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What Does the Future Hold for DDT Ultimate Party 2023?

1 year ago

What Does the Future Hold for DDT Ultimate Party 2023?

The most recent DDT Pro Wrestling big show was the catalyst of the biggest scenarios possible for Ultimate Party 2023. As we reach the end of the year, this is what the future holds for DDT.

By: R. Faliani

DDT Pro Wrestling celebrated one of its big shows last week. Several things have paved the way to Ultimate Party 2023, and it looks to be one of, if not the biggest DDT event in recent memory. What has been a fantastic year for DDT with new storylines to follow, wrestlers to keep an eye on and dream scenarios will come to an end with this massive show, and the future looks brighter than ever for Sanshiro Takagi’s promotion. Let’s start down the road to Ultimate Party by doing a recap of everything that happened in “Who’s Gonna Top?”

DDT vs AJPW: Yuki Ueno & Toy Kojima vs. Atsuki Aoyagi & Dan Tamura

To start this recap, let’s talk about one of the most interesting highlights of this show. Yuki Ueno and Toy Kojima, representing 37KAMIINA, defended DDT’s pride against All Japan Pro Wrestling’s Atsuki Aoyagi and Dan Tamura. This match was a fun exhibition of Junior Heavyweight excellence and it gave us a look at the most determined and thriving Ueno we have seen in a long time. 37KAMIINA got the victory after a hard-fought battle, but this would not be Ueno’s only appearance in this show. On the other hand, the appearance of Aoyagi and Tamura could be the beginning (or the development, as we have seen this situation arise multiple times with Jun Akiyama and Suwama) of a working relationship between DDT and AJPW.

DDT Universal Championship Match: Matt Cardona (c) vs. Maki Itoh

One of the next highlights of this fantastic show was the title match between the DDT Universal Champion Matt Cardona and the always charismatic Maki Itoh. In true DDT fashion, this match was a lot to handle from both sides. We may never erase the image of a bloodied Cardona being cut by Itoh with a pizza cutter from our minds, but in a show that was (no pun intended) aimed for the top, this match couldn’t reach the level we imagined and was just a massive segment dressed as a title match. Cardona retained the belt and the match ended, leaving us with a thirst for more entertainment.

Special Singles Match: KONOSUKE TAKESHITA vs. MAO

The next match on the card was special. Not only because it was a Special Singles Match, but because it was an element of the biggest puzzle in DDT this year. The rivalry between 37KAMIINA and DAMNATION led to this match being one of the best DDT matches of 2023. Former partners and former friends now turned bitter rivals, a story that never fails to put you on the edge of your seat. The insanely talented and heavily underappreciated MAO went toe-to-toe with the one and only Konosuke Takeshita, in a battle of pure strength and drive. This match was months in the making, because of the developments in this story since that fantastic 6-Man Tag Team Match between 37KAMIINA and DAMNATION that ended with MAO declaring Takeshita an enemy of 37KAMIINA. This was one of those matches where you couldn’t blink or you would have missed something.

Photo c/u: Masahiro Kubota (@_MasahiroKubota)

The fact that MAO gave Takeshita a harder-fought battle than AEW’s Kenny Omega speaks volumes about his untapped potential, and despite losing, Takeshita had to destroy MAO and take him out of the game for good. You don’t see Takeshita struggling to defeat an opponent in Wednesday nights or even in Sunday events for AEW. That’s how you know MAO has his number. He went to this match absolutely focused on defeating the man he once called a friend. But as Takeshita keeps rising in the wrestling industry, so do his level and his skills. Following an absolute candidate for match of the year, Takeshita had to knock out his former friend for good and leave him with the same chip on his shoulder that he left Ueno with after Wrestle Peter Pan. Right after the match ended, Takeshita threw in a twist: he said MAO’s pro wrestling was really good, but time was running short. These words were the same he once said to Ueno. It seems that Takeshita has both of his former friends on the same level, and MAO truly gave him a fight for the ages. MAO, as eccentric as always, decided to take Takeshita’s advice literally seconds after the match, and he challenged the DDT Universal Champion Matt Cardona to a title match at Ryogoku Sumo Hall, for Ultimate Party 2023.

Takeshita, nonplussed by MAO’s impulsive actions, wished him good luck on his title match, and he then went to present a man that had appeared in the match and was in Takeshita’s corner for a little while. The man responsible for Takeshita’s sudden growth in the wrestling business and for Takeshita’s victories over Omega, Kota Ibushi, and the Golden Elite in the course of three months. Don Callis made his first appearance for DDT and he introduced himself to the crowd at Korakuen Hall, with the help of Takeshita who decided to show his fans the family he had gathered in the United States. But when everything looked too nice to be true, the lights went off and a familiar video played on the Korakuen Hall screen.

The legendary Chris Jericho appeared on the screen and challenged Takeshita to a match at the Ryogoku Sumo Hall for Ultimate Party 2023. One of the most criticized aspects of AEW’s relationships with other promotions was their unbalanced nature. It seems they’re learning and have given DDT a big star after practically borrowing their Ace in Takeshita. Ultimate Party will be the first time that Jericho wrestles for DDT and will be a triumphant return of the one who once called himself “The Alpha.” This interesting coincidence shouldn’t be taken as just that, as Takeshita now calls himself “The Alpha” of Pro-Wrestling. In a true Dramatic Dream Match, it will be “Alpha vs. Alpha” in a match that will surely put a lot of eyes in the best CyberFight promotion in the world today.

KO-D Openweight Championship Match: Chris Brookes (c) vs. Saki Akai

And if this was not enough, the last and most important highlight was the KO-D Openweight Championship match between the current and reigning champion Chris Brookes, and the now-looking-into-retirement Saki Akai. The Main Event of this show was a sequel to one of the most interesting and fantastic title matches from DDT back in the pandemic era. Brookes put his UNIVERSAL Championship on the line against Akai, and the match was a solid proof of the kind of wrestling DDT was accustomed to putting on. The next part of this rivalry was going to be on the Main Event, at Korakuen Hall. Akai will retire in a few months, but she’s going out the best way possible, and Brookes wanted to fight Akai, to see her development as a wrestler through out the years.

Photo c/u: Masahiro Kubota (@_MasahiroKubota)

Needless to say, Brookes and Akai gave what we can consider the best match of DDT this year, showing that DDT’s aesthetic and identity is still the same after 26 years. And with many promotions (even under the same banner) that have certainly derailed in these aspects it’s really hard to not give DDT the benefit of the doubt. The overall presentation of the company reached a peak in this title match, which saw both wrestlers giving their absolute best to earn one of the most prestigious prizes in wrestling history. This was also a proof that intergender matches, when done right, can be absolutely wonderful, and can show the true potential of both wrestlers. It was certainly a final chapter for Akai, and despite going out without her happy ending, she gave Brookes a war and wrote her name on the KO-D history books.

Photo c/u: Masahiro Kubota (@_MasahiroKubota)

After this match, Brookes sat in the middle of the ring with his championship on his hand. He was the only wrestler in DDT who had not defined his match for Ryogoku. Just as he was about to challenge somebody, Ueno stormed to the ring and stood face to face with the champ. After a fun segment between the two, Brookes declared that the one he was going to challenge was Ueno himself. This set up the Main Event for Ultimate Party: Brookes vs. Ueno. This year DDT gave us their two biggest stories and their protagonists were the men who will face each other on November. Ueno has previously declared he wanted to win the KO-D Openweight Championship and challenge none other than Takeshita to a title match to see if he could defeat him once and for all. Brookes, on the other hand, was vocal about Takeshita’s appearance on Wrestle Peter Pan and how he didn’t come out to congratulate him after his victory over Yuji Hino.

The current structure of DDT shows there are three big names around the KO-D Championship: Brookes, Takeshita and Ueno. If Takeshita goes on to defeat Jericho on Ultimate Party, it’s obvious he could easily be the next contender for whoever is the champ at the end of the night. We also have the D-Oh Grand Prix 2023 coming up, and that adds a lot of pressure for the three men involved. What we have for Ultimate Party already is a new and upcoming DDT who’s looking to take over the world. The appearance of Jericho will boost DDT’s popularity and prestige, as a legendary wrestling star will not only show what hides behind DDT’s comedy wrestling, but what hides behind one of the most, if not the most undervalued promotion of all time. Jericho adds himself to a list of legends that have worked for DDT: Keiji Muto, Hiroshi Tanahashi, Naomichi Marufuji and even Kazuchika Okada.

“DDT Who’s Gonna Top?” left us with a dramatic card of exciting matches to keep an eye on, and alongside the Special Singles Match between Hiromu Takahashi and Kazuki Hirata, they have formed what could easily be the best DDT show of the year. The current card for Ultimate Party 2023 on November 12th is currently:

KO-D Openweight Championship Match: Chris Brookes (c) vs. Yuki Ueno
DDT Universal Championship Match: Matt Cardona (c) vs. MAO
Dramatic Dream Match: Chris Jericho vs. Konosuke Takeshita
Special Singles Match: Hiromu Takahashi vs. Kazuki Hirata

We’re reaching the end of September, and we’re only one month away from the biggest party that DDT will host since 2019. The company is currently standing in the wrestling industry with 26 years of dramatic dreams, and as we look into the horizon for 2024 and beyond, it seems the working relationship with AEW will finally be equal, and we will see solid content from both companies. A new era is upon us, and Ultimate Party will be the perfect introduction to people who have never watched DDT before. There’s still space on Takagi’s bicycle, and we will all ride to the sunset. The Dramatic Dream will still shine, and one of the best promotions in the world today will keep bringing the best shows.

Date:

September 29, 2023

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