BOSJ A Block: [point totals from before the results of today’s matches] Clark Connors (6) def Ninja Mack (4) — (5:30, No Chaser)
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If Mack loses here he’s out of the running. Clark loses and he’s on thin ice.
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Pre-lockup, Mack offers a handshake. Clark starts barking instead, and gets a respectable amount of the crowd to participate. Mack counters with a “Ninja” chant that gets more response than Clark did. Clark offers a handshake, but when Mack goes to accept it he gets a cheap shot to the gut instead.
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Wheel-san makes an appearance, but Mack counters before he can be utilized. Mack brings out some shuriken and starts throwing them; yes they were shoot metal shuriken and one of them got stuck in the ring apron.
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Then they have a duel using Wheel-san and nunchucks. Nunchucks win the first time, Wheel-san wins a rematch.
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And Mack is out.
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Clark brings Wheel-san to the back with him, stopping to pose with a fan’s sign depicting them both.
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Next Matches (all tomorrow): Mack vs Fujita, Clark vs Akira
BOSJ B Block: SHO (4) def Titan (6) — (7:45, Power Breaker)
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Like with Mack, SHO is out if he loses here.
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SHO comes out with Titan already in tow. Seems like he stole Titan’s entrance mask and put it on his mummy (who he at some point repossessed from Kevin).
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Titan gets the advantage and starts to go for a dive, but the lights go out. When they come back on, Titan is getting choked in a guardrail and Yujiro is stalking in the background by the light switches.
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The House shenanigans were just too much for Titan to overcome on his own.
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Post-match, SHO goes and stands/stomps on the fallen Titan and steals his ice pack. Then he takes the mask off his mummy and throws it at him.
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As he’s leaving Titan talks to the camera, seemingly about the disrespect to his overmask and possibly asking for a revenge match. (I do not speak Spanish, Walker’s seems to be shaky.)
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Next Matches: Titan vs YOH, SHO vs Ishimori
BOSJ A Block: Francesco Akira (6) def Robbie X (6) — (9:03, Ground Tarantula)
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Quick start to this one by both men.
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This was fine. Robbie’s in that spot of being a good high flyer who the BC heel schtick hurts the in-ring quality of. ELP figured it out eventually, I don’t think Robbie has quite yet.
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As he’s leaving, Akira talks to the camera about his history with his opponent tomorrow Clark, who suddenly attacks him from behind.
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Clark takes off his chain, wraps it around his fist, and punches Akira in the face with it. We’re in a smaller town so they pop when they hear a white boy say “ashita” (tomorrow), even when it’s the dastardly heel.
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Next Matches: Akira vs Clark, X vs Dia
BOSJ B Block: MAO (6) def Robbie Eagles (6) — (9:26, Ultra Big Tone)
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A few minutes into the match, MAO tries a couple of times to do a rip-off of the Robbie/Oy chant (MAO/shikaku [square]) but it doesn’t really go over well. (I don’t think Robbie had done his chant at all yet so it made sense the crowd didn’t know wtf was happening.)
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Robbie does his chant a few moments later and it goes better.
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Fun and technically well-worked match that’s worth watching. One of the least “DDT” MAO matches we’ve seen so far, so YMMV depending on how you feel about that.
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Next Matches: Eagles vs Guch, MAO vs Wayne
BOSJ A Block: Kosei Fujita (6) def Dragon Dia (6) — (7:57, Thrill Ride)
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As good as you’d expect given the placement on the card, definitely worth watching.
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Next Matches: Fujita vs Mack, Dia vs X
BOSJ B Block: Taiji Ishimori (6) def Kevin Knight (6) — (10:02, Bone Lock)
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This was good, but weird because the crowd seemed to be overall more behind the heel Ishimori.
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Next Matches: Knight vs Despe, Ishimori vs SHO
BOSJ A Block: Hiromu Takahashi (6) def Yoshinobu Kanemaru (6) — (8:25, roll up)
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ICYMI, in their Backstage Comments after their preview tag, Hiromu and Nobu made a deal. It wasn’t stated exactly what it was, beyond that Hiromu is not joining HoT and both seemed to be expecting to be able to get 2 points from this match (which means a win, draws are either 1 or 0).
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But I guess that deal is off, as SHO and Yujiro attack Hiromu as he’s making his entrance.
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This ended up being really good. After the opening beat down the excess Torturers left and Nobu kept the shenanigans to a minimum.
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Post-match, Nobu is annoyed but keeping his composure.
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Hiromu gives Nobu another chance to team up. Surprisingly, they shake hands/bro hug and Nobu raises Hiromu’s hand… then mists him in the face.
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Hiromu’s wrist tape today said “I believe in you, Nobu.” Hiromu also believes in aliens and Bigfoot, and those are probably better investments.
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Next Matches: Nobu vs KUSHI, Hiromu vs Wato
BOSJ B Block: YOH (6) def Nick Wayne (8) — (10:20, Anaconda Vice)
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Black Wayne again.
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This was good.
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Post-match they have a stare down, but then bump fists.
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Next Matches: YOH vs Titan, Wayne vs MAO
BOSJ A Block: Master Wato (8) def KUSHIDA (6) — (10:58, Tsutenkaku German Suplex Hold)
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Very good. Definitely worth watching, especially if you’re somehow still not a Watomania believer.
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Next Matches: KUSHI vs Nobu, Wato vs Hiromu
BOSJ B Block: El Desperado (6) def Ryusuke Taguchi (6) — (14:41, Numero Dos)
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Pre-lockup Guch offers a handshake, but Despe ignores it.
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After the “guy who only plays a pervert” Guch lost to the “true pervert” in MAO, he swore he’d “be his true self” from now on. This manifests in low-shenanigans big match Guch.
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Next Matches: Guch vs Eagles, Despe vs Knight
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Victory promo from Despe: “Was that the true Ryusuke Taguchi? Man you can still do something incredible. After a match like that- you had said it would take beating me for you to challenge but- I think man you could go at a title match level regardless.”
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“How about it? He has his mind in the gutter but can work art like that. That's the strength of NJPW.
A lot of talk, a lot of people want this. I've won it before. I've done it. You think that means I won't again? I'm winning this.”
—Block Standings—
A Block:
Master Wato– 10 points (5-2) — (won: Akira, Dia, KUSHI, X – lost: Fujita, Clark)
Kosei Fujita– 8 points (4-3) — (won: Wato, Hiromu, Akira, Dia– lost: KUSHI, X, Nobu)
Francesco Akira– 8 points (4-3) — (won: Hiromu, Dia, X – lost: Wato, Fujita, Nobu)
Hiromu Takahashi– 8 points (4-3) — (won: KUSHI, Clark, Nobu – lost: Fujita, Akira, Dia)
Clark Connors– 8 points (4-3) — (won: Wato, KUSHI, X – lost: Hiromu, Dia, Nobu)
KUSHIDA– 6 points (3-4) — (won: Fujita, Dia – lost: Wato, Hiromu, Clark, X)
Robbie X– 6 points (3-4) — (won: Fujita, KUSHI, Nobu – lost: Wato, Akira, Clark)
Yoshinobu Kanemaru– 6 points (3-4) — (won: Akira, Fujita, Clark – lost: Hiromu, Dia, X)
Dragon Dia– 6 points (3-4) — (won: Hiromu, Clark, Nobu – lost: Wato, Fujita, Akira, KUSHI)
—Eliminated—
Ninja Mack– 4 points (2-5)
B Block:
YOH– 8 points (4-3) — (won: Wayne, MAO, Despe, Knight – lost: Guch, Eagles, SHO)
Taiji Ishimori– 8 points (4-3) — (won: Wayne, Despe, Eagles, Knight – lost: MAO, Guch, Titan)
Nick Wayne– 8 points (4-2) — (won: Despe, Guch, Eagles, SHO – lost: YOH, Ishimori, Knight)
El Desperado– 8 points (4-3) — (won: MAO, Titan, SHO, Guch – lost: Wayne, Ishimori, YOH)
MAO– 8 points (4-3) — (won: Guch, Knight, Ishimori, Eagles – lost: Despe, YOH, Titan)
Ryusuke Taguchi– 6 points (3-4) — (won: YOH, Ishimori, SHO – lost: Wayne, MAO, Despe, Titan)
Kevin Knight– 6 points (3-4) — (won: Wayne, Titan, SHO – lost: MAO, Ishimori, YOH, Eagles)
Titan– 6 points (3-4) — (won: Guch, Ishimori, MAO – lost: Despe, Knight, Eagles, SHO)
Robbie Eagles– 6 points (3-4) — (won: YOH, Titan, Knight – lost: Wayne, Ishimori, MAO, SHO)
SHO– 6 points (3-4) — (won: YOH, Eagles, Titan – lost: Wayne, Despe, Guch, Knight)
———
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by EffingKENTA