All Japan Pro Wrestling: Champion Carnival April 12th 2025

We are back with more slow-moving, big headlocking, mostly selling-based All Japan action as we are onto the second show of All Japan’s Champion Carnival. We are in beautiful Fukuoka Island City Forum for a crowd a hair under 800 which is pretty solid all things considered. Anyway we start with the regular rigamarole and we’re onto the action.

Rising HAYATO & Taishin Nagao vs. Dan Tamura & MUSASHI

Background: HAYATO is the muscular, oversized junior of ELPIDA and one-half of the All Asia Tag Champions, he’s rocking purple flannel and bleached blonde hair. Taishin is the youngest guy on the roster, he’s quite small and has buzzed hair and green trunks, he’s a rookie right now eating pins but showing his guts. Dan Tamura is a chunky junior with shaggy hair, black trunks, and a penchant for clobbering guys with basic stuff, MUSASHI is the junior champ, a yeoman veteran who has a pretty “refined if simple” classic junior offense and wears white tights with black woodblock style patterns on them. No real stakes other than HAYATO being a former junior champ and always interested in getting back in the mix.

The Match: Taishin and MUSASHI start with basic grappling, wristlocks, headlocks, headscissor counters, all that stuff. Nagao actually ‘wins’ with a flying headscissors that sends MUSASHI outside and brings in HAYATO to run wild with an elbow to Dan to clear out the apron and then drag the champ back in, and we get the fakeout dive when MUSASHI dives and a taunt and more abuse to MUSASHI before Taishin tags back in. The rookies body slam is stuffed and countered and then Dan repays the elbow from before on HAYATO as he yanks the blonde tag-champ off the apron and abuses him on the outside while MUSASHI does vet things to Nagao before Tamura tags in proper and we be clubbering! Nagao gets some shots off that Dan encourages but eventually the bigger man just boots Nagao down, slams and goes to work with repeated covers to wear him out. Three kickouts and then a crab from Tamura. They milk that for a while before Nagao makes the ropes, a whip into the corner by Tamura is reversed into a missile dropkick off the second turnbuckle and then in comes HAYATO with a poetry in motion off of Tamura’s back to MUSASHI and now HAYATO isolates Dan and goes at him with speed. A HAYATO bulldog sets up a low thrust kick but Tamura catches and turns it into a Samoan drop and in comes MUSASHI who taunts and gets some more basic stuff, corner splash, stomp to the back, low dropkick. But Musashi blocks a brainbuster and gets his own dropkick and in comes Nagao to slug it out with MUSASHI who just asks for more from the kid. Dropkick attempt by Nagao but MUSASHI grabs the ropes to dodge, but a second Taishin dropkick lands and HAYATO clears out Tamura again to set up double-teams and ends with an assisted Taishin springboard dropkick. Nagao goes for a German, MUSASHI evades but a bridging Northern Lights gets 2 and we get more forearms until the champ gets his bearings, kicks the rookie, follows with a chop and a brainbuster but HAYATO breaks up the cover. Tamura in to drag HAYATO out of the ring and we get MUSASHI with a crab and then an arm-trap cloverleaf and Taishin taps.

**¼

Just the basic, standard “one rookie in a tag” match but they gave Taishin some shine and I liked that HAYATO and Tamura kept taking each other out of the match.

Mike D Vecchio [2] vs. Madoka Kikuta [2] – B Block Match

Background: A battle between two outsiders, as Mike is an European mainstay (wXw mostly I understand) and Madoka is a DDT guy and the youngest Open The Dream Gate champion ever. Both athletic tweeners Mike has an arsenal of the pretty standard indie offense from what I saw earlier while Madoka is the Hip Bomb Kid who uses a ton of hip checks in a variety of formats. Madoka has the weirdest hair for a puro guy as it’s almost the beginning of a fro but if you look closer he has tiny locks like he’s trying to grow dreads and I just…I’m puzzled. Anyway, Madoka is rocking red and black trunks and Mike has blue and black trunks with sparkles, a buzzed mullet hairstyle and a massive backpiece tattoo.

The Match: Monster lockup to start and Mike sends Madoka flying who is absolutely perplexed by this. Madoka with a German suplex attempt but Mike is too strong and hits a back elbow that Kikuta sells like he’s been hit with a shotgun. The euro gets a headlock and works it for a while before Madoka eventually gets a hammerlock…that Mike breaks and turns into his own suplex attempt, Madoka keeps squirming though and does some reversals into an armdrag…that Vecchio blocks with a full Mutombo finger wag before backdropping Madoka, posing, and hitting a tope before another pose. Some weak brawling outside that Mike makes sure to mix in some taunts as the ref begs them to come back in. Mike eventually tosses Kikuta back inside but takes his time following and Madoka cuts him off in the ropes and then dives off the apron with a Hip Bomb. Madoka gets some chops on the outside to follow…but the euro no-sells and gets his own chops in response as they slug it out. Back in and Madoka has the advantage as he cranks in a headscissors that he works with all the sauce before Mike slips free from and tries a strike combo before Madoka responds and they slug it out with the Belgian winning with power for a two count. The euro gets his stomps in the corner and then a brainbuster for 2. Mike is doing these big exaggerated sells on offense before he gets a quick bodyslam and more posing and preening. Slugfest from the two stalls out before Madoka speeds it up and lands a series of shoulders into a brainbuster attempt for our feisty DDT-man, but Mike blocks before Madoka muscles him over for 2. Madoka tries something but Mike blocks with strikes and they trade shots before a bicycle knee from Mike is countered with a hip check from Madoka (oh yeah, his thing) for 2. Madoka attempts a followup but Mike gets a low bridge into a no-hands plancha before sending Madoka back inside for a springboard lariat and then more roaring. A double-jump OzCutter gets 3 (?!) and Mike wins.

**½

There were clunky moments that screamed of poor communication for me, but Mike as a physical, athletic marvel that Madoka tried to grit it up with worked for me when we got it, but there was a lot of clunk. Good selling from Madoka, not as well as a demonstration of top-level charisma from Vecchio. We shall see.

Kuma Arashi [0] vs. XYON [0] – A Block Match

Background: So Kuma is the bear-themed barbarian enforcer of Hokuto Omori in Hokuto-Gun, he’s big, has a fauxhawk, has furry gear, and loves to scream in a taunt I find utterly irritating. XYON is a big jacked up Australian Samoan with the traditional tattoos, short dark hair, beard, and is rocking white pants with knee pads and is looking less biker-y than last time. He still looks like a budget Roman Reigns and he’s doing the Siva Tau before the match as he’s just trying out all the South Pacific Islander things.

The Match: Kuma does the yowl to start the match and then we get the big lockup that Kuma wins and then he yells again and I’m rooting for XYON to decapitate him. Big headlock into an international and they do a shoulderblock standoff that…Kuma wins (?!) and howls again but XYON kips up and takes the Hokuto-Guy wrestler down with a clothesline, some falling headbutts and then a double-stomp. More shots from XYON but Kuma reverses a whip into a running crossbody and then gets the jumping senton for 2. More howls, a scoop slam from Kuma and then a second-rope senton for 2. Kuma follows with an Argentine rack as the much bigger XYON is getting manhandled in this match. Xyon reverses into a chinlock and then a camel clutch but Kuma reverses that into a straitjacket choke. XYON reverses that and then breaks and gets some decent strikes, some throat thrusts, a headbutt and a rolling elbow but Kuma flattens him with a lariat. A gutwrench by Kuma sets up a crucifix bomb (?!) but XYON slips out, gets a death valley driver and then a pounce (I think? A high running shoulder tackle) gets 2.8 and XYON reacts like that might be his finish. Some athleticism from the Aussie lets XYON do a cool spinning get up and he Samoan’s out with some poses (not the haka! That’s Maori, different cultures) and he gets a powerbomb lift into OH GOD A GANSO BOMB! I am uh…not sure that’s intentional as he looked like he was struggling picking up Kuma’s uh…girth but boy oh boy he dropped Kuma RIGHT on the dome. Dear lord. That does get 3 at least.

*½

Okay so the main body of this match was just kinda whatever, I don’t quite get XYON being thrown around by a smaller guy, but I guess he’s supposed to be a brawler and some of his strikes were okay. I’d say this was probably just a ** match but that finish was disgusting, I hope Kuma is alright.

Okay so people run into the ring to check on Kuma afterwards and Hokuto looks legit nervous but they at least roll Arashi out of the ring and he can move his body. That was actually pretty terrifying.

Aigle Blanc [0] vs. Yuma Anzai [2] – B Block Match

Background: A battle between two youthful prodigies, Aigle is a high-flying masked French sensation, Yuma is the clean-cut ace of the future for All Japan. Blanc is much smaller and skinnier but also faster and more dynamic compared to the bigger, stronger, more grounded Yuma. Aigle is in white (of course) and Yuma is in his black-striped trunks.

The Match: Aigle actually initiates a grapple and tries some headlocks but Yuma just tosses him off, Aigle eventually uses the ropes to springboard into a headlock takeover as they standstill and we see the dynamic. Yuma then gets a lockup and he immediately dominates before we get an international that ends with Aigle landing a standing front flip, getting a jump kick to send Yuma outside, and follows with some dive attempt but the bigger Yuma yanks him down. Now Anzai attempts his acrobatics with a springboard forearm off the barricade but Aigle is too quick, dodges, and gets his own barricade springboard crossbody and then he lands a moonsault press from the turnbuckle to the outside. Back inside and a flying headscissors takedown lets Aigle wear down Yuma. Anzai makes the ropes but Aigle gets some chops (selling his hands after each one) and then some corner charges but Yuma reverse and gets a belly-to-belly, Aigle with some forearms but Yuma gets a dropkick and follows with a suplex that Aigle backflips out of and gets a springboard knee for 2 to follow. Slugfest that Yuma wins pretty easily, Aigle with a jumping knee but Yuma responds with the Jumbo Knee and then a Gimlet attempt Blanc slips out of and lands a suplex, but we get the puro no sell and Anzai pops up for his own suplex and gets a cover. I actually don’t mind this as Anzai is like…twice Aigle’s size. Anzai follows and they almost flub a low-bridge spot but Anzai ends up outside and eats a headscissors driver through the ropes and then a Blanc coast-to-coast missile dropkick for 2. Blanc with a 450 that misses and Yuma’s Jumbo knee gets 2 of his own. Gimlet attempt 2 and Blanc gets a victory roll for 2 and then a pair of boots into a springboard…that Anzai turns into a Gimlet, Aigle with a rana counter…but Anzai hangs on, resets the Gimlet and lands it, 1-2-3.

**¾

Just a good solid big vs. little match. Aigle is MUCH less annoying when wrestling a base like Yuma who is strong and agile enough to position himself for all Blanc’s crazy high-flying. I wish they sold a bit more but for the length and what they were trying to do, good stuff.

Davey Boy Smith Jr., Hokuto Omori, Ryo Inoue & Takashi Yoshida vs. Atsuki Aoyagi, Jun Saito, Rei Saito & Ryuki Honda

Background: Just a fill out the card multi-man with guys not in tournament matches as there are nine guys in each block. DBSJ has had conflict with Omori and Yoshida in the past and their opponents have a dominant tag-team (and block competitors) in the Saitos, but Honda and Aoyagi are no friends of the Saitos so it’ll be spicy. DBSJ is big and blonde, Hokuto has curly hair and the general outfit, Ryo is small and pretty built as his budget KENTA thing continues, and Yoshida has his baggy gi and chisel. Aoyagi is tiny and colorful, Jun has the chinstrap and the ponytail and of course is the top dog as Triple Crown champion, Rei is bulky and long-haired, and Ryuki is pudgy with red hair.

The Match: We get lots of howling and blustering between both sides before the match starts. Hokuto and Honda start with the big lockup into some wristlock reversals into a standstill. Another lockup and Omori wins and blows a kiss and Honda makes big exaggerated faces at that as we’re doing some goofball comedy. Hokuto asks for a hug and Ryuki comes in and slams him. This is a bit uh…gay-baity I guess but Hokuto is more “corrupting weirdo” than evil homosexual so I don’t think that’s the intention. The two juniors of Ryo and Atsuki tag in and we get an Inoue headlock into an international and Ryo actually breaks it by stomping on Atsuki after the dropdown and he does the strut! Aoyagi responds with an international of his own and gets kicked down before Ryo tags in Omori and his whole team runs in to beat the heck out of Atsuki. And they all do the strut in unison afterwards which is pretty funny. More kicks from Ryo but Aoyagi fires off a handspring kick and then drags Ryo into the corner so Honda can come back in and take Hokuto off the apron. We get the rope-choke on Ryo from Honda as he works the crowd and the ref and Rei Saito finally tags in. The big man just cockily pushes Ryo around as Honda and Hokuto brawl on the outside. Rei just smirks, chops, and wears out the junior while totally no-selling all the desperate Ryo offense. Rei finally goes for the chokeslam and Ryo floats over and goes for a German that obviously doesn’t work so the youngster goes for speed with a pair of jumping kicks that finally stagger Rei. Davey tags in with some clotheslines but goes for a back suplex and Rei is just too fat so the Canadian settles for a DDT instead. Davey misses a follow-up leg drop so Jun comes in and the brothers go at Davey who actually wins the 1v2 when Yoshida comes in and just throat thrusts the brothers for a solid 30 seconds. Davey follows with some lariats and then brings in Ryo to get his revenge against Jun with a hesitation dropkick. The Triple Crown champ then gets isolated and all four guys go in on him, with Hokuto setting up his “gets powerbombed doing a superplex spot” but his partners don’t bite and Yohsida freaks out. So Davey and Ryo do the spot and of course screw it up. Now Jun’s allies rush the ring they all brawl to the outside and Atsuki hits a moonsault on the whole crowd. Back inside and Jun goes for a Psycho Break on Ryo who slips out, gets a kick and then a double-arm DDT for 2. Ryo fires up and runs the ropes only to run into a goozle, Inoue breaks it but Jun just slaps the sense out of him and gets his falling lariat for 2. Jun stalks his prey and then finally lands the Psycho Break and that’s 3.

**¼

Honestly not as good as this sorta match normally is. Too much comedy and just a flagging middle as they didn’t really want to run the Carnival participants against each other. The final sequence is worth a quarter star as I continue to be optimistic about Ryo despite his size.

Hideki Suzuki [2] vs. Shotaro Ashino [0] – A Block Match

Background: Battle of the quasi-shooters. Hideki is a big, rawboned arrogant guy who will slowly choke you out, Shotaro is smaller, chubbier, and more of a friendly goof with excellent hair who will suplex you and then tap you out. Hideki is in argyle trunks (?!?) and Shotaro has his Master of Suplex written on the butt.

The Match: Both guys dance around and don’t wanna commit to anything. Hideki actually gets first contact with a strike flurry but Shotaro SWEEPS THE LEG and works the knee on the apron and then gets some stops to the patella. But Hideki gets up and tries some body shots in the corner before Ashino goes for the knee and then gets a stretch muffler. They make the ropes and Shotaro gives a reluctant break and barks at the ref and oh my goodness, Hideki is playing babyface? Shotaro charges into the ropes and Suzuki gets a hanging leg choke and then pops up for a Finlay roll and pauses for a second to grab his leg before getting a hammerlock in the corner and landing a bunch of body shots. Shotaro stomps on the foot (I guess the foot bone is connected to the knee bone) to break and they got out for a Suzuki double-arm suplex but the leg is bad now and Shotaro backdrops out of it. Ashino follows with a corkscrew uppercut and then a karelin lift suplex for 2, a German follows but Hideki reverses into his own and then a manji-gatame and the leg is fine now, Shotaro gets an ankle lock but Hideki rolls out and we have a double down which is needed after this athletic display. Back up and we another double-arm suplex attempt by Hideki before Shotaro reverses into the ankle lock and they dance around that a while before HIdeki kicks enough times to break the hold, Suzuki with a punt of sorts and then a backdrop driver with bridge for 3.

*

Uh…what? Never again have Hideki Suzuki work as an underdog babyface, just awful, hopeless selling, no fire, just him taking offense until it was time for him to come back, he even bridged on the final move. Shotaro remains wildly inconsistent for me but at least he was trying.

Yuma Aoyagi [0] vs. Ren Ayabe [0] – B Block Match

Background: Rivals as part of different babyface organizations (Ren in hot young rising star stable ELPIDA, Yuma is in the weirdo goofball veteran stable Baka no Jidai). Both are actually somewhat similar as the restrained, too cool for school wrestlers, Yuma however is more of a class clown that enjoys taunting and provoking his opponents and taking them apart with his deep and varied skillset of offensive maneuvers. Ren on the other hand is the tallest man in the company, and while not quite having the bulk to match, he’s an aloof, arrogant and stoic wrestler who will boot your head off and use his leverage to crush you. Yuma is in blue and black, while Ren has the purple and red getup.

The Match: They get the big lockup and Yuma is eaten up but reverses and gives the clean break while Ren shrugs it off. Ayabe wins the second lockup and teases a dirty strike but just musses Yuma’s head again and Aoyagi gives a “this dude really?” face before firing up and starting…and losing a shoulderblock battle. They go outside and Yuma gets wrecked outside as Ren just brutalizes Aoyagi while smirking and taunting but Yuma finally whips Ren against the post, and then does it again! A few more whips follow as Yuma launches Ren into the barricade a few times before responding with his springboard guillotine legdrop. The Insidious Fighter then reaches for a fan’s drink and teases drinking it before letting the ringboys back inside and closing the gate properly. He is a cheeky jerk. Yuma with an uppercut and more banter with the crowd and we’re back inside where Yuma gets a rope-assisted leg drop for a cover and then some more uppercuts. A whip reversal sequence ends with Ren dropkicking Yuma to the outside and the ELPIDA man follows and we slug it out with Yuma goofing around between getting wrecked by Ayabe with strikes and whips. Yuma sells big outside while Ren just relaxes on the ropes inside and Ayabe has like…almost figured it all out. Yuma rolls back in to break the count and Ren moseys over to stomp on him and attempt a pin with one-finger and the intense jerkwad energy from Ren is amusing me. Yuma tries a slam but Ren is JUST TOO TALL and easily reverses to his own for a two count. Desperate forearms by Yuma but he runs into a biiiiiig back body drop for 2 and Ren is just playing with him as the ELIPDA man gets a crab next and Aoyagi howls in pain. Yuma crawls to the ropes for a break but Ren picks him up to slug away and smirk but Aoyagi blocks a whip for a second, and then stops short to dodge a Ren dropkick. Inside cradle from Yuma and then a dropkick for a double down. Yuma gets a corner charge and sets up a dropkick but Ayabe is JUST TOO TALL once again, but he’s not too tall to fall victim to a rope-running sequence that sets up a Yuma dropkick and then another dropkick that sends Ren outside. Arm-wrench bulldog off the apron into the barricade by Yuma and the vet rolls back in to take the breather as the arrogant youngster eventually crawls back inside. Yuma tries to take advantage but Ren just shrugs stuff off as they slug it out again. Yuma starts to lose but he squirms into an End Game choke before Ren converts that into a brainbuster and Yuma is selling his buttocks off. Ren gets the Yakuza kick and a hooking clothesline for 2 and goes for his whacky double hammerlock choke (Iron Maiden!) that Aoyagi resists and makes the ropes on. Ren just snatches up Yuma for a Death Roulette but Yuma floats over for a schoolboy pin for 2.5 and then an O”Connor Roll with full bridge for 2.7. Yuma follows that up by running into Ren’s full nelson slam and that gets 2.4. Another Death Roulette attempt by Ren is turned into an inside cradle by Yuma for 2.8 and now Ayabe feels flustered and off his game. Ren gets the next bit of offense with a dragon suplex for 2 and then another Death Roulette attempt has Yuma land on his feet (okay his butt) but he blocks it enough to get a jackknife pin for 3.

**¾

Another “just below good” match that was fine and watchable but awkward enough at times that I can’t fully recommend it. Ren is getting loads better and Yuma is good, but I think he was a bit too schticky for me to fully buy into and Ayabe has his clunkiness though he is improving. Still, arrogant young kid getting outsmarted by the crafty vet is a solid story.

Post-match we have Yuma repeatedly ask the ref if he got 3 before celebrating wildly in Ren’s face and getting shoved down for that. I don’t know if it’s intentional, but Yuma is delightfully obnoxious for me. Like I find him really funny and also he needs to get clobbered by somebody. More taunting from Aoyagi and the crowd is still into it at least.

Kengo Mashimo [0] vs. Kento Miyahara [0] – A Block Match

Background: Kengo is a 2AW guy, the former KAIENTAI and Kengo has embraced that legacy by being a bulky but undersized guy who throws a ton of kicks and uses a wide variety of submissions. He’s mid-40s but in good puro shape despite that and has a long dirty blonde ponytail and baggy black pants. Meanwhile we have Kento, the preening ace but not-Ace of All Japan, a guy who secretly hasn’t won anything major in two years but is the backbone of the promotion, he’s a giant ham who poses, cheats, sneers, begs off, and acts like the ridiculous pro he’s inspired by, half-Shawn, half-Hogan, half-Eddie. Kento’s colors have been red and gold forever but over the last year he’s been adding black elements and now it’s half and half between the red and gold and black and white and I just keep going hrmmmm as it happens.

The Match: Kento just lets the crowds shower cheers on him while Kengo picks his ear and acts dismissive of the love. We get the Greco-Roman knucklelock into some standing grappling and the headlock takeover before we reset with both guys just sorta staring each other down. Headlock by Mashimo into an international and Kento gets a big boot before the 2AW man drags the Best of the Best outside…but that doesn’t work in Kengo’s favor as Miyahara tosses him around and lands some headbutts. Kengo does some wobble-leg sells as Kento preens and sells himself. Kento rolls back inside to pose and soak up the fans cheers and Mashimo gets irate and unleashes his own beating when Miyahara comes back outside. Kengo with a headbutt and then he tosses Miyahara into the post and stars working his arm while Kento screams in agony. Kengo just terrorizes Kento’s arm with strikes and abuse in the ropes an Kento screams like his fingers are being sliced off. Kengo blankly stares at Kento while the All Japan ace is being looked over by the ref and you get a real sense of resentment as this older, shorter, dumpier, less glamorous star just fumes while his showboating rockstar opponent howls at the damage to the limby as Kengo just sits and resents loudly and violently. Back to the arm as Kengo has an one-track mind and Kento gets a forearm flurry before the 2AW man takes Miyahara down with a grounded octopus hold. Kengo turns that into an armbar and Kento squirms for the ropes. Miyahara is darn-near sobbing in the ropes as Kengo is relentless with knee drops and the Best of the Best is just helpless as Mashimo demolishes the arm. A funny moment as Kengo uses the ropes, the rest chastizes him and Mashimo does a big “who me” shrug before going back at it…but this distraction was enough for Kento land the double dropkicks and we have a double-down while Miyahara sells the soul out of his tortured arm. Kento gets up and he goes at Kengo on the apron with an attempt at the piledriver but Mashimo blocks while Kento emotes and we have a back body drop to set up more ringside shenanigans. Kengo pulls up the ringside mats, grins evilly, and then gets a knee drop bulldog to the arm onto concrete, Kento screams in agony and Kengo rolls back inside to lick his chops. Miyahara milks the heck out of the count before coming back in and actually blocks Kengo for a second with a big boot, but the 2AW man just rips into the All Japan ace with kicks…but Kento is FIRING UP and screaming in defiance and we have a slobbernocker bah gawd. Kento peppers his opponent with forearms…before he remembers his arm hurts really bad and he curls up in pain while Mashimo grins evilly. Okay that was a pretty funny hulk up sequence. Kengo asks for more and leaves himself open while Kento wears himself out with strikes, and when Mashimo has had enough we get another armwringer, but Kento reverses the brainbuster for a breather! Miyahara tries to loosen up the arm and gets a Blackout knee but a followup lariat is turned into a juji-gatame by the clever Kengo and then turned into a step-over kneeling fujiwara armbar. Kento screams in pain again and makes the ropes. Mashimo smells blood and fires shoot kicks into the arm of Kento who blocks for a second before his arm gives out, so Mashimo runs the ropes…into a Kento lariat. Kento quickly goes for a Shutdown German but the grip strength isn’t there, Mashimo breaks and gets a crucifix pin into a scissored armbar and just yanks back until Miyahara can make the ropes. Back up and Mashimo calls to finish and loads up a brainbuster but Kento squirms free and lands a Blackout knee for a double-down. Another Blackout is blocked though and Mashimo gets more kicks into a gamengiri, but when Mashimo goes for the finishing blow that lets Kento fire off the Blackout, one sets up another for a 2 count and we get enough try at the Shutdown while Kengo tries to stomp his way free but the Best of the Best guts through and lands the German with a bridge and that’s enough for 3.

****

Well that was great! Kengo as the vicious outsider using brutal martial arts to terrorize Kento’s arm and the feisty babyface gutting through and finally landing his unbeatable move (I think only 2 active guys have kicked out of the Shutdown or something like that) to pull the magic trick off. Miyahara is not the wrestler with the deepest bag or the most variety, but he is the best seller in the world and that’s all you need to have great matches with basically everybody, and Kengo contributed too with vicious offense and sneering jerkitude.

Post-match they show some respect and then Kento talks to the crowd a bit.

Not the greatest show by any means but definitely catch that main-event if you want to see why I think Kento is the BITW. Hopefully Kuma is alright.