The G1 Climax is upon us! As we do with New Japan’s big tournaments, we’re focusing strictly on the tournament action here, folks. For full results of each show, you can check out our NJPW category right here, and for previous match recommendations, you can click right here for the first batch, here for the second, and here for the third.
As always, I’ve got a very simple five point scale laid out where a 1 is total skip, 2 you can probably skip unless you love one of the folks in it, 3 is a match that’s worth watching but not necessarily worth making time for, a 4 is a solid recommendation to make time for if you can, and a 5 is a must-watch.
Mind you, these are not star ratings. They’re not meant to be absolute ratings in any sense, but rather a simple (and hopefully sensible) way to determine if a match is worth your time. A one is not necessarily a bad match, but rather just one I feel like you’re best off skipping. I have my biases, of course, but hopefully I can make it easy for you to adjust for them.
Night Twelve (B Block, August 1)
Tama Tonga vs. Tomohiro Ishii (2): Ishii with eyes in the back of his head, forcing Tonga to play it straight in the early goings and they have a nice pleasant fast-paced matchup with plenty of hard striking... until the interference comes and it’s the same old Firing Squad story we’ve seen a dozen times this G1. Tom does manage to fight Tanga Loa off and, mercifully, the interference isn’t the direct end of the match and we get a few more sequences that actually build up some drama (as well as a pretty sweet finish for once), but there’s still not a lot here.
Juice Robinson vs. SANADA (3): Robinson pulling ahead in the feeling out, which leads into some fast-paced high flying jockeying for position and a slugfest on the floor that nearly sees both men counted out. Juice tries to keep the pace up, but SANADA soon has him locked down, going after the broken hand. The pace picks up once again and there are some really cool exchanges in this, but something felt like they were holding back a little and not quite getting all the way to the raging climax that a match between them “should” have.
Tetsuya Naito vs. Toru Yano (4): Yano eager to get the match started so of course Naito stalls, and this gets the Sublime Master Thief hot enough to take it to the floor. A move, as it happens, that backfires, because it’s the Stardust Genius that busts the roll of tape out and we get one of the most epic countout nearfall spots I’ve ever seen. Thus is the tone of the match, Toru aggravated enough to drop any pretense of fair play, Naito giving him just as good as he’d get.
This is an absolute hoot, and while not the best ever shenanigans-for-shenanigans Toru Yano G1 match, certainly good enough for a strong recommendation.
Kenny Omega vs. Zack Sabre, Jr. (5): Sabre making every effort to pull ahead in the feeling out, cutting Omega off and grabbing holds, and he eventually succeeds in creating a target on the leg, keeping the focus even as they shift to striking. That story doesn’t go on to dominate the match, however, ZSJ taking a rather more kitchen sink approach as things escalate and escalate, trading big holds for big moves all the way into a pleasantly surprising finishing stretch. Great match, very much worth watching!
Hirooki Goto vs. Kota Ibushi (4): Ibushi indulging in his tendency to meet someone at their own game at first, but soon enough he’s got the gas on and... gets cut down by grumpy champ Goto, actually. This leads to a good long sequence of Hirooki in control, but you can’t keep Kota down for too long and the next phase of the match is more back and forth with plenty of striking. Into the closing escalation from there and this is a really good match overall, although just shy of getting the full recommendation out of me.
Night Thirteen (A Block, August 2)
Bad Luck Fale vs. Michael Elgin (3): Strength testing from the jump, Elgin eager to prove that he can overcome the size differential but a bum right shoulder and bicep are hurting him and it’s not long before Fale is targeting the injury. And so the stage is set, with Mike fighting from underneath as Bad Luck tries to grind his arm into dust.
Unfortunately, this does end up descending into the usual Firing Squad interference nonsense, but while the good stuff lasts it’s shockingly compelling, and so I’m going a little stronger than I’m usually inclined here.
Hangman Page vs. Togi Makabe (2): Page playing Makabe’s game to start, testing his strength bull moose style and paying the price initially but a trip to the floor turns it around. Back and forth, slugging it out and trading power moves, the match never really builds to a firey crescendo or shifts into high gear but it’s a pleasant enough experience with Page again shining as the underdog.
“Switchblade” Jay White vs. YOSHI-HASHI (3): Switchblade with a cheap shot at the bell, hurling abuse over YOSHI-HASHI’s refusal to play ball with his plan to take a night off and just throw the match in the undercard tags the night before and Tacos comes back just as hard. White takes control with one of his trademark apron bumps but a little too much time wasted trying to keep Red Shoes from stopping the match on a chair gives YOSHI-HASHI a chance to get back into it.
So it goes, the tide turning as Jay’s viciousness is countered by Tacos’ heart, and the end result is a strong, heated match. The final act isn’t quite as strong as I’d like to give it a real recommendation, but consider this about as high a middle of the road recommendation as I can hand out.
EVIL vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi (4): Tanahashi going hard out the gates but soon enough EVIL has his perenially-injured right arm targeted and our story is set. The 1/100 Ace fights from underneath, the King of Darkness uses every trick in his book to keep the pressure up, eventually Hiroshi gets his trademark dragon screws in and the final stretch is a back and forth injury-for-injury question of trading moves until one puts the other away.
A bit standard, but a good match all the same, and with EVIL’s chance to stay in contention on the line, quite compelling.
Kazuchika Okada vs. Minoru Suzuki (5): Suzuki jumping Okada right away and taking him to the floor for violence! It’s all Minoru in the early goings as a result but the Rainmaker is able to mount a comeback when they return to the ring. Slugging it out as the match evens up, they escalate to a fever-pitch of bomb dropping and this is excellent. Watch it!
Night Fourteen (B Block, August 4)
SANADA vs. Toru Yano (4): Yano with the attack before the bell, hogtying SANADA on the ramp with his t-shirt, so no fair play tonight! SANADA is game to play at that and what we’ve got is a classical Toru Yano G1 match, fun as hell, full of shenanigans (including the tape!), and never outstaying its welcome. Special shoutout to the Sublime Master Thief’s Chaos stablemate Rocky Romero for being such a helpful friend, too.
Hirooki Goto vs. Tama Tonga (1): Another Firing Squad interference match, unsalvagable even by grumpy NEVER champ Goto. Add in a blown finish thanks to an overeager timekeeper and it’s a pass.
Juice Robinson vs. Zack Sabre, Jr. (5): Sabre going right after the broken hand, and both men end up quite heated and slugging it out a while. When the dust clears on that, the game is afoot, Zack countering most things Robinson throws at him, grabbing whatever holds he can get but always preferring the hand and arm if available.
Juice fights bravely from underneath, ZSJ keeps his array of submissions varied and exciting, I do think I might have preferred it if it was just a bit more focused on the hand in the middle stages, but all in all it’s a match that you should definitely be watching.
Kenny Omega vs. Tomohiro Ishii (5): Omega cocky in the early goings, toying with Ishii and ducking his attempts to suck him into testing strength. Tom is nothing if not persistent, though, and forces Kenny to take him seriously and we’re off to the races from there! Every bit as hard-hitting and violent as you’d hope, Ishii’s resolve is unbreakable, and this match builds to an absolutely epic crescendo. Watch it!
Kota Ibushi vs. Tetsuya Naito (5): So Ishii and Omega were a tough act to follow but by god Naito and Ibushi found a way! Fast-paced and frantic early, Tetsuya takes control after taking Kota’s knee out from under him and it’s up to a one-legged Ibushi to fight his way back into it long enough for the adrenaline to take hold. Escalations on escalations, just absurd stuff happening left and right, go watch it!
Night Fifteen (A Block, August 5)
Bad Luck Fale vs. YOSHI-HASHI (1): YOSHI-HASHI bringing it to the big man early, going toe-to-toe in feats of strength... and of course Tanga Loa gets involved. Fale targets the bum shoulder, so it has a better through-line than your average Bullet Club interference match (not unlike Bad Luck’s match against Elgin, really), but it’s still tiresome and frustrating to see so many of these matches go down this road. Pass.
Hangman Page vs. Minoru Suzuki (3): Page full of spit and vinegar from the jump, knowing that he’s gotta take it to Suzuki to have a hope of beating him, and at one point going high risk with a moonsault off the entry stage! Minoru turns the tide, and the match is a rollicking back-and-forth hate-filled fun time for everybody. Not the best match of the tournament by any means, but quite enjoyable and worth tossing on.
”Switchblade” Jay White vs. Togi Makabe (2): Right into Makabe’s preferred bull moose clubberin’ action, and a trip to the floor sees White take full control. Togi fires back up eventually, and this is basically the physical back-and-forth match you’d expect. Very much in the same mold as Page/Makabe, only not quite as good. Watch accordingly.
Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Michael Elgin (4): Testing strength early, Elgin managing to prevail even with a bum wing, and Tanahashi finds himself on the outs. Eventually the injury catches up to him and he wears down such that the 1/100 Ace is able to create an opening and we’re off to the races. Fighting with a desperate energy, Hiroshi gets his usual leg attack program going and that sends the match into an escalatory phase with big moves a-plenty.
This is really good, and gets a solid recommendation for telling a good story and having a really well assembled (if slightly fumbled at the very end) finishing sequence.
EVIL vs. Kazuchika Okada (5): EVIL grinding Okada down from the jump, almost erasing all the progress the cocky former champion had made since losing the title. After a while, the Rainmaker finds his groove again and turns the speed up to shift the momentum. The King of Darkness digs down and gets extra violent, Kazuchika matches his tempo and the match takes on a decidedly personal edge from there.
Hate-filled and violent, full of move-stealing and tight exchanges, this is a good one, folks. Watch it!
There you have it, folks
Agree? Disagree? Feel free to toss in your two cents below, Cagesiders.