Tag: DDT

DDT’s monthly tour-ending big event, GOD BLESS DDT 2023, is on tap today as the promotion’s final mid-major event before their Ryogoku Kokugikan blowout event in a few weeks. As their KO-D Openweight Championship match draws closer, Chris Brookes & Yuki Ueno will be on opposite sides in the main event, while in the co-main event there is potentially a double title match. DDT Extreme Champion Kazuki Hirata defends the title against Takeshi Masada in what is basically going to be a comedy match, but if Masada is still the DDT Iron Man Heavymetalweight Champion at match time this will be for both titles. But given the latter title’s 24/7 stip things could change last-second…and you never know what could happen before, during, and even after the match! Also, a day after losing the All-Japan 6-Man Tag Team Championship in probably her last appearance int he promotion, Saki Akai returns for one more 10th Anniversary match as her retirement draws ever closer, this time teaming with Sendai Girls standout Chihiro Hashimoto to face Eruption factionmates Yukio Sakaguchi & Hideki Okatani.

Today’s event will be held at Korakuen Hall in Tokyo and can be watched LIVE on WRESTLE UNIVERSE in Japanese FOR FREE! No account or paid subscription required! It will also be available on demand for free for non-subscribers for a few weeks. There is a pre-show match scheduled for 15-20 minutes before the event begins. With that match included I anticipate today’s event having a total running time of just under 3 hours.

Click below to watch the event live & on demand on WRESTLE UNIVERSE:
https://www.wrestle-universe.com/en/lives/fqoaQKyWnAn8VAMBFXyWeR

Today’s lineup:
Pre-show:
Takao Soma & Yuni vs. Masa Takanashi & Antonio Honda

Main show:
MIKAMI vs. Kazuma Sumi
Daisuke Sasaki, MJ Paul & KANON vs. Tetsuya Endo, Toi Kojima & Rukiya
Yukio Naya vs. Yuya Koroku
Jun Akiyama, Danshoku Dieno & Yusuke Okada vs. Kazusada Higuchi, Makoto Oishi & Akito
Yukio Sakaguchi & Hideki Okatani vs. Saki Akai & Chihiro Hashimoto
DDT Extreme Champion Kazuki Hirata vs. DDT Iron Man Heavymetalweight Champion Takeshi Masada for the titles. Subject to change if Masada is not Iron Man champion at match time
Chris Brookes & HARASHIMA vs. Yuki Ueno & MAO

Refresh this page occasionally for the latest results.

Updates below will begin at 7 PM PT/10 PM ET. The pre-show match is scheduled to begin at 7:15 PM PT/10:15 PM ET.

7 PM PT UPDATE: The live stream has launched. We’ll be going to the venue in a few minutes.

7:16 PM PT UPDATE: Live updates begin now…

We are LIVE from Korakuen Hall in Tokyo, Japan. Your hosts are Ken Kato & Kagehiro Osano.

The paid attendance will be announced after the event. The crowd is still filing in but as has been the case for a while they’re using the smaller opposite-side configuration with about 2/3 of the bleacher seats curtained off. That will keep the numbers down from what New Japan and All-Japan usually do now, so it’ll probably be 550-600. (UPDATE: The announced paid attendance was 800)

Pre-show match: Takao Soma & Yuni vs. Masa Takanashi & Antonio Honda. 15 minute time limit
Result; Masa Takanashi & Antonio Honda beat Takao Soma & Yuni. Honda pinned Yuni with a bridge.

Updates will resume when the main show begins in a few minutes (pre-show match ends at 7:27 PM PT).

Main show:
The matches begin at 7:35 PM PT. Your hosts are Ken Kato & Kagehiro Osano with special guest Shunma Katsumata.
Match 1: MIKAMI (Independent/Freelancer) vs. Kazuma Sumi. 30 minute time limit
Result: MIKAMI beat Kazuma Sumi. Afterwards, MIKAMI with microphone. It sounded like he issued a challenge for the DDT Extreme Championship. Side note: MIKAMI was part of the very frist DDT event on 3/25/1997.

The D KING GP 2023 participants are announced:
Block A: Yuki Ueno, Tetsuya Endo, Kazusada Higuchi, Daisuke Sasaki, HARASHIMA, Yuki Iino
Block B: Chris Brookes, MAO, Yukio Naya, KANON, Kazuki Hirata, and…from All-Japan Pro Wrestling…Rei Saito!
The tournament starts on 11/26 at Korakuen then continues on 12/2 & 12/3 at Shinjuku Face, 12/9 & 12/26 elsewhere, then 12/24 at Korakuen with the Finals at DDT’s 2024 opener on 1/3 at Korakuen.

Your new host is Haruo Murata.

Match 2: Daisuke Sasaki, MJ Paul & KANON vs. Tetsuya Endo, Toi Kojima & Rukiya. 30 minute time limit
Result; Daisuke Sasaki, MJ Paul & KANON beat Tetsuya Endo, Toi Kojima & Rukiya. KANON pinned Rukiya after Sleepy Hollow. Afterwards, Sasaki with microphone. He issued a challenge to Endo for next month’s Ryogoku event, sounds like a Damnation T.A. vs. Burning match in some form. Sounds like perhaps a 6-man tag.

GM Imabayashi introduces the former Ikemen Jiro (Jiro Kuroshio), who was recently released by WWE. Mentions of perhaps an Extreme Title challenge, that brings out Takeshi Masada. Imabayashi makes Kuroshio-Masada for Kuroshio’s Japan return match at Ryogoku. (Update from the end of the show: Kuroshio will now be known as Kuroshio Tokyo Japan)

Match 3: Yukio Naya vs. Yuya Koroku. 30 minute time limit
Result: No Contest. Jun & Rei Saito interference. They laid out Naya and posed over hm until HARASHIMA quickly made the save. Afterwards, Rei Saito with microphone. Challenge issued for Ryogoku and beyond. They’re going to meet in the D KING GP as both are in Block B.

Katsumata leaves commentary before the next match.

Match 4: Jun Akiyama, Danshoku Dieno & Yusuke Okada vs. Kazusada Higuchi, Makoto Oishi & Akito. 30 minute time limit
Before the match began, a comedy promo led to a last-second change: Okada & Oishi swapped sides for the match.
Result: Jun Akiyama, Danshoku Dieno & Makoto Oishi beat Kazusada Higuchi, Yusuke Okada & Akito. Dieno pinned Akito after Danshoku Driver. And of course Dieno being goaded into Pheromones Still Gonna Pheromones. Afterwards, Oishi with microphone for some comedy with Dieno & a rather reluctant Akiyama.

Chris Jericho promo. Pre-recorded and in English for his match against Konosuke Takeshita on 11/12 at Ryogoku Kokugikan. Jericho claims it will be the best match Takeshita has ever had in his career and he will leave knowing Jericho is the greatest of all time.

Quick break for some GM Imabayashi announcements.

Match 5: Saki Akai 10th Anniversary Match 4: Yukio Sakaguchi & Hideki Okatani vs. Saki Akai & Chihiro Hashimoto (Sendai Girls). 30 minute time limit
Result: Yukio Sakaguchi & Hideki Okatani beat Saki Akai & Chihiro Hashimoto. Sakaguchi pinned Akai after God’s Right Knee. Afterwards, Sakaguchi with microphone. He showed Hashimoto respect then let her return the favor. Hashimoto then put Akai over before leaving Eruption together in the ring. Sakaguchi spoke a little more before Akai got the microphone, she was very emotional during her speaking. She put DDT over and thanked everyone for their support to wrap it all up. This probably is her final Korakuen match in DDT as she has only 3 weeks left until she retires and her last match period at the iconic venue will probably be Friday when she faces Yuki Arai in Tokyo Joshi Pro.

Match 6: DDT Extreme Champion Kazuki Hirata vs. DDT Iron Man Heavymetalweight Champion Takeshi Masada for the titles. 1 Hour time limit
Result: DDT Extreme Champion Kazuki Hirata beat DDT Iron Man Heavymetalweight Champion Takeshi Masada by countout. As a result, both retain the titles. V4 for Hirata. Ridiculous comedy match involving Jenga, basketball and more. Which led to…
Kazuki Hirata beat DDT Iron Man Heavymetalweight Champion Takeshi Masada to win the title. Hirata becomes the 1583rd DDT Iron Man Heavymetalweight Champion. Afterwards, Hirata with microphone. He called out Hiromu Takahashi. Which led to…
Hiromu Takahashi (New Japan) beat DDT Iron Man Heavymetalweight Champion Kazuki Hirata to win the title. Takahashi becomes the 1584th Champion. After this, Takahashi with microphone while Hirata threw a pure comedy tantrum in the ring. Long comedy promo after which Hirata tried to win it back but only managed a pair of 2 counts as he chased Takahashi throughout the venue with referee Daisuke Kiso trying to keep up. Updates to follow? In the meantime, Moving On…

Ken Kato & Toru Owashi join Kagehiro Osano on commentary the rest of the way.

Main Event: Chris Brookes & HARASHIMA vs. Yuki Ueno & MAO. 30 minute time limit
Result: Chris Brookes & HARASHIMA beat Yuki Ueno & MAO. Brookes pinned Ueno after Praying Mantis Bomb.

The event wraps up with the full 11/12 card:
5 Team Time Delayed Battle Royal: KANON & MJ Paul, Naruki Doi & Kazuma Sumi, Yusuke Okada & Yuya Koroku, Toi Kojima & Yuki Ishida, Yuni & Rukiya
Tokyo Joshi Pro Provided Match Yuki Arai, Moka Miyamoto & Shino Suzuki vs. Suzume, Arisu Endo & Wakana Uehara
Sanshiro Takagi, Makoto Oishi, Akito & Shinichiro Kawamatsu (the current wrestling Japanese politician) vs. Yoshitatsu, Yoshihiko, Danshoku Dieno & Super Sasadango Machine
Jun Akiyama, HARASHIMA & Yukio Naya vs. Jun & Rei Saito & Toshizo
Kuroshio Tokyo Japan (Kiro Kuroshio) vs. Takeshi Masada
Daisuke Sasaki vs. Tetsuya Endo
KO-D Tag Team Champions Takao Soma & Shota vs. Masa Takanashi & Antonio Honda for the titles
DDT Iron Man Heavymetalweight Champion Hiromu Takahashi vs. Kazuki Hirata for the title (as always, subject to change)
DDT Universal Champion Matt Cardona vs. MAO for the title
Saki Akai Retirement Match: Yukio Sakaguchi, Saki Akai & Hideki Okatani vs. Naomichi Marufuji, Miyu Yamashita & Kazusada Higuchi
Chris Jericho vs. Konosuke Takeshita
KO-D Openweight Champion Chris Brookes vs. Yuki Ueno for the title
ULTIMATE PARTY 2023 will begin on 11/11 at 9 PM PT/midnight ET LIVE on WRESTLE UNIVERSE.

The next event is a special mini-event on 10/29 at JR Omori Station East Exit Plaza in Tokyo. This will be weather permitting as it will be an outdoor event so if there is heavy rain, it will be cancelled. The only match announced so far is World Omori Champion Takao Soma vs. TBA for the title. There will be no live broadcast.

The next “regular” event is 11/3 at Shinjuku Face with an All-Asia Tag Team Championship match and the final Saki Akai 10th Anniversary match, which will be Akai vs. Kazuki Hirata in what will also be the final single match of her career. Broadcast plans TBA. If it does stream live on WRESTLE UNIVERSE, the broadcast will begin on 11/2 at 8 PM PT/11 PM ET.

BREAKING-DDT has just announced that EVERYONE will be able to watch this Sunday’s Korakuen Hall event live and on demand on WRESTLE UNIVERSE FOR FREE! No WRESTLE UNIVERSE subscription or payment required! It will be available on demand for free until November 18. The live broadcast will begin Saturday at around 7:15 PM PT/10:15 PM ET. Live results will be posted here.

Also being made available FOR FREE is the 11/3/2019 Ryogoku Kokugikan event.

DDT announced today that, while not happening yet, the KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Championship will soon be VACANT. Current champions Yukio Sakaguchi, Saki Akai & Hideki Okatani will give up the titles on 11/12 because Akai will retire that day and no more defenses are scheduled before then. Determination tournament to crown new champions will be held on 11/16.

More as it becomes available.

(Side note: They also hold the All-Japan 6-Man Tag Team Championship and are scheduled to defend that title Saturday)

DDT continued the GOD BLESS DDT 2023 Tour today with the second half of their weekend doubleheader in Hokkaido.

Today’s event was held at Sapporo E-One Arena in Hokkaido and will be available on demand on WRESTLE UNIVERSE at a later date (likely Wednesday). There was no live broadcast.

The announced paid attendance was 284, a full house/near sellout.

During the opening announcements, they announced the return dates to Sapporo will be 4/28 & 4/29 at Sapporo Sunplaza Kanae-ma.

Match 1: Yusuke Okada beat Danshoku Dieno.

Match 2: Daisuke Sasaki & KANON beat Yukio Naya & Yuya Koroku. KANON pinned Koroku after Vietnam Driver 2.

Match 3: Takaaki Iwasaki & MAO beat HARASHIMA & Rukiya. Iwasaki beat Rukiya with a Texas Cloverleaf.

Match 4: Tetsuya Endo, Jun Akiyama & Takashi Yoshida (Dragon Gate) beat Kazuki Hirata, Totake-yu (? That unknown guy from yesterday) & Kazuma Sumo. Yoshida pinned Sumi after Authorized Lightning Leg Lariat.

Match 5: KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Champions Yukio Sakaguchi, Saki Akai & Hideki Okatani beat Sanshiro Takagi, Makoto Oishi & Akito to retain the titles. Sakaguchi pinned Akito after God’s Right Knee. V5 for the champs.

Main Event: Chris Brookes & Takeshi Masada beat Kazusada Higuchi & Toi Kojima. Brookes pinned Kojima after Praying Mantis Bomb.

During the post-main event winners promo to end the show…

MAO beat DDT Iron Man Heavymetalweight Champion Takeshi Masada to win the title. MAO becomes the 1581st Champion.

The next event is…but wait, about 25 minutes later after all the fans had left and the ring was taken down, and during some backstage video filming…

Takeshi Masada beat DDT Iron Man Heavymetalweight Champion MAO to win the title. Masada becomes the 1582nd Champion. One of the reasons I love DDT-the 24/7 nature of the title. As long as a referee is present, anyone-or anything-can win it!

The next event is GOD BLESS DDT 2023 on 10/22 at Korakuen Hall in Tokyo. Live streaming on WRESTLE UNIVERSE will begin Saturday at 7:30 PM PT/10:30 PM ET, but this is subject to change-it may be moved up because there is a pre-show dark match on the card. Live results are scheduled. The card is subject to change if Masada loses the Iron Man Championship again as he is to defend against DDT Extreme Champion Kazuki Hirata in a match for both titles. If Masada loses the belt beforehand, the match will only be for the Extreme Championship.

DDT continued the GOD BLESS DDT 2023 Tour today with the first part of a weekend doubleheader in Hokkaido.

Today’s event was held at Sapporo E-One Arena in Hokkaido and will be available on demand on WRESTLE UNIVERSE at a later date (likely Tuesday). There was no live broadcast.

The announced paid attendance was 233.

There were some last-minute changes to the card due to no Yuki Ueno. Fever. Also out tomorrow.

Match 1: Akito beat Danshoku Dieno.

Match 2: Daisuke Sasaki & KANON beat Takuya Tou (?) & Yusuke Okada. Sasaki beat Okada with a crossface.

Match 3: Yukio Sakaguchi, Saki Akai & Hideki Okatani beat Sanshiro Takagi, Makoto Oishi & Kazuma Sumi. Sakaguchi beat Oishi with a modified triangle choke.

Match 4: Kazusada Higuchi & Takeshi Masada beat TakaakI Iwasaki & Rukiya. Higuchi pinned Rukiya after Doctor Bomb.

Match 5: Tetsuya Endo & Takashi Yoshida (Dragon Gate) beat Jun Akiyama & Yuya Koroku. Endo pinned Koroku after Burning Star Press.

Main Event: Chris Brookes, HARASHIMA & Kazuki Hirata beat MAO, Yukio Naya & Toi Kojima. Brookes pinned Kojima after Praying Mantis Bomb.

The next event is tomorrow with a KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Championship match. There will be no live broadcast.

There is still something going around Japan when it comes to illnesses/injuries, and it has DDT’d DDT again as they announced Yuki Ueno is now on the sidelines. Fever. Out this weekend (2 events). Shouldn’t miss time beyond that but it’s not good timing as he’s next up for KO-D Openweight Champion Chris Brookes.

More as it becomes available.

DDT ran 2 events yesterday and today, continuing the GOD BLESS DDT 2023 Tour yesterday and following up with a free mini-event today.

Yesterday’s event was held at Sanjo City Welfare Hall in Niigata and will be available on demand on WRESTLE UNIVERSE at a later date. There was no live broadcast.

The announced paid attendance was 253, a full house/near sellout.

Match 1: Yusuke Okada beat Rukiya.

Match 2: Daisuke Sasaki & KANON beat Takeshi Masada & Kazuma Sumi. KANON pinned Sumi after Sleepy Hollow.

Match 3: Super Sasadango Machine beat Danshoku DIeno & Kazuki Hirata in a 3-way by pinning Dieno. Sanjo City Mayor Ryo Takizawa, in attendance for the event, interfered to help Machine win. Machine headbutted the Mayor then and demanded a match, which did not happen.

Match 4: Yukio Naya beat MJ Paul.

Match 5: Yukio Sakaguchi & Hideki Okatani beat Tetsuya Endo & Yuya Koroku. Okatani pinned Koroku with a double arm suplex.

Match 6: All-Asia Tag Team Champions Jun Akiyama & Kotaro Suzuki beat Takao Omori & Yoshitatsu (All-Japan) to retain the titles. Akiyama pinned Omori after a wrist-clutch Exploder. V1 for the champs. Next up: Sakaguchi & Okatani. That match will happen on 11/3 at Shinjuku Face in Tokyo and will be held under PWF (All-Japan) Rules.

Main Event: Yuki Ueno, MAO & Toi Kojima beat HARASHIMA, Kazusada Higuchi & Akito. Ueno pinned Akito after WR.

Today’s event was held at Akos Event Square in Saitama and should be available on demand on WRESTLE UNIVERSE at a later date. There was no live broadcast.

The attendance was not announced because this was a free event. It was also an outdoor event.

Match 1: Yukio Sakaguchi, Saki Akai & Hideki Okatani beat Kazuki Hirata, Danshoku Dieno & Kazuma Sumi. Okatani pinned Sumi with a double arm suplex.

Match 2: Tetsuya Endo, Jun Akiyama, Yusuke Okada & Yuya Koroku beat Akito, Yukio Naya, Takeshi Masada & Rukiya. Endo pinned Rukiya after a swiveling torture rack bomb.

Match 3: HARASHIMA, Kazusada Higuchi & Antonio Honda beat Yuki Ueno, MAO & Toi Kojima. HARASHIMA pinned Kojima after Blue Sword. HARASHIMA was presented with a special sponsor prize afterwards for being the winner.

The next event is Saturday at Sapporo E-One Arena in Hokkaido for a weekend doubleheader. There will be no live broadcasts.

DDT has announced the full card for their 11/12 blowout event at Ryogoku Kokugikan in Tokyo, which is also the Saki Akai Retirement Event. Akai’s final match will be a loaded trios match as she teams with Eruption factionmates Yukio Sakaguchi & Hideki Okatani to face a CyberFight all-star trio of Naomichi Marufuji from Pro Wresting NOAH, Miyu Yamashita from Tokyo Joshi Pro, and Kazusada Higuchi.

The full card:
KANON & MJ Paul vs. Naruki Doi & Kazuma Sumi, Yusuke Okada & Yuya Koroku, Toi Kojima & Yuki Ishida and Takeshi Masada & Rukiya in a 5-way
Tokyo Joshi Pro 6-woman tag match. Participants will be announced at 10/9 TJPW event
Sanshiro Takagi, Akito, Makoto Oishi & Shinichiro Kawamatsu vs. Yoshitatsu, Yoshihiko, Danshoku Dieno & Super Sasadango Machine
Jun Akiyama, HARASHIMA & Yukio Naya vs. Toshizo, Jun & Rei Saito (All-Japan)
Daisuke Sasaki vs. Tetsuya Endo
Hiromu Takahashi (New Japan) vs. Kazuki Hirata
KO-D Tag Team Champions Takao Soma & Shota vs. Masa Takanashi & Antonio Honda for the titles
DDT Universal Champion Matt Cardona vs. MAO for the title
Saki Akai Retirement Match-“Strong, Noble, Beautiful”-Saki Akai, Yukio Sakaguchi & Hideki Okatani vs. Naomichi Marufuji, Miyu Yamashita & Kazusada Higuchi
Chris Jericho (All Elite Wrestling) vs. Konosuke Takeshita
KO-D Openweight Champion Chris Brookes vs. Yuki Ueno for the title

DDT began the GOD BLESS SDT 2023 Tour today with what was billed as the farewell event for the Pheromones as they had to disband after today. Whether or not that’s good is up to you.

Today’s event was held at Shinjuku Face in Tokyo and can be watched on demand on WRESTE UNIVERSE.

The announced paid attendance was 436, a super full house/very near sellout.

The main event was changed from an 8-man tag to a handicap match ahead of time because of a Koju Takeda injury.

Match 1: Takeshi Masada & Kazuma Sumo beat Kazuki Hirata & Makoto Oishi, with Masada pinning Hirata to win the DDT Iron Man Heavymetalweight Championship. Masada becomes the 1580th Champion. This set up a double title match on 10/22.

Match 2: Jun Akiyama, Yusuke Okada & Yuya Koroku beat Hideki Okatani, Yukio Naya & Rukiya. Okada pinned Rukiya after Sudden Death.

Match 3: Tetsuya Endo & Kazusada Higuchi beat Daisuke Sasaki & MJ Paul. Higuchi pinned Paul after Brain Claw Slam.

Match 4: Yukio Sakaguchi & Saki Akai beat HARASHIMA & Gota Ihashi. Sakaguchi pinned Ihashi after New Face Award. Afterwards, Akai chose Sanshiro Takagi, Akito & Makoto Oishi to get the next KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Championship match. That match will happen on 10/15 in Hokkaido.

Match 5: Takao Soma & Shota beat KO-D Tag Team Champions Minoru Fujita & KANON to win the titles. Soma & Shota become the 80th KO-D Tag Team Champions. Shota beat Fujita with Gannosuke Clutch. Next up: Masa Takanashi & Antonio Honda. That match will happen on 11/12 at Ryogoku Kokugikan.

Main Event: Pheromones Final-In a Handicap Match, Yuki Iino, Danshoku Dieno & Yumehito Imanari vs. Akito, Yuki Ueno, MAO & Toi Kojima went to a no contest. GM Imabayashi stoppage. Which led to…
Impromptu Match: Yuki Iino beat GM Imabayashi by submission in 58 seconds. This may not be the end of those deplorable Pheromons as Akito declared a “Pheromone Trial” will begin at midnight tonight (8 AM PT/11 AM ET today). Check the YouTube and the socials…may be the end, may not be…

The next event is Saturday at Sanjo City Welfare Hall in Niigata. There will be no live broadcast.

In a post he made on Japanese micro-blogging service Note, which I loosely translated after DDT shared it on social media, Yumehito Imanari says he is leaving CyberFight Corporation, the owner of DDT, Ganbare Pro, Tokyo Joshi Pro and Pro Wrestling NOAH. However, his post suggests he is only stepping away from backstage & production roles he held and will still be part of Ganbare as a wrestler (where he was not one of those deplorable Pheromones like in DDT).

Imanari noted he would like to work as a freelance video artist & director (he did a lot of that with DDT after joining them in 2010) but was also considering taking a break from work and wrestling, which would only be in Ganbare for now. Imanari was seen on this week’s All Elite Wrestling “AEW Dynamite” program when he & Kota Ibushi were attacked at Ibushi’s dojo in Japan by Don Callis & Konosuke Takeshita ahead of Ibushi appearing Sunday at the WrestleDream event.

Imanari has at least one more match ahead in DDT, the final Pheromones match Wednesday before they must disband (the group was Imanari, Yuki Iino, Danshoku Dieno and, more recently on occasion, Koju Takeda, who is from the 666 promotion).