All Japan Pro Wrestling 5/3/2024 Champion Carnival 2024 Day 8

All Japan Pro Wrestling 5/3/2024 Champion Carnival 2024 Day 8

I'm only covering the CC matches on this one

Champion Carnival 2024 Block B Match - Hartley Jackson vs. Ryuki Honda

They lock up. Honda is backed up on the ropes and Hart clean breaks. Honda mostly claen breaks Hart back. They shoulder battle and Honda is shouldered over. They fight outside and Honda is chopped. Honda is sent into the rails. Hart misses a charge on the rails then Honda chokes him on the rails. Honda counts along with the ref as usual.

They exchange forearms inside and Honda is suplexed. They trade forearms and Honda slams him. Hart elbow drops him for 2. Hart hits chops. Honda forearms him then is chopped down. Honda spinebusters him then hits a corner lariat. Honda does an interesting suplex for 2.

Honda chinlocks him then Hart suplexes him. Hart hits two corner splasher then lariats him for 2. Honda hits forearms then Hart euros him. Hart misses a corner charge and is german suplexed. Honda spears Hart for 2. Honda hits a big running lariat for 2 then Hart neckbreakers him.

Hart hits a senton for 2. Hart flying lariats him for 2 then piledrivers him. Hart then gets the win.

It was nothing special. It was pretty slow. The crowd wasn't into it and they just stuck to real basic stuff. Basically anyone could have been swapped out for Hart here and the mach would have been equal in quality or better.

Champion Carnival 2024 Block B Match - Suwama vs. Lord Crewe

Crewe attacks before the bell rings. He hits shots and boots to the gut then foot chokes Suwama. Crewe hits punches to the gut then Suwama flying shoulders him. Suwama corner clotheslines him then belly to belly suplexes him for 2.

Crewe hits back elbows then spinebusters Suwama for 2. They trade forearms. Crewe uraken's him then spin kicks him for 2. Suwama backdrops him for 2 then bulldog headlocks him. Crewe then taps out.

The finish was real weak and lame here. I have no idea what that was about or what they were trying to prove, but it sucked. It was disappointing too because they were doing fine up to it. Suwama has to be hurt. There's no other explanation.

Champion Carnival 2024 Block A Match - Yuma Aoyagi vs. Ren Ayabe

Ren messes with Yuma's hair on the break. Ren side headlocks him then shoulders him over. Ren is pulled over the top and dropkicked off the apron. Yuma throws him into the posts and stomps on him outside. Ren is thrown into the rails but bounces off and face kicks Yuma. Ren slams Yuma on the apron.

Yuma's head is banged off the apron. Ren hits a high back body drop inside. Ren does a high crab and Yuma ropebreaks. Yuma and Ren trade forearms. Yuma double boots Ren in the corner and 2nd rope dropkicks him.

Yuma hits flying forearms in the corner then top rope crossbodies him for 2. Yuma does his guillotine choke + kimura and Ren ropebreaks. Yuma hits euros then Ren flying neckbreakers him. Ren running face kicks him in the corner for 2. Yuma dropkicks him in the knee then uranage's him for 2. Yuma hits a nice top rope elbow drop for 2. Yuma does a guillotine + kimura and Res escpaes it.

Yuma guillotines Ren in the air then Ren suplexes him out of it. Ren hits a nice dropkick for 2. Yuma rolls him up for 2 then Ren facekicks him. Ren hits a real nice dragon suplex for 2. Yuma rolls Ren up off a suplex and does a guillotine choke + kimura. Yuma taps Ren out with it.

It was a fun little match. Ren had some nice offense here. They really started to figure this one out near the end, but it was near the end and the match finished soon after. I really liked Ren's dragon suplex here and he hit a nice face kick here. I would have liked to have seen Ren use his size a little more against Yuma since it's the obvious story.

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

They lock up and let go. Cy clubs on him and Davey fights back with nice forearms. Cy throws him out, Davey rolls back in and hits more shots. Davey dropkicks him out of the ring then kips up. They fight on the floor and Cy double axe handles him.

Davey is put in a chair in the audience and Cy hits shots on him. Davey hits forearms then boots him in the gut. Davey elbows him on the neck then Cy slams him on the floor. Cyrus splashes the post when Davey moves. Davey bangs Cy's arm off the post and apron. He then kicks the rails with Cy's arm in it.

Cy throws Davey off the top then chokes him. Cy forearms him down twice then hits an elbow drop for 2. Cy pulls Davey's arms back and stomps him. Davey hits euros and Cy bearhugs him. Davey chinbreakers him to escape then Cy slams him.  

Cy misses a headbutt drop. Davey hits forearms then corner punches. They trade lariats and Davey goes down. They trade forearms on their knees then trade while standing. Cy hits a black hole slam for 2. Cy 2nd rope legdrops him for 2. Cy misses a vader bomb and is rolled up for 2.

Davey backdrops him then hits a top rope headbutt drop for the win.

It was an okay match. It had room for improvement but it was far better than I had expected. Cyrus put out a better effort than usual here and Davey showed some fire at times. I just wish they would have stuck with trading bombs though and cut the outside the ring stuff as it would have helped things. 

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

Jiro has his extended entrance as usual. Jiro handstands on the buckles and falls when Ashino runs the ropes.

Ashino side headlocks him then shoulders him over. Jiro kips up and poses. Ashino pushes him over then Jiro kips up and poses again. Jiro counters a hiptoss with an armdrag. They fight on the apron, Jiro goes for a headscissors and is ankle locked.

Ashino ankle locks Jiro then karelin's lifts him. Ashino bangs Jiro's knee off the mat. Jiro hits punches then boots him out of the corner. Jiro is pulled down from the 2nd rope and falls. Ashino stretch mufflers him and Jiro rolls him up when he tries to lift him. Jiro hits a cradle shock then hits jacket punches.

Ashino is tripped into the 2nd rope and kicked. Jiro top rope swantons him for 2. Jiro hits a jacket punch and a superkick. Ashino grabs him by the jacket and hits some high german suplexes for 2. Ashino ankle locks Jiro again then Jiro superkicks him. Ashino running euros him.

Jiro enzugiri's him in the corner and both fall down. Ashino is seated up top and Jiro springboard hurricanrana's him. Ashino rolls with it and ankle locks him. Jiro hits a nasty b-driver for 2. Jiro pumping knees him for 2. Jiro misses a top rope moonsault and Ashino ankle locks him. Jiro rolls him up out of it and pins him.

I would have liked a little more selling here from Jiro but it was entertaining. The hurricana counter into ankle lock was really cool and the finish was good. Jiro winning the way he did also furthered the trickster part of his character. 

Champion Carnival 2024 Block B Match - Jun Saito vs. Rei Saito

They had a horrible match at MANIAx2023, so hopefully this will be better. 

They lock-up and ropebreak on the ropes. Jun wristlocks him and yanks on the arm. Rei reverses it then Jun side headlocks him. They shoulder battle. Jun is knocked back then he face kicks Rei. Rei then shoulders him over. Jun is sent into the rails. Rei running shoulders him against the post outside.

They trade forearms then Rei slams him. Rei stands on him. The ref stops looking and Rei stands on him again. Jun trips him into the 2nd rope and shoulders him there. Rei is thrown into the rails outside then Rei is thrown into the seats. Jun chokes Rei with a towel.

Jun walks Rei through the crowd and throws him down to the floor. Jun then chokes him with a towel and throws him down to the floor again. They both get back in and Jun stands on Rei while playing with his hair.

Jun shoulders him on the ropes then face kicks Rei off the apron. Jun rams a rail into Rey then pushes it into him. Rey is sent into the buckles and takes forearms to the spine. Jun running boots Rei while Rei is on his knees. 

Rei boots him out of the corner then Jun misses a face kick in the corner. Rei hits machine gun chops and they shove each other. Rei chop flurries him then corner splashes him for 2. Jun back body drops him then running face kicks him in the corner. Jun hits corner punches then face kicks him again. Jun shoulders him over then elbow drops him.

They trade forearms. Jun hits chest kicks then Rei splashes him against the ropes. Rei hits a big slam then splashes him for 2. They fight on the buckles. Rei headbutts him up there then hits a big superplex. Rei no sells it and lariats him. Jun flying knees him in the back of the head.

They go face to face and trade forearms then chops. They lariat battle then headbutt battle. Rei slaps him and takes a facekick. Jun spears him for 2 then lariats him for 2. Jun hits a big suplex for 2. Rei flying crossbodies him then piledrivers him for a 1 count. Jun hits shots then Rei hits a lariat for 2. Rei running shotei's him and wins it.

It was a good match and Jun's best singles match yet. They could have cut off a few minutes here with the long outside brawling section but I think they got this right otherwise. This was 100x better than their last match against each other. Jun actually showed some fire here and they had fun beating the crap out of each other. Rei got suplexed around here making the ref jump and it was the longer, drawn battle between the brothers that you would hope for. It wasn't great or a classic but it definitely helped out both guys and I enjoyed it.

Overall thoughts: The last 4 CC matches all delivered and that turned this one into a good show. Rei/Jun was much better than last time and was a longer more dramatic match. Jiro/Ashino was entertaining. Cyrus had one of his better showings here against Davey and they worked around their weaknesses some. Ren and Yuma matched up well. Suwama had a real stinker and wasn't motivated at all and Honda/Hartley wasn't good.