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 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. This is the first article discussing shows and stories that we don’t have the time to cover in detail on the show, or because its an area only one of us can really get in depth about. The show will be discussed in brief on next week’s (26/6) show, but for now, here’s a quick run down of the major talking points of New Japan Pro Wrestling’s DOMINION 2016 SPOILERS.... A Bad Night for Los Ingobernables de JaponThe last few months have seen the misfit group of Naito, BUSHI, Evil, and recent addition Sanada, grow in popularity while waging war with CHAOS (lead by Okada) and NJPW itself. Since Naito's title win at Invasion Attack over Okada, Naito has continued to disrespect the company and its championship, damaging it to the point that a new belt will be introduced once someone new won the title, and that night was Dominion. Okada overcame Naito in a great main event that didn't feature the shenanigans that took over Naito's previous title matches. Instead we had a great one-on-one match between the two that showed that they both have a lot left in the tank. Naito's run as IWGP champion cemented him as a top player in the company, all while throwing the prized championship to the ground and assaulting officials. Now that Naito is chasing the title again, it will be interesting to see how his methods and motives change; will he now realise the prize he held meant more to him than he knew? We will find out as we move into the G1 Climax tournament. The rest of Los Ingobernables de Japon did not fair well either on the night. Sanada and BUSHI lost to Chaos members Tomohiro Ishii and YOSHI-HASHI, while the group’s enforcer EVIL lost out to Goto in a hard-hitting contest. The popular group went 0-3 on the night, but who knows where they will go next? Big Mike Breaks Out!Michael Elgin, the man who stood up when Tanahashi fell to injury to take on Kenny Omega in the first ever Ladder match in New Japan, walked out of Osaka with the IWGP Intercontinental title. New Japan have been trying new things to ingratiate themselves to the western wrestling audience, and one step was this match between the leader of the Bullet Club and the Canadian strongman. This match had everything that the usual Monday night audiences would expect from such a spectacle, and both men, as well as all the other featured talent that made appearances during the match, all played their parts to perfection. This result came as a surprise to me because, as mentioned, Elgin was a write-in after Tanahashi's injuries ruled him out of the match. Elgin had previously lost clean to Omega in a brilliant match and whereas this match relied more on big spots and run-ins, it was just as entertaining and worth your time. What’s next for these two? Well Elgin has risen in popularity so who knows how his title run will go, but Kenny Omega has styled himself as the ultimate comic book villain, and it’s safe to say that he won’t fade into the background after this setback. Shibata and Nagata - Iron Skulls.Is that Shibata's name on the card? Time for another 20 minutes of asking yourself how he doesn't spend the night after every big match in the hospital, his opponent in the opposing bed, both being checked up by nurses after beating the ever-loving crap out of each other. Shibata has been on a run of facing a lot of the previous generation’s top guys for his NEVER Openweight title, such as Tenzan and Kojima, before hitting a brick wall in former IWGP Heavyweight champion, Yuji Nagata. Nagata defeated Shibata in a bit of a shock match at Wrestling Donkatu earlier this year, and in the weeks following, the two have gone at it at every opportunity, laying waste to every venue on NJPW's Best of the Super Junior tour. The two finally had their rematch and it was everything you expect from the two: hard-hitting and at times just brutal, before Shibata finally avenged his loss and regained the NEVER Openweight title. The aftermath of this was quite important, as Shibata's previous opponents, as well as Nagata, all showed respect after the match, to which Shibata replied in kind, ready to move onto the next chapter. Shibata seems to be on the cusp of becoming a real star, so it will be interesting to see how he fares in the G1. The Rest of it AllThere was so much on this show that I’ll condense the rest down here. - Young Lion Jay White competed in his final NJPW match as a trainee before heading out to ROH to further his learning. White is a pretty great talent and it’s clear that NJPW have plans for the New Zealander. I’m looking forward to what he gets up to in Ring of Honor. - The Briscoes returned and took the IWGP Hvt Tag Titles from the Guerrillas of Destiny. This was a solid match that will hopefully help spring some new life into a heavyweight tag division that has been a little stale since the departure of Anderson and Gallows. - Captain Fookin New Japan. - The Young Bucks became the 5-time (5 time, 5 time) IWGP Jr. Hvt Tag champs in a four-way elimination match that was pretty great too. This Division continues to amaze and the Young Bucks are clearly the top stars. The prospect of more matches against the team of Matt Sydal and Ricochet is enough to salivate over. - And finally, KUSHIDA was the only person on the card to successfully defend his title in his IWGP Jr. Hvt Title match against podcast favourite Will Ospreay. While not reaching the highs of their first encounter, it was still a spectacle, and although this writer and his colleagues are no doubt a little disappointed Will wasn't bringing the gold back to our shores, KUSHIDA continues to be one of the best in-ring performers today. Did you enjoy this? Why not join NJPW WORLD and watch this as well as a ton of amazing shows for a pretty low cost, here is a guide that will help you through the process.
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. Thanks Dan |
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