Masanobu Fuchi
Inoue's first attempt at winning an All Japan singles championship since his return came on September 25, 2016, where he came up short against Yohei Nakajima in a match for the Gaora TV Championship. Inoue on January 2, 2017, received, along with partner Jun Akiyama, a match for the All Asia Tag Team Championships in a Street Bunkhouse Death Match against the champions Atsushi Onita and Masanobu Fuchi. The tandem ultimately came up short in their bid to dethrone the champions.