DDT "Sweet Dreams!" 2015
a review by Kevin Wilson

Date:  January 25th, 2015
Location:  Tokyo Korakuen Hall in Tokyo, Japan
Announced Attendance: 2,000 (Super No Vacancy Full House) 

As DDT prepared for their big event in Saitama, which I will review within the next few weeks, this was their setup event to finalize storylines and get the fans excited. Most of the regulars of DDT are on the show, along with a handful of wrestlers from Big Japan as well. Here is the full card:

- Gorgeous Matsuno, Gota Ihashi, and DJ Nira vs. KUDO, Yukio Sakaguchi, and Masa Takanashi
- Time Delay Battle Royal with: Bernard Ackah, Hikaru Sato, Saki Akai, Shunma Katsumata, Takao Soma, Tomomitsu Matsunaga, and Yasu Urano
- Daisuke Sasaki and Shun Miyatake vs. MIKAMI and Shuji Ishikawa vs. Shigehiro Irie and Keisuke Ishii
- Great Kojika and Antonio Honda vs. Toru Owashi and Kazuki Hirata
- Sanshiro Takagi vs. Super Sasadango Machine
- DDT Extreme Championship: Akito vs. Makoto Oishi
- HARASHIMA, Tetsuya Endo, and Takeshita vs. Kota Ibushi, Sekimoto, and Yuji Okabayashi

Gorgeous Matsuno, Gota Ihashi, and DJ Nira vs. KUDO, Yukio Sakaguchi, and Masa Takanashi
We join this one in progress with Matsuno in the ring with Sakaguchi.  Sakaguchi easily wins a strike exchange but Matsuno hits a poorly choreographed tiger feint kick before applying a cross armbreaker.  Sakaguchi easily reverses it but Ihashi is tagged in, and he hits a missile dropkick.  Which is impressive since he is huge.  Sakaguchi tags out and both Takanashi and KUDO attack Ihashi in the corner.  KUDO and Sakaguchi kick Ihashi and KUDO covers, but it is broken up.  Matsuno hits a double rebound crossbody but Takanashi throws Matsuno out of the ring.  KUDO and Ihashi trade elbows and Ihashi hits a release German.  He drinks some black liquid, Sakaguchi punches him in the stomach which causes him to spit it at Sakaguchi.  Takanashi and KUDO kick Ihashi, then KUDO goes up top and hits a diving double kneedrop for the three count.  This was cut in half but was oddly entertaining.  I actually like Ihashi, he is a big dude but he took and gave offense like a champ in this short little match.  Too clipped to mean anything but oddly enjoyable, even though Matsuno sucks.  Score:  5.5

Time Delay Battle Royal
We join this in progress, with Matsunaga, Katsumata, and a couple others in the ring.  Akai strolls out next, Urano walks over to her and punches her.  Nice.  Akai retorts with a big boot and hits a diving hurricanrana.  Soma charges Akai but she kicks him in the head.  Matsunaga kicks Akai over while Ackah is the next wrestler down.  He kicks people but he can’t punch Akai.  But he can lariat her, and Akai is covered for the three count.  Akai is eliminated.  Ackah STOs a few people, but Matsunaga and Urano hit him with a double STO and cover him for three.  Ackah is eliminated.   Urano gloats, allowing Soma to roll him up (with an Ackah assist) for a three count.  Matsunaga is eliminated.  So now it is just Soma, Urano, and Katsumata in the ring.  Urano attacks Soma and he is double teamed in the corner.  Soma sends Katsumata out to the apron, they try to push him off the apron but he resists.  Soma hits a sunset flip on Urano, then a headscissors which sends Urano to the apron.  Soma and Katsumata dropkick Urano, sending him to the floor.  Urano is eliminated.  Soma goes for a superkick but Katsumata rolls him up for two.  Soma finally hits the superkick but Katsumata drops him on the apron.  Springboard dropkick by Katsumata and Soma goes crashing to the floor.  Soma is eliminated.  Soma thinks he has won, but we have one more wrestler:  Hikaru Sato comes down to the ring, holding a plaque.  He never lets go of it as he kicks Katsumata in the chest and applies a single leg crab hold for the submission victory.  Sato wins the Battle Royal!  The ending was cute but the bulk of the match was just your normal battle royal stuff.  Nothing offensive but not must-see.  Score:  4.0

Daisuke Sasaki and Shun Miyatake vs. MIKAMI and Shuji Ishikawa vs. Shigehiro Irie and Keisuke Ishii
We join this one in progress too with Ishikawa and Miyatake in the ring.  Irie walks in to help Miyatake and they hit a double vertical suplex.  Miyatake hits a jumping elbow on Irie and tags in Sasaki.  Ishii comes in the ring but Sasaki knocks him out and hits a tope suicida out onto him.  Sasaki and Ishii return to the ring, Sasaki hangs him in the ropes and hits a dropkick.  Sasaki ends up slapping on a crossface but Irie breaks it up.  Irie throws Sasaki in the corner and he hits a lariat.  Irie hits an inverted Alabama Slam but the pin is broken up.  MIKAMI hits a tiger feint kick on Irie, he and Ishikawa go up to the top turnbuckle and they completely botch whatever they were going for.  Don’t try that move at the big event.  Sasaki returns with a chair while MIKAMI gets a ladder, but Miyatake gets the ladder and does the ladder airplane spin.  Ishikawa boots him to stop him from doing that and applies a cobra twist.  Miyatake back bodydrops out of it and hits a lariat, but MIKAMI hits a jawbreaker on him.  Sasaki charges Irie but Irie back bodydrops him over the top rope and through a table.  In the ring Ishikawa knees Miyatake in the stomach, he picks him up and hits a Splash Mountain for the three count.  This was too disjointed, there was just too much randomness for me.  I think there were tag rules but they were forcing in the ladder and chair and stuff when it didn’t fit.  Just a weird poorly done match.  Score:  3.0

Great Kojika and Antonio Honda (with YOSHIHIKO) vs. Toru Owashi and Kazuki Hirata
Hirata attacks Honda before the match starts but Honda fights back.  Dropkick by Hirata but Honda makes the tag to Kojika as Owashi tags in as well.  Owashi clubs Kojika but Kojika punches Owashi and tags in Hirata.  Honda comes in but Owashi puts him in the titty twister and tags in Hirata.  Hirata elbows Honda and tags Owashi back in.  Honda is double teamed, it is kinda sad that his ‘hot tag’ partner here is a 72 year old.  Honda hits a Lou Thesz Press on Hirata and makes the hot tag to Kojika.  Knee by Kojika to Hirata and he punches Owashi.  Hirata hits Kojika low and he is double teamed, until YOSHIHIKO jumps in the ring.  YOSHIHIKO hits a spinning headscissors on Owashi and then hits a big boot onto Hirata.  Hirata throws Honda into Kojika, Owashi slaps Honda and Kojika knocks Owashi out of the ring.  Kojika puts on some flashy glasses and starts dancing.  Kojika starts punching everyone including his own partner, he hits a chokeslam on Hirata and he picks up the three count.  This type of match isn’t for me, YOSHIHIKO is funny but the glasses and stuff is just a bit too much silliness that doesn’t tickle my funny bone.  No real redeeming qualities for me, although YOSHIHIKO does make me chuckle.  Score:  3.5

Sanshiro Takagi vs. Super Sasadango Machine
Side headlock by Takagi to start but Super Machine gets out of it and they return to their feet.  Scoop slam by Takagi and he stomps on Super Machine.  Takagi applies a STF but Super Machine gets to the ropes.  Takagi and Super Machine trade chops and Takagi hits a jawbreaker.  Super Machine goes up top but Takagi kicks him to the apron and then suplexes him back into the ring.  Schoolboy by Super Machine but it gets a two count.  Takagi hits a Stunner but he is tripped from the floor.  Super Machine rolls up Takagi from behind and he gets the three count.  A simple match, which Super Machine had to win since he had a big match against Sakuraba the next month.   Not much to it as it was quite short, but nothing wrong with it.  Score:  4.0

(c) Akito vs. Makoto Oishi
This match is for the DDT Extreme Championship.   The match stipulation there are no rope breaks.  They trade holds to start off, and Oishi hits the first real move of the match with a dragon screw leg whip.  Oishi applies a spinning toehold while Akito is twisted in the ropes and then dropkicks him in the leg.  Another dropkick to the leg by Oishi and he does it again.  Karelin Lift by Akito but Oishi dropkicks him in the knee again.  Akito gets Oishi into the corner and applies a submission in the ropes but Oishi breaks free.  Oishi applies a stretch hold on the top turnbuckle but Akito hiptosses out of it, sending Oishi to the mat.  Body press to the leg by Akito, and he then slams Oishi’s knee into the mat.  Figure four by Akito, but Oishi reverses it and then uses the ropes for leverage.  The end up rolling onto the apron and then down to the floor, which breaks the hold.  Oishi slams Akito’s knee onto the floor at ringside and then returns to the ring, but Akito slowly returns.  Oishi dropkicks Akito in the knee while he is on the apron, Akito slingshots back in but Oishi catches him and he hits a cross-armed suplex.  Oishi jumps on Akito in the corner and he hits a front flip piledriver for a two count.  Ankle hold by Oishi but Akito suplexes out of the hold.  Akito goes for a muscle buster but Oishi gets out of it and hits a stunner.  Oishi slams Akito to the mat and then re-applies the ankle hold.  Akito uses the ropes to reverse it and applies a Scorpion Deathlock, Oishi gets to the ropes so Akito reverts the hold into a Triangle Scorpion in the ropes, and he picks up the three count.  The ‘no rope escape’ rule made the match interesting but it also consumed the match since the wrestlers felt obligated to use it constantly.  Which did hurt the flow a bit.  But it was not a bad match, and I liked some of the spots, but it was a match more about a stipulation than the wrestlers in the match.  Score:  6.0

HARASHIMA, Endo, and Konosuke Takeshita vs. Kota Ibushi, Sekimoto, and Yuji Okabayashi
HARASHIMA and Ibushi start off, but they end in a stalemate so Okabayashi and Endo are tagged in.  They tie-up as Endo gets Okabayashi in the corner, but he gives a clean break.  Endo and Okabayashi trade chops but Endo drives Okabayashi back and tags in Takeshita.  Okabayashi tags in Sekimoto, Takeshita pushes Sekimoto into the corner and chops him.  Sekimoto chops him back and they trade blows, which Sekimoto gets the better of.  Takeshita gets beat into the corner and Ibushi is tagged in.  Ibushi elbows Takeshita but Takeshita gets away and tags in Endo.  Ibushi picks up Endo and dumps him out of the ring, then he goes out after him.  Everyone battles outside of the ring until Endo and Ibushi return to it, and they trade elbows.  Kick to the chest by Ibushi and he tags in Sekimoto.  Sekimoto chops Endo in the corner and he hits an elbow drop.  Sekimoto applies a sleeper to Endo but Endo gets to the ropes.  Sekimoto tags in Okabayashi and Okabayashi hits a press slam to Endo.  Chinlock by Okabayashi and he tags in Ibushi.  Okabayashi applies a chinlock also but Endo gets into the ropes.  Endo stays isolated for the next few minutes but he finally makes the hot tag to Takeshita.  Takeshita hits a jumping leg kick on Sekimoto, he goes up top and he hits a diving crossbody for a two count.  Sekimoto chops Takeshita in the corner and he hits a dropkick off the second turnbuckle.  Sekimoto tags in Okabayashi, Takeshita kicks Okabayashi back but Okabayashi hits a powerslam for two.  Crab hold by Okabayashi but Takeshita gets to the ropes. 

They trade strikes, which Okabayashi gets the better of, but Takeshita hits a snap dragon suplex.  Okabayashi fires back with a big lariat and he tags in Ibushi while HARASHIMA is tagged in.  Big boot by HARASHIMA but Ibushi kicks him in the chest and hits a backflip double kneedrop.  HARASHIMA and Ibushi trade strikes but HARASHIMA catches a kick and hits a dragon screw leg whip.  HARASHIMA tags in Endo, Endo and Ibushi take turns avoiding each other’s flippy moves before Ibushi hits a lariat.  Sekimoto is tagged in and he puts Endo in an argentine backbreaker.  Okabayashi does the same to HARASHIMA, Ibushi positions them before going to the apron and hitting a swandive stomp to both of them.  That was cute.  Sekimoto picks up Endo as Okabayashi goes for a lariat, but Endo moves and they end up lariating each other.  Takeshita comes in with HARASHIMA, and all three attack Sekimoto in the corner.  Double swandive body presses to Sekimoto but the cover is broken up.  Endo gets Sekimoto on his shoulders and hits a slam out of the argentine backbreaker for two.  Endo goes up top but Ibushi comes in and kicks him, HARASHIMA dropkicks Ibushi as Okabayashi comes in the ring, HARASHIMA goes for a swandive crossbody but Okabayashi catches him with a swinging side slam.  Takeshita suplexes Okabayashi and then Sekimoto also, Takeshita picks up Sekimoto but Sekimoto drops him with a release German suplex.  Endo gets back in, lariat by Sekimoto but Endo rolls him up for two.  Hard lariat by Sekimoto, he goes off the ropes and hits another one.  Cover, but Endo kicks out.  German suplex hold by Sekimoto, and he picks up the three count.  This was a little longer than it needed to be, they could have cut out some of the middle.  The ending stretch was really fun and has some hard hitting spots, I just wish it had more Ibushi and HARASHIMA, just too many wrestlers for everyone to get the spotlight.  I enjoyed it, but not without its faults.  Score:  7.0

Final Thoughts:

Overall this was a disappointing event for DDT from top to bottom.  It didn’t have some of the silliness I have gotten tired of over the years (no Dino or Brahmans), but it still had enough humor that it felt like a DDT show.  The main event was entertaining but it just felt a little long, even though it had some really bright spots.  The rest of the card ranged from below average to barely solid, and it had nothing that needs to be watched.  A fun main event and no really bad matches, but as an overall package I can’t recommend it.

Grade:  D+

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review completed on 2/24/15