All Japan Pro Wrestling 4/21/2024 Champion Carnival 2024 Day 3

All Japan Pro Wrestling 4/21/2024 Champion Carnival 2024 Day 3

Day 2 is here: https://prowresblog.blogspot.com/2024/04/all-japan-pro-wrestling-4202024.html

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

Hart and Jun lock up but get nowhere. Hart clean breaks him then is side headlocked. They shoulder battle and Hart is knocked over. Hart goes out and is shouldered into the rails. Jun chokes him with a towel. They trade forearms and Hart slams him. Hart hits chops and double chops.

Hart running back elbows him then corner splashes him twice. Hart lariats him for 2. Jun running face kicks him then does it in the corner. Hart blocks a spear and suplexes him. Jun hits another spear and they trade forearms. Hart spinning lariats him and death valley drivers him for 2. Jun jackhammers for 2.

They run at each other with lariats and Jun cobra clutch slams him to win.

It was shorter and very slow paced match. It was fine but totally by the numbers here. Jun in particularly didn't seem to be hustling here.

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

Jiro did his usual extended double entrance and Cyrus threw a rail in the ring. Jiro hid under the ring and Cyrus tried to grab him. Then the fight started out there. Jiro tries to kick him from the apron but is legswept. Cyrus powerbombs him into the post then foot chokes him. Cyrus hits him in the gut and back with the ring bell in front of the ref. Jiro hides behind a young boy. Cyrus lifts up Jiro and headbuttts him. Cyrus then chairs him.

Cyrus running headbutts him and lariats him over while he's in a chair. Cyrus short arm lariats him outside and hits a big forearm. Cyrus headbutts him in the chest then chokes him with a chair. Cyrus throws the ref then hits a lariat. Jiro is then knocked over on the rails and Cyrus foot chokes him. Cyrus forearms him over while he's in a chair.

Jiro is thrown over a rail and Cyrus misses a splash on him.  Jiro hits ajcket punches then hits kicks to the leg. Cyrus pushes him then Jiro springboard crossbodies him. Cyrus catches him and powerslams him. Cyrus hits a corner cannonball. Cyrus goes up top and is hit. He blocks a hurricanrana from the top then Jiro hurricanrana's him standing. Jiro step up enzugiri's him and wins it.

They spent too long outside here and Cyrus openly cheated in front of the ref multiple times. I don't know if the match officially had started while they were out there, but if it hadn't, that's another reason to hate this. The idea was okay but it just dragged. I also suspect they botched the finish here as Jiro didn't hit the hurricanrana off the buckles then hit one standing.

Jiro runs into the crowd after and is shocked at his win.

Champion Carnival 2024 Block A Match - Davey Boy Smith Jr. vs. Shotaro Ashino

They go to the mat and go for leg locks. Ashino rolls out of a wristlock and side headlocks him. DBS hits forearms and a headbutt then Ashino low fireman's carry takeovers him. Ashino then shoulders him over. DBS sends Ashino out then powerslams him on the floor.

DBS stomps on him then headscissors him. DBS gutwrench suplexes him then chinlocks him. DBS half-nelson's him then Ashino back body drops him. They trade forearms and Ashino running euros him. Ashino gutwrench suplexes him for 2. DBS suplexes him then Ashino ankle locks him. DBS turns it into a sharpshooter.

DBS chest clubs him then Ashino release germans him for 2. DBS ddt's him for 2. Ashino sunset flips him and puts the ankle lock on. DBS boots and kicks him then hits a big sitout powerbomb to win.

It was slow and not that good. It had the usual DBS match issues with the match lacking excitement and interest. 

Champion Carnival 2024 Block B Match - Hideki Suzuki vs. Rei Saito

I don't have high hopes for this one. It's going to be a styles clash. Rei backs him up off the lock up. and they do a single arm lock up. HS hits shots then enzugiri's him. HS dropkicks him while Rei runs the ropes. Rei then rams him into the corner and drops him.

Rei throws him into the rails outside. Rei tries to sumo shoulder charge him while he's in front of the post but HS moves. HS armbars him outside and stomps on him. HS armbars him inside the ring.

HS stomps on his arm and bangs it off the mat. Rei hits a big slap and a lariat. Rei then piledrivers him and wins it.

The ending was too sudden here. They were building towards a longer match then it just ended after Rei got almost nothing in. It's a shame too because this was not looking too bad with Suzuki working the arm.

Rei teases helping him up after then slaps him.

Kaz Hayashi, Masayuki Kono & Suwama vs. Dan Tamura, Hokuto Omori & Ren Ayabe

We have a fake Omori in there again. Dan and Kaz go at it. Kaz side headlocks him then Dan wristlocks him. Kaz rolls out of it and side headlocks him. Dan side headlocks him back, headlock takeovers him and shoulders him over. Suwama boots Dan in the gut then hits a big slam. Kaz slingshot swantons Dan.

Kono and Ren go at it. They stare down and Ren clean breaks him. Kono hits shots then takes a big face kick. Ren shoulders him over. Ren wants to tag Omori in but isn't sure who is who, so he tags Dan in instead. Dan hits shots on Kono and Kono back elbows him. Suwama bullies Dan around with boots and Dan fights through it.

Suwama chops him down then hits a big slam. Suwama elbow drops him for 2. Kaz snapmares and foot rakes Dan. Dan's eyes are rubbed on the ropes then Kaz hits knees on him. Suwama hits a nice lariat for 2. Suwama backdrops him for 2.  Suwama hits forarms then Dan samoan drops him. Ren comes in and flying neckbreakers Suwama. He running face kicks him in the corner for 2.

Suwama ddt's him then Kaz dropkicks Ren. Kaz does a running back kick in the corner and wakes Ren up with a forearm. Kaz boots Ren then takes a nice dropkick. Dan gets in and hits running shoulders on Kaz. Dan hits a stiff karelin's lift at 10 minutes in.

Dan is flatlinered into the buckles. Dan takes corner attacks then Kono and Suwama lariat each other on accident. Dan running shoulders Kaz. Omori gets in the ring with a horse mask on. His team tries corner attacks on Suwama but gets booted. Omori low blows Suwama then low blows Ren and Kono at the same time. Omori then low blows Kaz right in front of the ref.

Suwama gets behind Omori and double chops him. Omori takes a running knee then a Kaz handspring enzugiri. Suwama then lariats Omori and wins it.

They really lost the plot on this one. They had an interesting thing going with Dan being the face in peril and then they just dropped it. Then they maybe had something to work with by having Omori be annoying but they didn't build it up enough. I hated the blatant low blows in front of the ref who did nothing about it.

Champion Carnival 2024 Block A Match - Kento Miyahara vs. Yuma Aoyagi

They lock up and Yuma wristlocks him. Kento trips him and hooks the leg. Kento side headlock takeovers him, gets headscissored and they stare down. Yuma euros him on the break, is tripped into the 2nd rope and basement dropkicked. Kento headbutts him outside. Kento is sent into the rails then Yuma legdrops him over the rails. Yuma chokes Kento with a towel.

Yuma cravates him then elbow drops him. Yuma chinlocks him and Kento hits chest slaps. Yuma forearms him then Kento hits a strike flurry on him. Yuma forearms him and piledrivers him for 2. Kento rolls out of a move then dropkicks him in the knee and side of the head. Kento running forearms him in the corner.

Kento takes a baseball slide then Yuma drives Kento's arm into the rails. Yuma backdrops him for 2. Kento pumping knees Yuma in the corner and goes down. Yuma does a surprise cradle for 2 then back rolls him into a bridge for 2. Yuma rock bottoms him for 2. Yuma fisherman busters him for 2.

Kento sells for a while and hits a release german. Kento pops up then pumping knees him on the ropes twice. Kento pumping knees him then delay straightjacket germans him for the win.

It was a flawed match here. Kento did some super long selling sections here then he would just pop-up more energized then when he started and eventually got the win off of it. It was just all over the place here and multiple matches turned into one. 

Champion Carnival 2024 Block B Match - Ryuki Honda vs. Yuma Anzai

 

This is a big one here for both these guys. They are going to get the time and they have got the spot. They just need to produce.

Yuma wristlocks him. Honda side headlocks him, gets headscissored and they stand off. They shoulder each other, Yuma dropkicks him then is shouldered over. Yuma is sent into the rails outside then Honda chokes him on the rails, counting along with the ref to break it.

Yuma is thrown into the rails and goes over them. Yuma springboards off the rails onto him, gets caught and is explodered on the floor. Honda hits a back elbow inside. They trade forearms then Honda is pulled over the top. Yuma forearms him off the apron and hits a flying knee off the apron.

Honda is sent into the rails then Yuma chokes him on the rails. Yuma running forearms him then hits a belly to belly suplex for 2. Yuma chinlocks him and they trade forearms. Honda suplexes him then psinebusters him for 2. Yuma is pushed off the buckles down to the floor

They trade forearms on the apron then Honda takes a nasty dragon suplex on the apron. They trade forearms in the ring and Yuma dropkicks him. They fight up top and Honda 2nd rope superplexes him. Yuma hits a flying knee and they trade forearms on their knees.

They get up and trade. They trade forearms and hit shots on the ropes. Honda lariats him in the back of the neck then germans him. Honda hits a spear for 2. Yuma flips over him into a double underhook suplex. Yuma flying knees him in the back of the head for 2. Honda running lariats him and flips him with it.

Yuma germans him and they collide with forearms. Yuma germans him again then hits a flying knee for 2. Yuma germans him for 2 again. Yuma runs into a big lariat, no sells it then is lariated again for 2. Honda running one arm powerbombs him and wins it.

I didn't like the dragon suplex on the apron spot. I felt that disrupted the match and it hurt it. Besides that, I thought they matched up well together. The pieces are there for these two but I don't think they got the puzzle put together correctly on this. It just needed more selling. Yuma did more here than he has ever done so far and we finally got to see him break away from his usual match some. They took some nasty shots here. I really want to see this again because I think they could do a great one if everything goes right. Honda got a big win here which was nice, beating the current Triple Crown champ.

Honda gets on the mic after and is thrilled.

Overall thoughts: This show had 2 big matches in Kento/Yuma and Honda/Anzai. I didn't like Kento/Yuma as it was too spazzy and seemed like multiple matches tied into one. Honda/Anzai had the right pieces and showed promise but the puzzle wasn't put together as well as it could have been. I didn't really care for the rest of the show and thought the trios match and Suzuki/Rei were missed opportunities.