Today's show should be interesting as B Block could tighten up into a massive cluster if the right results happen. Here are the standings as the stand coming into this show:
B Block Standings (After Night 8)
Kenny Omega (8 Points)
Tetsuya Naito (6 Points)
Sanada (6 Points)
Kota Ibushi (4 Points)
Ishii (4 Points)
Hirooki Goto (4 Points)
Zack Sabre Jr. (4 points)
Tama Tonga (2 Points)
Toru Yano (2 Points)
Juice Robinson (0 points)
Here are the matches for today's B Block action:
Kota Ibushi vs. Tomohiro Ishii
Kenny Omega vs. Sanada
Tetsuya Naito vs. Hirooki Goto
Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Tama Tonga
Juice Robinson vs. Toru Yano
If Omega loses to Sanada and Naito beats Goto, we've got a three way tie at the top of the points score. Sanada, in that situation, gets the tie breaker over Omega in a tie. But if Naito later beats Sanada and the three way tie happens at the end of block action, I guess Naito would get the tie breaker?
Looking at the card, this should be a fun show. I'm actually looking forward to a Yano match for a change. As always, I'm posting a few thoughts on the undercard before doing deep play by play commentary during the block matches. Without further ado, HERE WE GO!!!!
Undercard Notes
- Bad Luck and Togi Makabe are on opposite sides of a tag match today. This means that Monday will be either brutal in the best or worst way. I have to believe we're getting more Tongan Shenanigans.
- Well, Hangman Page and Jay White are going to be in a match tonight and on Monday. And look there: It's Chase Owens. Someone should do a picture of his "Crown Jewel" shirt pinned down to a mat laying on the ground. That would be its natural position. But then again, Jay White is teaming up with YOH, and White has thrown him into harm's way more than Michael Cohen has with Donald Trump this tour. AND THAT HAPPENS AGAIN HERE! PAGE pins YOH while Jay White literally just stands and watches. Wow!
- Suzuki and EVIL face off tonight in a tag match and will again face off MONDAY. Now, this is a match I cannot wait to see and write about! The KAZE NI NARE chorus from the audience is absolutely THUNDEROUS tonight. It's Suzuki and Desperado vs. EVIL and BUSHI. EVIL has a bum knee after last night, and the announcers put over that Suzuki will go directly for that once the bell rings. And Suzuki goes directly after EVIL once the bell rings and they tear through the announcer area and into the audience!!!! And Suzuki with a chair driven right into EVIL. Desperado and Bushi are on the opposite side of the arena in the audience as well. Suzuki with a FREAKING UMBRELLA choking out EVIL. They get back in the ring. (I know I said I wasn't doing play by play for the undercard matches, but that was too fun not to call a little bit. LOL.) The interaction between Suzuki and EVIL in the match itself made me really look forward to seeing the two collide on Monday, and I really can't wait to write about that one. Both guys are among my favorites in NJPW.
- YOSHI-HASHI and Hiroshi Tanahashi are in a tag match to preview their match on Monday as well. Can we just give Tanahashi the 2 points already?
- Michael Elgin and Kazuchika Okada, on the other hand, could be an interesting match to follow Monday. If Okada beats Elgin, he could be back in position to lead the A Block. But if Elgin gets the win, it would be big. (Side note: Watching the interaction between Okada and Rocky Romero at ringside with the balloons has been a great side joke for English Commentary followers.)
And now... THE G1 THEME IS PLAYING!!! IT'S TIME!!!!
B Block Matches Night 10
1) Tama Tonga (w/Tanga Loa) vs. Zack Sabre Jr. (w/ Taka Michinoku)- Taka Michinoku may be the best hype man in wrestling not named Paul Heyman. He's found his calling. The Guerrillas of Destiny have one of the sickest themes in wrestling. Tanga Loa does the introductions for the second time tonight, this time for Tama Tonga. Again, I'm liking what Tanga Loa is doing with this, even giving a great inside joke: "No need to cock the fist, he can just beat you with a Tongan Twist." Family love there, folks. Believe that. TAKA to the English Commentary Team: "HE DOESN'T EVEN SPEAK JAPANESE!!!!" LOL.
Early mind games by Tonga and Sabre early on. Both men talk over strategy with their seconds. Test of Strength easily won by Tonga, who proceeds to jaw-jack about his dominance. Sabre reverses it into an armbar. Headbutt by Tonga. Uppercut x2 by Sabre who gets tripped up by Loa on the ropes. Taka returns the favor to Tonga on the other side. Running away, Taka runs into Loa. Tonga now beating up on Sabre on the outside. Tonga distracts the ref in the ring while Loa gets some shots in on Sabre on the outside. Tonga now begins punching and striking a prone Sabre in the ring. 5 minutes have passed. Sabre fighting back with upercuts and strikes, eventually taking Tonga down with a leg sweep. Tricep stomp by Sabre x2. Ouch. Uppercut in the corner x2 by Sabre. Float over pin by Sabre for a 2. Wristlock by Sabre reversed into a Tongan Twist by Tonga. F5 variant (Ghost Face) by Tonga for a 2.
Series of rollups and reversals by both men. Taka gets involved, but Loa beats him up on the outside. Sleeper by Sabre into a Triangle Hold. Transition into an armbar, but Tonga pulled the referee down with him. Loa in the ring with a sidewalk slam on Sabre Jr. Hangman's neckbreaker on Sabre Jr. by Tonga using Loa to hold him up. GUN STUN misses and connects on LOA!!!! Sabre with another flying triangle hold! Ten Minutes have passed. Tonga taps, but there's no ref! Tonga goes for the GUN STUN, but Sabre reverses into a arm bar! FALE IS IN! GRENADE! ANOTHER FREAKING DQ!!!!!
Winner: Zack Sabre Jr. (6 points)
Match Grade: D. Ok. We get it now. The Tongans don't care about the tournament, but this match just did not work for me. The match was basically an exercise on waiting for the Tongans to get DQed again, and it happened. The action before the finish did little to nothing to get me invested.
2) Toru Yano vs. Juice Robinson- Juice announced apparently in an interview that if he loses every match in the G1, he will forfeit the U.S. Championship, quit the promotion, and head home. There's been rumor that WWE is interested in bringing Juice back into the company. So, this might not be out of the realm of possibility. Yano goes for the corner pad before the match starts, but the referee stops him. The bell rings.
Clean breaks by Yano twice. And he extends his hand for a handshake... only to kick Juice in the gut to start the attack. That Yano. Juice retaliates with punches to Yano, but the referee stops him from using the cast hand. Juice works on Yano on the outside, but Yano throws JUICE into the guard rail. Yano has tape and is taping Juice's hand to the guard rail. CHAIR to the injured hand!!!!! Juice gets untied, but he is rolling around in pain. He untapes his hand, removing the cast. Yano goes after the hand when Juice gets back in the ring. More wristlocks by Yano with jokes to the referee. Yano goes after the corner pad while the ref checks on Juice. Yano goes for the throw into the corner, but Juice blocks it. Yano gets thrown into the opposite corner, and while Juice gets the pad from the previously exposed corner, Yano goes to work on the new corner. Juice comes after Yano with the pad, but Yano moves. It's a DUEL with the PADS between both men. (I'm making lightsaber noises during this. Shoosh. Wroom. Wroom. Shoosh.) Yano kicks Juice but gets caught in a LONG Airplane Spin. Both are dizzy and walking wildly around the ring, missing punches, and falling down. (Editor's Note: This might be the best Yano match in the tournament.)
They trade forearms back and forth. Yano gets Juice with a rake to the eyes but eats a back suplex and senton by Juice for a 2. Yano into the exposed corner. Inverted atomic drop by Yano followed by a catapult into the corner. He goes for the low blow, but the referee stops him. Yano with multiple rollup attempts for 2. Juice goes for the punches and connects. The rest of the cast is gone now for Juice. MULTIPLE REVERSALS OF PULP FRICTION but JUICE HITS IT!!!!! 1-2-3!!!! THE JUICE IS LOOSE AND ON THE BOARD FINALLY!!!!!!
Winner: Juice Robinson (2 points)
Match Grade: B. I know this is probably too high, but I thought this was the most effective comedy match I've seen from Yano. He showed some great wrestling skill in this along with his trademark comedy stuff. Juice was the type of guy to go along with it and play into it. The storyline with the hand was very effective here as well. I bought the fact that Yano could win this, and Juice finally gets the win he needed.
3) Tomohiro Ishii vs. Kota Ibushi- Oh, this is going to be a clash of styles. And it will be awesome.
They collide when the bell rings!!!! Blocks by both men avoiding each other's moves and strikes early on. Forearm by both men now. Rinse and repeat xI LOST COUNT!!! Ishii runs into a forearm, but Ibushii runs into a shoulder block! HARD CHOP by ISHII in the corner x3. Ishii tells Ibushi to hit him for real. Ibushi is no match to strike Ishii, but Ishii continually strikes at Ibushi in the corner knocking him back down. Ishii again is telling Ibushi to bring it. Multiple forearms and a kick from Ibushi are no match for one forearm by Ishii. Dropkick to a running Ishii by Ibushi. Snap Rana by Ibushi to Ishii. Ishii rolls outside. Ibushi dives over the top onto Ishii!!! (Note: This Ishii/Ibushi typing is harder than I thought going in.)
IBUSHI IS TAKING ISHII DEEP INTO THE CROWD!!!! Ishii gets the advantage and goes for a powerbomb, but Ibushi reverses into a Snap Rana. Ibushi is climbing the wall in the arena up to the next level of the crowd. He hypes up the crowd and NAILS A MOONSAULT OFF THE WALL ONTO ISHII!!!!!! TO QUOTE JOEY STYLES, OH MY GOD!!!!! 5 minutes have passed, if anyone cares at this point. Lol.
Ishii is rolled back into the ring. Ibushi with a springboard dropkick to the back of Ishii's head. Half and half by Ibushi gets a 2. Kicks by Ibushi to the chest of Ishii. "BRING IT," says Ishii. Ibushi does so. Kick to the head by Ibushi just PO's Ishii!!! ONE FOREARM BY ISHII KNOCKS IBUSHI DOWN! Ishii puts Ibushi on the top turnbuckle. STALLING SUPLEX FROM THE SECOND ROPE by Ishii, but Ibushi just gets up!!! Ishii run over and nails a Snap German Suplex. IBUSHI GETS UP AGAIN!!! ISHII with a Snap Dragon, but Ibushi lands on his feet. Headbutt by Ishii. Snap Dragon by Ibushi, but ISHII GETS UP! Series of missed shots ends with a PELE Kick by Ibushi. WHAT A MATCH!!!
Slap by Ishii followed by multiple forearm shots. HARD CHOP by Ibushi knocks Ishii down. Ten minutes have passed. LONG DART THROW to ISHII hard into the corner. That looks nasty. Ibushi continues to toy with Ishii with kicks. They are now trading HARD slaps at each other. Ibushi is too fast. He gets Ishii down. More slapsa and kicks by Ibushi. Ishii with HARD chops to the throat of Ibushi now! Now, Ishii with kicks and slaps to the skull of Ibushi. Ibushi is getting up. HARD CHOP TO ISHII'S THROAT. CLOSED FISTS TO THE THROAT AND A LARIAT by IBUSHI. LAST RIDE SITDOWN POWERBOMB BY IBUSHI! 1-2-KICKOUT!!! Ibushi pulls the knee pad down. He goes for the knee, but Ishii hits Ibushi with multiple headbutts. Straight Jacket GERMAN by Ibushi for a 2. Ishii gets out and dodges a knee for a rollover attempt. ISHII NAILS HIS OWN KNEE TO THE FACE ON IBUSHI!!!!! Wow!!!!!
LAST RIDE POWERBOMB BY ISHII!!! IBUSHI KICKS OUT AT 2. Ishii gets up. HARD LARIAT by ISHII! IBUSHI KICKS OUT AGAIN! Throat Slash by Ishii. BRAIN BUSTER BY IBUSHI! ISHII GETS UP IMMEDIATELY!!!! ENZIGURI BY ISHII! KNEE TO THE FACE BY IBUSHI! ISHII KICKS OUT AT 1!!!!! OH MY GOD! THIS IS INCREDIBLE! SLAPS BY BOTH MEN NOW. IBUSHI WITH A HARD KICK TO THE HEAD AND THE KNEE TO THE FACE FINALLY GETS THE WIN!!!!!!
Winner: Kota Ibushi (6 points)
Match Grade: A+. Best match of the tournament in my opinion so far. Go find this match. It was incredible with both men looking like gold afterwards. As I said earlier, Ishii brings it in big matches, and Ibushi is no slouch either. It was exhilarating, uncomfortable in spots, and engaging. It was the standard for what a G1 match should feel like. I feel sorry for Goto, Naito, Sanada, and Omega having to follow this. As JBL would say, "Call the cops. These boys just stole the show."
4) Hirooki Goto vs. Tetsuya Naito- Naito may have the best theme in New Japan. When you hear the first few chords of that theme play, you know immediately that he's getting ready to bring tranquilo to the ring. Meanwhile, Goto's theme could lose the opening singing part and be more effective. Who am I? Jim Johnston? Let's just get this match going.
Early lockup results in a forearm exchange. Naito and Goto go back and forth to the ring and outside before Goto knocks down Naito with a shoulder block. Goto goes to work on the back of Naito. Hard kick to the chest of Naito. Naito on the apron now. Goto tries to suplex him in, but Naito blocks it with a neck snap on the top rope followed by a neckbreaker on the edge of the ring. Naito throws Goto into the guard rail x2. Naito rolls into the ring. Goto gets into the ring at the count of 19. Naito now gets to work on Goto. 5 minutes have passed.
Naito with a hangman neckbreaker on Goto followed by a regular one for a 2. Goto gets back up and starts striking at Naito, who responds by spitting in Goto's face. Goto clotheslines Naito in the corner and spin kicks him in the other corner. Saito Suplex gets a 2 for Goto. Neckbreaker and dropkick to the back of the head by Naito. Slingshot Dropkick in the corner by Naito. Top Rope Hurricanrana by Naito for a 2. A bunch of counters and misdirection by both men, but Goto gets the advantage with a huge clothesline. Yuji Garoshi for a 2 for Goto.
Both men going for a suplex, but Naito nails a German Suplex instead. Flying forearm by Naito. Destino attempt blocked into a reverse GTR by Goto. Goto psyches himself up. Kick to the chest of Naito. He goes for the GTR, but Naito snapmares out of it. Enziguri by Naito. Destino countered by Goto. Goto with multiple headbutts to Naito. GTR countered into DESTINOOOO! 1-2 Kickout!!! Naito is going for it again. DESTINOOOOOOO! 1-2-3!!!!!
Winner: Tetsuya Naito (8 points)
Match Grade: C. This match never got into a second gear, but it was ok for what it was. My expectations may have been jaded by the previous match, but both men have had much better matches in this tournament alone. I'd put Goto's match with Ishii and Naito's matches against Omega and (even) Tonga above this off the top of my head. With this win, Naito is tied for the lead going into this last match.
5) Sanada vs. Kenny Omega- This match just became all that much more important. If Omega loses, all hell is about to break loose on this block. If Omega wins, he still has a 2 point advantage over Naito and owns a tie breaker over Sanada and Naito in case any ties happen when this block wraps out. (For the record, this is one of the three matches I predicted Omega would lose in this tournament. Let's see if I'm right.)
Arm work by Omega early on along with mocking paintbrushes on Sanada's head. Another tie up leads to a headlock by Omega. Back and forth counters by both men out of the armbar. Shoulder tackle by Sanada. Kick to the head by Omega. Sanada sidesteps Omega to the outside. Sanada goes over the top to the apron to go after Omega, who moves out of the way. Sanada holds the ropes open for Omega, and no shenanigans until Sanada comes back in, which leads to a dropkick to Sanada's leg. Omega with kicks to Sanada's leg now. Sanada goes for a standing moonsault but misses and further hurts his leg. Omega smashes Sanada's knee against the mat a couple times. 5 minutes have passed. Both men go outside.
Sanada rammed into the guard rail and the ring apron. Omega dumps Sanada knee first against the edge of the ring. Omega rolls Sanada back into the ring. Omega continues working on both the knee of Sanada and the back. More kicks to the back of Sanada's knee. Sanada tries to fight back. Both men are exchanging forearms, but Omega gets Sanada in the corner. Sanada kicks Omega to get him away from the knee. Mid-Rope Dropkick by Sanada from the corner. Sanada fighting back now.
Double leapfrog and dropkick by Sanada followed by a dive over the top rope to the outside on Omega. (This guy is fun to watch in singles matches.) Sanada rolls Omega back in. Omega gets Sanada up for YOU CAN'T ESCAPE but moonsaults into Sanada's knees. Omega's limping from his injured heel from before the tournament even started. Snap Rana by Omega sends Sanada to the outside. RISE OF THE TERMINATOR DIVE CONNECTS on Sanada. Both men get back in the ring. Jumping Leg Bulldog by Omega for a 2. Both men escape German Suplex attempts by landing on their legs. Sanada goes for the Springboard Dropkick, but Omega catches him into a POWERBOMB! 1-2-KICKOUT (barely) by Sanada. Omega goes up top and nails a dropkick to Sanada's head and shoulder. Snap Dragon by Omega. Pinning attempt by Omega gets 2. V-Trigger connects! Here we go. Another V-Trigger connects! Sanada is grabbing onto Omega's ankle. Sanada gets back up and exchanges blows with Omega and eats a V-Trigger. Sanada comes back with a Tiger Suplex for 2. SKULL END escaped by Omega. Chops by Omega. Dropkick by Sanada but a V-Trigger lands squarely into Sanada. Butterfly Piledriver (Jay Driller) by Omega gets a CLOSE 2.
Omega is getting desperate. He hits another V-Trigger, but SANADA COUNTERS ONE WINGED ANGEL INTO SKULL END!!!!! HE SPINS OMEGA AROUND! He misses the moonsault as Omega moved out of the way. Tiger Suplex blocked by Sanada. O'Connor Roll into a Skull End. He has him hooked in down on the mat with it!!! Sanada is going back up!!!! Moonsault misses!!!! Both men are down. Another really good match so far.
Both men exchange forearms, slowly and faster and faster. Omega looks half crazed. HUGE UPPERCUT by Sanada x2. 3rd One countered with a short knee. SANADA MOONSAULTS INTO SKULL END. OMEGA COUNTERS INTO A PACKAGE TOMBSTONE PILEDRIVER FOR A CLOSE 2!!! V-Trigger to Sanada. Kenny pulls him up. Sanada reverses into a Reverse Rana. But Omega lands on his feet. Flip into Skull End attempt. But Omega catches him on his shoulders AND TURNS IT INTO ONE WINGED ANGEL!!!!! 1-2-3!!! ANOTHER GREAT MATCH TONIGHT!!!
Winner: Kenny Omega (10 Points)
Match Grade: A-. This was another great match tonight. Sanada again loses nothing in losing to Kenny Omega as he put on an incredible performance. The crowd (and I) bought into Sanada possibly beating Omega. And this is another match they can return to down the road for a one-off challenge. As for Kenny Omega, I'm starting to wonder if he is going to clean sweep this tournament. I have him losing to Sabre Jr. and Ibushi later on, but I'm starting to second guess those predictions. Omega lived up to his name of the "Best Bout Machine," even if another match on this show was just slightly better.
Show Rating: A. I know I gave one match a D. But when you look at the rest of the show, you had two A-level matches along with a fun B-level Juice vs. Yano match. Add on a passable Naito/Goto match, and this was another great overall B Block show. Go out of your way to see Ibushi vs. Ishii and Omega vs. Sanada. Ibushi/Ishii was INCREDIBLE, and Omega vs. Sanada was great itself.
B Block Standings (After Night 10)
Kenny Omega (10 Points)
Tetsuya Naito (8 Points)
Zack Sabre Jr. (6 points)
Sanada (6 Points)
Kota Ibushi (6 Points)
Ishii (4 Points)
Hirooki Goto (4 Points)
Tama Tonga (2 Points)
Toru Yano (2 Points)
Juice Robinson (2 points)
Hope you all enjoyed this latest review of G1 Climax action. I'll be back Monday to cover the next A Block show.
Until next time, take care of yourselves and spread some awesomeness.
B Block Standings (After Night 8)
Kenny Omega (8 Points)
Tetsuya Naito (6 Points)
Sanada (6 Points)
Kota Ibushi (4 Points)
Ishii (4 Points)
Hirooki Goto (4 Points)
Zack Sabre Jr. (4 points)
Tama Tonga (2 Points)
Toru Yano (2 Points)
Juice Robinson (0 points)
Here are the matches for today's B Block action:
Kota Ibushi vs. Tomohiro Ishii
Kenny Omega vs. Sanada
Tetsuya Naito vs. Hirooki Goto
Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Tama Tonga
Juice Robinson vs. Toru Yano
If Omega loses to Sanada and Naito beats Goto, we've got a three way tie at the top of the points score. Sanada, in that situation, gets the tie breaker over Omega in a tie. But if Naito later beats Sanada and the three way tie happens at the end of block action, I guess Naito would get the tie breaker?
Looking at the card, this should be a fun show. I'm actually looking forward to a Yano match for a change. As always, I'm posting a few thoughts on the undercard before doing deep play by play commentary during the block matches. Without further ado, HERE WE GO!!!!
Undercard Notes
- Bad Luck and Togi Makabe are on opposite sides of a tag match today. This means that Monday will be either brutal in the best or worst way. I have to believe we're getting more Tongan Shenanigans.
- Well, Hangman Page and Jay White are going to be in a match tonight and on Monday. And look there: It's Chase Owens. Someone should do a picture of his "Crown Jewel" shirt pinned down to a mat laying on the ground. That would be its natural position. But then again, Jay White is teaming up with YOH, and White has thrown him into harm's way more than Michael Cohen has with Donald Trump this tour. AND THAT HAPPENS AGAIN HERE! PAGE pins YOH while Jay White literally just stands and watches. Wow!
- Suzuki and EVIL face off tonight in a tag match and will again face off MONDAY. Now, this is a match I cannot wait to see and write about! The KAZE NI NARE chorus from the audience is absolutely THUNDEROUS tonight. It's Suzuki and Desperado vs. EVIL and BUSHI. EVIL has a bum knee after last night, and the announcers put over that Suzuki will go directly for that once the bell rings. And Suzuki goes directly after EVIL once the bell rings and they tear through the announcer area and into the audience!!!! And Suzuki with a chair driven right into EVIL. Desperado and Bushi are on the opposite side of the arena in the audience as well. Suzuki with a FREAKING UMBRELLA choking out EVIL. They get back in the ring. (I know I said I wasn't doing play by play for the undercard matches, but that was too fun not to call a little bit. LOL.) The interaction between Suzuki and EVIL in the match itself made me really look forward to seeing the two collide on Monday, and I really can't wait to write about that one. Both guys are among my favorites in NJPW.
- YOSHI-HASHI and Hiroshi Tanahashi are in a tag match to preview their match on Monday as well. Can we just give Tanahashi the 2 points already?
- Michael Elgin and Kazuchika Okada, on the other hand, could be an interesting match to follow Monday. If Okada beats Elgin, he could be back in position to lead the A Block. But if Elgin gets the win, it would be big. (Side note: Watching the interaction between Okada and Rocky Romero at ringside with the balloons has been a great side joke for English Commentary followers.)
And now... THE G1 THEME IS PLAYING!!! IT'S TIME!!!!
B Block Matches Night 10
1) Tama Tonga (w/Tanga Loa) vs. Zack Sabre Jr. (w/ Taka Michinoku)- Taka Michinoku may be the best hype man in wrestling not named Paul Heyman. He's found his calling. The Guerrillas of Destiny have one of the sickest themes in wrestling. Tanga Loa does the introductions for the second time tonight, this time for Tama Tonga. Again, I'm liking what Tanga Loa is doing with this, even giving a great inside joke: "No need to cock the fist, he can just beat you with a Tongan Twist." Family love there, folks. Believe that. TAKA to the English Commentary Team: "HE DOESN'T EVEN SPEAK JAPANESE!!!!" LOL.
Early mind games by Tonga and Sabre early on. Both men talk over strategy with their seconds. Test of Strength easily won by Tonga, who proceeds to jaw-jack about his dominance. Sabre reverses it into an armbar. Headbutt by Tonga. Uppercut x2 by Sabre who gets tripped up by Loa on the ropes. Taka returns the favor to Tonga on the other side. Running away, Taka runs into Loa. Tonga now beating up on Sabre on the outside. Tonga distracts the ref in the ring while Loa gets some shots in on Sabre on the outside. Tonga now begins punching and striking a prone Sabre in the ring. 5 minutes have passed. Sabre fighting back with upercuts and strikes, eventually taking Tonga down with a leg sweep. Tricep stomp by Sabre x2. Ouch. Uppercut in the corner x2 by Sabre. Float over pin by Sabre for a 2. Wristlock by Sabre reversed into a Tongan Twist by Tonga. F5 variant (Ghost Face) by Tonga for a 2.
Series of rollups and reversals by both men. Taka gets involved, but Loa beats him up on the outside. Sleeper by Sabre into a Triangle Hold. Transition into an armbar, but Tonga pulled the referee down with him. Loa in the ring with a sidewalk slam on Sabre Jr. Hangman's neckbreaker on Sabre Jr. by Tonga using Loa to hold him up. GUN STUN misses and connects on LOA!!!! Sabre with another flying triangle hold! Ten Minutes have passed. Tonga taps, but there's no ref! Tonga goes for the GUN STUN, but Sabre reverses into a arm bar! FALE IS IN! GRENADE! ANOTHER FREAKING DQ!!!!!
Winner: Zack Sabre Jr. (6 points)
Match Grade: D. Ok. We get it now. The Tongans don't care about the tournament, but this match just did not work for me. The match was basically an exercise on waiting for the Tongans to get DQed again, and it happened. The action before the finish did little to nothing to get me invested.
2) Toru Yano vs. Juice Robinson- Juice announced apparently in an interview that if he loses every match in the G1, he will forfeit the U.S. Championship, quit the promotion, and head home. There's been rumor that WWE is interested in bringing Juice back into the company. So, this might not be out of the realm of possibility. Yano goes for the corner pad before the match starts, but the referee stops him. The bell rings.
Clean breaks by Yano twice. And he extends his hand for a handshake... only to kick Juice in the gut to start the attack. That Yano. Juice retaliates with punches to Yano, but the referee stops him from using the cast hand. Juice works on Yano on the outside, but Yano throws JUICE into the guard rail. Yano has tape and is taping Juice's hand to the guard rail. CHAIR to the injured hand!!!!! Juice gets untied, but he is rolling around in pain. He untapes his hand, removing the cast. Yano goes after the hand when Juice gets back in the ring. More wristlocks by Yano with jokes to the referee. Yano goes after the corner pad while the ref checks on Juice. Yano goes for the throw into the corner, but Juice blocks it. Yano gets thrown into the opposite corner, and while Juice gets the pad from the previously exposed corner, Yano goes to work on the new corner. Juice comes after Yano with the pad, but Yano moves. It's a DUEL with the PADS between both men. (I'm making lightsaber noises during this. Shoosh. Wroom. Wroom. Shoosh.) Yano kicks Juice but gets caught in a LONG Airplane Spin. Both are dizzy and walking wildly around the ring, missing punches, and falling down. (Editor's Note: This might be the best Yano match in the tournament.)
They trade forearms back and forth. Yano gets Juice with a rake to the eyes but eats a back suplex and senton by Juice for a 2. Yano into the exposed corner. Inverted atomic drop by Yano followed by a catapult into the corner. He goes for the low blow, but the referee stops him. Yano with multiple rollup attempts for 2. Juice goes for the punches and connects. The rest of the cast is gone now for Juice. MULTIPLE REVERSALS OF PULP FRICTION but JUICE HITS IT!!!!! 1-2-3!!!! THE JUICE IS LOOSE AND ON THE BOARD FINALLY!!!!!!
Winner: Juice Robinson (2 points)
Match Grade: B. I know this is probably too high, but I thought this was the most effective comedy match I've seen from Yano. He showed some great wrestling skill in this along with his trademark comedy stuff. Juice was the type of guy to go along with it and play into it. The storyline with the hand was very effective here as well. I bought the fact that Yano could win this, and Juice finally gets the win he needed.
3) Tomohiro Ishii vs. Kota Ibushi- Oh, this is going to be a clash of styles. And it will be awesome.
They collide when the bell rings!!!! Blocks by both men avoiding each other's moves and strikes early on. Forearm by both men now. Rinse and repeat xI LOST COUNT!!! Ishii runs into a forearm, but Ibushii runs into a shoulder block! HARD CHOP by ISHII in the corner x3. Ishii tells Ibushi to hit him for real. Ibushi is no match to strike Ishii, but Ishii continually strikes at Ibushi in the corner knocking him back down. Ishii again is telling Ibushi to bring it. Multiple forearms and a kick from Ibushi are no match for one forearm by Ishii. Dropkick to a running Ishii by Ibushi. Snap Rana by Ibushi to Ishii. Ishii rolls outside. Ibushi dives over the top onto Ishii!!! (Note: This Ishii/Ibushi typing is harder than I thought going in.)
IBUSHI IS TAKING ISHII DEEP INTO THE CROWD!!!! Ishii gets the advantage and goes for a powerbomb, but Ibushi reverses into a Snap Rana. Ibushi is climbing the wall in the arena up to the next level of the crowd. He hypes up the crowd and NAILS A MOONSAULT OFF THE WALL ONTO ISHII!!!!!! TO QUOTE JOEY STYLES, OH MY GOD!!!!! 5 minutes have passed, if anyone cares at this point. Lol.
Ishii is rolled back into the ring. Ibushi with a springboard dropkick to the back of Ishii's head. Half and half by Ibushi gets a 2. Kicks by Ibushi to the chest of Ishii. "BRING IT," says Ishii. Ibushi does so. Kick to the head by Ibushi just PO's Ishii!!! ONE FOREARM BY ISHII KNOCKS IBUSHI DOWN! Ishii puts Ibushi on the top turnbuckle. STALLING SUPLEX FROM THE SECOND ROPE by Ishii, but Ibushi just gets up!!! Ishii run over and nails a Snap German Suplex. IBUSHI GETS UP AGAIN!!! ISHII with a Snap Dragon, but Ibushi lands on his feet. Headbutt by Ishii. Snap Dragon by Ibushi, but ISHII GETS UP! Series of missed shots ends with a PELE Kick by Ibushi. WHAT A MATCH!!!
Slap by Ishii followed by multiple forearm shots. HARD CHOP by Ibushi knocks Ishii down. Ten minutes have passed. LONG DART THROW to ISHII hard into the corner. That looks nasty. Ibushi continues to toy with Ishii with kicks. They are now trading HARD slaps at each other. Ibushi is too fast. He gets Ishii down. More slapsa and kicks by Ibushi. Ishii with HARD chops to the throat of Ibushi now! Now, Ishii with kicks and slaps to the skull of Ibushi. Ibushi is getting up. HARD CHOP TO ISHII'S THROAT. CLOSED FISTS TO THE THROAT AND A LARIAT by IBUSHI. LAST RIDE SITDOWN POWERBOMB BY IBUSHI! 1-2-KICKOUT!!! Ibushi pulls the knee pad down. He goes for the knee, but Ishii hits Ibushi with multiple headbutts. Straight Jacket GERMAN by Ibushi for a 2. Ishii gets out and dodges a knee for a rollover attempt. ISHII NAILS HIS OWN KNEE TO THE FACE ON IBUSHI!!!!! Wow!!!!!
LAST RIDE POWERBOMB BY ISHII!!! IBUSHI KICKS OUT AT 2. Ishii gets up. HARD LARIAT by ISHII! IBUSHI KICKS OUT AGAIN! Throat Slash by Ishii. BRAIN BUSTER BY IBUSHI! ISHII GETS UP IMMEDIATELY!!!! ENZIGURI BY ISHII! KNEE TO THE FACE BY IBUSHI! ISHII KICKS OUT AT 1!!!!! OH MY GOD! THIS IS INCREDIBLE! SLAPS BY BOTH MEN NOW. IBUSHI WITH A HARD KICK TO THE HEAD AND THE KNEE TO THE FACE FINALLY GETS THE WIN!!!!!!
Winner: Kota Ibushi (6 points)
Match Grade: A+. Best match of the tournament in my opinion so far. Go find this match. It was incredible with both men looking like gold afterwards. As I said earlier, Ishii brings it in big matches, and Ibushi is no slouch either. It was exhilarating, uncomfortable in spots, and engaging. It was the standard for what a G1 match should feel like. I feel sorry for Goto, Naito, Sanada, and Omega having to follow this. As JBL would say, "Call the cops. These boys just stole the show."
4) Hirooki Goto vs. Tetsuya Naito- Naito may have the best theme in New Japan. When you hear the first few chords of that theme play, you know immediately that he's getting ready to bring tranquilo to the ring. Meanwhile, Goto's theme could lose the opening singing part and be more effective. Who am I? Jim Johnston? Let's just get this match going.
Early lockup results in a forearm exchange. Naito and Goto go back and forth to the ring and outside before Goto knocks down Naito with a shoulder block. Goto goes to work on the back of Naito. Hard kick to the chest of Naito. Naito on the apron now. Goto tries to suplex him in, but Naito blocks it with a neck snap on the top rope followed by a neckbreaker on the edge of the ring. Naito throws Goto into the guard rail x2. Naito rolls into the ring. Goto gets into the ring at the count of 19. Naito now gets to work on Goto. 5 minutes have passed.
Naito with a hangman neckbreaker on Goto followed by a regular one for a 2. Goto gets back up and starts striking at Naito, who responds by spitting in Goto's face. Goto clotheslines Naito in the corner and spin kicks him in the other corner. Saito Suplex gets a 2 for Goto. Neckbreaker and dropkick to the back of the head by Naito. Slingshot Dropkick in the corner by Naito. Top Rope Hurricanrana by Naito for a 2. A bunch of counters and misdirection by both men, but Goto gets the advantage with a huge clothesline. Yuji Garoshi for a 2 for Goto.
Both men going for a suplex, but Naito nails a German Suplex instead. Flying forearm by Naito. Destino attempt blocked into a reverse GTR by Goto. Goto psyches himself up. Kick to the chest of Naito. He goes for the GTR, but Naito snapmares out of it. Enziguri by Naito. Destino countered by Goto. Goto with multiple headbutts to Naito. GTR countered into DESTINOOOO! 1-2 Kickout!!! Naito is going for it again. DESTINOOOOOOO! 1-2-3!!!!!
Winner: Tetsuya Naito (8 points)
Match Grade: C. This match never got into a second gear, but it was ok for what it was. My expectations may have been jaded by the previous match, but both men have had much better matches in this tournament alone. I'd put Goto's match with Ishii and Naito's matches against Omega and (even) Tonga above this off the top of my head. With this win, Naito is tied for the lead going into this last match.
5) Sanada vs. Kenny Omega- This match just became all that much more important. If Omega loses, all hell is about to break loose on this block. If Omega wins, he still has a 2 point advantage over Naito and owns a tie breaker over Sanada and Naito in case any ties happen when this block wraps out. (For the record, this is one of the three matches I predicted Omega would lose in this tournament. Let's see if I'm right.)
Arm work by Omega early on along with mocking paintbrushes on Sanada's head. Another tie up leads to a headlock by Omega. Back and forth counters by both men out of the armbar. Shoulder tackle by Sanada. Kick to the head by Omega. Sanada sidesteps Omega to the outside. Sanada goes over the top to the apron to go after Omega, who moves out of the way. Sanada holds the ropes open for Omega, and no shenanigans until Sanada comes back in, which leads to a dropkick to Sanada's leg. Omega with kicks to Sanada's leg now. Sanada goes for a standing moonsault but misses and further hurts his leg. Omega smashes Sanada's knee against the mat a couple times. 5 minutes have passed. Both men go outside.
Sanada rammed into the guard rail and the ring apron. Omega dumps Sanada knee first against the edge of the ring. Omega rolls Sanada back into the ring. Omega continues working on both the knee of Sanada and the back. More kicks to the back of Sanada's knee. Sanada tries to fight back. Both men are exchanging forearms, but Omega gets Sanada in the corner. Sanada kicks Omega to get him away from the knee. Mid-Rope Dropkick by Sanada from the corner. Sanada fighting back now.
Double leapfrog and dropkick by Sanada followed by a dive over the top rope to the outside on Omega. (This guy is fun to watch in singles matches.) Sanada rolls Omega back in. Omega gets Sanada up for YOU CAN'T ESCAPE but moonsaults into Sanada's knees. Omega's limping from his injured heel from before the tournament even started. Snap Rana by Omega sends Sanada to the outside. RISE OF THE TERMINATOR DIVE CONNECTS on Sanada. Both men get back in the ring. Jumping Leg Bulldog by Omega for a 2. Both men escape German Suplex attempts by landing on their legs. Sanada goes for the Springboard Dropkick, but Omega catches him into a POWERBOMB! 1-2-KICKOUT (barely) by Sanada. Omega goes up top and nails a dropkick to Sanada's head and shoulder. Snap Dragon by Omega. Pinning attempt by Omega gets 2. V-Trigger connects! Here we go. Another V-Trigger connects! Sanada is grabbing onto Omega's ankle. Sanada gets back up and exchanges blows with Omega and eats a V-Trigger. Sanada comes back with a Tiger Suplex for 2. SKULL END escaped by Omega. Chops by Omega. Dropkick by Sanada but a V-Trigger lands squarely into Sanada. Butterfly Piledriver (Jay Driller) by Omega gets a CLOSE 2.
Omega is getting desperate. He hits another V-Trigger, but SANADA COUNTERS ONE WINGED ANGEL INTO SKULL END!!!!! HE SPINS OMEGA AROUND! He misses the moonsault as Omega moved out of the way. Tiger Suplex blocked by Sanada. O'Connor Roll into a Skull End. He has him hooked in down on the mat with it!!! Sanada is going back up!!!! Moonsault misses!!!! Both men are down. Another really good match so far.
Both men exchange forearms, slowly and faster and faster. Omega looks half crazed. HUGE UPPERCUT by Sanada x2. 3rd One countered with a short knee. SANADA MOONSAULTS INTO SKULL END. OMEGA COUNTERS INTO A PACKAGE TOMBSTONE PILEDRIVER FOR A CLOSE 2!!! V-Trigger to Sanada. Kenny pulls him up. Sanada reverses into a Reverse Rana. But Omega lands on his feet. Flip into Skull End attempt. But Omega catches him on his shoulders AND TURNS IT INTO ONE WINGED ANGEL!!!!! 1-2-3!!! ANOTHER GREAT MATCH TONIGHT!!!
Winner: Kenny Omega (10 Points)
Match Grade: A-. This was another great match tonight. Sanada again loses nothing in losing to Kenny Omega as he put on an incredible performance. The crowd (and I) bought into Sanada possibly beating Omega. And this is another match they can return to down the road for a one-off challenge. As for Kenny Omega, I'm starting to wonder if he is going to clean sweep this tournament. I have him losing to Sabre Jr. and Ibushi later on, but I'm starting to second guess those predictions. Omega lived up to his name of the "Best Bout Machine," even if another match on this show was just slightly better.
Show Rating: A. I know I gave one match a D. But when you look at the rest of the show, you had two A-level matches along with a fun B-level Juice vs. Yano match. Add on a passable Naito/Goto match, and this was another great overall B Block show. Go out of your way to see Ibushi vs. Ishii and Omega vs. Sanada. Ibushi/Ishii was INCREDIBLE, and Omega vs. Sanada was great itself.
B Block Standings (After Night 10)
Kenny Omega (10 Points)
Tetsuya Naito (8 Points)
Zack Sabre Jr. (6 points)
Sanada (6 Points)
Kota Ibushi (6 Points)
Ishii (4 Points)
Hirooki Goto (4 Points)
Tama Tonga (2 Points)
Toru Yano (2 Points)
Juice Robinson (2 points)
Hope you all enjoyed this latest review of G1 Climax action. I'll be back Monday to cover the next A Block show.
Until next time, take care of yourselves and spread some awesomeness.
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