Hokuto Omori vs. Rei Saito – Champion Carnival (Block B)
Hello friends. The carnival of champions continues in Miyagi, a single camera-type prefecture where Rei Saito (A Large Man) and Hokuto Omori (A Small Man) did battle. It was standard David/Goliath fare until a red-hot ending stretch where both guys decided to lay into each like a couple of FREAKS. My man Raymond Saito added a Godzilla-sized shoot headbutt to his increasingly-devastating move-set and the crowd reacted with appropriate horror. We will witness a special kind of voodoo murder when he and Suwama collide. ***
Yoshitatsu vs. Jun Saito – Champion Carnival (Block A)
Uuuuuh shockingly solid match between WORLD FAMOUS Yoshitatsu and the lesser Saito Brother!? The controversial twins hail from Miyagi, so the crowd was very much into this. Wielding the sacred knowledge of the New Japan Dojo and the Performance Center, Tatsu worked in grumpy veteran mode and turned the hometown boy into an unlikely babyface. Straight-to-the-point action with Jun cooking up some impactful comebacks. ***
Shuji Ishikawa vs. Takao Omori – Champion Carnival (Block B)
A match that reached the very core of pro-wrestling by dedicating itself entirely to chops and chants. That’s what this business is all about. These men have turned the concept of not taking bumps into an artform and for that we must respect them. Always happy to see the legendary Captain Lou Thesz Press make an appearance. **1/2
Yuma Anzai, Ryo Inoue & MUSASHI vs. Ryuki Honda, Black Menso-re & Aizawa #1
What a fine offering of house show 6-man content. Working boots were firmly on and the regional guest stars got plenty of shine. You might remember Michinoku Pro’s MUSASHI from his recent string of buzz-tacular battles with the returning Hayato Fujita Jr. Aizawa pops up occasionally in the Undercard Cinematic Universe, delivering the kind of cutting-edge comedy that goes well with Menso-re’s antics. ***
Hikaru Sato & Dan Tamura vs. Atsuki Aoyagi & Rising HAYATO – Junior Tag Battle of Glory
Rocking match that furthered the rise of Daniel Tamura and cemented Evolution’s tag team superiority The high-flying cutie-pies were clearly positioned as underdogs here, falling for Evolution’s big-brained tricks and having to fight from under. It made for a logical Wrestling Adventure where the sparkly babyface comebacks came fast and furious until the Evolution boys said NO MORE! Tamura overturning the former Nextreamers’ double team spree near the end was a thing of beauty, every counter paving the way for that badass Powerbomb finish. GO DAN. ***1/2
Kento Miyahara vs. Cyrus – Champion Carnival (Block A)
This landed in the upper echelon of Cyrus Carnival matches, but still exhibited the same Bad Finish Symptoms as the others. All Japan don’t have to turn the guy into Vader 2.0 and make him a big-time Triple Crown contender. But if they’re just going to have him lose to the core roster dudes, they should at least make it count. More David/Goliath warfare and less banana peel finishes. Kento actually had the right idea before the ending, bumping all over and injecting some big match vibes into Cyrus’ usual routine. ***1/4
Suwama vs. Shotaro Ashino – Champion Carnival (Block B)
The Freakin’ Suplex Master finally wins the big one over Wammer in a match where both men attempted to out-leg each other. The empty arena Wama/Ashino match remains undefeated, but this still did the job as a piece of leg-based psychological drama. Once we got past Suwama’s mandatory crowd exploration, Ashino cranked up the babyface theatrics and a solid structure fell into place. ***1/4
Satoshi Kojima vs. Yuma Aoyagi – Champion Carnival (Block A)
BANGER ALERT! Koji finally recharged his batteries, replacing the Tired Old Man tropes with proper main event fortitude. We got 13 minutes of high-impact Carnival Content, both guys working their asses off and serving the Miyagi crowd an entire plate of wrasslin’. Yuma could not have been a more optimal opponent for a reenergized Kojima here. Pitch-perfect balance of workrate and comedy gold from Mama Aoyagi’s Baby Boy.
It is completely wild that we got such a gnarly-looking avalanche Koji Cutter from old man Kojima in 2023. The man stepped through a time portal and performed like Muto was back in the driver’s seat. They strung up the false finishes like a pair of crowd manipulation EXPERTS, Yuma looking right at home defeating a beloved former Triple Crown champion. Watch this one. ****
