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DDT D-Oh Grand Prix 2023 Opening Round Results and Review – 11.26.2023

1 year ago

DDT D-Oh Grand Prix 2023 Opening Round Results and Review – 11.26.2023

The D-Oh Grand Prix 2023 has started, and DDT Pro Wrestling is bringing the heat once again to Korakuen Hall.

By: R. Faliani

DDT Ultimate Party 2023 left us with Yuki Ueno standing as the reigning KO-D Openweight Champion after defeating Chris Brookes, and now we’re officially in the D-Oh Grand Prix season, with a bombastic show in Korakuen Hall. We will talk about the first round of the tournament and the great matches we’ve got to see, along with the return of two DDT stars and the announcement of DDT coming to America once again.

D-Oh Grand Prix 2023 B Block Match: MAO vs. Rei Saito

The first match in the D-Oh was a classic DDT vs. All Japan Pro Wrestling bout, as Rei Saito made his official debut in this prestigious tournament against the DDT Universal Champion, MAO. The match itself was fun and a mix of styles, with Saito opposing himself as a true heavyweight against MAO who, despite having a change in physique, couldn’t be able to stop the AJPW Tag Champion. However, Saito needs to understand where he’s standing because the rules in DDT are not the same as in AJPW.

Saito defeated MAO with a brutal sequence of moves that took out the Universal Champion, and he’s now going to cross paths with Yukio Naya, Jun Akiyama’s ally going into this DDT vs. AJPW affair that has been going on for months now, and has found yet another chapter written in the D-Oh.

D-Oh Grand Prix 2023 B Block Match: KANON vs. Kazuki Hirata

With his victory over both the IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Championship and Hiromu Takahashi to an extent, the DDT Extreme Champion Kazuki Hirata entered the D-Oh with enough fuel to bring his 120% to the table. He didn’t count on someone like KANON though, because the dream of Hirata in the D-Oh quickly turned into a nightmare due to the DAMNATION T.A soldier.

KANON made sure to destroy not only Hirata’s dreams but Hirata’s glasses and defeated him in the first round of the D-Oh. It’s obvious DAMNATION members are not accustomed to heartwarming parties, but come on KANON, at least buy him another pair, you know how expensive they must be?

DDT Goes Philadelphia and Toru Owashi Returns

After these good matches, and as common in DDT, the General Manager went through DDT’s schedule and revealed their next show going into 2024, as part of the GCW Collective. DDT Goes Hollywood was amazing, but DDT Goes Philadelphia will even the odds and could even get EXTREME. Mark the date, April 4th, 2024 as the third DDT show on American soil, and prepare for the craziest wrestling company in the world to make their names known again.

Besides this announcement, the DDT veteran Toru Owashi will be coming back to the company after 5 months of absence. Owashi will be back on December 24th, live at the Korakuen Hall. He has been with DDT for 18 years, so no one will tell Owashi he’s not loyal because he still brings it even at 47 years of age.

D-Oh Grand Prix 2023 A Block Match: HARASHIMA vs. Yuki Iino

After announcing his entry into the D-Oh Grand Prix, Yuki Iino decided to step back from his past and embrace his “non-sexy” persona to its fullest. The first challenge Iino was going to face in this tournament was none other than HARASHIMA, the eternal Mr. DDT. Iino went to war against HARASHIMA who was seen as vulnerable and even insecure about his own skills. It seems the years have taken their toll on HARASHIMA, as we have seen with other wrestling aces like Hiroshi Tanahashi.

Iino surprised the Korakuen crowd by defeating HARASHIMA in a quick but devastating fashion, worthy of such a great Heavyweight wrestler like him. Mr. DDT couldn’t stand against Iino, as he was surpassed in both strength and speed. Iino’s spear was lethal for HARASHIMA, and he was easily defeated after a tough affair. With this victory, Iino positions himself as a true threat to every competitor in this tournament.

D-Oh Grand Prix 2023 B Block Match: Chris Brookes vs. Yukio Naya

The D-Oh brings both the good and the worst in many wrestlers. Chris Brookes is not the exception to that rule. After losing his KO-D Openweight Championship against Yuki Ueno and forming SCHADENFREUDE International alongside Antonio Honda, Masahiro Takanashi, and the young Takeshi Masada, Brookes is bringing a new edge to the mix and he has already started playing a little bit dirty against Yukio Naya in the first round of the D-Oh.

In a fantastic showing, both Brookes and Naya brought their S-game to a tournament that needed it more than ever. The D-Oh this year seems to be a young men’s game, and there’s no time to waste. This great professional wrestling match was a battle between the seeming heel Brookes and the heroic face Naya. It’s obvious both men have changed since the last time they faced each other, but Naya specifically improved a lot and keeps improving. Despite Brookes’s tricks, Naya stood tall at the end and defeated his opponent to get a well-earned victory in the D-Oh.

D-Oh Grand Prix 2023 A Block Match: Kazusada Higuchi vs. Yuki Ueno

To cap off a great night of pro-wrestling, the two best Japanese wrestlers in DDT today squared off at the Main Event. Both men have experience in the D-Oh, but this year the stakes were high, as Yuki Ueno entered the tournament as KO-D Champion. If we remember correctly, Kazusada Higuchi defeated Ueno last year to retain said KO-D belt in a fantastic title defense. This match served as a test to Ueno, to see if he really evolved or if he got lucky in Ultimate Party 2023.

The reigning KO-D Champions stood tall against the man with the hardest head in all of pro wrestling and went to war. Higuchi and Ueno know each other to perfection, so it was no surprise this match was fantastic. The counters, the aggressive strikes, and of course, Higuchi’s chops, stole the show and made this match not only the match of the night but another great match in a list DDT has in 2023 that other companies will wish to have. The great matches don’t stop coming, and the D-Oh will be a great tournament because of this.

After 15 minutes, the KO-D Champion had a comeback for the ages and defeated Higuchi, earning a victory in the D-Oh and closing the show with 37KAMIINA on his side. Ueno, with a red chest and tired as all hell, sent the crowd home happy, but he didn’t count on Shunma Katsumata. Katsumata suffered an injury early this year in a DDT Extreme Title defense against Hideki Okatani, but he still appeared at DDT. Now, after months of recovering from said injury, Katsumata is back, and his return match will be on January 3rd, 2024, live from the Korakuen Hall.

The 37KAMIINA as a whole closed the show and then sent the crowd home happy. Their Neppower is carrying DDT into this new era, and the D-Oh will start everything. Overall, the Opening Round of the D-Oh Grand Prix 2023 was great, and solid proof there are a lot of tournaments out there that can steal the show, but are not necessarily hosted by big American companies. Here are the block lineups, now that we have passed the Opening Round.

Date:

November 26, 2023

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