The Puroresu Thread

[Tigerkinney]

Thoughts on NJPW G1 Climax 24 Day Seven

(Korakuen Hall)

 

1. Satoshi Kojima vs Shelton X Benjamin (A-Block)

 

This was a decent back and forth opening contest- not a classic or anything but just a solid way to kick off the show. I still think Shelton's one of the most disposable members of the NJPW roster but he's actually been pretty decent in this G-1. I also feel that Kojima is quite underrated- no matter where he is on the card, he always brings a decent level of performance.

 

2. Toru Yano vs Lance Archer (B-Block)

 

Another entertaining if relatively short Yano match, with him up to his usual tricks as he tried to overcome the monster Archer, with his unique ring craft.

 

I'm loving Toru Yano in this years G-1, his unconventional tactics and attitude, make him stand out from everyone else. I honestly believe he's one of the best 'comedy' wrestlers in the world right now, and this tournament shows NJPW could be doing a lot more with him, than having him stuck in an endless feud with Minoru Suzuki.

 

3. Yujiro Takahashi vs Karl Anderson (B-Block)

 

This was an OK match, the all Bullet Club dynamic, with them being all pally but then trying to out-dick one another was mildly interesting at the start, until it became clear that the crowd were going to get behind Anderson as the de-facto babyface. Just can't into Yujiro at all in this tournament (his entrances aren't even entertaining anymore) and I find him to be pretty much the New Japan equivalent of The Miz.

 

4. Davey Boy Smith Jr. vs Doc Gallows (A-Block)

 

A few people just brought it up in this thread, but Doc Gallows ring gear is really crap. It's a major reason why I can't get into him (along with the generic hoss ring work). It's like he's a heel and he's working a half hearted Power and Paint gimmick- Power and Paint only works if you're a face and you're fully committed to it.

 

This match benefited a little by being in Korakuen Hall (where the crowd is into pretty much everyone), because anywhere else it would have been met with the sound of tumble-weed. It still couldn't hide the fact that for the most part this was a fairly uninteresting hoss-fight. There were some fairly impressive power spots from DBS, but not much else to get particularly excited about.

 

5. Hiroyoshi Tenzan vs Hirooki Goto (B-Block)

 

This was another match that got a lift from being in Korakuen, because the crowd were absolutely rabid for Tenzan. Tenzan's best days may be behind him, but he has obviously reached Legend status amongst the New Japan fan base.

 

The match itself was pretty average, and with a less receptive crowd wouldn't have been anything special but the crowd's collective will towards wishing Tenzan towards victory, took the match up a level and probably took it from two star territory to three star territory.

 

6. Tomoaki Honma vs Bad Luck Fale (A-Block)

Anyone could have guessed the formula for this match- the determined underdog Honma doing everything in his power to not only survive against the big bad bully Bad Luck Fale, but to bring him down......

 

However why do something else, when a formula like this was clearly always going to work - the crowd were rabidly into this, and the positives of both competitors were accentuated throughout the match.

 

7. Togi Makabe vs Tetsuya Naito (B-Block)

 

Naito is still getting X-Pac?/heel heat in Korakuen- which is a bit unfair, as he's actually been really good this year- sure he got over pushed to last years G-1 victory, but he's raised his game this year and is putting in some excellent performances....

 

That being said the crowd almost being fully behind Makabe and against Naito, added extra heat to what was already a very good back and forth contest. Great finish too, with the winner determined to hit their finishing sequence and the loser trying their up most best to hold off the invetitable end.

 

8. Minoru Suzuki vs A.J Styles (B-Block)

 

This match was simply amazing, a surefire match of the year candidate. If anyone is still under the impression that AJ Styles is just an athletic high flyer who relies on flashy spots, needs to see this match because they will have their eyes opened.

 

MiSu was great here too, as he looked to wear down AJ with body part focused submissions....AJ's selling was superb here and the storytelling from both competitors here was great, not even a ref bump and some outside interference (which ultimately had no effect on the outcome what so ever) from Suzuki-Gun and Bullet Club members could put a blot on this match.

9. Yuji Nagata vs Katsuyori Shibata (A-Block)

 

This was exactly the match you would have expected out of these two- a stiff and violent 'fighting spirit' contest. Whilst the prospect of that was always going to be very enjoyable (and indeed it was), they didn't do anything particularly surprising here either and because of that this ended up being a very good four star level match, rather than ever looking like a MOTY contender.

 

10. Shinsuke Nakamura vs Tomohiro Ishii (A-Block)

 

This match was all about Ishii looking to prove that he was the equal of his stable leader Nakamura. This ended up being a great match, chock full of emotion and great 'strong style' wrestling- what also made it great was that they heavily worked in the fact, that by often teaming together they knew each other's move-set pretty much inside out.

 

A worthy main event, and a fitting end to what ended up being another fantastic G-1 climax show.

 

Overall Thoughts

 

This Korakuen Hall leg of this years G-1 Climax, saw two of NJPW's biggest stars (Okada and Tanahashi) have their rest day- whilst that seemed a little surprising, it probably wasn't a bad idea, as the Korakuen crowd tend to be responsive to pretty much anything put in front of them.

 

The first half of the show wasn't bad, but it was hardly on track to be a show of the year candidate, however the second half was fantastic, with two MOTYC's in Suzuki/Styles and the Nakamura/Ishii main event, two very good (4 star level) matches in Nagata/Shibata and Makabe/Naito and a decent David vs Goliath contest in Honma/Fale

[Mootinie]

Yottsume on Twitter said that Suzuki/Styles was a MOTY candidate. Dylan Hales of Voices Of Wrestling has placed that match as his MOTY so far. Bryan Rose of the same website gave the match a 5 star rating, the first the company has received since Ishii/Naito in February. Two members of another forum have also said the match is fantastic and now you Tigerkinney. I haven't seen it yet but I cannot wait to watch this match tomorrow.

[Tigerkinney]

As we are getting to the business end of the tournament, I'm going to start mentioning people's records now- so if you've not seen Day's 1-7 already a, you may not want to read this review yet, in case it might spoil things for you.

 

Thoughts on NJPW G1 Climax 24 Day Eight

(Osaka Prefectural Gymnasium)

 

1. Tomohiro Ishii vs Davey Boy Smith Jr. (A-Block)

 

Ishii is 3-4 (6 Pts) coming into this match, so he really needs to win this to keep his hopes of winning alive (as going to 5 losses should pretty much end anyone's hopes of winning), DBS Jr. is 3-3 (6 Pts), whilst a loss here wouldn't ruin his chances- it would make things harder for him to progress.

Formula Ishii match, with the cult hero reaching down to his endless reserves of fighting spirit to try and overcome a more physically powerful opponent. You know exactly what you are going to get with Ishii, but he's so good at his kind of match, that he doesn't seem to have a bad match in him.

 

Post Match: Worryingly it looks like Tomohiro Ishii might have strained or separated his shoulder- hopefully this is something he can work through and won't put him out of the tournament- as it's never good to see someone forced to pull out through injury.

 

2. Hiroyoshi Tenzan vs Toru Yano (B-Block)

 

Both competitors are on 3-4 (6 Pts) records- whoever loses here will be pretty much reduced to playing spoiler for the rest of the tournament, because having 5 losses at this stage will make it virtually impossible to win the block*

 

* Unless J&G are going to troll us all and go for ultimate parity booking and having everyone finish at 5-5

 

Apart from Yano's opening match against MiSu this was probably the weakest match either of these two have had in this tournament. That's because Yano isn't exactly the kind of opponent to drag a good performance out of the ageing Tenzan and Yano's antics are more enjoyable when he's trying to out dick heels.

3. Yuji Nagata vs Shelton X Benjamin (A-Block)

 

Nagata 3-3 (6 Pts) finds himself in the same position as DBS Jr. from the opener, a win strengthens his chances, whilst a loss wouldn't be a disaster but a set-back that he would want to avoid. Benjamin 4-3 (8 Pts), was the surprise package at the start of the tournament with 4 straight wins, but he has since loss 3 on the trot. Whilst another loss wouldn't put him out of contention, he will want to put the brakes on his sudden loss of form, and a victory would put him back in contention to win the block.

 

They did some solid stuff in this match, but it didn't fully engage me until near the end, where the began to trade/counter submission holds. I finding that I'm like that with some of Nagata's matches, he's always a solid performer but I can't always get fully invested in his work.

 

4. Satoshi Kojima vs Doc Gallows (A-Block)

 

With Gallows at 2-4 (4 Pts) and Kojima at 3-4 (6 Pts), this is a must win match for both competitors, whoever loses here can probably wave goodbye to advancing to the finals.

 

The only thing missing from this match was an appearance from Bruce Tharpe-Desu because this was pretty much the match Kojima kept having against Tharpe's parade of duffers, when Kojima was NWA World Heavyweight Champion. Like the majority of those matches, it was fine for what it was, with Kojima dragging his limited gaijin opponent to a reasonable, if not exactly great match.

 

5. Hirooki Goto vs Tetsuya Naito (B-Block)

 

A win for Naito 4-2 (8 Pts) would put him in a commanding position heading into his final three matches of the tournament, Hirooki Goto 3-4 (6 Pts) needs to win to give himself a realistic hope of advancing to the finals.

 

For some reason a good proportion of the Osaka crowd really don't like Naito*, and it's always like that when NJPW run Osaka. Whilst this won't be seen as one of the very best matches in this years G-1, it was a good back and forth battle, lifted by the unsurprisingly lively Osaka crowd.

 

* Does anyone have any idea, why Naito is disliked so much in Osaka- did he piss in the beer of an Osaka based comedian or something?

 

6. Lance Archer vs A.J Styles (B-Block)

 

A.J Styles like Naito from the previous match, has a 4-2 (8 Pts) record going to this match, and a win here would be put him in a strong position heading into the tournament's final stretch- Lance Archer 3-3 (6 Pts) could do win a win to keep pace with the leaders, whilst a loss would be a set-back to his chances.

 

AJ Styles is having a phenomenal G-1, and once again re-affirming himself as one of the very best in-ring talents in all of wrestling. Of course his opponent needs to hold up their end of the dance as-well to put together a great match, and Lance Hoyt also raised his game here to keep up with Styles performance. Great psychology here, as Hoyt tried to use his power to overwhelm Styles, whilst Styles looked to take the 'wheels' of the big man, not only is that wrestling logic 101, but it also played into Suzuki working over Archer's leg a few shows back earlier in the tournament.

 

7. Togi Makabe vs Minoru Suzuki (B-Block)

 

Both Makabe and Misu are on identical 3-3 (6 Pts) records, a win here would strengthen the winners chances of advancing to the finals, whilst doing damage to their opponents chances.

 

This match wouldn't have looked out of place on an old 1980's NWA show- and I mean that in a good way and not a derogatory one at all. This was a really good old school match, with the rough and ready babyface brawler Makabe enduring all the crap, the sadistic heel Suzuki could throw at him and trying to dish it right back.

 

8. Tomoaki Honma vs Katsuyori Shibata (A-Block)

 

At 0-6 (0 Pts) Honma has absolutely no chance of advancing to the finals, but that was never going to be his target, the story with Honma is that he is simply looking to earn a victory to show that he (in Kayfabe terms) truly belongs in the G-1 ). Shibata 4-2 (8Pts) will be looking to avoid being the first to fall to the huge upset, whilst giving himself a very strong chance heading into his final three matches.

 

This match was exactly what you would have expected , Honma- the huge underdog fighting desperately with everything he had to give in order to get their elusive first victory, and Shibata fighting with equal desperation (because he does not want to be embarrassed by losing to someone who has let to register a win in the tournament). Every near fall or momentum shift in Honma's favour had the Osaka crowd on the edge of their seats- desperate to see the plucky outsider finally put one in the win column.

 

9. Kazuchika Okada vs Yujiro Takahashi (B-Block)

 

Yujiro 2-4 (4 Pts) really needs a win here to keep alive any realistic chance of advancing to the finals, whilst Okada 4-2 (8 Pts) will be looking to keep up with the front runners.

 

This was probably Yujiro's best match in this years G-1, but when Okada is his opponent that shouldn't have come as too much of a surprise. Thing is Okada was actually on auto-pilot here (Okada on autopilot is still pretty awesome, but it was pretty much him cycling through his signature stuff), and it was Yujiro admittedly being good value as an obnoxious heel, throwing everything he had at the superior babyface in order to get the win and keep his hopes of advancing to the G-1 finals alive, that added more value to the match.

10. Hiroshi Tanahashi vs Shinsuke Nakamura (A-Block)

 

With a 5-1 (10 Pts) record a victory for Nakamura would put him in the position of out-right favourite to make the finals from A-Block and deal a blow to one of his nearest rivals. Hiroshi Tanahashi 4-2 (8 Pts) can put himself level on points with his eternal rival with a victory here.

 

Really good main event, I wouldn't say that it was a MOTYC, but at the level you would expect out of these two. They match featured some great counters and was built around the fact that these two have faced off against one another so many times, that they knew their opponent inside out. The finish was somewhat abrupt but it's surprising nature was rather cool, and there was a great spot where Nakamura managed to block a Dragon Screw from Tanahashi.

Overall Thoughts

 

Just another great show in this years G-1- was anyone expecting anything else?

[hellboy2]

Tigerkinney thanks to you i now have an actual interest in this tournament, i have never really taken notice of it, as i am a real casual wrestling fan, except i love ICW, a brilliant uk promotion and CZW because of Masada

 

the only Japanese wrestling i ever check out is BJW, but know really want to check out the whole thing

 

i watched one with Doc Gallows, and it sounds harsh i actually felt sick watching him, i have a weird colour phobia and can't look at certain shades, and he did it, i don't know what it was, i had it with Stella Deus a ps2 and a kids film Otto the Rhino, but other than that it looks amazing

 

edit i meant in his attire not actually his face or anything

[Teh_Showtime]

Yottsume on Twitter said that Suzuki/Styles was a MOTY candidate. Dylan Hales of Voices Of Wrestling has placed that match as his MOTY so far. Bryan Rose of the same website gave the match a 5 star rating, the first the company has received since Ishii/Naito in February. Two members of another forum have also said the match is fantastic and now you Tigerkinney. I haven't seen it yet but I cannot wait to watch this match tomorrow.

 

To me it's the best singles match I've seen all year and the best since Nakamura/Ibushi from last year's G1

 

Entire tournament so far is phenomenal really. Mostly everyone works their roles to perfection

[Tigerkinney]

To me it's the best singles match I've seen all year and the best since Nakamura/Ibushi from last year's G1

 

Entire tournament so far is phenomenal really. Mostly everyone works their roles to perfection

 

Only G-1 entrants I haven't particularly enjoyed (and I'm sure you've picked this up in my opinions on the tournament thus far) have been Doc Gallows and Yujiro- but even then they haven't been in any bad matches.

 

Whilst nearly everyone's performance has ranged from good to excellent, the two standouts have been A.J Styles and Tomoaki Honma. Styles is pulling out consistently good (sometimes great) matches with a variety of different opponents and reminding everyone just how good he really is, when not held back by TNA's shitty booking and Honma has been perfect in his role as the ultimate underdog.

[Teh_Showtime]

Styles is more motivated than I've ever seen him and 2014 is already the best year of his career which is truly saying something because he's one of the best of this generation.

 

There aren't even words to describe Honma though. Right now he is the living embodiment of everything that is good in puroresu. He's making an emotional connection with the fans every night and he's out there killing himself while putting on great matches

[Tigerkinney]

As with the previous Day I am now mentioning competitors records coming into the match- so if you've not seen the previous days and don't want anything spoiled, skip past this review.....

 

Thoughts on NJPW G1 Climax 24 Day Nine

(Aichi Prefectural Gymnasium)

 

1. Tomoaki Honma vs Davey Boy Smith Jr. (A-Block)

 

At 0-7 (0 Pts) Honma is merely looking to get that elusive first victory in the G-1, just winning one match will feel like winning the whole tournament to him. At 3-4 (6 Pts) Davey Boy Smith Jr.'s hopes of making it to the finals hang by a thread- he needs to win this match to have any hope what so ever of being in the G-1 finals.

Probably the weakest of Honma's matches so far for me, it didn't quite seem to have the same intensity as his previous matches, and I couldn't quite buy into his nearfalls in this one, because I feel that they are either going to wait until the last match to give him his win, or put him over a bigger name than DBS. This probably sounds like I disliked the match- the match was still pretty good, it just doesn't hold up to the rest of Honma's matches thus far in the G-1.

 

2. Lance Archer vs Yujiro Takahashi (B-Block)

 

At 2-5 (4 Pts) Yujiro's chances of making the finals are (barring a miracle) pretty much over and he's just here to play spoiler , Archer like his KES tag partner is on 3-4 (6 Pts) and needs the win to keep his own hopes of making it to the finals alive.

 

This played into the recent history of Archer's previous matches against MiSu and AJ Styles, with Yujiro immediately going after Archer's injured leg. This was a solid match, with logical storytelling- Archer's selling of his growing weakness (his gammy right leg) has been excellent and whilst I'm not Yujiro's biggest fan his performances have been pretty good in his last few matches, with him keeping things simple and playing to his strengths as an obnoxious opportunistic heel.

 

3. Yuji Nagata vs Doc Gallows (A-Block)

 

At 2-5 (4 Pts) Gallows has pretty much no chance what so ever of making it to the finals, but he will be keen to get back to winning ways and finish his first G-1 with as strong a record as possible, Yuji Nagata 4-3 (8 Pts) is still right in convention, however a loss here would just about ruin his chances of making it to the finals.

 

Similar story to the last match, with the smaller man (Nagata) looking to chop down the big tree trunk (Gallows)- this was OK (and Gallows selling was actually pretty good here), but the structure of the match was too similar to the last one, and it worked better in the Archer/Yujiro match, because of the fact that Archer's legs have been played up as a weak point throughout the tournament.

 

4. Togi Makabe vs Hiroyoshi Tenzan (B-Block)

 

Tenzan at 4-4 (8 Pts) only has two matches left, so he needs to win his final two matches to give himself a chance of making the finals and hope that results go his way on the final two nights, for Makabe 3-4 (6 Pts) this is a must win match for him to have any chance what so ever of being in contention on the final day of Block matches.

 

This was a solid back and forth brawling type of match, between two fan favourites- nothing special, but not at all bad either- it was serviceable stuff for it's position on the show. The fact that Tenzan can put together solid performances in this years G-1 is no longer a surprise and barely worth talking about anymore.

5. Tetsuya Naito vs Minoru Suzuki (B-Block)

 

Both Naito and Suzuki come into this match on identical 4-3 (8 Pts) records, the winner here strengthens their chances of making it to the finals, whilst the loser would be forced to win their final two matches, to give themselves any chance of advancing.

Excellent match that saw Naito desperately trying to withstand Suzuki's sadistic submission based attack, whilst also trying to pick up the pace and switch the match in his favour with his more high octane style. Suzuki continues to remind everyone just how good he still is, with yet another superb performance in this years G-1 and that being wasted in an endless and extremely stale midcard feud with Toru Yano is an absolute travesty.

 

6. Katsuyori Shibata vs Bad Luck Fale (A-Block)

 

Shibata 5-2 (10 Pts) currently leads the A-Block standings due to his head to head wins over Nakamura and Tanahashi (who are on the same points) and victory here would put him one step closer to making it to the finals. A win for Bad Luck Fale 4-3 (8 Pts) would put him level on points with Shibata and put him right back in contention, defeat however would pretty much ruin his chances of making it to the finals.

The story of the match saw Shibata continuously find ways to slip out of the Bad Luck Fall, but not quite being able to gather up enough momentum and swing things in his favour. This was a solid contest, until a countout based finish that came off a little flat and came off as an obvious attempt to protect the loser as much as possible.

 

7. Satoshi Kojima vs Shinsuke Nakamura (A-Block)

 

Kojima like his tag partner Tenzan is on 4-4 (8 Pts) and needs to win his final two matches, to give himself any hope of making it to the finals, Shinsuke Nakamura 5-2 (10 Pts) will be looking to get back on track after losing to Tanahashi in Osaka, whilst defeat here wouldn't be a disaster, Nakamura will still want to avoid being on a losing streak as the tournament heads towards it's conclusion.

 

Fantastic fighting spirit match, this was two warriors throwing everything they had at one another and desperately trying to withstand what their opponent was going to dish out to them- not because of some deep seated personal feud, but because both were desperate for the victory, Kojima to keep alive any realistic hopes of making it to the finals, and Nakamura to return to winning ways and keep up with the front runners.

 

8. A.J Styles vs Karl Anderson (B-Block)

 

Bullet Club members face off, but as we know in the G-1, there are no friends. Styles is at 5-2 (10 Pts) and a win here over his stable mate would seriously strengthen his chances of making the finals in his first G-1. Anderson 3-4 (6 Pts) made a poor start to the tournament only winning one of his first five matches, a win here however would give him hope that he can continue to turn things around and make a late charge towards making the finals (providing results go his way elsewhere).

 

They teased Anderson laying down for A.J (sending up the infamous fingerpoke of doom spot from WCW), thankfully the match didn't end like that, and after some comedy spots where the two Bullet Club members tried to out-dick one another, things quickly got more serious with both Styles and Anderson throwing proverbial 'bombs' at one another. This was a little spottier than Styles previous matches in the G-1 and more like mid 2000's TNA X-Division AJ Styles, but he's always been very good at those kind of matches, and whilst not a classic this was still very entertaining.

9. Hiroshi Tanahashi vs Shelton X Benjamin (A-Block)

 

Victory for Tanahashi 5-2 (10 Pts) would give him a seriously strong chance of making the finals, heading into his final two matches. Benjamin 4-4 (8 Pts) started out the tournament super hot winning his first 4 matches, but he has since gone on a 4 match losing streak, a win here would not only halt the slide but keep his now slim hopes of making it to the finals alive.

 

This match saw the aggressive heel Benjamin take control early, and from then on it was a case of the valiant heroic babyface Tanahashi, trying to fight his way back into the match. This match had more of a measured old school feel (especially with the early heel control segment) compared to the previous match, but the contrast to what had come before, served this match well, and highlighted one of NJPW's biggest strengths- variety.

 

10. Hirooki Goto vs Kazuchika Okada (B-Block)

Okada at 5-2 (10 Pts) and a head to head victory over A.J Styles leads his block and victory here would put him one step closer to making the finals. With only two more matches left this is pretty much a must win match for Goto 4-4 (8 Pts).

 

This one followed your classic 'slow build' main event formula, as one would expect this got super good towards the end, with a fantastic closing stretch, where it really looked like it good could either way. If anyone thinks Japanese crowds are always quiet, they need to hear the end of this match- the Nagoya crowd were literally losing their minds at the end of this match.

 

Overall Thoughts

 

It says a lot , about how great this years G-1 Climax has been, when this can be considered one of the weaker shows, but that's just how consistently awesome this tournament has been.

[Tigerkinney]

Before NJPW head back to civilization, they are visiting the backwater that is Shikoku. To UK fans, this would be like a wrestling promotion deciding to do a show in Cornwall, or to US fans WWE deciding to rock up somewhere like Idaho.

 

Thoughts on NJPW G1 Climax 24 Day Ten

(Takamatsu City Gymnasium)

1. Satoshi Kojima vs Tomoaki Honma (A-Block)

 

With Kojima at 4-5 (8 Pts) and Honma at 0-7 (0 Pts), this match is merely for pride. Honma is desperate for his first victory in the G-1, but Kojima will be keen to avoid being the one to fall to the upset and will want to finish this years G-1 with a .500 record at the very least.

 

This wasn't bad, but it for a Honma match, this felt a bit flat- either this is going to be one of the less lively New Japan crowds or they just knew that by this stage the booking was setting things up for Honma to either get a win his final match or go the whole tournament winless. Also as great as he is at the whole scrappy underdog thing, Honma's matches have begun to look a bit one dimensional over the course of the entire tournament.

 

2. Davey Boy Smith Jr. vs Bad Luck Fale (A-Block)

 

DBS at 4-4 (8 Pts) still has slim hopes of making the finals, but needs to win this match to give himself any hope of being in contention in the final round of Block matches, the same could be said for Fale 5-3 (10 Pts) as if results do not go his way elsewhere a slip up here could prove costly.

 

Fale has improved, but not enough that he can have good matches against big opponents who won't be bumping around for his 'monster' offence, I'm afraid to say when he's in there against other big men- he becomes Bad Match Fale. If you like boring hoss fights with uninterested crowds, then this match might be right up your alley. A strong contender for worst match of the tournament.

 

3. Hiroyoshi Tenzan vs Tetsuya Naito (B-Block)

 

It's make or break for the reigning G-1 champion, Naito who at 4-4 (8 Pts) needs to win this match and hope that results go his way elsewhere. Tenzan is on the same number of points, but with a 4-5 record, has only one match left and cannot make the finals. He's a proud man though, so he will not make things for easy for Naito and will want to finish the tournament strongly.

Notable Naito chants from the Shikoku crowd (so they clearly don't share the same sentiments from Osaka). It's probably a good thing that this is the end of Tenzan's tournament, as I felt that 2013 Tenzan was starting to creep back here, as he looked to be a bit off the pace and some sections of the match felt clunky. The crowd were fairly into both guys however and helped to lift the match, which did start to click down the closing stretch.

 

4. Karl Anderson vs Minoru Suzuki (B-Block)

 

After defeat to his fellow Bullet Club member A.J Styles on the previous day, Anderson 3-5 (6 Pts) finds himself out of contention this years G-1 and reduced to the role of playing spoiler. Suzuki 5-3 (10 Pts) is right in the mix, but needs to win this match, in order not to rely on slip up's from the Block leaders- A.J Styles and Kazuchika Okada.

 

Solid match, though probably not given quite enough time to grow into something really good. They had a great closing stretch with Anderson (as always) looking for the Gun Stun but MiSu trying to counter that into a sleeper.

5. Togi Makabe vs Toru Yano (B-Block)

 

Makabe 4-4 (8 Pts) needs to win this match and hope that results go his way elsewhere to have any hope of making it to the finals. Toru Yano 3-5 (6 Pts) hopes of going all the way are over, but he's just the sort of opponent who relishes ruining others chances of going all the way.

 

These two have history together, being former tag partners until Yano turned on Makabe back in 2009, dissolving GBH and helping for from CHAOS with Shinsuke Nakamura. This wasn't a great match by any means (too short to get anything going), but the outcome showed that no match in the G-1 can be a foregone conclusion.

 

6. A.J Styles vs Yujiro Takahashi (B-Block)

At 3-5 (6 Pts) Yujiro cannot make the finals, but question is just how much is he prepared to play spoiler against his fellow Bullet Club member A.J Styles 6-2 (12 Pts) who with victory here would give himself a strong chance of reaching the finals.

 

Decent back and forth style match, but probably the weakest of the G-1 thus far for A.J, but given that his opponent here was Yujiro that shouldn't come as too much of a surprise. The relatively quiet crowd didn't help here either- Styles is starting to get over in New Japan, but it's going to take a bit longer for him to catch fire outside of puroresu hotbeds like Tokyo or Osaka.

7. Kazuchika Okada vs Lance Archer (B-Block)

 

Archer 3-5 (6 Pts) also has no hope of making the finals, but there will be no question about his motivation to earn a victory here and finish the tournament as strongly as possible, victory for Okada 6-2 (12 Pts) would put him a step closer to making the finals.

 

Pretty good match, Archer with his size and aggression looked a threat throughout the match and you felt that though Archer has nothing to play for (other than pride) that he had a chance of pulling off the upset against Okada. A little disappointed that Okada did not look to work over the legs of Archer (which have been built up as a weak point in previous matches) but then again his offence is rarely built around targetting an opponents possible weak point and more about wearing them down enough before dealing the final blow with the Rainmaker.

 

8. Hiroshi Tanahashi vs Yuji Nagata (A-Block)

 

Tanahashi 6-2 (12 Pts) would move himself one step closer to making the finals with victory here, Nagata 4-4 (8 Pts) needs to win here and hope results go his way elsewhere in order to keep his slim hopes alive.

This was a good match that had a nice mix of technical stuff and fighting spirit striking exchanges- it lacked that little bit of extra spice to take it to the next level , but overall this was enjoyable stuff with Nagata pushing Tanahashi hard throughout the match.

 

9. Katsuyori Shibata vs Tomohiro Ishii (A-Block)

 

Shibata 5-3 (10 Pts) will be keen to return to winning ways, after losing the lead in the Block with defeat to Bad Luck Fale, victory here will ensure that he is not reliant on results elsewhere in order to stay in contention, Ishii 4-4 (8 Pts) needs to win here and hope results go his way.

 

Ishii's shoulder was heavily taped up, after injuring it on Day 7- still that didn't stop him taking all of Shibata's hard hitting offense like a REAL MAN. Just as anyone should have expected, this was ultra tough S.O.B's ditching out ultra stiff offence and taking it back from the other, to prove how hard they are. If you're a fan of this kind of match, it was pretty awesome, because they really did beat the proverbial crap put of one another.

 

10. Shinsuke Nakamura vs Doc Gallows (A-Block)

 

Gallows 3-5 (6 Pts) cannot make the finals, but will be keen to finish his first G-1 as strongly as possible, and pick up a huge upset victory over a main event mainstay in Nakamura. At 6-2 (12 Pts), the King of Strong Style will want to remain amongst the front runners going into the final round of Block matches.

 

It goes without saying that this years G-1 has been awesome, but how the hell did Doc Gallows (one of the least impressive and least over performers in the tournament) manage to stumble into being part of two main events (this one and Night 2 against Tanahashi). Saying all that, this wasn't at all bad , Nakamura sold well for Gallows big man offence, making the half hearted power and paint gaijin hoss look a threat throughout the match.

 

Overall Thoughts

 

By far and away this was the weakest show of this years G-1, but even an average New Japan show can outstrip most efforts from other promotions. The relatively quiet crowd did not help here, the complete opposite to night two's crowd in Aomori, whose liveliness helped to lift what was a weak looking card.

[Mootinie]

So, basically...

 

- If Tanahashi beats Davey Boy Smith Jr, he will advance to the final.

- If Tanahashi loses, the winner of Nakamura vs. Bad Luck Fale will advance to the final.

- If Tanahashi loses and Nakamura vs. Fale ends in a draw, then Katsuyori Shibata can advance to the final should he beat Doc Gallows.

 

That's Block A for you, Block B is a lot more simple. Okada just has to beat Minoru Suzuki and he's through to the final. If he loses, or he draws, then AJ Styles has to better his result when he goes one-on-one with Togi Makabe.

 

Personally, I'm praying that Tanahashi doesn't win. I think he deserves one last title run, and that window has to be closing fast, but I don't think he deserves the Dome main event. They have Nakamura now, who is obviously selling tickets since he sold 8,000 or so for Dominion vs. Bad Luck Fale.

 

AJ Styles could win the entire thing. I'd love to see that, because it would completely shake things up with regards to who headlines Wrestle Kingdom. But still, I'm team Shinsuke for this one.

[Kitarzu]

At this point, Okada and Nakamura in the final, with Styles and Tanahashi for the 2nd place match. Tana wins setting the next title defense for AJ. I'd like to see Nakamura win the G1 Climax. Even AJ Styles isn't a bad choice.

 

These are the complete options:

 

*If Hiroshi Tanahashi beats Davey Boy Smith Jr., he goes to the G-1 championship

*If Tanahashi loses or goes to a draw, and Shinsuke Nakamura beats Bad Luck Fale, Nakamura goes to the championship match

*If Tanahashi loses and Fale beats Nakamura, Fale goes to the championship match

*If Tanahashi goes to a draw with Smith Jr. and Fale beats Nakamura, then Tanahashi goes to the finals

*If Tanahashi loses and Fale and Nakamura do a no contest, and Katsuyori Shibata beats Doc Gallows, then Shibata goes to the finals

*If Tanahashi loses, Fale and Nakamura do a no contest, and Gallows beats Shibata, then Tanahashi advances

 

*If Kazuchika Okada beats Minoru Suzuki, he goes to the finals

*If Okada loses and A.J. Styles beats Togi Makabe, then Styles goes to the finals

*If they both lose, Okada advances

*If Okada and Suzuki draw and Styles wins, Styles advances

*If Okada and Suzuki draw and Styles loses, Okada advances

[Teh_Showtime]

I'm seconding the Okada/Nakamura final because it would allow Nakamura to win and headline the dome probably against Okada who will have gotten the belt back from Styles

 

If the plan is to keep Styles with the title until Tokyo Dome (I dont see him main eventing personally) then I guess it's more open but I dont see yet another Tanahashi main event against Nakamura or Okada so if he's going to have one it would be against AJ which would mean winning G-1

[Mootinie]

I don't see them taking the belt off Styles now, not after he's been the MVP of the G1. There's plenty of contenders that would make great PPV main events, Styles vs. Naito, Styles vs. Tanahashi, Styles vs. Suzuki, Styles vs. Makabe. If Okada wins it back at Destruction, he'll be defending it against people he's already faced during his year-long title reign. Besides, Okada can win the belt back when he inevitably faces Nakamura, a rivalry that will need a good build because it's a big money match, there's no need to rush it.

 

My booking plan would be to have Nakamura win the G1 and beat Styles for the belt at Wrestle Kingdom. That would be the fitting pay-off to the whole Bullet Club thing, end it at the grandest stage of them all and have Naka be New Japan's hero. Where they go after that is down to them.

[Tigerkinney]

So here are the final day of Block matches to decide who wins their blocks and face off with one another at the Seibu Dome.

 

Warning: Spoilers Ahead!

 

Thoughts on NJPW G1 Climax 24 Day Eleven

(Yokohama Bunka Gymnasium)

 

1. Tomoaki Honma vs Shelton X Benjamin (A-Block)

 

Honma 0-9 (0 Pts) is desperate to avoid going the whole tournament without recording a single win, on the other hand Shelton X Benjamin 4-5 (8 Pts) will be equally desperate to finish the tournament with a win himself, after starting the tournament ultra hot win 4 wins on the bounce, the wheels completely came off for Benjamin who has since lost 5 on the bounce.

 

This was a solid opener, but lacked the molten heat of Honma's previous matches. In all honesty the formula began to wear a bit thin by the end of the tournament- the main problem I have my Honma's matches is why would he keep going for a finisher (the top rope falling headbutt) that repeatedly fails.

 

There would be no happy ending for Honma either, as he ended up being planted with a Paydirt and thus once again failed and ended up (despite all his valiant effort) with a record of zero wins, and ten losses. Benjamin manages to restore some pride, by halting his losing streak that took him out of contention and finish with an even record.

 

2. Toru Yano vs Yujiro Takahashi (B-Block)

 

Yano 4-5 (8 Pts) managed to spoil the chances of Makabe on the previous day (not that it would have mattered with the leaders Okada and Styles both winning again) and he will be looking to finish the tournament with a respectable even record. Yujiro 3-6 (6 Pts) has never looked anywhere near being in contention during this years G-1, but he will want to finish the tournament with a victory to at least give himself a chance of not finishing with the wooden spoon of Block B.

 

This was perfectly fine for what it was, if you were expecting great wrestling out of this contest, then more fool you. This was the goofball that uses dick heel tactics to give himself a winning chance (Yano) against the guy that is a total dick (Yujiro).

 

Yujiro ended up picking up the win here to finish on the same record as Yano, after (what else) a low blow. The neat twist here is that Yano got a low blow in earlier, but Yujiro was smart enough to wear a protective cup.

 

3. Hirooki Goto vs Lance Archer (B-Block)

 

Archer like Yujiro from the previous match finds himself on 3-6 (6 Pts) and in serious danger of finishing at the very bottom of Block B, Goto 4-5 (8 Pts) will be disappointed that he did not manage to stay in contention but will be keen to at least finish the tournament with a even record.

 

Not a classic or anything, but this was a decent first half of the show match, with Goto using his spirited and varied offence to try and take down the big man down, but Archer continously proving to be too much of an immovable object.

 

Archer picked up the win here with a Blackout, following a Chokeslam for a two count after managing to counter a top-rope sunset bomb attempt from Goto with a huge back body drop,to finish the tournament level on points with Goto and also Yujiro and Yano from the previous match. Goto usually in the mix during tournaments, will be disappointed to finish this years campaign with a losing record.

 

4. Tetsuya Naito vs Karl Anderson (B-Block)

 

Naito 5-4 (10 Pts) managed to pick up a win in his last match against Tenzan to give himself a chance of repeating as G-1 Champion, but unfortunately for him both Styles and Okada won again to give themselves an unassailable lead in B Block. In 2012 Karl Anderson 4-5 (8 Pts) made the G-1 finals, and last year he was contention (mind you everyone and their mother was in contention to make last years finals), but this year he has been unable to recover from a poor start, at the very least he will look to match his opponent and finish this years G-1 with an even record.

 

Another good match, that began with some solid aggressive heel work from Anderson before settling into an energetic back and forth contest with Anderson trying to contain Naito and his high energy offence.

 

Anderson picked up the win here , catching Naito with a Gun-Stun just as the latter came flying off the ropes. Both competitors end up with an even stevens .500 record, something that would have had them in contention to make the finals last year.

 

5. Yuji Nagata vs Tomohiro Ishii (A-Block)

 

This one is merely for pride, as both Ishii and Nagata find themselves on the same record 4-5 (8 Pts), the winner here simply avoids finishing this years G-1 with a losing record.

 

Ishii is becoming one of those guys, no matter where his match is on the card, he always delivers. This match was all about Ishii (with his shoulder still heavily strapped up) toughing it out and surviving whatever Nagata dished at him. Nagata was great here too, showing his aggressive side, as he targeted Ishii's weak point throughout the match and continuously looked pissed at Ishii's sheer stubbornness of not giving up, despite having a separated shoulder. Another must see match, in what has been a ridiculously great G-1.

 

In the end Ishii's never say die attitude, saw him through to the win, drilling Nagata with a Brainbuster. Ishii finishes with an even record, a step forward from last year, where despite picking up some big wins he still ended up with a losing record. Nagata on the other hand did end up finishing below .500 for this year, confirmation perhaps that he is no longer the force he once was.

 

6. Katsuyori Shibata vs Doc Gallows (A-Block)

 

Gallows 3-6 (6 Pts) has never looked like being in the running, but he will be keen to finish his first G-1 as strong as possible. Despite holding head to head wins over Tanahashi and Nakamura. Shibata 6-3 (12 Pts), has a very slim chance of making it to the finals- first he needs to win this match here, and hope that Tanahashi loses and that Nakamura and Fale go to a no contest.

 

This was one of those matches, where it looked like Shibata was going to squash some midcard chump with his super stiff offence, but like Shelton Benjamin in the New Japan Cup earlier this year, Gallows managed to survive the onslaught staying in the match, and then stringing together his big man offence, before shockingly picking up the win with a Chokebomb. Shibata has any hope of making the finals extinguished completely, whilst Gallows finishes the tournament with a more respectable record.

 

Sorry but this left a bad taste in my mouth- BS stuff from NJPW I'm afraid here, this achieves absolutely nothing- they were building Shibata up strong and they have them lose to a nobody like Gallows- who isn't over and isn't all that great IMO (OK he's not terrible, but he's not up to the standard of near enough everyone else in the tournament).

 

I know that with Shibata, backstage politics holds him back but New Japan's booking of him really baffles me at times. Nonsensical booking aside, the match was solid enough for what it was- it's just that the wrong guy won.

 

7. Shinsuke Nakamura vs Bad Luck Fale (A-Block)

 

Both Fale 6-3 (12 Pts) and Nakamura 7-2 (14 Pts) must win the match, and then hope that Tanahashi slips up against DBS Jr. That's because Fale can win the group if he ends up on the same points as Nakamura and Tanahahsi and manages to end up recording head to head wins over both.

 

This started out pretty slow, with Fale in control (the broadcast even cut away to the commentary team for about half a minute, which goes to show that even they thought Fale's plodding hoss offence was boring). However once Nakamura got into the match, it quickly got really good- Nakamura does such a great job of ramping up the drama in his matches and he continued to make Fale look like a monster. Fale is still green and needs improvement, but NJPW's booking of him (in particular the protection of his finisher the Bad Luck Fall) and regularly working with great talents like Nakamura, has benefited him during his push.

 

In the end Nakamura managed to avoid falling victim to the Bad Luck Fall and managed to string together a series of Boma Ye's to finally wear the monster down and keep his hopes of making it to the finals alive.

 

8. Togi Makabe vs A.J Styles (B-Block)

 

Makabe 4-5 (8 Pts) finds himself reduced to one of many amongst B Block, whose aim is simply to avoid finishing the G-1 with a losing record. A.J Styles 7-2 (14 Pts) has kept pace with Okada but must win this match and hope that Okada loses (due to losing his head to head over Okada way back on the first day of the tournament)- at the very least he is guaranteed a spot in the consolation prize match.

 

Not as great as some of AJ's other matches in the tournament, but mostly that was because the result was never in doubt, if AJ lost here, Okada (who is in the main event) would win Block B without even having to beat Suzuki. This was still pretty good though, with Makabe with his strength and power continually giving Styles a difficult time throughout the match.

In the end Styles did pull out the expected win, with the Styles Clash to keep the pressure on Okada- Makabe meanwhile ends up with a whole bunch of people in Block B with disappointing 4-6 records.

 

9. Hiroshi Tanahashi vs Davey Boy Smith Jr. (A-Block)

 

It's just about pride for DBS Jr. 4-5 (8 Pts) but like so many others he will be keen to at least finish the tournament without a losing record. If Fale is defeated by Nakamura and then Tanahashi 7-2 (14 Pts) avoids defeat here, he wins the Block and goes to the finals.

 

The fact that DBS Jr. winning here can deny Tanahashi making it to the finals- added some much needed drama to the match, without that in mind this would have been a good but not great contest, but ever nearfall meant something here. In the end Tanahashi wasn't able to overcome a barrage of strong offence from Smith, who pulled off the upset win with the Bulldog Bomb. Unlike Gallows over Shibata earlier, this was an upset that made sense, rather than being an upset for the sake of one.

 

DBS Jr. finishes the tournament with a not too shabby even record, and Nakamura benefits from the upset to pip Tanahashi and win Block A.

 

10. Kazuchika Okada vs Minoru Suzuki (B-Block)

 

MiSu 5-4 (10 Pts) had his hopes of making it to the finals ruined by defeat to Karl Anderson on Day 9, however he will be keen to finish the tournament as strong as possible and finish with a winning record. Okada 7-2 (14 Pts) with a head to head win over his only possible challenger Styles, has one foot in the finals- if he wins this match, he wins the Block.

 

Great match with Suzuki targetting the arm in order to try and nullify the Rainmaker of Okada- in fact MiSu controlled much of the match and it looked as though he might pull off the upset or force Okada to simply survive and scrape into the finals with a draw. In the end though Okada dug down deep and found enough fighting spirit to become impervious to having his arm worked over the whole match and level MiSu with the Rainmaker to book his place in the finals and set up the long anticipated showdown with his CHAOS stable mate Shinsuke Nakamura.

 

Overall Thoughts

 

This show was a great end to the Block matches in the G-1, and we have two great matches to look forward to at the finals, with the long anticipated showdown between Okada and Nakamura to decide this years champion, and an intriguing match up that see's the icon of NJPW in it's current era Hiroshi Tanahashi take on the current IWGP Champion A.J Styles in the runners up match.

[Kitarzu]

Well Nakamura-Okada and Styles-Tanahashi. Bye Summerslam, welcome G1 Climax Finals!

 

That's the final card:

 

Special Eight Man Tag Match: Lance Archer, Davey Boy Smith Jr., TAKA Michinoku & El Desperado vs. Hiroyoshi Tenzan, Satoshi Kojima, Tiger Mask & Ryusuke Taguchi

Special Six Man Tag Match: Bad Luck Fale, Doc Gallows & Yujiro Takahashi vs. Togi Makabe, Yuji Nagata & Manabu Nakanishi

Special Six Man Tag Match: Mioru Suzuki, Takashi Iizuka & Shelton Benjamin vs. Toru Yano, Kazushi Sakuraba & YOSHI-HASHI

Special Tag Match: Jushin Thunder Liger & Captain New Japan vs. Adam Cole & Michael Bennett (w/ Maria Kanellis)

IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Tag Team Title: Alex Shelley & KUSHIDA © vs. Kyle O'Reilly & Bobby Fish

G1 Climax 24 Special Singles Match: Tetsuya Naito vs. Tomoaki Honma

G1 Climax 24 Special Singles Match: Tomohiro Ishii vs. Karl Anderson

G1 Climax 24 Special Singles Match: Hirooki Goto vs. Katsuyori Shibata

G1 Climax Special Singles Match: Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. AJ Styles

G1 Climax - Final: Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Kazuchika Okada

 

http://www.yourdental-clinic.com/blog/images_mt/keep-calm-and-yeaoh-.png

[Mootinie]

Special Six Man Tag Match: Bad Luck Fale, Doc Gallows & Yujiro Takahashi vs. Togi Makabe, Yuji Nagata & Manabu Nakanishi

 

That should be a monumental trainwreck. Fale & Gallows both need the right opponent and Yujiro is the dictionary definition of average. Luckily they're against Makabe & Nagata, who probably deserve better than this crap.

 

Special Six Man Tag Match: Minoru Suzuki, Takashi Iizuka & Shelton Benjamin vs. Toru Yano, Kazushi Sakuraba & YOSHI-HASHI

 

Seriously, this is happening? Why? Why is Yano still feuding with Suzuki? Okay, Suzuki is feuding with Sakuraba and YTR is feuding with Iizuka, but they seriously had to book this? Surely they could have put Suzuki and Sakuraba elsewhere.

 

Special Tag Match: Jushin Thunder Liger & Captain New Japan vs. Adam Cole & Michael Bennett (w/ Maria Kanellis)

 

Captain New Japan is here to get pinned & Michael Bennett sucks. He's the only person I know that very nearly got a bad match out of Tanahashi. I'm surprised Tana hasn't told them to veto bringing him over. Again, not a match that I'm excited about. Liger is gonna need to turn back the clock a few years here.

 

Rest of the card looks fine, the last 5 singles matches should be something. Naito/Honma has the potential to steal the show, Tanahashi/Styles should be all kinds of awesome and the thought of Nakamura/Okada is giving me goosebumps. I can't wait for this card and I can't wait to see Time Splitters vs. reDRagon. I miss me some KUSHIDA.

[Teh_Showtime]

So, um Jeff Jarrett did something sandwiched between two fantastic matches at the end of the show

 

Okada/Nakamura especially was very special. Okada was much more aggressive and ruthless much like Nakamura is on a regular basis. There was just so many great things about both of those matches

[The Swanton825]

Michael Bennett sucks.

 

Oh my God yeeeeessss... I thought I was the only one who hated him, he just embodies how NOT to be a heel. Not to mention that he's already completely out of his depth in ROH, so Japan will eat him alive.

[Infernalmiko]

No idea about the GWF thing. I guess there's no harm in having a working agreement with them but it's not going to mean anything. I think NJPW has hit peak gaijin, so I'd be more focused on recruiting and developing some new native young lions. Though if NJPW is going to even more heavily promote in the US, getting the foreigners helps.

 

Still sad Devitt went to WWE but it's understandable.

[Tigerkinney]

Feeling a bit lazy here, so I won't do my full review of the finals (which is now about a week old anyway), but just summarize what I thought of the show

 

* Though 18'000 isn't a bad crowd to draw, I still think it would have come off better if the finals were still held at Sumo Hall. I guess this shows, that though NJPW are doing OK- the wrestling industry in Japan is nowhere near back to the heights it was at in the 80s and 90s

 

* The opening section of the card, was mediocre at best filler- though the look on the Captain's face, when he was being tempted by a possible striptease from Maria Kanellis, was priceless.

 

* The Time Splitters- ReDragon Junior tag was pretty good and by far the best thing on the show up to that point. Bringing in teams such as ReDragon on a part time basis, to supplement the Junior Tag ranks is what the ROH relationship will be most useful for.

 

* Naito vs Honma was OK...The Honma formula was in my opinion, wearing a bit thin by the end of the tournament.

 

* Anderson vs Ishii, was both good and bad at the same time- The match managed to hold my interest, but Ishii clearly shouldn't have been in there with his screwed up shoulder, and at one point he could have seriously injured Anderson. The interference and save actually worked pretty well here, and YOSHI-HASHI possibly setting up to be Yujiro's next challenger for the NEVER belt is not a bad move- that belt is meant to be a lower midcard belt (similar to the old WWE European belt) anyway.

 

* Did we really need another Shibata vs Goto match?- This was the weakest of the lot, because we've seen this match a zillion times already, and it's not going to have any variation to the formula- which is them beating the shit out of one another and no selling it.

 

* AJ Styles vs Hiroshi Tanahashi of course was overshadowed by the angle that followed it, but it was actually a pretty good match- I liked that they did not 'blow their load' on this match-up and left enough in the tank to produce even better efforts down the line.

 

* The Jeff Jarrett ( & not forgetting Scott D'Amore) joins the Bullet Club angle, was actually pretty well executed if a little bizarre. I'm not bothered by it at the moment, it all depends on the follow up with this one.

 

* The finals between Kazuchika Okada and Shinsuke Nakamura, was an incredible match (definitely in my top three matches of this years G-1) and a fitting way to end an incredible G-1 Climax.

 

* The finals show itself was a little disappointing,and did need a fantastic main event to 'save' it, which thankfully we got. As for the tournament itself, it managed to surpass what was a really great tournament last year. In general the shows were more consistent, and apart from a few minor gripes here and there, the booking was generally better (last year they went overboard with the 'parity booking'.)

[Mootinie]

NJPW “DESTRUCTION IN KOBE”, 9/21/14 (WPW)

Kobe World Hall

 

1. Tomohiro Ishii, Rocky Romero & Alex Kozlov vs. Yujiro Takahashi, Matt Jackson & Nick Jackson

2. Alex Shelley, Maximo & BUSHI vs. TAKA Michinoku, El Desperado & Taichi

3. Hiroyoshi Tenzan, Satoshi Kojima, Jushin Thunder Liger & Tomoaki Honma vs. Yuji Nagata, Manabu Nakanishi, Tiger Mask & Captain New Japan

4. Special Tag Match: Kazushi Sakuraba & Toru Yano vs. Minoru Suzuki & Takashi Iizuka

5. IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Title: KUSHIDA © vs. Ryusuke Taguchi

6. Special Tag Match: Tetsuya Naito & Kota Ibushi vs. AJ Styles & Tama Tonga

7. Special Tag Match: Kazuchika Okada & YOSHI-HASHI vs. Karl Anderson & Doc Gallows

8. Special Singles Match: Togi Makabe vs. Hirooki Goto

9. Special Singles Match: Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Katsuyori Shibata

10. IWGP Intercontinental Title: Bad Luck Fale © vs. Shinsuke Nakamura

 

NJPW “DESTRUCTION IN OKAYAMA”, 9/23/14 (Samurai! TV)

Convex Okayama

 

1. Jushin Thunder Liger & Tiger Mask vs. Maximo & Captain New Japan

2. YOSHI-HASHI vs. Yujiro Takahashi

3. Hiroyoshi Tenzan, Satoshi Kojima & Ryusuke Taguchi vs. Yuji Nagata, Manabu Nakanishi & BUSHI

4. Rocky Romero & Alex Kozlov vs. Matt Jackson & Nick Jackson

5. IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Tag Team Title: KUSHIDA & Alex Shelley © vs. El Desperado & Taichi

6. Kazushi Sakuraba, Toru Yano & Gedo vs. Minoru Suzuki, Takashi Iizuka & TAKA Michinoku Kaientai Dojo

7. Togi Makabe & Tomoaki Honma vs. Hirooki Goto & Katsuyori Shibata

8. Special Tag Match: Shinsuke Nakamura & Tomohiro Ishii vs. Bad Luck Fale & Tama Tonga

9. Special Tag Match: Hiroshi Tanahashi & Tetsuya Naito vs. AJ Styles & Doc Gallows

10. Tokyo Dome IWGP Heavyweight Title #1 Contender Match: Kazuchika Okada vs. Karl Anderson

 

These were announced a week or so ago. I'm find it hard to get excited about another month without an IWGP Heavyweight Title defence. After these events, it'll be 4 months since the last one. Ridiculous.

[Tigerkinney]

These were announced a week or so ago. I'm find it hard to get excited about another month without an IWGP Heavyweight Title defence. After these events, it'll be 4 months since the last one. Ridiculous.

 

I'm afraid, I have to agree with you- not having your main belt defended for four months is baffling. I really though Naito would have got a title shot on one of the shows here, because of the fact he pinned Styles in the G-1.

 

These shows probably will turn out to be pretty good, because NJPW have a talented roster from top to bottom, but it still cannot excuse the repetitive and lazy booking (Nakamura vs Fale for the IWGP Intercontinental belt again )

 

Whilst I don't think Jado & Gedo are terrible bookers, they are overrated in some quarters and get cut some slack due to the talent they have to work with delivering in the ring and in all honesty I'm starting to creep into the NJPW is great in-spite of the booking and not because of it camp.

[Mootinie]

I'm afraid, I have to agree with you- not having your main belt defended for four months is baffling. I really though Naito would have got a title shot on one of the shows here, because of the fact he pinned Styles in the G-1.

Absolutely. It certainly seems like they're building that match up but I was sure it'd go on the second day of this card. It seems like they're saving Styles vs. Naito for Kings Of Pro Wrestling, but then where does Nakamura fit in in all this? Does he challenge Styles at Power Struggle? Or will that be another PPV without a title defence? We'll see, but I pray to God they don't do Okada vs. Styles at the Dome, that'd just be stupid.

 

These shows probably will turn out to be pretty good, because NJPW have a talented roster from top to bottom, but it still cannot excuse the repetitive and lazy booking (Nakamura vs Fale for the IWGP Intercontinental belt again )

 

Whilst I don't think Jado & Gedo are terrible bookers, they are overrated in some quarters and get cut some slack due to the talent they have to work with delivering in the ring and in all honesty I'm starting to creep into the NJPW is great in-spite of the booking and not because of it camp.

Oh yeah, the roster bust their ass and give everything they've got, the workrate papers over any cracks in the booking. But yes, Nakamura vs. Fale again... I like the match, but I think it's a lose-lose from a booking perspective. Fale simply cannot drop the belt this soon, it'd destroy all the good work they've done with him if he does. Meanwhile, Nakamura eating another PPV loss is surely damaging his credibility and considering he's arguably their number 1 draw, I have to question why he's being wasted jobbing out to Fale.

 

But... we all know the shows will deliver, so we should probably shut up and just look forward to another 4 star event

[Infernalmiko]

I think Jado and Gedo are good bookers, but they might need a break to recharge. They have a good idea in building up new draws but Fale is not a guy you can push fast. Styles has the experience and seems to be winning over the fans. Fale is big, but not their only big gaijin, and he's only decent. J&G need some new ideas.

[Teh_Showtime]

Aside from Tanahashi vs Shibata rematch (which should probably be the actual main event for their show) it seems like none of the G-1 matches matter anymore. Kojima should probably be in line for a Ic title match since he beat Fale and as stated Naito would have the first crack at AJ one would think since he beat both Styles and Okada.

 

I think they sort of dug themselves into a hole because they moved potential singles challengers to the tag division like Goto, Shibata, Anderson, Makabe, etc and they are stuck having to keep Nakamura in the Ic picture for it to mean anything