Date: April 29th, 2015 
Location:  Tokyo Korakuen Hall in Tokyo, Japan
Announced Attendance: 2,200 (Super No Vacancy Full House) 

After a few months away from the promotion, it is time to jump back to DDT to see what they are up to. This is a pretty big show as the Tag Team Championship and the Openweight Championship are both on the line, including a rematch in the main event between Ibushi and HARASIMA. We also have some of the usual DDT silliness with the Battle Royal, but I expect this event to be more straight forward than other DDT events which I personally appreciate. Here is the full card:

- Shunma Katsumata vs. Yukio Sakaguchi
- Makoto Oishi, Akito, Soma Takao, and Kazuki Hirata vs. Sanshiro Takagi, Toru Owashi, Brother Tommy, and Takayuki Ueki
- Antonio Honda and Konosuke Takeshita vs. KUDO and Masa Takanashi
- Right To Challenge Anytime, Anywhere Contention Battle Royal with Daisuke Sasaki, Danshoku Dino, DJ Nira, Hiroshi Fukuda, Hoshitango, MIKAMI, Saki Akai, Suguru Miyatake, and Yasu Urano
- KO-D Tag Team Championship: Daisuke Sekimoto and Yuji Okabayashi vs. Keisuke Ishii and Shigehiro Irie
- KO-D Openweight Championship: Kota Ibushi vs. HARASHIMA

Onto the matches!

Shunma Katsumata vs. Yukio Sakaguchi
Katsumata and Sakaguchi trade strikes to start, which obviously doesn't go well for Katsumata. Sakaguchi kicks Katsumata into the corner, snapmare, and he kicks Katsumata in the back for a two count. Sakaguchi kicks Katsumata into the corner, he lays him over the turnbuckle but Katsumata slides off and kicks Sakaguchi back. Missile dropkick by Katsumata, Irish whip, but Sakaguchi avoids the dropkick. Katsumata hits a dropkick anyway, cover, but it barely gets two. Katsumata goes for a moonsault but Sakaguchi rolls out of the way and kicks Katsumata in the chest. PK by Sakaguchi, cover, but Katsumata gets a shoulder up. Katsumata jumps on Sakaguchi's back and applies a sleeper, but Sakaguchi drives him into the corner and elbows him off. Roll-up by Katsumata, but it gets a two count. Kick to the head by Sakaguchi and he hits two more, picking up the easy three count pinfall. I was hoping that Katsumata would bump around and get killed more but he is still fun too watch. Too short to get excited about but not a bad way to open things up.

Makoto Oishi, Akito, Soma Takao, and Kazuki Hirata vs. Sanshiro Takagi, Toru Owashi, Brother Tommy, and Takayuki Ueki
Takagi and company attacks before the match starts, isolating Hirata in the ring. Everyone attacks Hirata in the corner and Tommy hits a big elbow drop for two. Hirata's come in the ring and clear it, and now Takagi is alone with Takao in the ring. Takao goes off the ropes and dropkicks Tommy in the head for a two count. Takao tags in Akito and Akito hits a neckbreaker. Oishi comes in and hits an assisted splash on Tommy, knees by Oishi and he ties him up in the ropes while raking his eyes. Oishi kicks Tommy and elbows him, but Tommy kicks him back and hits a lariat. Tommy tags in Owashi, and Owashi boots everyone. Dragon screw by Owashi to Oishi, Takao comes in and he dropkicks Owashi. Owashi tags in Takagi while Akito is also tagged in, dropkick to the knee by Akito and he hits a gutwrench suplex to Takagi for a two count. Oishi comes in but Takagi picks up both of them on his shoulders and tosses Oishi and Akito to the mat. Takagi tags in Ueki while Akito tags in Hirata (both were super excited to get tagged), and they clear the apron before facing each other. Ueki and Hirata trade elbows but Ueki pulls out a gun. Hirata immediately hits it out of his hand and throws it from the ring, Owashi and Takagi come in the ring but Hirata dropkicks both of them. Hirata gets the Hirata GO Glasses (long story) but Tommy comes in and takes them. They stop fighting and talk on the mic, but Ueki comes out with glasses for everyone. All the wrestlers put on the GO Glasses and they all dance together. Hirata high fives everyone, Takagi picks him up on his shoulders in celebration but instead hits a sit-down powerbomb, picking up the three count! This was silly, but inoffensive. And a bit funny. Akito is my favorite actual wrestler in this match but most are just on the comedy level so this was a good spot for them. Early in the card so no harm done and worth a chuckle or two.

Antonio Honda and Konosuke Takeshita vs. KUDO and Masa Takanashi
Takanashi and Takeshita start the match and trade wristlocks, but neither can get a real advantage. KUDO and Honda are tagged in, kicks by Honda and he elbows KUDO in the back of the head. Takeshita comes in and they both punch KUDO in the cut. Takanashi gets the same treatment and they both fall out of the ring. Honda gets on the apron but he trips when he goes for a springboard (probably intentionally). Back in the ring, KUDO snapmares Honda and kicks him in the back. KUDO tags in Takanashi and Takanashi scratches Honda's back. KUDO comes in again, knees by KUDO and he hits a scoop slam followed by a double kneedrop for two. Takeshita comes in to help but Takanashi catches him with a neckbreaker. KUDO goes back to Honda and stomps on him before tagging in Takanashi. Punches by Takanashi but Honda punches him back. Irish whip by Takanashi, reversed, and Honda hits a Lou Thesz Press followed by the forearm drop. Honda tags in Takeshita, shoulderblock by Takeshita but Takanashi grabs his nose. Jumping kick by Takeshita, Takeshita picks up Takanashi and hits a vertical suplex for two. Takanashi knocks Takeshita back and tags in KUDO, Irish whip by KUDO to Takeshita and KUDO hits a diving double knee off the top turnbuckle for two. KUDO picks up Takeshita but Takeshita hits the Blue Thunder Driver. Takeshita tags in Honda, punches by Honda and he hits a neckbreaker. Takeshita comes in and both punch KUDO, lariat by Honda and he goes up to the second turnbuckle, but Takanashi comes in and pulls him down. Lariat by KUDO in the corner, jawbreaker by Takanashi but Honda avoids the diving footstomp. Spinebuster by Honda to KUDO, but Takanashi breaks it up. Honda puts KUDO in an Octopus Hold but he gets out of it, Takanashi comes in and hits a Yoshi Tonic on Honda. Buzzsaw Kick by KUDO to Honda, and he gets the three count! This was a pretty basic and low-level match. I like KUDO but there just wasn't anything special here. Safe to skip, nothing redeemable here.

Right To Challenge Anytime, Anywhere Contention Battle Royal
This is a time delay battle royal with the normal elimination methods, but there is contract hanging over the ring that can be grabbed at any time during the match. The wrestlers come down one at a time, not much happens to start so we'll jump ahead to when Nira, Hoshitango, Fukuda, MIKAMI, and Urano are in the ring. MIKAMI attacks everyone while Dino meditates, but Dino punches MIKAMI as he comes out of it. Hoshitango charges MIKAMI but MIKAMI rolls him up, getting the three count. Hoshitango is eliminated. Urano and Fukuda get the ladder while Sasaki strolls out, the ladder is being set up in the ring but Sasaki dropkicks it, knocking Urano and Fukuda to the mat. Sasaki dropkicks MIKAMI and trades punches with Urano, but Urano hits a hurricanrana. Lariat by Fukuda to Urano, backslide by Urano to Fukuda but Sasaki jumps over him with a sunset flip, pinning Urano for three. Urano is eliminated. Dino grabs Sasaki from behind and humps him while Nira comes to the ring. In the ring Dino hits the Buddha Danshoku Driver on MIKAMI, and he covers him for three. MIKAMI is eliminated. Akai comes down next while Fukuda puts Dino on the top turnbuckle and pulls his pants down. Dino stays there while Akai attacks Fukuda, Akai kicks Sasaki in the corner but Sasaki dumps water on her.

Big boot by Akai to Sasaki and she hits mounted punches. Fukuda hits her from behind and holds her while Miyatake comes into the ring. Miyatake gets the ladder and set it up while Akai is distracted, but she turns around and kicks him off the ladder. Miyatake picks up the ladder and hits Sasaki and Fukuda in the head with it. Akai knocks him over, she sets up the ladder in the corner and climbs up top, jumping off with a diving body press on everyone. Akai gets up the ladder in the middle and climbs up but Nira shakes her off. Akai is shoved head-first into Dino's still exposed ass, and Nira rolls her up for the three count! Akai is eliminated. Nira is surrounded, he gets scared and jumps over the top rope. Nira is eliminated. Miyatake, Sasaki, Fukuda, and Dino are still in the match. Dino is still meditating in the corner while Fukuda lariats Sasaki and Miyatake. Fukuda grabs Sasaki but Miyatake hits a spear on Fukuda. Miyatake and Sasaki dump Fukuda out of the ring, and Fukuda is eliminated. Sasaki and Miyatake are friends, so Sasaki tells Miyatake to go get the contract. He sets up the ladder and helps Miyatake climb up, but then he knocks it over. Sasaki sets the ladder back up, he climbs to the top and he grabs the contract. Sasaki is your winner! I liked the ladder stipulation as it added a new twist to the battle royal, but it was still a battle royal which are rarely very good. A good way to get their regulars on the card and maybe important for storyline reasons, but not a great match.

(c) Daisuke Sekimoto and Yuji Okabayashi vs. Keisuke Ishii and Shigehiro Irie
This match is for the KO-D Tag Team Championship. Okabayashi and Irie start the match and they trade wristlocks, Irie drives Okabayashi into the corner and tags in Ishii. Ishii keeps on the hammerlock but Okabayashi makes the tag to Sekimoto. Ishii applies a headscissors on the mat, Sekimoto gets back to his feet and applies a side headlock, Ishii Irish whips out of it but Sekimoto hits a shoulderblock. Sekimoto tags in Okabayashi, chops by Okabayashi to the chest and he covers Ishii for two. Scoop slam by Okabayashi and he tags in Sekimoto. He slams Ishii and tags Okabayashi back in, and they go back and forth slamming Ishii. Okabayashi covers Ishii but Ishii kicks out. Okabayashi throws Ishii in the corner and he tags in Sekimoto. Chops by Sekimoto and he tags Okabayashi back in and the chopping continues. Vertical suplex by Sekimoto to Ishii and he applies a crab hold. Ishii inches to the ropes and gets there, Ishii fights back against Sekimoto and he hits the dropkick. Ishii makes the hot tag to Irie, and Irie takes down Sekimoto and Okabayashi. Lariat by Irie to Sekimoto in the corner and he hits a scoop slam followed by a seated senton for two. Sekimoto kicks Irie back and Sekimoto hits a scoop slam, allowing him to tag in Okabayashi. Okabayashi chops Irie in the chest, Irie goes off the ropes but Okabayashi levels him with a spear. Vertical suplex by Okabayashi, cover, but it gets two. Irish whip by Okabayashi but Irie reverses it and Ishii kicks Okabayashi in the head. He comes in the ring and they hit a double vertical suplex on Okabayashi. Irie goes up top and hits the Flying Sausage, cover, but Okabayashi kicks out.

Irie picks up Okabayashi, he goes off the ropes but Okabayashi kicks him in the gut. Both wrestlers lariat each other and they are laid out, they crawl to their respective corners but Irie gets to his first. Ishii knocks Sekimoto off the apron, he grabs Okabayashi but Okabayashi knocks him back and throws Ishii at Irie. Okabayashi tags in Sekimoto, Sekimoto throws Ishii hard in the corners and puts him in the Argentine Backbreaker. Okabayashi does the same to Irie at the same time but Irie gets away and saves Ishii. Irie is tossed out of the ring and Okabayashi and Sekimoto both lariat Ishii before hitting a double backdrop suplex. Elbow drop by Sekimoto and he applies the Scorpion Deathlock, but Irie breaks it up. Okabayashi clubs Irie, Irie fights back against both of them but he eats the double German suplex. Ishii has recovered in the meantime and he hits a backflip kick on Sekimoto for a two count. Ishii picks up Sekimoto but Sekimoto elbows him. Sekimoto goes for a German but Irie grabs Ishii from the apron to help. Inside cradle by Ishii, but it gets a two count. Ishii hits a jumping kick followed by a heel kick, cover, but Sekimoto kicks out. Ishii applies a butterfly lock and nails a brainbuster, cover, but Okabayashi breaks it up. Ishii charges Sekimoto but Sekimoto catches him, hitting a backdrop suplex. Sekimoto goes off the ropes but Ishii hits a hurricanrana. Big lariat by Sekimoto and he hits a suplex for a two count. Sekimoto goes off the ropes and levels Ishii with a lariat, cover, but Ishii gets a shoulder up. Sekimoto grabs Ishii around the waist and he delivers the deadlift German Suplex Hold, and he gets the three count! Sekimoto and Okabayashi are still your champions. Really enjoyed this match. While on paper it was a mis-match, Irie and Ishii did a great job of making you really believe they could sneak out the win so it was still suspenseful. Sekimoto and Okabayashi are one of the best tag teams in Japan right now, they just work so well together and have killer moves. It also felt like it went the perfect amount of time, not too long and not too short. Definitely worth a watch. Recommended

(c) Kota Ibushi vs. HARASHIMA
This match is for the KO-D Openweight Championship. They feel each other out to start, HARASHIMA gets Ibushi to the mat but Ibushi gets the dominate position. HARASHIMA goes for Ibushi's arm but Ibushi gets to the ropes. HARASHIMA and Ibushi run into each other with no luck, but HARASHIMA kicks Ibushi hard in the chest. Double stomp to the chest by HARASHIMA, he picks up Ibushi and throws him into the corner. HARASHIMA sets up Ibushi across the second rope and he jumps up to hit a footstomp to Ibushi's midsection. Cover, but it gets a two count. HARASHIMA kicks Ibushi around the ring as he continues working on the midsection. HARASHIMA goes off the ropes but Ibushi catches him with a side slam. Ibushi applies a single leg crab hold but HARASHIMA makes it to the ropes. Ibushi picks up HARASHIMA, snapmare, and he applies a chinlock. Ibushi modifies it into a cross-arm submission and then he stomps HARASHIMA in the back of the head. Ibushi clubs HARASHIMA into the corner but HARASHIMA boots him back before hitting a dropkick. Big boot by HARASHIMA, he puts Ibushi on the top turnbuckle and joins him, hitting a superplex. Cover, but it gets two. HARASHIMA puts Ibushi on the ropes before kicking him on the chest, he springboards out of the ring but Ibushi moves out of the way. Ibushi gets on the apron but HARASHIMA trips him, HARASHIMA returns to the ring and he hits a slingshot leg drop while Ibushi's head is hanging over the apron. HARASHIMA picks up Ibushi and they trade elbows out on the floor, Ibushi gets up on a table on the bleachers and hits a moonsault down onto HARASHIMA. They eventually make it back into the ring and Ibushi kicks HARASHIMA in the face before hitting a backflip double kneedrop for a two count. Ibushi picks up HARASHIMA but HARASHIMA knocks him away and they trade kicks.

High kick by HARASHIMA, he charges Ibushi but Ibushi jumps in the air, hitting him with a double footstomp. Both wrestlers lariat each other, which Ibushi gets the better of. Ibushi picks up HARASHIMA and he hits a sit-down powerbomb for a two count. Ibushi goes up top but HARASHIMA rolls out of the way of the Phoenix Splash and he kicks HARASHIMA in the back of the head. Both wrestlers slowly get up and they trade elbows, Ibushi knocks HARASHIMA into the corner and kicks him to the mat. HARASHIMA rolls out to the apron but Ibushi grabs him from inside the ring. Ibushi gets HARASHIMA around the waist and he hits a German suplex back into the ring for a close two count. Ibushi goes up top but HARASHIMA kicks him from behind, and he hits an avalanche reverse hurricanrana. Ibushi rolls through it and hits a reverse hurricanrana of his own, but HARASHIMA knees Ibushi when he charges in. HARASHIMA picks up Ibushi and he hits the gutbuster, Somato by HARASHIMA but Ibushi gets a shoulder up. HARASHIMA goes up top and he nails the Firebird Splash, but again Ibushi kicks out. HARASHIMA goes on the apron, he goes to swandive in but Ibushi grabs him. Knee by HARASHIMA, he picks up Ibushi but Ibushi gets away and kicks HARASHIMA in the head. Ibushi goes for the Phoenix-Plex but HARASHIMA headbutts out of it, he picks up Ibushi and hits an over the shoulder sit-down piledriver. HARASHIMA goes out to the apron and he nails a swandive Somato, and he picks up the three count! HARASHIMA is your new champion! So forget selling, just dismiss it from your mind. Once you do that, this was an enjoyable match. Ibushi isn't really human to be honest, the moves he does and takes are unreal, and even though the match started slow it didn't stop once it picked up. Lots of big moves as you would expect, and it did not come across as fluky at all which is good, HARASHIMA earned it. A must-see in regards to general insanity and crisp back and forth action, as long as you don't mind deadly looking moves getting shrugged off. Recommended

Final Thoughts:

This was a two match card for me since I don't really follow DDT too closely to know all the storylines, but the top two matches really delivered. One thing that is great is they were very different matches, as one was strong vs. quick while the other was more strike/big move based. And both were really entertaining matches, even though both did have their faults I have no issue recommending both of them to anyone to give a watch. As a full show, those two matches plus my love of Katsumata means I can definitely recommend it overall, even though the mid-card didn't do much for me.

Grade: B 

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review completed on 4/30/15