Yota Tsuji vs. Gabriel Kidd
Can’t start my day without a rock-solid young lion opener. These guys showed more intensity than Tokyo Dome main eventers Okada and Ibushi did last night and the future is looking good. If humanity survives the current orange sky virus election apocalypse, that is. Shibata taught Kidd some nifty Lancashire wrestling tricks – dug his bridging and headstand escapes here. Meanwhile, Tsuji is looking more confident everyday. Just needs to bring back the Kobashi-style facial hair. **3/4
YOSHI-HASHI vs. Juice Robinson – G1 Climax (Block B)
Local Blues Brothers cosplayer Juice Robinson is ready to take over New Japan by storm. This man is a genius for working the We Will Rock You rhythm into the match, as the fun crowd participation helped bring this up to another level. Both guys put in inspired performances, Juice’s consummate babyface energy meshing well YOSHI’s perennial underdog vibes. Really enjoyed how they laid out YOSHI’s comeback, as he gradually went from non-factor to ‘’Hey YOSHI-HASHI ain’t so bad’’, getting huge clapping reactions for his legendary Shitty Swanton and Kumagoroshi in the process. The EXPLOSION has been LOOSENED, baby. ***1/4
Toru Yano vs. SANADA – G1 Climax (Block B)
SANADA’s new look gets the Captain Lou seal of approval. Loving the Space Phantom of the Opera vibes. It’s a shame that the new gear introduction was immediately followed by a loss to Yano, although I can’t deny the comedy of it all. As far as Yano G1 matches go, this one didn’t rank very highly, but the finish did crack me up. *3/4
Hirooki Goto vs. KENTA – G1 Climax (Block B)
Not quite sure how to describe this one. Coherent but extremely dry? Basically, everything made sense but I was struggling to stay engaged. Maybe I was too busy thinking about Milano’s incredible pitch for a COVID booing alternative (closed-mouth HUMMING BOOING)? Either way, KENTA wasn’t exactly lighting the world on fire with his arm work here, but Goto sold big time for him and helped raise the energy level with his fighting spirit outbursts. The flubbed Game Over counter finish didn’t really end things on the highest note. Whatever, the G in G1 still stands for Goto. **3/4
EVIL vs. Zack Sabre Jr. – G1 Climax (Block B)
These two had about 36 singles matches together last year, so their chemistry is pretty on point. Here, they introduced the new Bullet Club EVIL/Dick Togo shenanigans to their dynamic, which isn’t ideal, but was undeniably effective in babyfacing the hell out of Zack. Britain’s top vegan looked pretty great in this new setting, working from underneath and using his wild submission techniques to make compelling comebacks. This dude’s ability to apply an Octopus hold at Mach speed out of every possible angle will never cease to amaze me. Corny but effective fun for the whole family. ***
Tetsuya Naito vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi – G1 Climax (Block B)
How is Tanahashi still so fucking good? I haven’t been this entertained by a Naito match since Wrestle Kingdom and Tana’s performance was the deciding factor here. Not sure if the recent weight loss added a spring in his step or what, but the man did everything right and once again came across as the best wrestler in the world.
They took an interesting route for the match structure, not committing to one particular plot thread but instead playing the familiarity card and feeding off their previous encounters. Tanahashi had an answer for all of Naito’s signature spots, throwing out all sorts of inventive counters and curve balls (Sling Blade out of the Valentia was next level).
The way they worked Naito’s usually-crappy-back-elbows-to-the-neck segment should be studied by all Naito opponents. This spot tends to grind every Naito match to a halt, but the way Tana sold and reacted to them (pure fighting-spirit-fueled anger) made those crappy elbows as compelling as anything.
Like all the best matches from the COVID era, the sheer amount of quality moments forced the crowd to break the no-noise regulations and it was just beautiful to see. The High Fly Flow to the floor, that insane Shutdown German suplex near-fall, the intense clap-along forearm duel. It all felt like vintage Main Event NJPW and momentarily made me forget how fucked the world is. High level escapism. ****1/4
