All Japan Pro Wrestling: Champion Carnival 05.11.25

So we’re still in Hokkaido for this one at the same kinda ballroom venue, larger crowd too with 600+ in attendance.

MUSASHI, Rising HAYATO & Tomoya vs. Aigle Blanc, Shotaro Ashino & XYON

Background: Regular sorta trios setup, MUSASHI and Hayato (feuding over MUSASHI’s juniors title) are teammates here and they’re with local guy Tomoya who is this old beefy dude. Aigle, Shotaro, and XYON are done with tournament matches and obviously not moving onto the finals.

The Match: Shotaro and MUSASHI start and MUSASHI ducks and taunts a few times so Shotaro gets an international and MUSASHI gets an ankle pick to a quick cover and both tag out to Tomoya and XYON. Both guys do some shoulderblocks and no-sell and flex. Shotaro gets a double-forearm, Tomoya with a snap suplex. And now it’s HAYATO and Blanc, and we get a headlock start and then an international with Blanc getting a standing somersault before mocking HAYATO’s pose, but when HAYATO charges and Blanc tries his fancy kicks HAYATO ducks it and gets his headscissors to send the Frenchman outside and we get the fakeout dive. Blanc slides back in and NOW he lands his fancy kicks but he misses the springboard knee and HAYATO gets a shotgun dropkick. HAYATO’s team runs in, clears the apron and they all triple Blanc. XYON runs in to break up a pin but he gets taken out by a MUSASHI dropkick flurry but Shotaro comes in with a gutwrench suplex…before HAYATO clears him out with a running high-elbow and it’s back to the legal wrestlers. Savate kick by HAYATO on Blanc and then a float-over sequence that ends with HAYATO diving into Blanc’s Whiplash (lifting twisting neckbreaker). Blanc goes to finish but HAYATO reverses into the Falcon Arrow and we got a double-down. XYON runs into a thrust-kick but HAYATO’s crossbody is caught, Blanc wipes out people with a dive and XYON tosses Shotaro into a German and then Blanc 450s him for 3.

**¾

Well it was trending towards 2.5 but that finishing sequence absolutely ruled. High speed, fun, good combos, everybody got to shine a bit. Good, solid, undercard stuff.

Mike D Vecchio [6] vs. Ren Ayabe [8] – B Block Match

Background: So with very careful math Ren can win-out and get the block. Mike doesn’t have it but spoiler status is there. Overall we have a very fast, very dynamic guy in Vecchio in a very controlled and composed giant in Ayabe.

The Match: Both guys stare each other down and Ren lets Mike know he’s a lot taller check to chest so we get some shoving and smirking. The escalate to trading forearms and both guys are into the slug fest. Mike boots him outside and gets a tope before getting some body blow and more clubbering outside. And Ren is like “well okay I guess I gotta throw arms” and here we go, Ayabe just crushes Mike and shrugs off all the Belgian brawling while bouncing his head off the ringpost. Big slam and Ren goes back and relaxes on the ropes in a spot that has to be stolen by a guy that works in a promotion people care about. Mike flies back in and gets chinlocked by Ren, the Belgian makes the ropes and coughs it up…before revealing he’s faking it and gets a flurry of offense for two and now we slug it out. Mike wins that with a jump kick and they continue to trade strikes…but Mike gets a snap suplex on the apron and then the floor. Back inside for two count and the Belgian follows by going up while playing to the crowd…which lets Ren slam him off the top. Ayabe with the Yakuza kick and we go for a fight over the brainbuster that Ren wins with a delayed version and then he goes for the Iron Maiden which Mike breaks on the ropes. Second brainbuster is broken with Ren’s flying clothesline but Mike busts out a superkick flurry and then a springboard OzCutter and that’s good enough for 3.

**¼

I guess these guys just sorta doing their thing is fine. I dunno, Ren is big, Mike is quick. Not really much to it but hey, the explosive guy got an explosive finish. Whatever.

Yuma Aoyagi [8] vs. Hokuto Omori [4] – B Block Match:

Background: The two biggest goofs in the block, both like cheating and being absolutely silly. One is a two-time champ and the other is uh…not that. Even still, you got two wrestlers with a pretty diverse skillset though Hokuto has definitely focused stronger on his ability to absolutely mess with people’s minds and Yuma has focused more on his ability to win matches. That said, Aoyagi has put his foot off the gas multiple times and this is Omori’s hometown.

The Match: Standing grappling and a stalemate and the then we get a lockup and Hokuto reverses in the ropes and blows a kiss so Yuma can retch dramatically and ham up his disgust in…look I don’t think it’s homophobic but it might be homophobic adjacent. High-elbow from Yuma and then some stomping but Hokuto bails underneath the ring and gets at Yuma from the other side and knocks Aoyagi to the ringside area and slams him against various objects. We get a choke with a towel and then Hokuto rolls Yuma in…who rolls outside and Omori follows to roll him back in and Aoyagi rolls outside again. The crowd is laughing as they do this spot a few more times before Omori finally catches him and they a whip-reversal spot and now Hokuto rolls outside the ring and goes beneath to ambush Yuma…who follows the same routine and gets Hokuto in a back suplex. I was expecting Yakety Sax to start playing. This match better be decided by banana peel induced roll-up. Yuma gets some Hokuto chants going via mockery and little physical contact and they ‘slug’ it out before Yuma gets the eyes. Jumping leg-drop for 2 and more beatings but Hokuto gets a desperation DDT and that gets a reset brawl before Hokuto shots that down again with a Complete Shot for 2. Omori with a middle-rope frog splash for 2 but he can’t work a whip so he gouges the eyes and Yuma gets a dropkick. The crowd is absolutely digging this is Yuma gets a reverse crossbody and then a diving crossbody before revving up Hokuto chants. Both guys trade Germans but Yuma gets the Rock Bottom but runs into a RKO and it’s a double-down folks. Hokuto goes for another suplex but Yuma shuts it down and they brawl, Omori gets a rolling elbow, Yuma gets a lariat and then a brainbuster for two. Hokuto shuts down followup with some hard forearms and then a dragon suplex gets two and he goes up for a frog splash that’s rolled into a cradle for 2 and then Yuma gets an O’Connor Roll for the same. Now Hokuto turns an almost ref-bump into a schoolboy for 2. Sunset flip by Omori is reversed for 2.9 by Yuma. But Yuma runs into a rolling elbow, dragon suplex, and headscissors drop by Hokuto that gets 3.

***

Well this was good. Lots of silly comedy but then it was two clever guys trading fancy holds and reversals until Yuma was caught by his own game. Silly but fun. And the the hometown goof FINALLY being the winner these deals is worth it.

Davey Boy Smith Jr., Kento Miyahara & Taishin Nagao vs. Atsuki Aoyagi, Hideki Suzuki & Jun Saito

Background: DBSJ and Kento are regular tag-team partners and Taishin is the one young in AJPW that gets to have any buzz. Atsuki, Hideki, and Jun all hate each other but the last two are actually important and Atsuki’s brother is important.

The Match: After much showboating and grandstanding we finally eng up with Taishin vs. Atsuki. They trade junior stuff and Taishin threatens a dive before Aoyagi powders and demands a fair fight. It’s Hideki and DBSJ next who work the ropes, clean break, and tease actually fighting before they do the test of strength and its various reverals. Davey with a Jumbo knee and we break it down and jabber before they isolate Hideki. Suzuki’s squad breaks it up and we get Jun in on Taishin. Champ offers some free shots before doing the domination deal with slams and elbows. More clobbering and we get Atsuki in on Taishin with a standing moonsault and a crab and we break it down some more with Nagao as our rookie in peri. Nagao floats over on a brainbuster and gets a dropkick out of the corner and in comes Kento to do his hot tag. Atsuki does a ton of flips to regain control and after a dropkick in comes Jun. Corner charge, brainbuster for 2, chokeslam gets evaded. Double-down and we fight over the tag while Taishin comes into die against Jun. Jun with the crab on Nagao and it’s broken up. Finally Nagao gets the shot to dive all over everybody and the pop is massive. Jun is back in and he gets clobbered by Davey and Kento and Nagao gets the missile dropkick and after a struggle lands a slam. He runs into his own slam and the tide is turning. And then Jun gets a three hour delayed suplex powerslam for three and well that’s that.

**½

The most middle of the card six-man wrestling match of all time. It was fine, so fine, sooo fine. Taishin is very small but he does have a lot of promise.

Ryuki Honda [8] vs. Madoka Kikuta [8] – B Block

Background: B Block is a total logjam with tons of guys right at 8 points with one match left, so this is win if you’re in I think with the math. Stylistically these guys both hit hard and aren’t the cleanest technicians but Madoka is the better athlete with more explosiveness and Ryuki with the size and shall we say cheating edge.

The Match: It’s a slobberknocker to start with both guys throwing elbows and forearms until Honda finally drops Madoka. We slow down with some stomping and then the rope choke. Madoka powders and they brawl outside with the Dragon Gate man unleashing his trademark chops to drop Ryuki and then he steals Honda’s choke by doing it on a chair. Okay, that’s funny. More brawling outside and Madoka keeps control with chops. Back in and Madoka chokes Ryuki in the corner with his butt. More chops are just rocking Honda as the red-haired menace has nothing against that. So Honda speeds it up and gets a whip into a spinebuster. Corner clothesline for 2 follows and then a chinlock as they VERY clearly call spots. Madoka gets up and they slug it out with boots before Madoka remembers he can kill Ryuki with chops so he does that and then they fight over a brainbuster with Madoka eventually winning for a 2 count. Back up and Madoka’s side job must be in a soul food restaurant cause he’s giving chops out to everybody. Ryuki with a spear, but Madoka gets an Emerald Flowsion for not even a count and I’m going ??? on that one. Lariat follows but then Ryuki gets his own lariat and we get another double-lariat and now the double-down. Back to the slugfest and once again Madoka is eating him alive with chops. So Honda speeds it up again and gets flattened with a hip-bomb and then Madoka loads up the spinning lariat…but that gets countered into Honda’s Final Vent, no cover as Honda goes for a sequel but Madoka slips out and now he spins the block on Honda for another double-down. Slugfest and both guys are just dripping sweat which flies off each strike. Rope run has a Madoka lariat and then Ryuki pops up with a German. Another Ryuki lariat and another Final Vent gets 3.

**¾

Can’t say this fully worked for me. Honda I guess just outlasted him, but they were telling a story where Ryuki couldn’t really handle Madoka’s chops, but his throws were better. Felt like they were 90% of the way to something and Honda was just…tougher so he won? They worked hard but it was very repetitive in spots and didn’t nail the landing.

Rei Saito [8] vs. Yuma Anzai [8] – B Block Match

Background: So I have figured out that it’s top two of each block doing a playoffs so this is for I believe the top spot. If Yuma wins he’ll have 10 and if Rei wins he’ll have 10 but they both have lost tiebreakers against Ryuki so Honda is the 1 seed. As far as style, Rei is big and brawling and not ‘skilled’ while Yuma is athleticism and technique but he’s still a bit of a stringbean so Rei can swallow him up. Also Yuma’s standup is a bit weak so Rei will dominate the strike game.

The Match: Big lockup and Rei wins and gives a clean break (okay he does a little shove but it’s not a strike). Second lockup goes Rei’s way but Yuma reverses in the ropes and he delivers a forearm so Rei gets a chop and they’re just tearing at each other. Slugfest but Yuma gets a dropkick but eats a running shoulder and powders. They brawl on the outside with Rei dominating with chops. We get the choke with the towel and Rei is hitting all the classics as he goes for round two as well. Back in and we get Rei with the elbow drop and then more just bruising heel stuff with a blatant choke in the corner. More chops and it’s been like 90% Rei here. We get some a rope-assisted stomp and it’s back outside and now Rei chokes out Yuma Anzai by lifting him against the ringpost. Rei sets up the charge into the post and Anzai obviously dodges and Rei hurts his arm slamming into it. Flying knee off the apron follows and we work that count while Yuma resets. Rei back in and Yuma goes at him with a corner forearm and a belly-to-belly attempt but Rei is JUST TOO FAT and the first one fails, but a dropkick lets Yuma finally get Rei (kinda) over for the suplex. Kneeling chinlock follows before Rei breaks and it’s back to them slugging it out. Yuma tries to speed it up with some rope-running but Saito body avalanches him against the ropes and Yuma slumps over like got shot, fantastic sell. Rei sets up the youngster on the top rope and we get a superplex, but Yuma busts out the All Japan no sell and flies in for a Jumbo knee to the back of Rei for a double-down. Stand up and Rei is begging for more out of Yuma “C’MON!” before clobbering him with chops, great babyface fire with Yuma who snaps back on each chop but keeps his feet before being sent into the corner and Rei goes to work. That gets a 2 count and then Rei goes for his standing powerbomb, Yuma slips out so Saito settles for a chokeslam for 2.8. Anzai is D-E-D and Rei is the shark in the water now. Rei charges and Yuma gets his feet up in the corner and then a diving knee drop bulldog gets 2. Jumbo knee follows for 2.7 and then he goes back to the kneeling chinlock (that really needs a name). Rei makes the ropes again and Yuma goes for a German again but Rei didn’t lose 50 pounds so it falters. Both guys trade headbutts now and I’m wincing, There are actual thuds, not them headbutting their hands and be careful guys. Rope-run and Rei goes for his crossbody but Yuma DUCKS it and goes back to the kneeling chinlock, okay that was slick. Rei actually breaks out and doesn’t get the ropes this time as he sets up a backdrop driver but Yuma flips out and FINALLY gets the German (rule of 3 every time). But Yuma stops to celebrate and now Rei gets the backdrop suplex. Excellent. Pig Knuckle attempt by Rei, but Yuma gets a schoolboy for 2, Rei gets the goozle slap afterwards but Yuma flies back with another Jumbo knee…and it gets caught into Rei’s standing powerbomb for 2.9999. Rei knows what to do and it’s Pig Knuckle time and Yuma takes a .9 Jannetty for it and that’s 3.

****¼

Absolutely fantastic match. Yuma is the athletic pretty babyface and Rei is the hulking monster heel who is cruel but fun as he rips his opponent apart and knows exactly when to bump. Fantastic chemistry between the two of them and just a great showcase with a killer ending as Yuma went for the knee one-time too many.

Post-match Rei talks a bit and we get some DOOM!

Very fun show and man the final four consists of two wrestlers I love, one I like, and another guy.