10 Ways DDT Did WWE Better Than WWE At WrestleMania 35 Weekend
3. Three-Dimensional Relationships
Daisuke Sasaki's reaction to getting beamed by Damnation stablemate Tetsuya Endo and losing his newly-won KO-D Openweight Champion wasn't what you'd expect.
The cash-in was brought on by Sasaki slapping the gauntlet from Endo's hands. This prompted the 27-year-old to boot him down, tell 'Charisma' "you suck," and finally take the title. A long-awaited coronation for a performer whose inability to project personality at the highest level has long been considered the only thing standing between him and megastardom.
One would assume that this would p*ss Sasaki off, leading to a string of rematches and a lengthy feud and tearing Damnation apart. It didn't. Rather than lashing out, the booze-addled 'King Of Losers' forgave his ally in the moment, perhaps recognising that their allegiance is more important than any championship belt. Besides, Sasaki had only just taken the strap from Konosuke Takeshita. It was one hell of a fight, but a few minutes is hardly enough time to get attached to a 10lb strap.
Sasaki essentially stepped aside to allow Endo to become the face of DDT. That's a level of depth we don't usually get from Sports Entertainment heels.