All Japan Pro Wrestling 9/14/2024 Royal Road Tournament 2024 Day 1

All Japan Pro Wrestling 9/14/2024 Royal Road Tournament 2024 Day 1

We get a opening ceremony for the tournament where the president of AJPW talks.

All Asia Tag Team Title Match - MUSASHI & Seiki Yoshioka (c) vs. Kuroshio TOKYO Japan & Seigo Tachibana

Mu = Musashi, SY = Seiki Yoshioka

Jiro and Mu go at it. Mu wristlocks him. Jiro ties his arms up and spins him much to Mu's confusion. Jiro trips him and ties the legs up. Mu headlock takeovers him and gets headscissored. Mu mounts him and Jiro ropebreaks.

Seigo side headlocks SY then is shouldered over twice. Seigo kips up. SY takes a double team shot from his opponents. Jiro and Seigo argue then SY hits a double dropkick. Jiro takes kicks and a double basement dropkick. 

Mu is put in tree of woe and Jiro yanks on the leg. SY is thrown into the rails outside. Mu's legs are bangedoff the mat for 2. Mu hits chest chops on Jiro then gets his leg ddt'd. Jiro texas cloverleafs him. Mu chops Seigo then step up enzugiri's him. SY corner attacks Seigo then kicks him in the back. SY PK's him for 2.

SY step up enzugiri's Seigo then Seigo running facekicks him. Jiro is tagged in and he argues with Seigo. They both go up top and argue. SY walks away from Jiro's top rope crossbody. Mu hits offense on Jiro then falcon arrows him for 2.

Jiro hits forearms on Mu. Mu goes to run but his knee gives out. Jiro and Siego beat up SY on the outside and double facekick him on the rails. Mu takes corner attacks then a kneebreaker and shotei. Mu is catapulted into a Jiro superkick then Seigo single leg crabs Mu.

Seigo olympic slams Mu. SY hits superkicks on Seigo then Jiro superkicks Seigo on accident. SY axe kicks Jiro then asai moonsaults both opponents outside. Seigo cradles Mu then Mu superkicks him. Mu germans him for 2. SY flying headscissors Jiro. Mu top rope frogsplashes Seigo for 2. Mu hits his leg hooking emerald flowsion on Seigo and wins.

Thoughts: I didn't think it was that got. Jiro and Seigo weren't super serious or putting that much effort into it and I didn't buy that they had a real shot here. It was also a slower match.

Hideki Suzuki & Hikaru Sato vs. Fuminori Abe & Hiroki Murase

Sato and Abe start us off. Abe gets kicked then slaps Sato in the corner. Sato blocks a takedown and kicks Abe in the arm. Arb hits punches then takes a kick flurry in the corner. Abe headbutts him and boots him. Abe is thrown out.

Suzuki is hammerlocked by Abe. Suzuki grabs an armlock, Abe tries to hiptoss him but Suzuki holds on. Suzuki hits palm strikes on Abe. Abe corkscrew kicks Suzuki then kicks him in the back.Hiroki gets in and and larits both opponents. Hiroki backdrops Suzuki for 2. Suzuki dropkicks him on the ropes. Sato chest kicks Hiroki.

Suzuki tries to throw Abe out but Abe holds on to the ropes and punches him. Hiroki dropkicks Sato off the buckles. Abe and Sato slap then forearm each other. Sato and Abe slap each other. Abe drops him with slaps then hits mounted slaps and shotei's. The ref then stops the match as Abe can't find back.

Thoughts: This was short, lazy and nothing of note. Sato slapping Abe out was unexpected.

Suzuki and Sato fight with Abe to the back after.

Davey Boy Smith Jr., Kento Miyahara & Ryo Inoue vs. ELPIDA (Ren Ayabe, Rising HAYATO & Yuma Anzai)

Ken and Ren lock up. Ren clean breaks him and pats him on the head. Ren shoulders him over. Davey and Rising go at it. Rising ducks a shot on the ropes. Davey side headlocks him then Rising dropkicks him in the knee. Davey euros him then is pulled over the top. Rising does his pose and Ryo kicks him in the head. Ryo snapmares him and kicks him in the back. 4 of the 6 brawl outside and Ren is sent into the rails. Davey stomps on Ren outside.

Ken headbutts rising outside and everyone fights. Davey slams Rising multiple times for 2. Rising dropkicks Davey out of the corner. Rising runs the ropes fast and dropkicks Davey in the knee. Ren flying neckbreakers Davey then corner facekicks him.

Davey suplexes Ren. Ken gets in and dropkicks Ren in the knee and the side of the head. Ken poses and Ren stands behind him waiting for him to stop. They trade forearms and Ken headbutts him. Ren dropkicks him.

Yuma corner forearms Ken then belly to belly suplexes him for 2. Ken facekicks Yuma. Ryo hits chest kicks on Yuma then corner dropkicks him. Yuma is triple teamed and takes a powerslam and PK for 2.

Ryo slaps Yuma around. Yuma hits a forearm flurry on him for it and mounts him. Yuma belly to belly suplexes Ryo. Ryo no sells it. They trade chest kicks for forearms. Ryo buzzsaw kicks him for 2.

Ryo facekicks Yuma then Yuma flying knees him. Ren half-nelson sitout bombs Ryo then Rising asai moonsaults Ryo. Yuma hits his gimlet on Ryo and wins.

Thoughts: It was an entertaining tag. Ren and Ken entertained some then Ryo and Yuma had a heated exchange. This really made me want to see Yuma vs Ryo and hopefully we get that soon. That brought out a different side of Yuma.

Saito Brothers (Jun Saito, Naruki Doi, Rei Saito & Senor Saito) vs. Hokuto-gun (Cyrus, Hokuto Omori, Jack Kennedy & Kuma Arashi)

The Saito's team poses then they all get him from behind. Everyone brawls outside and it goes into the seats. Kuma and Rei shoulder battle. They do a double knuckle lock and Kuma northern lights suplexes him. Rei shoulders him over.

Jun and Cy get in. They shoulder battle. Jun facekicks him and Cy superkicks him then shoulders him over. Cyrus has lost weight and looks good. Doi gets in and tries chest slaps on Cy that go nowhere. Cy slams him. Kuma sentons Doi for 2 then stands on Senor's gut.

Omori stomps on Doi. Doi eye rakes him then Doi gets tomped on by all 4 opponents. Jack fallaway slams Doi for 2. Doi dropkicks Jack in the knee and tags out. Jun corner facekicks Jack then suplexes him for 2. Jack blocks a chokeslam and fallaway slams Jun. Omori top rope dropkicks Jun.

Doi tries more chest chops on Cy and gets nowhere. Doi is then thrown onto Senor. Kuma tries to double lariat The Saito's. He is caught on a crossbody and Cy crossbodies to send them all over. Cy takes a double chokeslam then Kuma hits a double dropkick. Kuma lariats Senor and Omori top rope splashes Senor to win.

Thoughts: It was a short tag here for how many people were involved. Senor and Omori didn't really get to do much. It was fine and all but basically a waste of time.

Cy has words with Rei after. Omori gets on the mic and seems to challenge The Saito's. Jun and Rei respond. 

Royal Road Tournament 2024 First Round Match - Yuko Miyamoto vs. Joel Redman

Joel side headlocks him and Yuko takes him down. Yuko hooks the leg and is kicked. Yuko leg locks him and Joel rope breaks. Joe does a nice waistlock takedown. Joel rolls out of a wristlock.

Joel bridges out of a wristlock and does a handstand out of it. Joe handstands in the corner and 2nd rope twisting crossbodies him. Joel is pulled down off the buckles. Yuko cranks Joel's head then headscissors him.

Yuko euros him and hits a forearm. Joel clips him then yanks his leg. Joel butt drops Yuko and ddt's the leg. Joel snap suplexes him. Joel misses a top rope move. Yuko hits kicks and a spinning heel kick. Yuko goes up on the buckles and is knocked off.

Joel single leg crabs him. Yuko rolls him up then standing moonsault double knees him. Yuko goes for la magistral and Joel turns it into a pin attempt. Yuko backslides him for 2. Joel back body drops him.

Yuko goes up top and gets hit. Joel takes a sunset flip last ride for 2 from the buckles. Yuko does a top rope moonsault and Joel gets his knees up. Joel superkicks him. Joel top rope knee drops him for the win.

Thoughts: I liked this. Both guys came to work here and really put out a good effort. Everything they did looked good and Yuko did a non-hardcore match. It's such a shame Joel's career has been spent in the British indies for the most part because there's absolutely no reason he shouldn't be in the position of someone like Zack Sabre Jr. I hope we get a Davey Boy vs Joel match out of this tour.

Royal Road Tournament 2024 First Round Match - Shotaro Ashino vs. Dan Tamura

They grapple and do some amateur wrestling. Dan takes him down then Sho takes him down. Dan shoulders him over. Sho dragon screws him on the ropes then Sho bangs his leg off the apron. Sho wraps Dan's leg around the post and bangs it off of it.

Sho boots Dan's leg Dan fights back with forearms. Sho stretch mufflers him then Dan karelin's lifts him. Dan suplexes him for 2. Sho pop-up eros Dan then Dan shoulders him over. They trade forearms. Dan urakens him  then Sho germans him. Dan germans him back. Sho belly to belly suplexes him then Dan exploders him.

They trade forearms. Dan clubs on him then stomps on him. Sho lariats him then backdrops him. Sho germans him and ankle locks him. Dan then kicks his way out of it.

Dan hits a big lariat then flips him with one. Dan powerbombs him for the win.

Thoughts: They were on the verge of something great here but it didn't quite get there. The grappling and amateur wrestling was good earlier. Sho went to work on the leg and Dan eventually won with a powerbomb. I liked it but the finish could have have been better. I'd like to see them try this one again.

Royal Road Tournament 2024 First Round Match - Yuma Aoyagi vs. Ryuki Honda

They trade waistlocks. Honda wristlocks him. Yuma rolls through it, Honda headscissors him and they stand off. Yuma dropkicks him then Honda shoulders him over. Yuma is sent into the rails outside. Honda chokes him on the rails outside and counts with the ref when he tries to break it.

Honda elbow drops Yuma. Yuma fights back with forearms and is choked on the ropes again. Honda back elbows him.  Yuma dropkicks him off the apron. Honda is sent into the rails. Yuma leg drops Honda's neck over the rails. Yuma ddt's Honda on the floor then Yuma chokes Honda on the rails.

Yuma chokes Honda on the ropes and makes the ref break it up like Honda does. Yuma piledrivers him for 2. They trade forearms and Honda suplexes him. Honda corner lariats Yuma then spinebusters him for 2. Honda does a camel clutch variation on Yuma. Honda is dropkicked off the buckles and goes out.

Honda exploders Yuma on the apron and they take a while to get back in. Honda corner lariats him and they trade forearms. Yuma germans Honda then Honda germans him back. They trade germans and Yuma rock bottoms him. 

Yuma corner dropkicks Honda then backdrops him for 2. Yuma grounded guillotines him then hits an air raid crash. They fight on the buckles and Yuma headbutts him down. Honda superplexes him.

Honda corner lariats him then exploders him. Honda hits another lariat for 2. They trade forearms and Yuma lariats him. Yuma brainbusters him for 2. Yuma high kicks him for 2 then fisherman busters him for 2. Honda hits forearms then a big lariat. Honda running lariats him for 2. Honda running powerbombs him and wins.

Thoughts: It was a high impact match here with the two taking some hard bumps. I thought they did okay keeping it interesting throughout but it wasn't great. Yuma busted out some new stuff here like the air raid crash. I thought it was a good match though. Honda winning is definitely an upset but it's nice to see him get a win.

Honda celebrates on the mic after and dances over Yuma while he's knocked out. Honda then did some really goofy looking dance to Yuma's theme. Honda then sings Yuma's theme in one of the strangest moments I've ever seen out of AJPW. Honda then sings the theme to him. Yuma gets carried out and tries to go after him but is held back. Oh Honda's gonna pay for this one.

Overall thoughts: The two opening matches weren't that good but the tournament matches delivered. Yuko Miyamoto really tried hard and put together a good one with Joel. Sho and Dan had a good one that could have been great and the main was good. I liked this show.