{"id":3729,"date":"2014-01-28T14:11:35","date_gmt":"2014-01-28T19:11:35","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/crazymax.org\/newsite\/?p=3729"},"modified":"2014-02-09T23:09:05","modified_gmt":"2014-02-10T04:09:05","slug":"fighting-spirit-review-ddt-new-years-gift-special-2014","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/crazymax.org\/newsite\/reviews\/fighting-spirit-review-ddt-new-years-gift-special-2014\/","title":{"rendered":"Fighting Spirit Review: DDT New Year’s Gift Special 2014"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\n<\/strong><\/em>Date:<\/strong>\u00a0January 3rd, 2014
\n<\/strong>Location:<\/strong>\u00a0Tokyo, Japan
\n<\/strong>Announced Attendance:<\/strong>\u00a02,200 (Super No Vacancy Full House)<\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/strong>I have done hundreds of reviews in the last ten years, more than I can count. But I have never reviewed an event by DDT, a puroresu promotion that has been around for over 15 years. Why is that? The main reason I suppose is that it is primarily a comedy promotion and while I enjoy some comedy, since I don’t understand Japanese or understand some parts of the culture, some of the humor goes over my head. But since I am trying to review all the events of 2014, I am going to give DDT a shot. Here is the full card:<\/p>\n

–\u00a0Antonio Honda and Daisuke Sasaki vs. Makoto Oishi and Masa Takanashi
\n– KUDO, Yasu Urano, and DJ Nira vs. Toru Owashi, MIKAMI, and Gorgeous Matsuno
\n– Hikaru Sato and Guanchulo vs. Kazuki Hirata and Tomomitsu Matsunaga
\n–\u00a0Konosuke Takeshita vs. Yukio Sakaguchi
\n–\u00a0Weapon Rumble: Michael Nakazawa vs. Sanshiro Takagi
\n–\u00a0Danshoku Dino, Shigehiro Irie, Keisuke Ishii, Takao Soma, and YOSHIHIKO vs. Kota Ibushi, Kenny Omega, Gota Ihashi, Tetsuya Endo, and Akito
\n–\u00a0DDT Extreme Championship: \u00a0HARASHIMA vs. Super Sasadango Machine
\n–\u00a0Danshoku Dino, MIKAMI, Makoto Oishi, Toru Owashi, Yukio Sakaguchi, Super Sasadango Machine, Shigehiro Irie, Keisuke Ishii, Takao Soma, Masa Takanashi, Tomomitsu Matsunaga, YOSHIHIKO, Gorgeous Matsuno and Kazuki Hirata vs. HARASHIMA, Kota Ibushi, Kenny Omega, KUDO, Yasu Urano, Hikaru Sato, Antonio Honda, Gota Ihashi, Daisuke Sasaki, Konosuke Takeshita, Tetsuya Endo, Akito, DJ Nira and Guanchulo<\/strong><\/p>\n

First few matches are pretty clipped but it gets better as the event goes on. On to the matches!<\/p>\n

Antonio Honda and Daisuke Sasaki \u00a0vs. Makoto Oishi and Masa Takanashi<\/strong><\/h4>\n

<\/strong>We join this match in progress, with Sasaki going up to the top turnbuckle and hitting a diving lariat onto Takanashi.\u00a0 Sasaki knocks Oishi off the apron but Takanashi grabs Sasaki by the hair.\u00a0 Takanashi goes off the ropes but Sasaki catches him with a dropkick. Sasaki punches Takanashi in the corner, Irish whip, reversed, but Sasaki catches Takanashi as he charges in.\u00a0 Takanashi gets away from Sasaki however and hits an enzigieri.\u00a0 Sasaki asks for forgiveness but Takanashi punches him against the ropes, but Sasaki catches his arm and applies a crossface.\u00a0 Oishi breaks it up but Honda throws Oishi out of the ring.\u00a0 Sasaki tags in Honda, Honda picks up Takanashi and goes for a DDT, but Takanashi blocks it.<\/p>\n

Oishi comes back in the ring, double Irish whip to Honda and they hit a double boot to the face.\u00a0 Straight-jacket backstabber by Oishi and Takanashi follows with a running kick to the face of Honda, cover, but it gets a two count.\u00a0 Takanashi picks up Honda, Oishi holds Honda for Takanashi but Honda ducks and Takanashi kicks Oishi by accident.\u00a0 Honda punches both of them and hits a double elbow.\u00a0 Sasaki comes in the ring and he sails out onto Oishi with a tope suicida, while in the ring Honda snapmares Takanashi.\u00a0 Sasaki runs back in the ring and dropkicks Takanashi in the head, Honda then goes up to the top turnbuckle and nails the diving fistdrop.\u00a0 Cover, and he picks up the three count.\u00a0 Your winners:\u00a0 Antonio Honda and Daisuke Sasaki<\/p>\n

Match Thoughts:<\/strong>\u00a0 Only the hot tag and onward was included, so hard to judge the match as a whole even though it seemed acceptable.\u00a0 This was a pretty straight-forward tag match but they worked well together.\u00a0 Just your average match, nothing offensive though.\u00a0\u00a0Score:\u00a0 5.0<\/span><\/p>\n

KUDO, Yasu Urano, and DJ Nira vs. Owashi, MIKAMI, and Gorgeous Matsuno<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Joined in progress with Urano attacking Matsuno.\u00a0 Nira is tagged in and he stomps Matsuno in the chest.\u00a0 Nira stops Matsuno from making the tag, dragging him back to his corner and tagging in KUDO.\u00a0 KUDO picks up Matsuno and hits a hard elbow to the face.\u00a0 Slap by KUDO and he hits a scoop slam followed by a double knee to the chest.\u00a0 Cover, but it gets a two count.\u00a0 KUDO knocks Owashi off the apron before hitting a vertical suplex onto Matsuno.\u00a0 Cover, but again it gets two.\u00a0 KUDO tags in Nira, Nira picks up Matsuno and hits a vertical suplex.\u00a0 Cover, but Matsuno kicks out.\u00a0 Urano comes in the ring, he picks up Matsuno but Owashi runs in and goes to help Matsuno with a double vertical suplex.\u00a0 This brings in all of their team mates to do a six man vertical suplex, but they are paired up on different sides so Owashi and Urano are the two that come out un-injured by the six man move.\u00a0 Urano kicks Owashi and rams Owashi into MIKAMI.\u00a0 Urano goes back to Matsuno, he picks him up and gives him a headbutt.\u00a0 He picks him up again, Irish whip to the corner, reversed, and Owashi runs in to lariat Urano.<\/p>\n

MIKAMI comes in the ring too and they double team Urano, ending with a MIKAMI senton.\u00a0 Matsuno then hits a rolling senton onto Urano, cover, but KUDO breaks it up.\u00a0 MIKAMI picks up Urano and hits a Code Breaker, Matsuno goes for a handstand rebound elbow drop but Urano moves out of the way.\u00a0 KUDO comes in the ring, and he kicks Matsuno the same time Urano delivers a dropkick.\u00a0 Urano tags in Nira, Nira picks up Matsuno while talking to him, and then lays down for Matsuno.\u00a0 Matsuno hits a body press, cover, but Nira kicks out at two.\u00a0 Snapmare by Matsuno and he goes for the handstand elbow again, Nira moves, but Matsuno sneaks in an Inside Cradle and picks up the three count!\u00a0 Your winners: \u00a0Toru Owashi, MIKAMI, and Gorgeous Matsuno<\/p>\n

Match Thoughts:<\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0I imagine this will not be the first time I don\u2019t understand what is going on.\u00a0 I am not sure what the deal is with Matsuno except that he is old.\u00a0 I mean I know this was an upset but some of the interactions were unusual.\u00a0 Really too clipped up to form an opinion, but there was some solid action even if some parts left me befuddled.\u00a0\u00a0Score:\u00a0 5.5<\/span><\/p>\n

Hikaru Sato and Guanchulo vs. Kazuki Hirata and Tomomitsu Matsunaga<\/strong><\/h4>\n

<\/strong>Again we are joined in progress as Hirata makes the hot tag to Matsunaga.\u00a0 Matsunaga knocks Guanchulo off the apron and then turns his attention to Sato.\u00a0 Matsunaga slaps Sato back into the corner, Irish whip, and he hits a splash followed by a one armed suplex.\u00a0 Cover, but it gets a two count.\u00a0 Matsunaga picks up Sato but Sato applies a quick ankle lock and tags in Guanchulo.\u00a0 Guanchulo gets in the ring, he goes off the ropes and chops Matsunaga in the top of the head.\u00a0 Cover, but it gets two.\u00a0 Guanchulo picks up Matsunaga and hits a series of Mongolian chops, he goes off the ropes but Matsunaga catches him with a lariat.\u00a0 Matsunaga tags in Hirata, and Hirata comes in the ring with a missile dropkick to Guanchulo.\u00a0 Hirata goes off the ropes but Sato kicks him from the apron.<\/p>\n

Sato then comes in the ring and throws Hirata into the corner, double Irish whip and both men hit running strikes.\u00a0 Dropkick by Guanchulo to Hirata and he slams him to the mat, cover, but Hirata gets a shoulder up.\u00a0 Guanchulo goes up to the top turnbuckle but Matsunaga runs in the ring and tosses him off, and as he is tossed off Hirata hits a cutter.\u00a0 Cover, but it is broken up.\u00a0 Matsunaga hits a backdrop suplex onto Sato and they go out to the floor, while in the ring Guanchulo rolls up Hirata for a two count.\u00a0 Another roll-up by Guanchulo but it also gets a two count.\u00a0 Guanchulo tries a third time but he gets a two count again.\u00a0 Guanchulo goes off the ropes but Hirata goes behind him and hits a pump-handle Emerald Frosion.\u00a0 Cover, and he picks up the three count.\u00a0 Your winners:\u00a0 Kazuki Hirata and Tomomitsu Matsunaga<\/p>\n

Match Thoughts:\u00a0<\/strong>\u00a0All these matches being joined at the hot tag is really making it hard to get into, but I understand with TV there are time constraints to consider.\u00a0 But it does make it more difficult to really get a feel for how the match was.\u00a0 This was all straight action, which was a plus, even if Guanchulo seems a bit goofy and he went down pretty easy at the end.\u00a0 I am going to just stop mid-stream giving a score to matches I get less than half of, but I think this is the last heavily clipped match on the show.\u00a0\u00a0Score:\u00a0 N\/A<\/span><\/p>\n

Konosuke Takeshita vs. Yukio Sakaguchi<\/strong><\/h4>\n

<\/strong>They circle each other to start, Takeshita pushes Sakaguchi into the ropes and goes to punch him, but Sakaguchi ducks and takes Takeshita to the mat.\u00a0 Sakaguchi gets into the mount position then into side mount, he gets Takeshita\u2019s back but Takeshita gets out of it.\u00a0 Takeshita gets into side mount but Sakaguchi quickly reverses it and gets Takeshita\u2019s back again.\u00a0 Takeshita applies a kneelock but Sakaguchi reverses it into a cross armbreaker attempt.\u00a0\u00a0 Sakaguchi then goes for a Triangle Choke but Takeshita quickly gets a foot on the ropes.\u00a0 Sakaguchi drags Takeshita to the middle of the ring but Takeshita returns to his feet and applies a crab hold.\u00a0 Sakaguchi gets into the ropes to force a break, and rolls out of the ring.\u00a0 Takeshita goes to the apron and goes for a pescado, Sakaguchi moves as Takeshita lands on his feet but Sakaguchi kicks Takeshita from the apron.\u00a0 The referee checks on Takeshita as Sakaguchi waits, Sakaguchi then stomps Takeshita and slides him back into the ring.\u00a0 Sakaguchi gets into the ring as well, and Sakaguchi kicks Takeshita repeatedly in the chest.\u00a0 Cover by Sakaguchi but it gets a two count.\u00a0 Sakaguchi picks up Takeshita, Irish whip to the corner and Sakaguchi hits a jumping knee.\u00a0 Sakaguchi then goes out to the apron and comes off the top rope but Takeshita catches him with a knee.<\/p>\n

Takeshita picks up Sakaguchi and hits a single armed suplex hold, but it gets two.\u00a0 Takeshita quickly goes up to the top turnbuckle and hits a missile dropkick, cover, but it also gets a two count.\u00a0 Takeshita picks up Sakaguchi and goes for a backdrop suplex, but Sakaguchi elbows out of it.\u00a0 Knee by Sakaguchi and he gets the cross armbreaker applied, but Takeshita quickly gets a foot on the ropes.\u00a0 Sakaguchi gets up near the corner, and Takeshita hits him with a running big boot.\u00a0 Spinning suplex by Takeshita, cover, but Sakaguchi kicks out.\u00a0 Takeshita picks up Sakaguchi and hits a German suplex hold, but Sakaguchi gets the shoulder up again.\u00a0 He goes for another German suplex but Sakaguchi drives him back into the corner.\u00a0 Slaps by Sakaguchi and he hits a jumping knee in the corner.\u00a0 Snapmare by Sakaguchi, he goes off the ropes and hits the PK.\u00a0 Cover, but Takeshita gets a shoulder up before the three count.\u00a0 Sakaguchi picks up Takeshita, Takeshita elbows Sakaguchi but Sakaguchi returns fire and they trade blows.\u00a0 Kicks by Sakaguchi and a high kick sends Takeshita to the mat, cover, but it gets a two count.\u00a0 Sakaguchi picks up Takeshita and hits another knee, cover, but Takeshita kicks out.\u00a0 Sleeper by Sakaguchi, Takeshita gets out of it but Sakaguchi quickly applies a Cobra Clutch as Takeshita reaches for the ropes and Takeshita quickly taps out.\u00a0 Your winner:\u00a0 Yukio Sakaguchi<\/p>\n

Match Thoughts:<\/strong>\u00a0 At first I thought this was going to be a shoot-style match, then they started doing pescados and swandive moves and I quickly determined it was not.\u00a0 Sakaguchi is the veteran here as Takeshita is only 18, and Sakaguchi does have extensive MMA experience so it is not just a gimmick.\u00a0 I actually thought the \u201cwrestling\u201d portions seemed out of place, Sakaguchi\u2019s swandive attempt in particular was really awkward and I wish he had just stuck to what he was good at.\u00a0 The shoot-style sections were good but it was disjointed when some of the pro-wres action interjected.\u00a0 Not bad, just for such a short match it would have been better if they picked one style or the other.\u00a0\u00a0Score:\u00a0 5.5<\/span><\/p>\n

Michael Nakazawa vs. Sanshiro Takagi<\/strong><\/h4>\n

<\/strong>This match is a \u201cWeapons Rumble,\u201d which means there is a countdown and a new \u201cweapon\u201d can be used in the match every few minutes.\u00a0 Takagi knocks back Nakazawa as he tries to get into the ring and suplexes him into the ring.\u00a0 Oh, there is a giant tower of chairs set up in one corner, I forgot to mention that.\u00a0 Takagi knocks Nakazawa into the corner and chokes him with his boot.\u00a0 There is a countdown which means a new weapon is introduced, and Takagi grabs the wooden board of some sort and hits Nakazawa with it.\u00a0 Takagi gets another one, ok it\u2019s not wood, it is foam of some sort.\u00a0 Anyway he hits Nakazawa with it again.\u00a0 Countdown as we get another weapon, and it\u2019s\u2026 a bicycle!\u00a0 At least something I know what it is.\u00a0 Takagi grabs the bicycle and rides it while hitting a lariat onto Nakazawa.\u00a0 He then pins Nakazawa with the bike, but it only gets a two count.<\/p>\n

Takagi drives towards Nakazawa but Nakazawa moves and Takagi goes into the big tower of chairs.\u00a0 Cover by Nakazawa, but Takagi kicks out.\u00a0Nakazawa hits Takagi with a chair as the countdown continues, and a giant\u2026 sticky board is brought out as Nakazawa takes his pants off.\u00a0 They try to slam each other on the board but Nakazawa eventually slams Takagi on it.\u00a0 I don\u2019t really know what it is but they are acting like it is sticky.\u00a0 Anyway, Nakazawa, who is already now in a thong, takes off his underwear, puts it on his face, but Takagi moves out of the way and Nakazawa goes head-first into it.\u00a0 Takagi then sticks the board onto Nakazawa\u2019s head to pull out his hair as the countdown goes down and we get a new weapon.<\/p>\n

The weapon appears to be pictures being shown on the big screen that Nakazawa does not want people to see, and he gets embarrassed as Takagi forces Nakazawa to watch.\u00a0 They don\u2019t show us at close range so I am not sure exactly what the video is showing.\u00a0 Anyway at ringside Takagi gets a table and sets it up.\u00a0 He then rolls Nakazawa onto the table as the countdown finishes, and foam wings are brought down to the ring.\u00a0 This gives Nakazawa times to recover, he puts Takagi on the table, puts on the wings as he gets on the top turnbuckle, and hits a diving body press down onto Takagi.\u00a0 Nakazawa rolls Takagi back in the ring but he can\u2019t follow him as his wings get caught in the ropes.\u00a0 He finally gets them off, cover by Nakazawa but it gets a two count.<\/p>\n

Nakazawa waits for Takagi to get up as the countdown goes down, and the next weapon is\u2026. Nonoko!\u00a0 She gets into the ring and poses on the top turnbuckle, she then flaunts around the ring.\u00a0 Nakazawa reaches for her, giving Takagi time to drop him with a Stone Cold Stunner. Nonoko then waits for Nakazawa to get up and bumps him with her breasts, cover, but Takagi gets a two count.\u00a0 Takagi picks up Nakazawa and hits a Death Valley Driver, cover, but Nakazawa gets a shoulder up.\u00a0 Takagi applies an abdominal stretch while Nonoko sits just out of Nakazawa\u2019s range to taunt him.\u00a0 The countdown goes down and the next weapon is\u2026. Minoru Suzuki!\u00a0 Suzuki comes down with his normal black towel over his head, but he takes it off and shows he is wearing a headband that matches Nakazawa\u2019s headband.\u00a0 Nonoko approaches Suzuki but he grabs her and slaps her out of the ring.\u00a0 Nakazawa then holds Takagi, Takagi moves but Suzuki hits Nakazawa anyway.\u00a0 Suzuki applies the sleeper to Takagi and then drops him with a Gotch-style piledriver.\u00a0 Assisted Low Fly Flow by Nakazawa, cover, and he picks up the three count!\u00a0 Your winner:\u00a0 Michael Nakazawa<\/p>\n

Match Thoughts:<\/strong>\u00a0 Hmmm.\u00a0 If I knew better what some of the weapons were that may have helped, so maybe it was an inside joke or a DDT-thing that I am not privy to.\u00a0 I mean for a hardcore comedy match I guess it was fine.\u00a0 It was sub-par at best until Suzuki showed up which was quite a surprise to say the least, and he was definitely the best \u201cweapon\u201d that was used in the match.\u00a0 But it was all leading up to that point, everything else was pretty much just silly and meaningless.\u00a0 I personally chuckled only once so as a comedy match it didn\u2019t do much for me, perhaps I was not the target audience.\u00a0 But Suzuki did save the match a bit.\u00a0\u00a0Score:\u00a0 5.0<\/span><\/p>\n

Danshoku Dino, Irie, Ishii, Soma, and YOSHIHIKO vs. Kota Ibushi, Omega, Ihashi, Endo, and Akito<\/strong><\/h4>\n

<\/strong>This is an Elimination Tag Team Match, wrestlers can be eliminated by pinfall, submission, or going over the top rope.\u00a0 The match is joined in progress with YOSHIHIKO getting attacked in the corner by Omega.\u00a0 Omega applies a front facelock to YOSHIHIKO, and then Ibushi helps Omega twist up YOSHIHIKO like a pretzel.\u00a0 Ihashi then comes off the top turnbuckle with a body press to YOSHIHIKO, cover, but YOSHIHIKO gets a shoulder up.\u00a0 Ihashi picks up YOSHIHIKO and drops him with a German suplex, but Dino breaks it up.\u00a0 YOSHIHIKO\u2019s neck appears to be snapped but he recovers, headscissors by YOSHIHIKO to Ihashi and Ihashi lands face-first into Dino\u2019s pants.\u00a0 Danshoku Driver by Dino to Ihashi, cover, and he picks up the three count.\u00a0 Gota Ihashi is eliminated.<\/p>\n

Akito comes in the ring and attacks Dino, but Soma comes to his rescue.\u00a0 Double Irish whip to Akito but he avoids their charge.\u00a0 Akito pushes Dino into Soma, which gets Dino excited and he starts bumping Soma.\u00a0 Akito comes up and hits a Killswitch onto Soma, and then hits a dropkick onto Dino who was still humping Soma.\u00a0 Ibushi and Omega come in the ring, Soma superkicks Ibushi but Ibushi rolls through the suplex attempt and Omega delivers a jumping knee.\u00a0 German suplex hold by Ibushi to Soma, but it is broken up.\u00a0 Omega grabs Soma, he picks him up and with Ibushi they hit the PK Kokoro.\u00a0 Cover, and he picks up the three count.\u00a0\u00a0 Takao Soma is eliminated.<\/p>\n

Ishii comes in the ring and he trades elbows with Omega, chop by Omega and he gives Ishii and Irish whip, but Ishii hits an armdrag.\u00a0 Ishii goes for a senton but Omega gets his knees up.\u00a0 Powerbomb attempt by Omega but Ishii reverses it with a headscissors.\u00a0 Ishii goes for a heel kick but Omega catches him, Ishii pushes Omega towards his corner and YOSHIHIKO comes out of the corner with a headbutt.\u00a0 YOSHIHIKO goes for a tilt-a-whirl headscissors and finally gets it after many rotations.\u00a0 YOSHIHIKO goes for the Canadian Destroyer but Omega blocks it.\u00a0 YOSHIHIKO stays on Omega\u2019s shoulders as Ishii kicks Omega repeatedly, Omega goes off the ropes but Ishii knees Omega in the stomach.\u00a0 Running kick to the face by Ishii and YOSHIHIKO is finally able to hit the Canadian Destroyer onto Omega.\u00a0 Ishii then picks up Omega and throws him over the top turnbuckle.\u00a0 Kenny Omega is eliminated.<\/p>\n

Endo comes in the ring, and he trades elbows with Ishii.\u00a0 Back kick by Ishii and he kicks Endo in the side of the head.\u00a0 Ishii picks up Endo and goes for a suplex by the ropes, but Endo reverses it and puts Ishii onto the apron.\u00a0 Elbows by Endo but Ishii pushes him off and returns to the ring.\u00a0 Endo puts Ishii on the apron again, and this time is able to connect with a jumping kick, sending Ishii crashing to the floor.\u00a0 Keisuke Ishii is eliminated.<\/p>\n

YOSHIHIKO comes in the ring with a diving headbutt to Endo, and Endo tags in Ibushi.\u00a0 Ibushi stomps on YOSHIHIKO, he picks him up and goes for a vertical suplex but YOSHIHIKO \u00a0slides down his back.\u00a0 YOSHIHIKO sets up YOSHIHIKO with a backdrop suplex, Ibushi tries to block it but YOSHIHIKO \u00a0nails the suplex.\u00a0 Cover, but it gets a two count.\u00a0 Dino comes in the ring to help YOSHIHIKO set up Ibushi, and YOSHIHIKO drops Ibushi with a piledriver.\u00a0 Cover, but Ibushi gets a shoulder up.\u00a0 Back up they trade strikes, Ibushi grabs YOSHIHIKO and spikes him with a Falcon Arrow.\u00a0 Ibushi goes up to the top turnbuckle but Dino comes in the ring and helps up YOSHIHIKO.\u00a0 YOSHIHIKO gets onto the top turnbuckle with Ibushi, and he hits a reverse hurricanrana from the top turnbuckle to the floor!\u00a0 Both Kota Ibushi and YOSHIHIKO are eliminated.<\/p>\n

Irie and Akito get in the ring, and they trade leg kicks.\u00a0 Elbow by Irie sends Akito into the corner, Irish whip, but Akito moves when Irie charges in.\u00a0 Akito hits a dragon screw ankle whip, he picks up Irie but Irie fights him off.\u00a0 Vertical suplex by Irie, cover, but it gets a two count.\u00a0 Irie goes off the ropes but Akito avoids the seated senton.\u00a0 Akito picks up Irie and hits the Karelin Lift, cover, but it only gets two.\u00a0 Ankle lock by Akito, but Irie gets a hand on the bottom rope.\u00a0 Akito goes off the ropes but Irie catches him with a side slam, cover, but it gets two.\u00a0 Irie picks up Akito, drops him in front of the corner and goes up to the top turnbuckle, nailing the Flying Sausage.\u00a0 Cover, but Endo breaks it up.\u00a0 Dino comes in the clear Endo out of the ring, Irie goes for a lariat but Akito pulls the top rope down so Irie lands on the apron.\u00a0 Akito goes off the ropes but Irie blocks the attack and rams Akito onto the turnbuckle (while still out on the apron).\u00a0 Irie goes up to the top turnbuckle and picks up Akito, but Akito slides down his back and both men end up on the apron.\u00a0 Kneebreaker by Akito but Irie hits a lunging elbow strike, which sends them both off the apron.\u00a0 Shigehiro Irie and Akito are eliminated.<\/p>\n

This leaves just Dino and Endo.\u00a0 They face off and begin by trading strikes.\u00a0 Dino goes for a kiss but Endo blocks it and hits a superkick followed by a jumping heel kick.\u00a0 Cover, but it gets a two count.\u00a0 Endo picks up Dino and tries to put him on his shoulders but Dino elbows out of it and kisses Endo.\u00a0 Brainbuster by Dino, he picks up Endo and hits a second brainbuster.\u00a0 Dino goes up to the top turnbuckle and hits the moonsault, cover, but Endo kicks out.\u00a0 Dino picks up Endo and nails the Danshoku Driver, cover, but again Endo gets a shoulder up.\u00a0 Dino waits for Endo to get up and punches him, Endo spins behind his back but Dino elbows him off.\u00a0 Dino goes off the ropes but Endo catches him with a German suplex hold for a two count.\u00a0 Scoop slam by Endo and he hits a second turnbuckle moonsault, he goes up top again but Dino has recovered and joins him.\u00a0 They trade punches, Endo slips out and goes for a powerbomb but Dino blocks it.\u00a0 Kick by Endo, he gets Dino on his shoulders and hits the spinning slam out of the Argentine Backbreaker.\u00a0 Cover, but it only gets a two count.\u00a0 Endo picks up Dino, slams him in front of the corner, goes up to the top turnbuckle but Dino rolls out of the way of the corkscrew moonsault.\u00a0 Gaydo Clutch by Dino, but Endo kicks out at two.\u00a0 Dino grabs Endo and applies the Gaydo Clutch again, and this time he picks up the three count.\u00a0 Your winners:\u00a0 Danshoku Dino, Shigehiro Irie, Keisuke Ishii, Takao Soma, and YOSHIHIKO<\/p>\n

Match Thoughts:<\/strong>\u00a0 YOSHIHIKO is a blow-up doll, just in case you weren\u2019t aware.\u00a0 This was better comedy, I must admit that YOSHIHIKO in small doses does crack me up, and Ibushi is the perfect pair for him since he doesn\u2019t mind killing himself.\u00a0 Beyond that thought the match was a bit short for this type of match, generally it was three minutes or less between eliminations which really isn\u2019t enough time for the wrestlers to really get anything going.\u00a0 So not bad, this match type generally just needs more time and the first six minutes of the match or so were cut.\u00a0\u00a0Score:\u00a0 6.0<\/span><\/p>\n

(c) HARASHIMA vs. Super Sasadango Machine<\/strong><\/h4>\n

<\/strong>This match is for the DDT Extreme Championship and is billed as a Shinshun Pro-Wrestling Cards Death Match.\u00a0 Allow me to explain the rules.\u00a0 So there was a deck of cards off screen that had wrestling moves on them.\u00a0 Once a name of a move is called, the first wrestler to do the move gets one point.\u00a0 The first person to get to seven points wins, OR a wrestler could win just by the usual pin\/submission.\u00a0 I don\u2019t speak Japanese so I am going to have to just figure out what the cards say as we go along.\u00a0 Kick to the leg by HARASHIMA but they are distracted as the first card is read \u2013 Body Slam.\u00a0 Sasadango Machine goes for a body slam but HARASHIMA blocks it, side headlock by HARASHIMA but Sasadango Machine Irish whips out of it.\u00a0 They collide with no real result a few times, Sasadango Machine goes off the ropes but HARASHIMA catches him with a body slam.\u00a0 HARASHIMA is up in points 1-0.\u00a0 Stomps by HARASHIMA as a new move is called \u2013 a lariat.\u00a0 Sasadango Machine goes for a lariat, HARASHIMA ducks it but Sasadango Machine connects the second time and delivers the lariat.\u00a0 The score is now tied 1 \u2013 1.\u00a0 The next move is called, Sasadango Machine goes for a submission but Sasadango Machine gets out of it.\u00a0 As HARASHIMA goes for a Mexican Surfboard another move is called, Hakushi\u2019s Powerbomb.\u00a0 HARASHIMA goes for it but Sasadango Machine backdrops out of the hold. Now it is Sasadango Machine\u2019s turn, he does a prayer but HARASHIMA reverses it with a hurricanrana.\u00a0 Next move is called out \u2013 Cobra Twist.\u00a0 The wrestlers crisscross each other and both go for the Cobra Twist, but Sasadango Machine gets it first and he picks up the point.\u00a0 Sasadango Machine is now ahead 2 \u2013 1.<\/p>\n

Stomps by Sasadango Machine, and the Bakarayo! Machine Gun Chops by Kojima is called.\u00a0 Sasadango Machine puts HARASHIMA in the corner, hits the chops, Irish whip, and he hits the jumping elbow.\u00a0 Sasadango Machine flips HARASHIMA to the mat, goes up to the top turnbuckle but HARASHIMA moves and Sasadango Machine can\u2019t complete the move.\u00a0 HARASHIMA throws Sasadango Machine off the top turnbuckle to the floor and HARASHIMA hits a running boot in the corner.\u00a0 Now it is HARASHIMA that hits Kojima\u2019s move, but Sasadango Machine rolls out of the way of the elbow drop so he doesn\u2019t get the point either.\u00a0 Next move called \u2013 Danshoku Nightmare.\u00a0 Sasadango Machine starts to take off his pants but HARASHIMA kicks him from behind.\u00a0 HARASHIMA picks up Sasadango Machine, snapmare, and he begins taking off his pants.\u00a0 He does so and then squats onto Sasadango Machine, earning him the point.\u00a0 The score is now 2-2.\u00a0 Dino doesn\u2019t like being imitated and tries to slap HARASHIMA, but HARASHIMA ducks it and kisses Dino, then Dino sits on Sasadango Machine\u2019s face before leaving the ring.\u00a0 Next move called \u2013 Argentine Backbreaker.\u00a0 HARASHIMA picks up Sasadango Machine and puts him on his shoulders, putting him in the Argentine Backbreaker.\u00a0 HARASHIMA gets another point and now he is up 3-2.\u00a0 Next move called \u2013 I have no idea but Sasadango Machine started eating some food at ringside and he was rewarded a point.\u00a0 So it is back to being tied at 3.\u00a0 Sasadango Machine elbows HARASHIMA and gets him by the arms as the next move is called, but they talk and decide to skip that one.<\/p>\n

The next move called is a thrust to the throat, which Sasadango Machine quickly does and gets a point.\u00a0 Sasadango Machine is ahead 4-3 by my possibly incorrect count.\u00a0 Sasadango Machine waits for the next move to be called, which is an Enzigieri.\u00a0 Sasadango Machine quickly does and hits another point.\u00a0 Sasadango Machine is now ahead 5-3.\u00a0 The next move is called and it is a Gutbuster, Sasadango Machine attempts to hit it but HARASHIMA wiggles away and hits the Gutbuster for the point.\u00a0 So it is now 5-4.\u00a0 Somato by HARASHIMA but he doesn\u2019t pin Sasadango Machine, as even I heard this, the next move is \u201cSlow Motion.\u201d\u00a0 So they have to move in slow motion. HARASHIMA very slowly goes for the cover as the referee slowly counts, but they cut away to a montage about Sasadango Machine as the referee is about to make the three count.\u00a0 When we come back, Sasadango Machine barely gets his shoulder up before the three count.\u00a0 Sasadango Machine waits for HARASHIMA to get up, HARASHIMA blocks a Sasadango Machine punch but Sasadango Machine stomps him on the foot and pokes him in the eyes and chest.\u00a0 Low blow by Sasadango Machine (we are still slow motion) and he hits a second low blow.\u00a0 Roll-up by Sasadango Machine, cover, but just as it is almost three, now it is HARASHIMA\u2019s turn to get a montage video play for him.\u00a0 As we get back to the action, HARASHIMA barely kicks out.\u00a0 Back up, punches by HARASHIMA and he kicks Sasadango Machine in the side of the head (still in slow motion).\u00a0 HARASHIMA charges Sasadango Machine and hits the Somato, cover, and he picks up the three count.\u00a0 Your winner and still champion:\u00a0 HARASHIMA<\/p>\n

Match Thoughts:<\/strong>\u00a0 Obviously part of the humor was lost to me since I don\u2019t understand Japanese and I had to see them do the move before I knew the move that was called.\u00a0 But I will say that the crowd seemed to really really enjoy it, and I myself find the slow motion wrestling funny so the last few minutes were entertaining even if it didn’t seem to fit into the gimmick of the match.\u00a0 But the entire match humor you will probably only get if you follow DDT as just from an in-ring perspective it was really plain.\u00a0\u00a0Score:\u00a0 6.0<\/span><\/p>\n

Danshoku Dino, MIKAMI, Makoto Oishi, Toru Owashi, Yukio Sakaguchi, Super Sasadango Machine, Shigehiro Irie, Keisuke Ishii, Takao Soma, Masa Takanashi, Tomomitsu Matsunaga, YOSHIHIKO, Gorgeous Matsuno and Kazuki Hirata vs. HARASHIMA, Kota Ibushi, Kenny Omega, KUDO, Yasu Urano, Hikaru Sato, Antonio Honda, Gota Ihashi, Daisuke Sasaki, Konosuke Takeshita, Tetsuya Endo, Akito, DJ Nira and Guanchulo<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Match Thoughts:<\/strong>\u00a0 This 28 man match was only six minutes long, so I am not going to do play by play, but HARASHIMA won again with the Somato.\u00a0 This was just an extra match at the end for the crowd, as the event was billed as one team against the other team so the event ended with both teams facing off.\u00a0 So for the live crowd it was a nice \u201cextra\u201d touch but it wasn\u2019t really much of a match per se.\u00a0\u00a0Score:\u00a0 5.0<\/span><\/p>\n

Final Thoughts:<\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n

Best Match:<\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0HARASHIMA vs. Super Sasadango Machine.<\/strong>\u00a0 For a card with a lot of comedy this was the best comedy match.\u00a0 Some of it certainly went over my head and will yours as well, but the slow motion\/cut to montage to show wrestler getting ready for the match\/using inspiration to kick out bit was quite funny and had both myself and the crowd laughing.\u00a0 And really that\u2019s all you can hope for during a comedy match.<\/strong><\/p>\n

MVP:<\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0HARASHIMA.<\/strong>\u00a0 He won the only title match, and got the \u201cbig\u201d pinfall for his team on the extra match so by default the is the MVP.\u00a0 He also had the most match-time of anyone on the card so he was able to leave a lasting impression.<\/p>\n

Overall:<\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0This is the hardest type of event for me to review because I am not the target audience, if I was not trying to review every event of 2014 I would not have watched this event.\u00a0 But it did have its moments I thought were funny, I enjoy YOSHIHIKO and the title match had its moments for sure.\u00a0 If you already are \u201cinto\u201d DDT I think this event has a lot to offer but if you are into serious matches (which DDT of course does sometimes have) you can safely skip this one.<\/p>\n

Grade: D+<\/strong><\/h3>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

DDT’s New Year Gift, featuring Harashima vs. Super Sasadango Machine, Dino\/Irie\/Ishii\/Soma\/YOSHIHIKO vs. Ibushi\/Omega\/Ihashi\/Endo\/Akito, and more<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":81,"featured_media":3740,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[399,40],"tags":[357,233],"class_list":["post-3729","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-fsreview","category-reviews","tag-ddt","tag-puroresu"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/crazymax.org\/newsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3729","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/crazymax.org\/newsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/crazymax.org\/newsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/crazymax.org\/newsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/81"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/crazymax.org\/newsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3729"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/crazymax.org\/newsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3729\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3741,"href":"https:\/\/crazymax.org\/newsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3729\/revisions\/3741"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/crazymax.org\/newsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3740"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/crazymax.org\/newsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3729"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/crazymax.org\/newsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3729"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/crazymax.org\/newsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3729"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}