DDT Pro Wrestling Kotatsu Fighting 2025 Review

DDT Pro Wrestling is a very unique and different wrestling promotion out there in the world. Despite being the former home of some of the best wrestlers the planet has ever seen like Kota Ibushi, Kenny Omega, Konosuke Takeshita, Jun Akiyama, and more...this promotion relies quite heavily on comedy wrestling. Whether it's wrestlers who get naked for their offense, an invisible man, a blow up doll, a championship belt that can be won by LITERALLY anything that exists (or even doesn't exist), or whatever other things you can think of, this company thrives on the absurdness of professional wrestling and the inherent silliness that exists within it.

As for my thoughts on it, well...they're very complicated and almost constantly changing. I don't keep up with or watch every single DDT show that exists, but I know about a lot of the different things. I know the likes of MAO, Chris Brookes, Yuki Ueno, Tetsuya Endo, and Daisuke Sasaki are all incredibly talented in the ring and put on great matches. But when I watch the shows, I have to sit through the likes of Yuki Iino, Danshoku Dino, Yoshihiko, and Gota Ihashi. People who make me want to fast forward or skip it all because they are just...yeah.

But I am going to go into this show as optimistic and unbiased as possible. I won't hold any past viewings or grudges against the talent in this show. So, let us get started on what is sure to be an incredibly wacky and weird night of action.

We open the broadcast on a press conference. The KO-D Tag Team Champions MAO and To-y (also known as The 37KAMIINA) were across from their future opponent, Sumi (and his partner Yumi Nijii unable to be there due to poor health).

I mean this segment was fun enough. I had to look up what they said, which included MAO using AI to see if he was going to win a match against Sumi, so that was something.

But then we get a REALLY long pop idol like thing in the ring that I fast forwaded through to get to the first match.

Match 1: Tag Team Match

Demus & MJ Paul vs Yuki Iino & Yuki Ishida

Demus and MJ Paul have very interesting looks to them, but wrestling wise I'm not huge on them. Demus has a signature move where he bites his opponents nipples...so there's that.

Meanwhile MJ Paul is such a big guy with a decently scary mask (if you're a easily scared child) but he doesn't wrestle like a monster. More just slow and lumbering.

On the other side, Yuki Iino is somebody that I typically really enjoy in his matches. He's a bright spot for me in DDT shows, and somebody that while I may not say is top of the card level, he is enjoyable enough. His partner in Yuki Ishida is somebody I have seen very little of, but he has a interesting enough look with unique ring gear reminiscent of sumo attire, even if he is rather small.

The action was incredibly basic, which is exactly what is needed as the opening contest of a very low level show. Iino continued to show me why he is such a big and good part of DDT. He had the most intensity and crowd support out of everyone while also delivering the best offense and selling. Really, the only one who truly felt like he was going at it with some amount of energy and vigor. Everyone else was doing their character stuff and getting the crowd to enjoy it, but it was not really all that dramatic or crazy. Demus got the victory with a pretty impressive Muscle Buster like move, but this match was very forgettable and skippable. Iino deserves better, even if he still isn't like major title contender level.

Result: Demus pinned Yuki Ishida

Star Rating: 2.25/5 Stars

Match 2: Six Man Tag Team Match

Keigo Nakamura, Yukio Naya & Yuya Koroku vs DAMNATION T.A (Daisuke Sasaki, Ilusion & KANON)

Keigo Nakamura is somebody that I typically see in comedy matches, even if he does wrestle well. His look is not all that interesting to me, so whenever I see him I don't expect a whole lot. Yuya Koroku is somebody that I have not seen before, so not sure how well he will do or even how he will wrestle. Meanwhile Yukio Naya has an incredible look and is massive. I'm a fan of his work, from the little of it that I've seen.

On the other side of the ring, we have Illusion who I typically really enjoy watching and think has an incredible look and an awesome mask. KANON I have not seen before, but he looks a lot like SHO from New Japan to my untrained eye. Curious to see how he wrestles. And then Daisuke Sasaki is somebody who I've seen a good amount of from the past , but now he seems very inconsistent. He had amazing matches from 2020-2023 with the likes of Tetsuya Endo, Yuki Ueno, and Konosuke Takeshita, but it seemed ot be much more great matches because of his opponents than him. He is still fine enough in the ring, just slowed down a lot from his prime which makes him just okay most of the times I see his current matches.

Being a big 6 man match, this devolves pretty quickly into a wild brawl that involves a lot of fighting on the floor and using chairs from the audience. There is a really awkward move done from KANON to Keigo, where it looked like he couldn't pick him up fully for a proper move, so he just drops him. DAMNATION T.A dominate the match, working over Yuya. The crowd was pretty quiet and the action was basic. Just working over one man and making him the sympathetic babyface in the best way that they can. Not overly speical or anything that is "go out of your way" to see.

Illusion was the highlight for me like he usually is. He has a great look and way of moving about the ring, hitting moves in a unique and seamless way that is incredibly enjoyable.

But then we get to see Illusion work a bit with the much larger and stronger Yukio, who throws him around like he weighs nothing. Yukio dominates briefly, but KANON is able to get the advantage without needing to cheat or any assistance. It leads to a strike exchange between the two, a very common trope in Japanese wrestling, but I am surprised that Yukio doesn't just win the exchange in a seconds. It goes on for a while, trading forearms and knees and clotheslines, but KANON is the one who ends with the last strike and knocks down the big man.

We get double tags in for Keigo and Daisuke, with the crowd getting the loudest they have been up to this point, supporting Keigo and booing Daisuke whenever he cheats. It was great to hear the crowd clap and chant along. We get a good amount of back and forth action for a while, with more major moves and good reversals between the pair.

DAMNATION then storm the ring and attack everybody, leading to a 3-on-1 beatdown of Keigo to make the crowd boo. Or at least they're supposed to. They get a little quiet again, having moments where the wrestlers are not moving too much or too loud, leading to just complete silence. Illusion goes for an incredibly pretty Swanton Bomb off the top rope, but Keigo moves out of the way and goes for a roll up. It gets broken up and the rest of DAMNATION is thrown out of the ring so Keigo can hit his Diving Headbutt, but it isn't enough to get the win.

As picky as this might sound, Illusion kicking out just a few milliseconds later would've been cool. It felt like a sequence that could've been the finish, but the drama wasn't quite where it needed to be. The match doesn't even go on that much longer, with the pair going back and forth with roll ups and pinfalls until Keigo finally gets it and wins the match for his team.

I was surprised by the result, but it seemed to be the one that the crowd wanted the most. They began to cheer and applaud by the end, so leaving them happy going into the next match was the best thing that they could've done. A whatever enough match. Nothing bad and no sloppy moments. Just not as dramatic or action packed as I would've hope with some of the people involved.

Result: Keigo Nakamura pinned Illusion

Star Rating: 2.75/5 Stars

Match 3: Singles Match

To-y vs Tomomitsu Matsunaga

One half of the current KO-D Tag Team Champions in To-y, I have not seen his stuff as much as his tag partner. I am very excited to see how he does though, even if right off the bat I would say that his look is just fine. Not something that blows me away, but it is much better than his opponents just plan blue trunks and shin pads that look so weirdly low. Usually I feel like they should go over the knees, but whatever. I have never seen Matsunaga wrestle before, so I have no idea what to expect from him. He has a pretty alright look though. Not really all that defined, but a torso and thighs that are built like a truck. Reminds me physically of Tomohiro Ishii or Masa Kitamiya.

The two trade different chants and stuff to get the crowd vocal and involved from the get go. A great way to get them to cheer and clap, even if I could've done without it. The action does start off going pretty fast and hard hitting, even if there are some strikes that feel very weak and others that feel incredibly stiff. The chop that To-y gives especially was so loud, but we go rather quickly into the rest hold portion of the match with a head twist or whatever it is called.

Matsunaga dominates the match early on, being the stronger and harder hitting opponent. Whatever To-y hits him with doesn't seem to do much, while every move that Matsunaga hits feels devastating.

While I am typically the sort of person who expects champions to look strong in their matches, I am waiting to see how I feel about this one in particular. They do wrestling differently in Japan, so I won't hold too much judgement quite yet.

Matsunaga though continues to dominate, even sending To-y to the floor and looks for a count out victory. The match keeps going on with the two exchanging moves and holds, with To-y finally starting to build a little bit of momentum with a pretty beautiful Dropkick. His selling is great, and the crowd is as vocal and into this match as anything so far, which is great to hear.

To-y continues to hit incredibly hard and loud chops that get the crowd invested. His machine gun chops in the corner look fine enough, with Matsunaga's selling really making it look even better. To-y gets a big run for a bit, with his chops and dropkicks allowing him to climb the corner and go for a move of...some kind. Matsunaga moves out of the way and shows off just how red and beat up his chest is, which is always a crazy sight to see on wrestlers. He gets back into the dominant position, beating down the champion for a bit including reversing a move into a really nasty powerbomb followed by a back suplex that involved him jumping in the air, which I've never seen before. It looked very dangerous, and I'm just happy that neither person got hurt.

We move on to an incredibly close near fall with Matsunaga rolling him up in a small package, and the crowd biting at it being the finish. They get vocal, but then the strike exchange that comes after was not all that impressive. It was fine enough and just felt like they were padding for time now. If the roll up got reversed into another and To-y won there, it would've been a cool and hot finish. But now, it just continues to drag on with maybe 50% of the offense in this match being To-y hitting chops. My first time watching him wrestle and he has been rather lackluster and showing an incredibly limited amount of moves that he can do. He does hit a really cool Flapjack(?) like move that I don't even know how to explain. He wins with it in a fine enough showing. Maybe the Tag Team Champion could've looked better, but that's just me complaining.

Result: To-y pinned Tomomitsu Matsunaga

Star Rating: 2.75/5 Stars

We get a super short thing with Matsunaga and To-y showing respect before they announce something, and some tiny tables are brought into the ring. Setting up for quite a while before the next match comes.

Match 4: Six Man Tag Team Match

Danshoku Dino, Jun Akiyama & Yuki Ueno vs Antonio Honda, Makoto Oishi & Soma Takao

Jun Akiyama and Yuki Ueno are some super talented and amazing wrestlers. Akiyama has been wrestling since 1992, and has a MASSIVE collection of amazing matches. One of the best to ever come from Japan. His partner Yuki Ueno is young but awesomely gifted in the ring. he reminds me a whole lot of young Kota Ibushi, which has me excited to see his stuff in the future.

As for Danshoku Dino, I have a LOT of issues with his matches. Comedy that just feels gross and a little bit harmful. A whole lot of "gay panic" type thing and just really a wrestler that I really don't like watching. Really not a fan of him or any of his work.

As for their opponents, I am only familiar with the name Antonio Honda. I know he is supposedly good, or used to be great. As for Oishi and Takao, I have absolutely no idea what to expect from them in this match.

We get a lot of stalling and comedy of some kind to start off. The tables in the corner are a strange addition to me, I guess something about the arena being cold? I don't know. But there are blankets for them to wrap up in while waiting, and Jun Akiyama even lays down like he is going to nap. I guess with his incredibly lengthy and physical career, he has every right to do fun stuff like this if he wants. Thus match really is a lot of comedy silliness. Nobody wants to tag into the match because they want to be wrapped up in the blankets and stay nice and warm. That part was decently funny and creative, since I've never seen it before.

Thge tagging in and out comes relatively quick with people going in and out to make the crowd laugh. The wrestlers themselves seem to be smiling and laughing the entire time, so at least they're enjoying it. But one thing that really started to annoy me, and it's going to sound ridiculous, was that drink and food were suddenly put on the tables. I get wrestling not being serious and something like this being especially silly, but this was just too far. The crowd absolutely loved it and ate it up, so maybe I'm just a petty cynic. But even when the bad guys were cheating, they had smiles on their faces and were laughing. Even when they were beating each other up, there was more laughing.

Jun Akiyama gets worked over by his opponents, including a sneaky attack with their table while Jun's partners are just sitting in their blankets enjoying some oranges and some juice.

Akiyama eventually snaps and throws their table away, breaking it and trying to make his partners become all serious and focused. The referee cracks up laughing, and the crowd looses it. They bust a gut laughing, and then we get more comedy stuff with criss crossing ropes, as well as using a blanket to cover up the fact that Dino stripped off his ring trunks to leave him in a thong and do some "HA HA SEXUAL INNUENDO" type comedy. The match devolves into just weird brawling and whatever "comedy" that involves Dino pulling his thong down to expose his ass, then thrust into his opponent from behind to send him into a table. Like...I don't even want to leep watching or talking about this.

There is a creative moment where the second table is put on top of their opponents to pin them down while Dino sits on their faces (again...gross) but it gets broken up.

The match continues on WAY too long to be funny or interesting anymore. Even fi we do eventually build to what was admittedly a fun and creative moment with Honda falling into the ring, but then grabbing a microphone to say something.

This then leads to everyone in the match sharing one table and blanket and just more stupid comedy.

I don't even know how else to describe what is happening or what else to talk about. Opponents share an orange and laugh amongst themselves instead of fighting.

Result: Yuki Ueno pinned Antonio Honda

Star Rating: 1.25/5 Stars

Match 5: Singles Match

MAO defeats Kazuma Sumi

MAO is my pick for the best wrestler in all of DDT, so having him on this show is a huge breath of fresh air. Big fan of whatever he will pull out. Meanwhile his opponent Kazuma Sumi is his future challenger for the KO-D Tag Team Titles, and the one who was across from him in the press conference. Thanks internet for making it difficult to find.

MAO starts off with some Orange Cassidy like offense, putting his hands in his pockets and fighting it out. Kazuma is somebody I haven't seen before, but he has a cool look and moves incredibly well. His dropkicks were crisp, and he sold incredibly well for MAO, even if the actual offense he was taking was not the best ever.

This match was by far the fastest paced and most competitive of the night. A fresh oasis of actual, true wrestling. Hands in pockets thing aside, as it does sort of fit MAO's character and the story they're telling with Kazuma not being ready to take on such a major star in a major title match. It work and was enjoyable, with the crowd getting very vocal and behind Kazuma.

We finally get to MAO's breaking point, taking his hands out due to how serious the match swas going and just destroying Kazuma for a while. The crowd continued to be louder than ever, getting super invested in the match. Kazuma continued to show his fighting spirit and put on one heck of a performance, getting the better of MAO in some exchanges. The crowd cheered him on and MAO was doing whatever he could to make his opponent look good, including a rather impressive reversal in midair with Kazuma landing on his feet.

MAO wrestled much more aggressively than I am used to seeing, which continued to show how important this match was and truly made it feel big time. A match with a great story part of a feud that I knew nothing about at first, but now have a firm understanding on.

Kazuma had an incredible performance in this match. The young babyface underdog and the older, stronger veteran going to town on each other with varying levels of respect. Great story, great wrestling, great selling. Just everything about this was great. MAO is a star already, but he really helped Kazuma put on his owns tar making performance.

Result: MAO pinned Kazuma Sumi Star Rating: 4.25/5 Stars

Match 6: Six Man Tag Team Match

Akito, HARASHIMA & Shuji Ishikawa vs Schadenfreude International (Chris Brookes, Masahiro Takanashi & Takeshi Masada)

Chriis Brookes is one of my favorite wrestlers and has been since his PROGRESS Wrestling days. Dude is super awesomely talented and charismatic. Meanwhile, the only other person I've seen in this match before is HARASHIMA.

I have no idea what to expect from this match.

The action was fine. It started off slow and basic, with the Schadenfreude people cheating and getting some team offense in, including their partner Atonio Honda from earlier in the night coming out to get involved as well. It was a lot of chaos and fun, being moved up with Brookes trying to use a stretchy ribbon like they have in the past, but it broke. It was unfortunate and a little funny, but they recovered well from it. That spot though is typically my favorite in Brookes matches.

Brookes then used the strap in the crowd while we got some chaotic brawling, which the crowd really got into.

The action was pretty varied though. We got a lot of actual action mixed in with the comedic bits, which is a good way to do it that no other match has done on this show.

Like the match itself is hard to do a breakdown of, as it really is a whole lot of wild action and moves that just come at you at a quick pace and with a hot crowd. The result surprised me a little bit, but with a matcha a good as this one, I have no real complaints.

A great showing from everyone involved and I was a huge fan.

Result: Shuji Ishikawa pinned Masahiro Takanashi

Star Rating: 3.75/5 Stars

Overall this show was bad. The last two matches were great, but it was a LONG way to get there from the mountain of just unfunny comedy or just bad wrestling. I really would skip forward almost 2 hours if I were to recommend this to anybody. I tried to give DDT a honest and fair try, but I was mostly disappointed by this.

Overall Rating: 4/10