Match Point: Suwama vs. Yoshitatsu (3/21/21)

All Japan Pro Wrestling is getting ready for the Champion Carnival, a tournament that starts at the beginning of next month. Before the tournament comes to our forefront, AJPW has one final show for the Dream Power Series, which will feature two title matches. The Triple Crown Championship match has been gaining considerable interest. Let’s take a look at the upcoming title match between Yoshitatsu and defending champion, Suwama.

The History of Suwama and Yoshitatsu

Yoshitatsu and Suwama have been having a mini-feud since the former’s return to AJPW in 2017. Yoshitatsu would team with Kento Miyahara and face off against Suwama and Shuji Ishikawa in tag matches. These matches helped define the 2017 and 2018 of AJPW. The feud itself was the main tag team rivalry of the time. Yoshitatsu and Miyahara even dethroned Suwama and Ishikawa once for the AJPW World Tag Team Championship. In singles matches, Suwama and Yoshitatsu showcased a hard-hitting rivalry, with Yoshitatsu often coming away the victor.

In previous years, Yoshitatsu has defeated Suwama in the 2018 and 2019 Champion Carnival events. These victories didn’t do much for Yoshitatsu’s run regarding his chances with the Triple Crown Championship. Yoshitatsu would go for the GAORA TV Championship instead. Yoshitatsu was incredibly successful, holding the championship for over 550 days with 9 successful defenses. In the process, Yoshitatsu gave new meaning to the championship. After Yoshitatsu lost the championship, he set his sights on the Triple Crown Titleholder, who he defeated by DQ in 2020.

@YoshiTatsuIsm and @suwama_H2 have a long rivalry and they for sure don't like each other…

Expect everything from this match this Sunday in Kyoto! 👀
LIVE on #ajpwtv 📺 pic.twitter.com/Y34q70JmB5

— AJPW International (@ajpwint) March 19, 2021

Dream Power Series

The current win/loss record between Yoshitatsu and Suwama is 3-1, with Yoshitatsu having the advantage. However, Suwama is looking to make history. If Suwama wins, he would’ve held the Triple Crown Championship for a full calendar year, dethroning Kento Miyahara in the Dream Power Series last year. This marks the 7th title defense for Suwama as well. What this match represents is history for Suwama and destiny for Yoshitatsu. With this history in mind, Yoshitatsu is going into this match with a major high considering his victories over Suwama. While Suwama was successful in one bout, Suwama and Ishikawa ended the series of matches against Yoshitatsu and Kento Miyahara with them going out on top. Along the way, Suwama pinned Yoshitatsu to retain their belts.

Now, Suwama must silence the one person he destroyed in this tag team rivalry. This time, it would be done in singles competition at the Dream Power Series. The Triple Crown Champion has not missed a beat in his defenses, giving star-making performances to the likes of Yuma Aoyagi, Zeus, and Shotaro Ashino; it could be the star-making performance of Yoshitatsu’s career as well. This is the second time Yoshitatsu has challenged for the Triple Crown Championship in his career.

One of the major things to note here is that while Suwama is going into this match as champion; he would also enter the Champion Carnival as champion as well. Meanwhile, Yoshitatsu is absent from the tournament this year,  If Yoshitatsu wins, he will not take place in the tournament. More so, he will face off against the winner of the Champion Carnival at the next major show: Super Power Series. With Suwama winning, going into the Champion Carnival as champion could be a breaking point for his reign. It could also mark the start of the end of Suwama’s championship reign.

Additionally, consider that the Triple Crown Champion is distracted not only with his duties as champion, but running a potential new faction. He faced off against Yoshitatsu in a tag match where Suwama and Hikaru Sato would lose to Yoshitatsu and Osamu Nishimura. Will Suwama celebrate his second 365-day-plus reign as Triple Crown Champion? Will Yoshitatsu cause one of the biggest upsets in AJPW history, dethroning his opponent for the Triple Crown Championship? We will know at the conclusion of the Dream Power Series.