From The Shelf- NJPW G1 Climax 23 Day Eight

NJPW G1 Climax Day Eight
8-10-13
Tokyo, Japan

Again, due to the injuries to Goto and Tenzan, Yugi Nagata and Katsuyori Shibata get forfeit wins.

Takashi Iizuka and YOSHI-HASHI vs. Captain New Japan and KUSHIDA
Before the match, Iizuka goes after the commentator but Nakanishi, who is on commentary, saves him. KUSHIDA comes off the top with a summersault senton onto everyone on the floor!!! All four men brawl on the floor for a bit and Captain makes it back into the ring before the twenty count. HASHI gordbusters Captain in the ropes and he hits a dropkick to the back for 2 as Captain grabs the ropes. Tag to Iizuka and he chokes Captain with the tag rope. Iizuka stomps away on Captain and Captain comes back with a crossbody. Tag to KUSHIDA and he hits a handspring back elbow. Enzuigiri from the apron by KUSHIDA and he hits a springboard dropkick. Standing moonsault by KUSHIDA gets 2. Iizuka rakes the eyes of KUSHIDA but KUSHIDA comes back with an ezuigiri. Reverse atomic drop by Iizuka and he tags HASHI. Tilt-a-whirl DDT by KUSHIDA and he tags Captain. Flying shoulder block by Captain and he hits a corner back elbow. HASHI comes out of the corner with a clothesline for 2. Exploder suplex by Captain and he hits the Urinage. Captain goes up for the diving head butt but misses and Iizuka comes in with the spiked fist. He distracts the ref which allows HASHI to hit Captain with his pole. Edge-a-cution witrh the pole by HASHI gets 3.
Winners- Takashi Iizuka and YOSHI-HASHI **1/4 (Again, like yesterday it was just an OK match to kill some time lost by the two forfeited G1 matches. )

After the match, Iizuka assaults both KUSHIDA and Captain New Japan with his spiked fist but Sakuraba comes in looking for a fight. Iizuka and HASHI decline and bail out of the ring.

Block A- Davey Boy Smith Jr. (8) w/Taka Michinoku vs. Prince Devitt (8) w/Bad Luck Fale
Devitt will be knocked out of contention with a loss; Smith Jr. is already out of contention with Shibata’s forfeit win. Devitt stomps away to start but Smith Jr. overpowers him forcing Devitt to bail. Devitt tries using a sneak attack after a distraction from Fale but Smith Jr. blocks it. Smith Jr. catches a crossbody attempt and hits a slam to Devitt. Smith Jr. charges in the corner but eats boot and Devitt hits a double stomp to the back of Smith Jr. Devitt chokes Smith Jr. in the ropes and hits some double axe handles off the second rope. Dropkick by Devitt gets 2. Sitting chinlock by Devitt but Smith Jr. is able to power out. Smith Jr. charges in the corner but misses and Devitt leaps off the second rope but eats a big boot on the way down. Flying knee strike by Smith Jr. and he hits a leg drop for 2. Saito suplex by Smith Jr. gets 2. Smith Jr. goes for the running powerslam but Devitt nails the ref to block. This allows Fale to come in and attack Smith Jr. but Taka makes the save. Devitt nails Smith Jr. in the back with a chair and Fale hits a Samoan Drop. Devitt puts the chair on Smith Jr. and goes up. Double Stomp off the top onto the chair by Devitt gets 2!!! Devitt shoves Smith Jr. intoa chair shot from Fale and follows up with a roll-up for 2. Lariat by Smith Jr. gets 2. They trade counters and Smith Jr. battery rams Devitt into Fale. Tiger Suplex by Smith Jr. gets 2!!! Sit-out powerbomb by Smith Jr. gets 3!!! Prince Devitt is out of contention.
Winner- Davey Boy Smith Jr. ***1/2 ( Devitt’s heel act is so over that the final few minutes of the match had nuclear heat. The final stretch was terrific and this was an awesome way to start the G1 portion of the show. )

Block B- Yujiro Takahashi (8) vs. Karl Anderson (8)
Yujiro must win to stay in contention. Anderson hammers the back to start and Yujrio comes back with chops. Anderson rakes the eyes to stop that but Yujiro catches him with a shoulderblock. Slam by Yujiro gets 2. Leg lariat by Anderson and he bites the head of Yujiro in the corner. Anderson rakes the eyes of Yujiro and continues to bite the head. Snap mare and Anderson grabs a chinlock. Yujrio starts to fight out so Anderson catches him with an uppercut. Anderson misses the bicycle kick in the corner and Yujiro catches him with a corner lariat. Ukuza kick in the corner by Yujiro and he hits a neckbreaker. Leg drop by Yujiro gets 2. Fisherman Buster by Yujiro and he goes for Tokyo Pimps but Anderson blocks. Spinebuster by Anderson and both men are down. Forearms by Anderson and he catches Yujiro with the corner bicycle kick. Yujiro blocks the Gun Stun and hits the Olympic Slam for 2. Lariat by Yujiro gets 2 and he goes for Tokyo Pimps but Anderson escapes. They trade counters and Anderson catches him with the Gun Stun for 3. Yujiro is out of contention.
Winner- Karl Anderson **1/2 (The match picked up in the final few minutes but the crowd heat wasn’t there and they had a simple and tame match compared to their other efforts in the tournament. )

Block A- Lance Archer w/Taka Michinoku (4) vs. Satoshi Kojima (6)
Archer is eliminated from contention and Kojima needs a win to stay in contention. Kojima tries to take Archer down early but Archer is too strong. Archer misses a charge in the corner and Kojima hits some rapid chops to Archer. Archer tosses him over his head to come back and Archer beings working over the bad shoulder of Kojima. Short arm clothesline by Archer gets 2. Delayed suplex by Archer gets 2. He charges in the corner but eats elbow and Kojima hits some rapid chops in the corner to Archer. Corner forearm by Kojima and he goes up. Archer stops him and tosses Kojima off the top. Facebuster by Archer and he hits a lariat forcing Kojima to bail. Archer follows out and Kojima chop blocks Archer on the apron. DDT on the apron by Kojima and back in, Kojima hits an elbow drop off the top for 2. They trade chops and Archer goes for a chokeslam but Kojima blocks. Rolling elbow by Kojima and he hits a DDT to Archer. Archer blocks an Ace Crusher attempt and hits a Chokeslam for 2. Archer goes to the second rope and hits a second rope Frog Splash. Reverse DDT by Archer gets 2. Kojima escapes the Blackout attempt and hits the Ace Crusher. Brainbuster by Kojima gets 2. Northern lariat by Kojima and he hits some rights. Archer catches him with an F-5 for 2 as Kojima gets his foot on the ropes. Archer puts Kojima on top and follows up but Kojima fights him off. Big boot by Archer and he hits the Blackout for 3. Kojima is out of contention.
Winner- Lance Archer ***1/4 (Good match with a great story being told about Kojima’s bad shoulder and despite throwing everything he had at Archer, Kojima was too worn out from his battles during the tournament to take out Archer.)

Block B- Shelton Benjamin (6) w/Taka Michinoku vs. Toru Yano (6)
Loser is out of contention, winner can stay in contention as long as Nakamura doesn’t win or tie in his match tonight. Benjamin attacks from behind to start but Yano rakes the eyes to stop him. He dumps Benjamin to the floor and follows out where he sends Benjamin into the railings. Taka distracts Yano allowing Benjamin to attack from behind again and they brawl in the crowd. Backat ringside, Benjamin sends Yano into the post and back in, he gets 2. Benjamin stomps on every part of Yano’s body and he hits a knee drop to the back for 2. Benjamin goes for the Stinger Splash but misses and hits the corner that Yano exposed. Super kick by Benjamin as Yano was playing to the crowd and both men are down. Yano takes Benjamin down by the ears and he goes for a suplex but Benjamin counters into a neck breaker. Backdrop by Benjamin and he hits a spinning heel kick. Benjamin charges in the corner but Yano catches him with a drop toe hold into the exposed corner. Roll-up by Yano gets 2 and he catapults Benjamin into the corner but Benjamin comes back with a springboard chop to the head. German suplex by Benjamin but Yano hits the ref on the way down so he can’t make the cover. Yano goes low on Benjamin and he tosses a chair at the head of Benjamin. Benjamin goes low and Yano tires another low blow but Benjamin catches him in the Ankle Lock. Grape Vine by Benjamin and Yano taps. Yano is out of contention.
Winner- Shelton Benjamin **1/2 (These matches are fine but Yano literally had the same match on each show during the G1. I’m just sick of them and I’m glad I only have to sit through one more. )

After intermission, Katsuyori Shibata comes out, cuts a promo I couldn’t understand, and leaves. Cool.

Block A- Togi Makabe (8) vs. Tomohiro Ishii (4)
Ishii is out of contention and Makabe needs a win to stay in contention. Both men try to overpower the other to start and Makabe wins the battle. Forearms by Makabe but Ishii sends Makabe hard into the corner to come back. Ishii works over Makabe and he chops away. Makabe challenges Ishii to keep hitting him and he comes back with a power slam. Corner lariats by Makabe and he hits some punches in the corner. Powerslam by Ishii and both men are down. Forearms and chops in the corner by Ishii and he charges in the corner but eats boot. Ishii comes back with a Saito suplex for 2. Both men battle for a Brainbuster and Ishii escapes Makabe’s attempt. They trade lariats and then connect at the same time taking both men down!!! They again trade lariats and Ishii collapses while Makabe stands tall in that exchange. Ishii catches Makabe with a release German suplex but Makabe comes back with a lariat. Makabe ALMOST DROPS ISHII ON HIS HEAD ON A POWERBOMB ATTEMPT!!! Oh god that was scary. Ishii seems to have hurt his right shoulder as Makabe connects with a German suplex for 2. Slam by Makabe and he looks to go up but Ishii grabs the leg of Makabe to block. Makabe fights him off and heads up. Ishii stops him and follows up. Superplex by Ishii and again both men are down. They trade lariats again and Ishii hits a head butt to Makabe. Powerbomb by Ishii gets 2. Forearms by Ishii but Makabe catches him with a DVD. Makabe puts Ishii on top and follows up. He goes for the hanging German suplex but Ishii blocks and hits a lariat knocking Makabe into the tree of woe. Powerbomb into the corner by Ishii and he hits a corner lariat. Enzuigiri by Ishii gets 2!!! Makabe blocks a Brainbuster attempt and Ishii slaps Makabe by Makabe gives him shoulder chops. Lariat by Ishii gets 2!!! Another lariat by Ishii gets 1!!! Dragon suplex by Makabe gets 2. Lariat by Makabe gets 1. Makabe blocks some lariat attempt sna dh connects with a discus lariat. Another lariat by Makabe gets 1!!! They trade forearms and Makabe knocks Ishii down with a double sledge. Slam by Makabe and he goes up. King Kong Knee Drop by Makabe gets 3.
Winner- Togi Makabe ****1/4 ( This was a stiff and brutal war. Both men held no punches and proceeded to beat the crap out of each other. The botched power bomb was a scary moment but they recovered nicely and proceeded to have an almost tournament stealing match. This was phenominal and continues Ishii’s coming out party. )

Block B- Minoru Suzuki (8) w/Taka Michinoku vs. Kota Ibushi (6)
Both men need a win to stay in contention. Feeling out process to start and Suzuki begins to work on the left arm of Ibushi. Ibushi fights back and they reach a standstill. Ibushi goes to the mat with Suzuki but Suzuki goes back to the left arm. Ibushi makes the ropes to break and he catches Suzuki with a dropkick for 1. Forearms in the corner by Ibushi and he puts Suzuki on top. He follows up but Suzuki shoves him to the floor to block. Ibushi tries a springboard hurricanrana back in but they botch it so Suzuki improvises by grabbing a half crab from the second rope until the ref forces him to break. They go to the floor and Suzuki kicks the leg of Ibushi against the railings. Back in, Suzuki goes to work on the leg of Ibushi and he grabs a rear spinning toe hold. Ibushi goes to the ropes to break. Head butt by Suzuki and he goes back to work on the leg. Grape Vine by Suzuki but Ibushi makes the ropes to break. STIFF knee to the face by Suzuki but Ibushi comes back with a hurricanrana forcing Suzuki to bail. Ibushi follows up with the slingshot springboard moonsault to the floor. Back in, Ibushi hits a springboard dropkick to Suzuki for 2. Ukuza kick in the corner by Suzuki and he snap mares Ibushi into some kicks to the chest. Running kick to the chest misses and Ibushi kicks Suzuki in the head. Standing corkscrew press by Ibushi gets 2. Suzuki escapes a powerbomb attempt and he slaps away on Ibushi. Big boot by Suzuki but Ibushi fires back with slaps. They trade slaps and Ibushi hits a high kick to Suzuki. A second high kick by Ibushi and he hits a German suplex for 2. Ibushi goes up for the Phoenix Splash but misses and they trade slaps again. Dropkick by Suzuki and he grabs the Sleeper. Ibushi tries to roll out but Suzuki holds on. He releases and hits the Gotch Piledriver for 3. Ibushi is out of contention and this also knocks Benjamin out of contention.
Winner- Minoru Suzuki ***1/2 (Told a good story after the botch with Suzuki going after the leg to ground Ibushi but Ibushi pretty much ignored the leg once they went into the final stretch. The final stretch was awesome though, and almost made up for it. Almost. )

Block B- Shinsuke Nakamura (10) vs. Tetsuya Naito (6)
Naito must win to stay in contention. Both men look for control on the mat to start and they go to the ropes to break. Knees to the gut by Nakamura but Naito comes back with a dropkick. He goes for a flying shoulderblock but Nakamura blocks with a knee forcing Naito to bail. Nakamura follows and he sends Naito hard into the railings. Knee lift on the apron by Nakamura and he hits a knee drop on the apron. Nakamura drops Naito ribs first onto the railings and Naito makes it back into the ring before the twenty count. Kicks to the chest by Nakamura and he toys with Naito. Snapmare and Nakamura hits a knee drop for 2. Rear abdominal stretch by Nakamura and he converts it into an Anaconda Vice. Naito makes the ropes to break. Knees to the gut by Nakamura in the corner and he chokes Naito with his boot in the corner. Nakamura puts Naito on the top turnbuckle and goes for the running knee lift but Naito moves. Missile dropkick off the top by Naito and both men are down. Hip toss by Naito and he hits a dropkick to the back of Nakamura. Summersault senton by Naito gets 2. Slingshot basement dropkick in the corner by Naito and he goes up but Nakamura catches him with an enzuigiri. Running knee lift in the corner by Nakamura gets 2. Knees to the midsection by Nakamura and he hits the Gordbuster for 2. Naito blocks a release back suplex attempt and they trade forearms. Spinning heel kick by Nakamura and he hits the release back suplex on Naito. Boom Ye misses and Naito hits a Capo kick. Naito charges in the corner but eats knee and Nakamura hits a knee strike off the second role. Naito blocks Boom Ye with a Victory roll for 2!!! Swinging neckbreaker by Naito and both men are down again. Enzuigiri by Naito and he hits a flying forearm. Abdominal Stretch slam by Naito and he goes for the Stardust Press but misses!!! Second rope flying kick by Nakamura and again both men are down. They trade counters and Naito gets the O’Connor roll for 2. Lungblower by Nakamura and he misses Boom Ye again. Shining Wizard by Naito and he hits a German suplex for 2!!! Dragon suplex by Naito gets 2!!! Abdominal stetch slam by Naito and he goes up. Stardust Press by Naito gets 3!!!
Winner- Tetsuya Naito ****1/4 ( This was awesome. Nakamura went after Naito’s ribs the entire match and tried to wear him down for the Boom Ye but just could not connect with it. Naito wrestled the match with desperation and it resulted in a fantastic match with great drama and storytelling. )

Block A- Kazuchika Okada (8) w/Gedo vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi (8)
Either man can be out of contention with a loss. Uppercuts by Okada and he misses a dropkick. Small package by Tanahashi gets 2 and Okada bails. Back in, both men look for control on the mat and they reach a standstill. Okada over powers Tanahashi and he avoids Tanahashi’s attempts to hit a dropkick to the leg. Okada charges in the corner but eats elbow and Tanahashi hits a springboard crossbody. Arm drag by Tanahashi and he goes to the arm bar. Okada makes the ropes to break to Tanahashi slams the right arm of Okada’s off the mat a few times. Short arm scissors by Tanahashi but Okada goes to the ropes to break again. Okada puts Tanahashi on top and hits the hanging DDT on Tanahashi. Swinging neckbreaker by Okada gets 2. Shots to the midsection by Tanahashi and he hits a slam. Tanahashi goes to the second rope but Okada dropkicks him to the floor!!! Okada bends Tanahashi’s neck against the railings and he sends Tanahashi into the railings. Ukuza kick knocks Tanahashi into the front row and back in, Okada snap mares Tanahashi into a basement dropkick for 2. Rear Cravat by Okada but Tanahashi goes to the ropes to break. They trade forearms and Okada hits a bow-tie neck breaker. Okada stretches the neck of Tanahashi some more and he hits a slam. Back senton misses and Tanahashi hammers the midsection of Okada. Flying forearm by Tanahashi and he slams Okada. Second rope summersault senton by Tanahashi gets 2. Dropkick to the leg by Tanahashi and he chop blocks rthe leg of Okada. Tanahashi goes to the second rope and hits a second rope Frog Splash onto the leg. Dragon screw leg sweep by Tanahashi and Okada bails. Tanahashi goes up and hits the crossbody off the top and to the floor onto Okada. Dragon screw leg sweep into the ropes by Tanahashi and back in, Tanahashi tries the Texas Cloverleaf but Okada makes the ropes to block. Tanahashi stomps away on the bad leg of Okada but Okada comes back with a flapjack. They trade forearms and Okada hits sime uppercuts. DDT by Okada and he hits the DVD for 2. Slam by Okada and he goes up. Flying elbow drop by Okada and they trade counters until Tanahashi hits the Straight Jacket German for 2. Air Raid backbreaker by Okada and both men are down. Forearms by Okada and he goes for a dropkick but Tanahashi blocks and hits some Dragon Screw leg sweeps!!! Texas Cloverleaf by Tanahashi but Okada makes the ropes to break!!! Okada tries to dump Tanahashi to the floor but he skins the cat and hits the Slingblade. Tanahashi goes up but he misses the High Fly Low!!! They trade counters and Okada grabs the rear STF but Tanahashi quickly makes the ropes. Tanahashi escapes a Tombstone attempt and he hits a dropkick to the leg. Dropkick to the back by Okada and he hits the Tombstone. Another excharge of counters ends with Tanahashi hitting the Rainmaker!!!! Dragon suplex by Tanahashi gets 2!!! Styles’ Clash by Tanahashi and he goes up. High Fly Low eats the knees of Okada and both men are down!!!! Dropkick by Okada and Tanahashi avoids the Rainmaker as the bell sounds. The match ends in a draw!!!
Match ends in a Draw ****1/2 (The scary thing is that this is one of their WORST matches together!!! An outstanding contest, as to expect when these two get in the ring together.)

Standings:
Block A: Shibata (10), Makabe (10), Tanahashi (9), Okada (9), Smith Jr. (8), Devitt (8), Goto (8), Archer (6), Kojima (6), Ishii (4)
Block B: Nakamura (10), Anderson (10), Suzuki (10),Takahashi (8), Benjamin (8), Naito (8), Nagata (8), Tenzan (6), Ibushi (6), Yano (6)
Out of Contention: Ishii, Kojima, Archer, Goto, Devitt, Smith Jr., Yano, Ibushi, Tenzan, Benjamin, Nagata, Takahashi.

The 411: The first half of the show was OK, with only one match I would consider pretty good, but the second half RULED with three of the best matches from the tournament taking place. There are a ton of scenarios coming out of this show that will impact the final day, so I'm stoked to see what will happen in day nine. This was an outstanding show and you should go out of your way to see it, especially the second half.

Final Score:  9.0   [  Amazing ]