Super highways…
Coast to coast…
Easy to get anywhere…
On the trans continental overload…
Just slide behind the wheel
How does it feel when there’s no destination that’s too far…
And somewhere on the way you might find out who you are?
Living in America!
Eye to eye! Station to station…
Living in America!
Hand to hand! Across the nation…
Living in America!
Got to have a celebration!
1. Yuya Uemura vs. Gabriel Kidd
In this fast-paced world, sometimes you need to slow down and watch two guys pretend to wrestle but put so much thought into what they are doing that it seems like they are not pretending. Yuya Uemura and Gabriel Kidd, two good kids. **1/4
2. G1 Climax – Block B: SANADA vs. YOSHI-HASHI
I don’t know, I can’t say I ever wanted to see THIS match. YOSHI-HASHI is over-delivering in the G1 Climax, but in a way that I think only appeals to people who have seen him stink it up for the last decade. I guess that does describe most people watching the complete G1, so maybe the joke is on me. Maybe I should learn to appreciate my own enjoyment versus some perceived enjoyment of others. This built and built and eventually did get to a really cool vibe of two guys giving their all for the win, even if a fast-paced world might cause one to get impatient with a thing like this. ***1/4
3. G1 Climax – Block B: KENTA vs. Zack Sabre Jr.
With Captain Lou on the Champion Carnival and Pro Wrestling NOWA beats, I get to bring up his observation of how much the lack of crowd noise exacerbates just how little there is for a heel KENTA to add to a match sometimes – or any Bullet Club guy, really. They mostly stuck to the mat here but KENTA’s loose hold-based approach kind of negated anything cool about ZSJ’s usually cool approach. This wasn’t bad and occasionally somebody got hit in the face, but I’m pretty sure there are late-80s AWA matches that are overall more enjoyable professional wrestling. **
4. G1 Climax – Block B: Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Juice Robinson
Hiroshi Tanahashi, tired, ragged, shredded: Bro, let’s just call it out there.
Juice Robinson: ALRIGHT DADDY!
I dunno. This pairing has never really delivered, with perfectly fine double babyface work negated by them unable to find any other hook against each other. **1/2
5. G1 Climax – Block B: Toru Yano vs. EVIL
It’s another 5-minute Toru Yano match in the G1 Climax, and while it wasn’t much I will say this might have been the best EVIL has looked in a year. Guy was loose. Guy was having fun! Come on!! Eh. *1/2
6. G1 Climax – Block B: Tetsuya Naito vs. Hirooki Goto
This a seriously good match, just not a standout in the midst of even this G1 Climax. I could write more about it, but what else is there to say besides a recap of the moves they always do? Hirooki Goto is always quietly good, just sometimes too quiet. He sold his shoulder big enough where they were able to build up a big comeback and closing stretch, while Naito can be frustratingly repetitive but he at least knows how to put on a G1 main event unlike that bum Kazuchika Okada. ***1/4
Happy Thoughts: The middle of the G1 Climax will bring you shows like this, where all the mismatches on paper prove to be mismatches in reality. Big skip. 2/10
