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Csonka’s NJPW G1 Climax (Night 4) Review 7.22.17

July 22, 2017 | Posted by Larry Csonka
Kazuchika Okada NJPW G1 Climax
7.5
The 411 Rating
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Csonka’s NJPW G1 Climax (Night 4) Review 7.22.17  

Csonka’s NJPW G1 Climax (Night 4) Review 7.22.17

OFFICIAL RESULTS
Block B Match: Toru Yano defeated Satoshi Kojima @ 9:20 via pin []
Block B Match: EVIL defeated Juice Robinson @ 11:53 via pin [***¾]
Block B Match: Minoru Suzuki defeated SANADA @ 11:24 via pin [***¼]
Block B Match: Kenny Omega defeated Tama Tonga @ 12:07 via pin [***½]
Block B Match: Kazuchika Okada defeated Michael Elgin @ 25:50 via pin [****½]


* 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.

* I have bad news to report, during the LIJ vs. Bullet Club tag team match, that fucking piece of shit Bad Luck Fale… KILLED Daryl.

Satoshi Kojima vs. Toru Yano: Yano squirted Kojima with water and picked up some near falls. Yano then ran, got neat on and Kojima then sprayed him with the water. Yano made a comeback, taking it back to the floor and beat on him with the buckle pad. Back in, Kojima fired up with Mongolian chops and some rapid fire chops. Yano bails to the floor, but Kojima hits a slingshot plancha and DDT on the floor. Back in and Kojima hit the elbow drop, covering for 2. The koji cutter followed, but Yano pulled the hair to make the comeback and Kojima then mocked him after hitting a lariat. Yano used the ref as a shield, low blowed Kojima, and picked up the pin. Toru Yano defeated Satoshi Kojima @ 9:20 via pin [*½] There is no reason for the Yano matches to run 9 to 10 minutes, give me the 3-5 minute Yano special and move on.

– I want you guys to know that I’m going to try and pull it together to give you the review you deserve, but the death of Daryl really has me rocked.

EVIL vs. Juice Robinson: Juice runs wild at the bell, hitting a dropkick, cannonball and then a plancha to the floor. They brawl on the floor, which Juice being sent into the chairs at ringside, but Juice beat the count and while he made it back in, EVIL immediately cut him off, grinding him down and working the neck to set up the banshee muzzle. Juice slowly fights back, hitting jabs, chops, the DDT and senton for 2. Juice hit soul food, and then the spinebuster; Juice then went up top and hit a kokeshi for the near fall. EVIL then fought back, hitting a desperation fisherman’s buster in the corner. EVIL then hit the superkick to the gut, but ran into a big time lariat and the crowd started to rally Juice. The powerbomb followed for a great near fall. EVIL fights off pulp friction, hits a German but Juice is still up and fighting back! EVIL fights off pulp friction, they trade a series of counters ending in EVIL about killing Juice with a tiger suplex. EVIL gets another great near fall off of a lariat, and then hits the STO to pick up the win. EVIL defeated Juice Robinson @ 11:53 via pin [***¾] This was a very good back and forth match, they didn’t mess around and had a clear plan. The work was smart, it had a consistent build throughout and to the end, with the crowd reacting huge to some of the near falls, getting really invested in the work put in. Both men are having very good tournaments so far.

Minoru Suzuki vs. SANADA: Desperado is out with Suzuki. Suzuki slaps SANADA right away, which fired up SANADA and he beat down Suzuki in the corner. Suzuki gave no fucks and challenged SANADA to keep attacking. Suzuki cut off a springboard, worked the hanging arm bar in the ropes and followed with the apron PK and some floor brawling. SANADA made it back to beat the count, but Suzuki just mauled him and took the fight back to the floor. Back in the ring, SANADA fired up with chops and strikes, but Suzuki no sold him and about knocked him out. SANADA then fought off Desperado, hit the missile dropkick to Suzuki. SANADA countered the arm bar and trapped Suzuki in the paradise lock. To the floor and SANADA hit the drive by dropkick on the apron, they traded counters from the skull end to the sleeper and SANADA started to face. Suzuki is pulling on the luscious locks of SANADA; goes for the Gotch piledriver but SANADA fights it off, hitting the Saito suplex and TKO for 2. They did another counter spot around the sleeper and skull end, but Suzuki quickly hit the Gotch piledriver for the win.Minoru Suzuki defeated SANADA @ 11:24 via pin [***¼] This was good, SANADA survived the beating and almost pulled it out, but Suzuki was too much for the youngster and had one counter too many for him, putting him away with the Gotch. To me this was good, but felt a bit flat, lacking drama.

Kenny Omega vs. Tama Tonga: Owens and Fale are out with Tonga, Yujiro is out with Omega; Omega got the shit end of that deal. Tonga isn’t here to fuck around, attacking Omega right away and ripping off his ELITE shirt. Commentary plays up possible issues within Bullet Club, and Tonga wanting to prove himself here. They battle to the floor, with Tonga maintaining control and hitting a flapjack onto the apron. Tonga interrupts the count and monologues on Omega for being The ELITE and told him if you’re Bullet Club, BE Bullet Club. It’s all Tonga here, beating down Omega and constantly yelling at him. I am digging the ultra aggressive Tonga here as he attacks the knee of Omega, which Suzuki tortured in their match. Omega fights back with clotheslines, and hits the leg lariat for 2. Omega hits the RANA and the rise of the Terminator dive wipes out everyone at ringside. Omega follows with the willy bomb, but Tonga cuts off V trigger with a spear. They fire up and trade forearms center ring, with Omega unloading and Tonga fighting off the snapdragon but eating a V trigger and neck breaker. Omega hits another V trigger, but Tonga escapes the one winged angle with the Tonga twist. Omega counters the gun stun, hits the snapdragon and hits V trigger, and Tonga kicks out. Another V trigger, and the one winged angel finishes Tonga. Kenny Omega defeated Tama Tonga @ 12:07 via pin [***½] This was a very good match, with a fun dynamic and a really aggressive Tonga fighting to prove himself. They layout was great, they didn’t fuck around and resort to outside shenanigans, and just had a fun and hard-hitting match. I want more of this Tama Tonga.

– Post match, they are still friends.

Kazuchika Okada vs. Michael Elgin: Slow start, with Elgin looking to use his power advantage. Okada tries to go to his speed advantage, but the power of Elgin is too much early on and he keeps countering and keeps countering Okada and then sends Okada to the floor. On the floor, Okada looks for the running high cross, but gets caught and tossed onto the floor. It’s all large Michael early, as he slams Okada to the apron and back in scores a near fall. Elgin hits another slam, and then misses the slingshot splash. This allowed Okada to pick up the pace and take Elgin to the floor. Okada works him over, and back in Okada hits the neck breaker. Okada looks to keep the pace fast, but Elgin cuts him off with a German. Elgin follows with corner clotheslines, and then transitions to rolling Germans, leading to a near fall. Elgin then hit the bicycle kick, but as he fired up ran into the flapjack. Okada then ran wild, hitting the corner attack and DDT, covering for 2. Okada looked for red ink, but Elgin countered out and then hit a powerslam to cut off Okada. Chops follow, they work up top and Okada sends him to the mat but Elgin then obliterated him with a sick sounding forearm strikes. Okada quickly fights back, hitting the neck breaker across the knee. The top rope elbow drop connects for Okada. He then dropkicks Elgin to the floor, Okada up top as Elgin slides back in and he counters the dropkick attempt with a sitout powerbomb. Elgin follows with clubbing and repeated lariats. Elgin then counters out of the tombstone, avoids the rainmaker but runs into a German. Elgin tries to fight back, but Okada hits dropkicks to cut him off. Elgin then destroys Okada with a huge rainmaker type lariat. Another lariat followed, Elgin bomb followed but Okada kicked out for an awesome near fall! The crowd had slowly been turning to his side, but are fully with Elgin now. Okada fights off the buckle bomb, but eats a nasty forearm. Elgin looks for the dead lift superplex, but Okada escaped and then caught Elgin with a dropkick as he flew back into the ring. They battle for a possible tombstone, Okada to the apron and they trade big time strikes. Elgin looks for the dead lift superplex again, Okada fights out and kicks him to the mat. Elgin back up and cuts off Okada, and he hits the superplex, covering for 2. Elgin hits the buckle bomb, but Okada escapes the Elgin bomb but gets caught with the pop up powerbomb for another near fall. Elgin takes Okada back up top and now looks for the burning hammer, but Okada counters and hits the rainmaker! He hangs onto the wrist and pulls Elgin up, RAINMAKER again! Elgin counters out of the third rainmaker, but Okada catches him with the tombstone and destroyed him with another rainmaker for the win. Kazuchika Okada defeated Michael Elgin @ 25:50 via pin [****½]
This was an excellent main event, and large Michael continues to put in some of the best losing efforts in wrestling. While he was not exactly hot coming into the G1, his work here was so good that the fans bought into him and completely believed that he not only had a chance, but they were with him for almost the entire second half of the match, trying to rally him and buying into all of his big near falls. Okada again puts in another top tier performance, but it was also another performance where he was taken into deep waters, as they were pushing the 30-minute time limit. You have to wonder how much longer he lasts as champion (in storyline) after being taken to the limit by guys like Omega, Suzuki, Shibata and Elgin. I think that’s an important part of the story and matches that many are overlooking. Anyway, this was excellent and after day four, is easily one of the best matches of the tournament so far. Great work, great layout and a great crowd.

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

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

– End scene.

– Thanks for reading.

 photo RIP20Daryl_zpsrpps4zik.jpg

RIP Daryl Takahashi, You Were Taken From Us Too Soon

7.5
The final score: review Good
The 411
Another day, another good G1 event. If anything, skip the Yano match, but everything else is good to very good, with Elgin vs. Okada being must see in my opinion.
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