SUMMERFEST continues at the Grumble, whether it wants to or not... It's Dan's Top 3 and we finally hit Wembley Stadium in '92! Meanwhile, Governor Jesse Ventura makes an unscheduled appearance, Roman Reigns stands up for 'MURICA, Daryl gets lewder and cruder and Graeme loses control. Hilarity ensues.
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Another two days of G1 action has passed and I am here once again to take you through the twists and turns. A Block - Night 11The Champ Is On Top Kazuchika Okada put himself in the driving seat with a win over former A Block leader Togi Makabe. The two hit each other with hard strikes and Makabe looked to be seconds away from a win, however Okada dodged the King Kong Knee Drop that has ended the evenings of most, before hitting his signature dropkick, a tombstone, and finally the Rainmaker for the win. Okada topping the group, along with two other big storylines still on going make the final few days very interesting. High Flying Ace. In what this writer considers the best match of the A Block so far, Hiroshi Tanahashi continued his rise from the ashes with a big victory over Tomohiro Ishii. Tanahashi needed a win to keep him in the tournament, and his performance showed this. Both men gave 100% and put on a match worthy of headlining the bigger NJPW shows. Ishii hit all his big moves only for Tanahashi to kick out and continue fighting, eventually hitting the SlingBlade and two High Fly Flows to put the Stone Pitbull down. Tanahashi looks to be on course for his final match of the Block against Okada to be something special, which considering their previous matches, is something to salivate over. One to watch SANADAs G1 run has been hit and miss, and despite another great performance came out on the losing end to Naomichi Marufuji. While a little on the short side, the two seemed to have natural chemistry which would make a future contest between the two something to keep your eyes on. With his win, Marufuji is still in the running, and his wins over the top contenders in the group means he could still have a say in how this tournament plays out. Is it Goto’s time? Hirooki Goto kept himself in the picture with a win over Tama Tonga. As the tournament has progressed, Tonga has improved greatly and this was probably his best outing so far, but he was no match for the bigger Goto. The two traded near falls and big moves before Goto countered the Gun Stun and hit the GTR for the win. The Dream is (Pretty Much) Over One last great G1 win was all Hiroyoshi Tenzan wanted, sadly however Bad Luck Fale isn’t the sentimental type, and with his victory, Tenzan is left with a 6 point gap and a loss to the leader, meaning he is out of the tournament. This wasn’t the greatest of contests, but the two fought hard anyway, with the finish coming off another missed Moonsault that Fale took advantage off, hitting the Grenade for the win. Here is the Table after Match No.6 for the A Block competitors. The 3 men on 4 points at the bottom of the table are now all unable to top the group due to the point’s gap and losses to Okada. Ishii still can make a run but it is unlikely. Marufuji and Tanahashi will be the two to keep an eye on. Togi Makabe needs Okada to lose twice and for him to pick up wins in order to be within a chance of winning the group. B Block - Night 12Destino: Tokyo Dome Tetsuya Naito put himself in pole position with a big victory over the always impressive Katsuhiko Nakajima. In a great main event that showcased the amazing talent of both performers, both Naito and Nakajima fought hard and showed how bright a future both NJPW and NOAH have with these two performers. The two went move for move, counter for counter, but ultimatly it was the wiley former IWGP champion Naito who got the best of his oppoent with the Destino. Naito now sits on top of the table with a victory over IWGP intercontinental champ Michael Elgin that means should the two continue to sit on even points, he will be on his way to the Tokyo dome to face the champion. Kicks like a Bullet Katsuyori Shibata hasn’t had the best G1 before tonight, but it hasn’t effected his popularity coming into what is most fans dream match against the always entertaining Bullet Club leader, Kenny Omega. Shibata took control of the early going, unleashing his strong kicking on Omega, things took a turn when the action spilled to the outside, with Omega working over Shibata’s injured shoulder and knee. Shibata fought back with some big strikes before Omega looked to have the contest winning, landing two big knee strikes and attempting the One winged Angel, however Shibata slipped out and locked in the Sleeper, eventually wearing Kenny down for the PK and the big win in a sensational contest. EVIL Concussion If Tomoaki Honma is going down, he’s taking your brain function with him. Seriously, whenever he drops anyone with his array of piledrivers I cant help but wince and worry for his opponent’s health. I enjoy Honma as much as the next guy but I do worry. For all I know he is the safest guy in the company, but he makes everything look lethal. All that said, The King of Darkness, EVIL was not as squeamish about been dropped on his head as I would be, as it proved to be a turning point in this contest that took EVIL to 4 points as he stopped Honma with the STO, The Unbreakable Streak Continues. After losing his first 2 matches, Michael Elgin promised to not lose again in this G1, and despite a valiant effort from YOSHI-HASHI, he has stayed true to his word. This was another great match from Elgin who is within a good shot of been the tournament MVP, picking up the win with a huge Elgin bomb in a ridiculously good contest. YOSHI-HASHI looked devastated as he left the ring, but considering his lack of singles competition, he is showing himself to be a very capable talent. Yano Steals Another One! In what could be described as an upset, Toru Yano picked up another big win in the G1, this time over former IWGP champion Yugi Nagata. Nagata controlled the action early, however with what Yano lacks in skill, he makes up for in creativity. After taking Nagata outside and hitting a low blow, Yano pulled a roll of tape from his tights and tied Nagata’s feet together before running back to the ring, Nagata had to sit and watch as he was counted out, giving Yano an important win. And now, the B Block table. Naito Tops the B Block thanks to his win over Michael Elgin, however the block is still open for everyone (except maybe EVIL and Honma) to go on a late run and win. There will be a bit of a gap now as I’m off on a little holiday, but next week Ill be recapping all the action from the next few shows before going into great detail (including live tweeting on @royalgrumblepod) for the 2 final Block shows and the big G1 final. 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 and Steve Corino) 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. Back on track! Here we are with another G1 Grumble covering nights 9 and 10 of the 26th installment of the New Japan Pro Wrestling G1 Climax. We are officially past the halfway point with only 4 league matches remaining before the big final on August 14th. Lets see how things went down in the A and B Blocks over the past 2 days. A Block - Night 9Tanahashi Fights On! The comeback of Hiroshi Tanahashi continued with a win over Hirooki Goto. It took the Ace of NJPW 2 High Fly Flows to get the win in an even main event. Tanahashi and Goto now both have 2-3 records and have some catching up to do to reach the top of the pack. A Raging Bull Cannot Stop The Rainmaker. The fairytale story of Hiroyoshi Tenzan is dying, and the move he brought back to show he could still go is once again the cause of his downfall, as IWGP Heavyweight Champion Kazuchika Okada stopped Tenzan from reaching the top rope to hit his moonsault with a big German suplex and the Rainmaker lariat to bring his record to 4-1, putting him joint top of the A Block. Okada seems to have taken his first night loss in his stride and is now putting together an impressive record and continues to be the favourite to be in the G1 final on August the 14th. King Kong Falls. The unbeaten run of Togi Makabe came to a sudden halt at the hands of Naomichi Marufuji, who now holds victories over the two front runners of the A Block, a point that should not be overlooked should the former GHC champion be nearing the top of the table come decision time. Marafuji held his own against the big man, going strike for strike in the early going before taking over in the end and hitting the Sliced Bread for the big win and the 2 points. Makabe still sits in joint first of A Block, but that could change on night 11 when he faces off against the other man with a 4-1 record, Okada. Bad Luck Cold Skull. Despite an impressive start to the tournament, SANADA has struggled to keep the momentum and it was more than evident here as he fell to the Underboss, Bad Luck Fale in what in hindsight was a one sided beat down. SANADA struggled to compete with the size and power of Fale, and despite dodging the Bad Luck Fall once, eventually was hit with the Grenade and the BLF, giving Fale the important 2 points. Destiny Calling. I don’t think its unfair to say that when looking at the line up, Tama Tonga was the one most saw taking the award for “better luck next time”, however in this match against Tomohiro Ishii, who I went into detail in in last nights G1 Grumble about why I think he is one of the best in New Japan, Tama Tonga showed the world he has what it takes to compete in the singles division. The match built at a solid pace built on Ishii’s power vs. Tonga’s speed and agility, ultimately coming down to his tenacity in hitting the Gun Stun on the third attempt while Ishii went for his Brainbuster, securing the win and making sure he wasn’t the only one without at least 4 points. The A Block currently looks like this… Makabe and Okada share the top spot and will face off on Night 11, while the rest of the group rests on 4 points with equal 2-3 records. The two to watch will be Marafuji, who noted earlier has victories over the two leaders, and Tanahashi who seems to be on the comeback trail, and while he does have a loss to Makabe, is yet to face Okada in what will not only be an important contest in the G1, but also a highly anticipated return of their long standing rivalry. B Block - Night 10My Destino Tetsuya Naito continued his path back to the IWGP Heavyweight title with a strong win over hardheaded Tomoaki Honma. The two brawled on the floor early while lead to the obliquity count out tease, from there Naito worked Honma’s leg with his array of submissions. Honma fought hard with a comeback, hitting the kokeshi and a sit-out piledriver, however it was all for naught as Naito hit the Destino for the win. A Bullet for the King of Darkness EVIL currently sits at the bottom of B Block, as the Cleaner, Kenny Omega, bounced back from his loss on Night 8 to defeat the King of Darkness in the second Bullet club vs. Los Ingobernables match of the two shows. The two traded moves for most of the contest, attempting steel chair attacks that missed before trading shots and suplexes until Omega blocked the STO and hit a reverse rana. From there it was only a matter of time as Kenny hit the One Winged Angel for the victory. Shenanigans > Strong Style. In a shock result, Katsuyori Shibata looked to make quick work of Toru Yano as he attacked the moment the bell sounded, but it didn’t take long for Yanos tricks to catch up with the serious competitor as he countered a sleeper into a pinning combination for the surprise win in a very short time. Shibata looked beside himself as he left the ring, and I’m sure whomever he comes up against next will feel his wrath. Blue Justice is Breakable, Elgin is not. Michael Elgin faced tough opposition from group leader and veteran Yugi Nagata. The two traded forearms early, which set the tone for a tough contest for the two, who both wore bandage and bruises from the tough tournament. Elgin would eventually get the better of the contest, hitting a buckle bomb and power bomb to get the victory. After the contest, the two shook hands in a great sign of respect. You also get the feeling that given more time and proper build, these two could have a classic. YOSHI-HASHIs time is now. YOSHI-HASHI may lack experience in singles competition, but it doesn’t show in this tournament, as he got another victory, this time over the impressive Pro-wresting NOAH competitor, Katsuhiko Nakajima. YH withstood the strong kicking game of Nakajima to hit a big lariat and Karma for a big win that puts him joint top of the B Block. The B Block table looks like this…. This block is still too close to call with 6 men sharing the top spot, so the next show or two should see some break away from the pack. EVIL needs to pick up some wins fast if he wants to be in contention. 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 and Steve Corino) 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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