DAY 11 8/1/2017, Kagoshima, Kagoshima Arena (A BLOCK)
In the interest of catching up I'm not going to spend much time on filler matches like this. Neither, it seems, is HASHI, who charges Fale out of the gate in a shrewd bid to get a quick pin before the monster can hit him back. Fale responds in kind, torturing everyone's favorite anime-haired mid-carder by tosing him through multiple rows of chairs as if bowling. HASHI makes his way back into the ring with all the speed of your grandma. HASHI looks absolutely wiped but perseveres, and he manages to roll up Fale for the win. ***
Togi Makabe vs. Zack Sabre Jr.
Not even neoliberalism itself presents Zack Sabre Jr. with an opponent this objectively mediocre yet inexorably entrenched. Makabe beats on the brat, but soon Sabre gains the upper hand by chaining the unchained King Kong into numerous submissions that neutralize his hoss game. Things are going well until Makabe starts to get into a strike game that only exposes how bad his are and how weak Sabre's look, but a knee bar gets Makabe to tap before either embarrasses himself. ***
Tomohiro Ishii vs. Yuji Nagata
Nagata went into this tournament as an old man on his last leg, and after the go-for-broke performances he's given every single night of his block it's a miracle that he can still go. Putting him with Ishii seems simultaneously like a cruel act of torture and a great way for him to get a bit of a break given Ishii's highly professional but stiff-looking work. Nagata shuffles his way down the ramp with great speed; he is ready for this fight. So is Ishii, who walks out to be patted down by Red Shoes as if he might rip apart the the ref to get to his opponent. Some perfunctory lock-ups move swiftly into strike exchanges; Ishii goes down, catches a PK kick but is thrown back down by Nagata anyway. Nagata kicks the shit out of Ishii but the Stone Pitbull merely growls through the pain. Nagata reciprocates by inviting Ishii's chops in a slo-mo recreation of Ishii's interactions with Shibata.
Ishii would sell for a child who wandered into the ring looking for its parents, and he fully puts over the strength of Nagata's submissions and strikes even as he absorbs them. Ishii doesn't play up the heel the way others have against Nagata. Instead, he shows respect by demanding that the old ace give him everything and by hitting Nagata with everything he's got because he does not dismiss Nagata's own endurance. And when Ishii does taunt, he pays for it with those brutal kicks of Nagata's, with their sickening thuds into flesh. An xploder gets a two-count as the crowd starts to chant loudly for Blue Justice. These two start throwing bombs at each other, with Ishii hitting a gorgeous superplex and Nagata absolutely wrenching his opponent's arm loose with his armbar as Ishii looks like he wants to die, folded into himself in an agonized attempt to escape. After yet more exchanges, Nagata hits a gorgeous super-xploder and crawls for a cover, but Ishii kicks out and then ducks a kick as he gets up and the two starts trading suplexes, lariats and an enziguri from Nagata. These guys keep leveling each other, and when Nagata manages to kick out of a brutal lariat, the crowd loses it, more so when he steals Ishii's brainbuster for another close near-fall. Ishii counters a saito suplex and hits a sliding lariat, then hits his own brainbuster for the win. This was yet another stellar performance from Nagata, with an ideal opponent in Ishii for their mutual ability to work a style that looks dangerous but is far safer than the increasingly high-risk methods of the younger roster. This was outstanding, a showcase for both men that worked a simple story into an epic, high-stakes match that made both look incredible in victory. It was wonderful to see Ishii sidestep the ongoing narrative of Nagata's opponents dismissing his age, and as such they never had to slowly build to Nagata demanding respect because it was given from the start. ****1/2
Tetsuya Naito vs. Hirooki Goto
No down time on this match as Naito jumps out of the gate and Goto is equally in the mood for a fight, more so after Naito spits on him a few times. Goto goes up to the top turnbuckle but Naito immediately runs up and knocks him to the floor. At ringside, things slow way down for all the usual New Japan floor stuff that Gedo apparently must book in all matches, but Naito picks things up by working over Goto's neck. Goto hits a Saito suplex but Naito is clearly interested in putting this dude away. Yet after that initial flurry of activity, this mostly settles into a groove that is just functional, with moves that are safe and basic. Naito brings more flash, but Goto's neck targeting clearly takes a toll and sets up a sleeper hold. Goto manages to block Destino but eats a few moves on his neck for reciprocity. Naito hits Destino but Goto kicks out, so a second ends it. This was a good match that probably could have been great under different circumstances, but with the tournament now deep into its wearying grind and Naito no doubt looking to rest a bit and take fewer risks ahead of his Tanahashi match and likely appearance in the finals, it's understandable that this didn't hit high gear. ***1/4
Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Kota Ibushi
The going strategy of Ibushi's opponents is to keep him grounded, which is funny since Ibushi himself has been working a stiffer strong style this tournament to prove he can work in the heavyweight level. Tanahashi slaps Ibushi on two breaks in a row to a chorus of boos, then the crowd roars as Ibushi kips up from being floored to kick Tanahashi right in the chest. Tanahashi chops Ibushi's knee and Ibushi sells like he got ambushed with a lead pipe. The broken ace wraps Ibushi's leg over a rope and begins to squeeze and tug before going back to strikes on the leg. It's legitimately impressive that Tanahashi entered this tournament after a huge babyface title feud and a shoot injury and has increasingly courted heat over the last three weeks. Lord, let this man leave this tournament a heel.
After a lengthy bit of torture, Ibushi fires up with a dropkick that buys him some time before using his good leg to kick the stuffing out of Tanahashi before hitting a standing moonsault. A headscissors sends Tanahashi outside and now Ibushi is downright elated as he basks in the crowd love. He divs out and works his way up to an attempted deadlift suplex over the apron, but Tanahashi fights out and hits a dragon screw leg whip. Tanahashi then does a crossbody to the floor to prompt a count-out tease for Ibushi. He gets in the ring to eat leg stomps and dragon screws to set up Tanahashi's cloverleaf that Ibushi sells by practically collapsing his upper body in pain. These two keep running brief sprints that end with both down and recovering. Ibushi goes to lawn dart Tanahashi but the ace turns it into a sling blade, only for Ibushi to stop a High Fly Flow and bring him down for a lawn dart into the opposite corner. Tanahashi rolls to the apron but Ibushi is ready and hits that deadlift suplex for a wild near-fall. Tanahashi slips out of a Last Ride and turns it into a dragon screw neckbreaker, then bridges a straitjacket suplex for two. Ibushi takes a KILLER bump for a slingblade, turning himself inside-out as he flops down for it. Ibushi eats one High Fly Flow but gets the knees up for a second. Tanahashi stops Ibushi's knee-strike finisher but eats a spinning counter kick to the head. Last Ride gets 2.999999999 and Ibushi is absolutely stunned to find that he has not won. Having had enough, he drags Tanahashi up just enough for Ibushi's knee to crack into his skull, putting him down for good. ****1/2
OVERALL: We're in the stage of G1 where even the upper-tier workers start to show their fatigue, which made the two stand-out matches the surprising and delightful exception to the rule. Nagata and Ishii had an incredible, safe but passionate bout that brought out the best in both. Ibushi and Tanahashi, in turn, tore the house down, with Tanahashi leaning into a heel angle that he really needs to make his character going forward and Ibushi paying off the last few weeks of his NJPW re-introduction by refusing to let Tanahashi disrespect him and having an answer for anything the man had for him. Ibushi has opted to follow his muse for the last few years, and it's anyone's guess how long he'll be with New Japan this time. For the moment, however, he is working at a level of maturity only rarely glimpsed before, and it's refreshing to see him working at the level he deserves.
DAY 12 8/2/2017 FUKUOKA, FUKOAKA CITIZEN GYMNASIUM
A fun side-effect of Juice's worked injuries, for his opponents at least, is that it offers his partners to work a slower pace than the rest of the tournament while still hooking a crowd. Despite this, both he and SANADA show off their athleticism at the top, trading various grapples before scouting each other's offense. Both jump for missed dropkicks but Juice stumbles to his feet while SANADA immediately rolls back up. Outside, the LIJ member tortures the leg as all the fighters of B Block must. Juice manages to stagger his way back inside without letting the count-out tease go too long, but SANADA is waiting. SANADA flips out of an attack to tease Skull End but Juice gets in a DDT, then another. Through it all, he just can't capitalize, favoring his leg after anything he does. SANADA sweeps the leg and goes for figure four as Juice tries for all his might to roll it over and finally succeeds after a few tries, but SANADA rolls it over again and they head to the floor still entangled. SANADA keeps the figure four on until the last second, lunging into the ring a few counts before 20 as Juice just barely crawls back in. SANADA goes for the figure four again but Juice rolls him up for two. Juice lands a spinebuster but his whole body goes stiff with pain. After a powerbomb tease looks like Juice's leg might implode he hoists SANADA back up and hits it for another near-fall. The crowd is flat but these two are going for broke, reversing everything to put over Juice's resilience. After some big finisher teases with pulp friction never hit, SANADA goes for Skull End to wear down Juice before finishing him with a moonsault. This was a hell of a match for two dudes with no shot to win this tournament this deep into G1. In fact, in front of a hotter crowd (this would have killed in Osaka) and this could have been a truly great match. As it is, two of this G1's three break-out stars reminded everyone why they are breaking out. ***3/4
Michael Elgin vs. Toru Yano
What a stupid match with cheap booking to eliminate a hot, well-liked worker. Elgin wards off multiple low blows, only for Yano to pull an Eddie Guerrero and fake being low-blowed himself. The ref sees Yano wincing and disqualifies Elgin, which might make sense in a world in which New Japan's referees had not spent all tournament long allowing various weapon shots, mass outside brawls and endless interference. This was insulting, and a shitty conclusion to Big Mike's great, rebounding work in this G1. DUD
Minoru Suzuki vs. Satoshi Kojima
Suzuki jumps Kojima as the latter is stepping into the ring and an absolute shitshow erupts at ringside as both Desperado and Tenzan get involved and Suzuki throws Kojima into enough barricades to qualify for Simpsons rake gag status. Eventually, this mess gets back in the ring and Kojima goes for his corner chops, which have no sting after watching Suzuki absolutely pummel Kojima's chest. This keeps up until Suzuki locks in an armbar near the ropes as Tenzan reaches in to try and drag his friend's leg to the rope as Desperado works to prevent this, resulting in cluttered camerawork. Kojima lacked all of the fire he's had in other matches, and this was an excuse for pile-ons of bullshit, including Tenzan getting in the ring to take out Desperado. After what feels like a lifetime, Suzuki stops this with a Gotch piledriver and then we get a post-match beatdown that manages to get no heat. Awful match. 3/4*
Kazuchika Okada vs. Tama Tonga
Tonga's been fairly impressive in this G1, putting over cheapjack tactics and peevish humor. He jumps Okada on the turnbuckle, steals his cloak and dons it for his own pose to the crowd, which gets Okada nice and furious. He dropkicks Tonga's head off of his body. They go outside and brawl; at one point, Tonga sarcastically throws a Rainmaker pose and the camera hilariously zooms out as if for the real thing. Back in the ring, these two go through the motions, with Tonga lacking the cobra speed and cagey slinking of his early G1 matches. Okada isn't going to risk so much as breaking a nail on a match this frivolous, so we get a time-marking affair on its way to some gun stun reversals and a Rainmaker victory. **1/4
Kenny Omega vs. EVIL
The usual feeling-out/floor brawling occurs, but we get a small variation on a theme when EVIL rips up the mats to expose the floor concrete, only for Omega to slam him on the announcer's table. In the ring, Omega does the Finlay/moonsault before settling into attacks on EVIL's back, including whipping him into the ropes to sneak a kick to his lower vertebrae. A delayed backbreaker gets two, and EVIL tries to fire up only to taken back down with Omega getting knees up to block a senton. EVIL attempts to do his chair swing bit, but Omega is in no mood, and he sets up a chair for a suplex, only for EVIL to escape and thread a chair through Omega's neck and tease slamming him into the ringpost. Omega ducks another chair shot but catches one in the gut when he goes for a springboard off the rail. Inside, Omega throws EVIL back out with a rana, then hits a suicide dive. Omega is working formula so far, but Kenny brings out a table and the two tease a number of table spots, all unsuccessful until EVIL headbutts Omega on the apron and hits a diving STO that sends both of them down and busts EVIL open the hard way.
Kenny beats the count and then the two start trader finishers and teases. EVIL looks intensely focused while Omega sells like a champ for him: laying completely still when covered until he desperately kicks out, letting his face go slack when dragged around by EVIL. The match itself may be the kind of thing Omega could lay out in his sleep, he puts a great deal of effort in putting over how devastating EVIL can be, never falling back on his comedy act as he instead tries his best to end this and save his strength. Both men throw lethal-looking suplexes and EVIL gets a sweet near-fall over a savage lariat. Omega keeps looking for One-Winged Angel but EVIL won't let him hit it. This match is fully heated, but toward the end, Omega hits a V-trigger that clearly and blatantly knocks out EVIL for real, leaving the man a dazed, dead weight that Omega has to hoist into One-Winged Angel position without EVIL's assistance, bringing it down for the pin. This was a certifiable four-star match until that nasty and frightening knock-out, and while Omega deserves props for getting the match done, it would have made more sense to just go for a cover instead of sticking to the plan. This wasn't entirely his fault, as EVIL fell too close to the ropes to get an actual pin, but OWA wasn't necessary here. ***3/4
OVERALL: By far the worst show of this G1, Day 12 boasted book-end matches worth your time, surrounding three duds that lacked heat, storytelling panache or high-quality work. Juice/SANADA was a great match-up of two emerging stars, while Omega/EVIL was formulaic but nonetheless intense right up until the moment that Omega legit sent his opponent for a loop, souring the otherwise excellent final stretch. If you're looking to catch up before the G1 Finals, this is the show to skip.
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