DDT “Shinshun Otoshidama Special!”, 01/03/17 @ Korakuen Hall, Tokyo

Holy crap does DDT look like it's doing well, the place is packed. Considering it was this obscure, mental indie promotion, it looks healthier than AJPW, which I don't know how to process, and its been going for 20 years. Starts with the obligatory new year tradition of everyone in the ring. Kasai gives a speech and I quote "happy fucking new year"

- King of Dark Championship 8 Man Tag Match: [18th Champion] Nobuhiro Shimatani, Hoshitango, Tomomitsu Matsunaga & Dai Suzuki vs. Kouki Iwasaki, Mizuki Watase, Rekka & Daiki Shimomura

We don't see this match, as the winner (loser) has to defend the belt before the show is filmed. Iwasaki wins with the Boston Crab on Shimatani.

- 3 Way Tag Match: Makoto Oishi, Shunma Katsumata & MAO vs. Sanshiro Takagi, Toru Owashi & Kazuki Hirata vs. Soma Takao, Gorgeous Matsuno & Cherry

Before the match, some old guy and a lady in traditional Japanese gear start to sing bad karaoke throughout the match. Quick match with Oishi winning with the Jikiden! Tornado Clutch on Hirata. Hirata seems to have a magic palm as he hits people in the neck and they go down like a sack of spuds. [DDT]

- Joey Ryan & Laura James vs. Gota Ihashi & Saki Akai

Ihashi spends most of the match trying to kiss Akai who is having none of it. Laura puts oil on joey's back and on her chest. She slides over his back to headbutt Ihashi in the balls... Match involves a lot of powerful private parts and ends when Joey superkicks Ihashi [DDT]

- Danshoku Dino & Keisuke Ishii vs Shigehiro Irie & Yasu Urano

Actually some good wrestling in this. Nice spot where there was a drop kick which drops them down to their knees followed by a quick ddt. This was followed up with simulated buggery. Irie spends the last few minutes of the match with his nose in Dinos exposed bum hole. Really. [OK]

- KUDO, Yukio Sakaguchi & Masahiro Takanashi vs. Yoshihiro Takayama, Dick Togo & Guanchulo

Takayama and Dick fucking Togo - whu? An actual match! KUDO gets the win following a Diving Double Knee Drop on Guanchulo. [OK]

- DDT EXTREME Championship ~ Fluorescent Light-tube IPPON Death Match: Jun Kasai vs. Akito

Kasai is massively over here and is having his name chanted before he even appears. Being DDT, the light tube death match is literally one light tube  to win you have to have your opponent smash that solitary lighttube. They tease being pushed into it for a while. Kasai teases how nervous he is of being put through it. Akito ends up running into it, but because there's only one it doesn't break and they both look at it in amazement.

Kasai introduces another lighttube! Akito throws him into it, but doesn't win because it's not the real lighttube Kasai wins following a Reverse Tiger Driver onto the fluorescent light. This was a really fun match and they worked the single lighttube spots well. [Good]

- Daisuke Sasaki vs. Candace LeRae

Sasaki comes to the ring with a bunch of flowers, he doesn't want anything to do with this match. He gets down on one knee to present them to Candace. He's even wrote her a love letter. Sasaki doesn't want to do any offensive moves at all and regrets every punch and kick. The crowd boo him for it and he agrees with them! Until he snaps where he starts to choke her with his jacket. Candace does a cool suicide dive into a ddt followed by a footstomp from the top rope.

Ends where sasaki goes to do a superkick but doesn't want to actually go through with it so he stops, Candace then gives him the middle finger, so he shrugs, boots her in the head and then does the Vietnam Driver II for the win. After the match he asks Candace to marry him. Which she turns down, bit of back and forth and it ends with Candace suplexing him by his dick. [OK]

- Konsuke Takeshita, Antonio Honda & Kazusada Higuchi vs. Shuji IShikawa, Tetsuya Endo & Mad Pauley

This match starts in progress, which was a little surprising. I was really getting into this when halfway through Honda gets on the microphone and starts having a little chat with everyone. No idea what was said but it must have been funny because they all start corpsing in the ring.

Impressed with Endo, who is definitely in the Ibushi mould. He hits a beautiful brainbuster and gets the win with a Sky Twister Press on Honda. After the bell Hondas team have a falling out and start pushing each other around. [OK]

- KO-D Openweight Championship Match: HARASHIMA vs. Mike Bailey

They hype the match up with a really good montage, whoever they've got doing the videos are doing a better job than the most of the other promotions. They reference El Generico and Kenny Omega being past champs. Speed ball Mike Baileys gimmick is that he looks like an mma guy and has a load of quick and flashy kicks.

The start of this match wouldn't look out of place in battlearts or Pancrase. Because he uses his kicks so well Harashima concentrates on working his leg, he gets in some nasty, nasty looking leg stomps. Bailey does OK selling the leg, winces in pain after kicking Harashima for example but then he forgets and at one point and runs to do a running corkscrew moonsault.

I didn't know what to expect from a DDT main event but this was really good. Lots of nice looking kicks and a logical story throughout. Harashima wouldn't look out of place in NOAH. Harashima wins with the Somato (looks like a shining wizard variation) [excellent]