AJPW World's Strongest Tag Determination League 2024 - Tag 1: WrestleFile Historical Verdict

The 2:30 opener is deliberately abrupt. Seigo Tachibana catches Hartley Jackson with a cradle, giving Tachibana and Kuroshio a fast two points while preventing the large Cyrus-Jackson team from dominating solely through size. The short duration makes the result feel like an opening-night surprise, and later block results show that the upset does not turn either team into a runaway contender.

Sekimoto and Mashimo defeating Hokuto Omori and Kuma Arashi is a more conventional tournament statement. Sekimoto pins Omori after the Big Bang Catastrophe in 12:52, placing an accomplished outside pairing near the top of the A Block immediately. That becomes relevant as the league progresses because Sekimoto and Mashimo stay in contention deep into the schedule rather than serving as guest opposition for one night.

The two non-league matches break up the standings-heavy card. MAZADA pins Taishin Nagao in a basic veteran-versus-younger-wrestler tag, then ELPIDA wins an eight-man match when Ryuki Honda pins Dan Tamura. The fourth bout is especially useful because Honda and Ren Ayabe are a B Block team while Rising HAYATO and Yuma Anzai are an A Block team, so AJPW can keep both ELPIDA pairings visible without burning a league result.

Aoyagi and Abe beat Hikaru Sato and Yuko Miyamoto in 11:03, giving the former Triple Crown champion a positive reset just five days after losing the title. The Saito Brothers then beat Makoto Oishi and Mike D Vecchio in 11:40. That looks straightforward on opening night but becomes historically stronger because Jun and Rei eventually go undefeated through the entire tournament.

The main event gives Smith the deciding fall rather than Miyahara. Smith pins Suwama with the Bulldog Bomb in 20:46, which is the correct emphasis for a champion only five days into his reign. Miyahara adds main-event stature without taking the spotlight away from Smith, while Suwama and Hideki Suzuki can absorb an opening loss without being eliminated from a long round-robin schedule.

Korakuen Hall draws an announced 1,383 fans, giving the tournament opener a stronger atmosphere than most of the regional dates that follow. The venue also fits the importance of the annual league. AJPW had spent the previous week touring Hokkaido, but moving back to Tokyo for the start of the winter tournament gives the card a visible change in scale and a clearer event identity.

The seven-match card is tournament-heavy without becoming repetitive. The 2:30 opener produces an immediate upset-style result, the second league match gets nearly 13 minutes, and the two non-tournament bouts provide a break before three consecutive point-scoring matches close the show. Aoyagi and Abe versus Sato and Miyamoto goes 11:03, the Saito Brothers receive 11:40, and the main event gets 20:46.

AJPW's official event page lists both All Japan Pro Wrestling TV and GAORA SPORTS as archive destinations. CAGEMATCH classifies the event as a live AJPW.tv online stream. WrestleFile therefore has stronger viewing evidence here than on several of the preceding Hokkaido cards, although a stable event-specific direct replay URL was not verified and is not substituted with a generic service homepage.

The presentation works best when treated as the start of a month-long competition. Standings graphics and block identities matter more than any single entrance or undercard angle. The audience gets five official results, the new Triple Crown champion in the main event, and the reigning World Tag Team champions beginning their eventual undefeated run. That is enough to give the show a distinct role even without a championship defense.

The most important result in hindsight is the Saito Brothers' opening victory. Jun and Rei Saito enter the tournament as World Tag Team champions and beat Makoto Oishi and Mike D Vecchio for their first two points. AJPW's December 8 report later confirms that the Saitos win the entire league undefeated, becoming the first reigning World Tag Team champions to accomplish that feat. Korakuen on November 9 is the first recorded step in that run.

The main event is also tied directly to the company's top singles championship. Davey Boy Smith Jr. had become the 74th Triple Crown Heavyweight champion on November 4. Five days later, rather than working a protected exhibition, he pins Suwama in the opening league match while teaming with Kento Miyahara. That keeps the champion's momentum intact and establishes the Miyahara-Smith team as an immediate B Block favorite.

Aoyagi's result provides the opposite side of that title transition. After losing the Triple Crown to Smith, he teams with Fuminori Abe and beats Hikaru Sato and Yuko Miyamoto. The victory prevents the former champion from entering the winter tournament as a diminished figure and starts a team that ultimately stays alive in the competitive B Block.

The opening night also documents the breadth of the 2024 field. Sekimoto and Mashimo represent an experienced outside pairing, Mike D Vecchio enters alongside veteran Makoto Oishi, and Cyrus teams with Hartley Jackson. AJPW's two-block, fourteen-team format means the tournament is not built around only established in-house pairings, and November 9 is where those combinations first become standings entries.

Historically, the card is less important for one isolated match than for the lines it starts. The Saitos' undefeated run, Smith's first tournament victory as Triple Crown champion, Miyahara's pursuit of another tag accolade, and Aoyagi's post-title-loss recovery all begin here. That gives the event durable archive value even if several individual matches are better understood as tournament chapters than destination bouts.