All Japan returned to Korakuen Hall for the month of May with a live Samurai! TV taping. Masayuki Kono made his triumphant return to All Japan after leaving four years ago and exploring the worlds of MMA, and did so in grand fashion by scoring the biggest victory in his career, making Satoshi Kojima submit to an avalanche-style cross armbreaker (which was his counter to Koji’s pattened lariat). Kono impressed in his ring return show no real signs of rust (thanks to a 3 month excursion in Canada), as he and Suwama had a staredown heating up their first singles battle on 5/30 in Aichi.
The Triple Crown belts are in the middle of rising tension between GURENTAI members and sworn bestfriends Yoshihiro Takayama and Minoru Suzuki as Suzuki trapped Takayama’s foot in the rope and began to destroy it, but the champion retaliated with moves such as his front suplex and knee kick. Takayama stated that he didn’t see this as a skirmish but as a war, and vowed revenge on 5/30 in Aichi as he aims to crush his good friend once and for all.
VM made their presence felt by basically toturing Jr. champion, Kaz Hayashi, as challenger Toshizo beat him repeatedly with a chair and crushed his arm with an iron pipe. Toshizo also promised to use more lethal weapons during the title bout and didn’t care about whether it was a “good fight” or not as he only wanted to win the title.
AJPW, 5/17/09 (Samurai! TV)
Tokyo Korakuen Hall
1,450 Fans
1. Masanobu Fuchi beat Nobutaka Araya (6:20) with an inside cradle.
2. Minoru & Joe Doering beat Shuji Kondo & Ryota Hama (9:13) with the HEAT Clutch.
3. Taiyo Kea beat ZODIAC (9:08) with the TKO34th.
4. Seiya Sanada & Manabu Soya beat KAI & Hiroshi Yamato (14:26) when Soya used a sheer drop Death Valley Driver on KAI.
5. TARU, Hate & Toshizo beat Osamu Nishimura, Kaz Hayashi & Phil Atlas (15:46) when TARU used the TARU Driller on Atlas.
6. Minoru Suzuki & MAZADA beat Yoshihiro Takayama & NOSAWA Rongai (15:32) when Suzuki submitted Rongai by referee stop.
7. Masayuki Kono All Japan Pro-Wrestling Return: Keiji Muto & Masayuki Kono beat Satoshi Kojima & Suwama (25:09) when Kono used an avalanche-style cross armbreaker.
AJPW “MUTO MATSURI”, 6/10/09
Tokyo Korakuen Hall
1. Nobutaka Araya vs. Kikutaro
2. Kokushi Muso & Hakushi vs. X & X
3. Great Muta vs. X
4. F-1 Tag Team Title: Keiji Muto & Kannazaki (c) vs. X & X
