, Yuki “Sexy” Iino, El Unicorn, Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno and Toru Owashi. *Kazuki Hirata becomes the 1,551st Champion.
-. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title: Kazuki Hirata defeated Toru Owashi (c) with a Cradle (4:58 pm). *Kazuki Hirata becomes the 1,552nd champion.
-. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title: Keiko Takeshita defeated Kazuki Hirata (c) with the Rainmaker (4:59 pm). *Keiko Takeshita becomes the 1,553rd champion.
1. Special Tag Match ~ Sakuya Konohana Tag Vs CCK!: Konosuke Takeshita & Yuki Ueno defeated Chris Brookes & Kid Lykos when Ueno pinned Lykos with the BME (16:55).
2. The 37KAMIINA Vs Brahmin Brothers: MAO, Shunma Katsumata & Toi Kojima defeated Brahman Shu, Brahman Kei & Brahman Sanshiro when Kojima pinned Takagi after an Accidental Explosion Of Mysterious Powder (11:10).
3. Tokyo Joshi Pro 3 Way Tag Offer Match: Yuka Sakazaki & Mizuki defeated Shoko Nakajima & Hyper Misao and Miu Watanabe & Arisu Endo when Sakazaki pinned Endo with the Magical Merry-Go-Round (9:17).
4. Yasu Urano, Antonio Honda & Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi defeated Masahiro Takanashi, Super Sasadango Machine & DJ Nira when Hiroshi pinned Sasadango with the Seiken Zuki (11:59).
5. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Tetsuya Endo, Jun Akiyama & Yuji Hino defeated Kazusada Higuchi, Naomi Yoshimura & Yukio Naya when Hino pinned Naya with the Fuckin’ BOMB (13:26).
6. Nobuyuki Onizawa’s Ochakan Radio Presents Special Tag Match: Minoru Suzuki & Yukio Sakaguchi defeated HARASHIMA & Shinya Aoki when Sakaguchi pinned HARASHIMA with the God’s Right Knee (15:57).
7. Japan Bakery Marketing Co., Ltd. Presents Special Single Match: Konosuke Takeshita defeated Daisuke Sasaki with the German Suplex (22:19).
Konosuke Takeshita has now been wrestling for decade. His goal from the 11th onwards is to take over the world! His 10 year anniversary show was built around two matches. The main event was a singles match against Daisuke Sasaki, one of Takeshita’s toughest opponents. Sasaki could have ruined the entire party but there was support for Takeshita coming from all corners. Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi tried singing to him from ringside for motivation until Sasaki whacked him over the back with a chairshot. Sasaki used the chair again without the ref seeing it and tried latching in the Crossface Lock by using La Mistica to set it up. Takeshita was able to fight back and hit the Jumping Knee, opening Sasaki up for the German Suplex to end the match. Takeshita thanked Sasaki for being the person who helped him polish his wrestling skills and made it evolve. Sasaki may have still been dizzy from the match because he complimented his opponent. He said if Takeshita is good enough to beat him then Takeshita is world class. He then said they should meet up again for a rematch in ten years time.
Takeshita’s other match of the day was a tag match featuring wrestlers who are close to him. Yuki Ueno has been his classmate in both a high school and pro wrestling sense. Chris Brookes is somebody Takeshita has become best friends with through what they’ve been through inside the ring. The wild card was Kid Lykos, Brookes tag team partner from England who was making his DDT debut. CCK’s M.O. is “sick fucking tag moves” and they got to display it here. But the hometown team got the better of them and Ueno pinned Lykos with the BME.
The semi-main event pitted four dangerous fighters against each other in a tag match. It was a rare chance to see Shinya Aoki and Minoru Suzuki face each other. Their fight was pretty much a stalemate and Yukio Sakaguchi proved to be the difference maker by pinning HARASHIMA with the God’s Right Knee. Aoki and Suzuki were still at each other’s throats outside the ring when the match ended. Aoki said afterwards he is interested in another match with him. Sakaguchi however does has another match with Suzuki coming up at a festival next month in Yokohama called WILD ONE. His feelings to beat up Suzuki are growing stronger and stronger.
The mystery wrestler in Match #4 was DJ Nira. Yay… Antonio Honda disappeared midway through the match. There was a sudden announcement of a new life being born and Honda reappeared in the ring wearing diapers. Super Sasadango Machine cut him off but Honda got his revenge by hitting the Diving Fist Drop to him right after Yasu Urano did a Diving Body Press. Hiroshi had easy pickings and pinned Sasadango with a closed fist punch for the win.
In the pre-show Battle Royal, Pheromones dominated the field with their antics. They set up their Hell Gate and threw everyone they could into it one by one to eliminate them. However when they did it to El Unicorn they unintentionally unmasked him. That was deemed and illegal move so both Yuki Iino and Yumehito Imanari were Disqualified. Unicorn also eliminated himself by leaving the ring while trying to keep his face hidden. The match came down to Toru Owashi and Kazuki Hirata. An attempted Body Slam from Hirata backfired when Owashi fell on top of him and he was pinned by his weight.
Owashi’s win means he regains the Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title that he previously vacated to prove he is a serious wrestler. Keiko Takeshita, the mother of Konosuke entered the ring to present Owashi with a prize of 551 pork buns. Hirata suddenly rolled up Owashi to win the title and then tried grabbing the buns from Keiko. In response to this Keiko grabbed Hirata from behind and gave him the Rainmaker! She placed her foot on him and gave him a scolding while the referee counted to three. Keiko Takeshita is now the Iron Man Champion! She’s happy with that because it means she could be on the front cover of the next Weekly Pro-Wrestling magazine.
DDT “JAPAN BAKERY MARKETING PRESENTS KONOSUKE TAKESHITA 10TH ANNIVERSARY ~NISHINARI BAY BLUES~”, 10/09/2022 Osaka Nishinari Kumin Center
0. MJ Paul & KANON Vs Hideki Okatani & Takeshi Masada
0. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title – Staggered Entry Battle Royal: Toru Owashi Vs Kazuki Hirata Vs Yuki “Sexy” Iino Vs Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno Vs Yumehito “Fantastic” Imanari Vs Yusuke Okada Vs Yuya Koroku Vs Makoto Oishi Vs Akito Vs Soma Takao Vs Saki Akai Vs Yuki Ishida Vs Ilusion Vs El Unicorn
1. Yasu Urano, Antonio Honda & Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi Vs Masahiro Takanashi, Super Sasadango Machine & X
2. The 37KAMIINA Vs Brahmin Brothers: MAO, Shunma Katsumata & Toi Kojima Vs Brahman Shu, Brahman Kei & Brahman Sanshiro
3. Tokyo Joshi Pro 3 Way Tag Offer Match: Shoko Nakajima & Hyper Misao Vs Yuka Sakazaki & Mizuki Vs Miu Watanabe & Arisu Endo
4. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Kazusada Higuchi, Naomi Yoshimura & Yukio Naya Vs Tetsuya Endo, Jun Akiyama & Yuji Hino
5. Special Tag Match ~ Sakuya Konohana Tag Vs CCK!: Konosuke Takeshita & Yuki Ueno Vs Chris Brookes & Kid Lykos
6. Nobuyuki Onizawa’s Ochakan Radio Presents Special Tag Match: Minoru Suzuki & Yukio Sakaguchi Vs HARASHIMA & Shinya Aoki
7. Japan Bakery Marketing Co., Ltd. Presents Special Single Match: Konosuke Takeshita Vs Daisuke Sasaki
The majority of the match order will not be revealed until the show begins tomorrow. What’s confirmed is the match between Konosuke Takeshita and Daisuke Sasaki is the main event and two matches were chosen to be put in the pre-show.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW AUTUMN TOUR ’22”, 16/09/2022 Shinjuku FACE
1. 3 Way Match: Hyper Misao Vs Yuki Kamifuku Vs Haruna Neko
2. Moka Miyamoto Vs X
3. Rika Tatsumi Vs Mahiro Kiryu
4. Hikari Noa, Nao Kakuta & Kaya Toribami Vs Yuki Aino, Raku & Pom Harajuku
5. Shoko Nakajima & Arisu Endo Vs Yuka Sakazaki & Mizuki
6. International Princess Title Next Challenger Match: Miu Watanabe Vs Suzume
Tokyo Joshi Pro are a little bit short handed next weekend because Miyu Yamashita and Maki Itoh will both be absent. After all of the matches were put together Moka Miyamoto became the odd one out. She is getting a match though and an opponent will be announced for her sometime before the show takes place.
GANBARE☆PRO “TWIN PEAKS 2022”, 23/09/2022 Tokyo Oji BASEMENT MON☆STAR
1. Twin Peaks 2022 Special Tag Match: Keisuke Ishii & Tyson Maeguchi Vs Kouki Iwasaki & Mizuki Watase
2. GanPro Specialty! Mixed 6-Man Tag Match: Ken Ohka, Moeka Haruhi & HARUKAZE Vs Yumehito Imanari, Yuna Manase & YuuRI
3. GanPro Three Major Singles Match: Shuichiro Katsumura Vs Yuki Ishida
4. GanPro Three Major Singles Match: Soma Takao Vs Yuki Kanzaki
5. GanPro Three Major Singles Match: Shinichiro Tominaga Vs Jun Masaoka
A doubleheader for Ganbare☆Pro is happening later this month. The first show is built around GanPro Vs Outsider matches. The three matches will see Shinichiro Tominaga, Soma Takao and Shuichiro Katsumura defend home turf against Jun Masaoka, Yuki Kanzaki and Yuki Ishida respectively.
Yumehito Imanari has a background role in the upcoming movie “ROMAN PORNO NOW”, the latest release from a long running softcore movie series entering its 50th anniversary. Imanari is citing this as proof that his career is not dead after losing the Spirit Of Ganbare Title to Hartley Jackson last week. Instead the movie role is how he will enter a new chapter of his life and he believes he will triumphantly return to Ganpro as a star.
GANBARE☆PRO “ENEMY OF AMERICA 2022”, 23/09/2022 Tokyo Oji BASEMENT MON☆STAR
1. Young Drama Generation Vs Reiwa Dramatic Generation: Keisuke Ishii Vs Toi Kojima
2. YuuRI GanPro 1st Anniversary Match: Yuna Manase Vs YuuRI
3. GanPro Three Major Tag Match: Moeka Haruhi & HARUKAZE Vs Miyuki Takase & Yoshiko Hasegawa
4. GanPro Three Major Tag Match: Shuichiro Katsumura & Shinichiro Tominaga Vs Kouki Iwasaki & Yuki Kanzaki
5. GanPro Three Major Tag Match: Ken Ohka & Yumehito Imanari Vs Soma Takao & Mizuki Watase
It’s already been a year since YuuRI joined Ganpro. Last September she crashed a Ganbare☆Joshi show with the surprise announcement that she joined the promotion. Yuna Manase was her first opponent so it is only fitting to run back that match for her 1st Anniversary.
BASARA “BASARA 200 ~TAKAGARI 12~”, 24/09/2022 Takashimadaira Ward Community Center
1. IRON FIST Tag Titles: Takato Nakano & Masato Kamino (c) Vs FUMA & Daichi Kazato
Aijin Tag are the new IRON FIST Tag Champions and already have a challenger chomping at their feet. Daichi Kazato wants to face Takato Nakano & Masato Kamino, thinking he can beat them on his own. He needed to find a partner to get his title shot so his Asian Kung Fu Revolution stablemate FUMA is coming over to even out the numbers.
DDT “DRAMATIC DREAMS! VOL. 9 ~NO CLOUDS OVER THE MOON~”, 10/10/2022 Osaka Higashinari Ward Community Center
1. Special 6-Man Tag Match ~Smile Squash Vs DAMNATION T.A~: HARASHIMA, Yasu Urano & Akito Vs Minoru Fujita, MJ Paul & KANON
2. Special Tag Match Sterness Siege ~Men Of Ice Vs Men Of Melting Ice~: Jun Akiyama & Antonio Honda Vs Kuishinbo Kamen & Kikutaro
3. Special Single Match ~Road Of Former Champions~: Tetsuya Endo Vs Masahiro Takanashi
4. Special Tag Match ~Wrestling Master Jrs Vs The 37KAMIINA~: Daisuke Sasaki & HUB Vs Yuki Ueno & Shunma Katsumata
5. Special Tag Match Osaka Monogatari ~ Destruction Demon King Vs The “It Was The Power Of Wrestling That Resolved The Worst Of Their Relationship To The Point Where They Didn’t Even See Eye To Eye. Their Belief Is That There Is Never A Normal Good Match And The Common Denominator Is An Unusual wrestling Head”z~: Kazusada Higuchi & Naomi Yoshimura Vs Shigehiro Irie & MAO
Here comes Shigehiro Irie & MAO with the most convoluted tag team name I have ever heard. If anyone has a better translation of the name please tell me because I’m not spending my weekend trying to figure that out when I have Splatoon 3 and NBA 2K23 waiting for me.
Daisuke Sasaki & HUB are teaming together for just the second time in their careers. They teamed together on the second “DRAMATIC DREAMS!” show back in 2015.
MUSCLE “HIRAGANA MUSCLE 7 ~IT’S STILL SUMMER ON THE KOSHU KAIDO~”, 07/09/2022 Tokyo Korakuen Hall 544 Fans
1. UP & DOWN CLIMAX FIGHT ~ SWOUD Special Rules: Totaro Omoiki, Takaku Karahiko, Knee Cross Kinya, Baseball Bat Swing, Marume Komimatsu, Hisamitsu Chikuhisa, Sasadango, Yukidango, Yasudango & Surprise-san defeated Herman Miller Mao, Kazusada Kokuyo, AK Racing Yoshimura, Eames Watase, Human Chair Imanari, Itoki Oyoshi, One-Eyed Iron Naya, Daigouin Inada, Dee Jay & South River when Chikuhisa pinned Mao with the Amonken (37:31).
The final chapter of Hiragana Muscle began with a PowerPoint presentation from Super Sasadango Machine. He explained to the audience that his task for today is to figure out how to make the last episode an all round success. Ticket sales and merchandise are important but the biggest factor was how much they audience could get excited. Cheers and shouting were not permitted for the show due to restrictions but laughter and gasps of shock were allowed. So Sasadango got the crowd to give a standing ovation to kick off the show. There was also a montage video that ended with a tribute to Tsurutimo Dragon, aka the late Goro Tsurumi.
Amon Tsurumi is leaving DDT at the end of the year so he was the hero of today’s story. He was seen in the ring training with Konosuke Takeshita & Yuki Ueno when Yuki Rock interrupted them. Tsurumi revealed he wants to end his career as an idol wrestler and asked Takeshita to reform The Finisher Boys for a limited time so he can perform with them. Takeshita & Ueno agreed. Meanwhile up in the balcony, the former members of The Steel Chair Boys watched on. Since Shota is now in America he was replaced with Tetsu Unada and Yukio Naya in the group. Inada in particular set his sights on Tsurumi and declared war!
There was an introduction of all the characters followed by the title reveal for this episode, “UP & DOWN”. In the ring Takeshita talked to the others about his time training in Venice Beach when DJ Nira & Minamikawa confronted him. They came to warn that Naya High School, an elite group of badasses are trying to disrupt the balance of power and need to be stopped. Tsurumi asked if he can help but Nira turned him down. However The Finisher Boys saw the need to bolster their forces and decided to form the Finish Federation with their allies. Meanwhile the Naya High School were doing harsh knee training using chairs. Inada & Naya agreed to launch a conflict on all groups standing in their way!
Suddenly, Kazusada Higuchi collapsed holding his knee in pain. He was meant to be the gang leader but now he can’t go through with it. Luckily for them, MAO stepped into the spotlight introducing himself as Naya High School’s newest transfer student. He is a bad guy who loves fighting and offered to take Higuchi’s spot. A video then played of Tsurumi visiting the SWAN DIVE bar for a drink and also to look for info. Inada & Naya arrived shortly afterward looking for Sasadango. They want him to create a weapon to defeat the Finish Federation but he refused. MIC the bartender tried to intervene but got his arm broken by Inada & Naya instead. Tsurumi couldn’t do anything but stay hidden in the corner and watch innocent people get hurt.
Tsurumi had to move on with his investigation and found the information he wanted. He learned that Naya is the leader of the Naya Zaibatsu criminal organization and Naya High School is just a cover up. His goal is to redevelop the city into his own sumo arena and turn all martial arts into gambling events. Tsurumi vowed to protect the city from them and will not run away. However most members of The Finisher Boys wanted nothing to do with the war and walked out on Tsurumi, Takeshita & Ueno. They would have to take on this fight on their own. Tsurumi then went through a training montage that included video clips of Hisaya Imabayashi fighting Pheromones.
While all of this was going on, Sasadango met with his family for their monthly meeting. They looked over all of the movements going on and had to decide which side to take. There is Naya High School declaring war on everyone, the remains of the Finish Federation getting ready to defend themselves and a third party called NUDE BOYS on the fringes that could get involved too. Haruo Murata then got a phone call over at the commentary table. The caller asked if he thinks a fight was about to begin? Murata answered he’s been sitting at his table for 1 hour 40 minutes. The atmosphere feels like a fight is going to break out but none has happened yet. MIC then appeared with his broken arm and rang the ring bell. Murata excitedly said “The fight is about to begin!” The Sasadango Family called a cab and had 10 minutes to decide which side they will fight for.
Next we saw Tsurumi, Takeshita & Ueno outnumbered in the ring against eight members of Naya High School. The numbers game was difficult to fight against but a misfire from Yumehito Imanari led to him hitting Inada by mistake and the comeback was on. Tsurumi even did a big dive, jumping off the ring apron into everyone on the floor. Higuchi then grabbed him and threatened to finish him off when the Sasadango Family arrived in time for the rescue. The Finish Federation also returned to their aid. Tsurumi struck Higuchi with the Amonken Backfist but his pin was suddenly broken up by the NUDE BOYS! There was fighting and musical numbers happening everywhere. There was even Tetsuya Endo’s mandatory run in. Higuchi ordered MAO to attack Tsurumi with a chair when everything suddenly slowed down and “Etupirka” began playing. MAO slowly blocked the Amonken with his chair but Tsurumi fought through the pain and slowly threw another Amonken, nailing his target for the three count.
Tsurumi declared victory but Keigo Nakamura & Toi Kojima along with a badly beaten Yuki Ishida told him there was still fighting on the streets. Higuchi also said the war wasn’t over yet and he was ready go go another round. The fighting will continue. Tsurumi looked to the audience and apologised for being unable to save the city from the chaos happening around him. That was the end of this story.
In his closing speech Tsurumi said he thought he had a second chance at youth with the original MUSCLE but thanks to Hiragana Muscle he got a third chance. He learned that as long as you are alive you are young. Muscle Sakai said he’s been doing these shows since 2004 and today was the first time he was able to keep an event to under two hours. They have three more performances this week and told the others to keep up with making them fun and exciting. MAO complained the chair is too heavy to do slow motion spots with but promised to give it his all.
GANBARE☆PRO “PUNCH DRUNK LOVE 2022”, 03/09/2022 Tokyo Narimasu Act Hall 118 Fans
1. GanPro Special 6-Man Tag Match: Ken Ohka, Shuichiro Katsumura & Kouki Iwasaki Vs Soma Takao, Shinichiro Tominaga & Jun Masaoka
2. Spirit Of Ganbare World Openweight Title: Yumehito Imanari (c) Vs Hartley Jackson
GANBARE☆PRO “PUNCH DRUNK LOVE 2022”, 03/09/2022 Tokyo Narimasu Act Hall 118 Fans
1. GanPro Vs MAKAI: Keisuke Ishii defeated Yuki Kanzaki with the Screw Sinker Bomb (8:58).
2. GanJo Special Tag Match: Yuna Manase & YuuRI defeated Moeka Haruhi & Yoshiko Hasegawa when Manase pinned Hasegawa with the Suzuki Dynamic (11:11).
3. Hardcore Mixed Tag Match: Shigehiro Irie & Akane Fujita defeated Mizuki Watase & HARUKAZE when Irie pinned Watase with an Avalanche Samoan Drop onto the Chair (19:00).
4. GanPro Special 6-Man Tag Match: Ken Ohka, Shuichiro Katsumura & Kouki Iwasaki defeated Soma Takao, Shinichiro Tominaga & Jun Masaoka when Katsumura submitted Tominaga with the Combined Joint Technique That Needs A Name (15:33).
5. Spirit Of Ganbare World Openweight Title: Hartley Jackson defeated Yumehito Imanari (c) with the Jumping Piledriver (20:28). *Yumehito Imanari fails in V3. Hartley Jackson becomes the 3rd Spirit Of Ganbare World Openweight Champion!
Today’s show was meant to be the beginning of Ganbare☆Pro’s new global strategy. Yumehito Imanari was going to beat Hartley Jackson and bring the company one step further out of Japan. Instead the promotion’s whole main event scene was flipped on its head. Jackson not only took Imanari’s best shot but fired back with his own and pinned him with the Jumping Piledriver. That means he is now the Spirit Of Ganbare Champion! Jackson gave Imanari credit, telling the fans he was feeling in the worst condition of his life after the match. But he was able to win the championship in this condition so where is his victory beer? Jackson then declared there is no man in GanPro that can beat him.
Suddenly Yuna Manase got into the ring and stood before Jackson. She asked him if she remembers her? Last year she entered the ZERO1 Furinkazan Tag Team Tournament with Imanari and lost to Jackson’s team in the 1st Round. She isn’t going to let Jackson come here and extinguish the flames of GanPro because he doesn’t understand the meaning of Ganbare! She challenges him for the Spirit Of Ganbare Title! Jackson didn’t take her seriously because he beat her into oblivion before. He warns he will beat her again so hard that fans in the front row will be shocked to death. Manase won’t change her mind. She told Jackson in English “The next Spirit Of Ganbare Champion’s name is Yuna Manase!” The title match will happen on 2nd October.
The use of Lego in the Hardcore Mixed Tag Match brought back mixed emotions for Shigehiro Irie. He never had friends in primary school so he played with Lego all the time instead. He still has them in his parent’s house. Akane Fujita suggested he should bring them for the next Hardcore Match. He won’t allow them to be used as weapons because they mean so much to him. Irie praised Mizuki Watase for always fighting with the spirit of Ganbare on his back. Nothing would make him happier than to see Watase reach to the top of GanPro by working hard. The match was only the second time HARUKAZE did hardcore wrestling and she is learning the more she fights this way the more she likes it.
GANBARE☆PRO “TOKOROZAWA PARK TOWN SHOPPING STREET 2022”, 27/08/2022 Saitama Tokorozawa Park Town Shopping Street Special 389 Fans
1. Eternal Rebellious Period And Late Rebellious Period vs Ishii’s Allied Tag Team: Yumehito Imanari & Tyson Maeguchi defeated Gota Ihashi & Kouki Iwasaki when Imanari pinned Ihashi with the Lariat (10:54).
2. GanJo Special 6-Woman Tag Match In Park Town Shopping District: Cherry, Moeka Haruhi & HARUKAZE defeated Yuna Manase, Kakeru Sekiguchi & Yoshiko Hasegawa when Haruhi submitted Hasegawa with the 79.5MHz (11:34).
3. ROMANCE DAWN Vs Super Beast Of The World & Hentai Of Toyama: Aja Kong & Shinichiro Tominaga defeated Shota & Soma Takao when Kong pinned Shota with the Uraken (15:49).
4. Fresh Ariyama Presents Special 6-Man Tag Match: Ken Ohka, Shuichiro Katsumura & Keisuke Ishii defeated Tatsuhito Takaiwa, Mizuki Watase & SAGAT when Ishii pinned Watase with the Kneel Kick (18:36).
The show was deemed a success by Ken Ohka and Keisuke Ishii. Ohka sees it as Ganbare☆Pro taking another step towards becoming a major sport promotion. It made Ishii feel glad he is a pro wrestler and happy to be a part of Ganpro.
Yumehito Imanari held a beer tasting “practice” at the end of the show to prepare for his Spirit Of Ganbare Title defence against Hartley Jackson. He did a blind taste test but ended it after he got the first beer wrong. Imanari was left worried that his failure today will lead to dark clouds forming over his title match on 3rd September. Even if it does, he promised the fans he will beat Jackson for them.
GANBARE☆PRO “SANGERIA 2022”, 21/08/2022 Takashimadaira Ward Community Center 114 Fans
1. GanPro Specialty Special Mixed Tag Match: MAO & HARUKAZE defeated Onryo & YuuRI when HARUKAZE pinned YuuRI with the Flame Spear (11:27).
2. GanJo Special Tag Match: Yuna Manase & Moeka Haruhi defeated Nao Kakuta & Yoshiko Hasegawa when Manase submitted Hasegawa with a Crab Hold (10:34).
3. Australia Vs Toyama Full-Scale Battle: Hartley Jackson defeated Shinichiro Tominaga with the Jumping Piledriver (9:34).
4. Sangeria 2022 Special Single Match: Keisuke Ishii defeated Shota with the Kneel Kick (13:55).
5. GanPro Special 6-Man Tag Match: Ken Ohka, Shuichiro Katsumura & Soma Takao defeated Kouki Iwasaki, Mizuki Watase & Nobuihiro Shimatani when Ohka pinned Shimatani with the Flame Spear (18:55).
The show began with a contract signing for the Spirit Of Ganbare Title match on 3rd September. Yumehito Imanari signed the contract first after Hartley Jackson warned him the neck injury he is currently recovering from should not be taken lightly. When Jackson added his signature, the two of them exchanged words. Imanari said he’s been listening to “Lose Yourself” by Eminem everyday to find inspiration to beat his challenger. Jackson may have become a bad guy in order to get the title shot but if he pushes Imanari too far, Imanari’s bad side might show itself in the match too. The two of them then started arguing about beer and who is going to be celebrating their victory with drinks. Jackson then warned Imanari about Shinichiro Tominaga, telling him in action movies the hero’s best friend usually dies first.
Jackson went on to beat Tominaga later in the show while Imanari was standing in his friend’s corner. Jackson reminded Imanari after the match that sometimes you have to become the bad guy to get what you want. Jackson would have liked to be a well behaved foreign wrestler in Japan but screw that! Now he just wants to win the Spirit Of Ganbare Title and drink all of Imanari’s beer! Imanari admits that this match will be nothing like his title defence against Shigehiro Irie. He can sense a weakness in Jackson, perhaps he is self-conscious that he isn’t on the level of Stan Hansen or Brusier Brody.
Shota’s final match in Ganbare☆Pro before his American excursion will happen on 27th August. He’s been spending his time polishing up his abilities here in Ganpro as well as in other indie promotions. He now feels confident he is ready to go on his excursion and show everyone he will take multiple steps forward as a pro wrestler.
DDT “WRESTLE PETER PAN 2022”, 20/08/2022 Tokyo Ota Ward Gymnasium 1,250 Fans – No Vacancy
1. Yusuke Okada, Yuya Koroku & Ilusion defeated Toi Kojima, Yuki Ishida & Takeshi Masada when Koroku submitted Ishida with a Modified Strangle Hold (9:11).
2. 3 Way 6-Man Tag Match: Yuki “Sexy” Iino, Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno & Koju “Shining Ball” Takeda (w/ Yumehito “Fantastic” Imanari) defeated Yuji Hino, Yukio Naya & Super Sasadango Machine and Toru Owashi, Kazuki Hirata & Antonio Honda by TKO after Pheromones knocked out Hirata with the Sexy Bay Bridge (12:18).
3. Special 6-Man Tag Match: HARASHIMA, Yukio Sakaguchi & Hideki Okatani defeated Naomi Yoshimura, Kota Umeda & Keisuke Okuda when HARASHIMA pinned Yoshimura with the Somato (12:44).
4. Shinichiro Kawamatsu Debut Match ~ Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly Member Vs Bunkyo Ward Assembly Member: Osamu Nishimura, Makoto Oishi & Akito defeated Shinichiro Kawamatsu, Sanshiro Takagi & Soma Takao when Nishimura submitted Kawamatsu with a Figure 4 Leg Lock (14:47).
5. Special Mixed Tag Match: Jun Akiyama & Saki Akai defeated Chris Brookes & Asuka when Akai submitted Asuka with an Arm Triangle Choke (15:21).
6. DDT Extreme Title – Special Hardcore Match: Joey Janela (c) defeated Shunma Katsumata with the Death Valley Driver from the Ladder through the Table and Barbed Wire Board (18:56). *V1 for Joey Janela.
7. DDT Universal Title: Yuki Ueno defeated Masahiro Takanashi (c) with the WR (14:26). *Masahiro Takanashi fails in V2. Yuki Ueno becomes the 8th DDT Universal Champion!
8. DDT 25th Anniversary Special 6-Man Tag Match: Konosuke Takeshita, MAO & Yasu Urano defeated Dick Togo, Daisuke Sasaki & KANON (w/ MJ Paul & Minoru Fujita) when Takeshita pinned KANON with the Jumping Knee (20:41).
9. KO-D Openweight Title: Kazusada Higuchi (c) defeated Tetsuya Endo with the Brain Claw Slam (25:24). *V1 for Kazusada Higuchi.
The DDT flag is firmly in Kazusada Higuchi’s grasp after today and there can be no denying he is deserving to hold the KO-D Openweight Title. His first defence was against the previous champion Tetsuya Endo, who vacated the belt after suffering a concussion earlier in the summer. Endo threw everything he had to try and win the belt back. Higuchi held firm and delivered his own big bombs like a Brain Claw Slam throwing Endo from the top turnbuckle onto the ring apron. Later Endo looked to be on the verge of getting knocked out only for Higuchi to demand he show his determination and get back up. Endo was able to answer the ten count but was smashed with more Lariats and collisions until he was pinned with another Brain Claw Slam.
Kenta Kobashi presented the KO-D Title to Higuchi and congratulated him after the match. He also shook hands with Endo only for Endo to collapse in front of him. While Endo was helped out of the ring, Higuchi called out to him and said after so much has happened, they both stood together in the ring. Higuchi won today but he looks forward to facing Endo again. Backstage Endo admits he was completely defeated and has now been surpassed. Higuchi is the true 79th KO-D Champion.
Higuchi was then approached by Hisaya Imabayashi. The GM told him the next KO-D Title defence is scheduled for 25th September and then asked if he would like to nominate a challenger. Higuchi did not hesitate and chose Konosuke Takeshita! He would later explain he cannot become the symbol of DDT’s strength if he cannot beat him. Takeshita walked down to the ring and simply said “Let’s fight, Higuchi” before leaving. Backstage Takeshita noted he has never fought Higuchi in a KO-D Title match. He would like to win the title again before continuing his American excursion. He sees it as bringing the KO-D Title home to him rather than taking it over to the USA. Higuchi closed out the show thanking the fans for coming out and creating a good turnout. A lot is still going wrong in the world but everyone in DDT is fighting no matter the difficulties so their fans will have the courage to stand up and push forward.
Takeshita’s return to the title picture was set up in the main event when he got the winning fall. The odds were against him and his team because DAMNATION T.A worked well teaming with Dick Togo. He and Daisuke Sasaki even moved in stereo when they both performed Crossfaces at the same time and then Pedigrees at the same time. MJ Paul and Minoru Fujita also got involved so the numbers game was in DAMNATION’s favour. Takeshita did his best to fight back by blocking Togo’s chair shot only to get hit with another chair from Sasaki. However, the difference in levels between Takeshita and KANON was soon on show when the K-Spike was blocked and KANON was smashed with an Elbow Strike. Takeshita found the opening to hit the Jumping Knee and that was all he needed to get the three count.
After the match Takeshita said he’s only been gone for four months but it’s been the hardest working four months of his entire career. DDT is his home and his goal is to become the best wrestler in the world as a DDT wrestler! He credited his partners for their work today. MAO with his high flying and Yasu Urano with his Socrates-like attitude (Urano found it funny that was all Takeshita could come up with to describe him). Sasaki admits Takeshita has gotten a little stronger by wrestling in America but cannot tell if he’s changed as a person. He also warned today is not the only time you will see DAMNATION T.A and House Of Torture working together! Whenever Sasaki and Togo team up, bad things will happen. However Togo wasn’t as dark with his thoughts and said he’ll come back to DDT at 60 years old wrestling in red tights just like Giant Baba.
Masahiro Takanashi’s hopes of taking the DDT Universal Title around the world to defend against younger generations of wrestlers has been cut short. Yuki Ueno already had youth and physical ability on his side going into the match. All he had to do was figure out Takanashi’s gameplan, which he did. He found ways to block the Takatonic but only when the champion did the move. Takanashi was able to trick Daisuke Kiso into performing it on Ueno for a nearfall. Ueno himself had trouble setting up the WR but finally hit his finisher after a well placed Dropkick to win the title.
He told Takanashi that from the bottom of his heart he considers him to be a deep part of DDT’s history. With those pleasantries out of the way, Ueno then met with Imabayashi to learn about his first title defence. Ueno will put the Universal Title on the line against Cara Noir on 25th September! Noir is an English wrestler and former ballet dancer, known for his literally dramatic ring entrances and match performances. He will be coming to DDT on 18th September before getting his title shot on the 25th. Once this match happens then maybe the title can start to be defended overseas again like it was originally meant to be.
“The Bad Boy” defeats “The Happy Boy” to keep his DDT Extreme Title! A nutty Hardcore match between Joey Janela and Shunma Katsumata delivered some crazy scenes around Ota Ward Gymnasium. Janela rode on a the Dramatic Dream bicycle around ringside and got hit with a toy block covered baseball bat. Katsumata did a balcony dive through a table away from ringside. Janela jumped off a ladder barefoot and missed a Double Stomp, landing feet first onto thumbtacks and toy blocks. The big finish saw Janela give Katsumata the Death Valley Driver from the ladder through a table with a barbed wire board placed on top of it. Janela will now go back to America with the Extreme Title but he promises he will be back. He wants to become part of the DDT family and even enter the D-Oh Grand Prix. Then once he’s finished with that, he wants to go in search for a certain “Mr. Liar”, Atsushi Onita!
The Mixed Tag Match was a new experience for Jun Akiyama. He claims he didn’t feel uncomfortable wrestling with and against the women although Asuka was determined to leave her mark by fighting him. However the match came down to Asuka against Saki Akai and a Moonsault counter completely changed the result from out of nowhere. Asuka did the move and Akai caught her with an Arm Triangle Choke, keeping Asuka trapped until she gave up. It is the first time Asuka directly lost a match to Akai. Asuka slapped Akiyama across the face after the match. Akai was thankful to team with him though and wants to learn more from him. Chris Brookes said he is not angry over the result but the next time he is in the ring with Asuka will be when they face each other in a singles match on 4th September. He is already thinking of ways to win against her. Asuka warned him she has closets full of ideas about what she wants to do against him.
The politician Shinichiro Kawamatsu made his official pro wrestling debut in his full daytime suit. Well that’s not entirely true. He removed his tie before the match began. He also received a bouquet from Eriko Imai, a member of the House of Councilors. He was able to stand toe to toe against Makoto Oishi & Akito thanks to some help from Sanshiro Takagi and Soma Takao. But the real meat of the match came from Kawamatsu’s interactions with Osamu Nishimura. The ring legend held him in a Full Nelson so Akito could grab a leg and do a Dragon Screw. From there Nishimura applied the Spinning Toe Hold before turning it into a Figure 4 Leg Lock to make his fellow politician submit. After the match Nishimura told Kawamatsu he is free to ask him about pro wrestling whenever he wants, but he will not join his political party! Kawamatsu thanked him for the match and told the fans he would like to stay active in pro wrestling. Takagi later suggested they do another match with Kawamatsu and Nishimura involved but this time hold it in Bukyo Ward. In other words, he means Korakuen Hall!
Naomi Yoshimura’s big DNA reunion was spoiled thanks to HARASHIMA pinning him with the Somato. For HARASHIMA & Yukio Sakaguchi, the result shows that their generation is still good. HARASHIMA was also so happy to be wrestling in front of cheering fans again. Hideki Okatani was also pleased to wrestle against the likes of Kota Umeda & Keisuke Okuda, thinking they can bring out the best in him. Today was Okuda’s first match in DDT in around 4 years and it’s been so long since he fought an opponent who wanted to kill him. Sakaguchi is that opponent. They did a fist bump after the match rather than a handshake because they don’t want to get too buddy buddy with each other. It would only ruin the dynamic they have together. Okuda would be happy to do another match like that again if DDT wants to invite him back. Umeda said the competitive spirit he felt in that match is hard to find nowadays both in DDT and elsewhere.
Is there any united force out there that can defeat Pheromones? A team of heavyweights like Yuji Hino, Yukio Naya & Super Sasadango Machine cannot. There’s no relying on The DDT Variety Team to put a stop to them either. They’ve become unstoppable with the addition of Koju Takeda along with the return of Yumehito Imanari in their corner. That only makes them even more outlandish with their antics. Danshoku Dieno has no problem telling fans that they can blame Pheromones for everything wrong that happened today. Antonio Honda and his Gongitsune was powerless while Toru Owashi was thrown into the Triple Hell Gate. Kazuki Hirata became everyone’s last hope with the power of dance but even that wasn’t enough. Pheromones won the 3 Way Match by total destruction. Dieno then gave a victory speech telling everyone that Pheromones will rewrite DDT and turn it into a world of stupidity!
The opening match featured a mix of wrestlers from BURNING as well as the new generation of DDT. Yuya Koroku felt motivated by the atmosphere created by the crowd and it spurned him on to win the match for his team. Ilusion felt the same. Tomorrow will be the one year anniversary of his debut so he wants to spend the next year wrestling more and getting stronger. Yusuke Okada thought the match was really good and did its job to get the fans excited for the rest of the show. Yuki Ishida was upset to take the fall and blames it on being a bit lax with is preparation. Toi Kojima is feeling the pressure to stand out more now that there are even more young and new wrestlers entering the company. This was Takeshi Masada’s second match and he admitted he still doesn’t know right from left while the action is going on. He thinks his lack of ability is why he was on the losing team today. He promised to train harder so his recent debut won’t be taken lightly by everyone.
LiLiCo promised everyone a big announcement for her appearance on the show. The news is DDT will be going to Tokyo Dome City Hall on 29th December for their last big event of 2022. LiLiCo will serve as the event’s special ambassador and she suggested DDT hand out full price refunds to any ticket buyer who does not enjoy the show. She also offered to take part in the Anal Explosion ceremony! Imabayashi refuses to grant her that request because it’s meant to be a punishment you do not volunteer for and he’s worried over what would happen if a woman takes part. However LiLiCo is determined to go through with it and discussions between the two parties will continue.
The D-Ou Grand Prix 2022 will be held throughout November with the final taking place on 4th December. 12 wrestlers all under the age of 40 will enter the tournament in a two block round robin format. Takagi explained that there are more wrestlers under that age competing in DDT nowadays but not been many in their 20s have competed in the D-Ou GP. Kenta Kobashi will continue his role as the chairman of the tournament committee which was established last year.
Posted by JamieOD 
Dramatic DDT 