Their first World Tag Championship defence was an intense battle against The End. The Saito Brothers once again showed that they are both skillful and popular. After the match, the Saito Brothers became a unit with the unexpected addition of Naruki Doi, with the possibility that they may add more members in the future. However, there seem to be three conditions that must be met in order to join the team...
More members will join and the team will grow, but what are the three big conditions for joining the Saito Brothers?
Rei: We defended our titles against the end, but in terms of pure power, they were probably the strongest tag opponents we've had so far. They could even throw me around, and frankly, there were parts of that match that looked like we were going to get our asses kicked.
Jun: I guess if you looked throughout Japan, no, throughout the world, it'd be hard to find a team of power fighters as strong as they are. But, thinking about it, I feel like they're still hiding some of their power, so I want to have another match with The End where we don't hold anything back. I'm looking forward to the next time we have a match. Come to think of it, how many months had it been since we last won with DOOM (Double Impact)? We hadn't done that for a while.
Rei: Maybe it was the first time since I got injured (at Korakuen Hall on February 9th, dislocated right shoulder). Even before my injury, we hadn't used it for a while. I don't remember using it in the Strongest Tag League last year, either, so it really had been a long time, right?
Jun: Sounds about right. If we can use a move like that on The End, then it should work on any heavyweight. I'm more confident now. I was confident before, but I'm even more confident now because of our match against The End. Maybe my pent-up hatred because of the sweets ban helped. I also used the power of that hatred in the final DOOM, and I think our opponents felt that. I was so happy when we won and I could eat sweet things.
Rei: It looked like you were gonna choke, though (*laughs*)
Jun: Just between us, my mouth was so dry, it was difficult to taste the manjuu and daifuku I hadn't eaten in so long (*strained laugh*)
Rei: I gave you some tea!
Jun: But, they were delicious, without a doubt.
Rei: If you'd gone without sweets for much longer, your anger would have been focused on me.
Jun: I think, as twins, our tag team would have broken down. It's really good that the ban was lifted when it was.
Rei: (About Naruki Doi joining the Saito Brothers after the match) There are belts that Jun and I can't challenge for with just the two of us, so we've been thinking for a while about adding more members. So, that's why we agreed to let "Mr. Saito", Naruki Doi, join us. In particular, neither of us can challenge for the World Junior Heavyweight Championship. I'm just a little bit over 105kg, heheheh.
Jun: It would be interesting if I lost weight and got under 105kg so I could challenge, but then I'd have to be banned from eating sweet things again, so that would be difficult.
Rei: We can ask "Mr. Saito" Doi to get the Junior championship, then as a tag team, we can go after all the tag belts. The two of us as the Saito Brothers won't change at all, so what can we say...?
Jun: "Unit" is fine, isn't it?
Rei: Yeah. We'll probably get more members in the future. Maybe the Saito Brothers will become five people, or ten people.
Jun: There are probably other guys who think they wanna be a Saito Brother, and it'll probably be interesting if we get even more members. But, there are conditions you have to meet to join the Saito Brothers. First, you have to be able to eat a lot. Second, you have to be kind to animals. Third, you have to like sweets and beer and stuff. Y'know, that kind of thing.
Rei: Heheh, that's the first I've heard of this. Well, people who like food and are kind to animals are good. We really love animals.
Written by Kenshi Miyao.
Translated into English by Michelle @puroresueikaiwa
"The world's only barrier-free pro-wrestling organization, HERO"
Do you know the pro-wrestling organization "HERO"?
It was originally created to hold events that Deaf or hard of hearing fans could enjoy, but since 2016, it also caters to fans with visual impairments, wheelchair users, and fans without disabilities. HERO creates a space where everyone can enjoy wrestling.
At present, HERO has two Deaf wrestlers on their roster; Tomoryu and Momotaro. They form tag teams with wrestlers without disabilities, they make enemies and they battle it out, ensuring that the action in the ring is barrier-free.
As the venue is also barrier-free, there are sign language interpreters for Deaf and hard of hearing fans at the ringside, ticket counter, and merch tables, and subtitles are shown on the big screen in the venue.
For fans with visual impairments, there are radios available to borrow for free, so they can listen to the commentary. The venue doesn't have steps, which gives support to wheelchair users.
Also, before the matches, fans can interact with the wrestlers in the ring, where they can touch the wrestlers' muscles, and the masks of the masked wrestlers.
The sounds of wrestlers clashing, the sweat flying, the intense breathing. With such proximity, people can see, hear, and feel the appeal of pro-wrestling... even if fans have aural, visual or physical impairments, they can have an exciting time experiencing wrestling, getting up from their seats, and cheering for their favourite wrestlers.
Barrier-Free Pro-Wrestling HERO, said to be the only pro-wrestling organization of its kind in the world, is led by Mr. Takeyoshi Sato, age 40. Mr. Sato is tall, at 186cm, and he is a slim and handsome man. Takeyoshi's parents were both Deaf, so before he started elementary school, he could already use sign language naturally, and he grew up listening and speaking for his parents.
"When my father was young, he wanted to join the first class of NJPW trainees. At the time, he was told, "Deaf people can't have a public-facing role, and what will you do if you get injured?". That kind of attitude was typical at the time, so he wasn't allowed to enter at first, but Mr. Inoki said, "It would be good to have this kind of guy around, so he should come to practice!". Because of him, my father was able to become a trainee".
However, due to the harsh training and because he was Deaf, his father was injured, and he wasn't able to make his debut.
Despite this, he continued to dream of becoming a pro-wrestler and, in 2010, at the age of 60, he finally made his debut. His ring name was Yamiki... As "The Dark Demon", he was a heel who waged war on Tomoryu. His special moves were the Spinning Toe Hold, and a headbutt which made a sound that reverberated around the venue.
One day, he hurt his neck during a match, so he went into hospital... However, after a checkup, he was diagnosed with various illnesses, and he passed away two years ago at the age of 65.
"My father was a draw, and he was tremendously popular with our Deaf fans, so after he passed away, it was difficult for our organization to continue, and I thought we would have no choice but to disband. My father's memorial show was intended to be our final show. But, Atsushi Onita, who supported the aims of our organization, took part in the show, and it was a huge success".
Atsushi Onita teamed up with Tomoryu and Momotaro, and gave it everything he had! Then, clutching the microphone, he gathered his strength and yelled emotionally, "Just because of your impairments, does that mean you can't do the things you love? Of course not! People who give it their all to do the things they love, regardless of physical impairments or whatever, I, I, I... think they're wonderful!"
Takeyoshi Sato has set himself the mission to spread the word about the world's only barrier-free pro-wrestling! His strenuous efforts continue on the road to HERO's next pro-wrestling show.
A few months back, I went to see Luchanko Special at Shinjuku FACE, and I had such a great time! I still think about this show sometimes, because it had such a big impact on me. Also, it's currently availalble on DVD on Toru Owashi's online store, and I feel like this is a show that's worth having a copy of. Toru Owashi's self-produced shows are always a showcase of incredible booking skills and great times to be had! Even with the various card changes that had to be made this time around, or possibly as a result of those card changes, Owashi brought us yet another amazing show! I absolutely recommend checking out some of his previous Luchanko-branded shows if you can, but if you can't, you shouldn't miss out on this one!
Opening, Luchanko Special, Bonds of Affliction, 30mins 1 fall
Shunma Katsumata and Yuna Manase vs. Choun Shiyru and Cherry
Katsumata defeated Shiryu with the Totonoe Splash, 8mins 20s.
とても良いオープニングマッチでした！「やまいきの絆」でいいチームワークを見せた。本当に良かった！
A fun and enjoyable tag match to start off the show! Named "Bonds of Affliction", this match brought together four wrestlers from different promotions who had overcome various injuries in the past year or so. Everyone worked together so well!
（ところで、この大会には動画撮影はOKだった！良かったね！）
(By the way, video recording was allowed at this show! Love it when that happens!)
Tsutomu Osugi, Banana Senga, Antonio Honda, Kazuki Hirata and Jun Saito vs. Mascara Gaylera Jr., Okamasamune, Gay Urano, Okamammoth Sasaki and Okamakoto
Jun Saito defeated Okamasamune and Okamakoto with a double chokeslam at 7mins 3s.
This is one of those matches that you kinda have to mentally prepare yourself for, but the audience absolutely LOVED it, and I had a great time seeing this live!
Jun Saito and Rei Saito were originally going to have a tag match against the Brahman Brothers on this show, which was very highly anticipated because having two sets of twins fighting each other is a brilliant idea! Sadly, Rei Saito was unable to take part due to his shoulder injury, so the Brahman Brothers were set to take on Yuma and Atsuki Aoyagi (which I'll talk more about later), and Jun Saito ended up in this match.
You know when you see a match announcement, and you immediately have a good idea of what's going to happen?
Well, that's pretty much what happened here, and frankly, it was GLORIOUS. Jun Saito, being far and away the most handsome man on his team, was always going to be the target of the opposing team's... affection? "Affection" seems like the wrong word here, but Jun was VERY popular with those guys, and with Mascara Gaylera Jr. in particular, who planted a huge kiss on Jun during the match, which got an amazing reaction from everyone in the audience, ranging from screams of terror to screams of happiness (I think I let out a yell of pure jealousy tbh). Okamakoto, everyone's favourite sleep paralysis demon, also gave a very memorable performance. For the most part, Osugi, Senga, Honda and Hirata seemed to take a back seat, while Jun Saito took various other things during this match, but the anticipation of whatever crazy stuff was going to happen next made this a really fun match to watch!
Special 3 Way Match, Aagan Iisou vs. Toryumon 2nd Class vs. CDK, 30mins 1 fall
Chris Brookes and Masahiro Takanashi vs. Takuya Sugawara and Shogo "Jet" Takagi vs. Genki Horiguchi and Kenichiro Arai
Brookes defeated Takagi with everclear at 10mins 21s.
この試合を観るのが楽しかったね！
Even without a detailed knowledge of the history of Toryumon or DRAGONGATE, this was a really enjoyable match where all the pieces fell into place really well! (To be honest, this could be said about any match on this show. Everything just seemed to Work, y'know? Gotta love it when that happens!)
CDK won a year's supply of some kind of scalp treatment that's supposed to promote hair growth. However, as Brookes and Takanashi have no problems growing their own hair, they very generously gave the prize to Genki Horiguchi, who was so happy about it that he did a certain dance that everyone likes!
Brahman Shu and Brahman Kei vs. Yuma Aoyagi and X = Aja Kong
Match ended when all wrestlers were counted out of the ring.
Rematch
Yuma Aoyagi and Aja Kong vs. Brahman Shu and Brahman Kei
Aja defeated Kei with the Uraken at 7mins 42s.
カードが変更されたけど、本当に凄い試合になったね！
This match was originally going to be Jun Saito and Rei Saito vs. Brahman Shu and Brahman Kei, but Rei Saito got injured. Then, it was going to be Yuma Aoyagi and Atsuki Aoyagi vs. Brahman Shu and Brahman Kei, but Atsuki Aoyagi got injured. Toru Owashi was in a pinch. He'd wanted a Brothers vs. Brothers tag match on his show, but he'd run out of brothers he could book. The next best thing he could do was book someone with a name starting with "A" to be Yuma Aoyagi's partner. So, he checked his contacts list, and he found just the right person for the job!
In the run up to the show, Aoyagi's partner was only announced as X. Little did we know that Yuma Aoyagi's partner was going to be AJA KONG!!
This match had all the craziness you'd expect from a Brahman Brothers match, including their infamous bowling spot, and again, everything worked so well! I absolutely loved how well Yuma Aoyagi and Aja Kong worked so well as a team. Owashi really is a genius booker. Sometimes, wonderful things happen as a result of a seemingly desperate situation, and Owashi responded to the changes he had to make to his show in the best possible way! He really showed a lot of creativity in the face of a crisis, and he made an already great show even more special.
Afterwards, Jun and Rei Saito made an appearance, and promised that the Saito Brothers vs. the Brahman Brothers would definitely happen some day...!
Owashi's main events always have some kind of special meaning to him, and this always shines through regardless of your knowledge of his history. My knowledge of Toryumon is patchy at best, but seeing matches like this really makes me want to know more!
At the end of the show, Owashi had a few important announcements to make...
First of all, although he definitely isn't considering fully retiring for the time being, he plans to wrestle regularly for just one more year.
Then, he made a special request to DRAGONGATE GM, Ryo Saito, that he wanted to participate regularly in DRAGONGATE, alongside his usual appearances in DDT. Saito approved of Owashi's request!
もちろん、いつも通り大鷲選手のお母さんがリングに上がって、素晴らしい演説をしました！
As per tradition, Owashi's mum turned up and gave a speech about how proud she is of her son!
("brother" YASSHI looks really nice in this photo, don't you think?)
One final announcement came at the end of the show... in 2025, a show called Luchanko Party will be held to celebrate the 15th anniversary of Toru Owashi's kidney stones! (Seriously, that's what it says, I double checked and everything)
