Ryuki Honda has claimed one of the biggest tournament victories of his All Japan Pro Wrestling career, winning the 2026 Royal Road tournament on September 22 and earning a future shot at the AJPW Triple Crown Heavyweight Championship.

Honda’s path to the trophy required victories over two major opponents on the same night. He first defeated Xyon in the semifinal round, advancing to the tournament final. On the other side of the bracket, Yuma Aoyagi overcame Yuma Anzai to set up the championship match against Honda.

In the final, Honda defeated Aoyagi to complete his run through the closing stages of the Royal Road tournament. The result establishes Honda as the next challenger for Triple Crown champion Kento Miyahara, placing a high-profile title opportunity directly in front of him.

Honda survives a demanding final day

The September 22 event was built around the decisive portion of the 2026 Royal Road tournament, with both semifinals taking place before the final. That format demanded that the eventual winner not only navigate a difficult opponent in the semifinal, but also recover in time for the final against a competitor who had likewise survived his own side of the bracket.

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Honda began his final-night run against Xyon. By defeating Xyon, Honda secured his place in the tournament final and moved one step closer to the Triple Crown opportunity attached to the Royal Road victory.

Aoyagi arrived in the final after defeating Anzai in the other semifinal. The result gave the tournament a final between Honda and Aoyagi, two wrestlers who had each earned their spot through a semifinal win earlier in the show.

Honda ultimately emerged from that matchup with the tournament victory. While the Royal Road is decided by tournament competition, its impact immediately reaches the top of All Japan’s championship picture. Honda is no longer simply coming off a notable win; he has secured a direct route to the promotion’s premier heavyweight title.

A Triple Crown challenge awaits

Honda’s reward for winning the tournament is a match with Kento Miyahara for the AJPW Triple Crown Heavyweight Championship. The date and setting for that title match were not announced among the available details, but the challenger is now clear.

Miyahara enters the looming defense in the middle of his seventh reign as Triple Crown Heavyweight Champion. He regained the championship in September 2025 and, as of this writing, has recorded nine successful title defenses during this reign.

That record frames the scale of Honda’s upcoming challenge. A champion who has reached nine defenses since recapturing the title has consistently turned back a range of opposition over the past year. Honda will enter the match with the momentum of a tournament winner, but Miyahara will bring the experience of a reigning champion who has repeatedly protected the Triple Crown.

The title bout also carries a clear contrast in recent accomplishments. Honda has just won a tournament designed to identify a leading contender, defeating Xyon and Aoyagi in succession when the stakes were highest. Miyahara, meanwhile, has built the current reign through successful defenses after winning the championship back in September 2025. One competitor will be looking to convert a career-defining tournament achievement into championship gold, while the other will aim to extend a reign that has already reached nine defenses.

The tournament result reshapes All Japan’s main-event picture

The Royal Road tournament’s conclusion gives All Japan a defined direction at the top of the card. Before the final, Honda, Xyon, Aoyagi, and Anzai were all still alive in the race for the championship opportunity. By the end of the night, Honda stood alone as the winner and Miyahara’s next challenger.

For Aoyagi, the result marks a near miss after he defeated Anzai to reach the final. Advancing through a semifinal is a significant result in its own right, but Honda’s final-round victory means Aoyagi did not leave September 22 with the Triple Crown match. Xyon’s tournament ended in the semifinal against Honda, while Anzai was eliminated by Aoyagi.

Those outcomes underscore how narrow the margins were on the final night. Each semifinal winner had to immediately prepare for another pivotal match, and only Honda was able to make it through both rounds. His two-win night is what separates him from the rest of the field and gives him the right to challenge the champion.

There is also a meaningful element of timing to Honda’s victory. Miyahara regained the Triple Crown in September 2025, and the next September finds Honda winning the Royal Road tournament to establish himself as a contender. With the champion having already accumulated nine defenses, the tournament has produced a fresh opponent at a point when the title reign is already well established.

What Honda’s win means

Winning a tournament is often a statement of endurance as much as it is a statement of ability, and Honda’s September 22 results delivered both. He had to get past Xyon in the semifinal, then defeat Aoyagi in the final after Aoyagi had beaten Anzai. There was no ambiguity in the path to the title shot: Honda won the final match of the tournament after earning his place in it earlier that same night.

The victory gives Honda a major platform heading into his match with Miyahara. Tournament wins create momentum, but they also create expectations. Honda will now carry the designation of Royal Road winner into a championship contest against a wrestler in his seventh Triple Crown reign.

For Miyahara, the development presents another opportunity to reinforce the depth of his current title run. Nine defenses since September 2025 have made his reign one of sustained activity rather than a championship tenure defined by a single victory. Defeating Honda would move that defense total into double figures and preserve Miyahara’s hold on the championship. Honda, however, has put himself in position to halt that progression.

Results from the Royal Road final night

  • Ryuki Honda defeated Xyon in a semifinal match.
  • Yuma Aoyagi defeated Yuma Anzai in a semifinal match.
  • Ryuki Honda defeated Yuma Aoyagi in the tournament final.

With the tournament now complete, the central question shifts from who would earn the championship opportunity to whether Honda can capitalize on it. He has already done what was required to reach the front of the line, surviving the final night of the Royal Road tournament and beating Aoyagi in the decisive match.

The next stage will be even larger. Honda is set for a future challenge of Kento Miyahara and the AJPW Triple Crown Heavyweight Championship, with Miyahara’s seventh reign and nine successful defenses standing in the way of Honda’s attempt to turn his Royal Road triumph into the biggest championship win of his career.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Darryl Polo is a passionate wrestling fan covering WWE, AEW, TNA and beyond. He loves great rivalries, breakout stars and the moments that keep fans talking long after the bell. How we work.