If Tokyo Joshi is back in Korakuen, you can bet DDT was going to fall straight after them. Their sister brand set a mighty high bar earlier in the day, so it was time to see if they could hurdle over it.
Unsurprisingly, this ended badly for Saki. Credit: DDT
Not that long ago, the idea of Saki Akai headlining a DDT show, even one with limited attendance, would have felt pretty far-fetched. Early in her career, I remember someone describing her as wrestling like Bambi on ice, as while there was potential there, she didn’t quite seem in control of her limbs. However, times have changed, and now every time Saki steps into a ring, she seems to improve. Suddenly, the idea of having her main eventing isn’t ridiculous at all, and when you put Meiko Satomura across from her, it’s downright tasty.
If wrestling keeps being so great, I am going to have to ditch the top-ten element of this and make it even more rambling because there are at least another ten matches that I would like to have on this list. That doesn’t even take into account the Ice Ribbon that I need to catch up on! (I still haven’t seen Suzu vs Maya, hence its exclusion, I’m sure it’s great.) Gosh darn it, there is too much wrestling. Oh well, there are worse problems to have.
Something tells me this wasn’t a moment of respect to Masa. Credit: DDT
With the world (well, parts of it) returning to normal, it was time to say goodbye to the DDT TV Show. They went out with a bang, though, delivering two big title challenges. Was it a newsworthy show or was the status quo retained? Time to find out.
The DDT TV Show has fans! Well, I assume it always had fans, but the fans are now in the building, watching from real seats and making real noise. Yes, they’re not quite at the stage of selling the place out, but this show was a wee slice of normality, and it was nice to see.
Unless things take a turn for the worse in Japan, this will be the last DDT TV Show to take place in an empty arena. It’s the end of an era, but probably not one that deserves much in the way of celebration. We can say that I think DDT have dealt with it all rather brilliantly, and it will be interesting to see if any of the tricks they’ve picked up along the way will continue to be of use in front of fans.
After pulling off a successful first day of Peter Pan action, DDT were back for round two. Sadly, this one didn’t end in a boneyard, but I have no doubt that there will be plenty of nonsense for us to get our teeth into.
Before going any further, I feel it needs to be said that I, and by extension this website, believe that black lives matter. I am fully behind every protester in America or anywhere else in the world who is standing up for their right to live. This might not be the biggest platform, but it is one, so I implore that you provide support in whatever way you can and also to listen, listen to the people affected by this shit and learn from it. Someone like me can never fully understand it, but we can try.
Feels a bit trite to move from that into me spewing my nonsense about some matches I like, but oh well, here we go.
Hey everyone, after a week off it’s time to get back to the joys of rambling about pro-wrestling. This has been a tough time for more reason than one, and it isn’t something that I’ll be able to put behind me easily, but I want to reiterate that be you old friend or total stranger, the need to talk is common to us all, and I’m very easy to contact.
Anyway, let’s move on from the serious stuff and go find out what’s happening in DDT.
Endo clearly not stopped working out during lockdown. Credit: DDT
DDT Universe has rebranded! With the addition of NOAH, not to mention the numerous other companies available on it, they’ve become Wrestle Universe. A name that’s perhaps not their most inventive moment, but it gets to the point. Honestly, it’s probably the best value streaming service out there, so if you’re not signed up to it, get on that.