All Japan Pro Wrestling: New Year Wars 1-26-25

Welcome back to some scintillating All Japan action as we’ve got a crowd of over one thousand people in Chiba in a pretty cool exhibition hall, we’ve got a pretty cool double stairway flanking the entrance as I think I’ve seen this venue before but not with this many people. Anyway, new year, and a new champion as Jun Saito defends his newly won Triple Crown championship in the main-event, let’s get to it! We actually get a decently fancy hype video with some awesome voice overs and a run-down of the entire card to what I think is a John Williams score.

Seiki Yoshioka & Taishin Nagao vs. Saito Brothers (Rei Saito & Senor Saito)

Background: Not a whole lot to this, Seiki is an established veteran junior, a very in-shape guy who goes very fast and is teaming with Nagao who is a mega-rookie. Saito Brothers are of course a major stable that kinda ride the tweener line hard, with the OG Saito Brothers (Jun and Rei) being pretty over but their hangers-on being less beloved. Anyway, we have Rei, one half of the tag-champs and the big-guy of the duo, wild-haired and a frantic brawler, Senor Saito is MAZADA in a mask and he looks and moves like a nigh-50 year old death match guy is going to look and move. Anyway, Seiki is in silver tights and a black vest, Taishin is in green trunks, Rei is in black pleather pants with his t-shirt on, and Senor is wearing the t-shirt too and of course the mask and red shorts.

The Match: Taishin starts against Senor Saito and we get a lockup and when Nagao grabs the wrist Senor immediately goes to the ropes and begs for a break. The vet then gets some standing grappling going on and adds some cheating with a fist ground into the youngers cheekbone on a headlock. Nagao fights out and Senor Saito is worked over again but breaks with a bite and then Seiki has had enough and flies in to defend his partner. Taishin gets a body slam and then a crab but he’s too close to the opposing corner and Rei gets a big ole bear paw on him and the Saito Brothers start to work over the kid in the corner. Senor Saito gets an eyepoke and then a chinlock before getting another dirty shot on Nagao. The rookie gets some weak shots but walks into a rib breaker and he’s just selling huge as these two grimy jerks clobber him. Nagao FINALLY reverses a brainbuster and in comes Seiki to fly around with rapid strikes on Senor Saito. Senor finally does some heelish stalling and pokes the eyes again, but Seiki powers through and gets the scissor kick and in comes Taihin again to take out Nagao, but he goes for Rei in the corner and is flummoxed before Seiki slides in to kick Rei off and the babyfaces isolate Senor Saito and Taishin even gets a dropkick for 2. The rookies goes up though, and Senor dodges the missile dropkick and in comes Rei to just shrug off the rookies offense. Nagao ducks some more bear swipes though and gets a dropkick and then a missile dropkick to stagger the big guy, but Rei gets a goozle anyway. Seiki AGAIN flies in to break that up and gets a low dropkick on Rei and then a double dropkick stuns Rei, Taishin with a missile dropkick and then a sunset flip but Rei is still standing…until a Seiki superkick lets Nagao get a two count. More dropkicks by Taishin stagger Rei and a schoolboy gets 2, but an inside cradle attempt gets stuff as Rei brainbusters him and just kicks the feisty kid. Nago gets some hopeless overhead forearms but gets dropped by one chop from Rei and now the big guy is just playing with his food, daring the rookie to go at him. Double chop by Rei sets up a body slam for 2.99 and then a chokeslam and a one-handed pin gets 3.

**½

This was REALLY fun for what it was. Seiki basically only being in there to throw interference as Senor Saito cheated and Rei shrugged off everything, and the few hope spots Taishin got felt meaningful cause he worked his buns off to get them. One of the better versions of the “vet clobbers a rookie” match I’ve seen in a while.

Yuko Miyamoto (c) vs. Shotaro Ashino – GAORA TV Championship

Background: So the GAORA TV title mostly doesn’t matter at all, but y’know, it’s still a belt. Yuko is a former deathmatch guy who ain’t the biggest but he won the belt and is working with it as part of Baka no Jidai stable of goofy shootfighters, Yuko has a wild crop of uncombed hair and a two-toned white and red getup split down the middle and he’s wearing some baggy pants. His opponent is the Master of Suplex, the well-coiffed, chubby Shotaro Ashino, who always feels like he’s the cusp of breaking through to the main-event but never quite getting there, he’s got a red sport jacket on and black trunks.

The Match: We get some standing grappling that ends with a Yuko legsweep to take it to the mat but Shotaro swallows up the champ and we get a ropebreak and then some more standing grappling with Ashino quickly getting control, but Yuko gets an international and then tries a chinlock. Shotaro amateur wrestling’s his way out of it and then gets the Karelin lift suplex and then some running uppercuts as Yuko is selling big. Shotaro posts Yuko and works over the knee for a bit and then goes back in to work on the leg more while staring at the champ. Brock Lock for a bit and then Shotaro just gives up pretense and stomps on the knee in the ropes. Yuko backflips out of a suplex attempt on one-leg, but an attempt at a jumping maneuver is caught into a slam and then Ashino gets the anklelock. Miyamoto slips through and then gets a sit-out…piledriver I think (though Shotaro’s head was so high above the mat I think maybe it was a gutbuster to be generous) and both guys sell for a while. Slugfest and Shotaro wins with uppercuts but runs into an overhead belly-to-belly suplex before he gets his own and we got another double-down. Yuko’s legs are fine now as he gets a kick flurry but runs into a lariat and a backdrop driver follows for 2…and then Shotaro immediately goes back to the anklelock but rolls through time and time again as Yuko tries to spin out, Yuko’s victory roll finally gets 2.5, and then a handspring backflip kick (guess the leg is fine) sets up a German and then a Somato and Yuko flies up for a moonsault and that’s 3.

*¾

Yeah…I get the IDEA of this match, Yuko is a crafty vet, but him at the end just no-selling the entire bit of legwork by Shotaro (who is a solid if bland guy) to just do a million leg-based moves for the win is a bit silly. It was dull if fine but that ending sequence was ridiculous. Dunno about Yuko here.

Dan Tamura & Hideki Suzuki vs. MJ2 (Ayumu Honda & Kengo Mashimo)

Background: Dan is a chunky grumpy rookie who has already decided he’s going to be lariating people for the rest of his career, HIdeki Suzuki of course is well, a large fake shootfighter who acts like he’s a MMA legend and is the Last Pupil of Billy Robinson which is a big selling point for him. Anyway they’re facing MJ2, which I know nothing about, but they’re apparently from 2AW, or Active Advance Pro Wrestling a Chiba-based promotion that was once known as KAIENTAI DOJO before TAKA got in trouble for adultery and created JTO. Look there are so many bizarre splinter federations in wrestling history. Anyway MJ2 has Ayumu Honda with long dark hair and green tips and wearing an outfit that makes it looks like he raided Hiromu’s closet while Kengo looks kinda like NOAH’s HAYATA, dirty-blonde hair in a ponytail and a baggy outfit.

The Match: Dan and Hideki slap each other to fire up pre-match and Kengo starts against Suzuki. The two of them are super cautious as they dance around and do some shoot-fighty dancing and grappling. Anyway after two minutes of zero contact they tag out and Honda is SMALL, doesn’t help he’s wearing a t-shirt so he just looks like a regular civilian. But hey, at least they actually do something as Honda cranks in a wristlock and then goes for an armbar and Tamura fights free before having to make the ropes. Tamura just slugs him down (making sure to sell the elbow between hits) and brings in Hideki to get some bodyshots than Tamura back in as Ayumu is flopping around well here. But Honda manages to squirrel his way free, work Tamura’s arm into a hammerlock, and get a backstabber out of that position, hey, that’s a new spot for me! Anyway Kengo flies in off the tag with a knee and then a rope-a-dope bulldog out of a waistlock and Kengo moves his feet a bit more before getting an armbar takedown on Dan and then a kimura. But Tamura powers up and gets a Samoan drop and in comes Suzuki and he’s actually making contact with Kengo now. Kengo gets a drop toehold and a few kicks from Honda set up some double-team stuff before it’s just Ayumu and Hideki and the smaller guy gets a codebreaker, an enzuigiri, and then a flying armbar before Tamura breaks it up. It’s breaking loose in Chiba as Kengo goes for a springboard bulldog…and Hideki reverses that into a backbreaker, the All Japan guys try a Hart Attack but Dan slips up the first attempt, but a second one has Tamura fly in with a shoulder out of the bearhug. And Hideki then gets a South Asian Deathlock into a grounded abdominal stretch for the tap.

**

Dan is fun and he tries, HIdeki isn’t fun and doesn’t try. MJ2 seems like a solid-enough junior team. It was fine, but just waiting for Hideki to come in and swallow everybody up is never that engaging for me. Honda had some creative spots at least.

Post-match Dan and Hideki slap each other and then Kengo runs in to get slapped too and they all celebrate each other with slaps.

Baka No Jidai (Fuminori Abe, Hikaru Sato & Yuma Aoyagi) (c) vs. Hokuto-gun (Hokuto Omori & Kuma Arashi) & Aja Kong – AJPW TV Six Man Championship

Background: So Baka No Jidai (which also includes Hideki) is an evolution of…Evolution, Suwama’s CHAOS-esque stable of tough and rumble dudes, obviously with the new name (Age of Fools basically) they’re a bit goofier. Abe is a short, buzzcut wearing BJW guy, though he’s more on the small and violent side than beefy or death match side, Hikaru Sato is the always unpleasant looking undercut wearing actual shoot-fighter, and Yuma is a former Triple Crown champion who is biding his time in the midcard right now. Hokuto-Gun are Omori’s army of monsters, this time being Bear Man Kuma Arashi, he of the most irritating taunt in wrestling, just him bellowing “HOOOOOOOOOH!” like twenty times a match, and Aja Kong of course is Aja Kong. In a fun note, both Kuma and Hokuto are wearing Aja style facepaint. Oh, and the AJPW TV Six Man Championship is tremendously unimportant, so this could easily change hands here. To protect himself from chicanery, Aoyagi makes his way to the ring in a hard hat and a push cart full of oil cans.

The Match: Aja starts for the challengers, and the champions make Abe start and he’s really reluctant/scared. He gets backed into the ropes off a lockup and immediately begs off. Aja threatens people on the outside and the distraction leats Fuminori land a headlock and then Aja wins the shoulderblock war, Abe even does a few pushups to get himself ready and he flies off Aja anyway. Cute spot. Kong tags out and Kuma just sorts rubs his butt on Abe’s head while Kong steps on him. Then Kuma steps on him and they break out the plunder with some oil cans stacked into a pyramid. Abe reverses a whip though and it’s Omori who flies into them. Baka No Jidai clears the ring of cans and goes to work on Hokuto with simple double teams and you can tell Aoyagi is working really lightly. Sato in to actually boot Hokuto around a little bit and Yuma comes back in for an axehandle to the arm. Omori fights back with overhead shots but gets dropped with an uppercut. Yuma swings an oilcan at Omori who counters it with his KO forearm and that busts up Yuma so Aja can tag in and blast everybody with an oilcan. Abe flies in to break it up and he goes for a double brainbuster on her with Yuma, but Kong reverses! In comes Kuma to yell and hit corner clotheslines and then jumping sentons. Kuma gets a backbreaker rack on Yuma who manages to tag in Hikaru who gets his series of kicks…but the backdrop doesn’t work as Kuma is JUST TOO FAT. Sato goes for an armbar though and that gets shrugged off…but a diving senton is dodged and we have a double down into a double tag. Hokuto takes out Yuma with his KO forearm and gets a frog splash for 2.5 and the nonsense immediately starts back up with Hokuto-Gun triple teaming Yuma, but Kuma slams Omori onto the ground as Yuma slips away and Baka No Jidai run in to get a double-brainbuster on Hokuto and Yuma gets a diving elbow for 2.9 and then a brainbuster…and Aja just whallops the ref with an oil can, and then all the babyfaces try to take out Aja with an oil can and of course she demolishes them. They load up a tower of doom with Hokuto super-plexing Yuma, but Hikaru and Abe hold Aoyagi’s legs so Omori gets powerbombed instead. Missile dropkick by Yuma takes out Kuma and Aja! Kuma whiffs a crossbody that wipes out Hokuto! Yuma with an oil can strike but Omori goes low to block it. Hokuto holds up Yuma for an Uraken from Aja and well…obviously Yuma ducks it, Hokuto gets wiped out while Abe tosses (very gently) Aja from the ring. Yuma loads up the oil can again and the ref is revived now and stops Aoyagi from swinging it, but as they fight over that Yuma lets go and the REF wipes out Hokuto with the can! What a dramatic turn of events! Yuma gets The Fool and that’s enough for three.

**½

Entertaining nonsense, which is what these matches are supposed to be. Mostly a way to squeeze in as many goofy spots as possible but they at least had some character beats stay consistent.

Post-match Baka No Jidai thanks the ref and puts him on their shoulders while he begs off and clearly wants no credit for the win. Aja of course threatens him for his screwup and the ref tries to explain but he of course gets oil canned anyway.

Atsuki Aoyagi, Kento Miyahara & Ryo Inoue vs. ELPIDA (Ren Ayabe, Rising HAYATO & Ryuki Honda)

Background: So Kento is the ace of All Japan, though he’s kind of the old man of the group there despite being smackdab in the middle of his prime, he’s also wearing a LOT more black in his gear now. Ryo is a young junior who finally gets to wear actual gear and have his own gear and look, and he’s embraced ripping of KENTA and he has sunglasses and shaggy hair and a leather jacket and he kicks and disrespects people, it’s fun. Atsuki is Yuma’s little brother who is coming back off a long injury layoff, he’s smaller than big bro and less charismatic but much, MUCH more acrobatic. ELPIDA are the new babyface hotness as the rising stars, Ren is tall and stoic, HAYATO is a tattooed alt-themed junior, and Ryuki is a chunky brawler.

The Match: Atsuki demands the start against HAYATO (his long-time partner) and they get a big lockup and then some junior stuff with HAYATO drawing first blood with an overhand chop. More acrobatics commence and it’s all very slick and HAYATO gets the fakeout dive into the backflip and the taunt and Atsuki sees it coming and flies in with a headscissors and then a fakeout dive into a back handspring as he steals HAYATO’s taunt and Honda is going NUTS on the ring apron that this punk would dare taunt his partner. More “we’re evenly matched” junior stuff follows and they stalemate and tag in Ren and Kento. Kento making sure the crowd is cheering him nice and proper before stepping into the ring. Ren destroys Kento with a lockup and taunts him in the ropes before Miyahara TRIES a comeback and gets shut down with a single shoulder by the big guy. Honda in now and he knocks Kento’s crew off the apron and dances a bit before calling for a beating on Kento, ELPIDA fly in for corner strikes before Ryuki gets the rope choke…and veteran referee (seriously, he debuted in the 70s) Kyohei Wada just has no time for this and tells Ryuki to knock it off. Honda spents too much time hotdogging though and Kento dodges a charge and Ryo gets a running apron kick and then abuses Honda on the outside while Ren and Kento brawl throughout the crowd. Kento eventually choking out Ren with a cheer towel while Inoue chokes out Ryuki against the barricade. Anyway we finally all go back inside and Kento isolates in on Ryuki while giving Wada a piece of his mind on every pinfall and telling him to count better. Ryo tags in and works over Ryuki some more, with both him and Kento choking Honda on the ropes as Wada gives them lip for this blatant disregard of the rules. Atsuki in with a dropkick and standing moonsault as Kento comes in to double some more and that opens up Ryuki for a…double-team spear/lariat deal that looks just kinda weird. But HAYATO flies in and former partners explode with some fast-paced junior action. HAYATO gets the upper hand and Atsuki tags out and gets his comeback sequence, but he stops to taunt and pose too much and Ren cuts him off and comes in with a flying clothesline and a Yakuza kick. Ren tries to lock in the full-nelson but Kento breaks and brings in Ryo for a series of kicks. Ayabe tries to big-league him but gets kicked down and now Honda is in for a wild slugfest that Ryo wins with a spinning gamengiri. Kento’s team gets a series of moves on Ryuki but when it goes back to just Ryo and Ryuki, the bigger brawler takes him out with a lariat…but before he can pin Kento gets a Blackout Knee and then everything is breaking down! Atsuki with a 540 kick on HAYATO and then a triangle moonsault to the outside. Back to Honda and Inoue and Ryo gets a buzzsaw kick for 2.5 and then loads up his wristclutch suplex before HAYATO’s springboard dropkick sets up a spinebuster/backstabber combo by Ryuki and Rising, and then Ren boots Ryo’s head off (lotta R’s there) and then Ryuki loads up the Final Vent and that’s 3 on Inoue.

**¾

A bit too much bloat in the middle but a sharp trios match that set up that ELPIDA are The Team and the Faces and Kento might be on the outside looking in with his jerky pal in Ryo. Poor Atsuki is the odd man in the middle as he doesn’t really commit to heelishness but doesn’t feel split between his current partners and his old friend either.

Post-match Ryuki offers Ryo a hand and claps for him and Ryo acknowledges that…and then pops him in the face with a right hand anyway! Wow, what a cad. Honda gets up and dances anyway as he doesn’t let the disrespect bother him.

Naruki Doi (c) vs. MUSASHI – AJPW World Junior Heavyweight Championship

Background: A battle of the journeyman, Doi was a star in DragonGate and is now a crusty veteran as Mr. Saito in the Saito Brothers stable. He’s a crafty heelish vet who has dominated the juniors division for a while. MUSASHI is another journeyman who started out as a Michinoku Pro guy before going around to other places. Naruki has the red and black style of the Saito brothers and MUSASHI has the black and white woodblock style tights he’s made his signature. They’ve faced off a lot in tags but this is their first significant singles match in AJPW.

The Match: We get the big match staredown and circling but before Doi can make contact MUSASHI breaks and does Doi’s pose to the crowd and after the third time Doi just attacks and stomps him down but MUSASHI tosses him and teases a dive and then goes back to the taunt. Doi goes in with a slingshot elbow and works away at his challenger and he seems tremendously bothered by the crowd as he cannot stop jawing with them. Doi between yelling at the fans hits a somersault senton. Neckbreaker and guess what, Doi KEEPS jawing at the fans. And then a grounded manji-gatame by Doi as I don’t think MUSASHI has gotten a single offensive move off this match. MUSASHI gets to his feet and lands some desperate chops but Doi goes to the eyes and then ducks an enzuigiri and MUSASHI finally gets an exploder suplex to get a breather. Corner charges are cut off a few times by MUSASHI finally powers through and lands a chop and then a slingshot stomp off the apron as he fires up and loads up the band for a superkick, but Doi catches it, goes to the eyes again and chops away before MUSASHI reverses a charge to backdrop Doi over the rope and follows with a somersault plancha. MUSASHI is jazzed by this but Doi is just nonplussed as his weird selling sticks out to me. Back inside and MUSASHI gets a few dropkicks and then a falcon arrow for 2…but he follows up with a frog splash that whiffs. Doi gets the advantage with another somersault senton and then a DDT for 2 as he continues to plan and plot. And I guess that planning is just a slugfest as both guys trade chops. Doi gets the fireman’s carry drop to set up his sliding kick but MUSASHI gets a superkick, Doi reverses a brainbuster into his own, but MUSASHI gets the enzuigiri and his brainbuster is reversed into a small package this time. Naruki is actually selling here as he crawls up the ropes, an attempt at some diving move is countered and MUSASHI sets up his Emerald Flowsion out of the corner, but Doi reverses that into a crucifix for 2, and then a cazadora by Doi sets up something before Doi reverses into a pin and then another pin for 2.999. Both are trading nearfalls with pinning combos but Doi gets the fireman’s carry drop into the Bakatare Sliding Kick for 2.8. Doi goes for the Muscular Bomb, MUSASHI slips out and tries his OWN Muscular Bomb, another Bakatare Sliding Kick is attempted but MUSASHI dodges, catches a cazadora, and turns that into a half-nelson reverse STO and then a pair of low superkicks. Frog splash by MUSASHI follows for 2.7 and then the challenger fires up for the Emerald Flowsion out of the corner and that’s enough for 3.

**¼

Well I guess I’m glad to have a new champion even if both wrestlers leave me pretty cold. A whatever match with a decently hot finishing sequence. I don’t think either guy are the future of juniors in the company but MUSASHI at least is a fresher champion than Doi who really should be focused on being backup for the Saitos.

Post-match MUSASHI talks and then Hikaru Sato comes out and I guess we have our first challenger in a match designed to not excite anybody.

Jun Saito (c) vs. Yuma Anzai – Triple Crown Championship

Background: Weirdly a battle between equals despite their very distinct backgrounds. Jun is a strange champion, an old rookie, he seemed destined to rule the tag ranks with his brother as an 80s throwback monster team, but his presence and skill as a power wrestler got him some real momentum as a singles and he is the Triple Crown Champion and the World Tag Champion at the same time. He’s a big guy of American ancestry that was a mid-level sumo wrestler that went pro with his twin brother, he’s nominally a heel but he also has a show where him and his brother take a taxi to random restaurants and they eat a ton of food. His opponent is a youthful prodigy who is the youngest TC champ ever, an amateur wrestling standout from the same university as Suwama and Jumbo, he’s tall, handsome, connected to the hot new babyface stable, but at the same time the vibe of him as the company’s choice, the blue chipper, the Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson gives Jun a sort of people’s choice vibe. It’s babyface vs. babyface, where two guys that debuted very close together standoff. Equal in height, Jun has the advantage in size and power, but Yuma is the superior technician and athlete. It’s brute charismatic strength vs. youthful talented skill. Jun has long hair and black tights with the chinstrap beard and Yuma has black trunks and the perfectly floppy hair of a 90s movie star.

The Match: We start with the monster lockup with Jun winning and giving a clean break though taunting Yuma with a throat-slash. Second lockup has Anzai winning and giving a pat on the head. Jun responds with a headlock, shoulderblock sequence follows and Jun obviously wins before Yuma gets a dropkick. Standstill and we get some wristlock business before Yuma again takes Jun into the ropes…and gets a dirty break with some forearms. Low bridge and a jumping knee off the apron as the boy wonder is getting a bit nasty here. They brawl outside and Anzai actually gets the upperhand when he reverses a whip into a springboard forearm and he sends Jun back inside to continue the beating with some more strikes and then a chinlock. Ropebreak by Jun and then Yuma attempts a double-arm something before getting backdropped out and then shoulderblocked to the outside and NOW Jun unleashes the beating. Whips to barricades, and then a whip into the chairs as they go in the crowd. And after a LONG sequence of Yuma being tossed around in the crowd, we go back in for Jun to stomp Anzai down and get some boot chokes. Body slam and elbow drop follow as Jun is busting out all the classic offense. We get a finger to the lips whisper with a one-foot pin and pose and then another slam by the ropes as Jun uses them to step on his challenger. Anzai is selling crazy here as he’s getting mauled. Delayed brainbuster by Jun but he hotdogs a bit too much and Yuma gets his feet up on a corner charge and follows with a missile dropkick. Anzai gets a corner forearm, another, and then a belly-to-belly as he’s firing up! Jun tries to get back and when Yuma goes to the well again with the boots and then a missile dropkick attempt, Saito kicks him off the top and Yuma tumbles outside and sells big there. Jun goes to the apron and they fight there before the champ hits a chokeslam there and Yuma is selling like he’s updating his organ donor card. Anzai FINALLY crawls back inside and after Jun gets a strike Yuma fires immediately back and we got a slobberknocker here. Jun wins and loads up a superplex, they brawl on the top rope for a bit and Yuma wins, floats over into an elevated German suplex, but Jun pops up and gets a spear as we have a double-down. Slugfest out of that as Yuma is all wobble-legged but gets a fiery comeback…before Jun shuts him down with a pair of yakuza kicks, some elevated punches in the corner, and a brainbuster for 2. Yuma jumps out of a chokeslam attempt though and gets a dropkick and then a jumping knee. Yuma attempts the Gimlet but gets foiled and Saito gets a chokeslam. But a lariat followup is turned into a Dragon Suplex by Yuma and then his kneeling chinlock before Jun makes the ropes. We get a great shot of Jun looking desperate in a closeup before we go back to the slugfest that Saito wins with a bomaye for 2. And yeah, Jun does the sideways knee strike of Nakamura, speaking of knees, Yuma gets a short-arm Jumbo knee, but Saito shrugs it off and gets a body slam into a jumping thrust kick for 2. Psycho Break by Jun follows for 2.8 as the champion is outlasting the challenger. A second Psyco Break is reversed by Yuma who gets a pair of Jumbo knees for 2.6. Backdrop driver by Yuma for 2.9. Gimlet attempted but kinda botched and that’s only 2.7. Yuma goes up, but Jun cuts him off and gets a super chokeslam and then another bomaye for 2.99. Another Psycho Break is attempted but Yuma shoves him off and gets the knee…but Jun flies back and cuts Anzai in half with a gorgeous spear. But Anzai is fired up and gets a German suplex as he busts out the puro no-sell. Goozle by Jun is broken, but Anzai eats a body shot, a lariat, and then a jackhammer as Jun is just an offensive engine. Saito unleashes the hair and gets the Psycho Break (with impressive elevation by Yuma) and that’s 3.

***¾

A very non-AJPW match for an AJPW main-event. They got into the fireworks factory about halfway through and just became a bomb-fest. This is definitely the best use of Jun, as he’s just a physical threat who can brawl, taunt, and has a pretty deep bag of good maneuvers he can keep a match fresh as he just demolishes guys. I’ve been hot and cold on Anzai in the past, but he sold his buttocks off in this match and his fantastic athleticism led to him bumping all over the arena for Jun’s arsenal of violence. I think it needed a bit more storytelling to crest into the great match category, but it was very good as just an opportunity to see two charismatic fellows trade offense in an unique way. Also, while Jun is limited as a worker, he’s good at two particular things, being cool and having fun offense, that lets the bevy of good bumpers and sellers in AJPW bounce off him for entertaining matches down the line.

Post-match Jun gets on the mic and is given a bag of food by somebody and I think the crowd is into it as they laugh as he unwraps some variety of…mochi? Anyway, he offers Yuma a snack and they eat together and Jun seems to give Yuma some respect before he demolishes some bottled tea. And then Yuma Aoyagi comes out and I guess that’s the next challenger and he’s coming with his own tea and mochi and words are had.

Well, overall I just really enjoy AJPW even if we didn’t have any fantastic matches on the card. Things are moving and progressing. This honestly feels like a great time to jump into the promotion, so go give https://www.ajpw.tv/ a whirl if you’re so inclined.