I was lying on the grass of Sunday morning of last week
Indulging in my self-defeat
My mind was thugged, all laced and bugged, all twisted, wrong and beat
A comfortable three feet deep
Now the fuzzy stare from not being there on a confusing morning week
Impaired my tribal lunar speak
And of course you can’t become if you only say what you would have done
So I missed a million miles of fun
I know it’s up for me
(If you steal my sunshine)
Making sure I’m not in too deep
(If you steal my sunshine)
Keeping versed and on my feet
(If you steal my sunshine)
1. Yuya Uemura vs. Gabriel Kidd
Kidd might have tapped out to avoid his back snapping in half last night, but tonight he is able to rally and hit that big time butterfly suplex for the win. Uemura and Tsuji are a couple of prospects, but Kidd has got the delivery: his leapfrog, dropkick, and the butterfly are positively stunning. **1/2
2. G1 Climax – Block B: Hirooki Goto vs. YOSHI-HASHI
This was really good, the opposite of yesterday’s Ishii/Yujiro match in that the underdog’s approach made him not only credible going toe-to-toe with his opponent but it uhhh MADE THE MATCH FUN. Goto is coming off back-to-back quick matches and with his bandaged shoulder it seemed likely we’d get more of the same, but no – YOSHI-HASHI not only goes right at the shoulder, he slaps Goto around! He gets cocky! By the end he has actually put up such a fight that Goto appears shook.
Unfortunately he gets a little too excited and throws a headbutt, so Goto has to teach his boy a lesson: he headbutts him back, slaps him in the face, kicks him in the jaw, and puts him down with the GTR. A low key gem, much like the CHAOS 6-Man Tag Titles match in that the buds worked hard together. ***1/2
3. G1 Climax – Block B: Toru Yano vs. Zack Sabre Jr.
ZSJ kind of played straight man then tapped Yano out, which I would have been cool with but the bulk of this was a spot where Yano tied ZSJ to a chair on the opposite side of the guardrail, which would have been a nice countout tease if it wasn’t really obvious the whole time ZSJ could just pull the chair through. He figured it out at 19 then tapped Yano out. *3/4
4. G1 Climax – Block B: SANADA vs. KENTA
The ZIP Arena in Okayama is wide open and well-lit which is a nice backdrop for the professional wrestling. I say that here because even though there were a few exchanges in this match that remind you how capable these two are – they wrestle too much like they just don’t care if they ever get around to winning. TEPID. TEPID WRESTLING. **1/4
5. G1 Climax – Block B: Juice Robinson vs. Tetsuya Naito
There was a lot of good here: good heeling, good babyfacing, Naito again doing the Juice pose like he’s the dumbest man in the world. It just went too long. 25 minutes! It was not much different from their match last year, which I summed up like this: “I dig these two, but it just felt excessive.” There might be something between these two but this was too drawn out to see for sure. Like a whole extra star for Juice’s bump on the Destino though. ***1/4
6. G1 Climax – Block B: Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. EVIL
I thought I may have been dreaming last year but nope, Hiroshi Tanahashi and EVIL have an awesome chemistry between them. I used the phrase “there was a movement to this match, a dynamic dance or a flow” last time which is some trippy shit to say but watch that match and this match and tell me I’m wrong. There is just an extra smoothness or confidence to it all, with the EVIL of even 2020 stepping up for Tana and Tana seemingly inspired working a girthy Dojo guy – including frequent attempts to tap him out with a Texas Cloverleaf??? Not as good as last year, but still good. ***1/2
Happy Thoughts: This a completely skippable show, but I found myself positively charmed by Hirooki Goto vs. YOSHI-HASHI. 5/10
