1) Kenny Omega: Man, people sure weren't happy with my review of Omega/Naito. I saw comments here and an entire Facebook post about it. Anyway, I didn't like the idea of putting the new flavor of the month gaijin over the hottest act in NJPW (who has eaten Gedo's shit for years), nor do I think Kenny Omega of all people should be the fist Westerner to win the G1 Climax. Still, Omega beat Naito win his block in the best match I've ever seen him have. I didn't watch the finals, but he beat Gedo's favorite punching bag and perpetual choke artist Hirooki Goto to win the entire thing. Like it or not, it is a massive accomplish for Omega who, barring the loss of the briefcase over the next few months, is in line to actually headline Wrestle Kingdom 11.
2) Kota Ibushi: People like to diss ROH for fumbling with Cedric Alexander, but Gedo did worse by Kota Ibushi. It was a monumental fuck up. There is no reason, other than bad booking, for why Kota isn't a massive star in NJPW right now. Instead, he is in the Cruiserweight Classic and killing it. After beating an Uso clone in the first round, Ibushi wrestled Alexander in the second round this week. There was a lot of hype surrounding it after being taped and it delivered. Their match was right up there with the best G1 stuff and was probably my favorite match of the week. Ibushi won to advance to the Elite Eight in a tremendous match that is must see and currently among my ten best matches of the year.
3) Cedric Alexander: Originally, I was going to group Ibushi and Alexander together but decided against it. Cedric deserves his own praise for the week. While it was Ibushi who came out on top, Alexander made a statement. He showed the entire world that yes, ROH blew this big time. It was one of those matches where the guy that lost gained just as much, if not more, than the winner. Alexander hung and was even with a heavy tournament favorite. So much so that there were "please sign Cedric" chants after it was all over. Triple H came out, making his first appearance on TV since WrestleMania, and basically said "okay" before shaking hands with Cedric. Alexander became a star this week and needs to be competing for the Cruiserweight Title once it returns.
4) Hiroshi Tanahashi/Kazuchika Okada: New Japan's favorite matchup happened once again this week. The match that main evented three of the last four Wrestle Kingdom shows determined the result of the A Block in the G1 Climax. If Tanahashi won, he'd take the block. If Okada won, it was his block for the taking. They made up for their less than stellar Wrestle Kingdom 10 match with a great back and forth match that built to a dramatic conclusion. Both guys came close to winning before it ended it a time limit draw, giving Hirooki Goto the A Block victory. Neither guy won here, but their performances were enough to earn them a tie for the fourth spot this week.
5) Lashley: With a win over James Storm, now holds the TNA Heavyweight, X-Division and KOTM Titles.
*I'm listing all of the matches that I give at least four stars to and breaking it down by promotion. I plan on ranking them with a big list at the end of the year. For now, they're sorted by rating and date.
WWE
Sami Zayn vs. Shinsuke Nakamura - NXT TakeOver: Dallas - ****¾
Kevin Owens vs. Sami Zayn - WWE Battleground - ****¾
Cedric Alexander vs. Kota Ibushi - WWE Cruiserweight Classic - ****½
Number One Contender's 2 Out of 3 Falls Match: Sami Zayn vs. Samoa Joe - NXT 3/9/16 - ****¼
Number One Contender's Match: AJ Styles vs. Cesaro vs. Chris Jericho vs. Kevin Owens - WWE Raw 4/4/16 - ****¼
Kevin Owens vs. Sami Zayn - WWE Payback - ****¼
WWE Intercontinental Championship: The Miz (c) vs. Cesaro vs. Kevin Owens vs. Sami Zayn - WWE Extreme Rules - ****¼
NXT Tag Team Championship: American Alpha (c) vs. The Revival - NXT TakeOver: The End - ****¼
AJ Styles vs. John Cena - WWE Money in the Bank - ****¼
Money in the Bank: Alberto Del Rio vs. Cesaro vs. Chris Jericho vs. Dean Ambrose vs. Kevin Owens vs. Sami Zayn - WWE Money in the Bank - ****¼
WWE World Heavyweight Championship: Dean Ambrose (c) vs. Roman Reigns vs. Seth Rollins - WWE Battleground - ****¼
WWE Intercontinental Championship Last Man Standing Match: Dean Ambrose (c) vs. Kevin Owens - WWE Royal Rumble - ****
WWE Tag Team Championship: The New Day (c) vs. AJ Styles and Chris Jericho - WWE Raw 3/7/16 - ****
WWE World Heavyweight Championship: Triple H (c) vs. Dean Ambrose - WWE Roadblock - ****
NXT Tag Team Championship: The Revival (c) vs. American Alpha - NXT TakeOver: Dallas - ****
WWE Women's Championship: Charlotte (c) vs. Becky Lynch vs. Sasha Banks - WrestleMania - ****
AJ Styles vs. Sami Zayn - Raw 4/11/16 - ****
NXT Tag Team Championship 2 Out of 3 Falls Match: The Revival (c) vs. American Alpha - NXT 7/6/17 - ****
Cesaro vs. Finn Balor vs. Kevin Owens vs. Rusev - Raw 7/25/16 - ****
WWE Women's Championship: Charlotte (c) vs. Sasha Banks - Raw 7/25/16 - ****
Johnny Gargano vs. Tommaso Ciampa - WWE Cruiseweight Classic 8/3/16 - ****
NJPW
NEVER Openweight Championship: Tomohiro Ishii (c) vs. Katsuyori Shibata - NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 10 - ****¾
Kyle O'Reilly vs. KUSHIDA - NJPW Best of the Super Juniors 5/21/16 - ****¾
IWGP Intercontinental Championship: Shinsuke Nakamura (c) vs. AJ Styles - NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 10 - ****½
CMLL World Lightweight Championship: Dragon Lee (c) vs. Kamaitachi - Fantasticamania - ****½
NEVER Openweight Championship: Katsuyori Shibata (c) vs. Tomohiro Ishii - NJPW The New Beginning in Osaka - ****½
IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Championship: KUSHIDA (c) vs. Will Ospreay - NJPW Invasion Attack - ****½
IWGP Heavyweight Championship:Tetsuya Naito (c) vs. Tomohiro Ishii - NJPW Wrestling Dontaku - ****½
Kazuchika Okada vs. Tomohiro Ishii - ****½ - NJPW G1 Climax 8/6/16
Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Kazuchika Okada - ****½ - NJPW G1 Climax 8/12/16
New Japan Cup Quarterfinals: Tetsuya Naito vs. Tomohiro Ishii - NJPW New Japan Cup - ****¼
Ricochet vs. Will Ospreay - NJPW Best of the Super Juniors 5/27/16 - ****¼
NEVER Openweight Championship: Yuji Nagata (c) vs. Katsuyori Shibata - NJPW Dominion - ****¼
Hiroyoshi Tenzan vs. Tomohiro Ishii - NJPW G1 Climax 7/18/16 - ****¼
Katsuhiko Nakajima vs. Katsuyori Shibata - NJPW G1 Climax 7/24/16 - ****¼
Michael Elgin vs. Tetsuya Naito - NJPW G1 Climax 7/24/16 - ****¼
Katsuyori Shibata vs. Tetsuya Naito - NJPW G1 Climax 7/30/16 - ****¼
Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Tomohiro Ishii - NJPW G1 Climax 8/3/16 - ****¼
Kenny Omega vs. Tetsuya Naito - NJPW G1 Climax 8/13/16 - ****¼
IWGP Intercontinental Championship: Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Kenny Omega - NJPW The New Beginning in Niigata - ****
IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Championship: KUSHIDA (c) vs. BUSHI - NJPW The New Beginning in Niigata - ****
ROH World Television Championship: Tomohiro Ishii (c) vs. EVIL - NJPW Road to Invasion Attack 3/20/16 - ****
IWGP Heavyweight Championship: Kazuchika Okada (c) vs. Tetsuya Naito - NJPW Invasion Attack - ****
IWGP Intercontinental Championship: Kenny Omega (c) vs. Michael Elgin - NJPW Road to Wrestling Dontaku 4/27/16 - ****
Best of the Super Juniors Finals: Ryusuke Taguchi vs. Will Ospreay - NJPW Best of the Super Juniors 6/7/16 - ****
IWGP Heavyweight Championship: Tetsuya Naito (c) vs. Kazuchika Okada - NJPW Dominion - ****
Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. SANADA - NJPW G1 Climax 7/18/16 - ****
Kenny Omega vs. YOSHI-HASHI - NJPW G1 Climax 7/22/16 - ****
Naomichi Marufuji vs. Tomohiro Ishii - NJPW G1 Climax 7/28/16 - ****
Katsuhiko Nakajima vs. Yuji Nagata - NJPW G1 Climax 7/30/16 - ****
Katsuyori Shibata vs. Kenny Omega - NJPW G1 Climax 8/4/16 - ****
Katsuhiko Nakajima vs. Tetsuya Naito - NJPW G1 Climax 8/4/16 - ****
Tetsuya Naito vs. YOSHI-HASHI - NJPW G1 Climax 8/10/16 - ****
Hiroyoshi Tenzan, Katsuyori Shibata, Manabu Nakanishi & Yuji Nagata vs. Go Shiozaki, Katsuhiko Nakajima, Masa Kitamiya & Maybach Taniguchi - NJPW G1 Climax 8/14/16 - ****
Lucha Underground
Lucha Underground Championship: Mil Muertes (c) vs. Fenix - Lucha Underground 3/16/16 - ****¾
Lucha Underground Championship: Aztec Warfare II - Lucha Underground 3/23/16 - ****½
Gift of the God's Championship: Fenix (c) vs. King Cuerno - Lucha Underground 1/27/16 - ****
Lucha Underground Championship: Mil Muertes (c) vs. Pentagon Jr. vs. Prince Puma - Lucha Underground 3/9/16 - ****¼
Six to Survive: Fenix vs. Ivelisse vs. Johnny Mundo vs. King Cuerno vs. Pentagon Jr. vs. Taya - Lucha Underground 6/15/16 - ****¼
Prince Puma vs. Rey Mysterio Jr. - Ultima Lucha Dos 7/20/16 - ****¼
Trios Tournament:Cage, Johnny Mundo and Taya vs. Dragon Azteca Jr., Prince Puma and Rey Mysterio - Lucha Underground 4/12/16 - ****
Trios Championship: Ivelisse & Son of Havoc (c) vs. The Crew & Joey Ryan vs. Fenix, Jack Evans & PJ Black vs. Dragon Azteca Jr., Prince Puma & Rey Mysterio - Lucha Underground 4/27/16 - ****
No Mas Match: Mariposa vs. Sexy Star - Lucha Underground 5/4/16 - ****
Lucha Underground Championship: Matanza Cueto (c) vs. Cage - Lucha Underground 6/1/16 - ****
Evolve
Will Ospreay vs. Zack Sabre Jr. - Evolve 58 - ****½
Chris Hero vs. Zack Sabre Jr. - Evolve 60 - ****½
Chris Hero and Tommy End vs. Sami Callihan and Zack Sabre Jr. - Evolve 53 - ****¼
Johnny Gargano, Kota Ibushi and TJP vs. Marty Scurll, Tommy End and Will Ospreay - Mercury Rising - ****¼
Chris Hero vs. Zack Sabre Jr. - Mercury Rising - ****¼
WWE Cruiserweight Classic Qualifying Match: Drew Gulak vs. Tracy Williams - Evolve 61 - ****¼
Style Battle Round Robin Challenge: Fred Yehi vs. Tracy Williams - Evolve 53 - ****
Ricochet vs. TJ Perkins - Evolve 58 - ****
Ricochet vs. Will Ospreay - Evolve 59 - ****
WWE Cruiserweight Classic Qualifying Match: Fred Yehi vs. TJP - Evolve 61 - ****
Evolve Championship: Timothy Thatcher (c) vs. Chris Hero - Evolve 62 - ****
Matt Riddle vs. Roderick Strong - Evolve 64 - ****
ROH
ROH World Championship: Jay Lethal (c) vs. Lio Rush - ROH Supercard of Honor X Night One - ****¼
No Holds Barred: Adam Cole vs. Kyle O'Reilly - ROH Supercard of Honor X Night Two - ****¼
ROH World Television Championship: Roderick Strong (c) vs. Tomohiro Ishii - ROH/NJPW Honor Rising Night One - ****
IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Championship: KUSHIDA (c) vs. ACH - ROH Conquest Tour 3/12/16 - ****
ROH World Tag Team Championship: War Machine (c) vs. The Briacoes - ROH Global Wars - ****
PROGRESS
PROGRESS Championship No Disqualifications: Will Ospreay (c) vs. Marty Scurll - PROGRESS Chapter 25 - ****½
CWF Mid-Atlantic
CWF Mid-Atlantic Heavyweight Championship: Roy Wilkins (c) vs. Trevor Lee - CWF Worldwide 3/9/16 - ****¾
RPW
Marty Scurll vs. Will Ospreay - RPW High Stakes - ****¼
Dragon Gate
Open The Dream Gate Championship: Shingo Takagi (c) vs. YAMATO - ****¼
Dia.HEARTS vs. Monster Express vs. VerserK - Dragon Gate Open the Truth Gate - ****
Stardom
High Speed Championship: Mayu Iwatani (c) vs. Evie - Stardom vs. The World 2/21/16 - ****¼
World of Stardom Championship: Io Shirai (c) vs. Mayu Iwatani - Stardom Gold 5/15/16 - ****¼
PWG
PWG Championship: Roderick Strong (c) vs. Zack Sabre Jr. - PWG All-Star Weekend 12 Night Two - ****¼
Kyle O'Reilly vs. Marty Scurll - PWG All-Star Weekend 12 Night One - ****¼
Trevor Lee vs. Zack Sabre Jr. - PWG Bowie - ****
Adam Cole vs. Zack Sabre Jr. - PWG All-Star Weekend Night One - ****
NJPW G1 Climax 26 Night Eighteen
August 13th, 2016 | Ryogoku Kokuhikan Sumo Hall in Tokyo, Japan
It is the final show for the B Block. There were five outcomes yesterday, but four today. Michael Elgin wins if he wins his match and Kenny Omega beats Tetsuya Naito. Katsuyori Shibata wins B Block if he wins, Omega wins and Elgin loses. Omega takes it with a win and loses by Shibata and Elgin. Naito just has to beat Omega to make the finals. As usual, I will just be reviewing the G1 Climax matches.
B Block: Tomoaki Honma [6] def. Yuji Nagata [6] in 10:30
Nothing on the line here since both guys are towards the bottom of the standings, but they both usually bring it. Of course, Honma missed the early Kokeshi attempt. You know it’s coming, but it still gets a reaction. Nagata ripped the tape off of Honma’s ribs and began to attack that area. Honma did a good job of selling the work, even as he was hitting his offense. He started lighting Nagata up with chops, but got caught in the armbar. He escaped and kicked out of a backdrop driver. They went into a vicious war of slaps until Nagata nailed a German. Honma got hit, hitting a running Kokeshi before winning it with the top rope Kokeshi. A really solid way to kick things off. The crowd was hot, though less hot than the past two years of Honma matches. I liked the ribs coming into play and, though it isn’t as cool as it used to be, seeing Honma win is always a treat. ***½
B Block: Toru Yano [10] def. YOSHI-HASHI [6] in 3:31
Yano looked like he would throw his water at YOSHI, but decided against it. He even gave a legitimate handshake. CHAOS FOREVER! He went for another a few moments later and rolled him up for two, only to get up and yell “JOKE, JOKE, JOKE!” Yano brought out all of his tricks, from exposing the buckle to the classic Eddie Guerrero “blame your opponent” spot. He ended up getting hit by the turnbuckle pad himself. Yano rolled him up from out of nowhere to steal it. Fun little Yano match, as always. I do wish YOSHI went over here. The G1 usually books everything close and Yano didn’t need to finish with ten points. **¼
B Block: EVIL [8] def. NEVER Openweight Champion Katsuyori Shibata [10] in 9:44
Considering his win over Elgin on night one, I suspect EVIL gets an Intercontinental Title shot down the line, however, I’d dig a feud between these two at some point. Shibata tried to take it early, going right for a sleeper hold but missing the Penalty Kick. Outside, EVIL went after Shibata’s injured arm and used a chair on it. Shibata beat the count inside, but EVIL was still in control. They started trading big blows, with neither guy holding anything back. Shibata went back to the sleeper and EVIL wisely broke it by wrenching on the arm. EVIL came close on a sitout powerbomb variation before winning with the STO. Another good, but not great match. They could probably do more with a healthier Shibata down the line. EVIL beats both the NEVER and IC Champions, while Shibata ends another G1 with a disappointing spot in the standings. ***¼
B Block: Katsuhiko Nakajima [10] def. IWGP Intercontinental Champion Michael Elgin [10] in 16:39
Elgin needs to win and have Omega win the main event to stay alive. This is Gedo though, and it all has to come down to both guys in the main event having a chance, so the result was kind of obvious. They chop each other hard in the first few minutes. Nakajima took control with some brutal sounding kicks. I love his kicks. Their back and forth was really good throughout. Nakajima came close on a backdrop driver, but Elgin kicked out. Elgin went for a big lariat, but ran into a dropkick. Elgin went into a series of suplexes before missing a splash off the top. They began to trade forearms in the center of the ring and then Elgin DID THE DEAL! Nakajima escaped the Elgin Bomb and fired off a series of kicks before pulling out the win with the Brainbuster. Really good work from both guys. It was stiff, did a decent job building drama and had some great false finishes. The NOAH guys beat the Heavyweight and IC Champions in this tournament. ***¾
B Block: Kenny Omega [12] def. Tetsuya Naito [12] in 28:17
The last two results opened the door for Kenny Omega. I knew this result before watching it and it really hurt my interest. Naito did his laid back stuff early and heel Omega responded by spitting at him. Naito went after the leg, which Omega sold well, not even being able to make it to the guardrail he was tossed into. As Omega took over on offense, he did Naito’s trademark eye taunt. Omega powerbombed Naito through a table on the outside and I was surprised he didn’t go for the countout victory. Instead, he followed with a somersault from in the ring out into the crowd onto Naito. When Naito beat the count, Omega hit a dragon suplex on the apron and another inside for two. They began to trade stuff for a while, including Omega’s high knee and Naito’s tornado DDT. There was a great moment where Naito went for a German, seemingly knowing that Omega would land on his feet, and did so because it would hurt Kenny’s leg more. Naito countered the One Winged Angel into the knee bar but Omega survived and reached the ropes. Omega came back and hit his big knee. He went for One Winged Angel again, but Naito reversed into Destino. He was unable to cover instantly, meaning the match continued. Naito took him up top for a super reverse rana. Omega countered Destino and then couldn’t get Naito up for the One Winged Angel because his knee. He did counter the rebound attack with a knee, which was great. Suddenly though, he had use his leg again and nailed a German for two. Another knee got the same result before winning with the One Winged Angel that he could do again. Look, the match itself is great. Kenny sold the leg well for the most part, there was a fair amount of drama towards the end and some big time spots with a hot crowd. The best Omega match I’ve ever seen. ****¼
I loathe the fact that Naito lost. I didn’t care for the idea of Goto/Naito again but come on Gedo. Naito spent the past year reinventing himself to the point where he was the hottest act in the company. Then he won the Heavyweight Title and things felt fresh. Instead of running with that, Gedo put the belt back on bland Okada and things were status quo again. People said it was a good decision because Naito could win the G1 and get the big win at WK11. Instead, he doesn’t win here and will probably be stuck in the midcard at Wrestle Kingdom. Gedo basically said “f*** you for getting yourself over, now you have to job to my flavor of the month gaijin.” NJPW is just like WWE. You get yourself over (Shibata, Naito, Goto) and in the end, it doesn’t matter.
Overall: 8/10. The show was good. I’m too upset about the booking of the main event to write anymore. Someone remove Gedo as a booker.
| A BLOCK | POINTS | B BLOCK | POINTS |
| Hirooki Goto | 12 (6-3) | Kenny Omega | 12 (6-3) |
| Hiroshi Tanahashi | 11 (5-3-1) | Tetsuya Naito | 12 (6-3) |
| Kazuchika Okada | 11 (5-3-1) | Katushiko Nakajima | 10 (5-4) |
| Bad Luck Fale | 10 (5-4) | Toru Yano | 10 (5-4) |
| Naomichi Marufji | 10 (5-4) | Michael Elgin | 10 (5-4) |
| Tama Tonga | 8 (4-5) | Katsuyori Shibata | 10 (5-4) |
| SANADA | 8 (4-5) | EVIL | 8 (4-5) |
| Tomohiro Ishii | 8 (4-5) | Tomoaki Honma | 6 (3-6) |
| Togi Makabe | 8 (4-5) | Yuji Nagata | 6 (3-6) |
| Hiroyoshi Tenzan | 4 (2-7) | YOSHI-HASHI | 6 (3-6) |
NJPW G1 Climax 26 Night Seventeen
August 12th, 2016 | Ryogoku Kokuhikan Sumo Hall in Tokyo, Japan
It is the final show for the A Block. There are five possible outcomes. Bad Luck Fale wins the block if he beats Tama Tonga, Okada beats Tanahashi and Marufuji beats Goto. Goto wins if he beats Marufuji and Okada/Tana ends in a tie. Okada wins if he beats Tanahashi, Tonga beats Fale and Goto beats Marufuji. Marufuji wins if he beats Goto, Okada beats Tanahashi and Tonga beats Fale. Lastly, Tanahashi wins if he can just beat Okada. Still, it’s Gedo boking so it’ll come down to Okada or Tanahashi. As usual, I will just be reviewing the G1 Climax matches.
A Block: SANADA [8] def. Hiroyoshi Tenzan [4] in 12:22
I’ll say it one last time, but Gedo mishandled the Tenzan final G1 story. Could you imagine the crowd if he would have come in today with a shot at winning the entire thing? Even so, they were still way into this. SANADA couldn’t overpower Tenzan so he stepped on his foot, which got a small laugh out of me. He also resorted to using his bat on the outside. They did battle back in the ring and it was really good, with the crowd adding a lot to it. SANADA got two on a German and went for the dragon sleeper. Tenzan countered into a tombstone variation as Kojima cheered him on at ringside. Tenzan missed the moonsault, so it was Mongolian chop and headbutt time. I thought he had it after the Koji lariat and Anaconda Vice but SANADA kicked out. Tenzan then survived a dragon sleeper and moonsault before finally tapping to another dragon sleeper. This was better than I expected it to be. They went at it for the entire twelve minutes and never bored me. I was expecting Tenzan go win his final G1 match but he kudos to him for going out and putting over SANADA. Thank you Tenzan. ***½
Hiroyoshi Tenzan got a standing ovation and hug from Satoshi Kojima after the match. It was an emotional moment for the legend.
A Block: Tomohiro Ishii [8] def. Togi Makabe [8] in 12:34
You’ve got the guy who started 4-0 and lost four straight against the MVP of the G1 Climax. I saw these two wrestle enough in 2015 to last a lifetime, but hopefully this is one of their stronger matches. Similar to Tanahashi/Okada later, you pretty much know what you’re going to get when these two square off. Right on cue, they just started wailing on each other in the middle of the ring. They traded signature stuff like ten punches in the corner and a powerbomb from Ishii. Ishii began to lean into the shots that Makabe threw. Despite moments like that, Ishii always finds a way to sell so well. He dug deep on those but on other strikes, he looked ready to fall over and die. Makabe looked for the spider German and nailed it, but missed the big knee drop. They started in with the headbutts and lariats before Ishii won with the Brainbuster, handing Makabe his fifth straight loss. Not their best work together but certainly not their worst. It was the hard hitting battle I knew we were getting and that was fine. ***½
A Block: Tama Tonga [8] def. Bad Luck Fale [10] in 8:53
Oh man, it’s the worst of the worst for the Bullet Club out there. Fale and Tonga, and then at ringside was Tanga Roa, Yujiro Takahashi and Hangman Page. They teased Tonga laying down for Fale but he went back on it and rolled him up. It made more sense to try it here than it did last year when both Fale and AJ Styles were alive if I remember right. This led to an actual match where the guys did stuff that I could never really get into. Tonga worked hard to cut the big man down to size, but Fale was ready for the Gun Stun a few times. Tonga escaped the Bad Luck Fall and started to use his speed and elusiveness. From out of nowhere, he hit the Gun Stun and ended Fale’s chances to win the block. As good as it probably could have been. Tonga was largely a disappointment in this G1. He had a few good matches but nothing that stood out. Fale was Fale in this match and throughout. **¾
A Block: Hirooki Goto [12] def. Naomichi Marufuji [10] in 13:21
Right out of the gate, both guys brought it. It instantly felt like I was watching two guys fighting for the chance at winning the entire thing. With Fale out, a Marufuji win and Okada win would put the NOAH star in the finals, while a Goto win and main event tie puts Goto in. They played this match evenly throughout, with neither gaining a clear cut upper hand. Marufuji hit his plancha to the outside and chopped Goto a ton, while Goto fired back with some vicious kicks. Marufuji did his sneaky spot where he avoids a guardrail bump and nails a springboard dropkick inside. Just as Goto really got going, Marufuji delivered a stiff knee to the jaw, causing him to crumple. Goto got a near fall on ushigoroshi and then Marufuji came close with kicks and knees. Goto blocked Shiranui and applied a sleeper hold. Marufuji fought it but Goto kept hold and won with the GTR. Really good match that was the best work from Goto so far in the tournament. They built to some good drama despite most people thinking Goto would win here. ***¾
A Block: Hiroshi Tanahashi [11] and IWGP Heavyweight Champion Kazuchika Okada [11] went to a time limit draw in 30:00
Coming into 2016, I never gave one of the matches between these two less than ****¼. Then Wrestle Kingdom 10 happened and that was easily their worst outing, so I came in hoping for a return to form. Unlike a lot of their past matches, this got off to a quick start with Okada hitting the trademark elbow and doing the Rainmaker pose within minutes. Tanahashi avoided it and used a small package for a near fall. Following that, it started to be the more traditional Okada/Tanahashi match we’ve all come to know. Yes, that means Tanahashi did High Fly Flow to the outside. I always expect him to hit the guardrail or something but he never does. Tanahashi nearly won by countout but broke the count to send Okada back in. Okada instead dropped him with a tombstone on the outside and they both beat the count back in. After more back and forth, Tanahashi missed High Fly Flow and Okada struck with a dropkick to the back of the head. Tanahashi countered the Rainmaker into a Rainmaker variation of sling blade. In typical Tanahashi form, he went to the leg, hitting a dragon screw over the top rope. He hit High Fly Flow but Okada got his knees up on the second one. The finishing stretch here was great, since both men excel at that aspect of a match. They called back to WK10 when Okada kept hold of Tanahashi’s wrist through the fight. Okada hit the Rainmaker, Tanahashi hit a dragon suplex, Okada hit a tombstone and there were more Rainmaker counters. Just when Tana hit two High Fly Flows, he covered and time expired right before Okada kicked out, leading to a draw. Much better than their WK10 effort. They built the match around the time limit draw threat and the drama it created led to an excellent atmosphere. I did feel like the draw was coming, especially as the match wore on and I wasn’t a fan of Tana trying two finishers when he knew time was running out. Other than that though, this was spectacular. ****½
With the tie, Hirooki Goto wins A Block. I appreciate that it is the first G1 Final since 2011 to not include Tanahashi or Okada, but it feels like Goto backed in since he lost to both. It feels less like Goto won and more like Okada and Tana lost the block.
Overall: 9/10. Like last year, the performances ramped up as the tournament came to a close. Tanga/Fale was as good as possible and is the only skippable match. Tenzan/SANADA and Ishii/Makabe were both really good back and forth matches. Goto/Marufuji was the best Goto match for sure and had nice added drama throughout. The main event proved to be one of the best matches of the tournament. It was nice to see Okada put in actual effort. A strong, mostly dramatic night to end the A Block.
| A BLOCK | POINTS | B BLOCK | POINTS |
| Hirooki Goto | 12 (6-3) | Tetsuya Naito | 12 (6-2) |
| Hiroshi Tanahashi | 11 (5-3-1) | Michael Elgin | 10 (5-3) |
| Kazuchika Okada | 11 (5-3-1) | Katsuyori Shibata | 10 (5-3) |
| Bad Luck Fale | 10 (5-4) | Kenny Omega | 10 (5-3) |
| Naomichi Marufji | 10 (5-4) | Katsuhiko Nakajima | 8 (4-4) |
| Tama Tonga | 8 (4-5) | Toru Yano | 8 (4-4) |
| SANADA | 8 (4-5) | YOSHI-HASHI | 6 (3-5) |
| Tomohiro Ishii | 8 (4-5) | Yuji Nagata | 6 (3-5) |
| Togi Makabe | 8 (4-5) | EVIL | 6 (3-5) |
| Hiroyoshi Tenzan | 4 (2-7) | Tomoaki Honma | 4 (2-6) |
