Some Background On Daisuke Sasaki and Tetsuya Endo's Current...Whatever The Hell They Have Going On: 2016-2023, Part One
Hi, DAMNATION faithful of tumblr. I am Sasaki and Endo's most annoying and most autistic English speaking fan from Twitter and Bluesky, and it occurred to me that I should probably back up some of the stuff I've posted about them somewhere. So I'm starting with this long, nerdy and Endo's Dad-approved thread from the fall of 2023. Which you can also find here, for as long as X survives or until I finally delete the damned account.
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Apologies for the long thread I'm about to foist upon all of you, but Daisuke Sasaki and Tetsuya Endo have been putting a lot of work into their ongoing lore, and they deserve to have at least one Golden Lovers-level obsessive English speaking fan trying to document it.
First, an abridged backstory: Once upon a time some dorks named Kenny and Kota abandoned their much cooler, hotter, and more talented stablemate, Daisuke Sasaki, leaving him scrambling to find a new tag partner and eventually creating his own stable, DAMNATION.
In the summer of 2016, another dork named Konosuke Takeshita was starting to take off and being a real dick to his extremely talented tag team partner, Tetsuya Endo. Smelling blood, Sasaki extended an invitation to Endo. Tetsuya made the right choice.
The greatest stable in the history of pro wrestling was born! And for the next 5+ years, they reigned over DDT, dominating tournaments, winning belts, co-parenting their alien child, Mad Paulie, and coeixisting happily. Except for all of those times they almost broke up. Including but not limited to:
-red DAMNATION vs purple DAMNATION
-"real" DAMNATION vs whoever Sasaki randomly decided wasn't "real"
-rugby mania -the time Sasaki wanted to wrestle in space but was only going to take some members with him
-the time Soma Takao kissed Endo's dad
Oh yeah, and that time K-OD champ Endo nominated Sasaki as his replacement challenger at Ultimate Party 2020 when plans for his original opponent, the aforementioned dork Kenny, fell through. Which made Sasaki attempt to turn on him and kick him out of DAMNATION. Which Endo had predicted. He recruited everyone, including their shared alien child, to turn on him and kick him out instead. But that's ok, because Endo later revealed it had all been staged to motivate Sasaki to try in their match and they happily reunited.
(If you're not well versed in DAMNATION, you might find yourself thinking "but this doesn't solve the fact that Sasaki legitimately wanted to turn on Endo first." But if you know them, you know that this is perfectly normal behaviour he would soon have forgotten. It's fine.)
Tragically, DDT announced an impromptu single day tournament in the fall of 2021. The losing unit would be forced to disband. After half a decade of weathering pretty much non-stop threats from within, DAMNATION lost the tournament and were broken by an outside force.
Backstage after their last match, Sasaki flippantly told Endo to cut his hair and become a babyface. Which is actually what he ended up doing. With the blessing of Kenta Kobashi, Endo formed a new edition of BURNING with Jun Akiyama, Yuya Koroku, and Yusuke Okada in Dec. 2021.
Sasaki also attempted to become a babyface. His efforts mostly consisted of occasionally wearing a white t-shirt, attempting basic manners, and trying not to throw chairs at people and were abandoned within a handful of matches. Paulie went back to his home planet.
Bored of his nominal efforts to be nominally good, Pretty Babyface Daisuke Sasaki announced the formation of a new stable, DAMNATION Total Addiction, aka DAMNATION T.A, in early October, 2021. He called Soma and Endo to the ring to join him...And then immediately turned on them, of course! Endo immediately washed his hands of the whole situation and left, but Soma got attacked by Sasaki. And a new creature that Sasaki found eating an arm in Nerima or something. This is obviously not the sweet alien baby Mad Paulie.
Sasaki claimed that he had never liked Soma and that welcoming him into DAMNATION was all part of a long term plan to avenge a 2010 match between the two of them in which the loser, Sasaki, was forced to eat dog food.
This led to a new dog food match. With the aid of MJ Paul, aka Murder Junky Paul, who is definitely not a sweet alien baby named Mad Paulie, Sasaki successfully avenged a humiliation he hadn't mentioned in 11 years. That was the end of OG DAMNATION interactions. For a while.
With any remaining affection for original DAMNATION obliterated, Soma reinvested his energies in ROMANCE DAWN, the tag team he formed with his old friend Shota, the man he trained and broke into the business with. Slowly but surely, they became a formidable tag team.
Babyface life was working out well for Endo, too. In March 2022, he finally managed to beat that awful bully Takeshita when it counted, pinning him to win the KO-D championship at DDT's 25th anniversary show, Judgement. He celebrated with BURNING. And all of DDT sans T.A.
In May of 2022, KANON joined DAMNATION T.A. There's something about his gear I can't quite put my finger on.
On June 12, 2022 at CyberFight Festival 2022, a joint show between DDT, NOAH, TJPW, and Ganbare, Endo was legitimately knocked out by Katsuhiko Nakajima during a tag match between DDT and NOAH wrestlers. He was subsequently forced to relinquish his title. And who had to follow up on that jarring and upsetting incident? None other than Sasaki, who was also representing DDT against NOAH in a no DQ match against KENOH. KENOH had his stable, KONGOH with him. T.A was there, too, but they were no match for that level of unity.
Sasaki lost. Backstage, he said "I lost because I carried DDT today! Today's loss is a shame I'll carry for life. I don't know if I should say this but I'm sure Tetsuya will carry this too. NOAH! Kenoh! I have no comments. Remember this!" (Side note: "Tetsuya" with no honorific is what he always called Endo when they were in DAMNATION together. In return, Endo almost exclusively called him "Charisma." I believe this was the first time its usage resurfaced post-DAMNATION.)
Endo was able to recover from the concussion he received during that match AND the COVID he caught almost immediately upon his return and start to work toward redeeming himself and reclaiming his belt in August 2022.
After a valiant but unsuccessful challenge against current K-OD Champ, Kazusada Higuchi, he focused on the D-OH Grand Prix, DDT's annual round robin tournament to decide the next challenger. In September, we found out that Endo and Sasaki were in the same block.
This would be the first time they'd face each other since the end of DAMNATION. At first, Sasaki seemed to be more focused on KANON. The two pledged to win their respective blocks and meet each other in the final and then had some weird vibes.
At the press conference a few days later, Sasaki started to change his tune. When asked who he's looking forward to facing in his block, he said "TETSUYA ENDO! ONLY YOU!"
Being a functional and mature he adult, he then refused to look at Endo while Endo addressed him. Even when he called him Charisma again. Sasaki continued to be a grownup at the tournament's opening ceremonies.
A likely unintentional but still fun little detail: Sasaki and Kobashi are basically the angel and devil on Endo's shoulders here:
Two days later, Endo and Sasaki finally faced each other, for the first time one on one since their emotional reunion at Ultimate Party 2020, and the first time at all since DAMNATION split in 2021. It ended in an extremely evenly matched draw.
The match very heavily focused on the similarities between the two men. They targeted the same body parts on each other. Traded move for move. Or responded to one's signature submission with the other. At one point, they even collapsed into mutual destruction. Also, their alien child Mad Paulie briefly returned to earth and didn't understand why his dads were fighting. They were finally able to calm him down and bond with him before sending him back to his home planet again.
After the match, they sat at opposite sides of the ring and had an amiable conversation that hinted at an ongoing fondness and a general acceptance of where they both were now. Here's the translation, courtesy of DDT's English account:
Endo: Sasaki, its been a while. We last fought for the title exactly 2 years ago at Ota-Ku. You're still the good ol' Charisma.
Sasaki: I'm not saying anything.....are you done?
Endo: You said we wouldn't speak right. That's the DAMNATION rule. Charisma, how is the new Endo?
Sasaki: Tetsuya Endo....I have so many things to say to you but first....Paulie. When did you come back to Earth?? Oi, I got nothing to say. Send Paulie.
Endo: Let Paulie speak, I think his Japanese improved.
Endo: I'm going to win the League. And I'll take the KO-D Openweight, UNIVERSAL, EXTREME titles. Last of all I have something really important... Can you return the money I won from the tournament back to me??
Sasaki: I thought of something good to say. Endo left right? Extend the match. Lets make it a 30-minute match, 30 hour match OI! Ignoring me?? Endo are you listening? You're pretty good huh? BURNING...lame. Tetsuya Endo, your place is right next to met at DAMANTION T.A. You're hearing right? I bet you're running out now. I'm going to win this EZPZ and at the finals...wait for me Endo!
Of course Sasaki had to add "your place is right next to met at DAMANTION T.A." because he arguably puts more of the drama in Dramatic Dream Team than anyone.
For months, overly emotionally invested DAMNATION fans were able to stay on this melancholy but hopeful note. They both valued their past and respected each other, but acknowledged and (mostly) accepted that they were on different paths now.
In May of this year, though, members of DAMNATION T.A and BURNING started getting booked into matches against each other. Endo responded to the announcement by referencing the 2016 anime film YOUR NAME. (Yes, that's the same film that Ibushi used to describe his connection with Omega in an interview in 2018.)
Sasaki, who appeared to be processing his grief over losing his DAMNATION found family via a loser disbands tournament by suggesting that every tag match should be a loser disbands match suggested that the match should be a loser disbands match.
Meanwhile, Endo had a match in which he faced off against another former DAMNATION member, Yuji Hino, and he made another YOUR NAME reference.
Then he essentially tweeted that Sasaki should shit or get off the pot wrt to this T.A disbandment nonsense, and called him a middle schooler who can't go to the toilet alone.
In other news, Endo started to notice that there might be some similarities between him and T.A's potential Eve Harrington, KANON. Especially the part where his dropkick was better.
Sasaki, on the other hand, was busy noticing similarities in recent failures and fixating on breaking up some more.
Due to a left shoulder injury, KANON was forced to pull out of BURNING vs DAMNATION T.A. The amended match (Endo and Kotaro Suzuki vs Sasaki and MJ). Once again, the match highlighted their similarities, with more move-for-move exchanges and submission reversals. It also featured a moment in which MJ Paul almost accidentally recreated a classic Endo/Paulie tandem move.
Endo pinned MJ Paul and then stared at him before Sasaki took his new monster and definitely not alien son away.
Endo later concluded that: 1. Sasaki hasn't changed. 2. That wasn't Paulie after all.
A couple of weeks later, Endo found himself in a tag match against Soma (and HARASHIMA, the man Soma betrayed to join DAMNATION!) and acted like a complete tit the whole time. He later tweeted "I got mad for no particular reason today." (Either there's lingering DAMNATION feelings going on, or he's not as over the dad kissing incident as this beautiful BOYZ reunion would have had us believe.)
KANON returned from injury and Endo and KANON were finally able to face each other in a tag match in July. Endo did not appear to like him much.
At Wrestle Peter Pan 2023 later that month, Endo lost his Universal belt to Matt Cardona in arguably the most DAMNATION way you can lose a belt: by simping over a blonde who did not give a shit about him.
Also at Peter Pan, Takeshita finally made a good choice in his life and aligned himself with Sasaki and is therefore not a dork anymore.
DAMNATION T.A were enjoying some degree of fleeting success in the tag division around this time. Sasaki and Paul won the vacated belts in June and held them, with no defences, until August when they lost to Oishi and Hino. Then KANON and Fujita challenged and won the belts back. Only to immediately lose them to... ROMANCE DAWN!
After a brief respite, the delicate hearts of DAMNATION fans were tested once again when DDT management started booking BURNING and T.A members in a series of matches against each other. Both Endo and Sasaki initially responded with bemused confusion. Why was this happening? What did anyone expect to get out of it? By the time the first match rolled around, though, Sasaki couldn't help himself and was pulling his usual bullshit.
But he was pulling said usual bullshit against the one person who knows and possibly loves his bullshit enough that he has, in fact, used it against him for his own good. Which Endo did again in this match. Which eventually led to some intereesting confusion and frustration.
After the match, Endo took his first direct shot at T.A and Sasaki's psyche, suggesting that he must know you can't top the original.
Sasaki addressed the matter in more oblique terms, tweeting photos of the two of them and saying that Kyoto was a troubling city.
Sasaki also found their next match troubling.
Endo questioned why they were being pitted against each other again.
The match began with head games. And featured them both resorting to some classic DAMNATION heel moves on both of their parts. Notably, though, the tit for tat exchanges were far less extensive here. And mostly involved pulling each other's hair. Instead, they started to scout each other's moves. After Higuchi and Endo won, Sasaki was left baffled and heartbroken by the consequences of his own actions.
After the match, Endo tweeted "I won the Openweight title, 6-Man tag and even released a bare naked photobook. I have nothing else to do under DAMNATION. I don't mind shaking your hand but, only if you join BURNING."
Sasaki didn't post anything about it for a day, then claimed his tweet had been stuck in drafts. He continued to be disturbed and confused about the lack of handshakes. Why won't this person who knows him better than anyone fall for obvious bait? Please note the black and white.
Backstage after the match, Sasaki said some totally believable things about how he feels about Endo. Like "GOD DAMMIT TETSUYA! I know you're not that kind of guy. I bet when I invited Ueno, you wish you were in his place. I don't care about you. How many times will this pointless matchup continue? You did this right!?"
Endo, meanwhile, continued to have his number. And maybe needle him a little with "I bet you're lost now. I know how you feel. TA will never surpass the original. Daisuke Sasaki, wanna join BURNING? I'll save you. Let's continue where we left off. BURNING Daisuke Sasaki, sounds good right?"
And then DDT dropped this bombshell: They were being pitted against each other in a special singles match at Ultimate Party 2023. The very event they main evented three years ago. And closed with a beautiful reunion and karaoke serenade from Shuji Ishikawa.
Both were left wondering why this was happening and what people were expecting from them.
But of course two god tier drama queens couldn't leave it at that. After spending a couple of weeks focusing on their own things, like hosting beetle events and kissing El Desperado, they started to stress about their next meeting and its implications.
The day before, Endo was still feeling wary about being paired with people outside of BURNING while facing a united DAMNATION T.A. And reiterating that Sasaki should join BURNING. Sasaki indulged in an old favourite coping mechanism: sublimating his feelings into rugby talk.
TBC...
