WRESTLE PETER PAN 2022 Preview

Ladies and gentlemen, and everyone in between, how are you doing this fine evening?
It’s that wonderful time of the year once again. Wrestle Peter Pan is almost upon us.
For those of you who always keep up to date with the latest in DDT, thank you for making this easier for me. For those of you who have absolutely no idea what Wrestle Peter Pan or even DDT is, welcome!

Peter Pan is the yearly big show for DDT. We’ve been doing this since 2009 and this year will be the 14^th incarnation and the 4^th under the Wrestle Peter Pan moniker. You may have heard of the many legendary bouts (or even seen clips) that took place in the show before with 2019’s iteration between Champion Konosuke Takeshita and Tetsuya Endo or the legendary 2012 edition between Champion Kota Ibushi and Kenny Omega.

Today we’ll be giving a rundown on what to expect for this weekend’s Wrestle Peter Pan.
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<h2>○ Main Event KO-D Undisputed Title Match 60-minutes time limit</h2>
<h2>＜Champion> Kazusada Higuchi vs Tetsuya Endo <challenger></h2>
<h2>※This will be the 79th champion’s 1st defense</h2>

Our main event of the year! And truly fitting of the tagline “<em>Let’s show the world Our DDT!</em>”

At this year’s CyberFight Festival, the DDT team comprising of Endo, Akiyama and Higuchi faced off again NOAH’s team of Nakajima, Inamura and Kotoge. However due to a concussion to Endo, the match ended abruptly much to the shock of everyone in attendance.

The momentum of DDT changed from that day. Then champion Tetsuya Endo relinquished the belt and sitting out this year’s KING OF DDT Tournament. Due to that, the winner of the tournament would be crowned the 79^th KO-D Openweight Champion.

In the Press Conference leading to the tournament, Higuchi said that as someone who stood in the ring when it happened, he promised to be the Champion and wait for Endo at the top of the mountain. Higuchi went through Naya, Takanashi and Akiyama to make it through to the finals facing off against Naomi Yoshimura and after a hard-fought bout, getting the win over Yoshimura and finally becoming the champion much to the joy of the crowd, Eruption and the roster.

On the same night, Endo returned to the DDT ring to announce that he will be returning to action on the 24^th of July. Having said that his return match was probably one of his most favourite moments of his career so far, he would go on to call out Higuchi to officially put his challenge. Keeping to his word, Higuchi accepts his challenge, and the match is set.

With Tetsuya Endo just barely returned from his injury, what stands before him is a menacing pillar of strength now brimming with confidence holding the KO-D Openweight Championship in the form of Kazusada Higuchi. Can his Burning Star Press light the way to a fourth title reign or will Higuchi’s Brain Claw Slam show the world that he is truly #1!?

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<h2>○Semi-main event DDT 25th Anniversary Special 6-man Tag Team Match 30-minutes time limit</h2>
<h2>Dick Togo & Daisuke Sasaki & KANON with MJ Paul vs Konosuke Takeshita & MAO & Yasu Urano</h2>

A special 25^th Anniversary bout fitting for DDT’s 25^th Anniversary. Dick Togo returns to DDT! He will be joining his first student Daisuke Sasaki and Sasaki’s buddy KANON to bring the terror to DDT. Across them will be the returning Konosuke Takeshita, MAO and Yasu Urano.
For the unaware it might seem like a random pairing but the choice of wrestlers couldn’t be any better! While Sasaki and Togo hasn’t always seen eye to eye, this time both men will be on the same side. On the other hand, the combination of MAO and Takeshita will prove to be a wild affair with MAO’s teacher Urano being the key man, knowing the ins and out of both Sasaki and Togo!
On the other hand, MAO inherits the spirit of Togo’s Michinoku style so when both MAO & Togo share the ring it will be a spectacle to see. Finally, KANON and Takeshita are both power fighters who have not faced each other. One man has made his name in DDT while the other has brought his parlor tricks and made a worldwide name for himself.

Earlier today at The37KAMIINA talk show, Takeshita said that since he hasn’t wrestled in Japan for quite some time, he’s ready to burst into the match and go crazy. With all the experience Takeshita have gained through his 4 months at AEW and the indies across the United States, will Takeshita, MAO and Urano run roughshod or will Togo, Sasaki and KANON bring the pain of Torture and DAMNATION T.A combined!?

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<h2>○Seventh match DDT UNIVERSAL Title Match - 60 min. 1-match</h2>
<h2>＜Champion> Masahiro Takanashi vs. Yuki Ueno <Challenger></h2>
<h2>※This will be the 7th champion’s 2nd defense</h2>

DDT and CDK’s <em>Sake-bancho</em> Masahiro Takanashi goes up against The37KAMIINA’s Yuki Ueno in this year’s Semi-Main event matchup!

Takanashi beat fellow T37K member MAO for the UNIVERSAL title on June 1^st, winning his first big DDT singles title since 2014. In becoming champion, Takanashi hopes to not only wrestle younger opponents from within DDT, but wrestlers outside the promotion and making this belt truly universal.

While the title is the DDT UNIVERSAL Championship, it has unfortunately never been able to go universal until Takanashi took hold of this belt. While the belt was not defended, Takanashi finally fulfilled one part of the belt’s legacy by bringing the title over to Thailand for a SETUP Pro Wrestling show.

In the lead-up to Wrestle Peter Pan, Takanashi said he’s been looking forward to this singles match against Ueno for a very long time, perhaps ever since the day Ueno debuted! Ueno even mentions that when he becomes champion he’ll make Thai wrestling exciting like Takanashi did. In response to that, Takanashi calls Emi Sakura during the conference to book Ueno for an upcoming Thai show!

With such expectations of the champion towards the challenger, how will the match end? Will we see Ueno in Thailand not far from now? Or will Takanashi continue his quest for universal glory!?

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<h2>○Sixth match DDT EXTREME Championship Match - Special Hardcore Match 60-minutes time limit</h2>
<h2><Champion> Joey Janela vs. Shunma Katsumata <challenger></h2>
<h2>※This will be the 55th Champion’s 1st defense</h2>

After much to and fro on Twitter with Sanshiro Takagi, the “Bad Boy” Joey Janela finally makes his DDT big match debut! Known for his insane hardcore and deathmatch style over in America at the GCW promotion, he’ll be going up against resident Hardcore connoisseur and Sauna boss Shunma Katsumata.

Janela made his DDT debut last week at Korakuen Hall against then EXTREME Champion Akito in the highly touted One Light Tube IPPON Deathmatch. With his history of breaking multiple light tubes, many fans were sure he would give in to temptation and smash it but due to Akito’s carelessness of stepping on it, Janela became EXTREME Champion on his first night!

After their match, Shunma would walk into the ring and challenge Janela for the title at what was originally scheduled to be an special bout. While both men had absolutely no idea what the other way saying, their wills transcended languages and they agreed to the match.

At the press conference while they were rather cordial to each other, Shunma would pop a crack in Janela’s face much to his dismay, leading to a fight taking place outside Shibuya’s duo MUSIC EXCHANGE. Janela would then plant Shunma to the ground with a DDT.

Two insane wrestlers from two sides of the world going against each other in what is expected to be a wild hardcore bloodbath. Which men will walk out of Ota Ku Gymnasium with the DDT EXTREME Championship!?

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<h2>○Fifth match Special Mixed Tag Team Match: 30-minutes time limit</h2>
<h2>Jun Akiyama & Saki Akai vs Chris Brookes & ASUKA</h2>

On July 7^th, which happened to be the same day of the Tanabata festival in Japan, Saki Akai requested to Jun Akiyama to form a tag team for the upcoming Wrestle Peter Pan.

Just last week at Korakuen Hall, ASUKA and Akai had a singles match where ASUKA beat Akai with the greatest of ease, putting some doubts in Akai and her upcoming match in 2 days’ time. Akiyama mentions that regardless of what gender his opponent is, he’ll treat his opponents like he usually do in any regular match.

They are called the Naniwa AA Cannon, as both members are originally born in Osaka (Izumi for Akiyama and Nishinari for Akai). This will also note the very first time that Akiyama will have a Mixed Tag Team Match. On the other hand, their opponents will be the fearsome Chris Brookes and ASUKA.

Both Brookes and ASUKA are no stranger to each other nor having Mixed Matches, so clearly experience will be on their side when it comes to the machinations of the match. They are both also very ruthless in the ring so Akiyama and Akai will have a mountain to climb! However, with Akiyama celebrating his 30^th Anniversary this year, surely he will want to pick up a victory for a first time bout!

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<h2>○Fourth match Shinichiro Kawamatsu Debut match Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly Member vs. Bunkyo Ward Assembly Member 30-minutes time limit</h2>
<h2>Shinichiro Kawamatsu & Sanshiro Takagi & Soma Takao vs Osamu Nishimura & Makoto Oishi & Akito</h2>

Every once in a while, we will have wrestlers making their debut at a Peter Pan show. This time, Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly Member Shinichiro Kawamatsu will be making his official wrestling debut!

Earlier this year Kawamatsu became Ironman Heavymetalweight Champion duo to Pokotan knocking Antonio Honda down leading him to become champion. While he was forced to defend the title in a Battle Royale with the help of former MMA fighter Nobutatsu Suzuki, he immediately submitted and relinquished the title.

After that frustrating shameful defeat, he swore to once again give wrestling a go proper and he will be making his debut at Wrestle Peter Pan. In a twist of fate, he’ll be going up against Osamu Nishimura, a legendary wrestler now working as an assemblyman in Bunkyo Ku (that’s the region where Korakuen is).

With Takagi, Takao, Oishi and Akito lending their hand of support to both Assemblymen, will the Tokyo Government reign supreme or the local Bunkyo ward office show that they’re strongest!?

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<h2> ○Third match Special 6-man Tag Match 30-minutes time limit</h2>
<h2>Naomi Yoshimura & Kota Umeda & Keisuke Okuda vs HARASHIMA & Yukio Sakaguchi & Hideki Okatani</h2>

The DNA trio of Yoshimura, Umeda and Okuda faces off the combined front of DISATER BOX and Eruption in the form of HARASHIMA, Sakaguchi and Okatani!

Longtime DDT fans were excited to hear Kota Umeda’s return to DDT after 3-4 years but we certainly didn’t expect Okuda joining along, and Yoshimura pinning for a DNA team!

During the press conference, Okuda was poking the bear while Yoshimura saying they can teach a thing or two to Eruption with their DNA trio. Sakaguchi fired back his own shots with tensions riding so high it led that tables were flung and Okuda and Sakaguchi had to be held back!

We expect this match to be a bloodbath with cooler heads Yoshimura and HARASHIMA trying to play nice…or will both men join the fray? Only one way to find out!

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<h2>○Second match 3WAY 6-Man Tag match 30-minutes time limit</h2>
<h2>Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno & Koju “Shining Ball” Takeda with Yumehito “Fantastic” Imanari vs Yuji Hino & Yukio Naya & Super Sasadango Machine vs Toru Owashi & Kazuki Hirata & Antonio Honda</h2>

After much teasing, the Pheromones finally revealed their fourth member, Koju “Shining Ball” Takeda of Wrestling of Darkness 666! Truly a force in his own right, who can stop the momentum of the Pheromones!?

Across them will be Hino, Naya and Sasadango on one side and Owashi, Hirata and Anton on the other. Two monster fighters in Hino and Yuji, and all-rounder with Owashi and shenanigans galore with Sasadango and his powerpoints, Anton with the Gongitsune and Hirata with TOKYO GO.

All we can say going into this bout is to expect nothing but shenanigans all around. A classic DDT comic match we know and expect that will leave you laughing off your seats!

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<h2>○Opening match 30-minutes time limit</h2>
<h2>Yusuke Okada & Yuya Koroku & Ilusion vs Toi Kojima & Yuki Ishida & Takeshi Masada</h2>

Our first match pits 6 of the younger up-and-coming stars of DDT in this 6-man exhibition! In the blue corner we have Okada and Koroku from BURNING joined by DDTeeeen!!’s Ilusion while we have The37KAMIINA’s Toi Kojima joined by Yuki Ishida and the super rookie Takeshi Masada.

Koroku and Kojima have been trying to one up each other throughout the year, even teaming up in one rare occasion. Who will come out on top this year? Okada is no slouch either being the most senior roster amongst the participants, giving his team the advantage of experience.

Yuki Ishida has been on an upward trend as of late teaming with HARIMAO and getting a main event win them lately. How will his sumo skills factor to his team? We must not forget the two younger talents Ilusion and Masada as well.

Ilusion has placed himself as the ace of the DDTeeeen!! Project and Takeshi Masada going into only his second match of his career at such a big stage! After an impressive debut against HARASHIMA, will he be the key to Kojima’s team!?

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This opening bout will be setting the stage for the rest of the show so we expect all 6 men to set the crowd up for excitement!
There is something for everyone at this year’s Wrestle Peter Pan! It was our first time cracking a shot to explain what to expect and we hope you enjoyed our rather long summary of the show. With less than 2 days to go, we will be on-site at Ota Ku Gymnasium to share the wonderful spectale to fans across the world.

<h2>○ Watch Wrestle Peter Pan 2022 below</h2>
https://www.wrestle-universe.com/lives/ocWFfGLucVV6EtcCFdAWRu

And if you’re unable to physically be at the show, why not subscribe to WRESTLE UNIVERSE now! There’s a two weeks free trial happening right now where if you cancel within the first 13 days you will be able to enjoy Wrestle Peter Pan at no charge. However, we hope that you enjoy the show so much that you’ll forget to unsubscribe!
Hope you’ll enjoy the show and let’s have a great time.
Wrestle Peter Pan 2022
⏱Date: August 20th 2022, Entrance 12:30 Starts 14:00
🏢Location: Tokyo Ota Ku Gymnasium
（東京都大田区東蒲田1丁目11番1号）
🚋Access: Keikyu Line, 5 minutes from Umeyashiki Station, 7 minutes from Keikyu Kamata station, JR Line/Keikyu Line, 15 minutes walk from Kamata station