New Japan Pro Wrestling continued their G1 Climax tournament on Friday. Since the show began at 5:30am EDT, here’s a spoiler-free match listing for the non-nite-owl New Japan fans. Each match has been given a Need To Watch Rating of 0.0-10.0. The show is available at NJPWWorld.com
FIRST MATCH: CHAOS (Hirooki Goto & YOH) vs. Shota Umino & Toa Henare
Goto makes a much more supportive partner than Jay White. Henare gets to go back to his days in the dojo by teaming with Shota. Inoffensive and inessential.
Need To Watch Rating: (2.0)
SECOND MATCH: Guerrillas Of Destiny (Tama Tonga & Tanga Loa) vs. Suzuki-gun (Zack Sabre Jr. & TAKA Michinoku)
G.O.D and Suzuki-gun have great chemistry. Sabre and TAKA are a great team, as usual. Tanga Loa continues to dominate the undercard.
Need To Watch Rating: (1.9)
THIRD MATCH: Juice Robinson & David Finlay vs. CHAOS (Toru Yano & Gedo)
Finlay and Robinson are a mighty good tag team. David Finlay is on fire, ahead of his C Block showdown with Henare. Yano is a delight as always.
Need To Watch Rating: (2.5)
FOURTH MATCH: Kota Ibushi & Yujiro Takahashi vs. CHAOS (Tomohiro Ishii & SHO)
Kota and Yujiro have grown as a tag team over the course of these 9 shows. SHO is a star in the making. Ishii and Ibushi give a stiff preview of their 7/28 match.
Need To Watch Rating: (5.0)
FIFTH MATCH: Los Ingobernables de Japon (Tetsuya Naito & SANADA) vs. Bullet Club Elite (Chase Owens & Kenny Omega)
This is a great match, but life is short and the G1 is long.
Need To Watch Rating: (1.0)
SIXTH MATCH: A Block Match: Minoru Suzuki (4 pts) vs. Michael Elgin (4 pts)
Suzuki and Elgin are former NEVER Champions and bring that brutal style to this match. Suzuki hasn’t so much wrestled, as tortured opponents.
Need To Watch Rating: (8.5)
SEVENTH MATCH: A Block Match: EVIL (6 pts) vs. Hangman Page (2 pts)
EVIL has been a G1 standout for a few years now. Hangman Page is having a star-making tournament. When both men face each other, the match is a wild, main event affair. Seek. Out. This. Match.
Need To Watch Rating: (10.0)
EIGHTH MATCH: A Block Match: Jay White (6 pts) vs. Bad Luck Fale (2 pts)
Depending on your opinion of the Tongan Shenanigans™. Ultimately a fun match, with far more substance than most of Fale’s matches during this tournament.
Need To Watch Rating: (7.9)
NINTH MATCH: A Block Match: Hiroshi Tanahashi (6 pts) vs. Togi Makabe (4 pts)
Two of Japan’s most popular wrestlers tear the crowd apart, and bring the house down. A great match in an extensive rivalry. Both men are having a great tournament, and prove that they’re as good as any of the young upstarts of NJPW.
Need To Watch Rating: (9.9)
MAIN EVENT: A Block Match: Kazuchika Okada (4 pts) vs. YOSHI-HASHI (2 pts)
YOSHI-HASHI is finally a star. The story of this match was both men’s growth, since their Return From Excursion match in 2012. Okada’s broken persona continues to entertain to the highest degree. Seek. Out. This. Match.
Need To Watch Rating: (10.0)
