All Japan Pro Wrestling 4/18/2026 Champion Carnival 2026 Day 2

All Japan Pro Wrestling 4/18/2026 Champion Carnival 2026 Day 2

I do not like the set up they have for this one at all. The camera is very far away for some reason and the crowd is so dense that it's hard to get any heat.

Atsuki Aoyagi, Rising HAYATO, Shota Kofuji, Kengo Mashimo & Seiki Yoshioka vs Shotaro Ashino, Hokuto Omori, Ryo Inoue, Hiroki Murase & Jack Kennedy

It was just a quick one with everyone getting a segment in and not a lot else. Kengo and Ashino had the best segment here. There was way too many people and not enough time. Aoyagi ended up winning this with a 450 on Ryo, because even though Murase barely work here, he had to be protected over Ryo. 

Champion Carnival 2026 Block B Match - Ren Ayabe vs Xyon

They lock up and let go. Xyon side headlocks him. They collide and Ren hits some forearms. Xyon back elbows him then Ren facekicks him down. Ren corner facekicks Xyon then shoulders him over. Xyon headbutts Ren then flying forearms him. Ren flying neckbreakers him for 2. Ren crabs him.

Xyon spinning forearms him then running back elbows him. Xyon corner spears him. Ren running forearms him then full-nelson slams him. Xyon suplexes him. They trade forearms. Xyon hits some strikes then hiptoss neckbreakers him. Xyon ripcord samoan drops him for 2. 

Xyon goes on the buckles and Ren throws him down. Ren shotgun dropkicks him. Ren hits his spinning sitout falcon arrow and pins him.

Thoughts: I didn't expect much out of this but I liked it. Xyon and Ren somehow got some decent stuff out of each other and made it work. I think it was because it didn't go too long and they stuck to strikes. I was genuinely surprised by this and did not have this one on my bingo card. 

Champion Carnival 2026 Block A Match - Oddyssey vs Rei Saito

Odd dances at him. They lock up and let go. They hockey fight. They run at each other and shoulder each other down. Odd goes out. They shoulder battle outside and Odd knocks him over. Odd chops him against the rail. Odd's back is rammed into the apron. 

Rei elbow drops him as he rolls back in. Rei then splashes him. Rei butt drops him for 2. Odd back body drops him. Odd hits elbows in the corner and corner lariats him. Odd hits a headbutt flurry. They collide with lariats. Rei hits 2 crossbodies.

They trade shots. Rei hits a chop flurry in the corner. Rei shoulders him over for 2. Rei misses a shotei and is backdropped. Rei slaps him. Odd lariats him over. Odd 2nd rope splashes him and wins.

Thoughts: It was what it should have been. They had a hoss style match with them trying to squash each other and them trading various strikes. They could have been more aggressive and stiffer, but they the idea right and I was fine with it.  

Champion Carnival 2026 Block B Match - Daisuke Sekimoto vs Hideki Suzuki

They grapple to start. Suzuki wristlocks him. DS reverses it. DS cravates him and hammerlocks him. Suzuki chinlocks him. Suzuki hits a euro and DS dropkicks him out. DS goes for a tope and is hit with a forearm. 

Suzuki hits forearms to the chest. Suzuki monkey flips him then knee drops him. DS overhead throws him then muso's him. DS corner spears him then suplexes him. DS splashes him for 2. DS racks him. DS atomic drops him. Suzuki germans him. Suzuki hits a dragon suplex then DS lariats him. 

DS hits downward elbows and chest kicks. Suzuki pulls DS' arms backwards. DS hits a big lariat for 2. Suzuki dropkicks him then is lariated. DS AA's him with a bodypress and wins.

Thoughts: They basically squeezed like a 20 minute long main into a 10 minute match. It was an old school bout with them trading holds and was traditional pro wrestling. It wasn't bad. 

Seigo Tachibana, Kuma Arashi & MUSASHI vs Dan Tamura, Yuma Anzai & Talos

Dan and Seigo lock up. Seigo forearms him and side headlocks him. Dan boots him then Seigo armdrags and dropkicks him. Dan shoulders him over. Tal and Musashi get in. Mu stops Tal's foot and Mu blocks a chokeslam. Mu tries to make friends. They shake hands and Mu kicks Tal. Tal then does let go. Mu is caught off the 2nd rope. Seigo tries to dropkick them over but Tal just rams Mu into his partners. Tal slams Mu.

Tal chinlocks Mu. Tal chinlocks Mu on the ropes. Yuma and Mu trade shots. Yuma hits forearms. Mu misses an enzugiri. Mu dropkicks him in the knee, double stomps his back and basement dropkicks him. Kuma comes in. Kuma slams Yuma then sentons him for 2. 

Kuma corner lariats Yuma then 2nd rope sentons him for 2. Yuma dropkicks Kuma then belly to belly suplexes him. They trade forearms. Yuma flying knees Kuma. Kuma dropkicks Yuma. Yuma germans Kuma.

Dan and Seigo get in and trade forearms. Seigo facekicks him then Dan flying forearms him. Tal corner splashes Dan when Seigo moves. Tal goes after Seigo and is hit by his partners. Tal is sent to the apron then Yuma is knocked into him. Mu tope con hilos his opponents outside. Dan hits lariats on Seigo. Seigo hits forearms then olympic slams him for 2.

Dan is hit with a forearm to the back of the head then a running elbow. Seigo then pins Dan.

Thoughts: It was a throwaway but wasn't that bad as they let Seigo have some fun with Talos involving their size differences. Everyone mostly did what they should have here and it was nice to see Seigo get a win. 

Champion Carnival 2026 Block B Match - Yuma Aoyagi vs Jun Saito

They lock up and Jun clean breaks him. Jun wristlocks him and headlocks him. Jun shoulders him over. Yuma sits up top and Jun boots him down and out. Jun double axe handles Yuma then sends him into the rails. Jun knocks him down outside and Yuma sends him into the rails.

Yuma rams Jun's shoulder into the rails. Yuma stomps and stands on Jun. Yuma rams Jun into the corner and hits corner spears. Yum snapmares him then elbow drops him for 2. Yuma slingshot elbow drops him for 2. Jun is down for a while after that. 

Yuma euros him then hits corner spears. Jun back elbows him then corner facekicks him. Jun suplexes him for 2. Yuma hits forearms on Jun then dropkicks him. Yuma boots him out of the corner and 2nd rope dropkicks him. Yuma top rope dropkicks him. Yuma then grounded guillotines him.

Yuma hits back elbows. Yuma gets on the 2nd rope, Jun joins him and chokeslams him down. Yuma rolls up Jun then guillotines him in the air. Jun suplexes him. Jun spinning lariats him for 2. Yuma rolls up Jun for 2 counts. Yuma backrolls him for 2. Jun facekicks him and Yuma tornado ddt's him for 2.

Yuma top rope elbow drops him twice for 2. Yuma grounded guillotines him. Yuma adds a kimura onto it and Jun submits.

Thoughts: It wasn't the most exciting bout. It had some logic to it with Yuma working Jun's injured pec and eventually winning with a hold that affected it some. I didn't love it and thought it was average. Yuma's starpower got really hurt by his outside of the ring incident and them throwing him in the CC as a replacement.

Champion Carnival 2026 Block B Match - Madoka Kikuta vs Ryuki Honda

They lock up. MK is backed up on the ropes and Honda clean breaks him. MK backs him up on the ropes. Honda side headlocks him. They shoulder battle and Honda knocks him over. MK is sent into the post. Honda wraps MK's arm around the rail. MK eye rakes him then hip attacks him against the rails. 

MK forearms Honda's head into the buckles. Honda hits forearms on MK then MK chops him down. MK chinlocks him then pump kicks him from behind. MK camel clutches him. Honda suplexes him. Honda running corner lariats MK then spears him for 2.

Honda sits on his back with a kimura. MK hits forearms and Honda wrings the arm. MK leg lariats him then pump kicks him. MK chops him and punches him in the corner. Honda is up top and is pump kicked. MK running hip attacks him against the buckles.

Honda back body drops MK on the floor. They trade corner lariats and forearms. Honda germans him then MK flying hip attacks him. They trade forearms. They lariat each other at the same time. Honda hits a big lariat. Honda running lariats him for 2. Honda flying hip attacks him from behind for 2. MK swinging sleepers him. 

Honda grabs the arm off a missed lariat so MK lariats him with the other arm. MK running lariats him for 2. MK spinning lariats Honda and pins him.

Thoughts: It was alright. It would have been best if they just had a hoss match where they lariated and stiffed each other. Instead, they did some of that and had Honda working MK's arm which wasn't as exciting. I still like what we got in the end though and they did try to add some extra logic to the match. 

Champion Carnival 2026 Block A Match - Go Shiozaki vs Kento Miyahara

They lock up. Go backs him up on the ropes and clean breaks him. Go wristlocks Ken. Go trips him then Ken hammerlocks him. Ken slaps him on another break then facekicks him out. They fight outside. Kento headbutts him down outside and they trade headbutts in the crowd. Ken stands on Go's chest. Go is sent into the post. Go hits him in the aisle then ddt's him on the floor. 

Go sends Ken into the rails then chinlocks him around the rails. Go running ridge hand chops him in the ring. Go ddt's him for 2. Go does Misawa's facelock on Ken. Go knee drops Ken on the neck. Ken hits chest shots then Go back elbows him. 

Go pumping knees him over the 2nd rope for 2. Ken dropkicks Go in the knee and the head. Ken pump kicks Go off the apron. Ken headbutts Go outside. They fight on the apron and Go air raid crashes him there. 

They get back in and Go lariats Ken. Go hits a chop flurry. Ken facekicks him. They trade chops for forearms. Ken fires up some. Go chops Ken. Ken germans him. Go lariats Ken down. 

Ken pumping knees him. Go spinning forearms him. Go facelocks him then lets go for a 2 count. Ken cradles him for 2. Ken pumping knees him. Go superkicks him. Go 2nd rope twisting suplexes Ken for 2. Go hits a go flasher for 2. Ken flying knees Go. Ken pumping knees him for 2. Ken flying pumping knees him then Go lariats him for 2. Go running lariats him and pins him.

Thoughts: It was a bit formulaic and not overly exciting. Go did a lot of rest holds and chops. Ken brought the flying knees and headbutts. It ended up being okay in the end but it's mostly because they are long time established main eventers.

Go talks on the mic after.

Overall thoughts: The opener was a throwaway. I didn't expect much out of Xyon vs Ren but they somehow got the best out of each other. Oddyssey/Rei was what it should have been. We got a condensed version of Sekimoto/Suzuki and it wasn't bad. The trios match with Talos was alright. I thought Yuma/Jun was average. Kikuta/Honda wasn't 100% the match I wanted but they added some logic to what they usually did and it was an alright match. The main was a bit formulaic and mostly worked because of the rep both guys had. It wasn't overly exciting but they got the flow right by the end. My review probably makes the show look better than it was. It was a good show overall due to everything mostly being acceptable but it wasn't great. I'd give it a 6 out of 10.