AEW: Dynamite Review - October 7th, 2020

AEW: Dynamite

Chris Jericho 30th Anniversary Appreciation Night 

October 7th, 2020 

Show opens with various stars talking about Chris Jericho and his influence on them/their favorite moments of his. Darby Allin, Santana & Ortiz, Scorpio Sky, & Britt Baker are among those featured. 

We are thrown to the commentary booth that is even more packed than usual with Tony Schiavone, Jim Ross, Excalibur, Taz and Ricky Starks residing. They run down a couple things for the night and we are kicking off with Brian Cage defending the FTW Title against Will Hobbs !! 

1) Brian Cage (c) vs. Will Hobbs - FTW Title Match 

It’s finally here - Will Hobbs’ first big singles match and I’d say he definitely delivered. Just your basic Brian Cage style match with a little more emotion than normal bc it’s Hobbs’ big opportunity. Cool moment I enjoyed near the end was Hobbs hitting Cage with his spine buster finisher and Cage kicks out which leaves Tony Schiavone with the line “now let’s see what he’s made of” as Hobbs stands trying to figure out what move he can even do next. He goes for a big frog splash only to miss and get drilled and lose. I look forward to a rematch between these two. 

Match rating - ***1/2

As fun as the match was, the post match was even fucking better. Ricky Starks steps from the commentary table and hits the ring looking like a STAR. I love that dude, I swear. He just has the look and he & Cage are perfect together with Taz. Taz gets on the mic and is as on point as ever as he offers Hobbs the chance to join Team Taz or get the hell beat out of him. Darby Allin’s music hits as they corner Hobbs and I GOT CHILLS. Starks & Cage slowly back away as Darby taunts them with the skateboard. Taz calls Darby a rotten punk and that he will learn not to get in Team Taz’s business one day soon. This angle is so hot right now. 

Slash, Hiroshi Tanahashi and several others are the next group of Jericho shout outs. Never thought I’d put Slash and Hiroshi Tanahashi in the same sentence but hell yeah. 

2) FTR (c) vs. TH2 (Jack Evans & Angelico) - AEW World Tag Team Title Match 

Jack flips his way to the damn ring, literally. What an insane human being. The Young Bucks are shown watching FTR’s entrance with a shitty look on their face. Jack Evans hits some crazy, sloppy fast offense to stun FTR early. This turns into a pretty competitive match. You could tell Jack had some ring rust, but other than that this was fun. FTR retains. 

Match rating - ***

Best Friends come out to a huge reaction and feel. I swear they are possibly the biggest stars in this company right now - definitely in the tag division. They have shirts on bridging off them calling FTR weenies last week. Next week Best Friends challenge FTR for the Tag Team titles and I am READY. This little feud rules. 

3) Brodie Lee (w/ John Silver) (c) vs. Cody (w/ Arn Anderson) - Dog Collar Match for the TNT Title 

It’s Cody in a gimmick match fueled by emotion so you know it rocks. They milk the stipulation, beat the hell out of each other and bleed buckets. Cody winning the title right back seemed a little abrupt and brought some flack from some. But it’s what we got and the match was good and having to see Brodie covered in blood and beaten to that pulp is the only way I think we should see him getting beaten right now so hell yeah on that note. 

Match rating - ****

Post match, Cody is riled up and says he will always be for the people and will defend the title again next week. Out walks FRESHLY SQUEEZED ORANGE CASSIDY and here we fuckin go. Cody/OC next week as they give each other the thumbs up as we go to break. 

COLT CABANA, WARDLOW, & HANGMAN PAGE are announced for the AEW Title tournament that also features Kenny Omega, Jungle Boy & Rey Fenix. Fuckin WARDLOW huh? Stoked on that. 

Big thing from that announcement was Page being announced. Also excited about that although I think we all saw it coming from a mile away. Kenny gets interviewed backstage and says he will win the tournament because he’s won tournaments around the world and it doesn’t matter if a “tag team wrestler like Page” is in it or not. Inject Page/Omega final into my veins. 

4) Big Swole vs. Serena Deeb

Yo this was solid. Both women busted their ass and delivered a great match despite being in the cool down portion of the show after the hot TNT title match. The final few moments were nuts and Serena Deeb was defnitely an amazing addition to the AEW team. Swole takes the victory when all is said and done.

Match rating - ***1/4

5) Inner Circle (Chris Jericho & Jake Hager) vs. Chaos Project (Luther & Serpentico) 

After a night of videos congratulating him, Jericho finally appears for our main event and it’s a fitting one for this show. They work a basic tv main event tag and it’s more than suffice considering we already had a blow away melodrama match like Brodie/Cody. This really felt special for Jericho and another awesome moment to cap off a special night for Y2J. And of course he & Hager win to boot. 

Match rating - **3/4 

Jericho goes to give a speech post match with The Inner Circle beside him. MJF interrupts with gifts and they do a bit to close before celebrating together. Yeah yeah. 

DYNAMITE ANNIVERSARY SHOW NEXT WEEK WITH ALL THE TITLES ON THE LINE SEE U THEN

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

AEW: Dynamite Review - September 30th, 2020

AEW Dynamite - September 30th, 2020 Review

I haven't reviewed Dynamite in a while due to my work schedule, but I'm back here for completions sake so lets get into it!! Also shout out Kingston/Moxley from last week - a great match that made into my match rating archive tracker for 2020 that you can check out by clicking here!

1) Darby Allin vs. Ricky Starks

WHOOO. This is a feud that has been boiling for a little bit with Starks dressing up as Darby and mocking him after Darby threw him out of the battle royal at All Out. Not to mention, Starks & Cage putting Darby in a bodybag of thumbtacks and powerbombing him on the stage afterwards. So, yeaaaah. There's some heat here and it rules. Starks is honestly better than Cage in my opinion and he & Darby tear the house down here. Brian Cage actually tries to interfere, but WILL FUCKIN HOBBS stops him. Now that's a match I want to see. None the less, that gets disperesd and Allin & Starks finish their match unbothered and with a bang. Darby wins with the coffin drop. 

Match rating - ***1/4

Cody Rhodes is in the ring to answer Brodie Lee's challenge for a Dog Collar Match for the TNT Title next week. He teases not accepting only to HIT THAT FIERY BABYFACE PROMO COMEBACK AND I AM RILED UP. CODY ACCEPTS. BRODIE RUNS DOWN AND ALL HELL BREAKS LOOSE. The roster and security is out to separate. Brandi Rhodes comes down and hits a damn dive on the rest of the Dark Order. Next week is gonna fuckin rule. I'm calling another Cody classic tbh. Such an awesome pull apart chaotic brawl segment here. 

Tony Schiavone is backstage with FTR & Tully Blanchard. They talk about their match with SCU tonight and explain why the Bucks don't deserve a title shot. In the middle of it, Matt Jackson superkicks Tony Schiavone. 

On commentary, JR asks Excalibur what the hell is wrong with the Bucks to which he yells "THIS IS REPREHENSIBLE" 

SCU interview, Frankie and Scorpio representing tonight and vow to become tag team champions for the second time.

2) FTR (w/ Tully Blanchard) (c) vs. SCU (Frankie Kazarian & Scorpio Sky) (w/ Christopher Daniels) - AEW World Tag Team Title Match

Hangman Page was on commentary for this. Daniels gets thrown out by the ref early thanks to mindgames by FTR. Kaz returns the favor by tricking FTR into position for a dive from Scorpio Sky that takes them both out. That sends us to commercial. After the break, shit pretty much breaks down. Some sick offense from SCU with double slingshots ace crushers. A bunch of near-falls before Tully grabs Scorpio's legs and costs SCU the match as the ref counts three. Hell of a match while it lasted and good way to make FTR more despised as they win using tactics that they falsely got Daniels ejected for earlier in the match. 

Match rating - ***1/2

On commentary, Excalibur announces the 8 man tournament that will end at Full Gear with the winner facing the AEW World Champion. Rey Fenix, Jungle Boy, and Kenny Omega are the first three competitors. Hangman spits out his whiskey when they say Kenny is involved. 

3) Chris Jericho vs. Isaiah Kassidy

Wow. Jericho continues to give so many young talents the opportunity to show out and it’s the same case here. The Inner Circle is at ringside to support him and Matt Hardy joins Kassidy’s Private Party partner at ringside which adds to this also. Kassidy throws out everything at Jericho including a code breaker and lionsault but Jericho kicks out and is able to finish off Kassidy with the Judas Effect. 

Match rating - ***1/2

Post match, Jericho and Hager attack Serpentico & Luther to build towards their match at the 30th Anniversary of Jericho next week! 

MIRO AND KIP SABIAN are planning a bachelor party. 

Best Friends and OC are backstage. Before they can answer their interview questions, FTR interrupt and run them down as below them and that they are nothing more than comedic relief. Best Friends act like they are gonna hit them, FTR flinches and Orange calls them weenies. Best Friends accompany OC to the ring for his match which is up next. God the FTR/Best Friends story dynamic is so perfect and fun. 

4) Orange Cassidy (w/ Best Friends) vs. 10 (w/ Colt Cabana, Allan Angels & John Silver) 

This was such a fun squash. AEW is really developing such a well rounded roster where nothing feels pointless. Even these 3-4 min matches rule. OC wins with the BEACH BREAK. 

Match rating - *** 

MJF & Wardlow walk into the Inner Circle’s dressing room with gifts for everyone but he forgets Sammy Guevara’s. Jericho tells MJF he wants to know why he’s doing all this. Jericho and MJF argue over if MJF wants to join the Inner Circle or if Jericho wants MJF to join the Inner Circle. Hager and Wardlow tease getting into it. MJF leaves on good terms and they continue to tease the weird ironic dynamic of Jericho/MJF. 

5) Britt Baker vs. Red Velvet 

Britt has improved so much wow. I just remember her early dynamite matches being so shaky but this rocked even though it’s a prolonged squash. Velvet held her own and put in a solid showing. Baker looked amazing though and she gets the win after a few minutes. Good stuff. 

Match rating - **1/2 

Eddie Kingston heads to the ring with his arm around Bryce Remsburg and god the CHIKARA GLORY DAY FEEEELSSSS. Penta and Fenix are with him as well. It’s time for King to announce Mox’s opponent for the night. BUT not before he chastises Bryce for calling for the bell despite him not submitting last week. Bryce has an explanation but King doesn’t like it and they set up to attack him. JON MOXLEY HITS THE RING WITH A BARBWIRE BAT. King and Lucha Bro’s clear out and The Butcher slides in from behind and he’s Mox’s opponent for the night. 

6) Jon Moxley (c) vs. The Butcher - AEW World Title Match 

This was what it was. It wasn’t that insane blow away first title shot for someone like The Butcher but it was a solid effort that felt like a main event despite it being a tag team wrestlers’ only singles match in the promotion??? Don’t fact check me on that. But yeah. Butcher hung right in there despite it not being a blow away performance it was a good tv main event and I’d say considering his prior experience in this type of spot (none) that this was def a success. It just never felt like he had any real chance of winning so it was hard to get invested. Good match none the less. Mox retains via submission. 

Match rating - **3/4

NEXT WEEK: DOG COLLAR MATCH - BRODIE LEE VS. CODY FOR THE TNT TITLE LEGGOOOOOOOOO

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 - ****