All Japan Pro Wrestling 5/5/2026 Champion Carnival 2026 Day 9
Day 8 is here: https://prowresblog.blogspot.com/2026/05/all-japan-pro-wrestling-532026-champion.html
Pre-show - Hideki Suzuki & Shota Kofuji vs. Saito Brothers (Rei Saito & Senor Saito)
HS and Rei lock up. HS side headlocks him and they shoulder battle. HS drops down, Rei walks on him then shoulders him over. HS boots him out of the corner then hanging headscissors him over the top rope. Shota top rope dropkicks Rei.
Shota hits chest forearms on Rei and tries an octopus but is too small. Rei chops him. Senor puts his knee in Shota's face in the corner. Senor pulls Shota's arms back. Sota tries to octopus him but Senor punches the knee. Senor knee drops him in the crotch.
Shota tries dropkicks on Rei. Rei boots him away. Shota double boots Senor out of the corner then rolls into a dropkick on him. HS comes in and does a cobra twist to Senor. Rei breaks it up. Shota fisherman suplexes Senor for 2. Senor cradles him for 2. Senor then pins him off a roll-up while holding the bottom rope.
Thoughts: It was a shorter bout and not much of note. Shota played the underdog as always and he couldn't do much to Rei. Senor used cheap tactics to pin him.
Jun Sato and the announcer talk before the show.
Champion Carnival 2026 Block A Match - Kuma Arashi vs. Talos
Tal and Kuma lock up. Tal cleanbreaks him and does Kuma's howl. Kuma side headlocks him and tries to shoulderblock him but gets nowhere. Kuma double boots him out of the corner. Tal head chops him down.
Tal is pulled over the top. Kuma tries to crossbody him off the apron but is caught. Tal rams Kuma's back into the post. Kuma's head is banged off the post and he is backdropped on the apron. Tal corner splashes him. Tal running facekicks him down. Kuma backdrops him then sentons him.
Kuma corner splashes him and 2nd rope sentons him for 2. Tal side slams him. Tal misses a senton. Kuma hits him in the back of the leg then running lariats him. Kuma torture rack bombs him for 2. Kuma misses a top rope senton. Kuma dropkicks him and Tal facekicks him. Tal chokeslams him and pins him.
Thoughts: It was a shorter heavyweight bout here. Tal is so much bigger than Kuma though that Kuma as well have been a junior compared to him. Kuma did what he was supposed to and ended up losing this.
Champion Carnival 2026 Block A Match - Go Shiozaki vs. Oddyssey
Odd shoves him down off the lock up. Go hits chops on Odd. Odd misses a corner splash and Go hits chops in the corner. Odd corner splashes him. Odd stands on Go's gut then kneels on his throat on the ropes. Odd rams Go's back into the apron edge. Go is sent into the rails.
Odd stands on Go's gut then hits corner spears on him. Odd bearhugs him then shoulders him over. Odd hits a big splash for 2. Odd knees him in the gut. Go flying shoulderblocks him several times but can't drop him. Go goes for the slam and Odd falls on him.
Odd misses a 2nd rope splash. Go hits lariats. Odd misses a crossbody and is lariated. Go then pins him.
Thoughts: The ending was a bit weak. They had decent logic here though with Odd using his weight on Go and walking on his injured ribs. Go fought back as the underdog face. This was fine.
Champion Carnival 2026 Block A Match - Kengo Mashimo vs. Kento Miyahara
They lock up. Kento backs him up on the ropes. Kengo hammerlocks him and Kento reverses it. Kengo side headlocks him. Kento facekicks him. Kengo pulls him out. Kengo is sent into the rails. Kento headbutts Kengo multiple times outside. Kengo's head is banged off the apron edge.
Kento is back body dropped on the apron. Kengo rams Kento's arm into the post. Kengo running back elbows him. Kengo rolls him into a kimura. Kengo turns it into an armbar and Kento ropebreaks. Kengo bangs Kento's arm off his shoulder.
Kengo hits chest kicks then kicks him in the arm. Kengo hits knees to Kento's chest. Kento dropkicks him in the knee and the side of the head. Kento flying forearms him. Kengo kicks him in the arm and thye grab each other by the throat. They trade forearms.
Kento facekicks him. Kengo kicks Kento in the arm then knees him in the gut. Kento suplexes him. Kento pumping knees him and flying pumping knees him. Kengo armbars him off the pin attempt and ties the other arm up. Kento ropebreaks.
Kento flying pumping knees him. Kento enzugiri's him. Kento flying pumping knees him. Kengo rolls him into an armlock while he ties up the other arm. Kento shockingly submits.
Thoughts: Big upset here with Kento not making the final four of the CC. It was the same match Kengo always has where he works a body part and this time it was the arm. It forced Kento to sell a bit more than usual and this was an alright match here The crowd was into it more than other Kengo matches due to Kento being in it.
Atsuki Aoyagi, Dan Tamura, Hokuto Omori, Ryo Inoue & Shotaro Ashino vs. Hyo Ogawa, MUSASHI, Seigo Tachibana, Seiki Yoshioka & Yuya Aoki
Yuya and Omori go at it. Omori blocks him a kiss off the lock up. Yuya armdrags him then Omori side headlock takeovers him. Omori blows another kiss and is facekicked. Musashi and AA go at it. Musashi goes up and over him in the corner. Musashi dropkicks him in the knee, double stomps his back and basement dropkicks him. Atsuki takes a double basement dropkick.
Seiki flying knees AA in the corner then kicks his back. AA handspring corkscrew kicks him. Ryo comes in and hits chest kicks on Seiki. Ryo hits a straight punch then corner dropkicks him. Ashino comes in and karelin's lifts Seiki for 2. Seiki scissors kicks him.
Hyo comes in and hits flying shoulders on Ashino. Hyo backdrops him. Hyo falling headbutt drops him. Hyo hits chops. Ashino germans him. Dan chest clubs Seigo's chest when they get in. Seigo facekicks him down.
Dan takes running corner attacks. Omori successfully hits his tower of doom superplex on Seigo. Omori cutters Seiki then Yuya springboard dropkicks Omori. Hyo flying lariats Ashino. Hyo is pulled over the top. Ryo PK"s Hyo from the apron. Atsuki 2nd rope moonsaults everyone. Musashi tope con hilos outside.
Dan hits chest clubs on Seigo. Seigo spinning forearms him then Dan lariats him. Dan sunset flips him for 2. Dan la magistral's him for 2. Seigo elbows him over the back of the neck and pins him.
Thoughts: Seigo's elbow to the back of the neck move is pretty weak. They've been pushing Seigo vs Dan all tour long and had them go at it again here with Seigo winning. Everyone got their segment in here as usual and not a ton else. The match was fine though.
Champion Carnival 2026 Block B Match - Yuma Aoyagi vs. Xyon
Xyon shoves him down and out off the lock up. Xyon armlocks him and wristlocks him. Xyon side headlocks him. Yuma dropkicks him, Xyon no sells it then shoulders him over. Xyon hits shots to the gut in the corner then punches him. Xyon hits mounted corner punches.
Xyon throws him. Yuma hits forearms and Xyon headbutts him. Yuma flying forearms him. Yuma 2nd rope twisting crossbodies him. Yuma then top rope crossbodies him. Yuma grounded guillotines him. Yuma goes up top and is thrown down.
Yuma hits forearms then Xyon spinebusters him for 2. They go up top and Xyon headbutts him down. Yuma dropkicks him off the top to the floor. Xyon catches his plancha outside then death valley drivers him on the floor.
Xyon running back elbows him. Xyon hits a corner spear and sends him into the buckles. Yuma double boots him out of the corner and 2nd rope dropkicks him. Yuma top rope dropkicks him. Xyon backbreakers him then double stomps his gut for 2. Xyon jumps off the top and is caught with a cutter. Yuma la magistral's him.
Yuma crucifixes him for 2. Xyon uppercuts him and spinning headbutts him. Yuma flying forearms him then tornado ddt's him. Yuma germans him for 2. Yuma hits euros on Xyon. Yuma runs into a Xyon lariat. Xyon spears him for 2. Xyon flips him on a backdrop for the win.
Thoughts: It was one of Xyon's better matches and it was mostly due to Yuma. Yuma flew around a lot more than usual and did what he could to make it exciting and faster paced. Xyon was then forced to go along with it. I liked this and Yuma really stepped up to the plate here.
Champion Carnival 2026 Block B Match - Daisuke Sekimoto vs. Ryuki Honda
They charge at each other with shoulderblocks. Sek headbutts him then Honda shoulders him over. They trade chest forearms. Honda is sent into the rails then shoulders Sek over. Honda tries to do his choke spot over the top of the rail and doesn't even put any force into it. Honda gets a 2 count on him inside.
Honda stomps Sek. They trade chest shots. Sek double boots him out of the corner then rolls him into a half-crab. Sek STF's him and Honda ropebreaks. Honda hits forearms on Sek then Sek dropkicks him. Sek elbow drops him for 2. Sek backbreakers Honda then crabs him.
Honda hits forearms. Sek hits chops. Honda hits a spear. Honda hits corner lariats then suplexes him for 2. Sek shoulders Honda over. Sek suplexes him then sentons and splashes him for 2. Sek camel clutches him.
Sek misses a corner splash. They german each other and no sell them. They lariat each other at the same time and Honda lariats him. Sek then lariats him down twice. Honda lariats Sek down. They trade forearms. Sek lariats him down. Sek top rope splashes him for 2. Honda lariats him from behind. Sek then lariats him down for 2. Honda lariats him down then they collide with lariats. Honda lariats him down again for 2. Honda one arm powerbombs him and pins him.
Thoughts: It was the match you would want these two to have with them hitting a lot of lariats and and having a heavyweight bout. They stiffed each other good here and were explosive. It was one of Sekimoto's best matches in All Japan since he left BJW. I was happy with how it worked out and the match went as it should have.
Champion Carnival 2026 Block B Match - Madoka Kikuta vs. Ren Ayabe
They lock up. Ren cleanbreaks him and moves his head around. MK hits him in the back of the leg then moves his head around. MK pulls him down by the hair and moves his head around more. MK slaps him and eye rakes him. Ren shoulders him over. Ren clubs him outside. MK hits forearms and Ren forearms him back. Ren slams him on the mat. Ren stands on his back then sends him into the rails.
Ren stands on his back inside. Ren slams him then tries to pin him with one finger. Ren crabs him and MK ropebreaks. Ren throws him hard into the buckles. MK boots him then pulls him over the top. MK flying hip attacks him off the apron.
MK running hip attacks him against the rails. MK chops him in the corner. Ren running facekicks him. MK hits chops and flying hip attacks him. Ren then dropkicks him. MK lariats him. They forearm each other. MK spits in his face and front facelocks him. MK tries to swing him but his back gives out. Ren crabs him. MK rolls him up twice. Ren throws him down on a hip attack attempt. Ren half-nelson sitout slams him. Mk running hip attacks him while he's down.
Ren facekicks him. MK hits running lariats for 2. Ren dragon suplexes him for 2. MK suplexes him. Ren dropkicks him and MK low diving hip attacks him. MK lariats him for 2. MK spinning lariats him and pins him.
Thoughts: Like earlier with Xyon and Yuma, this was one of Ren's better matches and it was thanks for Kikuta. Kikuta forced Ren a little out of his shell and did his hard lariats and hip attacks. Ren just kind of had to do his usual stuff here and be a punching bad and Kikuta made the rest work. This was a decent bout.
They do a lottery to determine the final placement matches for the A-Block.
Champion Carnival 2026 Block A 2nd Place Decision Match - Kengo Mashimo vs. Rei Saito
Rei shoulders Ken into the corner and chop flurries him. Ken trips him and rolls him up for 2. Rei double chops him. Rei holds his arm and chops him. Rei misses a corner splash. Ken backrolls him and enzugiri's him twice.
Rei blocks a buzzsaw kick and last ride powerbombs Ken off of it for 2. Ken triangles him into a pin attempt. Ken then armbars him. Rei slaps him to escape it. Rei headbutts him down then crabs him. Ken then submits.
Thoughts: It was a weak ending here with Rei winning with a simple crab. The match they were doing wasn't bad up to it but this was too short.
Champion Carnival 2026 Block A 1st Place Decision Match - Go Shiozaki vs. Talos
Tal shoulders him over to start. They go outside and Tal headchops him. Go hits shots to the gut and is knee'd in the gut. Tal stands on his gut. Go hits chops on him outside. Tal backdrops Go on the apron. Tal chest clubs him on the apron.
Tal corner splashes him. Go boots him out of the corner. Tal hits another head chop then is pulled out. Tal catches Go's slingshot plancha. Tal gorilla press throws him into the ring.
Tal sits him up top. Go rolls him on a chokeslam attempt. Go hits chops. Tal corner splashes him. Tal running facekicks him. Tal backdrops him for 2. Go blocks a chokeslam attempt. Go kicks him in the knee. Tal grabs him by the throat. Go suplexes Tal for 2.
Go hits running lariats and pins him with one.
Thoughts: It was another shorter match like the last one. What we got was acceptable but it was far from the best they could have done. They decided along with Kikuta to have their longer match first in the night then have the second match be the shorter one...instead of the opposite or instead of just wrestling two longer matches.
Kikuta comes in and holds his title up at Go after.
Go talks on the mic after.
Overall thoughts: It was a longer show. We had a few shorter matches here as four guys had to wrestle twice and no one wanted to do two longer matches. Talos/Kuma was fine as was Go/Odyssey. Kengo upset Kento in their match and that bout was alright. I had no problems with the 10 man tag. Aoyagi/Xyon was one of Xyon's better matches due to Yuma flying around so much. Sekimoto/Honda delivered as was the explosive bout it looked like on paper. Kikuta got a good bout out of Ren. The last two matches were short due to everyone wrestling already and were definitely disappointing as block deciding bouts. I'd give it 6 out of 10 here as we had some matches that impressed when I didn't expect them to and it ended up being a good night overall. It could have been better though.
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