Tag: DDT

DDT held MEGA MAX BUMP 2023, their annual Golden Week blowout event, today in Yokohama and it was, well, DDT.

Today’s event was held at Yokohama Budokan in Yokohama and can be watched on demand on WRESTLE UNIVERSE. You can also watch up to the second main show match FOR FREE on YouTube.

The announced paid attendance was 1160. Although it only has a capacity of 3000, and was probably smaller with the setup, same-day ticket sales ads made it sound like the gate/attendance was not that good.

Pre-Show:
Match 1: Yumehito Imanari beat Rukiya.
Match 2: Illusion beat Danshoku Dieno.
Match 3: Koju Takeda beat Yuki Ishida.

Main Show:

Match 1: Yuya Koroku & Sotatsu Nakamura beat Toui Kojima & Kazuma Sumi. Koroku pinned Sumi after a deformed Triangle Lancer.

Match 2: Saki Akai beat Rayne Leverkusen.

Match 3: Daisuke Sasaki, MJ Paul & Minoru Fujita beat Takao Soma, Yusuke Okada & Diego. Sasaki beat Diego with a crossface. Diego was a late replacement for Keigo Nakamura, who is out due to injury.

Match 4: In a Dance vs. Kickboxing Match scheduled for 15 2-minute rounds, Hikaru Machida beat Kazuki Hirata by TKO in 7 seconds. Which led to…
Match 4 (again): In a Dance vs. Kickboxing Match scheduled for 15 2-minute rounds, Kazuki Hirata beat Hikaru Machida. Tokyo Joshi Pro Wrestling ring announcer Sayuri Namba was the special ring card girl (which she also is part-time for MMA and boxing events in Japan).

Match 5: Chiitan⭐️ Debut Match: Chiitan⭐️, Toru Owashi & Akito beat Chris Brookes, Masa Takanashi & Antonio Honda. Chiitan⭐️ pinned Honda after Shining Wizard. Post-match happenings involving Pocotan led to Akito making a giant costume mascot match for 5/13.

Match 6: Yuki Ueno & Yuni beat Van Vert Jacques & Takeshi Masada. Ueno pinned Masada after a rolling guillotine Ace Crusher. Jacques was a replacement for Nick Wayne, who missed the event due to visa issues (announced well in advance).

Match 7: In a TLC (Toys, Ladders, Chairs) Match, Shunma Katsumata beat DDT Extreme Champion Jun Akiyama to win the title. Katsumata becomes the 57th DDT Extreme Champion. Toui Kojima interference helped set it up. Apparently Akiyama had been referring to Kojima as “Toy”, intentionally misspelling his first name. This all led to Akiyama-Kojima being made for 5/28 at Yokohama Budokan.

Match 8: Kazusada Higuchi, Yukio Sakaguchi, Naruki Doi & KANON beat Sanshiro Takagi, HARASHIMA, Kotaro Suzuki & Hideki Okatani. Sakaguchi pinned Okatani after God’s Right Knee.

Match 9: DDT Universal Champion Tetsuya Endo beat MAO to retain the title. V1 for Endo.

Main Event: KO-D Openweight Champion Yuji Hino beat Yuki Iino to retain the title. V2 for Hino.

Big announcements made for the future included an unnamed former WWE superstar appearing at WRESTLE PETER PAN on 7/23, to be revealed at Korakuen Hall later this month, and a Ryogoku Kokugikan return date for a big event on 11/12.

The next event is the KING OF DDT 2023 Tournament Round 1 Saturday at Shinjuku Face in Tokyo. Live streaming on WRESTLE UNIVERSE will begin Friday at 11 PM ET/8 PM PT. Live results here are scheduled for the event.

DDT wrapped up the Road To MAX BUMP Tour today with their last event in April to kick off Golden Week.

Today’s event was held at Create Hamamatsu Hall in Shizuoka and will be available on demand on WRESTLE UNIVERSE at a later date. There was no live broadcast.

The announced paid attendance was 172, a full house/near sellout. It’s a very small venue.

Match 1: Yusuke Okada beat Kazuma Sumi.

Match 2: Daisuke Sasaki & KANON beat Hideki Okatani & Rukiya. KANON beat Rukiya with a cobra twist.

Match 3: Antonio Honda, Takeshi Masada & Rayne Leverkusen beat Toru Owashi, Kazuki Hirata & Mari Manji (?). Leverkusen pinned Hirata after Scara Special.

Match 4: HARASHIMA, Yukio Sakaguchi & Hiroshi Yamato beat Kazusada Higuchi, Chris Brookes & Yuki Ishida. Sakaguchi pinned Ishida after God’s Right Knee.

Match 5: Yuki Iino & Danshoku Dieno beat Yuji Hino & Makoto Oishi. Iino pinned Oishi.

Main Event: MAO, Shunma Katsumata & Yuki Ueno beat Tetsuya Endo, Jun Akiyama & Yuya Koroku. Katsumata pinned Koroku after Totonoe Splash.

The next event is MEGA MAX BUMP 2023 in YOKOHAMA, the annual Golden Week blowout event, Wednesday at Yokohama Budokan in Yokohama. Live streaming on WRESTLE UNIVERSE will begin Tuesday at 10 PM PT/1 AM ET. Kenta Kobashi will be a guest on commentary.

DDT continued their current tour today with a house show in Osaka.

Today’s event was held at 176BOX in Osaka and will be available on demand on WRESTLE UNIVERSE at a later date. There was no live broadcast.

The announced paid attendance was 286, a super full house/very near sellout.

Match 1: Hideki Okatani beat Rukiya. On a side note, DDT mentioned in the opening notes that Rukiya apparently grew up just steps away from the venue (where his family home is, in walking distance).

Match 2: Yuki Iino & Danshoku Dieno beat Makoto Oishi & Kazuma Sumi. Iino pinned Sumi after Argentine Backbreaker.

Match 3: Chris Brookes, Saki & His Excellency Tsuten (?) beat Toru Owashi, Rayne Leverkusen & Kazuki Hirata. Brookes pinned Hirata after Praying Mantis Bomb.

Match 4: Daisuke Sasaki, MJ Pawl & KANON beat Naruki Doi, Yuni & Takeshi Masada. Sasaki beat Yuni with a crossface.

Match 5: Jun Akiyama & Yusuke Okada beat Shunma Katsumata & Kazusada Higuchi. Akiyama pinned Katsumata after Exploder.

Match 6: Yuji Hino & Yukio Sakaguchi beat HARASHIMA & Yuki Ishida. Hino beat Ishida with King Kong sleeper.

Main Event: MAO & Yuki Ueno beat Tetsuya Endo & Yuya Koroku. MAO pinned Koroku after an avalanche Michinoku Driver 2.

The next event is tomorrow at Create Hamamatsu Hall in Shizuoka. There will be no live broadcast.

An injury update from DDT: Keigo Nakamura, who has been out recently with a concussion but was to have returned this Saturday, will not return to action as planned. Right knee ligament and meniscus damage from an old injury that flared up recently. Out indefinitely but will be gone “for a while”. No new return date set but this sounds like weeks if not months.

More as it becomes available.

DDT held a special outdoor event today with the theme of Fish vs. Meat. Mmmm…tasty. The vendor/market where the event was held was today’s sponsor.

Today’s event was held at Shibushi City “Eel station” special venue in Kagoshima and will be available on demand on WRESTLE UNIVERSE at a later date. There was no live broadcast.

The announced paid attendance was 400, a legit sellout.

Match 1: Yusuke Okada beat Takeshi Masada.

Match 2: Makoto Oishi, Saki Akai & Hideki Okatani beat Shunma Katsumata, Rayne Leverkusen & Kazuki Hirata. Akai pinned Hirata after Quetzalcoatl.

Match 3: Daisuke Sasaki & KANON beat MAO & Toui Kojima. KANON pinned Kojima after Sleepy Hollow.

Match 4: Yuki Iino & Danshoku Dieno beat Yuji Hino & Kazuma Sumi. Iino beat Sumi with a dragon sleeper.

Match 5: Shiro Koshinaka, Toru Owashi & Yukio Sakaguchi beat Tetsuya Endo, Sanshiro Takagi & Yuya Koroku. Koshinaga pinned Koroku after a diving hip attack.

Main Event: Shishamo Power, Eel Mask & Super Eel Mask beat Jun AKiyama, Kazusada Higuchi & Yuki Ishida. Super Eel Mask pinned Ishida after Super Eel Splash. Fish beats Meat today.

The next event is Saturday at 176BOX in Osaka. There will be no live broadcast.

DDT continued the Road to MAX BUMP 2023 Tour today with a house show in Fukuoka.

Today’s event was held at Kasuga General Sports Center in Fukuoka and will be available on demand on WRESTLE UNIVERSE at a later date (probably Tuesday). There was no live broadcast.

The announced paid attendance was 196.

Match 1: Daisuke Sasaki & KANON beat Azure Dragon (Independent/Freelancer) & Rukiya. Sasaki pinned Rukiya.

Match 2: Akito & Takeshi Masada beat Sanshiro Takagi & Kazuki Hirata. Akito beat Hirata with Gedo Clutch. In just 11 seconds. Which led to…
Match 2 (again): Akito & Takeshi Masada beat Sanshiro Takagi & Kazuki Hirata. Masada pinned Hirata after Samurai Driver ’01.

Match 3: Yukio Sakaguchi, Saki Akai & Hideki Okatani beat Yusuke Okada, Rayne Leverkusen & Kazuma Sumi. Okatani pinned Sumi after a double arm suplex. Leverkusen is the niece (I believe) of one of the members of legendary heavy metal band Iron Maiden.

Match 4: Yuki (NOT SEXY!) Iino & Dansoku Dieno vs. HARASHIMA & Toru Owashi went to a no contest. Out of control.

Match 5: Yuji Hino & Makoto Oishi beat Kazusada Higuchi & Yuki Ishida. Hino beat Ishida with a King Kong sleeper.

Main Event: Tetsuya Endo, Jun Akiyama & Yuya Koroku beat MAO, Shunma Katsumata & Toui Kojima. Endo pinned Kojima after Burning Star Press.

The next event is “Shibushi fish meat decisive battle @ eel station” tomorrow at Shibushi City “Eel Station” special venue in Kagoshima. There will be no live broadcast.

DDT has announced changes to the 5/3 major event lineup today, and teen phenom fans will be disappointed: Nick Wayne, a hot teen independent star in the US who is about to turn 18 and then debut in All Elite Wrestling, who was to make his Japan debut on 5/3, is now off. Visa issues. Delays mean he won’t get it in time. He was to have teamed with Takeshi Masada to face Yuki Ueno & Muko (?). Vanvert Jacques, 17, is the replacement.

Continuing the build to their 5/3 event, DDT has added Sunday’s DRAMATIC EXPLOSION event to YouTube FOR FREE for a limited time. Check it out below:

The event is also available on demand on WRESTLE UNIVERSE.

To promote their upcoming Golden Week blowout event in May, DDT is posting a couple of recent events to YouTube FOR FREE for now. First up is Saturday’s (4/15) event from Shinjuku Face in Tokyo, which can be watched below:

This will only be on YouTube for a limited time. If you are a WRESTLE UNIVERSE subscriber you can also watch this event on the service on demand, along with the 4/15 DRAMATIC EXPLOSION in NIIGATA event. The promo shot of Takeshi Masada taking an exploding bat shot used is PRICELESS.