DDT “JUDGEMENT 2024 ~27TH ANNIVERSARY 5 HOUR SPECIAL~” Results

DDT “JUDGEMENT 2024 ~27TH ANNIVERSARY 5 HOUR SPECIAL~”, 17/03/2024
Tokyo Korakuen Hall
1,491 Fans – Super No Vacancy

1. “Intern Wrestler” Tsubasa Suzuki Debut Match: Soma Takao defeated Tsubasa Suzuki with the Perfect Driver (9:08).
2. Yuya Koroku Return Match: To-y, Ilusion & Rukiya defeated Yuni, Yuya Koroku & Kazuma Sumi when To-y pinned Koroku with the Kojima Impact (8:42).
3. Keisuke Ishii & Shinichiro Kawamatsu defeated Toru Owashi & Gorgeous Matsuno when Ishii pinned Matsuno with the Double Arm Driver (9:26).
4. Special Single Match: Super Sasadango Machine Vs Akito ended in a Draw when both of them fell asleep (7:20).
5. SCHADENFREUDE International Vs DAMNATION T.A!: Daisuke Sasaki, KANON & MJ Paul defeated Chris Brookes, Masahiro Takanashi & Antonio Honda when KANON submitted Honda with the Just Cobra Twist (11:21).
6. Special Single Match: Ken Ohka defeated Sanshiro Takagi with the Spear Of Flame (10:32).
7. Special Tag Match: Shuji Ishikawa & Yoshitatsu defeated Kazusada Higuchi & Yukio Naya when Ishikawa pinned Higuchi with the Splash Mountain (12:24).
8. KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles – Belt Contra Dissolution: Jun Akiyama, Danshoku Dieno & Makoto Oishi (c) defeated Kazuki Hirata, Naruki Doi & Shinya Aoki when Oishi pinned Hirata with an Egoist Driver Cutback (9:48).
*V4 for D.O.A. Zuncha♪Muscle Survivor must disband.
9. DDT Extreme Title – Painful Jungle Death Match: Shunma Katsumata (c) defeated Hideki Okatani with the Totonou Splash onto a Barbed Wire Board (13:38).
*V1 for Shunma Katsumata.
10. KO-D Tag Team Titles: Tetsuya Endo & Yuki Iino (c) defeated Ryuki Honda & Yuma Anzai when Endo pinned Honda with the Burning Star Press (16:57).
*V1 for BURNING.
11. DDT Universal Title: MAO (c) defeated Takeshi Masada by Knockout with the Senpukyaku (4:22).
*V6 for MAO.
12. Special Single Match: KONOSUKE TAKESHITA defeated Yuma Aoyagi with the Modified Falcon Arrow (19:16).
13. KO-D Openweight Title: Yuki Ueno (c) defeated HARASHIMA with the WR (22:50).
*V3 for Yuki Ueno.

27 years of DDT called for another marathon show at Korakuen Hall to celebrate. 13 matches took place across almost 6 hours in front of a big crowd. The big bout at the end was Yuki Ueno moving past HARASHIMA in the latest defence of his KO-D Openweight Title reign. The match called for a big performance for the champion who wants to be established as DDT’s ace against the wrestler who himself is nicknamed “Mr. DDT” for his own dominance over the company throughout the years. Ueno did a Moonsault from one of the aisle entrance ways while back in the ring HARASHIMA did an Inverted Hurricanrana off of the top rope. More action took place out of the ring and almost ended Ueno’s reign but he returned at the 19 count. HARASHIMA hit the Somato but only got a two count with it. Another attempt was countered with Ueno’s big Dropkick and when Ueno gave him the WR, HARASHIMA had no answer for it and was pinned.

After the match Ueno hugged HARASHIMA and Kenta Kobashi handed the KO-D Title to him. Ueno talked about figuring out how to put his thoughts and feelings about his relationship with HARASHIMA into words. Today his heart feels full and satisfied because he got to have a big title match with HARASHIMA. He is sure HARASHIMA will continue to be an ace and they will often be opponents again in the future. But next time Ueno will be stronger and even a little more cocky. He thanked him for always being there.

Now Ueno turns his attention to his next defence. It is scheduled for 26th April in Sumida Ward General Gymnasium. There is one more important person Ueno wants to have a title match and that is DDT’s vice president Akito! Ueno ignored Akito’s objections and called him into the ring. Akito explained it’s not right for a wrestler in his position to take on such an important challenge. He also has not won any singles matches at all this year. Ueno agreed there are other more suitable challengers out there but none of them interest him more than Akito. He has a lot of jobs as vice president and Ueno argued that being a title challenger is one of them. Akito understood but warned the champion what could happen once his filter is switched off because there is nobody who thinks more about DDT than he does! Not Sanshiro Takagi, not Danshoku Dieno, not HARASHIMA and not Yuki Ueno! 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, at work, at home, no matter where he travels to, it is Akito who devotes his life to the company. When DDT has good times he has good times too. When DDT has hard times he has hard times too. Akito is betting his entire life on DDT and will use all of his poison to erase Ueno’s brilliance!

Given this match was DDT against All Japan, you’d expect it would be Konosuke Takeshita coming out doing the wacky DDT entrance. Nope, it was Yuma Aoyagi who got into the swing of things riding to the ring on the Dramatic Dream bike and wearing a crazy looking helmet. The match itself was a smash with the two living up to expectations. Takeshita hit Aoyagi with the Jumping Knee and the Wagamama but it wasn’t enough to win. So he did the deal with the same Spinning Falcon Arrow he used to win a match in AEW earlier this week to get the same result here. Backstage Takeshita sent his thanks out to Aoyagi for accepting his invitation to do the match in DDT. Takeshita respects every wrestler from his generation no matter what company they work for and if possible would like to fight all of them. However he has something to do in America next so he has limited chances to wrestle again in Japan for the time being. He said it is up to his generation in Japan to liven up the wrestling world. Aoyagi called the match refreshing. He would like a rematch once every couple of years on a schedule similar to the Olympics. He also wants to fight other DDT wrestlers from his generation, like Yuki Ueno for example. But not now. Let him take a rest first.

It was a long show and time was not wasted in the DDT Universal Title match. Fueled by the recent criticisms aimed against him by the champion, Takeshi Masada attacked MAO before the bell with a Missile Dropkick. MAO responded with a Leapfrog Stunner over the ref and the match officially began from there. In the next four minutes MAO controlled the match and had an answer for most of what Masada threw at him. Masada got hit with big strikes but was determined to keep on fighting until he was hit with the Whirlwind Kick. Masada couldn’t return to his feet in time and was counted out. MAO quickly moved on and asked for who his challenger will be in America. An image flashed on the screen showing he will defend the Universal Title at Philadelphia on 4th April against Billie Starkz in a No Rules Match! MAO loves the Universal Title so much he will use it to set the whole world on fire!

There was another DDT Vs AJPW match on the card, this one had the KO-D Tag Team Titles on the line. The champions BURNING had been trying to sort themselves out lately over some miscommunication problems. New Period were coming over to be a big distraction for them, one that could see All Japan take over one of DDT’s main championships. The challengers even allegedly got in touch with Yoshihiko to learn what weaknesses of the champions they could exploit! However BURNING in the end got to show their problems with teamwork. In fact it was a missed double team from New Period that led to Ryuki Honda & Yuma Anzai hitting each other by accident. Later Yuki Iino charged towards Tetsuya Endo and Endo dropped down into the splits. Iino then jumped over him to Spear Honda! Endo then gave him the Torture Rack Bomb for a nearfall and finished him off with the Burning Star Press.

Endo declared the result a victory for BURNING and the KO-D Tag Titles still belong to them. However he admits it won’t be long until New Period’s time truly arrives. When that time does come Endo & Iino will want a rematch against them. Endo also told Honda it’s fine to use Yoshihiko but he has to return DDT’s property back to their office (later Honda and Yoshihiko got into a fight backstage bringing their short lived friendship to an end). BURNING’s next title defence will be at the 7th April Korakuen Hall show. Endo asked for Jun Akiyama to be one of the opponents because he wants to defend the title against him. Akiyama accepted but none of his regular partners are available at the moment. If he or DDT can find someone suitable to team with him he will do the title match on 7th April. Iino then tried to provoke Akiyama by doing the BURNING pose in front of him. Akiyama smiled, left the ring and did the same post in the dirction towards Kobashi at the commentary table. Endo told fans to look forward to the new BURNING, one without Akiyama or Kobashi in it!

The Painful Jungle Death Match lived up to its name, providing DDT with one of its most bloodiest matches in a while. Many sharp and piercing objects were placed in the ring along with some jungle looking items. For example there was a barbed wire board with a large snake toy caught on top of it. Shunma Katsumata and Hideki Okatani proceeded to throw and slam each other onto everything with the DDT Extreme Title at stake. Okatani couldn’t get the win with either the Double Arm Suplex or Quetzalcoatl. Instead Katsumata got the upper hand and won with the Totonou Splash while the snake and barbed wire board was placed on top of Okatani. The two embraced after the match and Katsumata thanked Okatani for giving him such an intense match. A video then played on the screen. It is a message sent by Hi69 from NOAH (or TEAM NOAH to be exact). He wants to challenge the Extreme Champion to a Hardcore Match for the title on 7th April! Katsumata is happy to hear Hi69 show interest but he does not know the first thing about the Extreme Title! The champion is supposed to make the rules, not the challenger. Katsumata accepted the challenge anyway.

Zuncha♪Muscle Survivor we hardly knew ye. They went up against D.O.A in a match that had both the KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles on the line as well as the future of Kazuki Hirata’s new unit. Sadly for Hirata the match ended in tragedy when he gave Makoto Oishi the Egoist Driver but left himself open for Oishi to cradle him into a suddent defeat. Naruki Doi did not mind facing the consequences. He consoled Hirata over what happened and then told Shinya Aoki it was time for them to go home. However Hirata wanted to soak in the moment knowing it would be the last time Zuncha♪Muscle Survivor would all be together. Hirata gave a speech that made Doi become impatient but sent Aoki to the brink of tears. The three then stood together for a special dissolution ceremony which included the singing of the unit’s anthem plus a narrated history of the unit. All 22 days of it. Meanwhile backstage DAMNATION T.A attacked Makoto Oishi, demanding the next shot at the KO-D 6-Man Tag Titles.

Does this kind of count as another DDT Vs AJPW match? Both Shuji Ishikawa & Yoshitatsu have called All Japan their home promotion up until very recently. They have since taken different paths away from there but those paths reunited them here for a match against two of DDT’s main heavyweights. Ishikawa had a handle of Kazusada Higuchi by the end of it. He blocked the Brain Claw Slam and turned it into the Fire Thunder for a nearfall. Ishikawa followed it up with the Kamigoye and Running Knee Strike for another two count before getting the victory by using the Splash Mountain. Yukio Naya didn’t want the fight to end though and stood toe to toe with Ishikawa afterwards. This won’t be the last we will see of Ishikawa in DDT this year. He is entering the King Of DDT tournament. He believes what he did today shows he is the only choice to win it. Both Naya & Higuchi are warning him not to mess with DDT’s heavyweight division.

The reason why DDT names its anniversary shows “JUDGEMENT” goes back to its very first show in 1997 where the audience in attendance back then judged whether or not Sanshiro Takagi and his crew would go ahead with running more shows. So it is only fitting that Takagi would himself judge whether or not Ken Ohka and Ganbare☆Pro are ready to go independent from CyberFight. GanPro’s next chapter begins in April and the entire group was in Korakuen to support Ohka at ringside while he fought his soon to be former employer. Ohka took a beating in the match and was almost counted out in the ring. But he got back to his feet all fired up, even giving Takagi a Stunner. Ohka then got the better of a strike exchange, knocking Takagi down with a Lariat. The opening was there and Ohka took it. He hit Takagi with the Spear Of Flame and beat his boss!

After the match an emotional Ohka said his life wouldn’t be like this if he never got involved with Takagi. He has changed Ohka’s life so much. Sometimes it was sad and painful but without Takagi, Ohka would not be so happy right now. From now on he will make GanPro a great wrestling company without the need to rely on Takagi and for that he thanks him. Takagi told Ohka he’s had a dramatic life but saying stuff like that makes it sound like Takagi was ruining his life! If that was true then he wouldn’t have a group of friends that all make up GanPro. Whatever happens in the future, Takagi wants to get with Ohka again whether it is to work together or fight each other. He then presented Ohka with a graduation certificate and told him to cherish his friends. Takagi hopes he will continue to give dreams to many people and have a more dramatic pro wrestling life than anyone else. Later Ohka told reporters he will continue with his goal to make pro wrestling into a major sport. Baseball has Shohei Ohtani, basketball has Michael Jordan, Formula 1 has Mika Häkkinen and football has Pelé. Ohka wants to become as great in wrestling as they are in their respective sports.

DAMNATION T.A’s path to a KO-D 6-Man Tag Titles shot started earlier in the show when they beat SCHADENFREUDE International. As always Antonio Honda was bothered by his trick knee but used Gongitsune to bounce back from it. Daisuke Sasaki & KANON hit him with the Freedom Call but CDK were there to break the pin. They got rid of Sasaki & MJ Paul but it turned out KANON could handle the 2 Vs 1 odds that were against him. The match came down to him against Honda and KANON countered the constant cradle pins into the Just Cobra Twist to make Honda submit.

Akito isn’t the only busy wrestler around here. Super Sasadango Machine has his own management problems to deal with and took valuable time out of his schedule to be at this show. So when he found out he wasn’t booked for a match despite being on the poster, Akito offered to fight him as an apology. Both of them have been feeling tired over work lately and Sasadango’s PowerPoint Presentation explained they were both going to wrestle at just 10% of their normal energy bar. However the presentation kept switching to a video of Akito being attacked backstage by all of the young DDT wrestlers so that was the actual reason why he made it to the ring in a tired state. When the match began it was as if Akito and Sasadango were already entering into the finishing stretch. Sasadango gave Akito the Lehmann Shock and went for the pin but before the count reached three everything froze. “Etuprika” began to play and the audience was shown a video of Akito’s inner monologue. Then in slow motion Akito kicked out, fought back and hit Sasadango so hard his mask peeled off. Akito slowly applied an Ankle Lock when time stood still again so everyone could hear Sasadango’s inner monologue. This time Sasadango spoke about how good and relaxed he felt. So much so that he fell asleep. Akito had run out of energy too so both men were practically out cold. Yukinori Matsui checked on both of them while they slept and had to rule the match a draw.

Did the world really need a face off between Gorgeous Matsuno and Shinichiro Kawamatsu? Well they got one. Matsuno’s offence was the weakest its been for a while even with Toru Owashi’s help. Things went from bad to worse when Keisuke Ishii got involved and did not hold back. When he lifted Matsuno up for the Double Arm Driver, Matsuno started to tap out. However the ref was standing on the other side and couldn’t see it so Ishii was free to drop him right onto the canvas for the win. Luckily Matsuno was not hurt too much. He returned at the very end of the show to sing everyone off.

Six of the young wrestlers entering the D GENERATIONS CUP were put in a 6-Man Tag together early in the show. To-y, Ilusion & Rukiya ended up beating Yuni, Yuya Koroku & Kazuma Sumi. It was also Koroku’s return match from injury but he took the losing fall to To-y in the end.

When Soma Takao had his debut match in DDT he won the bout with an Ultra Hurricanrana. So Tsubasa Suzuki trying to win his first DDT match as an intern with a Phoenix Splash isn’t that too outlandish. Too bad he missed his target. The match was going well for him up until then. He still had his wits about him to block the Gin And Tonic but Takao switched over to the Running Elbow Butt and then the Perfect Driver to win the match. He told reporters he could have used a traditional Crab Hold but he wanted to win with the finisher he used in his college club days. He is looking forward to the day Suzuki will beat him with the Phoenix Splash. Suzuki admits he is still weak and the difference between pro wrestling with student wrestling is like competing in a different sport. He hopes to grow into a stronger and better wrestler.

Keigo Nakamura appeared during the early portion of the show with some good news. He is returning to the ring on 26th April!

A guest wrestler was announced for “WRESTLE PETER PAN 2024” on 21st July. It is the return of everyone’s amigo El Desperado!

The full list of entries for the King Of DDT was revealed. Entering the tournament are Poison Sawada JULIE, Sanshiro Takagi, Danshoku Dieno, HARASHIMA, Shuji Ishikawa, Tetsuya Endo, Daisuke Sasaki, Kazusada Higuchi, Chris Brookes, Yuki Ueno, MAO, Yuki Iino, Yukio Naya, KANON, Takeshi Masada and the D GENERATIONS CUP winner.

Judgement 2024 This Weekend

DDT “JUDGEMENT 2024 ~27TH ANNIVERSARY 5 HOUR SPECIAL~”, 17/03/2024
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

1. “Intern Wrestler” Tsubasa Suzuki Debut Match: Soma Takao Vs Tsubasa Suzuki
2. Yuya Koroku Return Match: To-y, Ilusion & Rukiya Vs Yuni, Yuya Koroku & Kazuma Sumi
3. Toru Owashi & Gorgeous Matsuno Vs Keisuke Ishii & Shinichiro Kawamatsu
4. Special Single Match: Super Sasadango Machine Vs Akito
5. SCHADENFREUDE International Vs DAMNATION T.A!: Chris Brookes, Masahiro Takanashi & Antonio Honda Vs Daisuke Sasaki, KANON & MJ Paul
6. Special Single Match: Sanshiro Takagi Vs Ken Ohka
7. Special Tag Match: Kazusada Higuchi & Yukio Naya Vs Shuji Ishikawa & Yoshitatsu
8. KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles – Belt Contra Dissolution: Jun Akiyama, Danshoku Dieno & Makoto Oishi (c) Vs Kazuki Hirata, Naruki Doi & Shinya Aoki
9. DDT Extreme Title – Painful Jungle Death Match: Shunma Katsumata (c) Vs Hideki Okatani
10. KO-D Tag Team Titles: Tetsuya Endo & Yuki Iino (c) Vs Ryuki Honda & Yuma Anzai
11. DDT Universal Title: MAO (c) Vs Takeshi Masada
12. Special Single Match: KONOSUKE TAKESHITA Vs Yuma Aoyagi
13. KO-D Openweight Title: Yuki Ueno (c) Vs HARASHIMA

Yesterday DDT held a press conference to promote this Sunday’s big show. The main event will determine who really is the strongest in DDT right now. HARASHIMA wants to win the KO-D Openweight Title not to turn back time but to show everyone a new DDT. Yuki Ueno said the previous design of the KO-D belt is in his mind attached to HARASHIMA. However the modern belt design currently belongs to Ueno and by beating HARASHIMA only then will it fit him completely. He wants to be the last one standing so whenever fans see the current KO-D Title design, they think of Ueno. HARASHIMA has never held the modern belt design as champion and thinks it would look cool on him. HARASHIMA pointed out he is over 20 years older than Ueno but that doesn’t mean anything to the champion. Ueno expects HARASHIMA to fight him with all of his might and is confident he will match his challenger’s heart and soul.

The press conference was the last chance for Takeshi Masada to talk back to MAO over recent criticisms. In the leadup to the DDT Universal Title match MAO accused Masada of not loving DDT or pro wrestling enough. Here Masada said he cannot explain in words alone how much DDT and wrestling means to him. Everyone will see just how much he loves it when he wins the Universal Title. MAO took another shot at Masada, saying his response was not a good one. He thinks the other members of SCHADENFREUDE International have shown more love than he does. MAO then explained the way he treats Sanshiro Takagi is done out of love because he is trying to bring Takagi back to his prime days. Masada is only doing this match for the glory, not for the love of it. That was proven when he challenged MAO in the first place. There could be an interesting future the two can build together but instead MAO is going to show no mercy. He has plans to defend the Universal Title around the world no matter the country he travels to or the gender of his opponents. Masada however wants to nominate wrestlers he has previously lost to as his challengers should he become the new champion.

The visiting New Period team are still enjoying their appearances in DDT. They like getting stronger opponents every time they show up and are really pleased to fight the KO-D Tag Team Champions next. Yuma Anzai claimed All Japan’s brand of bright, fun and intense pro wrestling won’t lose this challenge. Ryuki Honda has two goals in mind if they win the titles. New Period wants to elevate the KO-D Tag Titles in AJPW and also draw DDT fans over to All Japan! He then revealed he has recently become friends with Yoshihiko and the doll has told him about all of BURNING’s weaknesses! Tetsuya Endo has a similar idea to Honda because he too wants to defend KO-D championships in other companies this year. He thinks New Period is a great name because it implies a new era is coming. However BURNING are not going to give away their era yet. Yuki Iino talked about taking on training camps by himself for this title match. His team will win to show everyone it is a New BURNING rather than a New Period. After the talking stopped Iino and Honda got into a confrontation at the table when Iino wouldn’t stop chanting “BURNING!” at Honda.

The intern is getting an opponent with a similar pro wrestling background to him. Tsubasa Suzuki is currently in college and participates in the student pro wrestling scene. Soma Takao was part of the same scene before he turned professional. Suzuki would like to believe everything he’s done in the last few years will lead to him getting the win. He has wrestled Takao before and Takao wonders if he has since learned how to tell the difference between college club wrestling and actual pro wrestling. If Suzuki hasn’t then Takao will be happy to teach him the rigors of being a professional. Although Suzuki is only just starting in DDT, he said his goal is to someday win the KO-D Title. He will be entering the upcoming D GENERATIONS CUP and also has a series of trial matches coming up in the future.

DDT “JUDGEMENT 2024 TOUR IN SHINJUKU” Results

DDT “JUDGEMENT 2024 TOUR IN SHINJUKU”, 06/03/2024
Shinjuku FACE
303 Fans – No Vacancy

1. To-y & Yuni defeated Chris Brookes & Ilusion when To-y pinned Ilusion with the Kojima Impact (7:58).
2. Special Tag Match: Makoto Oishi & Shishamo Power defeated Yoshitatsu & Antonio Honda when Power pinned Honda with the Shishamo Of Yamada (9:17).
3. Kazuki Hirata Debut 14th Anniversary Vol. 1 ~ Are You Serious!? Seal Your Opponent’s Technique Death Match!!: Kazuki Hirata defeated Danshoku Dieno by Disqualification (9:29).
4. Jun Akiyama, Kazusada Higuchi & Soma Takao defeated Daisuke Sasaki, KANON & MJ Paul when Higuchi pinned Paul with the Brain Claw Press (10:56).
5. Special 6-Man Tag Match ~ DDT Vs AJPW: Ryuki Honda, Yuma Anzai & Ryo Inoue defeated Tetsuya Endo, Yuki Iino & Tomomitsu Matsunaga when Honda pinned Matsunaga with the Final Vent (17:51).
6. Road To Judgement 2024! Special 6-Man Tag Match: Yuki Ueno, MAO & Shunma Katsumata defeated HARASHIMA, Takeshi Masada & Hideki Okatani by Referee Stoppage when Ueno used the Dojime Sleeper Hold on HARASHIMA (18:31).

It turns out getting back to good condition again isn’t worth much when that energy can get choked out of you afterwards. Yuki Ueno scored a major fall over HARASHIMA by strangling him with the Dojime Sleeper Hold until the main event was stopped by the referee. The finish came when Ueno countered the Somato by catching HARASHIMA mid-sprint and spinning it into the Sleeper. MAO and Takeshi Masada also got time to wrestle each other while Shunma Katsumata dug some skewers into Hideki Okatani’s head. MAO talked about how strong The 37KAMIINA are after the win. He thinks Masada is better off being an influencer on social media instead of a wrestler. The DDT Universal Title MAO carries also holds the last three years of his hardships so Masada won’t take the belt from him so easily. Katsumata wanted to call out Okatani but admitted he doesn’t really have anything to say to him. Ueno said everyone in DDT is proud of HARASHIMA’s greatness but he does not want DDT to turn 180 degrees in the other direction if HARASHIMA wins the KO-D Openweight Title from him. The 37KAMIINA don’t want to remain the same and as champions they will continue to make DDT more interesting.

In the warm-up for the KO-D Tag Team Titles match coming up later this month, the All Japan team beat the DDT team. New Period along with Ryo Inoue on their side defeated BURNING and Tomomitsu Matsunaga (in as a last minute substitute for Rukiya). Ryuki Honda got to choke his opponents on the ropes and count along with the referee’s five second warning. He and Yuma Anzai also taunted Yuki Iino by making fun of BURNING whenever the opportunity allowed them to. Iino’s temper got the best of him and he ended up accidentally hitting Tetsuya Endo with a missed attack. New Period turned their attention to Matsunaga but Anzai still found spots to give Endo a German Suplex and then hit Iino with a Jumping Knee. With them out of the way, Honda was free to pin Matsunaga with the Final Vent. New Period celebrated a complete victory for AJPW over DDT and said the same result will happen on 17th March when they become the new KO-D Tag Champions! Iino told them they are not BURNING, he and Endo is. Endo promised to win because the titles are proof he is part of the best tag team in DDT.

A special rule was applied via lottery for Kazuki Hirata’s match against Danshoku Dieno. There were seven different options hidden in envelopes and the one chosen before the show began forced the wrestlers to seal their own techniques for the match. That means Hirata was prohibited from dancing while Dieno was not allowed to do anything “Danshoku” like. It made both of them trying to break old habits while tempting each other to fall for their own tricks. Makoto Oishi walked out to Hirata’s music wearing Hirata’s entrance robe, tempting Hirata around ringside to dance with him. Yukinori Matsui got caught in the action. He was knocked out after taking the Tegatana strike to the neck from Hirata and the Lip Lock from Dieno, both by mistake. Without the referee around, Hirata took out his GO! glasses and Dieno behaved like his old self. Matsui woke up to see Dieno dry humping his opponent and called for the bell to disqualfy him. Dieno said the result doesn’t mean much as a preview for the KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles match because he wasn’t pinned or submitted. Meanwhile Hirata only learned afterwards that if Zuncha♪Muscle Survivor loses the title match on 17th March then they will disband. However when he heard that Naruki Doi came up with the stipulation, he thought it meant that Doi values the unit so much he is willing to put it all on the line to win the titles! Hirata is now motivated to put in 200% effort so he, Doi & Shinya Aoki can become the new champions and stick together as a team.

The return of the seafood loving pro wrestler Shishamo Power went from a happy story to a sad one when Oishi turned on him after their match. For you see, Oishi hates seafood and thinks chicken is much tastier! He continued to attack Power until Chris Brookes entered the ring. Brookes then joined in the attack because he hates seafood too! Suddenly Unagi Mask made his return to DDT in order to rescue his fellow masked ally. The two agreed to team up for an all out battle against the chicken meat lovers at the DDT show sponsored by Yamada Suisan on 14th April.

A press conference was held for Katsumata and Okatani before the show began. Katsumata announced the DDT Extreme Title bout on 17th March is going to be a Painful Jungle Death Match! Each corner of the ring is going to have something attached to it in order to make it more painful when wrestlers are thrown into it. With all four corners covered like this as well as death match weapons being placed around the canvas it will turn the ring into a jungle! Katsumata did not reveal what any of the weapons or material are and teased everyone to use their imagination. Okatani promised the match will be a hot and bloody battle even though he can’t figure out what Katsumata has up his sleeve.

More DDT Vs AJPW, Ohka Must Fight Takagi, GanPro’s Last Matches Under CyberFight

Heads up, my home internet hasn’t been working all week and I don’t know how long it will take for the problem to be fixed. I’ve been using my phone as a hotspot to write up reports in the meantime but it’s been a slow and unreliable experience. So there might be more delays posting results and other news over the next few days.

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “THE 4TH “FUTARI WA PRINCESS” MAX HEART TOURNAMENT”, 10/02/2024
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

1. Shino Suzuki Vs Haru Kazashiro
2. Yuki Kamifuku, Nao Kakuta & Mahiro Kiryu Vs Raku, Pom Harajuku & Ram Kaichow
3. Moka Miyamoto Vs Kaya Toribami
4. Shoko Nakajima & Hyper Misao Vs Wakana Uehara & HIMAWARI
5. Mizuki Vs Zara Zakher
6. Miyu Yamashita & Toga Vs Ryo Mizunami & Yuki Aino
7. International Princess Title: Yuki Arai (c) Vs Juria Nagano
8. “Futari wa Princess” Max Heart Tournament – Final: Rika Tatsumi & Miu Watanabe Vs Suzume & Arisu Endo

Should be an eventful show tomorrow. We have the Max Heart Tournament final and maybe a few announcements for what is in store for Tokyo Joshi Pro this Spring.

BASARA “BASARA 241 ~TAKAGARI 22~”, 10/02/2024
Tokyo Takashimadaira Kumin Center

1. Lil’ Kraken Vs Masahiro Takanashi
2. FUMA, Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi & Daichi Kazato Vs Masato Kamino, Tsutomu Oosugi & Banana Senga
3. Ryuichi Sekine Vs Takato Nakano
4. Isami Kodaka & Minoru Fujita Vs Takumi Tsukamoto & SAGAT
5. IRON FIST Tag Team Titles: Ryota Nakatsu & Kazusada Higuchi (c) Vs KUBITO & Yasu Urano

The IRON FIST Tag Team Titles are being defended tomorrow.

DDT “INTO THE FIGHT 2024 TOUR IN OSAKA”, 11/02/2024
Osaka Azalea Taisho Hall

1. MJ Paul Vs Kazuma Sumi
2. Osaka Specialty Special Tag Match: Chris Brookes & Hideki Okatani Vs Kazuki Hirata & Tsutenkakka
3. Special Single Match: Makoto Oishi Vs Yoshitatsu
4. Sanshiro Takagi, Jun Akiyama & Toru Owashi Vs Kazusada Higuchu, Yukio Naya & Rukiya
5. Special Single Match: MAO Vs Akito
6. Tetsuya Endo & Yuki Iino Vs HARASHIMA & Takeshi Masada
7. The 37KAMIINA Vs DAMNATION T.A!: Yuki Ueno & Shunma Katsumata Vs Daisuke Sasaki & KANON

This is the match order for Sunday’s DDT show.

DDT “INTO THE FIGHT 2024 TOUR IN NAGOYA”, 12/02/2024
Aichi Nagoya City Higashi Sports Center

1. 3 Way Match: Kazuki Hirata Vs Toru Owashi Vs Shunma Katsumata
2. KANON & MJ Paul Vs Yuki Iino & Hideki Okatani
3. Nagoya Specialty Special 6-Man Tag Match: Sanshiro Takagi, Yoshitatsu & Yukio Naya Vs Lowther, Jack Kennedy & Kazuma Sumi
4. Jun Akiyama & Rukiya Vs HARASHIMA & Kazusada Higuchi
5. Special Single Match: Daisuke Sasaki Vs Makoto Oishi
6. Special Single Match: Tetsuya Endo Vs Akito
7. The 37KAMIINA Vs SCHADENFREUDE International!: Yuki Ueno & MAO Vs Chris Brookes & Takeshi Masada

There is a DDT show on Monday too.

DDT “PRO WRESTLING WINTER FESTIVAL 2024 IN JOETSU DAY 2 – INTO THE FIGHT 2024 TOUR IN NIIGATA”, 18/02/2024
Niigata Dúo CEREZO

1. Toru Owashi Vs Kazuma Sumi
2. Daisuke Sasaki & KANON Vs Yuki Iino & Rukiya
3. Chris Brookes & Takeshi Masada Vs HARASHIMA & Akito
4. Kazuki Hirata Vs Toy Kojima
5. Special Tag Match: Jun Akiyama & Yoshitatsu Vs Tetsuya Endo & Makoto Oishi
6. Special Single Match: Danshoku Dieno Vs Super Sasadango Machine
7. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Yuki Ueno, MAO & Shunma Katsumata Vs Kazusada Higuchi, Yukio Naya & Hideki Okatani

The main event is a little preview of the upcoming DDT Extreme Title match in March.

DDT “INTO THE FIGHT 2024 TOUR IN YOKOHAMA”, 23/02/2024
Yokohama Radiant Hall

1. Tetsuya Endo & Yuki Iino Vs Kazusada Higuchu & Kazuma Sumi
2. Daisuke Sasaki & KANON Vs MAO & Kazuki Hirata
3. Danshoku Dieno Vs Rukiya
4. Special Single Match: Yoshitatsu Vs Soma Takao
5. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Yuki Ueno, Shunma Katsumata & Toy Kojima Vs HARASHIMA, Yukio Naya & Hideki Okatani
6. KO-D 10-Man Tag Team Titles: Chris Brookes, Masahiro Takanashi, Antonio Honda, Takeshi Masada & Mecha Mummy (c) Vs Maya Yukihi, Ram Kaichow, Rina Yamashita, Sanshiro Takagi & Akito

DDT decided to put Rukiya up to the ultimate test. Put him in the ring on his own against Danshoku Dieno!

DDT “JUDGEMENT 2024 TOUR IN SHINJUKU”, 06/03/2024
Shinjuku FACE

1. Special 6-Man Tag Match ~ DDT Vs AJPW: Tetsuya Endo, Yuki Iino & Rukiya Vs Ryuki Honda, Yuma Anzai & Ryo Inoue

The DDT Vs AJPW rivalry continues with some upcoming matches being built around DDT’s BURNING against All Japan’s New Period. Rukiya and Ryo Inoue are showing up too.

GANBARE☆JOSHI “GANJO SUPER DARIUS ’24”, 09/03/2024
Tokyo Takashimadaira Kumin Center

1. Mixed Tag Match: Riara & Shota Vs Alex Lee & Tyson Maeguchi

For now this is the last regular Ganbare☆Joshi show on the schedule. Both Riara & Shota will be leaving Ganbare☆Pro soon so this may be the only time they will team together. During the week Riara made her debut for WAVE so there is one possible landing spot for her when she moves on from GanPro.

Banny Oikawa will be on the show.

DDT “JUDGEMENT 2024 ~27TH ANNIVERSARY 5 HOUR SPECIAL~”, 17/03/2024
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

1. Tsubasa Suzuki Debut Match: Tsubasa Suzuki Vs X
2. Special Single Match: Sanshiro Takagi Vs Ken Ohka
3. Special Single Match: KONOSUKE TAKESHITA Vs Yuma Aoyagi
4. KO-D Tag Team Titles: Tetsuya Endo & Yuki Iino (c) Vs Ryuki Honda & Yuma Anzai
5. DDT Extreme Title: Shunma Katsumata (c) Vs Hideki Okatani
6. KO-D Openweight Title: Yuki Ueno (c) Vs X

The last time Shunma Katsumata and Hideki Okatani fought for the Extreme Title, Katsumata won the match but also fractured a bone in his foot. That forced him to vacate the title. Ever since then both he and Okatani dreamed of having a rematch with the same championship on the line. That has now become a reality after Okatani became the No. 1 Contender this week. Katsumata said he will come up with a match stipulation that both of them will approve of.

Tetsuya Endo & Yuki Iino are the new KO-D Tag Team Champions and want to defend the belts against anyone no matter where they come from. Well here comes Ryuki Honda & Yuma Anzai from AJPW! They had fun wrestling in DDT earlier this week that they want to fight in DDT even more and against stronger opponents. Endo & Iino promised to show them just how much depth DDT has.

Before GanPro goes independent, Ken Ohka must fight his soon to be ex-boss Sanshiro Takagi! Ohka feels the need to face Takagi and defeat him in the first step towards making GanPro grow bigger than DDT. For Takagi this is the biggest test he can give Ohka to see if he will handle his upcoming responsibilities with all of his effort. If Ohka does this half-heartedly then Takagi will destroy him and that could mean DDT will destroy GanPro too!

GANBARE☆PRO “TONIGHT ON THE HILL WHERE YOU CAN SEE THE MOON 2024”, 28/03/2024
Tokyo Ueno Park Outdoor Stage

1. Ueno Special 6-Man Tag Festival: Yuko Miyamoto, Isami Kodaka & Munetatsu Nakamura Vs Shota, Soma Takao & Shinichiro Tominaga

The final GanPro show under CyberFight’s management is inviting Yuko Miyamoto and Isami Kodaka over for fun. It’s been established that Munetatsu Nakamura adores both Miyamoto & Kodaka so getting a chance to team with Yankee Two Kenju must be a dream come true for him.

DDT “DDT GOES PHILADELPHIA!”, 04/04/2024
Penns Landing Caterers Auditorium, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA

The next set of wrestlers announced for the show are all familiar faces from the AEW circuit. Nick Wayne, Bryan Keith and Billie Starkz will all be there.

DDT “INTO THE FIGHT 2024 TOUR IN SHINJUKU” Results

DDT “INTO THE FIGHT 2024 TOUR IN SHINJUKU”, 07/02/2024
Shinjuku FACE
500 Fans – Super No Vacancy Full House

1. Chris Brookes & Masahiro Takanashi defeated Danshoku Dieno & Kazuki Hirata when Brookes pinned Hirata after the Thrust Kick/Praying Mantis Bomb Combo (6:47).
2. Jun Akiyama, Yoshitatsu & Soma Takao defeated Toru Owashi, Akito & Kazuma Sumi when Takao pinned Sumi with the Perfect Driver (9:09).
3. DDT Extreme Title Next Challenger Match – Hardcore Match: Hideki Okatani defeated MJ Paul with the Quetzalcoatl onto the Chairs (9:53).
4. Special Tag Match ~ DDT Vs AJPW: Ryuki Honda & Yuma Anzai defeated Takeshi Masada & Rukiya when Anzai pinned Rukiya with the German Suplex (12:40).
5. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Yuki Ueno, MAO & Shunma Katsumata defeated Kazusada Higuchi, Yukio Naya & Makoto Oishi when Ueno submitted Oishi with a Dojime Sleeper Hold (12:27).
6. KO-D Tag Team Titles: Tetsuya Endo & Yuki Iino defeated Daisuke Sasaki & KANON (c) when Endo pinned Sasaki with the Burning Star Press (18:38).
*DAMNATION T.A fails in V1. BURNING becomes the 82nd KO-D Tag Team Champions!
7. Yukio Sakaguchi Retirement Match: HARASHIMA defeated Yukio Sakaguchi with the Somato (15:37).

Today Yukio Sakaguchi brought his pro wrestling career to an end after 12 years in the business. He spent almost the entire time of his wrestling life with DDT. Per his request the period of time between his announcement to the retirement match itself was a short one. He chose HARASHIMA as his final opponent and had his closest conifdents stand in his corner, including KUDO and Saki Akai. The result was obvious but with a little extra added to it. HARASHIMA hit the Somato but took too long to pin Sakaguchi leading to a one count kickout. Sakaguchi yelled at HARASHIMA to hit him with the move again which he did and that got HARASHIMA the 3 count. Yukinori Matsui raised both of their hands after the match and the two wrestlers hugged each other. HARASHIMA thanked Sakaguchi for nominating him as his last opponent. He praised Sakaguchi for always being in great condition and working hard right to the end. He is sad to see him go when he is still strong but understands it is the path Sakaguchi chose for himself. Sakaguchi said he wanted to win but he always knows HARASHIMA is there to protect DDT. He thought he was becoming DDT’s gatekeeper but he is granting that role back to HARASHIMA.

He then received a video message from his younger brother Kenji Sakaguchi. Kenji said Yukio was always into fighting ever since they were children. He thought it took a lot of courage for Yukio to become a second generation pro wrestler but he was able to leave a mark and made a lot of fans happy. The time they stood in the ring together at Sumo Hall is a memory that will last a lifetime. Later backstage Yukio told reporters he also got a rare phonecall from his father Seiji Sakaguchi during the morning.

Yukio then thanked the fans because so many of them came to see his retirement match on a weekday. He is grateful to the fans that supported him. Even though he will now no longer wrestle, there are still the other wrestlers in DDT who do their best and deserve support. The show ended with the locker room throwing Sakaguchi into the air in celebration and him shaking all of their hands afterwards. There was no 10 bell salute because Sakaguchi asked for there not to be one.

The new BURNING team of Tetsuya Endo & Yuki Iino have won the KO-D Tag Team Titles! They defeated their arch enemies in DAMNATION T.A to do it. Daisuke Sasaki & KANON tried using their new Freedom Call tag finisher on Endo but Iino broke the pin. Sasaki then tried pinning Endo with the Sasaki Hurricanrana but he left himself vulnerable to get hit with the Spear from Iino. Endo then took over with the Swivel Torture Rack Bomb and followed up with the Burning Star Press for the title change.

Iino thanked Endo for the success and he now feels like they can go anywhere as the tag champions. They welcome any challenge from any challengers and will not turn anyone down. Those comments made New Period walk down to the ring. The All Japan team of Ryuki Honda & Yuma Anzai beat Takeshi Masada & Rukiya earlier in the show. They enjoyed the match so much it makes them want to take on more stronger DDT teams so they challenged BURNING to a title match. Endo accepted and warned that they are yet to experience the depth of DDT. He & Iino will take them even deeper. The title match will take place at “JUDGEMENT 2024” in Korakuen Hall on 17th March. But before that happens there will be a DDT Vs AJPW 6-Man Tag Match on 6th March. Endo, Iino & Rukiya will face New Period & Ryo Inoue.

On short notice the No. 1 Contender match for the DDT Extreme Title was held under Hardcore rules. Hideki Okatani and MJ Paul brawled in and out of the ring with chairs, garbage cans and kendo sticks. Okatani got the upper hand by Power Bombing Paul from the corner through a table. He then used the chairs to hit Paul with the Mammoth Home Run before using the Quetzalcoatl to slam him on top of more chairs for the win. Okatani said he couldn’t lose today because he needs to fight Shunma Katsumata for the Extreme Title again. He’s been waiting for it to happen ever since their previous title match together. Kasumata was happy to hear that and admitted he’s been thinking of Okatani all this time too. Their title match will happen in Korakuen on 17th March and Katsumata is excited to have a fun match with Okatani under rules both will appreciate.

Ken Ohka got into the ring after the second match to tell the audience in person about Ganbare☆Pro will be going independent from CyberFight at the end of March. But before that happens there is one person Ohka really wants to fight at DDT’s 27th Anniversary show on 17th March. He wants a match with the CyberFight president Sanshiro Takagi! Ohka explained that Takagi is like a father to him and he must defeat his “father” before he leaves the family home! Takagi said this match may be the last time they will be in the ring together because he will be taking a break from being a pro wrestler after July. It is hard work running a wrestling company especially when you do it by yourself but if Ohka is determined then he will do his best. But if he does this half-heartedly then Takagi will destroy him! Ohka promised to beat Takagi and make GanPro bigger than DDT!

A “No Spoiler” show will be held at Tsurumi Fruit & Vegetable Market on 21st April. People attending the show are prohibited from posting about it on social media while it is happening. DDT is also holding a collaborated show with the Zeekstar Tokyo handball team in Sumida from 25th to 27th April.

The Next DDT Vs AJPW Match, KUBITO & Urano Challenge For IRON FIST Titles

DDT “INTO THE FIGHT 2024 TOUR IN NAGANO”, 04/02/2024
Nagano Act Hall

1. Hideki Okatani Vs Rukiya
2. Sanshiro Takagi, Yoshitatsu & Yukio Naya Vs Chris Brookes, Takeshi Masada & Kazuma Sumi
3. Daisuke Sasaki & KANON Vs Yuki Iino & Akito
4. Special Tag Match: Yuki Ueno & Shunma Katsumata Vs HARASHIMA & Soma Takao
5. Special Tag Match: Yukio Sakaguchi & Antonio Honda Vs Kazuki Hirata & Kazusada Higuchi
6. Nagano Specialty Special 6-Man Tag Match: Jun Akiyama, Toru Owashi & Yoshihiko Vs Danshoku Dieno, Makoto Oishi & Tetsuya Endo

It’s a little bit of an ALL OUT reunion when Yuki Iino & Akito get to team up without any traces of Pheromones to worry about.

DDT “INTO THE FIGHT 2024 TOUR IN SHINJUKU”, 07/02/2024
Shinjuku FACE

1. Kazuki Hirata & Danshoku Dieno Vs Chris Brookes & Masahiro Takanashi
2. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Yuki Ueno, MAO & Shunma Katsumata Vs Kazusada Higuchi, Yukio Naya & Makoto Oishi
3. Special Tag Match ~ DDT Vs AJPW: Takeshi Masada & Rukiya Vs Ryuki Honda & Yuma Anzai
4. Yukio Sakaguchi Retirement Match: Yukio Sakaguchi Vs HARASHIMA
5. KO-D Tag Team Titles: Daisuke Sasaki & KANON (c) Vs Tetsuya Endo & Yuki Iino

The next match in the DDT Vs AJPW series has Takeshi Masada & Rukiya chosen for the home team to take on Ryuki Honda & Yuma Anzai. Honda has a tendency to choke his opponents on the ropes and count along with the referee until he stops to reset the count and repeats the spot. Will the DDT fans count along with him?

BASARA “BASARA 241 ~TAKAGARI 22~”, 10/02/2024
Tokyo Takashimadaira Kumin Center

1. IRON FIST Tag Team Titles: Ryota Nakatsu & Kazusada Higuchi (c) Vs KUBITO & Yasu Urano

Two students of Dick Togo have decided to go after the IRON FIST Tag Team Titles. Both KUBITO & Yasu Urano have held the titles before but not with each other. The champions Harimao are starting to find targets on their backs because Aijin Tag are starting to make noise about wanting a title shot too.

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “GRAND PRINCESS ’24”, 31/03/2024
Tokyo Ryogoku Kokugikan

1. Princess Of Princess Title: Miyu Yamashita (c) Vs Miu Watanabe

Aja Kong has been added to the show.

Kojima Injured, Sakaguchi’s Final Matches, Who Is Going To USA In April?

GANBARE☆JOSHI “GANJO WINNING SHOT ’24”, 16/01/2024
Shin-Kiba 1st RING

1. Alex Lee & Riara Vs Kaho Kobayashi & Itsuki Aoki
2. Ice Ribbon Offer Match: Ibuki Hoshi & Kaho Matsushita Vs Arisa Shinose & Tsukina Umino
3. SAKI Vs Banny Oikawa
4. Sumire Natsu & YuuRI Vs Yuu & Yoshiko Hasegawa

The next Ganbare☆Joshi show takes place tomorrow.

BAKA GAIJIN + FRIENDS “VOL. ELEVEN: STRANGE BUT NOT A STRANGER”, 17/01/2024
Tokyo ARENA Shimokitazawa

1. 2-On-1 Hardcore Match: Shunma Katsumata Vs Mad Dr. Ueki & Mecha Mummy

Only one match announced so far for this month’s Baka Gaijin + Friends show. It was originally supposed to be Shunma Katsumata against Mecha Mummy but Katsumata complained about getting an uninteresting opponent for his first Baka Gaijin show. So plans changed and Katsumata now has to fight both Mummy & Mad Dr. Ueki in a Handicap Hardcore match.

Also scheduled to appear on the show are Chris Brookes, MAO, Masahiro Takanashi, Antonio Honda, Gota Ihashi and Munetatsu Nakamura.

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “THE 4TH “FUTARI WA PRINCESS” MAX HEART TOURNAMENT”, 20/01/2024
Tokyo Shinagawa Prince Hotel Club eX

1. Yuki Aino, Rika Tatsumi & Miu Watanabe Vs Suzume, Arisu Endo & Shino Suzuki
2. “Futari wa Princess” Max Heart Tournament – Round 1A: Kaya Toribami & Haru Kazashiro Vs Yuki Arai & Wakana Uehara
3. “Futari wa Princess” Max Heart Tournament – Round 1B: Shoko Nakajima & Hyper Misao Vs Yuki Kamifuku & Mahiro Kiryu
4. “Futari wa Princess” Max Heart Tournament – Round 1C: Nao Kakuta & HIMAWARI Vs Raku & Pom Harajuku
5. “Futari wa Princess” Max Heart Tournament – Round 1D: Miyu Yamashita & Toga Vs Moka Miyamoto & Juria Nagano

The Max Heart Tournament begins this weekend!

Mizuki will not be at the show because of a scheduling conflict.

DDT “NEW YEAR FAN APPRECIATION DAY!”, 20/01/2024
Tokyo Shinagawa Prince Hotel Club eX

1. 4 Way Tag Match: Yuki Ueno & Kazuki Hirata Vs HARASHIMA & Kazusada Higuchi Vs Yoshitatsu & Akito Vs Yuki Iino & Yusuke Okada
2. New Year’s Six Major Single Match: KANON Vs Yuni
3. New Year’s Six Major Single Match: Daisuke Sasaki Vs Ilusion
4. New Year’s Six Major Single Match: Danshoku Dieno Vs Kazuma Sumi
5. New Year’s Six Major Single Match: Yukio Naya Vs Takeshi Masada
6. New Year’s Six Major Single Match: Jun Akiyama Vs Rukiya
7. New Year’s Six Major Single Match: Tetsuya Endo Vs Hideki Okatani
8. Special 6-Man Tag Match: MAO, Shunma Katsumata & Makoto Oishi Vs Bryan Keith, Soma Takao & Shota

Toy Kojima got injured in yesterday’s match and was diagnosed with a fractured rib. He will be out of action for a month and is expected to be back on 14th February. A lot of the DDT cards for the next month have to be changed around due to his absence.

DDT “SWEET DREAMS! 2024 TOUR IN SHINAGAWA”, 21/01/2024
Tokyo Shinagawa Prince Hotel Club eX

1. Jun Akiyama, Danshoku Dieno & Makoto Oishi Vs HARASHIMA, Hideki Okatani & Kazuma Sumi
2. Tetsuya Endo & Yuki Iino Vs Takeshi Masada & Rukiya
3. Kazuki Hirata & Yuni Vs Akito & Yusuke Okada
4. Special Single Match: Kazusada Higuchi Vs MJ Paul
5. Special Tag Match: Yuki Ueno & Shunma Katsumata Vs Yukio Naya & Yoshitatsu
6. KO-D Tag Team Titles: Soma Takao & Shota (c) Vs Daisuke Sasaki & KANON
7. DDT Universal Title: MAO (c) Vs Bryan Keith

At least both Yuni and Kazuma Sumi will be well again to come back and wrestle this weekend.

DDT “SWEET DREAMS! 2024”, 28/01/2024
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

1. Special 10-Man Tag Match: Sanshiro Takagi, Toru Owashi, Akito, Shinichiro Kawamatsu & Rukiya Vs HARASHIMA, Tomoya, Antonio Honda, Takeshi Masada & Kazuma Sumi
2. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Tetsuya Endo, Yuki Iino & Yusuke Okada Vs Daisuke Sasaki, KANON & Bryan Keith (w/ MJ Paul)
3. MAO Birthday Commemorative Match: MAO & TAKA Michinoku Vs Chris Brookes & Masahiro Takanashi
4. Special Single Match: KONOSUKE TAKESHITA Vs Naruki Doi
5. Yukio Sakaguchi Korakuen Final Match ~ Special Single Match: Yukio Sakaguchi Vs Hideki Okatani
5. KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles – DEAD OR ALIVE Contra DEAD OR ALIVE: Jun Akiyama, Danshoku Dieno & Makoto Oishi (c) Vs Hikaru Sato, Kazusada Higuchi & Ryo Kawamura
6. DDT Extreme Title: Kazuki Hirata (c) Vs Shunma Katsumata
7. KO-D Openweight Title: Yuki Ueno (c) Vs Yukio Naya

It is on short notice but we are only getting a few more Yukio Sakaguchi matches until he retires next month. One of his requests is to have a singles match against Hideki Okatani. Now that Eruption has ended Sakaguchi wants to see for himself just how much Okatani has progressed as he starts the next chapter of his career.

Kojima’s injury has led to Shinichiro Kawamatsu getting booked for his first wrestling match of the year.

DDT “INTO THE FIGHT 2024 TOUR IN NAGANO”, 04/02/2024
Nagano Act Hall

1. Special Tag Match: Yukio Sakaguchi & Antonio Honda Vs Kazuki Hirata & Kazusada Higuchi
2. Nagano Specialty Special 6-Man Tag Match: Jun Akiyama, Toru Owashi & Yoshihiko Vs Danshoku Dieno, Makoto Oishi & Tetsuya Endo

Another match being specially put together for Sakaguchi is a tag match involving some of his favorite people to wrestle with. He and Kazusada Higuchi always hit hard as tag partners and opponents. Antonio Honda and Kazuki Hirata are at the opposite end of the scale. Their comedy antics always made Sakaguchi laugh.

DDT “INTO THE FIGHT 2024 TOUR IN SHINJUKU”, 07/02/2024
Shinjuku FACE

1. Yukio Sakaguchi Retirement Match: Yukio Sakaguchi Vs HARASHIMA

Sakaguchi chose HARASHIMA to be his opponent for his retirement match.

Ryuki Honda and Yuma Anzai from All Japan will both be on the show.

DDT “DDT GOES PHILADELPHIA!”, 04/04/2024
Penns Landing Caterers Auditorium, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA

Talent announced for the show so far are Yuki Ueno, MAO, Kazuki Hirata, Konosuke Takeshita, Tetsuya Endo, Daisuke Sasaki, Chris Brookes, Shunma Katsumata, KANON, Takeshi Masada and Yoshihiko.

DDT “D-OH GRAND PRIX 2023 THE FINAL” Results

DDT “D-OH GRAND PRIX 2023 THE FINAL”, 03/01/2024
Tokyo Korakuen Hall
1,194 Fans – Super No Vacancy

1. Daisuke Sasaki, KANON & MJ Paul defeated Soma Takao, Yuki Iino & Yuni when KANON submitted Takao with the Cobra Twist 2.0 (8:15).
2. Jun Akiyama & Makoto Oishi defeated Yusuke Okada & Kazuma Sumi when Oishi submitted Sumi with the Fujiyama Knee Lock (7:42).
3. Special Tag Match ~ Shunma Katsumata Return Match: Shunma Katsumata & Toy Kojima defeated Yukio Sakaguchi & Hideki Okatani when Kojima pinned Okatani with a Modified Facebuster (9:37).
4. HARASHIMA, Toru Owashi & Kazuki Hirata defeated Sanshiro Takagi, Akito & Antonio Honda when Hirata pinned Honda with the Miracle One Shot Cradle (12:05).
5. Special Tag Match ~ DDT Vs AJPW: Jun Saito & Rei Saito defeated Kazusada Higuchi & Rukiya when Rei pinned Rukiya with the Saito Iginari Smash (11:40).
-. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title: Kuroshio TOKYO Japan defeated Christmas Tree (c) by Pinfall (8:11 pm).
*Kuroshio TOKYO Japan becomes the 1,600th champion.
6. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title: Kuroshio TOKYO Japan defeated Danshoku Dieno with the Ikemenrana (12:31).
*V1 for Kuroshio TOKYO Japan.
7. The 37KAMIINA Vs SCHADENFREUDE International!: Yuki Ueno & Yuki Iino defeated Masahiro Takanashi & Takeshi Masada when Ueno pinned Masada with the Jul.2 (10:28).
8. D-Oh Grand Prix 2023 – Final: Yukio Naya defeated Tetsuya Endo with The World’s Best Back Drop (26:59).

At the end of 2022 Yukio Naya made it all the way to the D-Ou Grand Prix final but could not win the tournament. He made it his goal to do one better in the 2023 Grand Prix and right here at the start of 2024 he achieved it! Tetsuya Endo was also determined to win today’s final but he couldn’t defeat Naya even with Exploder Suplexes, Spinning Torture Rack Bombs and Burning Star Presses. The last move in particular was blocked by Naya and served him the opening to take over the match. Endo relied on Rolling Chops to try and get back into it but Naya cut him off with Knee Lifts and a Choke Slam for a nearfall. Naya then overpowered Endo with The World’s Best Back Drop to put him away and win the Grand Prix!

Naya burst into tears after the match when Kenta Kobashi presented him with the trophy and posed with him for a photo. Naya thanked everyone for supporting him from his family to everyone in DDT. This means so much to him because a few years ago nobody ever thought he could compete at this level. He still has one dream that hasn’t come true yet and that is to win the KO-D Openweight Title! He called Yuki Ueno down to the ring and challenged him for the championship so everyone will see who really is the strongest in DDT. Ueno accepted but told him the title should be held by the most interesting guy in DDT. The title match will take place at Korakuen Hall on 28th January.

As for Endo, he thought 2024 was going to start out well for him because he was on the winning team of the Shuffle 6-Man Tag Tournament on New Year’s Eve. But after losing to Naya today he now feels like he fell to the bottom of DDT and has to climb out of Hell. Then suddenly backstage Daisuke Sasaki approached Endo after his post-match interview with the media. Sasaki explained the reason why Endo lost today is because he did not have Jun Akiyama next to him. But that also means there is nothing tying down Endo anymore either. Sasaki suggested that Endo does not need BURNING anymore and they should go change the world together. But before Endo could respond, Sasaki told him to relax and think about what he just said because they will see each other again soon.

Ueno was meant to team with MAO in the semi-main event but MAO had fever symptoms and was pulled from the show. Parts of the card were changed around and Ueno got to team with Yuki Iino instead. Masahiro Takanashi & Takeshi Masada jumped them early but Ueno & Iino quickly rallied together. Things went pair shaped when Iino’s Lariat missed Masada and hit Ueno by mistake. Masada tried to capitalise but Ueno held on until he could counter attack and pin Masada with the Jul.2. The result left SCHADENFREUDE International feeling disappointed because Chris Brookes was in attendance for the first time since getting his surgery. Brookes suggested they disband right away but everyone else convinced him not to. Instead they figured out Masada can get revenge on Ueno beating him today by pinning him for the KO-D 10-Man Tag Team Titles in two days time!

After Danshoku Dieno made his entrance to the ring for his match, footage was shown of Kuroshio TOKYO Japan and Seigo Tachibana hanging out backstage. They opened a nearby locker and out fell the Christmas Tree that won the Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title on Christmas Eve! Tachibana decided to pin the tree but Kuroshio stopped him and stole the pin to become the champion instead. Kuroshio then forced Tachibana to get into the ring with Dieno while he completed his long and elaborate entrance. Dieno kept Tachibana in the Lip Lock while Kuroshio pranced around the audience until his theme song looped back to the beginning. He finally attacked Dieno to start the match and they brawled through the crowd with the back of their tights all pulled down. The fight went up to the commentary table where Kenta Kobashi was seated. Dieno tried to stumble over for a kiss but Kobashi sent him away with a Chop. The match returned to the ring where Tachibana tried to get involved again. He ended up getting a water bottle shoved up his rear by Dieno that Kuroshio then had to pull out. Makoto Oishi forcibly filled Dieno’s mouth with wasabi but the Lip Lock missed Kuroshio and landed on Tachibana instead. Kuroshio then rubbed the wasabi onto his crotch and pinned Dieno with a Hurricanrana to retain the Iron Man Title. Backstage he admitted he doesn’t even know what this championship is. He likes it but wants to win a proper title as well as compete in DDT more often in 2024.

If DDT thought they were now safe from The Saito Brothers bringing them doom then they are sorely mistaken. Rei Saito had one more appearance left for them and this time he brought along his brother Jun Saito. The two of them fought Kazuasada Higuchi & Rukiya. Higuchi did a good job handling them in the ring but it was a more difficult challenge for Rukiya. In the end they just couldn’t handle so much doom. Jun used a Lariat to take out Higuchi and then The Saito Brothers together threw down Rukiya with a Double Choke Slam for the win. Rei said next time he is going to beat up Rukiya even more! Jun however showed interest in seeing Higuchi show up in All Japan some day. Apparently Higuchi and The Saito Brothers already have a history together going back to their sumo days over a decade ago.

For the final time the three main members of DISASTER BOX all teamed together and they finished the occasion with a win. Toru Owashi brought along the lucha to fight Akito while HARASHIMA suddenly had bad flashbacks when Sanshiro Takagi started using Hiroshi Tanahashi’s moves on him to celebrate the New Japan wrestler’s promotion to company president. Antonio Honda relied on Gongitsune like he always does but Kazuki Hirata’s eyes were protected by his Hirata GO! glasses. The deflected attack allowed Hirata to pin Honda with the Miracle One Shot Cradle.

After the match HARASHIMA told the others DISASTER BOX is going away but it will always feel like the unit is still around whenever they are together. They all left the ring together when Shunma Katsumata suddenly ran out and dragged Hirata back into the ring. Without taking any breaths Katsumata challenged Hirata for the DDT Extreme Title. He was the previous champion who had to vacate the title due to injury but admitted Hirata has become the kind of Extreme Champion he always wanted to be. They agreed to have the title match on 28th January.

Katsumata’s challenge came shorty after his return match from injury. He teamed with Toy Kojima to take on Eruption. He made sure to start off the match against Hideki Okatani and even thanked him for waiting all this time for him to return. But it was Kojima who stole the spotlight by using a new Spinning Flapjack move to pin Okatani for the 3 count. After a brief staredown with Yukio Sakaguchi, Kojima told Eruption this will be the same when they fight in the exploding death match on 14th January! Katsumata said now that he’s back, The 37KAMIINA will make DDT more hotter than ever!

Jun Akiyama & Makoto Oishi gave Kazuma Sumi a tough night in the ring. Yusuke Okada was there to help out until he missed a Diving Headbutt aimed for Akiyama. Sumi found his second wind and used Oishi as a footstep to Dropkick Akiyama off the ring apron. However Oishi dodged the Mickey Boomerang and planed Sumi with the Miracle Ecstasy. That would have been the end but Akiyama pushed Oishi away during the pin and gave Sumi an Exploder Suplex as payback for the Dropkick. Oishi then made Sumi tap out to the Fujiyama Knee Lock.

DAMNATION T.A now find themselves in the midst of a KO-D Tag Team Titles shot after they won the opening match. Sasaki took out Yuni with a Spear and then tricked the referee into distracting Shota because he was holding a chair. While that was going on Sasaki hit Soma Takao with another chair and KANON applied the Cobra Twist 2.0 for the submission win. Afterwards KANON wished ROMANCE DAWN to have a miserable new year and declared himself and Sasaki as their next challengers. The two sides agreed to have the match on 21st January. Sasaki insulted Shota for claiming he is a part of the Young Communication generation. According to Sasaki, Shota was only a supporting role and that name should only be used for the likes of Shigehiro Irie and Keisuke Ishii!

The first DDT show of the year means a lot of big announcements to get through along with other major news stories. First, the DDT Vs All Japan rivalry will continue throughout 2024. Ryuki Honda and Yuma Anzai will be at the 7th February DDT show in Shinjuku. Then on 17th March at DDT’s 27th Anniversary show Konosuke Takeshita will face Yuma Aoyagi one on one! Aoyagi was in attendance to greet the fans after the announcement. He hoped Takeshita would be here too but he has to wait until 17th March to show Takeshita his own Dramatic Dream. Later backstage Aoyagi told reporters he would also like to face Yuki Ueno for the KO-D Title too!

Kaisei Takechi sent in a video to promote his pro wrestling debut on 25th February. The celebrity who is part of THE RAMPAGE from EXILE TRIBE told fans he worked with DDT wrestlers during the filming of Fukumen D and felt indebted to them. He is very happy to repay them by doing this match. This is just his first step into the pro wrestling world and he is honored to do it on such a wonderful stage.

Student pro wrestler Tsubasa Suzuki has applied to DDT as an intern wrestler. He will debut on the 27th Anniversary show on 17th March. Suzuki comes from Hitotsubashi University World Pro Wrestling Alliance and previously appeared on DDT shows a year ago under the ring name “Mother’s Child” Mazakon Kid. The point of an internship is so students can get work experience before starting their careers so he will wrestle on DDT shows for a certain amount of time. At the end DDT will talk with Suzuki and decide if he can join the company. Suzuki told the fans he is the world’s first intern wrestler and promises to do his best to become a beloved member of DDT. He likes high flying wrestling and has a lot of respect for Kota Ibushi and Naomichi Marufuji (bad timing to bring those two names up) so he thinks it will be great if he could become like them (hopefully not in their present forms).

Miu Watanabe appeared in the ring to promote tomorrow’s annual Ittenyon show for Tokyo Joshi Pro. She will be part of the 3 Way Tag Match to determine the new Princess Tag Team Champions.

During the show’s opening ceremony Yoshitatsu appeared and announced he will become a regular part of DDT shows starting on 5th January. The wrestler had just left All Japan over the new year. He said when he fought in DDT a couple of times in 2023 it reminded him of the fun side of pro wrestling that he had forgotten. One match he had with Jun Akiyama in particular stood out for him and he would like to have more tough battles against him. Also DDT working with Chris Jericho and Matt Cardona who he both knew from WWE made it an appealing place for him to look for an opportunity.

Chris Brookes told the fans he would like to come back from his surgery as soon as possible. He feels fine physically but does not know when he can return to wrestling again yet.

The last piece of news came after the show had ended. Sanshiro Takagi announced to reporters he will be taking an indefinite break as a pro wrestler after DDT’s Sumo Hall show on 21st July. He is doing this for several reasons from taking care of his health to concentrating more on managing Cyberfight. He also said he will soon need to begin the process of finding his successor because he believes current management across Japan’s pro wrestling industry is aging out. This is not intended to be him retiring from the ring because he will start wrestling again when his health improves. However he does not know when that will happen which is why he saved this announcement for the media after the show. He may go into more details later this week.