Kenny Omega at DDT part 9

[cringekingsmashko]

This post covers the first part of Kenny's 5th visit to Japan: December 27th 2009 - January 13th 2010.

Previous: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7, Part 8

This tour is probably going to be the last one that I organize in the way I’ve been doing up until now. August 2008 – February 2010 separates off nicely as Kenny’s early DDT career. Post-April 2010, he is very rarely away from Japan for longer than a month and so separating things into visits/tours is going to become a less useful way of breaking up the information.

(Having said that, I'm not sure exactly how I am going to organize it.)

This period marks a turning point for Kenny’s career. Around this time he starts to get some real attention from international fans and larger promotions. Despite spending a bigger proportion of his life in Japan, from what I can tell he continued to live in the DDT dorm well into 2012 if not even later.

Back in 2009, Bryan Danielson had recently won and vacated the PWG World Championship on his way to WWE. The PWG Battle of Los Angeles in November that year was for the vacant title and Kenny beat Kevin Steen, Scott Lost, Joey Ryan and Roderick Strong to win it.



Kenny also continued to work for ROH, though was less enthused by this. It was expensive for ROH to pay for Kenny to fly over for the shows he performed at, and according to him he was sometimes paid less then promised or even nothing at all. The relationship would fall apart over the course of the coming year.

Meanwhile, Kota lost the KOD title at the end of November (29.11.2009) to Shuji Ishikawa, but at the Tokyo Sports Pro-wrestling Awards 2009 he won best technical wrestler.



Tanahashi won the MVP/Best wrestler award that year. For perspective, this is the same MVP award Kenny was salty about not getting in 2018. (It went to Tanahashi again instead, and in fact has been going backwards and forwards only between Okada, Tanahashi and Naito since 2011) So Ibushi winning one of these awards was a big deal. He won best technical again this year in 2019!

Ibushi competed in the super J cup in December but lost to Gedo in the first round.



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(Danshoku Dino also made it into the tournament to give one of his extremely rare NJPW performances. His main motivation was to 'do it with Devitt' which he accomplished in the second round of the tournament before being eliminated.)

December 27th - Munenori Sawa & Sanshiro Takagi vs Kenny Omega & Kota Ibushi



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Kenny returns to Japan and the Golden Lovers lose their first match back after nearly four months apart.



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Takagi: "Ibushi, welcome back from J-CUP. You’ve worked very hard for the past year, you won the Pro Wrestling Grand Prix Skills Award. But at the very end, you stumbled at the J-CUP. Are you not sorry? If you feel regret, you can get into New Japan! Talk back!"

Ibushi: “I lost. It is mortifying. I was injured. It is mortifying. I lost in the in the first round of the J-Cup. It is mortifying. But definitely go back to New Japan. That's all. I will do my best."

December 28th - Fully Wounded

Michael: Well, yesterday was the first match after Kenny returned to Japan. Kenny said he was in perfect condition but in the last match at ROH his toe was hurt. Ibushi is also fully wounded with bruises to the sternum and knees from his match in NJPW.

The three of us went to eat after the match, but both of them were depressed. The injuries cannot be helped. Of course, managing your physical condition is part of your professional career. As long as you are in the game, you cannot make an excuse for injury.

December 29th - Mr. Gannosuke Produce Kishindo Returns 2 - Kenny Omega & Kota Ibushi vs Masashi Takeda & Yuko Miyamoto

Kenny and Michael went to Midbreath during the day, and met Nanae Takahashi who would be in the main event of the NEO Joshi Puroresu Carnival show that Kenny would be appearing on two days later. The Golden Lovers had a match that evening on an independent show. Griffon591 comments that Ibushi is moving well despite his injuries.


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December 31st - NEO Joshi Puroresu Carnival and BJW/DDT/K-DOJO Tenka Sanbun No Kai New Years Eve Special

NEO Joshi Puroresu Carnival show was at 12:00. Kenny fought Natsuki Taiyo


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I haven't been able to find this match uploaded anywhere online but there is a DVD of the show here, and some reviews floating around. That second source link has a partial recap and some gifs. There were a lot of now familiar names on this card, even to people who do not follow joshi wrestling: Emi Sakura, Io Shirai, Kana (Asuka) and Hikaru Shida all performed.

The BJW/DDT/K-DOJO New Year's Eve special kicked off at 20:00. The ongoing plot-line throughout the show is that Ryuichi Sekine of K-DOJO, Atsushi Ohashi of BJW and Michael Nakazawa of DDT are all working together to try and line up dominoes to celebrate the new year.



Unfortunately, though they have been hard at it since the NEO show ended at 3 o'clock things are not going well.

The four way falls count anywhere Thunder Fire Street Fight: Danshoku Dino vs Kenny Omega vs Kota Ibushi vs Michael Nakazawa, is a tricky match to find. I can't find it uploaded anywhere right now but it kind of comes and goes.



This is a short match but there is a lot in it! Everyone starts in the four corners of the stands. Dino and Ibushi fight in the ring while Kenny and Michael go down to the area where the dominoes are being set up.



The inevitable occurs.



This match is technically a four way, but Kenny and Ibushi never turn on each other and do several of their double team moves when everyone gets back to the ring.

The match ends when Dino tricks the Golden Lovers into kissing and takes advantage of the distraction to pin Michael.


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Here is the last few minutes:

Watch on YouTube

(NOTE: I've watched this over a lot, trying to break down exactly what it is that is so interesting to me about this kiss. I'm not going to include my full essay on it here (Thanks to those who have already been subjected to it!♡) My theory is that Kenny and Ibushi had the time and opportunity to call that second kiss on the fly, and some of their actions and reactions seem to indicate this was the case. However I absolutely never want to present my conjecture as fact so watch the video and see what you think for yourself!)

Kenny and Ibushi were also both in the 108-man rumble later on in the night which is view-able here at the time of posting.

January 3rd 2010- DDT New Year!

(EDIT 01.02.2020 - Some Matches/clips from this show have been uploaded to DDT Universe since I last checked: The opening ceremony, Team Maruko-chan vs Team Sazae-san and the 30-man tag match.)

This show is wall to wall silliness!!




Kenny and Ibushi wrestle in a match which is the ultimate showdown of two gentle slice-of-life programs, Chibi Maruko-chan vs Sazae-san

Watch on YouTube

Watch on YouTube

Ibushi is the eponymous heroine Maruko-chan, and Kenny is a nerd with swirly glasses!


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Maruko pins Sazae-san. Both sides are chided for not getting along as they are apparently on the same network anyway, and they reconcile.


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Everyone is in a big 30 man tag match at the end, which is won by Michael.




Michael, Kenny and Ibushi went out to eat after the show.


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January 4th - Ice Ribbon New Ice Ribbon #146 ~ New Year Ribbon Games

The match was Aika Ando, Kenny Omega & Miyako Matsumoto vs Masa Takanashi, Riho & Tazou Kazu



I wasn't able to find any images or recaps, the DVD does appear to be available here, but as of now I don't have any other information about this match.

January 6th - New Japan Office attack!?

Ibushi goes to the New Japan offices to ask for a re-match against Gedo. Unfortunately its the new year holiday after Wrestle Kingdom. Only one of the office staff is there. Ibushi, undeterred, addresses 'the president' demanding a singles match. The guy can't really help but agrees to pass on the message and asks for Ibushi's autograph.

Watch on YouTube

January 6th-8th - Various Recent Things

Michael and Kenny go to midbreath and have a secret meeting with a 'Capcom monkey.' The DDT New year's party is on the 7th at Ebisu. They also go to a curry place for lunch. (Kudo might work there?)


January 10th - Kenny Omega & Kota Ibushi vs Antonio Honda & Francesco Togo

Ishii, Dino and Takagi have come down with influenza and are off the show. Michael proclaims himself CEO in their absence. Harashima takes issue with this and says he wont lose to the flu!



Ibushi's bandages are finally off!



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They hit the PK Kokoro α on Honda and Ibushi pins him for the win.

Ibushi takes out his promo cheat sheet but it appears to have been written by Michael.

Griffon591:

Ibushi: "Despite overlapping various performances today, this DDT Imaike Gas Hall Tournament ..."

Apparently Ibushi who can not read the written Kanji asks Kenny if there is anything wrong ...w. When Kenny whispers something, Ibushi asked "Huh?"

Ibushi: "... I'm so grateful that Ibushi doesn't even answer ... thankfully. (Omitted) In the absence of many players today, including Takagi, it is CEO Michael Nakazawa who filled the gap and played an active part."

Matsui and Shindo who are watching together: "... Who wrote this?!"

Ibushi: "Everyone applauds the great CEO ... (Large boos from the audience. Ibushi keeps reading uncaring.)

He asks Kenny to close the show as usual and they do their “Ikuzo! 3.2.1. End!”



However the day wasn't over as there was another wrestling show in that same venue afterwards. The matches don't appear on Kenny or Ibushi's cagematch pages but then neither of them were wrestling as themselves!

Imaike Wrestling: Imaike Gas Hall Tournament

Kota teams with Mr 6.


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Kenny is in a match up of Ultraman Robin Oxenman and HERO! Vs Great Umaike, Death Rock and Zetton.



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HERO!: "Thanks to everyone's support, I have protected Imaike! ...Where is Robin !?"

(Robin comes back)

Robin: "I've stopped the guys from fighting back! HERO!, Kenny, thank you!"

(Awkward atmosphere)

Robin: "HERO!, Oxenman, thank you!"

Michael:

Nagoya Imaike Gas Hall Tournament! Struggling as CEO to fill in the gaps for everyone who missed the show because of a cold or flu? I feel like I was bullied and rampaged at night.


The picture shows Golden Lovers, who team up to dry jeans that got wet with an icepack. It's nice. (Lol)

January 11th


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Kenny goes to Midbreath and to a bar in Shinjuku 2-chrome with Masa Takanashi and some other wrestlers. The owner Reika remembered seeing him at an ROH show the previous year in Philadelphia. Reika says "Kenny can handle broken Japanese, so communication is perfect!"


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January 13th

It's contract renewal season for the DDT wrestlers! Unfortunately CEO Michael Nakazawa and President Takagi just keep missing each other! Michael (and Ibushi's) contract re-negotiations will have to wait until the 20th when they come back from America!

Kenny wore a lot of costumes this time, vote for your favourite here!

Next time: Ibushi and Michael go to New York and the Golden Lovers fight on opposite sides?? Thanks for reading and see you in the new year!

Part 10