What's going on, followers of fictional feuds?!
I wish I had better news for everyone this week, but it seems my streak of one match reviews continues. Not a great way to start year two of the Wrestling Vault, eh? Let me break everything down for you here real quick;
-I'm pretty sure I'm developing carpal tunnel with all of my gaming and writing catching up to me.
-Depression sucks.
-I felt sick early this week and completely unmotivated the next day, so I lost two productive days to lazing around.
All of this to say, I couldn't muster the energy or desire to crack out two reviews this week. I got all my watching in on the weekend and that was about it. I won't make any promises about when I'll be back to two posts a week again, I'd like to say next week, but with how things have been going I don't want to make that guarantee.
So, without wasting any more time, let's get right into this weeks review.
 |
| AJPW |
Weekly Roundup
Here's what I watched for the week;
• • • • •
Mike D Vecchio vs. Aigle Blanc - AJPW Champion Carnival 2025 - Day 1 - 04/09/2025
 |
| Calling this a "Cliff Morgan" match. AJPW |
Wait, All Japan in 2025?! Can it be?
It's no secret that All Japan's boom period was the 1990's, need I say more than the Four Pillars. Plain and simple. It's a special time for tape traders and fans like me that enjoy watching classics from Japan alike, it's rich with classic matches that are completely unlike anything else you'll see in the world. I've watched a good amount of AJPW from that period of time and feel I have a pretty good understanding of that I can expect from those matches, so I decided to go back to the roots of the Wrestling Vault and broaden my horizons, move outside my comfort zone a bit.
All Japan is known for their tournaments, with the Champion Carnival being the longest running singles tournament in professional wrestling, starting in 1973. It's their spring singles tournament and, as luck would have it, the 14th and final day of the tournament was only a couple of months ago, ending May 18. I figured that this would be a perfect place to start watching modern All Japan, an easy way to see what it's all about and guilt free way to jump out if I don't like what I see. I get to the 14th day and find out it wasn't for me? Well, I saw the tournament through and got a great sample size of the modern AJPW roster, but it just didn't click for me. That's fine! No harm done! But, my hope is this will open my eyes and give me something else to watch, as if I really need that. I've already got AEW as a weekly watch, I've been catching up on NJPW recently and want to keep current with their PPV shows. CMLL is catching my interest more and more and maybe AJPW will creep its way onto my radar too. Who's to say, really. I'm just here for a good time.
So, day one of the Champion Carnival is up first, how bad can it be?
Maybe it's just me but, uh... could be a lot better!
Match one was a stinker. Match two was too short to give any sort of proper rating, but match three! This one caught me totally off guard! I saw the two dudes for this match and all I could think was "holy fuck, that's me!" Like, seriously. Aigle Blanc looks just like me. I mean, I'm far more shredded than he is... but that aside, totally the same! Hair, height, build, my fiance agreed that it was very uncanny. And this other dude, Mike Vecchio, he looks like how I wish Cliff Morgan could look. Chiselled as shit. He's over with me brother. What a beast. I was afraid this was gonna be a one sided squash or some awkward clash of styles but these two worked, really, really well together!
Vecchio (commentary pronounces it veck-e-yo) advances on Blanc (I think you guys can sound this one out) and backs him into the corner. He breaks and slowly backs out, with Blanc catching Vecchio in the back of the head with a kick. We're not even 10 seconds into this match and Blanc is trying to push things to second gear. He forearms Vecchio but he barely budges, marching towards Blanc as he scurries backwards to the opposite corner. It's cat and mouse right now, with the mouse using his extra speed to duck the cats paws and get a few shots in.
Unfortunately, once the cat does get it's paws on Blanc, he pays for his misstep dearly.
 |
| Going strike for strike is ill advised, Mr. Blanc. AJPW |
Vacchio gutwrenches Blanc off the canvas but he slips free of his grasp, hitting the ropes and going for a headscissors off the rebound, but Vecchio holds his ground. He reverses Blanc's momentum and tosses him off his shoulders instead of going for a powerbomb. They hit the ropes back and forth, with the crowd brought to audible gasps when Vecchio front flips over a dropdown and does a standing split over Blanc for the leapfrog. He caps it off by taking Blank down with a flying headscissors, giving mr Aigle a run for his money. Doubt this guy at your own risk, he's far more agile than his build would have you believe.
Blanc isn't down for long, flying off the middle rope with a headscissors and charging out the corner with a modified headscissors, looking more like a leg lariat to me. Vecchio rolls to the floor with Blanc diving through the ropes, but the big man only staggers. Blanc runs back inside and goes for another dive, but Vecchio snatches him out of the air, crushing him with an apron powerbomb!
 |
| I've heard rumours that it's the hardest part of the ring. AJPW |
Blanc rolls back in the ring with Vecchio going for a pin but only gets two. Blanc fights to his feet and hooks Vecchio for a vertical suplex. He tries to rip the big man off the canvas but his back gives out before he can even get him an inch off the ground, falling into a heap in front of a grinning Vecchio. Vecchio takes advantage of his position, pulling Blanc in for a powerbomb but gets caught when Blanc finds it in him to stand up! He flips Vecchio up and over with a back body drop, clutching at his back before falling back to the canvas. His offence may be coming in burts or when openings present himself if his back is really as bad as it seems.
Again, Blanc tries for a suplex. Just when it seems he's found the strength to get Vecchio up, it's the big man that's taken advantage of the position, pulling Blanc up before tossing him gut first onto the top rope, hanging Blanc out to dry. Blanc pulls himself to his feet and into the corner, catching his breath and taking inventory as Vecchio lines him up from the opposite corner. Gesturing with a pair of finger guns, Vecchio takes off, running for the corner to try and spear Blanc through the corner pad but Mr. Aigle jumps over his attacker, running to the ropes and springboarding off the middle, catching Vecchio in the middle with a crossbody.
An enziguiri stuns Vecchio in the middle as Blanc starts to build momentum, stringing offence together as he pulls him in for a vertical suplex. He's able to get Vecchio up this time but twists him halfway to vertical, dropping him with a neckbreaker before slinking through the ropes to the apron. Vecchio is on his feet again, almost out on his feet as Blanc flies off the top rope, sniping Vecchio in the head with a knee strike before falling down for a pinfall, scoring only two.
 |
| Monter la tête! AJPW |
Blanc keeps Vecchio on the canvas, climbing to the top but Vecchio climbs to meet him. Blanc slips down from the top and leaves Vecchio all alone on the middle rope, back facing the ring. Blanc tries to pull him down by the leg but Vecchio fights him off, backflipping off the rope when Blanc charges back in! Blanc charges out of the corner to meet Vecchio in the centre, getting caught in a full on military press, the poor bastard held high above the ring with nowhere to go but crashing down. Forming an impromptu tag team with gravity, Vecchio just lets Blanc fall, taking a step forward as he crashes into the canvas behind him.
With insane ease, Vecchio goes for a triple jump moonsault, crash landing in the actual centre of the ring as Blanc rolls out to the floor. Vecchio uses his landing to grant him momentum back to his feet, hitting the ropes and soaring over the top rope with a huge suicide dive, crushing Blanc on the impact. My lord.
Rolling Blanc back inside, he ascends to the top and, again, he soars across the ring, clearing the middle and crashing into Blanc with a splash. How is he able to fly like this, how?! He holds him for a pin but it's only two, but he senses the end may be near. He tries for a powerbomb but Blanc slips free and falls to the ropes, rebounding out on jelly legs only to catch a knee under the jaw. He's out on his feet as Vecchio rebounds off the other side of the ring, going for a back elbow but Blanc followed close behind, using Vecchio's springboard to catch him with a dragon suplex!
Vecchio is on the apron and gathering his thoughts, with Blanc jumping over the ropes and catching him with a DDT into the apron! Vecchio rolls back inside as Blanc climbs to the top again, twisting in the air as Vecchio rolls closer to the corner to avoid the landing. Blanc lands on his feet, to his credit, and catches Vecchio with a snug lariat after he rebounds off the ropes. He stuns him long enough to his the ropes himself, but sweet mother of god, Vecchio decapitates Blanc with a lariat of his own. Like, check for his head in the last row. There really isn't much better in this world than a good lariat.
 |
| Sometimes, this is all it takes to make me happy. AJPW |
He holds him down for a pin but, by the grace of God alone, Blanc kicks out. Both men are using the ropes to pull themselves to their feet, with Vecchio cracking Blanc across the back with a stiff forearm, Blanc still using the ropes to stand. Vecchio goes for another but gets caught with a back elbow, using the opening to hook Vecchio for another vertical neckbreaker attempt, with the big man countering being pulled off his feet with a tight small package pin, but Blanc survives.
Vecchio backs himself into the corner after getting to his feet, getting caught under the jaw with a running boot that staggers him to centre. Blanc slips to the apron and springboards in, trying to go for a double knee facebuster but Vecchio catches him again! Both men thinking on their feet, Vecchio pops Blanc up for a powerbomb but Blanc turns that momentum into a sunset flip, holding the legs of Vecchio for a pinfall attempt! It's not quite enough though, as Vecchioi gets to his feet and cracks Blanc with an enziguiri that drops him flat.
There seems to be some sort of miscommunication after Vecchio sits Blanc on the top rope and backs to the opposite corner. He charges in to to... something, but just kinda jumps towards him as if he's going to do a headbutt straight into the air, but he just kinda falls into the top rope. It looks like Blanc caught him with a right hand that dropped Vecchio but he wasn't really in a position that looked like he was able to do anything even if the strike didn't land. They recover well enough with a chop from Vecchio dropping Blanc to the apron, the big man ascending and trying to bring Blanc up with him.
 |
| Straight murder. AJPW |
Instead, he gets crotched on the top turnbuckle as Blanc gets in position behind him. He hooks his arms in a full nelson and pulls him higher until finally, he pops his fucking hips and sends Vecchio flying with a dragon suplex off the top. He sprints for the other corner and ascends, crushing Vecchio with a 630 splash and covers him for the thr- no! He survives!
Blanc is in complete shock, certain that would have been enough. Whatever bag of tricks he's been pulling from, he'd better have something deeper down in there than even that massive move. He collects himself as Vecchio lays prone, with Blanc pulling him up at the corner, lifting him to the middle rope and then onto his shoulders in a reverse firemans carry. Are we about to see a fucking Burning Hammer?! No, not quite, Blanc tries to flip him off for something close to Feast Your Eyes, but Vecchio lands on his feet and hits the ropes, snatching Blanc by the shoulders for a frankensteiner!
Vecchio pulls Blanc to the corner and ascends to the top, standing to his full height before taking off, crashing leg and shin first with a shooting star press. He pulls Blanc in for the cover and gets three, Vecchio pulling from the same bag of tricks as Blanc to get the victory.
 |
| Eat da-shins doesn't quite have the same ring to it. AJPW |
Man, this match was a lot of fun. Right into second gear from the start with third gear a mere flick of the stick away. These guys were determined to try and steal the show and, for my money, they did! I don't know what it says about me that the only match I liked on an All Japan card was a match featuring two non-Japanese wrestlers. But maybe that's just me looking for something where there's nothing. Been known to do that from time to time. I'm excited to see how these guys match up with the rest of the AJPW roster during the Champion Carnival. Vecchio better go all the way and Blanc is gonna have some great matches with the roster too, I just know it.
• • • • •
Another review down, and only a few paragraphs shy of my wrists screaming for mercy. It's a real bitch of a thing, this pain. I want to write and work, but my body is actively working against me. I'm putting in work to try and fix it but it's not super easy.
Know of a way to help the recovery process? Got some matches I can watch that will reinvigorate me?
cliffmorganwstl@gmail.com, you guys know the deal by now.
Until next week, take it easy and stay safe friends.
No comments:
Post a Comment