DDT God Bless Review – 10.23.22

DDT God Bless Review (10.23.22)

By Jamie Johnson

A battle between friends is always the most intense. Even though Kazusada Higuchi and Yukio Sakaguchi are no longer connected by the factional ties of Eruption, they remain aligned as two pro wrestling warriors, fighting over DDT’s grandest prize.

As DDT readies itself for the annual, star-studded D-Oh Grand Prix tournament, it stopped off at Korakuen Hall for a significant show. It was headlined by Kazusada Higuchi, fresh off victory over Konosuke Takeshita, defending his KO-D Openweight Championship against former stablemate Yukio Sakaguchi.

It was a match that lived up to the excitable hype surrounding it.

The early goings of the match were dominated by a simple, yet effective, story of Sakaguchi using his submission prowess to stunt Higuchi, who retorted with showings of strength. Tied up in a painful submission at ringside, Higuchi hammered Sakaguchi into the barricade to break it up.

This was a patient match. The crowd was silent – engaged fully in the match, admiring their work and paying attention to every strike and submission.

Sakaguchi’s chest developed welts, thanks to the chops of Higuchi, that were almost as distinctive as his tattoos. Forever etched into the challenger’s chest will be the punishment Higuchi laid out.

Sakaguchi fought with resilience and poised aggression, offering an array of beautiful submissions and slick transitions. The match was a great display of Sakaguchi’s immense skill, something that can often be overlooked in DDT.

The match also served to reinforce the immensity of Kazusada Higuchi. A warrior in the truest form. He delivered brutal strike after brutal strike, slowly removing each strip of paint until Sakaguchi lay bare as a defeated challenger.

Higuchi: Its been physically and mentally challenging for the fight leading up to Sakaguchi but I've surpassed him and stand here as your KO-D Openweight Champion, Kazusada Higuchi!

🔽2-Weeks FREE Trial now!https://t.co/dew73nPkln #ddtpro pic.twitter.com/ApZ1fDWaz0

— DDT Pro-Wrestling (English) (@ddtproENG) October 23, 2022

The crown remained firmly on the head of Higuchi, the King of DDT, a bloodied warrior victorious after a competitive, strike-fest of a main event.

In the post-match, Higuchi passed his Eruption ring-jacket to Hideki Okatani, in a symbolic moment that signals a passing of the touch to a new leader in Eruption. Okatani in one of a number of young stars in DDT, pushing resiliently to rise up the ranks and take a spot on the promotion’s top table.

After the flurries of strikes, piercing kicks, stinging chops and bludgeoning lariats in the main event, it’s the closing moments of the match that will live on in the memory. Having knocked down his former stablemate once more, Higuchi spiked Sakaguchi with a vicious Brain Claw before crawling over to receive a decisive three-count.

Higuchi looked sorrowful, almost guilty, that he had crushed his opponent. Sakaguchi himself said after the match that even though he didn’t win the title, “all that matters is that I reached his heart”. It was an emotional match, encased in a shrouding battle of strikes and submissions, strength and technique.

Sakaguchi: I didn't reach the belt but all that matters is that I reached his heart so I'm satisfied.#ddtpro https://t.co/58LwuudjwJ

— DDT Pro-Wrestling (English) (@ddtproENG) October 23, 2022

Perhaps, the most consequential moment from the show came when DDT announced its return to the USA for the first time in 4 years. As a part of GCW’s Wrestlemania weekend celebrations, DDT ‘Goes to Hollywood’! The show will be a card themed around DDT vs GCW, starring in the centre stage of the GCW Collective range of events.

Elsewhere on the card, 19 year-old Kazuma Sumi made an impressive debut, only half a year after beginning training. There was plenty of tag matches, some much better than others.

Also, Yuki Ueno successfully defended his DDT Universal Championship in a decent, but unnoteworthy semi-main event against Koju Takeda. This was a far cry from the stunning match Ueno had against Cara Noir last month.

On paper the show had one gripping selling-point, Higuchi vs Sakaguchi. And, it delivered. The main event was a spirited contest between two wrestlers desperate to prove themselves superior to the other. It was physical, exciting and relentless.

Kazusada Higuchi is racking up quite the list of victories, defeating Noami Yoshimura, Tetsuya Endo, Konosuke Takeshita, and now, Yukio Sakaguchi, in his ever-growing KO-D Openweight Championship reign. The King of DDT is building an empire.

Full Show Results:

• Kazuki Hirata def. Kazuma Sumi
• DAMNATION T.A. (Daisuke Sasaki, KANON, MJ Paul and Minoru Fujita) def. Shunma Katsumata, Toi Kojima, Hideki Okatani and Saki Akai
• Soma Takao and Hikaru Machida def. HARASHIMA and Takeshi Masada
• Jun Akiyama, Yusuke Okada and Yuya Koroku def. Yuki Ishida, Osamu Nishimura and Shinichiro Kawamatsu
• Yuji Hino, Naomi Yoshimura and Chris Brookes def. Tetsuya Endo, MAO and Yukio Naya
• Yuki Ueno (c) def. Koju Takeda to retain the DDT Universal Championship
• Kazusada Higuchi (c) def. Yukio Sakaguchi to retain the KO-D Openweight Championship

Rapid-Fire Takeaways:

• Joey Janela made the announcement that ‘DDT Goes Hollywood’ on March 30th 2023, at the Ukrainian Cultural Center in Los Angeles, as part of GCW Collective.
• 19 year-old Kazuma Sumi was impressive in his debut. He wrestled a competitive match against Kazuki Hirata and inspired in a fast-paced, pin-fall filled closing stretch.
• A very typical DAMNATION T.A. eight-man tag team match. The added twist of Hideki Okatani and Toi Kojima not being able to get along was interesting.
• The tag match involving HARASHIMA was fantastic. The kickboxing elements, with Hikaru Michida at centre stage, were great.
• A milestone, Road-to D-Oh Grand Prix trios match came before the two title battles, delivering a slick and energetic sneak peek.
• As expected, Yuki Ueno successfully defended his DDT Universal Championship, in a match that dragged and didn’t offer much sustained interest.
• Kazusada Higuchi and Yukio Sakaguchi put on a brutal display in the main event, delivering a great KO-D Openweight Championship match.