soup23 Posted June 26, 2017 Report Share Posted June 26, 2017 Discuss all things G-1 here in this thread. Here are the Blocks: A Block Bad Luck Fale Hirooki Goto Kota Ibushi Tomohiro Ishii Togi Makabe Yuji Nagata Tetsuya Naito Zack Sabre Jr. Hiroshi Tanahashi YOSHI-HASHI B Block Michael Elgin EVIL Satoshi Kojima Kazuchika Okada Kenny Omega Juice Robinson SANADA Minoru Suzuki Tama Tonga Toru Yano Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SmartMark15 Posted June 26, 2017 Report Share Posted June 26, 2017 A Naito-Omega match seems likely for the final. Interesting that they gave away Omega-Okada III as a G1 match but I'm excited to see what they can do with a tight 30 minute limit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soup23 Posted June 26, 2017 Author Report Share Posted June 26, 2017 The 30 minute time limit should help that as well as Okada vs Suzuki IMO. I think Suzuki vs Naito is a strong possibility as a final as well as Omega vs Naito. Naito not winning at this point would have to be considered an upset. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShittyLittleBoots Posted June 26, 2017 Report Share Posted June 26, 2017 ZSJ vs. Tana, Ishii, Ibushi & others! Hell yeah! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrzfn Posted June 26, 2017 Report Share Posted June 26, 2017 I feel like Omega is finally gonna get his win over Okada here. I could see Okada still going on to win the whole thing and then picking Omega for Wrestle Kingdom, since they would be even at 1-1-1 in that scenario. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlmostNinjaLike Posted June 26, 2017 Report Share Posted June 26, 2017 My only disappointment is that we're probably not getting an Ishii vs Suzuki match. But other than that this seems a really solid line-up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WingedEagle Posted June 26, 2017 Report Share Posted June 26, 2017 Really not sure they could've done anything better with the blocks. This protects Okada/Naito as a potential (likely?) Dome main event while also giving Omega a clear opportunity to finally get a win over Okada and build the next outing as yet another huge match. Add in fresh matches with Ibushi, Juice & Elgin and I absolutely cannot wait for this to get started. Naito/Omega in a rematch of last year's MOTY seems the most likely final, but I wouldn't rule out Elgin, or perhaps even Suzuki sneaking in there. So many matches to look forward to! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jmare007 Posted June 26, 2017 Report Share Posted June 26, 2017 Considering this is Nagata's last G-1, I'd like him to either headline or semi main event in Sumo Hall (for one of the "semi final" shows) against Tanahashi, in a throwback to the feud that brought the company back from the grave. If the plan is Naito at WK, Final probably is him beating Omega. If the plan is Omega vs Okada IV, I think the final is him beating Ibushi. The 30 minute time limit should help that as well as Okada vs Suzuki IMO. I think Suzuki vs Naito is a strong possibility as a final as well as Omega vs Naito. Naito not winning at this point would have to be considered an upset. And a huge mistake, he has to win imo. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cap Posted June 26, 2017 Report Share Posted June 26, 2017 Omega vs Okada III with a 30 minute limit sounds perfect to me. These blocks are really pretty great. A lot of great matchups and a lot of great potential finals. I haven't had the service for a while, but I may pick it back up for this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeteF3 Posted June 26, 2017 Report Share Posted June 26, 2017 I kind of hope Omega/Okada III is like a 15-minute sprint. I also hope Toru Yano sweeps his way to the finals, so we'll see which one is more likely. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jmare007 Posted June 26, 2017 Report Share Posted June 26, 2017 Omega/Okada in a 15-20 minute would be outstanding and much better than any of their previous matches. I hope they finally go that route. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tenese Sarwieh Posted June 26, 2017 Report Share Posted June 26, 2017 Good line ups for the blocks. I'm all down with Omega/Suzuki. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richeyedwards Posted June 27, 2017 Report Share Posted June 27, 2017 July 17 @ (July 16) 11PM PDT / 2AM EDT / 7AM BST / 3PM JST Hokkaido A-Block: A-Block: A-Block: A-Block: Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Zack Sabre Jr. A-Block: Kota Ibushi vs. Tetsuya Naito July 20 @ 2:30AM PDT / 5:30AM EDT / 10:30AM BST / 6:30PM JST Korakuen B-Block: B-Block: B-Block: B-Block: SANADA vs. EVIL B-Block: Kenny Omega vs. Minoru Suzuki July 21 @ 2:30AM PDT / 5:30AM EDT / 10:30AM BST / 6:30PM JST Korakuen A-Block: A-Block: A-Block: A-Block: Kota Ibushi vs. Zack Sabre Jr. A-Block: YOSHI-HASHI vs. Tetsuya Naito July 22 @ 2:30AM PDT / 5:30AM EDT / 10:30AM BST / 6:30PM JST Korakuen B-Block: B-Block: B-Block: B-Block: Kenny Omega vs. Tama Tonga B-Block: SANADA vs. Minoru Suzuki July 23 @ 2AM PDT / 5AM EDT / 10AM BST / 6PM JST Tokyo Machida A-Block: A-Block: A-Block: A-Block: Kota Ibushi vs. Tomohiro Ishii A-Block: Togi Makabe vs. Hirooki Goto July 25 @ 2:30AM PDT / 5:30AM EDT / 10:30AM BST / 6:30PM JST Fukushima big palette B-Block: B-Block: B-Block: B-Block: Kenny Omega vs. Toru Yano B-Block: Kazuchika Okada vs. SANADA July 26 @ 2:30AM PDT / 5:30AM EDT / 10:30AM BST / 6:30PM JST Sendai sunplaza A-Block: A-Block: A-Block: A-Block: Togi Makabe vs. Kota Ibushi A-Block: Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Hirooki Goto July 27 @ 2:30AM PDT / 5:30AM EDT / 10:30AM BST / 6:30PM JST Niigata ao-re Nagaoka B-Block: B-Block: B-Block: B-Block: EVIL vs. Minoru Suzuki B-Block: Michael Elgin vs. Kenny Omega July 29 @ 2AM PDT / 5AM EDT / 10AM BST / 6PM JST Aichi pref gym A-Block: A-Block: A-Block: A-Block: Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. YOSHI-HASHI A-Block: Tomohiro Ishii vs. Tetsuya Naito July 30 @ 12:30AM PDT / 3:30AM EDT / 8:30AM BST / 4:30PM JST Gifu Industrial hall B-Block: B-Block: B-Block: B-Block: Satoshi Kojima vs. Kenny Omega B-Block: Juice Robinson vs. Kazuchika Okada August 1 @ 2:30AM PDT / 5:30AM EDT / 10:30AM BST / 6:30PM JST Kagoshima arena A-Block: A-Block: A-Block: A-Block: Yuji Nagata vs. Tomohiro Ishii A-Block: Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Kota Ibushi August 2 @ 2:30AM PDT / 5:30AM EDT / 10:30AM BST / 6:30PM JST Fukuoka citizen gym B-Block: B-Block: B-Block: B-Block: Satoshi Kojima vs. Minoru Suzuki B-Block: Kenny Omega vs. EVIL August 4 @ 3AM PDT / 6AM EDT / 11AM BST / 7PM JST Item Ehime A-Block: A-Block: A-Block: A-Block: Tetsuya Naito vs. Zack Sabre Jr. A-Block: Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Togi Makabe August 5 @ 1AM PDT / 4AM EDT / 9AM BST / 5PM JST Osaka pref gym B-Block: B-Block: B-Block: B-Block: Satoshi Kojima vs. SANADA B-Block: Kazuchika Okada vs. EVIL August 6 @ 12AM PDT / 3AM EDT / 8AM BST / 4PM JST Act city Hamamatsu A-Block: A-Block: A-Block: A-Block: Togi Makabe vs. Tetsuya Naito A-Block: Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Tomohiro Ishii August 8 @ 2:30AM PDT / 5:30AM EDT / 10:30AM BST / 6:30PM JST Yokahama cultural gym B-Block: B-Block: B-Block: B-Block: Kenny Omega vs. SANADA B-Block: Kazuchika Okada vs. Minoru Suzuki August 11 @ 2:30AM PDT / 5:30AM EDT / 10:30AM BST / 6:30PM JST Sumo hall A-Block: A-Block: A-Block: A-Block: Kota Ibushi vs. Hirooki Goto A-Block: Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Tetsuya Naito August 12 @ 2:30AM PDT / 5:30AM EDT / 10:30AM BST / 6:30PM JST Sumo hall B-Block: B-Block: B-Block: B-Block: Toru Yano vs. Minoru Suzuki B-Block: Kazuchika Okada vs. Kenny Omega August 13 @ (August 12) 11PM PDT / 2AM EDT / 7AM BST / 3PM JST Sumo hall A-Block Winner vs. B-Block Winner It is my belief that there will be english com on the opener and all of the korakuen and sumo hall shows. A block looks a hell of a lot better than b block as b block has only a couple of guys I care about in suzuki and SANADA. I hope upon hope that Omega and Okada go 10-15 mins but i know that it is highly unlikely, as they are in a sumo hall main event. also to Jmare007 point it does not seem they are pushing tana vs nagata as anything big as it was not mentioned when they went through the top matches on the shows. I assume that it takes place in Korakuen on the 21st. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soup23 Posted June 27, 2017 Author Report Share Posted June 27, 2017 LIke usual, I am always miffed when the feature matches of these cards get announces and Makabe is featured prominently four times. I know he has mainstream appeal in Japan but him in these features matches carries no interest whatsoever for me even compared against the other old guard guys like Kojima and Nagata. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soup23 Posted June 28, 2017 Author Report Share Posted June 28, 2017 Match listings, times, and other notes -- July 17th -- Hokkaido (A Block, 2 a.m. ET) (English Commentary) Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Zack Sabre Jr. Kota Ibushi vs. Tetsuya Naito Yuji Nagata vs. YOSHI-HASHI Togi Makabe vs. Bad Luck Fale Hirooki Goto vs. Tomohiro Ishii July 20th -- Korakuen Hall (B Block, 5:30 a.m. ET) (English Commentary) Minoru Suzuki vs. Kenny Omega SANADA vs. EVIL Kazuchika Okada vs. Toru Yano Michael Elgin vs. Tama Tonga Satoshi Kojima vs. Juice Robinson July 21st -- Korakuen Hall (A Block, 5:30 a.m. ET) (English Commentary) Tetsuya Naito vs. YOSHI-HASHI Kota Ibushi vs. Zack Sabre Jr. Yuji Nagata vs. Hirooki Goto Togi Makabe vs. Tomohiro Ishii Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Bad Luck Fale July 22nd -- Korakuen Hall (B Block, 5:30 a.m. ET) (English Commentary) Kenny Omega vs. Tama Tonga Minoru Suzuki vs. SANADA EVIL vs. Juice Robinson Kazuchika Okada vs. Michael Elgin Satoshi Kojima vs. Toru Yano July 23rd -- Tokyo Machida Gymnasium (A Block, 5 a.m. ET) Kota Ibushi vs. Tomohiro Ishii Togi Makabe vs. Hirooki Goto Tetsuya Naito vs. Bad Luck Fale YOSHI-HASHI vs. Zack Sabre Jr. Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Yuji Nagata July 25th -- Fukushima (B Block, 5:30 a.m. ET) Kazuchika Okada vs. SANADA Kenny Omega vs. Toru Yano Tama Tonga vs. EVIL Juice Robinson vs. Minoru Suzuki Satoshi Kojima vs. Michael Elgin July 26th -- Miyagi (A Block, 5:30 a.m. ET) Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Hirooki Goto Kota Ibushi vs. Togi Makabe Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Bad Luck Fale Tomohiro Ishii vs. YOSHI-HASHI Tetsuya Naito vs. Yuji Nagata July 27th -- Niigata (B Block, 5:30 a.m. ET) Michael Elgin vs. Kenny Omega Minoru Suzuki vs. EVIL SANADA vs. Toru Yano Juice Robinson vs. Tama Tonga Kazuchika Okada vs. Satoshi Kojima July 29th -- Aichi (A Block, 5:00 a.m. ET) Tetsuya Naito vs. Tomohiro Ishii Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. YOSHI-HASHI Hirooki Goto vs. Zack Sabre Jr. Kota Ibushi vs. Bad Luck Fale Togi Makabe vs. Yuji Nagata July 30th -- Gifu (B Block, 3:30 a.m. ET) Kenny Omega vs. Satoshi Kojima Kazuchika Okada vs. Juice Robinson Michael Elgin vs. SANADA Minoru Suzuki vs. Tama Tonga EVIL vs. Toru Yano August 1st -- Kagoshima (A Block, 5:30 a.m. ET) Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Kota Ibushi Tomohiro Ishii vs. Yuji Nagata YOSHI-HASHI vs. Bad Luck Fale Tetsuya Naito vs. Hirooki Goto Togi Makabe vs. Zack Sabre Jr. August 2nd -- Fukuoka (B Block, 5:30 a.m. ET) Kenny Omega vs. EVIL Minoru Suzuki vs. Satoshi Kojima Kazuchika Okada vs. Tama Tonga SANADA vs. Juice Robinson Michael Elgin vs. Toru Yano August 4th -- Ehime (A Block, 6 a.m. ET) Tetsuya Naito vs. Zack Sabre Jr. Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Togi Makabe Kota Ibushi vs. Yuji Nagata Hirooki Goto vs. YOSHI-HASHI Tomohiro Ishii vs. Bad Luck Fale August 5th -- Osaka (B Block, 4 a.m. ET) Kazuchika Okada vs. EVIL Satoshi Kojima vs. SANADA Minoru Suzuki vs. Michael Elgin Tama Tonga vs. Toru Yano Kenny Omega vs. Juice Robinson August 6th -- Shizuoka (A Block, 3 a.m. ET) Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Tomohiro Ishii Tetsuya Naito vs. Togi Makabe Hirooki Goto vs. Bad Luck Fale Kota Ibushi vs. YOSHI-HASHI Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Yuji Nagata August 8th -- Kanagawa (B Block, 5:30 a.m. ET) Kazuchika Okada vs. Minoru Suzuki Kenny Omega vs. SANADA Juice Robinson vs. Toru Yano Michael Elgin vs. EVIL Satoshi Kojima vs. Tama Tonga August 11th -- Sumo Hall (A Block Finals, 5:30 a.m. ET) (English Commentary) Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Tetsuya Naito Kota Ibushi vs. Hirooki Goto Tomohiro Ishii vs. Zack Sabre Jr. Bad Luck Fale vs. Yuji Nagata Togi Makabe vs. YOSHI-HASHI August 12th -- Sumo Hall (B Block Finals, 5:30 a.m. ET) (English Commentary) Kazuchika Okada vs. Kenny Omega Minoru Suzuki vs. Toru Yano Tama Tonga vs. SANADA Michael Elgin vs. Juice Robinson Satoshi Kojima vs. EVIL August 13th -- Sumo Hall (G1 Climax 27 Finals, 2 a.m. ET) (English Commentary) Winner of the A Block vs. Winner of the B Block in the tournament finals Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
concrete1992 Posted June 28, 2017 Report Share Posted June 28, 2017 I think I'm at the point where I wish they would mix up the formula of the G1 somehow. No solution likely makes financial sense but I think creatively this format is tapped. Each year there feels like a slight variation on the year prior. I don't know if four blocks are the solution but it is the only one that leaps out honestly. I don't know if doubling the size of the field to make it happen works out. G1 produces great matches* and then typically ends with a fine finale** but usually feels like the journey isn't the point despite the length of the thing. *I'm not as high on most matches **Doesn't always work for me Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soup23 Posted June 28, 2017 Author Report Share Posted June 28, 2017 Less people would certainly help for me. They have enough major stars and interaction that they could do a tournament with 12 or so people and a case could be made for most of those winning the whole thing. Goto was a "surprise" last year in that he wasn't a tip top star, but he still is someone heavily pushed by the promotion. It also could rid of the Yano and Tongas in the tournament. That is a sacrifice I would make even though I am happy for someone like Juice being in. People praise Yano being in as a change of pace and while that is true, I don't need to see that type of match 9 times out the 28 days the tournament is taking place. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Infinit Posted June 28, 2017 Report Share Posted June 28, 2017 Come on guys...they run so few singles matches over the course of the year. Stop nitpicking and enjoy the ride lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrzfn Posted June 28, 2017 Report Share Posted June 28, 2017 I feel like it's only a slog if you try to watch every match. I cherry pick and usually have a pretty good time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pol Posted July 2, 2017 Report Share Posted July 2, 2017 It's definitely true that the journey feels more like an academic exercise of point-manipulation than an unfolding story. I'm not saying they should book to the analytical fans, but I wonder if even casual fans at this point see a guy going on a hot streak early and don't realise that means he's just going to lose a bunch at the end. I appreciate that keeping things unpredictable until the final days while also making any given mid-tournament match feel like it actually matters is a difficult balance to strike, but I wish they would turn the dial a little more towards the latter. G1 "upsets" have become so de rigeur as to be meaningless, because we know it's not really about the guy who won but about block math. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlmostNinjaLike Posted July 17, 2017 Report Share Posted July 17, 2017 Tanahashi vs ZSJ was really good. Ibushi vs Naito started fun but lost me with the reverse Frankensteiner, though I still thought the finish was ok. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soup23 Posted July 17, 2017 Author Report Share Posted July 17, 2017 Overall a GREAT Day 1 Nagata vs YOSHI-HASHI: A good tourney opener overall. I liked the mat base start and the ramping up to the bombs being thrown around. YH strikes are something that are a detriment to me so seeing Nagata demolish him and get some pop and crackle on his kicks was rewarding. YH even got some nice snap on his chops here which is a better weapon for him to utilize compared to the forearms. The dueling submissions were filled with nice tension and that set the stage for the tournament overall as it felt like either man could win this one. The sequence after the back suplex nearfall lost me as they seemed to run out of ideas and YH lost most pretenses of selling the arm work that was laid out. The wrist clutch driver that YH wins with is a nice move and that was a big win for him as I only peg him to have 4 or 6 points the entire tournament. ***1/4 Bad Luck Fale vs Togi Makabe: Smart move in making this a clunky brawl and the length was better on this match than Nagata vs YOSHI-HASHI. Still, Makabe is just not able to match the intensity or strikes in a brawling aspect and when that is about all you have at this point, it is a slow haul for me to gain much investment. The match worked best with Togi in the clear underdog role and having to fight from underneath against the big monster Fale. His King Kong Knee to the standing Fale looked good and him getting caught was a clever way to lead right into the finish. Not good but not awful either so a success. **3/4 Hirooki Goto vs Tomohiro Ishii: Usually these matches tap out in the very good but not great range for me. This one clicked on all cylinders. It was compact, brutal and didn't veer too far off into ridiculousness with the punishment and bombs that were thrown at each other. I think the little bits of fatigue selling went a long way to get across that these men were entrenched in a battle. The crowd also added a lot by having an electric atmosphere. Ishii leveling his forearm when Goto goes for the headbutt was excellent as was the collapsed bumps from the double clothesline. The finale was captivating with the machine gun forearms and big strikes. Again, them both taking a moment to regain their composure really helped add emphasis that while the fighting spirit is strong in both, they aren't invincible. Finally, Goto is able to land the final GTR knockout blow and secure the win in this great slugfest. ****1/4 Zack Sabre Jr. vs Hiroshi Tanahashi: Opening was really engaging with ZSJ like a cat chasing the canary and looking for any opening to the injured arm. He goes after the leg, he works over the other arm for a bit but he keeps his patience. This changes when Tana gets a bit of offense in and goes for the elbow drop. ZSJ pounces with the cross armbreaker and even reverses things to prevent Tana from reaching the ropes right away. After that ZSJ works over the arm for a few minutes in great fashion like you knew he would. Tana is forced to up his game and responds by tackling the leg of Zack. From there, we get a great dynamic of both guys being wounded in an area and trying to capitalize on the opponent while not making themselves susceptible to damage. Tana kicking out of ZSJ pin bridge comb was a nice nearfall. High Fly Flows feel like Tana has the match in hand but Zack catches him once again and like the previous time, he ties him up in a pretzel with extra cranking on the injured arm to secure the submission in a great moment. The bits of Desperado interplay were disappointing but this wasn't full blown Suzuki Gun shenanigans and Zack was finally able to have the NJ match he has been capable of. **** Tetsuya Naito vs Kota Ibushi: This had a huge match feel when they entered the ring. The early portions with Naito focusing on the neck set a good ground structure for the match at hand that was reliable for him to go back too and allowed Ibushi to still do all of his spectacular stuff while still selling the damage of the body part that has been worked over. The fact that the bad neck plays into the Destino is an added bonus. Ibushi comes back and runs through his stuff including springboard moonsaults to the outside but then cagey Naito goes back to the neck and regains the advantage. This did a great job in showing how resourceful Naito is overall. The hangman neckbreaker looked great and he filled in his offense with tons of exciting stuff. Ibushi is all about th sizzle and he regains the advantage with a half suplex and then lights Naito up with some great kicks. Naito tries his parlor tricks by shoving down red shoes and charging in but he eats a wind up lariat. The crowd is now in chant mode. Naito nicely goes back to the neck with some strikes and a release German. He works for the reverse rana on the top and hits in. Naito senses he is one move away so now he goes for the Destino, in a great spot of desperation Ibushi catches him and lawn darts him into the turnbuckle. Ibushi then does his deadlift German from the outside into the ring which looks amazing every time as a feat of strength. That gets 2.999. We then get a struggle over the big move of the match which is the top rope piledriver from Ibushi. You can argue that this certainly should have been the finish because where do you go from there. Naito's neck is now as broken as Ibushi's. Naito musters up all strength to send Ibushi into the corner and then locks in the Destino off of a punch attempt for another 2.999 count. A second Destino puts Ibushi right on his dome and that is enough for the 3. Did they do too much? Probably Was this an exhilarating ride? Absolutely. ****1/2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shoe Posted July 17, 2017 Report Share Posted July 17, 2017 What a great variety of wrestling we got here. We got a sliver nicked in Ishii vs Goto, a technical bout with Zach and Tanahashi, and then a big time main event with all the bells and whistles in Naito vs Ibushi. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tenese Sarwieh Posted July 18, 2017 Report Share Posted July 18, 2017 Great way to kick G1 with three excellent matches that had me on the edge of my seat. I especially loved the reactions with the commentary from the Naito/Ibushi match. It felt like fans just going crazy for every big spot. It took things up another level for me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soup23 Posted July 20, 2017 Author Report Share Posted July 20, 2017 Night 2 was an easy step down from night 1 for me. This was a fun opener that I put on par with something like YH vs Nagata from Night 1. Juice had his back worked over and sold it well and then fed into his comebacks with good openings. Kojima was willing to give him a lot here and put him over as a big player that could go on a run throughout the tournament. After Juice’s big win, I liked the show of respect they each gave to each other. I don’t know if Juice will reel off many “great” matches in this G1 but his floor seems to be pretty high overall and I am excited to see him work the variety of opponents in his block. ***1/4 Tonga was given another chance in the G1 this year which felt like filibustering to get to 20 guys to me. I didn’t see what he did in last year’s tournament to warrant a return but I digress. This match was the definition of middling. They did some intro power stuff, went to the outside for a quick exchange and then went back inside for the finishing run. The main positive I had for the match was Elgin’s selling in avoiding the cutter of Tonga. That played into the finish well with Tonga hitting it from the top rope off of a DVD position. **1/2 I appreciated that we didn’t get any faction collusion teasing up front. However, they really seemed to make this into a big brawl from the onset and I didn’t feel the hatred or intensity whatsoever. The chair flying into the cameraman was nice but coincidental. Inside, the action was really back and forth without any flow. My hope was that the stunner to the floor would kickstart things and the selling by both men getting in was excellent. Then they just do a forearm exchange so EVIL who just took a stunner to the floor is still able to go 50/50. Talk about a wasted highspot. The back and forth as we head to the finishing stretch is full of good looking moves mainly based off of SANADA’s bumping and athleticism but I fail to see any strategy for any man as far as gaining the victory. It’s just an exchanging of holds. The struggle with SANADA looking for the Skull End was the most cohesive part of the match overall and gained back my investment. He seems to wind EVIL and then hits a moonsault for the victory. **3/4 We get the Yano greatest hits package here. Okada being from the DG system does have a good sense of comedic timing in matches and it was on display here. Them being in a faction worked as well as we saw Okada and Gedo on the outside try to uproot some of the Yano tropes but instead, Yano just added a new layer. The throwing the turnbuckle pad to Gedo and the low blow to Jado on the outside were highlights. Yano gets a variety of rollups that have the crowd biting so that was refreshing to see. In a nice wrinkle, Okada ends up winning with the Red Ink which felt different. I had fun with this match. *** This may be construed as nitpicky and it isn’t his general style but I was hoping for less animated selling from Omega being in there with Suzuki than what we got in the early going. The leg work was really well done with Suzuki going after it with ferocity and Omega selling it well. One legged moonsault was a nice touch. Then we get the ref bump and the Suzuki Gun and Bullet Club clear out. This will set up faction wars I suppose in the future but I can’t be bothered to care about that in the slightest and it disrupted the flow of the match greatly for me. When the match restarts 1 vs 1, it is very engaging from the leg lock submissions to the V-Triggers that Kenny lands in. There was some pretty glaring execution spots where at two moments, Red Shoes seemed to count three on clearly designed two counts. In addition, the reverse rana in the finishing run was ugly with Suzuki not being able to take that bump properly. A little ambitious overall for those type of spots here and unnecessary to boot. Kenny does win which helps prove his dominance and he gives his grandstanding speech afterwards. I enjoyed this but didn’t think it every reached that next gear into great territory. ***1/2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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