NJPW G1 Climax 27 Night Twelve
August 2nd, 2017 | Fukuoka City Gymnasium in Fukuoka, Japan
Will Kazuchika Okada finally lose? Can EVIL beat Kenny Omega and prove that the B Block isn’t only about two guys? Will Satoshi Kojima get two points or continue to go the route of Liger and Nagata? Those questions would be answered on the sixth B Block G1 show this year. The G1 is in the lull stage right now and, on paper, this doesn’t look like the show to turn the tide. Let’s find out.
Shota Umino and Tomoyuki Oka def. Katsuya Kitamura and Ren Narita in 5:33
Kota Ibushi and Tiger Mask IV def. Hirai Kawato and Yuji Nagata in 7:49
Hirooki Goto, Tomohiro Ishii and YOSHI-HASHI def. Bad Luck Fale, Chase Owens and Yujiro Takahashi in 7:44
El Desperado, Taichi and Zack Sabre Jr. def. BUSHI, Hiromu Takahashi and Tetsuya Naito in 6:10
Hiroshi Tanahashi and Jushin Thunder Liger def. David Finlay and Togi Makabe in 6:36
B Block: Juice Robinson [2] vs. SANADA [6]
Honestly, this was my easily my most anticipated match on this show. Hell, it was probably in my top five of this entire block. Their interactions during multi-man tags this years were great. Juice continued to sell his injuries. We got the standard fight inside, then brawl outside G1 stuff. SANADA wisely went after the injured leg, kicking it into the guardrail. SANADA remained in control until Juice countered Skull End. However, his run was cut short by a dropkick to the knee. Smart work. Juice beat a second countout tease and pulled SANADA into a small package for a good near fall. SANADA escaped Pulp Friction twice, Juice countered Skull End again and delivered a stiff punch. Another series of counters led to Skull End. Juice faded, so SANADA finished him with the moonsault in 13:48. I liked this. Juice showed fire once again, while SANADA was smart to work the leg. It was sold well and all made sense, rather than doing it for the sake of it. [***¼]
B Block: Michael Elgin [4] vs. Toru Yano [2]
Elgin needed to win here to have a small chance of winning. We got the usual Yano antics early, like removing the turnbuckle pad and such. Elgin beat him up a bit and blocked a low blow. Yano then pulled an Eddie Guerrero and faked getting hit with a low blow, selling it in front of the referee. The ref called for the DQ at 2:58. Absolute shit. I’m usually not too harsh on Yano’s stuff, because I get it and it gives guys a night off. But that finish was so stupid. Why not just have Yano roll him up if he had to win? The referees are lenient in the G1, allowing chairs and such, but a low blow they didn’t see gets a DQ? From a guy who they should expect shenanigans from? Bad. [DUD]
B Block: NEVER Openweight Champion Minoru Suzuki [6] vs. Satoshi Kojima [0]
I still hate the booking of Kojima in this tournament. Though they’ve met nine times in their career, this was the first time I saw it. Suzuki jumped him before the bell and they brawled outside. It’s the Minoru way. One thing I did like was how Kojima is the rare guy to have someone to combat Suzuki’s cronies. Tenzan beat up the worst wrestler in NJPW, Taichi. However, the dumbass referees again pushed him back, while Suzuki-Gun jumped Kojima. Again, I understand the point of it, but it makes the refs look like complete buffoons. Back inside, Kojima continues to get in hope spots that were cut off. Kojima nailed the big lariat, but Taichi pulled the referee out before the three count. Tenzan took him and Taichi out, before Kojima got a near fall on the brainbuster. Suzuki came back with the sleeper and Gotch piledriver to win at 10:13. I wish this was better. Both guys can deliver in the right situation, but we got a dumb official, too much interference and action in the ring that wasn’t great. [**¼]
B Block: IWGP Heavyweight Champion Kazuchika Okada [10] vs. Tama Tonga [4]
Their match in last year’s G1 (***) was solid. A loss eliminates Tonga. He attacked Okada during his entrance, took his robe and mocked him. Okada can’t have that, so he dropkicked Tonga and kicked his ass a bit. After some brawling outside, Tonga had slight control inside. Okada went into his FIVE MOVES OF DOOM sequence and called for the Rainmaker. Tonga escaped but his misdirection stuff failed. He still hit Veleno, getting two, but Okada was tired of his shit. He countered Gun Stun into a German and won with the Rainmaker in 11:22. I’m so glad he didn’t do the Rainmaker/wrist hold/counter stuff. However, the match was very average. There was no drama here, which is part of the issue of undefeated Okada. You just know a guy like Tonga isn’t going to hand him his first loss. Technically fine, but very hollow. At least they didn’t have this go 20+ minutes. [**½]
B Block: EVIL [8] vs. IWGP United States Heavyweight Champion Kenny Omega [8]
I gave their G1 match last year ***. This time though, both are in striking distance of first place. They’re both heels, so they brawled outside. A lot of that tonight. In every match but the short Elgin/Yano one actually. They did a “pull up the floor mats” spot, which is something I love. Omega took control, before EVIL brought chairs into play. They had some solid back and forth with that for a while. After Omega hit the Terminator tope, he placed a table on EVIL and delivered a big double stomp. EVIL one upped his table use, delivering a jumping uranage off the apron through it. EVIL had a cut eye but it was Omega who barely beat the count back in. They went at it some more inside, with Omega hitting V Triggers (not nearly as many he usually does) and EVIL applying his submission. Omega looked out of it, but made the ropes. They went into a series of counters, with Omega hitting another V Trigger that seemed to legitimately knock EVIL out. Either that or he sold the hell out of it. EVIL was done after a One Winged Angel in 23:37. This was good, but felt like it went on forever. I don’t think it needed to be 23 minutes. It would’ve worked better as a slightly shorter brawl. I got the sense they were trying for an epic, but it never reached that level. Plus, as expected, nobody bought EVIL as a legitimate threat in this block. It’s all Okada and Omega, so everything else feels lesser. [***¼]
Overall: 5/10. The general feeling, from what I’ve seen, is that this was the worst G1 show thus far. I think I have to agree. SANADA/Juice and Omega/EVIL were both good matches that never truly sniffed great territory. Everything in the middle was painfully average. Okada/Tonga was just there, while Kojima/Suzuki was overbooked. Elgin/Yano was completely stupid. I continue to be let down by the B Block.
| A BLOCK | POINTS | B BLOCK | POINTS |
| Tomohiro Ishii | 8 (4-2) | Kazuchika Okada | 12 (6-0) |
| Tetsuya Naito | 8 (4-2) | Kenny Omega | 10 (5-1) |
| Zack Sabre Jr. | 8 (4-2) | Minoru Suzuki | 8 (4-2) |
| Hiroshi Tanahashi | 8 (4-2) | SANADA | 8 (4-2) |
| Bad Luck Fale | 6 (3-3) | EVIL | 8 (4-2) |
| Togi Makabe | 6 (3-3) | Toru Yano | 4 (2-4) |
| Kota Ibushi | 6 (3-3) | Tama Tonga | 4 (2-4) |
| Hirooki Goto | 6 (3-3) | Michael Elgin | 4 (2-4) |
| YOSHI-HASHI | 4 (2-4) | Juice Robinson | 2 (1-5) |
| Yuji Nagata | 0 (0-6) | Satoshi Kojima | 0 (0-6) |
NJPW G1 Climax 27 Night Eleven
August 1st, 2017 | Kagoshima Arena in Kagoshima, Japan | Attendance: 3,418
With ten shows in the books, the end of the G1 Climax is rapidly approaching. Some things have gone as expected (the B Block being the Omega/Okada show, the A Block being the more consistent and versatile block), some stuff has surprised (Sabre’s gotten over in a big way, Juice being a top performer) and some stuff is flat out disappointing (having Nagata and Kojima lose every match so far). August 1st tends to be a good day for the tournament, with the classic AJ Styles/Minoru Suzuki match happening in 2014 (on one of the best G1 shows ever), an awesome Tanahashi/Ishii match from 2013 and more. This card looks like one of the better ones on paper, so I’m hoping this continues that trend.
Jushin Thunder Liger and Michael Elgin def. Katsuya Kitamura and Shota Umino in 7:08
El Desperado, Minoru Suzuki and Taichi def. Hirai Kawato and TenKoji in 6:53
BUSHI and SANADA def. David Finlay and Juice Robinson in 4:35
EVIL and Hiromu Takahashi def. Chase Owens and Kenny Omega in 5:20
Kazuchika Okada and Toru Yano def. Tama Tonga and Yujiro Takahashi in 6:47
A Block: Bad Luck Fale [6] vs. YOSHI-HASHI [2]
Tacos is mathematically eliminated, but came in looking to play spoiler. It was clear early on, that Fale was more aggressive and seemed to have more energy tonight than in some recent matches. He threw HASHI into chairs in the audience like he tends to. HASHI beat the countout, but continued taking a beating inside. HASHI fought back, showing more fire than you’d expect from a guy who has no chance of winning the tournament. He countered the Bad Luck Fall into a sleeper hold, sending Fale to the mat. He turned it into the Butterfly Lock, but Fale began to rise. HASHI pulled him into a small package, scoring the upset in 10:21. This was solid and told the story it had to. Fale was a monster, but got too overconfident at times. That allowed the resilient YOSHI-HASHI to surprise him. [**¾]
A Block: Togi Makabe [6] vs. Zack Sabre Jr. [6]
I was worried about the G1 27 due to injuries to guys like Shibata and Honma. However, Ibushi has filled the Shibata role nicely, while Sabre’s been a vast improvement over Honma, who didn’t have a strong G1 26. Makabe’s a hard hitter, but Sabre was not intimidated. He took it right to Togi from the opening bell. Makabe took out Zack’s best friend, El Desperado, but it opened the door for Sabre to take control with a dropkick to the knee. That set some Sabre leg work in motion. Makabe would find an opening, but Sabre would cut it off by trying to wear him back down. When he finally did make his comeback, there was a little extra “oomph” that he sometimes lacks. He missed the King Kong Knee Drop, which excellently put him in position for Sabre to tap him out with a modified figure four at 9:30. More of this, please. Makabe worked a different style, which I appreciate. Sabre always comes in with a size disadvantage, but wrestles with such great confidence. The knee work made sense and came into play in a smart finish. [***]
A Block: Tomohiro Ishii [6] vs. Yuji Nagata [0]
These two had great matches in the G1 24 (****¼) and G1 25 (****), so I had high expectations. This was about what I’ve come to expect from them. They traded blows instantly and fought like two MEN. After the strikes, Ishii took control and started hitting suplexes, including the stalling one off the middle rope. Nagata fought back and applied the armbar to a pop. Ishii survived, but it was Nagata’s turn to pull out his best suplex. He busted out a super exploder for one of the better near falls of the night. We got another fun exchange between them, with Nagata once again refusing to die. His counter of a brainbuster with one of his own brought the crowd to their feet. That was his last real shot though, as Ishii hit a sliding lariat and brainbuster to win in 13:59. While not quite on par with their previous G1 matches, this was still a banger and the match of the night so far. Two manly men having a manly fight. I still have issues with the booking of Nagata (doing the same story with Liger and Kojima devalues it), but again, he put in a quality performance. [***¾]
A Block: Hirooki Goto [6] vs. Tetsuya Naito [6]
We almost always get really good stuff when they meet, but never quite great. Whether the G1 24 (***¾), the New Japan Cup Finals (***¾) or Wrestle Kingdom 10 (***¼), something seems to be missing. Goto holds a 2-1 advantage in those matches. Naito jumped him early and worked Goto over. The crowd was rather dead for this, only mustering a few “Naito” chants. Goto’s comebacks felt uninspired. Naito cut him off, as expected, to remain in control. Goto had Destino well scouted, countering it twice, and scoring with USHIGOROSHI (shout out to Mauro). Naito sold some lariats well, before escaping GTR. He hit Destino and got two, which is greatly annoying. Why are only three moves protected in NJPW? If it’s not the Rainmaker, Bad Luck Fall or One Winged Angel, it takes two to put your down. Why even call it a finisher? It keeps happening in Naito matches, which is lame. A second one kept Goto down after 13:30. Nothing technically wrong with this, but it felt flat. Not the best effort from either man, but at least Naito tried. Goto seemed to sleepwalk through this. [**¾]
A Block: IWGP Intercontinental Champion Hiroshi Tanahashi [8] vs. Kota Ibushi [4]
Their G1 25 match (****¼) ruled. Kagoshima is Ibushi’s hometown, so they LOVED him. Tanahashi called to the crowd at the bell, but they just chanted Ibushi’s name. That response opened the door for the heel Tanahashi that I love. He delivered cheap shots instead of clean breaks, setting the tone. Tanahashi attacked the leg and neck, stopping to trash talk the fans or play some air guitar. It made for a great reaction each time Ibushi got something going. He hit the Golden Triangle Moonsault, but Tanahashi cut off the apron German with a dragon screw. Ibushi eventually did nail the deadlift German, which nearly killed Tanahashi. The desperation in Ibushi’s scramble to cover Tanahashi showed how badly he wanted to stay alive in this tournament. Tanahashi went for High Fly Flow, but Kota got his knees up. However, he couldn’t take advantage due to the knee work. After a brutal kick, he nailed the Golden Star Bomb for an insane near fall. Not wasting too much time on disbelief, he delivered a brutal knee to pick up the win at 20:40. One of the better recent main events. It was a compelling match that told a great story, made better by heel Tanahashi. I would’ve liked a bit more selling of the leg from Ibushi to put this over the top though. [****¼]
Overall: 7/10. A two match show, though nothing is bad. HASHI/Fale told a good story, but the action lacked. Sabre/Makabe was a better matchup than I expected, with a smart layout. Goto/Naito was one of the bigger disappointments of the tournament, as neither man brought their best. I enjoyed a lot of Ishii vs. Nagata and the main event ruled. The A Block again provided a versatile, superiorly booked show, even with some guys not being at their best.
| A BLOCK | POINTS | B BLOCK | POINTS |
| Tomohiro Ishii | 8 (4-2) | Kazuchika Okada | 10 (5-0) |
| Tetsuya Naito | 8 (4-2) | Kenny Omega | 8 (4-1) |
| Zack Sabre Jr. | 8 (4-2) | EVIL | 8 (4-1) |
| Hiroshi Tanahashi | 8 (4-2) | Minoru Suzuki | 6 (3-2) |
| Bad Luck Fale | 6 (3-3) | SANADA | 6 (3-2) |
| Togi Makabe | 6 (3-3) | Tama Tonga | 4 (2-3) |
| Kota Ibushi | 6 (3-3) | Michael Elgin | 4 (2-3) |
| Hirooki Goto | 6 (3-3) | Juice Robinson | 2 (1-4) |
| YOSHI-HASHI | 4 (2-4) | Toru Yano | 2 (1-4) |
| Yuji Nagata | 0 (0-6) | Satoshi Kojima | 0 (0-5) |
G1 Climax 27 Night Ten
July 30th, 2017 | Gifu Industrial Hall in Gifu, Japan | Attendance: N/A
Honestly, this is one my more anticipated B Block shows. The main reason for that is Kazuchika Okada vs. Juice Robinson as I’m one of the few more interested in that than Omega/Okada III and some other, bigger matches. Speaking of Omega, he and Kojima should have a barnburner, while the rest of the card all sounds at least somewhat intriguing.
Bad Luck Fale, Chase Owens and Yujiro Takahashi def. David Finlay, Katsuya Kitamura and Tetsuhiro Yagi in 5:45
El Desperado and Zack Sabre Jr. def. Togi Makabe and Shota Umino in 7:23
Tomohiro Ishii and YOSHI-HASHI def. Tomoyuki Oka and Yuji Nagata in 7:04
Hiroshi Tanahashi and Ryusuke Taguchi def. Hirai Kawato and Kota Ibushi in 8:55
Hiromu Takahashi and Tetsuya Naito def. Hirooki Goto and Gedo in 8:24
Daryl update: Hiromu is still very sad about it. As am I. However, he didn’t carry an imaginary Daryl the entire way this time, so there’s improvement.
B Block: NEVER Openweight Six Man Tag Team Champion EVIL [6] vs. Toru Yano [2]
EVIL’s doing quite well so far and Yano isn’t, meaning this is the time we usually get a sneaky Yano in. He did to a hot Yujiro Takahashi in the G1 23 a few years ago. Last year, Yano beat EVIL in 2:57 (**) and ended up with two more points at the end of the tournament. Yano tried doing Yano things here, but EVIL turned it around on him and pulled his robe over his head. Yano still nearly rolled him up to steal it. EVIL said “fuck that” and put him down with the STO at 1:33. Not enough of a match to rate, but this is more what I want from Yano matches. EVIL topping his point total from last year already is cool. However, he’s just got that many to give a tease that this block isn’t a two horse race. Make no mistake, it’s an Omega/Okada battle. [NR]
B Block: NEVER Openweight Champion Minoru Suzuki [4] vs. Tama Tonga [4]
In a great twist, Tama Tonga jumped El Desperado during Minoru’s entrance. He carried the Suzuki-Gun flag for a bit, before brawling with the champ into the crowd. That lasted a few minutes, pissing off Suzuki. It took almost four minutes to get in the ring and start the match, which just led to them going back outside for more brawling. It led to quite the double countout tease, but they both ran back in just before twenty. They continued to beat each other up until we got a ref bump. Wouldn’t be a Suzuki-Gun match without one, right/ Tonga escaped the sleeper and hit the Gun Stun for the phantom pin. Tonga brought the ref back in, but had his Gun Stun countered to a sleeper. Suzuki finished him off with the Gotch Piledriver at 10:29. A different kind of match, as it was almost all wild brawling. The pre-match attack on Desperado was smart, too. Unfortunately, it wasn’t exciting enough to stick out. Maybe a bit less crowd stuff and a hotter finishing stretch, and I’d like it more. [**]
B Block: Michael Elgin [4] vs. SANADA [4]
Along with the final two matches on this show, this is a very interesting first time ever matchup. They have met in a bunch of multi-man tags, though. Like Elgin/Omega, these two went to the power vs. speed battle. We got the spot where one guy held the ropes open for the other to get in, and the other did the same shortly after. Big Mike had SANADA well scouted and had counters ready for his leap frog spot. I liked SANADA trying to powerbomb Elgin out of the corner and not having the power to do it, so he relentlessly attacked him and used a dropkick to weaken him enough to finally hit it. SANADA tried the leap frog stuff again, but again Elgin was ready, and countered with a sitout powerbomb for a near fall. Elgin delivered the apron German and the deadlift falcon arrow (HE DID THE SUPER DEAL) for another close call. SANADA fought off the powerbomb and locked in Skull End. Elgin wouldn’t tap, but he faded. SANADA let go, hit the moonsault and scored somewhat of an upset at 15:06. A very good back and forth match that played into the right dynamic. Elgin’s power (and scouting) was too much for SANADA, but the Skull End is just that deadly. I like him using it to wear down opponents before the moonsault, similar to Suzuki and Shibata using the sleeper before impactful moves. Good work, but it lacked some drama until the end. [***¼]
B Block: IWGP United States Heavyweight Champion Kenny Omega [6] vs. Satoshi Kojima [0]
Omega came out in his “I don’t give a shit” colorful attire, which I don’t like. I get that he may not take winless Kojima seriously, but after losing and knowing Okada remains undefeated, he should be as serious as ever. Anyway, Omega was disrespectful and held serve. A body slam on the apron led to him looking for a countout win. Though that didn’t happen, Omega remained in control. He started talking smack to Tenzan at ringside, which helped fire Kojima up. He busted out the Mongolian chops, ripped Kenny’s shirt and lit him up with the rapid fire corner chops. Down the stretch, Omega hit a V-Trigger, but Kojima slipped free of the One Winged Angel. He got two on a brainbuster and there was a series of counters that saw Kojima wreck Omega with a lariat. He was too worn down to make a pin attempt, though. Emerald Flowsion got him two, which was his last hope. A snap dragon suplex, V-Trigger and One Winged Angel later and Omega won in 16:42. It took a while to get going and I liked almost none of the early stuff. The final third or so was really good though. It lacked some of the intensity and drama of earlier Kojima matches, unfortunately. You know, I gave all but one Omega singles match in 2017 at least four stars before the G1. I’ve yet to go four on any of his G1 stuff, which is disappointing. [***]
Side note, but I’m not a fan of Kojima being 0-5. I understand him coming up short against the younger talent, but it’s the same story being told with Nagata in the A Block and with Liger in the BOTSJ this year. If you run it too often, it loses some of its luster and makes things too predictable. That being said, Kojima and Nagata are both working hard to go out with quality performances.
B Block: Juice Robinson [2] vs. IWGP Heavyweight Champion Kazuchika Okada [8]
Juice won on night one, but has lost each match since due to a bum leg, while Okada remains perfect. Juice shined against Naito earlier this year and had very good outings with EVIL and Kojima in the G1. They started with some basic stuff inside, before going outside. I expected Okada to do his cross body over the guardrail, but he didn’t. Instead, he calmly went inside for a countout, like Juice wasn’t deserving of his full effort. I appreciated that. Too often, he does the same stuff. Okada worked the leg and Juice’s screams while in a modified figure four felt real. Juice survived and kept getting in hope spots. Okada back dropped him on the apron, to little reaction, leading to a countout tease. I know they’ve established the countout finish, but I can’t buy it during a main event. Juice avoided the Rainmaker, but had Pulp Friction blocked. Okada was pissed and yelled at Juice, as if he was frustrated that this match was still going on. Juice continued to fight, but was hit with the Rainmaker. You know what happened next. If you guessed Okada held the wrist, hit a second, had the third countered, countered his opponent’s move and then hit the third, then you were right. It’s not hard to guess, because it happens all the time. That ended things at 20:29. I enjoyed the story they told here, with brash Okada dismissing resilient Juice. Okada wanting to destroy him with three Rainmakers would’ve been cool if he didn’t do it in almost every match. The finishing sequence is overdone too, as I clearly noted. A very good main event and I appreciate the part it plays in the larger story (Okada’s desire to absolutely be the best and prove a point will eventually lead to his demise), but it’s too much of the same too often, to be truly great. [***½]
Overall: 6/10. Another average G1 Climax show. EVIL/Yano wasn’t really a match, though that was fine. Tonga/Suzuki didn’t work for me and I came away disappointed with Kojima/Omega. SANADA/Elgin was good, but not quite, while Okada/Juice had loads of potential, only for some of the same tropes I’m tired of to up and keep it from being great. The B Block shows make it clear who the stars are (Okada and Omega always are in the two main events and have relatively long matches) and everything else feels secondary.
| A BLOCK | POINTS | B BLOCK | POINTS |
| Hiroshi Tanahashi | 8 (4-1) | Kazuchika Okada | 10 (5-0) |
| Zack Sabre Jr. | 6 (3-2) | Kenny Omega | 8 (4-1) |
| Tomohiro Ishii | 6 (3-2) | EVIL | 8 (4-1) |
| Bad Luck Fale | 6 (3-2) | Minoru Suzuki | 6 (3-2) |
| Tetsuya Naito | 6 (3-2) | SANADA | 6 (3-2) |
| Togi Makabe | 6 (3-2) | Tama Tonga | 4 (2-3) |
| Hirooki Goto | 6 (3-2) | Michael Elgin | 4 (2-3) |
| Kota Ibushi | 4 (2-3) | Juice Robinson | 2 (1-4) |
| YOSHI-HASHI | 2 (1-4) | Toru Yano | 2 (1-4) |
| Yuji Nagata | 0 (0-5) | Satoshi Kojima | 0 (0-5) |
G1 Climax 27 Night Nine
July 29th, 2017 | Aichi Prefectural Gymnasium in Nagoya, Aichi | Attendance: N/A
Back to the A Block for another show, featuring one of my favorite match combinations in the world, Tetsuya Naito vs. Tomohiro Ishii. The block is still very much wide open and Yuji Nagata continues to search for the elusive first win, just like Satoshi Kojima over in B Block.
BUSHI and SANADA def. David Finlay and Michael Elgin in 5:14
EVIL and Hiromu Takahashi def. Hirai Kawato and Katsuya Kitamura in 5:09
Tama Tonga and Yujiro Takahashi def. Minoru Suzuki and Taichi in 5:24
TenKoji def. Chase Owens and Kenny Omega in 7:25
Gedo, Kazuchika Okada and Toru Yano def. Juice Robinson, Ryusuke Taguchi and Tomoyuki Oka in 8:25
A Block: Togi Makabe [4] vs. Yuji Nagata [0]
Surprisingly, these two haven’t met in any G1s that I’ve seen. We got some standard back and forth early on. Makabe focused on the neck and shoulders of Nagata as he wore him down. Nagata had a bunch of cupping marks down his back from recent therapy. As Makabe did things like an exploder and lariats, Nagata truly looked like someone desperately fighting for his life. Nagata fought back with the armbar and a relentless series of kicks. He got great near falls on a brainbuster and saito suplex. Makabe fought back and hit the standing knee strike he used on Ibushi. A lariat and King Kong Knee Drop kept Nagata down after 10:45. This was good and had a great crowd. Desperate Nagata on his last stand continues to be a great story, though I’d say this was his worst match yet. It wasn’t bad, it just shows the quality of his work so far. [***]
A Block: Bad Luck Fale [2] vs. Kota Ibushi [4]
Fale ripped up a fan’s Daryl during his entrance and my heart broke all over again. These two met in the G1 25 (***). Kota floated like a buttery and stung like a bee. His strategy of sticking and moving backfired once Fale caught him and stepped on his leg. Ibushi got worn down, but fired up with his quick strikes and kicks. They eventually fought into the crowd, with Ibushi nailing a moonsault off a railing. They beat the count back in and the fans felt like it was Ibushi’s to take, but he ran into a lariat. Ibushi escaped the Bad Luck Fall, but made a mistake by trying a powerbomb. Bad move. Fale countered and scored the win with a successful Bad Luck Fall at 11:37. It was laid out well and I enjoyed them going into the crowd, but it wasn’t either man’s best effort. [**¾]
A Block: Hirooki Goto [4] vs. Zack Sabre Jr. [6]
Sabre pinned Goto in a tag match during his first weekend with NJPW, before losing a NEVER Openweight Title shot against him at Sakura Genesis (***½). Sabre’s best friend El Desperado was with him and he tripped up Goto almost immediately. It allowed Sabre to work his submission style. Goto combated it by using his power at any opening. The NJPW crowds still seem wowed at times by Sabre’s submission work. His style has gotten over much better (and been done better to be honest) here than in the CWC. The technical vs. power battle continued and Sabre nearly beat Goto with the European clutch pin again for a top notch near fall. Goto blocked a PK and they traded big strikes. Goto won out with a lariat and a PK of his own at 10:10. Compact match with the right amount of action. I dug their styles clashing and the crowd continues to be into Sabre. Slightly below their April outing. Sabre’s been the most consistent guy (and Ishii) in the tournament so far. [***¼]
A Block: IWGP Intercontinental Champion Hiroshi Tanahashi [6] vs. YOSHI-HASHI [2]
After a night one victory, YOSHI-HASHI has struggled. Tanahashi’s gone in the opposite direction. HASHI fired up with strikes in the early stages, looking like a guy who was desperate to get back on the winning track. Tanahashi came back with the stuff we’re used to from him, including a plancha and skinning the cat. He went after the knee, looking to set up the Texas cloverleaf. He applied it, but HASHI survived. HASHI made a comeback, hitting the swanton for two. Tanahashi countered Karma and it started a series of reversals. Tanahashi scored with slingblade and High Fly Flow to win in 13:34. This wasn’t bad, but something about it didn’t click with me. It lacked something to get me invested and fell rather flat. The worst singles match I’ve seen either guy have in quite some time. [**½]
A Block: Tetsuya Naito [6] vs. Tomohiro Ishii [4]
It’s one my favorite in-ring rivalries ever. This combo and Shibata/Ishii are the only ones I’ve given at least **** each time they’ve met. ****¼ in both the 2014 and 2016 New Japan Cup, **** in the G1 Special earlier this month, ****¾ at New Beginning in 2014, ****½ at Invasion Attack 2014 and ****½ again at Wrestling Dontaku last year for the IWGP Title (the best IWGP Title match besides Shibata/Okada in years). Anyway, the crowd was pro-Naito here, chanting his name loudly during his entrance. We got the typical Naito antics to start, like spitting at Ishii and taking a powder outside. Naito grounded Ishii and held serve. Ishii had enough of his shit and kicked his ass in return. Naito focused on the neck in cutting off his hope spots. He hit his signature rebound attack and a gorgeous dragon suplex, but Ishii responded with a German. He got slapped, so he just headbutted Naito, before both men picked up more near falls. A series of counters led to Naito nailing a variation of Destino for a near fall. He hit another after a series of strikes, only for Ishii to pop right up with a lariat. Ishii turned him inside out with another lariat and won via BRAINBUSTER at 20:40. As usual, these two were great together. It started slow, but really picked up down the stretch. Naito working the neck was wise and well done. The hot crowd helped, as they loved Naito but couldn’t help but pop for Ishii’s stuff too.[****]
Overall: 6/10. Even with Tanahashi/HASHI being disappointing, this was another consistent outing from the A Block. Nagata/Makabe was solid, as was Ibushi/Fale, though neither was something to go out of your way to see. Sabre/Goto was an enjoyable match with both guys playing to their strength and another quality performance from Sabre. The main event is great, but there are better Ishii/Naito matches out there for sure.
| A BLOCK | POINTS | B BLOCK | POINTS |
| Hiroshi Tanahashi | 8 (4-1) | Kazuchika Okada | 8 (4-0) |
| Zack Sabre Jr. | 6 (3-2) | Kenny Omega | 6 (3-1) |
| Tomohiro Ishii | 6 (3-2) | EVIL | 6 (3-1) |
| Bad Luck Fale | 6 (3-2) | Minoru Suzuki | 4 (2-2) |
| Tetsuya Naito | 6 (3-2) | SANADA | 4 (2-2) |
| Togi Makabe | 6 (3-2) | Tama Tonga | 4 (2-2) |
| Hirooki Goto | 6 (3-2) | Michael Elgin | 4 (2-2) |
| Kota Ibushi | 4 (2-3) | Juice Robinson | 2 (1-3) |
| YOSHI-HASHI | 2 (1-4) | Toru Yano | 2 (1-3) |
| Yuji Nagata | 0 (0-5) | Satoshi Kojima | 0 (0-4) |
