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DDT Ultimate Party 2023 Review and Results – 11.12.23

12 months ago

DDT Ultimate Party 2023 Review and Results – 11.12.23

DDT Pro Wrestling celebrated the third edition of Ultimate Party, live from Ryogoku Sumo Hall, for the world to see.

By: R. Faliani

DDT Ultimate Party 2023 stands as DDT’s most important event all year. We have written a recap of everything that happened in Ryogoku Sumo Hall. With the appearance of Chris Jericho and Hiromu Takahashi, DDT Pro Wrestling has reached yet another level but has done it under its own rules, prioritizing their identity and their true values over every other company that has collaborated with them. If you’re going to be in DDT’s ultimate party, you better be ready for everything.

KO-D Tag Team Championship: ROMANCE DAWN (Soma Takao & Shota) vs. CDK (Antonio Honda & Masahiro Takanashi)

The opener for this show was the match for the KO-D Tag Team Championships. Despite being the Kickstarter to what already positions as a historic night, this match left a lot to wish for but instead replaced it with honest and heartwarming comedy, as expected from DDT. The KO-D Tag Team Champions retained their belts after a certainly interesting yet tough affair.

The team of Antonio Honda & Masahiro Takanashi was not enough to stop the momentum of Soma Takao & Shota, as they were superior in every sense and were prepared for everything the opposite team brought to the table, considering the fact both teams knew each other pretty well as they’re all formed by veterans and masters of DDT’s style.

Kuroshio TOKYO Japan vs. Takeshi Masada

The return of Kuroshio TOKYO Japan, formerly known as Ikemen Jiro was a pleasant surprise for the DDT aficionados, as he represented a different kind of charisma and a different kind of approach to wrestling. The always tricky and always annoying Kuroshio gave the young Takeshi Masada a run for his money. Even considering the fact he was certainly playing around in a large portion of the match, the stiff strikes of Kuroshio were really surprising and definitely painful to see and to take in Masada’s part. Even though the young rookie stood tall against Kuroshio, at one point his “good vibes” turned into something more maniacal, and he stole the victory from young Masada.

Special Singles Match: Daisuke Sasaki vs. Tetsuya Endo

Former partners, former allies, and former friends collided in front of the Ryogoku Sumo Hall, as they did three years ago. The story around Daisuke Sasaki and Tetsuya Endo can be traced back to the DAMNATION era, where both men were terrorizing DDT Pro as we know it but they were making themselves known among the fans. In Ultimate Party 2019, both Sasaki and Endo main evented the show with their match for the KO-D Openweight Championship, yet this time they were not only out of the main event picture, but were the first match after the 5-minute break.

Sasaki and Endo have been clashing with each other since the beginning of this year. Ever since Endo came back from his injury at the 2022 CyberFight Festival he has not been able to find his true self, and his former leader has been at the back of his head. This singles match was not something they wanted, but someone in DDT booked it for them to solve their pending issues. The match itself was a throwback to this Endo we were talking about before, and it brought back the magic that made the former KO-D Openweight Champion so special. Although Sasaki’s tricks were enough to take down Endo and make him fall unconscious to a brutal submission hold. After the match, Endo looked conflicted and didn’t know exactly where he was standing.

Saki Akai’s Retirement: ERUPTION (Hideki Okatani, Saki Akai & Yukio Sakaguchi) vs. Kazusada Higuchi, Miyu Yamashita & Naomichi Marufuji

Saki Akai’s 10-year-long career came to an end tonight in the most beautiful way possible. This all-star 6-man tag team match was everything we knew it was going to be. Akai decided to leave with a bang, and she went through one more dramatic fight. The tagline of this match was “Strong, noble and beautiful” and it was 100% right. ERUPTION came out to battle for Akai and themselves against an unstoppable unit in the form of Kazusada Higuchi, Miyu Yamashita, and Naomichi Marufuji.

Neither team felt intimidated by the other, and they were having a fantastic match with high stakes and a need for Akai to show once again she was more than just a pro wrestler. The drama, the stiff strikes, and the many moments this match gave us made it an experience unlike any other. At the end of the match, Yamashita and Akai stood in the middle of the ring, completely alone, but willing to end this fight. Yamashita took out Akai for good, but everyone involved in the match came to say farewell and thank her for the things she did for DDT.

After this match, Akai received a warm farewell from DDT, and with many videos from wrestlers important to her like Hiroshi Tanahashi, Togi Makabe, Genichiro Tenryu, and even Shinsuke Nakamura, Akai’s dramatic dream was immortalized and we heard the name Saki Akai for the last time before she rode to the sunset in search of a new life beyond pro-wrestling.

However, DDT’s president Sanshiro Takagi told her she could be part of the company’s staff, just so she could help the next generation of dramatic dreamers reach their maximum potential. Akai accepted this proposal and made it obvious we will still see her in DDT, now as a personality in the company’s wrestling universe.

DDT Ironman Heavy Metal Championship: Kazuki Hirata vs. Hiromu Takahashi (c)

Right after the emotional retirement match for Saki Akai, came something really special for many viewers. With Chris Jericho’s appearance in Ultimate Party, many new eyes decided to watch DDT for the first time in their lives. While one part of DDT is undoubtedly their fantastic matches, no one can deny the reason for their success relies on the way they have used comedy wrestling to evoke emotions in many aficionados. The most sincere way to convey feelings to wrestling fans is through the use of laughter, and what better idea than giving the new fans the most down-to-earth and honest-to-god DDT experience imaginable?

This match was exactly that, and even more. As IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion, Hiromu Takahashi stands as the best Junior pro-wrestler in the world today, and when he was announced for Ultimate Party many thought he was going to go head-to-head with the KO-D Champion, but no one imagined Hiromu was going to fight the DDT Extreme Champion, Kazuki Hirata. Hirata has been known this year for his Extreme Title reign, where he retained the belt via the most crazy stipulations known to man. Takahashi was going to fight Hirata in his home ground, and if you thought this was going to be a normal match, oh boy you’re wrong.

The rules for this match were simple: A roulette was going to decide the stipulation in play for each round of this match. Hirata decided to pick this special rule because he knew his game plan could work wonders with an inexperienced wrestler like Takahashi in this specific matter. The result was something no one could have imagined. Both wrestlers went for five consecutive rounds filled with the most stupid and ridiculous stipulations imaginable, like a 55-minute Dancing Death Match, a wrestling match where your moves had to go with the beat of a song playing in the background, a handicap match against Yoshihiko and your opponent, and so many other shenanigans that made everyone aware of the true nature of DDT.

Takahashi felt literally drained by DDT’s energy and the way things work in Takagi’s company, and at one point he was about to call it a day and defeat Hirata, but then, Takahashi’s own innocent silliness decided to play a part in this fantastic spectacle. The Dancing Death Match ended with Takahashi dancing alongside Hirata, as “Tokyo Go” played in the background and the IWGP Junior Champion decided to destroy Hirata. After a Fisherman Suplex, Takahashi defeated Hirata and retained his championship belt. After the match, Takahashi decided to rest a little bit alongside the knocked-out Extreme Champion.

What he didn’t take into consideration was the fact that his own belt was on top of him. And if you know how the Ironman Title works, it’s no surprise the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship defeated his own champion and won DDT’s belt. Yeah, a belt won a belt. Yeah, the IWGP Jr. Title is a champion in DDT. Do you want us to talk about that time a monkey won a title? Or that time the own title won itself? If this is your first time watching DDT, welcome to the madness that comes with being a fan of this promotion.

DDT Universal Championship: Matt Cardona w/Steph de Lander (c) vs. MAO

When Matt Cardona took the DDT Universal Championship from Endo, many Western fans were vocal about the kind of title reign Cardona would have with that belt. The Universal Championship was in limbo certainly, as no real champion stood tall and wanted to bring a new flavor to the mix. Cardona’s reign was not what people were expecting, and then, MAO decided to confront him.

The match itself is not the best one on the card. We dare to say it’s the worst one, but at the end of the day it was still entertaining and it had the crowd alive. Steph’s interferences were allowed as this match was a “No DQ” Match, which saw a different level of violence from Cardona, as he was playing by DDT’s rules as many outsiders. MAO on the other hand had the crowd in his pocket, and he was getting cheered louder and louder. MAO then defeated Cardona for the Universal Title and challenged Demus, a Mexican deathmatch wrestler.

Dramatic Dream Match: Chris Jericho vs. KONOSUKE TAKESHITA

When Chris Jericho was announced for Ultimate Party 2023, the tagline for this match with Konosuke Takeshita at Ryogoku was “Dramatic Dream Match”. Takeshita followed this by saying his dramatic dream was not only to wrestle in the States but bring the big stars to DDT. Takeshita’s dream was one where pro-wrestlers from all over the world would come to DDT because even if Don Callis is in his head telling him to ignore his friends and whatever brought Take to the dance in the first place, no one can take away DDT from his prodigal son.

Jericho in Japan is always a delight to see, but this time specifically there was something in the air. Maybe it was because Jericho was wrestling in DDT out of all places. His last venture in Japan was by the hand of New Japan Pro Wrestling, so seeing him in this scenario was something of a dream come true for many fans. Jericho’s aura in Ryogoku was immaculate, but Takeshita was not short either. The whole Sumo Hall was divided between the All Elite Wrestling star and their DDT hero, who despite turning heel and embracing the dark side couldn’t forget his roots. The match itself was fantastic, but what truly made this special was Jericho wrestling in a DDT ring.

Pro-wrestling legends are not unknown to DDT, but a long time has passed since someone like Jericho decided to step foot in the dramatic squared circle and as a new era approaches, the company needs this more than ever to establish their audience and grow exponentially. Under the CyberFight banner, DDT stands as the only men’s promotion to provide quality shows and top-tier spectacles, and they need to keep this hot streak of shows going so they can aim at bigger venues.

Takeshita had a great showing, but the one that stole the show was definitely the 54-year-old living legend who is still doing Lionsaults like he’s still Corazon de Leon in Mexico. As the first Main Event of Ultimate Party, both Jericho and Takeshita delivered and even decided to wrestle like rent was due. A fantastic match, won by Jericho after he got the young Take into the Walls of Jericho.

After the match, Jericho extended the hand to the young Takeshita and he accepted it. Will this have implications for the Don Callis family back in America?

KO-D Openweight Championship: Chris Brookes (c) vs. Yuki Ueno

We finally arrived at the main event of DDT Ultimate Party 2023. To say this match represents DDT would be a massive understatement because this title match between the two best wrestlers in the company today exceeds more than just a belt or the scale of Ryogoku. As Chris Brookes said in the VTR of this match, being the KO-D Openweight Champion means more than just a weight scale. It’s all about representing DDT and representing the vision that every wrestler in the dramatic dream has. Yuki Ueno has been looking for the KO-D title for more than three years now, and this match was everything for him. His last chance to shine and to bear the flag for the company now that it has entered a new era.

The match was a showing of the most pure, the most honest, and the most real pro wrestling these two men can do. As DDT was being seen all over the world, these two came out to the ring to have an unforgettable battle that exceeded expectations. Friends, allies, but now rivals, separated by red and blue corners and by their visions of what DDT should be. Brookes and Ueno went to war more than ever, because in three years their lives were completely changed since their last encounter in the same scenario. Each move was devastating, and Ueno even got to repeat a pattern from a certain Golden Star. For more than 20 minutes, the KO-D Champion and the de-facto leader of 37KAMIINA went toe-to-toe to see who would carry DDT into the light.

Brookes took every page from his book and from every book he learned since he decided to live in Japan and make his life as a professional wrestler under the dramatic dream mindset. Brookes stole moves from KUDO, from HARASHIMA, from even contemporaries like MAO to defeat Ueno, but his fighting spirit was not going to allow that to happen. Brookes went bananas and decided to destroy Ueno with every big move he could have imagined, but not even a Super Praying Mantis was enough to stop him.

Ueno was destined to win the title after all, and for every pinfall he kicked out of there was no doubt we were going to see a new monarch at the end of the night. The finishing stretch of this match was pure epicness, and the crowd ate it all. They were expecting Ueno to get his hand raised at the end of it all, and they were screaming his name, supporting their new hero. When we least expected it, Ueno took a page from his idol’s book and did HUB’s finisher to finally win the KO-D Openweight Championship.

After a heartful speech, Ueno and the rest of 37KAMIINA took the ball and decided to run with it, as they were already the top stars in the company. Ueno finished the show by greeting the crowd, and then, celebrating with his friends and contemporaries. The brand new KO-D Champion celebrated his victory in pure DDT fashion, with confetti and Poko-tan cheering for him.

But things were not over there. Takeshita decided to appear again and confronted Ueno face-to-face. Yet, against any predictions, Takeshita hugged his friend and congratulated him for winning the KO-D belt. Takeshita acted weird throughout this whole show, and there were no signs of Don Callis around. Will this attitude from Takeshita be the thing that cracks the Don Callis family?

DDT celebrated their own product with a fantastic show that you must watch if you haven’t already. In an industry where many companies struggle to find their identity, DDT not only embraces it at its fullest but exposes it to the eyes of the new world they’re getting into. This is just a glimpse of the dramatic dream, and with the D-Oh Grand Prix coming up and Wrestle Peter Pan announced for Ryogoku in 2024, there’s a lot more DDT to come in the future, waiting for you and for the ones that never watched this unique promotion.

All photos by Masahiro Kubota. Copyright Monthly Puroresu LLC.

Date:

November 12, 2023

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