What’s up? I’ve been forcing myself to watch mostly-depressing empty arena wrestling for the past three months, so you better believe I’ll be reviewing the first Japanese wrestling show with crowd to make tape since the pandemic started. Even if it’s a random DDT house show.
Danshoku Dino & Antonio Honda vs. Hiroshi Yamato & Keigo Nakamura
If you thought Dino’s shtick couldn’t get any more uncomfortable, you were wrong! No better way to introduce crowds back into pro-wrestling than having Dino kiss fans through a face shield. Dino’s non-consensual intercourse-based offense clashed with Yamato’s legendary X technique for most of the match and it was a lot bullshit, BUT I must put in a good word for young Keigo Nakamura. Great fire and some impressive springboarding abilities for his low level of experience. Honda was also there and threw some decent WWE punches amidst his usual fourth-wall breaking routine. *1/2
MAO & Mizuki Watase vs. Shunma Katsumata & Yuki Iino
Watase seems to have adopted a bunch of Jun Akiyama offense from his recent training sessions (Calf branding, Front necklock). Good for him. The way the match evolved from house show comedy non-sense to midcard mini-banger with full on All Japan throwdowns and NXT superkick pastiche was pretty fascinating. Not the most coherent piece of wrestling ever, but very true to the spirit of DDT. Always gotta have a slice of non-sense with your bangers. I feel like Katsumata and MAO’s interactions are based off years of inside jokes that I don’t have the context for, but they are somewhat amusing nonetheless. **1/4
Akito vs. Makoto Oishi
These two went for a full-on technical wrestling clinic and it was allright. A mix of fairly basic hold-trading and genuinely inspired counters made up the match. Oishi’s cross kneebar out of a Miracle Ecstasy kickout (shoutout to my boy MEN’s Teioh) and Akito’s ability to apply a Figure 4 out of impossibly wacky angles were clear highlights. I’m struggling to remember much else outside of a COVID-based escape from Makoto that even the DDT faithful seemed to consider borderline. Decent wrestling was decent. **1/4
Yukio Sakaguchi & Saki Akai vs. Yukio Naya & Hideki Okatani
Okatani is DDT’s latest rookie and I have nothing but respect for his very 2005 KENTA ring gear. He was the focal point of the match, receiving a king-sized ass whooping at the hands of Eruption and their nasty soccer kicks. The whole thing had a much more physical edge than any other match on the card so far and I dug it a lot. Yukio Naya has insane potential and could be a major player if he keeps improving and becoming more natural in the ring. He was already coming off as a monster threat in this match, manhandling Saki and trading shots with Sakaguchi. **3/4
Chris Brookes vs. Mad Paulie
A bit on the long side, but I was pleasantly surprised by this one. Brookes has been hit and miss with me so far in DDT, but I thought he did good here and put together a more cohesive performance than in his matches with Takeshita and Sasaki. Mad Paulie’s not the greatest Vader stand-in, but his big man shtick forced Brookes to work smarter and lay off the trendy indie shit. Lotta’ selling, hard forearms and well-timed comebacks. Good Back Luck Fale G1 match vibes throughout – complete with unnecessary run-in spot for the finish. ***
HARASHIMA & Kazuki Hirata vs. Toru Owashi & Naomi Yoshimura
I’ve been hitting the DDT/Wrestle Universe back catalogue throughout the pandemic and it has really helped me turn the corner on HARASHIMA. I’ve always had a soft spot for wholesome hero figures, so I’m not sure what was holding me back but watching him Ace it up throughout the history of DDT has officially made me a FAN. Can’t believe I’m wasting my HARASHIMA coming out on a throwaway Disaster Box comedy match but it’s too late now. This wasn’t what you’d call a great professional wrestling match but Hirata’s Magnum TOKYO spots still crack me up so I am giving this TWO STARS. **
Konosuke Takeshita, Yuki Ueno & Kazusada Higuchi vs. Tetsuya Endo, Daisuke Sasaki & Takao Soma
This felt like the DDT version of the All Japan quarantine 6-man draw from a few months ago. And I mean this as a compliment. A super long crowd-pleaser of a multiman tag with everyone working hard and supplying a shitload of professional wrestling to the starved masses. Lots of quality bits spread throughout the match (holy shit @ the Takeshita pop-up Powerbomb into Ueno missile dropkick), but the main focus was on Endo/Ueno and I couldn’t have been happier. These two had an empty arena banger on the last DDT TV show and followed up here with the same kind of energy. Ueno’s natural babyface fire really brings out the mean streak in Endo and that makes him a more compelling champion. I’ve often been on the fence with Endo, as he can be somewhat flash over substance, but this new rivalry is bringing out the raw emotion from him and I’m here for it. Ueno dropping him with his brand new death move just as the time limit expired was genius booking. Bring on the rematch, baby. ***1/2
