All Japan Pro Wrestling announced the cancelation of its annual Champion Carnival tournament.
The tournament was set to begin on April 6 at Korakuen Hall and conclude on May 5. The cancelation is due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
Davey Boy Smith Jr., Lucas Steel, and Joel Redman all dropped out of the tournament in recent weeks due to the travel restrictions put in place by the government.
In a press conference announcing the cancelation, AJPW President Tsuyoki Fukuda said the promotion will make every effort possible to run the tournament this year. The Champion Carnival tournament has been held annually since 1991. The tournament originally started in 1973. Kento Miyahara won last year’s tournament, besting Jake Lee in the finals.
Despite trying everything, we regret to inform you this years Champion Carnival has been cancelled due to the spread of coronavirus.
— 全日本プロレス (English) (@alljapan_eng) April 2, 2020
Thank you for your understanding.#ajpw #2020cc pic.twitter.com/D4IGuPLibJ
This marks the second major tournament cancelation in Japan as New Japan Pro Wrestling had to cancel its annual New Japan Cup tournament due to the coronavirus pandemic. NJPW has now canceled all events through April 18.
Fightful will continue to update fans on any cancelations around the world of wrestling as they are known.
