We are now on the penultimate night of A Block Tournament action. Only three men are eligible to win the bracket, but that doesn’t stop the other seven from playing spoiler and potentially keeping them from winning.
As usual, the next night of B Block matches will be previewed in the form of tag matches.
Tomohiro Ishii & Show of CHAOS b. Juice Robinson & Shota Umino when Sho pinned Umino with a German Suplex. Juice and Ishii started the match by charging into each other with shoulderblocks, with nobody moving after several tries. Finally, it was Juice who knocked Ishii over. Umino tagged in, and didn’t fare as well. After firing up with some offense, he tagged back out to Juice, who landed several strikes. Ishii battled back with a suplex before a double tag out. Juice and Umino double teamed Sho. Ishii ran in and started fighting with Juice on the floor. Umino proceeded to get several near falls on Sho. However, Ishii held Juice at bay as Sho hit a German Suplex on Umino and got the pin.
Tetsuya Naito & SANADA of Los Ingobernables De Japon b. David Finlay & Toa Henare when Sanada submitted Henare with Skull End. It’s funny that Finlay and Henare are tagging, as both had been part of an ongoing gag of “C Block” for the last several weeks. The heels attacked before the bell, but the faceshalted the attak with stereo dropkicks. Henare was working over Naito until Sanada kicked Henare from behind. This lead to LIJ getting the heat on Henare and Finlay getting the tag. Finlay held his own against both opponents and tagged Henare back in and continued the offense. A brief four way broke out, and Sanada was able to clasp on the Skull End and submit Henare.
After the match, Naito motioned for a fist bump to Sanada. After nearly walking out, Sanada stepped back in the ring to accept the fist bump. Then Naito attacked, shoved Sanada into a corner, and did his Tranquilo pose. Sanada seemed to get a kick out of this. And that is the set up for their upcomng B Block tournament match on the 8th.
NEVER Openweight Hirooki Goto & Yoh of CHAOS b. Zack Sabre Jr. & Taka Michinoku of Suzuki-Gun when Yoh pinned Michinoku. Taka and Yoh began the match, and soon Taka and Zack were getting the heat on Yoh. Goto got the hot tag and ran wild until Sabre grounded him with holds. Yoh and Taka got their respective tags and went back and forth. For a moment, Goto and Yoh were caught in submissions. However, Yoh made it to the ropes for the break. Taka set up for another submission, but Yoh reversed it into a small package roll-up for an unexpected pin.
The Guerrillas Of Destiny (Tama Tonga & Tanga Loa) of Bullet Club OG b. Kota Ibushi & Yujiro Takahashi (w/Tokyo Latina) when Loa pinned Takahashi with the Over The Shoulder Piledriver. Tama offered a handshake to Yujiro, seemingly to invite him into Bullet Club OG. When Yujiro ultimately refused, the GODs attacked. The heels double teamed Yujiro until Ibushi ran in and cleared Tama out of the ring. Soon after, Loa hit Yujiro with the Over The Shoulder Piledriver for the win. I don’t think Ibushi ever got a legal tag in this match.
IWGP Heavyweight Champion Kenny Omega & Chase Owens b. Toru Yano & Gedo of CHAOS when Owens pinned Gedo with a Package Piledriver. Owens and Gedo started out and soon Owens and Omega were using frequent tags to double team Gedo. Yano got the tag and immediately starte removing a turnbuckle. Owens stopped him, so Yano went to the other turnbuckle. Omega stopped him there as well. Owens and Omega, now in possession of the turnbuckle pads, tried to hit Yano with them. Yano escaped and was able to tag Gedo.A four way broke out, with Kenny mistakingly superkicking Chase. That didn’t keep Owens from hitting a Package Piledriver on Ged to score the win.
YOSHI-HASHI (2) b. Bad Luck Fale (6) via DQ when Tama Tonga interfered. Hashi used his quickness to hit and run until Load interfered from the outside. Fale whipped Hashi into the guardrail, then dominated in the ring for several minutes. Hashi battled back, using hit and run tactics. Loa blatantly tried to interfere, but Hashi knocked him out of the ring and applied a cross armbreaker. Fale looked to be powerbombing his way out of it when Tama Tonga hit the ring and attacked Hashi with a chair. This caused the DQ, but didn’t stop the Tongans from pelting the referee with the chair for good measure.
After the match, Tonga ran into the crowd and threatened some fans with the chair. Hashi chased down Tonga, but got hit with the chair for his efforts.
Hangman Page (4) p. Minoru Suzuki (8) with a Rite Of Passage. In a surprising twist, Page was the one that attacked Suzuki before the bell. and quickly took Suzuki into the crowd. He moonsaulted from the stands onto both Suzuki and Desperado. Suzuki managed to ground Page and take him to the other side of the arena. Once the battle got back in the ring, Page started mounting a comeback. Unfortunately for Page, strikes only looked to anger Suzuki. The two got into a striking duel, which ended in Suzuki applying the Rear Naked Choke. Page countered and landed a Buckshot Lariat. Suzuki countered the Rite Of Passage into another Rear Naked Choke. When Page looked to be fading, Suzuki went for the Gotch Piledriver. Amazingly, Page managed to reverse into the Rite Of Passage and scored the upset pin.
“Switchblade” Jay White (10) p. Togi Makabe (4) with a Blade Runner. Makabe is also eliminated from winning the Block, but could keep White from winnint with a victory. White went at it right away with chops and strikes. When that didn’t go his way, White tried to escape to the outside. Makabe followed, which is where White managed to turn the tide by slamming him into the guardrail and apron. Back in the ring, White taunted to the crowd. Makabe slowly rose to his feet and made his comeback. White hit a suplex for a two count. White repeatedly tried to take down Makabe with strikes and clotheslines, but Makabbe woudn’t budge. White hit a German Suplex what Makabe aslo shrugged off. White tried to escape the Spider German Suplex, so Makabe merely tossed him to the mat instead. Before Makabe could follow up, White hid behind the referee Red Shoes. Makabe slammed White, but missed the King Kong Knee Drop. White scurried under the ring and prodiced to chairs. Makabe clotheslined White through the chair, and went for a chairshot on White. Red Shoes took the chair from Makabe. White capitalized and shoved Makabe into Red Shoes. Shortly after that, White hit the Blade Runner to get the pinfall..
After the match, White attacked a ringcrew member and tossed him to the guardrail. If Tanhashi loses either match from here on, White has a good chanc of winning the Block.
Hiroshi Tanahashi (12) p. Michael Elgin (6). Just like in the previous match, and the main event for that matter, one man is already eliminated from winning the Block. However, if Elgin wins, it becomes harder for Tanahashi to claim the Block, as White has a win over him. Tanahashi boldly motioned for a test of strength. Elgin fairly easily won the strength test, but Tanahashi forced a rope break. Back and forth action between Elgin’s strength and Tanahashi’s speed and agility. Elgin got to the top rope. Tanahashi met him at the turnbuckle and used a Dragon Screw off the top rope. After that, Tanahashi used the Cloverleaf. Elgin powered out, shoving Tanahashi over the top rope. Tanahashi skinned the cat and headscissored Elgin to the outside. Now it was Tanahashi’s turn to climb the turnbuckle. Elgin met him at the top and hit a superplex. Tanahashi kicked out of a powerbomb. Elgin hit a Buckle Bomb, only for Tanahashi to come back with a Slingblade for a two count. Twist and Shout and another Slingblade by Tanahashi. Elgin rolled through a High Fly Flow bodypress and went for a slam. Tanahashi escaped, but was planted with a clothesline. Elgin hit a Splash Mountain for a very near fall. Crowd is going nuts by this point. Another Buckle Bomb by Elgin. Elgin went for the Elgin Bomb, but Tanahashi was able to reverse it into a roll-up for a pin. No spoiling for Elgin.
If Okada loses tonight, he will be eliminated from winning the Block. If Tanahashi loses his next match against Okada, and White wins his final match, then White will get the block
Kazuchika Okada (10) p. EVIL (8) with two Rainmakers. As stated before, Okada has to win this match to stay alive. Both men when at it right from the start. Evil quickly resorted to his chair attacks on the outside, which still confuses me as to why it’s not a DQ. Anyway, back in the ring Evil stalked Okada. After landing a DDT, Okada started his comeback. The two battled on the apron, and took a plunge onto the guardrail. Evil took the fight onto the rampway, and tried the Darkness Falls. Okada escaped and hit a dropkick that sent Evil tumbling all the way back to ringside. Back in the ring, Okada hit two more dropkicks, one from the top rope. Evil escaped a Tombstone and lifted Okada into the air. Someshow Red Shoes grabbed Okada’s feet, which enabled Evil to turn the move into a Magic Killer. Okada kicked out of Darkness Falls. A dropkick by Okada missed, as did a Rainmaker. Evil hit Okada with his own Rainmaker, and followed up with a suplex and a lariat. Okada kicked out at two. Evil motioned for Everything Is Evil. Okada reversed Everything Is Evil into a Rainmaker, which Evil ducked. Evil went for another Rainmaker which Okada ducked and turned into an Everything Is Evil for a two count. Evil hit his second Rainmaker and tried for Everything Is Evil. Okada blocked and hit two straight Rainmakers to finish off Evil and claim the win.
After the match, Okada cut a promo, presumably vowing to win tomorrow.
To recap, Tanahashi, Okada, and White are still all in the running to win with one more night of A Block matches to go. The final night of A Block will pit White against Evil, and Okada against Tanahashi. If Tanahashi wins, he will win the block, as he will have only one loss and 16 points. If Okada wins and White loses, Okada will win the Block, because Okada and Tanahashi would tie at 14 points. Per the rules, ties go to the wrestler who won the match between the two. If White Wins and Okada wins, that would be a three way tie between White, Okada, and Tanahashi. But since White beat both of them, he would claim the Block.
STANDINGS
14 Tanahashi
12 Okada
12 White
8 EVIL
8 Suzuki
6 Elgin
6 Fale
6 Page
4 Makabe
4 YOSHI-HASHI
