Ibushi, Okada, Ospreay, White top A Block after second night in Hiroshima
After the second night of action from Hiroshima’s Sun Plaza Hall, Kota Ibushi, Will Ospreay, Jay White and Kazuchika Okada top A Block with eight points, while Yujiro Takahashi remains winless at the foot of the table.
The first group match of the night saw Yujiro Takahashi immediately target Tomohiro Ishii with a lariat as he tried for his first win in the sixth match of his campaign. Following up, the Tokyo Pimp delivered a reverse DDT to the concrete on the entrance way and delivered a powerslam in center ring for two, taking firm control of the match while Ishii was still in his entrance T-shirt.
Digging deep, Ishii was finally able to widen his vertical base on a suplex attempt from Takahashi to deliver his own, and showed typical high pain tolerance when Yujiro tried to bite his way out of trouble. Takahashi’s ring awareness still paid off with a stungun over the ropes, and Yujiro put on the brakes to Ishii to deliver a Fisherman’s Buster.
Ishii suffered clear neck damage from the hold and recoiled in immense pain, but still prevented a follow up from Yujiro, connecting with a German suplex into the corner and a superplex before levelling his opponent with a forearm shiver. The after effects of the Fisherman Suplex led to hesitation however, and Yujiro saw an opening for a spinebuster to further rattle the Stone Pitbull at the ten minute mark. An Intercollegiate Slam and the Miami Shine pushed Yujiro to the brink of victory as he recorded a pair of two counts, but as has been a pattern in the tournament, Yujiro couldn’t connect with the Pimp Juice, flung away with a German suplex by the wounded animal Ishii.
Ishii fired up with a jumping high kick, and beat enough feeling into his right arm to connect with a lariat. Still lacking in power, Ishii struggled to hoist Yujiro for the Vertical Drop Brainbuster, and Yujiro again dumped Ishii to the mat. Still Pimp Juice proved elusive though, and a rising headbutt prevented the move once more. On a third attempt, the Vertical Drop connected to give Ishii his third win and Yujiro’s sixth loss.
Still on a high after defeating Jay White, Jeff Cobb was full of smiles and confidence as he took on Kazuchika Okada next. Cobb made his power felt early, dropping the Rainmaker with a tackle and following by hoisting Okada up for a delayed vertical suplex. A neckbreaker from Okada though, and a path to a future Money Clip was paved, a basement dropkick following to leave Cobb grimacing.
Cobb created an opening by evading an Okada back elbow and went to the power game, an overhead belly to belly flinging the CHAOS member clear across the ring at the five minute mark. A running back suplex slowed Okada further, but not enough to prevent a sudden back elbow to Cobb, though a big boot was met with an Olympian lariat.
Cobb seemed to be toying with Okada as he hoisted his opponent, teasing gutwrench suplexes and then a powerbomb before eventually settling on Spin Cycle instead. Over confidence carried a price however, and Tour of the Islands was stopped by a trademark Okada dropkick and Tombstone before Okada locked in Money Clip.
When Cobb got free of the hold however, he was able to hit a dropkick of his own, and attempted as Rainmaker style Tour of the Islands. Denied, he went for the hold again, countered to an inside cradle for two, but moments later, Okada back body dropped Cobb and held onto the legs for another flash pinfall victory.
A first time ever matchup was next in store for the Hiroshima crowd as Minoru Suzuki headed to the ring to face Will Ospreay. The Briton fired himself out of a cannon at the jump, sending in blows before flying with a plancha to the King. Outside the ring was Minoru Suzui’s territory however; a striking game with the King outside was the wrong one to play, and Suzuki caught a flying forearm with a Fujiwara armbar on the floor before wrapping Ospreay’s arm in the ringpost.
Taunting Ospreay, Suzuki baited his opponent into instinctively throwing right hands, causing immene pain for Ospreay himself in the process. An Octopus Stretch followed at five minutes, Suzuki wrenching at the right arm as well as the abdomen, before the Asassin barely grasped the ropes, and bought himself some time with a handspring kick. Another forearm attempt though, and Ospreay once again played into Suzuki’s hands, and the King wrenched at the right arm once more with the Fujiwara.
With the right arm seemingly barely co0nnected to Ospreay’s body, Suzuki remained on the offense, and again baited the British champion into throwing injured rights. Ospreay had little left, but finally connected with the springboard forearm at the third time of asking, and scored again with a hook kick. Suzuki went back to the right arm, forcing Ospreay to throw left elbows to the King’s head, and finally connected with a stiff shot to Suzuki’s head; Ospreay got caught in a sleeper off an OsCutter follow up, but fought free again.
Suzuki ducked a Hidden Blade however, and dropped Ospreay before sinking the sleeper in deeper. A Gotch Style follow-up was prevented though, and Ospreay found a way clear to Stormbreaker for the three count.
Jay White took on Taichi for their second singles confrontation in as many years for the semi main event. After histrionics from both men before the bell, Taichi finally removed his entrance robe, but still, neither man engaged when the match finally started. Instead, the match quickly headed out side to do battle, White gaining the upper hand and taunting Taichi with his own mic.
The Holy Emperor stopped White’s early control with a high kick in the corner, but his own run on offense was brief, the Switchblade cutting Taichi off in the corner and targeting his knee. A desparation Ax Bomber to the back of White’s head found its mark though, and a second secured a two count as the Hiroshima crowd got behind their de facto favourite.
Still White shut Taichi down, a deadlift German suplex denied but a Uranage connecting. Blade Runner was countered with a Dangerous Backdropthough, and after an exchange of leg kicks, a Gamengiri found its mark. As both men found their feet, an irate Gedo was affronted by Taichi attempting the Gedo clutch, but was kicked low for his troubles, before Taichi again applied the hold to Jay for a two count.
Gedo still in pain at ringside, Taichi got two off a Last Ride before removing his trousers and going for the kill at the 15 minute mark. Black Mephisto was countered by Bladerunner though for a sudden Jay White victory.
Excitement ran high for Shingo Takagi and Kota Ibushi’s first ever singles meeting in the main event. High speed cat and mouse early led to a standoff, and the two elected to trade blows center ring instead, Ibushi gaining the upper hand with a dropkick, and applying pressure with blows that sent Shingo into the corner. As the pace quickened however, Shingo caught Ibushi and dropped him on the top rope, before delivering a lariat that sent Ibushi outside at five minutes, where Takagi delivered a DDT on the floor.
Back inside, Takagi kept up the offense, even in the face of an angered Ibushi, but the Golden Star eventually created distance for a standing moonsault and dive to the floor. Unwilling to give up his advantage, Takagi found a response, landing the Ryukon lariat to turn Ibushi inside out, and following with Noshigami for two.
Takagi brought speed and power with a snap backdrop, but Ibushi responded in kind with a snap dragon suplex. As a test of speed resulted in a tie, the two combatants elected to pit their striking power against one another instead, the sound of heavy elbows and kicks ringing around Sun Plaza Hall as the match passed the midway point. One two elbows gave Takagi an edge, but a follow up German suplex attempt saw Ibushi land on his feet and deliver a kick to the back of the head, following with a sit out Last Ride for two.
Ibushi couldn’t press the advantage, countered with a pop up DVD. As Ibushi found his feet, he came up with wrist control on Takagi, but Kamigoye was denied by repeated headbutts, and Made In Japan scoring for two. Takagi charged in for the kill with Pumping Bomber, again only gaining two, the crowd applauding for both men as the match passed the 20 minute mark.
Sensing victory, Shingo threw more bombs in Ibushi’s direction, but the Golden Star responded with a lariat of his own before removing his knee pad. Boma Ye scored him two, but when going for Kamigoye, hingo clung onto the left wrist, countering into Last of the Dragon for the three.
