DDT runs their monthly major event today, this month finishing up the “WHO’S GONNA TOP? 2022” tour with an event headlined by a pair of big title matches. First up, DDT Universal Champion Yuki Ueno defends against the oddly artistic Cara Noir in perhaps an offbeat battle of the best entrances in the promotion (Noir’s Black Swan-esque entrance may be longer than the actual match!). Then, in the main event, KO-D Openweight Champion Kazusada Higuchi continues his flag-bearing path of wanting the best and getting the best as he defends the title against former champion Konosuke Takeshita.
Today’s event will be held at Korakuen Hall in Tokyo and can be watched LIVE on WRESTLE UNIVERSE in Japanese and English. Japanese anime voice actress Mayu Iizuka returns as a guest on Japanese commentary for the second consecutive live broadcast after being a guest at last week’s Jun Akiyama 30th Anniversary event. The English commentary team will be Baliyan Akki & Christelle Ciari. There is a pre-show dark match scheduled 20 minutes before the event that likely will be part of the live broadcast so if you want to possibly catch that match, tune in when the live stream launches.
Today’s lineup:
Pre-show Match: Hideki Okatani & Toui Kojima vs. Yuya Koroku & Yuki Ishida
Main Show:
MAO, Asuka (Veny) & Saki Akai vs. Toru Owashi, Kazuki Hirata & Antonio Honda
Shinya Aoki vs. Shunma Katsumata & Yuki Iino for Aoki’s “Money In The Bank” NFT that allows the holder to challenge for any DDT title anytime, anywhere
Osamu Nishimura & Shinichiro Kawamatsu vs. Akito & Yukio Naya
Daisuke Sasaki, Minoru Fujita & KANON vs. Naomi Yoshimura, Yuji Hino & Makoto Oishi
Tetsuya Endo, Jun Akiyama, Yusuke Okada & Takeshi Masada vs. Sanshiro Takagi, HARASHIMA, Yukio Sakaguchi & Takao Soma
DDT Universal Champion Yuki Ueno vs. Cara Noir for the title
KO-D Openweight Champion Kazusada Higuchi vs. Konosuke Takeshita for the title
Refresh this page occasionally for the latest results.
Updates below will begin at 10 PM ET/7 PM PT. The pre-show match is scheduled to begin at 10:10 PM ET/7:10 PM PT.
10 PM ET UPDATE: Live updates begin below.
The stream has launched. The pre-show match should begin in 10 minutes.
The paid attendance will be announced after the event. Because vocal cheering/support is allowed, capacity will be limited to 50% so if it sells out it will only be in the 600-700 range.
10:10 PM ET UPDATE: We are LIVE from Korakuen Hall in Tokyo, Japan. Your Japanese hosts are Ken Kato, Kagehiro Osano & Mayu Iizuka. Your English hosts are Baliyan Akki & Christelle Ciari.
Pre-show Match: Hideki Okatani & Toui Kojima vs. Yuya Koroku & Yuki Ishida. 10 minute time limit
Result: Hideki Okatani & Toui Kojima beat Yuya Koroku & Yuki Ishida. Okatani pinned Ishida after a double arm suplex.
Updates will resume when the main show’s first match begins, which should be in 15-20 minutes (as of 10:20 PM ET). Your new Japanese host is Haruo Murata, replacing Ken Kato, alongside Kagehiro Osano & Mayu Iizuka.
During GM Imabayashi’s opening announcements, Sumi Kazuma, a new rookie wrestler, is introduced. His Debut Match will be 10/23 against Kazuki Hirata.
On 12/21 at Korakuen Hall there will be a Danshoku Dieno 20th Anniversary event. And a book release is coming.
Main show:
Match 1: MAO, Asuka (Veny) & Saki Akai vs. Toru Owashi, Kazuki Hirata & Antonio Honda. 30 minute time limit
Result: MAO, Asuka & Saki Akai beat Toru Owashi, Kazuki Hirata & Antonio Honda. Akai pinned Honda after New Face Award at the end of a hilarious comedy sequence.
Match 2: Shinya Aoki vs. Shunma Katsumata & Yuki Iino in a 3-way for Aoki’s “Money In The Bank” NFT that allows the holder to challenge for any DDT title anytime, anywhere. 30 minute time limit
Result: Shinya Aoki beat Shunma Katsumata & Yuki Iino by pinning Katsumata to retain the NFT. Aoki won after turning himself into one of the Pheromones to cap what of course was a ridiculous comedy match. But that’s what makes DDT what it is.
The D KING GRAND PRIX Participants are announced: Yuki Ueno, Naomi Yoshimura, Joey Janela, Tetsuya Endo, Daisuke Sasaki and RSP (Rickey Shane Page) in Block A, Kazusada HIguchi, Chris Brookes, MAO, Yuji Hino, KANON and Yukio Naya in Block B. The tournament takes place over 7 events starting 11/1 and ending on 12/4, both those events are at Korakuen. Kenta Kobashi will be the D KING GRAND PRIX chairman.
Match 3: Osamu Nishimura & Shinichiro Kawamatsu (the wrestling politicians!) vs. Akito & Yukio Naya. 30 minute time limit
Result: Akito & Yukio Naya beat Osamu Nishimura & Shinichiro Kawamatsu. Naya beat Kawamatsu with a standing cobra twist.
Match 4: Daisuke Sasaki, Minoru Fujita & KANON vs. Naomi Yoshimura, Yuji Hino & Makoto Oishi. 30 minute time limit
Result: Daisuke Sasaki, Minoru Fujita & KANON beat Naomi Yoshimura, Yuji Hino & Makoto Oishi. Sasaki beat Oishi with a crossface. Afterwards, Sasaki & KANON beat down Oishi until Shiori Asahi returned with a skateboard to make the save.
Match 5: Tetsuya Endo, Jun Akiyama, Yusuke Okada & Takeshi Masada vs. Sanshiro Takagi, HARASHIMA, Yukio Sakaguchi & Takao Soma. 30 minute time limit
Result: Sanshiro Takagi, HARASHIMA, Yukio Sakaguchi & Takao Soma beat Tetsuya Endo, Jun Akiyama, Yusuke Okada & Takeshi Masada. Sakaguchi pinned Okada after a jumping knee strike.
Match 6: DDT Universal Champion Yuki Ueno vs. Cara Noir for the title. 1 Hour time limit
Result: DDT Universal Champion Yuki Ueno beat Cara Noir to retain the title. V1 for Ueno. Next up: One of those despicable Pheromones, namely Koju Takeda, who was not there but delivered a challenge via an iPhone transported in Yuki Iino’s butt. Seriously. GM Imabayashi made it official.
Main Event: KO-D Openweight Champion Kazusada Higuchi vs. Konosuke Takeshita for the title. 1 Hour time limit
Result: KO-D Openweight Champion Kazusada Higuchi beat Konosuke Takeshita to retain the title. V2 for Higuchi. (This would seem to give weight to rumors I read on US news sites earlier in the day that Takeshita may be returning to All Elite Wrestling in October, plus his not being in the D KING GRAND PRIX) Next up: Possibly Shinya Aoki. He came out to give Higuchi a fist bump before leaving. Could be cashing in the NFT soon for a title shot. Or not. Because next up will be…Yukio Sakaguchi. That will happen at an upcoming Korakuen event, , which could be 10/12 or 10/23…the latter is Higuchi’s birthday. Updates will follow but remember Higuchi left Sakaguchi’s Eruption faction when he won the title earlier this year by winning the KING OF DDT Tournament. Now Sakaguchi wants his.
The next event is a Tetsuya Endo Homecoming & 10th Anniversary Event on 10/2 at Shiroishi White Cube in Miyagi. There will be no live broadcast.
UPDATE: The announced paid attendance was 701, a legit sellout.
Both title matches coming out of this-Ueno-Iino for the Universal Championship and Higuchi-Sakaguchi for the KO-D Openweight Championship-will happen on 10/23 at Korakuen.
