Dramatic Dream Team 7/3/2022 King of DDT 2022 Final Round

Dramatic Dream Team 7/3/2022 King of DDT 2022 Final Round

I saw 5 of the 7 matches:

DAMNATION T.A (Daisuke Sasaki, KANON & MJ Paul) vs Yuji Hino, Yuki Ishida & Yukio Naya

Damnation attacks early. Sasaki uses a chair on someone right in front of the ref with no problems. Ishida then takes corner lariats and splashes. Paul samoan drops Ishida and Sasaki top rope elbows Sasaki. Kanon fist drops Ishida for 2 and Paul slams Ishida. Ishida flying shoulders Sasaki then Hino hits chops on Sasaki.

Hino is 2v1'd in the corner then double lariats Kanon and Paul. Hino exploders Paul and Paul splashes Hino in the corner. Paul germans Hino then Hino laraits him. Sasaki dragon screws Naya, who gets in. Sasaki tries to rope lariat Naya but Naya isn't affected. Naya dares him to take more shots then black hole slams him for 2. Sasaki tries to pin Naya with his feet on the ropes but is caught then Sasaki threatens the ref.

Naya ddt's Sasaki then Sasaki neckbreakers him. Kanon hits a nice dropkick on Naya then takes a facekick. Ishida running splashes Kanon in the corner then battering rams Kanon for 2. Sasaki pulls out the ref and isn't DQ'd for it then Kanon lariats Ishida. Kanon twisting brainbusters Ishida and wins it.

I hated the ref getting pulled out and no one caring. This was too short with people not having enough time to get stuff in. It would have been good without the issues.

King Of DDT 2022 Semi Final Match - Naomi Yoshimura vs Yuki Ueno

They hit each other with a forearm at the same time on the rope sthen then trade forearms. Ueno backslides him and hurricanrana's him for 2. Ueno misses a flying la silla and almost goes over the top then is lariated hard on the apron. Naomi then brainbusters him and slams him. Naomi hits an elbow drop and chinlocks him.

Ueno top rope dropkicks Naomi then la silla's him on the 2nd rope. Ueno then does a corkscrew plancha on him outside. Ueno hits a nice top rope frogsplash for 2 then Naomi STO's him hard. Naomi hits a bearhug exploder suplex for 2 then does a high chokeslam for 2. Ueno rebound germans him then hits a great dropkick. Naomi sits up top and Ueno tries to springboard to do something but Naomi holds him up top and lariats him. Ueno then dropkicks him from the apron and does a nice springboard hurricanrana for 2.

Ueno shining wizards him and hits a nice exploder into a bridge for 2. Naomi gets his knees up on Ueno's double jump moonsault then lariats him hard. They trade forearms and Ueno flurries him with them. They collide with lariats then Ueno dropkicks him. Naomi hits a hard side throw then powerbombs him. Ueno then hits a beautiful F-5 sideslam and wins it.

This was good. It was stiff, it was heated and Ueno did a bunch of stuff he usually doesn't do. It felt like this one mattered and it was a good performance by both guys.

King Of DDT 2022 Semi Final Match - Kazusada Higuchi vs Jun Akiyama

They lock up. Jun forearms him then blocks a forearm. Jun runs through a lariat and jumping knees Higuchi then is knocked over. Jun slides outside and trips, bringing Higuchi down off the apron. He then throws Higuchi into the rails and ddt's him on the floor.

They fight on the apron and Higuchi claw slams him on it. Both guys roll onto the floor then Jun short piledrivers him inside for 2. Jun hits a stiff knee on Higuchi then neckbreakers him for 2. Jun then running knees him for 2 and puts him in the king crab hold. Jun gives it up for a 2 count pin attempt. Jun hits a big knee as Higuchi is against the 2nd rope then they lariat each other. Higuchi lariats Jun then hits chops. Higuchi then powerslams him for 2. Higuchi charges at him and hits the buckles then the two german each other.

Higuchi takes an exploder and a knee. They fight up top and Jun takes a 2nd rope claw slam. Higuchi goes for another claw but is guillotine'd. Jun lets go and knees him for 2. Jun hits knees to the chest with his knee pad down and winds up for another good knee. Jun then hits a great exploder for 2. Higuchi bowls over Jun with a sumo charge.

Jun then comes off the 2nd rope and takes a lariat. Higuchi lariats him in the back and front for 2. Higuchi then hits a claw uranage and wins it.

I thought it was a decent match with Higuchi kind of being the big guy underdog and Jun controlling a lot of the match. Higuchi showed some heart here.

Burning (Yusuke Okada & Yuya Koroku) vs HARASHIMA & Masahiro Takanashi

Yuya and Masa start us off and go to the mat. They do a headscissors spot and stand off then both tag out. Okada and Harash trade forearms then Harash knees him in the gut. Okada headbutts Masa and tags out. Yuya and Masa go at it and Masa attacks the eyes and nose.

Harash slingshots into a boot on Yuya. Yuya gets picked on some then takes a running facekick. Harash then 2nd rope superplexes Yuya for 2. Harash hits forearms on Yuya then Yuya hits a hard one back. Yuya then running forearms him and Okada hits a forearm flurry on Harash. Harash hits some chest kicks then hits a hard lariat on Okada.

Okada and Masa fight. Masa grabs him by the nose then hiptosses and dropkicks him. Okada hits a perfectplex on him for 2. Masa then flips Yuya over Okada and makes him sunset flip him. He puts Yuya on top of Okada and STF's Okada. Harash them springboard splashes both guys. Okada does a beautiful tornado ddt on Masa then Masa takes running forearms in the corner. Yuya waterwheel drops him into a top rope Okada headbutt for 2.

Harash is double shouldered over. Okada goes for a neckbreaker but is rolled up then is rolled up again off a forearm. Masa rolls Okada then is brainbustered. Okada wraps his legs up in the pin attempt and wins it.

Not great or anything but it was decent with Masa heeling it up here and the faces eventually getting their revenge.

Andrew Everett & Chris Brookes vs The 37KAMIINA (MAO & Shunma Katsumata)

Shunma wants a handshake from CB. CB warms up to the idea then Shunma pulls his hand away and poses. CB shoulders him over then is armdragged. Shunma headscissors him and poses at him again. CB walks out to the back after then comes back in and tags out.

Andrew gets in with Mao. He goes for chokeslams and Andrew does a nice headflip over him. He goes for another chokeslam then flips out of a chokeslam. Mao dropkicks him then Andrew takes a double sledgehammer. Mao casadora's Shunma into a drop on Andrew then Shunma starts playing with a towel. He hits Andrew with it then Andrew chokes him with it. Andrew then hiptosses him and then chokeslams the towel for some reason. Shunma and Mao take double boots then Andrew kicks his own partner in the gut. He then holds onto him for a boot on Shunma and walks on him.

Andrew slams Shunma then Shunma slams him. Shunma hits a nice tornado ddt on CB then Mao facekicks CB. Andrew splashes his own partner then Mao dropkicks him. Mao then running palm thrusts CB. Mao tries to distract CB but takes strikes and a short piledriver for it. Andrew takes an armdrag off a chokeslam attempt then asai moonsaults Mao twice.

Mao and Andrew trade shots and Mao distraction punches him. Andrew does a nice flip to the apron then Mao bounces off the ropes into a spin kick. Shunma top rope dropkicks Andrew then does a meteora off the top on him while holding his arms. Shunma superkicks and buzzsaw kicks Andrew for 2. Andre gets on CB's shoulders then chokeslams Shunma in a stupid spot and is dropped into a senton on him. Andrew takes an assisted chokebomb from Mao. Mao gets hurricanrana'd by Andrew then CB absolutely throws Shunma on a top rope butterfly suplex. Andrew then jumps off of CB's back and dropkicks Mao on the apron. Andrew top rope ssp's Mao on the floor.

Andrew chokeslams Shunma for 2. The two fight up top and Andrew hits a top rope spanish fly and wins it.

Andrew Everett can do a lot of stuff and I really don't get this comedy gimmick at all. He doesn't need to do it, it's not funny and he doesn't get what he is doing. When he finally hit the chokeslam, that should have ended the match but instead it was just another nearfall. This went too long and I didn't get stuff like him hitting CB. If they cut 1/3rd of this and cut out the comedy, it would have been better.

KO-D Openweight Title King Of DDT 2022 Final Match - Kazusada Higuchi vs Naomi Yoshimura

They power battle early and collide with shoulders. They battle shoulders more and Naomi knocks him over. Naomi hits a chop flurry in the corner then takes one from Higuchi. Naomi hits a forearm flurry and slams him. They trade shots and Naomi back elbows him. Naomi clubs on him from the chinlock position then ddt's him. Naomi then neckbreakers him for 2. Naomi stands on him then hits forearms and a backdrop. Naomi hits a coconut crunch then is chopped.

Higuchi slams him and falls over then running lariats him in the corner. Higuchi hits a nice powerslam for 2 then 2nd rope elbows him for 2. Naomi exploders him out of the bearhug then chokeslams him with Higuchi's claw on. Higuchi suplexes him and they fight up top. Naomi superplexes him but Higuchi no sells it and germans him. Naomi no sells that and backdrops him then is battering rammed.

They trade chops and tell each other to come on. More chops are thrown and Naomi hits a lariat. Higuchi responds with a harder one then they collide with lariats. Higuchi blocks Naomi's shoulder throw then nails him with a stiff lariat. Higuchi then hits a gutwrench bomb for 2 then Naomi side throws him for 2. Naomi hits a big lariat and a nice powerbomb.

Higuchi claw slams him back then dropkicks him in the back and lariats him. Higuchi claw slams him for 2. Higuchi hits a claw uranage and gets the win.

It was a pretty good heavyweight battle. I wouldn't say it was a classic, but they were stiff and they tried to make it memorable one. They were a little slow here likely from fighting earlier and I thought they maybe could have done some bigger spots to really put this over the top. However, it was a good match and without getting crazy, they did a good job. Higuchi got the big win here, Naomi continues to be put over as a top level talent and this was all good.

Both cried after and shook hands.

Overall thoughts: It was a pretty good show. The tournament matches were good and both Naomi Yoshimura matches are worth seeing.