Editor’s Note: Jack Talos first reached out to Slamwrestling.net months ago and informed us he would be doing a tour for the All-Japan Pro Wrestling promotion. After taking some time off, he returns for more adventures on his second tour as he reflects on how he and his tag team partner, Ayabe Ren, prepare for The World’s Strongest Tag Team tournament as The Titans of Calamity.
Per Talos’ request, certain names have been changed to protect their anonymity. Plus, who are we to argue with a seven-foot giant?
By Jack Talos – For Slam! Wrestling
The Tournament to Determine the World’s Strongest Tag Team
When I made the decision to leave the Hokuto Army and align myself with Ayabe-san, it wasn’t done on impulse. There were clear objectives laid out from day one—simple in theory, brutal in execution. First, we would become the largest and most dangerous tag team in the world. Second, we would win the 2025 World’s Strongest Tag Team Determination League. Third, we would turn that victory into gold and take our place as the AJPW World Tag Team Champions.
The foundation for all of it was poured in Hokkaido. Long drives, cold air, and harder lessons. That’s where Ayabe and I sharpened our timing, refined our strategy, and learned exactly how much punishment the other could take before reaching back for more. By the time the World’s Strongest Tag Team Tournament officially began, the gears were already in motion.
The league was split into two blocks, A and B. Ayabe and I were placed in the A Block—a murderers’ row if there ever was one. Our opening contest took place on November 22nd at the legendary Korakuen Hall, a building that has seen every imaginable form of violence. Across the ring stood Hideki Suzuki and Kensuke Mashimo, two veterans whose resumes speak louder than any introduction. They did precisely what seasoned pros are supposed to do—cut the ring in half, isolate one man, test patience as much as strength. It was technical, physical, and unforgiving. In the end, though, the plan held. The Titans of Calamity walked out of Korakuen with our first hard-fought victory of the tournament.
There was no time to savor it. The very next night, in Numazu, we were matched up with Hokuto Omori and Kuma Arashi. Two-thirds of the reigning six-man tag champions and, for me, two former teammates. That added weight to every exchange.
Wrestling has a way of forcing you to confront alternate realities, and for a moment, it was impossible not to think about how easily I could have been standing on the opposite side of that ring. Nostalgia doesn’t win matches, though. The fight was fierce, pride-driven, and physical, but once again Ayabe and I imposed our will and secured a second tournament victory.
November 29th brought us to Fukuoka and a matchup with MUSASHI and Seiki Yoshioka. Anyone who knows Ayabe knows there’s history there—history that doesn’t stay buried. The intensity was immediate, maybe a little too immediate. Momentum shifted, tempers flared, and before we could recalibrate, our worst fears materialized. A count-out loss. Our first blemish in the tournament, and one that stung far more than a pinfall ever could.
We didn’t have the luxury of dwelling on it. Hiroshima awaited on November 30th, where we faced the unlikely but dangerous pairing of Dan Tamura and Hikaru Sato—a blend of youth, experience, and opportunism. They attempted the same strategy that had cost us in Fukuoka, angling for a count-out victory. This time, we were ready. Adjustments were made, discipline held, and we walked out of Hiroshima back in the win column.
That set the stage for the final A Block match on December 7th in Nagoya. Waiting for us were Shotaro Ashino and Go Shiozaki, members of HAVOC and both former AJPW champions. On paper, it was our toughest test yet. In reality, it was every bit as brutal as advertised. Near falls, momentum swings, and moments where the margin between victory and disaster was razor-thin. Then Ayabe found the opening. One decisive sequence, one emphatic three-count. The bell rang, and just like that, we were headed to the finals.
Our reward was a collision with the other half of HAVOC: Odyssey and Xyon, the reigning AJPW World Tag Team Champions. Four of the biggest men in the company. No mystery. No subtlety. Just raw force aimed at determining who truly deserved the title of the world’s strongest tag team.
December 10th: Korakuen Hall. Full circle.
The building buzzed all night, the kind of electricity you feel in your chest long before you step through the curtain. By the time the main event arrived, the air was thick with anticipation. Entrances blurred together as my focus narrowed to one thing: the bell.
When it rang, everything erupted. We brawled from the opening seconds, across the ring, into the crowd, and back again. Momentum shifted by inches.
Pain was ignored out of necessity. Then came the turning point—Xyon separated, Ayabe digging deep, finding another gear altogether. A massive superplex from the top rope, followed by the Death Roulette. One. Two. Three.
Just like that, step two was complete.
The Titans of Calamity stood as the 2025 World’s Strongest Tag Team Determination League Champions. We celebrated that night, allowed ourselves the moment, because moments like that are earned—not given. But even as the adrenaline faded, we both understood the truth.
This was never the destination.
It was only the next step.
And those tag team championship belts are dead in our sights.
