As has been a regular thing during the tournament, I aim to watch the show live and share the early and closing match winner odds for the bouts on tonight's card.
With this being the closing show for the block, and with four wrestlers still in the mix as it pertains winning the block, a prop market - which was published last month ahead of the tournament - will see 'Yes' graded as the winning pick.
The proposition was specific to A Block and asked whether or not there would be at least four wrestlers 'able to win their block' at the start of night 17.
Shingo Takagi, Zack Sabre Junior, Kota Ibushi and KENTA are all still available before the bell has rung for today's contests. Therefore, the 'Yes' option - which started out as a 7/10 favourite last month - is the winner.
I have created a table with all the possible outcomes that are needed for each wrestler to win the block. I am not 100% that I have this right, but here goes:
Takagi is the person I had backed to win the block when the divisions and matches were announced for the tournament. It does not look good for the champion as he would need to beat Yujiro Takahashi and then hope that Zack Sabre Jr does not beat Tanga Loa as he and ZSJ would be on fourteen points before the main event begins and - with Sabre beating Takagi on night three - Takagi would be eliminated leaving Sabre to hope for a draw or Kota Ibushi win in the last match on today's card.
For Ibushi to have any chance of taking the block, he'll also need Tanga Loa to go over in his meeting with ZSJ as well as being victorious against KENTA in the main event.
Tomohiro Ishii (10 points) .vs. Toru Yano (8 points)
21/10 underdog - Toru Yano - beat Tomohiro Ishii (8/25) in the opening tournament match of the night.
The decision means that both men have finished the tournament with ten points each.
Now it's the business end of the block..
Shingo Takagi (12 points) .vs. Yujiro Takahashi (4 points)
Going by the betting, the punters have sided with Takagi to win against Yujiro Takahashi. His price has declined from an opening 1/4 right down to 1/8 while Takahashi has risen from 5/2 to 4/1.
The match ended in a double count-out. Therefore, both men will receive one point each and move Shingo to thirteen points. However, he'll be eliminated if ZSJ goes over in the next match.
Shingo Takagi may still be in play, but so a prop market which asked whether or not there would be a draw in A Block.
It is still unsettled - for now - because the rule of the market asked whether or not there would be at least one match that has a result of a draw via a 'time limit draw'. Takagi versus Takahashi going to a count-out draw means that this is not over. Yet. If neither of the next two matches end in a draw, the winning selection will be 'No'.
Zack Sabre Jr. (12 points) .vs. Tanga Loa (4 points)
Tanga Loa beat Zack Sabre Jr. to end Sabre's tournament on twelve points.
Going in, despite being the underdog, the betting was on the side of Loa because his price fell from 19/10 into 6/4 yesterday and was then cut into EVS this morning.
Sabre's role as a favourite went up to 7/10 from 7/20 with the interest in Loa.
Kota Ibushi (12 points) .vs. KENTA (12 points)
Kota Ibushi won the main event to get to fourteen points and ultimately win the block.
He had entered the match as an 8/13 favourite to KENTA's 23/20.
Ibushi finishes as the only person at the top of the block. As a result, this means a proposition market - which asked whether there would be a 'Tie-Break Needed' to settle the block victor - will be settled in favour of 'No'.
Kambi's A Block Winner market will also be settled now with Ibushi as the winning selection.
The eventual winner opened as a 5/2 second-favourite when the market was initially priced up. The top price you could have found him at was 3/1. This would have been available at numerous points during the tournament especially near its start following Ibushi's upset loss to Yujiro Takahashi on night one.
Ibushi was an 8/5 favourite when the market was last adjusted a couple of days ago. He remained at that price until betting on the A Block winner was suspended for its final time ahead of today's event.
I aim to be back for B Block's final night in a couple of days.
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