Fighting Spirit Review: New Japan “G1 Climax 2014” Day 11

Date:  August 8th, 2014
Location:  Yokohama Bunka Gymnasium
Announced Attendance:  5,500 (Super No Vacancy)

And here we are, the last day of Block matches before the finals. There are a bunch of different scenarios, especially since New Japan doesn’t really announce the exact tie-breaker methods. For simplicity sake, if Tanahashi or Okada win, they win their block. Nakamura and Styles can get in if Tanahashi or Okada lose, respectively, and they win their matches. Everyone else is pretty much eliminated unless something really unusual happens. Here are the standings going into the event:

Today’s matches:

– Block A: Shelton Benjamin vs. Tomoaki Honma
– Block B: Toru Yano vs. Yujiro Takahashi
– Block B: Hirooki Goto vs. Lance Archer
– Block B: Karl Anderson vs. Tetsuya Naito
– Block A: Tomohiro Ishii vs. Yuji Nagata
– Block A: Doc Gallows vs. Katsuyori Shibata
– Block A: Bad Luck Fale vs. Shinsuke Nakamura
– Block B: AJ Styles vs. Togi Makabe
– Block A: Davey Boy Smith Jr. vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi
– Block B: Kazuchika Okada vs. Minoru Suzuki

Onto the fun!

Shelton Benjamin vs. Tomoaki Honma
Tie-up to start, schoolboy by Honma but it gets a two count. Irish whip by Benjamin but Honma hits a sunset flip for another two count. Benjamin throws Honma into the corner but Honma avoids the splash and hits an elbow followed by a face crusher. Benjamin trips Honma but Honma rolls him up for a two count. Waistlock by Benjamin, Honma elbows out of it and dumps Benjamin out of the ring. Honma goes up to the top turnbuckle and hits a diving headbutt onto a standing Benjamin. Honma gets back into the ring with Benjamin slowly following, Honma picks up Benjamin and chops him into the corner. Irish whip by Honma, he charges in but Benjamin dumps him onto the apron and then knocks Honma out of the ring. Benjamin goes out after him and he hits a backdrop suplex onto the guardrail. Benjamin returns to the ring, but Honma makes it before the 20 count. Stomp by Benjamin, he picks up Honma and he hits a military press slam into a powerslam. Cover, but it gets a two count. Benjamin picks up Honma, Irish whip to the corner and Honma collapses upon impact. Benjamin chokes Honma with his boot before picking him up, chops in the corner by Benjamin and he hits a double underhook slam. Reverse chinlock by Benjamin, Honma elbows out of it, elbows by Benjamin but Benjamin hits more elbows. They trade elbow shots, and Benjamin hits his swinging kick. Benjamin measures up Honma for the Paydirt but Honma hits a jumping headbutt. Elbows by Benjamin, he goes off the ropes but Honma catches him with an elbow. Lariat by Honma, he goes off the ropes and hits the headbutt. Cover, but it gets a two count. Honma goes up to the top turnbuckle but Benjamin avoids the diving headbutt. Benjamin charges Honma in the corner and hits the splash, then he hits a second one but Honma avoids the Paydirt and rolls him up with the Honma Clutch for a two count. Superkick by Benjamin, he waits for Honma to get up and hits the Paydirt. Cover, and he picks up the three count. Your winner: Shelton Benjamin

Match Thoughts: Nothing offensive but not great. So Honma ends up the only wrestler that doesn’t win a single match… which makes sense in a way, he was the replacement wrestler and sometimes the fun is watching someone fail over and over. He still had entertaining matches even in defeat which is all that really matters. Honma had some quality nearfalls such as with the Honma Clutch so he was always close to winning without ever getting there. Benjamin was fine, same basic match he has had a few other times in this tournament. A decent opener. Score: 5.5

Toru Yano vs. Yujiro Takahashi
Yano unties the turnbuckle pad as the match starts, Takahashi charges him but Yano moves and Takahashi runs into the exposed corner. Yano drop toeholds Takahashi into the corner, but Takahashi hits him from behind. Takahashi goes off the ropes and he hits a lariat. Takahashi chokes Yano with his boot and stomps on him. Takahashi slaps at Yano, he goes off the ropes but Yano pulls him down by his hair. Yano picks up Takahashi, he goes for a low blow but Takahashi avoids it. They trade waistlocks and Yano is able to hit the low blow, Akakiri by Yano, but it gets a two count. Takahashi pushes Yano into the referee and hits a low blow of his own before stomping Yano below the belt. Cover, and he gets a three count Your winner: Yujiro Takahashi

After the match, Takahashi showed that he was wearing a cup. That pretty much shows the blueprint for beating Yano, eh?

Match Thoughts: At least they did something a little different with Yano, with Takahashi wearing a cup. It was a bit lame that Takahashi won with a stomp to the groin, I guess he was trying to prove a point but he could have just hit his finisher after the first low blow and looked more dominate in the process. Takahashi has won matches in this tournament but he hasn’t looked very strong in the process, like here he looked ‘smart’ but not like someone that in the ring you’d take too seriously. So I appreciate they did something a little different with Yano and kept it short, I just would have preferred the ending have been more definitive for Takahashi. Score: 5.0

Hirooki Goto vs. Lance Archer
They circle each other to start, tie-up, and Archer pushes Goto back into the corner. Tie-up again, waistlock by Goto and he applies a side headlock, Archer Irish whips out of it and Goto can’t shoulderblock him down. Goto goes off the ropes and fails a second time, elbows by Goto but Archer elbows him back. Goto avoids Archer when he charges in, Archer elbows Goto back and charges him near the ropes but Goto pulls the rope down and Archer falls out of the ring. Goto then approaches the ropes and hits a pescado, he tries to Irish whip Archer into the guardrail but Archer reverses it and then boots Goto. Archer chokes Goto with his foot before clubbing Goto in the back and driving him into the guardrail. Archer picks up Goto and slides him back into the ring before returning as well, Archer waits for Goto to get up and he hits a shoulderblock. Cover by Archer, but it gets a two count. Archer chokes Goto against the top rope and then hits a lariat from behind. Cover, but it gets a two count. Archer applies a reverse chinlock but Goto gets a foot on the ropes to force a break. Back up they trade strikes, Archer goes off the ropes and they both lariat each other. Big boot by Archer, cover, but it gets a two count. Archer picks up Goto and puts him on his shoulders but Goto elbows out of it, Archer goes off the ropes but Goto does as well and hits a lariat. Archer doesn’t go down and goes off the ropes, but Goto hits a second lariat which finally knocks him to the mat. Irish whip by Goto, reversed, but Goto avoids Archer’s charge and hits a heel kick. Goto goes for a backdrop suplex, Archer elbows out of it but Goto hits a hiptoss. Goto tries to put Archer on his shoulders but Archer elbows out of it, Archer goes for the chokebomb but Goto blocks it and hits a headbutt. Goto picks up Archer and gets him on his shoulders, and he hits the Ushikoroshi. Cover, but it gets a two count. Goto picks up Archer and goes for the Shouten, but Archer blocks it and drives Goto back into the corner. Archer puts Goto on the top turnbuckle and hits a few elbows, he then joins Goto up top, but Goto elbows Archer and goes for the Kaiten. Archer gets out of the move with a back bodydrop, Archer gets Goto on his shoulders but Goto elbows out of it. Chokeslam by Archer, cover, but it gets a two count. Archer puts Goto on the top turnbuckle and hits the Blackout, cover, and it gets a three count. Your winner: Lance Archer

Match Thoughts: Archer has the most flawed logic. I mean he hits a simple shoulderblock, then takes time to pose in the corner, finally covers him, and gets mad at the referee when he gets a two. I mean, it was just a shoulderblock, and you did celebrate before pinning him, what did you expect? Archer’s style of offense these days just bores me, its just so much of hit a move, slowly walk around, hit a move, slowly walk around. He is a strong dude, which he showed by hitting the Blackout without any issues, but he uses his power just for his spots at the end instead of using it to be entertaining during the entire match. A solid ending but the road to get there was long. Score: 4.0

Karl Anderson vs. Tetsuya Naito
Anderson attacks Naito before the match starts, knocking Naito off the top turnbuckle down to the floor. Anderson goes out after Naito and picks him up, hitting a powerbomb onto the apron. Anderson gets back in the ring, Naito gets on the apron and he goes for a shoulder tackle but Anderson knees him and then kicks Naito in the head before ramming him into the ring post. Naito falls back out to the floor but manages to get back in the ring after a moment, snapmare by Anderson and he hits a few kneedrops. Cover, but it gets a two count. Reverse chinlock by Anderson, Naito gets up and elbows out of it but Anderson knocks him back to the mat, cover, but again it gets a two. Anderson picks up Naito and puts him in the corner, uppercuts by Anderson, Irish whip, and Naito kicks Anderson back. Kick to the stomach by Anderson and he hits a scoop slam. Anderson goes off the ropes but Naito rolls out of the way of the senton attempt. Punches by Anderson, Irish whip, reversed, and Naito hits a hiptoss followed by a dropkick. Rolling senton by Naito, he goes up to the top turnbuckle and hits a missile dropkick. Kick by Naito and he goes out to the apron, but Anderson pulls him back into the ring and hits the Swivel Gun Stun. Cover, but it gets a two count. Anderson picks up Naito and goes for a slam but Naito wiggles away, uppercut by Anderson, Irish whip, kick by Anderson and he goes for a powerbomb but Naito hits a hurricanrana to reverse it. Kick by Naito in the corner, leg sweep, and he hits a slingshot dropkick. Naito picks up Anderson and puts him on the top turnbuckle, he joins him and hits the Frankensteiner. Naito grabs Anderson and hits a German suplex hold, but it gets a two count. Naito picks up Anderson and hits a scoop slam, he goes up to the top turnbuckle but Anderson rolls out of the way of the Stardust Press. Elbows by Anderson but Naito elbows him back, uppercuts by Anderson and he hits a jumping kick. Anderson picks up Naito and hits the Bernard Driver, cover, but it gets a two count. Anderson waits for Naito to get up and goes for the Gun Stun, but Naito blocks it and hits a Victory Roll for a two count. Enzigieri by Naito, Irish whip, reversed, and Anderson hits the Gun Stun. Cover, and he picks up the three count. Your winner: Karl Anderson

Match Thoughts: This was a solid match, they kept the action up bell to bell and almost worked the match as a sprint once the ‘out of the ring’ portion was finished. There was a lot going on, which helped the match stay entertaining but didn’t do much for the structure as a strategy by either wrestler was never really present. “Heavyweight sprint” is the best kind of match for Naito since he has flashy moves and lots of stamina so it worked well for him. Overall a very good match between these two. Score: 6.5

Tomohiro Ishii vs. Yuji Nagata
Ishii attacks Nagata to start the match with elbows and headbutts, kick to the chest by Ishii but Nagata elbows him back and they trade blows. Kicks to the leg by Nagata and then to the chest, and Nagata kicks Ishii in the back once he falls to the mat. Ishii gets back up and elbows Nagata, and Nagata elbows him back. Nagata gets Ishii in the ropes but Ishii slaps him, headbutts by Ishii but Nagata pushes him back. Slaps by Nagata as Ishii returns fire, and Nagata slaps Ishii down to the mat. Nagata picks up Ishii and kicks him in the chest, and Nagata kicks Ishii into the corner. Elbows by Nagata, Irish whip, and Nagata hits a big boot. Slap by Ishii and he chops Nagata in the corner. Irish whip by Ishii but Nagata boots Ishii as he charges in. Ishii gets back up but Nagata hits an exploder. Nagata picks up Ishii and goes for a brainbuster but Ishii blocks it, Nagata goes for a kick but Ishii catches him with a release German suplex. Lariat by Ishii in the corner, he picks up Nagata and puts him on the top turnbuckle. Ishii joins Nagata up top and he hits a delayed superplex. Cover, but it gets a two count. Ishii goes off the ropes but Nagata kicks his arm, and they trade elbows. Slaps by Nagata and he elbows Ishii into the corner before hitting an armbreaker on Ishii’s injured shoulder. Jumping knee by Nagata in the corner, he puts Ishii on the top turnbuckle and joins him, he goes for an exploder but Ishii elbows out of it. Elbows by Ishii and he hits a headbutt, he flips over Nagata and hits a powerbomb. Cover, but it gets a two count. Ishii goes off the ropes and hits a lariat from behind, and follows that up with a DDT. Ishii goes off the ropes and goes for a sliding lariat but Nagata catches his arm and applies the seated armbar. Nagata applies the cross armbreaker but Ishii gets into the ropes to force a break. Nagata goes for an armbreaker but Ishii gets away and they trade elbows. Slaps and elbows by both wrestlers but Nagata hits a heel kick. Nagata picks up Ishii and he hits the brainbuster, cover, but Ishii gets a shoulder up. Nagata picks up Ishii and goes for the backdrop driver but Ishii gets out of it, kick to the arm by Nagata and he goes off the ropes and hits a boot, but Ishii headbutts him back. Elbows by Ishii, he goes off the ropes but Nagata slaps him. Nagata goes for a kick to the chest by Ishii catches it and headbutts him. Lariat by Ishii, cover, but it gets a two count. Sliding lariat to the back of the head by Ishii, he picks up Nagata and delivers the brainbuster. Cover, and he picks up the three count. Your winner: Tomohiro Ishii

Match Thoughts: I like how the ‘fighting spirit’ spots didn’t really work, here usually the wrestler that absorbed a move just got planted with a different one once they got up. This was a little too strike-oriented for my tastes, as it wasn’t just what they opened with but kept doing back and forth for the entire match. I like Nagata more when he is doing submission holds and various suplexes than just trading elbows, I don’t think that is really his strength. The match seemed longer than it was because it was a bit repetitive. That being said, when they weren’t elbowing each other the match was entertaining, Ishii is selling very well since his shoulder is legitimately messed up, and the ending was really definitive which I tend to prefer. So a mixed bag overall with more good than bad, just wish the random strike exchanges were eliminated a bit sooner in the match. Score: 6.0

Doc Gallows vs. Katsuyori Shibata
Gallows charges Shibata to start the match but Shibata moves out of the way and elbows Gallows down in the corner. Shibata gets a running start but Gallows is up and boots Shibata in the face. Shibata goes off the ropes but Gallows boots him again, Shibata tries a third time, gets kicked again, and then a forth. Gallows goes off the ropes but Shibata knees him in the midsection and kicks Gallows in the back. Headscissors by Shibata but Gallows gets a foot on the ropes. Shibata clubs Gallows in the back and slaps him while Gallows gets back up, club to the back by Gallows and he punches Shibata in the head. Gallows picks up Shibata but Shibata wiggles away, Shibata goes off the ropes and hits a big jumping kick which sends them both over the top rope with Gallows going down to the floor and Shibata staying on the apron. Shibata slides out of the ring but is immediately punched by Gallows, Gallows picks up Shibata and throws him into the guardrail. Gallows kicks Shibata and punches him back to ringside, Gallows picks up Shibata and drops him on the apron. Gallows gets back into the ring with Shibata getting on the apron, big boot by Gallows but Shibata reaches over and applies a sleeper. Shibata keeps the hold applied back in the ring but Gallows hits a sidewalk slam to get out of it. Shibata quickly re-applies the choke but Gallows gets a foot on the ropes to break it up. Shibata knocks Gallows into the corner and hits more elbows, Shibata gets a running start and delivers a dropkick. Shibata picks up Gallows and applies a front facelock but Gallows gets out of it. Gallows goes for a suplex but Shibata lands on his feet and applies a rear naked choke. Gallows starts going to sleep but he kicks out of the hold, Shibata goes off the ropes but Gallows levels him with a lariat. Cover, but it gets a two count. Gallows picks up Shibata and hits the high kick but Shibata comes back with a spinning slap. Elbow by Shibata and he gets Gallows on his shoulders, but Gallows gets away. Gallows slams Shibata to the mat, he picks him up and hits the inverted full nelson slam. Cover, but Shibata gets a shoulder up. Gallows grabs Shibata as he gets up and hits the Gallows Pole, cover, and he picks up the three count. Your winner: Doc Gallows

Match Thoughts: This was a bit of an odd match. Shibata was shrugging off a lot, I mean he acted like Gallows’ high kick meant nothing and Gallows had just used it as a finisher a few days prior. It is one thing to act tough during elbow exchanges but Shibata didn’t go down when he ate four straight boots from Gallows then promptly knocked Gallows to the mat. So a bit of a stretch to me that Shibata could eat all of that with no real issue, then a few minutes later Gallows hits his two big moves and wins the match. Can’t really say I enjoyed it since the layout was odd but the hits were hard and the emotion was there anyway. Score: 4.5

Bad Luck Fale vs. Shinsuke Nakamura
Tie-up to start, and Fale pushes Nakamura down tot he mat. Fale charges Nakamura in the corner but Nakamura moves out of the way, knee by Nakamura, snapmare, and Nakamura hits a kneedrop. Nakamura picks up Fale and applies a wristlock, and Fale hits a scoop slam. Fale goes for a bodypress but Nakamura rolls out of the way, Nakamura chokes Fale in the corner but Fale dumps Nakamura out to the apron. Fale lariats Nakamura off the apron down to the floor, Fale joins him and clubs Nakamura in the back. Fale gets a belt and whips Nakamura in the back with it. Fale stands on Nakamura’s back and slams him into the ringpost. Fale picks up Nakamura and slides him back into the ring, Fale gets in as well and stomps on Nakamura. Fale picks up Nakamura and punches him in the stomach before clubbing him down in the corner. Fale picks up Nakamura, elbows by Nakamura but Fale punches him in the stomach. Fale picks up Nakamura, Irish whip, but Nakamura blocks it and hits a heel kick. Fale punches Nakamura in the stomach, Irish whip to the corner and Nakamura hits a jumping kick to the face. Another kick by Nakamura and Fale falls back into the corner, knees by Nakamura and he chokes Fale in the corner. Nakamura puts Fale across the ropes in the corner and hits a running knee. Cover, but it gets a two count. Nakamura picks up Fale, he goes for the inverted powerslam but Fale elbows out of it. Knee by Nakamura, he goes off the ropes but Fale hits a Samoan Drop. Elbows by Fale but Nakamura returns fire, punches by Fale and he throws Nakamura into the corner. Body avalanche by Fale and he hits a vertical suplex. Body press by Fale, cover, but it gets a two count. Fale waits for Nakamura to get up and goes for the Grenade but Nakamura knees Fale in the head. Nakamura goes for a suplex but Fale blocks it, front suplex by Nakamura and he knees Fale in the head. Nakamura goes for the Boma Ye but Fale moves and hits the Grenade. Cover, but it gets a two count. Fale positions Nakamura in front of the corner and goes up to the top turnbuckle, but Nakamura kicks Fale before he can jump off. Nakamura joins Fale and he hits a superplex. Nakamura charges Fale but Fale hits a spear. Fale picks up Nakamura and goes for the Bad Luck Fall but Nakamura slides down his back and kicks Fale in the leg. Nakamura applies a sleeper but Fale drives Nakamura back in the corner. Nakamura gets up on the second turnbuckle and hits a Boma Ye, he then waits for Fale to get up and charges him but Fale catches him and goes for the Grenade. Boma Ye by Nakamura, cover, but Fale gets a shoulder up. Nakamura waits for Fale to get up and hits a final Boma Ye, cover, and he picks up the three count. Your winner: Shinsuke Nakamura

Match Thoughts: Nakamura needed a win to potentially reach the finals, so it was crucial for him to beat Bad Luck Fale. This was probably about as good as it could have been, both wrestlers are worn out and Fale is a bit of a lug. Nakamura went through his usual ‘win’ routine that we have already seen a few times in this tournament but at this point that is about the only way he can win. Nakamura did pull a not-bad match out of Fale though, so I can’t complain. Score: 5.0

AJ Styles vs. Togi Makabe
Styles is in no rush to engage with Makabe but they eventually tie-up, waistlock by Makabe but Styles reverses it into a wristlock. Makabe reverses it back but Styles gets into the ropes and rolls out of the ring. Styles returns after a moment, side headlock by Styles, Makabe Irish whips out of it but Styles can’t knock down Makabe. Styles goes off the ropes again with the same result, Makabe goes off the ropes and he shoulderblocks Styles into the ropes. Makabe goes off the ropes and he catches Styles with a powerslam. Makabe picks up Styles and Irish whips him into the corner, hitting a lariat. Makabe goes for mounted punches but Styles slides away and pushes Makabe out of the ring. Styles then jumps out of the ring and elbows Makabe followed by a chop. Styles goes to Irish whip Makabe into the guardrail, reversed by Makabe but Styles jumps over the rail and jumps off of it with an elbow smash. Styles slides Makabe back into the ring and stomps him in the back of the head. Elbow by Styles and he hits a scoop slam. Kneedrop by Styles and he applies a reverse chinlock to Makabe. Makabe struggles up and elbows out of it, Makabe goes off the ropes but Styles catches him with a dropkick. Cover by Styles but it gets a two count. Styles grabs Makabe and clubs him in the back, hard elbow to the jaw by Styles but Makabe gets up and they trade elbows, hard punches by Makabe and he lariats Styles in the corner. Another lariat by Makabe, he gets up on the turnbuckle and hits mounted punches. Makabe grabs Styles but Styles hits a jawbreaker. Back up, strike combination by Styles, he grabs Makabe and goes for the Bloody Sunday, but Makabe reverses it into a Northern Lights Suplex for a two count. Makabe picks up Styles, strike combination by Styles but Makabe hits a lariat. Makabe picks up Styles and goes for a suplex but Styles reverses it into a backdrop suplex for a two count. Styles picks up Makabe and goes for the Styles Clash, but Makabe blocks it. Knee by Styles, Irish whip, and Styles kicks Makabe in the stomach. Chops by Styles, Irish whip, Styles goes for a hurricanrana but Makabe catches him with a powerbomb for a two count. Makabe throws Styles into the corner and hits a lariat from behind, he puts Styles up on the top turnbuckle and joins him, and he hits the spider German suplex. Makabe turns around but Styles is too far away for the King Kong Kneedrop. Makabe jumps back down, he picks up Styles and hits a scoop slam. Makabe goes up to the top turnbuckle but Styles rolls out of the way of the King Kong Kneedrop. Makabe charges Styles but Styles knocks him back and hits the Pele Kick. Styles picks up Makabe, he puts Makabe up on the top turnbuckle and hits another Pele Kick. Styles grabs Makabe while he is hanging from the top turnbuckle and he nails the Styles Clash, cover, and he picks up the three count. Your winner: AJ Styles

Match Thoughts: Like Nakamura, Styles needed a win to ‘stay alive’ for the chance to reach the Finals. I liked the way that Styles set up the Styles Clash, felt more ‘natural’ than a lot of the other more contrived ways I’ve seen people set up their finishers in this tournament. I also liked that Styles landed too far away after the spider German which totally threw off Makabe’s game plan. So they did a few things different, which I appreciate even if it wasn’t a great match. Makabe needs to take a break as he seems to be hurting and this many singles matches in a row doesn’t do him any favors, but he pulled off a solid match here that was pretty entertaining. Score: 6.0

Davey Boy Smith Jr. vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi

They circle each other to start, tie-up, and Smith pushes Tanahashi to the mat. Back up, Smith pushes Tanahashi into the ropes and goes for a punch, but Tanahashi ducks it. Tanahashi gets Smith in the ropes but he gives a clean break. Wristlock by Tanahashi and he applies an armbar, Smith gets back up and picks up Tanahashi, dropping him on the top turnbuckle. Punches by Smith, Tanahashi applies a side headlock but Smith hiptosses his way out of it and hits an uppercut. Another uppercut by Smith, Irish whip to the corner but Tanahashi hits a back elbow. Tanahashi goes for a crossbody but Smith moves out of the way and hits a suplex. Smith stomps on Tanahashi’s midsection before applying a reverse chinlock followed by a headscissors. Tanahashi gets to the ropes, Smith picks him up but Tanahashi chops him. Smith returns with an elbow and a knee, Irish whip by Smith but Tanahashi hits an elbow. Dropkick to the knee by Tanahashi and he hits another jumping elbow strike. Tanahashi picks up Smith and applies a waistlock, Smith elbows out of it but Tanahashi hits a dragon screw leg whip. Tanahashi goes off the ropes but Smith moves and Tanahashi falls out of the ring. Tanahashi hangs onto the ropes and he headscissors Smith out of the ring to the floor. Tanahashi then goes up to the top turnbuckle but Smith runs away. Baseball slide by Tanahashi, he goes to the ropes and hits a pescado. Tanahashi gets on the apron but Smith pulls him back off and throws Tanahashi into the guardrail before hitting a powerslam on the floor. Smith rolls Tanahashi back in, cover, but it gets a two count. Smith throws Tanahashi into the corner, reversed, and Smith hits a jumping knee. Jawbreaker by Tanahashi and he goes off the ropes, but Smith catches him with a lariat for a two count cover. Smith picks up Tanahashi and puts him on his shoulder, but Tanahashi gets away and hits a Final Cut. Tanahashi waits for Smith to get up, he goes off the ropes and Tanahashi hits the Sling Blade. Cover, but it gets a two count. Tanahashi goes up to the top turnbuckle but Smith hits the ropes to knock him off. Elbow by Smith as he joins Tanahashi up top, and Smith hits a superplex. Cover, but it gets a two count. Smith picks up Tanahashi and goes for the Bulldog Bomb but Tanahashi punches out of it. Capture suplex by Smith, cover, but it gets another two. Smith grabs Tanahashi and hits a tiger suplex hold, but that gets a two count as well. Smith covers Tanahashi again, but again it gets a two. Smith sets up Tanahashi for the Bulldog Bomb, but Tanahashi rolls down his back for a two count cover. Smith charges Tanahashi but Tanahashi kicks him back, Victory Roll by Tanahashi but it also gets a two count. Tanahashi goes for a hurricanrana but Smith blocks it and hits the Bulldog Bomb. Cover, and he picks up the three count. Your winner: Davey Boy Smith Jr.

Match Thoughts: All Tanahashi had to do was win to reach the Finals, but he couldn’t beat the big gaijin. I have to at least make note that the ending was silly, Tanahashi very rarely just goes for a straight hurricanrana so it was clearly just a setup for Smith’s finishing move. Not that Smith needed it, he could pick up Tanahashi whenever he wanted. Smith looked good here and oddly seemed to be trying harder than Tanahashi to win even though it was Tanahashi that was in the finals if he won. Tanahashi never even got a chance to go for his finisher which is very unusual for him in a big match, it was essentially Smith’s match to lose. A good display by Smith but not a memorable match at all. Score: 5.5

Kazuchika Okada vs. Minoru Suzuki
Tie-up to start, Suzuki pushes Okada into the ropes, Okada switches positions with him and he gives a clean break. Suzuki catches Okada’s arm in an armbar but Okada quickly gets to the ropes. Knee by Suzuki but Okada knees him back and elbows Suzuki out to the apron. Suzuki applies an armbar over the top rope before jumping out of the ring and pulling Okada out after him. Suzuki gets back up on the apron and he kicks Okada in the chest. Suzuki picks up Okada and twists his arm in the guardrail. Suzuki picks up Okada and throws him into the guardrail, Suzuki picks up Okada and slides him back into the ring. Suzuki applies an armbar through the ropes again before sliding back into the ring, stomps by Suzuki but Okada returns to his feet. Elbow by Okada but Suzuki elbows him back, and Suzuki kicks Okada in the chest. Suzuki applies a keylock but Okada gets a foot on the ropes. Suzuki stomps on Okada’s arm, he picks up Okada and knees him in the stomach. Irish whip by Suzuki but Okada kicks Suzuki back when he charges in. Boot by Suzuki, Irish whip, reversed, kick by Okada and he hits a DDT. Elbow by Okada, Irish whip, and Okada hits a big boot. Okada picks up Suzuki, snapmare, and Okada hits a sliding kick. They go outside the ring and Okada throws Suzuki into the guardrail before booting him in the face. Okada picks up Suzuki, he drapes Suzuki over the rail and Okada hits a DDT onto the floor. Okada picks up Suzuki and slides him back into the ring, scoop slam by Okada and he goes up to the top turnbuckle, hitting the diving elbow drop. Kick to the stomach by Suzuki, Irish whip by Suzuki and he hits a boot in the corner. Okada throws Suzuki into the ropes but Suzuki hangs onto the ropes. Kicks by Suzuki and he applies a cross armbreaker but Okada quickly gets a foot on the ropes. Suzuki picks up Okada and hits an elbow but Okada elbows him back. Uppercut by Okada but Suzuki grabs his arm and applies a Fujiwara Armbar. Suzuki picks up Okada and elbows him in the arm, Okada trips Suzuki and applies the Red Ink, but Suzuki quickly gets to the ropes. Okada picks up Suzuki, he gets him on his shoulders and hits a vertical suplex. Cover, but it gets a two count. Okada picks up Suzuki, Irish whip, but Suzuki collapses before he makes it to the far ropes. Okada goes off the ropes but Suzuki levels him with a dropkick. Suzuki picks up Okada and elbows him repeatedly in the arm. Suzuki kicks Okada in the arm and he applies a sleeper, he goes for the Gotch-style piledriver but Okada blocks it. Knee to the chest by Suzuki, he picks up Okada and goes for the piledriver again but Okada reverses it into a reverse neckbreaker. They trade elbows first on their knees and then back on their feet, which Suzuki gets the better of. Elbows by Suzuki but Okada hits an uppercut and he dropkicks Suzuki in the back. Okada picks up Suzuki and he goes for the tombstone piledriver but Suzuki blocks it. Headbutts by Suzuki and he applies an armbar, he goes off the ropes as Okada goes for another tombstone piledriver, finally he gets Suzuki up and he nails the move. Okada picks up Suzuki and goes for the Rainmaker but Suzuki kicks his arm away. Suzuki charges Okada but Okada hits a dropkick. Okada picks up Suzuki and levels him with the Rainmaker. Cover, and he picks up the three count. Your winner: Kazuchika Okada

Match Thoughts: The best match of the night. It just had a different feel than the other matches, which I credit partly to Okada as well as some to Suzuki as when he is in the main event of a big show he tends to show his best side. There were things here and there that I didn’t like (such as Suzuki at the end releasing Okada’s injured arm so he can go off the ropes), but the emotion was there and the time flew by. Suzuki’s arm work was solid, and while the tombstone reversal spots in a way looked awkward it also looked more legitimate then when a wrestler just jumps into another wrestler’s arms for the next spot. Far from perfect but an enjoyable match. Score: 7.5

Final Standings:

Final Thoughts:

Best Match: Kazuchika Okada vs. Minoru Suzuki. The match was a must-win for Okada, and it felt like it as both wrestlers put in maximum effort. The longest match on the card by a significant amount, it didn’t feel like it as the time passed quickly with very little wasted time by either wrestler. It really felt like a struggle as if they weren’t cooperating, which is a style that Suzuki is quite good at. An entertaining match and a good way to end the show.

MVP:  Kazuchika Okada. Having an entertaining match with Suzuki can be a challenge since he is such a unique wrestler, but he pulled it off and looked like the better man in the process. The Rainmaker is probably the most protected finishing move currently in Japan as it always means death for his opponent, which is how it should be anyway, and it helps his victories seems more ‘final’. Okada is still young even by pro wrestling standards and is in my opinion the best wrestler in New Japan, so as long as he can stay healthy I am sure he will be the MVP of events for many years to come.

Overall: The final block matches were generally good and there weren’t any bad matches on this card… I just wish there were more memorable ones. The only match that felt really important and different was the main event, the other matches were decent but just didn’t do anything to reach a higher level. The event has a whole gets a mild recommendation for me as there were a lot of solid matches here, but there just wasn’t a ton of variety. These wrestlers are all beaten down by this point and I am sure they are looking forward to the weeks off they have after the G1 Climax Final in two days. Not required viewing for the 2014 G1 Climax but there is some good stuff here.

Grade: B-