I updated the table quite a bit earlier, but to go over what happened one last time:
A: Jado OFF
Seventh place.
A: Hirooki Goto [6] beat Stampede Kid [6]
Kid only lasted 7:57, far short of a half hour draw. Goto end up finishing third, having beat the others at 6. Stampede falls to fifth. Way to choke and prove me right.
A: Minoru [8] beat El Samurai [6]
Minoru started out weak but came out late in the tournament. He ends up with the #1 Seed from Block A, having beat the other 8 point finisher. Samurai finishes fourth.
A: Koji Kanemoto [8] beat Masahito Kakihara [4]
If Koji had lost, it would’ve created a freaky five way tie for second, so there was no way he was losing. Kinda surprised they had this one after the 6 vs 6 matchup. Kanemoto lost to Minoru on the 13th, and so he’ll meet the first place finisher in Block A. Kakihara finishes 6th, thanks to one of his two wins coming over Jado.
Block B lacks some drama. The card still lists Black Tiger facing Jushin Liger, and Wataru Inoue facing Katsushi Takemura, but I don’t recall people missing matches for injury and coming back later in the tour. Inoue’s injury was clarified as involving his head by those who know better than I, and it’s unlikely he’d get past it in two days.
If we presume the two forfeits, that’ll leave the standings like so:
1) Gedo: 8, plus a match vs Tiger Mask
2) Tiger Mask: 8, plus a match vs Gedo
3) Jushin Liger: 8
4) Wataru Inoue: 6
5) Black Tiger: 4
6) Katsushi Takemura: 4
7) Akiya Anzawa: 2
This makes it look like there’s something on the line. However, Liger lost to Gedo (06/15) and to Tiger Mask (05/22), so he loses on a tie breaker. They’re just battling for seeding. You’d kind of expect Gedo to win here, to give us two CTU/tecnico matchups and the Tiger Mask/Minoru match in particular.
History probably won’t be kind to having Gedo in the semifinals; I can imagine the junior fan in 2010 making a list of fifty names who would’ve been better then him, and probably be right. I don’t think it’s what they had in mind when things started, but it became the easiest solution once Tiger and Inoue went down.
Of course, if they just had Liger beat Gedo the other day, he’d be Block B winner, and Gedo and Tiger Mask would be wrestling for the last spot and that probably would be more dramatic. Hmm.
If, somehow, Inoue is able to wrestle, the matches become meaningful. Inoue’s done the opposite of Liger and beaten both men, so he can get by one on a tiebreaker. A win over Takemura would get him to 8 and he’d get in as the second seed, as long as there’s not a Gedo/Tiger Mask draw.
I can’t believe there’s going to be no draws. One of a few things which feels missing in this tournament.
I wouldn’t believe if you told me before hand that Black Tiger and Takemura would end up with the same amount of points. Actually, I probably would just ask who got hurt and how bad.