B Block action returns in Night 8 of the G1 Climax. The main event of tonight’s show is a match I have been looking forward to seeing in Kota Ibushi vs. SANADA. I believe Sanada will be a main eventer one day.
Minoru Suzuki & El Desperado of Suzuki-Gun b. Michael Elgin & Ren Hirata when Desperado pinned Hirata with a Pnche Loco. Of course, the heels jumped the babyfaces before the bell because they’re jerks like that. Suzuki and Elgin brawled through the crowd, leaving Desperado and Hirata as the legal men. Suzuki pummeled Elgin and made his way back to the ring. The heels double teamed the Young Lion. Elgin got the hot tag and took it to Suzuki, before getting caught in a Rear Naked Choke. After powering out of a Gotch Piledriver attempt, Elgin tagged in Nirata. Suzuki did likewise to Desperado. Elgin and Suzuki continued to brawl on the outside while Nirata tried several pinning combinations on Desperado. Unfortunately for Hirata, Depserado dodged a dropkick and hit him with the Pinche Loco for the pin.
EVIL & BUSHI of Los Ingobernables De Japon b. Hangman Page & Chase Owens when Evil pinned Owens with Everything Is Evil. Evil and Page started the match, with both men matching each other move for move. Double tag out to Owens and Bushi. The Virginia natives then took control and worked over Bushi. Evil tagged in, but also got double teamed. Owens tried for a Jewel Heist, except EVIL reversed it into the Everything Is Evil STO to score the pin. This was the first loss Page & Owens suffered as a team during this tour.
Bad Luck Fale & Tanga Loa of Bullet Club OG’s b. “Switchblade” Jay White & Yoh of CHAOS when Loa pinned Yoh with an Over The Shoulder Piledriver. Fale started out against White, who stalled and constantly slid out of the ring. Loa took a tag, to which White reacted by instantly tagging in Yoh. The Tongans then took the fight into the crowd, with Fale and White brawling on one side, and Loa and Yoh on the other. Fale returned to the ring, with White nowhere to be found. Yoh managed to get a near fall with a top rope somersault. Loa powerslammed Yoh for a pin attempt. White managed to break the pin attempt. Fale hit the ring and chased off White. This allowed Loa to hit the Over The Shoulder Piledriver for the pin as White looked on from the ramp.
Hiroshi Tanahashi & David Finlay b. Togi Makabe & Toa Henare when Finlay pinned Henare with a Stunner. While the previous two matches were mainly heels, this match was a meeting of two babyface teams. Plus Tanahashi has been looked at as an honorary member of Great Bash Heel, Makabe’s group with Tomoaki Honma. Both teams showed teamwork, but it was Tanahashi and Finlay got the upper hand on Henare until Makabe tagged in. Tanahashi took a beating from Makabe. Both sides tagged out, so Finlay and Henare went at it. A flying shoulderblock landed a near fall for Henare. However, Finlay kicked out and hit a Stunner to score the win.
YOSHI-HASHI & Sho of CHAOS b. Kazuchika Okada & Gedo, also of CHAOS when Sho pinned Gedo with a Shock Arrow. Okada handed his stablemate Rocky Romero a balloon, before popping it right in front of him. Gedo and Sho started for their respective teams. Gedo and Okada worked over Sho with frequent tags. Sho made the hot tag to Hashi, who took it to Okada and landed a near fall. Okada scored his own near fall with a DDT, which Hashi escaped and locked in the Butterfly Lock. Gedo broke the submission attempt, allowing Okada to hit the Too Awesome Dropkick and tag out. Sho tagged in and went back and forth with Gedo. Okada saved Gedo from a cross armbreaker. Hashi ran in and detained Okada while Sho hit the Shock Arrow (Package Piledriver) and pinned Gedo.
With all the undercard tag matches out of the way, it brings us to the featured matchups of the evening.
NEVER Openweight Champion Hirooki Goto (2) p. Toru Yano (2) with a GTR. Have I mentioned lately that Hirooki Goto has one of the coolest theme songs in all of wrestling? Just makes me want to hop on a fiery spike-armored horse and ride into battle against an army of charging orcs. Anyway, both men are part of the CHAOS faction, so they shook hands before the match. Of course, since this is Tory Yano, he removed a turnbuckle pad as soon as the handshake ended and Goto turned his back. Goto reverse an Irish whip to the exposed buckles and Yano fell to his own plans. Yano did manage to recover and land a few quick near falls, but did not manage to get the three count. Goto blocked a low blow attempt, and hit an Ushi-Garoushi. Without missing a beat, Goto then finished off Yano with a GTR in a match that took longer to type about it than it lasted in the ring.
Tetsuya Naito (4) p. Tama Tonga (2) with Destino. Tanga Loa accompanied his brother to the ring. Surely chicanery is afoot. Naito got the upper hand in the early minutes of the match. Once the fight went to the outside, Tonga took over. Loa attacked Naito while Tonga had the ref distracted. Tonga maintained control and stalked Naito in the ring. Naito made a comeback, hitting a Tornado DDT for a two count. Tonga kicked out and hit a Gun Stun on the ropes. Again, Tonga distracted the ref so Loa could powerbomb Naito on the stage ramp. Naito still kicked out, and tried another comeback. This time, Tonga tossed Niato into the referee. One by one, members of each stable came out to join in the fray. All told it was Evil, Bushi, and Fale who interfered. Tonga and Naito blocked each other’s finisher until Naito managed to hit Destino for the pin.
Zack Sabre Jr. (2) s. Tomohiro Ishii (4) with a wristlock. As usual, Taka Michinoku accompanied ZSJ, and did his pre-match promo. A lot of exchanges and counters in the opening minutes as the two opponents tried to feel each other out. Both men got flurries of offense. Ishii managed to get Sabre in an ankle lock. Sabre caught Ishii in a double armlock for several minutes before Ishii made the rope break. Ishii tried to reverse a Gogloplata with a powerbomb, only for Sabre to turn that into a wristlock to get the surprising tapout victory.
IWGP Heavyweight Champion Kenny Omega p. IWGP United States Champion Juice Robinson (0) with a One Winged Angel. The undefeated World Champion faced off against the winless US Champion. Neither man gained a decided advantage, despite a fast paced beginning to the match. Juice finally got control of the match by suplexing Omega on the floor, and following that up with a senton off the apron. Omega reversed a high cross body into a pin attempt. Juice kicked out and resorted to fisticuffs. Kenny dodged a cannonball and tried the “You Can’t Escape” moonsault, which Juice escaped by getting his knees up. A powerbomb got a two count for Juice. Omega flipped out of a German Suplex and landed a pair of V-Triggers. Two Dragon Suplexes by Omega. He went for a third, but Juice dodged and hit the German Suplex. Omega went for the One Winged Angel, which Juice reversed into a Juice Box. Juice followed up with an attempted Pulp Friction, only to have Kenny escape and hit another V-Trigger. Juice reversed another One Winged Angel into a rollup at the 10 minute mark. Omega kicked out and finally hit the One Winged Angel. This means Juice is so far 0-4 in the tournament, and Omega is still undefeated.
SANADA (4) p. Kota Ibushi (4) with a Moonsault. As I said at the top of the page, I have been looking forward to this match, as both men are skilled mat wrestlers who can take to the air if need be. As expected, this match also had a fast paced beginning, with both men evading each others moves and trying countermoves. It wasn’t until Sanada caught Ibushi to block a moonsault that anybody gained control of the match. Sanada kept the upper hand, with Ibushi trying to battle back. The two battled atop a turnbuckle, until Ibushi hit a top rope hurricanrana. The battle again went to the outside, only this time Ibushi hit the Asai Moonsault. Both men backflipped out of German Suplexes. Sanada dodged a Kamigoye, and went for the Skull End. Ibushi flipped out and tried his own Dragon Sleeper. Sanada countered by spearing Ibushi into the turnbuckle. Ibushi kicked out of a Tiger Suplex, an dodged a moonsault. The two men exchanged forearms in the middle of the ring. Sanada kicked out of a powerbomb. Ibushi motioned for the Kamigoye, which Sanada dodged and hit an elevated DDT. Ibushi kicked out, but got caught in the Skull End. A moonsault later, and it was all she wrote for Ibushi. Excellent match that was definitely PPV worthy.
After the match, Sanada cut a rare promo.
Night 9 will give us Suzuki vs. Elgin, Evil vs. Page, Fale vs. White, Okada vs. YOSHI-HASHI, and Tanahashi vs. Makabe.
STANDINGS
8 Omega
6 Naito
6 SANADA
4 Goto
4 Ibushi
4 Ishii
4 Sabre
2 Tonga
2 Yano
0 Robinson
