Great match to close out the A Block. Kento can be a dick in his matches, but he was in full babyface mode here (even letting go of the post choke without the ref having to grab his hair!). Kento started off strong and would get in some short bursts of offense before Hino would turn the tide with a huge strike or suplex. Kento would get overpowered for several minutes but as soon as he mounted his comeback, he would be drawn right back into Hino's game whether it be a striking battle or fight on the outside. Hino was incredibly dominant for the entire finishing stretch and looked like he would put Kento away, only for the champ to literally snatch victory from the jaws of defeat.

 

Great ending to a great match. ****1/4.

This was the final match of A Block and whoever won this would go on the win the block.

 

Hino plays the dickhead so well just brutalizing the ace, controlling most of the match with Kento only getting in a couple of shots here or there but never mounting much continuous offense or being on top. When ever Kento go a short flurry Hino would stop it usually with a vicious strike, Hino was not out wrestling Kento he was out brutalizing him and overwhelming him. Unlike Kentos match vs a similar opponent in Shuji Ishikawa earlier in the tour there was no back and forth here no trading of moves Kento just managed to get in a couple of knee strikes and then won with the shutdown german pin combination a move that has not been kicked out of since 2015 when it was not his main finisher. Just after the match Hino was back up first and when Kento climbed to his feet as the victor he was still selling heavily as the two teased a handshake and possible match in the future.

 

This match was great, built around the violence and assholeness of Hino and Kento's great selling and connection with the crowd which here and in the final is something only really matched by Daniel Bryan. ****1/4 great way to end an incredibly stacked A block.

Very good contest where the outcome was in doubt (its round robin so Kento could lose but still make the Finals...to me at least! I wasn't following it live). The finish was a bit too sudden but a Great Match nonetheless...like **** type stuff.