Dramatic Dream Team 11/26/2023 D-Ou Grand Prix 2023 Opening Round

Dramatic Dream Team 11/26/2023 D-Ou Grand Prix 2023 Opening Round

Yuni & Yuya Koroku vs. Kazuma Sumi & Rukiya

Yuni and Sumi start us off. Yuni tries to headscissors him and Sumi flips out. They then try to dropkick each other at the same time then do headflips and stand off. Yuya and Ruki go at it. Yuya armlocks him then shoulders him over. Ruki rolls him int oa suplex attempt then is armdragged and back elbowed. Yuya hiptosses Ruki then keylocks him.

Yuni crossbodies Ruki then is side slammed. Sumi uses Yuni to armdrag Yuya then Sumi 2nd rope hurricanrana's Yuya. Yuni sattelite ddt's Sumi then Yuya hits a nice pop-up water wheel drop on Sumi. Yuya top rope forearms Sumi then Sumi headscissors Yuya. Ruki hits a stiff running forearm on Yuya for 2. Yuya takes a standing moonsault then is suplexed.

Yuya kneedrops Ruki's arm off the buckles then Ruki forearms him. Yuni rolls into a nice cutter on Ruki then top rope moonsaults Sumi outside. Yuya kimuras Ruki and wins it.

It was a very fast paced opener. It definitely woke you up and I thought they did a good job with it. It could have ended a minute sooner though. 

Burning (Jun Akiyama, Tetsuya Endo & Yusuke Okada) vs. DAMNATION T.A (Daisuke Sasaki & MJ Paul) & Demus

Endo and Demus start us off. They test strength and Endo trips him. Endo flips over him then hiptosses him. They block a back body drop spot and Endo hits a nice dropkick. Okada stomps Demus then running forearms him. Demus tilt-a-whilr backbreakers him and pounds on his head. Demus headbutts him and then steps on his crotch in the corner.

Okada takes corner lariats then Demus is hiptossed into him. Paul boots Okada in the corner then stands on his shoulder. Paul slams him then elbow drops him for 2. Okada hits forearms then takes bolo punches from Paul. Okada suplexes Paul and Jun gets in. Jun snapmares Paul then sliding knees him for 2. They trade forearms and Paul bolo's him. Jun then exploders Paul. Paul then Thesz presses him.

Endo and Sasaki go at it. Sasaki superkicks him then diving lariats him off the top. Endo springboard forearms him. Sasaki takes a botched pop-up powerbomb then Endo spinning chops him. Paul double lariats Endo and Jun then Demus top rope crossbodies Endo. Demus flapjacks Endo then rocking chairs him.

Endo takes corner lariats then a pop-up powerbomb for 2. Endo pele kicks Demus then handspring corkscrew kicks him. Endo spinning torture rack bombs Demus for 2. Endo then top rope ssp's Demus to win it.

There were 3 borderline immobile people here in Demus, Paul and Jun. Endo really had to carry the workload on this one and it was a rough one. Okada put on some weight since I last saw him and not for the better.  

We had a ceremony with all of the D-Ou competitors. Kenta Kobashi hosted it. 

D-Ou Grand Prix 2023 Block B Match - MAO vs. Rei Saito

They stare down, Mao distracts him and punches him. Mao puts the ref in his way and jumps over the ref to cutter him. Mao hits strikes on Rei then Rei slams him. Mao spinning heel kicks him and they go out. Rei bangs his head off the apron. Mao is thrown into the post but grabs onto it and poses, then Rei hits him.

Rei stands on Mao's chest then splashes him for 2. Mao chops Rei and hurts his hand off of it. Mao I think goes for a jumping hurricanrana, but Rei falls over. Mao asai moonsaults him outside. They do some weird thing with them having trouble beating the count to get back in then Mo dropkicks him on the floor. Mao superkicks Rei on the floor and crossbodies him while he's on the apron. Rei doesn't go down though and gets in before being counted out.

Rei chop flurries him. Mao tries to distract him but gets double chopped then Rei suplexes him. Rei knocks him over a few times then Mao jumping kicks him. Mao corkscrew kicks him out of the corner. Rei 2nd rope superplexes him but Mao no sells it. Rei hits bolo punches then takes shotei's. Mao no sells his shoulderblock then shotei's him again for 2. Mao hits kicks and shots on Rei then Rei hits a big chop and lariat. Rei then piledrivers him to win it.

The logic was there with Mao being the small underdog but the rest wasn't. Mao didn't sell that much, it went longer than it needed to and they just had some sections that really interrupted the flow on this one.

 D-Ou Grand Prix 2023 Block B Match - Kazuki Hirata vs. KANON

 

Hirata rushes him with shots and Kanon isn't much affected. Hirata's Tokyo Go music plays during this. Kanon takes Hirata's glasses and pushes him over. Kanon stomps him, slams him and fist drops him for 2. Kanon bodyscissors him and Hirata ropebreaks. Hirata flying headscissors him then misses a corner splash and goes flying.

Kanon drops him down chest first on the mat then abdominal stretches him. Hirata eye rakes him. They go under the ring and Hirata's music hits. Hirata is down and Kanon has his sunglasses. Kanon stomps the sunglasses and breaks them. Kanon then running lariats him. Hirata suplexes him then does a bad flying kick. Hirata then pulls out another pair of sunglasses and his music hits.

Hirata hits lariats ten Kanon pulls out a pair of sunglasses. Kanon then taps him out with a lifted cobra twist.

It was all comedy. That's not shocking if you've seen Hirata before, but I thought they could have done a better job with the story and idea than making it as goofy as possible.

Kanon does Hirata's dance after.

D-Ou Grand Prix 2023 Block A Match - HARASHIMA vs. Yuki Ino

 

HS = Harashima

Although I have seen about 30 DDT shows on the last year or so and am a Ino fan, I haven't seen him in about 2 years. He was injured for a while and got paired with Dino, who I don't watch. I'm hoping he's back to being a normal wrestler now but the stuff he was doing killed his career as a serious wrestler.

Ino charges him to start and corner lariats him. Ino spears him into the buckles. HS goes out to recover. Ino goes out, HS gets in then Ino is hit over the 2nd rope. HS dragon screws him and hits leg kicks. HS does pendulum corner knees. HS hits kicks to the body then running facekicks him. HS superplexes him.

HS hits nice punches and takes forearms back. HS hits kicks to the chest. Ino pounces him then corner splashes him. Ino then hits a skull crushing finale for 2. HS jumping double knees him then buzzsaw kicks him for 2. HS charges at him and takes a spear, then a spear while he is down. Ino then shockingly gets the win off of that.

It was short but good. They matched up well together and Ino was booked strong here. I was disappointed it ended so soon.

D-Ou Grand Prix 2023 Block B Match - Chris Brookes vs. Yukio Naya

CB slingshots in and shotgun dropkicks him before the bell. He grabs him by the nose and hits his face then he is shouldered over. They do some slow fighting in the crowd with them trading shots. CB throws a chair at his leg. CB is back body dropped on the floor and the floor mats. Naya takes shots on CB's partner then is slammed on the floor. Naya is then bridged over the apron by CB's buddies and senton'd to the floor.

CB mists him with a drink and dropkiks him in the gut. CB knee drops Naya's knee. CB gives the ref Naya's knee then dropkicks it. They trade chops for forearms. CB kicks him in the leg then Naya suplexes him.

Naya splashes and hiptosses him then drops an elbow for 2. CB bites Naya's hand. CB hits a few slaps and is forearmed over, then Naya does a high crab. CB does an octopus in the air then Naya drops him backwards out of it. Naya forearms him down. They trade chops for forearms. CB hits a jumping knee and enzugiri then his partners interfere. Naya black hole slams him then misses a top rope elbow drop.

CB flying dropkicks him in the corner then quick piledrivers him for 2. CB enzugiri's him then tombstones him for 2. CB hits buzzsaw kicks. CB does a top rope double knee drop on Naya but Naya gets his knees up. Both sell it after. CB hits jumping knees then is lariated. CB does a nice sell for another lariat then is chokeslammed for 2.

Naya facekicks him then CB rolls him up. CB slap flurry combos him and takes a knee to the gut. Naya running knees him for 2. Naya hits knees to the body then backdrops him to win it.

The match wasn't that good. CB worked the knee early and gave up on it while Naya used his power against him.

D-Ou Grand Prix 2023 Block A Match - Kazusada Higuchi vs. Yuki Ueno

KH = Kazusada Higuchi

KH wristlocks him and Ueno headlock takeovers him. KH shoulders him over then takes forearms. KH chops him and takes a flying hurricanrana for 2. KH running battering rams him over for 2. KH chops him on the floor. Ueno is thrown in then tope con hilos him.

KH corner lariats him then powerslams him for 2. KH suplexes him for 2. They trade chops for forearms and Ueno goes down. Ueno rebound germans him, he doesn't see it much then straightjacket germans him on his head. KH no sells it then lariats him in the back of the head. Ueno enzugiri's him from the apron then slingshot double knee drops him.

Ueno top rope moonsaults him outside. Ueno runs at him inside, gets caught in the air then uses the ropes to canadian destroyer him. Ueno flying hurricanrana's him, gets caught and is powerbombed. Uneo springboard hurricanrana's him off the top then KH top rope front suplexes him, but it is no sold.

They trade chops for forearms then Ueno hits a slap and chop flurry. KH then does a sumo palm strike flurry. Ueno hurricanrana's him for 2. They botch a powerbomb spot then Ueno does an overdrive variation for 2. Ueno shining wizards him in the back of the head then top rope crossbodies him for 2. Ueno double jump moonsaults him but is caught and takes snake eyes on the buckles. KH hits a doctor bomb for 2.

Ueno dropkicks him twice and it's no sold. KH running headbutts him. Ueno knees him then KH claws him. Ueno then hits a ranhei and wins it.

I thought it was indy garbage with nobody selling anything. Lots of cool and dangerous looking moves with no meaning whatsoever.

Overall thoughts: It wasn't that good of a show overall. The main was indy garbage and only Harashima/Ino was good in the D-Oh, but that went too short.