Now that the G1 Climax and the Super J Cup are in the books, New Japan Pro Wrestling enters a big stretch of major shows in the lead up to the annual January 4th show, WrestleKingdom XI. The Month of September brings several shows that will lay the foundations for what we may see in the next few months.
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SUMMERFEST CONCLUDES! Having survived watching the whole show together, the Royal Grumble assembles to disassemble all the events from SummerSlam weekend, including the events that followed and what it means for WWE’s future… Plus, we revisit the philosophical with the Bootstrap Paradox, Dave Meltzer pays another visit, and we find an accidental cure for Daryl’s disgraceful discourse – bringing the wrong microphone...
Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to listen to the latest Royal Grumble! With Graeme's upcoming nuptials, we delve into the murky depths of WWE's "greatest" weddings. Expect old man underwear, tombstoned priests and The Godfather... Plus, Dan brings us full coverage of NJPW's G1 Climax finale, including some bona fide Match of the Year contenders, and we have BREAKING NEWS on (one of) WWE's latest Wellness Policy suspensions. Oh, and Daryl says some offensive yet hilarious stuff.
So, after 4 weeks, 18 shows, and 90 matches (with 72 multi-man tag matches as well), 20 competitors in two separate blocks were whittled down to two final participants. The prize, A contract to face the IWGP Heavyweight champion on the biggest show on the calendar, WrestleKingdom XI at the Tokyo Dome on January 4th 2017. This year’s G1 Climax offered so much, had 3 match of the year candidates, created new rivalries, and furthered existing ones, but today it finally came to a close with a sensational final. After Hirooki Goto became the shock winner of the A Block, squeezing through after Okada and Tanahashi went to a time limit draw, could he finally reach the top and win the G1 once again before going on to finally defeating the IWGP champion? Gotos record in title matches is pretty terrible, but could the man who Steve Corino called on commentary “Johnny Choke Artist” finally come good on all the promise he has shown? On the other side was Kenny Omega, the leader of the Bullet club, competing in his first G1 Climax and becoming only the 3rd Gaijin to reach the G1 finals. His road to the final had its own peaks and valleys, loosing to long time rival Michael Elgin, and Shibata, before finally coming back on the final night and defeating former IWGP Champ Tetsuya Naito in a strong contender for match of the year to secure his spot. Could the Cleaner, a man who had only entered the heavyweight ranks in January, become the first Gaijin to win the G1 Climax? The Sumo hall was Super No Vacancy for todays G1 Final, and they got a show to remember, not only was the G1 winner decided, but seeds were planted for the direction of many top stars over the next few months. The first highlight was during a match between Pro Wrestling NOAH stars Katsuhiko Nakajima, Go Shiozaki, Maybach Taniguchi, & Masa Kitamiya, as they took on the team of Katsuyori Shibata, Hiroyoshi Tenzan, Yuji Nagata, & Manabu Nakanishi. The match was heated, a big highlight that saw him trend on twitter higher than the actual show came from Shibata, when he countered a suplex and hit a thudding headbutt on Nakajima that bust open his own head, Shibata didn’t even flinch. The match ended when Nakajima pinned Nakanishi, but the battle still raged as Shibata, followed by his team mates, went to all out war with the NOAH visitors, leading us to believe that the NOAH/New Japan rivalry will play a big part in the plans for this year. After intermission, we were shown a video with a countdown, saying a Time Bomb was coming, tons of speculation as to who this person, or persons, was. Ryback was mentioned, but he is booked elsewhere, Suzuki is another possibility, is Suzukigun coming to wage war on NJPW like it did NOAH? We will have to wait until November 5th to find out. Then before the main event, Kazuchika Okada, Naomichi Marufuji, & Toru Yano took on Bad Luck Fale, Tama Tonga, & Tanga Roa of the Bullet Club. The match wasn’t much to write home about, but afterwards Okada took the mic to challenge Bad Luck Fale, a man he lost to in the G1, for his IWGP Heavyweight Championship. He then turned to another man who defeated him, Marufuji, and made the same challenge to him. Marufuji accepted and offered a handshake, Okada walked away and posed. This match was amazing in the G1, and a rematch will be highly anticipated. So, after everything that has transpired, it was time for the G1 Final. This match had a lot to live up to with some of the epic battles we have witnessed in this tournament, and it more than lived up to its billing. Omega and Goto traded blows went counter for counter, the crowd would boo each man one minute and get behind him the next, and all this created a tense and electric atmosphere. Goto locked in a rear naked choke, something the commentary team noted as a nod to his childhood friend Shibata, but Omega countered it by climbing the ropes with Goto still on his back, leaping backwards to crush Goto and release the hold. Goto hit all his big moves but couldn’t keep Omega down. Last night Omega tweeted that he needed help from all the good brothers in his past, and we saw what that meant, first he hit Kota Ibushi’s, his former best friend and rival, Last Ride Powerbomb before going for the Phoenix Splash which missed, he regained control and hit the Bloody Sunday, the move used by former Bullet club member Fergal Devitt (now Finn Balor), then he used the Styles Clash for a near fall, a nod to AJ Styles. After all that, there was only one thing left as he hoisted Goto up on his shoulders and brought him down with the One Winged Angel. Kenny Omega is the 2016 G1 Climax winner. His acceptance speech afterwards was everything you would expect from Omega, He criticised those who said the Bullet club was over, saying the Bullet club was for life, he said without the Elite “that wrestling is boring and it sucks”, He told the crowd they shouldn’t be afraid to dream and reach for the stars, but a man like him will always be there to swoop and take it away from them. Finally, when offered the G1 flag, he threw it down and took a Bullet club flag, holding it high above the crowd of BC members and photographers gathered in the ring. And with that, the G1 Climax is over; this has been an amazing month and I thank you for joining the ride with us at the Royal Grumble. For the New Japan wrestlers, they will get a well-earned break, but for us the train never stops with Summerslam just around the corner! Join us every Sunday for new episodes of the Royal Grumble, keep an eye on the website, our facebook, and our twitter (links to your right) to stay updated on everything going on.
Thank you, and GOOD NIGHT.
SUMMERFEST continues on the Royal Grumble, and oh god, what have we done... it's DARYL'S show! Oh, it's the end times...
Cower in fear as he chooses his Top 3 SummerSlam contests and we declare the Grumble's GREATEST SUMMERFEST MATCH OF ALL TIME. Elsewhere, we talk NJPW and whether Graeme got one over on Dan, Shelton's shoulder injury, who survived Dublin and who's meeting Vader? With the scintillating finish to the A Block, the guys in the B Block had a lot to live up to, and boy did they ever, here is all the happenings in the B Block Final! B Block Final - Night 18Going into Night 18, 4 men were still in contention. Shibata, Michael Elgin, and Kenny Omega all sit on 10 points, while Naito led the pack with 12 points. Opening the B Block matches saw Tomoaki Honma vs Yugi Nagata. Neither man could win and were both beat up going into the final night, but they still put on a great contest. Nagata fought hard against the head heavy attack of Honma, however it proved too much for the NJPW legend, when Honma leveled Nagata with a Owen Hart style Piledriver and the Kokeshi from the top for the win, meaning he doesnt finish last in the group. Next was Master Thief Toru Yano vs Chaos Stablemate YOSHI-HASHI. This was probably the longest Yano match of the tournament that saw him use all the usual shenanigans that have helped him steal points thoughout the G1, leading to the ref distraction/low blow combo for the win, giving him 10 POINTS! While the match was fun, it was a shame for YOSHI-HASHI who has had a great G1. Next was Katsuyori Shibata vs EVIL in a great contest. Shibata needed a win here, and then needed Elgin to lose, and Omega to win to put him in the final against Hirooki Goto. Shibata started off strong but soon EVIL targeted the heavily taped shoulder with some brutal chair shots. the closing exchanges saw the two trade concussive blows, but Shibata's injuries were too much for him and EVIL hit the STO and got the win, ending Shibata's chance at winning the G1. With one man out of contention, Michael Elgin now had a clear path to the final (should Omega win), but first he would have to get by Katsuhiko Nakajima. This match was phenomenal, So much happened I could write a full article on just this match, so I beg you to go watch this back on NJPW world. Elgin looked to be in control near the end, hitting lots of big power moves despite his injured pecks, but in the end it was Nakajima, following EVIL's lead and playing spoiler, hitting a big delay brainbuster for a win over the IWGP Intercontinental Champ and putting him out of contention. NJPW NEEDS to bring Nakajima back. So, it was main event time. Kenny Omega vs Tetsuya Naito. Kenny needed a win, Naito needed to avoid defeat, what we got was a MOTY contender. Naito worked over Omega's knee throughout the match, few people sell injured limbs as well as Omega, who in the past has hit one armed powerbombs to sell an injured arm, as well as his finish, the one winged angel, was born from a similar scenario. Later, Omega would take over, powerbombing Naito over the guard rail into a table at ringside, and then hitting a huge dive from the ring to the outside, but the tenacious Naito would not give up, going counter for counter with Omega sending the crowd into fever pitch. Finally, with the announcement of only 1 minute remaining, Omega hit a huge knee and finally hit the One Winged Angel for the 3, Winning the B Block and heading to the final against Goto. After the match, Omega took to the mic and tore down the crowd for not supporting him, reaching the final in his first G1. Video game villain to the end. So, after all this, the B Block looked like this. So, after all that, its time for the B Block awards! B Block - Best Match Award3rd Place - Kenny Omega vs Michael Elgin - Night 8 The third match between the two in as many months, both men pulled it out of the bag again in a great contest. 2nd Place - Michael Elgin vs Tetsuya Naito - Night 4 An early match in the tournament where both men were looking to rebound from opening night loses, It was Naito who pulled out the win in an instant classic that sadly may get lost in the shuffle with all the G1 action over the last 4 weeks, but really it should be in the discussion for match of the year. 1st Place - Tetsuya Naito vs Kenny Omega - Night 18 The best was saved till last. This had a lot to live up-to with the A Block final match the night previous, but in 29 minutes, these two had an outstanding contest that had you on the edge of your seat the entire match. B Block MVP award.3rd Place - Tetsuya Naito Naito was a strong favourite going in, and came across as the star through the entire tournament. 2nd Place - Katsuhiko Nakajima If, like me, you were unfamiliar with Nakajima before this tournament, by the end of the B Block you knew just what he was about. The Genesis of the Kick had an outstanding tournament including sensational matches against Michael Elgin and Shibata. Bring him back NJPW! 1st Place - 'Unbreakable' Michael Elgin If last years G1 was the Elgin coming out party, this years was the star making party. Big Mike stole the show nearly every night. One more night to go!. You can watch the final of the G1 Climax(with English commentary courtesy of Kevin Kelly, Steve Corino and Rocky Romero) on NJPWWorld.com, and the sign up instructions can be found here.
Also, leave a comment on our Facebook/Twitter (links in the bar to your right). and as always, listen to the Royal Grumble every Sunday, straight to your podcast listening app via the links in the bar on the right, and on iTunes. What a closing night for the A Block of this years G1 Climax 26. It really had everything you could ask for with great matches and lots of drama. Here we go through the action from Night 17, and then pick the Top 3 stars, and top 3 matches of the A Block A Block Final - Night 17Coming into this show, 5 men were within reach of the G1 Final, Bad Luck Fale, Naomichi Marufuji, Hirooki Goto, Kazuchika Okada and Hiroshi Tanahashi, by the end of the night we would have a winner that few would have expected. The G1 matches started with SANADA vs Hiroyoshi Tenzan, the crowd strongly behind Tenzan in what looks to have been this legendary competitors final G1 match up. Its quite sad that with the momentum Tenzan's story had coming into this G1 that more wasnt done with it, instead we have had to witness the decline of a legend rather than the one last run we all hoped for. This was made worse by the fact that he has obviously been struggling physically, however the magic was back for one last night as he and SANADA put on a great performance to get us going. Tenzan took punishment from SANADA in the early going, but seemed to be gaining momentum, hitting a huge lariat with a nod to his friend Kojima who stood in his corner, before locking in the Anaconda vice and the Anaconda buster for a near fall. Sadly, neither Gedo, or SANADA are fans of happy endings. SANADA locked in the Skull end and forced Tenzan to reach for the ropes, hit a huge moonsault before locking it in one more time, leaving Tenzan no option but to tap. After the match, Tenzan was openly weeping but received the recognition he deserved from this crowd. Next up was a match this writer was looking forward to, Tomohiro Ishii vs Togi Makabe. Neither man could progress to the final, so this was all about pride, which manifested itself in an early tradeoff between Ishii's concussive elbow strikes and Makabe's clubbing forearm for what seemed like 4 or 5 minutes, eventually leaving Makabe staring blankly at the ceiling. This match was another brilliant, hard hitting performance from both men and was finally ended when Ishii landed a sick vertical drop Brainbuster for the win. He may not be in the final but he is a true star. (more on this later) It was now battle of the Bullet Club time with Bad Luck Fale vs Tama Tonga. At the beginning it looked as though Tonga would lay down for his stablemate, Fale only needed a win and would be guaranteed the spot in the finals, however Tonga had too much pride to allow himself to be pinned and hit back at the big man as the rest of the bullet club watched on in horror, awaiting the retaliation of the Underboss. That retaliation came in the form of a Bad Luck Fall onto the rest of the BC. Tonga however came back from this and in what was surprisingly a very good contest, got the big win with the Gun Stun. Any worry of bad blood was quickly swept away as the two shared a too sweet and helped each other to the back. These two dont feature in my top stars, however both deserve a special mention, especially Tama Tonga, as they both seemed to start off a little slow but improved dramatically by the end of the A Block. Fale will always have his limitations with his size, but with the right opponent can knock it out of the park, and Tonga, with the experience he gained in this tournament, could be the next breakout singles star of the Bullet Club if its done right, and he ditches those compression tights. Next up was Hirooki Goto vs Naomichi Marufuji, with both men sat on 10 points, a win here was of the upmost importance. The two brawled at the start and battled back and forth for control. As things came to a head, Goto looked to his the GTR only to receive some pinpoint kicks to the head from Marufuji, who then attempted the Sliced Bread only to be caught in a rear naked choke. Goto hung on with everything he had until Marufuji faded enough for him to finally hit the GTR and get the win. The night wasnt over for Goto however, as he had lost to both Okada and Tanahashi, meaning a draw would put him through to the final, he now had to sit and wait, at least he knew he would be going on one hell of a ride. The main event of the A Block finals was not the beginning or end of something, but another chapter in the storied rivalry of Kazuchika Okada and Hiroshi Tanahashi. These two have had so many classic encounters that there was no way this match would not deliver. The two set an astonishing pace from the outset, with Okada going for the rainmaker early only for Tanahashi to counter, Okada learned his lesson and finally slowed down the pace, using a range of intricate submissions to try and take out the Ace. The action spilled to the outside where Tanahashi hit a High Fly Flow to the outside, but couldnt let himself win with a count-out so went to get Okada back in the ring only to be hit with a tombstone on the outside, leading to a near count out for the IWGP champion. Eventually Okada tried again for the rainmaker, only to be hit with the slingblade, a reverse slingblade and a High Fly Flow to his back, Tanahashi turned Okada over and tried to hit the HFF one more time, only to meet Okada's knees. Tanahashi fought back to his feet and got Okada down again,he hit the HFF again and only got a 2, he ran back up the ropes as the announcer told the crowd that only a few seconds remained! Another High Fly Flow, 1, 2.... The time limit expired. Both men, and the referee laid down in complete exhaustion to a huge ovation, but their battle was not won, with a draw neither man would go onto the finals. Go and watch this match, It was out of this world good. With the draw in the main event, this means that HIROOKI GOTO will go to the G1 Final on Sunday. The Final Standings look like this! But who will he face? Follow us on Twitter on the bar to your right or come back to the site tomorrow for all the B Block news. and now, the awards! A Block Best Match Award.3rd Place- Naomichi Marufuji vs Kazuchika Okada - Night 1 This was the opening nights main event featuring two of the top talents from two of japans top organisations. The two had complementary styles with Marufuji's strikes and style matching Okada's presence and ring psychology. This match also set the tone for a shocking A Block as Marufuji beat Okada, meaning he will receive an IWGP title shot later in the year. 2nd Place - Kazuchika Okada vs Hiroshi Tanahashi - Night 17 As you can see from the write up above, this match was outstanding. both men could wrestle 100 times and never have less than a great match. 1st Place Kazuchika Okada vs Tomohiro Ishii - Night 13 This match was only the 2nd this year to receive 5 stars from the Wrestling Observer (the other is Okada vs Tanahashi from WK10). The two Chaos members went at it full force in what was the best match of the A Block, and one of the best NJPW matches outside of WrestleKingdom this year. A Block Most Valuable Player3rd Place - Kazuchika Okada The IWGP Champion had a great year in the tournament, having sensational matches nearly every night, cementing his position as the present and future of NJPW. 2nd Place - Naomichi Marufuji The NOAH competitor was once one that would be in the discussion of best in the world, in this G1 he has shown he is more than capable of having great matches with anyone. I hope to see more of him in NJPW going forward. 1st Place - Tomohiro Ishii Ishii may not have the records of either Marufuji and Okada, but in terms of performances, no one comes close this year. His matches with Tenzan, Makabe, and Okada all showed that not only is he one of the toughest, but is the dark horse when it comes to the best wrestlers in Japan. And with that, the A Block is over, but we at the Royal Grumble will be covering all the G1 B Block action, as well as the Final!. You can watch the final 2 G1 shows(with English commentary courtesy of Kevin Kelly, Steve Corino and Rocky Romero) on NJPWWorld.com, and the sign up instructions can be found here.
Also, leave a comment on our Facebook/Twitter (links in the bar to your right). and as always, listen to the Royal Grumble every Sunday, straight to your podcast listening app via the links in the bar on the right, and on iTunes. Hello! Graeme here from the Royal Grumble. I’ve been promising to write this for a few weeks and now that the first round of the #CWC is over, it seems best for me to finally summarise just what went on during the first sixteen matches of this tournament.
No spoilers! (except for what’s been on already) High Flyers:
Honourable mention: Da Mack’s theme music. Bouncy Daft Punk-esque pop that they should definitely reuse for someone if they have the rights. Crashing and Burning:
That’s all for now. The Round of 16 begins TONIGHT, so expect another column in a couple of weeks or so after the second round is done. Ciao for now! – G So, I am back in one piece from our hosts Stag do in Ireland, im sure we will mention one or two highlights on Sundays show, but for now, we are back with 4 nights of G1 action, with some interesting twists and a Match of the tournament… scratch that, Match of the Year candidate. A Block – Night 13 Night 13 was headlined by the Ace, Hiroshi Tanahashi, who continued his fight for a spot in the G1 final with another sensational win over another Ace, Pro Wrestling NOAH’s Naomichi Marifuji. The two started with some mat wrestling, testing each other’s fundamentals. Things took a turn when Marufuji hit a piledriver on the apron, which had to sting a little. Marufuji took the lead from here until Tanahashi blocked a few Sliced bread attempts and hit the sling blade. The match was hard fought with hard kicks and punches until Tanahashi hit the sling blade again and then two High Fly Flow’s for the pin. Overall a great contest, but sadly, it had to follow what some are considering the Match of the Year… Tomohiro Ishii is this writer’s pick for MVP of the G1, and this match with IWGP Heavyweight Champion, Kazuchika Okada, looks to have cemented it already. The two Chaos partners fought hard from the opening bell, with both trying to hit their signature moves, only for the other to counter. This set the tone for a match that you have to see to believe, the high tempo never waivered as both fought like their careers were on the line. The end came when Ishii countered the Rainmaker with some vicious headbutts, Okada tried to respond with a tombstone, but Ishii also countered this with an Owen Hart style piledriver and the Brainbuster for the big win. Despite been stablemates, Ishii HAS to get a title shot in the next few months. If the rematch is only half as good as this, it will still be one hell of a match. Hirooki Goto picked up another win over Hiroyoshi Tenzan. Tenzan’s G1 was ended on night 11, but he is still trying to fight and end on a high, sadly this is looking more and more unlikely as the tough schedule has taken its toll on the veterans body. Goto attempted the GTR but Tenzan reversed it with the TTD. Tenzan hit some big headbutts but eventually fell to the GTR. Togi Makabe was on top of the world just a few days ago, sitting on top of the A Block with a ton of momentum, however that train has been fully stopped. Bad Luck Fale picked up another victory with the Grenade putting him within arms reach of his first G1 final. Tama Tonga picked up a win over SANADA in the opening G1 match of the night. This was much better than the previous Bullet Club vs Los Ingobernables match in this block. SANADA attempted the Skull End but it was countered into an Inverted DDT. Tonga then hit the Gun Stun to pick up 2 more points. NIGHT 15 If Togi Makabe thought things were going bad against Fale, then running into the resurgent Hirooki Goto must have been a crushing blow, as he now sits 2 points behind 5 different competitors. Taking the main event spot, the two had a hard-fought match that you would expect, Makabe managed to hit the Spider German but failed to follow it up with the King Kong Knee Drop. Eventually Goto countered a Lariat with a neckbreaker and the GTR for a win that puts him within arms reach of another G1 final. Kazuchika Okada could have created some space leading into the final night, but The Underboss instead played spoiler, and may have given himself not only a lifeline in the G1, but a future title shot with a pinfall victory over the champ. Bad Luck Fale took Okada on a tour of the arena, throwing him into the stands and wearing him down. As the match went on, Okada attempted a tombstone but couldn't get the big man up, Fale responded with a Lariat, Grenade, and the Bad Luck Fall for the win, putting him even on points with the Champion. The Phoenix like rise of the Ace continues, and with one more win could secure a spot in the G1 final. Hiroyoshi Tenzan fought hard and had the crowd behind him, something Tanahashi looked shocked at but played to well, but eventually fell to the sling blade and the High Fly Flow. Despite been the MVP and having another great contest, Tomohiro Ishii is now out of contention for the G1 final at the hands of SANADA. SANADA attempted the skull end a few times, an after trading and countering suplex’s, he managed to lock it in one more time, giving Ishii no option but to tap. Seriously, if you are only going to watch the odd match of this tournament, pick any Ishii match and I promise you will enjoy it. Naomichi Marafuji also kept himself in contention with a victory over Tama Tonga. Tonga attempted the Gun Stun several times, but Marufuji had an answer for every one, eventually hitting the sliced bread for the win. Marufuji has had a really great tournament and he will be one to watch on the final night. Tama Tonga started slowly, but has really impressed with his later performances, a singles run after this would be very much welcomed. So, after these two shows, this is how the table looks going into the final night.
The G1 runs of Tomohiro Ishii, Tama Tonga, SANADA, and Hiroyoshi Tenzan are all done, however expect them to try and play spoiler, as all are capable of shaping the final standings. Togi Makabe sits 2 points behind the leaders and faces Ishii on the final night, and with the headlining match he is now out of contention. Bad Luck Fale is one of the leaders and faces Bullet club brother Tama Tonga. The other 4 leaders all face off with Marufuji vs Goto, and the rematch many have been waiting for, Tanahashi vs Okada, here is how each of the 5 leaders could go to the finals. Okada – Win over Tanahashi, Tonga to beat Fale Goto to beat Marufuji, Tanahashi – Win over Okada, Goto to beat Marufuji. (Has a W over Fale so would win the head to head) Marufuji – Win over Goto, Tonga to beat Fale, Okada to beat Tanahashi. Goto – Win over Marufuji, Okada and Tanahashi to draw. (has a W over Fale so would win the head to head) Bad Luck Fale – Win over Tonga, Marufuji to beat Goto, Okada to beat Tanahashi. Sanada faces Tenzan in the other match, neither can top the group but Tenzan will want to end his final G1 on a high. B BLOCK – Night 14 Night 14 was headlined by the battle of Los Ingobernables de Japon, as Tetsuya Naito got the better of his stablemate EVIL in a great contest. Naito took control of the match early, working the leg of EVIL and doing a few of his usual taunts. EVIL fought back hitting several big moves, eventually hitting a roaring elbow and a Lariat before going for the STO, which Naito countered into the Destino for the win. After the match, Naito took the mic and offered his hand to his stablemate, which EVIL accepted. All is well as Naito takes the lead and puts EVIL out of contention. Kenny Omega has taken a more serious turn as of late, and it’s paying off as he picked up another win, this time over Yuji Nagata. Omega worked over Nagata’s already injured leg and ran circles around the veteran. The Cleaner eventually picked up the win with the One Winged Angel, meaning both are on 8 points and within reach of the top going into night 16. Katsuhiko Nakajima picked up a win over the now out of contention Tomaki Honma. The two had a back and forth match but the Genesis of the kick was too much for the hardheaded big man. A PK and a brainbuster sealed Honmas fate and gave Nakajima another 2 points. Katsuyori Shibata picked up a win over YOSHI-HASHI in a great contest. YH has had a great tournament considering his lack of singles competition over the last few years, but the NEVER OpenWeight champion was too much for him here, using a suplex, the sleeper, and finally the PK to put him away. And in a surprising turn in the opener, Toru Yano put his tricks to work again, scoring a big win over the IWGP Intercontinental Champion, Michael Elgin. The two did a few great comedy spots including Yano going for Elgin’s hair, realising he is bald, then going for the beard. Yano then hit two low blows while the referee was out of position and got the roll up win! NIGHT 16 In the Main Event of night 16, Michael Elgin kept himself in contention with a win over Tomoaki Honma. The crowd were split 80/20 towards Honma, but it was the power of Elgin that won out this contest, hitting the buckle bomb and a sit out powerbomb for the win. In a rematch from their brilliant NEVER openweight title contests earlier this year, Katsuyori Shibata finally put Yugi Nagata to rest in a great contest. Nagata went after Shibatas injured shoulder, however Shibata was on top form and broke down the veteran, eventually getting him to pass out to the sleeper. Tetsuya Naito continued his quest to regain the IWGP Heavyweight title and put himself 2 points ahead of the pack going into the final night with a win over YOSHI-HASHI. YH controlled much of the contest, but the Los Ingobernables leader was too much for him, eventually hitting Destino for the big win. EVIL may be out of the running, but he is going to take as many as he can down with him, his latest victim was Toru Yano. A pretty typical Yano match that saw him attempt several creative roll ups before EVIL hit the STO for the win. And in the opening contest, Kenny Omega, who made reference to his new more serious demeanor, took Katsuhiko Nakajima out of the running in another fine match. Omega controlled most of the match, only for Nakajima to come back with some heavy kicks and suplexes. However the Cleaner proved to be too much for the NOAH star, hitting the One Winged Angel and putting himself within reaching distance of the G1 Final. The B Block Table looks like this...
Out of the 10 men, only 4 are within a chance of reaching the G1 Final, here are their routes to the final. Naito – A win against Kenny Omega will seal the top spot. Kenny Omega – Win over Naito, Elgin and Shibata to lose. Shibata – Win over EVIL, Naito and Elgin to Lose. Elgin – Win over Nakajima, Omega and Shibata both to win, leading to a tie for the top. Has wins over Omega and Shibata. Playoffs. This one is complicated… So, we are onto the final 3 shows of the G1, full run downs of each show, as well as overviews of the tournament will be up after the shows. I will be live tweeting from @royalgrumblepod so join in the conversation. We at the Royal Grumble will be covering all the G1 action, You can also watch the whole G1 (with English commentary on the final 3 nights courtesy of Kevin Kelly, Steve Corino and Rocky Romero) on NJPWWorld.com, and the sign up instructions can be found here.
Also, leave a comment on our Facebook/Twitter (links in the bar to your right). and as always, listen to the Royal Grumble every Sunday, straight to your podcast listening app via the links in the bar on the right, and on iTunes. |
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