DDT In NJPW And GLEAT This Week

NJPW “THE REEVE PRESENTS SUPERHUMAN TAIJI ISHIMORI GETS EVEN MORE RIDICULOUS”, 07/10/2025
Tokyo Korakuen Hall
1,462 Fans – No Vacancy

0. PRE BLOCK: Taiji Ishimori (1) Vs Daiki Nagai, Katsuya Murashima & Jun Kasai (1)
1. 120 Minute Iron Man Rumble: Taiji Ishimori ended with a score of 11 Wins and 10 Defeats.
1a. SECRET BLOCK: Taiji Ishimori (2) Vs Jun Kasai, Muhammed Yone, LEONA, Atsushi Kotoge, Shiro Koshinaka, Dump Matsumoto & Jun Akiyama (7).
*Ishimori’s Reserves: Brahman Shu & Brahman Kei.
1b. Arai Kogyo Co., Ltd. Presents TOHOKU BLOCK: Taiji Ishimori (3) Vs Ryusuke Taguchi, YOH, TAKA Michinoku, Dick Togo, The Great Sasuke, Shuji Ishikawa & MAO (9)
*Ishimori’s Reserve: Taro Nohashi
1c. Brain Cubic Inc. Presents MUSCLE BLOCK: Taiji Ishimori (6) Vs YOH, MAO, Titán, SHO, Koju Takeda, Hyo, Boltin Oleg, Ryohei Oiwa & Drilla Moloney (9)
1d. Mimura Komatsu Law Office Presents DRAGON BLOCK: Taiji Ishimori (11) Vs MAO, Shun Skywalker, KAGETORA, Dragon Dia, Ryuji Ito, Shingo Takagi, Tatsumi Fujinami & Hiratimo Dragon (Kazuki Hirata) (10)
1e. FINAL MUCHA: Taiji Ishimori defeated Gedo with the Bloody Cross (7:11).

Okay, I’m used to writing about weird matches like this one. I should be able to figure this out. Man, New Japan has gotten weird lately…

After putting together a successful show last November where he took part in every single match on the card, Taiji Ishimori learned he had to go take on an even greater challenge put together by a mysterious AI that is out to get him for reasons I do not want to spend time learning about. He was being forced to take part in a 120 minute long Iron Man Rumble with four separate blocks of wrestlers to fight through. Ishimori’s goal was to make it through the gauntlet with more wins than losses. His reward for doing so would be a special singles match against a wrestler that he respects. I’ll get to the point here because it’s not DDT related, his final opponent was Gedo and he beat him.

Along the way, a few DDT wrestlers were among the random cast of wrestlers Ishimori had to fight and interact with. The first main path was the SECRET BLOCK made up of wrestlers who have appeared in commercials for the show sponsor in the past. That just so happens to include Jun Akiyama as the block’s final entrant. He didn’t understand what was going on and he was also immediately attacked by Dump Matsumoto. Ishimori was allowed to have reserve wrestlers temporarily take his place but The Brahman Brothers did a bad job in that role, piling up losses on his behalf. However they were able to knock Akiyama out of the ring to score a point before Ishimori moved on to the next block.

The second block was built around the Tohoku wrestling scene which meant Ishimori had to deal with wrestlers from Michinoku Pro as well as other wrestlers from the area. At this point Ishimori was also reminded of The Sailor Boys which caused him great mental harm. Things became a lot more calm when Ishimori and the Tohoku wrestlers all meditated inside the ring but MAO then entered the match to cause some chaos, particularly with TAKA Michinoku (who is from Chiba and didn’t appreciate being lumped in with the country bumpkins). When the block’s time expired, MAO and YOH had not been through any eliminations so they were allowed to advance to the next block alongside Ishimori.

Things became a lot more muscular next with the MUSCLE BLOCK. None of the new entries were from DDT but MAO was still there and with YOH’s help he ran over SHO at ringside with the Dramatic Dream bike! He also helped out Ishimori by eliminated Drilla Moloney before the time expired. The two posed their bodies like squares to celebrate and since MAO survived elimination again, he got to accompany Ishimori once more this time into the final block.

It was the DRAGON BLOCK where at first the wrestlers coming out were all from Dragon Gate. MAO’s luck ran out when Shun Skywalker eliminated him from the match. The block then switched things around when Ryuji Ito showed up (because he is the “Death Match Dragon”) followed by Tatsumi Fujinami! The last dragon to enter was the most important one. People expected it to be Ultimo Dragon but it was even better than him. It was Hiratimo Dragon! He was immediately beaten up by Ishimori and Dragon Dia. Hiratimo distracted the referee by telling him Danshoku Dieno was behind him, then he tried to frame Ishimori for pulling off his mask. The plan didn’t work, Ishimori threw the mask away and then he threw Hiratimo out of the ring. Backstage Hiratimo said it was a close call but his identity wasn’t revealed. All he has to say to Ishimori is that he’s gotten stronger.

GLEAT “VER.EX ~GLEAT VS KYOTEKI~”, 09/10/2025
Tokyo Korakuen Hall
682 Fans

3. G PRO WRESTLING ~ GLEAT Vs X – Go Miyake’s Return Match: Yukio Naya defeated Go Miyake with a Choke Slam (2:41).
5. G PRO WRESTLING ~ GLEAT Vs DDT: Daisuke Sasaki & Hideki Okatani defeated Takehiro Yamamura & Junjie when Sasaki submitted Junjie with the Crossface Lock (11:51).
6. G PRO WRESTLING ~ GLEAT Vs Shinya Aoki: Shinya Aoki defeated T-Hawk with the Aoki Clutch (8:41).

Now let’s move on to a place that has only slightly less nonsensical ideas than Ishimori. GLEAT came to Korakuen Hall a few days later putting together a show themed around the promotion taking on strong opponents from around the wrestling scene. DDT provided a few wrestlers on the “Strong Opponent” front. Things behind the scenes seem to be a little unstable over there but that has nothing to do with the DDT stuff so let’s just focus on that.

Shinya Aoki has previously fought in GLEAT under their UWF Rules banner of matches and continues to hover near the company under his own volition. He got to do a pro wrestling match here for the first time because he was intrigued by the clash of styles he would have with T-Hawk. Aoki took the nasty Chops his opponent has a habit of throwing and ended up catching him in the Aoki Clutch to get the three count out of nowhere. He said the match was so much fun because they clicked perfectly together.

DDT sent over Daisuke Sasaki & Hideki Okatani for a tag match. The GLEAT team was made up of Takehiro Yamamura & Junjie who were previously together as part of a recent unit called G-RIZE. Sasaki & Okatani did not come alone though. Ilusion was there at ringside to interfere whenever it was most convenient for his buddies. The GLEAT team got rid of the nuisance by throwing him out of the ring but DAMNATION T.A kept on pushing forward with their attack until they got their victory. The result left Yamamura & Junjie wanting revenge.

There was also a surprise appearance by Yukio Naya as the opponent for Go Miyake. The GLEAT rookie made his debut last year but suffered a kneecap injury not even two months after his debut. After being gone for a year and a half his return to the ring was going to be against El Lindaman but Lindaman declined to take part. Instead he chose Miyake’s opponent and it turned out to be Naya. Given the low level of experience Miyake has at this point, it only took less than three minutes for Naya to beat him. Afterward Naya said he heard about how hard Miyake was working to reach his comeback and motivated him to do his best.

DDT “SANSHIRO TAKAGI 30TH ANNIVERSARY COMMEMERATION EVENT ~ NEVER SAY NEVER” Results

DDT “SANSHIRO TAKAGI 30TH ANNIVERSARY COMMEMERATION EVENT ~ NEVER SAY NEVER”, 03/02/2025
Shinjuku FACE
??? Fans – Unannounced

1. Special Single Match: Fumihito Kihara defeated Shota with a European Clutch (8:02).
2. Special Single Match: Hyper Misao defeated Muscle Sakai with the I Am A Hero (14:40).
3. Special Tag Match: Fuminori Abe & Ippanjin Munenori Sawa defeated Yumiko Hotta & Shinya Aoki when Hotta was Disqualified for going on a rampage (9:24).
4. Special Tag Match: Dump Matsumoto & Toru Owashi defeated Brahman Shu & Brahman Kei when Shu was Disqualified for throwing powder at Referee Sanshiro Abe (0:44).
4a. Complete Conclusion No DQ Tornado Match: Dump Matsumoto & Toru Owashi defeated Brahman Shu & Brahman Kei when Dump pinned Kei with a Body Press (8:03).
5. Special Single Match: Meiko Satomura defeated Shin Sanshiro Takagi (w/ Sanshiro Takagi) with an Overhead Kick (11:04).
6. Special Single Match: Yuji Nagata defeated Kuroshio TOKYO Japan with the Exploder Suplex (1:33).
6a. Rematch: Yuji Nagata defeated Kuroshio TOKYO Japan with the Exploder Suplex (0:30).
6b. Rematch: Yuji Nagata defeated Kuroshio TOKYO Japan with the Back Drop Hold (6:11).

To celebrate 30 years in the business, Sanshiro Takagi wanted to put his connections across Japan’s wrestling scene to good use by booking a DDT show without using any DDT contracted talent. It gave him the opportunity to book many first time matches that nobody would have ever thought could happen before. In some cases there was probably a good reason why such as in the main event. Yuji Nagata waited patiently for Kuroshio TOKYO Japan to complete his long entrance and when the match finally began, Nagata beat him in around 90 seconds. Takagi asked for the match to restart but Nagata then beat Kuroshio in just 30 seconds. Takagi had to beg Nagata to have one more rematch. Kuroshio used his jacket to obscure Nagata’s vision before applying his own version of the White-Eyed Arm Lock. However Nagata fought back and pinned him with the Back Drop Hold to make it three wins in a row.

Nagata told Kuroshio he is a strange guy but he had fun today and would like to team up with him. There were some calls of New Japan coming from the crowd but Nagata quickly encouraged them to chant “Ikemen” instead. Kuroshio blamed his three losses on Takagi’s decision making but agreed to team up with Nagata. Takagi likes the idea and already has a team lined up for them… The Brahman Brothers! The match will happen on 9th April as part of Takagi’s new project that will be explained below.

Takagi had second thoughts on his choice for Shin Sanshiro Takagi when she was already hitting the canvas just from taking Meiko Satomura’s Leg Kicks. He kept telling everyone he’s not that weak while she was being bumped around the ring. He brought out the Dramatic Dream combat bike as an equalizer but Satomura took it off him and decided to use it herself! She crashed the bike into the two Takagis, hit the Scorpio Rising to the real Takagi back in the ring and then hit the Overhead Kick to Shin Takagi. Satomura then pinned both of them to win the match.

Takagi put on a referee outfit to officiate Match #4 as Sanshiro Abe. Unfortunately it was for a match featuring such rulebreakers as The Brahamn Brothers and Dump Matsumoto so he only had himself to blame when powder was thrown into his eyes. He disqualified the Brahmans over it but they demanded a rematch under Tornado Tag rules and with No DQs. Matsumoto swung her bamboo stick around and accidentally hit Toru Owashi with it. Takagi got his revenge by grabbing a bucket of water from Brahman Shu and throwing it at Brahman Kei. Matsumoto then hit Kei over the head with a Steel Can and pinned him with a Body Press.

MIO had her hands full as the referee for Match #3. Fuminori Abe couldn’t see why Shinya Aoki & Yumiko Hotta are into each other so he and Munenori Sawa kept telling Aoki that Hotta is an ugly old hag. Hotta snapped and attacked her opponents with a chain while her ringside attendant Miku Kanae joined in the assault. Once they started using the chain to hang Abe over the ring apron MIO had to disqualify them.

Two kindred spirits were pitted against each other when Muscle Sakai fought Hyper Misao. The match was held using a “personal novel” format where the match is simply a story being told while the audience listened to the inner monologues of the wrestlers involved. Through this format the fans learned that Misao could not lose to a middle aged man while Sakai simply couldn’t think of anything. Soon the inner monologues turned into insults as Sakai kept calling Misao an ugly 35 year old. Misao had enough of the insults and pulled off her mask before kicking him below the belt over and over. She put the mask back on and pinned Sakai with the I Am A Hero to win.

Fumihito Kihara worked double duty on the show as both the ring announcer as well as the opening bout wrestler. Shota was determined to beat him and told the fans that they cannot let the elderly run wild forever. However Kihara fired back and outmaneuvered Shota, pinning him with a flat European Clutch and lifting his own right shoulder up right before the three count to avoid getting himself pinned too.

Even though DDT are continuing not to announce attendance numbers for their shows this year, Takagi revealed that this show had sold out so he feels encouraged to book another event like this again. There are many more wrestlers that Takagi has ties with that he couldn’t fit on the card today. Also in the leadup to this show he received many calls from people asking why were they not invited to take part? Takagi’s solution is to come up with a new project to continue celebrating his 30th Anniversary. He is launching a new series of shows called MatchMake & Agent Pro Wrestling, or M&A Pro Wrestling for short. The first show will be held at Ueno Park on 9th April with Nagata & Kuroshio Vs The Brahman Brothers already announced. There will also a second show booked for Shinjuku FACE on 25th June.

Diego Steps Up, Katsumura’s Fated Match With Togo, Takagi Says Never Say Never

DNA “DNA 10TH ANNIVERSARY”, 28/11/2024
Shinjuku FACE

1. Yuni Vs Munetatsu Nakamura
2. Choun-Shiryu & Rekka Vs Akira Jo & Yuki Ishida
3. Kota Umeda, Ryota Nakatsu & Kouki Iwasaki Vs Keigo Nakamura, To-y & Yuya Koroku
4. Banana Senga & Tsutomu Oosugi Vs Daiki Shimomura & Check Shimatani
5. MAO & Mizuki Watase Vs Yuki Iino & Masato Kamino
6. Yuki Ueno Vs Diego

With Shunma Katsumata out injured, Diego has offered to step in to help his amigo out. Diego will now be Yuki Ueno’s opponent at the DNA 10th Anniversary show! Choun-Shiryu pops up to take Diego’s previous spot on the card. He will feel right at home teaming with Rekka in DNA again.

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW 11TH BIRTHDAY”, 01/12/2024
Tokyo Shinagawa Prince Hotel Club eX

1. 3 Way Match: Rika Tatsumi Vs Kaya Toribami Vs Chika Nanase
2. Moka Miyamoto Vs Kira Summer
3. Hyper Misao & Haruna Neko Vs Mahiro Kiryu & HIMAWARI
4. Yuki Kamifuku & Wakana Uehara Vs Shoko Nakajima & Yuki Aino
5. Miu Watanabe, Raku, Shino Suzuki & Uta Takami Vs Mizuki, Suzume, Arisu Endo & Yoshiko Hasegawa
6. Princess Tag Team Titles: Miyu Yamashita & Maki Itoh (c) Vs Haru Kazashiro & Toga

This is the second time in a row the two finalists of the Next Generation Tournament are teaming up for a Princess Tag Team Titles shot. This time it’s the tournament prize for the winner. Haru Kazashiro beat Toga in the final to earn a title shot of her choice. She picked the Tag Titles because Maki Itoh is who she looks up to most and she’s aiming to take the title from her. She then asked Toga to be her partner for the match. Funnily enough, Toga was going to make the same choice for a similar reason because she wants to fight Miyu Yamashita for a championship. So it all conveniently works out for everyone!

Pom Harajuku is not on the show because she will be wrestling in Thailand that weekend.

BASARA “BASARA 264 ~KOO~”, 13/12/2024
Shin-Kiba 1st RING

1. Daichi Kazato & Lil’ Kraken Vs Ayato Yoshida & Kazumasa Yoshida

Once again Ayato Yoshida comes to BASARA and finds himself dealing with Daichi Kazato whether he wants to or not. His teammate here Kazumasa Yoshida is from Big Japan.

DDT “NEVER MIND 2024”, 22/12/2024
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

1. Special Single Match: Yuki Ueno Vs Super Sasadango Machine
2. Special Single Match: Tomohiro Ishii Vs Yuki Iino

Apparently Ueno has been wanting a singles match with Super Sasadango Machine for a while.

GANBARE☆PRO “SOME DAY THE SUN WILL SHINE 2024”, 27/12/2024
Shinjuku FACE

1. Kitsune World Title: Yuna Manase (c) Vs MICHIKO
2. Special Single Match: Shuichiro Katsumura Vs Dick Togo
3. Spirit Of Ganbare World Openweight Title: Keisuke Ishii (c) Vs Yumehito Imanari

An impromptu No. 1 Contenders match on the last Ganbare☆Pro show is what leads to Yumehito Imanari getting his chance to fight Keisuke Ishii for the Spirit Of Ganbare World Title. He beat Shuichiro Katsumura to do it. But while Katsumura is out of the title picture for now he is still getting an important match at the end of the year. Ishii encouraged him to go challenge Dick Togo to a match! Katsumura’s link to Togo is a very minor one but it is a story he told Ishii over drinks one night. Back when Katsumura was in high school he visited the Universal Lucha Libre dojo wanting to join it. He didn’t have the courage to go through with the plan but he remembers seeing a trainee walk past him into the building. That trainee was Togo! So this match 30 years in the making must be fate for Katsumura.

Over the weekend at a GLEAT show, MICHIKO pinned Yuna Manase in a 6-Man Tag Match and challenged her afterwards for the Kitsune World Title. Manase accepted the challenge and convinced Kitsune to let the title match take place in GanPro.

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TOKYO JOSHI PRO ’25”, 04/01/2025
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

1. International Princess Title: Yuki Arai (c) Vs Suzume

The first match for Ittenyon 2025 has been announced. Suzume has learned to appreciate the worldwide appeal of pro wrestling after her recent trip to America so she is challenging Yuki Arai for the International Princess Title!

The complete card with consist of around 9 or 10 matches.

“SANSHIRO TAKAGI 30TH ANNIVERSARY COMMEMERATION EVENT ~ NEVER SAY NEVER”, 03/02/2025
Shinjuku FACE

1. Special Tag Match: Dump Matsumoto & Toru Owashi Vs Brahman Shu & Brahman Kei

In an odd move Sanshiro Takagi is deciding not to use DDT for his 30th Anniversary show next year. Instead he wants to rely solely on his decades worth of connections across the Japanese scene to come up with a wrestling show filled with matches you won’t believe. Matches like Dump Matsumoto & Toru Owashi Vs The Brahman Brothers. Nobody under a full contract with DDT will be booked for the show. Takagi himself is unlikely to wrestle either unless he unexpectedly gets medically cleared in time.

DDT “GET ALIVE 2024” Results

DDT “GET ALIVE 2024”, 23/11/2024
Tokyo Korakuen Hall
984 Fans – No Vacancy

1. Demus & Ilusion defeated Munetatsu Nakamura & Kazuma Sumi when Demus pinned Sumi with La Valagueza (5:50).
2. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title – Kazuki Hirata 37th Birthday Special 1 Vs 6 Handicap No DQ Match: Toru Owashi, Antonio Honda, Soma Takao, Diego, Yuki Ishida & Yoshihiko defeated Kazuki Hirata (c) when Yoshihiko pinned Hirata with the Reincarnation (7:41).
*Yoshihiko becomes the 1,700th champion.
3. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Jun Akiyama, Shinya Aoki & Keigo Nakamura defeated HARASHIMA, Yukio Naya & Tomomitsu Matsunaga when Aoki pinned Matsunaga with the Full Nelson Hold (8:14).
-. Emergency Match: Shinya Aoki defeated Yu Owada with the Full Nelson Hold (0:11).
4. Akito 15th Anniversary Debut Special Single Match: Isami Kodaka defeated Akito with a Cradle (9:12).
5. The 37KAMIINA Vs BURNING!: Yuki Ueno, MAO & To-y defeated Tetsuya Endo, Yuki Iino & Yuya Koroku when To-y pinned Koroku with the Kojima Impact (11:50).
6. DDT Extreme Title – You’re Still A Cinderella As You Climb The Ladder To Adulthood Rules: Danshoku Dieno (c) defeated Yuni with the Cinderella Sleeper (9:18).
*V1 for Danshoku Dieno.
7. KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles: Daisuke Sasaki, KANON & MJ Paul (c) defeated Chris Brookes, Masahiro Takanashi & Takeshi Masada when Sasaki submitted Takanashi with the Crossover Face Lock (13:57).
*V4 for DAMNATION T.A.

With Sumo Hall coming up at the end of the year, Chris Brookes and Daisuke Sasaki have a long war ahead of them that’s bringing in almost everybody with attachment to either SCHADENFREUDE International or DAMNATION T.A. Today’s battle was over the KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles and quickly turned into a brawl around ringside. Sasaki and Brookes attacked each other with chairs while MJ Paul fell victim to a balcony length rubber band attack. KANON bested Takeshi Masada in their face off and left the match to the two unit leaders. Brookes had Sasaki beaten with the Praying Mantis Bomb but the pin was interrupted by DAMNATION T.A pulling the ref out of the ring. Ilusion then interfered but Munetatsu Nakamura came after him to even the odds. More chaos broke out with Demus and Antonio Honda getting in on the action. When things finally calmed down, DAMNATION T.A isolated Masahiro Takanashi and picked him apart. Sasaki countered the Takatonic with the Implant and then he gave Brookes a Low Blow. Sasaki & KANON then did the Freedom Call to Takanashi and he was then choked out by Sasaki’s Crossover Face Lock to give the champions the win.

After the match Sasaki told Brookes he and SCHADENFREUDE are nothing special. Love, romance and dreams are powerless before Sasaki! He only works for championships and the KO-D Openweight Title will definitely be his. Sasaki will be the last man standing in Sumo Hall on 28th December. He then said backstage there is a reason why he hasn’t challenged for the KO-D Title in four years but he won’t reveal it today. Instead he wants everyone to know he will be the one to bring the KO-D Title to Las Vegas next April. Brookes said there are plenty more matches to come in the next month and he will defend the title at Sumo Hall.

The DDT Extreme Title was on the line in a “Forbidden Battle” between Danshoku Dieno and Yuni. For five minutes of the match Yuni benefitted from “Cinderella Time” that meant Dieno would be immediately disqualified if he used any of his lewd moveset against him. However once that time ran out, the ban was lifted and the match would continue with no DQs whatsoever. Yuni wanted to win quickly so he went for high risk moves from the get-go while Dieno kept stopping himself from using his typical attacks. Time ran out though and Dieno instantly took over the match. Yuni eventually fought fire with fire by giving Dieno the Lip Lock and then hit two Moonsaults followed by the Fireball Splash. Dieno was still in the match so Yuni went for a Phoenix Splash. Dieno rolled out of the way, applied the Lip Lock, did the Danshoku Driver and then used a Triangle Choke to win.

Yuni refused to shake Dieno’s hand after the match. Backstage Dieno called him a rival and warned him not to get tripped up by everyone who just treats him as a high school student. That’s not just in pro wrestling but in life too. Yuni is only going to get stronger from here so Dieno doesn’t want to see him get spoiled and pampered just because he is in high school. Yuni understands that and appreciates that Dieno treated him like a pro wrestler. He thinks today was a rite of passage for him on the way to winning the Extreme Title and also the KO-D Title while he is still in high school. Next up for Dieno is an unexpected opponent for 28th December. It was announced after the show he will face Great-O-Khan at Sumo Hall!

Thanks to Shunma Katsumata’s ACL injury the KO-D Tag Team Titles were vacated earlier this week and today’s title match was cancelled. The replacement match was still The 37KAMIINA Vs BURNING but as a 6-Man Tag Match instead. Yuya Koroku was frustrated to have his title shot taken away from him so he wanted to make an example out of To-y. That ended up being a mistake. Thanks to some teamwork from Yuki Ueno & MAO, To-y ended up pinning Koroku with the Kojima Impact! Koroku couldn’t believe it but still said after the match he will not give up on chasing after the KO-D Tag Titles. To-y said he has just as many frustrations as Koroku because he was fighting for Katsumata when he really wants to win the KO-D Tag Title himself. The two argued about having a rematch until Hisaya Imabayashi came up with an idea. Tetsuya Endo & Koroku will face MAO & To-y at Sumo Hall with the vacant KO-D Tag Titles on the line! Endo talked down to Koroku backstage because he thought every point To-y made was right and he outperformed Koroku on the microphone. Of course wrestlers perform for the fans but they still need to have an ego because a pro wrestler in an embodiment of their ego. Meanwhile Yuki Iino talked about his upcoming match with Tomohiro Ishii on the 22nd December Korakuen show. He thinks Sumo Hall is where all of BURNING can regain their momentum going into the new year.

Akito wanted to have a match with Isami Kodaka for his 15th Anniversary because Kodaka was one of his seniors who helped him so much throughout his career. The two had a back and forth match that included a little trick from Akito where he used the ref as a shield. However Kodaka got the better of him by doing a Brainbuster and then pinning him down legs over shoulders to get the three count. Akito thanked him for the match and suggested they wrestle again for his 20th Anniversary. Kodaka said he would be on his 27th Anniversary by then so they should make the match the main event instead of putting it in the middle of the card.

There was a 6-Man Tag Match that was there to put the focus on Jun Akiyama Vs Yukio Naya but its attention was stolen away by the end of it. HARASHIMA & Tomomitsu Matsunaga did well to control Shinya Aoki until Aoki trapped Matsunaga in the Full Nelson Hold to get the three count. When the dust was settling, Akiyama and Naya had a staredown outside the ring, getting themselves ready for Sumo Hall. However Aoki then got on the microphone to talk about something completely different…

One of the many matches Aoki has been trying make happen this year is a bout against Kenoh from NOAH. Aoki told the fans in Korakuen Hall that on 1st January he will go to NOAH’s Budokan Hall show to have a match with Kenoh! That claim brought the actual Kenoh down to ringside where he angrily denied the match is going to happen. Aoki then asked him if they should have a match at DDT’s Sumo Hall show instead? Kenoh told him he would never climb back into DDT’s cheap and dirty ring. He respects the MMA version of Aoki but not the DDT version. He then ordered the NOAH rookie Yu Owada to have a match with Aoki right now! Aoki pinned Owada in seconds with the Full Nelson Hold. Then Keigo Nakamura got on the microphone asking to fight Kenoh for insulting the DDT fans. A brawl broke out between the four wrestlers and ended with Kenoh agreeing to a match at Sumo Hall. It will be Aoki & Nakamura against Kenoh & Owada!

Earlier in the day before the show began, Kazuki Hirata assaulted Yuki Ueno with a ring bell hammer to win back the Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title. He then brought the hammer with him to fight off his six opponents in the Handicap match put together to celebrate his 37th birthday. Since it was his birthday he said the match was No DQ so he was allowed to bash everyone over the head with the hammer. Ueno then returned and pleaded Hirata to stop because this isn’t how is usually behaves. To try and win Hirata back, Ueno put on the Hirata GO! glasses and got the other wrestlers to dance with him. Hirata saw the light and joined in… until Ueno put him in a Sleeper Hold and Yoshihiko pinned him with the Reincarnation to become the champion.

Hirata was still in the ring when the O-MENZ dancer Kumadori entered the ring to talk to him. He thinks Hirata is a good dancer so they should have a dance battle. But when it began Kumadori pushed Hirata down and showed off his breakdance moves. Hirata praised his skill and admitted he cannot beat him in either dancing or wrestling. He then offered to team up with Kumadori for the dancer’s debut at Sumo Hall. The two agreed and their match will be against Makoto Oishi & Akito.

DAMNATION T.A had a good day at Korakuen. There was the title defence in the main event and also a tag victory in the opener. Demus & Ilusion didn’t take long to beat Nakamura & Kazuma Sumi. It fell apart for the losing team when Nakamura aimed a Super Kick for Ilusion that was ducked and hit Sumi instead. Demus took the opportunity to pin Sumi with La Valagueza after that.

DDT usually makes their news announcements at the start of the show but today they waited until two matches were completed first. Sanshiro Takagi gave an update that he is not ready to return to the ring yet. However he still has a special idea to celebrate his 30th Anniversary in wrestling next year. He will be producing his own show at Shinjuku FACE called “NEVER SAY NEVER” but the catch is nobody under DDT contract will be booked for it. Instead he will rely on his connections with freelancers and wrestlers from other companies to fill up the card. The first match announced for the show is Toru Owashi & Dump Matsumoto Vs The Brahman Brothers! Takagi’s goal is to come up with an unbelievable card of matches.

The NωA idol project is back with Oishi’s handpicked members deciding on their new group name. Katsumata, Yuni & Sumi will now be called NωA Jr. whenever they perform together as idols. Their debut song and CD will be unveiled at Sumo Hall. Sumi admitted he hasn’t practiced the song yet but he’s still all set for the debut.

Yesterday came the sad news that Yusuke Okada was going to retire from pro wrestling. He is still recovering from his cancer and is unable to get back to the condition needed to start wrestling again. Today is officially the date of his retirement and he got to give a speech to the fans during the show. He told the fans his treatment is going well and he is feeling fine but he thought about this decision a lot. He wrestled for 8 years and 4 of them were with DDT. He has met the best teammates and fans and will support DDT as a fan himself from now on. Takagi and Akiyama presented him with bouquets of flowers and Okada met with many wrestlers outside the ring for his exit. Included among them were Yukio Sakaguchi, Saki Akai, Kazusada Higuchi and Naomi Yoshimura. Backstage Okada said he would like to still be involved with DDT in some way.

DDT announced they will be part of two shows at Las Vegas next April for The Collective during Wrestlemania Week. “DDT GOES LAS VEGAS!” will be held on 18th April (same day as the Tokyo Joshi Pro show) and “DDT VS TJPW VS GCW” will be on the 19th.