DDT Goes Las Vegas: And They Go It Well

DDT Goes Las Vegas
Date: April 18, 2025
Location: Palms Casino Resort, Las Vegas, Nevada
Commentators: Dave Prazak, Nick Knowledge, Jordan Castle

This is from DDT Pro Wrestling out of Japan and that could go in a few directions. The problem here comes down to how over the top and insane things will get. There has been some great wrestling on these shows but there have also been some things that make me want to move on to anything else. That could make things interesting so let’s get to it.

Starboy Charlie vs. Yuni

These two would go on to team together the next day at TJPW vs. DDT vs. GCW. They take their time to start until Yuni flips out of an early headlock. Charlie flips away too and throws in some air guitar for visual accompaniment. That takes us to another standoff, with Yuni flipping away again. A headscissors sends Charlie outside, naturally with a moonsault taking him out. Back in and Yuni misses a moonsault, allowing Charlie to come back with a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker.

The surfboard goes on for a bit until Charlie gets two, only to get caught with a nice dropkick. A reverse dropkick in the corner sets up a running hurricanrana into a kind of jumping leg attack (a kick would be a stretch) for two. Charlie is back up with a Gory Bomb for two but Yuni grabs a tornado DDT. That just earns him a release Rock Bottom into a corkscrew moonsault for…well the bell rings but it was only two. Charlie goes up and gets caught with a dropkick. Yuni gets caught with a super atomic drop though and a shooting star press finishes for Charlie at 8:39.

Rating: C+. Good, fun opener here and that’s a smart idea. Charlie is a bit of an odd guy but he can do the flips and dives, which is what you want in a spot like this. They did well enough here without going too long, making it a good choice for the opener without going too hard to take away from later in the card.

Dan The Dad/Kody Lane vs. Daisuke Sasaki/Ilusion vs. Mizuki Watase/Shota

Dan The Dad is a great dad, complete with shorts and a coffee mug. He and Lane also come out to Born To Run so they have something going for them. Ilusion and Shota start things off with Ilusion’s wristlock not getting her very far. A jumping back elbow drops Ilusion and it’s off to Watase for a slingshot hilo. Dan comes in (with coffee) and gets wristlocked by Sasaki but manages to grab a springboard armdrag (while taking a sip and not spilling a drop).

Sasaki grabs a beer and they have a toast, with Sasaki spitting beer into Dan’s face. Then Dan loses his glasses and gets more spit in the eyes. Ilusion comes in with a missile dropkick and stomps away, with Dan having to drop his mug. Those monsters. Something like a What’s Up has Dan down again and it’s Ilusion coming in with a slingshot hilo of his own. Dan fights his way out of the corner though and grabs the mug, which is enough to give him a recharge.

A rolling tag brings in Lane to clean house, including a springboard moonsault to take out Sasaki and Ilusion. Shota gets caught in an Alley Oop (and a good one at that) but Saskai drops Lane. Watase slaps Sasaki in the face but it’s too early for Shota’s frog splash. Dan orders Shota off the top rope (safety first), earning some arguing and a tornado DDT. Lane makes the save and pulls Watase outside, only to get dropped by Shota’s dive.

Ilusion dives off the top onto the pile and Dan goes up, with Lane having to save him from Sasaki’s superplex. Instead Dan takes off his glasses and hits a running Doomsday Device to the floor. A Backpack Stunner plants Shota for two with Watase having to make the save. Dan and Watase slug it out and Lane comes in with a one footed Lionsault. Ilusion Swantons Dan though and La Mistica into a crossface makes Dan tap at 13:07.

Rating: B-. I had fun with it as you had Dan doing his goofy stuff and the others being there for the serious side. That’s what you need every so often as Dan and Lane were enough of a wacky team to make this work. Sasaki and Ilusion are good villains and the action was fast paced enough with just a right amount of comedy. Fun match.

Santana Jackson vs. Antonio Honda

Jackson is a Michael Jackson impersonator and Honda is a bald guy who doesn’t have the best coordination. Prazak: “Annie if you are ok, use the hashtag DDTVegas and let us know.” They lock up to start and Jackson dances away, including a crotch grab. The test of strength is teased and Jackson keeps switching hands, sending Honda into a fit. Jackson’s dancing makes Honda dance and he wants a timeout.

It’s actually a ruse though, with Honda hitting him in the throat to take over. Honda stomps him in the ribs for two and gets annoyed that it wasn’t enough. Back up and Honda hammers away and tries a Flip Flop and Fly, only for Jackson to dance his way out and whip out a glittery white glove for the big right hand. The Moonwalk DDT (What else?) is broken up though as Honda sends him to the floor, only to fall down on the dive attempt.

Honda grabs the mic and talks about how his knees are crying…just like George Harrison’s guitar. He wants to tell us an important story though (this is a thing with him) and holds up a Too Sweet sign, saying it was a fox. Since he came to Las Vegas, he wanted to go to Caesar’s Palace but went to the wrong place, which was apparently Caesar’s penis. Then he hits Jackson in the face to take over.

Jackson makes him twist his own nipples but Honda gets in a knockdown of his own. The middle rope fist drop sends Jackson outside, where he rolls underneath the ring. Then he comes out in a red jacket and wearing a werewolf mask, because it’s close to midnight. A spear sets up a Thriller Elbow into the Moonwalk DDT for the pin at 9:15.

Rating: C+. This is going to be a case where your entire enjoyment of the match is going to depend on what you think of the gimmick. It’s a one note gag, but Jackson was really good at what he was doing. I’m not sure what the deal is with Honda, but he certainly has something to him. It might not be a good something, though it’s definitely there. Total comedy match and I was amused enough.

WXW World Title: 1 Called Manders vs. Yukio Naya

Naya, a rather muscular guy, is defending. The running shoulders don’t go anywhere at first but Naya manages to knock him down and take over. They seem to enjoy the exchange of chops until some big kicks drop Manders again. This gives commentary the chance to talk about the sumo background of Naya’s family, which seems to be quite the lineage. A hard kick to the back gives Naya one and a middle rope elbow is twice as successful.

Manders tries to come back with chops but they just seem to annoy Naya even more. A running dropkick works a bit better and he fires off a running clothesline in the corner. The powerslam out of the corner gets two but the lariat is cut off. Manders strikes away until the lariat is countered into a left handed chokeslam for two. Back up and they trade clotheslines until Manders hits his lariat to retain at 9:31.

Rating: B-. This show has been covering a lot of different kinds of matches and this was the hoss fight. They beat each other up for a good while with Manders being overpowered but staying in there long enough until he could get the big shot. There’s something to be said about having two big power guys beat each other up until one of them falls and that’s what we got here.

Tyler Bateman/Marcus Mathers/Gringo Loco vs. Shunma Katsumata/Nick Wayne/Kazuma Sumi

Mathers and Katsumata start things off and we get a pose off. Mathers’ headlock doesn’t get him very far so they try some grappling and flip up to their feet. Loco and Sumi come in with a running shoulder making Sumi nip up. Sumi hits a dropkick and swivels his hips, followed by a rather spinny headscissors to the floor. Wayne tags himself in to cut off a dive though and gets to face Bateman.

Wayne gets beaten down and it’s back to Sumi, with Loco gorilla pressing him. More hip swiveling ensues and it’s back to Mathers for a rather delayed belly to back suplex. Mathers drops Sumi again and hands it off to Loco for a (hip swivel) split legged moonsault and a near fall. Sumi manages a pop up hurricanrana and Katsumata comes in for a double dropkick to Bateman. Wayne’s dragon suplex gets two on Mathers but Mathers is back up with a superkick.

Sumi comes back in and gets caught with a middle rope Stunner with Katsumata having to make the save. Everything breaks down and all six brawl until Mathers and company are superkicked to the floor. Triple dives to the floor take them out again, with Katsumata going back in for an even bigger dive onto everyone else.

Back in and Katsumata misses a top rope splash and Mathers hits a nice Swanton. Loco’s delayed super Falcon Arrow gets two on Sumi with Wayne making his own save. Wayne’s World misses and Bateman plants Wayne with a brainbuster. Mathers hits a jumping cutter on Katsumata but gets taken out by Wayne. Now Wayne’s World can take Bateman out for the pin at 13:36.

Rating: B-. Another fun match here with everyone getting to showcase themselves fairly well. Mathers has been one of the stars of the weekend and Loco is good for his high spots in a match like this. These guys worked well together and this was a nice addition after a couple of singles matches.

Shinya Aoki vs. Timothy Thatcher

Thatcher is in Terry Funk tribute gear and they go straight to the mat for the grappling. That goes nowhere so they get back up and try the grappling again, this time with Thatcher managing to take him down for two. A European clutch gives Aoki two and he pulls Thatcher into something close to a surfboard. That’s broken up and Thatcher grabs a half crab. A bow and arrow has Aoki in trouble until he grabs the nose and goes for the arm.

Thatcher takes him down again and starts in on the arm to no avail. Aoki gets him down but can’t break Thatcher’s bridge, instead getting pulled into a failed cross armbreaker attempt. Something like an Octopus on the mat but Thatcher slips out and bails to the floor for the first time. Thatcher staggers around until Aoki takes him down with a suicide dive. Back in and Thatcher hits a quick piledriver for two but Aoki pops up. A full nelson goes on and Aoki takes him down for the pin at 9:20.

Rating: C+. It’s a different kind of match as they both have grappling backgrounds, but it wasn’t the most exciting match. I do appreciate trying to do something different and it wasn’t like anything else on the show thus far, but it didn’t exactly feel like a pro wrestling match. Not bad and very different, but not my favorite.

DDT Universal Title: Yoshihiko vs. Minoru Suzuki

Suzuki is defending and goes to slap Yoshihiko, who remember is a doll. Stomping ensues and the fans are not pleased with Suzuki’s violence. A big kick sends Yoshihiko into the corner but Yoshihiko gets two off a small package. Suzuki isn’t pleased and hammers away in the corner but Yoshihiko reverses into a guillotine choke. A DDT sends Suzuki outside and it’s a big dive, which goes over Suzuki and lands in the crowd.

Yoshihiko is whipped into a wall and then over some chairs as the violence intensifies. Some slams into various hard objects ensue, followed by some fairly gentle rams into the post. And yes, Yoshihiko is busted open and yes the referee has gloves on. Back in and a leglock has Yoshihiko in more trouble, with the leg being tied around the rope. Suzuki’s running boot in the corner is cut off though and now it’s Yoshihiko with a kneebar. That’s broken up as well so Yoshihiko grabs a Fujiwara armbar, with Suzuki making it over to the ropes.

Back up and Suzuki grabs a choke, with the rope being just too far away. Two arm drops ensue but Suzuki tries the Gotch Style Piledriver instead. That’s countered into a spinning hurricanrana and the cross armbreaker has Suzuki in trouble. Suzuki makes the rope so Yoshihiko goes up, only to have the super hurricanrana countered into a Gotch Style Piledriver to retain at 15:03.

Rating: B-. I won’t say I forgot what I was watching, but it does get kind of entertaining to see Suzuki out there wrestling himself. It’s total insanity but there are some people who can make this kind of thing work. Suzuki did it for fifteen minutes here and honestly, it was fun. I absolutely do not want to see it full time, but for a one off like this, it was good enough. In a weird way that is.

Konosuke Takeshita vs. Mao

They circle each other a bit as commentary explains their history as former stablemates. Mao’s headlock is blocked and Takeshita works on the arm before dropping him with a running shoulder. Mao is back with a dropkick and a kick between the shoulders gets two. That’s fine with Takeshita, who tells him to kick again, only to bring Takeshita up to his feet. A powerbomb out of the corner plants Mao and a second one drops him again, but he backdrops out of the third.

Back up and Takeshita pulls the referee into the way so he can forearm Mao out of the air for two. We hit the chinlock for a bit before Mao is up with a good dropkick to send Takeshita outside. The dive connects and then another one does the same, followed by a reverse cannonball to Takeshita’s back back inside. Back in and Takeshita’s Blue Thunder Bomb is countered with a headlock takeover.

That’s fine with Takeshita, who forearms him in the face and now the Blue Thunder Bomb can connect for two. Back up and they strike it out until Takeshita grabs a brainbuster for another double down. The running knee is cut off and Mao comes back with a Stunner. A spinning kick to the head gets two but Takeshita plants him with a kneeling tombstone on the apron.

Back in and a super brainbuster is countered with a hurricanrana to bring Takeshita down. Takeshita’s big clothesline doesn’t get one but Mao’s running palm strike gets two. Map goes up and tries a flipping dive but Takeshita…well he was supposed to forearm him out of the air but missed. Instead Mao just crashes and Takeshita forearms him down, setting up the running knee. Raging Fire finishes Mao at 17:10.

Rating: B+. I’ve seen Mao a few times and this was by far his best match. Granted it was against Takeshita who could have a good match with a raccoon but dang it was a strong way to close the show. There is apparently a big history here and this felt like a major showdown, which I’m assuming lived up to the hype.

Respect is shown to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. I kept harping on this but I liked the mixture of styles here. Instead of just doing the same matches over and over, we got a bunch of different stuff. Some of it was better than others but they didn’t have anything terrible and the main event was very good. It’s a pretty awesome show and one of the better offerings of the weekend so far.

Results
Starboy Charlie b. Yuni – Shooting star press
Daisuke Sasaki/Ilusion b. Mizuki Watase/Shota and Dan The Dad/Kody Lane – Crossface to Dan
Santana Jackson b. Antonio Honda – Moonwalk DDT
1 Called Manders b. Yukio Naya – Lariat
Shunma Katsumata/Nick Wayne/Kazuma Sumi b. Marcus Mathers/Tyler Bateman/Gringo Loco – Wayne’s World to Bateman
Shinya Aoki b. Timothy Thatcher – Full nelson pin
Minoru Suzuki b. Yoshihiko – Gotch Style Piledriver
Konosuke Takeshita b. Mao – Raging Fire

 

 

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Hall/e/B00E6282W6