G1 Climax A Block Night 9 Results, 8/11 – Full Show with English Commentary by Kevin Kelly, Don Callis, and Rocky Romero
Suzuki-Gun (NEVER Openweight Champion Minoru Suzuki, Taichi, & El Desperado) b. Hirai Kawato, Tomoyuki, & Katsyua Kitamura when Desperado pinned Kawato with a Pinche Loco. The Young Lions jumped the heels before the bell. Oka and Suzuki were the first to make it into the ring, thus making them the legal men. Suzuki chopped Oka into oblivion, until Oka tagged in Kitamura. The Young Lions worked over Suzuki in babyface fashion. Suzuki battled back with strikes on Kawato. El Desperado tagged in and shortly afterward hit the Pinche Loco for the win.
The Guerillas Of Destiny (Tama Tonga & Tanga Loa) of Bullet Club b. SANADA & BUSHI of Los Ingobernables De Japon when Tonga pinned Bushi with a Gun Stun. Tonga & Sanada started out, matching each other athletically. Loa tagged in and hit a back drop for a two count. Sanada escaped by putting the ref between himself and Loa, and tagging in Bushi, who hit a missile dropkick and dive on Loa. Sanada put Tonga in the Paradise Lock, but Tonga kicked out. Loa made a comeback, and GOD hit the Guerrilla Warfare on Bushi. Sanada broke up the pin, but it was all for naught as Bushi then fell to a Gun Stun.
After the match GOD cut a promo calling LIJ “Los Sombreros Del Gato”. Sanada tried to put Tonga in the Skull End, but Loa chased him off.
Satoshi Kojima & Juice Robinson b. EVIL & Hiromu Takahashi of Los Ingobernables De Japon when Robinson pinned Takahashi with Pulp Friction. It looked like Evil and Kojima would start out, but Takahashi attacked from behind. The heels tried to double team Kojima, but they were foiled and Kojima fended them both off. Machine Gun Chops for both heels. Evil kept Kojima from Getting to the top rope, and threw him into the barricade on the outside to take control of the match. Evil and Takahashi took turns woking over Kojima until Juice tagged in. Juice reversed a hurricanrana into a powerbomb, but Evil broke up the pin. Kojima made the save, allowing Juice to hit Pulp Friction on Takahashi for the pin.
Backstage, Juice cut a promo saying he wants Omega to win the tournament, because that would give him a shot at the briefcase.
Taguchi Japan (Ryusuke Taguchi, Ricochet, & Michael Elgin) & War Machine (Raymond Rowe & Hanson) b. The Bullet Club (Cody, Hangman Page, Chase Owens, Nick & Matt Jackson) when Elgin pinned Owens with an Elgin Bomb. Matt Jackson claimed The Bullet Club would win this match with a moonsault. Remember that for later. All the babyfaces came out in warpaint AND silly sunglasses. Nick began the match with Ricochet, but quickly tagged out to Matt. Dive teases from both Ricochet and Matt. The faces cleared the ring of everybody except Matt. Taguchi lead his team in nonstop corner splashes. As Taguchi got to the top rope to use his butt as a turnbuckle (if you watch Taguchi matches, you’ll understand), the heels reclaimed the ring. Taguchi was laid to waste and all the faces were tossed out of the ring. Each time a babyface tried to get in the ring he was knocked down. Heat on Taguchi, including Chase hitting Taguchi with Hip Attacks. Taguchi his own hip attack, and gave Rowe the hot tag. Rowe ran wild on all the heels, including slapping around both Young Bucks. Hanson tagged in and did the forever clotheslines until Page interfered and clotheslined Hanson to the mat. Everybody took turns hitting their big moves. Rowe went for a dive to everybody outside, but Cody stopped him with a jab. Ricochet then dove over the top to the outside. Then ELGIN did a dive over the top. Hanson climbed to the top rope for his own dive, but he was caught and superplexed for a two count. Cody went for a moonsault, and missed. Page went for a moonsault… and missed. Both Young Bucks went for moonsaults… and missed. Owens went for a moonsault…. and (you guessed it) missed. Hanson then rallied and went for his own moonsault, and HIT IT. But the pin was broken up by all the heels. Elgin tagged in while Ricochet hit a clip dive to the outside. Elgin tried a Elgin Bomb, but Chase kicked his way out of it and went for a Package Piledriver. Elgin countered that into a Buckle Bomb, follwed by an Elgin Bomb, for the win. Really fun match.
In backstage promos, War Machine cut a promo saying they’d die to defend the titles. Ricochet and Taguchi proclaimed themselves “The Funky Future”. Michael Elgin said that Juice was his friend, but he had to win. Bullet Club argued over how they could have mathmatically missed a moonsault.
IWGP Heavyweight Champion Kazuchuja Okada & Toru Yano of CHAOS b. IWGP United States Champion Kenny Omega & Yujiro Takahashi when Yano pinned Takahashi with a low blow. Omega and Takahashi were accompanied by two scantily clad escorts. Lots of gratuitous closeups of boobs and butts. Yano and Takahashi started the match, with Takahashi throwing Yano to the outside. Omega stomped on Yano, while Takahashi used a chair on Okada. Heat on Yano as Omega and Takahashi took turns working him over. Okada got the hot tag and ran wild on Omega, though he did favor his neck, which was slammed into chairs by Evil two shows ago. Omega, smelling blood, started using neckbreakers on Okada. Takahashi taggedin, but got flapjacked by Okada. Okada tagged in Yano, who immediately removed the turnbuckle pad. Takahashi scored a two count on Yano with a Fisherman’s Buster. Omega threw Okada into the barricade, while in the ring Yano low blowed and rolled up Takahashi to get the win.
In a backstage post match promo, Omega challenged Okada to bring his A Game, even if it means going into an oxygen chamber.
Tournament Matches
Bad Luck Fale p. Yuji Nagata with a Bad Luck Fall. Nagata was insanely over with the crowd, because this was his final G1 Climax match. Nagata was on offense right out of the gate, but also played the mouse to Fale’s cat. Fale did catch him and threw him into the guardrail. Back in the ring Fale powered Nagata around until Nagata made his comeback. Yuji battled back, even getting Fale in a leglock. Fale hit a big splash for a two count. Nagata amazingly hit an Exploder Suplex on the big man, and chopped Fale down with kicks. Fale tried to battle back with clubbing blows, but Nagata kept taking him down with holds. Back Drop by Nagata for a near fall. Spear by Fale for a two count. Nagata tried to mount a comeback but in the end got pinned with a Bad Luck Fall.
After the match, Fale gave the Too Sweet signal to Nagata, to which Nagata responded with a salute. Nagata began crying afterward, and bowed to all around to the crowd.
Togi Makabe p. YOSHI-HASHI with a King Kong Kneedrop. Lock up to the corner, with Hashi giving Makabe a chop in the break. Makabe took down Hashi with a shoulderblock and pummeled him in the corner. Hashi battled back with nackbreakers. Makabe powerslammed Hashi and hit a Northern Lights Suplex for a two count. Makabe went for the 10 punches in the corner, but Hashi impressively countered with a powerbomb. Makabe hit a powerbomb of is own, but missed the King Kong Kneedrop. Hashi scored a two count with a lariat, and put Makabe in the Butterfly Lock. Makabe made it to the ropes. Hashi actually felled Makabe with a slap. Makabe hit a fallaway slam, and hit the Spider German Suplex. A King Kong Kneedrop later, and it was all over.
Zack Sabre Jr. s. Tomohiro Ishii with a hold of some sort. Desperado accompanied Sabre to the ring. Lots of reversals and mat based counters to start things off. Zack went for strikes, and paid for it dearly. Ishii landed several strikes that rocked ZSJ. Sabre eventuially caught an Ishii firearm and reversed it into a hold. Zack put Ishii in several holds, and Ishii battled back with strikes. Ishii hit a superplex for a two count. Sabre went for an Octopus Hold, only for Ishii to reverse it into a German Supex. ZSJ reversed a powerbomb into a Triangle Choke, to which Ishii powered out. DDT followed by a Penalty Kick by Zack for a two count. Sabre turned Ishii’s kickout into a leg grapevine. Ishii made it to the ropes to break the hold. ZSJ tried to target Ishii’s knee, only for Ishii to no-sell it and hit several strikes. Sabre put Ishii in the European Clutch Leglock, and followed it up with an anklelock. Ishii reversed into an anklelock of his own. Sabre tried to kick his way free, and was met with an Ishii clothesline for a two count. Ishii went for the sliding clothesline, only for ZSJ to reverse it into a crossface like hold. Sabre then further wrapped up Ishii’s limbs. It looked like the referee called the match rather than an Ishii submission.
After the match, the Young Lions and medical personel tried to attend to Ishii, but he clearly did not want medical assistance.
Backstage, Sabre cut a promo saying he belongs in the heavyweight division.
Hirooki Goto p. Kota Ibushi with a GTR. Ibushi felled goto with an Irish Whip and a kick. Goto responded with knocking Ibushi to the outside and whipping him into the barricade. Goto worked over Ibushi for several minutes until Ibushi made a comeback with a dropkick. Ibushi felled Goto with several strikes and a moonsault for a two count. Goto no sold a German Suplex and leveled Ibushi with a clothesline. Ibushi countered a superplex with a bicycle kick, and hurricanrana’d Goto off the top rope. Ushigaroushi for a near fall. Goto put Ibushi in a sleeper, and hit a Penalty Kick. Ibushi mounted a comeback, and signaled for his knee strike. Goto hit a reverse GTR, followed by a regular GTR to get the victory.
Tetsuya Naito p. IWGP Intercontinental Champion Hiroshi Tanahashi with two Destinos. Fans were chanting for Naito during Naito’s theme music. Even in the opening minutes the crowd was chanting for Naito. A tie up with a surprisingly clean break by Naito at the start. Another Tie up into the ropes which Tanahashi broke with a slap. Naito knocked Tanahashi to the outside and posed for the crowd, only for Tanahashi to hit Naito from behind. Naito countered a Tanahashi body press with a dropkick, and focused on Tanahashi’s arm. Tanahashi countered Naito’s neckbreaker attempt into a neckbreaker of his own. Senton by Tanahashi off the second turnbuckle missed. Tanahashi caught a springboard dropkick by Naito, and dragon Screwed Naito to the outside. Back in the ring, Naito fought out of a Cloverleaf attempt, and went back to working over Tanahashi’s arm. Side slam by Naito for a two count. Tanahashi with a German Suplex for a near fall. Tanahashi rolled through a top rope hurricanrana into a roll up for a two count. Dueling forearm shots saw Naito spitting in Tanahashi’s face. German Suplpex by Naito for a two count. Tanahashi hit two Sling Blades for a near fall. High Fly Flow body press connected, but Naito dodged the High Fly Flow splash. Tanahashi finally locked in the Cloverleaf for a long battle, but Naito made it to the ropes. Naito hit a swinging Destino for a two count. Tanahashi reversed another Destino into three straight neckbreakers. Tanahashi went for another Sling Blade, but Naito reversed it into two straight Destinos to finally finish off Tanahashi.
After the match Naito cut a promo, which according to Rocky Romero stated he didn’t care whether it was Okada or Omega that he faced in the finals.
FINAL A BLOCK STANDINGS
14 Tetsuya Naito
12 Bad Luck Fale
12 Hiroshi Tanahashi
10 Hirooki Goto
10 Kota Ibushi
10 Zack Sabre Jr.
8 Togi Makabe
8 Tomohiro Ishii
4 YOSHI-HASHI
2 Yuji Nagata
