G1 Climax 24 Day Seven
August 1st, 2014 | Tokyo, Japan
Man, this tournament has been phenomenal. Looking at the card, I see a match that was picked as the 2014 Match of the Year by the Wrestling Observer Newsletter. Despite my excitement for that, it looks like Hiroshi Tanahashi and Kazuchika Okada both have the night off, which is surprising considering the venue. This will be the first show that I watch using NJPW World, which I have to use on my PC. Therefore I won’t be writing the review as I watch and instead jotting down notes during it and writing up something after. Should be interesting.
Block A
Satoshi Kojima (4) vs. Shelton X Benjamin (8)
They started with a fun little back and forth. It featured both guys trying out wrestle each other, out power each other and then when they both got the upper hand, they taunted to the crowd. It was a fun game of one upping each other. Instead of doing the typical guardrail spot, Shelton back suplexed Kojima on it, which looked brutal. Shelton took on control until Satoshi busted out the big chop sequence. However, Shelton was able to cut off his big offense. They fought outside again, where Kojima hit a DDT out there. I preferred that much more to the apron DDT. It looked so much better. Back inside, Kojima hit a lariat to the back and went for another but ran into a superkick, which was cool. The finish comes from a lariat by Kojima.
Winner: Satoshi Kojima (6) in 10:11
I felt like this was a solid choice to open the show. The crowd was really hot, which would be the trend for the show. Their back and forth was fun throughout. My biggest gripe was that the finish kind of came out of nowhere and felt a bit anti-climactic. ***¼
Block B
Lance Archer (4) vs. Toru Yano (6)
Right from the start, Toru Yano and his trademark antics were in full effect. He ran around the ring and Archer gave chase, but it backfired on the big man and he was nearly counted out. Yano’s exposed buckle spot actually led to both guys getting hit by it. Archer stole Yano’s “RVD” taunt and the crowd was so into everything that they even chanted “LANCE AR-CHER” with it. Yano did his best Eddie Guerrero when he threw a chair to Archer to make it seem like he was going to cheat. It fails when Archer punched it into his face and hit his finisher.
Winner: Lance Archer (6) in 4:38
They kept this short, which really helped it. It was the usual Toru Yano fun and nothing more. Enjoyable but not what I would consider a top notch match. It was as good as I expected.**¼
Block B
Karl Anderson (4) vs. Yujiro Takahashi (4)
With both guys being in the Bullet Club, they “too sweet” each other. After an exchange, they go for it again but Takahashi heels it up by getting in a cheap shot. He wants another one but this time it was Anderson who got in a cheap shot. Fun stuff. The fans got behind Anderson partially because he’s really good, but probably also because Takahashi hasn’t been. They ended up in the corner and had a decent series of counters before Anderson ended up winning with the Gun Stun.
Winner: Karl Anderson (6) in 7:45
Decent little match here. It wasn’t as fun as the Yano fun, but still had its moments. Despite the match not being great, I got hints that there is a potentially good face somewhere in Karl Anderson. **½
Block A
Davey Boy Smith (4) vs. Doc Gallows (4)
IT’S DAVID HART SMITH VS. LUKE GALLOWS! Lots of matchups featuring people close to or tied in points. Throughout this tournament so far, Davey Boy Smith has been consistently solid while Doc Gallows has been consistently one of the lesser performers so far. They tried to battle power before Smith busted out an excellent stalling vertical suplex, complete with a flex. That is impressive considering the size of Gallows. When Gallows took over, it moved to a slower pace. The Gallows Pole only earned Doc a two count, before Smith picked up the win with the Sharpshooter.
Winner: Davey Boy Smith (6) in 10:08
As I noted, this was a slow paced match so it wasn’t very excited. It was smartly worked though, as they played into the strength of both guys. Gallows was allowed to be in control until Smith picked up the win. I do think it was cool to win with the Sharpshooter too. **½
Block B
Hirooki Goto (6) vs. Hiroyoshi Tenzan (4)
While he hasn’t been bad, I don’t think Hiroyoshi Tenzan has been great outside of the AJ Styles match. This started with just both guys hitting each other hard as they built towards the bigger offense. Tenzan nailed his wheel kick, which looked better than it would in 2015, but still came off weak. It wasn’t Viscera bad but it wasn’t very impressive. As they moved into countering each other, the fans get more into this. In a cool moment, Goto knocked him down and tried to pick him up but he was dead weight. Instead of continuing to try and lift him, Goto tried to pin him, which, while it didn’t work, I thought it was smart. They moved into a fun finishing sequence that surprised me when Tenzan won with the Anaconda Vice.
Winner: Hiroyoshi Tenzan (6) in 11:46
Best match of the night so far. Hiroyoshi Tenzan shut me up and went out and had another really good match. Their counters were well done, the action was hard hitting and they worked to have the crowd way into it. A thoroughly enjoyable match. ***¾
Block A
Bad Luck Fale (6) vs. Tomoaki Honma (0)
As usual, the fans were MOLTEN hot for Tomoaki Honma. This pairing worked well because Bad Lucky Fale got to be his destructive self and Tomoaki Honma had to make the comeback, which played into his strength. At one point, Honma knocked Fale outside and did his headbutt to a standing Fale, which was pretty great. The crowd pretty much bit on every single thing that Honma did, including each near fall. Honma even kicked out of the grenade, which gave the crowd hope, but he fell to the Bad Luck Fall.
Winner: Bad Luck Fale (8) in 6:40
The heat during this match was fantastic and, despite only going under seven minutes, it was damn good. They did a lot in the time and having the crowd be ungodly hot for Tomoaki Honma added to this. Their styles worked very well together. This is one of those matches that was short but didn’t need more time. ***½
Block B
Tetsuya Naito (8) vs. Togi Makabe (4)
I feel like this was an interesting matchup. You had the speed game of Tetsuya Naito against the vicious style of Togi Makabe. After a brief back and forth to start, this turned into Makabe taking control. He just pounded away on Naito, not allowing him to go into the high octane offense that he’s known for. He had Naito well scouted, countering some of his signature moves during his rallies. His corner dropkick and rebound attack were both stopped by Makabe, which I appreciated. Naito was resilient throughout, even trying to fight off the spider suplex. However, Makabe smashed his face into the ring post, which gave a sickening sound. The suplex and knee drop finished Naito off.
Winner: Togi Makabe (6) in 12:02
Honestly, I didn’t expect this to be as good as it ended up being. I wasn’t sure if they would click but they really did. Babyface Naito was so good at being resilient, but I think it would have worked a bit better if the crowd was more into him. They seemed to be behind Togi for the most part, making his comeback attempts kind of fall flat. Still, great work from both guys. ****
Block B
AJ Styles (6) vs. Minoru Suzuki (6)
Going into this, I had high expectations due to the high praise I had heard for this. They started with a face to face stare down that was pretty awesome in itself. They got right into it with AJ hitting his signature dropkick quickly. When they fought outside, I expected the typical guardrail spot, but instead, AJ leapt over and came back with his springboard punch which I appreciate. Suzuki, being the bad dude that he is, took the fight to the crowd and applied an armbar in a chair on AJ. The work he continually does throughout this match on the arm is fantastic and brutal in the best kind of way. When we got a ref bump, I was weary, especially when Taka Michinoku ran in. A few members of the Bullet Club and Suzuki Gun ran in, but they fought to the back, keeping that short. Suzuki is such a badass, that even when he takes AJ’s finger and works it, it looks vicious. Towards the end, they have a fantastic series of counters and strikes. During the strike battle, AJ more than holds his own despite only using his left hand. That is the kind of selling I wanted to see. The match comes to an end after a second Styles Clash.
Winner: AJ Styles (8) in 16:20
This is now officially my favorite match of the tournament. Everything about this was so good. Yea, there was interference but this was a match featuring the two leaders of two heel stables so it playing a factor made sense and at least it was kept short. The arm work is smart, brutal and they go back to it, with AJ’s selling being top notch. This is just fantastic, top notch pro wrestling. ****¾
Block A
Katsuyori Shibata (8) vs. Yuji Nagata (4)
Both of these guys have been having really good matches and Shibata has been one of my favorite people to watch during this entire thing. As you would expect, this was hard hitting from both guys. They fought outside and did the countout tease, but put a twist on it that other matches didn’t do. They traded massive shots outside until 19 and both barely got back in. Despite his age, Nagata laid into Shibata as hard as he got hit, making for some absolutely brutal exchanges. When Nagata applies the armbar, Shibata broke out and sold the effects well. They ended up in an exchange where Shibata just pounded on Nagata with a bunch of shots, but once Nagata hit him back, he fell instantly. Nagata would pull it out after two back suplexes.
Winner: Yuji Nagata (6) in 13:31
This show just continued to deliver. This was two hard hitting dudes just beating the hell out of each other. It was stiff and violent in the best possible way. Nagata playing the old man who doesn’t back down is great. Another fantastic performance from both guys. ****¼
Block A
Shinsuke Nakamura (8) vs. Tomohiro Ishii (6)
They went into a fun exchange early on the in match. When Nakamura gave a clean break, he offered a handshake but ate a slap instead. Both men missed their finishers early and had a bit of a stare down. Nakamura took control and kind of toyed with Ishii, which is obviously a mistake. When Ishii fired back at him, he hit him so hard that Nakamura was coughing like he had the flu. Nakamura went for the Boma Ye a while after but Ishii was ready and stopped it with a dropkick. The near falls that Ishii picked up were all heavily bought into by the fans, including one on a huge lariat. He had one lariat countered into an armbar, which was cool. The finish came when they went into a string of vicious strikes before Nakamura hit Boma Ye, only for Ishii to kick out at 1. That got a huge pop. Nakamura hit another one that ended things.
Winner: Shinsuke Nakamura (10) in 15:14
Another great match on this show, this one fitting as a main event. The hard hitting strikes, the counters, the near falls and the atmosphere all made this a great match. Both guys have consistently been delivering in the tournament and did so again here. Nakamura wins another one and is probably in contention for the MVP of the tournament so far. ****¼
Overall: 9/10. The first half of this show was solid but had nothing to go out of you way and see. The second half changed things completely. Everything after intermission was a blast as even the lowest post intermission score went to a really fun, short match. The fact that this show was as excellent as it was without two of the top stars in the company on it is a testament to the talent level in NJPW. There are four must see matches on this show, including the match of the tournament so far. Amazing show.
Block A Standings
Shinsuke Nakamura 10
Katsuyori Shibata 8
Shelton X Benjamin 8
Hiroshi Tanahashi 8
Bad Luck Fale 8
Tomohiro Ishii 6
Satoshi Kojima 6
Yuji Nagata 6
Davey Boy Smith Jr. 6
Doc Gallows 4
Tomoaki Honma 0
Block B Standings
Tetsuya Naito 8
Kazuchika Okada 8
AJ Styles 8
Minoru Suzuki 6
Hiroyoshi Tenzan 6
Hirooki Goto 6
Togi Makabe 6
Lance Archer 6
Toru Yano 6
Karl Anderson 6
Yujiro Takahashi 4
G1 Climax 24 Day Six
July 31st, 2014 | Shizuoka, Japan
The end of this show will put us at the halfway point of the tournament, which has been a blast so far. On this show, Tomoaki Honma and Tetsuya Naito have the night off. Honma has been a joy to watch each time out, while Naito has really stepped up and had two great matches on the last two shows.
Block A
Bad Luck Fale (6) vs. Doc Gallows (2)
Due to their alliance, the two big men “too sweet” each other at the bell. Gallows is one of the only guys big enough to match power with Fale and they play into that from the start, showing that they are rather even. They brawl outside, leading to a guardrail spot. I swear NJPW does these at least 5 times per show. Gallows hilariously misses a shoulder block in the ring and just crashes. They go back to colliding, with neither guy gaining a full advantage. Gallows hits the Bicycle Kick and surprisingly walks out as the winner.
Winner: Doc Gallows (4) in 8:04
Considering the two guys involved, this was about as good as it could have been, but that isn’t saying much. They smartly played the dueling power game, but it was still pretty dull. Add in the lack of heat since both guys are BC members and you’ve got recipe for arguably the worst match of the G1 so far. **
Block A
Davey Boy Smith Jr. (4) vs. Yuji Nagata (2)
This begins with some chain wrestling before going outside. Smith slams Nagata outside and we get an extremely close countout tease. Like, I thought Nagata was done and we’d have a quick result here. Yuji tries to rally, but Smith is able to just toss him around the ring. In a cool moment, Nagata goes to whip Smith but instead pulls him down and into the armbar. When Smith survives that, Nagata goes off, hitting a big release German and spin kick. He finishes with an exploder.
Winner: Yuji Nagata (4) in 9:39
I’m going to say that it is a good thing that this was longer than the opener, but felt shorter. Davey Boy Smith Jr. continues to just have solid match after solid match. Fun stuff here.***¼
Block B
Togi Makabe (4) vs. Yujiro Takahashi (2)
Struggling to pick up wins in this tournament, Takahashi attacks early and beats up Makabe on the outside. A dropkick out there brings us another countout tease. It seems like Takahashi’s focus is the mouth or jaw of Makabe. Takahashi has a weird lump or something on his leg, which is distracting. Makabe starts to take control but ends up missing the big King Kong knee drop. They trade shots until Takahashi shoves Makabe into the referee. That allows him to hit a low blow, followed by a buckle bomb and Miami Shine. That’s all folks.
Winner: Yujiro Takahashi (4) in 8:16
Not the worst match I’ve seen Yujiro Takahashi have, but this still wasn’t very good. I liked the idea of going after the jaw, as you don’t see that very often, but it just wasn’t that interesting. **½
Block A
Katsuyori Shibata (6) vs. Satoshi Kojima (4)
This should be hard hitting fun. It starts like that before going outside and giving us that good old guardrail spot. Kojima does the apron DDT, which looks better than it has all tournament so far. Kojima lights Shibata up with chops, but Shibata turns it around with strikes until Kojima hits a massive chop. There is a VERY close countout spot after a suplex. I hated how Kojima just shot up to get in. Now inside, they just pound on each other with stiff shots and suplexes. It’s all pretty great. Brainbuster scores two for Kojima. Kojima fires off some shots but Shibata comes back with a spinning back fist. He then hits the GTS and a PK right to the face that looks like it may have killed Kojima.
Winner: Katsuyori Shibata (8) in 10:11
One of the better matches all tournament. I’ve found myself really becoming a fan of Shibata’s style and he delivered another good hard hitting match here. The closing stretch was pretty excellent and had me on the edge of my seat. ****
Block B
Hirooki Goto (6) vs. Karl Anderson (2)
A surprise comes early when Karl Anderson actually gives a clean break. They go outside where we again get a guardrail and false countout spot. If I have one issue with this tournament so far, it’s that I’ve seen this way too many times. Anderson is in firm control, toying with Goto by slapping him around. They do a spot where they can’t knock each other down with lariats until Goto hits the ropes and wipes him out. They fight to the top where Goto connects on his sunset flip bomb for two. There are a few counters next until Goto nails a big neckbreaker for two. He calls for a Brainbuster but it’s blocked and we go to more counters. It’s a fantastic finishing sequence that ends with a Gun Stun.
Winner: Karl Anderson (4) in 11:36
My favorite Karl Anderson match of the G1 24 so far. He was disappointing early but had a good match with Okada and a fun one with Yano. Goto has been consistently good and this just worked well. The counters were fun, the near falls were well done and that finishing sequence was something else. ***¾
Block B
Lance Archer (4) vs. Minoru Suzuki (4)
This should be interesting since they are from the same stable and have both been working very well as heels so far. Guess what happens here guys? Another guardrail spot. Archer has been using his power, but Suzuki uses his brain to go after the leg. He does something different with the guardrail at least, applying a submission on it. He continues to work it until Archer starts making a comeback. He goes for his finish but Suzuki blocks and tries a sleeper. Archer tries a Chokeslam but it is blocked with a high knee. Suzuki applies saka otoshi for the submission win.
Winner: Minoru Suzuki (6) in 9:17
Fun match here. Two relatively bad dudes going at it. The leg work from Suzuki was well done and wise. Nothing must see, but still solid. **¾
Block A
Shelton X Benjamin (8) vs. Shinsuke Nakamura (6)
During his trademark entrance pose, Nakamura is attacked by Benjamin. Benjamin seems to be targeting the knee, slamming it into the apron and stretching it on the guardrail. Even as Nakamura attempts to rally, Shelton is ready with kicks to the leg. It’s well done leg work. Shinsuke gets in some of his trademark stuff for a near fall. I like Shinsuke slapping his leg, seemingly trying to get feeling back. It’s a nice little touch. Shelton makes use of the leg work with an ankle lock. When Shinsuke survives that, Shelton hits a superkick and German for two. Nakamura counters Paydirt into an armbar but doesn’t win until two Boma Ye’s connect.
Winner: Shinsuke Nakamura (8) in 9:01
Remember when Shelton X Benjamin had the big lead? As for the match, it was solid while it lasted. The leg work was well done and made sense given Shelton’s multiple ankle lock attempts. I would like to see them work a longer match, which I believe that have in the past. Will be checking that out. ***½
Block B
AJ Styles (4) vs. Hiroyoshi Tenzan (4)
Early on, AJ steals the Mongolian chops but when Tenzan gives him one back, it takes him down. Tenzan, the veteran of the G1, is kind of teaching AJ a lesson through the beginning portions. AJ hits a cool superkick in the crowd before taking over on the inside. His dropkick is always a thing of beauty, even if he’s nearly 40 now. Styles continuously goes for the Styles Clash but Tenzan seems to have this well scouted and blocks or counters it multiple times. Tenzan goes into a series of headbutts, including one from the top that earns him two. He moves straight to the Anaconda Vice but AJ survives. Tenzan misses a moonsault, giving AJ an opening. He hits a springboard punch and looks for Bloody Sunday. Tenzan blocks but eats the Pele before taking the Styles Clash.
Winner: AJ Styles (6) in 14:22
Really fun match here. AJ Styles continues to have nothing but good matches regardless of his opponent. I don’t think he’s had a standout one yet, but this was another in a string of really good performances. I liked how Tenzan had him well scouted, but his ability was able to win out. ***¾
Block B
Kazuchika Okada (6) vs. Toru Yano (6)
Both guys are members of CHAOS. Yano wants his usual BREAK but Okada doesn’t give it and instead does his Rainmaker pose. Yano responds with his trademark shrug which was fun. Outside, Yano goes to use a chair but Gedo stops him. Okada charges and Yano moves, which was supposed to lead to Gedo getting hit but they whiff completely. Yano teases a countout win by throwing Okada way into the crowd. It obviously fails as Okada makes it back. The turnbuckle spot also backfires, allowing Okada to go into his offense. However, his Rainmaker attempt is countered and he’s sent into the exposed corner. The finish has a cool sequence involving a low blow and rollup false finish before the Rainmaker puts Yano down. It sounded impactful too.
Winner: Kazuchika Okada (8) in 9:01
I rather enjoyed it. It wasn’t a great match or anything like that, but it was the typical Yano fun upped a bit by the interactions with Okada, the low blow false finish and the cool finish.***¼
Block A
Hiroshi Tanahashi (6) vs. Tomohiro Ishii (6)
The winner of this will tie Benjamin, Shibata and Nakamura for the Block A lead. A fair amount of Tanahashi’s stuff gets no sold as Ishii is looking like a beast. They get into a chop battle, which, if you’ve ever seen Ishii, you know is not a good thing for Tanahashi. Tanahashi goes after the leg with dragon screws and a cloverleaf. It’s cool to see Ishii turn the tables and apply a Sharpshooter. Ishii gets some near falls before they stumble a bit in the middle of the ring, leading to the slingblade. Tanahashi is now the one getting the close calls and looks for High Fly Flow. Ishii gets his knees up and both men are down. Ishii comes close to a win with both a lariat and a running headbutt. The fans are biting on nearly all of these. When Tanahashi hits a few moves, he instantly runs up and nails the High Fly Flow to win.
Winner: Hiroshi Tanahashi (8) in 15:02
Really good match but it had a really abrupt ending. It seemed like they were building to something special and then the finish came out of nowhere and not in a good way. It kind of just fell flat. Outside of that, everything else they did worked very well and was a fitting main event. ***¾
Overall: 8/10. Here we have another show in this tournament chock full of good matches. Unlike some nights, this didn’t many great matches as the only one that stands out as great was Shibata/Kojima, but it’s still an easy watch with tons of good stuff. The main event, Styles/Tenzan, Anderson/Goto and the second half of the this show all delivered. Six for six in good events.
Block A Standings
Katsuyori Shibata 8
Shinsuke Nakamura 8
Shelton X Benjamin 8
Hiroshi Tanahashi 8
Bad Luck Fale 6
Tomohiro Ishii 6
Satoshi Kojima 4
Yuji Nagata 4
Davey Boy Smith Jr. 4
Doc Gallows 4
Tomoaki Honma 0
Block B Standings
Tetsuya Naito 8
Kazuchika Okada 8
AJ Styles 6
Toru Yano 6
Hirooki Goto 6
Minoru Suzuki 6
Hiroyoshi Tenzan 4
Karl Anderson 4
Yujiro Takahashi 4
Togi Makabe 4
Lance Archer 4
For those that don't get it, the title is a reference to Dean Ambrose being irrelevant now. With his former Shield brothers in a WWE Title program, he's kind of just there. Speaking of Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins though, they opened Raw. Reigns came out and cut a short promo, which is how it should be. Seth ran him down and Reigns wanted to fight. The Authority showed up and told both men to get teams for the main event as they would have a Survivor Series style match. Cool, so fuck what makes the PPV special because you get it on Raw. The opening contest pit Dolph Ziggler against Kevin Owens. They had a decent outing and Tyler Breeze appeared. Of course they cut to commercial as he came out for dumb reasons. Breeze barely distracted Dolph but it was enough to get the win for Owens. Breeze attacked after an took a selfie with his fallen body. Fine stuff to further push Breeze/Ziggler and get Owens a win.
Backstage, Seth Rollins kissed Kevin Owens' ass to get him on his team. Becky Lynch gets interviewed by Renee Young and is just so adorable. She's better on the mic than given credit for and comes off as more likable than the rest of the faces on the roster. Cesaro wrestled next and defeated the Miz in a match that was kind of just there. At least Cesaro looked impressive. The Cosmic Wasteland was again in the crowd with their Stardust Section signs. Moving on, the Wyatt Family came out and Bray Wyatt cut a promo about taking the bodies of the Undertaker and Kane. He says that what mattered was their souls and how he has their powers. Terrible looking CGI lightning hit the ring and we were to believe that he has mythical powers. I love this kind of thing on Lucha Underground but the WWE likes to call this the reality era and it really seemed out of place here. I'd really like the idea behind it if it wasn't for that or the awful special effects.
Next up, a video package aired to hype up the Lucha Dragons which was pretty random. It was a cool video but wouldn't be needed if they built and developed the team properly. They faced King Barrett and Sheamus in what turned out to be a damn good match. It was a blast, the Lucha Dragons are so much fun and are most likely headed to a Tag Team Title shot. I don't like Sheamus being in a tag team though since Mr. Money in the Bank shouldn't be fussed with a tag team. Backstage, Jack Swagger met up with Zeb Colter and questioned the partnership with Alberto Del Rio. Del Rio made things tense and it ended there but I assume we get a match soon between them. In a rematch from Smackdown, Del Rio then beat R-Truth. The crowd at this point, is beyond dead.
In the back, Seth Rollins bumped into Kofi Kingston and Big E, who wanted to be on Seth's team. He agrees but says they are still down a man. Using the power of unicorns, we hear a trombone and Xavier Woods returns. It was glorious and I've missed Xavier. Brie Bella, Becky Lynch, Paige and Sasha Banks met in a Fatal Four Way match to determine the number one contender for Charlotte's Divas Title. Overall, they worked a good match. It had a few issues in the middle but they worked through them and managed to have a good match. My only real gripe besides a few missteps was Brie doing does Daniel Bryan kicks again. The girl has shown that she is more than capable of having good matches but being a heel and trying to get face reactions is a bad move. As expected, Paige got the win and Becky took the pin. We now get Charlotte vs. Paige at Survivor Series and I suspect some sort of Team Sasha vs. Team Natalya match. Paige gets questioned after the match and calls her opponents losers. She then shouts that it is her house, because that's pretty much the entirety of Paige's vocabulary at this point. Charlotte was interviewed after the match and as usual, was kind of just there on the mic. She's not bad at it but she's not really good either.
With tons of time left on the show, we got our big time Survivor Series main event match. Seth Rollins and his amazing team stood in the ring but we hadn't heard anything about Roman Reigns' team. He chose Ryback, Dean Ambrose and the returning Usos. Outside of a quick elimination of Woods, I thought this was a very well done match. It got about thirty minutes and everything made sense. It came down to the Shield members as Rollins was left along with the men he turned on. last year. Like a classic heel, Seth tried to run but when they failed, he resorted to using a chair to get disqualified. This was an instant where the DQ made a ton of sense. The only post match part that I didn't like was that Reigns ran him off. I think Seth standing tall with a chair would have been a good image. All in all, this was a solid episode of Raw. Nothing was great but nothing was really offensive either. 7/10.
1) Roman Reigns: This week, there really isn't another viable choice. Fresh off a win against Bray Wyatt in a great Hell in a Cell match, Reigns set his sights on the WWE Championship. First, he defeated Kofi Kingston in a pretty good match to kick off Raw and advance to a Fatal Four Way main event. In that main event, which was another really good match, Reigns overcame Dolph Ziggler, Alberto Del Rio and Kevin Owens to become the number one contender to Seth Rollins' WWE Title. Their faceoff to end Raw was cool and that main event honestly has a really big fight feel. On Smackdown, Reigns cut a solid promo, which is odd for him and then met Owens in a singles match. He won via countout. Now is probably the time to pull the trigger on Roman Reigns.
2) Chad Gable and Jason Jordan: reDRagon is the best tag team out there, but these two may be my favorite. Chad Gable and Jason Jordan have already moved into one of the three best tag teams that I can think of. This week on NXT, they wrestled Johnny Gargano and Tommaso Ciampa. I didn't hear much buzz after the tapings about it, but either Gargano or Ciampa tweeted that it was must see. Whoever said it was correct. It was the most fun tag match in weeks and Gable and Jordan are unbelievable to watch. Jordan has finally found something that works and Gable is one of only two guys currently, with Zack Sabre Jr., that I could watch an entire match of him just on the mat and being insanely entertained.They are a special team.
3) Roppongi Vice: New Japan is running their Super Junior Tag Team Tournament on their "Road to Power Struggle" shows. Matt Sydal and Ricochet advanced to the finals over the Young Bucks in a pretty solid match. However, it was Roppongi Vice that faced reDRagon in the main event. reDRagon are the current reigning IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Tag Team Champions and have a pretty phenomenal record in straight up tag matches in NJPW. These two teams had an underwhelming match at King of Pro Wrestling but certainly made up for that with a really good match here. Baretta and Rocky Romero were able to pull off a slight upset by defeating reDRagon and advancing to the finals.
4) Jun Akiyama: It's pretty hard to find any current pictures or gifs of Jun Akiyama so this will have to do. I've actually recently gone back and watched some of his stuff from the past on a recommendation of a friend. The fact that he was having the kind of matches he was having back in the 90s and is still able to walk is pretty insane. Not only can he still walk but he is still competing and just won the All-Japan Pro Wrestling Triple Crown Championship from Akebono. The title doesn't have the prestige that it once had but it's still a relatively important win.
5) Alberto Del Rio: The pairing with Zeb Colter has been a bit rocky so far, but one thing is for sure, Alberto Del Rio is rejuvenated in the ring. I and a lot of others noticed it during his time with Ring of Honor, AAA and Lucha Underground, but he's still on his game now that he's back with the WWE. The match with John Cena was disappointing but his outing against Neville on Raw was good and he was probably the highlight of the great Fatal Four Way main event on Raw. I think he'll drop the title once John Cena returns, but for right now, I'm just enjoying the return of a fired up El Patron.
G1 Climax 24 Day Five
July 28th, 2014 | Sendai, Japan
After a fantastic day four, it’s time to see if day five is going to continue that or be a bit of a night off. Speaking of night offs, Yuji Nagata and Togi Makabe are the two men resting today.
Block A
Doc Gallows (2) vs. Tomohiro Ishii (4)
Tomohiro Ishii is not a small man, but he looks tiny compared to Doc Gallows. Gallows no sells early due to his size, proving to be a tough test for Ishii. Props to Gallows for just taking Ishii chops like they don’t hurt or something. Gallows is in firm control, with Ishii selling well. There are a few openings for Ishii, but Gallows stops them all. Ishii kicks out of the Gallows Pole after scoring two of his own on a LARIATOOOOO. Ishii delivers some headbutts and a seated lariat for two again. He struggles to hit the Brainbuster, but Gallows either being too big or countering each time. Finally, following a kick, he nails it and gets the two points.
Winner: Tomohiro Ishii (6) in 8:11
Sometimes, Doc Gallows matches can be rough and sometimes he surprises me. This was the latter. These two complimented each other well. Gallows’ slow style worked with Ishii and the story of Ishii having to overcome his size disadvantage (similar to the opening tournament match with Fale) was good. It’s like he figured out what he needed to. ***¼
Block B
Hiroyoshi Tenzan (4) vs. Lance Archer (2)
This starts with a strike war involving chops, forearm shots and Tenzan chops. Similar to the last show, Archer works as a very intense heel. He beats up Tenzan outside, threatening fans and officials along the way. Tenzan starts the rally and takes out Taka Michinoku at ringside. He puts on the Anaconda Vice but Archer gets free. He misses a moonsault, opening the door for a big Chokeslam. I’ve never gone out of my way to see Archer, but I do really like his Chokeslam. Tenzan kicks out of that, but not the Blackout finisher.
Winner: Lance Archer (4) in 10:44
Standard fare from Lance Archer so far in the tournament. He plays the angry heel well and his opponent makes a solid comeback. This time, Archer weathered the storm and won though. Not a bad match, but nothing I would need to see again. **½
Block A
Davey Boy Smith Jr. (2) vs. Satoshi Kojima (4)
Neither guy is able to get in the driver’s seat through the first few minutes, trading offense. The biggest spot comes from Kojima hitting an apron DDT, though it came off looking ugly, similar to the one he did to Ishii. Each time I see Davey Boy Smith do a stalling suplex that damn nostalgia kicks in. I’m glad that’s the most I’ve seen him take from his dad though. Kojima comes back with his chops, which look like they murder Smith. Taka has to be the worst corner man ever as he is again instantly thwarted. Most of Kojima’s offense looks brutal throughout. Smith gets a really close near fall on a sweet bridging tiger suplex. Kojima looks for a lariat but Smith counters with a powerslam and then a powerbomb to win.
Winner: Davey Boy Smith Jr. (4) in 11:30
The finish to this match was pretty damn cool. Davey Boy Smith continues to put on solid performances each chance he’s given. He’s been one of the more consistent guys in this thing. Points to Kojima for beating the hell out of him, making this a bit more fun. ***
Block B
Minoru Suzuki (2) vs. Yujiro Takahashi (2)
Taka Michinoku is getting all of his work in successively. Yujiro Takahashi attacks before the bell and throws Suzuki into the guardrail. A distraction from Taka allows Suzuki to use a chair and turn the tide. Suzuki just beats on Takahashi inside and outside of the ring. Even when the NEVER Champion tries to trade blows, he loses out. Yujiro hits some offense, but misses the Miami Shine and Suzuki gets him in saka otoshi for the submission victory.
Winner: Minoru Suzuki (4) in 8:39
I apologize if the write up for this match seems short but it was really mostly Minoru Suzuki kicking ass for the most part. That was fine since I’m not big on Takahashi. Enjoyable but nothing special. **¾
Block B
Karl Anderson (2) vs. Toru Yano (4)
Karl Anderson attacks before the bell and puts on Yano’s jacket before stealing his taunt and turning it into “Ma-Chine-Gun”, “Ya-No-Sucks” and “Bul-Let-Club”. It’s all pretty funny actually. They have some fun with Yano’s trademark corner spot and he scores two on a rollup that the fans buy since he’s already done it twice. Yano does some ear pulling, which is hilarious to see Anderson sell afterwards. Yano tries for the low blow but Anderson counters it multiple times until he finally gets hit. Yano then rolls him up to steal yet another one.
Winner: Toru Yano (6) in 5:46
The best kind of Toru Yano match. It wasn’t long and it was really fun. From Karl Anderson stealing taunts, selling the ears and the fun finishing sequence involving the referee, this was a blast. ***
Block A
Katsuyori Shibata (4) vs. Shelton X Benjamin (8)
Through the first four nights, Shelton X Benjamin has been the surprise of the tournament, going undefeated. This seems like it will be his toughest test. They open with a feeling out process, both giving clean breaks on the ropes. Shelton goes for an early ankle lock but Shibata makes the ropes. They go to strikes, which is a fight Shelton will lose, so he catches a kick and hits a huge spinebuster. Outside, Shelton continues the assault, swinging Shibata into the guardrails. Shibata beats the count and is in trouble in the ring until busting out a running knee. Shibata goes to strikes and beats the fuck out of Shelton. Shelton does get two on the dragon whip though. Shibata wins a strike exchange with a huge spinning back hand that seems to knock Shelton out. In a fantastic counter, Shelton catches the Go to Sleep knee and turns it into an ankle lock. Shibata reaches the ropes and hits a German but misses the PK. Shelton goes into a series of big superkick like shots only for Shibata to dodge Paydirt and lock in the sleeper. He escapes, but ends up back in it and eats the PK for his first loss.
Winner: Katsuyori Shibata (6) in 14:01
Best tournament match for Shelton Benjamin so far. Their styles managed to work well together, with Shelton controlling the mat and Shibata owning the striking. The closing stuff with them countering each other’s finishers was really well done. It also seemed like the crowd was completely ready to buy another Shelton win because he just kept pulling them out. Great stuff. ****
Block B
AJ Styles (2) vs. Hirooki Goto (6)
Similar to the last match, we get the guys trying to feel each other out as I believe this is a first time ever match. AJ is first to gain any sort of clear upper hand, with some shots in the corner and a nice suplex. AJ works a submission for a bit and, in a cool moment, reaches to grab Goto’s hand and pull it away from the ropes. Smart stuff. We get some more Styles stuff until Goto powers up and hits a rebound lariat. AJ stops that with a cool looking facebuster. They fight up top where Goto gets two on a sunset flip bomb. That seems to send this match into second gear as AJ then follows with a Pele after countering Goto’s finisher. AJ runs into a big neckbreaker like move but goes into a flurry with the Bloody Sunday and Styles Clash to win.
Winner: AJ Styles (4) in 14:58
Despite his record being only 2-2, AJ Styles continues to deliver in this tournament. I feel like this started a bit slow, but they did a good job in building to the conclusion. Styles needed a win like this as his only one so far came over Yano. Really good match, just a shade off of being great. ***¾
Block A
Bad Luck Fale (4) vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi (6)
Tanahashi makes an early mistake by trying to battle power with Fale, which is a clear mistake. Fale just dominates the early goings, stopping Tanahashi at every turn and abusing him. Of course, this is Hiroshi Tanahashi we’re talking about here so he finds openings and seemingly always attacks the leg. At one point, he reverse a powerslam into an inverted DDT. He goes all Shawn Michaels and skins the cat to pulls Fale over and to the outside in a cool spot. Not contest with that, Tanahashi leaps onto him with the HIGH FLY FLOW! Inside, he hits it again seemingly but Fale actually catches him by the throat. I don’t know if it looked as cool as they hoped it would. Tanahashi escapes the Bad Luck Fall once, but still ends up getting hit by it for the 1-2-3.
Winner: Bad Luck Fale (6) in 12:27
I was surprised by this result. I know that Fale would beat him the next year, but I didn’t know he did here too. Solid match with Tanahashi playing to Fale’s strengths and making for some entertaining wrestling. This was a smartly worked match. ***½
Block A
Shinsuke Nakamura (4) vs. Tomoaki Honma (0)
The “Honma” chants start instantly as he continues to be a favorite during this tournament. Nakamura toys with the winless wonder and it backfires, though Honma of course misses the headbutt. Nakamura comes back and continues to kind of play with and taunt Honma. Each time that Honma looks like the comeback is coming, Nakamura has an answer. The fans, as always, bite on Honma near falls and pop when he goes up for the big headbutt. He’s Honma though, so he misses it. They go into a strike exchange that Nakamura wins but when he tries Boma Ye, Honma dodges and goes into a clever rollup for two. Nakamura nails Boma Ye for two but goes right into another that ends it.
Winner: Shinsuke Nakamura (6) in 10:19
A thrill ride of non-stop action from the start. The fans being 100% into Honma made this even better. They bite on everything Honma does and Nakamura was great at toying with him early, but getting more serious when he needed to. ****
Block B
Kazuchika Okada (6) vs. Tetsuya Naito (6)
As noted before, Tetsuya Naito won the G1 last year. At Wrestle Kingdom 8, Naito lost his shot at the IWGP Heavyweight Title to Okada, so this is the rematch. They start incredibly quickly, just bouncing off the ropes and each other. Okada dropkicks Naito from the top and to the floor. Okada takes over from there, and again, I have to point out how good he is when playing the cocky heel. Naito starts the rally but Okada is ready. He hits the elbow and signals for the RAINMAKA! Naito ducks it and hits a nice tornado DDT. Okada hits a dropkick to the back of the head though, as the back and forth continues. Okada hits a tombstone but again misses the Rainmaker, allowing Naito to hit a dragon suplex. Naito then again counters the Rainmaker into an arm drag, before getting his win back from the Tokyo Dome with the Stardust Press.
Winner: Tetsuya Naito (8) in 13:54
Everything that these two did looked crisp and they had the crowd in the palm of their hands. Okada is five times better than normal when he gets to play the heels role more and that was the case here. After a slow start, Naito has turned it up on the last two shows, delivering in a big main event performance here. The pace was fast, the counters were great and the match was exciting. ****¼
Overall: 8/10. Hey look, the tournament delivered again. After two solid shows on nights two and three, we had an amazing night four. This show ranks around where night one did but below night four. There were three matches that I gave at least four stars to but most of the undercard is underwhelming. The second half of this show though, from Shibata/Shelton onwards, is absolute money.
Block A Standings
Shelton X Benjamin 8
Shinsuke Nakamura 6
Hiroshi Tanahashi 6
Katsuyori Shibata 6
Bad Luck Fale 6
Tomohiro Ishii 6
Satoshi Kojima 4
Davey Boy Smith Jr. 4
Yuji Nagata 2
Doc Gallows 2
Tomoaki Honma 0
Block B Standings
Tetsuya Naito 8
Kazuchika Okada 6
Hirooki Goto 6
Toru Yano 6
AJ Styles 4
Hiroyoshi Tenzan 4
Togi Makabe 4
Minoru Suzuki 4
Lance Archer 4
Karl Anderson 2
Yujiro Takahashi 2
