(note: I will not watch all of the non-tournament tag matches on these shows, but I will try to watch storyline-relevant tags)
DAY 1 7/17/2017, HOKKAIDO PREFECTURAL SPORTS CENTER (A BLOCK)
TenCozy & Jushin Thunder Liger vs. Juice Robinson, Michael Elgin & David Finlay Jr.
Vets vs. young lions to start off the tournament with a disposable but fun match. Liger is Liger; at this point he'd get a pop if he sat on the apron the whole time, but he and everyone else gets a moment to shine. Kojima looked especially good here, setting up his Day 2 match with Juice with some fine offense. This is a solid G1 tag filler, nothing special but a breezy showcase for all involved. ***1/4
Kenny Omega, Tama Tonga & Chase Owens vs. Minoru Suzuki, Taichi & El Desperado
It's Tag Kenny and you know what that means: it's Comedy Kenny, which is normally all well and good until you're hyping a match with shooter god Minoru Suzuki. This match looked great on paper but never took off, with Omega carrying most of the proceedings on his comedy while the backup players from Bullet Club and Suzuki-gun did less than the two men who should be saving their energy for the next night's singles match. Omega's strategy of needling Suzuki more than taking the fight to him was a bit of an odd choice, making him a more irritating, peevish opponent than the all-out warrior he will no doubt play on night two. **1/4
EVIL & Hiromu Takahashi vs. SANADA & BUSHI
This was probably my second most anticipated match of the night going in. LIJ is the best stable in any company in years, with everyone involved a great worker with a distinctive character. Sadly, they did what they were supposed to do here: keep the crowd entertained while largely padding out the show. With a bit more time this could have been a sleeper MOTN contender. As it is, everyone gets their stuff in, with Takahashi largely proving that he should have been in this tournament, especially in a tournament where Zack Sabre Jr. and Kota Ibushi get to compete unquestioned as heavyweights. A fun sprint and one that showed off how willing EVIL and SANADA were to kill each other for victory. ***
[skipped next tag match]
Yuji Nagata vs. YOSHI-HASHI
Nagata, pushing 50, has no business still being in the game, far less so being as good as he still is. The story of this match was Nagata proving that he could still hang, that he could still keep up, that he could still ruin someone's day with his offense. Nagata took the fight to HASHI whenever he could, targeting limbs and laying in some stiff kicks, but HASHI had speed on his side, sliding out from up top to hit a powerbomb or converting a suplex attempt into a guillotine. To his credit, Nagata frequently had an answer for this kind of stuff, catching HASHI in suplexes and xploders, as well as pulling counters of his own to his opponent's swift moveset. But in the end, Nagata just couldn't quite get it done, couldn't hit hard enough or wrench HASHI's arm brutally enough to score a win. This was a hell of a way to start the tournament proper, telling a classical wrestling story of the veteran and the next generation while making both men look excellent and capable. ****
Togi Makabe vs. Bad Luck Fale
Not much to say about this match. Fale's capabilities depend on his opponent, and Makabe, a dull worker to begin with, has been completely set out to sea by the star-making in the last 18 months of New Japan's ambitious expansion. But a hoss fight by any other name would hit just as hard, and watching these two charge at each other like tranquilized rhinos has its charms. The issue is that this never reaches hoss fight potential, with Fale gaining control early and keeping it the entire time. Makabe occasionally lands a desperation lariat or somesuch as Fale continues to come back with disdainful, devastating blows. At long last, Makabe looks like he might get in a series, only for Fale counters a knee drop into a grenade for the pinfall. **1/4
Hirooki Goto vs. Tomohiro Ishii
Whatever block gets Ishii in the G1 is guaranteed to be the more interesting of the two, with the squat icebox of a man capable of getting four-star matches out of your grandmother. He and Goto immediately show up their beefier predecessors with a true hoss war, charging each other strong-style and no-selling suplexes. Soon, the lariats come to play, and boy does it look like it would suck to take one of those from either of these guys. Despite each wrestlers' show of endurance, the two also make sure to slip out of more signature moves, with Ishii escaping the GTR several times and Goto getting out of the brainbuster. A great forearm exchange spot toward the end send the crowd into overdrive until Goto takes Ishii down with two lariats and then nails a GTR to make sure the dude stays down. The kind of match where you need an icepack just from watching. ****1/4
Hiroshi Tanahashi vs Zack Sabre Jr.
New Japan's battered and tattered former ace enters G1 Climax 27 with a recovering torn bicep, only to find himself immediately paired against the greatest submissions machine on the market today. Tanahashi brilliantly keeps his arm away from Sabre in the first few minutes, constantly slipping away or positioning himself to avoid Sabre's grapples. But Sabre is in no mood to play, and he hones in on that wrapped appendage like a shark to blood. Sabre wisely avoids using too-much strike based offense against the far larger Tanahashi (a few uppercuts used late in the match look ridiculous even against the tired and weakened wrestler), instead going after the arm with his mercilessly twisting holds. Tanahashi fights back with dragon screw leg whips, but his desire to set up a cloverleaf submission gives away the weakness of his strategy; Tanahashi, pissed off and affronted, wants to beat Sabre at his own game instead of using his size to take the boy down. This was a killer showcase for Sabre, his best yet in front of a Japanese audience, and listening to the crowd gasp as he flawlessly chained between multiple holds in seconds was a delight. Tanahashi struggled valiantly, but once Sabre ripped-off his bandages to really lay in arm and wrist attacks, it was all over. For the second year in a row, Tanahashi put over a younger talent on the first night, and in an instant Sabre emerged as Suzuki-gun's dominant subordinate. Hell, given how lackluster Suzuki's own 2017 work has been, Sabre may well be the stable's most exciting member, full-stop. ****
Tetsuya Naito vs. Kota Ibushi
God bless New Japan for giving away what could have easily been a match-up saved for the tournament final as the main event for the first show. The story here was both men attempting to kill each other, with each targeting the other's neck in a series of escalating stunts that include Naito lawn-darting Ibushi into a turnbuckle and Ibushi pulling off a middle-rope piledriver that looks like death. This was a killer showcase for the all-rounder abilities of both wrestlers, playing off their excellent striking and their flying antics. Ibushi also sold like an absolute champion, rivaling Omega in his ability to make every single blow stand out not only in how he nurses an area but in how his face and body language contorts in agony and determination. His touches of drama flesh out a story against Naito's cocky heel act, though the LIJ leader drops his blasé attitude to commit entirely to getting a win at all costs. Two quick-succession Destinos bring this to a close five minutes from the time limit as both men limp out even bigger stars than they were to start. ****3/4
OVERALL: The first night of G1 always tends to be a barnburner to get people excited for the full tournament, and this was no exception. With only one of the singles matches dipping below four stars, this was a stellar way to kick off, and nearly everyone came off like a star. The Naito/Ibushi match would be a MOTY for the company in a year where New Japan wasn't averaging a five-star classic once a month, and it was a great way to fully reintroduce Ibushi to NJPW's roster. The only issue to take with the show is that it only hammers home how lopsided the blocks are in terms of talent and star power, and the B-block will have to work hard to match, at any point of the tournament, the megawatt intensity of this opening show.
DAY 2 7/20/17, KORAKUEN HALL (B BLOCK)
Zack Sabre Jr. & El Desperado vs. Kota Ibushi & Hirai Kawato
This was a hot opener that hyped what Don Callis called the rightful finale of WWE's Cruiserweight Classic. Ibushi and Sabre only spent a few minutes in the ring with each other but they instantly gelled, with Ibushi opting for a more strike-based offense to negate Sabre's winding holds. But the real point of interest was young lion Kawato, who came off looking like a future contender with his passionate defense against Desperado's bruising hits and even managed to slip out of a few of Sabre's nastier knots. The closing stretch was a lot of fun, with Suzuki-Gun locking simultaneous holds and Kawato getting a huge pop for escaping Desperado. The young wrestler eats a pinfall shortly thereafter, but this was as good a showing for him as it was a hype-up for tomorrow night's most interesting match. ***1/4
Togi Makabe, Yugi Nagata & Tiger Mask IV vs. Hirooki Goto, Tomohiro Ishii & Gedo
Plenty of distractions and run-ins make this a bit chaotic in spots, though it also subtly illustrates Nagata's old-school professionalism in how patiently he waits on the apron even when the other five wrestlers are in the ring breaking down order. Nagata's interactions with Goto are solid, building on Nagata's momentum from the previous night, but the real story are the stiff exchanges between Ishii and Makabe, who bullishly charge each other BJW style and always seem to be mixing it up even when not paired off in the ring. Tiger Mask and Gedo play filler roles, bringing things to a close with some shenanigans from Gedo and TM's increasingly pissed-off responses. Great closing shot of Tiger Mask pinning Gedo as Makabe and Ishii slug each other at ringside in the background. **1/2
[skipped next two tags]
Satoshi Kojima vs. Juice Robinson
After giving up his G1 spot to buddy Tenzan last year, Kojima similarly looks to prove himself in the twilight of his career. The veteran takes the bulk of the match's first half, beating the kid down with traditional and Mongolian chops and scouting numerous attempts by Juice to recover and gain some steam. But the ongoing story of Juice Robinson remains NJPW's most underrated arc. It feels like a lifetime ago that NXT reject CJ Parker filled space in New Japan's roster as a screaming loon destined to take pinfalls in tag matches. He's had consistently good matches for going on a year now, and here he is all passion, standing up to Kojima's offense despite some savage closing interactions. Kojima thwarts a crossbody by landing a lariat to Juice's leg, sending the man splaying on the turnbuckle to suffer a Cozy Cozy Cutter, followed by two sick lariats that each get amazing kickouts. Juice scores a win with Pulp Friction to close a great match, followed by a sweet show of respect from the victor. ***3/4
Tama Tonga vs. Michael Elgin
Tonga's slithering misdirections emphasized his speed out of the gate, though it did seem that Elgin exaggerated his own pace to make Tonga look even faster. Big Mike is obviously a bruiser, but he lumbers here in a way foreign to his usual athleticism. Things pick up with Elgin catches Tonga and proceeds to make the man regret being born, laying in suplex after suplex on top of numerous slams, but Tonga's strategy of tiring out Elgin resulted in a match that just felt poorly paced. The last few minutes finally bring the heat, with Elgin throwing Tonga off of a gun stun, catching a brutal dropkick to the jaw, then going for a springboard attack that Tonga catches in a gun stun. Tonga nails one last one off of Elgin's DVD attempt for the pin. ***1/4
SANADA vs. EVIL
Next to Daryl, NJPW's most compelling non-wrestling gimmick is the increasing height of SANADA's sharkfin hairdo. EVIL teases a handshake to start but promptly attacks his stablemate, even doing a ref bump on Red Shoes to open up some surprising chair antics, capped off by EVIL threading a chair over SANADA's head and using a second chair to hit the first, sending it flying with serious airtime until it hits a cameraman. From there it's an all-out war, with EVIL looking for power moves while SANADA stresses his mutability by transitioning from slams and suplexes to arial moves and various counters. In a particularly great exchange, SANADA takes darkness falls for a two-count but pops up, slides to the apron and kips up for a springboard missile dropkick that he follows up with a TKO. SANADA came off like a guy who could do it all, and he looks like the next big break-out from the LIJ stable. The barrage of counters that lead to an outstanding Skull End was the best moment on the show, and the moment played both on the wrestlers' familiarity with each other and specifically SANADA's ability to outplay EVIL's consummate sneakiness. After Omega, he might just emerge as the star player of the B block, and here's hoping he gets a NEVER or IC belt challenge by early next year. ****
Kazuchika Okada vs. Toru Yano
Yano is a killer comedy wrestler, but his matches fall so rigidly into formula that it can be difficult to appreciate his charms, and his G1 matches tend to be irritating filler. What enlivened this bout was Okada, who brought out his full jerk persona to emit waves of revulsion at having to stoop so low in this, the Year of the Rainmaker, to share a squared circle with this joke. When Yano tries his usual spot of untying the corner pad, Okada loses it, beating Yano down, re-tying the pad, then threading his opponent through a guardrail for a nasty stretch. By all accounts, Okada is a hilarious person in real life, and you could see some of his humor in this match, albeit hidden underneath a mask of pure disgust. In fact he may have been the best straight man that Yano has ever had, never making the mistake of underestimating Yano while also playing up his exasperation with the man's bullshit. There are some downright slapstick spots, from Yano managing to unlace the turnbuckle pad and hit Okada in the head with it with a cartoonish thwack sound to both men along with their respective cornermen Jado and Gedo all hitting crotch shots on each other. A 10-minute match with Yano might as well be an hour-long draw with anyone else, but it's a testament both to Okada's timing and Yano's little-seen skills that this was a blast. ***1/2
Kenny Omega vs. Minoru Suzuki
The most up-and-down match of the tournament so far, at times a MOTY contender and elsewhere a total bomb. It starts out great, with Omega losing all his usual bluster in the opening staredown as he consistently averts his eyes from Suzuki's murderous, gleeful gaze. Tiny things like that are as much a reason why Omega is the most innovative wrestler on the scene right now as his epic match structures. After a series of lackluster singles matches from Suzuki since his return to New Japan at the top of the year, finally he gets an opponent who sells for him whole-hog. The early sequences are brutal, with Omega chopping Suzuki to no avail as seemingly every single attack the shooter busts out levels his challenger. Omega manages to send Suzuki out of the ring with a rana and sets up a Terminator suicide dive, only for Suzuki to pop back in and level him with a big boot. At ringside, Omega's attempted springboard on a rail is thwarted when Suzuki kicks it out from underneath him, then uses the same rail to viciously wrap and stretch Omega's knee.
So far so great, especially when Omega begins to limp like his leg was shattered, pulling off a Finley roll only to collapse, then rallying to perform a moonsault off of his one good leg. It's brilliant stuff, right up until the moment that Omega goes for a V-trigger (with his bad knee), only for Suzuki to pull the ref in to catch the blow. It's a good ref bump, but it leads to several minutes of both Suzuki-gun and Bullet Club emptying into the ring for mass chaos (a callback to AJ's seminal match with Suzuki in 2014, but more protracted). From there, the match yo-yos according to Omega's selling; he is always careful to telegraph the pain when he hits a move with his knee, but he also returns to the knee so many times. There's a fine balance fighting spirit and just plain idiocy and Omega crosses it after about the fourth V-trigger. Had Omega varied his offense a little bit more this might have been Suzuki's best match since returning to the company, but even so it stands far afield of his disastrously booked Okada match to make both competitors look strong. Some great selling spots deep in the match elevate this, most especially a me Omega getting up for a rana but losing his leg strength halfway and letting Suzuki slide out as he's halfway into a flip. One-Winged Angel closes out a damn good match that might well have been a best of the tournament bout under slightly different structuring. ***3/4
OVERALL: The B block inherently lacks the same potential as the more star-packed A block, and where Naito/Ibushi comes off like a thrilling intro to the tournament, booking Omega/Suzuki so soon seems like it's just burning one of the few inherently thrilling match-ups in the block. Nonetheless, each match told a clear story and boasted excellent ring work all around. With a genuinely delightful Yano match, incredibly showings from up-and-comers Robinson and SANADA and a frustrating but ultimately exciting main event, this was a strong start for the second half of the tournament's roster.
No comments:
Post a Comment