Kento Miyahara Retains Triple Crown Title in Classic vs. Yuma Anzai | Puro Watch Guide
All Japan Pro Wrestling
One of the biggest events of the year in Japanese men’s professional wrestling took place in All Japan Pro Wrestling, which held the final night of its “Nettou Summer Action Wars 2026” tour. The event aired live on AJPW.TV from EBARA WAVE Arena Ota, more commonly known as Ota Ward General Gymnasium, in front of a reported 3,068 fans.
The event featured several major matchups, but it began with Shota Kofuji picking up his first singles victory in AJPW since joining the promotion in January. He defeated Señor Saito, also known on the independent scene as MAZADA, in 6:01.
The next match featured several wrestlers set to compete in the Royal Road Tournament next month, as Hyo Ogawa, Ryuki Honda, Shotaro Ashino, and Yuma Aoyagi defeated Daisuke Sekimoto, Hideki Suzuki, Kuma Arashi, and Ren Ayabe in 10:03.
Third on the card was a 10-man tag team contest featuring the ten wrestlers who did not reach the Zennichi Jr. Festival final, along with Mochizuki Jr. Hokuto Omori, Mochizuki Jr., MUSASHI, the returning Rising HAYATO, and Yasutaka Yano defeated Leon de Oro, Masaaki Mochizuki, Naruki Doi, Seigo Tachibana, and Yuya Aoki in 10:13.
The show really began to pick up in the next match, as former All Japan ace Suwama faced longtime rival Go Shiozaki in their first singles clash since the 2015 Champion Carnival. The two delivered the tremendously physical war many would expect, making this a match worth checking out, particularly as Shiozaki continues to strengthen his case for “comeback wrestler of the year.”
The pair also shook hands following the match, which could potentially open the door for them to team up in the Real World Tag League later this year.
After the intermission, the Saito Brothers, Jun and Rei, defended their AJPW World Tag Team Championship against HAVOC’s Oddyssey and Xyon. For those unfamiliar, Oddyssey is the former Odyssey Jones from WWE, while Xyon is the former Xyon Quinn. The two have settled into their roles as foreign midcard heels, though this particular matchup did not produce much chemistry between the teams.
The Saito Brothers ultimately retained their titles in 8:53. It was a short and inoffensive contest, but one that can safely be skipped.
Definitely do not skip the next match, as AJPW World Junior Heavyweight Champion Dan Tamura faced Seiki Yoshioka in the final of the Zennichi Jr. Festival. The two delivered a spectacular contest that ranks among the best matches of the entire summer. Yoshioka utilized his high-flying offense and striking to great effect, while Tamura countered with his immense strength.
In the end, the veteran Yoshioka outlasted Tamura and pinned him with the Crash Driver in 20:14. With the victory, a rematch between the two for Tamura’s championship appears likely in the near future.
If the show wasn’t already special enough, the main event pushed it over the edge, as Yuma Anzai challenged Kento Miyahara for the Triple Crown Championship, a title Miyahara has held since September 23, 2025.
The story heading into the match centred on how much Anzai has grown since their last championship encounter. In that time, Anzai became a celebrity in Japan after reaching the finals of The Bachelorette Japan. Fans have long viewed him as the future ace of the company, but his mainstream television appearances have only made that trajectory more apparent.
Even with all his newfound fame, the victory was far from a foregone conclusion. Anzai is undoubtedly talented, but he has historically struggled against Kento Miyahara, AJPW’s current ace. In their four previous meetings, Anzai had won just once, doing so in May 2024 during his own Triple Crown reign. Since then, Miyahara defeated him in a certified classic on New Year’s Eve 2025, before the pair wrestled to a time-limit draw in the Champion Carnival in April.
While much of the focus heading into the match was on Anzai, the result carried significant ramifications for Miyahara as well. A loss would have ended his reign before it reached a year, while a victory would have moved him to nine successful defenses, putting him just one behind the record of 10 shared by Toshiaki Kawada and Miyahara himself.
The resulting match on August 29 was simply one of the best of the year so far. The contest was sensational, with the sense of urgency and simmering animosity between the two making for a standout encounter. Miyahara ultimately came out on top, rocking Anzai with a Shut Down Suplex after 31:34.
It was Miyahara’s longest title defence to date, and the first Triple Crown bout to surpass 30 minutes since Yuma Aoyagi defeated Miyahara on September 1, 2024.
Dragongate
Dragongate completed the block stage of its Rey de Parejas tag team tournament on August 30. The tournament has been running since August 4, with typically two or three matches taking place on each show. Over the past week, the promotion held four events to wrap up the block action.
On Monday, August 24, Kota Minoura and Yuki Yoshioka defeated Flamita and Sangre Azteca Jr. to secure their fourth win, while Genki Horiguchi and Yasushi Kanda defeated LEONA and Strong Machine J to earn their second.
The following day, Flamita and Sangre Azteca Jr. defeated Jason Lee and Madoka Kikuta via disqualification to earn their third win, while JACKY KAMEI and Riiita defeated LEONA and Strong Machine J to secure their second victory.
There was only one match on August 29 after it was announced that AKEY had to withdraw from the tournament due to a shoulder injury. In the lone contest, Gianni Myon Myon Valletta and Hyo fell to KAGETORA and Susumu Yokosuka in the main event.
Finally, on August 30, Minoura and Yoshioka completed a perfect block stage by defeating El Cielo and Luis Mante, while ISHIN and Yoshiki Kato leapfrogged JACKY KAMEI and Riiita to secure a playoff spot.
The semifinals and final of this year’s Rey de Parejas will take place on September 3 at Korakuen Hall. In the semifinals, PARADOX’s KAGETORA and Susumu Yokosuka will face El Cielo and Luis Mante, while Open the Twin Gate Champions ISHIN and Yoshiki Kato take on XenisS’s Kota Minoura and Yuki Yoshioka in a rematch of their tag team title match from Kobe World. The winners of those two matches will then meet in the final.
Be sure to check back here on WrestlePurists for a full write-up of the show once it takes place, coming from yours truly!
Rey de Parejas Standings:
A Block:
- PARADOX (Kagetora & Susumu Yokosuka) – 7 points
- Gajadokuro (ISHIN & Yoshiki Kato) – 6 points
- Love & Peace (JACKY KAMEI & Riiita) – 5 points
- LEONA & Strong Machine J – 4 points
- Genki Horiguchi & Yasushi Kanda – 4 points
- Gianni Myon Myon Valletta & Hyo – 2 points
B Block:
- XenisS (Kota Minoura & Yuki Yoshioka) – 10 points
- El Cielo & Luis Mante – 8 points
- Flamita & Sangre Azteca Jr. – 6 points
- Natural Vibes (AKEY & GuC) – 4 points
- XENOSTAL NOVA (Homare & Kazuma Kimura) – 2 points
- Gajadokuro (Jason Lee & Madoka Kikuta) – 0 points
DDT Pro Wrestling
DDT held two shows over the past week, on August 26 and August 30. The first, “DDT Dramatic Beer Garden Neverland 2026 in Ueno,” saw Shunma Katsumata defeat Kazuma Sumi to win the DDT Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title, while Antonio Honda defeated KANON to earn a “Right to Challenge Anytime Anywhere Contract.” In the main event, Chris Brookes, Hinata Kasai, Kazuki Hirata, and Yuki Ueno defeated Daichi Satoh, Danshoku Dino, Takeshi Masada, and Yuni.
The August 30 event, “DDT Last Summer’s Standing – Summer’s Review,” featured MAO’s first defence of the KO-D Openweight Championship since winning the title earlier this month. MAO successfully retained against Daichi Satoh after 23:27, finishing the match with a Cannonball 450.
Leading up to the main event, Shunma Katsumata successfully retained the DDT Extreme Championship against Kumadori, only to lose the DDT Iron Man Heavymetalweight Championship to him moments later. Katsumata won the title on August 26, as previously mentioned. Junta Miyawaki and Shinya Aoki then defeated Danshoku Dino and Kazuki Hirata to make their first defense of the KO-D Tag Team Championships, while Ryusuke Taguchi successfully defended the DDT Universal Championship for the first time against Daisuke Sasaki.
These events can be viewed on Wrestle Universe.
New Japan Pro-Wrestling
Konosuke Takeshita failed to recapture the AEW International Championship at AEW All In: London 2026, as Kyle Fletcher and seven-time IWGP Heavyweight Champion Kazuchika Okada joined him in one of the best matches on the stacked show, with The Rainmaker ultimately claiming the gold.
Later that night, in the show’s main event, Will Ospreay defeated Kenny Omega to capture the AEW World Championship on home soil. United Empire’s Callum Newman, HENARE, and Francesco Akira were at ringside, while Zack Sabre Jr. appeared backstage ahead of the match as a nod to his shared history with Ospreay.
Other News and Notes
Junya Matsunaga successfully retained the ZERO1 World Heavyweight Championship against Koji Doi in the main event of the Yamanashi Pro Wrestling Festival. The 30-year-old champion caught Doi with the Bee Sting to score the pinfall after 21:41, marking the first defence of his first world title reign.
GLEAT Ver. 30 took place at Yokohama Sanbo Hall on August 30. The show featured no title matches but did include several GLEAT vs. NOAH encounters. In the semi-main event, GLEAT’s El Lindaman and Hayato Tamura defeated NOAH’s Hi69 and Mohammed Yone, while Atsushi Kotoge gained some revenge for NOAH in the main event by defeating Takehiro Yamamura.
Puro wunderkind Ali Najima took on the blind wonder Yuta Oya in a fantastic one-on-one main event on Sportiva’s weekly “Wednesday Curry Pro Wrestling” event at Sportiva Arena in Nagoya. Definitely check this one out if you have the chance on Sportiva’s YouTube page!
Strong Style Pro Wrestling, the promotion created by the original Tiger Mask, Satoru Sayama, held its fourth event of 2026 at Korakuen Hall on August 27. The show featured two title matches, with Masashi Takeda and Super Tiger successfully defending the SSPW World Tag Team Championships against Atsushi Sawada and Daisuke Sekimoto, while Kuroshio TOKYO Japan retained the RJPW Legend Championship against Hayato Mashita in the main event.
DIE Pro Wrestling held its monthly show on August 28, and while the event is not yet available to watch, it featured a “Scorching Hot Human Flesh Takoyaki Death Match”. God knows what that match must have involved, but if I have to read that match type, then so do all of you fine people.
For coverage from across the Japanese professional wrestling scene, WrestlePurists will keep you updated.
