King Of DDT Final This Sunday, KANON Injured, Haruhi’s Last Match, DDT Visits Ehime Pro

May 19, 2023

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW LIVE TOUR IN SPRING ’23”, 20/05/2023
Tokyo Otemachi Mitsui Hall

1. Mahiro Kiryu Vs Toga
2. Yuki Kamifuku Vs HIMAWARI
3. Hyper Misao Vs Shino Suzuki
4. Ryo Mizunami, Kaya Toribami & Yoshiko Hasegawa Vs Shoko Nakajima, Suzume, & Haru Kazashiro
5. Yuki Aino, Raku & Pom Harajuku Vs Hikari Noa, Nao Kakuta & Wakana Uehara
6. Mizuki & Moka Miyamoto Vs Miu Watanabe & Arisu Endo

Rika Tatsumi is unable to wrestle tomorrow due to illness. Miu Watanabe is now teaming with Arisu Endo in the main event. Ryo Mizunami is being called in to take Endo’s spot in Match #4.

DDT “KING OF DDT 2023 FINAL!!”, 21/05/2023
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

0. Dark Match: Yuki “Sexy” Iino, Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno & Yumehito “Fantastic” Imanari Vs Akito, Yusuke Okada & Rukiya
0. Dark Match: Toru Owashi, Makoto Oishi, Antonio Honda, Kazuki Hirata & Kazuma Sumi Vs Yukio Sakaguchi, Saki Akai, Soma Takao, Yuni & Yuki Ishida
1. King Of DDT 2023 – Semi Final: Kazusada Higuchi Vs Yuki Ueno
2. King Of DDT 2023 – Semi Final: Jun Akiyama Vs Chris Brookes
3. BURNING Vs DAMNATION T.A!: Tetsuya Endo & Kotaro Suzuki Vs Daisuke Sasaki & MJ Paul
4. Special 8-Man Tag Match: Yuji Hino, Sanshiro Takagi, HARASHIMA & Naruki Doi Vs MAO, Toy Kojima, Yuya Koroku & Takeshi Masada
5. DDT Extreme Title – Piercing Death Match: Shunma Katsumata (c) Vs Hideki Okatani
6. King Of DDT 2023 – Final: X Vs X

It was reported today that KANON injured his left shoulder while training and he was diagnosed with a dislocated shoulder. He is out of action for the time being. The BURNING versus DAMNATION T.A match is now changed from a 6-Man Tag to a regular Tag Match. Yusuke Okada gets bumped down to one of the dark matches to accomodate for this.

The mystery ex-WWE wrestler coming to DDT soon will be revealed on this show.

GANBARE☆PRO “YUUSEI KARA NO BUUTAI X 2023”, 03/06/2023
Tokyo Takashimadaira Kumin Center

1. Ken Ohka Vs Yuki Kanzaki
2. Hikaru Sato Vs Shinichiro Tominaga
3. Mizuki, Tsuyoshi Okada & Tyson Maeguchi Vs Keisuke Ishii, Yumehito Imanari & Munetatsu Nakamura
4. Special Tag Match: Shuichiro Katsumura & Shota Vs Soma Takao & Takuya Wada
5. Moeka Haruhi’s Last Match Before Her Break: Moeka Haruhi, HARUKAZE & Yoshiko Hasegawa Vs Rina Amikura, YuuRI & Riara

As the match title says, this is Moeka Haruhi’s final match before her break. The Ganbare☆Joshi division is all showing up for it as well as Rina Amikura. Don’t know what she’s doing there, she isn’t a part of GanJo…

The Shuichiro Katsumura Vs Takuya Wada rivalry continues. Katsumura is having fun doing the matches but Wada hasn’t liked it when he loses to him.

Twelve years ago Shinichiro Tominaga faced Hikaru Sato during his rookie year in Union Pro. They have not faced each other since then.

DDT “JAPAN PARA-WRESTLING FEDERATION CHARITY SHOW ~ WHAT ARE YOU DOING 2023 TOUR IN ODAWARA”, 04/06/2023
Kanagawa Odawara Arena Sub Arena

1. The 37KAMIINA Vs Pheromones!: MAO & Shunma Katsumata Vs Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno
2. Special Single Match: Yuki Ueno Vs Akito
3. Odawara Specialty Special 6-Man Tag Match: Yoshiaki Yatsu, Tetsuya Endo & Jun Akiyama Vs Sanshiro Takagi, Toru Owashi & Makoto Oishi

Yoshiaki Yatsu comes back to DDT to team up with BURNING’s top two in command.

Depending on the result, if ShunMao aren’t careful against Pheromones they may end up having to give them a rematch for the KO-D Tag Team Titles somewhere down the line.

DDT “WHAT ARE YOU DOING 2023 TOUR IN OSAKA”, 10/06/2023
Osaka Suminoe Maikon Hall

1. Special Tag Match: Toru Owashi & “brother” YASSHI Vs Naruki Doi & Kazuki Hirata
2. Tetsuya Endo, Jun Akiyama & Yusuke Okada Vs Kazusada Higuchi, Yuki Ishida & Kazuma Sumi
3. Yukio Sakaguchi Vs Yuya Koroku

Young confidence is on show here with Yuya Koroku challenging Yukio Sakaguchi to a singles match!

DDT “WHAT ARE YOU DOING 2023 TOUR IN MATSUYAMA”, 11/06/2023
Ehime Matsuyama City Comprehensive Community Center Exhibition Hall

1. Special Tag Match: Akito & Char Vs Yusuke Okada & Tsuruhimeka
2. The 37KAMIINA Vs BURNING!: MAO, Shunma Katsumata & Yuki Ueno Vs Tetsuya Endo, Jun Akiyama & Yuya Koroku
3. Matsuyama Specialty Special 6-Man Tag Match: Sanshiro Takagi (w/ Cutie Elly The Ehime), Imabari Taoru Mascaras & Tsutenkakka Vs HARASHIMA, Saki Akai & Kazuma Sumi

Members of Ehime Pro Wrestling are taking part in DDT’s visit to Matsuyama. Imabari Taoru Mascaras (“The Man Of 1,000 Towels” has a talent where he can tell which towels are made in Imabari), the returning Tsutenkakka and valet Cutie Elly The Ehime are all part of a 6-Man Tag Match with DDT regulars. Also two of Ehime’s joshi wrestlers Char and Tsuruhimeka are part of a mixed tag match.


DDT “MEGA MAX BUMP 2023 IN YOKOHAMA” Results

May 3, 2023

DDT “MEGA MAX BUMP 2023 IN YOKOHAMA”, 03/05/2023
Yokohama Budokan
1,160 Fans

0. Dark Match – Pheromones Vs D GENERATIONS Army Best Of 3 Singles Matches: Yumehito “Fantastic” Imanari defeated Rukiya with the Tiger Driver (4:07).
0. Dark Match – Pheromones Vs D GENERATIONS Army Best Of 3 Singles Matches: Ilusion defeated Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno with a Japanese Leg Roll Clutch Hold (5:21).
0. Dark Match – Pheromones Vs D GENERATIONS Army Best Of 3 Singles Matches: Koju “Shining Ball” Takeda defeated Yuki Ishida with the Shining Katame (4:54).
1. Yuya Koroku & Munetatsu Nakamura defeated Toy Kojima & Kazuma Sumi when Koroku submitted Sumi with the Modified Triangle Lancer (8:36).
2. International Special Single Match: Saki Akai defeated Rayne Leverkusen with the Quetzalcoatl (5:51).
3. Daisuke Sasaki, Minoru Fujita & MJ Paul defeated Soma Takao, Yusuke Okada & Diego when Sasaki submitted Diego with the Crossface Lock (11:09).
4. Dance Vs Kickboxing Mixed Martial Arts Challenge: Hikaru Machida defeated Kazuki Hirata by TKO with a Right Straight (R1 0:07). (Round Girl: Sayuri Namba)
4a. Rematch: Kazuki Hirata defeated Hikaru Machida with the Miracle One Shot Cradle (R4 3:32). (Round Girl: Sayuri Namba)
5. Chiitan☆ Debut Match ~ Special 6-Man Tag Match: Chiitan☆, Toru Owashi & Akito defeated Chris Brookes, Masahito Takanashi & Antonio Honda when Chiitan☆ pinned Honda with the Shining Wizard (10:26).
6. Special Tag Match: Yuki Ueno & Yuni defeated Vent Vert Jack & Takeshi Masada when Ueno pinned Masada with the Rolling Guillotine Ace Crusher (12:03).
7. DDT Extreme Title – TLC (Toys, Ladders & Chairs) Match: Shunma Katsumata defeated Jun Akiyama (c) with a School Boy (17:03).
*Jun Akiyama fails in V5. Shunma Katsumata becomes the 57th DDT Extreme Champion!
8. Road To King Of DDT 2023 Special 8-Man Tag Match: Kazusada Higuchi, Yukio Sakaguchi, Naruki Doi & KANON defeated Sanshiro Takagi, HARASHIMA, Kotaro Suzuki & Hideki Okatani when Sakaguchi pinned Okatani with the God’s Right Knee (10:40).
9. DDT Universal Title: Tetsuya Endo (c) defeated MAO with the Tetsuya In The Sky (19:17).
*V1 for Tetsuya Endo.
10. KO-D Openweight Title: Yuji Hino (c) defeated Yuki “Super Sexy” Iino with the Fuckin’ BOMB (22:28).
*V2 for Yuji Hino.

All throughout the build up for the Yokohama Budokan Golden Week show, Yuki Iino had promised to seal away his “Sexy” persona in order to get a KO-D Openweight Title shot. It led to him evolving a “Strong” persona that pleased Yuji Hino and left the champion thinking they would deliver a strong style match for the ages. Oh boy was he wrong. A referee bump led to Pheromones interfering and Makoto Oishi jumping in to try and stop them. Hino wanted nothing to do with the nonsense and ran off backstage with everyone chasing after him. Danshoku Dieno took the microphone, said he held Iino back for too long and it was time to give fans a title match only DDT can deliver! Pheromones returned with Hino all gagged up and behind them was the first appearance of Yuki “Super Sexy” Iino! Pheromones did their spots but Oishi was there once again to get in their way and revive Yukinori Matsui. From there the match went back to normal. Iino hit his new Strong Splash finisher but only got a two count. Hino came back throwing Lariats to combat Iino’s Spear. The momentum flipped all the way to the champion and he got the three count with the Fuckin’ BOMB.

Hino was presented with the KO-D Title by Kenta Kobashi after the match (apparently Kobashi did not sound the least bit amused by the main event on commentary). Hino told Iino that he is a strong wrestler when they fight each other and he should be choosing his friends more carefully. Dieno defended Iino by telling Hino he dares to be “Sexy” and chose to be that way. When times are tough everyone should look to Pheromones for inspiration. Dieno also warned that the Pheromones way of life will lead him to meet Hino in the ring again some day. Hino gave Iino credit for showing off his real ability today and reminded fans that DDT is the place where amazing wrestlers gather together to have amazing matches.

The war of words between Tetsuya Endo and MAO has come to an end for now after Endo was put down his arch rival. For weeks the two have sent harsh words to each other over who suits the DDT Universal Title more. When it came down to the match itself both tried to outdo each other with big moves. Endo kicked out of the Avalanche Michinoku Driver II and the Cannonball 450 but when Endo hit the Tetsuya In The Sky it was all over. MAO was left beaten but he said afterwards the result did not change his mind. He still intends to win the Universal Title he just has to start from scratch all over again. As long as he behaves how he thinks the Universal Champion should behave then the belt will eventually gravitate towards him by itself. Meanwhile Endo said MAO was just all talk and no better than Daisuke Sasaki’s snot! If MAO wants to get revenge and beat him, he should go home and become his town’s toursim ambassador first!

With MAO now out of the way, Endo has a new mystery challenger on the horizon. As he walked up the ramp to leave ringside, a video played with the message “I have won many titles. Next target is DDT Universal Title. On July 23, Ryogoku. I will go to steal the belt.” The video also mentioned the message was sent from a former WWE wrestler and their identity will be revealed on 21st May. Who could it be? Well maybe it’s the guy who tweeted out a similar vague message a few hours later and then posted the video itself? Endo said a WWE wrestler is the best choice for his next defence. However Endo is about to take part in the King Of DDT tournament and the winner of that will most likely get a KO-D Title match at “WRESTLE PETER PAN 2023” on 23rd July. Endo wants to win the tournament and then win the KO-D Title while still holding the Universal Title. If he gets that opportunity then he won’t be able to do two title matches at the Sumo Hall show. It would just be too difficult for him!

A preview for the King Of DDT was on display in an 8-Man Tag Match. Given the amount of people in the match chomping at the bit to wrestle, the match went ahead with No Tag Rules. It led to some of the 1st Round pairings squaring up to each other. Sanshiro Takagi and Yukio Sakaguchi fought each other while Kotaro Suzuki and KANON went back and forth. Hideki Okatani tried cutting off his Eruption stablemate but was pinned with the God’s Right Knee for his troubles. Sakaguchi helped Okatani to the back after the match, showing there was no ill intention over the result. Everyone also gave out comments about King Of DDT. Takagi is now trying to figure out how to prepare for his 1st Round match in three days. Sakaguchi wants Takagi to put his phone away and be ready for him. Suzuki wants to win King Of DDT at all costs. Naruki Doi sees everyone as his enemy because he knows it only takes one loss to get eliminated from the bracket. HARASHIMA wanted his side to win as a team today but their teamwork wasn’t good enough. Kazusada Higuchi was reminded of how tough the competition is going to be so he will tighten his resolve for the early rounds. KANON promised to give Suzuki a nightmare he deserves. Okatani was excited by the match and wants to win no matter what it takes.

The TLC Match was all about Toys, Ladders and Chairs! The idea was put together by Shunma Katsumata to ensure Jun Akiyama would experience a true DDT Extreme Title defence. However the in the build up to the match the plan seemed to have backfired when Akiyama got the bright idea to get Toy Kojima involved because he counts as a “Toy”! The match went ahead with chaos being caused around the ring. Akiyama crashed into a castle of chairs but he also used Kojima as a weapon against Katsumata. One Exploder Suplex was not enough to get the win so Akiyama set up another. However Kojima suddenly showed he had enough of being treated like a toy and he hit Akiyama with a Leg Lariat. That caused Katsumata to roll up Akiyama from behind and get the pin to win the Extreme Title! After the match Kojima yelled at Akiyama, telling him to stop treating people like toys and how Katsumata has always treated him as a friend. His comments got Akiyama to go to management and demand a singles match with him somewhere down the line. Meanwhile Katsumata wants to take the Extreme Title and KO-D Tag Team Titles with MAO worldwide. He also wants to turn the belt strap back from white to purple but that might take some time.

DDT’s young portion of their roster was put on display for Match #6. Yuki Ueno teamed up with Yuni originally expecting to face some international competition. However visa issues prevented Nick Wayne from being able to travel to Japan so Takeshi Masada instead had to team with Vent Vert Jack from Yokohama’s MY WAY promotion. It was the first time Yuni and Jack were in the ring together since the end of the DDTeeeen!! project. Yuni pulled out a Firebird Splash on Masada to give Ueno a nearfall. Jack tried to keep breaking the pins but Ueno scored the win in the end by giving Masada the Rolling Guillotine Ace Crusher. Ueno said everyone in the match was amazing and makes him wonder how good he himself will be when Wayne does finally come to DDT? His upcoming singles match with HUB is giving him an explosion of motivation and he wants to also face Wayne in a singles match. Yuni also threw his name into the hat to have a match with Wayne. Jack said he would like to come back to DDT for more matches with Yuni and Ilusion. Masada said he was able to see the difference in his career to those of Yuni and Jack. He’s older than both of them but they have far more experience than he does. He sees he has to catch up to them first before he can catch up to Ueno.

The pro wrestling debut of Chiitan saw the mascot get outclassed by its opponents at first. But Toru Owashi & Akito were there to provide backup against CDK & Antonio Honda. Chiitan got into a punch exchange with Chris Brookes until Honda paused the match to give his latest Gongitsune joke. When the match resumed Brookes set Chiitan up for the Praying Mantis Bomb when music suddenly began to play. DDT’s own oversized mascot Pokotan ran down to the ring to the rescue! It instead got attacked and had its head stomped in by Brookes. But unknown to him, Chiitan had climbed the top rope and went on to hit a Diving Cross Body onto Brookes, Honda & Masahiro Takanashi. With the ring cleared, Chiitan then hit the Shining Wizard on Honda to win the match.

The two mascots gathered together afterwards and seemed to be on the same page. Until suddenly Chiitan attacked Pokotan with a baseball bat! The two got into a brawl that Akito tried to break up. Things briefly calmed down long enough for Akito to announce Chiitan and Pokotan will have a match against each other on 13th May but that just caused the mascots to get into another fight. Backstage Akito tried to explain what was going on to the reporters. Pokotan thinks he is DDT’s No. 1 mascot while Chiitan thinks it is Japan’s No. 1 mascot. The two are now determined to end each other!

The long awaited MMA fight between Dance and Kickboxing only lasted 7 seconds when Hikaru Machida immediately knocked out Kazuki Hirata. One person in particular took more offence to the result than anyone else in the building. The round girl Sayuri Namba was furious! She didn’t put all this effort into becoming a round girl again only to see she wasn’t needed. She even handmade her own costume for the match! She took her anger out on Hirata, Machida and the ref Matsui by slapping them all to the canvas. Everyone agreed to restart the match to further avoid her wrath. Namba became a lot more cheerful now she was able to do her job.

In the 3rd Round, Hirata feared he was about to get knocked out again so he got on the microphone and read a letter he wrote about wanting to put smiles on children’s faces. He thinks Machida’s own child would have the biggest smile if Hirata and Machida danced together. In the 4th Round Machida held back his Iai Punch and tearfully told Hirata he will always be a father before a fighter. The two danced to Hirata’s music but Hirata then cradled Machida for a nearfall. Machida hit the Iai Punch but that also got a two count. Hirata then locked in the Miracle One Shot Cradle from out of nowhere to take the win. Namba raised both of their hands and the three of them all danced to close out the match. Backstage Machida said this was the first time he ever lost a fight because his opponent exploited his love for his son. He also never danced in front of so many people before. His cornerman Thanomsak Toba told him that this is pro wrestling and everything is a learning experience. Namba said she would love to do more round girl work but only if the fighters are stronger so the audience can enjoy the fight more.

Diego’s first match with DDT in six years came about when Keigo Nakamura got injured. Diego was already in Japan and had attended a DDT show as Katsumata’s guest so when a spot on this show opened up it was only natural to bring him in. Unfortunately DAMNATION T.A spoiled his return and left him with a loss on his record. Daisuke Sasaki gave him a Low Blow, Minoru Fujita followed up with the Sayonara Tombstone and Sasaki landed a Diving Elbow. Diego kicked out of the pin but was put into the Crossface Lock for the submission ending. Soma Takao & Yusuke Okada still thanked Diego for joining their team on short notice. Sasaki complained about Diego coming back and demanded to fight him one on one in Diego’s home country of Chile. The flights are expensive though so he wants Diego to pay for it.

Rayne Leverkusen’s goal to “Make It Rayne” in Japan was taken down a notch after she lost to Saki Akai. She tried using a Rolling Elbow, German Suplex and Spinebuster to win. Akai fired back with a High Kick, the Rookie Award and then the Quetzalcoatl to get her hand raised in the end. For Akai she didn’t take it for granted that she got a singles match on one of DDT’s big shows of the year. She could tell that Rayne only has a year and a half of experience. She also doesn’t know anything about Iron Maiden so she was able to treat Leverkusen as an opponent and nothing else. Leverkusen said she respects Akai and she also won’t run away whenever her opponents brings up her family’s fame. She will continue to wrestle for her family and is proud to get a big singles match in Japan today. She wants to come back and if she is still a champion when she does, she thinks she will have to give Akai a title match.

The opening match ended with Yuya Koroku cutting off Kazuma Sumi’s Lionsault and then submitting him with the Triangle Lancer. However Koroku is not satisfied with that after failing to win the D GENERATIONS CUP and failing to qualify for King Of DDT. He wants to get even stronger so he can move out of the opening match spot as soon as possible. Munetatsu Nakamura from Ganbare☆Pro was happy to be on the winning team and hopes the next time he comes to DDT he will get to team with Keigo Nakamura as was originally planned. This was the fourth time Kojima & Sumi teamed up together. Kojima figures he has to protect Sumi even more after today’s loss. Sumi meanwhile is getting frustrated because he cannot figure out how to break out of Koroku’s Triangle Lancer.

Most of Pheromones were banished to the pre-show to take part in three dark matches. They pulled out a 2-1 score against a trio of rookies in singles matches. First, Yumehito Imanari beat Rukiya by using the Lariat and then the Tiger Driver. Then there was an upset when Ilusion defeated Danshoku Dieno! Ilusion got unmasked by Dieno during the match but the other rookies had the bright idea to place Dieno’s discarded tights over his head as a replacement. Ilusion then caught Dieno with a Japanese Leg Roll Clutch Hold to get the surprise three count and even the score. The third match was the decider with Yuki Ishida facing Koju Takeda. Ishida using an Emerald Flowsion for a nearfall and went for the Ensho. But Takeda countered it with his Shining Katame submission to make Pheromones win the series. Dieno used the result to declare today was going to be Pheromones Day!

A few guest names were announced for “WRESTLE PETER PAN 2023” on 23rd July. First, Andreza Giant Panda will be coming back to DDT. The other was a person that nobody would have predicted, a wrestler by the name of Yoshitomo Shimohigashi. He is considered the first graduate of the Ibushi Wrestling Institute, having debuted in wrestling back in 2018. He also has an athletic background in bowling. Given his connection to Kota Ibushi, Shimohigashi is nicknamed “Golden Stardust” and he now carries on Kota Ibushi’s lineage in pro wrestling. Akito explained he has a hand in the Institute as an advisor and that even though Shimohigashi is unknown to the vast majority of wrestling fans, he is well known within the wrestling industry. Shimohigashi told the fans he wants to make an explosion inside the very ring that Ibushi created.

DDT will go to Sumo Hall for a second time this year on 12th November for “ULTIMATE PARTY 2023”.


DDT “MAX BUMP 2023 TOUR IN OSAKA” Results

April 29, 2023

DDT “MAX BUMP 2023 TOUR IN OSAKA”, 29/04/2023
Osaka 176BOX
286 Fans – Super No Vacancy

1. Hideki Okatani defeated Rukiya with the Double Arm Suplex (7:32).
2. Yuki “Strong” Iino & Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno defeated Makoto Oishi & Kazuma Sumi when Iino submitted Sumi with an Argentine Backbreaker (12:27).
3. Osaka Specialty Special 6-Man Tag Match: Chris Brookes, Saki Akai & Tsutenkakka defeated Toru Owashi, Rayne Leverkusen & Kazuki Hirata when Brookes pinned Hirata with the Praying Mantis Bomb (11:51).
4. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Daisuke Sasaki, MJ Paul & KANON defeated Naruki Doi, Yuni & Takeshi Masada when Sasaki submitted Yuni with the Crossface Lock (13:21).
5. Special Tag Match: Jun Akiyama & Yusuke Okada defeated Shunma Katsumata & Kazusada Higuchi when Akiyama pinned Katsumata with the Exploder Suplex (8:55).
6. Yuji Hino & Yukio Sakaguchi defeated HARASHIMA & Yuki Ishida when Hino submitted Ishida with the King Kong Sleeper (13:23).
7. BURNING Vs The 37KAMIINA!: MAO & Yuki Ueno defeated Tetsuya Endo & Yuya Koroku when MAO pinned Koroki with the Avalanche Michinoku Driver II (21:26).

Some of the main event spent time outside the ring where Tetsuya Endo knocked MAO onto the others below and then did a Moonsault onto everybody. Back in the ring MAO took the victory by pinning Yuya Koroku with the Avalanche Michinoku Driver II. Backstage Yuki Ueno described a title match as a clash of beliefs and convictions. There is no need for an answer, just for MAO to show what he thinks and Endo to show what he thinks. For The 37KAMIINA they are going their own way to make DDT and themselves more exciting.

Makoto Oishi promised to protect Yuji Hino from Pheromones on tomorrow’s show because it will be their last match before the KO-D Openweight Title bout next Wednesday. However Hino thinks he is taking on Yuki “Strong” Iino and believes it will be an interesting match next week. Danshoku Dieno said Iino is now ready to be champion and when he does, Yuki “Sexy” Iino will be unleashed again! Hino agrees that Iino is strong but Hino is super strong!

Today was one of mixed feelings for Shunma Katsumata. On the bright side today is the 9th Anniversary of Katsumata’s debut match. On the down side he was beaten by Jun Akiyama. The fighting between the two got intense with the both of them attacking each other with chairs outside the ring. Akiyama then sent his message loud and clear by pinning Katsumata clean with the Exploder Suplex. He called today’s a perfect result and wants to remind everyone he is going to use Toy Kojima as a weapon in the TLC Match. Katsumata knows he is going to face an even scarier version of Akiyama at that match but he will still give him a proper DDT Extreme Title bout.

Rayne Leverkusen is starting to admit she is feeling nervous for her match against Saki Akai next week because she hasn’t beaten her yet in any of their tag matches. She is hoping to give Akai a heavy metal fight and dispel the notion she is only in DDT because she has a famous uncle.


Golden Week And Then Some

April 28, 2023

DDT “MAX BUMP 2023 TOUR IN OSAKA”, 29/04/2023
Osaka 176BOX

1. Hideki Okatani Vs Rukiya
2. Yuki “Not Sexy” Iino & Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno Vs Makoto Oishi & Kazuma Sumi
3. Osaka Specialty Special 6-Man Tag Match: Chris Brookes, Saki Akai & Tsutenkakka Vs Toru Owashi, Rayne Leverkusen & Kazuki Hirata
4. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Daisuke Sasaki, MJ Paul & KANON Vs Naruki Doi, Yuni & Takeshi Masada
5. Special Tag Match: Jun Akiyama & Yusuke Okada Vs Shunma Katsumata & Kazusada Higuchi
6. Yuji Hino & Yukio Sakaguchi Vs HARASHIMA & Yuki Ishida
7. BURNING Vs The 37KAMIINA!: Tetsuya Endo & Yuya Koroku Vs MAO & Yuki Ueno

The feud between Tetsuya Endo and MAO will be headlining the remaining DDT shows until Yokohama Budokan.

This will be the first time Rukiya is wrestling in front of his hometown crowd.

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “PRECIOUS TIME”, 29/04/2023
Tokyo Shinagawa Prince Hotel Club eX

-. Nivea Presents Shinagawa 3-Woman Festival – Round 1: Suzume, Arisu Endo & Haruna Neko defeated Hikari Noa, Nao Kakuta & Wakana Uehara by Forfeit.
1. Nivea Presents Shinagawa 3-Woman Festival – Round 1A: Maki Itoh, Haru Kazashiro & Runa Okubo Vs Yuki Aino, Raku & Pom Harajuku
2. Nivea Presents Shinagawa 3-Woman Festival – Round 1B: Rika Tatsumi, Miu Watanabe & HIMAWARI Vs Mizuki, Yuka Sakazaki & Shino Suzuki
3. Nivea Presents Shinagawa 3-Woman Festival – Round 1C: Shoko Nakajima, Hyper Misao & Kaya Toribami Vs Yuki Kamifuku, Mahiro Kiryu & Toga
4. Hikari Noa Vs Wakana Uehara
5. Nivea Presents Shinagawa 3-Woman Festival – Semi-Final: Winners Of Match 1A Vs Winners Of Match 1B
6. Nivea Presents Shinagawa 3-Woman Festival – Semi-Final: Winners Of Match 1C Vs Suzume, Arisu Endo & Haruna Neko
7. Sawyer Wreck Vs Moka Miyamoto
8. Nivea Presents Shinagawa 3-Woman Festival – Final: X, X & X Vs X, X & X

Nao Kakuta will not be on tomorrow’s show because of family circumstances. Her team are forfeiting their 1st Round match in the trios tournament for this reason. Hikari Noa and Wakana Uehana will instead face each other in a non-tournament match.

GANBARE☆PRO “RUN LOLA RUN 2023”, 29/04/2023
Osaka 176BOX

1. GanPro Specialty Mixed Tag Match: Shota & HARUKAZE Vs Soma Takao & YuuRI
2. Yoshiko Hasegawa Vs Marika Kobashi
3. Ganbare☆Pro Wrestling Vs The 37KAMIINA: Keisuke Ishii & Munetatsu Nakamura Vs Yuki Ueno & MAO
4. Tatsuhito Takaiwa & Yumehito Imanari Vs Minoru Fujita & Takahiro Katori
5. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Mizuki Watase, Ken Ohka & Hartley Jackson Vs Shuichiro Katsumura, Shinichiro Tominaga & Tyson Maeguchi

A few days before Ganbare☆Pro make it back to Korakuen Hall, they are paying a visit to Osaka.

BASARA “BASARA 217 ~TAKAGARI 16~”, 30/04/2023
Takashimadaira Ward Community Center

1. Takato Nakano & Masato Kamino Vs Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi & Daichi Kazato
2. KUBITO Vs Masahiro Takanashi
3. Isami Kodaka & Daiki Shimomura Vs Lil’ Kraken & Leo Isaka
4. FUMA Vs X
5. Elimination 6-Man Tag Match: Takumi Tsukamoto, Yasu Urano & Fuminori Abe Vs Ryota Nakatsu, SAGAT & Akiyori Takizawa

It looks like FUMA’s opponent will not be revealed until the match takes place. He’s been getting into hunting lately and said as soon as he knows who the opponent is he will treat them like a game animal.

DDT “MAX BUMP 2023 TOUR IN HAMAMATSU”, 30/04/2023
Shizuoka Create Hamamatsu Hall

1. Yusuke Okada Vs Kazuma Sumi
2. Daisuke Sasaki & KANON Vs Hideki Okatani & Rukiya
3. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Toru Owashi, Kazuki Hirata & Mari Manji Vs Antonio Honda, Takeshi Masada & Rayne Leverkusen
4. Hamamatsu Specialty Special 6-Man Tag Match: HARASHIMA, Yukio Sakaguchi & Hiroshi Yamato Vs Kazusada Higuchi, Chris Brookes & Yuki Ishida
5. Ω Vs Pheromones!: Yuji Hino & Makoto Oishi Vs Yuki “Not Sexy” Iino & Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno
6. BURNING Vs The 37KAMIINA!: Tetsuya Endo, Jun Akiyama & Yuya Koroku Vs MAO, Shunma Katsumata & Yuki Ueno

This is the final chance for Makoto Oishi to judge if Yuki Iino has been acting sexy. Iino cannot slip up now right when the KO-D Openweight Title shot is about to be in his grasp.

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW INSPIRATION”, 01/05/2022
Shin-Kiba 1st RING

1. Mahiro Kiryu Vs Gabai Ji-chan
2. HIMAWARI Vs Toga
3. Suzume & Arisu Endo Vs Moka Miyamoto & Kaya Toribami
4. Fluorescent Lighttube Death Match: Sawyer Wreck Vs Hikari Noa

Both Mizuki and Hikari Noa were guests on today’s Battle☆Men news show on Samurai TV. During their interview, Noa revealed that her death match against Sawyer Wreck is going to be a Fluorescent Lighttube Death Match! Mizuki also said she would like to face Mercedes Moné someday. I don’t think that comment is leading to anything anytime soon but hey, might as well mention it.

GANBARE☆JOSHI “GANJO FIRE EMBLEM ’23”, 02/05/2023
Takashimadaira Ward Community Center

0. 5 Minute Exhibition Match: Riara Vs Moeka Haruhi
1. Gatoh Move Offer Match: Chie Koishikawa Vs Tokiko Kirihara
2. Special Single Match: Ami Manase Vs Marika Kobashi
3. Special Tag Match: Moeka Haruhi & YuuRI Vs Tomoka Inaba & HisokA
4. Special Single Match: Yoshiko Hasegawa Vs Tae Honma

It only just occurred to me that this Ganbare☆Joshi show is happening by itself and not beneath a GanPro show happening later in the day.

DDT “MEGA MAX BUMP 2023 IN YOKOHAMA”, 03/05/2023
Yokohama Budokan

0. Dark Match – Pheromones Vs D GENERATIONS Army Best Of 3 Singles Matches: Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno, Yumehito “Fantastic” Imanari & Koju “Shining Ball” Takeda Vs Yuki Ishida, Ilusion & Rukiya
1. Toy Kojima & Kazuma Sumi Vs Yuya Koroku & Munetatsu Nakamura
2. Daisuke Sasaki, Minoru Fujita & MJ Paul Vs Soma Takao, Yusuke Okada & Diego
3. Dance Vs Kickboxing Mixed Martial Arts Challenge: Kazuki Hirata Vs Hikaru Machida (Round Girl: Sayuri Namba)
4. Chiitan☆ Debut Match ~ Special 6-Man Tag Match: Chiitan☆, Toru Owashi & Akito Vs Chris Brookes, Masahito Takanashi & Antonio Honda
5. International Special Single Match: Saki Akai Vs Rayne Leverkusen
6. International Special Tag Match: Yuki Ueno & Yuni Vs Van Vert Jack & Takeshi Masada
7. Road To King Of DDT 2023 Special 8-Man Tag Match: Sanshiro Takagi, HARASHIMA, Kotaro Suzuki & Hideki Okatani Vs Kazusada Higuchi, Yukio Sakaguchi, Naruki Doi & KANON
8. DDT Extreme Title – TLC (Toys, Ladders & Chairs) Match: Jun Akiyama (c) Vs Shunma Katsumata
9. DDT Universal Title: Tetsuya Endo (c) Vs MAO
10. KO-D Openweight Title: Yuji Hino (c) Vs Yuki “Not Sexy” Iino

MAO believes he has spoken no lies in his war of words with Endo. He gets frustrated whenever he sees Endo carrying the DDT Universal Title because he thinks he is more worthy of being the champion. Endo can see some of the points MAO has made over the last few weeks but does not understand why MAO thinks he is a better fit to be Universal Champion. He thinks the only way MAO can prove his point is if he beats him for the title.

Shunma Katsumata has already received a lot of toys from DDT fans to use in the TLC Match, including a box of Beyblades from the GM Hisaya Imabayashi.

The arrival of Rayne Leverkusen in DDT has Saki Akai feeling a little confused over what her opponent’s goal is. She understands her situation of trying to make your own path while being related to a famous celebrity but other than that she does not know what legacy Leverkusen will leave behind in DDT once she goes home. Leverkusen’s response is she is very passionate about pro wrestling and quit her job to do this tour of Japan and make a name for herself. Her wrestling career isn’t even two years old yet but she already holds three different championships. She brought up that if Akai beats her then she will have to defend one of those titles against her in a rematch.

The first two matches on the main card have been changed a little bit because of Keigo Nakamura’s injury. Yuya Koroku is moving down a match to take Nakamura’s place in the opener. Koroku’s original spot is now being taken by Diego! He is already in Japan and was invited to a recent DDT show by Katsumata. It will be his first match for DDT in almost six years!

During a press conference Chiitan used a baseball bat to destroy an 18-liter can to show its intention to beat Chris Brookes. Suddenly Brookes entered the room and attacked the mascot along with Akito. Brookes put Akito through a table with a Piledriver but Chiitan fought him off with the Shining Wizard and Tornado DDT. Akito was able to get back up and keep the two apart.

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “YES! WONDERLAND ’23”, 05/05/2023
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

1. HIMAWARI Vs Shino Suzuki
2. Hyper Misao, Haru Kazashiro & Runa Okubo Vs Raku, Pom Harajuku & Haruna Neko
3. Yuki Kamifuku & Wakana Uehara Vs Mahiro Kiryu & Toga
4. Ryo Mizunami, Moka Miyamoto & Kaya Toribami Vs Hikari Noa, Nao Kakuta & Yuki Aino
5. Miu Watanabe Vs Arisu Endo
6. Yuki Arai Debut 2nd Anniversary Match: Yuki Arai & Maki Itoh Vs Yuka Sakazaki & Shoko Nakajima
7. International Princess Title: Rika Tatsumi (c) Vs Suzume
8. Princess Of Princess Title: Mizuki (c) Vs Sawyer Wreck

Fingers crossed that neither Wreck or Noa get torn too much to shreds with broken glass before the Korakuen show.

GANBARE☆PRO “LOVE PHANTOM 2023”, 05/05/2023
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

1. Riara Debut Match: YuuRI Vs Riara
2. Shuichiro Katsumura & Moeka Haruhi Vs Hartley Jackson & HARUKAZE
3. Ganbare☆Pro Vs Sento Minzoku: Ken Ohka, Shinichiro Tominaga & Munetatsu Nakamura Vs Isami Kodaka, Minoru Fujita & Daiki Shimomura
4. Special Tag Match: Shota & Soma Takao Vs Dan The Dad & Kody Lane
5. Yoshiko Hasegawa Vs Nao Kakuta
6. Spirit Of Ganbare World Tag Team Titles Tournament – Final: Tatsuhito Takaiwa & Yumehito Imanari Vs Hikaru Sato & Tyson Maeguchi
7. Spirit Of Ganbare World Openweight Title: Mizuki Watase (c) Vs Keisuke Ishii

Is Mizuki Watase’s new finisher going to be the difference between winning and losing against Keisuke Ishii?

DDT “WHAT ARE YOU DOING 2023 TOUR IN OSAKA”, 10/06/2023
Osaka Suminoe Maikon Hall

1. Special Tag Match: Toru Owashi & “brother” YASSHI Vs Naruki Doi & Kazuki Hirata

The Dragon Gene flows strong in this match. Naruki Doi and “brother” YASSHI both return to DDT for a tag match also involving Toru Owashi and Kazuki Hirata. The pairings are different than usual too.

DDT “DRAMATIC DREAMS! VOL. 10 ~SPARE MYSELF AND SPARE MY NAME~”, 02/07/2023
Osaka Komikyo Higashinari Civic Center

1. Magnitude Kishiwada 30th Anniversary Match ~You Guys Will Know When You See It~: Magnitude Kishiwada Vs X
2. Special Single Match WR ~Wrestling & Respect~: Yuki Ueno Vs HUB

The annual Osaka show put together by Yukinori Matsui will this time be headlined with Yuki Ueno Vs HUB. The story that ties these two together is the WR finishing move used by Ueno. It originally belonged to HUB back when he wrestled under the Super Dolphin gimmick (not Super Delphin but Delphin’s kayfabe brother). Also on the show is Magnitude Kishiwada’s 30th Anniversary match.

Also appearing on the show are Dick Togo, Shigehiro Irie, Kuishinbo Kamen, Kikutaro, No Name (Hibiscus Mii’s spooky nurse gimmick), Tsubasa, Black Buffalo, Yasu Urano and Kohei Kinoshita.


DDT “DRAMATIC EXPLOSION IN NIIGATA” Results

April 16, 2023

DDT “DRAMATIC EXPLOSION IN NIIGATA”, 16/04/2023
Niigata Bandaijima Multi-Purpose Plaza
360 Fans – Super No Vacancy

1. KANON defeated Rukiya with the Cobra Twist (6:12).
2. Kazusada Higuchi & Yuki Ishida defeated Chris Brookes & Kazumi Sumi when Ishida pinned Sumi with the Ensho (8:58).
3. Yuki “Not Sexy” Iino & Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno Vs Toru Owashi & Akito ended in a No Contest (10:27).
4. Special Single Match: MAO defeated Kazuki Hirata with the Michinoku Driver II (13:09).
5. Current Blast Bat 6-Man Tag Death Match: Atsushi Onita, Shunma Katsumata & Toy Kojima defeated Joey Janela, Sanshiro Takagi & Takeshi Masada when Onita pinned Janela with the Current Blast Bat Full Swing (14:40).
6. Special Tag Match: Tetsuya Endo & HARASHIMA defeated Yukio Sakaguchi & Hideki Okatani when Endo pinned Okatani with the Swivel Torture Rack Bomb (12:24).
7. KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles: Shinya Aoki, Yuki Ueno & Super Sasadango Machine (c) defeated Jun Akiyama, Yusuke Okada & Yuya Koroku when Machine pinned Koroku with the Vertical Drop Lehman Shock (20:06).
*V1 for Shinya Aoki, Yuki Ueno & Super Sasadango Machine.

Despite the big draw of the show being an Exploding Death Match, the final bout of the day was instead Super Sasadango Machine defending the KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles in his hometown. The unlikely champion team of Sasadango, Shinya Aoki & Yuki Ueno had to defend the belts against BURNING led by Jun Akiyama. It was Sasadango’s idea in order to make his homecoming show a bigger deal. The hometown hero almost experience a big defeat when he took Akiyama’s Knee Strike, then Yusuke Okada’s Diving Headbutt and then Yuya Koroku’s Diving Elbow Drop. But he kicked out at two and blocked Koroku’s Moonsault with his knees. Aoki & Ueno kept the rest of BURNING away so Sasadango could pin Koroku with the Lehman Shock, giving the underdog champions their first successful defence.

Although Sasadango won the match for his team, he still suggested they vacate it so the belts can go to a more deserving champions. While Ueno convinced him not to, Kazusada Higuchi & Yuki Ishida entered the ring. They announced that Harimao wants the next title shot because KO-D stands for King Of Dosukoi! Sasadango asked if it can wait until next year’s Niigata show. He was turned down by both Ueno and Harimao. The champions ended up accepting the challenge but no date was given for it yet. Sasadango closed out the show by telling the fans he really loves both pro wrestling and Niigata.

For his entire tour of Japan, Joey Janela has been laser focused on one thing. To destroy Atsushi Onita in an exploding death match! This caused Onita to call upon his Dramatic Dream Onita squad to join his battle against Janela. Meanwhile Sanshiro Takagi & Takeshi Masada joined Janela’s side to continue DDT’s quest to take the death match trademark from Onita. Four baseball bats were placed around the ring all rigged to explode upon impact. Onita, Masada, Takagi and Janela all took the explosions with the last one providing the match’s climax. Onita & Shunma Katsumata both spat Poison Mist in Janela’s face, causing him to sit onto a chair in the ring. Onita then saw his chance and hit Janela with the last exploding bat, pinning him afterwards.

After the match Onita praised Janela for the fight and suggested they should do another exploding death match, this time one on one in America! After hearing about this, Takagi decided to end his goal of claiming the death match trademark. Instead he will do whatever he can to help make Onita Vs Janela happen in America. Katsumata said they can bring Dramatic Dream Onita to America too!

Makoto Oishi was at ringside with his Sexy Counter to judge if Yuki Iino was still “Not Sexy”. Even Akito tried to tempt Iino into unsealing his Pheromones gimmick by stripping off his own gear. Toru Owashi also wanted to join in but nothing he did registered with the Sexy Counter, making him upset. The antics led to Akito unintentionally getting the match called off when Iino pinned him with the Gedo Clutch. The position revealed too much of Akito to the audience so the referee had to cancel the match. For once it wasn’t Pheromones’ fault!


DDT “MAX BUMP 2023 TOUR IN SHINJUKU” Results

April 15, 2023

DDT “MAX BUMP 2023 TOUR IN SHINJUKU”, 15/04/2023
Shinjuku FACE
246 Fans

0. Dark Match: Kazuma Sumi defeated Rukiya with a Camel Clutch (4:42).
1. MJ Paul & KANON defeated Chris Brookes & Ilusion when KANON submitted Ilusion with the Crucifixion Cobra Twist (8:51).
2. Special Single Match: Kazuki Hirata defeated Yuni with the Miracle One Shot Cradle (9:15).
3. Yuji Hino & Toru Owashi defeated Kazusada Higuchi & Yuki Ishida when Hino pinned Ishida with the Power Bomb (9:40).
4. Falls Count Anywhere Scramble Bunkhouse Street Fight 6-Man Tag Team Death Match: Sanshiro Takagi, Joey Janela & Takeshi Masada defeated Yukio Sakaguchi, Antonio Honda & Hideki Okatani when Janela pinned Honda with a Diving Foot Stomp from a Ladder through a Plastic Case and Chair (15:10).
5. Yuki “Not Sexy” Iino & Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno (w/ Yumehito “Fantastic” Imanari) defeated HARASHIMA & Keigo Nakamura when Iino submitted Nakamura with the Body Choke Not Dragon Sleeper (11:47).
6. Elimination 8-Man Tag Match ~BURNING Vs The 37KAMIINA!~: MAO, Shunma Katsumata, Yuki Ueno & Toy Kojima defeated Tetsuya Endo, Jun Akiyama, Yusuke Okada & Yuya Koroku (25:28).
6a. Jun Akiyama and Shunma Katsumata eliminated each other by Double Ring Out (9:22).
6b. Yuki Ueno eliminated Yusuke Okada by Ring Out (13:20).
6c. Toy Kojima eliminated Yuya Koroku with a Modified Cradle (17:34).
6d. Tetsuya Endo eliminated Toy Kojima with the Swivel Torture Rack Bomb (19:28).
6e. Tetsuya Endo eliminated Yuki Ueno by Ring Out (22:16).
6f. MAO eliminated Tetsuya Endo by Ring Out (25:28).

Two of DDT’s championships are currently embroiled in the rivlary between BURNING and The 37KAMIINA. The two champs, Tetsuya Endo with the DDT Universal Title & Jun Akiyama with the DDT Extreme Title were on the losing aside against their upcoming challengers in an 8-Man Tag Elimination match. First, Akiyama was taken out of the ring by Shunma Katsumata thanks to some help from Toy Kojima. Katsumata was eliminated by that spot too but it removed BURNING’s most experienced wrestler from the match. BURNING took further hits with Yusuke Okada & Yuya Koroku getting eliminated next, leaving Endo on his own. He was on the way to scoring a major comeback by eliminating Yuki Ueno & Kojima only for MAO to take victory from the jaws of defeat. MAO dropped Endo to the floor by doing a Package Piledriver on the ring apron and then letting Endo fall out.

Backstage MAO brought up his previous criticisms of Endo and explained why he said them. It’s not that he hates Endo. It’s because MAO’s own growing momentum overseas makes it the perfect time for him to be the Universal Champion again. He needs to be the Universal Champion while all of these companies around the world are starting to pay attention to him. If that doesn’t resonate with Endo then that is Endo’s problem, not MAO’s. Katsumata also butted in to say he is more extreme than Akiyama. Endo’s response to MAO is he will not bend his beliefs as champion no matter what his challenger says.

For the rest of this month Yuki Iino must prove he is “Not Sexy” in order to get his KO-D Openweight Title match on 3rd May. Makoto Oishi was at ringside for his match carrying a Sexy Counter device to judge if Iino was being honest. Iino’s first attempt to prove this was by wearing black trunks similar to the gear he wore earlier in his career, before discovered Pheromones. He had to fight his urges to strip while fighting but was able to pull out the win in the end by giving Keigo Nakamura the Bubba Bomb and then turning it into a Dragon Sleeper. However after the match Iino felt a big headache, showing his resistance is taking a toll on his body. Oishi announced that Iino did not set off the sexy detector but he will stay near him during tomorrow’s show. Danshoku Dieno warned that at Yokohama Budokan all of this stored energy will evolve Iino into a super monster that cannot be controlled!

A Street Fight means every wrestler involved has to wear regular clothing for the match. Sanshiro Takagi thought differently and took part wearing an inflatable alien costume! He spent most of the match fighting with Yukio Sakaguchi in the crowd as well as outside the room. At one point Sakaguchi crashed a bicycle into Takagi! Hideki Okatani used a stapler on both Joey Janela & Takeshi Masada. Janela also got his face smashed with a chair from Antonio Honda’s Bionic Elbow. Masada fought back by diving onto the two Eruption wrestlers outside the ring. Janela laid Honda onto a row of chairs in the ring, placed a plastic case on top of him and then did a Double Stomp from the top of a ladder onto him for the finish. Janela celebrated his victory by shouting threats aimed at Atsushi Onita over tomorrow’s exploding death match.

Kazuki Hirata claimed he felt moved after watching Yuni’s match with Yuki Ueno last week. He didn’t want to be treated like a villain today so he promised to give Yuni a clean and exciting match. Then as the match progressed, Hirata knocked out the referee and summoned two masked men to help him assault Yuni! The teenager fought off the masked men by hitting a Moonsault onto them and Hirata out of the ring. Back in the ring he gave Hirata the RKO but an Inside Cradle gave Hirata the win out of nowhere. Hirata called it a landslide victory and he swore to stand in Yuni’s way as a villain from now on! Yuni demanded a rematch so he can fight Hirata one on one, fair and square.

Another loss for Ilusion is making him think about the future. He thinks something has to change for him and it may have to be something that changes behind the scenes. His next match will be on 3rd May as part of the pre-show series against Pheromones. He warns he will show up at Yokohama Budokan both different and stronger in order to beat them.

Today’s dark match turned out to be Kazuma Sumi’s first singles win! He beat Rukiya by submitting him with a Camel Clutch. He described his joy over winning as amazing. Now he is looking forward to beating the other wrestlers in his generation and do his best to aim higher after that.

Former DDT wrestler Diego was in attendance for the show as a guest of Shunma Katsumata and greeted the fans before the opening match.

KANON will have a match to celebrate his 4th Anniversary in wrestling on 7th June.


DDT “APRIL FOOL 2023” Results

April 9, 2023

DDT “APRIL FOOL 2023”, 09/04/2023
Tokyo Korakuen Hall
531 Fans

0. Dark Match: MJ Paul & KANON defeated Antonio Honda & Kazuma Sumi when KANON submitted Sumi with the Crucifix Cobra Twist (7:02).
1. Rukiya Debut Match: Yuya Koroku defeated Rukiya with the Chickenwing Arm Lock (7:34).
2. Akito, Shinichiro Kawamatsu & Toy Kojima defeated Toru Owashi, Kazuki Hirata & Gota Ihashi when Kawamatsu pinned Ihashi with the Shitamatchi Rocket (8:39).
3. Harimao Vs Eruption!: Yukio Sakaguchi, Saki Akai & Hideki Okatani defeated Kazusada Higuchi, Ryota Nakatsu & Yuki Ishida when Okatani pinned Ishida with the Double Arm Suplex (10:27).
4. Special Single Match: Yuki Ueno defeated Yuni with the BME (9:08).
5. Special 8-Man Tag Match: Tetsuya Endo, Jun Akiyama, Kotaro Suzuki & Yusuke Okada defeated Naruki Doi, Chris Brookes, Joey Janela & Takeshi Masada when Endo pinned Masada with the Swivel Torture Rack Bomb (12:18).
6. WORLD HINO CLASSIC ~Finals~: Yuki “Sexy” Iino, Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno & Yumehito “Fantastic” Imanari defeated Yuji Hino, “brother” YASSHI & Makoto Oishi by TKO when Iino used the Cross Ass Sexy Lock Ass on YASSHI (9:25).
7. KO-D Tag Team Titles: MAO & Shunma Katsumata (c) defeated HARASHIMA & Keigo Nakamura when Katsumata pinned Nakamura after the Oretachi no Mad Max (20:11).
*V5 for ShunMao.

The spotlight was shining brightly on Keigo Nakamura. With HARASHIMA on his side, the young wrestler was looking to make up for his poor record in the D GENERATIONS CUP by winning the KO-D Tag Team Titles. The champions ShunMao were fresh back from America where they got to wrestle in AEW and were ready for the challenge. Nakamura used his own version of the Somato on Shunma Katsumata but the tables turned when Katsumata caught Nakamura’s Diving Headbutt with a Stunner. ShunMao then kept HARASHIMA out of action long enough to pin Nakamura with the Oretachi no Mad Max.

Afterwards Katsumata said he expected this to be an easy defence but Nakamura has left him feeling tired. He then turned his attention to Jun Akiyama and criticised the DDT Extreme Champion for not acting extreme at all. Akiyama entered the ring in a huff but was stopped by Katsumata’s next line. He wants their Extreme Title match on 3rd May to be a TLC Match. In this case TLC stands for Toys, Ladders & Chairs! Akiyama accepted the idea. Meanwhile Tetsuya Endo confronted MAO and raised his DDT Universal Title over his next challenger’s head. This caused MAO to let loose on Endo backstage, criticising him for his recent performances in America and his lack of effort to get more bookings over there. How can Endo proudly call himself the Universal Champion when he is anything but universal?

The final of the World Hino Classic was Yuki Iino’s final step towards earning a KO-D Openweight Title shot. Pheromones needed to get past Ω with “brother” YASSHI added to the opposing side. Makoto Oishi counted on Yuji Hino’s fellow high school wrestling club partner to be the difference maker but YASSHI had never experienced anything like Pheromones before! When Danshoku Dieno & Yumehito Imanari started showing off their new “magic trick” involving Iino wearing only a bathrobe, Hino was nowhere to be seen and YASSHI was left on his own to take the humiliating defeat.

Hino reappeared after the match after Pheromones demanded that Iino finally get the title match he’s been asking for on 3rd May. Hino said this entire WHC thing was Oishi’s idea. He admits that Iino is a strong wrestler but he has no interest in getting stuck into the Pheromones experience. He only wants serious challengers. Dieno spoke with Iino and they agreed to offer a deal. From now until after the title match on 3rd May, the Yuki “Sexy” Iino will be sealed so the match can go ahead without any incident to worry about. Iino started to cry and he promised Hino “I am not sexy!” After hearing this, Hino accepted the deal. However Oishi does not trust Pheromones to live up to their side of the deal so until 3rd May he will be in attendance for all of their matches to judge if Yuki “Not Sexy” Iino will stick to his promise.

Endo claimed he was only just finally getting over his jetlag today. Good timing because he lead BURNING to victory against a team of all sorts. He kicked out of Joey Janela’s Avalanche Brainbuster and went on to pin Takeshi Masada with the Torture Rack Bomb. Most of the wrestlers in the match like Kotaro Suzuki, Yusuke Okada, Naruki Doi and Chris Brookes are making preparations for the King Of DDT tournament. Endo and Akiyama are facing each other in the first round. Akiyama thinks it is a conspiracy because it’s so rare for wrestlers in the same unit to fight each other in a tournament’s opening round. Janela is not in the tournament but his focus for this tour is to defeat Atsushi Onita in an exploding death match!

The re-debut of Yuni as a high school pro wrestler saw him take on Yuki Ueno one on one. Yuni did a Moonsault to the outside, a Swan Dive Dropkick and the RKO as some of his big moves. Ueno was able to brush them aside, laid out Yuni with a Dropkick and pin him with the BME. Ueno is impressed with the new generation of wrestlers like Yuni and Ilusion. His advice to them are there’s no detours in life so he wants them to explore many places in wrestling. Yuni is happy with how the match went despite how tough and painful it was. His next match is against Kazuki Hirata and he’s looking forward to beating him.

The Eruption Vs Harimao match kicked off with Yuki Ishida attacking Hideki Okatani. The decision wasn’t a good one because Ishida ended up getting overwhelmed by the numbers game. Yukio Sakaguchi and Ryota Nakatsu pretty much cancelled each other out. Kazusada Higuchi used his power to shift the momentum in Harimao’s direction but that was stopped by Saki Akai diving onto everybody outside the ring. The match went back over to Okatani against Ishida and Okatani finished on top with the Double Arm Suplex. After the match Sakaguchi called Harimao a good team and he’s interested in fighting them again.

The politician Shinichiro Kawamatsu scored his first ever victory in pro wrestling by pinning Gota Ihashi with the Shitamachi Rocket. That is his own name for the Spear. The momentum was on his side from the get go when he overpowered Toru Owashi with a Shoulder Block exchange. Kazuki Hirata wanted to try out a brand new move called the Shining Sleeper but Toy Kojima easily stopped him. Ihashi missed a Moonsault on Kawamatsu and that set up the finish. Akito congratulated the politician for his victory and told backstage reporters that Kawamatsu will continue to wrestle on a steady basis. However Kawamatsu reminded him there is an election coming up so his schedule is going to get very busy.

The debut of Rukiya showed off the rookie in an all blue attire including his hair being dyed in the same colour. He used Elbow Strikes, Body Slams, Bulldog Headlocks and a Back Drop on Yuya Koroku. But once Koroku got hold of Rukiya’s arm and twisted it into a Chicken Wing Lock, it was all over for the newcomer. Rukiya said he wants to grow into a big wrestler who can still use high flying moves, like Tetsuya Endo.

Antonio Honda & Kazuma Sumi tried to jump DAMNATION T.A before the bell but their plan failed big time. It led to KANON attacking Honda with one of the ring tools on the outside. A missed attack from MJ Paul led to Sumi coming in for a hot tag but a dive attack was caught by KANON and turned into a Crucifix Cobra Twist for the submission victory.

Dieno & Imanari interrupted Hisaya Imabayashi’s opening news announcements wanting to know what else Pheromones will be doing on 3rd May. Akito entered the ring and told them the remaining members will be put into a Best of 3 singles match challenge against Yuki Ishida, Ilusion and Rukiya.


DDT “DDT GOES YOKOHAMA! ~BLOW UP HOLLYWOOD!!~” Results

April 1, 2023

DDT “DDT GOES YOKOHAMA! ~BLOW UP HOLLYWOOD!!~”, 01/04/2023
Yokohama Radiant Hall
196 Fans – No Vacancy

1. Tomomitsu Matsunaga & Yusuke Okada defeated Toru Owashi & Kazuma Sumi when Okada submitted Sumi with a Crab Hold (6:14).
2. O-40 Title: Makoto Oishi (c) defeated Antonio Honda with the Fujiyama Knee Lock (8:44).
*V1 for Makoto Oishi.
3. Kotaro Suzuki & Soma Takao defeated Keigo Nakamura & Yuki Ishida when Takao pinned Ishida with the Official Endless Waltz (11:24).
4. Special Single Match I: Invisible Man defeated Kazuki Hirata with the Dragonrana (12:02).
5. Special Single Match II ~ Hardcore Match: Masashi Takeda defeated MJ Paul with the Reverse U-Crash Kai (12:15).
6. Special Single Match III: Yuji Hino defeated Akito with the King Kong Sleeper (10:04).
7. Special Tag Match: HARASHIMA & Hikaru Sato defeated Yukio Sakaguchi & Masahiro Takanashi when HARASHIMA pinned Takanashi with the Somato (14:15).
8. King Of DDT 2023 Qualifying Battle: Hideki Okatani defeated Toy Kojima and Yuya Koroku.
8a. Hideki Okatani defeated Toy Kojima with the Double Arm Suplex (10:09).
8b. Hideki Okatani defeated Yuya Koroku with the Double Arm Suplex (12:00).

While half of the DDT roster was enjoying their visit to Los Angeles, the other half ran a show by themselves in Yokohama. The main event was a Qualifiying Battle for the final spot in the King Of DDT tournament. Hideki Okatani, Toy Kojima and Yuya Koroku would face each other in alternating singles matches until one of them won two falls in a row. A lottery at the start of the show determined Okatani and Kojima as the first match. Okatani ended up achieving a clean sweep by beating Kojima and then Koroku, both with the Double Arm Suplex. For Okatani he still feels like he is at the starting point with everyone else in the tournament. He promised Kojima and Koroku that he will carry their feelings on his back going into King Of DDT where he will crush everyone in his way!

The semi-main event was put together to be a nostalgic tag match. For one night only Shuten-dōji were reunited. Yukio Sakaguchi teamed up with Masahiro Takanashi and they had KUDO standing in their corner. HARASHIMA brought Hikaru Sato back to DDT so they could team up against them. All of them celebrated with drinks in the ring after the match.

The Hardcore match between Masashi Takeda and MJ Paul featured chairs, tables, a chain, a ladder, skewers and also a pair of scissors. Yukinori Matsui stopped Takeda from using the scissors and Takeda wouldn’t stop complaining about it afterward.

With so much newsworthy things happening around the wrestling world this weekend, Kazuki Hirata tried to get attention by wrestling The Invisible Man. In a hard fought fight Hirata kicked out of the Rainmaker but was pinned with a Dragonrana. Hirata described The Invisible Man moving like a Heavyweight but he is pretty sure he is really a Junior Heavyweight.

The last time Kotaro Suzuki and Soma Takao teamed together was at “RYOGOKU PETER PAN 2017” but that was in a 4 Way Tag. Takao enjoyed getting to tag with Suzuki for a regular tag team match because he is such a big influence to him.

Makoto Oishi is determined to make the O-40 Title a belt that every wrestler over the age of 40 around the world will want to fight for. He was nervous going into his first defence against Antonio Honda but isn’t going to lose the title that easily.


King Of DDT 2023

March 30, 2023

This May will be spent determining the next King Of DDT. The annual single elimination tournament will feature 16 participants this year. Every match will have no time limit and a bracket will be followed until the semi-finals. The final four will then go through a lottery to determine who faces who. The 16 participants are:

HARASHIMA (14th Appearance, 2010 & 2013 Winner)
Yukio Sakaguchi (11th Appearance, 2015 Winner)
Kazusada Higuchi (9th Appearance, 2022 Winner)
Tetsuya Endo (7th Appearance, 2017 & 2020 Winner)
Yuki Ueno (6th Appearance)
Shunma Katsumata (7th Appearance)
Sanshiro Takagi (5th Appearance)
MAO (5th Appearance)
Chris Brookes (4th Appearance)
Jun Akiyama (3rd Appearance)
KANON (2nd Appearance)
Naruki Doi (1st Appearance)
Kotaro Suzuki (1st Appearance)
Yusuke Okada (1st Appearance)
Takeshi Masada (1st Appearance)
Winner of 1st April Qualifying Battle (either Hideki Okatani, Toy Kojima or Yuya Koroku)

Originally Yukio Naya was supposed to enter but he is out of action with a fractured ankle. Yusuke Okada was chosen to take his place.

DDT “KING OF DDT 2023 1ST ROUND”, 06/05/2023
Shinjuku FACE

1. King Of DDT 2023 – Round 1A: Yusuke Okada Vs Kazusada Higuchi
2. King Of DDT 2023 – Round 1B: Shunma Katsumata Vs Winner of 1st April Qualifying Battle
3. King Of DDT 2023 – Round 1C: Sanshiro Takagi Vs Yukio Sakaguchi
4. King Of DDT 2023 – Round 1D: HARASHIMA Vs Chris Brookes
5. King Of DDT 2023 – Round 1E: Jun Akiyama Vs Tetsuya Endo
6. King Of DDT 2023 – Round 1F: MAO Vs Takeshi Masada
7. King Of DDT 2023 – Round 1G: Kotaro Suzuki Vs KANON
8. King Of DDT 2023 – Round 1H: Yuki Ueno Vs Naruki Doi

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DDT “KING OF DDT 2023 2ND ROUND”, 07/05/2023
Shinjuku FACE

1. King Of DDT 2023 – Round 2: Winner Of Match 1A Vs Winner Of Match 1B
2. King Of DDT 2023 – Round 2: Winner Of Match 1C Vs Winner Of Match 1D
3. King Of DDT 2023 – Round 2: Winner Of Match 1E Vs Winner Of Match 1F
4. King Of DDT 2023 – Round 2: Winner Of Match 1G Vs Winner Of Match 1H

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DDT “KING OF DDT 2023 FINAL!!”, 21/05/2023
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

1. King Of DDT 2023 – Semi Final: X Vs X
2. King Of DDT 2023 – Semi Final: X Vs X
3. King Of DDT 2023 – Final: X Vs X


DDT “KENGAN ASHURA X DDT PRO WRESTLING COLLABORATION MATCH” Results

March 26, 2023

DDT “KENGAN ASHURA X DDT PRO WRESTLING COLLABORATION MATCH”, 26/03/2023
Tokyo Big Sight East Exhibition Hall ADK Emotions Booth
??? Fans – Unannounced

1. Kengan Ashura x DDT Pro Wrestling Collaboration Match I: Keigo Nakamura & Takeshi Masada defeated Toy Kojima & Kazuma Sumi when Nakamura pinned Sumi with the Diving Headbutt (10:24).
2. Kengan Ashura x DDT Pro Wrestling Collaboration Match II – Best 2 Out Of 3 Falls: Tetsuya Endo, Jun Akiyama & Yuya Koroku (1) Vs HARASHIMA, Kazusada Higuchi & Yuki Ishida (1) ended in a Time Limit Draw (20:00).
2a. Tetsuya Endo (1) pinned Yuki Ishida (0) with a Diving Foot Stomp (14:36).
2b. HARASHIMA (1) pinned Yuya Koroku (1) with a Falcon Arrow (16:46).
2c. Tetsuya Endo, Jun Akiyama & Yuya Koroku (1) Vs HARASHIMA, Kazusada Higuchi & Yuki Ishida (1) ended in a Time Limit Draw (20:00)
3. Kengan Ashura x DDT Pro Wrestling Collaboration Match III: Konosuke Takeshita & MAO defeated Yukio Naya & Hideki Okatani when Takeshita pinned Okatani with the Zahi (12:07).

DDT held a few pro wrestling matches at the AnimeJapan convention as part of a collaboration with the Netflix anime Kengan Ashura. In the anime companies and other elements of the corporate world use an underground fighting organization to settle their disputes. To capture this mood, each match DDT held today had a theme pitting two things against each other. For example the first match was Muscles Vs Mental Strength. Keigo Nakamura got his shows mixed up and thought DDT was promoting “How Heavy Are the Dumbbells You Lift?”. That show is from the same author and takes place in the same universe as Kengan Ashura. Regardless, he wanted to prove that muscles are important and did so by pinning Kazuma Sumi with a Diving Headbutt. He then admitted it was actually his mental strength that showed him the way to victory.

The second match was built around the two teams arguing over which character is the stronger, Tokita Ohma from Kengan Ashura or Baki Hanma from Baki The Grappler? Yuya Koroku thinks it is Ohma is while Kazusada Higuchi argued Baki is better. The two teams decided to hold a Best 2 out of 3 Falls match to settle their difference. Both Tetsuya Endo and HARASHIMA picked up falls for their respective teams but the third and deciding fall ran out of time. Koroku and Higuchi agreed after the match it was time to stop fighting and they should go back to being anime fans. They will now wait for the day when Kengan Ashura and Baki The Grappler do a crossover.

The main event was the online war between Netflix and ABEMA. The ABEMA team represented by Yukio Naya & Hideki Okatani complained about Kengan Ashura being exclusive to Netflix. The Netflix team of Konosuke Takeshita & MAO defeated them but agreed that the two streaming services are both great.

After the main event, Gota Ihashi suddenly entered the ring threatening to crash the whole show! He tried to attack the staff but was stopped by a Double Super Kick from Takeshita and MAO. With the threat safely discarded, Ohma’s voice actor Tatsuhisa Suzuki was invited into the ring to announce that season two of Kengan Ashura is coming this September.