NJPW G1 Climax 28 Night Two
July 15th, 2018 | Ota City Gymnasium in Tokyo, Japan | Attendance: 3,826
After a solid start to the tournament, the B Block takes center stage. On paper, this block is WAY stronger than the A Block. It has all three champions in the tournament and is just loaded. Night two features rematches from two of the best matches of 2017. I’m ready.
Chase Owens and Hangman Page def. Michael Elgin and Shota Umino in 6:18
BUSHI and EVIL def. SHO and YOSHI-HASHI in 5:21
El Desperado and Minoru Suzuki def. Toa Henare and Togi Makabe in 6:44
Bad Luck Fale and Tanga Loa def. Gedo and Kazuchika Okada in 6:08
David Finlay and Hiroshi Tanahashi def. Jay White and YOH in 8:05
B Block: Tomohiro Ishii [0] vs. Toru Yano [0]
Surprisingly, this is a first time ever meeting. Interestingly, they’ve been within two points of each other in each G1 together, yet never in the same block. The tag partners faced off and we saw a different Yano at first. Instead of his “BREAK” spot, he got back in the ring and traded forearms with Ishii. Yano seemed like he’d avoid cheating, but still eventually tried to use a chair and exposed the turnbuckle. Yano won out in a strike exchange that blew the crowd’s mind. The same went for Yano popping up on a German and busting out a belly to belly. GIVE YANO THE TITLE, BABY! The finish was a cool twist, as it was Ishii who hit a low blow and rolled up Yano at 8:52. Look, I might be the high man on this, but I loved it. You probably won’t find something more fun in the entire tournament. They played off their personalities, brought some surprises, and gave us a clever finish. [***½]
B Block: IWGP United States Heavyweight Champion Juice Robinson [0] vs. Tama Tonga [0]
Two guys who had their big moments at the G1 Special in San Francisco. Juice won his first title, while Tama jumped Kenny Omega and Cody to form the Firing Squad. Will this be the year Tama finally breaks out in a G1? Tama beat Juice in last year’s tournament (***). If Juice uses the cast he gets DQed, but Tanga Loa was also outside. They wrestled this at a slower pace than expected, with Juice not wanting to risk something happening to his hand. A Tanga distraction put his brother in control. Tama attacked the hand, even standing on it at one point. Juice rallied and Tanga got on the apron. Juice brought him in and laid him out with the cast covered left. Tama countered Pulp Friction into the Gun Stun to win in 14:06. It wasn’t bad, but it was the worst match of the tournament so far. It felt long, Tama still doesn’t work an interesting heat segment, and as much fire as Juice had, it didn’t help things. [**]
B Block: NEVER Openweight Champion Hirooki Goto [0] vs. SANADA [0]
SANADA beat Goto in his first G1 in 2016 (***). SANADA got off to a slow start, with Goto getting in the driver’s seat. Part of it could be experience, but part of it could be SANADA focusing on the big match with Naito later in the tournament. SANADA changed the tide a bit with some brawling outside. From there, it was an evenly matched battle. Goto hit one of the nastiest looking USHIGOROSHIS I’ve ever seen. Following some fun GTR/Dragon Sleeper teases and counters, SANADA hit his own USHIGOROSHI. The finish played into the GTR/Dragon Sleeper stuff, setting up a rope draped reverse GTR. Goto hit another for two points after 13:38. Back on track with some very good wrestling. The finishers and how well they play off each other was a highlight. [***¼]
B Block: Kota Ibushi [0] vs. Zack Sabre Jr. [0]
Oh, baby. Ibushi beat Sabre in last year’s G1, while Sabre bested him in the New Japan Cup this year. Both matches got ****½ from me. Commentary hyped Sabre as the best tournament wrestler around, with wins in BOLA, New Japan Cup, Super Strong Style 16, and more. Ibushi surprisingly tried keeping up with Sabre on the mat. It should be clear by now that’s where Sabre thrives. He switched tactics and started throwing harder strikes and brutal kicks. Sabre got sick of getting the shit kicked out of him, so he started bending and twisting Ibushi’s leg in vicious ways. Ibushi used it for offense, but it came back to haunt him. Each time Kota seemed to get something going, Sabre had a counter ready. They nailed some of the little things, like Kota kicking out at one from a PK and when Sabre hit another, he lifted his feet to do it again, but couldn’t and had to wait until two to kick out. Sabre continually had the Kamigoye scouted and checked it. They also teased a similar finish to last year’s G1 bout. They went into an incredible series of counters late, giving us fantastic teases and near falls, before Kota hit Kamigoye to win in 22:58. Just an outstanding combination of striking, counter wrestling, technical work, and drama. [****½]
B Block: IWGP Heavyweight Champion Kenny Omega [0] vs. Tetsuya Naito [0]
In 2016, Omega beat Naito to win the B Block (****½). In 2017, Naito beat Kenny to win the entire G1 (*****). It’s the rubber match. They started this out by playing up their character work. Little things like Naito stealing Kenny’s gun taunt and both men being cocky. We saw them play up their history with callbacks to the other G1 matches. They had each other well scouted. I particularly liked Omega dropping to one knee for Naito’s corner sweep spot. Naito remained one step ahead of Kenny throughout and it felt like Kenny was getting outwrestled. He switched gears and brought out a wild dropkick spot that turned the tides. Combine that with Naito being a bit too tranquilo and the playing field was leveled. Once they built to the final minutes, this kicked up into the next level. So many breathtaking counters. Both men were looking for the death blow, yet the other was always ready for it. In the end, Kenny turned Destino into a STEINER SCREWDRIVER OF SORTS! A V-Trigger and One Winged Angel later and Omega wrapped it up in 23:19. Awesome match. It didn’t top their final last year, but was about on par with 2016. They so well off their past, it had a big fight feel with a crazy hot crowd that made for a unique atmosphere, and it gave us some dramatic final moments. [****½]
Overall: 9/10. The B Block is awesome and they delivered as expected. Ishii/Yano was a blast of an opener, before Goto/SANADA delivered a good back and forth match. Juice/Tonga ended up dragging things down in the middle. No worries, because the last two matches picked it up. Sabre/Ibushi was outstanding and my favorite match of the night. Naito/Omega was just behind it and capped things in wild fashion.
| A BLOCK | POINTS | B BLOCK | POINTS |
| Jay White | 2 (1-0) | Kenny Omega | 2 (1-0) |
| Hiroshi Tanahashi | 2 (1-0) | Kota Ibushi | 2 (1-0) |
| Michael Elgin | 2 (1-0) | Hirooki Goto | 2 (1-0) |
| Hangman Page | 2 (1-0) | Tama Tonga | 2 (1-0) |
| Togi Makabe | 2 (1-0) | Tomohiro Ishii | 2 (1-0) |
| Kazuchika Okada | 0 (0-1) | Tetsuya Naito | 0 (0-1) |
| Minoru Suzuki | 0 (0-1) | Zack Sabre Jr. | 0 (0-1) |
| EVIL | 0 (0-1) | SANADA | 0 (0-1) |
| Bad Luck Fale | 0 (0-1) | Juice Robinson | 0 (0-1) |
| YOSHI-HASHI | 0 (0-1) | Toru Yano | 0 (0-1) |
These cards are massive. Way too many matches and I'm a bit too pressed for time to give long details. Anyway, if done right, this actually has a chance to steal the show. Two great stables with a stipulation that has potential. Sometimes Tables matches are dull, but if they can go the Hardys/Dudleys route from the original match, we've got a banger. Just give me less of the fans chanting "we want tables." I'm going with SAnitY, who badly need a win.
Winners: SAnitY
I really like both guys, but this feud has been boring. I'm gonna pick Finn to win. However, that's a guy who has done a whole lot of nothing over the past year.
Winner: Finn Balor
This might have the big match feel they were gunning for if Lashley wasn't involved in shit feuds since his return. A big win or two would make him seem like a real threat to Roman Reigns. Instead, it's clear he's not on Roman's level. Big Dog gotta eat, baby.
Winner: Roman Reigns
I really enjoy most of what the WWE does. However, they're been bad in a few aspects lately. One: They've gone way overboard with Braun. It's too much and I'm pretty bored of him by this point. Two: Angles like the port-a-potty one with Braun and Owens. It's just not funny at all. Three: And this one goes back for years. They rarely ever put on good cage matches. Remember Seth/Orton in 2015? Or Bray/Cena in 2014? Braun wins for obvious reasons.
Winner: Braun Strowman
Their Raw main event was very good and went nearly thirty minutes. Still, an Ironman match can be tricky to book. I wonder how this plays out. Also, Dolph is still boring as champion. The only guy to make him interesting in recent memory was The Miz. I'm gonna say Seth regains the gold.
Winner: Seth Rollins
When you come up short in winning the WWE Title, five or six times, you move down to the US Title? This is kind of an interesting matchup, because it's two guys with charisma who aren't great on the mic. I'm picking Shinsuke because the dude has to win something at some point. Right?
Winner: Shinsuke Nakamura
I've heard people whine and moan about Carmella's title reign, but I love it. Is she a technical wizard? No. But, she's playing the ultimate opportunist role better than anyone since Edge. She beat Charlotte once because of the Iiconics and the second time because she outsmarted her. She beat Asuka because of James Ellsworth. It's a brilliant run. Still, I think Asuka wins here, but she kind of died in the water when Charlotte beat her.
Winner: Asuka
I saw people complain that Daniel Bryan isn't in the main event picture. I get that. I also get that the company might not be sure how long Bryan's sticking around, so why invest a ton in that? Instead, they put him with Kane to reunite one of the most tag teams of the past twenty or so years. I think they get the titles for a feel good run.
Winners: Team Hell No
The B Team has won basically everything heading into this match. That's usually a sign for a loss at the PPV.
Winners: Bray Wyatt and Matt Hardy
This match sucked at WrestleMania and again when they rematched it. Nia's character flipping for the Ronda feud didn't help her sympathy. It's clear what happens here, right? Alexa is Charlotte 2.0. They're booked way above and beyond everyone else. Nia will lose because Ronda/Alexa is the money match for SummerSlam.
Winner: Alexa Bliss
Other than the Tables match and the Team Hell No reunion, this is the only truly interesting match on the show. Rusev is finally getting a WWE Title and it comes against AJ Styles. AJ's still one of, if not the best wrestler in the world. People like to forget that because his chemistry with Owens ruined most of 2017 and facing Shinsuke "phone it in" Nakamura has killed his 2018. But, the dude had two bangers with Jinder Mahal and was awesome against basically everyone not named Owens or Nakamura. Expect Rusev and him to deliver one hell of a main event. As great as this is for Rusev, AJ will retain.
Winner: AJ Styles
2018 Prediction Record: 26-17
2017 Prediction Record: 81-37
2016 Prediction Record: 72-41
2015 Prediction Record: 60-35
Extreme Rules Prediction Record: 17-4
NJPW G1 Climax 28 Night One
July 14th, 2018 | Ota City Gymnasium in Tokyo, Japan | Attendance: 3,907
It’s become a tradition. The G1 Climax ranks towards the top of the list for my favorite times of the year to be a wrestling fan. Sure, not every show is great, but there’s a barrage of wrestling matches to enjoy and we usually get some bangers. The B Block looks way stronger than the A Block this year, which was the case in previous years and in the BOTSJ. We start with the A Block, though. Night one usually gives us at least one great match (Shibata/Nakamura in ’14, Shibata/AJ & Ibushi/Tanahashi in ’15, SANADA/Tanahashi in ’16, Sabre/Tanahashi and Ibushi/Naito in ’17) and an upset (Marufuji over Okada in ’16, SANADA and Sabre over Tanahashi in ’16 and ’17). As always, I’ll only be reviewing the tournament matches.
Hirooki Goto and Jado def. Ren Narita and Toa Henare in 6:23
SHO and Tomohiro Ishii def. Toru Yano and YOH in 7:15
The Guerrillas of Destiny def. David Finlay and Juice Robinson in 6:13
TAKA Michinoku and Zack Sabre Jr. def. Kota Ibushi and Yujiro Takahashi in 5:29
SANADA and Tetsuya Naito def. Chase Owens and Kenny Omega in 5:45
A Block: Togi Makabe [0] vs. YOSHI-HASHI [0]
Let’s get this out of the way. I don’t mind Togi, but he’s not interesting anymore, while HASHI is probably the worst guy in the tournament. He had momentum in 2016 for the tournament. He’s done nothing of value or note since other than beating Yuji Nagata in a good match to open last year. Makabe beat HASHI on the final night last year (**¾). It seemed like HASHI was out to prove he belonged in the tournament after being mocked for his selection. He brought aggression to this, hitting Makabe as hard as he got hit back. HASHI kept trying different things, from aerial stuff to the Butterfly Lock to throwing strikes. Seeing him pop up from a German was a cool moment. Makabe got him up top and hit the Spider German, followed by the King Kong Knee Drop to end it in 11:06. Better than I thought it would be. HASHI brought more fire than expected, but it just wasn’t enough against the former IWGP Champion. [***¼]
A Block: Bad Luck Fale [0] vs. Hangman Page [0]
It’s the G1 debut for Page. However, it’s also the debut of a slimmer Fale. He typically does well in the G1, averaging 11 points. Fale jumped Page during his entrance, kind of showing that he’s siding with Tama Tonga and the Firing Squad in the dull Bullet Club feud. Fale pounded on Page in the crowd for a bit. Page worked as a face, getting in some high flying hope spots. While he got in some of those, Tonga Loa strolled to ringside for a closer look. Page took them both out with a big moonsault that the crowd seemed to enjoy. When Page went for the Rite of Passage, Tama Tonga ran out and attacked him. Tama shoved the referee for the DQ finish in 8:05. Surprised at that finish, but it helped build the Firing Squad angle. I just can’t buy into throwing potential points away in a tournament that means so much. Anyway, the match was fun while it lasted. [**¾]
Kenny Omega, Chase Owens, and Kota Ibushi hit the ring to send the Firing Squad packing.
A Block: EVIL [0] vs. Michael Elgin [0]
EVIL is awesome. Elgin? Not so much. These two have met in the last two years, with both matches getting ***½ from me. They split those. Also, this is a battle of the two shortest reigning NEVER Openweight Champions. This was the typical HOSS FIGHT we’ve come to expect from these two. EVIL put a target on Elgin’s arm, which may seem random to some, but was a sound strategy as it would logically take away some of Elgin’s power based offense. With the bad arm, it felt like Elgin was unsure what to do. At points, he tried different things like a tope suicida, but at other moments, he just used the arm like nothing. Throwing all sorts of clotheslines and doing stalling Germans. It cost him on a press slam attempt and EVIL went back to the arm. EVIL came close with Darkness Falls, but Elgin went back to hitting moves that used his arm, like another German, Falcon Arrow, superplex, etc. I know adrenaline plays a factor, but goodness. They went into a counter battle late that Elgin won with Splash Mountain and the Elgin Bomb at 16:08. They went out and tried for an epic. It didn’t work. The match was good, but a severe lack of the arm work coming into play killed things. Elgin mostly shrugged it off, making it useless. EVIL was awesome. [***¼]
A Block: Hiroshi Tanahashi [0] vs. Minoru Suzuki [0]
This is a big match considering Minoru beat Tanahashi for the Intercontinental Title in February (****½). They also had one of my favorite matches ever at King of Pro Wrestling 2012 (*****). Suzuki came out looking to hurt Tanahashi. He laid into him with slaps and strikes, before going to the knee like he did earlier this year. He grounded Tanahashi with all sorts of leg based submissions for several minutes. Whenever Tanahashi got something going, it was out of desperation. When he missed something, it felt like a huge blow that would put him back in major trouble. A desperate Tanahashi evened the score a bit with a brutal looking inverted dragon screw. Minoru screamed in agony in a way we hadn’t heard before. Tanahashi used that advantage to nail two High Fly Flows and surprisingly pull this out in 13:59. That was awesome. I love the G1 because it gives us great matches that don’t typically go the NJPW route of being overly long. They kept this short but packed a lot of story into it. Minoru was his vicious self and Tanahashi had to fight from behind. He got dominated, but did the one move that completely changed everything and Suzuki was done. It was such a cool change of pace for a guy like Minoru. I’m intrigued by where this goes next. [****¼]
A Block: Jay White [0] vs. Kazuchika Okada [0]
Since joining CHAOS, White has barely been involved with the group and seems interested in splitting them from within. Okada is a broken man with a bad new hairdo, stupid long pants, balloons, new theme, and no title. White also lost his title recently, but is young, hungry, and coming into his own as a villain. Interesting that Okada went from shell shocked during Kizuna Road, but came out more carefree tonight. That attitude carried over into the early stages of the match. Things got serious once White avoided his guardrail cross body. From there, he was the vicious White we saw in San Francisco. He threw Okada into guardrails and wore him down with all sorts of aggression. Okada’s back became the focus and near the end, White suplexed him into the guardrail. Commentary getting upset at his tactics was great, especially from fellow CHAOS member Rocky Romero. Okada seemed to get back on track with the Rainmaker, but White brilliantly clocked the referee as he was hit, so he wasn’t able to make the count. White hit a low blow and threw a chair at Okada, before nailing Blade Runner to win in 25:37. It went a bit long, but I dug it. There was submission spot that lasted forever and nobody bought into. However, the story of carefree Okada getting it taken to him by the vicious and rogue CHAOS member was great. [***¾]
Post-match, White cut a promo saying it was now his CHAOS and we could do nothing about it. I said it coming into the tournament, but I’d rather Okada lost and have it be because of White, leading to a personal rivalry to take him into the Tokyo Dome. Sounds more interesting than another Okada Dome title match. I can dream, can’t I?
Overall: 8/10. As is usually the case, the tournament gets off to a strong start. Fale/Page was the worst match and even that was solid. HASHI/Makabe was a surprisingly fun match, while Elgin/EVIL was good despite flaws. Tanahashi/Suzuki was excellent, while White/Okada told the story it needed to and gave us the upset win we needed.
| A BLOCK | POINTS | B BLOCK | POINTS |
| Jay White | 2 (1-0) | Hirooki Goto | 0 (0-0) |
| Hiroshi Tanahashi | 2 (1-0) | Juice Robinson | 0 (0-0) |
| Michael Elgin | 2 (1-0) | Kenny Omega | 0 (0-0) |
| Hangman Page | 2 (1-0) | Kota Ibushi | 0 (0-0) |
| Togi Makabe | 2 (1-0) | SANADA | 0 (0-0) |
| Kazuchika Okada | 0 (0-1) | Tama Tonga | 0 (0-0) |
| Minoru Suzuki | 0 (0-1) | Tetsuya Naito | 0 (0-0) |
| EVIL | 0 (0-1) | Tomohiro Ishii | 0 (0-0) |
| Bad Luck Fale | 0 (0-1) | Toru Yano | 0 (0-0) |
| YOSHI-HASHI | 0 (0-1) | Zack Sabre Jr. | 0 (0-0) |
PROGRESS Chapter 72: Got Got Need
June 24th, 2018 | Electric Ballroom in Camden, Greater London | Attendance: 700
Back to the long, three plus hour events for PROGRESS. As we continue our trek to Wembley, the Thunderbastard Tag Team Series continues, while the Natural Progression Series comes to an end. Plus, there’s an Atlas Title match, World Title match, British Strong Style is in action, and there’s a highly touted match involving Jordan Devlin.
Jim Smallman’s opening consisted of discussing the World Cup and pointing a couple who got married the day prior, with the bride coming down to Jack Sexsmith’s theme, “I Touch Myself.” Cool stuff.
PROGRESS Atlas Championship: Doug Williams [c] vs. Michael DanteWilliams won the title to snap a losing streak, while Dante earned this shot with a win on the last chapter. The fans were hot for their first official look at Doug as champion. Like his last appearance, Dante showed potential and could make for a useful addition to the BIG LADS division, especially with WALTER moving on. However, Williams has an ongoing story of saying he’ll retire with his next loss. That meant that nobody in the building believed Dante would win this one. He did come close with a flash pin counter, but the outcome was never really in doubt. Williams won with the Bomb Scare Knee Drop in 7:02. It was technically fine, but lacked anything even resembling drama. [**½]
Charlie Morgan w/ The House of Couture vs. Laura Di Matteo
I’m really happy Di Matteo is back. She has history with Jinny, so it makes sense that Jinny would send her goons to take her out before she earns a title shot. Morgan attacked early and had no problem using little underhanded tactics to remain in control. She was on the offensive for way longer than I expected. The crowd was way into Laura. She used hat for a comeback, but had to deal with members of the House of Couture. Even after Laura took out most of them with a tope suicida, they still found a way to break up her submission. Laura kicked out of a rollup, sending Charlie into Nina Samuels. Laura then rolled her up to get the win in 10:21. A bit slow at points, but the hot crowd helped things along. Both girls are still raw, but have a lot of talent. This worked as the first chapter of a larger story. [**¾]
Post-match, Laura stared down Jinny on her way out.
Jordan Devlin vs. Will Ospreay
This is the match that has gotten all the hype. With the loud crowd before the bell even rang, this had a big fight feel. That crowd reaction played a role. Ospreay seemed annoyed that Devlin was besting him at his own game early, and even more peeved that he was getting the cheers from the fans. As the match progressed, they just began throwing some of their wildest offensive bombs at one another. That’s one thing, but to do it with the speed they did is insane. If I were trying to do play-by-play in this review, I’d be lost. It neared Dragon Lee/Hiromu Takahashi levels of fast, yet they don’t have the history of those guys. Ospreay lifted the “land on our feet Spanish Fly” spot from BOLA. He looked so pleased with himself, you just wanna smack him. He also started throwing some signature Jimmy Havoc offense to build their Wembley match. The final moments were nuts and Ospreay won with his best looking Storm Breaker ever in 15:59. An absolutely bonkers match. It’s not a MOTYC like I’ve heard, but it’s great. This is usually when Will is at his best. When he can go all out in this environment. When he tries other stuff, it’s usually a whiff. Devlin looked great here, keeping up with one of the fastest, most agile guys around. A banger. [****]
Post-match, Ospreay attacked a crew member with an Acid Rainmaker and Curb Stomp, furthering the build for his match with Jimmy Havoc. Surprisingly, Paul Robinson, the producer from the back, made the save and scolded Ospreay to the back.
Besties in the World (Davey Vega and Mat Fitchett) and Josh Alexander vs. British Strong Style (WWE United Kingdom Champion Pete Dunne and NXT Tag Team Champions Trent Seven and Tyler Bate)
The Besties in the World came out to “Truly Madly Deeply,” which was fantastic. The pop for seeing the NXT Tag Titles was insane. The champs mocked Undisputed Era at every opportunity before the bell. This was filled to the brim with typical BSS antics. If you love them, like me, you’ll enjoy it. If you’re sick of them, you probably won’t. Though it was a chapter show debut for the other team, the fans seemed to know a fair amount about them. Alexander played the “walking weapon” very well. I enjoyed what I saw of him in Alpha-1. It broke down into a more serious affair once the Besties and Josh took control. During that time, they showed off an impressive array of tandem offense, especially from the Besties. I’m all for having them come back. I was surprised to see Seven pin Alexander following a Seven Star Lariat and Burning Hammer, ending the match in 20:25. It was a good six man tag, though not up to the high level I’m used to from British Strong Style. The antics were fun, though they dragged at times. I was impressed with the losing team, as well. [***¼]
The teams showed respect to one another after the match. Dunne addressed the challenge of Ilja Dragunov, which brought out Christian Michael Jakobi. He teased Ilja coming out, but said fans had to pay to see him again. Dunne attempted to leave with nothing further, but CMJ goaded him back with insults and a slap. Dunne chased him away through the crowd to end the segment.
The start of the second half of the show was interrupted by the arrival of Eddie Dennis. He announced that he’s now medically cleared to wrestle, which was the provision Mark Andrews gave him for his return. Dennis was pissed about Andrews being on vacation and that fans think the match happens at Wembley, because he wants it sooner. It awesomely ended with Eddie going to merchandise to recoup losses from this wasted trip.
Thunderbastard Tag Team Series: #CCK [0] vs. M&M [0]
It’s the first match in the series for #CCK, as Kid Lykos just came back from injury. M&M have impressed, but are winless. Like the previous tag match, this followed the trend you’ve expected from these teams. #CCK showed off their “sick fucking tag moves,” and how they haven’t missed a step in their time apart. M&M brought all the heart and effort, despite being winless. It would be wild if M&M lost the entire series, only to win the Thunderbastard in the end. A Praying Mantis Bomb and Brainbuster at the same time got #CCK their first two points in 12:50. A fine tag team match, with both teams playing their roles well. [***]
We were supposed to get Natural Progression Series Finals next, but Travis Banks and TK Cooper came out instead. Banks chastised the fans for not showing the same support for him here that they did in the Royal Albert Hall. He knew that the winner of the series gets a title shot, so he wanted his match on now so there would be no cash in.
PROGRESS World Championship: Travis Banks [c] vs. Chuck Mambo
Mambo earned this title shot by winning the PROGRESS World Cup. Unfortunately, I was too pressed for time to catch that show, like the “Live at the Dome” events. I wish I could. TK went to the back before this officially began, as he’s Banks’ partner but also has a web series with Mambo, so he wasn’t picking sides. I thought that was cool. Banks seemed annoyed with how well Mambo was doing early. It’s as if he took this title defense lightly, which is understandable after facing the likes of WALTER. He turned the tide when the match went outside, but Mambo fought back and picked up some near falls inside. After some of Mambo’s best shots, Banks hit a Kiwi Krusher that got him a near fall. Then, we got a ref bump. TK showed up with a chair and chose to hit Mambo to no one’s surprise, but Chuck still kicked out. Mambo still nearly won with a Frog Splash, only for TK to pull the referee out. In the end, Banks stomped on Mambo’s head over and over, before another Kiwi Krusher ended things in 20:14. This went too long. It was going fine and could’ve ended on a high note, but we got the TK interference and it just reached overkill levels. [**¾]
Natural Progression Series V Finals: Chris Ridgeway vs. Mark Davis w/ Kyle Fletcher
I feel like this tournament has gone on forever. Like, it may have even started back in 2017. Anyway, this was a hard hitting main event. The advantage Ridgeway had was taking things to the mat. Ridgeway likes to strike, but Davis is just a BIG BOI, so he found himself in serious trouble. He began throwing kicks to make up for the losses he was taking from forearms and chops. After taking a beating for a while, Ridgeway seemed to snap a bit. The fight moved outside where he threw headbutts and a double stomp onto a chair. Davis was so strong, Ridgeway had to change his plan and go out of his comfort zone. He went the route people have gone against WALTER, attacking the hand to take away Davis’ chopping power. A wild series of kicks brought Ridgeway close. However, Davis countered a piledriver into his own Close Your Eyes pullup piledriver. He rolled over into a second and got the win in 18:00. A very good main event and the best match of the tournament, so it was a fitting finale. Davis continued to be great, while Ridgeway had his best showing so far. Davis made Ridgeway try new things and while some of it worked, Davis was just too much for him. [***¾]
Overall: 7/10. I feel like I give so many PROGRESS shows this score. This year, this has been their bread and butter. Good shows that usually don’t tip the scales towards bad or outstanding. There are two standout matches (Devlin/Ospreay and Davis/Ridgeway), with a lackluster World Title match and a bunch of solid stuff surrounding it all.
NJPW G1 Special in San Francisco
July 7th, 2018 | Cow Palace in San Francisco, California | Attendance: 6,333
After the success of last year’s G1 Special in USA and this year’s Strong Style Evolved, NJPW is back in the United States. There are five title matches listed for tonight, including the Bullet Club feud in the Heavyweight Title picture, and an already legendary rivalry in the Jr. Title match.
Chase Owens, The Guerrillas of Destiny, King Haku, and Yujiro Takahashi vs. Gedo, Rocky Romero, Roppongi 3K, and YOSHI-HASHI
MY GOD! THAT IS HAKU! He was at the top of the list of reasons I wanted to watch this show. AND HAKU STARTED THE MATCH! The Bullet Club were the clear favorites, as dull ass YOSHI-HASHI got booed when he dropkicked Haku. Other than Haku, Roppongi 3K were the only guys to really feel like they were working hard. Chase Owens was fine, too. The finish came when Gedo got tagged in, unsurprisingly. The booker man was near winning when he got put in the Tongan Death Grip! I popped. That set up a Gun Stun that ended this in 9:20. It was a fine NJPW multi-man tag opener, with nothing special going on. But, it had Haku, so it gets a small boost because I love that mad man. [**½]
Minoru Suzuki and Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Tomohiro Ishii and Toru Yano
Suzuki had a strange cover of “Kaze Ni Nare.” The crowd still sang along. This was here to continue the Suzuki/Ishii rivalry. They went right at it from the opening bell, continuing their wars. Sabre and Yano had great interactions together. Yano’s wackiness makes for a great foil for serious dick heel Sabre. Their G1 match is probably going to be a ton of fun. Minoru’s the only guy not in the same block as everyone else. Obviously, Yano took the heat, getting torn apart by his vicious opponents. It came down to Sabre and Yano while the other two fought outside. Sabre blocked low blows twice, but took an Ishii lariat and Yano got the pin in 9:42. That was quite fun. Ishii/Suzuki was badass again, while Yano/Sabre was a blast. [***¼]
Hangman Page and Marty Scurll vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi and KUSHIDA w/ Ryusuke Taguchi
A bit of a preview of the upcoming Page/Tanahashi G1 Climax match we’ll be getting. I’m surprised they brought Taguchi on this trip to have him not wrestle. After Marty and KUSHIDA reignited their ROH TV Title program, we got the Page/Tanahashi battle. They recently met in ROH, but I didn’t watch it because it’s ROH. Scurll and Page worked well together, to the point where ROH might want to consider making them a tag team. Page picked up the victory with the Rite of Passage on KUSHDA in 9:52 to gain momentum heading into the G1. This was a good little tag. The Bullet Club guys worked well together and it gave us a preview of stuff to come. [**¾]
NEVER Openweight Championship: Hirooki Goto [c] vs. Jeff Cobb
I like Jeff Cobb. He’s a good wrestler. But he’s kind of bland if he’s not Matanza. Meanwhile, Goto is a guy who is very good, yet NJPW have booked him into oblivion. He’s almost impossible to care about. When you see a match involving these guys, you expect something hard hitting. That’s mostly what we got here. It was interesting to see Goto working as a heel. He knew the crowd wasn’t going to be into him and he seemed to relish in it. Maybe they should consider turning him full on heel, because he DESPERATELY needs something to freshen him up. Cobb came close a few times, and the fans bit, but Goto avoided the Tour of the Islands. He hit the GTR and retained in 12:10. A good, hard hitting match, as expected. However, the crowd was more anti-Goto than pro-Cobb, making for a strange atmosphere. [***¼]
IWGP Tag Team Championship: The Young Bucks [c] vs. EVIL and SANADA
The match these two had at Dominion was one of the better tags all year (****¼). Let’s see if the rematch can live up to it. The teams traded big offense for most of the match, continuing to show the fluid chemistry that we first saw at Dominion. Matt Jackson continues to sell his back, which he has done since January. It’s as if they went into 2018 looking to show everyone who doubted them (myself included) that they can wrestle more than one style. I’ve appreciated it, as they were serious one-note wonders before this year. However, as good as this was, it never touched the Dominion match. It started well enough, but they went a bit overboard with the near falls and big moves. LIDJ hitting their own Indy Taker onto a chair should’ve been a finish. Instead, a save was made and this came shortly after a ref bump. By the way, NJPW has relied way too heavily on ref bumps this year. IT’s not a welcome trend. Matt busted out EVIL’s own STO on him, before they retained following the Meltzer Driver at 16:05. This was on its way to be great, but they took things a bit too far for some spots. It lacked what made the first match special. [***½]
BUSHI and Tetsuya Naito vs. Kazuchika Okada and Will Ospreay
Well, it’s clear why BUSHI is in this match, isn’t it? Also, remember when Naito should’ve won the Heavyweight Title in January? The Okada Defense Force is STILL posting on Twitter about how NJPW made the right call. Yikes. Anyway, Okada and Naito felt like they took the night off here. Their interactions weren’t up to their usual standards, even after they mostly disappointed at Wrestle Kingdom. BUSHI and Ospreay were largely fine, but nothing special. It’s Ospreay, so unless he’s working someone better or motivated, you’re going to get average. Combine that with a lack of effort from the stars and you’ve got just that. An average match. Ospreay obviously pinned BUSHI following Storm Breaker in 11:58. Completely skippable. If it wasn’t for the names involved, nobody would’ve cared. [**¼]
IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Championship: Hiromu Takahashi [c] vs. Dragon Lee
It’s the best in-ring rivalry going. The floor of their series has been ****¼. Really think about that. As usual, this was worked as a fast pace from the start. Lee attacked Hiromu with a rana to the outside that set the tone for what we’ve come to expect from them. They traded German suplexes, strikes, and scary dives throughout. It’s been said so often, but nobody matches these two in terms of chemistry and fluidity, especially when you consider how wild their battles are. Of course, you can’t talk about this match without discussing THAT spot. Lee hit a Dragon Driver that saw Hiromu land awfully on his neck. He reportedly broke his neck on the spot and it’s hard to watch. Especially on the replay. I’ve seen morons discuss the style in NJPW, causing morons (like Dave Meltzer) to attempt to justify things by mentioning WWE injuries. Like, a fantastic wrestler may have just had his career cut way short due to injury and people are worried about pushing the WWE/NJPW stuff. Stop. Hiromu managed to finish the match and score with the Time Bomb to retain in 16:18. Somehow their worse match ever and it was still a banger. They went at a wild pace, though it’ll always have a bit of an asterisk because of what happened. Great match, though. [****]
IWGP United States Heavyweight Championship: Jay White [c] vs. Juice Robinson
This feud heated up at Kizuna Road when Juice broke his hand. Jay continually went after it. That played into the story, as Juice couldn’t use his cast as a weapon. The challenger came out aggressively, partially because of the rivalry and partially because he’s come so close to winning gold before (against Naito, Omega, and Goto twice). He understood that something needed to be done. The physical style kept up, with both men throwing each other into the guardrail with impressive velocity. Jay pulled out great heel stuff, like going after the damaged hand even though Juice couldn’t use it for offense. He also mocked Juice at every turn. Commentary was pissed all match about people getting thrown into guardrails. When White did it and knocked JR over, Barnett said, “You done fucked up now,” and got in the ring to legitimately do something about it. Cooler heads prevailed and nothing but some on screen cursing happened. Even if it wasn’t real, it came off well and the crowd was hotter than ever after it. From there, the intensity was at its highest. Jay hit a low blow, so Juice responded with the illegal left hand to a great pop. The Pulp Friction near fall was extraordinary. Juice managed to counter a Blade Runner into a rollup to finally win the big one in 23:22. Match of the night and moment of the night. Juice has spent two years chasing titles and finally wins the US Title in front of a US crowd, without overplaying the US angle. The match was tremendous, with a ton of intensity and a molten crowd. They played the babyface and heel roles to perfection. [****¼]
Small note, but I remember people complaining about White/Tanahashi at Wrestle Kingdom. I thought it was good, but far from great. It was clear that Jay needed time to get comfortable in his new role. Fast forward to this show and he’s figured it out. He was the PERFECT heel in this one. Dude is a star.
IWGP Heavyweight Championship: Kenny Omega [c] w/ The Young Bucks vs. Cody w/ Brandi Rhodes
I didn’t see their ROH match, but heard reports it was overly long. Right from the start of this one, Cody was playing such a good heel. He nails all the old school heel stuff like putting Brandi in harm’s way like a coward. He just gets it. Though the feud has been intense and there’s a long history, the match lacked some of the intensity from the previous match. That’s even with them bringing tables, ladders, and chairs into play. It almost became an impromptu TLC match for no real reason. They brought some big spots, like a superplex off a ladder and powerbomb onto a table. Cody used Brandi to gain one more upper hand, but other than a single Cross Rhodes, he never really threatened to win. Kenny hit the One Winged Angel to seal it after 34:14. A good main event that didn’t seem sure of what it wanted to be. It felt like they brought the weapons into play because they had no other way to fill half an hour. Overly long, a trademark issue with some NJPW main events. [***]
Post-match, Kenny helped Cody up before going into his show closing speech. As he and the Bucks left, the Guerrillas of Destiny and Haku appeared on stage to celebrate with them. However, the Tongans attacked the Golden Elite and brought them down to the ring. They removed their Bullet Club shirts to reveal shirts that said “FIRING SQUAD.” Other Bullet Club members came out to try and help, but also got laid out. Cody was last and got offered a chair by Tama Tonga. He hit them, but also got taken out. Haku planted Omega with a piledriver on a chair to end things. Gedo. Book Haku vs. Omega. Do it, ya coward.
Overall: 7/10. I’d consider this something of your typical NJPW show. Most of the undercard ranged from average to good, with nothing there being must-see. I was disappointed in the Okada tag, too. However, most of the big money main event matches delivered. Cody/Kenny was solid, yet unspectacular. Lee/Hiromu was great again, while Juice/White was stellar. I loved that match and it made this show memorable.
