This is the first of several catch-up posts as I come back from vacation and try to get caught up on what happened in the G1 Climax. For these posts, I will be reviewing the actual G1 matches. Once I get to any show past July 24th, I will be reviewing the whole show itself. Here we go!!!!!
1) YOSHI-HASHI vs. Togi Makabe- Both men trade forearms at the start of the match. Aggression by YOSHI-HASHI early on as he takes the fight to Makabe on the outside. (Editor's Note: It's hard to get into this match as both men have NOTHING going on storyline wise and are what I consider to be cannon fodder in this tournament.) Story told here is that YOSHI-HASHI hits Makabe with all his major moves to score the upset, but Makabe continues to kick out. Makabe hits the Spider German off the turnbuckle and hits the King Kong kneedrop for the win.
Winner: Togi Makabe (2 points)
Match Grade: C-. I never was invested into the match since neither man has a legit chance of winning the tournament or has a storyline going on at the moment. The effort was there though.
2) Bad Luck Fale vs. Hangman Page- Fale jumps Page, pushing him off the apron to begin the match. Page gets back in the ring and DIVES through the ropes onto Fale. Later, Fale tosses Page through the front rows at ringside! And as I type that, there go another couple rows! Back in the ring, Fale pounds on Page including the classic "big man stands on little man" spot. Page fights back eventually. Tanga Loa is at ringside now which distracts Page. Fale splashes Page, getting a 2. Fale goes for the grenade which Page reverses into a rollup for 2. PAGE CLOTHESLINES FALE OVER THE TOP TO THE OUTSIDE! Loa pulls out Page as he goes for a dive, which draws BOOS from the audience. Page fights him off, goes back to Fale, and HITS A MOONSAULT on both LOA and Fale from the top rope to the outside. Page is going for the finish as Tama Tonga comes in and starts beating up Page. Loa, Tonga, and Fale are destroying Page, causing the DQ finish. Omega, Ibushi, and Owens come in to run off the Tongans (Hey, Fale is an honorary Tongan.)
Winner: Page by DQ (2 points)
Match Rating: C+. There was enough going on in the match from a storyline perspective to keep me going. And I did enjoy the match while it lasted too. Page is a guy I'm very high on. So, I look forward to seeing what he does in the tournament moving forward.
3) EVIL vs. Michael Elgin- Elgin and Evil go to the outside quickly in this one, which should be expected. EVIL works on Elgin's arm, including smacking Elgin's arm (with a chair folded over it) against the ring post. Evil ties up Elgin's arm trying to work on the shoulders and back, which Elgin eventually powers out of and hits a back suplex. ELGIN DIVES through the ropes into EVIL. Slingshot Double Stomp onto EVIL by Elgin, followed by a delayed German Suplex bridge into a 2 count. Big power display there. Multiple lariats in the corner to EVIL now by Elgin. Running lariat into the corner now by Elgin. EVIL evtentually turns things around and nails a lariat/bulldog combination. EVIL gets Elgin on the apron and dives off with Elgin's arm, knocking it against the guard rail below!!!! OUCH! DARKNESS FALLS only gets a 2 for Evil. Elgin nails a Falcon Arrow for only a 2. EVIL nails a misdirection lariat. BIG MIKE hits a lariat. Elgin gets him on the top rope and nails a SUPERPLEX!!! 2 count only!!!! BUCKLE BOMB! MULTIPLE REVERSALS! SPLASH MOUNTAIN ELGIN BOMB! ANOTHER ELGIN BOMB!!!! 1-2-3!!!! Great ending.
Winner: Michael Elgin
Match Rating: B. First really good match of this G1 Climax tournament. Elgin and EVIL had a great back and forth encounter, and the last 3-4 minutes were very well done.
4) Minoru Suzuki vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi- I've been waiting for this one since Suzuki tore through Tanahashi back in January. Strikes back and forth early on with Suzuki getting an early advantage (as expected). Heel hook early by Suzuki applied multiple times on Tanahashi's right leg, mirroring the events of January. After 4 minutes roughly of the heel hook, Suzuki turns it into an ankle lock. Then, the sick jerk reapplies the heel hook!!!!!!! Good God, this is awesome. It's so basic but so effective at the same time. Now, he's reversed it back into the ankle lock and then into an STF and then into a Boston Crab. And then, he reapplies a heel hook!!!!!! Tanahashi finally gets to the ropes. An awesome sequence there. Kicks and strikes by Suzuki. Tanahashi finally hits a Dragon Screw to Suzuki's knee to break it up. Corner dropkick by Tanahashi who limps back up to his feet and continues the attack. Tanahashi misses a senton splash from the middle rope. Suzuki nails a PK (kick) to Tanahashi and immediately slaps a heel hook in!!!! Then, he applies a variant of the Figure 4!!! Tanahashi reverses the move for a second, and both men roll into the ropes. 10 minutes have passed now at this point. Fast paced strikes by Suzuki followed by the sleeper. Gotch Piledriver may be coming up. He's going for it!!!! Tanahashi is trying to block it. Suzuki almost gets rolled up 2 times with both counts being extremely close. INVERTED DRAGON SCREW by Tanahashi. Suzuki is screaming in pain!!!! Tanahashi is up... SLINGBLADE!!!!!! Suzuki kicks out at 2. HIGH FLY FLOW!!!!! Tanahashi goes back up!!!!! HE HITS IT AGAIN!!!! 1-2-3!!!! GREAT MATCH!!!!!!
Winner: Hiroshi Tanahashi
Match Rating: A-. I loved this match. The storytelling was excellent with Suzuki being an absolute diabolical wrestler working on the knee over and over again. The irony of the story is that Tanahashi beat Suzuki by injuring Suzuki's knee himself. Suzuki at 50 and Tanahashi in his early 40s are still among the very best in wrestling. WATCH THIS MATCH!!!!
5) Jay White vs. Kazuchika Okada- It's a CHAOS Civil War. Nice fakeout handshake by both men where they both went for their finishers. I'm interested to see where this match goes after White's career-making performance at the G1 Special earlier this month. Jay White got whipped into the guard rail hard, which broke two more of J.R.'s ribs somewhere in America. Okada chases White through the audience and throws him into the ringpost. But White catches Okada while he's distracted and suplexes him on the floor. White is now throwing Okada back and forth, nailing his back with the guard rail and the edge of the ring. BLISTERING CHOP by White to Okada, and another high velocity throw to Okada into the guard rail on the ooposite side of ringside. White has found his style in my opinion. White smashes Okada's head against the ring apron, rips the fabric hanging from the edge of the apron, and uses it to choke Okada!!! But White cares enough to put the apron back together. Ten Minutes has passed. Float Over STF applied by White to Okada, grabbing at both the chin and the nose. Okada starts making his comeback. Flapjack by Okada on White for 2. Scooby-Dooby-Doo (flying press) by Okada to White for 2. Zoinks. White with a snap side suplex (Saito Suplex) for a 2. Twisting Brainbuster for a 2 count by White. 15 minutes have passed.
Cobra Clutch by Okada. Reverse by White into a laying clutch variant, but Okada gets to the ropes. Dropping Neckbreaker on the knee by Okada to White. Running shotgun dropkick by Okada to White propelling him into the corner. Okada drops the elbow from the top rope. RAINMAKER pose. Rainmaker reversed into a flatliner and a Float Over German by White for a 2. More chops by White which only make Okada more angry. Uppercuts by Okada. Lariat by White for a close 2. Hard hits by White followed by a Snap Back Suplex to Okada over the top to the outside!!! Ugly! White nails a suplex to Okada into the guard rail on the outside! Poor J.R. has to be feeling that one when/if he watches this show. White grabs a chair from under the ring. Red Shoes tries to stop White from using it, but White pushes him away. Okada ducks the chair shot and nails two dropkicks to White. TOMBSTONE!!!! Okada goes for Rainmaker but White throws a punch backward into the referee to knock him out before he himself gets drilled by Okada. Referee is down still. Okada goes for the Tombstone, but White LOW BLOWS HIM! 25 minutes have passed now. White throws the chair into Okada's face!!!! BLADE RUNNER by White. Red Shoes wakes up. 1-2-3!!!
Winner: Jay White (2 points)
Match Rating: A-. Another great match on this show as White gets perhaps the biggest win in his career over a man who only a month ago was the longest reigning IWGP World Champion ever. White has found his rhythm as this character, and Okada can more than afford to lose a match like this.
After the match, White flips off the audience. He then tells the audience he doesn't give a _________ about them or how they feel. He says Okada has been an embarrassment since losing at Dominion and that he (White) had to pull the plug. It will be his year. Okada is now HIS rainmaker. Now, it is HIS CHAOS. His G1.
Overall G1 Climax Match Review: B. This was a solid show with two great matches in the semi and main event matches. This sets a good pace for the rest of the tournament.
G1 Block A (Through Night 1)
Jay White (2 points)
Hiroshi Tanahashi (2 points)
Michael Elgin (2 points)
Hangman Page (2 points)
Togi Makabe (2 points)
Until next time, take care of yourselves and spread some awesomeness.
1) YOSHI-HASHI vs. Togi Makabe- Both men trade forearms at the start of the match. Aggression by YOSHI-HASHI early on as he takes the fight to Makabe on the outside. (Editor's Note: It's hard to get into this match as both men have NOTHING going on storyline wise and are what I consider to be cannon fodder in this tournament.) Story told here is that YOSHI-HASHI hits Makabe with all his major moves to score the upset, but Makabe continues to kick out. Makabe hits the Spider German off the turnbuckle and hits the King Kong kneedrop for the win.
Winner: Togi Makabe (2 points)
Match Grade: C-. I never was invested into the match since neither man has a legit chance of winning the tournament or has a storyline going on at the moment. The effort was there though.
2) Bad Luck Fale vs. Hangman Page- Fale jumps Page, pushing him off the apron to begin the match. Page gets back in the ring and DIVES through the ropes onto Fale. Later, Fale tosses Page through the front rows at ringside! And as I type that, there go another couple rows! Back in the ring, Fale pounds on Page including the classic "big man stands on little man" spot. Page fights back eventually. Tanga Loa is at ringside now which distracts Page. Fale splashes Page, getting a 2. Fale goes for the grenade which Page reverses into a rollup for 2. PAGE CLOTHESLINES FALE OVER THE TOP TO THE OUTSIDE! Loa pulls out Page as he goes for a dive, which draws BOOS from the audience. Page fights him off, goes back to Fale, and HITS A MOONSAULT on both LOA and Fale from the top rope to the outside. Page is going for the finish as Tama Tonga comes in and starts beating up Page. Loa, Tonga, and Fale are destroying Page, causing the DQ finish. Omega, Ibushi, and Owens come in to run off the Tongans (Hey, Fale is an honorary Tongan.)
Winner: Page by DQ (2 points)
Match Rating: C+. There was enough going on in the match from a storyline perspective to keep me going. And I did enjoy the match while it lasted too. Page is a guy I'm very high on. So, I look forward to seeing what he does in the tournament moving forward.
3) EVIL vs. Michael Elgin- Elgin and Evil go to the outside quickly in this one, which should be expected. EVIL works on Elgin's arm, including smacking Elgin's arm (with a chair folded over it) against the ring post. Evil ties up Elgin's arm trying to work on the shoulders and back, which Elgin eventually powers out of and hits a back suplex. ELGIN DIVES through the ropes into EVIL. Slingshot Double Stomp onto EVIL by Elgin, followed by a delayed German Suplex bridge into a 2 count. Big power display there. Multiple lariats in the corner to EVIL now by Elgin. Running lariat into the corner now by Elgin. EVIL evtentually turns things around and nails a lariat/bulldog combination. EVIL gets Elgin on the apron and dives off with Elgin's arm, knocking it against the guard rail below!!!! OUCH! DARKNESS FALLS only gets a 2 for Evil. Elgin nails a Falcon Arrow for only a 2. EVIL nails a misdirection lariat. BIG MIKE hits a lariat. Elgin gets him on the top rope and nails a SUPERPLEX!!! 2 count only!!!! BUCKLE BOMB! MULTIPLE REVERSALS! SPLASH MOUNTAIN ELGIN BOMB! ANOTHER ELGIN BOMB!!!! 1-2-3!!!! Great ending.
Winner: Michael Elgin
Match Rating: B. First really good match of this G1 Climax tournament. Elgin and EVIL had a great back and forth encounter, and the last 3-4 minutes were very well done.
4) Minoru Suzuki vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi- I've been waiting for this one since Suzuki tore through Tanahashi back in January. Strikes back and forth early on with Suzuki getting an early advantage (as expected). Heel hook early by Suzuki applied multiple times on Tanahashi's right leg, mirroring the events of January. After 4 minutes roughly of the heel hook, Suzuki turns it into an ankle lock. Then, the sick jerk reapplies the heel hook!!!!!!! Good God, this is awesome. It's so basic but so effective at the same time. Now, he's reversed it back into the ankle lock and then into an STF and then into a Boston Crab. And then, he reapplies a heel hook!!!!!! Tanahashi finally gets to the ropes. An awesome sequence there. Kicks and strikes by Suzuki. Tanahashi finally hits a Dragon Screw to Suzuki's knee to break it up. Corner dropkick by Tanahashi who limps back up to his feet and continues the attack. Tanahashi misses a senton splash from the middle rope. Suzuki nails a PK (kick) to Tanahashi and immediately slaps a heel hook in!!!! Then, he applies a variant of the Figure 4!!! Tanahashi reverses the move for a second, and both men roll into the ropes. 10 minutes have passed now at this point. Fast paced strikes by Suzuki followed by the sleeper. Gotch Piledriver may be coming up. He's going for it!!!! Tanahashi is trying to block it. Suzuki almost gets rolled up 2 times with both counts being extremely close. INVERTED DRAGON SCREW by Tanahashi. Suzuki is screaming in pain!!!! Tanahashi is up... SLINGBLADE!!!!!! Suzuki kicks out at 2. HIGH FLY FLOW!!!!! Tanahashi goes back up!!!!! HE HITS IT AGAIN!!!! 1-2-3!!!! GREAT MATCH!!!!!!
Winner: Hiroshi Tanahashi
Match Rating: A-. I loved this match. The storytelling was excellent with Suzuki being an absolute diabolical wrestler working on the knee over and over again. The irony of the story is that Tanahashi beat Suzuki by injuring Suzuki's knee himself. Suzuki at 50 and Tanahashi in his early 40s are still among the very best in wrestling. WATCH THIS MATCH!!!!
5) Jay White vs. Kazuchika Okada- It's a CHAOS Civil War. Nice fakeout handshake by both men where they both went for their finishers. I'm interested to see where this match goes after White's career-making performance at the G1 Special earlier this month. Jay White got whipped into the guard rail hard, which broke two more of J.R.'s ribs somewhere in America. Okada chases White through the audience and throws him into the ringpost. But White catches Okada while he's distracted and suplexes him on the floor. White is now throwing Okada back and forth, nailing his back with the guard rail and the edge of the ring. BLISTERING CHOP by White to Okada, and another high velocity throw to Okada into the guard rail on the ooposite side of ringside. White has found his style in my opinion. White smashes Okada's head against the ring apron, rips the fabric hanging from the edge of the apron, and uses it to choke Okada!!! But White cares enough to put the apron back together. Ten Minutes has passed. Float Over STF applied by White to Okada, grabbing at both the chin and the nose. Okada starts making his comeback. Flapjack by Okada on White for 2. Scooby-Dooby-Doo (flying press) by Okada to White for 2. Zoinks. White with a snap side suplex (Saito Suplex) for a 2. Twisting Brainbuster for a 2 count by White. 15 minutes have passed.
Cobra Clutch by Okada. Reverse by White into a laying clutch variant, but Okada gets to the ropes. Dropping Neckbreaker on the knee by Okada to White. Running shotgun dropkick by Okada to White propelling him into the corner. Okada drops the elbow from the top rope. RAINMAKER pose. Rainmaker reversed into a flatliner and a Float Over German by White for a 2. More chops by White which only make Okada more angry. Uppercuts by Okada. Lariat by White for a close 2. Hard hits by White followed by a Snap Back Suplex to Okada over the top to the outside!!! Ugly! White nails a suplex to Okada into the guard rail on the outside! Poor J.R. has to be feeling that one when/if he watches this show. White grabs a chair from under the ring. Red Shoes tries to stop White from using it, but White pushes him away. Okada ducks the chair shot and nails two dropkicks to White. TOMBSTONE!!!! Okada goes for Rainmaker but White throws a punch backward into the referee to knock him out before he himself gets drilled by Okada. Referee is down still. Okada goes for the Tombstone, but White LOW BLOWS HIM! 25 minutes have passed now. White throws the chair into Okada's face!!!! BLADE RUNNER by White. Red Shoes wakes up. 1-2-3!!!
Winner: Jay White (2 points)
Match Rating: A-. Another great match on this show as White gets perhaps the biggest win in his career over a man who only a month ago was the longest reigning IWGP World Champion ever. White has found his rhythm as this character, and Okada can more than afford to lose a match like this.
After the match, White flips off the audience. He then tells the audience he doesn't give a _________ about them or how they feel. He says Okada has been an embarrassment since losing at Dominion and that he (White) had to pull the plug. It will be his year. Okada is now HIS rainmaker. Now, it is HIS CHAOS. His G1.
Overall G1 Climax Match Review: B. This was a solid show with two great matches in the semi and main event matches. This sets a good pace for the rest of the tournament.
G1 Block A (Through Night 1)
Jay White (2 points)
Hiroshi Tanahashi (2 points)
Michael Elgin (2 points)
Hangman Page (2 points)
Togi Makabe (2 points)
Until next time, take care of yourselves and spread some awesomeness.
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