All Japan Pro Wrestling 4/29/2024 Champion Carnival 2024 Day 7

All Japan Pro Wrestling 4/29/2024 Champion Carnival 2024 Day 7

Day 6 is here: https://prowresblog.blogspot.com/2024/04/all-japan-pro-wrestling-4282024.html

I skipped one match:

Champion Carnival 2024 Block B Match - Hideki Suzuki vs. Lord Crewe

HS = Hideki Suzuki

They lock up and Crewe grabs the ankle. Crew headlock takeovers him and is headscissored. They fight for wrist control and Crewe wristlocks him. HS armdrags him, Crewe rolls with it and armlocks him. Crewe side headlocks him and is headscissored. HS cravates him then neckbreakers him. HS knee drops him for 2.

Crewe hits shots to the body and head. Crewe corner lariats him then hits a step up knee in the corner. Crewe comes off the 2nd buckle with a bulldog for 2. HS abdominal stretches him then Crewe hiptosses him. Crewe exploders him then is dropkicked. HS hits a gotch style tombstone for 2.

Crewe back body drops him then hits two bad spin kicks to the head and wins it.

It was over before it really got started here. Crewe has to get a new finisher as the spin kick doesn't look good and often doesn't hit.  

Crewe does a promo after. He says that's what he likes to see. He said that's 2 wins in a row. He said he just pinned one of the best technical wrestlers in the world. He said he's knocking on the door for the finals and said the rest of the field better get ready. He said the game's on.

Champion Carnival 2024 Block B Match - Hartley Jackson vs. Rei Saito

They lock up a couple of times. Hart hits chops and they shoulder battle. Hart is knocked over. Rei sends him into the rails outside and they trade forearms outside. They trade forearms inside. Rei takes a chop, boots him and slams him. Rei then stands on him.

Rei falls on Hart on Hart's slam attempt. Rei corner lariats him then Hart hits chops. Rei sumo palm strike flurries him then chop flurries him. Hart back body drops him then corner splashes him. Hart then hits a big lariat for 2.

They lariat battle and both get knocked down. They trade chops. Hart double chop flurries him then is knocked over with a double chop. Hart hits a big slam for 2 then Rei crossbodies him for 2. Rei shotei's him and wins it.

It was an extremely basic match with them trading strikes, lariats, shoulders and nothing else. Hart went down to a shotei of all things here to show you how lazy this one was.

Hartley Jackson does a promo after. He said the bigger they are, the harder they fall. He said he's the one who fell. He said he needs to do something, maybe call on the "Jackson #1 Spirit". He said he's here to fight, win or lose and says his legacy will live on forever.

Champion Carnival 2024 Block A Match - Cyrus vs. Hokuto Omori

 

Omori jumps him as he gets in. Omori running forearms him. Cyrus doesn't budge on Omori's crossbody. Omori eye rakes him and slides under the ring. Cyrus goes looking for him. Omori tries to run at him from behind and is shouldered over.

Omori sits in the crowd to try and hide and Cyrus has trouble finding him. Cyrus eventually does find him then throws him into chairs. Cyrus headbutts him in the chest then lifts him and drops him down.

Cyrus headbutts his chest in the crowd and puts the ref down into a seat. They get back in and Cyrus mostly misses a slingshot swanton. Omori low blows him but that just makes him mad. Omori low blows him again and Cyrus no sells it.Omori throws the ref in Cyrus' way and low blows the ref. Omori hits Cyrus with a chair for 2.

Omori runs into him and is shouldered over. Cyrus is pulled over the top. Omori tries a la silla off the apron but jumps over him. Omori is then powerbombed on the apron. Cyrus hits a vader bomb and wins it.

Cyrus did his usual bit where he brawls outside. Him not being able to find Omori in the crowd was kind of funny but also kind of showed how unremarkable Omori is appearance wise. I didn't like the ref getting thrown around and low blowed and nothing being done about it.

Cyrus does a promo after. He said he took horse face out and beat his @ss all over the arena. He said he needs to win more. He said Davey Both Smith Jr. better be ready because he's coming for him. He says he's bigger than the competition Davey faced. 

Seigo Tachibana & Shin Toyama Black vs. Dan Tamura & Shotaro Ashino

Shin is Yuma Aoyagi. Seigo wristlocks Dane. Dan turns it into a hammerlock. Dan takes him down and locks his legs up. Dan side headlocks him then shoulders him over. They sweep each other onto the mat then stand off. Seigo boots him and tags out.

Shin slingshots in multiple times and Ashino is in with him.  They shake hands. Ashino headlocks him then takes an armdrag and dropkick. Ashino takes a double shoulderblock. Shin slams him and enblow drops him. Shin comes off the buckles and takes a euro. Shin is double shouldered over then Ashino and Dan do a pose off of it.

Ashino chinlocks Shin. Dan chokes Shin over the top rope. Dan back elbows Shin then Ashino takes Shin's mask off. Yuma Aoyagi is under the mask and they trade forearms. Ashino has the mask and it goes flying when Yuma dropkicks him. Seigo and Dan trade forearms.

Dan running shoulders him then Seigo flying forearms him in the corner. Seigo atomic drops him then Dan slams him. Dan and Ashino hit stereo olympic slams together. Dan hits lariats then is backdropped by Seigo. Dan backdrops Seigo in return then Seigo beachbreaks him. Ashino germans Shin, who has his mask back on and Shin uranage's Ashino. Seigo forearm flurries him then hits a stiff elbow of the neck. Dan lariats him then death valley drivers him for 2.

There should have been a DQ here for the mask being ripped off. I thought it was a decent tag and I thought they made something out of nothing here.

Champion Carnival 2024 Block A Match - Davey Boy Smith Jr. vs. Ren Ayabe

 

DBS = Davey Boy Smith Jr.

They lock up. DBS clean breaks him. DBS side headlocks him and they shoulder battle. DBS dropkicks him in the knee then bangs his leg off the apron. DBS is pushed into the rails then they trade shots outside. DBS is sent into the post then Ren is sent into the rails. DBS boots Ren's leg on the rails then boots the rail into Ren's leg.

DBS yanks on Ren's leg and heel hooks him. DBS rolls him into an STF then twists the foot. DBS stretch mufflers him and Ren ropebreaks. Ren's leg is banged off the mat then DBS boots the leg. Ren hits a dropkick then hits forearms. Ren flying neckbreakers him then face kicks him in the corner.

DBS headbutts him in the gut and they trade forearms. DBS suplexes him then misses a legdrop. Ren slams him then shotgun dropkicks him. Ren suplexes him for 2. Ren is caught going up top. DBS hits forearms then superplexes him. DBS top rope headbutt drops him and wins it.

It was just a basic match. The leg work never really ended up going anywhere and they didn't really have the time here to do anything great.

Davey talks after. He says the bigger they are, the harder they fall. He says he brought Ren from 2 meters to 180cm. He says he has guts but doesn't know when to quit. He said he nearly broke his leg and said he will be walking with a limp for the rest of the tournament. He said maybe he's too big to powerbomb but not too big to headbutt him. He says he's the head of the block.

Champion Carnival 2024 Block B Match - Suwama vs. Ryuki Honda

They grapple to start. Honda is backed up on the ropes then boots and side headlocks Suwama. They shoulder battle. Honda hits forearms then Suwama shoulders him over. They go out and Suwama hits shots. Honda is thrown into the rails then Suwama goes into the rails after missing a shot. Suwama's arm is pulled around the rails and Honda kicks the rails while it's there.

Suwama boots him then Honda arm wringers him. Honda hits forearms then kimura's him. Suwama ropebreaks. Suwama runs through a lariat and hits a flying shoulderblock. Suwama corner lariats him then hits a belly to belly suplex for 2. Honda spinebusters him then hits a corner lariat. Honda wraps Suwama's arm around the ropes and counts along with the ref.

They trade forearms. Suwama boots him while selling his arm then headbutts him. Honda lariats him in the back of the head then germans him. Honda then running spears him for 2.  Suwama face kicks Honda then germans him. Suwama's lariat is countered with a fujiwara armbar. Dan Tamura is Suwama's second and teases throwing in the towel but Suwama ropebreaks.

Suwama boots Honda's lariat away. Honda then hits a lariats for 2. Honda running lariats Suwama. Honda goes for the pin and Suwama cradles him out of it to win it.

This was really disappointing. Suwama didn't look like he cared to be there much at all and put very little effort into this. It also only got 11 minutes when it could have gone double that. They just didn't try at all here.

Champion Carnival 2024 Block A Match - Kento Miyahara vs. Kuroshio TOKYO Japan

Jiro does a double entrance here and grabs a young fan's Kento towel.

They lock up after goofing around some. Kento cleanbreaks him. Jiro jacet punches him instead of doing a clean break. Kento shoulders him over and Jiro kips up. They then do the spot again. Jiro armdrags Kento off a hiptoss attempt. Jiro is on the apron and pulled down.

Kento headbutts him then sends him into the post. Kento headbutts him more then face kicks him outside. Kento stomps on him then stands on his hair so he can't kip up. Kento face kicks him for 2. Kento running facekicks him then sleepers him. Jiro enzugiri's him and superkicks him.

Jiro hits jacket punches and enzugiri's him from the apron. Jiro springboards and headscissors him. Jiro then asai moonsaults outside at 10 minutes. Jiro hits a top rope swanton. Jiro hits jacket punches then is dropkicked in the knee and side of the head. Kento does his pose and then Jiro does one back at him. They compete for crowd cheers then trade shots. Kento forearms and headbutts him then Jiro superkicks him. Kento face kicks him then takes a b-driver for 2. Jiro buzzsaw kicks him for 2.

Jiro misses a top rope moonsault then Kento pumping knees him for 2. Jiro rolls him up for 2 and gets real close on another attempt. Jiro takes a wheelbarrow german and crucifixes Kento on the pin attempt. Kento pumping knees him for 2. Kento straightjacket germans him and gets the win.

It was a decetn match between the two but not as good as I had hoped it could be. It's odd but Yuma/Jiro had more personality to it than this one did despite Kento being more charismatic. They did try some here and it wasn't like it was dry or boring, but I really think they have a classic in them if they can figure it out.

Overall thoughts: It's the next to the last night of the Champion Carnival. Most of the guys are checked out and tired and they just weren't doing their best work here. The matches for the most part didn't get enough time either and some of the people involved just aren't capable of classics. It was disappointing night and the main or the Seigo match were probably the best things on here.

WWE NXT 4/30/2024

WWE NXT 4/30/2024

Last week's show is here: https://prowresblog.blogspot.com/2024/04/wwe-nxt-4232024.html

Trick Williams comes out. He says he's the new NXT champ. He thanks Ilja Dragunov for everything he did him, his career and NXT. He tells him to do his thing and said Raw just got a good one. He says it's the "Whoop That" era. The crowd then chants it. He said they will break records and continue to make history in this era.

Lash Legend comes out. She says congratulations and said he looked fine last week. She comes into the ring. She says he's such a gentleman and the hottest star in NXT. Trick said she tried to smack him the last time they met in the ring. Trick said he's got gold around his waist and now she wants a taste.

Trick says she thinks he's her Reese cup and said he thinks she wants him to take the gold off and go straight for the chocolate. Lash said she likes Kitkat bars. She said Trick isn't focused and she has something for him. Trick asks if she's got some autographs she wants him to sign for MetaFour, referring to the envelope she's carrying.

Lash says she's got the truth in her envelop. Lash says to enjoy the NXT title run as soon it's gonna come crashing down. She said soon things will get really really hot.

Gigi Dolin and Arianna Grace are at a restaurant. She tries to teach her how to act and said they are proper ladies. Gigi said we won't see that tonight and talks about the NXT Underground match. She shows her how to drink water. Gigi drinks it and burps. Grace says she's become a savage. Gigi says a savage could become champ in Ivar vs Oba for the N-A title. They do this for the other matches. Grace says they have a new champ and says let's raise a glass towards that. Gigi then drinks more and burps as Grace is grossed out.

We see Lola and Natalya arrive earlier with their seconds.

WWE NXT North American Title - Oba Femi (c) vs Ivar

They push each other and Oba clubs on him. Ivar shoulders him over then lariats him over the top. Ivar cannonballs him off the apron. Ivar spinning slams him. Oba uranage backbreakers him then flips him on an irish whip in the corner. Oba is sent into the steps then Ivar crossbodies him through one of the rails.

We go to PiP break and return. They trade headbutts on the buckles then Ivar top rope flip dives him outside. They trade shots in the ring. Ivar rolls over Oba's back. Ivar backs springboards and they just fall over together. Oba hits a spinning forearm then hits running euros. Ivar spinning heel kicks him.

Ivar is picked up from the 2nd rope and torture rack dropped backwards for 2. Ivar spinning heel kicks him then hits a top rope moonsault. Oba gets his feet on the ropes. Ivar sit down butt drops him in the corner. Ivar is electric chair dropped then Oba powerbombs him for the win.

It was a fun heavyweight match here as expected. Oba held up his end of the bargain just fine and they packed in a lot of action in the time they had. It couldn't have went much better than it did.

Wes Lee then comes out after, making his return. He appears in the stands. They stare down and Oba holds his title up at him.

Thea Hail is all pumped in the back with Chase U and Fallon Henley. Thea begs her to come out with her and Fallon does.

Thea Hail vs Jacy Jayne

They slap each other. Jacy takes her down and pounds on her then Thea returns fire. Jacy misses a baseball slide and Thea topes her and pounds on her. Thea misses a top rope crossbody then Jacy sentons her.

We go to PiP break and return. Jacy kicks her in the gut then throws her down backwards. Jacy misses a senton. Thea rolling sentons her and back springboards, getitng caught with a Jacy neckbreaker. Jacy misses a corner cannonball then they headbutt each other. Both fall down.

They trade shots and Thea hits flying sledgehammer shots. Thea roll of the dic neckbreakers her then hits a michinoku driver for 2. Jacy back rolls her then superkicks her.

Thea goes out on the floor. Jazmyn Nyx misses a kick on her and nails Fallon with it on accident. Thea kimura's Jacy and taps her out.

It was a shorter but good match here. They wrestled like they had some real heat and they kept this one moving. The finish could have been better as the Jazmyn Nyx spot wasn't done that well and the finish was out of nowhere. Jacy's nose got busted open here.

Fallon grabs Thea as she goes to leave then nails her. I don't like that at all as Fallon had been doing a good job as a face.

Tyriek Igwe and Tyson Dupont are interviewed. They said they met at junior college. Dupont said he moved here from Haiti at 9 years old. They said he went viral for a hammer throw video. Dupont says Igwe is the smartest guy he ever met and said he's a nerd. He says Igwe studies human anatomy in his spare time. They say they always push each other and the first step in their NXT journey takes place tonight. 

Natalya is training with Karmen Petrovic ahead of the NXT Underground match. Karmen tells her she's ready and Nat says she will break Lola.

Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson vs Tyriek Igwe and Tyson Dupont

Igwe pushes Karl back then hits corner spears. Dupont hits a big corner splash on Karl. Dupont shoulders Karl over then Karl takes a double shoulderblock. Igwe hits knees to the gut of Karl then running face kicks him. Dupont splashes Karl for 2.

Luke hits shots on Igwe and bangs his head off the buckles. Igwe punch flurries him in the gut. Luke hits elbows on him then chinlocks him. Dupont gets in and hits a big shoulder then a big splash. Dupont dropkicks Karl then does a nice Tim Horner style side slam. Dupont running euros Karl then kips up.

Luke takes a double spinebuster. Karl superkicks Igwe in the gut then Igwe spears the post when Karl moves. Karl spinebusters him then Luke clearly misses a face kick on Dupont. Igwe takes a magic killer and wins it.

I don't like Igwe and Dupont losing on their debut. However, this was the best outing Igwe and Dupont have had so far and a good little match. Dupont is the star of this team and really can go as the agile powerhouse. All of his offense looks good.

Ava Raine talks on the phone. She is talking to Adam Pearce and says she has a big announcement.

We see clips of NXT wrestlers being drafted to the main roster. We hear the NXT trainers talk and they say they feel proud. They said the new talent blows their mind. They say the future of NXT has never been better.

Ava Raine is in the ring to talk. She said nothing makes her prouder than when their wrestlers get to show what they can do on Raw and SD. She said she wonders who will step up and take their place. She said there's a massive opportunity at NXT Battleground as they crown the NXT Women's North American champ. She said the new champ will be crowned in a ladder match. She said the female roster will compete in a combine and the wrestlers who impress the most will go into qualifiers to be in the Women's N-A title match.

She said they have the best women's roster in NXT history. Jaida Parker comes out. She said if you want to see the next history maker, she's it. She said she will demolish every woman in the locker room and won't break a sweat when she does it. Sol Ruca interrupts. She said Jaida isn't missing confidence but said she won't be the first Women's N-A champ. Sol said you can find her at the top of the leaderboard in the combine and can find her at the top of the ladder in Vegas.

Arianna Grace comes out and says to keep your decorum. She asks why we must be so aggressive. Grace asks why they can't decide who will be champ by....then she is interrupted. Michin then comes out. She said did somebody say ladders? She said she has unfinished business in her old stomping grounds. She said she will be in the combine as she wants in at Battleground. Grace says it's so nice to meet her and introduces herself. She said it pains her and says she's disqualified. Michin nails her then all kinds of girls come down to fight as chaos breaks out.

Frazer, Axiom and The Street Profits talk in the back. Ax says they need to stay focused. The Profits say tonight will hurt but said they will show the world why they belong. Dawkins said AOP doesn't have the heart to get it done. Ford says always remember to never slow down. They then all hug and shake hands.

Lola Vice and Shayna Baszler are are training together. 

Shawn Spears vs Ridge Holland

SS hits a punch, ducks some shots and hits some of his own. SS slides out. We go to PiP break and return. Ridge back elbows him then SS neckbreakers him for 2. SS hits crossface shots and camel clutches him. SS front facelocks him. Ridge puts him on the apron to break it.

Ridge gorilla press slams SS then hits corner spears. Ridge lariats him in the back of the neck then swinging side slams him. Ridge ties him up in the ropes and hits shots. A QR code comes on the screen. Ridge face kicks him between the ropes then corner death valley drivers him. Ridge lifts him and does a ddt to win it.

It was a short one. Ridge looked good but the crowd didn't want any part of this and didn't care a single bit. It's not surprising as this crowd decided they didn't like him a long time ago.

Roxanne Perez asks Ava Raine why she wasn't drafted. She said she's the greatest champ. She said she blames Ava. She said Ava has a weird vendetta against her and probably told her not to draft her. Ava says champions are protected and stay on the same brand. Ava said she called her here to talk to her and Perez said she doesn't want to hear it.

Josh Briggs goes up to Ivar in the back. He says he's the only man who can beat Oba and thanks him for softening him up. Wes Lee comes in. He says kudos to them for having great outings against Oba and trying to take his title. Wes said it's time for him to throw his hat in the ring. Josh says this isn't 5 months ago and tells him to leave like he did before. Wes said it got disrespectful for no reason at all. He said he's not leaving and he can just beat him to get a title match. Briggs said we will see if his back is healed or not. Ivar says he's not done with Ivar.

The Final Testament do a promo. Paul Ellering says the tag divisions are living on borrowed time as they are coming for all the titles. He says NXT get ready.

The D'Angelo Family talks in a car. Tony said he wants The Heritage Cup and tells his true to set it up. Rizz says they will have a nice spot for the cup at the restaurant. Tony tells Stacks he wants video of all the Heritage Cup matches as this is a different animal and he needs to know all the ins and outs. He said the kids of NQCC need to pay up.

WWE NXT Tag Titles - Axiom and Nathan Frazer vs The Authors of Pain

NF = Nathan Frazer

The faces rush AOP to start. Ax superkicks an AOP then another one takes a double superkick from the faces. Ax is lifted into a flying kick on an AOP then Ax and NF hit topes outside.

NF takes a big lariat then an exploder. Razar stomps NF then beale throws him across the ring. NF takes knees in the corner then has his head cranked by Akam. NF his shots on Akam then takes a big german. We go to PiP break and return.

NF gets tagged in and hits forearms. NF stunners an AOP over the top rope then superkicks him. NF hits a shot flurry in the corner then does a jumping ddt. NF goes for a tope outside, is caught and banged into Ax. NF is dropped into a knee from Razar.

Razar is pulled over the top by NF. Akam takes a double enzugiri in the corner. Scarlett prevents Akam from being thrown off the top then is kicked out with Kross. New Catch Republic helps the faces out then NF superkicks Akam. Ax rolls up Akam and wins it.

It was an okay tag here. The faces got a lot more in than expected. It didn't have a ton of time though and they didn't let them go out to have the classic they probably could have had here. 

Chase U is with Thea in the back. She asks why people keep turning on her. Ridge asks Chase how she is. Chase says she's tough and will be okay. Ridge says you can't trust anyone in this business. Chase asks how he is. Ridge says he's trying to stack the wins up and Chase says one day at a time. Thea then flips out.

Meta Four is interviewed in the parking lot. Dar says if Trick wants to know the truth, be their guest on Supernova Sessions. Kelani Jordan talks to Fallon Henley out there saying this isn't her. Fallon said she doesn't want to talk about this now and says it's time to put herself first.

The NXT ring is taken apart for NXT Underground.

Edris Enofe and Malik Blade talk in the back. Blade said he was worried about him as the mirror they broke is 7 years of bad luck. Enofe says he's okay as it was a plastic mirror. Blade says Enofe is cooked. Brinley Reece comes in. She said they thought they would need cheering up.  She then brings kittens in. Blade plays with one. Enofe says don't they know what black cats mean? Blade and Reece then realize it means bad luck.

NXT Underground Match - Natalya vs Lola Vice

Lola hits a punch and some kicks. Nat drives out out of the ring to the floor and pounds on her. Nat throws her back in. Lola hits a shot to the gut and then hits knees and kicks. Nat rolls her into a kimura attempt.

Nat takes her down and hits mounted shots. Nat leglocks her then Lola axe kicks her. Lola hip attacks her off the ring into people. We go to PiP break and Lola chops her outside. Nat hits shots then is sent into the steps. They get back in the ring and Nat hits shots.

Lola takes her down, hits forearms and armbars her. Nat pounds on her then suplexes her. Nat goes for another arm submission and Lola rolls her over. They go back outside and Lola is suplexed on the floor. Nat gets swept while standing on the commentary table and lands hard. 

Nat pounds on her in the ring and is rolled into the post. Lola stomps on her then hits chest kicks while she is down. Lola goes for the triangle. Nat hits mounted shots and Lola grounded guillotines her. Nat slams her down to stop it but Lola hooks it on again.

Lola isthen slammed on the outside. Lola's leg is banged off the post then Nat leglocks her around the post. Shayna Baszler tries to get involved and Karmen Petrovic jumps on her. Shayna then pulls Nat off from a sharpshooter. Shayna is thrown out onto people then Nat sharpshooters Lola. Lola tries to grab people to break the hold. Shayna puts Karmen in a choke outside. Nat lets the hold go then fights with Shayna. Shayna is thrown into the rails then Nat pounds on her. Shayna grabs Nat's leg. Lola uraken's her then Lola hits mounted forearms. Lola then wins it.

I didn't like the ref stoppage finish here. They were mounting each other and hitting shots the whole match so it seemed to silly to end it like that. Lola also totally missed on the uraken, maybe hitting her in the chest at best. It was a decent effort overall but not a classic. 

Roxanne Perez talks to Ava Raine in the back. She said neither Nat or Lola can touch her. Ava said she was going to tell her who her opponent is when she told her to stop. Ava said she's facing Chelsea Green next week. Green is in there. She says Ava is so smart smarter then Nick and Pearce. Green says the title will look so good in her jewelry box. Green says she will love it here and says Ava is the best.

Overall thoughts: Every match was fine here so this was definitely a good show. I don't like Fallon turning heel and I didn't really like the finish to the main. I don't know where the Trick/Lash storyline is going with the envelope but we will find out soon. It's going to be a different looking show without Bron, Ilja and Melo around but NXT is a developmental show at the end of the day and new wrestlers will come.

TNA Xplosion 4/26/2024

TNA Xplosion 4/26/2024

Last week's show is here: https://prowresblog.blogspot.com/2024/04/tna-xplosion-4192024.html 

Around The Ring with Gia Miller

Havok is interviewed this week. They used to live together. Gia visited during the pandemic and ended up living there due to lockdowns. She also lived there when her house burned down. Havok has a podcast called Bitter Buds with Alex Colon.

Havok streams video games on Twitch and has been doing so for 10 years. She said that's what she does the most in her free time. She said she has 17,000 followers and half the viewers didn't know she was a wrestler. They say they love each other. Havok has 3 cats and a dog. She says her oldest cat has thumbs and has a "cattoo" (a cat tattoo). Gia puts her over, they hug and the segment ends.

Leon Slater vs Zachary Wentz

 

They lock up and Wentz is backed up in the corner. Wentz misses a corner charge and they lock up again. Wentz grabs him by the hair and flips out of a wristlock then armdrags him. Leon hits a rewind kick off an enzugiri. Leon handspring back elbows him then Wentz goes out.

Leon grabs Wentz by the hair then he is yanked into the ropes. Leon is tripped then Wentz slingshot swantons him. Wentz chops him then chinlocks him. Wentz atomic drops, leg sweeps and PK's him for 2. Wentz chokes him over the middle rope then axe kicks him over the middle rope. Wentz bottom rope coebreakers him.

Leon hits punches and an enzugiri. Leon running face kicks him then plancha's him. Leon top rope crossbodies him for 2. Leon hits a stomp. Wentz strike combos him then handspring jumping knees him. Wentz hits a half-nelson side slam for 2. Leon face kicks him then takes a jumping knee. Wentz handsprings and is caught with a kick in the air for 2. Leon goes up top, Trey distracts and Leon ends up taking a UFO cutter. Wentz wins it.

It was pretty much all flying with not a lot else. It was fast paced and fine for what it was.

Overall thoughts: There was only one new match here along with a Gia interview. The sole match was fine for what it was but this wasn't must see.

NWA Powerrr 4/30/2024

NWA Powerrr 4/30/2024

Last week's show is here: https://prowresblog.blogspot.com/2024/04/nwa-powerrr-4232024.html

Joe Galli and Danny Dealz welcome us to the show.

The Kidz (Alexander Lev and Jackson Drake) vs The Slime Ballz (Sage Chantz and Tommy Rant)

Lev has the blonde hair. Sage is the shorter and smaller one of his team and Rant is the heavier one.

Sage and Drake start us off. Sage spits in his hand and offers a handshake. Drake slaps him then Sage hits forearms.  Sage then spits in his hand and shakes Drake's hand. Drake goes for a face kick and ends up kneeing Sage hard in the face. Drake backdrops Sage for 2 then Sage takes a legsweep + russian legsweep combo. Lev stomps on Sage then sliding lariats him.

Sage's head is banged off the mat then Drake hip attacks him on the ropes. Drake suplexes him then Lev stranglehold chokes Sage. Lev running STO's Sage then Drake handspring moonsaults Sage. Sage is thrown off a tornado ddt attempt and is thrown into his corner for a tag. Rant slams both opponents then spinebusters Lev.

Drake bites Rant. Drake is caught off the buckles then Rant fire thunder's Drake onto Lev, while hitting a butt drop on Lev. Rant is stuck on the 2nd rope and Lev 2nd rope sunset bombs him. Drake then swantons Rant. Sage tries to break the pin up but Lev gets the pin on Rant.

I think they botched the pin here as it felt like it was supposed to go longer. I would have liked a better hot tag here from Sage but it was acceptable overall.

Austin Idol is interviewed. He says he's not part of the last call match between AJ Cazana and Anthony Andrews tonight. Kyle Davis said The Cazana's get to choose someone from Idol's crew to leave the territory tonight if they win. Idol says he's not leaving and says the NWA can't afford to lose him. He says to back up the friggin dumpster now.

Chris Silvio and Bulletproof Troop are interviewed. Chris says the harshest penalties go to the most violent offenses.  He says tonight is Troops' personal playground. He said Troop will prove he belongs in the major leagues of wrestling and is in the future. Chris says he never makes a promise he can't deliver. He said he guarantees Troop is the next National champ.  

Last Call Match - AJ Cazana vs Anthony Andrews

AA = Anthony Andrews

Zyon and Idol are with AA. KC Cazana is handcuffed to the post. The loser of this has to leave the NWA forever. AJ double boots him out of the corner then hits mounted shots. We go to break and return.

They fight outside and AJ's head is banged off the steps. AA hits punches then stands on AJ's neck on the apron. AJ's head is banged off the rail then he hits a big lariat. Zyon takes a cheapshot on KC Cazana. AJ spears AA through the ropes then slams him on the ramp.

AJ runs into a boot in the corner then AA dives off the 2nd rope with a codebreaker. AJ powerslams him and gets the win.

We didn't get to see enough of this. We maybe got less than 7 minutes total of it. What we saw looked okay, but this was not the big match I was expecting or if it was, we didn't see it.

Joe Cazana gets on the mic after. He tells Austin Idol and Zyon to get in the ring with AA. He said he's been waiting a long time and threatens to fire Idol. He said Idol has done nothing but sucker punches. He asks Zyon why he should keep him then asks AA the same thing. Joe pulls the mic away and says "it really doesn't matter". Joe then asks Idol and says he talks too much before Idol says anything. Joe says Idol is a backstabber and no-good yellow belly dog. He said tonight's the night for Idol, then says Anthony Andrews is fired.

I knew this would happen and unfortunately, it doesn't make much sense. Joe said Idol was the mastermind behind all of the issues and has been such a thorn in his side, yet he fires Andrews instead.

We see a video on Ruckus. He talks about his back. He said he couldn't even stand up. He said he was diagnosed with cancer. He said he was mentally gone and said he didn't want to live anymore. He said cancer took wrestling from him and said he thought it would take his five year old daughter from him. He said the NWA wrestlers and fans kept him positive. He said he's cancer free. He then said he came home and got shot by a group of four guys. He said he had to fight and battle again. He said it feels good to be back home in the NWA. They never said it was Ruckus here so if you didn't know it was him, you wouldn't know.

Cage Match - Knox and Trevor Murdoch vs The Southern Six (Alex Taylor and Kerry Morton)

Ricky Morton is with The Six. The four stare down in the cage and The Six try to escape. They get beaten up for it in the corners. Kerry takes a big beale throw and Alex's head is banged off the buckles. The Six dosey-do then take stereo slams. The Six are sent into the cage.

Alex's gets his head banged off the cage and Trevor to rope crossbodies him. Knox top rope crossbodies Kerry. Alex takes a double back body drop. Ricky Morton throws powder into Knox and Murdoch's eyes. Alex backstabbers Trevor then Trevor takes a double russian legsweep.

Alex tornado ddt's Knox. Knox fights both members of The Six on top of the cage. They do a dumb spot where Alex sunset bombs Knox while Knox superplexes Kerry, with Alex hurting his own partner. Trevor spinebusters Alex then Ricky slams the cage door in Trevor's face.

Alex gets a belt and hits Knox with it as the screen goes to black and white due to Trevor bleeding. Alex whips Trevor with the belt then hits Knox with it too. Eric Smalls comes out and pokes Ricky Morton. He low blows him. Smalls climbs the cage. Kerry is knocked off the top by Smalls then Smalls top rope plancha's The Six off the cage.

Rolando Freeman comes out and attacks Smalls. Trevor is double teamed by The Six. The Six miss a high low (which is Murdoch and Knox's move). Trevor sends both members of The Six into the cage. Kerry Morton takes a high/low then Knox swinging side slams Alex. Ricky Morton tries to bang the door on Trevor's head but Trevor pushes the door into Ricky and escapes. Knox and Murdoch win.

It was a good cage match. I'm not real sure why Silas Mason didn't come down since anyone could enter the cage and interfere at any time. We got a couple of big spots and they continued the Freeman/Smalls feud, which even though I'm not into, they did a good job of following up on. I didn't like the tower of doom spot here as Alex ended up hurting his own partner with it. It got a lot of time and Murdoch bled.

Overall thoughts: It was a good wrestling show here. All 3 matches were fine and the main was good.  It had the usual issues though with people not appearing on the show or being on it despite not being on it for weeks, making it hard to follow through with storylines.

WWE Monday Night Raw 4/29/2024

WWE Monday Night Raw 4/29/2024

Last week's show is here: https://prowresblog.blogspot.com/2024/04/wwe-monday-night-raw-4222024.html

We see Logan Paul arrive and meet up with Judgment Day. Priest says the US Title looks good on him. Paul said Adam Pearce invited him and he said he brought Patrick Mahomes with him. He said Judgment Day is running Raw and said Priest will destroy Jey Uso at Backlash.

Becky Lynch comes out to talk. She said the man is here and said she stood here 6 years ago and said this is my show now. She said she is still saying that. Becky said they need to find a new #1 contender for the title and said she only wants to fight the best.

Liv Morgan comes out. She said Becky owes her a title shot. She said she did what Becky couldn't do - take out Rhea Ripley. She said she won't stop her revenge tour until she gets everything she wants. Becky agrees but says Liv would be holding this if it wasn't for what she did to her.

Nia Jax comes out. She gets booed and rips the fans for booing her. She said she dominated both of them and should be champ right now. She said she's not champ because they teamed up to make sure she wouldn't be. She said she got drafted to the superior show - Smackdown. She said that's why she is wearing blue. 

Nia said she will soon be champ and said it's her last night on Raw. She said if she's leaving, she's taking one of them with her. Nia goes to get in and Liv dropkicks her. Liv says she accepts of she was going to make a challenge for tonight.

We see Jey Uso arrive and we see Stephanie McMahon come out with draft picks.

We see Sami Zayn and Bronson Reed arrive.

Stephanie McMahon comes out to make draft picks. She said Raw picks Gunther and Ludwig Kaiser. Cole says Vinci is kicked out of Imperium so he's only eligible on his own. Smackdown picks Jade Cargill. Raw picks Damage Ctrl. Smackdown picks Kevin Owens. 

Gunther vs Xavier Woods

Gunther clubs on Woods. Woods side headlocks him then Gunther is pulled over the top. Woods gets chopped on the floor. We go to break and return. Gunther hits euros on Woods then slams him. We see the screen get taken over with some kind of QR code. Gunther chops Woods down then Woods hits chops back.

Woods superkicks him in the gut and they fight on the buckles. Woods top rope dropkicks Gunther for 2. Woods is pushed and his leg gets stuck in the ropes. There's an audio issue and Gunther kicks and chops the leg.

We go to break and return. Gunther slams him, hitting Woods' leg off the ropes. Gunther chops and kicks the knee. Gunther gets caught coming off the top with Woods getting his knees up. Gunther half crabs him. Kofi goes to throw the towel in and Woods says "no, I can do it". Kofi then throws the towel away. Gunther does an STF variation with a cravate and taps out Woods.

It was a mostly one sided match with Gunther working the knee and eventually tapping Woods out. Woods really didn't get enough in to make this great.

Jey Uso is interviewed. He's asked about feeling pressure. He talks about the various things pressuring him but says Damian Priest is about to get the yeet down. Cathy Kelley mentions Logan Paul and Jey said he wishes it was the one with the winning record.

They show the Kansas City Chiefs players being there and given title belts.

Logan Paul and one of his buddies do the next draft picks. They point out Patrick Maholmes. Raw picks CM Punk. Smackdown picks The Pride. Raw picks Braun Strowman. Smackdown picks Tiffany Stratton.

Logan Paul then heads down to ringside. He talks about Jey Uso, saying Damian Priest will beat him. He said Jey made a mistake leaving Bloodline and is incapable of becoming a champ on his own.

Jey Uso comes out. He asks the crowd if they think he can beat Priest, become champ and knock the yeet out of Logan Paul. Logan says he's been yeetin' since 2017 and calls him "little brother Jey". He said Jey's not good alone. Finn Balor and JD McDonaugh come down.

Logan said Jey can't fend for himself. He calls him stupid and said his vocabulary consists of two words. Jey goes after Judgment Day then is beaten up 2v1. Patrick Maholmes gives Logan Superbowl rings to hit Jey with. Logan misses and nails JD. Jey says "yeet" then takes down Finn. Logan then jumps on Jey.  

Braun Strowman then comes out to help. He chokeslams Finn. Logan runs and Braun tells him to run. Bruan then goes face to face with Maholmes and The Chiefs. Jey backs them off.

Chad Gable and R-Truth talk in the back. Chad says it's been a pleasure doing busines with him. Miz comes in. Truth said he negotiated a deal with Chad Gable where they do one now and two later. Truth said they are the champions but they could be drafted to the NFL and play for the Kansas City Chiefs. Miz tells him it's not the NFL Draft and Truth said my bad. Truth asks who he could talk to and Miz says Maholmes. Truth says the insurance guy? Truth said he can get a bundle on his house and said let's get going. Chad tells Miz he's got quite the negotiator there.

Sami Zayn then face kicks from the side and knocks him out.

Cathy Kelley asks Booker T about what he thinks about the Draft. He asks what will happen with Judgment Day and CM Punk. Drew McIntyre shows up next to him. Drew's mad about Punk being drafted ahead of him. Booker mentions him losing the title at Mania. Drew said he was with Booker back in the day and knows how he felt about Punk.

WWE Intercontinental Title - Sami Zayn (c) vs Bronson Reed

Sami hits chops in the corner. Reed pushes him then shoulders him over. Reed chops him on the ropes and beats him down. Sami throws Reed out then sitout moonsaults him outside. Sami is caught on a crossbody then slammed. Reed sentons him.

We go to break and return. Reed hits forearms. Sami back springboards over him then lariats him. Sami comes off the 2nd buckle and takes a uranage. Sami takes a buckle bomb then Reed sitout powerbombs him for 2. Reed shoulderblocks him off the apron then Sami helluva kicks him in the ring. Chad Gable then comes in and deadlift german suplexes Sami for the DQ win.

Chad pounds on Sami and hits crossfaces. Chad ankle locks Sami then Reed top rope splashes Sami. Chad holds up the IC title and Reed death valley drivers Chad.

It was a good match up until the interference. Sami's a good underdog face and he's pretty much a natural opponent for Reed.

The APA do the next set of picks. Raw picks The LWO, including Carlito who just turned on Lee. I don't get this considering Vinci isn't with Imperium. Smackdown picks Legado del Fantasma. Raw picks Drew McIntyre. Smackdown picks Shinsuke Nakamura.

Drew McIntyre comes out. He's mad about being drafted in Round 3. He said there's not one person in the arena who would say it makes sense. He asks if the APA has been drinking because that's how stupid it is.

He says Punk fractured his elbow, but he came to work unlike him. He said he's a real man. CM Punk's music then hits. H appears in a sky box. He says he's not at home, he's right here. He waves at Drew and Drew walks up to see him. Ron Simmons then says "D@MN".

Alpha Academy talk in the back. Max is happy about getting 2 eliminations last week. Chad asks to see her title and she said she didn't win. Chad says that means she lost. Chad said we don't celebrate mediocrity. He tells Otis to get it together and threatens Tozawa if he dances. He says to go out and win him a championship. Ivy Nile then grabs Otis.

Bron Breakker is interviewed. He said Adam Pearce knows he's the best pick and he says he's here to take this place over. Sheamus comes up to him and Bron asks why he interrupts him. Sheamus says he's a big fan and said he reminds him of a young, hungry Sheamus. Drew then walks past Sheamus.

Candice LaRae vs Maxxine Duprii

Max takes her down and bangs CL's head off the mat. Max spin kicks her in the gut then fisherman suplexes her. Max kips up and does a facebuster. Max pulls down the straps and does a reverse caterpillar elbow drop. Max angle locks her. Indi throws Ivy Nile into the post. CL kicks Max in the face then CL curbstomps her. CL then gets the win.

It was a short and nothing match for the most part. It was just there to continue to push the LaRae and Indi heel turn.

Indi carries CL away after. 

The LWO minus Carlito are interviewed. Rey says he has mixed emotions about Carlito and said they are happy to be on Raw. Rey said he doesn't know what Carlito did what he did and they have unfinished business. Dominik Mysterio comes up and says Judgment Day runs Raw. Rey asks how they can run Raw when he's not drafted. Rey asks what's on Dom's lip and calls him Dirty Sanchez.

Drew is looking for CM Punk and finds an empty suite. Punk leaves an autograph for him then Punk's appears in the entrance way. Drew stares him from the box. Punk says he loves Kansas City and said he will try to do this in less time than the last time Drew was champ. He says he has 5:46.

Punk said he has had Drew's attention for some time. He calls him an ex-gf he can't get rid of. Punk said it's good if he hurt his elbow as Drew prayed for him to get injured. Punk said he thought Drew got hurt tweeting as that is all he is good for. Punk says Drew has given him purpose.

Punk says he's the best in the world. Punk says losers pray for things to happen, winners make things happen. He says he will make Drew's life a living hell when he's 100%.

Alundra Blayze and Teddy Long announce the next set of picks. Punk kisses Blayze. Raw picks Judgment Day. Smackdown picks Naomi. Raw picks Ilja Dragunov who is at the Performance Center with the NXT roster. Smackdown picks Chelsea Green and Piper Niven.

Liv Morgan vs Nia Jax

Nia throws her twice. Nia shoulders her over and bangs her knee off the mat. Nia corner splashes her then throws her. Liv chinbreakers her and hits kicks. Liv shotgun dropkicks her then running euros her. Nia running lariats her down. Nia gets stuck on a banzai drop attempt and is kneepressed down. Nia blocks a baseball slide and bangs Liv's head off the commentary table. Tiffany Stratton appears in the front row as we go to break.

We return and Nia has a cobra clutch on Liv. They cut to a movie commercial during that. Nia is sent into the post inside then her head is dropkicked against the post. Liv bangs Nia's head off the post then Nia samoan drops her for 2. Liv bodyscissors Nia into the buckles then double stomps her back.

Liv is spinebustered. Nia stands on the 2nd rope, Liv is under her and pulls her head into the buckles. Liv then grabs her from the 2nd rope and powerbombs her. Naomi shows up and beats Tiff, sending her over the rail to ringside. Tiff stomps on her and Tiff is sent into the table and apron. Naomi PK's her from the apron and is knocked off the apron by Nia. Liv springboard codebreakers her then hits oblivion to win it.

There some highlights here.

I didn't love all of Liv's offense here and I didn't like seeing Nia lose again. She was pushed strong and it seems she's the jobber girl for all of the faces now. The Tiff/Naomi stuff also definitely distracted from the match.

Booker T is interviewed. He asks who will be picked next. He said Ilja Dragunov is on his way and iwll do a heck of a job.

Adam Pearce is also interviewed. He said they have a new foundation on Raw and said his favorite was the pick he didn't make. He said Chelsea Green is on Smackdown and is all Nick Aldis' now. Pearce is wearing a bright red Jim Cornette jacket and Pat McAfee says to grab a tennis racket.

The Dudley Boys bring a table out and make the next draft picks. They say "wazzzup" and "get the tables". D'Von then says "oh my brother, testify". Raw picks Xavier Woods and Kofi Kingston. Smackdown picks Pretty Deadly. Raw picks Lyra Valkyria from NXT in a surprise pick. Lyra is crying and thrilled. I like Lyra but she's gonna get lost in the shuffle on Raw. She just doesn't have a fantastic personality and she's never getting past Liv and Becky. Smackdown picks Candice LaRae and Indi Hartwell. 

Tag Titles - Awesome Truth (c) vs Alpha Academy (Otis and Akira Tozawa)

We join this in progress. Truth backdrops Akira. Miz hits chest kicks on Otis then corner lariats him. Akira runs at Miz on the apron and is face kicked. Akira flips for the sell on it. Miz stunners Otis over the top rope then is caught on a springboard and world's strongest slammed. Oits does the caterpillar elbow drop. Miz gets hits knees up on a top rope Akira senton. Akira takes a truth crushing finale and is pinned.

It was short though Tozawa's bump off the apron was nice here. They just didn't have the time to do much. I was surprised Gable didn't come down.

Judgment Day talk in the back. Dom is surprised they came down to the 4th Round. Priest said they got in his business and didn't talk about it beforehand. Priest said he doesn't need their help against Jey. JD takes the towel off his face and they did some make-up injury job as his face is bright red and purple.

Liv Morgan and Becky Lynch talk in the back. Becky congratulates her. Damage Ctrl walks up to Becky. Kai says they guess they will be seeing her on Monday's now. One of them touch her title and Becky says "don't touch my title".

Nick Aldis and Adam Pearce announce the last set of picks for the night. Raw picks The Final Testament. Smackdown picks DIY. Raw picks Bronson Reed. Smackdown picks Blair Davenport. Blair's probably going to be doing jobs like she did on NXT.

Jey Uso, Andrade and Ricochet vs Judgment Day (Damian Priest, Finn Balor and JD McDonaugh)

Legit, I didn't even know this was the main event. They did not do a good job in hyping this up.

Finn and Andrade go at it. Finn hits corner spears and headlock takeovers him. Finn does a side headlock. Finn throws Andrade into the ropes but Andrade poses on them. Finn and JD are sent out then Priest is double lariated over the top. All of Judgment Day takes topes with Priest going over the announcer's table for it. 

We go to break and return. Priest ear claps Ric then falcon arrows him for 2. Priest hits kicks to the body then spinning punches him. Priest high kicks Jey off the apron. JD sitout moonsaults Ric then Ric takes a backbreaker + legdrop combo. Andrade's shoulder is sent into the post. Ric codebreakers JD.

Jey and Finn go at it. Jey hits shots and superkicks him in the gut. Jey enzugiri's him. Jey enzugiri's Finn from the apron then springboard crossbodies him. Andrade takes a high kickthen Ric is flatlinered by Priest off a springboard.

Priest hits a big lariat on Jey. Jey samoan drops Priest. Dom distracts on the apron. JD tries to help out Priest but screws up. Jey superkicks Priest and JD then spears Finn. Jey top rope splashes Finn and wins it.

I didn't like Judgment Day losing this one. Their opponents were too weak of a team. They did push some of the issues going on with Judgment Day on this one with JD trying to help out Priest and failing. They didn't have that much time for this and it wasn't anything special.

Overall thoughts: It was a pretty lame edition of Raw. There is no hype for Backlash whatsoever and it just seems WWE forgot about it. The main was quick and the semi-main was also quick. We didn't even really get the strong undercard workrate match of the night like we usually do. The Draft stuff also didn't really add much to this and ate up a lot of time.

Southern Illinois Championship Wrestling 4/28/2024

Southern Illinois Championship Wrestling 4/28/2024

Last week's show is here: https://prowresblog.blogspot.com/2024/04/southern-illinois-championship_23.html

Drew Abbenhaus and Stephen E. are on commentary. The announcer's table is covered in a Saudi flag. E says SICW has hit its peak and said he has arrived. Drew points out th blood on it and E says it's the blood of Gary "Night Train" Jackson. Glenn Williams vs Bobby D is the main event tonight.

Wrex Amadeus vs Bull Bronson

Bull's looking big and bad here. They lock up and Wrex is pulled down. Wrex hits shots on him and Bull headbutts him. Bull hits a punch flurry in the corner then misses a corner charge. Wrex 2nd rope euros him then is caught off the buckles with a chokeslam. Bull running butt drops Wrex (called the bullseye) and wins via 10 count knockout.

The knockout finish was pretty cool here as we don't see that one a lot. It was a short squash here.

We see clips of Stephen E. hitting a fireball on Curtis Wylde.

Curtis Wylde does a video with his eye patch on at home. He said he doesn't know what Stephen E. was thinking. He said he had to know eventually he was going to come back and get his redemption. He said Stephen E. has done everything he can to set SICW on fire. He said he set SICW on fire first though. He said he's been running rough shot on everyone.

He said the fans got behind him and he had more respect for the fans and locker room. He said Stephen E has no respect and talks about him hitting Big Texan and Gary Jackson with fireballs. Wylde says when you fire at him, he fires back. He says when you play with fire, you get burned. He said he'll be back on May 4th and said he's not the only one who can play with fire. We then see Wylde blow fire in a cool promo. Wylde looks pretty cool with the eye patch and should consider keeping it.

Stephen E. says he should do Promoter's Corner since he eventually will be the promoter.

We see Herb Simmons appear on the Wrestling Roadtrip After Hours podcast with Teddy Long and Mac Davis. He talks about SICW and says he's the mayor of East Carondelet, Illinois, which I didn't know. Herb talks about Bob Orton Jr. being elected to the St. Louis Hall of Fame. They talk about rumors of Randy Orton possibly appearing. 

Herb said he's been in wrestling for 51 years and talks about SICW Fan Fest 2. He talks about the creation of Fan Fest and said Buck Robley got screwed on a deal to set it up. He says 60 legends will be there at Fan Fest 2 and said JBL will be there. He says they are also raising money for Black Bart.

Herb talks about being mayor for so long. He said he believes in term limits. He said he's either doing a heck of a job or nobody else wants the job and it's probably the latter of the two.

Lucky P. Larson does a promo. He asked if we missed him and he says he knows we have (he's right). He says he's been on a vacation and says vacation, suspension, what's the difference? He said no one can replace him on commentary and says it's not the same without the brilliant fair play and managerial strategy. He says he'll be back on May 4th. He says The LA Hustlers will dispose of The Top Guns and become tag champs.

Larson said he's not afraid of Big Joe Helms. He said Kowalski assured him he won't lose against Joe. He said Kowalski beat him twice and said he beat him with his own weight belt. He said Helms as little to no brains, but he has lots of brains. He then shows his diploma's and legal certificates. He said he has more brains in his finger than Joe does in his body. He said he doesn't need to worry and he believes in Kowalski. He says "In Kowalski, We Trust". He says there's always a chance Joe gets lucky. He said he doesn't want to think about that and Kowalski's gonna win.

Peyton Ayers vs Gary Jackson

Peyton side headlocks him then shoulders him over. Gary hammerlocks him and takes a back elbow. Gary armdrags him then gets side slammed. Peyton hits some shots and corner spears him. Peyton misses a splash then Gary rolls him up for 2. Peyton suplexes him.

Gary hits a back elbow then bangs Peyton's head off the buckles. Gary takes a big boot to the face then Peyton chinlocks him. Gary elbows his way out then is bearhugged. They say Peyton used to be from Cape Gerado but was relocated to Cairo, Egypt. Stephen E. says it's due to the US dollar and slipping Saudi money is very green.

Peyton corner splashes him then Gary neckbreakers him. Stephen E. leaves commentary and heads to ringside. Peyton is handed a chain and drops it. Gary gets the chain and the ref sees it. The ref sees Peyton is down and the ref awards Peyton the match via disqualification.

It was a so-so match here and the finish was a little different with the face getting caught with the weapon. The ref did a good job here catching the weapon and DQ'ing Gary for it.

Drew interviews Bull Bronson. He says Wrex Amadeus isn't the reason he's here. He said he wants The Big Texan. He said Texan cheapshotted him when he was trying to help him. He said he's coming for him and says to pay attention as his hands will be laid all over him.

Big Joe Helms does a taped promo. He said he's making his return after being suspended for 2 months due to Lucky P. Larson. He said he gets 5 minutes with Larson if he beats Kowalski. He said the little granular sands are falling through the hourglass and said his protection order is no more. He said if he's going to hell, he's taking Larson with him.

"Big Nasty" Glenn Williams vs Bobby D

We come back from break and The Uber Destroyer jumped Bobby D. Peyton Ayers comes out to help and Stephen E. directs traffic. Bobby takes a big bump into the post, landing hard on the floor. Ref's come out to check on Bobby and help him to the back.

Glenn Williams goes to the commentary table. He says he has an open contract and he wants it right now. He asks Bobby D if he can go. Bobby gets in the ring and it looks like the match will proceed.

Glenn hits punches to the gut and the head. Glenn back elbows Bobby in the corner then camel clutches him under the middle rope. Sean Vincent then chokes Bobby while the ref isn't looking. Glenn guillotine legdrops Bobby over the middle rope.

Bobby kicks out of a pin attempt then takes a single arm ddt. Glenn throws him back into the mat then rakes his eyes with his foot. Glenn legdrops him for 2 then pump kicks him for 2. Glenn misses a 2nd rope dropkick to the knee then Bobby sharpshooters him. Glenn is pulled into the middle of the ring and taps out.

I was surprised they had Bobby get the win here after getting beaten up. I thought it hurt Glenn some to lose like this. Shogun, Wrex, Bryce or someone else probably would have fit this role better.

Drew said Glenn made a mistake and should have listened to Sean Vincent. Glenn gets mad and has some words for Drew.

Drew interviews Bobby D. Bobby says he doesn't back down from a fight. He said no matter how people are in there, he's getting in and competing. Bobby said him and Big Texan always have people after them so they are teaming up against Steve Fender and Atila Khan. Bobby says you train hard and never stop to deal with these things and you focus on one match at a time.

Overall thoughts: It was a bit of a longer episode than usual here. I thought Curtis Wylde's promo was the best thing on the show. I thought they hyped up Kowalski vs Big Joe Helms up well. There was nothing too great in-ring wise on this one but I did enjoy the show.

All Japan Pro Wrestling 4/28/2024 Champion Carnival 2024 Day 6

All Japan Pro Wrestling 4/28/2024 Champion Carnival 2024 Day 6

Day 5 is here: https://prowresblog.blogspot.com/2024/04/all-japan-pro-wrestling-4272024.html

I skipped one match here:

Champion Carnival 2024 Block A Match - Yuma Aoyagi vs. Cyrus

Cyrus is attacked before the bell rings. Yuma hits a bunch of forearms on him then climbs his back for a sleeper. Yuma lets go, charges at him and is lariated. Yuma is knocked off the apron into the rails then Cyrus chokes him on the rails. Cyrus walks on him outside then sends him into the rails. Yuma is thrown over the rails then Cyrus chokes him over the rails with his leg.

Cyrus throws the ref out of his way and butt drops Yuma's spine. Cyrus hits shots on him against the post then headbutts the post when Yuma moves. Yuma climbs his back for a sleeper then is rammed into the post. Cyrus powerbombs him on the apron.

Yumma rolls Cyrus up in the ring then Cyrus suplexes him. Cyrus splashes him for 2. Cyrus takes face kicks on the apron. Yuma tries to battering ram him but misses and takes a guillotine legdrop over the 2nd rope. Cyrus charges at him outside and ends up going into the rails. Yuma baseball slides him and wins via countout.

This was bogus. They were out there for a good 5 minutes or so and nobody was counted out then Cyrus couldn't get in by the 10 count later on in the match and was counted out. The match was the usual Cyrus offerings otherwise with slow and so-so brawling outside the ring.  

Champion Carnival 2024 Block B Match - Lord Crewe vs. Rei Saito

They lock up and Crewe is driven back. Crewe hits some shots and they shoulder battle. Rei knocks him over then Crew back elbows him. Rei is pulled over the top rope and Crewe cannonballs him off the apron. Rei drives Crewe's back into the post then shoulderblocks him against the post.

Rei stomps on Crewe then shoulders him over. Rei slams and elbow drops him for 2. Rei slams him then stands on him. Rei shoulders him over and hits a splash for 2. Crewe hits a punch combo to the body then samoan drops him for 2.

They trade chops for forearms and Rei sumo palm strike flurries him. Rei hits a chop flurry. Crewe goes up and over him in the corner and hits a german. Crewe then runs into a lariat. Crewe hits two corkscrew kicks for 2. Crewe hits another bad looking corkscrew kick and wins it.

It was short and not that good. They just did a standard match here with a shoulderblock battle and some strikes. Crewe's corkscrew kicks here were not good either which is a real problem since those were used for the finish. 

Hikaru Sato, Kuroshio TOKYO Japan & Ryuki Honda vs. Jun Saito, Ren Ayabe & Rising HAYATO

Jiro does his usual pre-match screwing around, doing a long entrance and dancing with the fans.

Sato and Rising start us off. Rising wristlocks him then Sato spin kicks him. Rising hits a big chop then spinning headscissors him. Rising teases a dive out but asai moonsaults back in. Sato then gets behind him and kicks him.

All 6 men fight outside and go onto the stage to fight. Jiro gets on Honda's shoulders then Rising gets on Ren's shoulders. Rising and Jiro then fight and Rising steals Jiro's jacket. They head back to the ring and Jiro is on his knees begging for his jacket. Ren face kicks Jiro while he's on his knees.

Ren slams Jiro then Jiro is triple teamed in the corner.  Jun slams and elbow drops Jiro. Jun then thries to pin Jiro with his foot on Jiro's chest. Rising chokes Jiro with his own jacket then whips him with it. They tug of war over the jacket. Jiro armdrags him with the jacket then whips him with it.

Jiro then takes the tag to Honda with his jacket. Ren shoulders Honda over then Ronda chokes him on the ropes, counting along with the ref. Honda and Ren trade then Ref big boots him. Honda germans Ren then Ren dropkicks him.

Jun running face kicks Honda then hits corner punches. Honda suplexes Jun. Jun takes corner attacks from huis opponents then takes an enzugiri from Sato. Sato waterwheel drops him then is slammed on his kimura attempt. Jun running back elbows Sato then suplexes him.

Honda and Jiro double team Ren while Jun claws Honda. Ren hits a double lariat on Honda and Jiro then Rising springboard plancha's Jun and Honda outside. Sato enzugiri's Jun then Jun running face kicks him for 2. Jun does a bad cobra clutch chokeslam on Sato and wins it.

It was fine with them goofing around some, Rising doing a dive or two and Jiro getting his jacket stolen.

Jiro chokes Ren outside with a towel after.

Champion Carnival 2024 Block A Match - Davey Boy Smith Jr. vs. Hokuto Omori

DBS = Davey Boy Smith Jr.

Fake Omori comes out with the horse mask. DBS thinks it's the real Omori then the real Omori top rope dropkicks him. DBS is double whipped into the rails outside and the match officially starts. They go through a door and Omori and Fake Omori try to lock DBS out of the arena. DBS then gets in through another door, which Omori doesn't see.

DBS beats up on Omori outside and bangs his head off the apron. Omori is sent into the rails then Davey stomps him on the floor. DBS drops him with forearms in the ring then chinlocks him. They trade forearms. DBS stomps and foot chokes him.

DBS suplexes him then hits a gutwrench suplex for 2. DBS headscissors him then grabs the arm. DBS legdrops him and Omori back body drops him on a piledriver. Omori hits forearms, trips him into the 2nd rope then basement dropkicks his back. DBS face kicks him then backdrops him for 2. DBS crabs him.

DBS misses a charge and is rolled up. Omori cradles him off a suplex attempt. DBS is nearly sent into the ref. Omori low blows him in front of the ref and gets a 2 count. DBS ddt's him. DBS powerslams him for 2. DBS hits a stiff lariat then a stiff sitout powerbomb before the win.

I didn't like the fighting before the bell had rung thing as DBS got double teamed and nothing could really be done about it. Omori low blowed DBS right in front of the ref and the ref didn't care. Omori kind of needed to do more cheap tactics here and DBS needed to be more rough with him for it.

Champion Carnival 2024 Block B Match - Hartley Jackson vs. Yuma Anzai

Hart = Hartley Jackson

Hart running lariats Yuma at the bell then death valley drivers him on the apron. Yuma is out for a bit, gets in then is thrown back out. The same thing happens again. Yuma is sent into the rail for chops then sent into the post. They then do that spot again too.

They trade shots in the ring and Hart chops him down. Hart gets on his back and chinlocks him. Yuma's double underhook suplex is blocked and Hart chops him down. Hart slams Yuma then sentons him. Hart corner splashes him then hits a big lariat for 2.

Yuma ducks a lariat and hits forearms. Yuma hits a belly to belly suplex. Yuma forearms him then double underhook suplexes him for 2. Yuma grabs a sleeper and Hart drops him backwards out of it. Hart misses a senton then Yuma germans him. Yuma puts him in the facelock and wins it.

The idea was okay here but I didn't like Yuma throwing Hart around with ease and I don't him using the facelock as a finisher. It's just not a strong enough finisher. It was an average bigger guy vs smaller guy match here.

Champion Carnival 2024 Block A Match - Kento Miyahara vs. Shotaro Ashino

They lock up and clean break on the ropes. Ashino wristlocks him. Kento rolls through it then Ashino side headlocks him. Kento hits a face kick then Ashino does a fireman's carry style takedown. Kento misses a face kick and they stand off.

Ashino clubs Kento's back on a break then Kento basement dropkicks him over the 2nd rope. Kento headbutts him outside and Ashino tries to fight back with forearms. Ashino thinks he is fine then he flops over. Ashino takes more headbutts outside then is thrown in.

Ashino dragon screws Kento over the middle rope, dropkicks his knee then does his pose. Ashino ties up Kento's leg in the rails outside then bangs his leg off the post. Ashino stretch mufflers him, karelin's lifts him then does another stretch muffler. Ashino stands on Kento's leg. Kento dropkicks him in the knee and the side of the head.

Kento hits a flying pumping knee in the corner then Ashino ankle locks him at 10 minutes. Kento boots his way out of it and they fight on the apron. Kento face kicks him there then apron piledrivers him. Kento pumping knees him on the ropes and is caught with an ankle lock. Kento cradles him for 2 then Ashino germans him. Kento no sells it and germans him.

They trade forearms and Ashino clubs on Kento's back. Kento germans him then Ashino hits a nice lariat. Ashino backdrops him then Kento flying pumping knees him. Kento delay straightjacket germans him and wins it.

It had a little of everything with Ashino working the leg for the ankle lock and Kento doing his usual offense. I liked Ashino firing up some and clubbing all over Kento. I would say it all did flow together in the end but it could have been done smarter. 

Champion Carnival 2024 Block B Match - Suwama vs. Hideki Suzuki

HS = Hideki Suzuki

They do some grappling to start. HS rolling kimura's him and breaks when he has the mount. Suwama trips him and is headscissored. HS grabs the arm then Suwama full nelsons him. HS reverses it then Suwama trips him into a front facelock. HS cravates him and Suwama ropebreaks on his chickenwing attempt.

Suwama rolls him into an armbar attempt. HS hits shots to the gut. They stare down and Suwama forearms him. They trade and HS hits various strikes. Suwama belly to belly suplexes him then sleepers him. HS rope breaks and is chopped up on the ropes.

HS dropkicks him then hits a dragon suplex. HS does a cobra twistthen Suwama hits germans on him. Suwama running lariats him then HS backdrops him out of the sleeper. HS hits an enzugiri then hits downward elbows. HS does an octopus stretch to him and taps him out with it.

They mailed this one in here. The match was not long enough for the style of match they were doing and it was over before it really even got started. The highspot of this one was a weak dragon suplex and the finish was an octopus stretch of all things. Maybe it beats a 30 minute Suzuki borefest, but that's about it.

Overall thoughts: It was not a great day at the Champion Carnival. The main was a pretty lame effort. Ashino/Kento was a casserole of various things put together that somehow worked in the end. Yuma/Hartley was average. I didn't like Davey/Omori. The 6-man was fine and I didn't like the other two CC matches. I'd probably give it a 4-5 out of 10.