#njpw g1 climax 2019 day 11 review

[hazyheel]

NJPW G1 Climax 2019 Day 11 Review

Bad Luck Fale vs Kota Ibushi in A Block: Jado and Chase Owens were in Fale’s corner for this match. Before the match started, Fale attacked Ibushi and put him on the outside. While the ref yelled at Fale, Owens and Jado both attacked Ibushi together. Fale then started to attack him with a section of the barricade, and slid back into the ring just before the count was up, and Ibushi just barely made it back in as well. Fale then just toyed with him and worked over the back quite a lot. Ibushi had minimal comebacks due to Fale’s overwhelming power. Fale locked in a bear hug at one point, damaging the back and doing some extra work to the ribs. After escaping, Ibushi finally took some control back. He gave Fale kick after kick to the chest and took the big man off his feet. He went for a move off the top, but Chase Owens hopped up on the apron and distracted him just long enough for Fale to get a splash in the corner. Jado naturally got involved as well, nailing Ibushi in the back with a kendo stick as he ran the ropes, allowing Fale to hit the Grenade for a near fall. He tried for the Bad Luck Fall, but Ibushi slipped out. Jado then tried to run interference a bit as the two jockeyed for position near the ropes, and he ate a kick to the hand for it. Ibushi then got a rollup for a near fall, and started to finish things up. He gave Fale a buzz saw kick, a bomaye, and then Kamagoye for the win. Ibushi: 8, Fale: 2. 

Grade: D+. Fine match, the usual stuff that Fale pulls, but Ibushi will never feel like an underdog. It was clear from the beginning that Ibushi would win, despite the odds. And the interference wasn’t very interesting this time around. Although Ibushi still looked pretty good, he had some nice kicks. Ibushi is just able to put out such good work. Also, Fale has now been mathematically eliminated. 

Will Ospreay vs. Zack Sabre Jr in A Block: The animosity between these two was evident before the match even started. The two were right up in each other’s faces, and neither was looking too happy to see the other. They started with some nice looking lockups where Ospreay was flipping all around to escape, and Sabre escaped using his impressive technical prowess. These two continued to wrestle to a stalemate over and over again. Sabre targeted Ospreay’s neck during this match, as it has been bothering Ospreay a lot throughout the tournament.  It was really cool to see how well they know each other. They knew just about every move that the other would make, and they were able to counter it with some nice looking offense. Ospreay tried to go hold for hold with Sabre early on, but eventually he was just forced to transition into striking. Sabre was actually showing a lot of restraint in this match. He waited for Ospreay to make a move, and then locked in a submission when he missed. It still took Ospreay a very long time to really step up into this match, but when he did it was super impressive. At one point, Ospreay hit his pose for the Os cutter, and Sabre just crept up behind him and picked one of his arms, and started to viciously assaulted it. He then started to give Ospreay a series of pique kicks in the chest, and Ospreay just sat and took them, asking for more every time. Ospreay eventually caught one of his kicks and the two engaged in a series of counters and strikes that was so fast I couldn’t keep track of everything in it, but they both ended up on the mat. Ospreay quickly got up and went for a desperation Os Cutter, only for Sabre to catch him in a sleeper hold in a great looking counter. They jockeyed for position a little bit, and Ospreay was able to hit the a high roundhouse kick, and an Os Cutter, but he was too weak to get the pin in time. He then went for Hidden Blade, but Sabre had it scouted and locked in a low octopus, but Ospreay still got to the ropes. Sabre them tried to lock in a guillotine, so Ospreay powered him up into a vertical suplex. Ospreay followed up with Cheeky Nandos and a Reverse Bloody Sunday for a near fall. Ospreay then went for a shooting star press, but Sabre caught him in a triangle as they came down. Ospreay powered him up for a powerbomb, nailing it and a shooting star press, but Sabre still kicked out. He then spun Sabre out for a hook kick and went for Stormbreaker, but Sabre slipped out of it and locked in an octopus, forcing Ospreay to the ground and making the junior heavyweight tap out: Sabre: 4, Ospreay: 4. 

Grade: A. Great match. These two know each other so well that I would be more surprised if they put on a bad match. The counters were really exciting, the suspense was great, and they told a really good story. Two rivals who have known each other for years, with a clear advantage for Sabre considering their match history, but the underdog has gotten a hell of a lot stronger. He has more size now, some new moves, and a chip on his shoulder like no other. Just a phenomenal match, and definitely the kind of thing I wanted to see. Apparently they haven’t fought in like a year and a half, so it’s cool to see them kick their feud off again. Match of the night.

Kazuchika Okada vs. Lance Archer in A Block: Archer started with a body check before the bell and slammed the champion into the corner before he could even take off his cloak. Archer quickly put him on the outside and threw him around ringside, even taking a pot shot at a young lion that held the IWGP Heavyweight Championship.  Archer beat Okada into the crowd and yelled at a kid until he cried. Archer floored Okada with a huge forearm, and Red Shoes started the count, only for Archer to attack the timekeeper to bring it to a screeching halt. The two then fought back into the ring, where Okada would swing desperately at his much larger opponent, but Archer just kept putting him down. it took a lot for Okada to take the advantage, but he eventually got it using a flying back elbow, a basement dropkick and a splash to the outside. This did not keep Archer down though, as he continued to fight back. At one point, Okada hit Archer with two short rainmakers to bring Archer to a knee, Archer countered with a huge lariat of his own, followed by a chokeslam for a near fall. Archer then hit blackout, but Okada got his foot on the rope. Archer then started to look for a superplex, but Okada fought out of it and drilled Archer with a missile dropkick. Okada tried for a tombstone, but Archer reversed into a Blackout, but Okada slipped out into a spinning rainmaker, but Archer didn’t go down. Okada tried again, but Archer went for the EBD Claw. Okada was able to hold it at bay, and he grabbed the arm to spin Archer out for a final rainmaker and the win. Okada: 12, Archer: 4. 

Grade: B+. Good match between these two. Archer is still looking like a force of nature despite his lack of points. He must be in for a huge push after the tournament, because he is being booked incredibly strong. But of course he wasn’t going to beat the champion, his push isn’t that huge. Their match was really good, with Okada fighting from behind and showing a lot of heart to beat his monster of an opponent. So Okada is still undefeated, but he still has a lot of tough opponents on his way to victory. I’m still holding out hope for Ibushi. Also, with this win, just about half of the field is eliminated. Sanada, Sabre, Ospreay, Archer and Fale are all out. 

KENTA vs. SANADA in A Block: Sanada was the overwhelming favorite here, although Kenta did get some cheers. Sanada went up to the top for a second round of cheers, when Kenta took his feet out from under him and started the fight. Kenta beat down Sanada with well placed strikes all around ringside. At one point, he planted a long series of kicks into the chest of Sanada, but from there he started to get a bit cocky. He toyed with Sanada a bit until he got to his feet, where Sanada started to go to work on the knee a bit. However, even as he did, Kenta fought back into the match. He gave Sanada a hard powerslam, followed by a double foot stomp off the top. The two then jockeyed for position, before Kenta locked in Game Over.  Sanada was able to make it to the ropes, only for Kenta to drill him in the back with a knee. He went to follow up with the psycho knee, but Sanada gave him a spinebuster, followed by a TKO for a near fall. Then he went for the Moonsult, but Kenta got his legs up. The two then exhchanged big strikes in the middle of the ring. They just blasted each other with kicks and uppercuts, which ended went Sanada flipped into the Skull End. Kenta quickly countered with a sleeper. He brought Sanada to the mat, before drilling him with the psycho knee. He went to give Sanada the Go to Sleep, but Sanada slipped out and locked in the Skull End again. Sanada forced Kenta to pass out, before hitting him with a moonsault for the win, and quite the upset. Sanada: 4, Kenta: 8.

After the match, the two stared at each other from across the ring, and no handshake came out. 

Grade: B-. Fine match, with a pretty exciting closing stretch. I thought Sanada’s win was quite the upset, but it makes sense for him to start to fire up a bit. This was only his second win and he was eliminated from contention earlier in the night. He is pissed, so he went out there to play spoiler for anyone who stands in his way. Interesting stuff from these two.

EVIL vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi in A Block: I was pretty surprised that this was the main event. I think that New Japan executives see a lot in him, because I wasn’t sure if he had the star caliber to main event over the champion. However, Tanahashi is certainly the opponent that he needs to do so. The two started out with a bit of a lengthy feeling out process. They quickly started to pick up the pace, as Tana started to resort to some flying to take down Evil. Evil worked over Tana’s leg over and over again. His first submission was a figure four, although I think everyone knew where he was leading to with it. They built up the story here that Evil had the advantage when it came to stamina. So what he had to do was weaken Tana over the course of a long match and then take him down around the twenty minute mark. At one point, Tana went to skin the cat, but he botched it a bit and it took him an extra try. Evil took advantage of that, grabbing him by the waist for a german suplex. Tanahashi fought back into the match with a slingblade, and then gave Evil an Aces High to the outside, where he really hurt his knee in the process. Evil followed that up by using one of the Young Lions for a Magic Killer. The two were nearly counted out, but they both rolled back in just in time. As the two got in the ring, Tana began to work over Evil’s leg as well. he kicked it out from under him several times, and then went for the high angle Cloverleaf. Evil fought out, and the two traded some counters as they both desperately tried for some hard lariats. Evil was able to get the hit, but they both collapsed from exertion. Evil then brought Tana to the top rope with him, and they both crashed down to the mat with a superplex from Evil for a near fall. Evil then tried for Everything is Evil, but Tana countered into a trio of Twist and Shouts. The two slowly got back to their feet, and they exchanged stiff strikes in the middle of the ring, to the delight of the crowd. The two then both attempted an STO, but Evil got the better of the exchange with a headbutt. He tried again for Everything is Evil, but Tanahashi nailed him with a bridging dragon suplex for a near fall. Tanahashi then hit Aces High and High Fly Flow for the win. Tanahashi: 8, Evil: 6. 

Grade: A-. A great match that really highlighted the fact that Tanahashi is aging. They constantly talked about how Evil had the stamina advantage, and they really played up Tanahashi’s knee injury. I’m surprised that Evil didn’t lock in a scorpion death lock at any point, because that would have been an exciting sequence. But once again, Evil proves just how good he is against one of the best in the business. He brought a lot of intensity, but he couldn’t quite take out the Ace of New Japan. This tournament has been grueling for him, but this win proves that Tanahashi was still alive. He is definitely is still in this, and he progressed to the top of his block. 

Overall Grade: B

Pros: Ospreay vs. Sabre; Archer vs. Okada; Evil vs. Tanahashi

Cons: Ibushi vs. Fale

[puroresu-musings]

NJPW G1 CLIMAX 30 Day 5 Review (Sept 27th, 2020, Kobe World Memorial Hall)

Yota Tsuji vs. Gabriel Kidd  ***

A Block

Taichi vs. Yujiro Takahashi  **1/2

Jeff Cobb vs. Minoru Suzuki  ***1/4+

Kota Ibushi vs. Tomohiro Ishii  ****1/4

Will Ospreay vs. Shingo Takagi  ****1/2+

Kazuchika Okada vs. Jay White  ***3/4

photos.

This was one of the strongest cards of the tour on paper, and whilst it didn’t exactly reach its lofty anticipation, it was still a great show which was a breeze to sit through. Gabriel Kidd defeated Yota Tsuji in the prerequisite good Young Lion opener with his impressive Butterfly Suplex, which then gave us a match I was dreading in Taichi vs. Yujiro. However, I’m pleased to say that whilst this wasn’t especially good, it certainly wasn’t bad, so thats a definite plus. The crowd were into this late in the game, before Taichi hit a low blow, then scored the win in 11 minutes with the Gedo Clutch. The win makes Taichi undefeated thus far, but I can’t believe that will last much longer. Especially seeing who he’s got coming up in the rest of this thing. Hey, does anyone remember when Shelton Benjamin went on that inexplicable undefeated streak in 2014?

Minoru Suzuki defeated Jeff Cobb next in a match up that, whilst very good, was something of a disappointment (a theme will occur). It was very short for starters (9:24), and Cobb, who really hasn’t looked all that great in this tournament so far, sold for pretty much the whole match. Which is something he does entirely too much for my liking. I mean, he’s a big, athletic guy, who was a legitimate Olympian, and could probably shoot kill most guys in most locker rooms, but spends most of these matches getting his arse handed to him. I mean, fine when you’re talking about Suzuki, but would Dr Death have bumped all over and sold 80% of a match for Taichi? Would the Steiners? Or Kurt Angle? Anyway, you get what I’m saying. I just think he needs to come across more as a badass shooter rather than... whatever he is now. Which is literally “just a guy”. Regardless of my gripes, this was a good match (even if there were a few ‘clunky’ aspects), which Suzuki won after locking in a choke then transitioning to the Gotch Piledriver.

After a brief intermission it was time to go to war as Ibushi took on Ishii. These guys have had three matches previous to this, all of which were absolutely fab, so expectations were high. This was an excellent, heated, hard-hitting battle, but for various reasons, it couldn’t hit the heights of their previous bouts, and the most  obvious reason being that it’s incredibly hard to have an absolute blow-away classic in the current environment. Literally, there’s only been one in my book; the Naito/Tanahashi match from last week, and that’s it. Regardless, they still had a great match, beating the hell out of each other for 15:41 with hard chops, kicks, forearms headbutts and Lariats. Just as we’d all hoped they would. Ishii started chopping Ibushi in the throat, so Kota hit those scary throat punches in retaliation, then landed on his feet on a German attempt and scored a near fall with Boma Ye on the originators bestie. Ishii counters Kamigoye with headbutts, then a Lariat. They exchange hard strikes, Ibushi hits a high kick, then Kamigoye to take the 2 points and render Ishii winless in this G1. They continued beating each other up in the post match.

Next up was a rematch from the best match of 2019, when Shingo Takagi sought to avenge his BOSJ Finals loss to Will Ospreay. This really was a fantastic bout, but obviously couldn’t reach the heights of their match last year, but was easily MOTN, in the top 3 of this tournament so far, and amongst the best in the pandemic era. These guys work amazingly well together and it produces fairly amazing results. Their counter sequences alone are a thing of beauty. Ospreay got a near fall after a Corner to Corner dropkick and Shooting Star Press, before Shingo battled back with a Pumping Bomber and Made In Japan for near falls of his own. The Rampage Dragon hit his old Stay Dream middle rope Death Valley Bomb, but Ospreay kicks at 1. Shingo obliterates him with a Pumping Bomber which garners a near fall, and Last Of The Dragon follows, allowing Takagi to get his win back at the 22:03 mark. This was a really great match, and, look, people were tying themselves in knots trying to explain how Ospreay’s match with Ishii last week wasn’t very good (it was excellent), and I fear that these sort of views are because of how these people feel towards Ospreay personally. I’ve always tried to remove the person from the matches (I’ve often loved a Michael Elgin match, despite him being fundamentally loathsome in many regards), and thats my philosophy here. I get he’s a very divisive character, but he has great matches consistently. Anyway, thats all I have to say about that.

And in the main event, Jay White once again pinned Okada in a really good, though ultimately disappointing, encounter that couldn’t hope to follow its predecessor. Honestly, this Okada Cobra Clutch storyline is doing nothing for me. It’s even more alienating to me then the red-headed balloon bandit nonsense he had going on 2018. I understand the story they’re trying to tell; that Okada has ‘retired’ the Rainmaker in order to make this Cobra Clutch/Anaconda Vice thing his primary finish, and its all building to him using the Rainmaker again later down the road, but I just honestly don’t care. It just ruins the flow of his matches. You could work dramatic sequences around avoiding or getting out of a Rainmaker, or even trying to hit it, but this submission just isn’t hitting the same notes as far as I’m concerned. I’ve said since January that Okada just seems lost at sea when he’s not champion, and this is as glaringly obvious now as its ever been. White however has looked great since his COVID induced hiatus, and he looked really good in this one. This was marred slightly by too much Gedo involvement, who kept distracting Okada throughout. After Okada hit a Rolling Rainmaker, he locks the Clutch on for maybe the 7th time in the match, which prompted Gedo to distract Red Shoes whilst Jay hits a low blow (we’ve seen a ton of these in this G1 already, by the way, and we’re only five days in!), then tries for Blade Runner, but again gets caught in the Clutch. Dear Lord. White counters into a Sleeper Suplex, then hit Blade Runner to take the decisive win at 18:48. I mean, in terms of wins over Okada, this is almost as decisive as it gets. Switch Blade cut a promo in the post match, taunting the crowd and proclaiming the G1 to actually be the “Jay1″. 

NDT

[wrestlingisfake]

Destruction in Kobe preview

Tetsuya Naito vs. Jay White - Naito is defending the IWGP intercontinental championship.  White pinned Naito in the G1 Climax, eliminating Naito from the tournament and earning White this title match.  There’s a decent chance the winner of this match will defend the title at Wrestle Kingdom 14, seeing as there probably won’t be many more title matches between now and January.

Naito’s goal for months has been to hold the intercontinental title long enough to also secure the IWGP heavyweight title and be the first double champion with those two belts.  His best chance to do that was to win the G1 Climax, but Kota Ibushi won the tournament to qualify for the heavyweight title match at Wrestle Kingdom.  Since Ibushi lost the intercontinental title to Naito, and since he has a particular fondness for that belt, and since Wrestle Kingdom 14 is a two-day event, Kota suggested that he could challenge for the heavyweight belt on January 4 and then the winner could face the intercontinental champion on January 5 in a double title match.  That obviously got Naito’s attention. 

It looks like White also took notice.  Since he didn’t win the G1 Climax, the earliest opportunity he will have to regain the heavyweight title would be if he’s in the possible double title match on January 5.  (If it happens--technically it hasn’t been officially announced.)  But to be in that match he has to have the intercontinental title, which means he needs to beat Naito for it.  To that end, he attacked Naito on August 25 and declared his “destino” to be the first double champion.

The Big Five in New Japan this year are Kazuchika Okada, Hiroshi Tanahashi, Tetsuya Naito, Kota Ibushi, and Jay White.  (White’s mainly at that level because he filled in for the role of Kenny Omega earlier this year; it’s not clear if this current storyline was originally mapped out for Kenny.)  We already know Okada-Ibushi for the heavyweight title is set for Wrestle Kingdom, and Tanahashi vs. Chris Jericho is also clearly pencilled in.  So it’s a safe bet we’ll get White-Naito for the intercontinental title on January 4, with the winner facing the winner of Okada-Ibushi on January 5.  The only real question is whether Naito or White will enter the Tokyo Dome as the champion.  This match will likely decide that.

With all that in mind, I think it makes the most sense for White to win the title here, so Naito can earn his way into a rematch.  On the other hand, White is 1-0 against Naito in singles matches, so a Naito victory here would set up a rubber match in January.  But the image of White gloating at all of us with his shiny new belt for the next three months is just too perfect to pass up.  It’s Jay’s time now.

Hirooki Goto vs. Shingo Takagi - This is a rematch from their G1 Climax match on August 11, which Shingo won.  Takagi entered New Japan as a junior heavyweight and just went sickhouse on everybody’s ass.  Then he entered the G1, had a respectable 4-5 record, and said “fuck it, I’m a full-time heavyweight now.”  Meanwhile, Goto returned from a stint at the LA Dojo with a head of steam, going 5-4 in the G1 Climax.  If Goto is going to finish 2019 in a better position than last year, he needs to start by avenging his loss to Shingo.  That won’t be easy.

Their previous match was intense as fuck and very well reviewed.  This one is going to come down to which guy is getting a big push.  If Shingo is on track for a title run next year, he should probably just go 2-0 on Goto and move on to bigger stars.  The thing is, these two are so similar that there’s no real reason to push them both, so if Goto is fed to Shingo I don’t see any point to rehabbing him for some other storyline.  In short, Goto needs this win a little more than Shingo.  I can’t really be sure which one will get it.

Kazuchika Okada & Kota Ibushi & Robbie Eagles vs. SANADA & EVIL & BUSHI - Okada and Sanada are on course for a title match on October 14.  Now that Ibushi has defended his G1 title match contract against Kenta, Evil is next in line, so those two have a match coming down the line, which hasn’t been scheduled yet.  This could go either way, but count on Bushi or Eagles eating the pin.

KENTA & Tama Tonga & Tanga Loa & El Phantasmo & Taiji Ishimori vs. Will Ospreay & SHO & YOH & Tomohiro Ishii & YOSHI-HASHI - Roppongi 3K (Yoh and Sho) lost the junior tag title to Phantasmo and Ishimori a while back, but then everything got shook up on September 16 when Yoh pinned Tama Tonga.  Now R3K are in line for a heavyweight tag title match against the Guerillas of Destiny, who had just successfully defended against Ishii and Yoshi on September 15 with help from Kenta.  GOD is probably pretty pissed about it, and I would expect them to be on the warpath here.

Meanwhile, Phantasmo is looking to challenge Ospreay for the junior singles title at some point, and Kenta doesn’t have a challenger for his NEVER openweight title.  I could see someone pinning Kenta to set up a title match, but I don’t really see any of these guys doing it.  The smart money is on Yoshi losing this match.

Hiroshi Tanahashi & Jushin Thunder Liger & Rocky Romero & Tiger Mask vs. Minoru Suzuki & Zack Sabre, Jr. & Yoshinobu Kanemaru & DOUKI - Things are still heating up between Liger and Suzuki, although we still don’t know when they’re going to build to a singles match.  Suzuki managed to pull off Liger’s mask last week so I am more certain than ever (I was already pretty certain) that Liger is going to flip the fuck out and turn into Kishin Liger.  Could that happen tonight???  I mean, it could, but it could have happened half a dozen times before now, and it still could happen at King of Pro Wrestling or Power Struggle.  So my big question is, how much shit can Jushin Liger take before he loses his mind?  As for this match, I guess Douki or Tiger Mask loses, and between the two of them Douki is the bigger jobber.

Togi Makabe & Tomoaki Honma & Toa Henare vs. Bad Luck Fale & Chase Owens & Yujiro Takahashi - This is a trios match and Makabe is one of the NEVER trios champions, but he never actually teams with the other two champions anymore, so this isn’t a title match.  Anyway, forget all that shit, what matters is that Fale and Chase spent most of the G1 Climax tour talking up their plans to STORM AREA 51 to BEAT UP ALIENS.  I mean, that Storm Area 51 thing was kind of a dumb joke, but when BAD LUCK FALE is telling you about it, it seems a little more important.  They made a shirt and everything! 

So anyway these guys would have had about 48 hours to get from the 9/20 Kyoto show to Las Vegas, storm Area 51, and then fly back to Kobe for this match, so I am real real curious what they’re gonna tell us about that trip.  I assume Kevin Kelly will do his duty and try to get some comments from them about it.  I was about to say “before they get clobbered in this match” but actually for once they may be the favorites to win, so maybe the real aliens were Makabe, Honma, and Henare all along!

Syota Umino vs. Karl Fredericks - This is one of two Young Lion Cup tournament matchs on the card, and the last night of the tournament.  Umino and Fredericks are in a three-way tie with Ren Narita at 10 points.  Knowing how New Japan books these things, I would guess it all comes down to who wins this match.  My man Shooter Umino controls his own destiny, so if he wins this match he wins the tournament no matter what else happens.  Fredericks needs to win this match and he needs Narita to not win.  The big story of the tournament has been the New Japan dojo guys having a beef with the gaijin from the LA Dojo and Bad Luck Fale’s dojo.  It’s not New Gaijin Pro Wrestling so I’m pretty sure a Japanese guy is going to win, and my money is on the Shooter.

Ren Narita vs. Clark Connors - This is the other Young Lion Cup tournament match.  Connors can’t win the tournament even if he wins this match.  Narita could win, but he needs to win this match and he needs Umino to not win.  Ren doesn’t have to lose this match, but if he does Umino-Fredericks is for all the marbles, so I’m very sure that Connors will win to make that possible.

Yuji Nagata & Yota Tsuji & Yuya Uemura vs. Manabu Nakanishi & Alex Coughlin & Michael Richards - Once again Nagata and Nakanishi are teaming with all the Young Lion Cup guys that don’t have tournament matches on this card.  I could see Nakanishi’s team winning just to let Coughlin and Richards have a little moment before they go back home, but NJPW prides itself on making these guys suffer so maybe not.

[puroresu-musings]

NJPW G1 CLIMAX 29 Day 11 and Day 12 Review

Day 11 (July 30th 2019, Kagawa, Takamatsu City General Gymnasium)

A Block

Kota Ibushi vs. Bad Luck Fale  *

Will Ospreay vs. Zack Sabre Jr.  ****1/4

Kazuchika Okada vs. Lance Archer  ***3/4

KENTA vs. SANADA  ***1/4

Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. EVIL  ****1/4+

Day 12 (August 1st 2019, Hakata, Fukuoka Citizen Gymnasium)

B Block

Jeff Cobb vs. Shingo Takagi  ****1/4

Toru Yano vs. Jon Moxley  **1/2

Juice Robinson vs. Tetsuya Naito  ***3/4

Taichi vs. Jay White  **1/2

Tomohiro Ishii vs. Hirooki Goto  ****1/4

Photos.

Two very strong days of G1 action here, but it’s that mid point of the tournament where most of the guys are saving themselves for the homestretch to Budokan. Takamatsu saw A Block action on July 30th with an enjoyable show that would have been even better had the crowd been slightly hotter (though they were going crazy for the main). Kota Ibushi pinned Bad Luck Fale with Kamigoye to win the 2 points in 9:27. This was crap, and easily amongst the worst Ibushi matches you’ll ever see. The Jado/Owens constant interference and Fale’s slothful performances have well and truly worn thin by this point in the tournament. The battle of Britain between ZSJ and Will Ospreay that followed was excellent however. This was an incredible display of technical wrestling, and well and truly left egg on the face of all those jabronis who claim Ospreay is naught but a “spot monkey”, as he more than held his own against The Technical Wizard. The story here being that every time Ospreay would try his highspots, Zack would tie him up in his crazy submissions, but Ospreay would always find a way to escape. However, Will’s injured neck proved to be his downfall, as the finish saw him try Storm Breaker, but Zack spun out, locked in the Manjigatame, which he turned into a grounded Cobra Twist, and the pain proved too much for Ospreay, who immediately tapped at the 20:02 mark.

Okada remained undefeated when he pinned Lance Archer in a great 14 minute bout. The IWGP champion gave Archer a ton of offence here, including an incredible rope walk into a moonsault, and scoring a super close near fall with Black Out, en route to finally putting the big man away with a Rainmaker. Archer has really been great in the G1 and hope he continues to shine beyond it. SANADA defeated KENTA after putting him to sleep with Skull End, then hitting the Keiji Muto Moonsault to win in 16:10 of a very disappointing outing. These guys are both great workers, but just didn’t gel together in this. The crowd indifference didn’t help either. Then in the main event of the show, Tanahashi put in an incredible performance against EVIL. The story of Tana’s G1 is that he’s scrapped the high flying moves, so to rest his knackered knees, and rely on a more ground based style (very much like the Keiji Muto of the 21st century). However, that plan hasn’t worked out too well, and his wins in this have generally been from a High Fly Flow. As a result, he keeps going for the HFF, to the detriment of his knees. This was the story here, hitting the Flow to the floor and pulling a fantastic sell job for the rest of the match. The finishing stretch was incredibly dramatic; EVIL scored near falls with a big superplex and Darkness Falls, but Tana turns the STO into a series of Twist And Shouts, and a Sling Blade. EVIL gets the knees up on an HFF attempt, and scored a near fall with a small package. They engaged in a great strike exchange, which really got the crowd going, then The King Of Darkness gets another near fall with a big Lariat. EVIL tried the STO again, but Tana turns it into a Dragon Suplex for a great near fall, then hits two High Fly Flow’s for the win after 23 minutes of excellent action.

The August 1st show in Fukuoka saw the B Block produce an even more consistent show. G1 action started with Shingo and Jeff Cobb having a fantastic 12 minute sprint. This was the best match of the night, just two big, strong powerhouses throwing each other around, and hitting each other with hard Lariats as the Hakata faithful went crazy for it. Takagi turned Tour Of The Islands into a Crucifix Bomb, and hoists the Olympian up into Made In Japan for a great near fall. Cobb battled back, scoring the win after ducking a Pumping Bomber atempt, and hitting a big German suplex, followed by Tour Of The Islands to end a great match. Bizarrely enough, the crowd were never as hot for anything else on the show after this.  The undefeated Jon Moxley suffered his first New Japan loss to Toru Yano, of all people, in a fun match next. This was your standard Yano G1 showing, but with considerably more added drama as the result actually meant a great deal; if Moxley won, he’d essentially have won the Block, whereas since he lost, it opens the Block up. There was the usual japes and shenanigans with low blows and the corner pads, before the Sublime Master Thief hit a low blow on Moxley and Shota Umino on the floor, then taped their legs together, to get the countout win in 5:08. I understand the annoyance at this being Moxley’s first loss, but he was well protected, and can say he has never been pinned yet. And it helped reaffirm the fact anything can happen in these Yano G1 bouts.

Naito pinned Juice with Destino at 13:47 of another great contest next. This was actually better than I’d anticipated, as Naito has looked very beaten down in this G1, but this ended up being borderline excellent. The finish came after Naito turned a Pulp Friction attempt into Valentia, then hit Destino for the pinfall, and the 2 points, to remaon alive in this tournament. Jay White defeated Taichi in another nonsense filled battle of the heels. In equal measures entertaining, and boring as all hell, this felt much longer than its 15 minute duration. Both guys seconds interfered, and they stalled to almost parody levels in the early going. This picked up somewhat in the final few minutes, but on the whole I couldn’t say it was any good. The finish saw Taichi score a near fall with the Last Ride, before Jay countered a Black Mephisto attempt into the Sleeper Suplex, hit the cross-arm Bloody Sunday, then the match-winning Blade Runner. And the main event saw CHAOS stablemates Ishii and Goto have one of their great slobberknockers. This was by no means one of their best matches, in fact it was their weakest together since the 2016 G1, but it was still a compelling hard-hitter. You all know the score here, they clobbered each other with hard Lariats, forearms, kicks and headbutts, in glorious fashion, before Goto hit a reverse GTR and a stiff chest kick for a near fall. Ishii battled back with an enziguri, but on a Lariat attempt ran straight into an Ushigoroshi into a Final Cut, then the GTR to win, and avenge his loss to Ishii from last years tourney, at the 18:01 mark.

NDT

[puroresu-musings]

NJPW G1 CLIMAX 29 Day 1 Review (July 6th 2019, American Airlines Centre, Dallas, TX)

Roppongi 3K vs. Guerrillas Of Destiny  ***1/4

Tomohiro Ishii & Shota Umino vs. Jeff Cobb & Ren Narita  ***3/4

Hirooki Goto & YOSHI-HASHI vs. Jay White & Chase Owens  **3/4

Jushin Thunder Liger, Juice Robinson & Toru Yano vs. Tetsuya Naito, Shingo Takagi & BUSHI  ***

G1 Climax 29 A Block:

Will Ospreay vs. Lance Archer  ****1/2

EVIL vs. Bad Luck Fale  **1/2

SANADA vs. Zack Sabre Jr.  ****1/4

Kota Ibushi vs. KENTA  ****+

Kazuchika Okada vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi  ****3/4

Photos.

This was a very fun opening day of G1 action, emanating for the first time ever outside of Japan. Things kicked off with IWGP Heavyweight Tag champions, Tama Tonga and Tanga Loa defeating the former holders of the Junior straps, SHO and YOH in good, action packed sprint, when Tama pinned YOH at 6:42 after a Super Bomb. Jeff Cobb and Ren Narita were victorious over Ishii and Shota Umino in a great little all-action doubles clash. This was perfect for what it was, with the highlight being the tremendous exchanges between Ishii and Cobb, who face off in the B Block next Saturday, and based on their exchanges here, that match should be something else. The Young Lions looked really good too, but it was only a matter of time before one of them took the L. This time Umino drew the short straw as he looked at the light for a Cobb Tour Of The Islands at the 7:18 mark. Cobb and Ishii had a wild pull apart in the post match, which resulted in Cobb getting a bloody nose. The next two matches, whilst both good, were essentially your average New Japan spot show multi mans. Goto returned, looking in amazing shape, hitting Chase Owens with Ushigoroshi and the GTR to win in 8:38 of a decent match, but the Liger, Yano, Juice vs. LIJ match had the most crowd investment, because of its obvious greater star power. The crowd were totally behind Liger, and the LIJ trio got the heat on the legend for most of the match. Juice and Shingo got time to shine, hyping their encounter next week, and Yano stole the win for his team when he nailed BUSHI with a low blow and crdled him for the win at 8:18 of a fun outing.

Then the 29th G1 Climax kicked off in style as hometown boy Lance Archer, making his first appearance in the tournament since 2014, took on Will Ospreay, making his G1 debut. This was fantastic stuff, easily overdelivering and easily being the best match I’ve ever seen Archer in (even if it was just another day at the office for Ospreay). This went 18:17 and was a perfect ‘big guy vs. little guy’ outing, with Ospreay bouncing all over for Archer’s power moves. After hitting a massive Spanish Fly on Archer, Will tried Storm Breaker, but Lance escaped, catching him in his new EBD Claw finish. The finish saw both on the top again, this time Archer hit his Black Out off the top, and locked in the EBD Claw again for the pinfall win. EVIL and Fale couldn’t possibly follow that, and they didn’t. In fact they had the weakest match on the whole show. This was an ok brawl, but featured the usual shenanigans such as chairs and ref bumps, then Fale pinned the King Of Darkness with the Bad Luck Fall at 11:33 after hitting him with a chair.

ZSJ and SANADA had another in their series of excellent technical wrestling outings. This was an entire, 21 minute match, built entirely around counters. Every time SANADA would try something, Zack would counter into a submission or a pin attempt, but SANADA would in turn counter Zack’s counter, and so went the whole match. This was great stuff. The finish saw SANADA lock Sabre Jr in the Skull End, then go for the Moonsault, but Zack caught him in a triangle. Sanada escaped, tried another Skull End, but ZSJ turned it into a European Clutch, only for SANADA to roll through into a Japanese Leg Clutch for the win. A furious Zack locked referee Marty Asami in a leg lock in the post match. KENTA made his G1 debut next in a very stiff and believable outing with Kota Ibushi. This too was great, but at 20:51, it was a little too long for what it was, which hurt it somewhat. Had it been five minutes shorter, it would easily have been in the ****1/2 territory. This was a very realistic fight, which saw KENTA dominate, which was the story of the whole match, stiffing the hell out of Ibushi with his trademark hard kicks and strikes, and Kota would give it back as hard as he got. The plan here was to get KENTA over as a badass veteran with something to prove, thus building him as a threat in this tournament. Which is probably the right thing to do. The finish saw the pair engage in a hard strike battle, which KENTA won, then hit four hard head kicks on Ibushi, and pinned him, clean as a sheet, with the Go To Sleep.

The main event, which was the first meeting on U.S. soil between Okada and Tanahashi, two guys who have had some of the greatest matches ever in the last 7 years. It featured a suitably rabid crowd, who exploded at the bell and were 100% in to this thing from here on out. As much as this was without doubt their weakest match together since their 2013 G1 outing, the super hot crowd (and the fact I’m totally biased towards these matches) made it the best thing on this show. Tana, fresh off the shelf from elbow surgery, had his working boots on, looking healthier than he has in months (he looked bad at Dominion, worryingly bad), and hitting all his signature spots, including the HFF to the floor, which he hasn’t done since Wrestle Kingdom. The finish was packed with these guys signature counter sequences; after destroying Okada’s knees with Dragon Screws, Tanahashi tried the High Fly Flow, but Okada got the knees up. Okada tried a Tombstone, but Tana escapes, they exchange strikes, then Okada turns a backslide into the Rainmaker, keeps a hold of the wrist, and hits another. The IWGP Heavyweight Champion goes for a third, but Tanahashi counters into a small package for an incredibly believable near fall. A Tana Dragon Suplex gets another near fall, then he comes off the ropes looking for Sling Blade, but Okada catches him in the spinning Tombstone, then hits the Rainmaker at the 22:04 mark to take the two points, and win the first Okada/Tanahashi G1 that didn’t go to a time limit draw. Okada cut a promo in the post match saying he’ll be the first person to win the New Japan Cup, IWGP Heavyweight Title, and the G1 all in the same year.

NDT

[puroresu-musings]

NJPW G1 CLIMAX 29 Day 18 Review (Aug 11th 2019, Tokyo, Nippon Budokan)

B Block Finals:

Toru Yano vs. Jeff Cobb  **1/2

Tomohiro Ishii vs. Taichi  ****1/2

Juice Robinson vs. Jon Moxley  ****

Hirooki Goto vs. Shingo Takagi  ****3/4

Tetsuya Naito vs. Jay White  ****+

The B Block came to an end with a really fun show held in front of a white hot Budokan crowd. Toru Yano and Jeff Cobb’s respective G1 came to an end with an entertaining, but preposterous match, when Cobb pinned YTR with Tour Of The Islands at 5:18, after surviving Yano’s antics (and rolls of tape stuffed down his tights. Ishii and Taichi had a tremendous encounter next, that might very well be the best match I’ve ever seen Taichi in. I’ve no idea why he doesn’t work like this all the time, but if he did more of this, and less of the human sloth stuff, he’d actually be pretty well thought of. This was a fast paced, all-action 11:56 hard-hitter, with Ishii doing everything possible to get Dangerous T out of Taichi. After Taichi nailed him with a series of Dangerous Backdrop Drivers, Ishii popped back up, but ate a gamengiri then was pinned with Black Mephisto. This was excellent, and could very well have been the best bout of the night.

Jon Moxley fell to Juice Robinson next, in a very heated outing. This wasn’t as good as their Ryogoku match in June, but was still great, and had the crowd pretty much 100% behind Juice. They even started to shout “Juice” and “Mox” and one point when they were exchanging blows. It all lead to a really good atmosphere. Moxley worked over Juice’s knee he injured in the White match on Thursday, and Robinson did a tremendous sell-job throughout. The story to this was that in their previous encounter, Juice succumbed to Moxley’s desire to make it a brawl, and it cost him. But here, he had no intention of doing the same, as any time plunder was brought in by Mox, Juice got rid of it. Moxley thought he had the match won whilst having Juice locked in an STF, so broke the hold like a fool to celebrate. To be fair, he should have won as Juice was blatantly done, but hey ho, that’s pro wrestling. Robinson battled back, hitting the Left Hand and Pulp Friction to end Moxley’s G1 at the 16:26 mark. In a match that I would have killed for 10 years ago, Shingo defeated Goto in an unbelievable war that lived up to the high hopes I had for it. These guys pounded each other in wonderful fashion for 15 minutes, as Budokan went crazy for it. Shingo, along with Ishii, has been something else in this G1, having consistently great matches throughout, and looking like a star. These guys beat the hell out of each other with hard Lariats, firearms and headbutts, before Shingo scores a near fall with Made In Japan, turned Goto inside out with a gigantic Pumping Bomber, then got the win with Last Of The Dragon, to put an end to Goto and his G1 hopes. Backstage, Takagi officially announced his permanent move to heavyweight.

Which meant the Naito/White main event was to determine who won the Block. This was another great match, but nowhere near either guys best match of the tournament, though the high stakes elevated the drama considerably. It must be said that Naito looked a little rough here, he seemed off on a few spots, and botched a reverse rana spot, all of which makes me concerned for where he’ll end up, physically speaking. The guy has landed on his head A LOT in the last 5 years. The match was slow and methodical, but really picked up in the final few minutes, with a hot closing stretch. Naito tried Destino, but Jay just lay down, laughing, then hit two nasty looking Saito Suplexes, followed by the Kiwi Krusher, for a near fall. Naito escapes Blade Runner, hits the aforementioned botched reverse rana, and hits Destino for a great near fall. Jay escaped another Destino attempt and hits the sleeper Suplex, then they had a tremendous, and very tense, battle of counters and reversals in which Jay goes for Blade Runner, but Naito countered into another Destino attempt, then Jay would try the Sleeper Suplex again, but Naito countered into another Destino attempt, until Jay finally hit the Sleeper Suplex, followed up with the cross-arm Bloody Sunday, and the match-winning Blade Runner at 18:51 to win the match, the Block, and to put an end to Naito’s hopes of ever being The Ace.

In the post match, White called out Ibushi, and told him that tomorrow, Gedo wouldn’t be at ringside. He and Gedo then attacked Ibushi, culminating in Jay destroying Kota’s leg with multiple chair shots, in an attempt to gain the dastardly upper hand. I like this match up, it’s a good old fashioned beloved baby face vs. nefarious heel encounter, that I have no doubt with be a fantastic, dramatic affair.

NDT

[puroresu-musings]

NJPW G1 CLIMAX 29 Day 13 & Day 14 Review (Aug 3rd and 4th 2019, Osaka, EDION Arena)

Day 13 (A Block)

KENTA vs. Bad Luck Fale  **

Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Lance Archer  ***1/4

Will Ospreay vs. EVIL  ****1/2

Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Kota Ibushi  ****3/4

Kazuchika Okada vs. SANADA  *****

Day 14 (B Block)

Tomohiro Ishii vs. Toru Yano  ***3/4

Juice Robinson vs. Taichi  *3/4

Hirooki Goto vs. Jeff Cobb  ***1/4

Jon Moxley vs. Jay White  ***1/2

Tetsuya Naito vs. Shingo Takagi  ****3/4

Photos.

The G1 rolled into Osaka for the annual, and prerequisite, classic matches in the tournament. The A Block night on the 3rd was the stronger of the two, and very probably the best night of Block action so far this year, with three fantastic matches back to back. To kick things off, Bad Luck Fale defeated KENTA after a lot of Bullet Club shenanigans. KENTA worked hard here, laying into the big man with some stiff kicks, then turned a Grenade into Game Over in the middle of the ring. This caused Chase Owens to distract the referee as Jado came in with the kendo stick. The old timer misses with the cane and KENTA sends him packing, however the distraction allowed Fale to sneak up from behind and score the win with a school boy at 7:20 of a very frustrating bout. This was nonsense and the loss essentially eliminates KENTA from this years tournament. Oh well. Speaking of which, the next contest was between two guys who are also mathematically eliminated and members of Suzuki-gun, as ZSJ got the sneaky win over the considerably larger Lance Archer. This was really good, with Zack playing the annoying ant to Archer’s giant. After Zack would keep countering Lance’s power moves into submissions, the American Psycho finally hit a big chokeslam, which appeared to win the match for him, but he inexplicably lifted Sabre at 2. Archer then tried Blackout, but Zack rolled through into a cradle to win at the 10:43 mark.

The next three bouts were all tremendous in their own very different ways. Ospreay vs. EVIL was an excellent battle indeed, and featured a white hot crowd. These guys worked incredibly well together, with their different styles meshing seamlessly and producing one of the hottest closing stretches of the tournament. After Ospreay scored a near fall with the corner to corner dropkick, and EVIL rebounded with a huge Lariat, they went into a crazy strike exchange and counter sequence, before EVIL scores a near fall with Darkness Falls. The King Of Darkness tries Everything is Evil, but Will flips out and hits a massive Liger Bomb for a near fall of his own. EVIL ducks Hidden Blade and charges for another Lariat, but runs straight into the Spanish Fly and hits Oscutter for a super believable near fall. He tries the Super Oscutter, but EVIL catches him in a big half and half German, another big Lariat, and scores the win at 17:08 with the STO. Following that were Tanahashi and Ibushi in a rematch of last years final, one of the greatest finals in the history of the G1. This wasn’t as good as that all time classic, but it was a different match really. This was worked at a breakneck pace (it surprisingly only went 15:53), and featured some absolutely fantastic exchanges. After Tanahashi worked over Ibushi’s ankle, and Ibushi worked on Tanahashi’s knee, Tana attempted an HFF to the floor, but Ibushi countered into a springboard top rope Frankensteiner, and from here the match never stopped. Tana escaped that terrifying Lawn Dart into the turnbuckle spot, then tried Sling Blade, but ate a perfectly timed double stomp, and took the Lawn Dart anyway, which never looks fun. Whilst Tana rolled onto the apron, Ibushi hit his other terrifying move; the Deadlift German off the ropes into the ring for a near fall. After Tana escapes a Last Ride attempt, the two engage in an unbelievable strike exchange, which resulted in Kota getting a bloody mouth, and a Tanahashi hand print across the right side of his face, as the crowd goes crazy. Ibushi sold like he was KO’d, but spins round into his massive Lariat for the double down. Ibushi hits the high kick, but Tana counters Kamigoye into three Twist and Shout’s, hits a perfect Sling Blade, but misses the High Fly Flow. Kota battles back with the Boma Ye for a near fall, then Tanahashi counters another Kamigoye attempt into a small package for a believable near fall. Ibushi is up and hits the Ace with a big high kick, but Tana shakes it off and screams, only to eat another, then the match-ending Kamigoye for Ibushi to take the 2 points and eliminate Tanahashi from contention. There was a ‘passing of the torch’ type moment in the post match as the two showed respect for each other, with Ibushi being emotional at finally vanquishing his God (he’s only ever pinned him one other time previous to this, in the 2017 G1) and Tana rolled out of the ring so Ibushi could get his pop.

The main event had a lot to follow, but somehow ended up surpassing them in a highly dramatic match. This was great, and the best match I’ve ever seen these two have together (and probably the best of SANADA’s career). Whereas the previous bouts were super heated sprints, this was a slow burn classic which took its time to weave its tale, and teasing going the distance. Obviously the story here is that SANADA is 6-0 against Okada, having never beaten him once, and Okada is undefeated in this G1 thus far, looking invincible in the process, so SANADA had a hell of an uphill battle. The Osaka faithful were super into this from the outside, and everyone appeared to be behind the underdog SANADA, chanting his name throughout this. In reality, this was every Okada/SANADA match we’ve ever seen, until the closing stretch, which was insanely intense. SANADA tried the springboard dropkick, but Okada catches him in the Air Raid Crash neckbreaker, then tries Rainmaker, but SANADA counters into Skull End, which Okada flips out of after climbing the ropes, and hits a Tombstone. He tries another Rainmaker, but SANADA again blocks it, this time catching him in Keiji Muto’s Dragon Neck Screw off the ropes. They engage in a great forearm and European uppercut exchange, before Okada wipes Cold Skull out with his patented drop kick. Another Rainmaker is turned into Skull End again, but Okada escapes, only for SANADA to hit a Tiger Suplex for a near fall. SANADA lands on his feet after Okada moved from a Moonsault attempt, but manages to lock in Skull End. This time, Okada counters into two Rainmakers, then tries a third, but SANADA hits one of his own which blew the roof off the EDION Arena. After 25 minutes of action, SANADA locks in Skull End once more, this time for a long time, and Okada starts to fade. Red Shoes Unno was fantastic here, selling that Okada might be out and the he was going to stop it, but Okada begins fighting back as the final two minutes are called. SANADA releases Skull End, then tries the Moonsault, but the IWGP Champion gets the knees up. At this point you got the feeling like this was definitely ending in a time limit draw. Final minute, and Okada hits another dropkick, then tries another Rainmaker, but SANADA counters into a pop-up Ace Crusher. With 30 seconds left SANADA hits a Moonsault to the back, and another to the front to score his first win ever over Okada at the 29:47 mark. This was superb stuff with off the charts tension and drama. SANADA cut a promo in the post match saying he loved Osaka to send everyone home happy.

The B Block show on the 14th couldn’t possibly hope to follow that show, but it was still a really good night of G1 action. Firstly, Block action began with Tomohiro Ishii pinning fellow CHAOS stablemate Toru Yano with the Brainbuster in a great 9:36 match-up. This was Yano’s best match of the tournament, even if it probably was Ishii’s weakest, and was just super entertaining throughout. Yano kept trying to steal wins with cradles and roll-up’s and Ishii would constantly prevent Yano from hitting his low blows and shenanigans, destroying him with chops and forearms in the process. The Stone Pitbull finally hit the Sliding Lariat and the Vertical Drop for the win and the 2 points, meaning he’s ver much still alive in this thing. Taichi defeated Juice in a deathly boring 12 minute outing next. I didn’t like this at all, and reached a crescendo of ref bumps and interference, before spat whiskey in Juice’s eyes and scored the pin with Black Mephisto. Whatever. 

Hirooki Goto and Jeff Cobb clashed next. This match too was just there, much like their uber disappointing NEVER Title match at the Cow Palace last year. On paper, these guys should have great matches togerther, however, they never click at all. The work was ultimately good, but it was just missing something, I feel. Goto scored the win at the 11:20 mark after hitting the Ushigoroshi into the Final Cut, then the GTR to get the 2 points. The Jay White/Jon Moxley match that followed, whilst very good, was another disappointment. Once again, there was just too much bullshit and shenanigans for my liking. There was a lot of stalling, a lot of interference, and the token ref bumps, all of which helped to dilute what should have been a very heated match, even if the closing stretch did save it somewhat. Moxley worked over Jay’s knee, locking on the Cloverleaf and an STF, before Jay came back with the suplex into the corner, a Saito suplex and the Deadlift German (which Moxley barely got over on), for a near fall. The Urinage gets a near fall for White, before Mox fires back with his release vertical suplex, which looked great. He then hit the Regal Knee Trembler, and a double arm DDT for a near fall, before White bumped the ref (yawn), and Gedo ran in and nailed Moxley with the brass knuckles. White then hit two sleeper suplexes, a cross arm Bloody Sunday, and the match-winning Blade Runner to end this at the 15:15 mark. I’m a big Jay White fan, I think he’s great and has a superstar aura, and I know they’re protected Moxley something fierce, but really, this sort of stuff does nobody any favours.

Thank God then for the main event, which was tremendous. L.I.J. exploded as Tetsuya Naito took on Shingo Takagi in a fantastic battle. Naito took an incredible beating here, and even though he won, he put Shingo over huge. This couldn’t really have gone any better, and came across like a classic G1 outing. They started with a nice chain wresting and feeling out process, but then Naito spat in Takagi’s face, which lit a fire under the Dragon. Shingo proceeded to destroy his stablemate with some of the hardest Lariats you’ll ever see. He countered a Tornado DDT into a Death Valley Bomb, then tried to cave in Naito’s chest with the Tenryu elbow off the top. Naito escaped a sliding lariat attempt, and hits an enzugiri. He tries the second rope reverse rana, but Shingo escapes and hits Noshigami. Naito counters a Pumping Bomber with a Koppo Kick, then hits Gloria for a near fall. Shingo hits a nasty looking Wheelbarrow German into the corner, then tries the super Death Valley Bomb off the second, which Naito turns into a Frankensteiner. Naito hits the reverse rana, but in trying a Destino, he runs straight into an ungodly Lariat, which looked like it killed him. A Made In Japan attempt is turned into a Dragon Suplex by Naito, but Shingo finally hits M.I.J. for a great near fall, followed by a Pumping Bomber, which decimates Naito, for another near fall. Last Of The Dragon is turned into Destino. They have a strike exchange, which Takagi obviously wins, crumpling Naito with a headbutt, but Naito hits a brainbuster out of nowhere for the double down. Naito hits a Canadian Destroyer, then Destino, but Shingo kicks out at 2.9! Another Destino follows, and Naito finally puts Shingo away at the 27:15 mark. This was fanatastic, and had a great backstory with both guys training at Animal Hamaguchi’s gym as teenagers, and being rivals. The ending was never really in any doubt, and even though I’d have preferred Shingo to have won this, he lost nothing in defeat, in fact he gained everything in that it was very similar to the Nakamura vs. Ibushi G1 23 match at this very building, which was a star making turn for Ibushi.

After this, the standings are that only Okada, Ibushi and EVIL are alive in the A Block (though KENTA holds a tie breaker over Ibushi and EVIL), so only one of those could realistically win, whereas the B BLock has Moxley in the lead, and a whole log jam of guys tied at 8 points. Those being Naito, Jay White, Ishii and Goto.

NDT

[puroresu-musings]

NJPW G1 CLIMAX 29 Day 7 Review (July 20th 2019, Tokyo, Korakuen Hall)

A Block

Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Bad Luck Fale  ***1/4

Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Lance Archer  ***1/2

KENTA vs. EVIL  ****1/4

Kota Ibushi vs. SANADA  ****1/2

Kazuchika Okada vs. Will Ospreay  *****

Photos.

This was an excellent day of A Block action from a white hot Korakuen Hall. Climax action started with ZSJ defeating the much larger BLF via countout in a shockingly good clash of styles. I’d feared the worst here, but the bout’s brevity (6:30), and an ingenious finish really brought this one up. Zack kept trying to lock Fale in all kinds of submissions, but the big man would invariably power out. Fale took it to the floor and into the stands, where he accidentally clotheslined an interfering Chase Owens, then tried a Bad Luck Fall on the walk way, but Zack caught him in a triangle/jujigatame, which he held onto until the referee’s count of 13, then he sprinted to the ring, whilst Fale didn’t make it and was counted out. Tanahashi and a resurgent Lance Archer had another very good big guy/little guy match next. Tana started hot, jumping Archer before the bell with the Muto style dropkicks to the knee, then worked over the leg all match. Archer tried the rope walk, but Tanahashi caught him in the Twist and Shout, then a Sling Blade for a near fall. He tried the HFF, but the big man caught him in a chokeslam, then a twisting big splash out of the corner. Tana makes the ropes on a Claw attempt, then Lance tried the Blackout, but Tanahashi, ever the crafty veteran, turned it into a Victory roll for the flash win in 11:58.

KENTA and EVIL had a hard-hitting brawl next. This was great stuff, and the crowd were really behind EVIL, who of course is a homegrown talent, whereas most still see KENTA as a NOAH guy. And rightfully so. They brawled through the crowd, and KENTA devastated the King Of Darkness with hard kicks, strikes, and a mean spirited Face Wash. KENTA hit the double stomp for a two count, then EVIL escapes a Go 2 Sleep attempt and hits a German. EVIL lays KENTA out with a headbutt, then gets a near fall with Darkness Falls. KENTA counters a Lariat with the Busaiku Knee Strike for a near fall, hits the PK, followed by a successful Go 2 Sleep and that finally puts EVIL away at the 15:03 mark. Great stuff. And the next two matches were even better. The ‘Handsome Battle’ between SANADA and Ibushi was an excellent match which was worked very differently than one would expect, probably due to Ibushi’s ankle injury. They started off with chain wrestling, and SANADA working over Ibushi’s leg, then it broke down into the fast paced outing it promised to be. The finish saw Kota score a near fall with Last Ride, but SANADA countered a Kamigoye attempt into a backslide, which he rolled through and hit his own version of Kamigoye for a near fall. Ibushi moves from a Muto Moonsault attempt, then follows up with a Boma Ye, but can’t capitalise due to the injured ankle. Cold Skull locks on Skull End, but Kota battles out and turns it into that terrifying lawn dart into the corner. SANADA battles back with a spin kick, then locks on Skull End again, but Ibushi escapes again, hits a high head kick, a second Boma Ye, drops the knee pad and gets the win, and the two points, at 19:14 with Kamigoye.

The main event between IWGP Heavyweight Champion Okada and Junior Heavyweight Champ Ospreay was a superb outing, and amongst the four best matches I’ve seen all year. This was outstanding stuff, and by far the best match they’ve ever had against each other. Like the match that preceded it, this one started slow, but built expertly into an incredible display of athleticism, and featured a mind-blowing counter exchange at the finish, and brilliantly played on Ospreay’s real injury. Any time Okada teased a Tombstone or that crazy neckbreaker gimmick he does, the crowd would go crazy. This really got on another level after Will hit an Oscutter off the barricade on the floor. As Okada rolled into the ring on a 19 count, he immediately ate a corner to corner dropkick for a near fall, then takes an Oscutter in the ring for a super believable near fall. Ospreay tries another, Super Oscutter, but Okada turns it into a German, rolls through into a Rainmaker, but Ospreay escapes, only to come off the ropes straight into an incredible dropkick! Okada tried Rainmaker again, but this time Ospreay turns it into the Spanish Fly as Korakuen goes crazy. Will hits a shooting star press for a near fall, then tries Storm Breaker, only for Okada to turn it into a Tombstone attempt. It didn’t happen, however, as Ospreay then turned that into a Tombstone of his own. Ospreay hits the Hook Kick, which Okada did an amazing sell for, then gets the IWGP Heavyweight Title holder up in Storm Breaker. However, as he tries to execute it, Okada spins out, lands on his feet and hits a Rainmaker in an incredible sequence. Okada keeps hold of the wrist, hits another Rainmaker, then goes for a third, but Ospreay catches him in Storm Breaker again, but Okada hits a spinning Rainmaker, then the actual rip-cord Rainmaker for the pin in 21:56 of fab action. This was tremendous stuff, and whilst I thought it would have been the perfect time to put Ospreay over, they’re telling bigger stories with Okada; mainly that they want both he and KENTA undefeated for their match next week, and they clearly want Okada to break Masahiro Chono’s G1 record of consecutive victories. Either way, Ospreay looked phenomenal in defeat, and Okada... well he looked like his usual, fantastic self.

NDT

[puroresu-musings]

NJPW G1 CLIMAX 29 Day 9 Review (July 27th 2019, Nagoya, Aichi Dolphins Arena)

A Block

Kota Ibushi vs. Lance Archer  ****

Will Ospreay vs. Bad Luck Fale  *

EVIL vs. Zack Sabre Jr.  ***3/4

Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. SANADA  ****

Kazuchika Okada vs. KENTA  ****1/2

Photos.

Another great A Block show that featured some great action, and a bout that will most probably end up being the worst match of the tournament. The Aichi faithful were more subdued than usual here, but that likely had to do with the fact a typhoon was raging outside. Having been to Japan numerous times, and having been caught in a bunch of typhoons, let me tell you, these things are no laughing matter! Travelling in one is nigh on impossible.

Kota Ibushi defeated Lance Archer in an excellent match. This was way better than expected, and Archer, who really has come out with something to prove, worked his arse off here, including hitting a springboard rolling senton off the ropes. After Archer got a near fall with a gigantic chokeslam, Ibushi fired back with a Boma Ye to the back, then tried Kamigoye, but Archer countered with a Kamigoye of his own for a super believable near fall. This was a great sequence. Lance tried a Moonsault, but Ibushi moves, but runs right into Archer, who catches him in the blackout. However, Kota escapes down the back, hits a high head kick, then a Boma Ye to the face. Ibushi lifts Archer up and hits Kamigoye, but Archer doesn’t go down! instead letting out a defiant scream. Ibushi drops the knee pad and hits another Kamigoye for the win in 11:42. Bad Luck Fale, the ** king, struck again in a wretched, shenanigan filled 9 minute bout with Will Ospreay. This was nonsense, and probably the worst Ospreay match I’ve ever seen, whilst only being Fale’s worst since last years G1. Fale, Chase Owens and Jado, both of whom interfered liberally, worked over Ospreay’s injured neck. Ospreay made a comback, hit the Oscutter, but Owens pulled referee Marty Asami out and into the guardrail. Jado ran in with the kendo stick, but Ospreay laid him out, commandeering the cane. Before he could use it on Fale, Owens came in and nailed Ospreay with the Package Piledriver and Fale made the cover. Red Shoes came out, counted two, then flipped Fale off and called for the DQ, so Ospreay got the 2 points. Hey, I hated this, but at least it was a night off for Will.

EVIL defeated ZSJ in their usual really good outing. This had a tough time getting me in the early going, as the match before had really made me zone out. But by the end they’d won me over, and this turned out great. The story was Zack using his technical prowess, working over The King Of Darkness’ leg and tying him up in submissions, but EVIL would keep powering out. EVIL countered a PK attempt with a Lariat, then Sabre Jr turns the STO into a European Clutch for a near fall. Zack hits two PKs, then locks in a Manjigatame, but EVIL turns it into Darkness Falls. Then then had a series of great counters and reversals, before EVIL hit Everything Is Evil for the pinfall at the 16 minute mark. The next two matches were both tremendous. Hiroshi Tanahashi defeated SANADA for the first time in three years in the semi final battle of the evening. This was a great match too. Not their best by any means, but still an excellent match, this had more heat than anything on the show up to this point, with both men getting duelling chants. With this being a battle of Keiji Muto’s favourite protege’s, there was a lot of leg work, dropkicks to knees, and Dragon Screws. Tana hit a series of rolling Twist and Shouts, but SANADA then countered into the Muto Dragon Neck Screw for a near fall. Tanahashi missed an HFF, then SANADA missed a Moonsault for the double down. SANADA turns a Japanese Leg Clutch into Skull End, which Tana turns into a small package for 2. Cold Skull locks on his version of the Dragon Sleeper once again, but The Ace turns it into a (sort of) Sling Blade. They exchange hard strikes, then Tana gets a near fall with a Dragon Suplex, hits a standing High Fly Flow, and another, to win in 18:07. Some awkward, and almost sloppy, moments aside, this was great.

The main event between undefeated Block leaders, Okada and KENTA, was something of a dream match for me. I loved this, and whilst it probably wasn’t as good as it would have been in 2013 or 2014, it was still a fantastic war. This started as a ground based battle, then built into a stiff hard-hitter. KENTA is really filling the gap left by Shibata as the strong style strike based worker on the roster. After putting an end to KENTA’s barrage of strikes by dropkicking him to the floor, Okada tried the draping DDT on the barricade, but KENTA escapes, drapes Okada over the barricade, and nails the IWGP Champion with a stiff running double stomp off the apron. Back in the ring, KENTA hit the spingboard lariat, the running Yakuka and a nasty corner dropkick. Okada avoids a double stomp, hit sthe John Woo and a stiff corner dropkick of his own, then goes for the top rope elbow, but KENTA catches him in a triangle, and transitions into Game Over. After a dramatic, and believable struggle, Okada makes the ropes for the break. A running Busaiku Knee, followed by another gets a near fall for KENTA, followed by a top rope double stomp, again for 2. Okada turns Go 2 Sleep into a Tombstone attempt, but KENTA reverses again and hoists Okada into Go 2 Sleep. Okada escapes and hits a hard dropkick to the back, followed by another to the face. Okada lands the Tombstone, then tries Rainmaker, but KENTA turns it into a spinning Lariat. At the 25 minute mark, teasing a time limit draw, they have a hard strike exchange, which KENTA obviously won, smacking the bejeezus out of Okada with hard palm strikes that I think temporarily knocked him out. Things got a bit shaky here, as a result, as Okada seemed a bit off after the strikes. KENTA counters a Rainmaker into the Rear Naked Choke, then goes for the PK. Okada tries a dropkick as KENTA comes off the ropes, but KENTA dodges and tries Go 2 Sleep again. This time Okada turned that into a jumping spinning Tombstone, then finally hits the match winning Rainmaker at the 26:53 mark, to go undefeated in this G1 at 5-0, and the first to reach 10 points. 

NDT

[puroresu-musings]

NJPW G1 CLIMAX 29 Day 5 and Day 6 Review (July 18th and 19th 2019, Tokyo, Korakuen Hall)

A Block

KENTA vs. Lance Archer  ***1/2

EVIL vs. SANADA  ****

Kazuchika Okada vs. Bad Luck Fale  ***

Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Zack Sabre Jr.  ****1/4

Kota Ibushi vs. Will Ospreay  ****3/4

B Block

Shingo Takagi vs. Taichi  ****

Juice Robinson vs. Jeff Cobb  ***1/2

Toru Yano vs. Jay White  *1/2

Hirooki Goto vs. Tetsuya Naito  ****+

Tomohiro Ishii vs. Jon Moxley  ****3/4

Photos.

Two great nights of G1 action from Korakuen Hall, with the first being amongst the best shows of the year. The 18th saw the A Blockers in action, firstly KENTA squared off with Lance Archer, who towered a foot above him. Both guys are having a great G1 thus far, and this was a very good big guy/smaller guy match-up. KENTA worked over the legs with hard kicks, cutting down the big tree so to speak, but Archer, who was incredibly over in Korakuen, would battle back with his power moves. The American Psycho chokeslammed KENTA off the apron at one point, but the L.A. Dojo guys caught him, only for Archer to hit a running cannonball off the apron into them all. Archer called KENTA “Hideo”, which lit a fire under the striker, who proceeded to throw some very hard slaps at Archer’s face, locked in the rear naked choke, hit the PK, then tried Go 2 Sleep. The big man proved too big however, as he countered into the Claw. KENTA countered the Claw into a triangle choke, then transitioned into his old Game Over submission finish for the tap out at 11:58. The finish surprised me, but this was really good stuff. LIJ imploded next in an excellent bout between tag partners EVIL and SANADA. This wasn’t quite as good as their Korakuen match in G1 27, but was still a damn fine outing nonetheless. After a feeling out process, this told the story that each know the other so well that they can hit each others moves on each other. EVIL locked SANADA in the Paradise Lock, then later down the stretch, SANADA got a near fall with EVIL’s own Everything Is Evil STO. EVIL gets the knees up on a Muto Moonsault attempt, but Cold Skull gets a near fall with a Tiger Suplex. A swinging Skull End follows, but EVIL counters into a small package for another near fall. The King Of Darkness hit a massive lariat, but SANADA kicks at one! Cold Skull eats another big lariat, then EVIL finally hits the STO at the 18:11 mark to score the 2 points.

Okada defeated Bad Luck Fale with a cradle to end a mercifully short 10 minuter. This was good for what it was, but Fale hasn’t looked great for some time now, and really, this was a night off for the IWGP Champion. Chase Owens and Jado interfered liberally, but Okada sent them packing, then got the flash pin with the cradle. This was amongst the most uninteresting Okada matches you’ll ever see. ZSJ and Tanahashi, both of whom were on 0 points, had another excellent technical wrestling bout next, which was amongst the best they’ve had together. It was entirely mat based, with Tana looking great in his transitions, and they had a great backslide battle. Zack worked over the injured elbow, and Tanahashi in turn worked over Sabre’s knee. The finish saw Sabre lock Tana in an armbar, but The Ace stomped his way free and locked in a cloverleaf, but The Technical Wizard turned it into his new Yes! I am A Long Way From Home submission, but Tana makes the ropes. Tanahashi catches the foot on a PK attempt, but Zack slaps the bejeezus out of him, only to take a nasty Dragon Screw. Tana tries High Fly Flow, but Zack gets the knees up. ZSJ locks in a triangle, but Tanahashi rolls through into a Jacknife cradle for the win in 13:56 and finally get on the score board. Sabre Jr was livid in the post match.

And the main event, a rematch of the incredible opener for WK13, held right next door in the Tokyo Dome, saw a winless Kota Ibushi face off with Will Ospreay. First things first, this was a superb match. However, I couldn’t enjoy it as much as I’d have liked given the fact Ospreay suffered a stinger not 5 days previous, and obviously, he was dropped on his head throughout this, so my anxiety was through the roof. It started with each working the others injured body part; Ibushi’s ankle and Will’s neck respectively, then built into a hard-hitting war. After Ibushi caught Ospreay in the tree of woe, an inversion of what concussed Ibushi at the dome, and smacked the hell out of him, he teased a terrifying top rope Dragon Suplex, but Will fought free to the apron. Kota then tried the deadlift German Superlex, but Ospreay flipped out onto his feet and hit a super stiff Hidden Blade for a great near fall. The Ariel Assassin follows up with the Robinson Special, followed by the Oscutter for a tremendous near fall. Ibushi turned a Storm Breaker into a single arm Kamigoye, tries a package Tombstone, but Ospreay escapes, only to be hit with a Michinoku Driver for a near fall. Will battles back with a Spanish Fly, but is hit with a huge Lariat that he took a bump on his head for. They tease the time limit draw, but Ibushi then hit Boma Ye, then the Kamigoye for the win at 27:16 of a fab bout. This built to a great climax full of believable near falls, and surpassed their Wrestle Kingdom classic.

The 19th saw the B Block pull out a show that looked ropey on paper, but was actually great. Block action kicked off with Shingo Takagi pulling Taichi to an excellent match-up. Again, this started slow built well really well to a hot closing stretch which the crowd loved. The finish saw Shingo hammer Taichi with a series of Lariats, and Made In Japan for a near fall. Taichi hit the gamengiri and Last Ride for a really believable near fall. Shingo came back with a big Pumping Bomber and Last Of The Dragon to put The Emperor away at the 14:40 mark. Jeff Cobb finally got on the scoreboard by putting an ened to Juice Robinson’s winning streak in a very good outing. These guys worked really well together, and much like the match that preceded it, was much better than I thought it would be. The finish saw Cobb counter Pulp Friction into a big rolling German, then tried Tour Of The Islands, but Juice turned it into a small package for 2. Cobb then ducked the Left Hand, and got the win with Tour Of The Islands at 13:21. Toru Yano and Jay White had an atypical Yano G1 match next. You know the score, it was 3 minutes long, featured all kinds of shenanigans, then YTR scored the surprise win when he commandeered Gedo’s brass knucks, hit Jay low, then got the school pin. This wasn’t good in my opinion, but it told a great story in that Jay is now 0-3 in this G1, and all his losses have been to former CHAOS stablemates he betrayed, and they got their revenge.

Goto and Naito always have great matches together, and this was no different. They had an excellent match filled with great counter exchanges. Naito finally got some points in this G1 after escaping a GTR attempt,  but is hit with the reverse version, then eats a big kick. Goto tried Ushigoroshi, but Naito it into a DDT, then hits a running Destino for a near fall. Another Destino follows and it puts Goto away at the 14 minute mark of a great contest. I guess Goto’s resurgence was short lived? And in the main event, Ishii and Moxley had an absolute war which spilled all over Korakuen Hall, and is very probably the best match of Moxley’s career. This was a wild brawl, which saw them exchange hard strikes, and obviously descended into plunder being used. Mox brought a table into play, which he ended up on, and Ishii splashed him off the top through, in an amazing spot. A big top rope superplex gets a near fall, and Moxley hit a Regal running knee for a near fall. They trade ramming headbutts, which Ishii predictably wins, then he takes another running knee for another great near fall. Mox tried Death Rider, but Ishii hits two massive Lariats for near falls of his own. Ishii tried the Brainbuster, but Moxley escapes and eats another headbutt. They exchange strikes again until Moxley hits the double arm DDT, drops the knee pad and hits another knee strike, followed by Death Rider to take the win at 20:36, and remain undefeated in this G1. The finish was never really in any doubt, but Ishii is so good, they made it seem like he could pull off the upset. Alas he didn’t, but he added another classic to his already massive collection of G1 classics, and as for Moxley, he couldn’t have looked any better.

NDT

[puroresu-musings]

NJPW G1 CLIMAX 29 Day 3 Review (July 14th, Tokyo, Ota City Gymnasium)

G1 Climax 29 A Block:

Lance Archer vs. Bad Luck Fale  ***1/4

Will Ospreay vs. SANADA  ****1/2

Kazuchika Okada vs. Zack Sabre Jr.  ****1/4

Kota Ibushi vs. EVIL  ****1/4

Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. KENTA  ****1/2

Photos.

This was a fantastic day of G1 action. It flew by in no time, with everything being as good as, or better, than anticipated. A Block action kicked off with Lance Archer defeating Bad Luck Fale in a shockingly good battle of the big men. Coming off the heels of his tremendous match with Ospreay in Dallas, Archer is on a roll in this G1, pulling a very enjoyable outing out of the Fale of 2019. Fale, to his credit, worked really hard here too. The highlight was The Underboss hitting a massive superplex on Archer, which ref Asami took a bump for on the impact. The finish saw Fale score a near fall with the Grenade, then Archer sent an interfering Jado packing, scored a near fall of his own with a massive chokeslam, then locked on the EBD Claw for the pinfall win at the 10:12 mark. SANADA and Will Ospreay had a fantastic match next. This was a mind blowing display of athleticism from both, built around each countering the others signature highspots. SANADA would constantly counter Storm Breaker into the Skull End, and Ospreay would keep escaping, including a great sequence in which Will turned it into a huge Liger Bomb. After Ospreay moved from a Muto Moonsault attempt, Cold Skull landed on his feet, but ran straight into a Spanish Fly. The Robinson Special follows, then the Ariel Assassin destroyed SANADA with a series of kicks, hit the Oscutter, held on and hit Storm Breaker at 17:06 to win an excellent contest.

Okada and ZSJ faced off in their usual great technical wrestling match, though in a condensed, 12 minute version. Much like the previous match, the story here was Zack reversing all of Okada’s spots into submission holds, working over the Rainmaker arm. As per usual. This was a fun sprint, which saw Okada pull out the win after they spent weeks teasing that ZSJ would challenge Okada in London at Royal Quest on August 31st (if I were a betting man, I’d say either Minoru Suzuki or Ospreay are getting that shot, by the way), but it wasn’t to be, as the IWGP Heavyweight Champion put Sabre away with the Rainmaker, after escaping the manjigatame. I liked the brevity of this bout, as it made it seem more urgent. Kota Ibushi, bad ankle and all, took on EVIL in the semi final battle of the evening. This was another great match, with great selling from Ibushi as the King Of Darkness worked over the injured ankle most of the match. Ibushi tried Kamigoye, but EVIL caught him in the Scorpion Deathlock, but Kota made the ropes. EVIL missed a massive top rope Senton, and Ibushi channeled Nakamura, hitting the enzui Boma Ye, then another to the front for a near fall. EVIL dodged another Kamigoye, hit a big lariat, Darkness Falls and the match winning STO, to surprisingly go over in 19:11, leaving Ibushi winless in this G1 so far.

The main event between Tanahashi and KENTA wasn’t as good as it would have been 5 or 6 years ago, but it was still a stiff and dramatic outing. I thought this was excellent stuff, with KENTA coming out aggressive, and much like the match with Ibushi, took almost all of the match (when NJPW want to get a guy over, they don’t mess around). This was very reminiscent of Tana’s war against Shibata in the 2014 G1, in that it was a drama filled, hard-hitting war. The finishing stretch was great; as Tana unloaded with hard left hand strikes, KENTA countered with a big overhand right, hit a spinning lariat, then tried Go 2 Sleep. However Tanahashi turned it into three Twist and Shouts, a Sling Blade, then hit a standing HFF. He went up to try the Flow, but KENTA got the knees up at the absolute last millisecond. Channelling Shibata, KENTA locked on the rear naked choke, then tried the PK, but Tana caught the leg and tried the Dragon Screw. KENTA escapes the Screw, and hit the PK, then hoisted Tanahashi up into the Go 2 Sleep, hit it hard, and pinned The Ace cleanly and convincingly at 18:35 of excellent action. KENTA offered his hand to Tana in the post-match, but the indignant Ace, still on 0 points, refused the hand. This was a great scene to end a really great show.

NDT