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Csonka’s G1 Climax (Night 6) Review 7.25.17

July 25, 2017 | Posted by Larry Csonka
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Csonka’s G1 Climax (Night 6) Review 7.25.17  

Csonka’s NJPW G1 Climax (Night 6) Review 7.25.17

OFFICIAL RESULTS
– Ryusuke Taguchi and Togi Makabe defeated Syota Umino and Kota Ibushi @ 7:30 via submission
– Tomohiro Ishii and YOSHI-HASHI defeated Katsuya Kitamura and Tomoyuki Oka @ 7:58 via submission
– Tetsuya Naito and Hiromu Takahashi defeated Hirai Kawato and Yuji Nagata @ 8:17 via submission
– Chase Owens, Bad Luck Fale, and Yujiro Takahashi defeated El Desperado, Taichi, and Zack Sabre Jr @ 5:37 via pin
– David Finlay and Hiroshi Tanahashi defeated Hirooki Goto and Jado @ 7:09 via pin
Block B Match: Michael Elgin defeated Satoshi Kojima @ 13:01 via pin [***¾]
Block B Match: EVIL defeated Tama Tonga @ 10:43 via pin [***]
Block B Match: Minoru Suzuki defeated Juice Robinson @ 12:30 via pin [***¼]
Block B Match: Kenny Omega defeated Toru Yano @ 10:11 via countout [DUD]
Block B Match: Kazuchika Okada defeated SANADA @ 21:30 via pin [****]


* NOTE: Like in past G1s and the BOTSJ, I will be focusing on the tournament matches only. Due to that, the final score for the show is only based on those matches.

Michael Elgin vs. Satoshi Kojima: It’s power vs. power to begin, with Elgin looking to stand his ground but New Japan dad Kojima taking early control. Elgin cuts him off with a powerslam, and connects with the slingshot splash. Elgin misses a charge and eats the machinegun chops and top rope elbow drop for 2. They worked back and forth and to the apron, Elgin teased the German, but Kojima decided he was too old for that shit and took out Elgin with an apron DDT. Elgin managed to avoid the plancha, and then hit the big apron bomb. This led to a countout tease, and while Kojima made it back in, Elgin did the deal hitting the falcon arrow for a near fall. After a few blocks, Kojima finally hit the lariat for 2. They traded lariats, with Elgin almost murdering Kojima with one for a good near fall. Kojima fought off the Elgin bomb, but then hit the koji cutter for the double down. Elgin blocked a lariat, attacked the arm of Kojima, but ran into a lariat with the other arm, which got a near fall for Kojima. Elgin then hit the pop up powerbomb, and buckle bomb but Kojima rebounded out with one last desperation lariat! Kojima sets Elgin up top, but Elgin fights him off and climbs up top. Kojima back up, they battle for position and Elgin hits the sunset bomb, ad then hits the Elgin bomb for his first win of the G1. Michael Elgin defeated Satoshi Kojima @ 13:01 via pin [***¾] This was a very good, hard-hitting and gritty match. The was nothing pretty about it, just Elgin digging deep to try and pick up his first points while Kojima was fighting with everything he had to keep up with the young, bigger, stronger and faster Elgin. Unfortunately for Kojima, Elgin was seemingly a step ahead the entire time.

Tama Tonga vs. EVIL: They brawl to the floor right away, and then deep into the crowd. Tonga slams EVIL into a big metal roll down door, and beats on him before heading to the ring for a possible countout. EVIL made it back to the ring, needing nearly the entire count. Back in the ring, Tonga took control until he missed a corner splash, which allowed EVIL to send him to the floor. This is where EVIL took control, grabbing chairs and doing his usual baseball swing spot, which when you think about it, he really needs to drop because it never really does much of anything to help his gameplan.

Back in the ring, Tonga fights off the banshee muzzle and hits an Alabama slam for 2. Tonga tries to do his misdirection spot, but tins into a lariat; not part of the gameplan I am sure. Tonga fought off the STO, hitting a superman punch and DDT for a near fall. EVIL fights off the gun stun, they work into a series of fun reversals, but everything is EVIL and the EVIL puts Tonga away. EVIL defeated Tama Tonga @ 10:43 via pin [***] This was a good and compact match here between two guys in their lower 30s that are a major part of their respective stable. I tough that the layout was good here and largely even after Tonga’s initial assault, they got the crowd into it and the final minute with all of the reversals was a ton of fun.

Juice Robinson vs. Minoru Suzuki: Suzuki attacks as Juice makes his entrance, because Minoru Suzuki gives no fucks. Juice makes his comeback as they roll back into the ring. Unfortunately for him, Suzuki has decided that he wants to take his leg home and attacks it with a knee bar in the ropes. Suzuki the drags Juice deep into the crowd, using the barricade and chair to beat on Juice. Desperado then beat on Juice, because Suzuki-gun. This led to the countout tease, but Juice made it back into the ring. They traded chops, and Juice then cut off Suzuki with a spinebuster. The cannonball followed and the Saito suplex got 2. Suzuki then drops down into the knee bar, trying to rip off Juice’s leg, but after a great babyface fight spot, Juice made the ropes for the break. Juice keeps fighting back, looks for pulp friction but Suzuki counters with the sleeper. Juice escapes and they trade strikes, Suzuki back to the sleeper, and hits the delayed Gotch piledriver for the win. Minoru Suzuki defeated Juice Robinson @ 12:30 via pin [***¼] This was another good match, similar to the Suzuki vs. SANADA match; Suzuki gave his opponent enough but it was almost an extended squash. And that is fine, you have to protect Suzuki as the NEVER champion and he needs to look the bad ass occasionally to protect his aura. Suzuki was as his punishing best, while Juice continues to make strides as a great babyface. Juice is seriously a great babyface.

Kenny Omega vs. Toru Yano: Yano is a polite lad, offering Omega a free DVD before the match starts. Omega finally takes it and teases tossing it into the crowd. Omega opens the DVD and Yano hits it into his face and it was filled with powder

Yano got a near fall. Yano then got the low blow and a cradle for a near fall. He then undoes all four buckle pads as Omega gets water to clear his eyes. His look when he realized Yano removed all of the buckle pads was great. They did teases of spots to the exposed buckles, and Omega tried to “out Yano” Yano, grabbing the hair, as they grabbed each other’ s hair, red shoes brome it up with a double sledge off the ropes.

Omega chased Yano around the ring, and since Omega wants to be the cleaner so bad, Yano attacked him with a bucket. Yano then used tape to tie up Omega’s feet, hoping for a countout. Omega then ties Yano’s feet together with the tape, and back in the ring thy hop around, trading strikes. Omega hits the snapdragon suplex, gets scissors from Chase Owens and frees himself. Yano tried to steal the scissors, did and got a near fall off of a cradle. Omega hit the V trigger, Yano was caught in the ropes and then fell to the floor; Omega won via countout. Kenny Omega defeated Toru Yano @ 10:11 via countout [DUD] What in the fuck was this bullshit? Sure there were some entertaining spots, but Omega going 50-50 with Yano in a comedy match in the G1 is not the Kenny I want to see, he should be murdering Yano. This was another Yano match that went twice as long as it needed to, and you’re telling me that Tokyo Dome main eventer Kenny Omega can’t pin Toru Yano during the G1? Some will absolutely love this and call it innovative booking/comedy, but I thought it was just a big pile of shit all around and made absolutely no sense. I’m sorry that I feel the Yano act is way past it’s expiration date, and that top guys don’t need to be going 50-50 with him for laughs. He’s good or the occasional laugh and I am cool with having fun and using comedy, but this felt like the absolute wrong time and place to me. This could have been done in half the time, let Yano be a trickster, nab some near falls and then Kenny kills him. Short, simple and you accomplish the same goal in a better way.

Kazuchika Okada vs. SANADA: They started off a bit slow, but then started to pick up the pace as both looked for signature stuff, leading to a lot of counters and reversals. SANADA sent Okada to the floor hit a plancha and then rolled him back in and choked out Okada with his shirt. Okada had enough of that shit, and ran wild for a while until SANADA sent him to the floor. Okada hit the running cross body over the barricade, but while he took control, he started to favor his knee. Back in and SANADA took the heat by attacking the knee, SANADA went for a springboard, but Okada cut him off and hit the neck breaker and then the top rope elbow drop. SANADA escaped the rainmaker, countered the tombstone and followed with the springboard dropkick and Saito suplex for 2. SANADA then hit the asai moonsault right into skull end. Okada escapes, but SANADA hits the dropkick and TKO for the near fall. SANADA up top and Okada cuts him off, grabbing the hair and hitting a tombstone piledriver. The dropkicks from Okada follow, but SANADA counters the rainmaker into skull end, and then HE hit s a tombstone, and drops back into skull end! Okada fights and just barely makes the ropes. SANADA up top and hits the moonsault and goes back to skull end, but Okada escapes and hits the rainmaker for the double down, Okada hangs onto the wrist, pulls up SANADA and hits a second rainmaker. SANADA counters the third, but Okada then counters into a German, and a third rainmaker for the win. Kazuchika Okada defeated SANADA @ 21:30 via pin [****] This was a great main event, with SANADA taking Okada deep into the time limit and surviving Okada’s signature stuff, forcing the champion to use three rainmakers to finish him off. Great stuff herewith SANADA looking good, even in loss. The scary thing is that SANADA is ONLY 29 and is still getting better.

BLOCK A STANDINGS
Bad Luck Fale: 2-1 (4pts.)
Tetsuya Naito: 2-1 (4pts.)
Hirooki Goto: 2-1 (4pts.)
Kota Ibushi: 2-1 (4pts.)
Zack Sabre Jr: 2-1 (4pts.)
Hiroshi Tanahashi: 2-1 (4pts.)
Tomohiro Ishii: 1-2 (2pts.)
YOSHI-HASHI: 1-2 (2pts.)
Togi Makabe: 1-2 (2pts.)
Yuji Nagata: 0-3 (0pts.)

BLOCK B STANDINGS
Kazuchika Okada: 3-0 (6pts.)
Kenny Omega: 3-0 (6pts.)
Minoru Suzuki: 2-1 (4pts.)
EVIL: 2-1 (4pts.)
Juice Robinson: 1-2 (2pts.)
Tama Tonga: 1-2 (2pts.)
SANADA: 1-2 (2pts.)
Toru Yano: 1-2 (2pts.)
Michael Elgin: 1-2 (2pts.)
Satoshi Kojima: 0-3 (0pts.)

– End scene.

– Thanks for reading.

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The Rest of My G1 Coverage Will Be Dedicated To The Loving Memory of Daryl Takahashi

7.0
The final score: review Good
The 411
Despite the fact that I wasn’t a fan of Yano vs. Omega, night 6 was another good night of action, with Kojima vs. Elgin & SANADA vs. Okada being the matches you should make time for.
legend

article topics :

G1, NJPW, Tremendous Tirades, Larry Csonka