Shinya Aoki Joins DDT as a Rostered Member on Nov. 3, and His First Match Is Zack Sabre Jr. at Ryogoku

By: Thom Fain

Shinya Aoki is officially joining DDT Pro-Wrestling. Sanshiro Takagi announced it from the ring at DDT’s Oct. 18th show at Korakuen Hall, and DDT’s English account says Aoki becomes a rostered member as of Nov. 3rd. That is the day of Ultimate Party 2026 at Ryogoku Kokugikan, where Aoki meets Zack Sabre Jr. in his first match on the roster.

Takagi took the mic after the fifth match and told the crowd a new wrestler would officially join DDT. Aoki then came out in a DDT shirt, and the crowd chanted his name.

Aoki thanked the fans and said he does not normally get welcomes like this, per DDT’s English translation. He called Nov. 3rd his first match against Sabre as a DDT member, said he would “carry the DDT spirit” into it, and promised to win.

Tokyo Sports reported that he also said joining before the match gave him more to carry.

Takagi told the crowd that Aoki has long been more than a friend to DDT. He said he now wants Aoki to commit fully as a DDT wrestler, that joining was a step Aoki needed to take, and that Aoki had asked to join.

Earlier on the card, Aoki and Junta Miyawaki of NOAH beat Jun Akiyama and Daichi Sato. Aoki pinned Sato with the Aoki Clutch.

Aoki is 43 and a two-time ONE Lightweight World Champion. He has wrestled for DDT since 2018, when he debuted at a Maji Manji show and won the DDT Extreme Championship from Harashima that October. He was back in the ring at Korakuen on Sept. 13th, three days after Mikuru Asakura beat him by first-round TKO at Super RIZIN.5 in Osaka, and DDT set the Sabre match for Nov. 3rd that same week.

Aoki joked afterward that Asakura’s punch had knocked the date out of his head.