All Japan 45th Anniversary Show

Promotional poster for the event, featuring various wrestlers

The **All Japan 45th Anniversary Show** was a professional wrestling event promoted by All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW). The event took place on August 27, 2017, at Ryōgoku Kokugikan in Tokyo, Japan. It was the 45th anniversary since the promotion was borned.

The event featured five matches for contested championships. In the main event, Shuji Ishikawa defending the Triple Crown Heavyweight Championship against the Kento Miyahara. The other matches featured TAJIRI defending the World Junior Heavyweight Championship against Ultimo Dragon, Naoya Nomura and KAI against Strong BJ (Daisuke Sekimoto and Yuji Okabayashi) for the vacated World Tag Team Championship, Hentai Jieitai (Atsushi Aoki and Hikaru Sato) defending the All Asia Tag Team Championship against Taka Michinoku and Black Tiger VII, Osamu Nishimura defending the BANG!TV World Heavyweight Championship against Naoshi Sano, Yutaka Yoshie, Abdullah Kobayashi, Rikya Fudo, Kazuhiro Tamura, Rey Paloma, Carbell Ito, Atsushi Maruyama, Aizawa #1, Dinosaur Takuma, Kotaro Yoshino, Mitoshichi Shinose, Akiyori Takizawa and The Great Kojika.

## Production

### Background

The All Japan 45th Anniversary aired in Japan through AJPW's TV boardcasting channel, Fighting TV Samurai, with Japanese language commentaries. The event also aired on tape delay on Japanese TV Gaora Sports to be launched.

### Storylines

The All Japan 45th Anniversary featured professional wrestling matches that involved different wrestlers from pre-existing scripted feuds and storylines. Wrestlers portray villains, heroes, or less distinguishable characters in the scripted events that build tension and culminate in a wrestling match or series of matches.

The All Japan 45th Anniversary was main evented by Shuji Ishikawa defending the Triple Crown Heavyweight Championship against Kento Miyahara. On April 30, Shuji Ishikawa defeated Joe Doering to win the Champion Carnival. Both man had both grown an issue and win both the prelude matches with Ishikawa getting most wins. Later on May 21, Ishikawa defeated Miyahara to win the Triple Crown Heavyweight Champion for his first time after the match, Jake Lee challenged Ishikawa, during the show Suwama defeated Miyahara and stated on his intensions to reclaim the Triple Crown Champion, after Ishikawa defended the title against Lee, Suwama challenged Ishikawa in which he accpted. On July 17, Miyahara defeated Joe Doering after the match Miyahara made his intensions on reclaming the belt, later Ishikawa defeated Suwama to defend his title, after the match, Miyahara challenged Ishikawa into a rematch. which he accpted and was made offical to be on the promotion's 45th anniversary show. Meanwhile, both Ishikawa and Miyahara had claim both wins against each other.

The All Japan 45th Anniversary also featured a match for the World Junior Heavyweight Championship, where TAJIRI will defend the title against Último Dragon. On July 17, Hikaru Sato defended the World Junior Heavyweight Champion against Minoru Tanaka after the match TAJIRI appeared and challanged Hikaru and appeared to show respect to, only to spit a green mist to his face and posed with his title and the match was set to be official on July 30. Both had gain each others wins during the prelude matches and even sometimes TAJIRI tried to provoke Hikaru. Later on July 30, TAJIRI defeated Hikaru to win the World Junior Heavyweight Champion, thus making TAJIRI's first title win in AJPW since his pursuits back in 2010. After the match, Último Dragón challanged him and he acepted and later the match was made offcial. During the press confrence, Masanobu Fuchi and the PWF chairman Dory Funk Jr. announced a new version of the belt meaning an a new era since the old belt.

Another title match would see KAI and Naoya Nomura against Strong BJ (Daisuke Sekimoto and Yuji Okabayashi) for the vacated World Tag Team Championship. This match was set up during AJPW's Summer Action Series tour on July 17, after Nextream (Jake Lee and Naoya Nomura) defended the titles against The Big Guns (Zeus and The Bodyguard), after the match Strong BJ challenged them to a title match, which they accepted the challenged. Later, Jake Lee got injured during the tour, It was later announced that the injury he had suffered was an ACL injury, forcing Nextream to vacant the titles, leaving Naoya without a partner for the match. The KAI asked Naoya if he could be his partner for the scheduled match and Noaya accpted, due to they share the same circumstanses of both partners getting injured and they stated that they will do their best to make mutual understanding and bond, even moentioning the formation of a new double team move.

In the All Asia Tag Team Championship match will be Hentai Jietai (Atsushi Aoki and Hikaru Sato) against Black Tiger VII and Taka Michinoku. On June 20 Aoki and Sato defeated Atsushi Onita and Masanobu Fuchi) to win the All Asia Tag Team Championship. Later, Aoki and Sato defended Magatsuki (Aymu Honda and Tank Nagai) . During this, Sato began having issues with his Evolution stablemate Suwama, the issues began gowing leaving Evolution in a clime of chaos incluiding sometimes accident blows and discussions between them, leading to a match between him and Suwama on August 3, in which Suwama won, then Sato announced that he was quitting Evolution, despite that Hentai Jietai continued tagging with each other. During this on July 28, they defended the titles against Atsushi Maruyama and Masashi Takeda. Then Black Tiger VII challenged Hentai Jietai in which they accpted, then Black Tger announced Taka Michinoku as his tag team partner. This marked his return since 7 years. Taka stated that he looks into acheive his goal and become champion in this year. The match was made official.

In the !Bang! TV World Heavyweight Championship match will be Osamu Nishimura against Naoshi Sano, Yutaka Yoshie, Abdullah Kobayashi, Rikya Fudo, Kazuhiro Tamura, Rey Paloma, Carbell Ito, Atsushi Maruyama, Aizawa #1, Dinosaur Takuma, Kotaro Yoshino, Mitoshichi Shinose, Akiyori Takizawa and The Great Kojika in a battle royal. During this summer Osamu Nishimura came to Dory Funk Jr,'s promotion !Bang! TV, where he won the !Bang! TV World Heavyweight Championship, later he defended it against Rikiya Fudo, then Takao Omori announced Nishimura would be defending the title in a battle royal, later he announced that he would be defending it against Naoshi Sano, Yutaka Yoshie, Abdullah Kobayashi, Rikya Fudo, Kazuhiro Tamura, Rey Paloma, Carbell Ito, Atsushi Maruyama, Aizawa #1, Dinosaur Takuma, Kotaro Yoshino, Mitoshichi Shinose, Akiyori Takizawa and The Great Kojika.
Other matches at the All Japan 45th Anniversary include Taichi taking on Yuma Aoyagi, Kotaro Suzuki making his return since he left the promotion in a tag team mach along with The Big Guns (Zeus and The Bodyguard) and Joe Doering taking on Jun Akiyama, Takao Omori, Minoru Tanaka and Koji Iwamoto, Caristico taking on El Diamante and Massimo, Danny Jones and Sam Adonis taking on Ryoji Sai, Masakado and Ishikiri. The full card of the event was announced on August 7.