Tag: Michael Elgin

NJPW G1 Climax 28 night 11 live results: Okada vs. Elgin

Posted on by Bryan Rose

More A Block action takes place this morning in Kagawa as the 28th G1 Climax heads into its eleventh day of action.

Kazuchika Okada will headline tonight’s show, this time squaring off against Michael Elgin, who is still fresh off a NEVER title loss. It took a while for Okada to get going, but lately he’s been building momentum with some big wins. While Okada looks to continue his streak of victories, Elgin’s abilities, however, could very well earn him a surprise win and stall Okada’s momentum.

Other bouts set for tonight include Hiroshi Tanahashi taking on YOSHI-HASHI, EVIL squaring off against Minoru Suzuki, Jay White taking on Hangman Page in a rematch from Strong Style Evolved back in March and Togi Makabe vs. Bad Luck Fale.

Join us for live coverage this morning starting at 6:00 a.m. EST. There will be English commentary, with Rocky Romero and Kevin Kelly calling the action.

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Juice Robinson and David Finlay Toa Henare and Shota Umino

A typical opener. David Finlay picked up the win after landing the stunner on Umino. Get those C block points, I guess.

Guerillas of Destiny defeated Tomohiro Ishii and SHO

This was to hype the upcoming Ishii/Tama Tonga match. I will tell you guys one thing: if Ishii can get a great match out of this angle, I’ll vote him for Wrestler of the Year. Loa got the win, planting SHO with a sitout piledriver.

Tetsuya Natio and SANADA defeated Toru Yano and Gedo

Toru Yano and Tetsuya Naito are going at it next. Yano teased some of his tricks, including undoing the turnbuckle pad. SANADA scored the win, submitting Gedo with the cold skull. Naito tried to go to the back after the match with the turnbuckle. 

Kenny Omega and Chase Owens defeated Zack Sabre Jr. and Taka Michinoku

Usual tag team bout. Surprisingly, Owens and Sabre didn’t go after each other much, only briefly. Owens got the win with the package piledriver on Michinoku.

Sabre jumped Omega after the match, latching on a guillotine. Omega escaped, but Sabre’s intentions were made clear.

Kota Ibushi and Yujiro Takahashi defeated Hirooki Goto and YOH

Another standard tag team match. Ibushi/Goto moments looked really good, though! Ibushi cut off YOH with a springboard dropkick, then Yujiro followed with the pimp juice DDT for the win. 

Bad Luck Fale defeated Togi Makabe

Tanga Loa didn’t really waste time interfering, taking Makabe out of the ring. Fale threw him into some empty chairs in the crowd. Back in the ring, they have some pretty decent back and forth, both scoring some near falls.

Makabe blocks the grenade and sends Fale to the floor with two lariats. Loa pulls out the referee. He distracts Makabe on the top rope long enough for Fale to throw him to the ground. He takes Makabe’s chain, wraps it around his fist and strikes Makabe with it for the win. Well, at least that’s a new finish. Next.

Jay White defeated Hangman Page

Hangman took out White early with a suicide dive. White soon counters with a back suplex. White takes it back to the ring, but Page counters with a clothesline. Page actually does a really cool deadlift into a bridging pin for a near fall. 

White gains control and tries to suplex Page to the floor, but he makes it on the apron. Page tries for the buckshot lariat, but hurt his back when deadlifting White. White takes full advantage momentarily before Page fires back with a lariat.

White drops Page face first on the apron. He tries to take Page to the top rope and drop him back first to the floor, but Page fights back and lands a giant moonsault that wipes them both out. Page goes for another moonsault, this time in the ring, but White shoves the referee, then shoves a distracted Page to the floor.

There was actually a clever spot where White took out two chairs, and when the referee took away one, blasted Page with another. The referee sees the other chair and takes it away. White goes to grab Paige by the leg, but like the old Eddie Guerrero trick, slides his boot off. White tries to go for his finish but Page breaks free. White low blows Page when the referee isn’t looking and hits the bladerunner for the win.

Okay match, lame finish. Not as good as their match from a few months ago. Kind of a dissapointment, all things considered.

Minoru Suzuki defeated EVIL

Suzuki immediately jumped EVIL as he brawled with him in and out of of the ring. He took EVIL inside the crowd where he pelted him with steel chair shots. EVIL beat a twenty count and started to fire back with some lariats.

Suzuki cut him off, landed a penalty kick and, after EVIL fought it for a bit, took him down with an armbar. EVIL bailed to the outside, but Suzuki fired back by wrapping EVIL’s arm in a post and slamming it with a chair. EVIL fought back, using a chair to strike Suzuki (while his head was wrapped in another chair). In the ring, the two trade forearms until EVIL takes him out with a rolling elbow. 

EVIL has the advantage, but Suzuki cuts him off with the sleeper. EVIL tries to counter with the Everything is Evil, but Suzuki puts the sleeper back on. He then finishes off EVIL with the Gotch piledriver for the win. A decent match, but never felt like it went to the next level. Just kind of there most of the time.

Hiroshi Tanahashi defeated YOSHI-HASHI

Tanahashi dominates the match early, out wrestling YH. He misses an elbow, alling YH to get an opening. YH counters, throwing Tanahashi out of the ring. He tries to skin the cat back in, but YH cuts him off with a dropkick. 

Tanahashi cuts him off and continues to dominate until YH strikes with an enziguri and a running powerbomb. He connects with the swanton bomb. When Tanahashi tries to fire back, YH strikes with a lariat then what looked like a fisherman’s buster into a side slam. 

YOSHI-HASHI tries to follow with karma. Tanahashi rolls out of the way, then with YH still holding his hand lays him out with the sling blade. He goes for the high fly flow, but YH rolls out of the way just in time. A sliding meteora follows, then tries for the butterfly lock but Tanahashi counters with a crucifix bridging pin for the win out of nowhere. A great finish to a fun match.

Kazuchika Okada defeated Michael Elgin

They trade offense early. Okada goes for the rainmaker, but Elgin counters with a powerbomb attempt. Elgin deadlifts Okada into a suplex, sending Okada out of the ring. They brawl on the outside where Okada blasts Elgin with a big boot over the guardrail, then drills him with a draping DDT.

Okada continues in the ring, grinding Elgin down. Elgin fires back with a powerslam. He takes Okada to the top rope, but fights him off. Okada jumps off, but Elgin grabs him and carries him up to the middle rope. Okada cuts him off, but Elgin plants him and goes for a top rope splash. Okada dodges, causing Elgin to crash face first on the mat.

Okada takes Elgin to the top rope and tries to dropkick him to the floor, but Elgin cuts him off and hits a big superplex. Elgin connects with a buckle bomb and some elbow shots, but Okada fires back. He tries to go for his dropkick, but Elgin cuts him off, only to eventually eat the dropkick anyway.

Elgin avoids the rainmaker and connects with a lariat, then another. Elgin connects with another buckle bomb, but Okada somehow manages to roll up Elgin for a near fall. Elgin takes Okada to the top rope again. Elgin tries for what looks like a splash mountain bomb off the top rope, but Okada counters with an arm drag. The two trade offense until Elgin catches him with a powerbomb, then hits the splash mountain bomb for a near fall.

Elgin tries for the burning hammer, but Okada falls to the floor and tries for the tombstone. They trade transitions until Okada finally hits the tombstone. He hits a rolling rainmaker, then his standard rainmaker and pulls off the win. A great main event, exactly what you would want between these two. 

A Block Rankings:

Hiroshi Tanahashi – 10
EVIL – 8
Kazuchika Okada – 8
Minoru Suzuki – 8
Jay White – 8
Bad Luck Fale – 6
Michael Elgin – 4
Togi Makabe – 4
Hangman Page – 2
YOSHI-HASHI – 2

NJPW Kizuna Road live results: Michael Elgin vs. Hirooki Goto

Posted on by Ethan Renner

The first of three Kizuna Road shows will feature a high profile NEVER Openweight title match.

New champion Michael Elgin will defend his title against the former champion, Hirooki Goto. Considering that he never took the pin in the triple threat match at Dominion, Goto has a valid reason for getting such a quick rematch. It’ll be up to him to regain the title that he never lost.

NJPW is also set to announce the entrants for this year’s G1 Climax tournament, which is set to kick off next month. We’ll only get a list of names on tonight’s show — block and match announcements won’t be announced until the 6/18 and 6/19 shows, respectively. One has to wonder who will make the cut this year and who may be entering as a surprise.

Join us for live coverage tonight at 5:30 a.m. EST. The show will not have English commentary.

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Yuya Uemura went to a time limit draw with Yota Tsuji

They began with a crisp chain wrestling sequence. Uemura moved to working the left arm, using a hammerlock. He went for a cross armbreaker, but could not get it, and Tsuji capitalized. Tsuji used a kneebar and a heel hook, attacking the left leg. 

Tsuji continued working the leg, with stomps on the ground, and in the corner. Uemura made a comeback, hitting a shoulder block and a scoop slam. He used an armbar and a wristlock, until Tsuji made the ropes. Tsuji hit a dropkick and a pair of scoop slams, as Uemura really sold the damage to his leg. 

Tsuji applied a single leg crab, but Uemura was able to reach the ropes. Tsuji tried to irish whip Uemura, but Uemura went down, selling the leg. Uemura hit a dropkick, then went for the cross armbreaker. Tsuji transitioned to a crab, but Uemura finally got the armbreaker. Tsuji reached the ropes. 

After the rope break, Uemura went for a cover, but the bell sounded, as they reached the ten minute time limit. A fundamentally sound opener, with good selling from both guys. 

Yuji Nagata & Manabu Nakanishi defeated Tomoyuki Oka & Shota Umino

Oka and Nakanishi traded strikes to a stalemate, until Nakanishi hit a shoulder block, dropping Oka. Nagata and Umino tagged in, and Umino got some early offense on Nagata, hitting a dropkick, and picking up a nearfall. 

Nagata came back with strikes. Oka came in to aid his partner, and Nagata sent him to the floor. Nakanishi went for the backbreaker rack on Umino but Oka jumped in for the save. Nakanishi hit a stiff forearm shot, but Umino countered with a dropkick, and made the tag to Oka. 

Oka hit Nakanishi with a pair of avalanches in the corner, and used a double underhook suplex for a nearfall, as the Korakuen crowd got behind him. Oka hit a vertical suplex for a nearfall, but Nakanishi countered with a spear, and made the tag to Nagata. 

Nagata hit Oka with strikes, but ate a hip toss, and Umino tagged in. Umino ran wild with back elbow strikes, and a front dropkick off the top. He went for an armbar, but Nakanishi made the save. While Oka and Nakanishi brawled to the floor, Nagata hit a kick and a knee lift. 

Nagata hit an exploder, and used a Nagata Lock, forcing Umino to tap. This was a standard Young Lions vs. Veterans tag match, with Umino and Oka getting a touch more offense than usual. 

Yujiro Takahashi & Taiji Ishimori defeated Hiroyoshi Tenzan & Ren Narita

Tenzan and Yujiro started off. Korakuen loves Tenzan. Tenzan hit some chops, and both guys tagged out. 

Taiji hit a seated senton, and a low dropkick, before tagging Yujiro. Yujiro used shoulder blocks, a slam, and a crab, until Tenzan lumbered in to break the hold. Yujiro hit a yakuza kick on Narita, who came back with a dropkick, and tagged Tenzan. 

Tenzan hit some chops in the corner, and called for a brainbuster, but hit more of a vertical suplex. Yujiro came back with a low kick and a fishermans suplex. He hit a yakuza kick in the corner, but Tenzan hit a leg lariat, and they tagged their partners. 

Narita got a nearfall off a back elbow, and went to the crab, but Taiji reached the ropes. Taiji hit his handspring into a kick, then hit a lungblower for a nearfall. He followed up with a Lebell Lock, and Narita tapped. 

This was good when Narita and Taiji were in, and below average when Tenzan and Yujiro were. 

KUSHIDA, Ryusuke Taguchi, Toa Henare, Jeff Cobb & Togi Makabe defeated Rocky Romero, SHO, YOH, Toru Yano & YOSHI-HASHI   

SHO and KUSHIDA started out, and it was awesome. They exchanged holds on the ground, armbar attempts, and went at a crazy pace. YOH and Taguchi tagged in and did some comedy. Taguchi ran the ropes until he dropped. YOSHI-HASHI tagged in and ate a hip attack, leading to Taguchi’s corner train spot. 

Henare tagged in and the Chaos team cut him off. Taguchi and Rocky brawled into the crowd, while Yano and Henare worked in the ring. Makabe got a tag, and he worked over YOSHI and Yano with clotheslines. Taguchi and Makabe hit a series of hip attacks on Yano, and Makabe hit a suplex for a nearfall. 

Yano hit his inverted atomic drop, and Rocky and Cobb tagged in. Rocky went for a springboard rana, but Cobb caught him. Rocky went for an avalanche, but Cobb caught him and hit an overhead belly to belly and a standing shooting star. Cobb followed up with a Tour of the Islands, and got the pin. 

They announced the G1 Field:
Kenny Omega, Michael Elgin, Jay White, Hiroshi Tanahashi, Togi Makabe, Juice Robinson, Kazuchika Okada, Hirooki Goto, Tomohiro Ishii, Toru Yano, YOSHI-HASHI, Bad Luck Fale, Tama Tonga, Hangman Page, Tetsuya Naito, EVIL, SANADA, Minoru Suzuki, Zack Sabre Jr., Kota Ibushi.  

Tetsuya Naito, EVIL, SANADA, BUSHI & Hiromu Takahashi defeated TAKA Michinoku, El Desperado, Yoshinobu Kanemaru, Taichi & Takashi Iizuka

Suzuki-gun jumped LIJ at the bell. While the other seven guys brawled on the floor, EVIL ran wild on TAKA and Kanemaru in the ring. LIJ overcame the odds, and Naito and Hiromu jumped in. Taichi hit Naito with the mic stand from the apron, and another brawl broke out. 

Desperado sent Hiromu into the crowd, and attacked his left leg with a chair. Iizuka kind of just wandered around the building. Taichi worked over Naito, who just beat the count back inside. Iizuka bit Naito while Taichi took the ref, but Taichi and Naito were still the legal men.

Naito hit an enziguri and a neckbreaker, and SANADA got a tag. He tied up an interfering Kanemaru with the paradise lock, and ran wild with dropkicks. Taichi and Iizuka cut him off, raking his eyes and biting him. 

Desperado and Hiromu tagged in, and they did a cool criss-cross sequence. Desperado hit a spear, but Hiromu came back with his overhead throw into the corner. TAKA and BUSHI tagged in, and Suzuki-gun quickly cut BUSHI off. 

TAKA got a couple of nearfalls, while the other eight guys brawled on the floor. Naito recovered and hit TAKA withh a corner dropkick. BUSHI hit a codebreaker for a nearfall, then hit TAKA with an MX for the pin. 

This was mostly a showcase for the popular LIJ faction, and an appetizer for Desperado vs. Hiromu, which takes place tomorrow. 

Kazuchika Okada, Jay White & Tomohiro Ishii defeated Juice Robinson, Hiroshi Tanahashi & David Finlay

Juice and White started out. White used underhanded tactics to gain the advantage on Juice. Okada and Tana tagged in, and the place started buzzing. Okada hit a slingshot senton, and took Tana to the corner, where he tagged in Ishii. Ishii no-sold Tana’s chops, and hit a suplex  for a nearfall. White tagged in and used a crossface. 

Okada tagged back in, but got nailed with a dragon screw. White and Juice tagged back in. Juice hit a dropkick and a sit-out lariat. He followed with his jabs, a clothesline in the corner, and went to the top. Juice missed a high cross, and White shit a suplex, before tagging Ishii. White and Ishii attempted a double team, but Juice hit a crossbody on both, and tagged in Finlay. 

Finlay ran wild on Ishii. He hit a back elbow off the turnbuckle. He survived Ishii blocking a dropkick. Tana tagged in and hit sling blade on Ishii, and intercepted an interfering Okada, hitting a dragon screw. 

Juice hit White with a cannonball in the corner. Finlay went for a cutter, but Ishii blocked. Finlay used a series of cradles for nearfalls. Ishii went for the brainbuster, but Finlay slid out. Ishii hit a german and a lariat for a nearfall, then hit the brainbuster, getting the win. 

White teased leaving, then came back out and attacked Juice as he was walking to the opposite locker room. White sent Juice into the post, then whipped him into the barricade twice. He hit a suplex on the floor, then grabbed a chair, and attacked the Young Lions that tried to restrain him. 

He tossed Juice into the ring, and teased a con-chair-to on Juice’s arm, but Juice escaped at the last minute, and punched the chair into White’s face. 

A good match, all action, and a hot angle after to set up White vs. Juice for the US title next month. 

Hirooki Goto defeated Michael Elgin to win the NEVER Openweight Championship

They traded shoulder blocks and power stuff early, establishing that neither had a significant strength advantage.

Elgin hit a suplex, Goto rolled to the floor, and Elgin hit a footstomp from the apron to the floor. He followed up with a slingshot footstomp back inside. 

Elgin hit a buckle bomb and teased going for the quick win with an Elgin Bomb, but got blocked it, and took over. Goto used a sleeper, but Elgin powered out and hit a german. He went for another, but Goto blocked it with his foot, and Elgin had to transition to an exploder, securing a nearfall. 

They exchanged chops and palm strikes to the chest, then Elgin connected with a dropkick. Elgin hit a delayed vertical suplex for a nearfall, then hit an avalanche and a middle rope senton for another. Goto came back with strikes, and hit a big lariat, leading to a double down. 

Goto hit a corner lariat, then a running leg lariat in the opposite corner. Elgin came back with a series of strikes to the chest, before hitting a powerslam for a nearfall. Elgin hit a series of clubbing blows to the chest and back, but Goto cut him off with an ushigoroshi. 

Goto went for a DDT, but Elgin backed him into Red Shoes in the corner, and the ref took a bump, and rolled to the floor. Elgin hit a falcon arrow, then teased the Elgin Bomb, but Taichi ran in and nailed both with his mic stand. Jeff Cobb ran down and suplexed Taichi, before chasing him to the back. 

Goto and Elgin traded forearms on the mat, then both got to their feet and continued to trade. Goto hit a suplex, but ate a pair of enziguris off a charge into the corner. Elgin hit a scoop slam and went up top, but Goto cut him off, and knocked him to the apron. 

Goto tried to suplex Elgin into the ring, but Elgin blocked, and pulled him to the apron. Goto knocked Elgin to the floor with strikes, and Elgin countered, pulling Goto to the floor and hitting a fishermans suplex on the floor. 

Elgin tossed Goto back inside and went to the top rope. He hit a splash off the top for a nearfall. He went for an Elgin Bomb, but Goto backdropped out. They traded forearms, and Elgin pulled off his elbow pad and hit a huge strike, then a modified chokeslam for a nearfall. 

Elgin put Goto on the top rope, and teased a crucifix bomb, but Goto blocked. Elgin stepped to the apron and hit a clothesline, knocking Goto to the mat. Elgin put Goto back on the top and teased the crucifix bomb again, but Goto blocked. Elgin hit an enziguri, then fought for a superplex, but Goto countered, hitting a powerbomb off the top for a nearfall. 

Goto went for the GTR, but Elgin blocked it. Goto hit a Shouten Kai for a nearfall, which the crowd really bought as a potential finish. Goto measured out a kick, but Elgin caught it, and hit a huge forearm. Goto used a sleeper, but Elgin hulked up and broke the hold with a throw. 

Elgin hit a massive forearm, then a lariat, which Goto took a flip bump off. Elgin hit the Elgin Bomb, but Goto kicked out at two. Elgin hit a buckle bomb, but Goto fired out of the corner with a lariat. Goto hit a lariat and this time Elgin took a flip bump, and Goto got a two count. 

Goto went for the GTR, but Elgin slippe dout. He went for the Elgin Bomb, then maybe a torture rack bomb, but Goto slipped out and hit a lariat. Goto then hit two GTRs, and got the pin, winning the title. 

Cobb came back out after the match and went face-to-face with Goto. He grabbed a mic and challenged Goto for the title, so that looks to be a future direction. 

This was a great main event, and they worked at a pretty crazy pace for 31 minutes, especially for two bigger guys. 

Title matches, G1 announcements set for NJPW Kizuna Road

Posted on by Bryan Rose

Full lineups for Kizuna Road have been revealed, featuring two big matches and G1 announcements.

The G1 Climax 28 tournament announcements will be strung across all three shows. 6/17 will announce the participants. The second show on 6/18 will have block announcements and the last show on 6/19 will announce the main events for each show.

Title matches announced for the Kizuna Road tour features Michael Elgin vs. Hirooki Goto headlining the 6/17 show for the NEVER title. Elgin won the title at Dominion by pinning Taichi, so it makes sense that the unpinned champion would be the next challenger for the title. Hiromu Takahashi meanwhile will also defend the Junior heavyweight title against Desperado on the 6/18 show.

The main event on the 6/19 show will feature the retirement ceremony of Super Strong Machine, who hasn’t wrestled since 2014. While he won’t be wrestling on the card, the main event will be filled with Strong Machines: Strong Machine No. 69, Strong Machine Ace, Strong Machine Justice, Strong Machine Don and Strong Machine Buffalo will team up to take on all of Los Ingobernables de Japon.

Here is the entire rundown for each Kizuna Road show that will air on New Japan World. All three shows will take place at Korakuen Hall:

June 17 (features participants announced for this year’s G1):

  • Michael Elgin vs. Hirooki Goto for the NEVER Openweight title
  • Hiroshi Tanahashi, Juice Robinson and David Finlay vs. Kazuchika Okada, Jay White and Tomohiro Ishii
  • Tetsuya Naito, EVIL, SANADA, BUSHI and Hiromu Takahashi vs. Takashi Iizuka, Taichi, Yoshinobu Kanemaru, El Desperado and Taka Michinoku
  • Togi Makabe, Jeff Cobb, Toa Henare, KUSHIDA and Ryusuke Taguchi vs. Toru Yano, YOSHI-HASHI, Rocky Romero and Roppongi 3K
  •  Hiroyoshi Tenzan and Ren Narita vs. Taiji Ishimori and Yujiro Takahashi
  • Yuji Nagata and Manabu Nakanishi vs. Tomoyuki Oka and Shota Umino
  • Yota Tsuji vs. Yuya Uemura

June 18 (features G1 block announcements):

  • Hiromu Takahashi vs. El Desperado for the IWGP Jr. title
  • Hiroshi Tanahashi, Michael Elgin, Juice Robinson, Jeff Cobb and KUSHIDA vs. Kazuchika Okada, Hirooki Goto, Jay White, Tomohiro Ishii and Gedo
  • Tetsuya Naito, EVIL, SANADA and BUSHI vs. Takashi Iizuka, Taichi, Yoshinobu Kanemaru and Taka Michinoku
  • Ryusuke Taguchi, Toa Henare, David Finlay and Togi Makabe vs. Toru Yano, YOSHI-HASHI and Roppongi 3K
  • Hiroyoshi Tenzan and Tomoyuki Oka vs. Yuji Nagata and Manabu Nakanishi
  • Taiji Ishimori and Yujiro Takahashi vs. Ren Narita and Shota Umino
  • Yota Tsuji vs. Yuya Uemura

June 19 (features match announcements for G1):

  • Strong Machine No. 69, Strong Machine Ace, Strong Machine Justice, Strong Machine Don and Strong Machine Buffalo (w/Super Strong Machine) vs. Tetsuya Naito, EVIL, SANADA, BUSHI and Hiromu Takahashi
  • Michael Elgin, Jeff Cobb, Juice Robinson and David Finlay vs. Kazuchika Okada, Hirooki Goto, Jay White and YOSHI-HASHI
  • Tomohiro Ishii and Toru Yano vs. Takashi Iizuka and Taichi
  • Rocky Romero and Roppongi 3K vs. Yoshinobu Kanemaru, El Desperado and Taka Michinoku
  • Togi Makabe, Jushin Thunder Liger and Tiger Mask vs. Toa Henare, Tomoyuki Oka and Shota Umino
  • KUSHIDA and Ren Narita vs. Taiji Ishimori and Yujiro Takahashi

New Japan Cup results: Tomohiro Ishii vs. Michael Elgin

Posted on by Ethan Renner

The decision to have Michael Elgin defeat Tomohiro Ishii in the main event of the first show of the 2018 New Japan Cup tour likely surprised some. Still, that was the result as the first round of the tournament kicked off on Friday in Tokyo at Korakuen Hall.

Ishii seemed a logical possibility to win the tournament and go on to face his stablemate, IWGP Champion Kazuchika Okada. Given that the last high-profile clash between the two in the 2016 G1 Tournament earned nearly universal praise, and since there are few chances to pit the CHAOS allies against each other, a tournament win seemed like an organic way to get back to that match. New Japan officials clearly have other plans.

It is also somewhat jarring to see Elgin pick up a significant singles win given the current pall that he has in North America. Evidently, Elgin’s nuclear-level heat has not followed him across the Pacific.

The tournament continues Saturday with a show in Aichi, which features a Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Taichi main event, and a Bad Luck Fale vs. Lance Archer semi-main.

Here are the non-tournament match results from Korakuen:

Kazuchika Okada & YOSHI-HASHI defeated Kota Ibushi & Chase Owens

Minoru Suzuki, Takashi Iizuka, & Taichi defeated Hiroshi Tanahashi, David Finlay, & Toa Henare

Zack Sabre, Jr., Yoshinobu Kanemaru, & El Desperado defeated Tetsuya Naito, SANADA, & BUSHI

Davey Boy Smith, Jr. & Lance Archer defeated Bad Luck Fale & Tanga Loa

Chuckie T (Chuck Taylor), Toru Yano & Hirooki Goto defeated David Finlay, Tomoyuki Oka, & Shota Umino

New Japan Cup opening round results:

Juice Robinson defeated Yujiro Takahashi

Robinson missed a cannonball into the corner, and Takahashi followed with a yakuza kick. Takahashi used his pimp cane as a weapon right in front of referee Red Shoes, but there was no DQ called for. Robinson hit a spinebuster and followed with a plancha, but could not get any momentum going, and saw himself backdropped over the barricade, into the crowd, slicing up is back in the process.

Robinson continued to take a beating, but refused to quit, He fired up and nailed Takahashi with a lariat, but Takahashi regained control. Takahashi nearly killed Robinson by spiking him on his head, seconds after botching another powerbomb attempt.

Robinson kicked out of a nearfall, and hit a powerbomb of his own, and followed up with Pulp Friction for the victory. Takahashi isn’t suited for a longer singles match like this. Not bad, but not must-see.

Michael Elgin defeated Tomohiro Ishii

They started with a long strike and shoulder block exchange, with neither man budging, until Ishii finally got Elgin off his feet. Elgin responded with a quick slam, as neither man could grab the early advantage. Elgin missed with one enziguri, but hit a follow-up, and scored the first nearfall of the bout with a Falcon Arrow.

They had a chop battle in the corner, which Ishii got the better of, and he followed up with a belly-to-back. He went for the brainbuster, but Elgin blocked the attempt and deadlifted Ishii into a vertical suplex, firmly establishing control of the match.

After another prolonged exchange of strikes, Elgin slammed Ishii and went to the top for a moonsault, but Ishii popped right up and powerbombed him for a nearfall. Elgin recovered and threw Ishii into the turnbuckle pad, and hit a Falcon Arrow off the top for a nearfall.

Ishii was able to counter a top rope powerbomb attempt, and turned it into a big superplex for a nearfall. He followed with multiple lariats for multiple nearfalls. Ishii attacked with a headbutt, which is always noteworthy after the Shibata incident, but it appeared as though these were safely worked. Elgin hit an enziguri, which led to a double down. Elgin was up first and took control, scoring three nearfalls, each closer than the one before.

Elgin went for a top rope Razor’s Edge, and came dangerously close to spiking Ishii on his head on the landing. Elgin, Red Shoes, and Ishii appeared to huddle for a quick discussion, and I guess Ishii was okay, as he took a buckle bomb immediately after. I know that Ishii’s selling is top shelf, but that was scary. Elgin went for another, but Ishii rolled out and hit a dropkick.

After another double down and strike exchange, Ishii hit a headbutt, and a sliding lariat for a nearfall. Ishii fired up and went for the brainbuster, but Elgin turned it into one of his own. He followed with a dragon suplex, a spinning backfist, and another buckle bomb, but Ishii popped out of the corner and hit a lariat.

Ishii hit the ropes, but Elgin turned it into a pop-up powerbomb for a nearfall. That was Ishii’s last gasp, as Elgin followed with a Burning Hammer and got the pinfall victory. This was a really good big man match.

Dave Meltzer’s top-rated matches of 2017: Tetsuya Naito vs. Michael Elgin

Posted on by Dave Meltzer

Editor’s Note: Every day this week, we’ll take you back to one of Dave Meltzer’s top-rated matches of the past year, starting with No. 10 and going through No. 1. What follows is an edited version of Dave’s writeup of that match from the Wrestling Observer Newsletter with the context relatively intact.

Michael Elgin vs. Tetsuya Naito
NJPW New Beginning | February 11
*****

Tetsuya Naito pinned Michael Elgin in 36:17 to retain the IC title

The crowd was super-hot for Naito. Naito spit at Okada, who was doing commentary, so that’s for down the line. Elgin pressed Naito and held him up for a long time before dropping him. Elgin did a flip off the apron. Naito did a tope and Elgin caught him in mid-air and turned it into a delayed vertical suplex on the floor. Naito worked the knee including having Elgin in a kneebar and spitting at him. Elgin was doing ridiculously hard clotheslines. He also gave Naito a German suplex into the buckles, followed by another one.

Naito worked the knee and got a super near fall using a reverse Frankensteiner. He went back to the leglock and the crowd was really hot for the rope break. Naito spit in Elgin’s face again. Elgin used the Emerald Flowsion on the apron, as well as a power superplex into a falcon arrow. He did spinning elbows to the back of the head and the front of the head. Elgin kicked out of the first Destino attempt. Naito tried another Destino, but Elgin blocked it and used a Death Valley bomb into the turnbuckles, then a power bomb on the apron, and a power bomb on the barricade and threw Naito into the ring.

Elgin then did his Elgin bomb in the middle but Naito kicked out. The reaction was incredible. They traded more big moves including Naito getting out of a Burning Hammer and Elgin kicking out of a reverse DDT, until Naito hit another Destino for the pin.

At one point in the match, Elgin gave Naito a power bomb into the guardrail. Part of the magic of pro wrestling is the ability to do things that make you think guys are devastating each other, but are actually safe and perhaps these guys are so good they can do that spot safely. The problem is that in the quest to stand out, safety is often forgotten and risks are taken. But, Seth Rollins and Finn Balor likely thought the same thing. And unlike WWE, which is a machine that runs no matter what, a serious injury to Naito at this point would probably damage this promotion more than any single wrestler getting hurt right now would hurt any major company.

Overall, this was the second best match I’ve seen this year behind Okada vs. Omega. This was a step above John Cena vs. A.J. Styles at the Royal Rumble and Okada vs. Minoru Suzuki last week in Sapporo which is great company to be in. There have been so many great matches in such a short period of time which leads to healthy (and sometimes unhealthy) debate because the good thing about the four standout matches of the year thus far is all are completely different from each other.

The strengths of Naito vs. Elgin were Elgin’s power moves and selling of the knee, some strong creativity, the physical nature of the match, and Naito’s overall work, which was spectacular. Naito is clearly New Japan’s MVP right now, and has been a great wrestler for years, always praised for his layouts of big matches. Still, even though he and Omega had one of last year’s best matches in the G1, I always felt Naito was just underneath the best in-ring guys. As a babyface, he could do it all, but there were reasons he didn’t always connect. As a heel, he’s picked up greatly in the charisma department, and whether it’s desire to be at the highest standard, I now see him in that category with the big five or so main event singles workers in the world.

*****

Previous Matches:

– Keith Lee vs. Donovan Dijak
– WALTER vs. Zack Sabre Jr.
– Tanahashi vs. Naito
– Okada vs. Shibata
– Will Ospreay vs. KUSHIDA

NJPW Destruction in Fukushima results: Minoru Suzuki vs. Michael Elgin

Posted on by Bryan Rose

The first of three Destruction shows aired today on New Japan World, live from Fukushima as Minoru Suzuki defended the NEVER Openweight championship against Michael Elgin. During the intros, it was confirmed that it would be a lumberjack death match, which played heavily into the main event storyline. Here are the results:

Yuji Nagata & Hirai Kawato defeated Manabu Nakanishi & Shota Umino

Another solid opener. Nakanishi and Nagata have been feuding on this tour, usually teaming with young lions and facing one another. This time, Nagata submitted Umino with a crossface.

Hirooki Goto & YOSHI-HASHI defeated Katsuya Kitamura & Tomoyuki Oka

This was pretty good, crowd was into this as time went on. Goto and Oka worked really well together. Oka escaped a Boston crab attempt, but after escaping Goto caught him with a penalty kick then pinned him.

Yujiro Takahashi & Chase Owens defeated Baretta & Jado

Kind of just there as a match, not much to talk about. Takahashi picked up the win again, much to Baretta’s chagrin. He pinned Jado with the pimp juice DDT.

Juice Robinson & David Finlay defeated Bad Luck Fale & Leo Tonga

I liked this match as it was smartly booked to give Robinson and Finlay a win over two of the biggest guys (in a literal sense) in the promotion. Theme of the match were the two big lads overpowering Finlay and Robinson, but the latter would gain momentum with tandem work. Tonga went for a chokeslam but Finlay cut him off with an axe handle, landed a stunner and shoved him over to Robinson who pinned him with the pulp friction.

Ryusuke Taguchi, Hiroshi Tanahashi, KUSHIDA, Ricochet & Togi Makabe defeated Takashi Iizuka, Desperado, Yoshinobu Kanemaru, Taichi & Taka Michinoku

Tanahashi hair update: it’s still really short, obviously, but he has the highlights back. I guess the movie role is finally over. 

Suzuki-gun were up to their usual tactics. Taichi got the heat on Tanahashi by using the ring bell hammer, even jamming it up his nose. Iizuka bit on Tanahashi’s bum bicep. Taguchi made the hot tag and looked pretty good, eventually surprising Michinoku with a roll up for the win. 

IWGP Tag Team Champions War Machine defeated Guerillas of Destiny and Killer Elite Squad to retain their titles

This was a fun three way as far as action went, but the crowd were absolutely dead for it which hurt the match. War Machine brawled with KES for a while, with KES getting the heat on Hanson. Rowe made a hot tag and took care of GoD. KES broke up a GoD pinfall attempt following Guerilla Warfare and hit the killer bomb on Tanga Loa. War Machine took out KES, then won with Fallout on Loa.

Tetsuya Naito & Hiromu Takahashi defeated Tomohiro Ishii & Will Ospreay

This was good. This was build between Naito and Ishii for their match next month at King of Pro Wrestling. Naito worked over Ishii’s knee, which was all bandaged up. This might play into their match next month, but that’s still a ways away. Ospreay cleared house towards the end, but Takahashi caught him off guard and Naito followed with the Destino.

NEVER Six-Man Tag Team Champions EVIL, SANADA & BUSHI defeated Kazuchika Okada, Rocky Romero & Toru Yano to retain their titles

EVIL and Okada worked together here and had some good back and forth encounters. Yano and SANADA did as well since they’ve kinda been feuding during this tour. BUSHI hit the MX on Romero, but faces broke it up. He was going for it again when Yano stopped him on the top rope. SANADA  responded by tying him up with the paradise lock on the ropes, keeping him stuck.

It boiled down to Okada and EVIL again, with the latter hitting the STO to send him out of the match for good. BUSHI hit the MX on Romero once again and retained. Until the last few minutes, this kind of just felt like a match. Not bad but nothing remarkable about it.

Gedo was wrapped in the paradise lock as well after the match, I guess for good measure.

As expected, the lumberjacks in the match were made up of Taguchi Japan and Suzuki-gun members.

NEVER Openweight Champion Minoru Suzuki defeated Michael Elgin in a lumberjack match to retain his title

This was bad by any standards, but this was a particularly awful New Japan main event, one of the worst in a long time. Think of every trope Suzuki-gun matches have had all year, then crank it up to 27 and you have this match.

Almost every time Elgin had the heat they would interfere and kill off the flow of the match. This would be fine if there were periods of good action, but aside from a few moments there really wasn’t anything here but lifeless brawling. 

The last few minutes were downright annoying with every other Suzuki-gun member who wasn’t a lumberjack came in to interfere, then we got topped off with a horrible finish involving Iizuka’s comically awful iron fingers of death to end the show on a really bad note. This is one of those matches where you have to question if the Suzuki-gun gimmick is good heel heat or just masking some of Suzuki’s flaws as he gets older. And if it’s the latter, they didn’t do a great job tonight.

Match was what you would expect from the start: Suzuki jumped Elgin after a clean break and brawled with him all around (and outside of) the ring. A chair was introduced, and Suzuki was set to use it. Elgin grabbed it, acted like he was going to use it, then dropped it, calling back to the DQ from a few days ago.

Elgin was beating up Suzuki in the corner when all of Suzuki-gun ran in to interfere, with Desperado distracting the referee. Elgin took care of them, but when they came back again Elgin took Taka Michinoku and threw him into the crowd. Ricochet followed with a huge dive that took out the rest of Suzuki-gun and Taguchi Japan.

Elgin had the pinfall with the Elgin bomb when the referee was taken out of the ring. Killer Elite Squad ran in, but War Machine came in and took them out. Then Takashi Iizuka came out with the iron fingers. Elgin had Suzuki in a torture rack when Iizuka came in and hit him with the iron fingers. Suzuki then immediately hit Elgin with the Gotch piledriver for the win.

Suzuki-gun laid out the rest of Taguchi Japan after the match. Suzuki cut a promo, saying that he came back to NJPW to clear out the roster and ordered the crowd respect the king of the wrestling world.

Final Thoughts —

This was one of the weaker cards New Japan has put out this year, topped by a main event that was one of the worst New Japan main events in I don’t know how long. The other two big cards later this month don’t have much to improve on in order to be better than this card. The other hyped matches on the card were pretty solid, but a dead crowd hampered them and the show itself overall

NJPW G1 Climax 27 night eight results: Elgin vs. Omega

Posted on by Bryan Rose

Niigata hosted more action from the B Block as the G1 Climax commenced earlier this morning. The show featured a huge rematch from the Long Beach shows earlier this month as Michael Elgin and Kenny Omega squared off in the main event.

Prelim matches —

– Zack Sabre Jr. & El Desperado defeated Shota Umino & Ren Narita when Desperado submitted Narita with the stretch muffler.

– Togi Makabe & Ryusuke Taguchi defeated Yuji Nagata & Hirai Kawato when Taguchi submitted Kawato with the ankle lock.

– Bad Luck Fale, Yujiro Takahashi & Chase Owens defeated Kota Ibushi, Tomoyuki Oka & Katsuya Kitamura when Owens pinned Oka with the package piledriver.

– Tetsuya Naito & BUSHI defeated Tomohiro Ishii & Gedo when BUSHI countered the Gedo clutch into a jackknife pin. 

– YOSHI-HASHI & Hirooki Goto defeated Hiroshi Tanahashi & David Finlay when Goto pinned Finlay with the GTR.

B Block matches —

Tama Tonga defeated Juice Robinson

This was pretty good. Robinson’s leg has been a sore spot for him in matches ever since the bout with Minoru Suzuki, and that injury helped tell a great story throughout this one. I think next to Tomohiro Ishii he’s quickly developing into one of the best sellers on the roster.

Robinson came down to the ring with his knee heavily bandaged, so that was destined to come into play early. Sure enough, after some back and forth, Tonga started to go after it. Robinson eventually took him down with a reverse DDT and put him in a submission, but Tonga made it to the ropes.

Tonga clipped Robinson’s knee after a suplex spot. He put Robinson in a tree-of-woe position in the corner and gave a Stinger splash to the knee twice. He went for a Gun Stun, but Robinson kept reversing until Tonga took him out with the waistlock DDT.

After a small package attempt by Robinson, Tonga struck with the Gun Stun and picked up the win.

SANADA defeated Toru Yano by countout

SANADA wasn’t up for the shenanigans, immediately attacking Yano, but Yano found a way to roll him up for a near fall. Yano took the time to undo a turnbuckle until SANADA attacked him with the turnbuckle and poured the contents of Yano’s water bottle on the top of his head.

SANADA had him in the Skull End, but Yano grabbed the ropes and escaped. He brought in the tape and began tying up SANADA’s legs, much like the Kenny Omega bout, but SANADA cut him off and hit a tope. SANADA put him in the paradise lock, used the rope to tie him up, then casually walked into the ring for a countout victory.

For a promotion that hardly ever does countout wins, NJPW has done three in this tournament alone. This was just a match overall.

EVIL defeated Minoru Suzuki

This was fine, but I didn’t think it was anything special. Just nice back and forth until the interference, then the big surprise finish, which I think is the bigger story of the match. 

Suzuki made it a brawl right at the bell, taking EVIL out of the ring. EVIL got the better of it, taking him back out and using his favorite steel chair spot. Suzuki took him back down with an armbar, but EVIL made it to the ropes.

Taichi came down to the ring, and along with Desperado (who was cornering Suzuki) tried to take out EVIL. Los Ingobernables de Japon members BUSHI and Hiromu Takahashi, however, came out and evened the score, brawling with the Suzuki-gun pair to the back.

After the referee took away the chair Suzuki had, EVIL went for the STO until Suzuki put him in the sleeper. He lifted him up for the Gotch piledriver, but EVIL escaped, cut him off, then pinned him with the STO in a big upset.

Based off this win, EVIL will probably be in contention for the NEVER title later this fall.

Kazuchika Okada defeated Satoshi Kojima

This was great. There were several times at the end where you’d think Kojima would pull off the upset win, but he just couldn’t get it done. They did a great job of making Kojima look like he had a chance of winning, especially with a crowd that really wanted it.

Okada played the heel early, throwing Kojima into the barricade and even throwing Tenzan into the ring and goading him to do something. Kojima tried to muster a comeback, but Okada no sold it and took him down in one shot.

Kojima fired back with his partner’s Mongolian chops, culminating with a DDT. Kojima did the chops in the corner, but Okada came back, hit the elbow, and went for the Rainmaker, but Kojima pushed him into the corner. Okada went to the top rope and fired some shots, but Kojima snapped back and gave him a lariat, sending him tumbling to the floor.

Going to the top rope, Kojima launched off with a big Koji cutter for a near fall and then followed with a brainbuster. He went for the lariat, but Okada countered with a Rainmaker attempt. Kojima blocked it, then Okada tried for the Rainmaker again, but right as he was about to put his arm up Kojima blasted him with a lariat of his own.

Okada came back with his dropkick but missed the Rainmaker, instead walking into a roaring elbow. Kojima tried for the lariat again, but Okada countered with the tombstone, then followed with the Rainmaker for the victory.

Michael Elgin defeated Kenny Omega

They had an excellent match, one of the better matches in the tournament so far, and that is saying a lot. It was a super impactful match, hard-hitting throughout with a bunch of great spots. Both Elgin and Omega have been having a great tournament, with this match being perhaps the apex moment for both of them, at least up to this point.

It started off hot, with Elgin giving Omega a huge lariat that sent him crashing into the barricade outside. He gave him a boot, sending him into the crowd. Omega blocked him and jumped off the barricade, but Elgin grabbed him instead and hit an overhead suplex.

Elgin went for a sunset flip bomb, but Omega stayed on his shoulders, escaped, then followed with a superkick. After some more back and forth, Elgin hit a German suplex and sent him to the corner, unloading some clotheslines. Omega cut him off and went for a crossbody, but instead Elgin caught him and hit a spinning side slam.

A hurricanrana counter by Omega sent Elgin to the outside. After coming back into the ring, Omega hit the snap dragon suplex and followed with a tope con hilo to the floor, wiping out Elgin.

Back in the ring, it became another back-and-forth affair as both tried to one-up one another. Elgin hit a lariat, then a buckle bomb and tried for the Elgin bomb, but Omega countered with the One Winged Angel. Elgin countered that with a reverse rana and hit the Elgin bomb, but Omega kicked out.

Elgin’s next move was to go for something on the apron. Omega cut him off and tore away the matting outside of the ring. Elgin caught him. Omega tried to counter with a hurricanrana, but Elgin held on and laid him out with a powerbomb on the apron. 

Omega came back to life after countering a powerbomb attempt by Elgin off the top rope. He followed with two V-Triggers and an underhook piledriver. Elgin fought back momentarily but was taken out with another reverse rana. Elgin came back yet again, hitting another buckle bomb and Elgin bomb, but again Omega kicked out.

Elgin went for a Burning Hammer attempt. Omega escaped that, but Elgin responded with two back suplexes. He went for the Burning Hammer once more, this time executing it for the win

Elgin cut a promo after the match, saying he’s been wrestling half his life and the G1 was the most important tournament he’s been a part of because anyone can beat anyone at any given time. He promised that Big Mike will win the G1 Climax.  

Current standings —

A Block:

  • Tetsuya Naito — 6
  • Zack Sabre Jr. — 6
  • Hiroshi Tanahashi — 6
  • Kota Ibushi — 4
  • Hirooki Goto — 4
  • Bad Luck Fale — 4
  • Tomohiro Ishii — 4
  • Togi Makabe — 4
  • YOSHI-HASHI — 2
  • Yuji Nagata — 0

B Block:

  • Kazuchika Okada — 8
  • Kenny Omega — 6
  • EVIL — 6
  • Minoru Suzuki — 4
  • Tama Tonga — 4
  • SANADA — 4
  • Michael Elgin — 4
  • Juice Robinson — 2
  • Toru Yano — 2
  • Satoshi Kojima — 0

NJPW G1 Climax 27 night four results: Okada vs. Elgin

Posted on by Bryan Rose

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 

Current standings —

A Block:

  • Tetsuya Naito — 4
  • Hirooki Goto — 4
  • Zack Sabre Jr. — 2
  • YOSHI-HASHI — 2
  • Bad Luck Fale — 2
  • Tomohiro Ishii — 2
  • Kota Ibushi — 2
  • Hiroshi Tanahashi — 2
  • Yuji Nagata — 0
  • Togi Makabe — 0

B Block:

  • Kenny Omega — 4
  • Kazuchika Okada — 4
  • Tama Tonga — 2
  • SANADA — 2
  • Juice Robinson — 2
  • EVIL — 2
  • Toru Yano — 2
  • Minoru Suzuki — 2
  • Michael Elgin — 0
  • Satoshi Kojima — 0

My Favorite Wrestler (This Week): Ishii, Big Mike, Okada

Posted on by Zach Dominello

This week in wrestling, Cody Rhodes won the ROH World title, Carmella re-won the Money in the Bank briefcase during a big week for women in WWE, and New Japan invaded the US. Here are our favorite wrestlers this week. Who’s yours?

This week’s panel —

Tomohiro Ishii

By Alan4L

Okay, so reverting to one of the tried and trusted this week. With the man having seriously had more high-end MOTY level bouts in the last four years than is humanly possible — you have to wonder how long more he can do that. At some point he’s got to slow down, right? 

Well, this week we got a glimpse of what the next stage of Tomohiro Ishii’s career could look like if that inevitably happens. At Korakuen Hall on the final Kizuna Road show, Ishii had a rare meeting with one of New Japan’s Young Lions — and boy was it a treat.

For whatever reason he’s not gotten to wrestle the Young Lions much, but if his dealings with Katsuya Kitamura are anything to go by, then that is something that the Stone Pitbull is made for. The back and forth between him and the muscled-up former amateur wrestler was tremendous and had Korakuen rocking until Ishii decided he’d had enough and took the rookie’s head off with a brutal match-ending lariat.

So whenever Ishii decides he’s done with classic wars, Young Lions watch out because you might be getting quite the tough assignment on a regular basis!

Michael Elgin

By Zach Dominello 

Between Hiromu Takahashi and his pet kitty, and Okada’s affinity with In-N-Out Burger, picking my favorite wrestler this week was a tall order. But then I watched night one of New Japan’s “G1 Special in USA” and Michael Elgin pulled out something that made me laugh so much and for so long that the choice pretty much made itself.  

The spot took place in the final stretch of the match with Kenny Omega. Kenny had Elgin down and did his usual gun hand gesture to Elgin’s head, but suddenly Elgin grabbed Kenny’s “gun” and pulled it to his head and shouted “DO IT!” — like some dramatic scene out of an action flick.

Not sure if it was intentional or not, but it was one of the funniest spots I’ve seen in a long while. And for that, Michael Elgin is my favorite wrestler this week.

Kazuchika Okada

By Joseph Currier

Kazuchika Okada’s main event against Cody Rhodes at the first night of the G1 Special exceeded my expectations, but that didn’t really surprise me. Okada has overdelivered in every big singles match he’s had this year.

What impressed me most was just how much of a superstar he is. That Okada is a special talent may be the most obvious thing in pro wrestling right now, but the aura that he has is incredible. There aren’t even a handful of others in the industry who carry themselves like him.

Okada always got really good reactions (with Hiroshi Tanahashi getting surprisingly subdued ones) whenever NJPW wrestlers would come over for shows with ROH, but it was always clear that Shinsuke Nakamura was the biggest star to the US audience. Okada has taken over that role as the NJPW Japanese wrestler that is most over with crowds in the US now that Nakamura is gone.

Kenny Omega may be the face of any NJPW expansion into North America, but Okada will be just as valuable. He could be the top guy in any country or promotion in the world at any point in time.

NJPW announces more matches for Dominion

Posted on by Joseph Currier

In addition to announcing the schedule for the Best of the Super Juniors tournament, New Japan Pro Wrestling also revealed more matches for the upcoming Dominion card last night.

Minoru Suzuki will defend the NEVER Openweight Championship for the first time in a lumberjack match against Hirooki Goto at the show. Members of Suzuki-gun and Chaos will presumably be at ringside for the match.

Suzuki previously defeated Goto to win the title at a show late last month prior to NJPW’s Wrestling Toyonokuni and Dontaku events.

Two tag title matches have been announced for Dominion as well. War Machine will put their IWGP Tag Team Championship on the line against Guerrillas of Destiny, and The Young Bucks will challenge for Roppongi Vice’s IWGP Junior Heavyweight tag titles.

Michael Elgin vs. Cody (Rhodes) is also set for Dominion.

Dominion will take place on June 11th at Osaka-jo Hall. The updated lineup is:

  • IWGP Heavyweight Champion Kazuchika Okada defending against Kenny Omega
  • IWGP Intercontinental Champion Tetsuya Naito defending against Hiroshi Tanahashi
  • NEVER Openweight Champion Minoru Suzuki defending against Hirooki Goto in a lumberjack match
  • IWGP Tag Team Champions War Machine defending against Guerrillas of Destiny
  • IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Champions Roppongi Vice defending against The Young Bucks
  • Michael Elgin vs. Cody

NJPW New Beginning in Osaka live results: Naito vs. Elgin

Posted on by Bryan Rose

The second of New Japan Pro Wrestling’s New Beginning shows takes place overnight in Osaka with several titles on the line in high profile matches.

In the main event, Michael Elgin seeks to reclaim the IWGP Intercontinental Championship from Tetsuya Naito, who has treated the belt as something with little value. Fully recovered from an orbital injury, Elgin looks to regain the title he once held and bring it back to prominence.

Other big title matches include Katsuyori Shibata defending the RPW British Heavyweight Championship against Will Ospreay, Hiromu Takahashi defending the IWGP Jr. title against Dragon Lee, and Toru Yano & Tomohiro Ishii defending their IWGP tag team titles against Tomoaki Honma & Togi Makabe and Davey Boy Smith Jr. & Takashi Iizuka (replacing an injured Lance Archer) in a three-way match.

The NEVER six-man titles will also be defended as EVIL, SANADA & BUSHI challenge Hiroshi Tanahashi, Ryusuke Taguchi & Manabu Nakanishi.

Our live coverage begins at 3 a.m. ET.

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It was announced due to a bout of the flu, Hirai Kawato was off the card. He’ll be replaced by Henare.

TAKA Michinoku defeated Henare

Solid opener. Henare has some great looking shoulder tackles. Taka did some cool mat work and ended up getting the win by rolling him up, hooking both the arms and legs together.

Hiroyoshi Tenzan and Satoshi Kojima defeated KUSHIDA and Yoshitatsu

This was okay. Work was fine, but at times it was clear Yoshitatsu was a notch under everyone else. TenKoji worked on KUSHIDA early. Yoshitatsu comes in for a comeback, but it doesn’t work out for him. Yoshitatsu blocks one lariat attempt, but Kojima succeeds with another for the win.

Kojima extends his hand after the match, but Yoshitatsu refuses it and they both wind up in a scuffle that has to be broken up. Kevin Kelly mentions on commentary Yoshitatsu has a lot of thinking to do; I guess he’ll do it in Mexico as he’s set to be a regular in CMLL going forward.

Tiger Mask, Jushin Liger, Yuji Nagata and Juice Robinson defeated Jado, Gedo, Hirooki Goto and YOSHI-HASHI

Another solid eight man bout. Nothing special, but good action. Goto and Liger had a cool exchange. Ended up being down to Jado and Juice, with the latter looking strong and finishing off with the unprettier, which he falls Pulp Friction.

Robinson made clear after the match he wanted another shot at the NEVER title, doing the belt motion around his waist.

Yoshinobu Kanemaru, Taichi and Minoru Suzuki defeated Baretta, Rocky Romero and Kazuchika Okada

Suzuki went after Okada immediately, focusing on the leg that he worked on for so long on last week’s show.  Taichi and Kanemaru, and later Suzuki, work on Baretta in the ring. Baretta tagged in Okada, but again Suzuki immediately targeted the leg. Okada and Suzuki brawled on the outside while the juniors came in. Taichi helped with the finish, powerbombing Romero then lifting him up as Kanemaru planted him with the top rope DDT for the win.

Kanemaru and Taichi posed with the Jr. tag belts after the match. Baretta tried to make the save, but the numbers game got to him.

EVIL, SANADA and BUSHI defeated Hiroshi Tanahashi, Manabu Nakanishi and Ryusuke Taguchi to retain the NEVER Six Man tag belts

The faces all wore face paint before the match, I guess parodying EVIL’s bags under his eyes. SANADA goes for the skull end on Nakanishi but he counters with the torture rack.. Tanahashi has the cloverleaf on EVIL and Taguchi has the ankle lock on BUSHI but SANADA takes out Tiger Hattori while still on Nakanishi’s shoulders. Heels hone in on Nakanishi Sanada has the Skull Eng in again but Tanahashi hits the slingblade. Taguchi comes in and hip tosses EVIL. Nakanishi hits a crossbody on SANDA for a cool nearfall. Nakanishi gets misted by BUSHI while SANADA stumbles into the ref, then walks right into the Skull End where Nakanishi finally submits.

Heels take out the rest of the faces after the match. SANDA ties up Taguchi as Milano Collection AT at ringside stands up. SANDA dares him to do something, but Milano doesn’t do anything in response.

Katsuyori Shibata defeated Will Ospreay to retain the British heavyweight title

This wasn’t off the charts great, but still a great match as Ospreay looked incredible at times and Shibata was good in his role as well.

They start off slow, with Shibata working on Ospreay’s arm early. Ospreay comes back with some incredible offense, including a tope then immediately getting back into the ring and launches off with the Sasuke special. Shibata wraps up his legs and launches Ospreay with a German. Ospreay makes a comeback, hitting the imploding 450 splash for a nearfall. He goes for the Oscutter but Shibata grabs him and puts him in the sleeper. Ospreay can’t escape as he’s taken down then it’s followed by the penalty kick as Shibata retains the title.

Toru Yano & Tomohiro Ishii defeated Takashi Iizuka/Davey Boy Smith Jr and Togi Makabe/Tomoaki Honma to win the IWGP Heavyweight Tag Team titles

Fun, action packed match. DBS and Iizuka take Honma to the outside and waffle him with a steel chair, then continue to work on him in the ring. The Chaos team worked over Honma until he started mounting a comeback with the aid of Makabe. Big superplex by Ishii but Makabe immediately got up. DBS and Iizuka clear things out. After wiping everyone out with the iron fingers, DBS holds up Yano as Iizuka goes to strike, but Iizuka accidently hits DBS instead. Yano low blows both of them then rolls up DBS to retain the titles.

Hiromu Takahashi defeated Dragon Lee to retain the IWGP Jr. title

An amazing spectacle of a match that lived up to their incredible rivalry in Mexico. Some of the moves here just literally have to be seen to be believed. I think the only thing that comes close in the last year was Ricochet/Ospreay but even then it didn’t have the incredible spots this match had.

They exchange some quick offense early, with Dragon Lee gaining momentum following a tope. Takahashi follows with a sick sunset flip bomp off to the floor. Dragon Lee followed that with a hurricanrana off the apron and onto the floor, then followed with a tope con hilo. Lee went to do a stomp off the middle rope but Takahashi throws him to the floor and hits what I think was supposed to be a hurricanrana, but didn’t connect well.

Lee went for another hurricanrana off the apron but instead Takahashi powerbombed him. OUCH. Takahashi did a senton to the floor. Lee fires back and grounds him, working in a crossface, then hooks in both arms before Takahashi gets his feet on the ropes. Takahashi goes to do something off the top rope, but Lee blocks it. Takahashi responds by taking the mask right off of Lee and powerbombs him for a nearfall. Lee makes a comeback but Takahashi drills him with a canadian destroyer. Takahashi hits another, but Lee still kicks out. Takahashi finally hits the time bomb and that is it.

Taguchi comes to the ring after the match to challenge for the next title shot. Takahashi walks away, but tries to sneak attack Taguchi from behind with the titles. It fails, as Taguchi takes him down and applies the ankle lock.

Tetsuya Naito defeated Michael Elgin to retain the IWGP Intercontinental title

Incredible match, definitely up there as one of the best matches of the year so far. Tons of callbacks from previous matches, tremendous nearfalls and some sick spots made this a match you gotta check out sometime if you missed it live.

Naito did some stalling tactics early until Elgin took him out with a shoulder tackle. Elgin did a somersault dive to the floor, lifted up Naito, walked a few feet then suplexed him on the floor. Naito hones in on Elgin’s knee. Elgin fires up a comeback drilling Naito with German suplexes. Naito tries to counter with a tornado DDT but Elgin powers out and tries to lift him up but Naito finally counters with the DDT.

Naito tries to build some more momentum by blocking Elgin on the top rope and following with a sunset bomb, but Elgin catches him with a powerbomb. Elgin follows with a big splash and a sick lariat but Naito still kicks out. Elgin is trying for the powerbomb but his leg isn’t giving him the support he needs for it. Elgin takes Naito to the top rope. Naito musters a comeback, but Elgin blocks it, only for Naito to shoot back with a hurricanrana followed by a reverse rana.

Naito works on the leg and takes Elgin to the apron but Elgin grabs him and lays him out with a death valley driver on the apron. Elgin mocks Naito then goes for the buckle bomb but Naito reverses, lays him out then lands the Destino but Elgin kicks out. Naito tries for a second but Elgin rams him into the ropes. Elgin took him to the outside, powerbombed him on the apron then into the barricade then followed with the Elgin bomb but Naito still kicked out in an amazing near fall. Elgin tried  for the burning hammer but Naito countered with the Destino. Elgin kept trying but Naito kept countering. He hit the Destino after countering Elgin off the tope rope, then landed it once more to finally retain the championship.

The rest of Los Ingobernables de Japon, who all won or retained their titles tonight, came out as Naito cut a promo. Streamers flew as Naito flung around the title, disrespecting the title as he heads to the back to close out the show.

Weekend indies & overseas wrestling notes: House of Hardcore, OTT, WrestleCircus

Posted on by F4W Staff

Over in Belfast, Ireland, Sunday, Marty Scurll and Ricochet hooked it up in the main event of OTT’s Invasion: Belfast show, the promotion’s second of two weekend events.

While Scurll picked up the win by submitting Ricochet, the highlight of OTT’s weekend was former WWE Universal Champion Finn Balor making a surprise appearance at Saturday’s show, sporting a sweet beard.

The promotion returns to Belfast on Sunday, February 5th with Mark Andrew, Eddie Kingston, and more.

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WrestleCircus ran a show Saturday in Austin, TX, in front of around 500 people according to reader Steve Conway. The promotion is relatively new with just a handful of shows, but they loaded up their lineup this past weekend. Here’s a few highlights with notes from Steve:

– Lance Hoyt b Adam Page in a really good opener.

– Rachel Ellering b Christi Jaynes 

– Sammy Guevara b Colt Cabana

– Jade b Joey Ryan in a no DQ match

Leva Bates interfered cosplaying Shinsuke Nakamura. Entertaining with Joey doing his usual intergender schtick. Crowd liked it a lot, especially the finish where the lollipop ended up in a place Joey definitely didn’t want it. 

– ACH b Chris Hero

Another match the crowd loved and was really into from the start. Hero played a subtle heel well. Excellent match.

– Donovan Dijak b. Tessa Blanchard

This was not good. A lot of missed spots and the intergender stuff was pretty pointless. This wasn’t comedy, but we’d also already seen the “big v small” spots with other matches, so this brought nothing new to the table. 

– Michael Elgin b Jeff Cobb

Crowd wasn’t into this. It was disappointing in they just did forearms, versions of power German suplexes and clotheslines endlessly. They hit the forearms hard and both are really strong, but again we’d seen everything they did already with Lee/Rowe/Dijak. This had very little creativity and very little heat. To be fair, the show was going on five hours by this point. 

– Ethan Carter III b Pentagon Jr.

Bad main event for the “Ringmaster” championship. The crowd was very happy to see Pentagon, but EC3 did this thing with a Jame Ellsworth ripoff called the “Trashman” where EC3’s handpicked opponent from the last show came out and interfered. Crowd was more annoyed by it than anything else. Second show in a row EC3 was champ and did virtually nothing. This was a really flat ending to the marathon. 

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Tommy Dreamer’s House of Hardcore ran Friday from Philadelphia, PA, delayed by nearly an hour on FloSlam due to some technical issues. Here’s some notes from reader Daniel Kelly who was in attendance:

– Alex Reynolds vs Brooklyn Brawler

Brawler came out and talked about how great it was to be in Philadelphia and what an honor it was to perform in the original ECW arena. He then proceeded to take off his Yankee Jersey and reveal a Flyers jersey under, stating that for one night only he would be the “Broad Street Brawler.” Quick 2-3 min match with Brawler making Reynolds tap with a Boston Crab.

– Lio Rush vs Tony Nese

This was Nese’s last indie show before heading to WWE. Great back and forth match displaying both competitors’  athleticism. Rush continued on with his black heart gimmick that he has been doing as of late. Crowd very over for Nese, hitting him with the streamer show upon entering the ring. Exciting match with a lot of high spots throughout. Nese got the win with his pump handle driver.

After the match, Nese credited Rush and shook his hand. Nese then gave credit to Striker, Reynolds, Bull James, and Dan Barry who joined him in the ring after. Ended with Reynolds hitting a superkick on Nese after embracing and telling him WWE “settled for Marty when they could have had Shawn”.

– Colt Cabana vs Moose

Entertaining back and forth match. Moose able to show his athleticism, executing two moonsaults both from the top and middle ropes. Cabana still looks great and hasn’t skipped a beat in the ring. Crowd split between both competitors, but arena filled with Moose chants throughout. Moose got the victory hitting a playmaker.

– Brian Cage vs Sami Callihan

This was a return match from a previous engagement these two had in HOH. I was in attendance for the first contest which did not disappoint, nor did this one. For some reason, the crowd was not nearly as loud as in the previous matches. Great back and forth action with Cage able to display his freakish strength. A lot of out of the ring work with Callihan executing dives to the outside and utilizing the guard rails quite a bit. Near falls throughout with Cage landing clotheslines and Callihan hitting pump kicks.

Cage hit Callihan with a Weapon-X at one point which resulted in a close near fall. End of the match came with Callihan reversing Cage into a code red which he kicked out of into a stretch muffler. Cage taps to give Sami the victory. After the match Cage tells Callihan it’s 1-1 and extends his hand. Callihan proceeds to kick it away to an ovation. 

– Fenix vs John Hennigan

Crowd was over for this one from the moment Fenix walked out. Match began with both Fenix and Hennigan playing the babyface role and competing with one another for crowd reaction. Both competitors did a tight rope walk from corner to corner, with Hennigan crotching himself on the top rope. Lucha chants throughout the match with back and forth action.

Only took a matter of minutes for Hennigan to go heel after getting shown up. Many highspots off the top with Fenix hitting springboard hurricanranas. Closely contested match that saw Hennigan pick up the victory with the End of the World. Great match that the crowd was really into. Both competitors embraced afterwards.

– Matt Hardy vs Tommy Dreamer cage match

Match started with Matt stating “Tommy’s dreamer I knew you’d come” only to get pulled to the outside. Had about a solid five minutes of out of ring action before heading into the cage. Both competitors took bumps on the outside and multiple guard rail spots. Once in the cage, Tommy took majority of the offensive. Some back and forth until Dreamer was able to hit a DVD. Dreamer goes for the cage door, only to have it slammed on his head by the licensed official. Sandman’s music hits, as per usual with an HOH show, as he hits the ring to cane the official, followed up by one to Hardy as he tries to leave the cage.

Another DVD by Dreamer to a near fall. Crowd goes absolutely insane as out of nowhere Brother Nero hits the ring to cane Sandman and throw him into the side of the cage. Jeff then enters the cage and produces a bag of tacks. Jeff attempts a twist of fate but gets reversed and set up for a DVD. Matt hits Dreamer in the head with a cane and follows it up with a side effect on the tacks for the victory. Short match that was saved by the appearance of Jeff.

After the match, the crowd begins a “swanton bomb” chant directed towards Jeff. Hardy teases taking off his jacket and heading to the top, however is reprimanded by Matt for his thoughts on turning back into a spot monkey. Jeff proceeds to flip off the crowd to much dismay. Show ends with the Hardys grabbing the licensed official and dragging him to the back.

The promotion also ran Saturday in Joppa, MD. Here’s the quick results:

Jessicka Haovk def. Taya; Eddie Kingston def. Lance Anoa’i; Matt Stryker/Conor Braxton/Kikutaro def. Vik Dalishus/Benjamin Boone/Hale Collins; Moose def. Brian Cage; Alex Reynolds def. Sonjay Dutt/Dan Barry/Brandon Scott; Tommy Dreamer/Sandman def. Spirit Squad (Kenny/Mikey): Fenix def. John Hennigan.

Michael Elgin out of NJPW Power Struggle main event due to injury

Posted on by Joseph Currier

After fracturing his orbital bone at NJPW’s King of Pro Wrestling show earlier this week, Michael Elgin is officially out of his scheduled Power Struggle main event match next month.

Elgin was scheduled to challenge Tetsuya Naito for the IWGP Intercontinental Championship on the November 5th show, but the eye injury has forced him out of action for the time being. Jay Lethal will replace Elgin and challenge Naito for the championship. The two met recently at Ring of Honor’s All Star Extravaganza VIII pay-per-view, where Lethal got the win over Naito.

Before he was officially pulled from the match, Elgin posted a video update on his condition and confirmed that he would be staying in Japan and undergoing surgery for the injury.

The current card for Power Struggle is:

  • Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. SANADA
  • NEVER Openweight Champion Katsuyori Shibata defending against EVIL
  • IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion BUSHI defending against KUSHIDA
  • IWGP Tag Team Champions The Guerrillas of Destiny defending against YOSHI-HASHI & Tomohiro Ishii
  • The finals of the 2016 junior tag tournament

Naito vs. Elgin to headline NJPW Power Struggle

Posted on by Dave Meltzer

New Japan tonight announced the Power Struggle lineup, which is the final major show of the year on November 5th at the Edion Arena in Osaka.

Tetsuya Naito vs. Michael Elgin for the IC title is the main event, although Elgin suffered a broken eye socket in his left eye at yesterday’s King of Pro Wrestling show in Sumo Hall from a low dropkick by Naito. As of right now, there is no word on whether he’ll need surgery, which could force a change in the main event.

Three more title matches are on the show, as Katsuyori Shibata defends the NEVER title against EVIL, BUSHI defends the IWGP jr. title against KUSHIDA and the tag team titles are on the line with Tama Tonga & Tanga Roa defending against YOSHI-HASHI & Tomohiro Ishii.

In addition, there will be a Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Seiya Sanada singles match, as well as the finals of the junior heavyweight tag team tournament which starts on October 21st.

The first round matches of that tournament are Young Bucks vs. ACH & Taiji Ishimori, David Finlay & Ricochet vs. Gedo & Will Ospreay, Tiger Mask & Jushin Liger vs. Ryusuke Taguchi & Fuego and Rocky Romero & Baretta vs. Angel de Oro & Titan.

NJPW G1 26 night four results: Tetsuya Naito vs. Michael Elgin

Posted on by Bryan Rose

We are back at Korakuen Hall tonight as night four of the G1 is upon us. Here are the results:

Juice Robinson defeated David Finlay with the Killswitch. Basic match, but not bad by any means.

Togi Makabe & Ryusuke Taguchi defeated SANADA & BUSHI when Makabe pinned BUSHI with the King Kong knee drop.

Bad Luck Fale, Yujiro Takahashi, & Tama Tonga defeated Hiroshi Tanahashi, Captain New Japan, & KUSHIDA when Takahashi pinned Captain New Japan with a DDT. He has been using that as a finish on this tour.

Naomichi Marufuji, Kazuchika Okada, Gedo, Tomohiro Ishii, & Hirooki Goto defeated Manabu Nakanishi, Tiger Mask, Jushin Liger, Satoshi Kojima, & Hiroyoshi Tenzan when Goto pinned Tiger Mask following the GTR (lariat/backbreaker combo).

Tomoaki Honma vs. YOSHI-HASHI

Interesting match as YOSHI-HASHI was playing the underdog, a role normally designed for Honma. Felt bizarre to see that. Honma controlled a lot of the match early but missed a Kokeshi. YOSHI-HASHI made a comeback and got a few great near falls on Honma.

YOSHI-HASHI tried his new finisher but Honma made it to the ropes. Honma fired back with a Kokeshi, then another one from the top rope for the win. Very good match.

EVIL vs. Yuji Nagata

EVIL jumped him immediately at the bell but Nagata dodged him and entered the ring. Nagata looked like he was having a hard time getting to the ring as he was limping.

Good match with okay heat. Nagata gets the win after EVIL kicks out of one backdrop suplex, then Nagata responds with another for the pin.

Kenny Omega vs. Toru Yano

Omega had stuff to say before he entered the ring. Unfortunately, it was one of those nights where you couldn’t hear the sound.

They used some spots with the turnbuckle Yano removed, including a few near falls. Yano kept escaping from the One Winged Angel. He tried to use a ref spot to his advantage, but it was Omega who got it and low blowed Yano. Omega tried to use his hairspray but that backfired too.

Yano tried one more quick pinfall, but it backfired and Omega struck him with a knee for the win. Exactly what you’d expect in a Yano match. Fun but nothing extraordinary

Katsuhiko Nakajima vs. Katsuyori Shibata

Nakajima focused on Shibata’s weakened shoulder and arm, wrapping it around a barricade and stomping on it. Crowd was totally behind Shibata. Nakajima hit the running dropkick to the corner, but Shibata came back, pelted him with elbows to the face, and hit a dropkick to the corner of his own.

This was like a “see if you can top this” match as every time someone would hit a move, the other would come back with one of his own. Nakajima wore him down and tried for the Penalty Kick, but Shibata grabbed him and hit the sleeper, then the PK for the win. Very fun back and forth match with stiff shots and some good heat.

Michael Elgin vs. Tetsuya Naito

Naito worked on Elgin’s knee during the match. Makes sense as the previous night he had Elgin in a submission.

Lots of good back and forth action here. Elgin hit the Big Mike Fly Flow but Naito blocked it. Elgin went for the Elgin Bomb but Naito countered it into a reverse rana. Naito made a flurry of a comeback and tried for Destino but Elgin blocked it.

Naito went back to his new submission but Elgin deadlifted him, only for Naito to hit Destino in the process. Naito hit it again and got the pin. Easily the best match of the last couple of nights.