Hello friends, and welcome to the final day of the G1 Climax. Let’s get right to it.
Today’s show is from Ryogoku Kokugikan in Tokyo.
Taka Michinoku, El Desperado, Taicho, and Yoshinobu Kanemaru vs. Hirai Kawato, Tiger Mask, Jushin Thunder Liger, and Kushida
Winners: Suzuki-gun at 7:04. Desperado pins Kawato after a Pinche Loco. Worth noting that El Desperado attacked Kushida after the match, probably Kushida’s next opponent for the Junior Heavyweight title.
Chase Owens, Yujiro Takahashi, and Tanga Loa vs. Yoshi-Hashi, Tomohiro Ishii, and Hirooki Goto
Winners: Yoshi-Hashi, Ishii, and Goto at 7:20. Goto hits Owens with the GTR.
Takashi Iizuka and Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Yuji Nagata and Togi Makabe
Winners: Suzuki-gun at 6:16. Sabre wins after hitting the penalty kick to Nagata.
Katsuya Kitamura, Ricochet, Ryusuke Taguchi, and War Machine vs. Bad Luck Fale, The Young Bucks, Hangman Page, and Cody
Winners: Bullet Club at 8:14. Page drops Kitamura with the Rite of Passage.
Hiromu Takahashi, Bushi, and Tetsuya Naito vs. David Finlay, Kota Ibushi, and Hiroshi Tanahashi
Winners: Finlay, Ibushi, and Tanahashi at 6:57. Ibushi beats Bushi with the Kamigoye.
Juice Robinson 6 vs. Michael Elgin 8
Winner: Juice Robinson at 11:48. Juice wins with the Pulp Friction. Pretty solid G1 for Juice especially since it’s his first. Meanwhile, Elgin not so much. Doesn’t seem like he has much of a direction now. Can’t push everyone I suppose.
Tama Tonga 6 vs. Sanada 8
Winner: Tama Tonga at 11:59. Tonga wins with the Gun Stun. Decent showing for Tonga, I feel like he and Omega still have unfinished business. Sanada, meanwhile, is a guy with the look, the skills, but doesn’t seem to connect with the people. It’ll be interesting to see if he takes that next step.
Minoru Suzuki 9 with Taichi vs. Toru Yano 6
Rockey Romero got involved with this match to stop the constant interference from Taichi. Yano eventually tapes Suzuki’s arms to his body and rolls him up for the win.
Winner: Toru Yano at 6:56. I love that as scary as Suzuki is, he can’t beat Yano. Also, I suppose Yano should have a future shot at the NEVER Openweight Championship. Suzuki went crazy attacking young boys with a chair after the match.
Evil 10 vs. Satoshi Kojima 2
Winner: Evil at 14:23. Evil wins with the STO. Not sure if that was Kojima’s last G1, he didn’t say so but it would be hard to take him seriously if he were in nex year. That being said, he put on some good matches. But Evil had a hell of a tournament. Finished strong with 12 points, beat Okada, and probably had the best matches of the B Block.
It’s at this point Don Callis says he got paged by Omega and has to go. Wait, in 2017 Don Callis uses a pager?
Kenny Omega 12 with The Young Bucks vs. Kazuchika Okada 13 with Gedo
The match starts out fast with each men going for their finisher early. Okada dropkicks Omega off the top rope and they brawl out to the outside. Okada sends Kenny into the people and dives over the guardrail. Omega comes back sending Okada into the guardrail on his back neck, back in the ring Omega follows up with a top rope missile dropkick to the bad neck for 2. Omega continues to target the neck of Okada.
Okada takes back some momentum but Omega manages to give him a hurricanrana out of the ring then hits a baseball slide to the neck. Omega goes for the Rise of the Terminator but Okada slides back in and nails the flapjack. Omega comes back and tries a springboard dropkick, but Okada dropkicks him out of mid air. Okada goes to the outside and Omega hits the reverse rana on the floor. Omega then hits the Dragon Rush on the apron but only a 2.
Omega hits 2 point blank V Triggers as Gedo contemplates throwing in the towel. Omega goes for the One Winged Angel but Okada slips out and counters with the tombstone. Omega tries a secon rope fisherman’s buster but Okada fights off and hits a top rope dropkick to the Cleaner. Okada hits a big dropkick and his knee lands on Omega’s face. Omega comes back with a urenagi and goes for the One Winged Angel but Okada breaks free and hits a Rain Maker for 2.
Both men exchange some roll ups for 2 but Omega pops up and Okada nails a second Rain Maker, then a third. Okada can’t put Omega away and Omega hits a reverse rana. Okada comes back with an attempted Rain Maker and Omega hits a Rain Maker into the V Trigger. Omega then gets Okada up for the One Winged Angel and finally pins Okada.
Winner: Kenny Omega at 24:40.
Well there you have it. 18 shows later and the G1 Climax Finals will be Tetsuya Naito vs. Kenny Omega. Let’s also not forget this should give Kenny a title shot for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship. Even though I said the only likely G1 Winners are Omega, Okada, and maybe Naito, if I’m betting I’m probably picking Naito at this point. It’s just who will he face, Okada or Omega come January 4?
As for Omega/Okada III it was quite good. More of a condensed version of their earlier matches with the story that Okada had the busted up neck for Kenny to target. I still thought their Wrestle Kingdom match was the best of the three.
B Block Standings
Kenny Omega – 14 Winner
Kazuchika Okada – 13 Eliminated
Evil – 12 Eliminated
Minoru Suzuki – 9 Eliminated
Tama Tonga – 8 Eliminated
Sanada – 8 Eliminated
Juice Robinson – 8 Eliminated
Toru Yano – 8 Eliminated
Michael Elgin – 8 Eliminated
Satoshi Kojima – 2 Eliminated
The main portion of the G1 is over and I said after the first week this could be the greatest tournament in wrestling history and I believe it is. If you want some of the matches to check out without having to watch all 90 matches here’s a list of the best of the best.
Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi – Night 1
Kenny Omega vs. Minoru Suzki – Night 2
Hirooki Goto vs. Yuji Nagata – Night 3
Kota Ibushi vs. Zack Sabre Jr. – Night 3
Tomohiro Ishii vs. Togi Makabe – Night 3
Kazuchika Okada vs. Michael Elgin – Night 4
Kota Ibushi vs. Tomohiro Ishii – Night 5
Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Yuji Nagata – Night 5
Kazuchika Okada vs. Sanada – Night 6
Michael Elgin vs. Kenny Omega – Night 8
Tetsuya Naito vs. Tomohiro Ishii – Night 9
Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Kota Ibushi – Night 11
Tomohiro Ishii vs. Yuji Nagata – Night 11
Tetsuya Naito vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi – Night 17
Kenny Omega vs. Kazuchika Okada – Night 18
Until tomorrow, check out my podcast, “Politically Incorrect Wrestling Show” on iTunes, Podbean, and Stitcher. Also, follow me on Twitter at Eddyc85 and or PIWShow. Thanks for reading.