G1 Climax 23 Day Eight Review

G1 Climax 23 Day Eight
August 10th, 2013 | Sumo Hall in Tokyo, Japan

As noted for the previous night, Hiroyoshi Tenzan and Hirooki Goto are out with injuries, giving Katsuyori Shibata and Yuji Nagata forfeit wins tonight.

Captain New Japan and KUSHIDA vs. Takashi Iizuka and YOSHI-HASHI
During his entrance through the crowd Iizuka tries to attack the commentator but Manabu Nakanishi, who is also on commentary, makes the save. Once that kerfuffle is over, Captain New Japan takes a beating in the ring. That isn’t surprising at all. This goes on for a bit and the tag goes to KUSHIDA. I’ve always really enjoyed KUSHIDA and he’s pretty fun here. Even though he’s doing so well, perpetual loser Captain New Japan wants the tag back in. He gets in and does pretty well, hitting YOSHI-HASHI with an exploder. Iizuka tries to use his iron claw thing but the referee stops him. That opens the door for YOSHI-HASHI to use his cane along with a backstabber as they steal a win.

Winners: Takashi Iizuka and YOSHI-HASHI in 8:04
It was better than what we saw on night seven. KUSHIDA was the difference maker. This killed time to make up for the injuries. **

After the match, Iizuka and TOSHI-HASHI continue the attack, hitting both KUSHIDA and the Captain with the Iron Claw. Kazushi Sakuraba hops on the apron, removes his arm sling and backs them off.

Block A
Davey Boy Smith Jr. (8) vs. Prince Devitt (8)
There is a look in Devitt’s eyes that hasn’t been seen throughout this tournament. I also find this interesting because both guys might use interference, which Devitt hasn’t faced. Once he’s overpowered, he gets Fale to distract Smith but it backfires. He continues to use his power, while Devitt is cunning enough to swing the momentum and try to wear Davey down. Davey goes back to big strikes but when he tries the powerslam, Devitt knocks over the referee. Fale comes in for the attack, bringing Taka Michinoku in to stop him. That obviously fails so Davey goes after Fale on his own only for Devitt to hit him with a chair. Devitt hits the double stomp onto the chair again, but falls to 0-3 in pin attempts after it. Both guys counter each other’s finishers. Fale is knocked off the apron and Davey hits a tiger suplex that I swear gets a three count. Devitt does get the shoulder up in time but can’t after a sitout powerbomb.

Winner: Davey Boy Smith Jr. (10) in 7:26
And just like that, Smith is leading his block. A fine match here. They didn’t overdo the interference and Devitt needing help against someone of Smith’s size made sense. Like Devitt’s entire tournament, this was good, but not great. ***¼

Block B
Karl Anderson (8) vs. Yujiro Takahashi (8)
Hey, it’s future Bullet Club buddies. Takahashi resorts to biting early on, which his valets seem to like. By the way, these may have been the best looking ladies he’s come out with so far. When Anderson turns things around, he chooses to pose for the ladies in a sexual manner. They seem to have each other well scouted, avoiding big moves and neither gains a clear upper hand. Anderson, like his namesake, busts out a sweet spinebuster. After a while, both men try their finishes but it is Anderson who connects on the Gun Stun for the two points.

Winner: Karl Anderson (10) in 7:00
This never clicked for me. They tried but it just wasn’t working. I did like the finishing sequence of near finishers though. Also, Yujiro’s girls bump up the score a bit. **½

Block A
Lance Archer (4) vs. Satoshi Kojima (6)
Even though Archer is clearly the bigger man, Kojima shows no fear. He ferociously comes at Archer, trying to stay alive in the standings but gets tossed for his troubles. Archer works the bad shoulder of Kojima. It comes into play when it, coupled with Archer’s size, prevents him from lifting Archer. Kojima just says fuck it and lays into Archer with his trademark string of chops. The crowd was dead for the last match but they have come alive here. Archer stops the string of offense by slamming Kojima off the top. Wise enough to avoid trying to lift him again, Kojima lays out Archer with a DDT on the apron. Back inside, Kojima fights off a Chokeslam once but can’t do it a second time, though he kicks out. Archer continues to pile on the offense but Kojima won’t stay down. He fights back and hits a lariat to the back of the head. Satoshi calls for one more but Archer just falls out before he can connect. The referee looks concerned for him as he’s pretty much dead weight. He gets him up and tries again but Archer hits a damn F5 from out of nowhere! Kojima is still alive as he gets his foot on the rope. He nails his finisher, putting Kojima down for good.

Winner: Lance Archer (6) in 12:38
Okay, that was miles better than I expected. Satoshi Kojima has been one of the better performers of the tournament, while Archer has also been consistently good. They told a great story of Kojima fighting through his injured shoulder and surviving a lot only for Archer to prove to be too much. ***¾

Block B
Shelton X Benjamin (6) vs. Toru Yano (6)
Taking a page out of Yano’s book, Shelton attacks before the bell. The fight moves out into the crowd where Benjamin leaps from a table or something and nails Yano. It sounds a lot more impressive than it looks. Once they reach the ring again, Yano turns the tide by removing a second turnbuckle pad just as Shelton charges in. Yano tries his taunt but has it interrupted twice, the second time by a superkick. After a pull of the ears, Yano finally gets in his taunt. Shelton nails a German but there’s a ref bump. Yano uses this time for a low blow and chair shot. As he lifts Shelton though, he gets a low blow too. He tries to kick back for another low blow but Shelton catches his foot in the ankle lock, which makes Yano submit.

Winner: Shelton X Benjamin (8) in 7:35
Decent enough for the guys involved. We got Yano antics and some decent work from Benjamin. I was entertained. **½

Katsuyori Shibata, who has a forfeit win tonight, came out and cut a promo. I couldn’t understand it.

Block A
Togi Makabe (8) vs. Tomohiro Ishii (4)
I’m pretty sure that this was a fresh match here, but I’m watching in 2016 and their encountered grew pretty tiresome. When you see these two on the card, you know you’re going to get hard hitting action. There’s a point where Ishii switches between chops and punches to just lay into Makabe. They get into a lariat battle that Makabe wins as Ishii crumples. Both guys are just really going to war. Ishii hits a second rope Brainbuster and they’re both down. He comes close to winning with a powerbomb as well. Time for Ishii to hammer away with forearms until Makabe catches him with a Samoan drop. As Makabe sets up for the Spider German, Ishii pretty much knocks him out with a shot. He then takes Makabe off the top and powerbombs into the corner. When that isn’t enough, they go back to trading blows. Ishii gets two on a lariat. Makabe gets two on a dragon suplex. Such good back and forth. Ishii, like a badass, kicks out of a lariat at one, which the crowd can’t believe. Makabe finally puts down his future rival with the King Kong Knee Drop.

Winner: Togi Makabe (10) in 14:02
These two would go on to have many matches. Some great and some not so much. This was one of their better outings. It was just about the right length, had the right amount of near falls and was so hard hitting. Makabe was a former IWGP Champion, while Ishii hadn’t accomplished much, but you bought into the possibility of Ishii getting another upset. ****

For some reason, they crawl to each other after the match and trade forearms again. Makabe knocks Ishii down and out.

Block B
Kota Ibushi (6) vs. Minoru Suzuki (8)
This certainly screams interesting matchup to me. Wisely, Minoru moves things to the mat, trying to ground the high flyer. Ibushi hits the first big move, connecting on a dropkick for one. Things move to the top rope where Suzuki catches Ibushi’s leg in a sick looking single leg crab. Extra props to Minoru for the look of pure joy on his face as he inflicted this pain. Suzuki gains control, working over Ibushi in and out of the ring. His focus is now on the leg, wrenching and twisting it in painful looking ways. Ibushi finds himself in trouble until he can snap off a rana. He then does his signature moonsault to the outside, only remembering to sell the leg way after. Inside, he continues to not do that. Suzuki kicks the shit out of him a bit. They both eventually miss a kick and Ibushi hits a standing corkscrew moonsault for two. Suzuki tries to teach Ibushi with a lesson with slaps, but Ibushi dishes it right back. That’s one of my favorite things about him. He can hit hard with the best of them. The high risk doesn’t pay off when Ibushi misses the Phoenix Splash. Another exchange of blows highlights the next few minutes before Suzuki applies the sleeper. Kota nearly escapes but Suzuki holds on tight. The Gotch style piledriver keeps him down.

Winner: Minoru Suzuki (10) in 13:37
Two of my favorite guys in Japan just going at it. I really enjoyed that and, with more selling of the leg from Ibushi, this could have been a classic. It’s still great though and another strong match on this show. ***¾

Block B
Shinsuke Nakamura (10) vs. Tetsuya Naito (6)
Honestly, this is now two straight matchups that I’ve never seen before, but certainly intrigue me. Naito in a battle for the bottom of the block with 6 points, while Nakamura is in first with ten. They start with a feeling out process. Naito pulls a Nakamura by arrogantly kicking away at Shinsuke. Nakamura turns it around and its some knee strikes on the apron. Nakamura, the reigning IC Champion, now holds serve in the ring. Naito tries to get aggressive but Nakamura shows him why he’s the “King of Strong Style” and beats his ass. Naito is still able to start a comeback. He hits a front flip senton on Nakamura for two, followed by his trademark corner dropkick. Nakamura hits a big suplex but misses Boma Ye. He does nail a second rope knee and tries for Boma Ye again. Naito is ready and rolls him into a victory roll for two. Like most of Naito’s losses, he misses the Phoenix Splash, opening the door for a second middle rope knee from Nakamura. Nakamura starts to lay in big kicks but misses one. Naito gets him in a big rollup for two, which Nakamura kicks out of and right into a backstabber. Naito avoids a big shot and gets a bridging German for two. He keeps his grip, hitting a tiger suplex for two and still keeps his grip, turning it into a. He goes up and nails Stardust Press for the win.

Winner: Tetsuya Naito (8) in 14:50
Considering Naito’s place in the standings, he desperately needed a win here and he wrestled just like that. Nakamura wore down his ribs throughout, but Naito was ready at every turn to avoid the fatal Boma Ye. He finally won in dramatic fashion and it felt earned. ****

Block A
Hiroshi Tanahashi (8) vs. Kazuchika Okada (8)
The stakes are high as the two top guys in New Japan face off and with a loss, either guy would be eliminated from winning their block. These two have traded the IWGP Heavyweight Title for a little over a year at this point. Their feeling out process is fun since they know each other so well. It’s great watching them try to outmaneuver the other with something that they haven’t brought to the table yet. Okada grabs the first real advantage, hitting a rope hung DDT in the corner. He comes close to a countout victory, which he would love to take. Okada wears down Tanahashi in the ring. It’s as if Okada, who just won the belt from Tanahashi a few months earlier, has Tanahashi’s number. Ever resilient, Tanahashi starts a rally and connects on High Fly Flow to the outside. He mercilessly goes after Okada’s leg, hitting a dragon screw and then just stomping on it relentless. They get into a battle of strikes that has the crowd on the edge of their seats. Okada’s arm is busted as he calls for the Rainmaker, which Tanahashi avoids. Tanahashi goes back to the leg with more dragon screws and a cloverleaf. Tanahashi does his own Rainmaker pose but Okada sends him over, where he skins the cat back in and nails slingblade. He misses High Fly Flow however. Okada tries for the tombstone but his arm gives out, so he goes with a dropkick. This time, the tombstone connects, but Tanahashi counters the Rainmaker into one of his own! Near falls from both men come as we reach a boiling point. Tanahashi hits the Styles Clash, a sign of things to come, but Okada gets his knees up on High Fly Flow. They continue to go at it and Okada scores on a dropkick. Tanahashi manages to again avoid the Rainmaker as time expires.

Time limit draw in 30:00
It’s pretty much impossible for these two to have a bad match. I’ve loved all but one of their matches and this was excellent. It did start a bit slow, but it made sense given their history. When things got going, it really was incredible. Such good and forth, with some top notch selling and great counters. Add in the drama of the clock winding down and the desperation of both men needing this win and you’ve got a classic. ****½

Overall: 9/10. A great night of pro wrestling. I can forgive the opener being dull due to the injuries and even that was better than the previous show. The rest of the card was at the very least enjoyable. Some things were fun and the rest were really good to great. Three matches come in at four stars, with Naito/Nakamura, Makabe/Ishii and Tanahashi/Okada all being excellent. Suzuki/Ibushi was very good and we got a surprisingly strong showing from Kojima and Archer. Just awesome stuff all around.

Block A Standings
Katsuyori Shibata 10 points
Davey Boy Smith Jr. 10 points
Togi Makabe 10 points
Hiroshi Tanahashi 9 points
Kazuchika Okada 9 points
Hirooki Goto 8 points
Prince Devitt 8 points
Lance Archer 6 points
Satoshi Kojima 6 points
Tomohiro Ishii 4 points

Block B Standings
Minoru Suzuki 10 points
Karl Anderson 10 points
Shinsuke Nakamura 10 points
Yujiro Takahashi 8 points
Tetsuya Naito 8 points
Yuji Nagata 8 points
Shelton X Benjamin 8 points
Hiroyoshi Tenzan 6 points
Kota Ibushi 6 points
Toru Yano 6 points

G1 Climax 23 Day Seven Review

G1 Climax 23 Day Seven
August 8th, 2013 | Yokohama, Japan

For the first time so far, we’re having a big change in the tournament. Due to injuries, both Hirooki Goto and Hiroyoshi Tenzan have to forfeit their remaining matches. That means that the card has to be shuffled a bit and Davey Boy Smith Jr. and Shinsuke Nakamura both get forfeit wins tonight.

Captain New Japan and Tomoaki Honma vs. Takashi Iizuka and YOSHI-HASHI
It’s the first tag team match of the tournament shows so far. The heels attack quickly, beating up Captain New Japan in the crowd, though he beats the countout and makes it back to the ring. CNJ looks very much like a power ranger. Iizuka and Honma brawl through the crowd. CNJ takes a beating for a while until Honma returns to the mild tag. Honma is nowhere near the level of popularity he would attain a year later in the G1. He does go a bit wild with headbutts before missing the top rope one. The heels continue to just do stuff and the faces take a beating. Iizuka brings his iron glove to into play, leveling the Captain. YOSHI-HASHI gets the pin.

Winners: Takashi Iizuka and YOSHI-HASHI in 8:41
Normally, I would question why this went nearly ten minutes but I know there is time to be made up for the two lost tournament matches. The work here was uninspired, the crowd was mostly dead and it screamed filler. *¼

Block B
Kota Ibushi (6) vs. Yujiro Takahashi (6)
Takahashi gets on the mic before the match, as does one of valets. I really wonder what they’re saying. Kota is shown as having eight points, since he will get a forfeit win over Tenzan, but I’m not counting it just yet. Ibushi overwhelms Yujiro with his superior athleticism until he gets caught in a powerslam. Takahashi starts going through some of his offense. Ibushi snaps off a rana, sending him outside, and follows with his signature moonsault. Inside, Ibushi gets two on a standing corkscrew moonsault. Takahashi hits a big time lariat that I didn’t know he had in him. Ibushi counters a powerbomb with a backflip kick and German for two. Takahashi also hits a German for two before Tokyo Pimps keeps Ibushi down.

Winner: Yujiro Takahashi (8) in 8:45
Usually, I’m not a fan of Yujiro Takahashi. However, Kota Ibushi is having one hell of a tournament and he got the best match out of Takahashi so far. It was a fun back and forth battle with both guys playing to their strengths. ***

Block B
Karl Anderson (6) vs. Yuji Nagata (6)
I still love Nagata’s Pirates of the Caribbean theme opening. When the bell rings, the lights go out. It’s just a glitch though Anderson is quick to say “I didn’t do it.” They go back and forth in the early stages before moving the fight into the crowd. Anderson wraps Nagata’s arm around the guardrail and kicks. Once back inside, Anderson talks smack to Nagata and even steals his salute taunt, adding a flip of the bird. Nagata doesn’t take kindly, retaliating with a knee. They do the classic Nagata spot where he powers up after shots up top and hits a big suplex. They go into a back and forth of counters, ending when Anderson counters an exploder into the Gun Stun.

Winner: Karl Anderson (8) in 10:09
I found this to be a fun match but something didn’t click to make it great for me. I found myself disinterested at times. Still, the work was strong and Anderson continues to shine as a dick heel. ***¼

Block A
Katsuyori Shibata (6) vs. Prince Devitt (8)
Here is another match that I was very intrigued by after seeing the blocks. Prince Devitt has boxing gloves with him and Bad Luck Fale puts them on him before the bell. The referee takes one away, so Devitt just throws the other at Shibata. Then Devitt goes into this typical heel antics. He runs around the ring, uses a chair and allows Fale to get involved. When the match moves back to them fighting fair, Shibata shrugs off a lot of what Devitt does and fires back with shots of his own, overwhelming the Jr. Heavyweight Champion. They get into a forearm exchange that Shibata easily wins. He lights Devitt up with kicks before Devitt ducks one and hits a spinning kick. Shibata locks him in the sleeper but Fale whacks him with a chair in the back. Bloody Sunday connects but Shibata gets a shoulder up. The comeback begins as Shibata takes out Fale. He hits the PK on Devitt and follows with the GTS for the 1-2-3.

Winner: Katsuyori Shibata (8) in 6:56
Short, but mostly sweet. They did the interference stuff but since the match was so short, I don’t think it was overdone. Devitt and the gloves was fun, while Shibata kicking the shit out of him and giving him what he deserved was cool. ***

Block A
Kazuchika Okada (6) vs. Tomohiro Ishii (4)
Right from the start, this is an Ishii style fight, as they lay into each other with forearms. Hopefully this follows a similar pattern to the Shibata/Okada match from the night before. Ishii kicks his ass outside for a bit and still holds serve inside. In a fight, Ishii is going to have the upper hand every single time. Wisely, Okada changes the pace and moves away from the strikes, opting for his trademark offense. Okada hits the elbow and does the Rainmaker pose. Ishii wants none of that though, scoring on a second rope suplex for two. Both guys continue with the big offense, trading near falls. Ishii blocks a tombstone with elbow and connects with a big lariat for two. Back to the forearm shots before Okada nails that picture perfect dropkick. Ishii counters the Rainmaker with a lariat and hits another but it still isn’t enough. Rainmaker is blocked again and Ishii hits a headbutt. He comes off the ropes but runs into a tombstone. The third time is the charm for the Rainmaker, putting Ishii down.

Winner: Kazuchika Okada (8) in 11:21
It wasn’t as much of an Okada ass kicking as the Shibata match was, but that’s okay. Ishii was still not a made man at this point but some of those near falls were so close. When you remember that he beat Tanahashi earlier in the tournament and the fact that he fought tooth and nail here, you could buy into it. Both guys did a great job. ***¾

Block A
Hiroshi Tanahashi (6) vs. Lance Archer (4)
Archer wants a test of strength. Tanahashi is like “no dude, you’re too big for that shit” and hits him in the gut. I already see that we’re going to get the big man vs. little man dynamic here. Archer plays right into it, beating the hell out of Tanahashi for a while, both in and out of the ring. He hits the Bossman slam but decides to weirdly yell before covering. He probably wouldn’t have gotten the three anyway, but he should be more focused against someone like Tanahashi. Tanahashi starts to rally a bit after but Archer big boots him outside as he tries to skin the car. More people needed to do that to Shawn Michaels in his day. Tanahashi is bumping like a madman, really helping Archer look like a complete beast. Of course though, he has to do the official babyface comeback. It’s shorter than usual here and finishes things with two High Fly Flows.

Winner: Hiroshi Tanahashi (8) in 10:56
Lance Archer went from a guy that I pretty much never saw have a good match in TNA or WWECW, to cranking out almost nothing but three star matches in the G1. He’s been consistent. Tanahashi was his usual really good self, bumping well for Archer. The monster angle works since Tanahashi is such a good seller. ***¼

Block B
Tetsuya Naito (6) vs. Toru Yano (4)
Since its Toru Yano, he attacks before the bell. Naito turns it around on him momentarily, but still ends up down in the crowd to give us that good old countout tease. We get some classic Yano stuff in the ring as he works over Naito. Naito hits his sweet corner dropkick, stopping Yano in his tracks. Naito decides to nut up and start slapping Yano. He slingshots him into the exposed buckle and hits a powerbomb for two. I almost never buy Yao winning with an actual move. Naito gets in a series of moves, including a bridging German for two. He goes up but misses the Stardust Press. A few crazy rollups see each man get ear falls until Yano uses a low blow to steal it.

Winner: Toru Yano (6) in 9:26
A long match by Yano standards. This was decent. Something seems to be missing from pretty much each match on the show but I can’t put my finger on it. About what you would expect from these two. **¾

Block B
Minoru Suzuki (6) vs. Shelton X Benjamin (6)
Both of these guys are members of the Suzuki-Gun stable. They work at a slower pace than pretty much everything else on the show so far. That’s fine as it adds some diversity to the card. They fight in and out of the ring for a while. Benjamin is in control and it’s as if Suzuki is daring Shelton to hit him harder. I like that dynamic from the leader of the stable to one of his followers. Shelton hits the dragon whip kick and corner splash but Suzuki blocks the German. He ends up putting Shelton in the ankle lock, only for Shelton to reverse into one of his own. Suzuki fights out and Shelton nails a big blockbuster for two. Minoru doesn’t stay down for long and wins with the Gotch style piledriver.

Winner: Minoru Suzuki (8) in 8:42
These are two guys that I usually enjoy. Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case here. Something didn’t work right and the crowd being pretty much silent throughout didn’t help. Very disappointing. **½

After the match, Minoru Suzuki throws the young lions out of the ring and shouts at Shelton to get up. They show respect to each other, showing that the stable is still strong.

Block A
Satoshi Kojima (6) vs. Togi Makabe (6)
Oh yeah, these two should go to war. The sounds they make while wailing away on each other with forearms are actually quite disturbing. Makabe gets in the driver’s seat first. When things spill outside, Kojima is able to turn things around, sending Makabe into the guardrail. Once back inside, they go back to beating the fuck out of each other with forearms. After a bit of back and forth, they move to the outside and brawl there. Kojima gets two on an elbow and the crowd is pretty into this. It’s the opposite of the last outing. Instead of forearms, they trade chops now. Kojima starts laying in the lariats, including one to the back that knocks Makabe down. He goes for another but Makabe blocks. Makabe tries one only for Kojima to stop it with his own arm. Kojima tries now and Makabe counters with a dragon suplex. Great stuff. Kojima finally hits one and falls to the outside. He almost doesn’t make it back in, sliding in at 19. Makabe hits a powerbomb but Kojima kicks out at one. Spider German and King Kong Knee Drop are finally enough to keep Kojima down.

Winner: Togi Makabe (8) in 15:40
I thought this was great. These two just went to war, hitting each other with everything they’ve got. They targeted the injuries that both of them have and the lariat battle near the end was spectacular. A great capper on this show. ***¾

Overall: 6.5/10. Outside of the weird tag team match, this was a solid show. There were two standout matches in Okada/Ishii and Makabe/Kojima. Those, coupled with the other good, fun matches made for a show that kind of sums up this tournament. A lot of good things happening, but some things keeping it from being great. The show felt a bit off at times due to the weird ordering and injuries though.

Block A Standings
Hiroshi Tanahashi 8 points
Togi Makabe 8 points
Hirooki Goto 8 points
Prince Devitt 8 points
Kazuchika Okada 8 points
Katsuyori Shibata 8 points
Davey Boy Smith Jr. 8 points
Satoshi Kojima 6 points
Lance Archer 4 points
Tomohiro Ishii 4 points

Block B Standings
Shinsuke Nakamura 10 points
Minoru Suzuki 8 points
Yujiro Takahashi 8 points
Karl Anderson 8 points
Yuji Nagata 6 points
Shelton X Benjamin 6 points
Hiroyoshi Tenzan 6 points
Kota Ibushi 6 points
Toru Yano 6 points
Tetsuya Naito 6 points

Lucha Underground 6/22/16 Review

Things begin with a video showing that the Gift of the Gods Title was recently cashed in. We also see Famous B/Mascarita Sagrada footage and hype for Black Lotus vs. Dragon Azteca Jr.

Dario Cueto is with someone in his office that he puts over like crazy. He says that this guy is from the jaguar tribe. We've never seen him before. He talks about six people competing to win aztec medallions tonight, but he gives this guy, introduced as Night Claw, a medallion and he will make his debut in the Gift of the Gods Title match at Ultima Lucha Dos. He also says that the jaguar tribe was the first of the original tribes to be taken out by the gods.

Gift of the Gods Aztec Medallion Match: Daga def. Mascarita Sagrada w/ Famous B and Brenda in 2:08

I love the pairing of Mascarita and Famous B. Hell, I love everything Famous B does. Daga was a bit confused on what to do with his opponent. Kobra Moon was watching from somewhere atop the Temple. Sagrada came close with a big rana on Daga. Daga came back and wrapped into a submission to win a medallion. It was weird to see because Daga turned Mascarita away from the referee as he was tapping out.

Famous B and Brenda enter to check on Mascarita. From out of nowhere, Famous B superkicks Mascarita and starts yelling at Brenda. Famous B says that Mascarita embarrassed him. He then proceeds to beat Mascarita with his shoe.

More from Dario, who speaks with Dragon Azteca Jr. Dario tells him that Black Lotus believes his dad killed her parents, which is why she protects Matanza. Dario tells him about the Lotus/Azteca match made for Ultima Lucha Dos and wants him to get his vengeance in front of the world.

Gift of the Gods Aztec Medallion Match: Killshot, Marty Martinez and Siniestro de la Muerta def. Cortez Castro, Joey Ryan and Mr. Cisco in 8:03

The winning team would all earn a medallion and spots in the Gift of the Gods Championship match at Ultima Lucha Dos. Marty and Killshot have beefing so of course Dario puts them together. Marty gave Killshot back his dog tags as a show of good faith before the bell. Ryan kind of called the shots for his team, which is great if you follow the behind the scenes segments and know that Ryan and Castro are undercover cops working with Cisco, a criminal. This was the usual fun you'd expect from everyone involved, and included an awesome spot from Killshot where he stepped on Cortez's chest to launch into a moonsault onto everyone else outside. Marty and Killshot ended up working well together as Marty curb stomped Cisco before Killshot finished him off. Marty took back the dog tags though. ***

Gift of the Gods Aztec Medallion Match: Mariposa and Sexy Star def. Ivelisse and Taya in 9:48

Like the last match, the winning team get medallions. Both duos dislike their partners, making for more strange bedfellows. A lot of good interactions here. Sexy and Taya did well together but when we got Mariposa against Ivelisse, things were great. I'd love to see them have a legit singles match at some point. Things got a bit ugly down the line as Mariposa shoved Sexy Star after an argument. Ivelisse and Sexy have some really good back and forth though Taya runs in and accidentally takes out Ivelisse. She didn't seem too upset about it and it opened the door for Mariposa to hit the air raid crash on Ivelisse and then throw Sexy onto her for the win. Another really fun match that advanced angles. It's the Lucha Underground staple. ***1/4

For the first time ever, Prince Puma came out and addressed the Temple. He talked about what his plans were for Ultima Lucha Dos and said there was only one match he wanted. He was told by Konnan that he could be the next Rey Mysterio, but he wants to find out if he's better. This brought out Mysterio, who talked about being a pioneer. He respects Puma but he's still a prince and Rey is a king. He accepted the challenge for Ultima Lucha Dos.

Overall: 7/10. Another solid episode from Lucha Underground. The Famous B stuff was highly entertaining and I get to see Daga at Ultima Lucha. The two tag matches were both good and continued storylines at the same time. Add in the final segment, which set up a major match and you've got a winning formula.

If you do want to check out Lucha Underground, which you absolutely should, and don't get El Rey Network (like me), you can sign up for the streaming service Fubo.TV. It's a great way to support the company and channel while streaming the show online. You can sign up and get Lucha Underground right here with Fubo.tv!

G1 Climax 23 Day Six Review

G1 Climax 23 Day Six
August 7th, 2013 | Sendai, Japan

We’re getting down to the nitty gritty, with only four nights remaining in the tournament.

Block B
Kota Ibushi (6) vs. Shelton X Benjamin (4)
If this was Shelton in 2005, it would be very interested. As it stands, I’m still somewhat intrigued. I have to point out that the ring sounds weird here. Ibushi tries a dive outside but Shelton stops him and then proceeds to toss him from guardrail to ring apron. Why don’t more people try that? Due to that, Shelton has the advantage, playing the monster. Shelton pulls up Ibushi from a pin. I get that he’s trying to play the dick monster heel somewhat, but that’s just stupid in such an important tournament. Obviously, it opens the door for Ibushi to start firing off shots. Ibushi snaps off a rana and then nails a moonsault to the outside. Inside, Ibushi gains momentum but runs into a huge superkick for a very close near fall. Benjamin gets another with a German before Ibushi goes into his offense. He hits a backflip kick and standing shooting star press, but his Shelton gets knees up on the moonsault. Ibushi goes to springboard in, but gets caught with a midair Paydirt.

Winner: Shelton X Benjamin (6) in 10:20
On the higher side of openers so far in the tournament. Both guys worked hard and played their roles well. Shelton was doing very good heel work, while Ibushi came off as a great resilient babyface who made a key mistake with a high risk move. I do think it could have been crisper in some points though. ***½

Block B
Karl Anderson (6) vs. Toru Yano (2)
Karl Anderson beats Yano to the punch with a pre-match attack. He puts on Yano’s jacket and steals his taunt. I feel like they would do the same stuff a year later if I remember correctly. The fight spills way out into the crowd and involves some chairs. Yano just beats the countout at 19. Someone has to get counted out soon so we can actually buy into one of these teases. In the ring, Anderson takes control. He’s done his homework and avoids the usual Yano tricks for the most part. That is, until Yano slingshots him into an exposed buckle. Then, from out of nowhere, Yano is Yano, scoring the upset with a rollup, following a low blow of course.

Winner: Toru Yano (4) in 7:24
Honestly, this was probably the best Yano match of the tournament so far. It looked like he and Anderson just went out and had some fun, so it made for a good showing. Enjoyable stuff. **¾

Block A
Davey Boy Smith Jr. (4) vs. Tomohiro Ishii (4)
The match they’d go on to have the following year was actually pretty fantastic. It’s hard hitting from the start, which is just what I want from these two. Smith is the strong of the two men, showcasing that, but it’s Ishii with the first major move. He then lays into Smith with chops and strikes. Smith looks for a superplex, but Ishii wiggles free and scores on a powerbomb. A bit of Smith’s own medicine. Smith eats a lariat and powers up, though he still ends up being taken down. Still, Smith starts hitting offense and scores two on a second rope suplex. I try not to call the second rope ones superplexes. Ishii avoids the powerbomb at first, but Smith is resilient and ends up nailing it. Ishii surprises many by kicking out. Ishii seems to get more popular by the show. They move back up with Ishii hitting the second rope suplex for two this time. It may have been more of a Brainbuster but it was hard to tell. Smith comes back with a tiger suplex for two. He blocks a kick, hits a lariat for two and then puts Ishii down with a running powerbomb.

Winner: Davey Boy Smith Jr. (6) in 11:17
Not quite on the level of their G1 24 match. Still, this was really good stuff. Both guys hit each other hard, drew the fans in with some close near falls near the end and just had strong efforts from both men. ***½

Block B
Minoru Suzuki (4) vs. Yujiro Takahashi (6)
Takahashi has his ladies again and even cuts a pre-match promo. After losing two straight, I guess he has to do something to get his mojo back. Suzuki shuts him up with a boot, making me love him even more. Since there was no fighting out of the ring in the last match, we get back to it here. Takahashi takes over and throws Suzuki around a bit. Once inside, Takahashi is a complete idiot because he slaps and disrespects Suzuki. Of course it turns out badly for him. Suzuki proceeds to kick his ass in and around the ring. Eventually, they trade blows in the center of the ring. Takahashi rakes the eyes to win out but Suzuki catches him with the sleeper. Yujiro breaks free and picks up some near falls, including one on a moonsault. Yujiro again slips free of the sleeper but Suzuki manages to fully lock it in shortly after. The Gotch style piledriver scores for the 1-2-3.

Winner: Minoru Suzuki (6) in 10:31
Once again, I can’t really get into Takahashi. Suzuki was tremendous in this, coming off as one bad son of a bitch like he’s well known for. He made this worth watching. **¾

Block A
Lance Archer (4) vs. Togi Makabe (4)
As has become the norm in his matches, Archer instantly establishes his size/power upper hand. Of course there is the obligatory brawling on the outside. Archer is in complete control for the first few minutes. Makabe starts to rally but it’s tough as he still has to withstand shots from the much larger Archer. Archer gets two on a big lariat and then misses a moonsault. They trade big boots and lariats before Archer looks for his finisher. Makabe slips out but is too hurt to capitalize, just hitting the mat. He ducks a lariat and nails an impressive German for two. They move things to the top where Makabe hits the spider German. He follows with the King Kong Knee Drop and gets the win.

Winner: Togi Makabe (6) in 9:07
Considering this was two tough guys hammering away on each other, I feel like I should have liked it more than I did. It wasn’t bad by any means mind you. Something just didn’t click the way I hoped it would. A decent hard hitting affair. **½

Block B
Hiroyoshi Tenzan (4) vs. Tetsuya Naito (6)
You’ve got one of the wily veterans of the tournament and a younger, more athletic favorite. It worked pretty well when Naito met Nagata. Early back and forth with nothing of real interest going on. Tenzan has the early advantage, but one miss allows the much quicker Naito to score with a dropkick. The fans chant for Naito, which he seems to appreciate. Despite this, Tenzan again gets in control, reeling off a bunch of offense in a row. None of it is really looking like something that would beat Naito. Naito begins a comeback and sets Tenzan up top. Tenzan headbutts him to the mat and follows with a diving headbutt for two. Tenzan clubs away until Naito scores on an enziguri. Surprisingly, he misses the Stardust Press so Tenzan slaps on the Anaconda Vise. Naito turns it over into a pinning combination that gets two. He fires off some weak looking slaps but runs into a lariat. Tenzan puts the Vice back on but Naito won’t quit. He ends up climbing to the top and winning via moonsault.

Winner: Hiroyoshi Tenzan (6) in 12:20
Like the previous bout, something just didn’t work for me here. Tenzan dominated for the most part and Naito kind of looked like a chump. Strange match that never meshed well. **½

Block A
Prince Devitt (6) vs. Satoshi Kojima (6)
Guess how this one starts? A few minutes in and Devitt goads Kojima outside, where he follows Fale and allows Devitt to get a cheap shot in. You would think somebody would have caught on to this strategy by now. Devitt pulls a Yano, exposing the turnbuckle and sending Kojima into it. He continues with heel work until Kojima fires up. He lays into Devitt with chops but Devitt is back on the offensive for a bit. He goes up and nails the diving double foot stomp to the back of Kojima’s head for two. That would have ended the match in NXT for the most part. Like a dick, Devitt wants to try Kojima’s lariat but it’s blocked. Kojima scores on a cutter only for Fale to eventually pull the referee out of the ring. Fale distracts Kojima so Devitt whacks him with a chair. Kojima no sells and lays him out. Fale comes in and hits the Samoan drop. Diving double foot stomp onto the chair but that isn’t enough. That move hasn’t worked at all. Bloody Sunday however, does the trick.

Winner: Prince Devitt (8) in 9:02
At this point, it’s the same old story with Devitt matches. There is a lot of potential in them, but they get marred by a bunch of interference. It works to get more heat but doesn’t make for the best matches. ***

Block A
Katsuyori Shibata (6) vs. Kazuchika Okada (4)
This is a matchup that I’ve wanted to see for a long time but never have. Right from the bell, Shibata proceeds to beat the stuffing out of Okada with vicious strikes. It’s like he knows that he’s a man and Okada’s just a boy. Okada comes back with some of his own shots though they’re not on the level of Shibata. They take things outside, where Shibata just continues the assault. Some of the kicks he lays in just look like Okada won’t be able to breathe after. Okada beats the count back in and Shibata just MURDERS him with kicks. After some kicks to the leg, Shibata locks in a figure four. Okada gets out and starts going into his typical offense. Okada does the Rainmaker pose and just gets slapped. They trade shots and again it’s clear that Okada is out of his depth. Shibata gets in more offense and applies a Boston crab. Okada screams like it’s the most painful submission he’s ever been in. He survives though and nails his signature dropkick, followed by the Tombstone. Rainmaker connects and Okada wins.

Winner: Kazuchika Okada (6) in 9:13
I really loved the first two-thirds of this match. Shibata looks like a beast and annihilates the IWGP Heavyweight Champion. I was not a fan of Okada just hitting a few moves at the end to win. I get that Shibata got a bit cocky and it cost him; it seemed cheap though. Still, everything up to the ending was fantastic. ****

Block B
Shinsuke Nakamura (6) vs. Yuji Nagata (6)
They feel each out other, working the mat for a bit. In a completely unsurprising move, the fight goes outside where Nakamura sends Nagata into the guardrail. Back inside, Nakamura is in full control. Nagata starts coming back with some loud kicks, finishing with a big boot. An exploder earns him two. Both men trade offense now, with neither gaining a clear advantage. They go into an exchange of forearm shots. It seems like Nagata is the one hitting harder. He ducks a kick only to eat another one. Nakamura hits a backstabber and suplex before calling for the Boma Ye. Nagata is ready, greeting him with a spinning heel kick and Brainbuster for two. He goes into the armbar, complete with theatrics, but Nakamura reaches the ropes. Nakamura eats a German, rolls up and nails Boma Ye. He’s too hurt to cover, so they start trading blows until Nakamura hits another running knee. He charges unto a great belly to belly, but is up with two more Boma Ye’s. Nagata kicks out. One more Boma Ye is finally enough.

Winner: Shinsuke Nakamura (8) in 13:55
This match follows a similar theme to most of the rest of this tournament. It isn’t great. However, it happens to be good and a really solid match. Both guys worked hard and had good chemistry. ***½

Block A
Hirooki Goto (8) vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi (4)
It’s still weird seeing the losing record by Tanahashi’s name. Like the last match, this starts with a feeling out process. Both guys are trying to gain the advantage without making a crucial mistake. It is Goto that gets the first string of offense going, on the outside with a lariat and some work on the guardrail itself. Goto is working at a pretty methodical pace. It’s giving me slight heel vibes. Tanahashi ends up sending Goto outside and hits HIGH FLY FLOW out there. Once inside though, Goto it back at it with a corner heel kick. After an exchange of shots, Tanahashi connects with slingblade and both men are down. Straight jacket suplex from Tanahashi gets two. He misses High Fly Flow and Goto hits a big lariat to the back of the head. Goto thinks he has it with a neckbreaker but Tanahashi kicks out. He tries Shouten Kai but Tanahashi blocks. He tries to fight only for Goto to headbutt him in the shoulder, which Tanahashi sells beautifully. Tanahashi blocks it again and goes up top. Goto stops him up there, Tanahashi turns it into a sunset flip bomb for two. He holds on, following with the Styles Clash before going up and hitting High Fly Flow to win.

Winner: Hiroshi Tanahashi (6) in 15:30
Another strong, solid match in this tournament. Tanahashi and Goto have both been pretty consistent and it continued here. They did a good job of countering each other and delivering a good match. ***½

Overall: 7/10. Honestly, there has yet to be a bad show in this tournament. Most of it hasn’t been blow away great, but there were a lot of solid matches on this card. The best thing was watching Shibata murder Okada. The entire card, top to bottom was pretty good and entertaining, but I don’t think there’s anything that I would classify as an absolute must see.

Block A Standings
Hirooki Goto 8 points
Prince Devitt 8 points
Satoshi Kojima 6 points
Hiroshi Tanahashi 6 points
Togi Makabe 6 points
Kazuchika Okada 6 points
Katsuyori Shibata 6 points
Davey Boy Smith Jr. 6 points
Lance Archer 4 points
Tomohiro Ishii 4 points

Block B Standings
Shinsuke Nakamura 8 points
Yuji Nagata 6 points
Shelton X Benjamin 6 points
Hiroyoshi Tenzan 6 points
Minoru Suzuki 6 points
Yujiro Takahashi 6 points
Kota Ibushi 6 points
Tetsuya Naito 6 points
Karl Anderson 6 points
Toru Yano 4 points