A Block Bracket action for Night 11 of The G1 Climax. We’re at the point where the Standings really start to take shape with who has a shot at winning.But first, the tag matches with B Block contestants.
IWGP United States Champion Juice Robinson & David Finlay b. Toa Henare & Shota Umino when Finlay pinned Umino with a Stunner. Juice is one of two men who are now mathematically eliminated from winning the tournament. Finlay and Henare, the two men jokingly referred to as C Block contestants, started the match. Juice and Finlay tried, and failed, to double team Henare. Umino tagged in and hit both opponents with dropkicks, and put Finlay in a Boston Crab. Juice broke the hold and went after Henare on the outside. Meanwhile, Finlay hit the Stunner on Umino and covered him for the pin.
The Guerrillas Of Destiny (Tama Tonga & Tanga Loa) b. Tomohiro Ishii & Sho of CHAOS when Loa pinned Sho with an Over The Shoulder Piledriver. As stated before, Tonga is the other man in B Block who is unable to win the tournament. However, he still can serve as a spoiler to potential winners. Tonga moved to lock up with Ishii when Loa attacked from behind. The brothers tried to double team Ishii, but Sho intervened. Tonga stopped Sho’s momentum with a dropkick, and he and his brother got the heat on Sho. Ishii got the tag and went back and forth with Tonga. Once Sho tagged back in, Loa Grabbed Ishii out of the ring. Ishii did likewise with Tonga, leaving Loa and Sho in the ring. An Over The Shoulder Piledriver later, and Sho was toast.
Tetsuya Naito & SANADA of Los Ingobernables De Japon b. Toru Yano & Gedo of CHAOS when Sanada submitted Gedo with Skull End. Yano wanted to start, and demanded Naito start for LIJ. Naito refused, so Yano made Gedo start. Some comedy at the start with LIJ working over Gedo’s beard. Yano got the tag, removed a turnbuckle pad, and attacked Naito with it. Afterward, Yano catapulted Naito into the exposed buckle. A double tag out to Gedo and Sanada resulted in Sanada wrapping Gedo up in the Paradise Lock. When Sanada wasn’t looking, Yano was able to free Gedo, who countered Sanada with a pinning combination. Sanada kicked out, and responded with the Skull End to get the submission victory.
IWGP Heavyweight Champion Kenny Omega & Chase Owens b. Zack Sabre Jr. & Taka Michinoku of Suzuki-Gun when Owens pinned Michinoku with a Package Piledriver. Taka did his usual intro for ZSJ. I must say, a ZSJ/Omega match does interest me. Omega & Owens double teamed Taka out of the gate. Zack ran in and broke the momentum. He and Taka then got the heat on Owens. Omega got the tag, and immediately went for the “You Can’t Escape” moonsault, which Sabre escaped by reversing into a sleeper. A quick four way ensued, which ended in a double submission spot on Owens and Omega. Kenny was able to break the submission, allowing Owens to hit a Package Piledriver on Taka for the win.
Kota Ibushi & Yujiro Takahashi b. NEVER Openweight Champion Hirooki Goto & Yo when Takahashi pinned Yoh with a Pimp Juice DDT. Yujiro locked up with Yoh, and kicked him during the rope break. Ibushi and Takahashi worked over Yoh and got some near falls. Goto got the tag and took it to both opponents. Ibushi escaped a double team with a double Pele kick. Goto and Ibushi began fighting on the outside, leaving Yujiro and Yoh in the ring. Yoh got a few near falls with pinning combinations. Ibushi quickly flew in for a springboard dropkick, and Yujiro followed up with the Pimp Juice DDT to score the win for his team.
Now, onto the A Block tournament matches!
Bad Luck Fale (4) p. Togi Makabe (4) with a chained assisted clothesline. This should be a fun hossfight. Loa tripped Makabe from the outside mere seconds into the match. Makabe chased him around outside and soon got whipped into the guardrail. Fale capitalized and threw him into the seats for good measure. When Makabe beat the countout, Fale continued to stalk him in the ring. Makabe tried to rally, and leveled Fale with a clothesline. Fale returned the favor with a shoulderblack and a big splash for a two count.Makabe escaped a Hand Grenade and again knocked Fale off his feet. Loa yanked the referee before the pin, and proceeded to interfere. Makabe fought off Loa and climbed to the top rope. Fale caught Makabe and slammed him off the top. Then Fale grabbed Makabe’s chain and clotheslined him with it. The referee came to and counted the fall, giving Fale the win. Not the hossfight I had hoped for.
“Switchblade” Jay White (6) p. Hangman Page (2) with a Blade Runner. The two men began with lockups trying to feel each other out. White regularly stepped through the ropes to get Page to back off. White then attacked Page on the outside. However, when White rolled Page into the ring, Page immediately countered with a dive to the outside. Page tried a Shooting Star Press to the floor, but White dodged and Page crashed to the floor. White began focusing on Page’s back. Hangman battled back and got some near falls. White countered a Buckshot clothesline into a German Suplex. White landed several strikes as Page favored his back. Page hit the Buckshot clothesline on the second attempt, and knocked White to the floor. The two battled on the ring apron, and then atop a turnbuckle. Page hit a moonsault off the top to the outside and tossed White back into the ring. He went for a second moonsault, but White met him and taossed him onto the apron. White grabbed some chairs from under the ring and hit Page with one. Page still managed to kick out. Page also kicked out of a brainbuster. Getting further frustrated, White again grabbed the chair. The referee tried to take the chair away from White, which the crowd approved of. By this time, Page had recovered and got a near fall with a small package. Page went for the Rite Of Passage, but White spit in his eye to escape. Then Page went for the chair, and the referee stopped him as well. This allowed White to gather his senses and hit the Blade Runner for the win.
Minoru Suzuki (6) p. EVIL (8) with a Gotch Piledriver. The battle erupted before the bell began, and immediately spilled to the outside. Suzuki assaulted EVIL with everything that wasn’t nailed to the floor. Chairs, guardrails, and mic cables. Evil tried to battle back with chops, which only made Suzuki laugh. Suzuki hit a Penalty Kick for a two count, and tied up Evil in a cross armbreaker. Back on the outside, Suzuki grabbed another chair, and smashed Evil’s arm with it. Suzuki grabbed a second chair, but before he could use it, Evil countered with his own chair. The two engaged in a striking battle once they got back in the ring. Neither man won and both went down. Suzuki tried a Gotch Piledriver, Evil backdropped out of it. Suzuki quickly grabbed the Rear Naked Choke, and followed up with the Gotch Piledriver to get the pin.
Hiroshi Tanahashi (8) p. YOSHI-HASHI (2) with a roll-up. Tanahashi kept knocking Yoshi down, but also kept missing any eblow drops or senton follow-ups. Yoshi managed to battle back and got into a chopping contest. Tanahashi hit a Slingblade and a send rope senton for a two count. Yoshi dodged another Slingblade and hit a Headhunter neckbreaker. Tanahashi kicked out of a powerbomb, and out of a Swanton. Yoshi scored several more near falls, but couldn’t get the pin. Tanahashi fired back with a Slingblade and a German Suplex. Yoshi dodged a High Fly Flow and nailed a double knee strike for a two count. Before Yoshi could follow up, Tanahashi used a crucifix roll-up for a surprise pin.
After the match, Yoshi and Tanahasho exchanged words, as Yoshi looked like he believed he got his shoulder up. However, Yoshi left without incident. That loss officially eliminates YOSHI-HASHI from winning the block this year.
“Rainmaker” Kazuchika Okada (6) p. Michael Elgin (4) with two straight Rainmakers. Back and forth action early on, with both men countering each other. Elgin hit a dive to the outside, but missed a splash. Okada countered by DDTing Elgin on the floor. Elgin nearly got counted out, barely making it to the ring at a count of 19. Okada sprung his attack on Elgin’s neck. Elgin battled back with a Northern Lights Suplex, and positioned Okada on the top rope. Okada knocked him off and tried a bodypress. Elgin caught the 6’3” Okada and climbed to top rope while carrying him. Okada escaped and hit a flapjack. Elgin kicked out of another DDT. Okada got caught when trying a corner splash, and got German Suplexed. Elgin missed a top rope splash. Again, Elgin positioned Okada on the top rope. This time, he landed the superplex for a near fall. Elgin landed the Buckle Bomb, but Okada dodged the Elgin Bomb. Okada missed, then hit the dropkick. Elgin ducked the Rainmaker and leveled Okada with a clothesline. Elgin hit another Buckle Bomb. Okada reversed the Elgin Bomb into a pinning combination for a near fall. Elgin landed several strikes, and again went for an Elgin Bomb. Again, Okada dodged. The third time was almost the charm, as Elgin finally landed the powerbomb. Okada kicked out at two, so Elgin again draped him on the top rope. This time for a Burning Hammer. Okada reversed into a pair of Rainmaker clotheslines to score the pinfall.
After the match, Okada cut a promo congratulating himself on his fourth win.
STANDINGS
10 Tanahashi
8 EVIL
8 Okada
8 Suzuki
8 White
6 Fale
4 Elgin
4 Makabe
2 Page
2 YOSHI-HASHI
