April marks the start of the most prestigious event in All Japan’s calendar, the Champion Carnival. Since 1973, this round robin tournament has served as a foundation for the year ahead. Not only does the winner earn a Triple Crown title match but it builds feuds, serves as a proving ground for young talent, tests faction loyalties, opens the door for “outsiders” to challenge for the Triple Crown and gives as an indication of the direction the company is heading in. The list of winners features some of the greatest names to ever step inside the squared circle. Giant Baba, Abdullah the Butcher, Jumbo Tsuruta, Stan Hansen, Mitsuharu Misawa, Toshiaki Kawada, Kenta Kobashi, Vader, Keiji Mutoh, Minoru Suzuki, Yuji Nagata and Naomichi Marufuji (last year’s winner) have all had their hands raised in victory at the end of this gruelling tournament.
So how exactly does the Champion Carnival work? If you’re familiar with either New Japan’s G1 Climax or Pro Wrestling NOAH’s Global League, you’ll already know how such tournaments function. 18 of All Japan’s best heavyweights, and in recent year’s heavyweights from outside promotions, are split into two blocks (A and B). Each wrestler faces all of the wrestlers in their respective Block once. Two points are awarded for a win, one point for a draw and zero points for a loss. Once all wrestlers have faced each other, the two wrestlers with the highest point total in their Block face each other in the Finals to determine the winner.
While this year’s tournament might be lacking some of the bigger names we saw last year (such as Naomichi Marufuji, Shingo Takagi, Yuji Hino, KAI and Jun Akiyama). The dynamic between the two blocks has created great intrigue with no clear cut winner in either. Let’s dive into each of the blocks and breakdown the participants.
A Block
A Block is absolutely stacked with talent and big names this year, especially when compared to B Block. On the surface, this looks to be the stronger block of the two with several credible tournament winners in there.
Kento Miyahara
The reigning Triple Crown Champion and undeniable Ace of All Japan is a heavy favourite to at least make the Finals. Coming off a Finals appearance last year and a successful third title defence against Naoya Nomura, a match I’d highly recommend, Miyahara is carrying a lot of momentum into this tournament. However, the road to the Finals will not be an easy one for the Ace. A Block features a combination of former Triple Crown champions, Aces of their respective companies and opponents who have beaten Miyahara for the Triple Crown. But it goes deeper than just the wrestlers Miyahara will face. Over the past couple of months, the Ace has been growing increasingly cocky. Having beaten the best All Japan has to offer, it’s easy to see why he’s grown complacent and arrogant in his abilities. But in this tournament environment such characteristics could be his undoing and lead to an upset win for one of the other participants.
Shuji Ishikawa
Ishikawa is a legend within the Japanese deathmatch scene. A former BJW World Strong Heavyweight and Deathmatch Heavyweight Champion, he defeated Joe Doering in the 2017 Champion Carnival Final. Ishikawa would use this momentum to dethrone Miyahara and capture his first Triple Crown championship on the 21st of May. As with Miyahara, Ishikawa is carrying a lot of momentum into this tournament following a big win. On the same night that Miyahara defended his title against Nomura, Ishikawa and his tag team partner Suwama (known collective as Violent Giants) recaptured the World Tag Team Titles from Strong BJ. This win brought the titles back to All Japan after the invading Strong BJ (a BJW many stay) had wrestled them away from the company. For me, this makes Ishikawa a strong favourite to win A Block.
Zeus
A finalist in the 2016 tournament, last year was arguably Zeus’ best in All Japan as he shockingly defeated Miyahara for his first Triple Crown championship. He also finished last year’s Champion Carnival with eight points which was only two behind eventual tournament winner Naomichi Marufuji. While he might not be a favourite to win the block, having both he and Miyahara together provides a fascinating match up. Could Zeus do the unthinkable again and pin Miyahara to earn a future title shot? It’s certainly not outside the realm of possibility which makes their match a must see.
Kengo Mashimo
The Ace of the Kaientai Dojo is making his second Champion Carnival appearance. His first was in 2017, where he finished with a very strong eight points that was only one shy of the B Block and tournament winner Shuji Ishikawa. Mashimo is well travelled veteran who has spent time in AJPW, NJPW, BJW, DDT, Pro Wrestling Zero1 and brings a wealth of big match experience with him. Couple this experience with his hard hitting, submission based offence and you have the wild card of the tournament. I wouldn’t be surprised to see Mashimo make a strong push for the Finals and could even see him winning the whole tournament. It would certainly provide a fresh and fascinating new challenger for Miyahara.
Yuji Okabayashi
Okabayashi is making his second Champion Carnival appearance but his first since 2012. The BJW main stay is known as a tag team specialist, along with Daisuke Sekimoto, as part of Strong BJ. As part of Strong BJ he is a former three time AJPW World Tag Team Champion, two time AJPW All Asia Tag Team Champion, three time BJW Tag Team Champion, KO-D Tag Team Champion in DDT and two time winner of the Tag Team of the Year Award from Tokyo Sports. While the majority of his success has come in the tag team ranks, Okabayashi is no stranger to singles success and brings a wealth of tag team tournament experience with him. I personally don’t see him as a major contender to take A Block but he won’t be an easy out either. A mid table finish feels about right for him with his match against Ishikawa being one to keep an eye on. As mentioned in Ishikawa’s breakdown, Violent Giants and Strong BJ have traded the World Tag Team Titles over the past few months. Which will make this a heated, hard hitting war that could be a sleeper for match of the tournament.
Dylan James
The 27 year old New Zealand native has been making great strides within All Japan. He made his Champion Carnival debut last year and finished with a very respectable six points (first timers don’t usually fare well in their maiden voyage). James has the look and ability to be the next top gaijin that All Japan loves to have in their main event picture. The fact he’s teaming with Joe Doering and learning from him speaks to All Japan’s future plans for him. If he was placed in B Block then he would be my sleeper pick to win the tournament. But given how stacked A Block is, I just don’t see him finishing above mid-table. The flip side to this the amount of invaluable experience James will gain from working with such incredible talent.
Yuma Aoyagi
The 23 year old Aoyagi is making his Champion Carnival debut in what will be his biggest test to date. As a member of the Nextream stable he’s found success amongst the tag team ranks, having won the All Asia Tag Team Titles twice with Naoya Nomura (before Nomura left to join Sweeper). The Champion Carnival has not been kind to those taking their first steps in the tournament. And with how stacked A Block is, it’s hard to imagine Aoyagi making a big impact in the standings. But as with James, this will serve as an invaluable learning experience as All Japan continue to push towards developing their own young talent.
Ryoji Sai
Making his fourth consecutive Champion Carnival appearance, Sai is an interesting choice for A Block. Known mainly for his work in Pro Wrestling Zero1, Sai’s best finish was in 2016 where he ended the tournament on eight points. Again, with how stacked A Block is it would make more sense for him to be in B Block to help even the sides out a little. As it stands though, it’s hard to see him passing the six point mark he’s held for the past two years.
Gianni Valletta
There’s no nice way of saying this so I’ll just come out and say it. Valletta is just here to eat pins against the bigger names in A Block. He debuted for All Japan in July of last year and has so far been used almost exclusively in under card multi-man tag matches. So while I don’t see him winning a match he will be gaining experience working with some incredible talent.
B Block
This year’s B Block can be viewed as the “Young Lions” block with a number of debuting wrestlers and young guys looking to make a name for themselves. While it might lack some of the big names we see in A Block, this creates a lot of uncertainty. On paper, guys like Suwama and Joe Doering might be the favourites to win the block but I wouldn’t be surprised to see one of these young guys pulling the upset.
Suwama
The former Ace of All Japan is a living legend who will go down as one of the best wrestlers in the history of Japanese wrestling. With a record breaking six reigns with the Triple Crown Championship, a four time (and current) World Tag Team Champion, a three time winner of World’s Strongest Tag Determination League (known in the West as Real World Tag League) and winner of the 2008 Champion Carnival (defeating none other than Hiroshi Tanahashi in the Finals) Suwama is a favourite to win B Block. Making his 14th appearance in the Champion Carnival gives him the experience edge to say the least. Despite this wealth of experience Suwama isn’t my favourite to win B Block. In his 14 appearances, he has only won the tournament once. Then there’s the fact that he recently failed at challenging Miyahara on the 24th of February in Yokohama. I doubt All Japan would go back to this match so soon after a loss. That said, I still expect a strong showing and solid placement at the end of the tournament.
Joe Doering
Doering is the longest tenured gaijin of the modern All Japan era. A two time Triple Crown Champion, four time World Tag Team Champion and a three time winner of the Real World Tag League, Doering is entering his ninth Champion Carnival. His best finish came in 2017 where he advanced to the Final before falling to Ishikawa. Given his experience and the field he’s facing, Doering is my pick to win the B Block. His last Triple Crown title reign came at the hands of Miyahara of the 25th of March 2018. Since then he has been kept out of the Triple Crown title picture so this would provide a fresh match up for Miyahara (especially when compared to Suwama). There is also unfinished business between the two men which would make for a nice build towards the title match.
Jake Lee
I’m going to have to put a little bit of a disclaimer here as Jake is the guy I’m routing for to win this year’s Champion Carnival. This will probably come as a shock to some because in his previous two tournaments he’s failed to get above two points. So why do I feel the time is now to boost Jake into the spotlight? Because All Japan have been slowly building towards this match for the majority of the year. Originally, Nomura wasn’t alone in his challenge to Miyahara and the Triple Crown. Jake was also looking to stake his claim as the next challenger for Miyahara’s Triple Crown championship. However when the Violent Giants lost the World Tag Team titles to Strong BJ, Jake rescinded his challenge and elected to go after the World Tag Team titles in an attempt to bring them back to All Japan. But the story between Jake and Kento runs deeper than a rescinded challenge. Jake and Kento used to be stable mates in Nextream before Jake left to form Sweeper. He was recently able to tempt Nomura away from Nextream to further try and weaken Miyahara’s claim as the Ace. Miyahara himself referenced Jake and the Champion Carnival in his post-match after defeating Nomura at Korakuen Hall. Add in the fact that Jake is riding momentum into this tournament after winning the vacant All Asia Tag title and we could be headed for new face to emerge.
Naoya Nomura
Last year was Nomura’s first Champion Carnival appearance. While he ended the tournament on only four points he was one of the most consistent performers in throughout the tournament. Before his Triple Crown challenge on the 19th of March most people would probably have placed him with a similar finish. However, his performance that night against Miyahara made him a star. He showed a fire and passion that we hadn’t seen before while taking the Ace to his absolute limit. This wasn’t the young emotionless kid trying to find his place. But a man giving it his all to prove himself and the show heart that had been missing from his earlier performances. With that one performance Nomura established himself as a force within the Triple Crown title picture. He might still be a bit of an underdog to win the tournament. But I wouldn’t be surprised to see him make the Finals.
Takashi Yoshida
Yoshida (also known as Cyber Kong) is making his first appearance in the Champion Carnival as Dragon Gate’s representative. While some might be disappointed with this choice, people wanted PAC, Yoshida still brings a lot of experience to the tournament. For me he is the most difficult entrant to predict which is why this breakdown is a little on the short side. As a veteran in a young field he could surprise a few people and be in the hunt until the end. Ultimately, I feel he finishes in the six point range.
Yoshi Tatsu
Another of the more experienced wrestlers in B Block, Yoshi Tatsu could use this to his advantage and ride it to a B Block win. Since joining All Japan in 2017 as a freelancer, Tatsu has flirted with the Triple Crown title scene. Having unsuccessfully challenged for the Triple Crown twice, a strong tournament performance could be just what he needs to regain some momentum. With such a young and inexperienced field in front of him, Tatsu is definitely someone to keep an eye on as the tournament progresses.
Daichi Hashimoto
The son of legendary wrestler Shinya Hashimoto, Daichi has been working hard to forge his own legacy. Even at the age of 26, he is a former BJW World Strong Heavyweight Champion and is making his second appearance in the Champion Carnival. His first appearance came in 2017 where he finished with four points. With a younger field around him and the growth he’s shown since 2017, I expect at least a six point finish from him. This could serve as a real breakout performance for Daichi and continue to help him grow.
Joel Redman
Redman is probably best known to most fans for his time in NXT from 2012 to 2014. During this time he would become one half of the inaugural NXT Tag Team Champions along with Neville. However, he would not find the same success as Neville and has mainly been working on the UK independent circuit since his release. This is not only Redman’s Champion Carnival debut but also his All Japan debut. At 32 years old he’s still young enough to have a decent run with the company. He has the size that All Japan usually aim for so a strong showing could open the door for him to become a regular. I doubt he’ll pick up many wins, if any, but solid efforts in defeat would go a long way to him securing a reoccurring role with All Japan.
Sam Adonis
As with Redman, Adonis is making both his Champion Carnival and All Japan debut. The brother of Corey Graves had brief stints in both FCW and TNA but is mainly known for his work on both the UK circuit and CMLL. At 6ft 4 and 250lbs he has the build that All Japan goes for in their heavyweight division. He is another guy that could open some eyes with a strong showing and create an opportunity for a return to All Japan. Again, I’m not sure if he will find great success in the standings. But a series of solid matches would serve as a solid foundation for him to build on.
So there we have it, the entire 18 man field that compiles the 2019 Champion Carnival. I find this year’s field to be fascinating. While there are favourites in both blocks, I feel there isn’t a clear cut winner this year. Kento Miyahara will be a favourite to win the A Block but there is so much talent and experience I could see him not making the Final. The same can be said for Doering in B Block. He might be the odds on favourite but he’s competing with very young and hungry talent who are out to prove themselves. If I was pushed to predict the Finals, it would have to be Kento Miyahara vs Joe Doering. But I would love to see Jake Lee vs Shuji Ishikawa with Jake winning it all. Not only would it continue All Japan’s push towards promoting younger talent but it would give Jake a big time win to establish him as a legitimate contender.
The 2019 Champion Carnival runs from the 4th of April until the 29th. To stay up to date with all of the action from the Champion Carnival, subscribe to www.ajpw.tv for 900 Yen a month. As with all Japanese streaming services, they charge at the start of the month and not the date you signed up. So wait until the 1st of April to sign up so you’re not double charged
Fighting Fullosophy 