Ryōgoku Peter Pan (2016)

Promotional poster for the event, featuring various wrestlers

### Tagline(s)

"The Hottest Summer In The World" (Japanese: 世界でいちばん熱い夏, Hepburn: *Sekai de ichiban atsui natsu*)

## Information

### City

Tokyo, Japan

**Ryōgoku Peter Pan 2016** was a professional wrestling event promoted by DDT Pro-Wrestling (DDT). The event took place on August 28, 2016, in Tokyo at the Ryōgoku Kokugikan. The event was the eighth event under the Peter Pan name and the seventh promoted under the Ryōgoku Peter Pan name, which is DDT's biggest annual event and has been called "the largest wrestling show in the Japanese independent circuit".

The event was headlined by Konosuke Takeshita defending the KO-D Openweight Championship against the winner of the 2016 King of DDT Shuji Ishikawa. As part of a working relationship between DDT and All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW), Hikaru Sato defended the World Junior Heavyweight Championship against Soma Takao. The event aired live on Fighting TV Samurai as a pay-per-view (PPV).

The event also featured four other title matches with LiLiCo defending the DDT Extreme Division Championship against Danshoku Dino, in which if LiLiCo lost, she would never meet with Mizuki Watase in the future, Bad Comis (Ken Ohka and KAI) defending the KO-D Tag Team Championship against Smile Yankees (HARASHIMA and Yuko Miyamoto) and Chikara defending the King of Dark Championship in a six-man tag team match.

## Production

### Background

Since 2009, DDT began annually producing shows in the *Ryōgoku Kokugikan* held in the summer under the name Peter Pan, becoming DDT's premier annual event and the biggest event in the independent circuit of Japanese wrestling. Following the financial success of the first and following shows, DDT held a show at the Nippon Budokan, which also ended being a success with DDT selling out 10,124 tickets. Since 2013, the event returned to be held at the *Ryōgoku Kokugikan* in August. On August 19, 2016, DDT announced that 2016 Dramatic Sousenkyo votation would start at the event and would end on September 25, 2016. Terry Funk was originally scheduled to appear at the event but was forced to cancel due to an abdominal hernia.

### Storylines

The Ryōgoku Peter Pan 2016 event featured twelve professional wrestling matches that involved different wrestlers from pre-existing scripted feuds and storylines. Wrestlers portrayed villains, heroes, or less distinguishable characters in the scripted events that built tension and culminated in a wrestling match or series of matches.

The Ryōgoku Peter Pan was main evented by Konosuke Takeshita defending the KO-D Openweight Championship against the winner of the 2016 King of DDT Shuji Ishikawa. On May 29, 2016, on his 21st birthday, Takeshita defeated Daisuke Sasaki to win the KO-D Openweight Championship for the first time, becoming the youngest KO-D Openweight Champion in history. Meanwhile, on June 26, Ishikawa defeated Tetsuya Endo in the finals to win the 2016 King of DDT, earning his spot the main event for Peter Pan. Afterwards, Takeshita began defending the KO-D Openweight Championship against the holders of the Right to Challenge Anytime, Anywhere contract such Yuko Miyamoto on July 3. During the show, Ishikawa formed the DAMNATION stable with Daisuke Sasaki and Mad Paulie. On July 17, Takeshita successfully defended the KO-D Openweight Championship against his tag team partner Tetsuya Endo. After the match, Daisuke Sasaki made his way to the ring, carrying a DAMNATION T-shirt and offering Endo a spot in the group. At the same time, Takeshita offered a handshake as a sign of respect for his longtime friend. Endo pushed Takeshita away, taking the DAMNATION T-shirt instead, attacking Takeshita, joining DAMNATION. On August 8, Takeshima made his last successful title of the KO-D Openweight Championship before the event, defeating Toru Owashi, failing to cash in his Right to Challenge Anytime, Anywhere Contract. Afterwards, Ishikawa congratulated Takeshita for the victory and vowed revenge for his 4-minute loss to Takeshita on May 8.

On July 3, Dick Togo made his return from retirement teaming with Antonio Honda in a winning effort against Guanchulo and Yasu Urano. On July 17, Togo was confronted by his former disciple Daisuke Sasaki initially to hug him but ended up turning on him, to prove that he was better than him. On July 23, Sasaki attacked Team DNA (Kazusada Higuchi, Kouki Iwasaki, and Mizuki Watase) after their match, leading Togo to make the save. Sasaki's DAMNATION stablemate Tetsuya Endo attacked him from behind, but Togo managed to overpower both, leading him to challenge Endo and Sasaki to a match at Peter Pan. Afterwards, DDT General Manager Amon Tsurumi asked who was going to be Togo's partner, leading him to admit that he didn't have one. This led to Tsurumi deciding that he would team with Mike Bailey to face Endo and Sasaki at Peter Pan. On July 31, Togo faced Makoto Oishi in a losing effort, after Sasaki cost Togo the match. This led to Togo joining the NωA stable, as part of the stipulation of the match, that if he lost he would have to join the stable. Later that night, Togo returned the favor costing Sasaki and Endo's match against Keisuke Ishii and Kouki Iwasaki. Afterwards, Togo turned on NωA, leaving the stable. On August 13, Togo and Bailey made their first match together defeating Endo and his DAMNATION stablemate Mad Paulie, despite Sasaki interference.

On June 19, HARASHIMA and Yuko Miyamoto formed a team named "Smile Yankees". On July 3, Bad Comis (KAI and Ken Ohka) defeated DAMNATION (Daisuke Sasaki and Shuji Ishikawa) to win the KO-D Tag Team Championship. Afterwards, DDT General Manager Amon Tsurumi reminded them that they would defend their titles at Peter Pan. On July 17, it was announced that Bad Comis would defend the KO-D Tag Team Championship against Smile Yankees at the event.

On May 29, LiLiCo defeated Super Sasadango Machine to win the DDT Extreme Division Championship with the help of her boyfriend Mizuki Watase. Afterwards, LiLiCo began defending the title with the help of Watase, leading on July 3, LiLiCo making her first title defense against Makoto Oishi in a Stockholm Style Kiss Kiss Bang Bang Deathmatch. After the match, DDT General Manager Amon Tsurumi announced that her next opponent for the title would be Danshoku Dino. Dino came out and called LiLiCo's relationship with Watase a publicity stunt, leading him to ask a match in which the winner would win the DDT Extreme Division Championship and Mizuki Watase, with the loser being prohibited from meeting Watase in the future. Dino also allowed Watase to get involved in the match. On July 18, Dino asked Kazusada Higuchi to help him prepare for his match against LiLiCo, by putting on black eyeliner and black lipstick to look like LiLiCo.

On July 14, during an All Japan Pro Wrestling event, after Hikaru Sato successfully defended the World Junior Heavyweight Championship against Tatsuhito Takaiwa, Soma Takao made an appearance at the event challenging Sato to a title match. Three days later, Sato made an appearance at DDT, confronting Takao, leading him to announce that their title match would at Peter Pan. Takao had previously defeated Sato in a Hair vs. Hair match on February 27, 2011. Leading to the event, Takao had never lost a match at a Peter Pan event, developing a streak of seven wins.

On September 14, 2015, Kudo suffered an anterior cruciate ligament injury while taking part in Pro Wrestling Noah's 2015 NTV G+ Cup Junior Heavyweight Tag League. On September 17, he announced that the injury required surgery, which would sideline him for about a year. After eleven months, DDT announced that Kudo would make his return at Ryōgoku Peter Pan 2016.

## Event

The dark match was a King of Dark Championship six-man tag team match. Chikara was the reigning champion going into the match. Per its special rules, this title is awarded to the loser of the match. In the case of a tag match, whoever gets pinned by the champion becomes the new champion.

The next match was a Tokyo Joshi Pro Wrestling exhibition match featuring six TJPW wrestlers.

On the main card, the next match, dubbed "DNA Fights: Battle of Last Summer", was an exhibition match from DDT New Attitude (DNA), DDT's developmental brand.

At 2:23 pm, between the third and fourth matches, a yakitori pinned Toru Owashi to become the 1,163rd Ironman Heavymetalweight Champion.

Next was a Rumble rules match for the Ironman Heavymetalweight Championship. Amongst the participants was Jun Kasai from the hardcore promotion Pro-Wrestling Freedoms. The champion yakitori entered first but was eaten by Cherry (the third entrant) who was then declared the 1,164th champion. Keisuke Ishii (the seventh entrant) forced Cherry to submit with a single leg crab to eliminate her from the match and become the 1,165th champion. A few minutes later, Yoshihiko (an inflatable love doll which was the last entrant) eliminated Ishii with a rear naked choke, forcing him to submit and becoming the 1,166th champion. Seconds later, Toru Owashi pinned Kazuki Hirata and Yoshihiko at the same time with *La Magistral* to win the match and become the 1,167th champion.

After the match, Joey Ryan pinned Owashi by surprise to become the 1,168th champion.

Next was a tag team match, dubbed "Yellow Dragon Comes Back!!" which saw the return of Kudo after being absent for almost a year due to an injury.

The next match, an eight-man tag team match, was dubbed "The NωA's Road To Participating In The 2016 DDT Festival" and featured Super Sasadango Machine acting as the NωA General Manager and giving a Powerpoint presentation entitled "Sasadango Teaches The Way To Survive In The Show Business Industry".

Next, Soma Takao challenged Hikaru Sato for the World Junior Heavyweight Championship, All Japan Pro Wrestling's top junior heavyweight championship.

Next, Danshoku Dino challenged LiLiCo for the DDT Extreme Division Championship in a "Watase Contra Watase" match where Mizuki Watase was free to intervene in the match and where the loser would be forbidden to meet with Watase ever again.

Then, at 4:56 pm, Joey Ryan lost the Ironman Heavymetalweight Championship to a yakitori by choking on it when a referee counted this as a submission and declared the yakitori the 1,169th champion.

Next was a six-man tag team match that saw the participation of Nosawa, Shiro Koshinaka and The Great Kabuki.

Next was a tag team match that saw the participation of Dick Togo.

Next, HARASHIMA and Yuko Miyamoto challenged KAI from Wrestle-1 and Ken Ohka for the KO-D Tag Team Championship in a match sponsored by Uchicomi!.

In the main event, Shuji Ishikawa challenged Konosuke Takeshita for the KO-D Openweight Championship. Ishikawa won the bout and was granted a 2,000,000 yen prize by Good Com Asset, the sponsor of the match.

After the match, Ryota Yamasato ate the champion yakitori to become the 1,170th champion.

## Footnotes

1. ↑ Cherry becomes the 1,164th champion.
2. ↑ Ishii becomes the 1,165th champion.
3. ↑ Yoshihiko becomes the 1,166th champion.

## References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 Cite error: Invalid `<ref>` tag; no text was provided for refs named `PeterPan2016CM`
2. ↑ Grabianowski, Ed. How Pro Wrestling Works . *HowStuffWorks, Inc.*. Discovery Communications. Retrieved on 2014-09-13.
3. ↑ *ja:Kudoがノア大阪大会欠場* (in Japanese). *Tokyo Sports* (2015-09-17). Retrieved on 2015-09-17.
4. ↑ *ja:Kudoは前十字靭帯再腱手術を受けるため復帰まで約1年…ドラマティック総選挙・個人部門は途中辞退* (in Japanese). *Battle News* (2015-09-17). Retrieved on 2015-09-17.
5. ↑ Cite error: Invalid `<ref>` tag; no text was provided for refs named `DDT2016PL`
6. ↑ DDT Results 2016 . *Dramatic DDT*. Retrieved on 2020-01-30.