DDT “DDT NEW YEAR FAN APPRECIATION DAY! 2026” Results

DDT “DDT NEW YEAR FAN APPRECIATION DAY! 2026”, 12/01/2026
Tokyo Shinagawa Prince Hotel Club eX
??? Fans – Unannounced

1. Sanshiro Takagi, Jun Akiyama & Junta Miyawaki defeated Hideki Okatani, MJ Paul & Ilusion when Miyawaki pinned Ilusion with the Sunshine Driver (6:21).
2. Ryuma Tsukamoto, Takeshi Masada, Yuki Ishida & Rukiya defeated Toru Owashi, Danshoku Dieno, Super Sasadango Machine & Akito when Tsukamoto pinned Sasadango with the Axe Bomber (11:57).
3. Mascara Contra Cabellera: Daisuke Sasaki & Demus defeated Sumicaras & Yunicaras when Demus pinned Yunicaras with La Valagueza (9:14).
4. Special Single Match: Shinya Aoki defeated Fuminori Abe with a Modified Backslide Pin (8:10).
5. Yuki Ueno Produce Match: Kazuki Hirata & Invisible Kazuki Hirata defeated To-y & Invisible Man To-y when Invisible Hirata pinned To-y with the Miracle One Shot Cradle (9:54).
6. Old Hard Hit Rules ~ Double Bout: HARASHIMA (1D/3E) & Daichi Sato (1D/3E) defeated Kazusada Higuchi (1D/2E) & Yuya Koroku (1D/2E) when HARASHIMA submitted Koroku with a Cross Armbreaker (9:14).
7. Unit Shuffle! Special 6-Man Tag Match: MAO (w/ KIMIHIRO), Chris Brookes & Yuki Iino defeated KANON, Antonio Honda & Yukio Naya when Brookes submitted Honda with a Modified Stretch (22:58).

The second DDT show of the day featured several novelty matches, the likes of which you would see at a Beer Garden show. The main event was a 6-Man Tag that split wrestlers from Strange Love Connection, The Apex and FANTÔMES DRAMATIC onto separate sides. That meant MAO had to fight KANON, Yuki Iino had to fight Yukio Naya and Chris Brookes had to fight Antonio Honda. The wild card was KIMIHIRO who decided to climb the top rope and dive onto SLC and The Apex outside the ring. That left Honda free to put Brookes in the Octopus Hold but Brookes lifted him up and countered the move into a Modified Stretch to make Honda give up. After the match MAO and KANON spoke about how glad they are to be each other’s tag team partner. MAO also enjoyed teaming with Iino and said had things gone differently maybe they could have been allies instead of rivals. SLC then told Naya they will go have a victory meal at his father’s restaurant after they beat The Apex. Brookes said he will soon win both the KO-D Openweight Title and the DDT Universal Title with Fandora by his side.

Yuki Ueno suffered a calf injury at the Osaka show a few days ago and was unable to wrestle today. Daichi Sato replaced him in the Hard Hit Rules match. The rules were both teams started the match with 8 points and they would be deducted a point for every knock down, rope break and foul. The match could be won by Pinfall, Submission, Knockout, TKO from reducing the other team to zero points or by having the most points remaining after the time had expired.

Ueno was in attendance for the show and did go into the ring for the tag match between To-y, Kazuki Hirata and their invisible tag team partners. When the match was over an invisible version of Ueno suddenly appeared and attacked both Hirata and To-y! The real Ueno shook and then raised his hand.

Junta Miyawaki approached Shinya Aoki after Match #4 to tell him one of the reasons he joined DDT is to fight him. He has looked up to Aoki ever since he was a school boy and has studied his instruction manual. He challenged Aoki to a match on 25th January. Aoki happily accepted his request and said Miyawaki has a strong desire to move up from where he’s currently at. However Aoki does not want to be surpassed by Miyawaki and is determined to win the match.

Today’s doubleheader were the last two matches for Demus in DDT before he goes back home to Mexico. He was given a fitting farewell match where he and Daisuke Sasaki wagered their hair against the plastic bag masks of Sumicaras & Yunicaras. Victory went to DAMNATION T.A thanks to some cheating and Yunicaras was unmasked to reveal it was Yuni all along. However Sumicaras fled the scene before his mask could be taken so his identity remains a complete mystery for now.

During Match #2, the D GENERATIONS team all disappeared briefly only to return copying the gimmicks of their opponents. Yuki Ishida turned into Akito, Ryoma Tsukamoto wore a Super Sasadango Machine mask, Takeshi Masada became Toru Owashi and Rukiya copied Danshoku Dieno right down to putting himself into the Hell Gate position. He was left alone by everyone else and became abandoned in the ring by himself after the match ended.

DDT “DDT NEW YEAR☆DOTABATA FESTIVAL 2026” Results

DDT “DDT NEW YEAR☆DOTABATA FESTIVAL 2026”, 10/01/2026
Osaka Azalea Taisho Hall
??? Fans – Unannounced

1. D GENERATIONS CUP 2026 – B Block: Takeshi Masada (2) defeated Hinata Kasai (0) with the Manburi (6:42).
2. D GENERATIONS CUP 2026 – B Block: Rukiya (2) defeated Yuni (2) with the Proto Bomb (6:52).
3. Harimao Vs DAMNATION T.A!: Kazusada Higuchi, Naomi Yoshimura & Yuki Ishida defeated Hideki Okatani, MJ Paul & Ilusion when Ishida pinned Ilusion with the Flame Palm (7:16).
4. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Chris Brookes, HARASHIMA & Antonio Honda defeated Sanshiro Takagi, Jun Akiyama & Yuya Koroku when Honda pinned Koroku after the Somato from HARASHIMA (6:54).
5. Akito & Daichi Sato defeated Danshoku Dieno & Kazuki Hirata when Sato pinned Hirata with the PK (11:19).
6. Special 6-Man Tag Match: MAO, KANON (w/ KIMIHIRO) & Junta Miyawaki defeated Yuki Iino, Yukio Naya & Kazuma Sumi when KANON pinned Naya with a Cradle (12:48).
7. The 37KAMIINA Vs DAMNATION T.A!: Yuki Ueno & To-y defeated Daisuke Sasaki & Demus when Ueno pinned Demus with the Jul.2 (20:28).

A Block

1. Daichi Sato (2)
-. Kazuma Sumi (2)
3. To-y (0)
-. Ilusion (0)
-. Yuki Ishida (0)

B Block

1. Yuya Koroku (2)
-. Rukiya (2)
-. Yuni (2)
-. Takeshi Masada (2)
5. Hinata Kasai (0)

It’s a difficult task to focus on two opponents at once but Yuki Ueno is trying to do just that. He doesn’t have to worry about Chris Brookes doing anything shady behind his back but Daisuke Sasaki has now become a thorn in his side again. Sasaki threw a chair at Ueno during the main event but with To-y’s help, Ueno was able to pin Demus with the Jul.2 to get the win. After the match Ueno said fighting Sasaki like this brings back memories of their previous battles together and he doesn’t like how Sasaki can disrupt his rhythm. Sasaki then mocked Ueno and said standing in front of him again reminds Ueno of the bloody trauma Sasaki gave him in the past.

Junta Miyawaki is showing interest in fighting Kazuma Sumi more often.

Today was Daichi Sato’s first time fighting Danshoku Dieno. He didn’t want to go through with it but Akito told him it is a rite of passage for everyone in DDT to have a match with Dieno. After the match Akito praised him for going through with it and even said he wants to see Sato win a championship more than anything else. Sato doesn’t trust him though and refused to shake his hand.

Two B Block matches in the D GENERATIONS CUP took place at the beginning of the show. Rukiya utilized his hometown advantage to beat Yuni and score his first points in the block. Takeshi Masada took part in his first match of the tournament, beating Hinata Kasai in a bout that coincidentally linked the end of SCHADENFREUDE International with the beginning of FANTÔMES DRAMATIC.

DDT “NEW YEAR☆DRAMATIC PARADE 2026 ~THE ANSWER WILL BE REVEALED ONE YEAR LATER~” Results

DDT “NEW YEAR☆DRAMATIC PARADE 2026 ~THE ANSWER WILL BE REVEALED ONE YEAR LATER~”, 03/01/2026
Tokyo Korakuen Hall
??? Fans – Unannounced

1. Junta Miyawaki defeated Rukiya with the Sunshine Driver (4:27).
2. Daisuke Sasaki, Hideki Okatani, MJ Paul, Demus & Ilusion defeated Tomomitsu Matsunaga, Yuya Koroku, Daichi Sato, Yuni & Hinata Kasai when Ilusion pinned Sato with a Cradle (9:29).
3. Special Single Match: Shinya Aoki defeated Sanshiro Takagi with a Backslide Pin (6:39).
4. Jun Akiyama, Yuki Iino & Yukio Naya defeated Kazusada Higuchi, Naomi Yoshimura & Yuki Ishida when Naya pinned Ishida with The World’s Best Back Drop (9:46).
5. Chris Brookes, Antonio Honda & Takeshi Masada defeated HARASHIMA, Toru Owashi & Kazuki Hirata when Brookes pinned Hirata after the Thrust Kick/Praying Mantis Bomb combo (13:25).
6. KONOSUKE TAKESHITA & Akito defeated Danshoku Dieno & Super Sasadango Machine when TAKESHITA pinned Sasadango with a Body Press (0:56).
6a. Rematch – 1 Vs 3 Handicap Match: KONOSUKE TAKESHITA defeated Danshoku Dieno, Super Sasadango Machine & Akito when TAKESHITA pinned Dieno with the Raging Fire (9:59).
7. KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles: Yuki Ueno, To-y & Kaisei Takechi (c) defeated MAO, KANON (w/ KIMIHIRO) & Kazuma Sumi when To-y pinned Sumi with the Kojima Impact (23:57).
*V2 for Yuki Ueno, To-y & Kaisei Takechi.

The first DDT show of 2026 kicked off with a mostly mystery show with only the main event announced in advance. Kaisei Takechi had his latest pro wrestling match teaming with The 37KAMIINA to defend the KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles against Strange Love Connection & Kazuma Sumi. Takechi hit some big moves like Choke Slamming Sumi onto the ring apron and hitting KANON with the Swan Dive Forearm. MAO kept his team in the running and left it up to Sumi to finish the job. But Sumi missed a Reverse 450 aimed for To-y, allowing To-y to give him the Kojima Wonderland followed by the Kojima Impact to win the match and protect the titles.

After the match Hisaya Imabayashi announced Takechi will next wrestle in DDT on 25th January where he will team with HARASHIMA to take on Jun Akiyama & Konosuke Takeshita! Akiyama told Takechi the match will be like a fight between a father and his son. He will go all out so Takechi better bring it too! Takeshita congratulated Takechi on winning the Tokyo Sports Newcomer Award and he believes whatever fears Takechi still has about being a wrestler he will eventually overcome. HARASHIMA warned Takechi they will be fighting the strongest opponents possible in this match but it will be fine because they will do their best. Takechi is happy to hear what everyone is telling him and will aim to win despite still being a rookie. He then asked Yuki Ueno if they could have a singles match together this year, possibly at his 2nd Anniversary show on 22nd February? Ueno wants this match to happen too so he accepted the challenge. It will be Takechi’s first ever singles match when it happens.

One day before he goes into the Tokyo Dome to defend the IWGP World Heavyweight Title, Takeshita got to wrestle in DDT again and was put in a tag match with Akito, Danshoku Dieno and Super Sasadango Machine. Akito told Takeshita that his Wagamama knee strike will be the key to victory tomorrow so he should remove his right knee pad and let everyone bless it. Takeshita reluctantly did so and the match began. While the kneepad was passed around the audience, the match only lasted a minute when Sasadango missed a corner charge, knocked himself out and was easily pinned by Takeshita. Imabayashi complained about the abruptness of the match while Dieno & Sasadango explained the two of them together cannot beat Takeshita. They and Akito all agreed to team up for a 3 Vs 1 Handicap Rematch because the three of them combined is comparable to having one Yota Tsuji. The three used the numbers game to wear down Takeshita until Shunma Katsumata handed the now blessed kneepad back to Takeshita. With the kneepad now back on, Takeshita tore through the other team but instead of using the Wagamama to win, he pinned Dieno with the Raging Fire after giving him the Lip Lock. He told Akito after the match he will save the Wagamama for tomorrow’s big title match. No matter where he goes, he will always show everyone his dramatic dreams.

The time had come for Takeshi Masada to leave SCHADENFREUDE International. His final match as a member of the unit had him team with Chris Brookes & Antonio Honda while Bunbun watched on. They did their usual tricks on HARASHIMA, Toru Owashi & Kazuki Hirata which ultimately brought them the victory. Masada told the others after the match he is sad to leave but this is the path he chose. They are still family but the next time they’ll be in the ring together it will be as opponents and rivals. Brookes then revealed some surprising news. He said SCHADENFREUDE International was originally created to give Masada a platform to grow as a wrestler and without him the unit no longer has a purpose. So as of today SCHADENFREUDE International is disbanding! He got in contact with Masahiro Takanashi before today to get his blessing and Takanashi agreed to it. Honda said there is no point looking in the past. In 2026 they will all work hard towards a brighter tomorrow. After one last group pose, Bunbun whispered something to Brookes & Honda. They handed him over to Masada so he isn’t going to be entirely alone on his new journey.

One of the surprise matches put together on the undercard was Akiyama teaming up with The Apex to fight Harimao. Akiyama got his chest lit up with Chops which was Kazusada Higuchi’s way of wishing him a happy new year. Naomi Yoshimura also joined in with him clashing against The Apex. Yuki Ishida ended up taking more than he could chew despite scoring a nearfall with the Dosukoi Splash. Yukio Naya stopped his momentum with a Big Boot and Yuki Iino followed up with The Apex Elbow. Ishida tried making a comeback on Naya but he was put away with The World’s Best Back Drop.

Another unexpected match pitted Shinya Aoki against Sanshiro Takagi in a one on one bout. What was even more expected was just how straightforward of a match it turned out to be. No nonsense from Takagi or an unusual switch of wrestling style from Aoki. It was just the two doing their best to outmaneuver each other for the winning pinfall. Aoki came out on top by countering the Stunner into a Backslide Pin to get the three count.

DAMNATION T.A ended last year by winning the KO-D 10-Man Tag Team Titles and the belts now all belong to Ilusion. He’s doing everything he can to carry all of the belts to the ring while the rest of the group keep doing what they’re doing against a team of mostly D GENERATIONS wrestlers (plus Tomomitsu Matsunaga). Demus & MJ Paul worked over Hinata Kasai until Yuya Koroku tagged in to fight back against Hideki Okatani & Ilusion. Yuni wiped out Daisuke Sasaki and others with a Moonsault out of the ring. But things went wrong for the younger team and Ilusion ended up rolling up Daichi Sato to win the match for DAMNATION T.A.

At the start of the show there was the announcement of a new wrestler deciding to regularly participate in DDT for this year. It is NOAH’s “Sunshine Hero” Junta Miyawaki! He said he wanted to bring his sunshine wrestling style to a variety of other wrestlers from his generation which brought him here to DDT. For his first match he took on Rukiya in the opening bout. Rukiya didn’t want to give him a warm welcome but Miyawaki overcame his attacks to beat him with the Sunshine Driver. There isn’t an exact amount of time for how long he will be in DDT for this year but he said he will leave his mark here. Akito explained it is a similar kind of deal between DDT and NOAH that Tetsuya Endo is doing between both companies. Although he also made clear this is not a direct trade of Miyawaki for Endo or vice versa.

Chaos broke out at the end of the show when El Phantasmo all of a sudden showed up to interrupt a speech Brookes was giving to the fans. ELP had warned at a New Japan fan event the day before that he could show up here to confront Brookes over their upcoming NJPW World TV Title match in the Tokyo Dome. A brawl broke out between the two around the front row before making its way into the ring. ELP wiped out everyone at ringside with a dive before getting on the microphone to declare himself the No. 1 Baka Gaijin. He then sent another message loud and clear by grabbing Bunbun and giving him the CRII! Brookes however got his own back by chasing ELP out of the ring, making the champion leave his title belt behind. Brookes posed with the belt and told fans to look forward to their match tomorrow.

During the show opening announcements, everyone sang a birthday song for Antonio Honda and Hinata Kasai. Both of their birthdays are on 2nd January.

DDT “RING FINALE 2025 ~EVERYONE IS THE STAR OF THE CURTAIN CALL~” Results

DDT “RING FINALE 2025 ~EVERYONE IS THE STAR OF THE CURTAIN CALL~”, 21/12/2025
Tokyo Korakuen Hall
??? Fans – Unannounced

0. Dark Match: Soma Takao, Yuni & Kazuma Sumi defeated Tomomitsu Matsunaga, Daichi Sato & Rukiya when Takao pinned Matsunaga with the Official Endless Waltz (5:56).
1. Special Tag Match: Minoru Suzuki & Akito defeated Jun Akiyama & Yuya Koroku when Suzuki pinned Koroku with the Gotch-Style Piledriver (9:33).
2. No Tag Rules: Daisuke Sasaki, Hideki Okatani, Demus & Ilusion defeated Toru Owashi, Danshoku Dieno, Super Sasadango Machine & Kazuki Hirata when Sasaki submitted Hirata with the Crossface Lock (0:08).
2a. Rematch: Daisuke Sasaki, Hideki Okatani, Demus & Ilusion defeated Toru Owashi, Danshoku Dieno, Super Sasadango Machine & Kazuki Hirata when Ilusion pinned Hirata with the Swanton Bomb (6:23).
3. 3 Way 6-Man Tag Match: Shinya Aoki, Yuki Iino & Yukio Naya defeated Kazusada Higuchi, Naomi Yoshimura & Yuki Ishida and Chris Brookes, Antonio Honda & Hinata Kasai when Iino pinned Kasai with The Apex Elbow Drop (10:19).
4. Special Tag Match: HARASHIMA & Kaisei Takechi defeated Yuji Nagata & Sanshiro Takagi when Takechi pinned Takagi with the Swan Dive Forearm (9:27).
5. DDT Extreme Title – Finish It Now!! If You Don’t Finish It Now, To-y Loses!!: To-y (c) defeated Yasu Urano with the Referee Brainbuster (R5 1:55).
*V6 for To-y.
6. KO-D Tag Team Titles: MAO & KANON (c) (w/ KIMIHIRO) defeated Jun Masaoka & Gaia Hox when KANON pinned Hox with the Modified LONELY DEZIRES (12:40).
*V2 for STRANGE LOVE CONNECTION.
7. KO-D Openweight Title – AXSEED Presents: Yuki Ueno (c) defeated Takeshi Masada with the WR (21:39).
*V4 for Yuki Ueno.

The penultimate DDT title match of 2025 came and went with Yuki Ueno still standing tall as a double singles champion. He put the KO-D Openweight Title on the line against Takeshi Masada who already had an uphill battle going into the show with being a convincing challenger. His big chance came after hitting a combo of Thrust Kick, Flying Knee Strike and a Triangle Kick. With Ueno in trouble, Masada used his finisher the Masada No Chikara KOBU Mukimuki. Ueno kicked out though and made the comeback starting with an Avalanche Frankensteiner. Death by Dropkick came for Masada and Ueno used the WR to finish him off and defend the title.

Ueno gave Masada some encouragement afterwards and told him he has very high hopes that Masada will show a side to him as a pro wrestler that nobody has ever seen before. However even if Masada can one day beat Ueno, Ueno said Masada will never surpass him. Daisuke Sasaki then entered the ring promising not to attack Ueno because he is here on serious business. He wants to challenge Ueno to a title match fair and square. He offered Ueno a handshake only to kick him below the belt. As he went to give Ueno the Pedigree, Chris Brookes ran into the ring to stop him. He then slapped Ueno because he’s also here to demand a title shot. Ueno said he would fight both of them and it doesn’t matter if the KO-D Title or DDT Universal Title will be put on the line. Everyone started arguing with each other until Akito interrupted them. As a CyberFight Director, he had the power to come up with a solution. On 25th January there will be a 3 Way Match between Ueno, Sasaki and Brookes. But the match will last for two falls, the first with the Universal Title on the line and the second will have the KO-D Title on the line! Ueno will need to win both falls if he wants to defend both of his championships. The situation makes Ueno realize how precious both life and pro wrestling are. Sasaki thinks he has good odds of winning both titles because he is a “3 Way Magician”.

Masada also came to a realization after the main event that it is time for him to try something new. He is going to quit SCHADENFREUDE International! He explained to Brookes he’s been stuck repeating the same loop lately and it won’t change unless he steps into a new environment. He needs to free himself in order to enjoy being in DDT. Brookes understood and told Masada he can leave the unit on 3rd January because doing it here right now wouldn’t be a good way to end his membership.

A tricky tag team from outside of DDT was here for Strange Love Connection to try and solve. F-SWAG’s matches have a pace that matches SLC with plenty of fancy teamwork of their own to go along with other antics that can throw the opposition off balance. Jun Masaoka & Gaia Hox almost became the new KO-D Tag Team Champions when they gave MAO the F-DRIVE II but KANON broke the pin. F-SWAG then went to cheat as Gaia Hox hit KANON over the head with a wet floor sign. However KANON turned the tables and got to pin Hox with the LONELY DEZIRES for a successful title defence. SLC enjoyed the match though and told F-SWAG they can come back to DDT again.

SLC are ending the year as tag champs and were talking about what they could look forward to in 2026 when suddenly Yuki Iino walked down to the ring searching around for something. He climbed inside, realized MAO was who he was looking for and then he Speared him! Yukio Naya got into the ring yelling at Iino to stop getting ahead of himself. He explained that ever since The Apex lost the titles to SLC, Iino cannot stop thinking about MAO and keeps saying his name over and over. MAO remembered that Iino previously acted the same way towards Chihiro Hashimoto and realized this means he has now become Iino’s rival. He’s happy to learn that. Both teams agreed that the Survival 3 Way Match at Sumo Hall last month wasn’t enough for them so SLC agreed to face The Apex in a KO-D Tag Titles match on 25th January.

To-y has regained the DDT Extreme Title that he never officially lost. Yasu Urano stole the belt and manipulated his way into behaving like a champion while To-y was tricked into acting like he was now the challenger. The match they had was structured into two minute long rounds where every round the match needed to end with a particular wrestling move randomly picked out of a list of fan suggestions. Round 1 was basic enough because the move was simply to slap the opponent. Round 2 suddenly became difficult when the finisher became the Gorgeous Superstar Elbow. To-y was able to pull off something kind of like the move but it wasn’t similar enough to count. Round 3 gave the advantage to Urano because the move was the Reverse Hold/Backslide Pin. To-y was able to survive into Round 4 where his finisher the Kojima Wonderland was now chosen. He hit the move but couldn’t get the three count with it. Round 5 turned into a challenge because the chosen move was the Referee Brainbuster. Yukinori Matsui needed to Suplex one of the wrestlers but he didn’t have the strength for it. Outside the ring To-y gave Matsui a boost by Kancho poking him into Suplexing Urano. To-y then placed Urano on the top turnbuckle and physically helped Matsui do a Hijack Brainbuster. That counted so To-y pinned Urano for the three count to get his belt back and officially remain champion. He now wants to find an even more extreme kind of wrestling to continue his reign.

Everything’s just going so great for Kaisei Takechi lately, isn’t it? He’s booked for the Tokyo Dome soon, last week he won the Best Newcomer category in the annual Tokyo Sports Awards and today he got to wrestle Yuji Nagata to continue his climb up the pro wrestling industry. Takechi got to team with HARASHIMA in the match while Nagata had Sanshiro Takagi as his partner. That is decades and decades of experience in all sorts for Takechi to learn off of. Takagi dragged him up the aisles so he could then run him over in the Dramatic Dream bike. Back in the ring Nagata unleashed his Middle Kicks and also an Exploder Suplex as his way to toughen up Takechi. But with HARASHIMA’s help Takechi got the upper hand on Takagi and he hit the Swan Dive Forearm to get the victory. Nagata praised Takechi for having guts and he told him to do his best on 4th January. Takechi said he is still a rookie but his passion and determination are unmatched. He still wants more ring time so he asked Takagi if he could get booked for the 25th January Korakuen Hall show. Takagi told him if he’s that willing to immerse himself into wrestling then it shall be done. Backstage Nagata spoke positively about Takechi and how he showed he is more than just good looks. He thinks what will happen to Takechi at the Tokyo Dome will be a valuable experience for him no matter if it turns out positive or negative.

SCHADENFREUDE International wanted to play the hits early in the 3 Way Trios match but Yuki Ishida stopped Antonio Honda from telling a Gongitsune joke. Things then got weird when Shinya Aoki stopped Iino from doing The Apex Elbow by trying to bite his pec for some reason. Brookes & Honda got everyone to form a human pyramid in the ring then Hinata Kasai pulled the rubber band spot on Ishida & Kazusada Higuchi. Brookes found himself in trouble when Higuchi & Naomi Yoshimura chopped him back and forth. SCHADENFREUDE led a train attack (which included Bunbun) on Aoki but it stopped when Honda tripped and hurt his knee. He told his Gongitsune joke and led his team into doing Bionic Elbows but they all missed. Iino went on to pin Kasai with The Apex Elbow while Naya grabbed Aoki and held him up off the mat so he would stop getting in the way.

Kazuki Hirata knew what his fate was going to be today but he wouldn’t let that ruin his last match at Korakuen Hall for the year. He interrupted Toru Owashi’s entrance with his own so he could dance to the ring, unaware that Owashi was so mad he was going to hit him with a chair if Matsui wasn’t there to stop him. Hirata told the rest of the team they should fight DAMNATION T.A like heels so he tried to attack Daisuke Sasaki with a chair only to immediately fall into the Cross Facelock and give up. Hirata then asked if DAMNATION T.A really wanted that to be their last Korakuen match of the year? The question convinced them to restart the match with the other team back to behaving as faces. They did a train attack on Hideki Okatani only for Hirata to miss his charge. When things were going south for them, Hirata unmasked Super Sasadango Machine to reveal heel face paint underneath! He then pulled down the back of Dieno’s tights to also reveal heel face paint on his rear end. Hirata got a face full of it instead of Demus and Ilusion then pinned him with the Swanton Bomb. Sasaki grabbed the chair and hit Dieno in the backside with it afterwards.

Minoru Suzuki was back in DDT looking to fight Jun Akiyama. Despite the two of them starting off the match, Yuya Koroku was quick to tag in. When Suzuki tagged Akito, Koroku knocked him off the apron which set him off. Akito threw Koroku out of the ring so Suzuki could start a brawl with him around ringside with chairs being knocked about everywhere. Akiyama got involved to settle things down and bring the match back into the ring. Koroku had his arm worked over by both of his opponents but used a Waterwheel Drop on Akito to tag in Akiyama. When Koroku got his breath back he tried fighting Suzuki again, using a Wrist-Clutch STO for a nearfall. Suzuki avoided an attempt at the Triangle Lancer and dropped Koroku down with the Gotch-Style Piledriver to get the win.

The dark match was Yuni’s return to action having been away from the ring since August. He started the match off with Daichi Sato and was almost German Suplexed away after Sato caught his Space Rolling Elbow attempt. Tomomitsu Matsunaga took a moment in between hitting Yuni to tell him how jealous he is that Yuni got into Sophia University. He, Sato & Rukiya then targeted Soma Takao who wasn’t in the best condition because of his knee. Yuni & Kazuma Sumi came to the rescue with some high flying moves, allowing Takao to constantly roll up Matsunaga with the Official Endless Waltz until he got the three count.

After the dark match Yuni told the audience he was accepted into university and is looking forward to enjoying his time both there and in pro wrestling. NωA Jr. then wished Takao the best of luck before performing their new single “Mikansei NEXT”.

Finish It Now!! Princess Rumble Returns, Fan Appreciation Matches

DDT “RING FINALE 2025 ~EVERYONE IS THE STAR OF THE CURTAIN CALL~”, 21/12/2025
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

0. Dark Match: Soma Takao, Yuni & Kazuma Sumi Vs Tomomitsu Matsunaga, Daichi Sato & Rukiya
1. Daisuke Sasaki, Hideki Okatani, Demus & Ilusion Vs Toru Owashi, Danshoku Dieno, Super Sasadango Machine & Kazuki Hirata
2. 3 Way 6-Man Tag Match: Shinya Aoki, Yuki Iino & Yukio Naya Vs Kazusada Higuchi, Naomi Yoshimura & Yuki Ishida Vs Chris Brookes, Antonio Honda & Hinata Kasai
3. Special Tag Match: Minoru Suzuki & Akito Vs Jun Akiyama & Yuya Koroku
4. Special Tag Match: Yuji Nagata & Sanshiro Takagi Vs HARASHIMA & Kaisei Takechi
5. DDT Extreme Title – Finish It Now!! If You Don’t Finish It Now, To-y Loses!!: To-y (c) Vs Yasu Urano
6. KO-D Tag Team Titles: MAO & KANON (c) (w/ KIMIHIRO) Vs Jun Masaoka & Gaia Hox
7. KO-D Openweight Title – AXSEED Presents: Yuki Ueno (c) Vs Takeshi Masada

The stipulation for the next DDT Extreme Title match was decided over a bizarre online game of Rock Paper Scissors. To-y and Yasu Urano had to post videos of their choices at the same time but they kept ending in ties until Urano finally got the win. He came up with rules that every two minutes a different move will be revealed and the wrestlers need to win the match using that move. The moves will be selected by fan suggestions on Twitter. Countouts and disqualifications still apply and if the match ends in a draw, Urano will officially become the Extreme Champion.

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “SE-NO, MERRY CHRISTMAS! 2025”, 21/12/2025
Tokyo Tama Mirai Messe

1. Kaya Toribami Vs Toga
2. Miyu Yamashita Vs Yuki Arai
3. Uta Takami Vs Chika Nanase
4. Arisu Endo Vs Pom Harajuku
5. Kira Summer Vs Raku
6. Mizuki Vs Rika Tatsumi
7. Hyper Misao Vs Ren Konatsu
8. Mifu Ashida Vs Shoko Nakajima
9. Mahiro Kiryu Vs Shino Suzuki
10. Miu Watanabe, Yuki Kamifuku & Wakana Uehara Vs Suzume, Yuki Aino & Haru Kazashiro

The lottery for the singles matches were held this week with Marika Tani drawing all of the names under Rise Shirai’s supervision. The first nine names were all drawn on one side of the card and the remaining nine were picked to be their opponents. Some of the big pairings to look forward to include Mizuki Vs Rika Tatsumi and Miyu Yamashita Vs Yuki Arai. All of the singles matches on the show will have a 7 minute time limit.

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW YEAR-END PARTY 2025”, 27/12/2025
Shinjuku FACE

1. Suzume Vs Ren Konatsu
2. Wakana Uehara Vs Haru Kazashiro
3. Yuki Aino Vs Chika Nanase
4. Rika Tatsumi & Toga Vs Kakeru Sekiguchi & Mahiro Kiryu
5. Princess Rumble 2025: Miu Watanabe Vs Yuki Kamifuku Vs Arisu Endo Vs Shoko Nakajima Vs Miyu Yamashita Vs Kaya Toribami Vs Mizuki Vs Yuki Arai Vs Hyper Misao Vs Raku Vs Pom Harajuku Vs HIMAWARI Vs Shino Suzuki Vs Mifu Ashida Vs Kira Summer Vs Uta Takami Vs Max The Impaler Vs Ram Kaichow Vs X Vs X

The final Tokyo Joshi Pro of the year will feature the second annual Princess Rumble. 20 competitors will take part including Ram Kaichow as one of the guests. Two mystery wrestlers are part of the lineup but if it’s like last year at least one of them will be revealed before then.

“Twin Magic” might be on the cards with Kakeru Sekiguchi coming back for the show and teaming with Mahiro Kiryu again.

DDT “DDT NEW YEAR FAN APPRECIATION DAY! 2026”, 12/01/2026
Tokyo Shinagawa Prince Hotel Club eX

1. Mascara Contra Cabellera: Daisuke Sasaki & Demus Vs Sumicaras & Yunicaras
2. Yuki Ueno Produce Match: To-y & Invisible Man To-y Vs Kazuki Hirata & Invisible Kazuki Hirata
3. Old Hard Hit Rules ~ Double Bout: Yuki Ueno & HARASHIMA Vs Kazusada Higuchi & Yuya Koroku

Creative matches galore for the fan appreciation show in January. Classic Hard Hit rules will be in effect for a tag match, invisible wrestlers will show up and Sumicaras puts his valuable “mask” on the line along with his new tag team partner Yunicaras. Can the two of them take the hair of both Daisuke Sasaki & Demus?

DDT “BE AMBITIOUS ~AUTUMN BATTLE~” Results

DDT “BE AMBITIOUS ~AUTUMN BATTLE~”, 30/11/2025
Tokyo Korakuen Hall
??? Fans – Unannounced

0. Dark Match: Akito, Daichi Sato & Yuya Koroku defeated Soma Takao, Rukiya & Hinata Kasai when Sato pinned Kasai with a PK (10:19).
1. Danshoku Dieno Return Match: Kazusada Higuchi, Toru Owashi & Kazuki Hirata defeated Danshoku Dieno, Antonio Honda & Kazuma Sumi when Higuchi submitted Dieno with the Claw (0:06).
1a. Rematch: Kazusada Higuchi, Toru Owashi & Kazuki Hirata defeated Danshoku Dieno, Antonio Honda & Kazuma Sumi when Hirata pinned Honda with the Miracle One Shot Cradle (6:35).
2. Special 3 Way Tag Match: Jun Masaoka & Gaia Hox defeated Yuki Iino & Yukio Naya and Demus & Ilusion when Masaoka pinned Ilusion with the F-DRIVE II (5:54).
3. Special 8-Man Tag Match: Chris Brookes, Naomi Yoshimura, Takeshi Masada & Yuki Ishida defeated Jun Akiyama, HARASHIMA, MBM & Ultima Sombra when Masada pinned MBM with the Masada No Chikara KOBU Mukimuki (5:54).
4. DDT Extreme Title – Weapon Gamble Match: To-y (c) defeated Sanshiro Takagi with the Kojima In Wonderland ~Kojima Wonderland~ onto the Plastic Case (10:57).
*V5 for To-y.
5. KO-D Tag Team Titles: MAO & KANON (c) (w/ KIMIHIRO) defeated Daisuke Sasaki & Hideki Okatani when KANON pinned Okatani with the Modified LONELY DEZIRES (14:12).
*V1 for STRANGE LOVE CONNECTION.
6. Special Single Match: KONOSUKE TAKESHITA defeated Shinya Aoki with a Modified Jackknife Pin (10:07).
7. KO-D Openweight Title & DDT Universal Title: Yuki Ueno (c/c) defeated Super Sasadango Machine with a Dropkick (27:16).
*V3 for the KO-D Openweight Title. V1 for the DDT Universal Title.

High hopes and grand ambitions for the future spurred on Super Sasadango Machine as he found himself fighting Yuki Ueno for DDT’s top two championships in Korakuen Hall today. He spent the time leading up to the match working out with a personal trainer, had revealed the Reverse Shrimp Hold as his deadly secret weapon he had kept hidden for around two decades and he was watched over by Konosuke Takeshita in his corner for the match. The big problem though was Ueno banned Sasadango from giving any PowerPoint Presentations until this match took place, sapping away Sasadango’s creativity. Or did it? As he held Ueno in the Reverse Shrimp Hold, fighting to stop the champion from reaching the ropes “Etupirka” began to play and a spiritual PowerPoint Presentation was broadcast directly into the minds of everyone watching the match! In it Sasadango revealed then if he wins the KO-D Openweight Title and DDT Universal Title today, he will nominate Ueno to be his first challenger and hold the rematch at the 3rd January Korakuen show next year. Then the next day Sasadango will invade the Tokyo Dome to take over New Japan’s big show! Unfortunately for Sasadango the bonus motivation didn’t work and Ueno made it to the ropes to break his secret hold. Ueno also kicked out of the Vertical Drop Lehman Shock even though Sasadango hit the move three times throughout the match. Sasadango’s last plan was to simply use a Dropkick on Ueno but the champion got back up and did several Dropkicks of his own. Sasadango kicked out of the BME and the two wrestlers began Dropkicking each other back and forth. They both kept kicking out of the pins until Sasadango got Dropkicked in the face one time too many and couldn’t kick out anymore.

After the match Ueno thanked Sasadango for doing his best and asked him if they really can make the dream of bringing DDT to the Tokyo Dome come true? Sasadango said it is not a dream at all and it is their responsibility to take all of the DDT fans to that destination. If everybody puts their minds to it, they can definitely make it to the Tokyo Dome and fill it up for an amazing view! Ueno admitted he will never become an icon like Hiroshi Tanahashi but that’s okay. Sasadango advised him to just be himself and then left. Later during his backstage comments, Sasadango talked about the opportunities that will open up when Tanahashi retires for other wrestlers to become the next icon for the entire industry, not just in New Japan. There are so many things that need to be done for DDT to get to the Tokyo Dome but Sasadango promised he will work hard to help make it happen, especially since we are not that far off from DDT celebrating its 30th Anniversary.

But that’s still way off in the future. Ueno is also thinking about what he’s going to do next. Hisaya Imabayashi told him his next singles title match will happen on the 21st December Korakuen show and Ueno was allowed to choose his opponent. Ueno decided he will defend the KO-D Title against one of the D GENERATIONS wrestlers and the challenger would be determined right away with a Rock Paper Scissors tournament! He explained it would be the fairest way to quickly determine the No. 1 Contender and it is also an idea that has been passed down through DDT since ancient times. In the end, Takeshi Masada beat Yuki Ishida in the final to earn the title shot. Ueno asked him what does he want to do if he becomes champion? Masada said he will prove that he is the future of DDT. Ueno told him he has plenty of time to do that so he should say something that will make Ueno want to beat him. Masada said he will make Ueno feel despair when he beats him on the 21st!

Fresh off of losing winning his first match in the Continental Classic at AEW last week, Takeshita made it all the way back to DDT for a special rematch against Shinya Aoki. He brought the IWGP World Heavyweight Title with him but the match was a non-title bout. Aoki brought the challenge, finding unique ways to use his moves on Takeshita. He avoided being pinned with the Blue Thunder Bomb by applying a Cross Armbreaker and also used the setup for the Aoki Clutch as a feint to roll Takeshita into the European Clutch instead. Takeshita got the better of him though by escaping his different cradle pins and using a Backslide to roll himself on top of Aoki and pin him with a bridging Jackknife. Takeshita said backstage that he cannot afford to lose anywhere right now because the Tokyo Dome is waiting for him. He isn’t just talking about 4th January because as long as he is with DDT, he wants to go to the Tokyo Dome with DDT! He also sees how much the D GENERATIONS have improved and thinks DDT is in good hands with them around. Aoki is coming off of a recent MMA defeat in ONE FC and said how strange it is that today he feels he is back where he belongs. To him, martial arts and MMA are all part of the same rules as pro wrestling and he has come to love modern pro wrestling.

A grudge match over the KO-D Tag Team Titles pushed Strange Love Connection to bring in an extra ringside second alongside KIMIHIRO to even up the numbers against DAMNATION T.A. During the entrance KIMIHIRO introduced everyone to the stage actress Yuzuki Hoshimoto who was armed with a whip and also an illuminated blade shaped bat. However she didn’t turn out to do much when DAMNATION T.A attacked the champions during their entrance. She whipped MJ Paul a bit but he just shoved her against the ring apron in response. Things went worse for SLC when MAO’s attempted stage dive missed the target and he landed on KANON instead. Daisuke Sasaki continued to attack them with chairs, even Body Slamming KIMIHIRO onto a pile of them. Paul & Demus added more damage with interference spots but MAO got his own back by wiping them out at ringside with a Quebrada. Sasaki held MAO in La Mistica Crossface Lock while Hideki Okatani went to finish the job but KANON made a comeback on the two of them. As much as Okatani tried to harm KANON’s hand, he couldn’t stop him from doing the LONELY DEZIRES, giving SLC a hard earned victory and KANON his revenge.

After the match KANON spoke about having confidence now and proving he is not unwanted because he has friends who support him. SLC beat DAMNATION T.A but they don’t want their title run to end here. They heard that earlier today F-SWAG were telling everyone they want a title shot. MAO thinks it’s great that teams from outside DDT now want to fight for the KO-D Tag Titles because he needs new opponents to help himself and KANON grow stronger together. Meanwhile DAMNATION T.A were coming up with excuses for losing. Sasaki blamed it on bad calls while Okatani had regrets over not using his bamboo stick because he thought he could win without it.

Gambling was the name of the game when it came to today’s DDT Extreme Title match. Well actually the name of the match was Weapon Gamble but you know what I mean. To-y and Sanshiro Takagi spent over a week gambling their money in the hopes of raising funds for weapons to use in this match. Neither of them won anything substantial so they were reduced to finding weapons they didn’t have to pay for. The extra catch was every time a new weapon was introduced, they would have to play a card game where the person who drew the higher number would be allowed use the weapon on his opponent. One instance of this backfiring was when Takagi brought in a group of unpaid amateur indie wrestlers. To-y won the card game so all of the wrestlers attacked Takagi instead. The next item was a briefcase that To-y won the right to use but Takagi grabbed it and ran off. When the indie wrestlers chased after him, Takagi pulled out a spray can from the briefcase and blinded everyone with it. The Dramatic Dream was next and Takagi got to crash it into everyone up in the aisleway. Another bicycle was brought out but this one belonged to To-y’s parents! He and Takagi then crashed their bikes into each other. Then came the most dangerous weapon of the match: A parent-teacher meeting with To-y’s mother Miwa Kojima! Takagi won the card game so he got to tell Miwa about To-y’s gambling problem, claiming To-y has taken it so far that he has stolen Takagi’s money to fund it! Miwa also revealed her credit card is constantly in debt because of her son so she asked Takagi to help her. Takagi smashed a plastic case over To-y’s head as punishment which shocked Miwa. She had a sudden change of heart and slapped Takagi across the face, stunning him long enough for To-y to give him the Kojima In Wonderland onto the plastic cases for the victory. Mother and son hugged each other afterwards but To-y admitted he cannot quit gambling. He promised to make enough money to pay it all back though and then make even more money so he can gamble even more without it going to waste. He admits when you hold the Extreme Title you lose track of what is right and what is wrong. However he will always be authentic.

The first DDT tour for the Belgian tag team Rivality came to an end today with them getting to team up with Jun Akiyama & HARASHIMA. The four of them all joined forces to face the temporary alliance of SCHADENFREUDE International and Harimao. Early on MBM & Ultima Sombra got to experience the SCHADENFREUDE Tower spot from both sides. Sombra was the one getting punished while MBM got to pose on top of him with everyone else. Sombra also took the full brunt of the rubber band spot from Chris Brookes. Akiyama fought Naomi Yoshimura for the more serious part of the match but the finish came down to Masada & Ishida hitting their finishers on both members of MBM at the same time, leading to Masada pinning MBM.

As mentioned earlier, F-SWAG has come to DDT and they are looking for gold. Jun Masaoka & Gaia Hox made the most of the chaos that went on to win the 3 Way Tag Match against The Apex and DAMNATION T.A. They formed an alliance with Demus & Ilusion at first but betrayed them as soon as the opportunity arose. Hox wiped out Yuki Iino & Yukio Naya with a dive then made it back into the ring to help Masaoka finish off Ilusion for the victory. After the match F-SWAG got on the microphone and said they wanted to face the winners of the KO-D Tag Titles match on 21st December because that is the only date they have open that month. DDT better watch out!

After a month long delay in recovery, Danshoku Dieno finally got to make his triumphant return to the ring. Too bad the match began while he was making his entrance through the audience and Antonio Honda submitted to Kazusada Higuchi’s Claw Hold six seconds in. Imabayashi got mad at Dieno’s moment being ruined and ordered a restart. The match went on without a hitch with all of the Lip Locks and partial nudity you’d want in a Dieno match. Toru Owashi didn’t get a Lip Lock though despite anticipating he would. Dieno had extra pent up energy built up from his time away and it was used to charge up the Hirata Go! glasses and also Gongitsune (as well as a portable battery belonging to a fan at ringside). Kazuki Hirata turned the charged up Gongitsune against Honda in order to pin him with the Miracle One Shot Cradle.

In the dark match Akito, Daichi Sato & Yuya Koroku all teamed up to defeat Soma Takao, Rukiya & Hinata Kasai. Takao & Rukiya tried to break down Sato with a Sandwich Elbow attack so Kasai could hit him with a Missile Dropkick. Sato got back at Kasai with a Fisherman Suplex and pinned him with a Penalty Kick.

Two big matches featuring Kaisei Takechi were announced for December and January to help him prepare for his “WRESTLE KINGDOM” appearance. On 21st December he will team with HARASHIMA to face Yuji Nagata & Sanshiro Takagi. Then on 3rd January Takechi will defend the KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles with The 37KAMIINA against SLC & Kazuma Sumi.

DDT “RYOGOKU AFTER ~IT’S A WONDERFUL BATTLE~” Results

DDT “RYOGOKU AFTER ~IT’S A WONDERFUL BATTLE~”, 06/11/2025
Shinjuku FACE
??? fans – Unannounced

1. Demus & Ilusion defeated Kazuki Hirata & Takeshi Masada when Demus pinned Hirata with La Valagueza (11:30).
2. Special Tag Match: Naomi Yoshimura & Kumadori defeated Soma Takao & Hinata Kasai when Yoshimura submitted Kasai with a Side Headlock (9:35).
3. Daisuke Sasaki, Hideki Okatani & MJ Paul defeated Tomomitsu Matsunaga, Yuya Koroku & Rukiya when Oktani pinned Rukiya with the Skewered Claymore (10:56).
4. Chris Brookes defeated Yuki Ishida with a PK (12:08).
5. Special Tag Match: Minoru Suzuki & HARASHIMA defeated Kazusada Higuchi & Daichi Sato when Suzuki pinned Sato with the Gotch-Style Piledriver (13:22).
6. Special Single Match: KONOSUKE TAKESHITA defeated Antonio Honda with the Raging Fire (18:06).
7. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Super Sasadango Machine, Sanshiro Takagi & Jun Akiyama defeated Yuki Ueno, To-y & Kazuma Sumi when Sasadango submitted Sumi with a Reverse Shrimp Hold (18:41).

Life moves quickly and DDT is already setting up stakes for their next Korakuen Hall show while “ULTIMATE PARTY 2025” shrinks away in the rear view window. Yuki Ueno will now be defending his two championships against Super Sasadango Machine but a condition was put down for the challenger to follow during the contract signing at the start of today’s show. Ueno thinks it is important for the fans to understand why he and Sasadango want to win this match so much so a pre-match hype video will be necessary. So to avoid any time constraints, Ueno told Sasadango he cannot be allowed to hold a PowerPoint Presentation before the match! Sasadango was speechless until he found the words to ask if PowerPoint was always banned for KO-D Openweight Title matches (Sasadango did have a presentation for his only previous KO-D Title match back in 2014 but it was also a surprise Right To Challenge cash in) and if the fans were okay with this? Ueno admitted he is looking out for himself because of how big the stakes are but if Sasadango cannot be confident without PowerPoint then he shouldn’t be in the match. Sasadango reluctantly agreed and signed the contract. There will be no PowerPoint presentation when the KO-D Title and DDT Universal Title are both on the line on 30th November.

So now Sasadango needed to think of a new plan for the double title match. Ueno admitted during the segment that Muscle Sakai’s mind as well as his hard work inspires him and he wants to use that motivation to achieve his dream of bringing DDT to the Tokyo Dome. Sasadango warned that he can think of 100 different moves to make at any given time and he quickly focused on one to prove he deserves to have the double title match. In the main event he unmasked himself and pulled the mask over Ueno’s face to distract him. He then put Kazuma Sumi in a Crab Hold and applied enough pressure to make Sumi give up! That is the new plan Sasadango has come up with to beat Ueno, the Crab H… no wait, the Reverse Shrimp Hold! It is his favorite move because shrimp is his favorite food but he has kept it hidden throughout his entire wrestling career. With his plump body and Ueno’s toned waist, Sasadango warns that the Reverse Shrimp Hold will snap Ueno in half!

Also after the main event, To-y and Sanshiro Takagi argued over their DDT Extreme Title match happening on 30th November. Takagi reminded To-y that the champion is meant to choose the stipulation match. To-y snapped back and said he knows that because he has defended the title five times already. He loves to gamble now so they are going to have a Weapon Gamble match. Takagi likes the idea because it sounds like his favorite gimmick match, the Weapon Rumble. To-y later explained the rules on Twitter. During the match weapons will be brought down to the ring one after the other. Every time a new weapon appears, To-y and Takagi will play a gambling game and only the winner gets to use the weapon. If the loser takes the weapon and uses it instead, they will be disqualified. The usual victory conditions for a wrestling match still apply. With these rules, To-y promises to extinguish Takagi’s fire!

The match between Konosuke Takeshita and Antonio Honda turned into a partial Happy Motel reunion because was at ringside Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi to watch it up close (the missing member Tetsuya Endo is currently ill and I’m unsure if he could have shown up for this). He also got involved by joining in the Gongitsune spot and later slamming Takeshita so Honda would have a better chance at winning. Takeshita ended up using his own Bionic Elbow to defeat Honda’s version before pinning him with the Raging Fire. After the match Takeshita told fans about the existence of Happy Motel and how it turned out to be one of DDT’s least popular units in history. He spent the most important parts of his early twenties being in the group but it was worth it to him because he learned so much from Honda and Hiroshi. The lessons they taught him he still uses today in America and New Japan. Honda was happy to hear that because Happy Motel’s failure still springboarded Takeshita out into the world. Honda also feels like the happiest wrestler in the world because somebody like him got to wrestle against the world famous Takeshita in front of a wonderful audience that all came to see him.

Takeshita promise to use today’s match as motivation for his next IWGP World Heavyweight Title defence at the Tokyo Dome on 4th January. He later said not one moment in his pro wrestling career has been wasted. The reason he has this championship is because he loves pro wrestling. And while he is in DDT revisiting everyone who has helped make him stronger, he next wants to have another singles match with Shinya Aoki! The two last fought each other in Las Vegas back in April but after last week’s Sumo Hall show Aoki also made a comment about wanting to face Takeshita again. DDT have booked the match for 30th November at Korakuen and it will be their first singles bout together since January, 2022.

A flu bug seems to have hit the roster coming out of Sumo Hall. MAO and Yuki Iino had already pulled out of today’s show due to illness but KANON, Akito and Yukio Naya all ended up missing the show too (Endo is also being taken off this weekend’s NOAH show for having the flu). The main members of Strange Love Connection being absent meant KIMIHIRO was at the show by himself with nothing to do. He was given a spot in the middle of the show to perform a rap in the ring but DAMNATION T.A suddenly ran out and attacked him! Hideki Okatani in particular roughed him up with a bamboo stick while Daisuke Sasaki complained that SLC should give up the KO-D Tag Team Titles if they’re not going to show up and get in the ring! Later backstage Okatani brought up how Sasaki broke a rib the last time they fought for the KO-D Tag Titles and he came back to fight again so being sick should be no excuse for MAO & KANON to miss matches. Their challenge was granted and they will face SLC for the KO-D Tag Titles on 30th November.

Another wrestler from DAMNATION T.A caused trouble earlier in the show. Ilusion ran out after the second match and attacked Kumadori at ringside. They went back into the ring where Kumadori tried to spark a comeback but Ilusion cut him off with a Low Blow and then attacked him with a chair. Ilusion explained to Kumadori that he’s just teaching him how painful pro wrestling is and he will drive him into a pro wrestling depression! Kumadori promised to get revenge and he will beat up Ilusion when the time comes.

In the opening match Takeshi Masada stopped Kazuki Hirata from putting on the Hirata GO! glasses because he wanted to see Hirata be cool instead. Demus got his hands on the glasses but refused to put them on because he had his own pair designed in the colours of the Mexican flag. Ilusion gave them to him and when Demus put them on “Escándalo” by Le Sonora Dinamita started playing while everyone in the ring danced with each other for about twenty seconds before Demus attacked Hirata and pinned him with La Valagueza.

Ueno Vs Sasadango, Sasaki Gets A Title Match For Turning 40, Rivality Coming To DDT

DDT “RYOGOKU AFTER ~IT’S A WONDERFUL BATTLE~”, 06/11/2025
Shinjuku FACE

1. Demus & Ilusion Vs Kazuki Hirata & Akito
2. Special Tag Match: Naomi Yoshimura & Kumadori Vs Soma Takao & Hinata Kasai
3. Harimao Vs SCHADENFREUDE International: Kazusada Higuchi & Yuki Ishida Vs Chris Brookes & Takeshi Masada
4. Special Tag Match: Minoru Suzuki & HARASHIMA Vs Yukio Naya & Daichi Sato
5. KANON, Yuya Koroku & Rukiya (w/ KIMIHIRO) Vs Daisuke Sasaki, Hideki Okatani & MJ Paul
6. Special Single Match: KONOSUKE TAKESHITA Vs Antonio Honda
7. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Yuki Ueno, To-y & Kazuma Sumi Vs Super Sasadango Machine, Sanshiro Takagi & Jun Akiyama

The locker room coming out of Sumo Hall is feeling a little lighter going into tomorrow’s DDT show. MAO and Yuki Iino are both off the show because they are feeling in poor condition. Also Danshoku Dieno will remain out of action for the rest of the month so he will be at full fitness when he returns.

There will be a contract signing during the show for Yuki Ueno and Super Sasadango Machine. It will be for their double title match taking place later in the month.

DDT “TONKOTSU SUPLEX”, 08/11/2025
ACROS Fukuoka Event Hall

1. Hideki Okatani Vs Yuki Ishida
2. MJ Paul & Demus Vs Akito & Hinata Kasai
3. Jun Akiyama, HARASHIMA & Kazusada Higuchi Vs Yuki Iino, Yukio Naya & Yuya Koroku
4. Special Single Match: Kazuki Hirata Vs Takeshi Masada
5. Special Tag Match: Yuki Ueno & To-y Vs Chris Brookes & Daichi Sato
6. Special 6-Man Tag Match: KONOSUKE TAKESHITA, Daisuke Sasaki & Ilusion Vs MAO, KANON & Kazuma Sumi

The Konosuke Takeshita tour continues into the weekend.

DDT “KUMAMOTO WARRIORS”, 09/11/2025
Kumamoto Castle Hall Civic Hall

1. Demus Vs Kazuma Sumi
2. Daisuke Sasaki, Hideki Okatani, MJ Paul & Ilusion V Chris Brookes, Yuki Iino, Takeshi Masada & Hinata Kasai
3. MAO & KANON (w/ KIMIHIRO) Vs Akito & Yukio Naya
4. Special Single Match: Kazusada Higuchi Vs Yuya Koroku
5. Special 3 Way Match: Yuki Ueno Vs Jun Akiyama Vs Kazuki Hirata
6. Kumamoto Castle Sauna No Yu Presents Special 6-Man Tag Match: KONOSUKE TAKESHITA, Sanshiro Takagi & HARASHIMA Vs To-y, Daichi Sato & Yuki Ishida

I think this will be Takeshita’s last DDT booking for the time being unless new dates get mentioned for the end of the year.

DDT “SHOUT YOUR LOVE IN HAMA’S RING!”, 22/11/2025
Kanagawa Radiant Hall

1. Akito 16th Anniversary Match: Kazuki Hirata & Soma Takao Vs Rukiya & Hinata Kasai
*Special Referee: Akito
2. Special Tag Match: MAO & Kazuma Sumi Vs MBM & Ultima Sombra
3. O-40 Title: Antonio Honda (c) Vs Daisuke Sasaki

On 22nd November Daisuke Sasaki will turn 40 years old. As soon as he realized he will become eligible for the O-40 Title he went and challenged Antonio Honda to a title match.

From this point on to the end of November DDT will be joined by a guest tag team from BZW in Europe. Rivality consists of Belgian wrestlers MBM & Ultima Sombra who may sound familiar to those who followed MAO & Yoshihiko’s adventures around Europe in 2024. They beat Rivality on a BZW show in France but haven’t fought each other since then. Yoshihiko is out injured but as far as I know MAO & Yoshihiko still hold the BZW Tag Team Titles together. Rivality’s first match in DDT puts them in the ring against MAO again so maybe that thread will get back on track.

To celebrate his 16th Anniversary in wrestling, Akito will don the stripes and officiate a match rather than wrestle in it. I bet Kazuki Hirata ruins it somehow.

Demus will be on the show too.

DDT “GORGEOUS NIGHT”, 23/11/2025
Fukushima Toyota Crown Arena (Fukushima National Sports Festival Memorial Gymnasium) Sub-Arena in Fukushima

1. Special Tag Match: To-y & Takeshi Masada Vs MBM & Ultima Sombra
2. Special Tag Match: Chris Brookes & Arisu Endo Vs Kazuki Hirata & Moeka Haruhi
3. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Yuki Ueno, Jun Akiyama & Antonio Honda Vs Gorgeous Matsuno, MAO & Toru Owashi

DDT puts the spotlight back on Gorgeous Matsuno for his annual Fukushima show. Can he make it extra special by beating the double champ Ueno?

The show also features a first time ever team up of Chris Brookes & Arisu Endo! Makes sense to have Endo on the show because her hometown Aizuwakamatsu is in Fukushima. They’re joining forces for a Mixed Tag Match against Hirata & Moeka Haruhi.

Demus? Also on the show.

DDT “KAZUMA SUMI TRIUMPHANT RETURN! SUMI SOARS FOR MIE!”, 24/11/2025
Mie Cultural Center Multipurpose Hall

1. 3 Way Match: HARASHIMA Vs Kazuki Hirata Vs Akito
2. Yuki Iino & Yukio Naya Vs MJ Paul & Demus
3. Special 6-Man Tag Match: MAO, KANON & Kazuma Sumi Vs Daisuke Sasaki, Hideki Okatani & Ilusion

The hometown hero position will be given to Kazuma Sumi next when DDT rolls into Mie. Him and Strange Love Connection vanquishing DAMNATION T.A will make Sumi even more of a hero.

Guess who will be here? Demus.

Rivality will be on this show too.

DDT “BE AMBITIOUS ~AUTUMN BATTLE~”, 30/11/2025
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

1. DDT Extreme Title: To-y (c) Vs Sanshiro Takagi
2. KO-D Openweight Title & DDT Universal Title: Yuki Ueno (c/c) Vs Super Sasadango Machine

Yuki Ueno now holds both the KO-D Openweight Title and the DDT Universal Title. His next challenger is an unusual one but has a convincing enough reason to be in this position. They had a match late last year where afterwards Ueno promised to give Sasadango a title shot once he became the KO-D Champion again. Well Ueno won the belt not once but twice in 2025 and yet Sasadango never got was was promised to him. To make up for it, Ueno is also putting the Universal Title on the line since he just won it from Minoru Suzuki and Sasadango once had a retirement match against Suzuki (as Muscle Sakai).

The DDT Extreme Champion of the Reiwa era has one more opponent from the title’s past threatening to take the belt off of him. To-y was given a Stunner by Sanshiro Takagi at Sumo Hall as a reminder that the championship was originally created by Takagi in the first place. It is always a good thing for a DDT wrestler be given the opportunity to drive the boss nuts in a crazy match.

The expectation is for Dieno to be fully recovered from his health problems in time to make his return on this show.

I think I lost Demus… Nope, he’s on this show and so will Rivality. Phew, that was a close one. I almost had to panic there.

DDT “ULTIMATE PARTY 2025” Results

DDT “ULTIMATE PARTY 2025”, 03/11/2025
Tokyo Ryogoku Kokugikan
??? Fans – Unannounced

1. Sanshiro Takagi Return Match – Special Single Match: Sanshiro Takagi defeated Hinata Kasai with the Texas Cloverleaf (7:07).
2. HARASHIMA, Toru Owashi & Naomi Yoshimura defeated Soma Takao, Shinichiro Kawamatsu & Rukiya when HARASHIMA pinned Rukiya with the Somato (10:05).
3. Special 8-Man Tag Match: Hideki Okatani, MJ Paul, Demus & Ilusion defeated Daichi Sato, Yuki Ishida, Kazuma Sumi & Kumadori when Ilusion pinned Sumi with the Swanton Bomb (11:03).
4. DDT Extreme Title – 5 Way Blindfold Death Match: To-y (c) defeated Akito, Super Sasadango Machine, Kazuki Hirata and Antonio Honda when To-y pinned Hirata with a Crucifix Pin (14:13).
*V4 for To-y.
5. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Jun Akiyama, Shinya Aoki & Yuya Koroku defeated Tetsuya Endo, HAYATA & Junta Miyawaki when Akiyama pinned Miyawaki with the Exploder Suplex (14:53).
6. Special Single Match: AMAKUSA defeated Daisuke Sasaki with the Kaikoku (16:23).
7. KO-D Tag Team Titles – Survival 3 Way Match: MAO & KANON (w/ KIMIHIRO) defeated Yuki Iino & Yukio Naya (c) and Chihiro Hashimoto & Yuu (17:48).
7a. Yuki Iino & Yukio Naya (c) eliminated Chihiro Hashimoto & Yuu when Iino pinned Yuu with the Spear (11:14).
7b. MAO & KANON eliminated Yuki Iino & Yukio Naya (c) when MAO pinned Naya with the Cannonball 450 (17:48).
*The Apex fails in V6. Strange Love Connection become the 88th KO-D Tag Team Champions!
8. Dramatic Dream Match: Zack Sabre Jr. defeated Chris Brookes with the European Clutch (26:03).
9. Special Tag Match: KONOSUKE TAKESHITA & Kaisei Takechi defeated Kazusada Higuchi & Takeshi Masada when TAKESHITA pinned Masada with the Raging Fire (24:14).
10. KO-D Openweight Title & DDT Universal Title: Yuki Ueno (K/c) defeated Minoru Suzuki (U/c) with the Frog Splash (34:30).
*V2 for Yuki Ueno. Minoru Suzuki fails at V6. Yuki Ueno becomes the 19th DDT Universal Champion!

Everyone in DDT can now breath a sigh of relief. Yuki Ueno was able to clean up the mess he caused in the first place as promised and for that he now stands on top of the company as both the KO-D Openweight Champion and now the DDT Universal Champion! That now makes him the first person to hold both of those belts at the same time. Minoru Suzuki made him fight for it and nearly took his leg off in the process. He targeted Ueno’s left leg throughout the match including attacking it with a chair and using an extended chain of submissions to try and make him kick. Ueno brought out moves like the Blizzard Suplex and the Bastard Driver but couldn’t go for the pin after using the WR. Suzuki wanted to take advantage of it but Ueno planted Dropkick right to his face before slamming him down with another WR. Suzuki kicked out but Ueno then jumped off the top rope with the Frog Splash and that was the end of it.

As Suzuki was leaving the ring in defeat, Ueno got on the microphone and thanked him because despite being different from each other, Suzuki still always treated Ueno like a pro wrestler. Suzuki will be welcomed back into DDT so they can fight again whenever he wants. Ueno is also looking forward with new goals in mind. First he wants to inspire everyone with his wrestling because watching wrestling will always make your day better. The other goal is he wants to bring DDT to the Tokyo Dome with all of his friends and colleagues from the company involved! Until that day comes DDT will always have their monthly Korakuen Hall shows and yearly visits to Sumo Hall where everyone will continue working hard and having fun.

Ueno then asked if there was anyone out there who wants to be next to challenge him? Suddenly Super Sasadango Machine appeared with an unexpected PowerPoint Presentation to show everyone. He admitted it was a good thing Ueno won his match because if he didn’t then Sasadango wasted his time making it. During the presentation Sasadango talked about Ueno being a respectable public figure in both wrestling and the entertainment industry but it is all a lie! His proof is when Sasadango fought Ueno nearly one year ago, Sasadango used thumbtacks that ended up leaving an L-shaped scar on Ueno’s stomach. Ueno won the match and promised that if he ever became KO-D Champion again he would nominate Sasadango as his challenger and get revenge for the scar. Well now the L stands for Lie because Ueno became KO-D Champion twice in 2025 and he never once gave Sasadango the title shot he promised him! Ueno understood his complaint and accepted his challenge for a KO-D Title match. He also offered to put the Universal Title on the line because Sasadango’s other gimmick Muscle Sakai originally retired after wrestling Minoru Suzuki. Sasadango said he is ready to win both championships except he doesn’t have the energy right now so they can do the match at Korakuen on 30th November.

The show finished with the big ending where Ueno reunited with The 37KAMIINA at the entrance and then passed by many wrestlers in the hallway. Suzuki was among them and he told Ueno this isn’t the end between them. He then entered the dressing room but it was empty. Konosuke Takeshita followed him inside and the two talked about maybe doing a champion versus champion match with each other some day. The rest of the DDT roster started filling in, including Danshoku Dieno and they all ended the show with a big group farewell to the camera.

Takeshita made his big return to DDT as the IWGP World Heavyweight Champion fresh off of defending the belt on a New Japan show. Here he was teaming up with DDT’s next big superstar hope Kaisei Takechi facing a team of wrestlers they consider their respective rivals. Takeshita wanted to wrestle Kazusada Higuchi again while Takechi wanted to measure up with Takeshi Masada. While those two pairings were the focus of the match, there was a crossover of opponents that took place too. Takechi cut off a charge from Higuchi with the Swan Dive Forearm while Masada got a nearfall on Takeshita with the Masada No Chikara KOBU Mukimuki. Masada tried to weaken further with Middle Kicks but Takeshita blew him back with an Elbow Strike and stunned him with the Wagamama. Takechi was then able to keep Higuchi away while Takeshita pinned Masada with the Raging Fire.

Both sides showed respect to each other after the match but when Takeshita offered to shake hands with his own partner, Takechi slapped away his hand instead and the two had a stare down in the ring. Takeshita then walked off by himself. Backstage he said he felt how much his opponents have grown and he wanted this match to send a message to Higuchi that he still has a lot more to offer. He’s been keeping an eye on Takechi since he debut and thinks his behavior after the match was his way of saying he wants to fight him. Takechi pretty much confirmed it and said he will work hard everyday so they can stand in the same ring together again. Higuchi said the other team are getting a lot of attention but fans should not overlook Harimao or SCHADENFREUDE International too for that matter. Masada admitted to feeling jealous of Takechi but he will take this loss as a positive one for his wrestling career. He’ll look forward to the day he can get revenge.

There is no bond in wrestling closer than the one shared between Chris Brookes and Zack Sabre Jr… Ok, yeah that’s a lie. The two are pretty close friends and today was their first singles match against each other in eight years but something felt a little off. Yukinori Matsui was ever so slightly acting lenient towards Brookes while being ever so slightly harsh towards Sabre. It then turned scandalous when Sabre had Brookes pinned for certain victory yet Matsui suffered a crisis of conscience during the pinfall and couldn’t count to three. The lights dimmed and Matsui’s heart revealed tender moments spent with Brookes up on the arena screen. Things went south after a ref bump and Brookes summoned Munetatsu Nakamura to come in and attack Sabre. Antonio Honda followed with a chair but he too hesitated to take action. More scandal broke out when Honda’s heart revealed tender moments he has shared with Sabre on the screen! Honda then tried to attack Brookes with Gongitsune but missed and hit Sabre instead. The match continued and Brookes tried to use the Praying Mantis Bomb. Sabre flipped out of it and tangled his opponent into the European Clutch to get the three count. Afterwards the two of them kissed, made up and walked off back up the ramp hand in hand. They said they should do this again in another eight years time. Sabre questioned Brookes over the ethics of a wrestler romancing the referee while Brookes called Sabre being with Honda a forbidden love between NJPW and DDT. They suggested maybe the two couples fight each other in a tag match next time.

The last team standing in the Survival 3 Way would be going home with the KO-D Tag Team Titles. No tags were needed so the match was chaos when all three teams were involved. The Apex grabbed KIMIHIRO and threw him out of the ring onto the rest of Strange Love Connection. They were then targeted by Team 200kg particularly so Yuki Iino and Chihiro Hashimoto could fight each other again. Iino was able to knock down both Team 200kg wrestlers and went on to pin Yuu with the Spear for the first elimination. SLC had to find the power needed to beat The Apex and MAO found it in order to give Yukio Naya the Michinoku Driver II. Naya was also accidentally drilled with the Spear from Iino and KANON cause more damage by giving him the LONELY DEZIRES. MAO followed up with the Cannonball 450 for the win, earning SLC the KO-D Tag Titles for the first time in the team’s existence. KANON said he wants the team to become historic champions so the DDT fans will always remember them. MAO brought up being tag champions with Mike Bailey and VENY in the past. He wants KANON to keep climbing so he can stand shoulder to shoulder with those two. He also wants the team to cause a big stir so they can make more money! Yuu felt regret over not being able to win a DDT championship for Team 200kg’s only appearance on a DDT Ryogoku show. Hashimoto enjoyed the experience but noticed Iino became quiet whenever they were in the ring together. She might continue showing up in DDT just so she can beat him again.

Daisuke Sasaki’s important match of the show went from one end of the spectrum all the way to the other because of Dasnhoku Dieno’s health problems. With Dieno unable to wrestle, Sasaki instead face AMAKUSA, the current persona of his SUPER CREW classmate from 20 years ago Yuki Sato. However AMAKUSA was all in on his current gimmick and had no memory of who Sasaki was. Sasaki tried cheating to win but when that wasn’t getting him the results he wanted, he then took a page out of Dieno’s book and gave AMAKUSA the Lip Lock! He then teased a set up of the Danshoku Driver but instead used his old NOW OR NEVER finisher for a nearfall. AMAKUSA survived taking La Mistica Crossface Lock and used an Elevated Magistral Driver followed by the Pedigree. That was all to put Sasaki in position for AMAKUSA’s Spiral Tap style finisher, the Kaikoku for the victory.

After the match AMAKUSA got on the microphone to remind everyone he has no past but the match he just had rekindled a memory of fighting Sasaki in a small venue twenty years ago. It was both their first match and now twenty years later they got to have a match together in Ryogoku! AMAKUSA has never felt more grateful for pro wrestling than he does today. The two shook hands and hugged while Sasaki told “Sato” not to cry. He said it doesn’t matter if the person in front of him is Yuki Sato or AMAKUSA but his kiss definitely tasted like Sato. AMAKUSA said he doesn’t remember that part of the match. What he does hope to remember though is meeting Sasaki again 25 years from now. Sasaki brought up all the different times they wrestled anniversary matches with each other, the previous being six years ago. He admits the things AMAKUSA has done in NOAH since then means AMAKUSA has surpassed him but he will always have battles with Yuki Sato.

After spending the last 10 months in NOAH, Tetsuya Endo returned to DDT for a day for the other DDT Vs NOAH match of the show. He teamed up with NOAH wrestlers HAYATA & Junta Miyawaki to take on his former allies from BURNING along with Shinya Aoki. There was a little extra BURNING energy on display when Yuya Koroku use Yusuke Okada’s Intercept DDT on Endo. Aoki then did a dive out of the ring to wipe out Endo & HAYATA. Miyawaki tried to tough it out against Jun Akiyama but he eventually fell to the Knee Lift and Exploder Suplex. Endo said the buds he is nurturing in NOAH this year haven’t blossomed yet. He is going to spend a little more time in NOAH so he can bring back the best gift possible for DDT, the GHC Heavyweight Title! However Koroku felt disappointed that Endo wouldn’t even look at him during the match because at last year’s “ULTIMATE PARTY” they were challenging for the KO-D Tag Titles. He wants to get better so Endo will set his sights on him the next time they are in the ring together.

Swerve! We all thought the Blindfold Death Match meant all five wrestlers involved would fight each other while blindfolded. However none of them actually wanted to go through with the stipulation so it was decided that the referee would be blindfolded instead! Yukinori Matsui had no vision whatsoever so he missed out of different finishes as well as weapon usage and other blatant cheating. To-y fought off his four challengers and even had Kazuki Hirata beat when suddenly two masked men that turned out to be Hirata’s hired goons interfered. Matsui tripped over Hirata which then caused Antonio Honda to trip over him. Matsui later walked right into a bear trap which caused Daisuke Kiso to come down as the replacement. He too was blindfolded and had to be led down to the ring by HARASHIMA. Sasadango hit him over the back with a giant mace to stop him counting Akito’s pin on To-y. Honda unmasked Sasadango so he could poke him in the eyes with Gongitsune. He then missed the Diving Fist Drop, landing fist first into the bear trap. Hirata knocked down To-y with a Mecha Fist and pinned him in a relaxed manner. To-y rolled him back in a Crucifix Pin mid-count and Matsui continued counting to three. To-y guided him into raising his hand as the winner so he was officially declared the winner and still the DDT Extreme Champion.

After the match To-y told everyone the Extreme Title belt must love him because it won’t leave his side. He then said anyone can challenge him whenever they want. Then during his celebration, Sanshiro Takagi walked up to him and gave him the Stunner. Takagi told To-y he is the one who created the Extreme Title in the first place so he is going to be the next challenger! To-y promised that as champion he will do something so chaotic it will make Takagi go crazy. It was later decided that their title match will happen on 30th November.

“ULTIMATE PARTY” is where Kumadori made his pro wrestling debut last year so he was back for this year’s event alongside the rest of O-MENZ for a big ring entrance. DAMNATION T.A ruined the vibe by attacking the other team from the get go. Demus tortured Kazuma Sumi while Hideki Okatani paired off with Yuki Ishida. That left the two big boys MJ Paul and Daichi Sato fighting each other to a stalemate. Ilusion got one over on Kumadori once more by giving him a Low Blow. He also set up some teamwork with Demus to put Sumi away for the finish.

Three former members of DISASTER BOX teamed up for Match #2. While HARASHIMA was happy to shake hands with his opponents, Naomi Yoshimura had a faceoff with Rukiya before the match even started. Toru Owashi and Soma Takao started off instead and when Rukiya tagged in, he quickly targeted Yoshimura and went to fight him instead. Shinichiro Kawamatsu got Yoshimura with the Shitamachi Rocket and hit HARASHIMA with the Somato. But HARASHIMA turned things around on Rukiya and pinned him with the Somato despite a spirited effort from the rookie.

Sanshiro Takagi officially returned to the ring after taking a year and four months off for company management and also health reasons. He chose the rookie Hinata Kasai to be his first opponent because there is something about him that draws him in for reasons other than being Jun Kasai’s son. Takagi was happy to be back while Kasai couldn’t help but show his excitement whenever it looked like he was about to get his first win. Takagi broke him down using the Spicolli Driver followed by the McEnroe Lariat to the leg. He then applied the Texas Cloverleaf to make Kasai give up. After the match Kasai refused to shake Takagi’s hand but backstage he took back all of the times he made fun of his boss for gassing out so easily. Kasai has been watching wrestling since he was a kid though so he knows how this thing works. The wrestling ring isn’t the only place where DDT holds matches so he will one day get a win over Takagi no matter where it literally takes place! Takagi talked about how this match was actually his proper 30th anniversary match but nobody hyped it up that way. He knows how much Kasai loves DDT and that is what he chose him to be in the match. Takagi still has issues over his own conditioning and even mentally wanted to give up halfway through the match. But a pro wrestler keeps going as long as they have the will to. He doesn’t know how often he will be wrestling from this point forward but he is going to treat it with an independent wrestler’s mindset and find his place in life from now on.

Both Shunma Katsumata and Kazuma Sumi kicked off the show with an NωA Jr. performance.

Akito gave reporters an overview of the show at the very end of the evening. He praised AMAKUSA for stepping in on short notice to be Dieno’s replacement for Sasaki. He is grateful to everyone in NOAH for being so accommodating about it. In regards to Ueno’s comments about bringing DDT to the Tokyo Dome, Akito said the great thing about DDT is they allow wrestlers to make their dreams come true. They could only book Sumo Hall once this year because of venue renovations giving them limited scheduling options but next year DDT wants to book the arena twice to build up to the company’s 20th anniversary in 2027. Akito doesn’t know if the Tokyo Dome will ever become part of those place but DDT will do its best to make dreams come true for its fans.

DDT “ULTIMATE PARTY 2025” Preview

DDT “ULTIMATE PARTY 2025”, 03/11/2025
Tokyo Ryogoku Kokugikan

1. Sanshiro Takagi Return Match – Special Single Match: Sanshiro Takagi Vs Hinata Kasai
2. HARASHIMA, Toru Owashi & Naomi Yoshimura Vs Soma Takao, Shinichiro Kawamatsu & Rukiya
3. Special 8-Man Tag Match: Hideki Okatani, MJ Paul, Demus & Ilusion Vs Daichi Sato, Yuki Ishida, Kazuma Sumi & Kumadori
4. DDT Extreme Title – 5 Way Blindfold Death Match: To-y (c) Vs Akito Vs Super Sasadango Machine Vs Kazuki Hirata Vs Antonio Honda
5. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Tetsuya Endo, HAYATA & Junta Miyawaki Vs Jun Akiyama, Shinya Aoki & Yuya Koroku
6. Special Single Match: Daisuke Sasaki Vs AMAKUSA
7. KO-D Tag Team Titles – Survival 3 Way Match: Yuki Iino & Yukio Naya (c) Vs MAO & KANON (w/ KIMIHIRO) Vs Chihiro Hashimoto & Yuu
8. Dramatic Dream Match: Zack Sabre Jr. Vs Chris Brookes
9. Special Tag Match: KONOSUKE TAKESHITA & Kaisei Takechi Vs Kazusada Higuchi & Takeshi Masada
10. KO-D Openweight Title & DDT Universal Title: Yuki Ueno (K/c) Vs Minoru Suzuki (U/c)

I waited way too long to get this done in time. So long that I’m too tired to write up a proper introduction. It’s DDT back at Sumo Hall. There you go, I’m off to bed.

1. Sanshiro Takagi Return Match – Special Single Match: Sanshiro Takagi Vs Hinata Kasai

Welcome back, boss. Things just haven’t been the same without you. This year has felt like Sanshiro Takagi’s influence around DDT as a whole wasn’t entirely there, and for good reason. He had taken a leave of absence as a wrestler July 2024 to focus on his behind the scenes role with CyberFight while also taking better care of his health. He kept it quiet until announcing his return but the health problem he had was angina. He still found ways to stay busy in the public eye because 2025 is his 30th year in wrestling. He celebrated it by launching more DDT spin off brands, the first being MatchMake & Agent which was then turned into Super Japan, an alternate look of the company if it went by that name instead of DDT. These shows captured the island of misfit toys vibe from DDT’s past that just doesn’t exist today while also giving Takagi some sneaky ways to get physical again on his journey back to the ring.

For his return match, Takagi has put himself in the opening bout of the show. His logic is the first match on the card is the second most important match after the main event because it sets the stage for the rest of the show. He needed the right opponent, someone he has never fought before yet still have some sort of connection with so fans will care. Luckily he has just the rookie to fit that bill. Earlier this year one of DDT’s new rookies drew some attention by revealing his name is Hinata Kasai, the son of Jun Kasai! He made the decision to follow in his father’s footsteps and was guided towards joining DDT to become a pro wrestler. So far his skills in the ring aren’t anything to write home about but he got the crowd on his side from the get go and is able to draw sympathy from getting beaten down. He’s looking forward to his Sumo Hall debut and thinks he will make easy work of Takagi. He shouldn’t be underestimating him like that. After all, Takagi was the man who once flushed Hinata’s father fully down the toilet during a Falls Count Anywhere match inside this very building!

2. HARASHIMA, Toru Owashi & Naomi Yoshimura Vs Soma Takao, Shinichiro Kawamatsu & Rukiya

Not much to write about for this match. The highlight of HARASHIMA’s 2025 was getting to share the ring with Hiroshi Tanahashi again and fully patch over an unpleasant memory from ten years ago. Toru Owashi was around to see his little friend win DDT’s biggest championship and Naomi Yoshimura is rightfully taking his time with getting comfortable in the ring again coming back from injury. Soma Takao still exists to shill the Dropkick Bar while I guess Shinichiro Kawamatsu will continue getting booked so he can do the Axe Bomber in tribute to the late Hulk Hogan. Back in August, Rukiya was able to wrestle matches again after spending over a year on the shelf with a cervical sprain. Given how short his career has been so far, having to start all over again from scratch isn’t as much of a setback as it sounds in his case. He is catching up to the other wrestlers in the D GENERATIONS class and knock on wood should get a moment in the spotlight next year much like the others have gotten in 2025.

3. Special 8-Man Tag Match: Hideki Okatani, MJ Paul, Demus & Ilusion Vs Daichi Sato, Yuki Ishida, Kazuma Sumi & Kumadori

The leader of DAMNATION T.A has a big match later down the card so the rest of the unit are stuck in an 8-Man Tag. Hideki Okatani came back from injury during the first quarter of the year with a chip on his shoulder and immediately joined DAMNATION T.A so he can get violent about it. MJ Paul continues to be around as the low card heavy muscle while the unit now has the grimy luchador Demus reuniting with them for a while (I heard a rumour he was minding an egg back in Mexico). Ilusion has gotten a lot of screen time this year by getting to speak on the microphone while everybody else in the unit just stands around brooding and being quiet. They were also fine with him carrying all of the KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Title belts whenever they held those titles. Sometimes it pays off to be the little shit of the group.

Facing them are a bunch of wrestlers from DDT’s current young generation. Although they do not have an official unit affiliation, DDT has collectively branded them the D GENERATIONS and they’ve gotten to run their own shows under the name throughout the year. Daichi Sato is the teenage heavyweight that joined DDT from HEAT-UP during the Springtime. The ways things are going for him so far are looking promising and he is already winning matches against other undercard wrestlers. Yuki Ishida can’t help but feel he is the weakest member of Harimao and is trying to fight through that mental block. Kazuma Sumi has been figuring out his place on the roster as the speedy high flyer. MIKAMI’s guidance has inspired him to use the 619 as a set up for the School Boy as an effective way to win matches. The odd one out is Kumadori who only wrestles a handful of matches due to his commitment with the O-MENZ dance group. He has the athleticism to become a good wrestler but I don’t know long he wants to do this for.

4. DDT Extreme Title – 5 Way Blindfold Death Match: To-y (c) Vs Akito Vs Super Sasadango Machine Vs Kazuki Hirata Vs Antonio Honda

It’s fitting that Halloween just passed because lately To-y has had the enthusiasm of a kid running around playing with fireworks. His run as the DDT Extreme Champion for the second half of the year has been spent finding ways to build up his online presence with match gimmicks built around social media impressions and streamer behavior. To prove he is the modern champion that the title deserves, he wanted his match at Sumo Hall to be against someone from the older generation who most represents DDT’s brand of Extreme wrestling. He didn’t expect there would be a lot of options.

The first person to answer the call was Akito but pretty soon after that Super Sasadango Machine and Kazuki Hirata put out messages on social media demanding to be added as well. Antonio Honda then joined in and at least had the good manners to tell everyone in person at a DDT show. Now all that was left to do is to pick a match stipulation. To-y has gotten into gambling recently so rather than pick the match as he would be expected to as champion, he held played a dice game called Chinchiro with everyone. Sasadango ended up winning and announced the 5 Way will be a Blindfold Death Match! Being blindfolded means everyone’s training will be for nothing if they cannot see while Sasadango never trains anyway so all of his opponents are now on his level. To-y is willing to bet that he can see through his heart and prove he deserves the Extreme Title more than anyone else!

5. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Tetsuya Endo, HAYATA & Junta Miyawaki Vs Jun Akiyama, Shinya Aoki & Yuya Koroku

The original point of “ULTIMATE PARTY” was to get all of the different promotions connected to DDT involved on the card. It’s not really about that anymore but at least we get to enjoy a DDT Vs NOAH 6-Man Tag match. Shinya Aoki isn’t causing a stir this time around by challenging Kenoh for matches that don’t exist like he did last time. Yuya Koroku is working hard but seems kind of aimless when he isn’t part of a title program. Jun Akiyama is there as a link between both companies. Same with Tetsuya Endo and we’ll likely find out in two months if his excursion will become permanent or not. He played his part in the TEAM 2000X story this year so I don’t know what is left in store for him over there as things currently stand. HAYATA has had the latest season of “MONDAY MAGIC” built around him as the GHC Hardcore Openweight Champion. While I had been following that series, I don’t watch enough of normal NOAH to know what Junta Miyawaki has been up to. As far as I know the only NOAH storylines going on is somebody joins TEAM 2000X, NOSAWA Rongai books something random or somebody gets mad at Naomichi Marufuji and burns a bridge.

6. Special Single Match: Daisuke Sasaki Vs AMAKUSA

Breath a sigh of relief because the original plan for this match was going to be very different. DDT had wanted to do Danshoku Dieno against Daisuke Sasaki in a rematch of the infamous “RYOGOKU PETER PAN 2018” main event where Dieno wrestled part of the bout completely butt fucking naked. Dieno had just gotten out of surgery from acute appendicitis and claimed to have had every last drop of toxicity taken out of his body so this match was going to be the most clean match ever. Sadly for Dieno he developed an intra-abdominal abscess after his surgery and is unable to wrestle for the time being. So that’s him off the Sumo Hall card and Sasaki is now in need of a new opponent.

DDT then decided to go in a completely different direction for the replacement match. Sasaki is now going to face AMAKUSA, the junior heavyweight missionary from NOAH. On the surface this looks like a random pairing but if you delve into the history of both wrestlers you will see they are closely linked. For you see, AMAKUSA is the former Yuki Sato and he debuted in the same SUPER CREW class as Sasaki that was mentored by Dick Togo. Not only that but the two of them faced each other in their debut match! Sasaki was the winner and they would continue to cross each other’s paths for many years until Sato disappeared from the wrestling scene in 2019. That was around the time when Sato joined NOAH under the name Hao and then a few years later transformed into AMAKUSA. His current persona has no memory of ever knowing Sasaki and believes this match will be their first time meeting each other.

7. KO-D Tag Team Titles – Survival 3 Way Match: Yuki Iino & Yukio Naya (c) Vs MAO & KANON (w/ KIMIHIRO) Vs Chihiro Hashimoto & Yuu

A match of truly heavyweight proportions coming from all sides. Yuki Iino & Yukio Naya have become a united force known as The Apex and are currently the tag team to beat in DDT. They won the KO-D Tag Team Titles from Astronauts back in June and have had five successful defences so far against teams of all sizes. However it seems like if there is a team out there that are capable of beating them, it must be a pair of heavyweights. The Strange Love Connection believe they are that team of heavyweights. KANON has blown up in size over the last year and now weighs around 103kg while MAO is claiming he has also bulked up to about 100kg thanks to his square-shaped lifestyle. Meanwhile the only heavy hitting that KIMIHIRO can do is entrance introductions and victory speeches because SLC’s microphone work without him always fall apart.

Just when the match was ready to be booked for Sumo Hall, a third team entered into the picture. Team 200kg from Sendai Girls sent in a video demanding that they be the ones to get a title shot because Chihiro Hashimoto has unfinished business with Iino. The two had clashed several times back when ALL OUT and Sendai Girls feuded in 2019 and Hashimoto had her hand raised in victory in most of those battles. Simply the thought of Hashimoto being nearby has now driven Iino to lose his temper and go searching for her around venues so they can fight again. While all of that is going on, the soon to retire Yuu wants to test her might against Naya thinking she will be too much for him to handle. The solution to this three way dilemma is to make the match Survival rules so the last team standing gets to keep the belts for themselves. MAO promises a match chaotic enough to destroy Sumo Hall itself, although he wants it to only reach the level where SLC destroy their opponents instead.

8. Dramatic Dream Match: Zack Sabre Jr. Vs Chris Brookes

Oh the bittersweet memories of BritWres at its peak. It is what helped get these two to where they are today yet getting out of it at the time they did was probably the smartest decisions they ever made. It sent Zack Sabre Jr. on a journey all the way to the top of New Japan. It also showed the world that Chris Brookes was the perfect fit for DDT as he became that company’s top wrestler too. They were able to reunite here and there in Japan over the last couple of years. There were a few DDT appearances for Sabre and also some sneaky cameos on a couple of Baka Gaijin + Friends related events. But a singles match between the two hasn’t happened since 2017 over on the other side of the world.

Since this is happening on a DDT show you can expect the early part of the match to be a bit relaxed and light hearted. Maybe Brookes will do the rubber band spot. I bet Sabre remembers the days of Brian Conley punching his sidekick and telling the audience “It’s just a puppet!” so he can use Bunbun to recreate that gag and have it fly over the entire audience. Once they get all of that stuff out of the way then they can show us what can happen when things get heated in the ring between close friends. Anyone wanting this to be a proper technical masterclass should probably wait for Sabre’s match with KEITA in THE House to take place and hope that makes tape.

9. Special Tag Match: KONOSUKE TAKESHITA & Kaisei Takechi Vs Kazusada Higuchi & Takeshi Masada

Want to see what happens when the IWGP World Heavyweight Champion works more shows for DDT than New Japan in the month of November? Hey, I’m not going to complain about it. Konosuke Takeshita made his dramatic dream come true this year by winning the G1 Climax and then the IWGP Title. He is coming fresh off of a successful title defence against Hirooki Goto as well. DDT are capitalizing on this by having him team up with their newest draw, Kaisei Takechi. The handsome entertainer has now joined DDT to wrestle for them on a more regular basis and recently won his first championship, the KO-D 6-Man Tag Titles. Given how important this match is meant to be, Takeshita wanted Kazusada Higuchi to be one of their opponents. He still considers his match with Higuchi from September 2022 as one of his favorites. Takechi then decided he should pick Higuchi’s partner and chose Takeshi Masada because Masada was part of his debut match. It gives Takechi the chance to find out just how much he has grown against someone who can likely become a career long rival.

I’m excited to see Takeshita and Higuchi face off again after so long. DDT’s main event storytelling kind of pulled the rug from under Higuchi this summer as his King Of DDT victory and two month reign on top was brushed aside for a different direction. It probably isn’t something to worry about because as long as he stay healthy he will always be someone they can rely on, maybe not on the level as HARASHIMA but you can count on him staying loyal to them. Masada has become more comfortable as a wrestler by being part of SCHADENFREUDE International. He doesn’t have to worry about being the supernova rookie as first advertised but I hope he doesn’t lose his ambition as time goes by. He had a little taste of New Japan before on a dark match but that was pretty much played for laughs at the time because he had the Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title. Maybe seeing Takeshita with the IWGP Title up close can stoke the flames a bit more for him.

10. KO-D Openweight Title & DDT Universal Title: Yuki Ueno (K/c) Vs Minoru Suzuki (U/c)

This entire situation was all Yuki Ueno’s fault and he’s opened the door to making it worse. Back in January Ueno won the DDT Universal Title from Gringo Loco and came up with a grand plan to increase the championship’s value without needing to travel around the world. A couple of months earlier Ueno fought Minoru Suzuki in a tag match that ended in a draw. He wanted to face him again so what better way to lure the “Pirate King” back to DDT than to wave some treasure around to get his attention. A title match was put together at “JUDGEMENT 2025” and Ueno proceeded to balls it all up by losing to Suzuki. So after years of one-off appearances in DDT where Suzuki only showed up to torture Sanshiro Takagi, he had now become one of their champions and decided to stick around to wreck anyone else who dared challenge him. Various challengers of all shapes and sizes stepped up to him just to fall at his feet one after the other. With every victory Suzuki felt more at home in DDT until eventually the time came for him to start looking for the one prize in DDT that is worth even more than the Universal Title.

Ueno was left to regret his decision to bring Suzuki into DDT this way but he got over it in order to come up with another plan to raise his company’s profile. One day he would like to fight Konosuke Takeshita once more and he wants it to happen when both of them are at the height of their powers. Takeshita had the G1 win and later the IWGP Title so Ueno set forth to win back the KO-D Openweight Title. He achieved that at “WRESTLE PETER PAN 2025” in August then suffered another massive blunder when Kazuki Hirata of all people won the belt off him thanks to an impeccably timed Right To Challenge cash in. Ueno got revenge for that one month later with his own deviously planned RTC cash in and now with the belt back around his waist he is ready to lead DDT again. That is until Suzuki showed up wanting to challenge Ueno for the title in order to dominate DDT once and for all. Ueno saw this as his chance to redeem himself by getting Suzuki to put the Universal Title on the line too so we are now going Title Vs Title at Sumo Hall.

While the fate of DDT’s two main championships hang in the balance for the main event, there is not much actual hatred shared between Ueno and Suzuki. Ueno respects Suzuki for the freedom he has achieved as a pro wrestler and how it strengthens him. It inspires Ueno to believe in his own ideas to become stronger. Meanwhile Suzuki is enjoying the time he has spent conquering DDT this year, describing the experience as a new beginning for him. As we’ve seen over the last two decades, Suzuki likes to make himself at home in a company for a couple of years before eventually jumping over to another for a while and then again onto the next place. With that being said, he still took the opportunity at a press conference to attack Ueno in an attempt to injure him before their match. Even if he likes fighting the guy, he’s going to remind Ueno that pro wrestling should be a ruthless business.