Extreme Rules
Pre-Show
Kalisto def. Apollo Crews w/Titus O'Neill
-Solid first match, doesn't feel like this is over anytime soon.
1)Rich Swann and Sasha Banks def. Noam Dar and Alicia Fox
-My favorite match of the night, mostly because BALTIMORE'S Rich Swann WON in BALTIMORE BAY BAY! (Otherwise this was a glorified TV match).
2)Neville (c) def. Austin Aries in a Submission match for the Cruiserweight Championship
-Boy....Neville looked fantastic. Aries didn't look like the same guy from before WrestleMania....the booking really hurt him bad.
3)Sheamus and Cesaro def. The Hardy Boyz (c) in a Tag Team Steel Cage Match for the Raw Tag Team Championships
-I'm a Cesaro fan for life so anytime Cesaro wins on a PPV is entirely acceptable. Plus, with them winning....the Hardyz can be broken again!!!!!!
4)Alexa Bliss (c) def. Bayley in a Kendo Stick on a Pole match for the Raw Women's Championship
-This was a bad match. I understand trying to make Bliss strong....but there were more ways to do this match without making Bayley look like a complete dunce.
5) The Miz def. Dean Ambrose (c) for the Intercontinental Championship (if Ambrose is DQ'd, he loses the Championship)
-Very good, borderline great match......the ending was dumb. You can partially blame the referee's indecisiveness for Ambrose's loss just as much as you could give credit to Miz's cunning. John Cone came off like an idiot in my eyes and that hurt the match. It's one thing to play the ref.....it's another if the Ref comes off like a dumbass.
6)Samoa Joe def. Finn Balor, Roman Reigns, Bray Wyatt and Seth Rollins to challenge Brock Lesnar at Great Balls of Fire for the WWE Universal Championship
-I enjoyed this match alot....and while I was rooting for Finn Balor, Samoa Joe winning is a fantastic potential matchup for Brock Lesnar's return at Great Balls of Fire.
Money in the Bank
1) Naomi def. Lana. Serviceable match
2) Jinder Mahal (c) w/The Singh Brothers def. Randy Orton for the WWE Championship. Long one but nice Old School touch to the match.
3)Money in the Bank Match: Sami Zayn vs. AJ Styles vs. Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Kevin Owens vs. Baron Corbin vs. Dolph Ziggler
Baron Corbin Won. Match of the Night
4 Women's Money in the Bank (Charlotte Flair vs. Carmella vs. Tamina Snuka vs. Becky Lynch vs. Natalya vs. ???)
James Ellsworth took the briefcase and dropped it to Carmella. Technically Carmella won. An ending that both made sense and was super messed up.
5) The Usos vs. The New Day for the Smackdown Tag Team Championships
New Day won via Countout, Usos retain
Pre Show:The Hype Bros def. The Colons
Bonus Match: Breezango def. The Ascension!
I know this seems like a shortened review...and that's why this is here.
https://thesmarkshooter.blogspot.com/2017/06/money-in-bank-review.html
Monday, August 21, 2017
Great Balls of Fire (Seriously? and RAPIDFIRE) and Battleground (YES!)
Great Balls of Fire (Raw)
Pre Show
Neville (C) def. Akira Tozawa w/Titus O'Neil for the WWE Cruiserweight Championship
-Solid Opening Contest for the whole broadcast....been awhile since I've seen a match end on a low kick and the crotch rope spot be that impactful (other than the AJ Styles one last year)
Bray Wyatt def. Seth Rollins
-I enjoyed this as the opening contest, and Wyatt winning surprised me in a good way. I believe Rollins is made enough to where this doesn't affect him and Wyatt needed the win. Good start.
Cesaro and Sheamus(C) def. The Hardy Boyz for the WWE Raw Tag Team Championships in a 30 Minutes Iron Man Match (4-3)
-Fantastic Last 10 minutes...the other 20 dragged. Great finish!
The Miz w/Maryse and the Miztourage(Bo Dallas and Curtis Axel) (C) def. Dean Ambrose for the WWE Intercontinental Championship
-Eh, I didn't pay that much attention. And This pairing is stale. I'm done, next victim.
Big Cass def. Enzo Amore
-Great Amore promo....squashed in less than 10.
Braun Strowman def. Roman Reigns in an Ambulance Match
-Roman attempted murder after losing. pro Wrestling. Go figure \.../
Sasha Banks def. Alexa Bliss via Countout for the Raw Women's Championship (Bliss Retained)
-I thought it was solid. The countout made sense, as well as the post match beatdown. Thoroughly enjoyed it!
Heath Slater def. Curt Hawkins (I don't know how....they focused on the post match Ambulance stuff)
-Didn't show the ending. This was just sacrificed killed time.
Brock Lesnar (c) w/Paul Heyman def. Samoa Joe for the WWE Universal Championship
-Enjoyed the match! Thought it booked both men well. Joe will have Universal Title in the near future hopefully!
Battleground (Smackdown)
Pre Show
Aiden English def. Tye Dillinger
-I was surprised with the finish, but it didn't anger me. It was a mid-card style TV match for a pre-show. Still enjoyed it though.
6 out of 10
The New Day def. The Usos to win the Smackdown Tag Team Championships
Fantastic match with great near falls in the end. Especially happy that Woods got the pin. Only gripe I had was that the Superkick out of nowhere should have been interrupted by Kingston. No way Woods realistically should get up on his own accord.
8.75 out of 10
Shinsuke Nakamura def. Baron Corbin via DQ
-It was an ok match. Finish pretty much describes the feelings behind the match. The match was admittedly a kick to the crotch. The rating is only because I know those two could do so much more. (Kind of like a match later on in the card)
5.5 out of 10
Natalya won a Fatal Five Way Elimination match to become the No. 1 contender for the Smackdown Women's Championship
(Tamina and Lana were eliminated by Becky Lynch via Submission, then Natalya eliminated Becky Lynch and Charlotte Flair via different Roll-ups)
-Tamina has been performing better with every opportunity so that is definitely pleasing considering the amount of time she's been with WWE. Lana's still got alot of work to do. It'd be cool if she could jump back and forth between NxT and Smackdown to work on some more seasoning in ring. Becky better be turning in the near future. All the ways she's gotten storyline screwed out of various opportunities should be grinding her confidence to the point of desperation very soon if not now. Charlotte will have other opportunities but I wasn't a fan of the finish. It seems that Natalya's finisher is a Roll up/School Girl when she isn't using the Sharpshooter. She really needs a non-submission finisher.
5.5 out of 10
Kevin Owens def. AJ Styles to win the United States Championship
-These two never seem to have a bad match, but that ending was very deflating. Seems to be a theme for all matches that aren't New Day related. I don't mind the back and forth with the US Title, but this was meh.
6.5 out of 10
John Cena def. Rusev in a Flag Match
-I have 3 problems with this match.
1)While I'm glad it wasn't just get the flag off the pole (you had to get the flag on the top of stairs into a flag pole holder, this DRAGGED.
2)As much as this would be bad....I think you could have sacrificed this match's happy ending for a Dillinger win, a Becky Lynch win, and a clean Nakamura win followed by a post match assault by Corbin.
3)Patriotic cheers only go so far when the match is OBVIOUS. You honestly think that Rusev was going to win this one? (TURN THE MAN FACE ALREADY!)
(For the record. I'm starting to really dislike Byron on commentary more and more.)
3 out of 10. That was a waste of time for me. Nothing against Cena or Rusev, but I couldn't get into this match.
Sami Zayn def. Mike Kanelllis w/ Maria Kanellis
-I don't like Byron's commentary.
-Mike would be more hilarious if he pulled a page from Mr. Ass and have the short tights with the lips on it. That being said, the eskimo kiss thing with Maria popped me.
-That being said, seeing Mike Kanellis (Bennett) in WWE makes me quite happy (AND JBL IS NOT A LOVER! HE'S A BULLY! Sorry....I was typing all of this while watching). When I started watching ROH, it was around the time that he started to come into ROH as the posterboy for Jim Cornette(2010)'s ROH.
-Can I get Mauro and Nigel to take over for JBL and Byron. Tom can stay. (also, I get the implication behind Mike being referred to as "Maria's Husband" but....the line coming from JBL....AND BYRON is grating).
-I like when Maria gets in the ring. That being said....HELLUVA KICK! :D
-I hate JBL's and Byron's commentary. Ruined the rest of the match for me.
6.75 out of 10. (For the record, I liked the simplicity of the match...but admittedly it's a Sami Zayn match so I always find enjoyment)
Jinder Mahal def. Randy Orton in a Punjabi Prison Match to retain the WWE Championship
-I like the music when the Prison comes down.
-So lemme get this straight:
Each door on the inside will randomly open for 60 seconds.....and you gotta get out of one of those doors.....then you gotta escape the outside? Who thought of this convoluted piece of crap?!?!?!??!? And why is this back when War Games hasn't come back???????
-Why is Champion coming in first? (Man I hate having to ask that) Also....Could they have increased the size of each square in the prison so people could oh I don't know.....See?
(it took 30 seconds to explain all the rules)
-No one said you could climb over the first structure until midway through the match. X(
-First three door teases were logically done. The last one....they went for big moves rather than get out of the cage. Thank the lord for the Singh brothers.
-That bump from (Samir Singh/Harv Sihra) one of the brothers was crazy!
-The Great Khali came back. I was ok with this. Randy not being fast enough to at least get on the same side as Khali? Not logical. Also, when they were celebrating....Khali, not Mahal, was raising the Championship. Man, can't wait for this feud and this reign to end. No offense to India.
4 out of 10.
(Oh and let me quote one of the two guys I actually like from WhatCulture: Vince McMahon likes Big Sweaty Men.)
For the record: Great Balls of Fire was the Better PPV versus Battleground.
Pre Show
Neville (C) def. Akira Tozawa w/Titus O'Neil for the WWE Cruiserweight Championship
-Solid Opening Contest for the whole broadcast....been awhile since I've seen a match end on a low kick and the crotch rope spot be that impactful (other than the AJ Styles one last year)
Bray Wyatt def. Seth Rollins
-I enjoyed this as the opening contest, and Wyatt winning surprised me in a good way. I believe Rollins is made enough to where this doesn't affect him and Wyatt needed the win. Good start.
Cesaro and Sheamus(C) def. The Hardy Boyz for the WWE Raw Tag Team Championships in a 30 Minutes Iron Man Match (4-3)
-Fantastic Last 10 minutes...the other 20 dragged. Great finish!
The Miz w/Maryse and the Miztourage(Bo Dallas and Curtis Axel) (C) def. Dean Ambrose for the WWE Intercontinental Championship
-Eh, I didn't pay that much attention. And This pairing is stale. I'm done, next victim.
Big Cass def. Enzo Amore
-Great Amore promo....squashed in less than 10.
Braun Strowman def. Roman Reigns in an Ambulance Match
-Roman attempted murder after losing. pro Wrestling. Go figure \.../
Sasha Banks def. Alexa Bliss via Countout for the Raw Women's Championship (Bliss Retained)
-I thought it was solid. The countout made sense, as well as the post match beatdown. Thoroughly enjoyed it!
Heath Slater def. Curt Hawkins (I don't know how....they focused on the post match Ambulance stuff)
-Didn't show the ending. This was just sacrificed killed time.
Brock Lesnar (c) w/Paul Heyman def. Samoa Joe for the WWE Universal Championship
-Enjoyed the match! Thought it booked both men well. Joe will have Universal Title in the near future hopefully!
Battleground (Smackdown)
Pre Show
Aiden English def. Tye Dillinger
-I was surprised with the finish, but it didn't anger me. It was a mid-card style TV match for a pre-show. Still enjoyed it though.
6 out of 10
The New Day def. The Usos to win the Smackdown Tag Team Championships
Fantastic match with great near falls in the end. Especially happy that Woods got the pin. Only gripe I had was that the Superkick out of nowhere should have been interrupted by Kingston. No way Woods realistically should get up on his own accord.
8.75 out of 10
Shinsuke Nakamura def. Baron Corbin via DQ
-It was an ok match. Finish pretty much describes the feelings behind the match. The match was admittedly a kick to the crotch. The rating is only because I know those two could do so much more. (Kind of like a match later on in the card)
5.5 out of 10
Natalya won a Fatal Five Way Elimination match to become the No. 1 contender for the Smackdown Women's Championship
(Tamina and Lana were eliminated by Becky Lynch via Submission, then Natalya eliminated Becky Lynch and Charlotte Flair via different Roll-ups)
-Tamina has been performing better with every opportunity so that is definitely pleasing considering the amount of time she's been with WWE. Lana's still got alot of work to do. It'd be cool if she could jump back and forth between NxT and Smackdown to work on some more seasoning in ring. Becky better be turning in the near future. All the ways she's gotten storyline screwed out of various opportunities should be grinding her confidence to the point of desperation very soon if not now. Charlotte will have other opportunities but I wasn't a fan of the finish. It seems that Natalya's finisher is a Roll up/School Girl when she isn't using the Sharpshooter. She really needs a non-submission finisher.
5.5 out of 10
Kevin Owens def. AJ Styles to win the United States Championship
-These two never seem to have a bad match, but that ending was very deflating. Seems to be a theme for all matches that aren't New Day related. I don't mind the back and forth with the US Title, but this was meh.
6.5 out of 10
John Cena def. Rusev in a Flag Match
-I have 3 problems with this match.
1)While I'm glad it wasn't just get the flag off the pole (you had to get the flag on the top of stairs into a flag pole holder, this DRAGGED.
2)As much as this would be bad....I think you could have sacrificed this match's happy ending for a Dillinger win, a Becky Lynch win, and a clean Nakamura win followed by a post match assault by Corbin.
3)Patriotic cheers only go so far when the match is OBVIOUS. You honestly think that Rusev was going to win this one? (TURN THE MAN FACE ALREADY!)
(For the record. I'm starting to really dislike Byron on commentary more and more.)
3 out of 10. That was a waste of time for me. Nothing against Cena or Rusev, but I couldn't get into this match.
Sami Zayn def. Mike Kanelllis w/ Maria Kanellis
-I don't like Byron's commentary.
-Mike would be more hilarious if he pulled a page from Mr. Ass and have the short tights with the lips on it. That being said, the eskimo kiss thing with Maria popped me.
-That being said, seeing Mike Kanellis (Bennett) in WWE makes me quite happy (AND JBL IS NOT A LOVER! HE'S A BULLY! Sorry....I was typing all of this while watching). When I started watching ROH, it was around the time that he started to come into ROH as the posterboy for Jim Cornette(2010)'s ROH.
-Can I get Mauro and Nigel to take over for JBL and Byron. Tom can stay. (also, I get the implication behind Mike being referred to as "Maria's Husband" but....the line coming from JBL....AND BYRON is grating).
-I like when Maria gets in the ring. That being said....HELLUVA KICK! :D
-I hate JBL's and Byron's commentary. Ruined the rest of the match for me.
6.75 out of 10. (For the record, I liked the simplicity of the match...but admittedly it's a Sami Zayn match so I always find enjoyment)
Jinder Mahal def. Randy Orton in a Punjabi Prison Match to retain the WWE Championship
-I like the music when the Prison comes down.
-So lemme get this straight:
Each door on the inside will randomly open for 60 seconds.....and you gotta get out of one of those doors.....then you gotta escape the outside? Who thought of this convoluted piece of crap?!?!?!??!? And why is this back when War Games hasn't come back???????
-Why is Champion coming in first? (Man I hate having to ask that) Also....Could they have increased the size of each square in the prison so people could oh I don't know.....See?
(it took 30 seconds to explain all the rules)
-No one said you could climb over the first structure until midway through the match. X(
-First three door teases were logically done. The last one....they went for big moves rather than get out of the cage. Thank the lord for the Singh brothers.
-That bump from (Samir Singh/Harv Sihra) one of the brothers was crazy!
-The Great Khali came back. I was ok with this. Randy not being fast enough to at least get on the same side as Khali? Not logical. Also, when they were celebrating....Khali, not Mahal, was raising the Championship. Man, can't wait for this feud and this reign to end. No offense to India.
4 out of 10.
(Oh and let me quote one of the two guys I actually like from WhatCulture: Vince McMahon likes Big Sweaty Men.)
For the record: Great Balls of Fire was the Better PPV versus Battleground.
Saturday, August 12, 2017
G1 Climax Review and Finals
Once again, the New Japan Pro Wrestling organization showed why they do tournaments better than any company in the world. Over the past month and some change, they've held the Grade 1 Climax, which is a League Style Tournament to determine who earns the right to challenge for their Heavyweight Championship at Wrestle Kingdom.
(this will be published before the Final, then updated after the Final happens)
Here's how the Blocks Ended:
Block A
Final Standings
1(Winner))Tetsuya Naito (Goto, Ibushi, Nagata, YOSHI-HASHI, Sabre Jr, Makabe, Tanahashi) 14
2)Hiroshi Tanahashi(Fale, Goto, Nagata, Yoshi Hashi, Makabe, Ishii) 12
3)Bad Luck Fale (Ibushi, Makabe, Naito, Ishii, Fale, Nagata) 12
4)Hirooki Goto(Ishii, Nagata, Sabre Jr., HASHI, Ibushi) 10
5)Kota Ibushi(Ishii, Sabre Jr. , Tanahashi. HASHI, Nagata) 10
6)Zack Sabre Jr. (Fale, Makabe, Tanahashi, YOSHI-HASHI, Ishii) 10
7)Tomohiro Ishii(Makabe, Nagata, Naito, YOSHI-HASHI) 8
8)Togi Makabe (Goto, Ibushi, Nagata, HASHI) 8
9)Yoshi-Hashi(Fale, Nagata) 4
10)Yuji Nagata (Sabre Jr.) 2
Throughout this block, similar to the B Block of the Best of the Super Juniors Tournament, the bracket was essentially neck and neck, with different wrestlers taking the lead all throughout the Block session.
The only consistent up to the last 2 nights was that Yuji Nagata in his 19th and Final G1 was on the losing end, until he took out Zack Sabre Jr. Nagata finished at the bottom with the lone win over my favorite British wrestler, but every match was fantastic from him.
Yoshi-Hashi didn't have the same spark that he did last year when he beat eventual 2016 winner Kenny Omega in the opening night, but was able to get wins over Nagata and Bad Luck Fale.
Togi Makabe wasn't able to conjure the winning streak he did last year, but had solid matches across the board.
Tomohiro Ishii was so close in many of his matches, but I will say the submission he suffered at the hands of Sabre Jr. was one of the most brutal submissions I've ever watched.
While we're on the subject, Sabre Jr. at one point held the lead before falling to Tetsuya Naito and Yuji Nagata to eliminate himself.
Kota Ibushi was my original pick to win this bracket, and there were many chances for him to move up. Losses to Bad luck Fale and Hirooki Goto finished him off, so my dream final of him vs. Kenny Omega will have to wait another time.
Bad Luck Fale was the biggest surprise to me. Normally he does well but he found a way again to make it into the top 3 of his block and outside of the final A Block main event, he led everyone else this year. Not to mention, he's vastly improved as a New Japan wrestler.
The final came down to the Ace of New Japan, the one-armed Hiroshi Tanahashi (Torn bicep) and the leader of the most popular group in Japan, Tetsuya Naito of Los Ingobernables de Japon! They came in tied with 6 wins 0 draws 2 losses and a fantastic match they had. Naito focused on the arm, Tanahashi focusing on the leg, which he had used for the Cloverleaf to defeat Naito in their last meeting for the IWGP Intercontinental Championship. Tanahashi had made a great comeback in the standings after getting stretched by Sabre Jr., while Naito had stayed near the top of the standings for the majority of the tournament.
Naito won with DESTINO and took the A Block to the delight of the crowd at Ryogoku Sumo Hall.
Final Standings
14 Points 1)Kenny Omega (EVIL, Kojima, Suzuki, Tonga, Yano, SANADA, Okada) WINNER
13 Points 2)Kazuchika Okada(Elgin, Kojima, Robinson, SANADA, Tonga, Yano) (Draw with Suzuki)
3)EVIL (Robinson, Suzuki, Tonga, Yano, Okada, Kojima) 12
4)Minoru Suzuki(Kojima, Robinson, SANADA, Tonga)(Draw with Okada) 9 Points
5)SANADA (Elgin, EVIL, Robinson, Yano)8
6)Michael Elgin (Kojima, Omega, Suzuki, EVIL) 8
7)Toru Yano (Elgin, Kojima, Tonga, Suzuki)8
8)Juice Robinson(Kojima, Omega, Yano, Elgin) 8
9)Tama Tonga(Elgin, Robinson, Kojima, SANADA) 8
10)Satoshi Kojima (SANADA) 2 Points
Until the back end of the B Block, this side was entirely ALL Okada. That being said, here's how it broke down for this Block.
Satoshi Kojima wasn't able to grab any wins until taking care of SANADA. Similar to his 3rd gen buddy Nagata, he was the victim of many a loss. Competitive in all matches, glad he wasn't shut out.
After Kojima, you have a 5 way draw between SANADA, Elgin, Yano, Robinson, and Tonga. Out of those 5, Yano and Elgin shouldn't be tied. Elgin should have had 10 points but Marty Asami the referee made a bad mistake and (rare for New Japan, take a cue WWE) DQ'd Elgin. If all the other results were the same, Elgin would have finished 4th rather than essentially a tie for 5th. Tonga and Robinson in my opinion overachieved because they were able to gain a respectable 8 points during the block, when it's sometimes hard to gather more than 2. SANADA could have escaped the tie also, but similar to Zack Sabre Jr. (ok no more Sabre Jr. references for the rest of this post), he was also the lone mark of a 3rd gen record. Once again, Yano gets away with points when he shouldn't....this year due to tape rather than just low blows alone this time. Hilarious.....until that Elgin match. (I think Suzuki's gonna kill him eventually).
Speaking of that psychopath, Minoru Suzuki finished just outside of the top 3 due to the 1 draw of the tournament against Okada. However, you could also say that he was one of the reasons Okada didn't run away with this Block. That tie guaranteed that it wouldn't come down to a coin toss if there was a tie at the end. (For the record, I rooted against Suzuki in the final match of Block play because SCREW TAICHI)
EVIL was the biggest surprise for me. Considering I thought SANADA was going to be the break out LIJ member, EVIL defeating Okada was the biggest shock of the tournament. Unfortunately he wasn't able to keep up with Kenny Omega and was nearly knocked out. I gained so much respect for EVIL during this tournament, so I wouldn't be surprised if EVIL grabs a new championship to go along with the NEVER Openweight 6 man Championships.
This one came down to the final match of the Block events....and DEAR FLIPPIN' LORD WHAT A 3rd Match! Last time I heard/saw a trilogy this good it was Steamboat/Flair. And FINALLY, OMEGA got the win! Okada was dominant until his loss to EVIL, then his tie with Suzuki which gave Okada the 1 point lead going into the last day. Omega was clutch after his losses to Elgin and Robinson. The match was a barnburner to say the least!
So now the final comes down to A Block Winner Tetsuya Naito vs. B Block Winner Kenny Omega. The 2013 and 2016 winners will face of in a rematch of last year's 5 star B Block final.
Prediction: Naito exacts revenge in an instant classic to win the G1 Climax 2017 and finally get the main event spot that he truly belongs to. (Omega's the US Champion so he'll still have a high profile match coming up)
Results of Final G1 Climax Night:
Suzuki-Gun (Yoshinobu Kanemaru, TAKA Michinoku, El Desperado, and Taichi(WHO SUCKS)) def. Jushin Thunder Liger Liger, Hirai Kawato, IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Champion and Ring of Honor Television Champion KUSHIDA, and Tiger Mask IV. There was also a fantastic post match brawl surrounding Desperado and KUSHIDA.
Guerillas of Destiny def. Manabu Nakanishi and Yuji Nagata. GoD then bowed out of respect to Nagata.
Hirooki Goto and YOSHI-HASHI def. Togi Makabe and David Finlay
Hiroyoshi Tenzan, Satoshi Kojima, and Juice Robinson def. Bad Luck Fale, Yujiro Takahashi, and Chase Owens. Robinson is really getting a good rub as a top babyface amongst the 2nd tier.
Taguchi Japan (Coach Ryusuke Taguchi and The King of Flight Ricochet) def. The Young Bucks (Nick and Matt Jackson) to win the IWGP Jr. Tag Team Championships
In between, KATSUYORI SHIBATA returned to greet the crowd and remind them that "I'm Alive. That is all." (Admittedly I cried out of pure happiness along with that crowd)
War Machine (Warbeard Hanson and Raymond Rowe) def. The American Nightmare Cody (Rhodes.) and Hangman (Adam) Page to retain the IWGP Heavyweight Tag Team Championships. Post-Match, Suzuki-Gun's Killer Elite Squad (Davey Boy Smith Jr. and Lance Archer) returned to take out both teams and announce their desire for the Tag Titles.
Suzuki Gun (Zack Sabre Jr., Takashi Iizuka, and NEVER Openweight Champion Minoru Suzuki) def. Kota Ibushi, Michael Elgin, and IWGP Intercontinental Champion Hiroshi Tanahashi. Sabre has Tanahashi's number.
Los Ingobernables de Japon (Hiromu Takahashi w/Darryl!, and the NEVER Openweight 6-man Tag Team Champions EVIL, BUSHI, and SANADA) def. CHAOS (IWGP Heavyweight Champion Kazuchika Okada, Tomohiro Ishii, Toru Yano, and Gedo)
Finally, Tetsuya Naito def. Kenny Omega in a fantastic and highly dangerous match to win the G1 Climax for the 2nd time.
Tranquillo 焦んなよ
(this will be published before the Final, then updated after the Final happens)
Here's how the Blocks Ended:
Block A
Final Standings
1(Winner))Tetsuya Naito (Goto, Ibushi, Nagata, YOSHI-HASHI, Sabre Jr, Makabe, Tanahashi) 14
2)Hiroshi Tanahashi(Fale, Goto, Nagata, Yoshi Hashi, Makabe, Ishii) 12
3)Bad Luck Fale (Ibushi, Makabe, Naito, Ishii, Fale, Nagata) 12
4)Hirooki Goto(Ishii, Nagata, Sabre Jr., HASHI, Ibushi) 10
5)Kota Ibushi(Ishii, Sabre Jr. , Tanahashi. HASHI, Nagata) 10
6)Zack Sabre Jr. (Fale, Makabe, Tanahashi, YOSHI-HASHI, Ishii) 10
7)Tomohiro Ishii(Makabe, Nagata, Naito, YOSHI-HASHI) 8
8)Togi Makabe (Goto, Ibushi, Nagata, HASHI) 8
9)Yoshi-Hashi(Fale, Nagata) 4
10)Yuji Nagata (Sabre Jr.) 2
Throughout this block, similar to the B Block of the Best of the Super Juniors Tournament, the bracket was essentially neck and neck, with different wrestlers taking the lead all throughout the Block session.
The only consistent up to the last 2 nights was that Yuji Nagata in his 19th and Final G1 was on the losing end, until he took out Zack Sabre Jr. Nagata finished at the bottom with the lone win over my favorite British wrestler, but every match was fantastic from him.
Yoshi-Hashi didn't have the same spark that he did last year when he beat eventual 2016 winner Kenny Omega in the opening night, but was able to get wins over Nagata and Bad Luck Fale.
Togi Makabe wasn't able to conjure the winning streak he did last year, but had solid matches across the board.
Tomohiro Ishii was so close in many of his matches, but I will say the submission he suffered at the hands of Sabre Jr. was one of the most brutal submissions I've ever watched.
While we're on the subject, Sabre Jr. at one point held the lead before falling to Tetsuya Naito and Yuji Nagata to eliminate himself.
Kota Ibushi was my original pick to win this bracket, and there were many chances for him to move up. Losses to Bad luck Fale and Hirooki Goto finished him off, so my dream final of him vs. Kenny Omega will have to wait another time.
Bad Luck Fale was the biggest surprise to me. Normally he does well but he found a way again to make it into the top 3 of his block and outside of the final A Block main event, he led everyone else this year. Not to mention, he's vastly improved as a New Japan wrestler.
The final came down to the Ace of New Japan, the one-armed Hiroshi Tanahashi (Torn bicep) and the leader of the most popular group in Japan, Tetsuya Naito of Los Ingobernables de Japon! They came in tied with 6 wins 0 draws 2 losses and a fantastic match they had. Naito focused on the arm, Tanahashi focusing on the leg, which he had used for the Cloverleaf to defeat Naito in their last meeting for the IWGP Intercontinental Championship. Tanahashi had made a great comeback in the standings after getting stretched by Sabre Jr., while Naito had stayed near the top of the standings for the majority of the tournament.
Naito won with DESTINO and took the A Block to the delight of the crowd at Ryogoku Sumo Hall.
Final Standings
14 Points 1)Kenny Omega (EVIL, Kojima, Suzuki, Tonga, Yano, SANADA, Okada) WINNER
13 Points 2)Kazuchika Okada(Elgin, Kojima, Robinson, SANADA, Tonga, Yano) (Draw with Suzuki)
3)EVIL (Robinson, Suzuki, Tonga, Yano, Okada, Kojima) 12
4)Minoru Suzuki(Kojima, Robinson, SANADA, Tonga)(Draw with Okada) 9 Points
5)SANADA (Elgin, EVIL, Robinson, Yano)8
6)Michael Elgin (Kojima, Omega, Suzuki, EVIL) 8
7)Toru Yano (Elgin, Kojima, Tonga, Suzuki)8
8)Juice Robinson(Kojima, Omega, Yano, Elgin) 8
9)Tama Tonga(Elgin, Robinson, Kojima, SANADA) 8
10)Satoshi Kojima (SANADA) 2 Points
Until the back end of the B Block, this side was entirely ALL Okada. That being said, here's how it broke down for this Block.
Satoshi Kojima wasn't able to grab any wins until taking care of SANADA. Similar to his 3rd gen buddy Nagata, he was the victim of many a loss. Competitive in all matches, glad he wasn't shut out.
After Kojima, you have a 5 way draw between SANADA, Elgin, Yano, Robinson, and Tonga. Out of those 5, Yano and Elgin shouldn't be tied. Elgin should have had 10 points but Marty Asami the referee made a bad mistake and (rare for New Japan, take a cue WWE) DQ'd Elgin. If all the other results were the same, Elgin would have finished 4th rather than essentially a tie for 5th. Tonga and Robinson in my opinion overachieved because they were able to gain a respectable 8 points during the block, when it's sometimes hard to gather more than 2. SANADA could have escaped the tie also, but similar to Zack Sabre Jr. (ok no more Sabre Jr. references for the rest of this post), he was also the lone mark of a 3rd gen record. Once again, Yano gets away with points when he shouldn't....this year due to tape rather than just low blows alone this time. Hilarious.....until that Elgin match. (I think Suzuki's gonna kill him eventually).
Speaking of that psychopath, Minoru Suzuki finished just outside of the top 3 due to the 1 draw of the tournament against Okada. However, you could also say that he was one of the reasons Okada didn't run away with this Block. That tie guaranteed that it wouldn't come down to a coin toss if there was a tie at the end. (For the record, I rooted against Suzuki in the final match of Block play because SCREW TAICHI)
EVIL was the biggest surprise for me. Considering I thought SANADA was going to be the break out LIJ member, EVIL defeating Okada was the biggest shock of the tournament. Unfortunately he wasn't able to keep up with Kenny Omega and was nearly knocked out. I gained so much respect for EVIL during this tournament, so I wouldn't be surprised if EVIL grabs a new championship to go along with the NEVER Openweight 6 man Championships.
This one came down to the final match of the Block events....and DEAR FLIPPIN' LORD WHAT A 3rd Match! Last time I heard/saw a trilogy this good it was Steamboat/Flair. And FINALLY, OMEGA got the win! Okada was dominant until his loss to EVIL, then his tie with Suzuki which gave Okada the 1 point lead going into the last day. Omega was clutch after his losses to Elgin and Robinson. The match was a barnburner to say the least!
So now the final comes down to A Block Winner Tetsuya Naito vs. B Block Winner Kenny Omega. The 2013 and 2016 winners will face of in a rematch of last year's 5 star B Block final.
Prediction: Naito exacts revenge in an instant classic to win the G1 Climax 2017 and finally get the main event spot that he truly belongs to. (Omega's the US Champion so he'll still have a high profile match coming up)
Results of Final G1 Climax Night:
Suzuki-Gun (Yoshinobu Kanemaru, TAKA Michinoku, El Desperado, and Taichi(WHO SUCKS)) def. Jushin Thunder Liger Liger, Hirai Kawato, IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Champion and Ring of Honor Television Champion KUSHIDA, and Tiger Mask IV. There was also a fantastic post match brawl surrounding Desperado and KUSHIDA.
Guerillas of Destiny def. Manabu Nakanishi and Yuji Nagata. GoD then bowed out of respect to Nagata.
Hirooki Goto and YOSHI-HASHI def. Togi Makabe and David Finlay
Hiroyoshi Tenzan, Satoshi Kojima, and Juice Robinson def. Bad Luck Fale, Yujiro Takahashi, and Chase Owens. Robinson is really getting a good rub as a top babyface amongst the 2nd tier.
Taguchi Japan (Coach Ryusuke Taguchi and The King of Flight Ricochet) def. The Young Bucks (Nick and Matt Jackson) to win the IWGP Jr. Tag Team Championships
In between, KATSUYORI SHIBATA returned to greet the crowd and remind them that "I'm Alive. That is all." (Admittedly I cried out of pure happiness along with that crowd)
War Machine (Warbeard Hanson and Raymond Rowe) def. The American Nightmare Cody (Rhodes.) and Hangman (Adam) Page to retain the IWGP Heavyweight Tag Team Championships. Post-Match, Suzuki-Gun's Killer Elite Squad (Davey Boy Smith Jr. and Lance Archer) returned to take out both teams and announce their desire for the Tag Titles.
Suzuki Gun (Zack Sabre Jr., Takashi Iizuka, and NEVER Openweight Champion Minoru Suzuki) def. Kota Ibushi, Michael Elgin, and IWGP Intercontinental Champion Hiroshi Tanahashi. Sabre has Tanahashi's number.
Los Ingobernables de Japon (Hiromu Takahashi w/Darryl!, and the NEVER Openweight 6-man Tag Team Champions EVIL, BUSHI, and SANADA) def. CHAOS (IWGP Heavyweight Champion Kazuchika Okada, Tomohiro Ishii, Toru Yano, and Gedo)
Finally, Tetsuya Naito def. Kenny Omega in a fantastic and highly dangerous match to win the G1 Climax for the 2nd time.
Tranquillo 焦んなよ
Tuesday, August 8, 2017
G1 Climax Preview and Results up to the the end of Block Play. (Finals will be separate post)
The G1 Climax from New Japan Pro Wrestling is the Summer League Tournament that determines the man who will challenge the IWGP Heavyweight Champion at Wrestle Kingdom. The 20 men are split into 2 different conferences, with each man in the conference facing off against each other. The winner of each conference is the man with the best record and the A and B block winners face off in the finals. All Champions in New Japan (including the Heavyweight Champion himself) can be selected to participate.
Participants
IWGP Intercontinental Champion Hiroshi Tanahashi
Togi Makabe
Michael Elgin
IWGP Heavyweight Champion Kazuchika Okada
Hirooki Goto
Tomohiro Ishii
Toru Yano
Yoshi-Hashi
IWGP United States Champion Kenny Omega
Bad Luck Fale
Tama Tonga
Tetsuya Naito
1/3 of the NEVER Openweight 6 Man Tag Team Champions Sanada
1/3 of the NEVER Openweight 6 Man Tag Team Champions Evil
Satoshi Kojima
Yuji Nagata
Juice Robinson
NEVER Openweight Champion Minoru Suzuki
Zack Sabre Jr.
Kota Ibushi
OFFICIAL BLOCKS
Block A
IWGP Intercontinental Champion Hiroshi Tanahashi (Taguchi Japan)
Former Winner and former IWGP Heavyweight Champion Togi Makabe
Former Winner and former IWGP Heavyweight Champion Yuji Nagata
Former Winner and last year's runner up Hirooki Goto (CHAOS)
Former Never Openweight Champion Tomohiro Ishii (CHAOS)
Loose Explosion YOSHI-HASHI (CHAOS)
Bad Luck Fale (Bullet Club)
Former IWGP Heavyweight Champion Tetsuya Naito (Los Ingobernables de Japon)
The Technical Wizard Zack Sabre Jr. (Suzuki Gun)
"Allegedly Tiger Mask W" and The Golden Star Kota Ibushi
My Original Predictions (At the beginning)
Winner)Kota Ibushi
2)Hiroshi Tanahashi
3)Tetsuya Naito
4)Hirooki Goto
5)Togi Makabe
6)Bad Luck Fale
7)Tomohiro Ishii
8)Yuji Nagata
9)YOSHI-HASHI
10)Zack Sabre Jr.
Considering the following: Foreigners don't always finish well (Kenny Omega of last year being the lone foreign winner since the tournament's inception) so as much of a fan I am of Sabre Jr, he isn't going to finish very well. Hashi's the fall guy for CHAOS so he's gone. Nagata's in his final tournament and I expect him to be the Tenzan of the tournament: a spoiler win and a win against a fall guy. Ishii, while always impressive, isn't in the main event position or even outside of the semi-main. Fale would be the dark horse because he always performs consistently for Bullet Club in the G1, but he's not finishing that high this year. Makabe went on a 4-0 streak to start last year's so I can see that happening with the right draw. Goto was last year's runner up, but he's fallen too far from his position last year.
Naito's the favorite, but as beloved as he is, he could be teased again to be just short as well. He'll be taken out on the last day. Tanahashi will be the one to take down Naito, but he's got the IC Championship and if he keeps it until WK, I don't smell a unification match anytime soon. Ibushi is the outsider of the tournament (that isn't foreign). Also, he has a perfect built in storyline with my prediction for the B block winner. It will be between Naito, Ibushi, and Tanahashi....but I'm going with Ibushi.
Final Standings
1(Winner))Tetsuya Naito (Goto, Ibushi, Nagata, YOSHI-HASHI, Sabre Jr, Makabe, Tanahashi) 14
2)Hiroshi Tanahashi(Fale, Goto, Nagata, Yoshi Hashi, Makabe, Ishii) 12
3)Bad Luck Fale (Ibushi, Makabe, Naito, Ishii, Fale, Nagata) 12
4)Hirooki Goto(Ishii, Nagata, Sabre Jr., HASHI, Ibushi) 10
5)Kota Ibushi(Ishii, Sabre Jr. , Tanahashi. HASHI, Nagata) 10
6)Zack Sabre Jr. (Fale, Makabe, Tanahashi, YOSHI-HASHI, Ishii) 10
7)Tomohiro Ishii(Makabe, Nagata, Naito, YOSHI-HASHI) 8
8)Togi Makabe (Goto, Ibushi, Nagata, HASHI) 8
9)Yoshi-Hashi(Fale, Nagata) 4
10)Yuji Nagata (Sabre Jr.) 2
Block B
Former Winner and former IWGP Heavyweight Champion Satoshi Kojima
Former NxT Superstar Juice Robinson (Taguchi Japan)
Former IWGP Intercontinental Champion Big Mike/Unbreakable Michael Elgin (Taguchi Japan)
Current IWGP Heavyweight Champion Kazuchika Okada(CHAOS)
Former IWGP Tag Team Champion Toru Yano (CHAOS)
Defending G1 Climax Winner Kenny Omega (Bullet Club)
The Bad Boy and 1/2 of the IWGP Tag Team Champions Tama Tonga (Bullet Club)
1/3 of the NEVER Openweight 6 man Tag team Champions EVIL (Los Ingobernables de Japon)
1/3 of the NEVER Openweight 6 man Tag team Champions SANADA (Los Ingobernables de Japon)
Current Never Openweight Champion Minoru Suzuki (Suzuki-Gun)
Kojima is in the Nagata position, on his last legs. I'm probably going to be wrong about EVIL being so low, but honestly his finisher is the main reason why he's down here. Robinson has slowly gathered a cult following, but he's a long way from being in an Omega position. Yano is a comedy piece. Tonga is in my opinion the Karl Anderson of Bullet Club now. He's brought himself up to a leader like (not-The Elite affiliated) position, but similar to Fale he's not the main guy. Suzuki is only at 5 because of the championship he holds. Realistically you could trade SANADA and EVIL and be correct. That's how unpredictable the LIJ guys are. That being said, I like SANADA and think he's going to be huge very soon.
The winner will probably be Omega or Okada, but I have Elgin finishing 2nd because he's believable enough to gain some major wins over the majority of the rest of the field. I have Omega winning due to the scenario that would happen if I'm right on both blocks.
Prediction (at the beginning)
Winner)Kenny Omega
2)Michael Elgin
3)Kazuchika Okada
4)SANADA
5)Minoru Suzuki
6)Tama Tonga
7)Toru Yano
8)Juice Robinson
9)EVIL
10)Satoshi Kojima
Final Standings
14 Points 1)Kenny Omega (EVIL, Kojima, Suzuki, Tonga, Yano, SANADA, Okada) WINNER
13 Points 2)Kazuchika Okada(Elgin, Kojima, Robinson, SANADA, Tonga, Yano) (Draw with Suzuki)
3)EVIL (Robinson, Suzuki, Tonga, Yano, Okada, Kojima) 12
4)Minoru Suzuki(Kojima, Robinson, SANADA, Tonga)(Draw with Okada) 9 Points
5)SANADA (Elgin, EVIL, Robinson, Yano)8
6)Michael Elgin (Kojima, Omega, Suzuki, EVIL) 8
7)Toru Yano (Elgin, Kojima, Tonga, Suzuki)8
8)Juice Robinson(Kojima, Omega, Yano, Elgin) 8
9)Tama Tonga(Elgin, Robinson, Kojima, SANADA) 8
10)Satoshi Kojima (SANADA) 2 Points
Currently Eliminated: Satoshi Kojima, Juice Robinson, Michael Elgin, Toru Yano, Tama Tonga, Minoru Suzuki, SANADA, EVIL
Okada advances with a Win/Tie
Omega advances with a Win
Overall Prediction: Ibushi def. Omega
Result: Omega vs. Naito
Participants
IWGP Intercontinental Champion Hiroshi Tanahashi
Togi Makabe
Michael Elgin
IWGP Heavyweight Champion Kazuchika Okada
Hirooki Goto
Tomohiro Ishii
Toru Yano
Yoshi-Hashi
IWGP United States Champion Kenny Omega
Bad Luck Fale
Tama Tonga
Tetsuya Naito
1/3 of the NEVER Openweight 6 Man Tag Team Champions Sanada
1/3 of the NEVER Openweight 6 Man Tag Team Champions Evil
Satoshi Kojima
Yuji Nagata
Juice Robinson
NEVER Openweight Champion Minoru Suzuki
Zack Sabre Jr.
Kota Ibushi
OFFICIAL BLOCKS
Block A
IWGP Intercontinental Champion Hiroshi Tanahashi (Taguchi Japan)
Former Winner and former IWGP Heavyweight Champion Togi Makabe
Former Winner and former IWGP Heavyweight Champion Yuji Nagata
Former Winner and last year's runner up Hirooki Goto (CHAOS)
Former Never Openweight Champion Tomohiro Ishii (CHAOS)
Loose Explosion YOSHI-HASHI (CHAOS)
Bad Luck Fale (Bullet Club)
Former IWGP Heavyweight Champion Tetsuya Naito (Los Ingobernables de Japon)
The Technical Wizard Zack Sabre Jr. (Suzuki Gun)
"Allegedly Tiger Mask W" and The Golden Star Kota Ibushi
My Original Predictions (At the beginning)
Winner)Kota Ibushi
2)Hiroshi Tanahashi
3)Tetsuya Naito
4)Hirooki Goto
5)Togi Makabe
6)Bad Luck Fale
7)Tomohiro Ishii
8)Yuji Nagata
9)YOSHI-HASHI
10)Zack Sabre Jr.
Considering the following: Foreigners don't always finish well (Kenny Omega of last year being the lone foreign winner since the tournament's inception) so as much of a fan I am of Sabre Jr, he isn't going to finish very well. Hashi's the fall guy for CHAOS so he's gone. Nagata's in his final tournament and I expect him to be the Tenzan of the tournament: a spoiler win and a win against a fall guy. Ishii, while always impressive, isn't in the main event position or even outside of the semi-main. Fale would be the dark horse because he always performs consistently for Bullet Club in the G1, but he's not finishing that high this year. Makabe went on a 4-0 streak to start last year's so I can see that happening with the right draw. Goto was last year's runner up, but he's fallen too far from his position last year.
Naito's the favorite, but as beloved as he is, he could be teased again to be just short as well. He'll be taken out on the last day. Tanahashi will be the one to take down Naito, but he's got the IC Championship and if he keeps it until WK, I don't smell a unification match anytime soon. Ibushi is the outsider of the tournament (that isn't foreign). Also, he has a perfect built in storyline with my prediction for the B block winner. It will be between Naito, Ibushi, and Tanahashi....but I'm going with Ibushi.
Final Standings
1(Winner))Tetsuya Naito (Goto, Ibushi, Nagata, YOSHI-HASHI, Sabre Jr, Makabe, Tanahashi) 14
2)Hiroshi Tanahashi(Fale, Goto, Nagata, Yoshi Hashi, Makabe, Ishii) 12
3)Bad Luck Fale (Ibushi, Makabe, Naito, Ishii, Fale, Nagata) 12
4)Hirooki Goto(Ishii, Nagata, Sabre Jr., HASHI, Ibushi) 10
5)Kota Ibushi(Ishii, Sabre Jr. , Tanahashi. HASHI, Nagata) 10
6)Zack Sabre Jr. (Fale, Makabe, Tanahashi, YOSHI-HASHI, Ishii) 10
7)Tomohiro Ishii(Makabe, Nagata, Naito, YOSHI-HASHI) 8
8)Togi Makabe (Goto, Ibushi, Nagata, HASHI) 8
9)Yoshi-Hashi(Fale, Nagata) 4
10)Yuji Nagata (Sabre Jr.) 2
Block B
Former Winner and former IWGP Heavyweight Champion Satoshi Kojima
Former NxT Superstar Juice Robinson (Taguchi Japan)
Former IWGP Intercontinental Champion Big Mike/Unbreakable Michael Elgin (Taguchi Japan)
Current IWGP Heavyweight Champion Kazuchika Okada(CHAOS)
Former IWGP Tag Team Champion Toru Yano (CHAOS)
Defending G1 Climax Winner Kenny Omega (Bullet Club)
The Bad Boy and 1/2 of the IWGP Tag Team Champions Tama Tonga (Bullet Club)
1/3 of the NEVER Openweight 6 man Tag team Champions EVIL (Los Ingobernables de Japon)
1/3 of the NEVER Openweight 6 man Tag team Champions SANADA (Los Ingobernables de Japon)
Current Never Openweight Champion Minoru Suzuki (Suzuki-Gun)
Kojima is in the Nagata position, on his last legs. I'm probably going to be wrong about EVIL being so low, but honestly his finisher is the main reason why he's down here. Robinson has slowly gathered a cult following, but he's a long way from being in an Omega position. Yano is a comedy piece. Tonga is in my opinion the Karl Anderson of Bullet Club now. He's brought himself up to a leader like (not-The Elite affiliated) position, but similar to Fale he's not the main guy. Suzuki is only at 5 because of the championship he holds. Realistically you could trade SANADA and EVIL and be correct. That's how unpredictable the LIJ guys are. That being said, I like SANADA and think he's going to be huge very soon.
The winner will probably be Omega or Okada, but I have Elgin finishing 2nd because he's believable enough to gain some major wins over the majority of the rest of the field. I have Omega winning due to the scenario that would happen if I'm right on both blocks.
Prediction (at the beginning)
Winner)Kenny Omega
2)Michael Elgin
3)Kazuchika Okada
4)SANADA
5)Minoru Suzuki
6)Tama Tonga
7)Toru Yano
8)Juice Robinson
9)EVIL
10)Satoshi Kojima
Final Standings
14 Points 1)Kenny Omega (EVIL, Kojima, Suzuki, Tonga, Yano, SANADA, Okada) WINNER
13 Points 2)Kazuchika Okada(Elgin, Kojima, Robinson, SANADA, Tonga, Yano) (Draw with Suzuki)
3)EVIL (Robinson, Suzuki, Tonga, Yano, Okada, Kojima) 12
4)Minoru Suzuki(Kojima, Robinson, SANADA, Tonga)(Draw with Okada) 9 Points
5)SANADA (Elgin, EVIL, Robinson, Yano)8
6)Michael Elgin (Kojima, Omega, Suzuki, EVIL) 8
7)Toru Yano (Elgin, Kojima, Tonga, Suzuki)8
8)Juice Robinson(Kojima, Omega, Yano, Elgin) 8
9)Tama Tonga(Elgin, Robinson, Kojima, SANADA) 8
10)Satoshi Kojima (SANADA) 2 Points
Currently Eliminated: Satoshi Kojima, Juice Robinson, Michael Elgin, Toru Yano, Tama Tonga, Minoru Suzuki, SANADA, EVIL
Okada advances with a Win/Tie
Omega advances with a Win
Overall Prediction: Ibushi def. Omega
Result: Omega vs. Naito
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