It's the beginning of the B Block of the tournament with the main event being Omega vs. Naito. I'm still covering only the main block matches at this point, but if I see anything significant happen in the undercard, I'll comment on it below. HERE WE GO!!!!
Undercard Notes
- MY GOD! MY GOD! MY GOD! Chase Owens won a match!!!! Granted, it was in a tag match with a Young Lion taking the pin. But he got a pinfall over SOMEONE at least. For a Crown Jewel in a major faction like Bullet Club, he spends more time on his back than a Redskins player.
- After Suzuki scored a win in his tag match, he beat up some Young Boys. Then he went after the English announce position. He kicked towards them, causing Don to scream like a stuck pig and run away. HA HA!
- Bad Luck Fale almost delivered a Bad Luck Fall (a Razor's Edge Powerbomb Drop) on Okada through the announce tables after their tag match, but Okada escaped.
- White played mind games with Tanahashi early in their match, leaving the ringside area and faking leaving the match. He basically said "This match is worth nothing. I'll get my 2 points tomorrow. (turns around) But I can soften up that knee some more." He came back in the ring during the count and immediately tagged his partner in. White eventually starts working on Tanahashi even though they weren't legal, kicking at his knee and throwing the Ace into the guard rail. In the end of the match, White beats up Tanahashi with a chair. He tries to get his tag team partner (YOH) to use the chair. He refuses, and when he is getting pinned, White just stands by and does nothing. After the match, White throws Tanahashi AGAIN into the guard rail.
AND THE G1 THEME PLAYS, meaning the B Block is about to begin!!!!!!!
B Block Matches
1) Toru Yano vs. Tomohiro Ishii- Kevin Kelly says Yano is swearing off cheating. I believe that just as much as I would Trump swearing off tweeting. But we'll see what happens here. For the record, anything but Ishii mauling Yano like a pitbull to a squirrel will get a C or lower from me. There's only so much flexibility I can have for this match in terms of expectation.
Ishii and Yano trade blows to start off. Yano hits hip tosses and a shoulder tackle on Ishii. They take the fight to the outside. Yano teases using the chair, but Ishii cuts him off. Yano eventually undoes the turnbuckle pad. So much for not cheating. Ishii takes the bump into the buckle a couple times. Yano goes for the low blow, but the referee stops him. Ishii takes the turnbuckle bump a third time but charges into Yano with a shoulder tackle. Ishii goes head first into the middle turnbuckle and kicks out at 2 after a rollup attempt by Yano. I'll give them this: They are at least playing up the fact that Yano cannot beat Ishii 1 on 1. German Suplex by Ishii. Yano with a Overhead Belly to Belly. Ishii hits a low clothesline to a sitting Yano. Yano goes for the mule kick; Ishii moves out of the way; Yano goes for the low blow, but Ishii puts the referee in the way. ISHII gives the low blow uppercut to Yano and rolls HIM up for the win.
Winner: Ishii (2 points)
Match Rating: C+. As I said, thank God they didn't insult our intelligence with this one. Still, this was just a well-executed comedy match.
2) Tama Tonga vs. Juice Robinson- Juice looks like a hulked up version of Jonathan Davis from Korn. Just saying. Juice will be DQed if he uses his cast (ala G1 Special in San Francisco). Headlocks and hammerlocks start us off here. Tanga Loa is at ringside too and distracts Juice long enough for Tama to sneak behind and attack. Later, Juice tweaks his injured hand during a spot and rolls to the outside. While Tama has the referee distracted, Tanga comes in and beats up Juice with a big clothesline. Tama later gets Juice in a guillotine choke only for Juice to reverse into a jackhammer in an impressive feat of strength. Juice hits the cannonball. Juice then goes for a vertical suplex that ends up in a DDT for a 2. (Or at least, that's what I think they were going for.) Juice signals for Pulp Friction. Tama Loa gets on the apron to distract Juice. Juice tosses him in and hits him with punches. Juice turns around and goes for the Pulp Friction. But Tama hits GUN STUN!!!! 1-2-3.
Winner: Tama Tonga.
Match Rating: C-. This match was just there to me. Nothing really stood out except that Tama Tonga gets a big win over the U.S. Champion Juice, setting up a future U.S. Championship match after the G1 concludes.
3) SANADA vs. Hirooki Goto- Good back and forth action starting this off. Sanada gets sent over the top rope, only to come back with a top rope dropkick. They go to the outside and begin brawling. Back in the ring, Goto nails several chops to SANADA. But Sanada gets Goto down, does a backflip, and nails a dropkick to the back of Goto. Clothesline by Goto gets a 2. Contrast of styles here: Strong Style by Goto, High Flying by SANADA. DOUBLE LEAP by SANADA over a running Goto followed by a dropkick and a dive seconds later onto Goto on the outside. Goto and SANADA trade blows. Goto gets the upperhand only to eat an uppercut. Seconds later, Goto hits the Yuji Garoshi for a 2. SANADA and Goto trade back and forth reversals. Eventually SANADA locks in Skull End. Goto won't give up or pass out. SANADA goes for the moonsault and misses it. SANADA gets turned inside out by a Goto clothesline. Goto is psyching himself up and goes for the PK kick. He misses. Both men reverse each other's offensive attacks again, but eventually Goto gets the reverse GTR. SANADA reverses a GTR attempt into an insanely close 2. Skull End escaped. SANADA tries to escape another GTR but can't do it. GTR! 1-2-3. WOW!
Winner: Hirooki Goto
Match Rating: B. This was a really good match between Goto and SANADA. SANADA is going to pull off a couple upsets in this tournament, and he is more than capable of holding his own against the bigger names in NJPW. As for Goto, he's had a very good 2018 so far which has changed my perception of him somewhat.
4) Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Kota Ibushi- THIS IS GOING TO BE AWESOME!!! They are 1-1 in their series up to this point: Ibushi winning at G1 Climax 27 last year while Sabre Jr. won the New Japan Cup match between the two on the road to his eventual tournament win. This SHOULD have been the finals of the WWE Cruiserweight Classic in 2016, but I digress.
Sabre and Ibushi tie up early, going for ground wrestling. Sabre, in a sick move, uses one of his legs to remove Ibushi's legs from his back while laying down. Test of strength between the two with both trading dominance over the other. Sabre reverses it eventually into an arm scissor. Hammerlock by Sabre Jr. Test of strength again into an overhead suplex by Sabre. Both men had their shoulders down at one point, and both bridged out at 2. Sabre does so many insane technical things that it's hard to adequately describe them in writing. Both are trading kicks and elbows WHILE locked into the test of strength. Finally, they let go and Ibushi NAILS a roundhouse kick! More kicks traded. Sabre falls down and Ibushi nails a standing moonsault. Straight kick to Sabre's head sends him to the outside. Ibushi goes for the Golden Triangle but Sabre grabs the leg, drags him to the apron, hooks in a heel hook, and crashes Ibushi's legs off the apron off the mat on the floor. Sabre working on Ibushi's leg in the ring now.
Sabre now torquing and twisting Ibushi's legs in sick ways that would give my father nightmares, eventually tying Ibushi's legs into a cloverleaf and turning the move into a surfboard variant. Ibushi hits a roundhouse kick, but he begins selling the knee. Sabre goes for a low dropkick, but Ibushi hits a DOUBLE STOMP while Sabre is low. Sabre is dropkicked to the floor, which opens him up for an Ibushi dive over the top rope. Ibushi goes for a top rope move on Sabre, but when Sabre moves, Ibushi lands on his hurt knees. Sabre instantly locks in a leg submission, but Ibushi gets to the ropes. Ibushi and Sabre trade blows. Ibushi goes for a Pele Kick, only for Sabre to lock in an ankle lock. Ibushi gets out and floors Sabre with a lariat. PHEW!
Sabre gets out of a powerbomb attempt by Ibushi, transitions into a guillotine lock, and then gets Ibushi in another leg lock. Again, Ibushi gets to the ropes. 2 PK kicks by Sabre, after Ibushi misses a moonsault, only gets a 2. WOW! They are again trading kicks, reversals, and punches. Now they are trading slaps. Ibushi gets Sabre on the top rope, kicks him in the back, and nails a German Suplex to Sabre for a 2. Sabre blocks the knee from Ibushi. Sabre locks in a triangle choke. Ibushi turns it into a Powerbomb!!!! 1-2-KICKOUT!!!! Sabre now has Ibushi in an octapus submission (think abdominal stretch with the wrestler stretching everything else he can). Ibushi goes for a tombstone, but the knee gives out. Sabre again locks in the stretch. Ibushi nails a snap dragon and kicks Sabre in the back of the head!!!! He motions for the knee. Sabre gets out and tries to get a rollup. When that fails, Sabre goes for another leg lock. They're moving too fast!!!!!! GERMAN SUPLEX!!!! 2 count. Sabre eats the Ibushi KNEE!!!!! 1-2-3. WHAT A FREAKING MATCH!!!!!!!!!!
Winner: Kota Ibushi (2 points)
Match Rating: A. I was right. This was AWESOME! Watch this match. I bow down to both of these guys.
5) Tetsuya Naito vs. Kenny Omega- Again, THIS IS GOING TO BE AWESOME!!!!!!!! I love watching both of these guys wrestle. I apologize in advance if I have trouble writing every match in this one too, folks. NAITO and Kenny chants echo from the stands with NAITO seeming to overpower Kenny at the start from the audience. No fake lockups to start this match. Early head games played by Omega which Naito is only too happy to reciprocate. Naito fakes out the dive on Omega on the outside, fakes the fakeout, spits on the doctor at ringside, and goes into the classic Naito lay position. Omega nails an exploding back suplex for a 2. Omega with kicks to the back of a sitting Naito. Omega works over Naito in the corner and tosses him into the other corner across the ring. Running backbreaker to Naito followed by a chinlock by Omega.
Omega continues with a couple forearms to the back of Naito followed by a MASSIVE chop that literally echoed in the building. Back and forth action by both men until Naito nails a dropkick on a sitting Omega. Omega goes for "You Can't Escape" which Naito... escapes and nails a couple moves for a 2 count. Naito goes for his corner dropkick, but as he's jumping over the top, Omega catches him and nails the "You Can't Escape" rolling senton into a middle rope moonsault. Outside, Omega tries to pull the mat up, but Naito nails Omega sending his head hitting into the concrete. Inside the ring, Naito nails his patented corner dropkick. Naito goes for Gloria, but Omega gets out. He hits a Frankensteiner and goes for his Terminator Dive. Naito slips in the ring and nails his "walk the sides of the ropes spinning DDT" for a 2. Naito is dropkicked seconds later into the audience!!!! Omega DIVES off the top rope, clears the guard rail, and NAILS Naito with a crossbody into the audience!!!! Another great match here!
Omega goes for a top rope move, but Naito splits Omega's legs over the top turnbuckle. Naito tries to do a hurricanrana off the top, but Omega sends him head first into the turnbuckle. Later, Omega hits a spinning gutwrench powerbomb (Dr. Wily-Bomb) for a 2. V-Trigger blocked twice by Naito, but Omega NAILS the third attempt. He's going for One Winged Angel, but Naito NAILS a Reverse-RANA, sending Omega's head into the mat!!!! Naito nails the hurricanrana off the top rope!!!! He also nails GLORIA! 1-2-kickout! RUNNING V-Trigger by OMEGA!!!!! Naito reverses one move into a Destino!!!! He goes for another one. Insane back and forth action between the two, ending with Omega nailing a rollup for a 2!!!! Omega goes for the Snap Dragon. Naito blocks it, but Omega nails a spinning kick to the back of Naito and a running V-Trigger into the corner.
Omega goes for a Snap Dragon off the top rope onto Naito. Naito blocked it and turns a Top-Rope One Winged Angel attempt into a POWERBOMB!!!! DESTINO!!!!!! 1-2-KENNY KICKS OUT AT 2.9!!!! Naito is going for it again! BACK AND FORTH REVERSALS!!!!! OMEGA NAILS A SITDOWN TOMBSTONE!!!!! 1-2-Kickout!!! Butterfly PILEDRIVER!!!! 1-2-KICKOUT!!!! V-TRIGGER!!!! ONE WINGED ANGEL!!!!!!!!!!! 1-2-3!!!!
Winner: Kenny Omega
Match Rating: A. They did it again. Each of their matches in the last two G1s were great, and this one was no exception.
Overall Night Rating: A. Yeah. B Block is going to be the block I'm watching intently going on. INSANE action in the last two matches. I can't wait to see what the rest of the B Block has in store.
B Block Standings (After Night 2)
Ishii (2 Points)
Tama Tonga (2 Points)
Kota Ibushi (2 Points)
Hirooki Goto (2 Points)
Kenny Omega (2 Points)
Until next time, take care of yourselves and spread some awesomeness.
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