soup23

I don't like things like X-Factor, American Idol, Big Brother in front of a studio crowd as an example of contrast. Those are really sterile environments where much like the Orlando WCW studio crowd, participants are encouraged to "act" a certain way and generate certain reactions. I think some promotions are able to create legit investment in the product in a full sense like you are talking about Parv. PROGRESS would be the prime example. PWG is another. Even Chikara still has a dedicated following with all of their scavenger hunts and nonsense. These are promotions on a small scale but if you treat WWE as an entity like television as a whole, they are comparable in size to the Mr. Robot and Breaking Bad of the world. WWE as a whole may not have a universe that suits your taste but there is certainly a META world they have created with the network where tons of individuals say this can occupy their total pro wrestling investment. You are on the PTBN live chats and should be able to see that first hand. While they are individuals that give NJ, Indys, etc some looks, the predominant amount are WWE exclusive. Booking can go a long way to elicit the correct response when it is presented the right way. I will again use SCI as an example because that on the surface feels like Gunner MIller won the tournament just because he was the hometown guy and the chosen one. I certainly don't see him on the same caliber as a pro wrestler as Chris Hero, Anthony Henry, Jimmy Rave, Matt Riddle currently. Yet, between the excellent booking and him delivering a great performance that made him look tough to the crowd without pandering to it, him winning the tournament was met with a great reaction.

I certainly think there has been some migration in the crowds due to the awareness that is easier to obtain from the internet, global issues, etc. It is a deep rooted issue that has a lot of minutia and also ties into both intelligence level and overall capacity of critical thinking. I went to a Peachstate Wrestling Alliance show a month ago that had more "natural" heat than any show I have been at in years. Security had to restrain different people, chants of "you scared" were chanted profusely at the heels and overall the narrative was that of an Georgia Championship Wrestling show from 30 years before. The show also drew 280 people with extremely limited social media presence in a town of 30,000 an hour from Atlanta. Compare this to an AWE show I went to the next day which only drew 85 people and while most of the individuals were there with sincerity, I do believe a certain portion of that crowd was there to be a part of the show. That kind of goes into the marketing framework of the promotion and makes it different, but it can be at the expense of more patrons. SCI amplified the issues even more. A heavy contingent of outside forces attended the show and I didn't get much in the sense of them trying to put "over" the action that was going on. However, social media was abash with claims of hyperbole and an overall feeling that there was some uneeded hyping and hand raising over the amount of photos, companionship, etc that has been claimed over that weekend. As I have tried to state in the final two weeks, I was there really for a wrestling show and a weekend with my wife away from my son. I was unable to hang out or build any deep connection with anyone that was travelling to the event. However, I was at WM 29 and while that was a lackluster show, I was able to form relationships that I cherish. If others had that same type of epiphany at SCI, I must take that at face value. While the crowds weren't necessary as heated in the traditional sense as the Peachstate show, I thought SCI showed a good mixture of what a smarky crowd could look like in 2016 without being overly annoying and relying on the next catchy chant. There is still little moments though where awareness is an issue. Take the Night 2 ovation for Billy Buck after his match. Billy Buck had a good match with Anthony Henry. I didn't find his performance exceptional but adequate and therefore consciously didn't partake in the standing ovation when he left the ring. My wife was at her first wrestling show and remarked at this point whether this was going to happen after every match. That was a clear moment of someone picking up on some sort of routine that didn't feel necessary earned to a newcomer. Should we as fans now applaud every performer because I realize the risk they are undertaking? These are the meta issues that can sometimes creep in without being warranted and take me out of the micro wrestling match being performed in the moment. I think 2016 wrestling has been amazing. I do think some chants are too meta and can be detrimental to my enjoyment as well as the entry point for people overall. My wife again laughs uproariously when I told her they could be a "these two guys" chant. We are watching an athletic performance where crowd interaction is different but I don't know of any other median of entertainment where some of these chants is that on the nose. This is Awesome was fine the first time, the repeat offenders and it being chanted for most *** matches is annoying. I find it ridiculous to bring up Thesz or other shooters and talk about mat working without acknowledging someone like Jack Gallagher who is a great technician, entertaining, and won legit shoot fights. Unless you think everyone is less of a wrestler in professional environments than in the 1950's, in which case enjoy your walk uphill to work in the snow. I also think 2016 and the availability of media sources has actually brought back a refuge for the fan that clings to the territory eras. There is something out there that should be relatively easy to find and enjoy in this product. I have no doubt that if we had 1983 house show footage for all the major promotions, there may be just as many great matches as this year, but there is still a magnitude of great stuff happening now.

2016 has been the most immersive I have been in a current year in a while and still even with that I haven't seen stuff like anything from Beyond which has some good buzz. This year has been a ton of fun and great but it has taken a toll on me in certain areas and I am already planning for myself to be much more selective in 2017 on current stuff.

IWA-MS 2001 - 2004 JCP 1985-1987 (up until the Flair title change) All Japan (6/8/90 - 1/20/97) New Japan 1992 -1994 (WAR vs. NJ, the juniors tearing it up, etc) Memphis - 1987 ROH (Joe vs. Punk 2 - Final Battle 2006)

That is essentially the same point that Timothy brought up on This Week in Wrestling. I can see that to a degree but I did take it that as of the two of these guys, Omega is the face. Omega "tries" to act like the big bad as leader of Bullet Club but deep down he wants to win. Naito has perfected the I dont give a fuck character and that was on displayed here where he gets more satisfaction in the smile he gives when Omega lands on his leg than if he would have actually won. Winning gives him respect but respect isn't something he clamors unlike Omega deep down.

It can feel that way for sure due to Omega is always going to be giving a "big" performance playing to the cheap seats so to speak. It felt amplified for me in this match because I thought Goto was unable to match any decent character work or viciousness in attacking the limb to justify the emotion.

Thank you Landy for helping with the footage. Parv is out of his skull being a homer on this show.

Omega vs. Goto It all comes down to this. I really wanted to like this match but at best it only was a very good one. Omega’s performance here was more inconsistent than the previous night but overall was still what I would classify as good. There was more overselling and that can be linked into the fact that I think Goto didn’t do enough of top so that when Omega is really emoting, it feels insincere. This was compared to the dickish onslaught Naito was doing to Omega the night before. Goto didn’t bring much to the table here and I see him as really a lost hope in numerous ways to be a main player in the main event picture. The structure here had Omega working as more of a traditional heel which also took me out of the match. A good match, but a disappointing ending compared to the bonafide classic from the night before. ***1/2

Nagata vs. Honma Really good stuff to start us off on the penultimate night. The strikes looked really stiff and strong and the lead up to HOnma winning was well done. ***1/4 Yano vs. YOSHI-HASHi Yano can go away for a really long time. *1/2 EVIL vs. Shibata Great stuff. EVIL went right up against the big bully and beat him at his own game. He killed the arm with great offense and Shibata’s selling of the arm was sublime. The choke was rendered as ineffective due to the work on the arm and EVIL just kept on the attack until he finally put Shibata away. Really want to see a long feud between these two. **** Nakajima vs. Elgin Another great match and worked around an arm for a good portion of it but in a different way as Nakajima used his kicks to great effectiveness and really used the arm as a way to gain an advantage to try to chop Big Mike down. Elgin was resilient coming back. A strong showing overall and set up Nakajima as a IC title challenger. **** Omega vs. Naito I don’t want to go overboard with this match right now so I will just say on first watch it was ***** and I will rewatch this week to see if the same feelings linger.

SANADA vs. Tenzan Kind of over the baseball bat SANADA act. With the tournament over for these two guys, this one felt really inconsequential and they couldn’t even give Tenzan a nice win on the way out of the G-1. **3/4 Makabe. Vs Ishii Glad we got some new age psychology right from the get go with this one. I haven’t liked their series of matches together. It is just always a problem for me buying this feud because they make Ishii and Makabe as equals in the striking game and I don’t buy that at all. Ishii does win here which is nice and I expect him to get a title shot at some point. **1/2 Fale vs. Tonga Good match here and I liked the fake out in the beginning. Tonga was able to use his movement well against Fale and make it look like it was an effective strategy that he was having to go up against the monster. *** Goto vs. Marufuji Big match from both and while I am not the biggest fan of either, the action here was good and raised by the stakes it possessed. I really loved all of the high spots Marufuji mixed in and also the strikes were really on point. The final few minutes were incredibly dramatic and really worked well at showing the tidal shifts and how close each person was to clinching victory. ***1/2

Yano vs. Elgin This had some clever stuff like the handshake but also some bullshit. Yano sqeaks out another win and this has happened far too often in this tournament so far. ** Shibata vs. YOSHI-HASHi Good match that had some solid stiffness and escalation throughout. Shibata is quietly putting together a nice solid tournament by not having any huge stinkers to speak of. ***1/4 Nakajima vs. Honma Honma seems to have found a nice groove and Nakajima has been a pleasant surprise in the tourney. This was another good match. Not a whole lot of consequence it seemed and not something that I will remember in a week, but pleasing why it was going on. *** Nagata vs. Omega I have really enjoyed a ton of Omega the last month but this took his silliness too far for me to hold it credibly. Nagata didn’t help matters by ignoring a lot of the selling for the damage that was done on his leg. The result was a really disjointed and lackluster match. **1/2 EVIL vs. Naito I really disliked the way this was worked. You have two partners going against each other and instead of really conveying the increasing frustration or just having a friendly skirmish, they take the route of working this match like every other one. They go to the outside early on and EVIL uses a chair and it is just completely lost on me why he would at that point. One of the weakest B block shows of the tournament. **3/4

A lot of hype around this one and it absolutely delivered for me. I really got a sense of how Okada works as an ace and how Ishii was able to buck that trend. Okada starts off with his patting on the chest and Ishii demolishes him. They then go into a really stiff exchange showing that in a lot of ways, this match is going to drift from the narrative of the NJPW heavyweight G-1 style. Okada senses this but is still the man so he is able to weather the storm and go back on the offensive. Everything seems to be going to plan but again Ishii is not going to roll over and die hence the Rainmaker attempt. This segues into the final stanza with both really feel like this match is there for the taking and neither competitor backing down. I thought this was an incredible performance and an excellent way to make an upper mid carder like Ishii look on par with anyone in the company. MOTYC ****3/4

Okada vs. Tanahashi In the aftermath of that match, praise was heaped upon it immediately as ***** or even the best match they have ever seen. I reflected on this on the hour drive I had to work and thought about the series I myself have rated multiple matches ***** or higher within. 1. Misawa vs. Kobashi (1/20/97, 10/31/98, 3/1/03) : One of those matches shows Kobashi as an equal and has great emotional selling, the 10/31/98 is without a doubt a flawed match I could waft back and forth on but I think it shows a great mixture of consequence and stakes being raised, the final match is the absolute climax of the feud and the passing of the torch. 2. Misawa/Kobashi vs. Kawada/Taue (12/3/95, 5/21/94, 6/9/95): The first one has one of the best selling performances in wrestling history, the second match completely changed the template for better or worse in how Japanese tag matches were worked, the third match in the list is again the climax of the feud in satisfying payoff fashion. 3. Ric Flair vs. Ricky Steamboat (Chi Town Rumble, Clash 6, WrestleWar): The first is a sprint that was alien from the rest of the series, the second match is a magnum opus with interweaving story, the third was a climax again to the feud. Taking all of this into account in how I view wrestling, I really pondered where this match of Okada vs. Tanahashi excelled on that level where it was deserving of such a high rating. Even though I don’t have the Wrestle Kingdom 2016 or the Invasion Attack 2013 matches between these two at *****, I get those ratings. Let me dissect this one from where I am sitting. A. Did the match buck the trend structurally? Not at all, these two have done a 30 minute draw before and this match crafted a very traditional structure of a hot opening, a middle portion of limb control with work around and transitions and a climatic finish. B. Was the match containing an all time personality performance or instance of selling? I really struggle to see an argument for this. I thought Okada’s selling was poor. Wrestling is all about believability. I have to buy in to what you are selling and see your attack as a feasible strategy. Tanahashi went after Okada’s knees with some neat stuff including multiple variations of the dragon screw leg whip. While I wasn’t as impressed as the arm work done in Invasion Attack or the heelish tendencies he showed in KOPW 2013, I could buy what he was doing to focus on the leg. Okada to me did a really poor job on selling wincing here and there. Worse than that, almost every focal point besides the Rainmaker attempt relied heavily on the use of his legs. Either through deadlifting Tanahashi for a tombstone, getting his knees up on a High Fly Flow or delivering dropkicks. I understand some of the concept of “I will fight through the pain” narrative to a degree, but when all of this is used in combination, I find myself thinking Tanahashi’s plan was ineffective and he looks like a dope. Tanahashi’s climatic moment with the leg work seemed to be working up to the Texas Cloverleaf, but I thought this was audibly the least heated sequence of the final moments and was received by the crowd as not a serious finish. There was also little instances like Tanahashi breaking up the referee count that made no sense for me and didn’t really play into the personality tropes. Was Tanahashi frustrated here? Did he want to inflict irreversible damage? Is he just a doofus? I couldn’t decipher and as a result, he leaves a victory and guaranteed G-1 final on the arena floor. Okada worked this match mostly underneath but when he was on the attack, I didn’t find much inspiring and was shocked things like Tanahashi’s shoulder hitting the mat on the dropkick to the outside didn’t get played up more. C. Was this the climax? NO, that was 1/4/16. This seemed to be a backing down to the status quo of these guys and showing them as equals. They are presenting some ace storyline thing which could only eventually lead to another encounter. D. Was the execution flawless? NO, this isn’t something I put a ton of weight into, but some of the stuff here wasn’t hit very cleanly and there were two outright botch moments. Looking over those points, I just don’t see this match as up to the level or a lot of their output and am really missing the extra emphasis that makes this an all –timer. I totally get being invested in the final minutes but that will be diminished on repeat watches and a lot of the connective tissue within the match didn’t connect. I commend both for at least trying new ideas with this being their 9th singles match together in this run, but a good chunk missed the mark. ***1/4

Tonga vs. SANADA Glad Tonga at least has something on resembling normal tights. This was a shockingly strong match and really the type of motivated performance Tonga needed throughout. He was moving around quickly and hitting explosive bombs and swift looking strikes. This was also SANADA’s strongest performance in numerous nights. I don’t know whether it was the Osaka crowd or what, but this was the real surprise hit of the entire tournament so far. ***1/2 Fale vs. Makabe I liked that Fale jumped him before the bell allowing the match to play out with Fale as the dominant force. This storyline helped the match to be enjoyable even if I rolled my eyes with the punches Togi was throwing in his comeback. **3/4 Tenzan vs. Goto Another Osaka miracle. Goto has given us nothing throughout this tournament but he really showed some great fire here and worked well in the strike exchanges vs. Tenzan. I think Tenzan overall has been booked pretty bafflingly throughout the tournament but this match worked as his last grasp at being a player in the tournament. The result was a high staked match that really portrayed the struggle well. The final moments were really dramatic and felt prominent for Goto to put the final nail in the coffin of the historic G-1 career of Tenzan. **** Ishii vs. Okada A lot of hype around this one and it absolutely delivered for me. I really got a sense of how Okada works as an ace and how Ishii was able to buck that trend. Okada starts off with his patting on the chest and Ishii demolishes him. They then go into a really stiff exchange showing that in a lot of ways, this match is going to drift from the narrative of the NJPW heavyweight G-1 style. Okada senses this but is still the man so he is able to weather the storm and go back on the offensive. Everything seems to be going to plan but again Ishii is not going to roll over and die hence the Rainmaker attempt. This segues into the final stanza with both really feel like this match is there for the taking and neither competitor backing down. I thought this was an incredible performance and an excellent way to make an upper mid carder like Ishii look on par with anyone in the company. MOTYC ****3/4 Marufuji vs. Tanahasi I appreciated that this started out more traditionally and different from the previous war. The action was basic in the beginning but it felt fresh. Marufuji locking on the piledriver and focusing on the neck was a nice way to give the match an overall focus. I liked this match overall but really disliked the ending as I thought Tana’s slingblades looked really weak and he essentially did a hulk up in putting Marufuji away with 2 HFF. A match I liked but one I do feel is being highly rated by some and I don’t get that appeal. ***1/2 Overall this was the A Block show I have been waiting for. An amazing show of wrestling.

Yano vs. Nagata You know the drill here. Bullshit from Yano but again this was spirited and we actually get a countout payoff which is nice for a change of pace. ** YOSHI-HASHI vs. Elgin Good match here. The arm work performed on Elgin was well done and really brought into doubt whether he could pull off his power moves. Elgin has his spots down now and when he is in there with an engaging opponent like here, it makes for a satisfying result. I wouldn’t mind seeing an IC defense against YH on a smaller show. ***1/4 Honma vs. EVIL Another good match with Honma looking like a good underdog here vs. the big monster EVIL. EVIL really is able to convey a great menacing look when on top throughout this tournament and it pays dividends here with Honma’s big comeback. Block B continues to be much more consistent and entertaining than Block A to me. *** Shibata vs. Omega This match was freaking awesome. You had no bullshit from Omega and he really can be one of the better wrestlers in the world when he tones that stuff down. He had great work on the leg and then the match climaxed with a gripping sequence with huge strikes and pin point accuracy on the knees and kicks. I loved seeing the sweat go flying with each big strike. This really brought me in and felt like the best match of the whole tournament so far. ****1/4 Naito vs. Nakajima Another great match as this tournament seems to be really turning around. Naito has been in a great groove now and is working well with all of his pairings. The leg work here was again spot on and I really enjoyed the leg focus on all of these matches together. Nakajima has really became an entity in puroesu again with this tournament. ****

Fale vs. Tenzan I have enjoyed these two a lot so far in this tournament. I didn’t really enjoy them working together. Nothing seemed to mesh well for me and the match felt lumbering and reckless. I still am shocked at the booking of Tenzan and can’t fathom why he wasn’t doing the Makabe spot of going on a nice run. If this is his last G-1, at least give him some juice in the tournament. **1/2 Tonga vs. Goto I wanted to claw my eyes out just watching these two walk down for this one. One of those unfortunate things where it feels like they have wrestled each other in the tournament 20 times even though they haven’t yet. They did some stuff. I couldn’t be bothered to care. As far behind as I am, I know Goto has a chance of winning the block which sounds horrible to me. ** Naomichi Marufuji vs. SANADA I liked the style of this match with the two outsiders really going out there to prove themselves. There was some eye rolling stuff like SANADA using the bat right in front of red shoes and him doing nothing but at least SANADA had some intensity in his attack on Marufuji. The match lost a good deal of steam to me when the strikes started to be exchange in the ring after SANADA’s attack. I appreciated him going for the choke so quickly, but it felt like we missed an integral portion in the progression of the match. ***1/4 Ishii vs. Tanahashi Another match where starting out all I could think about was the stars Meltzer threw on this thing. This had some great strikes in it and Tanahashi really adds a level of toughness going toe to toe with Ishii. I really enjoyed when Ishii started to take over in the later stages and Tanahashi having to find counters to stay alive. The final stretch really had Tanahashi overcoming everything and showing why he still can be the ace of the promotion when called upon. I think it is absurd to call this a ****3/4 match but I have no problem calling it a very good match. ***3/4 Okada vs. Makabe Makabe still sucks and Okada still isn’t a compelling worker when he is in there with someone I don’t have interest in. This felt like a pedestrian match to end the night for me. Really nothing to say except Okada extinguishes Makabe who has had a really strong run in the G-1 so far. **3/4

How was the set up to the handicap match, got to say without watching that it deflates some interest for me on a surface level.

Current favorite wrestler to watch: Matt Riddle Last fun match you saw: Kenta Kobashi vs. Toshiaki Kawada 1/17/00 Wrestler you want to see more of: Jack Gallagher ( seen his PROGRESS stuff which is aces but would like to see his work vs. lesser known UK workers) Last live show attended (if applicable/different from last time you answered): SCI 2016 Match you're most looking forward to watching: So many answers here. Cody Rhodes vs. Chris Hero (put up or shut up time for Cody), Thatcher vs. GUlak (years in the making), Lethal vs. Cole (really enjoyed the build), Rusev vs. Reigns Last fun interview/promo you saw: Cactus Jack in the hype to Royal Rumble 2000 Last interesting thing you read about wrestling: Read a nice 2000 observer researching that year today Last worthwhile podcast you listened to: Exile on Badstreet: Top 25 angles in CWF is a top 3 podcast in 2016 Most fun you've had watching wrestling lately: Being live at SCI and seeing a truely unique and brillant finish between Jimmy Rave and Matt Riddle where it felt completely believeable to each person's character Favorite recent post on this board: Parv's return in typical style in the against the grain thread Favorite thing about the wrestling landscape in the past three months (if you live in the past, then go with your past three months of time-traveling): My top 3 wrestlers in the world are all US indy guys.

Nakajima vs. YOSHI-HASHI G-1 catchup time. As a result, these could be brief. Really liked Nakajima’s arm work to lay the ground work of the match. I was bummed to see the final portion kind of result into a typical big move finishing spamming sequence. Good match but really went into a direction that was appealing to me towards the back half. *** Nagata vs. Elgin Ok, I have to ask what the fuck is those circles on nagata’s back? This was a good no nonsense match that went right into the action. I thought this did sputter out a bit as it went along and never grabbed me. Both of these guys are similar in that I see how they have fans and they are well positioned in their roles, but neither is able to make a personal connection to me. It is generally the opponent that has to make me be invested in the match as a whole. As a result, this match left me cold. **1/2 Shibata vs. Yano Fuck this noise. ½ * Omega vs. EVIL I have enjoyed the BC vs. LIJ interactions. This started off with a pretty spirited brawl on the outside and Omega takes a sickening bump getting suplexed onto a chair and bending it beyond recognition. The rest of the match is a sprint full of high impact moves and reversals. I enjoyed this much more than the Nagata match earlier and my interest never waned as the match reached its conclusion. I have been enjoying Omega a lot in this mostly serious G-1 run. ***1/2 Honma vs. Naito Very good leg work by Naito but it wasn’t followed up much and the ending seemed to be the latest trope of Honma clamoring for an upset but not being able to reach it. Good match but one where I didn’t feel like the finish was in any doubt. ***1/4

As much as I have enjoyed EVOLVE this year, there is something to be said about this point in time as when Kris was going through the indy shows I was able to recollect immediately that the ROH show was Wrath of the Racket and that the IWA-MS was right after Danny Daniels won the title at the KOTDM. This is in contrast to the numbered show gimmicks where I have no idea what was on EVOLVE 45 for example. Great times to be an indy fan with the sludge of WWE.

Finished this on my commute to work and it really is a fantastic entry. Barry does a great job of giving some historical context without seeming bitter or yearning for the days gone past.

Honma vs. Yano The best of the Yano bullshit matches so far. Honma plays well into this style and it didn’t overstay its welcome before it turned into annoyance. That is about the ceiling for a Yano affair these days and even though the finish was annoying, you knew Yano would pick up points somewhere. *** EVIL vs. YOSHI-HASHI Really good match from two of the more solid performers so far. EVIL does some of his best work on top first attacking the arm and then getting increasingly frustrated as he cant put HASHI away. YH continues to really excel in the underdog role and is able to time his hope spots and nearfalls effectively without forgetting all the damage he has taken from EVIL previously. The lariat/swantom bomb comb was excellent especially the selling and comeback on the lariat. Once again, when HASHI puts EVIL away he is able to make it feel like a great accomplishment. I really enjoyed watching this one. ***3/4 Nakajima vs. Nagata Another crackling match. This didn’t have as strong a story as some other matches but the strikes were fantastic and this really had a big fight feel especially in the closing stretch when they two guys were slapping and kicking each other as hard as they could. A really big slug fest match with Nakajima proving his worth. ***1/2 Omega vs. Elgin This started with some bullshit on the Bullet Club point but then settled down into a really strong match. I did like how some of the wrinkles like Omega hitting the double stomp on the outside were avoided here rewarding the viewer of all these shows. Elgin does a good job planning his big moves and hits some huge lariats here. This felt like a really strong main event in the US with strong character work. Omega still overacts a bit but when he shows this much restraint, the results are pretty damn good. ***3/4 Naito vs. Shibata I loved the opening of this of Shibata getting pissed the fuck off with Naito’s antics and just going off on him. I really appreciate how patient Naito is. He is reeling here so he takes his time and picks a great spot where he can pounce. We then get some great work from Naito on both the leg and arm on Shibata. He really hits the sweet spot here of being aggressive but also playing into his tranquillo attitude. The arm submission looked nasty. Shibatas comeback was well earned and wonderful to watch. He even gets the submission on the three arm check which is a spot I usually loathe. Great match. ****1/4 This was a crackling show. Tama Tonga vs. Ishii I continue to struggle to care about Tonga. I know he has been a popular whipping boy but it really has been a lackluster performance when he needed a great one for this G-1 run. This match didn’t have much flow or over riding theme to it and as a result, it felt middling and in consequential. **1/2 SANADA vs. Bad Luck Fale Fale has been the biggest surprise of the tournament but this beginning was really boring with SANADA not adding much and not doing anything compelling going after Fale. Fale makes things more exciting by using the guard rail on the outside to get our obligatory count out tease spot. I never bought SANADA winning which made the match drag. I did really pop huge at Fale finally being able to hit his Bad Luck Fall to win the match. **3/4 Makabe vs. Marufuji Even though Marufuji has been good this G-1, I was dreading this match hardcore as Makabe has been worse than Tonga in my eyes. Match played out about how I expected with me struggling to come up with much things to say 5 minutes after it happened. This has been a rough card overall. ** Tenzan vs. Okada Glad we have a good match on this show. Tenzan was game to really work vs. Okada and Okada did a good job on top. The cut offs to the Rainmaker was really strong and it felt like a struggle for Okada to hit the move. This was a really effective use of Tenzan and he looked really competent and valiant in defeat. ***1/4 Tanahashi vs. Goto This match would not end for me. I had no connection to it whatsoever and thought it was really blah overall. This card was pretty awful. **1/2

Makabe vs. Tenzan These two have had a 100 matches together and I can’t think of one that was memorable. This didn’t buck that trend. Makabe just doesn’t seem like he is willing to give Tenzan anything to keep the upset hopes alive. Sure enough, he runs through some offense and hits the Kong knee for the win. **1/2 SANADA vs. Goto Still not feeling Goto at all in this tournament. SANADA has done well but really needs a partner that is willing to go along for the ride for the match to reach a strong level. This was nothing offensive but another match that will leave no lasting impression. **3/4 Ishii vs. Marufuji Good, stiff wrestling. A simple storyline but they really brought the fight here and provided a really good match that looked like it was filled with hatred compared to most of the other bouts this evening. I can see the high ratings of ****+ this match has received but it didn’t reach that level for me because of the no selling in certain points. Still overall a strong effort. ***1/2 Okada vs. Tonga This was a cookie cutter heavyweight match. The problem that Tonga still has is the lack of being able to portray a viable strategy or persona that is agreeable to the viewer from both a kayfabe standpoint and an entertaining one. Like usual, he attacks Okada on the outside doing some “stuff”, works him over a bit on the inside and then we go into the finishing stretch. They do have a couple of good Rainmaker teases but Tonga eventually falls to the move. **1/2 Bad Luck Fale vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi Fale continues to impress. This continued his narrative of the opponent playing the big underdog working from underneath. Fale was especially vicious here when he grabs the guard rail and slams it against Tana’s chest and arm. Tanahashi does a great job selling both the arm and back during this heat sequence. My favorite cut off was Fale clotheslining Tanahashi to the outside although the knees up on the second High Fly Flow attempt was also very well done. Tanhashi ends up getting a banana peel roll up finish to give him some points and keep Fale strong. I thought Tana ran through his offense in the closing stretch a bit too easily, but this was overall a really engaging main event and Fale continues to be my surprise of the tournament. ***1/2

YOSHI-HASHI vs. Nagata This was the best Nagata has looked so far to me. His opening matwork looked focused and tight and we didn’t have the meandering pace that his first two matches ran through. Hashi looked ok too besides the whiffed dropkick. On another hand, I do think in some ways there is too many underdogs at points in this tournament. We have Hashi, Honma, Tenzan and then artificially Tanahashi now given his start. The finish was really good with the trading of submissions and emphasis on the limbs that had been worked over previously. I thought HASHI might gain another upset victory but Nagata is able to pull it out. Good start to today’s action. ***1/4 EVIL vs. Nakajima Actually looking forward to this one. This had a pretty basic start but got better as it went along and built up to a good and satisfying finish. Nakajima is someone that can conceivably take a lot of the fight to EVIL and also withstand his onslaught. Him overcoming that and winning with the brainbuster was satisfying. Another match that isn’t going to be a MOTYC but is a good depth builder for the overall tournament. *** Naito vs. Yano Pretty much all bullshit. Not my thing. * Honma vs. Omega Kenny uses his HASHI template here and that was one that I could get behind. I didn’t think he was quite as on point as he was in that match making this one look slightly inferior but it was still really enjoyable and the best Honma has looked in the underdog role so far in the tournament. Besides the Naito vs. Yano whatever match, this show has been very consistently good. ***1/4 Shibata vs. Elgin Another good match to close out the night. Not a whole lot of story to this one but for a big, beefy hoss fight it was really good. I liked the strikes exchanges and power moves that Elgin was displaying throughout the match. ***