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.
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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. Sorry for the delays, but we are back with more G1 Grumble action! We are nearing the halfway point of the G1 Climax 26 tournament and the pieces are falling into place. Here’s all the action from night's 7 and 8. Night 7 – A Block The Ace Finally End His Bad Luck. One of the intriguing storylines in this year’s G1 is last years winner Hiroshi Tanahashi and his 0-3 record coming into Night 7. Having just returned from injury and seemingly far from 100%, he fell in his first 3 matches to competitors such as Togi Makabe and SANADA, however this was finally the night that all changed as he took down the Bullet Clubs big man, Bad Luck Fale. Despite taking home the win, it was not an easy night for the Ace, as Bad Luck Fale methodically tried to take apart Tanahashi, working on his recently rehabbed shoulder, and swatting him out of the air like a fly whenever he tried to mount a comeback. However Tanahashi wasn’t prepared to go down again as he kicked out of the Grenade and countered the Bad Luck Fall into a roll up getting the win he desperately needed to stay in the tournament. After the win, Tanahashi spoke with the crowd and vowed to not lose another match in the tournament and win back-to-back tournaments, however the deck is truly stacked against him. Championship Run. IWGP Heavyweight Champion Kazuchika Okada continued his run in the G1 taking his record to 3-1 at the expense of Bad Boy Tama Tonga. Tonga took control of the contest early, but when attempting the gun stun, Okada countered and took over the match, hitting a big German suplex before ending proceedings with the Rainmaker. Can the Champion keep up his run in the G1 and take control of his own destiny? Don’t Get into a Chop Contest with a Stone Pitbull. In what this writer thought was the match of the night, and I may be a little bias based on my love of the Stone Pitbull, Tomohiro Ishii won an excellently fought contest over Pro Wrestling NOAH’s Naomichi Marufuji. The match started at Marufujis pace before the tide turned and the two traded stiff chops and elbows. Marufuji may not be winning every match, but all his previous opponents have been wearing the scabs and bruises from his whipping chops as a keepsake from their encounters. The match turned to Ishii’s favour as it went on, with the two trading their big moves before Ishii knocked Marufuji silly with a head-butt and Lariat, before securing the win with the brain buster. One thing to note here is how good Ishii has been this tournament, and in general over the past year. Usually the tough-guy persona benefits the one with the reputation more than their opponents, but Ishii bucks that trend using his brilliant selling that elevates his opponent to his level, meaning win or lose, both men come out looking better for having the contest. Skull End After a promising start to the G1 for SANADA, it looked to have been a one hit wonder when he made Tanahashi tap on the opening night, however this is a marathon and he was bound to pick up the pace once again, and this time his victim was Hirooki Goto. SANADA used the Skull End (a dragon sleeper) to wear down Goto who refused to submit to the Los Ingobernables member, however on the final attempt, Cold Skull let go of the submission and hit a picturesque moonsault to take home the win, giving him another 2 points to keep him within reach of the G1 Final. The Raging Bull stopped in his tracks by King Kong. The story of Hiroyoshi Tenzan’s final G1 took another downturn as he fell in the opening tournament match of the night to A Block Leader, Togi Makabe. This was a good stiff opener for the two, however the intense schedule of the G1 has started to take its toll on the vetran, leading to Makabe hitting a Samoan drop and the King Kong Knee for the win, keeping him on top of the A Block. Here is what the A Block looks like after night 7. The one to watch will be Makabe who has yet to be defeated, and Tanahashi will be keeping an eye on this because even if he can match Makabe's final point total, he lost the head-to head against him. IWGP Champ Okada is only trailing by 2 points, but he is the favourite in the group and will likely overtake Makabe. Night 8 - B BlockTranqui....oh crap. Former IWGP Heavyweight champion Tetsuya Naito is used to calling out "Tranquilo" after matches, but it was he who found himself been put to sleep by the NEVER Openweight Champion Katsuyori Shibata in a great main event. Naito was his usual cocky self as he worked over Shibata's injured shoulder and knee, however his confidence got the better of him as the hard hitting NEVER champ refused to kneel and took it to Naito with his signature style of hard elbows and kicks. The finish saw him lock in a rear-naked choke that forced the smile from Naito's face, Naito fought with everything to break it but eventually succummed, leading to Shibata sitting him down for the Penalty kick and, rather than go for the pin, lock in the Rear Naked choke once again, choking the former champion and one of the favourites for the G1 unconsious. While Naito is a favourite to win this years G1, Shibata is many 'ITK' people's dark horse, and this is a big win for him. Omega Can’t Get One Over the Big Man. In a rematch from Dominion back in May, Michael Elgin once again bested the Bullet Clubs Kenny Omega in a riveting contest. The match started much like many of Omegas matches before this tournament did, with interference from Taguchi that distracted Elgin long enough for Omega to hit a big dive. The match continued to go back and forth with Omega working over Elgin’s injured shoulder, and Elgin making big power comebacks. The match finished with both men hitting the others finish on their opponent for near falls before the IWGP intercontinental champion hit two big lariats and the Spin-out power bomb for the win. Blue Justice is no match for KICKS Much like with the story of Tenzan, NJPW legend Yugi Nagata is also starting to feel the toll of this intense G1 tournament, as he fell once again, this time to Pro Wrestling NOAH’s Katsuhiko Nakajima. Nakajima controlled the vetren with his kickboxing skills, but then had to face a barrage as Nagata used the white eyes arm bar and the backdrop driver that has put away most of his opponents in this tournament, only for it to be met with a Penalty Kick and a brain buster, giving Nakajima the big win. Karma YOSHI-HASHI picked up an important 2 points over Los Ingobernables de Japon big man, EVIL in a great back and forth contest. In the closing part of the contest, EVIL forced his way out of the double armlock, only to be caught by a lariat and a senton for a near fall, and then the Karma Half nelson driver that finally put a stop to the King of Darkness. YANO WINS! In the opening contest of night 8, Toru Yano finally picked up a win over Tomoaki Honma in a fun contest. The match was very much Head-butt vs. Shenanigans as Honma tried to use his Kokeshi however Yano used distractions to hit a low blow and get the quick roll up victory. The B Block is still wide open with pretty much everyone in contention. with 5 matches to go, everyone will be looking for the next gear. 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. With the shows coming thick and fast for this years G1 Climax, it was time for a slight change in the format, so for the second round and onwards, we will look at 2 nights of action from both A and B Blocks, which featured an early contender for match of the tournament. Night 3 – A BlockIt could be a long month for the Ace!The surprises keep on coming in the G1, and no surprise was bigger than in the main event of night 3 when Hiroshi Tanahashi, the ace of NJPW, fell to 0-2 after succumbing to the King Kong knee drop of Togi Makabe. Tanahashi, coming off a second injury layoff this year, has been fighting vigorously though his physical condition may not be 100%, and despite his attempts to put Makabe away, he was too strong for the former G1 winner and multiple time winner of the G1. Tanahashi’s story is becoming an interesting part of the block, how will a man of great success come back from two losses that many had him pegged to win? And what about his opponent, Togi Makabe is now 2-0 in the G1 and is picking up steam as the tournament progresses. He might be the dark horse of the group, but only time will tell. The Rainmaker stops Cold Skull in his tracks.This match saw two men of different mentalities and differing opening nights go head to head. SANADA was coming off his upset victory of Hiroshi Tanahashi, while Kazuchika Okada was reeling from a loss to Pro-Wrestling NOAH star Naomichi Marufuji. What we got was really a textbook Okada match, with the relative newcomer trying every trick he had before eventually getting caught by the IWGP champions devastating Rainmaker lariat. Both men now hold 1-1 records with everything to play for. Marufuji’s luck runs out. Coming off his huge win on night 1, Naomichi Marufuji had momentum on his side, only to be met with a large wall by the name of ‘The Underboss’, Bad Luck Fale. Marufuji managed to hit some big strikes but ultimately was hit by the Grenade, giving both the victor and the loser 1-1 records as the G1 continues. Stop! He's already dead!Tomohiro Ishii certainly lives up to his moniker of the Stone pitbull, as he and Hirooki Goto beat the holy hell out of each other in this match. In a tremendous back and forth contest, both men landed huge blows, but ultimately Goto found a crack in the human boulder that is Ishii when he hit him with a brainbuster to his knee and finally the GTR for the big win, leaving Ishii 0-2 while continuing his perfect record. The Bull is still going strong.Seriously, what is going on with Tama Tongas ring gear? Anyway, in the opening G1 contest of night 3, the story of Hiroyoshi Tenzan, the old veteran having one last shot at the G1 continues to be one of the most compelling stories in the tournament, as he picked up another win in what was essentially a Tenzan greatest hits match. Tonga may feel with his 0-2 record that he wished he would have stuck with his brother. Night 4 – B BlockTranquilo!In what will be on many peoples short list for match of the tournament already, Tetsuya Naito, former IWGP champion and leader of Los Ingobernables de Japon, took on IWGP Intercontinental champion Michael Elgin in a scintillating contest. The match had a lot of psychology with Naito up to his usual tricks before attacking the knee of the bigger man, much like the previous night against Nagata. This time however, he didn’t let his ego get in the way and stayed on Elgin, locking in many innovative leg submissions. Then, shit went down. Elgin fought back hard leading to an amazing closing to the match, with Elgin using his strength to counter Naito’s speed from any position and slam him down, only failing to get the 3. The finish of the match was a thing of perfection, as Elgin deadlifted Naito out of his knee lock, only for Naito to counter one last time with the Destino. Naito went to 1-1 and let the crowd know that the tournament would belong to Los Ingobernables, where as the IWGP intercontinental champ fell to 0-2. I beg and plead with all of you, if you havnt seen this match, go watch it right now! Penalty Shoot-outIn a match many were looking forward to, Katuyori Shibata finally got one in the win column in a stiff contest with Pro-Wresting NOAH stand out Katsuhiko Nakajima. Both utilise kicks and similar move sets that lead to a lot of expectations that this match paid off in full. Nakajima took over most of the early going much to the dismay of the large support for Shibata, however things picked up in a big way which lead to a hard hitting game of H-o-r-s-e, trading the similar moves from their move-sets before eventually Nakajima attempted to hit the penalty kick, only to be met with a hard slap from Shibata, leading to ‘The Wrestler’ hitting his own PK for the victory, meaning both men go on with 1-1 records. Just Think of the Poor Referee!In a nice change of pace from the hard hitting action, Kenny Omega and Toru Yano met in a fun contest that featured water spitting, throwing the referee to each other, and all the usual shenanigans you would expect from Yano, much to Kenny Omegas dismay when he clearly shouted “enough with the comedy” Yanos tricks sadly worked against him when the cleaner hit him with a big knee to put him down to 0-2, while Omega finally picked up a win in his first G1. Blue Justice overcomes Evil.Whats not to love about 48 year old veteran Yuji Nagata? The former IWGP champion took on EVIL in a great contest that saw the King of Darkness take advantage of the already injured knee of Nagata, before Blue Justice battled back to take his second win of the G1. This tournament in the early going has been one for the veterans, and long may it continue in the story of Yuji Nagata. Concussion, starring Honma.I cant help but wince every time I see Honma do a diving headbutt, or land one of his pile driver’s that seem to offer zero protection for his opponent, but hey, at least his view on hits to the head is consistant. Tomoaki Honma went 2-0 with a solid victory over YOSHI-HASHI, who had celebrated a big win over Kenny Omega 2 nights previous, fell to two vicious pile drivers and the diving headbutt from the tanned madman. 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. The G1 Climax kicked off today with a full slate of A Block contests, as well as the B Block participants competing in tag-matches to open up the show.
Here is a run down of the talking points coming out of the first night of G1 action Marafuji defeats the IWGP Heavyweight Champion! In an inter-promotional dream match of sorts, former GHC champion Naomichi Marufuji defeated reigning IWGP champion Kazuchika Okada in a thrilling contest that was worthy of the main event slot on night 1. With the victory, not only does Marufuji get himself 2 points on the board, but he most likely will receive an IWGP Heavyweight title shot in the fall. Sanada upsets the Ace! In another star making performance, Sanada defeated the returning Tanahashi in an outstanding contest. This was Tanahashi’s return following a shoulder injury, and in this match he threw everything he could at Sanada, however after 2 dragon sleeper attempts and 3 moonsaults, Sanada finally forced the ace to tap to the Dragon sleeper picking up a stunning win for the relative new-comer over a former multi time IWGP champion. Goto takes down the Underboss. Hirooki Goto picked up 2 points in a tough contest against the Bullet Clubs Underboss, Bad Luck Fale. Before the match, Goto had a short video showing him reaching the finals of the G1 and New Japan Cup, and ultimately falling to the winners who both went on to win the IWGP Heavyweight Championship, Okada and Naito. The match was a typical Bad Luck Fale match with him taking control and beating down Goto. When the momentum finally swung back in Gotos favour, he managed to use headbutts, a rear naked choke, and then his GTO finish to get the victory and his first 2 points. The Guerilla of Destiny falls to Makabe Makabe got a measure of revenge against one half of the team who defeated him and Homna for the IWGP tag titles earlier in the year, while getting an important victory in the first round. The match started hot with Tonga attacking Makabe and throwing him to the outside. The brawl continued for much of the match before Makabe came out on top in a brawl on the top rope, eventually hitting Tonga with the knee drop for the win. One last G1 In the opening match of this year’s G1, Tomohiro Ishii was taken out by Hiroyoshi Tenzan. A Former 3 time G1 winner, Tenzan was vocal about his upset at not been included in this years tournament. Eventually his former tag-partner Kojima stepped aside and gave his spot to Tenzan, allowing him one last chance at glory. This match was everything you would want for an opening contest, with Tenzan showing the strength and tenacity of his younger years while going after the Stone Pitbull. After exchanging forearms and stiff head-butts, Tenzan hit is Original TTD and then a moonsault for the victory. The crowd was on their feet for Tenzan, who’s story will be one of the most intriguing at the tournament progresses. The B Block competitors were also in Tag action, teaming with juniors in 4 great contests.
Coming up next! The B Block begins on the 22nd with Yugi Nagata vs Naito, a rematch of Shibata vs Homna, as well as the rest of the B Block in tournament action. 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. Dan |
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