All Japan Pro Wrestling 4/24/2022 - Champion Carnival 2022 Day 7

All Japan Pro Wrestling 4/24/2022 - Champion Carnival 2022 Day 7

I'm just doing the Champion Carnival matches here:

Champion Carnival 2022 Block B - Shuji Ishikawa vs Ryuki Honda

Honda jumps him early with forearms. They trade hard forearms and shoulder battle. Shuji runs him over with a shoulder and throws him into the post outside. Shuji throws him into the rails but Honda comes back and lariats him.

Honda throws him by the head against the mat inside. Honda then puts his knee on him against the middle rope. Honda hits some forearms and Shuji just headbutts him hard down. Shuji lariats him in the corner then double stomps him off the 2nd rope.

Honda spears him and they lariat battle. Shuji headbutts him again then Honda suplexes him. Honda lariats him then takes a dragon suplex. They trade forearms and then slaps. Shuji then fire thunder drivers him. Shuji knees him in the face then running knees him. Shiji then hits splash mountain and wins it.

I really liked this. This is exactly what you would want out of the two. They were stiff, they brought some hate and they had a shorter but 100% action packed match. This was real good. 

Champion Carnival 2022 Block A - Shotaro Ashino vs Shigehiro Irie

Ashino back elbows him early then Irie buttdrops him down in the corner. Ashino then dragon screws him around the middle rope. Ashino ties up Irie's leg around the railing and then works the leg inside. Irie fights back with a headbutt to the chest then is dropkicked in the leg. Ashino then runs at him and takes a black home slam.

Irie cannonballs him in the corner. Irie is popped up into a euro then they trade rueos for headbutts. Irie then goes for a jumping headbutt and is countered with a cool german. They do forearms for euros, then Ashino slaps and germans him for 2.

Ashino running battering rams him as he is seated then backdrops him. Ashino goes for a running euro but Irie catches him and grounded sleepers him. Irie hits some elbows while he does it then Ashino puts him in an ankle lock. Irie slams him from the mat then Ashino sits on his back and ankle locks him. Irie then taps out and Ashino wins.

This was a good one with Ashino working the leg/ankle and Irie trying to fight back, then eventually tapping out to it. I loved the jumping headbutt into a german spot and they matched up well as one would expect.

Champion Carnival 2022 Block A - Jake Lee vs T-Hawk

They get off to a slow start then T shoulders him over. Jake snapmares him then T hits chops. T sits up on top and takes a facekick, then falls to the floor. Jake facekicks him outside then facekicks him against the rail. They go back in and Jake headscissors him while working his fingers and T ropebreaks.

Jake goes for a triangle then double reverse armbars him. T suplexes him then punches him in the corner and Jake goes down. T then puts him on the top rope and chops him to send him to the floor. Jake hits a running step up enzugiri on him then T kicks him down. Jake is popped up into a knee then takes a reverse slam for 2.

T takes a high kick then is backdropped for 2. Jake then knees him in the back of the neck for 2. Jake then brainbusters him and wins it.

There just wasn't anything special about this match and I wasn't very interested by it.

Overall thoughts: 2 of the 3 CC matches I saw were good but Lee/Hawk wasn't too good as I expected. Honda/Shuji was one of the better matches of the tournament.