1. G1 Climax – Block A: EVIL vs. Lance Archer
As expected, a physical between a pair of large manly men. I’m glad Archer saved the apron moonsault for Budokan Hall. EVIL throwing Archer’s leg at Asami for the usual spot but Asami taking a BUMP for Archer’s large leg was great, and was followed up with a fine Derailer from Archer. This wasn’t some high-end G1 scorcher but was a fun match between two guys whose stock rose this tournament. Archer goes for THE CLAW, EVIL throws a headbutt, goes for Everything is Evil, but THE CLAW is applied again and leads to a cover for 3. Chilling. ***
2. G1 Climax – Block A: SANADA vs. Bad Luck Fale
Oh COME ON, SANADA, I started this tournament out as your biggest cheerleader and now even Bad Luck Fale has to sweat you down to drop an elbow!? STEP IT UP. Anyways, this was was a pretty standard SANADA vs. Fale, Chase Owens and Jado type of match, and I’ll say this: SANADA randomly doing the double leapfrog spot with Chase Owens kind of great. Otherwise, it was fine. SANADA kicks out of the Grenade, bodyslams Fale, and delivers the TKO that he wasn’t able to earlier. Jado and Chase both get locked up with the Paradise Lock, SANADA misses a moonsault on Fale, tries a Skull End… and Fale counters with an inside cradle for 3. Why they gotta do EVIL and SANADA like that the last night!? The block was already decided! **1/2
3. G1 Climax – Block A: KENTA vs. Zack Sabe Jr.
I’ve got to say this was pretty much everything I could’ve wanted from these two guys in a big time singles match: grappling, attitude, and ZSJ going after KENTA’s wrapped-up arm like nobody has before. KENTA is kind of a prick but ZSJ is relentless – he counters the strike combo with a northern lights turned into a neck-trap wristlock transitioned into a cross armbreaker. He wrenches the arm and kicks at it and KENTA throws a spinning backflist. These guys were throwing some SHOTS here too, some of the craziest meanest slaps you’ll see in professional wrestling.
They got even more intense at the end, with KENTA lugging that dead arm around as ZSJ constantly went back to it. There was a real vibe of neither wanting to lose their last match in the G1, so when it came down to it they were just throwing their best shots and being the assholes they are doing it. KENTA’s flurry of slaps towards the end are incredible, the GTS countered with a triangle choke was wild, and ZSJ’s eventual Rube Goldberg of an insane vicious submission that included him trapping the hurt arm and stomping at it as KENTA screamed and screamed and finally tapped. WRESTLING YEAHHHH ****1/4
4. G1 Climax – Block A: Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Will Ospreay
Sometimes wrestling isn’t just very fun, it is legitimate artwork that I appreciated very very much. And this was one of those matches. It was two … I want to say trains colliding, but that seems like something catastrophic. It was more like two actors on different paths, a Robert Downey Jr. / Tom Holland kind of thing, crossing paths at some kind of perfect nexus of their careers. It was Ospreay’s young hubris and real speed opposite Hiroshi Tanahashi trying to be the veteran that can still keep up, and it didn’t feel performative at all – this was REAL – this was BUDOKAN HALL.
They milked the first few minutes perfectly, spent every second bell-to-bell telling their story, had the crowd tightly gripped into their hands, provided an incredible “I have no idea how this ends up” finish, put a guy over, and it was just in general spectacular fun awesome wrestling that was treated seriously.
Those first few minutes, man: Tanahashi’s MILD ANNOYANCE at Ospreay chants, his clean break, Ospreay bridging up from the test of strength, then an immediate kip-up after a shoulder tackle followed by GUITAR STRUM. Tanahashi went after the leg, because IT WORKS, and that leg is a thing the entire match. This portion also includes what should be a legendary moment in wrestling history where Tanahashi puts Ospreay in that reverse Indian deathlock, and the camera does an epic spot of Tana kneeling tall with his big tanned chest over this pasty piece of trash Ospreay, and then he BRIDGES IT like the manliest man who ever manned.
They do all kinds of wild stuff as the crowd begins to pick up that the pace is about to go in overdrive. Tanahashi takes a Sasuke Special, a standing Shooting Star Press, but Will’s knee buckles off a missed springboard forearm and Tanahashi dropkicks the leg because IT WORKS.
The thing about this match is that no one really ever got any extended momentum. Will was out to prove something, Tanahashi knew that, and tey played with that. Will kept selling the leg, but otherwise he was bringing it to Tanahashi just as much as Tanahashi was bringing it to him. Eventually they do an amazing spot where Will does an enzuigiri but Tanahashi snatches his hurt leg and just WRECKS him with a dragon screw, which leads to Tanahashi doing a Texas Cloverleaf that he had tried to do earlier in the match and was not able to. I mean this thing was LAYERED.
Tanahashi counters an OsCutter with basically the last half of the Sling Blade for 2, does a German suplex hold for 2, and sets up a Sling Blade that’s countered with the Spanish Fly. Ospreay hops around as he and everybody in Budokan knows this is his chance. He does a Shooting Star Press but a near fall, an OsCutter for a near fall. Tanahashi’s arms are sprawled, he’s breathing heavy, and WILL OSPREAY is up and ready to go.
Will sets up the Storm Breaker, but Tanahashi again counters it into the second half of the Sling Blade. Tanahashi’s ring boy gets a crowd cheer going as Tanahashi heads to the top for a High Fly Flow, but Will stands and rolls through for a close near fall I totally bought. Tanahashi then just SLAPS Will, the absolute APEX of the ongoing professional conversation around Will Ospreay, but Tanahashi then calls for the Sling Blade – and, in the perfect culmination to said conversation, gets KICKED IN THE MOUTH. Will hits a brutal Hidden Blade, drops a Storm Breaker, and WILL OSPREAY PINS HIROSHI TANAHASHI.
I can’t deny this thing. I can’t deny these wrestlers. A perfect match. *****
5. G1 Climax – Block A: Kazuchika Okada vs. Kota Ibushi
And then WHAT THE HELL – that’s not fair to these guys! C’mon!
Really, even if this was Okada vs. Ibushi for what I think is the first time, the first 10 minutes was hard to follow and just felt like the traditional collection of spots and slow build-up as opposed to this brilliantly laid out thing before it. They are cautious for a moment early but before you know it Okada is DDT’ing Ibushi on the floor and dropkicking his face off. Okada controls, until finally Ibushi gets a snap rana and catches the Rainmaker arm with a perfectly placed jumping kick that sets the match onto a better place. Besides, it’s OKADA VS. IBUSHI, and the WINNER IS IN THE FINALS OF THIS THING.
They trade shots and when Okada falls to the mat off an elbow, you FEEL IT. When Ibushi walks right into the downed Okada with a dropkick you feel it too, and when Ibushi gets right up off said dropkick and hits a lariat. Ibushi might fall on his ass on a Last Ride, but once they head into the finish it is an absolute journey. There’s tombstone reversals, a Bastard Driver, a Rainmaker, and finally Okada SLAPPING HIMSELF before a second one. A third is ducked and countered with a Straitjacket Suplex, but Ibushi can’t hold the bridge because of that god damn ankle.
HOWEVER – Ibushi has his own wrist control, and he sets up Kamigoye… but Okada blocks it and hits THE DROPKICK TO THE BACK, then goes for a proper dropkick until they bring the Callback of Callbacks when Ibushi goes all Omega with the mid-air powerbomb reversal! I gotta admit: I popped. Ibushi sets up Bomaye, but Okada HITS THAT DROPKICK. Another Rainmaker is ducked, Ibushi KICKS THE NECK, sets up Kamigoye, Okada may or may not set Omega up for a One-Winged Angel, instead Okada back body drops Ibushi and does the rollup that beat Jericho for a near fall. Ibushi follows this with another kick to the neck, and the struggle on Okada’s face is one of legend.
Okada again avoids the Kamigoye, and tries a spinning Rainmaker but gets caught with a knee to the face (a V-Trigger? I don’t know) followed by a Kamigoye for an absolutely WILD near fall. One more Kamigoye wins Kota Ibushi Block A and gets him a spot in the G1 Climax finals. The heart of professional wrestling breathes on, through legends like Tanahashi and Okada and these new nutjobs like Ospreay and Ibushi. ****1/4
