All Japan Pro Wrestling: Champion Carnival April 18th 2026

Welcome back to Night 2 of the Champion Carnival, we’re in beautiful Nagoya and we’re almost 900 strong in Kinjofuto Arena. It’s a pretty stripped down arena set here with nobody in the bleachers across the hard camera and two basic entrance ways for the wrestlers.

Hiroki Murase, Hokuto-gun (Hokuto Omori & Jack Kennedy), Ryo Inoue & Shotaro Ashino vs. Atsuki Aoyagi, Kengo Mashimo, Rising HAYATO, Seiki Yoshioka & Shota Kofuji

Background: Everybody’s favorite, the 10-man Get Everyone On The Card special. Murase is just a freelancer guy Hokuto-Gun is Omori’s weird stable of monsters and freaks, one of those monsters is big white dude Jack Kennedy, Ryo is a scrappy rising star junior (though he loses a lot) and Shotaro is a solidly tag level act at this point. Other side has the top junior team, Atsuki and HAYATO, with top sorta heel junior Seiki, the Single AJPW rookie in Shota Kofuji, and Carnival participant Kengo Mashimo.

The Match: Shota starts against Hokuto with a lockup that goes Omori’s way but he blows a kiss and then kicks the rookie down before running him over with a shoulder before Kofuji gets a dropkick. Kennedy trips Shota on the outside and Omori gets a low dropkick and tags in Hiroki who hits a brainbuster for 2, then a gamengiri and a backdrop suplex for another count. Kennedy tags in and the big guy lands chops on Shota before wiping out his partners on the apron. More big chops from the American and a fallaway slam gets 2.5. Shotaro tags in and gives some uppercuts to the kid until Shota gets his feet up on a charge and hits a rolling dropkick. Shota tags in Kengo who hits a high elbow on Ashino and an implant DDT but misses a buzzsaw kick and both guys slug it out but Ashino gets a go-behind and hits a German and it’s a double-tag to Atsuki and Ryo with Inoue hitting a flurry of kicks and then a hesitation dropkick before setting Aoyagi on the top and calling in his teammates for an assisted superplex, but Aoyagi holds on and Kennedy and Hokuto powerbomb Ryo (normally a gag that Omori falls victim to) and Atsuki flies in with a missile dropkick on Jack and Hokuto. With everybody down Seiki and Shotaro slide in with Yoshioka taking the bigger Shotaro down with a scissor kick, but Hiroki lariats him, and Shota springboard dropkicks him. HAYATO and Aoyagi then give Ryo a double-fisherman’s bomb, HAYATO hits a springboard pescado on the folks outside the ring and an Atsuki 450 gets 3 on Inoue.

**

Even for the standard of this sort of match this was perfunctory. I guess nobody really screwed up but it felt half-complete. At least it was short.

XYON [2] vs. Ren Ayabe [2] – B Block

Background: XYON’s team was the one that lost to Ren’s Titans of Calamity to make Ayabe the current champ, so XYON wants to get his lick back and set himself up for a tag-match down the line. Ren is taller, but XYON is more muscular, both are about equally athletic though XYON is faster. Ren has his multi-colored shorts and XYON has dark cargo pants.

The Match: Lockup goes to a standstill so XYON gets a headlock until Ren reverses into his own. Shoulderblock stalls so Ayabe throws elbows before XYON tries a Samoan drop but Ayabe slips out and boots XYON down. A Yakuza kick by Ren is followed by a shoulderblock and he tries a brainbuster but XYON blocks and punches out before getting a headbutt and a flying forearm but Ayabe rebounds with a hooking clothesline and then a crab. XYON breaks and goes for the suplex lift again but XYON slips out, discus elbow, corner charge, floatover into a shoulder thrust, but Ren just pops out of the corner with an elbow and then a full-nelson slam gets 2.5. Ayabe goes for the suplex lift again but XYON blocks and gets his own brainbuster and it’s a double-down. XYON kips up and we get a slugfest that has XYON wobble-legged before he comes back with his strike combo and a hip-toss neckbreaker and a spinning Samoan drop for 2.5. XYON goes to the top but Ayabe hits the ropes to cut him off and Ren follows with the Flair-press off the top, shotgun dropkick and Death Roulette gets 3.

**

Two guys did stuff and then one guy won. I don’t quite get Ren just shrugging everything off but at least XYON didn’t drop anybody on their head this time. Both guys definitely working with less energy for a smaller crowd as well.

Oddyssey [0] vs. Rei Saito [2] – A Block

Background: More tag stalwarts. Rei Saito lost a lot of last year (after winning the Carnival) with a shoulder injury and is back (having missed the World’s Strongest Tag Determination League) and Oddyssey is one of the new faces of the tag division, he’s big, he’s broad, he’s bulky, even more than big brawling Rei. But Saito has far more experience and success in singles despite being the smaller man in a rare switcharound. Oddyssey is in a gold and black singlet while Rei is wearing black leather pants and a Saito Bros muscle-tee.

The Match: Oddyssey gyrates to start before we get a lockup, both guys push and shove but it goes nowhere so they settle for a hockey fight and then Rei gets a shoulder that knocks both guys outside and we get the charging bull setup as they clash into other and the crowd is electric for this. They smash into each other a few times before Oddyssey finally runs Rei over and he steps on him before breaking the count to continue whalloping Saito outside and tosses him back in. Oddyssey is sucking wind but he catches his breath while playing to the crowd so long that Rei catches him with an elbow drop coming back inside and Rei hits a pair of splashes and a butt drop for 2.6 (with Oddyssey doing a perplexing hopping around sell for). Rei sets up a piledriver but the Odd-one backdrops out of it. Rei tries a corner charge but misses and Oddyssey hammers away in the corner with body attacks and clubbing blows and then some headbutts as he knocks Rei to the corner but Oddyssey is totally blown up so he settles for a basic cover for 2 and then tries to fire the crowd up. The Man from HAVOC tries a powerslam but Rei slips out the back and both collide with clotheslines before Oddyssey ducks and gets a crossbody, but then Rei gets up and hits his own crossbody and we have a double-down. Both guys finally get up and they slug it out before Rei unleashes a flurry of chops to corner Oddyssey and now a shoulderblock from the defending Carnival champ drops Oddyssey for 2.8. Rei goes for his Eisbein (running double palm-thrust) but Oddyssey ducks and hits a backdrop suplex before whipping Rei off the ropes for the Black Hole Slam, but Rei slips out, gets the goozle slap but runs into an Oddyssey lariat and it’s a second rope splash for 3.

**½

Halfway between legitimately fun and a messy trainwreck. Oddyssey got absolutely blown up pretty early on, but they recovered okay and it was just two large men running into each other and doing big fat guy spots. A credit to Rei for keeping this match on track.

Daisuke Sekimoto [2] vs. Hideki Suzuki [0] – B Block

Background: Despite Hideki being a lot taller than Sekimoto, he’s giving up a lot of power to the Big Japan Ace, but does theoretically have the technical/submission edge. I don’t know if these guys have tangled much in the past but it’s certainly possible they have. Sekimoto is in plain black trunks while Hideki is in plain black trunks with white trim and CATCH on the back.

The Match: Both guys do some standing grappling with Suzuki using his evasive skills (?!) to roll out of a wristlock and then obviously call spots before Sekimoto tries a go-behind but Suzuki grabs the arm to torture the outsider. Daisuke gets a hammerlock but Hideki quickly reverses out of it before Sekimoto goes to the mat and they sorta…lay on top of each other for a bit. Sekimoto tries for a keylock but Hideki kips up and yanks the hair before sneaking in cravate and working on that before Daisuke reverses to a hammerlock. Hideki goes back to the cravate, Sekimoto goes back to the hammerlock, rinse repeat. Suzuki mixes it up with a chinlock and when Daisuke fights back to his feet, the All Japan man FINALLY throws some strikes, but Sekimoto sends him outside with a dropkick and goes for a tope but Hideki blocks with a forearm. Back inside and Suzuki works over Daisuke in the corner with body shots before a monkey flip sets up a knee drop for 2. Suzuki tries a double-arm suplex but Sekimoto backdrops out of it and then hits an ura-nage for 2, corner shoulder thrust, brainbuster, and Sekimoto follows with a senton and running splash for 2.6. Sekimoto picks Suzuki up for a rack but HIdeki reverses to a sleeper that Daisuke immediately breaks with an Atomic drop. Hideki sidesteps the followup lariat though and hits a German and rolls that into a Dragon suplex but we get the Sekimoto big no sell into a lariat and it’s a double-down and the crowd woke up. Suzuki is up with some hammer and anvil elbows and then a punt to a kneeling Sekimoto, a second one drops the man but Hideki only gets 2.7 out of it. HIdeki tries for the double-arm suplex again, it gets block and he transitions to his standing double-arm crank before Sekimoto breaks and gets a short-arm lariat for 2.8. Suzuki tries to block the flurry with a dropkick, but Sekimoto powers through, hits a lariat, and a Big Bang Catastrophe gets 3.

**¼

Okay, watching Daisuke decide enough is enough and just shrugging everything off before pulverizing Hideki is a nice payoff but the beginning section was so dull. I get the idea of containing the more powerful monster, but instead it was a super anemic grappling sequence that had both guys just sorta lay on each other before the match started. Dull, whatever match but a nice finishing sequence is worth a little bit. Sekimoto is being booked as absolutely unstoppable so far and I appreciate that.

Intermission time!

Kuma Arashi, MUSASHI & Seigo Tachibana vs. Dan Tamura, Talos & Yuma Anzai

Background: The Hey, You’re Not In A Carnival Match memorial tag bout. Kuma, Talos, and Anzai are in the Carnival, MUSASHI, Seigo, and Tamura are not with there being some beef over Tachibana’s Junior title that Tamura wants. Beyond that, it’s Kuma and two juniors vs. Talos and Anzai with one.

The Match: Seigo and Tamura start with the lockup to a standstill and they trade some shots before standstilling, a pair of dropkicks staggers Dan but Tamura gets a shoulder and we tag out to MUSASHI and Talos. The junior tries some desperate chops but Talos just goozles him up for a chokeslam that MUSASHI slips out of and then offers a handshake, and MUSASHI was faking as he tries to boot Talos down but it goes nowhere and the big American catches MUSASHI in a scoop lift and uses the body to batter all of MUSASHI’s teammates before slamming him. Talos then chokes MUSASHI in the ropes, wrenching back on his neck. Talos tags in Yuma who works over a wobble-legged MUSASHI with basic stuff, and Anzai even ducks an enzuigiri before pointing to his head to indicate superior intelligence but walks into MUSASHI’s dropkick combo comeback and brings in Kuma. The Bear enthusiast gets a slam on Yuma and then a standing senton for a cover and then a corner whip, slam and a second-rope senton for 2.5 and then a torture rack but Anzai slips out, dropkick and a belly-to-belly stops momentum and then Anzai tries a German but Kuma breaks and they have a slugfest that Yuma wins with a Jumbo Knee but Kuma reverses the followup into his own dropkick…but Yuma ducks a lariat and hits a German as both guys are down and it’s a double-tag to Seigo and Tamura who have a hockey fight. Both rebound for forearms and Tamura eventually drops Seigo with a flying shoulder tackle and is jazzed up as Talos comes in and both hit some double-teams on Tacfhibana…but the junior champ ducks a corner charge and Talos flattens Dan. Talos menaces Seigo but MUSASHI and Kuma run-in to dump the giant and we get some slapstick with Yuma almost hitting Talos on a charge but then getting double-dropkicked into him and then MUSASHI gets a flip dive on everybody. Okay, that was pretty slick. Back to Seigo and Tamura with Tachibana hitting a flurry of elbows and an Olympic Slam for 2.7. Seigo tries to finish with his running 12-6 elbow but Tamura dodges, trips him up and goes for La Magistral but Seigo slips out, gets a northern elbow and then the running 12-6 lands for 3.

**½

Mostly just a sorta tag but it was pretty smartly booked with the junior match bookending it and Talos hitting some okay monster spots. Yuma was the real standout as even in a checked out role he did enough extra stuff to make the match worth it.

Post-match Seigo poses with the belt over Dan.

Yuma Aoyagi [0] vs. Jun Saito [0] – B Block

Background: Both at zero points, this is a match between prospective favorites as both have held the TC belt before. They’ve feuded before in tags and they’re two of the more offensively complete wrestlers. Saito has a whole series of big power moves and strikes that he overwhelms talent with while Aoyagi is the most versatile wrestler in the company, being able to do basically anything.

The Match: Jun immediately takes Yuma to the ropes with a lockup and gives a clean break. Jun with a wrist crank until Yuma reverses to a hammerlock but they do more standing grappling with Jun getting a headlock. Yuma slips out so Jun hits a shoulder, but Yuma gets his boots up to block a charge and then heads to the top…but Jun boots him off to the outside and then hammers away outside. Yuma finally reverses a whip to send Jun into the barricade and he drives Saito in again. Yuma follows with a bulldog off the apron to send Jun’s ribs into the barricade and then Aoyagi rolls back in and they tease a count out but Jun slides back in and Yuma stomps away and attacks the damaged ribs to boos. Yuma gets some shoulder thrusts in the corner and then a jumping elbow drop for 2. Aoyagi follows with a slingshot elbow for 2 and the ref is checking on Jun while Yuma does the arrogant cover and taunts the downed Saito. Saito gets up and Yuma tries a brainbuster but it’s blocked and Yuma goes back to the shoulder thrusts in the corner and some kitchen sink knees but Jun counters a whip with a back elbow and then gets a Yakuza kick and his own brainbuster, with a delay, Jun gets his own arrogant cover and UNLEASHES THE HAIR before calling for a goozle that Yuma breaks and both guys strike it out but Aoyagi eats one chop and uses speed to get a dropkick and then boots in the corner set up a middle-rope dropkick and then a top rope dropkick for a cover but Jun kicks out Yuma immediately transitions to his End Game submission (hammerlock guillotine) but Jun makes the ropes before Yuma just hammers away with more elbows…but gets caught on a reverse springboard and Saito goes up for a second-rope chokeslam and both guys are down. They both get up and Jun tries a second chokeslam but Yuma slips out and gets a school boy and then a hanging guillotine choke that Saito reverses to a brainbuster, but Aoyagi gets the big dramatic no-sell…and runs into Jun’s strike combo for 2.4. Jun tries another brainbuster but Yuma slips out, Saito with a back elbow and a Bomaye attempt but Aoyagi slips through for a very close schoolboy for 2.9. Jun misses another lariat and Yuma gets a schoolboy for 2.8 and then a rolling reverse cradle for 2.99. Big boot by Jun but a second is blocked and Yuma gets a tornado DDT for 2.8 and then a diving elbow to the ribs…and Aoyagi goes up again for a second that gets 2.8 and it’s back to the End Game. Jun gets to his feet but an inside cradle and then a Yuma locks in the hold completely and Saito submits.

***½

Part of what makes Yuma so fun is how he can shift through styles and be an oppositional guy for basically anybody he faces. Also while Jun still isn’t a tippy-top seller, his underdog babyface instincts have improved and he was providing some pretty quality comebacks. Fun match with good psychology as the tactical Aoyagi took out the ribs, ruined the power base of Jun and then cranked in a hold and got the win.

Ryuki Honda [0] vs. Madoka Kikuta [0] – B Block

Background: Honda is a husky brawler, a rising star that has been on the verge of making breaking out as a singles success but has mostly been the bridesmaid (with a few changes in tournaments as a spoiler). He’s a bit of a goof but has the most protected finisher in the company and a series of lariats. Madoka is from DragonGate, and when he was in All Japan last he was the explosive Hip Bomb Kid with fierce chops, fiery lariats, and of course a ton of hip checks, he’s turned heel now and is part of the Gaja Dokuro (We Snake Skulls) squad and apparently his wrestling has changed a bit. He’s the current Open the Dreamgate Champion and has buzzed hair and black trunks with a skull logo on the front. Honda has magenta hair and red and white trunks.

The Match: Slow start with both feeling around, not committing to anything as they circle and dance. We finally get a lockup and Madoka just casually leans in the ropes to break. Second lockup and Madoka goes to the eyes to win and tries a clean break but goes for a cheap shot that Ryuki ducks and then cranks in a headlock. Kikuta breaks free but Honda flies in with a shoulder off the ropes and the outsider powders. Honda follows and sends Madoka into various pieces of furniture before choking Madoka on the barricade and bouncing his arm off the steel and then a whip into the barricade as the ref is trying to stop the madness. Madoka goes for a chop but his arm is hurting so he just gouges the eyes and boots Ryuki down before getting some shots and then a running hipcheck to send Honda’s head through the barricade. My goodness. Both are selling big but Madoka gets up first and beats Ryuki around before going back inside and hammering at Honda’s neck in the corner. Kikuta just has a smug expression on his face as he shrugs off Honda’s forearms and drops him with a chop and get a camel clutch in the ropes and tangles Honda up and then boots him in the back before getting some disrespect kicks. Honda tries to rally with strikes but Madoka rips at the eyes again and the ref chastises him. Madoka back to a regular camel clutch as he continues to jaw with the ref and then Madoka breaks for a 1 count cover and he’s just being a swaggering jerk here. Standing facelock by Madoka as Honda is being ragdolled before finally countering into a brainbuster. Corner clothesline and a spear by Honda gets a cover before Honda tries a kneeling armbar that goes nowhere so he settles for another cover and Madoka tries to get going but Honda wrenches the arm and we have a whip spot that ends with Madoka getting a crescent kick and then selling his arm while he recovers for a Yakuza kick and then fires away with chops (selling the arm between the shots). Madoka then puts Honda on the top rope and they slug it out there before Kikuta goes down…but gets a boot to Honda to leave him dangling and then another Hip Bomb and Honda collapses to the outside. Madoka comes out and sets up a piledriver but Honda backdrops out Back in and Honda explodes for a corner clothesline, but Kikuta gets his own and they slug out before Honda dodges a corner charge, gets a lariat and a German but Madoka pops up for a Hip Bomb and we have a double-down before both guys slug it out on their knees and then get up and Madoka throws headbutts and then he lands a lariat…but Honda ducks the discus lariat and gets a pair of his own for 2.9. Ryuki sets up the Final Vent (Over the shoulder chokebomb) but Kikuta slips out and gets a Hip Bomb to a kneeling Honda before he gets more forearms to the back of Ryuki’s neck and then a swinging sleeper and a lariat…but Ryuki ducks and grabs the arm for a Fujiwara attempt, but Madoka fires back with a lariat from his off arm, and then hits a running one for 2.9. Discus lariat by Madoka gets 3.

**¾

Just a bit too long and with a bit too many kickouts. But Madoka is a good heel and Ryuki did fiery babyface well, just needed like…20% less match. Kikuta probably should have gotten a squash to establish the new gimmick here but I get protecting Honda.

Go Shiozaki [2] vs. Kento Miyahara [0] – A Block

Background: Go started in NOAH, went to All Japan, went back to NOAH, and is now back in All Japan as a sorta wizened vet, a cunning quasi-heel with the outsider HAVOC stable, he’s not as durable as he used to be but he’s still a master of vicious lariats, ferocious chops, and a bevy of big throws and suplexes and of course is the direct inheritor of the legacy of Misawa and Kobashi while Kento broke into All Japan in a post-Four Pillars world. Kento is the ace of All Japan, a man who has tussled with Go numerous times (and teamed with him as well) and mostly came out the loser. Though Miyahara did win their most recent match. Go is in black pants, Kento is in gold and red.

The Match: We get the big lockup to start off with that goes Shiozaki’s way and Go gives the clean break. Wristlock next that both guys struggle over and both get some quick covers from before stalemating. ANother lockup goes Kento’s way who yanks at Go’s arms and then chops Shiozaki in the ropes before a big boot and some posing while Go powders. Kento follows and we get a ringside brawl and Kento even drags Go out through the fans before tossing him into various objects and trying a brainbuster on the floor before Go counters with a DDT and then chokes Kento on various pieces of ringside stuff before delivering another DDT and rolling inside. Kento goes back in and Go gives another DDT for a cover and then a standing facelock that sends Kento the mat for a quick cover. Go follows with a jumping knee drop to the neck. Miyahara tries to fight back but Go obliterates him with a back elbow for a cover. More chops from Go but Kento finally gets his double dropkick comeback and then checks his neck before they both get up and stumble around. Stinger splash by Kento and he tries a brainbuster but Go ends up on the apron and is then booted off and Kento follows and sets up his apron piledriver and they slug it out with Go just slicing Kento up with a chop and then back to the piledriver fight before Go backdrops out and Kento sells like he’s dead. Kento is back in, gets covered for 2 and then Go unleashes chops in the corner before Miyahara recovers for a Yakuza kick. Both guys do a big dramatic sweaty slug out with Kento playing to the crowd for every forearm and Go delivering his vicious chops before Kento ducks one and fires of a German…and Go pops up for a lariat as we double-down. Miyahara immediately starts playing to the crowd while Go crawls to the ropes and Kento gets a Blackout knee, but Go catches a second and drops Miyahara with a rolling elbow and goes back to the standing facelock and another cover before Go goes for a delayed brainbuster that Kento turns into an inside cradle and then a Blackout knee before going for the Shutdown German that Go breaks. Go hits a thrust kick out of the corner and then his inside-out avalanche neckbreaker for 2.6 and then a Go Flasher for 2.9. Go calls for the lariat but Kento blocks with the Blackout and hits a second to a kneeling Go for 2.8 and goes for a second Shutdown German and Go breaks…but runs into another Blackout but the followup is cut off with a lariat for 2.9 and Go removes his elbowpad and hits the Gowan Lariat for 3.

****½

Okay, this match is basically chicken soup when you have a cold, but these guys have just magical chemistry together. Some of the best sellers in the biz, the masters of little stuff, did much happen in this match? No, but at the same time a ton did happen. Kento being a master of comebacks, but Go having the grit to survive Miyahara’s counters and just being a more destructive force in total…along with the added disrespect of wearing Miyahara down with Misawa’s facelock is great stuff. I’d watch these guys wrestle a million times.

Post-match Go cuts a babyface promo (seemingly) and the crowd reacts positively.

Well, for a sorta small crowd that had a pretty incredible series of matches to close us off, even when they were clearly doing less, they were still doing so much of the little stuff that makes All Japan so fun.