First One Light Tube IPPON Deathmatch in 3 years! Here’s an explainer to show everyone the joys of the One Light Tube IPPON Deathmatch.

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At the August 14th Road to PETER PAN 2022 in KORAKUEN ~Let Your Voices Be Heard~ show in Korakuen Hall, Champion Akito will be defending the DDT EXTREME Title against Joey Janela. The rule the champion chose was the legendary One Light Tube IPPON Deathmatch! It seemed like this new gained lots of traction on SNS so we’re here today to give you a summary and the history of this match with a special interview with Akito.
◆What IS the One Light Tube IPPON Deathmatch anyways?
There will be a singular light tube in the ring and whoever breaks the tube will lose the match.

To be more precise:
<ul>
<li>If only one wrestler touched the light tube when it broke, the person touching it will lose.</li>
<li>If BOTH wrestlers touched the light tube when it broke, the attacker loses the match.</li>
</ul>
※If a wrestler uses the light tube as an object to smash it one the other’s head, both are deemed to have touched it and the attacker loses. If the light tube was placed on the mat and the attacker threw his opponent onto the light tube, only one wrestler is deemed to have touched the light tube and the attacker wins the match.

Regardless, whether there is a 3 count or give-up (normal wrestling rules) finish to the match, we do not know if this rule will apply on August 14th yet.
◆Interview with Akito
――How did the One Light Tube IPPON Deathmatch came about?

Akito: While I was the chief at Dropkick, Isami and myself were doing wrestling research at Dropkick discussing wrestling ideas and techniques with each other.　There was a BJW match between a Deathmatch style guy against a Strong style one. At the end a light tube came out and Yuko Miyamoto used a Fire Thunder Driver onto Yuji Okabayashi. It was a Deathmatch rules match but the object was used only at the end. When we saw this Isami said “Even I can do a match like that if a Light Tube appeared at the end. Wouldn’t it be interested in the match ended when the Light Tube broke?”. At that there was a Tavern Wrestling series where Ebisco and Dropkick had a feud going on. (30th September 2015 Shin Kiba) Every match had a special rule so I thought “What if we used that idea we discussed in a match?” and so I went against Ryuichi Sekine as the beginnings to this.

▲The very first One Light Tube IPPON Deathmatch

Akito: After that Tavern Wrestling had a One Light Tube IPPON Tournament (3rd August 2016 Shin Kiba), and the first round was Akito vs Miyamoto, Tsukamoto vs Isami. I beat Isami and won the tournament. I faced against Kasai for the EXTREME title (January 3rd 2017) and since we were doing that, we should do this in DDT. This was the first time I faced Kasai in DDT.

▲A photo from the One Light Tube IPPON Tournament

――What was everyone’s reaction when this match happening in Tavern Wrestling?

Akito: Tavern Wrestling was a special show, and it was an all-you-can-drink occasion so no matter what match it was, everyone got excited. (laughs) So whether people were excited about One Light Tube IPPON was due it to being a Tavern Wrestling show or whether it was truly interesting, I don’t know. I remember Ego-Searching for Tavern Wrestling and everyone said every match was amazing (laughs). I couldn’t really tell how interesting this match rule was until Kasai and myself went against each other. Many people said “this rules is pretty amazing”.

▲The first One Light Tube IPPON match in a DDT ring.

――Were you confident going up against Kasai in that match?

Akito: Kasai is so much more dangerous as a deathmatch wrestler. And this was the only rule I could win in a match against a Deathmatch wrestler, so I brought this ruleset. I knew it would be popular for sure. This was the deathmatch I knew I could do after all. It was also a ruleset Kasai never faced before so it felt like an even matchup. I truly felt how amazing this ruleset was only when I faced ASUKA. (15th July 2019 Ota Ward)

▲The most exciting One Light Tube IPPON Deathmatch so far.

Akito: Every opponent I had before ASUKA was a Deathmatch wrestler. Miyamoto, Isami, Sekine, Tsukamoto, Kasai. It was being carried through by the Deathmatch wrestlers until now, but ASUKA isn’t one. But this is a ruleset made by a non-Deathmatch wrestler. You use weapons and such during one right? But this one required some mind games. I think this ruleset will be hard for Deathmatch wrestlers. Whether it breaks or not will decide the match. It’s a match that would suit someone who has a creative ring style even if they rarely fight in a deathmatch.

――The reception of the match against ASUKA was pretty amazing, right?

Akito: The timing couldn’t be better I felt. It was a free show where even non-DDT fans would come down for. Of course there was cheering in that match. The timing for everything was perfect. I wrestled for 12-3 years and that was probably one of the best ones yet. It was the match where I truly felt “wow the fans are really buying into this match” as I wrestled

――Your thoughts on your opponent Joey Janela?

Akito: Just like how Janela doesn’t know me, I don’t know Janela. I have no interest in overseas wrestling you see. I knew that a wrestler called Joey Janela exists, but I didn’t know what kind of wrestler he was until the match was confirmed. All I knew was he went against Yoshihiko and he’s made quite the name for himself overseas. Recently I got to watch a little and understood him more. I heard from someone well-versed about him that he’s a pretty creative wrestler.

――For such an opponent this would be the perfect rule?

Akito: I wanted to welcome Janela into DDT with a rule that he doesn’t know well about, and at the same time I feel that it is also a rule that perfectly expresses what DDT is. I want to express myself to the world through Janela. I have no interest going overseas but, I would like to use overseas challengers like Janela to show off the creative aspect of DDT to the world. And so that’s why I chose this masterpiece of a rule that I created.

――And this show has cheering allowed as well, right?

Akito: And that’s the biggest piece of this puzzle. I didn’t want to wrestle this ruleset until cheering came back so if the August 14th show had no cheering, I wouldn’t have used this ruleset.

――Please leave a message to the fans looking for this match.
Akito: Its been three years since I wrestled this rules and many fans have probably changed with the time. I think half of the current fanbase have not seen this ruleset yet. That’s why I hope many people can see and appreciate the joy of this One Light Tube IPPON Deathmatch. Its also been three years since I was EXTREME Champion so I think most recent fans only know me as the Vice President of DDT. Actually I’m quite the creative wrestler and I hope all of you can see this aspect of myself.
▼Watch the July 15th 2019 Ota Ward Gymnasium match between Akito and ASUKA in the One Light Tube IPPON rules on WRESTLE UNIVERSE now!

https://www.wrestle-universe.com/videos/rYjQhMjFhqpkNGtAe3M2nV