All Japan Pro Wrestling 9/3/2019

All Japan Pro Wrestling 9/3/2019

All Japan Tag Titles - Violent Giants - Shuji Ishikawa and Suwama vs Ryoji Sai and Zeus

Shuji is getting old with mostly gray hair now. The Giants immediately go after their opponents and take them outside. Both of them get their heads smacked off the signs and Suwama suplexes Zeus on the floor. Shuji then dives his knees onto Zeus from the apron, which we mostly missed. Shuji throws Zeus into the various rails. Suwama hits a very high backdrop on Zeus, then does a high boston crab which Zeus escapes. Zeus and Suwama go at it in the corner and Suwama gives him a nice eye rake, then tosses him with a belly to belly suplex. Suwama and Sai trade shots and Suwama gets northern lights suplexed. Zeus does his usual flying clothesline into a kip-up and does his bear-hug suplex onto Shuji. Zeus gets sandwich clotheslined and the giants try for double powerbombs, but get double back bodydropped instead. Sai and Zeus team up to suplex Shuji but Suwama breaks the pin. Zeus stands on the 2nd rope and brings in Shuji from the apron for a suplex, then he frogsplashes him from the top. Suwama comes from behind though and germans him hard. Sai then comes in and takes a hard lariat from Suwama. The giants do a tower of doom where Shuji is under Suwama like a powerbomb and they try to suplex Zeus. Sai stops it and Shuji ends up powerbombing his partner. Then Zeus comes off the top with a flying clothesline. Zeus tries to suplex Shuji, but gets knee'd in the head then is dragon suplexed hard. Shuji hits a big knee to the chest for a close 2. Everyone gets in and Sai STO's Suwama. Zeus and Shuji trade forearms, then Zeus starts hitting chops. Zeus hits a big jackhammer on Shuji and wins it. This wasn't as great as it could have beem as I really wanted to see more strike exchanges and power moves, but it was still fine with the last few minutes being good. I didn't hate it or anything, but I thought they could have done more to make it special.

Triple Crown Title - Kento Miyahara vs Naoya Nomura

The finish

Loud Kento chants here and Nomura is usually quite popular. They do the usual feeling out. Kento doesn't clean break and Nomura goes after him. Kento gets whipped into the corner, but swings around it and poses. They go back out and Kento gets thrown into the post. Nomura goes into the crowd and spears him into the post. Nomura does lungblower to his stomach and ends up spearing the post. Kento then gives him a loud headbutt and blows a kiss to the camera. Kento then basically F5's Nomura onto the rails and hits another hard headbutt.

Kento locks on a headscissors but won't let go when Nomura hits the ropes and Kohei physically pulls him off. Then Nomura gets up as they argue and starts firing on Kento, but then is dropkicked in the head. They exchange a little and Kento tries to dropkick Nomura in the head when he is bent over, but Nomura moves and double stomps him. They battle it out on the apron and Kento gets DDT'd on it, then Kento is on the apron and Nomura germans him from it while he is on the ground. Nomura tries a top rope splash but Kento gets his knees up. They sell for a little and then Kento germans Nomura while he is on the 2nd rope. Then he v-triggers him into the middle rope, germans him and v-triggers him again for 2. Not to worry though, No-Sell Nomura is back up and ready a minute later, when he spears Kento down. They trade forearm shots and have a nice little back and forth with it, then Kento single leg curbstomps Nomura's head hard into the mat. Nomura no sells it though and as Kento slaps him, he slaps him super hard back and knocks him down. Nomura goes for a spear, takes two strikes then is slow german'd in a matter of seconds.

Nomura spears Kento from behind while he is on his knees. He tries another, but Kento blocks it and v-triggers him, then Nomura tries to spear him again and eats another v-trigger. Kento does another but can't finish him. Nomura then does a big flurry of forearms and knocks him down with a big one for 2. Kento gets back up though and is death valley driver'd for another 2. Kento hops out of a death valley driver and lands on his feet and slow german's Kento for the win. The selling was issue here as it usually is with these guys. They'd be down and out one second then would be sprinting through stuff the next. Nomura did improve his offense some though and his moves look better since the last time I saw him, and thankfully, Kento didn't do the usual goofy corner spots with Wada as this was not the place for it. Even with the selling issues, it still was entertaining and kept my interest, but just a little selling and slowing it down at the end really would have meant a lot. Meltzer giving this a near 5 star rating is a joke, but it was one of the better efforts of both men, especially Nomura.