All Japan kicks off its second day of the Summer Action Series tour, airing live on AJPW TV from 2AW Square in Chiba! The show had a runtime of 2 hours and 4 minutes and a reported attendance of 120 fans.
Jake Lee, Koji Iwamoto & TAIJIRI defeat Takao Omori, Yoshitatsu & Black Menso~re in 7:41 when Iwamoto submitted Menso~re with a Rotational Leg-fold Hold
The show kicks off with a 6-man tag team match that was about as solidly fine as you could get. The right person picked up the win, with Iwamoto getting more momentum going into his junior title match against Susumu Yokosuka next Saturday.
+ Everyone looked good in the match
+ Match did not overstay its welcome
– Match was generally unimportant
Dan Tamura & Hikaru Sato defeat Atsuki Aoyagi & Yuma Aoyagi in 9:32 when Tamura submitted Atsuki with the Dunlock
This is Dan Tamura’s first match teaming with Evolution, and I tell you what, he looks good in that Evolution shirt but you gotta match with the blue gear, Dan! This was a fairly decent match that succeeded in making Tamura look strong while also allowing for Atsuki Aoyagi to show some good heart. Tamura & Sato looked good teaming together and I’m excited to see Tamura team with the other Evolution members in the future.
+ Great offense from both Tamura & Atsuki
+ Good pacing & match time
– Would have liked to see more from Yuma, he was rather absent in this match it felt
Zeus & Izanagi defeat Shotaro Ashino & Yusuke Kodama in 7:24 when Izanagi gets the victory over Yusuke Kodama with The Hermit’s Necklock
Oh boy, another Izanagi win and another loss for Enfants. It would seem they’re building up Izanagi for something in the future. Perhaps he challenges whoever wins the junior title match on the 25th. The one good thing about these surprise victories is that Izanagi becomes a viable threat in tag matches where he would usually be the guy to take the fall. I wouldn’t mind seeing more Ashino & Zeus interactions going forward.
+ Good Ashino & Zeus interactions in the match
+ Credibility added for Izanagi (even if it was another roll-up victory)
+ No interference/cheating shenanigans plaguing the match and making it overly long
Hokuto Omori & Kuma Arashi defeat Kento Miyahara & Akira Francisco in 12:29 when Hokuto pinned Akira with a German Suplex Hold
This was my most anticipated match of the show, as I am quite the fan of Hokuto Omori, and was excited to see his performance in this match as the newest member of Enfants Terribles. And I tell you what, this match did not disappoint at all. Hokuto looked great here with a cocky attitude. He wanted to wrestle Kento right away, showed an aggressive edge against Akira, and even attacked (I think) Atsuki Aoyagi post-match. I can definitely imagine a future where Hokuto and Kento are facing each other for the Triple Crown title. Both Kento & Akira, as always looked very good in this match. And Arashi performed well as the big man of the match, dominating over Akira.
+ Great work from all involved
+ Great intensity and attitude change from Hokuto
+ Sets up potential future storylines
Yusuke Okada defeated Seigo Tachibana in 8:56 when Okada pinned Tachibana with the Sudden Death
This was an alright match with the Okada win not being much of a surprise. Some good stuff from both guys here, but I feel like this match wasn’t doing a whole lot for me. Nothing bad by any means, just a sort of “in the middle” kind of match. Post-match, Okada goes to shave Tachibana’s hair but then backs out! Looks like we got some respect between Okada and Tachibana here. But Yoshitatsu takes the razor from Okada and goes for Tachibana’s hair! Poor Tachibana isn’t escaping this.
Now the weird thing about this was that Yoshitatsu only took off a small bit of Tachibana’s hair, but then continued to do the rest of it during a YouTube clip after the show when all the fans were gone. I guess they left that off for time purposes? Anyways, you can view that clip below
Now Okada will be gunning for Yoshitatsu and his GAORA TV title. I believe that match will take place on the 23rd. A rough translation of one of Okada’s tweets read:
Tachibana!
-Yusuke Okada
I’ll have avenged you, you son of a bitch!
I’ll beat the hell out of Yoshitatsu
#I’mcomingforyou
#ajpw
+/- Good effort from both guys, but the match just didn’t grab my attention as much as I wanted it to
Suwama & Shuji Ishikawa defeat Isami Kodaka & Yuko Miyamoto in 19:36 when Ishikawa pinned Kodaka with a Giant Slam
A very good main event to close off the show! A slow opening as both teams try to wear down one another, with some spots with great fire and intensity from Yankee Two Kenju leading up to the closing stretch. But each time Kodaka & Miyamoto tried to get the upper hand, the Violent Giants had an answer and were able to put the challengers away. A simple story, but sometimes a simple story is all you need. I always enjoy seeing Yankee Two Kenju in any promotion they’re tagging in. Now with their titles successfully defended, Ishikawa & Suwama can prepare for their big Triple Crown title match on the 25th. There’s respect between both of these Evolution teammates, but when the bell rings on the 25th, it’ll be these two men beating the piss out of each other for supremacy, and I cannot wait.
+ Good dominance from Suwama & Ishikawa mixed with good underdog intensity from Kodaka & Miyamoto
+ A title match long enough to establish a good pace and importance, but not too long where it gets boring
Conclusion
A good second day of the Summer Action Series tour. If you’re on a time crunch I would recommend watching the last three matches. The next show will be on the 23rd airing live on AJPW TV. You can subscribe to AJPW TV for only 900 Yen a month which gives access to all live and on demand content.
