Yuma Aoyagi vs. Koji Doi – Champion Carnival
Fun fact: Yuma was Doi’s first singles match opponent when he showed up as Enfants Terribles’ newest troublemaker last year. They had sharp chemistry then and they have sharp chemistry now. Dug the efficient back and forth they gave us here – all smooth execution and traditional heel/face dynamic. The Yokohama fans seemed well aware of their non-state of emergency privilege and augmented the action by CLAPPING LOUDLY. God bless these folks. PS – Aoyagi’s Endgame is quickly climbing up the ranks of Best Finishes in AJPW. Love this thing. The three steps needed (necklock, hammerlock, body weight shift) to fully lock in the hold ensure quality drama every time. ***1/2
Zeus vs. Shotaro Ashino – Champion Carnival
These guys were on their way to wrestling one of the tournament’s smartest matches until a slightly-abrupt finish crashed the party. Ending aside, this layout was wrestling nerd bait of the highest order. Outpowered by the Z-Man in the early sections, Ashino went after the arm to even the odds and it was tremendous fun. As he usually favors the leg, the arm story gave Big Ash a chance to show off a completely different skill-set. Meanwhile, Zeus sold his ass off and fought back with a bunch of one-armed power moves like an 80’s action hero. Truly inspiring shit. Give ‘em 20 minutes next time and I think we’ll have something special on our hands. ***1/2
Jake Lee vs. Kohei Sato – Champion Carnival
Did I inadvertently curse this match by dissing the sudden finish of the last one? What a bummer. Life was great before the accidental KO finish. Submission-heavy wrasslin’ that blended last year’s Arm Work Jake Lee tropes with Kohei’s realistic approach to super satisfying results. Really enjoyed the way they worked a dueling limb work plot without ever being glaringly obvious about it. Both guys looked 100% ready to kick the shit out of each other before Sato got knocked loopy. Sad times. ***1/4
Suwama vs. Shinjiro Otani – Champion Carnival
Well, we are officially in Cursed Territory. I had wild hopes for this one but Otani’s unfortunate shoulder injury threw a wrench in the whole thing. It’s admirable how they tried to put something together in spite of Otani’s obvious incapacity. Kinda felt bad for Otani taking all those hard shots from Wama, but the surly old bastard probably would’ve not settled for anything less. **1/2
Kento Miyahara vs. Shuji Ishikawa – Champion Carnival
Once they got past the floor shtick, this was pretty awesome. A dynamic fairly similar to the empty arena Miyahara/Wama banger from the previous show – Babyface Kento getting his ass kicked by the gargantuan opposition and making fiery comebacks. Big Shuj brought a suitable amount of pain for the occasion, what with the loudest forearms you’ve ever heard, apron body slam of death and assorted destruction during the ending stretch. Say what you will about Kento, but this man has some next-level kickout timing. His 2.99 kickouts during the back end of the match cranked up the drama and gave the action a proper main event feel. With a tighter opening, this probably would’ve reached the heights of their previous burners. ***1/2
