In addition to the Tetsuya Naito vs. Kenny Omega main event, New Japan Pro Wrestling has revealed the full card for the G1 Climax 27 finals. A number of tag team bouts, two title matches, and the G1 finals are all scheduled to go down.
All of the new matches announced for tonight are tag bouts. The co-main event is a ten-man tag, with CHAOS members Kazuchika Okada, Tomohiro Ishii, Toru Yano & Gedo facing EVIL, SANADA, Hiromu Takahashi & BUSHI of Los Ingobernables de Japon.
In six man action, Hiroshi Tanahashi, Kota Ibushi & Michael Elgin will square off with Minoru Suzuki, Zack Sabre Jr. & Takashi Iizuka. Another six-man has Juice Robinson, Satoshi Kojima & Hiroyoshi Tenzan vs. Bad Luck Fale, Yujiro Takahashi & Chase Owens.
War Machine defending their IWGP tag titles against Cody & Hangman Page was previously announced for the show, along with The Young Bucks vs. Ryusuke Taguchi & Ricochet for the IWGP Junior Heavyweight tag belts.
We will have live coverage of the event later tonight/early Sunday morning at 2 a.m. ET. The full lineup is as follows:
Tetsuya Naito vs. Kenny Omega in the G1 Climax 27 finals (winner earns a briefcase to challenge for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship at next year’s Tokyo Dome show)
Kanagawa was home to the last G1 show before the Sumo Hall events this weekend. After everything that went on tonight, we now have a clearer picture of how the winner of the B Block will be decided.
Prelim matches —
– Chase Owens defeated Tomoyuki Oka with the package piledriver.
– Zack Sabre Jr. & El Desperado defeated Hiroyoshi Tenzan & Shota Umino when Desperado submitted Umino with the stretch muffler.
– Bad Luck Fale & Yujiro Takahashi defeated Yuji Nagata & Katsuya Kitamura when Takahashi pinned Kitamura with the Pimp Juice DDT.
– Hirooki Goto, Tomohiro Ishii & YOSHI-HASHI defeated Kota Ibushi, Togi Makabe & Hirai Kawato when Ishii submitted Kawato with a Boston crab.
– Hiroshi Tanahashi, Ryusuke Taguchi & David Finlay defeated Tetsuya Naito, BUSHI & Hiromu Takahashi when Taguchi submitted BUSHI with the ankle lock. Naito focused on Tanahashi’s bicep as well as a leg, which may be the story heading into their match at the A Block finals.
B Block matches —
Tama Tonga defeated Satoshi Kojima
Tonga attacked Kojima at the bell, putting on his entrance coat and laying a beating. There was standard back-and-forth stuff from there. Tonga gained control until Kojima started to make a comeback.
Kojima gave Tonga a lariat that sent him to the floor. Kojima continued to gain control until Tonga dodged two lariat attempts and hit the Gun Stun for the win. Not a bad match by any means, but it was just there.
Juice Robinson defeated Toru Yano
This was a match mostly filled with comedy. There was one spot where Yano tied Robinson’s braids on the guardrail, causing him to nearly lose via countout until he rolled in just in the nick of time…and ran right into the exposed turnbuckle that Yano had just undone.
Yano did his usual grabbing the ref/low blow spot, but Robinson fired back with a big punch and laid him out with the Pulp Friction for the win.
Michael Elgin defeated EVIL
They had a pretty good match that turned great towards the last few minutes of it. The crowd was molten for every counter they did, which made it pretty damn exciting.
EVIL dominated early, jumping Elgin right at the bell and unleashing a torrent of offense. He went to do something off the top rope, but Elgin caught him and turned it into a falcon arrow.
Elgin went to the top rope, stood on top, and hit a giant superplex. EVIL blocked a buckle bomb attempt, and from there they had a super hot back-and-forth exchange. Elgin hit a Razor’s Edge powerbomb. He followed that with a lariat and an Elgin bomb to pick up the win.
Kenny Omega defeated SANADA
This was good, but it felt like they were just starting to go somewhere when the match ended rather abruptly. Good, but not great.
There was a scary spot early where Omega tried to lay out SANADA with a moonsault DDT off the guardrail but landed on his head on impact. He seemed fine after, but it looked scary.
Omega was in control until SANADA took him out with a crossbody to the floor. Omega went for the One Winged Angel, but SANADA countered with a hurricanrana. Omega escaped from a Skull End attempt and fired back with a dragon suplex and a V-Trigger, but SANADA kicked out.
The two went at it, escaping each other’s moves. Omega escaped another Skull End attempt. SANADA went to counter by floating over Omega, but instead Omega grabbed him, transitioned into the One Winged Angel, and pinned him.
Kazuchika Okada and Minoru Suzuki went to a 30-minute time limit draw
This was an incredible match, in my opinion much better than the match they had back in February. An absolutely intense battle with Suzuki playing his role super well as the tough veteran exposing Okada’s weakness (his bandaged neck) and never relenting, causing the youthful warrior Okada to continue to fight back. Just a fantastic back-and-forth match.
Okada’s neck was all taped up. He took control early until, as the theme has been for the last year, Desperado and Taichi got involved. The young lions at ringside took them away, leaving it just between Suzuki and Okada, with the former ripping off the bandage on Okada’s neck and working on it instantly.
Suzuki went for a penalty kick, but Okada blocked it and started to trade punches. Suzuki went for the sleeper, but Okada countered with a suplex. Okada went for the Rainmaker until Suzuki countered with a guillotine choke. Okada tried to fire back with a tombstone, but Suzuki escaped and then nailed him with a dropkick.
Okada nailed a dropkick to the back of Suzuki’s head and hit a cradle tombstone piledriver. Suzuki dodged the Rainmaker, then escaped the tombstone and hit one of his own. Suzuki continued the assault, grinding down Okada and pelting him with kicks.
Suzuki followed up with an octopus hold. He tried for the Gotch piledriver, but Okada blocked it. Suzuki hit the ropes, but Okada fired back with a dropkick, then another one off the top rope.
He went for the Rainmaker, but Suzuki countered with a sleeper suplex and kept him down on the mat. Okada struggled to make it to the ropes, but Suzuki got him on his back. Eventually, Okada did escape, grabbing the ropes.
Suzuki unleashed his fury on Okada with a barrage of punches. He picked up a prone Okada, only to get blasted with a Rainmaker. He slowly got back up and landed a second. Okada went for a third, but Suzuki again blasted him with a ton of open hand slaps. Okada started to fire back with some of his own.
Suzuki, putting his hands down, invited Okada to slap him some more. He stuffed Okada’s attempt at a tombstone and tried for the Gotch piledriver, but again Okada blocked him. Suzuki went for the sleeper again. Okada quickly countered with a Rainmaker and tried to make a cover, but couldn’t reach Suzuki in time as the time limit expired.
As far as who’s alive, it’s relatively simple. Tied at twelve points each, whoever wins between Tanahashi and Naito on August 11th wins the A Block and makes it to the finals.
It also boils down to Kenny Omega vs. Kazuchika Okada in the B Block on August 12th. With this morning’s draw, Omega needs the win, but Okada would advance with a win or a draw.
We’re seeing the light at the end of the tunnel as the conclusion of the G1 Climax is nearing. The final week of action kicked off in Shizuoka this morning, with A Block tournament matches taking place. Following yesterday’s upsets, will tonight be more of the same?
Prelim matches —
– Juice Robinson & David Finlay defeated Katsuya Kitamura & Tomoyuki Oka when Finlay pinned Oka following a stunner.
– EVIL & Hiromu Takahashi defeated Michael Elgin & Hirai Kawato when Takahashi submitted Kawato with the Boston crab.
– Tama Tonga & Yujiro Takahashi defeated Satoshi Kojima & Hiroyoshi Tenzan after Tonga laid out Tenzan with the Gun Stun.
– SANADA & BUSHI defeated Kenny Omega & Chase Owens when SANADA submitted Owens with the Skull End.
– Kazuchika Okada, Toru Yano & Gedo defeated Minoru Suzuki, Taichi & El Desperado when Yano ripped off Taichi’s pants and rolled him up.
A Block matches —
Yuji Nagata defeated Zack Sabre Jr.
Great match. They combined Nagata’s stiffness with Sabre’s great wrestling ability to have a nice back-and-forth encounter.
They started off with some mat wrestling. Desperado grabbed Nagata’s leg, but he remained undaunted as he took out Sabre with a big boot. Sabre transitioned and used his feet to strike Nagata’s wrist, taking it into his control and stomping it.
There was more mat wrestling as Nagata took down Sabre and applied a crossface. He picked up Sabre for an exploder, but Sabre transitioned it into a guillotine, then went back to working on Nagata’s wrist. Sabre got Nagata in a triangle choke, but Nagata popped out and transitioned into his trademark armbar.
They each took shots at their injured arms, striking each other with kicks. Nagata went for the back suplex until Sabre countered with the octopus stretch. Nagata escaped and hit a brainbuster. Sabre kicked out of one back suplex, but he didn’t kick out of a second, giving Yuji Nagata his first win of the tournament.
Kota Ibushi defeated YOSHI-HASHI
They had another great back-and-forth match. The last couple of minutes were awesome. Ibushi always knows when to turn it up and YOSHI-HASHI does as well.
Both wrestlers got some shine early, striking one another with some very good offense. YOSHI-HASHI countered a clothesline and hit Ibushi with the headhunter neckbreaker. Ibushi came back with a hurricanrana and took out YH with the golden triangle moonsault on the outside.
YOSHI-HASHI came back with the swanton bomb and sunk in the butterfly lock. Ibushi fought on, but YH wouldn’t let it go. Ibushi got out of it, grabbed YH’s wrists and went for the Kamigoye, but YH would headbutt back whenever Ibushi tried to strike. YOSHI-HASHI finally cut off Ibushi with his own press powerbomb.
Continuing to gain momentum, YOSHI-HASHI hit a running meteora and went for Karma, but Ibushi floated over and struck YOSHI-HASHI with a kick to the head. He hit the last ride, but YOSHI-HASHI kicked out. The Kamigoye, however, sealed the deal.
Bad Luck Fale defeated Hirooki Goto
Goto tried to whittle down Fale with kicks, but it didn’t work as Fale quickly dispatched him to the outside. Fale took one of Goto’s legs and slammed it against the ring post, giving him something to work with.
Fighting back, Goto gained momentum by clotheslining Fale. He tried lifting him up on his shoulders but couldn’t get it done. Goto tried for the GTR, but Fale raked him in the eyes. He went for a lariat, but Fale came back with one of his own.
Goto escaped a Bad Luck Fall attempt, but then walked right into a Grenade, giving Fale a win in a pretty good bout.
Tetsuya Naito defeated Togi Makabe
Makabe started off hot on Naito’s trail as he took him out of the ring and brawled with him into the crowd. Naito cut him off and took him back to the ring, where he started to build momentum.
Naito tried for the satellite DDT, but Makabe threw him off and hit the kneeling powerbomb. Makabe then took Naito to the top rope and smashed his head repeatedly into the turnbuckle in nasty fashion. Eventually, he did land the spider German suplex. He went to finish with the King Kong knee drop, but Naito rolled out of the way.
Naito countered back with a koppo kick and went for the Destino, but Makabe blocked it and hit a lariat. Naito hit what looked like a reverse Destino, then followed with another for the win in a great match.
Hiroshi Tanahashi defeated Tomohiro Ishii
I don’t know if this was as good as their previous bouts, but this was still one hell of a main event. There was excellent, high-impact work between the two with some exciting reversal spots near the end.
They went back and forth on one another early, exchanging brutal chops. Tanahashi went after a leg. He took Ishii to the top rope and tried to launch him off, but he wouldn’t budge until Tanahashi took him out with a dragon screw.
Ishii started to build momentum with a dragon suplex, but Tanahashi countered right back with a slingblade. Tanahashi missed a High Fly Flow attempt, but countered Ishii’s sliding D attempt into a crucifix. Tanahashi continued his work on Ishii’s legs, unloading with a few dragon screws before sinking in a cloverleaf.
After repeatedly going after Ishii’s bum leg, Tanahashi’s fortune turned against him as Ishii gave one of his legs a stunner and started to work on it. Ishii went for a knee crusher until Tanahashi countered with a slingblade, only for Ishii to come right back with a lariat.
Ishii wrapped Tanahashi in a sharpshooter, but he quickly made it to the ropes. Ishii got a setback as Tanahashi gave him a dragon screw, but he met Tanahashi on the top rope and unleashed a big superplex. Ishii tried to follow with a brainbuster, but Tanahashi hit two twist and shout neckbreakers. Ishii tried for it again, but this time Tanahashi took him out with a dragon suplex.
They battled it out, with both kicking out at one as they exchanged moves. Tanahashi crawled to the corner and went for the High Fly Flow, and it connected. A second followed, and Tanahashi scored the win.
Tanahashi, looking exhausted and selling his leg, cut a short promo to close out the show. Only Tanahashi and Naito are in contention heading into their match at the A Block finals on August 11th.
Interesting developments took place this morning in the B Block as the G1 rolled into Osaka. Kazuchika Okada faced EVIL in the main event, while Kenny Omega battled Juice Robinson in the co-main.
I won’t spoil the results in the opening paragraph, but it’s safe to say that after tonight the story of the B Block is that both Okada and Omega are having very similar G1 experiences thus far.
Prelim matches —
– Chase Owens defeated Katsuya Kitamura with the package piledriver.
– Zack Sabre Jr., Taichi & El Desperado defeated Yuji Nagata, Shota Umino & Ren Narita when Desperado submitted Umino with the stretch muffler.
– Bad Luck Fale & Yujiro Takahashi defeated Hiroyoshi Tenzan & Tomoyuki Oka when Takahashi pinned Oka with the Pimp Juice DDT.
– Tetsuya Naito, BUSHI & Hiromu Takahashi defeated Togi Makabe, Hirai Kawato & Tiger Mask IV when BUSHI submitted Kawato with an elevated Boston crab.
– Tomohiro Ishii, YOSHI-HASHI & Hirooki Goto defeated Hiroshi Tanahashi, Kota Ibushi & David Finlay when Goto pinned Finlay with the GTR.
B Block matches —
Toru Yano defeated Tama Tonga
This didn’t last long. Tonga grabbed the ring bell hammer and tried to use it on Yano as they both entered the ring. The ref tried to take it away from Tonga. In the confusion, Yano low blowed Tonga and pinned him in a surprise. Not particularly good at all.
Mr. August himself, Masahiro Chono, was on commentary for tonight’s matches.
Satoshi Kojima defeated SANADA
Fairly standard start to the match. Kojima gained the early momentum, but SANADA ended up low blowing him. Kojima retaliated but got cut off with a SANADA springboard dropkick.
SANADA took Kojima down with the Skull End as Tenzan willed his partner to make it to the ropes. After the ref let Kojima’s hand fall twice, SANADA went to the top rope for the moonsault, but Kojima dodged just in the nick of time.
SANADA went for another moonsault, but Kojima avoided it, got up, and managed to whack SANADA in the back of the head with a lariat. SANADA went for the Skull End, but Kojima maneuvered it into an inverted DDT, then laid out SANADA with two more lariats to pick up his first win of the tournament. This was pretty good and told a nice story.
Michael Elgin defeated Minoru Suzuki
I found this to be disappointing for a first-time match. I know Suzuki-gun’s gimmick is that they interfere a bunch, but they did too much of it in this match to the point it was overkill. The match was good, but not great.
Desperado and Taichi made themselves known early, continually interfering outside of the ring as Suzuki gained control, beating Elgin with a chair. He wrapped Elgin’s arm against a chair and slammed it on the ring post.
Elgin countered back with a couple of roaring elbows but was taken down with a Suzuki armbar. Desperado hit him with a chair as Suzuki sunk it in again, but Elgin managed to lift up Suzuki and released himself from the hold by throwing him to the floor.
Elgin hit the buckle bomb, but Suzuki fell on the ref, allowing Taichi and Desperado to interfere yet again. Elgin took them both down, then went to finish off Suzuki, but Suzuki instead latched on the sleeper. Elgin cut him off upon release, then hit the Elgin bomb for the big win.
That probably gives Elgin a shot at the NEVER title later this fall.
Juice Robinson defeated Kenny Omega
They had a really good match. Robinson has been connecting well with the crowd and is excellent at selling, which played a big part in the match. The surprise win and the shock from the crowd was great.
Omega gave Robinson a suplex out of the ring, hurting his leg in the process. Omega quickly took note of the injury and began working on it, wrapping Robinson’s legs on the turnbuckle and sinking in a figure four leglock. Lifting the injured leg, Omega threw him into a nearby table, which proceeded to not break.
After more work on the leg, Robinson came back with a full nelson slam. He went for the Pulp Friction a couple of times, but Omega found ways to escape. He laid out Robinson with a V-Trigger, though Robinson came back with a hard shot to the face.
Robinson went for it again, but Omega countered with a reverse rana. Omega followed with a big V-Trigger and went for the One Winged Angel until Robinson countered with a small package and got the three count, scoring a big win.
If Omega ends up winning the whole thing, Robinson could be a challenger for the briefcase down the line.
EVIL defeated Kazuchika Okada
This was such a great match, and it was different than your usual Okada matches. EVIL has established himself as a brawler and he brought it to Okada, with a lot of cool spots and great false finishes. The surprise win, and how it was executed, was absolutely awesome. This isn’t the best match of the tournament, but it’s awfully close.
Okada mostly dominated the match until going for his rolling splash off the apron — EVIL pushed him off the ring instead and began attacking him on the outside, using the usual chair spot to gain the advantage.
Back in the ring, it was mostly a very good back-and-forth affair. Okada hit the elbow and went for the Rainmaker, but EVIL grabbed him by the hair and hit a superkick. They went to the outside, where Okada hit a big boot, sending EVIL out of the ring. He went to jump over the barricade but instead ate a chair right in the face thanks to EVIL.
EVIL set up a pile of chairs in the crowd and laid Okada out with the Darkness Falls on the chairs. He took him back in the ring and hit another Darkness Falls. He went for the STO, but Okada blocked it, so he took him to the top rope. Okada fought it off, then hit a really amazing looking missile dropkick to a kneeling EVIL.
They continued to battle back and forth until Okada nailed a dropkick right in the back of EVIL’s head, then followed with another. EVIL escaped a Rainmaker attempt. Okada kept on the assault until EVIL hit two lariats for a great near fall.
EVIL went for the STO, but Okada launched back with a Rainmaker, then followed with another. When he went for a third, EVIL blasted him with a headbutt and went for the STO once again, but Okada countered with a German suplex. He went for a fourth Rainmaker, but in mid-motion EVIL hooked Okada’s leg and landed the STO to pick up the shock win.
This more than likely sets up a title match between Okada and EVIL for later on in the year.
EVIL cut a promo after the match, saying “Welcome to the darkness world.”
Ehime was home to the thirteenth G1 Climax 27 show, featuring action from the A block. In the main event, Hiroshi Tanahashi took on Togi Makabe. Before that, Tetsuya Naito faced off against Zack Sabre Jr. in their first-ever singles battle in the semi-main event.
Prelim matches —
– Tama Tonga & Yujiro Takahashi defeated Katsuya Kitamura & Tomoyuki Oka when Takahashi pinned Kitamura with the Pimp Juice DDT.
– Minoru Suzuki, Taichi & El Desperado defeated Michael Elgin, Tiger Mask IV & Hirai Kawato when Desperado pinned Kawato with the Angel’s Wings.
– Satoshi Kojima & Hiroyoshi Tenzan defeated SANADA & BUSHI after Kojima hit BUSHI with a lariat.
– Juice Robinson & David Finlay defeated Kenny Omega & Chase Owens when Robinson pinned Owens with the Pulp Friction.
– Kazuchika Okada & Toru Yano defeated EVIL & Hiromu Takahashi when Yano rolled up Takahashi for a flash pin.
A Block matches —
Kota Ibushi defeated Yuji Nagata
Nagata once again continued to prove he’s one of the best workers around at his age. This was great, with the crowd totally wanting to see Nagata pick up his first win in the tournament. Ibushi’s resilience to all the damage he absorbed during the match was something to behold as well.
They mat wrestled early, with Nagata honing in on one of Ibushi’s arms. Ibushi broke free and began to fight back, including landing the standing hurricanrana.
Nagata hit an exploder as he assaulted Ibushi on the ground. Nagata continued to build momentum, hitting a brainbuster and a back suplex, but he found Ibushi to be very resilient. He went for another, but Ibushi floated over a German suplex attempt and stuck a Pele kick. He tried to finish with a press powerbomb, but Nagata kicked out.
Ibushi followed with his new finisher, a double wrist knee strike called the Kamigoye, for the win.
Bad Luck Fale defeated Tomohiro Ishii
Fale dominated a lot of the match due to his sheer strength. Every time Ishii tried to mount a comeback, Fale would shut it down pretty quickly. Ishii finally got somewhere when he grabbed Fale and laid him out with a brainbuster.
Ishii hit the ropes twice — landing a big lariat — and went for the sliding D, but Fale grabbed him by the throat. Ishii took him down with an armbar, but Fale escaped. Ishii escaped the Bad Luck Fall and chopped him back down and went back to an armbar.
Fale came back to life with a spear, then hit Ishii with the Bad Luck Fall for the win in a very good match.
Hirooki Goto defeated YOSHI-HASHI
This was a back-and-forth match early, with neither really gaining any advantage until YOSHI-HASHI went for a jackknife cover, then went for a butterfly lock. He went for the sleeper, but Goto transitioned into one of his own.
YOSHI-HASHI avoided Goto’s GTR twice and leveled him with a superkick. He tried to go for Karma, but Goto laid him out and hit two GTRs for the win. This was good while it lasted.
Tetsuya Naito defeated Zack Sabre Jr.
Sabre took down Naito and focused on the neck area, using his feet to twist it around. Naito fought back, but Sabre continued to find ways to work on Naito’s body, latching onto a body part every time Naito tried to gain some momentum.
Naito finally was able to hit the satellite DDT, giving him some momentum. He hit a koppo kick and went for the Destino, but Sabre escaped and went for a few clever pinfall attempts, rolling up Naito in a number of ways.
Naito escaped a penalty kick attempt, hit an enzuigiri and a shoulder breaker, then hit the Destino for the win. This was really good, telling a good story.
Hiroshi Tanahashi defeated Togi Makabe
This was good, but there have been many good matches in this tournament. Unfortunately, this is going to be one of those matches that gets lost in the shuffle.
Makabe took out Tanahashi early, clotheslining him on the outside. Tanahashi fought back, landing the senton, but Makabe responded by taking him to the corner and mounting him with punches.
He followed with the kneeling powerbomb and went for the King Kong knee drop, but Tanahashi avoided it. Tanahashi responded with the twist and shout neckbreaker as he soon went for the High Fly Flow, but he found no one there upon impact.
Makabe drilled Tanahashi with German suplexes and took him to the top rope for the Spider suplex. Tanahashi instead reversed it and landed a German suplex pin for a near fall. Tanahashi went for two High Fly Flows, got them both, and scored the win.
Tanahashi played air guitar to close out the show.
Fukuoka was home to the twelfth night of the G1 Climax 27 this morning. B Block action continued as Kazuchika Okada took on Tama Tonga and Kenny Omega squared off against EVIL in the main event.
Prelim matches —
– Tomoyuki Oka & Shota Umino defeated Katsuya Kitamura & Ren Narita when Oka submitted Narita with a Boston crab.
– Kota Ibushi & Tiger Mask IV defeated Yuji Nagata & Hirai Kawato when Tiger Mask pinned Kawato after a butterfly suplex off the top rope.
– Tomohiro Ishii, Hirooki Goto & YOSHI-HASHI defeated Bad Luck Fale, Yujiro Takahashi & Chase Owens when YOSHI-HASHI submitted Owens with the butterfly lock.
– Zack Sabre Jr., Taichi & El Desperado defeated Tetsuya Naito, Hiromu Takahashi & BUSHI when Taichi pinned BUSHI with the Gedo clutch.
– Hiroshi Tanahashi & Jushin Thunder Liger defeated Togi Makabe & David Finlay when Tanahashi hit Finlay with the High Fly Flow.
B Block matches —
SANADA defeated Juice Robinson
After a hot exchange at the start, SANADA clipped Robinson’s leg as he entered the ring, finding a body part to work on for the duration of the match. SANADA continued to work on the leg, applying a figure four on the floor.
SANADA went for a magistral cradle until Robinson reversed it. Robinson landed a spinebuster and followed with a powerbomb. SANADA sprang back to life with a springboard dropkick, followed by a back suplex. Robinson escaped the Skull End and eventually ended up laying out SANADA with a lariat.
SANADA had the Cold Skull applied, but Robinson escaped as the two traded finisher attempts. Finally, SANADA latched on the Skull End once again and then let go to hit a moonsault for the win. This was a good sprint of a match.
Toru Yano defeated Michael Elgin by DQ
This did not last long. After Elgin proved he was the better of the two, Yano did a ref spot and low blowed Elgin. Yano then fell to the floor and told the referee that Elgin low blowed him. The New Japan ref, for some inexplicable reason, believed him and disqualified Elgin, effectively putting him out of the tournament. This was dumb.
Minoru Suzuki defeated Satoshi Kojima
Suzuki wasted no time in jumping Kojima, taking him to the outside and throwing him across the barricades. When Desperado and Taka Michinoku came in, Tenzan took care of them, but the referee stopped things and sent Tenzan away as Suzuki dominated.
Kojima came back and unloaded chops on Suzuki’s chest. Suzuki started to go for the Gotch piledriver before Kojima fought back. Desperado and Michinoku came in to interfere, but Tenzan came back and dished out Mongolian chops. Kojima hit a brainbuster, though Suzuki kicked out.
Kojima missed a lariat, allowing Suzuki to wreck him with a flying kick. He followed with the sleeper, then the Gotch piledriver for the win in a nice match.
Kazuchika Okada defeated Tama Tonga
Tonga jumped Okada and posed with Okada’s ring entrance gear to cheers. Okada fought back, but Tonga immediately came back with the heat. When Tonga missed a splash, Okada followed with a neckbreaker.
Okada eventually went for the Rainmaker, but Tonga fought back, running around the ropes, confusing Okada and ending things with a spear. Okada went for another, but Tonga countered with his waistlock DDT. Okada fought back and looked for a third, but Tonga countered everything Okada could muster, including his dropkick.
Okada avoided the Gun Stun but ate a kick to the face for his troubles. Tonga went for another Gun Stun, but Okada dropped him with a German suplex and then pinned him with the Rainmaker. The match was pretty good, though not great.
Kenny Omega defeated EVIL
This was easily the best match of the night by far. EVIL really stepped up his game and was just as good as Omega in this match. Cool table spots and fast-paced action made this a memorable bout.
EVIL took Omega out of the ring, removed the mats, and tried for a body slam, but Omega fought back and body slammed EVIL instead. EVIL tried to mount a comeback with a senton, but Omega got his knees up in response.
Omega put up a chair and tried to suplex EVIL onto it, but EVIL fought back and went for the chair to the throat spot. Omega countered it, then went to do a springboard off the barricade, but EVIL countered and laid him out with the chair to the throat.
When he regained control, Omega took out a table and sent EVIL through it. He took out another and looked to hit a double underhook piledriver on the apron before EVIL fought him off and instead hit a uranage, sending both of them crashing through the table.
With his eye busted open, EVIL hit a senton but Omega started to fight back. After some great back-and-forth offense, EVIL took him down with the Banshee Muzzle, but Omega made it to the ropes.
Omega fought back with a V-Trigger and the reverse rana. I think that legitimately knocked EVIL out as he struggled to continue the match. Omega eventually got him up for the One Winged Angel and landed it for the win.
Omega cut a promo after the match. He said he looked into the crowd and saw Los Ingobernables de Japon shirts, but he also saw Good Night and Good Luck t-shirts as well. He said G1 Climax 27 will be the first time a gaijin has won the tournament twice. He finished off by saying he has to go to sleep now, but goodbye and good night.
The eleventh night of the G1 Climax 27 tournament took place this morning, featuring more action from the A Block in Kagoshima. The main event pitted Hiroshi Tanahashi against Kota Ibushi in their first singles match in two years.
Prelim matches —
– Michael Elgin & Jushin Thunder Liger defeated Katsuya Kitamura & Shota Umino when Elgin pinned Kitamura with the Elgin bomb. The finish was weird as Kitamura clearly kicked out before three but the referee counted it anyway.
– Minoru Suzuki, Taichi & El Desperado defeated Satoshi Kojima, Hiroyoshi Tenzan & Hirai Kawato when Desperado pinned Kawato with the Angel’s Wings.
– SANADA & BUSHI defeated Juice Robinson & David Finlay when SANADA submitted Finlay with the Skull End.
– EVIL & Hiromu Takahashi defeated Kenny Omega & Chase Owens when EVIL pinned Owens with the STO.
– Kazuchika Okada & Toru Yano defeated Tama Tonga & Yujiro Takahashi after Yano low blowed Takahashi and rolled him up.
A Block matches —
YOSHI-HASHI defeated Bad Luck Fale
This was great. YOSHI-HASHI is really good at playing an underdog and Fale knows his role so well as the mean monster heel. The dynamic worked, the crowd was into it, and the match itself was pretty fun.
Fale dominated early, throwing YOSHI-HASHI around, both inside and out of the ring. YH found an opening, dropkicking Fale in the leg and following with the headhunter neckbreaker. He then hit another, this time off the top rope.
He followed that up with the butterfly lock, but Fale escaped and rebounded with a clothesline. He got YH up for the Bad Luck Fall, but YOSHI-HASHI transitioned into a sleeper. YH then hit double knees to the face and applied the butterfly lock again. When Fale tried to get up, YH countered with a small package for the surprise win.
Zack Sabre Jr. defeated Togi Makabe
They had a good match. There wasn’t much of a styles clash as Sabre took most of the offense, and worked it well enough to where this was good.
Sabre didn’t waste time honing in on Makabe’s leg, using a barricade to throw in shots as well as some ground work in the ring. When Makabe started to fight back, Sabre continued the assault with a waistlock choke.
Makabe started to fire back with shots as Sabre obliged and gave them right back. Sabre ate a lariat as Makabe went to the top rope and jumped off with a King Kong knee drop, but Sabre rolled out of the way and zoned back in on the leg, sinking in a modified leglock. With no real alternative, Makabe tapped out.
Tomohiro Ishii defeated Yuji Nagata
I was hoping this would be a great match, and it absolutely was. Ishii is one of the best brawlers out there, and Nagata more than stepped up his game to deliver a fantastic match, full of great near falls.
The two battled it out early. Nagata got the upper hand with some great kicks. Ishii then got the advantage and took him into the ring, but Nagata began to no sell in the corner. Ishii fired back with shots, but Nagata started to give out some of his own.
Ishii hit a big time superplex and went for a lariat until Nagata blocked it and took him down with an armbar instead. Ishii fired back with more shots as they got up, but a strike by Nagata sent Ishii reeling to the floor. Nagata mounted him as he started to deliver some punches.
Nagata followed with a superplex of his own and went for a kick, but Ishii roared back as they traded some great offense, ending when Nagata took down Ishii with a kick. Ishii blasted him with lariats, then hit a brainbuster, but Nagata kicked out.
Nagata fired back with more offense, but Ishii was able to eventually land another brainbuster to finally pick up the win.
Tetsuya Naito defeated Hirooki Goto
This was one of those matches that’ll become lost in the ether of all of the other great matches that have taken place. It had good back-and-forth action, but nothing in particular stood out.
Naito jumped Goto and took him to the apron, quickly establishing control with a neckbreaker. Goto gathered his bearings briefly but was quickly taken down by a Naito dropkick.
Goto came back alive with a couple of clotheslines, but Naito quickly took him down with a DDT. Goto fired back and put him in a sleeper. When Naito fought back, Goto retaliated with an inverted GTR. He tried for a normal one, but Naito battled back — only for Goto to completely obliterate him.
Or maybe not, as Naito unleashed a German suplex and a koppo kick. Goto blocked the Destino and countered with the ushigiroshi. He tried for the GTR again, but Naito escaped and hit the Destino for a near fall. He followed with another for the win.
Kota Ibushi defeated Hiroshi Tanahashi
Great, dramatic match. This had an intensity to it as the action started hot and stayed that way for most of the match. Ibushi’s offense is just brilliant and Tanahashi, bad arm and all, is still one of the best workers in the business.
Tanahashi started to play the heel immediately, clipping a bad leg of Ibushi’s and began to work on it. It ultimately became futile when Ibushi came back with a dropkick, then followed with the golden triangle moonsault to the floor. Tanahashi soon responded with a High Fly Flow to the floor.
After getting back into the ring, Tanahashi continued the assault on Ibushi with a Texas Cloverleaf. Ibushi escaped as they had a hot exchange. Tanahashi took down Ibushi and went for the High Fly Flow, but Ibushi met him up there.
He eventually laid Tanahashi out with a Pele kick, threw him into the turnbuckle like a lawn dart (even though it pretty much missed the mark), and hit the deadlift German suplex.
Ibushi went for the press powerbomb, but Tanahashi landed on his feet and hit the twist and shout neckbreaker. Tanahashi followed with the slingblade and hit the High Fly Flow once, then went for another but Ibushi got his knees up. Ibushi struck him with kicks. Tanahashi attempted a comeback, but Ibushi struck him with a kick that sent him to the floor.
As the announcers were screaming “KNOCKOUT!,” Ibushi went for the press powerbomb and landed it — but Tanahashi kicked out at 2.9999, leaving fans shocked. Ibushi was in disbelief too as he grabbed Tanahashi and hit his new knee strike finish for the win.
Gifu was home to the tenth night of the G1 as B Block action took place this morning, featuring an intriguing main event as the up-and-coming Juice Robinson battled Kazuchika Okada.
Prelim matches —
– Bad Luck Fale, Yujiro Takahashi & Chase Owens defeated David Finlay, Katsuya Kitamura & Tetsuhiro Yagi
– Zack Sabre Jr. & El Desperado defeated Togi Makabe & Shota Umino
This didn’t last long at all. EVIL messed around with Yano, jumping him while still in his entrance gear. Yano sent EVIL into the exposed turnbuckle. He tried to low blow EVIL early, but EVIL sensed it and shoved him away.
Yano tried to follow with a ref spot, even getting in a low blow amid the chaos, but EVIL transitioned and hit the STO for the win.
Minoru Suzuki defeated Tama Tonga
They had an okay brawl, but it wasn’t particularly interesting. It was easily a step below from what both men have been putting out previously in the tournament.
The match started with a brawl into the crowd, with Suzuki throwing Tonga into a garage wall and even throwing a barricade at him. Tonga made a comeback, but Suzuki retook control as they entered the ring.
Well, they didn’t last in the ring long as they quickly went back outside. Suzuki threw him into the bell keeper’s table. Then they brawled into the crowd, both using a chair. They kept brawling until they made it back into the ring.
And again, that didn’t last long as they exited, took out chairs, and came back in. The chairs disappeared as Suzuki went for the sleeper twice, but Tonga escaped each time. Tonga hit the Gun Stun, but there was no ref, as he was taken out previously in the melee.
Tonga went for another Gun Stun, but Suzuki caught him in the sleeper, then hit the Gotch piledriver for the win.
SANADA defeated Michael Elgin
I liked this match a lot. In the ring, both SANADA and Elgin excel and they had a great match with some cool spots.
Elgin hit the stalling suplex, then acted like he was going to strike SANADA on the outside, but didn’t. He invited him back into the ring, and SANADA accepted. He took out Elgin and wiped him out with a plancha.
Back in the ring, Elgin hit a powerslam and took SANADA to the top rope. SANADA went for a sunset flip bomb. Elgin refused, but SANADA got it after a dropkick and powerbombed him. SANADA went for the moonsault, but Elgin dodged. SANADA responded with a missile dropkick and landed on his feet after a German suplex attempt by Elgin.
Elgin landed a German suplex on the apron and hit the deadlift Falcon Arrow for a near fall. SANADA came back, floating over Elgin and clinching in the Skull End. SANADA followed with the moonsault for the win.
Kenny Omega defeated Satoshi Kojima
This was good. It took a while to get into, but it turned into a pretty good match towards the end.
Omega controlled early, taking out Kojima on the outside and body slamming him on the apron as Tenzan, who seconded Kojima for this match, watched on. Omega continued to work on Kojima until he finally got the upper hand with a Koji cutter.
Kojima ripped off Omega’s shirt, chopping him in the corner. Omega responded with a superplex off the top rope. He went for the lariat, but Omega blocked it. He tried a second time, but ate a V-Trigger in response. The third time, as they say, was a charm. But Omega struck back, hit another V-Trigger, then got the win with the One Winged Angel.
Kazuchika Okada defeated Juice Robinson
They started off slow, doing some mat wrestling. But like in some of the other matches in the tournament, Okada played the heel and began to rough up Robinson on the outside, including taking out a steel chair. He then took him to the barricade, where he gave him a big boot, sending Robinson tumbling to the outside.
Back in the ring, Okada continued to gain momentum. Robinson got a brief comeback, but Okada took him down and wrapped him in a figure four. Robinson responded with a reverse DDT. He went to the apron and tried to suplex Okada, but the latter fought back. Robinson took him in for a piledriver, but Okada countered with a back body drop.
Okada went for the Rainmaker, but Robinson countered with a full nelson slam, then followed with a lung blower. Robinson went for the Pulp Friction, but Okada was able to maneuver it into a tombstone. Robinson fired back with an axe kick, but Okada took him out with a Rainmaker, then a second.
Okada went for a third, but Robinson hit him with a giant punch. He tried for the Pulp Friction, but Okada grabbed him in mid move and planted him with a German suplex, then pinned him with the third Rainmaker.
Aichi was home to day nine of the G1 Climax 27 tournament. Another big rematch from earlier this month headlined the show, with Tomohiro Ishii battling Tetsuya Naito in the main event. Here’s the rundown:
Prelim matches —
– SANADA & BUSHI defeated Michael Elgin & David Finlay when SANADA submitted Finlay with the Skull End.
– EVIL & Hiromu Takahashi defeated Katsuya Kitamura & Hirai Kawato when Takahashi submitted Kawato with a Boston crab.
– Tama Tonga & Yujiro Takahashi defeated Minoru Suzuki & Taichi when Takahashi pinned Taichi after hitting the Pimp Juice DDT.
– Satoshi Kojima & Hiroyoshi Tenzan defeated Kenny Omega & Chase Owens when Kojima pinned Owens with the lariat.
– Kazuchika Okada, Toru Yano & Gedo defeated Juice Robinson, Ryusuke Taguchi & Tomoyuki Oka when Yano low blowed Oka and rolled him up.
A Block matches —
Togi Makabe defeated Yuji Nagata
Nagata controlled this one early, but fell when Makabe started to gain more of an advantage. Nagata sunk in an armbar, but Makabe made it to the ropes.
Nagata mounted Makabe at one point and blasted him with punches. He followed that with a back suplex, but Makabe kicked out. They went to the top rope, where Nagata battled Makabe. He fought back hard but ate a knee for his trouble. Makabe took out Nagata again and followed that with a second King Kong knee drop for the win. Good match.
With this many losses in the tournament, Yuji Nagata has no chance of winning the G1 Climax.
Bad Luck Fale defeated Kota Ibushi
Ibushi tried to get the advantage early, but Fale put a stop to it pretty fast, taking him down and working on a bum leg. He added further damage by wrapping the bad leg around the ring post.
Fale missed a corner charge, allowing Ibushi to hit a German suplex. He tried for a plancha on the outside, but Fale sidestepped him. Fale instead grabbed Ibushi, then threw him into the crowd and into a bunch of empty seats. Ibushi made it to above floor level, however, and actually managed to unleash a big moonsault on Fale to the outside.
Ibushi hit a big dropkick but walked right into a giant clothesline. He tried again, putting Fale in a piledriver position, but instead Fale took him out with a Samoan drop. Fale followed with the Grenade and the Bad Luck Fall for the win. This was a fun match with some cool spots on the outside.
Hirooki Goto defeated Zack Sabre Jr.
This was very fun while it lasted but felt pretty short. It can best be described as a hot sprint of a match. Sabre’s evolving into one of the best workers in the industry, even beyond just a technical level.
Goto controlled the match early until he got caught in an octopus stretch when he turned his back on Sabre the moment Desperado got involved.
Sabre grounded him for the vast majority of the match, working the arm and even hitting a penalty kick, but Goto absorbed all the punishment. Sabre put Goto in several bridging pins, though Goto kicked out of all of them. Goto started mustering a comeback, hitting a big lariat, then followed with the GTR for the win.
Hiroshi Tanahashi defeated YOSHI-HASHI
They had a good match. YOSHI-HASHI always delivers in big situations and this was no different. Wasn’t the best match of either man’s G1, but still a fine bout.
Tanahashi controlled early, working on one of YH’s legs. YOSHI-HASHI would fire back with shots, but Tanahashi took him down and applied the cloverleaf. Tanahashi went to do something on the top rope, but YOSHI-HASHI cut him off and hit a powerslam into a flatliner.
It became a battle as YOSHI-HASHI started to make a comeback. He hit a running meteora to a sitting Tanahashi and went for the swanton bomb, but Tanahashi avoided it. YOSHI-HASHI followed that with a Karma attempt, but instead Tanahashi countered with a twisting neckbreaker. He hit the slingblade, then followed with the High Fly Flow for the win.
Tomohiro Ishii defeated Tetsuya Naito
This was great. I think their match in Long Beach was better, but they still had a great back-and-forth match with a lot of drama.
After brawling around the outside of the ring, Naito took control in the ring, grinding down Ishii with submission work. Ishii tried to charge into Naito’s corner twice, but failed, then hit a powerslam as Naito came running.
Naito went for the satellite DDT, but Ishii instead took him down with a German suplex. He gained an opening after hitting a neckbreaker on Ishii off the top rope. Ishii escaped Gloria, hit a lariat to the back of Naito’s head, then hit a German suplex. Naito hit another satellite DDT. He followed with the Destino, didn’t get it all the way, but tried again for a near fall.
Ishii came back by hitting the sliding D, but Naito kicked out. Naito blocked a brainbuster but ate a lariat for his troubles. Ishii then hit another brainbuster for the win.
We’re nearing the halfway point of the G1 Climax as the seventh of 19 shows aired earlier this morning, featuring A Block action. Who came out of the main event on top, Hiroshi Tanahashi or Hirooki Goto? Did Zack Sabre Jr. outwrestle Bad Luck Fale? Will anyone avenge Daryl’s demise? All your answers are below.
Tomoaki Honma, who has been out most of the year due to a severe neck injury, appeared at ringside for most of the show.
Prelim matches —
– Tama Tonga & Yujiro Takahashi defeated Juice Robinson & David Finlay when Takahashi hit Finlay with the Pimp Juice DDT and pinned him.
– Toru Yano & Jado defeated SANADA & BUSHI when Yanorolled up BUSHI after a low blow and pulled his shirt over his head. This only lasted minutes.
– EVIL & Hiromu Takahashi defeated Minoru Suzuki & Taichi when Takahashi pinned Taichi with the Gedo clutch.
– Michael Elgin & Ryusuke Taguchi defeated Kenny Omega & Chase Owens after Elgin hit Owens with the Elgin bomb.
– Satoshi Kojima & Hiroyoshi Tenzan defeated Kazuchika Okada & Gedo when Kojima pinned Gedo with the lariat.
A Block matches —
Tomohiro Ishii defeated YOSHI-HASHI
This was a good back-and-forth match. YOSHI-HASHI is good, even great, but Ishii is a master at making matches like these feel intense and this was no different.
They chopped each other silly early. YH gained control, kicking Ishii repeatedly in the head over and over, but it had no effect. Ishii mounted a comeback with a big superplex, but only got a two count.
YOSHI-HASHI worked his way out of a powerbomb, then walked right into a German suplex. He fought his way back and hit a swanton bomb. He tried to sink in the butterfly lock, then eventually got it. Ishii escaped, but YH got right back at it, hitting a running dropkick.
A Karma attempt went awry as Ishii countered with a DDT. He followed with a press powerbomb. YOSHI-HASHI kicked out of a sliding D, but eventually did fall to a brainbuster, giving the win to Ishii.
Zack Sabre Jr. defeated Bad Luck Fale
Sabre immediately latched onto Fale and tried for various submissions, but was unable to secure anything. Fale instead stomped him and took him to the outside, throwing Sabre into the barricades. Desperado tried to get involved, but was quickly taken out.
Fale went for a splash, but Sabre dodged and attacked him with a penalty kick. He locked in the octopus hold, but Fale escaped and went for the Bad Luck Fall. Sabre avoided it and started working over Fale’s legs. Eventually, he secured a triangle choke. Fale tried to escape, but Sabre had other plans as he released the hold, rubbed his elbow across Fale’s eyes, and pinned him with a victory roll.
That was a fun, different match. Sabre, a staunch supporter of animal rights, dedicated his victory to Daryl (Hiromu Takahashi’s stuffed cat that Fale previously ripped to shreds) as he was heading to the back.
Togi Makabe defeated Kota Ibushi
This was good while it lasted. It seemed shorter than your usual fare but was pretty solid for what it was.
They started the match by smashing one another with elbows. They went back and forth, hitting each other with strong moves. Ibushi unleashed a flurry of offense and hit a German suplex. He took Makabe to the top rope. Makabe fought him off, but ate a big reverse moonsault.
Makabe launched off the top rope with a knee to Ibushi’s face. He followed that with the kneeling powerbomb, and when that didn’t get the job done, pinned Ibushi with the King Kong knee drop.
Tetsuya Naito defeated Yuji Nagata
Another good match here. Nagata is still one of the best wrestlers around, and since he never gets big opportunities to face someone like Naito in a singles match, he always makes the best of it.
They started off slow. Naito took his time, then got the heat after getting some of his fingers into Nagata’s eyes.
Nagata took him out with a knee lift and pelted him with kicks. Naito grabbed a leg and started attacking back, only for Nagata to take him down. Naito responded with the satellite DDT, but Nagata fired back with stiff kicks. They engaged in a slap battle, where Nagata dominated Naito, sending him to the floor and mounting him with punches.
Nagata threw Naito around with suplexes and went for the backdrop driver, but Naito fought out of it. After sinking in the armbar, Nagata looked for the backdrop driver again but Naito escaped. He tried the satellite DDT, but Nagata blocked it, only for Naito to counter with the Destino. Naito followed with another one for the win.
Hiroshi Tanahashi defeated Hirooki Goto
This was really good, one of the better matches on the show. They worked a good back-and-forth match, and Tanahashi’s selling of the arm and Goto working on it were pretty good as well.
They did the usual lock-up in the ropes spot, but this time Tanahashi went for a leg, which didn’t succeed. He wound up on the top rope, but Goto took him out with a clothesline that sent him tumbling all the way to the floor.
Goto wrapped Tanahashi’s arm on the barricade and worked on it as they got back into the ring. Tanahashi tried a comeback, hitting the senton off the top rope, but Goto immediately went back to the bicep.
More back and forth ensued. Goto kicked Tanahashi hard in the good arm and then went for the sleeper. He hit a penalty kick and the ushigiroshi, then looked to finish with the GTR but Tanahashi escaped. Goto went for it once more, but Tanahashi countered with a swinging neckbreaker.
Goto tried for the shouten kai, but Tanahashi hit two neckbreakers, a butterfly suplex, and a slingblade in response. Tanahashi hit one High Fly Flow before following through with another to score the win.
A day’s rest brought us to the sixth morning of G1 Climax 27 action as Fukushima was home to this morning’s B Block show.
Prelim matches —
– Togi Makabe & Ryusuke Taguchi defeated Kota Ibushi & Shota Umino when Taguchi submitted Uminowith the ankle lock.
– Tomohiro Ishii & YOSHI-HASHI defeated Tomoyuki Oka & Katsuya Kitamura when YOSHI-HASHI submitted Kitamura with the butterfly lock.
– Tetsuya Naito & Hiromu Takahashi defeated Yuji Nagata & Hirai Kawato when Takahashi submitted Kawato with a Boston crab.
– Bad Luck Fale, Yujiro Takahashi & Chase Owens defeated Zack Sabre Jr., Taichi & El Desperado after Takahashi hit Taichi with the Pimp Juice DDT.
– Hiroshi Tanahashi & David Finlay defeated Hirooki Goto & Jado when Finlay pinned Jado with the stunner. Jado looked to injure his knee during the final minutes of the match.
B Block matches —
Michael Elgin defeated Satoshi Kojima
They started off fast, with both wrestlers hitting their signature moves, such as Kojima’s clothesline in the corner. They brawled to the apron, where Kojima tried to go for something, but Elgin overpowered him. Kojima shot back, laying out Elgin with a DDT on the apron.
Elgin avoided a plancha and responded by powerbombing Kojima on the apron. Tenzan, who was seconding, tried to revive Kojima and eventually did, with him beating the 20 count. Elgin followed with the Falcon Arrow but blocked a lariat attempt, with Kojima hitting one of his own instead. Elgin came back and blasted Kojima with a lariat, but only got two.
Kojima escaped the buckle bomb, but couldn’t get the Koji cutter. Elgin went for a top rope lariat, but Kojima responded with a shot to the face. Elgin went for the buckle bomb, but somehow Kojima managed to lay him out with a shot.
They met at the top rope, where Elgin laid out Kojima with a sunset flip bomb, then followed with the Elgin bomb for the win. This was a fantastic, heated match with great hard-hitting offense.
EVIL defeated Tama Tonga
This was great. Tonga is developing a penchant in this tournament for high-speed, frenetic matches, especially towards the end of matches, and this was no different. There was a great brawl to start, along with a strong last few minutes of the match.
They began out in the crowd as Tonga got the early advantage. He threw EVIL into the wall and beat him with various equipment laying around them, all while shoving the ref and abusing him. He dragged the referee back in the ring, but EVIL beat the count. Tonga completely abusing the referee somehow didn’t equate to a DQ.
EVIL got the advantage and returned the favor, brawling around the outside and going for his infamous neck chair spot. He looked to go for the STO, but Tonga countered with the waistlock DDT for a near fall. A bunch of crazy transitions followed, each trying to go for their finish but neither getting anywhere until finally EVIL laid out Tonga with the STO for the win.
Minoru Suzuki defeated Juice Robinson
This was also great. They worked a nice story with Robinson trying to get the win with the bad leg from their tag match a couple of days ago. Robinson looked so good in losing with his selling, offense, and comebacks.
Suzuki jumped Robinson before the bell even rang. He took Robinson to the outside and whipped him into the barricade, then took him into the crowd and threw him into some more barricades, now working on one of Robinson’s legs. Suzuki grabbed a chair and rammed it into Robinson’s leg as he looked to beat the count.
Suzuki continued the assault, wrapping Robinson’s leg against the barricade and slamming a chair into it. They got back to the ring, where Robinson showed signs of momentum. He hit the cannonball into the corner and followed with a blue thunder bomb.
Suzuki honed his focus back on the leg, working on submissions. Robinson managed to escape after a long struggle. He tried for the Pulp Friction, but Suzuki fought it and laid him out. He got the sleeper in, and after pausing for some time, landed the Gotch piledriver for the win.
Kenny Omega defeated Toru Yano by countout
This was so much fun. It was one of those matches where wrestling purists are going to hate it because of the comedy and unbelievability of some aspects of the match, but you know what? It was fun.
All the spots worked and made sense. It also helps that people buy into Yano’s pinfalls because in previous years he has pinned people in record fashion. Add all of this together and it equates to a match that was way better than it had any right to be.
Yano had his DVD, and politely asked Omega to open it. He obliged, revealing it to be salt. Yano threw it in Omega’s eyes and rolled him up for a near fall, then tried a low blow while Omega had Red Shoes in the One Winged Angel position (he was blind), also for a two count.
They took turns teasing exposed turnbuckles and ripping out each other’s hair. Omega went for a V-Trigger, but Yano escaped onto the floor. He came out from under the ring, revealed that he had a bucket, and hit Omega with it. He also had wrist tape, and ended up taping Omega’s legs together. Omega got to his feet and attacked Yano, doing the same.
They got up and hopped around, doing spots involving the tape. Omega laid out Yano with the snap dragon suplex as Chase Owens came out with scissors. Yano momentarily stole the scissors, but Omega took the opportunity to lay him out with another V-Trigger, sending him out of the ring. With no way of getting up, the referee counted to twenty, giving the win to Omega.
Kazuchika Okada defeated SANADA
They started off hot, avoiding each other’s moves. SANADA jumped off the top rope, apparently injuring his leg. Of course, it was all a ploy as the minute Okada turned his back SANADA threw him to the outside and hit a plancha.
SANADA missed a standing moonsault, allowing Okada to counter with a neckbreaker. SANADA went for a springboard, but Okada grabbed him and laid him out with a neckbreaker on the knee. He hit the elbow and did his pose, but SANADA started fighting back. He flipped over a resurgent Okada and went for the Skull End, but Okada quickly made it to the ropes.
SANADA hit a TKO as Okada tried to counter. SANADA went to the ropes and latched on with the Skull End, but Okada took it to the middle and hit a tombstone. After a few reversals, SANADA hit the tombstone and applied the Skull End. Okada struggled, but still managed to make it to the ropes.
SANADA landed a moonsault and locked on the Skull End again, but Okada popped out, floated over, and in desperation hit a Rainmaker, then another. He went for a third, but SANADA reversed and tried to get one of his own. Okada ducked, but walked into what looked like a Destino attempt. Finally, Okada pinned SANADA with the third Rainmaker for the win.
Okada cut a promo to finish the show. This was one of the better cards of the tournament as every match on the show was fun in its own way and worth going out of your way to watch.
Night five of the G1 took place this morning at Machida City Gym in Tokyo, featuring a big battle between Kota Ibushi and Tomohiro Ishii, as well as a scrap pitting Hirooki Goto and Togi Makabe against one another.
Prelim matches —
– Satoshi Kojima & Hiroyoshi Tenzan defeated Michael Elgin & Katsuya Kitamura when Kojima pinned Kitamura with a lariat.
– Minoru Suzuki, El Desperado & Taichi defeated Juice Robinson, David Finlay & Hirai Kawatowhen Desperado pinned Kawato with La Guitarra de Angel.
– EVIL & Hiromu Takahashi defeated Tama Tonga & Chase Owens when EVIL submitted Owens with the Banshee Muzzle. Takahashi has coped with the loss of Daryl by carrying what the announcers described as an invisible Daryl.
– Kenny Omega & Yujiro Takahashi defeated Toru Yano & Jado when Takahashi pinned Jado with the Pimp Juice DDT.
– SANADA & BUSHI defeated Kazuchika Okada & Gedo when BUSHI pinned Gedo with the MX.
A Block matches —
Zack Sabre Jr. defeated YOSHI-HASHI
Desperado grabbed YOSHI-HASHI’s foot early, which allowed Sabre to take control and work on YH’s arm. Sabre continued to work over YH until YOSHI-HASHI finally hit the headhunter neckbreaker.
YOSHI-HASHI hit a jackknife powerbomb and took out Desperado as he went for his senton, but Sabre got his feet up. Sabre followed with a penalty kick. He trapped YH’s bad arm in an armlock, but YH managed to get to the ropes.
Sabre trapped him in another armbar, then transitioned into the Octopus stretch for the submission. Good match.
Hiroshi Tanahashi defeated Yuji Nagata
This was a great match. The crowd was super into it, which added a lot. A simple, but great back-and-forth type of match.
Tanahashi took him down early and applied a figure four leglock. After a struggle, Nagata turned it around, only for Tanahashi to reverse it back.
Nagata got to the ropes as Tanahashi let go. After a striking battle, Tanahashi looked for the slingblade, but Nagata grabbed him. Tanahashi responded with a German suplex. Nagata trapped Tanahashi’s arms and did the white eyes armbar, then took him to the corner and unleashed a big superplex, but Tanahashi kicked out.
A brainbuster immediately after that also just got two. Tanahashi countered a back suplex attempt into a crossbody. He hit the slingblade and went for the High Fly Flow, but Nagata met him up at the top as the two battled. Tanahashi headbutted him and hit the High Fly Flow, then went to another corner and hit a second one for the win.
Bad Luck Fale defeated Tetsuya Naito
Naito took out Fale early by dropkicking him out of the ring as he made his way in, but it quickly became Fale’s match as he dominated Naito with big power spots. Naito tried to knock Fale off his feet and failed a number of times until finally taking him down with a shoulder tackle.
Naito followed with a Destino attempt, but Fale quickly blocked it and got the advantage. Fale went for the Grenade, but Naito countered with a DDT. Fale quickly shot back with another Grenade attempt, this time succeeding, then hit the Bad Luck Fall for the win.
This was fine, but not to the standard of other G1 matches so far as it was a lot of nothing.
Kota Ibushi defeated Tomohiro Ishii
They had a really good match. The crowd tonight was great, and added a ton to the match. Ibushi’s strikes in particular felt and sounded awesome every time they connected.
It started off hot with some quick exchanges. Ibushi hit a suplex, but Ishii immediately got up, only for Ibushi to dropkick him.
They did a series of spots where they would not sell their opponent’s offense until their opponent fired back with shots. They did this a few times until Ibushi wiped out Ishii. The latter immediately fired up as they exchanged more wild spots until Ibushi hit him with a fierce clothesline.
Ishii continued to mount offense, hitting a sliding D. Ibushi struck him with huge kicks to the head, and after a series of big time offense, planted Ishii with a German suplex bridge. He followed that with the press powerbomb for the win.
Togi Makabe defeated Hirooki Goto
Another great match with plenty of heat. This is Makabe’s hometown, so there were plenty of reasons for people to get into him, and also why it was probably the main event. Makabe also actually came out to “Immigrant Song,” so I guess they unmuted his theme for the night.
This immediately became a brawl with Goto and Makabe battling around the ring. Goto gained the advantage by throwing Makabe into the barricades.
Makabe struck back and they exchanged back and forth until Goto hit him with the ushigiroshi. He tried for the GTR, but Makabe countered with a German suplex. He unleashed two big lariats, then tried to follow with the King Kong knee drop, but Goto got out of the way.
Goto fired back, hitting a penalty kick and locking in a sleeper. They battled on the top rope, where Makabe got the advantage, taking out Goto and hitting the King Kong knee drop. He followed with the kneeling powerbomb, but Goto kicked out. Makabe took him to the corner and, after a struggle, hit the Spider suplex and the King Kong knee drop for the win.
Makabe cut a promo to end the show. I don’t think there was anything off-the-walls awesome on this show, but every match with the exception of Fale/Naito delivered, so the show overall is worth going out of your way to watch, especially the last two matches and Nagata/Tanahashi.
For the third day in a row, NJPW continued the G1 Climax with another show at Korakuen Hall. More B Block action took place this morning, including Kazuchika Okada vs. Michael Elgin in the main event.
Prelim results —
– Kota Ibushi, Togi Makabe & David Finlay defeated Tomohiro Ishii, Hirooki Goto & Gedo when Finlay pinned Gedo with a stunner.
– Zack Sabre Jr. & El Desperado defeated YOSHI-HASHI & Jado when Desperado pinned Jado with the Angel’s Wings.
– Yuji Nagata & Tomoyuki Oka defeated Hiroshi Tanahashi & Katsuya Kitamura when Nagata pinned Kitamura with a back suplex.
– Tetsuya Naito, BUSHI & Hiromu Takahashi defeated Bad Luck Fale, Chase Owens & Yujiro Takahashi when Naito pinned Owens with a roll-up after giving him a low blow. Fale destroyed Daryl the cat during the match, ripping him to shreds. This left Hiromu Takahashi in shambles after the match.
B Block matches —
Toru Yano defeated Satoshi Kojima
Yano started the shenanigans early, actually gaining control at one point. Kojima quickly took back control, brawled with him around the ring, and laid him out with an elbow upon his return, then followed with the Koji cutter.
After Yano got a bit of a comeback, Kojima immediately retaliated with a lariat. He went for another, but Yano grabbed the ref and in the confusion, not only low blowed him once, but twice. He rolled Kojima up and got the surprise win. This was fun for what it was.
EVIL defeated Juice Robinson
Robinson started off hot, hitting the running cannonball and taking EVIL out with a plancha on the outside. Back in the ring, they exchanged some good back and forth. Robinson continued to gain momentum, planting EVIL with the Eat Defeat. Robinson hit a Kokeshi in honor of Tomoaki Honma, but EVIL kicked out.
EVIL started to make a comeback, but Robinson wiped him out with a lariat and followed up with a powerbomb. He went for the Pulp Friction until EVIL countered with a German suplex. Robinson made it to his feet quickly as they both struck each other with big spots. They tried to go for their finishers, but EVIL ended the back and forth with a big dragon suplex.
EVIL blasted him with a lariat, then followed with the STO for the win. They had an awesome match, probably the best of Robinson’s career so far and one of the better ones EVIL has had since his return. It had white hot heat for the vast majority of it with some great counters and transitions towards the end.
Minoru Suzuki defeated SANADA
Suzuki dominated the early part of the match, brawling with SANADA around the ring. SANADA started to gain momentum by dropkicking Suzuki twice in the leg. Desperado tried to interfere, but SANADA quickly dispatched him with a dropkick.
SANADA went for the Paradise lock, but Suzuki countered with an armbar. SANADA laid him out and was able to apply the Paradise lock, then dropkicked him. Suzuki came back with the sleeper and tried for the Gotch piledriver until SANADA powered out.
SANADA landed the TKO, but Suzuki came back with the sleeper once again and this time landed the Gotch piledriver, with authority, for the win. Good match.
Kenny Omega defeated Tama Tonga
Tonga jumped Omega immediately at the bell, as there was some bad blood in the tag match the two were in last night. They fought to the outside, where Tonga blasted him face-first on the apron. Tonga took a mic and ripped on The Elite, telling Omega to be part of Bullet Club.
Tonga worked on Omega’s injured leg from the Suzuki match, landing a DDT. Omega started building some momentum back after a leg lariat and a hurricanrana. Omega wiped him out with a tope con hilo, taking out the rest of the Bullet Club on the outside.
Omega went for the V-Trigger, but Tonga fired back with a spear. Tonga hit a Pele kick, but Omega responded with two V-Triggers. Omega went for the One Winged Angel until Tonga countered with an inverted DDT.
Tonga tried for the Gun Stun, but Omega lifted him back up and laid him out, hitting the One Winged Angel for the win. This was a really good, quick-paced match.
Kazuchika Okada defeated Michael Elgin
After a slow feeling out period, Okada placed Elgin past the barricade and tried to hop over it with a crossbody, but Elgin grabbed him and laid him out with two bodyslams. Okada came back and actually tried to hit the stalling suplex, but Elgin fought it off. Okada hit some clotheslines in the corner, but Elgin grabbed him and dropped him with a German suplex.
Elgin took Okada to the top rope, but Okada fought him along the way. Elgin grabbed him when they were both back down and landed a huge forearm shot. Okada came back with the Heavy Rain and an elbow off the top. Elgin fought back, but Okada took him out when he was on the top rope with a dropkick that sent him out of the ring.
Okada tried for a missile dropkick, but Elgin caught him in mid-air with a powerbomb. Hot back-and-forth action followed. Okada hit a German suplex and went for the Rainmaker, but Elgin struck back with a clothesline, then another. Elgin put Okada in the Razor’s Edge position and then hit a powerbomb for a close near fall.
Elgin went for the deadlift superplex, but Okada escaped. Elgin launched himself off the top rope, but Okada followed with a dropkick. They made it to the apron, where Elgin tried the superplex spot again. Standing on his feet, he hit an enormous superplex for another near fall.
Elgin hit the buckle bomb and went for the Elgin bomb until Okada escaped. Elgin took him out with a powerbomb. Elgin went for the Burning Hammer, but Okada landed on his feet and hit the Rainmaker, then another.
Elgin fired back with more shots, but Okada powered through and hit the tombstone, then another Rainmaker for the win in an excellent back-and-forth match.
Okada cut a promo to end the show. This was another night of great matches. Okada vs. Elgin probably gets match of the night, but Robinson vs. EVIL is not too far behind
After revealing the blocks for this summer’s G1 Climax yesterday, New Japan Pro Wrestling announced when most of the key matches in the tournament will take place this morning.
Kazuchika Okada vs. Kenny Omega III is set for the last day of B Block action at Sumo Hall on August 12th. The day before that, the A Block will conclude with Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Tetsuya Naito. Those two matches will have major implications for their respective blocks and may decide who goes on to the finals.
The G1 will open on July 17th with A Block matches. Kota Ibushi vs. Naito and Tanahashi vs. Zack Sabre Jr. have been announced as the top two matches. Ibushi will also seemingly be involved in the mix at the end of the block as he’ll face Hirooki Goto on the final A Block show on August 11th.
The first night in the B Block will take place on July 20th with Minoru Suzuki vs. Omega and SANADA vs. EVIL. Suzuki vs. Toru Yano was the other match announced for the last B Block show.
In a match that many wanted to happen in the Cruiserweight Classic, Ibushi will face Sabre on July 21st.
The full schedule figures to be announced soon. Here’s the list of matches that were revealed today:
July 17th —
Kota Ibushi vs. Tetsuya Naito
Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Zack Sabre Jr.
July 20th —
Minoru Suzuki vs. Kenny Omega
SANADA vs. EVIL
July 21st —
YOSHI-HASHI vs. Tetsuya Naito
Kota Ibushi vs. Zack Sabre Jr.
July 22nd —
Minoru Suzuki vs. SANADA
Kenny Omega vs. Tama Tonga
July 23rd —
Togi Makabe vs. Hirooki Goto
Kota Ibushi vs. Tomohiro Ishii
July 25th —
Kazuchika Okada vs. SANADA
Toru Yano vs. Kenny Omega
July 26th —
Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Hirooki Goto
Togi Makabe vs. Kota Ibushi
July 27th —
Michael Elgin vs. Kenny Omega
Minoru Suzuki vs. EVIL
July 29th —
Tomohiro Ishii vs. Tetsuya Naito
Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. YOSHI-HASHI
July 30th —
Juice Robinson vs. Kazuchika Okada
Satoshi Kojima vs. Kenny Omega
August 1st —
Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Kota Ibushi
Yuji Nagata vs. Tomohiro Ishii
August 2nd —
Kenny Omega vs. EVIL
Satoshi Kojima vs. Minoru Suzuki
August 4th —
Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Togi Makabe
Tetsuya Naito vs. Zack Sabre Jr.
August 5th —
Kazuchika Okada vs. EVIL
Satoshi Kojima vs. SANADA
August 6th —
Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Tomohiro Ishii
Togi Makabe vs. Tetsuya Naito
August 8th —
Kazuchika Okada vs. Minoru Suzuki
Kenny Omega vs. SANADA
August 11th —
Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Tetsuya Naito
Kota Ibushi vs. Hirooki Goto
August 12th —
Kazuchika Okada vs. Kenny Omega
Toru Yano vs. Minoru Suzuki
August 13th —
A Block winner vs. B Block winner in the tournament finals
Kota Ibushi is among the participants in this year’s G1 Climax.
New Japan Pro Wrestling announced the field for the tournament during this morning’s Kizuna Road show at Korakuen Hall. Ibushi was listed as one of the entrants, with him competing as himself instead of as the Tiger Mask W character that he’s been playing.
Ibushi began wrestling as Tiger Mask W in NJPW last October following his appearances in the Cruiserweight Classic and Dusty Rhodes tag team tournament for WWE. The last time that he wrestled in NJPW and wasn’t under the mask was in 2015.
Zack Sabre Jr. is also set to appear in his first G1 Climax, which Dave Meltzer had reported would be the case earlier this year.
NJPW has yet to reveal the blocks or the match schedule for the G1, but those announcements will come at the Kizuna Road shows on June 26th and 27th. When the blocks are announced on the 26th, we’ll know if anticipated matches like Ibushi vs. Kenny Omega or Omega vs. Kazuchika Okada are scheduled if they’re in the same block.
The full lineup for the 2017 G1 Climax is:
Hiroshi Tanahashi
Togi Makabe
Michael Elgin
Kazuchika Okada
Hirooki Goto
Tomohiro Ishii
Toru Yano
YOSHI-HASHI
Kenny Omega
Bad Luck Fale
Tama Tonga
Tetsuya Naito
SANADA
EVIL
Satoshi Kojima
Yuji Nagata (Nagata has announced that this will be his last G1)
Juice Robinson
Minoru Suzuki
Zack Sabre Jr.
Kota Ibushi
The tournament begins on July 17th and concludes on August 13th, with the A Block winner facing the B Block winner on the final day. If Okada doesn’t win, the tournament winner will receive a briefcase (which they usually defend a couple of times) to challenge for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship at next year’s Tokyo Dome show on January 4th.
