Match Point: Jake Lee vs. Kento Miyahara vs. Yuma Aoyagi, AJPW Champions Night (6/26/21)

All Japan Pro Wrestling‘s (AJPW) Champions Night event will be happening tomorrow, with the event theme being the crowning of a brand new Triple Crown Champion. The title was declared vacant earlier this month. Three men will challenge each other in a lottery to become the new champion. At Champions Night, Jake Lee, Kento Miyahara, and Yuma Aoyagi will do battle.

Before the Triple Crown Championship Was Vacated

Originally, Suwama was supposed to defend his Triple Crown Championship against Jake Lee, who won the Champion Carnival tournament. He Kento Miyahara in the finals of the tournament to gain his opportunity.  Jake Lee had finally beaten his mentor in a major match. Now, he was looking to become the next “Ace” of All Japan. Suwama tested positive for COVID-19, ending his one-year plus reign as Triple Crown Champion. With this, a new champion needed to be crowned.

The Rules of the Match

A lottery will be held before the match to determine the order. The person who wins two consecutive bouts will become the brand new Triple Crown Champion.

The History of Jake Lee, Kento Miyahara, and Yuma Aoyagi

Of all the competitors, Kento Miyahara has the most history with the Triple Crown title. He is a former four-time Triple Crown Champion. He was also the Triple Crown Champion before Suwama. Even before that, Miyahara’s championship run was defined by defeating everybody around. This included his students, Jake Lee and Yuma Aoyagi. Miyahara’s series with Lee was a rivalry that transcended 2019 All Japan. When Miyahara lost his championship, he became a tag team wrestler. He was also in big singles matches, including his bout with Zeus at Champion Carnival 2020 and versus Jake Lee in Champion Carnival 2021. Miyahara’s entire focus has been on the tag scene of All Japan. He would eventually return to the scene where he’s been dormant since March of 2020.

Jake Lee would betray his friend Koji Iwamoto to start the brand new faction Total Eclipse. Their goal was to become the future of All Japan and bring into a new era. Lee’s history with both men stems from when they were part of the Nextream faction. Lee was the first one to leave the group alongside his partner, Naoya Nomura. Jake Lee’s focus was to beat his teacher however he could. Despite his best efforts, Lee fell short. With a new focus, with a new attitude. Jake Lee is even more determined than he was in his bouts with Miyahara. He understands that if he can’t win, he will not accomplish his destiny within AJPW by becoming Triple Crown Champion.

Yuma Aoyagi is a strange case for this match. Aoyagi broke out of a shell in 2020. He made a name for himself by challenging his mentor Miyahara that year. Yuma Aoyagi would then showcase a new attitude in AJPW’s pandemic era. Aoyagi stood out in his rivalry with Shotaro Ashino. Toward the end of the year. Yuma Aoyagi would gain the attention of Suwama, main eventing against him in one of the first shows of the year. Aoyagi would also impress in the Champion Carnival, even defeating Jake Lee.

Jake Lee vs. Kento Miyahara vs. Yuma Aoyagi – Who Will Win?

Of the three men in this match. Yuma Aoyagi is the one that not many see winning. He is new to the main event scene. It is expected that he will lose the match, which will lead to our final between Kento Miyahara and Jake Lee, the future of All Japan vs. the “Ace” of All Japan. Between these men, who will win? With Kento Miyahara currently an AJPW World Tag Team Champion, it seems unlikely that he would hold a singles championship. However, Jake Lee doesn’t have anything if he loses his match. He might have a faction of Trios Champions, but as a main eventer, he may lose in the biggest match in his career.

Kento Miyahara has held the Triple Crown Championship before. He borderline dominated AJPW with the championship since 2017. Meanwhile, Yuma Aoyagi and Jake Lee are both looking for the first-ever reign as Champion. Jake Lee feels as though can finally become the best. If Miyahara wins, it will be another championship accomplishment for the “Ace.” For Lee, it will be his biggest failure. For Aoyagi, it could be a learning experience that breaks Nextream.

If Lee wins, Miyahara and Aoyagi will be preoccupied with All Japan’s tag team division. Someone will need to save AJPW from the tyranny of Lee. If he wins, it will mark the first time he has held the championship as well. If he pins Miyahara, it could lead to a brand new era within AJPW as well.

If Yuma Aoyagi wins, he will become the youngest Triple Crown Champion in AJPW history. It is still incredibly unlikely Aoyagi will win the Triple Crown Championship. What will happen? Will the era of dominance for Miyahara return? Can a win for Lee create a new era in AJPW? Perhaps Aoyagi will pull off the upset of the year by becoming Triple Crown Champion. All will be known on Champions Night.