Shinya Aoki Wins King of DDT Tournament, Challenges Yuki Ueno on June 28th

By Noah Leatherland

The King of DDT tournament wrapped up in Korakuen Hall, with Shinya Aoki emerging as the ultimate winner. Now, Aoki heads into DDT King of Kings on June 28th where he will challenge Yuki Ueno for the KO-D Openweight Championship.

The night kicked off with the semi-final matches, where Aoki faced a man cut from the same cloth as him, Minoru Suzuki. Aoki grappling prowess led him to victory over Suzuki, with a clutch pin catching Suzuki for a 3 count just shy of 10 minutes into the bout. On the opposite side of the bracket, MAO overcame Danshoku Dieno to punch his ticket to the final round. The main event to decide the King of DDT was set, Shinya Aoki versus MAO.

While the stakes were high in the singles division, the event also saw a defence of the KO-D Six Man Tag Team titles. paleyouth put the belts on the line against Shunma Katsumata, Yuni and Kazuma Sumi. Takeshi Masada led his team to victory, retaining the trios titles, marking a 4th successful defence for paleyouth.

Soon enough, Aoki and MAO met in the middle of the ring. MAO did his very best to take Aoki on at his own game, grappling with one of the very best. However, Aoki’s mastery proved to be just too much. The Aoki Clutch pinned MAO’s shoulders to the mat and secured Aoki the trophy. Having won many accolades in DDT, this is Aoki’s first King of DDT trophy.

The reigning KO-D Openweight Champion, Yuki Ueno, made an appearance to congratulate the winner. In the words exchanged in the ring, it appears that both men have a tremendous amount of respect for one another and are looking forward to the encounter.

Having already held the KO-D Openweight Championship in the past, Aoki is looking to add a second reign to his list of accomplishments:

Two matches in one day—that was exhausting. It’s been a tournament where we’ve proven our ability and earned trust. We’ve got a month until the match against Ueno, and I want to win it for the first time in two years.

But, despite the tremendous amount of momentum Aoki now has, Ueno has no intention of letting that belt go just yet:

Aoki-san, congratulations on winning the tournament. Pro-wrestling is at the very core of who you are. This tournament has been a constant struggle, filled with the frustration of not quite being able to convey that to you. I’m going to give it my all—so much so that you won’t be able to take it all in.

(Quotes translated via DeepL)

Aoki is set to challenge Ueno for the KO-D Openweight Championship at DDT King of Kings in Korakuen Hall on June 28th.

Here are the full results for King of DDT 2026 Finals:

• King of DDT – Semi Final: Shinya Aoki def. Minoru Suzuki (9:31)
• King of DDT – Semi Final: MAO def. Danshoku Dieno (11:54)
• Jun Akiyama, Naomi Yoshimura & Junta Miyawaki def. Hideki Okatani, MJ Paul & Ilusion (9:05)
• Yuki Ueno & Kaisei Takechi def. Kazuki Hirata & To-y (0:12)
• Yuki Ueno & Kaisei Takechi def. Kazuki Hirata & To-y (9:15)
• Chris Brookes, HARASHIMA & Antonio Honda def. KANON, Yukio Naya & Viento Maligno with KIMIHIRO & YUZUKI (12:08)
• KO-D Six Man Tag Team Title: Takeshi Masada, Yuya Koroku & Daichi Satoh (c) def. Shunma Katsumata, Yuni & Kazuma Sumi (14:52)
• King of DDT – Final: Shinya Aoki def. MAO (17:20)