All Japan Pro Wrestling 1/26/2025 New Year Wars 2025 Day 3

All Japan Pro Wrestling 1/26/2025 New Year Wars 2025 Day 3

Seiki Yoshioka & Taishin Nagao vs. Saito Brothers (Rei Saito & Senor Saito)

TN hammerlocks Senor and Senor ropebreaks. They trade hammerlocks and Senor side headlocks him. Senor bites the hand and SY stops him. Senor takes a double back elbow. TN slams Senor for 2. Rei grabs Senor from the apron and hits him. Rei boots him in the gut then foot chokes him.

Senor chinlocks TN and elbows him in the face. TN suplexes Senor. SY kicks Senor in the back then PK's him for 2. Senor eye rakes him then SY hits a scissors kick. Senor takes corner attacks then TN dropkicks him. TN misses a 2nd rope dropkick.

TN hits chest clubs on Rei then dropkicks him. Rei then boots him over. TN 2nd rope dropkicks him. Rei takes a double dropkick then TN top rope dropkicks him. SY superkicks Rei then TN hits more dropkicks on Rei. 

TN rolls him up for 2 then Rei suplexes him. Rei chops over TN. TN hits chest clubs. Rei spinning chops him. Rei slams TN for 2. Rei chokeslams TN and wins.

Thoughts: Rei got the win here over TN as expected. TN got a bunch of comebacks in here but never stood a chance and was put down. This was what you would think it would be and wasn't anything of note.

GAORA TV Title Match - Yuko Miyamoto (c) vs. Shotaro Ashino

Yuko hammerlocks him and Sho trips him. Sho front facelocks him. Yuko dropkicks Sho.

Yuko headscissors him and Sho ropebreaks. Sho back elbows him then hits karelin's lift. Sho running euros him. Sho bangs Yuko's leg off the apron then the post. Sho stretch mufflers him. Yuko flips out of a german and Sho blocks a spinning heel kick with a backdrop. Yuko fire thunders Sho.

They trade shots and Sho pop-up euros him. Yuko overhead belly to belly suplexes him then Sho overhead belly to belly suplexes him. Yuko hits kicks then spinning heel kicks him. Yuko runs into a big lariat then Sho backdrops him for 2.

Sho then ankle locks him. Yuko handspring pele kicks him then meteora's him for 2. Yuko then top rope moonsaults him for the win.

Thoughts: Sho worked the knee and ankle some here but Yuko did his high flying offense regardless. That brought down what would have been an otherwise okay match.

Yuko talks on the mic after. 

Dan Tamura & Hideki Suzuki vs. MJ2 (Ayumu Honda & Kengo Mashimo)

HS and Kengo go at it but do nothing and tag out. Honda and Dan go at it. They trade wristlocks. They do the headlock taker > headscissors spot twice. Honda armbars him. Dan puts him down by the hair and clubs on him.

Dan and Honda trade forearms. Honda backcrackers him. Kengo does like a bulldog on Dan then single arm ddt's him. Kengo kimura's him and Dan samoan drops him out of it. HS comes in and neckbreakers then legdrops Kengo for 2.

HS is tripped into the ropes for a kick. HS takes a knee to the gut and a basement dropkick. Honda codebreakers and enzugiri's HS. Honda then rolling armbars him. HS blocks a sliced break with a backbreaker. Honda is held up in the bearhug for a running shot from Dan.

HS regal stretches Honda and taps him out.

Thoughts: It was short and not much of note. It ended before it really got started and Honda lost as expected.

Dan and HS slap each other around after. Kengo gets involved and joins the slap fight with them.

I won't be watching the intergender match.

Atsuki Aoyagi, Kento Miyahara & Ryo Inoue vs. ELPIDA (Ren Ayabe, Rising HAYATO & Ryuki Honda)

AA = Atsuki Aoyagi

AA and Rising go at it. AA wristlocks him. Rising headflips out and chops him. Rising goes up and over him then AA armdrags him. Rising spins around his back and armdrags him. AA flying headscissors Rising out. AA then does his own version of Rising's pose off a dive tease.

They try to dropkick each other at the same time and stand off. Ren and Kento go at it. Ren messes with Ken's head on the break. Ken facekicks him then is shouldered over. Honda comes in, knocks his opponents off the apron and dances. Ken takes corner attacks.

Honda kneels on Ken on the ropes and counts along with the ref. Ken throws Honda out then Ryo PK's Honda from the apron. Ren and Ken fight in the crowd. They trade facekicks. Ryo then chokes Honda in the crowd.

Ken chokes Ren with a towel in the crowd. Ken back elbows Honda when they get back in the ring. Ryo and Ken choke Honda on the ropes together with their knees. Honda hits forearms on AA. AA dropkicks him and standing moonsaults him for 2. Honda then spears AA and Ken together.

Rising gets in and running back elbows AA. Rising corner dropkicks him then AA 2nd rope twisitng armdrags him. AA then dropkicks him. Ken gets in and dropkicks Rising in the knee and the side of the head. 

Ren flying neckbreakers Ken when he gets in. He corner facekicks him and gets a 2 count. Ken pump kicks Ren and tags out. Ryo gets in and hits kicks on Ren. He dropkicks him and trades forearms with Honda. Ryo enzugiri's him.

Honda takes corner attacks and a pump kick from Ken. AA fisherman suplexes Honda then Ryo PK's Honda for 2. Ryo superkicks Honda in the head. Ryo facekicks him then trades forearms with Honda. Honda running lariats him for 2. Ken then pump kicks Honda.

AA corkscrew kicks Rising. AA then 2nd rope moonsaults outside onto multiple people. Ryo buzzsaw kicks Honda for 2. Rising springboard dropkicks Ryo. Ryo is held for a backcracker then Ren facekicks Ryo. Honda one-arm running powerbombs Ryo and pins him.

Thoughts: It was an okay tag only. The outside brawling part didn't help this one much and took out some of the momentum. Other than that, it was mostly just everyone getting a segment in and getting their spots in until the finish. 

Honda offers Ryo a handshake after and Ryo punches Honda. Honda then does his goofy dance after.

AJPW World Junior Heavyweight Title Match - Naruki Doi (c) vs. MUSASHI

Mu ducks a lockup and is booted. Mu throws Doi out and Doi avoids a dive. Doi trips Mu then slingshot elbow drops him. Doi stands on Mu's face. Doi chokes Mu on the ropes. Doi running swantons Mu. Doi front facelocks him then neckbreakers him. Doi ties him up in a hold then does a grounded octopus.

Mu his chops on DOi. Doi eye rakes him. Mu overhead exploders him. Doi boots him out of the corner. Mu slingshot double stomps Doi's back. Mu facekicks Doi off the apron then tope con hilos him outside.

Mu hits dropkicks on Doi and falcon arrows him for 2.  Mu misses a top rope splash on Doi then Doi flipping sentons Mu's back. Doi then ddt's him for 2. They choop each other. Doi hits doi fives then is superkicked. Mu hits kicks and Doi suplexes him. Mu no sells it then step up enzugiri's him. Doi cradles him for 2. Doi sits up top and is kicked. Mu goes for a river and Doi gets a 2 count on him. Doi goes for a rocking horse and Mu crucifixes him for 2.

Doi gets a 2 count, hits doi fives then does a sliding kick for 2. Mu hits a half-nelson twisting drop and superkicks him. Mu hits a top rope splash for 2. Mu hits a cradle driver on Doi from his shoulder and pins him.

Thoughts: It was average. There was no great logic or anything here. They didn't botch anything but there was nothing particularly special about it either. 

Kosuke Sato comes out and challenges Musashi after.

Triple Crown Title Match - Jun Saito (c) vs. Yuma Anzai

They clean break each other to start. Jun side headlocks him. Yuma reverses it. They shoulderblock battle and Yuma goes down. Yuma then dropkicks him.

Jun side headlocks him. Jun is pulled over the top and Honda flying knees him from the apron. They trade forearms outside. Honda springboards off the rail into a forearm on Jun.

Yuma back elbows Jun then sleepers him. Jun ropebreaks. Jun back body drops him and shoulderblocks him. Jun lariats him over the top. Yuma is sent into the rails and then Jun sends him into the seats. They go back into the ring and Jun running facekicks him.

Jun foot chokes him. Jun slams him and elbow drops him. They trade forearms then Jun slams him. Jun tands on his gut. Jun suplexes him for 2. Yuma 2nd rope dropkicks him. Yuma flying forearms him twice in the corner and belly to belly suplexes him. Yuma hits a dropkick. Yuma sits up top and is booted over.

The two fight on the apron. Yuma hits forearms. Jun then chokeslams him on the apron. Yuma and Jun trade forearms.  Jun chops him. They fight on the buckles then Yuma drops down and germans him. Jun then lariats him.

They trad forearms. Jun running back elbows him in the corner then hits corner facekicks. Jun hits corner forearms then suplexes him for 2. Yuma dropkicks Jun in the back then flying knees him. Jun chokeslams Yuma for 2. Yuma dragon suplexes him then does a facelock on him.

They each hit forearms and Jun running knees him for 2. Yuma knees him in the face then Jun slams him. Jun running single leg dropkicks him for 2. 

Jun does like a psycho break on Yuma for 2. Yuma flying knees him. Yuma flying knees him from behind for 2. Yuma backdrops him for 2. Yuma hits a botched gimley on Jun for 2. Yum gets stuck up top and Jun 2nd rope chokeslams him. Jun flying single leg dropkicks him for 2. Yuma then hits a flying knee. Jun hits a big spear. Yuma no sells it then germans him. Jun hits a big lariat then jackhammers him for 2. Jun then hits another pyscho break to win.

Thoughts: It went a little longer than it needed to. The finishing stretch of this was just all finisher spamming with each guy hitting their signature moves and neither being able to put the other down. They didn't sell those moves too well though and that hurt this. It was an acceptable and okay main but nothing too great.

Jun talks on the mic after and gives Yuma like a riceball or a cookie. Yuma Aoyagi comes in after and gives Jun one, seemingly setting up a match between them. 

Overall thoughts: It was an average night for AJPW. The main got a lot of time but wasn't great. The third match from the top and the semi main also had enough time to do something good but all 3 matches were acceptable to just okay only. I wouldn't recommend this one and would only give it a 5 out of 10.