Full TJPW Card For 4th January

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TOKYO JOSHI PRO ’21”, 04/01/2021
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

1. Marika Kobashi & Moka Miyamoto Vs Pom Harajuku & Haruna Neko
2. Shoko Nakajima Vs Hyper Misao
3. Sakisama & Mei Saint-Michel Vs Hikari Noa & Sena Shiori
4. Aja Kong, Mizuki & Raku Vs Miu Watanabe, Nao Kakuta & Mirai Maiumi
5. Arisu Endo Debut Match: Suzume Vs Arisu Endo
6. Miyu Yamashita Vs Maki Itoh
7. Princess Tag Team Titles: Nodoka Tenma & Yuki Aino (c) Vs Yuki Kamifuku & Mahiro Kiryu
8. Princess Of Princess Title: Yuka Sakazaki (c) Vs Rika Tatsumi

The main event has a lot going for it. Yuka Sakazaki and Rika Tatsumi have known each other for years, even before they began training to be pro wrestlers. Seven years ago Sakazaki convinced Tatsumi to go train together so she is a special person in Tatsumi’s life. But for this match Tatsumi sees Sakazaki only as the Princess Of Princess Champion. Tatsumi wants to defeat “The Magical Girl who resembles Fudo Myoo” so she can transform from a White Dragon into a Dragon God!

According to the Toyo University Combo, their bond is more stronger than those between sisters. Yuki Kamifuku thinks she and Mahiro Kiryu are more like clones of the Toyo University founder Inoue Enryo’s daughter! The Bakuretsu Sisters don’t just want to make memories out of their Princess Tag Team Titles reign. They want to defend the belts as much as they can because it took them so long to win them.

Two years ago, Maki Itoh failed to beat Miyu Yamashita in the Ittenyon main event. It was a poor performance that at the time left her traumatized. Now she realizes it was not a setback but valuable experience. When she sticks up her middle finger it is a sign of confidence and determination. Itoh’s middle finger cannot be broken! Yamashita thinks this is a Tokyo Joshi Pro match that can appeal to the world. She’s letting Itoh do the talking now. When they get in the ring Yamashita will show her what she’s really got.

Arisu Endo is a 22 years old from Fukushima and is 150cm tall. She became a pro wrestler because she loves wrestling but is nervous to have her debut match. Endo’s favourite wrestler is Reika Saiki and she wants to become as cool as her. Suzume is looking forward to see what kind of wrestler Endo will be so she is happy to be her debut opponent.

Aja Kong is back! Mizuki is honored to team with her. Raku’s wrestling career is currently three years old. She thinks three year olds still need to take naps so she will do so. Miu Watanabe sees this match as a bridge between idols and pro wrestling. Nao Kakuta’s goal for 2021 is to win a championship so a win here will give her momentum. Mirai Maiumi wants to show the kind of brilliance in Korakuen Hall that only she can.

Sena Shiori has been frustrated by losing to NEO Biishiki-gun over and over since the unit returned and turned their attention to her. There’s nothing she can’t do with Hikari Noa which is why she thinks they can win. Noa is surprised she gets to team with Shiori in Korakuen so quickly. She wants to help her win her first match because it will happen on the first anniversary of Shiori’s debut.

In a rematch from last year’s Ittenyon, Shoko Nakajima and Hyper Misao will face off again. Last time the loser had to change their name for a month. Misao beat Misao and renamed her Akemi Daredasore. Misao has changed her name a few times in her career, even her private one because she recently got married but she hasn’t forgotten about that match. Which is why she wants the same stipulation for the rematch and have it become an annual gimmick for the Ittenyon show! Nakajima accepts the challenge because she has very few things to protect. She believes the more things a person needs to protect, the more weaknesses they have.

The opening match is between the two youngest generations in Tokyo Joshi. Marika Kobashi will be celebrating her 5th anniversary of her debut. Moka Miyamoto thinks she is the exact opposite of Kobashi but they can do their best as a tag team of active college students. Haruna Neko isn’t bothered by who is her juniors or seniors in the match. She just wants to win. Pom Harajuku felt she wasn’t able to work hard in 2020 so she wants to get 2021 off on the right track with a victory.

The live broadcast of the show will have separate streams. ABEMA will host the local broadcast with Haruo Murata and Sayoko Mita on commentary. WRESTLE UNIVERSE will provide live English commentary for the first time with Mark Pickering and Stewart Fulton on the headsets.

DDT “MONEY IN THE BAG ~TOSOCHU~” Results

DDT “MONEY IN THE BAG ~TOSOCHU~”, 19/06/2020
Tokyo Chateau Amoeba Studio
159,300 ABEMA Views

1. Chateau Amoeba 1F: Danshoku Dieno, Super Sasadango Machine & Makoto Oishi defeated Sanshiro Takagi, Shinya Aoki & Keigo Nakamura when Oishi pinned Nakamura with a Cradle (6:58).
2. Chateau Amoeba B2F: HARASHIMA, Yuki Ueno & Naomi Yoshimura defeated MAO, Mizuki Watase & Yukio Naya when HARASHIMA pinned Watase with the Somato (7:33).
3. Chateau Amoeba 4F: Konosuke Takeshita, Akito & Shunma Katsumata defeated Kazusada Higuchi, Yukio Sakaguchi & Gota Ihashi when Takeshita pinned Ihashi after giving Higuchi a Vertical Drop Brainbuster onto Ihashi (12:20).
4. Chateau Amoeba 1F: Yuka Sakazaki & Mizuki defeated Yuki Kamifuku & Mina Shirakawa when Sakazaki & Mizuki pinned Kamifuku & Shirakawa with Diving Body Attacks from a Ladder (7:31).
5. Chateau Amoeba 5F: Saki Sukeban, Yoshiko & Seigo Tachibana defeated Danshoku Dieno, Super Sasadango Machine & Makoto Oishi when Yoshiko pinned Sasadango with the Running Senton (6:15).
6. Chateau Amoeba 3F: Daisuke Sasaki, Tetsuya Endo & Soma Takao defeated HARASHIMA, Yuki Ueno & Naomi Yoshimura when Sasaki grabbed the bag (11:48).
7. Shibuya HARLEM: Atsushi Onita, Chris Brookes & Maki Itoh defeated Konosuke Takeshita, Shunma Katsumata & Yuki Iino when Onita pinned Katsumata after the Current Blast Full Swing (15:36).

Three teams entered the Chateau Amoeba Studio looking for Money In The Bag but only one would leave with it. At least that was supposed to be the plan. HARASHIMA, Konosuke Takeshita and Danshoku Dieno each captained a team and met up outside the studio. There they were met by CyberZ president and DDT director Takehiro Yamauchi along with comedian Shinji Saito. They explained the Money In The Bag was hidden somewhere inside the building but they also hired teams of hunters to protect it. If a team loses a match to the hunters they would be eliminated from the competition.

The first match took place on the 1st Floor. This is where DDT records episodes of TheNight on ABEBA. Dieno, Super Sasadango Machine & Makoto Oishi entered the room and found out Shinya Aoki was recording his own episode of TheNight with Sanshiro Takagi & Keigo Nakamura as his guests. There was a bag behind them but they attacked Dieno’s team to start the first match. The two teams fought out to the hallway where Dieno’s backside was sprayed with disinfectant. The fight then went through the studio where AbemaMix Friday was broadcasting a hip hop set. They went back to TheNight where Nakamura knocked out Dieno with a High Kick. Dieno slumped over the desk with his backside hanging out and Oishi threw Nakamura face first into him. Oishi then Cradled Nakamura for the three count. Dieno’s team grabbed the bag but found out it only contained signed copies of Takagi’s autobiography.

DISASTER BOX went to the 2nd Floor Basement where they found a sign on the dressing room door with “I Have A Bag” written on it. They went inside and saw a bag hanging from the ceiling. But Saito sprung three hunters on them! MAO, Mizuki Watase & Yukio Naya appeared for the 2nd match. Naya took out a mat covered in massage stones and his team removed HARASHIMA’s boots. HARASHIMA’s exposed feet hurt when he ran on the mat so he couldn’t do the Somato. Yuki Ueno found a pair of padded slippers that HARASHIMA could wear for protection. The plan worked and HARASHIMA hit Naya with the Somato to win. Naomi Yoshimura propped HARASHIMA up to grab the bag but they only contained sponges.

Over at the 4th Floor, ALL OUT bumped into Hisaya Imabayashi and found a bag hanging near the 7 Star Stage. When Takeshita went to get it he was ambushed by Gota Ihashi. Takeshita swatted him aside and went to climb it again only for Kazusada Higuchi & Yukio Sakaguchi to appear for the next match. They fought through the studios where Midnight Bicycle Race and Shogi Battle Commentary were being recorded. The ABEMA staff told the wrestlers to get out so the match moved back out to the hall. Ihashi tried to hold one of the staff hostage but she ran away. Ihashi chased after her with a traffic cone and Akito came to the rescue, taking the cone to his stomach to protect the woman. Ihashi was then accidentally hit with the God’s Right Knee from Sakaguchi when it was meant to hit Takeshita. Higuchi tried to step in but Takeshita gave him a Brainbuster onto Ihashi. Takeshita pinned Ihashi then went to get the bag but Shunma Katsumata told him Akito was unconscious. ALL OUT are down a man but on the bright side they found a mysterious map inside the bag. Where would it lead them?

Back to Dieno’s team. They were still on the 1st Floor and walked in on two Tokyo Joshi Pro teams getting ready for a photoshoot. The Magical Sugar Rabbits and Pink Ready were arguing over who the shoot was supposed to be for. Dieno suggested they should wrestle for it. MagiRabi shoved Pink Ready onto some chairs and spun them around the room. Yuka Sakazaki found a fire extinguisher and sprayed it over Mina Shirakawa, freezing her face. The teams then fought over to the Reception Area where Shirakawa gave Mizuki the Romero Special on top of the reception desk while Yuki Kamifuku held Sakazaki in a Headscissors beside them. Back in the studio Dieno & Sasadango got caught up in the action. They got mixed up with Pink Ready, allowing MagiRabi to climb a nearby ladder and dive onto everyone below for the win. They told Dieno the bag he’s looking for is on the 5th Floor then went on to have their photoshoot.

Up Dieno’s team went to the 5th Floor. They found a bag but it was being guarded by Saki Sukeban, Yoshiko & Seigo Tachibana. These three were raring for a fight too. Saki attacked Oishi with her bamboo sword. Dieno tried to get on Yoshiko’s good side by wanting to film a TikTok video with her. Tachibana cycled into the room and placed his bike on a table. He spun the wheels on the spot so Saki could press Sasadango’s unmasked head into it. Yoshiko hit Sasadango with a Lariat then pinned him with a Running Senton. Dieno’s team were eliminated from the competition.

In the 3rd Floor, ALL OUT found DAMNATION drinking loads and loads of sake on their own. They also found a bag hanging above them. When Daisuke Sasaki found out about the contest he wanted to take it for himself. An impromptu Ladder Match broke out. Tetsuya Endo tried to climb the ladder but HARASHIMA pulled down the back of his shorts to stop him. Ueno tried to climb but Soma Takao did the same to him. Yoshimura Power Bombed Sasaki onto a table. HARASHIMA missed the Somato on Sasaki and landed on a chair, sliding himself away in the process. He turned this into a good idea by sliding the chair into his opponents. Endo threw Ueno onto the rest of DISASTER BOX, allowing Sasaki to climb the ladder and take the bag. Sasaki found 3,000 yen inside. Turns out it wasn’t the right bag, it in fact belonged to Hisaya Imabayashi. Whatever, DAMNATION went off to spend the money on more alcohol. DISASTER BOX lost the match so they were eliminated.

That left ALL OUT as the last team remaining. Katsumata was now in his Super Hardcore form. They also replaced Akito with Yuki Iino. The map brought ALL OUT over to Shibuya HARLEM where Saito was waiting for them. At last the remaining elite contestants had arrived for the final battle. The real bag was nearby but to get it they needed to win a Current Blast Death Match! Out came Atsushi Onita and the NEO Itoh Respect Army as the final hunters. Onita put Katsumata through a table with a Piledriver then fought with Iino inside a restroom. Maki Itoh knocked Takeshita off a ladder with a Headbutt. She then switched on the current for the blast bat. Takeshita grabbed the bat and swung it at Itoh but Chris Brookes jumped in to shield her and take the blast! Onita found another blast bat and hit Katsumata with it at full swing. He pinned him afterwards to win the match and eliminate ALL OUT.

Saito walked out feeling victorious. None of the teams could beat his challenge. However Onita then started to attack Saito, blaming him for never doing a Current Blast Deathmatch in Yoshimoto like he promised the last time they were together. Onita told him the next time they meet it should be in a pro wrestling match!

What’s Next After Peter Pan? Money In The Bag!

DDT “DDT TV SHOW! #6”, 13/06/2020
DDT TV SHOW Studio

1. Toru Owashi, Tomomitsu Matsunaga & Yukio Naya Vs Shunma Katsumata, Yuki Iino & Hideki Okatani
2. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title: Danshoku Dieno (c) Vs Antonio Honda
3. Jun Akiyama & Mizuki Watase Vs Chris Brookes & Keigo Nakamura
4. #DAMNHEARTS Vs Eruption!: Mad Paulie, El Lindaman & Nobuhiro Shimatani Vs Kazusada Higuchi, Yukio Sakaguchi & Saki Akai
5. DAMNATION Vs DISASTER BOX!: Daisuke Sasaki & Soma Takao Vs HARASHIMA & Naomi Yoshimura
6. #DAMNHEARTS Vs ALL OUT!: Tetsuya Endo & T-Hawk Vs Konosuke Takeshita & Akito
7. Right To Challenge Anytime, Anywhere Match: Yuki Ueno Vs MAO

There are currently three more DDT TV SHOW episodes on the schedule. The next one takes place one day before crowds can return to DDT shows. In the main event the recently expired Right To Challenge Gauntlet becomes reactivated. MAO was the last holder and an injury prevented him from using it before it became invalid. To make up for it he gets the chance to reclaim it if he can beat Yuki Ueno, otherwise Ueno gets it. The new Gauntlet will be active for the rest of 2020 and can only be used for immediate championship matches.

Maybe a few clues of future opponents for Tetsuya Endo and Daisuke Sasaki in the tag matches. Konosuke Takeshita is always there as a challenger for Endo. It’s a matchup that happened so many times that it does not need to be protected anymore. I like an Endo Vs Akito match and it’s something they could burn in one of the remaining empty arena shows if they’re not confident it would fill even a limited venue. But above all else there’s one idea for a title challenge I really like but don’t want to commit to in writing for fear of leading you all down the wrong path. All I’m saying is Endo should have a pair of eyes in the back of his head…

Sasaki wants Masahiro Takanashi to be his next challenger but that’s only because Takanashi is injured. That means the potential match would take place months down the line and Sasaki would happily keep the DDT UNIVERSAL Title on ice until then.

Makoto Oishi is out of action so we’re back to Danshoku Dieno Vs Antonio Honda for the Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title. What could go wrong this time?

DDT “MONEY IN THE BAG ~TOSOCHU~”, 19/06/2020
Tokyo Chateau Amoeba Studio

1. Money In The Bag Match: X Vs X

Now I know what you’re thinking. I thought it too. A Money In The Bank match inside a corporate building has already been done. But this might not be it. There’s a show on Fuji TV called Tosochu Run For Money where contestants are chased through an empty shopping mall by a bunch of people dressed like secret agents. Maybe the Money In The Bag match will be a mixture of that TV show and Money In The Bank. The studio where the match takes place is also where “DDT Thursday The NIGHT” on ABEMA is recorded.

Atsushi Onita will be involved somehow.

DDT “DDT LIVE! MAJI MANJI SUPER ROJO PRO WRESTLING IN ABEMA TOWERS” Results

DDT “DDT LIVE! MAJI MANJI SUPER ROJO PRO WRESTLING IN ABEMA TOWERS”, 29/03/2019
Tokyo Abema Towers
170,000 Viewers

1. 1st Floor Entrance & Studio: Danshoku Dieno, Makoto Oishi & Yuki Ueno defeated Sanshiro Takagi, Kazusada Higuchi & Mizuki Watase when Ueno pinned Watase with a Frankensteiner (8:36).
2. 4th Floor AbemaTV Office: Miyu Yamashita & Mina Shirakawa defeated Natsumi Maki & Yuki Aino when Yamashita pinned Aino with the Crash Rabbit Heat (8:27).
3. 5th Floor President’s Office: Akito & Shunma Katsumata defeated Bull James & Antonio Honda when Akito pinned Honda with a School Boy (8:12).
4. 11th Floor Lounge – Penalty Kick Showdown: Pokotan (2) Vs Zelvy-kun (2) ended in a Draw.
4a. Rematch: Zelvy-kun defeated Pokotan with the Beak Attack (1:45).
5. 16th Floor Spirit & Tech Room: Konosuke Takeshita & Yuki Iino defeated Shiro Koshinaka & Gota Ihashi (w/ Yuka Kuramochi) when Takeshita pinned Ihashi with a Lariat (9:52).
6. 9th Floor Legal Compliance Office – Hardcore Tag Match: HARASHIMA & MAO defeated Isami Kodaka & Daiki Shimomura when HARASHIMA pinned Shimomura with the Somato (6:38).
7. 15th Floor Office – Ketsu Kick Tag Death Match: Danshoku Dieno, Konosuke Takeshita & HARASHIMA (w/ Kurochan) Vs Sanshiro Takagi, Daisuke Sasaki & Tetsuya Endo ended in a Time Limit Draw (10:00).

At the end of 2017 DDT caused some mayhem inside CyberAgent’s head office and it was all because Danshoku Dieno wanted to kiss the company president Susumu Fujita. His mission failed and it took until now for him to track down Fujita at the Abema Towers in Tokyo. He gathered together a top team of wrestlers to help him while Tenshin Nasukawa hung around with the commentary team because he’s never seen Street Wrestling before.

Dieno was approached by an old foe at the 1st Floor Lobby. Sanshiro Takagi learned of Dieno’s plan to kiss Fujita and he was here to stop him! Takagi was accompanied by Kazusada Higuchi & Mizuki Watase, both dressed as security guards. They challenged Dieno, Makoto Oishi & Yuki Ueno to a match right now!

Dieno fought Watase all the way into an empty production studio. When they came back out, Takagi gave Dieno a Kancho poke then stuck his fingers into Oishi’s nose. Ueno came to the rescue and stuck his fingers into both Takagi and Higuchi’s noses. Watase gave Ueno a DDT but Ueno recovered and pinned Watase with a Frankensteiner right at the tower entrance.

Dieno demanded Watase to tell him where President Fujita was but Watase desperately bit his own tongue to stay quiet. He was eventually pressured into raising his hand and sticking out four fingers. Fujita must be in the 4th Floor! Oishi suddenly collapsed, exhausted by the fight. Everyone cried over his prone body then decided to go on without him.

On the 4th Floor the team discovered Natsumi Maki & Yuki Aino were sitting at desks doing work. Miyu Yamashita & Mina Shirakawa approached them but Maki & Aino said they were busy and to stop bothering them. This resulted in a Tokyo Joshi Pro tag match.

The women fought each other using office chairs while the other wrestlers tried to keep them away from the regular workers. Shirakawa gave Aino the Romero Special on a desk then Maki dove off another desk onto the other team. Yamashita weakened Aino with her kicks then finished her off with the Crash Rabbit Heat. Maki told Dieno to move on to the 5th Floor. Yamashita & Shirakawa then said they were going home because they had both exhausted all of their power in the match.

On the 5th Floor Dieno discovered President Fujita’s office! But when he tried to enter he was cut off by Antonio Honda and Bull James! Everyone saw that James had the key card for the office hanging from his neck. Dieno & Ueno were still recovering from their earlier match so they weren’t ready to fight again. Luckily reinforcements were just around the corner when Akito & Shunma Katsumata arrived. They agreed to take to Honda & James.

Honda struggled to do the Gongitsune because Akito kept twisting his arm in different holds. Honda saw there was a crane game in the room and he brought Akito over to it while still in a Hammerlock to distract him. While the wrestlers were playing the crane game, Dieno sneakily stole James’ key card and entered the office. Inside sitting at his desk was President Fujita! Dieno went over and tried to kiss him but Honda & James returned to stop him just in time. Honda gave everyone the Gongitsune Eye Pokes but James got caught in the crossfire. Akito then pinned Honda with a roll up.

With Fujita’s back-up taken care of, Dieno again went for a kiss but this time Sanshiro Takagi was there to stop him. Takagi choked out Dieno with a Sleeper Hold.

When Dieno woke up he was somewhere completely different in the tower. He was now on the 11th Floor and placed in front of him were goalposts and Zelvy-kun the mascot of FC Machida Zelvia! Dieno didn’t know what to do because he is unable to fall in love with a mascot. Suddenly his own mascot Pokotan appeared! The two mascots challenged each other to a penalty shootout for Dieno’s love.

The shootout ended in a 2-2 draw so the mascots decided to have a wrestling match instead. Pokotan’s head was knocked off after a Lariat, exposing it as a robot! Zelvy-kun hit Pokotan with the Beak Attack and pinned it for the three count. The commentary team promoted Machida Zelvia’s next match and Zelvy-kun told Dieno to go up to the 16th Floor.

The 16th Floor is the Spirit & Tech Room. Standing there waiting for Dieno was gravure idol Yuka Kuramochi. She doesn’t like all the chaos Dieno and his buddies are causing because she likes CyberAgent and she was promised her own apartment in the tower if she stopped him. She called out Gota Ihashi to fight Dieno but she also summoned an even bigger threat, Shiro Koshinaka! Dieno called for help too and out came Konosuke Takeshita & Yuki Iino.

Koshinaka got the better of ALL OUT with his Hip Attacks until Takeshita found some balance balls near the lobby and used them to fight back. Koshinaka missed a Hip Attack and hit Ihashi instead. Ihashi shook it off and then asked Kuramochi to give him a Hip Attack! She obliged. Koshinaka was impressed by her attack and Ihashi was overjoyed until Koshinaka hit him with another Hip Attack, Iino Speared him and Takeshita pinned him with a Lariat. Kuramochi told Dieno she really wanted to live in the tower. Dieno said when he kisses Fujita as part of his plan to take over CyberAgent, she will get her apartment. The two shook hands and Kuramochi instructed Dieno to go to the 9th Floor.

The 9th Floor is where the legal office is located. Dieno asked around for Fujita’s whereabouts until Isami Kodaka & Daiki Shimomura appeared. They told the employees “not to comply with The Compliance“. Dieno and his troops were too tired to fight them but HARASHIMA & MAO were in the room and ready to have a Hardcore Tag Team Match with Sento Minzoku.

The match began with the teams smashing each other with computer keyboards then moved on to them Suplexing each other onto the desks. Shimomura attacked HARASHIMA with an umbrella but his Asai DDT was blocked. HARASHIMA then ran the length of the room to hit the Somato for the win. Kodaka directed Dieno to the 15th floor. Fujita is definitely there.

Dieno was ready to go when one of the employees was suddenly being abducted by Keisuke Okuda! The employee was held hostage and Okuda held a stack of dynamite next to him. Okuda attempted to light it but Ueno, Iino and MAO charged him. They all fought as the door closed behind them until a loud explosion was heard from inside the room. Dieno paused and thought about what to do. He realised that if he isn’t here to kiss President Fujita then this whole mission was pointless. On to the 15th Floor!

And so Dieno made it to the last level. Tenshin Nasukawa was there waiting to see what would happen next (and also to advertise a phone game for the AbemaTV stream). Takagi emerged from a mahjong table nearby. He told Dieno that Fujita is near but he has hired Daisuke Sasaki & Tetsuya Endo to make sure that Dieno would not get any further! Dieno, Takeshita & HARASHIMA were ready to fight them and they got one more ally in the form of Kurochan. Takagi asked for a 10 minute time limit and also said that if Dieno’s team can’t win then one of them would have to get kicked by Nasukawa.

The match began and things went crazy. Endo wheeled Sasaki on a pallet truck so Sasaki could do a Lariat but he accidentally hit it on Takagi. Yuka Kuramochi reappeared and got her face pushed into Dieno’s backside. Endo Moonsaulted off a desk onto everyone. Takeshita climbed a ladder, almost took the ceiling out with his head and splashed Sasaki through a table. Kurochan got accidentally chopped by Takeshita. He also attacked Takagi by licking his arms and legs. Unfortunately time ran out and the match ended in a draw.

With the mission failed, somebody had to take a kick from Nasukawa. One by one everyone on Dieno’s team offered to sacrificed themselves. When Kurochan was the last to offer himself, everyone immediately accepted and told him to go ahead. Kurochan tried to flee but Higuchi & Watase did their job as security and caught him. Nasukawa then kicked Kurochan in the ass. Sadly for Dieno, President Fujita was gone. He has escaped him again! Dieno sadly made his way to the exit and walked past a portrait of Fujita. Pokotan appeared and Dieno was so tired he fell asleep next to him. A narrator said that Dieno and Pokotan would travel to a distant country with their families. They will all live happily without feeling cold, sad or hungry ever again. The end.

Dieno’s Threat, Rika Vs Rookies, Marunage Matches, Ohka Vs Everybody

DDT “DDT LIVE! MAJI MANJI SUPER ROJO PRO WRESTLING IN ABEMA TOWERS”, 29/03/2019
Tokyo Abema Towers

1. X Vs X

DDT received a threatening message from Danshoku Dieno about the wrestling match at Abema Towers later this week. Dieno message is that President Fujita’s lips will belong to him! DDT has promised to do what they can to protect President Fujita from Dieno during the show.

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “SPRING TOUR ’19 ~ READY SET, GO!”, 30/03/2019
Shin-Kiba 1st RING

1. Shoko Nakajima Vs Pinano Pipipipi
2. Handicap Match: Rika Tatsumi Vs Haruna Neko & Pom Harajuku
3. Yuki Kamifuku, Mina Shirakawa & Raku Vs YUMI, Himawari Unagi & Mahiro Kiryu
4. Maki Ito & Mizuki Vs Natsumi Maki & Hikari Noa
5. Sakisama & Misao Vs Yuna Manase & Miu Watanabe
6. Miyu Yamashita, Reika Saiki & Marika Kobashi Vs Yuka Sakazaki, Nodoka Tenma & Yuki Aino

This show is happening the day before the TOKYO Princess Title Match.

Ever since she came back from injury, Rika Tatsumi has been having her hands full with the new crop of wrestlers. Experience wise she has them beat but she’s keeps getting into situations where she gets outnumbered by them. This trend continues with a Handicap Match against Haruna Neko & Pom Harajuku.

DDT “I DO NOT WANT TO ADMIT, THAT I CAN’T GO TO AMERICA 2019”, 04/04/2019
Shin-Kiba 1st RING

1. Hiroshi Yamato Vs Gota Ihashi
2. DISASTER BOX Vs Sparky!: Toru Owashi & Naomi Yoshimura Vs Ryota Nakatsu & Naoki Tanizaki
3. Hardcore Match: Shunma Katsumata Vs Gunso
4. No No DQ Match: Yuki Ueno Vs Super Sasadango Machine
5. Gran MilliMeters Vs Speed Of Sounds: Daiki Shimomura & Nobuhiro Shimatani Vs Tsutomu Oosugi & Banana Senga
6. DDT Pro Wrestling Vs Ganbare☆Wrestling!: Kota Umeda & Keisuke Okuda Vs Shuichiro Katsumura & Keisuke Ishii
7. Yuki Iino Knock On Series Round 7 – Final Round: Daisuke Sekimoto Vs Yuki Iino

Yuki Iino feels ecstatic that he gets to end his trial series against Daisuke Sekimoto.

We’re supposed to be getting a Gran MilliMeters reunion but Nobuhiro Shimatani does not want to take part in it. He would rather fight against his old partner Daiki Shimomura than team with him again. Negotiations are currently in place with those two along with the Speed Of Sounds to find a solution.

DDT “DRAMATIC STAR STREET CORNERS”, 13/04/2019
Tottori Yonago Industrial Gymnasium Sub Arena

1. Konosuke Takeshita Marunage Match: Konosuke Takeshita, Gaina Tiger & G Vs Yuki Ueno, Takuya Fujiwara & COW Saeki

DDT has been so pleased by the wrestler booked show on 4th April that they want to adapt the concept on its upcoming shows in April and May. Each show will have a “Marunage” match booked by a chosen wrestler and so far the results are unlike anything we would see from DDT’s regular matchmaking.

Konosuke Takeshita kicks off the Marunage series with a match involving local wrestlers from Tottori Darazu Pro. The group began working with DDT last year with Lowther wrestling on shows whenever DDT went to Yonago. Takeshita wanted to put together a unique dream match between the two groups that DDT would have never booked otherwise. Yuki Ueno is also involved as a challenge to catch up with Takeshita.

Asuka and Lowther will also be on the show.

DDT “DRAMATIC TENJINBASHI! 2019”, 14/04/2019
Osaka City Ozo Community Center

1. Keisuke Okuda Marunage Match: Magnitude Kishiawada & Yuki Iino Vs Kota Umeda & Keisuke Okuda

Keisuke Okuda’s match is happening in Osaka so he sees this as the perfect chance to take on Magnitude Kishiwada! He was scared of him when he was a kid so now as an adult Okuda gets to face his fear.

Asuka and Maku Donaruto will also be on the show.

GANBARE☆WRESTLING “KEISUKE ISHII PRODUCE ENTERTAINMENT – MOMOIRO KNEEL KICK 2019”, 14/04/2019
Tokyo BASEMENT MON☆STAR

1. 90’s Style Joshi Pro Wrestling Tag Match: Cherry & HARUKAZE Vs Moeka Haruhi & X
2. LariPro Came Back: Yumehito Imanari & Shota Vs Chikara & Yuna Manase
3. Ishii’s Friend Ihashi Long Time Ganpro Participation Match: Gota Ihashi Vs Shuhei Washida
4. Fresh Ariyama Cup Special Tag Match: Keisuke Ishii & Kouki Iwasaki Vs Shuichiro Katsumata & X
5. Special Bonus Track: Ken Ohka Vs Everybody

Don’t know what Ken Ohka did to get put in a match against everyone else on the card all at once but he probably deserves it.

DDT “YOKOHAMA TWILIGHT 2019 ~SATSUKI~”, 20/04/2019
Yokohama Radiant Hall

1. Saki Akai Marunage Match: Yukio Sakaguchi & Saki Akai Vs Keisuke Okuda & Yoshiko

Saki Akai wants DDT to continue to bring in women from other promotions so she can wrestle against them and also to mix it up with the men. Her rivalry with Yoshiko is coming back with this match. Akai also wanted to put Yukio Sakaguchi in the ring against Okuda. The two men haven’t been seeing eye to eye lately.

Hiroshi Yamato, Asuka and Shunsuke Sayama will all be on the show.

DDT “SHIN SYU VERY MUCH! 2019”, 21/04/2019
Nagano Art Center Pavilion

1. HARASHIMA Marunage Match ~ Generation Struggle 5 Vs 5 Elimination Match: HARASHIMA, Sanshiro Takagi, Masahiro Takanashi, Super Sasadango Machine & Tomomitsu Matsunaga Vs Kazusada Higuchi, Mizuki Watase, Yuki Ueno, Naomi Yoshimura & Keisuke Okuda

Normally HARASHIMA is not into feuds or matches where one generation is pitted against another. But given the current state of DDT he thinks a 5 Vs 5 Elimination match between the veterans and the current gen would be interesting to do.

Hiroshi Yamato and Asuka will also be on the show.

DDT “ROAD TO PETER PAN 2019 ~DRAMATIC DREAM TAREKATSU BOWL~”, 11/05/2019
Nishi Niigata City Hall (Kobari Aoyama Public Hall)

1. Danshoku Dieno Marunage Match: Danshoku Dieno Vs X
2. KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles: Meiko Satomura, Chihiro Hashimoto & DASH Chisako (c) Vs Saki Akai, X & X

The Sendai Girls want to make it known that they are the best trios team out there regardless of gender. Saki Akai is the first person to challenge them. The only problem is she doesn’t have a team. Normally she could rely on Shuten-dōji to help out but that unit will be gone by the time this show takes place. If Akai cannot find a team before the show takes place then she will lose her title shot. Meiko Satomura wants the match to happen because she thinks she can bring out the best in Akai that’s never seen before.

The rest of the card will be decided once Dieno comes up with his match. That way DDT will know who they can use.

DDT “DDT LIVE! MAJI MANJI KORAKUEN HALL SPECIAL!!” Results

DDT “DDT LIVE! MAJI MANJI KORAKUEN HALL SPECIAL!!”, 28/10/2018
Tokyo Korakuen Hall
1,106 Fans – Super No Vacancy

1. Unit Opposing 4 Way Match: Akito & Shunma Katsumata defeated Toru Owashi & Kazuki Hirata, Yukio Sakaguchi & Masahiro Takanashi and Antonio Honda & Kazusada Higuchi when Akito submitted Honda with the Scorpion Lock (8:13).
2. El Lindaman defeated Nobuhiro Shimatani with the German Suplex (7:00).
3. Loser Punishment Match: Makoto Oishi, Super Sasadango Machine & Gorgeous Matsuno defeated Sanshiro Takagi, Yumehito Imanari & Michael Wolf when Oishi pinned Takagi with the Jikiden Tornado Clutch (5:22).
4. Keisuke Ishii, MAO & Yuki Iino defeated Kota Umeda, Mizuki Watase & Yuki Ueno when Ishii pinned Ueno with the High Angle Double Arm DDT (8:09).
5. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title – Time Difference Joshi Battle Royal: Maki Itoh defeated Yuki Arai (c) (w/ Makoto Oishi) with a Crab Hold (11:39).
Order Of Elimination: Yuki Kamifuku, Saki Akai, Mizuki, Cherry, Emi Sakura, Yuki Arai.
*Maki Itoh becomes the 1,330th champion.
-. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title: Maki Itoh (c) defeated Yuki Arai by Kickout (12:46 pm).
*V1 for Maki Itoh.
6. KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles: CIMA, T-Hawk & Duan Yingnan defeated Soma Takao, Tetsuya Endo & Mad Paulie (c) when CIMA pinned Takao with the Mad Splash (13:09).
*DAMNATION fails in V2. STRONG HEARTS becomes the 36th KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Champions!
7. DDT Extreme Title – Wrestling Rules: Shinya Aoki defeated HARASHIMA (c) by TKO with a Triangle Choke (8:26).
*HARASHIMA fails in V4. Shinya Aoki becomes the 42nd DDT Extreme Champion!
8. Special Tag Match: Naomichi Marufuji & Konosuke Takeshita Vs Daisuke Sasaki & Shuji Ishikawa ended in a Time Limit Draw (20:00).

Shortly before today came, news went around that this show was going to be the final episode of “DDT LIVE! MAJI MANJI”. Rumour was the AbemaTV producers were not happy with Danshoku Dieno’s naked wrestling stunt in last week’s “RYOGOKU PETER PAN” main event which aired live on the service. Instead the story turned out to be rather different. A video was shown after the main event announcing a new monthly DDT series called “DDT LIVE! MAJI MANJI SUPER” beginning with the 3rd January Korakuen Hall show. AbemaTV assures everyone that DDT is not in trouble for what happened at Sumo Hall. Also Maji Manji Super is not going to be the monthly Korakuen shows. DDT is running Korakuen twice in January so they are able to dedicate the first of those shows to the new series. They will also sell every ticket for just 2,000 yen, which is the return of a marketing gimmick DDT used to do for their first show of the year.

The main event went the full twenty minutes as Daisuke Sasaki & Shuji Ishikawa fought to a draw against Naomichi Marufuji & Konosuke Takeshita. The end of Maji Manji meant one last table spot on the show which was done when Ishikawa gave Takeshita the Fire Thunder through a table at ringside. Marufuji took Ishikawa out with the Shiranui while Takeshita and Sasaki fought during the dying minutes of the match. Sasaki kicked out of a Lariat while Takeshita kicked out of the Hurricanrana. The two were trading Elbow Smashes when the bell rang and the match ended. Ishikawa wanted to end the show and the series with karaoke but Sasaki stopped him. They left to go sing karaoke on their own while Marufuji thanked Takeshita for the match. The fans then cheered Takeshita to sing karaoke. It was here when everyone got the news of Maji Manji Super to end the show.

The DDT Extreme Title match stayed mostly on the ground as the champion HARASHIMA wanted to out-grapple Shinya Aoki. A Piledriver had no effect on the challenger and Aoki avoided the Somato to lock in a Sleeper Hold. HARASHIMA shifted his position to apply a Cross Armbreaker but Aoki then trapped him in a Triangle Choke. HARASHIMA Power Bombed Aoki but the hold wouldn’t break. HARASHIMA lost consciousness and Aoki became the new Extreme Champion! HARASHIMA hesitated to shake Aoki’s hand after the match but eventually did so. Aoki then dedicated today’s victory to Kendo Kashin because this is the first championship a Hagure IGF fighter has won since its formation.

STRONG HEARTS are here to stay now that they’ve won the KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles. The match begun with CIMA and Soma Takao in the ring. Takao got “BIMA” chants from the crowd, referencing his CIMA tribute gimmick way back when he was in a college wrestling club. Takao tried to out-CIMA CIMA by hitting the Schwein and then trying to win with the Mad Splash. CIMA blocked the splash then hit his moves of doom. Venus, Iconoclasm then the original Mad Splash put Takao away and made STRONG HEARTS the new champions! CIMA said the result was obvious after he beat Takeshita in Sumo Hall. T-Hawk warned the rest of DDT that they will be waiting here forever. If that bothers them then step up and try to take the belts away! CIMA announced that the unit will be sticking around in DDT for November and will be here in full force. Dezmond Xavier, Zachary Wentz & Trey Miguel are coming to DDT with STRONG HEARTS! CIMA also said he is waiting for Danshoku Dieno to come back and might invite Gorgeous Matsuno to join the unit in Dieno’s absence. One last thing, CIMA wants to defend the 6-Man Titles in China for OWE before their next DDT appearance!

Danshoku Dieno made his first public appearance since Sumo Hall but not in the way anyone expected. KUDO found Dieno wandering around with no memory of anything. Hisaya Imabayashi asked KUDO to pull down his pants because it might help Dieno regain his memory. Dieno was disgusted at the idea of somebody stripping naked in front of a big audience. Imabayashi thinks Dieno is in a deep state of shock after he was locked inside a casket at Sumo Hall. He is giving Dieno time to mentally recover. However, if Dieno finishes in the Dramatic General Election Top 20 then he must wrestle at the next Korakuen Hall show on 25th November, whether he has his memories back or not!

The Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title is no longer in the hands of SKE48 thanks to Maki Itoh. The previous champion Yuki Arai defended the title in an all joshi Battle Royal. When it came down to Arai and Itoh, Makoto Oishi got involved so Arai wouldn’t have to fight. However, Arai scolded Oishi because she wanted to wrestle and she gave him a Heel Kick. She did the same Heel Kick to Itoh but it was dodged. Itoh then put Arai in a Crab Hold to submit her and win the title. They shook hands after the match but Arai suddenly gave her a School Boy. Itoh kicked out then chased Arai out of the ring.

Since today was the final day of voting in the Dramatic Election, the wrestlers in the 6-Man Tag all wanted to impress their voters. Mizuki Watase is back to wrestling in his old gear and he is now dying his hair red. Keisuke Ishii picked up the win for his team.

Sanshiro Takagi had his body painted up to look like a pumpkin monster for Halloween. The AbemaTV audience voted for what punishment the loser of Match #3 would take. Each option involved a Muay Thai kickboxer. The fans chose the loser getting kicked in the ass with 79% of the vote. Oishi pinned Takagi and he took the punishment. Everyone then lost control of the kickboxer and he kicked all of them away from the ring.

Nobuhiro Shimatani and El Lindaman were both making fun of each other for being short so their heights were measured by the referee before their match. Lindaman is taller but Shimatani blamed Lindaman for using his hair to cheat. Lindaman ended up beating Shimatani while CIMA interacted with Mad Paulie outside the ring.

Daisuke Kiso wound up getting involved in the multi-man cascading leg split spot during the opener. At one point “Thriller” played and everyone did the zombie dance. Honda interrupted it to do his Gongitsune strikes to everybody. It didn’t work on Akito because he was wearing glasses. Akito was then able to put Honda in the Scorpion Lock to give ALL OUT the win. Akito describes today as the beginning of ALL OUT’s rebuilding process. They want to regain the KO-D 6-Man Tag Titles.

The D-Ou Grand Prix 2019 blocks were announced. Block A consists of Daisuke Sasaki, HARASHIMA, Kazusada Higuchi, Akito, MAO, Puma King and Go Shiozaki. Block B consists of Konosuke Takeshita, Tetsuya Endo, Soma Takao, Masahiro Takanashi, Mike Bailey, Sammy Guevara and Shinya Aoki.

DDT “DDT LIVE! MAJI MANJI #1” Results

DDT “DDT LIVE! MAJI MANJI #1”, 10/04/2018
Shin-Kiba 1st RING
180 Fans – Super No Vacancy
100,000 AbemaTV Viewers

0. No TV Match 1: Mizuki Watase defeated Daiki Shimomura with the Back Drop (6:30).
0. No TV Match 2: Keisuke Ishii defeated Akito and Kouki Iwasaki when Ishii pinned Iwasaki with a Frankensteiner (5:28).
1. Men’s Soul Legend ~ Loser Gets Ketsu Bat Match: Danshoku Dino defeated Nobuhiro Shimatani with the Danshoku Driver (3:59).
2. Smile Squash Vs DAMNATION!: HARASHIMA, Yuko Miyamoto & Soma Takao defeated Daisuke Sasaki, Tetsuya Endo & Mad Paulie when Miyamoto pinned Paulie with a Gannosuke Clutch (8:10).
3. Alcohol, Foreigners, Men And Women: KUDO, Masahiro Takanashi & Saki Akai defeated Mike Bailey, Antonio Honda & Priscilla Kelly when KUDO pinned Honda with the Diving Double Knee Drop (5:14).
4. Maji Manji Tournament – Round 1: Yuki Ueno defeated Lady Beard with a Backslide Pin (4:34).
5. Maji Manji Tournament – Round 1: MAO (57.6%) defeated Ken Ohka (42.4%) by Audience Decision (5:00).
6. Maji Manji Tournament – Round 1: Maki Itoh (65.4%) defeated Makoto Oishi (34.6%) by Audience Decision (5:00).
7. Maji Manji Tournament – Round 1: Kota Umeda defeated Shunma Katsumata with the Umeda Driver (4:51).
8. DDT LIVE!! Maji Manji Broadcast Commemoration Special Single Match: Konosuke Takeshita Vs Kazusada Higuchi ended in a Time Limit Draw (20:00).

A new project for DDT had its debut today. “DDT LIVE! MAJI MANJI” is a live weekly show airing on the AbemaTV streaming service during the “golden hours” of the primetime TV schedule. To mark the occasion, DDT headlined the episode with a match between Konosuke Takeshita and Kazusada Higuchi. The match ended in a 20 minute draw with both guys spent. Takeshita said he didn’t want to treat the match like an exhibition. He will always be ready to defend the KO-D Openweight Title. However, he would also like to challenge for the KO-D Tag Team Titles. Higuchi shares the same idea in regards to defending his own title and challenging for the other. They both shook hands. When Higuchi left, Takeshita closed out the show with a speech until Shigehiro Irie interrupted him. He called Takeshita a wonderful champion and it would please Irie greatly to win the title from him on 29th April in Korakuen Hall. Takeshita doesn’t like the disrespect Irie showed by coming out after he and Higuchi just wrestled. He hesitated to shake Irie’s hand but when he did, Irie gave him the thumbs down instead and left.

The first round of the Maji Manji tournament filled up the second half of the show. The matches only had a five minute time limit and tiebreakers were determined by a viewer poll. Yuki Ueno and Kota Umeda were able to win their matches but MAO and Maki Itoh needed the audience to get them through to the next round. The semi-finals on 17th April will be Ueno Vs MAO and Itoh Vs Umeda.

This time Saki Akai was able to avoid getting her face licked by Priscilla Kelly.

Mad Paulie is still in his red rage state due to the springtime. However Yuko Miyamoto escaped from the Paulie Buster and escaped with the win by pinning Paulie with the Gannosuke Clutch. Miyamoto told HARASHIMA after the match that he promises not to go extreme for their DDT Extreme Title match. But when they shook hands, Miyamoto gave HARASHIMA a cheap shot then struck him over the back with a chair! Miyamoto said he will no longer be associated with Smile Squash until after their match ends. They cannot team together when they are meant to be opponents. HARASHIMA understands and there are no hard feelings over the situation. He can only promise to do his best.

Idol Moga Mogami was the special guest commentator for the episode. She had never watched pro wrestling before this show and did not even know the existence of DDT. Naomi Yoshimura and Akira Jo were placed nearby as her bodyguards for the evening. After the first match of the broadcast, Danshoku Dino chased Nobuhiro Shimatani with a baseball bat. When Shimatani escaped, Dino grabbed Mogami and pulled her into the ring. Yoshimura & Jo rescued Mogami and beat up Dino for touching her. They allowed Mogami to strike Dino in the ass with the baseball bat as punishment for his actions.

Matches Made For “DDT LIVE! MAJI MANJI #1”

DDT “DDT LIVE! MAJI MANJI #1”, 10/04/2018
Shin-Kiba 1st RING

1. Maji Manji Tournament – Round 1: Makoto Oishi Vs Maki Itoh
2. Maji Manji Tournament – Round 1: Yuki Ueno Vs Lady Beard
3. Maji Manji Tournament – Round 1: MAO Vs Ken Ohka
4. Maji Manji Tournament – Round 1: Shunma Katsumata Vs Kota Umeda

DDT kicks off its new weekly series on AbemaTV with the first round of a tournament to find a new star. The winner of the tournament will be “fully backed up” by AbemaTV for future projects. Each match will have a 5 minute time limit and in the case of a draw the winner will be determined by a viewer vote on the AbemaTV webpage. This is a big project for DDT because the show will be airing at “Golden Time”, the biggest broadcasting time slot of the day. The logo represents that with the golden colour scheme along with the manji logo made to resemble two people wrestling each other, according to Sanshiro Takagi.

Most of the contestants were brought together for a press conference and it almost ended in a fight when Ken Ohka and Maki Itoh argued with each other. Ito later tried to start a fight with Kota Umeda when she caught Umeda laughing at her.

Danshoku Dino also has something planned for the show. He is organising a segment called “Danshoku Souls” with the goal of finding a successor. It does not matter the age, gender or occupation of the person, Dino wants to find the perfect person to transfer his Danshoku Soul to when it is time for him to go away.

“DDT LIVE! Maji Manji” Announced For AbemaTV

This week DDT and AbemaTV announced a new live weekly show called “DDT LIVE! Maji Manji” (DDT LIVE！ マジ卍) beginning on 10th April. The two hour broadcast will take place every Tuesday (except for weeks when DDT run Korakuen Hall) in Shin-Kiba 1st RING. Six shows are scheduled for April and May so far. The goal of the show is to attract a younger audience by airing live pro wrestling during the prime time schedule, something that hasn’t happened in Japan on traditional television outlets for many years. Konosuke Takeshita said that his generation never got to experience the chance to watch TV wrestling at “Golden Time”.

For the first few weeks the show will feature an 8-Man tournament to create the next generation pro wrestling star. DDT is looking for wrestlers from outside the company to compete in the tournament. The 1st Round and Semi Final matches will have 5 minute time limits and the final has a 10 minute time limit. For the matches that end in time limit draws, the winner will be determined by a judging system used by the AbemaTV viewers. Danshoku Dino said the plan will be to spin off stories from the tournament for later episodes. Sanshiro Takagi wants to tell the world about the charm of DDT as well as search for the next generation of ambitious pro wrestlers which is why DDT LIVE and the tournament are running parallel to each other.

Other ideas for the show are being thrown around. For example, HARASHIMA suggested getting comedians to train at the dojo and filming them in a reality TV format. Takeshita and Dino also thought about doing Mail Order Wrestling. I don’t know if they mean stuff gets sent to them to use in matches or they sell stuff used in matches but it’s an idea they like anyway.

DDT Pro Acquired By CyberAgent

It was announced today that DDT Pro Wrestling has been acquired by CyberAgent, the company behind the AbemaTV online streaming service. DDT will continue to do business as a subsidiary of CyberAgent and there is no change to the company name or its organisational structure. Sanshiro Takagi will continue his role as president of DDT. In addition the director of CyberAgent Takahiro Yamauchi will now become the director of DDT.

The deal between DDT and CyberAgent was made on 1st September when DDT transferred 100% of its outstanding shares to CyberAgent. The amount of money it cost has not been made public. Sanshiro Takagi commented on the deal by saying he wants to increase awareness of DDT, make it more appealing and aim for further expansion of the business. CyberAgent’s statement on their website mentions “the professional wrestling boom in recent years” being a reason why they are adding DDT content to the AbemaTV service.

All of the DDT spin offs are included in the acquisition so BASARA, DNA, Tokyo Joshi Pro and Ganbare☆Wrestling will also have their content appearing on AbemaTV. The first live show on the service will be this Sunday’s “WHO’S GONNA TOP?” event in Korakuen Hall. It will be free to all site members and registration to the website is free too. A special announcement about DDT’s future will be revealed during the show. Takagi promises DDT will continue to provide more of the fun, intense and dramatic stories that they are known for.

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Right, so with that out of the way, I should probably give an opinion on this. Well, it’s been about 12 hours since the news came out and I still don’t know what to make of it. I hope DDT gets to continue doing all the stuff that makes it DDT. Everything announced so far isn’t ringing any alarm bells. Takagi is still president, the only change to the structure is the addition of a director and there’s now an extra service DDT gets to be a part of. Doesn’t sound like any drastic changes are in the works. But that’s what is only announced so far and it sounds like there is more news to come on Sunday. Companies don’t get purchased just to continue being run the same way.

I’m in the dark about AbemaTV and its influence over in Japan. Some comments I’ve been able to make out on a few Japanese sites sound like it’s a big enough deal to be compared to Bushiroad buying New Japan. But my limited understanding of the company isn’t enough to figure out how accurate that claim is. Plus there have been plenty of times when a wrestling company expects to reach new levels with their broadcast deals only for them to fizzle out in demoralising ways (speaking of that, what crazy timing of this news to come out by the way).

Maybe it will work out. As mentioned above, AbemaTV wants in on the pro wrestling scene as it is on an upswing in Japan. There’s a good revival going on being led by NJPW with Dragon Gate behind them. DDT I reckon is third and All Japan are doing a wonderful job recovering from what was an absolute wreck a few years ago. Hopefully NOAH can find a way back to their feet. DDT has been constantly looking at ways to grow by being different to everyone else. The variety of projects on offer is probably what helped made DDT appealing to CyberAgent. Personally I didn’t think much of Tokyo Joshi when it began but that thing has grown far above my expectations. DNA scratches that itch I get for watching new wrestlers develop show by show. BASARA I think is struggling because its small roster often makes their shows repetitive but it offers a different change of pace from DDT. Ganpuro is the little rascal I can’t help but give a pat on its head to every once in a while.

For us outside of Japan, your guess is as good as mine in regards to how or even if we’ll get effected by this. There was no mention about DDT UNIVERSE in any of the statements. Can that service coincide with the AbemaTV deal? I don’t expect my enjoyment to change anyhow. The role of this blog is staying the same. Crazy things in DDT will continue to happen. I will want to continue describing them to you. People in the company will continue to be confused as to why a stranger in Ireland has made this his hobby. Such is life. Wrestling is weird. Have fun with it.

With that said, I’m crossing my fingers this acquisition will work out.