NJPW: G1 Climax 30 Night Eleven Review - October 7th, 2020

NJPW G1 CLIMAX 30

OCTOBER 7TH, 2020

1) Tomohiro Ishii (2-3) (4 pts) vs. Yujiro Takahashi (0-5) (0 pts) - Block A Match 

Ok what da fuck. Yujiro has an opener that doesn’t put me to sleep. Ishii can make a match with just about anyone good even if it’s against an 0-5 Yujiro Takahashi in a Grade One Climax opener. Lots of sick action down the stretch. Ishii wins and gets a much needed two points! Poor Yujiro is 0-6. 

Match rating - ***1/4 

2) Kazuchika Okada (3-2) (6 pts) vs. Jeff Cobb (2-3) (4 pts) - Block A Match 

First time ever match here. And I swear man, even if Okada has been kinda off this year he’s still that dude. The vibe is just always off the charts. None the less, yeah, this was what it was. Starts slow then has a hot final few minutes and Okada wins with the same cradle/pinning combo thing he caught Suzuki in on Night 9. Cobb was real cocky here even throwing up the rainmaker pose at one point. 

Match rating - ***

3) Minoru Suzuki (3-2) (6 pts) vs. Will Ospreay (3-2) (6 pts) - Block A Match 

IM SO READY FOR THIS. I want to see our lord and savior Suzuki pummel this man. They start with a strike battle right at the bell. Kevin Kelly says when you face Suzuki “you know you’re gonna get beat half to death” lmao. Hot start, middle portion slows down for a minute or two then they go into insanity. Suzuki threw stiff shots and Ospreay returned in kind which was wild to see in both regards. This felt like it was just heating up as it ended. Ospreay wins with storm breaker. 

Match rating - ***1/2

4) Jay White (3-2) (6 pts) vs. Taichi (3-2) (6 pts) - Block A Match 

Never on paper would I expect these two to have such a banger but then again, maybe I would considering that hot run Taichi has been on. Jay taunted Taichi by sitting in a chair in the corner of the ring as Taichi made his entrance which really set the tone for this match of two men with some similar personality traits as far as doing whatever it takes to win. Things really heat up down the stretch after Jay kinda controlled things early. Taichi targets the leg and Jay tries to thwart him from it asking for a forearm which Taichi obliges later and it’s a STIFF ONE. So yeah Taichi mounts his comeback, they do some ref bump/overbooking shit but it is actually fun here. Anyways, they both go for finishers but Jay nails the blade runner for the win. 

Match rating - ***1/2

5) Kota Ibushi (4-1) (8 pts) vs. Shingo Takagi (3-2) (6 pts) - Block A Match 

This is the match I was most excited about when the blocks and cards were announced. My two favorite Japanese wrestlers. Two men I've followed for a decade clashing on a grand stage for the first time ever. Kota is fighting for a second G1 Climax tournament victory and Shingo is battling for his first in a tournament of ups and downs thus far. This match was exactly what you’d expect from the two - bombs. They didn’t go into epic territory but they definitely threw the fuck down and made me gasp on a couple occasions. Plus, seeing them in this setting was special on its own. It’s felt like some matches in this year’s G1 have been missing something or not on the level of normal and I can’t help but wonder if some of our expectations are just too high. I wanted a five star match here and I didn’t get that, but I got a great fucking fight and to see two of my favorites clash so I’m not gonna complain one bit. 

Match rating - ****1/4

NJPW: G1 Climax 30 Night Ten Review - October 6th, 2020

NJPW: G1 CLIMAX 30 

OCTOBER 6TH 2020

 

1) Hirooki Goto (1-4) (2 pts) vs. Toru Yano (4-1) (8 pts) - Block B Match 

I am nervous for poor Goto here. But it turns out that there is no reason to be because this is the quickest match in G1 history as Goto defeats Yano with a roll up in 18 seconds. Lord jesus. 

Match rating - **

2) Zack Sabre Jr (2-2) (4 pts) vs. SANADA (1-3) (2 pts) - Block B Match

Zack defeated Sanada at Wrestle Kingdom this year to retain the RPW British Heavyweight Title. Circumstances are a little different here as SANADA is coming off a massive victory over Naito that could turn his tournament around. ZSJ is hot off a flashy victory over Goto and they open this thing trading roll ups and pinning combinations. Fucking great, hot start honestly and it stayed that way for pretty much the entire stretch and I really kinda fucking loved this. Hold for hold, near fall for near fall. It felt like it could end at anytime and was different than any match either man had in the tournament prior. Let’s go! SANADA wins with a moonsault. 

Match rating - ***1/2

3) EVIL (w/ Dick Togo) (2-2) (4 pts) vs. Juice Robinson (3-1) (6 pts) - Block B Match 

Idk I just could not get into this. Juice rules and is the ultimate baby face but EVIL is such a drag. My favorite part of this aside from the action in the last minute or two was Togo and Juice going at it on the floor. EVIL wins and no one is very surprised. Pretty forgettable average match despite not being outright bad (like a lot of these lowercard G1 matches this year sadly :/)

Match rating - **3/4

4) Tetsuya Naito (3-1) (6 pts) vs. YOSHI HASHI (1-3) (2 pts) - Block B Match

Yoshi continues his trend of giving hell to all his big name opponents in the tournament and Naito continues his trend of never delivering a bad match. This did seem to go a little long considering it’s almost 25 minutes, but the entire final 10 minute stretch fucking rules. If you take out some of the filler in the first 15, this could’ve probably been a four star match, but as it sits, it’s a solid 3.5. Naito wins, but Yoshi looked fucking great. Match of the night. 

Match rating - ***1/2

5) Hiroshi Tanahashi (2-2) (4 pts) vs. KENTA (2-2) (4 pts) - Block B Match

Vintage face vs heel pro wrestling here. Last year, KENTA defeated the Ace in their first and only singles match in the G1. A big moment as it was essentially NOAH vs NJPW. Fast forward a year later and KENTA has become a despised character and wants to one up the Ace and embarrass him again. KENTA works the leg early. Tana fights but gets caught with stuff like a dragon screw off the apron to the floor. This also plagued Tana when he went for the clover leaf and couldn’t quite hang on or lock it in like he wanted. Things break down and KENTA nails Tana with his briefcase following a ref bump. But Tana still kicks out! Baby face fire ~~~~ this leads to the comeback and he taps Tana forces him to tap. Good main event. 

Match rating - ***1/4 

NJPW: G1 Climax 30 Night Nine Review - October 5th, 2020

NJPW: G1 Climax 30 Night Nine 

October 5th, 2020 

1) Shingo Takagi (1-3) (2 pts) vs. Yujiro Takahashi (0-4) (0 points) - Block A Match 

How is Shingo 1-3??? Anyway he just had an insane main event against Ishii so he struggles a little to put this away as quick as you’d think, but it’s quite the enjoyable little opener even if it felt like it went a slight bit too long. Shingo wins with last of the dragon. 

Match rating - **3/4 

2) Jay White (3-1) (6 pts) vs. Jeff Cobb (1-3) (2 pts) - Block A Match

This felt like a rushed upset. For such a huge win for Cobb, it felt flat with White seeming to never have Cobb’s number despite having the most dominant run of anyone in this block so far. Idk, just didn’t make sense to me, but I’m also probably still bitter ab Cobb beating Shingo lol. None the less, White struggles to combat Cobb’s power and falls to it and the tour of the islands after around 12 minutes despite Gedo’s interference attempts. If this has played out and gotten 10 more minutes it could’ve been awesome because the story was good it just seemed disjointed in delivery. 

Match rating - **1/2 

3) Kazuchika Okada (2-2) (4 pts) vs. Minoru Suzuki (3-1) (6 pts) - Block A Match

I've seen some flack on this, but I really enjoyed it. Okada/Suzuki had a match a few years back that was high on my MOTY list so I was excited for a rematch even though this is under entirely different circumstances. Suzuki really works over Okada early on and Okada has to fight from under and fire back and in the midst of that sneaks a victory with a pinning combo and manages to escape a match with Suzuki unscathed and with 6 points! Fun little match.

Match rating - ***

4) Tomohiro Ishii (2-2) (4 pts) vs. Taichi (3-1) (6 pts) - Block A Match

These two always have bangers and this was no different as it was probably the match of the night. Taichi having such a great run in the tourney this year so far definitely added to the heat and intensity that these two already have against each other naturally. After a hell of a slugfest, Ishii secures a much needed victory. 

Match rating - ***3/4 

5) Kota Ibushi (3-1) (6 pts) vs. Will Ospreay (3-1) (6 pts) - Block A Match 

Ahhhhh this was so good in the final few minutes. Sorry to jump ahead but I got real riled up at the finish. This is a rematch from Wrestle Kingdom where Ospreay seemingly solidified himself in the jump from junior to heavyweight with a victory against a man who did the same. Here, Ibushi gets his victory back in a match that starts off pretty ordinary but turns into a heater in the last few moments but ends just as it starts getting good. Fair enough, though, it was about time for a shorter main event. IBUSHI WINS AND MY HEART IS HAPPY :) 

Match rating - ***1/2 

NJPW: G1 Climax 30 Night Eight Review - October 1st, 2020

 NJPW: G1 Climax 30 Night Eight Review - October 1st, 2020

Okay so I am literally FIVE nights behind so we are skipping young lions matches totally going forward. I am so sorry but I gotta keep it moving. They did have a draw in the opener on this night though so there’s your update <3 moving onnnnn 

1) Juice Robinson (2-1) (4 pts) vs. Toru Yano (3-0) (6 pts) - Block B Match

“No bullshit, now, okay?” -Juice Robinson 

Lots of more typical Yano fun here and Juice is hilarious in this stuff too so it was good. But we got some solid action as it went on before the inevitable fairly quick finish with Juice ending Yano’s crazy win streak via a roll up. Yano & Juice are both now tied at 6 points. So FUNNN. 

Match rating - **1/2

2) Zack Sabre Jr. (1-2) (2 pts) vs. Hirooki Goto (1-2) (2 pts) - Block B Match

Wow this ended so quickly. Goto has a hurt shoulder and is coming off a grueling Naito match. Sabre toys with him a little. They throw a bomb or two then Sabre catches him in his signature bridging pinning combo thing for the win. 

Match rating - **

3) Hiroshi Tanahashi (1-2) (2 pts) vs. YOSHI-HASHI (1-2) (2 pts) - Block B Match

Yoshi has really shown up to this G1 and he locks up with Tana here to start things off in what turns out to be a pretty evenly contested match. Yoshi gives Tana a real struggle and although it never made me doubt a Tana victory, it felt like there could be an upset on a few occasions. Tana wins with the high fly flow. 

Match rating - ***1/4 

4) KENTA (2-1) (4 pts) vs. EVIL (1-2) (2 pts) (w/ Dick Togo) - Block B Match

Ahhhh ok. So modern Bullet Club is hit or miss but I am still a mark for the group bc of the history and the glory days. Therefore, this is super intriguing to me. I love KENTA and Togo, could care less about EVIL as I’ve said before but the fact remains that EVIL emerged as a new member of BC, along with Togo, while KENTA was away in the US due to Covid so seeing these two clash is super interesting. EVIL refuses to too sweet KENTA despite teasing it. KENTA tries to play mind games early by attempting to whisper stuff in Togo’s ear at ringside and coaxing him to hit EVIL. Togo disparages this apparent doubt by grabbing KENTA’s legs and tripping him up moments later. This allowed EVIL to take control and work the shoulder and arm of KENTA. EVIL was clearly more of the rudo here which was a little weird since KENTA has been super heel for so long. KENTA hits Togo with the briefcase at one point and that sets up for Togo to get involved down the stretch. KENTA lifts him for a GTS but this leads to a low blow from EVIL off the distraction and the finish. 

Match rating - ***

5) Tetsuya Naito (3-0) (6 pts) vs. SANADA (0-3) (6 pts) - Block B Match

Honestly dreading this. Love me some Naito, but SANADA in a main event has never done much for me.  The only interesting part is they are stable mates and this is in SANADA’s home town per say. I have to say though, this turned out pretty great. Especially considering the low expectations I had. Naito is truly the ace of this block and knocks his main events out of the park every single time. The final few minutes featured some awesome drama and back & forth and the finish came as a huge surprise to me and I wasn’t even mad about despite my disinterest in SANADA. It was an awesome moment for him and his post match promo/moment with the crowd and the lights dimmed down felt special. Also noting that Naito was 3-0 and SANADA was 0-3 heading into this adds even more to the story, I may actually have to re-watch this bc I didn't realize that in my initial viewing. 

Match rating - ***3/4

NJPW: G1 Climax 30 Night Seven Review - September 30th, 2020

NJPW: G1 Climax 30 Night Seven

September 30th, 2020

Let’s gooo. Back to Block A we go. Also I’m super behind so I’m skipping the young lions match on this show DONT HATE ME. 

1) Minoru Suzuki (2-1) (4 pts) vs. Yujiro Takahashi (0-3) (0 pts) - Block A Match 

Godddd I love Suzuki’s theme. I feel bad for Yujiro here. But just as I type that he charges Suzuki with a boot and we get a pretty sick brawl to start. They’re on the outside for a while before it heads back in the ring and despite a few flurry attempts, Suzuki puts down Yujiro with the gotch style piledriver. 

Match rating - **3/4

2) Jeff Cobb (1-2) (2 pts) vs. Kota Ibushi (1-2) (2 pts) - Block A Match 

First time meeting here and it bangs! Not a blow away match, but you get what you’d want out of it. Crazy power and speed stuff from both dudes. Cobb hits a fuckin F-5,000 that spins Ibushi in the air and flattens him to the mat for a near fall. Ibushi won’t give up as usual and is able to hit a Kamigoye for the win. I want this rematch again down the line. Ibushi shows respect to a fallen Cobb post match and god damn I love him so much ugh. 

Match rating - ***1/2

3) Kazuchika Okada (1-2) (2 pts) vs. Taichi (3-0) (6 pts) - Block A Match 

Okada/Taichi is always a good match. With the circumstances this year it's no surpise it was indeed just that. Taichi is on arguably the run of his career as far as the G1 goes. He's 3-0 and Okada has been hit or miss. Can Taichi get this huge upset and 8 points to put himself in the lead of the block? Well, the answer is no, but he put in a hell of a fight, dominating the rainmaker from the outset and targeting his back. Some awesome exchanges down the stretch, it never felt like an epic or even the best match they've had together, but it was good. Taichi submits to the money clip. 

Match rating - ***1/4

4) Will Ospreay (2-1) (4 pts) vs. Jay White (3-0) (6 pts) - Block A Match

I enjoyed this a lot more than I expected. Jay White is looking to continue billing this entire tournament as his - the J1 as he is undefeated with victories over Shingo, Okada, & Ibushi. Ospreay is trying to bounce back after his loss to Shingo. This match was honestly great from start to finish. It was basic Jay formula which helped keep Ospreay from getting out of hand and going off the deep end. It honestly hurt to see White take the pin here as I'm still very sour on Ospreay continuing to be pushed. But yeah, this match ruled.

Match rating - ****

5) Shingo Takagi (2-1) (4 pts) vs. Tomohiro Ishii (0-3) (0 pts) - Block A Match

These two tore the damn house down last year in a match where Shingo was victorious. This year, we have Ishii without a single victory yet in three nights of competition so you know he's gonna be pissed as fuck and add even more to this hoss fight. Ishii did just that and came out swinging, but Shingo was able to combat it and take control after a few minutes. This was pretty back & forth for the majority of it and ended up going almost 30 minutes which was a little too long, even for my taste. They weren't able to top or match their bout from last year which I felt is what they were going for, but they still delivered us one hell of an exhausting slugfest with a logical ending as Ishii finally hit the brainbuster he's been unable to hit all tournament and subsequently gets the victory.

Match rating - ****

NJPW: G1 Climax 30 Night Six Review - September 29th, 2020

NJPW: G1 Climax 30 - Night Six 

September 29th, 2020

1) Gabriel Kidd vs. Yuya Uemura - Young Lions Match

Kidd runs his ass to the ring and this thing gets underway. Honestly didn’t pay a whole lot of attention to this until Uemura started working over the back which led to the finish with another deep single legged Boston crab which forced Kidd to tap. 

Match rating - **1/4

2) SANADA (0-2) (0 pts) vs. Yoshi Hashi (0-2) (0 pts) Block B Match 

Yoshi had a solid showing against EVIL on Night Four - will that happen here? I certainly hope so bc it takes a lot for me to get into a SANADA match. They fight to the floor and Sanada hits a hanging twisting suplex off the railing that allows him to start taking control and ground YOSHI back in the ring. YOSHI ends up coming back but it’s back and forth and pretty basic. But THEN the final 2-3 minutes kick in and those fucking rule. Mainly thanks to YOSHI and subsequently he gets the victory. Zero points no more.

Match rating - **3/4

3) KENTA (1-1) (2 pts) vs. Zack Sabre Jr (1-1) (2 pts) - Block B Match 

WHEW. This was something serious. KENTA is pissed following his loss to Juice and used that as motivation to avenge his loss to Sabre in last year’s G1. The action here was simple. KENTA focused on strikes and Sabre focused on grappling. In the end, KENTA and his strikes were just too much and ZSJ falls to the GTS after a real good match. 

Match rating - ***1/2

4) Hiroshi Tanahashi (0-2) (0 pts) vs. Juice Robinson (2-0) (4 pts) - Block B Match 

Huge match for Juice here against the ace. But also a huge match for the ace as he hasn’t been able to secure a victory in the tournament thus far. With that in mind, Tana fights hard here and Juice always has his heart on his sleeve so this was fun. Tana gets the win with a cradle when all is said and done to break his losing streak. 

Match rating - ***1/4

5) EVIL (1-1) (2 pts) vs. Toru Yano (2-0) (4 pts) - Block B Match 

I have a feeling I’m gonna get a hoot out of this... and yes I fucking did. Yano beats EVIL and I am fucking rolling. In less than FIVE MINUTES. Was slightly confused/bummed at him beating Tana & Okada bc <3 but I couldn’t care less about EVIL so LETS GO. 

Match rating - **

6) Tetsuya Naito (2-0) (4 pts) vs. Hirooki Goto (1-1) (2 pts) - Block B Match 

I’m super high on Naito rn and I have a soft spot for Goto however this match proved to be a very good display of why Goto has never moved up higher than where he’s at. His best matches are the short bangers with dudes like Ishii because although he is super solid in these long main events, there’s no fire or real intrigue. So, yes, this didn’t bother me, but it also didn’t grab me. It was just a good match that happened. Naito wins with two destinos around the 20 minute mark. 

Match rating - ***

Final thoughts: Nothing must see on this show. KENTA/ZSJ is worth a look but everything else is passable. Except maybe the Yano match bc it’s so such short and harmless fun. 

NJPW: G1 Climax 30 Night Five Review - September 27th, 2020

NJPW: G1 Climax 30

Night Five

September 27th, 2020 

The almighty A Block sports one of its most loaded cards of the whole tournament with Shingo/Ospreay in a BOSJ rematch, Ibushi/Ishii in a rematch from prior G1’s, and Okada/White. 

1) Gabriel Kidd vs. Yota Tsuji - Young Lions Match 

It really feels like these guys are getting more intense as the tournament goes on. They work on the mat then go into throwing some BOMBS. Kidd puts away Tsuji with the under hook suplex. It looked great once again. Decent little jawn. 

Match rating - **1/2

2) Taichi (2-0) (4 pts) vs. Yujiro Takahashi (0-2) (0 pts) - Block A Match

On the most loaded card, we also have possibly the most uninteresting match in the block on paper as the opener. Taichi is on a hot streak with two wins over Cobb and Suzuki whereas Takahashi is still searching for his first tournament victory. Taichi is cocky early and dominates, but Takahashi fires up and fires back and they throw big moves at one another for a minute or two before Taichi picks up the win. Not nearly as painful as expected on paper. Taichi goes 3-0 and Takahashi goes 0-3. 

Match rating - **3/4

3) Minoru Suzuki (1-1) (2 pts) vs. Jeff Cobb (1-1) (2 pts) - Block A Match 

This was probably one of the more underwhelming matches of the G1 so far. Not that it was bad, but it’s not the dream match you’d expect at all. Suzuki wears down Cobb for 2-3 minutes early then they slug it out for a few minutes and Suzuki pins Cobb with a gotch style piledriver. It’s good for what it is and has a simple story with some decent action, I just had way higher expectations so I guess I let myself down for than anything. None the less, big win for Suzuki after his loss to Taichi. 

Match rating - **3/4 

4) Kota Ibushi (1-1) (2 pts) vs. Tomohiro Ishii (0-2) (0 points) - Block A Match 

Damn these two can do no wrong I stg. Ishii has yet to gain any points and Ibushi is coming off a loss to Jay White.  This was your vintage Ibushi/Ishii and it doesn’t top their epics from G1 27 & G1 28, but it’s another awesome edition to their list of matches. Just a banger of a match where they get stiff as fuck and throw each other around with tons of fighting spirit. Ibushi wins with a Kamigoye. Ishii gets knocked loopy and tries to tussle after the bell which just added to how great this was. Not much more can be said, loved it. 

Match rating - ****

5) Will Ospreay (2-0) (4 pts) vs. Shingo Takagi (1-1) (2 pts) - Block A Match 

So here it is, the big rematch from their classic BOSJ final last year. I went five stars on it and have been hyped about this rematch since it was announced. Ospreay is undefeated in the G1 and Shingo is 1-1. It appears to be a slight Shingo advantage bc we are in Kobe hall - an arena he had many many great matches in with Dragon Gate. But at the same time, Ospreay’s record heading into this is much stronger, not to mention he beat Shingo in a huge match last time in their first meeting. Early, Ospreay shows this confidence and does a good job of a looking like a cocky dick which isn’t hard considering he’s already a dick in real life. They have an insane fast paced exchange early and Shingo shows he isn’t phased by Ospreay. This turns out to be a pretty awesome match that had me reeled in the entire time. It was hard to come close to their BOSJ match though. It just was lacking something in comparison to that. HOWEVER, on its own, it fuckin rules and is my second favorite match of the tournament so far only behind Tana/Naito. Very verg good stuff with a lot of near falls down the stretch and my man SHINGO getting his victory back in his home arena. Hell yes! 

Match rating - ****1/4

6) Kazuchika Okada (1-1) (2 pts) vs. Jay White (2-0) (4 pts) - Block A Match

The story behind this is cool and all, but I haven't been the biggest fan of Okada/White matches and this turns out to be no different. Okada's 2020 hasn't been great and this didn't do it many favors. White nails his gimmick and the focus on his heel persona is awesome. However, it was very hard to stay invested in this one for the entire duration. Despite that, it's not TERRIBLE, especially since it barely hit the 20 minute mark and didn't overstay it's welcome. A few good moments and a decent story, just didn't feel like a main event or touch anywhere near Ibushi/Ishii or Shingo/Ospreay. Jay White wins and is 3-0 and leading the A Block. 

Match rating - **3/4

NJPW: G1 Climax 30 Night Four Review - September 24th, 2020

 NJPW: G1 Climax 30 - Night Four

September 24th, 2020

1) Yota Tsuji vs. Yuya Uemura - Young Lions Match 

Another good effort from these two here. Tsuji looked like a monster with an insane running power slam and a nice spear. This power advantage leads him to victory as he’s able to control Uemura and force him to tap to the same move he made Tsuji tap to on Night One. 

Match rating - **1/2

2) Hirooki Goto (0-1) (0 pts) vs. SANADA (0-1) (0 pts) - Block B Match

I have to say - this was a lot better than I anticipated. I love Goto and SANADA can pull out a good match, but this was balls to the wall from the start and kept my attention from bell to bell. Goto got his arm worked and SANADA flew around a little bit. Goto fought from underneath and it looked like the start to a disappointing G1 for our main man Goto but he fights back and gets the win. 

Match rating - ***1/2

3) Hiroshi Tanahashi (1-0) (2 pts) vs. Toru Yano (1-0) (2 pts) - Block B Match

Largely a comedy match as you’d expect but it’s fun. I enjoyed it a lot more than the Sanada match. Probably because Tana has a lot more personality than Sanada to match what Yano brings to the table. The finish with Yano almost getting counted out with a towel wrapped around his head only for him to cradle Tana for the surprise win was wild. 

Match rating - ***

4) KENTA (1-0) (2 pts) vs. Juice Robinson (1-0) (2pts) - Block B Match 

KENTA is in major don’t give a fuck mode here and you can tell he takes Juice very lightly. It’s honestly exactly what I hoped for in this match. Typical KENTA weaseling his way out of locking up and stuff but to me with an extra sense of caring even less bc of how he small of a threat he considers Juice, if at all. Juice is the perfect full of heart and hope babyface to go against that. Anyway this is all pre match/opening moments talk. KENTA tries to ground Juice early and wear him down. Juice fires back but gets cut off on the top rope with headbutts and KENTA starts running through with him with all his signature stuff. They end up in the middle of the ring and Juice throws some hellacious forearms but KENTA hits an amazing spinning back fast exchange only for Juice to floor him with a lariat. This started a little slow but the final moments ruled. Juice picks up a huge victory with pulp friction and he’s so sensational as he stares down KENTA post match and points at his NJCup USA briefcase that I almost wanna cry. 

Match rating - ***1/4

5) EVIL (0-1) (0 pts) (w/ Dick Togo) vs. YOSHI HASHI (0-1) (0 pts) - Block B Match

Well this had way more life to it than I expected. EVIL's title reign and stuff was cool on story level, but the matches were so dull and empty for me that it takes a lot to get me into anything he does. He and Zack had a good match on Night Two of the G1, but they always work well together. Hashi is hit or miss and admittedly he's on here and they have a real solid match. I didn't enjoy it as much as some others because of reasons previously stated, but it was better than I anticipated it would be. Hashi looked strong, but EVIL pins him when all is said and done despite the match being very competitive.

Match rating - ***

6) Tetsuya Naito (1-0) (2 points) vs. Zack Sabre Jr (1-0) (2 points) - Block A Match

Hot damn this built up into one hell of a match. It starts a little slow, outside of a few early pinning combos from Zack that ruled and felt like legit nearfalls. It felt like it lost it's focus a few moments in the early/middle, but the work was still great. Sabre and Naito work awesome together and have had several outstanding matches in the past. No MOTYC shit, but still really good stuff. This was no different. Like I said, early with a lot of mat work and stuff that took a minute to build up, but once they found their grip, it turned into a barnburner. Listening to this with Japanese commentary instead of English also helped because their enthusiasm is off the charts. Last few minutes had me gasping a couple of times. Naito wins after a couple destinos.

Match rating - ****

NJPW: G1 Climax Night Three Review - September 23rd, 2020

NJPW G1 Climax 30 Night Three Results & Review

September 23rd, 2020

Hokkaido, Sapporo

1) Gabriel Kidd vs. Yuya Uemura - Young Lions Match

My fav Young Lions match so far. Mainly for the finish as Kidd gets his first win and breaks out a sick ass double underhook suplex that popped myself and the commentary team HARD. Hell yes. This was super fun.

Match rating - **3/4

2) Shingo Takagi (0-1) (0 points) vs. Jeff Cobb (0-1) (0 points) - Block A Match

MAN FUCK. So, I was excited for this. I love Shingo. And on the other hand, Jeff Cobb is someone who can have really good matches despite his run in last year's G1 being quiet and sorta underwhelming. This turned out to be a pretty banging opener. They traded moves and shots. Just about everything you'd expect. A cool counter or two and a few good nearfalls. Then Cobb pins Shingo and I get SAD. I admit I'm biased because DAMN. My man is now 0-2 :( Good match, none the less and the story made sense considering Shingo is a junior technically and Cobb is a heavyweight so Shingo's stuff didn't have the same full effect on Cobb as it does most of his smaller opponents. Cobb wins with Tour of the Islands.

Match rating - ***1/2

3) Kazuchika Okada (0-1) (0 points) vs. Yujiro Takahashi (0-1) (0 points) - Block A Match

A lot of people expecting an upset here. Will Okada start the tourney 0-2? Will Takahashi get a major win? One thing is for sure heading into this - some pick em' brackets will be smashed depending on the outcome. From the jump, Takahashi seems to have some momentum. So much so Okada is forced to hit a springboard cross body to the floor to get the advantage at one point. It turns into a fairly back & forth affair about mid-way through with some exchanges that will make you gasp. But in the end, Okada hits a vicious lariat or two and then forces Takahashi to submit. So much for an upset, but this was a lot of fun and the most I've enjoyed a Takahashi match, maybe ever?

Match rating - ***

4) Minoru Suzuki (1-0) (2 points) vs. Taichi (1-0) (2 points) - Block A Match 

Another match of winners here where someone will take their first loss and it’s stable warfare as Suzuki-Gun members face off. Suzuki hits the ring immediately shoves Taichi in the face to establish his leader-esque dominance. Lots of the story here was Suzuki clearly showing that he believes himself to be above Taichi. Lots of plunder early then they go into a slugfest. Taichi reverses out of the gotch style piledriver and drives Suzuki into the mat with Black Memphisto for the surprise win. WOW. Taichi is 2-0. Good match. 

Match rating - ***1/4

5) Will Ospreay (1-0) (2 points) vs. Tomohiro Ishii (0-1) (0 points) - Block A Match 

Solely based off Ospreay being a complete shithead in real life, I wanted to see Ishii really light his ass up here. Unfortunately I didn’t get as much of that as I hoped, but the match was still good. Typical stuff you’d expect from a power/strikes vs. speed/agility match from these two. Ospreay wins with the stormbreaker after some false finishes. 

Match rating - ***1/2

6) Jay White (1-0) (2 points) vs. Kota Ibushi (1-0) (2 points) - Block A Match

Rematch from last year’s G1 finals and from Wrestle Kingdom. Jay talks a lot of shit with the fans early and works on Kota’s leg hard. He goes back to it to cut off every flurry Ibushi has. They go into some big stuff down the stretch. Gedo gets on the apron, Ibushi kicks him and then goes for the kamigoye BUT JAY CATCHES HIM WITH THE MOST SICK BLADE RUNNER OF ALL TIME for the huge win over Ibushi. 4 points for Jay. Not on the level of Suzuki/Ishii or Naito/Tana but definitely the best match on this night and a very good main event. 

Match rating - ***3/4

---------

UPDATED BLOCK A STANDINGS:

Jay White - 4 points

Will Ospreay - 4 points

Taichi - 4 points

Kota Ibushi - 2 points

Kazuchika Okada - 2 points

Minoru Suzuki - 2 points

Jeff Cobb - 2 points

Tomohiro Ishii - 0 points

Shingo Takagi - 0 points

Yujiro Takahashi - 0 points

NJPW: G1 Climax 30 Night Two Review - September 20th, 2020

 NJPW: G1 Climax 30 Night Two

September 20th, 2020

Block A kicked off the tournament last night in great fashion with Suzuki & Ishii undoubtedly stealing the show. Tonight, Block B takes center stage! Pardon there only being gif's for a couple of the matches. I watched half of this on my computer and the other half on my TV sooooo... yeah. 

1) Gabriel Kidd vs. Yota Tsuji - Young Lions Match

BUT FIRST. Young Lions action. Tsuji lost to Uemura last night via tap out despite a valiant effort. He has another tough opponent here in Kidd. They chain wrestle for a bit before they start laying into each other with strikes. They do a nice call back to how Tsuji lost last night with a lion tamer, but Tsuji gets the ropes this time and ends up catching Kidd in a crab and wrenching down it on deep, forcing him to tap.

Match rating - **1/2

2) Juice Robinson vs. YOSHI-HASHI - Block B Match

WOW. Juice looks great. He's changed his look so many times, but always pulls it off. This was about what you'd expect. They went pretty hard and gave us some good action. It's not anything to write home about, though. Juice hits pulp friction for the win. I'm looking forward to what he can do in his bigger matches in the tournament.

Match rating - ***

3) SANADA vs. Toru Yano - Block B Match

This was... somethin. Yano is coming off a victory over OKADA not too long ago to win the KOPW 2020 thing. Well. He gets a big win here in a pretty funny match. He gets checked for tape pre-match and it's found on him. But the bell rings and the match unfolds. Sanada ends up tying Yano in a paradise lock along the entrance way after some back & forth in the ring. Yano escapes thanks to YOUNG LION Yuya Uemura untying him. Yano uses this distraction to tie he & SANADA's legs together and get the.. countout.. victory over SANADA. 

Match rating - **

4) KENTA vs. Hirooki Goto - Block B Match

Switched over to English commentary since it popped up when I tuned back into this show and wow. Kevin Kelly’s call at the end of this talking about how big of a set KENTA has for his game plan in this is hilarious. Yeah, KENTA’s proclamation was to tap out Goto with the game over here. This match is centered around that with KENTA targeting the arm and in vicious fashion like he’s known for. Goto fires back with some heavy strikes and limb work of his own but it’s not enough as he ends up tapping to the game over just as KENTA said he would. Real good match of struggle between two vicious workers. It never really got into high gear but I don’t think that was the point, it was a struggle from start to finish. 

Match rating - ***1/4 

5) Zack Sabre Jr vs. EVIL (w/ Dick Togo) - Block B Match

These two have had killer matches in the past so I was riled up on this one. However I did have my doubts considering I haven't been wild at all about EVIL's title win and stuff. None the less, this turned out to be my favorite match on the show so far. Sabre grabs Dick Togo’s arm before the bell and EVIL charges him which leads to an awesome brawl outside the ring to start. The middle portion of the match was smooth and didn't drag at all. Lots of good wrestling and counters and everything made sense. I was worried when Togo came into the ring after a ref bump, but it wasn't overdone and Zack locking him into the cross arm bar popped me hard. The finish with Zack's quickness giving him the edge as he kicks out of darkness falls and manages to trap EVIL in a bridiging pin combination out of nowhere for the victory. Loved this, not their best match together but very fun and with a surprising outcome to boot. 

Match rating - ***1/2 

6) Tetsuya Naito vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi - Block B Match

WHAt. THE. FUCK. This is the Grade One Climax baby. Tanahashi wants to prove he's still the ace. Naito wants to prove he's here to stay and is every bit as good as Tana is and ever was. This match had me hooked from the jump. Tana looked amazing in entrance and as the match went on, you could tell his head was in the right spot as he was the first take aim at a body part in Naito's knees and he didn't hesitate to nail him with whatever it took to keep the advantage. He was focused and determined. Naito though, despite from fighting from underneath for most of the match, never seemed to lose his confidence and felt like a true champion and leader of the company. This was a classic performance from both guys in their first meeting in three years. This was the match both guys needed. For me, I wasn't hype on Naito heading into this coming out of the disappointing matches with EVIL and Tanahashi is just coming off being primarily a tag team wrestler - so, to see both of them come in here and shatter any doubts was just fucking amazing. I had minimal interest in the B Block on paper partially for reasons previously stated, but this turned that around because holy hell, if these two keep going at this level I'm gonna have a heart attack. Naito with a huge win and Tana with a huge loss, but that sets the table for some great stories to be told as this tournament goes on I'm sure. 

Match rating - ****1/2

Post-match, Naito cuts a promo and roll calls the entire LIJ crew and I fuckin LOVE it. NAITO, BUSHI, HIROMU, SHINGO, SANADA WE ARE LOS INGOBERNABLES DE JAPON!!!!

NJPW: G1 Climax 30 Night One Review - September 19th, 2020

 NJPW: G1 Climax 30 Night One 

September 19th, 2020

Osaka

ITS THAT TIME. G1 SEASON. Except in the fall. I'm so glad this tournament was able to happen despite being a month or two later than normal. But yeah - it's the 30th Anniversary of the greatest wrestling tournament of all time. I've never been able to keep up with and review every single night but I am determined to this year so let's fuckin GO. Block A action is kicking us off in Osaka and boy, is Block A loaded.

 1) Yota Tsujji vs. Yuya Uemura - Young Lions Match

First time seeing both these guys and they do an awesome job putting on a compact sub 10 minute opener. Uemura taps out Tsuji with a deeeeep lion tamer for the win just over 6 minutes in. 

Match rating - **1/2

2) Will Ospreay vs. Yujiro Takahashi - Block A Match

Easy first match in the tourney for Ospreay. This is these two's first meeting and they mesh super well with Takahashi being a very solid base for Ospreay to get his shit in. Takahashi got a little bit in, but this more of a prolonged squash despite being a little competitive at times. A very fun one, though. Ospreay had some cool counters and the finish was sick. 2 points for the Aerial Assasin.

Match rating - **3/4

3) Jeff Cobb vs. Taichi - Block A Match

DAMN this popped off. I have been a "fuck Taichi" kinda guy, but the fact remains he pulls out some little bangers every now and again and this is one of them. Taichi took Cobb to the floor and worked over Cobb's leg on the railing. He continues this in the ring, but can't keep Cobb down and they go into a pretty back & forth exchange that had me on the edge of my seat a couple times during the near falls. Taichi picks up the shocking (at least to me) victory as he evades the Tour of Islands a couple times and hits Black Memphisto for the victory. 

Match rating - ***1/4

4) Minoru Suzuki vs. Tomohiro Ishii - Block A Match

This was never not going to deliver. They start off throwing elbows and things gradually get more stiff & intense. This was everything you would expect and want from these two and it built up so well into such a heated battle between two insane motherfuckers. Suzuki nails Ishii with a gotch style piledriver for the win after a badass slugfest. Match of the night.

Match rating - ****1/4

5) Shingo Takagi vs. Jay White - Block A Match

LIJ vs Bullet Club wages on here. Apparently these two faced off once before, but I'm pretty sure I haven't seen it so this is a first time match for me and I honestly was pretty stoked on it. Jay pleays weasel heel from the jump by sliding out of the ring at the bell. Once he gets in and gets going, he fires at Shingo hard with a lot of deep suplexes/head drop spots. I'd say this match was as good as I expected but there was lots of low blow and ref bump type shit down the stretch, plus Gedo got involved a couple times. All of these things brought it down a good bit for me, but the work itself was strong. I feel like both of these guys are in a similar spot in the company at the moment and in their runs in New Japan so that added to this also. Jay White wins after a low blow and a blade runner. 

Match rating - ***1/4

6) Kazuchika Okada vs. Kota Ibushi - Block A Match 

This is probably the weakest match these two have had together, but it's Okada and Ibushi so it's still very good. The finishing run with Okada going for the kamigoye and Ibushi catching him with a sitout powerbomb instead was NUTS and set up for the perfect finish with Ibushi going apeshit on Okada with two back to back kamigoye's to take the pin and get a HUGE win to start the G1. Ibushi beat Okada in last year's G1, then lost to him at Wrestle Kingdom, and now finds redemption in the G1 yet again. Awesome stuff. Good match to close out the night. 

Match rating - ***1/2