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.
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