The 411 G1 Climax Finals Review 8.10.2014

Here are Dylon Diot’s reviews of the G1:
Day 1
Day 2
Day 3
Day 4
Day 5
Day 6
Day 7

My coverage can be found here, here, here, here, and here.

Bossman Csonka’s coverage is here and here.

While you should all read those articles/reviews, this article right here is by far the most important thing written on the subject of puroresu in history.

August 10, 2014
Tokorozawa, Saitama, Japan

Suzuki-gun (Davey Boy Smith Jr., El Desperado, Lance Archer & TAKA Michinoku) vs. TenKoji (Hiroyoshi Tenzan & Satoshi Kojima), Ryusuke Taguchi & Tiger Mask
Know what would be better than this match? Satoshi Kojima vs. TAKA Michinoku would be better than this!

Tiger Mask did the honors in terms of getting worked over. Kojima made a comeback. The match broke down. Taguchi finished TAKA with Dodon: 1…2…3

This was a pre-show match labeled as a main card match. It was not good and no one cared. TAKA’s story of holding a flag for eleven days and now finally getting a match is the only notable aspect.
Match Rating: 1/4*

BULLET CLUB (Bad Luck Fale, Doc Gallows & Yujiro Takahashi) vs. Manabu Nakanishi, BUSHI & Yuji Nagata
If the crowd is hot for this, this could be a lot of fun. I’m not sure that’s going to happen though. I look forward to watching Nakanishi like how I used to enjoy playing golf with my grandfather. I hope he does a pescado.

BUSHI got worked over briefly. Nagata made a comeback. The match broke down. It was boring. Yujiro eventually pinned BUSHI with Miami Shine. I lost interest a while ago.

These matches are what we thought they were. Maybe Gedo and Jado are trying to comment on the state of Chikara with these trios matches or something.
Match Rating: 1/4*

CHAOS (Toru Yano & YOSHI-HASHI) & Kazushi Sakuraba vs. Suzuki-gun (Minoru Suzuki, Shelton Benjamin & Takashi Iizuka)
Sakuraba was in one of the most fun matches last year of the final G1 show in a team with Kota Ibushi and Akebono. I am greatly saddened that I will not see that team again here.

YOSHI-HASHI did the honors of getting worked over here. It was boring. Yano then got worked over. Sakuraba and Suzuki tagged in and slapped each other a lot. Suzuki choked Sakuraba in the ropes and tossed the referee away. He got disqualified.

This whole show is a DUD so far.
Match Rating: DUD

Adam Cole & Michael Bennett (w/Maria Kanellis) vs. Captain New Japan & Jushin Thunder Liger
This is the NJPW debut for Adam Cole, Michael Bennett, and Maria Kanellis. Cole has been to Japan before for BJW though.

Bennett ran away at one point, and Maria rubbed Captain’s face in her boobs. Captain got worked over shortly after that. He eventually escaped the beatdown, and Liger made a hot tag. Cole and Liger went back and forth. It was the first decent sequence of the show. Bennett tagged in and got a nearfall on the Captain with a spear. Captain was getting an advantage, but Maria started dancing to distract him. Bennett got a nearfall with a schoolboy and then hit a piledriver: 1…2…3

This was very okay. There were some decent moments, but this was not a memorable debut for Cole or Bennett. I was taken off guard by the finish, but it did not bother me or anything. I’ll be interested in seeing if they get booked again. The Maria doing trashy things shit is so old and outdated in general.
Match Rating: **

Time Splitters (Alex Shelley & KUSHIDA) (c) vs. reDRagon (Bobby Fish & Kyle O’Reilly) [IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Titles]
This is pretty much a dream match for me at this point. I cannot wait. Fish has been in NOAH a lot before (and I read he was even under contract at some point), but he has never been to NJPW. This is O’Reilly’s first trip to Japan.

The Splitters hit stereo pescados early on. reDRagon cut off Shelley shortly after that though. They were kind of going after Shelley’s left arm. Shelley finally got free, but KUSHIDA had been knocked off the apron. He got free again and tagged out to KUSHIDA who ran wild. KUSHIDA hit a big plancha onto both Dragons. reDRagon came back. Super Falcon Arrow on KUSHIDA: 1…2…NO! The Splitters came back after a nasty double stomp from Shelley on Kyle. KUSHIDA kicked out KO’s left arm and then went for the kimura. Shelley took out Fish with a tope. Kimura applied! Kyle tapped out!

I enjoyed this match, but it was definitely missing a little something reaching “great” status for me. The crowd was into it but certainly not hot for it. Kyle looked especially sharp during this match with his strikes and trademarked spots. The match seemed to be structured to feature him more than anyone else, which makes sense since it’s his debut in the country. Skip the first four matches of the show and just start here.
Match Rating: ***1/2

Jeff Jarrett and Scott D’Amore came out for a contract signing to officially make Jeff Jarrett’s fake wrestling promotion a part of NJPW. NJPW flying out Scott D’Amore for that is the biggest example of jabronie marks without a life that don’t know it a work when you work a work and work yourself into a shoot, marks.

Tetsuya Naito vs. Tomoaki Honma
Honma lost all ten matches in the G1. To say he should win this is an understatement. Naito defeated AJ in the G1 though and is probably due a title shot in the near future. This is how you book yourself into a corner.

Naito was heeling it up early by mocking Honma’s headbutt taunts. Yay, that should make this match infinitely better. Honma was having a surprising amount of success early on. He hit the falling headbutt and a nasty brainbuster. However, he *just* missed the diving headbutt. They traded a bunch of forearms. Honma took him down with a Superman headbutt. It looks like this match will just be back and forth. Honma got a nearfall with the Gannasuke Clutch. Naito got a nearfall with a bridging German. Wow, Naito gave him a Scoop Slam and the Stardust Press: 1…2…3

I’m not entirely surprised at the result, but I was surprised at the quality of the match. Not only did it not reach even good levels, but it was like they didn’t even feel like trying to do something remotely special. This was disappointing in several ways.
Match Rating: **3/4

Karl Anderson vs. Tomohiro Ishii
I would be one billion times more excited for this if Ishii was the heel and Anderson was the babyface. I know I should be excited for this anyway, but I am just not. It would not shock me though if it ended up being great.

Anderson went after Ishii’s injured shoulder right away. Yujiro Takahashi started interfering. I have a bad feeling about this. Ishii got busted open by a shot to the nose. Ishii fired back. He went for a superplex, but his shoulder gave out. He nearly killed himself and Anderson when he completely botched it. It was very scary looking and then awkward afterwards. That spot was a metaphor for this disaster of a show: not knowing your limitations and trying to do way too much. Anderson got a nearfall with a Liger Bomb and a TKO. Anderson kept trying for the Gun Stun, but Ishii kept avoiding it. Ishii hit a headbutt and a lariat for a nearfall. Ishii had the match won with a brainbuster, but Yujiro pulled out the referee. YOSHI-HASHI ran in and chased him off. Anderson hit a sitdown tombstone for a nearfall. Anderson reversed a brainbuster attempt into a Gun Stun: 1…2…3

I really am in shock at the quality of this show. I woke up at 2am for this. I don’t blame Ishii for not being able to work a great match in this condition, but I do blame NJPW for booking him in a position that needed a great match. This was downright unpleasant to experience at times because of Ishii’s injury and the finish killed whatever goodwill they managed to recover down the stretch.
Match Rating: **1/2

Hirooki Goto vs. Katsuyori Shibata
These two need to start the process of saving the show. I’m not confident in it to be honest. These two have reached Davey/Eddie intrigue levels.

They traded a bunch of forearms. Shibata hit the Corner Dropkick of Doom & Destruction. They no-sold backdrop suplexes. Shibata dropped him with a German. Goto came back with the Ushikoroshi. Shibata needed two trips to the floor to recover. He hit the GTS when he got back in the ring. Goto came back with Shouten-Kai. They traded more forearms. Goto took him down with a massive slap. Shibata came back with the backfist. Goto fired back, but Shibata hit a GTS and a weak Penalty Kick: 1…2…3

Shibata and Goto had to carry themselves back to the ring.

This is the third straight match that needed to deliver and failed to do so. It was derivative of all their past matches without adding anything new. There is no intrigue left in this pairing, and they should not do another match for years and years.
Match Rating: **3/4

The crowd has not helped things, but the wrestlers have not done anything to grab them. The tag title match has been the only exception to that pattern so far.

AJ Styles vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi
Ok, the show is beyond saving, but let’s hope these last two matches deliver big.

AJ got control after a couple of uninspired minutes. AJ worked him over until Tanahashi blocked a springboard attempt. They traded forearms in the ring. Tanahashi took him down with a Sling Blade. Tanahashi hit a German, but AJ crotched him on a High Fly Flow attempt. Tanahashi avoided the Styles Clash. AJ remained in control after that though. Tanahashi caught him with a bridging dragon suplex for a nearfall. The crowd seems to be waking up. AJ blocked another High Fly Flow attempt and hit a super ‘rana. That was awesome. Styles couldn’t hit the Styles Clash so he hit a Ganso Bom. WTF. Styles went for the High Fly Flow but Tana got his knees up. Tanahashi then went for it, but AJ got his knees up. Pele Kick and Bloody Sunday from Styles. Styles went for the Clash, but Tanahashi reversed it into a fruit roll-up: 1…2…3

The Bullet Club attacked Tanahashi after the match. Jeff Jarrett and Scott D’Amore ran in for the save. They did an overly dramatic reveal of the Bullet Club guitar that D’Amore was dragging around all night. Tanahashi received a major beatdown the Bullet Club and their two brand new members.

This was a creative disaster in every single fucking way. If anyone is still defending the Bullet Club after this as a remotely positive contribution to NJPW, you are a fucking fanboy or fangirl who has no credibility whatsoever. This was Vince Russo booking at its fucking worst. Not only was it a swerve that was executed in a laughably embarrassing way, but it actually puts Jeff Jarrett in a prominent spot as a performer in another major pro wrestling promotion. Jeff Jarrett has always been a midcarder trying to promote himself as something. He has never been more than a slightly above average performer in the best of circumstances, but he’s a decade past his prime (and that prime was not all that good). As if the Bullet Club could not have more X-Pac heat with me, I now have to endure them with the presence of JJ and Scott D’Amore of all fucking people. On a show that was getting a lot of attention because of how well praised the tournament has been, this would be the absolute last angle I would be running.

The match was fine, but who the fuck can care about that when you have to sit through that fucking dumpster fire of a post-match segment.
Match Rating: ***1/4

Kazuchika Okada vs. Shinsuke Nakamura [G1 Climax 2014 Finals]
I am still recovering (not that I could ever recover) from the angle that just happened.

Nakamura got the first firm advantage until Okada dropkicked him to the floor. Okada worked him over after that. Nakamura came back after Okada called for the Rainmaker. He was in control for a few minutes. Okada hit a dropkick and a tombstone. He called for the Rainmaker, but Nakamura did an amazing reversal into a cross armbreaker. I’m awake. Okada survived it but ate a Boma Ye to the back of the head. They traded forearms. These guys doing the forearm trading spot always feels weak to me compared to guy like Shibata, Goto, Ishii, or Honma doing it. Nakamura avoided a dropkick and hit a Boma Ye: 1…2…NO! DIVING BOMA YE!!! BOMA YE ATTEMPT REVERSED INTO A DROPKICK! Nakamura avoided a Rainmaker but ate the beautiful bridging German: 1…2…NO! He reversed another Rainmaker into a knee strike to the head. Okada blocked another Boma Ye attempt but ate a punch to the neck. Backslide from Okada got a nearfall. TWO LARIATS FROM OKADA! RAINMAKER: 1…2…3! Nakamura took that last bump on the top of his dome. It was incredible.

I don’t often say this, but I genuinely feel like I will need to rewatch this to get a proper feel for good it was. The crowd was engaged the whole time, but the Bullet Club angle really took me out of it. Once Nakamura did an amazing reversal of the Rainmaker into the cross armbreaker though, I got right into it. The drama down the stretch was off the charts, and I really had no idea who was going to win. They also did a ton of nifty stuff down the stretch that they do not normally bust out. All and all, this was clearly a great match. I look forward to watching it again when the stink of this show and the Jeff Jarrett angle in general is not on my mind.
Match Rating: ****1/4

The 411: For anyone who is shocked by the booking or quality of this show, this is how NJPW has booked the majority of their “big” stuff all year. The Bullet Club has completely overwhelmed the company for far too long. They managed to lull me into a false sense security during the G1, because they did a really good job of minimizing their presence. This show was the cold and sober reminder that not only is the Bullet Club alive, but it’s considered a priority story line that only serves as an anchor around the throat of NJPW at the moment. The Jeff Jarrett angle felt like a TNA or WCW angle. I cannot think of any higher insult that I could give a wrestling booking decision. While that angle is what dominates my memory of the show, the rest of it was not necessarily worthy of the “King of Sport.”

The first three matches were complete wastes of time that were only designed to get a bunch of people on the show. It seems that Sakuraba and Suzuki are going to feud, which *could* be good (but my hopes are not high). The first ROH match was okay, but only really notable for the debuting ROH stars winning. The IWGP Junior Tag Team Championship match seemed to be the turning point for the show. The second half was seemingly loaded with high profile matchups, and that match left a great taste in the viewers’ mouths. Kyle O’Reilly looked especially impressive in his NJPW debut.

Unfortunately, the second half was marred by disappointment after disappointment until the main event. Naito and Honma barely got started before the match finished. Ishii’s injury prevented him and Anderson from doing anything noteworthy (besides nearly killing themselves on a blown superplex spot or doing a very dangerous botch-looking move to sell the injury). Shibata and Goto was territory we’ve been down too many times before as it is, and they may have had their weakest match to date. AJ and Tanahashi was a suitable semi-main event, but the post-match angle completely overshadowed it. The only thing in the second half that the company could really hang its hat on was the main event.Okada and Nakamura had the great match we all thought they could have. They couldn’t save the show, but no one could at that point.

Does this show ruin the positivity that I felt during the rest of the tournament? It actually does for me. I looked at the tournament as a return to form for a company that had seemingly gone off the tracks in terms of booking this year. However, this final makes me think that the booking of this show is what the company really is at this point. This is the feeling their major angles this year have left me with: disappointment. Maybe things will get better, but this was not an encouraging sign.

Thanks everybody for reading! You can send feedback to my Twitter or to my email address: [email protected]. Also, feel free to check out my own wrestling website, FreeProWrestling.com. Also, check out my Best of Chikara blog and an archive of all my 411 video reviews.

Watch some NJPW for free!

HirookiGoto vs. Tomohiro Ishii
Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Karl Anderson
Masato Tanaka vs. TomoakiHonma
Brian Kendrick vs. KUSHIDA
Kota Ibushi vs. Ryusuke Taguchi
Prince Devitt vs. Kenny Omega
Sin Cara vs. Averno
Prince Devitt vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi
Prince Devitt vs. Kota Ibushi
Davey Richards vs. Kota Ibushi
Kota Ibushi vs. KUSHIDA
NaomichiMarufuji vs. Prince Devitt
YAMATO vs. Jushin Liger
Kurt Angle vs. Yuji Nagata
ORLANDO JORDAN VS. YUJI NAGATA
Katsuyori Shibata vs. Yuji Nagata
Jushin Liger vs. Ebessan
Katsuyori Shibata &Wataru Inoue vs. Eddy Guerrero & Black Tiger