Date: July 25th, 2014
Location: Yamagata City Sports Center
Announced Attendance: 2,700 (No Vacancy)
Another day, another G1 Climax event. Not a massive event, their smallest attendance so far this year for the G1, but there are still some big matches here that have some potential to be great. Today’s matches:
– Block A: Doc Gallows vs. Tomoaki Honma
– Block B: Lance Archer vs. Karl Anderson
– Block B: Hiroyoshi Tenzan vs. Yujiro Takahashi
– Block A: Shelton Benjamin vs. Tomohiro Ishii
– Block B: Tetsuya Naito vs. Toru Yano
– Block A: Davey Boy Smith Jr. vs. Katsuyori Shibata
– Block A: Bad Luck Fale vs. Yuji Nagata
– Block B: Hirooki Goto vs. Minoru Suzuki
– Block A: Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Satoshi Kojima
– Block B: Kazuchika Okada vs. Togi Makabe
And onto the matches!
Doc Gallows vs. Tomoaki Honma
They circle each other to start, tie-up, and Gallows throws Honma to the mat. Honma gets back up, tie-up, and Gallows throws down Honma again. Kick to the stomach by Honma and he hits a few elbows, he goes off the ropes but he can’t knock Gallows down. He tries again with no luck, then Gallows hits a shoulderblock. Gallows goes for an elbow drop but Honma rolls out of the way, Honma goes for a headbutt but Gallows avoids it. Gallows throws Honma out of the ring and then throws him into the guardrail. Kick to the stomach by Gallows, and he punches Honma in the chin. Gallows slides Honma back into the ring, he gets in as well and hits a series of elbow drops. Cover, but it gets a two count. Gallows picks up Honma, Irish whip to the corner but Honma elbows him when he charges in. Honma goes up to the second turnbuckle but Gallows connects with a high kick, cover, but it gets a two count. Gallows applies a reverse chinlock on the mat, Honma gets back to his feet and elbows out of it, he goes off the ropes and goes for a sunset flip but Gallows blocks it. Gallows tries to sit down on Honma but Honma moves and Honma delivers a dropkick. Both wrestlers slowly get up, chops by Honma and he goes for a slam but Gallows blocks it. Irish whip by Gallows to the corner but Honma moves when he charges in. Scoop slam by Honma and he hits a headbutt. Honma grabs Gallows and goes for a brainbuster but Gallows blocks it and hits a vertical suplex. Gallows charges Honma in the corner and hits a back elbow followed by a jumping back elbow. Gallows picks up Honma and hits the pump handle slam, cover, but Honma gets a shoulder up. Gallows picks up Honma, Honma gets away and hits a few lariats but Gallows doesn’t go down. Finally Honma is able to lariat Gallows to the mat, he goes up to the top turnbuckle but Gallows avoids the falling headbutt. Gallows charges Honma and hits a lariat, cover, but it gets a two count. Gallows picks up Honma and slams him to the mat, cover, but Honma gets a shoulder up. Gallows goes for the Chokebomb but Honma punches out of it and rolls up Gallows for a two count. Big boot by Gallows, he picks up Honma and hits the Chokebomb. Cover, and he picks up the three count. Your winner: Doc Gallows
Match Thoughts: Poor Honma, I don’t know if he is ever going to win a match, even though the crowd still enjoys watching him. This was a pretty standard opening match, Gallows controlled with his power, Honma got a few hope spots but ultimately fell to the stronger wrestler. This is probably the most tried and true pro wrestling match structures, but it works out well which is why they still use it. Solid and non-offensive but not really a memorable match. Score: 5.5
Lance Archer vs. Karl Anderson
Archer and Anderson circle each other to start, Anderson clubs Archer in the back of the head but Archer grabs Anderson and flings him to the mat. Archer stomps Anderson, he picks him up and clubs Archer in the back. Irish whip by Archer but Anderson dropkicks him in the knee. Kicks to the leg by Anderson but Archer pushes him away. Archer leaves the ring but Anderson goes out after him, punches by Archer, he puts Anderson against the rail and chops him in the chest. Archer slaps Anderson in the chest but Anderson avoids the big boot and kicks Archer’s leg while he is sitting on the guardrail. Anderson rolls back into the ring but goes back out after Archer, and Archer continues to kick Anderson in the leg. Archer and Anderson get back into the ring, and Anderson takes out Archer’s leg. Stomps to the leg by Anderson to Archer and he hits a scissors kick to Archer’s leg. Punches by Anderson and he chops Archer in the chest. Archer chops him back, Anderson kicks Archer in the leg but Archer shoulderblocks him down. Sidewalk slam by Archer and he hits a chokeslam. Cover, but it gets a two count. Archer picks up Anderson, he gets him on his shoulders but Anderson gets away, Archer charges Anderson but Anderson moves and boots Archer in the head. Anderson gets Archer on his shoulders and hits the swivel gun stun, cover, but Archer gets a shoulder up. Anderson waits for Anderson to get up but Archer gets Anderson around the throat. Anderson gets out of it but Archer delivers a reverse DDT. Archer picks up Anderson, he puts Archer up on the top turnbuckle and drops Archer with the Blackout. Cover, and Archer gets the three count. Your winner: Lance Archer
Match Thoughts: The funny thing about this match is that they played it like it was ‘little wrestler vs. big wrestler’ but Anderson is not little. I was expecting two big gaijins slugging it out but got the opposite. It wasn’t actively bad, they definitely had a structure planned going into the match and stuck with it, even though I thought Archer blew off the leg work too easy. He didn’t seem to struggle picking up Anderson or anything like that and it did not play into the finish of the match. Anderson went down a bit easy, it was a pretty short match and he holds one half of the IWGP Tag Team Championship so I would think it should take more than a DDT to get him weak enough for the Blackout. That being said, they went at a good pace and it had its moments even if overall it was lacking in some areas. Score: 4.0
Hiroyoshi Tenzan vs. Yujiro Takahashi
Tie-up to start, Tenzan pushes Takahashi into the ropes but Takahashi switches positions with him before giving a clean break. Tie-up again, side headlock by Tenzan but Takahashi bites his thumb. Kick to the stomach by Takahashi and he applies a side headlock, Tenzan elbows out of it eventually but Takahashi stomps him to the mat. Takahashi picks up Tenzan but Tenzan hits a backdrop suplex. Tenzan picks up Takahashi and knocks him out of the ring before going out after him, but Takahashi chops Tenzan in the chest. Takahashi tries to throw Tenzan into the guardrail but Tenzan reverses it. Tenzan clubs Takahashi in the back but Takahashi rakes him in the eyes. Takahashi runs up the ramp and comes back with a sliding kick to Tenzan’s face. Takahashi slides back into the ring with Tenzan slowly following, Takahashi picks him up and throws Tenzan into the corner. Elbows by Takahashi and he chokes Tenzan with his boot. Takahashi picks up Tenzan and he hits a neckbreaker. Cover, but it gets a two count. Takahashi picks up Tenzan and kicks him in the back. Another kick by Takahashi and he elbows Tenzan in the back. Takahashi covers Tenzan, but it gets a one count. Takahashi slaps Tenzan but Tenzan hits him back and they trade blows. Tenzan chops Takahashi into the corner and hits a headbutt. Irish whip by Tenzan to the corner but Takahashi moves when Tenzan charges in. Takahashi grabs Tenzan and goes for the Fisherman Buster but Tenzan blocks it and hits a vertical suplex. Tenzan hits a Mongolian Chop and knocks Takahashi into the corner, Irish whip, and Tenzan hits a lariat. Tenzan goes up to the top turnbuckle and hits the calf branding. Cover, but it gets a two count. Stomps by Tenzan, he picks up Takahashi but Takahashi takes his eyes again. Takahashi goes off the ropes but Tenzan hits the Mountain Bomb. Cover by Tenzan, but it only gets two. Tenzan chops Takahashi in the throat, he goes up to the top turnbuckle but Takahashi avoids the diving headbutt. Tenzan charges Takahashi but Takahashi boots him in the face, Takahashi picks up Tenzan and he hits a Fisherman Buster. Cover, but it gets a two count. Takahashi picks up Tenzan, he goes off the ropes and delivers a sliding kick. Cover, but again it gets two. Takahashi picks up Tenzan and tries to powerbomb him into the turnbuckles, but Takahashi blocks it. Stomps by Takahashi, he picks up Tenzan and tries again but Tenzan back bodydrops out of it. Elbow by Tenzan but Takahashi returns fire, Mongolian Chops by Tenzan and he goes off the ropes, but Takahashi hits a lariat. Cover, but it gets two. Takahashi picks up Tenzan and puts him on his shoulders, but Tenzan slides off. Headbutts by Tenzan, he picks up Takahashi and hits the TTD. Cover, but Takahashi gets a shoulder up. Chop to the neck by Tenzan and he applies the Anaconda Max, making Takahashi quickly tap out! Your winner: Hiroyoshi Tenzan
Match Thoughts: Love Tenzan having a new finisher, not sure how long he has had it but I’m always a fan of wrestlers finding new ways to win. This was a step down from other Tenzan matches from the tournament, but I blame Takahashi. When Tenzan was on offense it was good, he is incredibly focused and just goes straight to trying to win the match. No messing around with eye rakes or elbows, he kept to the point. Takahashi did have some good spots, I liked the sliding kick on the ramp, but after that he just seems more focused on being a heel than winning. I still enjoyed the match since the ending run was really good, the middle portion was just a bit plodding. Score: 6.0
Shelton Benjamin vs. Tomohiro Ishii
Tie-up to start, armbar by Benjamin and a wristlock, but Ishii reverses it. Elbow by Benjamin to the face but Ishii elbows him back. Benjamin elbows Ishii hard to the face but Ishii gets back up and chops Ishii. Ishii goes off the ropes and they collide with no result. Headbutt by Ishii and he goes off the ropes but Benjamin hits a shoulderblock. Mounted punches by Benjamin, he picks up Ishii and throws Ishii into the corner. Ishii collapses upon impact, cover, but it gets a two count. Benjamin picks up Ishii and knees him in the chest and the head. Elbows by Benjamin and he knocks Ishii to the mat. Stomp by Benjamin and he elbows Ishii in the back of the head. Benjamin applies a neck submission hold, and knees Ishii in the head. Benjamin throws Ishii into the corner but Ishii moves when Benjamin charges in. Waistlock by Ishii but Benjamin elbows out of it, he goes off the ropes but Ishii delivers a powerslam. Ishii picks up Benjamin and throws him into the corner, lariat by Ishii and he hits a vertical suplex. Cover, but it barely gets a two count. Ishii picks up Benjamin and they trade elbows, Ishii goes off the ropes but Benjamin trips him and applies an ankle hold. Ishii reverses the hold but Benjamin reverses it back. Ishii gets a hand on the ropes to force a break, he picks up Ishii and elbows him in the corner. Benjamin charges Ishii and hits a jumping splash followed by a rolling German suplex hold for a two count. Benjamin picks up Ishii and elbows him against the ropes, Irish whip, reversed, but Benjamin hits a spinebuster for a two count cover. Benjamin waits for Ishii to get up and goes for the Paydirt but Ishii avoids it and hits a lariat. German suplex by Ishii, he charges Benjamin but Benjamin boots him back. Ishii ducks the swinging kick and headbutts Benjamin, lariat by Ishii and a cover, but it gets a two count. Ishii picks up Benjamin and goes for a brainbuster but Benjamin blocks it. Ishii goes off the ropes, big boot by Benjamin but Ishii headbutts him. Swinging heel kick by Benjamin and he hits a superkick. Paydirt by Benjamin, and he picks up the three count. Your winner: Tomohiro Ishii
Match Thoughts: The Shelton Benjamin show marches on! This was an acceptable match but far from outstanding, lots of short matches on this card. They worked well together and there wasn’t much wasted time, even though the trading of ankle holds was random and didn’t fit into the match at all. The Paydirt becoming a move that he can do quickly but gets the win is obviously helping Benjamin quite a bit here but Ishii got his shots in as well. I mean the match was certainly good, just not really really good like Ishii has been delivering much of this year. Score: 6.5
Tetsuya Naito vs. Toru Yano
Wristlock by Naito, but Yano quickly gets into the ropes to force a break. Waistlock by Naito but again Yano quickly gets into the ropes. Armdrag by Naito and he applies an armbar, wristlock by Naito and he goes to run off the ropes but Yano pulls him down by his hair. Yano goes off the ropes but Naito delivers a dropkick, Yano slides out of the ring, Naito follows him out but Yano hits Naito in the head with a chair. Yano gets back into the ring as we see that Naito is busted open, and inside the ring Yano removes the corner turnbuckle. Naito gets back into the ring before the count, Yano picks up Naito and throws him into the exposed corner. Yano stomps Naito in the back and chokes Naito against the bottom rope. Yano picks up Naito and throws him into the exposed corner again, then he chokes Naito with the second rope while raking his face. Yano picks up Naito and hits a vertical suplex, cover, but Naito kicks out at two. Yano stomps Naito in the back, he picks up Naito and tries to throw him into the corner but Naito reverses it. Naito charges Yano in the corner, Yano moves but Naito hits a neckbreaker. Irish whip by Naito and he hits an armdrag followed by a dropkick. Snapmare by Naito and he hits a senton, cover, but it gets a two count. Naito picks up Yano and hits him back into the exposed corner, Irish whip by Naito, reversed, but Naito avoids Yano’s elbow attempt and hits a slingshot dropkick from the apron. Naito goes up to the top turnbuckle and hits a missile dropkick. Naito charges Yano but Yano drop toeholds Naito into the exposed turnbuckle. Atomic drop by Yano and he catapults Naito into the exposed corner. Yano picks up Naito and hits the Oni Koroshi, cover, but Naito gets a shoulder up. Naito elbows back Yano, Yano goes to do a low blow but Naito puts the referee in front of him. Enzigieri by Naito, Irish whip, reversed, but Naito hits a jumping elbow smash. Naito picks up Yano and hits a German suplex hold, but it gets a two count. Naito picks up Yano and hits a reverse DDT in front of the corner. Naito goes up to the top turnbuckle and nails the Stardust Press, cover, and he picks up the three count. Your winner: Tetsuya Naito
Match Thoughts: Yano controlling the offense is never a good thing. I found it interesting they thought they needed color in the mid card of a minor G1 Climax event, it could have been hardway but it looked too perfectly placed and didn’t bleed much. Anyway this match wasn’t very entertaining as Yano just doesn’t offer a lot. He only has a few moves he does and when he is in control for too long he just does the same moves over and over. It took Naito a long time to get control (well it felt like a long time) and then he quickly won. I think it is fine that Naito ‘overcame’ Yano’s cheating ways, I just wish the match was more entertaining in how it told its story. Score: 3.5
Davey Boy Smith Jr. vs. Katsuyori Shibata
Smith and Shibata circle each other, kicks to the leg by Shibata but Smith gets away from him. Waistlock by Smith and he goes for Shibata’s arm but Shibata rolls out of it, kneelock by Smith but Shibata gets to the ropes. Back arm, armlock takedown by Smith and Shibata goes for a cross armbreaker but Smith blocks it and reverses positions with him. Smith gets Shibata into the corner and kicks him in the stomach before throwing Shibata out of the ring. Smith picks up Shibata and slams him into the apron before throwing Shibata into the rail. Shibata fires back with a big boot, and Shibata slides Smith back in the ring. Smith and Shibata trade elbows, uppercut by Shibata but Smith uppercuts him back. Shibata elbows Smith into the corner, he gets a running start but Smith gets up and boots Shibata in the head. Smith picks up Shibata and punches him, but Shibata hits a spinning backfist. Shibata elbows Smith down in the corner, he gets a running start and delivers a dropkick. Shibata picks up Smith and applies a front facelock before releasing the hold. Sleeper by Shibata but Smith gets out of it with a backdrop suplex. Shibata re-applies the sleeper but Smith gets a hand and foot on the ropes. Backdrop suplex by Shibata but Smith gets up and hits a backdrop suplex of his own. Smith picks up Shibata and knees him in the stomach, and Smith hits a double underhook suplex. Cover, but it gets a two count. Smith waits for Shibata to get up but Shibata elbows him off, Shibata goes off the ropes but Smith hits a powerslam. Cover, but it only gets two. Smith picks up Shibata and goes for a powerbomb but Shibata elbows out of it. Knees by Smith and he goes for it again but Shibata blocks it and goes for a cross armbreaker. Triangle choke attempt by Shibata, he goes off the ropes but Smith ducks the PK. Kick to the back by Shibata, he picks up Smith and gets him onto his shoulders, but Smith elbows out of it. Boot to the face by Shibata and he goes off the ropes, but Smith catches him with a lariat. Cover, but Shibata kicks out at two. Smith picks up Shibata and he nails the Bulldog Bomb, cover, and he picks up the three count. Your winner: Davey Boy Smith Jr.
Match Thoughts: I really enjoyed this match, it was a fun dynamic between strike/submission wrestler and power wrestler. Both wrestlers stuck to their plans and Shibata was on the brink of winning a few times, but Smith’s power was just too much here. Sometimes having shorter matches does help, as they didn’t really waste any time here and got straight to the point. Smith’s offense looked good, especially the lariat at the end, so it didn’t seem like a stretch that he pulled off the upset. Some little things here and there weren’t perfect but overall it was a really good match. Score: 7.5
Bad Luck Fale vs. Yuji Nagata
They tie-up to start, waistlock by Nagata and he applies a wristlock, but Fale pushes him off. Kick to the stomach by Nagata and he kicks Fale in the leg. Nagata goes off the ropes but Fale knocks him down with a shoulderblock. Fale goes for an elbow drop but Nagata moves out of the way and kicks Fale in the chest. Nagata goes off the ropes and hits a big boot, sending Fale crashing out of the ring. Fale slides back into the ring, and Nagata hits an armbreaker. Wristlock by Nagata but Fale punches him in the stomach. Another punch to the stomach by Fale, he picks up Nagata and clubs Nagata in the corner. Fale stands on Nagata’s chest against the ropes and then on his back, scoop slam by Fale and he covers Nagata with one foot. Fale picks up Nagata and elbows him in the head, snapmare by Fale and he applies a camel clutch. Cover by Fale, but it gets a two count. Nagata gets up but Fale elbows him back into the corner. They trade strikes which Fale gets the better of, Irish whip by Fale but Nagata avoids Fale when he charges in and Nagata dropkicks Fale in the knee. Kicks to the leg by Nagata, Irish whip, reversed, and Nagata dropkicks Fale in the knee again. Big boot by Nagata and he goes for an exploder, but Fale elbows out of. Dropkick to the knee by Nagata and Nagata hits a side Russian leg sweep. Nagata Lock by Nagata but Fale gets a hand on the bottom rope. Fale kicks back Nagata, and Fale elbows Nagata into the corner. Irish whip by Fale and he hits a body avalanche. Body press by Fale, cover, but it only gets a two count. Fale picks up Nagata and goes for a suplex, but Nagata lands on his feet and hits an exploder. Cover, but it gets a two. Nagata waits for Fale to get up and hits the big boot. German suplex by Nagata, cover, but it only gets a two count. Nagata picks up Fale and goes for the backdrop suplex, but Fale blocks it and elbows Nagata. Kick to the leg by Nagata and an enzigieri, Nagata goes for a wrist-clutch exploder but Fale knocks him back. Nagata goes off the ropes, Fale goes for the Grenade but Nagata blocks it and applies the seated armbar. Nagata picks up Fale but Fale hits a hard elbow. Nagata kicks Fale back and hits a Pele Kick. Nagata charges Fale in the corner but Fale hits a spear. Fale picks up Nagata and hits a Samoan Drop. Cover, but Nagata gets a shoulder up. Fale picks up Nagata and delivers the Bad Luck Fall, cover, and he picks up the three count. Your winner: Bad Luck Fale
Match Thoughts: You know, this match was actually pretty good. I am not a Fale supporter as you probably know by now if you have read my other reviews, but they made a smart decision here by having Nagata control the offense. Nagata did a great job of mixing things up and trying different ways to beat the big man, even going for the wrist-clutch exploder which he doesn’t go for very often. Nagata was on offense so much actually that he went down a bit too easily for my taste, it didn’t take but two moves to put the former IWGP Heavyweight Champion down. But still, certainly not a bad match and the best singles match of Fale so far this tournament. Score: 6.0
Hirooki Goto vs. Minoru Suzuki
Suzuki kicks Goto in the leg to start the match, waistlock by Goto but Suzuki applies an armbar. Goto quickly gets to the ropes and Suzuki releases the hold, and they trade chops to the chest. Goto goes off the ropes and hits a lariat, Suzuki goes out to the apron and Goto elbows Suzuki repeatedly. Suzuki applies an armbar over the ropes from the apron, he then drags Goto out of the ring and throws Goto into the guardrail. Suzuki knees Goto in the chest, he gets the ring bell and hits Goto in the head with it. PK by Suzuki down on the ramp and he slides back into the ring to wait for Goto. Goto gets back in before the count, Suzuki picks up Goto and knees him in the stomach. Suzuki picks up Goto and knocks him against the ropes, big boot by Suzuki but Goto elbows him back. Goto chops Suzuki in the chest, side headlock by Suzuki but Goto elbows out of it. Suzuki knocks down Goto and applies a side headlock, headbutt by Suzuki but Goto headbutts him back and hits a lariat. Suzuki distracts the referee so that TAKA can run in, but Goto knocks TAKA back out of the ring and hits a spinning heel kick on Suzuki in the corner. Backdrop suplex by Goto, cover, but it gets a two count. Goto grabs Suzuki and goes for a Shouten but Suzuki gets out of it and slaps Goto. Running boot to the face by Suzuki, cover, but Goto gets a shoulder up. Suzuki applies a sleeper and goes for the Gotch-style piledriver, but Goto blocks it. Suzuki goes for it again but Goto hits a back bodydrop. Boot by Suzuki and a slap, he goes off the ropes but Goto gets Suzuki on his shoulders. Suzuki gets out of it and applies the sleeper again, he spins Goto around but Goto pushes Suzuki to the mat and applies the Goto Shiki for the three count! Your winner: Hirooki Goto
Match Thoughts: This was basically the diva’s match on the show, which is silly since they have an intermission. It was short, not a whole lot happened, and it had a quick and unexpected ending that didn’t make a ton of sense. Goto and Suzuki are both good wrestlers but I guess every wrestler gets at least one ‘down’ match during the tournament so they don’t kill themselves every night. Goto on offense was good and if the match had a more fleshed out ending it could have been a pretty solid match, but as it was it just felt incomplete. It wasn’t unwatchable but don’t go into this match expecting a slugfest or a classic. Score: 4.0
Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Satoshi Kojima
Kojima and Tanahashi circle each other, tie-up, and Tanahashi applies a wristlock. Hammerlock by Kojima but Tanahashi gets Kojima to the mat, side headlock takedown by Tanahashi but Kojima gets out of that as well and both wrestlers return to their feet. Tie-up, side headlock by Kojima, Irish whip by Tanahashi but Kojima shoulderblocks him down. Kojima goes off the ropes but Tanahashi hits an armdrag. Dropkick by Tanahashi, Kojima falls out of the ring but he runs around to a different side when Tanahashi goes up to the top turnbuckle. Baseball slide by Tanahashi, he then goes to the ropes and hits a pescado. Kojima gets back on the apron, Tanahashi grabs Kojima’s arm and snaps it over the top rope. Tanahashi gets Kojima into the ring, snapmare, and Tanahashi knee drops Kojima. Tanahashi slams Kojima’s arm into the mat and applies an arm submission. Kojima gets to the ropes to force a break, wristlock by Tanahashi and he hits an armbreaker. Tanahashi does it again but Kojima blocks it the third time and Kojima applies a headlock. DDT by Kojima, he stomps Tanahashi and applies a crossface before stomping Tanahashi in the back of the head. Kojima picks up Tanahashi and hits a neckbreaker onto his knee. Stomps by Kojima, he picks up Tanahashi and chops him into the corner. Rapid chops by Kojima in the corner, Irish whip, Kojima hits the jumping elbow smash and then delivers the top rope elbow drop. Cover, but it gets a two count. Kojima picks up Tanahashi but Tanahashi elbows him back and they trade elbows. Uppercut by Tanahashi and he hits a second one, punches by Tanahashi but Kojima elbows him and hits the roaring elbow. Kojima chops Tanahashi against the ropes, Irish whip, but Tanahashi hits a jumping elbow strike. Tanahashi picks up Kojima and he hits a scoop slam, Tanahashi goes up to the second turnbuckle and hits a somersault senton. Cover, but it gets a two count. Tanahashi waits for Kojima to get up and goes off the ropes, but Kojima ducks the Sling Blade attempt and hits a Koji Cutter. Kojima chops Tanahashi into the corner and puts him up on it, Kojima joins Tanahashi and he goes for the Avalanche Koji Cutter but Tanahashi elbows him off. So instead Kojima charges Tanahashi, and lariats him from the top turnbuckle down to the floor. Kojima brings Tanahashi back into the ring, Kojima picks up Tanahashi and he hits a brainbuster. Cover, but it gets a two count. Kojima takes off the elbow pad, he goes off the ropes but Tanahashi ducks the lariat and hits the trapped German suplex hold for a two count. Both wrestlers slowly get up but Tanahashi drops Kojima with a Koji Cutter. He then jumps up to the top turnbuckle and goes for the High Fly Flow, but Kojima gets his knees up. Kojima picks up Tanahashi, Tanahashi slaps Kojima back but Kojima picks him up and hits the CCD. Kojima picks up Tanahashi, Irish whip, and Kojima nails the lariat. Cover, but Tanahashi barely gets a shoulder up. Kojima waits for Tanahashi to get up and goes for another lariat but Tanahashi blocks it. Lariat to the back of the head by Kojima, he goes off the ropes but Tanahashi hits a Sling Blade. Tanahashi goes up to the top turnbuckle as Kojima gets up, and Tanahashi hits a diving crossbody. He then goes up to the top turnbuckle again and hits the High Fly Flow, cover, and he picks up the three count. Your winner: Hiroshi Tanahashi
Match Thoughts: First of all, I love the lariat by Kojima from the top turnbuckle to the floor after Tanahashi blocked the Koji Cutter. Anyway, I really enjoyed this match, it makes the tournament and the matches seem more important when wrestlers are pulling out all the stops like these two were. Even though there were a few submissions it still felt fast paced as there was very little downtime or wasted time, and the action was very crisp. My only complaint is that Tanahashi did as he does sometimes and blew off some of the bigger moves by Kojima too easily. When Tanahashi gets back in control he doesn’t always show any signs that he is hurt, he is just bounding around the ring like nothing has happened to him at all. But besides that I thought it was a really good match. Score: 7.0
Kazuchika Okada vs. Togi Makabe
Okada and Makabe face-off to start the match, elbow by Okada and Makabe elbows him back. Kick by Okada, side headlock, Makabe Irish whips out of it and shoulderblocks Okada down. Makabe pushes Okada into the corner and Makabe hits a series of elbows. Makabe picks up Okada and hits a scoop slam, he picks him up again and hits a vertical suplex. Okada quickly rolls out of the ring with Makabe following him, but Okada throws Makabe into the guardrail. Big boot by Okada and he twists Makabe in the guardrail. Okada slides Makabe back into the ring and returns as well, Okada picks up Makabe and slams Makabe near the ropes. Okada goes out to the apron and hits a springboard senton, he picks up Makabe and throws him into the corner. Elbow by Okada and he elbows Makabe again in the corner. Okada elbows Makabe some more but Makabe elbows him back. Uppercut by Okada, he picks up Makabe and hits a neckbreaker. Cover, but Makabe kicks out at one. Reverse chinlock by Okada, Makabe struggles back up and elbows Okada off, snapmare by Okada and he dropkicks Makabe in the face. Okada kicks Makabe as Makabe invites him to hit him again, so Okada does. Makabe gets back up as Okada keeps elbowing him, kick by Okada and he drops Makabe with a DDT. Okada picks up Makabe and hits a scoop slam, Okada goes up to the top turnbuckle and he hits a diving elbow drop. Makabe returns to his feet and blocks Okada’s punch, punches by Makabe and he hits a lariat. Okada gets up in the corner and Makabe hits another lariat followed by a third. Mounted punches by Makabe in the corner and hits a Northern Lights Suplex for a two count. Makabe grabs Okada around the waist, Okada elbows out of it but Makabe hits a lariat. Okada rolls out of the ring, Makabe goes out after him but Okada throws Makabe into the guardrail. Okada charges Makabe but Makabe fire back with a lariat. Makabe throws Okada into the railing this time and then into the ring post. Makabe slides Okada back into the ring, Makabe picks up Okada and goes for a piledriver but Okada blocks it and hits a Schwein onto his knee. Okada gets Makabe onto his shoulders and hits a death valley bomb, Okada then applies the Red Ink but Makabe makes it to the ropes. Okada picks up Makabe and hits an uppercut, he goes off the ropes but Makabe hits him with a lariat. Irish whip by Makabe, Okada reverses it and delivers a dropkick. Okada picks up Makabe and goes for the Rainmaker but Makabe ducks it and hits a lariat of his own. Okada gets up in the corner, and Makabe hits another lariat. Makabe picks up Okada and hits him on his shoulders, hitting a Samoan Drop. Powerbomb by Makabe, cover, but it gets a two count. Makabe throws Okada into the corner and lariats him in the back of the head, he puts Okada on the top turnbuckle and goes for the spider German but Okada blocks it. Makabe slams Okada’s head in the ring post and hits the spider German suplex, Makabe turns around but Okada rolls out of the way of the King Kong Kneedrop. Dropkick to the back by Okada, he picks up Makabe and goes for the tombstone, but Makabe blocks it. Makabe gets Okada on his shoulder but Okada slides off, elbow by Makabe but Okada ducks the lariat attempt and hits a German suplex hold for a two count. Okada picks up Makabe and nails the Rainmaker, cover, and he picks up the three count. Your winner: Kazuchika Okada
Match Thoughts: Well besides my usual complaint (Makabe spamming lariats), the match was watchable but started really slow. Makabe casually getting up and facing Okada after the DDT and top rope elbow drop didn’t do much for me as it basically negated the first third of the match and didn’t do Okada any favors, but they recovered after that. The end stretch was good with them evasively getting out of each others moves, with Makabe going down when he missed his finisher but Okada did not. So overall a mixed bag, didn’t like some of the structure but it had its entertaining moments. Score: 5.0
Final Thoughts:
Best Match: Davey Boy Smith Jr. vs. Katsuyori Shibata. I am just as surprised as you are. There were several really good matches on this card, but this one just had a little something extra. Shibata looked great at his strikes, while Smith looked great at his power moves and it was just a really entertaining dynamic between the two wrestlers. That is what the G1 Climax is all about, having interesting and unique pairings, and this one really delivered.
MVP: Yuji Nagata. Nagata pulled a good match out of Fale, so he is a miracle worker as far as I am concerned. Maybe having a veteran control the action is the way to go. But Nagata looked really good here and pulled out everything he had to try to beat the big man. He lost, but he looked good in the process.
Overall: It started slow and I was afraid this was going to be a sub-par event, but once it picked up the matches got a lot better. Shibata/Smith and Tanahashi/Kojima were both really good, and other matches brought more good than bad. There are some stinkers or just average matches to get through and the main event was disappointing, but there was enough good here that I can recommend watching it.
