All Japan Pro Wrestling 5/17/2026 Champion Carnival 2026 Day 10

All Japan Pro Wrestling 5/17/2026 Champion Carnival 2026 Day 10

Day 9 is here: https://prowresblog.blogspot.com/2026/05/all-japan-pro-wrestling-552026-champion.html 

The announcer talks before the show. 2 Dragon Gate wrestlers will be in for the 6/18 show and the NWA World Title will be defended.

Champion Carnival 2026 Semi Final Match - Go Shiozaki vs. Madoka Kikuta

They lock up and let go. Go side headlocks him. They shoulder battle. Go chops him out of the ring. MK sends Go into the rails then stands on his taped up ribs. MK walks on his ribs. MK hits boots to the face then bites his hand. 

MK hits corner spears. MK shoulders him over. MK slaps him around then throws him down backwards. Go flying shoulders him. Go's nose is busted open. Go chop flurries him in the corner. MK then chops back.

MK flying hip attacks him off the apron. MK is up top and gets hit. Go headbutts him up there then superplexes him. MK leg lariats him down. MK flying hip attacks him. MK lariats him then Go lariats him down. MK flying hip attacks him then running hip attacks him. 

Go hits chops and MK laughs. They chop each other. MK hits a bunch of chops in a row and lariats him down. Go lariats him down. They lariat each other at the same time. MK flying hip attacks him. Go spinning lariats him. Go hits a go flasher for 2.

Go running lariats him and pins him.

Thoughts: It was alright. Go got chopped up and got his injured ribs worked on some. MK bullied him around for a bit and eventually lost to him. Go got his nosed busted open and with the his chest being all red, it added to the effect of him being the underdog. It would have been nice if MK worked the injured ribs a bit more though.

MK spits on him after.

Champion Carnival 2026 Semi Final Match - Hideki Suzuki vs. Rei Saito

HS jumps on his back with a sleeper to start then grabs another sleeper. Rei throws him over and slaps him. The ref makes them break. Rei yells at the ref then HS rolls him up and pins him.

Thoughts: I'm not shocked this happened. Someone was going to have to wrestle twice here so they made it short to make that easier. It's still lame, but I get it.

Hokuto-gun (Aizawa NO. 1, Hokuto Omori & Takashi) vs. HAVOC (Oddyssey, Shotaro Ashino & Xyon)

Odd shoves Takashi down and they shoulder battle. Odd doesn't budge much. Takahashi running throat thrusts him then hits a double throat thrust. Takashi then does it off the 2nd rope. Odd lariats him down. Aizawa is tagged in and he is totally dressed up like a woman for some reason. 

Aizawa offers Ashino a handshake and Ashino slaps his hand. Ashino then head chops him. Aizawa offers another hand shake then takes a euro. Aizawa dropkicks him. Ashino takes corner attacks.

Omori's partners powerbomb him on a failed tower of doom spot. Omori takes corner attacks. Ashino then karelin's lifts him for 2. Omori ddt's Ashino. Takashi gets in and hits throat thrusts on Ashino. Ashino running euros him. 

Takashi hits throat thrusts on his Ashino and Xyon then Odd runs him over. Takahashi knocks over Ashino and Xyon on the fall. Takashi enzugiri's Odd. Omori forerms Xyon then flying forearms him. Omori's team powerbomb Omori on a failed tower of doom spot. Omori pulls Odd over the top rope.

Omori cutters Xyon. Omori puts Ashino up top and he is lifted for the tower of doom spot again. Omori is about to get powerbombed by his partners again but Xyon sneaks inbetween and buckle bombs Omori. Odd bangs Takashi's and Aizawa's heads together. Odd then double side slams them.

Ashino is sent into Omori. Xyon hits shots on Omori then samon drops him for 2. Odd black hole slams Omori and Xyon top rope diving headbutts Omori. Xyon pins Omori.

Thoughts: Omori's team did all comedy here and got squashed as expected. It wasn't anything too interesting and wasn't very serious. 

Omori talks to his partners on the mic after. Aizawa then talks on the mic. Omori seems to disagree with Aizawa and walks off. Aizawa then says something to him on the mic. 

Yuma Aoyagi vs Yasutaka Yano

Yano was with Noah and got arrested and fired. He wasn't brought back once the case ended and AJPW has signed him.  

Yano wristlocks him and Yuma reverses it. Yano then puts the hold back on. Yuma side headlock takeovers him and is put in a headscissors. Yuma shoulders him over. Yano armdrags him then springboard diving armdrags him. Yano armdrags him and dropkicks him. 

Yano hits forearms and wristlocks Yuma. Yano rolls him then splashes his arm. Yuma tries to armdrag him but Yano rolls through and armdrags him into an armlock. Yuma slams him three times for 2. 

Yuma stomps him and Yano hits forearms. Yuma hits him in the spine with forearms. Yuma back body drops him for 2. Yano hits chest forearms. Yuma slams him then crabs him. 

Yano hits more chest forearms then he dropkicks Yuma over. Yano 2nd rope twisting crossbodies him then flying headscissors him. Yano topes him outside. They trade forearms. Yuma tilt-a-whirl backbreakers him. Yuma then crabs him and Yano ropebreaks. 

Yuma knees him in the gut and suplexes him for 2. Yano cradles him for 2. Yano backslides him for 2 then rolls him up for 2. Yuma knees him in the gut for 2. Yuma brainbusters him for 2. Yuma hits a fisherman's buster variation for 2. Yuma spinning fisherman buster's him and pins him.

Thoughts: Yuma won as expected. It basically a rookie vs vet match even though Yano is everything but a rookie. But that's Japanese politics. It was fine for what it was but a more competitive match would have been better. 

Titans Of Calamity (Ren Ayabe & Talos) & Shota Kofuji vs. Saito Brothers (Jun Saito, Naruki Doi & Senor Saito)

Jun has an eye patch on and he looks cool with it.

Shota beats up Senor before the match then throws Doi down too. Shota takes shots on Jun and Jun clubs him down. Ren then fights Jun outside and fights as well. Shota does an octopus to Senor in the ring. Rei rips up Ren's jacket with his mouth and Ren hits forearms on him for it. Ren sends Rei into the rails.

Shota hits forearms on Senor and top rope dropkicks him for 2. Shota takes a double back elbow then is tripped into a legdrop and basement dropkick. Shota's head is banged off Doi's foot. Doi double axe handles him off the top. Jun slams Shota.

Shota hits chest forearms then Jun suplexes him for 2. Shota rolls into a dropkick on Jun. Ren comes in and running back elbows Jun. He misses a facekick on him and Doi dropkicks Ren in the leg. Doi swining neckbreakers Ren then flipping sentons him. Ren slams Doi.

Talos corner splashes Doi then running facekicks him for 2. Doi eye rakes Tal. Doi and Senor dropkick Tal in the knees then get shouldered over by him.

Shota and Senor fight. Shota running forearms him. Senor takes a double boot then Shota springboard flying forearms him for 2. Doi hits doi fives on Shota and Senor running lariats Doi. Senor lariats Doi on accident then Shota hurricanrana's Senor for the win.

Thoughts: Shota got one of his first AJPW wins here. It wasn't anything too special otherwise. Shota and Senor were the main focuses in this and we didn't see a ton of the rest of the guys. It was average.

Jun and Ren fight outside after. Ren is sent into the post then Jun is sent into the rails.

Ren and Rei talk on the mic after. The Saito's and Ren/Talos stare down and it seems like a match between them is being set up. 

Daisuke Sekimoto, Hikaru Sato, Kengo Mashimo & Suwama vs. Kento Miyahara, Kuma Arashi, Ryuki Honda & Yuma Anzai

Yuma backs up Kengo on the ropes. Kengo wristlocks him then Yuma reverses it. Kengo side headlocks him then Yuma dropkicks him. Suwama comes in, making his return to AJPW after Evolution's defunding. Suwama and Kento lock up and go to the ropes. Kento chops him on the break. 

Suwama side headlocks Kento. Kento facekicks him then Suwama shoulders him over. Suwama kicks him in the back and they grab each other's throats. Yuma pounds on Suwama then Suwama double chops him down. Everyone goes out to fight. Suwana hits Yuma with a chair outside. Sato goes into the stands with Kuma. Suwama then beats up Yuma in the stands and chokes him with a towel.

They get back in the ring. Suwama chops and forearms Yuma. Yuma hits forearms on Sekimoto then Sekimoto chops him down. Sekimoto twists his neck with his feet. Kengo punches Yuma. They trade forearms. Yuma 2nd rope dropkicks him.  

Kuma and Sekimoto get in and shoulder battle. They trade chest shots and Sekimoto racks him. Kuma then racks him and torture rack drops him. Honda comes in and shoulders Sekimoto over. Honda corner lariats him. 

Honda leg chokes him on the 2nd rope and counts along on the break. Suwana sleepers Honda then just lets go of it. Suwama corner lariats Honda then suplexes him. Honda back body drops Suwama. They trade forearms. Honda running lariats him then Suwama running lariats him. 

Sato and Kento get in. Kento facekicks him. They trade forearms. Kento dropkicks him in the knee and the side of the head. Sato enzugiri's Kento and Kento pump kicks him. Yuma comes in and flying knees Sato for 2. 

Yuma takes an atomic drop then Suwama double chops Yuma down. Kengo buzzsaw kicks Yuma. Sato kicks Yuma in the chest for 2. Kento knees Sato in the head and Kuma 2nd rope sentons Sato. Yuma hits a gimlet on Sato and pins him for the win.

Thoughts: It got a lot of time. There were too many people involved for this to be anything great but we got to see a lot of different interactions here. They did okay with what they got. It never felt like a true tag match though.

Yuma talks on the mic after.

Honda attacks Suwama after. They go into the aisle and fight to the back. 

MUSASHI, Ryo Inoue & Seiki Yoshioka vs. Atsuki Aoyagi, Dan Tamura & Rising HAYATO

Rising wristlocks Ryo then Ryo reverses it. Rising headflips out and chops him. Rising chops Ryo then Ryo chest kicks him down. Rising casadora armdrags him then flying headscissors him out. 

Musashi and Dan get in. Musashi ducks a lock up. Musashi side headlock takeovers Dan then Dan shoulders him over. Musashi takes double boots in the corner. Rising chops Musashi then Musashi pulls him down by the hair. Atsuki takes a double basement dropkick. 

Musashi corner dropkicks Rising. Ryo hiptosses Rising and Seiki kicks Rising in the gut and back. Rising chops Seiki. Seiki kicks him in the back. Seiki spin kicks him then Rising dropkicks him in the corner. Dan comes in suplexes Seiki for 2. Seiki scissors kicks Dan.  Musashi comes in and trades hots with Dan. Dan chest clubs him. Musashi double stomps his back and basement dropkicks him. Musashi step up enzugiri's Dan and Dan gutwrench suplexes him. Ryo and Atsuki get in. Ryo chest kicks him down. 

Atsuki comes off the 2nd rope and is dropkicked in mid-air. Ryo takes a corner dropkick from Rising. Ryo takes a 2nd rope codebreaker then a backdrop + neckbreaker for 2. Ryo sends Atsuki over the top then enzugiri's Rising. Ryo PK's him and Atsuki. Seiki asai moonsaults everyone outside.

Ryo suplexes Atsuki for 2. Atsuki corkscrew kicks Ryo. Ryo spin kicks him in the gut. Atsuki handspring corkscrew kicks him. Atsuki is 2nd rope hurricanrana'd then Musashi top rope splashes him. Dan suplexes Ryo. Dan double lariats Musashi and Seiki. Ryo hits a double handspring cutter then lifting flatliners Atsuki for 2.  Ryo buzzsaw kicks him for 2. 

Ryo takes superkicks then Musashi including a double superkick. Ryo is lifted like a suplex and dropped backwards. Atsuki top rope 450's Ryo and pins him.

Thoughts: It got a lot of time. I would have liked for the action to be a bit faster here. What we got was okay but like the last tag match, we could have used more double teams and a longer finishing stretch.

Rising talks on the mic after.

Champion Carnival 2026 Final Match - Go Shiozaki vs. Hideki Suzuki

Go backs him up in the corner and they stare down. Go drops him with a lariat and holds his taped up ribs. Go clubs on HS outside and chops him. HS fires back and blocks some of his chops. Go knocks him down with a headchop. GO hits head punches. Go hits chops on HS then running knees him as he hangs over the apron. GO hits knee drops. 

HS knees him out of the corner and hanging headscissors him over the top rope. HS garvin stomps him in the ring. HS knee drops him for 1. HS cobra twists him. Go tries to ropebreak and hiptosses him out. Go goes with him. 

They each hit shots outside and both go into the rails. HS drops him ribs first on the rails. HS then hits knees on him against the rails outside. Go's nose is busted open again. HS hits shots to the gut and drops him ribs first on the rails.

HS clubs and stands on his ribs in the ring. HS hits facekicks. Go gets up and takes a knee to the face. HS spin kicks him in the gut twice. Go flying at him and is knee'd in the gut. Go 2nd rope diving shoulders him. HS blocks Go's chops and Go lariats him down.  

Go fisherman busters him for 2. HS backbreakers Go. HS hits shots to the spine. HS cobra clutches him. HS chickenwings him then releases the hold after a while. HS indian deatlocks him. HS then traps his arms so he can hit forearms to the gut. 

HS hits more forearms to the gut. Go hits a chop flurry then HS hits him in the gut. HS exploders him and dragon suplexes him. Go hits a go flasher. Go lariats him the backdrops him for 2. HS finlay rolls him then pedigrees him for 2. HS double underhook suplexes him for 2.

Go spinning forerms him then HS double underhook suplexes him for 2. Go lariats him. HS hits a shot to the gut and some kicks. HS double underhook suplexes him and pins him.

Thoughts: It was a longer match and not exactly the most action packed affair. Suzuki mostly worked Go's injured ribs here. Suzuki winning was a surprise and definitely an unexpected outcome. It was okay could have shed some time without anything really being lost.

Suzuki talks on the mic after. Kento Miyahara then comes out. They seem to set up a match and shake hands. 

Overall thoughts: The opener was alright and played into the final later on. Suzuki/Rei was a waste of time. Havoc's match was mostly comedy. Yano/Aoyagi was a fine rookie/vet match but Yano isn't a rookie. The Titans of Calamity tag wasn't that good.The 8-man was okay but it didn't quite feel like a tag match. The semi-main was alright but could have also used more tag match formatting instead of people coming in and out. The main was acceptable but a slower and longer match and Suzuki winning the Carnival was an odd result. I'd give this a 5 out of 10. There was nothing you really needed to see here and the card had a lot of filler on it. It was average. 

All Japan Pro Wrestling 5/5/2026 Champion Carnival 2026 Day 9

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.

All Japan Pro Wrestling 5/3/2026 Champion Carnival 2026 Day 8

All Japan Pro Wrestling 5/3/2026 Champion Carnival 2026 Day 8

Day 7 is here: https://prowresblog.blogspot.com/2026/05/all-japan-pro-wrestling-522026-champion.html

Day 9 is here: https://prowresblog.blogspot.com/2026/05/all-japan-pro-wrestling-532026-champion.html

Note - There's interviews after every match. 

Xyon vs. Shota Kofuji

Xyon shoves Shota down on the lock up. Shota side headlocks him and Xyon throws him. Shota waistlocks him and Xyon spins him on the waistlock. Shota tries shoulderblocks on him then hits a side headlock takeover. 

Xyon is tripped into the buckles. Shota is thrown into the corner. Shota gets on his back with a sleeper. Xyon rams him into the corner. Shota rolls into a dropkick on him. Shota shoulders him in the gut and springboard flying forearms him. Shota hits dropkicks then rolls him up for 2. Shota crucifixes him then Xyon flying lariats him.

Xyon flips him on a backdrop and wins.

Thoughts: Xyon won as expected. Shota got some headlocks in but had no real shot here. It wasn't much of note.

Shota and Xyon do interviews after. Xyon says Shota is strong and has spirit. He says he has high hopes for him and says he will be a star someday. Xyon says this is his ring until then. 

Kento Miyahara, Rei Saito, Daisuke Sekimoto and Ryo Inoue vs. Hokuto Omori, MUSASHI, Seiki Yoshioka & Shotaro Ashino

Sek and Ashino start us off. Ashino side headlocks him. Sek headbutts him then shoulders him over. Ashino takes him over then Sek side headlock takeovers him. Ashino puts him in a headscissors and they stand off. Musashi chops Ryo. Ryo spin kicks him in gut and chest kicks him down.

Musashi takes corner attacks. Sek lariats Ryo down on accident. Ryo takes kicks from Seiki and Musashi then a double basement dropkick. Omori eye rakes Ryo then foot chokes him. Omori running forearms him for 2. Ryo flying kicks Omori.

Ken tags in and he facekicks Omori. Ken dropkicks him in the knee and the side of the head. Omori hits a big forearm on Ken then he ddt's him. Omori tries his tower of doom spot on Ken and ends up getting pwoerbombed by his partners. Ryo hits a handspring double cutter. 

Rei double chops Omori. Omori enzugiri's him. Seiki comes in and hits chest kicks on Omori. Seiki scissors kicks Rei. Rei takes a double superkick. Seiki top rope swantons Rei for 2.

Seiki superkicks Rei then Rei crossbodies him for 2. Rei chokeslams Seiki and pins him.

Thoughts: It was the same tag we have seen many times before, just with different wrestlers. It wasn't anything too special and it had a little bit of comedy with Omori getting powerbombed by his partners as usual. Everyone got their segment in and not a lot else. 

Champion Carnival 2026 Block A Match - Kuma Arashi vs. Yuma Anzai

They lock up. Yuma steps forward and he immediately goes down holding his ankle. Kuma stomps the ankle and stands on it. Yuma gets up and hits forearms. Kuma kicks him in the knee then stomps the knee. The ref then stops this.

Thoughts: Yuma was limping at the last show and it looks like he re-aggravated the injury here. I've never seen someone go down to a lock-up before, so he must have seriously been hurting.

Various people check on Yuma after. 

Champion Carnival 2026 Block A Match - Go Shiozaki vs. Kengo Mashimo

They lock up. Ken clean breaks him. Go side headlock takeovers him twice and is put in a headscissors each time. Go armlocks him and Kne wristlocks him. They trade some arm holds. Ken ropebreaks and Go elbows him in the head. Ken facekicks him down then kicks him outside. 

Go chops him there. Ken boots him in the chest. Go sends him into the rail then bangs Ken's foot off the post. Ken's head and knee are banged off the apron. Go dropkicks Ken's knee while it's over the bottom rope. Ken hits chest kicks to the gut. Go gets sent into the rails. 

Ken double axe handles Go's back. Ken boots Go then knee's him in the gut for 2. Ken does a grounded abdominal stretch and pulls on Go's neck. They go head to head and trade chops. Ken russian legsweeps him then does a stretch plum. 

Ken hits knees to Go's taped up ribs. Go flying facekicks him then flying shoulders him. Go running chops Ken then hits a chop flurry in the corner. Ken hits more knees to the gut. Go lariats him and fisherman busters him for 2. 

Go blocks a PK and spinning chops him. Ken step up enzugiri's him. Go lariats him down. Ken knees him in the gut. Go facekicks him out of the corner. Ken samoan drops him. Ken double knee drops him off the 2nd rope. Ken knees him in the gut. Go hits a go flasher for 2.

Ken kicks Go's arm then Go lariats him down. Go botches a 2nd rope twisting suplex on Ken. Go backdrops him for 2. Ken hits knees to the gut. Ken lariats him then Go lariats him back and pins him.

Thoughts: Ken pretty much only works body parts in his matches. Today, he worked Go's ribs/gut the whole time. It made sense and was fine, just not overly exciting. This got 19 minutes some unknown reason.

Hyo Ogawa, Nobuhiko Kimura & Seigo Tachibana vs. Atsuki Aoyagi, Dan Tamura & Yuma Aoyagi

Dan and Seigo go at it. Dan side headlocks him then shoulders him over. Seigo kips up. Seigo armdrags him and is swept. Seigo sweeps him again and they stand off. Kimura and AA get in. AA side headlocks him then shoulders him over. Kimura forearms him then flying headscissors him down.

AA suplexes him. Kimura takess a double shoulderblock. Yuma slams him. Dan slams Kimura then AA slams Kimura. They all then hit another round of slams on Kimura for 2. Yuma crabs Kimura and Kimura rope breaks.

Kimura dropkicks Yuma. Hyo gets in and hits flying shoulders on Yuma. He then backdrops him. Hyo falling headbutt drops Yuma. Hyo hits chops on Yuma. Yuma misses a dropkick and Hyo giant swings him. Yuma and Hyo are too dizzy to make it into their corners and try to tag each other. 

Seigo comes in and hits shots on Dan. Seigo atomic drops him then Dan slams him. Dan running shoulders him in the corner then suplexes him for 2. They forearm each other then hit each other on the ropes. Seigo hits a forearm combo then Dan lariats him down. Seigo jack knifes him for 2. Dan death valley drivers him. Seigo hits a b-driver. 

AA and Hyo trade forearms. Hyo headbutts AA in the chest. Kimura suplexes Yuma. Dan double lariats his opponents. Hyo headbutts Dan. Dan hits a big lariat on him. Dan running lariats AA when Seigo moves. Kimura top rope rider kicks Dan. Hyo flying lariats Dan. Seigo olympic slams Dan. Seigo running elbows Dan on the back of the neck and pins him.

Thoughts: There was a decent bit of screwing around here. Yuma wasn't in this much. Kimura had a good showing and was kind of taking Seigo's underdog role. We got a lot of Dan vs Seigo, which is what we have been getting all tour. I'd say it was alright.

Champion Carnival 2026 Block A Match - Oddyssey vs. Talos

They lock up and roll on the ropes. They trade some shots and Talos headchops him. Odd headbutts him. They ram into each other. Tal knees him in the gut then Odd does the same. Tal splashes him on the ropes then Odd does the same. Odd clubs him then hits shots to the gut and chest. Odd corner spears him. 

Odd corner splashes him. Odd hits mounted corner punches. Tal grabs him and rams him into the buckles then shoulders him over. Odd hits some chest shots then lariats him over the top. Odd top rope diving lariats him. They fight outside. Odd is sent into the post. 

Odd uppercuts him then headbutts him. Tal headchops him. Tal running facekicks him. Odd lariats him against the post. Odd tries to splash him against the post but Tal moves and Odd goes into the post. Odd's head is banged off the apron. Tal backdrops Odd on the apron. Odd hits shots to the gut and is headchopped. 

Tal chinlocks him around the ropes. Tal hits corner splashes then side slams him for 2. Tal does the Crush headsqueeze to him. Odd back elbows him then flying shoulders him. Odd running back elbows him in the corner and lariats him. Odd side slams him for 2. Odd splashes him for 2. 

Odd sits on the buckles and gets chopped. Odd is caught on a 2nd rope crossbody attempt and Tal slams him down. Tal chokeslams him and wins.

Thoughts: It was a little longer and slower than I would have liked, but I did like it. It was nice to see Talos face someone who was an actual physical threat to him. You could really see Odd throw his weight at him here. I liked the spot crossbody catch spot at the end and Tal getting lariated over the top was cool.

Talos is interviewed after. He says there's only one real group in this group and it's Titans of Calamity. He says he's about to skin Kuma Arashi tomorrow.

Oddyssey talks.  He says he wanted the win the CC so bad. He says he's sorry to all the fans. He says he faces Go Shiozaki on 5/5. He says he won't let him win but he promises HAVOC will go to the finals.

Champion Carnival 2026 Block B Match - Hideki Suzuki vs. Madoka Kikuta

HS running dropkicks him then euros him outside. They trade boots outside and choke each other. They then start slapping each other and stare down. HS euros him down outside.

HS goes back in and pulled out, then MK goes back in. MK pump kicks him off the apron. MK hits knees to the gut. HS forearms him outside. HS foot slaps him outside and MK chops him. HS forearms him in the gut. HS slaps him around inside then forearms him in the gut, sending him down. HS slaps him more. HS garvin stomps him. 

HS shoulders him over. MK forearms him in the back of the neck. MK chops him down. MK swinging guillotine chokes him. MK stomps him. MK no sells HS' shots. They drop each other at the same time with strikes. MK running hip attacks him.  

They get on all fours and butt heads. HS euros him. HS hits forearms to the gut then punts him in the shoulder and chest. MK running hip attacks him. MK running lariats him. HS backslides him and wins.

Thoughts: It was an odd match. It was a slow speed brawl. They hit a hard shot or two and wait a bit until the other guy hit them back. It like was someone chopping a tree with an axe, staring a it for a minute then doing it again on repeat for 16 minutes straight. I don't know what this was.

They then fight for a while after and show more spirit than they did in the match.

Champion Carnival 2026 Block B Match - Ryuki Honda vs. Ren Ayabe

They lock up. Ren wristlocks him and Honda reverses it. Ren side headlock takeovers him, Honda headscissors him and they get back up. Honda forearms him on the break. Ren shoulders him over. 

They go out. Ren sends him into the rails but Honda no sells it and lariats him. Honda chokes him on the rail and counts along with the ref. Honda bangs Ren's face off then apron. Ren sends Honda into the post and rails.

Ren shoulders him over then foot chokes him. Ren hit back elbows in the corner. Ren stands on his back. Honda running spears him. Honda hits corner lariats for 2 counts. Honda chinlocks him. Ren rams him into the corner to escape then corner facekicks him.

They fight on the buckles. Honda is facekicked off the buckles to the floor. Honda gets back in. He hits forearms and Ren fires back. Honda lariats him from behind and no sells a german. Ren facekicks him and Honda running lariats him.  

They trade forearms. Ren drops him with one for 2. Honda blocks a stretch plum attack. Ren facekicks him then knees him in the gut. Honda suplexes him. Honda running lariats him for 2. They forearm each other at the same time. Honda takes him over into a pin attempt. Ren dropkicks him. 

Ren shotgun dropkicks him for 2. Ren full nelson slams him for 2. Ren then wins with his spinning falcon arrow.

Thoughts: As usual, Ren didn't bring a lot to this. Honda tried but it was just the same spiritless effort from Ren. Honda could have wrestled a door and got about the same result here. It was just average. 

Overall thoughts: It was a weak night at the CC. The first two matches weren't much of note. Yuma seemingly got hurt the other day and went down in pain off a lock-up here, ending the match quick. Kengo/Go made sense and was fine, just not super exciting. The Hyo Ogawa 6-man tag was alright. I liked Oddyssey/Talos as it was a heavyweight match with them throwing some weight around. Suzuki/Kikuta was a slow motion brawl and was unusual. Honda/Ren was average. I'd give this a 4 out of 10 and thought this was below average.

All Japan Pro Wrestling 5/2/2026 Champion Carnival 2026 Day 7

All Japan Pro Wrestling 5/2/2026 Champion Carnival 2026 Day 7

Day 6 is here: https://prowresblog.blogspot.com/2026/05/all-japan-pro-wrestling-4262026.html

Ryuki Honda vs. Shota Kofuji

Honda wristlocks him and side headlock takeovers him. They stand off. Honda side headlocks him. Shota dropkicks him and is shouldered over. Shota rolls him up for 2. Shota backslides him for 2. Shota la magistral's him for 2. Shota dropkicks him. 

Honda back elbows him. Honda kneels on him on the ropes and then Honda counts with the ref on the break. Honda shoulders him over for 2 then chinlocks him. They trade forearms. 

Shota double boots him out of the corner and rolls into a dropkick on him. Shota springboard forearms him then fisherman suplexes him for 2. Shota hits running forearms and Honda lariats him. Honda spears him for 2. Honda running one arm powerbombs him and pins him.

Thoughts: Honda won as expected. He got a little spirit out of Shota before putting him down. It was fine and a little competitive at least.  

Both guys are interviewed after. 

Go Shiozaki, Oddyssey, Shotaro Ashino & Xyon vs. Atsuki Aoyagi, Nobuhiko Kimura, Ryo Inoue & Seiki Yoshioka

Kimura and Ashino do armlocks to each other. Ashino armdrags him and Kimura headscissors him. They stand off. Ashino side headlocks him then shoulders him over. Kimura dropkicks him then flying headscissors him. Atsuki and Odd go at it. Atsuki tries to shoulderblock him and gets nowhere. Atsuki dropkicks him then is shouldered over. 

Atsuki gets in Odd's back and Odd shoulders the other team over while Atsuki is on him. Xyon flips Atsuki into a cutter. Atsuki takes running corner attacks. Odd splashes Atsuki for 2. Atsuki handspring flying kicks Ashino. 

Ryo comes in and hits chest kicks on Ashino. Ryo step up enzugiri's him. Odd and Xyon are pulled over the top. Atsuki and Kimura dropkick them down. Those two then hit stereo plancha's outside, get caught and Seiki asai moonsaults all of them over. Ryo facekicks Ashino. Ashino germans him. 

Ryo flying knees Go. Kimura top rope dropkicks Go. Go takes corner attacks. Kimura dropkicks Go then fisherman busters him for 2. Kimura fights off his opponents. Kimura takes a headbutt then a big slam from Odd. Go running lariats Kimura for 2.

Go hits a big lariat on Kimura for 2. Go running lariats Kimura and wins.

Thoughts: Kimura mostly got picked on here before going down. It wasn't anything too special.

We get interviews after. Xyon's team is happy about the win. They do a group cheer together.

Champion Carnival 2026 Block A Match - Kengo Mashimo vs. Kuma Arashi

Kuma and Ken lock up. They clean break. Ken hammerlocks Kuma then Kuma side headlocks him. Ken reverses it. Kuma shoulders him over then sentons him. Kuma stands on Ken's gut. Kuma dumps Ken to the apron. Ken grabs a sleeper there and the ref forces him to break it. Ken sits on his back with a chinlock.

Ken grounded chinlocks him. Kuma ropebreaks. Kuma hits forearms. Kuma samoan drops him then sentons him. Kuma corner lariats him then sentons him for 2. Kuma racks him and Ken chinlocks him off of it. They trade forearms. Ken gamengiri's him. Kuma dropkicks him. Ken superkicks him then STO's him. Ken sleepers him. Ken gets on his back with a sleeper. Kuma climbs onto the 2nd rope and drops backwards to break it. Kuma hits a to prope senton and pins him.

Thoughts: It didn't look promising on paper and wasn't much better in execution. It was a very boring match with Ken doing little but sleepers and chinlocks before going down. 

Both guys are interviewed after.

Champion Carnival 2026 Block B Match - Daisuke Sekimoto vs. Ren Ayabe

They lock up and roll on the ropes. They do a double knuckle lock. Sek chest clubs him and they shoulder battle. Sek headbutts him then Ren shoulders him over. Ren elbows him in the neck then forearms him down. Ren stands on his back. Sek double boots him out of the corner then armdrags him into a half-crab. 

Sek stomps Ren. They trade forearms. Ren knees him in the gut then slams him. Ren running facekicks him for 2. They trade forearms. Sek spears him, sentons him and splashes him. Sek snapmares him. Ren superplexes him. Sek powers up and no sells it. Sek suplexes him. Ren then shotgun dropkicks him. 

Ren and Sek trade forearms for clubs. Sek hits running lariats then drops him with one. Sek enzugiri's him. Sek racks him but Ren fights out. Ren flying neckbreakers him. Ren full-nelson sitout slams him for 2. Ren spinning falcon arrows him and wins.

Thoughts: Ren won as expected. They had some of the idea of what this heavyweight match should look like but it wasn't great. I didn't like Sek no selling the superplex. Ren's just not a very charismatic or fiery dude and it hurts matches like this where that's needed.

Both guys do interviews after.  

Aizawa NO. 1, Dan Tamura & Hokuto Omori vs. Hideki Suzuki, MUSASHI & Seigo Tachibana

Dan side headlocks Seigo. Dan shoulders him over. Seigo kips up and is booted over. Dan side headlock takeovers him. Dan shoulders him over. Aizawa offers a handshake to Musashi. Aizawa dropkicks him. Suzuki comes in and takes a double back elbow then a double elbow drop. Aizawa top rope dropicks Omori. Musashi step up enzugiri's Aizawa and sends him out. Omori ddt's him for 2. Musashi double stomps and basement dropkicks Omori.

Dan and Seigo trade forearms. Seigo boots him in the gut then facekicks him. Seigo suplexes Dan for 2. Aizawa tries to spit champagne at Seigo but nails Omori instead. Aizawa tries again and nails Omori again...seemingly on purpose. Musashi tope con hilos outside. 

Dan lariats Seigo then death valley drivers him for 2. Dan lariats Musashi over. Seigo backslides him for 2. Dan lariats him then Seigo toyota rolls him off a powerbomb and pins him.

Thoughts: It wasn't that serious with Aizawa spitting champagne at people. We thankfully didn't get the overdone tower of doom spot here. Suzuki didn't play much of a factor in this. It wasn't that good.  

Both teams are interviewed after. 

Champion Carnival 2026 Block A Match - Talos vs. Yuma Anzai

They lock up and Tal pushes him back. Yuma tries to trip him and is thrown off. Yuma stomps his foot. Yuma hits shoulderblocks then dropkicks him. Tal slams him then chinlocks him around the top rope. Tal pulls the 2nd rope into his gut. Tal hits a big forearm then gorilla press throws him out of the ring.

Tal bangs Yuma's head off the apron. Tal hits forearms outside and chokes Yuma with a towel. Yuma avoids being sent into the post. Yuma forearms Tal off the apron. Yuma hits forearms in the corner. Tal headchops him. Yuma 2nd rope dropkicks him.

Yuma gets on his back with a sleeper and Tal rams him into the corner to break it up. Tal corner splashes him. Tal corner splashes him then side slams him for 2. Tal head chops him. Yuma flying knees him then Tal facekicks him over for 2. 

Yuma forearms Tal in the corner. Tal head chops him and backdrops him for 2. Tal hits snake eyes on him. Yuma hits a flying knee then knees him in the face for 2. Yuma chinlocks him. Tal hits snake eyes then facekicks him for 2. 

Yuma rolls him up for 2. Yuma meteora's him and pins him.

Thoughts: They had some of the idea of the big vs small man right but not enough. Tal just didn't get to abuse Yuma enough and Yuma never really got his big fire up spot to wake the crowd up. It was average. Yuma sold his ankle throughout this but Tal never really worked it.

Talos does an interview. He says Yuma snuck the win out and he thinks the ref gave him it. He says he faces Oddyssey tomorrow. He says there's only one true giant in AJPW and it's him.

Champion Carnival 2026 Block B Match - Yuma Aoyagi vs. Madoka Kikuta

MK hits Yuma from behind then stomps him in the corner. MK chops him and elbows him in the back of the neck. Yuma dropkicks him. Yuma boots him in the back and stands on his gut. Yuma elbow drops him and tries pins that barely get 1 counts. 

Yuma is tripped into the ropes. MK forearms him from behind and corner hip attacks him there. MK boots him outside. MK running knees him in the head as he hangs off the apron. They trade shots outside. MK hits forearms to the back of the head inside then does a grounded sleeper. 

MK slaps him around and kicks him. Yuma hits forearms. MK chops him. MK eye rakes him and throws him down backwards. Yuma misses a dropkick. MK slaps him around and Yuma dropkicks him.

Yuma flying corner forearms him then 2nd rope twisting crossbodies him. Yuma top rope crossbodies him for 2. Yuma does a grounded guillotine and MK ropebreaks. MK sends him to the apron and pump kicks him off the apron. MK flying hip attacks him off the apron. 

MK running lariats him from behind in the corner. MK hits forearms to the back of the neck. MK spinning guillotines him and drops him. MK headbutts him down from the buckles. MK misses a top rope move. Yuma running dropkicks him and germans him. MK running hip attacks him from behind. They suplex each other. 

They trade forearms. Yuma hits forearms and euros him. MK spits at him. Yuma backrolls him into a bridge for 2. Yuma tornado ddt's him for 2. Yuma superplexes him down. MK leg lariats him. Yuma comes off the 2nd rope and is hit with a hip attack in mid-air. MK running hip attacks him. Yuma backslides him for 2. MK flying hip attacks him. 

Yuma running lariats him then germans him for 2. Yuma fisherman suplexes him for 2 then does it again for the win.

Thoughts: I was sure this was going to a draw and was surprised when it didn't. MK had nice hip attacks and chopped up Yuma hard but I wasn't too into the match. Yuma didn't get enough in and MK was mostly just clubbing and chopping him the whole time. I thought this was a bit boring.

Both men do interviews after.

Champion Carnival 2026 Block A Match - Kento Miyahara vs. Rei Saito

They lock up. Ken backs him up on the ropes and clean breaks him. Rei backs him up on the ropes and goes for a chop. Ken side headlocks him. They shoulder battle. Ken facekicks him then Rei shoulders him over. Rei double axe handles him outside. Rei misses a charge outside and goes into the post. Ken then headbutts him outside.

Rei chops him out in the crowd and bangs Ken's head off a wall. Rei double chops Ken against the post then splashes him against the post. Rei chookes him with a towel. Rei stands on Ken's gut. 

Ken hits chest clubs. Rei blocks a roll up then butt drops Ken for 2. Rei misses a lariat. Ken dropkicks him in the knee and the side of the head. Ken flying forearms him in the corner. Ken goes for a slam but Rei falls over him. 

Rei chops Ken up. Ken shoves him and they trade forearms. Ken suplexes him. Rei bodyblocks him then sleepers him. Ken escapes a powerbomb and flying pumping knees him. Rei hits a big slap then crossbodies him. Rei chokeslams Ken for 2. 

Ken sunset flip Rei for 2 then pumping knees him. Rei slaps him. Ken flying pumping knees him twice for 2. Rei tries to ropebreak out of a waistlock but Ken capture german suplexes him and pins him.

Thoughts: It wasn't bad. Ken brought some personality to this and it didn't go too long. Both guys stuck to their signature stuff as usual. And also as usual, the trips outside of the ring didn't add a lot.

Ken does a speech after. He and Rei then both get interviewed. 

Overall thoughts: The opener was alright. The second match wasn't that great with Nobuhiko Kimura mostly getting picked on. Kengo vs Kuma was a boring bout. They got some of the things right in Sekimoto/Ren but it could have been better. Omori's match wasn't very serious and wasn't good. Talos/Yuma didn't hit and was average. Aoyagi/Kikuta went too long. The main was acceptable. I'd give this a 4 out of 10. Most of the matches underperformed and it wasn't a great night at the CC. I thought it was a below average show. 

All Japan Pro Wrestling 4/26/2026 Champion Carnival 2026 Day 6

All Japan Pro Wrestling 4/26/2026 Champion Carnival 2026 Day 6

Day 5 is here: https://prowresblog.blogspot.com/2026/04/all-japan-pro-wrestling-4252026.html

Ryuki Honda, Hokuto Omori, Atsuki Aoyagi & Rising HAYATO vs Shotaro Ashino, MUSASHI, Ryo Inoue & Shota Kofuji

Atsuki and Ryo go at it. Ryo wristlocks him and Atsuki reverses it. Ryo side headlocks him. Ryo shoulders him over. They dodge shots. Ryo side headlock takeovers him. Atsuki headscissors him. Musashi and Omori get in. Omori ducks a chop. Musashi dropkicks him in the knee and does a basement dropkick. 

Ashino tags in. He hits karelin's lift on Omori for 2. Omori dropkicks him in the knee. Omori ddt's him. Honda gets in and shoulders Ashino over. Honda corner lariats Ashino then chokes him on the ropes with his leg. They trade forearms.

Ashino pop up euros him and flying euros him. Shota comes in and dropkicks Honda. Shota running forearms Rising down. Rising dropkicks him. Shota takes corner attacks. Omori's team tries a tower of doom and Omori is powerbombed down like usual. Ryo handspring double cutters Rising and Honda. Musashi tope con hilos outside. Shota top rope dropkicks Rising for 2.

Shota fisherman suplexes him for 2. Shota rolls up Rising for 2. Rising tombstones him for 2. Rising asai moonsaults Shota and pins him.

Thoughts: It was your usual opener. They kept it moving and got out before it got too stale at least but it was nobody's greatest effort. Everyone did their segment then got out. It was acceptable.

Champion Carnival 2026 Block B Match - Daisuke Sekimoto vs Xyon

They lock up and test strength. They shoulderblock battle. Xyon shoulders him over. Xyon running back elbows him in the corner. Xyon goes up and over then hits a corner spear. Sek is sent into the buckles and goes down.

Xyon is sent out. Sek double axe handles his back and clubs his chest. Sek is sent into the rails. Sek is sent into the rails. Xyon backdrops him on the apron. Xy pulls Sek's arms back. Xy cobra clutches him. Sek shoulders him over then corner spears him. Sek suplexes him and sentons him. Sek splashes him for 2. Sek crabs him. 

Sek racks him. Xyon hits some strikes and death valley drivers him for 2. Xyon misses a top rope splash. Sek basement dropkicks him then does an AA into a bodypress and wins.

Thoughts: It was short, simple and average. Xyon didn't bring a lot to this. They didn't even really stiff each other much. 

Xyon is interviewed after. He says it doesn't get any easier and it's another loss. He says sometimes you can only take so much. He says he gives 110% everytime. He says the real victory is fighting with his brother Nagao (not sure who he means). He says he will always fight for him. 

Daisuke Sekimoto is interviewed after.  

Champion Carnival 2026 Block A Match - Kengo Mashimo vs Rei Saito

They lock up. Ken boots him in the gut and side headlocks him. They shoulder battle. Ken drops down and Rei walks on him. Rei shoulders him over. Ken armlocks him. Rei rams him into the corner and sends him into the rails. Rei running shoulder blocks him against the post. 

Ken hits chest clubs on Rei. Rei chops him multiple times. Rei blocks a roll up then Rei butt drops him for 2. Rei is pulled over the top and has his arm banged off the top rope. Rei's shoulder is sent into the post. Ken lifts up a floor mat then drives Rei's shoulder into the exposed floor. Ken comes off the top and drives Rei's shoulder into the mat. Ken hits kicks to the arm.

Rei hits chops. Rei shoulders him over for 2. Rei slaps him then crossbodies him. Rei chokeslams him for 2. Ken rolling armbars him. Ken then submits him.

Thoughts: It was a shorter on and it was mostly all armwork from Ken. It made sense but it wasn't that exciting.  

Both do interviews after. 

Champion Carnival 2026 Block A Match - Kuma Arashi vs Go Shiozaki

Go and Kuma lock up. Kuma clean breaks him on the ropes. Go side headlocks him. They shoulder battle. Kuma runs through a chop then shoulders him over. Kuma is sent into the rails outside. Go chokes him on the rails. Kuma drops Go through first on the top rope. Kuma stands on Go's gut. Kuma sentons him.

Kuma foot chokes him. Go hits facekicks then flying shoulders him. Go hits a chop flurry in the corner. Go running lariats him for 2. Kuma torture rack drops him for 2. Go hits a lariat then Kuma dropkicks him. 

Go double boots him out of the corner. Go 2nd rope twisting suplexes him. Go lariats him down for 2. Go hits a go flasher for 2. Go spinning chops him in the back of the neck. Kuma is sat up top. Go goes for a 2nd rope backdrop and Kuma bodypresses him down. Kuma running lariats Go for 2.

Kuma top rope sentons Go and picks up the win.

Thoughts: This was a big upset here as Kuma was not expected to win. I liked the match. Go didn't do a lot but chops. Kuma used his weight against him and won. This is one of Kuma's biggest AJPW wins.

Both do interviews after. 

Dan Tamura and Hideki Suzuki vs Seigo Tachibana and Hyo Ogawa

Dan and Seigo go at it. Dan side headlocks him then shoulders him over. Dan side headlock takeovers him. Seigo headscissors him and gets taken over again. Hyo gets in and backs up Dan in the corner. HS gets in. Hyo chops him and side headlocks him. They shoulder battle and Hyo knocks him over. HS kicks him hard in the chest. 

Dan camel clutches Hyo and Hyo ropebreaks. HS forearms Hyo in the gut. Hyo suplexes him then flying shoulders him. Hyo backdrops him. Hyo falling headbutts him for 2. Hyo giant swings him. Both get dizzy and both tag out. Seigo and Dan trade forearms. Seigo atomic drops him then Dan flying shoulders him. Seigo knocks him off the apron then tope con hilos him outside. 

Dan fights off both opponents. Dan takes a lariat. Dan double leg grapevines Seigo's legs. Hyo tries to break it up. Dan and Seigo trade forearms. Seigo spears him then olympic slams him for 2. 

Seigo rolls him up for 2. Dan lariats him then powerbombs him for the win.

Thoughts: Dan and Seigo kind of carried this one and had some okay exchanges here. Hyo did some light comedy here. It was acceptable.

Champion Carnival 2026 Block A Match - Oddyssey vs Yuma Anzai

Odd shoves Yuma over. They lock up again an Yuma backs him up on the ropes. Yuma hits chest forearms then clubs on him. Odd shoulders him over and dances. Yuma flying knees him to send him off the apron then jumps off the apron for a flying knee outside on him. Yuma is sent into the rails and has his head banged off of them. Yuma flying forearms him off the rail then Odd bodyblocks him down.

Odd rams Yuma's back into the post and backdrops him on the apron. Odd elbow drops Yuma in the ring for 2. Odd clubs Yuma's chest. Odd misses a corner charge. Yuma hits dropkicks on him. Yuma double boots him out of the corner and 2nd rope dropkicks him for 2.  

Yuma facelocks him. Odd running lariats him then hits shots in the corner. Odd side slams him for 2. Yuma flying knees Odd. Odd misses a crossbody. Yuma facelocks him. Odd throws Yuma off his back. Yuma rolls him up twice for 2. Yuma running knees him in the face and the back of the head. Yuma hits another flying knee for 2. Odd black hole slams Yuma. Odd 2nd rope splashes him and pins him.

Thoughts: Big upset here with Off beating Yuma. It was what you would expect with Odd using his size on Yuma and Yuma doing his usual offense. It was okay enough but not super exciting. I think it would have been better if it were a few minutes shorter and if the pace was picked up.

Odddyssey says he's finally back on track. He says Yuma is no joke but says today goes to him and HAVOC.

Yuma is interviewed after. 

Champion Carnival 2026 Block B Match - Yuma Aoyagi vs Ren Ayabe

They lock up. Ren backs him up on the ropes and messes with his head. Yuma wristlocks him and Ren wristlocks him back. Ren hammerlocks him and Yuma reverses it. Ren side headlocks him. Ren shoulders him over. Yuma dropkicks him then is shouldered over. They go out. Ren elbows him in the neck and sends him into the post. Yuma hits chest clubs and Ren forearms him. Yuma is sent into the post. Yuma ddt's him on the floor twice.

Yuma hits euros outside. Yuma is sent into the rails several times. Yuma hits chest clubs inside and is back body dropped for 2. Ren crabs him and Yuma ropebreaks. Yuma hits chest forearms. Yuma flying forearms Ren down.

Yuma 2nd rope twisting crossbodies him then top rope crossbodies him. Yuma does a grounded guillotine and Ren ropebreaks. Ren facekicks him off the apron, sending him out. Ren throws Yuma off the apron to the floor. Ren helluva kicks him and flying neckbreakers him for 2. Yuma takes another corner facekick. They forearm each other and Yuma lariats him. Ren suplexes him.

Ren boots Yuma while he's down. They trade forearms. Yuma dropkicks him. Yuma flying forearms him in the corner. Yuma goes up top and is hit and headbutts down. Yuma top rope dropkicks him for 2. Yuma grounded guillotine chokes him. 

They go on the buckles and Ren superplexes him down for 2. Ren full nelson sitout slams him for 2. Yuma rolls him up for 2 counts. Ren flying forearms him and tornado ddt's him. Yuma germans him for 2. Ren facekicks him and Yuma rolls him up for 2. Ren knees him in the gut then dragon suplexes him for 2. Yuma rolls him into another grounded guillotine. Ren taps out.

Thoughts: It was an acceptable bout. It wasn't anything over exciting but it made sense with Yuma going for the guillotine multiple times and eventually winning with it. This was a very slow paced bout.  

Champion Carnival 2026 Block A Match - Talos vs Kento Miyahara

They lock up and Tal pushes him. Ken ducks a lock up and poses. Tal want a test of strength. Ken stomps his foot and hits flying shoulders. Tal shoulders him over. Tal bangs Ken's head off the rails outside and clubs him there. Tal charges at him against the post but Ken moves and Tal goes into it. 

Ken headbutts him outside. Ken is caught coming off the apron and Tal rams him back first into the post. Ken is thrown into rails and into the stage. Ken is then thrown into the post. Tal chokes him on the ropes. Tal corner splashes him then running facekicks him. Ken dropkicks him in the knee and the side of the head. Ken is caught coming off the 2nd rope with a bearhug. Tal running facekicks him then side slams him for 2. 

Tal goes for the chokeslam and Ken slips out. Ken rolls him up for 2. Ken pumping knees him twice for 2. Tal hits snake eyes on him and facekicks him for 2. Tal hits a big chokeslam and wins.

Thoughts: It was basically a one sided squash. Ken got one comeback in and not a lot else. Seeing Ken get whooped like this is a rare sight.

Talos says he has come to the hall of Giant Baba and says Baba's one of the best giants ever. He ays anyone at any time can be a victim of his.

Ken is interviewed after.

Talos is interviewed after. Talos says he's 2-2 and picked up one of the biggest wins in Baba's hometown. He says to keep an eye out for him and he's never done.

Overall thoughts: The opener was acceptable. Sekimoto/Xyon was average and a little bit of a disappointment. Kengo/Rei made sense but was boring. I liked Go/Kuma. Dan Tamura's tag match was acceptable and Yuma/Oddyssey was okay enough. I was alright with Aoyagi/Ren and the main was sadly a squash. I'd give it a higher 5 out of 10 as the show was alright enough but there was nothing you need to see here.

All Japan Pro Wrestling 4/25/2026 Champion Carnival 2026 Day 5

All Japan Pro Wrestling 4/25/2026 Champion Carnival 2026 Day 5

Day 4 is here: https://prowresblog.blogspot.com/2026/04/all-japan-pro-wrestling-4232026.html

Day 6 is here: https://prowresblog.blogspot.com/2026/05/all-japan-pro-wrestling-4262026.html 

MUSASHI, Ryo Inoue & Seiki Yoshioka vs. Atsuki Aoyagi, Rising HAYATO & Shota Kofuji

Rising and Ryo go at it. Rising wristlocks him. Ryo reverses it. Rising chops him twice. Ryo flying kicks him. Rising chops him off the apron then teases a dive and poses. Musashi chops Shota when they get in and Shota drops him with a running forearm. 

Musashi dropkicks him in the knee, double stomps his back and basement dropkicks him. Shota takes a double basement dropkick. Rising and Atsuki do stereo plancha's outside. Ryo then PK's both from the apron. Shota spinning neckbreakers Seiki. Atsuki gets in and 2nd rope twisting armdrags Seiki. He then dropkicks him.

Seiki step up enzugiri's him. Ryo comes in and hits chest kicks on Atsuki. Rising corner dropkicks Ryo. Rising is pushed into Atsuki and Ryo spin kicks Rising in the head. Atsuki corkscrew kicks Ryo. Shota comes in and drops Ryo with forearms. Shota rolls into a dropkick on him. Seiki axe kicks Shot then Musashi exploders Shota. Shota 2nd rope double dropkicks his opponents.

Ryo takes corner attacks then is held for a springboard flying forearm from Shota. Ryo handspring double cutters Atsuki and Rising. Ryo then handspring cutters Shota. Musashi tope con hilos outside. Ryo kicks Shota in the gut then Shota dropkicks him. Shota fisherman suplexes Ryo for 2.

Ryo high kicks Shota then lifting flatliners him for 2. Ryo buzzsaw kicks Shota and pins him.

Thoughts: It wasn't anything too special and it went a little longer than needed. Shota got a lot of offense in on this one and we didn't see much of him anyone but him and Ryo. 

Shota, Ryo, Seiki and Musashi do post-match interviews. 

Champion Carnival 2026 Block B Match - Hideki Suzuki vs. Yuma Aoyagi

Yuma dropkicks HS then does roll-up's. Yuma backrolls him into a bridge for 2. HS hits him in the gut then chest kicks him. HS hits more forearms to the gut of Yuma. HS garvin stomps Yuma. Yuma rolls him up for 2. Yuma backrolls him but HS grabs a grounded choke off of it. Yuma tries to turn it into a pin attempt. 

Yuma backslides HS then dropkicks him. HS Rolls Yuma forward and tries a bridge pin but Yuma pushes HS' arms down at the same time. We have a double pin.

Thoughts: Well this was something different. It didn't go too long at least because that would not have been good. It's not exactly the most exciting way to get a show going though.

Both wrestlers are confused after. Kyohei Wada explains the situation to them in the post match interview after.

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

They lock up and Odd pushes him down. Ken hits chest forearms and chops and Odd isn't affected. Ken eye pokes Odd then Odd shoulders him over. Odd dances. Odd hits a corner splash then is pulled over the top. Ken goes for a kick from the apron but has his back rammed into the post. Odd walks on Ken outside and sends him into the post. 

They fight more outside and Ken is sent into the post. Odd backdrops Ken on the apron. Odd hits elbow drops on Ken then clubs on him. Odd misses a big splash. Ken gets on his back and is rammed into the corner. Ken ddt's him then hits a short ddt. Ken 2nd rope ddt's him for 2.

Ken buzzsaw kicks him for 2. Ken hits kicks on Odd then gets on his back with a sleeper. Odd throws him off then hits a splash for 2. Odd misses a 2nd rope splash. Ken running knees Odd for 2. Ken sleepers Odd on the mat and submits him.

Thoughts: I wasn't confident on this one going in and it wasn't that good. Ken's not super exciting and Odd can only do so much. Maybe you could kind of say Ken tried to ground him and sleeper him but I don't know if they did enough to put that over. 

Oddyssey does a post match interview. He says 2 losses back to back isn't his way or HAVOC's way. He says he's gotta be better than this. He promises to get back on his winning ways vs Yuma tomorrow.

Kengo is then interviewed.

Champion Carnival 2026 Block B Match - Daisuke Sekimoto vs. Madoka Kikuta

This may be a first time match and it should be good.

They lock up and let go. They do a double knuckle lock and trade control. MK knees him in the gut and they shoulder battle. MK throws him down. MK elbows him in the back of the back of the neck. Sek hits chest clubs and MK slams him. 

MK hits chops in the corner. Sek chops him back. Sek back body drops him then throws him out. Sek stomps him outside. Sek rams MK's back into the post then pulls him into the post. Sek elbow drops his back. They fight outside more. Sek suplexes him in the ring.

Sek crabs him. MK boots him out of the corner. MK running shoulders him over. MK hits chops and punches in the corner. MK leg lariats him for 2. MK suplexes him. They trade chops. Sek back body drops him. Sek slams him. Sek misses a top rope splash and MK running hip attacks him. 

MK corner lariats him then corner hip attacks him for 2. Sek headbutts him then lariats him over for 2. MK flying hip attacks him. Sek lariats him then MK lariats back. MK hits another lariat for 2. MK spinning lariats him and pins him.

Thoughts: The first half of this was a total waste of time as they did nothing of note on the outside. The second half was what it should have been though with them hitting big shots on each other. It wasn't enough though for me and I didn't like this that much. 

Both are interviewed after.

Dan Tamura, Go Shiozaki, Ren Ayabe & Yuma Anzai vs. Hokuto Omori, Hyo Ogawa, Seigo Tachibana & Shotaro Ashino

Dan and Seigo starts us off. Seigo side headlock takeovers him, gets put in a headscissors and they swap roles and do the spot again. Dan takes him down then Seigo rolls him up for 2. Hyo gets in. He locks up with Yuma and chops him on the ropes. Hyo side headlocks him then Yuma dropkicks him. Hyo then shoulders him over.

Hyo hits his opponents on the apron. They try the tower of doom spot with Omori like usual and Omori ends up getting powerbombed. Omori takes corner attacks. Yuma belly to belly suplexes him for 2. Omori hits forearms on Go then dropkicks him in the knee. Omori ddt's him. Ashino running euros Go twice for 2.

Ashino karelin's lift's Go for 2. Ashino euros Go. Go and Ashino trade chops and euros. Ashino germans him. Go hits a big lariat. Dan and Seigo get in. Dan hits forearms then flying shoulders him. Dan running corer shoulders Seigo then suplexes him for 2. Dan ties his legs up then sits on his back. Hyo breaks it up. Dan lariats Hyo then Hyo hits flying shoulders. Hyo backdrops Dan, kips up and backflips. Hyo falling headbutt drops Dan and everyone laughs including Go. 

Dan takes corner attacks. Omori's team successfully hits a tower of doom of Dan. Seigo spears Dan for 2. Yuma flying knees Seigo. Ren sitout full-nelson bombs Seigo. Dan lariats Seigo for 2. Seigo crucifix bombs him then crossfaces him. Dan taps out.

Thoughts: It was an okay throwaway bout here. Hyo is from Ikemen Jiro's UPTOWN wrestling and he won't be there for long. He has an anime style look with very bleached blonde hair. He's taller, he's in good shape, he has some personality and AJPW will sign him up as soon as they can. We didn't see a lot of Ren or Yuma in this and it was mostly The Dan and Seigo show.

Hyo Ogawa and Seigo Tachibana

Yuma and Dan are interviewed after. Seigo and Hyo are then interviewed after.

Champion Carnival 2026 Block A Match - Talos vs. Rei Saito

They shoulder battle to start. They test strength. Rei chops him then Tal shoulders him down. Tal forearms him outside and bangs his head off the apron and post. Tal sends Rei into the post then Rei shoulders him outside. Rei puts him against the post and splashes him. Tal lariats him. 

Tal hits him from behind. Rei's head is banged off the apron. Tal corner splashes Rei inside the ring. Tal running facekicks him for 2. Rei chops and boots him. They run into each other. Rei suplexes Tal. They trade shots. 

Tal bops him in the head and Rei chops him up in the corner. Rei corner lariats him then shoulders him over for 2. Tal running facekicks him for 2. Tal sideslams him.

Rei crossbodies him for 2. Rei hit a big slam and shotei's him down. Rei then pins him.

Thoughts: Talos losing from a shotei was a little weak but they had the right idea otherwise. They ran into each other and stuck mostly to strikes here. It wasn't the most exciting but it was an acceptable hoss match.

Rei is interviewed after.

Talos is interviewed. He says Rei got this one. He says it's the last time any of the Saito's beat The Titan's of Calamity.

Champion Carnival 2026 Block B Match - Ryuki Honda vs. Xyon

They lock up. Xyon waistlocks him. Honda wristlocks him. Xyon trips him and rolls out of a hammerlock. They stare down. Xyon side headlocks him. They shoulder battle and Honda shoulders him over. Honda chokes him on the 2nd rope. Honda trips him into the ropes and chokes him on the ropes again. 

Xyon is sent over the top rope. Honda forearms him outside. Xyon headbutts him outside. Xyon misses a charge and goes into the post hard. Honda is sent into the post and backdropped on the apron. Xyon stomps him inside. Xyon then double stomps him for 2. 

Xyon pulls Honda's arms back. Xyon hits a spinning forearm then running elbows him in the corner. Xyon corner spears him the nsends him hard into the post. Honda is on the apron and Xyon running lariats him down. Xyon cobra clutches him. Honda hits forearms. Xyon suplexes him. 

Honda and Xyon trade forearms. Honda hits lariats then Xyon death valley drivers him for 2. Xyon comes off the top and is forearmed. Honda lariats him twice. Honda running lariats him. Honda running one arm powerbombs him and wins.

Thoughts: It would have been better if it was a shorter bout. Yet again, the outside brawling just slowed the match down and added nothing to it. I think this would have been a decent 7 minute bout but it went 12. They did the right offense but it dragged and wasn't super exciting.

Honda and Xyon do interviews after. Xyon says all he tries to do is win. He says he had 2 wins last year and only 1 this year. He says he feels like he is going down but whatever goes down must go up. He says he's here and still fighting and won't give up. He says he will never give up HAVOC either. 

Champion Carnival 2026 Block A Match - Kento Miyahara vs. Kuma Arashi

They compete for cheers and stall. They lock up and back up on the ropes. Ken chops him. Kuma clean breaks him on the ropes. Kuma does his howl and Ken facekicks him. They shoulderblock battle. Kuma shoulders him over. Kuma misses a senton and is sent out. Ken headbutts him outside and hurts his own head. They headbutt each other and Ken hurts his own head again. Ken crossfaces him around the post.

Ken is laid on the top rope and Kuma splashes his back. Kuma stands on Ken's gut. Kuma hits corner spears. Ken hits chest clubs. Kuma backbreakers him then samoan drops him. Kuma sentons him for 2. Kuma puts his foot in Ken's gut and stands on his gut.

Ken dropkicks him in the knee and the side of the head. Ken flying forearms him in the corner. Kuma torture rack drops him for 2. Kuma running corner lariats him. Ken no sells it and fires up. They trade forearms. Kuma lariats him and sentons him. 

Kuma corner lariats him then 2nd rope sentons him for 2. They get on the buckles and Ken superplexes him down. Kuma crossbodies him then Ken flying pumping knees him. Kuma hits lariats and running lariats him for 2. Ken facekicks him and Kuma dropkicks him. Ken flying pumping knees him. Ken pumping knees him again for 2. Ken straightjacket germans him and pins him.

Thoughts: I liked it and it was an okay main. They had the idea down right with Kuma geting the edge on Ken early then Ken powering through, evening things up and eventually win. I wouldn't say we got Kuma's best here but he kept Ken on point and it was one of Ken's better bouts as of late.

Ken is given a big check after from a sponsor. Ken talks on the mic to close the show. Ken and Kuma then do post match interviews after.

Overall thoughts: It was an average night at the CC. Sekimoto/Kikuta didn't live up to expectations. Honda/Xyon wasn't that great. Aoyagi/Suzuki ended in a double pin. I was okay with Rei/Talos. The main was okay. We saw the AJPW debut of Hyo Ogawa, who has a memorable look and is a heavyweight. I expect him to be signed in the future. The throwaway 8-man tag wasn't bad and the opener wasn't too special. I'd give it a 5 out of 10 as some things could have been better than they were.

All Japan Pro Wrestling 4/23/2026 Champion Carnival 2026 Day 4

All Japan Pro Wrestling 4/23/2026 Champion Carnival 2026 Day 4

Day 3 is here: https://prowresblog.blogspot.com/2026/04/all-japan-pro-wrestling-4192026.html

Day 5 is here: https://prowresblog.blogspot.com/2026/04/all-japan-pro-wrestling-4252026.html 

Daisuke Sekimoto vs. Shota Kofuji

Shota dropkicks him then hits forearms in the corner. Shota rolls into a dropkick on him. Shota does an octopus on him and Sek ropebreaks out. Sek backbreakers him then sentons him. Sek splashes him then crabs him. Shota ropebreaks to escape.

Shota tries some pin attempts for nearfalls. Sek blocks a cradle with a suplex. Sek running crossbodies him for 2. Sek hits a big lariat for the win.

Thoughts: It was a rookie vs vet match and it was fine. Shota almost pulled off the upset before being put down. They did what they were supposed to do here and did a nice job with it.

Kuma Arashi, MUSASHI, Shotaro Ashino & Yuya Aoki vs. Atsuki Aoyagi, Rising HAYATO, Ryo Inoue & Yuma Aoyagi

Yuya and Rising go at it. Yuya side headlocks him. Rising chops him then Yuya facekicks him. Musashi hits chops on Rising. Musashi dropkicks him in the knee, double stomps his back then basement dropkicks him. Musashi is held for a 2nd rope diving codebreaker then he takes a backdrop + neckbreaker combo.

Musashi hits forearms on Ryo then is chest kicked down. Musasahi boots him out of the corner then enzugiri's him. Kuma comes in and slams Ryo. He sentons him for 2. Kuma racks Yuma and throws him onto his partners. Kuma sentons Ryo.

Yuya hits chops on Ryo then exploders him. Yuma top rope dropkicks Yuya. Ashino germans Yuma. Atsuki dropkicks Ashino. We get a 5 person suplex with Atuki's team being suplexed. Musashi tope con hilos out.

Ryo hits leg kicks on Yuya. Yuya handspring back elbows him. Yuya springboard dropkicks Ryo for 2. Kuma racks Yuma in the seats and walks him with it. Ryo high kicks Yuya. Yuya lariats Ryo for 2. Yuya hits another lariat and wins.

Thoughts: It didn't do much to make Yuma look like a top guy but it was fun otherwise. They kept it moving and they kept the pace up. The crowd was into it and everyone got something in before going home.  

Champion Carnival 2026 Block B Match - Xyon vs. Madoka Kikuta

I have some faith that this could be a decent battle.

They lock up and Xy shoves him back. Xy takes him over with a headlock and MK rolls him over. Xyon offers a handshake and MK eye rakes him. MK clubs his back. MK spits in his eyes. Xyon's head is banged off the buckles then he is thrown out. MK chops Xyon outside.

Xyon's head is banged off the apron. MK is sent into the post. MK is backdropped on the apron. MK pump kicks him inside for 1. MK then grounded chinlocks him and rakes the eyes. Xyon hits shots to the gut and a spinning forearm.

MK boots him off the ropes then Xyon suplexes him. They trade forearms. Xyon spinning headbutts him in the shoulder. Xyon corner spears him MK backshands him then takes a death valley driver. 

Xyon is up top and MK hip attacks him down. MK hits him with a water bottle outside. MK spits water at him. Xyon hits him outside and headbutts him. MK is then sent into the post. MK splashes him on the floor. Xyon headbutts him then sends him into the post and we go to a double countout.

Thoughts: I thought they kind of figured this out some near the end with the brawling, but then it ended. Xyon's spinning headbutt doesn't look good at all as he gets himself shouldered in the face every time he does it. I'd say it was below average.

Champion Carnival 2026 Block B Match - Hideki Suzuki vs. Ryuki Honda

They grapple and go to the mat. Honda front facelocks him then HS reverses it. Honda gets his back and HS slips out. Honda gains control on the mat. Honda trips him into the ropes and HS slides out. HS hits forearms to the gut. They trade shots outside. They trade forearms inside. HS hits headbutts then stomps him.

Hnda hits forearms and is dropped with a knee to the gut. They butt heads on their knees. Honda suplexes him. Honda corner lariats him then chokes him over the 2nd rope with his leg. He then counts with the ref on the break. Honda shoulders him over. HS hanging headscissors him over the top rope.

HS stomps Honda. HS twists Honda's neck with his feet and knee drops him. They trade forearms. Honda spears him. They running elbow each other on the ropes. HS finlay rolls him. HS goes up top and they butt heads. Honda 2nd rope superplexes him. 

They trade more shots on their knees. Honda fires up as they trade. HS cobra clutches him. HS then chickenwings him. They trade forearms. HS euros him then Honda short arm lariats him. Honda hits a running lariat for 2. Honda lariats him from behind and germans him. HS tombstones him then dragon suplexes him. HS dropkicks him.

HS hits kicks to the chest and sleepers him. Honda is out and HS wins.

Thoughts: It was a decent bout. Honda brought some fire and HS matched him some. Things got a bit heated and they showed some hate. I liked this.

HS taunts him after and they fight a little more with HS getting the edge.   

Dan Tamura & Titans Of Calamity (Ren Ayabe & Talos) vs. Hokuto Omori, Seigo Tachibana & Seiki Yoshioka

Dan is so much shorter than his partners. Both seemingly have over a foot on him.

Dan and Seigo go at it. Dan side headlocks him then shoulders him over. Seigo gets up and stares at him. Dan boots him over. Seigo rolls him up for 1 then dropkicks him. Seigo's team goes for a tower of doom but Ren and Tal chase them away. Ren and Tal double powerbomb Omori down for 2. Tal chinlocks Omori around the ropes. Tal side slams Omori for 2.

Omori is double foot choked in the corner. Omori tries forearms on Ren. Ren forearms him then stands on his gut. Ren forearms Omori. Omori dropkicks him in the knee. Ren back elbows him then Omori ddt's him. 

Seiki comes in and hits leg kicks on Ren. Seiki step up enzugiri's him and is shouldered over. Ren is put in a paradise lock by Seiki and Seigo, who struggle to get him over. Seiki basement dropkicks Ren. Ren forearms him over. Seigo comes off the top and Ren catches him. Seiki runs at them and Ren rams Seigo into him. Ren slams Seigo. 

Tal splashes Dan on accident and Ren facekicks Seigo. Omori pulls Tal over the top and hits forearms. Ren facekicks Tal off the apron on a failed double team. Ren is then tossed over the top. Seiki asai moonsaults out but gets caught by Ren and Tal. They then walk him to the back somewhere and leave him.

Seigo and Dan slug it out in the ring. Seigo hits a forearm flurry then he olympic slams Dan for 2. Seigo sunset flips Dan off a powerbomb attempt. Dan ties his legs up. Dan then sits on his back with it and taps him out.

Thoughts: It was not super serious and was half comedy. The comedy wasn't that bad though and Seigo's usually a decent underdog. This was fine and they didn't go with the easy route and make this a squash.

Dan points at Seigo's title after.

Champion Carnival 2026 Block A Match - Kengo Mashimo vs. Yuma Anzai

They lock up and Yuma clean breaks him. Yuma wristlocks him and Ken reverses it. Yuma wristlocks him again. They mat wrestle. Yuma hammerlocks him. Ken uses the ropes to reverse him and put him in the hammerlock. Ken eye rakes him then facekicks him. Yuma dropkicks him. 

Yuma hits shots in the corner. Ken gets in his face and they trade forearms. Yuma drops him for 2. Yuma crabs him and Ken ropebreaks. Yuma hits forearms and Ken slides out to stall. Ken tells Yuma to come out then Ken comes back in. Yuma gets in and Ken goes out. They repeat the spot and Ken hits him as he tries to come in. 

Ken dragon screws him over the 2nd rope. Ken stomps his leg then pulls on it. Ken reverse figure fours him. Ken elbow drops his leg then does a leglock. Yuma ropebreaks. Ken knee drops the leg. 

Yuma hits forearms. Ken leg kicks him. Yuma double boots him out of corner. Yuma sits up top and is dragon screwed down. Yuma pop up knees Ken then double underhook suplexes him. Yuma flying forearms him and belly to belly suplexes him for 2. 

Yuma dropkicks him. They trade forearms. Ken legs kicks him then Yuma germans him. Ken dragon screws him then Yuma flying knees him. Yuma flying knees him from behind then does a flying knee to the chest and jaw for 2. 

Yuma forearms him. Yuma goes for a flying knee then Ken pulls him down and ankle locks him. Ken figure fours him. Yuma ropebreaks. Ken runs into a knee from Yuma. Yuma is caught with a dragon screw then Yuma running knees him. Yuma flying knees him for 2.

Ken rolling leglocks him. Yuma rolls and german's him for 2. Yuma hits a gimlet and wins.

Thoughts: Ken stalled early then mostly worked the leg. Yuma didn't do a good job of selling the leg that much and it was a tough thing to do with him because so much of his offense revolves around flying knees. I didn't think it was that good of a match. 

Champion Carnival 2026 Block A Match - Go Shiozaki vs. Rei Saito

Rei backs him up on the ropes and kind of double chops him. Go side headlocks him. They shoulderblock battle and Rei shoulders him over. Rei clubs on him outside. Go hits chops and is forearmed. Rei rams Go's back into the post. Rei shoulders him against the post. Rei stands on Go's gut inside. 

Rei foot chokes Go. Rei forearms him then Go chops back. Go hits shots to the gut. Rei blocks his roll-up attempt and Rei butt drops him. Rei misses a corner charge. Go running knees him in the gut then hits a chop flurry in the corner. Rei then chop flurries him. 

They trade more chops. Rei takes his shirt off and they trade more. Go gets the edge. Rei headbutts him down. Go running lariats him for 2. Go hits punches. Go tries to slam Rei but Rei falls on him. Rei crossbodies him for 2. 

Rei slaps him. Go hits some shots and is slapped more. Rei running shotei's him and wins.

Thoughts: It was mostly all strikes here as Go's matches tend to be. Go wasn't going to be throwing around Rei anyway though. Rei traded with him and it was acceptable enough.

Champion Carnival 2026 Block A Match - Kento Miyahara vs. Oddyssey

Odd pushes him on the lock up. Ken running facekicks him. Ken hits forearms and Odd shoulders him over. Ken dropkicks him in the knee and the side of the head. Odd goes out. 

Ken headbutts Odd outside then hurts his own head doing it. Odd uppercuts him in the stands then clubs him. Odd walks on Ken's back. Odd uppercuts Ken then splashes the post when Ken moves. Ken headbutts him outside. Odd sends Ken into the post. Odd backdrops Ken on the apron. 

Odd stands on Ken's back. Odd hits elbow drops then headbutt drops Ken for 2. Odd clubs him. Odd rolling sentons him. Odd does another rolling senton. Odd splashes him for 2. Odd misses a corner splash. Ken goes for a slam but Odd falls on him for 2. 

Odd rams Ken backwards in the corner. Odd corner lariats him down. Odd side slams him. Odd misses a 2nd rope splash when Ken moves. Ken pumping knees him twice. Odd hits a big lariat. Odd misses a splash and Ken rolls him up to win. 

Thoughts: The brawling got things off to a weak start early and slowed things down. They then went to the crux of the match with Ken doing being able to hurt Oddyssey much and having to deal with size and splashes. Ken ended up winning through luck in the end. It was just average and the second half was better than the first half. 

Ken talks to Odd on the mic after and says he's the winner and he defeated him. Ken get a chant going for Odd. They shake hands. They goof around a bit and have fun after. Ken then talks on the mic and poses.

Overall thoughts: The opener as fine and the second match was fun. Xyon/Kikuta didn't deliver. Honda/Suzuki was a lot better than I expected. The Talos tag was half-comedy but was fine. Mashimo/Anzai wasn't that good. Go/Rei was acceptable. The main was average. I'd give it a low 6 out of 10 as most of the matches delivered and only two were bad. It was an okay show overall.