Another night of nothing but tournament matches. Every wrestler in each block will have a match.
El Phantasmo (4-0, 8) p, Ren Narita (0-4, 0) with a Frog Splash – This definitely met expectations given who’s involved. Nobody expected Narita to win, but he did manage to hit the Overhead Suplex and get a few near falls.
After the match, Phantasmo taunted Narita and hit the CR2 just to be a jerk.
Titan (1-3, 2) p. Taka Michinoku (0-4, 0) with a Michinoku Driver – Taka started out in control, using mat-based holds and submissions. Titan made a comeback with aerial moves, and hit a variation of a Michinoku Driver to get the pin.
BUSHI (1-3, 2) p. Robbie Eagles (3-1, 6) with a MX – Bushi jumpstarted the match with a dropkick before the bell. They quickly fought to the floor where Eagles got the upper hand. Back in the ring, Eagles stayed on the attack. Bushi had some spurts of offense, and kicked out of the Turbo Backpack. Eagles went for the kill with a Figure Four, only for Bushi to make the rope break. Eagles missed his 450 Splash, which resulted in Bushi making a comeback and hitting the MX to get the pin.
Jonathan Gresham (2-2, 4) p. Tiger Mask IV (2-2, 4) with a roll-up – The two were pretty evenly matched at the start, as neither man controlled the match for any long period of time. The match turned into a matter of each macn reversing each other’s roll-up. Gresham won by getting the roll-up and hooking the leg.
(YOH 2-2, 4) p. DOUKI (1-3, 2) with a Dragon Suplex – Douki dove to the outside onto Yoh to kickstart the match. They went 100mph out of the gate Even during submissions the match felt intense. The two exchanged a lot of fast paced reversals and counters. The finish saw Douki try for the Suplex De Luna, which Youh countered with a superkick. Yoh then followed up with a Dragon Suplex to get the pin. One of the better shorter matches you’ll see. It seemingly only went a few minutes, but those few minutes were a real ride.
SHO (1-3, 2) p. Marty Scurll (2-2, 4) with a Shock Arrow – Scurll came to the ring favoring his back and selling an injury from the night before. It of course turned out to be a ruse when Scurll attached Sho from behind. Scurll dominated the opening minutes. Sho made a comeback and knocked Scurll to the floor. Back in the ring, Sho applied a Cross Armbreaker. Scurll made the rope break and countered with a shoulderbreaker fora near fall. He followed up by trying for the Chickenwing. Sho escaped and hit the Shock Arrow. Scurll kicked out and grabbed Sho’s ear protection. Sho kicked out of a clothesline, and hit two of his own. After a Powerbomb to the knees, Sho finished Scurll off with a Shock Arrow.
Ryusuke Taguchi (3-1, 6) p. Rocky Romero (1-3, 2) with a roll-up – Both men consider themselves coaches. Taguchi for Taguchi Japan, and Romero for Roppongi 3K. Both men also came to the ring in a sports themed getup. Taguchi wore his usual rugby helmet, while Rocky came equipped with a basketball. In a funny start, the two tried to grab each other’s balls (I can’t believe I just typed that). Rocky jumped off the top rope and smacked Taguchi with his basketball. The match then got back in the ring. The two exchanged dueling attacks, with Rocky’s Forever Clotheslines against Taguchi’s Hip Attacks. They did that for several minutes, where it ended with both men falling over in exhaustion. Taguchi managed to apply the Oh My And Garankle, but could not get the submission. Rocky battled back and got several near falls. After an exchange or roll-ups and reversals, Taguchi finally managed to come out on top with one and got the pin.
After the match, Taguchi seemed to offer a partnership in coaching. Rocky pondered for a but, and accepted. The twoposed in the ring as the crowd roared their approval. At the risk of sounding like on of “those fans” I’m glad this wasn’t a WWE show, because almost assuredly it would have ended with one turning on the other.
Yoshinobu Kanemaru (1-3, 2) p. Taiji Ishimori (4-0, 8) with a small package – As expected, Kanemaru attacked before the bell, and the two fought through the crowd for a bit. Back in the ring, Ishimori gained the advantage. Kanemaru pulled Red Shoes in front of him, which cause Ishimori to cllide with him. With Red Shoes down, Kanemaru used his whiskey bottle. Ishimori inttercepted the bottle and was going to use it himself. Red Shoes stopped him and removed the bottle from the ring. With Red Shoes’ back turned, Kanemaru spat his whisky into Ishimori’s eyes and rolled him up for the pin.
Will Ospreay (3-1, 6) p. Bandido (2-2, 4) with a Stormbreaker – While both men were babyfaces, the crowd seemed to back Bandido. Ospreay landed several high flying moves. Bandido battled back and gorilla pressed Ospreay. The two kept trading big moves and reversals, almost giving it a “top this” feel. Ospreay flipped out of a 21-Plex and landed on his feet. Bandido hit his moonsault slam off the second rope for a very close near fall. The finish saw Ospreay catch Bandido during another moonsault, and heaving him over his shoulder to hit a Stormbreaker to get the pin. An OFF THE CHARTS match that may have been even better than the Ospreay/Romero match.
Shingo Takagi (4-0, 8) p. IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion Dragon Lee (3-1, 6) with Last Of The Dragon – If Takagi wins, not only will he be the only undefeated man in A Block so far, but he’ll almost assuredly get a title shot. The two shook hands, with neither man wanting to let go first. From there the match kicked off with a bang as Takagi took control of the match. Dragon made his comeback, and the two wound up on the apron for the obligatory big match apron bump. This time Takagi powerbombed Dragon on the apron. Dragon was on the offensive a minute or two later, and hit an insane suicide dive onto Dragon that sent them both into the crowd. Lee got the match back in the ring and got several more near falls, but still couldn’t get the pin. Takagi firef up and hit a Noshigami, and a Pumping Bomber for another two count. Dragon refused to stay down and countered every move Takagi tried into a small package. Lee fired up and hit a flurry of moves including a reverse hurricanrana and running knees. Still, Takagi managed to kick out. At last, Takagi hit the Last Of The Dragon to finally score the pin and remain undefeated. Amazing match! These last two matches were an incredible ending to a highly entertaining night of wrestling.
After the match, Takagi cut a promo saying he will be the man to win the tournament.
A BLOCK STANDINGS
10 Shingo Takagi
8 Taiji Ishimori
6 Dragon Lee
6 Jonathan Gresham
4 Marty Scurll
4 Tiger Mask IV
3 SHO
4 Titan
4 Yoshinobu Kanemaru
0 Taka Michinoku
B BLOCK STANDINGS
10 El Phantasmo
6 Robbie Eagles
8 Ryusuke Taguchi
8 Will Ospreay
4 Bandido
6 YOH
4 BUSHI
2 DOUKI
2 Rocky Romero
0 Ren Narita
