We are (mostly) back to the A Block tonight in Niigata, in a building that couldn’t possibly look any more like my old high school gym, and while there are a few headwinds regarding this block – Taguchi’s injury chief amongst them – it’s been pretty solid so far.

B Block: Hyo (4 points) vs. Yoshinobu Kanemaru [House of Torture] (6 points)

This match was postponed from Night 2 because Hyo had a Dragongate booking. Hyo is still in emo mode. During his entrance, Hyo poses in front of the Japanese announcers, and Hirooki Goto, who is calling the show, no-sells it almost completely – he’s just like, “Yeah, cool.” Kanemaru attacks before the bell and sends Hyo to the floor, where he beats him up for a bit and then sends him back inside to start the match. Hyo hits a dropkick to Kanemaru’s knee, which sends Kanemaru outside, and he sets up for a dive, but Kanemaru moves before anything can happen. Kanemaru stalls on the outside for an extended period of time, but when Hyo goes to chase him, Kanemaru hits a dropkick to his knee. Kanemaru goes after the knee on the floor and in the ring, and then applies the figure-four, but Hyo makes it to the ropes. Kanemaru applies a single-leg crab, then continues attacking the knee. After some time, Hyo blocks an attack on the apron and hits a cutter from the apron into the ring. Hyo gets cut off again, but Kanemaru misses a corner charge, and Hyo flips away but jams his knee while doing so, allowing Kanemaru to hit another dropkick to the knee. Kanemaru slaps on the figure-four once again, but Hyo turns it over and Kanemaru breaks the hold. Kanemaru tries for the figure-four again, but Hyo counters with a small package for two. They trade pinning predicaments and Hyo goes for a double stomp, but Kanemaru catches it and once again applies the figure-four; Hyo again makes it to the ropes. Kanemaru goes for a brainbuster, but Hyo flips out and, after running around on all fours, hits a DDT. Hyo sets up for Hunting, but SHO runs out with Hyo’s leopard in a dog crate. SHO takes the ref while Dick Togo runs in and runs Hyo into ref Kenta Sato, who runs into the crate and is knocked down. Togo does the assisted crotch chop, then Kanemaru tries the Suntory Surprise, but Hyo sprays him with the red mist instead and hits a stunner, then lands Hunting for the win. After the match, Hyo reclaims his leopard, but SHO and Togo jump him and re-kidnap it. This was mostly all right before the shenanigans.

What’s next? Hyo (6 points) wrestles Jakob Austin Young tomorrow in Toyama, while Kanemaru (6 points) takes on YOH on the same show.

A Block: Master Wato (8 points) vs. Daiki Nagai [Unbound Co.] (0 points)

Not surprisingly, Nagai jumps Wato before the bell with a shotgun dropkick, then hits the running corner dropkick and tries for the Boston crab, but Wato him off. Wato then hits a dropkick and an armdrag into a capture armbar, but Nagai makes the ropes. They trade strikes, and Wato gets the best of it, getting two with a chop. Wato applies a chinlock with a knee to the neck, but Nagai gets the ropes. Wato slaps on another chinlock, but Nagai again makes the ropes. Nagai crosses up Wato running the ropes and hits the pounce, then a shoulderblock to the corner, a tijeras and a tope suicida to the outside. Nagai tosses Wato back in and hits a missile dropkick for two, then goes for the Boston crab, but he gets rolled up by Wato for two instead. Nagai goes for a German; Wato fights out, but takes a ripcord spinebuster for two instead. Nagai goes for the diving headbutt, but Wato gets his feet up to block it and hits Receintemente for two. Wato goes for the Tsutenkaku German, but Nagai instead rolls him up for two. Nagai goes for a brainbuster, but Wato slips out the back and hits the Tsutenkaku German for the pinfall. This was fine for what it was, and Nagai seems closer to getting it all together in each match.

What’s next? Wato (10 points) wrestles Jun Kasai on Tuesday at Korakuen Hall, while Nagai (0 points) takes on his Unbound Co. faction-mate, Robbie X, on the same show.

A Block: Ryusuke Taguchi (6 points) vs. Robbie X [Unbound Co.] (6 points)

A man of his word, Taguchi is sporting his dorky new hairdo. X comes out wearing a wig with a center part, and Taguchi is appalled. X starts the match with the wig on, which Walker Stewart compares to seeing pictures of young Ricochet with hair. There’s some basic stuff to start, then a lengthy pass-through spot, which ends with Taguchi tripping X, who loses the wig, and trying La Magistral; X stuffs it for two, but then Taguchi gets it for two. Taguchi hits the Funky Weapon, then applies a chinlock and gets two with a clubbing blow to the back. Taguchi gets two with a couple of hip attacks, then teases X about his hair, or lack thereof. They exchange strikes, then X hits a dropsault into an enzuigiri. X takes a backdrop to the apron, but then pulls Taguchi down and hits a senton atomico for two. X dodges a Taguchi charge, then hits a flip kick that sends him to the floor. X goes for a plancha, but Taguchi kicks him instead, sends him back into the ring and hits the bum-a-ye for two. Taguchi applies the ankle lock, but X powers out and tries for a Pele kick, but Taguchi catches it and reapplies the ankle lock. X escapes again and hits the Pele kick, then goes for X Marks the Spot, but gets cut off with the Funky Weapon, which gets Taguchi two. Taguchi goes for Dodon, but X turns it into a victory roll, and the two trade nearfalls in that position. Taguchi hits a gamengiri and tries another Funky Weapon, but X catches it and hits X Marks the Spot, followed by the X Express for the win. This was about as good as a match with Taguchi can be with Taguchi in the condition he’s in – they did everything they could to make sure he didn’t have to take any more bumps than were absolutely necessary, but you wouldn’t really know it if you weren’t looking for it.

What’s next? X (8 points) wrestles Nagai on Tuesday, while Taguchi (6 points) takes on Francesco Akira on the same show.

A Block: Nick Wayne (6 points) vs. Titán [Unbound Co.] (10 points)

Wayne has a pretty crazy shiner, presumably from his match with Kasai on Sunday. They start off quickly, with Titán gaining an early advantage with an enzuigiri, a springboard cross-body and a dropkick, followed by a tope suicida. Titán gets two with a fireman’s carry neckbreaker, then applies a lucha deathlock, but Wayne quickly makes it to the ropes. Titán gets two with a basement dropkick and then maintains control with a kick, but Wayne hits a diving uppercut to turn the tables. Wayne hits a charging uppercut in the corner, followed by a second-rope dropkick for two. Wayne goes for the Asai DDT, but Titán shoves him off and follows him in with a clothesline, but Wayne dodges a kick and hits a handspring stunner, followed by the Asai DDT, which Titán counters with a kick, and both men are down. They battle onto the apron and trade shots; Wayne hits an enzuigiri, but Titán hits a superkick. Titán goes for the double stomp on the apron, but Wayne avoids it and hits the Asai DDT on the apron. This elicits a weak but noticeable “holy shit” chant, which is not something you often hear in NJPW. Titán gets back in the ring at 19, but Wayne immediately hits a springboard frog splash for two. Wayne goes for a dragon suplex, but Titán counters with a victory roll into the lucha deathlock once again, then transitions to Llave Inmortal, but Wayne makes it to the ropes. Titán gets Wayne in the fireman’s carry, but Wayne slips out the back and hits a dragon suplex. They trade strikes and Wayne goes for Wayne’s World, but Titán blocks it and hits a tornado DDT, a gourdbuster and a superkick. Titán hits the double stomp from the top, but only gets two. Titán tries again for Llave Inmortal, but Wayne gets an inside cradle for two, then hits a hook kick to the back of Titán’s head. Wayne misses Wayne’s World again, then Titán hits the clothesline through the corner assembly (almost taking out Matsumoto in the process) and heads to the top, but Wayne hits an uppercut to cut him off. Wayne hits a step-up cutter for two, then hits another hook kick and Wayne’s World for three. As you’d expect, this was really good, although it seemed a tiny bit rushed; that is normal and expected at this stage of the tournament, however.

What’s next? Wayne (8 points) wrestles Valiente Jr. on Tuesday, while Titán (10 points) takes on Kosei Fujita on the same show.

A Block: Kosei Fujita [TMDK] (6 points) vs. Valiente Jr. (4 points)

If Valiente loses, he is eliminated from contention. They feel each other out to start, but Fujita kickstarts the match by slapping Valiente after a clean break. Valiente performs the springboard backflip that got him hurt on Night 3, followed by a series of armdrags, but Fujita dodges the last one; Valiente hits the armdrag a few seconds later, but Fujita rides him down and applies an armbar, which he transitions into a single-leg crab. Fujita begins to go after Valiente’s knee and gets two with a standing moonsault. Fujita goes back to the single-leg crab, and Valiente accidentally taps before getting to the ropes; Red Shoes and Fujita know it’s just histrionics, but Fujita still points it out. Fujita misses a PK and Valiente hits a pop-up knee strike. Valiente hits a tijeras that sends Fujita to the outside, then hits a step-up tope that Fujita barely catches; Fujita goes down grasping his shoulder. Back in the ring, Valiente gets two. Valiente gets two with a victory roll into a splash, then applies a wacky lucha submission that forces Fujita to get to the ropes. Valiente goes for the Valiente Special, but Fujita blocks it. They exchange strikes and Valiente tries another pop-up move, but Fujita counters with a poison rana. Fujita gets backdropped over the top, but lands on his feet on the apron, then whacks Valiente right in the face and hits a springboard dropkick for two. Fujita tries for the Nemosu special, but Valiente gets to the ropes before it can be fully applied. Fujita tries for the deadlift German; Valiente fights out, but Fujita hits a chop, tries for something off the ropes and eats a V Trigger. Valiente hits a falcon arrow for two, then hits a series of kicks and once again tries the Valiente Special, but Fujita counters with a bulldog coming down and then hits the Thrill Ride for the win. Valiente offers a handshake afterward, but Fujita refuses. He is a Japanese Young Punk, after all. This was good, and Valiente seemed to be as close to “right” as he’s seemed since his knee injury, but he’s still kind of green – Walker Stewart pointed out on commentary that this was something like the 26th singles of match of his career (Cagematch says 23, with eight of them taking place this year – seven in this tournament and one lightning match against Yutani just before he left CMLL for this tournament) – and the pacing of this match felt a little off because of it.

What’s next? Fujita (8 points) wrestles Titán on Tuesday, while Valiente (4 points) takes on Nick Wayne on the same show.