Shuji Ishikawa vs. Yuma Anzai – Champion Carnival (Block B)
A redux version of their colossal match from last year, which means this was still extremely good. The fine people of Niigata bought into the Shoojster/Anzai dynamic hook, line and sinker – adding proper heat to Anzai’s superhuman feats of resistance. Even in fast-tracking mode, AJPW are making the kid earn that first win against Big Shuj. Here he looked great in defeat, once again working with the utmost confidence and making good use of his brand-new jumping knee. Meanwhile, Ishikawa did what he does best, supplying murder head drops and firing off the loudest forearms in wrestling. Loved it. ***1/2
Suwama vs. Takao Omori – Champion Carnival (Block B)
I was ready to drop all the stars on this match when Wammer started selling Omori’s punches with his annoyed growl. Truly the greatest and funniest salesman in professional wrestling. Unfortunately, nothing else really happened as they went right into Twitter’s favorite finish – the controversial post-finisher surprise rollup. Shame. *3/4
Shotaro Ashino vs. Rei Saito – Champion Carnival (Block B)
This was exactly what it needed to be. Ashino’s galaxy brain was on full display – maximizing the size differential logistics to make himself look like a clever bastard while keeping Rei’s monster aura intact. Thanks to the smart layout and Rei’s continuous improvement, the Ashino win actually felt like a big deal. This is kind of insane considering Ashino’s veteran status and how green the bearded Saito looked not that long ago. It’s time to accept it. We are witnessing Champion Carnival 2023 – The Rei Saito Is Good Edition. ***1/4
T-Hawk vs. Cyrus – Champion Carnival (Block A)
What is even going on with the Cyrus finishes in this tournament? In their attempt to protect their gaijin monster in defeat, the Zen Nihon Booking Conglomerate are tripping all over themselves. T-Hawk holding the G-REX might have turned this tournament into a political minefield, but these banana peel finishes are starting to make big Cyrus look bad. The match started really well too. **
Hikaru Sato, Dan Tamura & Black Menso-re vs. Atsuki Aoyagi, Rising HAYATO & Ryo Inoue
The junior tag league is on hiatus for the day, which means the participants had to settle their differences through alternate means. They had a fun 6-man featuring rich segments such as Black Menso-re bullying, Atsuki/HAYATO double team practice and Daniel Tamura Powerbombs. HAYATO also debuted his own version of the Katsuhiko Nakajima turnbuckle photoshoot, causing the collective mind implosion of a certain AJPW podcast crew. ***
Manabu Soya vs. Hokuto Omori – Champion Carnival (Block B)
Pretty swell match where Hokuto submitted his resumé for a new job as a Worker of the Arm. So far, the arm shtick seems a bit simplistic, but it does add variety to his game and segues smoothly into his new submission finish. The Demon Dad Manabu Soya was a good opponent for Hokuto to test out his new approach, as he knew just when to sell and when to clap back with BEEF-BASED BOMBAST. They maintained a pleasant undercurrent of saltiness all the way through, Hokuto acting suitably dickish during the strike exchanges. ***1/4
Satoshi Kojima vs. Jun Saito – Champion Carnival (Block A)
Outside of the Kento match, this was Jun’s most convincing performance of the Carnival. The middle-aged youngster took a page from his brother’s playbook and cranked up the beastliness, working more aggressive and expanding his range of guttural noises. Kojima’s Tired Old Man approach was a good fit here, his selling and all-around sleepiness making Jun look even more dangerous. No complaints. ***
Yuma Aoyagi vs. Ryuki Honda – Champion Carnival (Block A)
After a string of disappointing outings, Honda finally put it all together and worked a match worthy of his current super push. The jolly weirdo went back to the high impact esthetic of his World tag run, leaving behind the testicular shenaniganz. Aoyagi was in rare form, elevating Honda every step of the way and lighting up the crowd with his signature babyfacing. Just when I was starting to miss his mimicry spots, Yuma ripped off Honda’s counting shtick in the most hilarious possible way. The big match offense came fast and furious in an action-packed closer that saw Honda prove his worth as an AJPW heavyweight. Translation: he threw some hard freakin’ lariats. ***1/2
Kento Miyahara vs. Yoshitatsu – Champion Carnival (Block A)
While these two will likely never quite replicate the magic of their 2019 epic, they’re still capable of giving you three and a quarter stars of wrasslin’. They took the gamble of going with an 18-minute Tatsu-led layout – a controversial experiment with its share of ups and downs. Miyahara made up for Yoshi’s lack of offensive depth by milking the millions of Kentomaniacs in attendance and bouncing between his various main event modes. Underdog Kento, Comedy Kento and Ace Kento all had their time in the spotlight before they wrapped things up with a cheeky rope-biting callback to their Triple Crown banger. ***1/4
