Katsuhiko Nakajima Retains AJPW Triple Crown Title Against WWE NXT's Charlie Dempsey
Charlie Dempsey's attempts to bring the AJPW Triple Crown Heavyweight Title to the No Quarter Catch Crew were in vain at the promotion's recent event.
Last month, it was announced that Dempsey would be competing for AJPW, in a rare instance of WWE allowing one of their stars in another promotion. In a video, William Regal (Dempsey's father) spoke about his own career in Japan before announcing that Dempsey would be working the AJPW show. This also proved to be Regal's first public acknowledgment of the WWE NXT Superstar as his son.
On December 31, Katsuhiko Nakajima defeated Kento Miyahara to retain the Triple Crown Heavyweight Championship and set up the title defense against Dempsey. Heading into their title match, Dempsey held a victory over the champion, having bested Nakajima in a previous tag-team match.
At the January 3, show, the champion and challenger held nothing back in their efforts to leave with the AJPW Triple Crown Heavyweight Title. Dempsey was called the 'Ace of NXT' by the ring announcer. You can check out highlights of the match below.
After Dempsey exited the ring, Nakajima was approached by Shotaro Ashino, who has been out since May 2023 with a fractured left forearm. Before his injury, Ashino had won the Champion Carnival tournament, earning himself a shot at the Triple Crown. He made his return to the ring on December 31.
