All Japan Pro Wrestling 11/5/2023 Giant Series 2023 ~ Hokkaido Edition Day 6 (Afternoon Show)
Yoshitatsu vs. Ren Ayabe
They lock up twice and clean break both times. They shoulder battle, which Ren wins. Ren is pulled over the top and Yoshi plancha's him. They trade forearms outside then trade shots inside. Yoshi kicks him in the arm then hammerlocks him. Ren hits a forearm and Yoshi asks for more.
Yoshi locks up the arm again then Ren slams him. Ren flying neckbreakers him then running face kicks him. Yoshi tornado ddt's him then hits kicks to the chest. They trade forearms and Yoshi face kicks him. Ren falcon arrows him and wins it.
This didn't look good on paper and it wasn't. This was two bad wrestlers without much energy having a lame match in front of a dead crowd.
Hikaru Sato & Ryo Inoue vs. Zennichi Shin Jidai (Atsuki Aoyagi & Rising HAYATO)
Sato and AA start us off. Sato leg kicks him and AA backs off. Sato takes AA down and AA ropebreaks. Ryo and Rising get in. Rising headflips out of a wristlock then Ryo dropkicks him. Ryo is pulled over the top and Rising teases a dive. Ryo chest kicks Rising down for 2.
Rising hits chops on Sato. Sato spin kicks him in the gut then kicks him in the back for 2. Rising hits a nice flying shoulder on Sato. AA cartwheels and flips out of an irish whip by Sato then 2nd rope armdrags him and dropkicks him out. AA dropkicks Ryo on the apron.
AA gets stuck on the buckles then Sato suplexes him in. AA goes for a handspring on Sato then is caught in an armlock. Ryo hits chest kicks on AA then PK's him for 2. AA is popped up and dropkicks Ryo off of it. Ryo dropkicks Rising then enzugiri's AA. Ryo triangle enzugiri's Rising for 2.
Rising flying kicks Ryo on the ropes then Ryo buzzsaw kicks Rising for 2. Ryo hits forearms on Rising then is popped-up into a superkick and handspring corkscrew kick. Rising falcon arrows Ryo for 2. AA moonsaults off the top onto Sato outside. Rising top rope moonsaults Ryo and wins it.
It was a shorter and kind of rushed tag. It was okay for what it was but they didn't have time to get any real pace or flow going here and the finishing section was definitely rushed. It was nice to see Ryo being treated more of an equal here than a young boy.
T-Hawk vs Dan Tamura
Dan hits forearms on T then T hits chops on him. Dan hits a flying shoulder. Dan running shoulders him in the corner, suplexes him then karelin's lifts him. T chops Dan off the top rope and down to the floor. T pop-up knees Dan then takes a lariat. Dan death valley drivers him for 2. T back body drops him then hits chops. Dan lariats him as she runs at him then spinning forearms him.
Dan misses a shoulder then takes a reverse slam. T then does his elevated landslide and wins it.
It was your usual oddly paced T-Hawk match with T going 100MPH when on offense and Dan doing most of the selling. It wasn't that good but Dan got more in than expected.
Black Menso-re, Fuminori Abe & Kumagoro Hokkai vs. Noriyuki Yoshida, Takao Omori & Tomoya
Hokkai is the former Brute Issei fooling around in a bear costume with a fish toy. He was essentially supposed to be Suwama's rival, but he got injured and quit wrestling for a long time.
Abe wristlocks Yoshida. Yoshida gets out then Omori and Menso go at it. Tomoya gets in there with Menso. Menso dropkicks him out then does his taunt. Hokkai is pushed into Menso then Hokkai elbow drops Menso on accident. Menso takes a double shoulder from Omori and Tomoya. Abe breaks a pin up by hitting Omori with the fish toy.
Yoshida chops Menso then finlay rolls him for 2. Tomoya spinebusters Menso then catapults him into the buckles. Menso hits a weak double chop on Tomoya then step up enzugiri's him. Abe dropkicks Tomoya in the knee then spin kicks him. Abe kicks Tomoya in the back. Tomoa spinning forearms him then lariats him.
Omori is tagged in and knocks Hokkai off the apron. Omori spinning heel kicks Abe then Abe step up enzugiri's him. Abe spin kicks Omori then Menso spinning eye pokes him. Menso double stomps Omori for 2 and Abe hits Yoshida with the fish toy. Omori superplexes Menso then running lariats him to win it.
This was bad comedy. Hokkai got nothing in here and I regret wathing this.
Ryuki Honda, Suwama & Yuma Anzai vs. Zennichi Shin Jidai (Kento Miyahara, Shuji Ishikawa & Yuma Aoyagi)
Kento walks out and stalls early. Anzai backs up Kento on the ropes and forearms him hard. Kento side headlocks him then hits a face kick. Anzai then dropkicks him. Shuji and Suwama go at it. Shuji shoulders him then knocks him over. Honda and Aoyagi get in. Aoyagi dropkicks him and they fight over a suplex attempt. Honda shoulders him over.
Honda chokes him over the 2nd rope with his knee then counts along with the ref like usual to break it. Aoyagi takes a double shoulder form Anzai and Honda. Kento throws Anzai out and Kento gets up getting sent into the rails. Aoyagi hits forearms on his 3 opponents then Suwama shoulders him over and crabs him.
Aoyagi flying forearms Suwama. Kento gets in and face kicks Suwama. Kento side dropkicks him in the head then Suwama shoulders him over. Honda corner lariats Kento then spinebusters him. Honda camel clutches Kento then the two trade forearms. Kento headbutts him and jumping knees him in the corner. Kento hits a face kick then is speared.
Anzai and Shuji get in and trade forearms. Anzai hits a nice dropkick then corner forearms him. Shuji lariats him over. Anzai takes a triple team but ends up hitting a double drpkick off of it. Anzai belly to belly suplexes Shuji then Shuji takes corner attacks.
Anzai suplexes Shuji. Shuji corner lariats Anzai then is german suplexed. Shuji takes a jumping knee + lariat combo then Anzai flying knees Shuji for 2. Aoyagi uranage's Anzai then Kento pumping knees Anzai. Shuji hits splash mountain on Anzai and wins it.
It was a short and fun sprint. Not a ton of time here but everyone got a little shine and they kept it moving at a quick pace.
AJPW World Junior Heavyweight Title Match - El Lindaman (c) vs. Jonathan Gresham
This is random. Gresham came in on October 31st and ended up being gone by November 5th.
JG armdrags him early and Linda backs off. Linda takes him down. JG rolls out of a leg lock then side headlocks him. JG armdrags him, Linda reverses it into a headscissors and ddt's him. Linda puts him on the 2nd rope and neckbreakers him.
Linda hits a forearm and they trade forearms while holding each others hand. Linda back elbows him then JG rebound lariats him. JG then hits a running forearm. They cradle each other and try some pin attempts. JG puts him in an octopus stretch then Linda hits a nice delayed backdrop out of it. Linda flying face kicks him in the corner.
Linda last ride powerbombs him in the corner. JG step up enzugiri's him then hits a nice german for 2. JG puts him in a grounded octopus stretch then Linda rolls him into the buckles to break it. Linda hits a nice forearm then JG asai moonsaults him. JG then plancha's him outside. JG slingshots in and rolls him up for 2. Linda rolls him into a tiger suplex for the win.
AJPW World Tag Team Title Match - Voodoo Murders (Jun Saito & Rei Saito) (c) vs. Hokuto Omori & Minoru Suzuki
Rei and Suzuki start us off trading shots. Suzuki takes a chop then picks his nose and wipes it on Rei. They trade forearms for chops. Rei pushes Suzuki back and takes a boot for it. Suzuki pulls some trash out from under the ring and threatens the ref with a pari of scissors. Suzuki then throws a chair out there.
Omori and Rei lock up. Omori backs him up and like rubs his beard. They shoulder battle for some reason and Rei knocks him over. Omori rolls out, Rei argues with Suzuki then Omori hits Rei from behind. Omori is pushed off the top rope to the floor then Jun rams a chair into Suzuki outside. Suzuki hits him with a rail and knocks the video feed out.
Suzuki and Jun fight outside. Jun slams Omori inside and elbow drops him for 2. Suzuki's raising hell off camera and Rei stands on Omori's gut. Jun then joins him as Suzuki grabs a weapon. Rei slams Omori then Jun face kicks Omori in the corner. Omori slams Jun.
Suzuki gets in and running face kicks Jun. Suzuki forearm flurries Jun then puts him in a sleeper. Jun ropebreaks. Rei gets in to help and Suzuki puts him in a choke. Jun spears Suzuki. Rei gets in and chop flurries Suzuki. Rei corner lariats Suzuki then Suzuki hits forearms on him. Suzuki guillotines him then Rei suplexes him while in the hold.
Omori hits forearms on Jun then knocks him over with a good one. Jun and Omori trade forearms and Omori spinning forearms him. Omori then knocks him down with another forearm. Omori takes a 2v1 with corner attacks then he takes a double hiptoss. Jun lariats Omori then kind of chokeslams him, but Omori triangles him off of it anyway.
Omori puts Jun in an anaconda vice. Omori falcon arrows him for 2. Omori charges at Jun but Rei pounces him from the side. Jun suplexes Omori then Rei top rope splashes Omori for 2. Suzuki gets in and hits shots on the Saito's then takes a double shoulder. Jun chokeslams Omori for 2. Jun gets stuck up top then hits a doomsday device on Omori to win it.
It was an odd match. I think they were kind of trying to do a heel vs heel match here. Suzuki got mad early and definitely oversold his anger. The anger never really paid off though and he never did end up getting his hands on the Saito's. And while they are trying to push Omori as a heavy, he was doing too much here by throwing the Saito's around and he's just not that loveable underdog type. There was maybe a good idea on paper here but it didn't work out.
Suzuki knocks over a ref and a ringside guy after before storming off.
Overall thoughts: The trios match Kento and crew was decent and I liked Linda/Gresham. They tried to do a heated heel vs heel match in the main and it didn't work out that well. The undercard wasn't that great either. I'd say it was about average.
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