Yoshitatsu vs. Black Menso-re
The last big Yoyogi show for All Japan goes all the way back to the Muro era of 2007. To celebrate this momentous return, the Zen Nihon decision-makers booked the two most powerful warriors of today’s era to open the show. And they had the sickest two-star match in recent memory!? Lots of crafty matwork and Yoshitatsu grumpiness. That reverse Yoshitatsu Fantasy finish was the most inspired Tatsu spot in ages. **1/2
Naruki Doi, Naoki Tanizaki & Hokuto Omori vs. Kotaro Suzuki, Keiichi Sato & MAZADA
Fast-paced Rudo vs. Rudo encounter featuring an assortment of former AJPW, Dragon Gate and current GLEAT superstars. Hokuto continuing to use the corner forearm (now an established Kento Killer) as a secondary finisher is very cool. In related Hokuto news, the wayward boy got a massive reaction from Yoyogi – a sign that the recent showcases are working. **1/2
Masanobu Fuchi, Kaz Hayashi & Ryuji Hijikata vs. Osamu Nishimura, Mitsuya Nagai & Masao Inoue
It’s been too long since we’ve had a proper old man match. Thankfully, this all-star cast made up for the recent drought and delivered high-level geriatric thrills. The Fooch put on a god damned wrestling clinic by throwing a dropkick and then selling the damage on himself. Other highlights included Hayashi chopping the dogshit out of Masao and Nish shouting out Terry Funk with the spinning toe-hold. No complaints. No notes. THREE STARS. ***
Koji Iwamoto, Takuya Nomura, Fuminori Abe & Ryo Inoue vs. T-Hawk, Shigehiro Irie, El Lindaman & Junjie
Iwamoto disappeared from our computer screens in late 2022 as part of the anti-TAJIRI mass walkout. He opened his own gym and lived his best life for a while, but now it’s time to get back to what truly matters – producing art in the Undercard Cinematic Universe. The Stronghearts 6-man formula was an optimal vehicle for the Iwamoto comeback story as he effortlessly kept up with the frenzied pace and out-judo threw that scamp Lindaman.
Equally impressive was the debuting Junjie, a full-on kung fu master from China who recently transitioned to GLEAT, thanks to CIMA’s OWE grift. All action all the time was the tagline of the day, Astronauts matching well with everyone and Inoue teasing eventual greatness with a sloppy-but-promising Masaaki Mochizuki-style triangle enzuigiri. ***1/2
Suwama, Hikaru Sato & Dan Tamura vs. Jun Akiyama, Sanshiro Takagi & Yusuke Okada
The last time we saw Akiyama in AJPW, he was a permanent fixture in the Old Man Match at Korakuen and mostly focused on hurting Black Menso-re. Three years later, he leads an invasion angle with his fellow defector pupil and brand-new DDT boss. Wrestling is wild sometimes and this match was the wildest shit.
In terms of bar brawl violence, this was up there with last year’s Zen Nihon vs. Lil Noojies slobberknocker. It was also an incredible showcase for Dan Tamura who essentially got into a shoot fight with the hot-headed Yusuke Okada. Akiyama, no matter his age, remains an absolute master of the high-tension slug-fests that blur the line between reality and fiction. As exciting as this was, it felt like the starting pistol of something much bigger. We are in for a hell of a ride. ***1/2
KAIRI & Saori Anou vs. Sayaka Unagi & Sareee
AJPW’s Joshi experiment has been somewhat of a bumpy ride. After the intergender comedy gold from earlier this year, we’ve had low-stakes undercard tags and the Evo Girls learning on the job. This match immediately felt miles ahead of the recent showcases and should be considered the template for any future attempts at Joshi integration.
Star power, high workrate and killer presentation. The girls were out to steal the show and they pretty much did. Working as ice-cold heels, the STARDOM team led the babyface duo through a hard-hitting burner that kept escalating in brutality and Cool Shit. There were Cirque du Soleil-level submissions, Tokyo Dome-ready apron spots and KAIRI honoring Aja Kong with the nastiest Urakens in recent memory. Total fucking blast. ****
Yuma Aoyagi, Atsuki Aoyagi & Rising HAYATO vs. Ryuki Honda, Yusuke Kodama & Masao Hanabatake
Super effective crowd pleaser that simultaneously fired up the Yuma/Honda Triple Crown Match and put a bow on Ryuki’s GOA graduation. Love both Kodama and Hanabatake, but Honda rightfully wrestled like he was in another league and looked ready to move on to bigger things. His chemistry with Yuma is getting sharper with every encounter and I’m expecting fireworks for their title match. Shoutout to Atsuki/HAYATO working as the Rock N’ Roll Express and bringing back the sweet double-teams of their junior tag league run. ***1/4
Jun Saito & Rei Saito © vs. Shuji Ishikawa & Ren Ayabe – G-INFINITY Tag-Team Titles
Even with the unfortunate Voodoo Murdering, there were so many good parts to this. The Saitos built a simple but effective match around Babyface in Peril Ayabe and filled the gaps with Rei/Ishikawa nuclear warfare. If you’re a Shoot Headbutt Pervert, Raymond and Big Shuj are the ultimate pairing right now. Two large monsters doing vile shit to each other. While Ayabe remains a promising blank slate, his well-timed comebacks and solid crowd connection got the job done. ***1/4
Kento Miyahara vs. Yuma Anzai
Leave it to Kento Miyahara to make his own 15th anniversary match all about his opponent. Not content with the red hair surprise, Miyahara pulled out the entire red carpet for Anzai and cooked something special for their first singles meeting. Hyperbole be damned, this looked like the opening chapter of a large-scale saga that could carry the AJPW main event scene for years to come.
To say Anzai stepped up to the plate here would be the understatement of the year. The boy wonder came back from his N1 journey with heightened confidence and the crowd felt it immediately. He took to the Kento Formula like a fish to water, adding his own curveballs to refresh some of the classic Miyahara patterns. The guardrail dive was a notable highlight and his suplex cutoff to Kento’s dropkick sequence was equally inspiring.
Like all the best Kento matches, they found the right balance between dramatic character moments and fast-paced bomb-throwing. And Anzai was a natural fit for both. The big match instincts he showed through the ending stretch were so far ahead of your average Japanese wrestling rookie that I could barely comprehend what I was seeing. We got a possible Jun Akiyama nod with the kneepad removal and a new ‘enzui’ version of his jumping knee that came off as instant murder.
After years of getting by as the charming throwback promotion that never takes itself too seriously, All Japan now have a literal Ace up their sleeve. A wrestling prodigy that could significantly raise their profile. Yuma Anzai is destined to be The Guy and judging by this match, Kento will do everything in his power to make it happen. ****1/4
