All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW) has been on a roll this year. They have been the talk of many old and new fans. AJPW started the year off on the right foot with amazing matches such as Kento Miyhara and Takuya Nomura vs. Yuma Aoyagi and Naoya Nomura. If the recent upswing they are currently riding is anything to go by, this will be a good year for All Japan and the perfect time for new fans to jump in.
THE ROSTER
All Japan has a smaller roster than most other Japanese promotions but they have a good mix of heavyweights and junior weights. They frequently use freelancers on their shows and sometimes in AJPW factions.
All Japan does collaborate with other companies and have their wrestlers participate on shows or in tournaments, most notably in recent years have been BJW and GLEAT.
AJPW HEAVYWEIGHTS
Kento Miyahara
Even if you don’t watch All Japan, you will probably know the name Kento Miyahara. He is the company’s ace after all. He might not be as flashy as other aces with his moveset, but he is just as good. He has already made history with the Triple Crown Championship being the youngest to ever win the belt and also holds the record for most defenses overall with 28.
You can always bet on Kento to deliver on big matches but don’t count out the six-man tags he is frequently booked in. He tends to loudly shout the whole match, while swearing up a storm when he gets in the ring. A fan favorite, number one in All Japan, and the ace — he really is, like he says, the best of the best.
Match recommendation – Kento Miyahara vs Yuma Aoyagi 5/15/22
Suwama
The old ace has been with the company since 2004 and helped them through many tough times. You could even think of him as the Hiroshi Tanahashi of All Japan. Just like Tanahashi carried NJPW, Suwama carried AJPW. He might have slowed down a bit now he is in his mid-forties but he still hits just as hard as he will gladly demonstrate in the ring. A massively decorated wrestler, he currently holds the record for the most Triple Crown reigns at eight as well as being a seven-time World Tag Team Champion. He may be winning little love as part of the villainous group Voodoo Murders but us fans can’t wait for the day when he breaks free and becomes his grumpy rampaging self again.
Match recommendation – Suwama vs Takuya Nomura 4/11/22
Yuma Aoyagi
If Suwama is All Japan’s past and Kento is the present that makes Yuma the future. Still in his mid-twenties, Yuma is on track to become Kento’s new rival, taking the place of Jake Lee. He is fairly goofy with many fan photos posted after the show of Yuma pulling faces and poses, but when the time calls for Yuma to get serious he does. He has been racking up big wins in the last couple of years, pinning Suwama for the first time, winning Champion Carnival last year, and defeating Kento in this year’s Champion Carnival. Yuma also has his fair share of success winning the All Asia Tag Team Titles and World Tag Team Titles twice. Adding on to that he is also the youngest person to win Champion Carnival, taking that title away from Jumbo Tsuruta. Though the Triple Crown Championship still eludes him, Yuma is more than ready to lead AJPW into the future.
Match recommendation – Yuma Aoyagi vs Jake Lee 5/4/22
Shotaro Ashino
Coming to AJPW in 2020 after the closure of WRESTLE-1 he immediately made an impact. Bringing along his Enfant Terribles buddies, the spotlight was on them and what they were bringing to All Japan. Ashino did well in his first year, getting a Triple Crown match in only his eighth match. It was a bit rocky from there but he soon found his footing and became a fully-fledged member of the main event scene. Teaming with Suwama as Runaway SUPLEX, he got his first taste of gold in All Japan winning the World Tag Team Titles. Going on to form Gungnir of Anarchy with Ryuki Honda, Yusuke Kodama, and Masao Hanabata (formerly known as Seigo Tachibana), they have been one of the highlights of recent All Japan and gave Ashino his second taste of tag team gold this time with Honda. It won’t be long before Ashino is back on people’s lips as a future Triple Crown contender.
Match recommendation – Shotaro Ashino vs Ryuki Honda 3/21/22
Shuji Ishikawa
The former Big Japan wrestler made his way over to All Japan in 2015. It would be a few more years before he signed but in 2019 he put pen to paper and made it official. By this time he was already part of the super popular tag team Violent Giants with tag team partner Suwama. They won Tokyo Sports tag team of the year three times in a row — 2017, 2018, and 2019. They had four reigns with the World Tag Team Titles before breaking up their team.
Despite his age, Shuji is still wrestling in big matches and is always ready to beat down opponents in an All Japan ring. He is also one of the directors of Evolution Girls, a Joshi company that is affiliated with All Japan, and is regularly seen in videos training with them in the dojo
Match recommendation – Shuji Ishikawa vs Kento Miyahara 3/21/22
Yuma Anzai
Since day one, Anzai has really lived up to his nickname of super rookie. Scouted by Suwama, he hails from Chou University wrestling club, the same place Suwama and Jumbo Tsuruta came from. He made his debut in 2022 at the Budokan against Yuji Nagata. From then he has gone on to face Minoru Suzuki, Shingo Takagi, Shuji Ishikawa, and Naoya Nomura in singles. In his short career, he has already racked up wins, with the biggest coming when he pinned Suwama in the World Tag League tournament and CIMA at the GLEAT vs. AJPW show. He has an amazing future ahead of him and many predict he will one day take over the position of ace from Kento.
Match recommendation – Yuma Anzai vs Shuji Ishikawa 12/21/22
Ryuki Honda
Like Ashino, Honda started with All Japan after Wrestle-1 closed down. Wrestling as a rookie for 2020 to 2021, Honda was quick to impress the AJPW crowd and started his trial series. In his last trial he faced then Triple Crown Champion Jake Lee. A rouge elbow hit Jake in the face and broke his nasal bone, he had to vacate the title and this became a big moment in Honda’s career. Starting 2022 with a new attitude, he was added to the tournament for the vacant Triple Crown where he made it to the finals where he faced Kento. This was his big break. From there he went on to feud with Ashino before forming a team with him. Still in his early 20’s, Honda has long and promising career ahead of him
Match recommendation – Ryuki Honda vs Kento Miyahara 1/23/22
Hokuto Omori
Joining the AJPW dojo back in 2018, he started his career off as a junior heavyweight. Omori was a pivotal player in the fall of Enfant Terribles and the formation of Total Eclipse. Under the Total Eclipse banner, he found his first taste of gold winning the AJPW TV Six Man Tag Team Titles and All Asia Tag Team Titles. After the dissolution of Total Eclipse, he floated around the junior division, challenging for the Junior Heavyweight Championship a few times. But in 2023 he made a big change moving divisions to heavyweight and aligning himself with Minoru Suzuki and Naruki Doi. As a smaller wrestler in the land of giant heavyweights, Omori is going to have an uphill battle. However, with the changes he had made at the start of the year and adding a couple of new moves, Omori is on the right track.
Match recommendations – Hokuto Omori vs Hikaru Sato 3/21/22
Jun and Rei Saito
You can’t talk about one Saito without talking about the other. Former sumo wrestlers, the Saito twins passed the 2020 tryouts and in June 2021 made their debut. They are a lot older than the average age for a rookie, both being in their mid 30’s so AJPW had to somewhat rush them a bit. At the beginning of 2022, they went on a six-month excursion to the US and the UK. Making their way back to an All Japan ring they had their return match in a six-man tag at AJPW’s 50th anniversary at the Budokan. Since then they have turned to the dark side aligning themselves with Suwama and the Voodoo Murders with no signs of turning back anytime soon.
Match recommendations – Jun Saito & Rei Saito vs Shuji Ishikawa & Cyrus 11/27/22
Yoshitatsu
If you were watching WWE around the early 2010’s you would have seen Yoshitatsu on your screens. After his run in WWE came to an end, he returned to Japan and became the Bullet Club Hunter as part of NJPW. He started wrestling for All Japan in 2017 when he took part in the Royal Road tournament, being eliminated in the second round by Kento. From there Yoshitatsu was never a top heavyweight but has quite a bit of success. He has been World Tag Team Champions with Kento, a two-time All Asia Tag Champion, and two-time AJPW TV Six Man Tag Team Champions. He also has the record for the longest reign with the GAORA TV Title at 587 days. Yoshitatsu continues along picking up the odd tag title here and there and filling spots in tournaments whenever needed.
Match recommendation – Yoshitatsu vs Suwama 3/21/21
Takao Omori
The other Omori on the roster has been around much longer than Hokuto. Starting his career in AJPW all the way back in 1992, Takao has had a long career and still not slowing down. He has been part of famous factions such as NO FEAR with Yoshihiro Takayama, Burning Wild with Jun Akiyama, and Get Wild with Manabu Soya. The former Triple Crown Champion has been around the wrestling world working in NOAH, ZERO1, NJPW, and even showed up for one match in WWF, the 1996 Royal Rumble. Takao might not hit as hard as before but is still loved by the AJPW faithful.
Match recommendation – Takao Omori vs Kento Miyahara 10/22/22
Masanobu Fuchi
The oldest wrestler on the roster started working for All Japan back in 1974. He has wrestled for All Japan every year since then except 1981-82 when he was in America. Fuchi has stuck around through the Four Pillars era, multiple exoduses, ownership changes, and rebuilding stages. He made his mark in the junior heavyweight division by winning the Junior Heavyweight Championship five times. He doesn’t wrestle that much anymore, showing up a couple of times a year, but it’s a joy seeing him step in the ring whenever he does. And he still always pulls out his stalling suplex and not-so-secret closed-fist punches to the delight of the crowd and people watching at home.
Match recommendation – Masanobu Fuchi vs Jumbo Tsuruta 4/6/92
JUNIOR HEAVYWEIGHTS
Atsuki Aoyagi
The younger brother of Yuma, he is the junior ace of the company. With his high-flying wrestling style, he has become a fan favorite, even at one point outselling the rest of the roster when it came to supporter towels. He had his biggest year in 2022 winning the junior heavyweight title against Tiger Mask at Budokan and going on to win the Junior Battle of Glory. He even was able to main-event Korakuen in a Junior Heavyweight Title match, the first to do so since 2013. He is going from strength to strength and at only 23 years of age he is on track to reach great heights and be the anchor for the junior division.
Match recommendation – Atsuki Aoyagi vs Kotaro Suzuki 2/4/23
Rising HAYATO
HAYATO was wrestling for AJPW for a couple of years before finally signing a contract in 2021. He had a pretty good start, part of the stable Nextream and partnership with Atsuki, but when mid-2022 came around, that’s where things really changed for HAYATO. Inspired by Visual Kei, glam rock, and Elvis, he changed his gear, look, and attitude. He also added a new finisher, a top rope lionsault, called Sid Vicious, that dazzles the crowd every time he hits it. The last half of 2022 for HAYATO was just what he needed to move to the next stage in his career. Along with Atsuki, he main evented Korakuen Hall, had a great showing in Junior Battle of Glory, and sowed the seeds for a generational rivalry with Atsuki. HAYATO has a case for being named the most improved wrestler of 2022 and looking at his year it’s not hard to see why.
Match recommendation – Rising HAYATO vs Atsuki Aoyagi 10/2/22
Dan Tamura
Debuting the same day and in the same match as Atsuki Aoyagi, Dan took a bit longer to reach the spotlight than his debut partner. Starting his post-rookie career off he joined Evolution and seemed to be on track to turn into a mini Suwama. He was developing nicely though still a step behind but 2022 was his turning point. Dan leveled up in a big way. He looked more confident, his moves were hitting harder and just had an air about him. His run in the Junior Battle of Glory was great and showed even more improvement. Just like his faction name Evolution, Dan is constantly evolving and it has been amazing to see
Match recommendation – Dan Tamura vs Atsuki Aoyagi 12/4/22
Black Menso-re
Starting his career in Okinawa Pro until its closure, he made his way to All Japan in 2014. Originally competing sans mask and under his real name, Yohei Nakajima, he found success with the GAORA TV Title and still holds the record for the most reigns with the belt at four. Donning the mask he still wears to this day, he wrestles in a mostly comical style but when it is time for a big match he is up for the challenge. He has branched out working as the referee for the first-ever Evolution Girls show and working commentary for an AJPW show. But that doesn’t mean he will be hanging up his wrestling boots anytime soon.
Match recommendation – Black Menso-re vs Hikaru Sato 4/24/22
Ryo Inoue
Passing the 2020 tryouts, Inoue started his wrestling career on the first show of 2022. Showing tons of fire and passion, he wowed the audience at Korakuen Hall and those who were watching online. From then on he was progressing nicely but towards the end of the year, a big change was coming. With advice from Toshikai Kawada, Inoue transformed his style into more kick-based with new kick pads as part of his gear. This change was a very welcomed surprise and pushed Inoue to the next level. His kicks were crisp, fast, and brutal. This new attitude led him to pick up his first-ever win against Hokuto Omori. He once again changes up his gear, getting rid of the purple and replacing it with black and yellow tights with many fans pointing out the similarities with Kawada’s gear. Inoue has fitted into All Japan’s junior division very well and at only 20 years old will be a main player in years to come.
Match recommendation – Ryo Inoue vs Oji Shiiba 2/27/23
Hikaru Sato
While not signed to All Japan, Sato is still a very important part of the roster making almost every show. Trained by Minoru Suzuki, he began his AJPW journey back in 2010 and is still mixing it up with the juniors today. As a member of the stable Evolution, his 2022 was mostly filled with him and fellow Evolution member, Dan Tamura, being terrorized by former leader Suwama and his Voodoo Murder friends. But it wasn’t all doom and gloom. He was a two-time champion last year, winning the Junior Heavyweight Championship and All Asia Tag Team Titles with Dan. His performance throughout 2022 showed that despite his age compared to the other juniors he is still just as good.
Match recommendation – Hikaru Sato vs Fuminori Abe 6/3/21
Kyohei Wada
No AJPW roster list would be complete without talking about referee Kyohei Wada. He has been the official for legendary matches and still going today after starting back when AJPW was
created in 1972. He does not take crap from anyone in the ring no matter how much bigger and stronger they are. Wada is a part of AJPW history and is just as important to the company as the wrestlers are.
Where To Watch AJPW
If you are interested in All Japan Pro Wrestling, it can be viewed at AJPW.TV for 900 Yen a month. Like other Japanese companies, they charge on the first of each month.
Excluding tournament months, AJPW runs 4-5 shows a month with them being a mix of video-on-demand and live shows. Video-on-demand shows are uploaded the day after filming and in rare cases the same day.
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