All Japan Pro Wrestling 4/12/2026 Champion Carnival 2026 Day 1

All Japan Pro Wrestling 4/12/2026 Champion Carnival 2026 Day 1

Note - Cyrus was supposed to be in this but he completely disappeared on AJPW and got replaced by Yuma Aoyagi.

It's time for another Champion's Carnival. I don't have big hopes for it as there's a lot of limited wrestlers in this.

They have the usual intro ceremony with all of the Carnival participants in the ring with the trophy. Talos and Kento argue.

Seigo Tachibana, Seiki Yoshioka & Shota Kofuji vs. Dan Tamura, Hikaru Sato & Hokuto Omori

Dan side headlocks Seigo. He takes him over, Seigo headscissors him and they stand off. Dan is backed up in the corner. Omori and Shota get in. Omori clubs him then Shota running back elbows him. Shota is ganged up on in the corner. Omori goes for a superplex, his partners try a tower of doom but just powerbomb him down. Shota hits a top rope double dropkick. Omori is triple stomped on.

Seiki stands on Omori's gut. Omori flatliners him. Sato hits chestk icks on Seiki then he goes for an ankle lock. Seiki kicks him in the back. Sato blocks a PK and ankle locks him. Seiki axe kicks Sato. 

Dan and Seigo trade forearms. Dan shoulders him over. Seigo forearms him then STO's him for 2. Dan takes corner attacks. Seigo spears him for 2. Dan hits back elbows on Seigo. Seigo hits forearms and drops him. Dan death valley drivers him for 2. Sato tries to suplex Omori onto an opponent but misses. Shota springboard forearms Sato.

Seigo sunset flips Dan off a powerbomb attempt. Dan lariats him. Seigo hits a b-drive on him for 2. Dan then la magistral's Seigo and pins him.

Thoughts: It wasn't that good. Seigo did his comedy. Shota tried a little more than usual Dan thankfully brought some stiffness to this. 

Champion Carnival 2026 Block A Match - Kuma Arashi vs. Rei Saito

They shoulder battle to start. Rei gets the edge. They do a double knuckle lock. Kuma overhead suplexes him out of it. Rei shoulders him over and Kuma goes out. Rei double axe handles Kuma outside. Kuma and Rei both get sent into the rails. 

Rei double chops Kuma. Rei runs into the post when Kuma moves. Kuma racks him outside then stands on his gut. Kuma misses a senton. Rei stomps him then stands on his gut. Rei butt drops him for 2. Rei corner lariats him twice. Kuma slams him. 

Kuma sentons him. Kuma corner lariats him, slams him then 2nd rope sentons him for 2. Rei chops him down. They lariat battle then Kuma drops him with a lariat. Rei suplexes him. Rei slaps him then crossbodies him for 2. Rei powerbombs him and wins.

Thoughts: It was a shorter but decent hoss battle. They squished each other and used their power as expected. It was what you would want and expect.

Champion Carnival 2026 Block B Match - Daisuke Sekimoto vs. Yuma Aoyagi

Sek blocks a takedown and they trade waistlocks. Sek kimura tolls him then armlocks him. Yuma wristlocks him. Sek reverses it. Yuma trips him and they stand off.

Yuma side headlocks him. Sek headbutts him then Yuma dropkicks him. Sek then shoulders him over. Yuma is sent into the rails. Sek atomic drops him. Sek racks him and walks around the ring with him. 

Yuma hits forearms outside and Sek chops back. Sek chops him on the rails. Sek elbow drops him. Yuma hits chest clubs and is chopped down. Sek backbreakers him then crabs him. Yuma ropebreaks.

Sek chops Yuma. Yuma misses a dropkick. Yuma 2nd rope dropkicks him. Yuma hits flying forearms in the corner. Yuma top rope crossbodies him. Yuma then does a guillotine to him while he's seated. Sek shoulders Yuma off the apron then topes him.

Sek's head is busted open from the tope. He corner spears > suplexes > splashes Yuma for 2. Sek goes up top. Yuma tries to follow and slips. Yuma dropkicks him while he's up there. Yuma superplexes him down. Sek no sells it. Yuma germans him. Sek no sells it then lariats him.

Yuma rolls him up for 2 then backslides him. Yuma backrolls him with a bridge for 2. Yuma hits a hard running lariat for 2. Yuma germans him for 2. Yuma fisherman suplexes him for 2. Sek htis another german then a hard lariat for a close 2. Sek AA's him into a bodypress and wins.

Thoughts: It was an okay bout. It picked up near the end when both were getting offense and Sek fired up to put this one away. The first half of this wasn't super exciting. Sek's head got busted open on a tope outside.

Champion Carnival 2026 Block A Match - Kengo Mashimo vs. Talos

Tal offers a test of strength. Ken lays down and dares him to get down with him. Ken leg kicks him from the mat. Tal then pulls him up on a double knuckle lock. Tal slams Ken then abuses him on the 2nd rope. Ken bangs Tal's leg off his shoulder then dragon screws him. Ken bangs Tal's leg off his shoulder more.

Ken is pushed into the rails. Tal clubs him then sends him into the rails. Tal poses and Ken baseball slides him from behind. Ken rams Tal into the post. Tal blocks his PK then spinebusters him on the floor.

Tal backdrops him. Tal knees him in the gut and corner splashes him twice. Ken leglocks him. Tal iron claws him to escape then headchops him. Tal facekicks him for 2. Ken eye pokes him then rolls him up into a pin and wins.

Thoughts: Ken winning was a surprise and he did a different type of pin than we usually see. Ken mostly worked Tal's leg here and Tal did big man offense. It was acceptable and made sense.

I think they introduce a new trainee to the crowd after. 

Atsuki Aoyagi, Kento Miyahara, Rising HAYATO & Ryuki Honda vs. HAVOC (Oddyssey & Shotaro Ashino), MUSASHI & Ryo Inoue

AA and Musashi go at it. Musashi armdrags him then chops him. AA dropkicks him. Ryo comes in and trades wristlocks with Rising. Rising chops him then Ryo running facekicks him. Ryo facekicks AA. Ryo PK's Rising and AA from the apron.

Musashi tope con hilos all 3. Ashino takes Honda into the stands and euros him in the aisle. Odd then takes Kento up into the stands. Kento takes a knee to the gut from Odd. Honda and Kento are whipped into each other.

Ryo bangs Rising's head off the buckles. Ashino karelin's lifts Rising. Rising dropkicks Ashino. Honda comes in and shoulders Ashino. He hits corner lariats then chokes him on the 2nd rope. Honda then counts along with the ref on the break as usual. 

Ashino and Honda trade forearms. Honda lariats him. Ashino running euros him. Honda spears him then Ashino germans him. Kento facekicks Odd. Odd lariats him. Odd backsplashes Kento then corner splashes him. 

Honda goes face to face with Odd and hits some shots. Odd splashes Kento and Honda in the corners. Odd side slams both together. Kento tries to slam Odd but Odd falls on him. Ryo hits chest kicks on Kento. Ryo spin kicks him in the gut and spinning forearms him. Kento is popped up into a german. Musashi frogsplashes Kento. Ryo fyling knees Kento for 2.

Ryo buzzsaw kicks Kento for 2. Ryo takes a double superkick. Honda lariats Ryo. Ryo takes a double pendulum drop backwards. Kento straightjacket germans Ryo and pins him.

Thoughts: It was a throwaway tag that got a lot of time to play out. It was pretty average for the most part. I was surprised to see Kento get beaten up as much as he did before the finish.

Champion Carnival 2026 Block B Match - Hideki Suzuki vs. Xyon

Xy spears him to start. Xyon goes up and over then corner spears him. HS headbutts him and is thrown hard into the buckles. HS hits shots to the gut. HS boots him out of the corner nadreverse headscissors him over the top rope.

HS is sent into the rails then Xy backdrops him on the apron. Xy camel clutches him. HS garvin stomps him then twists his neck with his feet. HS knee drops him. Xy blocks a knee. They trade forearms. Xy spinning shoulders him and samoan drops him for 2.

HS hurricanrana's Xy off the buckles for 2. HS pulls back on Xy's arms. Xy hits some shots. HS tries to flip out of a backdrop and nearly lands on his head. Xy top rope diving headbutts him and pins him.

Thoughts: Eh it wasn't that good as expected. Xyon tries but his offense still doesn't look that good. HS didn't bring a lot to this either and it wasn't good.

Champion Carnival 2026 Block B Match - Ren Ayabe vs. Jun Saito
 
Ren backs him up on the ropes and pats him on the head. Jun side headlocks him. They shoulderblock battle. Ren facekicks him then shoulders him over. Ren is sent out then Jun double axe handles him off the apron. Ren is sent into the rails. Jun chokes him with a towel.

Ren is sent into the post. Jun stands on his gut. Jun sends Ren into the rails. Jun is sent into the post. Ren sends Jun into the rails. They trade forearms inside. Ren slams him then stands on his gut. Ren slams him for 2. 

Jun back elbows him then running facekicks him. Jun elbow drops him for 2. Jun running knees him. Ren elbow drops him. Jun hits a big spear. Ren and Jun trade forearms and chops. Jun slams Ren. Ren superplexes him for 2. Ren does a hammerlock + dragon sleeper combo and Jun ropebreaks.

Ren facekicks him then Jun shoulders him over. Jun corner facekicks him. Jun 2nd rope superplexes him. Ren knees him in the gut. Jun slaps him then running knees him for 2. 

They trade forearms. Ren corner facekicks him. Jun backdrops him. Jun chops him. Ren dropkicks him. Jun slaps him and spinning lariats him. Jun jackahmmers for 2. Ren flying neckbreakers him and dropkicks him. Jun back elbows him then running spears him for 2. Ren dragon suplexes him then hits a spinning falcon arrow for the win.

Thoughts: It was acceptable and not much else. It was a slower paced match with a lot of striking that wasn't particularly impressive.

Champion Carnival 2026 Block A Match - Go Shiozaki vs. Yuma Anzai

They trade side headlock takeovers into headscissors and stand off. Yuma side headlocks him. They shoulderblock battle. Yuma dropkicks him out. They fight outside. Yuma flying forearms him off the rail. Yuma sends him into the rails. Go dropkicks him in the knee outside. Go drops him knee first on the rails.

Go bangs Yuma's knee off the floor then rams his knees into the post. Yuma is dropped knees first on the apron. Go low dropkicks him out of the ring. Go backdrops him for 2. Go half crabs him. 

Go chops him in the knee inside. Yuma hits chest forearms. Go stomps him in the knee. Yuma 2nd rope dropkicks him. Yuma belly to belly suplexes him for 2. Go chops Yuma then Yuma dropkicks him. Go flying shoulderblocks him. 

Go hits a chop flurry in the corner. Yuma hits forearms. Go hits a chop flurry. Go chops him down. They trade chops for forearms. Yuma germans him twice and Go lariats him down. Yuma flying knees him twice for 2.

Yuma flying knees him as Go goes for a spinning lariat. Yuma meteora's him for 2. Go hurricanrana's him. Go 2nd rope twisting superplexes him. Go hits a go flasher for 2. Yuma hits forearms on Go. Go lariats Yuma in the knee. Go texas cloverleafs Yuma. Yuma backdrops Go. Yuma flying knees him in the head and the back. Go lariats Yuma. Yuma gets up then is lariated again for 2. Go running lariats him and pins him.

Thoughts: Go worked the knee for a bit but Yuma didn't sell it well and it was mostly forgotten about. They really spammed chops and flying knees here which wasn't shocking. The crowd liked but I didn't think it was anything special.

Go talks on the mic after to close the show.

Overall thoughts: It was a so-so to average card. They just have a lot of limited workers in this year's CC and some of the better guys weren't in singles action tonight. I liked Kuma/Rei best. The main and semi-main didn't really impress here and the non-CC stuff was filler. I'd give it a 5 out of 10 and I wouldn't recommend it.