NJPW G1 Climax 26 Night Twelve Review

NJPW G1 Climax 26 Night Twelve
August 4th, 2016 | Fukuoka Civic Gymnasium in Fukuoka, Japan

Tanahashi and Ishii had a great match on night eleven but we are now back to the great B Block. One of my most anticipated matches happens here when Tetsuya Naito and Katsuhiko Nakajima go one on one. Also, Kenny Omega faces Katsuyori Shibata for the first time ever. Add in a rematch of last year’s surprisingly good match between Michael Elgin and YOSHI-HASHI and there’s no reason this show shouldn’t deliver. As always, I’ll just be reviewing the tournament matches.

B Block: Toru Yano [6] def. Yuji Nagata [6] via countout in 4:21
These guys came in on opposite runs. Yano has won two straight after starting 0-3, while Nagata has dropped two in a row after a 3-0 start. Ever the agitator, Yano threw water at Nagata during his entrance. He did his usual BREAK stuff before stepping outside to avoid Nagata. Nagata went out and got him, kicking his ass in the ring. Things spilled back outside where Yano nailed a low blow. He then found tape and taped Nagata’s legs together. Yano beat the count inside and Nagata couldn’t. Pretty entertaining for what it was. You have to know what to expect when it comes to Yano and this was just that. **

B Block: IWGP Intercontinental Champion Michael Elgin [8] def. YOSHI-HASHI [6] in 12:29
At the G1 Climax Finals last year, these two exceeded expectations and had a really good match. YOSHI seems to have more tape on his shoulder with each passing show. They began with early chops before fighting outside. Elgin missed a lariat and caught the ring post, which sounded gross. That allowed YOSHI to take over a bit until Elgin hit a slingshot splash. Elgin blocked a sunset flip bomb but still got hit with a regular powerbomb with a bridge for two. YOSHI went high risk and it backfired as he missed the swanton bomb. Elgin pounced with a corner DVD, only getting a near fall. YOSHI continued to show resilience, even nearly stealing it with a jackknife pin. He applied the butterfly lock but Elgin reached the ropes. They started to exchange big blows in the center of the ring. Elgin nearly decapitated him with a lariat for two but quickly got up and won with the buckle bomb/Elgin Bomb combo. Slightly better than their G1 match last year once it picked up. They beat each other up, made you believe YOSHI-HASHI had a chance and had some really good near fall sequences without overdoing it. I don’t know if it was his wife or what, but a woman in the crowd was crying hard. ***¾

B Block: EVIL [4] def. Tomoaki Honma [4] in 9:57
EVIL’s standing in the tournament has been massively disappointing so far. Honma started hot, looking to get on the winning track. It’s Honma though, so of course he missed Kokeshi and it turned things around. EVIL took over a bit and we got a countout tease. Back inside, Honma started to rally. He actually connected on the Kokeshi but EVIL started bringing the heavy shots. He nailed a big German but Honma was quickly back up, only to get taken out again with a lariat. Honma blocked the STO and they traded headbutts. They continued to trade stuff until EVIL nailed a big time powerbomb like move and then the STO to win. Good match. EVIL has been consistently solid throughout and while Honma has mostly been the same, without his underdog story, his stuff has really lacked fire this year. None of the greatness from his past two G1 runs. ***

B Block: NEVER Openweight Champion Katsuyori Shibata [6] def. Kenny Omega [6] in 12:34
One of the more highly anticipated matches of the entire tournament. Omega’s game plan seemed to be to go after Shibata’s bad shoulder. Shibata responded by beating him down in the corner. Both guys threw each other in the guardrails. Omega then went to Shibata’s other injury, the knee, and dropped it on a table outside. It’s the G1, so of course this led to a countout tease. Omega went to a stretch muffler, continuing to work the knee, standing with it at one point to add pressure. He held serve until Shibata starting hitting big boots, selling the hurt leg the entire time. Just as Shibata seemed to gain a lot of momentum, Omega was back to attacking the leg to stop him. In an awesome moment, Shibata blocked the One Winged Angel and turned it into a submission. Omega reached the ropes and they began to kick away at each other, which worked since Shibata’s dominant arm is hurt but not the dominant leg. Omega won the exchange because of that and went for the One Winged Angel again. Shibata slipped free and locked in the sleeper. A PK later and he won. I came in just wanting Shibata to murder Omega but I really liked what we got too. Again, when Omega isn’t overly campy, his stuff is much more enjoyable. He was a smart villain, just going after hurt limbs and Shibata had to dig deep to beat him. ****

B Block: Tetsuya Naito [8] def. Katsuhiko Nakajima [6] in 19:13
Though a lot of people were excited for Shibata/Omega, this was the one I was most looking forward to. Their early standoff ended when Naito avoided a kick and did his trademark laid back pose. Spoiler alert: Tetsuya Naito is cooler than your favorite wrestler. He started playing mind games, stalling on the outside. He also hilariously told a loud fan to keep it down in the calmest fashion. Back inside, Naito worked the leg, looking to set up for his new knee bar submission. Luckily for Nakajima, his left leg was the focus, freeing up his right to kick the shit out of Naito. Nakajima dropped Naito’s leg on the guardrail, giving him a taste of his own medicine. Naito attempted his rebound attack only to leap right into a stiff kick. I love Nakajima’s kicks. Nakajima slapped on an ankle lock that Naito eventually reversed into the knee bar before Nakajima made it to the ropes. Naito hit a super rana and tried Destino but Nakajima blocked and hit a big DVD. They began to trade vicious forearm shots. The finishing stretch saw both guys bust out kicks, including a PK from Nakajima. He went for the Brainbuster only for Naito to turn it into Destino in mid-air. He added a second for good measure to get the 1-2-3. Another smart, great match to cap the show. This never felt long at all, they built to a good finish and both guys came out of it looking great. I’m all for a rematch somewhere down the line. ****

Overall: 8/10. Oh look at that. The B Block delivers yet again. As usual, Yano had a very Yano like match, but I give points to the creative finish. Honma/EVIL is good. Elgin/YOSHI was really good and continued YOSHI’s string of good matches in the G1. Then the two main events are both great. Omega/Shibata was kept to the right length and featured none of Omega’s terrible traits, while Nakajima/Naito lived up to my expectations. 

A BLOCK	POINTS	B BLOCK	POINTS
Kazuchika Okada	10 (5-1)	Tetsuya Naito	8 (4-2)
Togi Makabe	8 (4-2)	Michael Elgin	8 (4-2)
Naomichi Marufui	8 (4-2)	Katsuhiko Nakajima	6 (3-3)
Hiroshi Tanahashi	6 (3-3)	Katsuyori Shibata	6 (3-3)
Hirooki Goto	6 (3-3)	Kenny Omega	6 (3-3)
Bad Luck Fale	6 (3-3)	Toru Yano	6 (3-3)
Hiroyoshi Tenzan	4 (2-4)	YOSHI-HASHI	6 (3-3)
Tama Tonga	4 (2-4)	Yuji Nagata	6 (3-3)
Tomohiro Ishii	4 (2-4)	EVIL	4 (2-4)
SANADA	4 (2-4)	Tomoaki Honma	4 (2-4)

WWE Cruiserweight Classic 8/3/16 Review

WWE Cruiserweight Classic
August 3rd 2016 | Full Sail University in Winter Park, Florida

The opening video package recaps the four men who advanced last week, Zack Sabre Jr., Drew Gulak, Tony Nese and the Brian Kendrick.

Corey Graves takes us to the updated brackets before we get any actual action tonight.

Rich Swann def. Jason Lee in 3:44
Jason Lee represented China, while Rich Swann is there for the USA. Lee did not seem pleased with Swann's pre-match dancing. The crowd sung "All Night Long" for Swann at the bell. Jason Lee looked great early on until Swann nailed a big rana and rolling frog splash for two. Lee fell to a big 450 splash from Swann. I was not happy this was so short. They had a really good chemistry and Lee looked way better than his fellow China counterpart, Ho Ho Lun. Swann winning was the right move since he's under contract, but I would have rather he beat Lun and Lee go over on the first night. Swann meets Lince in the next round. ***

Noam Dar def. Gurv Sihra in 5:25
At 22, Dar is the youngest man in the tournament. Sihra is from India, while Dar is from Scotland. Like his brother earlier in the tourney, Gurv showed some personality early on. Gurv aggressively whipped Dar into the corner, so Dar responded with one of his own. Dar hit some dropkicks, including one in the corner for a near fall. Before a move off the second rope, Gurv acts like he's filming a movie and it costs him as Dar moved. He hit a fisherman suplex for two and went right into a kneebar that made Gurv tap. Decent at best. Dar looked alright but I still haven't been overly impressed by him. Dar meets Ho Ho Lun in round two. **

Jack Gallagher def. Fabian Aichner in 6:44
Gallagher represented England and Aichner is from Italy. Aichner must be all of the 205 pounds because he looks pretty jacked. Aichner played the strong man but Gallagher was very impressive with his technique and mat work. Bryan pointed out that he's outweighed by 40 points as he nonchalantly cartwheeled out of harm's way. Aicher tried a springboard kick and it came off awkwardly. We got a series of near falls and Aichner hit a big backbreaker. He did a lot better with a double springboard moonsault for two. Aichner also found a way to nail a huge powerbomb but Gallagher kicked out again. Gallagher avoided a headbutt and hit a dope corner dropkick to advance. While the dropkick was great, it felt a bit anti-climactic after all of Aichner's offense. One of the best first round matches for sure. Aichner looked impressive at times and Gallagher got to show off his resiliency and mat skills. In round two, he takes on Tozawa. ***1/2

Johnny Gargano def. Tommaso Ciampa in 10:46
Both guys rep the States. Ciampa from Milwaukee and Gargano from Cleveland. Both guys got interviewed beforehand. Dueling "Psycho Killer"/"Johnny Wrestling" chants. Their early wrestling exchanges ended when Ciampa delivered a vicious elbow that sent spit flying everywhere. From there on, these guys just hit each other hard. Ciampa especially stated killing Gargano with shots. He hit an air raid crash on the apron and removed his knee pad for a big knee. Remembering it is his friend, Ciampa decided against it and walked into a superkick. Ciampa came back with a vicious powerbomb lungblower combo that somehow got a near fall. Gargano looked out of it and tried to trade shots but Ciampa won out there with sick shots. Gargano ducked one and they rolled around on the mat where Gargano finally got a crucifix for the victory. Great work from both guys. Not on was it hard hitting, but they told a great story. Ciampa was brutal, but held back just enough at times to not injure his friend and partner. They knew each other well enough to counter constantly. Gargano also came across as the most resilient of babyfaces. Gargano takes on TJ Perkins in the second round. Best match of the first round. ****

Gargano offered a handshake to Ciampa, who walked away in frustration. He ended up turning back and sitting in the middle of the ring with Gargano before hugging him.

Next week, Tajiri vs. Gran Metalik and Cedric Alexander vs. Kota Ibushi in our first 2nd round match.

Overall: 8/10. Another good episode of the Cruiserweight Classic. The first two matches are nothing to write home about really. The opener was fun but too short and the Noam/Gurv match disappointed. It's the final two that really take this to the next level. Gallagher/Aichner was way better than expected and Gargano/Ciampa was all kinds of awesome.

NJPW G1 Climax 26 Night Eleven Review

NJPW G1 Climax 26 Night Eleven
August 3rd, 2016 | Kagoshima Arena in Kagoshima, Japan

The G1 Climax returns with more A Block action. These middle of the tournament shows weren’t anything to write home about last year, and so far, it has been more of the same this time around. However, this show has some big implications since the two guys tied atop the standings, Kazuchika Okada and Togi Makabe, face off for first place. As always, I’ll just be reviewing the tournament matches.

A Block: Bad Luck Fale [6] def. Hiroyoshi Tenzan [4] in 8:22
I still don’t get their thinking with the Tenzan story. His final run story should have handled much better than it has been thus far. Fale beat up the ring announcer during his introduction again. The match between these two was pretty terrible last year. This was better than that night, but I still didn’t find myself very interested. Fale used his power before Tenzan rallied and started nailing headbutts. He went up top but missed the moonsault. Tenzan then avoided some of Fale’s shots before ultimately falling to the Grenade. I would have written more about this, I just couldn’t bring myself to care enough. **

A Block: Hirooki Goto [6] def. Tama Tonga [4] in 12:31
Hirooki Goto started this G1 2-0, but has lost three straight since then. On the other hand, Tama Tonga began 0-2 before winning two of three. It looked like Tonga was going to give a clean break early, but he came back to get in a cheap shot. Shortly after, it was time for the typical G1 brawling on the outside and countout tease. I shouldn’t even call it a G1 thing since it happens so often in NJPW period. They even did another countout tease a little while later, though this one wasn’t as dramatic. They started slugging it out in the ring and Goto fired up around the ten minute mark. He hit a suplex/facebuster but Tonga countered his next move into the roll of the dice. Somewhere, Reno is proud. Tonga got two on the headshrinker DDT and then they went into a strange series of running the ropes. Both guys were stopping midway to run off of different ropes, which was kind of cool. Goto blocked the Gun Stun three times before winning via GTR. Like Tonga’s match with Okada, this started rather slow before picking up in the finishing stretch. It might have been Tonga’s best performance to date and another pretty good, but far from great Goto showing this year. ***

A Block: Naomichi Marufuji [8] def. SANADA [4] in 10:39
This was actually the match I was most excited about coming into this night. Their first exchange was pretty cool and saw the crowd come to their feet in appreciation. Marufuji nailed a dive outside onto SANADA but the crowd barely responded to it. They seemed less into this match than the others on the card. They engaged in a chop battle that saw SANADA remove his tank top and daring Marufuji to bring it. Marufuji certainly chops hard, so SANADA has some balls. SANADA did get tired of being lit up and resorted to an uppercut before scoring on his sweet dropkick. Both guys countered each other’s finisher a few times until SANADA got two on a TKO. SANADA should just use all moves with all uppercase letters so when I write about his matches, it’ll look insane. Marufuji got to the ropes to break the dragon sleeper and nailed a running knee. Marufuji then reeled off a series of kicks and Shiranui to pick up the win. Best match so far. I’d have switched match length around for this and the previous match since they felt like they were just about to really get going. Marufuji continues to deliver and SANADA has been solid throughout. I just don’t see why he continues to be at the bottom of the standings. Marufuji offered a post-match handshake but SANADA declined. ***½

A Block: Hiroshi Tanahashi [6] def. Tomohiro Ishii [4] in 16:15
I gave their match in the G1 23 ****½ and their G1 24 outing ***¾. These are two men that usually deliver, especially in the G1 Climax. The Tanahashi redemption rally story for this G1 isn’t very intriguing to me. He fought from behind here again, as Ishii started hot. Ishii even took a page out of Tanahashi’s book and busted out dragon screws. Ishii continued to go after the leg but Tanahashi answered that with some of his own leg work. Disrespectful kicks to the face by Ishii saw Tanahashi respond with a flurry of slaps. They fought up top where Tanahashi laid into Ishii with forearms until Ishii seemed to spit at him and fire up, leaning into each shot. Ishii hit the stalling superplex and both men were down. It was time to man up as they traded shots in the center of the ring and again, Ishii leaned into the shots BECAUSE HE’S A MAN. Tanahashi countered the Brainbuster twice but got hit with a dragon suplex. Once he got up, he hit Ishii with his own and a straightjacket suplex for two. Ishii rolled away from High Fly Flow and nailed the seated lariat for the closest near fall of the night. Tanahashi made the mistake of headbutting Ishii because Ishii’s retaliation headbutt made him crumple. Ishii kicked out of another dragon suplex but then Tanahashi got going. He nailed slingblade and two High Fly Flows to even his record at 3-3. Awesome match that is a contender for the best of the tournament so far. They always work well together and Ishii kicking ass at the start was great. It really felt like Tanahashi had to dig deep to win, which it sometimes doesn’t. Sometimes you just feel like it is a typical babyface rally but this worked extremely well. ****¼

A Block: IWGP Heavyweight Champion Kazuchika Okada [10] def. Togi Makabe [8] in 15:04
I get this going on last since it A) includes the champion and B) is for first place, but I couldn’t see them topping the previous match. Makabe and Okada have a very weird chemistry and they always seem to do well together for some reason but neither guy has had a good tournament thus far. Guess what happened early in this match? That’s right, another countout tease. Considering their hair color and gear, this looked like Okada wrestling a meaner, bigger, tougher version of himself from 15 years in the future. Both guys did their standard offense and nothing felt important. Makabe nailed a spider belly to belly instead of a German but missed the King Kong Knee Drop. Makabe countered a Rainmaker into a German but still fell victim to one and took the loss. Look, I never expected Makabe to win but unlike Tanahashi/Ishii, these two were unable to make me feel like it was even a possibility. This was maybe our third straight A Block main event that lacked drama or intensity. This never felt like a battle for first place, instead seeming like two guys putting on a house show match. **¾

Overall: 6.5/10. A step from the last A Block show. Fale and Tenzan basically had the match I expected them to have. Tonga and Goto was better than expected and I found SANADA/Marufuji to be the second best match of the evening. The main event was severely underwhelming, which is becoming an A Block trend. The show stealer was Ishii/Tanahashi, which is a match of the tourney contender and is up there with Ishii/Tenzan from night one for best A Block outing so far. 

A BLOCK	POINTS	B BLOCK	POINTS
Kazuchika Okada	10 (5-1)	Katsuhiko Nakajima	6 (3-2)
Togi Makabe	8 (4-2)	Tetsuya Naito	6 (3-2)
Naomichi Marufui	8 (4-2)	Michael Elgin	6 (3-2)
Hiroshi Tanahashi	6 (3-3)	YOSHI-HASHI	6 (3-2)
Hirooki Goto	6 (3-3)	Kenny Omega	6 (3-2)
Bad Luck Fale	6 (3-3)	Yuji Nagata	6 (3-2)
Hiroyoshi Tenzan	4 (2-4)	Toru Yano	4 (2-3)
Tama Tonga	4 (2-4)	Tomoaki Honma	4 (2-3)
Tomohiro Ishii	4 (2-4)	Katsuyori Shibata	4 (2-3)
SANADA	4 (2-4)	EVIL	2 (1-4)

Fave Five 7/25/16-7/31/16

1) Finn Balor: I badly wanted to put Sash Banks in first. So badly. However, I can't ignore what Finn Balor did this week. On his Raw debut, he made a massive impact. First off, he won the opening match of the night, defeating Cesaro, Kevin Owens and Rusev to earn a spot in the main event. The match was awesome (I gave it ****) and Finn pinned Rusev, which is something not many people have done. Then, after Roman Reigns advanced to the main event, Finn became only the second person to cleanly pin him in singles action. The win not only was a huge one over Reigns, but it thrust Finn into a marquee match at SummerSlam against Seth Rollins to determine the first ever WWE Universal Champion. This is huge for Finn and shows that the company has some faith in him.

2) Sasha Banks: I truly believe that Sasha Banks should have won the WWE Women's Title at WrestleMania. When that didn't happen, all signs pointed to SummerSlam. Instead, she was given a shot on the first post-draft Raw and delivered. Sasha hasn't had the best first year on the main roster and Charlotte has been mostly terrible as champion but it all came together on Monday. Sasha and Charlotte had one of their best matches ever, as if they were back in NXT. Sasha made her tap to the Bank Statement and became champion. I met Sasha at Comic-Con on the 29th and she had the title with her, looking so very happy to have it. Sasha also gets points for bringing out a spot in tribute of her all-time favorite, Eddie Guerrero, en route to winning.

3) Zack Sabre Jr.: Zack Sabre Jr. did his thing several times this week. First, he made his Cruiserweight Classic debut in the opening match of the week, defeating Tyson Dux. Sabre showcased his skills and pulled off some awesome moves throughout. Then, at PWG 13 he successfully defended his title against Kyle O'Reilly in a match that I HAVE to see. Roderick Strong came out afterwards to immediately cash in his rematch clause. Sabre also retained the title against him, making for two successful defenses in a row on one show.

4) Dolph Ziggler: After one of the most disappointing and lackluster 2015s, things have turned around for Dolph. Actually, I should say he was lackluster in all of 2016 so far too. However, despite doing nothing of note over the past year and a half and losing a feud to Baron Corbin, the WWE decided that Ziggler should get the WWE Title shot at SummerSlam. That's right, on the second biggest show of the year, Ziggler vs. Ambrose is the WWE Title match. Ziggler won a Six Pack Challenge on the first Smackdown Live, pinning AJ Styles of all people, to earn the shot. I disagree with the decision, but it is a big win for the "Showoff".

5) Takashi Sugiura: Won back the GHC Heavyweight Championship from Go Shiozaki.

NJPW G1 Climax 26 Night Ten Review

NJPW G1 Climax 26 Night Ten
August 1st, 2016 | Takamatsu City Gymnasium in Takamatsu, Kagawa, Japan

We’ve officially reached August and the double digit tournament days. Today, the B Block is back in action one of their least interesting cards. Don’t get me wrong, it still looks good on paper like all B Block shows, but my point still stands. After four shows, NOAH star Katsuhiko Nakajima leads the block, which is a nice surprise. Hopefully these guys all deliver because the middle of the tournament can provide some lackluster effort as we saw last year and on the A Block show yesterday. As always, I’ll just be reviewing the tournament matches.

B Block: YOSHI-HASHI [6] def. Katsuhiko Nakajima [6] in 12:03
As noted in my introduction, Nakajima leads the block. Both guys have been consistently strong performers so far. They spilled outside in the first few minutes where Nakajima wrenched YOSHI’s arm in the guardrail. I like that he didn’t go for the countout win, electing to roll YOSHI back in and finish him off there. YOSHI’s shoulder was taped up and Nakajima targeted it viciously. Side note, but I chuckle when I read that YOSHI’s pants say “LOOE EXPLOSION” on his ass. He began to rally, still selling the arm, until getting caught in a dragon suplex. After exchanging forearms, Nakajima kicked YOSHI, so he responded with a superkick. A powerbomb with a bridge got him two. Nakajima fired back with kicks, including a PK, but YOSHI avoided the Brainbuster. He scored with a lariat and Karma for the win. I didn’t write it all out, but the finishing sequence here was pretty great. Both guys have been on a roll in this tournament and deserve some love. YOSHI has been delivering really good openers each time out and Nakajima is possibly my favorite person to watch in the tournament so far. ***½

B Block: IWGP Intercontinental Champion Michael Elgin [6] def. Yuji Nagata [6] in 10:36
Michael Elgin began the tournament 0-2, while Nagata started 3-0. Right from the bell they went at it and charged at each other. That was pretty much the layout of the match. Nagata and Elgin traded blows and offense for the entirety of it. Surprisingly though, the crowd didn’t seem too into it for about half of the match. Both guys are very over so I didn’t expect that. They fought up top where Nagata fired up despite getting nailed with forearms. He was able to score with an exploder off the second rope for two. Nagata’s armbar got a good pop but less than usual. Elgin came back with a Death Valley driver on the apron. Kudos to Nagata for taking bumps like that consistently. Elgin missed a big splash off the top but hit a big spinning back fist. The buckle bomb/Elgin Bomb combo did Nagata in. Solid match but something was missing to make it really good. I think the crowd had something to do with it as they weren’t as into it as I expected or hoped. I do enjoy some good hard hitting action which I got here. That’s three straight wins for Elgin. ***

B Block: Toru Yano [4] def. NEVER Openweight Champion Katsuyori Shibata [4] in 1:06
Around this point last year, Shibata was leading A Block only to take a four minute loss to Yano that sent him into a tailspin of losses. Again, I don’t know where Shibata’s title has gone. A pissed off Shibata kicked Yano before the bell and beat his ass. Shibata slapped on the sleeper hold but Yano had removed the turnbuckle covers and sent him into it. He rolled him up after a low blow for two, but was persistent and won with another roll up. Too short to really rate. This kind of kills Shibata’s hopes of winning the Block to be honest. That may have always been the plan but I wonder if the match was made extra short to really give Shibata a night off to rest all of his injuries. NO RATING

B Block: Kenny Omega [6] def. EVIL [2] in 10:18
EVIL is another guy that has been performing at a relatively high level, though his record is pretty bad. Omega has been hit or miss in his four matches. Nothing outwardly bad, but he was much more enjoyable in his first two matches than the Honma and Elgin ones. Omega slapped EVIL a bunch at the start so Evil took to kicking him. Omega went for a dive outside but stopped and did a Naito post instead. If only he had Naito’s charisma. This led to the typical brawling around the ring stuff. It took a while and EVIL did his usual chair spot. Once back inside, Omega went after the knee a bit, but ended up taking a backdrop driver. EVIL blocked the One Winged Angel and head butted Omega in the back of the skull. EVIL signaled for the end but Omega avoided the STO and hit Boma Ye. You should know that move never wins it on the first try. Have you never watched a Nakamura match Kenny? EVIL then picked up several near falls but Omega continued to survive. Omega again blocked the STO and snapped off a reverse rana. He scored with a knee and impressive One Winged Angel to win. It picked up down the stretch and really got going, but the first half or so was really ho-hum. I’m sad that EVIL only has two points. ***

B Block: Tetsuya Naito [6] def. Tomoaki Honma [4] in 20:41
It was great to see Naito mostly healthy here since he was coughing up blood after the loss to Shibata two days ago. Since it’s the G1, the pattern of fighting outside for a while continued. Naito worked Honma’s leg while out there but surprisingly didn’t go for the countout win, looking to continue the punishment. He dropkicked Honma in the knee on the aisle and then nearly got the countout. Honma spent most of the match selling, which is his strong point. However, this went twenty minutes and you felt it. It wasn’t bad by any means, but I’ve always felt that Honma (Elgin too for that matter) is at his best when working the compact G1 style. Give him 10-15 minutes and it’s almost always better. The fans believed in some of Honma’s rally attempts but never as much as in some other matches. They knew Naito wasn’t going to lose this one. He finished off Honma with Destino. A good match, though it was slightly disappointing. They may have had to go long to make up for Shibata if his stuff was indeed cut due to injury. This would have probably been better served to go about fifteen.***¼

Overall: 7/10. An overall good show from the B Block. Like the previous A Block show, nothing on this would be a MOTY candidate but it doesn’t feel like everyone phoned it in. Outside of Shibata/Yano, everything got at least three stars and was an enjoyable watch even if some were disappointing. The B Block shows continue to be easy to sit through even when they aren’t at their best like tonight.

A BLOCK	POINTS	B BLOCK	POINTS
Togi Makabe	8 (4-1)	Katsuhiko Nakajima	6 (3-2)
Kazuchika Okada	8 (4-1)	Tetsuya Naito	6 (3-2)
Naomichi Marufui	6 (3-2)	Michael Elgin	6 (3-2)
Hiroyoshi Tenzan	4 (2-3)	YOSHI-HASHI	6 (3-2)
Tomohiro Ishii	4 (2-3)	Kenny Omega	6 (3-2)
Tama Tonga	4 (2-3)	Yuji Nagata	6 (3-2)
Hiroshi Tanahashi	4 (2-3)	Toru Yano	4 (2-3)
Hirooki Goto	4 (2-3)	Tomoaki Honma	4 (2-3)
Bad Luck Fale	4 (2-3)	Katsuyori Shibata	4 (2-3)
SANADA	4 (2-3)	EVIL	2 (1-4)