AJPW Champion Carnival Ratings & B Block Results: Part 1

So the Champion Carnival just had to start during the busiest weekend in professional wrestling. I can’t completely complain since it is on it’s own time schedule, so it doesn’t interfere, just adds to the excitement of the week. Full disclosure, this will be the first Carnival I follow live since it is the first year they have a streaming service and I don’t live in Japan.

In case you’re reading this and you didn’t see the previous article with The Chairshot picks, this article is specifically B Block. If you want A Block, look up Mathew Sarpraicone article. Much easier to cut this tournament in half, cause sleep is a nice thing. Now let’s see what the first few B Block matches gave us.

B-Block Matches:

Jun Akiyama vs Dylan James (April 7th)

Both of these men are halves of two different tag team championships. Jun the crafty vet and Dylan the returning gaijin.

Now this is a type of match All Japan likes to do on occasion, and by that I mean a sub 5 minute match, that is still pretty damn entertaining. We saw both men get in a good bit of their offense, so it seemed to be a balanced affair. James looked like he was going to pick up the win, with a Chokeslam, but Akiyama counters that into a cradle that barely gets the 3 count.

Winner: Akiyama wins via countering a Chokeslam into a cradle.

Rating: ** 3/4

Zeus vs Suwama (April 7th)

Zeus comes in with his entire left thigh wrapped in tape after Miyahara did some damage in a previous tag match. Suwama doesn’t look nearly as banged up, so the former Ace trying to regain his prominence should be interesting.

This match really showcased Zeus’ selling ability. As Suwama stepped on the wrapped thigh, or worked him over in the corner, Zeus looked like he was in such pain. Aside from feeling bad for him, you get to watch him slowly fight back and builds nice sympathy in the match.

Zeus is an up and coming wrestler who seems to be about a half step away from being a real force. Suwama hits a Last Ride powerbomb, and Zeus kicks out. Powering through his injuries and working from underneath all match, you see Zeus pick up the win, with his Jackhammer.

Winner: Zeus wins via pinfall after Jackhammer

Rating: *** 1/4

Zeus vs Yoshitatsu (April 8th)

Hey Hey! We get to hear Zeus’ theme song this time (rights issues make themes inconsistent). His theme is pretty fantastic, and Yoshitatsu makes his Carnival debut.

Zeus still has the obvious target on his thigh, and this was really a solid match that helps showcase Yoshitatsu. This venue is basically a high school gym, and there’s no commentary on the feed, which makes viewing a little odd. It’s nice to not get distracted, but hearing all of the little odd things some wrestlers do, is off putting (Zeus has this gruff chuckle he does while he’s on top during the match).

Like I already said, solid showing from both men, Yoshi has been slowly establishing himself as less of a joke. Even though Yoshitatsu has a speed advantage, Zeus rarely seems like he loses control of this match. So it’s not a complete surprise when Zeus wins.

Winner: Zeus win via pinfall after Jackhammer

Rating: *** 1/4

Suwama vs KAI (April 8th)

Suwama coming off a loss, puts him in a spot where he can’t afford to drop matches against the opponents he’s expected to beat. KAI however gets his first match of the Carnival, he’s a freelancer who hasn’t had much heavyweight luck in All Japan.

We get a decent match match here. KAI shows that he’s not to far behind the former Ace in ability, but since Suwama lost his first match, this felt a little obvious. Nothing was completely terrible, but given the preceding matches, as well as Miyahara’s match for A block headlining the show…we didn’t get a classic. Suwama wins with his Last Ride powerbomb to finally get on the board.

Winner: Suwama via Pinfall

Rating: ** 1/2

Current B-Block Standings:

Zeus: 2-0 (4 Points)
Jun Akiyama: 1-0 (2 Points)
Suwama: 1-1 (2 Points)
Naomichi Marufuji: 0-0 (0 Points)
Yutaka Yoshie: 0-0 (0 Points)
Dylan James: 0-1 (0 Points)
Yoshitatsu: 0-1 (0 Points)
KAI: 0-1 (0 Points)

Now my pick to win B Block is Naomichi Marufuji, who’s been involved in Pro Wrestling NOAH’s Global Tag League. Officially, his team finished 1 point outside of making the finals, so he’ll finally get a day here or there to breathe. The late start will either give him an advantage, or he’ll be exhausted from the Global Tag League.

Should be interesting to see how the standings start to shake out once everyone gets moving.