NJPW G1 CLIMAX 27, 8/11/17 (Day 17)
Tokyo Ryogoku Kokugikan
It comes down to the main event to see who advances to the finals from Block A.
G1 Climax – Block A: Bad Luck Fale [10] vs. Yuji Nagata [2]
Fale beats up on Nagata in the first part of the match which leads to Nagata’s comeback. He wears down Fale’s leg once he realizes he’s too heavy for the Exploder. Eventually Nagata would land an Exploder to a massive crowd pop. Fale’s selling here was great and Nagata once again was on his game as he wears down Fale bit by bit, starting with the leg and moving on to the arm. Nagata brought everything here, busting out the Nagata Lock I but Fale immediately getting to the ropes. The suplexes on Fale were awesome, and spaced out perfectly. He even attempts a wrist-clutch Exploder at one point and with the drama building, I really thought Nagata would pull off the victory here. Eventually Fale would nail the Bad Luck Fall and take the victory in a great match. ***1/2
G1 Climax – Block A: Togi Makabe [6] vs. YOSHI-HASHI [4]
Both guys have had a decent tournament but have been a bit underwhelming. There was nothing particularly wrong with this match but it just didn’t grab me, as is the case with most matches involving these two. They are both somewhat boring when controlling matches so with that said, this kinda just dragged. It had some decent stuff but sometimes I feel like YOSHI is lost in the ring, like when he applies the Butterfly Lock forever, or just randomly starts firing off uninspired elbows. **
G1 Climax – Block A: Zack Sabre Jr. [8] vs. Tomohiro Ishii [8]
These guys work so well together in the ring and this match did so much to help further establish Zack as a heavyweight in New Japan. Zack does his usual thing and it was better than usual because he didn’t just display what he can do he did it in a way that was meaningful. His transitions from hold to hold and even near falls into holds were so fluid and it really added more of a sense of believability to the match. Both of these guys are top notch sellers and I LOVED the spot where Zack took a powerbomb, held on and turned it into a triangle lock, but would weaken the hold a few times to sell the back of his neck in between. Ishii took a damn beating here with Zack nearly crippling his arm and his taped up leg throughout the entire match. The finish was great, as Ishii goes for the sliding lariat but Zack counters and just twists him up like a pretzel in the middle of the ring, grabbing every limb the second Ishii would reach out for the ropes and tying him up until he couldn’t move. ***3/4
G1 Climax – Block A: Kota Ibushi [10] vs. Hirooki Goto [8]
Ibushi continues to put on an MVP like performance. There is no doubt that he can hang in a big spot and it will only be a matter of time until he gets there. Goto was good here too, better than he has been in a lot of his G1 matches this year. Great back and forth match and probably Goto’s best of the tournament. ***1/2
G1 Climax – Block A: Tetsuya Naito [12] vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi [12]
Tanahashi brought a bit of the heel back in this and continued the awesome legwork that he used against Ishii. Naito focused on Tanahashi’s injured arm and while the pacing of this match towards the beginning was somewhat slow, they worked the crowd really well playing up both their heel and face tendencies. Tanahashi brings the Dragon screws and they start busting out the power moves and near falls. Great selling here all around, from Tanahashi throwing elbows with his opposite (good) arm during an elbow exchange, to Naito fighting tooth and nail to get to the ropes while being stretched in the Texas Cloverleaf that beat him in their last match. The crowd was HOT, and it really helped elevate the high points in the match, and the fact that it was believable that either Tanahashi or Naito would come away with the victory. ****1/4
Final Block A Standings
Tetsuya Naito [14]
Hiroshi Tanahashi [12] x
Bad Luck Fale [10] x
Kota Ibushi [10] x
Zack Sabre Jr. [10] x
Hirooki Goto [10] x
Tomohiro Ishii [8] x
Togi Makabe [6] x
YOSHI-HASHI [4] x
Yuji Nagata [2] x
Final Thoughts: This was one of the most solid shows top to bottom of the G1 so far. Every match is worth checking out aside from Makabe/YOSHI, but even that wasn’t bad. Tanahashi and Naito never fail to deliver and this match was easily one of the better matches in the tournament.
