DDT Pro-Wrestling

Yoshihiko to Challenge For KO-D Openweight Championship

Originally posted on Last Word On Sports
By Frederick Marvin Lumba | Last updated Sep 12, 2025 12:19 PM ET

Newly minted KO-D Openweight champion Kazuki Hirata has nominated his first challenger. He will face the inflatable doll Yoshihiko at Dramatic Infinity 2025 on September 28.

At DDT’s The Fighting Beer Garden 2025 in Shinjuku Extra Innings show on September 12, Yoshihiko sent a strong message to the champion. He cost him the Enter The Sandman five-way match by making a surprise appearance, inserting himself into the match and causing Hirata to lose by pinfall to Antonio Honda.

Hirata was on a roll prior to Yoshihiko’s interruption, and it looked like he was on his way to a win. He even fended off two holders of the Right to Challenge arm sleeves in Akito and Yukio Naya with the help of his masked bodyguard and Danshoku Dieno when they tried to take advantage of all the mayhem happening in the main event to win the KO-D Openweight title.

After the match, Hirata took the microphone and addressed Yoshihiko, saying that he was waiting for him and he wants to wrestle him for the title. He added that the most fitting opponent to challenge him is not a person, but him.

The two have faced each other in three singles matches, which Yoshihiko all won. Their previous encounter was at DDT Goes Philadelphia from April last year.

／
NEWS!
＼

Hirata chooses his first challenger…his forever rival….Yoshihiko!

DRAMATIC INFINITY 2025
September 28 Starts 11:00
Korakuen Hall, Tokyo

KO-D Openweight Championship bout
Kazuki Hirata (c.) vs Yoshihiko#ddtpro pic.twitter.com/6ahYTJrQBD

— DDT Pro-Wrestling (English) (@ddtproENG) September 12, 2025

Hirata won the KO-D Openweight Championship at day two of Wrestle Peter Pan last August 31 by using his Right to Challenge arm sleeve on then champion Yuki Ueno, who had just defeated former champion Kazusada Higuchi in the main event. It was his biggest win in his 15-year career, holding DDT’s biggest prize for the first time.

In other news, the stipulation for the DDT Extreme Championship bout between the champion To-y and Ilusion on September 14 has also been decided prior to the show. It will be a “Stop the Annoying Streamer” match wherein both of them will stream themselves on Wrestle Universe via Universe Cast during the match, with the winner being decided by pinning or submitting your opponent on their live stream or turning their live stream off.

The show where the title match is set to take place titled “Sumire September Love 2025” will be taped and released on Wrestle Universe on September 18.

Daisuke Sasaki also surprised everyone and made a couple of announcements as well. The leader of Damnation T.A. suffered a rib injury during the closing moments of their KO-D Tag Team title match against The Apex at day one of Wrestle Peter Pan last August 30.

He announced that he is cleared to wrestle on his 20th anniversary show CHARISMANIAxMANIAxMANIA on October 2 and that his stablemate Hideki Okatani will face “Crazy Monkey” Jun Kasai on the show.

This article first appeared on Last Word On Sports and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: