[2014-07-26-NJPW-G1 Climax] Tomohiro Ishii vs Tomoaki Honma

[Superstar Sleeze]

Went to New Japan live on Friday in Lowell and had a blast! Now I am interested in modern New Japan again. I remember really loving this series. This review is from February of 2015. 

 

Tomohiro Ishii vs Tomoaki Honma - G-1 Climax 2014

Bring on the rematch BABY! I actually preferred the offensive layout in this match as opposed to the previous because they really built to the Honma offense well and it was a tighter match, but this match does not have the same level of world-class Ishii selling. Ishii sells in this one per usual, but the 5/3 match was something special. There is definitely a ***** match if you combine the two of these matches, but as it stands still a badass set of matches.

Honma misses his falling headbutt early and Ishii pounces with headbutts and chops. I prefer that opening as opposed to boring opening strike exchange of the previous match. Then there is incredibly awesome suplex struggle. You really get the feeling that if Honma does win the suplex battle that it is fucking over for him and this is going to be a blowout. Honma gets some offense in, but again misses the falling headbutt. They go all Kobashi/Sasaki, but unlike those two it is not pure masturbation. Honma beats back Ishii, wins the exchange and finally hits the falling headbutt! A strike exchange that goes somewhere! YES! Ishii tries to salvage this with a back drop driver, but Honma comes roaring out of the corner with a lariat and then a piledriver. For somebody with no neck, Ishii's certainly gets hurt a lot. They repeat the urgent sequence from the last match where they are on top of each other, which seems weird after a piledriver. Honma hits his DDT and then Ishii goes into classic Ishii selling mode. I don't like Ishii using the delayed superplex in every match or at least how he sets it up. If it creatively happened by chance in each match that would be one thing, but to actually give your opponent the high ground is just stupid to me. Ishii is looking for his powerbomb, but Honma deadweights he gets it. Now is looking for his brainbuster, roll through by Honma 1->2->NO! We all went crazy for that. In all the discombobulation, Honam dumps Ishii on his head via suplex. Go Honma Go! Honma brainbuster gets two and he is looking for the Honma Driver! They have another great stand up exchange where they look like they are fighting through each other's shit, but again Honma falls prey to Ishii's enziguiri/lariat/brainbuster combination. Honma needs to scout that enziguiri. It has done him in twice. This is a fun little sprint which Honma gets in his hope spots to rile up the crowd, but ultimately falling short. Honma's offense is set up really well early on. Both wrestlers are so great at generating drama late and that standup exchange was awesome. One day Honma, one day! ****1/4

[Clayton Jones]

Honma is amazing at feeling like he's building momentum despite almost never winning and this match might be the prime example. I'll agree with Sleaze that the layout of this is great, 5 minutes all out, 5 minutes to breathe and sell, and a red hot finishing stretch that legitimately felt like it could end any moment. Honma's selling and desperation are so intense here and I'd be lying if I said I wasn't emotionally invested by the end. Man was the crowd as well. I appreciated how Ishii recovered from the near botch. Even stuff like the chop exchanges that I can usually do without were done with a little something extra that impressed me. And when they went back to a strike exchange late it broke down into a desperate flurry instead of a your turn my turn affair. I love watching these two wrestle.