Konosuke Takeshita vs. Yuki Ueno – D-Oh Grand Prix (Finals)
DDT’s two biggest stories of the year coming to a head in a blockbuster tournament final with all the bells and whistles. In 2021, we saw Takeshita reclaim his Ace status by defeating Akiyama and wipe out all opposition in every conceivable tournament. We also saw Ueno rise to main event status via a beloved Universal title reign that racked up a large amount of star ratings.
The pre-match package put a bow on an already compelling storyline by presenting Take and Ueno as real-life high school buddies. Turns out Take was already an overachiever way back then because of course he was! Having looked up to Takeshita as a big brother/rival figure since the dawn of time, Ueno now found himself in the perfect position to make a statement and carve a permanent spot in the DDT uppercard.
Easier said then done. Before and after the match, both guys spent some time on social media hyping up this meeting as Chapter 1 of the Take/Ueno story. Yep, these boys seem to have cooked up a long-term Misawa/Kawada-type multi-year rivalry and this came off as the perfect grand opening – the part where Ueno realizes he might’ve bitten off more than he can chew.
In what was probably his best performance of the year, Takeshita wrestled like the ultimate superhuman Ace. Not only stone-walling Ueno and making him struggle for every scrap of offense, but also literally working over him with ANTONIO INOKI submissions. The message was loud and clear, this was Take telling Ueno ‘’I’m the guy to beat and you’re not there yet’’.
Obviously, wholesome boy Ueno was the ideal counterpart for Take’s monstrous tour de force as Jumbo Tsuruta On Crack. All fighting spirit, desperation and babyface likability – Ueno threw everything at his fellow sauna enthusiast but still came up short. It made for a hell of a match tough. The kind of match you might want to show to a DDT skeptic, as it took the videogame insanity of the Takeshita/Endo series and beefed it up with time-tested Japanese wrasslin’ classicism.
Like an augmented version of Take’s recent title defense against Chris Brookes, it felt like completely cutting-edge wrestling with actual heart and emotion. There were Ultra Hurricanrana’s and Brainbusters to the floor, but ultimately the match was about a guy trying to make an impression on his cooler, ridiculously-overpowered high school buddy. The Dramatic Dream, baby. ****1/2
