Guanchulo vs. Kenny Omega (DDT, 5/6/2014)

DDT - Road To Ryogoku In Yamagata ~ Dramatic Dream Tamakonnyaku (5/6/2014)

Guanchulo vs. Kenny Omega

I didn't expect anything too strong from this being that it was the opener of the show. They both played up their wacky gaijin personas, clowning around with silly strikes. Omega stops fucking around and zeroes in on the mid-section. It's a nice, aggressive workover. The finish had little build, Omega hits Croyt's Wrath and that's that. OK match.

**

Kenny Omega vs. Michael Nakazawa (DDT, 2/28/2013)

DDT - KO-D Openweight Championship One Match Box Office (2/28/2013)

KO-D Openweight Championship - Last Man Standing Falls Count Anywhere Match: Kenny Omega (c) vs. Michael Nakazawa

This is the match that redeems Michael Nakazawa's career. Never been a fan of the guy, but holy shit. He was willing to go through so much punishment. Omega was putting a hurting on him, getting the crowd to rally behind the ultimate underdog. The wrestling is ultra violent; both guys get busted open hard way. They fight as if they have a death wish. There's a sequence where Omega is hitting Nakazawa with repeated unprotected chair shots that almost took me out of the action. Excellent match, not for the faint of heart.

*****

El Generico vs. Kenny Omega (DDT, 12/23/2012)

DDT Never Mind 2012 (12/23/2012)

KO-D Openweight Championship: El Generico (c) vs. Kenny Omega

This was Kenny's big KO-D win and the finish comes out of nowhere. It felt off to me... a stronger finish would have been much more effective. The action was good for the most part, though. It's an American indies-style spotfest with stiff strikes, and big moves and dangerous bumps.

***

Golden☆Lovers (Kenny Omega & Kota Ibushi) vs. Apollo 55 (Prince Devitt & Ryusuke Taguchi) (DDT, 11/14/2010)

DDT - Osaka Bay Blues Special (11/14/2010)

IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship: Golden☆Lovers (Kenny Omega & Kota Ibushi) (c) vs. Apollo 55 (Prince Devitt & Ryusuke Taguchi)

This was basically a mini version of their New Japan matches. It's a fast-paced sprint that lasts for just 9-minutes. The action was smooth (save for Taguchi's early fuck-up) and the crowd was really hot.

***1/4

Yankee Two Kenju (Isami Kodaka & Yuko Miyamoto) vs. Golden☆Lovers (Kenny Omega & Kota Ibushi) (DDT, 11/17/2013)

DDT - God Bless DDT 2013 (11/17/2013)

KO-D Tag Team Championship: Yankee Two Kenju (Isami Kodaka & Yuko Miyamoto) (c) vs. Golden☆Lovers (Kenny Omega & Kota Ibushi)

This started off slow with two workover segments; Yankee targets Ibushi's leg, and you know he's not going to sell that long term. When they pick up the pace, the match turns into a wild spotfest, but in a way that was logical. There were cute moments like Miyamoto hitting the diving chop that he never hits, and Omega and Kodaka have this fantastic finishing run with one of the best counters you'll ever see to Croyt's Wrath. Good shit here.

****1/2

Monster Army (Antonio Honda, Daisuke Sasaki & Yuji Hino) vs. Golden Rendezvous (Gota Ihashi, Kenny Omega & Kota Ibushi) (DDT, 5/26/2013)

DDT - Road to Ryogoku In Hiroshima ~ Dramatic Dream Tokasan (5/26/2013)

KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Championship: Monster Army (Antonio Honda, Daisuke Sasaki & Yuji Hino) (c) vs. Golden Rendezvous (Gota Ihashi, Kenny Omega & Kota Ibushi)

This was an entertaining trios. Hino didn't do a whole lot, but he does hit Gota with the Fucking Bomb. Gota was great, as was Antonio's over the top selling. The best parts were naturally Kenny & Ibushi's flashy movesets. 

***

Golden☆Lovers (Kenny Omega & Kota Ibushi) vs. Happy Motel (Konosuke Takeshita & Tetsuya Endo) (DDT, 9/28/2014)

DDT - Dramatic General Election 2014 Final Voting Day - Last Hope Special (9/28/2014)

KO-D Tag Team Championship: Golden☆Lovers (Kenny Omega & Kota Ibushi) (c) vs. Happy Motel (Konosuke Takeshita & Tetsuya Endo)

Fucking incredible tag match -- super catchy, fast-paced action to a hot crowd. This really felt like Takeshita & Endo's moment because Golden☆Lovers did a tremendous job putting the heat on them and Korakuen was craving a Happy Motel win. The finishing run between Takeshita and Omega was phenomenal. A magical performance by all four men!

****1/2

HARASHIMA & Toru Owashi vs. Golden☆Lovers (Kenny Omega & Kota Ibushi) (DDT, 1/24/2009)

DDT - Dramatic 2009 Special (1/24/2009)

KO-D Tag Team Championship: HARASHIMA & Toru Owashi (c) vs. Golden☆Lovers (Kenny Omega & Kota Ibushi)

This turned into a great match once they got a good flow going. HARASHIMA & Toru had clever tag maneuvers in their arsenal to rival Golden Lover's chemistry, and the HARASHIMA-Ibushi kick battle was excellent. Nice bloodshed from Omega who gushes from the nose after taking a stiff kick.

****

Golden☆Lovers (Kenny Omega & Kota Ibushi) vs. Danshoku Dino & Yoshihiko (DDT, 5/4/2009)

DDT - MAX BUMP 2009 (DDT, 5/4/2009)

KO-D Tag Team Championship: Golden☆Lovers (Kenny Omega & Kota Ibushi) (c) vs. Danshoku Dino & Yoshihiko

This felt like it went a bit long for a Yoshihiko match, but I never got bored of it. The Lovers obviously have excellent chemistry as a tag team, and their bumping for Yoshihiko was incredible. Fucking Dino probably has the most underrated punch in the business. Very fun, wacky tag match. 

***3/4

Kenny Omega vs. Naomichi Marufuji (DDT, 7/25/2010)

DDT - Ryogoku Peter Pan 2010 Summer Vacation (7/25/2010)

Kenny Omega vs. Naomichi Marufuji 

Ibushi introduces Omega. How cute. Marufuji fucks up his shoulder when Omega hurls him knee-first into the turnbuckle, and he's not happy. He goes through with the spots, and there are massive spots here (avalanche Croyt's Wraith!!!), but he is upset about his shoulder and doesn't show any emotion. In the finish, Marufuji does a one-armed Emerald Flowsion where he just tosses Omega on top of his head. They show mutual respect after the match, so all is well, I think.

****

Kenny Omega vs. Minoru Tanaka (DDT, 11/27/2011)

DDT - God Bless DDT 2011 (11/27/2011)

AJPW World Junior Heavyweight Championship: Kenny Omega (c) vs. Minoru Tanaka

Minoru Tanaka being treated like a big star feels nostalgic. Omega was a total prick as AJPW Junior Champion, but DDT is his home turf so he's treated as the hero. They take their time, and it works out in the end because the crowd is going nuts for Omega's comeback. Tanaka was somewhat of an asshole, but he didn't go full heel which I would have liked. Solid match.

***1/2

Kota Ibushi vs. Kenny Omega (DDT, 8/18/2012)

DDT - Nippon Budokan Peter Pan 2012 ~ DDT 15th Anniversary (8/18/2012)

KO-D Openweight Championship: Kota Ibushi (c) vs. Kenny Omega

This was the biggest DDT show at the time, an epic collision between the Golden☆Lovers. Ibushi does not care to sell armwork, but he's one of the best when it comes to selling the toll that a match like this takes on the body. Omega as well. They were just going from extreme spot to extreme spot, in a way that flowed smoothly. DDT UNIVERSE cuts out Ibushi's moonsault spot. I know they got into trouble over it, but it seems silly to remove such a historic spot. Really good match, regardless. An epic!

****3/4

Kenny Omega vs. Kota Ibushi (DDT, 8/6/2008)

DDT - Kota Ibushi Produce: Beer Garden Pro Wrestling (8/6/2008)

Hardcore Rules - Two Out of Three Falls: Kenny Omega vs. Kota Ibushi

Fucking mad man Ibushi taking a Michinoku Driver onto a chair to concrete. The Phoenix Splash from the vending machines to Kenny on top of tables (that didn't break) was fucking bonkers. Omega does a dropkick from the bleachers and takes a flat back bump on the ramp. These guys were fucking destroying themselves. When they get back to the ring, they have a mini-epic, the crowd is hot, they're trading nukes; Ibushi murders Omega with an avalanche Dragon suplex. This felt so organic, and it was a thrill to watch.

****1/2

Kenny Omega vs. Yoshihiko (DDT, 5/5/2010)

DDT (5/5/2010)

Kenny Omega vs. Yoshihiko 

Yoshihiko was a wonderful underdog here, getting wrecked by violent brainbusters and having their face punted off. Kenny hits this running powerbomb that bounces Yoshihiko's head off of the canvas, and I was honestly stunned the match continued after that. The finishing stretch is wild; they go overkill with high spots and it's glorious superman wrestling.

****

HARASHIMA vs. Kenny Omega (1/29/2012)

DDT - Sweet Dreams! 2012 (1/29/2012)

HARASHIMA vs. Kenny Omega

Big HARASHIMA matches tend to have a slow build into a heated climax, and the third act was very well done, but the build just didn't grab me, and they didn't seem to have a good flow going early on. They've had better matches.

**1/2

Hikaru Sato & Hiroshi Yamato vs. Kenny Omega & Michael Nakazawa (DDT, 7/31/2012)

DDT - Beer Garden Fight 2012 ~ KENNY OMEGA PRODUCE DAY (7/31/2012)

Hikaru Sato & Hiroshi Yamato vs. Kenny Omega & Michael Nakazawa

Michael Nakazawa is the one DDT guy I have never understood. I know he's well-respected, but he's not a good wrestler, he has a boring look and he's not funny. Anyway, this was a fun match... ? Lots of homoerotic stuff involving oily muscular bodies, and oil being spit-balled, and decent wrestling somewhere in between.

***

HERO! & HERO! vs. Kenny Ohka & Kenny Omega (DDT, 8/4/2008)

DDT - HARASHIMA Produce: Beer Garden Pro Wrestling (8/4/2008)

HERO! & HERO! vs. Kenny Ohka & Kenny Omega

This crowd was very impressed with Kenny's technical wrestling 101 routine, heh. He got in his signature spots, and got over quickly in just his debut match! The HERO team wrestled like sloths. One of them is Minoru Fujita so I shouldn't be surprised. A solid introduction for Omega in DDT.

**

Golden Lovers (Kenny Omega & Kota Ibushi) vs. Keisuke Ishii & Shigehiro Irie (DDT, 1/20/2011)

DDT - Dotonbori Story 8 (1/20/2011)

Golden☆Lovers (Kenny Omega & Kota Ibushi) vs. Keisuke Ishii & Shigehiro Irie

Back when Irie and Ishii were still young boys, and Irie had a buzzcut! Omega and Irie had a great segment, and Ibushi did magical stuff in the final sequence, and I dug the combos Ishii and Irie were doing. Solid little tag match.

***

Kenny Omega vs. Ayako Hamada (WAVE, 11/4/2013)

 WAVE - GAMI Libre 6 (11/4/2013)

Kenny Omega vs. Ayako Hamada

This is a match that happened. And it main evented. Wild career Omega has had. Hamada looks strong against the current Bullet Club leader, hitting most of her signature spots. This was a fun and interesting match up.

***