Champion Carnival

The **Champion Carnival** (チャンピオン・カーニバル, *Chanpion Kānibaru*) is a tournament held by All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW). The tournament is also known by the nickname ***Haru no Saiten*** (春の祭典, "Spring Festival") and is sometimes abbreviated to **CC**. Created by AJPW founder Giant Baba, the tournament has been held annually since 1973 and is the longest-running singles tournament in puroresu, while also ranking as the most prestigious event in the AJPW calendar. It is considered a successor to the World Big League, held by Japan Pro Wrestling Alliance (JWA) between 1959 and 1972, predating the New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW) G1 Climax tournament by a year.

The tournament is held in a round-robin format, where all participating wrestlers face each other once with the winner being awarded two points and the loser none. A draw results in both wrestlers being awarded a point. After all wrestlers have faced each other once, the top two wrestlers advance to the finals to determine the tournament winner.

Baba himself holds the record for most wins, having won the tournament seven times. Other notable winners include Abdullah the Butcher, Jumbo Tsuruta, Keiji Mutoh, Mitsuharu Misawa, Stan Hansen and Toshiaki Kawada. Three wrestlers have won both the Champion Carnival and the G1 Climax; Mutoh, Satoshi Kojima and Yuji Nagata. Kento Miyahara and Genichiro Tenryu hold the record of winning tournament as the reigning champions.

## History

From 1959 to 1972, the Japan Pro Wrestling Alliance (JWA), run by Rikidozan, held a tournament called World League (also known as the "World Big League"), which featured both Japanese and foreign professional wrestlers. Rikidōzan himself dominated the annual tournament early on, however, after his death in 1963, the tournament was won six times by Giant Baba and once by Antonio Inoki. JWA folded shortly after both Baba and Inoki left the promotion to create All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW) and New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW), respectively. Both men took the concept of World League with them to their new promotions, with Baba creating the **Champion Carnival** in 1973 and Inoki creating the World League in 1974, later renaming it G1 Climax.

The first tournament took place only six months after Baba had founded AJPW. The initial tournament was held in a single-elimination format and was intended for AJPW's heavyweight wrestlers such as Hiro Matsuda, Samson Kutsuwada and Thunder Sugiyama. For the tournament, Baba also recruited several foreign wrestlers, such as Baron Scicluna, The Destroyer, King Curtis Iaukea and Mark Lewin. Baba himself won the inaugural tournament, defeating Lewin in the finals. A year later, AJPW presented the second tournament, which most notably introduced former Olympian Jumbo Tsuruta, who eventually went on to become one of the promotion's top names. Baba also won the second tournament, this time defeating Mr. Wrestling in the finals. Heading into the 1975 tournament, Baba changed the tournament's format. Now the four wrestlers who advanced to the semifinals in the single-elimination tournament were put into a round-robin tournament, where the wrestler with the best record would be declared the winner. Baba went on to win the tournament for the third year in a row, defeating Gene Kiniski in the finals. A year later, the single-elimination portion of the tournament was eliminated and the tournament was changed to a pure round-robin tournament, a format it holds to this day. The 1976 tournament was the first not won by Baba. It was instead won by Canadian Abdullah the Butcher, who defeated Baba in the finals. Baba went on to win the tournament four more times, winning a total of seven out of the ten first tournaments. In early 1980s, AJPW loaded the tournament with some of the top foreign wrestlers in the world, including Billy Robinson, Bruiser Brody, Dick Slater, Jack Brisco, Stan Hansen, Ted DiBiase and Terry Funk. However, after rival promotion NJPW took over as the number one promotion in Japan with a record-breaking business streak, AJPW decided to put the tournament on hiatus, not wanting the tournament to be overshadowed by their competitors. The hiatus lasted from 1983 to 1991.

In 1991, AJPW had overtaken NJPW and was again the top promotion in Japan, boasting a roster of top foreign wrestlers mixed with top Japanese wrestlers. The 1991 tournament showcased several younger wrestlers, including Kenta Kobashi, Mitsuharu Misawa and Toshiaki Kawada, who bypassed the promotion's aging veterans and went on to become the promotion's cornerstones for the next decade. However, despite the emergence of the younger wrestlers and the participation of foreign wrestlers such as Doug Furnas, The Dynamite Kid, Johnny Ace, Johnny Smith and Mick Foley, the 1991 tournament was won by an AJPW veteran Jumbo Tsuruta, who defeated Stan Hansen in the finals. The 1992 tournament was booked around the storyline of the "rookies" challenging the veterans for AJPW supremacy. Stan Hansen went on to win his first , defeating Mitsuharu Misawa in the finals. Despite losing in the finals, the tournament made Misawa a star, someone earmarked to occupy the promotion's top spot. A year later, Hansen again defeated Misawa in the finals. The 1993 tournament was also noteworthy for introducing rookie Jun Akiyama. In 1994, Toshiaki Kawada became the first of the "rookies" to win the tournament, defeating "Dr. Death" Steve Williams in the finals in a match that has been called "arguably the greatest Carnival tournament match of all time". For the next several years the tournament was dominated by AJPW's younger wrestlers with Kawada repeating his win, Mitsuharu Misawa winning two tournaments and Kenta Kobashi one tournament. The 1997 tournament ended in a rare three-way draw between Kawada, Kobashi and Misawa, resulting in a round-robin playoff between the three, where Kawada emerged victorious.

On January 31, 1999, Giant Baba died, leaving the promotion in the hands of Mitsuharu Misawa. The 1999 Champion Carnival was the first one not booked by Baba. As the new booker, Misawa made a controversial decision to leave Stan Hansen out of the tournament, while giving Vader the win in the finals over Kenta Kobashi. Problems between Misawa and Giant Baba's widow Motoko Baba led to Misawa exiting AJPW in 2000, taking 26 out of the 28 Japanese AJPW wrestlers with him to form the new Pro Wrestling NOAH promotion. Struggling to cope with the loss of the majority of its roster, AJPW eventually hired NJPW wrestler Keiji Mutoh to lead the promotion. Mutoh went on to win the three times (2002, 2004 and 2007), before leaving the promotion in 2013, after which he was replaced by Jun Akiyama. 2013 also saw Akiyama finally win his first Champion Carnival, twenty years after his debut appearance in the tournament.

In recent years, several outsiders have won the tournament, with freelancer Minoru Suzuki winning it in 2009 and 2010, NJPW representative Yuji Nagata winning it in 2011, and Big Japan Pro Wrestling (BJW) representative Daisuke Sekimoto winning it in 2016, freelancer Shuji Ishikawa winning it in 2017, and Pro Wrestling Noah representative Naomichi Marufuji winning it in 2018.

After 18 years, Kento Miyahara broke Genichiro Tenryu's record of winning the tournament as the reigning Triple Crown Heavyweight Champion.

On May 28, 2020 AJPW president Tsuyoki Fukuda announced that 2020 edition of the tournament would feature only Japanese wrestlers for the first time in 47 years in the tournament's history due to travel restrictions regarding the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

## List of winners

### 1973

The inaugural Champion Carnival was in 1973 was a 15-man single-elimination tournament, held from March 17 to April 21. Giant Baba, as a result of his position as PWF Heavyweight Champion, was given a bye to the quarterfinals.

1 This was a two out of three falls match, which Baba won 2-1, with all three falls being decided via pinfall.

### 1974

The 1974 Champion Carnival was held from April 13 to May 14, was another 15-man single-elimination tournament, with the PWF Heavyweight Champion, Giant Baba, being granted another bye to the quarterfinals.

1 This was a two out of three falls match, which Baba won 2-1, with all three falls being decided via pinfall.

### 1975

The 1975 Champion Carnival was held from April 5 to May 3, strayed slightly from the previous formula; it featured the usual single-elimination tournament, but one in which the four finalists would advance to a round-robin, the two top scorers of which would face off in the finals to decide the champion. Mr. Wrestling & Samson Kutsuwada received byes to the second round. Points awarded for the round-robin portion were 1 for a win, and 0 for a loss or draw.

1 For detailed results, see below.
2 This was a two out of three falls match, which Baba won 2-1, with all three falls being decided via pinfall.

**Round-robin results**

Final standings
 Mr. Wrestling | 0

 Gene Kiniski
 Mr. Wrestling

### 1976

The 1976 Champion Carnival was held from April 2 to May 8, was a 14-man round-robin tournament, in which the two top scorers would advance to the final match to decide the champion. It introduced the modern round-robin points system, featuring two points for a victory, one for draws, and zero for a loss. Reigning NWA International champion Kintaro Ohki participated as a representative of his home promotion in South Korea.

Final standings
 Larry Sharpe | 0

### 1977

The 1977 Champion Carnival was held from April 8 to May 16, was identical in format to the previous year, but with 15 entrants instead of 14. As a result of a tie for second place, there was also a semifinal playoff between Giant Baba and Abdullah the Butcher.

Final standings
 Red Wolf | 0

### 1978

The 1978 Champion Carnival was another round-robin tournament featuring 15 entrants, held from March 4 to April 7.

Final standings
 Frank Morell | 0

### 1980

The 1980 Champion Carnival was a 13-man tournament, held from March 28 to May 1.

Final standings
 Carl Fergie | 0

### 1981

The 1981 Champion Carnival was a 14-man tournament held from March 27 to April 23.

Final standings
 Wayne Ferris | 3

### 1982

The 1982 Champion Carnival was an 18-man tournament, which, unlike previous years, featured no final; the man with the most points at the end of the league would be the winner. It was held from March 19 to April 16.

Final standings
 Ashura Hara | 0

### 1991

The 1991 Champion Carnival introduced the modern "dual-block" system, with seven wrestlers in two separate leagues, and the winners of each facing off in the final. It was held from March 23 to April 16. With his victory, Jumbo Tsuruta became the first man to not lose a single match in a round-robin style .

Final standings
 Johnny Ace | 0 | Cactus Jack | 0

### 1992

The 1992 Champion Carnival was another two-block round-robin tournament, this time with 10 wrestlers in each block. It was held from March 20 to April 17. Stan Hansen repeated Jumbo Tsuruta's feat the previous year, winning every match he participated in.

Final standings
 Joel Deaton | 0 | Billy Black | 0

### 1993

The 1993 Champion Carnival returned to the single-block round-robin format, this time with 13 men. It was held from March 25 to April 21.

Final standings
 Jun Akiyama | 0

### 1994

The 1994 Champion Carnival was another single-block round-robin tournament, featuring 12 men. It was held from March 19 to April 16.

Final standings
 Doug Furnas | 4

### 1995

The 1995 Champion Carnival contained 11 wrestlers and was held from March 21 to April 15.

Final standings
 Takao Omori | 0

### 1996

The 1996 Champion Carnival contained 12 men and was held from March 22 to April 20. It contained the longest decisive match in the tournament's history, with Toshiaki Kawada defeating Kenta Kobashi in 29:38, just 22 seconds shy of the time limit.

Final standings
 Tamon Honda | 1

### 1997

The 1997 Champion Carnival contained 13 men and was held from March 22 to April 19. Due to a three-way tie for first place between Toshiaki Kawada, Kenta Kobashi and Mitsuharu Misawa, a one-night round-robin playoff was contested among them, with the winner claiming the tournament.

Final standings
 Jun Izumida | 0

**Playoff**

Final standings
 Mitsuharu Misawa | 1

 Mitsuharu Misawa | Kawada | Draw | X

### 1998

The 1998 Champion Carnival also contained 13 men and was held from March 21 to April 18.

Final standings
 Jun Izumida | 0

### 1999

The 1999 Champion Carnival was a 10-man tournament, held from March 26 to April 16. The eventual winner, Vader, became the first man since the tournament's creation to win in his first attempt.

Final standings
 Takao Omori | 1

### 2000

The 2000 Champion Carnival was a 16-man single-elimination tournament, the first to strictly use such a format since 1974, and was held from March 24 to April 15. It was the last Carnival before nearly all of AJPW's roster, including Kenta Kobashi, Jun Akiyama, Mitsuharu Misawa and Akira Taue, left to form Pro Wrestling NOAH. It also featured the shortest match in the tournament's history, with Takao Omori defeating Akiyama in seven seconds in the first round.

### 2001

The 2001 Champion Carnival returned to the round-robin format, with 10 men competing; it was held from March 23 to April 11. The winner, Genichiro Tenryu, made his first appearance in the tournament since 1982. This was also the last Carnival to use a single-block round-robin system, as all subsequent tournaments have used the dual-block formula.

Final standings
 Jim Steele | 2

### 2002

The 2002 Champion Carnival was held from March 23 to April 10, re-introduced the dual-block round-robin format used in 1991 and 1992, this time with 7 men in each block; the top two scorers in each would advance to a four-man tournament, with Block A's first place finalist facing Block B's runner-up, and vice versa, and the winners wrestling in the final. Ironically, both block winners, Satoshi Kojima and Genichiro Tenryu, were eliminated in the semifinals. Despite the Triple Crown Heavyweight Championship being vacant as a result of Toshiaki Kawada injuring his knee after his match against Arashi (thereby forfeiting all his other scheduled matches), All Japan decided not to use the tournament to fill the vacancy, citing the time limit for tournament matches (30 minutes as opposed to 60 in championship bouts).

The winner, Keiji Mutoh, became the first man in history to win both the Champion Carnival and the G1 Climax, as well as the second man (after Vader) to win the Carnival in his first appearance.

Final standings
 Arashi | 2 | Nobutaka Araya | 2

### 2003

The 2003 Champion Carnival was a 10-man single-elimination tournament, held from March 22 to March 28. Keiji Mutoh, Satoshi Kojima, George Hines, Johnny Smith, Arashi and Nobutaka Araya received byes to the quarterfinals, leaving Yoji Anjo, Gigantes, The Gladiator and Big John Tenta to fight in the first round. Reigning Triple Crown champion Shinya Hashimoto did not participate, citing prior commitments to his Pro Wrestling ZERO1 promotion.

### 2004

The 2004 Champion Carnival was a round-robin tournament, featuring five men in each block. It was held from April 10 to April 20.

Final standings
 Arashi | 2 | Nobutaka Araya | 2

### 2005

The 2005 Champion Carnival was identical to that of 2004, but with six men in each block instead of five. It was held from April 9 to April 20. In a situation similar to the 2002 tournament, neither block winner, Toshiaki Kawada or Satoshi Kojima, were able to make it to the finals, instead losing to runners-up Jamal and, the eventual winner, Kensuke Sasaki.

Final standings
 Shuji Kondo | 2 | Kohei Suwama | 2

### 2006

The 2006 Champion Carnival was another 12-man, two-block round-robin tournament, held from April 7 to April 20.

Final standings
 Buchanan | 2 | Katsuhiko Nakajima | 2

### 2007

The 2007 Champion Carnival was a 10-man, two-block round-robin tournament. Its schedule was somewhat unique, having been contested over five straight shows at Korakuen Hall, from March 26 to March 30. It also strayed from the usual formula of the four top scorers advancing to the semifinals; instead, the two block winners simply wrestled in the final to determine the champion. The eventual winner, Keiji Mutoh, became only the second person in history to win the Carnival three times, along with Giant Baba.

Final standings
 Toru Owashi | 0 | RO'Z | 2

### 2008

The 2008 Champion Carnival was held from April 5 to April 9 over five shows, and featured the following participants.

Final standings
 Taiyo Kea | 0 | Osamu Nishimura | 3

### 2009

The 2009 Champion Carnival was held from April 5 to April 12 over six shows, and featured the following participants.

Final standings
 Seiya Sanada | 0 | ZODIAC | 2

### 2010

The 2010 Champion Carnival was a 10-man, two-block round-robin tournament held over seven events from April 3 to April 11.

Final standings
 Seiya Sanada | 1 | Taiyo Kea | 2

### 2011

The 2011 Champion Carnival was a 12-man, two-block round-robin tournament held over five events from April 8 to April 13. KENSO suffered an injury and was forced to drop out of the tournament after his first match, forfeiting the rest of his matches.

Final standings
 Ryota Hama | 0 | KENSO | 0

### 2012

The 2012 Champion Carnival was a 14-man, two-block round-robin tournament held over twelve events from April 21 to May 7. Yutaka Yoshie suffered an injury and was forced to drop out of the tournament after his second match, forfeiting the rest of his matches. Takumi Soya was injured after his fifth match and also pulled out of the tournament, forfeiting his final match. Reigning Triple Crown champion Jun Akiyama did not participate due to prior commitments with Pro Wrestling NOAH, his home promotion at the time.

Final standings
 Ryota Hama | 4 | Yutaka Yoshie | 2

### 2013

The 2013 Champion Carnival was a 12-man, two-block round-robin tournament held over eight events from April 18 to April 29.

Final standings
 Ryota Hama | 2 | Masakatsu Funaki | 4

### 2014

The 2014 Champion Carnival was a 12-man, two-block round-robin tournament held over nine events from April 13 to April 27. Reigning Triple Crown Heavyweight Champion Akebono, who was leading his block at the time, was forced to pull out of the tournament on April 22 after being hospitalized with poor health, forfeiting his last two matches. (The title was eventually declared vacant on May 30, after the tournament was over.) On April 25 it was announced that Go Shiozaki had also withdrawn from the tournament due to a broken thumb, and forfeited his final match against Jun Akiyama.

Final standings
 Osamu Nishimura | 0 | KENSO | 2

### 2015

The 2015 Champion Carnival was a 12-man, two-block round-robin tournament that took place over ten events from April 5 to April 25.

Final standings
 The Bodyguard | 2 | KENSO | 0

### 2016

The 2016 Champion Carnival was a 14-man, two-block round-robin tournament that took place over four events from April 9 to April 17. Joe Doering was scheduled to take part in the tournament, but was forced to pull out after being diagnosed with a brain tumor. He was replaced by Atsushi Aoki. On April 20 it was announced that Hideoyoshi Kamitani injuried himself during a match against Zeus and he forfeited all of his matches.

Final standings
 Naoya Nomura | 2 | Jake Lee | 2

### 2017

The 2017 Champion Carnival was a 14-man, two-block round-robin tournament that taked place over eleven events from April 16 to April 30. The tournament feature outside participation from freelancers KAI and Shuji Ishikawa, from Big Japan Pro Wrestling Daichi Hashimoto and Daisuke Sekimoto and from Land's End Pro Wrestling Ryoji Sai and from Kaientai Dojo Kengo Mashimo.

Final standings
 Jake Lee | 2 | Takao Omori | 3

### 2018

The 2018 Champion Carnival was a 16-man, two-block round-robin tournament that took place from April 7 to April 30. The tournament featured outside participation from freelancers Dylan James, Yutaka Yoshie, Yuji Hino and Yoshitatsu, from Pro Wrestling NOAH Naomichi Marufuji and from Land's End Pro Wrestling Ryoji Sai and from Dragon Gate Shingo Takagi. On April 15, it was announced that Bodyguard had to forfeit his fourth match against Kento Miyahara, after injuring his left calf.

Final standings
 The Bodyguard | 4 | Yutaka Yoshie | 4

### 2019

The 2019 Champion Carnival was an 18-man, two-block round-robin tournament took place from April 4 to April 29. The tournament feature outside participation from freelancers Sam Adonis, Gianni Valletta and Joel Redman and from Big Japan Pro Wrestling Yuji Okabayashi and Daichi Hashimoto and from Dragon Gate Takashi Yoshida. Kengo Mashimo was originally scheduled to participate, however; he was replaced by Atsushi Aoki.

Final standings
 Yuji Okabayashi | 9
 Atsushi Aoki | 8
 Gianni Valletta

### 2020

The 2020 Champion Carnival was an eight-man, two-block round-robin tournament that took place from September 12 until October 5. The tournament would feature outside participation from freelancers Joel Redman and Lucas Steel, from Pro Wrestling NOAH Takashi Sugiura and from Big Japan Pro Wrestling Hideyoshi Kamitani and from Dragon Gate KAI, from Major League Wrestling Davey Boy Smith Jr, from Active Advance Pro Wrestling Ayato Yoshida and from Pro Wrestling Malta Gianni Valletta. On March 23, it was announced that Davey Boy Smith Jr., Joel Redman and Lucas Steel were pulled out of the tournament due to restrictions made by the Japanese government regarding the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. On April 2, AJPW president Tsuyoki Fukuda decided to cancel the tournament in April, with the tournament being rescheduled for a later date. On May 28, AJPW president Tsuyoki Fukuda announced that the tournament would return in September after the State of Emergency in Japan being lifted with the tournament having Japanese wrestlers only for the first time in the tournament's history due to travel restrictions regarding the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. On August 8, AJPW announced that the tournament would be held from September to October and that tournament for the first time in the tournament's history would not feature outside participation.

Final standings
 Jake Lee | 6 | Shuji Ishikawa
 Kuma Arashi | 2 | Yoshitatsu | 2

### 2021

The 2021 Champion Carnival was a 10-man, single-block round-robin tournament taking place from April 9 to May 3. On April 23, AJPW announced that the tournament matches between April 25 to May 3 would be held behind closed doors, following the declaration of State of Emergency in Tokyo. Six days later, Shinjiro Otani announced that he had suffured a broken arm, forfeiting his remaning matches against Zeus and Kohei Sato.

Final standings
 Koji Doi | 2

### 2022

The 2022 Champion Carnival was an twelve-man, two-block round-robin tournament that taking place from April 9 to May 4. The tournament would feature outside participation from Big Japan Pro Wrestling's Takuya Nomura and GLEAT's T-Hawk.

Final standings
 Shuji Ishikawa | 6
 Shotaro Ashino | 6
 Shigehiro Irie | 5
 Ryuki Honda | 0

### 2023

The 2023 edition of the Champion Carnival took place between April 8 and May 7, 2023. Sixteen wrestlers competed in this year's Champion Carnival. Naoya Nomura was originally scheduled to compete, but pulled out due to injury, with Takao Omori taking his place in the tournament instead.

Final standings
 Kento Miyahara | 8
 Ryuki Honda | 8
 Yuma Aoyagi | 8
 Satoshi Kojima | 8
 Cyrus
 Jun Saito | 6
 Yoshitatsu | 2

## Gallery

* Gallery
* Winners

Trophy

Giant BabaAbdullah the ButcherJumbo TsurutaStan HansenToshiaki KawadaMitsuharu MisawaAkira TaueVaderKenta KobashiKeiji MutohKensuke SasakiTaiyo KeaSuwamaMinoru SuzukiYuji NagataJun AkiyamaTakao OmoriAkebonoDaisuke SekimotoShuji IshikawaNaomichi MarufujiKento MiyaharaZeusJake LeeYuma AoyagiShotaro Ashino

## References

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2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 *ja:関本が全日ＣＣ初制覇* (in Japanese). *Tokyo Sports* (2016-04-25). Retrieved on 2016-05-25.
3. ↑ Molinaro, John F.. Tenryu wins Carnival Championship, All Japan tournament concludes . *Slam! Sports*. Canadian Online Explorer. Retrieved on 2016-05-25.
4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 4.6 Sempervive, Mike 2015-07-19. New Japan 2015 G1 Climax: History, Schedule, Predictions, Scouting Reports . *Wrestling Observer Newsletter*. Retrieved on 2016-05-25.
5. ↑ 5.00 5.01 5.02 5.03 5.04 5.05 5.06 5.07 5.08 5.09 5.10 5.11 5.12 5.13 5.14 5.15 5.16 5.17 5.18 5.19 5.20 5.21 5.22 5.23 5.24 5.25 5.26 5.27 5.28 5.29 5.30 5.31 5.32 5.33 5.34 5.35 5.36 5.37 5.38 5.39 Molinaro, John F.. History of All Japan's Carnival tournament . *Slam! Sports*. Canadian Online Explorer. Retrieved on 2016-05-25.
6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 *ja:武藤が２年ぶり２度目のＣＣ制覇* (in Japanese). *Nikkan Sports*. Retrieved on 2016-05-25.
7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 *ja:Ｃ・カーニバル初制覇の曙 次は３冠奪回だ* (in Japanese). *Tokyo Sports* (2019-04-30). Retrieved on 2019-04-30.
8. ↑ Hoops, Brian 2015-05-14. On this day in pro wrestling history (May 14): Kerry Von Erich vs. Superstar Billy Graham, Giant Baba wins tourney, lots of WCW . *Wrestling Observer Newsletter*. Retrieved on 2016-05-25.
9. ↑ Hoops, Brian 2016-05-03. Daily Pro Wrestling History (05/03): Von Erich Parade of Champions; Steiners wins WCW World Tag Team Titles; AJ Styles wins IWGP Title . *Wrestling Observer Newsletter*. Retrieved on 2016-05-25.
10. ↑ Martinez, Ryan 2008-04-17. This day in history: Jericho wins the WWF title (for a few minutes), the first Spring Stampede and more . *Pro Wrestling Insider*. Retrieved on 2016-05-25.
11. ↑ Hoops, Brian 2016-04-19. Daily pro wrestling history (04/19): Randy Savage wins WCW World Title; Ric Flairs wins NWA US Title . *Wrestling Observer Newsletter*. Retrieved on 2016-05-25.
12. ↑ Meltzer, Dave (June 22, 2009). "June 22, 2009 Observer Newsletter: Misawa tragic death, UFC 99, Trump angle, TripleMania, Sylvia". *Wrestling Observer Newsletter*. Campbell, California. ISSN 1083-9593.
13. ↑ Adamson, Matt 2007-06-03. Destiny 6.03.07: Keiji Mutoh and the Triple Crown . *411Mania*. Retrieved on 2016-05-25.
14. ↑ *ja:秋山ゴーサイン！武藤と“新旧全日社長対決”だ* (in Japanese). *Tokyo Sports* (2016-05-09). Retrieved on 2016-05-25.
15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 *ja:【全日ＣＣ】秋山が悲願の初優勝！！* (in Japanese). *Tokyo Sports* (2013-04-30). Retrieved on 2016-05-25.
16. ↑ *ja:永田裕志"青春"真っ盛り！鈴木を破って優勝決定戦に進出してきた真田を下し、NJCに続きチャンピオン・カーニバルも制覇！* (in Japanese). *Battle News*. Retrieved on 2016-05-25.
17. ↑ *ja:【全日本】石川修司がＣ・カーニバル初Ｖ！大成長の裏に飯伏への対抗心* (in Japanese). *Tokyo Sports* (2017-05-01). Retrieved on 2017-05-01.
18. ↑ Rose, Bryan 2018-04-30. AJPW crowns 2018 Champion Carnival . *Wrestling Observer Newsletter*. Retrieved on 2018-04-30.
19. ↑ Molinaro, John F.. Kobashi wins Carnival Championship . *Slam! Sports*. Canadian Online Explorer. Retrieved on 2016-05-25.
20. ↑ This day in history: Rogers 'officially' WWWF Champion, DDP wins the WCW title, NWA tag title tourney and more . *Pro Wrestling Insider* (2011-04-11). Retrieved on 2016-05-25.
21. ↑ Wrestling years . *Pro Wrestling Illustrated*. Retrieved on 2016-05-25.
22. ↑ Nemer, Paul 2009-04-12. All Japan Champions Carnival Finals . *Wrestleview*. Retrieved on 2016-05-25.
23. ↑ Martin, Adam 2013-11-10. Yuji Nagata makes history winning three tournaments . *Wrestleview*. Retrieved on 2016-05-25.
24. ↑ Dave, Meltzer 2015-05-08. Thurs. update: Itami injury, Uhaa Nation notes, AAA World Cup info, Web site dinner and live Q&A show, Lawsuts, Flair, New Japan marathon Steiner, New UFC fight . *Wrestling Observer Newsletter*. Retrieved on 2016-05-25.
25. ↑ *ja:全日ＣＣ初Ｖの大森「プロレスやってきてよかった」* (in Japanese). *Tokyo Sports* (2014-04-28). Retrieved on 2016-05-25.
26. ↑ *ja:Ｃ・カーニバル初制覇の曙 次は３冠奪回だ* (in Japanese). *Tokyo Sports* (2015-04-27). Retrieved on 2016-05-25.
27. ↑ Meltzer, Dave 2017-04-30. Daily Update: Payback, House of Horrors, Champion Carnival . *Wrestling Observer Newsletter*. Retrieved on 2017-05-01.
28. ↑ Rose, Bryan 2018-04-30. AJPW crowns 2018 Champion Carnival . *Wrestling Observer Newsletter*. Retrieved on 2018-04-30.
29. ↑ *ja:【全日本・ＣＣ】ゼウスが初の祭典制覇！　ジャックハマー解禁で宮原との〝死闘〟Ｖ決定戦制す* (in Japanese). *Tokyo Sports* (2020-10-05). Retrieved on 2020-10-05.
30. ↑ *ja:【全日本・ＣＣ】ジェイク・リーが初優勝 １６日に諏訪魔の３冠挑戦へ「俺こそが正義だ！」* (in Japanese). *Tokyo Sports* (2021-05-03). Retrieved on 2021-05-03.
31. ↑ *ja:【全日本】芦野祥太郎がＣＣ初Ｖ「信念を持っていけば、どんな大きな相手にも勝てる！」* (in Japanese). *Tokyo Sports* (2022-05-07). Retrieved on 2022-05-07.