The DDT Universal Championship (DDT UNIVERSAL王座 DDT Yunibāsaru Ōza) is a professional wrestling championship owned by the DDT Pro-Wrestling (DDT) promotion. The title was announced on December 28, 2019, with the first champion crowned on February 23, 2020.
The title original concept was having workers from all over the world to wrestle for the title. The title also became DDT's seventh active championship and the second to carry the DDT name, following the DDT Extreme Division Championship, which was introduced in November 2006.
History[]
On December 28, 2019, during the finals of the 2020 D-Oh Grand Prix, produced by DDT Pro-Wrestling (DDT), DDT Assistant Producer Hisaya Imabayashi announced the creation of the DDT Universal Championship. The title is part of an international expansion plan, which DDT had made public in the months prior to the announcement. Plans had been made in 2019, to expand DDT's international attention in 2020, with concept of having workers from all over the world to wrestle for the title. The title belt was made blue to distinguish it from the black KO-D Openweight Championship belt and the purple DDT Extreme Division Championship belt. Shortly after the announcement, Chris Brookes and Konosuke Takeshita expressed their intentions of becoming the inaugural champion. On January 7, 2020, it was announced that Chris Brookes would faced Konosuke Takeshita to determine the inaugural champion on February 23, at Into The Fight. Both Brookes and Takeshita proposed a concept of different matches from the DDT Extreme Division and KO-D Openweight Championships. At the event, Brookes went on to defeat Takeshita to become the inaugural DDT Universal Champion. As he was making his victory speech, Brookes was ambushed by Daisuke Sasaki who challenged him for the title before stealing the title. Sasaki went on to defeat Brookes for the title at Judgement 2020: DDT 23rd Anniversary, on March 20. Brookes recaptured the title back in the main event of DDT TV Show! #8, on June 27. He successfully defended it against his fellow British compatriot Drew Parker on September 7, at Get Alive 2020 and then against Naomi Yoshimura on October 10, at DDT TV Show! #9. Yuki Ueno captured the title on November 3 at Ultimate Party 2020, thus making him the third wrestler to hold the title.
Title history[]
| # | Wrestler | Reign | Date | Location | Length | Defenses | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chris Brookes | 1 | February 23, 2020 | Tokyo | 26 Days | 0 | Defeated Konosuke Takeshita to become the inaugural champion. |
| 2 | Daisuke Sasaki | 1 | March 20, 2020 | Tokyo | 99 Days | 3 | |
| 3 | Chris Brookes | 2 | June 27, 2020 | Tokyo | 129 Days | 1 | |
| 4 | Yuki Ueno | 1 | November 3, 2020 | Tokyo | 291 Days | 6 | |
| 5 | Daisuke Sasaki | 2 | August 21, 2021 | Kawasaki, Kanagawa | 211 Days | 4 | |
| 6 | MAO | 1 | March 20, 2022 | Tokyo | 73 Days | 2 | This was a three-way hardcore match, also involving Jun Kasai. |
| 7 | Masahiro Takanashi | 1 | June 1, 2022 | Tokyo | 80 Days | 1 | |
| 8 | Yuki Ueno | 2 | August 20, 2022 | Tokyo | 146 Days | 2 | |
| 9 | Naruki Doi | 1 | January 13, 2023 | Tokyo | 67 Days | 1 | This was a three-way survival match, also involving Daisuke Sasaki. |
| 10 | Tetsuya Endo | 1 | March 21, 2023 | Tokyo | 124 Days | 1 | |
| 11 | Matt Cardona | 1 | July 23, 2023 | Tokyo | 112 Days | 1 | |
| 12 | MAO | 2 | November 12, 2023 | Tokyo | 159+ | 0 | This was a No Disqualification match. |
List of combined reigns[]
| † | Indicates the current champion |
|---|
| Rank | Wrestler | # of Reigns |
Combined defenses |
Combined days |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Yuki Ueno | 2 | 7 | 437 |
| 2 | Daisuke Sasaki | 5 | 309 | |
| 3 | Chris Brookes | 1 | 155 | |
| 4 | Tetsuya Endo | 1 | 124 | |
| 5 | Matt Cardona | 112 | ||
| 6 | Masahiro Takanashi | 80 | ||
| 7 | MAO † | 2 | 2 | 232+ |
| 8 | Naruki Doi | 1 | 1 | 67 |
Gallery[]
