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.
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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 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? 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