Koji Iwamoto & Atsuki Aoyagi vs. TAJIRI & Francesco Akira
The only thing holding this back slightly was TAJIRI’s chinlock rampage in the middle of the match. Otherwise, this was the rock solid professional wrestling display you’d expect from your good pals the All Japan junior heavyweights. Akira and Aoyagi worked most of the match together, showing off their polished fundamentals and affinity for pretty lucha armdrags. A very pleasant time, indeed. I appreciated Akira aggressively going after Iwamoto and his belt – the kid has figured out pro-wrestling 101 and knows how to keep himself relevant even if he’s not the next challenger in line. **1/2
Ryouji Sai & Ishikiri vs. Yusuke Okada & Seigo Tachibana
To make the office feel bad for not booking him in this year’s Carnival, Sai got himself a pair of SWEET NEW SILVER PANTS. He also brought along his flippy Land’s End bud Ishikiri for the occasion and the two of them had themselves a darn fun match with the dysfunctional Yoshitatsu Kingdom boys. Not sure if his long absence is coloring my judgement, but Sai is looking revitalized in these recent midcard matches. Straight to the point shit-kicking, baby. **3/4
Takao Omori, Black Menso-re & Ryuki Honda vs. Zeus, Izanagi & UTAMARO
Honda’s a former WRESTLE-1 rookie that recently transferred to the AJPW dojo under Takao Omori’s supervision. Can’t say he had the chance to make much of an impression here, as Zeus quickly took his head off and used him to try out a couple of new moves: namely a wacky spinning suplex and a MISAWA-STYLE FACELOCK for the finish. I’m here for muscular warrior Zeus working the shit out of a Misawa-style Facelock. **1/4
Shotaro Ashino & Hokuto Omori vs. Hikaru Sato & Dan Tamura
Short and sweet. My pick for tournament finalist Ashino was initially overwhelmed by the Evolution boyz but turned it all back around via a solid finish with Tamura. Chef’s kiss enthusiast Hokuto has been watching Randy Orton RKO Outta’ Nowhere YouTube compilations all day and it led to one of his better Ace Crusher spots.**1/4
Shuji Ishikawa vs. Yuma Aoyagi – Champion Carnival (Block B)
Probably my favorite Big Shuj match of the year so far, just because of how concise it was. They worked the old Dueling Limb Work Special with a technique vs. power subplot and I was on board for all of it. Ishikawa went after the lower back after destroying Yuma with a gnarly apron body slam and Aoyagi responded by unleashing his inner-Muto and attacking the leg with knee dropkicks. There were some execution issues on Ishikawa’s end, but they were easy to overlook due to how effective the layout was. The way they worked the match emphasized Aoyagi’s growth nicely, making him look like a potential threat even if he hasn’t done much since turning on Kento earlier this year. Also, a (CAPTAIN) LOU THESZ PRESS FINISH!? Yes, I’ll have some of that. ***1/2
Jake Lee vs. Jiro Ikemen Kuroshio – Champion Carnival (Block A)
The referees stepping up to prevent Ikemen from contaminating the entire audience during his entrance was a mood. These guys followed the leg work trend set by the previous match and it was pretty solid. The commentary team kept mentioning the fact that Ikemen had done some training with Masakatsu Funaki (unclear if this is recent or during his WRESTLE-1 days) and he was showcasing his more technical side here (plus a Hybrid Blaster tribute). The double-edged sword with Ikemen is that even at his most motivated and hard-working, you look like a dork if you sell too much for him. Yet, I can’t really blame Jake for wanting to sell the leg properly? What I’m saying is that this Ikemen Carnival run will be the ultimate paradox. Sidenote: Jake seems to have officially dropped his swagtacular Black Keys ripoff theme for that Dropkick Murphys song and as much as I enjoy Martin Scorsese’s The Departed, I must ask: why? ***1/4
Suwama vs. Kuma Arashi – Champion Carnival (Block A)
This didn’t live up to my wild expectations, but I guess it got the job done as sub-4 minute match between notorious grump Suwama and air guitar aficionado Kuma Arashi. Maybe? Arashi (whom I usually love) kinda came off as a midcard heel afterthought here with the weak attack at the bell and Suwama dispatching him in short order. Dug the beefy lariat collisions but these guys clearly had a better (and longer) match in them. **1/2
Kento Miyahara v. Yoshitatsu – Champion Carnival (Block A)
The two main ingredients to replicate the success of the 2019 Kento/Yoshitatsu miracle match were here (Yoshitatsu Great Muta half-paint job + Big Match Kento), but unfortunately the result came nowhere close. A lot of Kento’s early match tropes just don’t work very well in the current handclap-only era. The floor headbutts and bickering with Wada come off as empty filler if there’s no reaction from the fans. They fared a lot better in the second half of the match as Miyahara worked the crowd like a maniac and guided Yoshi through his usual explosive Blackout sequences and Shutdown struggles. Sadly, the uninspired Yoshitatsu performance and weird botched finished ended up leaving me cold. Bless Kento for selling the shit out of Yoshi’s submission shocker, but the win felt unearned. ***
