All Japan Pro Wrestling 4/29/2022 - Champion Carnival 2022 Day 8

All Japan Pro Wrestling 4/29/2022 - Champion Carnival 2022 Day 8 

I saw 5 of the 7 matches.

TOTAL ECLIPSE (TAJIRI & Yusuke Kodama) vs NEXTREAM (Atsuki Aoyagi & Rising HAYATO)

Rising headscissors Kodama early then springboard armdrags him. He then dropkicks him and they stand off. Tajiri offers a handshake to Atsuki and kicks him during it as expected. They trade armdrags then Atsuki cartwheels and flips out of an irish whip. Atsuki then handsprings into him with a reverse tope but Tajiri kind of blocks it.

Kodama pulls Atsuki off the apron then Atsuki is double foot choked in the corner. Atsuki and Taijiri trade shots and both go down. Kodama pops up Atsuki and he dropkicks him. Rising gets in and springboard twisting dropkicks Kodama then is popped up and dropkicks Kodama. Rising then hits a springboard armdrag on Taijiri then Atsuki and Rising hit stereo plancha's outside.

Rising falcon arrows Tajiri then Rising and Atsuki stereo springboard chop Tajiri. Rising misses a top rope swanton. Kodama hits a nice dropkick on Rising then an elevated reverse ddt for 2. Kodama top rope frogsplashes Rising and wins it.

Not a bad juniors match at all with face and heel work and with them getting some flying moves and two person spots in.

Konaka vs Black Menso-re

BM evades him early and Konaka walks out of the ring. Konaka goes outside again then is thrown into the rails. BM grabs his arm and walks the top rope then is crotched on it. Konaka wristlocks him while he's on the 2nd rope then BM walks with him. BM then is thrown off the top. Konaka then indian deathlocks him with one of his legs over his head. Konaka goes for a toe hold but BM rolls him up. BM goes for an octopus stretch variation.

BM takes a lariat and a senton for 2. Konaka misses a top rope double stomp and is pinned as his legs are tied up.

There wasn't much to this. I don't know what I was expecting out of this exactly, but I probably should have expected a more comedic match like this ended up being.

BM gives one of his wrist sleeves to Konaka after and they shake.

Champion Carnival 2022 Block B - Kuma Arashi vs Takuya Nomura

I lost my original review on this. This was far from either guys best work and Kuma really was not very inspired here before losing. The finish was also sudden and out of nowhere. I expected a lot better from these two with the natural big man vs little man matchup.

Champion Carnival 2022 Block B - Yoshitatsu vs Suwama

Yoshi shakes his hand then high kicks him. Suwama goes down and has to kick out. Yoshi flying knees him off the apron then neckbreakers him. Yoshi goes for a codebreaker but takes a lariat. Yoshi then goes for a boot but takes a flying shoulder and a corner lariat.

Suwama belly to belly suplexes him then Yoshi tornado ddt's him.  Yoshi hits some chest kicks then suplexes him. They trade germans then Yoshi flatliners him into a koji clutch, which Suwama rolls into a pin. Suwama then lariats him and germans him. Suwama then hits a back drop. He goes for another then Yoshi rolls for a pin and the win.

This was very short at only 7 minutes. They kept it moving and the finish was surprising.

Champion Carnival 2022 Block B - Kento Miyahara vs Yuma Aoyagi

They do a face off early after some reversals. They go to the mat. Yuma refuses a clean break and euro's Kento, then is tripped into the ropes. Kento misses a knee there then Yuma dropkicks him off the apron. Kento is thrown into the rails and Yuma sleepers him out there. They get back in and Kento is dropped with a euro.

Yuma chokes him with his knee then 2nd rope elbows him. Kento drops him throat first on the rails outside. Yuma fires some forearms off outside then Kento headbutts him. Kento then slaps on a headlock inside. Kento then basement dropkicks him and poses.

They trade forearms and Kento headbutts him. Yuma then flying forearms him. Yuma running forearms him in the corner then twisting crossbodies him off the 2nd rope. Yuma removes floor padding outside. Kento piledrives Yuma on the apron and he has to beat the count back in. Yuma charges at him as he gets in and they trade forearms. Kento pump kicks him then takes a suplex. They trade forearms then Yuma catches him with a grounded guillotine. Yuma goes for the pin but only gets 2.

Kento pummping knees him in the back and face for 2. Yuma germans him but Kento no sells and germans him. Yuma hits a forearm then a spin kick to the face. They trade forearms then headbutts. Yuma germans him for 2 then fisherman's busters him for another 2. Kento pumping knees Yuma a couple of times for 2. Yuma rolls him up then fisherman busters him for another 2. The time limit then ran out.

The first half wasn't great but the second half was a lot better with some real spirited fighting and each guy trying to win. I wasn't really looking forward to the second half, but I ended up being interested in it and it ended up being a decent match because of it.

Overall thoughts: The main ended up being good and that helped the show. Some of the other stuff I saw wasn't bad, but not really must see.