All Japan x KBS Hall = LOVE.
Yusuke Kodama vs. Francesco Akira
Pleasant opener between two dudes with a strong grasp on the foundational principles of PRO-WRESTLING. A babyface milking the crowd for support and delivering hard-fought comebacks. A heel cutting off said comebacks and terrorizing children in the first row. What more do you need? Akira admirably keeps refreshing his repertoire despite a severe lack of booking opportunities. Dug the Tornado clutch into KIP-UP transition and new Lightning Spiral. **1/2
Shuji Ishikawa, Takao Omori & Black Menso-re vs. Shotaro Ashino, Hikaru Sato & Dan Tamura
Solid 6-man action divided into three very acceptable sections: Daniel Tamura in peril, large beef dinner between Ashino/Big Shuj and a submission-heavy finish where Hikaru re-established his title challenger credentials. I like what they’re doing with the slow burn Ashino/Evolution alliance story, as Ashino seems to be forming a friendship with young and impressionable Dan but still can’t get along with the older and more resentful Sato. **3/4
Zeus & Kazuaki Mihara vs. Koji Iwamoto & Ryuki Honda
Mihara is a Dotonbori Pro mainstay who shares Shigehiro Irie’s passion for bears, the color green and meat consumption. He’s been around the indie scene since 2008 and was treated as an equal by both Iwamoto and Zeus, which was cool. The match was a bit barebones, but the core story of Honda fighting from underneath against the Z-Man was undeniably effective. **1/2
Kento Miyahara, Yuma Aoyagi, Atsuki Aoyagi & Rising HAYATO vs. Jake Lee, Kuma Arashi, TAJIRI & Hokuto Omori
A chaotic romp that juggled a lot of fun stories. You had Kento looking unsure of how to deal with Total Eclipse Jake 2.0, Hokuto romancing the camera + taking his usual potshots at the Ace and Atsuki/HAYATO trying out a bunch of cool new double-teams. Even with the messy vibe and occasional comedy, Jake never stopped looking like a dangerous dude and I’m more convinced than ever that Total Eclipse will save his career. I’m even getting early-Shinsuke Nakamura vibes from him now thanks to the long black pants and Giant Killing/Boma-Ye to the back of the head. ***
CIMA © vs. Izanagi – AJPW Jr. Heavyweight Title
Credit where credit is due: CIMA is an expert conman and a legit genius at laying out multiman tag matches. His singles work has always felt flat to me, but he’s clearly a guy worth having around. This junior title run seemed like a great opportunity for him to share his knowledge with kids like Atsuki and Akira.
Instead, we’re getting middling matches against veterans who don’t have much to gain from the exposure and I’m not sure what the point is anymore. They went with a dull neck attack vs. heel trickery structure here and while the work wasn’t bad, it didn’t make a strong case for Junior Champ CIMA. The stark contrast between the murderous Meteora off the ropes and the spectacularly-shitty Spartan Cut ending was good unintentional comedy. Wrong finish. **1/2
Suwama © vs. Yoshitatsu – Triple Crown
Is there a more layered character in pro-wrestling than WORLD FAMOUS Yoshitatsu? The man is half-demon, carries the essence of Strong Style, stans Spiderman and owns a pet tiger. We do not deserve such a multi-faceted genius of the squared circle. Love him or hate him, this cornball added new twists to Big Match Wama formula and had his best performance since the 2019 miracle match with Kento.
There was less glaring down time than in Suwama’s two most recent defenses and the various subplots (Backdrop vs. Backdrop, Oudou vs. Toukon) kept me surprisingly engaged. Not sure if I was endeared by the KBS Hall Yoshi-ta-tsu clapping pattern or what, but the guy made for a fun challenger. It also helped that Suwama sold the shit out of his late-stage offense and managed to turn him into somewhat of a threat.
Terrific ending stretch that somehow wrapped up all the plot threads in satisfying fashion. The Yoshitatsu Fantasy got actual heat due to Wama previously selling his neck like death and the TATSUTOSHI GOTO-STYLE Backdrop from Tatsu sparked a massive reaction thanks to all the teasing from earlier. I had a lovely time and will not be talked into slapping less than 4 stars on this. ****
