[2017-07-23-NJPW-G1 Climax] Togi Makabe vs Hirooki Goto

[soup23]

This had some added ooph being in Makabe’s hometown but I didn’t get the slugfest feel they were going for and some of the forearms in particular looked weak compared to the shots that were fired in Ibushi vs Ishii. The best sequence was the final one with Makabe going for the King Kong knee and hitting the first at a unique angle. Big time pop for his win and this ended a good night of wrestling. ***

[bradhindsight]

PTBN review by Ioan Morris:

 

 

It took a while for either man to stay on top, but Goto was first to achieve it by clotheslining Makabe down to the floor from the top-rope. Returning to the ring, Goto applied a single-leg crab, then kept Makabe grounded with kicks and ill-advised swipes to the head. Makabe, of course, said “bring it on” then hit back with a shoulder block, with a second cementing the change in momentum. Corner clotheslines, mounted punches and a Northern Lights suplex earned a two-count, but Goto soon hit back with a spinning heel kick and backdrop. Duelling lariats then left both men on the mat, then it Main Event Elbow Battle time, after which Makabe ran right into an Ushigoroshi for a near-fall. German suplex hold from Makabe for two, and he won the the lariat exchange that followed, nailing a running lariat for another two-count. The King Kong Knee Drop missed the mark, however, and Goto’s lariat and chest kick almost got the job done. The sleeper was cinched in and Goto landed a headbutt before taking Makabe to the top-rope, looking for a super Ushigoroshi, but instead getting pushed to mat. King Kong Knee Drop to a kneeling Goto, followed with a powerbomb – two-count only! Makabe lifted Goto up top, dumped him to the mat with a Spider German, and nailed him with the King Kong Knee Drop for the win!

I’m not the biggest fan of either man, but they worked damn hard here and built to a strong finish, so I ended up enjoying this a lot more than I thought I would. Again, the action was almost entirely inside the ring and Makabe did a decent job in fighting from underneath, with the crowd very much in his favour. A good main event. ***1/2