New Japan Pro Wrestling G-1 Climax
Tournament Finals Review
This year’s G1 was the largest tournament in the history of New Japan Pro wrestling. All together, there were 19 shows that aired throughout July and August.
Lets's take a look at the results all the action from the final week of G1, and see who took home the grand championship prize.
Lets's take a look at the results all the action from the final week of G1, and see who took home the grand championship prize.
NJPW G1 Climax Tournament 8-5 report
Hiroyoshi Tenzan vs. Bad Luck Fale
Not very interesting, though it was well booked and nothing looked that bad. They did a brawl early that sent out Tenzan into the crowd. Tenzan made his comeback and had the Anaconda buster but Fale escaped. He laid him out and pinned him with the high fly flow.
Katsuyori Shibata vs. Toru Yano
Shibata jumped him before the bell even rang and just waylayed on him. Yano had some offense, which consisted of whipping Shibata into the ropes, but it was mostly Shibata on offense. Yano tried to escape the penalty kick but Shibata faked him out and hit him with it, then went for an armbar. Yano then rolled him up and got a flash pinfall. Crowd reacted huge to that.
Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Doc Gallows
Good match. Was just average until Tanahashi ate a boot and a brainbuster for a great near fall that got the crowd into the match. Tanahashi looked like he was about to be powerbombed, but then reversed into a roll up for the win. Most of the match was just standard back and forth stuff, but the last couple of minutes or so were fun.
AJ Styles vs. Togi Makabe
Physical match, as one would expect from these two. Crowd were into this from the start. Makabe hit the kneeling powerbomb and went for the knee drop off the top rope but AJ dodged. He teased the Bloody Sunday DDT but it was blocked. AJ responded with a pele kick then pinned him after the Styles Clash. Seemed kind of short, but was really good while it lasted.
Kota Ibushi vs. Tetsuya Naito
Great back and forth match filled with some crazy moves, which included Naito doing a reverse hurricanrana from the top rope and a Gonzo bomb from Ibushi when Naito tried to do a roll up. Looks like Ibushi landed right on his neck after that reverse rana. Naito hit a dragon suplex but Ibushi kicked out, but did not kick out Naito’s new finisher, Destino, the sliced bread into a reverse DDT.
Not very interesting, though it was well booked and nothing looked that bad. They did a brawl early that sent out Tenzan into the crowd. Tenzan made his comeback and had the Anaconda buster but Fale escaped. He laid him out and pinned him with the high fly flow.
Katsuyori Shibata vs. Toru Yano
Shibata jumped him before the bell even rang and just waylayed on him. Yano had some offense, which consisted of whipping Shibata into the ropes, but it was mostly Shibata on offense. Yano tried to escape the penalty kick but Shibata faked him out and hit him with it, then went for an armbar. Yano then rolled him up and got a flash pinfall. Crowd reacted huge to that.
Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Doc Gallows
Good match. Was just average until Tanahashi ate a boot and a brainbuster for a great near fall that got the crowd into the match. Tanahashi looked like he was about to be powerbombed, but then reversed into a roll up for the win. Most of the match was just standard back and forth stuff, but the last couple of minutes or so were fun.
AJ Styles vs. Togi Makabe
Physical match, as one would expect from these two. Crowd were into this from the start. Makabe hit the kneeling powerbomb and went for the knee drop off the top rope but AJ dodged. He teased the Bloody Sunday DDT but it was blocked. AJ responded with a pele kick then pinned him after the Styles Clash. Seemed kind of short, but was really good while it lasted.
Kota Ibushi vs. Tetsuya Naito
Great back and forth match filled with some crazy moves, which included Naito doing a reverse hurricanrana from the top rope and a Gonzo bomb from Ibushi when Naito tried to do a roll up. Looks like Ibushi landed right on his neck after that reverse rana. Naito hit a dragon suplex but Ibushi kicked out, but did not kick out Naito’s new finisher, Destino, the sliced bread into a reverse DDT.
NJPW G1 Climax Tournament 8-7 report
Yuji Nagata vs. Michael Elgin
Lots of stiff back and forth here. The crowd reacted to big spots, but it seemed like it lacked heat in the big picture until the end. Overall, a pretty good match, but nothing special. Elgin did his big deadlift falcon arrow spot for a nearfall. Nagata came back and gave him the belly to belly on the post. Elgin countered by lifting up Nagata and carrying him all the way to the other side of the ring for a buckle bomb, then pinned him with the powerbomb.
Tomoaki Honma vs. Karl Anderson
Fine match for the most part, but really picked up once the near falls started. Honma kicked out of a gun stun and made a comeback that got the crowd going, hitting several nearfalls and and a kokeshi, as well as avoiding Anderson’s other attempts at a gun stun. A brainbuster didn’t do it either. He goes for the top rope kokeshi, but Anderson gets up and in mid motion grabs Honma and hits another gun stun for the win. Last few minutes were really great.
Hirooki Goto vs. Satoshi Kojima
Good match, plenty of back and forth action, but nothing memorable. Goto hit a code red off the top rope, and Kojima came back with a brainbuster. Goto made a comeback, hit the spinning face slam then pinned Kojima with the shouten kai. Finish seemed to come out of nowhere.
Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Yujiro Takahashi
Okay match, nothing special. Seemed much shorter than other matches tonight. Yujiro jumped him right as Nakamura was making his entrance. He worked over his injured arm, jamming it into the post and wrapping it around the barricade. Nakamura made a brief comeback but Yujiro cut him off. Nakamura came back and hit a boma ye for a near fall. Yujiro blocked a second and tried the Miami Shine but Nakamura escaped. Yujiro missed a charge in the corner then Nakamura pelted him with two more boma yes for the win.
Lots of stiff back and forth here. The crowd reacted to big spots, but it seemed like it lacked heat in the big picture until the end. Overall, a pretty good match, but nothing special. Elgin did his big deadlift falcon arrow spot for a nearfall. Nagata came back and gave him the belly to belly on the post. Elgin countered by lifting up Nagata and carrying him all the way to the other side of the ring for a buckle bomb, then pinned him with the powerbomb.
Tomoaki Honma vs. Karl Anderson
Fine match for the most part, but really picked up once the near falls started. Honma kicked out of a gun stun and made a comeback that got the crowd going, hitting several nearfalls and and a kokeshi, as well as avoiding Anderson’s other attempts at a gun stun. A brainbuster didn’t do it either. He goes for the top rope kokeshi, but Anderson gets up and in mid motion grabs Honma and hits another gun stun for the win. Last few minutes were really great.
Hirooki Goto vs. Satoshi Kojima
Good match, plenty of back and forth action, but nothing memorable. Goto hit a code red off the top rope, and Kojima came back with a brainbuster. Goto made a comeback, hit the spinning face slam then pinned Kojima with the shouten kai. Finish seemed to come out of nowhere.
Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Yujiro Takahashi
Okay match, nothing special. Seemed much shorter than other matches tonight. Yujiro jumped him right as Nakamura was making his entrance. He worked over his injured arm, jamming it into the post and wrapping it around the barricade. Nakamura made a brief comeback but Yujiro cut him off. Nakamura came back and hit a boma ye for a near fall. Yujiro blocked a second and tried the Miami Shine but Nakamura escaped. Yujiro missed a charge in the corner then Nakamura pelted him with two more boma yes for the win.
NJPW G1 Climax Tournament 8-8 report
Kota Ibushi vs. Bad Luck Fale
This was ok, but nothing worth noting. Fale got the heat on Ibushi early by throwing him onto chairs on the outside then throwing an entire barricade on his prone body. Ibushi made a comeback with a huge moonsault that took out Fale on the floor. Fale made the comeback with a big lariat and the grenade for a near fall. He went for the Bad Luck Fall but Ibushi tried to counter into a hurricanrana. He failed, as Fale positioned him back for the Bad Luck Fall, hit it and pinned him.
Tetsuya Naito vs. Toru Yano
Not that much of a match competitively, but it was fine for what it was. Naito was on offense for a lot of it, shoving the referee down twice along the way. There were several moments where Yano had control, which involved undoing the turnbuckle and Naito missing a splash, but this was very much Naito’s match. He low blowed Yano twice then pinned him with the Destino.
Hiroyoshi Tenzan vs. A.J. Styles
Good match. Wasn’t completely action oriented but they told a story and psychological this was one of the better matches of the night. Mostly just back and forth early. AJ started to work on Tenzan’s leg, though strangely not the one that bandaged up. He had in the calf killer at one point but Tenzan grabbed the ropes quickly. After working on him a bit, Tenzan mounted his comeback and went for the Anaconda buster but AJ escaped and dropkicked him. Tenzan tries for a moonsault but the leg is too injured as he collapses to the floor. Tenzan knees him low after a lionsault attempt and goes for the Anaconda vise but AJ gets to his feet as they go to the corner. Tenzan is distracted for a bit by talking to the referee which allows AJ to hook Tenzan’s leg and applies the calf killer for the submission.
Togi Makabe vs. Doc Gallows
Fine match, but nothing special. There was a lot of brawling on the outside and into the crowd. Stairs and guardrails were used. Makabe got taken out, and once he came back in was mostly a big guy match with back and forth offense. Gallows hit the Gallows Pole at one point but Makabe kicked out. He went for it again but Makabe hit a lariat, a samoan drop then pinned him with the king kong knee drop.
Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Katsuyori Shibata
Excellent match. This immediately felt like nothing else on the card and felt special. Just good work throughout the entire match. They started off with some mat wrestling. Both worked on each other’s legs early, applying submissions. Just an intense back and forth contest, complete with stiff shots and some excellent moves. Tanahashi went for a charge to the corner but ducked as Shibata tried to hop over him, only for Shibata to foot stomp him on the face. Tanahashi hit the high fly flow, then went for another but Shibata dodged the second one and put him in the sleeper. He misses the penalty kick as he goes for a bridging pin and barely gets it for two. Shibata tries to counter into a rear naked choke but Tanahashi floats over him and pins his shoulders on the mat for the surprise win.
This was ok, but nothing worth noting. Fale got the heat on Ibushi early by throwing him onto chairs on the outside then throwing an entire barricade on his prone body. Ibushi made a comeback with a huge moonsault that took out Fale on the floor. Fale made the comeback with a big lariat and the grenade for a near fall. He went for the Bad Luck Fall but Ibushi tried to counter into a hurricanrana. He failed, as Fale positioned him back for the Bad Luck Fall, hit it and pinned him.
Tetsuya Naito vs. Toru Yano
Not that much of a match competitively, but it was fine for what it was. Naito was on offense for a lot of it, shoving the referee down twice along the way. There were several moments where Yano had control, which involved undoing the turnbuckle and Naito missing a splash, but this was very much Naito’s match. He low blowed Yano twice then pinned him with the Destino.
Hiroyoshi Tenzan vs. A.J. Styles
Good match. Wasn’t completely action oriented but they told a story and psychological this was one of the better matches of the night. Mostly just back and forth early. AJ started to work on Tenzan’s leg, though strangely not the one that bandaged up. He had in the calf killer at one point but Tenzan grabbed the ropes quickly. After working on him a bit, Tenzan mounted his comeback and went for the Anaconda buster but AJ escaped and dropkicked him. Tenzan tries for a moonsault but the leg is too injured as he collapses to the floor. Tenzan knees him low after a lionsault attempt and goes for the Anaconda vise but AJ gets to his feet as they go to the corner. Tenzan is distracted for a bit by talking to the referee which allows AJ to hook Tenzan’s leg and applies the calf killer for the submission.
Togi Makabe vs. Doc Gallows
Fine match, but nothing special. There was a lot of brawling on the outside and into the crowd. Stairs and guardrails were used. Makabe got taken out, and once he came back in was mostly a big guy match with back and forth offense. Gallows hit the Gallows Pole at one point but Makabe kicked out. He went for it again but Makabe hit a lariat, a samoan drop then pinned him with the king kong knee drop.
Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Katsuyori Shibata
Excellent match. This immediately felt like nothing else on the card and felt special. Just good work throughout the entire match. They started off with some mat wrestling. Both worked on each other’s legs early, applying submissions. Just an intense back and forth contest, complete with stiff shots and some excellent moves. Tanahashi went for a charge to the corner but ducked as Shibata tried to hop over him, only for Shibata to foot stomp him on the face. Tanahashi hit the high fly flow, then went for another but Shibata dodged the second one and put him in the sleeper. He misses the penalty kick as he goes for a bridging pin and barely gets it for two. Shibata tries to counter into a rear naked choke but Tanahashi floats over him and pins his shoulders on the mat for the surprise win.
NJPW G1 Climax Tournament 8-9 report
Michael Elgin vs. Karl Anderson
Really great match. This was a fast paced back and forth battle. Both guys worked hard and the crowd was into it. At one point Bullet Club interefered and Elgin sent them packing. Anderson went for the gun stun but Elgin was somehow able to deadlift him and powerbomb him out of the ring and onto the Bullet Club members. They had a intense back and forth battle after that. Elgin hit him with the buckle bomb and tried the spinning powerbomb but Anderson countered the latter into a gun stun for the win. Last few minutes were awesome.
Satoshi Kojima vs. Yuji Nagata
Good match. Story here was Nagata’s ribs. Kojima worked on them early and several times during the match the referee and medical staff checked on him but he refused to give up. Nagata mounted a comeback that people got very much into and applied the white eyes armbar. Kojima tried for a lariat but Nagata nailed him with a roundhouse kick then pinned him with the back drop hold.
Kazuchika Okada vs. Yujiro Takahashi
This was pretty good for the most part. Lots of ref bumps and interference but it worked here and the crowd was very much into the match. Yujiro distracted the referee as Cody Hall laid out both Gedo and Okada on the outside. Yujiro worked over Okada, but of course Okada made his comeback. He took Yujiro and Hall out into the stands and did a big running crossbody over the guardrail and into the seats in the audience. Yujiro made a comeback and hit a buckle bomb and Miami Shine for a great nearfall. There was a ref bump where Hall tried to interfere, but Gedo made the save as Okada eliminated Hall. Okada then hit the rainmaker and pinned him.
Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Tomoaki Honma
Good match. Weird in that it was pretty short compared to other G1 matches that night, and most of it was fine, but the last few minutes were excellent. Nakamura took Honma to the outside at one point and just kind of carelessly threw him into the crowd full of people. Nakamura went for a boma ye but Honma blocked it, only for Nakamura to hit it anyway. He went for a second but Honma blocked it and headbutted him. He hit the kokeshi and went for a top rope kokeshi but missed it and Nakamura hit another boma ye for another nearfall. Honma hit another headbutt but Nakamura came back with a standing boma ye and pinned him.
Hirooki Goto vs. Tomohiro Ishii
Awesome match. I don’t think this was as good as the match they had in November, but this was still pretty damn great. Just the intense, stiff action coupled with the fantastic heat from the audience made this a memorable match. It was what you would expect, a back and forth brawl with lots of lariats, brainbusters, elbows and goading. Ishii cut off Goto on the top rope but Goto countered and hit the code red for a near fall. Lots of great action and it’s a very heated match. Ishii hit the sliding D but Goto kicked out. Goto headbutted him in the back of the head and took him out with a lariat. The crowd is completely into this match at this point. Goto hit a huge reverse neckbreaker off the top rope but Ishii still kicked out. Ishii escaped the shouten kai. Ishii tried to headbutt him but Goto headbutted him back twice and pinned him with the shouten kai.
Really great match. This was a fast paced back and forth battle. Both guys worked hard and the crowd was into it. At one point Bullet Club interefered and Elgin sent them packing. Anderson went for the gun stun but Elgin was somehow able to deadlift him and powerbomb him out of the ring and onto the Bullet Club members. They had a intense back and forth battle after that. Elgin hit him with the buckle bomb and tried the spinning powerbomb but Anderson countered the latter into a gun stun for the win. Last few minutes were awesome.
Satoshi Kojima vs. Yuji Nagata
Good match. Story here was Nagata’s ribs. Kojima worked on them early and several times during the match the referee and medical staff checked on him but he refused to give up. Nagata mounted a comeback that people got very much into and applied the white eyes armbar. Kojima tried for a lariat but Nagata nailed him with a roundhouse kick then pinned him with the back drop hold.
Kazuchika Okada vs. Yujiro Takahashi
This was pretty good for the most part. Lots of ref bumps and interference but it worked here and the crowd was very much into the match. Yujiro distracted the referee as Cody Hall laid out both Gedo and Okada on the outside. Yujiro worked over Okada, but of course Okada made his comeback. He took Yujiro and Hall out into the stands and did a big running crossbody over the guardrail and into the seats in the audience. Yujiro made a comeback and hit a buckle bomb and Miami Shine for a great nearfall. There was a ref bump where Hall tried to interfere, but Gedo made the save as Okada eliminated Hall. Okada then hit the rainmaker and pinned him.
Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Tomoaki Honma
Good match. Weird in that it was pretty short compared to other G1 matches that night, and most of it was fine, but the last few minutes were excellent. Nakamura took Honma to the outside at one point and just kind of carelessly threw him into the crowd full of people. Nakamura went for a boma ye but Honma blocked it, only for Nakamura to hit it anyway. He went for a second but Honma blocked it and headbutted him. He hit the kokeshi and went for a top rope kokeshi but missed it and Nakamura hit another boma ye for another nearfall. Honma hit another headbutt but Nakamura came back with a standing boma ye and pinned him.
Hirooki Goto vs. Tomohiro Ishii
Awesome match. I don’t think this was as good as the match they had in November, but this was still pretty damn great. Just the intense, stiff action coupled with the fantastic heat from the audience made this a memorable match. It was what you would expect, a back and forth brawl with lots of lariats, brainbusters, elbows and goading. Ishii cut off Goto on the top rope but Goto countered and hit the code red for a near fall. Lots of great action and it’s a very heated match. Ishii hit the sliding D but Goto kicked out. Goto headbutted him in the back of the head and took him out with a lariat. The crowd is completely into this match at this point. Goto hit a huge reverse neckbreaker off the top rope but Ishii still kicked out. Ishii escaped the shouten kai. Ishii tried to headbutt him but Goto headbutted him back twice and pinned him with the shouten kai.
NJPW G1 Climax Tournament 8-11 full report
Tetsuya Naito vs. Doc Gallows
Despite being a total heel for most of this tour, Gallows worked as the heel here so the crowd occasionally chanted for Naito. A lot of this was Gallows in control until Naito started to mount a comeback. Gallows went for the Gallows Poll but Naito reversed it into a hurricanrana pin. Gallows was on the top rope and Naito was laying punches on him but Gallows grabbed him and hit the Gallows Poll off the top rope to pin him. Pretty alright, but there have been better matches on tonight’s show so far.
Hiroyoshi Tenzan vs. Katsuyori Shibata
A lot of the match was back and forth between the two. The crowd got into it more as the match went on. Tenzan at one point had the anaconda vise but Shibata escaped. Tenzan gave him the Mongolian chops when Shibata transitioned into a sleeper Lots of headbutts from Tenzan. Tenzan got the anaconda vise on him again and this time Shibata submitted. Good match, got pretty damn great in the last few moments. Crowd went crazy when Tenzan submitted him.
Kota Ibushi vs. Toru Yano
Yano shoved the ref into Ibushi, low blowed him and rolled him up for the win. Yep.
A.J. Styles vs. Bad Luck Fale
Fale laid down for AJ like he was going to get an easy win, but Fale kicked out at two. AJ got in his face, saying that we had a deal. AJ pushed him while his back was turned while the whole Bullet Club talked him down. They were going for the wolfpac sign when Fale jumped him and threw him over to the outside wiping out the rest of Bullet Club. He then flung him across the barricade into a bunch of empty chairs. Fale went to use a chair but Tama Tonga took it away from him, which distracted Fale long enough for Styles to come off the stage and attack Fale. They went back to the stands where Fale teased the Bad Luck Fall but AJ escaped and they both made it back to the ring. Fale, after AJ avoided the Bad Luck Fall the first time and tried a hurricanrana, reversed it and actually teased a Styles Clash, but he countered back to the Bad Luck Fall. AJ avoided it and just put his feet on the ropes to pin him. Weird match with a weak finish, but it was an interesting story and not like other matches we’ve seen in this tournament so far.
Hiroshi Tanahashi vs Togi Makabe
Crowd was immediately chanting for Makabe as soon as the bell rang. Tanahashi played heel and worked on Makabe’s leg. They had a pretty good competitive back and forth match, there have been better main events on other shows but this was good. The crowd was into this too and that helped. Tanahashi missed the high fly flow which allowed Makabe to hit the kneeling powerbomb. He tries the king kong knee drop but Tanahashi grabs the leg, gives him the slingblade, then high fly flows him while Makabe gets up and poses. Tanahashi then hit another one and pinned him.
Despite being a total heel for most of this tour, Gallows worked as the heel here so the crowd occasionally chanted for Naito. A lot of this was Gallows in control until Naito started to mount a comeback. Gallows went for the Gallows Poll but Naito reversed it into a hurricanrana pin. Gallows was on the top rope and Naito was laying punches on him but Gallows grabbed him and hit the Gallows Poll off the top rope to pin him. Pretty alright, but there have been better matches on tonight’s show so far.
Hiroyoshi Tenzan vs. Katsuyori Shibata
A lot of the match was back and forth between the two. The crowd got into it more as the match went on. Tenzan at one point had the anaconda vise but Shibata escaped. Tenzan gave him the Mongolian chops when Shibata transitioned into a sleeper Lots of headbutts from Tenzan. Tenzan got the anaconda vise on him again and this time Shibata submitted. Good match, got pretty damn great in the last few moments. Crowd went crazy when Tenzan submitted him.
Kota Ibushi vs. Toru Yano
Yano shoved the ref into Ibushi, low blowed him and rolled him up for the win. Yep.
A.J. Styles vs. Bad Luck Fale
Fale laid down for AJ like he was going to get an easy win, but Fale kicked out at two. AJ got in his face, saying that we had a deal. AJ pushed him while his back was turned while the whole Bullet Club talked him down. They were going for the wolfpac sign when Fale jumped him and threw him over to the outside wiping out the rest of Bullet Club. He then flung him across the barricade into a bunch of empty chairs. Fale went to use a chair but Tama Tonga took it away from him, which distracted Fale long enough for Styles to come off the stage and attack Fale. They went back to the stands where Fale teased the Bad Luck Fall but AJ escaped and they both made it back to the ring. Fale, after AJ avoided the Bad Luck Fall the first time and tried a hurricanrana, reversed it and actually teased a Styles Clash, but he countered back to the Bad Luck Fall. AJ avoided it and just put his feet on the ropes to pin him. Weird match with a weak finish, but it was an interesting story and not like other matches we’ve seen in this tournament so far.
Hiroshi Tanahashi vs Togi Makabe
Crowd was immediately chanting for Makabe as soon as the bell rang. Tanahashi played heel and worked on Makabe’s leg. They had a pretty good competitive back and forth match, there have been better main events on other shows but this was good. The crowd was into this too and that helped. Tanahashi missed the high fly flow which allowed Makabe to hit the kneeling powerbomb. He tries the king kong knee drop but Tanahashi grabs the leg, gives him the slingblade, then high fly flows him while Makabe gets up and poses. Tanahashi then hit another one and pinned him.
NJPW G1 Climax Tournament 8-12 live results
Karl Anderson vs. Yujiro Takahashi
All the Bullet Club came out together all buddy buddy. But like last night, there was tension as Anderson was way too interested in Yujiro’s scantily clad lady which Yujiro didn’t like. They had some back and forth for a minute then Yujiro wanted to give him the wolfpac sign, but Anderson bit him instead. From there they had an okay back and forth match. The crowd was mostly dead for it though there were a few good spots. Anderson won with the stun gun. All the Bullet Club made up afterwards. This was virtually identical to the angle they did the day before with Fale and AJ.
Hirooki Goto vs. Michael Elgin
Great match. Elgin was super over in that Korakuen went crazy whenever he did his power spots and it added a ton to the bout. He was the most over guy in the building up to this point in the show. He controlled a lot of the match. Goto made a comeback but Elgin continued to have a back and forth with him until Goto tripped him down and used a interesting roll up maneuver for the win.
Satoshi Kojima vs. Shinsuke Nakamura
Another great match. Crowd wasn’t totally into this at first, but were totally into it by the end. This was a story of two guys going back and forth for the entire match trading near falls. Nakamura hit two boma yes at one point and also did the spinning armbar but Kojima kicked out each time. He went for his lariat, but Nakamura hit him with the boma ye again and pinned him.
Kazuchika Okada vs. Yuji Nagata
Awesome match, probably the second best of the show so far. Nagata, who’s been ok to good on this tour, looked awesome here in being the old babyface veteran who was showing the new kid that he still had it. Just a awesome match in terms of heat and storytelling.The best part of this match early on was the starting back and forth between the two. If you’ve seen the opening video for each of these shows you see Nagata limboing in a goofy outfit to prepare for the G1. It seemed silly, yes, but when Okada went for a clothesline Nagata, in fact, dodged it as if he were limboing and the crowd popped huge for it and chanted his name, which was funny because the crowd immediately sided with Okada early on. Nagata pelted Okada with kicks early. Okada made his comeback and did the rainmaker pose but Nagata took him down and got the white eyes armbar in. Okada escaped but Nagata hit the backdrop driver for a great near fall. Nagata avoided the tombstone with a gutwrench suplex but Okada hit him with the dropkick, tombstone, then pinned him with the rainmaker.
Tomohiro Ishii vs. Tomoaki Honma
Another great match. Not as good as their Febuary match, I don’t think, but still great. Crowd, of course, was behind Honma. They slapped each other’s chest a TON of times. They had a great, stiff back and forth match. Ishii’s selling is either incredible or he destroys himself every time he’s in the ring. Probably both. Honma kicked out of two sliding d’s and got a nearfall with a brainbuster. Honma hit 3 kokeshis in a row but Ishii still kicked out. Two more followed, then he hit the big one off the top rope and pinned Ishii. So the storyline that had been building for close to two years came to it’s apex here as Honma finally scored a win in the G1 tournament. Crowd popped huge for this and chanted his name after the match. Great moment.
All the Bullet Club came out together all buddy buddy. But like last night, there was tension as Anderson was way too interested in Yujiro’s scantily clad lady which Yujiro didn’t like. They had some back and forth for a minute then Yujiro wanted to give him the wolfpac sign, but Anderson bit him instead. From there they had an okay back and forth match. The crowd was mostly dead for it though there were a few good spots. Anderson won with the stun gun. All the Bullet Club made up afterwards. This was virtually identical to the angle they did the day before with Fale and AJ.
Hirooki Goto vs. Michael Elgin
Great match. Elgin was super over in that Korakuen went crazy whenever he did his power spots and it added a ton to the bout. He was the most over guy in the building up to this point in the show. He controlled a lot of the match. Goto made a comeback but Elgin continued to have a back and forth with him until Goto tripped him down and used a interesting roll up maneuver for the win.
Satoshi Kojima vs. Shinsuke Nakamura
Another great match. Crowd wasn’t totally into this at first, but were totally into it by the end. This was a story of two guys going back and forth for the entire match trading near falls. Nakamura hit two boma yes at one point and also did the spinning armbar but Kojima kicked out each time. He went for his lariat, but Nakamura hit him with the boma ye again and pinned him.
Kazuchika Okada vs. Yuji Nagata
Awesome match, probably the second best of the show so far. Nagata, who’s been ok to good on this tour, looked awesome here in being the old babyface veteran who was showing the new kid that he still had it. Just a awesome match in terms of heat and storytelling.The best part of this match early on was the starting back and forth between the two. If you’ve seen the opening video for each of these shows you see Nagata limboing in a goofy outfit to prepare for the G1. It seemed silly, yes, but when Okada went for a clothesline Nagata, in fact, dodged it as if he were limboing and the crowd popped huge for it and chanted his name, which was funny because the crowd immediately sided with Okada early on. Nagata pelted Okada with kicks early. Okada made his comeback and did the rainmaker pose but Nagata took him down and got the white eyes armbar in. Okada escaped but Nagata hit the backdrop driver for a great near fall. Nagata avoided the tombstone with a gutwrench suplex but Okada hit him with the dropkick, tombstone, then pinned him with the rainmaker.
Tomohiro Ishii vs. Tomoaki Honma
Another great match. Not as good as their Febuary match, I don’t think, but still great. Crowd, of course, was behind Honma. They slapped each other’s chest a TON of times. They had a great, stiff back and forth match. Ishii’s selling is either incredible or he destroys himself every time he’s in the ring. Probably both. Honma kicked out of two sliding d’s and got a nearfall with a brainbuster. Honma hit 3 kokeshis in a row but Ishii still kicked out. Two more followed, then he hit the big one off the top rope and pinned Ishii. So the storyline that had been building for close to two years came to it’s apex here as Honma finally scored a win in the G1 tournament. Crowd popped huge for this and chanted his name after the match. Great moment.
NJPW G1 Climax Tournament 8-14 live results
Doc Gallows vs. Katsuyori Shibata
I liked this match. It was solid for the most part with Gallows taking out Shibata at one point with a chokeslam on the apron. He hit the Gallows Poll but Shibata kicked out and applied the sleeper. Gallows cut him off and hit a bicycle kick, a superkick then pinned him with the Gallows Poll. Weird they went with this decision.
Toru Yano vs. Bad Luck Fale
Eh, this wasn’t very good, though the ending was funny. Yano jumped him before the bell him, squirted him with the water bottle and attacked him with his DVD. Fale made his comeback and spent much of the match working him over. They were on the outside when Fale teased giving him the Bad Luck Fall into the crowd. Yano jumped back down, low blowed him and Tama Tonga and made it to the ring right before 20 so Fale was counted out.
Hiroyoshi Tenzan vs. Tetsuya Naito
This was interesting. The storyline here is that Naito was completely unimpressed with Tenzan leading to and during the match. So Tenzan is on offense for a lot of the match and Naito seems rather unimpressed despite being on defense, smirking and spitting at Tenzan whenever he had a chance. Naito made a comeback but Tenzan cut him off with a huge headbutt and locked in the anaconda vise, with Naito eventually tapping out. Great match in terms of storytelling, and the action was good as well.
Kota Ibushi vs. Togi Makabe
I thought this was a good match, but nothing that really stood out. Both guys looked good and did their usual stuff, and given the two's talents they had a good match out of that. It didn't feel like anything special in the end. Ibushi pinned Makabe after Makabe went for the spider German suplex but Ibushi landed on his feet, kicked him in the back of the head and hit the phoenix splash for the win. Looks like this is the next NEVER title program.
Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. AJ Styles for the A Block Championship
Excellent match. This started out slow, and was just good at the start, but amped up toward the end and became pretty great. A lot of the match was good back and forth between the two, with Tanahashi doing his high fly flow to the floor and AJ doing his springboard reverse DDT. There was a ref bump along the way that allowed AJ to low blow Tanahashi, but Tanahashi came back and low blowed him. AJ put the calf killer on him and people freaked out as Tanahashi sold it for a good while until finally making it to the ropes. Tanahashi made a comeback and tried for the Styles Clash but AJ blocked it. Tanahashi came back and nailed him with it but AJ kicked out. AJ got his knees up when Tanahashi hit a high fly flow and hit one of his own and a Bloody Sunday DDT but when he went for the Styles Clash dragon screwed his leg twice then hit the high fly flow twice for the win.
I liked this match. It was solid for the most part with Gallows taking out Shibata at one point with a chokeslam on the apron. He hit the Gallows Poll but Shibata kicked out and applied the sleeper. Gallows cut him off and hit a bicycle kick, a superkick then pinned him with the Gallows Poll. Weird they went with this decision.
Toru Yano vs. Bad Luck Fale
Eh, this wasn’t very good, though the ending was funny. Yano jumped him before the bell him, squirted him with the water bottle and attacked him with his DVD. Fale made his comeback and spent much of the match working him over. They were on the outside when Fale teased giving him the Bad Luck Fall into the crowd. Yano jumped back down, low blowed him and Tama Tonga and made it to the ring right before 20 so Fale was counted out.
Hiroyoshi Tenzan vs. Tetsuya Naito
This was interesting. The storyline here is that Naito was completely unimpressed with Tenzan leading to and during the match. So Tenzan is on offense for a lot of the match and Naito seems rather unimpressed despite being on defense, smirking and spitting at Tenzan whenever he had a chance. Naito made a comeback but Tenzan cut him off with a huge headbutt and locked in the anaconda vise, with Naito eventually tapping out. Great match in terms of storytelling, and the action was good as well.
Kota Ibushi vs. Togi Makabe
I thought this was a good match, but nothing that really stood out. Both guys looked good and did their usual stuff, and given the two's talents they had a good match out of that. It didn't feel like anything special in the end. Ibushi pinned Makabe after Makabe went for the spider German suplex but Ibushi landed on his feet, kicked him in the back of the head and hit the phoenix splash for the win. Looks like this is the next NEVER title program.
Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. AJ Styles for the A Block Championship
Excellent match. This started out slow, and was just good at the start, but amped up toward the end and became pretty great. A lot of the match was good back and forth between the two, with Tanahashi doing his high fly flow to the floor and AJ doing his springboard reverse DDT. There was a ref bump along the way that allowed AJ to low blow Tanahashi, but Tanahashi came back and low blowed him. AJ put the calf killer on him and people freaked out as Tanahashi sold it for a good while until finally making it to the ropes. Tanahashi made a comeback and tried for the Styles Clash but AJ blocked it. Tanahashi came back and nailed him with it but AJ kicked out. AJ got his knees up when Tanahashi hit a high fly flow and hit one of his own and a Bloody Sunday DDT but when he went for the Styles Clash dragon screwed his leg twice then hit the high fly flow twice for the win.
The B block comes down to this:
1) If Kazuchika Okada beats Shinsuke Nakamura, he wins the block with an 8-1 record, and will face Tanahashi in the finals.
2) If Nakamura wins, and Yuji Nagata beats Hirooki Goto, and Satoshi Kojima beats Karl Anderson, then Nakamura vs. Tanahashi is the final match.
3) If Nakamura, Goto and Kojima win, then Nakamura vs. Tanahashi is the final match.
4) If Nakamura, Nagata and Anderson win, then Nakamura, Okada and Anderson will need a three-way playoff, probably on Sunday
5) If Nakamura, Goto and Anderson win, then, based on records against the field, Nakamura vs. Anderson would have to meet in a singles match, probably on Sunday, with the winner facing Tanahashi.
1) If Kazuchika Okada beats Shinsuke Nakamura, he wins the block with an 8-1 record, and will face Tanahashi in the finals.
2) If Nakamura wins, and Yuji Nagata beats Hirooki Goto, and Satoshi Kojima beats Karl Anderson, then Nakamura vs. Tanahashi is the final match.
3) If Nakamura, Goto and Kojima win, then Nakamura vs. Tanahashi is the final match.
4) If Nakamura, Nagata and Anderson win, then Nakamura, Okada and Anderson will need a three-way playoff, probably on Sunday
5) If Nakamura, Goto and Anderson win, then, based on records against the field, Nakamura vs. Anderson would have to meet in a singles match, probably on Sunday, with the winner facing Tanahashi.
NJPW G1 Climax Tournament 8-15 live results
Yujiro Takahashi vs. Tomoaki Honma
Good match. A lot of the story was based on if Honma could get another win to start a streak. He got in a lot of offense and hit many kokeshis. Good back and forth stuff between the two throughout. Honma kicked out of a fisherman’s suplex at one and tried for a Bernard driver but Yujiro low blowed him and hit the Miami Shine for the win. I thought that was Toru Yano’s thing?
Tomohiro Ishii vs. Michael Elgin
This was a completely insane match and without a doubt one of the best matches of the year. Think of all the insane matches Tomohiro Ishii has had over the last few years and double it and you have this match. Just insane in terms of brutality and stiffness. Some people won’t like this match because of that but this was better than Honma/Ishii from this year and Ishii/Goto from last year. Just some insane spots here and the place went crazy towards the end. Elgin gave Ishii a death valley driver on the apron then gave him a running powerbomb into the guardrail. He followed that up with the deadlift falcon arrow superplex but Ishii mounted a comeback. He blasted him with a lariat and a sliding D but Elgin kicked out. He kept kicking out of everything Ishii gave him, including another lariat. Elgin deadlifted him with a powerbomb but Ishii fought back and gave him a massive headbutt, another lariat (which Elgin kicked out of) then pinned him with a brainbuster. Have I said this match was insane?
Hirooki Goto vs Yuji Nagata
Good match. Started off slow, but told a nice story and became pretty good towards the end. Story of this match was Goto completely dominating Nagata for most of the bout, dishing out offense and working on Nagata’s ribs, which has been a problem for him throughout the tournament. Nagata finally made a comeback by sinking in the white eyes armbar out of nowhere. Goto didn’t tap out and from here it became more of an even contest. They traded forearms but Goto cut him off. Nagata came back with a spinning heel kick and pinned him with the back drop hold. This puts Goto out of the tournament.
Karl Anderson vs. Satoshi Kojima
This was fine, but nothing special. Good heat towards the end. Kojima laid him out during the match with a DDT on the apron. Anderson made the comeback and hit a cutter off the top rope. Kojima came back with one of his own. He went for the lariat (Anderson had worked on his arm earlier and sold it before going for it) but Anderson went for the Gun Stun. Kojima blocked it and hit the lariat to pin him and eliminate him from the tournament. From here, whoever wins in the main event advances to the finals.
Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Kazuchika Okada for the B block championship
This was awesome. I think it was close to their finals match from last year, if not a bit better. Just a different feeling for this one from the get go. Okada took over early by giving Nakamura a huge dropkick through the barricade then gave him a draping DDT from the barricade onto the mat. Good, solid back and forth. Okada’s playing the somewhat subtle heel by mocking Nakamura here and there. Nakamura hits the boma ye but misses another and Okada takes it to the outside where he tombstones Nakamura on the floor. Nakamura came back but Okada kicked out of another boma ye and a death valley driver. He charged for another but Okada hit a huge dropkick. Nakamura avoided the rainmaker once but Okada backslided him and hit the rainmaker. He gave him the tombstone but Nakamura avoided the rainmaker and transitioned into the armbar. He shifted to a gogoplata, then flattened him on his back and continued to wrench on the arm until Okada submitted. The last few minutes were incredible with the counters and the heat from the audience.
So that makes it Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Shinsuke Nakamura for tomorrow’s G1 championship match.
Good match. A lot of the story was based on if Honma could get another win to start a streak. He got in a lot of offense and hit many kokeshis. Good back and forth stuff between the two throughout. Honma kicked out of a fisherman’s suplex at one and tried for a Bernard driver but Yujiro low blowed him and hit the Miami Shine for the win. I thought that was Toru Yano’s thing?
Tomohiro Ishii vs. Michael Elgin
This was a completely insane match and without a doubt one of the best matches of the year. Think of all the insane matches Tomohiro Ishii has had over the last few years and double it and you have this match. Just insane in terms of brutality and stiffness. Some people won’t like this match because of that but this was better than Honma/Ishii from this year and Ishii/Goto from last year. Just some insane spots here and the place went crazy towards the end. Elgin gave Ishii a death valley driver on the apron then gave him a running powerbomb into the guardrail. He followed that up with the deadlift falcon arrow superplex but Ishii mounted a comeback. He blasted him with a lariat and a sliding D but Elgin kicked out. He kept kicking out of everything Ishii gave him, including another lariat. Elgin deadlifted him with a powerbomb but Ishii fought back and gave him a massive headbutt, another lariat (which Elgin kicked out of) then pinned him with a brainbuster. Have I said this match was insane?
Hirooki Goto vs Yuji Nagata
Good match. Started off slow, but told a nice story and became pretty good towards the end. Story of this match was Goto completely dominating Nagata for most of the bout, dishing out offense and working on Nagata’s ribs, which has been a problem for him throughout the tournament. Nagata finally made a comeback by sinking in the white eyes armbar out of nowhere. Goto didn’t tap out and from here it became more of an even contest. They traded forearms but Goto cut him off. Nagata came back with a spinning heel kick and pinned him with the back drop hold. This puts Goto out of the tournament.
Karl Anderson vs. Satoshi Kojima
This was fine, but nothing special. Good heat towards the end. Kojima laid him out during the match with a DDT on the apron. Anderson made the comeback and hit a cutter off the top rope. Kojima came back with one of his own. He went for the lariat (Anderson had worked on his arm earlier and sold it before going for it) but Anderson went for the Gun Stun. Kojima blocked it and hit the lariat to pin him and eliminate him from the tournament. From here, whoever wins in the main event advances to the finals.
Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Kazuchika Okada for the B block championship
This was awesome. I think it was close to their finals match from last year, if not a bit better. Just a different feeling for this one from the get go. Okada took over early by giving Nakamura a huge dropkick through the barricade then gave him a draping DDT from the barricade onto the mat. Good, solid back and forth. Okada’s playing the somewhat subtle heel by mocking Nakamura here and there. Nakamura hits the boma ye but misses another and Okada takes it to the outside where he tombstones Nakamura on the floor. Nakamura came back but Okada kicked out of another boma ye and a death valley driver. He charged for another but Okada hit a huge dropkick. Nakamura avoided the rainmaker once but Okada backslided him and hit the rainmaker. He gave him the tombstone but Nakamura avoided the rainmaker and transitioned into the armbar. He shifted to a gogoplata, then flattened him on his back and continued to wrench on the arm until Okada submitted. The last few minutes were incredible with the counters and the heat from the audience.
So that makes it Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Shinsuke Nakamura for tomorrow’s G1 championship match.
NJPW G1 Climax 25 Finals (August 16)
HIROSHI TANAHASHI VS. SHINSUKE NAKAMURA FOR THE G-1 FINALS
All I can say is the main event was unbelievable. They went more than 32:00 and it ended with them both on the ropes throwing elbows and slaps and then Tanahashi with Nakamura on the middle rope with his back to the ring, hit a crossbody and they crashed to the ground. Tanahashi then followed with a high fly flow to the back and a regular high fly flow and got the pin. They shook hands when it was over. Chono then handed Tanahashi the G-1 flag to wave. Both kicked out of the others' finishers and this was basically the pull all stops out match after the great main events each man had the last two nights. So it looks like another Okada vs. Tanahashi Tokyo Dome main event.
All I can say is the main event was unbelievable. They went more than 32:00 and it ended with them both on the ropes throwing elbows and slaps and then Tanahashi with Nakamura on the middle rope with his back to the ring, hit a crossbody and they crashed to the ground. Tanahashi then followed with a high fly flow to the back and a regular high fly flow and got the pin. They shook hands when it was over. Chono then handed Tanahashi the G-1 flag to wave. Both kicked out of the others' finishers and this was basically the pull all stops out match after the great main events each man had the last two nights. So it looks like another Okada vs. Tanahashi Tokyo Dome main event.
