Mathew’s AJPW Champion Carnival Results & Review: Day 9 (4/29/2021)

Welcome back to another Champion Carnival coverage as we have one more day to go after this show. Before we start, I have to bring up some bad news that occurred. We regret to announce that Shinjiro Otani was legit injured after his match with Suwama as his shoulder was separated and also has a broken humerus. Because of this, his last two matches in the tournament are off, meaning Kohei Sato gets a bye for today and Zeus gets one for the final show.

We’re now back to just four matches a show and who will be the ones that can win? Let’s find out as we…dive right in.

Star Rating System:

• 0 Stars: Dave Meltzer
• 1 Star: Vince Russo
• 2 Stars: Tony Schiavone
• 3 Stars: Eric Bischoff
• 4 Stars: Bruce Prichard
• 5 Stars: Jim Cornette

Quick Results:

• Zeus vs Koji Doi: Time Limit Draw – ***
• Shotaro Ashino vs Suwama: Suwama wins via Backdrop Hold – *** 1/2 
• Jake Lee vs Shuji Ishikawa: Shuji wins via Thesz Press – *** 1/2 
• Kento Miyahara vs Yuma Aoyagi: Kento wins via Shutdown Suplex Hold – **** 1/4 

Champion Carnival 2021 Match
Zeus vs. Koji Doi

Review: Time for our first match to begin as Zeus is set to take on Koji Doi. Due to his match on the final day being canceled, this will be his final match in the Carnival. Since this is his last match, he has to win here, or else he’s eliminated. Can Zeus get one last win or does Koji get a win finally?

Zeus gets Koji to the ropes after a lock-up and flexes his godly body as Koji, gonna miss simping for Zeus in the Carnival. The two would now exchange shoulder tackles to each other, nobody falling down to the mat just yet until Koji would send Zeus down to win that exchange. Koji was able to gain a little bit of control until he decided to chop Zeus, leading Zeus to deliver chops of his own as they go back and forth. Zeus won this exchange after hitting what he calls the Flying Bicep Explosion, I love it. So far, Koji has not fulfilled the spoiler role due to only winning one match and had a double countout against someone who had no chance of winning either, so this is just more of him being a fall guy type of role while delivering well in his performance. Zeus attempted to end the match early with his Facelock but Koji was able to struggle enough to get the ropes. Zeus would call for the Chokeslam as Koji pushed him into the ropes, catching him for a Bodyslam and saves himself some breathing him.

Koji was somehow able to lift Zeus up for the Torture Rack and has it locked in but Zeus would wrap his arm around his neck to try and make him let go, and fails as Koji stands up fully again to apply it more until Zeus choked him again as the two fell back into the corner to break the hold. The two exchanged chops once again as Zeus won once again, going for the Jackhammer but Koji reversed it into the Brainbuster this lead to Koji trying again as Zeus hits the Brainbuster instead and they both go down. Zeus hits the Chokeslam this time but Koji kicked out at two. The two would then have a Lariat battle with neither man going down, losing their balance but Zeus would hit his Bicep Explosion to Koji, making him fall out of the ring. Zeus now goes outside of the ring as another chop battle would occur until Koji hits Zeus with a DDT onto the floor! The referee is starting the count as the two are still fighting outside of the ring, knocking each other down with Lariats. Koji tried to get in the ring first as Zeus pulled him down, trying to get in himself as Koji pulled him down, the bell rings! Because of this, nobody gets points and Zeus is out of the tournament!

Rating: Eric Bischoff

Champion Carnival 2021 Match
Suwama vs. Shotaro Ashino

Review: Our next match is between two people who are no strangers to each other as Shotaro Ashino takes on the Triple Crown Champion, Suwama. Shotaro is unfortunately eliminated but he could have a chance to eliminate Suwama here. The two fought twice for the title during the course of the year and Suwama defeated him twice. Now that there’s no title on the line, this could be Shotaro’s chance to finally get a win. Will Shotaro finally defeat the champ?

Soon as the bell rang, Shotaro charged at the champ with a Dropkick, went straight for the top rope to hit a Missle Dropkick! Shotaro isn’t letting up as he quickly lifts Suwama up for the Gutwrench Suplex and keeps on assaulting him with punches, even the referee got shoved back when trying to break it up but Shotaro is focused on wanting to defeat him finally. Shotaro finally attacks Suwama’s leg, kicking it down and slamming it into the turnbuckle post, being ruthless and calculating to look for an early submission victory here. There could be a little resentment towards Suwama since he probably does blame him for the downfall of Enfants Terribles ever since he came to All Japan but at the same time, he wants to move forward to prove he belongs here and can win. Plenty of great legwork from Shotaro while Suwama sells it exceptionally well to make it look more devastating right here. Suwama was finally able to fight him off, hitting his two-handed chops to Shotaro into the turnbuckle and even shoved the referee out of the way as well to attack Shotaro for a little bit of payback.

Suwama tossed him into the corner, Shotaro hitting Suwama with a kick before sitting up on the top turnbuckle but Suwama hits him with the two-handed chop to make him fall out of the ring. Suwama hits a Suplex to get him back into the ring before tossing him into the corner once more to hit a LAriat, and then catching him for a Belly-to-Belly Suplex but Shotaro kicked out at two. The two exchanged blows until Shotaro got behind him to hit a German Suplex but Suwama got up right away to hit a German Suplex of his own, they could do it to each other one more time before the two of them are down on the mat. They exchange blows once more until Shotaro hits Suwama with a headbutt and he answers back with a Lariat to get him down. Suwama went for the Backdrop but Shotaro rolled him over to apply the Ankle Lock! Shotaro has it locked in tight, Suwama trying to fight him off but holds onto the ankle as Suwama finds a way to roll under him to apply the Ankle Lock as well until Shtaro quickly kicked him off. Suwama hits him with a Lariat and picks him up for the Backdrop! Instead of pinning him, Suwama would deliver one more Backdrop but Shotaro kicked out at two! Suwama hits another Lariat as Shotaro kicked out again but Suwama picked him up for the Backdrop Hold and gets the victory! After the match, the two would shake hands and this could potentially lead to a partnership or Suwama helping him succeed in All Japan. Either way, great stuff.

Rating: Eric Bischoff and a half

Champion Carnival 2021 Match
Jake Lee vs. Shuji Ishikawa

Review: We’re now at the halfway point as Jake Lee takes on Shuji Ishikawa. Jake is in a great position here that if he can win this match, he’ll be in the lead to win and would make it difficult for others to catch up. Shuji pulled off a big win over Kento at the last show and is hoping to do it here to stop his momentum once more. Does Jake advance or is he pushed back a bit?

Jake gets Shuji into the ropes and instead of backing away to taunt him, he attacks Shuji’s leg and would start to beat the big guy down. Shuji made Jake roll outside of the ring and started to go after him, hitting Jake in the back but would stop after he kicked his bad leg again. You’d figure Jake would have TOTAL ECLIPSE come out here to help him while the referee wasn’t looking or anything but it seems like Jake wants to try and win the matches on his own despite being a heel. The tournament itself for Jake seems to be more of a character progression than anything else since he developed this new persona, making it seem like this is exactly what he needs to get to that next level that he should’ve been. Instead of just trying to get the early win, Jake hits a DDT onto Shuji and continues to attack him outside of the ring, delivering a knee to his chest to torture him. Shuji tries to fight back but Jake stomped on him before applying a Facelock onto Shuji until he grabbed the ropes to break it up.

Jake gets a knee onto Shuji would pinning his arms down to try and get a pin but when that fails, Jake places his forearm around his neck to try and choke him till the referee made him stop. The two are outside of the ring again as Jake tries to slam Shuji into the turnbuckle but gets his foot up, hitting Jake’s head against the pole before hitting a German Suplex on the floor! Both men are down as the referee starts the count, Shuji slowly rolling into the ring as Jake is still out for the count but eventually makes it in. Shuji is sitting on the top turnbuckle as Jake attacked his leg until Shuji pushed him off, running towards him to hit the Tsunami! Jake gets the Sleeper Hold in but Shuji had his foot on the ropes. Jake delivers a knee to the gut and while he charged at him for the Giant Killing, Shuji catches his leg and lifts him up to hit the Giant Driver. Shuji hits Jake with the Dragon Suplex but gets up, hitting Shuji with the Giant Killing! Jake hits another Giant Killing but refuses to pin him this time as he delivers multiple knees to the chest and one more Giant Killing as Shuji kicked out at two! Jake calls for the D4C but Shuji reverses it into the Small Package as Jake kicked out at two! Jake hits another knee and before he could hit another Giant Killing, Shuji catches him with the Lou Thez Press to get the pinfall over Jake!

Rating: Eric Bischoff and a half

Champion Carnival 2021 Match
Kento Miyahara vs. Yuma Aoyagi

Review: It’s now time for the main event as Kento Miyahara takes on his tag team partner, Yuma Aoyagi. Now that Jake has lost to Shuji, somebody has a chance to move up to tie with the others. On the bad side, one of them is going to be eliminated here at this show. Yuma has had an incredible run in the Carnival and could be the momentum he needs to finally get a win over the ace. Which one of them will be moving up and who will be done?

The two were in a stalemate as they locked up but Kento would get Yuma into the ropes until he backed away when the referee was counting. These two may be World Tag Team Champions but when it comes to the Champion Carnival, it’s all about winning the tournament to get a shot for that Triple Crown Championship. Yuma gets Kento by the ropes now and would slap both sides of his face gently as if your Grandmother was pinching your cheeks together before backing away as well. The two are outside now as Yuma has Kento on the ground, having his head in a Vicegrip while pulling it back, taunting with the little face gesture Kento would do with his opponents in the turnbuckle. Kento would hit the first headbutt and you can hear that thud when it happens also, hitting another one in the process. Kento finally has Yuma’s head on the turnbuckle post, pulling on it as the referee pulls his hair to let him go, I missed seeing that spot, and glad they did it here. Kento taking control of the match here makes a lot of sense due to Yuma being portrayed as the underdog to get sympathy from the crowd, and of course, Kento is the star while also beating Yuma multiple times, so Kento beating him down here early on works since the payoff with work wonders for both.

The two have a history together, especially in the past year when Yuma turned heel on Kento after one of his Triple Crown title matches, losing to Kento in a title match after, losing to Kento again in the Carnival months later, and ending with them teaming up to win the RWTL along with the World Tag Team Championship four months ago. Yuma’s progression in the past year has been a slow build but the payoff from winning the tag league to now is giving Yuma that much confidence he needed to be seen as a serious competitor. He has been the MVP of the whole tournament and keeps on delivering each time to hopefully get on the same level as guys like Kento, Suwama, Jake, Zeus, and others. Yuma finally fights back as he hits a flying forearm onto Kento to stop his momentum. Yuma bounces off the turnbuckle to hit a Crossbody before climbing to the top rope to hit another one as Kento kicked out at two. The two are fighting on the ring apron as Kento tries to hit Piledriver but Yuma refuses to budge, making Kento let go but Yuma catches him for a Guillotine, transitioning it into a modified End Game until he was forced to let go due to them being on the apron.

The two are now back into the ring as Yuma tries to apply the End Game onto Kento, giving Yuma a hard time to not lock it in fully as he grabbed the ropes. Yuma climbed to the top rope as it looked like he was going for an Elbow Drop but Kento quickly gets up to fight him on the top, leading to Kento to hit a Superplex as they both go down! Kento hits Yuma with a Blackout on the back of the head but didn’t fully get a chance to hit a German Suplex, so he hits another Blackout instead. Kento calls for the Shutdown German Suplex Hold but Yuma headbutts him with the back of his head, hitting a German Suplex but Kento got up to hit a German Suplex as well and the two are down! The two get up and start beating each other with stiff forearms until Yuma got Kento down on the mat, still hitting the forearms but Kento fights back with forearms as well! Yuma finally won that exchange and picks him up for the Rockstar Butser but Kento found life in himself, reversing it into a Brainbuster! Kento went for a Blackout but Yuma catches his leg, hitting him with a spin kick. Yuma went for the Rockstar Buster again but Kento fought off and hits the Blackout! Yuma isn’t moving as the referee starts to count but Kento forced him up, going for the Shutdown German Suplex Hold as Yuma reversed it into the End Game! Yuma has it locked in fully this time as Kento is fading, so Yuma lets go to pin him as Kento barely kicked out! Kento ducked the spin kick to hit the Blackout and as he went for another, Yuma reversed it into the European Clutch as Kento kicked out at two again! Kento hits the Blackout and tries to get the Shutdown German Suplex Hold, Yuma struggling as hard as he could but fails to do so as Kento hits the move to get the win. Yuma’s chances of win are now gone as Kento is tied with three others. One day, Yuma will beat Kento and it will be a great moment but today is not that day.

Rating: Bruce Prichard and a quarter

Overall: This was still a solid day of wrestling despite one guy being injured and the venue having zero fans, there’s still plenty of stuff to enjoy on this show as we now have one more day to go. Six people are eliminated and it’s up to the other four to find a way to win or at the very least, make it have a final round at the end of the show.

Favorite Match: Kento Miyahara vs. Yuma Aoyagi

Least Favorite Match: Zeus vs. Koji Doi

Score: 7.5/10

Champion Carnival Standings:

1. Jake Lee (5-3) (10 Points)
2. Kento Miyahara: (5-3) (10 Points)
3. Suwama: (5-3) (10 Points)
4. Kohei Sato: (5-3) (10 Points)
5. Zeus: (5-3-1) (10 Points) (Eliminated)
6. Yuma Aoyagi: (4-4) (8 Points) (Eliminated)
7. Shuji Ishikawa: (4-4) (8 Points) (Eliminated)
8. Shotaro Ashino: (3-5) (6 Points) (Eliminated)
9. Shinjiro Otani: (2-6-1) (4 Points) (Eliminated)
10. Koji Doi: (1-5-2) (2 Points) (Eliminated)

Looking at the scoreboard, we are now down to four people who could potentially win the tournament. Jake and Kento have a better chance at winning the tournament since the two will main event the show against each other and if both Suwama and Kohei lose, then they would need to win the match to win the Carnival. There is a chance for a final match to happen after if either Kohei or Suwama tie since one of them could fight the winner of Jake and Kento after their match. There is also one way that either Suwama or Kohei could win and that would be if either wins their match while Jake and Kento end in a draw but that could be a rare outcome.