WRESTLEFILE EVENT FILE

AJPW Champion Carnival 2024 Final: WrestleFile Historical Verdict

The factual record, historical context, match-by-match analysis, and WrestleFile verdict.

AJPWMay 12, 2024Yokohama BUNTAI
THE WRESTLEGRADEA+9.6 / 10FINAL EVENT SCOREMASTER FILE RANK#18OF 1288
PROMOTION
All Japan Pro Wrestling
DATE
May 12, 2024
VENUE
Yokohama BUNTAI
LOCATION
Yokohama, Kanagawa
ATTENDANCE
2,530
EVENT TYPE
PPV
THE FILE

The 2024 Champion Carnival final succeeds because All Japan gives its two block winners a full main-event payoff while using the rest of the Yokohama BUNTAI card to preserve the tournament's broader roster story. Kento Miyahara defeats Jun Saito in 27:15 to win the Champion Carnival for the second time, five years after his 2019 victory, and earns the next Triple Crown Heavyweight Championship opportunity against Yuma Anzai. Rising HAYATO retains the World Junior Heavyweight Championship against Kaz Hayashi in the semi-main, while Anzai and Ryuki Honda score a strong tag victory over Davey Boy Smith Jr.

Read the Full FileContinue the event-level analysis

and Cyrus. With 2,530 announced in Yokohama BUNTAI, the event gives the tournament a suitably large final-night setting and establishes Miyahara's second Carnival win as the clear historical anchor.

Event ContextBackground, stakes & historical setting

Champion Carnival 2024 ran from April 18 through May 12 with sixteen wrestlers split across two blocks. Kento Miyahara won A Block with 12 points after closing league competition by defeating Davey Boy Smith Jr., while Jun Saito topped B Block with 10 points. The final-night format did not require semifinals, so both block winners arrived in Yokohama with one job: settle the tournament in a single main event. That makes the 27-minute final the direct payoff to nearly a month of league competition rather than the last step of a same-day bracket. Miyahara entered with the pedigree of a 2019 Champion Carnival winner; Jun entered seeking his first tournament victory and one of the biggest singles accomplishments of his career.

The rest of the card was built around the tournament aftermath and All Japan's wider roster. Triple Crown champion Yuma Anzai teamed with Ryuki Honda against Davey Boy Smith Jr. and Cyrus, keeping the reigning champion visible while the tournament decided his next challenger. Rising HAYATO defended the World Junior Heavyweight Championship against Kaz Hayashi. Rei Saito and Ren Ayabe received a post-Carnival singles match, while the undercard mixed touring foreigners, current regulars and a Shin Heisei Ishingun nostalgia attraction. The announced 2,530 attendance at Yokohama BUNTAI gave the final a larger setting than the Korakuen and regional tournament stops that preceded it.

VIEWING GUIDE

Watch, Skim or Skip?

WATCH
  • Rei Saito vs. Ren Ayabe
  • Yuma Anzai & Ryuki Honda vs. Davey Boy Smith Jr. & Cyrus
  • Rising HAYATO vs. Kaz Hayashi - World Junior Heavyweight Championship
  • Kento Miyahara vs. Jun Saito - Champion Carnival 2024 Final
SKIM
  • Dan Tamura & MUSASHI vs. Seiki Yoshioka & Andy Wu
  • Hartley Jackson & Lord Crewe vs. Hokuto Omori & Kumaarashi
  • Yuma Aoyagi, Shiro Koshinaka & AKIRA defeated Shotaro Ashino, Kuroshio TOKYO Japan & Seigo Tachibana
  • Suwama & Hideki Suzuki vs. Masakatsu Funaki & Masayuki Kono
SKIP
    MATCH-BY-MATCH ANALYSIS

    The Card, On the Record

    01Dan Tamura & MUSASHI defeated Seiki Yoshioka & Andy WuA-

    Dan Tamura and MUSASHI defeated Seiki Yoshioka and Andy Wu in a short opening tag at the Champion Carnival 2024 final. Tamura pinned Wu with La Magistral, giving him the decisive result while MUSASHI shared in the victory. Yoshioka and Wu supplied experienced junior-heavyweight opposition, which helped make the early match more than a parade of supporting roster names. Its brief length suited a major card whose central purpose was to determine the tournament winner later in the evening.

    The bout wasn't part of the Champion Carnival block standings, and its result didn't award tournament points or any championship belt. Instead it gave All Japan's junior side a place on the final's lineup and allowed Tamura to secure a useful win on an important date. The partners should be retained correctly in match discovery, since the outcome belonged to Tamura and MUSASHI together. Fans interested only in the tournament final can skim this opener without losing the bracket's competitive history.

    VERDICT

    Skim — Tamura pins Andy Wu for a junior-heavyweight tag win before the Champion Carnival final.

    02Hartley Jackson & Lord Crewe defeated Hokuto Omori & KumaarashiA-

    Hartley Jackson and Lord Crewe defeated Hokuto Omori and Kumaarashi in a heavyweight tag at All Japan's 2024 Champion Carnival final. Jackson scored the decisive fall over Omori following a Death Valley Bomb, sending the visiting pairing out of the tournament period with a direct team victory. Both visitors had participated in the broader Carnival tour, so their final-night appearance offered continuity with wrestlers who had challenged All Japan's regular heavyweight roster across the competition.

    No block points were being allocated through this match, and neither team was seeking the World Tag Team Championship in the official result. The bout's role was to provide a supporting heavyweight attraction before the tournament's conclusion. Omori and Kumaarashi supplied familiar home-roster opposition while Jackson and Crewe brought another combination of size and physicality. The decisive fall matters for historical records because it identifies the winners without implying they had taken a singles tournament prize. For destination viewing, the contest is most useful as a snapshot of the foreign participants' final-night roles.

    VERDICT

    Skim for Carnival context — Jackson finishes Omori with a Death Valley Bomb in the heavyweight tag.

    03Yuma Aoyagi, Shiro Koshinaka & AKIRA defeated Shotaro Ashino, Kuroshio TOKYO Japan & Seigo TachibanaA

    Yuma Aoyagi, Shiro Koshinaka and AKIRA defeated Shotaro Ashino, Kuroshio TOKYO Japan and Seigo Tachibana in a special six-man at All Japan's Champion Carnival 2024 final. The attraction drew on the Shin Heisei Ishingun reunion identity, bringing Koshinaka and AKIRA's career histories into a contemporary All Japan setting. Aoyagi pinned Kuroshio with a diving elbow, ensuring that the current AJPW performer earned the decisive fall while the veterans contributed to the nostalgic presentation.

    This wasn't a Champion Carnival semifinal or a championship match. The six wrestlers competed as two trios, and the result was a single team win rather than three independent decisions. Ashino and Tachibana supplied a contemporary counterweight to the veteran presence, keeping the special attraction connected with the promotion's current roster. Its significance rests on the crossover between eras and the chance to see established names interact with current competitors, rather than a direct effect on the tournament standings or the champion crowned at the event's end.

    VERDICT

    Skim for company history — Aoyagi pins Kuroshio as the Shin Heisei Ishingun reunion trios attraction ends.

    04Rei Saito defeated Ren AyabeA
    WRESTLER FILES

    Rei Saito defeated Ren Ayabe in 11:41 on the final night of All Japan's 2024 Champion Carnival. Both wrestlers were emerging heavyweight names whose appearances throughout the tournament had increased their visibility. Saito won with the Eisbein, giving him an identifiable singles success shortly before his brother Jun competed in the main-event final against Kento Miyahara. Ayabe brought a similar imposing physical presence, making the contest a meeting of two wrestlers likely to feature in later heavyweight stories.

    The bout didn't award Champion Carnival block points or make Saito the tournament winner. The semifinal and final stage of the competition had already been set, and this match allowed other participants to remain active on the final's undercard. Saito's victory was useful for his career standing without requiring an invented championship change. For an archive reader, it helps explain how the promotion treated its developing heavyweight roster on a major tournament date while keeping the eventual trophy outcome distinct.

    VERDICT

    Watch for heavyweight development — Rei Saito beats Ren Ayabe with the Eisbein in 11:41.

    05Suwama & Hideki Suzuki defeated Masakatsu Funaki & Masayuki KonoA

    Suwama and Hideki Suzuki defeated Masakatsu Funaki and Masayuki Kono in a special tag match at the Champion Carnival 2024 final. Suwama secured the decisive submission over Kono with the Manriki Sleeper, while Suzuki and Funaki added a particularly grappling-oriented dimension to the meeting. The four competitors brought veteran experience that distinguished the attraction from the younger heavyweights elsewhere on the card. Their contest was not a tournament semifinal or a World Tag Team Championship defense.

    Placing this encounter in the late undercard allowed All Japan to emphasize its longer wrestling history before the final tournament match arrived. Suwama and Suzuki earned the team win, but that result did not change the standings or eliminate the finalists. Funaki's background and the distinctive submission finish helped give the bout a specific identity without needing to claim major championship stakes. It is worth a focused look for viewers interested in contrasting veteran wrestling approaches during a card otherwise built around current tournament participants.

    VERDICT

    Skim for veteran history — Suwama submits Kono as he and Hideki Suzuki beat Funaki and Kono in the veteran tag.

    06Yuma Anzai & Ryuki Honda defeated Davey Boy Smith Jr. & CyrusA

    Yuma Anzai and Ryuki Honda defeated Davey Boy Smith Jr. and Cyrus in 13:33 during All Japan's Champion Carnival 2024 final event. Honda pinned Cyrus with a lariat, giving him a valuable result beside reigning Triple Crown Heavyweight Champion Anzai. Smith had finished runner-up in the A Block, so the opposing team carried substantial tournament credibility even though this was a supporting tag rather than an additional block match. The victory also kept Anzai visible before the competition determined his next title challenger.

    Neither the Triple Crown belt nor the Carnival trophy changed hands through the tag result. The finish belongs to Honda, and the winning side was Anzai and Honda together, not a singles win for Anzai over Smith. The bout served as a useful demonstration of the promotion's younger heavyweight group against powerful visiting opponents. Its duration allowed a serious contest without competing with the longer final between Kento Miyahara and Jun Saito that closed the show.

    VERDICT

    Watch for current-generation positioning — Honda pins Cyrus as he and champion Anzai take a notable tag victory.

    07Rising HAYATO defeated Kaz Hayashi - World Junior Heavyweight ChampionshipA+
    WRESTLER FILES

    Rising HAYATO retained the AJPW World Junior Heavyweight Championship against Kaz Hayashi in 13:52 at the 2024 Champion Carnival final. Hayashi brought championship history and experience from an earlier stage of the promotion's junior division, turning the defense into a meeting of generations. HAYATO answered that challenge with Sid Vicious and recorded his second successful title defense, keeping the belt with its current representative rather than transferring it to the veteran contender.

    The junior championship occupied the last major spot before the heavyweight tournament final, where Kento Miyahara and Jun Saito would decide the Carnival. That placement elevated HAYATO's defense as a separate attraction rather than an incidental opening bout. The contest did not affect who won the Carnival, but it strengthened HAYATO's reign through victory over a recognizable former leader of the division. The grade reflects the title's place on an important card as well as the identifiable defense itself.

    VERDICT

    ESSENTIAL — Rising HAYATO defeats Kaz Hayashi in 13:52, retaining the World Junior belt in his second defense.

    08Kento Miyahara defeated Jun Saito - Champion Carnival 2024 FinalA+
    WRESTLER FILES

    Kento Miyahara defeated Jun Saito in 27:15 to win the 2024 Champion Carnival. Saito had come through the B Block and offered a heavyweight power challenge to a wrestler already established as one of modern All Japan's leading singles performers. Miyahara used the Shutdown Suplex Hold for the decisive fall, ending the tournament with his second Carnival win after the 2019 title. This was a tournament final, not a defense of the Triple Crown Heavyweight Championship.

    The distinction shaped the aftermath. Miyahara's victory positioned him to challenge then-Triple Crown champion Yuma Anzai, providing a direction for the promotion's next major singles title program. Saito did not leave with the tournament trophy despite his strong block performance. A final that lasted nearly half an hour allowed the clash between Miyahara's experience and Saito's size to become a major match of its own, while the promised championship opportunity gave its outcome consequences beyond the night.

    VERDICT

    ESSENTIAL — Miyahara wins the 2024 Champion Carnival by pinning Jun Saito in 27:15, earning a Triple Crown title opportunity.

    BOOKING VERDICTA+

    Miyahara winning is a strong conclusion because the final rewards the most successful A Block wrestler without making Jun Saito's run feel incidental. Jun reaches the final as B Block winner and receives more than twenty-seven minutes against one of All Japan's defining modern stars, which is meaningful elevation even in defeat. Miyahara's second Carnival win also has immediate consequence: Triple Crown champion Yuma Anzai confronts him after the tournament, creating the next heavyweight title program rather than letting the trophy exist in isolation.

    The supporting results are similarly disciplined. Rising HAYATO retains the junior title over Kaz Hayashi, strengthening a current champion through a historically credible challenger. Ryuki Honda gets the fall in Anzai's tag match, allowing the Triple Crown champion to stay visible without taking the spotlight from the eventual tournament challenger. Rei Saito beats Ren Ayabe in a useful younger-heavyweight singles match, while Yuma Aoyagi owns the finish in the nostalgia six-man. The card therefore advances current wrestlers even when veteran or guest names are present.

    CROWD & PRESENTATIONA

    The announced 2,530 at Yokohama BUNTAI gives the final a substantial modern All Japan setting. The venue and crowd create more scale than the regional block shows, and the card benefits from having only one tournament match left. Instead of repeating the same round-robin structure, the final night can use the first seven matches to show where the rest of the roster stands after the month-long competition. That makes the main event feel like a destination rather than simply another block match with a trophy attached.

    The pacing is also effective. The opening tags are short, Rei Saito and Ren Ayabe provide a younger-heavyweight singles match, the veteran special tag changes the texture, Anzai's match reconnects the tournament to the Triple Crown picture, and HAYATO's junior defense gives the semi-main championship weight. The final then receives more than twenty-seven minutes. An ActWres Girl'Z offer match sits before the numbered card, but the canonical WrestleFile match set follows All Japan's eight-match main-card numbering.

    HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCEA+

    Miyahara's second Champion Carnival victory is the enduring historical marker. His first came in 2019, so the five-year gap reinforces his longevity near the top of All Japan rather than presenting 2024 as a repeat of the same career phase. Beating Jun Saito also captures Jun at an important point in his rise: he wins B Block and reaches the tournament final before later championship success expands his profile further. The event therefore records both Miyahara's established status and the Saito generation pushing deeper into the promotion's biggest annual tournament.

    The post-match link to Yuma Anzai adds another layer. Anzai was already Triple Crown champion while still early in his career, and Miyahara's tournament win created an immediate test between the company's defining modern ace and its younger champion. Rising HAYATO's successful junior defense against Kaz Hayashi provides a secondary championship marker. Together with the 2,530 Yokohama attendance, the show documents a period when All Japan was using established stars to validate a younger core rather than choosing between the two.

    WHAT AGED WELL
    • Kento Miyahara's second Champion Carnival victory remains the event's defining historical result.
    • Jun Saito reaching the final preserves an important stage of his rise in All Japan's heavyweight hierarchy.
    • Rising HAYATO retaining against Kaz Hayashi gives the card a second championship-level historical marker.
    WHAT AGED POORLY
    • Several undercard tags are more useful for roster context than as standalone rewatches.
    • The nostalgia six-man depends on familiarity with Shin Heisei Ishingun history to carry its full meaning.
    • The final-night card contains only one tournament match, so viewers seeking the broader Carnival story need the block-stage context.
    RESEARCH VERDICTWhere the Evidence Lands

    All Japan's official May 12, 2024 results establish Yokohama BUNTAI, the announced 2,530 attendance, complete numbered card, match times, HAYATO's successful junior defense and Kento Miyahara's second Champion Carnival victory. PuroLove independently preserves the full tournament chronology and final-night results. Superluchas cross-checks the event identity, attendance and card, POST Wrestling documents Miyahara's win and resulting Triple Crown path against Yuma Anzai, and ProWresBlog provides a contemporaneous match-by-match final-card record. The May 12 Yokohama BUNTAI program ended with Kento Miyahara defeating Jun Saito for Miyahara's second Champion Carnival victory, not a Triple Crown title change. The win positioned him as a challenger to reigning Triple Crown champion Yuma Anzai after the tournament. Rising HAYATO instead contested an actual championship match, defeating Kaz Hayashi to retain the World Junior Heavyweight belt. Rei Saito beat Ren Ayabe in separate undercard singles competition, and Yuma Anzai teamed with Ryuki Honda to defeat Davey Boy Smith Jr. and Cyrus. The official crowd was 2,530. Those distinctions preserve the final's stakes versus a normal title-defense card.

    RESEARCH SOURCESSources & Methodology
    5 sources

    These sources support the event record, historical context, critical reception, and streaming information used throughout this Event File.

    1. All Japan Pro Wrestling official - Champion Carnival 2024 Final resultsfirst-party date, Yokohama BUNTAI venue, 2,530 attendance, complete numbered card, match times, junior-title defense and tournament winner
    2. PuroLove - AJPW Champion Carnival 2024 resultscomplete tournament chronology, block standings and May 12 final-card cross-check
    3. Superluchas - Champion Carnival 2024 Final resultsindependent final-card, attendance, junior-title and tournament-result cross-check
    4. POST Wrestling - Kento Miyahara wins Champion CarnivalEnglish-language final result and Triple Crown challenge context
    5. ProWresBlog - AJPW Champion Carnival 2024 Day 11contemporaneous match-by-match final-card account and result cross-check
    WHERE TO WATCH

    Stream This Event

    Checked September 30, 2026STATUS
    No confirmed full-event stream

    All Japan's official result page identifies AJPW TV and Samurai TV as archives/broadcast outlets, but WrestleFile did not verify a stable current event-specific watch URL during this pass. Recheck before reader-facing availability updates.

    WrestleFile lists only streaming options we have specifically confirmed. Availability varies by country and can change.