1. G1 Climax – Block B: Toru Yano vs. Jeff Cobb
Toru Yano tying Jeff Cobb’s arms up in his singlet straps was fun. Otherwise – the end has come, gentleman. Rest yourselves. *1/2
2. G1 Climax – Block B: Tomohiro Ishii vs. Taichi
I was tired, up all night, eyes bloodshot and hopped up on sinus medication.
“Ishii vs. Taichi might be the Match of the Tournament,” I said, taking a drag of a tobaccoless cigarette.
He looked at me, partially amused but mostly concerned. “You can’t be serious.”
I stared back, looked him dead in the eye: “I said what I said.”
Taichi starts this match off with an Axe Bomber right away, and from there it is on. From this one move, Taichi went from lazy goofball to serious wrestler, and Ishii went from certified badass to underdog trying to play catch-up. The crowd went from one prepared to be annoyed by Taichi to one incessantly chanting his name because he’s going so hard in the ring. Through it all, the vibe went from “Are they going full mid-90s All Japan?” to “They are seriously going full mid-90s All Japan.”
They did a bunch of full contact high impact professional wrestling that resulted in two incredible close calls for Ishii off another Axe Bomber from Taichi and a folding powerbomb, and this was BEFORE Taichi’s long pants came off. After he tore them off the match reached its’ crescendo, as Taichi tries Black Mephisto but Ishii escapes, Taichi tries a powerbomb but Ishii escapes, Taichi throws a kick but Ishii lariats his leg, then Ishii throws a lariat which Taichi miraculously absorbs and throws the biggest FUCK YOU elbow I have ever seen.
A minute later Ishii drops the BS and throws a headbutt, and then both guys are throwing gamengiri’s and backdrop suplexes and kicking out of stuff you wouldn’t think they ever would, all while the 9,000-something in Tokyo’s Nippon Budokan Hall cheered and stomped their feet for Giant Baba’s complex web of a legacy playing out in front of them on the final night of the New Japan G1 Climax Block B. ****1/2
3. G1 Climax – Block B: Juice Robinson vs. Jon Moxley
Jon Moxley finished what is presumably his one and only G1 Climax by doing it all: throwing elbows, working a leg, and getting an earring bitten out of his ear canal by Juice Robinson. They had a good thing going with Mox going back to the leg again and again, which also included Juice throwing a gorgeous crossbody and Mox locking in one of the tightest STF’s of all time. Before ya know it Mox is throwing a bunch of weapons into the ring, only for Juice to throw what really matters in professional wrestling: FISTS. Then he hit the Pulp Friction for 3. Jon Moxley does business. ***1/2
4. G1 Climax – Block B: Hirooki Goto vs. Shingo Takagi
Suzuki, Ishii, Goto, Shibata, and now Shingo – a special atmosphere of wrestling emerges when these men meet. Sometimes a guy like Makabe or Zack Sabre Jr. will show up for it too. It was like while nobody was looking during the dark ages that were post-2005 puroresu, a whole new crop of guys trained in the simple New Japan fundamental of being a never-say-quit badass grew up to the point where they weren’t just angry youngsters with potential but full-on grizzled veterans. Everything they threw here connected and was rooted in some kind of truth, an agreement that professional wrestling might be fake but this here is different. They threw elbows and chops, applied sleepers and signature holds, and every once in a while they stared each other down and screamed what could’ve easily always been, “THERE CAN ONLY BE ONE!!!”
There’s something real special about a guy going for the kill in this type of match, the crowd buzzing with a concoction of excitement and anticipation. Shingo throws elbow after elbow that sends Goto into the G1 Climax 30, Goto fires back with a headbutt, Goto hits the GTR, prepares a kick but Shingo downs him with a snap lariat. Shingo goes for the Pumping Bomber, Goto ducks, but Shingo hits an even bigger Pumping Bomber on the rebound for a massive near fall before a Last of the Dragon cements his emergence as a player in the world of New Japan professional wrestling. ****
5. G1 Climax – Block B: Tetsuya Naito vs. Jay White
I don’t know, man. It’s different, and different can be good. It can also… not be good. This was the match to determine who faces Block A winner Kota Ibushi in the finals, but it really felt like Any Other Match – every match is going to have guys’ signature spots, but White going through the motions with the stalling and the guardrail slam and the cheating vs. Naito going through the motions with the rope-running and the neck work and the Destino counters felt especially like Any Other Match. Jay not going all the way over on the poison rana near the end just felt kind of right, while all the counters leading up to the Blade Runner felt like a formality more than anything.
There have been a few moments in time with Naito where he seemed primed to not necessarily overtake anybody at the top of New Japan but at least ascend to it. His conclusion to the G1 29 was a bummer, and this last match in particular did nothing to bring his G1 run above anything but a disappointment. Outside of great matches with the B Block’s all-stars (Ishii, Shingo, Mox), he wrestled like the guy that wasn’t finally taking it all and going after Okada again, and, well – he wasn’t. And he isn’t. Or maybe he will be. Or maybe none of it really matters and it will all make sense in a couple years. Or it won’t. **1/2
