NJPW Kizuna Road 2016
July 3rd, 2016 | Iwate Industrial & Culture Center APIO in Iwate, Japan
With Dominion behind us and the G1 Climax rapidly approaching, NJPW has been holding their Kizuna Road shows. I missed most of the 6/27 show due to being tied up with work and school, but am free enough to review this show. I will also be reviewing all of the G1 Climax when the time comes.
Chase Owens def. David Finlay in 6:55
Both guys were replacements for the Young Bucks in the Best of the Super Juniors and I think the tournament turned out to be far better this way. Owens performed well, while Finlay was having good to great matches with everyone. Since the Bullet Club is seemingly never dying, can’t Adam Cole be their junior and not Owens? I mean, I’m not a huge Cole fan but he’s the lesser of two evils. Owens targeted Finlay’s back, including a nice backbreaker that got zero reaction from the fans. Finlay went after the leg to set up the Stretch Muffler. Finlay came close a few times near the finish before falling to the Package Piledriver. I wish the back work came into play a bit more. This was decent at best but the crowd just doesn’t care at all about Owens. **½
Hiroyoshi Tenzan, Jushin Thunder Liger, Ryusuke Taguchi & Tiger Mask IV def. Kazushi Sakuraba, Roppongi Vice and Tomohiro Ishii in 11:46
This felt a bit random, though I won’t complain since Ishii and Tenzan went at it in tags during the BOTSJ. These guys seemed to just go out there and have some fun for the most part. Liger did some taunting and posting, Roppongi Vice played scared and Sakuraba tried to literally kick Taguchi’s ass. Taguchi took the heat for a bit before his team started to rally. Tenzan, pissed about not being included in the G1 this year, was on fire. He and Ishii were really good together again. Tenzan would go on to win with a moonsault in a fun little match. I think something will happen that will see him replace someone in the G1. **½
Hangman Page and Yujiro Takahashi def. Captain New Japan and Yoshitatsu in 10:40
Considering their attack on the Briscoes at Dominion, it seems like Page and Takahashi are next in line for a Tag Team Title shot. That and Captain New Japan being in this match, made the outcome obvious. The Bullet Club members attacked before the bell and did their typical stuff. They did a mildly funny spot where CNJ went for a tag but Takahashi took out Yoshitatsu and cheered him on to tag still. Obviously the Captain took the heat for a bit. The problem with this match is that Page is the best guy involved and I’ve never really been interested in him. He’s just okay from what I’ve seen. Yoshitatsu got the hot tag and did Triple H stuff as I groaned in my seat. It didn’t work so he tagged back in the Captain, which was doomed to fail miserably. Finally, after an eternity, Page won with Last Rites. Look, I don’t like them at all but if you’re trying to build them as viable contenders, a 10 minute match against these two is not the way to do it. They have won this in quick fashion. Instead, this dragged on and was horseshit. ¼*
Manabu Nakanishi and Yuji Nagata def. Juice Robinson and Togi Makabe in 10:09
With his regular partner, Tomoaki Honma, set for the main event, Togi Makabe turned to Juice Robinson to be his teammate tonight. This followed the script you’d expect. Makabe started with Nagata so they could beat each other up until it was time for the NEW JAPAN DADS to work over Juice. It was clear that Juice was here to take the heat and eventually, the pin. Nakanishi looked more motivated than usual and his interactions with Juice are surprisingly fun. Nagata pinned Juice after the Backdrop Driver for the win. Basic stuff that was certainly better than the previous tag. **¼
NEVER Openweight Six Man Tag Team Championship: Matt Sydal, Ricochet & Satoshi Kojima def. Kenny Omega and the Young Bucks (c) in 15:22
“The Elite” came out sporting New Day shirts. I think the tandem of Sydal, Ricochet and Kojima is really random and strange. I liked Cozy’s role in this as everyone else did their fast paced flippy shit and he just came in to scare the shit out of the champions. Ricochet was on fire here, taking out both Bucks with some innovative offense. Kojima coming in and chopping the shit out of all three “Elite” members was the highlight of the match for me though. Everyone did a good job building to some near falls and I wasn’t nearly as annoyed by the Bucks as I usually am. They’re easily at their worst in ROH. Kojima ate multiple superkicks from the Bucks only to shrug them off and hit double lariats on them. That set up Sydal and Ricochet to win the belts with stereo shooting star presses. One thing I disliked about the finish was that Omega stood outside and kind of just watched the pin. He should have been on the ground out there or something. The match was fun, especially to see Kojima kick ass. Of course, these belts change hands once again but I expect it now. ***½
Post-match, Satoshi Kojima got on the microphone. He thanked Ricochet and Sydal, shook their hands and they left. He called out Hiroyoshi Tenzan. Apparently, Kojima gave up his spot in the G1 to Tenzan. It will most likely be Tenzan’s final G1 and a record 20th straight for him. While I prefer Kojima, this was a cool gesture. I would rather Tenzan replace Fale or even a Tama Tonga, but this worked. I’ll just miss Kojima.
Elimination Match: Chaos (Hirooki Goto, IWGP Heavyweight Champion Kazuchika Okada, Will Ospreay & YOSHI-HASHI) def. Los Ingobernables de Japon (BUSHI, EVIL, SANADA & Tetsuya Naito) in 20:03
The pop for Naito stepping through the curtain was top notch. For those unaware, one can be eliminated via pinfall, submission or being thrown over the top rope. I suspect disqualifications are possible but they’re rare in NJPW. We were treated to the continuations of the obvious feuds (SANADA/YOSHI, EVIL/Goto and Naito/Okada) and got really fun work from the juniors. BUSHI and Ospreay (along with O’Reilly & KUSHIDA) are the best juniors in the company. I liked that Naito and Okada went over together and first. It allowed for the spotlight to shine on the other members of each stable. EVIL eliminated Goto over the top before getting superkicked out by YOSHI-HASHI. It was down to YOSHI & Ospreay against BUSHI and SANADA. SANADA sent YOSHI out around 15 minutes before falling to Ospreay and it came down to the juniors. Things broke down following SANADA interference and everyone got involved. Chaos took out LIDJ, leaving Ospreay free to hit the Oscutter and survive for his guys. A really fun match as is always the case with these two stables. I love the inclusion of Ospreay into things. They made the eliminations smart and put some shine on Ospreay, regaining some momentum after Dominion. I wish LIDJ won though since they were swept at Dominion. ***¾
NEVER Openweight Championship: Katsuyori Shibata (c) def. Tomoaki Honma in 16:28
These two had a killer match in the G1 two years ago that was probably my third favorite of the entire tournament. Honma was sporting a HONMAMANIA shirt in yellow and pink, which is too perfect. Shibata and Honma are part of the reason the NEVER Title has kind of become the belt for the tough guys in the company. They just beat the shit out of each other and it’s glorious. For the first chunk of the match, it looked like Shibata was too much for Honma and had control. Honma might be the best underdog in wrestling, so this strategy worked. He started to rally but Shibata had the Kokeshi well scouted and managed to avoid it several times. He got in some big offensive moves though I bought that he was going to win, which he usually is able to make me believe. The final exchange of chops and headbutts features some great stuff. Shibata won in a creative way, catching a Kokeshi into the sleeper hold before hitting the Penalty Kick. Strong main event and arguably the best thing on the show. It never reached the levels of their old G1 match and the outcome never seemed in doubt but they had a really strong hard hitting match and that’s all I could ask for. ***¾
After the match, Shibata helped Honma up, only to throw him outside.
Overall: 6/10. A pretty run of the mill event for NJPW. The first two matches are decent before things get dragged way down by a shitty Page & Yujiro tag match. The final three matches are the three worth checking out. You get a fun six man tag match, another top notch chapter in the Chaos/Ingobernables rivalry and a really good main event to cap things off.
G1 Climax 25 Nights One and Two
Night One (Block A)
July 20th, 2015 | Hokkaido, Japan | Attendance: 5,490
Night Two (Block B)
July 23rd, 2015 | Shizuoka, Japan | Attendance: 1,805
Recently, I went back and reviewed the entire G1 Climax 24, which I ended up considering the greatest tournament I had ever seen and the G1 Climax 23. Now, I’m going to review the follow up tournament. In 2014, there were 22 participants but it is narrowed down to 20 this time around. Out are Suzuki-Gun members Minoru Suzuki, Shelton X Benjamin, Lance Archer and Davey Boy Smith Jr., and in their place we get Kota Ibushi and ROH’s Michael Elgin. I watched the G1 when it aired but don’t remember all of it vividly, so it’ll be a good look back.
Also, I’ll be combining nights during the tournament. During previous years, the G1 shows would be all tournament related matches. This time around, to give guys more rest, the shows were split. The first half of the cards featured one block involved in multi-man matches so they can take a bit of a break, while the second half would see the other block compete in their tournament matches. For the sake of this review, I will only be covering the actual G1 matches and not the other stuff. I’ll be alternating matches too, giving you one from Block A on one night, followed by one from Block B on another night.
In the A Block you have AJ Styles, Bad Luck Fale, Doc Gallows, Hiroshi Tanahashi, Hiroyoshi Tenzan, Katsuyori Shibata, Kota Ibushi, Tetsuya Naito, Togi Makabe and Toru Yano.
The B Block features Hirooki Goto, Karl Anderson, Kazuchika Okada, Michael Elgin, Satoshi Kojima, Shinsuke Nakamura, Tomoaki Honma, Tomohiro Ishii, Yuji Nagata and Yujiro Takahashi.
Block A
Doc Gallows (0) vs. Hiroyoshi Tenzan (0)
Not the most exciting way to get things going. Tenzan holds the NWA Heavyweight Title here. They battled power early on with the crowd firmly behind Tenzan and his legendary mullet. Gallows choked Tenzan with the gallows he brings to the ring. I don’t think I’ve seen him do that any other time. With that, he took over and did some of his typical offense on Tenzan. As usual, none of it is really groundbreaking stuff. Tenzan started to rally and got a near fall on his spinning heel kick. He doesn’t get much height on it, looking like a Viscera one. Tenzan eventually applied the Anaconda Vice. Gallows tried to fight out but ended up tapping out.
Winner: Hiroyoshi Tenzan (2) in 9:17
Considering how incredible the G1 Climax 24 was, I felt like this needed to get off to a better start. The crowd was hot due to their love for Tenzan, but it was sluggish and felt like it went longer than it actually did. *¾
Block B
Satoshi Kojima (0) vs. Tomohiro Ishii (0)
Switching over to night two, things are slightly different. This show was shot on a single camera with no commentary and really felt like a house show. Despite this, I came into this match with much higher hopes than I did for the night one opener. These two met in both of the previous G1’s, getting scores of ***¾ and ****. Right from the start, they just slugged it out like real men. Even though it slowed a bit after the hot start, it still featured tons of hard hitting stuff, which I’ve grown to love. Without the commentary, I could clearly hear a kid yelling “Ishii” over and over in a high pitched voice. They blocked each other’s lariats at one point, which was pretty cool. Ishii picked up the two points with the Brainbuster.
Winner: Tomohiro Ishii (2) in 12:20
Night two got a much better opening contest. I’ve become a fan of hard hitting slugfests, so this was right up my alley. I don’t think it was quite as good as their G1 23 or 24 matches though. Still, this was strong. ***½
Block A
Togi Makabe (0) vs. Toru Yano (0)
Togi Makabe is the reigning NEVER Openweight Champion. He’s Toru Yano, so of course he tried for an early rollup. When that failed, we got classic Yano “BREAK” shouts. The fight spilled through the crowd and featured your typical Yano spots. Makabe withstood all of those things, including a low blow to finish off Yano with a Death Valley Driver and King Kong Knee Drop.
Winner: Togi Makabe (2) in 6:26
Even though he’s far from a great wrestler, there’s something about Toru Yano that works for me. He’s highly entertaining most of the time. Here, it was a decent enough paint by number Yano match. **
Block B
Hirooki Goto (0) vs. Yujiro Takahashi (0)
In last year’s tournament Takahashi had the NEVER Title. This time around, he is beltless, but Goto holds the IWGP Intercontinental Championship. Takahashi, who had Cody Hall at ringside with him, was all about trying to find any possible way to steal two points. Unfortunately, outside of a few chants from the crowd, they were mostly dead for all of this. Surprisingly, Takahashi was in control for a good portion of the match, which isn’t a good thing. Even when Goto looked like he was going to rally, Takahashi was ready with a stun gun, not to be confused with his fellow Bullet Club member’s Gun Stun. Eventually, Goto went into a flurry and won with Shouten Kai.
Winner: Hirooki Goto (2) in 11:48
Anything over ten minutes is usually not good when it comes to Yujiro Takahashi. He tried to get heat but he’s just so dull that nobody cared. I wish Tama Tonga or someone else got the spot in the tournament. Too long. **
Block A
Bad Luck Fale (0) vs. Tetsuya Naito (0)
If memory serves me right, this was the debut of Naito’s suit/mask entrance attire. He’s a dick to Fale early, who retaliated with his power game. They teased a countout, but even with him beating the count, Naito still acted like he couldn’t care less about anything. It basically boiled down to Fale using his strength, while Naito showcases his new heel persona with only flashes of his old, fast paced self. Fale looked on the verge of victory but Naito hit an enziguri and atomic drop before rolling him up with a flash pin.
Winner: Tetsuya Naito (2) in 10:41
Their styles just did not click in this one. I don’t say this often, but I feel that face Naito would have been a better fit here. He could have played the plucky underdog. Instead, two heels went at it in a match that never really worked. *¾
Block B
Tomoaki Honma (0) vs. Yuji Nagata (0)
When I originally watched this tournament, I wasn’t fully into either guy but they’ve really grown on me. For the first minute or so, the lights around the entrance stayed on and pretty much blinded me. Honma made his G1 debut the previous year and proceeded to go winless in the tournament. However, the crowd adores him and they were more into him and this match than anything else so far. For the first time on both nights, this actually felt important. They had some great back and forth action throughout. Nagata hit a big exploder into the corner, which bought him time and stopped Honma’s rally. The fans were relentless with their “Honma” chants. He tried for the Kokeshi numerous times, but kept failing. Nagata then put him down with two Backdrop Drivers.
Winner: Yuji Nagata (2) in 12:49
That was pretty damn fun. The crowd is always alive for Honma matches and that was the case here. The story of Honma being so desperate for a G1 win that he kept going for Kokeshi really worked. So far, night two has the upper hand. ***½
Block A
AJ Styles (0) vs. Katsuyori Shibata (0)
For reference, this match came in at #30 in my “Top 100 matches of 2015” list. Also, these two topped my list of best performers in the G1 Climax 24. Shibata entered the match with a legitimate hand injury. AJ didn’t go after it, making me think that it was really seriously hurt. They wisely found a way around it as Shibata kicked AJ all around at the start. To stop that, AJ focused his attack on the leg instead. It helped that his Calf Killer submission had been pretty well established up to this point. They did a good job of teasing the Calf Killer as the finish too. In the match’s most infamous moment, Shibata had a sleeper hold on Styles, who was close to breaking it. Shibata’s hand was so banged up that he chose to bite down on his good hand to keep the grip, rather than let it go. It was one of the most badass things I’ve ever seen and another reason why I love Shibata. He would miss the Penalty Kick, opening the door for Styles to hit Bloody Sunday and the Styles Clash to win.
Winner: AJ Styles (2) in 13:36
This still completely holds up. Not only is it a great match, it’s quite possibly the smartest worked one in the entire tournament. Hell, maybe even all of 2015. They worked around the hand injury in a brilliant way, gave both guys a ton of offense and had the crowd in the palm of their hands. While there were better matches in 2015, this is top five in terms of personal favorites. ****¼
Block B
Kazuchika Okada (0) vs. Michael Elgin (0)
Okada is the reigning IWGP Heavyweight Champion, while this is Elgin’s NJPW debut. Many people groaned when Elgin was announced for the G1 as he fell way out of favor with fans in the States. However, working in Japan has always been his dream. They used this as a great way to introduce Elgin to the Japanese crowd. He got to strut his stuff and do his powerful offense, which the fans ate up. They honestly seemed wowed by his ability to use strength while also adding in some athleticism. That kid that kept shouting “Ishii” in a high pitched voice did the same for Okada here. Elgin’s stalling vertical and top rope falcon arrow got over well but it was never enough to keep the champion down. Okada made his comeback, though they teased Elgin countering the Tombstone, complete with dropkick, elbow and Rainmaker pose. He would hit the Rainmaker and earn victory.
Winner: Kazuchika Okada (2) in 11:48
Pretty much the perfect debut for Michael Elgin. While he didn’t go over the champion, he looked like a beast and hit Okada with everything he had. Okada gave him a ton to allow him to shine before rallying and winning. A great job from both guys. ***¾
Block B
Karl Anderson (0) vs. Shinsuke Nakamura (0)
Okay, I know I said I would be alternating but the Block A main event felt like the bigger match so I’m gonna watch it last instead. I’ll be doing that with future shows too. Sue me. Anderson, like Gallows earlier, is one half of the Tag Team Champions. Surprisingly, Nakamura wasn’t as popular as I expected him to be. He usually is in most places but not here. I mean, that kid keep going “Shinsuke” all match long but that’s about it. To me, this felt like two guys that were kind of on cruise control. While in that mode, both guys are good enough to have a good match, but it never got near great territory. Nakamura survived two Gun Stuns but a third proved to be too much, giving us the first real upset so far.
Winner: Karl Anderson (2) in 17:41
Considering the effort level and the crowd reaction, this may have gone on a bit too long. Something just never clicked the way that it should have. I felt like I was watching two guys have a good match, when they had potential for more. They’d prove that as their IC Title match later in the year was much better. ***
Block A
Hiroshi Tanahashi (0) vs. Kota Ibushi (0)
Like Shibata/Styles earlier, this also made my “Top 100 Matches of 2015” list, coming in at #37. I had a friend make a pretty cool comparison about this match. When asked to compare these guys to WWE performers, he said Tanahashi is like John Cena, while Ibushi is similar to Cesaro, being a freak athlete. Much like matches between Cena and Cesaro, this was great. In typical Tanahashi form, he went after the leg with multiple dragon screws. It made more sense than usual here given Ibushi’s affinity to take to the air. Ibushi sold it well for a while but eventually forgot about it in order to hit a lot of his big offense, including his glorious dead lift German suplex. Tanahashi had spent most of the year taking it easy, but turned it up for the opening night of the G1 Climax. He hit High Fly Flow to earn his first two points.
Winner: Hiroshi Tanahashi (2) in 20:53
A damn good main event. Something about Tanahashi just feels right in the main event slot and he always delivers in big matches. The G1 23 was a bit of a coming out party for Ibushi, which he followed up with a five star match at the start of 2015 against Shinsuke Nakamura. Here, he looked like a star again. With better selling of the leg from him, this would rank much higher. Still, it featured a hot crowd, great back and forth and some drama down the stretch. ****¼
Overall: 6.5/10. When looking at the blocks separately, Block A would win in this set. While B Block was more consistent, the final two matches on the other side were fantastic. I mean, two top 40 matches of the year on one night is pretty great. The single camera setup for B Block was unfortunately pretty rough. There were some downs here, especially in the early A Block matches, but the highs outweigh the lows for me, making this a good start for the G1 Climax 25.
G1 Climax 23 Finals
August 11th, 2013 | Sumo Hall in Tokyo, Japan
We have reached the final night of the G1 Climax 23! With the injuries to Hiroyoshi Tenzan and Hirooki Goto, Tomohiro Ishii (now with 6 points) and Kota Ibushi (now with 8 points) get forfeit wins but were both out of contention anyway.
Block B
Yuji Nagata 8) vs. Yujiro Takahashi (8)
If Takahashi was better in the ring, I’d love him because he certainly brings lovely ladies to the ring. I don’t want to go through everything but I believe both guys are still alive since the leader of the block only has ten points. Nagata’s offense is aimed right Yujiro’s arm, with some kicks and strikes sprinkled in. Takahashi starts getting in his own offense for a bit. He falls for Yuji’s classic fake out dropkick, which always makes me chuckle. Yujiro reels off some big moves for near falls and tries a moonsault. He overshoots it and seems to only catch Nagata with his head so it was like a moonsault headbutt. Nagata ends up applying his armbar, complete with theatrics. Takahashi survives and Nagata has his mouth busted open but he spits it out in a badass visual. Nagata reels off suplexes, capping with an exploder for the win.
Winner: Yuji Nagata (10) in 9:06
A solid opener. Takahashi was much better in this G1 than he would be in the next two years. Nagata spitting out the blood was so insanely cool that it added just a bit more to an already good match. ***¼
Block B
Minoru Suzuki (10) vs. Toru Yano (6)
If Suzuki wins, he wins the block. These two would actually have a feud coming out of this. It should come as no surprise that these two brawl from the start. Both guys are fond of that style. Yano sends him into the exposed buckle and goes for his taunt but Suzuki interrupts. Surprisingly, he slaps him, which of course leads to him getting slapped back. Suzuki has wisely made sure to avoid most of the typical Yano antics and is just relentlessly going after the leg. Things start getting very frantic as both men go for pins. Suzuki does so knowing that he could win it all but Yano doing so because it’s his style. An overconfident Suzuki sticks his tongue out and slaps Yano. He goes for the sleeper but Yano goes under his legs to trip him up and steal a victory.
Winner: Toru Yano (8) in 9:23
I had small expectations for this considering how I’ve felt about their other matches. They exceeded those by a fair amount here. They worked a smart match that allowed Suzuki to still remain dominant but keep the drama of the tournament alive. Suzuki came off like someone who knew how important the match was, making the final few moments exciting. ***
Block B
Shelton X Benjamin (8) vs. Shinsuke Nakamura (10)
With a win and a Karl Anderson loss, Nakamura can win the block. Shelton attacks Nakamura during his entrance taunt. Benjamin has played a bit of a bully throughout the tournament but Nakamura isn’t really small so when Shelton tries it, Nakamura is ready to strike back. Benjamin goes after the leg which Nakamura overcomes to start striking with the knee. He sells it well after using it at least. They go back and forth for a bit before Nakamura looks for Boma Ye, only to miss. He hits a second rope knee and goes back up top. Shelton leaps up to get him and brings him over with a T-Bone. Both guys counter each other and Shelton slaps on the ankle lock. Nakamura fights out and looks for Boma Ye. Instead, Shelton catches him with Paydirt and pins the Intercontinental Champion.
Winner: Shelton X Benjamin (10) in 10:34
I’ve always liked these two together. They don’t have standout matches but they’re always good stuff. This was more of the same. They complimented each other well, worked at a good pace and put together a really good match. The surprise win was welcome too. ***½
Block B
Karl Anderson (10) vs. Tetsuya Naito (8)
Since Suzuki and Nakamura lost, the winner of this match advances to the finals. Naito was in last place pretty much entering the previous show. There is a feeling out process to start things out. Anderson pulls out tons of dirty tricks like stealing Naito’s taunt and not giving a clean break. Naito tries uses his speed but Anderson is smart and grounds him. Each time Naito gets a window of opportunity, Anderson is ready to stop. Naito finally hits a flying forearm, starting a sustained rally fueled with enziguris. They get into a battle of strikes that Anderson holds the advantage in before he wipes out Naito with a running kick. They end up fighting on the top and jockeying for position. Anderson wins out with a second rope Gun Stun variation but Naito kicks out. Bernard Driver connected and again Naito kicks out. The fans absolutely bought that as the finish and saw Anderson making his second straight finals. Naito blocks a Gun Stun, gets a victory roll for two, blocks another Gun Stun and somehow applies the Koji Clutch. Anderson taps out.
Winner: Tetsuya Naito (10) in 13:11
Given his placement in the standings a few nights ago, I would have never picked Naito to win. This was a great way to do it as well. Anderson made the finals last year and there were certainly some great near falls here to make you believe it was happening again. Naito had to overcome a lot and I’m glad he found a way to win that wasn’t the Phoenix Splash. ***¾
Block A
Davey Boy Smith Jr. (10) vs. Lance Archer (6)
These two are a tag team and at this point, hold the GHC Tag Team Titles. They fire up at the same time after the bell and just go right at each other aggressively. It’s pretty fun because they’re just beating the hell out of each other. Archer goes all Undertaker with an Old School rope walk. It’s cool to see Archer face someone that can match his power, since there aren’t many in the tournament. Smith hits a Chokeslam, which I didn’t think he had in him. Archer comes back with a barely hit moonsault and looks for his finisher. Smith slips free and hits a tiger suplex for two. They trade offense, with neither guy gaining a true upper hand. Archer sets Smith up on the top and fires away. This time, he’s able to carry him out for the Blackout, preventing his teammate from winning A Block.
Winner: Lance Archer (8) in 14:37
That was great for the first few minutes. Then they had to slow the pace a bit because they were going nearly fifteen minutes. If you give them 10-12 minutes instead, I think this ends up being better. Even so, what we got was hard hitting fun and I’m never against that. ***
Block A
Prince Devitt (8) vs. Togi Makabe (10)
A win here would put Togi Makabe in great positioning as he’d win this block. That hasn’t worked out for many people tonight so far though. Devitt has a weird monkey mask on, which I guess is to mock Togi. Togi quickly knocks it off. It doesn’t take long for some Bad Luck Fale shenanigans to allow Devitt to take control. When Makabe starts to rally, Devitt brings a chair into play but has it punched into his face. Fale gets on the apron but is knocked off. After Devitt’s ineffective double stomp, we get more Fale interference with a chair shot and Samoan drop. Devitt hits another diving stomp, onto chairs, and again someone kicks out of it. Why even try it at this point? Makabe hits a powerbomb and has it won but the referee is down so Fale comes in and attacks. After all of that, Bloody Sunday puts down Makabe.
Winner: Prince Devitt (10) in 8:43
Devitt matches have been riddled with overbooking but this was ridiculous. So much extra nonsense in so little time. The worst thing on the show so far. **
Block A
Kazuchika Okada (9) vs. Satoshi Kojima (6)
I wonder what would happen if Okada wins here and Tanahashi wins his match. They’d be tied at 11 and their head to head tiebreaker would be moot since they went to a draw. Ah, this is how some of my favorite Okada stuff goes. He’s a brash, cocky youngster against a hard hitting veteran that wants to put him in his place. After an early Rainmaker pose from Okada, Kojima proceeds to take him to the woodshed and do the pose himself. Okada turns it back around, steps on Kojima and taunts again. This trend continues for a bit until Okada starts to realize that he’s going to have to really earn these two points. He hits the elbow and does the official Rainmaker pose. Kojima has none of that, busting out his tag partner’s (Tenzan) Mongolian chops. They begin to trade forearm shots until Kojima nails a short Brainbuster for two. We get a Rainmaker tease after a dropkick to the back of the head but Kojima avoids it. Okada gets a second dropkick but has it reversed again. He goes it for a third time but Kojima just lays him out with his own lariat. He scores on a second one that keeps the Heavyweight Champion down.
Winner: Satoshi Kojima (8) in 11:56
A great match between two really good guys that played their roles to perfection. Kojima was the angry old man and Okada was the arrogant young guy and it played off well. Kojima was sure to avoid the Rainmaker, knowing it could spell doom. The booking of this final night has been great to build suspense. ****
Block A
Hiroshi Tanahashi (9) vs. Katsuyori Shibata (10)
The winner of this wins their block and faces Tetsuya Naito in the finals. Tanahashi wants a lock up but Shibata just slaps him as if to say, we’re gonna do this my way. Shibata goes in for the test of strength this time and Tanahashi slaps him back, leading to an exchange of strikes. Tanahashi avoids some of Shibata’s big kicks before taking a powder. Shibata applies a figure four, leading them to slap each other. He continues to fire away on Tanahashi with vicious strikes. Even when Tanahashi catches a kick, Tanahashi reels off about fifteen slaps though it doesn’t stop Tanahashi from hitting some dragon screws. Back to a war of shots, which Tanahashi seems to be surprisingly winning. It is Tanahashi who goes for the headbutt first, though the one Shibata retaliates with sends them both down. Shibata gets his knees up on High Fly Flow and locks in the sleeper. When that doesn’t work, Shibata pulls out a move in honor of his injured partner (like Kojima did earlier) and hits Goto’s signature neckbreaker. He goes back to the sleeper and Tanahashi looks out of it. Shibata goes for the finish with the Go to Sleep but on his way down, Tanahashi somehow pulls him into a small package.
Winner: Hiroshi Tanahashi (11) in 10:56
Another awesome battle here. I love their G1 24 match since it was a Shibata style match and wasn’t a big fan of their G1 25 match. This lied in the middle, but closer to the 24 one. Shibata shined as the badass striker, while Tanahashi had to dig deep and rely on a small package to just barely eke out the win. Seeing Tanahashi try to match Shibata and hold his own, but not be able to fully best Shibata if it wasn’t for a flash pin was great. ****
Akebono, Kazushi Sakuraba and Kota Ibushi vs. Takashi Iizuka, Tomohiro Ishii and YOSHI-HASHI
Takashi Iizuka is insane, spraying something at the announcer. He brawls outside with Sakuraba early. Inside, Sakuraba lays into him with a flurry of right hands before Akebono gets in some stuff and Ibushi dives out onto his opponents. The camerawork for this move is worse than current WWE production. Ishii and Ibushi, the two guys who got points via forfeit, do battle in the middle of the ring and it’s glorious. They hit each other hard and give you a glimpse of what an awesome prolonged feud between them would be. Iizuka and Sakuraba don’t stop brawling outside and through the crowd. Unfortunately, it was here that my DVD began to skip and mess up. I wasn’t able to catch a bunch here, but I did see that Sakuraba made YOSHI-HAHSI tap to a Kimura. I looked up the runtime online.
Winners: Akebono, Kazushi Sakuraba and Kota Ibushi in 13:25
Relatively fun from what I saw. Iizuka and Sakuraba brawling was good and the interaction between Ibushi and Ishii was great. It worked to give the main eventers time to chill. From what I saw, I’ll go ***
G1 Climax 23 Finals
Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Tetsuya Naito
It’s surprising to see Naito in the finals considering he had a good, but not great tournament. Not much to write home about early on as it seems like both men are working at a deliberate pace, meaning this will probably be a long finals. The first notable moment comes when Tanahashi dropkicks Naito’s knee. Naito starts to have trouble running the ropes, selling it very well. Or at least he was. As things progress, he seems to forget that it has been worked on during both of his matches tonight. Tanahashi more than does his part, hitting a High Fly Flow to the outside and working in a cloverleaf submission. They go to an exchange of forearms before colliding in the center of the ring. Both guys get in suplexes and it’s really annoying to see Naito not even try to sell the leg. He misses the Phoenix Splash and only now chooses to hold his knee again. Tanahashi goes back to it with more dragon screws and another cloverleaf. Naito struggles, but reaches the ropes. He then gets Tanahashi in the Koji Clutch but he also is able to reach the ropes. Tanahashi rolls through a top rope rana, turning it into the Styles Clash. He follows with High Fly Flow to the back but Naito gets his knees up on the second one. Tanahashi goes back to the knee, which Naito shrugs off and hits slingblade. When he can’t put Tanahashi down, he goes up and hits the Phoenix Splash to win the tournament.
Winner: Tetsuya Naito in 26:44
I really wanted so much more from that match. Tanahashi came to play, going after the leg and working smart, but his dance partner didn’t show up. Naito was about to get the biggest win of his career but he couldn’t be bothered to sell the leg work outside of a few brief moments. That really brings down the overall score for me. At least there was some great drama in the end to help things out. **¾
Overall: 7.5/10. Outside of a criminally disappointing main event and the Devitt/Makabe overbooked mess, this show consistently delivered. Everything other than those two matches got at least three stars and things just clicked for the most part. An easy watch and it’s on the higher spectrum of shows during this tournament.
Kevin’s Top G1 Climax 23 Matches
Katsuyori Shibata vs. Tomohiro Ishii – Night Four - *****
Kota Ibushi vs. Shinsuke Nakamura – Night Four - ****¾
Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Kazuchika Okada – Night Eight - ****½
Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Tomohiro Ishii – Night Two - ****½
Kazuchika Okada vs. Togi Makabe – Night Four - ****¼
Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Tetsuya Naito – Night Eight - ****
Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Katsuyori Shibata – Night Nine - ****
Togi Makabe vs. Tomohiro Ishii – Night Eight - ****
Minoru Suzuki vs. Yuji Nagata – Night One - ****
Katsuyori Shibata vs. Kazuchika Okada – Night Six - ****
If my math is right, this is our final week before the three part Ultima Lucha finale begins. Melissa Santos looks fantastic tonight.
King Cuerno def. Mil Muertes w/ Catrina in 4:28
I was surprised to see this match here because I felt like it would be an Ultima Lucha battle. The crowd was split between the two. They went right after each other and it felt like they hated each other. Cuerno got to do his awesome bow and arrow suicide dive spot. The referee got taken out during the dive, so Cuerno grabbed a steel chair and hit Mil, who no sold it. Mil stopped a second shot with a right hand. Mil whacks him in the back with it and wedges it in the corner but gets sent into it. Cuerno pins him and uses the ropes for leverage to steal it. Fine, short match that might set up a rematch at Ultima Lucha. **1/2
In Dario's office, Taya and Ivelisse are seated. Dario put over Ivelisse as a great Trios Champion, but Taya says it was because she had two men doing the heavy lifting. Dario wants to see who the real "baddest bitch" is and they will fight at Ultima Lucha. Dario's charisma is phenomenal. Catrina walks in as Ivelisse leaves and Ivelisse says she hasn't forgotten about her. Catrina is there to ask for a rematch with Cuerno, but Dario just laughs in her face. He doesn't want to give them anything but Catrina wants a death match. Dario says he hates her but she knows just what to say to get him excited. Hilariously, Catrina looks a this crotch as he says that.
Prince Puma def. Dragon Azteca Jr. w/ Rey Mysterio in 8:39
The former Trios Champions members collide here. Their start is incredibly fast paced and they do a good job of playing then as relatively equal. Puma did a great job of catching a diving Dragon and tossing him into the ring post. They've done well with showing a more confident and aggressive Puma. Both guys strutted their athleticism stuff, which is great considering it is their strong suits. Dragon busted out a sweet wheelbarrow driver off the second rope when Puma took too long for the 630, getting a near fall. Puma got as aggressive as ever, suplexing Dragon into the corner and hitting the spinning Michinoku Driver for two. Puma hit a big shotgun dropkick and won with the 630. An awesome match as they fit a lot into the short time, while also telling the story of Puma's growing confidence. His looks over to Rey as if to say "I'm better than you" were top notch. ***3/4
Prince Puma got in Rey Mysterio's face and they had a stare down.
Dario Cueto is out to hype Ultima Lucha. In the ring with him is the Mack, Cage, Son of Havoc and Texano. To kickoff Ultima Lucha Dos, he has plans for them. They will be entered into the first "Unique Opportunity" Tournament, which is called "4 a Unique Opportunity".He promises the winner will get the greatest unique opportunity he's ever given out. Dario then gets all four men to attack each other.
They run down the Ultma Lucha card. It looks like this.
- 4 A Unique Opportunity: Cage vs. The Mack vs. Son of Havoc vs. Texano
- Death Match: King Cuerno vs. Mil Muertes
- Dream Match: Prince Puma vs. Rey Mysterio Jr.
- Black Lotus vs. Dragon Azteca Jr.
- Ivelisse vs. Taya
- Gift of the Gods Championship: Daga vs. Killshot vs. Marty the Moth vs. Mariposa vs. Night Claw vs. Sexy Star vs. Siniestro de la Muerta
- Trios Championship: Jack Evans, Johny Mundo and PJ Black (c) vs. Aerostar, Drago and Fenix
- Lucha Underground Championship: Matanza Cueto (c) vs. Pentagon Jr.
Johnny Mundo w/ Taya def. Fenix in 7:53
As expected from these two, we get a fast paced match. Not quite on the level of Azteca/Puma, but still quick. Fenix is so impressive, especially on a fancy springboard spin kick which was instantly followed by a sunset flip bomb. The Mundo/Taya pairing has grown on me and was good here. She had good timing with her heel tactics. She made sure to move Mundo's Trios Title to the apron, setting it up for the finish. Fenix hits the top rope Spanish Fly but Taya distracts the referee. Mundo takes the title and whacks Fenix to steal the victory. Good match, though I would have preferred Puma/Azteca to main event. ***1/4
After the match, Jack Evans and PJ Black come out. They all, with Taya, celebrate and put the boots to Fenix. Aerostar, Drago and Ivelisse show up to even things out. They all brawl until Ivelisse tosses Taya outside and the heels are sent packing.
Overall: 7/10. Lucha Underground had a really good go-home show tonight. They set up some new matches for Ultima Lucha Dos, while building up most of them. They set up Cuerno/Muertes well and the last two matches were good, especially Puma/Azteca. I'll have to watch it a second time to get a better feel for it though.
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!
