All Japan Pro Wrestling 12/31/2023 MANIAx 2023
There's no women's match on this show which is odd since they usually are on the bigger shows now.
Koji Iwamoto, Minoru Tanaka & Naruki Doi vs. Astronauts (Fuminori Abe & Takuya Nomura) & Black Menso-re
Doi running forearms Abe. Abe slaps him then kicks him in the back. Minoru and Menso go at it. Minoru hammerlocks him. Menso hits chops and Minoru face kicks him. Menso dropkicks him. They go out and Menso is sent into the rails as everyone else fights outside withm them. Minoru suplexes Menso on the floor.
Doi rips at Menso's mask. Menso takes running corner attacks and Koji pop-up knees him for 2. Menso step up enzugiri's Koji. Nomura gets in and hits forearms and a slam on Minoru. Nomura supelexes Koji then Koji blocks his PK. They trade forearms. Abe gets tagged in and PK's Koji.
Koji shoulder throws Nomura then suplexes Abe. Abe punches him and both go down. Minoru and Menso get in and Minoru flips over him. They trade shots then Minoru eye pokes him. Minoru 2nd rope dropkicks him. Menso takes a double back elbow, a cradle shock and a 2nd rope double stomp for 2.
Menso cradles Minoru for 2 then superkicks him. Menso misses a move off the top then backslides Minoru for 2. Minoru high kicks him then rolls him up off the abdominal stretch to win it.
They didn't have enough time here and it ended up being rushed. There was just a lot of people coming in and out and Menso was oddly in for the majority of this. I've always thought Koji and Minoru really looked alike since Minoru used to have the same tights as him and it was hard to tell them apart at times.
Koji Doi, Kuma Arashi & Mitsuya Nagai vs. Ryo Inoue, Ryuki Honda & Takao Omori
This is one of the few times Doi and Kuma have actually made tape this year. I don't know what the deal is with them as they are two good, heavyweight wrestlers yet none of the bigger feds seem to like them. This is a giant waste of Honda, who has been one AJPW's best this year.
Omori and Doi start us off. Omori side headlocks him and they trade shoulders. They trade chops for forearms. Kuma knees Omori on the ropes. Omori takes a double shoulder and legdrop + senton combo. Omori is then triple stomped by his opponents.
Nagai puts Omori in a traphezus hold then Omori back drops him. Ryo gets in and hits chest kicks on Nagai. Ryo 2nd rope dropkicks Nagai then Nagai suplexes him. Doi and Honda get in and trade forearms. Honda running back elbows him then corner lariats him. Honda spinebusters Doi for 2.
Doi hits running corner moves on him for a 2 count then crossfaces him. Doi spinning lariats Honda then is lariated over. Doi suplexes Honda. Omori and Kuma get in. Kuma samoan drops him then sentons him. Omori takes corner attacks then Nagai capture suplexes Omori. Kuma sentons Omori for 2 then misses a top rope senton.
Honda spears Kuma then Ryo 2nd rope elbow drops Kuma. Omori 2nd rope elbow drops Kuma for 2. Kuma and Omori lariat each other then Omori full-nelson slams him for 2. Omori axe bombers him and wins it.
It was short for how many people were involved and wasn't what it could have been. Omori struggled a bit at times here. It probably could have been a decent house show semi-main event on a better day.
Yoshitatsu & Yuma Aoyagi vs. Ren Ayabe & Shuji Ishikawa
Shuji and Ren give out samples of something to fans in the crowd. Yuma and Yoshi attack before the bell. They go for stereo codebreakers and are both knocked over. Shuji slams Yuma for 2 then Ren also slams Yuma. Yuma hits forearms on Ren then Ren hits a nice back body drops on him.
Yuma gets dropped by a Shuji forearm then Shuji running forearms him in the corner. Shuji 2nd rope double stomps Yuma for 2. Yuma running forearms Shuji. Yoshi gets in and hits kicks on Shuji. Yoshi face kicks him then tornado ddt's Ren. Yuma and Yoshi hit stereo facewash kicks. They go for stereo codebreakers again and get knocked over for it.
Ren flying neckbreakers Yuma then corner face kicks him. Ren gets on Shuji's shoulders and they suplex Yuma. Yuma cradles Ren and rolls him up. Ren full-nelson slams him for 2. Yuma rolls Ren up with a bridge and gets the win.
It was another quick tag that probably would have been the main or semi-main of another show. Nothing too special here but Ren actually showed a little personality for a change.
Jun Saito vs Rei Saito
They lock up and Rei slaps him on the ropes. Jun slaps him back and they hit shots. Jun side headlocks him and they shoulder battle. Jun face kicks him then Rei drops him over the top rope. They go out to the floor and Jun is sent into the rails. Rei is then sent into the rails. Jun hits forearms and Rei slams him. Rei stands on Jun's gut.
Rei chop flurries Jun in the corner then corner lariats him. Jun back body drops him then running face kicks him. Jun hits corner punches then hits a face kick and lariat. Jun hits forearms then is shouldered on the ropes. Rei slams him then 2nd rope splashes him for 2.
Rei gets stuck up top and is superplexed. They trade chops. Rei double chops him and takes kicks to the chest. Jun face kicks him then Rei crossbodies him. Rei piledrivers Jun then hits bolo punches. Jun spears him. They slap each other. Rei headbutts him and Jun shoves him. Jun face kicks him and picks up the win.
It wasn't that good. You could tell they really didn't want to lay into each other and didn't feel comfortable beating each other up. It seemed like everything they did was emotionally hurting them. The crowd wasn't that into it either.
They walked out together after.
Kuroshio TOKYO Japan & Seigo Tachibana vs. Shotaro Ashino & T-Hawk
Ashino's back. He grew a beard, he's tanned and he's bigger. Ashino hammerlocks Seigo. Siego side headlock takeoers him and they stand off. Seigo boots him on the ropes and is taken down, back elbowed and shoulderblocked. Seigo takes a double chop from both opponents. T chops Seigo. Seigo hits forearms back then takes a hard forearm.
Ashino karelin's lifts Seigo then chinlocks him. Jiro tags in and jacket punches Ashino. Jiro dropkicks Ashino in the arm. Ashino hits shots on Jiro then his shoulder is rammed into the buckle. Seigo basement dropkicks Ashino then kimura takedowns him. Ashino belly to belly suplexes Seigo.
T hits shots on Seigo then Jiro clubs T. Jiro springboard dropkicks Seigo on accident then T suplexes Jiro. T and Seigo goof around. Jiro and T go at it and Jiro jacket punches T. Jiro jacket punches his opponents out. Seigo tope con hilos both opponents outside then purposely botches a flying space tiger drop.
Jiro throws Seigo off the top at T and T moves. Ashino hits high germans on both opponents. Jiro is pushed into an Ashino german then Seigo is pop-up euro'd. T reverse slams Seigo onto Jiro. Ashino running euros Jiro for 2.
Ashino ankle locks Jiro. Jiro gets out and leg kicks him. Ashino and T take stereo beach breaks for 2. Jiro running step up enzugiri's Ashino and wins it.
This was awful. This was Ashino's return from injury here. He should have been featured and put over strong. Instead, it was the Seigo and Jiro comedy hour. Then Ashino lost. Horrible.
Charlie Dempsey & Yuma Anzai vs. LEONA & Tatsumi Fujinami
TF = Tatsumi Fujinami, CD = Charlie Dempsey
TF and CD start us off. TF wristlocks him, CD rolls out, bridges and flips backwards. TF headlock takeovers him and CD headscissors him. CD shoulders TF over and hits euros. TF dragon screws him.
Leona and Yuma get in. Leona wristlocks him and takes a side headlock. Yuma shoulders him over then Leona headlock takeovers him. Yuma dropkicks him. Leona hits euros and slaps. Leona suplexes him then jumping elbows him.
TF clubs on Yuma. Yuma dropkicks him. TF trips CD then Leona does a top rope fist or knee drop to CD. CD hits euros on Leona then Leona dragon screws him. CD falls backwards on it and takes a nasty looking fall. Leona figure fours him.
CD gutwrench suplexes him then does a kimura takeover. It gets broken up and Yuma flying knees TF. Leona takes a high/low then CD dragon screws Leona. CD does an stf variation on him and wins it.
It only had 8 minutes and it just wasn't enough time to get anything going. Leona is very average at everything and Fujinami can't move as well due to his age. I'm not sure what was supposed to be accomplished out of this, but I don't think it helped anyone.
Atsuki Aoyagi & Rising HAYATO vs. The 37KAMIINA (Toy Kojima & Yuki Ueno)
AA = Atsuki Aoyagi
AA and Toy start us off. Toy hits an okay dropkick that surprises AA. Rising and Ueno wristlock each other. Rising chops him and hits a spinning headscissors. Rising flips off the 2nd rope and does his pose. Ueno goes over the top and skins the cat and they do a pose off.
Rising and AA are pulled over the top then Ueno tornillo planchas them. Rising is thrown into the rails outside. Toy slams AA then elbow drops him. Ueno vader bomb double knees AA then chinlocks him. Toy corner dropkicks AA then suplexes him.
Toy sleepers AA then AA handspring back kicks Toy. Rising jumps off of Toy's back and dropkicks Ueno. Rising running back elbows Toy then Toy flying kicks him. Ueno enzugiri's Rising from the apron then slingshot double knee drops him. Ueno spins Rising into a facebuster. Rising then slingshot ddt's him onto the apron over the ropes.
Ueno takes kicks from both opponents for 2. Ueno dropkicks Rising in the knee then leg lariats him over the middle rope. Rising crucifix bombs Ueno with help from his partner. Rising falcon arrows Ueno for 2 then asai moonsaults him for 2. Rising does a top rope asai moonsault and Ueno gets his knees up. Ueno flying pumping knees him then Rising takes a double team air raide crash for 2.
Toy tope con hilos AA outside. Rising Ueno trade shots and Rising single leg dropkicks him. Ueno dropkicks him then hits his ranhei variation to win it.
It was probably my least favorite of the AJPW vs DDT matches we have had. There was no anger or aggression between these guys and it was just a match. Toy had a good night but there wasn't anything too special about it.
AJPW World Junior Heavyweight Title Match - El Lindaman (c) vs. Dan Tamura
They trade forearms on the floor and Dan goes into the rails. Linda dropkicks him over the rails. Dan's out for a good minute yet doesn't get counted out. Linda steps on his chest then knees him. Linda hits face kicks then Dan samoan drops him. Dan hits running shoulders in the corners then knocks him over. Dan suplexes him.
Dan shoulders him over. Linda fujiwara armbars him then Dan deadlift powerbombs him out of it. Dan and Linda trade forearms. Linda elbows Dan's arm then Dan lariats him. Linda forearms and backdrops him. Dan then backdrops him. Linda goes for an armbar then does a high shoulder throw for 2.
Linda delay germans him then Dan death valley drivers him. Linda release germans him on his head then Dan lariats him. Dan hits a nasty jacknife powerbomb on Linda then hits another one to win it.
I thought it needed more time but it was a good high impact match. They really stiffed each other here and they did a good job with Dan getting the come from behind win. The opening section of this could and should have been better though with a lot of time being waisted on a grounded waistlock.
Davey Boy Smith Jr., Hokuto Omori & Minoru Suzuki vs. Hideki Suzuki, Hikaru Sato & Suwama
We have Totally Not Reborn Suzuki-gun here. I'm not sure how this one is going to work out.
Minoru and Hideki start us off. They mat wrestle and Hideki goes for an armbar. Minoru foot chokes him and they trade forearms. They trade forearms and Hideki hits euros. Smith kimura takedowns Hideki and blocks his pin attempt. Smith does a nice full-nelson pin attempt then Suwama gets in.
Smith wins a test of strength against Suwama then Suwama side headlocks him. Suwama tries to slam him but can't then Smith slams him. Smith misses a leg drop and both tag out. Sato and Omori get in. They blow kisses at each other on the ropes and Sato bites his fingers. Omori running forearms him then Sato bites his foot.
Hideki stomps Omori's arms then Suwama gets in. Omori tries forearms on him and is double chopped down. Suwama corner forearms Omori then belly to belly suplexes him for 2. Omori dropkicks him in the knee. Omori 2nd rope dropkicks him.
Minoru gets in and PK's Suwama. Minoru back body drops him then Suwama back body drops him. Suwama shoulders him over. Sato hits kicks on Minoru then Minoru back body drops Hideki. Minoru sleepers Sato and gets Smith in.
Smith suplexes Sato then legdrops him for 2. Sato enzugiri's Smith. Suwama throws Hideki into Smith then corner lariats Smith. Sato enzugiri's Smith then water wheel drops him. Suwama and Hideki argue then Smith lariats both. Sato takes corner moves then Smith spinning powerslams him. Sato rolling armbars Smith then Smith deadlift powerbombs him out of it for 2. Smith sitout powerbombs him and wins it.
There was too much going on here with too many people involved and not enough time. It just didn't work.
Triple Crown Title Match - Katsuhiko Nakajima (c) vs. Kento Miyahara
KN = Katsuhiko Nakajima
They lock up and both get backed up into the ropes. KN leg kicks him from the mat then Kento face kicks him out. Kento headbutts him outside. Kento is thrown into the rails then Kento drops him throat first on the rails. Kento is then back body dropped onto the apron. Kento is thrown into the rails then face kicked on them.
They go back in and KN foot chokes him. KN kicks him in the back. They trade chops and Kento goes down. KN step up enzugiri's him, dragon screws him and puts him in an STF. KN running face kicks him then double foot chokes him in the corner. KN double foot chokes him again. KN hits chest kicks then is dropkicked in the knee and the side of the head.
KN sits up top and is pump kicked down to the floor. Kento piledrivers him on the apron. Kento pumping knees him in the corner. KN flips out of a german then germans him. Kento germans him back and takes a PK. Kento brainbusters him.
Kento pumping knees him then KN kicks his arm away. KN fujiwara armbars him. KN kicks Kento's arm, chest and back. Kento dropkicks him then running lariats him for 2. KN trips him into the buckles then chest kicks him. KN hits a PK for 2 then drops him with a big slap. KN brainbusters him for 2. KN misses a high kick and takes a flying pumping knee. Kento pumping knees him then KN high kicks him.
KN northern lights bombs him then armbars him. KN then tapes him out to win it.
As always with Kenoh matches, I didn't like the piledriver on the apron spot. That should really take someone out and they still wrestled after it. I thought it was good but not a classic. It was much better than their NOAH match. They did so some armwork here so the finish wasn't out of nowhere, but they could have done a better job of it.
Overall thoughts: All Japan actually stacked the card too much here. It's a good problem to have but multiple matches here probably could have been a suitable main or semi main on another show and instead got reduced time here. The main and junior title match delivered. The Davey Both Smith Jr. trios match didn't and the Saito Brothers seemed very uncomfortable out there with each other. It was good overall, just not great.
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