Shotaro Ashino & Ryuki Honda vs. Dan Tamura & Hikaru Sato
Appropriate opening match content to ease the Zen Nihon viewer into a brand-new HD universe. Filmed by the most advanced camera technology that Carbell Ito could afford, these men went out and performed their sacred duty as undercard warriors. The message was clear: Ashino and Honda are back and ready to run through the tag division. **1/2
Takao Omori, Masao Inoue, Rising HAYATO & Oji Shiiba vs. Ricky Fuji, Raijin Yaguchi, Black Menso-re & SUSHI
Rock N’ Roll Hall of Fame inductee Ricky Fuji and sleazeball legend Yaguchi joining the Undercard Cinematic Universe gave this serious Onita-Pro Wrestling vibes. The match itself was a philosophical confrontation between old age and youth – HAYATO/Oji attempting to ignite a Superkick Party in the middle of Masao World exploration. **1/4
Naoya Nomura & Ryo Inoue vs. Naruki Doi & Hokuto Omori
A match that all true All Japan experts will recognize as a text-book undercard banger. Workhorse Naoya Nomura working his magic with Hokuto was obviously great, but it was once again THE FREELANCING FIEND Naruki Doi who stole the show thanks to a tasty ending stretch with boy wonder Inoue. Loved the chemistry between these two – Inoue adapting quite well to Doi’s Dragon Gate speed. ***1/4
NOSAWA & Kendo Kashin © vs. Atsushi Onita & Yoshitatsu – All-Asia Tag Team Titles – Tornado Bunkhouse Current Blast Death Match
These fucking legends did it. The exploding extravaganza that Tony Khan could never pull off – now in its rightful place on the AJPW undercard. This took the usual All Asia weirdness and sent it up the death match stratosphere, providing quality screen time for all of your favorite hardcore accessories and assorted poisonous mist action.
Not satisfied with overdelivering as a payoff to the CIA psy-op of the January 2nd Korakuen show, the match also doubled as a swan song for the Onita/NOSAWA relationship – Rongai going out in a blaze of FIGHTING SPRIRIT GLORY on his way towards imminent retirement. I unironically enjoyed all of this and firmly believe that air raid sirens should have a more prominent place in wrestling. ***1/2
Yuji Nagata, Shuji Ishikawa & Yuma Anzai vs. Suwama, Jun Saito & Rei Saito
Pretty solid slice of voodoo murdering. An extended Anzai babyface in peril section gave way to Very Acceptable midcard wrasslin’ – low on TARU spots and high on Big Shuj shoot headbutts. I’ve said it before, but working with Ishikawa is the key to unlocking Saito Bros improvement. In other news, Nagata seems officially confirmed as the Triple Crown challenger. ***
Atsuki Aoyagi © vs. Kotaro Suzuki – AJPW Jr. Heavyweight Title
The best Atsuki match since last year’s banger with HAYATO and a big-time improvement on the usual Atsuki vs Veteran formula. Perhaps endeared by the champion’s childhood MUSHIKING TERRY~! fandom, I suspect Kotaro sat with Aoyagi before the match and spilled the Secrets of Wrestling. There was actual drama here and for the first time in months, it felt like Atsuki might lose. His selling seemed more considerate, letting the big spots breath instead of rushing to the next flip. A great counterpoint to Big Match Kotaro, who put in a hell of a performance and let it rip with some of the coolest offense in wrestling. ***3/4
Kento Miyahara © vs. Yuma Aoyagi – Triple Crown
The All Japan Booking Conglomerate wrote themselves into a corner with this one. With the Muto Dome show and a possible AJPW/NOAH feud on the horizon, keeping the belt on Miyahara is a logical decision. That being said, one has to wonder for how long they can still delay the Yuma Aoyagi NEW HERO Moment. Regardless of the result and political intrigue, Kento and Yuma did what they do best and had a banger.
They hit a lot of the same story beats as their 2022 title match – the height of the Kento/Yuma rivalry at the time. The difference-maker here was a rowdy, cheering-allowed crowd that helped crank up the drama to another level. As evidenced by the split chanting and Miyahara towels all across the venue, these guys are the most beloved pair in the company and represent the best of modern AJPW.
In classic All Japan fashion, the match pulled a great balancing act between big moments and the sense of struggle around them. If you look at all the wild shit these guys threw at each other (German suplex off the apron, Running Powerbomb of the Apocalypse, Akiyama-approved Calf Branding into the guardrail), all of it was set-up by life-or-death struggles that gave so much impact to the eventual spots.
Having recently wrestled in a Twitter-Approved World Tag Classic, Kento and Yuma were wise enough to reference the most heated parts of that match. Aoyagi again found himself itching ever closer to victory – the ending stretch making great use of the champ’s most underrated skill: mind-melting last-nanosecond kickouts.
Yuma Aoyagi now joins the very exclusive club of Shutdown Suplex Survivors, foreshadowing a probable victory in his next Triple Crown war with Kento. Layers upon layers of emotionally-rewarding Big Match Wrestling. The year is 2023 and All Japan Pro-Wrestling is cooking. ****1/2
