Davey Boy Smith Jr. loses AJPW Triple Crown to Jun Saito

  • Ian Carey
  • By 

Davey Boy Smith Jr’s run with the Triple Crown has ended. 

Smith lost the belt to Jun Saito in the main event of today’s AJPW New Year’s Eve 2024 show in Tokyo, ending his 57-day reign with the title.

Smith defeated Yuma Aoyagi for the belt on November 4 in Sapporo to become the 74th champion in the Triple Crown’s lineage. He was just the seventh foreigner to hold the title, joining Terry Gordy, Stan Hansen, “Dr. Death” Steve Williams, Big Van Vader, Taiyo Kea, and Joe Doering. 

The win for Saito marks his first major singles championship. He and his twin brother Rei, The Saito Brothers, are the current AJPW World Tag Team Champions. 

AJPW New Year’s Eve 2024 results:

  • Marino Saihara & Natsuki defeated Act & Riko Fukunaga
  • Fuminori Abe, Seigo Tachibana & Yuko Miyamoto defeated MUSASHI, Seiki Yoshioka & Taishin Nagao
  • Suwama won a Battle Royal
    Participants included: Aizawa NO. 1, Hartley Jackson, Hideki Suzuki, Hikaru Sato, Kuma Arashi, Kumagoro Hokkai, Kuroshio TOKYO Japan, Minoru Suzuki, Shotaro Ashino, Ultimo Dragon
  • Daisuke Sekimoto defeated Dan Tamura
  • Ren Ayabe & Ryuki Honda) defeated Atsuki Aoyagi & Yuma Aoyagi
  • All Asia Tag TEam Champions Rising HAYATO & Yuma Anzai defeated Kento Miyahara & Ryo Inoue to retain their titles
  • Jun Saito defeated AJPW Triple Crown Champion Davey Boy Smith Jr. to win the title