Summer is in full swing. The chopper is out of the garage. Barbecue smell permeates the air. Divorce papers are signed. Wrestling is being reviewed. This can only mean one thing.
It’s CAPTAIN LOU’S BIG WEEKEND! (The AJPW June 2023 Catch-up Edition)
Atsuki Aoyagi © vs. Kaito Ishida – AJPW Jr. Heavyweight Title (6/15/23)
Not a bad way to kick off Atsuki’s second reign with the junior strap! Wrestling-wise, it expanded on the snappy chemistry both guys showed during the junior tag league and gave Aoyagi more room to tinker with Junior Ace super heroics. While the boy usually defaults to Babyface in Peril, this showed subtle attempts at leveling up his character, what with the Kento-esque fighting spirit surge during the finish.
Ishida used similar tricks as his fellow Dragon warrior Naruki Doi, alternating between crowd terrorism and fast-paced fire works to great effect. There were enough twists to deviate from the standard Atsuki Formula, Ishida again proving to be a top-tier opponent for All Japan’s prized cutie-pie. ***3/4
Kenoh & Manabu Soya © vs. Kento Miyahara & Yuma Aoyagi – AJPW Tag Team Titles (6/15/23)
A main event odyssey that checked all the boxes and served as a timely reminder of AJPW’s eternal reliability when it comes to delivering quality tag team wrestling. Wheel reinvention was not on the menu today, both teams leaning into classic Southern tag tropes and taking Korakuen Hall on a rollercoaster of heel ass whoopings and triumphant babyface comebacks.
Manabu Soya, most-commonly known as the Demon Dad, added to his already-impressive 2023 big match resume by working the mother of all ending stretches with Kento. It’s a shame so much of the Kongo tag run was spent in Voodoo territory, considering their reign was book ended by some of the finest tags of the year. ****1/4
Suwama & Shuji Ishikawa vs. Daisuke Sekimoto & Yuji Okabayashi (6/17/23)
Responsible for the most memorable tag matches of 2019, these juggernauts ran back their interpromotional beef to commemorate 20 years of Big Shuj. It was another slug-fest for the ages, Strong BJ doing everything in their power to steal the show against the recently-reunited Violence Giants.
You know the drill by now – both teams beat the ever-loving shit out of each other in the unfanciest way possible. Everyone had their working boots on, but it was the Shuji/Okabayashi pairing that stood out thanks to sheer scope of its brutality. The Golem’s been hinting at a wrestling pause and may have used this match to make one final statement in Baba Land. Fucking great. ****1/4
Kento Miyahara & Yuma Aoyagi © vs. Atsuki Aoyagi & Rising HAYATO – AJPW Tag Team Titles (6/17/23)
The Nextream boys spent a large portion of last year honing their craft in a series of under-the-radar bangers that made up the amazing AJPW house show run of 2022. Every trick learnt in these matches was brought out here and amplified by Rising HAYATO’s character transformation. Not only did the kid make for an ideal babyface protagonist, but he managed to bring out a level of rarely-seen Ace viciousness from Kento that made everything feel pretty special.
The action transcended weight class gimmicks and landed straight in generational warfare territory – your favorite 90’s AJPW delicacy. Add some high-level, Brother On Brother violence to the Kento/HAYATO drama and you end up with a certified slobberknocker. Please log off from Twitter and watch this immediately. ****1/4
Yuji Nagata © vs. Yuma Anzai – Triple Crown (6/17/23)
As someone who was initially against the Triple Crown Nagata experiment, I’ve now been backed into a corner. It is time to admit defeat. This run has produced a shocking amount of Good Wrestling and this was no exception. Less than a year after debuting against ol’ Blue Justice, Anzai looked right at home working an Ota Ward main event.
To Nagata’s credit, the old fox knew exactly how to build a high stakes title match around Anzai’s strengths. Kicks were thrown, arms were abused and drama was unlocked. Already a natural when it comes to fighting spirit and crowd-popping comebacks, Anzai again came off as a can’t-miss superstar – wisely using his limited move-set and hinting at potential Kobashi-esque greatness with that Moonsault attempt. 2023 belongs to the Zen Nihon Freaks. ****
