Ryōgoku Peter Pan (2017)

Promotional poster for the event, featuring various wrestlers

### Tagline(s)

"Even If Peter Pan Is 20 Years Old He Is Peter Pan" (Japanese: ピーターパン 二十歳になっても ピーターパン, Hepburn: *Pītā Pan hatachi ni natte mo Pītā Pan*)

## Information

### City

Tokyo, Japan

**Ryōgoku Peter Pan 2017** was a professional wrestling event promoted by DDT Pro-Wrestling (DDT). The event took place on August 20, 2017, in Tokyo at the Ryōgoku Kokugikan. The event was the ninth event under the Peter Pan name and the eighth 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 2017 King of DDT Tetsuya Endo. As part of a working relationship between DDT and Pro Wrestling Noah (Noah), Naomichi Marufuji appeared at the event, teaming with HARASHIMA to face YaroZ (Kazusada Higuchi and Shigehiro Irie) for the KO-D Tag Team Championship. The event aired live on Fighting TV Samurai as a pay-per-view (PPV) and on DDT's streaming service DDT Universe.

The event also featured three other title matches with Daisuke Sasaki defending the DDT Extreme Division Championship against Akito in a *Cabellera Contra Cabellera* Hardcore Submission match, *Shuten-dōji* (Kudo, Yukio Sakaguchi, and Masa Takanashi) defending the KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Championship against Antonio Honda, Dick Togo, and Yasu Urano, LiLiCo-gun (Ken Ohka, Ladybeard, LiLiCo, Makoto Oishi and Super Sasadango Machine) facing Owashi-gun (Joey Ryan, Kazuki Hirata, Saki Akai, Toru Owashi and Yoshihiko) to crown the inaugural KO-D 10-Man Tag Team Champions and Tetsuya Koda defending the Ironman Heavymetalweight Championship in a Rumble rules match. The event also celebrated DDT's 20th Anniversary.

## Production

### Background

Since 2009, DDT began annually producing shows in the *Ryōgoku Kokugikan* held in the summer under the name Peter Pan, becoming DDT 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 March 20, 2017, DDT announced that Pro Wrestling NOAH's Naomichi Marufuji would be participating at the event. On April 28, 2017, DDT announced that Yasu Urano would depart from the promotion at end of May but Urano said that would still wrestle at the event. On June 25, 2017, DDT announced that LiLiCo would return to the promotion to wrestle at the event.

### Storylines

The Ryōgoku Peter Pan 2017 event featured seventeen 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 2017 King of DDT Tetsuya Endo. In 2013, Endo began teaming with fellow rookie Takeshita, teaming with him in a KO-D Tag Team Championship number one contenders match also featuring Kudo and Yasu Urano, losing to the Golden Lovers (Kota Ibushi and Kenny Omega). Despite losing, Endo and Takeshita eventually formed a team named New Generation Combination and eventually win the KO-D Tag Team Championship two times. Endo and Takeshita also formed the Happy Motel stable with Antonio Honda, and went on to win the KO-D 6 Man Tag Team Championship. Afterwards, Takeshita began being dubbed the "Future of DDT" and started to breakthrough his singles career, leading him to win the KO-D Openweight Championship on May 29, 2016, in his 21st birthday, becoming the youngest KO-D Openweight Champion in history. Meanwhile, Endo began being overshadowed by Takeshita and started to feel as Takeshita's sidekick, leading him to also pursue the KO-D Openweight Championship, but always failing. This culminated on July 17, 2017, with Endo unsuccessfully challenging Takeshita for his KO-D Openweight Championship. 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 April 19 at *Max Bump*, Endo and Takeshita faced each other for the KO-D Openweight Championship in a time limit draw. Later that year, on June 25, Tetsuya Endo defeated HARASHIMA in the finals to win the 2017 King of DDT, earning his spot the main event for Peter Pan. On July 23, after Takeshita successfully defended the KO-D Openweight Championship against Naomi Yoshimura, Endo confronted Takeshita reminding him, when he had joined DAMNATION. Takeshita proposed a stipulation to their match that if Takeshita defeated Endo in another title match at Peter Pan, Endo shouldn’t get another opportunity as long as Takeshita was the KO-D Openweight Champion, which he agreed. Takeshita offered him a handshake but Endo spat in his face instead, leading Takeshita to attempt to attack Endo, before Endo lay him out with the *Shooting Star Press* and posing with the KO-D Openweight Championship belt.

Also on July 23, YaroZ (Kazusada Higuchi and Shigehiro Irie) successfully defended the KO-D Tag Team Championship against DAMNATION (Mad Paulie and Shuji Ishikawa). After the match, DDT General Manager Amon Tsurumi called out HARASHIMA for an announcement concerning the KO-D Tag Team Championship. Afterwards, he announced that HARASHIMA would challenge for the titles at Peter Pan, leading Pro Wrestling Noah's Naomichi Marufuji being revealed as HARASHIMA's partner for the match. Prior to the match, Irie had never defeated HARASHIMA, in which during the semifinal of 2017 King of DDT, HARASHIMA defeated Irie under two minutes.

On June 1, Akito defeated the reigning DDT Extreme Division Champion Daisuke Sasaki in the first round of the 2017 King of DDT. Afterwards, Sasaki handed him the DDT Extreme Division Championship belt, leading DDT General Manager Amon Tsurumi to retrieve it. Ten days later, Akito and Sasaki faced off in a six-man tag team match, which Sasaki's team won. After the match, Sasaki handed him the DDT Extreme Division Championship belt again, but then acted as Akito stole it from him, leading Amon Tsurumi to retrieve the belt for the second time. On July 15, Akito won a three-way match involving Sasaki and Joey Ryan. Afterwards, Sasaki handed him the DDT Extreme Division Championship belt for the third time, leading Nobuhiro Shimatani to retrieve the belt and returning it to Sasaki. On July 23, Sasaki successfully defended the title against Joey Ryan in a ladder match. Afterwards, Amon Tsurumi asked Sasaki, who would his opponent at Peter Pan for his title, leading Sasaki to nominate Candice LeRae, but Tsurumi refused. Afterwards, Akito came out and challenged Sasaki to a title match, leading Sasaki to agree under the condition that their match would a Hair vs. Hair match, which Akito accepted. On July 30, following another six-man tag team match, which Sasaki's team won, Sasaki cut off some of Akito's ALL OUT stablemate Diego's hair with a pair of scissors. In a press conference before the event, Sasaki and Akito attempted to cut off their own hair to prove how much meant to them, leading Amon Tsurumi to stop them.

On June 25, Sanshiro Takagi defeated Danshoku Dino, Ken Ohka, and Super Sasadango Machine in a three-on-one handicap match, after Ohka attempted a coup d’etat in DDT. Afterwards, Takagi challenged Dino to a match on July 23, but he refused and instead preferred to be at Peter Pan. Takagi initially hesitated but ended up accepting the challenge. On July 30, Dino proposed a stipulation for their match, which if he won he wanted full authority over DDT. This led to Takagi also proposing another stipulation that if he won Dino would have to get married. Takagi revealed that the stipulation came after he talked with Dino's mother. Both then agreed to face each other in a Weapon Rumble at Peter Pan. On August 2, Takagi cost Dino's match against Chinsuke Nakamura.

At the June 25, *Shuten-dōji* (Kudo, Yukio Sakaguchi, and Masa Takanashi) successfully defended the KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Championship against NωA (MAO, Makoto Oishi, and Shunma Katsumata). Afterwards, it was announced that *Shuten-dōji* would defend the KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Championship against Antonio Honda, Dick Togo, and Yasu Urano at Peter Pan.

On April 29, DDT announced the creation of their seventh active title, the KO-D 10-Man Tag Team Championship, meant for teams of five wrestlers, the title is believed to be the first of its kind in professional wrestling. It was announced that the first champions would be crown at Peter Pan. On July 30, Toru Owashi and Makoto Oishi were announced at captains for both two teams, with their partners being announced on July 30. On July 30, it was announced that LiLiCo-gun (Ken Ohka, Ladybeard, LiLiCo, Makoto Oishi and Super Sasadango Machine) would be facing Owashi-gun (Joey Ryan, Kazuki Hirata, Saki Akai, Toru Owashi and Yoshihiko) to crown the inaugural KO-D 10-Man Tag Team Champions.

## Event

First was the "Gota Ihashi Ryōgoku 5-Match Series", where Gota Ihashi wrestled five Street Fight dark matches against five different opponents. He entered the first match of the series as the reigning King of Dark Champion and defeated Dai Suzuki in less than a minute to lose the title (per the rules of this championship, the title is awarded to the loser of the match). After that, he defeated Gorgeous Matsuno but lost to Mad Paulie, former mixed martial artist Rocky Kawamura and Lingerie Mutoh in quick succession.

The second match of the undercard was a Tokyo Joshi Pro Wrestling Rumble rules match for the Ironman Heavymetalweight Championship. Former NEO Japan Ladies Pro-Wrestling president and CEO Tetsuya Koda was the 1,269th champion entering the match first. He was pinned by Nodoka-Oneesan who became the 1,270th champion. Nodoka was eliminated by Mizuki (1,271st champion) who was then eliminated by Yuu who won the match and became the 1,272nd champion.

On the main card, first was a tag team match that saw the DDT debut of Yuki Iino.

Next was a match for the inaugural KO-D 10-Man Tag Team Championship, a title meant for teams of five wrestlers.

Next was a match pitting Jiro "Ikemen" Kuroshio from Wrestle-1 against Shunma Katsumata. This match was dubbed the "Ikemen vs. Idol! Handsome Battle Without Honor and Humanity" (イケメンvsアイドル！仁義なき男前バトル, *ikemen bāsasu aidoru! jingi naki otokomae batoru*), a play on the *Battles Without Honor and Humanity* film series (仁義なき戦い, *jingi naki tatakai*).

Next was a four-way tag team match that saw the participation of Kaz Hayashi from Wrestle-1. The match was fought under a "no touch" rule meaning that, unlike in a classic tag team four-way match, each team always had a legal man in the ring.

In the next match, Dick Togo, Yasu Urano and Antonio Honda challenged *Shuten-dōji* (Kudo, Yukio Sakaguchi and Masahiro Takanashi) for the KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Championship.

Next, Danshoku Dino and Sanshiro Takagi faced each other in a "Full Authority vs. Marriage Weapon Rumble" match in which various weapons secretly chosen by the participants beforehand were being introduced one after another at regular intervals. Dino won the bout and, as a result, gained full authority over DDT. Had Takagi won, Dino would have been forced to get married. As part of the "weapons" used in the match, Kendo Kashin and Mitsuo Momota (accompanied by his family) fought in an impromptu Weapon match that quickly ended in a no contest.

Next was a DDT Extreme Division Championship match between challenger Akito and champion Daisuke Sasaki. Per the rules of the title, the champion chooses the stipulation of the matches. Sasaki decided that this match would be a Hair vs. Hair (here dubbed as *Cabellera Contra Cabellera*) Hardcore Submission match.

Next, Harashima and Naomichi Marufuji challenged Shigehiro Irie and Kazusada Higuchi for the KO-D Tag Team Championship in a match sponsored by Uchicomi!.

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

## Footnotes

1. ↑ This match took place as part of the Dino vs. Takagi match.
2. ↑ Nodoka-Oneesan becomes the 1,270th champion.
3. ↑ Mizuki becomes the 1,271st 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 `PeterPan2017CM`
2. ↑ Grabianowski, Ed. How Pro Wrestling Works . *HowStuffWorks, Inc.*. Discovery Communications. Retrieved on 2014-09-13.
3. ↑ Cite error: Invalid `<ref>` tag; no text was provided for refs named `DDT2017PL`
4. ↑ DDT Results 2017 . *Dramatic DDT*. Retrieved on 2020-01-31.