GCW/JCW vs. The World
Date: April 4, 2024
Location: Penns Landing Caterers, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Commentators: Nick Knowledge, Veda Scott

As tends to be the case over Wrestlemania Weekend, we have some promotions going to battle for one night. In this case it’s GCW and it’s secondary promotion JCW vs….well everyone else. That could make for quite the series of options, but odds are it’s just anyone who happens to be in town for the weekend. Let’s get to it.

Dig the WCW vs. the World Playstation theme.

Opening sequence.

Jordan Oliver (GCW/JCW) vs. Aigle Blanc (The World)

The fans are rather happy to see Oliver, even as Blanc grabs a hammerlock on him to start. Oliver’s monkey flip is blocked and we get an early standoff. Oliver knocks him out of the air but Blanc anklescissors his way out of an Acid Bomb attempt. Blanc tries a springboard but gets dropkicked out of the air, allowing Oliver to grab a bridging German suplex for two. A tornado DDT is broken up so Oliver goes with a superkick.

Blanc flips out of a German suplex and now the springboard crossbody connects. There’s a suplex for two on Oliver and we slow down a bit. Back up and Oliver strikes away, setting up a springboard tornado DDT for two of his own. Blanc manages to tie him in the ropes for a superkick into a hurricanrana driver. A Coast To Coast and a tombstone give Blanc two and he can’t believe the kickout.

Blanc gets caught on top but fights out of another Acid Bomb, with Oliver getting caught in a twisting superplex instead. Oliver is sent outside but manages to counter a dive into a brainbuster onto the floor. Since this is modern wrestling, Blanc is right back with a lariat to knock Oliver silly.

The Cloud Cutter (middle rope diving cutter) gives Oliver two and now the Acid Bomb (which is a Blackout into a faceplant rather than a flip) gets the same. Back up and Blanc sends Oliver face first into the buckles, setting up a springboard DDT onto the apron. A 450 gives Blanc two but he dives into a cutter, allowing Oliver to hit a super Acid Bomb for the pin at 11:34.

Rating: B. I’ve seen a bit from Oliver before and he’s not bad when he’s getting a chance to show what he can do. That was the case here as this was a rather fun match with both of them getting to do a bunch of stuff. Blanc (whose name means White Eagle) held up his end here too and these guys had a rather entertaining match (assuming you can ignore/accept the lack of selling in a lot of places).

GCW/JCW – 1
The World – 0

Blanc gets a nice ovation.

Griffin McCoy (GCW/JCW) vs. Session Moth Martina (The World)

Before the match, McCoy mocks the fans because he’s a big star but he’s not happy for facing a drunken woman. That’s enough to bring out Martina, complete with the rather energetic entrance to Every Time We Touch. This is more impressive when you consider that this show started around midnight after the first show in the building started at 11am.

Martina passes out during her entrance (it happens occasionally) and is brought back to life thanks to a beer. The bell rings and Martina seems to find McCoy attractive, but would rather do some WRESTLING. They trade waistlocks with Martina gyrating from both directions, earning a slap in the corner. Martina sends him into the buckle and hits a rather long Bronco Buster but accidentally bumps the referee.

McCoy uses the distraction to send Martina into the corner and hammer away, setting up a Helluva Kick. Martina’s come back attempt is cut off by a kick to the chest, followed by another for two. The STF goes on, with Martina crawling towards the corner for a rope…and a beer.

The spitting to the face has McCoy in trouble and a twisting suplex gives Martina two. Back up and McCoy blocks a diving Codebreaker but Martina reverses a belly to back superplex into a sunset bomb. With McCoy on the floor, Martina hits a suicide dive, followed by the Jager Bomb for two back inside. Another middle rope Codebreaker is blocked and McCoy rakes the eyes for the win at 7:48.

Rating: C. This was more about the comedy than anything else and it only kind of worked. I get the idea of putting Martina in a match that is more designed to be fun but this wasn’t exactly funny at times. It didn’t help that the ending was more than than a little weird, with McCoy actually winning with a rake of the eyes. Not a terrible match, but it didn’t click.

GCW/JCW – 2
The World – 0

JCW World Title: Syuri (The World) vs. Masha Slamovich (GCW/JCW)

Slamovich is defending and the referee drops the title as he displays it before the bell. They fight over a lockup to start and then go to the mat with Syuri getting the better of things. Slamovich gets in a takedown of her own and Syuri is a bit impressed. Arm cranking ensues until Syuri reverses into a headlock. They trade armdrags and legsweeps until Slamovich runs her over.

A kick to the back seems to wake Syuri up as she kicks Slamovich down, only to drop down and let Slamovich kick her. That’s fine with Slamovich but Syuri reverses one of the kicks into a dragon screw legwhip. Syuri grabs a sleeper for a good while until Slamovich is able to roll free. Slamovich slams her down out of the corner for two before grabbing a seated abdominal stretch.

The rope gets Syuri out of trouble but Slamovich kicks her down a few times. Syuri fights up and they slug it out, with both of them screaming a lot. The fight goes to Slamovich again and she grabs a half crab, with Syuri having to make the rope. That’s broken up as well and Syuri is back with a faceplant into a sitout bulldog for two. Syuri manages to get to a Disarm-Her but Slamovich makes the rope as well.

Back up and they slowly strike it out, with the forearm exchange going on for a good while. The kicks don’t drop either of them so they both hit running shots against the ropes. Syuri hits a Codebreaker but Slamovich scores with a Shining Wizard and they’re both down. Slamovich goes up so Syuri pulls her down by the arm and grabs a Disarm-Her. That’s broken up so Syuri kicks her in the arm and hits a DDT for two.

A kick to the head gives Syuri two more and the Disarm-Her goes on again. This time it’s Slamovich reversing into a cross armbreaker, which is reversed into a sleeper to put Slamovich back in trouble. With that escaped as well, Slamovich invites some kicks to the chest, one of which she reverses into a kneebar.

We get the ten minutes remaining call as they slug it out from their knees. Slamovich gets the better of things and Air Raid Crashes her into the corner for two. Something like Sister Abigail (complete with kiss) gives Slamovich two and frustration is rapidly setting in. Slamovich grabs a double armbar, with Syuri making it over to the ropes almost immediately.

Back up and Syuri kicks her in the head a few times for two before grabbing the stretch that Dan Severn used to injure D’Lo Brown’s chest. Slamovich makes the rope again and we have less than five minutes to go. Back up and they slowly slug it out, with Slamovich seemingly getting stronger. Slamovich gets the better of things and rolls her around the ring into a near fall.

We hit two minutes left as Syuri gets her own two off a rollup. Slamovich grabs a Fujiwara armbar and cranks on the other arm at the same time to make it even worse. That’s reversed into a cross armbreaker from Syuri as we have thirty seconds left. Syuri gets two off a bridging German suplex so Slamovich does the same. A kick to the head drops Slamovich but time expires at 30:00 (or 30:04 but close enough) for the draw.

Rating: B. They beat the heck out of each other and it was a rather physical fight, though it was pretty clear where they were going about fifteen minutes in. That being said, this made Slamovich feel like quite the star as Syuri’s reputation is more than enough to give Slamovich a rub. Pretty awesome match here, with Slamovich more than holding her own.

Respect is shown post match.

Los Desperados (GCW/JCW) vs. Team Dragon Gate (World)

That would be Arez/Gringo Loco/Latigo vs. Dragon Kid/Shun Skywalker/Yamato. Skywalker and Latigo start things off, with the evil Skywalker not being interested in a handshake. Instead Skywalker grabs a headlock but has a monkey flip attempt countered into a rollup for two. They trade rollups for two each and the fans approve. Latigo flips him off so we’ll try Arez vs. Yamato instead.

A shoulder puts Arez down but he slowly nips up and rolls into an armdrag to put Yamato down. Loco and the Kid come in, with the fans rather approving, including as Loco flips out of an armdrag attempt. Kid grabs a headscissors for some more success and it’s back to Yamato to work on the arm. We cut to Skywalker sitting in the crowd so Yamato hands it off to Kid and goes outside to yell. The distraction lets Loco fight up and Los Desperados get in some stomping.

Skywalker comes back in and gets kicked down, with Arez’s splash giving Latigo two. Kid gets draped over the top for a superkick from Loco, followed by a Liger Bomb for two more. Arez gets to chop Yamato rather hard, before Latigo tries something like Shattered Dreams. Kid manages to fight up and bring Yamato back in as everything breaks down.

Skywalker is willing to come in since everyone is down, with a powerbomb getting two on Arez. Latigo comes back in with a super headscissors to Skywalker and Loco adds a super Vader Bomb for two with Yamato making the save. We get a chop off between Yamato and Arez, with the latter needing a second to shrug off some stinging. Arez comes back with his own chops and Yamto needs a breather for a change.

The chops keep going (we’re a few minutes in now) until Arez hits a Pele Kick. Kid is back in with a tornado DDT for two on Arez and a hurricanrana gets the same on Loco. Latigo makes a fired up comeback and Loco no sells an enziguri from Yamato. A powerbomb/neckbreaker combination puts Yamato down and the spinning moonsault gives Logo the pin at 14:04.

Rating: C+. It picked up near the end but egads there were a lot of slow moments here and they dragged things down. They played up the idea of Los Desperados being a regular team while Team Dragon Gate just happen to work together, which is a fine way to go. Not a great match, but the last few minutes (once the eternal chop off ended) helped a lot.

GCW/JCW – 3
The World – 0

Astronauts/Rina Yamashita (The World) vs. 1 Called Manders/Gahbage Daddies (GCW/JCW)

The Astronauts are Fuminori Abe/Takuya Nomura and the Daddies are Alec Price/Cole Radrick. We get the traditional exchange of middle fingers before the bell and it’s Radrick taking Abe to the mat to start. Abe reverses into a headlock so Radrick reverses into a headlock, only to have Abe kick him in the back.

Rina comes in but the triple knees miss a screaming Radrick. It’s off to Price for a springboard high crossbody to take the Astronauts down. A step up Swanton hits Rina and it’s already off to Manders. A hard kick to the back wakes Rina up but Manders kicks her down again. Manders misses….well commentary calls it “an adorable attempt at a springboard elbow”, which is more than I could tell from whatever he did) before opting to just forearm Rina in the face.

Rina’s testicular claw is blocked so she settles for a slam to the much bigger Manders. Nomura comes in for the kicks in the corner but Manders reverses for some rather loud chops. Nomura’s dropkick gets two but the running kick to the chest is blocked for another hard chop. It’s back to Abe vs. Price, with the former kicking Price down for two. An exchange of shots to the head leave them both down so it’s off to Radrick vs. Rina for the slugout.

A Blue Thunder Bomb gives Radrick two but Rina rises up for a double middle finger and a kick to the head. We get a triple submission, which is broken up so Rina can claw Manders low. Some superkicks put Rina on the floor and Manders hits a dive, with the Dahdies hitting a (rather delayed) dive of their own. Some chairs and a board are brought in but Rina is back in to make a save. Rina’s over the back piledriver gets two on Radrick, who is then Splash Mountained through the board for the pin at 11:07.

Rating: B-. It was more energetic than the previous match and that made things that much better. What mattered here was giving the fans something to energize them a bit more, which is necessary when it’s nearly 2am local time. The Astronauts were a fun team and felt like two guys who knew each other rather well. The Daddies kind of did the same, though it felt more like a makeshift team than anything else.

GCW/JCW – 3
The World – 1

Team GCW/JCW vs. Team World

GCW/JCW – Calvin Tankman, Charlie Tiger, Marcus Mathers, Mike Bailey, Mr. Danger, Terry Yaki, Tony Deppen
The World – Ho Ho Lun, LJ Cleary, Lou Nixon, Mizuki Watase, Ricky Knight Jr., Shota, Yusaka Ito

I’m sure I’ll be able to keep track of this perfectly well. Veda Scott isn’t happy that Bailey, her husband, isn’t wearing his mouthpiece. It’s a brawl to start, with Knowledge accurately calling this a battle royal early on. Cleary and Yaki are left alone in the ring and we’ll go split screen for the sake of sanity. Yaki gets sent into the corner so the World can crush him with various shots.

Cleary’s splash misses though and now it’s his turn to get crushed in the corner, with the rather large Tankman making it worse. Mathers kicks Cleary in the face in the corner for two as this is breaking down into something close to a match. Cleary fights up but opts to fire up the crowd rather than tagging, allowing Danger to dropkick him down. The World comes in to clear things out a bit and it’s Knight tagging himself in for a wishbone on Danger.

A delayed suplex drops Danger again and it’s off to the rather large Nixon for a chop to the back. Lun kicks him in the back for two before Ito comes in to crank on the arm (and scream a lot). Watase drives a top rope knee to the back as the rapid tags continue. Danger strikes his way to his feet though and a double clothesline gives him a breather. Tankman and Knight come in for the slugout, with Knight managing a Samoan drop to put Tankman down.

Bailey dropkicks Knight silly though and it’s a slugout with Watase. We get the required group suplex (it doesn’t really work) with the World getting the better of things. Bailey gets the parade of shots in the corner until Nixon’s GTS sets up Watase’s top rope double stomp for two.

Team GCW/JCW comes back in to clear the ring though and naturally the big dives ensue. A bunch of people huddle on the floor so Tankman can throw Yaki onto them…and then Tankman hits a big flip dive (with rope but close enough) to take everyone down again. Back in and Bailey hits his tornado kick on Watase, leaving Danger to hit a crazy flip dive to the floor. The Ultimate Weapon gives bailey the pin on Watase at 10:54.

Rating: C+. What is there to say about something like this? There were fourteen people in the match at once and it only had ten minutes. There is only so much you can get out of any of this, especially when there was a heat segment on Danger. They did what they could to get that many people included, but it only worked out so well.

GCW/JCW – 4
World – 1

Video on Joey Janela challenging Blake Christian for the GCW World Title at Spring Break. This was some random filler.

Los Macizos (GCW/JCW) vs. Mao/Yoshihiko (World) vs. Boisterous Behavior (GCW/JCW) vs. Norman Harras/Robert Dreissker (World)

Los Macizos are Ciclope/Miedo Extreme and Boisterous Behavior are Leon Slater/Man Like DeReiss. The affiliations here are kind of educated guesses but I can’t imagine it makes that big of a difference. We pause for some dancing, with Yoshihiko patting Slater on the head to start the mind games. Mao carries Yoshihiko around ringside for a bit before chilling on the apron. Dreissker, a rather large man, is not thrilled with any of this and locks up with DeReiss for the first important contact over two minutes in.

They forearm it out until DeReiss manages a knockdown so it’s off to Harras to hit DeReiss in the face. Slater tags himself in for the neckbreaker half of a belly to back suplex/neckbreaker combination. Los Macizos come in to take over on Slater in the corner, with Miedo’s top rope double stomp to the back of the head making it worse. Mao comes in and uses Yoshihiko to trip Ciclope but Harras breaks up the big dive.

Harras slaps Yoshihiko, who is launched hard out into the crowd. Back in and Harras takes over on Los Macizos as Mao brings Yoshihiko back to ringside. Ciclope gets beaten aup as Mao is now giving Yoshihiko CPR. Dreissker hits a splash for two on Ciclope as the fans are only kind of reacting because they’re waiting for the Yoshihiko stuff. Or they’re dead tired because it’s almost 2:30 in the morning.

Ciclope manages a spinebuster on Dreissker though and Miedo comes in with a high crossbody on Dreissker and Harras. Los Macizos hit back to back dives but Mao and Yoshihiko are back in. They’re taken down just as fast but Boisterous Behavior wants in on this too. Behavior is suplexed onto Yoshihiko onto Mao, only to have Behavior get into a fight with Los Macizos. Slater’s big flip dive to the floor takes out Harras and Dreissker and it’s a 3D to Yoshihiko.

A Doomsday Blockbuster gets two on Ciclope but Mao is back in to hit people with Yoshihiko. Ciclope gets taken down with a double hurricanrana and then Yoshihiko is spun around and tossed onto the pile at ringside. Back in and Dreissker powerbombs Yoshihiko and Harras adds a moonsault, only to have Mao come in with a 450 for the save. We get the required Tower Of Doom, with Slater getting the worst of everything.

That leaves Mao to stare DeReiss down and they trade kicks to the head. DeReiss gets Mao in an electric chair and a German suplex brings him down hard. Back in and Los Macizos hit a modified Doomsday Device for two on DeReiss but Harras and Dreissker come in to clean house. Mao and Yoshihiko put Dreissker down with a Rainmaker but Harras German suplexes both of them. Harras only gets one on Yoshihiko so it’s time for some spitting. Yoshihiko makes a comeback and is swung around, knocking down a bunch of people like Terry Funk with a ladder back in the day. Yoshihiko’s hurricanrana pins Harras at 16:34.

Rating: B-. The match was fun for the most part but I’m rather over the Yoshihiko stuff. I know the fans want to see it but after seeing it on multiple shows over multiple days, the joke wears thin rather quickly. That was certainly the case here, as the action would get good but then it had to stop for the sake of that stuff. The rest of the match worked, but egads enough with the same joke already.

GCW/JCW – 4
World – 2

Overall Rating: B. For a show that had a bunch of people crammed onto it and nothing in the way of grudges or storylines, I had a pretty nice time. This show did have a rather awesome mixture of styles and action, thankfully without a lot of the goofy stuff that GCW can be known for. It’s not something I would want to watch every week, but for a special event like this, it went much better than I had been expecting.

 

 

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DDT Goes Philadelphia
Date: April 4, 2024
Location: Penns Landing Caterers, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Commentators: Dave Prazak, Lenny Leonard

So last year, DDT put on a show that had good moments, but it also had more than a few things that made me want to throw my TV through the wall. I’ve seen enough DDT to know that it can be better though so I’ll give it another chance here. There is always the chance that is a terrible idea but let’s get to it.

Note that I do not follow DDT whatsoever so I apologize in advance for missing any storyline or character development bits.

CCK vs. Bryan Keith/Shota

CCK is Chris Brookes/Kid Lykos and they jump Keith and Shota to start fast. Lykos even puts on Keith’s….whatever you call that thing he wears to the ring, earning himself a beating from Keith. A slam puts Lykos down so Shota can add a slingshot hilo. Lykos is right back with a Codebreaker into a backsplash from the rather tall Brookes, followed by a legdrop for two.

Brookes adds some mocking kicks to the face, which fire Shota up enough to hit a quick Backstabber for a breather. It’s back to Keith to pick up the pace and clean house, including an exploder suplex for two on Brookes. We get the “here, let me stand still so you can chop me” exchange until Keith hits a running knee to the head for the double knockdown. Lykos and Shota come in to pick up the pace, with Lykos’ sunset flip getting two.

Shota calls for a brainbuster but gets flipped into a dropkick from Brookes instead. Keith plants Lykos so Shota adds a frog splash, followed by a suicide dive for the big crash. Another frog splash only hits knees back inside though and Brookes dropkicks Shota into the corner. The brainbuster gives Lykos the pin at 8:27.

Rating: B-. This was the kind of hot opener that you want on any show and it worked well here. CCK is a team I’ve seen before and they work well together, while Keith has enough star power from being a regular in AEW. There didn’t seem to be any kind of a backstory here and sometimes that works just fine, as they had a fast paced match here and kept the crowd energized.

Andrew Everett vs. Tetsuya Endo

Everett is the guy who thinks he’s the Giant from WCW and it still doesn’t really work. Endo on the other hand has done quite a few good things around here and I remember him being pretty solid. They lock up to start and Endo hits a quick dropkick into a slam to take over. Endo’s version of the People’s Elbow misses (apparently a tradition) and Everett missile dropkicks Endo outside.

The Asai moonsault hits Endo as well, with commentary saying other giants can’t do that. Back in and the chokeslam gives Everett two (with a bit of a nasty landing), only to miss a rope walk 630. Endo sends him outside for a Sasuke Special but Everett is right back with a chokebomb for two of his own.

The shooting star press misses for Everett and Endo’s spinning torture rack bomb gets two. It’s Everett’s turn now as he snaps off a poisonrana, only to have another chokeslam countered into a Canadian Destroyer (that was nifty) for another double down. They both head up top, where Everett tries the chokeslam but gets reversed into a super torture rack bomb. The Burning (shooting) Star Press finishes for Endo at 11:32.

Rating: B-. These two had a rather nice back and forth match, with the only downside being the whole Giant thing, which isn’t funny and is more of a distraction than anything else. Endo continues to be someone who does well every time I see him out there and this was no exception. That rack bomb would have been enough to finish but adding in a gorgeous shooting star isn’t a bad thing.

Here is Dan The Dad (a caricature of the perfect neighborhood dad) to interrupt despite not being invited. He was told there was no room for him on any of the Collective shows so now he’s issued a challenge to the toughest star in all of Japan. And we have an answer.

Chiitan vs. Dan The Dad

Chiitan is a yellow mascot who is apparently an otter (who wears a hat). Dan starts with his coffee cup in hand but Chiitan slaps it away. A bunch of right hands don’t hurt Chiitan because it’s a big helmet, meaning Chiitan can hit some sumo strikes. Chiitan’s slingshot hilo connects as commentary says don’t worry because they don’t know what is going on either.

Old School staggers Dan but he’s back with a spinebuster into an elbow for two. Dan throws in some chairs and a door, the latter of which has no effect. Another shot puts Chiitan down and the door is bridged between the chairs. Chiitan catches him up top though and a superplex through the table finishes Dan at 5:29.

Rating: C. I think we’re going to call this “not for me” as I have never heard of Chiitan and the match was a bit less than serious. The fans were way into it and Dan is a goofy enough guy that beating him in a match like this won’t matter. It wasn’t serious and it was fast so we’ll call it harmless enough.

Post match Chris Brookes, who HATES mascots, comes in to destroy Chiitan, with an assist from Dan. Cue Yoshihiko (a blow up doll) to crossbody both of them for the save. While Yoshihiko is here, we might as well have our scheduled match.

Yoshihiko vs. Kazuki Hirata

They fight over a lockup to start with Hirata taking it to the mat, only to have Yoshihiko come back with a headlock. That’s broken up and Hirata hammers away in the corner but gets caught in a cross armbreaker over the top. A Fujiwara armbar sends Hiarata to the rope for the break, allowing Hirata to grab a brainbuster.

Hirata hits a rather hard clothesline in the corner and a top rope superbomb gets two. Another superbomb is countered into a super hurricanrana for two so Yoshihiko goes back to the Fujiwara. That’s broken up as well so Yoshihiko rolls some German suplexes for another near fall. A very spinning headscissors into a hurricanrana gives Yoshihiko the pin at 5:31.

Rating: C+. Again, I’m not sure what to make of something like this, though Hirata does deserve points for wrestling himself with a prop out there. Yoshihiko is the definition of a thing that pretty much only works for the right audience and that was the case with these people. It wasn’t a match, but it was a rather impressive performance.

Universal Title: Mao vs. Billie Starkz

Mao is defending and this is No Rules. Starkz offers a handshake and gets flipped off instead, as tends to be Mao’s custom. A quick takedown gives Starkz two and she…puts Mao’s hands in his pockets for an odd counter. That’s fine with Mao, who does an Orange Cassidy impression with a dropkick into a nip up despite his hands in his pockets. The hands (with the middle fingers extended) come back out and he loads up a hanging DDT, only to flip off the crowd as he lets Starkz drop instead.

Starkz snaps off a German suplex but gets kicked in the head. A pop up Stunner doesn’t work for Mao as Starkz hits a fireman’s carry backbreaker onto the knee for the double down. They both grab chairs and have a duel, with Starkz cracking hers over Mao’s back. Mao is right back with a kick to the face and a Michinoku Driver onto the chairs gets two. Starkz fights out of something on the top and hits a kind of Black Out onto the chairs for two of her own.

The stacking of chairs takes too long and Mao hits a super Michinoku Driver onto the chairs for another near fall. A frustrated Mao loads up a door in the corner and lawn darts Starkz through it (GEEZ that looked scary) for one, giving us the stunned reaction. Another door is bridged between some chairs but Starkz is up to flip Mao off for a change. Mao’s 450 only hits door so he grabs a German suplex but all four shoulders are down for the double pin at 10:54.

Rating: C+. Mao seems like someone who is holding the title so that someone can beat him to take it in a big moment. That’s not the worst way to go but Starkz wasn’t the one to take it from him here. I guess they were going for a good/innocent vs. evil here and it worked well enough, but the match was hardly memorable.

Since there is no winner….we do Rock, Paper, Scissors (seriously) with Mao retaining (scissors to paper).

Damnation T.A. vs. Nick Wayne/Takeshi Masada

That would be Daisuke Sasaki/Kanon, who get jumped before the bell as the fight starts fast. The fight heads outside with Sasaki taking over on Masada, allowing Kanon to come in with a backbreaker. Some knees to the back get two and a swinging neckbreaker gives Kanon the same. Masada gets up with a dropkick and Wayne comes in to pick up the pace. An Asai moonsault takes out T.A. and a fisherman’s suplex gets two on Sasaki back inside.

Sasaki is back with a superkick into a quickly broken crossface but Masada is sent outside. Wayne slips out of a powerbomb attempt and it’s Masada coming back in with a brainbuster for two. Everything breaks down and a double Wayne’s World is broken up. An accidental (allegedly) low blow puts Wayne on the floor and an over the shoulder powerbomb/top rope elbow combination gives Kanon the pin on Masada at 7:07.

Rating: C. This was a rather basic tag match and that is not the worst thing. What matters is that an established team (they have a name so they must be a regular team) gets a win with Wayne’s AEW connections offering some star power. They didn’t have much time to get very far here but what they got in wasn’t bad.

Konosuke Takeshita vs. Shunma Katsumata

Takeshita is a bit popular. Shunma jumps him on the floor to start and hits a running dropkick in the corner as the bell rings. They head outside with Shunma hitting a DDT on the floor but some forearms just wake Takeshita up. Back in and Shunma scores with a top rope Meteora into a double stomp but Takeshita casually dodges a dropkick. Some kicks to the head have Shunma on the floor and there’s a brainbuster to drop him on his head.

Back in again and Shunma dives into a powerbomb, followed by another brainbuster for two. The one armed camel clutch goes on but Shunma fights out and slugs away. More forearms just annoy Takeshita again so he hits one heck of a forearm to drop Shunma hard. Shunma’s clotheslines finally put Takeshita down for two but a top rope splash only hits raised knees. An elbow to the face and the running knee give Takeshita two each so he grabs a Liontamer for the win at 9:42.

Rating: B-. They got a bit more time here and it was cool to see Takeshita shrug off so much offense and then end Shunma without much trouble. This was more about Takeshita getting a big showcase and he felt like a huge star out there. Shunma seems to have a history with Takeshita and tried to do everything he could, but this was Takeshita’s match and it went well.

Yuki Ueno vs. Mike Bailey

Ueno’s KO-D Openweight Title isn’t on the line for some reason. We get a rather intense handshake to start before Bailey hits a brainbuster for two less than ten seconds in. They slug it out with Bailey being knocked to the floor but managing to kick a dive out of the air. Another strike off on the floor sees Bailey kick the post by mistake and a running knee puts him down again. Bailey’s foot is kind enough to kick Ueno off the apron and hit a triangle moonsault to the floor.

Back in and Bailey hits a top rope double stomp to the back of the head for two, followed by some kicks to the chest for two each. Bailey grabs a kneebar, with Ueno making the rope rather quickly. Ueno shrugs off some shots to the head and grabs a brainbuster for two. Bailey is knocked outside for a corkscrew dive, followed by a running crotch attack to the back of the head back inside. Naturally Bailey shrugs it off and kicks away, with a running shooting star press connecting for two.

Ueno grabs some German suplexes but Bailey keeps popping up with kicks to the face. They finally both collapse before coming back up to trade forearms. Ueno takes him to the apron for a German suplex and they crash to the floor with the hold not being broken. Bailey blocks another suplex and hits the moonsault knees.

Back in and Ueno snaps off a super hurricanrana for two but a springboard moonsault misses. Bailey kicks him in the head for two more but the tornado kick misses. Ueno gets kicked down again and Bailey hits the Ultimate Weapon for two. The poisonrana into a running knee gives Ueno two and another running knee gets one. A big dropkick sets up something like a DDT STO to give Ueno the pin at 18:53.

Rating: B. This one is going to depend on your tolerance for Bailey no selling most of the offense against him and throwing a bunch of kicks. Other than that, they had a hard hitting match and beat on each other until Bailey couldn’t get up after a kind of lame finisher. The match’s intensity made it work, though why was this not a title match? Does it make that much of a difference?

Overall Rating: B. I had a lot of fun with this one as they didn’t waste any time and were flying through a bunch of stuff. Nothing on here was bad and it made for a rather entertaining two hours. There was just enough of a mixture of good action with goofiness to make it work and this was one of the more enjoyable shows of the weekend. Maybe just go a bit longer, but what we got was quite effective.

 

 

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DDT Is Coming To America
Date: April 4, 2020
Location: La Boom, New York City, New York
Attendance: 650
Commentator: Trevin Adams, Pat Hill

This is from DDT (Dramatic Dream Team) Pro, a Japanese promotion which has some comedy elements. It’s part of last year’s Wrestlemania weekend series of shows and the only bits I’ve seen from this promotion are other shows from the same weekend. If nothing else, this show has the Ironman Heavymetalweight Title, which is one of the funniest long running jokes in modern wrestling. Let’s get to it.

I know very little about this promotion or anyone involved so please bare with me if I don’t know a storyline or character point.

Mr. Haku, the English commentator, is in the ring to welcome us to the show, mainly because he is the only English speaker in the promotion. He reads some announcement, mainly about the company’s streaming service and Right To Challenge Anytime Gauntlet, their version of the Money in the Bank briefcase, though there are multiple ones at the same time. However, the briefcase is defended at any given time so it might change hands before the night is over.

There is one more concept to cover though, and that is the Ironman Heavymetalweight Title. This is the ultimate comedy title, with over 1300 reigns and title changes coming in the forms of Rock, Paper Scissors games, dream sequences, in exchange for autographs and more. DDT wrestlers, wrestling legends, schoolchildren, a baseball bat, an invisible man and a ladder among MANY other things have held the title over the years.

Therefore, here is the 1350^th champion, Saki Akai, a popular woman, comes out as Haku explains the Delayed Entry Battle Royal for the title, which is coming later on. Also later tonight, there will be a Weapon Rumble in the USA match (not for the title) involving wrestlers supplying weapons, which will be added to the match at timed intervals. We’re ready to start the show….but Makoto Oishi comes in, spits in Akai’s face, and small packages her for the title.

Company owner/founder/president Sanshiro Takagi comes out to do the traditional opening speech: LET’S PARTY!

Opening video, including a card rundown ala New Japan.

Damnation vs. Shuten-doji

That would be Soma Takao/Tetsuya Endo (the latter of whom holds one of the Right To Challenge Gauntlets) vs. Masahiro Takanashi/Yukio Sakaguchi. The former seem to be the heels, or at least the far more serious team. Endo and Sakaguchi start things off with Sakaguchi sitting down on the mat as Endo circles him. They both wind up on the mat for some grappling with neither being able to get anywhere. They get up and it’s a double tag to bring in Takao and Takanashi, the latter of whom gets quite the reception.

Takao grabs him by the hair so Takanashi does the same, even tossing Takao down by said hair. Endo pulls Takanashi down from the floor so Takao can hit a basement dropkick. More hair pulling lets Endo come in for a backbreaker for two. A reverse Rings of Saturn has Takanashi in trouble so Sakaguchi makes a quick save. Takanashi gets stomped down in the corner and Takao dropkicks him down, only to nip up before covering. That’s not the brightest move in the world and Takanashi uses the break to block a slam attempt.

A suplex is enough to make the hot tag to Sakaguchi as everything breaks down. Takao hits a quick top rope double stomp to the back but Sakaguchi pops back up for the slugout. Takao kicks him in the face and it’s back to Endo for a springboard forearm. Takanashi comes back in and strikes it out with Endo, including a grab of the nose to set up a kick to the face.

Endo is right back with a running shooting star for two and Sakaguchi’s running knee his turnbuckle. Another attempt at the running knee takes Endo down to give Takanashi two. Endo rolls him into the reverse Rings of Saturn and adds a guillotine to make Takanashi tap at 9:27.

Rating: C+. You can see some star power in some of these people, with Endo shining as brightly as anyone involved here. Endo and Takao looked like the more serious and dominant team here and it made sense for the two of them to win. Good opener here and you could tell the fans cared about the four people involved.

Ironman Heavymetalweight Title: Delayed Entry Battle Royal

This is an eight person Royal Rumble style match with one minute intervals, pin/submission/over the top eliminations and Makoto Oishi defending. Also note that anyone who eliminates the champion wins the title but the match continues until only one person is left. Kazuki Hirata is in at #1 (he dances a lot) and Saki Akai (who lost the title earlier tonight) is in at #2 as I’m expecting the comedy to be high here.

Hirata offers a handshake and then kicks her in the ribs, giving us a “WHO ME?” look. Akai kicks him in the chest and gets two off a high crossbody as Kikutaro is in at #3….or at least he would be if the ringside doctor didn’t say that he needed his blood pressure checked. Apparently Kikutaro’s blood pressure is too high and he can’t compete. That seems legit as there is no reason to do this otherwise.

Kikutaro is eliminated as Akai kicks Hirata in the back for two and Colt Cabana is in at #4 (you had to know he was coming in something like this). Cabana and Akai stare each other down with Cabana making some rather suggestive gyrations. An offer of a kiss earns him a slap to the face as Mizuki Watase, a guy in a suit, is in at #5. Cabana hits the Flying Apple to crush Hirata and Akai in the corner but Watase takes him down in the same corner for Coast to Coast. Hirata gets up and gives Cabana a….flick to the chest (Maybe?) for the elimination as champion Oishi is in at #6.

Oishi gets in and rolls outside, meaning Hirata and Akai follow him for the chase. That earns Hirata a belt shot to the head as Yuu, a popular woman, is in at #7. Some headlock takeovers work for a bit but she can’t take Watase over. Instead she picks him up and throws him over for the elimination. Oishi spits in Akai’s face again and small packages her for the second pin of the night.

And then it’s Yoshihiko, a sex doll who comes out to the Corporate Ministry theme carried by Kikutaro and a holder of the Right To Challenge Gauntlets, plus an eleven time champion (That old story again?) in at #8, giving us a final field of Yoshihiko, Hirata, Oishi and Yuu. It’s a chokeslam from Yuu to Yoshihiko and a dropkick sends Hirata into the corner. Yoshihiko…..headscissors Yuu and Oishi gets the elimination.

A super powerslam gives Oishi two on Yoshihiko as I try to figure out what I’m watching. It’s a reverse DDT into a Sharpshooter on Yoshihiko….who reverses into a half crab to make Oishi tap and win the title. Hirata pops back up and hammers on Yoshihiko, only to get choked and almost very tilt-a-whirl headscissored. Instead Hirata reverses into a chokeslam but it’s another tilt-a-whirl headscissors into a Code Red (just go with it) for two (again, just go with it). Hirata finally reverses into a sunset flip for the pin, the title and the Right To Challenge Gauntlet at 11:35.

Rating: D+. I have no idea what I just watched and I kind of want to see it again. This was the kind of wackiness that I wanted to see from the title and while it is going to get the usual criticisms for being ridiculous (and yes I’ve done it before), it was a fun spectacle. If nothing else, managing to make the doll look almost lifelike more than once, is impressive enough. Complete insanity at times of course, but that’s what you’re going for.

Post match, Hirata chokeslams Yoshihiko to the floor….and gets kicked in the face by Akai. A crucifix bomb makes her champion again, but it does not count for the Gauntlet because it wasn’t a sanctioned match. I think?

Akito/Ethan Page vs. Harashima/Kazusada Higuchi vs. Renegades

The Renegades are Jason Kincaid/Shigehiro Irie (who was a nice hidden gem over the weekend) and they have Watase is in their corner. Page and Akito do angels in the ring before the other teams come out. Page, Higuchi and Irie start things off with the three way test of strength to start until a double shoulder puts Higuchi down. Irie runs Page over but gets run over by Higuchi to give us a three way tag.

Kincaid yells a lot and it’s a circle of forearms. Then they change directions to really mix things up a bit. Akito and Harashima double team Kincaid to send him outside so it’s Page coming in to double team Harashima. He’s right back with a double stomp in the corner (ala Sasha Banks’ knees) but the Renegades break it up. Kincaid goes Coast to Coast on Harashima and Irie adds a slingshot splash.

Harashima is on the apron so Kincaid gets a running start and spins over the ropes for a rather unique double stomp. Page is back up and powerbombs Kincaid onto Harashima, followed by an Iconoclasm to send Kincaid into Irie. A middle rope elbow gets two on Irie and it’s Higuchi throwing Akito around with ease. Harashima adds a slingshot splash for two but Akito is right back with a Figure Four. The Renegades break that up and get two each with Higuchi making a save of his own.

Back up and Higuchi tries a sunset flip on Irie but can’t get him over. At the same time, Irie grabs a piledriver on Harashima and Kincaid spikes him down onto Higuchi in a pretty unique move. That’s broken up as well and it’s Akito slugging it out with Irie. Harashima gets Pounced hard by Irie and Kincaid adds the top rope X Factor on Page. A reverse hurricanrana plants Akito and it’s a Buzzsaw kick into double running knees to give Harashima the pin at 8:45.

Rating: C+. Fast paced and entertaining match here with the fans behind everyone involved. Page is an underrated talent and someone who is worth seeing almost anywhere he goes. I’ve seen Kincaid before and he has one of the most unique offenses I can remember in a long time. Higuchi is a pretty awesome big guy and Harashima was definitely over with the crowd. You can tell the fans like these guys and that’s a nice thing to have for a show like this.

Sanshiro Takagi vs. Mao

This is the Weapons Rumble In The USA match, meaning they have chosen three weapons each. One new weapon will be introduced every minute and either of them can use it. I think this might have been used on an episode of the Wrestlers (check that series out). Takagi (President of the company) is a Steve Austin inspired wrestler, meaning his music starts with the glass shattering and he does the double arm pose in each corner).

Mao on the other hand has a plastic sword and garbage can lid shield, plus two computer keyboards hanging from his back. They both miss some shots to start and it’s Mao scoring first with a dropkick. It’s time for the first weapon, which is….a wrestler dressed as Hulk Hogan (apparently named Antonio Honda).

This is booed out of the building as the shirt is ripped off. Takagi chops away but Honda Hulks Up and the fans are a little more into him. Honda’s big boot and legdrop give Mao two and it’s time for the second weapon: a bunch of plastic storage bins? Takagi slams Mao through a container for two and it’s time for the third weapon (the clock is all over the place here): garbage cans.

Mao puts it on Takagi’s head and botches a 619 attempt. He hits the second one (mostly) and it’s time for the fourth weapon: a bicycle (complete with Dusty Rhodes impression from commentary). They take turns riding on the bicycle with Takagi throwing it at Mao’s knee. The fifth weapon is a bunch of Legos, because that’s the big new thing in these matches. Starship Pain onto Takagi onto the Legos gets no cover and it’s already time for the sixth weapon: a toilet. Fans: “HOLY S***!”

Takagi DDTs Mao into it and then breaks off the lid, which is kicked into his face. Mao sends him face first into the toilet and the referee takes it away. Mao goes up and is superplexed right back through the containers as we hit the seventh weapon (though I thought there were only six): Chunsuke Nakamura, complete with fake US Title.

Nakamura shakes Takagi’s hand and then hits him low, setting up COME ON. A Michinoku Driver through a container gives Mao two so he puts another container full of Legos on Takagi’s ribs. The 450 only hits container though and Nakamura hits a running knee to the chest. An AA through the trashcan gives Takagi two and a spinning sitout powerbomb through a container finishes Mao at 12:24.

Rating: C+. You know, I actually liked this. They didn’t hide what they were going for and it was the wacky comedy that you kind of expect out of a match like this. I can go for comedy more when they go full steam ahead and that is what they did here. Fun match, and the kind of insanity I wanted to see from a DDT show.

Tokyo Princess of Princess Title: Miyu Yamashita vs. Maki Itoh

Itoh is challenging and grabs a headlock to start. A back elbow takes Miyu down and she gets sent into the buckle over and over. Miyu avoids a falling headbutt though and kicks the heck out of Itoh for two. A snapmare gets the same and we hit the reverse chinlock. That actually needs a rope break for the escape and Itoh hits her own falling headbutt for two.

The chinlock, with a middle finger, goes on but Miyu fights up for a hard clothesline. Itoh Hulks Up out of the corner and they slug it out with the champ getting the better of things. Itoh is back with a Boston crab, sending Miyu to the ropes this time. A quick DDT plants Miyu but she avoids a splash. Miyu kicks her in the head and hits a Shining Wizard to retain at 7:01.

Rating: C+. This was fun enough despite the lack of time. They got in and did their thing with some good action and intensity, though it was a lot of “I do a move and then you do a move.”. Still though, it was a nice joshi match and it makes sense to put it on here to add some flavor.

Post match, Itoh flips her off again just because.

Joey Ryan/Royce Isaacs vs. Antonio Honda/Danshoku Dino

Yeah it’s Joey Ryan, but I’ll give them points for having him come out to the Pina Colada song because it really couldn’t be a better fit. During the entrances, Dino (who apparently came up with Ryan’s special suplex and has a magic….well the opposite side of Ryan’s) goes around kissing random fans. Hold on though as Ryan has to do his lollipop distribution and the baby oil deal.

Joey and Dino start things off with Joey offering to have him touch it. They slug it out instead with Dino giving it a quick touch, setting up a standoff. Honda and Isaacs come in and Honda hurts his knee almost immediately. It’s so bad that he decides to retire….but first he wants to tell a fairy tale? He wants to make the world happy so he tells a story about a fox, which he makes with his hand. The fox went to the Empire State Building but then realized it was the Empire State Big D*** and pokes Isaacs in the eye.

Dino comes back in for some pelvic thrusting and grabs a claw inside Isaacs’ trunks. Mounted thrusting ensues and the fans declare this wrestling. As I think Jim Cornette would disagree, commentary says “Don’t tell Jim Cornette that.” Honda comes in for some near falls and it’s back to Dino, who lowers the trunks to reveal….well very little clothing actually. He does some squats over Isaacs’ face but Ryan comes in to knock him down onto Isaac.

That earns him a belly to belly suplex and it’s back to Ryan. Dino injures his knee on an atomic drop attempt and is then forced to touch it. Honda makes the save and is forced to touch it as well, with Dino making the save. Dino drops his trunks again and uses it to flip Joey for a change (just go with it). With Dino on top, Honda pulls down Dino’s remaining gear (Fans: “WE WANT A**!”) to reveal even less and Joey goes face first.

Isaacs comes back in for a Jackhammer but Dino gives him some rapid fire low blows. Honda pokes Isaacs in the eyes to send him into Dino’s….yeah you get the idea here. With Dino sitting on top, Honda makes the foxes with his hands and sticks them into Dino to charge them up, only to have Joey make him poke himself in the eye. Joey makes Honda touch it so Dino tries to flip Joey again, only to have Joey flip him from behind. The lollipop goes inside Dino and then into Honda’s mouth. Sweet Tooth Music is good for the pin at 13:22.

Rating: UN. For um, no. This is the kind of thing that you hear about from wacky wrestling and while I won’t say it’s absurd or stupid or not wrestling or whatever, it’s absolutely not for me and nothing I ever need to see again. You know what you’re getting when you get into this show but egads this was a rough one. Just not my thing and it never will be.

KOD Openweight Title: Konosuke Takeshita vs. Daisuke Sasaki

Sasaki is part of Damnation (at ringside with him), Takeshita is defending and this is the company’s top title. Sasaki takes him into the ropes and slaps him a few times for some mind games. They go to the mat with Sasaki grabbing a headlock and then leg lariats him down. A time out request earns Sasaki a right hand but his friends offer a distraction so Sasaki can get in a shot to the knee on the floor.

Back in and the knee is in trouble, with some stomps and an Indian Deathlock making it worse. A rope is grabbed and it’s an overhead belly to belly to send Sasaki flying. The knee won’t let Takeshita follow up so it’s a delayed DDT to plant Sasaki again. One heck of a Blue Thunder Bomb gives the champ two but Takeshita misses a running boot in the corner. Sasaki drapes him over the top for a running dropkick to put Takeshita in trouble again. Takeshita catches him with a big boot on top but can’t hit a German suplex to the floor.

They head outside with Sasaki sending him into the crowd and hitting a Russian legsweep into the chairs. A heck of a flying elbow onto the chairs crushes Takeshita again and it’s a crossface to make it worse back inside. That’s broken up as well and they forearm it out until Takeshita stomps on the fingers. Takeshita accidentally boots the referee in the corner so Sasaki gets in a low blow.

That’s good for a pretty quick two as that’s a resilient referee. Takeshita rolls outside, where he manages to catch a suicide dive and suplex Sasaki onto the apron. Now the running boot connects with Sasaki in the corner but he’s right back with a Pedigree to cut the champ off again. A scary release German suplex sends Sasaki flying (and nearly landing on his head), followed by a lariat to give Takeshita two.

They botch a Code Red attempt (making it look more like a reverse hurricanrana) to give Sasaki two and the crossface goes on again. That’s broken up as well and a kneeling tombstone gives Takeshita two more. The fans are split as Takeshita knees him hard and hits a springboard Swanton to a sitting Sasaki. Takeshita loads up a German suplex but Sasaki grabs the referee to hit a pair of low blows. A running hurricanrana gives Sasaki the pin and the title at 19:02.

Rating: B. Now this was more like it with a very good back and forth match. They were going back and forth here for a long time with Sasaki cheating over and over until Takeshita just couldn’t overcome the odds any longer. This was easily the best thing on the show so far and shows the athleticism and skill that the company can offer after some of the insanity earlier in the night.

The fans chant PLEASE COME BACK but Sasaki has something to say. He says this is his championship but here’s Tetsuya Endo with his Gauntlet….and it’s on.

KOD Openweight Title: Tetsuya Endo vs. Daisuke Sasaki

Sasaki is defending and is chopped down while the introductions are being made. Endo suplexes him into the corner and hits a Spanish Fly for two. The champ rolls to the floor and teases a countout but Endo isn’t having any of that. Back in and Endo misses a springboard 450, allowing Sasaki to grab a rollup for two. They slug it out on the apron with Endo trying a torture rack but getting reversed into a quickly broken crossface. Back in and Endo hits a spinning torture rack slam for two more. Endo’s shooting star is good for the pin and the title at 4:03.

Rating: C. There’s only so much you can get out of this but they did their thing well enough while it lasted. Endo stealing the title was a cool moment to end the show but it’s weird seeing what seems to be a heel (albeit a popular heel) cash in on another heel. Both guys looked good here though and you believed Sasaki could pull it off.

Post match the announcers sign off but Endo grabs the mic to apologize to Sasaki. Endo addresses the crowd but says he can only speak Japanese. I don’t understand what he says, but he seems to put over DDT and New York. Endo praises Sasaki and the rest of his teammates before saying remember us.

Overall Rating: C+. This show is not going to be for everyone (and a lot of it wasn’t for me) but it was never boring and was rather energized throughout. What mattered here was how different things felt, which is the point of Wrestlemania weekend. It offered a bunch of different styles of wrestling that you don’t often see and that’s what you got here. It’s not something I’m going to want to watch again, but if you’re into something a little less serious with some good action in there, give this one a shot.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2004 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

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